Books and Better Living!

I ordered four books a couple days ago from a few different Amazon.com vendors. I received two already, and I'm so excited to start reading them! One is The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. I have heard so many great things about this book, especially in regards to the horrid factoring farming conditions in this country. My other book is Food Rules by Michael Pollan. Its a simple guide, but very useful. I have already flipped through a lot of it. Most eating tips are common sense, but are quite often overlooked, so it will be useful to have around as a reminder!


Part of my set of resolutions for the new year is to commit more to my going green. I have made a lot of strides in the last year, and have done a lot of research, but there is so much more I could be doing. One really important thing I could be doing is eating healthier! I intend to start my own garden once the weather warms, and I am working towards buying local and organic from a co-op not too far away. These ideas, along with Food Rules, should help my family a lot. I have also been looking up a lot of recipes online as well as making healthier versions of my passed-down family recipes. One recipe I found online is a healthier version/knockoff of McDonalds Chicken Nuggets, as well as some homemade fries. Still not the healthiest choice, but much better than actually eating out! Besides, I always throw some veggies on my plate too.


I should be receiving my other two books soon. One is The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith, the other is Frugal Luxuries by Tracey McBride. I have had many recommendations for both, and am eager to get them. I am still looking through books, but Id eventually like to buy some on herbs and gardening. I have also stumbled upon a website that sells herbs, oils, butters, etc. http://www.mountainroseherbs.com sells only organic or sustainable wild-harvested goods, and all I hear is rave reviews about them, so you can imagine my excitement! Anyway, Ill update as I get more into my books or make an order. I love sharing my finds with everyone!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Remember to live every day to the fullest. And don't forget to send your thoughts or prayers to those (both human and animal) in Haiti dealing with the aftermath of a tragic earthquake. If you would like to make a donation to the Red Cross, you can visit their site or text "Haiti" to 90999 and it will charge $10 to your phone bill. You can also donate via Yele, or the ASPCA. Millions have already been raised! If you can afford it, please help. Karma will always come back in full!

Zoya Nail Polish & Besem Natural Scents

I received two highly anticipated packages in the mail today. I was hoping they would've been here yesterday but as we all know it was Veterans Day (Thank you for serving mom! Oh and you too dad, uncle O, and grandpa!) so I didn't mind waiting just one more day! Anyway, one package was from Zoya. They have water based nail polish that is free of the big nasties (aka formaldehyde, toluene, camphor, pthalates...). Its been described as long wearing and comparable in wear to traditional nail polish, but without sacrificing your health! I follow Zoya on Facebook and they recently had a promotion in celebration of their Presidents birthday. It was for a free nail polish, you just pay shipping.



I had been looking at trying Zoya out but was waiting for my wallet to fill back up after my Aromaleigh hauls, but I just could pass up this deal! So I went ahead and ordered two colors, one was free and I paid for the other color plus shipping. It came out to be just less than buying two regularly, but I saved because buying them regularly would require me to pay shipping as well (which equals about another nail polish). Overall it was worthwhile. You can find Zoya products in a few select stores, or order from Zoya.com. I really recommend adding them on Facebook as well for their awesome promotions. Aside from the free nail polish, I was given a code today to put in an order of 3 free lip glosses!

The colors I chose are Beyonnce, and Charity. Beyonnce can be described as a coppery red with a frosty metallic finish. It is categorized with the coral family of colors. Ive only applied it to one nail so far but it went on smoothly. Its slightly sheer so I will need to add a second coat but I think that will be sufficient coverage. I have fair skin but with a warm undertone, so corals seem to work well for me. However, I haven't worn nail polish in years so it is a bit odd to see color on my nails! The second color, Charity, is a lovely lavender type purple with gold undertones. It is much more opaque than Beyonnce, but I think I will add a second coat just to smooth out any missed spots. It applied well, dried quickly, and so far hasn't smudged or been damaged like what often happens when you bump your fingers too soon after the drying stage. I really like this color, it seems a little more wearable than Beyonnce. Only time will tell though how well they stay on my fingers, but so far so good!



My only real disappointment is that the bottles are smaller than I had anticipated. I didn't look at the ounces at all when I ordered but figured the yd be at least the size of the drugstore brands. They are a bit smaller though, and have .5 ounces. The price at $7 is still reasonable considering the quality, and Ive never finished a bottle of polish in my life so I'm not too concerned about running out! ***I couldn't get any decent pictures of my nails colored, but there is a picture at the bottom of this post pertaining to my Besem order that has my thumb in it (with the color Charity). Its not too bad in the picture but its much prettier in person!



Onto my next package, my soaps from the Etsy company Besem Natural Scents! I have been wanting to get rid of all my nasty chemical-laden drugstore products and Miss K (Aromaleigh Mineral Makeup) is always talking on Facebook about her Etsy finds (as well as Zoya!) so I thought Id check the site out! It is full of homemade, hand crafted products and most are natural and eco-friendly. I'm really in love with all the companies Ive come across so far! So my first Etsy purchase I decided would be from Besem. You can find them through Etsy or at BesemNaturalScents.com




I like Besem because they are a green family owned business. They make their own cold process soap and natural palm/beeswax candles. Their palm wax/oil is sustainably sourced (instead of destroying a fragile ecosystem) and their beeswax is from local bee farm. They use high quality fragrance oils too. They also donate 10% of their profits to orphan relief. So it was an easy decision to make for me to support their company with my business! Since I am new to their products and wasn't sure which scent Id like, I decided to try out their sample set. It comes with 6 bars of your choice, and they are each 1/4 the size of a regular bar. For a small business making their own products, the $11 price tag was very reasonable. I was also surprised with a 7th bar of sample soap in my box. I think free samples are not only exciting to receive, but a wonderful way to charm your customers and get them to try a product/scent they might not otherwise think to purchase. I also loved the handwritten note Wendy (the owner) wrote to thank me!


The 6 soaps I ordered (pictured in two separate photos above) were Pink Grapefruit, Almond Honey & Oats, Cinnamon Spice, Ultimate Travel Bar (which is good for hair, face, and body!), Sweet Anisette (smells like black licorice and contains active charcoal so its great for your face), and Lavender Harvest (also suitable for face). The freebie she included was Lemon Tea. They all smell amazing! I am excited to get in the shower and try them out! I will let you all know more as I try them all out but so far I am very pleased!



Thanks again for reading. I hope everyone has been doing well. Keep safe and warm, Ill be back soon!

Life is about the journey, not just the destination!

Hi everyone! My name is Ashley. This is my first (non-Myspace) blog, so bear with me as I fumble and relearn the lost art of writing and expression through words, rediscover myself, explore new ideas, vent, ramble, etc. I intend to update at least weekly, but hope eventually to treat this more as a public journal and write daily!

I would like to begin with a basic introduction and then follow it up with a general rant/explanation of who I am and whats currently going on in my life. In the near future I will branch out to cover many topics. From health, exercise, fashion, and entertainment to gardening, pets, and Eco-friendly topics. Id even like to talk some about parenting and being a military wife, and maybe a little neutral religion and politics. I'm not sure where the future will take me, so as time goes on I expect for this blog to take on many faces. Basically, this is just my life blog!

So here it goes....I was born in Texas in 1988 to both a mother and father serving in the US Army. Shortly after both my parents left the the military they divorced and I grew up with my mom as my custodial parent, but visited my dad for a month every summer. I have lived in Texas, Georgia, Arizona, Southern AND Northern California, and now Washington. I am the wife of an Airmen First Class (who is two months my junior) in the United States Air Force, and the mother to a little boy born in 2007.

I am currently a SAHM (stay at home mom) due to our new military lifestyle, but have worked for a movie theater, a veterinary clinic, and an elementary school. I attended a junior college in California for my transfer prerequisites and would like to soon start up at a junior college here in Washington, and eventually go for my Bachelors in Animal Science at a university.

I care deeply for the environment and animals, and am working towards being more 'green' and Eco-friendly. Currently I am a pet parent to a lovely cat named Duchess, a goofy dog named Zippo, as well as a crazy little rat. All of them have been adopted, and that will always be how I bring new pets into my life. I also have two horses and, although I have no professional training, am a fairly decent rider!

So yeah, that's me in a nutshell, a little bit of everything! If any of you ever want to know a little more about me feel free to ask. Or if you have a specific topic you might like my opinion on, just let me know! Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to read all of this, Id appreciate your feedback!