Preventable Disease

Dear friend,

Sometimes the daily chore of scrubbing toilets can get old. Really old. Trust me, I know. I do it for a living. wink emoticon But here's the thing. If you are reading this post, most likely your toilet is a nice gleaming porcelain white when you are finished, nestled in a tidy corner of your sanitary bathroom in your cozy home. 

This past week, a missions team carried 50 pounds of our handmade soaps here, to Guatemala, to give to impoverished people. And these are their toilets. If they have one. Not so sanitary, right? 
Thousands of people die every day worldwide from preventable disease. Soap helps scrub away germs. The fact is, many people around the world lack the means to procure even a bar of soap. 

Thank you for being an integral part of our mission and helping to distribute this essential, natural and hopeful soap hand-to-hand, in the name of Jesus. We love you all. heart e

Thanksgiving for what matters...

I'm thankful to God for His love. For His creation & plan since before He set time as we know it into motion. I'm thankful for the sacred order of nature He set up, which causes everything to move perfectly in unison when we follow His design ~~ for man and woman and their holy union within marriage, for the strength of a man leading His household in the pattern of Christ loving the church, and the unparalleled beauty of a woman gently and lovingly following His lead and remaining under his covering. I am thankful for parents who lead their children in Biblical teaching and love ~ day in and day out ~ through sleepless nights, potty training, reading, loving, serving and beyond. Who don't tire and throw in the towel, but instead hit their knees again morning after morning and trust the One who created them to grant them wisdom, patience and faithfulness. I am thankful for the joy of children and their wide-eyed zest. I am thankful for children's hearts & child-like hearts who look only into the eyes of our Father & drop everything else. Who kneel before Him, bowing low, with empty hands held upward, knowing God our Father is trustworthy & good. I am thankful for Christ & God's unfathomable sacrifice of love. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit who fills our hearts and minds with peace and faith. I am thankful for the church ~ the bride of Christ. For a body of believers, locally, who pour out their lives for one another and show great love & faithfulness in the face of adversity. I am thankful for the church ~ universally ~ one body in Christ ~ who loves, honors and prays for one another. I am thankful for every good and perfect gift from above, coming down from the Father of Heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows.    Thank You, Lord. You, alone, are good, and You alone are God. In the name of Jesus, the only who is worthy, Amen. ~ Wendy

Sweet Summertime ~ 6 Fresh Ideas To Make The Most Of The Moments

So, it's here.  Unofficially, summer has arrived.

What to do with that?

Get out there and enjoy it, of course!

Here are some great summery ideas for you:

1.  Plant a garden.  This can be as simple as tending to what you already have or putting in some annuals or seeds.  Either way, get some soil under your fingernails!

2.  Catch some waves.  Find a body of water ~ any body of water ~ and get on in it.  Be it the ocean, a river or local lake, wild water is good stuff.

3.  Paint those piggies.  Sprucing up your toenails with a fun summer hue doesn't have to be an elaborate process.  Give your soles a quick pumice in the shower, followed by a lather of lotion and coat of color.

4.  Meander.  I enjoy nothing more than a good hike through the forest, along a sandy beach; or even a simple walk through the neighborhood.  Completely brain cleansing, I tell  you.

5.  Laugh.  Try it.  I've even taken to practicing smiling when I'm going about my housework.  It's true ~ weird ~ but true.

6.  Eat more ice cream.  Enough said.

Enjoy today,

Merry Christmas From lávame clean

From our family to yours, we pray you experience a very blessed Christmas season.....

and a wonderfully joyful year when all things become new!

Autumn Deep Cleaning Party Continues!!!

I'm using three exclamation points in my title because at this point, frankly, it takes a bit more than a singular exclamation point to keep me going.  It's truly been a great day, and I have certainly gotten loads of exercise in along with the cleaning!

Stacks of sunshine-dried throw blankets rest neatly atop our couch, and the house is straightened.  We're still plugging along here though, and will continue with the deep cleaning through the evening hours.  Keep checking back for more updates!

The laundry bins heaved a deep sigh of relief as they are finally emptied and resting snugly back on their shelves.  Empty.  It's a good feeling for all of us.

Deep cleaning and organizing, purging, de-cluttering; they all take a good bit of elbow grease and energy, but the end result is certainly worth it.  And we are looking all the more forward to enjoying our expected company!

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Autumn Deep Cleaning Party!!!

1.  First things first.  Today's Autumn Deep Cleaning Party is fully underway.  Posts updating our progress here will be fast and furious, but come they will. 

So, what do we do first when getting ready to scrub it all down?  The fundamentals, of course.  We nourish our souls {top priority} while nourishing our body.  A chapter out of the book of Proverbs and prayer time, with coffee and whole wheat oatmeal breakfast bars.  Fuel for the day.

2.  Set our helpers to work.  The children are all outside helping their daddy prep the yard for lawn mowing.  Freshly ground whole wheat bread ingredients are in the bread machine for our lunchtime sandwiches.  I saved our extras from our plates at last night's church fellowship dinner and will chop up that chicken for chicken salad sandwiches.  The slow cooker is filled with meat and veggies for dinner tonight.   

The more we plan ahead with our meals on cleaning day ~ the less we have to stop and prep and think through.  Keeping our bodies filled with nutrient-rich foods means we have the energy to accomplish our necessary tasks and also helps us all to stay cheerful!

3.  Daily Morning Routine.  Before the true deep cleaning kicks in, I quickly knock out this list each morning.  It sets the rhythm of our days here.  I have this list inside a sheet protector in a binder and cross them off with my dry erase marker as I go. 

4.  Of course, can't forget the music!  We pump out the worship music around here as we clean and invite God to fill our hearts with His presence.  We love the Passion worship station found on Pandora.

So, get ready, get set, GO!  What are you waiting for?!  Let's get cleaning!

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Just Another Monday ~ Or Is It?

I've always been a sucker for Mondays.  I love 'em.  So much possibility there ~ a fresh space in which to dream, imagine, grow.

I mean, really.  You have a whole week ahead of you!  Seriously?  It's like New's Year's Eve every Sunday all over again.

You can totally kick it in ways this week that you didn't the previous week.

So what's it going to be?  What are you going to do differently this week from the last?

There's an old quote roaming around out there that says, "Do one thing every day that scares you." {Disclaimer, because I love disclaimers:  Obviously I am not promoting anything harmful, immoral or otherwise toxic in any way.  We're talking more of the "climb a tree" variety.  Or, goodness, sport some purple nail polish.  I don't know.  Whatever it is for you.}

In any case, get out there and try it.  It's Monday, for goodness' sake!

Enjoy today,

YOU are welcome here!  Thank you for stopping by.  Feel free to join the conversation and leave your thoughts.