Movie review: Emma
(Based on the book Emma, which was written by Jane Austen)

This movie is a movie that all girls love, and even some men, depending on their personality, of course. =)
It’s about a young woman who loves to match-make and does much more. She lives alone with her father but at times has visits from one of her best friends, Mr. Knightly, who is quite the trusted friend that always helps her out.

It is a romance and comedy all in one that I know you will enjoy. You will smile at the romantic scenes and laugh at their fun jokes, and by the end you won’t be able to wait until you are able to watch it again.

CD review: Michael Buble: It’s Time

There are only a couple things that you need to know:

1: He has quite the voice
2: And he is our now days Frank Sinatra

What more could we want?!

His CD’s almost always have a couple of different genres, including Jazz, Latin, and more. I think he’s great to listen to while cleaning or busily preparing for something, and even on car rides to various places.
After listening to the CD only a couple times you will be able to sing along with the simple melodies that everyone loves.
If you haven’t listened to him before I am giving it to you as a suggestion if you are in need of some new music or even getting it as a gift for someone.

I am looking forward to sharing more reviews with you on CD’s and movies in the coming future, and I hope you enjoy them!

#1. Shampoos and Conditioners bought at a local store - drug store, grocery store, etc - are often very harsh on your hair. The first problem is that they don’t rebalance the pH level of your hair leaving the cuticle layer raised and easily compromised by daily environmental abuse. Secondly, these cheaper shampoos and conditioners are usually diluted so the companies can use less and sell more. The 50% off stickers and sales often come at a higher price.

#2. One of the most important processes for your hair is conditioning. But, when I tell clients this I get a response about conditioner weighing their hair down or it causing it to feel greasy. Again, the conditioners that are bought outside of a professional retailer are often made of ingredients that make you think your hair feels smoother and detangles it, but doesn’t reclose the cuticle layer with the nutrients that it needs.

Memorize this: Conditioner is the #1 most important thing for your hair. It protects it from daily environmental abuse. (I quote that all day long!)

#3. Just another tip - Shampoo is to clean and cleanse the scalp and to remove dirt, grease, or build-up from the hair. Conditioner is to replenish the hair with the nutrients that it needs. Never apply conditioner to the scalp. Pour a small amount in your hand and rub both hands together. Apply the conditioner to the bottom half of the hair and thoroughly massage through to the ends. The ends of your hair are the most easily damaged since they are the least fresh regrowth.

#4. So, all the said - what is the best shampoo and conditioner? Well, obviously, I would recommend REDKEN to anyone. And honestly, I mean it. I have used various other lines and haven’t seen the same results that I have seen with REDKEN. REDKEN has seven different shampoo and conditioner lines. Fresh Curls, Color Extend, Body Full, Extreme, Blonde Glam, All Soft, and Smooth Down. Each of these lines have specific ingredients to help each type of hair be in the best shape it can be in. But, you don’t have to take my word for it! ;)

Hope that helps!

Conestoga Bible Camp in Moorefield, Ontario, Canada (near Listowel)

Registration begins Friday night at 6:00pm
Ends with noon meal on Sunday

$95Canadian — includes 5 meals and 3 overnights

Bring your own pillow and bedding, please.

Subjects will include Titus 2 topics and related women’s issues
as well as informal Q&A times

For more info: carerefamily@hotmail.com or call Pauline at 519 343 4472.
Please call if you have any interest at all by July 31. This will help them know if there is enough interest to finalize plans. ]]> http://momandus.com/2008/07/21/a-time-for-refreshing-2/feed/ http://momandus.com/2008/07/21/teachers-of-good-things-pt-2/ http://momandus.com/2008/07/21/teachers-of-good-things-pt-2/#comments Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:33:26 +0000 Darlene Sinclair http://momandus.com/2008/07/21/teachers-of-good-things-pt-2/
“…the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things– that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.” Titus 2:3-5 NKJV

Good things. Sounds a bit dull; rather lackluster, don’t you think? In this day and age of “super duper”, “fantabulous”, and other over-the-top modifiers, “good” is left sounding ordinary and boring.

But in God’s mind, good is great, good is pure, good is a high accolade. He says, for instance, that we are called to good works. In fact, He describes Himself as plain ol’ good. So settle it: good is quite acceptable — it is actually super duper and fantabulous!

But what does God consider good? Timothy is told to find widows who are “…well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work.” The list in Titus 2:3-5 sounds somewhat similar. I think we can see clearly from these passages what God considers good.

We tend to look for the fantastical — healing ministries, word ministries that “wow” us, Holy Spirit goose bumps, and such. Is there a place for “super natural” happenings? Absolutely! How about longing for them every day? Definitely! But let’s not overlook the “good” things upon which God places a premium. They are everyday-ish, easily overlooked as ordinary rather than special, yet God goes out of His way to list them more than once, wanting us to recognize the extreme value of plain ol’ goodness. This is rock solid stuff. This is foundational substance that He can build upon. This is the core matter of a Holy life. Essential. Absolutely essential.

This simple old-fashioned sounding type of goodness can be attained by any one of us through the Holy Spirit. That is good news! This “goodness” is nothing more than ordinary things done in love and excellence with a caring heart. And, although it is not flashy and may never make the cover of Newsweek, it is something the world takes notice of and is drawn to. A solid marriage, children who love and are loved, a hospitable home, a reverent woman — these are, by the world’s standards, exceptional.

So let’s learn how to love our children, build a home, practice hospitality, serve saints, and minister to the afflicted. Let’s be pure in our devotion, reverent in our behavior, and let’s encourage one another to such high and holy works of God. This is what He longs to see established in our lives, passed on to our children and other young believers, and taught by women who long to teach good things.

I tend to be one who is not eager to get my babies to sleep through the night. Although this is the goal of some methods, after much exploration, contemplation, and examination I concluded that it was not a necessary goal for me. My primary concern was to discover God’s plan for a woman’s cycles, fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding, introduction of whole foods, etc.

We must begin to dabble with all of these things when exploring this topic, since they are so interrelated.

Because I was persuaded that God was the Creator of each individual life, I felt a conviction to release my womb to His plan and purpose (we will discuss that in greater detail some other time.) God is a proponent of abundant life in every way, including the creation of new life. Yet, in His wisdom He created a woman’s body to have seasons of infertility, one of those seasons being tied to full time breastfeeding. If His plan is to have lots of babies, we could just skip breastfeeding, go right to bottle feeding, and be fertile much sooner. But this is not how He created us. We were the intended provider of nutrition. Scientists and medical doctors all agree - breast milk cannot be replicated and is the perfect food for human babies. Amazing but true! What God created works best!

Since that is the case, we should consider breastfeeding our babies unless there a is strong reason for bottle feeding.

Studies also showed that a woman’s body needs time to rest and recuperate from the demanding process of growing a baby during pregnancy. Perhaps God had a reason for causing full time breastfeeding to halt a woman’s fertility cycle. Amazing but true once again!

A fabulous book, Breast Is Best, happened my way as I was studying these issues, sometime between baby number three and four. Although written from a secular perspective, the findings backed scripture to a “t”. Women who experienced fewer menstrual cycles were better off. Studies found they encountered less breast cancer, ovarian cancer, hormonal swings, and had an easier transition into menopause. Well, that was interesting. Maybe having babies often, and prolonging a return to fertility through full time nursing, had more going for it than we realized.

So what does this have to do with babies sleeping through the night? Here’s the stat: In general, a woman’s cycle can be triggered by a single 8 hour stretch with no nursing. That caused me to step back a bit.

After having trouble with baby number three nursing enough to maintain growth, I had been investigating eating/sleeping patterns. I had already determined that I would not use pacifiers. (That was the trouble with baby number 3 - she was readily contented with a pacifier and soon was not sucking often enough to stimulate the needed increase in my milk supply. I wasn’t about to let that happen again.) (Now don’t go jumping to the conclusion that I am saying it is bad to use pacifiers. Plenty of women do and have no trouble. I just happened to run into problems and was not willing to do so again.)

Because of my heightened awareness of supply and demand effects regarding breastfeeding, I was already happy to nurse my baby off and on throughout the night. Now I discovered an additional benefit — that it also would help lengthen my season of infertility. Was this God’s way of making sure our bodies could regroup? I began to think so.

Is there an absolute guarantee that your season of infertility will lengthen? No. Every body is unique. But the vast majority respond in this manner to breastfeeding.

Please consider reading a portion (page 3) of this article by Nancy Campbell (and if you are really interested in this topic, read it all!)

Scripture would indicate that the breast is not only a supply of nutrition but of comfort and solace for your babe. Understanding that he will not be spoiled is essential. I heard a young mother exclaim one day that she “felt like nothing more than a cow” because all her baby wanted to do was nurse. How unfortunate that she was unable to understand that her babe found deep comfort in her arms, at her breast. What a privilege! Who can understand what needs a young baby has? Only God knows such mysteries. I will trust Him for His provision of comfort to His babes through mothers who are willing to provide such consolation, even as an act of faith, trusting in His plan, not always knowing why, and certainly not receiving encouragement from the culture around them.

I have barely scratched the surface of so many issues here. In time, we will visit them in greater detail. For now, I simply wanted to introduce some heartfelt reasons for why I approach the topic of “getting babies to sleep through the night” as I do. It is “up for grabs” I know, but I do want to encourage women to search out His ways, know why you do what you do, and develop a Biblical paradigm for your choices, whatever those choices may be for you. This is true discipleship!

And one more thought: we are never too old to learn. Be ready always to grow in your knowledge of Him. Do your best today with choices and decisions, but be willing to have your understanding challenged tomorrow, should God choose to meddle with your thoughts! He is Lord of all — even such thoughts as these.

One thing that is frustrating about swim suits is the price. I don’t go swimming much and I don’t go sunbathing in a swim suit. So why pay much for something that you won’t wear very often? Well, there will be those times when you do want to go swimming but you don’t have anything to go in with. I think it’s best to find a plain, flattering swim suit that will last for years. Purchasing a swim suit with color blocks, patterns, or belts may be boring in the long run. Stick to more plain bathing suits as well. Neutral Most stores will be having sales right now because it is in the middle of the summer.colors work for any skin tone, but if you want to find a colorful swim suit, make sure it will work with your skin as well as your body. You most likely will want something that you will like for the next two or more years.

This is a swim suit I think would be very flattering for an hour glass figure:

An hour glass figure generally means that your shoulders and hips are around the same width and your waist is smaller than both. I like the simplicity of this swim suit but I would like to see more color. Black always works but sometimes it’s fun to have an unusual color. A simple swim skirt would be very fun as well.

A swim suit that would be flattering for a more busty or full sized woman:

The neckline on this swim suit will draw attention to your face and the length of the swimsuit will hide any unwanted attention to your bottom region. If you fall into the category of this body-shape, you’ll want some length to your swimsuit.

This swim suit would be flattering for a pear shaped woman:

Pear shape means that that you have a fairly small upper half and bigger thighs. Again, drawing attention to your upper half will take attention away from unwanted areas. It’s important to decide what you want to draw attention away from on your body and find a bathing suit that will help you do so. The empire waist will flatter any shape body but will definitely help a pear shape.

Most stores will be having sales right now because it’s the middle of the summer. I found all of these bathing suits at Lands’ End online. They have some great sales on their overstocks so check them out! Also, adding a swim skirt will help with length and modesty issues. It’s a simple solution to some very big problems. =)

I hope this helps all of you figure out what kind of bathing suit to be looking for!

(Merrick Sinclair and Gabriel Paladin)

I am a hairstylist.

Something I figured out right after hairstyling is that I had managed to turn my hobby into my profession. It is a blessing and a curse all at the same time. But, I suppose I can’t complain: I love my job. How many people can say that? If you could see inside my head during my mid- to late teens, you would have seen how I would break down the shape of a hairstyle, make up techniques, and general assessment of fashion. I wanted to know how to create a stacked bob and what tool to use to make textured edges.

Needless to say, I have been working in the field of hairstyling for over two and a half years — which doesn’t sound like a very long time, but my personal expertise (I think) is not just cutting/coloring/styling, but to educate my clients on why certain looks are more flattering than others.

So.

Here is my first of, hopefully, many tips for you.

Why Shouldn’t I Part My Hair In The Middle?

Good question.

This is my answer:
Do you like your nose? If you love your nose and want to bring attention to it, than you can part your hair in the middle.

The human eye picks up details and general shapes and concepts more than we understand. Lets say you free-hand draw a circle. (Now, I am assuming that you don’t draw a perfect circle.) Now draw a line right down the middle of it. What do you notice more about the circle now that you have a line down the middle? Most likely, the answer is that it is more asymmetrical. It makes the imperfection of the circle more obvious.

In the same way, when you part your hair in the middle, inadvertently you are drawing a line down an imperfect circle. Your face - unless you are one of the few women in the world with a perfectly symmetrical face - isn’t perfectly even. One eye might be smaller than the other, your nose might be crooked, your ears might be slightly off balance… the list goes on.

So, when you part your hair down the middle, it is both drawing attention to your nose and also showing off the imbalance of your features. Neither of which I would suggest.

Which Side Should I Part My Hair To?

Quite honestly, I would have to see your head. And since I am not going to ask you all to post pictures of yourselves, I am going to say this: generally there is one side that you may find has a cowlick/whirl near your hairline. Otherwise, experiment! Try one side and then try the other side. Check and see. If you want some extra volume, part it on the side of the cowlick so that it creates height. If you want a smooth part - especially if you want side bangs - part it on the other side.

An Example:

I purchased the salmon last month on sale in the frozen section and marinated it for 24 hours in my fridge. The potatoes were roasted in the morning (before the heat of the day), put in a casserole dish in the refrigerator, and then reheated in the microwave just before serving. I washed the greens and tossed them while the potatoes were reheating and Daniel was grilling.

Honey Ginger Grilled Salmon

1tsp ground ginger
1tsp minced garlic
1/3c soy sauce
1/3c orange juice
1/4c honey
1-1/2lbs salmon

1. In a large self-closing plastic bag, combine first 5 ingredients; mix well. Place salmon in bag and seal tightly. Turn bag gently to distribute marinade.

2. Refrigerate at least 1 hour (more ideally 8-24 hours, turning bag every few hours to distribute marinade).

3. Preheat grill to medium heat. Remove salmon from marinade. Grill 12-15 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Brush with leftover marinade up until the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Serves 4.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

1/8c olive oil
1T minced garlic
1/2tsp dried dill weed
1/2tsp dried parsley
1/2tsp crushed red pepper flakes*
1/2tsp salt
4 large potatoes, cubed**

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, dill weed, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.

3. Roast for 20-30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides. Serves 4.

*These potatoes have a bit of a zing to them, almost reminiscent of curly fries. If you don’t like anything spicy, omit the crushed red pepper flakes.

**I also chopped a large green bell pepper that was about to go bad and threw it in with the potatoes. It was a great addition.