The Done List

Happy Halloween, everyone! and Welcome, welcome, welcome to Kimberly Vanderhorst! This week she's bringing sunshiny-ness from the inside out. I love this post of a to do list in reverse!

“You’re not horrible, you’re human. People are always getting those two confused.”

It’s a hallmark of human nature that we are sometimes too hard on ourselves. We mentally bludgeon ourselves into a state of despair because we're not doing and being all the things we think we should.

But if you worry that you are not kind enough, giving enough, AMAZING enough, then odds are you're pretty freakin' fantastic. Because you're striving, and you're yearning, and you're aspiring.

Please. Celebrate that.

And please, resist the voice in the back of your mind, the insidious whisper telling you what a slacker you are. One of the most beautiful, most joy-worthy aspects of humanity is that we have the power (with the help of our loved ones) TO DROWN THOSE VOICES OUT.

Be a loud voice. Be the bright and shining creature you have it in you to be. And when you can't, when the weariness brings you down so low you forget you ever had the power to shine at all, remember this:

"Feeling and being are not the same. You are not one dark thought, one sad moment, or one awful day. You are oh so much, so infinitely MORE."

There’s a dangerous cliché making its way through the world, which tells us that it’s silly to stare into mirrors and tell ourselves how wonderful we are. The idea has been mocked in countless TV shows and movies, and more often than not leads to abject humiliation for the person doing it.

But I found a loophole, and it’s a fabulous one.

Every day, I write down the things I do. “Unloaded the dishwasher.” “Answered seven emails.” “Edited two query letters.” “Wrote 537 words.” “Read three books to Gracie.” “Put on real pants!” “Put through and folded two loads of laundry.” “Decluttered kitchen counter.” “Shouted inside my head instead of outside.” Etc . . .

At the end of the day, I skim my “done list,” and smile. Because when it comes to my accomplishments, my memory is a sieve with really big holes. Writing them down helps me fight that whispering “You are not enough” voice. It helps me realize that I am. Even on my rough days, when “put on pants” is the highest of all possible accomplishments.

What sort of things would you put on your “done list?”

Kimberly Vanderhorst is a speculative fiction author who cherishes a love for all things strange and beautiful. Claims to fame include running Prism Editing, serving on the committees for the annual LDStorymakers Conference and The Whitney Awards program, and co-hosting the annual Pitch Slam contest. Despite being a city girl with a tendency to cuss too much, Kimberly is married to an LDS minister and lives in rural northern Canada. There, she helps raise her four lovely daughters while pretending not to be afraid of the neighbour’s chickens.

www.kimvanderhorst.com

Makeup Expires? What??

A week ago, I bought some new matte lipsticks, and couldn't find room for them in my Caboodle. That's right. I said Caboodle. That 90's stellar invention for organizing things that I use to organize my makeup. But, I simply ran out of room.

The remedy? Remove old makeup.

this is clearly just the top of how much I threw out...

A bagful later, I really had to contemplate if I should get rid of the makeup. What if I need it for Halloween? What if I do another wedding? What if, what if? Then a thought came. What if all those times my lipstick smelled like oil, it had gone bad? What if when my lip gloss was more like lip goop, it was past it's prime? What if my eyeshadow from 15yrs ago was...expired?

 

WHAT IF MAKEUP EXPIRES???

I did some research and found out that IT DOES!! Holy crap, it does. More than we want to know, it does! I'm telling ya the skinny today on the facts about expired makeup! Some products will have a jar symbol with a numeral code, that's the number of months till they expire, but others you'll just never know unless you sharpie your buy date on them. And once air hits that now exposed makeup, ingredients start to oxidize and degrade. They expire. AND build bacteria up in the meantime. Ew!

WHEN TO TOSS YOUR MAKEUP!!
1. Powder (eye shadows, bronzes, blushes, etc) - 2 years
2. Cream shadows/blushes - 12-18months
3. Liquid foundation - 6months
4. Oil-free foundation - 1 year
5. Cream compact foundation - 18months
6. Concealers - 12-18months
7. Lipstick/lip liner - 1-2years
8. Lip gloss - 18-24months
9. Pencil eyeliner - 2 years
10. Cream eyeliners - 6months
11. Liquid or gel eyeliner - 3months
12. Mascara - 3months

Remember how I said I've had some eyeshadows for 15years?? Wow. And yes, sometimes I used that smelly lipstick because I knew I couldn't find it again. And had mascara way beyond 3 months! The better idea, is to toss it, and HAVE A REASON to makeup shop for more!! Now, isn't that the better plan??

QUESTIONS TO THE READER:
1. Were YOU aware makeup expired?
2. What do you think is your oldest makeup?

Thank you to everyone who came by to read from me this week!! If you missed it, Monday I discussed a new earring fade, and Wednesday I exposed an amazing workout with tons of health benefits.

Yoga: Reaping the Benefits

Okay, so here I was about get back into the swing of things. Become more active. The up and down yo-yo health-thing we all do when suddenly the pants are snug and the scale is wrong. Dead wrong.

But, my hubs was on a call for the week, and I couldn't leave the house in case of an emergency at work. Which was definitely going to happen about every night. So what to do? I know plenty of crossfit exercises I could do at home from my crossfit days. Heck, I even have some of the equipment in the shed. But, I didn't want to. That was the problem. I ended up finally pushing the START button on a Yoga app I downloaded long ago, deciding I wanted something different. (I've done yoga a handful of times in my life.) The app was called TRACK YOGA.

Here's the thing, I've been having lower back pain for over a year now. Sometimes I can't get up from a sitting position without curling into a ball first to relax my back, then scream with my mouth shut as I get up. It's super sucky. I've been doing this app Monday-Friday for the past two weeks, and at first when I went from the CORPSE pose (laying on my back) to the sitting pose, I was screaming in lower back pain.

Two weeks later? No lower back pain. Not even when I get up out of bed. And usually, I have to pop my lower back to fall asleep. I try doing it, and it won't pop. But I can sleep now when it doesn't happen! I know YOGA has benefits. I mean, Madonna made it popular in the 90s. But what TRULEY ARE the benefits?

(please read them one by one, because you're about to be amazed!!)

Here are the BASIC benefits:
improved flexibility, muscle strength and tone, improved respiration/energy/vitality, balances metabolism, weight reduction, cardio/circulatory health, improved athletic performance, protection from injury

Here are the MEDICAL benefits:
perfects posture, prevents cartilage/joint breakdown, protects spine, improves bone health, increases blood flow, drains lymphs/boosts immunity, ups heart rate, drops blood pressure, regulates adrenal glands, makes you happier, lowers blood sugar, helps focus, relaxes systems, improves balance, maintains nervous system, releases limb tension, deeper sleep, boost immune system, lung strength, prevents IBS/digestive problems, peace of mind, increase self-esteem, eases pains, inner strength booster, lowers dosage of meds/get off completely (even OCD/diabetic meds), awareness building, soothes sinuses, allergy/viruses deterrent, encourages self-care, supports connective tissue, uses placebo effect to affect change

And here are the UNEXPECTED benefits:
emotional health boost, back pain treatment, fertility aid, hangover relief (you heard right), heart disease helper, asthma ease, arthritis fighter, insomnia buster, multiple sclerosis help, memory boost, PTSD benefit

I have to say, I don't know a lot of exercises that can say/do all that!! And the thing about the app I'm using is that I'm only doing the basic stuff. I'm not even on the 20min sessions yet. Simple 11-13min single sessions. Maybe I'm doing STRESS RELIEF one day, and the next day TRAVEL. And every time I do a certain number of sessions, I earn points to unlock others. Which is good, because they're showing how it's important not to try poses you're not ready for yet. Trust me, the pose may say feet over my head, and all they're gonna get is feet straight up. But, maybe one day, I'll get there and be flexible enough. I only do the pose to my comfort level, as should you.

I'm not saying get THIS app, but if you are wanting to FEEL BETTER TODAY, and not months from now, TRY YOGA. I LOVE IT!! I always thought it was for hippie-people. Ha! Eating my words. Here I was thinking the poses were SUPER RIDICULOUS. Wrong, again! And the cool thing is, even muscle-heads from the gym agree it's beneficial. I was talking to one over the weekend that said, "Yeah, yoga is no joke!"

QUESTIONS FOR THE READER:
1. Do you yoga?
2. Are you willing to try?

**Come back Friday when I'll be discussing when it's time to throw makeup away!!**

Fashion Must: Double Sided Earrings

I noticed on TV a girl wearing these really neat earrings. I knew she didn't have gauges in her ears, but the earrings made it appear as though she had, but in a very feminine and unique way. It wasn't till I was browsing the jewelry carousel at Walgreens that I'd found what they were.

***DOUBLE SIDED EARRINGS*** 

And so, I later bought two pairs elsewhere to give them a try. To see if I liked the style. To see if anyone was going to wonder when I'd put big holes in my ears. Here's a pic of the two I bought, and how they are kept in place without sliding off, and how they looked.

white pearl cluster, black mini-spikes/studs

regular earring backing! brilliant...



final look!

And guess what?

I LOVED THEM!!

I browsed the internet for some pictures to show you guys, and I couldn't believe all the fun designs I found. I can't wait to venture out and buy more of these hot new commodities! Here are a few I WANT:

QUESTIONS FOR THE READER:
1. Have you seen this new style?
2. Every worn them?
3. Gonna give it a try??? (SAY YES!)

***Come back Wednesday where I discuss the benefits of a certain exercise...***

BLING YOUR THING: Falling in Love, AGAIN

Are there any book addicts in the house? *raises hand*

Yay! You're in good company. (The cheesy kind.) *breaks out the popcorn and kindle* 

When did you fall in love with books? It happened to me when I was in third grade. A classmate read a story to the whole class that won my heart and imagination. The reader became my hero. The book became my FAVORITE. 

From that day on, the scholastic order form was my best friend, the library was my happy place, and book fairs left me drooling. I'd stockpile books all year so that when summer hit, I had a stack of 8 to 10 to start. As soon as those were done, I'd beg for a trip to the library.

Here's where the story gets sad. Somewhere in high school I lost the drive to read independently. (About the same time I hit the pause button on writing.) Maybe it was the amount of school work. Maybe the number of required reading books. Don't know, but I missed my books.

It wasn't until I'd been a mom for about eight years that I gave myself permission to pick up anything other than a picture book. Going to the library almost made me feel guilty. All those pretties. Was it really okay to pick one up and *gasp* open it? What about the time I should be devoting to my kids, my house, other responsibilities?

All it took was one book. The love had never disappeared, it had just been suppressed. The written page swallowed me whole and I began reading one book a month, then two, then five, then eight or nine. They fit in cracks of time--waiting in the car, while exercising, while brushing teeth, while sitting a stoplights.

We have the power to fall in or out of love with anything in our lives. It's all a question of which appetite we choose to fill. Let us be wise--both to ourselves and life--with which addictions we decide to feed.

When did your love of books start?


Crystal Collier is a cheese-loving blogger & author who pens out funnies, deep thoughts, and book giveaways. She's the author of the Maiden of Time series, a 2012 winner of PitchWars, and a 2016 IWSG writing contest winner. She has lived from coast to coast and now calls Florida home with her creative husband, four littles, and “friend” (a.k.a. the zombie locked in her closet). Secretly, she dreams of world domination and a bottomless supply of cheese.

The third book in her Maiden of Time series releases November 1, 2016. Find her and her books online.