Why MotherHood isnt Offensive.. Anymore.

I'm writing this post because its a very sensitive subject for woman.
Especially woman who have little ones and desire to be involved, completely submerged in ministry, in serving, in been all sold out for the Lord, in any or all events at their Church....

But trying to participate, making a contribution when you have little ones at your side can be difficult and sometimes heartbreaking.
Why Difficult?
Why Heartbreaking?
Because Sometimes we Mothers are asked to leave our "children behind" or that "children are not allowed" "its an adult volunteer only event" or something along those lines.
And its heartbreaking because you DESIRE to contribute your talent, your time.....
You want to know that you can be used by God in any giving "ministry" "event" etc at Any given time,
But when we hear words that ask us to make a choice between what woman were naturally designed to be and what we desire to do... the result can be heart wrenching, bitterness, and/or offense.

Now I'm not stating that because woman were designed to be mothers we cannot "do."
No, What I'm speaking on, is the emotional predicament of having to Choose between the two.

Since when do we have to choose between been a mother and serving in an event that God had stirred a desire in us, to do so??
When did serving and motherhood separate?
When did it become two whole entities?

I have enjoyed been a stay at home, homeschooling mom (that is of course, after I wrestled with God and grudgingly submitted to my husbands wishes :) just keeping it real yall)
I Have enjoyed watching my children grow form infants, to toddlers to child...
I Have enjoyed been able to witness their "First" smile, their First Laugh, their First time sitting, first time standing, first time eating, First time walking, First tooth, First word, First complete sentence, First Everything, Milestones, All Beautiful Moments Every Mother should be able to witness and enjoy....

But there have been things i have not enjoyed about Motherhood

I do NOT and have Not enjoyed been asked if "I could make arrangements for my children" so that i could serve..
I have NOT enjoyed been asked if I could watch my kids while helping out..
I have NOT enjoyed been asked if my kids could sit down and be silent.
I have NOT enjoyed been asked if my kids could refrain from playing around
I have NOT enjoyed been asked if I 'had" to bring my children with me.
I have NOT enjoyed been asked this and many more request while I have whole heartily giving up my time and desire to help and serve.
The NERVE!!! (right?... lol)

For the sake of Honesty I'm been completely transparent with no pretense or cover ups..

You see, My husband is somewhat of an evangelist, Well that's not truly accurate..
hes pretty much a full blown evangelist at heart.
His Heart pretty much belongs to the Lost, to the Cause, To the Great Commission.

Which in turns leaves the rearing, the raising, and caring of our children, sometimes solely on me, for days at a time...

My children, are somewhat of my shadow. If I am here, there, anywhere, you can bet that they are 99% of the time, right there by my side.
At first I resented my husband, then the church (people in particular most of the time.. and yes IM BEEN TRANSPARENT for the sake of Gods Glory!) then Finally all those inglorious feelings fell my children...
Can you believe that???
I began to have resentment towards them!
To my little innocent kids who had no fault in any of this!
I started to dislike having to say no because of them.
Because of them I was Missing OUT on doing Gods work.
Because of them I couldn't contribute my Real Talents
Because of them I couldn't do what I Desired to do
Because of them I was now home bound.

BUT GOD.
God Is Good.

I cried out to him in Anger.
In Hurt.
In Heartbreak.

Why had he Chosen for me to be home bound taking care of children?
There was SO much Harvest and Such Few Workers....
I wanted to be in trenches. I wanted to do His work from sun up to sun down.
I wanted to be part of everything.
Above all I wanted to show God Through Works... How Grateful I was for My Salvation.

Did you catch that?

See let me back track a few...

I grew up in an environment were gratefulness was a form of action ONLY.
I couldn't simply feel Grateful and say so.... I had to show it.... Continually...
Though the sentiment for it, was, along somewhat in the right tracks, it was overly exaggerated.
See Gratefulness is Not The Pressure of Having To do. Its the Willingness.
Sometimes Gratefulness Is Best demonstrated in action in circumstances not most comfortable for us.
How?
Simple
If I am truly Grateful I am willing to say YES, in any way there is a Need.
IN my life at this moment The Need is, you guessed it, My children.

Children all over the world are been raised WITHOUT Fatherly Love, Protection, or Guidance.
By default, Nature has a vacuum effect, in which if Plan A fails Plan B is executed.
Hence the Rise of Femininity. A Matriarchal Nation. A Matriarchal Church etc..
The Rise of Mothers, raising Fatherless children.
and that has already proven to be to big of burden for many woman to carry
See Woman were not meant to do this alone.
Men Are the head of their Home
They were Beautifully designed to carry the weight upon their broad shoulders.
They Were Beautifully designed to manage the burden and carry the task out.
Not that woman cannot do so.. Its that woman should not have to and yet do so.
It weighs heavier on a woman's shoulder to Raise Men and Woman.
SO what this has created is far greater damage rather than good fruit.
And yes There HAS and IS Good fruit out there... Yet very few of them.

I share that because of the simple fact that since men were designed to carry the burden and have rejected and abandoned their post, Woman have stepped up and have been having a difficult time doing so and so now we are not only a Fatherless Nation we are also very rapidly becoming Motherless

Woman are getting tired of doing it alone. Of Battling continually for their Family.
and so Their Pursuit, gets damaged along the way, some fall out and others simply just give up and sit aside giving the Devil full reigns on their children.

When I saw this epidemic my Heart Broke.
I cried until i had no more tears.
How Ungrateful had I been.

God Had rescued me from the chaos of this, and I in turn was angry at him. I had been Angry at my husband. Angry at people..Angry at my children.
Because I had failed to see why, Why he had rescued me from it.

You see....
Yes He saved me because He loved me but I Now Have a Mission.
I was given the privilege to Raise my children day In and day out.
I was given the privilege to stay home with them... to nurture them... to love on them.
He Saved me for them, for their Calling... for the lives they'll impact one day.
He was knitting in me the understanding of what society is becoming.
Not Just what it is Now A Fatherless world, BUT also whats to come..
Not ONLY have Fathers abandoned post.. BUT their are many many young ladies who are not been mothered or trained on how to keep fighting the good fight.
To not sub come to acting on and ride out on the emotions of a broken heart.
And we do have Fighting Woman, they are out working.. struggling to provide financially for her and her children, from sun up to sun down.....  moms forced to take the financial responsibility...
not because she wants to, but because the circumstances in Life have forced her hand with the cards dealt to her...

Motherhood... it had became offensive to me.
What a Glorious struggle. What a Beautiful Art of War against the enemy.
Mothers are the last stand, the remnant, for the Battle of the home....
Nothing Worth Having comes Without a Battle.
So Fight on Mothers. DO Not Give up.
Do not Loose Heart.
Motherhood. The Most under appreciated Ministry.


Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Psalm 126:5 (NIV)
Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy

2 Corinthians 4:1
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

A new Best Friend

Lets Rewind my life to when I was child. To when me and my siblings were children.

My younger sister was the pet owner, she was dogs and the occasional rescued pigeon's best friend.

Me on the other hand.. I couldn't stand animals.. well pets to be exact, I liked animals, just not as pets or anywhere near me.

I was the one to wash my hands immediately after touching or been touched by any pet. No I don't have a sort of OCD or anything I just couldn't stand the idea of been touched by a pet.

Well fast forward to about 20+ yrs. To the year 2014, to October 2014 to be exact.
We went to a farmers market in Houston to meet a possible new member of the family.

I had posted an inquiry on Facebook about a German Shepard (in particularly)  and a good friend of the family suggested one trough their dog trainer Sit Means Sit's affiliate Oak Forest Animal Advocates.

So Saturday Morning we loaded everyone in our Jeep to go meet and see if "Jondo" would be a good match for us...

Well...

As soon as we got there, I noticed "Jondo" right away.

This beautiful dog just walking around.

We stayed about an hour and walked with him, and played with him.

We loved him,,

We all did. Even Me.

As soon as we got home I filled the paperwork for the adoption process.

He was going to be our new family member. He was going to be ours. 

It would be a tragic story to say we didn't qualify for adoption. So I wont say that.

In fact.. Ill tell you exactly what happened..

A week later we had our very first family dog.

A mix. They are guessing between German Shepherd and a Husky.

About 2 years old.

Isn't He just adorable??

I just fell in love with this handsome boy.

When We first started looking I Knew I didn't want a puppy, I just didn't have the time or energy to invest in him. But I also didn't want a dog that was to old. I wanted something in between.
Out of the puppy stage and not to old so the children could grow up with him for years to pass.

"Jondo" became part of the family about 2 months ago.
He is the most precious pup ever.
He is most definitely NOT in the annoying hyper puppy stage.

He Loves the open back yard and runs endlessly in all Directions...

We had originally planned on fencing the house so I wouldn't have to worry about him running off.
BUT He does really good staying around the house. He listens really well, so if I cant See him, I call out to him and he will come Running back.

However, One thing was off by just a bit.
We couldn't just settle on his name.
Though we thought that "Jondo" was in itself pretty creative (John Doe) we just didn't see him as "Jondo"..



It would never have been a named we would have picked out.
SO we set out on a mission. To find him his name.
It took about a week of going back and forth, between all of us.
We all had something different in mind.... so agreeing on one name wasnt easy.

As a joke I said we should call him "Crazy"...that way if people acted a fool, I could say
"Don't make me get CRAZY on you!"

Hilarious right?!?!?!?!?!

Ok maybe not, since no one else thought so.. but good thing I wasn't serious i would have been offended no one liked the name or the joke.

We did however finally decided that he should be some type of superhero.. But NOT just any Popular Super Hero. Nothing like Dark Knight, Or Spidey, Or Zeus, We didnt want something like that..

So We thought about all the cool underdog super heros...
So Naturally Wolverine came up..
BUT THEN!!!!
I think both me and my husband thought about it at the same time....
We looked at each and smiled wide.



See growing up I was kinda of a geeky little girl.

I loved comic books and all the cartoons that little girls did NOT w
I knew everything there was to know about every comic book hero.
BUT MY all time Favorite Series of Cartoons OR Characters has always been X-Men.
I remembered growing up playing games where I was always "Rogue"
She was my favorite! (apart from the one time "Jean" became "Phoenix")
She was such a bad chick. She was Strong, Fierce, and Beautiful, Plus she had the coolest Red Hair with the White Hi-lite!
But her love life was complicated.
See her one of talents is been to absorb life or power from any other human been or Mutant. So She had been plagued with Loneliness, she wasn't able to feel the touch of any other human.
Or Mutant.

Which would pain her even more so, you see, She was able to love but because she had the ability to draw or absorb power by touching or been touched, she would never allow herself to become close to the one she loved.

A mutant named "Gambit"..

He loved her too.

Well, who do you suppose was my husbands favorite Super Hero growing up..

If you out of no where said "Gambit"
YOU"RE RIGHT!

How did you guess? Lol



We both grew up liking the most unlikely of characters. and in which, the characters were actually an item!

Awww.. I liked Rogue
He Liked Gambit..

Sounds like a match made in Heaven..
Isn't the cutest sweet next to geeky thing you've ever heard? :)

Thinking of a name should have never been that difficult. We should have had it right away. Not sure why it took us that long. It should have been a No Brainer. Yet the struggle was worth the journey. We got to revisit child hood memories.


Of course given the fact that Gambit isn't as cool as the other X-Men we had to introduce the character to our son, which he actually quite liked, because he could throw cards as explosives...

Naturally I have already had the thought of finding him his "Rogue".... maybe one day. :)

Too Ripe Too Soon.. Saving the Bananas from the trashcan

Eating cleaner and healthier has its challenges.
The most annoying one I've found, is how to keep fruits and vegetables fresh, or how to use them all up before they go bad.
And they Go bad Pretty Fast.

One Food that I noticed ending up in the trash too often was my Very Ripe Bananas.
They just went from green to brown and in like a day it seemed.
I started baking with them when they were too ripe.

Problem with that, I sometimes didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so again to the trash can they went..
UUUGGHHH that was Money in the trash.

Then I had a brilliant idea. Probably one thought about by most, I Froze Them.

Now the very first time I attempted it, I kind of left the peel on,.
again that batch made it to the trash can..


So again I tried, this time I got a plastic plate, placed a sheet of wax paper, Peeled the banana and cut the banana up some in half some in 3 portions.

Now I don't throw away bananas anymore, Even if they look horrible. (noticed my very ripe bananas yet? lol)

Frozen Bananas are great because now you have some for smoothies Or even Banana Ice Cream..

Smoothies is how they are mostly used for. Especially, because I can sneak a handful of greens in it and no one notices.. Genius.

Now I don't just save the bananas BUT my children also get their Greens as well..

One Happy Mom.



So here's a Go to Smoothie recipe for me

8oz Almond milk (chocolate flavor)
1 Tbsp of Peanut Butter
1/2 of Frozen Banana
Dash Of Cinnamon
small handful of Blueberries
handful of Greens (*Optional: Kale &/or Spinach)
Add a few ice cubes and Blend!

However If you're anything like me Its a little more complicated

8oz Almond Milk (Original Flavor)
1 Tbsp Of Peanut Butter
1/2 Frozen Banana
Dash Of Cinnamon
Small Handful of Blueberries
Handful of Greens
Ice cubes
 AND
1 scoop of Chocolate flavored Protein (My favorite is Juice Plus Dutch Chocolate)
1 tsp of Milled Flax-seed
*After blending it up just add a tsp or 2 of Chia Seeds... Enjoy!!

A very simple Tea Recipe, for when Im sick

Yesterday, which seemed out of no where, I got severely sick.
Nauseous, vomiting, fever, chills.. you know, the works.
Well, Maybe not out of now here my daughter had been sick only a day and a half earlier and I carelessly drank after her,.. I know I know, Bad Idea.

And Once upon a time, I would have resorted to Medicine to get me well.
I have nothing against medicine, though I strongly believe it should be used as an alternative or in conjunction with natural remedies.

So I fired up my stove, chopped up the ingredients and threw it in the pot of boiling water.

The kids and I have really come to enjoy this tea time together. Maybe its because I leave the spoon I Used to stir with it inside the cup, so that's how they enjoy drinking it.. out of a spoon. :)

I try to stay diligent and at the first sign of symptoms, I give this tea to my family, a minimum of 3 times a day, for about a day or two, depending on symptoms I'll decide to go longer, and I also place the humidifier in the room (with ginger water instead of plain water)

I woke up this morning feeling much better and most symptoms have disappeared.. Im still NOT 100% (somewhere between 60-75%) but considering I was completely out last night, I consider it a Huge improvement.

Here's how i make the Ginger Water for the Humidifier..

2-3 Inches of Ginger root (preferably Organic)
5-6 Cups of water

Pour water in Pot and set on high, bring to a boil,
Peel and diced up the Ginger root and add to water.
Put lid on and turn down stove to low heat.
Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
Strain water. Set in container and let cool.
When "Cool" put inside the container for water in the humidifier and just turn on as instructed.

This technique has helped my son clear out congestion and troubled breathing, which he has had since he was an infant. Something that Doctors said he would always, and have treated with a "Nebulizer" and were always upset after my visits because I "REFUSED" for him to go on inhalers.
I just refused for Medication to be the Only alternative to healing and health.

My Go To Tea Recipe is as follows

2-3 cups of water
1 inch of Ginger Root (preferably Organic)
2-4 Cinnamon Sticks (preferably Organic)
1 Lemon per cup
1-2 Tbsp of "RAW" Honey per cup (preferably Local Organic Raw Honey)

Pour Water into a pot, bring to a boil.
Peel and dice Ginger Root and add to pot.
Add Cinnamon Sticks.
Lower Heat to just above a simmer.
Let Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the water has reached a VERY dark reddish tint.
Slice lemons in fourths.

Pour Tea into cup add. Add RAW honey, add 2-3 slices of Lemon (your preference) and squeeze the juice out of the last slice into the cup. (we are wanting to get the lemon juice from this last one)

Stir and Enjoy..
The taste of this tea its a little spiced but still very warming to me.

*RAW Honey (unfiltered) is Strongly suggested instead of regular conventional honey, Most local grocery stores carry Raw Honey, don't be scared of the price tag. I assure Raw Honey is the best.
Raw Honey contains Live enzymes and antioxidants which are essential to aid in neutralizing Free Radicals (enemies of the body)
On a side Note Raw Honey Might have a printed expired Date but in reality it Never goes bad. If it crystallizes just warm it up and its good to go. It has a NATURALLY long Shelf Life.

New Cars New Me New School And New Book Giveaway..

SO I know I know i been MIA for A VERY VERY long time....
But I have a Good Excuse..
Well For half the time anyway
after that the motto "something you do for more than 30 days becomes habit" sort of deal happened..
meaning that when i wasn't able to Blog and finally had the chance, i just never got around to it..
Yes BOO me..
But I'm back!!
So First things First Since my last entry I've gone through a whole ups and downs and arounds...
you know LIFE...

SO what ill do is this.. Ill cram the hi-lites in this one and then ill expand on it on later ones

First New Cars...

Well One New Car

Let me explain

My Husband Finally decided i needed a vehicle of my own and we decided to go on the hunt for one..
My Tiny Financially Responsible and Frugal thought self had its Heart set on Honda CR-V
You know the Fuel Efficiency and lower insurance and all that on top of the monthly note for the car..

Well it happened.. YAY

Isnt Beautiful??
The Picture isnt edited in anyway except i ONLY added the Caption on the bottom
and the way the light just shines off the car...

It Was A dream come true..
For a while.. LOL

Then the Dealership calls us back..


They said something had happened with the bank on their part so now they were trying to Refinance the vehicle..
Still NOT sure What Happened..
So they sat me and the hubby down and showed us a New Contract..
NO THANKS!!!

The car note increased almost $200 more and with an Interest Rate of 23+
Seriously??

There was NO way we would end up paying more than 31,000 for a Used Honda...

Then there was another..

So we Refused to sign the contract and with the sales man at our heels he insisted we look at other vehicles on their lot..

I was pretty bummed and didn't want to.
I really Really LOVED my Honda.

So we came back the Next day and looked around..

At first it didn't stand out to me
maybe Because i was still so Heartbroken lol

so we test drove 2 other vehicles before i was like "alas we come down to the only other decent car i Might be interested in...."

And when i drove it.. It was Love at First Drive...
My heart was set and i Wanted the Jeep....

SO Yeah Two New Cars in one Year... Pretty Fun.. LOL

The New Me..
Before I got Married i had been a blond for almost 10 years.. Since i was 15..
Then came the dreaded bills, diapers, and all kid expenses that pretty much put all your Wants Not just in the Back Seat BUT somewhere Buried in the trunk Along with any Dreams and hopes you had for the Near Future... Enter Newlywed Life and Parenthood.. "dunn dunn ddduuuuuunnnn" ....(Get it.. Belt from the Croods..??? Never mind)

Yup My Roots grow out.. and since i couldn't even afford a hair cut at the time i literally Want To Say I invented the Ombre Look WAY before it became cool.. LOL in a less fashionable way that is..
SO My Natural Hair Grew out and i maintained that Brunette look till recently this Past June on my Birthday..
I added some Hilites.. I was to scared to go back Light after all i had been a brunette for almost 5 years..
But after almost 2 1/2 months with it i wasn't happy with the subtle Hilites and went back in and asked for INCREDIBLY LIGHT noticeable Hilites..
and I love It
Though i would still like to go lighter im happy with it for now..


I also decided to kick up my life by getting active as much as my body would allow... And I have almost Reached my ideal weight.. Its those darn last 10lbs you always have trouble with... lol

Here's a picture to show exactly how much ive dropped
the bottom jeans is what i used to wear and keep in mind i was already busting out of those so they didn't exactly fit anymore..
Yes ill be honest for weight lost struggles sake
Yes I did do the whole jumping in the jeans to get them to go up and shaking the legs and even laying down on the bed to zip it up..LOL.. Pretty Sad huh?
The Jeans On top is what i wear i wear now.. that's almost about an inch!! might not seem Big to you But its Huge for me 20lbs gone in less than 4 months..
But now I've plaetou I cant seem to shake off those extra 10lbs that would put me at pre-pregnancy weight..

But its not so much weight I'm focused on Its Fat.
I've decided to burn off as much Fat as possible and if i don't loose more weight Ill be fine with it as long as its muscle weight...

Also Really Quick We are Homeschooling!!

Yes Im Homeschooling My 5yr Old Son.
My husband and I visited an A Beka Material Display and my husband Loved Their Curriculum.

Yes we have crazy days and now i find myself visting the park the library and the Malls Play area often to help keep my sanity!! lol
But I love it i get to see how much my child learns and what he finds interesting and Not so interesting
For example.. He does Exceptionally well during his bible session and remembers Clearly what was taught and bible verses and so on..
However Activity Time .. Meaning Craft and such.. Not so much. At the beginning i almost had to force him to do it now I'm more easy on him on this subject since He really doesn't find it interesting enough.. its not worth the struggle or tears SO we skip it most of the time unless it appeals to him..


Anyway Now for the Giveaway
Since Its the Holidays and All..
Itll be my Gift to someone Random

I have a Book

"A Thousand Gifts" By Ann Voskamp

She writes beautifully.. Poetically..
She is gifted.
And Im giving away A copy of her Book.
SO here's what to do.. Comment Below what your favorite Book is and a Very short Why... And Ill Randomly select a Winner Saturday December 21.

(Updated 12/15/13 Note: If you are having trouble commenting below just follow the "A Beautiful Life Facebook Icon At the top of this blog and comment there.... I apologize for the inconvenience.. working on a solution..)

So Happy Winning!

DIY Laundry Detergent

Since the beginning of the year, well actually a little before that, I was at a ladies gathering, where we talked about frugality and organizing our time and home.
We walked away with a lot of notes, really useful advice, a sample DIY of laundry detergent and a overwhelming feeling at the thought that we were far from getting there LOL

I went home and tried the liquid version... and though it did a good job I wasn't completely "in love" with it.
I don't really know why it just didn't seem to make the cut.
So I went online and searched for what seemed like ever till I came across a blog and read several versions of how to make your own Laundry detergent.
Jillee's blog on DIY Laundry Detergent (<<< check it out)

so I tried the one where you boil the Fels Naphtha's soap and pour it in a bottle..
I substituted the Naptha for Zote and tried it out for a while.
And though I like that version the trouble with that was that EVERY time I wanted to use it, I had to "shake" it to un-clump it and maybe sometimes had to use a little hot water to help it liquefy.
Well that got old Real Quick. To me it was time consuming.
So I again went on searching, but this time I didn't search nearly as far and long as I had before.
It was actually already on her blog (she has this whole page dedicated to Laundry Detergents, DIY Shout stain remover, DIY bleach pen... The Works!!)
It was a trial version of a powdered one.
Now I was very hesitant because i prefer liquid soap
BUT when push came to shove I went for it.
I had ran out of liquid soap and so I decided to try the powdered one since this one was for a trial size.

I normally don't give my opinion until I know for sure I have a pretty solid opinion about it.
Well dun dun DDUUUUUNNNN!!!

Drum Roll Please...

I LOVE this version.

However the ONLY down Side (whomp whomp whomp) is that I don't Have a powerful blender or a food processor so I HAVE TO GRATE (AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!)

Yes time consuming and painful, my hand hurts afterwards.. LOL

Okay so here is what you need ...

This is The DREAM TEAM .. lol

~BORAX~ ~ARM N HAMMER SUPER WASHING SODA (not the same as baking soda)~

~ARM N HAMMER BAKING SODA~ ~PUREX CRYSTALS~ ~ZOTE (substitute for Fels Nalpha)~

*And it also calls for Oxygen Bleach  which I decided to omit and use only for heavily soiled clothes*

I kinda forgot to take pictures during the process of making it so here's a quick run down

*1st- Grate the Fels Naptha (in my case the Zote)
     OR if you were smart you purchased the ALREADY grated Zote for a few extra bucks
*2nd- Pour all the ingredients (measured of course) in a container with a Tight Lid
*3rd- Close tightly and give it a couple of spins and shakes to make sure all the ingredients are Well Mixed.
*4th- Use about 1-2 Tablespoons per load

Okay so a few more pictures (since I missed the process of it) and then to the recipe.

All of the Products

Pour them into a container....

One with a tight lid (you will be shaking to mix them up)

The Finished Product

The amount I use per Load: About 2 Tablespoons

Here's the How To and The link To where I got this "recipe" from

onegoodthingbyjillee trial-size-version of Laundry Detergent

 HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT 

• 1 bar grated Fels Naptha soap
• 3 cups Borax
• 2 cups washing soda
• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups oxygen bleach
• 1 cup (heaping) fabric softener crystals – store-bought or Homemade (optional)

A FEW SIDE NOTES: (PLEASE TAKE A QUICK NOTE OF THIS)

I SUBSTITUTE FOR "ZOTE" THE WHITE ONE (i love the smell... childhood memories)

AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO USE IT AS WELL HERE IS MY VERSION OF IT

USE "ONLY HALF" OF THE "ZOTE" SOAP BAR FOR THE RECIPE ABOVE.

~OR~

I GRATE THE WHOLE BAR SOAP AND USE IT ALL "BUT" I ALSO DOUBLE THE REST OF THE RECIPE

AND I ALSO DON'T USE THE OXYGEN BLEACH

Why? 

Well here's why.. 

Just keep in mind this was MY Experience and therefore have chosen Not to Use it. 

So try it out and form your own opinion about it.

(id love to hear if you did and what you thought!)

*I noted a quick color fade in my clothing, not sure why. 

I re-read the reviews and comments on a couple of blogs and only a handful of people actually had the same experience, while others, mainly all, claimed they hadn't seen the colors fade at all..

So I decided to omit this one and not even include it at all (you can half the request if you'd like too.

I chose not to use it unless it was a heavily soiled load or my whites.

I haven't noticed any more color fading since

Like i said JUST MY CHOICE. Doesn't have to be yours.

 HERE'S MY VERSION 

• 1 bar of Zote Bar Soap (I prefer the white, there's also a pink to choose from)
• 6 Cups of Borax
• 4 Cups of Washing Soda
• 1 1/3 Cups of Baking Soda
• 4 1/2 Cups Of Oxygen Bleach (I only used half the first time, I Don't include this ingredient any more)
• 2 Cups of Purex Crystals (any scent of Choice or you could use Downy Unstoppables. You can even choose to Omit this part since this is used for fragrance only, if you choose to skip this part keep in mind  your clothes will have No scent but they will still be clean.. Your choice.)

***And to be completely honest... I add a little more than 2 Cups Of Purex Crystals, I love the scent of Clean Laundry***

Hope you enjoy this if you try it out.

And Id Love to hear if you do.

Kill The Giant 2013

Have you read the story of David and Goliath??

This Is Goliath:
1 Samuel 17...(The Message)

^4-7 A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.

^8-10 Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, “Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you’re all committed to Saul, aren’t you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you’ll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!”

This Is David:

^12-15 Enter David. He was the son of Jesse the Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse, the father of eight sons, was himself too old to join Saul’s army. Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the three sons who had joined up with Saul were Eliab, the firstborn; next, Abinadab; and third, Shammah. David was the youngest son. While his three oldest brothers went to war with Saul, David went back and forth from attending to Saul to tending his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.

So the Story Goes that for 40 days, Goliath (this Giant Monstrous of a man) came out and taunted Israel (Gods Chosen people) ..

(im thinking really??? no one did nothing??)

SO then Davids dad goes and tells him to take some food to his brothers ...

He happens to arrive at the time when Goliath comes out every morning and shouts and challenges..

David is repulsed!

He volunteers to battle the Giant.

Then he brakes through the formation ranks and faces his Foe.

^V43 The Philistine ridiculed David. “Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?” And he cursed him by his gods. ⁴⁴ “Come on,” said the Philistine. “I’ll make roadkill of you for the buzzards. I’ll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice.”

So what does David Do??

I love this part! 

^45-47 David answered, “You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock.!!!!"

His strength and courage lies there..
He has nothing but stones in his hand and God at his side..
"I come at you in the name of the God Of The Angels Armies!"
That's His Weapon, His Shield, His Tactic ... All Of it, is Faith.
All Of it; God.

This is a very interesting story..

For 40 days there's this Giant, and Every day for 40 days First THING in the morning He presents Himself along with all the things that intimidate and humiliate, causing fear and coward-ness to steadily take over.

Then some young misfit takes the challenge AND ends up having More Courage than the experienced warriors???

I wanna be a MISFIT like that.

So the story goes he hits in the head with a smooth stone so hard The Giant Falls to the ground And David Runs over To him takes THE GIANTS Sword and Cuts OFF His Head...

Gruesome...

Anyway i shared that because we are doing a campaign called "Kill The Giant 2013"
What it is is we are raising an amount to help pay off Jordan Ranch
A Retreat center in Schulumberg Texas.
>>> Heres the Link to the retreat Center Jordan Ranch
>>> Facebook Link Jordan Ranch Facebook Page

Heres a little crash course:
It started as a vision from our Pastor to have Fine Retreat Center without the "Distractions" for people to get away and get completely submerged in God's Presence.

A facility that would offer peace, tranquility and healing through Christ with a elegance, class and passionate service.

It really is breathtaking. I have participated in a couple of events at Jordan Ranch.

Its overwhelmingly stunning.

So we do this campaign for about 2 months and we make a pledge.

My husband and i have made a pledge.

An Amount that physically we know we could not do on our own.

Why an amount we dont know we will fulfill?

Because of Faith.

We want to give Sacrificially, We want it to challenge every thought every emotion every want.

Because at the end i want to know That My Husband and I Truly believed that Jesus is more than enough for us. That is A God Of Abundance that He is Overflowing.

That we truly gave all that we had

That what we say WE BELIEVED we actually truly BELIEVE.

I want to invite you to  read along on Killing My Giant this Year.

I believe this is the Year Healing is Pouring Down. 

I will Be completely off Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication by the end of the year.

If you feel moved to give have a plan write it down make it plain..

However let Faith Take the Driver seat in meeting that Pledge.

We made a spreadsheet with amounts of $20 in each box, and when we give we cross out that amount off the spreadsheet. We placed it in a place were we WILL daily see it to remind us that we have given our word and when we see spare change in our pockets we know not to waste it foolishly.

A journey Begins with One Step, its Endured with Determination and Finished with Heart