Boxycharm

             Subscription boxes are a lot of fun! I’ve subscribed to several over the years, and have finally found one that fits me well – Boxycharm! Boxycharm is $21 a month and promises to give you 5 full size beauty products worth over $100 in value.

                I’ve subscribed to Glossy Box, Ipsy, Julep and Pop Sugar over the years (not at the same time). I’ve enjoy them all, but they weren’t a good fit for me personally. Glossy Box was one of my favorites, but their sample sizes compared to Boxy Charm’s full sizes didn’t compare.

              Ipsy is one of the cheaper subscription beauty bags for $10, but again, all sample sizes. I literally have a basket under my sink filled with sample size products. Ipsy being my first subscription was definitely the gateway drug for me. 

                Julep was a lot of fun but over priced in my opinion, especially after I found a nail polish brand I liked better – Zoya!  Then there was my most recent subscription, Pop Sugar. Pop Sugar has a nice mix of home goods, décor items, food, beauty and fitness. The only problem is the price and I really didn’t like most of the items in my boxes. There were a few months where they nailed it and I loved it, but most months I felt gypped. I did get a few makeup palettes and a few cute scarfs I ended up giving to my mom. But honestly, who needs emoji napkins? Or a plastic kid size hair brush for the pool? It wasn’t for me!  NEXT!

                A lot of the women I follow on Instagram and Snapchat subscribe to Boxy Charm. I love watching their unboxing videos. I love the full size beauty products that I can actually use and enjoy. Since I love makeup it’s a great fit for me. There is no way you’d be able to get the same 5 full sizes items for under $21 at Sephora.

                Everyone is different, so don’t be afraid to jump around and try different subscriptions if that’s something you’re interested in.

 

 My referral code: https://boxycharm.com/refer/amber-EOTYHNWE 

JULY 2016 BOX

 JUNE 2016 BOX

MAY 2016 BOX

APRIL 2016 BOX

Taking pictures of strangers

"In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.."
  - Matthew 7:12

It bothers me that what I'm about to share isn't common sense. I even see Christians doing it! It's inappropriate and rude to take photos or videos of strangers, especially if it's to make fun of them. I feel lame for even typing this! It's basic, it’s elementary level, and yet I keep seeing it over and over again in my news-feed. 

            It's rude to secretly take pictures of someone and post it online. How is this not common sense? I seriously lose respect for people almost instantly when I see them post stuff like that! God forbid someone is not perfect 24-7! Isn’t realness what people want anyway? 

            I began seeing posts of strangers about 3-5yrs ago, it irritated me then too, but I see it even more now. Do we really need a rule book for everything? Are people incapable of knowing right and wrong and appropriate boundaries without someone teaching them? Technology has developed so fast that society hasn’t caught up with these new freedoms. But it seems basic to me. It's not complicated. 

             Would you want the same picture or video taken of you? No! Then why are you doing it to someone else? Seems like empathy and compassion lessons 101. "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.." - Matthew 7:12

            Today I read a viral news article about a playboy model who posted a picture of a naked women at the gym changing! She said, “If I can’t unsee this then you can't either”. After being called out, and maybe even facing criminal charges, she claimed it was an accident. I doubt if anyone believes it’s an accident. An accident with a caption? Yea, right! (The naked lady is blackout in this photo).

            It’s hard for me to believe there are people in today’s society that don’t KNOW this is wrong. How do you not know?  “OMG look at her frizzy hair”, “He’s so fat”, “She’s so tall”, “He’s too old for her”, “She’s too fat for skinny jeans” etc. on and on it goes, I’ve seen these types of posts on my news-feed and other places! How shallow and immature is our world?

            I seriously can’t be friends with anyone who posts this junk. I just can’t! I literally lose all respect for them and can’t look at them the same. We aren’t toddlers! I may be respectful, but we will never be close friends. If you can’t even show the most basic common courtesy to people then we have NOTHING in common.
            I hope good people in this world keep putting social pressure on those who snap pics and videos of strangers. They need to learn appropriate boundaries. 

END RANT <3

He had a plan before...

        Thinking hurts. Questioning everything hurts. Why do we learn lessons after the test? As a night thinker I’ve spent countless hours lying in bed, looking at the ceiling and thinking about life.

Why is life lived forward, but understood backwards? Living life this way is painful, but there is no other way to live. Everyone lives in the same direction. Some of us want to get it right the first time, and realizing what we could have done better years later only leaves a bitter taste in our mouth. 

              There is only one thing to do – trust! Trust God! Trust He has a bigger and better plan. Trust He’s had a plan for all our failures before we even experienced them.  At the very minimum trust God’s ability to use your failures for something better.

Feta spinach turkey burgers

            

 These turkey burgers turned out delish! I made these for a family BBQ with my parents. I've made them several times since.

 RECIPE:  

1lb ground turkey

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1tsp onion powder or finely chopped onion 

10oz spinach, frozen

2 egg whites

1 cup oats

1/4 black pepper

1 pinch salt

1 cup feta cheese

DIRECTIONS:

mix until all ingredients are incorporated

don't over mix 

make palm size patties

bake at  400-425 until internal

 temp is 165 degrees

Forgiveness

      

  It's always important to discern who and what we're dealing with before we respond. We shouldn't assume everyone's goal is peace and unity. Some are set on getting revenge. Generation after generation they pass down a root of bitterness, stirring up hate,  never entering the freedom and joy forgiveness brings. Their lack of forgiveness has stifled their growth, blocked their destiny and slowed their progress within society. 

       Anytime we choose hate over forgiveness we lose and our progress stops. While everyone around us moves on, we get benched. Revenge, bitterness and jealousy are all hindering spirits that put our life on pause. They block every good thing and drag us down roads never planned for our lives. We all have a choice to make. We all choose whom we will serve. And we all live with our choices. Today I encourage you to choose Jesus, choose forgiveness. Let go the sins and offenses of the past and allow your life to bloom and progress with bigger and better things. Let go of all hindering spirits that would clog the cleansing flow of God's spirit.

         

        

Own it!

     Who are you? What's your personality? What experiences have you had? I'm at a point in my life where I'm learning to own my story. I'm learning to share who I am without fear or insecurity. Who I am is beautiful, interesting and valuable. Hiding myself away is a disservice to society. The same is true for you! 

     

Here I Am

      As someone who has been reminded of all the things I can't do and shouldn't do because of my weight since before the age of 5 and every year after, I love this! Unless you've been a plus size woman you wouldn't understand the oppression and discrimination we face. This is not about glorifying obesity, it's not about encouraging an unhealthy lifestyle. It's about giving freedom, love, respect and dignity back to a group of people who are pushed down and bullied from their earliest years. 

     Again, unless you've lived in our shoes you wouldn't know how the world feels and hurts from our perspective, especially as women. People who love themselves, take care of themselves, but most plus size women are expected and taught to hate themselves from the beginning.  There is no shame in being who you are in this moment. We don't have to wait to enjoy a fulfilling life! We all deserve to feel love, experience joy and savor every moment God has given us!