Biting the Bullet

For quite awhile now, we have been talking about getting rid of cable.

When The Boy was young, he and I lived for many years without a television. I was a single mom! I couldn't afford a television. And I certainly couldn't afford to pay for cable. So, even if we had owned a television set, it would have been basic broadcast channels. We passed our time reading and listening to the radio. Or occasionally watching a rented DVD on my laptop. We spent evenings playing board games, singing along to CDs and dancing while I made bread and baked BBQ tofu (we were vegan, too, but that's a whole different crunchy story).  Entertainment and fun were hard earned. We worked for it, but it was so much more satisfying.

As I have become more financially stable, entertainment started to come more easily. Flip on the computer and log into Netflix. Turn on the television and choose from one of 300 available channels. If there is nothing on that looks interesting, there's always On Demand.  We all have a bit of a television addiction in our house. The TV is *always* on. Quite literally. Our entertainment is cheap and easy.

During the day, I am home alone and I just turn the set on out of habit. And because it is background noise in an otherwise pretty lonely existence.

In the evening, we are generally catching up on the programs that we both enjoy watching while we cook dinner and then while The Wife works on homework and I putz around on a craft project. A lot of our "couple time" is spent watching programs.

I even sleep with it on because it helps to calm me to hear a voice when I wake up in from PTSD related nightmares. While I can justify my nighttime television, I managed to give it up last year for Lent by using guided meditation and some really great sleep hygiene.

Obviously, of those three times of day, the only one that is forgivable is at night and since I was able to find a suitable arrangement to avoid it during Lent, I think that I can probably work through it again.

So, we're in the process of giving it up. We spent tonight looking through some of the options for still being able to have our television provide some entertainment without costing us a bazillion dollars. We checked out online streaming services that we could run through our Wii or possibly through a device like the Roku.

It's not set in stone yet, but I think we're on our way to a cable-free home!

Terrified by Soap!

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

I've always been fascinated by the concept of making soap. But considering a lot of the crafting failures I have had over the years, any project that involves using a caustic substance like Lye makes me a little bit nervous.

I was gifted a copy of Soap Making Made Easy and read through it. I'm still a bit nervous, but feeling much more confident! There are three books included in the Soap Making Advice kit, including Soap Making Made Easy, Soap Making: A Quick Guide, and Soap Recipes. The book has all the information you need to make the process safe and practical, including great tips on packaging and starting a soap making business if you were to chose to go that route.

Author Michelle Gaboya has offered a copy of all three books to one lucky Ameliaesque reader.  Enter below and I will announce the winner on December 15!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Studio Gear Holiday Pallete

If you know me in real life, you know that it takes a pretty special event for me to put on a full-face of makeup. Sure, I love feeling girly and pretty, burt it doesn't take a whole lot more than some mascara and lipstick to do that. In fact, most days, I tend to look more like this:

Presentable, for sure. But not exactly fancy. And I would definitely feel a little on the naked side at some of our upcoming holiday festivities. 

I have a major fear of eye shadow, however. I know, it makes your eyes pop and really spruces up the area. But I just get a bit panicky about it. Have you seen the commercials that are floating around with the mom explaining to her kids that she is wearing the trendy "smokey eye"? Yeah, that's how I worry that I'm going to wind up looking. 

Enter the Studio Gear Cosmetics Holiday Smokey Eye Palette.  

This little ingeniously packaged pallet talked me through the entire process and made eye makeup SO much less intimidating. It gave me a nice, natural-looking smokey eye, which could easily be made even more dramatic. 

BEFORE

AFTER

I swear it even looks like I changed the shape of my eyes! It is mildly shimmery, but doesn't leave glitter all over the place like I've noticed with some eye shadows. It goes on smoothly and didn't settle into creases and lines. (a.k.a. wrinkles! Shhh!) 

I'm not sure that I will become a regular eye shadow user, but when I want a little extra sparkle, I'll definitely be considering this palette from Studio Gear.

As a special offer to Ameliaesque readers, Studio Gear is offering a permanent 10% off! You read that right- permanent! It never expires! Just use the code SGHOLIDAY at www.studiogearcosmetics.com. 

Financial compensation was not received for this post. A sample product was gifted from Studio Gear through Brand Backer. Opinions expressed here are my own.

30 Days of Lists-December Week One Update!

I finished the first week of lists!  I'm pretty impressed. And instead of just blogging them as I originally planned, I made little art-journal pages. I am *not* an artist. But it has been so fun coming up with ideas for each page and putting them together at night.  Some of the lists have been really hard for me to write, because I just get stumped or because I could list for hours and hours on the topic and narrowing it down is near to impossible.

On to the update:

Day 1: Before the End of the year...

~Finish 12 days of Christmas swap

~31 Days of Lists

~Trip to Missouri

~New Years Eve with my WIFE! 

~Wrap *all* the gifts!

~Find a new yoga class! 

Day 2: Around my home...~Tons of art that I LOVE
~Family and friends pictures
~Scrawn, uneven Christmas tree
~holiday decorations on every surface
~2 dogs, 1 cat, and 1 foster kitten
~Warm colors
~True support
~A little bit of crazy and a whole ton of safety
~LOVE!

Day 3: This is the only time of year I...~dread the weather forecast
~hate living in MN
~receive daily UPS deliveries
~love checking the mail
~actually enjoy spending money

Day 4: I am happy to report~My credit is up 100+ points in 2013
~I am writing more and taking time to read
~Tons of snow dropped today!
 ~I've been working hard to clear toxic relationships and nurture healthy ones! 

Day 5: Traditions!~singing "TRADITION" loudly whenever I hear the word!
~failing at creating traditions
~McDonald's Fries and Wendy's Frosties when I am sick
~Open one holiday gift on the winter solstice
~LEFSE! 

Day Six: On my reading list...~The Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical by Shane Claiborne
 ~You're Already Amazing: Embracing who you are, becoming all God created you to be by Holley Gerth
~Perfectly Unique: praising God from head to foot by Annie F. Downs
~Carry On, Warrior: thoughts on life unarmed by Glennon Doyle Melton

Day Seven: What I'm going to remember about today...
~random acts of kindness feel wonderful
~I'm great at gift wrapping, but only enjoy it for about a half-hour.
~I am never too old to make a homemade gift for my mama.