Homesick

God is good.
Although I have moved over 30 times in my lifetime, I have been privileged to live in some very beautiful locations over the years. My current home in southern Oregon is no exception. Tucked in a little valley along the Rogue River, surrounded by mountains and trees, I am blessed.
But...
I'm homesick like crazy.

 

From the my childhood days in Lake Arrowhead, running wild and free in the mountains, listening for my dad's whistle to call us home.

 

And those dazed and confused years bumming around the beaches and bars, yet finding such strength and peace in the crashing waves on the shore, spending my quiet time sitting on the sand. Little did I know that God was calling my name even then.

 

To my years in Orange County, making a mess of myself in the hustle and bustle of city living, but later finding Christ there in the midst of it all, saving me from myself forever.

 

I'm a cali girl at heart. I grew up all over southern California, and while I don't miss the "speed of life", I miss the warm beaches and sunshine. Even more than that, I miss my family and friends.

But God is good...all the time!

 

Praying for a visit home soon. It's been much too long...

Photo: Oceanside Pier, artwork by yours truly, circa 1994

 

The Taming of the ‘Do

What started out as a silly Facebook joke (a friend posting Before & After pictures of herself and encouraging others to do so) has turned into something else entirely! Since I had not primped and preened myself for the day, I decided to take that “challenge” literally and post my own pictures.

Yes, first thing in the morning, I resemble Troy Polamalu.

I’ve now been asked to share my beauty secrets *gasp!* for the Taming of the ‘Do. I seriously cannot believe I am posting this, but…well, if it helps just one of my friends have less Bad Hair Days, it was worth my public humiliation! ;)

The Taming of the ‘Do

I think I have tried every shampoo, every conditioner, every hair care product and styling aid known to man, yet I never seem to find anything that works for long. It hasn’t always been this way. My long, curly hair used to be soft and shiny, but after having children and growing…older…my hair had become coarse and brittle. Any curly-haired girl will tell you that’s a bad combination. I tried home remedies that made me want to gag. (I hate mayonnaise on my sandwich, let alone in my hair! bleh!) Nothing was helping.

“…there’s small choice in rotten apples…”

Apparently, there’s small choice in hair products too. Many half-empty bottles and spent dollars later, I was strongly convicted that this was not working. I was ready to cut off my tresses and start over…again. While trying to settle on a cut, I came across this post and decided to give it one more try. All natural hair care? Well, the chemistry experiment I had been trying wasn’t working…why not?

I followed the directions for “shampooing” with baking soda and “conditioning” with apple cider vinegar, aloe vera gel, honey, and lavender essential oil. It takes about a week or so for your scalp to return to its normal state, but I was pleased with how healthy my hair looked and felt. I also used the “plopping” technique after washing my hair and my curls never looked better! I felt like Shirley Temple;) Hard to believe that I was only washing my hair once or twice a week!

My mom, former hair stylist and beauty queen, visited during this time and had commented on how healthy my curls looked and felt. HUGE compliment coming from my mom!

Eventually, my hair started getting dried out again, so I revisited the article and found some updates. About this time, I also decided to give the Curly Girl method a try, still skipping shampoo, but using only a silicone-free & sulfate-free conditioner. (I use Nature’s Gate because my hubby loves the way it smells.)

I’ve now combined both of these methods: Washing once a week with baking soda and water helps to combat any greasiness. Washing with the no ‘poo, conditioner only once a week, keeps my hair nice and soft. I use no other hair care products or styling products. Whether I leave my hair curly or straighten it (usually around day 2 or 3 after a wash), my hair is clean, shiny, and soft. Since the natural oils have balanced out, I don’t get frizzy or greasy, even when it rains. And in the Pacific Northwest, that’s quite an accomplishment!

 

Now that I’ve found something that works, I don’t think I’ll be changing it again! I welcome any feedback or questions, or even if you feel the need to tell me you honestly think I should have skipped this post!

“…And thereby hangs a tale…” 

Planting Seeds

Originally posted 2 years ago, this is still my "go to" plan for starting seeds!
Happy planting to you :)
tika nicole

…I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit…
Leviticus 26:4

We moved to Oregon, my husband’s home state, 8 years ago. Shortly after we bought our first home, I decided to try my hand at planting a vegetable garden…But I’ve never done this before!…Thankfully, my neighbor had a lifetime of experience and was happy to share her wisdom. I miss the days of chatting with her over the fence, or dropping in for a cup of tea. With her advice and encouragement, I learned what to plant and when…and we have enjoyed the harvest each year!

This year, my younger son declared that he would be in charge of planting this year’s garden…Praise the LORD! Since we are trying to save money wherever possible, that we should be resourceful in the garden too.

While looking for an affordable way to start my seedlings without dumping a fortune into cute little black trays that won’t last through a second season, I stumbled across this post on Pinterest from Bonzai Aphrodite, and was inspired to give her newspaper pots a try. I liked the simplicity of her idea to wrap the newspaper around a can, but round objects weren’t going to fit very well in my rectangular box! And being the orderly girl that I am…I had to devise an alternative.

Here are my square seed pots~

Starting by spreading out the newspaper.

Cutting or tearing down the center.

And across the middle again.

Here, I folded a 3x5 index card folded in half lengthwise (like a bookmark), and used it as my guide to fold over the edge of the newspaper 1.5”.

I repeated this twice (for a total of 3 fold-overs).

and slid out the index card. The folded edge will be the top edge of the pot, reinforced by the folds to hold its shape.

Next, I used a box of plastic wrap to wrap the newspaper around, forming the square shape of the soon-to-be pot.

Here’s the tricky part. You want to slip the top edge under the flap closest to the box, and gently adjust it as tight as it will go. No need to wrestle with it, you just want it to hold its shape.

Now it will look like this:

 And you can turn the box on its end, with the newspaper “sleeve” at the top.

Fold down the edge of the newspaper closest to you, as if you were wrapping a birthday present.

Fold in the left and right sides.

And fold the final point down towards you.

Slide the newspaper off of the box and allow the point to pop up a bit. When it does, you’ll want to tuck that little flap inside  the pot, so it stays put.

Flip it over…

and there you have your nice & tidy little seed pot!
Now my little green-thumbed son is ready to fill them with soil and start his seeds a’growing!

Celebrating

“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
Exodus 20:8-11

A few years ago, I bought a book, Celebrating Biblical Feasts, to add to our homeschool library. I don’t know if it was procrastination or just forgetfulness, but I haven’t had a chance to use it until this year. While I was recovering from my surgeries this winter, my eyes fell on the book and I dug in.

For several weeks now, we have been observing the Sabbath. Now, I should explain…My husband works in retail and his scheduled hours do not always allow for weekends off. In fact, they rarely do. How can we honor the LORD? How can WE keep the Sabbath day as a family? After praying about this, the LORD impressed upon me that this was about my heart…to honor Him in obedience. Our Sabbath day varies from week to week, in order for us to be able to share that day with my husband.

In Mark 2, Jesus said,

“The sabbath was made for man,
and not man for the sabbath…”

The Sabbath was made for man? A gift? For me??? Well then, I should start treating it like the good gift that it is!

So we have our Preparation Day and enjoy our Sabbath together. Here’s our table, set for our Sabbath meal.

I think my favorite part of this journey has been learning more about Jesus and His fulfillment of the prophesies. We are all growing closer to the LORD as we come to understand all that He is to us…and closer to each other! ♥

Celebrate Jesus together! Celebrate the gift of the Sabbath!