Thursday, September 11, 2014

#SPEAKLIFE




People speak in one of two ways, they either speak life or they speak death.  Consider what sounds best to your own ears; is it going to get better or is it going to get worse?  Its a quick and easy response for most peeps: most would rather hear someone speaking that it is getting better!  #speakinglife!


Speaking life means to be claiming good things to and for people, and over you as well!  Here are some examples of words of love that speak life into people: words that edify, build up, increase, words of expansion, and multiplication, magnification, words of encouragement, and abundance!   Get ready you guys (and gals)!  Manifestations of uber superbness are getting ready to chase you down and overtake you!  You are uber blessed and highly favored, Gods favor gives you the biggest advantage, you are protected from all sides, breakthroughs are coming, AND you will be a blessing to each person around you, you have the power to make wealth and are being healed from the inside out in this very moment!  Receive that?  I sure hope so!   


There might be some who are a bit hesitant and think me a goon at this point to accept the declarations above.  So let’s connect the words of love that I am speaking about with the words of God.  After all, He IS love and is always speaking life over us  :O) 


My father used to always tell me (in my stubborn days) about a scripture that says it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine.  It's finally clicking in my head why he was sharing that.  Read Song of Solomon 2:15;  Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!  Clear out your home of those things that could bring you and your loved ones down, remove negative statements from your speech.  You don't want your love compromised!  The words that you speak are where it all starts.  James 3:10-11 says; And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth.  Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!  Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water?  You can't have both positive and negative statements coming out of your mouth and it not confuse your inner peace (and those around you).  Choose words that bring more peace to your heart and into your home.




 More times than not, we need to check ourselves before we open up our mouths and let our emotions do the talking for us (especially us ladies, we tend to wear our emotions on our sleeve and it ends up nipping us in the bottom).  We need to think before we speak.  (side note: I'm not preaching to the choir on this, I'm having a heart-to-heart with myself about it and just sharing what I'm learning :O)  We need to come to a place in our thoughts and in our soul that rejects the words of comparison, the words of lack, the words of deficiency, the words of absence, and the words of unworthiness in our lives.  We need to reject the negative words spoken over us, and reject the negative words that we often speak about ourselves, our situations, and to other people.  We also need to be cognizant of those negative trails for our loved ones; sometimes our loved ones need a little course correction.  Let's be their little helpers by letting them know (lovingly) how they are talking about themselves and/or their situations, at the same time showing them how they should be speaking life.  


Have you thought about what could happen if you were speaking life over your relationships and/or situations?  If you haven't, then take a moment to do so:  Speaking life over your significant other, and over yourself?  Over your family, and your children?  Those words of love and adoration are life giving water.  All emotions are altered, attitudes are changed, joy increases and love fills the air!  Why speak discouragement and defeat over the people you love and yourself, when you can be speaking words of hope and love?!


Far too often people begin with believing for the lesser, and then hope they see the greater someday.  We can have stronger love and greater peace within our hearts and in our homes.  We have the power to alter that in our lives and for those we love by changing our speech!  All that you need is already within you; you are going to make it, you are going to rise up, you are going to overcome, you have greater ability than you may have previously thought, possibilities are limitless for you, nothing can stop you from obtaining the life that God says is yours!


Take a moment and check within yourself, do you sense anything within you that has changed?  It's the speaking of life over you that has just impacted your attitude.  You already have a better outlook right now than you did when you started reading this little love note!  You look as good as your outlook, mind to take some time to note what thoughts you’re entertaining and statements you are speaking.  For a more tangible way to compare it, think about fruit.  Personally, I am in to fresh fruit, and would rather stay away from icky, sour apples!  This is something I'm already teaching to Nickelbug.  The foundation for our children starts when they are little ones :O)

I hope you are encouraged and have a brighter horizon you're gazing at after reading this!  Please watch the music video by Toby Mac: Speak Life .  I hope it inspires you and puts a smile on your face :O)



Sending you all lots of Light and Laughter!

~Cassie


Sunday, September 7, 2014

{DIY: ALL PURPOSE CLEANER} Ah-Lah-Naturel...






USING ESSENTIAL OILS TO CLEAN YOUR HOME


Do any of you have a hard time being around chemicals when cleaning your home?  It has always been a challenge for me to find an all purpose cleaner of good quality that doesn't make me feel like I'm suffocating while cleaning my home.  Using chemicals of any kind can be toxic, especially when cleaning enclosed spaces, such as restrooms, because there isn't an outlet for the fumes to escape so you're breathing them all in!  (insert scrunchy, pinched bleh face here) There have been times when I've had to leave the room because I couldn't breathe!

I decided to take matters into my own hands, BOOM!  I've been talking about it for weeks, so I finally buckled down this weekend and made my own all-purpose cleaner using simple ingredients I already had at home that are non-toxic, affordable, and anti-bacterial.  A close friend of mine and I have recently jumped into the pool of using essential oils so I decided to utilize some of the ones I have at home to create it, and it smells UH-mazing!

Ingredients you need are:

Distilled Water
White Vinegar
Lemon Essential Oil
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Lavender Essential Oil
Peppermint Essential Oil
Spray Bottle

First, fill the spray bottle with 8 parts distilled water and 1 part white vinegar.  Vinegar is a natural disinfectant to sanitize what you're cleaning, however, it does NOT smell pretty.  SO...adding the essential oils not only makes it smell prettier but the oils are also chock-full of health benefits for us! (I'll explain the benefits of each below)  

Next, add the essential oils: 20 drops of lemon, 10 drops of tea tree, 10 drops of lavender, and 15 drops of peppermint.  

Last note, SHAKE BEFORE YOU SPRAY!  The distilled water/vinegar mix will not mesh with oil since oil & water do not mix, naturally.  Be sure to shake before you spray to get a good mix out onto what you're cleaning.  

Eureka!  You've got yourself an all-natural homemade, non-toxic, all-purpose cleaner!  :O)  Not only does it disinfect, but it smells superb and adds an aromatic mental pick-me-up while you're cleaning, giving you the energy to actually WANT to be cleaning!  In my book, that is an A+!  This is something you can definitely be proud of, knowing you created something that actually protects you and your loved ones from breathing in toxic fumes of unnatural ingredients.  

If you're curious about the essential oils, here is some information about each oil that I used for you to know the full extent of the benefits you're receiving while you're cleaning:

Lavender essential oil

Properties: Lavender essential oil can be calming, sleep inducing, analgesic, disinfectant, antiinflammatory, antiseptic, and antifungal.
Health benefits: This oil is beneficial for treatment of issues with the nervous system, insomnia, pain relief, urine flow, respiratory disorders, skin care, hair care, blood circulation, indigestion, and immune system health.

Lemon essential oil

Properties: Lemon essential oil is an antiseptic, antiviral, astringent, aperitif, bactericidal, disinfectant, febrifuge, haemostatic, restorative, and a tonic.
Health benefits: This oil protects from wounds becoming septic, while inhibiting viral and bacterial growth, strengthening gums, and stopping hair loss. Furthermore, it lifts skin, induces firmness in muscles, stops hemorrhaging, fights infections, and cures fevers.

Peppermint essential oil

Properties: Peppermint oil is used as an analgesic, anesthetic, antiseptic, antigalactogogue, antiphlogistic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, cephalic, cholagogue, cordial, decongestant, emenagogue, expectorant, febrifuge, hepatic, nervine, stimulant, stomachic, sudorific, vasoconstrictor and as a vermifuge.
Health benefits: It is commonly used in the treatment of pain relief, as a way to induce numbness, protect against sepsis, reduce milk flow and discharge, relax spasm, strengthen gums, stop hair loss, and lifts skin. Also, it induces firmness in muscles, stops hemorrhaging, removes gas, is good for brain and memory health, and promotes bile discharge, clears congestion and eases breathing. Furthermore, peppermint essential oil relieves obstructed menstruation, expels phlegm & catarrh, reduces fever, is good for the liver, nerves, and stomach, while promoting perspiration and slight contraction of the blood vessels.

Tea Tree essential oil

Properties: Tea tree essential oil is antibacterial, antimicrobial, antiviral, fungicide, insecticide, antiseptic, balsamic, cicatrisant, expectorant, stimulant, and sudorific in nature.
Health benefits: This oil is often used to inhibit bacterial, microbial, and viral infections, while also killing insects, protecting wounds from becoming septic, promoting absorption of nutrients, speeding up the healing rate of scars and after marks. Finally, it can cure coughs and colds, and it stimulates systemic functions and appropriate discharges.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for a wonderful, safe all-purpose cleaner that you can be motivated to clean with knowing it won't harm you or your loved ones!  Please share with me any recipes you've created, I'd love to try them! :O)

Love & Light to all of you!
~Cassie