Essential Oils

I know that by now many of you have noticed the essential oils fuss online and now out in the market near you. When I came across the essential oil craze, I was curious about why they were so popular.  I have seen oils in the past, but never knew anyone who used them except for aroma benefits and DIY ideas.  As I dug a little, I met Wellness Advocates and Distributors of a few essential oil companies.  The information that I gathered was pretty interesting, even too good to be true in some cases, so I kept digging.

I noticed that some of my friends were now using these oils as well.  When I asked them why they used them and what were the benefits they shared their experiences with me.  It was not until I received a sample blend that I actually tried these oils.

Please know that not all oils are the same.  You may purchase a $4 bottle at a store and get a pretty cheap version of oil and it will not serve for anything beneficial.  How do I know?  Well, I have tried them and can testify that not all oils are the same and that only a select few are worth your time, health, and money.

As I used the blend (oil mixture) given to me, I began to notice the benefits of the oils.  I was in awe and could not believe how it was working. My bottle was finished and I wanted more for my family. I tried three companies, and now I am down to one.  I have become a full-time member and have begun using many of their products in my home.  I have gotten rid of most of my store-bought products due to the harmful ingredients associated with them.  All you have to do is google the ingredients to any product in your home and you will see how much toxic ingredients they contain.  You may also download the app: Think dirty, shop clean; with this app, you may scan products to learn about their ingredients.  It's no wonder there are more illnesses today than many, many years ago, but I won't get into that right now.  My focus is on providing my family with a healthy alternative and living a healthy lifestyle.

The clean benefit is not the only blessing, but also a financial blessing as well.  You see, at first, I thought this is too expensive for me, there is just no way I will spend that amount on oils, but I did not make a purchase, I made an investment.  I made an investment in our health and in our lives.  I have been blessed to get my money back on my purchase by just sharing the benefits with others that were interested in a healthier version of products. Many do not see the chemicals that we put on our bodies and our children's bodies. The chemicals in products are part of the health problems that people are facing today along with their children. I cannot stress enough how important it is to take care of your bodies and how this may help you.  Simply by boosting your immune system naturally is a great help without chemicals. Not only that, but it has helped me maintain balance, peace of mind, and calmness during times of stress, anxiety.

Right now, I will share just a little of what essential oils are and will continue to share information as I continue with my journey using essential oils.

Essential Oils are nature's volatile aromatic compounds generated within the plant such as shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, seeds, or another source from which it is extracted through steam distillation, hydro-distillation, or cold-pressed extraction.

The power of essential oil lies in its constituents and their synergy.  Each essential oil is composed of 200- 500 different bio-constituents, which make them very diverse in their effects. No two oils are alike.

Some of the ways that I use Essential Oils below:
 (NOT store-bought):

Inhalation
You may inhale the essential oils right from the bottle or with a diffuser.  You will gain their health benefits simply by breathing in their aromatic scents.

Topically
You may apply essential oils anywhere to your exterior body, (not in your eyes or in your ears). Dilute the essential oils with a fatty oil such as coconut oil, V-6, Enhanced vegetable oil complex, olive oil, etc..It is not recommended to apply citrus oils to your skin if you will be exposed to the sun.

For more information on the chemistry and uses of essential oils from Young Living, I recommend visiting their website. If you want to become a member of the Young Living community, please Click Here for more information.

If you have any questions for me, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I will be more than happy to assist you. 

DIY: Linen Spray with Essential Oil

Transform your daily routine with essential oils. You may use oils for an afternoon pick-me-up, some bedtime serenity or even for improving your mood. Research shows that rosemary can improve cognitive function and memory. Peppermint oil may combat fatigue and increase alertness, and you may be able to lift your spirits with citrus oils. For subtle, but long-lasting aromatherapy, diffuse oils in a diffuser or put a drop of essential oil in your hands & rub them together, then take a few breaths by cupping your hands over your mouth and nose.

Today we will learn How to Make Linen Spray by using Lavender Essential oil
for a nice and comforting aroma for your linens.  Another name used is
Pillow Spray, use it for a fresh and clean scent for my pillows and sheets.
If you are already using Essential oils, a great way to recycle your essential oil bottles
is to turn them into spray bottles or rollers.    

You may find Essential Oil Black Atomizer Spray Tops available
online as well as Roller Fitments with Caps.  You may also just buy
the 2 oz Glass Bottles already with the spray tops.

To this recipe, I added 1/2 teaspoon of Epsom salt, but you may use original
witch hazel without alcohol instead.  Below you will find a list of what you will need.

The amount of water you use depends on the size of your bottle.
You may mix the liquid in the bottle itself or use another container
for the mix and then pour it into your bottle. I used a very small glass for the purpose of this tutorial. I also use Young Living Essential
oils for their great quality, but you may use the oil of your choice.
Follow the directions on the images below.

Now isn't that easy?  I keep my linen spray on my nightstand and love it.

I have tried this recipe with rubbing alcohol and I have to be honest, I don't like it  

because the alcohol overpowers the essential oil, so do not use rubbing alcohol. 

My personal favorite is the Epsom Salt, it does not have a scent and it really helps disperse the oil.

There you have it. I hope that you enjoy this little DIY for your home.

Do you have a favorite essential oil scent for making a pillow spray or linen spray?
 Let me know in the comments below.

Slim Wallet: RFID Front Pocket Wallet Review

*Disclosure: Kindnz Sponsored the item on this post. All views and opinions expressed are my honest 100% opinion.

I received this Slim RFID Wallet from Kidzd so that I may give the company feedback on their 
product and also share my opinion with you.  At first, I wasn't sure about the wallet because it looked so slim.  I wondered if it was of poor quality.  When I received it, it surprised me to see how well made and practical it really is.  It holds cards well and it certainly is comfortable to carry around.  The durability looks promising, but only time will tell.  (Update: So far very durable.)
This is a convenient Super Slim, lightweight & minimalist wallet, it looks classic, fashionable & functional. The wallet has 6 card slots, 1 ID Window and 1 cash or receipt pocket in the top center. The wallet is also an RFID Blocking Wallet, this means that it keeps your vital information secure. It secures your credit cards and other RFID-chipped Cards, ID, etc., so it protects your personal information from being stolen. This technology allows you to remain SAFE and PROTECTED from electronic pickpocketing & blocks all RFID scanners and readers.

One of the great features is that it is simple, compact & ultra-slim. The design makes it easy to slide into your front or back pocket. It has a clear finger glide for the ID window making it quick and easy to take your cards or money in and out.  By looking at it, you may think that our credit cards will probably not fit, but they do!!  It is soft and comfortable to place in your pocket.

I honestly recommend this wallet for people who do not want to carry bulky wallets in their pockets or in their purses. My husband loves it and has replaced his old wallet with this thin one. I cannot express how satisfied he is with this new wallet.

If you are interested in buying one for yourself or a loved one, check out their website and look at their collection. You will also get 20% off your purchase by using the coupon code: KINOFF20

I love the convenience of this wallet, it saves so much space and it is light to carry.  It is sturdy and well stitched.  It certainly makes for a sweet gift!

Thank you for dropping by today!

Old Glory Berry Pie

Hello, and Happy Independence Day Weekend!  Today I wanted to share
with you this delicious Patriotic Pie recipe from TipHero.com, thank you tip hero!
I have added a couple of extra things to mine.
It is a perfect patriotic dessert to share with family and friends during the celebration
of our Nation's Independence.  It may look harder than it really is, but it is pretty simple.

The ingredients that you will need are as follows:

Makes 1 (9-inch pie)
Approximately  2 hours & 45 minutes

• Pie dough shells (2) 9 inch
• Star cookie cutter (2 inches) and/or (1 inch)
• Knife
• 4 ­½ cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced 
• 1­ ½ cups fresh blueberries

• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup of corn starch
• ½ teaspoon almond extract, divided
• 1 large egg, beaten for egg wash
• orange or lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• a pinch of sugar for sprinkling over the pie

Directions:  

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 Celsius).

2. On a lightly floured surface, place your dough.  If it's on a pie plate, turn upside down
and gently unfold the edges so that it will lay flat on the surface.

3. Roll it flat with a dough roller, if you have one on hand.

4. Cut out your stars using the cookie cutter and cut the stripes with a knife. Set it aside.

5. In a bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch and mix well.

6. Take ¼ cup of the sugar mixture and a ¼ teaspoon of almond extract and add it to the blueberries in a separate bowl.  Add the cinnamon and a pinch of zest to the blueberries.
Toss to coat.  Set aside.

7. In another separate bowl, add the remaining sugar mix to the strawberries and add
¼ teaspoon of almond extract and another pinch of zest, toss to coat.

8. Take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it in half several times to create a two-inch-wide strip.
Fold the bottom corners so that it fits well inside the pie dish, separate the sections by 1/3 and 2/3 areas.

9. With one hand holding the foil in place, gently pour in the strawberries into the 2/3 section, then the blueberries in the 1/3 section. Gently level out the berries and remove the foil.

10. Using the dough that was cut out for the stars and stripes, place the stripes over the strawberries making sure to leave space between the stripes.  Layout the stars over the blueberries.

11. Brush the dough carefully with egg wash, sprinkle lightly with sugar, then cover the
edges of the pie with 2-inch strips of foil to prevent burning or a crust shield.

12. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, then remove the foil or crust shield,  reduce
heat to 375 degrees and continue to bake for 60 minutes or until the edges are golden and
the fruit is bubbling.

13. Cool pie for an hour before serving.  Goes well with vanilla ice cream!



Enjoy!

DIY: Patriotic Wreath

Hey there friends, today I have a special DIY Patriotic Burlap Wreath Project! 

With a little effort and patience and some items from the Dollar Tree, you can put 

together this beautiful Patriotic Wreath to welcome your friends, family, and neighbors. 

Natural and colorful, this wreath will look great on your front door, over the mantel, 

or even as part of an Independence Day centerpiece.

Items That You Will Need:

• 10 or 12-inch Metal Wreath Ring- You may use mesh ribbons for this project.
• glow in the dark stars or sticker stars (Dollar Tree)
• burlap ribbon from Hobby Lobby
• pipe cleaners -Shop Patriotic Party Supplies at DollarTree.com
• or hot glue gun & glue sticks (optional)

I will start with the blue ribbon, my blue ribbon was narrower than my other two ribbons, so it may look different.

Take your metal wreath ring and on the first inner row, loop in the ribbon as seen below.  Do this by one of the metal wire endings, these are the ones that divide each section.

You may secure it with the pipe cleaner by twisting it and then cutting any extra pipe cleaner.  You may also secure it with hot glue. This will form the first loop in the inner row of the wreath. Use your fingers to pull the amount you want; I made my loop about 2 inches out.

Then go to the second row above it and form another loop and then the third row and another loop. So it should look like the second and third image on the left below.

You will then push it gently aside causing it to scrunch like on the third image on the right.

Secure it by twisting the ribbon once or twice.   At this point, you may either cut the ribbon or secure it with a pipe cleaner. Then you will begin again from the first inner row and work your way up to the third row above again.  You will repeat this until you have two sections of the metal wreath covered with the blue ribbon.  You may decide to do half of the metal wreath if you like as I have seen on some wreaths. (I ran out of the blue ribbon, so I did two sections of blue.)

Then when you are done with the blue ribbon, tuck it in on the back and secure with either a pipe cleaner or hot glue.

Now you will begin with the red ribbon and do the same thing.  Start from the inner row by forming a loop and secure it with hot glue or pipe cleaner. Continue to loop on the second and third row then secure it by twisting it with the pipe cleaner.  At this point, you may cut the ribbon to start with the next color. Begin the same way with the natural or white burlap ribbon.  Begin from the inner row and work your way up to the third outer row by forming the loops in each row. Then push the ribbon toward the other ribbons to scrunch it. Secure again with a pipe cleaner and cut, then begin again with the red ribbon.  

You will repeat this looping and scrunching process until you run out of room.

When you have covered the metal wreath, cut your ribbon and tuck it into the 

back side of the metal wreath,  you may secure it with the pipe cleaner or hot glue.

When you are done, your wreath should look something like the one below.

At this point, you are ready to make any adjustments to your ribbons by

fluffing them or sliding them carefully to make sure the metal is hidden by the ribbons.

Now take your glow in the dark stars or sticker stars and spread them out over your blue
ribbon to see how you want to lay them out.  Now that you know where you want them, 

hot glue them onto the wreath or if they are stickers just stick them on.  You have the option of painting your glow in the dark stars white if you like.

When your stars are glued on your wreath, you are done.

Now you have a beautiful wreath to show off for Memorial Day or even Independence Day.

I hope that you have enjoyed this craft project and that you have a

blessed Memorial Day Weekend!

Happy Crafting!