Drama and the way God calms the storm

Yesterday I had a bit of drama in my family. Thankfully it wasn't serious drama but, as with many circumstances, I didn't know that the whole time. It all started when I got a tear-filled phone call from my almost 17 year old daughter saying she had been in an accident. She doesn't drive yet, mainly because the idea of it scares me to death, so she was on her way to a church function with a friend. We were 20 minutes away from her so my husband and I gathered the other children in the car and headed to the scene of the accident. The whole way I was asking God to be with her while I couldn't be and, of course, he was. Just after the accident, which was a minor fender-bender, she and her friend prayed together and later I found out that a fireman had prayed with them. See, God was right there! I had calmed down over the 20 minute ride until I saw the scene: traffic was backed up, cops and firemen everywhere. It looked like something from a movie and I knew my baby was in the middle of it all. I got out of the car before my husband had time to stop good, but I JUST HAD to get to her. The moment she saw me we grabbed each other and hugged like we had never hugged before.Thankfully Emm and her friend were fine, they just are sore today from the seat belt & air bags but they are overall fine. My Emm cried for at least an hour because she was so shook up from the experience.I write this for myself more than for others because I need to see it in black and white to really believe that it happened and that we made it, but only with God. When I didn't fully know if she was badly hurt I had no choice but to trust that He was taking care of it all. As a control freak, that was a mighty hard thing to do. But He did, just as He always has and always will.

It wasn't until this morning when I sat down to read my devotional that I realized that He had prepped me, in a sense, yesterday morning for what would happen in the evening. Sometimes we just have to marvel in His ability to do things like that. He is a God of great detail, for sure. Here is a direct quote from the devotional for March 22 out of the book 'Jesus Calling' by Sarah Young:

"REJOICE AND BE THANKFUL! As you walk with Me through this day, practice trusting and thanking Me all along the way. Trust is the channel through which My Peace flows into you. Thankfulness lifts you up above your circumstances. I do My greatest works through people with grateful, trusting hearts. Rather than planning and evaluating, practice trusting and thanking Me continually. This is a paradigm shift that will revolutionize your life."

~this is a great devotional and I highly recommend it! Buy it here http://www.amazon.com/JESUS-CALLING-Young-Author-Calling/dp/B004NH8FX0/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1300911372&sr=8-5

I usually skim over the previous day's devotion to refresh my memory before going into the current day's. I am so thankful that I did it this morning because it allowed me to really notice what He took time to do. I got a second blessing out of it and, honestly, felt a little giddy over the whole thing. While things were chaotic yesterday I felt God telling me to just trust Him, and I did my best to even through all the tears. I felt a quiet peace as I knew we were surrounded by prayers from friends and family. Emm calmed down eventually and things went back to normal. I even let her go with a friend to a youth meeting and birthday gathering for that friend tonight. I cannot make her stop living her life just as I cannot allow myself to live in fear, a fear that is not of God. After all, if the God who created the universe took the time to let little 'ole me know He was handling it all then I can trust that He will forever do just that-handle it ALL. Now, it's your turn to trust Him with whatever is going on in your life. We all have craziness from time to time but NOTHING is too crazy for Him.

Homemade Deodorant

Yes, I use homemade D.O for my B.O, and I don't even stink! The main reasons I make my own are (1) I am too cheap to buy something that I KNOW I can make myself and (2) I don't know what's in that stuff they sale in the stores. I know it's been said that the aluminum in deodorant can cause cancer but these days it seems as if breathing can cause cancer. I'm not a science freak nor do I know anything about science, but I have found out that the ingredient in deodorant that makes you not stink also clogs up your pores...that's how it works. Now, why is that a good thing? Anyway, I have been using homemade deodorant for about 6 months now and it works amazingly well. You normally have to go through an adjustment period of about 2 weeks. In that time your body pushes out years worth of junk from your armpit pores. Be patient...your body will balance out.

There are two ways to make deodorant. One way is in a paste, just like what we are used to buying in the stores. You can even mix it up and smush it into a clean, empty deodorant tube to use like any store bought kind. I just keep mine in an air-tight container in the bathroom and use a spoon to get out the amount I need then rub it on my pits. It only takes a little. The other way is in powder form. For both of these you will need basically the same ingredients: virgin coconut oil, baking soda, cornstarch, tea tree oil (which is an essential oil) and optional lavender and/or ylang-ylang essential oils. Virgin coconut oil has anti-bacterial properties, as do tea tree and lavender essential oils. I will tell you that I seem to have a sensitivity to too much baking soda on my skin. It burns...bad. To offset that I add more cornstarch in my deodorant. If you find that the recipes, as written, burn your pits then maybe you could try adding more cornstarch. It's trial and error. Ok, for the recipes...

HOMEMADE PASTE DEODORANT

5 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup baking soda
2 drops tea tree oil
3 drops each ylang-ylang & lavender essential oils (optional)
~~~mix up and use small amount on armpits daily

HOMEMADE POWDER DEODORANT

virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup baking soda
2 drops tea tree oil
3 drops each ylang-ylang & lavender essential oils (optional)
~~~~~mix baking soda and cornstarch with essential oils. I store mine in an old powder container but you could use and old make up brush to apply. To use: rub on a small amount of coconut oil on your pits then use powder. That's it!

I tend to use both, because I am afraid I will stink! After my bath I will use the paste then at any point during the day that I feel 'less than fresh' I will use a bit of the powder. I even have a container of the paste in my purse!

DUMB BOYS NOT ALLOWED!!!!!

Here's the thing...I am SICK of a certain comment that I hear lots of people make. One that I have made in the past and one that I will be very mindful of in the future! What's the comment? You may want to sit down for this because this isn't going to be a popular view on the subject. Consider yourself warned!!!!

"WELL, HE'S JUST A BOY!"

Or

"BOYS WILL BE BOYS!"

Let me start off by saying that I fully recognize the fact that God made boys and girls, men and women, VERY differently. I get that boys are rough, curious, quiet...they are different than us females and for that I am very thankful. My problem with the above comments is that I feel like they excuse bad or irresponsible behavior in our boys. The very boys that we should be raising to be the leaders of our future families. The very boys who will be leaders of our country. These comments are heard by our boys, as is the tone in which they are said. We should NOT speak down to our boys in a way that seems like we are saying, "Oh, look how pitiful he is. He can't help it that he can't do better. He's just a boy. What do you expect?"
If we overheard anyone speaking down to a little girl in the same manner we would flip out! In this feminist age of 'girls can do anything' we have told our boys that they can't. The result is weak men who end up in jail. Weak men who get women pregnant and then skip town. Weak men who believe that they are stupid, therefore they stop trying to be the strong leader of the family and do stupid things. I also believe that we should stop teaching our girls that it's ok to say things like "Boys are stupid". Seriously...if I heard a boy say such things about girls I would be appalled~it's no different! Why is it socially acceptable to say that about boys and men? There would be lawsuits if that were a popular comment about women, homosexuals, African-Americans...I think you get the picture. The very comment "Boys are dumb. Throw rocks at them" can be found on a number of t-shirts, posters, etc. That would not be an accepted thing to have on a t-shirt or poster about any other group of people! Our society needs to wake up to the fact that these seemingly silly comments are contributing to the downfall of the family unit.

I realize that this is a very politically incorrect view and I couldn't care less. Honestly, when are people gonna stop trying to please everyone by being 'politically correct'? The only person I want to please is Jesus, to be truthful. And I really don't think He enjoys seeing the men He created in His image being put down at nearly every turn. Men were put in a place of authority by God whether we like it or not. It is what it is.

So, I hope many others will join me in pledging to stop treating the males of our world as if they are dumb as dirt. The next time one of my boys does something irresponsible or wrong I will NOT say, "It's ok, honey. That's how boys are." The bottom line is this: there are rules for everyone to follow in this life and having a penis and a high level of testosterone does not change that fact! People in general will do what is expected of them. It's passed time that we expect of boys what they are capable of...growing up to be strong, moral, smart, responsible, involved, loving fathers & husbands and men of God. That's what this country needs more of.

"...encourage the young men to be self-controlled"
~Titus 2:6

HOMEMADE AFTER "POO" SPRAY

Well, it's inevitable and it's one thing that unites us all...we all poo. It's no secret that poo leaves an unwanted smell in the bathroom and, occasionally, in other rooms; i.e. pets. Most bathrooms have a bottle of air freshener in them but do you really want to be breathing in all of that stuff, not to mention paying outrageous amounts of money to do so? I don't, which is why I researched the topics of getting rid of "poo" smell as well as homemade air freshener. In that research I found that peppermint naturally neutralizes the smell of "poo". We have been using this homemade bathroom spray for a couple months now and it really works. Another option is to put a drop or two of peppermint essential oil in the toilet before you "poo".

Here is the recipe for the After "POO" Spray:
~Fill either a store-bought spray bottle or a recycled bottle 2/3 full with distilled water.
~Add 2-3 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol or vodka (I used rubbing alcohol). This step isn't necessary, it just helps the ingredients mix, or emulsify. If you don't use it just be sure to shake your spray well before spraying.
~Add about 20 drops of peppermint essential oil. I also add 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil. You can add more or less oil, depending on how strong you want your spray to be.
****I buy my essential oils through Amazon from a company called Eden's Garden*****

That's it! It's cheap, easy and you know what's in it! I also make a linen spray for my bedroom using lavender and ylang-ylang essential oils. This is a basic homemade air freshener recipe that you can change up by using different essential oils. So go make some for each room in your home, or for your stinky bathroom!