My Ashtray Heart

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I love E.L.F.!

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Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.
- John le Carre

I always take great comfort in that quote. It's a poetical way of saying you never know anything until you've walked a mile in the shoes of someone else. It's also acknowledging that we all are survivors of some sort; we've all been through pain and trauma. 

But how many people actually take the next step towards healing from that? I'm fortunate to know many people that have but am aware of many more that have not. Some refuse to even acknowledge that they haven't done any healing work. Yet behavior is always the biggest teller of truth, and that I am finding is even more true than it seems.

I'm ready to turn 27. I have never felt so beautiful and capable in my life. I have also never felt so positive that the 30's are going to be great. I now see the 20's for what they are - an awkward time of figuring out what you're going to do with the rest of your life and who you really are beyond just your interests and activities. 

Life is a beautiful, precious gift we should all make the best out of.

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He had a blast this weekend playing in the sand with a bunch of other toddlers!

> This morning Brennan, despite the duct tape, figured out how to unlatch his childproof doorknob cover again. He evidently thought this was cause for a party, as he ate all my chewing gum, lip gloss, a half box of Lucky Charms, and peed on the carpet (after taking his diaper off of course).

*sigh*

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At first I forgot to add on elastic but this was an easy fix!

Instead of edging the diaper with elastic, I turn stitched, sewed the elastic inside, turned the trainer inside out, and then top stitched around the border.

Unfortunately I'm using a borrowed machine without a button hole function, so I have to use safety pins. The trainers still come out looking great though!

There is no way this kid is getting this trainer off without assistance, as you can tell by the fully elasticized back.

>Olive oil is my favorite oil to put in products. It's packed full of fatty acids that hair loves.
This makes a great leave in conditioner and shaping agent for curly/coarse hair types.

• 1 tsp olive oil mayonnaise
• 1 tsp solidified coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp sweet almond oil
• green tea extract
• nettle extract

Mix well and you're ready to go!