Ningxia Red Challenge

As this year comes to an end, it is time (as it happens every year) for us to start to consider changes we want to make in the coming year......ways to better ourselves, a time of making resolutions.  
Why not start the year off with an amazing challenge that will leave you feeling incredible.  I am going to be part of a 30 day Ningxia Red challenge.  It will be happening on facebook & I'd love for you to join me.  I promise you will not regret it.  Ningxia Red is this awesome antioxidant drink that supports your entire body.  And a little goes a long way.  You only need to drink 1-2 oz per day.  Easy peasy, right?

Check out this post that I did earlier this year to find out more about Ningxia Red. http://mydropsoflove.blogspot.com/2015/05/red-ningxia-red.html  And please contact me on facebook if you'd like to participate in this  challenge. 

Wanna Know More About ER?

I know that you've heard me talk about Young Living Essential Oils & how much I LOVE them!!  Well, today I'm going to tell you about a program that YL offers to their members.  It is called Essential Rewards. 

Essential Rewards is the monthly autoship for Young Living Essential Oils.  It requires a 50PV minimum order each month.  When you order through ER you earn a percentage back in points to be used later for free stuff. PLUS you also get a cheaper shipping rate!!!  Totally an amazingly generous program by YL.  
If you are like me & you love & use your YLEOs daily, then you're going to be running out & needing to replace these precious oils.  Why not be rewarded for ordering.  There is no fee to sign up for ER & you can cancel at any time.  I would recommend if you are going to cancel that you cash your points out first.....otherwise you lose them.  That would make me sad!!!  Also, you're allowed 1 "grace" month per 12 months.  This means that 1 month during a 12 month period, you do not have to order.  I'm tellin' ya....Young Living really takes care of their members.  I'm going to share a video with you by the amazing Monique McLean.  She is my upline's upline.  :) She just has a way with words.  You can check out her Essential Rewards video HERE

Hopefully after the video you are understanding the workings of Essential Rewards.  In case you're not, here are a couple more graphics to help explain it further.  If you're not on Essential Rewards & would like to be, I'll be happy to help you.

So, what are you waiting for??  Let's get you signed up for Essential Rewards!!

Fall Family FUN

 I know that all parents must feel this way......but I feel like time is absolutely flying & I can't keep up.  I remember being a child & thinking Christmas would never get here.  Now, as an adult, it seems we don't get over all the Christmas busy-ness before it is time to do it all again.  When I first started noticing how quickly time seems to move I didn't have children yet.  People would always tell me, "Just wait.  It'll really fly when you have kids."  And I always thought, "No way it can fly any faster."  Well, guess what.......fast forward & I now have 2 precious girls & yes, time is flying faster than I ever imagined.  I feel like I was just in the hospital having my Ava.......she turned 9 this summer!!  And there is no way our baby Aub  can really be 6! Why am I telling you all this?  Well, because, I also hit a milestone birthday this year.....40!!  Sure don't feel like I've existed for that long, but I have.  Anyway, between time flying & my girls growing & my 40th birthday, I have a renewed appreciation for really enjoying my family & my time with them while my girls are little.  
Jim & I both want to create a home full of happy memories that our girls will always look forward to coming back to.  I want them to remember their childhood with happiness.  We take a lot of time together as a family.....we play together, we have family game night & family movie night, etc.  We also really enjoy taking trips with our girls.  One of our favorite places to visit is Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  Last month we were able to visit Gatlinburg & enjoy some family time.  Here are a few pictures from our visit.....

We always enjoy walking thru the downtown Gatlinburg strip.  So many shops, good food, & a variety of activities.  Our girls have both always loved rocks.  So, this time we let them mine for gemstones.  This is something we've always seen but never checked into.  They loved it & both got some really cool stones.

 There are some things that are just a "must" for our family when we visit Gatlinburg.  One thing for me is to have a caramel apple.  YUM!!  There's just really nothing better.  The other thing that our family does every time we go is to visit Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies.  You'd think the girls would get tired of it, but they don't.  They change certain areas of the aquarium periodically so we see a lot of the same stuff but get to see some new stuff as well. 

We tried a couple of new things this trip.  We took the girls on an Alpine Slide.  WOW!!  It was really exciting & scary at the same time.  You're basically driving your own coaster car on a track down the mountain.  Lots of excitement!!

We spent one day at Dollywood.  We enjoyed a bird show, roller coasters, rides, food, & perfect weather.  Of course, like any tourist stop, they want to take your picture when you get there.  I'm a sucker for these.  These pictures are usually my souvenirs from our trips.  This is my favorite that they took.....they told us to group hug!! 

Fun times riding the ferris wheel......I noticed Jim taking a selfie of him & Ava & Aub & I were in the background.  So when we got in front, I did the same thing! 

On our last night in Gatlinburg we took in a new (to us) show.  We visited the Hatfields & McCoys Dinner Show.  What a ball we had!! Just good family fun!!!

Now that we've been back home a few weeks, it is back to the school routine.  We did enjoy some Halloween dressing up.  Dr. Lovell dressed as Old McDonald to go to work.  Ava & Aubrey both wore costumes to school......we have Minnie Mouse & a ballerina. 

After school we had to get Trixie's & Saban's tutus on so they could go visit Old McDonald.  We got to see all of the staff dressed up too.  They were all dressed as Old McDonald's farm animals.  Such a fun day!! 
















Now we're gearing up to wait on Thanksgiving & Christmas.  Oh how I love this time of year.  I sure hope you & your family are having a fabulous fall too!! 

WHY..........What is your WHY??

Decisions.........life is full of them.  I mean our days are filled with decisions......from the mundane to the sometimes life changing.  The older I get the harder the decisions seem to be.  But at the heart of every decision I make (& I'm sure I'm no different than anyone else out there) is to determine what is best for MY FAMILY.

This is a picture of my family from our recent vacation in the Smokies.  These are my people.  My husband & I talk all the time about decisions & choices to be made & what is the best option for our girls & their future.

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 other things from scratch.  It was really overwhelming but I felt like it was the best thing for us. Well, time marched on & it all got easier. 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 my home remedy supply.  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 occasional minor ailments.  And just like my food, I wanted  oils 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 confirming my thoughts about Young Living. 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!! 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!!  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!!  My girls know the oils & know what to ask for when they need something.  
So, when I'm asked WHY I started using Young Living for my family, ^^^that's what I tell people.  My WHY is my people........I want what is best for them.  We all have a story to tell & a WHY for our story.  I hope you've found my why helpful & I hope you'll revisit your why.  

I'd love to hear from you.  Please share your WHY with me.  Or if you have questions about Young Living I'd love to talk with you about that.  You can email me or find me on Facebook. 

It's An Oily Upcycle!!

Who else is like me & has a continuously growing stash of empty Young Living containers??  If you use & LOVE Young Living Essential Oils, then I know you are ordering & replacing the products that you use the most.  When I started emptying my first oil bottles, I couldn't bring my self to just throw them away.  I'm sure that sounds crazy to some people, but it just seemed wrong to me.  I felt there had to be away to reuse them or recycle them.  I started making my own roller bottles to carry on the go with me.  And then I shared this post on what to do with all those empty bottles. And it works great for allowing me to recycle all my YL bottles.  
With the same thought in mind, I've held on the Ningxia Red bottles that my family has emptied.  I have just been waiting for the right idea for reusing them.  I saw online that someone had used them bath salts & I fell in love with that idea.  What an amazing gift that would make & you can totally customize it.  Bath salts is one of my favorite ways to use my essential oils.  
So, here's what I did.  I took one of my clean, dry bottles.  I headed outside with a bottle of chalkboard spray paint.  I painted the entire bottle & top, then let them dry overnight.  The next day I was ready to fill my bottle.  For this particular gift I wanted to something aid in the release of life's daily stresses & something to ease the tension from sore muscles.  I decided to go with Lavender & Stress Away along with Panaway & Valor.    

When I finished filling the bottle I was able to add it to a basket with a few other YL products.  I think this made a very nice gift.  And I'll tell ya, it was greatly appreciated!!  So, the next time you need a gift, look no further than your oily stash!! It will totally make someone's day.

We are Family

How is it that my first little baby is 9 & my last little baby is 6??  I feel like I was just in the hospital last week having my first baby!!  Time is flying and it is completely bittersweet. I am so happy & thankful that my girls are healthy & growing as they should. But I do wish there was a "slo mo" button. I just want my girls to stay little & innocent as long as possible. The old saying really is true...."The days are long, but the years are short." So very short....

Here are some pictures from each of their birthdays.....Ava's was in June, Aub's was last week. 

FAMILY.........what does it mean to you? To me it means everything in the world. I'm no going I pretend that I love my family anymore than the next mom/parent out there. We should all love our family more than anyone else. These girls are truly the best part of me. And Jim, well, he is the very best husband & daddy around. I wouldn't want to share this life with anyone else. 

I wonder if I tell them enough. I guess, if I have to ask then the answer is NO!! Hmm.....something to work on. 😉

Well, just for the record, these are my people....

....& they are everything to me.  I hope they know that!! 

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Better...........

So, by this time I'm sure you've all seen the new products that Young Living released at the Convention!  But I thought I would take a few minutes to share a peak with you.  I am planning a new product launch party this weekend for my local team members.  I'm so excited to let them try the new products that I ordered.  Here is a graphic that shoes all the new products released.  My upline made these first two graphics for us to share.  These products are now available to everyone in your virtural office.  If you're not a Young Living member yet, I'd love to help you start your oil journey!

I was so excited when my products arrived.  I got my girls the dolphin diffuser.  Then I got the Thieves dish soap, Cool Azul, Ningxia Zyng, & Thieves Laundry detergent.  To say I was excited about these products would be a HUGE understatement.  But I was MOST excited about the Thieves Laundry detergent.  And I'll just have to tell ya, it did not disappoint!!  I absolutely LOVE it.  It smells of Thieves & freshness & I know there are no harmful chemicals in it.

 My girls couldn't wait to get their diffuser going.  It is really cool.  You can change the light colors & the light stays on even after it stops diffusing so it serves as a night light as well.  I love that Young Living has made products that are so kid friendly.  This has been a wonderful addition to our home. 

 Ningxia Zyng..............where do I start?  If you haven't tried this yet, you really do not know what you're missing!!  It reminds me of Clearly Canadian back in the day.  But it is so much better for you!!  Enriched with essential oils & natural energy boosters.  It is delightfully refreshing & a great pick-me-up to get thru the daily grind.  And if that's not good enough, try it with some fruit infusion.....Oh, my.  It is delish!!!

 I hope you've enjoyed this sneak peak at some of the new products.  I'd love to hear which products are your favorite.

Lists & Goals & Dreams

For as long as I can remember I've been a list maker.  I'm one of those people who will make a to do list just so I can mark stuff off my list.  Over the years I've grown to really depend on my lists & this is how I function.  I remember in junior high school I used to love to buy those little 2 year planners!!!  I loved to have a clean, blank one & start filling it in with all my stuff!!  At a very early age I would always keep a little planner & notebook with me.  When I didn't have them easily accessible I would grab another notebook or piece of paper.  As I got older, I really started depending on my planner.  Now, I always get excited when it is time to buy a new planner.  I have another post planned about some of my favorite things & my favorite planner is one of the things I plan to share! So, stay tuned for that!!

I've always heard it said,  "A goal without a plan is just a wish."  The list maker in me LOVES this quote.  So, it made my day when Elizabeth started talking about the #1Step group that we started at the beginning of August!!  She had this fabulous calendar for us & everything.  The purpose of this group is to encourage & help us to realize that by making 1 healthy choice a day we can reach our health & wellness goals.    It felt so good to fill in my goals & get ready to tackle them for the month.  Now at the end of the month, I wanted to share with you some things I did to help me reach these goals that I set.

One of my favorite things to do is to fix my super healthy smoothie.  I usually have this for breakfast after my run or walk.  I use kefir, frozen fruit, YL Ningxia Red, MultiGreens, Power Meal, Ningxia Nitro, & essential oils.  This keeps me full & helps detox my body of yuckiness.  It also fuels my body with all kinds of goodness to tackle the rest of my day.

Young Living has so many products that help me reach my goals.  I use these products daily.  Have you tried the Slique bars?  They are so yummy. A very tasty way to snack.  With Young Living, because of their Seed To Seal guarantee, you can know that you are putting the best into your body.  

It also helps me to do my essential oil capsules each day.  I use lemon, peppermint, grapefruit, ocotea, & cinnamon bark.  I take these twice daily (morning & evening).  Then I also use Slique Essence & take it around lunch time.  This combination of oils keeps me feeling motivated & energized & it helps me not feel bloated.  I'm also able to crush sugar cravings.  Another thing that helps me is to flavor my water.  I do not enjoy drinking water.  But thanks to YL, my water is better than ever. The citrus oils are so yummy in water.  That makes me drink more water.  And we all know that's good for you!! 

Young Living also provides me with some amazing products to help me with my exercise goals.  I've been using the Couch to 10K app to get into running.  On the days that I don't run, I walk 3 miles.  Since school has started back, I always stop at the track after I drop the girls off.  This has made it possible for me to get at least 5 days of exercise in a week.  I start by putting En-R-Gee on my feet & Peppermint & Panaway on my knees.  On days when the air is thick, I apply RC to my chest.  Then on the way to track I have a Nitro!!

At convention a couple of weeks ago, YL introduced an amazing new sports gel, Cool Azul.  WOW!!  It is wonderful for soothing sore, tired muslces!!

Thanks to these steps, I've been able to really tackle some of goals for August.  Just last week I was able to jog for a full 28 minutes!!!  This is huge for me!!  I also, in those 28 minutes had to run this incline pictured below 6 times!!  And I did it...........WITHOUT STOPPING!!!  At the end of my run that day, Kool & the Gang were singing "Celebration" on my playlist.  I felt that was appropriate!! Another goal I've tackled this month is to lose weight......I've been able to lose 10 pounds!  I have a lot more to go, but I love being able to move these marbles over & see my progress!!!

I hope you're joining me in the #1Step group.  I'm looking forward to finishing the month strong.  And I just got word a few days ago that we have a September calendar ready to go.  So, tell me, what goals have you reached this month?  Who's in for September?

Goat's Milk Caramel Sauce.............YUM!!!!

When we bought our first goats almost a year and a half ago, we planned for them to mostly just be pets.  Our girls, Aubrey especially, had wanted goats for a while.  But we also wanted to get a breed of goat that would be beneficial for the farm in some way. We started looking into goat milk & found that there are lots of health benefits to it.  So, Jim decided to try to milk our goats. And boy was that an amazing decision.  

We don't drink a lot of milk by itself, but we do use milk to make lots of things.  We use it in baking recipes, we make kefir & yogurt, & we also started making caramel sauce.  OH. MY. WORD!!!  That caramel sauce is the best stuff ever!!  And because we made it ourselves it is so CLEAN & has only the best ingredients in it!!!  So, we first started using it on desserts, but then I used it in my coffee!!!  Let me just say that I am a coffee snob.......now more than ever.  This caramel sauce is the best coffee creamer I've ever used.  

I thought I would share with you how I make my homemade caramel sauce.  I start with 4 quarts of fresh goat milk, organic sugar, baking soda, & a large stock pot.

Into the pot I put the milk, 4 cups of sugar, & 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. I use a wooden spoon to mix it up.  Then I set the burner between 4 & 5 to start with.    I set the timer for 22 minute increments......I know that is a weird number, but it's just what worked for me.  And I have to set a timer or I'll get sidetracked doing something else & forget about my precious caramel sauce.  Trust me, that happened once & I cried when I scorched the caramel to the pot.  :'(  So, take my advice & set a timer.  This whole process is going to take 2-3 hours from start to finish.

We all know that working with raw milk can be tricky.  We have to cook it to a certain temperature to make it safe to drink.  The caramel sauce cooks for so long that it is nothing to worry about.......it will be completely safe for consumption by the time it is done.  Just to keep from contaminating things, it is a good idea after the first few stirrings, to get a clean wooden spoon to finish out the process. 

As the mixture cooks you will notice it changing color.  It will start turning to a caramel color.   After 2-3 hours, your caramel sauce is done........it will have reduced by 1/2 during the cooking process.  I like to pour my sauce into mason jars.  I let it cool a bit on the countertop & then I move it to the fridge.

Now you are ready to enjoy this deliciousness!!!!  I don't know about you, but I'm ready for a cup of coffee now!!!  YUM!!!