A Day in the Life of a Semi-Newbie Essential Oiler

I've been using essential oils for seven months.  To say we love them is an understatement.  I'll admit, it did take me a couple months to become confident in using them daily, but now that I do, I can't imagine going back.  A good friend if mine will be traveling internationally this summer and recently asked me which oils she should bring along. As I compiled her list, I wondered how I ever traveled on airplanes, crowded buses, and sleeper trains without my oils! Haha!

I know a lot of people who have told me they are interested in using oils, but simply have no idea where to begin.  I hear ya.  It can be overwhelming! So, I decided to do a post where I just go through my day and write down the oils that I used. Feel free to email me with any questions or ideas!

 Trying to get out the door by 8am with a little one is no easy task.  Many mornings, I use this dry shampoo spray recipe to make my hair look like its been washed :)  Adding a few drops of joy to my mixture makes it smell refreshing and well, happy!

My lavender & coconut oil mixture is essential.  Its super easy to make (just whip some coconut oil and add lavender) and very versatile.  I use this as moisturizer on my legs and feet after showering. *Tip* I've found that if you rub the coconut oil on while your legs are still a little wet, it doesn't feel as greasy.  We also use this for John Hudson's diaper rash and bedtime moisturizer.

This lovely picture represents me putting purification on my zits. I just put a drop on my finger and apply it directly to any zits or blemishes. After a day, I usually notice a big difference.  Purification is also a must-have in our cloth diaper pail--just put a few drops on a cotton ball and throw it in.  Also used daily on a cotton ball in Michael's tennis shoes. Oh, and in our homemade, baby-friendly bug spray.

We've been using this allergy trio daily here lately.  I mixed peppermint, lavender, and lemon with grapeseed oil in a roller bottle.  We roll it on our temples, sinuses, and behind ears. Michael especially struggles with seasonal allergies and has gotten a lot of relief using this trio.

I love my panaway. I have always struggled with shoulder and neck pain and being pregnant only makes it worse.  I dilute panaway with grapeseed oil in my roller bottle and just roll it directly on my neck and shoulders when I'm in pain.  Although it doesn't always take the pain away completely (depending on how severe it is), it always takes the edge off.

I love adding a drop of lime, lemon and my recent favorite, orange oil to my water.  It gives it just enough flavor to keep me sipping all day.  Just be sure to use a glass container when using oils in your water!

Doesn't it feel so wonderful to finally crawl into bed after a long day? It feels even better when your sheets smell refreshing and calming.  I love spraying my sheets with lavender each night.  I just fill this 2 oz spray bottle with water, add a few drops of lavender (I think I started with 10 drops and then increased until I was satisfied with the smell) and a dash of witch hazel (to disperse the oils).  This also makes a great gift!

SLEEPY CREAM! If I never used my oils for anything else, THIS STUFF would make having them worth it!  We use this cream on John Hudson's feet every single night.  In fact, its the sleepy cream that got us hooked on essential oils in the first place.  I can tell a huge difference in his sleep patterns.  Its also been a huge help to my mom, grandmother, and other friends with young children. We love sleepy cream!

So, there you have it.  Of course, there are many other ways I use my oils--sore throats, coughs, sun screen, sticky-stuff remover, etc.  But this is just a typical day.  The other cool part is that most of the oils I use on a daily basis are included in the premium starter kit! Its a great deal. 

Stay tuned for the next oily post: What oils are in my diaper bag? 

 

Spring Sprinkles

Spring has officially sprung.  Actually, we're moving into summertime temperatures here if you ask me.  But for a few glorious weeks, we were able to have our porch door open all day.  John Hudson thought it was wonderful being able to come and go from the porch whenever he pleased.  And our power bill was half of what it usually is!  

I absolutely love spring. I love the brisk mornings, the signs of new life in the flowers and trees, the chirping birds, and the smell of wild honeysuckles.  You really can't beat the majesty of spring and all that it brings.  Such refreshment and awe. 

I wanted to record a quick story about sprinkles. I love sprinkles.  We had sprinkle-filled cake at our wedding and were showered with sprinkles upon leaving.  I like to put sprinkles on my icecream at every occasion. I just think they are so delightful.  They don't really add anything to the taste, but they just make you happy, ya know? All those little colored sticks of joy!  I like sprinkles metaphorically, too.  Meaning, the little things in life that just make you happy.  The little smiles, hugs, winks, and for-no-reason gifts.  I pray that my life will be characterized by sprinkles.  There is always something I can do for someone that can make their day a little happier than it was before.

A few weeks ago, God showered us with sprinkles at the hands of our loving neighbors.  For weeks, I had been telling Michael that I wanted to buy some flowers for our porch.  We budgeted how much we could afford to spend and I was all set.  Except that work, a funeral, a wedding, and various other tasks kept preventing me from going to the plant store.  I did find a hanging basket at Aldi for pretty cheap, but I desired some real, plant-in-flower-pot kind of flowers.  And time was ticking away!  Every time I looked out on our porch, I was reminded of the flowers I was not enjoying.

Then one Sunday afternoon, literally within 30 minutes of me saying yet again how I'd like some flowers, the doorbell rang.  It was our sweet neighbors...holding an entire flat of marigolds.  My mouth fell open. "We brought you some flowers!" They exclaimed.  But? What? Huh? How did you know?  They didn't know. But they said that every time they walked by our apartment, that empty flower pot was staring at them, haha! Oh, what sweet and thoughtful friends!

Thank you, sweet Lord for the gift of flowers, friends, and sprinkles.  This was just a small reminder that YOU love us, YOU care for us, and YOU hear even the tiniest desires of our hearts. 

How can we be a blessing to someone else today?

"Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."  Luke 12:27

A Tribute to my Mom (from 2011)

In honor of Mother's Day, I decided to repost this tribute I wrote back in 2011 when I was in China.  I still feel the exact same way about this amazing woman and even more so now that I'm also a Mama.

 

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.  Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates. 

Proverbs 31: 30-31

My Mama.  Oh. how I wish words could express  the depths of love and adoration I have for this woman I call Mama. She is a true gem--a pearl of great value. One in a million. A lily among thorns.  And I thank my King every single day for blessing me with this precious gift.  You see, she's not just my Mama.  She's my best friend.  This relationship is a gift that many mothers and daughters long for..  I am so thankful.

Memories from my childhood are infiltrated with sweet thoughts of this precious woman.  She used to sit on the front porch of my playhouse for hours while I played inside.  She was the official "babysitter" for all my "children".  I played by myself pretty well, but I just liked knowing she was there.  Her presence brought comfort.  So hour by hour she would sit. 

I remember snuggling up in my bed after a long day and she would read stories to Luke and me before bedtime.  We would close our eyes and just listen.  I'm sure she still had tons of household chores to do after we went to bed, but I never remember bedtime being rushed.  It was always a sacred time of "I love yous" and snuggles.  (Truth be told, I still like her to tuck me in when I'm home...folks, I'm almost 21 years old! That can be our little secret!).

I remember my Mama being the "Class Mom" in my elementary school classes.  She would show up every Wednesday afternoon to volunteer.  She would usually sit in a corner and cut out things or staple papers, and I loved every second of just knowing she was nearby.

One time, in particular, I remember I desperately wanted to stay up and watch a meteor shower.  (I probably didn't even know what a meteor shower was at that point!) But it sounded cool.  It was a really really cold night, and after a few hours of begging, she gave in.  We got our sleeping bags and headed out to the driveway.  It snuggled up and waited...and waited...and waited.  Never saw that meteor shower, but I still remember that night.  I'm sure the last thing Mom really wanted to do was sit out in the bitter cold to watch the stars...but she did it anyways!

I love my Mama for all these memories.  I am thankful for every sacrifice she made and every tear she has  shed on behalf of her children.  But most of all, I am thankful that my Mama showed me Him.  You know, I really have no idea if I would know Him like I do now if it weren't for my sweet Mama.  Her prayers, her example, her words, her songs, her sweet spirit, her hospitality, her joy, her kindness...she has been HIM to me.  She raised me to KNOW Him and to love Him...and now she has loved me enough to let me FOLLOW Him.  Even if that means that I have to go very very very far away.  Thank you, Mama, for loving Him enough...and for loving me enough...to let me follow Him.  Your support and blessing mean the world to me.  

My Mama always says, "Remember, you have a Mama who prays for you every single day."  Oh, the power of a praying Mama!

Happy Mother's Day to the best Mama in the whole wide world. 

I love you mostest

Our Birthday Boy

This post is only about two months overdue, but never too late.  Ladies and gentlemen, we have a big one-year-old at our house!  He's as active as ever, cruising around wherever he pleases, and loves to hold kitchen spatulas and big sticks.

John Hudson's first birthday was a joy! We celebrated with all of our family at Michael's parents' house.  JH loved being the center of attention and he loved his cake.  Love is not a strong enough word for how he felt about his cake, actually.  I used this recipe minus the berry filling.  We sweetened with maple syrup and ta-da! Grain free, sugar free birthday cake fit for a king.  I was a little worried about the cake having 6 eggs since John Hudson had an allergic reaction to eggs before, but he did great.

We were shocked at the amount of cake he consumed.  This was after eating a full meal at dinner, too!

John Hudson started walking at almost 13 months.  Now that he's almost 14 months, he's getting around very easily.  He loves his newfound freedom, especially in huge crowds.  I'm thinking a leash might be a good investment (just kidding, not really...).  He also loves pretending to talk on cell phones! It is adorable.  Grammie got him his own "cell phone" for his birthday and its been a huge hit.  He jabbers and carries on as if someone is really on the line. 

Did I mention that John Hudson loves kitchen spatulas and big sticks?  Oh, and rocks. A gravel driveway is his paradise.  Our kitchen spatulas and wooden spoons are strewn all over the house.  One morning, he held onto a wooden spoon all morning, took it on our morning walk, slept for 2 hours in his crib and ate lunch all without letting go.  Pretty impressive.  He would do the same with huge sticks if I would let him have them in the house! Sweet little boy.

God is still teaching us a lot about disciplining John Hudson.  Some days are so delightful and some days are just so difficult.  He is testing us at every corner to see if we mean what we say.  We pray that God will continue to give us perseverance and wisdom as we train him up.  We are so very thankful for the godly families God has placed in our lives that can help us navigate this journey.  Proverbs 23:13-14 is pretty clear:  Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.

John Hudson is becoming more of a picky eater, unfortunately.  He'll eat anything if its covered with sweet potatoes or butternut squash.  Or bananas.  We do let him enjoy these favorites weekly, but we're also trying to widen his palate.  For breakfast, JH usually has a banana and a piece of apple gate nitrate free breakfast sausage.  We are hoping to try eggs again soon (but I'm chicken!...no pun intended). Mid-morning he usually drinks a smoothie containing 1/2 banana, a few pieces of frozen fruit, our beloved raw milk kefir, and tons of coconut oil.  For lunch, JH loves avacado, nitrate free sandwich meat, cheese, or leftovers from the night before.  Dinner is usually just whatever we're having minus grains, beans, and sugar.  It's so great being able to feed him whatever we're having, but whether he'll actually eat it is another story.  But, we're discovering that he will eat when he gets hungry enough.  So if he refuses to eat at dinner, he must sit "quietly" while Michael and I eat.  If he seems hungry at bed time then he is offered the same food as dinner.  Sometimes he will eat, sometimes he will not.  But we want to encourage an attitude of joy and thankfulness at meal times, whether he loves the food or not.  

Our current schedule changes pretty much weekly because John Hudson and I are still going to Mommy and Me between 3-5 days a week.  The school year will be ending soon and I'm hoping to get on more of a routine.  But a "typical" day runs like this:

7-7:30- Wake up and nurse
            Eat Breakfast
8:15- Leave for M&M
10:30- Drink Smoothie from sippy cup
12:45- Arrive home, eat lunch if not already sleeping
12:45-2:45- Much needed nap
3-      Eat lunch if didn't before
3-5:45- Play, play, play! Sometimes eat a small snack
5:45- Daddy comes home; eat dinner
6:30-7:30- Playtime with Daddy, evening walk
7-7:30- Bath time
8- Read, sing, pray, nurse, night night! 

As you can see, on Mommy & Me days JH only takes one nap.  I'm not sure if this will stay the same when we're home all day or if he'll fall back into the two nap-a-day routine.  Either way is fine with me as long as he's rested!

You can also see that we're only nursing at morning and night now.  Its very bittersweet for me to be weaning, but I'm also thankful that it has been pretty easy to do, so far.  He never asks to nurse during the day anymore.  Our morning nursing sessions are very sweet because normally I'm already up and have coffee and I can read my Bible and meditate while he nurses and dozes (sometimes for 30 minutes if we have time!).  I hope to have this sweet time for a few more months.  

What a wonderful year it has been! We pray for many, many more years with our sweet boy.  He has taught us more already than we'll ever be able to teach him. Thank you, Lord, for this precious blessing!