Safer Makeup? Yes, please!

Something about hearing the words "cancer" makes you really start to evaluate your lifestyle. I immediately became even more aware of what I was putting in my mouth, how much I was exercising, how much sleep I was getting and how I was managing my stress. I'm also starting to think more and more about environmental things. One of the changes I'm gradually trying to make is to switch to safer makeup and skincare products. I love makeup. There aren't many days I go without it. So I'm trying to learn a little more about it. And some of what I've found is pretty eye opening.

I recently met someone who is a consultant with BeautyCounter. I ordered some bronzer/blush and am really happy with it. I plan on adding more products little by little. My consultant Shelley, shared some great info regarding their products that I wanted to pass along.

Did you know that the last time Congress passed a law regulating the cosmetic industry was 1938? The current government regulations are NOT making companies adhere to any limitations on the ingredients that can be used in products. It is completely legal for companies to use known endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins and carcinogens in their products. EEEK! Increasingly, science is pointing to environmental links to cancer. Even chemicals that are not carcinogenic on their own may be linked to cancer when used in combination of each other, even in very low doses. Of the over 80,000 chemicals on the market today, only 10% have ever been tested for safety. Kinda makes you think about the things you're exposed to on a daily basis huh? Makeup, soap, cleaning solutions....

Shelley also shared a little bit about BeautyCounter. They ban over 1500 toxic ingredients from personal care products like cosmetics, skincare and kids products without jeopardizing the effectiveness of the product to do so. She said their company is dedicated to prevention. Their mission is to move the market and policy away from toxic chemical use and toward safer, cleaner, greener chemicals. To gauge the safety of the ingredients they use, BeautyCounter has a very rigorous ingredient selection process before deciding if they'll use it. And, I also read that BeautyCounter consultants raised $150,000 for Stand Up for Cancer. And BeautyCounter matched another $50,000 for a total of $200,000 raised for cancer prevention and cutting-edge treatment.

This is all new stuff I'm slowly learning more about. And by looking at the graphic above, I have a lot of work to do. But if I can make gradual changes that might help our family live a long, healthy life, I'm willing to do it.

xoxo

Scrappy Time

I've spent some time lately catching up on some scrapbook pages. And it feels good! I love documenting our sweet little family. Today I went way back to 2012 (yep, I skip all around) and did a first day of school layout.

I found a fun sketch over at My Creative Sketches for inspiration. And realized how much I've missed playing along with scrapbook challenges!

I've been doing a lot of digital pages and the Project Life App to help catch up. Last year I did all Project Life traditional pages. And I just signed up for a Jessica Sprague online class with a couple of friends to try Project Life in Photoshop for 2017. But I do enjoy the process of creating pages from scratch (with sketches for inspiration of course). I love it all and can't seem to stick to just one! What is your favorite way to document your memories?

CT's and MRI's Oh My!

Yesterday I had a CT scan and two MRI's. That's a whole lot of imaging for one day. I was afraid I might be glowing in the dark afterwards!! Here we are on our way:

I was so happy to get the results the very next day. Sometimes they take sooooo long to get results to you. I couldn't wait to share the results so I ended up doing a Facebook Live video. I thought I'd share it here even though I'm an emotional mess!

So very happy! And so blessed!! Thank you all for your prayers through this all! It's going to be a great weekend!!

xoxo

Check Your Colon

I'm sharing this text message with permission from one of my besties from high school. I've actually kept a list of the people that have told me they went and got a colonoscopy because of me. This text made me cry.

This is one of the main reasons I share my story. If it can help one person get detected early, it's worth it. The surgeon told me my tumor has likely been slow growing for 5-10 years. (Hello? That's when I was 35 or 40!) And how lucky am I that I've spent the past year and a half working on my health so I can fight this disease. I've read that colorectal cancer prevalence at an earlier age is increasing drastically. The screening age should be much earlier than 50. So don't forget to check your colon! Oh how I wish I had done it sooner! 14 people have told me so far that they have scheduled a colonoscopy because of hearing my story. Who else?! I continue to be amazed by God's hand in this.

Have a great day and thanks for visiting!

xoxo

Ring the Bell - Radiation DONE!

Ahhhhhhh! I did it! I'm all finished with radiation!! Tears! Last chemo pills will be with dinner! In a couple of weeks the side effects should subside and I'll feel more like myself again. My Radiation Oncologist and his staff were amazing!

I had to give the techs a little gift - silly socks to remember me by and hand sanitizer because they had to touch my butt. They had a good laugh over that! My crafty friends will appreciate my handmade tags:

When I finished my last treatment, the staff all lined up in the hallway and I got to ring the bell! I had no idea there was a bell to ring! I walked past that thing 25 times - how did I never notice it before?! Oh and I had my handsome chauffeur again today which was awesome. 

I'll have another scan in January to hopefully show this ugly thing has shrunk down to nothing. Now I have 8-12 weeks of rest and recovery before surgery. I'm going to enjoy this next phase and try not to worry about what's to come. God's got this.

Thank you again to all of my prayer warriors. Your prayers and sweet messages help get me through!

Oh happy day!!

xoxo