Monday, August 28, 2017

hello, lavender {a simple introduction}

let's take a moment for the wonder that is LAVENDER!! i thought now and again i might give a few facts or ways to use various essential oils. i'm learning so much these days as i dive deeper and deeper into my natural living quest. so i'm going to start with lavender, the calming-jack-of-all-trades oil! we use it ALL the time!


my favorite lavender uses:

+ 'owie' roller!! just a drop feels soothing on minor skin abrasions,  so i put  5 drops lavender with 5 drops of frankincense  in a 10 ml roller, topped it all off with fractionated coconut oil and - yes! its like traveling with my favorite first aid kit!

+ my 'breathe' roller - i put together lavender, lemon and peppermint to support my healthy respiratory function {aka seasonal enjoyment!!} 

+ sleep support- you knew this was coming!! so much sleep support over here!! i'm loving lavender with the gentle baby oil blend... in the diffuser, on my wrists, on my feet... oh yes!


my upcoming use:

+some of my girlfriends swear by putting a drop of lavender in a new tube of mascara that they have noticed longer, fuller eyelashes... can't wait for my next tube!



so, I was just about to offer a giveaway. but i realize that i have very few readers on the blog. so here's the deal, i want to pour some goodness into all of your lives.... if you are not already a member of Young Living (because you already know how awesome those products are...) just give me a comment or send me a message mentioning this post and i will hook you up with a roller. {let's talk and pick a roller for you - sleep support, owie, happy are my favorites right now and i bet they could support you} if this gets a lot of traffic, it may take awhile to get all the rollers, so be patient. but this is me saying 'thank you' for reading!! {all comments or messages must be sent by September 30th, 2017}


hope this makes for a good start to your week!!!
Love!!!






Monday, August 21, 2017

good morning people!

so i've been in the "mama at home" cloud all summer. soaking up the baby snuggles knowing i'm heading back to work... and it just struck me - i made some pretty loft goals this year and i'm not really putting any mind to them. so here's my update in hopes to get my butt in gear!


my goals...

+ grow produce in 2 {if not 3!!} of our raised beds - we planted all 3 beds! i'm not keeping up on them as i should, but we are grabbing tomatoes, garlic and lettuce now and again! so i'm pretty pleased with this. 


+ work on our general menu plan for the family so that two dinners a week are local, seasonal meals {right now we have one night a week as our "in season" night}- yes! i just recently made a 3 week menu to help streamline my kitchen time and this is totally happening! i'm not sure about the winter days when we are low on local goods in our pantry, but so far so good!

+ work on our general menu plan for the family so that either our main breakfast for the week, or our main lunch for the week are local, seasonal meals.- yes! our lunches are leftovers and our breakfast always consists of eggs from our chickens or a local chicken farmer's brood {it is becoming clear that our ladies are at the end of their prime laying and are not producing as much as they were. we have only purchased one dozen eggs so far this summer though, we have not had any extras to save for the winter}

that leaves me with the following two goals...
+ research raising our own meat and ways to extend our growing season at our home
+ consider renewable energy resources that might work for our home

i am very interested in both of these concepts so i am often thinking/researching these ideas. however, the plans we are considering are not in this year's budget. so i had hoped that maybe we could act on these *research and consider* goals, but i don't think we will this year. 

oh good, i'm not so far off! a little more research to round out the future plan and i'll call it done for the year!

 happy monday friends!



Monday, August 14, 2017

.:around these parts::summer is wrapping up:.

hey there kids!

i cannot believe that our summer is wrapping up so soon! these sunny days went by in a blink! i'm sure as with many of you... so much we didn't do, but so much that we did! i'm thankful for every moment i spent with my wee guy {who is rapidly growing!} and am excited for the last few weeks of our more relaxed routine.


some of my faves...

+ having slow days at home with my baby boy. every few days i would make sure we didn't have any plans for the day so we could just play at home.

+ reconnecting with some old friends - i went to a college friend's baby shower and hosted an oily class that some of my junior-high school girlfriends attended.  it was super fun to catch up and hear how everyone is doing. plus, whenever i see my ol' buds it reminds me to keep better tabs on them for several months to come. i think this is so valuable and needed as our current season is so busy, even just a quick text is so happy.

+ my baby's sleep roller and lullaby spray - ah, yes. we're teething. so i -L O V E- our sleepy roller {1 drop of Gentle Baby, 1 drop of Lavender and all the rest fractionated coconut oil in a 10 ml roller - not everyone is comfortable with babies + oils, so you'll have to decide if a little plant magic is okay for your younger babe} and we use a lullaby spray in the car for longer road trips back home in the dark - so refreshing for the car too!

+ our 6th wedding anniversary - oh yes, we had a date night and it was all the heart eyes! loved having a few hours to tuck away with a delicious drink and my adorable, sweet hearted husband.


how is life on your end? hope y'all are enjoying every August day to the fullest!