A Look At 2011

Here are some highlights of 2011, idea taken from SortaCrunchy:

Favorite reads: This year I enjoyed reading all of John Greens books (I'm in love!) including "Looking for Alaska", "Paper Towns", "An Abundance of Katherine's" and "Will Grayson, Will Grayson"

Favorite album: This year has been all about Mumford and Sons and Ingrid Michaelson! Love their albums as a whole!

Favorite music discoveries: Beach House and Fleet Foxes :)

Netflix fun: LOST and Dexter. I CANNOT GET ENOUGH! We finished LOST this year and we loved it! Amazing! And Dexter (We're up to season 5 now) AHH I can't get over the writing and characters of that show! (But be fair warned it is a bit (ok A LOT) graphic in all areas).

Most fun with currently running TV: I enjoy Jersey Shore and I do not even care that you are judging me right now. Snookie is just hilarious!!!! I also love "big bang theory" and "how I met your mother"

Biggest TV disappointment: Man of Interest. I really wanted it to be good. I really did. I mean IT'S BENJAMIN LINUS!! :(

Technology love: The iphone 4s my husband got me for Christmas takes the cake!

Best use of our home: Looking at this question makes me realize we haven't used our home very well! (Even tough it is only 400 sq ft so not that many can fit) but I'd say dinner and a bonfire with our dear friends Wes and Marla was a highlight :)

Most enjoyable travel: We went to Hawaii this past year and it was incredible!!! We got to spend a week with my in laws and my adorable nephews! It was great bonding time. I also parasailed for the first time!

Most rewarding project: My quest to buy only fair trade for Christmas. It really opened my eyes to not only how easy it is to start changing my shopping habits, but also how shopping fair trade with the prices being a tiny bit higher, made me really think about the person and if they would appreciate it, and made the gift giving much more precious.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: How much I love my niece Emma. I remember visiting her in the hospital when she was born and it was a "ok she's cute" moment but no real emotional bond...but now that I get to spend every weekday with her, I am smitten! She's so sweet and smart and funny! Which brings me to the next surprise, which is how much I love my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. They have proved to be the most generous and loving people I know, and getting to spend time with them is something I will cherish forever. They are truly family. And no, I'm not just sucking up cause they pay my bills. I really mean it. :)

Favorite snapshots taken by me:

My Husband on our whale watching date. I love him.

We're really cool

My sweet niece Emma. This picture kills me!

The youngest of 4 nephews, Kai. He is so caring and funny!

My cat Moshe scrounging for food!

The Facts About Fair trade

As we come to the second week of advent and prepare for Christmas I want to talk about the facts of fair trade. This year I have made a commitment to buy only fair trade items for friends and family and sometimes it can be hard to know where to start and how to identify what products are fair trade. If you are new to fair trade there are probably even more questions floating through your head, so here are a few general facts about fair trade. If anyone has other information to add or correct please leave a comment! I want to make sure I am accurate and up to date. So here we go...

So what is fair trade?

I took this straight off of the world fair trade organizations website, because I think they sum it up so nicely.

"Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers"

A company then, that is committed to fair trade practices, will either buy ingredients from workers in other countries (or the U.S.) and make their own products (ensuring adequate pay and working conditions) , or they will selling handmade products from organizations already established.

Why is it important to buy fair trade?

For me, it all comes down to this: we are seeing worse working conditions, outrageously low pay, unsafe environments, child labor, and slavery. And this is all because foreign companies and large U.S. corrperations need the cheapest labor, so they can sell it to the consumer at the cheapest price. (Walmarts "low price guarantee", anyone?)

Fair trade towns USA says this about fair trades importance:

"When you choose to purchase Fair Trade products, you are endorsing an economic system that provides opportunities for producers to lift themselves out of poverty. Fair Trade provides assurances to consumers that producers are paid fair prices for their products and labor. It gives them more direct market access which removes many of the “middle-men” who traditionally have absorbed the majority of the profits. In addition, Fair Trade provides a set of requirements that assure consumers that strict standards have been met to protect the environment, build economic sustainability, empower women, and allow opportunities for education, poverty alleviation, and health care."

So why is it so important? Because when you realize how drastically your purchases impact the lives of others, you can't help but want that impact to be a positive one. And all you have to do is shop! And we can start by shopping for things we all need, like bath and beauty products, recycled toilet paper, etc. :)

Terms you should know:

Fair trade: A system of exchange that honors producers, communities, consumers, and the environment. It is a model for the global economy rooted in people-to-people connections, justice, and sustainability.

Cruelty-free: This sounds like a fair trade term, but it's not. Cruelty free is a term used when a product has not been tested on an animal.

Co-op: A co-op is when Fair trade organizations work primarily with small businesses and democratically run cooperatives that agree to reinvest a portion of profits in community projects like health care clinics and childcare programs. These cooperatives are trying to cut out any middle men, and buy only and directly through the producers to ensure fair wadges and to see community and social change. Sometimes you will see pictures and stories of the particular producer on a fair trade website.

Sustainable: This ties into the cooperatives and means that the company selling the fair trade items create opportunities for social and sustainable economic development to the producer.

USDA Organic: A product claiming to be organic using the USDA organic label means that the product is 90-95 percent organic. And although many fair trade products are organic, a product carrying this label may not be fair trade. This doesn't mean not to shop organic though! I'm a big fan of organic.

How can you tell if it's really fair trade?

This one can be tricky, as many companies are noting the recent trend in councious shopping and can slap the fair trade name on a product, but one of the best ways to identify a fair trade item is by its label. There are two very important symbols to watch out for, So you know it is certified fair trade. Remember, just because it says it is fair trade, doesn't mean it is. Do some research first.

I am still learning about fair trade everyday and am so honored to be a part of this movement to care so deeply for the hands that make the products I use. For more information on fair trade certification and fair trade in general, visit the fair trade USA website here.

The Fight To Be Fair

Just about a year ago I wrote a blog post reflecting on how my obsession with my image had caused me to neglect my heart for fair trade. I became more interested in a shampoo that was "curl inhancing" to go along with my new haircut than with how my products were made and who they were made by. I quickly re-evaluated myself and felt like I was back on track....

Well....things have gotten bad again. This time though, it isn't about the looks...it's about the money - coupons to be exact. You see, I've become a bit crazy about saving myself some money. I'm not a crazy coupon lady by any means but I have become more interested in cutting out coupons...and to be honest, buying things I don't really need just because they are on sale.

I knew it was really bad when a few weeks ago I was buying 4 different 2-in-1 shampoos because I had $1 off coupons. Which is just exsessive, but that's not the worst part of it. The really bad part is when my husband walked down the isle to see me carrying all these shampoos and very casually and politely said "what happened to trying to buy fair trade bath products?". I instantly got defensive and chewed him out right there in the grocery store. "I'm trying to save this family some money!!!" (funny...I almost wrote save this money some family!) and "Why don't I see YOU buying anything fair trade? Why is it always on me? " which isn't even true at all...my husband tries to be conscious as well.

This incident really hit me. Money makes me cranky. When I shop fair trade, it may cost me a bit more...but I'm happier. And so are many other people whose lives are changed because I spent a few extra dollars. Now, advent started today, and I think advent and fair trade go quite nicely together. Advent is the period of preparation leading up to Christmas. And what better time than Christmas to talk about money and consumerism. So this advent season, all my posts will be about the coming Christ and the continual fight for fair trade. May we, this advent season, find hope in Christ, and may we find ways to share that hope with others.

Confession

Megan over at SortaCrunchy encouraged her readers to post a confessional blog because it's good for the soul. I fully agree so here it is!

1. I have this really gross habit that bugs my husband to death. Oh gosh can I really admit this? I leave used tissues ALL over my house. And...maybe I use them more than once. I know this is gross but I'm just doing my part to keep things green! Maybe I should just invest in a reusable hanerchief!

2. I haven't had caffeine in over 9 months. I realized it was keeping me up at night and giving me headaches and since I quit I've never slept better!

3. My mom always told me that as a child I was allergic to lemons. I though that was just some childhood allergy I grew out of, u til I put lemon juice on my face a few months ago and my face broke out in a hideous rash. The rash then got infected and then it turned into sever acne. All because of a stupid lemon. I've been to a dermatologist since and we've almost got it all under control, but if you even mention lemons to me, I might punch you in the face.

4. Going off of the above...a deep confession is that my self esteem through all of this is at the lowest it has ever been. But God is showing me who I really am and I am learning to see myself the way my friends see me. So hard, but so good.

5. I always use to say I liked both dogs and cats but just liked cats better. This is a lie. I hate dogs. They annoy me to no end. That's why I like cats! When they want me, we cuddle, but they don't lick my face! And then they go on with their business. I freakin love cats.

6. Wes and I finished watching the entire series of "Lost" a few months ago and I literally feel like a part of me died when it ended! I think I'm going to watch the whole thing over again, because I miss Charlie. When I find our people watch lost I get really overly excited for them and want to talk about the characters.

7. My favorite author is Madeline L'Engle. She inspires me so much and her quotes about art and theology are breathtaking.

8. I have to play music while I clean my house because I need the pattern of the music to keep me focused. (I'm a bit ADD) but I have been caught dancing with my cat once or twice....I can't help it! I get distracted! They are so fluffy!

9. Sometimes I play the guitar and sing.

10. Instrumental piano music makes my souls feel alive. George Winston anyone?

11. I love to collect old books (usually pre-1940), And jewlery/music boxes.

Well, those are a few things that make me who I am! What are your confessions?

Being A Youth Pastor's Wife (On Burn Out)

Being a youth pastor's wife is the most rewarding job I have. But it is also the most heart-breaking, most frustrating, most draining thing I do. It is not easy to do this "job". And for me, it is a full time unpaid job. I work 3 jobs right now to make up the income from quitting my last job, and at the end of the day I go on to chaperone youth events and lead worship for Jr. high and Sr. high youth group.

My real problem is that I desperately want to be involved with my husbands ministry. If I could quit all my jobs and just work with him, I would do it in a heart beat. I LOVE student ministries. I have worked with youth as a volunteer for 6 years (2 years on my own out of high school and 4 years have been spent volunteering along side my now husband). I'm not like one of those wives who never thought she'd be a pastor's wife. No, I knew I would be. I KNEW that the ministry of the church (particularly youth) was so important to me that God had to bring me a husband who loved youth too. And God did.

But I am suffering from some burnout these days.

And to be honest with you...I'm the only youth pastor's wife I know that hasn't identified her boundaries (If you're out there too, let me know!). One of my best friends and college roommate is also a youth pastor's wife, but she barely goes to any events. My husband and I realized we've never ever SEEN the wife of a youth pastor here in town that we frequently do events with. I feel so alone in my battle.

Last week I attended a youth worker training day (That my wonderful husband helped run) called "Equip" and they had a phenomenal speaker named Katie Quesada there. In her message to us she said something so powerful. So wonderfully refreshing. She said:

"You are unique. The truest you, the you God created, what you are, is exactly what people need. No more, no less. What you have to offer, the way it feels most natural, is what people need."

We are unique. Do not try to be something you aren't just because you think that's what your role is. I need to be a wife, a nanny, a preschool teacher, a sister, a daughter, a Sunday school director. And I need to know where I am in all of those roles. I need to see me. I need to see that my work does not define me. That I am perfect just how I am in the small ways I do all those things. And hopefully in October when I drop the Sunday School Director and Preschool Teacher jobs, I can focus a bit more on who I am.

A lot of the times I do so much because I see so many hurting kids. I think "Oh I should really take her out for coffee...she looks like she needs to talk to someone. That's what I'm suppose to do right? One on one stuff with her? I AM the youth pastors wife after all..." And I might even tell her "Hey, we should get coffee." But I CAN'T. I can't take her out for coffee because I'm stretching myself too thin. I'm trying to make my ideals of my role as a youth pastor's wife fit into something I am not. The real problem isn't that I can't touch the lives of these hurting kids. Oh, I can. It's that I'm not letting myself be exactly who I am. They don't need or want the me I think I should be...they want the me God made me to be.

I tried to think back on the youth pastor's wife when I was in high school. Her name is Jayme and I LOVED HER. I remember special times when she would help me learn chords on the keyboard while I was on the worship team. And I STILL HAVE postcards she wrote me about how special she thought I was. Little moments, even though she wasn't there for every event, meant the world to me. And by distancing herself from the ministry of her husband, she was able to be exactly who she was exactly when I needed it. I remember her being their every Sunday, but that's the most consistent it gets in my memories. She picked specific events to go to, but we were not her ministry.

I cannot be the best version of myself for these kids when I have no boundaries. I am worn thin. I am frustrated with them. I am frustrated with myself. I am frustrated with God. I do too much. When I say yes to too many things, I can do none of them well. If I want to be effective, I have to choose my boundaries. You have to say no to most things (even good worthwhile things) in order to do those few things as best as you can. You have to say "no" to say "yes".

When do I say no? What do I say yes to? I think we should say yes to the things that bring us joy. Say yes to the things that feel most naturally "you".

I absolutely love the way the message translation talks about "spiritual gifts" or as I like to call them "glimpse of God". You can read a whole except here, but I wanted to point out a few parts with my own twist from my own life. Instead of listing the spiritual gifts as they traditionally appear, I can't help but see it this way:

You have God's smile

You have God's eyes

You have God's heart

You have God's creativity

You have God's words

You have God's touch

We are all unique. We are all exactly who God has made us to be. Sometimes we get a little dusty, but our heart...God's heart...is right there.

I love this part in verse 13 "Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. (***Like "pastor's wife"***) We need something larger, more comprehensive. I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less."

We are not labels. We are precious children of God who are given special parts of God to give to each other. The first thing we need to do is remember who we are. If you need to go away and spend an extended amount of time discovering this DO IT. When you know who you are and who God made you to be, you will naturally show His love.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I had the day off today and decided that today was laundry day (Our apartment doesn't have a washer and dryer in it so I'm generally not very motivated to do laundry on a more regular basis). I got all the piles sorted and was ready to grab my laundry detergent when I realized it was gone (later found out that my husband had it in the back of his car while at work). I was pretty annoyed at first but decided to see if there were any home made detergent recipes online. Most of the recipes needed borax (which I did not have on hand) so I kept searching until I found one that only needed hot water, a bar of soap and some baking soda.

Here are the instructions I found on this website

2 gallons Water (hot)
1 bar Soap (grated)
2 cups Baking soda

• Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
• In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well.
• Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load.

(Because I was trying this out for the first time, I cut the recipe in thirds using 1/3 of the bar soap, 8 cups of water, and 1/2 cup of baking soda, which actually made a full pot of detergent!)

After starting my load of laundry with my new detergent I also found that my husband had the dyer sheets as well (dang it!) so I looked up some homemade dryer sheets as well. Through my investigation I actually learned that most dryer sheets contain toxic chemicals.

"...the laundry room is also highly toxic, containing the same chemical perfumes in both the laundry detergent and especially the dryer sheets. Dryer sheets coat all your clothes with a layer of toxic chemicals. When you wear those clothes, your body moisture causes those chemicals to come into contact with your skin and be absorbed directly into your bloodstream. It's an easy way to poison your system with cancer-causing chemicals" (taken from this article)

I was amazed that I had never heard that there were toxic chemicals in the sheets (I remember now that the organic dryer sheets we do purchase say "non-toxic" right on the label but it didn't click until now!) so I found a recipe for homemade dryer sheets here.

All you need is a washcloth (I saw another site that used cut up t-shirt material) and any essential oil!

Just take a dampened washcloth and put 10 drops of lavender, lemon, Tea Tree or any other essential oil. Put damp in with the wet clothes.

I guess I was forced to start my journey trying to be simple and organic and I'm glad I was! I should have taken pictures step by step but I didn't know it would work so wonderfully with so little preparation and ingredients! My clothes are clean and have a light rose petal smell. (NOTE: I read that adding vinegar during the rinse cycle will help soften the clothes. I didn't have any on hand at the time so my clothes did come out a bit stiff) If I try any other recipes for laundry detergent I will document more carefully and post for you all to enjoy! :)

Have you ever tried any home made concoctions? Tell me how they worked for you!

Been Awhile

Wow! It's been awhile since my last post...I've been quite busy. Not only is this one of the busiest months in ministry, but I am also working 3 jobs which all happen to be falling on the same days. 12 hour work days are not good for me! I will soon have some down time, and I have lots of posts floating through my brain, so look for them soon!

But while we're waiting, what has been the most challenging and rewarding thing about this lenten season as we are fast approaching Easter Sunday?