Category: Homesteading

Things I’ve learned in the last 50 years

There. I said it. I keep referring to this year as “my big birthday year.” It’s hard to come right out with that number, though! I’d much rather say it’s my “Year of Jubilee!” But there it is. I’m turning 50 next week.

What is it about the big ones that cause introspection? I guess it naturally makes you think, “Am I where I thought I would be at this point?” and, “Am I happy with where I actually am at this point?” and, “What have I learned that I need to share with others?” It’s that last question that I’ll be touching on today. And by no means will I be covering every lesson I’ve ever learned!

1) God is faithful.

I think the #1 thing I’ve learned in my years, without a doubt, is how faithful God is and how important it is to spend time getting to know Him.

A common phrase I hear from others that would agree with my #1 is, “I don’t know how someone who doesn’t know the Lord can survive this (whatever the situation may be).” How does anyone get through loneliness, fear, depression, betrayal, loss, and more?I lean so heavily on the Lord. Reading, writing and/or listening to the Bible give me peace and comfort like nothing else.

2) Forgive and move on.

What’s in the past is done. There’s nothing that can be done about it, so put on your big girl panties and move on. Again, the peace God gives really helps with this. See #1.

3) Accessories can make you feel better.

I know I went deep, and now this sounds vain! Hear me out! I’ve done a lot of vendor events with my Lilla Rose Hair Accessories in the last 12 years and I see this happen repeatedly, however! A woman will be speaking negatively about herself or her hair, “nothing ever works in my hair,” “that would be great…if I could get it to work,” “my hair is too (thin/thick/curly/straight – you can insert a plethora of things here!).”

Then that moment happens when she tries on a Flexi-Clip and her friends start to rave about how beautiful she looks! She looks in the mirrors or at the picture on my phone and gasp! I have seen grown women start to cry. Women ask, “THAT’S ME???” Little girls’ faces light up with joy! All because they found the right accessory.

You can read my other post about the hair care products I use for my hair here.

4) We were made for relationships.

Forget the whole 50 years of life. ONE year alone taught the world how desperately important it is to have relationships with real people. I’m an extreme introvert by nature, but I forced myself to reach out to people that I knew were not doing well during the isolation of 2020. I knew that they were hurting to hear a voice, receive a text, feel a hug, and just know that someone cared.

I learned that even though I’m not naturally drawn to people, I had something valuable I could offer them, because introverts make pretty good listeners! Interestingly enough, I learned that I don’t have to be something I’m not, I just have to be me.

I read a great book last year called, The Powerful Purpose of Introverts: Why the World Needs YOU to be YOU, by Holley Gerth. I highly recommend this book for introverts and people who love them! It was my #1 book pick from those I listened to or read in 2022. I liked this audiobook so much that I bought the book, too!

5) God still speaks.

I know there are lots of poeple who say God speaking was for the Old Testament, but I’m here to tell you that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and if He spoke in the Old Testament, he still speaks today. All the different ways I’ve heard God speak would be for another post at another time, because that’s a big topic! But I’m here to tell you today: God still speaks. You just have to be quiet and receptive in order to hear Him.

6) Time with kids goes by way too fast.

Everybody says it. And really, it’s not helpful at all when you’re an over-exhausted mom with a newborn and a 2-year old. “Enjoy the time now, because it goes by so quickly.”

I mean, on the one hand, I feel like they’re never going to move out. On the other hand. my son is already a legal adult and my oldest daughter could legally get married in 2 years! Two more are already in middle school, and I do long for those days when Mom was everything to them.

Now, if I haven’t taught them to love God and his Word (see #1), then these years were pointless. There’s so much to teach them! I am beyond thankful, however, that we choose to homeschool, so I have been able to give them more of myself than I feel like I would have been able to otherwise.

7) Audio books count.

OK, they may not count in your particular Summer Reading Program at the library (no, I’m not bitter about that), but THEY COUNT! I wish I had realized this when my kids were babies! I would have gotten to so many more books!

I’ve been forced to spend 2 hours in the car almost every weekday for the last 2 years, and I am so thankful for audiobooks, podcasts, and recorded training sessions! I may not retain as much as if I’d been able to give my full attention, but I am retaining information, learning, and improving my listening skills.

My daughter finally wrote a book review for this blog, and we enjoyed this audio book immensely! Read it here!

8) People love free stuff.

This is all people, right? Doesn’t everyone love free stuff? Since it’s my birthday month, and I love to celebrate, I’m hosting a birthday party and giving away the gifts! If I get at least 100 entries on this entry form below, I’ll give out 5 prizes from my Lilla Rose Hair Accessories business and/or my Mary & Martha Christian Resources business!

Don’t miss the BIG points for my BIG birthday – Set up your Lilla Rose account** using the link on the Rafflecopter and complete my Google Form linked on the Rafflecopter, and those are worth FIVE points each!

GIVEAWAY HERE: Sorry the form isn’t showing up… something about Javascript and WordPress that’s a little above what I can comprehend at the moment. Just click this link to get to it:

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

** If you already have a Lilla Rose account, please do not set up another one! If you have an account with another Independent Lilla Rose Stylist as your rep, please do not set up another!

Welp, I guess that covers it for now; just a tiny drop in the bucket of things I’ve learned in my 50-year lifetime. I’ve got so much to be thankful for and proud of. I may not be exactly where I thought I would be at this point, but yes, I do believe I’m pretty happy with where I am. I’m absolutely not saying there’s nothing in my life that needs improvement, but I have peace and joy in my current circumstances, and I know that’s a rare commodity.

Top 5 Most Comfortable Hair Accessories for Busy Moms & More!

Let’s find Hair Accessories that don’t hurt your head!

We’ve all been there. Some of these hair accessories are painful! I’m a busy mom – homeschooling and homesteading take up most of my time. I need hair accessories and hair care that is easy and most of all, COMFORTABLE!

Lilla Rose to the rescue!

In my opinion, here are the top most comfortable hair accessories, in order of comfort (#1 being the most comfortable to me):

1) Wood Pin Flexi Flip 

With their all-natural materials, these are so lightweight (yet still durable), that I can barely tell I’m wearing anything in my hair! Bonus: One of them is named after me! See below! That’s me – Sue Ellen Wood Pin Flexi Flip on the left; Courtney Wood Pin Flexi Flip on the right. These, along with all the other clips listed below, are just as easy to use as the original Flexi-Clip, so that’s a plus as well!

2) Flexi Sport 

These are also lightweight, but the grippy texture holds the hair really well! I use the Medium as a Small for a ponytail and the Extra as a Medium for a full twist! (Based on Flexi Flip sizing chart) These are waterproof and hold everything in place really well, even during an exercise or sports activity!

3) Flexi Flip 

The Flip is reversable, so one clip will cover several of your sizes. In these photos, I’m wearing a Medium on the left and an Extra on the right. More of my hair is wrapped in the Extra, but I’m also using it flipped to the smaller size. See more in the video below.

I’m also actually using a Flip in the video found under the next section, too!

4) Flexi Clip 

It’s the gold standard. Seven sizes means the right size for you should also be a comfortable fit for you! I most often use a Flexi-Clip for my half-ups and full twists because I love the variety of beautiful centerpieces and beadwork! There is literally a color or designs that will suit every personality and style!

In the above video, I’m using a FLIP, but all of these Clips are all similar enough that any style I can do with a Flip, I can also do with a Clip or a Sport! (now that’s a mouthful!) How do I choose from day-to-day? Usually, I choose based on the design or colors. For the video above, the “Penny” Flip is the only thing I had with some green in it, to match my shirt that day.

5) Acrylic Upins 

I love these little powerhouse hair forks – Acrylic Upins!! They’re super easy for a quick bun, so it’s handy to keep these where you spend your time – one in your purse, in your desk pencil cup, in the car, in your shower caddy, on your bedside table.

They’re perfect for a high bun in the shower (waterproof!) on a “no-poo” day and great for a high bun to sleep in! With over 20 colors to choose from, there will be one that goes with your style and your outfit!

Though we rarely think about it – everyone’s head is a little bit differently shaped. So we may not all rank comfort on the same scale. I’ve heard from quite a few people, however, that would agree with my comfort scale.

So were you looking for hair ties that cause the least amount of damage, too?

Maybe a tie is not exactly what you need! All of the accessories I just mentioned for comfort are also gentle on your hair, and I rarely pull out hair when using them. (I don’t believe that statement could describe the elastic alternatives!)

There is a slight learning curve to this type of barrette or pin, but after using these exclusively for over 10 years, I find them much easier to use than elastics and ties!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER to Win a FREE Hair Accessory!

When you shop with me, I am happy to help you learn how to use your accessories, too!

Here from a Party?

<Click here> to go directly to your Hostess’s shopping link if you’re ready to shop now! Please note that if you click a link on this blog post, it’ll take you to my website, but not to a specific party. If you’re here from a party, please use this link to get to your Hostess’s shopping link, so she’ll get the credit for your order! Let’s bless your Hostess!

Take a quick break and head over to my VIP Community on Facebook, too! Request membership and I’ll get you approved ASAP! If you’re already in, or when you request membership in my VIP Community, that will give you another Door Prize Entry!

Enjoy the comfort of Lilla Rose!

Fall Planted Garlic in North Central Texas

After posting pics of planting garlic in my garden in the fall, I had a number of people comment and message me asking for information, so I figured I’d share about my garlic growing experience.

I’ve always read that you shouldn’t use grocery store garlic for planting. Well… In the past, that’s all I’ve used. I did get organic heads, at least. This was my first year to order from a garlic nursery, so hopefully it grows as well as my grocery store garlic did!

The are actually two types of garlic: hard neck and soft neck. It’s my limited understanding that which one you grow depends on your climate. Here in North Central Texas, I went with a soft neck garlic called Texas Rose.

In October, I ordered from The Garlic Store, though I don’t see Texas Rose listed on their website at this time of this writing. It arrived quickly and I planted on October 27.

I planted one clove about every four inches, then recovered the soil with my wood chip mulch. And that’s it!

 

Update: Late Winter, February 15

Garlic has been growing well! My fall garden produced well and became chicken feed in January (thanks to a hole in the fence that was made by the goats, but not big enough for the goats). Because of the strong flavor, the garlic survived just fine.

It’s about two feet tall, which I think is probably about full height.

I’ll update again as the garlic progresses! Now it’s time for me to cut back the asparagus and perennial flowers to prepare for the spring growth!

 

Resources:

My favorite flowers for the sweltering Texas summer heat

I am one of those people who have favorite words. Plethora, for example, has always tickled my fancy. And sweltering. Living in Texas, I get to use those magnificent, king sized words quite often!

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But y’all, this is a bit much! We started out with heat indexes around 105° in late June, then had a little relief the first week of July (when I was gone), and it seems to be climbing since! This is the external temperature recorded in my minivan last Wednesday… while we were moving! (photo by my son in the passenger seat)

So what’s a Texas gardener to do?

Well, not much right now, if your garden is in full sun.

So I’ll back up to last month when our temperatures were only hovering around 100°. The heat baked or stunted most of my vegetables, but a few bloomers have risen to the top of my list for their high heat, low water tolerance, and beautiful display.

The Belle of this year’s garden has been the lovely zinnias.

I had some zinnias from seeds saved in previous years. They originally were given to me by a gardening friend. There used to be several colors, but over the years, only pink lasted. This year I added more seeds : Purple Prince (of course) and a mixed pouch.

The tiny red spider zinnias have reseeded themselves for about three years now. The heat did cause many blooms to be to be smaller this year, but these are always that tiny.

The next superstar has been my sunflowers.

In the past, I stuck to the Skyscraper sunflowers because I liked having the giant bloom. But that was so much growth and just one bloom per plant.

This year, I tried Lemon Queen and Giant Primrose, from Baker Creek, for multiple blooms and I found a new love!

And look how lovely they are together!

Of course, I also have one “weed” aka a native sunflower that is found in our pastures, that I allowed to grow in my garden space. Here’s why – when the temp is soaring well over 100, nothing phases this natural beauty!

Is big and gangly with many spent blossoms and beauties at the same time. And my bumbles love it.

What’s your favorite flower for summer?

Resources:

Heirloom Seeds – This is the first company I ever used for heirloom seed and they’ve always been excellent seed source!

UPDATE 2020: Heirloom Seeds has been purchased by Baker Creek and they now use it as their bulk seed website. I’ve removed links in the article that refer to the seeds I purchased there, because they’re no longer available.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds – This is the second year I’ve used Baker Creek.  I didn’t have much success with this year’s seeds, but that is probably largely due to the extreme weather we’ve had this year.

The beautiful hair clip my daughter is wearing in the big sunflower picture, is from the wonderful company I represent!