Great New Things

Okay so I thought I'd come back and share some great new things with you to finish up the month of June.  I've been on a makeup kick for about a month now so I've been trying new things I have seen on a blog that has rapidly become a favorite of mine.  The blog is called Maskcara and Cara is a makeup artist and really cool chica in my opinion.  Check her out sometime.  So on to my new favorite things.

#1.  Since turning 40, I've been more focused on my skin and keeping it in great shape.  I found a new lotion that is wonderful and inexpensive.  And pretty much available anywhere. 

Yep, good ole St. Ives.  I've read so many reviews on this stuff and decided to try it.  And I haven't been disappointed.  First of all it's cheap at $5.49 for this huge container.  I'll be using this for a long while.  Second, I've noticed that my face is smoother and more moisturized. 

#2.  Since losing weight my face has become "hollow", meaning that I can actually see my cheek bones.  Along with that, I've noticed some darkening under my eyes which no amount of sleep or water can seem to correct, so I had been using "normal" toned concealer until I read about this stuff....

 

And yes, since you asked it is lavender in color.  The lavender changes the tones under my eyes and helps brighten them when I put my foundation over it.  Perfection!  And at about $5.00 at Ulta you can't go wrong. 

So there you go, two great "new" things to try.  I've bought some other things lately but I'm holding judgment on those so I'll have to get back with you.

 

Great New Things &  Blessings,

Magnolia

Craziness and More!

Quick rundown on what's been going on (only the high points)
     #1 - The week after Easter, J and I ran our 1st Cooper River Bridge Run.  Yep us and 30,000+ of our running friends.  I've never been in a ran over a few thousand, so this was something really new to me and pretty scary to tell you the truth.  That bridge can be very daunting if you look at it and think about it too much.  But we did great and beat the time I set for myself!  YAY us!  And the bridge is actually really FUN!  The energy of the crowd and the adrenaline pumping is CRAZY GREAT!  And yes, we are planning on doing it again next year. 
     #2 - My birthday was the week after the bridge run, so we took a couple of days off and went to Asheville, NC.  Well maybe not Asheville, but Weaverville, NC.  And we found some of the best food in this little mountain town.  Oh my!  Best bakery I've ever been to.  The Well Bred bakery is a must stop of you are anywhere near Asheville/Weaverville.  We also hiked the Blue Ridge Parkway, of course that was after I almost had a nervous breakdown driving up the mountain!  That's what I get for listening to a local give us directions.  All in all, I had the best birthday I've had in many, many years!  Happy 40th to ME!!
     #3 - I ran my first "womens only" race about a month ago.  It was my first race without J to push me.  Come to find out, I can push myself just fine.  Not only did I get to run with girlfriends, but I had a PR for my 5K time and 1 mile time!  Woo Hoo!  Oh, and it was pouring down ran!  Talk about some silly pictures with my "girls" afterwards.  My hair looked really special if you know what I mean. 
     #4 - I got to see my oldest niece this past weekend.  I so miss that kid.  Ok, so she's 25 years old, so what.  It may not sound exciting but she lives in Truckee, CA, so I don't get to see her but maybe twice a year.  Oh so enjoyed my Memorial Day even more because J and I got to spend time with she and the whole family.

So that's what's been happening in my neck of the woods.  How about you?!?!? 

Blessings & Crazy,
Magnolia

He is Risen

Yes, he has risen indeed!

 

 

 

Happy Easter!!

 

Never Too Old

As I've discovered the last several weeks/months, is that you are never to old to learn, especially then God is the teacher.  And what a teacher he is, His patience for me is never ending and quite simply unreal.  I'll list a few examples below....

     #1 - I've written about my roof and the leak and waiting on the roofer to get here.  So many days I prayed that the Lord would hold off the "heavy" rain until our roof was done.  Well, again, he has taught me to be patient and also more importantly, be careful and specific about what you pray for.  No sooner did the roof get fixed last Monday, well we got a terrible rain and thunder storm.  And when I mean rain, I mean crazy sideways rain!  And then of course, the power went out!  For over an hour in the dark, all I could think about was how good God was and yes, he does have a sense of humor. 
     #2 - Sometimes, people surprise you.  I've always had opinions about a certain person.  My opinions were formed years ago and maybe not under the best of circumstances.  God puts these people directly in your path so that you can see the error in your ways or to either justify your opinions.  Maybe just a little of both.  Yep, you guessed it, that very same thing is happening to me, even as I type this.
     #3 - "Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything".  This is the HUGE one over the past several weeks.  I've had the most crazy minor "panic" attacks.  Every time the weather man has said "Rain" I've freaked out a little.  To the point that J has even called me out on it.  I'm so crazy hard headed sometimes and want to take charge of things, even when they are out of my control.  I've prayed and am still praying that God really helps me out with this one. 

So am I perfect, gracious NO!  AM I HUMAN, Oh boy am I!!  Hard headed, stubborn, panic attack prone, doubting, judgment making me, is so not perfect or deserving of the LOVE that the Lord has given and the many Blessings that he bestows on me every single day.  I am just grateful that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for my sins, past, present and future (I'm human remember). 

Blessings & Lessons,
Magnolia
    

My Thoughts Now

Being "thin" now, I've noticed that I think differently.  Especially in regards to younger people, mainly younger women.  Today was a good example.  I was drying my nails at the salon (high maintenance remember) and there were several young girls/women standing outside the door and out of the 6 only one would have had a normal BMI.  I get really upset/irritated when I see overweight young people.  It really does make me want to go up to them and say, do you know what you are doing to your body by being this much overweight?  Do you know what kind of health problems you are going to have later in life.  I really want to share my story.  I want to tell them that anything is possible, even at the ripe old age of 40.  At 4 weeks shy of 40, I have begun to love the body that I've worked for, prayed for.  At the age of 40, I finally get it.  At the age of 40, God has answered my deepest prayers.  Not just for my body, but my mind, my soul.  I've never felt better.  I've never known my own body and soul better.  I finally get ME.  Not just the me on the outside, but the me on the inside.  I've accepted that I'm funny and quick witted and I've begun to share that with people close to me.  I've started to accept myself so that others can accept me for ME.  Not just some well dressed, well manicured person.  My friends have accepted the me that shows up at 7am for a run, with no makeup, crazy hair and a thug hat to keep my head warm.  And I've accepted that person too.  I've actually come to really Love that person.  It's me and I know that it's the way God created me.  This is the person that he's always wanted me to be.  And it only took me 40 years to "get it".  That's the story that I want to share with these young girls that are half my age.  And for the love of all that is holy, STOP WEARING PANTS THAT ARE 5 SIZES TOO SMALL!!!  It is just not a good look. 

Blessings & Thin Thinking,
Magnolia

PS Not to brag, but when I mean thin, I mean a size 2!  I would have never even thought when all this started 2 years ago that I would be picking out size 2 pants!! 

Moses & Notebooks

I've been reading "Reading God's Word", which is a daily reading of the Bible broken down by days, weeks and "acts".  I started on January 1 and will finish right before the end of the year.  This is actually the first time that I've read the Bible from cover to cover.  And some nights I'm reminded why, and the, I think about the fact God has done so much for me, why can't I read a few chapters in the book of Numbers or the whole book of Job.  Reality hits some nights that's for sure.  Reality being that I would have had to write everything down that Moses was supposed to remember, like in a notebook with tabs!  Wow!  That's all I can say.  Do's and Don'ts abounded when Moses and the nation of Israel were in the desert, that's for sure.  What different sacrifices were observed when, what to do when someone had a skin disease.  It's actually mind blowing when you think about it or read about it.  It's times like these that I am so thankful for Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross for all of his children.  What a wonderful God that we have.  So long story short, I wouldn't have been a very good Moses or Israelite.  They'd have kicked me out pretty quick without a notebook.

Challenge for you.  Read the story of Moses escape of Egypt and journey with the Israelites.  And think about all they had to remember and then think about how you would have done back then.  Certainly makes you grateful for God's love and redemption.

Blessings and Notebooks,
Magnolia

More Than I Deserve

First off...... Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, so now that's done.  On to what the title refers too.  There are many times in my like that God has provided for my needs and given me even more than I deserve.  I am humbled today because he has done that yet again.  We've been "dealing" with a leak in our roof for the last week or so.  Rain almost everyday and a whole lot of prayer that the tarp that J put up did it's job.  And of course the insurance adjuster.  This is the first time that I personally have had to file a claim on our insurance and I was nervous to say the least.  Are they going to cover it, if not what are we going to do, where's the money going to come from.  Well, I should have known that God had it handled.  The insurance is covering a new roof and the damage that was done in the attic.  PRAISE GOD!  I don't think that I even imagined that would happen.  I was hoping for a partial coverage and the adjuster not to deny the whole claim.  You talk about floored.  All I could do was thank him over and over again today.  And ask for forgiveness for being stubborn and worrying.  But God already knew that I would be that way.  Amazing that he knows and loves us anyway, right?!?!?!  What a great Valentine's Day gift.  God's Love and Forgiveness.  And he also knew that I needed a really good run tonight to get some of the kinks out from this past week.  And again, he provided, my run was fantastic!  PRAISE GOD!  I am so blessed, way more that I deserve. 

Blessings & More than I deserve!
Magnolia

Time / Life / Faith

Time
     Time passes so quickly.  I have thought about this blog quite a few times since I last updated it and for some reason just couldn't sit down and type.  There seemed to be something else to do, something else that has come up.  So I do apologized to anyone out there that was reading this. 

Life
     Life has been good.  J and I have been running quite a lot and our times and distances have gotten better.  Who would have thought that when I started running outside with J that I would want to run 6+ miles on a Saturday morning (a chilly 32 degree morning).  But it's become a stress reliever of sorts just knowing that I get out of the gym and can enjoy the out of doors doing something that I have come to love.  We actually ran our 1st official 10k 2 weeks ago and to say that "racing" wasn't mentally or physically challenging is an understatement.  The hills about did us in.  And I think that I realized that I love to run but I'm not much on the racing end of running.  For a good cause, I will run a race, but just to better my time or do it just because so is not something that works for me personally. So I think that our races will be few and far between.  Work for both of us is stressful at times and we've come to realize that it's part of work.  But at the end of the day, we go to the gym, run or work it off and go home and relax.  My mother came up and visited us at Christmas and we had a wonderful time.  Even though she wore me out!  That has been life as of recently.

Faith
     Thursday night a heavy rain came through our area (12 hours worth of it).  And our roof started to leak.  And when I mean leak I mean that water was coming in through our light fixture in our hallway.  SCARY!  Thank goodness God blew the rain through a little quicker than was expected.  Friday morning of course I called a roofer to come over and take a look at it and called the insurance company.  And as anyone knows the insurance company can take a few days to send someone out (Monday supposedly).  The roofer did come by Friday afternoon to take a look.  And it's another case of nails popping up and rain/water coming in.  He is supposed to come back Monday morning to tarp/fix the area or nails before it starts raining again.  But wouldn't you know the rain is supposed to start Sunday night now!  So now I'm really freaking out.  To the point of J and I went to get tarps today and he put some up over the areas of concern this afternoon.  But I'm still worried.  This is where the faith part comes into play.  I know that I need to let God handle this.  We've done what we need to do here, and he's got to take care of the rest.  That's what faith is.  But there are some times where I just get nervous and can't help myself.  So please pray for me specifically to have faith and to give it over to the Lord and that he will calm my fears.  Also, pray that the tarps do their job for the time being and we don't have the flood of 2013 in our house. 

Again sorry for the lack of updates.  I am so going to try better. 

Blessings & Faith,
Magnolia

Update & What's Next

So J and I and a friend ran the Palmetto Health Race for Life 5K a couple of weeks ago.  I was actually really fun, okay maybe not so much fun at the start, but after the running crowds thinned out, it was fun.  The best part of it was this HUGE hill at the very end that we ran down.  Boy howdy did we really pick up some crazy speed!  And of course it helps your time!  HA!  We all did a great job and had personal bests.  So thankful for good weather and good pals to run with.
So what's next, well we're not signed up for any other races right now.  There are a couple the end of the year and one next year that we might consider, but for now, we're just working on extending our mileage and bettering our times, and have some couple time together.  I think that we both appreciate that we can do this together and be healthy as an added benefit.
The last couple of weeks have been kind of crazy.  Just goofy things that happen.  Sometimes you just have to shake your head and let it go.  We did get to spend little time with our oldest niece who was "home" from California.  Oh, how I love that girl.  She's actually only 15 years younger than I am since my sister is 12 years older than I am.  Let me break it down, my sister was 27 when she had my niece, I was 15.  So I guess you could say that I'm more like an older sister to her in a way.  I've always been close with her since I babysat her about 3-4 nights a week when she was little.  We'd play and have a big time.  Those are some of the most precious memories I have.  They grow up so fast!  And she's all the way across the country now!!  But she's happy and doing well there and secretly I'm a bit jealous that I didn't have the courage to do anything that big, like moving that far from home.  Bottom line, I love that blond haired, green eyed baby girl of mine!
So that's what's been up around here lately.  The next outing is this coming weekend.  My sister, youngest niece and I are taking my Mom to Charlotte for a shopping weekend for her birthday.  We started this a couple of years ago and my Mom just loves having all her "girls" with her.  Mainly waiting on her hand and foot for a couple of days, but I'm just sayin.

Blessings & Stuff,
Magnolia

Sunday - A few Updates

Oh my how time flies!  Ok, so the big news from the last couple of weeks is that J and I ran our first 5K together.  I have wanted to do one for a while but knew that the time wasn't right, and I wasn't
"there" yet with my running.  But a 5k can along and God was heavy on my heart to do it.  So we did the "Run for our Troops" on 9/11.  With J in the military I couldn't think of a better one to start with.  We did great, great in being that we finished and had a decent time.  I'm not much on the competition end of running, just the fun and charity of it.  In fact, I have decided that any "race" that I do, I want it to mean something, not just to enter and run.  I've got buddies that enter just about every race out there, but God is not leading me down that path at this time.  Our next 5K is the Palmetto Health, Race for Life, which benefits breast cancer.  I was thinking about it for a while and a friend wanted to do it but didn't have anyone to run with, so J and I agreed to do it with her.  God works in weird ways.  Sometimes you just need that extra hint that he throws you.

Okay other than that, we're running, working and doing the norm around here.  Nothing excited, thank goodness.  On thing, please say a quick prayer for a friend from my running circle that broke her femur and had surgery 2 weeks ago, three pins and a whole lot of waiting for it to heal.  I feel guilty when I go run knowing that she can't but she's been very supportive of all her running buddies.  Now if we can just keep her out of her running shoes long enough for her to heal completely.

 And just so that you know, I'm going to throw some of these "Reasons to be fit" at you from time to time.  They are actually pretty darn inspiring.  And remind me of what I'm capable of, or something to strive towards.








Blessings,
Magnolia

Thursday - Oh My - That's A Lot!

Had to post this quickly before I forgot.  This is just crazy, see why I've just given up on McDonald's altogether!
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/slideshow/2012/09/13/mcdonald-calorie-surprises/?intcmp=features#slide=1

Sunday - Good Week!

J and I have had a really good week with our running.  I think that it's just about time, but I'll let you know more about that in about a week or so.

I was so excited to have my hubby back, especially yesterday, so that I don't have to run all by myself.  But I actually realized something yesterday..... I don't mind running alone.  It's actually kind of nice from time to time.  I seem to be able to pace myself better when he's not running ahead of me.  But I'll get to a point that it won't matter and I'll be able to run at my own pace, I know that I have to be patient.     What I am glad of is that he was home and I got to spend some time with him just running around doing stuff!  And what stuff are you asking......

Oh, just these two dresses that I found on sale at Belks!  Yeah me!  I actually liked them better on than the one from last week that I tried.  I also got a good deal on some tank tops at the Gap!  I love me some tanks!















Blessings & Running & New Dresses!
Magnolia

Saturday - Another "solo" Run

I ran my last solo run today.  And it was another good run.  I'm running further and faster and not taking but about 3 "walk" breaks.  And when I say "walk" breaks, I mean about 30 seconds of not running.  So completely thrilled that these last two weeks that I didn't chicken out with J being gone.  God gets all the glory for getting me up out of the bed and dressed!  And I even got out there before 7am and I didn't have anywhere to really be until noon!  Yeah me.  It also kept me from worrying so much with J on the road driving home.  God knows best!

I do have a prayer request this week.  A friend of mine, from grade school, her mother has cancer and has been going through chemo treatments, but her white blood cell count was not where it needed to be for the next round so they've had to stop treatment for now until they can get it back up.  I've been told that the cancer at this point is in-operable. That is all I know right now, but please say prayers for her and her mother.  They are special people.

And not to let you go without a "good" thing this week.....

This dress is super duper cute!  I tried it on today at Belk's.  It really does look better in person.  The only thing is that it is quite klingy, so if you've got a bump or two it's not going to look to hot.  The only reason that it didn't come home with me is that it wasn't on sale!  Oh how I can't wait until it does.  I think that I might have to wait a while since it's part of the Fall Collection!










Blessings & Hubby's Home!
Magnolia

Saturday - On My Own

Today was my first solo run.  J is out of town for work, so I decided that I'd go solo.  And I'm really proud of myself.  I could have chickened out, considering that I had to get out there about an hour earlier than normal since I had a hair appointment at 10am.  But I was determined that I could do this solo.  I'm so glad that I could prove myself right, at least every once in a while.  My run went better than I ever expected.  One reason is that last Sunday the sermon really struck a cord with me and J.  It  was about "AND".  You done "X".... "AND"?  It really makes you think about a lot of things that you could really do.  And that's really when I decided that if I were ever going to run the Cooper River Bridge run that I had to get serious about my running.  I mean, serious, running further and faster.  Have good runs and not just runs that were okay.  So I decided that I had to push myself, and not listen to that little voice that tells us "I'm tired" or "I think my legs are starting to hurt", I had to take the attitude "Mind over matter" and trust God like never before.  And then I got to thinking, okay "And" why am I going to do this, was it just for the Bidge Run??? And then it hit me, there are lots of charities out there that have 5K or 10K runs that are so worthwhile.  So that is the goal, run some of those for charity.  And for now that's my "AND" Goal.  So please pray that I stay focused and committed and not chicken out and definitely not listen to that voice in my head.  

And yes, my hair does look GREAT!  Thank goodness, it was really starting to get on my nerves something terrible.  And not to mention after a 4 miler today, I needed to chill out and it helped pass the time since J was gone.  The weekends are the worst.  And if I might mention, I ended up at Talbots and bought 2 belts for a total of $22!  And a "S" at that, I never thought on any planet that I would ever wear a small!!!  God is Good my friends.

Blessings & "AND",
Magnolia

Saturday - Touch Run

J and I went for our weekly dam run, and boy was it tough today.  The temps were in the low 80's and the humidity was at 90%, and that was at 7:30am this morning!  Oh the joys of living in the south.  I'm looking forward to winter when it's in the 40's and it's snowing up north!  HA!  I should be careful for what I wish for, might just snow here, and then we'd be stuck.  Anyways, I had a really good 1st mile, but it was pretty slow going the end of the 2nd mile.  I just felt drained at about 3 miles, but had to keep pushing.  Like I said, TOUGH!  So enough of my whining!
After getting cooled off and showered, J and I went to Zesto's here in town.  It's been in business for like 40 years and I've never been.  So today we ventured the 7 miles from our house to try it.  Well all I can say is that I won't be going back for their chicken strips again, not very tasty.  But we will be going back for the icecream.  My small chocolate dipped vanilla cone was outstanding!  Just what I wanted after our run this morning.  You know, sometimes you just have to splurge!  And then off to EarthFare we went to check out the organic wares.  We ended up getting some handmade ravioli for lunch tomorrow.  Can't wait to try those.  J also picked up some granola to eat with his yogurt in the mornings and I picked up some nutrition bars so that I can start eating something when I first get up.  I'm particularly bad about not eating early when I get up.  I usually wait about 4-5 hours before my first meal, which I know messes up my metabolism.  Not to mention, I need to eat more calories on a daily basis.  Wow, that is something that never thought that I'd say.  But there you go.  I'm burning way more than I'm eating right now.  So we'll see how they work out!  Well that's about it right now.  Have a great rest of the day/weekend.

Blessings & Prayers for less Humidity!
Magnolia

Saturday - Another Good "Dam" Run

J and I have been really making a commitment to run the dam every Saturday morning.  I don't even mind getting up early.  I just know God is wanting me to do this with J, so I'm listening Lord!  And we had another good run this morning.  The humidity was terrible, but there was a slight breeze thank goodness.  And I'm getting a little better each run.  I really am so excited about running outside.  Hopefully there is a 5K in my near future and I can't wait!  And my headaches are not so much of an issue any longer.  I'm drinking water with my coffee before we run and taking a couple of Advil afterwards, that seems to be doing the trick for now.  Hopefully no more headaches after outside runs.  And for anyone who prayed for my headaches -- thank you, I appreciate it and I know that your prayers had a huge part in reducing/eliminating them.

Blessings & Keep Moving,
Magnolia

Thursday - kinda sore

Sore Achilles, sore knee, sore hip! But I've been having some great little 3 mile runs. God is good my friends! Maybe the soreness is to remind me I'm human!

Blessings,
Magnolia

Saturday - DId it Again & Some Good Things

So J and I ran the dam again and my time keeps getting better a little at a time.  It's just a whole different animal than running on a treadmill.  But, so far, so good.  A far cry from where I started almost 2 years ago when I could hardly do a mile in 25 minutes.  I can't even begin to thank God enough for what he's done in my like and with my body.

Now on to some of my "Good Things" that I've come across recently......

I'm loving this liquid eyeliner.  I've alway been more of a pencil type girl but I have a smudge line half way through the day on my eyelid from it. That about drove me crazy.  I've tried other liquid and gel liners that you put on with a brush but I hated having to clean the brush everytime I used it.  So I asked the nice salespeople at the new Sephora here in town and they recommended several pen liquid liners and I decided on this one.  And it's been really great so far.  I just have to keep working on my application so that the line doesn't get to thick!!!

These capris by the Gap are my all time favorite so far.  I love the yoga pants that have this foldover waist so I decided to try the capris.  I now have two pair and plan on buying a few more.  They are comfy and don't slide even when I'm running or lifting weights.  They also wash well and don't shrink in the dryer!  Great buy if you can get them on sale, which I did this past week.  Even if they aren't on sale, they are way cheaper than some other brands at the sporting goods store.

Well that's it for now.

Blessings and Great Things,
Magnolia

Saturday - Another "Dam" Run

So J and I went and ran the dam near our house this past Monday for his birthday (3.6 miles).  And I was scared to death, of what I'm not sure, no confidence in my ability or just the unknown, but I made it though the run.  In fact when we were done J asked if I might want to do this on a regular basis, and I shocked the mess out of him by saying, I think that maybe we should try it once a week.  So today started our once a week "dam" run.  And I was still a little nervous, I mean there were tons more people out there today that Monday.  But I (with the Lord's help), actually ran a better time than Monday.  And that's after 3 other treadmill runs this week, so that totals 5 workouts this week!  WOW!  And to think that I might actually be looking forward to doing it again next week!  I think I'm officially CRAZY!  Oh well, I guess I'll be healthy and CRAZY!

Blessings and Keep Going,
Magnolia

Sunday - Explanation

So as you could tell, God finally said YES!  I ran my best on Friday (with the Lord's help).  So what's next, keep running of course.  In fact, J wants to go run the dam tomorrow morning for his birthday.  I must really love him or I'm crazy!  Probably a little bit of both!  Ha!  It's actually kind of exciting but I'm a lot scared too, so hopefully the adrenaline will help.

Blessings & Keep Going,
Magnolia