As I mentioned in my last post, one tradition we are starting this year with Zaylen is the 25 books of Christmas. This is a collection of Christmas themed books that are read one at a time, each night from December 1st through Christmas Day. I have seen some moms do this before and I think it is such a sweet thing! Zaylen enjoys books, more so when Daddy reads, and we thought this would be a neat way to incorporate more books into his daily life and it would give us some more family time. It's a win-win! 

Once again it's been a few days since I've posted anything. Last week was such a hectic week that I didn't even check my email, so now I have to spend a good 20-30 minutes sending junk to my trashcan. That busy. But unfortunately life doesn't stop when we need it to. I woke up this morning and it happened to be December, like I hope it was for most of you. Where did this entire year go?? Let alone November?! So December is here and there is much to do, let's jump into it!

I am all about traditions. Well except a few. Like Thanksgiving, we celebrate one genocide with another and spend money we don't have on things people don't need right after we talk about how thankful we are for everything. It doesn't make sense to me. My heart was truly saddened this past Thursday thinking of the millions of Native Americans who lost their lives on their own land all because of white mans greed. Plus the millions of turkeys who are caged their entire lives only to have their throats slit while hanging upside down and living a few minutes to soak in their pain. And to top it off, the ridiculous amount of money corporate America gets from people who are blind and don't understand the real vote is with their dollar. It's just a tradition I don't agree with. On a lighter note, other traditions such as throwing rice at the bride and groom and asking the teacher for permission to use the restroom are pointless in my opinion and they just need to go. But when it comes to family traditions and making memories for my son, I'm all about them! There are certain things Zak and I have done every year we have been together and we want to incorporate those in Zaylens upbringing as well as other things. As far as Christmas goes, we always pick out our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. That's something I've done my entire life and I wouldn't have it any other way! We also decorate as a family, order take out, and bake cookies. This is seriously one of my favorite days of the year, do you know how relaxing this is? We watch the same movies every year, wear the same Christmas themed socks, and enjoy hot chocolate and desserts way too much. Zak and I also get each other the same thing for presents each year. He gets me some type of cooking pan/pot, this year I'm hoping for a wok! And each year I get him a hoodie/sweatshirt. It's just a funny little thing we love to keep going. We visit the same houses for Christmas gatherings, have the same schedule for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, drive around all month to look at lights, and since Zacharys birthday is right before Christmas we always have a dinner with friends that weekend. December looks the same for us. Excuse me, Zaylen has something to say...

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He has been dying to get his hands on this keyboard and after standing against my back fussing for a few minutes, I finally caved in. So back to my point about Christmas traditions...There are a few things we want to start with Zaylen this year. I love the idea of the 25 books of Christmas! It's a collection of 25 books that you read to your child starting on December 1 and finishing on Christmas Day. I'll write a post on that when I'm finished with this one. I want Zaylen to think of others during this time of year, well I want him to do that all year round, but especially at this time when he is receiving gifts and other children have nothing. What better way to give a child a Christmas than Operation Christmas Child! This is a great organization ran by Samaritan's Purse, you collect items for a boy or girl, all different ages, and you place them in a shoebox and wrap it. The boxes are then sent to other countries and given to children who don't receive presents on Christmas. This program is  even more special because they share the love of Christ to these children. These are kids who don't have access to Bibles or who have never heard about Jesus and it's just such a neat way to share His love! Zaylen can't help too much this year, but we are making boxes for a little boy and little girl. Other traditions we want to start this year with Zaylen include; visiting Santa (duhh), setting out cookies and almond milk for Santa on Christmas Eve, making a special ornament for the tree, and hopefully sending out Christmas cards if I can ever get around to it. What traditions do you have? Will you start any new ones this year?

This is a busy month for us, as well as most people, but through all the gifts and baking and talk of Santa, I hope we all are reminded daily of the real reason for the season. We were sent a precious baby who lived a perfect life before He selflessly laid his life down so that we could be saved. That's the best gift we will ever receive! I hope you all have an amazing month ahead!!


xoxo
Cursty

I cannot believe Christmas is almost here, last Christmas just happened yesterday didn't it? Time sure does fly by. Zak and I are stoked that it is Zaylens first Christmas! This is my favorite time of the year and having a sweet baby to spoil makes it 100 times better! I know he will only be 9 months old in December and he will never remember the presents he receives this year, but the first Christmas is a huge deal and you better believe this Moma is going all out!! Okay, maybe not all out, but my son will be getting more than a box to play with. Zachary and I aren't huge fans of capitalism. We don't support a lot of big brands, and when we do it's pretty far and between. That said, the majority of Zaylens presents are coming from thrift shops and small family companies. Some things I do prefer him having new, but for the most part we are thrilled to treasure someone elses trash. With everyone in the blog world writing posts about what their little ones will receive this year, I thought I'd tag along and share our list for Zay with ya'll!

Dear 18 year old Cursty,

Slow down! You will look back on these days and have such mixed emotions. You will be disappointed, angry, confused, and you will regret a lot. In the end you will learn from these mistakes, but it isn't the type of learning you need. Focus more on school and family than parties and boys. Be kind instead of bratty. Be grateful instead of entitled. Slow down. Slow down, I cannot say this enough!

Family should come before anything. There are people you will deeply miss and wish you had one more day with. You can't get those days back. Take your sisters side over a friends, even if she is in the wrong. Always have your sisters backs. Be kind to your mother. You have no clue about the battles she faces, you will look back one day knowing the circumstances and be mad at yourself for not showing her grace. Don't be a negative influence in your brothers life. He looks up to you more than anything and showing him disrespect towards your parents isn't cool. Showing him things like skipping school for a tattoo and driving while texting aren't cool things, you will wish you could take these things back.

Recognize who your true friends are and ditch the losers. Those punks offering you pot aren't your real friends. The girls who are snuggling in bed with you reading the Bible are your true friends. These are the girls you remain close with six years later. Stop trying to please other people in order to fit in, if they don't want to be friends with you for who you are, they aren't worth your time. Treat your real friends like gold. Cherish every moment with them and always have their back.

That boy you're with doesn't love you for your spirit, he loves you for what you give him. Please stop now before you go down a huge cycle of regret and hurt. You are going to have the most amazing man as your husband one day and you will want to give him all of you, not just small broken pieces he has to pick up and put back together. I don't care if sex is cool. Stop now, please, I'm begging you. You don't need "experience." You need forgiveness and completeness. Please continue marching band, it's your senior year, your time to shine! Stopping something you are passionate about because of a boy is one of the dumbest things you will ever do. P.s. you're going to break up with him before the end of the year because he lied and ran off with another girl. Save your time and your heartache.

Just because it's legal doesn't means it's right for you. Please put down the cigarettes. You will develop asthma later, save your health and money now. Smoking isn't cool. You smell, you're sick, and you're stupid. Stop the underage drinking. It will do nothing but give you problems. That heart tattoo on your hip? Really?! Stay at school that day, you may not remember what you learned, but it would be a nicer memory than being in a smokey cheap tattoo shop. Throw away those nasty movies and CDs. Protect your eyes and ears. You don't need to listen to rappers talk about sex and drugs, you're 18! You don't need to watch dirty scenes and hear bad language. Protect your heart.

Stop growing up faster than you need to. Yes, certain circumstances have caused you to age a little faster, but don't push it anymore than need be. In no time you're going to be an adult with a husband, a son, two furry babies, a house, bills, responsibilities. Going to the grocery store alone will soon be a fun and exciting vacation for you. Soak in the days of not having cares. One day you will have cares for the rest of your life.

Most importantly, get right with God. What happened to that beautiful spirit? What happened to the girl who was radical? You let "stuff" get in the way. You allowed boys, partying, rebellion, and sin to step in and take control of your life. Man, you're going to really regret that. It's going to be hard taking that stuff back. You are going to spend years trying to forgive yourself and find your way back. Doing this simple thing now will save you so much heartbreak, anger, and resentment. Black and white turned to grey for you. Sex became okay. Remember a few years ago when you made a promise to yourself, your parents, and God that you would save yourself? That promise is broken...you're going to have to explain that to your husband one day and beg for his mercy and grace for throwing away his perfect gift. This won't be a short season for you. Doing these things now and telling yourself it's all okay will only lead to deeper things in college. That's a hard spot you will have to dig your way out of. Please do me a favor and save yourself the pain. Stop your act now and get right with God.

Cursty, I don't want to beat you down. I know you are doing good things right now, you make great grades, you were accepted to an outstanding university, and you've got a good head on your shoulders. But please stop with the bad things, they only lead to worse things. You will spend a lot of time regretting and wishing you could take back things. The worst thing about the past is that you can't erase anything. You can't take back any harmful words. You can't get back a day missed with a loved one. You can't change anything, but what you can do is grow from them. You will grow. You will have a deep relationship with God again. You will learn how to forgive yourself. You will learn all about grace and how deep grace will go to cover your worst mistakes. In the end you're going to be okay. I promise you will be okay. In the meantime though, go love on your moma. Kiss her and hug her. Snuggle with her and tell her how much you love her. Take your sisters with you when you go see your friends. Get your brother out of school another day and spend all day at Chuck E. Cheeses. Visit your grandparents more. Keep up the relationship with your stepdad, you will miss him and come crawling back to him one day. Stay away from boys, your husband is truly amazing and you will want all your firsts to be with him. Appreciate those good girlfriends, being hours apart won't be fun later. Just be yourself, you're the coolest person I know!


I'll see you in a few years!
24 year old Cursty



If you wrote a letter to your 18 year old self, what would you say?

Creamy Lemon Pasta 

This is a beautiful recipe! I came across it on Pintrest, but altered it to fit us. This dish calls for messing up one pot and cooks in 20 minutes, my type of meal!!


Ingredients-
1 pound of penne pasta (I used a thicker penne, I forgot the name though)
2 cups of water
2 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 onion, sliced
about 10 basil leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 ounces of cream cheese
juice from one lemon
zest from one lemon
1 cup mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
parsley

Directions-
In a stockpot, combine the water, pasta, broth, onions, basil leaves, and salt/pepper. Cover and bring to a boil.
Remove cover and cook another 8-10 minutes
Turn heat off, add cream cheese, lemon juice and zest, and mozzarella cheese. Stir until creamy.

The original recipe calls for fresh parsley to garnish the top, but I added dry parsley in with the cheeses and lemon, and garnished with fresh basil

Difficulty level - None!

Cost-
Pasta- $1.50
Vegetable boullion cube- $.20
Onion- $.60
Basil leaves- $.10 (If you have your own plant)
Garlic- $.10
Cream cheese- $1.00
Lemon- $.50
Mozzarella- $1.00

Total- $5.00


Zak didn't take to the lemon taste so I might try adding other spices and maybe some spinach or kale next time. Either way, this is definitely a recipe that will become a staple in our home! Add these items to your next grocery list and try it out for your family!

xoxo
Cursty

I should have titled this post, "I don't wash my beautiful, curly, thick, clean hair."



Over the past year and a half I have given up countless things; Macdonalds (besides their tea on occasion), makeup, cleaning products...you name it and it has been altered in my life somehow. My husband and I woke up one day and changed the way we did everything. "Woke up" meaning our eyes were opened to how disgusting we were living. Our world has done a complete 180 over the course of the last 18 months and I could not be more happier and healthier. Some changes have been kind of normal and others have been a little questionable. This is one of those changes that has been questionable, so let me make a statement to close minded folk before they join on in the firing squad...This is completely normal to me. It is safe, my life is safe, my family is not in danger, and as far as I know this isn't hurting anyone but greedy big corporation CEOs who benefit from capitalism and sickness. And I'm sure even they will be okay in the end without my $50 a year. Eh, that was a little sarcastic if you caught that, but you wouldn't believe the hell I have gotten for not supporting Monsanto, becoming a vegetarian, and using coconut oil for everything. So from now on I will make a disclaimer aimed towards the people who choose to be comfortable and keep their eyes shut. For my family and friends who do support me in my journey to live a safer and better life, thank you!!

So fast forward from not drinking Coke and throwing out the Pine-Sol to where I am today...hair that hasn't been washed in one month and two days. Healthy hair. 

I switched to a better shampoo and conditioner last year, stopped my salon visits, and gave up hair products, but I still didn't feel I was doing my scalp enough justice. She deserves better!! After all, she has given me beautiful, long, thick hair for the past 24 years, I owe her!! I knew I could take this natural thing to a whole new level by helping my hair. I contemplated using baking soda and apple cider vinegar, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought against it. Why does my hair need stuff in it? Why do I need to lather anything into my scalp? What did women use 500 years ago?

Countless questions went through my mind before I decided to do what's best for me. No shampoo, no conditioner, no products of any kind, nothing. Absolutely nothing. For the past month my wash routine has been to just use water. Good plain ole H2O. While in the shower I scrub my scalp just like I would with shampoo, except I only use water. I haven't used anything for my hair. No products, no straightener or curling iron, no hair dryer, nothing but water and a brush. And I've only used the brush a handful of times...my husband goes crazy over my natural kinky messy hair :) My hair feels better than ever now and I want to share some benefits of not washing with ya'll!

1. NO CHEMICALS!

Ugh! Who wants parabens, sulfates, and formaldehyde in their hair?? Who wants that on the part of our body that protects our brain?? Not me!! Hands down, the best part about washing with water is not having to worry about chemicals. No matter what brand of shampoo/conditioner you use, there will always be some type of unwanted chemical in there. Using water is safer, unless you factor in the unsafe amount of flouride our water systems pump into the water we consume, but compared to a product, water is a lot safer for our hair and scalp.

2. It's cheaper

This is a no brainer. If you aren't using shampoo/conditioner, you aren't wasting more money! I know they aren't that expensive, but saving every dollar you can counts!

3. I'm healthier

My hair feels the best it has ever felt! It has grown and thickened, my color has darkened back to my natural color, my natural curls have returned, and it doesn't get as dirty as it used to. My hair doesn't have build up on it that I have to strip off, it feels stronger, and overall I feel better.

These are very simple benefits, but they have made all the difference!! Here are some pictures of this small journey so far, I can't wait to see what six months and a year later will look like!

Hey ya'll! I am very sorry for being so absent lately! Life sure does happen fast these days. I have been meaning to write this several times now, but I figured we have a lot going on and I might as well just wait until everything is done and I have a few minutes. I am proud to say, everything has slowed down and I have a few minutes now.

Zak is working, Zaylen is asleep, Kaia is sleeping, Izzy is running around shaking and crying (the washing machine is running, crazy, I know), and I finally have a second to sit and think. The Boober household has been a wild ride lately. My mother-in-law came to visit last Tuesday, then Thursday evening we all drove to Rhode Island for a long weekend. I was a little hesitant about a 13 hour drive with an 8 month old, but we took the trip at night and he slept the entire time!! It was so wonderful! It was especially nice having my mother-in-law drive up with us, I was able to sleep the entire time as well and didn't have to worry about staying up with Zachary or driving any. We had a great time visiting my husbands family and a few of our favorite places up there. Sunday we took a trip to New Hampshire to visit our friends Anthony and Sara. That was the farthest North I have ever been and I loved it! Whoever said NH is the south of the north was right. We thoroughly enjoyed spending the day with friends and looking around. We started our drive back home Monday evening and once again had a perfect drive. Coming home to our girls was such a warm welcome, my sister was super sweet and watched them while we were on our trip. Zachary had the day out of work Tuesday so we laid around and enjoyed a much needed lazy day together. The rest of the week has consisted of unpacking and cleaning, same ole.

Well, it was a short post, but I just wanted to fill ya'll in on what's been going on. I hope you all have a beautiful rest of the week!!

xoxo
Cursty