My Journey into Essential Oils

A few months ago I bought my first essential oils! Lavender, peppermint, and lemon. (I also got vanilla, which isn't a true essential oil, but I LOVE the smell of vanilla.) I know there are a lot of people who love essential oils and all the things they can do. Honestly, I bought them to make things smell good.

I love making things on my own, and one of the things I wanted to make is cleaning solutions for my new home! I really hate the smell of most household cleaners―they're so strong―so I decided I could make them. Most homemade recipes have very simple ingredients like vinegar and castile soap. Essential oils are an added bonus for a good smell! Plus some of them have properties that work nicely in cleaning solutions, like the lemon oil I bought.

Turns out, I haven't really gotten into making cleaning solutions (instead I've been using the Think Dirty app to purchase better cleaning supplies), but I have been learning how to use my oils. Here are five ways I've enjoyed the three (plus one) oils!

1. Diffuse. Lemon, lavender, and peppermint are a powerhouse blend in the diffuser. However, my favorite is to diffuse the peppermint and vanilla!
2. Face Moisturizer. I use almond oil as my face moisturizer. In the morning, I use almond oil mixed with peppermint, and at night I use a mixture of almond oil, rosehip, and lavender.
3. Sleep. Lavender is known for its calming properties, so I put a drop underneath my pillow before bedtime. It usually helps me fall asleep quickly!
4. Headaches. Peppermint helps relieve pressure from headaches, so I'll rub a little on my temples if I feel a headache coming on.
5. Perfume. I had to stop wearing perfume years ago because it gives me headaches. But I love to rub a little peppermint and vanilla on the back of my neck. My mom says I smell like cotton candy.

Since I've gotten in the hang of using these oils, I've been doing research on more oils and finally decided to purchase more! I buy mine from Edens Garden. (Disclaimer: If you purchase using that link, I get reward points, which I can save up to spend on Edens Garden products.) They are high quality oils but because it is not an MLM, the prices are significantly more affordable. I did a lot of research and prayer before deciding to go with this company (if I was going to use oils, I wanted to make sure they were quality), but I'd also love to try some blends from some of the MLM companies eventually.

One reason I've become more interested as I've learned about oils is because I believe God gave us many tools that we need to take care of ourselves—plants being one of those tools—and that's where essential oils are from. I would rather use those natural gifts from God to take care of myself instead of manmade medicine when possible. (Not that there is anything wrong with medicine—we are so blessed to have it! I'm just really bad about popping Advil for anything and everything and would like to avoid it when essential oils can help instead.)

I'm so excited because I just got my next order in! Before it got here I already had a (very) detailed list about the blends and rollers I want to try! I'll be giving them a shot and I'll share more later.

Here's what I just got: cassia, cedarwood atlas, copaiba, cypress, eucalyptus globulus, frankincense, geranium, grapefruit, headease (an Edens Garden blend for headaches), patchouli, rosemary spanish, sweet orange, tea tree, ylang ylang

I also got fractionated coconut oil and roller balls (from Amazon) so I can make my own roller blends.

I'm looking forward to exploring the world of essential oils some more. It's been fun already and I love learning about it!

Fill Me Up

I found this sitting in my Google Drive. I wrote it in January, about a month after our missions trip to Singapore and Malaysia. I didn't write this to share as is--I was just pouring my heart out. It may not be eloquently written, but I've decided not to rewrite it and just leave it as is.

This week is our EKWIP camp (what we call Vacation Bible School), and I'm feeling worn out. These words that I wrote months ago spoke to me all over again, and I hope they encourage you too.

It’s great to give to others. Give your energy, time, money, prayers, etc. We’re supposed to do those things. But sometimes we give so much of ourselves that we become empty. I know I’m guilty of this. 

I fill my time with so many things. They aren’t bad things. It’s things like baking, kids ministry, hanging out with friends and fiancé (I hate that word but I liked the alliteration) [obviously Casey's my husband now], making cookies to raise funds for missions and other projects, helping out with things at my church. These aren’t bad things. Some of these things are great! Friendship and ministry and pouring into others is great!

But then I find myself empty.

I really noticed this when I was in Malaysia. It was week two in Asia and we had been nonstop. Between VBS, camp services, prepping and practicing, coffee dates and lunch dates and mall hangouts with our friends where we poured into them as much as we could about kids and youth ministry and life in general…. I was exhausted. I was tired of people. I was tired of noise. My energy was draining quickly, and I still had more services to do, more people to talk to and speak into their lives, and a 36 hour trip back home. I was tired. I wanted to stop.

This burnout doesn’t just happen in those times of hard ministry like missions trips and SALT. It happens in every day life too and I find myself feeling like I’m draining.

We must allow ourselves to be filled too. It’s important for missionaries and preachers to go to conferences and things where they can be fed and ministered to instead of ministering. To fill up.

In my Jesus time, I asked God to help me when I feel empty. To fill me back up so I can give more. And He convicted me. Why should I wait until I’m empty to fill up? Why am I not reaching for Him daily to fill me up so I never get empty?

I thought my introvertness was the reason why I was tired. I thought that’s why I got tired and overwhelmed. But I think it’s when I’m not giving myself to Him first so I can let Him fill me up.

Lord, fill me up each and every day so I’m running over and never run out. Fill me up and let me pour into others and then fill me up all over again. Don’t let me become empty.

Going Green

I firmly believe that the Lord put the earth in our hands to take care of, and I want to do my part. I have a long list of things I eventually want to do to help sustain the earth, so today I'm going to share what I'm already doing and the next steps I want to take this year. I believe that baby steps are the key to accomplishing any goal, so I'll take this one step at a time!

What I'm already doing:

• Recycle. I was so excited that Hammond has a recycling program! They pick it up with the trash every week. I bought a cute basket to keep in our kitchen so I can put all our recyclables in there and empty it into the recycling bin on trash day.
• Bring reusable bags to the store. I decided to start using reusable bags when I moved to Hammond. I keep my bags in my car at all times, making sure to put them back in there as soon as I unload my groceries. This has helped me a lot with remembering my bags when I grocery shop! Sometimes I forget to take them into other stores (like TJ Maxx, Hobby Lobby, etc.), and I often forget to grab them if Casey and I take his car, but remembering most of the time is a great step in the right direction!
• Drink out of a reusable cup instead of bottled water. Casey's grandma got us some travel mugs that keep hot stuff hot and cold stuff cold. I love it for keeping my water ice cold! We bought a filter for our faucet so we have filtered water and don't have to use bottled water!
• Use cloth instead of paper. I'm a messy cook. So I have an entire drawer FULL of (cute) dish rags and towels. We keep a basket on the counter to put the dirty rags until it's time to wash them. Next I need to get us some cloth napkins so we can stop using dish rags for dinner! I also have a basket in each bathroom with blue cleaning rags and the main bathroom has a specific basket for dirty cleaning rags. I have to wash them separately or they turn the laundry blue! I do keep one or two paper towel rolls in the house for certain things (like when I have a sick puppy), but I rarely ever use them. 
• Turn off the faucet while I brush my teeth. I almost forgot to include this one because I started doing that a few years ago. It's super easy to do!
• Let the sunshine in! We are blessed to have a TON of windows in our house. I literally prayed for a home with lots of windows, and God answered! During the day, I never turn on lights, but choose to let the natural light in!
• Shop at the farmers market. Casey and I love to walk to the farmers market on Saturdays, and I usually pick up some strawberries. I'd love to start buying more of my produce there and support our local farmers and economy. Plus, the food is so much fresher!

I'm honestly pretty proud of myself for what I've done so far to "go green." Most of these changes have been easier to implement than I thought they'd be! Here are some of the next steps I'd like to take this year.

• Hang dry more laundry. I already hang dry most of my clothing (I worry about it shrinking in the dryer), but I would like to hang dry more. I've started putting my bathroom rug and blankets on the fence to dry, but I got a foldable drying rack to dry more of our laundry. 
• Switch to green cleaning products. I need to do more research on this, but want to use cleaning methods that are better for our home and environment.
• Use stainless steel straws. And bring them to restaurants with me! I need to get some of these soon!
• Collect rainwater to water plants. It tends to rain in the afternoons here, so all I need to do is set out a bucket! We don't have a lot of plants to water anyway, so I wouldn't have to collect much.

My ultimate list has more items on it, but I am choosing to focus on the above things first. Here are some other things I'd like to eventually do!

• Use bamboo toothbrushes.
• Carry my own reusable utensils in my car or purse for when I grab something quick to eat.
• Carry my own containers to restaurants for leftovers.
• Unplug items I'm not using.
• Create a compost bin for food leftovers.
• Choose products with less wasteful packaging or buy in bulk using my own containers. 
• Grow some of my own food, probably starting with herbs.
• Plant a tree.

I've been enjoying gaining more knowledge and information about things I can do to help this beautiful planet that the Lord gave us! Some of them are big steps from where I am currently, but I know that lots of little steps still make a difference. I also hope that perhaps something I do can inspire others. My friend is the reason I started carrying recyclable bags to the store, so perhaps one of my actions will inspire one of my friends to do the same! 

If you're interested in making steps to going green with me, pick something out of these ideas that seems the easiest for you and do that! I truly believe our actions can make a difference--even if they are small. Let's make this world a better place together!

Surround Yourself

photographer: Aaron Cox

One who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound wisdom. Proverbs 18:1

I’m an introvert. A lot of people don’t believe me when I say that (apparently I talk a lot??), but that’s because a lot of people think that introvert = shy and extrovert = not shy. But that’s not the case. Rather, an introvert gets energy from being alone (and can find it draining to be around people) and an extrovert gets energy from being around people.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being around people! But that was not always the case. Years ago, I had some tough stuff happen and I found myself keeping completely to myself. “That’s okay,” I thought. “I’m an introvert. Being alone is good for me.” And I truly believed it. But the reality was that it wasn’t. Unfortunately I couldn’t see that at the time.

As I came out of those trying times and began to once again connect with my old friends, I realized how dark my life had been.

Today’s verse says that a person who isolates himself pursues selfish desires. I can totally see where I did that. My wanting to be alone was completely selfish! I thought MY life was better that way and I literally didn’t care about other people. I abandoned my friends. I purposely tried to avoid people in public. And I blamed it all on the fact that “I’m an introvert.”

The verse also says that a person who isolates himself “rebels against all sound wisdom.” How about this biblical sound wisdom:

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:20

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

You see, the Bible is adamant that we surround ourselves with godly people!

My life truly blossomed once I surrounded myself with godly friends. There was more laughter, more love, more joy. But it wasn’t easy to break away from my old ways. It literally took years of baby steps. I started spending more time with friends. I’d force myself to say hi to every person on the elevator. I started going to the cashier instead of the self checkout.

All these small changes helped me to break out of my isolation. I first surrounded myself with my godly friends who helped get me out of my funk. They loved on me and showed me how to love. Then I took that love and began sharing it with everyone I come in contact with, which is what we are called to do!

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 1 John 4:11

This purpose of this post is to encourage you to not isolate yourself, but rather find ways to connect with godly people. Surround yourself with those people and allow their light to shine in your life, and you will find yourself shining a light into others!

If you feel like you have no godly friends, pray and ask God to send you someone. I promise He will. He’s done this for me before and for my friends as well. He wants you to have godly company and will make a way for you!

Meeting Mike the Tiger

Casey and I drove through Baton Rouge this weekend so we decided to stop off at the LSU campus. I'd never been before! We walked around and saw Mike the Tiger. He was enjoying a lazy Saturday. Unfortunately, I made the not-so-smart decision to keep my wedges on instead of swapping for sandals... my feet were killing me! Next time I'm wearing flats so we can see more of the beautiful campus!

Taking Care of My Temple (aka Self Care)

Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17

In the last few months, I've been realizing I need to take better care of myself. Self care has been a thing all over the internet lately, but sometimes I find it hard to make a point to care for myself. But my mindset changes when I realize that taking care of myself is taking care of God's temple, and I want a beautiful temple for Him to live in. Not just physically beautiful, but I believe that temple care/self care also includes the mental, emotional, and spiritual state.

I read this verse this morning and I began thinking about how I already take care of my temple and what changes I can make in the future to take even better care of my temple. I truly believe that in order to accomplish any goal, we must take baby steps, or "small wins" as my mentor likes to say. It's a lot easier to accomplish one big goal when we break it up into a lot of little ones. Plus it gives us a reason to celebrate every milestone instead of feeling like we're so far away from the big goal.

I'm working on a post about a few things I currently do to take care of my temple (aka self care), but here are some other things that will be on my baby steps list.

• Switch to clean/natural body products. I'm in the process of making this switch, but I know it will take a while. My goal is to replace my current products with clean products as I run out. I've been doing some research on clean products, and one problem is that they are more expensive! However, I know it is worth it in the long run! I will still be shopping for good prices though because I'm so frugal!
• Eat cleaner. I used to do a really good job at eating clean, but then my life turned upside down and that was not a thing I prioritized anymore. However, when I reflect, I realize that while I may have been eating healthier, my head was not in good health. I began to think I was better than everyone else who didn't eat as healthy as I did, and that is not good mental health! I'd like to eventually begin to eat cleaner again, but I want to make sure my brain "eats clean" as well.
• Spend more time in the Word. It's amazing how reading the Word of God makes my brain feel "cleaner"! This helps take care of both my spiritual and mental health! I'd love to get back to "Meditation Mondays" and sharing what I've been reading lately or reflecting on sermons I've heard.
• Drink more water. When I got my first office job out of college, I started drinking more water because refilling my water bottle gave me a reason to get up from my desk. I noticed that the frequent headaches I used to have went away! Turns out, I was dehydrated and didn't know it! I'd say I do a pretty good job at drinking water, but I think I can do even better!
• Exercise. A few months ago I stared doing yoga videos on YouTube. I've really enjoyed it! I'm not a person who enjoys most forms of exercise, but yoga is something I can do and enjoy. I also love taking walks with Casey and Oxford. I'd love to eventually incorporate more exercise as my body becomes stronger. 
• Pamper! This kind of goes along with the first one, but I want to make it a habit to enjoy taking care of myself! Maybe this means painting my nails, enjoying long baths, doing face and hair masks, etc. I want to slow down and enjoy taking care of my temple.
• Get off the phone. I'm so bad about being on my phone on Instagram or Facebook! I don't think this constant social media is good for me, but it's so hard to take a break! So I'd like to start purposefully taking time off from social media.

I definitely have lots of things I can work on! Thankfully I know I don't have to do them all at once—it would be almost impossible! I want to make sure the changes in my life are sustainable, so I will work on incorporating them slowly. How about you join me? What is one thing you can start doing to better care for your temple?

A Taste of Hammond: Blackend Brew

Casey and I love eating at local restaurants, and we're totally blessed because there are SO MANY good ones! It makes it hard to choose where to eat because they're all so yummy! So I figured I could share some of our local restaurants on the blog!

The other day was my first trip to Blackened Brew. They're known for their burgers and beer (we don't drink, though, so we just went for burgers). Normally I just prefer a plain cheeseburger, and that's what I was planning to get, until I saw the Coffee Rub Cheese Burger. It had a burger rubbed with freshly ground coffee, pecan smoked bacon, smoked Gouda, and BBQ sauce. Oh my word, it was so flavorful and delicious!

Casey went with the "You're Bacon Me Jelly" burger. It's made with freshly ground peanut butter from the local Berrytown Produce and blackberry jam. It also has cheddar cheese and pecan smoked bacon! (Fun fact, my besties' last names are Smoak, so I keep typing "smoaked" instead of "smoked.") I stole a bite (he knows that I'm always going to ask for a bite!) and was happily surprised that I liked it! I wasn't sure how PB&J on a burger would be, but it wasn't too much. Just enough to give it a unique flavor!

I also got the parmesan truffle fries. Normally I'm not a huge fan of flavored fries, but I like to at least give them a try. But these were SO GOOD. I didn't even bother to try one of Casey's normal fries because I loved mine so much.

We've decided that this one of those places where we'd love to take people who are visiting Hammond. I know we will be back when we're craving a delicious burger!