That Thing You Always Wanted (SERIOUSLY)

You know those neck pillows that are so handy

when you are flying or going on long trips? I love them.
But...

I also love my rice bag that my sister made for me a few years

back. Heat it in a microwave and it is perfect for those aches, pains,

and cramps that we all get. The rice holds the heat for quite a while.

My two loves have come together to make this genius heating neck

wrap that is going to be my new best friend. (I don't know about you

but by the end of the day my neck is killing me and this lovely is going

to make my life wonderful.) It is very easy to make too!

I'll show you:

1. I drew a pattern based on the pillow on some fabric. I traced it

about 1/2 out from the outline of the pillow to give room for the

stitch and the filling. I used fleece. I think thicker fabrics will

be more beneficial to the overall heat of the pillow.

(I think I probably should have ironed it. I really hate ironing.)

2. Pin the first cutout onto more of the fabric and cut out a back.

3. Sew it all together. Remember to leave a hole to turn it inside-out.

and to fill the bag with rice with.

4. Turn the pillow inside-out so you no longer see the stitch.

5. Fill with rice. I added some oatmeal and some herbal tea bags.

The herbal tea masks the smell of the rice and makes it heavenly to

heat this baby up. I used ginger and peppermint and it smells very
much like Christmas; it's wonderful.

6. Hand stitch up your hole.

7. Throw it all in the microwave for a few minutes. Remember if it is

too hot for your hand it is too hot for your neck.

8. Love it. Use it. Thank me. :)

It is like getting a warm, cozy hug on your neck.

Cost: Nothing. I just used stuff around the house.

Time: about an hour

Ode to Earrings

I was super excited to get my ears pierced when I was younger.
Mom kept telling me I was too young to get them done, so

on a day in town with my sisters we rebelled and got them done. My older

sister signed the permission slip as my mother (she's only 10 years older than me)

and I went home a little sore but happy and feeling very mature.

I love earrings, especially when my hair is shorter.

I've collected quite a few in my life (I just wish they were cheaper) and

I never knew how to store them. They end up all heaped together

in a cup on my dresser.

This idea solved all my problems, and I love it:

I started with a $1 frame I found at the D.I. , sanded it down, and painted it a fun lime color.

At about any craft store they have plastic mesh. Mine was only a dollar.

I measured out the mesh and hot glued it to the back on the frame where normally the glass would go.

I don't have a craft stapler, but if I did I would have used fabric for the back on the frame. I used paper, measured it out and just taped it with double stick. It works wonderfully.

I added a scrap booking flower I had and some ribbon to hang it with.

I stuck my earrings through the mesh and hung it up.

I love the color and how it grabs attention. Fun, fun, fun!

Total spent: $2.00

Relationships

I promise this is not a craft blog-- it just happens to be the

only thing I'm doing lately. I had to really talk myself out of posting

another DIY, but I promise it is coming and everyone should be

so excited! Its my favorite thus far.

My thoughts have been mulling over an odd quote from a movie I watched yesterday. The character claimed that hell would be being locked in a room with another person who know everything about you, especially that which is worst about you, for all eternity.

It seems we are constantly trying to get people to understand our point of view. Yet, it is still scary knowing that someone could find out the deepest, darkest secrets of our soul. And knowing everything about us could someone really understand us, our thoughts and actions, and still love/respect us? To trust another person is a scary concept, but one each of us must face in life. The results are sometimes pleasant and other times heartbreaking and life alternating. You have to take a mighty risk and HOPE that they won't take advantage of your vulnerability. It is tragic when that hope dies-- similar to a death of a loved one.

It would be so great to rid ourselves of every negative thought, every jealous tendency, and overcome all ignorance. It would seem great to rid ourselves of everything bad and replace it with trust, happiness, compassion, and love. However, I believe that everyone is going to hurt you in some way. The challenge is find those who are worth suffering through the pain for. Life would be too dull if it was perfect. Without pain we would not be able to experience true joy. Opposition gives us perceptive--without the bad there would be no good.

Keep hoping, keep trying, keep experiencing those things that are hard but make us better people in the long run.

And I know heaven will be a better place then hell.

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Sometimes I Try and Think Deeply

I hate feeling self-pity. It is a disgusting monster that sucks the life out of a person.Life isn’t the easiest right now and I hate complaining about it because I know it is due to my own folly. I happen to be in a transition period, trying to adjust to a new label that has been placed upon me. I don’t want to be defined by my past, but ultimately this is the path I’ve chosen and the consequences I have to live with. Contrary to what I'd like to believe, problems are not imposed upon me by life-circumstances that happen at random. They occur as a combination of situations that grow out of a series of choices. And usually at the end, I can see how wrong my thinking was and how naively I entered into hurtful circumstances. How I wish for a time machine to go back and correct my life.

The bottom line is that we all learn through experiences. It doesn’t matter how hard they were and how painful the learning process, it is the only way we would have truly known. So while I chaff under the judgments of others, I am grateful for the knowledge I’ve gained, the pain I experience, and the help of true friends and a loving family.

There is a powerful quote by Hugh Nibley that I love:

“If every choice I make expresses a preference; if the world I build up is the world I really love and want, then with ever choice I am judging myself, proclaiming all the day long to God, angels and my fellowmen where my real values lie, where my treasure is, the things to which I give supreme importance.”

How easily we get stuck on the petty problems in our lives and shut out all the wonderful things of which we are capable of. How easily we convince ourselves to take the path of lesser pain that ultimately leads to a sinkhole. Life is what we make out of it. We have been blessed beyond capacity for deeper intelligence, thought, and enlargement.

How excited does this make you?

Our search for knowledge should be ceaseless for we never know enough. So while life is tough right now, I’m going to accept the problems and the heartache on my journey.

Sometimes I just need to remind myself it's worth it.