Serendipity in the Fall

This morning I woke up in a Fall state of mind. Yesterday I purchased some Fall scented wall flowers from Bath and Body. So my house smells of pumpkins, cinnamon, and apples. Last night, after the baby fell asleep I made myself a sweet potato and with the smell of that, and my wall flowers This really helps it feel like Fall! Unfortunately, that feeling melted away with our 104 degrees heatwave that is hitting So Cal.

My new favorite place to be during Fall is New york! I started going through our New York pictures on my computer. I am trying to make a photo book with the pictures from that trip. The weather was perfect, the scenery was perfect, everything was perfect! I can't think of a more perfect place to be during Fall!

While in New York, I really wanted to make a stop at Serendipity. Yes, I saw the movie. Not m favorite, but it seemed like a fun place to stop in New York. So the last night we were in New York, we ventured over for some dessert. It was really expensive, but the atmosphere was worth it.

I am by nature a people watcher. I like to know my surroundings. In front of us, there was what looked like, an upper east side family celebrating a birthday. The mother wearing very expensive looking jewelry, the dad was wearing a suit, and the girls were in designer duds. It was fun to watch.

Here are some pictures to enjoy. The lighting was really bad for pictures. I apologize.

It was right before Halloween so the window had a Tim Burton feel.

This was my $9 piece of Lemon Ice Box pie. Mine is way better.

This was Jon's Mint ice cream Sunday.

The inside was ginormus in comparison to what I was thinking.

The Front Window

End of Summer Burn

As I said in a previous post, I am really trying to be careful about my sun exposure. For a few reasons, I don't want to look like I'm 50 when I'm 30, and most of all, I have a family history of skin cancer. My mom dealt with it a while back and that is something I don't want to deal with.

Now that we are at the end of the summer, I have stuck to my word and been really careful in the sun. Always using at least SPF 30 or more, when I am planning on being out for more than an hour. I start by everyday, after washing my face using Olay complete moisturizer. On a side note, I am not one to buy name brand products when store brand is available, but I just cant do it with Olay. It is simply not the same. I always start my day protected, year round.

I successfully got through the summer with little to no burning. I usually start off worth a bad "start of Summer" burn and tan from there on. That was not the case this year. The worst burn I received was Labor day, when I was more worried about Adah getting burned than me.

Throughout the summer, I put a lot of sunblock products to the test. This is what I found.

Lotions: They are all good, but the only problem is they when applying lotion, you can't see , and sometimes you can hey a blotchy burn. They are always a safe bet for your face.

Sprays: I am not a huge fan of sprays. The sunblock companies make it look really easy to apply, but in fact you DO have to rub it in, or you will get burned. However, I GREAT spray to get is Banana Boat Sport Performance pump spray is by far the best spray you can get. It is the one that is easy to apply, and on a hot day spraying it cools you off while keeping you protected. We went to the fair and my mom kept spraying it on my neck and shoulders without rubbing it. I was thinking that I was going to burn, but I didn't! It really works.

I have not tested anything on Adah, because she is so young, the best thing that has worked for her is just simply keeping her out of direct sun light.

I am going to continue to do this, and to teach Adah the importance of keeping healthy skin. I have been making a lot of changes since Adah has been born for my health, and this is one of them. My big change that I would like to make, but have not yet, it caffeine. That is something I am going to need to pray about. But it would really help a lot of things including my blood pressure, which is still teetering on high.

Adah = 5 Months

Photo by Debbie Ives

On Monday our little Adah Jean turned 5  months old! I am in awe of how she has grown and matured over the last few months. She is such a blessing to us, and we love her more than we could have ever imagined.

 She is rolling all over the place, and when placed on her belly she starts rocking. She can sit up for long periods of time. I never leave her side while she is doing that. It makes me nervous. She is always amazed by her voice, and I think she is going to be gifted in singing, because when i sing to her, she stops everything to listen and has a look on her face like she is trying to do it herself. We shall see! 

 She was sleeping mostly through the night (waking once to eat and going back to bed) but she is now waking twice, and getting up earlier. I thin it might be her teeth bothering her. :(

 She is really social. I guess that's what comes with being in ministry and being around people all the time. She doesn't mind people holding her. But Daddy, and I have the hold that she loves most of all!

 We went to bible study in Irvine Thursday night and put her in the nursery. Daddy had a harder time with it than I did. 

 Everyday is such a blessing with our little girl. She is so fun and full of life, and we can't wait to see her pull that energy into a relationship with Jesus!