Handmade Goats Milk Soap review and Give-away!

Have you ever tried Goat milk soap?? I never did but was very curious about it.  Especially after seeing that the bars made by Rhen from Yes, They Are All Mine are handmade by her, in her own kitchen and are completely natural. I looked around on her soap website and learned so much about her soaps.

Here are some facts taken from her page:

Why goat's milk?  Just a few of the benefits of goat milk soap are:  protects skin from daily bacterial and chemical invasion,  very moisturizing, perfect for sensitive skin, helps kill acne, won't leave residue on oily skin, sloughs off dead skin cells, and helps to soothe a variety of skin conditions like eczema.

     Do you use animal fats (tallow or lard)?  No!  The only animal product is the goat milk.  My soaps contain an array of Vitamin E rich oils, including olive oil that nourishs and helps hydrate your skin.  Stress, dietary choices, environmental pollutions, medications and exposure to ultra-violet rays all take a toll on the health of your skin.  Olive oil replaces the moisture and elasticity lost to these elements because it is naturally rich in Vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants that have tremendous healing and preserving properties.

     Do you use artificial/ liquid dyes?  No!  I use no harmful dyes, preservatives, parabens or SLS.  I use clays, purified muds and herbs to add any colors or textures.  

     How do you add scent to your soap?  All of my soaps are scented with 100% pure essential oils!  No fragrance oils or alcohol carriers.

     Who or what makes the soaps?  My soaps are made by me.  I hand cut, trim and label each and every one.  Each batch I make is unique and has inherent differences, swirls, variations and "flaws" that give them charm and 

character.  No machines here! 

After reading all of this information I was even more intrigued and placed an order. The scents I chose were "Sweet Pooh Bear", "Muscled Farmboy", "Lover's Leap" and "Frolicking in the Dead Sea". Don't you love the names of the soap?
I quickly received my soaps in the mail and was already impressed as soon as I opened the box. The aroma of each soap was amazing!
I couldn't wait to try them and the first one I tried was the Sweet Pooh Bear. I cannot believe how much I liked it even after one use. It is unbelievably creamy.  My skin was incredibly soft and smooth with no residue or tight feeling afterwards.  After using it for a few days, my skin felt even softer. It really is amazing and very hydrated. The texture and tone of my skin has improved also.
The real test was my hubby. He is an auto mechanic and his hands are extremely rough. His first response after using the soap the first time was "what is this creamy soap"? Now, I don't know about your hubby's, but mine never notices any soap I buy and just uses what is there. This- he noticed. He liked it so much, especially the scent, that when I told him it was made from goat's milk and was all natural, he asked if he can eat it or at least use it as a mouth wash!! LOL Oh, how I love him! I told him, of course not, it IS soap.
We are both very impressed with these wonderful soaps and have decided to only use these from now on. It has been over a month now and the changes in our skin our fantastic. Even hubby's rough hands are much smoother! I highly recommend her soaps. 
Now for the give-away....
Rhen from Yes, They Are All Mine, is offering *2* bars of her wonderful handmade goat milk soap with  choice of scent to one winner! How exciting! 


.a Rafflecopter giveaway





*see terms and conditions

Cucumber, tomato & celery salad!

This is one of my favorite summer salads! Mostly because tomatoes are delish and in season right now and also, it is SO easy to make and keeps for days.

Here ya go:
Cut up tomatoes,celery and cucumber (as big or small as you like)
Mix with olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder
DONE!
Easy, right? It's best when it's nice and cold.


I make my cucumber fancy when having company for dinner.
Just wash the cucumber, cut off both ends, peel and then take a fork and run it down the whole cucumber-from end to end. Keep going all around the entire circumference. 

so easy!

voila!

isn't it pretty? :)

I am linked up at

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Are you wrestling with God?

It breaks my heart to see so many people still resisting God.
He loves us. So much. All of us. Yes, even you.
I've been there. On the losing side of the war. I've resisted. I wrestled with all that I have. 
And when I gave up, guess what? I WON.....

                                                                     photo credit


I was you. The one who wanted things my way; the one who fought my way through arguments; the one who let my anger and temper take over; the one who wanted nothing to do with God.....


I was you. The one who hated someone more than anything;  the one who did something that seemed so unforgivable; the one who was always frustrated and never satisfied...
I battled hard. Suffered severe anxiety. Hit rock bottom only to find, it was the Rock I needed all along. 

2 Samuel 22:2
And he said: “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;


I finally threw in the towel and stopped fighting. I took a knee, surrendering my life to One who CAN and WILL and HAS forgiven me.  Even the unthinkable sins.

                                                                       photo credit
Now, there's no more anger. No more hurt. No more hatred. No more guilt. All the weight of the years of countless sins has been lifted. Peace. Comfort. Joy.... I can breathe.....

John 3:16

 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

That means everyone. Even YOU.
Stop resisting Him. Yield to His Spirit. Ask Him for forgiveness. Turn from your sin. Follow Him.
He is full of mercy, grace and love.  He is gentle, patient and so faithful. You will not feel defeated. You will feel victorious! The battle has already been won. Jesus became our sin and died on the cross, taking on the wrath of God so we won't have to.


Your sin does not define you. Your sin is not your identity. Your past is not who you are.  Let. It. Go.

Praying for every one of you reading this, that you will let go and give your life over to Christ.

Think. Before. You. Speak.

My friend Melissa from LifeWithLissy.com wrote an interesting and much needed article about the way people prejudge a large family.  Basically, people think that if you have more than 2 or 3 kids, you live off of the government, you are always busy and overwhelmed and you can't possibly be a good mother to "all those children".

                                                         photo credit

Well I am at the other end of the spectrum with no kids, yet, (Lord willing) and I have the same problem of too many people telling me how to live life and knowing what's best for me.   For the record, saying things like "You're not getting any younger" and "what are you waiting for" are kinda personal and frankly,  rude to say to someone.  You don't know everyone's situation or reasoning.  Some women don't announce their pregnancy until a far enough stage and you may be asking someone who just had a miscarriage, why they haven't had a baby yet. Think. Before. You. Speak.
 That doesn't mean you should jump to conclusions of fertility issues, marital issues, financial issues, or that you need to keep telling them how wonderful babies are.  I'm pretty sure everyone knows that babies are a huge blessing from the Lord.

photo credit

I've heard it all:
"You would make such a great mother you should really start having babies"   
" You are so great with kids, why don't you have any?"
"Does your husband not want any kids?"
"You know you are 30 now...."
"Well if you ever have kids you'll understand what it is to really love" ~YUP, they went there! 
And the list goes on..........................




 Either way, lots of kids or no kids, we never have the right to push our offensive opinions onto people or tell them what we think they need to know about their own life. Ultimately, it is the Lord's plan for our lives and whether that be 10 kids or none, He is in control and always has our best interest in mind. 


For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

It's amazing to me when you are really aware of something the Lord is putting in front of you.   For the past week I have been coming across scriptures, hearing from people, or reading online the same message over and over. Here's what I learned am learning: It does not matter what we want, need or plan for our lives. If it is not the Lords plan, it will not work. Period.  It's that simple. Now if only my brain would register this daily, life would be so much easier.

Here's how it started. Hubby and I are trying for our first baby. Exciting!! right? well, yes however the more months that go by, the more excitement turns to frustration. We have not been trying too long, less than a year and believe me I know that is not very long compared to some. But, I have been praying every day that the Lord blesses us with a baby. I have been holding these verses close to my heart for months: psalm 37:3-7a

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.

While I was reading this again the other night, my bible referenced me to Psalm 145:19~
          He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;


I was so happy to come across this and thought, When I have baby, then I'll be so happy! 


During this past week after realizing several times that my plan will never work if it is not the Lord's will for me, I came across this:
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also~ Mat.6:21


And I thought, where is my treasure? Is it only in the hope that I will have a baby? Shouldn't my treasure be in the Lord, honoring Him? Willingly following Him in obedience, and treasuring the fact that I will spend eternity with Him? 


Yup! there came the wave of strong conviction and tell you the truth, it has helped me SO much! I then, in this last week alone, came across these 3 verses: 
James 4:13-15
¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will^[a] go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” 


Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
    but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.


Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow,
    for you do not know what a day may bring.


See the pattern? I think the Lord is trying to tell me something and guess what? I finally got the message!
He loves us so, so much and has our best interest in all He does.  It doesn't matter what I want or hope for. I need to listen to Him and delight myself in Him. He is so faithful and loving towards us all. He knows the desires of my heart but He also knows His entire plan for my life. I don't. If it is the Lord's will for me to be a mother, I will. If not, I will faithfully trust and love Him still! His tender mercies are always upon us. His greatness is beyond compare.

Psalm 145:1-3
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable


Every day! I will praise Him every day, forever and ever! Not just when I think things are going my way. I looked up the definition for unsearchable and it says, unable to be clearly understood.  We can't even fathom just how great the Lord is! 


So, while I still desire to have a baby, my perspective has changed and perspective makes a huge difference! I am praying for a baby still, but praying that I would have a baby if it is the Lords will for me.  I am sure some days will still be hard and frustrating but, I know in my heart I will never be disappointed if I trust in Him. 



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