Monday, October 28, 2013

Emy Ruth Reviews: Mole Removal with Apple Cider Vinagar

I have a mole on my leg that has always bothered me. I would nick it when I shaved, or accidentally cut it with my fingernails when I would scratch my leg, it was just a pain to have this mole on my leg. I had gone to a surgeon to have it removed but the cost would've been $300. No thank you!

So I took to the internet, saw a plethora or reviews that apple cider vinegar would remove my mole and so I decided to give it a go. This is my mole prior to the treatment done to it:




 The items I used were:
  • apple cider vinegar
  • band aids ( large and small)
  • cotton balls
  • vaseline
 The procedure goes as follows:
  1.  Soak the cotton ball in apple cider vinegar and ring out the access
  2. Place the cotton ball on the mole
  3. Place a large band-aid and cover the mole. Use smaller band aids to "outline" the larger band-aid to keep it secure *
  4. Try to sleep on your back or in a position that won't take the bandage off your mole
  5. Place Vaseline around your skin if your skin turns red and shows signs of irritation ( I noticed irritation by day 3 so I started the Vaseline that day)
  6. Continue procedure until the mole falls off

*The first two days I tried to cover the mole, I used just small band-aids to hold the cotton ball and it kept falling off so I "traded up" to larger band-aids to keep it more secure and it stayed in place.



 This is what my mole looked like each day I covered it:


Day 2

 I saw a change the second day when I observed redness and the mole began to turn black, it felt crusty too.


Day 3

 I saw a lot of change on the third day, an increase in redness, the mole turned solid black but also flattened - it was no longer raised. I touched it gently and it was sore so I left it alone.



Day5

 I will note that by Day 4 my skin was very irritated so I stopped covering it and the next day the mole fell off. I immediately started to cover it with Neosporin to let it heal. During the day I covered it with Neosporin, but at night I left in uncovered and placed Vitamin E oil on it. I did this for two weeks.



The final result:



Good luck!




Saturday, October 26, 2013

It's Okay to be Happy

How can I begin to describe where I am now to where I have come from? This moment in time, this chapter of life God has written for me is unlike any other I have known. My life has been a roller coaster of good times and bad times, sometimes I was so unsure of what would happen to me because things would turn for the worse and I felt I had no way out. One of the biggest lies the enemy ever told me is that because I was a sinner and made wrong choices that I was not allowed to be happy anymore. I was not allowed to enjoy life and anything that made me happy or brought a smile to my face, I had to stop immediately. I felt I deserved to be sad and couldn't be free to live life fully. I was so broken.

But as I stood in my room, I caught the a glimpse of the breeze blowing over the trees and leaves bearing the colors of orange and brown hit the ground as I got ready to spend the evening with my family. I got dressed while listening to Moonrise by Brain Crain and playfully danced as I got dressed, the music made my soul joyful. I was happy. Not just emotions and feelings happy but a different kind - it was joy. Joy had finally come and was here to stay.

I have been attending CR for almost 11 months now and the freedom of God healing my past and bringing me into greatness and building me up to be the woman of God I was called to be, I am declaring freedom. Freedom from anger. Freedom from depression. Freedom from the abuse and neglect and ridicule I had endured most of my life. Freedom to be me and to enjoy what I loved. God had opened my eyes to show me that it was OKAY to be happy and enjoy the things I love.

I go on morning hikes and admire the mountains and neverending landscapes, I watch my Star Wars and Harry Potter movies, I listen to my Lord of the Rings and Twilight movie scores, I enjoy my comic books as well as my fantasy filled books such as "The Neverending Story" and "A Wrinkle in Time", I drive to work while blasting Backstreet Boys ( since 1997 baby!) and sometimes the Sound of Music. I go to church and work and love my toddlers as if they were mine. I hug my friends and leaders and enjoy the worship music. I live.


Although I continue to work on myself and my walk with God, I allow God to break barriers down and show me what must change. Step study has been HARD! I'm not even exaggerating, it has been intense but God is pulling it all out of me. I'm actually glad that God is having me work part-time closer to home because He is truly having me focus on recovery now more than ever. It feels uncomfortable and painful, sometimes I see no hope but God is moving wonders in me. I am excited for my breakthrough! I'm thrilled that God has amazing things for me!!! My future looks BRIGHT ❤️

Emy Ruth Reads: The Land of Stories:The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

I was very curious to read that a Glee actor wrote a children's book, the fact that it is a children's book is what stuck out to me more because I am a pre-school teacher and any literature for children grabs my attention. I purchased the book at Barnes and Noble for $20, I got a discount because I have a Teacher Educator card.



The books starts off introducing two young children, twins a boy and a girl. Conner Baily, whom I really like because he is sarcastic and smart mouthy which is A LOT like me, and Alex Baily who is a book worm with Hermione-like characteristics (i.e. knows all the facts, wants to be right, etc.) Both characters are relatable but not necessarily predictable. They had good moments, bad moments, and you can see the contrast of how different they are but yet they tend to also think a lot in some cases. I won't give away too much, you just have to read the book and find out.

 A Map of all the kingdoms

What I liked most about this book is that the author didn't make the fairy tales to be so a-typical and keep the whole "happily ever after, we never have problems" illusion. The author brought reality in a humorous way to each of the fairy tales. I did laugh at Cinderella being pregnant and feeling tired rather than her gracefully singing with mice while scrubbing stairs ( who does that anyways?) I also thought it was funny that Red Riding Hood was this snobbish girl longing for attention, going after a man who doesn't want her but then when I found out what she did with Goldilocks (read to find out), I thought that was harsh but also relatable because people do do cruel things to get what they want. I did laugh when I read about the Big Bad Wolf pack who act sort of the police, I thought that name was simple but just clever.


I really enjoyed getting to know all the fairy tale characters in the "after fact." Like how Cinderella adapted to being married and soon to be a mother, Goldilocks after she broke into the three bears home, how Sleeping Beauty is running a kingdom now that she is actually awake, each seemed to be facing troubles but getting through it all. Also each chapter has simple picture illustrating what's to come in the chapter.


One of my favorite chapters
 
Each "task" that the twins were asked to go on, you learned something new about their family and the twins personality. I did feel it was a bit slow in some parts, or I would read on and think, "Oh my gosh, it's still not over yet?" but what made me laugh is what I was thinking while reading the book, Conner would say it. At one part of the book when they thought they completed all their tasks to go home, they still had more to do I thought, "What? They still have to keep going??" and Conner said something so similar in the next line! Conner's humor and sarcastic remarks made him my favorite because I most likely would've acted/said most of the things he said in the book. I understand his annoyance. Alex, I can relate to her in the sense that it's important to keep your head in the game and use knowledge to help get you through life, I too can be a know-it-all and I do enjoy reading books ( obviously, I'm writing about a book I read) but despite how different they were, Conner and Alex did grow in character along their journey and it made their relationship stronger.

The book took me about a week to read, it was fairly quick but the book just kept me guessing about their father, the missing prince, you read it and think you have the answers but you don't. The ending did take me by surprise because it was very unexpected and I love the unexpected! The author ends the book knowing there will be a sequel and leaves you wondering, what is next for Conner and Alex?

Have an open mind and allow your inner child to come out, don;t be so shut off thinking it's too simple or not original because it is. Chris Colfer takes our known basic fairy tale characters and turns them upside down.

Get it. It's worth the read.



Emy Ruth Reviews: Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer

Aveeno is very well-known and for someone with sensitive skin ( such as myself) can appreciate that the products are:
  • Oil-Free
  • Hypoallergenic
  • Noncomedogenic
The moisturizer I've chosen to use and review is Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer 4 fl oz (120 ml). This product was purchased at Target for $15. I am using this product twice a day, once when I first wake up and right before I go to bed. 

An appreciation I had for this product is that the cream was soft and didn't have a harsh smell to it. It glided on very well to my skin and didn't leave any oily traces. 





What's nice about this cream is the amount you see in my hand is really all you need - it doesn't require much which is a nice bonus. I've been using this cream for about two months and I do notice my skin tone is more even, I had discoloration around my eyes and cheeks due to sun damage but it's mostly evened out now. I also have less break-outs on my skin, the small bumps that I used to get on my forehead are no longer there. 

I do recommend this product not just for helping with acne but to also help even your skin tone and give your skin the nice moisture touch.

Enjoy!