Gospel Doctrine/ Vorpahl Life Tidbits

I am officially switching from Gospel Principles to Gospel Doctrine. I have already attended two Sundays of Gospel Doctrine. It is totally different! Gospel Principles is the basics, simple, and plain. I feel like Gospel Doctrine is beyond that and well it is!

I decided to take this plunge when the class approached lessons I had already gone over last year in Sunday school. I may still write some posts on Gospel Principles here and there. I am unsure how I feel about writing about the Gospel Doctrine. It may need to occur after I've gone over the lesson myself and after attending church.

I am enjoying it though. So far I am liking the fact that we are learning about church history( while we read Doctrine & Covenants). Along with this I am also attending Institute every Wednesday. Right now we are studying the Book of Mormon and we are in Alma. I love the Book of Alma! I think every convert to the church or those interested should pay special attention this particular part of the Book of Mormon. It has blessed me immensely and has given me the testimony that I know without a shred of doubt that the words written  therein are truth.

Anyway! Now to Vorpahl life tidbits. Tomorrow fall semester begins. I will be starting up my fashion courses again and majoring in Fashion Design. After a year or so, of trying to find what fit I know this does. I am excited to draw again and learn more about fashion history.

I am also doing my own fashion project on the side. I am working on a trend research analysis. So right now I am reading over trends from this season, then 6 months, and then 1 year. The project is from a textbook of mine " Fashion: from concept to consumer". Trend analysis is one of the key things to being a good fashion designer. You have to be ahead of the game predicting what will come next and get the designs going. I will probably continue this project from now.

Now moving on... today is Lils ( my cat) birthday. She is five years old. I smothered her with love, some treats, new toys, and also sang happy birthday ( yes I know crazy cat lady much). I took a semi hiatus from the internet. Worked on getting myself all ready for school along with farm work as usual. Speaking of which tomorrow I need to do some work even if the semester begins. I've been clearing out some evil wild rose bushes. They consume all around them and suffocate the trees. We have two trees that I had to pull rose bush vines out of and trim back dead branches and limbs.

Can't really blog about much else. That is pretty much it.


Jimmy/ hubs update:

We have four month left until Jim is home and we move to Colorado- Fort Carson. He seems to have days where he likes work and others not so much. He works for a general right now. He had a "mid tour" visit/ leave in July. It was nice to have him home. He spends his days working, sending me a message here or there until our skype date nights. Along with this he has become a crazed diesel truck addict- he has a plethora of diesel magazines and websites he visits- he plans on making Brutus bad *** . ( while he was on leave he souped up our Ford F350- otherwise known as Brutus).


Until next time

-Lexxy

~Labor of Love~

I just reopened my etsy shop vVv Innovations and  I am super excited it about. I closed it some time ago while moving and then injured my right hand that later resulted in tendinitis( which I also somehow managed to have it occur in the left hand as well). As I let my hands heal I slowly worked on my crochet flower pattern. I have to admit, in bias that I am in love with my own design and hope that anyone who purchases these lovely new flower hairpins will see that love and love them as much as I do! I shall also admit to having a heck of time thinking of parting with my lovely flowers but I must share them with the world!

p.s I also have a "lucky four leaf clover" design pictured below

~vVv Innovations~

the Lucky Four Lea Clover hairpin

100 % cotton yarn, wood button, all materials from countries that have ethical labor laws

I love my Ombre Violet hairpin

All of the pictured items can be found for sale at my shop. Along with this I will include my about so you get a quick idea about my shop and me :)

The Birth of vVv

The shop had its early beginnings in Dec 2011 but did not officially open until Feb 2012. As an army wife I wanted a business I could take with me wherever I go. I love anything crafty so spawned the idea of vVv Innovations. I opened my etsy shop Feb 2012 and then a hand injury forced me to put the shop on vacation mode.

July 26th, 2013 my official reopening of the shop after time of letting my hands heal

About the Crochet Flower Hairpins: A crochet pattern I designed myself. These unique flowers are made with 100% cotton yarn, buttons, felt for the backing, and bobby pins. I secure each flower with hot glue for extra hold. With each flower I try to use items made in countries that do not abuse their workers/ that have ethical labor practices.

~Lexxy~

Self Sabotage

How many of us do this? Seriously there is no way any one of us can say we haven't given in to this monster. And that is exactly what it is! I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I journey on the weight loss wagon. While I have medical conditions that do affect my weight; what can I do to overcome some of my own bad habits. I could blame all my problems on my Severe Anxiety, my Depression, my Endometriosis and the stupid games my Thyroid likes to play on my body ( one month normal the next hypo, the next borderline- my thyroid has some serious bi-polar issues going on- not a stab at those of you with bi-polar disorder) With these come some crazy emotional train rides. I am not without the crazy.

Anyway, while I know I need to take these conditions/illnesses into consideration while working on diet, exercise, and mental/ spiritual well-being. I ought to think about those things I CAN actively work on changing that are in the self sabotaging category. A lot of the work is recognizing denial and accepting you have some weaknesses you gotta work on, but! Also making sure we develop our strengths as well. How we go about this varies per person. I am not about to give advice on how this is done. I am still trying to figure this out for myself. Individual as we are; I can't say I have any right to advise. I can, however share my thoughts.

First is thing is first. Writing down those things which you want to change and how to change them. Change always begins with you, and you alone. Granted I always suggest having a buddy system. For the longest time I let my depression take over; I was afraid to tell anyone... I may have whined and moaned, vented, you name it. But not once did I admit to myself or others I was severely depressed. Part of me was ashamed to admit this. I should have never felt this shame or been afraid to take care of my own well-being by simply stating hey I have depression, and I need your friend.

That right there is self sabotage if  you ask me! Not seeking help, not asking for it, or letting those who love you know what's up. I wish I would have spoken up sooner. So if you are silently suffering as you read this do yourself a favor, talk to someone. We can only help ourselves, our problems, our issues, our health cannot be changed until we take charge. Taking charge sucks! But I think it gets easier as you go along and have success.

So for this week I am working on rectifying some of my most horrid self sabotaging habits. One of them includes nervous/ stress eating or not eating at all. My new goal this week is to eat with purpose( for health, for my endo) and to create a schedule- I need to eat at the same time everyday or at least around the same time. Instead of putting on the pity party because the hubs is gone to Korea- mind you most of the time I pretty positive; I concentrate on our good memories and the present as best I can. But I have my moments.

I also plan on working relaxing and de-stressing. Can I call stress another one of my monsters? Stretching, Yoga, meditation, and Chakra work are in order. Maybe some crystal therapy? I have some ideas! So now I will pose the question... What are you going to do to stop self sabotage?

~Lexxy~

~Stay tuned next blog post is on Fasting- an LDS perspective~

Keeping Busy

Life has a way of keeping me busy and away from the computer these days. I have been working outside caring for the farm with my in laws and enjoying friends celebrations like graduations ( tis the season right *wink*). And as always crafting, though at the present moment it is slow. I had to revamp my box plan for the hubs and sent him a food box and a birthday box- which I did snag a picture of .. but it's really not worth the show.. I simple used sharpies to write things on the inside of the box lids and had his mom, granny and little bro write something as well. Simple yet perfect.

His next box is in the works and now that I have an amazing camera once again and not just my phone; I will be able to take much better photos! My hubs rocks he got me a Nikon 520 for our five year wedding anniversary. I miss and love him dearly but I save that mushy, gushy lovey stuff for another post!

I am trying to plan out my vacation from school and my continuous journey when it comes to losing weight and getting healthy. As of right now I am currently having female issues and on my way to see an ob/gyn to find out exactly what is going on ( suspected PCOS and an unofficial diagnosis of Endometriosis). This shall be interesting, hoping if there is something "wrong" that I can nip it in the butt( and share my experience with others who may also have same issues). So we can start our little family.

There is so much to write and there are days that I tell myself " Hey! Blog time lady! Hop to it!" I should have a blog writing challenge! Haha! Who's in? ( Seriously!) I know I am jumping all over the place.. forgive.. I got to back in the groove of things.

On a more spiritual note. I am working on be ready to go the LDS temple and I am so excited for it to happen... I am preparing myself with prayer, fasting, and as always studying the scriptures. I recently started reading the bible from the beginning. It has been years ( since I was 16 I believe and I will be 27 in July). I also have a few other things I plan on accomplishing or doing.

Well I guess I will leave you all with that stuff.. There are plenty more tangents to be had, but will save those for another time!

~Lexxy~

F.H.E ( update) & Date Night via Skype

I realized I failed to give the update on F.H.E/ Family Home Evening via Skype with the hubs. It went really well and we have a schedule in place of who is going to do what till May. It really helps to have things planned out for the both of us. So if you and your spouse are long distance for the current moment. Plan something over Skype! Trust me it will be lot's of fun! Every Friday ( well Friday here) we Skype and immediately start off with F.H.E. I think it sets the mood for our conversations.

There is more positive energy and conversation than negative. Which is is exactly what we need to grow closer together. Even with the distance between us. Anyway! So F.H.E has been a total success!
Now on to "Date Night" I decided that it would be fun to play a questions game over Skype. Being apart we tend to forget what things our significant other likes and dislikes. The first part of  our date was filled with questions like:

 " If there was anything that I would like to do for the weekend what would it be?"

Both have to answer questions like the one above. It gets you thinking and not only that you have to think like your spouse would! These types of questions help you to see where you might have been missing something or unaware. Or if you answer correctly- Awesome job!  We both did pretty well with that. Then it was questions like:

" Your ideal breakfast would be?" 

Now the questions are personal but it nice to see the variety in answers and learn more about each other. If you Google questions to ask your spouse ( or whatever you consider the relationship) you can find ideas for questions to ask. I loved doing this! the hubs and I both had a blast with this! It changed our usual conversation over Skype into something different and fun. Basically keeping things "spicy" *wink* tehehe. 

I am in the process of finding other Date Night activities we can do long distance. I hope this post helps some of you out there who may be in a long distance relationship. I will suggest this to our military spouses for sure! And on that note! I am off like a dirty shirt...

~Lexxy~

Lexxy Life bits- F.H.E via Skype!

It has been five weeks since Jimmy left and we have been trying to figure out different things to do via our Skype "dates". The latest is Family Home Evening.

F.H.E or Family Home Evening is a once a week event that LDS members hold as a time for learning about the gospel. It is a spiritual day that couples, families with children, and even single adults can do. Traditionally it is held on a Monday but since time zone differences and my hubs work we chose Friday evenings when we get to chat.

I really like the idea of doing this each week together since we cannot attend church together, etc. If you happen to be a military wife regardless of religion you can have something similar with your husband if you both have similar spiritual beliefs or practice the same religion. The possibilities are endless! And it helps to build up your relationship more and more during times when you are apart.

For us since we are latter day saints our F.H.E's will consist of learning things about prayer, scripture study, repentance, fasting, and the sacrament- to name a few things.

I'm still trying to figure how I will present our first F.H.E and will post about it later! It should be interesting! I am so grateful for technology right now. Getting to video chat with my hubs is really helping me stay positive.

When the love of your life leaves for deployment or like Jim, a year long hardship tour. You have a sadness to overcome and the first few months are not by any means fun. You have so many things to get used to. Sleeping alone, no physical contact, and you have to "switch" modes. When your husband is home you work together as a unit. While he is away you have to become independent and be able to work alone but always remembering him (or her).

This goes for any type of military wive/husband, fiance, or boyfriend/girlfriend. It is not easy, staying positive is key,  working through each day and of course staying busy- and in this case coming up with ideas to help keep the bonds of marriage strong.

I can't wait for our first spiritually oriented chat. I can't wait to see us grow even with the distance between us. So I leave you with these tidbits readers.

Lexxy

Lexxy Life Bits and Thoughts

Well this just sucks!!!! My camera is broken! So no recording any video tutorials for me! I suppose I can do pictures with my phone, but the quality just won't be the same what to do!!!! I suppose I will figure out something right? Gah so upset though! I love crafting and love to share it with other people. It is funny I wasn't a big crafter until recently. It seems a rarity to find those who crochet, knit, make jewelry sew clothes,(etc) but maybe I am wrong? 

At least in my experience/meeting of new people/ friends. I have yet to find a group who solely wants to spend their day doing at least one ( or two or three) crafty things. My day is not complete unless I do something like draw, crochet, make jewelry ( SPEAKING of which, I just made a few earrings- my first- they are in my Etsy shop). There have been nights where I couldn't sleep until I crocheted ha ha ha ha!

Anyway- currently working on crochet in the round- I made a small ball for my cat and then decided to attempt a pattern from Lion Brand- which so far is not going well- it is suppose to be a round afghan and it is more like a ruffled piece of crap! I did get some good ideas from a friend though! So I am going to go ahead and give it a try. I will be attempting to make it into a funky hat- at the end I am thinking of doing the Tunisian simple stitch to create a different looking rim.( wish me luck!)

ANYWAY... so switching thoughts here... I find myself thinking a lot about what it would be like to live very primal. The Primal Parent Blog actually covered this similar topic. ( loved her post- read it here-could-you-really-live-the-primal-life) my thoughts went to the cleaning aspect- I am pretty OCD I know it, I own up to it, and frankly I think being OCD is fine ( to an extent of course- OCD-ness in a healthy way ... ha ha ha...as long as your not letting it completely control your life hey I say have those moments where you slather on the hand sanitizer after using a public bathroom is A- OK!) SO of course I was thinking how does one keep things clean in a primal setting?

I suppose it all comes down to natural disinfectants and cleaning things properly to begin with- just need to do some more research on that subject ( or stock up on tea tree oil lol). I wonder what it would be like? No running water, no electricity, no video games! ( gasp). I have made it a point to turn off electronics and just sit outside on the balcony/ take care of my mini garden/ oasis or do something crafty. I have to admit the silence can be deafening.

I think it may take some getting use to and I want to. I want to know what it is like to live somewhat primal. My biggest issue is running water.. I love my showers... could I really give up hot showers? Could I give my video games- seriously biggest issue would be video games. I hardly watch TV ( I have Netflix- no cable- don't want it) So I am sure I wouldn't miss that... then I got to thinking- how convenient it is to go and buy yarn, fabric, etc.

So would I be able to give up those video games, the convenience of grocery stores/ farmer's markets/ crafting supplies/ and hot showers. I am not sure! I am quite sure it is a pain to create your own fabric ( how does one even do that by the way!) or how much time would a person have to spend creating  balls of yarn from wool.. the very thought just gets me thinking.. am I  a bit lazy/ perhaps spoiled by modern society?

Seriously think about! How many people have gardens that feed their whole family? What about hunting? Making clothes/ blankets and most of all I think about the hardships of women... I may use cloth pads, but imagine living out in the middle of a forest and dealing with the monthly.. Or giving birth without a midwife. I know people have unassisted births, but it is not the same really- you still have the back up of going to the hospital if something goes wrong.

Life would be hard I have to admit. Maybe if I grew up living that life I wouldn't notice, but I am sure that walking away from this world as I know it would be hard ( hey I love my food processor).

I am taking baby steps though to embracing more of a self sustained lifestyle. It is my main reason for really getting into crafts. I want to make my own soap, clothes, etc. 

I suppose I may not be able to live in a cabin deep in the woods. I may not give up video games, but I can still do something that feels like the right thing to do. Less waste/ consumerism and more self sustained. I believe in being self efficient and trying to curb my impact on the earth. Humans are destroyers, lol, yes I know it sounds terrible Yet it is true. We use and use- but what do we replenish? What do we give back to the Earth? Landfills, oil spills, waste, and the destruction of other species- this cannot be the way can it people?

Maybe this is why I seek a simple life, a semi-primal life- to preserve our planets beauty/ life. I may be one person, but all it takes is one person making the difference. Hopefully others will follow.

 

My Obsession with Containers and...

Keeping my pantry looking neat! So do you have pickle jars? Coffee creamer or Parm cheese containers? KEEP THEM! Here's why:

Okay not sure these are the best pics they are from my phone! Sorry! So here we have my pantry all spiffed up
I organize the dang thing a lot. 

The Rice, Black beans, Corn meal, and Dry milk are all containers I recycled and reused.

If you have read through the previous posts- this is an easy craft to do. You can use any paper you want and modge podge to secure labels onto the containers whether they be plastic or glass!!! Did I mention I have a thing for modge podge? It is my all time favorite craft supply ( besides paper  and yarn lol) This really isn't a tutorial just a CHALLENGE- Recycle and reuse some of your containers whatever they may be find a new purpose for that mayo jar.

Glass jars can be used for more than storing dry food goods! You can use them for homemade mayo and other condiments. You can make face creams, body wash and even shampoo- then place those in the jars!  They can hold crayons, pencils, small toys and even cotton balls  or Q-tips. 

Keep those containers and jars I tell you! If you garden keep any plastic containers especially from strawberries- fill with the potting soil and plant your seeds, water, and close the lid- a mini green house- stays nice and warm for the seedlings and moist! I grew my basil babies this way ( and I have like 40 little sproutlings! It is insane!)

Do you recycle and reuse?

Share your recycled creations in the comments below!

~Lexxy~

Let the Diet/Life Tweaking Begin!

Okay so it says let the diet tweaking begin- and so it will( with some other things). I am trying to reduce or eliminate the pain I get during my menstrual cycle. In fact I am so sick of it. Even with eating primal I still have pain. Along with this I figured out my biggest trigger for my endometriosis pain- wheat. So I decided to do some research on the "Endo Diet" and see if I can't customize my diet to fit my needs. I love primal but there is a lot of meat involved - especially red meat- according to the endo diet you should eliminate red meat from your diet.

Okay so I can do this sort of- I have decided to eat read meat once a week. Cook gluten free foods ( it says to avoid all gluten containing foods), it also says no eggs unless cage free/ organic- which I eat so I will stick with my eggs- My meat eating for the week will be chicken, shrimp, pork, and fish. I will still limit my grain consumption. I noticed that while on primal and eating coconut  goods that my skin was broken out. Since introducing a few gluten free grains back into my diet my skin has cleared up- THIS I LIKE!!! I also notice better bowl movements- So I will stick with it.

Diet is so important to health! So glad I am tweaking some things to make it more enjoyable and hopefully heal the endo. I would like less pain. I will also drink less coffee and avoid any other foods that trigger my pain. I am definitely staying away from soy as well.

Along with my diet changes I will be switching cleaning  and personal hygiene products. No more harsh chemicals for cleaning this will sort of hard for me I already use Mrs. Meyers for regular clean ups but I love my bleach for the bathroom every few days. And of course no more weird chemicals for makeup, shampoo, body and face wash. I already use a natural deodorant and conditioner, just out searching, experimenting with natural personal products to see which ones my skin likes ( sensitive skin).

I will post my progress on all of this as it progresses. I am also doing a group challenge in my own health group on Facebook to get MOVIN MOVIN.

 The GROUP: www.facebook.com/groups/Lexxys.HW/

I am looking forward to the changes. I hope to post more on safer cleaning products, makeup, and personal hygiene products. If you have read through my posts you know I already use feminine cloth pads and absolutely love them. I have used organic/ natural cleaners, makeup,etc before- but it always comes down to budget... I am looking for budget friendly products and of course do-it-yourself projects.

I like to think that this prepares me for a life on the Vorpahl Homestead- ( our dream in the making). So far I am doing well I believe. I have made dish cloths, reusable Swiffer covers, fem pads, and stay tuned for my tea tree oil cleaner and insect repellent! ( and the mini veggie garden on balcony)

Now if the sewing machine and I can get along- more will get accomplished ( or maybe it is just jersey fabric- BANE of my existence!)

Lexxy 

Loving Saturday...

I love Saturdays, I get to spend the day with the husband ( Jimmy) doing all sorts of things. Today we are baking homemade bagels and bread. We rearranged our living room and placed the desktop computer & desk against one of the walls so we could enjoy gaming together-LOL- I know, I know! Couple of nerds over here! But I must admit it is nice to be in the same room with your significant other when he spends Mon thru Fri practically living at work! 0500 ( 5 am) he leaves and somewhere between 6pm to 7pm-ish he comes home! You bet your rumps I will sacrifice some "style" in the living room just so we can both enjoy video games in the same room and hang out.

So anyway! Along with our baking of foodie goodies we will also make some shrimp tacos with semi homemade tortillas we will be cheating here a bit and using a tortilla mix..It should still be scrumptious! At the moment I have decided not to eat as primal as I usually do.Sadly the number it was doing on our pockets was leaving us almost completely food-less by the time pay day rolled around... I will buy some rice and some flour just to get us through the month! Don't get me wrong, I love eating  primal I will definitely still cook some of those meals but if I need to make some rice then so be it! And I have to admit - this is odd but I was pretty hardcore primal the last few weeks before switching over and I was breaking out on the face and back- not sure what the cause of it was- but just a bit of grains in the diet and my skin has cleared up ( weird?). So I will take it as a plus. I am eating one meal ( sometimes two) with a type of grain. I am trying to make sure I am preparing it in the best way possible.

So overall I am enjoying my diet. I still feel pretty good and I am currently still at the weight I was last week. I think I will continue to eat some grains- especially since I LOVE my Italian cuisine! No offense you cannot make a good Pizza Margherita or Crostata di ricotta( like a cheese cake) without some flour. What can I say? A total sucker for a good pizza! 


Along with our baking extravaganza- we are enjoying our little balcony oasis. So far we have a bunch of zucchini, roma tomatoes, and a green bell pepper growing! Along with this we have A LOT of little sproutlings- marigolds, zinnias, asters, alyssum, cilantro, and parsley. Along with this we have a lovely mint plant and our monster rosemary! We are waiting on the cucumbers! 

The Living Room BEFORE 

The Living Room AFTER- we still need to hang up the photos BUT I like the way it looks and feels.

Well that is it for the day! Have a good Saturday! Will be posting some tutorials here soon! Just working on the latest for feminine pads! Yes you will never hear the end of it! Ladies I tell you! Do yourself a favor and research them! I have never been happier- I also get to keep about 30 bucks in my pocket each month! ENJOY your weekend! =^.^= meow!

~Lexxy~