Passionate about Scentsy!

My website is:  https://jamiehorrocks.scentsy.us


Hi readers!  If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you may have noticed that I have been posting a LOT about my home based business which is Scentsy.

Scentsy is a frameless, wickless and completely SAFE system that replaces the ordinary unsafe and hazardous candles. There are over 80 different scents to choose from.   There is a scent for everyone!  Different categories of the scents can help someone with choosing some that they like.  But you would be surprised with ones you don't think you would like but end up enjoying them.

My Favorite part!  All of Scentsy's products are 100% safe for kids.  How is wax safe for kids you may ask?  Well,  the wax in the dish doesn't get warmer than a warm bath.  If your child were to touch the wax (both of mine have), then the liquid wax would just harden up almost instantly.  It's easy to clean up if it gets spilled.  If a dish breaks then there are replacement dishes on my website under the replacement parts tab.  If your child or pet ingests the wax, don't worry because it's non-toxic!  Just encourage drinking water if it does happen.

If you aren't sure about this Scentsy system,  don't hesitate to leave a comment or email me your questions.  I am very passionate about the safer alternative to a candle.   Yes there are competitive
stores or companies that want to compete with Scentsy, but there is no competition!   Scentsy has a lifetime warranty unless you use any of the system or products incorrectly (like putting Vicks in the dish...that's a BIG no no!!).

Here's my boys' favorite part!  Scentsy buddies!  These buddies are the cutest stuffed animals ever.  They zip in the back where you can put a Scent Pak of your choice then zip it back up.  Now your
little one has a great smelling stuffed animal to play with.  Sometimes I leave one of ours in the car so
a.) they have something to play with and b.) my car smells great!

Please check me out on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jamie-Horrocks-Independent-Scentsy-Consultant/115209445222028

Thanks for reading!
Jamie

New Duty Station. New Rules. Same Family!

Wow!  It has been too long since I have written a blog.  Lots has happened since my last post in January.  Tom got orders.  He came home.  We had a great post-deployment in June.  We have now moved to the east coast.  No more beaches and SoCal sun 😔 That's ok though!  We are adjusting.  I thought I had set up the military movers, but the day came for them to get our stuff and no movers showed up!  That was a mess.  And stressed me out.  I won't go into details but miscommunication on both sides will get you into that situation.  Alas, we figured it out and my dad was able to drive from Nebraska to here in the moving truck.  Thank the good Lord for parents who have the ability to help us out!!!

We made it here safe and sound with minor bumps in the road.  It could have always been worse for sure!  We love our house.  We found it on militarybyowner.com in May.  There were several other families inquiring about it at the same time.  I felt like we were in a race haha.  I felt bad but this house is perfect for us.  It has a huge yard for our lab and we can grow into it.  We looked at it online and decided to take a GIANT leap of faith and rent sight unseen.  I don't regret it one bit.  There is a place for everything here.  Not like any previous places we have lived before.

We started "church shopping".  It's probably one of the biggest stressors since moving here.  Thankfully that stress has been lifted and we think we have found a church home after visiting a couple in the area.  It's the kind of church that I feel is family oriented and friendly.  We have only been there once but so far it gets a thumbs up from both of us.  Tom is hoping to go to the men's breakfast Saturday morning.  That makes me happy! We are 26 now and settling down in our young lives for the most part.

So, moving right along to the "new rules" part of my title.   For the most part since we got here, we eat at the table and bless the food before we start eating.  Honestly, we would only do that for important meals and whenever we remembered.  Why not give thanks every meal!?  We are making me rules but are still the same family.  Our kids are still young enough that we want to start making a positive impact at dinner time.  So far it's going well.  It is kind of a task to have an almost 4 year old take it seriously.   Most nights after dinner we either play a game or watch a family movie.  We just got cable yesterday which wasn't necessary but it's nice to have something other than Netflix on during the day.  I am such a news watcher and have been desperately miss watching the Today show every morning!  Now I get to 😀   I hope to be a more frequent blogger because I feel like this is therapy for me.   Writing what's on my mind.  I'll write soon.

-Jamie

Wyatt's Arrival Story!!

Better late than never ;) Let's start this story from Monday November 4th, 2013 at my 40 week appointment.   Here I am a day before I'm due just so ready to have the baby.  The doctor stripped my membranes which hurt so bad!  I asked my doctor if I could be induced that night or the next day so my husband could see it via Skype/FaceTime.  She said "sure! Let me call up to BMC(Bellevue Medical Center) and see what time/if they can do it today or tomorrow.  That night I was so anxious.  Checking my phone obsessively!  Wishing it would ring...it never did.  I just thought well ok, let's bounce on the ball, run the stairs.  Anything and everything that I think would help.

The next morning was a very rainy one.  I took Levi to WEE School like normal.  I came home and talked to my hubby about nothing really just making conversation about how in a matter of hours we would be a family of 4!   So it's 10:50am and I'm sitting on the couch watching the Today Show like I do every morning.  My phone rings:  "Hi Mrs. Horrocks, you were supposed to be here at 10:30 this morning for induction.  Do you still want to be induced?!"  OH MY GOODNESS!!  "Yes ma'am I would love to be induced.  My preschooler is at school until 11:30, how about noon?!?"  She asked her supervisor and they said for me to come on in at noon!  Holy cow!  I'm having a baby today.  I need to call my mom!!  So I called my mom and told her my conversation on the phone with the L&D lady and she left work right away.  So I hung up with her and were texting and facebooking people to find my husband so I can tell him.  He finally called me after about 5 minutes from getting off the phone with my mom.  He hadn't been told by anyone what was happening yet.  I am freaking out-in a good way-at this point. Running around the house making sure I had everything, threw a little bit of mascara on and headed to pick up Levi.

I get checked in and into my room.  Finally after about an hour and a half of paperwork and them checking me out, Pitocin started at 1:40pm.  At about 3:55pm the anesthesiologist nurse started the first attempt at the epidural.  Didn't take.  2nd attempt a few moments later.  Didn't take.  Are you kidding me?! I guess an all natural birth again it is I thought.  Finally the anesthesiologist comes in and gets it right away.  Yay finally!  This epidural made me really relaxed.  I just wanted to sleep.  I kept touching my leg but wasn't sure if it was my leg so I had to lift the blanket and look. Haha.  I was having some good contractions now, but couldn't feel them.  It was great.  I wasn't really dilating for a couple of hours.  So at about 6pm or so the doctor decided to break my water.  As we knew with Levi, they broke my water and he was here less than a half hour later.  We told the doctor and nurse this.  My nurse Emily said "If you start to feel pressure, let us know".  They left the room and I started feeling contractions again.  Ugh really I thought I was going to relax.  I let a couple go by, then I said "I NEED to call the nurse!!"  Tom was on FaceTime at this point and his face turned white and he looked concerned :( They checked me and said you're ready to push!  "Oh my gosh babe we are about to have him in like 2 seconds!!"  That's what I said to Tom. LOL.  They broke the table in preparation for delivery.  It felt like he was coming out!  I was thinking they better not let him come out on the floor or I will not be very nice.  They looked and reassured me he was still inside while they were getting prepped.  Finally time to push.  The pushing part for me is all a blur, but I think I only pushed twice.  6:39pm he came out crying with a good set of lungs!  He looked so small.  But he was 20 inches 7lbs 13oz.  Tom saw the whole thing!!  Finally something has worked in our favor!  He got to witness Wyatt's birth via FaceTime.  The doctor and nurse let me hold him for almost an hour before they weighed him.  That was so nice.  Everyone just kind of left me and Tom and Wyatt alone.  It was great.  I was in the hospital for 2 days then got released.

Now he is almost 3 months old!  Crazy!! Time sure has flown which is good, especially in our shoes :) That's about it for his arrival.  Pretty easy just like the first.. Thank the Lord!

-Jamie

Crockin' Up Some Homemade Applesauce!

I haven't written on here in a long time so it's about time for a new post.  How about a crockpot recipe? It's super easy and it doesn't take too long to prepare at all.  Here we go!

Crock-pot Homemade Applesauce:
6 apples--cored, peeled and cut {I used Braeburn apples because they were on sale)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon--depending on how much cinnamon you want in it
1/2 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Pictured above are the 6 braeburn apples I used

1.  Core, peel and cut all of the apples.  Be careful on this step because it can get slippery with the apple juice!  You can grip the apple pieces with a paper towel if you want to keep the slice in place while you peel it.  When peeling, it doesn't have to be perfect so keep that in mind.
2.  Once the first step is all done put the cut pieces in the crock-pot and make sure it's on.
3.  In a bowl, combine the water, vanilla extract, sugar and cinnamon.  Mix the mixture so the sugar is dissolved.
4.  Pour the mixture evenly over the apple pieces in the crock-pot.  The picture to the left is of the mixture all over the apples.

5.  Finally, leave them in the crock-pot for about 4 hours or until they are soft enough to mash and blend.
6.  At the end of the 4 hours,  mix and mash to your desired texture!  For smoother applesauce mix with a hand mixer.  ENJOY!!

**I got this recipe from frugalgirls.com.  It's also on my Pinterest board entitled FOOD.

A Beautiful Mess!

My life is a beautiful mess.  Yours is too I bet.  Things come up in life that we don't necessary plan for, like random occurrence of projectile vomit everywhere in the car by your toddler and having to make an unwanted but very much needed trip to Wal-Mart for a whole new set of clothes for the little tot.  Another example may be waking up to a sick pet or child unexpectedly in the middle of the night.  All of these have which happened to me fairly recently.  Life is fun.  Scary.  Unpredictable.  No two person's stories are the same.  Trials come and go to make us stronger.  Before we go through them and also during, we think how am I going to get through this?!  In the end, we are glad we got through whatever it may be safe and alive!

Being pregnant with a toddler is something that I am learning to cope with every day.  Hormones are all over the place, but yet I have a sweet little guy who depends on me to keep him alive.  No energy, no problem.  We have days, which I am not proud of, but we will just sit and watch Netflix or movies all day and cuddle.  Sometimes he will pull all of his toys out and there won't be any where to walk but it's ok because he is having a good time.  Of course I would not want anyone to show up unexpectedly because then I would be thinking that their impression of me as a SAHM is bad.  We are happy in our own little bubble just Mommy and Levi...until nap time.  The time of the day that I pray goes smoothly next to bed time of course.  And it's the time that he fights me the most.  I yell, I scream, and spank when needed for him to take a nap because he needs it and so do I.  That is definitely our weak spot right now.  Sometimes I wish he had an off button.  Not even kidding.  Super smart little boy but sometimes I just need my quiet time to think or just chill out without being bothered.  I don't think it's a bad thing to want quiet.  I love him so much, but sometimes I need the me time so I don't go bonkers on him!!  LOL.  Today he fought me so stinkin' hard to nap.  I yelled, I spanked, ignored him until he finally fell asleep.  So when he wakes up I will reward him and apologize to him but say how when I say it's quiet time he needs to listen..I sound like a broken record all day.  "Levi sit down. Be quiet. Get out of the dog's water!! Please come sit with me.  Nap-time.  Be quiet.  etc...."  For the mom's reading this I'm sure you understand what I'm talking about.  It's a mess raising a toddler. A beautiful mess!



Now let's talk about the "mommy war" as I have recently heard it called.  Some moms I know do mostly fresh or organic diet.  Me, I have the BIGGEST weakness for fast food.  It's fast and convenient.  Not necessarily healthy, but it will cure my hunger and Levi's right then and there :)  Another topic is breastfeeding vs. formula.  For me breast is best!  Some other people choose formula for whatever reason.  That's fine for them.  I prefer my own supply for many reasons.  Cloth or disposable.  Save the planet with cloth, but disposable are so much more convenient.  For this one, I'm half and half.  I tried cloth with Levi and loved it until he started breaking out and I couldn't figure out why until I looked it up and it was because my cloth diapers needed to be "stripped".  What in the world is that? And why is this important?  Now I know.  The ammonia and urine builds up even if you wash them regularly.  Oh now I get it!  So with this little boy growing inside me I will try and start over again.  I enjoyed it and now I plan to be better at it.  It's a mommy war out there with what is better for your child.  Moms judging other moms for their choices.  It's hard not to.  I have done it, but then I think well it's their child and if that's the way they want to raise them then let them as long as the child grows up big and strong, the choices made are not any of my business!!  My mommyhood has, is and is continuing to be a beautiful mess!!

Tea and Testimony

The following speech is what I gave at MOPS on March 8, 2013:

Hi, my name is Jamie.  I am only 24 years old, but have been through more in my life than people realize.  Here is a little background about me before I begin my testimony this morning.  I was born in Oklahoma in August of 1988.  My dad was in the Air Force until my senior year of high school.  Growing up in the military I felt as if it prepared me for this Marine Corps wife life I live today.  I met my husband when I was 17 about to turn 18.  We had a long distance relationship the whole year and 6 days before we got married.  We got married in August of 2007.  I was only 18 and Tom, my husband was 19.  We knew from the first several times we talked on the phone that we were going to be together forever.  Over the year and 6 days from us meeting to our wedding day, we only saw each other 31 days in person which was sparatic and spread out through that time.   2 days after our wedding, he had to fly back to Virginia for some training, where I was to move that very next week.  You learn a lot about yourself and what you are capable of when you are alone the majority of the time.  A few months into our marriage in November, I had a near death experience on my way home from work.  I got into a really bad car accident.  My seatbelt saved my life.  My car caught on fire immediately...while I was in it!!  I was able to get out but grabbed nothing but my cell phone.  Everything burned in the car except I was able to salvage my drivers liscense and cards that were in my burnt purse.  Oh yeah and 2 days after this happened Tom left on his first deployment.  In August of 2008, our car got broken into in our apartment complex.  To be quite honest, we did not live in a safe area.  I moved home in November 08 after he left for his 2nd deployment.  We moved out here to Camp Pendleton in June of 2009 and have resided here ever since. 

We got pregnant in February 2010.  He left for his 3rd deployment in May.  Levi was born in November.  He didn’t come back until 5 weeks and 2 days after Levi came into the world in December.  Most of you in here probably had your husband there for the pregnancy and birth of your child.  Let me tell you, it’s not easy having your husband miss the birth of your child you made together...even more-so the first born child.  Unfortunately, he was not there for the most significant things that included that pregnancy.  He had just left the day before I found out I was pregnant.  He was on deployment when I found out what I was having and the birth.  And he was on his most recent deployment when Levi took his first steps 5 days after he left in December 2011.  

When I found out I was pregnant this past October, he was there for it.  I hollered down the hallway from the bathroom at him for him to see what I was seeing.  It was positive!!!! We both did the math really fast in our heads and figured out that he was going to be here for the whole thing, including the birth!  My inlaws came in town 2 days later for his little brother’s boot camp graduation from MCRD in San Diego.  We told them right when they got here.  It was late at night when they arrived but we were so anxious to tell them so we did.  The next day, when we were driving down to MCRD, I posted to Facebook that we were expecting.  Something in my head told me “no just wait. Wait until you see it for real on an ultrasound.”  but did I listen..nope.  I just wanted the world to know almost as soon as we knew.  Over the next month and a half, I was gaining weight, had the hormones, nausea..everything.  What I experienced on November 19th, is something I never want to go through with again.  The doctor puts in the internal ultrasound, and looks around.  Then there is my uterus on the screen. Nothing in it but a deflated sac.  I had miscarried.  You have got to be kidding me I thought.  What a nightmare! It was an out of body experience like I was a fly on the wall experiencing someone elses life.  But it was mine.  This was reality.  The baby that I had come to love already was no more.  This can not be happening.  It was perfect timing.  Tom was going to be here and experience what every daddy to be should be there for.  After the 2 doctors left the silent room, Tom gave me a hug and a kiss and said that he was sorry.  He clearly didn’t know what to say and neither did I.  We went to the doctor’s office after I got dressed.  She gave me the options to complete the process of the miscarriage.  Tom and I unanimously chose the pill option which I was to pick up from the pharmacy and take it home.  The 4 pills I put up me called cytotec were to dialate my cervix so everything can come out.  I dreaded this but I knew I had to do it.  

On Thanksgiving that Thursday, my lower back started acting up.  I thought, well that’s strange maybe I slept wrong or something.  I just took some tylenol to dull the pain, which it didn’t really do.  The next day I could barely walk.  This was to be the beginning of a long 6 weeks of recovery.  On Saturday, my pain was even worse.  It felt like my hip was fractured or something.  I couldn’t stand this pain anymore.  Also on this day,  was when the miscarriage decided to come out.  We went to the ER.  I almost passed out because how much blood there was.  I won’t be too graphic, but I couldn’t even wear a pad for a few minutes without bleeding through my pad, through my pants and onto the chair at the ER.  I felt like I was in Junior High again not knowing how to control this blood.  When I was getting examined in my private area, the final clot came out which the Doctor believed was the sac.  I had 4 clots a little smaller than a baseball all within the few hours of being at the ER.  At my follow up appointment, on Monday, my OB, diagnosed my problem as a sciatic nerve problem.  Why it was acting up?  She didn’t have an answer.  But we both concluded it was more than likely because of the past week’s whole process.  I didn’t even know what this nerve was, but I definitely did my research and now I know.  Tom left for 29 Palms the day of my follow-up so he wasn’t able to go.  My mom had taken emergency leave from her job and flew out here.   She was amazing to have out here helping me with Levi and even did all my laundry for me.  I did not want her to leave.  She eventually did have to leave though after 11 days of being here.  When she left, it was a whole new experience because I was now alone, practically immobile I felt, with a very active 2 year old.  Between when my mom left and Tom came home was about 10 days.  And those 10 days were the darkest most depressing days I have ever had in my life.  We all lose it sometimes, and to be honest I have never yelled and cussed that much in my life.  I just let Levi wreck the house.  Oh and the hotel room we had to stay in while they did the fumigation in my house and the surrounding ones on my street.  I wanted to die.  But then I thought well I at least have to wait until Tom gets home so someone can take care of Levi.  That’s so sad.  

God and I had many conversations.  Some of them I was asking him why this had to happen.  I was a healthy, active, bubbly 24 year old female with no health problems.  Why would this happen?  Tom and I didn’t deserve this hurt and pain that we still deal with today.  Other conversations I praised him as hard as it was because I knew this was a trial that was going to teach me something so I can be a testimony to others going through this.  Psalm 147:3 says He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.  Another verse says in Jeremiah 17:14 says Heal me O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise!  And finally Romans 8:18 says For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us!  The LORD has a plan for us.  We don’t know what it is just yet, but I trust him.  He is in control!!  

Be My Valentine Challenge - Week 1

 I follow a blog called Women Living Well.  Courtney, the author of the blog, is the most encouraging Christian mom who writes about relationships, parenting, Christianity, etc... I have followed her for quite some time now.  I look up to her and I don't even know her!  Occasionally she will post challenges for her readers or devotions.  Her current one is called Be My Valentine Marriage Challenge.  I am writing in response for my own life.  This weeks challenge is to praise my husband.  This is awesome because it's a reminder that no matter what happens in my daily life I need to praise him for the good he does for our family and for his job being a Marine.  Let's be real here.  It's a lot easier for me to point out all the bad characteristics and things I wish were different about my husband. However, if he was my version of the cookie cutter perfect husband, how boring would that be?!  During our little spats, I just wish he would see it my way.  I appreciate our differences! It makes our life interesting.  Silly things like how we wash clothes.  He likes to just throw them all together and call it good.  When we were newlyweds, we lived in a small apartment in Norfolk, VA.  At the apartment we had only coin laundry so we wouldn't do it very often.  One day when I was at work late, he decided that he was going to do our laundry all together which was a super sweet thought, but he didn't separate the whites and colors! Oh no!  When I realized this, I immediately checked all of my clothes.  My favorite white shirt had yellow all over it.  I had a cow was my first reaction but then a little while later I thanked him for his efforts in trying to help but to try better next time.  Poor hubby was all sad because he was just trying to help me out and didn't do it like how I liked.  I think it was around the same time he hung my clothes up but didn't color coordinate them.  That was another big no no from his new wife.  Almost 6 years years later, he has caught on.  I praise him for his efforts though!  He does a lot for this family!  He deals with a lot at work too.  I'm sure the last thing on his mind is how to sort my laundry or how to color coordinate my closet.  All to often I harp on him for doing things differently when I should praise him in the things he does so well!  I challenge you readers to do the same.  Praise more and complain less!  It's a rough thing for me to do as well.  Link up at: