Soap Day!

 

I made soap today! I love the process of making things, and soap is definitely one of my favorites. I started making soap for when I had an Etsy shop thinking that people would love to buy handknit washcloths and handmade soaps. I was wrong. My sister was the only one that bought them. After closing my shop, Chad and I decided to use the soap as hand soap in our bathroom. I loved it and have made it a lot since then. 

I use a recipe from The Spruce Crafts that I love. It is easy to follow and comes out good each time. I have made it with peppermint, tea tree (my favorite for soap), and cinnamon (crossing my fingers it works). I prefer making it in molds rather than a block that I have to cut because molds are fun and pretty and don't have to be cut. I have bugs, flowers, and dog prints. I don't think I will ever make a block as long as I can keep buying chocolate molds. 

Scripture Bag

I have been studying in my scriptures a lot lately. I read in the morning as part of my Miracle Morning, and I listen/watch a scripture study podcast on YouTube called Don't Miss This later in the day. As I have dove deeper into them, I have accumulated some colored pencils and a pen to mark important passages and note insights as I go. The problem was that they kept falling out the flap that snaps down, and I didn't have another way to keep them with the scriptures. 

One day I came up with a solution; I would put everything in a scripture bag. I looked online several places for the perfect bag. I found several that would work but none that I loved or could see myself carrying around. (I am one of those weirdos that likes to bring and use paper scriptures instead of using the app on my phone.) After looking for a few days, I decided I would make one. 

The idea I came up with was to use the left-over yarn from a sweater I made earlier this year to make a modified version of a bag form the same pattern book. The original pattern was a bag that lied flat, but I wanted it to fit around the book, so I made sides for it. Also, the original pattern was twice as tall as I needed it, so I just made it shorter. Finally, I wanted the handles to be shorter because I wasn't looking to have one that went over my shoulder, so I made them shorter. Other than that, I basically used the pattern as written. 

Within two weeks of starting it, I had a bag for my scriptures that I love. It is big enough for the book, gum, and my colored pencils and pen. It was harder than I thought it would be, but it was totally worth it!

Miracle Morning Update

I have been doing the Miracle Morning for about 3 months now, and I can feel the difference in my day-to-day life. I have become more active, calm, and organized. I feel like since I am accomplishing 6 goals first thing in the morning, I am motivated to do more with my day. 

In my day planner (I still use an old school paper planner), I have many daily goals outside of my Miracle Morning routine. I have a cleaning goal (dishes plus one other task), an exercise goal (for now it is a walking challenge I'm doing with my sister), a goal to get rid of at least one thing, and anything else that needs to be done that day. I get the sense of accomplishment that I have been missing for about four and a half months, and I love it. I feel like nothing can stop me from becoming the person I need to become. It is amazing how small tasks can lead to bigger things. 

Just Not Good

 

I went into this book kind of excited and ready to learn. A lot of people seemed to like it, and the title is just fun. The problem is that it is just not a good book. 

My issues with the book started in the first section. She talks about frequency and source energy as if the reader is already familiar with these terms. I was not. I learned more about it as I read the book, but I was lost at the start. Then, she acknowledged that she had been an atheist who found God but would refer to Him in more ambiguous way throughout the book. That rubs me wrong. I understand trying to make the material universal, but this crossed a line in my opinion. 

As I moved into the remaining sections of the book, it got better, and I was starting to enjoy it a bit. I even underlined parts that felt significant (I do this in a lot of books). The problem: each chapter has a list of things to do. That can be a bit overwhelming. I can't make that many changes in how I operate my day to day all at once. Also, there was little to no flow from chapter to chapter. She explained why this was so in one of the chapters saying that she sat down with note cards and wrote down chapter headings/ideas then tackled the one by one in random order. I kind of felt done with the book at that point but wanted to push through because I paid money for this book and didn't want to feel like it was a waste. 

I had to stop reading it the chapter about money (the longest chapter). She give no practical advise. She basically just tells people to stop believing money is evil and they deserve to have enough to live and help others. Not bad I guess if that is your problem. It's not mine. I just need to create better habits around money. I can't go out and buy a fancy car because I believe I am worth it and hope to make enough for the payments. I also can't quit my job to chase a dream. These are totally irresponsible behaviors! Why would a self-help book recommend them? 

What did I get out of the book? Believe in yourself. Take a leap of faith from time to time. Don't be afraid of everything. If I have positive energy, I am more likely to receive positive energy. The thing is, I can/have learned those lessons from multiple sources. 

Overall, I did not like this book. It can be confusing and overwhelming. If you want to learn and develop yourself, you can get the little that can be learned from this book just about anywhere else.