A Simply Enchanted Life

GreeN MaM-a JaM-a: Red Barn Cloth Diapers (Ai2 Review) + #Giveaway! W...:

one Green Mam-a Jam-a reader is goig to win an Ai2 for their little one! Winner gets to choose the print too! Click the above link for details! Hurry! Offer ends soon!

Peppermint Trial Size Soap

Relisted: Vanilla Pomegranate Soap

Polymer Galadriel


The Light of Eärendil

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings, #1) by J.R.R. Tolkien

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I've just finished my yearly reading of The Fellowship of the Ring and I've avoided giving reviews for it in the past because how does one give an adequate review for such a story? Middle Earth is a beautiful place and though it is filled with danger it is also filled with good people and appreciation for simple things in life like music and laughter. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is just pure magic. Many have tried to emulate the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and none have ever touched the sheer genius. Other stories may have a made up language but none are an actual language that you can learn and even speak or write and none can compare to the beautiful poetry and portrayal of loyalty that you'll find within it's pages. Very few stories inspire people the way that Lord of The Rings has for years. If you haven't read the Lord of the Rings then you're missing out.

In The Fellowship of the Ring we pick up years after the stories in The Hobbit. We meet an aging Bilbo Baggins and his nephew, Frodo Baggins. Bilbo has long been in possession of the ring of power which is wearing on his mind and the time has come for him to leave the ring in Frodo's possession, not fully understanding how important this decision is. The ring has already seeped into and is slowly poisoning his mind.

After the departure of Bilbo, Frodo learns the truth about the ring that has come into his possession and sets out on a perilous journey to destroy the ring once and for all in the fires of Mordor.

Accompanied by his loyal friends from the Shire he sets out and is later joined by a company, a fellowship of friends who have vowed to aid him in his quest. Staying loyal and true, even in the face of despair and adversity.

So, if you haven't read this epic tale, I encourage you to take the time to go to your library or find a copy somewhere and then sit back to enjoy one of the greatest stories ever written!




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Oatmeal and Honey Hot Process Soap

4oz
4.5oz
5.5oz

Sugar Soap Scrubs

Enchanted Christmas
Peppermint Bark
Sugar Cookie
Enchanted Cherry Blossom
Enchanted Pink Sugar

I've never been much of a fan of true stories but I wanted to give this one a chance. I'll be honest, it wasn't the best read of the year for the reason I mentioned above. I just really struggle reading true stories. The life of this hero as he overcame obstacles and found love and life was very inspirational and I thank God there are people out there fighting for our Freedom. Those that are willing to and have sacrificed it all. I encourage others to check the book out!

Click here to read the first chapter of Fearless


I received Fearlesse as a complimentary gift in exchange for review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishers. My comments and opinions are my own.

Arms Of Love by Kelly Long

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Arms Of Love is the first book I have read by Kelly Long and I must say that I really enjoyed it! This book is set in the Revolutionary Pennsylvania and touches on the persecution that the Amish endured at the hands of both the Patriots and the British.

The main characters in the story are Adam Wyse, a troubled young man with a dark past and Lena Yoder, the love of his life. Adam, though he is troubled, is an honorable and caring man who is loved and admired by Lena's mother, Mary. Though she cares for Adam deeply, she worries about the welfare of her daughter if she should move into the Wyse home, as is the tradition of a young Amish couple. Adam's father is very abusive of him and Lena was an unfortunate witness to a brutal beating of Adam. Mary is fearful that Lena may also be subject to abuse if Adam were to continue to live in the home and she makes Adam swear a vow to her as she is on her deathbed that he will leave Lena until he can afford to build his own home. Adam agrees as he fears for his own sanity. He is plagued by nightmares that he can't explain and is missing gaps in his early childhood.

Lena's father has been imprisoned by the Patriots for refusing to surrender their last cow that the family needed for milk and Adam is determined to help him. However, Samuel sees a darkness in Adam and he is determined to let it be known that he wants Adam to leave his daughter alone. So, reluctantly, Adam breaks things off with Lena. At the urging of her father (and to the meddling of Adam's father) Lena agrees to marry Adam's brother, Isaac.

Adam is desperate to find out the reason behind his father's hate for him and also to find a resolution to his own violent desires and tendencies as well as a reprise from the horrible nightmares that haunt him. In doing so he wishes to fulfill the promise he has made to Lena's mother and hopefully win back the heart of his one true love.

This story was filled with raw emotion and even passion which I found very refreshing for a christian romance novel. I'm in no means saying it was raunchy but it was nice to see real characters that strongly desired and longed for each other. It gave a realistic human element to the story that made it very easy to connect with the characters.

I will be looking into other novels written by this author in the future!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255



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The Events Leading up to Fifths Disease Diagnosis.

As most of you can tell, I've been MIA for the last little while. In June I found out we are expecting again. We currently have 5 healthy happy little girls and we were very excited to find out that we are going to have a new little blessing in our life.

On June 29th I became ill with flu symptoms. I kept telling my husband and family that I felt very sick and like I had the flu. I called the doctor asking what I could take for one of the worst headaches I've ever had in my life and was told that Tylenol was the only safe option and of course that wasn't helping.

On July 3rd we had an ultrasound to confirm our dates as I had no cycle to go by due to breastfeeding our (almost) 2 year old. Baby had a nice healthy heartbeat of 173 and we were given an EDD of Feb 8,2013.

8weeks 4days


I was still sick but was told it had to run it's course which I logically knew but when you have a horrible headache and your entire body hurts you still seek advice. From the 4-6th I was so sick I couldn't even get out of bed. My body hurt and my head hurt so badly that I would sleep and then wake wondering if I had rested. On July 9th I woke feeling a lot better however I was covered in a lacy rash and so was my youngest daughter. Her cheeks looked as if she had been slapped in the face and this prompted me to go online and put in my symptoms.

The lacy rash that covered my entire body



After pouring through Google images and many websites with information about my symptoms. I finally concluded that I needed to see my doctor as I suspected Fifth Disease. My next Google search prompted me to try to find out if this was dangerous during pregnancy and unfortunately I found out that it in fact CAN be dangerous. Not for myself but for my baby. Especially if contracted during the first trimester. If you're finding this blog because you are pregnant and have been diagnosed with Fifth Disease then I hope some of the resources I've shared are helpful. If you have additional resources or have experience with fifth disease during pregnancy, please feel free to share your experiences in the comments below!

What is Fifth Disease?

According to the Center of Disease Control

Fifth disease is a mild rash illness caused by parvovirus B19. This disease is also called erythema infectiosum. It is more common in children than adults. A person usually gets sick within 4 to 14 days (sometimes up to 20 days) after getting infected with parvovirus B19. About 20% of children and adults who get infected with this virus will not have any symptoms.

Parvovirus? Did I contract this from my pet?
If you're like me you heard "parvo" and immediately started blaming yourself for having pets. Please, rest assured that this is not the case. Fifth disease is human parvovirus B19. It infects only humans and while there are parvoviruses that infect animals, you cannot catch these from your pet or animals and likewise, they cannot catch fifth disease from you.

Is Fifth Dangerous During pregnancy?
According to March of Dimes most of the time unborn babies are not harmed if the mother contracts fifth disease during pregnancy. However there is a small chance. If you're like me and you're wanting to know the exact chance...it is really hard to say. I've spent many hours pouring over medical journals I found on the internet and calling March of Dimes and hitting up the library for information and unfortunately I have found no real consensus on the exact chance of complications. I have seen articles that claim as much as 33% chance of complications if contracted during early pregnancy and I have seen other articles that claim the chance is as low as 5% . My conclusion is that there is very little known about the effects of fifths disease during pregnancy.

What can I do to prevent Fifth Disease
There is very little a person can do to prevent fifth disease other than your typical disease prevention. Washing your hands frequently and avoid drinking after or sharing of utensils. Fifth disease is viral and there are no vaccines to prevent.

I have (had) Fifth Disease and I'm pregnant, what now?
There is no treatment for fifth disease however your baby will need to be monitored. March of Dimes suggests frequent monitoring and ultrasounds once a week or every other week for up to 12 weeks after you have been diagnosed. Part of me writing this blog is to really stress the importance of this knowledge. After researching I called my doctor back and asked questions. I was not being monitored as I should be. This was partly oversight on the nurse's part. If you have been diagnosed and your doctor is not monitoring you or they suggest you waiting until your prenatal visit and it is weeks away...please contact your care provider with your concerns. While the chances of complications are supposedly low it is best to be proactive. If your baby were to become ill with anemia (a complication of fifth disease) there is a chance of saving baby. Do not wait. Your baby should be monitored closely so that you and your doctor would be able to discuss a treatment plan if your baby were to become ill.

Can I catch it again?
Fifth disease cannot be contracted more than once. If you think you have been exposed your doctor can do a blood test to see if you have been infected recently or if you are immune to the disease due to previous exposure or infection.

I hope what little bit of knowledge I have found and gathered into one place is useful for you. I wish I knew exactly what to say or what the outcome for myself would be but unfortunately I do not yet know. I will be updating this blog as I learn more and as I am monitored throughout this pregnancy so that I may share information with other mothers who have received this diagnoses.

*Updates (Submitted by Emily Smit)

According to the most recent studies (cited in paper #2), the rate of vertical transmission in parvovirus B19-infected pregnant women is 16% *before 20 weeks' gestation*. It only rises to 35% after 20 weeks. So thankfully the odds are on your side here!

Overall, 3% of women experience fetal complications. The risk of fetal complications is higher during the first 20 weeks of gestation, and highest between 9 and 16 weeks' gestation. During the first 20 weeks, the risk of miscarriage is 9%. But keep in mind that your overall risk of miscarriage (for any reason) during the first trimester is about 15% (if you're under age 35).

Interestingly paper #1 also says that women who've had three or more children are 7.5 times more likely to have an acute case of fifth disease, so maybe that's why you suffered so much!

She left two more resources I'd like to share!
1 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2793222/

2 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2328398/

Resources:
http://www.marchofdimes.com/pregnancy/complications_fifthdisease.html
http://www.cdc.gov/parvovirusB19/fifth-disease.html
http://www.babycenter.com/0_fifth-disease-parvovirus-b19-during-pregnancy_1463060.bc
http://children.webmd.com/tc/fifth-disease-topic-overview

This is a fantastic question that someone just asked! "Are all of your soaps safe for babies? I have a friend looking for natural soap to use on her little one :)"

I'd like to address this here separately as I do have a stance on soap and little ones. All of our soaps are very gentle and are safe for your little ones. Even the ones containing fragrance oil are much milder than commercial baby soap you will find in the store.

HOWEVER My personal preference and stance is to make my customers aware of all of the ingredients so that you can best make decisions on what to buy for your little ones. My personal suggestion to mom's with little ones to use only my soaps that are scented with essential oils or oatmeal and honey.

I personally do not use artificial fragrances on my own children and this is the reason I do not offer fragrances such as a children's bedtime bath using artificial fragrances like you would find in the stores. If you're looking for a great alternative to a "bedtime bath" I would suggest the lavender bar for example.

As I do not use artificial fragrance on my children and this is very important to me, you will never see a bar of soap listed in my shop that is marketed for children and using artificial fragrance like "baby lotion"

Rather, you will see that all of my soaps list the ingredients and whether they use essential oils or fragrance oils. Again, my suggestion is to pick those with essential oils for your little ones or a moisturizing bar such as Oatmeal and Honey.

I hope this answers any questions folks may have about our soaps and if they're safe for little ones!