A breakfast I think Edith Schaeffer would appreciate.

B got to stay home with me again this morning for breakfast. Since I'm on Spring Break and have nothing other than tons of cleaning and organizing to get done this week, you better believe I took the opportunity to make this super easy Dutch Baby Pancake. I love this recipe because it truly was so easy, and you could add any fruit or topping you have. I also used half whole wheat to boost the protein. I was so happy when I opened the oven to see the tall wall of Dutch pancake that I unknowingly created. I forgot how beautiful it would look once cooked!

While cooking it I was thinking about Edith Schaeffer. Specifically, I was thinking about the few recipes she shared in one of her books that were just as easy as this one.

I've talked about Mrs. Schaeffer and all her wonderfully creative books before. She truly is one of those Proverbs 31 women I look up to as a young wife and soon to be mom. It's amazing to me how many times I've actually been made fun of by brothers and sisters in Christ for absolutely loving being so homeward focused (while still working part time) and serving my husband. Yes, I do iron his clothes for him every Sunday night, even if it doesn't look like it by the time he gets to worship practice in the morning, and I do because God has given me a heart that finds joy in serving and helping my husband. One of the best gifts my husband can ever given to me is when I hear him sigh when he comes home from work or a long day of meetings and say, "I love being home." Mrs. Schaeffer greatly encouraged me in finding my God-given role as a homemaker through her writing. One topic I could go on and on about is art and Christianity, and she writes about that often as well, as the while keeping Jesus at the center of everything. That is so, so important, and she manages to do it, and do it well. So well that the Lord gave her 98 year to serve Him and others through her giftings on this earth!! I was so happy to see that number 98 pop up on the article announcing her death. 98 full years her on this earth, and I know she's dancing right alongside her husband right now in heaven for our King Jesus.

I could go on and anaylze her books like the English major that I am, complete with quotes, citations, and lengthy footnotes, but I'll leave that for another time. (Maybe I should start reviewing books on here?) I do want to share one of the things God has impressed on my heart over the two short years of being married from reading her books.

We are a ministry family. God's called us to that. As of right now we are praying about the specific things God has called us to as a family in the realms of church planting. But being in ministry as a young wife for the last (almost) two years now, I have had a few of those experiences where some hungry and hurting friend shows up at your door and you need to cook up some lunch for them, or you have to figure out how to accomodate space for 30 or more people in your tiny dollhouse sized home, as well as dinners, and oh yeah, where will the children play? :) It's always chaotic, but these times are looked back upon as fond memories where we did watch Jesus move. I don't remember the stress of the moment, or some ingredient I may have forgotten to ruin the entire dinner.

That being said, God really impressed a specific term ( I guess you could call it that?) upon my heart through Mrs. Scheffer's writings. It's not a term she ever used, it's just something God has called me to cultivate in my home, family, and in ministry. That term or calling He has been teaching me about through my journaling, reading, and many notes that I've taken over the last two years is creating a Jesus culture. I really felt God saying that's what takes places when you open your home for ministry to happen. You are welcoming a group of people from many different cultures and backgrounds to partake in a common thing, that common thing hopefully being a relationship with Jesus. It was my second to last semester in college when I first picked up her books and I really felt God asking me to be open and okay with many different cultures and backgrounds in my life. I'm still not sure what this means today, but God has again and again asked me that. He has also shared with me that I'm not simply opening up a room made out of paint and wood, but a place that needs to be inviting and welcoming for people to want to spend time there and share their hearts. More very recently God spoke to me again about this Jesus culture He is calling me to cultivate, and I took down another note about what He was telling me in my commonplace. Here it is:

"2/15: Jesus culture: creating a culture where people are able to grow, confess sin, repent, and be broken totally without fear of fear or judgment."

Due to lessons learned in my own life, God was showing me how desperately important it is to not be judgemental of people so they feel accepted and able to confess and repent sin. Acceptance was the word God was really placing on my heart. So, today all I know is Jesus is calling me to help encourage this creative culture through art, ministry, homemaking, and openly accepting and loving others in my home. Still not sure what this means for the future, but God is slowly revealing it to me. (I hope this made sense to someone out there.)

How does this relate to Mrs. Schaeffer? Well, she was really all about that. She is all about flowers at the table, for no other show but to display thought and love you put in to the preparation and meal for the people you are breaking bread with. She is all about encouraging loud laughter from little boys as they run around the house banging on pots and pans. Who knows, maybe God blessed you with a little psalmist from your womb and this is his way of glorifying Jesus with music from a young age. Just think about that: walking in to a colorful home where music is constantly playing, goodies are hot from the oven, and you are always, always welcome to come over and share some thoughts and tea. Who wouldn't want to hang out there? :)

So ladies, I highly encourage you to pick up one of her books. :) See what gifts God has given you to cultivate in your family for His glory. For more reading about Mrs. Schaeffer, these are two articles I've loved reading this week: my favorite being I Owe My Home to Edith Schaeffer and then Challies' article.

I also wanted to share this article on being married young. I married at 19, my husband was 20, and we're about to have our first little boy at 21 and 22. I'm learning how truly crazy we are for doing this, but God is so good and He is the one that sustains any marriage, young or old. Believe me, God is asking me to trust Him over and over again each day that it truly is better for me to walk this life beside my husband, than it would be for me to walk it alone (Genesis 2:18). Happy reading, friends!

xoxo

All natural beauty: things I've experimented with this pregnancy.

There we go! One day shy of 30 weeks! I really wish I could live in skirts these days, and I would but I'm slightly clumsy and I find myself tripping in them a lot. haha And a pregnant lady who trips all the time really is hazardous.

Since it's been warmer I realized my dull, white legs will be showing soon. ;) As usual, I've been on my pinterest boards looking through all natural beauty tricks for fun. I've used this trick twice now, and I really like it. Although, I did just finish cleaning our bathroom and found all the coconut and olive oil very tricky to get off. Any suggestions? Haha It's quite comical to watch me and my belly curve around the toilet to clean behind it, and get in the tub to scrub, scrub, scrub.

About two weeks ago I noticed my cheeks finally started to become very, very dry. I've used half apple cider vinegar and half water as a toner through most of my pregnancy. My skin freaked out a bit as I entered into my second trimester, but this stuff seriously cleared it right up. I think after allllll these weeks of using it with really no moisturizer (shhh...I know that's probably terrible for my skin, but I really do drink tons and tons of water and the skin on my face doesn't seem to need much else most of the year) it may have started to dry me out a bit, but I found this moisturizing facial cleanser last week and I really, really love it!! I was super worried it would make my face extra oily, but it didn't at all!! I love using all natural beauty recipes that only have a few ingredients because I remember how to do them easier, making it so that I actually use them. I started looking for a new cleanser because I recently read that they are trying to get rid of all exfoliants with plastic scrubbies in them (something about fish and landfills?), and since I've used the same one for literally years, I started looking for natural alternatives when mine goes off the market. I love that the baking soda actually makes your face feel scrubbed and cleaned, and it really does get all your make up off. I switched to using the ACV toner only once a day or so, and I've really noticed a difference. I swear, the day after I used the coconut and baking soda mixture, my cheeks were already brighter and rosy.

My other favorite natural winter skin repair that I started about this time last year was mixing one egg white with some fresh squeezed lemon juice. You make the paste and let it sit as a mask on your skin for about 20 minutes. The protein from the egg helps rebuild your chapped winter skin. I ONLY use real lemon juice because you just never know what's in the store bought, prepackaged kind, and I don't what who-knows-what sitting on my skin.

At first I started doing these weird experiments when B wasn't home, but I don't care anymore. He knows I'm a weirdo. haha I don't think he was home the one time I experimented with tumeric, turning my face orange. (It was a good thing I try these at night, or else I would have had to go out looking like an Oompa Loompa.) Honey is the ONLY natural ingredient that doesn't work well with my skin. Any other thing I've put on my skin has really done fine, some things just work better than others for me.

I really want to try this all-natural mascara sometime. I've used the same Clinique one for ages because I'm allergic to all other ones. I used to use mineral veil, but it's just too expensive for me to keep buying, so I want to try to make this one sometime. I could go on, and on... ;) I really find this stuff interesting and it's always a fun challenge to try something new, especially if it saves money. The one product I do buy and haven't been able to bring myself to experiment with making on my own is my foundation. I have again used the same thing for years. It's Naked Minerals Pressed Mineral Foundation. My mom is an esthetician and actually sold this stuff back when I was in junior high I think. I like it because it's not a powder. With powder you seem to waste more than you actually use. It also doesn't make my face oily. Other loose or even pressed mineral foundations I've tried make my face oily very quickly. They've done all sorts of fancy tests with this stuff that I can't remember right now (thank you pregnancy brain). I do remember they tested being able to sleep in this stuff and it doesn't harm your skin. Also, there was something about being able to put it in an open wound (not that you would really want to, right?) and it didn't cause any extra harm. Being a pre-school teacher means the people I spend the most time with during the day don't really give a hoot what I look like, as long as I know how to put the puzzle back together. But my basic beauty routine that I stick to most days includes this foundation and a tiny bit of mascara, if I even get that far. haha Anyways, enough about Naked Minerals. I love the stuff. :)

Sidenote: Any things you guys did around the house that were very helpful for when you came home with a new baby? I actually have time to be home today and get caught up on cleaning and organizing, which is ALWAYS energizing to me for some reason, so I sat down and made a very, very basic grocery list in case anyone has to do that for us while we're in the hospital. I figured it's nicer to have a stocked fridge when you first come home so you don't have to figure out who has more energy to go out and grab the basics to get by for that first week. Any other suggestions? The only other thing (besides trying this natural carpet cleaner today) that I really want to have done before baby gets here is getting my blinds cleaned. I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE doing this. I always did as a kid, and I STILL do. That's why they are dusty pretty much all the time. I don't know how to do it well, and they are white plantation shutter type blinds, so they show dust, and the black streaks from cleaning the dust. Sigh Anyways, again...what other things were helpful to you to have done at home when baby came home? :)

xoxo