Adventures in Living Natural and Making Stuff Homemade

Heyo!

 I'm gonna do something a little new today and do a post with some cool recipes of mine. Sound cool? I think so. :) In the past couple months I've started exploring making simple homemade products of items I use everyday instead of buying them from the store. Not only does it save me money, but I also feel better about using these products because homemade means more natural and less unneeded chemicals. 

Is it just me or does that sound great? Saving money, no unneeded chemicals, and easy homemade products that are good for you. What more could you want? 

About two months ago I made my first homemade product. Toothpaste. Which if you know me, its kinda weird that that was the first thing I made considering that I am very particular about teeth brushing and what I use. But I did it and now there is no going back for me. I actually used some store bought toothpaste the other day and hated every second of it. Okay. Okay. Enough rambling for now. Time for the recipe.

Its super super simple. 

Coconut Oil Toothpaste

Ingredients~

6 Tablespoons Coconut Oil

5 Tablespoons Baking Soda

10 Drops of Peppermint Essential Oil (Optional)

Directions~

(1) Measure Coconut Oil into glass jar. If your coconut oil is in a solid state place the glass jar in a pot of water on the stove. Put just enough water in the pot to cover the bottom of the jar, as the water heats up the coconut oil will melt down. 

(2) After you measure the coconut oil into the jar and have melted it down, if needed, add the baking soda and the optional Peppermint oil and mix. You can mix in whatever way works best for you, but I would suggest leaving it in the jar to mix. Last time I made a batch I just put the lid on the jar and shook it all up until it was well combined.

(3) From here you can either leave it in the jar and scoop from the jar when you need to brush your teeth or you can transfer it to a squeezable container. I bought a small one from the travel section at  Walmart and I just keep mine in there. 

I love this recipe so much. I've noticed so many differences since I started using it. My teeth actually feel clean and for the first time in years I've noticed them actually becoming whiter. I've used so many different teeth whitening products over the years and none of them were working for me, but this one is finally making a difference. Please feel free to try this out for yourself and enjoy the difference it'll make. 

I have two other products I've made, but I think I'll save those for some later posts.

I am a crazy organic, natural living girl and I might not be able to afford it all the time but I'm working towards it and its so so worth it. 

Here's a song that I love. 

Go enjoy it. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbviXG_56ss

Questions and comments always welcome.

~Ani

Life is good

Well. It's been awhile. Hi. So here I am, it's 2am and I'm thinking on how good my day was, listening to some good music and I realize that its about time for a blog post. You ever get in a blog posting mood? Because I definitely just did and it feels good to be back....

 Do you ever just have a really good day? Like a really good day. Like you sit back to reflect on it and you just instantly feel happy and relaxed and like everything and I mean everything is right in the world. I just had one of those days. It wasn't like the kind that are super special and out of this world amazing filled with you doing lots of really cool things and just winning at life, but one of those days that is just so good. Like a simple kind of good that it pretty much measures up to or maybe even surpasses that out-of-this-world-good kind of day. Those are the best kind of days.

I love that feeling. That feeling that everything is right in the world even though you may know that everything isn't right in the world. It's a feeling that's been slowing seeping into my everyday life and I am welcoming it with open arms and I think it is time I tell you about it. I've begun to find myself very content with my life right now. I'll welcome any change that comes at me, but I'm also just sitting back counting my blessings and that's something I'm gonna continue doing for quite some time.

I love my life right now guys, God is so present and at work in my life right now and I just couldn't be happier. I am serving a amazing God who loves me and cares for me like no one else could and that brings me a lot of joy and at my side I have the love of my life and I know I'm where God wants me to be. Today an old friend asked me to tell them about the man in my life and the descriptions that started popping into my head almost blew me away before I could even answer her....He is the love of my life, everything I ever wanted in a man and more and the best part is he loves God more than He loves me and I know that my Heavenly Father has brought us together in His timing and in His good and perfect will.

Do you have any idea how happy that makes me? I can't even describe that to you. I know without a doubt that I am right where God wants me right now and I am so thankful for that. It brings tears to my eyes. Remember how I was talking about felling like everything is right in the world and yet knowing at the same time that everything isn't right in the world? Everything isn't right in the world for me, I am still so grateful for what I have and where I am right now and I honestly wouldn't trade what I have and where God has put me for anything because I know He has a really cool plan for me and I don't want to miss a second of it.

Yeah, sometimes life sucks, but when it really comes down to it I am so thankful that I have the life that I do. Being thankful in the midst of things going wrong in life isn't always easy, but boy does it help.

I like that a lot. What if we were just grateful for everything? And not just today but everyday? What if you tried that tomorrow? No matter what happened you chose to be grateful. What if we all did that tomorrow? What if not just tomorrow, but the day after and the day after that and before we know it becomes a habit? 

What if...?

I challenge you to try it because I promise you won't regret it. 

If you read my late night ramblings, I love you. If you have something to add or say, please do. If you are thinking about taking my challenge, stop thinking and do it. 

Now go listen to this beautiful song that I can't get out of my head.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGJTaP6anOU

~Ani

From Insecure to Secure in Christ

Insecurities plague so many people and it honestly saddens me. Insecurities are like a dark, and cold prison, without hope. If you struggle with any type of insecurity I want you to know that there is hope. Don't stay stuck in this prison, it's not worth it.

I want you to contemplate some things with me.

1) You have been Created by the Creator of the world. He cares about you and loves you.

It says in Matthew 10:29-31 "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.  And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."

Look at that. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, says that God knows when a sparrow falls to the ground and yet YOU are worth more than many sparrows. Don't ever doubt that He cares about you and that you have worth.

2) Think of this, what is something you really good at? Maybe something you can create. A painting, a song, a decorated room, a poem, a cooked meal, a fixed car. Anything. Now imagine how it feels when someone belittles your work. Yeah, that's not a great feeling is it? Now imagine that your work was belittling itself. That saddens you, doesn't it?

Now remember these feelings and let's switch the tables a bit.

Who created YOU? How many times a day do you belittle yourself? Your looks, your adequacy, your knowledge,...the list goes on. Now back to Who created you....Who are you to say that you have the authority to decide whether or not our Perfect God's handy work is good or bad? No, we aren't perfect, we are born into sin, but our Perfect God did create us. Isn't that enough? He took time to create you. YOU. He knows every path you will take in life. Every time you will stray from Him and every time you will come running back. He knows everything about you. Everything. He's still there for you. He's not leaving you. He still has plans for you. He is still using you. By your standards and how you see yourself would you stick around like that? I didn't think so. Your Creator more than sticks around and yet you do this to yourself....

I want you to ask yourself this question -  Do you want to continue living in this prison of insecurities or, would you rather get out of it and rejoice in the fact that YOU are loved and cared for by YOUR Creator?

Make your decision wisely. God can get you through anything and everything, don't let insecurities come inbetween you and Him.

I pray that this impacts someone. At least in the smallest of ways.

I was once trapped in the prison of insecurities and I thank God that He pulled me out of that hopeless place.

I pray that you will also know that joy of the freedom you feel when you set aside your insecurities.

Love,
Ani <3

Watch "Safe Place - Enter the Worship Circle" on YouTube
Safe Place - Enter the Worship Circle: http://youtu.be/4m0UTtkJBYc

Italy 2013 ~ Radiate ~ Part 1

    Wow. Italy. There is so much I could say about Italy. I have so many stories for y'all! I don't even know where to begin...Oh my! I think I'll just give you guys a short overview and then fill you in on the stories bit by bit :) Which means more blogging!!! :) Yay!

     First off, it was an amazing trip! My first time flying, and after 6 fights I'm feeling pretty good about it. I actually think I like flying! :)

   It was love at first sight for me. I loved everything about Napoli (Naples). I still do, and I would love to go back! You have no idea how much I miss it. I dream about it every night. I actually woke up Sunday morning from an Italy dream struggling not to cry. I was fighting back tears all of Sunday! That's probably been the hardest part of coming home. Maybe one day, God will take me back! :)

We spent our mornings visiting shops and cafes, building relationships with the people in them. That was always fun! I loved going into the shops and seeing them recognize us :) Some of them we would have awesome conversations with, by the end of the week they knew exactly what we wanted when we walked in :)

 After morning ministry we would get rest time. You know how much you grow to miss naps when you are a grown up? Well, they are as great if not better than when I was little!  :)

 After rest time, around 4 or 4:30 we would head over to the park or Piazza :) There we would either play soccer, hangout at the basketball courts, or play with the little kids. I usually played soccer with the little boys. They were so precious!!! I have so many stories from the Piazza, but I'll save them for one of my next posts :)

 After the Piazza we headed back to our hostel. Supper was always magnificent! And then we spent time with our church groups and talked about our day. I loved that bonding time and I loved making friends with people outside of out family group! They are all pretty cool people! :)

That's a typical day in Italy. Before I end this post I want to tell you one of the things I learned
while I was there :)

 This year I have been calling out to God to show me my purpose in life, and I found it in Italy. The theme of the week was, Radiate. Radiating His light, near the end of the week I realized something. My purpose is to Radiate His love and light. That's always been right in front of me. It's amazing how many times I encountered this truth this year, but it never clicked for me. God had to take me all the way to Napoli, Italia to show me that. I wrote  a short story this past school year, and I realized I actually wrote that into the story. And I didn't even see it!! It's amazing how blind we can be sometimes.

I challenge you to look at your life and see if there is something God is trying to tell/show you that you have been blind to. You just might be surprised!

So, there's a short summary of Italy. Don't worry there's a lot more to come! Please excuse the disorder of this post. It's a little late  :p

~Ani


Psalm 73
 " Surely God is good to Israel,

    to those who are pure in heart.

2 But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
    I had nearly lost my foothold.
3 For I envied the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

4 They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
5 They are free from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace;
    they clothe themselves with violence.
7 From their callous hearts comes iniquity[b];
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
8 They scoff, and speak with malice;
    with arrogance they threaten oppression.
9 Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
    and drink up waters in abundance.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
    Does the Most High know anything?”

12 This is what the wicked are like—
    always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

13 Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.
14 All day long I have been afflicted,
    and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,
    I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand all this,
    it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;
    you cast them down to ruin.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed,
    completely swept away by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes;
    when you arise, Lord,
    you will despise them as fantasies.

21 When my heart was grieved
    and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
    I was a brute beast before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart
    and my portion forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;
    you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;
    I will tell of all your deeds."

Here's a song by our worship leader in Italy. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5T-X95Q3us&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL2352DB9C160A26D9

Graduation Speech

 This is a little late in coming, but I wanted to share my graduation speech with you all! :) I hope you enjoy it! I have another post coming very soon! :)

     Anika's Graduation Speech

Well, here we are, graduation. It's been a long road to get here, but we made it. It is very bittersweet for me. I am going to miss you all terribly! But I am so happy to be done with high school!! I have had quite a few adventures this year. The first one being coming to TCA. I haven't been to a school since third grade, between times i got to enjoy the joys of homeschool. Seeping in, doing school in my p.j.s...You know, all of that good stuff! But the best part was watching my little siblings grow up and experience life. I love them all so much! I am so thankful I get to be the oldest of 6 kids! I hope I can always be a good example to them.

I am very thankful that my parents chose to homeschool me. It was definitely another exciting adventure! I have so many beautiful memories of being homeschooled. The creative ways my mom would come up with to teach me knew things. The read alouds were probably my favorite. I remember the month we spent on The Chronicles of Narnia. That was the best!

Now here I am, graduating from Trinity Christian Academy. It's been a fun year full of plenty of ups and downs, but like I always say, Life is a roller coaster, it has its ups and its downs. I'm very thankful for the year I have had here at TCA. I've made new friends, many of which I hope to keep for life. Every single one of you are very dear to me. I thank God for blessing me with each one of you. We have a lot of inside jokes and all of our TCA quotes. Some of them I'm sure I'll carry with me. One of my favorites has to be, "Don't get in the way of a woman and her cravings!" So true, Gracie, so true! Belle rant days were the best! You never know what that girl is going to come up with! I love you, Belle!

I remember volleyball with Abi. I started out this year hating volleyball and now i miss it! You know that wouldn't have happened if I had a lousy coach or lousy teammates. You girls are what caused me to find a love for volleyball. Abi's amazing coaching, Tori's expertise and love for the game, Jamie's skill and joy, Megan's fruitful efforts, and Harmony's confidence. And Hailee came a long way in the short time she was here, I can't wait to see you play next year, girl! I remember sharing circle. That got me through school! It was an awesome idea, Abi!

Miss Tammy and Miss Louann, the school wouldn't be here with out you! You two do things together wonderfully. You understand each other. God definitely had a plan making you two teachers of TCA. I'm very thankful to have gotten you two for my teachers. I love you both! Aunt Lois and Uncle Dale, I'm really glad you guys decided to start TCA. Oh, and gym time is always awesome! So is chapel!

Boys, oh where to start! I have had a great year with you all I've lived my life wanting brothers and now I have more then I can count! God has taught me a lot in these past few years of high school. I am so thankful for the lessons He has taught me and the relationships that, through Him I have made or strengthened! Especially with my mom and dad and siblings. I love them so much! Just recently my dad spent a day driving me all over the place. It was a fun day and I really enjoyed that Father-Daughter time! I am so thankful that i have a mom and dad that i can go to whenever I need something. I have really come to understand that this year. My parents are always there for me and can really hep me get back on track when i start to stray. I don't know what I would do without them. I am so thankful, Mom and Dad that God chose you to be my parents. He definitely knew what He was doing!

I am so thankful to all of you wonderful people who are a part of my life! You have all made a big impact on my life, but most of all I am thankful to God for saving me and for being my rock! I don't even want to try to imagine where i would be without my Savior! I want to live my life all for Him! I have learned that the best way to do that is to keep God at the center of your life. Every single thing you do needs to be for Him every project, every situation, every friendship. He needs to be in the center of everything If every single action of every single day isn't bringing Him glory, you're doing it wrong! I challenge you all to make it a point to bring Him glory every minute of your life. Because I promise you, if your plans are not meant to bring Him glory, they will fail. So live your life bringing Him glory every second of the day.

I love you all and I'm very thankful for everything you've done for me. Goodbye!  

Good changes, hard changes, and God working.

Big change number one: At the beginning of this year, I found out that my best friend and cousin had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a type of cancer. It was a hard blow, that's for sure.

There is a song I recently discovered, by Ben Rector, When a Heartbreaks. It totally describes the day I found out and the whole journey we went through this year. I remember my mom getting the call and then having me sit down as she told me. I felt the pain of a heartbreak. At first, I wondered what we were going to do. Cancer. That was something that my family wasn't super familiar with. It had been awhile since it had hit anyone and this was the closest I had ever been to a cancer patient. But, as I sat there and cried, my heartbreaking for her, I realized something, God is always there. He is always in control. He could handle this. I realized that this was going to be a time where we would get to know God even more than we had before...

Fast forward almost a whole year and 12 chemo treatments later and Praise be to God, SHE IS CANCER FREE!!!!!!! :) God is so great. My heart is rejoicing and praising Him! He got us through and she is so much stronger, wiser, and closer to God, because of this!!! I am so thankful for what He did in her life! She may have had a horrible summer full of chemo appointments and all of the horrible things chemo brings, but she made it through and now she has an amazing testimony. One day she will share that with someone and it will change them!! I love you, girl!! <3

Big change number 2: Tonight, at church, my youth pastor of five and a half years had a big announcement for us... God is taking him and his family to Saint Louis. His last day is the 13th of January. This is very difficult for me. He's been my youth pastor since seventh grade...he has made such an impact in my life.. I'm so thankful I've had him for so long! God has used Nate to do so many amazing things in our student ministry...

I remember what it was like in 7th grade, I remember the disinterest I saw amongst many of the students. We were not a close knit group, and many of us just came to hangout, but God used Nate! Oh boy! If you came by my church now you wouldn't see friends hanging out you would see a family being there for each other and loving each other. You wouldn't see kids just coming to hangout, you would see teenagers worshipping with their whole hearts. We have become a family. We all love each other and look out for our brothers and sisters. God placed Nate in our lives for a reason!!

He has taught us so much! From how to have a relationship with the One True God to what an ox-goad is :) He's taught us well! ;) God also caused Nate to introduce us to many wonderful people. We have had so many wonderful guest speakers and interns over the years and all of them have gotten up in front of us and showed us how to follow the One True God, but no one has been a better role model of that than Nate himself!! He has been an amazing role model! He helped God get me out of my shell and I have begun to reach out to so many people and I am forever grateful for that. I see so many leaders among our group! So many people that God has great plans for and I am so excited to see them become who God wants them to be!

God has used Nate to help guide us and now its time for Nate to move on and further God's kingdom somewhere else; to bring many more young adults to Christ and to send them on their way to do great things for the Lord!!

Farewell, Nate!! You will be missed, but we are all happy for you and excited to see/hear what God has in store for you and your family! <3

Many of us have trouble dealing with change, but I have a few thoughts on that for you to chew on.
1) He's got the whole world in His hands. He will be walking with you through the whole change and be your strength!
2) My cousin brought this to my attention tonight, Things around you may change, but God will never change. He stays the same. Always....

Just something to consider.

~Ani <3

~Psalm 87:7

Big Decisions. Big News. Bigger God.

Hello Friends! This is my first blog post so please bare with me! I'd like to share with you some of what God has been doing in my life. You cool with that? Sweet!

Near the beginning of this year I heard about an opportunity to go on a missions trip to Europe with my youth group. I've spent a lot of time praying and thinking about it. If you don't know this already making big decisions is a scary thing for me. I will do it, but the prospect is always a little scary. From the beginning, I knew this decision was going to be one I made on my own. Just me and God. I didn't want to run the risk of being influenced by other people's opinions. So that's exactly what I set out to do. Find out God's plan for me. All. By. Myself.

About three weeks ago I went to an informational meeting about the trip. I finally had details! I was ready to make an informed decision. I had no idea what God was about to do in my life!

Sharing a room with two little sisters means you don't always get peace and quiet at night. For the next three days the living room was where I spent my nights. Most of them were very late nights. I sat there for very long periods of time reading my Bible and talking to God about this trip. I wanted to make sure that I was making the right decision, a decision made according to His Good and Perfect Will. Not only did I spend the next three nights in constant prayer, but my days were the same way. I didn't talk about this trip with hardly anyone in that three day span. I'm sure that was really strange for my family. I talk about EVERYTHING! Especially big decisions! But they hardly heard a thing from me on the subject. God was The One I was sharing all of my thoughts with this time around! Let me tell you something, in those three days I found myself grow closer to God than I have ever been. It has been the most amazing experience!

The last night, Saturday night, I spent a longer time in prayer and more time reading my Bible than any of the past nights. As I was starting to drift off to sleep I was beginning to feel like this Italy trip was where God wanted me this summer ... I woke up the next morning refreshed, and I remembered every bit of the night before. As I sat there reflecting I heard this still, small voice whisper to my heart, "Go to Italy, Anika. I have plans for you there."

Wow.

God spoke to me.

God wants me to go to Italy!

He has called me there!

He has plans for me in Italy! 

That was the most amazing feeling! All of my questions from the past few months had just been answered. Not by someone's opinion, but by God's plan! By His Words!

So, God is sending me to Italy and yes, I'm excited. I can't believe it..I GET TO BE GOD'S HANDS AND FEET IN ITALY!!!!!

I'm so thankful for His provision and wisdom! He is so good and patient with me! A very dear friend of mine said to me, after finding out that I'm going to Italy, "God is going to rock your world on this trip!" He already has in just the decision making! I can't wait to see what the rest of this journey holds!

Would you do me a huge favor and pray for me as I head out on this journey? Thank you so much!

~Ani

Philippians 4:13