FLU!!!!!

Well, it happened...........over Christmas holiday, we had an very unwelcomed visitor in our home!!  The FLU invaded us with a vengeance.  I got sick on Wednesday (Christmas Eve). What I didn't know is that I was very likely contagious a day or two before I started feeling sick.  So, sadly, I took the flu germs to my family on Tuesday night when we had our Christmas supper.   I have never felt as bad as I felt on Wednesday......I came in & out of sleep all day.  I barely remember the girls coming playing.  I vaguely remember them coming in & out periodically wanting Jim to open another new toy they had received. 

Let me just tell you, this strain of flu is brutal & highly contagious!!!  After I got sick, Aubrey was the next victim.  And I just thought I felt bad......just like every parent out there, it hurt us so bad to watch her be so sick.  She woke up on Christmas morning & just wasn't herself.  We went ahead & opened presents & checked out what all Santa had brought.  After opening presents though, this is how I found her......

She was pitiful.....it broke my heart!!  For the rest of the day she stayed in my lap either doodling or sleeping. 

By Christmas evening around 4:30, Ava was running a fever too!!!  And yes, she was just as pitiful as Aubrey.  I wanted so badly to take this sickness away from them.  At this point, Jim was literally the last man standing!!  He was holding up well & I really thought he was going to avoid getting sick.  Sadly he fell victim the following Sunday morning!!  So, like I said, the flu came to our house with a vengeance........it took us all down!!! 

Well, as bad as we were all feeling, I was so thankful that we were able to ONLY use oils to take care of what we were dealing with!!  The previous weekend as soon as I knew we had been exposed, I started diffusing & applying Thieves & Purification.  I also started applying diluted Oregano & Thieves to the girls' feet and Jim & I started taking those along with Copaiba in a capsule morning & night.  The following pictures are just a few of the things I used. Once I started feeling bad, I jacked up my capsules......1 drop of Frankincense, 4 drops of Oregano, & 8 drops of Thieves. I took that morning & night. I also took another dose during the day if I was feeling like I needed it. I continued applying the oils to my girls, only increase the times of application when they got worse. I also started using peppermint, thieves, & lemon to aid in bringing the fever down. I apply peppermint along spine, under arms,&/or around belly button. When using lemon & thieves I applied to the bottom of the feet or along the spine. We're also drinking Ningxia Red. The girls like to drink the Ningxia Red by itself (I do too usually) while I enjoyed my Red mixed with apple cider & a drop of Thieves! Whew!!! I think I listed everything!! I am so thankful for these oils!!! If you would like to learn more about these oils or if you have any questions about what I am doing, please feel free to message me!!

Life is GOOD.....

 Once again it seems that it has been too long since I posted here.  I am hoping to do better with that from now on.  So, let me catch you up on our life on the farm.  Homeschooling is going great!!!  Both of my girls are really loving it (or so they tell me!) most of the time.  We still have days (usually testing days) when Ava says things like "I wish school didn't even exist."  :(  But those days are rare!!!  Besides the actual school subject lessons, my girls are getting countless life lessons on a daily basis!!!  I'm really proud of them.  The picture below is from early fall.  One of the girls favorite things to do is to play in the pasture with the goats!!!  And I love to watch them!!!  I never dreamed I'd love having goats for pets.....but guess what??  I DO!!!  They are some of the sweetest & cutest animals. 

 Like I said, the girls are really doing well with their life lessons on the farm & are both eager to help out with most of the work around here!!!  I'm so thankful for that!!  One of Ava's chores is to collect the eggs.  She is a little skiddish of the chickens but has been doing better.  Here she had gone into the coup all by herself & gotten all the eggs...........she was so proud!!! Aubrey helps with the chickens & goats & doggies too.   And of course, we can't leave Buddy out........we love having him around!!!

With the cold weather approaching, Jim had to build our chickens a better shelter.  So early this fall he built a brand new coup in the corner of the hall of the barn.  The hens seemed really pleased with this!!!  

Ava & Aubrey helped with the coup building by keeping the goats occupied!!  

 One of my girls' favorite things this fall was when Daddy helped them build their own fort in the backyard!!!  They built it out of hay bales & even put a cabinet door on it!!  They took chairs & books in there & even played games in their a few times!!!  Hopefully we're building some good memories of life on a farm with them!!!

 

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!