I make my own deodorant

Yep, it's true. And probably one of the top ten things I never thought I'd do in my life. But after my crunchy confession, I had someone ask about how I made my own deodorant so I decided to write a whole darn blog post about it. Because I love it that much.

I stumbled across this recipe after looking for alternatives to regular deodorant. It's well known that deodorant contains aluminum which is great for suppressing your sweat glands, but not so great for your body.

I can't take credit for the recipe and I'm not going to reinvent the wheel, so head on over to Passionate Homemaking to see what all the fuss is about. She even has a video tutorial and FAQ's.

What I will do is share with you some personal experiences/preferences:

• Your body will go through a transition period for the first couple of weeks if accustomed to aluminum based deodorant. You will probably perspire a bit more (or maybe a lot). But don't give up! After a few weeks, your body will re-adapt and you won't find yourself sweating quite as much.
• In the original recipe, she says use 6-8 Tablespoons of coconut oil. I found I only need 4. Just play with it until it is the consistency you desire.
• Because the base of this deodorant is coconut oil, it is soft and will melt in the heat. Therefore, it's not too great for traveling. I have this one on hand for travel because it's all natural as well and works great for me.
• After I shave, I find it's best if I wait a while before putting it on. If not, sometimes I get red bumps (that aren't painful). 
• I keep it in a mini mason jar in the bathroom cabinet and apply with my fingers. If that grosses you out, you can store it in an old deodorant container in the fridge. I tried this at first, but found it didn't work as well as applying it with your fingertips. 

So there you have it. I make my own deodorant. Questions? I know you've got some :).

stories of His faithfulness: in the midst of struggles

Melissa is a woman of God who is as genuine and caring as they come. They brought home their son after an extremely rocky adoption process. I was privileged to watch as she (and her husband) trusted the Lord through very difficult circumstances. Check out what she has to say about God's faithfulness in trials.

Thinking about my life, the faithfulness of God is prevalent throughout.  That I am here on this earth to bring Him glory, alongside my wonderful husband and three year old son, is evidence enough.  But God is gracious, and demonstrates His faithfulness daily in ways and circumstances that can easily pass you by if you aren't paying attention.

Our adoption of our son, Hudson, was anything but easy.  I don't think you can put adoption and easy in the same sentence anyway, but we certainly had a rough go at it.  Between holiday closures, an uncooperative homestudy agency, and misunderstanding in translation, what should have been one year turned into two and our son was no closer to being home than when we started.  In fact, the courts told us "No!" to our petition to adopt and sent us back over the ocean with the uncertainty of ever being able to see our son again.

Indeed, God is faithful, and my son is singing at the top of his lungs while spinning in circles right next to me.

But this is not the story of faithfulness God has laid on my heart to share with you.  It is easy to see the faithfulness in the happy endings, in the stories that finish the way we had planned.

Life is rarely full of events that wrap up nicely like a beautiful present.  Life is messy and hard, and we struggle here, aliens in a foreign land.

God is faithful in the mess.  He is faithful in the struggle.  I've lived it, seen it, tasted it.  He is indeed good.

His faithfulness was not reduced by my circumstances that were less than ideal.  His faithfulness was also not reduced by my grumblings and belly aching.  He continued, day after day, minute by minute, to meet me there in the struggle, while my heart was still cold and ugly, and began to breathe His life into me.

His faithfulness was demonstrated in a timely word from a friend.

A shoulder to cry on, and the Word of God to trust in.

Only showing me one step at a time, to keep me moving forward, rather than the whole picture that I would have run away from.

Using the time to draw me close to Him, deepen my faith, allow me to experience a glimpse of the Gospel through adoption and knowing that Christ suffered even more than I did for me.

New connections that blossomed into friendships that would have never been formed otherwise.

During this time of struggle, the song I played over and over again was aptly named "Faithful God" by Laura Story.  The chorus sang to my tired heart:

Faithful God, every promise kept

Every need you've met

Faithful God

All I am, and all I'll ever be

Is all because you love faithfully

Faithful God

Life is full of struggles as we live out what God has called us to in this fallen world.  Our struggles, however, do not negate the faithfulness of God- quite the opposite.  When we can let go and trust God in the midst of the hard, He is still there, graciously demonstrating His faithfulness.  He doesn't change. He loves us faithfully through it all, molding us to be more like him.

"Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." -1 Peter 4:19 

stories of His faithfulness: God's provision

Makenzie is another adoptive momma friend (go figure). We both brought home our kiddos with AGCI, and I have loved getting to know her online and in person at Created for Care! Her story inspires me so much as I got to "watch" it unfold. I know it will inspire you too.

My husband and I had been praying for a baby for over a year before we finally understood that God was calling us to adoption. That in itself is a testament to God's faithfulness, but that is only the beginning of our story.

We started the adoption process for Ethiopia in December of 2010. We didn't feel a particular call to Ethiopia or to our agency, we simply met all of their criteria and felt comfortable with them. Our original plan was to adopt a boy or girl, 0-12 months, as healthy as possible. We knew the wait would be long, but we jumped onto the waitlist with excitement!

During the course of our wait, I had the opportunity to attend adoption retreats and connect with other adoptive moms. God used these connections to open my heart to special needs, in particular, HIV positive children. I can home from a retreat in 2011 with loads and loads of information, ready to present to Chris to show him why we should be open to children with HIV. But he (understandably) wasn't on the same page at the time. This new desire in me had seemed to come out of nowhere, and we really weren't in a financial position to be able to provide a child with expensive medicine and specialist appointments. Although I was disappointed, I prayed that God would continue to lead us in the right direction, and if Chris ever agreed to change our parameters to include HIV, I would know that it was from God and that is were he meant us to be.

About a year later, God really began stirring my heart for children with HIV once again. I started searching through waiting child listings, desperate to know what God's will was for our family. One day, I saw a picture of a beautiful three-year-old HIV positive girl with another agency. Was this our daughter? We both felt so strongly about staying with our agency, but I knew God had called several other families to start over with different agencies for waiting children. I prayed about her for a week, and asked Chris if I could inquire about her. "Just to see if she has a family yet," I said. He agreed and I emailed the agency. Praise God! She had several families inquiring about her. I was happy for her, yet saddened by the fact that this wasn't our daughter.

The very next day, I got an email from our agency about a little girl who did not fit the parameters of any family on the waitlist. She was three years old and HIV positive. And adorable. I thought, "Surely this is our child! God closed the door for the first little girl I was praying for, and here is a child with the exact same parameters but with our own agency!" Chris and I agreed to request more information. I waited not-so-patiently the next day for a response. Finally, that night we got the word- she was not our daughter. I was devestated, wondering how God could line up all these circumstances to get my hopes up, only to be crushed. But our caseworker urged us to pray about officially changing our parameters to include HIV if we were open to it now. We prayed, and decided that if we were so hopeful about this waiting child, we obviously were open to HIV and would contact our social worker to update our home study. On February 29th, 2012, I emailed our agency to let them know that we wanted to officially open our parameters to include children with HIV and AIDS. Little did I know that on the exact same day, a seven-month-old HIV positive baby girl was brought into our agency's transitional home.

We were elated when we received the referral for our daughter. Our daughter! How amazing that sounded. We laughed and cried as we learned about her story and saw her beautiful smile for the first time. But soon, those fears from a year ago began to creep back... how are we going to pay for this? Are we really ready to deal with the stigma that often faces children with HIV? In the midst of all our excitement, I was worrying constantly about the details. My husband was hoping to transition into self-employment which would bring about a whole new set of financial unknowns. We knew that insurance companies are not always friendly to HIV positive families, especially self-employed ones. But luckily I had a few wise friends that spoke the truth into my heart:

God has been with us all along, and he will not leave us now. 

A week before we left for Ethiopia to meet our daughter, we learned that due to a provision in the healthcare laws of our state, our daughter's premiums would be the same as a healthy child. We decided to be open about our daughter's HIV status, in hopes that her story would encourage other families; God has provided nothing but support and love from our families and friends- we have yet to receive any negativity about her status. When we returned from Ethiopia with our daughter, my husband quit his job a week later to begin a private marriage and therapy practice. Days afterwards, we found out that we were awarded an adoption grant that would fully cover our daughter's medical expenses for the rest of the year. 

God's provision has astounded me since we opened our hearts to his will. Every day, when I look into my daughter's eyes, I'm reminded of his faithfulness to our family. 

stories of His faithfulness: faithfulness in the wandering

The "L" family is so precious to us. Though we live miles apart, they encourage, challenge, and spur me on in the faith more than they will know. They are currently serving the Lord abroad with their young children. Mrs. "L" has written about her long journey to becoming a mother in such an incredible way. I know it will bless you!

We learn to sing in the wilderness and not in the broad valley. There praises come forth from a pure heart of love for the Faithful One.

There we see the One who calls Himself Faithful. Faithful to generations past, faithful through the heartache and faithful as the great “I AM”.

My heart had expected to come into motherhood with ease yet years of barrenness marked each day with an inability to “be” the one He had made me to be-a mother.

Those beside me held their breath at times hoping that the test would reveal that their honeymoon years had not come to an end. My heart ached with each month that past and another surgery reminding me that the doctor’s advice for major change just might be needed sooner than we thought. I wondered why my heart ached in this way.

Others had walked this journey.

The waiting.

The wandering.

The barren paths.

They stayed there for forty years.

Wandering causes the soul to long for the fresh path and even remembering the previous slavery in a better light. When will this dusty road end and the land flow with life and joy? We question His goodness and process. Words of promise seem only to be a whisper and the former times become the desired pathway. A want for change may bring one to grumbling or singing.

I have done both. The grumbling leads to our descent, yet just as striking a rock can reveal His glory by the flowing of water; I would rather choose the adoring as He orders the waters to cease so we can embark on the journey of Promise.

Motherhood seemed the impossible dream.

The wilderness began on December 24th. It was our first Christmas as a married couple and we had made the ten hour journey to celebrate with my side of the family.

In a moment, a pain so intense took over my body, and within minutes I was lying in the ER waiting to know the extent of my sickness.

Late that night they rushed me to surgery. I had only to wait a few hours as the guy who had been shot took priority. It was the inner city after all! My diagnosis was not life threatening but altered my hopes of carrying a child. My husband stood beside me with strength and unconditional love.

Hope now took on another meaning for our family of two. Up until that moment my life had mostly been filled with ease apart from a few childhood experiences of loss.

Until we have but little to cling to we depend on situation and position, only in the pain do we lift eyes and wait for His glory to rain down. We look for Him to move. We remember His faithfulness.

Healing from surgery began and the process repeated itself several times before He spoke that healing had already occurred in physical form. The emotional was still a process but with eyes set on children waiting in Ethiopia, my eyes looked ahead. It was His plan. Even as a young child God had placed on our hearts the desire to gather children from the broken places.

The waiting is filled with moments of aimless wandering and awe filled hope. For the rest of our life, it will be these moments where we recount to others His past faithful acts, the wondrous actions that set our life to follow no matter the cost.

I wandered those seven years in barren places, wondering which way was the direction that would lead me to a place of fulfillment. The journey was not only to motherhood. The greater was seeing glimpses of the Father and running into His safe arms. It is seeing Him as the One who holds all things together, even my wandering heart.

Through the pain, I learned to call out to Him in unreserved desperation. I realized that it was not my fulfillment but my contentment that was needed. I realized that my life was for His magnificent glory, not my enjoyment. I learned to sing at the top of my lungs even when there was still nomadic living ahead.

The One who named Himself according to our needs holds us as we walk our own individual journey and with each season of heartache. We see Him. Greater glimpses of who He is not based on our circumstances but as the Faithful One. We begin to lean closer and truly know that He is the same-yesterday, today and forever.

Though we are torn--He is always the One who comes and heals the broken hearted.

Now our home is filled with little voices and feet making their marks on our tile floors, yet the wandering continues. No longer is the pain a barren womb but little hearts that have been broken. I find myself at a place where I am unable to provide for the crowd, only the Master will look and see these in need and meet them at their neediest places. All I can do is give Him my small basket and look up in His tender eyes and see that He will someday make all things new.

In that gentle way He beckons us to come. We see Him as the Faithful One. The One that from the beginning has been present to us His people. The Trustworthy One leads and we follow regardless if it means wandering in the wilderness until He says we have circled long enough. We follow Him because He is faithful!

stories of His faithfulness: our God is still present

Brianna is another sweet adoption friend (noticing a trend?) We actually met and spoke to each other for the first time while in Ethiopia. We also got to share the joy of experiencing Ethiopian hospitals ;). And once you experience Ethiopia together, you are automatically friends for life. We love their sweet family and are may or may not have already set up an arranged marriage between their "A" and our "A". I know you will be encouraged by their story.

My husband and I began our adoption journey in August of 2011. Our story isn't typical in that once we were on the waiting list, we didn't wait long. We had a heart for older children, but felt that through five years old was the oldest we could go for first time parents (and me being only 23 at the time). We fully expected to receive a referral for a four or five year old, and we fully expected to wait for at least two years as we were told we would. After a couple of months on the waiting list, we updated our parameters to include some special needs, and two weeks later, we were referred a two and a half month baby girl! We were completely shocked. Not only did we not expect to bring home a baby, but we also did not expect to receive a referral while being number 120 something (I asked our case worker to stop sending our numbers, because we knew it would be awhile, so I have no idea our actual number at time of referral). This was only the beginning of a whirlwind of faithful miracles that only God could perform.

Quick synopsis:

July 12 – Referral of a tiny, sick baby. She had the HIV antibodies and a history of seizures and very malnourished.

August 8 – Passed court even though I wasn't present, because I had been in the hospital (yes, in Ethiopia, like Courtney! We are Ethiopian hospital pals) the night before and could not go. The judge was gracious and passed us anyway!

August 17 – Received results from ELISA test – negative for HIV! So shocking!

September 20 – Landed HOME in the US after making our second trip to bring home our girl.

About a dozen doctor appointments later and multiple tests, we began weaning our daughter off her anti-seizure meds and still have not had any seizure occurrences to this day.

She continues to grow and is now on the US growth charts!

During those whirlwind months, God’s faithfulness rang crystal clear. There was absolutely no denying that it was Him behind every single detail in our daughter’s life. We were definitely “flying high” during those months.

Now it becomes harder for me to recognize His faithfulness. I know He is the definition of faithful, and I cling to that, but some days I forget the details of the beginning of our baby’s life when I look at her. Some days, I feel sorry for my girl and for me because of how hard we have to work to get her “caught up”. You see, our daughter is 12 months old now and cannot sit up on her own. We went to the beach for her first birthday, and I had pictured her sitting and playing in the sand for months, but that didn't happen. Her friends in the nursery are all “graduating” to the crawlers and walkers rooms while the newest wave of wittle babies less than half her age come in. We knew this would most likely be a reality for our daughter when we brought her home, but living it is different than simply knowing.

But OH, you should have seen us rejoicing just a few hours ago as she was able to pick up puffs and put them in her mouth all by herself. Sure, she dropped half of them, but the other half… pure JOY. Or how about when she started rolling over a month ago, and now she rolls herself over to sleep on her belly! And grabbing toys with BOTH hands. And entertaining herself with a toy for several minutes. All of these things are still displays of God’s faithfulness. They don’t seem big, but oh they are after working for months on some skills. We probably wouldn't clap and cheer and cry the way we do had our girl not had the delays she has.

Sure, this time in our life is slower going than the process to bring our first child home, but our God IS still present. He IS still faithful. He reminds me daily through the life of our daughter that this time we have been given here on earth is not about my expectations, but about trusting and serving Him and not growing weary in doing so.