Bottles, Letters, Feeds and a Mullet

A few things for your Friday:

#1. I have some sweet friends who are raising money to travel to Malawi this summer. The same place where Joe and Leila sent their coffee stand money. I’ve been helping by selling a few limited edition Africa hoops, and there is only one left! Snag it if you want it. I can also add an embroidered heart over a specific country if you want.

My friends are also selling these nifty water bottles made from BPA-free plastic ($20). If you want one, email your contact info to me at inspiredrd {at} gmail.com and I will forward it to them.

#2. Some of you may have heard that Google is shutting down Google Reader on July 1st (Why Google, why???). If you read this blog (or others) on Reader, here are a couple alternatives so you don’t lose all of your feeds:
– Transitioning from Google Reader to Feedly
– Easily migrate from Google Reader to Netvibes

#3. I’ve never been very good at styling my hair. Exhibit A:

Two things about this picture: 1. Why do I have a mullet? 2. I saw these dresses at Forever 21 yesterday. It was like walking into my past.

Anyways, my hair has always been too thick, too wavy, too frizzy…and honestly I used to be such a tomboy that I didn’t care. Well, I care now, and I still struggle. Too much product, not enough product, crazy bangs…

So you can imagine my excitement over finding this hair tutorial from fellow FH Blogger Lauren Dubinsky. I’m pretty sure my life is changed forever. Thank you Lauren.

#4. I have loved reading all of your “Dear 16-year-old self” letters on Facebook, Twitter, and the comment section. It seems my high school wasn’t the only one with the Otis Spunkmeyer hot cookie bags. One letter really stood out at me yesterday so I wanted to repost it for you.

This letter is from Beth:

Dear 16 year old self,

Hey, girl. Life has sooo much ahead of you- really, it’s a grand and glorious adventure. Your body is a tool to get you there and will be the one thing that will make those adventures a glorious triumph or a hard, uphill struggle. The way you feed it, nourish it, and care for it- this will determine if you are a strong person to tackle all that lies before you. It can either be the vessel that enables you, or the vessel that impedes you: the way your care for yourself determines the outcome. Learn about what it means to feed your body with good things. Say ‘no’ to the things that harm it. As a nurse now, I know what it is like to stare at sick people every day- people whose lives are stunted by strokes, heart attacks, liver disease- all things that could have been prevented by the things they chose to say ‘yes’ to and the things they chose to say ‘no’ to. Choose well. And nourishing your body, your temple, also means nourishing your spirit. Watch what you take in with your eyes: your eyes are the windows into your soul. Choose to take in that which is good, lovely, noble, pure, excellent, and fair. As your heart goes, so goes all of you. Guard and protect your heart. You will have to determine what goes into all of your body. Be all that you were born and made to be- choose well. You are a creative force to be reckoned with, and the Lord has good and wonderful things ahead of you. You can only be a teenager once, in your twenties once, in your thirties once, and so on; so choose well today- look back not with regret but with gratitude. You are worth investing in and taking care of. You are a treasure!

#5. There is still time to buy me a drink and share your celiac story.

#6. Ecocentric Mom is giving away a 12-month subscription (worth $204) on their Facebook page. Contest ends March 17th, you can enter here. They are also offering 10% off any subscription with the code ECOMOM10. Click here or on the logo to sign up!