Drugstore Dupe for Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion

Dear Lissy,

I've been using Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizer since high school.  I've looked for a less expensive and more available alternative to Clinique Dramatically Different for years.  I finally gave up, because I was spending more buying "I hope this will work" lotion than I was shelling out for the Clinique.  But (insert drumroll) I finally found it:  CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion. 

 

 I could'nt tell the difference after putting DD moisturizer on one side of my face and CeraVe on the other for a week.  After 3 months of constant use, I've seen no difference in my skin at all.  We've had one of the coldest, dryest winters on record for our area of the country, so that's saying something.  CeraVe is about a tenth of the cost of Clinique moisturizer, and available locally at Wal-Mart. There's even a Wal-Mart Equate brand version if I'm really strapped for cash.  

I don't know if you'll fall in love with Clinique products the way I did, but when your budget calls for a break, this lotion is a great alternative!


Love,

Momma

P.S. for those reading along:  I have fair, dry, sensitive skin that flares red and itches or burns with most products.  Lissy has had issues with keratosis pilaris since birth, and this lotion was recommended by her dermatologist to address that issue.  I have no idea if this lotion would be as effective on sturdier,oilier skin.

Sweet Potato Rolls

Dear Lissy,

These rolls are the rolls.  Six continents.  Every Thanksgiving dinner this century.  Sweet Potato rolls are a bit tricky to get just right, but oh, when I do, I'm in butter roll heaven.  Try them out a couple of times at home --  they make great slider rolls for pulled pork and unbelievable pecan cinnamon rolls.  Once you're used to the dough, quietly bring them any time you attend a dinner.  These unassuming little pillows of golden deliciousness will soon become your signature dish, too.

Sweet Potato Rolls

1 pkg.(2-1/4 tsp) active dry yeast   
1-1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water.  Stir in:

1/3 cup sugar (optional, used to make rolls very soft and keep crust from forming)
1-1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening, melted
2 eggs
1 cup lukewarm mashed sweet potatoes or yams
3-1/2 cups flour

Add an additional
3-1/2 to 4 cups flour
until the dough is just firm enough to handle.

Turn the dough onto a wet counter or board and knead with wet hands or dough scraper until smooth, about 5 minutes.  Re-wet board or hands as necessary.  Don't try to flour the board or your hands, or the rolls get very tough.  Place in greased bowl, and turn until greased side is up.  **Refrigerate several hours or overnight.**
About 2-1/2 hours before baking, divide the roll dough in half.  On a floured board, roll each half into a 16" circle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread each circle with:
2 Tbsp. melted butter or margarine (1/4 cup total)

Cut each circle into 16 equal wedges with a pizza wheel..  Beginning at the rounded edge, roll each triangle up.  Place on an insulated baking sheet with the point underneath.  Set aside to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  Bake at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.

Love,

Momma

P.S.  Butterhorns are nice for formal occasions, but these rolls really shine when baked cushion-style.  I usually pan them up at 2.5 oz each, and place them a finger's width apart in the pans.  Let them rise until the dough has a spongy texture, and pop them into a hot oven.  The bottoms overbrown easily, so use a baking stone or keep them toward the top of the oven.

Decorated Planner Pages

Dear Lissy,

 Here's a fun little no-pressure project for when you're itching to create:  decorate planner pages.  My only rule is "no purchases."  I have to use art and crafting items we already own. Most decorators are devoted to Filofax, but my favorite planner from Studio O is just as easy to mod.  I don't decorate every week...just when I'm feeling a little craft deprived.

My favorite 5 x 7" planners from Studio O Creations are available at BAM! bookstores.

Vertical week on two pages allows me to place my to-do list into timed slots.  My running to do list goes in the boxes on the bottom margin.  I place prayer requests or memos in the "Week in Review" slot.

The finished two-page spread.  I inked the sides of the pages with ice blue into spring green since we're transitioning from February to March next week.  I stamped in the same two colors, stamping first on scrap paper to keep the color faint.  A few punches, stickers, rub-on transfers, and pieces of washi completed the look.  I've started highlighting travel time around appointments so I don't plan that time for another purpose.

A closer look at the left hand page.   I like the look of inking cutouts and then putting a bit of washi tape behind them.  The wrinkles drive me nuts -- one of the hazards of using your art!

Close-up of the right hand page.  I'm quite partial to my gecko punch :-)

The beautiful thing about planner decoration is that you can change up styles and materials every week.  I have dreams of Zendoodles, pencil sketches, fabric swatches & pattern tissue, postage stamps, and more.  It also makes the planner a lot more fun -- and likely -- to be used on a daily basis, too.  Whether you're rocking a Filofax or making do with a printable, have some fun with an otherwise mundane part of life.

Lovin' you,
Momma

P.S.  I'll try to update with a finished shot of these pages after they've been filled with to-do's and doodles.

Bible Marking Tutorial Series: Beginner's Marking Challenge

Dear Lissy,

We've completed our Bible marking tutorial series, and now I want to offer a challenge to you:  make a single, focused trip through the Word looking for and marking just your chosen subject. Our great-greats used this method to prepare sermon series centuries ago.  R. A. Torrey first formally mentions it, and it was popular enough during his time that the Thompson Chain Bible was born.  21st century writers like Elizabeth George have endorsed this Bible reading method, too.   It may take as much as a year, but if you commit just one hour per day, at the speed you read it will take 2 months or less.  Really and truly!


1.  Purchase an inexpensive large print Bible.

• You will only be using this Bible for a couple of months to a year, so it doesn't need to be high quality.
• Keep an eye out at yard sales, thrift stores, and bookstore clearance sales and purchase large print Bibles in advance.  

2.  Set aside a crayon, colored pencil, or drylighter.  Tie it to the ribbon marker if you're prone to misplacing things.

3.  Choose a broad topic.

• Women is a great Bible-wide topic with immediate importance.
• Food, money, music or another area of our physical existence you want to learn more about.
• Grace, holiness, mercy, or other Bible-wide themes
• I'm doing a "why" Bible this year (2014).  I highlight in green every portion of Scripture that tells why God did something or why he gave a particular command.  It's a powerful study that reveals the character of God in a new way.  I'm also encouraging myself to consider and meditate on why God included the portion I read each day in His Word.

4.  Choose a reading plan.

• I'm partial to Professor Horner's reading plan, but it requires a commitment of about an hour a day.  I'm an ornery rig, so I need to be in the Word several times a day to keep an eternal focus.  This plan is ideal for me.  
• The Slacker's Bible reading plan is another awesome choice for a 20-30 minute commitment.  It is based on reading a portion from each section of the Bible on a different day.  It isn't intended to be completed in a year -- you just pick away on the part of the Bible for that day until you've read the whole thing. 
• Sunday: The books of poetry
  Monday: The Pentateuch
  Tuesday: O.T. history
  Wednesday: O.T. history (There is a lot of it.)
  Thursday: O.T. prophets
  Friday: N.T. history
  Saturday: N.T. epistles

5.  As you read, mark your theme. 

• Highlight any direct mentions of your theme. For our example, we'll use mercy/merciful.
• Mark stories (vertical line down the margin) that demonstrate either the positive or negative aspect of your theme. How did God show Adam and Eve mercy?  Mark the verses that demonstrate God's mercy even though the word "mercy" doesn't appear.  When did God not show mercy and why?  Mark it!
• If you have a meditation you don't want to forget, jot it in the margins.  *God may choose to show mercy to my children and descendents because of my relationship with Him.
• When you reach a verse or story that deals with an area that you KNOW you'll want to come back to again and again, put an asterisk in the upper corner of the page where you can just flip through and find it.
• If you are using the Prof. Horner or Slacker's and Shirker's plan, you'll want to put in cross references as one part of the Bible illuminates another part you've just read.
• When you are all done, affix a label to the spine that indicates that Bible's theme and place it on your bookcase.  Take it out and refresh your mind on that topic occasionally by reading just the highlighted portions.
• If you want to go all R. A. Torrey on this study, you'll need to open a file on your computer or grab a journal and write down what you're learning in an organized fashion.  At the end of the study, write up a summary.  This extra step would be ideal, but just the focused reading, highlighting, and review can be very powerful.

Focused reading is one of the simplest plans for making the Word a part of your daily life.  The Bible takes on a new level of excitement when you're on a treasure hunt, but this method doesn't require any special study tools or Bible classes.  Your key word or idea will unlock a hundred secret nooks and crannies throughout the Bible and you'll love the Word as never before.

Love,
Momma