Midwest Girl Moves South!

It's official! My family has moved from Indiana to Mississippi! This is the 5th state I have lived in and so far it is a surprising contender for one of my favorites. I have already caught myself comparing it to my beloved favorite, Iowa. Each state that I have lived holds a special place. Iowa was where I found music therapy, my faith AND my husband! So you can understand why it is a favorite! Wisconsin was where it all started and I spent the first 23 years of my life! I have lifelong friends in Wisconsin and also most of my family is there. David and I lived in Southern California for about 6-7 years and also made some lifelong friendships there as well as some amazing adventures. And Indiana was where we bought our first home and had our babies along with some wonderful friends.  I always thought at some point David and I would move our family back to Iowa where we first met and also got engaged but now that we are here in Oxford I am not so sure!

What I love about Oxford, MS so far:

The people! Hands down this is the difference from most other places I have lived. Don't get me wrong, there were certainly nice people in the other states I have lived. But no where have we been where people say hi to you every where you go. Every neighbor gives you a wave as you drive or walk through the neighborhood. People are continually making EYE contact and smiling and saying hello and are very welcoming. I used to think that was a midwest thing, but I really have to say that southerners really do this so much more from the experiences we have had so far. I do remember Fr. Ed at the Newman center in Iowa City saying he could always tell the students who weren't from Iowa at the start of the semester because they looked freaked out by everyone making eye contact and smiling on the street. That is kind of how I feel here at times! lol

My boys on the square with William Faukner, who lived in Oxford.

We were at JCP the other day ordering drapes for my youngest's bedroom so maybe just maybe he would sleep past 7am. The woman helping us was so nice. We started talking about how we just moved here and I mentioned how nice everyone was. She mentioned how she went to visit her dad who lives in the north and the people were not nice to her at all! I was sad to hear her say this because she was so sweet, but I was absolutely shocked when I asked where in the north he lives and she said MILWAUKEE!!!!! Gah! That happens to be near my home town…

That made me wonder, has it been like this all the time and my perception is just different since I grew up in the midwest? Or are people changing slowly over time? Are things like social media and our devices getting in the way of actually having human contact and making an effort to recognize another person on the street and say hello? Is the south the last stand for that to eventually change here too? Does living in the Bible belt have anything to do with it? Is faith in general, just stronger here and it shows in how people interact? I was surprised, no maybe shocked is a better word, when we were at the cell phone store recently getting new phones and the 20 something single guy helping us asked at one point if we had found a church here yet. I immediately reached for my cross neckless to see if it was showing and it wasn't. It's just a common question here and an assumption that you go to church. Does this have something to do with Southern hospitality? Is this part of the reason why so many people have told me they moved here for a job, planned to stay no more then 5 years, and here it is 20-30 years later and they "ain't leaving"?!? Could be!

Until recently, I hadn't really spent any time in the south. But I am glad we are here and for my boys to experience southern hospitality. I feel like we are making our home here and maybe just maybe in a few years when someone asks me of the 5 states I have lived which is my favorite, I may just say Mississippi. And y'all are more then welcome to visit any time.  

The next time you are planning a vacation, I encourage you to try the south. You may not want to leave either. :)

Thanks for reading! Have a great day!

~Rebecca~

We Moved! And Free Gift Offer

Hey Y'all! :) I realize I need to think about changing my midwest green living blog name to southern green living because my family has moved to Mississippi!!! I never thought I would say that! Although, I never thought I would live in California and I did that too for 6 years. So far we love it here! The people, the food, our new home and neighborhood and my husbands new job. Everyone is very nice and welcoming. 

So that is why I have been MIA recently. So much packing and now unpacking! Moving is a lot of work and I told my husband that I really hope we love it here because I don't plan to move again for a VERY long time! :)

We took Memorial Day weekend to travel here and visited friends and saw some sites along the way. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky was so neat! I highly recommend!

And now I am getting back to work and blogging, which in all honesty, doesn't feel like work at all. 

I want to share the wonderful June special Shaklee is running before June gets away from me!

For the month of June, all new members and distributors in Shaklee with at least a 50 PV order will receive…..

A FREE Stress Relief Complex!!!

Membership to Shaklee is like joining Sams or Costco but without annual fees or minimum requirements. It just gives you extra discounts and perks along the way and a great way to save.

Membership is 19.95 but I recommend starting with Vitalizer, which is the most complete dietary supplement you can find and the best quality! And with any Vitalizer order, your membership fee will be Waived for you!!! It's a wonderful deal and will give you this great free gift in June too!

Stress Relief Complex is a wonderful product that helped me to get through my youngest's early birth and NICU stay, as well as general day to day stress. Here is some info:

We all have stress, right? It's a normal part of life and being human. Here are some of the bodies responses to stress:

Stress affects many areas of our body and our health. Proper management of stress through exercise, eating properly, faith and prayer life, friendships, etc can help manage it. And I have found that Shaklee's Stress Relief Complex is another way to help take the edge off stressful times.

To take advantage of this great deal please visit my site HERE.  And ask me how you can also get FREE Shipping this month too!! 

If you aren't familiar with Shaklee, it is the #1 natural nutrition company in the nation and something I grew up with. The quality of the products and the integrity of the company is something I have not seen elsewhere. Shaklee has something for everyone. Not luxuries but everyday products we use in our homes. Check out more HERE.

Thanks for stopping in!

~Rebecca~

Advent Challenge Day 24 & Merry Christmas!!

It is the final day of Advent which means Christmas is tomorrow!! I have enjoyed sharing the activities that my family has done this season. It has helped us to be closer in spite of all the hustle and bustle of the season. I hope it has done the same for you.  I have enjoyed your comments about my challenge with those of you who were doing it too as well as people who have simply said they enjoyed reading the posts and it helped them to remember the reason for the season. It is so easy to get caught up in the presents, shopping, lights etc and forget that we are here to celebrate the birth of a baby - Our Savior, Jesus! He was given to bring light to the world and to give us joy, peace, hope and love. 

We lit our final candle - the white candle which represents Jesus' light. This was the candle that I made with my friend Cheryl that we used as our Unity Candle in our wedding 9 years ago! 

Today my family is finishing up our activities by sprinkling the lawn with our Reindeer food that we made yesterday, leaving cookies out for Santa that we made a few days ago, and going to the Children's Christmas Mass at church. (and again for me as I am singing and playing flute with the choir at our 10:30pm mass tonight. Hope I can stay awake. it is worth it as the "midnight" mass is one of my favorites. so beautiful with all of the candles:)

So from my family to yours, Merry Christmas! Enjoy the season and continued prayers to those of you who have lost a loved one this year. May you gain peace and strength through Jesus.

And thank you to my friend Rachel Jones for taking such wonderful pictures of us at Happy Hollow park in September!

Enjoy your day with friends and family!

~Rebecca~

Advent Challenge Day 14

The snow started coming yesterday night and didn't stop for over 24 hours! The boys were so excited to see it and learn their activity today was to play in it! Yay for snow! :)

Benjamin is wearing a scarf my grandma knitted for my brother over 40 years ago! I wore it when i was little too.

Did you get to enjoy snow where you are too?

Thanks for reading and be sure to take a look at our 12 Days of Christmas Specials happening NOW! Some great deals! 

Have a great day!

~Rebecca~

Advent Challenge Day 13

Today was a fun one. Our activity was to take funny and silly pictures with Santa hats. I had forgotten how funny they could be with the iPad features in the photo booth. The kids thought it was so great! 

It was also PJ day at Andrew's school today and Benjamin wanted to wear his PJs today too. :)

Here are some of the highlights from our photo shoot. Enjoy!

So you can see that we had a lot of fun today! What was a highlight in your day?

Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check out the 12 Days of Christmas Specials I have going right now. Every day there will be something new and great deals for you so check in often!

And all local Waterways friends - I hope to see you at our annual party tomorrow! Let me know if you can join us!

Hope to see you on Facebook soon too!

~Rebecca~

Advent Challenge Day 11

We had a great time today with our Advent activity. We went to visit Purdue to meet my husband for lunch and then went to the union to see the huge Christmas tree and life-size ginger bread house. The kids had a blast! Here are a few pictures...

What activities are you doing today?

Don't forget that our 12 Days of Christmas specials started today! And it is the last day to get your FREE Shipping special on $200 orders! Shaklee ran out of the Shaklee 180 gift but I will still honor that for you! Just contact me before you order by tonight to let me know what flavor of Shaklee 180 Smoothee mix you would like.

~Rebecca~