I've been wanting to share my product recipes on here for awhile, and I'm finally getting around to it!
The first recipe I'm going to share is the homemade shower cleaner we've been using for several months. It also works on mirrors! I have yet to try it on windows, but I'm sure that would work too.
Supplies:
-spray bottle
-white vinegar
-small amount of scented organic detergent or soap (we use Dr. Bronner's; Target has started carrying it, can also find at whole food stores and online)
And yes, that's really all you need!
What you do:
1.) Fill up spray bottle no more than about 1/4 of the way with vinegar (too much vinegar can soften the grout between the tiles
2.) Fill it up the rest of the way with water.
3.) Add a splash of soap or detergent to kill the smell.
4.) Shake the daylights out of it! (Dr. Bronner's soap clumps up a bit when you first mix it up; it's just the reaction between the soap and the vinegar. It evens out over time.)
And yes, that's really all you do! :)
Friday, September 28, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Thoughts on Humanity's Perception of Death
I once read somewhere that human beings are the most afraid of/repulsed by two things. The first is expulsion of bodily waste. The second is death.
Our precious, almost-2-year-old cat Luna was put down two weeks ago. She was diagnosed with multiple organ failure. Even if we had chosen to put her in the ICU for a day, there wasn't much chance that she'd survive. We made the extremely difficult decision to put her out of her misery.
I put off writing about Luna's death publicly, both because of my own human aversion to death and because I didn't want anyone passing judgment on my husband and me for deciding on euthanasia. So at first, I decided the easiest thing to do would just be to put off writing about Luna's death until I couldn't keep it inside anymore.
Then I realized that suppressing the reality of death may be the natural thing to do, but it's also the last thing we should do. I think one of the best, healthiest things we can do for ourselves is accept the fact that, on some level, death is a part of life in this world.
I realized it's going to be especially important to accept this if I want to get into urban farming. I'm going to have to practically and spiritually deal with animal deaths as they happen. At some point, I may end up in a situation where the most loving thing I could do might be to end an animal's life as quickly as possible.
I realize I'm probably in for lots of loaded comments about how I'm a bad Christian for saying that death is a part of life. I'm probably in for comments on how God didn't create death, there was no death in the garden of Eden, yada yada yada. I'm not going to deny any of that, but I'm also not going to deny that death is a part of our earthly lives.
Maybe one day I'll stop feeling so human when it comes to death. Right now, it's still a work in progress.
Our precious, almost-2-year-old cat Luna was put down two weeks ago. She was diagnosed with multiple organ failure. Even if we had chosen to put her in the ICU for a day, there wasn't much chance that she'd survive. We made the extremely difficult decision to put her out of her misery.
I put off writing about Luna's death publicly, both because of my own human aversion to death and because I didn't want anyone passing judgment on my husband and me for deciding on euthanasia. So at first, I decided the easiest thing to do would just be to put off writing about Luna's death until I couldn't keep it inside anymore.
Then I realized that suppressing the reality of death may be the natural thing to do, but it's also the last thing we should do. I think one of the best, healthiest things we can do for ourselves is accept the fact that, on some level, death is a part of life in this world.
I realized it's going to be especially important to accept this if I want to get into urban farming. I'm going to have to practically and spiritually deal with animal deaths as they happen. At some point, I may end up in a situation where the most loving thing I could do might be to end an animal's life as quickly as possible.
I realize I'm probably in for lots of loaded comments about how I'm a bad Christian for saying that death is a part of life. I'm probably in for comments on how God didn't create death, there was no death in the garden of Eden, yada yada yada. I'm not going to deny any of that, but I'm also not going to deny that death is a part of our earthly lives.
Maybe one day I'll stop feeling so human when it comes to death. Right now, it's still a work in progress.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Ask Kati: Headcovering Q and A's
In answering the Ask Kati questions, I am trying to stay away from long lists of FAQ's, because I know those can be daunting to try to get through. But I decided to make an exception in addressing the subject of headcovering, because there are a few questions that I get asked a lot, and it seemed a lot simpler to put all those questions and answers in one place. After all, simplicity is the name of the game here ;).
Alright, here we go!
Q: Why do you cover your head?
A: The simplest answer is, I cover because I believe God wants me to. That was my only reason when I started out. The longer I do it, the more I see other reasons to do it, and not all the reasons are blatantly spiritual. One reason I continue to cover my head is it acts as a protest against the hair product industry. Most hair products contain toxic chemicals. Plus, there are more important things than making sure my hair looks good.
Q: What kind of covering do you wear?
A: When I started out, I wore a prayer cap that I had crocheted. Then I progressed to cloth prayer caps that I had sewn. I recently switched to scarves and kerchiefs simply because I wear hearing aids, and it drove me crazy untying and re-tying the cap every time I had to adjust my aids. I would like to try veils once my hair is long enough.
Q: How often do you wear a headcovering?
A: At first I only wore prayer caps to church. After a couple months or so, I began covering my head most of the time. I don't wear a covering when I'm sleeping. The few times I've forgotten to take it off when I laid down for a nap, I had taken it off in my sleep, so I don't bother sleeping in it.
Q: Don't people stare?
A: I got a few stares with the prayer caps, but I got used to it pretty quickly. To be honest, the scarves draw a lot less attention. But people didn't really stare as much as you might think. Most people are pretty self-absorbed.
Q: How do you deal with headcovering issues at work?
A: This question always makes me smile, since it was issues at work that led to my changing direction and going plain! I don't have a one-size-fits-all answer for this one. It all depends on where you work and where God is leading you. In my case, I probably would've been forced to take off the headcovering if I had stayed at my old job, and that was just one symptom of all the moral corruption that was going on there. If you're in a work situation where you're being forced to not wear a covering, odds are that's not the only issue going on there, and I would encourage you to step back and pray about the situation, if that makes sense.
If it's an issue of safety and practicality, I would encourage to choose a headcovering that is conducive to your line of work. For example, let's say you work as a nurse. A prayer cap would not be very practical to wear at work since you'd constantly be having to untie and re-tie it whenever you used your stethoscope.
Q: Got any advice for women considering the discipline of headcovering?
Q: Not overthinking it is a big one! :) I'd encourage you to start small, with a scarf or kerchief. I'd also encourage you to only wear it part time to start with, and let God lead you from there. If you decide it's not for you, or not for you right now, that's more than okay!
Alright, here we go!
Q: Why do you cover your head?
A: The simplest answer is, I cover because I believe God wants me to. That was my only reason when I started out. The longer I do it, the more I see other reasons to do it, and not all the reasons are blatantly spiritual. One reason I continue to cover my head is it acts as a protest against the hair product industry. Most hair products contain toxic chemicals. Plus, there are more important things than making sure my hair looks good.
Q: What kind of covering do you wear?
A: When I started out, I wore a prayer cap that I had crocheted. Then I progressed to cloth prayer caps that I had sewn. I recently switched to scarves and kerchiefs simply because I wear hearing aids, and it drove me crazy untying and re-tying the cap every time I had to adjust my aids. I would like to try veils once my hair is long enough.
Q: How often do you wear a headcovering?
A: At first I only wore prayer caps to church. After a couple months or so, I began covering my head most of the time. I don't wear a covering when I'm sleeping. The few times I've forgotten to take it off when I laid down for a nap, I had taken it off in my sleep, so I don't bother sleeping in it.
Q: Don't people stare?
A: I got a few stares with the prayer caps, but I got used to it pretty quickly. To be honest, the scarves draw a lot less attention. But people didn't really stare as much as you might think. Most people are pretty self-absorbed.
Q: How do you deal with headcovering issues at work?
A: This question always makes me smile, since it was issues at work that led to my changing direction and going plain! I don't have a one-size-fits-all answer for this one. It all depends on where you work and where God is leading you. In my case, I probably would've been forced to take off the headcovering if I had stayed at my old job, and that was just one symptom of all the moral corruption that was going on there. If you're in a work situation where you're being forced to not wear a covering, odds are that's not the only issue going on there, and I would encourage you to step back and pray about the situation, if that makes sense.
If it's an issue of safety and practicality, I would encourage to choose a headcovering that is conducive to your line of work. For example, let's say you work as a nurse. A prayer cap would not be very practical to wear at work since you'd constantly be having to untie and re-tie it whenever you used your stethoscope.
Q: Got any advice for women considering the discipline of headcovering?
Q: Not overthinking it is a big one! :) I'd encourage you to start small, with a scarf or kerchief. I'd also encourage you to only wear it part time to start with, and let God lead you from there. If you decide it's not for you, or not for you right now, that's more than okay!
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