Ginger Garrett

The kids are back at school and I am getting ready to plunge into a busy fall. I’ll be working with Michelle Phillips of MindBeautySpirit.com on her forthcoming book on inner  beauty and radiant style. I can’t wait. You will all love Michelle–I can’t wait to introduce her book to you.

I also just finished the last historical from the Scribe era, entitled WOLVES AMONG US. The story centers on an isolated wife and mother in medieval Germany. When she is swept into the madness of the witchhunts, she must choose between security, truth, and passion. Unlike the other Scribe series, this book won’t have a lot of supernatural elements or characters. In an era that saw a devil behind every little misfortune, good people lost all perspective–and their lives. I’m excited to see if my readers can read the Inquisitor’s theories and still walk away sure of what they believe–and why.

Meanwhile, I’ll also be stuck on the couch yet AGAIN this fall, having a repeat performance of my ankle surgery from 2009. Can’t say I’m excited. I know that I will have enormous blocks of time for writing, for which I am exceedingly grateful, but I am also blue. I don’t do well in captivity. I need adventure, endorphins, and adrenaline, and all three before lunch if possible.

I’ll be putting together the August newsletter next week, and announcing this month’s winner of a signed book, so if you haven’t registered for the newsletter yet, get it done. I always have tidbits that you’ll want to share and inspiring thoughts to get you through your day with a smile on your face.

Until we meet,

Ginger

Lots of us are thinking through our resolutions for 2010, and it reminds me of something Steve Arterburn once told his Lose It For Life audience: if you could do it on your own, you would have. (I am loosely quoting Steve here, but the gist is the same.)

His point was that if you are struggling to make a life change, you need to enlist the help and support of others. Don’t expect yourself to do in 2010 what you were unable to do–alone–in 2009. 

That’s why I have made the decision to bring in a professional home organizer in 2010. I need help executing what I know needs to be done here in my cluttered home and office. It’s a bit embarassing to admit I need the help. I know what needs to be done. I even know how to do it. But as long as I try to do it alone, I’ll keep making excuses and switching priorities.

That’s my first step to making 2010 a good year for everyone under my roof. Here’s wishing that you, too, have a good New Year!

(And if you decided to tackle your weight issues next year, be sure to read Steve’s bestselling book, Lose It For Life, co-authored with Dr. Linda Mintle. It’s packed with solid, compassionate advice and counsel.)

I’d love to sign a book for you this Christmas.

If you’re planning on giving any of my books as a gift, you have two options to get them personalized by me. If you order them off this site, you can request that I sign them for you. I can add anyone’s name and even a short note. 

If you are not buying them off this site, I can still sign them for you! All you need to do is send me an email with your mailing address and the number of books you’re giving this year. I’ll sign bookplates and mail them to you. (Bookplates are special adhesive “plates” that can be affixed on the inside cover of any book.) There’s no charge–consider this a Christmas gift from me to you. I’ve already been sending out these signed bookplates and I think it makes getting a book more fun for everyone.

One last tidbit of Merry Christmas news: be watching in a week or so for the first-ever holiday book tour with your favorite authors. A big group of authors is banding together to link blogs, and every blog will feature a video of a popular author sending Christmas greetings to everyone.

I have to keep this short because I need to go clean my house…it’s time to record my video!

I’m finished with my speaking engagements for 2009 and looking forward to a relaxing Thanksgiving.

Okay, that’s a bit of a lie.

In truth, I am scrambling to finish writing a young adult novel set here in my own backyard in the North Georgia mountains. As soon as I finish it, I have to go back and edit it, which involves showing it to my critique group and blushing furiously. After they hack it pieces, I’ll edit it again and hopefully have it in my agent’s hands after Christmas. 

I then have to edit the last book in the Scribe series, which needs some serious work before I turn it in, and then begin work–finally!–on the Serpent Moon stories I left behind. The first might be Delilah. We’re still deciding.

That’s a lot of writing and editing! I need to recharge my artistic batteries, but I am hoping they will recharge as I write. A little (or a lot!) of pumpkin pie will help. As will a few mornings of sleeping in. I am thankful in advance for all the blessings Thanksgiving brings!

I am also wishing you many, many reasons to be thankful. May this season stir your imagination, warm your heart, and lift your eyes to the source of all good things.

Join me this Saturday for the Awaken with Joy conference in Canton, Georgia at the Northside Hospital Cherokee Conference Center. The conference features Angie Williams, author of Womenn at War, and music from By Design. Tickets are $15 which includes lunch and an entire day of being nurtured, healed and encouraged.

You can learn more at:

www.awakenwithjoy.com

This Thursday, the 22nd, I’ll be chatting it up with Atlanta’s favorite radio morning show hosts, Kevin & Taylor In the Morning. We’re talking about Sunday morning emergencies. If you’ve got to get everyone out of the house on time and looking good, conditions are ripe for snafus to surface.

Here are a few time-tested tips to help you get out the door for church without losing your testimony:

SUNDAY MORNING EMERGENCIES

Traveling doing media I needed an emergency kit to handle any last minute disaster. Then I noticed I was raiding it when I was at home, too.  Emergencies always happen when you need to get the whole family out the door at the same time.

It’s a good idea to put the kit in one spot where everyone knows where it is because you don’t always want to be interrupted to handle minor emergencies

What to Keep In Your Emergency Kit:

Double sided fashion tape (available at Wal-Mart in the lingerie department)

Safety pins in different colors

Lint roller

Baby wipes
BOUNCE dryer sheets

SHOUT stain wipes

Scissors

Hairbrush

Superglue

Q-tips

Keep your emergency kit in the car for those last minute, “I’ve got to fix this!” nightmares.

Here are a few tips for common annoyances:

NECKLINE OR SHIRT THAT GAPS OPEN?

In

The problem with using a safety pin to hold a neckline closed is that it always seems to pucker a bit and be an obvious problem. I like to use a post earring on top of the safety pin to make it look a bit more glamorous and disguise the safety pin.

If you inherited any clip-on earrings from Grandma, these work, too.

BRA STRAP THAT KEEPS SLIPPING AND SHOWING

You can use double-sided tape to keep it in place but the trick is to remember to stick the tape in between the garment and the bra strap. Don’t try to tape the strap to your skin—natural oils can make the tape less effective

I don’t recommend trying to safety pin the strap to your shirt because when you move, it can pull and rip the shirt.

DOG HAIR
Dog lovers swear by Bounce dryer sheets—not only for repelling hair but for getting it off. Use them in the dryer as well as emergency “wipes” to remove dog hair

LOOSE BUTTONS

            If you see a button is about to come off, you can use a little superglue dabbed on with a Q-tip, or clear nail polish, to seal the loose threads and keep the button on .

Blemishes that appear overnight

Consider adding a blemish concealer stick into your Sunday morning emergency kit: a blemish stick combines blemish medication plus a concealer. They’re great to have on hand. Find them at WalMart, Target, anywhere skin care products are sold

If you don’t have one handy and you need a short term fix, you can conceal it if you know the right order for foundation and concealer. For blemishes, you work backwards: it’s foundation first, then concealer.

First, apply a light layer of foundation over the blemish using a sponge or brush, a light dusting of powder, and then apply a light layer of concealer over that.

If you apply concealer first, it tends to slide off, because blemishes are warmer than the rest of your skin. All the blood is drawn to the inflammation, which makes that little bit of skin warmer than the surrounding skin, and it can melt concealers off.

Undereye circles

Our eyes give everything away: if we’ve been up too late, or trapped in a room with cigarette smoke, or we watched Terms of Endearment before bed, our eyes will look terrible the next day. So these are a few beauty tips that actually work:

1. This first one is a redneck beauty tip for puffy eyes. Get two spoons and pop them in the fridge for a minute or two, then press them against your closed eyes. The cool metal will go to work immediately reducing puffiness and irritation and I promise…you’re going to look silly but feel so much better.

2. If you have trouble with undereye circles a lot, you need to keep on hand a color corrector. You buy it in the makeup section of any big retailer. It looks like a tube of concealer, but it has a yellow tone. That’s because yellow cancels out the dark blue circles. But the trick is in the application: you want to make sure you apply a moisturizer first so the concealer glides on and doesn’t look gloppy. Use just a little concealer, and then Put your normal foundation or powder over this with a light touch.

 Email me with your own tips and I’ll post them next week!

This week on Atlanta’s favorite morning radio program, Kevin & Taylor In The Morning, I’m sharing some insider secrets from the beauty industry tthat will save all you recessionistas some big money. Here are my notes from the interview, and don’t forget to join me this Sunday at Atlanta’s premier consumer lifestyle expo, The Passion Drive Life show. For more info and tix, visit www.passiondrivenlife.com 

I’ll be there Sunday at 3pm and my live shows are filled with laughter, encouragement, and information you can’t get anywhere else. You’ll walk away from the Passion Driven Life event feeling refreshed and energized, ready to rediscover what you’re truly passionate about.

Secrets from the Salon:Want to stretch the time between salon visits and still keep your hair, nails and skin looking salon-fresh? You can save money and time with a few secrets from the pro’s: 

NAILS

• Always use a base coat formulated to increase adhesion of polish

• Clear top coat can be reapplied every other day and make sure you paint the front edge of your nail, not just the top

• Choose a color with shimmer or tiny glitter speckles: those have the longest adhesion

SKIN

• You can pick a good night cream and skip the eye cream. Eye creams are usually more expensive and you get less anyway.

• Studies aren’t usually done on cosmetics the same way they’re done for drugs, but one study was done of women who used multiple products: eye cream, moisturizing night cream, etc., and these women got the same good results even when they stopped using their eye cream.

• If you want to buy one of the more expensive creams but your budget won’t stretch that far, there is a company called Reviva Labs that uses very high end ingredients and has a very small price tag. You can visit my favorite website, www.iherb.com and type in the company name Reviva, and you’ll see creams that are formulated with many of the same ingredients of pricey department store brands—with a very small price tag. Most of them are under $20.

I don’t have any financial connection to this company or this website, but this is the best deal going for high end skin creams without a high price.  

HAIR

VINEGARVinegar, especially apple cider vinegar, has been a folklore legend for treating everything from heartburn to arthritis.  

Here’s what the science says:

• Studies show it lowers blood sugar and may slow down the rate your stomach empties your last meal. So…it can keep you feeling satisfied longer and keep your blood sugar from spiking after a meal with a lot of carbs.

But here’s the downside: it can be hard on your teeth and on your stomach and it tastes horrible. 

I interviewed Dr. Carol Johnston the scientist who pioneered the studies on vinegar and she told me any vinegar should have the same effect as apple cider vinegar. You can use a flavored vinegar, which tastes better, and get the same results. I’ve been using a blueberry flavored red wine vinegar for a couple of weeks and I’ve noticed what a lot of other people say: a couple of tablespoons in the afternoon does give extra energy and cuts down on the craving for sweets and munchies. 

Want a bit more science?

• In  the Harvard Nurses Study, women who used vinegar and oil dressings several times a week had a significantly lower risk of fatal heart disease

• In separate studies, women who consumed vinegar in the morning ate fewer calories throughout the day and reported feeling less hungry

• Red wine vinegars contain more antioxidants than apple cider vinegars

• Studies have shown that women who consume the most antioxidants will develop fewer wrinkles

But a few words of caution:

• Don’t buy vinegar pills: they don’t contain the active ingredient, acetic acid. You can consider using cinnamon instead, which does the same thing: it lowers blood sugar and may affect the rate at which your stomach will empty out.

• BUT: if you’re diabetic, you must talk to your doctor before you add anything into your regimen that will affect your blood sugar levels.

• If you want to use it, ask your dentist about switching to a toothpaste and mouthwash made to protect enamel.

• And, don’t use vinegar that is labeled as unpasteurized.

Are you ready to dream big? Make plans now to attend the Passion Driven Life expo in Atlanta on October 10-11:

PASSION DRIVEN Life is the ultimate consumer lifestyle show designed to ignite your life’s passions. Whether it’s finding that career you love, learning on how to build better relationships, tasting the finest wines, finding that dream getaway or just simply uncovering the secrets of creating the most delicious gourmet foods, we know that you will discover your passion and enjoy our show for a weekend of fun, inspiration, entertainment and teaching!

I’ll be a featured speaker and I’ll be doing some great giveaways plus sharing with you the best tips on natural beauty that’s budget-friendly and honors your beautiful, God-given design.

Make plans to come see me!

 The line up of celebrities and bestselling authors means this will be a great event to inspire and ignite your passion for living!

You can get a great deal on emu oil from one of my favorite companies, iHerb.com at this link:

http://www.iherb.com/Kalaya-Calandri-Emu-Essentials-Emu-Oil-4-fl-oz/14434?at=0

It’s about $15 for 4 ounces, which is a good deal and will last you quite a while. Also, check out the post below for info on Kimberly Clo’s new DVD and how you can win a free copy!

On 104.7 The Fish in Atlanta, this week I’m featuring some great (read: inexpensive) tips for all you recessionistas.

One of my favorite new products is a DVD from Kimberly Clo as part of the “Now You Know How” series. Kimberly, hairstylist to the stars, shows us mere mortals how to achieve that fabulously fresh-from-the-salon look, using only a blow dryer, a brush, and your favorite styling product. Now You Know How…To Blow Dry Your Hair will teach you the secrets to beautiful hair by teaching you how to use your blow dryer like the pros do.

The DVD was a goodie bag giveaway for celebrities at the Emmy awards and retails for $49.95. But if you’re registered for our newsletter, one reader will be chosen at random to receive a free copy.

For more scoop on the DVD, visit www.nowyouknowhow.com

And check out the bonus interview below, with Kimberly Clo giving us the inside scoop on a few of my reader’s top questions:

1. How can I hold my style on humid days?  The best advice I can give is to blow dry each section of hair until shines, not just until it seems “dry.”  If you have removed every drop of humidity from the hair during the blow dry your style will have a real fighting chance against the humidity in the environment.

2. Does the type of hair dryer matter?  Yes.  Like anything in life, it’s best to have the right tool for the job.  A conventional blow dryer will eventually get your hair dry if that is all you are looking for, but if you want healthier, shinier hair in half the time it is worth it to use the best technology available.  

We see ads for super-expensive models that promise better results and faster drying times. What really matters when choosing a dryer? Look for an Ionic dryer preferably one that uses tourmaline.  Conventional dryers blow hot air fast so that the water will evaporate and dry your hair whereas the Ionic technology actually uses negative ions to attract the positive water molecules out of the hair leaving it even shinier and healthier.   Also look for low EMF which stands for electro magnetic frequency.  Suffice it to say, you want to be exposed to as little as you can.