My Essential Oils Story

In January 2013 we decided to try to clean up our family's diet.  I found myself worrying about all the junk that we consume on a daily basis.  So, we decided to try to get rid of all high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, & other chemicals that are in our foods.  We started with baby steps & we started making our own bread.  Then we moved on to making everything else from scratch.  WHEW..........talk about overwhelming!!!  I quit buying bisquick & "cream of" soups & butter substitutes & the list can go on & on.  Honestly, there were days that ended with lots of tears shed because I was so overwhelmed & felt that I couldn't keep up with it.  And I wanted to so badly..........I truly believed it was what was best for my family.  Well, time marched on & it all got easier.  :)  It took a few months, but I got to where I was doing lots of these chores without even thinking about it anymore.  YAY!!!  Then after a year of doing this our diet was mostly "clean". (I say mostly clean because we still splurge & we eat yummy things that are not good for us.)  After getting our diet in better shape I started thinking about what else I could "clean up."  To me the next logical step was to tackle the medicine cabinet.  We have never been a very sickly family & we've always used medication (OTC or prescription) sparingly & as a last resort.  I had been researching essential oils for months & months & the idea was very intriguing to me.  I loved the idea of having a natural way to take care of my family's minor ailments.  And just like my food, I wanted a oil that were completely natural.  So after I had been researching for a while, I noticed a friend of mine, Elizabeth Bailey was posting about Young Living Essential Oils on facebook.  Young Living was the company I was already leaning toward after my own research.  Elizabeth was a person that I felt would be making informed decisions & I trusted her judgement.  So I messaged her one day after seeing her facebook post.  I asked all kinds of questions & she answered them. That afternoon I took the plunge (in February 2014) & bought an essential oil starter kit for myself.  I can't tell you how excited I was that day!!  We were having dinner with friends that evening & I told her about ordering my kit & all the reading I had done on essential oils. When my kit arrived I was like a kid at Christmas.  I dove right in & starting using the oils on my family & diffusing & making creams. I. LOVE. IT!!!! Best decision I've ever made. Since February we've been using essential oils daily...............lavender, peppermint, Valor, etc.  We're always reaching for our oils!!  I've also been known to apply them to friends & family.  If I hear them talking about something they're dealing with, I come running with my oil bag!!  In fact, since we began using YLEOs in February, we've only had to use OTC or prescription medicines 3 times!!!  I'm amazed everyday at how powerfully these oils work!! This has turned into a passion for me.  I love being able to help so many people.  There are no words to describe how I feel when someone asks me about something & I share an essential oil with them, then they come back telling me what that oil did for them!!  It completely makes my day!!

A Guide to Using Essential Oils

So, you haven't jumped on the oily bandwagon yet, BUT you're so curious about what all the fuss is about.  How do you decide if these essential oils are right for you & your family?  There is so much info to read & so much to learn that it can be a bit overwhelming to get started using essential oils.  But let me tell you, once your jump in, you'll be so glad that you did.  It will be the BEST decision you've ever made!!!

So where do we start?  First off, let's determine what essential oils are.  Are all oils the same?  Most of us think of a yellowish oil made from animal fats, corn, olives or peanuts that you cook with when we think of oils, right?  Or maybe we think of the dark substance that goes into our cars that requires changing out every so often.  Oils are also used in cosmetics & in the production of paints and plastics.  There are certain oils are good for our bodies.............those are essential oils!!!
  

The next time you take a walk through a pine forest or grow peppermint or sage or thyme in your herb garden or if you happen to drive by a lavender field, take a deep breath!!! You are experiencing the power of essential oils.  How awesome is that???  

In an earlier post, I explained to you how I found & started using Young Living Essential oils.  If you didn't see that post & would like to, you can read it here.  There are so many everyday uses for these essential oils.  Did you know that essential oils can support our physical, emotional and spiritual health? One of my favorite sights is the rainbow of goodness in my YLEO bottles.............I LOVE knowing that I have a natural way of taking care of my family!

So what are essential oils exactly???  Essential oils are concentrated liquids from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes and seeds.   These oils are the lifeblood of the plants and are usually extracted through steam distillation or cold pressing.  These essential oils protect the plant in similar ways to how own blood works in our bodies: they fight infection, contain hormone-like compounds, and initiate regeneration. Essential oils have a similar chemical structure to that found in our own cells and tissues.  This makes them compatible with human protein and enables them to be readily identified and accepted by the body. Because they are made up of tiny molecules, essential oils can penetrate cell membranes and blood and tissues. This enables them to have a wide range of effects on the body and its systems.
 
You want to make sure that you do your research before deciding which essential oils to use.  After I had researched & read for months (comparing various companies & information), I decided that my family will only use Young Living Essential Oils.  Why?? It is important to purchase unadulterated, pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils.  What is adulteration?  I read a great definition for that.  I'll share it here.......I do not remember where I read this, but I think it is a perfect definition.  "Adulteration- oils that are engineered or extended with the use of synthetic chemicals.  It is easy to engineer a scent by imitating one constituent of the essential oil; however it is impossible to imitate the entire constituants of the essential oil.  A therapeutic grade essential oil may have hundreds of constituants synergistically working side by side each other.  How can a chemist copy all that?"    You want to make sure that the oils are steam distilled or cold pressed so that their properties are not altered.  Many less expensive oils on the market are diluted with alcohol &/or preservatives.

 Young Living's Seed To Seal guarantee sets them apart from the competition!! 

Here are a few facts about essential oils...

* Highly concentrated and far more potent than dried herbs

* Not greasy

* Have a long shelf life.....years

* Powerful antimicrobials

* Have been around since bible times and were used long before we had "modern medicine."

*Can be used in a variety of ways to get therapeutic benefits.  See this post for more info on the ways to use essential oils (aromatic, topical, & internal).  Below is a quick reference of application spots for essential oils.

Young Living Essential Oils works incredibly hard & takes great pride in providing us with  essential oil-based wellness solutions that help us dodge harmful chemicals.  Whether you are looking for essential oils for your home, wellness, balance, &/or beauty needs, you should look no further than Young Living.  

I would love to help you begin your oily journey.  You can leave a comment here or email me at ericalovell@att.net & I'll be happy to help you.  No matter your needs, I'm confident that we can find the essential oil(s) to help you.  Here is a chart that I found quite interesting....comparing essential oils & modern pharmaceuticals.  I don't know about you, but I'll take the EOs anyday!  Check it out!!

 I hope this post has been beneficial to you & has helped you see just a glimpse of what essential oils can do for your family!!  Please browse around & check out the rest of my posts to see other ways my family & I use these life changing oils!!! 

My Baby is 5..........how did that happen???

The older I get the more I understand something that I've heard all my life..........Time FLIES!  I remember being a child & thinking that Christmas would NEVER get here.  Now Christmas seems to be coming faster & faster each year!!  So, I'm trying very hard to seize each & every moment with my girls & my family!!  The song "Don't Blink"  will bring me to tears everytime.  

I feel like I was just in the hospital having Aubrey, somehow that was 5 years ago!!!  I'm so thankful each day for her sweet self.  She marches to her own drum & she truly completes our family!! 

 My heart............these three right here are what keep me going!!

Our Homeschooling Fun

When we decided to homeschool our girls, I found myself worrying about how to teach them enough.  Then I realized that our children are learning every single day...........from the time they wake up until the time they go to sleep!!  Now, obviously this is not formal education type learning, but still a very vital piece of the education puzzle.  I still have days that I worry that I'm not doing enough.......but I think that is normal for new homeschool families.  So, while we're doing our studies, we're also finding lessons in daily activities.

The girls love to go to their Daddy's vet clinic.  There are always lessons to be learned there.  In science, Ava has been studying caniforms (dog-like carnivores) & feliforms (cat-like carnivores)--these are 2 large subgroups of Carnivora.  So she gets to see lots of science application at the clinic.  When we were there last week she told me that Breezy & Mr. Big are feliforms!!

 We've also enjoyed a recent trip to a local orchard.  We were able to see many different kinds of apples & pumpkins.  They also had some other seasonal vegetables & some potted plants. 

 My girls LOVE going to the zoo.  This is what we do for their birthdays instead of having a party.  We let them choose what to do & they always want to go back to the zoo.  So they were really excited about last week's field trip.  While we were at the zoo, we had to check on Lola & see how much she had grown since our last visit!

 Ava was eager to take notes to go in the science journaling notebook that we have. 

Then we came home & mapped the animals we studied on our world map!!  The girls thought that was really cool!!

End of Summer, Start of Fall

Fall is my very favorite time of year!!  I love when the weather cools off & the leaves change colors.  I love wearing sweatshirts & fixing all kinds of yummy comfort food that comes with the cooler weather!!  Fall also lends itself to more family time..........that's always a plus! Well, here are a few of the things that we've had going on at close of summer leading into the fall.  I hope you enjoy......

I invited my Young Living team to my house for an Essential Oil 102 Make & Take class.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy it.  We made sleep cream, pain cream, sugar scrub, & anti-aging serum.  I love that we can make all these things from 100% natural & pure ingredients.  I also made Lavender cupcakes to serve at the make & take..........I thought they turned out pretty well..........the lavender adds a lovely flavor.

Summer also means that the garden crops are waning.  I didn't have as many jalapenos as I wanted this year, but I had enough to do one big batch of pickled peppers & an even bigger batch of cowboy candy.  If you've not tried this, you don't know what you're missing!!  We've not found anything yet that we don't enjoy it with!!  Yummy, delicious sweet heat!!

We ended the summer with a few get togethers with our church family.  I love how close these kids are.  They really enjoyed this evening playing badminton!

With the perfect weather we're enjoying right now, one of the kids' favorite games is Red Rover.  After most every church service you can see these lines form.  I'm so thankful for these sweet memories!

A new journey..........

Well, the past month has brought yet another change to our daily lives.  We started homeschooling about 6 weeks ago!!  This has been something that we started discussing when I knew we were expecting Ava (so almost 9 years ago).  It finally was time to make it come to fruition this year.  The girls are completely excited & seem to be thriving.  Ava is in 3rd grade this year & Aubrey is in kindergarten.  Here are a few pictures of how our typical days progress......

We start most days with calendar & story time.  We sing some songs & try to get our day off on the right foot. This picture was taken during our first week of school.

When the girls get tired of sitting still & doing paper work, we break for chores or snack or playtime.  Then hit the work again after a break.

 One of the many things I love about homeschooling is the flexibility it provides & the extra time I seem to have.  I love that school goes with us wherever we go......whether we're running errands or

 hiking in the woods!  :)  Ava was pumped about her first field trip.  Daddy took her on a hike.  She took her camera & brought back all sorts of scientific information for us to talk about.

 We do have to have test times from time to time.  Gotta make sure mommy is doing her job!!  Once again, I'm so thankful for my Young Living Essential Oils. Ava doesn't handle tests well.  They make her incredibly nervous.  So, I pull out the Valor & Peppermint essential oils for test times.  The Valor promotes confidence & the Peppermint helps with focus. 

Thanks for taking a peek in on our day. 

A Temporary NEW Premium Starter Kit!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? Young Living is temporarily upgrading the Premium Starter Kit with 2 more expensive oils!!! And the best part is that they price of the kit is STAYING THE SAME!!! FOR A VERY LIMITED TIME DiGize is replacing Purification & Sacred Frank is replacing Frankincense. If you've been wanting to get started with essential oils THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY to get DiGize AND Sacred Frankincense included with your kit.
This is such an awesome way to try these oils. We will not be without DiGize at this house. It solves all our tummy ailments...........from tummy aches to upset tummy to vomiting to constipation to diarrhea to nausea!!! We LOVE this oil blend.....it absolutely works wonders!!!
Sacred Frank is great for all skin & tummy issues, cancer, dental & gum issues, and LOTS more!
Keep in mind that this is A VERY LIMITED TIME OFFER......DiGize is replacing Purification & Sacred Frank is replacing Frankincense. By limited time, I mean, like 2 weeks!!! YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS OUT ON THIS!!!
I'LL EVEN SWEETEN THE DEAL..............FOR THE FIRST 3 PEOPLE WHO SIGN UP WITH ME TO GET THIS ***NEW*** starter kit, I have an Essential Oils Pocket Reference, a Drops of Love gift set, AND a 5mL BOTTLE OF PURIFICATION!!!! So the first 3 people to sign up with me will actually be getting 12 oils instead of 11!! MESSAGE ME NOW FOR DETAILS!!!!!

Want to take advantage of this offer..........HURRY!!  Here are directions on how to become a member:  http://mydropsoflove.blogspot.com/2014/07/how-to-become-young-living-member.html

 

Essential Oils on the go

When I discovered Young Living essential oils, I could not believe all the benefits!!  I mean I got interested in them because the benefits of natural wellness.  BUT I didn't expect the amount of health & wellness support...........there is seriously an oil for EVERYTHING!!  That was one of the best surprises that I've found with these life changing oils.  

In this house we use these oils daily.  We use several different oils each day for a variety of reasons.  We also use them all ways that they can be used.......aromatically, topically, & internally.  For this post, I'm going to be focusing on aromatic use of essential oils.  We LOVE our diffuser at this house.  We go to sleep with it on every night!!  What if you had a way to take the benefits of essential oils with you everywhere you go? My girls & I have started making clay diffuser necklaces.  My girls love that they get to help me out with my oils & they love wearing the necklaces & having people ask about them & buy them from us.  I thought I'd share with you the process of how we make these necklaces.  First things first......gather the necessary supplies.  I use Sculpey baking clay, hemp cord & a variety of stamps.  You will also need something to cut your pendants with......I chose to use an old hairspray top because it is a circle & is about 1"-1.5".  Since making this picture, I have also found other shape cookie cutters that are in that same size range & we're loving using them.  To me, that is the perfect size. 

 When you have all your supplies gathered, then you get your clay out & roll it into balls.  The balls should be roughly 2-3 inches.  Once they're rolled into balls, you're going to flatten them (just like you would do with cookies or biscuits).  Flatten each ball to about 1/8" thickness.    

 

 Once flattened, you're ready to get your cutter & cut the clay.  Using your desired shape, cut the clay out. 

 

 Once the clay is cut you'll need to get a skewer or stylus.  Use this to make the hole in the pendent where you'll thread your cord.  You will also want to take the extra clay from around your pendant & make a small ball with it.  This will be used for your clasp.  Using the skewer, make a whole in the clasp ball & in your pendant. 

 

 Now it is time to move all clasp balls & pendants to a baking sheet. 

 

 Finally you'll bake your clay necklaces.  Bake them at 275* for 15 minutes.  When they're done, let them cool on baking sheet. 

 Once your pendents & clasps are cooled, you'll be ready to string your necklaces for wearing.  I'll be honest with you, this part has been trial & error for us & I'm still trying to perfect it.  :)  Because of this I do not have any pictures of the strings.  Basically, I've cut my hemp cord to approximately 25"-27".  Depends on how long you want your necklaces to hang.  You'll need to cut shorter (more like 20"-22") for small children. So, what I do right now is to cut the cord & then fold it in half.  I thread the looped cord through the hole on the pendant & fix the ends through the looped end to secure the pendant.  That part works great.  The part I'm trying to perfect is the ball clasps & loops for clasps.  I take one loose end & tie it in a loop to go over the ball clasp piece.  Then I take the ball clasp & tie it onto the other loose cord end.  I hope this make sense.  In a later post I'll try to share a picture of how the ends & clasps look. 

I hope you've enjoyed this little informative DIY post.  I'd love to hear from you if you decide to make your own diffuser jewelry.  Have a great weekend!!

Better from the farm..........

I may not be a seasoned farmgirl YET......but I have already figured out that some things are just better straight from the farm.       

LOVE LOVE LOVE how my farm fresh eggs look.  Not sure if the picture does it justice or not.......but these yolks are SO YELLOW!!!  And the flavor of these eggs is so rich & yummy!!  We've had chickens & gathered our own eggs for several years now (even in town we had 2 laying hens).  But this year, let me tell you......our food has been so good.  We've grown all our own veggies & eggs & even some of our meat!!  This way of life is harder & certainly not for the lazy or faint-hearted but so very worth all the hard work!!

An Essential Oils way of life

I got my starter kit in February 2014. My only regret is not getting it sooner!! When it arrived I was like a kid at Christmas......just beyond excited.  Now we've never been a "sickly" family......just your common minor ailments. Cold, headaches, tummy bug occasionally......you get the idea. But I couldn't wait to take care of my family using my essential oils kit. ;-)

I immediately diffused Thieves & applied it to our feet before bed. We did stay well through the rest of the cold weather.....only the mild, occasional drippy nose or cough. And we immediately learned what other oils we needed in our oily arsenal.  I'm very blessed &thankful to God that my family has been so healthy.

I do want to share with you some of the ways we use YLEOs in our home. 

 One of the first things I did was get me a glass jar & straw set so that I can use my citrus oils in my water......so yummy & refreshing!!!

   

I made several things to show at my first home Essential Oils 101 class...........fabric softener crystals, face/body cream, eczema cream, & sugar scrub.  These were all lovely.   

 

When the pollen was really HIGH & agitating my youngest daughter's seasonal allergies, I made her a roller bottle with the allergy trio (lavender, lemon, & peppermint) & I diffused the allergy trio.  Ahhhh.......

one of the favorite things I've done is make this wonderful honey & Thieves throat lozenges.  I've got to get more of these made.  It is 3/4 cup of local honey heated to 300* then cooled for about 10 minutes.  I added 10 drops of Thieves & 5 drops of lemon.  Then you drop them on wax paper or in candy molds to harden. 

 

 These next 2 oil blends totally Rock my world.............one Wednesday evening after Bible study the girls were getting dressed for bed & I heard Ava coughing & it sounded awful!! I thought she was about to throw up she was coughing so hard. When she came in the kitchen I had the R.C. ready to apply. I put it on her chest & her throat & then made her breath it. By the time she went to bed her coughing had stopped & she slept peacefully the whole night. Also, that night before I went to bed I had terrible heartburn & did not want to take any medication. So, I reached for the DiGize & rubbed it on my chest, tummy, & throat. By the time I got in bed, the heartburn was a lot better & by the time I fell asleep it was GONE!! Thursday morning Ava got up & said, "Mommy, that R.C. worked just like that (& snapped her fingers) last night! I love these oils!" Sure made this mommy HAPPY!!!

 

I love that I can add Oregano to my homemade marinara sauce! 

 

I'm still working on getting these recipes to our liking.  But I spent one day making homemade sunscreen, lip balm, & deodorant.   

One weekend in May I somehow pulled a muscle in my back. I think it was from walking, carrying a heavy purse, & sitting through hours of seminars on that Friday. By Saturday I could tell that something was wrong in my lower right back. By Sunday morning I was moving super slow & in a LOT of pain.  I started Sunday afternoon layering my oils valor, panaway, then peppermint. Next time I would use Deep Relief. Then I would lay on my hot water bottle or hot corn bag. The oils & heat were helping. But Monday I was still really sore. So, I did the same oil routine & this afternoon I put Frank, Copaiba, Valor, & Panaway in some epsom salts & used that in a hot bath. After I got out of the salt bath, it was almost immediate improvement.  I couldn't believe how quickly that helped!! Oils win again!!!!

 

Trying to make myself take care of ME.....that's sometimes hard as a mom.  But I'm trying to do better.  So I've started walking again.  A couple of years ago I was running & I'd love to get back to that.....but right now I'm happy with just walking.  I got me some new kicks & I'm applying EnRGee to the bottoms of my feet & peppermint to my knees to help loosen me up & help me feel energized for the workout.  

 And one more way that I use these oils is to make my own laundry detergent & dryers sheets.  For these I use Purification & Lavender.  For the detergent, I add the EOs to epsom salts to serve as my softener crystals.  For the dryer sheets, I mix water & vinegar & then add EOs.  I use an empty wipe container & old washcloths & pour the water, vinegar, EO mix over. I love how these work with my laundry!!

 I hope you've enjoyed these little oily tips!!! 

A day in the farmlife......

I really never thought of myself as a farmgirl.......not a citygirl either though. Most of our married life has been lived in more of a country setting. Jim has always loved gardening & animals. So eventually living a farmlife really shouldn't be unexpected. Here's a quick history....... We got our first pet 2 months after we married & we just seem to keep adding animals.   Before vet school we had horses, dogs & a cat.  After vet school we moved to Prospect, TN for Jim to work at a mixed animal practice in Pulaski. In Prospect we owned a nice little farm, so we added chickens to the mix. A year after Jim graduated vet school, we had Ava. After that we moved to Elkmont & had another small farm. While we were living there it seemed hard to live so far (we thought it was really Far......but it so was NOT) from Athens. So we sold the horses (the chickens had all died) & bought a house ib a subdivision in Athens. 3 months after we moved in Aubrey was born. We lived in town for 3 years & then Jim just really need to stretch his legs. So here we are now with our ever growing farm.

We've added Trixie & Saban to the family.....they are sweet sisters for our sweet sisters. 

We also have chickens.......we love our laying hens & their yummy eggs

. 

We added Buddy the great Pyrenees to protect our chickens & our.....

GOATS!!!!  Aubrey has wanted goats since she was able to say goats. So we bought 2 momma goats. Jojo had her 3 baby girls before we brought them home.  She had Cocoa, Furry, & Oreo. We also bought Addy & she had 2 little bucks about a month after we got them. She had Big Jack & Little Jack. 

Such an exciting day.....we actually got to watch them be born. Now we have those  7 healthy goats & were milking Jojo.  

We also added Black Jack......since we're going to beed to have more babies to keep having more milk. 

I will say that much to my surprise I am LOVING the farmlife.  Such a healthy choice for our girls. And so many life lessons to be learned.   I hope you've enjoyed this peek inside our life.