Hello Everyone!

NAME: Megan

LOCATION: Utah

AGE:  20 

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN BLOGGING FOR: 

I'm so excited to be a contributor to this blog! I've been blogging for the past few years now and there's really no single purpose to my blogging. But I love introducing the books I've been reading, or new recipes I've tried out, crafts I've learned or anything else that I get my hands into. It's just a smorgasbord of stuff. 

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION THE MEDIA GIVES OF WOMEN:

Ah that media drives me crazy. If you take the media to heart then you will never ever be happy with yourself. No matter what you do you will still find problems with your face, skin, hair, weight, height, body, voice, personality, talents, experience.... The media teaches you to compare and judge yourself to fake images. You are trying to comparing yourself with someone that doesn't exist. It's terrible. Don't fall into that trap!

WHAT INSPIRES YOU THE MOST: 

Learning! I'll be honest, I'm a flat out nerd. If you question what the picture is under my blog title, oh don't worry. It's just bone tissue. It's pretty much the coolest looking tissue in the body. My favorite semesters in college (as far as classes go) have been during my anatomy and physiology classes. Learning about the human body is the most incredible, eye opening, inspiring thing. It's crazy to see the complex ways the body functions, how even some of the ideas behind our inventions are found to have already been used in the human body by tiny little cells. Every day in class I thought to myself, "Okay, there's no doubt of a higher being in this world. There's no way this could all come together so perfect and not be heavenly. The body is the most amazing machine I have ever encountered and it's here for a purpose."

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING IN YOUR SPARE TIME: 

Spare time involves a number of very normal and usual things, to completely absurd things. Normal: reading, singing, piano, cooking, socializing and the likes... Some absurd or not so normal things: legit sidewalk chalk art, learning the harmonica, learning Italian, trying out mosaic stain glass art, reviewing bones and muscles... you know, stuff like that. 

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS BLOG: 

I love the idea of a community blog where women from all over the world come to share stories, introduce themselves, and learn and appreciate each other. Good stuff.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE DISH:

Right now I am addicted to panini's. They are slightly amazing and completely fantastic.

YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO SPEND TIME:

Hmm, places are sometimes made good because of the people you find there. Well, I did just re-painted/decorated my room and I love it. But I love being outside on our back deck when it's warm and sunny. It just feels so cozy. 

WHAT MAKES YOU PROUD TO BE A WOMAN: 

Women are made just the way they are for a reason. (Now I'm still coming to grips with the fact that I'm turning into an emotional person. Meaning: crying was a rare occurrence and it seems to be sneaking into my life more then normal for no reason.) I'm proud that in my head, everything connects to everything and that means sometimes I'm a confusing mess. But that's me. And I like me. 

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU EVER RECEIVED WAS:

My favorite teacher shared this and it made a remarkable impression on me. In the bible, John 3:30, John the Baptist says that "He must increase, but I must decrease." And when you first read that, you're thinking... what the crap is he talking about? But then my teacher put it into perspective. Sometimes in life, we will need to be the one to step back and let someone else advance. Sometimes we'll need to loose a game, so someone can win that time. He made a comment about living with roommates. Maybe you should stop assuming that you have more to do then your roommates, do the dishes for them and let them have the time they need to get their own work done. I thought about that scripture a lot that semester, I did the dishes for my roommates a lot as well. But not just that, it helps you put others before yourself. You are not the center of the universe, there are others out there who are in just as much need as you. Maybe it's your day to decrease, so they can increase. I know it seems like a different type of piece of advice, but when you learn to let others advance and grow, you grow right along with them.  

Sun Safety - how safe are you?

Warm sunny days are now here. Thank goodness for that! I was getting tired of looking at snow, especially when we got a snow dump back in April. 

This is the time of year where everyone usually stocks up on Sun Block and Sunscreen. We take it for granted that we need an SPF 15 or higher. Some companies are making them as strong as they can. Now that seems like a great idea, but is it really? Have you ever wondered what's inside your sunscreen? Better yet, have you ever wondered how an SPF is determined?

Not all Sunscreens or Sunblocks are created equal. A lot of brands out there are masquerading as gentle or healthy. The sad part is that most of the worst offenders are the sunscreens marketed for babies & little children. This can be scary as a lot of the ingredients are found to potentially cause future skin tumors and cancers.

We are in a Catch-22 situation. We need Sunscreen as burning is bad. The products we purchase may stop us from burning, but since a lot of the ingredients are questionable, we are bringing on another slew of potential problems.

EWG's Skin Deep (Environmental Working Group) is a fabulous site to visit. They give the lowdown on every ingredient imaginable. They have just issued their 2011 Guide for Sunscreens, and they explain everything you need to know on the topic. They even have a 'Hall of Shame' for some of the worst sunscreens available on the market today. If you want to find out what sunscreen/sunblock is best for you, or to compare how your brand stacks up,  click here.

Marnie
What Red Said...

New Poster?

And by that I don't mean a new poster of my future husband, Johnny Depp, hanging on my wall.  I mean, I have been asked to contribute to this blog, aka be a "poster".

My name is Angela and I live in Northern Utah, where spring has FINALLY arrived.  In May.  Just a little late, Ma Nature.

I have been married to my husband Randon for almost 12 years.  We have two kids, boy and girl, 10 and 7, respectively.

I like to make stuff, read stuff, and sleep.  Let me correct that to say I like to make stuff, I like to read stuff, and I LOVE to sleep.  In fact, I love it so much that I get really cranky if I don't have enough.

I am an Americorps Vista, which, for an easy way to explain it, is a federal volunteer.  You can also say that I work for a domestic Peace Corp.  One of these days I will do a post about what it all entails, but I love love love it.

I am also a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and mainly buy things to support my habit.  I do love it though.   I also spend WAYYY to much time on Facebook, enjoy Twitter, and other various forms of social media.

I also blog over at Blowing 7 Different Kinds of Smoke.