Start the New Year with a Plan!

Hi! My name is Laura, and I'm a planner! I've been planning my whole life. I LOVE it! The endless possibilities of a blank planner page is just too much to bear. I must fill in each line.

Wait a minute! Each line!? Sadly, yes. I have been caught in this trap. Each line of that shiny new planner must be filled and everything must be completed! That's great, but that's not life. It leaves no room for the curve balls that get thrown at us each day, or the spontaneous trip to the park.

It's great to have a plan, but it's not great to become a slave to that plan. We must be flexible and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives. If we aren't careful, we can plan Him right out of everything. Sad, but true.

That being said, I am sharing with you a blog planning form that I created today. I know what I just said, and I believe it 100%. However, just because we shouldn't over plan, doesn't mean we shouldn't have a plan at all. Some of us work better with a plan. I am one of those people. I like to plan for the ideal day, and then go from there. If it all happens, great! If not, oh well, there's always tomorrow.

I searched and searched this morning to find just what I wanted in a planner. I didn't want it too detailed. I didn't want it 30 pages long. I didn't want it plain and no fun. I DID want it to be short, simple, and cute. I finally got frustrated with my options and created my own.

Pretty, right? I thought so! It is very simple, ONE page for the whole month! There is even space for notes and planing out your weekly themes. On the bottom I added a space for future blog post ideas, in case I have the month full and inspiration hits. 

I am so happy with this new planner page! Hopefully, it will help me be a better blogger in this coming year. I post so sporadically, and I'd like to be more consistent. 

If you like this planner, and would like one of your own, you can download it for free, from my store at Teachers Pay Teachers.  

Thanks for reading. Leave me a comment to let me know what you think of this planner. If you are a blogger, and have a free planner of your own that you love, feel free to share it in the comments. 

Review: Udderly Smooth Lotion

Udderly Smooth is a line of moisture rich lotions, perfect for dry, chapped skin in the winter. It's been manufactured in the USA for over 30 years! I recently had the opportunity to try some of these products out in exchange for a review. 

I was given two tubes of hand cream, one tub each of foot cream and 6 sample packets of body cream. To order all of this online from their website, it would cost me $16.75 plus $7.00 for shipping. That brings my total to $23.75. Not too bad, given the fact that these products will last you for quite a while. You don't have to order them from the company though. You can find them on many local stores: http://www.udderlysmooth.com/availability.shtml

My husband and I have been using all of these products since we received them on December 10th. We've barely made a dent in them! You seriously don't need a whole lot of product with each use. A little really does go a long way. 

We have noticed our skin feeling softer. I keep a tube of the hand cream next to my kitchen sink and put it on after I've washed dishes. Normally, my skin is really dry in the winter but this has really helped. I also gave a few of the samples to a friend to use on her children. Two of them had a rash that she was thinking was due to the dry winter air. She put the body cream on them and it cleared up the problem!  

I'm not a fan of all of the ingredients though. I would love to have it all be from natural, readable ingredients. Most of the time, I just use coconut oil for all of my moisturizing needs. That being said, if you are looking for something that works and you don't care about that sort of thing, this is your product. 

Overall, it's a great product. It does exactly as the company states it will. It's still made in the good, old USA! So, I wouldn't hesitate to spend my money on it at all. 

If you enjoyed my review and would like to read more, you can find them by heading over to Mosaic Reviews. 

 

Review of "A Tale of Two Kingdoms" and "God's Unfolding Story of Salvation"

I received both "A Tale of Two Kingdoms" and "God's Unfolding Story of Salvation" a couple of months ago in exchange for this review. They are both written by Heather A. Kendall and can be found here. I have to say that I am not always excited about Bible study books. So many times, they are just not deep enough, or they are not in line with my beliefs.

I started reading these books with that in mind, but was quickly surprised. I will be upfront with you, I did not finish either of these books yet. I am slowly making my way through both of them. They are so in depth, that it takes me a bit to fully digest everything. This is a good thing. It gives me ideas and thoughts to ponder as I go about my daily life.

In "A Tale of Two Kingdoms" Heather shares God' story of salvation by incorporating all of the stories in the Bible into one, easy to follow book. Of course, the Bible should always be our go-to when it comes to, well, pretty much everything. Sometimes, it's hard to put it all together. I believe Heather did a wonderful job of putting it together for us. It truly has been a great read so far. I plan on finishing it and then sharing it with my church community.










The second book I was given, "God's Unfolding Story of Salvation," is more like your typical Bible study. She takes you through the scriptures and you really have to search through your Bible. I will be honest, I enjoy this style much more than the style of the previous book. In this study, Heather guides you through the scriptures to help you see the big picture in the Biblical storyline, it is Christ centered. I am only a few chapters in, at this point, but I am enjoying every minute of it so far. This is one study that I will have my children read as they grow a bit older.








I highly recommend both of these books. They are very informative and helpful in one's walk with Jesus. At $23 for "A Tale of Two Kingdoms" and $22 for "God's Unfolding Story of Salvation", they are well worth the investment.

Click this button, to read more reviews of both of these books.