Cleaning P.S.

I wanted to mention that this can be a very cheap way to clean too. That is always a big plus. :-) To make it the most cost effective here are a couple of tips. I buy a huge bag of baking soda at Walmart-I think it is 12lbs. of soda. It was a little under $7.00 which it quite a bit cheaper than the little boxes in the baking isle. I believe you can also get these big bags at Sam's or Costco. I buy the store brand vinegar in the huge gallon size. The biggest cost is the essential oils. I do not buy the expensive little bottles in the health food stores anymore. There are many online places where you can order larger quantities of an essential oil. The last time I ordered I purchased oils from New Directions. This is a much cheaper way to go and the bottles last me 1-2 years. Also, when I make our homemade bar soap I can use the oils in our soaps too. We often put a few drops of lavender oil in our baths as this oil is a very soothing, relaxing oil. Ooooo, I can smell the lovely smell now. :-)

A Clean, Chemical-Free Home

For those of you who have asked about natural cleaning... Several years ago I purchased a book titled, 'The Naturally Clean Home'. This book is where I have gotten most of my ideas. I use baking soda as a natural abrasive-an alternative to Comet. When I clean bathroom or kitchen sinks I sprinkle baking soda, drip a few drops of essential oil, and spray with my vinegar cleaner. Then I scrub, scrub, scrub. :-) From what I have read, distilled vinegar kills germs as do certain essential oils. I currently use orange oil or lavender oil. In the past I have used lemon, tea tree, and oregano. Lemon and lavender are my favorite aroma wise and I only use oils to clean with that have antibacterial properties. To clean the toilet I put around 1 cup of baking soda into the toilet. Then I add 1-2 cups of vinegar and watch it fizz. I let this sit while I clean the sink and mirror. When I am ready to scrub out the bowl I add 10 or so drops of essential oil and scrub until shiny. To mop floors I put about 2 cups of vinegar into the mop bucket, a small drizzle of dish soap (optional), 10 drops of oil and fill to 2/3 with hot water. The house smells wonderful when I am finished mopping. My all-purpose vinegar spray is 1/2 a spray bottle of water and 1/2 vinegar. I add 10-15 drops of oil to the spray bottle and always shake it before I use it. I use this for counters, mirrors, windows, dusting, and anything else that needs wiping up. I also frequently make my own laundry soap that is free of all the chemicals in regular detergents. All of this gives me peace of mind as we play on the floor, wear our clothes, eat off our dishes, and just breath the air in our home. There are no worries when my children use the cleaning supplies too. I never have to worry about Silas getting into the 'scary' things under the sink either. I love creating a home that is clean, peaceful, and healthy. Blessings dear ones. :-)

Free To Love

Weeks ago the Lord gave me a song after He set me free from some things. As people were surrounding me and praying for my freedom these words kept running through my mind, 'Free To Love'. I heard the Lord whisper to me that He is setting me and others free so that we can freely love others with His love. Here are the words...

1. Jesus I come to You, I hear You calling. I give you my chains and you've set me free, so free.
2. CHORUS: Free to love, free to give, and let the oppressed go free. Free to break chains of sin and release heavy burdens. Free to break every yoke and take care of the needy. Then Your light will shine forth as the morning. Hallelujah, hallelujah. We are free to love...set free to love...so free to love.
3. Jesus I need You, I know my weakness. You're my deliverer and my heart is free, so free.
4. CHORUS

I play it in the key of A but I don't think that is very helpful. Anyhow, I hope the words at least bless you and may we be totally free indeed...free to love Him and others.

His Painful Love

Our short life here in Texas has been filled with so many blessings. We sense His love and His presence so much. But, sometimes His great love for us seems painful. The Lord has been calling us higher and to a deeper level of brokeness and that is painful at times. We are being pruned and we want to fully yield to His hands so that in the coming days and years, we can yield abundant, life giving, beautiful fruit. It has continually come to my thoughts about being faithful each day. Do I FAITHFULLY do all of the things He has called me to each day? Or do I flop on the couch with a huff and wonder where a good book and chocolate are? I realize more than ever how much I need Him and how I can do nothing without Him. I am hopeless without Him, but I have everything with Him. With Him I can love unconditionally, I can reach my children's hearts as I train them, I can smile at my husband no matter what is happening in our life, I can sing with a heart of worship, I can serve our home and those in it all day long with joy, I can say no to things I shouldn't eat, I can get up with the birds and exercise, and so much more. But only if I stay broken at His feet. I can do none of this without Him. Our families' heart cry is to be like a city on a hill that shines it's light so that it cannot be hidden. But, more than ever, we are realizing that to be that it takes being faithful in the teeniest details of life. And that is what we want. O Lord, please continue this painful but so needed process. As someone sang to us recently, "He who began a good work in you, He who began a good work in you, will be faithful to complete it, will be faithful to complete it. He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you." Thank you Father for Your undeserving love.

Recommendation

I just recently found a lovely blog that I wanted to pass on to you all. I have been very encouraged and challenged as I have read Lauren's posts. Fix a cup of tea, maybe grab some kleenex, and have an open heart. Blessings! http://www.wearinghispurity.blogspot.com/

Homemade, authentic salsa!

There is a dear sister here that taught me how to make real salsa. Did you ever know that salsa can be so good that you crave it?? Well, I am here to testify that it can. :-) This sister grew up as a missionaries daughter in Mexico, so her recipe is the real deal. I wanted to share it will you all so that you can enjoy it too. Here is what you do: Take several tomatoes and a couple of jalapenos and steam them in a pot with a small amount of water for a few minutes. Drain off any remaining water and put them into the blender. Add a couple of cloves of garlic and a good amount of salt (sorry for the vagueness, you will probably have to experiment). Puree. Put this into a bowl and add finely chopped onions, cilantro, and lime juice to taste. This isn't a picky recipe, so relax and just do however much garlic, tomatoes, jalapenos, limes, salt, cilantro, and onions you think your family would like. I will give you a rough estimate of what I do. About 8 medium tomatoes, 2-3 jalapenos, a fist full of chopped cilantro, one medium onion, 4-5 limes, 2 cloves of garlic, and maybe 2-3 teaspoons of salt. Oooooo, yummy!! So very healthy and deliciously good! Enjoy~

The Texans :-)

As most of you know, we have moved to the BIG state of Texas. We feel overwhelmingly blessed with all the Lord has done since we arrived 7ish weeks ago. Our family moved here because we felt that the Lord put Texas on our hearts. We had no job, no house, and only knew of one family here. This past summer, Haley had started being pen-pals with their 12 year old daughter, but we didn't really know them. We had never spoken to them or met them. Even so, we just knew that we were supposed to move to Texas. Was it scary at times? Was it a big step of faith? Yes to both. But the Lord has been so very, very faithful. As we stepped out in obedience to what He told us, He has provided every step of the way. Since we have been here the Lord provided a home, a few jobs, gifts, and, most important, dear brothers and sisters in Christ to fellowship with. The people we have connected hearts with here are by far the biggest blessing from the Lord. How we already love them all. Also, the Lord is already doing some of what He brought us here for. From the day we arrived He has been digging deep into our hearts and setting all of us free from different things. One thing I can share about from my heart is the idea of being open, warm-hearted, and soft as a woman of God. I have had walls of protection around my heart, not letting myself be totally vulnerable and transparent with people. This affects how I can truly show God's love to others. I hope this makes some sense. :-) When you see these things, openness, warmness, transparency, in a woman of God, it is beautiful. More importantly, it surrounds you with the love of God. This area is a place where the Lord is setting me free and breaking down those walls. It is so wonderful to see what He is doing in our family and we pray He doesn't stop. We want to be transformed into His image, ready to show His love to anyone whom we may meet. How exciting!! The Lord is so good. ~ We love you all, Andrea