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Sunday, December 29, 2013

Udderly Smooth Review

Winter is the perfect time to try new lotions. I am pretty particular though. I have demonstrated for several lotion companies over the years and have found some pretty great ones out there. Ones that I would recommend to my family. But they can't have strong scents in them. I am very sensitive to smells and a lotion with a strong scent is an immediate no from me.

With that in mind I was a little leery of signing up for this review. I wanted to try it but was worried about having to say that I couldn't even be in the same room as the lotion without getting a headache. Thankfully that was not the case.

Udderly Smooth is a fantastic lotion. It smells great-clean and fresh without overpowering you. It is creamy and soaks into skin quickly.

Okay, okay, hold on. Here is some info from the company:

Made in the USA for over thirty years, Udderly Smooth® products contain rich moisturizing ingredients. Not your average moisturizing lotion- Udderly Smooth® can be used on Dry Skin, Cracked Skin, forDiabetes Foot Care, as a Facial Moisturizer, as a General Moisturizing Lotion and many other uses.

Pioneered by a Pharmacist, reasonably priced and made in America’s heartland. Use Udderly Smooth® daily for smooth, soft skin head to toe.


Moisturizing Lotion


Original Udderly Smooth® Udder Cream is a greaseless, stainless water-based moisturizer with a light fresh fragrance.

Originally developed for use on dairy cows, Udderly Smooth® Udder Cream. is used by many people for their dry and chapped skin.

Use Udderly Smooth® as an everyday multipurpose moisturizing lotion. Udderly Smooth®. contains rich moisturizing ingredients that perform to soften dry, chapped skin.

Udderly Smooth® is available in 2 oz tubes, 4 oz. tubes, 8 oz jars, 10 oz with pump, 12 oz jars, 16 fl. oz bottles and 32 fl oz bottles.


Intrigued? I was. I had seen this available at our local store but never gave it a second thought. I mean, really. Udder Cream? Sure cows need to keep their udders from getting chapped but how does that translate to my skin? I wasn't interested.

 

Little did I know I was missing out. When my package came I was thrilled with what I was given to try. The box was full of goodies. I was squeeling with delight until I realized they were too cold to try right away! We had been gone and the postman left them on the porch for me. Usually not a problem but a cold snap came through causing freezing temps. I had to practice a little patience while the box was staring at me from across the room.

When it finally warmed up I snatched the hand cream up and squeezed a dollap into my hand. It was creamy and didn't run all over my hands. That was a good sign. But then I started rubbing it in and it felt like it was turning to water. Not a good sign. I was sure that it was going to evaporate and be as if I hadn't used any lotion at all. I was just about to sigh in frustration when I noticed my hands. The watery feeling was gone and my hands were smooth and soft. The lotion had already soaked in leaving my hands feeling wonderful. There was no sticky residue and the soft feeling continued for several hours.

I was hooked. I put the hand cream in my purse and offered it to everyone I saw!

Next was the Foot Cream. My oldest daughter is a soccer player and had some pretty calloused feet so I made her slather the stuff on her tootsies. She balked at first but when she felt the lotion sinking in making her feet soft she stopped complaining. The Foot Cream with Shea Butter is wonderful. It is extra thick like the Body Cream but still doesn't leave a sticky residue. Plus, they make your skin soft and moisturized.

We are loving Udderly Smooth at our house!

Want to find out more? Visit Udderly Smooth and check out everything they offer. You can find the Hand Lotion, Body Cream, and Foot Cream we tried and check out the other great products they offer on This Page. You can see on this page that the prices are very reasonable. Ranging from around $5 up to $8 for different sizes and creams. The Foot Cream 8oz option is only $6! You can't beat those prices!

Visit their website and Facebook page to find out more about this great product.

Don't forget to head over to Mosaic Reviews and see what everyone else thought of Udderly Smooth.

 

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor Review

Two friends face the Dark Knight’s deadliest scheme, but only one knight has the courage to overcome.


Sir Quinlan leaves his boyhood friend to serve the Prince, fighting a battle darker and more intense than any he’s ever known. The mysterious Sir Baylor recruits him into the ranks of an elite unit of knights known as the Swords of Valor, but when tragedy strikes and everyone blames Quinlan, the Swords of Valor disband, ending a legacy of heroic deeds.

Alone and despairing, Quinlan wanders the kingdom, fleeing his past. His providential encounter with Taras, a mysterious Silent Warrior and former trainer of Valor Knights, offers Quinlan a chance to redeem himself and learn the ways of the secret warriors.

The training is grueling, and just when Quinlan seems to have left his failures behind, he receives an impossible challenge from the Prince—one that will force him to face his past…and the mighty men who blame him for the tragedy that ruined them.

Can Quinlan reunite the Valor Knights in time to save the people from the Dark Knight’s evil plot to rule the Kingdom of Arrethtrae, or will the Valor Knights lose the most important battle of all?


We have long been fans of Chuck Black in our house. We have read the entire Kingdom Dawn Series (several times) and bought the audio books as well! We have started on the Knights of Arrethtrae series. They do not disappoint. These books are for around ages 12 and up although we have had our younger children listen in. We have just had to explain some things or stop and talk about things that are difficult to understand for them.

 

Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor follows along in the series and catches the reader up in the world of Arrethtrae. You find yourself drawn in and needing to follow the story through to the end. This book is a must have for family read alouds! This book is number five in the Knights of Arrethtrae series so you might want to start with number one and work your way through them. You'll be glad you did.

Sir Quinlan and the Swords of Valor is an allegorical book that will have your family discussing deep things for a long time. The intricate way the story is written is engaging and fun. Who doesn't like to read about knights? You can easily see the Biblical outline in these stories. I highly recommend them all!

 

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.**

 

Monday, December 9, 2013

A Tale of Two Kingdoms and God's Unfolding Story of Salvation Mosaic Review

A Tale of Two Kingdoms by Heather A. Kendall is a book worth reading and owning. (this is saying a lot because I won't buy a book or recommend someone buy it unless it is incredibly good) It is a book that will draw you closer to God and help you see the the map of God's story better. The epic story unfolds as an "overview of the Scriptures is presented in an interesting and evangelistic way. Many will find the prophetic interpretation challenging."

Students of God's Word will want to devour this book.

Primary purpose:

To trace the development of God's plan of salvation through Jesus, the promised Seed, from its beginning to its triumphant end in the new heaven and new earth.

Secondary purposes:

1. To consider how Satan has continually tried to thwart God's plan of salvation, but he will never succeed.

2. In the Old Testament God declared Israel to be his special people. In the New Testament the church became God's special people. How did those first Jewish believers respond to this difficult transition?


Description:

The entire Bible is God’s story of salvation. In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, everything was very good. This included Satan. Then puffed up with pride, Satan sinned by coveting the throne of God. Later, in the Garden of Eden, he was ecstatic when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. From that moment they became members of Satan’s kingdom. Yet God was not taken by surprise. Before creation the Triune God had already devised a plan of salvation. He loves us so much! Therefore God promised Adam and Eve that one would come who would destroy Satan’s power.

The Old Testament describes God’s gradual preparation for the coming of his Son. At first only a few believed and waited for the promised Seed. Then God formed the nation of Israel and set them apart as his special people. Through the prophet Daniel, the Lord even gave the Jews the due date for the arrival of Jesus. He expected his people to wait for the birth of the Saviour. When God was silent for 400 years between the Old and the New Testaments, people were not. The Pseudepigrapha or false writings describe the heart attitude of some of the Jews. These writers influenced many people. Finally, the promised Seed was born exactly when God planned.

Meanwhile, in the Old Testament, Satan actively tried to prevent the birth of the promised Seed. Realizing that Jesus was born did not prevent him from continuing to try to thwart God’s plan. At Jesus’ death, Satan likely thought that he had finally succeeded in his evil desires to usurp God’s throne. His plan, however, backfired. At his resurrection Jesus triumphed over Satan, once for all time. Now, until the end of the world, God’s kingdom is rapidly expanding. Satan is a defeated foe. One day Jesus will return to gather believers into the eternal kingdom and to judge nonbelievers.

Heather also includes her own testimony throughout the book. The Points to Ponder at the end of each chapter serve as devotional aids. A timeline, maps, and index help in Bible study.

 

The other book I received for review was God's Unfolding Story of Salvation. This is a Christ-Centered Biblical Storyline you won't want to miss. This is a Bible Study broken down into 38 Lessons that have you diving into the meat of Scripture. "No one can appreciate the size or shape of a forest without flying over top to view the big picture. The Bible is like a forest and individual books are similar to tress. Studying small portions of Scripture is worthwile and necessary. Nevertheless one of the first steps of discipleship after salvation should be an understanding of the big picture of the Bible."

Each Lesson is broken down into Scripture reading, questions, Reflection, and a Summary. The questions are thorough and thought provoking.

Description:

No one can appreciate the size or shape of a forest without flying over top of it to view the big picture. The Bible is like a forest and individual books are similar to trees. Studying small portions of Scripture is worthwhile and necessary. Nevertheless one of the first steps of discipleship after salvation should be an understanding of the big picture in the Bible. God’s Unfolding Story of Salvation will teach believers that the biblical storyline is Christ-centered.

Often people think of redemptive history only in terms of its promises in the Old Testament and its fulfillment in the New Testament. There is much more to the story than that. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit also points to Christ through preparation for his birth, pictures or types, and anticipation. Since God’s story ultimately affects each one of us, it is worth the time and effort required to understand it. If you do this, you will discover a pearl of great value. Forgiveness of sin and reconciliation with God are the greatest needs of everyone past, present, and future. This redemption story brings glory to God and benefits believers.

 

Both of these books are recommended by me without hesitation. They are useful for instruction and to further your journey in learning God's Word and God better. You can purchase them Here, A Tale of Two Kingdoms is $23 and God's Unfolding Story of Salvation is $22. Visit Heather's website Here or her Blog Here.

To find out what other reviewers thought of these wonderful books head on over to Mosaic Reviews and check them out Here!

 

 

Friday, December 6, 2013

A birthday

Friday the 6th we celebrated Hannah's 12th birthday. She is such a sweet young lady and we are blessed with her quirkiness everyday! She loves math, bugs, long fingernails, helping people, ballet, being silly, and so many more things. She is a gentle spirit that quietly moves through life. She is such a blessing to our family.

I can't believe how much she has grown this last year. She is now the same height I am and her feet are bigger than both of her older sisters.

She is such a joy and I can't wait to see what God has planned for her life.

 

She was helping this little guy. We have no idea who he was but he needed help so she took charge of him!

 

Love this picture. She was tickled with something and just quietly laughed. Love it.

 

Happy Birthday, Peanut. Love you more than words can say.

 

Monday, December 2, 2013

Another play

Each year, for the past few anyway, our homeschool group puts on a play. I direct them and have awesome moms that help out. We started out pretty simple the first year and worked our way up. Last year we had full costumes with minimal sets. This year we have full sets and costumes and lights and sound. aagghhh did you hear my head explode?

Yeah, this play is hard. The lines are hard. The costumes are hard. The sets are hard. It is hard. Did I already say that?

Since we only practice one time a week for about an hour and a half my co-director and I get a little stressed out. We had to call a few extra practices for the month of December to get lines memorized and sets worked with. The sets are still waiting to be built since Steven and I are building them. We have the plans but need a little bit warmer weather than 12* to work with tools in the garage. ;-)

They will get built. But we only have six more practices before show and I am freaking out. A lot actually. Tomorrow's practice will hopefully be better than the last one. lol

I can't wait to see the kids up there in their costumes performing for everyone. They will be great, of course!

 

Sunday, December 1, 2013

A Week of...

Well, Sabbath Week fell the first week of December so we are all anxious to start our break. Unfortunately that meant that we weren't focusing on the now. We were all exhaused from the play and Hannah decided to get sick the following week. She was better by Thanksgiving but then Naomi got sick after that! lol It's always something, right?

Thanksgiving Day we went to Steven's side of the family and spent the day eating and visiting. It was a pretty low-key day and it was great. The cousins all played, went to the park, and sneaked treats. The adults sat around visiting and sneaking some treats! Just wish Bug could have been there with the cousins. They kept asking about her, it was so cute.

Friday, Steven and I went on a date and did some of our Christmas shopping. No, not Black Friday shopping. Although we did get some great deals! We got a chunk of things taken care of and had a wonderful time being together. That night we watched a family movie, I think.

Saturday we headed out to my side's Thanksgiving and spent another day eating and visiting. We went to a Craft Fair in the morning and ate our way to oblivion in the afternoon. We are pretty good cooks if I do say so myself. And the fact that there were more desserts than main/side dishes shows you where our priorities are. heehee

We were pretty tired out by Saturday night and decided to stay home from church on Sunday and just spend it with us. It was a super low-key day that involved naps and reading and watching movies.

That was the week. More or less. Throw cheerleading, signing up for indoor soccer, ballet, doctore appointments, a little school, cleaning house, making Christmas presents, and a few more things and that about covers it!