I Like to Hike!

Sarah and I went hiking today. It has been awhile since I've been on a good hike, and this was a REALLY good one! Here are some snapshots of our adventure on the Ridge Trail along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

At the beginning of the hike, Ev dropped us off at the "Scenic Overlook" where there was a lone college guy sleeping in 

his car.

Sarah at the Summit! (She is powerful and free!)

Coming down off the mountain!

 

At our special spot - PSALM 19!

Aromatherapy!

Sarah and I went to an Introduction to Aromatherapy seminar yesterday. And it was AWESOME! We learned a lot about essential oils and how to mix them both for pleasure and relaxation and for therapeutic benefits. I purchased a few basic oils and a carrier oil and we were able to mix up one thing for free! There was also a lot about the things to look for and not to look for in ingredients. Basically, most of us slather chemicals, toxins, heavy metals, and plastics on our skin and hair most days - an interesting thing to think about.

Here are some highlights:

• Essential Oils do not have a shelf life until they are mixed with a carrier oil like, sesame, apricot kernel, sunflower, sweet almond, etc. After mixing, you should use the product within 9-12 months. This is why if a product claims to be all natural/organic and has essential oils in it, you should also be able to tell when it was made and when it expires.
• The best oils for decreasing agitation and increasing concentration are a mixture of lavendar and orange.
• Essential oils are actually better for killing germs, bacteria and viruses than most household cleaners, antiseptics, and cold medicines. The best for killing germs in the air or your home is Cinnamon Oil, so you can mix a few drops with a couple tablespoons of water and put it in a diffuser (viruses are actually unable to live in cinnamon oil). Lemongrass is the best deodorizing oil and it is anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, so it is good to use as a deodorant or insect repellent. The best ones for your skin are Patchouly and Tea Tree. Patchouly is an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal oil with properties that actually help with cell regeneration, and Tea Tree is strongly anti-bacterial and anti-fungal with anti-inflammatory and pain killing properties.
• You can use essential oils in a number of different ways, including but not limited to - body oils, facial oils, scalp oils, therapeutic baths, direct inhalation, steam inhalation, compresses, diffusers, facial spritzers, and perfumes.

If you have specific needs and are wondering how essential oils might benefit you, just let me know and I can share some of these resources with you. 

Radiant Folks!

My family is quite the bunch! Each unique, lovely, and beautiful in their individual ways. And as I watch them grow (my parents included) I am both amazed and befuddled at how truth shines through their lives, almost as constant parables to remind me through different situations about God's grace and love.

My parents were recently celebrated at their homeschool support group's spring program for 14 years of service through leadership. A lot of their leadership was driven by wanting to provide specific opportunities for their children and to serve other families with similar areas of need. These folks are definitely to of the greatest heroes in my life and for such a long time I wondered why they gave up so much of their dreams to dedicate an overabudance of time, energy, and love into their children. They could have still been phenomenal parents if they didn't. Then I thought about my relationship with my son, Elliot and how Evan and I's worlds were turned upside-down when he was born. It was then that I realized that they didn't necessarily give up on their dreams, their dreams might not even have changed, but a new dream took precedence. I shared some of these thoughts at their celebration and it inspired my sister to write a beautiful song for me on Mothers Day (she is also one through which radiance often makes a breath-taking appearance). And I wanted to share it here. Hopefully, we can get it recorded soon! :)

Elliot

Figs ®

She found her making pancakes as she walked through the kitchen door

And then she had a thought that she had never had before

Look at how beautiful and gracious she is

I bet you didn’t plan to spend your life like this

You could have done anything you wished

 And Mom said:

 Chorus:

Maybe I had other plans

But they don’t matter now

My dreams have changed over the years

I can’t explain to you how

But I have everything I ever wanted

It’s not investing in what, but in who

Baby, when I look at you

I see all my dreams come true

 Verse 2:

She found her father once again, paying bills, checkbook in hand

Amazed at the consistency and legacy of the man

Look at how loving and strong he is

I bet you didn’t plan to spend your life like this

You could have done anything you wished

And Dad said:

 Chorus

 Verse 3:

And as her husband sped through the lanes

She struggled through all the pain

Far from their minds were yesterday’s plans

When they held their surprise little boy in their hands

And she said:

Chorus II:

Maybe I had other plans

But they don’t matter now

My dreams have changed this very day

I can’t explain to you how

But now I have everything that I ever wanted

It’s not investing in what but in who

Elliot, when I look at you

I see all my dreams come true.

He's on the Move

This week Elliot has sprouted his first tooth and started crawling. He's taken a few crawling steps before, but yesterday he got the alternating arms and legs down and crawled a few feet. Today he crawled from the living room to the dining room to the music room. Then rested a bit before crawling into the bathroom and his bedroom. The poor guy is completely tuckered out!

Here's a video of his first escapades and a picture of him helping me clean the floor (I felt like I definitely needed to get down on his level with some baby-friendly cleaner and make sure all my floors are baby-friendly too!)

Super Cook to the Rescue

So...you don't really have time to run to the store or you have two days left before payday or you're just about to leave on vacation and don't to buy anything that will go bad while you're away. BUT you just can't seem to figure out how any of the random ingredients in your kitchen could possibly go together to make something tasty (and stone soup is just not an option for your family).

Never fear! Super Cook is here! That's right. Finally, the website we've all been waiting for. Just go to supercook.com and enter the ingredients that you have. They will do a search of their own website as well as all the other major recipe websites out there and give you a list of recipes that you can make with the ingredients that you have. You can even create your own account and keep a running list of all the items in your kitchen to see what fun recipes you might want to try next.

(Thanks to Ev for finding this for us!)

A Visual of the Weekend

Here are a few pictures of fun times we 

had over the weekend. 

On Joe's Boat! It was an absolutely gorgeous evening. I'm so glad that the weather is nicer and we can do things outside! The heavens DO declare the glory of God and the earth is such an awesome manifestation of His creative power.

The Zoo was on Saturday and Elliot stayed awake through the whole thing. How fun! The Fort Wayne Chilren's Zoo was ranked among the top 10 in the nation as one of the best zoos for kids. It is great! With peacocks roaming freely around, so many displays and rides, and am absolutely beautiful setting, how could it not be?!

One Day at a Time

In addictions counseling, we have a well-known saying: "One Day at a Time." The idea is that if you thought about being free from an addiction or not struggling with it for the rest of your life, that's a little too daunting to handle, so you just take each day and say that you will be free for that day. 

I'm a long term thinker and planner, which in some situations is a great thing, but in others my laundry list of "to-dos" can become somewhat overwhelming. So I just have to take my own advice and take the day that I am in and make the most of it.

Today was a fabulous day. I cleaned the carpets in two rooms this morning while Ev finished up some work and sorted out a bunch of stuff in Elliot's room. Then Beth got here and we all went to the mall and got free Lush cosmetics, a free carousel ride, and a free pretzel!

Ev and I then went on a date. When we got out we realized we picked prom night to go to Biaggi's...bad idea. So we went to Panera, Von Maur, and DeBrands instead. It was really nice to have a couple hours together! 

I have a lot to do tomorrow and this coming week, but for right now, I'm just going to take it one day at a time. :)