Things I love Part 2, Or: Do you think I have a problem?

If you're one of my faithful readers, you might remember my first post about things I love, where I mentioned all sorts of yummy goodness. Well, today I'm all about the body stuff. You know, the stuff we use to clean and primp. I'm a simple girl. A simple girl gone crunchy. I'm really not into makeup and my beauty cabinet has very few products. Not that I think I'm gorgeous or anything, I just like my face to speak for itself. On the rare occasion I dress up, I only wear a little mineral foundation with a neutral light brown eye shadow, maybe a touch of mascara and a nice lip gloss.

There are other body things that I love, however.

Take for example my huge collection of soap (and ignore, please, the messy shelf. This is after I cleaned out and organized my linen closet the other day.):


Do you see that? I have developed a strange love affair with handmade soap. Sure, there are a few old bars of Dove hanging out, but except for that, almost the entire section of that shelf in our linen closet is devoted to handmade soap. What you probably can't see is that behind all the soap is... more soap. In our master bath closet is... more soap. In the master bath shower is... more soap. Love that soap. And you know, it's not even that we're really dirty people. I just can't stop buying it. (Shipped just yesterday is, in fact, more soap.) I believe that once this newest bar arrives, I will have acquired enough soap to clean up the biggest of industrial oil spills. Olive oil soap, goat's milk soap, oatmeal soap, charcoal soap... if it's made, I probably have it.

"Wait! Back up! Charcoal soap!?"

Oh yes. Charcoal soap. I found it on Etsy after a friend told me about squalane.

"Squalane?? What the... have you gone mad?"

Yes. Yes, I have gone mad. Mad about these products from Zaja Natural. I'm telling you, this person is on to something. Her charcoal soap may be strange, but it's great. It lathers really well. A wonderful thick, dark gray lather. It cleans my face like nothing I've ever tried. It's great for blemishes, though not so great for your nice, white sink if you're a messy like me. *giggle*

I've even gotten my anti-crunchy husband hooked on it. When he ran out of his toxic chemical-filled shmudge, I handed him my big black bar and said, "dude, just try it" (or something not so surfer-like, anyway). After just a couple of days, he was convinced. Now he uses it more than I do.

As for the squalane, that's just the best moisturizer I have ever tried. While many of the sources out there come from shark, hers is totally vegan - taken from olives. Not that I'm a vegan, but I don't exactly relish the idea of shmearing shark on my face. Yumm. Either way, why coat your precious facial skin with chemical crud made from God knows what when you can put pure, God made stuff on it? I only use 2-3 drops. The bottle will last forever. We're talking baby butt skin. On my face. Ahhhh.

Perhaps my absolute most favorite product ever is the Zaja Dead Sea Mud Foaming Scrub.


People. People. This stuff is aMAzing. Never in my life have I used a product I adore so much. It's completely natural, made from all earthy crunchy granola type stuff. It's fan-freaking-TASTIC. I'm telling you, baby butt skin times ten. It cleanses. It exfoliates. It brings about world peace. Or at least I fully believe it would, if only everyone gave it a try. I mean, who could be all grouchy and stuff if their face felt like a baby butt? Not I... not I. Both my mom and I love this stuff. If Zaja ever stops selling it, I will cry. Then I might just start a war.

My next mention is absolutely shocking. It's *gasp* natural deodorant. I will tell you that natural deodorant is not something I ever... ever... thought I would try. I don't like to smell crunchy granola, thankyouverymuch, but when several people recommended this product called Funk Butter and absolutely raved about it, I really had no choice but to give it a try.


Funk Butter is made by Oyin Handmade, and is a creamy type stuff you shmear on your pits with your fingers. While not the most pleasant of applications, this stuff is really great. I bought the unscented and also the Black Cedar Fig. Dustin loves the smell of the latter, and so do I. I'm not ashamed to admit that when I wear it, I'm strangely drawn to the fragrance wafting from underneath my arms. Perhaps it's just my weird senses, but it reminds me of warm, raw cinnamon roll dough. This stuff actually works. For about 24 hours. I don't get that kind of mileage from the scary chemical stuff! It even works for my man. And we all know that men don't perspire, they sweat.

There is one other natural deodorant I have been very pleased with (and to be honest, I have only tried three. The third - which was actually the first I ever tried - was by Tom's of Maine and it made my skin peel. Pleasant, no?). The Thai Crystal Roll-On.


I've heard horror stories about the rock deodorants, but even though the concept is the same for this roll-on, this stuff does work. I think the idea behind it is it inhibits bacteria from growing where it is applied (you have to apply it to clean skin) and no bacteria = no odor.

I was skeptical.

After two days, I was a convert.

The only thing I do not like about this product is the fact that it is a roll-on, and I feel as though I need to wait for it to dry before fully dressing. It also does not have any odor at all to it, so I cannot walk around smelling myself and getting hungry for a pastry as I can with da Funk Butter. In terms of ease of use, however, it wins out over da Funk hands down. (Besides, every time I use Funk Butter I get "We got da funk! Gotta have that funk!" stuck in my head. And that's never a good thing.)

Also worth mentioning:

Gudonya Too products - I bought my mom and myself one of their body scrub kisses, and they are lovely. Unfortunately, I do not see them in their shop at the moment, but I'd happily recommend anything they make!

Rose of Sharon Acres goats milk soap - This company is in Texas. You gotta love that. Goats milk is wonderful for the skin. They even make tooth soaps. I bought a sample. They're unused in my cabinet. The idea still freaks me out. (While I'm mostly crunchy, I do like my fluoride. Sorry. I do.)

Burt's Bees - I'm sure you all have heard of this company. I simply adore their Milk & Honey body lotion. It's one of the two lotions that actually works on my hands (which love to crack and bleed). Their Citrus & Ginger body wash is great too. Actually, I've not met a product from them that I did not think was great.

So now that you have been informed of my handmade soap addiction and have learned about how cleaning your face with charcoal and mud can stop the ugliest of wars, tell me what you love. If it sounds interesting, might just have to clear a spot on my shelf.

Or buy a bigger house...

Photo Hunters - Hair

Hair

Here are a couple rather unattractive make-up free unstyled hair photos I took of myself when I cut it a while back. I cut about 6" off or so. It's actually even shorter now (a bit under my chin) but it's up in a ponytail today and not fit for pictures. :o) I looove short hair!

And as a bonus, a picture of the good dog, Trixie, before we cut off her long shih-tzu hair. Now it's kept really short like all the rest of the pictures I've posted of her. I miss the shaggy look!

More Photo Hunters

Roly Poly Holy Moley

I have a doctor's appointment coming up on Tuesday. I haven't had a regular old checkup in, oh, well it's been so long I can't even remember. It's no secret... I'm not a big fan of the doctors unless I'm sick. I only take medicine when it's absolutely necessary (or I'm getting a migraine, which if you've ever had one - or been near someone who had one and you realized your life was on the line if you stepped too close - you know that's pretty necessary!). But it's time I guess, and I need one of those well women's exams (which I've been avoiding because the last one I had a few years ago left me feeling like I had been violated and traumatized me so badly I haven't had one since) and I haven't built a relationship with our family doctor yet, so *sigh* off I go.

The main reason I'm going, however, is because I have some moles that are suspicious and scary. I've been avoiding them for years now, but I read an article on melanoma the other day and it got my rear into gear. I have two that have me worried. One HUGE one on my leg and one small one on my belly. The huge one is worrisome just because it's huge and apparently that's bad. The one on my belly is small, but has changed colors (from a nice honey brown to a pale tan/pinkish with a nice honey brown ring on the outside of half of it - just thought you'd enjoy the visual!) and apparently that's really bad.

The huge one on my leg is so huge it has its own freckles. Shoot, it probably has its own zip code. Got mail, mole? I'm thinking it will have to be removed. I'm thinking the small one will definitely be removed, so they can test it and make sure it's not going to kill me. But the big one, even if it isn't cancerous now, I guess is a risk and will probably have to go. I'm a little saddened by this. Huh? Losing a big, ugly mole is sad? Maybe I should back up. I've had this thing for as long as I can remember. Mom says I wasn't born with it, but I got it really soon after I was born. I've always called it my "birth mark" anyway, because, well, it's close enough and "birth mark" sounds SO much better than "ugly mole the size of your rear end". Granny tried to wipe it off of me one day because she thought it was chocolate. *giggle* Too bad she wasn't right! Chocolate is always good, whether it be on the leg or in the mouth. So anyway, I've had this thing forever, and I guess my childhood doctors were never concerned enough about it to remove it. If I could go back in time, and talk to them about it, I'd demand they remove it. It has given me nothing but grief!

I never felt pretty growing up. I was the only stick skinny, short, fair skinned, freckled faced redhead within a 200 mile radius and that combined with crooked teeth (which I still have, btw) and huge glasses (which I DON'T still have, btw) and being the "smart one" in my small private school made me feel like a freak. I was teased and never liked how I looked. The "birth mark" didn't help that at all. Plus, my mom used it as some weird marker to determine how short my shorts could be. If they were too much shorter than the mole, they were a no go! Maybe I should market that idea... "Need to teach your child modesty? Buy them a Texas-sized mole!" Sounds like a solid business plan, no?

So back to the feeling not pretty. The first time I felt even remotely attractive was when I met my first boyfriend, at age 17. Until he dumped me, he made me feel beautiful. I'll never forget him telling me how beautiful I was, (and he SPECIFICALLY mentioned my red hair - which was huge to me since I hated it so much back then) because it was the first time someone confirmed what my parents had been telling me all along - I was indeed pretty no matter how my idiot stuck up "friends" made me feel. It wasn't until we got out of that horrid little town and I went to college that I really started to appreciate how God made me and accept what I had and had not. Including the mole. Now, even though it is still ugly and still huge (and even though I no longer use it to determine the modesty of my clothes *giggle*) it's a part of me and I have learned to accept me, mole and all. So I'm a little sad to see it go. I've come to embrace it and even enjoy it for its uniqueness. The crooked teeth I'd love to change, but the mole? As much as I thought I'd jump at the chance to remove it, I really think I wouldn't mind keeping it... provided it won't kill me. But alas, I'm sure it will be removed. It's too much of a future risk if it isn't dangerous already.

If you'd like to remember me and my mole for our doctor appointment on Tuesday, prayers would be appreciated. The little multi-colored one really has me worried. Plus, I'm not looking forward to having ANY part of me cut off, whether I've come to embrace it or not. lol

Beautiful You

This has been on my heart for quite some time, and I've started to write it several times in fact but I was never able to finish it until tonight.

A few years ago when Dustin and I were volunteers with our church's youth group, I was asked to speak at an all-girls sleepover. I was a bit taken aback... I'm not much of a public speaker, but I figured that if God wanted me to speak, He'd figure it out and make it work. I knew the theme of the night was supposed to be beauty and for a few days I spent a portion of my morning devotional time praying about this task and asking the Lord to impress upon me what He would have me say.

I loved the kids in our youth group... so many of them are wonderful young people with true hearts for the Lord. I really wanted to give these young women that night something they could walk away with and treasure forever, but I had no idea how to speak on beauty yet keep it completely Biblically centered. But God knew. He began to point out things in His Word that I had known and read previously, yet had never seen knit together in such a way, shining under this particular light.

I have always been fascinated with Old Testament history and how so much in those times was a foreshadow of things to come. This includes the Tabernacle. There is so much symbolism in the Tabernacle... every piece of it and every sacrifice performed in it perfectly represented the future of atonement for the Lord's people... Jesus. In preparing for this speaking engagement, God took me to Exodus and reminded me of His instructions for building His Tabernacle. A few things really stood out to me. For one, God was very specific in His blueprints. This was HIS tabernacle... the place where He was to dwell among His people. He didn't leave the designing to human hands... it was planned out down to each intricate detail in His very own infinitely perfect mind. Second, He commissioned skilled craftsmen to fashion His dwelling place. Shoddy work not allowed! Third, He required materials of high quality. Fine linens, solid gold (not plated!) and acacia wood... all things that point to quality and only the best artistry for our Father's Tabernacle. These things also represent beauty, which is the last point. The Tabernacle that our Lord designed as His very own dwelling place was made from beautiful materials! The place he planned in the depths of His mind and realized through the work of His people was a place of beauty. Our Lord is beauty. He designs beauty. He lives among beauty.

Because of the atonement of His precious Son, through that Son the Father now resides in His people instead of hovering over the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies in His tabernacle. Not unlike the Tabernacle in the Old Testament, this new dwelling place required specific instructions. He doesn't leave the design of His people to human hands... He fashions us Himself, and continues to mold us and refine us until we are vessels that hold all He has for us, reflecting His perfect glory.

He commissioned skilled craftsmen for His new dwelling place too... Himself! He's not only the designer but also the creator. Only God could have laid out the complexities of the blueprint of the human body, mind, and soul and then put those plans to fruition by His spoken Word as He created man in His very own image. The Master Craftsman of all craftsmen built and continues to build the place He chooses to dwell.

We, like the tabernacle of old, are also fashioned with only the best materials. Our bodies are so miraculously and wonderfully made. Who else but the Lord could have designed a body that is able to withstand what ours go through daily? Lungs that take in oxygen involuntarily, a heart that pumps blood second after second, even when we don't think about it. Skin that heals, livers & kidneys that purify, eyes that can see near and far, and even organs that are made to play a part in His awesome job of creating yet more life... more potential dwelling places. Only our Master Craftsman could build these tabernacles.

The last thing the Lord showed me in this analogy is that just like His Old Testament tabernacle, we are beautiful. He doesn't make ugly dwelling places! Big, small, short, tall, light, dark, polka dotted (that's me!)... we're all beautiful and even more so in the eyes of our Creator. We're made in His image, after all, as His children where He longs to abide. When He looks at us, he doesn't see our blemishes, inward or outward... He sees His beautiful, treasured creation and His beloved Son.

Lately I have seen so many women down on themselves physically (myself included.) Society has defined what is "beautiful" in such a way that no normal woman could ever be considered to be a beauty. People starve themselves, go under the knife, take an endless supply of pills, deprive themselves, pile on makeup, spend thousands on designer labels, try this cream and that, change the color of their hair, eyes and who knows what else... all for what? A type of beauty that even if attained is fleeting, when really all they need to do is reach out to their Creator and see the true beauty that they are as His creation and how much more they can be as they abide in Him and He abides in them.

The one other thing I remember from this study of mine is a scripture in Psalm 45. This particular passage is a wedding song. Because we are the bride of Christ, I can see a parallel. Whether or not it is an accurate assumption of the verse, I tend to believe we can see it as such. It says, "The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." (NIV) I do think our King of kings is captivated by our beauty because our Beauty is Himself, His handiwork, and His image. What a comforting thing to know that He looks so far past what we see in the mirror and sees the Christ in us.

I was never able to present this message because the sleep over was cancelled. Even still, I know it was all destined to be. I gained a lot from the study and it has been in the back of my mind this entire time. I knew I would be able to share it with someone someday. I suppose that day has finally arrived. Now go ye therefore and be beautiful. :o)