January 2019

InJoy

A Collaboritave platform for art, encouragement and loving life in the bay

Self-Love

(Gifts over Resolutions) InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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InJoy Magazine

InJoy Magazine is a local independent publication dedicated to real women We feature articles, short stories, poetry, reviews and all around encouragement from local writers like you.

A new theme featured each month: February: Life After...

March: Love April: Motivation

~ We aim to grow into the largest local publication for women in the region ~ InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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Here is my heart...

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

Speak what is true

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Within these pages...

8.....The Exercise Cure by Melissa Hofmann 9.....The Sleep Cure by Crystal Smith 8.....The Diet Cure 3 diet book reviews 12....Do’s and Don’ts for Self-Love 16....How To - Stencil a Tile Floor

by Leigh Nguyen

20.....Pepperment Beeswax

Lip Balm

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

a recipe by Melissa Hofmann

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www.injoymagazine.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/smalldeeds,greatlove/ https://www.facebook.com/injoymagazine/ www.instagram.com/crystal_injoy_magazine

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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Self-Love (Gifts over Resolutions)

Happy 2019!

As we are thrust into yet another year, I’d like to start it off with talking about something we as women rarely think about. Ok, maybe some of us do, but if you’re a mother, wife, daughter…I believe our main focus is first taking care of others. Especially coming out of the month of December! Then the beginning of a new year comes around and we’re making resolutions! Eat less and work out more, being the most common.

This month, I’m going to encourage you to try something other than a resolution. Self-Love, be a gift to yourself rather than making a resolution. If your act of self-love turns out to be a positive change in your life, then so be it! But let it be under the umbrella of talking care of and loving yourself.

Take just a few minutes to think about the kind of person you want to be in the next new year, jot down some thoughts and ideas. What can you do to as a gift to yourself, but make it lasting and impacting. And if you find yourself a week into it skipping a day at the gym, or indulging in cheezy pizza, or in just an all around bad mood, then consider this: You might not be where you want to be, but you’re not who you were anymore. It’s one step closer and you’re all the better.

Have a happy new year and keep the focus on treating yourself right this month.

Cheers,

Crystal

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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Who do I want to be?

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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The Exercise Cure

by Melissa Hofmann

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used to think that the bleak NY winters were the cause of my “down” feelings during the winter time. I thought I needed more sunshine. I bought full spectrum light bulbs and placed them in every room and I turned on all the lights and surfed the Internet for “Happy Lamps.” I used to think winter dreariness caused my blues until I experienced the “down” feelings in FL last winter. Even with sunshine and fresh air I still got down. Let’s face it. Life can be challenging. And parenting is tough (not to mention those hormonal fluctuations and family members with health issues). Often I would be weary and full of self doubt. Add to that the fact that I was away from my strong support system (see bubble post) and there you have it - winter blues in the sunshine. As I prayerfully brainstormed solutions to my winter blues I decided my plan of action.

First, I need to reach out to my support system and have them pray for me. Second, I need to eat good healthy food. I know from past experience that if I eat too much junk food then I get out of whack emotionally. Third, cough, exercise.

I tried a kick boxing class but it was a long drive to get to the kick boxing class and then it turned out to be not my cup of tea. The kicking/punching techniques were just too messy for me (not good martial arts). I found it hard to find any other class close by that worked with our schedule so I resorted to walking laps around the campground. The outside loop of the campground was .5 mile. I would walk 4 loops plus the 5 or so trips to the dog park and the laundry run.

That exercise did help my mood but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t quite aerobic enough.

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

If you know us y’all know that my husband is a triathlon fanatic. He loves it. He got his dad and his children into the sport. I had no interest. A friend mentioned that doing a tri was on her bucket list and I was like “You have fun with that.” Then the FL exercise crisis hit... I actually started entertaining the notion to try a tri.

The Irongirl was sold out so Jeff told me to check out the Gillie Girl. When I looked it up I was shocked to find out it was on my birthday. Also 100% of the proceeds go to breast cancer research. Because we had just weathered my mom’s cancer storm I thought maybe this was my tri. I called my friend and we both signed up.

Signing up for the tri was just the push I needed. Jeff found us a beginner tri schedule and I started checking off boxes. I was careful not to miss many workouts (although I occasionally switched workouts around). I did not want to get to the day of my tri and not be ready. Running has never been my thing. In fact, I gag at the thought of running (ok well I actually jog, not run). But I had to make peace with it. In the end. I still had tough days and down moments but the exercise made all the difference. I see that exercise is a big piece of the fighting the winter blues puzzle.

Now it’s fall and getting chilly. I have not been as faithful with the exercise since summer ended. I know I need to step it up. (Ugh. Gag. Oh Whatever). I’ll get there and maybe someday I’ll even enjoy a jog.

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The Sleep Cure

by Crystal Smith

T

he past 3 weeks or so, I’ve been dealing with a bit of insomnia. Which is really weird for me. I’m one of those who could sleep 9 or 10 hours, then take a nap in the middle of a beautiful Saturday. Simply put, I love to sleep. Yet for some reason, I find myself wide awake at 2am tossing and turning, then frustrated because I know I’ll feel like crap in the morning. It’s not the wide awake, eyes popped open, ready for the day kind of restlessness. I just can’t stay asleep. Then sure enough, my alarm goes off at 430 (normal wake-up time) and I can hardly believe it and find myself dragging for the rest of the morning. Yes, of course I’ve tried to narrow down possible causes.

1.

Alcohol. This time of year, more than any other, I find myself with friends and family, at parties or just hanging out celebrating the season which nearly always includes drinks. How this could be a major contributing factor, I suspect it’s not the only one. But we’ll be mindful of the influences anyway.

2.

Caffeine. This is the first thing people ask me, how late and how much caffeine are you consuming? My normal routine is 2 travelers in the morning, and that’s about it. Unless I’m really dragging through my day, but even still that is rare.

3.

Stress. Check! Moving on.

I

n finding some relief for this really annoying situation, I’ve tried adjusting the suspect causes, yet it only seems to help a little. Stress is simply stress, and it’s one of those things where as much as you tell yourself ‘just don’t do it’ it’s still there (see December’s issue for a full review on the negativity of stress). Right, I forgot I wasn’t supposed to use the word ‘Stress’, however in this case it’s a place holder for an all-around feeling like crap from the inside out.

What I figured out was, during the long holiday weekends while adjusting various external factors at no avail, was my body is trying to tell me something. Unfortunately, I was simply to focused on the negativity to really listen. Something within is out of whack. Don’t’ get me wrong, this is no issue to beat yourself up (Ha! Self-love, see what I did there). If it were a friend, I would lovingly tell her that when you’re in a hole it can feel impossible to pull yourself out. So, while no knight-in-shining-armor is going to rescue me, I will continue to focus on love and kindness.

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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The Diet Cure

by Crystal Smith

We are women, and I bet ay number of us could go on and on about dieting. Not sure how many hundreds of billions of an industry it really is, but the point is, we love talking and sharing abound food (or the lack thereof).

Personally, I am no better than all of the fads and current trends when it comes to dieting. I love hearing about people’s success and their efforts, and how enthusiastic they are when the numbers on the scale go down or old jeans zip up. I love it even more when I experience a success or two.

So to continue with the theme of Self-Love, I researched and found three diets that focus more on taking care of yourself through nutrition rather than just looking hot.

Think & Eat Yourself Smart

by Dr Caroline Leaf Dr Leaf’s background is in Neurology and her first book, ‘Switch on your Brain’ talks about real physical space your brain creates when thinkiing negatively or positively. Here, she connects that theory with nutrition. This one is less of a diet book, and more of how nutrition relates to everything within.

The Kind Diet

by Alicia Silverstone Although this diet would take a real vegan committment, I loved her tone throughout the entire book. She is definitely focused on 1. taking care of yourself through nutrition and 2. Nutrition education, which she conveys well in this book. Even if you aren’t 100% comitted to the vegan lifestyle, I would still recommend for all of these reasons.

Optavia

(not a book) This is one of those provide-the-meals diet that I actually tried, and would recommend. Here’s a very short version of my experience. I loved the way their 6 small meals a day made me feel energetic and focused. The food itself you may get sick of quick, but the results will far outweigh the taste, but the ease of having everything already prepaired and ready was totally worth it.

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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My LIfe Cure

by You

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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Do’s and Don’ts for Self-Love Thinking about what it means to practice self-love? Here are a few simple do’s and don’t’s to get your creative mind flowing in the right direction. This is by no means a catch-all, so use the space at the end of the article to fill in your own.

Don’t: Hold a grudge or spirit of strife. I know, this is age-old advice, but I think it’s worth mentioning here. The truth is, harboring unforgiveness is only hurting you. 9 times out of 10, that person either doesn’t care or has chosen to ignore your feelings. That’s truly ok.

Do: Focus on forgiveness…then forget it. Whatever their reasons are, allow them to be so and practice forgiveness. Struggling to do so? Try this; every time that thought or person comes to mind, repeat “I’m so over this” and sooner rather than later it will be true.

Don’t: Allow yourself to feel guilty when someone gives you an unexpected gift, compliment or praise. Consider how good it feels when you’re able to be a blessing to others, when you see that joy on another’s face. You are worthy of the smallest or even big gesture.

Do: Allow yourself to receive. Be gracious enough to let yourself be that blessing as well by graciously accepting their gift. Show them how much their thoughtfulness meant to you.

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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Don’t: Dread the day. Seriously, all of us hit the snooze button a number of times, and that’s fine. I’m talking about waking up every morning with that sinking feeling of how much you don’t want to do x, y, z…so you hit the snooze button one more time then end up rushing or worse...late!

Do: Become a morning person. Force yourself to get up a little earlier than normal and take a moment to do something for yourself. This could be whatever you enjoy most, coffee and the Bible, morning yoga, short brisk walk to get your blood flowing, a little self-reflection on your life while you watch the sunrise. You have endless options, maybe even try a few different ones and test your mood throughout the day. No, it won’t cure your have-to-do’s but it will change your outlook on the day by starting it out with a little self-love.

Don’t: Fill your mind with negative things from movies and books. Pay attention to what you’re allowing to fill your mind.

You’d be amazed how much those kinds of things infiltrate your unconscious thoughts, and you’re too busy of a woman to allow that to happen.

Do: Indulge in some old and/or positive movies. Need some suggestions? Here’s a couple of my favorites (in the old department); Dirty rotten scoundrels, In the Good Old Summertime, Meet me in St Louis, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

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Don’t: Let your eyes stay glued to your phone while waiting in line. Honestly, when I’m told to wait, the first thing I do is take out my phone and start scrolling or swiping candies (yes, my guilty addiction). Interestingly however, when that does happen I’m not answering emails or creating posts like I had been thinking about on the drive over…I noticed that’s my own way of avoiding contact with others in the most mindless way possible so I can still half-pay attention to what’s going on around me. Can anyone relate?

Do: Start casual conversations with others around you. It’s amazing who you meet and the stories you hear when you actually engage with others. One time my phone died – completely – at the worst possible place. The DMV. I was forced to simply sit there and watch people, and eventually began talking with an older woman who was a cheerful and happy as could be waiting along with me. It was encouraging in an unexpected place.

Don’t: Forget to water your plants. Yes, I am using this as an analogy. It’s not just your house plants who need love attention and water. What about your house-husband or house-children or even your mother you haven’t talked to in a week.

I don’t care if you don’t feel like it. Old people like phone calls, not texts…call them! Yes, I know we’re talking about Self-Love here, but here me out.

These actions are an investment, not that you’re doing it for selfish purposes only, but helping to grow a loving environment that will be returned to you.

Do: Yep, you guessed it! Water your plants! You already get the idea, so here are some suggestions; phone calls, cards in the mail (seriously, it’s less than 5 dollars for a card and stamp), drop by with some flowers (or even better, a house plant!) treat your husband to Sweet Frog, or your kids to steak (or the other way around, depending on the dynamics of your family) but the idea is to occasionally yet consistently ‘water’ those you love around you.

Once you put this into practice, I promise your family will start treating you to the Lego store as well.

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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Don’t: Do:

Don’t: Do:

Don’t: Do:

Don’t: Do:

Don’t: Do:

Don’t: Do:

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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How To: Stencil a Tile Floor

Step by Step DIY by Leigh N

I may sound like a broken record, but paint really can transform a room. And I’ve got the proof right here with a step-by-step of how to stencil a tile floor. Let’s jump right in with a few before pictures and then I will tell you all about the process and the products that I used in my bathroom tile floor makeover.

1. Prep the floor by removing all of the dirt, dust, and grime. I vacuumed and then hand scrubbed the tile and grout with Simple Green.

2. Prime the floor. Even though I will be using the Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint, which does not require the prep work of priming or sanding, I wanted to conserve the amount of One Step Paint that I would be using. I ended up applying 3 coats of my favorite primer: Zinsser Bulls-Eye 1-2-3 Primer.

The best way to apply the primer is by brushing in the grout lines and then using a roller to apply it over the entire floor. You will have to wait a little bit for the grout lines to dry…or be like me and walk carefully in the middle of each tile. {Sorry, I don’t have any photos of my ninja moves as I was home alone during this phase of the project.} Between each coat of primer and paint, be sure to vacuum your floor thoroughly. You really don’t want any dust or hair embedded into the paint because you will look at it for years and wish that you had cleaned better.

The primer only needs one hour in between each coat to dry. I opted to give it an overnight before applying the Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint.

3. I applied 2 coats of the One Step Paint in my favorite white: Ballet White. Using a 2 inch angled brush and a 4 inch foam roller, I followed the same procedure as the primer: brushing the grout lines and the edge of the room and rolling the entire floor.

The Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint only requires one hour dry time between coats as well. This will make the process to stencil your tile floor much faster.

4. Now came the big moment: actually stenciling the floor. This project has been tucked in the back of my mind for months now. It felt like such a big decision as to which stencil I chose. And where I would get it from. There are so many options out there and I’m sure that any stencil pattern would look fine, but I kept gravitating towards a more geometric pattern, rather than a floral design. I found a stencil pattern from Pearl Design Studio and I am so happy with it.

She was so helpful in getting the exact size that I needed for my tile and grout measurements.

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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I decided to start in the closet. No, I didn’t have to paint the closet floor at all, but I don’t want to regret it down the road. This actually gave me some good practice.

Let’s go step by step, just for the stencil. {This is the process that worked best for me after some trial and error.} First, you will start with the full tile squares in your room. Ignore the half and smaller tiles around the edges as you will do them later.

• Adhere the stencil to the floor using the painters tape. Be sure to match it up evenly each time to your grout lines. My stencil pattern extended halfway through the grout line on all 4 sides.

• After rolling the foam roller in the paint tray, roll off a little bit of paint onto a few layers of paper towels.

• Roll the paint onto the stencil pattern.

Don’t push too hard and go at an even and steady pace • Use a small stencil brush and dab along the grout edges. The roller may miss some spots due to the grout sitting lower than the tile. and steady pace.

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

The supplies that I used for the stencil were: 2 inch angled brush 4 inch foam roller paint tray stencil brush blue painters tape old towels and paper towels.

• Wait a few minutes and then roll a second coat on the stencil. This may be personal preference, but I wanted a more full-coverage pattern and a second coat was the way to achieve this look.

• Gently pull up the stencil. Use an old cloth to wipe excess paint off the back of the stencil. You will have to replace the tape every few tiles.

• Periodically, wash the stencil in warm soapy water. I used our bathtub to do this.

• The best way to paint tile is not to go in a row. If you do, the tape may smudge the previous painted tile. Jump around and skip tiles. Go back to them when they are dry. Also…start in the furthest corner and paint yourself out of the room.

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Now, let’s talk about those pesky small tiles. I’m going to be upfront and let you know: it’s not, well, fun. And if your back doesn’t already hurt, it may start to ache soon. I can’t glaze over the truth and tell you that this project was 100% enjoyable. Because it wasn’t. But…I had a goal and I kept the end in mind. Plus, once you start, you are pretty much committed.

Let’s get going on all the edges and what I found to be the best process.

• Using the painters tape, creatively adhere the stencil down as much as you can. This photo is by our bathtub and I could only tape down a little more than half of the stencil.

• Using the foam roller, apply the paint to the part of the stencil that you can get to. Now comes the tedious painting…

• Using a small brush that I found in my kid’s art kit, hold down the stencil with one hand and brush in the edges of the stencil.

• Pull back the stencil and using that same small kid’s brush, fill in the stencil with brush strokes.

• Move on to another small tile {using the above process} and allow this first coat to dry. Be sure to come back later and apply 2 more coats. Painting with a brush does not apply as much paint as a roller does, so 3 coats on the hand painted section is needed to achieve the same look.

• Allow your stencil paint to thoroughly dry. I gave mine at least 24 hours to set.

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All together, this project took a few days of work and another week for my back to recover. Ha!

5. Now it is time to fully set your painted tile floor. This

part is just as important as all of the others. If you don’t seal your floor, you risk scratching off your paint. Tape off the edges and anything else in your space.

6. Using a water-based polycrylic, seal your floor with 3

coats. Follow the directions on your container. Within 24 hours, mine was finished and ready for light use. {Be sure to have proper ventilation when using a polycrylic.}

A huge thank you to Amy Howard at Home and Pearl Design Studio for the privilege of working with their products on this “how to stencil a tile floor” makeover.

It was a lot of work and I am so glad that I took the jump and did something about the boring tile in this bathroom. So…any plans to stencil a tile floor? xo, Leigh

You can find more DIY projects and about Leigh’s Little by Little Farmouse blog at http://www.littlebylittlefarmhouse.com/ InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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Peppermint Beeswax Lip Balm

A Recipe by Melissa Hofmann

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first started keeping bees 2 years ago but I really fell in love with them on a camping trip to FL in the winter. We camped next to a bee keeper with a pollinating business and he kindly showed our family his hives. One of the bonus products of keeping bees is beeswax. I really like natural products and searched for good recipes that our family would use. We fell in love with this lip balm. It has become a favorite and is a great gift for friends and family.

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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I ordered all of my supplies from Amazon (except the wax is from our bees but Amazon sells that as well.) I bough a small double boiler that I dedicate just to wax melting. I found out the hard way that beeswax is very hard to clean off pots, filters, and spoons.

Small cosmetic pots are perfect for this recipe but the lip balm seems firm enough for twist up lip balm containers as well.

After the initial investment of the double boiler, the cost of each 5 gram lip balm was just 43 cents.

Here is the cost breakdown:

And now the recipe: 2T 2T 2T 12 12

Beeswax pellets Shea Butter Coconut Oil drops Peppermint oil drops vitamin E

Melt everything in a double boiler (I used a small 2 cup one with a pour spout.) Pour carefully into small 5 gram cosmetic jars. Makes 16 to 17 jars.

For a fun variation I added a Mary Kay lipstick sample to color some of my lip balm.

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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Find a spot that’s just yours...

...Read

Meditate...

...Pray

Play Candy Crush...

... ...

... ...

InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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Happy New Year

2019 InJoy Magazine, January 2019

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