A New Name

The nations will see your vindication, 
   and all kings your glory; 
you will be called by a new name 
   that the mouth of the LORD will bestow. 
You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand, 
   a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 
No longer will they call you Deserted, 
   or name your land Desolate. 
But you will be called Hephzibah (“my delight is in her”),
   and your land Beulah (“married”); 
for the LORD will take delight in you, 
   and your land will be married. 
As a young man marries a young woman, 
   so will your Builder marry you

Isaiah 62:2-5a

I am not a biblical scholar, but I do study the Bible and while I know that scripture was written to a specific people, in a specific time, by a specific hand. I also know that it is God’s Word – living and active and relevant to me, and sometimes I think that God stepped outside of the box of time and chronology and knew that while those words needed to mean something specific at certain times to a very specific people, He also thought of me…specifically. And He knew that the words He spoke then, whether through His own mouth or the mouth of one of His prophets would speak truth to my mind, light to my soul and love to my heart.

Such is the passage above. I have been meditating on it for about two weeks now, and each time I read it, it becomes more beautiful and full of meaning.

I remember the first time that Ev called me “my Love.” It was magical. I felt like I belonged, like I was known, like I was valued. I remember the first time that Elliot called me “Momomom.” It was magical too. Someone that knew me specifically in one role that was more than enough for him. I felt special, I felt irreplaceable, I felt loved.

These names are two of the most treasured that I have been given by those that I love and that love me. I’ve had many other names as well. Some make me feel special, some make me feel inadequate. Some make me think I’m stupid or worthless, some make me think I couldn’t be worth more. But there is one that I have never heard that I know God has in store to bestow on me when we meet face to face. When I then know as I am fully known (1 Cor 13:12). The name will make me feel delighted in, joined together with a God who takes pleasure in knowing me, and in me knowing Him, clothed in the righteousness of Christ – splendid, radiant, distinct. One new name!

At a time in my life when I’m not sure what my next names will be, it gives me great joy to read this passage and delight in it. I think about the times that God shows us examples of him bestowing new names on his followers, Abraham, Sarah, Israel. It was perfect every time. It made sense for who they were, what their story was and how God redeemed them and set them apart. Another great piece of all this is that the name that God gives people isn’t just between Him and them. No longer are they called Abram, Sarai, or Jacob. No longer will we be called “desolate” or “deserted” or any other name that displays a gross misunderstanding of a heavenly Father’s love and grace or the value of His child. Instead, I will be given a new name that is known by all. How beautiful is that?! What a wonderful, merciful Saviour! What a gracious redeemer and friend! I love Him, my Yahweh!

Dearly Loved

Dearly Loved

Jimmy Needham

Please lay down your arrows
For they're sure to pierce the skin
And water from a broken well
Will make you thirst again
When all things you've acquired
Are tested by the flames
And you can see them melting
Then will you call his name

It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved

To the slaughters you are being led
Being told that it's a party
That this God is in your head
And every single lie
Sounds just like the greatest truth
But the one truth you're not hearing
Is that he died for you

No greater joy
No greater peace
No greater love than this

It's worth it brothers
It's worth it friends
To know your maker
To lose your sin
Did you know that you are dearly loved

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:4-5

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Psalm 63:3-4

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

1 John 3:1a

"When I hear people talking about love like it's the latest, greatest flavor of cotton candy, I get very nervous and suspect we are not talking about the same thing."

Jen Lee

This is a new favorite song of mine, moving me to tears because of the reality of its truth. My dear sister Sarah sent me this last quote a couple weeks ago and it deeply resonated with my heart. I feel that love is one of the most misunderstood and shallowly represented constructs within our world. And the thing that astonishes me the most is that people seem to be okay with that. The devasting thing is that when I try to describe love to other people, I find that my proclamation of this truth leaves much to be desired. Yet I look around me as see people, as C.S. Lewis did, happy to be playing with "love mud pies" when a holiday in a sea of love is afforded to them. And I have to conclude with him that we are "far too easily pleased."

Recently the university I work at had an essay contest among the faculty called, "Why I Teach." As I pondered when or not to submit something I thought back and forth about why I teach, why I lead, etc. It's not because I have vast amounts of knowledge to impart or am even close to being able to use my life experiences as vicarious sources of learning. It is because I believe that the greatest, sweetest truth that everyone needs to learn is that they are DEARLY LOVED - specifically, intentionally, uniquely, dearly loved by God. And I believe so strongly that anything that is truth will point to this life altering, soul filling reality. So I teach the truth I know and I lead for change that eliminates lies and darkness because people must know that they are dearly loved.

My life has been a learning laboratory for love, and I hope that it continues to be. One reason that the truth of love is so difficult to articulate is because it's often deeply felt rather than only cognitively processed. The limbic system in our brains (bear with me here) is the physical seat of our emotions and drives. It is full of feeling and not rationality, passion and not logic. And it isn't anywhere near our brain's cortex (where cognition is processed) or Broca & Wernicke's areas (where we develop language and the articulation of our ideas). And so in my little life laboratory, when I see or hear or read or look at something that can connect the all of those areas in my head and empower passion with knowledge and ignite logical truth with fervor, I most often just start crying. Because what my heart felt as true and my mind knew as true connect and fill my soul with the light of truth. And almost always that truth is that I am dearly loved, incredibly unworthy, and miraculously redeemed.

Last night, Pat Terenzini in his opening remarks at our conference said that learning or education is "not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire." So while I still feel that my words above are shallow and disjointed, I guess my observation and question to you is this. We are all learning and teaching and following and leading, but what fire are you spreading? Because, in case you didn't know my brothers and sisters...

...you are SO DEARLY LOVED! 

Pretty Pretty Song

"Yahweh" by Tal & Acacia. One of my students shared this with me and I absolutely love it. I want to wake up to it! :)

Skipping Stones on Walden Pond

Two sturdy oaks I mean, which side by side,
         Withstand the winter's storm,
         And spite of wind and tide,
         Grow up the meadow's pride,
            For both are strong

Above they barely touch, but undermined
         Down to their deepest source,
         Admiring you shall find
         Their roots are intertwined
            Insep'rably.

-Henry David Thorough, excerpt from his poem Friendship

On my trip to Boston last week I was able to take a morning and visit Concord and Walden Pond. Let me just say the entire thing was incredibly surreal and beautiful! We hiked a trail all the way around Walden Pond and were able to see where Thoreau's cabin had stood. The fall colors were incredibly beautiful and basically, I stood on the edge of the pond skipping stones thinking, "This is SO STINKIN COOL!!!" I wanted to sit the cove and write a poem but as Thoreau says, "My life has been the poem I would have writ, 

but I could not both live and utter it."....at least I hope that's the case. :)

Where I stood and skipped stones, I got one to skip five times!!! :)

Other cool things that I was able to do in Boston:

• Go to the International Leadership Conference and hear some great speakers, scholars, etc. on leadership. By far the best talk was given by Jeff Schwartz, the CEO of Timberland on "moral capitalism." His basic point was that making a profit and doing good/creating social change are not antithetical notions, but rather that they depend upon each other to happen.
• Walk Freedom Trail
• See the Old North Church (one if by land, two if by sea)
• See the Old Meeting House (where the Declaration of Independence was written)
• Eat at some GREAT places (Lucia's on the north end Italian district, Mike's Pastry, b.good, CafeTeria, a little seaside cafe in Rockport for fish & chips)

 Minute Men Park

Old North Bridge

And Minute Men Park, this is where the "Shot Heard Round the World" was fired, starting the Revolutionary war. Oddly enough, I thought it would be an awesome place to get married.

Thank you SO much to Kristy and Bill for making this an awesome trip! 

Naturally Free Soap Recipes

Here are two of our latest soap recipes! French Green Rosemary and Exfoliating Oatmeal.

French Green Rosemary

3 oz lye

8 oz rosemary hydrosol

22 oz oils (7 olive, 7 coconut, 7 palm, 1 jojoba)

1/2 cup French Green Clay

1/5 cup Rosemary

0.25 oz Essential Oils (1 part bergamot, 2 parts geranium, 1 part peppermint)

Exfoliating Oatmeal

16 oz distilled water

6 oz lye

44 oz oils (15 coconut, 15 palm, 10 olive, 4 jojoba)

0.25 Essential oils (2 parts sweet orange, 2 parts lavender, 2 parts chamomile, 3 parts tea tree, 1 part patchouli)

Ground Vanilla Bean & Oatmeal (approx. 1/2 cup oatmeal and 2-3 vanilla beans)

Parabens & Phthalates

Don't those two words just make you cringe?
If they don't then you haven't been asking enough questions. I was going to do a post awhile back on each of these things, but the folks at Soapchix have done a more fantastic job than I could have, so I'm going to point you their way. Check out their post on the dangers of and differences between parabens & phthalates.
Basically, you need to be aware of these things for yourself, but also if you have children...or are going to have them in the future. Soapchix say that children absorb up to three times as much stuff through their skin as adults do. So even if you're not concerned about the estrogen and carcinogenic nature of parabens for yourself. Or you don't really care what phthalates do to you because you've been using products with them your entire life. Still be informed about what's going in to your little one's body.
In a nutshell, they're both in just about any store bought bath & body or cosmetic product. Parabens are used as a preservative, while phthalates are typically used as a binding agent. And while you might not find phthalates listed in the ingredients of some products, if it says "fragrance" the phthalates are there.
For some products and providers that I've found helpful, you can check out my posts on RMS and Simple Soapworks. Two other companies that I do use, but haven't done posts on are Aromaleigh and Chagrin Valley. Check them out! (I think I should totally be paid for advertising these puppies!)

Coconut Milk Soap Recipe

Coconut Milk Soap

Makes 8-10 bars

3 oz lye

8 oz coconut milk

10 oz extra virgin olive oil 

7 extra virgin organic coconut oil

3 oz all natural shea butter

3 Vanilla Beans (chopped)

1/2 cup Oatmeal

Essential Oil Blend (2 parts lavender, 1 part patchouli)

**TIP: When working with milk, whether it be goat's milk or coconut milk, add the lye to the milk little by little so you don't scorch the milk as the lye reacts with it. If you scorch it, you're soap will smell like you did! So give it a little extra time.

Green Tea Soap Recipe

I've waited awhile to put this up, because I needed to make sure it would cure and turn into a good soap. And I personally think it's great! One of my friends made soap with red tea instead of water when she was making her lye solution. After reading how goat's milk soap is made, I figured I could do this recipe and the following one with coconut milk. I'm really excited about possibly making a soap where the lye solution is a hydrosol instead of another liquid. Wouldn't that be cool?!

Green Tea Soap Recipe
Makes 8-10 bars

3 oz lye

8 oz green tea

10  oz extra virgin olive oil

5 oz extra virgin organic coconut oil

5 oz palm oil

2 oz all natural jojoba oil

Green tea extract

Essential Oil Blend (5 parts rosemary, 2 parts tea tree, 2 parts spearmint)

For more info on soap making procedures, refer to this post.

Shampoo Bars

My newest soap making adventure was embarked on this weekend, when I decided to make shampoo bars. I learned a lot from my last soap making endeavor that helped this process immensely. And I believe my hubby is going to make me a big soap mold for my next soap project. Below is the recipe that I used. Refer to this post for tips and links on soap making procedures, but I have two more tips for you.
First, stir your lye solution a couple times as it is cooling to make sure the lye doesn't just stick to the sides of the container. Second, keep on mixing that sucker until you're sure it has traced. This batch took about 30 minutes of mixing...that's a long time. But it helps it harden up really nicely. It will look like soup, then a milkshake, then pudding. Wait for the pudding look.
This recipe made 20 bars. Here's the recipe:

Gilmore's Shampoo Bar Recipe


33 oz. Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil
10 oz. Pure Organic Jojoba Oil
16 oz. Distilled Water
6 oz. Lye 
.25 oz. Essential Oils (I used 6 parts tea tree, 3 parts spearmint, 1 part patchouli)

Homemade Natural Soap!

Yes! It's true! I made soap....not just any soap, but soap I almost want to eat. (seriously!) If you'd like to try some, let me know. The bar above is for my friend Heather. :) It still has another week to cure before we can use it, but I think it will be just great.
If you'd like to try to make your own soap. There are a lot of great sites and books out there that are helpful. Little House in the Suburbs has some great links. At some points I will probably do an entry on diagnosing soap problem and the whole process. But for right now, here's the recipe that I used.

Gilmore's First Soap!

21.5  oz.=50% Extra Virgin Olive Oil
10.75  oz. = 25% Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil
6.45 oz. = 15% Organic Mango Butter
4.3 oz. = 10% OrganicGrapeseed Oil – 43 oz oils

6 oz lye

16 oz Distilled water

This recipe made about 15 bars, not quite 20 like I thought it would. Here are just a few quick tips. 

1) Your oils and lye solution need to be mixed when they are both between 95 and 98 degrees. For me, the oils cooled more quickly than the lye solution. This is great because the oils temperature can be altered more easily by placing it over heat or by placing the pot in some cold water.

2) Proper measurement is key. Measure by WEIGHT, not volume. So don't measure 16 liquid oz of water, but actually weigh 16 oz out on the scale. You can also convert your ounces to grams to make sure you don't mess this part up.

Happy soapmaking!

Trying Again

I've been reading more about soap making, and I think I figured out my problem. Well, I have a couple problems. #1 - I need to stick with a simple recipe. #2 - I need to make sure and measure everything in the same state (either solid or liquid). #3 - I need to get a good thermometer to read the temperature on my lye/soap nuts mixture.
I'm going to order my stuff and try one more time. I hope that it will be a success and I can post the tutorial and recipe for you all to enjoy. In the meantime, you can read some great info on how to make soap and such --> HERE! The Tomato Lady just posted some good tips and an olive oil soap recipe at Little House in the Suburbs as well.

I am Free!

Through you the darkness flees!

Through you my heart screams "I am free!"

I am free to run

I am free to dance

I am free to live for you

I am free, 

Yes! I am free!

(Picture posted on Flickr by bella - Music by The Newsboys)

Homemade Natural Lip Balm & Scrub

I found these great little plastic containers at CVS a couple weeks ago. They're the perfect size for keeping all little masks and soaps and salts in the shower too.

One of my favorite little beauty rituals used to be using my Mary Kay Satin Lips set every night. There was a lip mask and a silky balm. Well, I've run out and while I could buy more, I have no idea what's in the stuff, and I've been wanting to make my own lip balm for a bit now. I also made my own lovely little scrub. I will use it and feel PRETTY! (Guys can also use this and feel _____ (insert masculine good feeling adjective here - sharp, cool, smooth, handsome, "hot as fire", whatever).

Megan's Lip Scrub

Ingredients:

Dead Sea Salt

Sugar

Carrier Oil (I used Grapeseed Oil)

1. Fill container about 3/4 of the way full with half sugar and half Dead Sea salt.

2. Put lid on and shake to mix.

3. Pour in carrier oil until salt/sugar mixture is covered.

4. Stir with a toothpick or chopstick.

Megan's Marvelous Lip Balm

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. Beeswax

3 Tbsp. Carrier Oil (I used Jojoba Oil)

2 Vitamin E Capsules (Prick the end and squeeze out contents. Great for your skin, and a good natural preservative)

1 Tbsp. Honey

1 Tbsp. Mango Butter (I'm sure you could use Shea Butter as well)

1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

10 drops of Essential Oil (I put in tea tree, sweet orange, & grapefruit)

1. Put all the ingredients (except the essential oil) in a Pyrex measuring cup (or a similar pourable container).

2. Melt ingredients by placing the Pyrex cup in a half full pot of boiling water and stirring continuously.

3. Once all the ingredients are melted remove the Pyrex cup with a hot pad and add essential oils.

4. Pour mixture into containers and let solidify (you can place it in the freezer to speed up the process)

For other fun at home body products, check out Rachel's recent Bath & Beauty Roundup at One Pretty Thing

Semper Fi...Wait! No, SIMPLIFY!

Yes...I said it. Simplify. Can we really be happy with less? Oh-my-goodness! You'll experience a whole new meaning to being "free."

Now, I know there are a lot of websites out there with tips on how to do this, and I am by no means an expert, but I am in the midst of trying to get rid of the junk (and the debt) and strive for a semblence of sustainability. So I'll just share some things that I'm learning with you in the coming days. Here's the first one:

Purge your closets & cabinets!

(I know it sounds scary)

Here's the thing. Well organized closets can make your life so much easier. This might take a little more than a day, so work on it over time. But decide what the function for each space is going to be, and use it for that. I'm working on this. So far, I've mentally labeled all of our closets and I'm working on the cabinets.

Let's start with the simple things medicines & toiletries. Just in case you didn't know...these things expire! Yes, crazy I know, but even Neosporin and vitamins. So go through your medicine drawer, cabinet, whatever, and get rid of everything that is past its expiration date.

Then condense. If you have three half-full bottles of Advil, put them all in one. If you have three full bottles of Advil, just keep one in the medicine drawer, cabinet, whatever, and create a space with the function of "stockpiling."

"But Megan, you mentioned toiletries too?!" Yes I did! If you have a bottle of ANYTHING be it shampoo, lotion, perfume, and you have not used it for 6 months...TOSS IT! Some of us (I sheepishly raise my hand) have shampoo bottles with about 1/2 inch of shampoo in the bottom, have moved on to another brand, and still have not thrown the thing away. Throw it away! Do it! I mean, really chuck it...you'll start smiling right away. :)

Okay, here's the thing about make-up. It's expensive, and we all have that sapphire blue eyeshadow that we bought for some crazy event....two years ago (or more). Here are the expiration dates on make-up (according to Carmindy...don't you just love her?), stick to these so your not smearing bacteria all over your face.

• Foundation: 1 year
• Concealer: 1 year
• Face powder: 1 year
• Bronzer or blush (cream or powder): 1 year
• Mascara: 6 months (scary huh?)
• Eyeliner: 2 years (but sharpen pencils frequently)
• Liquid eyeliner: 6 months
• Eye shadow: 1 year
• Lipstick: 2 years

If you're going through your makeup and you think, "Wait! I've only had this foundation for 9 months", but it looks chunky and smells funny....Chuck it...you know, it can go in right after your shampoo bottle. If you use brushes and sponges for your beauty ritual wash them weekly and replace them monthly (tip: wash them with warm water and shampoo until the water runs clear and then let them air dry).

I Want to Go to There!!!

Photo posted on Flickr by dedge555 on July 3, 2009.

In Woodburn, Oregon for five weeks during the spring the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm has a festival. I REALLY want to go...and wear a pair of wooden shoes when I do! Anyone else in?

Next on the List...RMS Beauty!

I am so excited about this!!! I can't wait to try it. Go check out RMS Beauty. Rose-Marie Swift has been a celebrity make-up artist for years. She's been featured in just about any big-time magazine, and she has such a cool story. I guess she was an artist that was in high-demand but her health started failing, and after some medical testing they found that she had high levels of metal and toxic chemicals in her body. All of this was from her constant exposure to make-up. (If you haven't done much research on it, most make-up has aluminum and cadmium, some of it even has mercury and lead.)

ANYWAY, in my search for skin care that feeds my skin instead of stripping or starving it. I've come up against a roadblock with make-up. Even the mineral make-ups that claim to be natural, have been tampered with, and making your own mineral make-up can be not so good for your lungs. A lot of cleansing products are saponified (which means that lye is added...have you ever looked at a container of straight-up lye...I just think it's really scary!) and other products are heated up a lot or processed in other ways that make the properties that would typicaly interact with your skin, ineffective.

Our skin is a breathable organ, what we put on it is what goes into our bodies. So I think to myself, "Would I feel comfortable eating that? Would I freak out if my son got into that and messed around with it?"

So I've been doing some research on natural preservatives and other such things, and I found that Rosemary Oil Extract and Vitamin E are two very stable good preservatives that don't alter the structure of things. WELL! Guess what RMS uses to preserve their products?...that's right ROE and Vit. E! They also use coconut oil and jojoba oil as their base. These oils nourish your skin rather than clog your pores.

So anyway...that's it! I'm stoked. It's a little expensive, but I think it will be TOTALLY worth it. Let me know if you decide to try it too.

Spa Water on the Go!

I LOVE going to the spa! Seriously...every birthday, Christmas, anniversary, whatever, Evan asks me what I want, and every time I have some various items and/or a trip to the spa. I love the robes, the slippers, the smells, the complimentary showers and steam rooms, the little cookies, AND of course, the spa water.

While I will never be able to completely recreate going their on my own (since part of the point is being pampered by someone else), there are some things that I enjoy intentionally incorporating into my life that just make me smile and feel pretty and help me breathe a little more easily. One of these things is my healthy new Spa Water On-the-Go!

Just try it...

• Take a re-usable water bottle (we have these great Voss water bottles, compliments of my friend Lynette's wedding)
• Add a sprig of fresh rosemary, a two or three very thin slices of cucumber and a thin slice of lemon

It's pretty and tastes great! Enjoy!

Beautiful Bubbles

I love blowing bubbles!

originally uploaded by SaylaMarz on Flickr.

Herbal DIY - Part 2

Today, Beth was over and we decided to try a couple little projects. We were inspired by some recipes at www.craftbits.com, but by the time we actually made the items they were far from the recipes that we started with. Here are our two creations:

Miracle Milk

Leave-In Hair Goo

**Leaves hair feeling OH SO soft and manageable**

Mix the following ingredients together and put in an airtight container (We used Gerber baby food jars, painted the lids, and put labels on them).

Use 1/2 tsp. on clean, damp hair, and then style as usual.

3 Tbsp. Good quality Organic Conditioner (we used Aubrey Organics GBP Balancing Conditioner)

1/4 Water

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Essential Oils (we used Lavendar, Sweet Orange, & Tea Tree)

Elliot's Evening

Bath Bombs

**Soothes baby's senses and skin to prepare them for bed**

Mix dry ingredients. Then slowly mix in wet ingredients and essential oils. Roll into 1" balls and place on wax paper to dry for at least 12 hours.

Run a bath and throw the bomb in to dissolve.

2 Tbsp. Citric Acid

1/4 Baking Soda

Dash of Stevia Leaf Powder for Color

2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp. Jojoba Oil

15-30 drops Essential Oils (we used Lavendar, Sweet Orange & Patchouli)

I'm working on a soap recipe with the soap nuts, but it might take me a few days before I have it down.

My First Original Herbal DIY Tutorial - Deodorant

So...this is my first attempt at making my own herbal recipe. I chose deodorant, because really it is my most pressing need at this time (gross, I know). Since the active ingredient in most deodorants is some form of aluminum zirconium, I decided that I needed another option other than spreading a powdery metallic substance in my armpits. However, going without deodorant is definitely NOT an option.

I am really excited about this! So here is what I did...

First, I cleaned out some old deodorant containers...

Then I took the recipe from PassionateHomemaking and used her ingredients, but altered her method. Since I wanted to add some essential oils, I first melted 6 Tbsp. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil in the microwave, then I added in...

Top Note - 30 drops Orange Essential Oil

(Anti-cancer, anti-depressant, anti-inflammatory. Kills bacteria)

Middle Notes - 15 drops Tea Tree & Lavendar Essential Oil

(TT = Anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal. Kills pain)

(L = Cell regenerator. Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory)

Base Note - 8 drops Patchouli Essential Oil

(Anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal. Cell regenerator)

*For more info on blending essential oils, you can visit Cranberry Lane

After that I added in 1/4 baking soda & 1/4 cornstarch, mixed it up, poured it in the containers and popped them in the freezer, so the oils wouldn't have time to separate or evaporate before the mixture solidified.

While they were solidifying themselves, I made some labels to mod podge on when they were finished.

(Bad Picture...I know)

Voila! Healthy, natural, deodorant. I will probably still sweat, but I will smell lovely doing it (I'm also thrilled to see what this does for those nasty little razor bumps)! :)