Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Trick or Treat?

Okay. So you think you've got the Halloween costume thing all nailed down, and all of a sudden, your little one has a change of heart? Don't panic––MacGuyver it! Take a look around to find a little inspiration in things you have on hand...like those goggles you bought for summer. Never again will you look at them and see a mere pair of goggles. Take a cue from the geniuses at Aqua Sphere and whip up these costumes. You'll save your sanity and your budget! Not to mention the fact that you'll finally be given proper credit as the innovative genius and fabulous parent you always knew was in there somewhere... 

Little Scuba Diver

Your little boy can dream of exploring the underwater world all while trick-or-treating!
Have your little one pull on their Aqua Sphere’s Seal Kids Mask and hold a snorkel as a prop, then dress them in a blue shirt and swim trunks. Take an empty liter of soda, cover it with tin foil, and strap it to your child's back with duct tape––instant air tank! For added fun, cut sheets of blue foam (can be found at any craft store) in the shape of flippers and stick to the top of your child’s shoes! 

Pretty Little Pilot
Your little girl can be the next Amelia Earhart with simple steps:
Use Aqua Sphere’s Vista Jr. futuristic-looking goggles in pink to safeguard her eyes in the blue skies. Hold her hair back during her flight with a swim cap (Aqua Sphere’s Youth Swim Caps), and dress her in clothes from her closet––a sweatshirt or leather jacket, comfortable pants, and black or brown boots. Tie a scarf around her neck and add gloves...and get ready to fly high!!


Silly Superhero
Your little girl or boy can create their very own Superhero costume with props you already have at home!
Use Aqua Sphere’s Seal Kids Mask in bright green for a comfortable prop and pair with a colorful beach towel, tied to your tot’s suspenders for a bright-colored cape! Take scissors to felt (or other scraps of material) to cut out your child’s initial and tape it to the front of his or her shirt. 

Voila! 
Great costumes all without having to break into their piggy bank! Now you've really earned the right to raid the candy stash!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Impressed?


First impressions might just be more important than you’ve realized.  In your everyday life, you make all sorts of firsts impressions on people, but being a single person seems to add an extra element of consequence to the first impressions we make on people.  You never know where an opportunity to find the love of your life might lie––whether it’s through direct contact, or by way of a third party, like someone you meet who might introduce you to the person you end up spending your life with.  The way you present yourself in those first moments––your smile, your words, your overall appearance––can make or break you.  As much as we would like to think otherwise, there are no do-overs.  There are, certainly, second chances, but that first impression is always there, and it can damage things beyond repair.  
     
As I’ve gotten older, I have had more time to learn and observe the effects of first impressions––both in my own life and in the lives of others.  One instance, in particular, stands out in my mind.  
     
When I was about twenty-five, I dipped my little toe in the strange, wonderful world of being a Sample Lady.  My official title for my three-day gig at two of the local Wal-marts was Axe Angel.  Yes, you read that right.  I was an Axe Angel.  As in Axe Body Spray and Body Washes.  The product line that bills itself as making men absolutely irresistible to women.  I stood at a table for four hours with a display of body washes, trying to get people to buy my wares.  First of all, standing in one place for hours isn’t as easy as one might expect.  Add to that the fact that I was trying to peak people’s interest in a product that seems to have a very limited target market, and things got even trickier.  I wasn’t handing out tasty little samples of food.  I wasn’t even passing out coupons to try and ingratiate myself with passersby.  I had nothing except me, my Axe Angel tee-shirt, a cardboard display cabinet set up on a card table, and my charm.  My first impression.

Four hours, three days.  I got smiles and questions.  I got dirty looks and scornful comments.  And I got bored and discouraged.  What to do when faced with boredom and discouragement?  Add a little bit of mischief.  I changed my first impression.  How exactly?  I added a British accent.  Suddenly, people seemed much more interested in what I was trying to sell them.  My smile and my charm went that much further, simply on the merit of the way I sounded when I opened my mouth.  People stopped to chat and ask questions, first about me, and then about the product I was trying so hard to convince them to buy.  And one of those people just happened to be a really nice-looking guy who decided I was worth asking out. 
     
Me, my smile, and my fictitious British self.  
     
My first impression.
     
Sadly, I had to confess to him later that evening, over the phone, that I was really a local girl who had just tried on a London accent for the afternoon.  I suppose it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that I had to convince him that I was worth a second look, a second chance.  That my second impression could really be just as good as my first––maybe even better.  He agreed to meet me for coffee, and I even had the chance to meet his adorable son, but by then, the damage was done.  I had made my first impression, and it was one he couldn’t forget.
     
I had made the impression, incorrect as it was, that I was a liar.
     
At the risk of overusing the word, the impression the experience made on me was an invaluable lesson.  As we make our way through our days, crossing paths with countless people, we need to keep in mind that every contact we make is a first impression.  It is an opportunity.  We have the power to make or break it.   
    
Just as important as the impression we make as single people is the impression we give as Christians.  Our actions and our words are the first––and sometimes the only––opportunity we have to show the love of Christ.  Whatever we do, wherever we go, we are leaving people with an impression of our beliefs.  Just what are we saying in those first few moments?  Be open, be honest, and that first impression can change the future.  

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Mirror, mirror

When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Do you see the person––the life––that you always dreamed of, or is there something there that you don't recognize? Is there someone staring back at you that you never expected to become? Is the reflection a good one, or a bad one?

I think that our lives, our minds, and our hearts are much like the reflections in the mirror. They change, depending on a myriad of factors. Environment, circumstances, age...We grow, we mature; sometimes we regress. Sometimes we become the worst version of ourselves. What's important is what we do about that reflection. Do we take the quick fix or truly change it at the source? Because, like face lifts, the quick fix will constantly need fixing. It'll look good for a little while, but it'll be costly and temporary. 

Take a good look in the mirror and study what you see. Does it make you smile, or are your worry lines becoming more of a worry? I don't know about you, but I want the story my reflection shows to be one I can be proud of. I want the lines to show struggles that have been overcome. I want to meet my own eyes in the mirror and not have to look away in shame.  

Friday, October 12, 2012

Skin Deep

I admit it. I think a lot. Maybe too much, sometimes. But somehow, I don't see that changing any time soon. And that shrieking little voice in my skull that yammers incessantly all day gets just a little bit too loud sometimes. Needless to say, long stretches of complete silence are not always a good thing. Not in my case, anyway.
So when my car was in the shop for repairs recently, the two days that I drove a loner car were a little bit on the torturous side. The car itself wasn't really the issue. It was what was inside the car that was my biggest problem: a radio that didn't work. Which meant silence. Big, bad, deafening silence. Everywhere I drove. 
And you can guess what that meant. Thinking. Lots and lots of thinking.
Many, many things have been going on in my life lately. Some good. Many bad. And many, many confusing. Worst of all is the hurt, though, that's resulted. 
And in all of this time I had thinking, I began wondering what people would look like if we could see all of the hurt that they've been through. Kind of like those scanners that show you all the damage your skin has undergone–all the stuff that is invisible to the naked eye. How would we treat one another? Would we be more careful if we could look at someone and see their emotional scars, their open wounds, just as easily as we can see a physical injury? 
Think about that next time you meet someone. They might look fine on the outside, but you never know what they carry. What stories they hold in their hearts. What wounds they bear.
Take care and be kind. You might just make more difference than you know. 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Book Smarts

A Year of Biblical Womanhood, Rachel Held Evans (Thomas Nelson) 
For readers like me who hate the dry tone of so many non-fiction books, this is really a great book. It's funny, relatable, well-written, and interesting. If you're drawn to navel-gazing books of stumbling self-discovery like The Happiness Project and Julie and Julia, this is sort of a mash-up of those two, only much more church-library-acceptable. Take a break from the novels and gain a little insight into what makes you special as a woman, and how you really can fulfill your potential to live Biblically without exiling yourself to a tent and calling your husband "Master"....


Lifted by Angels: The Presence and Power of Our Heavenly Guides and Guardians by Joel J. Miller (Thomas Nelson)
Miller incorporates historical reference with modern accounts of angels in both the everyday lives of people and in momentous events, tracking them through the Bible and showing just how much influence they are given. Check it out if you enjoy books that explore the role of angels and demons. 

Monday, October 1, 2012

Grab Your Apron!

Quinoa...You can hardly pronounce it, much less come up with any ideas of your own on what to do with it. Heck, you're not even really sure what it is! Take the intimidation out and make it seem like you've been using this versatile little grain-like seed (yup, it's a seed) for years. You'll be the Quinoa Queen...or King.
But first, say it with me...keen-wah. You have to be able to say it before you can convince people you can actually cook it.
To make quinoa part of your repertoire, pick up a copy of 500 Best Quinoa Recipes, the new cookbook by Camilla Saulsbury. This great book has oodles of recipes that your family will love, and the beautiful photos will leave you salivating. Visit www.robertrose.ca


While beans, lentils, and tofu might not seem like the most interesting ingredients, they're extremely versatile and can be really great building blocks for a fantastic meal. They don't have to be sides, either. In fact, they can become the star-player in your recipes! Make Meatless Mondays fun and really tasty...you might even go meat-free more than just Mondays. I'm thinking Tofu Tuesday...
Recipes in 250 Best Beans, Lentils & Tofu Recipes will give you protein-packed meals that make healthy, meat-free eating seem like a scrumptious adventure! Visit www.robertrose.ca