TO KILL THE SLOB (1): FALSE ENTRY WAY.

So! Here is it, the first photo in the slob series. 

Kinda blurry bc it was taken at night. But you get the gest. I'm almost relieved it's not the HD my iPhone promised. (You won't be able to see the dust!) HeHe! 

Here are some extra shots for the critics out there that need more angles.

 

-and yes, I have a huge couch covered in irises. Thanks for noticing. She's been in the family for awhile & I thankfully aquired her. (Thanks uncle Joe!) 

To add to the end this loves mini chandelier that came with the home. There is one here above the false entry way and another in the hallway. I say false entry way because we don't used it.

You see it is the front of the house per say, but it faces a street where parking is no longer allowed. 

Shame really! 

And there is a curb, sidewalk, and a few trees currently residing in the place where there once was a drive way. It's easily overlooked and hidden but there are tell-tell signs whispering to whoever is keen enough to take notice. Anyway now you know my "front door" is only passed through to fetch the mail. 

I'll tell you the journey I took to find this old home and it's history as well another time. I will tell you it was built in 1938! I love old homes. I love the oddness of their modern add-ons, I love its character and that they hold so many secrets... 

There you have it, let me hear your thoughts. Good bad ugly Hahahaha all of the above? 

If you would be so kindly any advice is greatly welcome. This includes improvement suggestions. 

Please share a wall or crook or cranny in your own home for us to examine! Leave it in the comment section below. 

Let's all help each other out and create some healthy new perspectives for each other! 

We see our own homes so often it's hard to truly see what they are composed of and to want to improve them! 

I hope this gives us all the kick start we need to a pleasantly beautiful home. 

I have been reading a book lately called The Joy of Less written by Francine Jay. It is about being a minimalist. And so far I've found it very inspiring. So much so that one day I had to put it down for fear I would bag up everything I own and empty every room! Phew! Thank goodness that implus wasn't allowed to be lived out. I did go through and reduce my closet by 75%!  

I will let this be for one week and allow the criticism roll in and check back next Tuesday. I will let you know how I feel about the corner of my home after the comments and what if any changes I've made or plan to make. 

Tah-Tah. 

CHILD CORRESPONDENCE: TOGO

Dear Roger. 

A letter to my Sponsored Compassion International Child CONFESSION:

This is my first ever sponsored child. 

I decided to pick up Roger's water proof envelope during a down pour at a NEEDTOBREATHE concert I attending this past Summer 2014 in Kennewick, WA.

I was on a 2 week long road trip with two of my closest girlfriends. These girls are two of the bravest most fascinating female people I know. We always take one HUGE adventure of a trip together each year. This trip was our second road trip and was to the west coast, USA. 
We started in Oklahomaaa and made a giant circle that inclosed Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, CANADA, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico ending again in Oklahoma. 

Yes, you read that right TWO WEEKS. 

So- as I held Rogers envelope and read his location, TOGO, I had a pull at my heart that he was to be the one I sponsored. You see my current boyfriend at the time had previously gone on a mission trip to Africa one summer and specifically to Togo. Holding a child from that location and seeing Togo bolding typed into the information sheet made me feel connected to my boyfriend. Who was 1,930 miles away and whom I was missing.  

So, right then in that moment, in the pouring rain while NEEDTOBREATHE sang 'when the water starts risen', Roger Kodjo Kponvi became my sponsored child throughout Compassion International.

ROGER KODJO KPONVI
AGE:4
LOCATION: TOGO, AFRICA. 
LANGUAGE:EWE

I was so stoked to begin writing Roger and sending him things my boyfriend and I could create together for him. 

Fast forward a few months.........

Still not a single letter had been written to 4 year old Roger. 

Not one item had been created between my boyfriend and I for Roger. 

I had made a pinterest board titled compassion full of great ideas and we did pray for him, but thats as far as it had gone.

One day I received a letter from Roger. It was a worksheet with questions for Roger about Roger that were suppose to be about him and that an assistant had filled out for him. In one section was room for a drawling created by Roger. Within the section 'Airplane' was written by the assistant. I like to call it abstract airplane. 

The arrival of this letter let it to be magnetized to the metal cabinets in the kitchen and peered upon whenever salt or pepper was needed from the seasoning rack. Also one remark from my roommate that "Rogers birthday is one day before hitlers". April 19, 2014. 

Maybe the excitement I had to send something to Roger was choked out by all the limitation, guidelines, rules and not allowed items, Compassion International has for what is accepted to send to my child. Or maybe I'm just a horrible person who thought sponsoring the money was enough? 

After all that prequel now let me tell you about tonights creative activities! 

I wrote to Roger. 

I told him that my boyfriend and I lived in Oklahoma, that we like to hike and go on adventures. I said that I like to grow plants and that I like butterflies. That my boyfriend like sports and the color blue. I included a photo of each of us and one of a beautiful tree we took a photo of while backpacking through the Hoh rainforest, Olympic National Park, WA. I told him God has a plan for his life and that he was special and that God loved him. (I took it right from the example of what to write to you kid section on my pamphlet) Lastly I sent a gift of $100.00 to him and his family for a christmas gift. 

I wrote 'adventures' in stead of the first word that came to mind which was 'trips'. Because I felt like that might be insensitive because he is so poor. Then I started second guessing the photo of the tree. I thought, "Well, he lives in Africa and what if he lives where there aren't any tree and has never seen a tree like this before and it makes him feel bad or that he doesn't understand it or can't relate to it. 

That led to banner idea I had to make for him. The very Pinterest triangles with letters of a child's name or welcome something like that spelled out across the string of triangles. 

You are only allowed to mail Paper product items to the children. I saw on the Compassion webpage that it was okay for a small string with stars attached with staples to be sent. My banner is based off those guild lines. 

I spent one after noon going through old magazines and ripping out pages with good "boy type" photo themes. Then cutting triangles from them. I chose things like blues of clouds and skies, reds in mountains and rocks, blues of water and oceans, a earth seen from space photo, neat bark textures from trees, trees, grass, an eagle, a dog, a elk, tall grasses. I laid them out how I was going to super glue them to the string I had to look at them. I had the conflicting thoughts of its really great and also is this appropriate for roger. I wondered how he would hang it up, should I leave enough string at the end so he could tie it up?

I took a saying from the journal my boyfriend had kept while on his mission trip. I cut out letter to attach to the banner. It is yesu lo wo. It is is in the ewe language and means roughly that jesus loves/cares for you. At first I wanted to put roger on it but I almost thing that is a name gives for my purposes and not what he is called. I also wanted his whole family to gain joy from it. 

I felt bad about the trees and the mountains and the 'pretty things" I wondered if roger would know what a elk is. If seeing these things would give him hope to know the world or sadness in the world he currently lived in. 

So I delayed sending it. 

Do you think I should send it? 
Do you think it is appropriate and that roger would be able to enjoy it? 

Please let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Also share some creative paper product gift ideas you have thought of or made for a sponsored child. 

Radom question: 

Do you sponsor a child? What group is it with?

Or

What have you sent your child? 


Thank you. 

BIRDS WITH FEATHERS

Hello there-

Tonight's CONFESSION:

I've gone chicken sheeeett crazy.

I raise chickens 

          &

I live in the city.

The city I live in isn't a large one mind you, and My homestead in the city sets on one lot. Although space is limited I still manage to keep enough hens to have fresh eggs every morning! 

I have seven hens. 

Of my seven hens:

two are barred rock, 

two are lavender orphingtons, 

one is a jubilee orphington,

and the other two ......I'm not sure about!

I think one is a production red (she is my matriarch of the flock) and the other is a buff of some sort. I will snap some photos of them soon enough. 

Let me introduce you to the girls:

(Photos coming soon) 

I started off with only four, and acquired the other three along the way. 

Having hens has been an amazing adventure. 

I love hearing them lay in the morning and treating them to the scrapes from my kitchen. It actually helps me eat more produce and keep a healthier diet. Haha because I'm giddy about tossing them my excess mustard greens or buying an extra $2.00 head of purple cabbage.

This spring the girls and I went through baby fever!

My coop is small, it's purpose is only to provide shelter from rain, hold a roost for my girls and give them a nice cozy place to deposit their eggs. The coop has a lovely collection nesting box and I can access the eggs by simply lifting the nest box lid and scooping them up. 

It only has one nesting box and this hasn't been a problem up until now but the girls went Broody and started hogging and buddy sitting in it and the layer girls would sit there and scream. Hah it was like they had diviy up time slots and they were screaming times up!!! 

I felt almost at falt see I had three ceramic eggs in the box, my little trick to keeping fresh eggs coming throughout the winter months! I know this encouraged them into their broodiness and that i should have removed them sooner. 

But I loved this thought.

Random question: 

What is your favorite breed of chicken? 

Or 

What's your favorite chicken name? 

FILTH GOGGLES

CONFESSION: TO KILL THE SLOB

During this confession so much growth is going to transpire that this will need to be a confessional series! The theme for this confession is To Kill the Slob. 

For being such a perfectionist I can be such a slob. I can and do live in complete filth day by day and never once notice it. I get carried away by some particular task or phase and it's similar to tunnel vision. I've read about it being called flowing and that it is good to focus on such things like test at class or projects with deadlines, but it can last me weeks! 

So to help expose my filth probs I will take a photo of a wall in my home just as it is. The thought of doing that right now makes me cringe! I will not alter or move a single item. 

I want your feed back. You critisize, question my sanity, or pity me. Go right ahead. 

I want to see if it will affect me enough to want to change anything about the wall. I believe by showing you all my rubble I will be able to see it too. This is really going to help me grow up. After a few days I will post my response. 

First To Kill the Slob photo comes up soon! So check back! 

Hopefully it will make my vision anew and create a tidier home. 

PSST...DIRT ON...

...ON ME!

Yes, on me! My confession tonight is the dirt I've got. I literately covered myself in it! Head to toe covered.  I sat in my clean bathtub stark bum nudie and scooped mud with my dirty paws and massaged it into my skin.

It was a blast! I felt like I was making one huge mud pie of myself! My iron man watch { which has been across the globe with me & is water proof} was completely incognito!

If you are beginning to wonder about my mental health hold onto your horses challey because after I painted myself in this muck I had bit left over and guess what I did with it???

CONFESSION:

I ATE IT!

Whoooaaah! This broad just ate a mud pie, off herself!?!

 YEEEEAAAHHUUUU I DEEEEDAAH

Why on earth would you do such a deedle-feedle of thing?

I did it because it's magic mud. Aka French green clay street name: montemillyitie !
Go right now and get you, your wife, kids, and husband some!

Check out this article I read earlier in my researchings.

http://www.rense.com/general93/french.htm

I purchased mine at THE GREEN MARKET, a local health food store. I found it in the cosmetic section for around $7.00! SCORE......! 

I was on prowl for it because of the series of unfortunate events that occurred earlier this evening. A brand new baby chick was injured in a broody hen territorial dispute.  I wanted the clay to bind the wound and prevent infection. I have researched it before and it was the first thing to pop into my mind.  

I will write another post in order to properly introduce my flock and the current happenings with them next. 

Here is the chick with it's new "skin", it was completely skinned on its back and bloody when I rescued it.

 I plan on plucking several other favorites from the clutches and putting them with this one. I needed to set this new protective "skin" so that they won't peck at the injured ones wound at least not directly. 

The French green clay dries and forms a superficial cast, just perfect. I mixed in some tea tree essential oil and some clove essential oil as well. Clove to ease the pain, and tea tree for the healing properties as well as it being antibacterial Etc.

I did have a thought to clean the wound and put liquid bandaid on it and place it back with the hen, I would prefer the natural process of her raising it, but she pecked at the wound and I didn't like the feel from that. 

So away I carried it into the house to its recovery palace. 

I had plenty of muddied clay left over and that's when the bathtub shenanigans began! 

I pray my little chickpea makes it and the plastered clay does its job well. I sure love this little one it's defiantly worth the extra effort. 

So, have you ever used French green clay ? If so what did you used it for or on and most importantly did you eat if off your own body in the process?

I want to hear your stories! 

I'm thinking about mixing a teaspoon in with my morning green tea with ginseng. Or perhaps in my greek yogurt ? I just has a sneaky thought of adding a pinch to the next meal I cook and feeding it to my fella. I'll get back to you all on that one! 

Random question: 

What's your favorite product from your local health food store? 

Or 

Do you use french green clay? 

Anyone volunteer to clean the aftermath left in my tub? ....anyone? No...? 

VAMPIRE CAT BITES

So, cats are lethal. THE.END. ALSO, I have a theory cats are "vampires". Check out any cat bite photo... Mystery solved. Sorrynotsorry twilight/vampire diary fans. 

If you are a twilight/vamp diary fan...you mostly likely are reading this whilst your cat is staring at you like the creep it is. 

If you did just look to see if your cat was creeping, you now have a weird feeling. 

A) you are terrified of your cat. Or

B) you are pumped you own a true vampire. & you have a new Halloween costume idea. MEOW. 

PS. I was bitten twice by said vampire cat, it hurt-I screamed. Then being the diehard fan I am immediately realized this is the closest experience I will have to a walker bite!  

http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/photos/10-fascinating-facts-about-cats/cat-bites-are-dangerous ( copy and paste, promise it's worth it!,) 

                         CONFESSION:

I took a bubble bath, and DAMN it was bliss! I used orgainx sun kissed blonde highlights shampoo for a bubble bath. It helps lighten my body hair. Also it smells.... Just right ....you'll know what I mean! I also drank coke from a bottle and read about cat bites, chicken sneezes, and vintage sunbeam 1930 kitchen mixer manuals! Haaaaaaahaaabaaaahha  

OOOOOOKAY, NOW IT'S YOUR TURN, what's your bath-time confessional....? 

Random quedtion: 

Have you ever been bitten by a cat? 

Or are you guilty of using shampoo as bubble bath too? What are your favorites?