Yarnmaven

Giving Thanks

1. I am thankful that my family is in good health
2. I am thankful I have a job - I have lived through tough econimic times when I was not as securely employed (like the 1980's) and it makes a difference.
3. I am thankful Tom got his degree and even though he still doesn't have a full time teaching contract yet, he is subbing regularly and get this...he doesn't hate it.  That's big.
4. I am thankful for all my friends, whether they are local or distant or even whether I have ever met them in person or not, they make being a mere human being bearable.
5. I am thankful that my mom lives nearby now and that she is involved in our lives and she is in a safer place.
6. I am thankful for all the relatives that don't live near us, I just wish they did. (Hear that Martha, Laurie, Bart?)
7. I am thankful that we we do not have an Adjustable Rate Mortgage on our home.  Boy, am I thankful.
8. I am thankful that our cars keep running, most of the time, even though they are 10 years old.  If they can just hang in there a little longer.
9. I am so very thankful that the next president of this country is a visionary, reasonable, uncommon man who I believe will save us all.
10. I am thankful that the winters in Texas are not any worse than they are because I am convinced I would freeze to death if it was any colder for any longer.
11. I am thankful for my husband, Tom because after ten years of marriage, even though he's a little surly sometimes and he would rather live in the city, he doesn't leave me and he is the best father I have ever known. Did I mention that he's been married to me for 10 years?  That's really big.
12. I am thankful that my oldest daughter, Kandis has grown up to be a wonderful wife, mother, friend and daughter. I am also thankful that she found a wonderful husband, Rob and that they gave me a wonderful grandson, Cooper!

Now, let's all eat turkey and pie and take naps and shop (modestly).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Positive Product Review and the Art of Distraction

I have recently come across a couple of products that I have decided deserve sharing because of their effectiveness or quality or whatever it is that makes us buy a product again after we have tried it once.  This also gives me something to do while we wait for the election returns tomorrow night.  Waiting is not one of my best things.  Ask anyone. 

Hand and Body Lotion - Joy Spa Formula and J.A.S.O.N. Cocoa Butter Lotion

I have had dry skin my whole, entire life.  I remember when I was growing up Jergens was in every grandmother's house and in ours.  I don't think it had a lot of competition in the early days.  I remember when Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion first came out.  It was all the rage.  The long awaited cure for dry skin.  Meh.  But it was the best we had.  I tried every new hand and body lotion that came out for many years.  Avon, cosmetics companies, hospital grade products, herbal remedies, and even natural salves like Bag Balm.  Some were okay, some sucked, I hated anything with perfume in it, it burned, and most felt greasy or just like I had something on me.  Then one day after my mom came back from a trip to Hot Springs, AR, she brought home with her a bottle of lotion she got at the hotel where she enjoyed the mineral springs baths.  This lotion was used by the massage therapists after her bath.  It is made from the natural hot springs found in the area.  It is the perfect hand lotion for me.  No dyes or perfumes and it absorbs into your skin easily and leaves NO residue.  I love it.  I used to have her bring it back every time she back to Hot Springs.  Well, now you can order it from them.  You can't actually order it online, but you can order it by phone and here's the web page where you can see the prices - scroll all the way down to the Joy Spa Formula Products, Therapeutic Hand & Body Lotion section.  It will not disappoint.

The other hand and body lotion I can recommend is by J.A.S.O.N. is scented - cocoa butter, that's why I love it.  I don't use many products with fragrance, because Tom hates them, but every now and then I find something with a scent that isn't objectionable to him and that I love.  Not only is this a fabulous smelling lotion to me, I use it every day on my legs which are afflicted with eczema most every winter and it helps to moisturise my tattoo.  The stuff is so rich and smooth and I swear it is still there at the end of the day, on my honor, never had a lotion with such staying power.  It comes in pump as well as squeeze tube and I usually buy it at Whole Foods, but you can order it online.  They make other scents, but cocoa butter makes me think of lying on the beach in summer and that's one of my happy places that I go when I need to. 

Niether one of these products is prohibitively expensive and they aren't that exclusive, they just work extremely well for someone who is extremely particular.  If you try them, let me know what you think.  I will be spending Tuesday night in front of the tube with family watching the returns and I'm not leaving there until I hear Obama's acceptance speech.  Then I'll tell you about a little something I found that takes care of moths.  Here's to Happy Days ahead.