Head and Shoulders Product Review

Hair is a very important part of us- if our hair looks good, we look good. I'm not the type of person that spends a lot of money on hair care products, but my sister thought this would be good for my *ahem* problem. I'm so excited to share this product with you! It's Head and Shoulders' Dry Scalp Care. I bought it from Walmart for less than $5, and it was definitely worth it!

You massage the moisturizer through your scalp and hair after shampooing, let it set for 2 minutes, then rinse it out. I like to finger-comb my hair while I rinse it out, so it's less tangled later. When your hair dries, it is super soft and airy (I'm not sure how much it helps with the dandruff, but the other benefits are definitely great!). 

What's your favorite hair product? 

DIY Hair Bow!!!

I've been looking for something to do with my leftover chevron material and.... I've finally done something!! A big, chevron hair bow! It didn't use up all of my material, but I might find a need for it later.

It was simple to make. I tried looking up a diy for it, but the projects I found weren't as easy as I wanted. I ended up using others' instructions mixed with my own thing. :)

Here's how to make it:

1. Cut a piece of material into a rectangle ( I didn't bother to measure it at the time, but it should be about 7" by 8"). Cut a second piece that's about 1/2" by 2". You'll use this to wrap around the center of the bow.

2. Fold the rectangle, putting long sides together, with the wrong side of the fabric facing you. Sew a straight seam on the long side, close to the edge of the fabric. Turn right side out.

3. Fold each short end about 1/4 of an inch over, and sew the ends down. 

4. Pinch the middle of the bow and wrap the small piece around the center, so that the ends are facing the back of the bow (the side where the edges are sewn over).

5. Sew down both sides of the center piece. Push a bobby pin through the back and... voila! A big hair bow!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial!! If you don't want to make your own, you can find bows of different sizes and patterns on Etsy.

Virtuous Woman #5

I don't know about the rest of you, but summer vacation is kinda losing its charm. Basically, it's been card-making and Etsy managing this week.

 I did have fun paddle-boating yesterday, but when we got back, there didn't seem to be too much to do. Today was pretty productive, though, with hem lowering, ironing, watching the Walton's... :)

So, we are now back to Virtuous Woman #5 (I'll start posting about two or three verses so we can move on sooner).

"She considereth a field, and buyeth it; with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms."
Proverbs 31:16-17

I like these verses, for one thing, because I enjoy planting and working with my hands. We again see that the Virtuous Woman is a good businesswoman. She carefully looks at land, or whatever, and buys it at a good price. She isn't afraid or ashamed to get her hands dirty, either. That reminds me of my late pastor's wife, who, even in her seventies, wasn't too scared or refined to sled down a hill, walk through a park, or feed the geese with her elementary class. That is a Virtuous Woman.
Gardening is a great way to get close to God. It teaches patience, and is a good activity for kids to participate in. The Virtuous Woman gardens, but in this verse, I believe a vineyard could refer to something that brings in a little extra cash. This takes work and time, but in the end is worth it to provide for her family.

And, it's funny, in a way, about how it specifically says the Virtuous Woman strengthens her arms, since arm strength is something I occasionally try to work on and lack greatly. But the Virtuous Woman truly is strong in body, mind, and soul. She exercises and cares for her body, keeping in mind that our bodies are God's temples. I'm pretty sure this doesn't mean we can't have chocolate ice cream. If it did, I would have a serious problem. A really serious problem. But, like with everything, we have to be careful about how much we consume. And if we eat three bowls of ice cream in one day, that's okay- as long as you work it off, right? :) I think that we can fulfill these verses by being cautious and wise in business, hard-working, and keeping ourselves (body, mind, and soul) fit.

Adam Clarke Commentary: Proverbs 31


Have a great day!!

New Look, Pastries, and Not-So-Deadly Toads

Hey! Have you noticed the new look? Thanks to my sister Sara and The Cutest Blog on the Block, Sammy's Notions is looking better than ever! Different background, header, fonts... If you're a new blogger, I would definitely recommend the above link for a great-looking blog. My profile pic is also new, again, thanks to Sara. Yesterday, we had a beautiful walk/picnic/photo shoot through some gardens on campus, then came home to do yard work. I also made cupcakes... Then today I made chocolate pastries.... I have a dessert obsession, I admit it!

These were so easy to make! 

What you need:

          

     1 pkg frozen puff pastry                                              Peanut butter (optional)                                               1  bag Hershey's Kisses                                            Powdered sugar (optional)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

                     

Directions:

1. Thaw puff pastry for about thirty minutes. Cut the thawed sheets into thirds, then cut each third into             halves. 

2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or if you don't want to          wash two pans, you can just reuse one).       

3. If you're using peanut butter, spread it on the center of the pastries, leaving about a one-inch border on the long sides, and a two-inch border on the short sides without peanut butter. You can also add two Hershey's Kisses to each pastry on top of the peanut butter. If you just want Kisses, put four in the center of the pastry rectangles. 

4. Now for the folding! Pull two sides over the filling and into the center of the pastry. Pinch the open ends, and roll them up. Put the pastries folded-side down on the parchment-covered cookie sheets and bake for about 14 minutes.

5. Pull out of your oven and top with powdered sugar. Let cool, and enjoy!

(Modified from Chocolate, Chocolate and More's chocolate-filled pastry.)

One last thing. I learned today that if your dog seems to be chasing/looking for a phantom creature, it's probably best to keep him away from this said creature. Because he might find it. And he might put it in his mouth. And then he might shake his head around like he just tasted something really bad and you wonder if the toad he found was poisonous and when he throws up everywhere and has other stomach-related problems you are pretty sure that maybe it is. But don't worry: rinse his mouth with water, and once he stops vomiting etc. he will be just fine. Because apparently there is no such thing as frog-dog poisoning. :)

Seeewwww Wonderful... Summer Vacation!!

Whew! Another year of homework and finals is over and gone. It's sad to see old friends go before you do, but exciting to see what the future holds! For now, I'll just enjoy the summer with all of its blessings, busyness, and, unfortunately, boredom. So far, I have managed to fail at macaron-making, finish sewing a skirt, begin working on a dress, and make a card (to see my cards, check out my family's Etsy shop, craftycolllaborations). Oh, I also got a hair/bangs cut by my sister (who has thought I should get bangs for a while and ended up being right!). Hopefully, I can keep busy for the rest of vacation!

I have recently been asked what my favorite Bible story/verse is. I would like to share mine with you, and would love to hear what YOUR favorites are!! In answer to this question, I wrote that my favorite chapter is Hebrews 11- the faith chapter. If you have read this, you know why it's so popular!! When you need an encourager, or a reminder to stay strong, read Hebrews11! How can you feel down and out knowing all the things that our forefathers have gone through? Or thinking about the hope that there's something better for those who believe: For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.. and it sure isn't an earthly country!
My favorite verses would probably be Romans 8:38-39: For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. That's pretty powerful! The only thing that can separate us from God's love is ourselves.