Oh How I Long For...

I dream of a big house, with high ceilings and hardwood floors, situated on pasture as far as the eyes can see. I dream of fruit trees and cows, and being able to watch my children run and play under the sun.

Instead, I find myself in this small house, with dirt on the ground and spit up on my shirt. The sink is filled with dishes and laundry is calling my name. My toddler is taking toys from her baby sister, but at least my boy is playing outside.

You see, I long for a house of our own with mortgage payments instead of a monthly rent. With no solid income and a label of  "unemployed", owning a home is no where in our future. Yet I still find myself wasting my days away looking at homes for sale.

What do these dreams accomplish? How do they benefit my current situation? You see, I am told to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:8), for this is God's will for me. How silly have I been! This is what God has planned... for me.

The house that I was confident I would be happy to rent is now the house that I anticipate leaving. What kind of thanks is that? Both Jesus Christ and my husband see my ungratefulness that I have been blinded by.

Sure, a bigger house with more bedrooms and green grass would be better, but if I am not grateful for what I have now, how could I be thankful for what I long for?

As long as I live I will always want something more. The truth is my home is not on this earth, but rather in Heaven.  What I am truly longing for is my home in Heaven, only there will I be truly satisfied with every situation. Until then, I need to allow the peace of Christ rest in my heart and be thankful in every situation (Colossions 3:15).

What helps along with giving my worries to God, is making the most of what I have. Instead of browsing dream homes we will never own, I can put my effort into making this house more of a home for our growing family. So here's to learning to be grateful and to giving thanks for a roof over my head and a husband and three lovely children to share it with.

Healing a Yeast Rash Naturally

Really, that yeast rash is a bugger. Especially when using cloth diapers. Yeast sticks around and can be very difficult to evict. I have had my fair share of yeast rashes in the last two years I have been changing diapers. So far Eliana has had two yeast rashes, (one of those included thrush in her mouth while breastfeeding, ow!) and now Isabelle has contracted her second yeast rash. What is it with yeast rashes and my babies?

How to tell whether your little one has a yeast rash may seem like rocket science but in all actuality it is pretty easy to spot. The easiest way to tell is if the rash doesn't go away after treating with a diaper rash ointment or remedy. Yeast is not affected by regular diaper rash creams. Another distinguishing characteristic about yeast is the pimple-like dots it leaves behind. If your baby's bum look pimply or looks red and has red dots appearing away from the main rash, you are dealing with a yeast rash. But fear not! With some diligence it will go away.

First thing first is to treat the rash. The doctor will prescribe an anti-fungal cream to apply to the rash. I am familiar with using Nystatin twice a day for seven days. However, yeast can develop an immunity to prescribed antifungals. Also, for those using cloth diapers or those wanting to take a more natural approach, you can make your own anti-fungal cream that is both natural and as far as I've experienced, cloth diaper safe.

I simply fill a jelly jar with coconut oil and add 5 to 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract, depending on baby's age, and apply it to the the diaper area during every diaper change. Make sure to cover more than just the rash, since there may be yeast that is not visible. Both coconut oil and grapefruit seed extract are natural antifungals.

The only issue I have found with this solution is grapefruit seed extract can cause the skin to become very dry. Perhaps alternating coconut oil with the extract and then without the extract can help re-moisturize baby's skin or using shea butter after the natural ointment could help. Also, if baby is at least six months, you could add in a few drops of tea tree oil for an extra oomph.

Keep treating the rash until at least three days after the rash has subsided, since yeast can hang around and come back if not completely gone. Please note, I am no scientist here, I am simply a mother sharing my experiences and do not know the exact ratio recommended for dilution of essential oils.

One of the most important things when dealing with a yeast rash is to treat anything and everything the yeast comes in contact with. That means the changing pad cover, the diaper, the baby tub and anything else that has touched baby's tush. To treat these things, wash them in the washer with 15 to 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract. Vinegar in the rinse cycle can help too.

If you are using cloth diapers, make sure to wash using the hot cycle. I have heard that washing in warm will only feed the yeast but hot water will kill it. Make sure to keep using this washing method until a few days after the yeast is gone. I usually will still use grapefruit seed extract in the wash for a week after just to play it safe.

Another wonderful trick to use is the sun. Hang the laundry affected out to dry in the bright sun, this will help even further to kill the yeast. If you are unable to sun-dry clothes, heat from the dryer should be sufficient enough.

If you are also dealing with thrush and breastfeeding, you have my deepest sympathy. Eliana had thrush when she was four months and Isabelle had it at only a week old. I won't go into how to treat thrush this time around but I will suggest to wash all of your clothes in the manner above while treating the thrush and take probiotics (especially if you are breastfeeding).

Do you have any other tips on treating a yeast rash naturally?

April Thrift Store Finds

If there's one thing that I've realized since writing these monthly thrift store posts is how quickly time flies. Seriously, where did April go? Here we are nearly half way through May, and I'm just now getting around to sharing what I found on my local thrift store adventures last month.

You've already seen the pig cutting board that I found for one dollar and painted, which is still sitting pretty on our wall shelves.

But what I didn't tell you is that the nice lady at the shop gave me two trinkets to bring home from Eliana. These Dora and Swiper toys were only 10 cents which I intended on paying fully, but alas, she only made me fork over one dollar.

I wish I could have gotten a picture of Eliana playing with them. She loved them and immediately began playing pretend with them. As in playing pretend I mean standing them next to each other while each one said, "Hi," to one another then Swiper would say, "Oh, man." There was also some wall climbing and falling while yelling, "Whoooa" involved. Oh, and throwing, can't forget the throwing part.

At another thrift store around town, I almost left empty-handed until I spotted this little sky rat, err... seagull for fitty cents, I know, the rapper would be proud. He is plastic, not wood, and I think a nice coat of white spray paint will do him some good. 

And get this, Philip stated that he liked it. Can you believe that? I got the approval from the husband-unit, that's exciting! Normally he could care less about what I bring home to hoard, but this time I actually managed to bring home something, besides carved wood, that he likes. It always makes me happy when I can find something that he can enjoy along with me.

So far I've showed you something I like, something Eliana likes, and something Philip likes. So it's only fair to show you something Elijah likes. That would be this awesome marble maze I found for $2.50. It was in the random wooden section, not the toy section, at the thrift store. Lately this particular thrift store has been picked dry, so that must explain why it was still left around for me to snag.

I don't know who likes it more, the kids or me. That pattern on the wood looks so mid-century modern, doesn't it? (It reminds me of this fabric over at Spoonflower.) First I considered painting it but now I am actually liking the wood. Perhaps it will benefit from a nice dose of washi tape around the edges? Yeah, I think I'm sold.

Well, that wraps up what I found in April. It definitely wasn't much, I blame is on the disappearing months. However, I already have scored some things this month that I have to share next time around. Now off to find some more!

For more thrift store goodies, check out the Young House Love's thrift store challenge, as well as my finds in February and March.

Green Thumbs Up

Two weekends ago was an annual Green Thumb Festival in St Peter. Never heard of it? No worries, I don't think it's very popular.

Not so popular means not too big of a crowd and no admission fee. What is the Green Thumb Festival? It's a weekend event at a local park where a multitude of nurseries and garden-related vendors come together to sell you their stuff.

What's sold there varies from Florida native flowers and trees, edibles herbs, vegetables, and fruits, orchids, succulents and indoor plants, bamboo, worms, compost, various pots and containers, garden/yard art, and much much more.

This is our third year attending the festival, and although parking can be a hassle, we enjoy making it out to browse the various booths.

Thankfully, all three kiddos remained happy.

I even think they may have had some fun, although they won't refer to is as fun publicly.

This year was particularly kid friendly thanks to Boyd Hill Nature Preserve coming out with some of their birds in tow.

Mr. Red Tailed Hawk was a sight to see up close. We usually only see them fleeing the scene of chicken-related crimes that have taken place in our backyard.

My favorite, though, were the owls. Can you spot the two tiny screech owls in the background? Those are Philip's favorite. We would, without a doubt, have one as a pet if we could.

On the other hand, this big owl is so breath-taking.

Every time someone would walk up to gawk at him, he would immediately turn his head to stare them down. Talk about being aware of your surroundings...

What is great about this event is all the deals to be had. I saw air plants for $1 a pop, and Elijah bought himself a succulent for only $1 as well. The butterfly garden booth is known for giving away a potted flower to children, so this year we scored two, and the city gives away two bags of mulch per car.

And one booth (either the Arborist Society or the county), was selling native trees for $3 each. They also gave away two Pine saplings per customer.

I jumped on the opportunity and bought a baby Sycamore.

Last year we brought home our mulberry tree and our pomegranate tree, and they are still living.

This year I was interested in indoor plants so after some browsing, I picked up two mosses and an upside down fern.

I already had some pots laying around the house, so they are already settled into their new homes (the white pot is from Ikea, and the gold ones are decorative bowls from Target).

Hopefully I can keep them alive, at least until next year.

Pinterest Challenge: Schoolhouse Electric Inspired Light

I have this problem, and it's called a light fixture. My hallway light to be exact. Sure, it provides me with bright light when I am unable to see in the dark, but it wasn't doing much for me aesthetically. So when Sherry and Katie's quarterly Pinterest Challenge came around, that old light fixture didn't stand a chance. I happily replaced it with a Schoolhouse Electric inspired light for less than $10.

Let's flash back to what I began with, a standard light fixture. I have seen these guys everywhere, and I was ready to make this one my own. Since we rent, I didn't want to spend a fortune on any given light fixture, and said light had to be easy to switch out in the future in case the landlord didn't want us leaving it behind.

That's why The Shabby Creek Cottage's $5 farmhouse light appealed to me. I've also been eyeing Schoolhouse Electric's glass light shades, specially this one, but $60 is way more than the original $5 project I was inspired by. So I made my own.

The first step to getting this little one-day project done is to remove the light fixture. I did this when Philip wasn't at home and while the babies were napping. I felt confident it would be easy, then I found this... it scared me! So, like any scared wife would do, I waiting for Philip to get home to save the day. It turns out that it was so easy even I could have done it. But I did need his help to turn off the right breaker... so I guess I couldn't have done it.

Anyways, after he safely removed it for me, I spray painted it using Rust-Oleom's Oil Rubbed Bronze paint. To put it lightly, I. am. in. love. Seriously, it's great. It is taking everything in me not to spray paint everything in sight with that stuff.

While the spray paint was drying and Isabelle was busy attempting to eat the inedible, I got to work on the shade.

I started with a $5 schoolhouse replacement globe from Lowes, a Sharpie paint pen and some rubber bands.

Since I can't draw a straight line to save my life, I used a rubber band as a guide.

After putting a rubber band around the shade where I wanted my line to be, and making sure it was straight all around, I slowly traced the band around the circumference of the shade, while keeping the paint pen touching the rubber band.

As a side note, the rubber band popped off while I was aligning it at least twice. Also, if the paint pen decides to go awry, don't panic, it can be easily wiped off with a damp paper towel before it sets in.

I intended to complete two more lines near the top of the shade, but my pen ran out of paint since I had used it for a previous project. Of course when I ran out to buy another one, Michael's and Joann's were out. Tough luck, right?

So after the base and shade were dried, Philip re-installed the light base for me and I followed with the globe. Do you see how easy the light fixture is to remove and install? I say I could do it myself but it's so much better when my husband does it for me, because then I can take pictures of his hands... score!

I am so happy with how it came out, one black line and all. Who knows, I may leave it the way it is or I may draw those two additional lines whenever I come across another paint pen. I'm sure once I finish painting the walls gray it will look even better.

P.S. Don't judge me for our dirty scuttle home, how am I supposed to know to clean the ceiling?!

So that just about sums up my Spring Pinterest Challenge, were you able to get one done? If so, I'd love to hear about it! And if you'd like to see more Pinterest inspired projects, check out Emily, Katie, Sherry, and Renee's blogs to see what they and everyone who linked up have in store!