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Finding New Nostalgia

If you are interested in finding New Nostalgia on other places of this amazing world wide web, then read on, click on, like on, pin on, & tweet on!
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New Nostlagia’s Facebook page is a fun place to be.  I love sharing links I love, thoughts I have and recent posts written.  This is the BEST place to interact with you all. The relationships and community that has been building at our Facebook page makes me feel giddy and warm all over.  Your comments to me feel like hugs…well, most of them.  Even comments that do not leave a warm fuzzy feeling promote great discussion and I learn from YOU all the time.  This is also a very easy way to share New Nostalgia with your Facebook friends and share any posts you love with others.  I love it and I’m so grateful when you do that!
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I am new to using Twitter regularly.  I use Twitter as a place to share random things that appeal and interest me. I also post all my New Nostalgia pins to Twitter so it is a good place to keep up with NN if you are a tweeter.  I also love following and reading your tweets!
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I am also fairly new to Instagram AND I LOVE IT! I’m actually a bit obsessed.  I think it is because I am so grateful for this life I get to live and Instagram is a place for me to share everyday tidbits of this awesome life in a visual way.  I love how it captures the small moments that would easily be forgotten.  If you have the Instagram app, you can follow me at Amy_NewNostalgia.  If you don’t have a phone with the app, no worries!  There is a great site called Statigram where you can enjoy Instagram photos of your friends through the web.  Just hit the follow button above.
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And finally…Pinterest!  Pinterest oh Pinterest, how I love thee!  Pinterest is a place where you can create virtual boards to pin your favorite finds on the web.  It is very interactive and you can follow those you like or whose tastes jive with yours, and repin their pins!  I love Pinterest.  Join me and over 45,000 others who follow New Nostalgia’s Pinterest boards.

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A final note–a post that promotes self always feels a bit funny to me.  I want you to know that I am so thankful to all of you who support me by sharing New Nostalgia, and by commenting and just reading!  Without your support, this would be a very lonely place.  Instead, it is a place that I can’t wait to sign on every morning and share myself & share community with you!  Thank you for receiving me.

Halloween/ Holidays/Parties/ HOME/ Organizing/ Simplifying

Minimal Halloween Home Decor

When I got our Halloween decorations out, I was surprised to see that over the years my one bin of Halloween decorations have multiplied to three!  I knew right away that would just not do.  Why?  I have been much more purposeful in minimizing, thanks to the influence of Joshua at Becoming Minimalist.  I love the freedom I am feeling from both getting rid of stuff and refraining from buying more unnecessary stuff.  

I went through the bins and tried to keep things that would add just a touch of festive fall.  I’m not putting lights up outside. I’m not hanging messy spiderwebs. I did not keep every little pumpkin I had. I only kept things that I liked and that I knew would add atmosphere. 
My kids love Halloween, and I know they delight in fun decorations the season brings.  I kept things that I knew would appeal to them, like faces that light up and the sparkle of a pumpkin wrapped in white twinkle lights.
There were a few sentimental things in the bins.  Paper pumpkins my kids made.  I threw those away, but kept these little monster jars we made together a few years ago.   They loved creating these jars and knew exactly which monster was ‘theirs.’  They look so cute all aglow in my windowsill.  Click here for how-to.

I did not decorate every room.  I added some decor to the living room and dining room, which is our main living space.  I put a festive candle holder in the bathroom and a pumpkin in my sunroom.  My kitchen got an apple cider scented candle.  I let my girls go through the bins and choose some things they wanted in their rooms.  Just a couple small things like a couple plastic spiders and a rubber mouse, a skeleton head.  Things I didn’t want in my main living space, although they keep showing up all over, strategically placed to make Mom scream and jump.

Things I kept:
~monster jars made by little hands that bring the memories
~large lit pumpkin
~a few fake pumpkins and gourds
~festive candle holders to make our evenings at home glowy & fun

Things I got rid of:
~large outdoor decorations that take up too much storage room
~messy cotton spiderwebs that catch all things including dust and leaves
~old Halloween costumes
~old creations made by my girls, especially paper fragile ones (confession…I took a pic of a few for memories sake.  It is hard to get rid of such cute little things!)
~lots of fake fall foliage that used to sit around and collect dust & get in the way of dusting!
~fall twigs for vases…I’m over it.

Last night was the first night with our minimal fall decor out.  I really am starting to believe in this “less is more” thing.  It was so warm and glowy and festive and fun in our home.  The girls loved it and did not comment on missing any of the things that I didn’t put out.  Love it!

Beauty/ Frugal/ HEALTH/ HOME/ Natural Products

Coconut Oil as a Moisturizer + 6 More Ways I Use it in my Beauty Routine

I am a HUGE fan of coconut oil, for many reasons, but today I’m just going to focus on why I love coconut oil for my skin.  I have been using it in place of lotion as a body moisturizer for about a year now and I LOVE IT!  

The main reason I started doing this was because I read about how so many body lotions contain parabens and chemicals, and with my cancer history, I am being very purposeful about getting rid of as many toxins in this house and on my body as possible! 

Its been all over the news that they are finding parabens in the breast cancer survivors breast tissue.  My ears perked up with this because I have been in the beauty business for years as a cosmetologist, and parabans seem to be in EVERY beauty product.  I have also met way too many young hairstylists that also battled breast cancer, and it has made us all say “hmm.”
Parabens are a group of compounds widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, including underarm deodorants. Parabens are absorbed through intact skin and from the gastrointestinal tract and blood.
Measurable concentrations of six different parabens have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors (Darbre, 2004). The particular parabens were found in relative concentrations that closely parallel their use in the synthesis of cosmetic products (Rastogi, 1995). Parabens have also been found in almost all urine samples examined from a demographically diverse sample of U.S. adults (Ye, 2006a).
Parabens are estrogen mimickers, with the potency of the agonistic response being related to the chemical structure (Darbre, 2008). They can bind to the cellular estrogen receptor (Routledge, 1998). They also increase the expression of many genes that are usually regulated by estradiol and cause human breast tumor cells (MCF-7 cells) to grow and proliferate in vitro (Byford, 2002; Pugazhendhi, 2007). Nevertheless, parabens as a class do not fully mimic estradiol in the changes in cellular gene expression nor are the effects of all parabens identical (Sadler, 2009).
    “Parabens are estrogen mimickers.”  This really made me pause, as my cancer and the majority of breast cancers are fed by hormones.  I had symptoms of estrogen dominance for years and I often wonder if this contributed to my diagnosis.
    As I have been trying to avoid parabens, I have been on a kick of making my own beauty products. There are some wonderful healthy organic body products out there, but they usually end up costing “an arm and a leg,” so have been quite motivated to make my own or to figure out a simple, inexpensive & healthy alternative. 
    {even the Stars use it!}
    Here are a few ways I have been using coconut oil on my skin:
    1. I use it to shave.  I wrote about this here.  I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to shave with a natural product.  I no longer have bumps, and my pores are nice and small now.  No irritation!  It makes sense…when I read what is in those cans of shaving cream, I am not surprised that my skin reacts with little bumps and irritation!  Especially when one slathers it on, then takes a razor that makes little nicks in the skin for those irritants to penetrate even deeper.  Blech.

    {my fav razor is a Mach 3 Gillette.  I have been using it for years.  Even with all the fancy smancy lady like razors out there, I still prefer my Gillette.  Yes, the refill blades are expensive, but they last forever and I love how close of a shave I get with this razor!  Plus, I have a thing for black and silver…}
    2. I use it as body oil to slather on while still in the shower.  This is my last step of my shower.  Then when I towel off I am super soft and there is no need for body moisturizer.
    3. I use it as a body moisturizer.  On days I do not shower or use it in the shower, I will use it in place of lotion.  Especially on my legs before a hot date with my Todd.  It gives a great glow.
    4.  Just recently, I have been using it as a facial cleanser.  Yep, you read that right.  It is called the “oil cleansing method.”  You can read about it here at Sorta Crunchy.  The whole idea of it is that cleansers strip moisture, and then your body over produces oil to make up for it, which leads to breakouts and unbalanced skin. The idea that oil dissolves oil is key with the oil cleaning method.  I have done this for about a week and my face is more clear than it has been for months…I am amazed.  I am also amazed at how moisturized my skin is.   Moisturized skin is plump skin, which helps with the appearance of lines. I will be writing a whole post on this after I have used this method a bit longer.  
    5. I have been using it as an eye make up remover.  I wrote a post on Homemade Eye Makeup Remover, and talked about a recipe that used olive oil.  Well, I am all about simplifying, and since I am already using coconut oil to wash my face, I also started using it to wipe away eye makeup.  It works beautifully.  
    6. I use it as a cuticle oil.  Occasionally, when I have extra on my hands, I will rub it into my cuticles.  No more hangnails!

    7. I use it at a key ingredients in my Homemade Coconut Lime Sugar Scrub.  This is one of my most FAVORITE beauty products.  Love!

    Pretty impressive, huh?  Think of the money I am saving by not buying eye makeup remover, shaving cream, body lotions (lets face it, us women usually have at least 5 different types sitting around!), face moisturizer, cuticle oil & body scrub!  Think of the space I am saving in my home by having one jar of coconut oil instead of 10 bottles of all these products!
    That makes me VERY happy!
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    –I buy a large container on Amazon, I love the Nutiva brand.  It is organic and wonderful.  Trader Joes also started carrying coconut oil.  Yay!
    –Coconut oil is very unique.  It is a solid up to I think 76 degrees, then becomes a liquid.  So depending on the temperature of your house, you will either be scooping the oil if solid, or pouring it if liquid.  
    –I use coconut oil in recipes, like this one, the Best Recipe I Ever Messed Up.  For beauty purposes, I scoop some out and store in a small 8 oz mason jar.  I love the Elite series glass jars.  They have a nice wide mouth and are a cute shape.  I also keep coconut oil in a small 4oz jar to throw into my gym bag.

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    Beauty

    Medium Length Hairstyles

    {can you tell which pictures are self portraits taken in the middle of a coffee shop?  Look for the no smile awkward look;}

    In two years, my hair has grown from balder than bald to a medium shoulder length.  It is fun having hair again! I recently got my haircut by Mandy at Tangerine, and I love it.  She cut the back up a bit and did a slight angle down to the front pieces.  I have decided to go without bangs for awhile, which is different for me.  I have a high forehead that really looks better with bangs, but sometimes a girl just has to mix it up a bit.  Although I love the cut, I’m finding myself in a rut with this in-between length. I decided to search Pinterest for some inspiration and here is what I found!

    Did you know you can add curls/waves with a flat iron?  Above is a video that shows you how.  She shows how to add true curls.  I wind mine a bit more loose and do not hold it on the heat as long, as I am just adding to what I already have and don’t want such a set curled look.  
    Kate from The Small Things blog, is my most favorite hair blogger EVER! She has many great ways to style hair, has great video tutorials, and even though I’m a professional hair stylist, I still learn from her!  If you click through, she has a ton of medium length styles. She is my ultimate hair inspiration blog, and my go-to place when I am in a rut, second only to my Pinterest boards.

    Speaking of Pinboards, here is my Medium Length Hairstyles board.  Click through for more medium hair style ideas.
    You might also want to check out my Hair How-To boards, for How-To hairstyles for every hair type.

    Books/ Kids/Family

    Library Loot

     {my library stack of books}

    Lil’ one and I took a trip to the library.  She has been showing me that she is old enough and responsible enough for her own library card.

    She has always been my very capable girl, some of her first words were “I DO IT!!” followed quickly by “I do it MYSELF!” She lived for keeping up with her older sisters to show that she was a big girl just like them.  This caused drama many times when she was little, she really could not do everything her older sisters were doing.  But now, she is impressively responsible for her age.  She has learned to take that will of hers and apply it to just about everything she does, which makes her a very hard worker and a ‘get it done’ type of child.  It is quite a gift to see this, it feels like all that hard parenting work we did when she was a toddler paid off!  I love my strong, capable little girl.

    {signing up for her very own library card}

    We share a love for the library.  I have not been there in awhile.  Now that I own a Nook I have been busy reading on that.  I must admit, there is something about going to the library, feeling the paper of books, and walking away with reading material that is free and returnable, that is irreplaceable.  Love that.

    Here are the books that caught my eye & came home with me:

    by Benjamin Busch
    A Memoir by a decorated U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer who served two combat tours in Iraq.  He uses elemental-themed chapters–water, metal, bone blood.  
    by Scott Jurek
    “My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness.”  This book caught my eye because he became a vegetarian in the middle of his story, and I have been running lately so I will take the inspiration that I know will come with reading this book!
    by Drew Manning
    I skimmed this guys blog recently and was intrigued with his story.  He purposefully got fat and then got fit again, documenting his story, to show people how he did it.  That is crazy!  I like a little crazy.
    by Jorge E. Rodriguez, MD
    “A cookbook and lifestyle guide for healing heartburn naturally.”  I got this book because my mom suffers from chronic acid reflux.  I’m hoping to find some solutions for her.
    by Alex Mitchell
    The cover of this book got me.  Then I thumbed through and the whole book is as beautiful as the cover. Plus, I love gardening books.
    by David D. Burns, MD
    “The Secret to Making Troubled Relationships Work.  We all have someone we can’t get along with, whether it is a friend or colleague who complains constantly or a relentlessly critical boss, an obnoxious neighbor, a teenager who pouts an slams doors…”  This books claims to present an entirely new theory of why we have so much trouble getting along with each other and how to overcome it.
    by Scott Barnes
    “Amazing transformations using the secrets of the top celebrity makeup artist.”  I’m a licensed cosmetologist, so this book is right up my alley.  Great photography & practical, usable tips!
    Do any of these books catch your eye? What have you been reading??
    Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.  If you purchase anything on Amazon using these links, I will receive a small percentage without any cost to you.  

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    FUN/DIY/ Holidays/Parties/ RECIPES/ Sweets

    Apple S’mores

    My in-laws have the best fire pit, and we have used it more than once the last few weeks.  There is nothing like the smell of fire in air and seeing marshmallows puff up and turn golden that gets me more excited about fall.  Ok, maybe the smell of chili, but, naw…s’mores win!
    This Apple S’more is a version that is a favorite with my family.  My sister-in-law’s mother learned to do this in girl scouts, and boy am I glad she did!  It really is a great way to have a s’more.  It adds some great texture and makes me feel good that we are having a bit of fiber with all that sugar!  All you need to do is substitute apple for graham crackers.  
    Want to know a way to take this even up a notch?  Instead of Hershey’s chocolate bars, use a large Reese’s Peanut Butter cup.  Oh man.  It is awesome!  It is like you are eating an apple dipped in peanut butter and chocolate and marshmallow–oh my!

    Isn’t it a pretty pit?  Our friend Michael, author of Koinoia, knows how to build a wicked fire.  He built the one above for us during my daughter’s birthday party.  See the cross in it?  Fitting, for he is a Godly man.

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