New beginnings and bittersweet endings...

April is always one of those months for me; Sad & Happy.  Some people find it hard to believe that you can be happy about the death of a loved one.  It's not happiness... it's more joy.  There is joy in knowing that we live on.  Without pain and suffering.  When I say pain and suffering I'm not just referring to those things that come with having a disease that we might live with, but in our everyday lives.  There is pain and suffering that comes from just being alive, being human!  Specifically I'm referring to my Mom who passed away on April 14th... that's 13 years ago! (which seems like yesterday really)

It's hard to believe that so many years have passed since I last got to talk to my Mom.  As I sit here, so close to giving birth to our 5th child, I can't imagine my children not having a mother to talk to, to see, touch, cry on, love on, live with.  It seems so sad.  So sad that just the thought of my kids not having their Mom at any point in their lives brings tears to my eyes.  It seems so wrong, cruel, and heartbreaking... yet I, myself, went through this very thing, and I don't view it that way at all.  I rest in the peace that God has given me an abundance of gifts... one of those being the knowledge that there is life after death.  I might add, that can be a good thing for some of us, or a bad thing!  Life after death isn't just heaven.  There is a hell and it is real.  The joy I have when I think of my Mom and that her life is over... is because I know her life on Earth is over, but she lives on in heaven with our merciful savior.  Merciful?  Yes... I say that because he has the power to save us if he so chooses, when we don't deserve it.  Even though I miss my Mom so much and can't help but think about how things would have been had she never got that breast cancer... what kind of relationship we would have grown into... what kind of Nana she would have been to all of her dear grandchildren... but God has a plan and I may not understand it now, but some day I'll understand it!  Or at least if I don't, it won't matter!! 

The funny thing is God may have 'taken' my Mom away from me in this life... but 2 years later he brought the man I ended up marrying into my life.  Literally, we met on April 14th!!  So honestly that day just can't be bad!  God has blessed me with WAY more than I deserve.  I have an amazing husband who loves me for me... He's an amazing father to his 4... soon to be 5 children!  They adore him almost as much as I do! 

In addition to that, I've become an Aunt 3 times during the month of April with in the last few years.  Campbell, who is 10 now!!  Wow!!  She is such a sweet, talented, and adorable girl!!  I love her more than she knows!!  I'm so proud to call her my niece!! 

Then last year we welcomed sweet little Ashton into our lives!  It's hard to believe she's already 1!  She is such a laid back, lovable little thing, I'm excited to see what kind of personality she's going to end up with! 

To top it all off, just yesterday (April 17th), Nathan and Missy welcomed their newest little addition to the family; Elijah!  My heart just melted as I sat there holding him. 

How can God do that?  What man on Earth could figure out how to create an actual human life?  (Might I add, what man should have the right to end a life either?... but that's an entirely different subject we'll save for another blog!!)  Even though I know I won't be welcoming any babies to our lives this month, in May we will definitely have another bundle of joy!  One that was knit in my womb by our heavenly father.  It's hard to fathom that he knew us at that time of our lives.  Before we even physically enter this world he gave us, he knew us!  How amazing is that!!  Anyway, I thought I should put my two cents in on life and death!  Not to put a damper on what was supposed to be uplifting, I feel like I should continue on with being 'real'.  We all will die.  Where are you living your eternity?  Being a 'good person' doesn't cut it.  You can't earn your way to heaven.  Like Dave Ramsey says: Live now like no one else, so later you can live like no one else!"  If you know who Dave Ramsey is you know he is referring to money... not life... but that's the perfect little saying for heaven and hell too, if you think about it!!   It's not easy to live a life different from how most everyone else lives, but one day we all are going to die and go somewhere.  That place isn't temporary either, like Earth.  Once you get where you're going, you're there for good!  Forever!!  Why risk it? 

Hugo Naturals Product Review!!!

Hi Everyone!!  I was so excited to start blogging but when I found out that Hugo Naturals chose me to review 3 of their products I thought this would be the perfect first blog!! 

The first product is their Kumquat Brown Sugar Body Polish. 

Let me just say:  YUM!!!  It smells so good, you'll want to eat it!!  Which leads me to the next point I wanted to make!!  That is... it smells so good you'll want to eat it, maybe not rub it all over your body so you smell like a yummy piece of candy!  However, it was SO worth it b/c the little tiny scrubbers in the polish gently exfoliated my poor dry skin!!  My feet, which have been callused for as long as I can remember, actually started to feel a little bit softer after just a few scrubs!!  Yay!! 

I would say by day 3 I noticed a difference in my skin, especially my feet.  After 2 weeks of use my skin was almost moist to the touch instead of dry and scratchy feeling.  It didn't last the full 30 days (probably because I loved it so much I over used it... that is until the end of the jar when I started being very careful to not use too much so it would last me as long as possible!) 

The bottom line is, if you want your skin and feet looking and feeling younger you can't go wrong with this scrub!!!  The other upside is even though it has an amazingly yummy smell, once you rinse it off and wash your body you don't get out of the shower feeling like you'll attract all types of bees and bugs!!  

Next up is the Handcrafted Grapefruit Bar Soap.

This soap is so much better than your ordinary soap!!  It actually has a scent that you'll love.  It's refreshing and seriously like the package says, energizing!  It's not that 'clean' smell that you're used to with regular bar soap!  I think that's what I loved most!  It isn't overly moisturizing in my opinion, but you feel clean after using it!!  You will not regret giving this soap a try, especially on those mornings where coffee just isn't enough!!!  (A quick side-note: My husband loves their Handcrafted Spearmint Bar Soap!!)

Last and certainly not least comes the Vanilla & Sweet Orange All Over Lotion

This right here was my absolute favorite!!  Just like their other lotions (especially the Oh-So-Soft Chamomile & Vanilla Baby Lotion) this one is amazing!!  My only honest downfall to report would be the size of the container!!  We seriously need a jumbo sized, bulk container of this!!  My children (all 4) come running when they know I'm ready to use this stuff!!!  I was again a little hesitant before using it because I didn't want to smell like those frozen push up pops we all used to have as a kid!!!  That's exactly what it smells like too!!  Haha!!  I am so glad I got over that because the lotion is so moisturizing.  It melts right into your skin!!  You don't feel all pasty and sticky after putting it on, which was a huge plus in my opinion.  I don't have the time to sit around and wait to put my clothes on waiting for my lotion to soak in!!  That just isn't an option in my life!  I put it on as soon as my skin is dry and with in I'd say about 5-7 minutes which works perfect for me.  It gives me the time to do my other daily routines like brushing my teeth, etc.  I would constantly go back for more lotion on my hands through out the day!  This was the first period of time in the winter that I can remember not having dried, cracked, bleeding hands!!  My skin is prone to being dry and scaly looking.  I was pleasantly surprised to find my hands so much softer... and in the middle of winter at that!!

Many of you who know me, also know that I love natural, organic, good for you ingredients... not only in the foods we eat, but also in the products we put on our bodies!!  Our skin is our largest organ and it absorbs anything we put on it.  Would you consider taking a bath in a bunch of chemicals that can cause all sorts of diseases and health problems?  Then why risk putting those same chemicals on your skin by using those conventional skin care products?  Many of them contain those harmful chemicals. 

The plus side about Hugo Naturals is all of their products contain all natural, food grade ingredients.  They are free of petrochemicals, animal fats, paragons, silicone's, formaldehyde, hydroquinone, phthalates, propylene glycol, and synthetic surfactants!  Their products are never tested on animals, are gluten free too!  In addition to all of that (as if that wasn't enough already) all of their products carry the following two seals:

and

The first logo is the leaping bunny.  Basically they are nice to animals!  The second logo is the Celiac Sprue Association.  In short, it means they are committed to providing you with gluten free products! 

Hopefully you'll give one of these amazing products a try, or any of their other all natural products, you won't be disappointed!! 

*Hugo Naturals provided me with all three full sized products listed above.  I was in no way paid for my honest opinions.