Tarts from the last basket I enjoyed enough to procure again include: TBG Sleepy, Ever Night and Happy Un-Birthday, MooScents Carnival Cakes (if they every open again), LSC Southern Belle and Sinful, CFTKR Sugared Strawberry Spruce, Ultimate Sugar Cookie, Mistletoe and Fig, Smoked Applewood and Apples and Acorns and Apple Balsam Pine.
Super Tarts- Maleficent <3 gift
Super Tarts- Hades <3 gift
Rosegirls- Americana Wafers
Ten Digit Creations- Pumpkin Lavender
Ten Digit Creations- Nag Champa <3 gift
Ten Digit Creations- Dragon's Blood <3 gift
Ten Digit Creations- Wood You?
Ten Digit Creations- Cherry Wood and Gypsy Magic
Bohemienne Life- Besos del Sol
The Bathing Garden- Spring Fling <3 gift
Bento Wax- Death of a Bachelor <3 gift
Tiffany's- Get Naked <3 gift
Candy Panda- Meet Me in The Woods <3 gift
Bonjour Wax- I'm Not A Dalek <3 gift
Starry Skies- Bay Rum <3 gift
Wonderberry Wax- Lavender Blackberry Ice Cream <3 gift
UNKNOWN vendor- Promise? Promise. and You're Not Alone (side note rant, Vendors! at the very least please put your company name somewhere on the tart. There is a strong likelihood your wax will get destashed or gifted and then the next person has no idea where to buy more if they love it.)
Most of these were recently gifted to me through a couple of swaps or acts of kindness. I am thrilled to dive into more newish-to-me vendors. If you would like any reviewed, please drop me a line.
It has slowly been a touch more quiet around these parts and on my social media. Mid August whipped my tail and I am just now starting to feel some semblance of equilibrium restored. Thank you for sticking with me.
I saw this sign while we were walking around the mountainside neighborhood where we vacationed in Tennessee this summer and it made me smile every time I read it. Serenity now.... insanity later. I am thinking and hoping my bout with temporary insanity has passed for at least this little while. Headed back to teaching, lesson planning, conferences, IEPs, 504s, steps to getting my certification back, headed back to school for Montessori training, health issues for myself and my daughter, big life decision disagreements with my husband all fell on me like so many rocks and boulders. I was fighting to get through one day without crying or feeling sick to my stomach.
The rocks have been pushed aside, one by one, still close by and things I have to deal with but I am just sitting on one and catching my breath. One day at a time. Once decision at a time. Each day is sufficient. I will take any prayers one wishes to put forth for Savanna and her upcoming surgery. It isn't a life threatening issue but surgery is surgery and all the blood works, x-rays and pre-op appointments signal the realness of it.
Despite the stressors and worries, I have still been able to maintain my momentum in regards to my health improvements. Now, my exercising has not been the best but at least I am still watching my foods. I am down 22 pounds now and holding firm. I feel like my food choices at restaurants comes more easier (looking for those healthier light entrees, simple meat and veggies or fresh salads). That is a definite NSV (non-scale victory). I had my second ultrasound in regards to my ovarian cysts. Apparently I have tons of follicles flooding my ovaries and this could be an indicator (among many other symptoms I have) that I may have PCOS. My doctor and I are going to talk further about it. There isn't a cure and pretty much diet and exercise are the only things that could help. Which I am doing anyway. This is just another motivator. Things will get bette.r
How have you been doing? How is work? Your day to day? How do you deal with stress?
Ha, you really cashed in on the insanity later after Tennessee. With so much piled on at once, all you can really do is scramble up to the surface and not stop till you hit air. It sounds like you were able to do that recently, I hope so. A few situations have come up this month that knocked me back on my heels. I can handle a lot, but uncertainty is my nemesis. Don't know what it's like to have a child facing surgery, but as a patient many times I know it helped when those surrounding me, including my doctor, made everything seem normal and rather like it was no big deal. Statistics are also comforting to me and I liked to see the positives in them, ex., # of success rates for sd. surgery, or treatment etc. With such loving caring support, she'll probably do really well.
ReplyDeleteAs for you, kudos on the healthy choices and results, goodness that is remarkable (awesome, awe-inspiring, awe-inducing, cause I had no idea what you were up to). Remember to take care of yourself during these stressors and go easy on yourself too.
I did hit a wall. Thankfully, I am slowly beginning to recover myself. I hope your month is smoothing out too.
DeleteYeah, it do get some comfort knowing she has a great doctor and that things should go just fine. She was crying hard today, mentioning how scared she is and it was hard to reassure her. She just had an EKG, chest x-ray and stuff done so it is still fresh in her head. I think that is a hard part for me too. Knowing that all she wants is for Adam or I to be in the surgery room with her and we just can't do that.
Thanks! I backslid today but plan on going out for a jog tonight and getting back on track tomorrow. Thank you, Jay. Your positive thoughts and well wishes mean a lot to me.
I'm really sorry things were cruddy there for a little while (and always residual cruddiness, too, unfortunately.) I hope as you move into the Fall things settle down a bit, and we've got our fingers and paws crossed over here for nothing but good, sparkly things for your daughter. You so got this. :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, too, on your fabulous weight loss improvements to your health. Another thing I know you've got a handle on, because you want to continue or maintain it, and you're taking steps to do so as your routine moves from one season to another. That's so hard to do, but you must feel great. :)
Thank you Sandra. I am holding out that fall will be awesome. The dust will have settled and Savanna will be recovering at that point. Your well wishes are very very much appreciated. <3
DeleteThanks! The past two days have been rough when it comes to making wise food choices but for the most part I have still done well I think. Savanna requested homemade vanilla ice cream and since we didn't get the ice cream churn out this summer I wanted to oblige. She made the mixture on her own and we poured it in. It turned out pretty great! But now I am determined after two evenings of ice cream to cut back on the sugar again. That sugar dragon of mine roars easily when poked. I think once the big stressors go away I will feel the NSV a bit clearer I hope. How are you feeling? Will you have some fall challenges? I know mine will hit in about a month when I will be baking apple pie, apple cake and pumpkin cookies.
Ooh, homemade vanilla ice cream - I'd be powerless to refuse that one, too. I used to have an ice cream maker; it was a dangerous thing to have around. Thankfully I don't have much of a sweet tooth (sorry that that part of things continues to kick your butt a bit; my ass-kicker is fried snacky stuff) but my husband does, and he'll eat everything sweet in the house that's not nailed down when he's in such a mood.
DeleteAnd I'm doing pretty well, thank you for asking! Keepin' on keepin' on and all that good stuff. I don't anticipate too, too much trouble as we move into the cooler weather and the holidays, but that's just because ("just because" - I say that like it hasn't made ALL the difference in my success) I think I've really gotten the message that this time, this isn't a diet, this is a for-life thing. Like, this is just how things are going to have to be going forward for me to keep the weight off and feel good. Which is easy to say when you don't feel too deprived or bad-off, which I don't. I just aim to practice moderation. Also cut out the food things that add calories but not a whole lot of satisfaction (using oil all willy-nilly, licking my fingers while I'm making cookies...like, I'd rather be able to have a finished cookie later than no cookie because I ate one when it was raw standing up in front of the sink.) Also daily exercise. And that's just how it's gotta be. So TL;DR - I hope I can withstand the major temptations of amazing Fall eats, but I also hope I eat a lot of amazing Fall stuff, too. ;)
I am. Ice cream is definitely my kryptonite.
DeleteI agree. The mindset is the largest part of the battle. Knowing that going hog wild will only provide a huge set back. Rewiring the brain is the hardest but most important aspect of a healthy lifestyle. I like your analogy with the cookie baking. Because you are right, each bite/lick/spoonful is just added calories that don't even feel filling. Daily exercise is where I am lacking right now. I was doing well until I went back to work. Now I am loathe to wake up extra early and sweat before work but I am too tired after getting home and cooking. But walking/jogging will soon be on my agenda in the evenings. And weekend work outs. Speaking of... that is my plan today. To get one work out in. And bak the first apple pie of the season. :-)