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Showing posts from April, 2016

DIY Hand Soap - Chemical-free & Amazing

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In the quest to de-chemicalize our house, I have turned to the power of the internet to get some tips and recipes for making my own hand soap, body wash and other cleaning products. It's amazing what you can find out there in Pinterest-land and beyond. After I used up the last bit of the Softsoap brand I purchased (yes I'm cheap frugal enough to finish up what I already have), I decided to try out a DIY recipe using castile soap since I had a huge bottle of Dr. Bronner's peppermint already on hand. While it worked well and smelled fantastic, it was thinner than I was used to and so I decided to tweak it a bit to get more of that thickness I'm used to in my soaps. I added in a trick I learned from another pinner about using raw, unfiltered honey to thicken up castile soap for body wash . I made this recipe for my husband for Christmas. He is a huge peppermint scented Dr. Bronner's soap fan, so I used the liquid castile soap and some peppermint and thiev

Living the (non)Enriched Life

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One of the many things I enjoy about having a blog as a writing outlet is that I can write about whatever I want. Two posts ago, I wrote about politics and my opinion on the current situation in our country. The post after that (the most recent) was something I felt like God revealed to me in my daily Bible reading time. This post is going to be about nutrition. I know...random, right? However, this is an accurate representation of my life and the many parts that are moving at any given time. And I know that each of us is more than one thing....more than one focus. So, today, here is what I am focusing on. Health. And not being super angry at our government for "protecting us" into terrible health issues because of their limited scope of understanding and sweeping legislation that if you are not paying attention, you may miss. Which is what I did in 1998. Granted, I was living overseas for part of that year. I was newly-engaged and planning a wedding

God is Calling You to Be Brazen

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Image credit: LG Designs The other day, I read a blog post about a call for God's daughters to be brazen. Brazen I literally stumbled over the word. And then circled back. Brazen? Hmmm...doesn't that equate to "hussy?" Or maybe "bold or brash?" In my mind, I flashed upon a few current day celebrities who might seem to fit that bill. But then I read further as the author of the post shared the word's definition: without shame; unrestrained by convention or propriety; Nervy; Bold-faced; Audacious; Shameless I had the shameless part right, but not much else. And not even in the correct context. Somehow in my mind, the word brazen had taken on a negative connotation. It had become the anathema of the Proverbs 31 woman who was quiet, diligent and humble and had her stuff together. It rattled around in my brain with another word that has been haunting me lately: Seditious . (But that is a post for another day.) As I read furth

When Brashness Trumps Integrity

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Photo credit: Modcloth.com Almost 18 years ago, the United States (and other parts of the world) were fixated on a blue dress, an intern and a president. The president of one of the most powerful countries in the world was on public trial defending himself against accusations of an improper sexual relationship with a young woman who was not his wife. At first, he denied that anything improper happened. And then tapes were released, and fabric with DNA evidence was brought forth and tested. And the media circus and feeding frenzy escalated. -- To be honest, I didn't pay a lot of attention to the scandal. I was living overseas at the time.  Juicy details were published both in print and the television media of Greece. Truthfully, I was embarrassed on behalf of my country and for the dignity of the office of President. Even worse, when President Clinton eventually confessed to what everyone knew he had done despite his repeated denials -- at that point, it was