Steeping in the Word: 90 Day Challenge

Do you ever have a desire to just delve into the word of God and swim in the midst of it?  Or be so immersed in the Word that you wrap it around you like a cozy blanket that keeps you safe from the often bitter winds of the world?

I have a strong desire to just steep in the word of God for 90 days!  I love to read and learn.  You can often find me with my nose in a book.  But once in awhile I just get so tired of listening to all these other 'voices'  when I just want to be near God and hear what He is saying!

I also have to confess I am not good at setting long term goals and following through (meaning I am terrible at following the 1 year through the Bible plan). Though, I have done the 90 day challenge before and was able to finish it!  Granted, it took me something like 121 days.. but I am ok with that!  The point is to soak in the word of God and let it change you and mold you to be more like Jesus- not to just say you read the Bible in 90 days...

The Challenge:

    - Read through the Bible in 90 Days: starting on Tuesday, June 3, 2014.  Will you join me?

The Motive: 

    - To draw closer to the Lord and to know Him more.

 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
- Colossians 3:16

 

What if I'm too Busy?

    - Last year when I was in the middle of reading the Bible in 90 days, our family moved to another state and I gave birth to our youngest!   This year we are planning a couple of trips, one that includes traveling to Africa.  I personally love doing the challenge during these hectic times because the Word of God grounds me and gives me peace.  So I hope this encourages you to give it a go, no matter what stage of life you are in!

Need Accountability?

   - I started a Facebook group called 'Steeping in the Word' and would be happy to have you join the group if it will help motivate you to stay on schedule!  Let's encourage each other..

My Prayer:

  That God would bless this extended time in His Word and that we He would be glorified and exalted in our lives because of this.  I also am praying that this challenge would not be seen as a way to earn God's approval but that we would be motivated by His unconditional love for us.

So... are you in?  Comment here if you are participating!

What is.... Essential Rewards? + Free Printable!

Have you been looking for.. hoping for.. a way to get free oils from Young Living?  Well, look no further friends, you have just stumbled upon THE secret!   Ok, ok... so it's not really a secret...

It's called Essential Rewards.

What?
It's an autoship program:  a way to order essential oils from Young Living on a monthly basis, available to wholesale members only.

Why sign up for Essential Rewards instead of placing a regular order?

In two words?  FREE oils.

Here are some of the awesome benefits of being on Essential Rewards:

• discounted shipping price ($6.95 for ER order vs. $9.95 on a regular order)
• earn PV points, which you can redeem after 2 months for product with the same amount of PV or less
• monthly promotion- order 190PV and get 2 free oils (this month it is Deep Relief and Ravinstara)
• keep a constant 100 PV Essential Rewards order to qualify for all bonuses and commissions
• access to special Essential Reward kits

Earning points/product credit on your orders:

• 1-6 months on ER = 10% of your order
• 7-12 months on ER= 15% of your order
• 13+ months on ER= 20% of your order

Break it down:
If you order 100 PV in month 1 on Essential Rewards, you will earn 10 points on that order.
Then you order 100 PV in month 2 on Essential Rewards, you will earn 10 more points = 20 points total.
So in month 3, you can redeem your 20 points for a product that is 20 PV or less and all you will pay is shipping!  (Or save up your points and order Ningxia Red or a kit!)

Free Printable:
I like to make lists and plan out what I will buy, so I developed this simple and fun order form.  I plan to print mine out, write down what I want to order each month (including my wish list) and then check them off as they are ordered.  I hope this free printable  will be helpful for you, too!

If you are not a wholesale member, when you sign up here, you can also start your Essential Rewards right away!

Day #6: Cleaning Advice from an Older and Much Wiser Woman

In the spirit of Titus 2- where older women are encouraged to mentor younger women on how to love their husbands and children and take care of their homes- I have asked Debbie some questions about how she goes about her spring cleaning and cleaning in general.   I hope her wisdom will encourage you today and motivate you to keep on serving the Lord by caring for your home!

Author's note: Debbie is a wonderful, godly woman who is a mother of 7 children.  She has 2 still at home, and often will take in others who need a place to stay or she is off at the church heading up the children's programs.  God has blessed her with much energy and wisdom.  I am so thankful for the time that she was able to mentor me, before we moved.  Here is our conversation:

What is your favorite go-to cleaner?

I use many of the products sold by Don Aslett from the Clean Report – they are NOT all-natural but very effective and work well on my rust stains from hard water and other cleaning challenges that I have faced during the years.  I also use microfiber cloths that really make clean up easier (I buy those from Sam's Club).

How long does your spring cleaning actually take you? 

I usually set aside 2 weeks to do my entire house.  I used to be able to do it in a week but I must be slowing down.  :)

Is there a certain scripture passage/music that inspires you as your clean?

I listen to “peppy” music when I am cleaning to help keep me moving.  I am a morning person so I tackle it right away after I have had my quiet time!

How do you recommend that moms with little kids go about their spring cleaning?

Tackle a room at a time – even a drawer or a closet at a time and keep it clutter free and organized.  It takes time to plow through an entire house but is well worth it when you are finished and keep it up.

Any words of advice as far as involving children in the cleaning process?

The Village Church has an excellent appendix with their parenting class ,with specific jobs you can assign to children to train them. 

(This resource in found towards the back of the pdf.  It lists out age-appropriate chores from 9 months-10 years! It looks like a great resource to print out and put in your homemaking binder or hang on your fridge!)

When there seems to be 5,000,000 things you HAVE to do and cleaning is one of them, how do you prioritize and keep everything in perspective?

Start my day always with the Lord and ask Him to order my day and bring order to my day!

What is your favorite thing about spring cleaning?

My favorite thing about spring cleaning is to finish a room and then sit in there and enjoy the fruits of my labor!  I enter each room with three boxes:  one for trash, one to give away and one to place in another room.  This helps me really 'purge' a room and either find a new home for items or get rid of it all together.  Either way, I leave a room with a sense of accomplishment! 


The hardest part of spring cleaning is GETTING STARTED!

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Thanks Debbie for your wisdom!  I loved hearing her perspective and encouragement, especially the reminder to seek the Lord first in ALL things (even cleaning!).

"Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."  Colossians 3:23-24

Day 2: From Grimy to Shiny!

Ok.. I have been SO excited to start this challenge to clean naturally for 30 days!!  Though now I'm a bit nervous to reveal to you how my sink normally looks!  But alas, today's challenge was to find a natural, homemade sink scouring powder. So here goes..I am going to be real with you.  Here is a before picture:



Please take special note of the rust stains on the bottom of the sink and the nastiness encircling the drains.  Perhaps I should have done a close up, but this will have to do! :)

Normally I would use:  This part is a bit embarrassing, too!  So I have already confessed that I am not a stellar housekeeper, so hopefully you won't be too shocked to find out that I normally just use dish soap to clean out my sink. (*gasp!*)

This month I am using: Kitchen Scouring Powder  -  I found this super simple recipe from the DIY Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes ebook.

Ingredients:  I love, love, LOVE the fact that I had all these ingredients already!



I was able to pick my essential oil of choice- so I went with Young Living's Citrus Fresh essential oil.  It has a great crisp, clean scent which is perfect for spring cleaning a kitchen sink!  (The glass shaker was purchased at the Dollar Tree.)Here is my little helper measuring out the baking soda..



I added about 25 drops of essential oil because I really wanted to smell it when I was scouring!  We even made our own paper funnel to pour the mixture into the glass shaker. After we had put the lid on, we covered the holes with a towel and shook up the mixture to get the clumps of essential oil to dissolve.  This seemed to do the trick!

Getting Down to Business- Sink Scouring:

1. I took everything off of my sink and sadly did not have any sponges available- so I used a dish rag.


2. Making sure the sink was slightly wet, I shook out the powder all over the sink.  Then I used my dish rag, along with an (old :) ) toothbrush to get in the crevices, and scrubbed the sink.


3. There were still a couple of rust stains that had been there a long time, so I shook the powder on those spots and scrubbed with a toothbrush.  Waaaa-laaaaa!  They disappeared!!


4. Then I rinsed everything off and was SUPER impressed with how clean and smooth the sink felt.  Downside?  No shine. :(  I was really hoping for a shiny sink when I was done so I could ooh and ahh!  (Do you see the right side is not as shiny, below?)


5. What to do?! I just kept reading through the ebook!  Towards the back of the DIY recipes book, I found it!  Could it be this simple?!?  OLIVE OIL.   Yes... it takes 1 ingredient, a soft cloth and some elbow grease.  Are you as amazed as I am, that olive oil shined my sink?!  This is a new revelation to me!  It was SO pretty I wanted to put up some yellow tape and close the sink down for the day!

Time Estimate:  10 minutes to make scouring powder, 10 minutes to give the sink a good scrub and 5 minutes to buff out some shine.  = 25 minutes of spring cleaning today

$ Estimate:  $1  Since I had all the ingredients anyway and just had to purchase the glass shaker, it was a great deal!

Overall Rating for Kitchen Sink Scouring Powder:  4.5/5

Conclusion:

The only downside: my hands were a bit irritated from using the cleaner in the beginning (perhaps the salt and scrubbing action combined?)  

The upside: My sink has NEVER been quite this beautiful before!  I was so excited to get such great results from all natural, essential oil infused homemade cleaners!!

What do you use to scour your sink and get it to shine?  Let me know if you try this recipe-  I would love to hear it worked for you!   Happy cleaning!

 

 

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Please remember I am not a doctor or professional and the FDA has not approved these items for  the prevention or treatment purposes.  It’s important that you do your own research and consult your doctor with any health issues you might have.  This post contains affiliate links- thank you for supporting our family and ministry by using them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

30 Days of Spring Cleaning - Naturally!

Cleaning?  Naturally??  For 30 days?  Why not!  Who is with me?!


Only recently have I organized my Pinterest boards, in hopes that they would be useful to others.  As a result, I have noticed more people pinning from my boards and more specifically, following the Cleaning Naturally with Essential Oils board.  So, due to popular interest and my own lackluster cleaning routine, I thought April would be a great time to get myself into gear!  I am taking the challenge to use only natural cleaning products during my Spring Cleaning this month!

My goal? To share with you how I will switch out regular cleaning products (with chemicals) to a simpler, more natural way of cleaning our home. My hope is that this will be a positive change in caring for the overall health of my family.

Tools You Might Find Helpful for the 30 Day Challenge:

1. A desire to learn and possibly even ENJOY cleaning!  (I'm praying for this myself!:)


2. Non-Toxic Cleaning Recipes : this beautiful ebook is my go-to manual for the next 30 days.  Most of the recipes I try, will come from this treasure trove!  It's a great reference where you can find inexpensive, all natural cleaning recipes.  For a limited time, it is even 25% off! 


3. Essential Oils:  I love Young Living therapeutic grade oils because of the high quality and a little goes a long way!  I am so excited to start adding them to our cleaning routine and see what health benefits come from this.  You can visit my Young Living website to order, if you would like to purchase some for the next 30 days!

If you have a tight budget right now, feel free to follow along and Pin things for the future!

What to Look Forward to for the Month of April:

1. Advice from an older woman:  I hope to interview 1 or 2 older and much wiser women than myself to get their take on spring cleaning and how they use this time to bless their family by taking care of the home.


2. A guest post (or 2): One of my good friends uses essential oils AND Norwex.  She is planning to share her favorite cleaning products with you- I can't wait!


3. Reviews on homemade cleaning recipes- I will be honest with you and let you know if it worked or bombed!


4. Things I already do:  There are a few things I already do to clean more naturally, so I will share those as I go.


5. Tips and Tricks- I hope to share little tips and tricks with you that will make your spring cleaning a breeze!

Please come back and visit often throughout April and share your thoughts on spring cleaning naturally.  My hope is that these posts will bless you and your family and inspire you to take charge of your family's health in the realm of cleaning products.  Blessings!

Day #2:  From Grimy to Shiny- DIY Kitchen Scouring Powder Review

Day #6:  Cleaning Advice from an Older and Much Wiser Woman

Day #10:  A Few Ways To Start Your Spring Cleaning – Naturally

Day #13:  Day #13: Natural, Inexpensive, DIY Laundry Detergent and Giveaway!!

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Please remember I am not a doctor or professional and the FDA has not approved these items for  the prevention or treatment purposes.  It's important that you do your own research and consult your doctor with any health issues you might have.  This post contains affiliate links- thank you for supporting our family and ministry by using them!

The Essential Dozen Club: 12 Oils in 12 Months!

 

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Are you confused by all the information out there about essential oils?  Are you limited on time?  Are you wanting a healthier alternative with no side effects for your family’s health?

How in the world do you learn about oils when you’ve got a million other things to do?  How do you try them out when it may be out of your budget range to order the Premium Starter Kit?

Enter… the Essential Dozen Club!   I’m so excited to start this up and help others learn about essential oils and how they are so beneficial in everyday life! 

Who:  You!  The experienced oiler, the novice, the person who wonders even what an essential oil is!

What:  I will be choosing one Young Living Essential Oil each month.  (It will be an oil that is very useful for a variety of things, so that we can experiment with it and test it out)  Some months I will be including a roll-on applicator, a glass spray bottle or a 10% discount with your order FREE depending on which oil we are using! We will also share our findings collectively on a Facebook page, so other can learn from each other.

Why:  Many people are reluctant to buy essential oils if they have never used them before.  I really want people to be fully educated on what they are and how to use them, before they choose whether or not to implement them in their household.  Essential oils have been a huge blessing to my family and I want to help share that blessing with others!

How to Participate: 

-Leave a message on this post with your email address and I will forward you specific instructions.  (If you do not want your email address to be shown on the blog, please note that, and I will delete it before I approve the message- therefore keeping your information confidential.)

- You can choose which months you want to participate ahead of time.  There will be a deadline when I need to submit the order, so you’ll need to let me know before then. 

-Those who place an order each month will receive a bonus at the end of 6 months!

-If you already have the EveryDay Oils Starter Kit, you can participate freely since you will have the majority of the oils we will be exploring!

Look for the post revealing our 1^st Essential Dozen Oil for February ..... coming soon!  I can’t wait for you to join me on this exciting journey of exploring essential oils! :)

A Glimpse of Jesus

Do you ever wonder what Jesus would look like in your everyday life, today?  What would He say?  What would He do?  Where would He be hanging out?  And with whom?

I caught a glimpse of Him today and.... it took my breath away!

My husband and I were visiting one of our friends who was a refugee.  We were watching a television show from her native country, so it was in a language we did not know well.  Our friend explained that there was a celebration going on in the streets of this city and that the television camera was capturing the festivities and the people who were partaking.

Eventually the camera settled in on a crowd where there was a television reporter and he was speaking to the people.  One by one they were taking turns speaking into the microphone.  At first all we could see were people weeping and gesturing wildly with their hands.  Our friend translated for us:  one man was holding up his 5 year old daughter with a bald head - she had cancer.   A woman was dressed all in black, lamenting the death of 2 of her sons in terrorist bombings.   Another and another... and another came to the microphone voicing their pain, their loss, their poor health.

You didn't even have to understand what they were saying to understand the pain in their eyes and their hearts.

It was then that I caught a glimpse of Him.  This must have been what His daily life looked like- swarmed with crowds of hurting and broken people.  All clamoring to see Him and tell Him their hurts and to be healed.   But what kind of man would stand there and just listen.. I mean really listen?  What kind of man would have the patience to speak to each one individually?  What kind of man would have the power to heal - not just their broken bodies but their broken spirits?

Only one man would (and has done this!)...

Jesus.

He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  Yet... He knows how many hairs are on your head and mine.

He is the Alpha and the Omega.  Yet... He thought of you and I before the foundation of this world was laid.

He is the Good Shepherd and yet.. goes out and searches for that one lost sheep.

He is perfect and loving, strong and just, compassionate and forgiving.  I hope and pray that He comes back soon, because I can't wait to get more than just a glimpse of Him - like I did today!  Just that glimpse filled my heart to overflowing and took my breath away.   Doesn't that make you wonder what it will be like to see Him face to face and spend forever with Him?!