Miriam 360

One of the most useful and versatile products known to mankind is probably lying idle in your cupboards or refrigerator. This product is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. We refer to it as Baking Soda but it is also called Sodium bicarbonate or Bicarbonate of soda.

Baking soda has far more uses than just baking and, maybe because of the name, we continue to only recognize this powerful product when we want to make desserts.

In this article, I will outline my reintroduction to baking soda and how I have used it since that time.

My reintroduction

While in a staff briefing held in earlier March, a presenter talked about Covid19, how it may affect the schools, and the Union’s and government’s advisories to teachers.

While in this presentation, she gave out prizes to persons who listened and participated in the discussion. Because teachers love prizes so much, everyone paid attention and answered all questions correctly.

The last prize left unclaimed was a lonely box of Baking soda. After no one seemed to want it, rather than let it return home with the presenter, I took it.

She explained to the room that baking soda can also be used, when mixed with water, to cleanse the hands of toxins and bacteria. This would ultimately be my first use for the baking soda.

2nd use: Chocolate chip cookies

My husband isn’t much of a dessert fan. I on the other hand would rather eat a sweet treat than food. The only thing treat that he actually enjoys eating is chocolate chip cookies. I used the baking soda to create the best cookies I have ever made. My family enjoy them and they have become a regular treat in my house.

3rd use: Cleaning tile grout

I then googled a way to use the baking soda to clean tile grout. I mixed baking soda and water at a ratio of 2:1 and added a little dishwashing liquid. The mixture should feel grainy from the baking soda.

Getting down on all fours to scrub grout is no easy feat but the baking soda instantly made a difference in the grout. I left it for five minutes then cleaned up.

The results were amazing.

4th use: Oral hygiene and Teeth Whitening

This use for baking soda was not new to me as my mom worked in a dental office for many years. I have used baking soda in this way periodically. It is amazing the smile that can result from a nice baking soda scrub.

My only issue with baking soda is the taste. If you have ever tasted baking soda, you know that is yucky to say the least. If you can put up with it for a few days, I promise you there would be a difference in your smile and the smell of your mouth.

5th use: At home pedicure

With self maintenance via the spa and salons temporarily discontinued due to Covid19, I had to treat myself to a pedicure at home.

Pinterest recommended I use listerine and vinegar, but since there was no vinegar in the house and shops were closed, I used baking soda. I soaked for about 20 minutes, did a light scrub with a foot file, then soaked again. The results were soft, touchable feet.

Since that time, I was able to purchase vinegar and will be doing another soak shortly. I will update you on the effectiveness of the vinegar pedicure compared to baking soda.

6th use: Whitening laundry

I have always been taught that a little bleach in the whites make them even whiter. I was amazed to see that baking soda worked even better.

One cup of baking soda in my washer along with the regular detergent gave me results that surpassed that of bleach. Even more remarkable was the scent. The clothes smelled better and fresher.

Baking soda is so versatile. It can be used in cleaning a home, baking cookies to doing laundry. What is even more amazing is that baking soda is so inexpensive. For less than $2 I can do all the things mentioned above which could easily have cost $100+. Baking soda is a wonder product.

What do you use baking soda to do? What other simple products do you use to make life easier?

That title is so deep and mysterious, I know you probably read it twice to be sure. 

If you read my About page, near the end I stated that I am a “fledgling gardener.” I started gardening when my life shifted from constantly going to being primarily at home due to Covid19. 

Before this period of social distancing, lock downs and curfews, I could never have imagined that I would developed this deep interest in gardening as all my attempts in the past were fruitless to say the least. 

During these past 6 weeks, the time spent in my garden offered peace and a necessary distraction from the gloom of the current news. While tending to my plants and making a deliberate effort to read and meditate on God’s word the following thoughts started to bloom. 

Sadly, I can admit that if it were not for this time of pause, maybe my mind and spirit would not have been led by the Holy Spirit in this way. 

These views are based on Christian beliefs but they can also be applied to other religions and relationships whether it be a marriage, parenting and friendships.

Our souls can be likened to gardening on the following grounds:

1. It requires work and calls for time.

To gather the seeds and soil required to begin gardening, I had to make multiple trips to the plant nursery. Once home, I would have use my pick axe cut away at the limestone in my yard. I then had to till the soil. For some fruits and veggies, like my squash, I had to place the seeds in the sun for several days to dry. All of this had to take place before I could have laid the first seed in the soil. To say that the process was tedious, strenuous and time-consuming would be an understatement.

Developing a relationship with the Savior takes effort on your part. You must commit to reading the Word in order to truly know Him. Also, prayer must be consistent in your daily life. Both these components ensure that you are communicating with God.

In collaboration with reading the bible and praying daily, I began reading Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. Despite being written in 1952, the book is still relevant today. I encourage every believer to read it. In it, he breaks down the faith of Christianity into logical arguments and reasoning. 

It was there that I realized, many times we seek to be a part of something, e.g. Christianity, but do not truly understand the basis of our faith and actions required. This is like wanting fruit, craving a big delicious watermelon, without first tilling the soil and planting the seed.  

2. After you have put in the work, you must trust the process.

I now notice that my previous attempts at gardening were fruitless because I wanted instant results. If two weeks passed and I did not see a change in the soil or an inkling of growth in any way, I gave up. I didn’t water it anymore, I forgot it outside. Then I would complain that nothing I have ever tried to plant actually grows. I would say that I have a “brown thumb” and use that as my reason to give up.

Christianity is just the same. Consistent prayer and reading the Word and meditating on it will yield fruits in its time. “Its” is boldened and italicized because many times we have time specific prayers for God and we want him to work but we also want it within our time. God operates on HIS time.

This reminds me of when Moses (my husband) and I began house-hunting. We were so eager to get our own home as a young couple and many opportunities arose. Each time, what seemed promising turned out to be a disappointment. One of those times, we had purchased and owned a vacant lot for over 6 months, then the true owners approached with the official documents to prove that they were in fact the rightful owners. Apparently there was a mix up at the bank and the Registrar General’s office. This left us thousands of dollars in debt for a place that we could only pass on the road and imagine the life we would have had if we were the owners. 

From the beginning we sought God’s direction in purchasing a home and each opportunity seemed like He answered us. We now realize that it was simply our desires clouding our judgements. It would take us 4 years to find our Proverbs 10:22 home.   

The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich,

    and he adds no sorrow with it.

Proverbs 10:22

We must realize that He knows our needs before we state them, and He is looking out for our best interest. He is God and will do what he promised us, but in His time. 

3. There is a reward for faithfulness. 

As a “plant-mom” I have taken many photos of my “plant-babies”. I have images of them when they sprouted, and as they grew, and eventually I will have photos of the fruit or vegetables that they bare. 

The joy I feel in watching a seed move past the seedling and into the plant phase is indescribable. It makes me even more excited to go, observe and water them daily and to fertilize every two-three weeks. I  take trips into the yard, morning and evening to check on their progress. I know this is a bit much LOL. I can see you wondering, “how much does a plant really change in a day?” The answer is not much, but I still enjoy watching them. 

I am sure that our spiritual growth is very much the same. If we do not yield to a temptation that would have easily offset us earlier, we feel accomplished. When God answers that long awaited prayer, we are overjoyed. We are happy to observe the changes we have made, and all of heaven is too. I can imagine God looking down saying “There is my daughter!”

Both the garden and the soul require a level of faithfulness to accomplish the desired aim. 

Who would have imagined that gardening could be used as a tool by the Holy Spirit to teach me these lessons? Deliberately putting in the hard work and doing the tough tasks, trusting and being faithful has both spiritual and temporal benefits. It is amazing what you can gain when your spirit is receptive. I encourage you to be open to what the Lord wants to say to you today. I assure you, He will use any means necessary to get the point across, even gardening.