Confidence

I never used to think of myself as someone who lacked confidence.  I always thought I was just very realistic.  I mean, realistically, I knew I didn’t have the opportunities and coaching as a volleyball player as I would have had in a larger city, nor was I 6 foot tall and therefore my abilities were not at the Division I College level.  That’s realistic.  I knew my abilities as a piano player were not at concert pianist level, totally realistic.  I knew I could carry a tune, pick out harmonies and be a good back-up singer for those with more impressive voices.  Very true and very realistic.

I’ve always believed God gives us all gifts, His purpose is always to turn hearts toward Him and for some reason He wants to use us crazy humans to do that.  I was content in admitting my limitations and moving on, figuring there must be other gifts He’d given me, other areas He could really use me, because those gifts were obviously not good enough.   Years later I found myself very busy with things that drained me, very involved, very active but finding no fulfillment, purpose or meaning in any of them.  I couldn’t figure out why I felt this way when I was actively serving in church, spending time in prayer and studying my bible, serving my family and others.  I was severely lacking confidence and joy but I didn’t know why or how to change it. 

I’ve been writing about my journey through The Creative Call these past six months as I’ve been exploring and identifying the gifts God’s given me and discovering my creative call.  It turns out a huge part of this journey has been God restoring the confidence I never thought I lacked.  I’m having so much fun using the gifts He’s given me, gifts I thought weren’t good enough just months ago, and living in this place of knowing I am pleasing Him and glorifying Him.  That’s exactly where I want to be and it’s so enjoyable to be there without second guessing myself all the time.

It’s funny, because from the outside it may look as if nothing’s changed.  I still go about my day much the same as I always did.  There’s still the monotony of cleaning, cooking, and caring for my family.  My job hasn’t changed, the way I spend most of my time hasn’t changed.  I’m still busy and involved in many things.  But when I play the piano now, I play with purpose and confidence instead of guilt and frustration over having let it go for so long.  I know my practice is making me better, bringing me closer to a goal and I know the music I play, even the wrong notes, are pleasing to my Lord.   When I sing, I’m singing a little louder, a little stronger, with the confidence that I am right where God wants me.  With an attitude of praise and a heart of worship that I know without a doubt pleases Him, no matter what I sound like or whether anybody else hears me or not.  When I write, I write from a humble place, knowing I have a long ways to go but knowing also that it’s a journey God has me on and I need to be diligent in continuing that journey.  What a difference and what a joyous way to live!

I didn’t even know this is what I was working toward.  I didn’t know what God had in store for me and I still don’t know where I'm headed.  But I am confident I have the ability, only through Him, to be wherever He takes me.  I am confident only in Him and the freedom He has given me.  I need only to live in that, willingly, joyfully and thankfully.  

Clean - Home Edition

I know you’re all on pins and needles waiting for this.  The stars of my last post were baking soda and coconut oil with a bit of castile soap and apple cider vinegar.  Introducing today’s star:  Vinegar!!

I’m sure you all have noticed the Pinterest articles and Facebook posts about the amazing things that can be done with vinegar.  If you haven’t tried them, though, you’re in luck.  Because I’ve tried them and have landed on what I think are the most effective, cheap, non-toxic cleaners for your home.  I’ll also include a couple of things I just think it’s worth buying.  If you’re a housewife like me who needs things done efficiently, effectively and for as cheap as possible, you might find this post helpful.   Or it may just further convince you I really am a dirty hippie J

First things first, whenever I peel an orange, lemon, grapefruit, or lime, I throw it in a Ziploc bag in the freezer.  Then, when I have time, I put the peels in a jar and fill it up with plain white vinegar.  Left to sit for a few weeks, this makes a citrusy smelling vinegar that has extra cleaning power.  I definitely prefer it to plain vinegar smell as I’m cleaning and I love reusing things that would normally be thrown away.  I put this vinegar into spray bottles in each of my bathrooms.  I also cut up old t-shirts as rags and keep them in the bathroom.  The goal is to daily spray and wipe down the sinks and toilets.  Reality is, this happens a couple times a week.  Vinegar really works to cut through the grime.  I also use it on the mirrors.  As long as I use a microfiber cloth, there are no streaks.  No more Windex in my house!

When the showers are looking a bit grimy I spray them down with a mixture of 1 t. Dawn dish soap and 1 cup white vinegar.  This stuff is amazing!  I spray it on, leave for about 10 minutes and then just wipe it off with a cloth and rinse.  All the scum comes right off!  I used to use a daily shower spray and have experimented with a more diluted Dawn/Vinegar  every day solution, but honestly it’s just easier for me to clean it every couple of weeks. 

For the toilets, I spray them with the straight citrus vinegar and take a scrub brush to them.  This seems to do the trick well.    And for the floors, vinegar and hot water.  Vinegar is amazing, I’m telling you!  It disinfects, prevents mildew, dissolves dirt and grime, it simply cleans.  And if you’re worried about the smell, don’t!  It dissipates as soon as it dries so it will only smell for a little bit. 

For the kitchen, I make an all-purpose cleaner.  The basic recipe is:  ½ t. castile soap, 1 t. borax, ½ cup citrus vinegar and fill the rest of the spray bottle up with water.  This recipe just provides extra cleaning power for surfaces our food is on J  I use it on the counters, table, booster seat, appliances and sink.  I also try to spray the sink with straight vinegar every night and wipe it down just to make it shiny.  The floors get mopped with vinegar and hot water. 

I want you to know I have really tried to make my own dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent.  I’ve tried many different recipes, powdered, liquid, simple, very difficult.  None of them have worked well enough for me or been worth the time, effort, and weird ingredients.  So, I buy them.  I’m happy with the cheap Arm ‘n Hammer laundry detergent I can get in bulk size at Sam’s and I love the Members Mark liquid dishwasher detergent from Sam’s.  I use about half what the label calls for of both of these and still have good results.  I know, I know, they are toxic, but a girl can only do so much, right?  I choose not to worry or stress about it.  I put vinegar in the Jet Dry spot of the dishwasher which works wonderfully.  I also use vinegar as my fabric softener and love the results.  I just throw a couple dryer balls in the dryer with the clothes to prevent static cling.

That’s about it.  Vinegar is stupid cheap in huge bottles at Sams J  You can clean your entire house for cheap, cheap, cheap!  The hard part is actually getting motivated to clean.  This is why we’ve employed a family cleaning day on Sunday afternoons.  My husband acts as the drill sergeant handing out assignments and ensuring they’re done correctly and we all run around like crazy getting it all done.  It takes less than an hour and has been so helpful for me.  The rest of the family may not agree, but I love it!  

Thanks for bearing with me as I share all this.  I know these posts are long, but I promise it’s easier than it sounds!  You probably haven’t noticed, but I happen to be a bit word-y J  

Clean - Literally

I realize I’m quite random with this blog, this is me in real life!  Just when you get accustomed to my “deeper” ramblings on life a post like this comes along.  I’ve had quite a few people ask me about my homemade cleaning and personal care recipes so I thought I’d put them here.  I really want you to understand that I am not a crazy, crunchy, won’t put anything toxic on my body or anywhere near my children kind of person.  I have not done extensive research on parabens or SLS or anything of the like, I don’t have time for that!  I am not an expert on any of this stuff so don’t come after me if these don’t work for you.  Here are my requirements when it comes to the things I clean my body or my home with: 

•               easy to make
•        uses ingredients I can easily find
•        it works
•          it’s cheap

If it’s natural, better for my skin, better for the environment, non-toxic, etc. then that’s a bonus I’ll gladly take!  Trust me when I say I’ve tried about everything I’ve come across, and these are the things that have worked for me and fit my requirements.  I’ll separate this subject into 2 separate posts and start today with my personal care items by walking you through my day.

When I first wake up, I swish with about 1 tsp of coconut oil for 20 minutes or until everybody wakes up and expects me to talk to them.  I love starting my morning off with “what’s in your mouth?”  “what are you doing?”  and my favorite, “mom, talk a me!”   It’s called oil pulling, you can google it for all the specifics.  I’ve only recently started doing this in an attempt to remineralize a cavity the dentist is saying will probably require a crown.  I’ll let you know if it works.   

After that, I brush with a paste made from coconut oil, baking soda, xylitol and peppermint essential oil.  I just mix the baking soda and coconut oil until it forms a nice paste and then add the xylitol and peppermint oil to taste.   I certainly don’t want to get into a discussion about fluoride or why I do or don’t use it, but I’ve used this homemade version for quite a while now.  I just recently went to the dentist after a 6 year hiatus (gross, I know).  While I did have a couple cavities (hence the oil pulling experiment), the hygienist went on and on about how great my teeth looked, how little plaque there was, etc.  She was amazed I hadn’t had a cleaning in so long.  That’s enough encouragement for me to continue using my homemade concoction!

In the shower I always use glycerin soap from Glisten Naturals (shameless plug).   Glycerin soap is a humectant which means it seals in the moisture instead of stripping it like commercial soap.  The organic glycerin soap doesn’t contain any harsh, toxic ingredients and is great for everyone in your family.  It’s extra cheap for me because I help make it J  But we’ve recently added a line that will make it affordable for you, too!  Check us out at www.glistennaturals.com.  (End shameless plug).

I wash my hair every 5 days with a very diluted (20:1 ratio) water and castile soap.  I can do this because I’ve already transitioned my hair when I did the no-poo with baking soda.  My scalp no longer experiences the drying effects of washing with shampoo every day and stays cleaner, longer.   I’ll write a post soon updating you on that.  I rinse with a half and half mixture of apple cider vinegar and water. 

After my shower, I slather on coconut oil from face to toes as my moisturizer.  Love this stuff!  As for deodorant, I alternate between storebought whatever’s cheapest and a paste made out of, you guessed it, baking soda and coconut oil.  For some reason, this paste sometimes gives me a rash, but I know deodorant is very toxic so I try to use the homemade version as much as possible.  And yes, I brush my teeth with basically the same thing I put under my armpits J  I don’t keep them in the same jar, though, I’m not that dirty hippie!

I use Bare Minerals foundation but everything else is just the cheap stuff.  At night, I wash my face with coconut oil mixed with a couple drops of eucalyptus oil.  I massage it in my face and then put a hot washcloth over my face to draw out the dirt and junk.  I keep the washcloth on for about 30 seconds, rinse with hot water and put it back on my face.  I don’t scrub, just gently wipe, and then massage the leftover oil in my face.  I love this oil cleansing method!  You can google that, too, there’s lots of ways people suggest to do it.  It doesn’t make my face greasy, the coconut oil absorbs right in and leaves my face clean and moisturized. 

There you have it.  I love that my medicine cabinet is basically empty of all commercial stuff.  It has coconut oil, baking soda and some essential oils.  Talk about cheap and easy!  I don’t spend hours mixing things, either.  When I run out it takes a couple minutes to replenish.  And when I travel I just take along a small jar of coconut oil and a baggy of baking soda.  I’m really just a simple gal!  I buy my coconut oil from Tropical Traditions or through the local Bountiful Baskets co-op (www.bountifulbaskets.org)  and my baking soda in a very large bag at Sams Club.  Both items are inexpensive and last a long time.  I usually order my castile soap on Amazon, but you can find it at Target or even your local grocery store.  It seems expensive, but a large bottle which is usually about $14 lasts me at least 6 months with the small amount I use.   Way less than I was spending on scalp-healing shampoos before!

I’m sure you are all so interested in my beauty routine (insert sarcasm) but stay tuned for my cleaning routines!