One {oily} Year...

Snow day number, I-can't-count-that-high-anymore, here...If you're looking for cute heart-sy craft ideas and fancy dessert recipes to WOW your Honey, go wander around Pinterest...my Honey is 1,500 miles away and our Valentine's dinner is probably gonna be fundraiser ham sandwiches...today we're talking about a different kind of love affair here...

Last year on Valentines Day my curious, skeptical, self walked into a friend's house with my notebook and pen. When I left an hour and a half later, I was armed with one of the best gifts anyone had ever given me. KNOWLEDGE.

I had never really considered that there might be other options besides the pharmaceutical drugs in my medicine cabinet. And even though I've never been quick to give my kids meds or run to the Dr. I never really liked doing it at all. If Tylenol and antibiotics are really as safe as they claim to be, why are they constantly being recalled and what is with the (long) list of side affects that accompanies them?? On the other hand, "Natural" always equaled "doesn't work" in my mind. I mean, for real, how many vitamins would you have to take and how much spinach would you have to eat to cure pneumonia? More than I'm willing to gag down!

Somehow, with a (very) little bit of education, this stuff made sense to me. God created people. God created plants. Perhaps He meant for them to work together. And even though my husband had some descriptive words for those (smelly) oils, he jumped right on board with me.

We have always been what I've considered a healthy bunch around here. We escaped the flu craziness last winter and my kids have missed minimal days of school for sickness. But I realize now how much I lived in fear of "catching something" anyway. Child #1 starts coughing or complaining of belly ache..."do I cancel plans for the weekend"..."if this one is better the next one will likely be down"..."do I wait it out through the weekend or run to the Dr. on Friday afternoon?" By far the greatest benefit of having oils in the house is the peace of mind that they have brought me. Child #1 starts coughing...a few drops of R.C. on his chest and he sounds better in the morning. Meanwhile my trusty diffuser is busy killing off bacteria in the air with just a couple of drops of Thieves so the rest of us are much less likely to get it too. When I hear "Mom, my belly hurts," I grab the Di-gize and Peppermint instead of the mop and bucket. Does this mean that we will never get sick again? No, but I know if we do, I am equipped with an action plan that does not require an appointment with the Dr. and a salty ($$$) bill.

Not only have the oils stretched my ideas of health, they've taken me outside my personal comfort zone too. I've never, ever, ever had a desire to be a business girl. Selling anything to anyone makes me want to run far away. But after seeing how much my family has benefited from Essential Oils (we use them daily for everything from back aches to sleep aids to high blood pressure) it feels selfish to keep my little secret to myself. So while I still have NO desire to be pushy and "sell" you something, I would love to help you find the answers your looking for. Am I an expert? No. Do I know how to "look it up" and find someone who might know what I don't. Absolutely. If you're interested in more information or if I can answer a few of your gazillion questions for you, you can e-mail me at garrynrachel (at) aol (dot) com. I'd love to share more of our story. These oils really are a gift from God!

  

The white outside truly is beautiful but a little {Spring} color doesn't hurt either!

Misc. Monday

It was a.n.o.t.h.e.r. snow day in our part of town. I have given up counting how far into June we'll be packing school lunches. It is not unusual for us to have the majority of our snow days in March, we've already had at least 6. Honestly, I don't mind the snow, and I really do love having my kids home, but this "can't plan anything ahead of time, ever" thing is getting a little frustrating. There was nothing on the schedule for today though, so it's a puzzles and minecraft and snowball fight kind of day.

6-7 inches and counting...

Two weeks ago when it snowed I finally got around to the traditional "first (or fourth) snow day donut baking." I thought maybe if I (finally) checked that off it would eliminate our need for more snow days but it didn't work. Nobody complained about my efforts, however.

so. much. better. the first day!

This is what teenage boys do with snow days. For some reason he thought it cooler to fake a wipe out at the end. For this I have no explanation.

My view of today's snow has been predominately from the couch...Note to self: No matter how fun or tempting it is to give your hubby a kick in the tush on the way down the stairs, the effects of slippery socks during such an activity are not evenly remotely worth the risk. I do not know when I have been in such pain, and yes, I have birthed 5 children.  I would choose that over this for sure. Thankfully it does seem better today and I don't believe I really did any serious damage. Nothing a little time, oil and ice can't take care of.

Sure is beautiful while it's coming down.

This little project is bubbling away in my pantry right now....

Inspired by a friend and a few forsaken apples in the bottom of the fridge drawer. I figured I don't have much to lose. So far she seems to be right on schedule. This picture was taken on the first day. We're currently on day number 6.

I happened to have real cream in the fridge right now so we enjoyed a version of this for dinner. I used part half and half and some homemade chocolate sauce in place of some of the heavy cream and I did the, oh so scientific, "eye ball it," kind of measuring for the snow.

the ingredients

the results

These guys gave it 2 thumbs up.

the taste testers

This one was not quite as decidedly impressed. (Or perhaps he was just being ornery, it's happened once before!)

Wherever you are tonight, I hope it's warm and safe!

Christmastime [was] Here -- Part I

Our Christmas tree, finally up and decorated after much drama and stress.

 

I thought we'd go small this year, save a few bucks and not overwhelm our living room. I didn't realize until it was wrapped and ready to go that they were priced by variety, not size. Oops! there goes the "save a few bucks" plan. When we were ready to set it up, we discovered a crack in the tree stand. So it spent a few redneck days propped in the corner in a bright orange bucket. Classy huh?
 

 After 2 trips to the store we were the proud owners of a brand spanking new tree stand with bolts too short to even reach the skinny truck of our dainty little tree. The husbands patience may or may not have been running a bit thin by the time he screwed extra pieces of wood on either side and made 2 trips to the hardware store for bigger bolts but finally that baby was upright...until we started to add lights and garland. Sigh. In the end, she was a very pretty tree. I decided to stick with neutrals this year and I loved the way it turned out. My kids did not agree, they were a tad bitter that I ignored those pretty red balls.

This was my moment of enlightenment this year. I admit to being a little stingy about the Christmas tree decorating at my house. I just don't have the stamina to allow a 5 year old to arrange all the ornaments in a 18 inch space. This year I gave them this little yard sale tree and some sturdy ornaments and made it there tree. The arranged and rearranged to their little hearts connect, with all the red they could find! Bingo. This tradition will live on another year.

 The Mr. dutifully adds sparkling charms to our rustic barn and charming cottage. Our big front porch just begs for icicle  lights. Even he admits that they are pretty enough to be worth the hassle.

While he spruces up the outside, I tackle the indoors. My {super} limited chalkboard skills struggled for several hours to pull this off.

My first grader got inspired and whipped out his own version in less than half an hour. He insisted he needed water to dip his chalk in too. =)

We made a few special treats, although not nearly as many as most years. I had some fun experimenting with my peppermint essential oil. Mmm!

Peppermint Stripe Popcorn. 

Our Christmas celebrations took us to the cabin with family for a long weekend before Christmas. It was a glorious four days of "nothing to do" in the midst of crazy busy preparations and parties. We drank coffee, played games, read, drank coffee, slept in, snacked, relaxed and drank another cup of coffee. That poor coffee maker didn't know what hit it.

We let the kids act out the Christmas story. Finally we have a "Mary" after 8 boys in the family. She was quite pleased with her roll as "Jesus Loves Me's" Mommy. (That's what she says instead of Baby Jesus, I hope no one ever corrects her!)

So it wasn't quite Broadway but they had fun and I heard they're making a movie out of it, special thanks to the only cousin not pictured and his new ipad.

We returned from our relaxing paradise on Monday with 36 hours to finish wrapping and preparing for Christmas day. Coming up in the next post, some of our favorite family traditions.

What I Love about Essential Oils

At the risk of sounding like I've gone completely crazy over this stuff, (I may have, I'll let you jump to your own conclusions) it's another Essential Oils post. This time, a few of my favorite things about EO's. Numbers 2-10 are not in any particular order. I don't mean to be annoying, I just feel like I've found a valuable secret and I can't help but pass it on. And so, without further ado....

at the park with the kids. they play. i read. we're all happy.

10 things I Love about EO's.

10. They are 100% natural. No synthetics, no harmful chemicals, no side effects.  [That is if you buy them from a reputable company. There are no standards in the U.S. for the production and sales of EO's. In other words, companies can write whatever they please on the bottle whether it's true or not, nobody is regulating that. 80% of the oils on the market are perfume grade, these are not going to work therapeutically. Do your homework. Know what you are getting! end of lecture.]

9. They are easy to use. Most of them (if not all) are used topically. There are other ways too, but rubbing a bit on the skin is so much easier for me than gagging down a horse pill or squirting nasty tasting stuff down the kid's throats.

8. They are handy. I can order whatever I want, whenever I want it. I keep my little supply stocked up so that when someone starts to get sick I can attack it early. I used to dread those first signs of coughing/runny noses in my kids. Can't say I look forward to them now but I don't live in that constant state of wondering whether they'll be able to kick this on their own or if this will be the time we end up in the Dr.'s office. I've never been one to run to the Dr. over every little thing. My Doc told me himself it's always better to let the kids fight off as much as then can on their own. But things changed when my kids started school. If the child is out for 3 days the school requires a Dr.'s note to return. My Dr. is a really nice guy but he hasn't taken to writing notes for kids he hasn't seen yet. So I'd have to take them in, and he'd give me a prescription, "just in case." Which brings up the next issue, antibiotics that don't work anymore because they've been overused.

7. They are "smarter" than the bugs. Since the growing conditions etc. are never exactly the same for the plants that the oils are made from, the oils themselves vary slightly. Mass produced pharmaceuticals are always exactly the same, which is why the bacteria/viruses get 'smart' to them after awhile and they no longer work. Not a problem with EO's.

6. You can't overdose. Okay, don't take that as a challenge, folks. Common sense is still the lead player here. But I don't have to be forever counting doses, and remembering what time I gave who, what. This is great news for a Mom of 5! I use them as needed. I make adjustments I till I find what works for me/us. I don't panic if I realize to late that I grabbed the wrong bottle. I've even used them on kids who thought they were gonna need hospitalization for a minor scratch, or so it seemed. Just like a band-aid makes it feel better even when it's not bleeding, a little EO solves a multitude of issues that don't even exist. :) But I don't feel bad giving it to them because I know it's not hurting them a bit.

5. They are economical. So when you first hear the price of a small bottle, it may sound like a lot, but a little goes a long way.  I purchased an EO in February to treat my high blood pressure. Prices vary greatly for different oils but that particular oil was about $40. I use it twice every day and I doubt if the bottle is more than half empty yet. (Okay, so just cause I'm weird like that, I went up and checked, it's almost exactly half full.) At this rate that bottle will last me 7- 8 months. I was paying $30 something a month for my prescriptions. Do the math. And that doesn't count the fact that I had to pay a Dr. to write that script and then run somewhere to pick it up every month.

4. They are versatile. One oil does MANY things. I think Lavender get the prize for most uses. It's great for promoting relaxation and sleep. It's good for burns, bug bites, rashes and cuts. I've heard it works for allergies and eczema and a host of other things. (See #6. If you can use Lavender in place of tylenolPM, cortizone cream, Neosporin, Zyrtec and Benedryl, which do you suppose is cheaper to keep on hand.)

3. They don't expire. If stored properly, out of direct light and heat, they will stay potent and useful. (See #6, AGAIN. :) How many times have you thrown out a half a bottle of tylenol because it was too long in between teething episodes or illnesses?

2. They don't just fight the "bad guys" they also rejuvenate the "good guys." So, if by chance you bought a bottle of EO to treat a specific issue and that oil didn't work for that issue in your body (everybody is different.) You've not done yourself any harm (see #1) or wasted your money, your body is still likely benefiting from the oil.

And my favorite thing about EO's....

1. God made them, for ME. It's just so neat for me to think about that. The God who made our incredibly complex bodies also made a whole range of (almost as complex) plants and he made them to work together. There are hundreds of different kinds of EO's and I have yet to try and research an issue that doesn't come up with an answer. Yup, there is an app oil for that! EO's have been around since Bible times. They are mentioned 180+ times in the Bible. My question for you is, "What do you suppose Sarah did when little Isaac was teething and spiked a fever?" Somehow I tend to just assume maybe things were different back then, maybe they didn't get sick like us. Maybe so, sort of, but they were human and I don't think they were so very different than we are. And I don't mean to answer my own question here, but I'm gonna take a shot that she didn't pick something up at the CVS on the corner. Let me know if you're interested in trading your trips to CVS in for some God given gifts. I'd love to help you figure out how to make them work for you!

Another one of God's gifts!

** I feel like I should probably remind you here that I am NOT a doctor. I'm not even an EO expert, not even close. And nobody is paying me to tell you this stuff. It's just that seeing is believing and I am definitely seeing results that I like.

Essential Oils -- Part 2

 In my last EO post (if you missed it you can find it here) I mentioned that it was the stories of how people have used oils successfully  that really got my attention. So if you read that whole post and still felt like you really didn't know what oils do, let me tell you some of our story.

 Thankfully my family came through this germ infested winter with amazing ease but when my 6 year old complained of a sore throat and an accompanying stomachache my Mama instincts instantly said 'Strep throat.' I used an oil blend called "Theives" and rubbed it right on his swollen glands whenever he complained. (A side benefit of most of the oils: being able to use them repeatedly as needed instead of waiting 4-8 hours as with tylenol or motrin.) Within 24 hours all of his symptoms were gone. Was that a little easier than dragging him (and several siblings) to the doctor, torturing him with a throat culture and 10 days of nasty tasting medicine? I think yes! Not to mention much cheaper!

  My favorite stories though are all part of "How EO's saved our Vacation." When our family traveled to Florida this Spring, I packed my little collection of oils and kept them handy. The hubs came home from work just hours before we left on our trip saying that his chest was congested and sore. Out came the Theives again and in a few days his symptoms were nearly gone too instead of mushrooming into an all out miserable cold/flu. I applied Thieves to all of us sporadically over the week as a precaution. There were a few complaints of sore throats but no one actually got sick except the Lil Miss. She spiked a fever one night right in the middle of our week long trip. My thermometer was acting all wonky that night but I'm guessing her fever was close to 103. One application of peppermint in the middle of the night brought it down noticeably and enough for her to sleep the rest of the night. By breakfast time she was fever free and back to her cheery little self. I started to loose my voice, oil of Lemon in my hot cup of tea please!

 I've had trouble with my back occasionally and it decided to "act up" the day we planned to go to the zoo as a family. I'm convinced the "Panaway" (an oil blend) and "Peppermint" saved the day.  I was able to walk all over the zoo and enjoy the day with my family. The peppermint was also kept handy during our many hours on the road through the night. A drop or two on the temples is great for helping to keep drivers alert, in addition to that steaming cup o' joe. And then for those nights when we did want to sleep but were missing our own bed, my  "Lavender" came to the rescue. If you're a mom and you know that feeling of waking up in the morning the first time your baby sleeps through the night, that "wow, that felt good, is it really morning?" feeling, (aside from the "is he/she still breathing" panic, of course) THAT is what I feel like in the morning these days, thanks to Lavender.

 I was originally disappointed with the results (or lack thereof) of the oil I purchased for my high blood pressure but a simple adjustment in how I apply it is now bringing me better results than my medication (which I had quit taking anyway because it wasn't doing what it was supposed to) ever did.

  These are just a few of my experiences with EO's. I've heard testimonies for using EO's successfully for everything from pink eye and ear infections to burns, allergies and Endometriosis. But again, I don't claim to be a Doctor or an expert on EO's by any stretch of the imagination. I only share these stories to give you an idea what is available, to make you aware that there is another option besides synthetic pharmaceuticals. And again I say, if you have questions feel free to message me. I'm happy to help any way I can. If I don't know the answer, I'll do my best to track it down for you.

I leave you with this link. It's one of my favorites, a list of over the counter meds and the EO that can be used instead. Fascinating and informative!

Still Learning

  I'm home alone tonight. Well, as alone as a Mama can be with 4 kids...but since they all went to bed quite early, I finally get a chance to share something with you that I've been wanting to post for awhile.
 
 Several months ago a friend of mine introduced me to Essential Oils. She had also just recently been  introduced to them and her words to me were, "Why didn't anyone ever tell me about this before?" She invited me to her home to learn more about what they are and I was simply curious, so I went. So much information was shared that day that I can't begin to share it here. (Although I wish I could, 'cause it's just so fascinating!) I did some additional investigating on my own and now I'm the one saying, "Why hasn't anyone told me about this before?" I mean seriously, EO's are mentioned over 150 times in the Bible, this is not something new. Maybe I'm the one that's been living under a rock and you all have been 'up' on all this for a long time now. If so, feel free to skip down to the end and tell me what your favorite oil is and what you use it for. I love to hear 'real life' stories! Or you can try to explain to me why you never told me about them. :)  If you're like me and you've never heard of them but you're curious, I'd love to hear from you too. I'm considering having someone come here (to my house) and share if anyone is interested or just curious.

My little collection of oils. There are only a couple hundred more to choose from.

   Here's a bit of my story....

  Ok, so technically I had heard of them before but only as used for scent in homemade cleaning supplies etc. And I wouldn't have had a clue where to find them other than a good ol' google search. (And let me just say here, as a side note, EO's are NOT created equal, so that would not have been a great choice.)

  So much of what floats around the 'www' these days is about chemicals and eating clean, sugar free and gluten free, make your own [you name it] and healthy(er) alternatives to everything. I know some of you have made big changes in your lives/diets and you've challenged me to do the same. But right now, the reality is, this house is not going to be 'anything free.' Between my lack of knowledge and time and the fact that many of those alternatives are rather pricey,  all combined with the fact that there are 6 taste testers here with some strong opinions, it's just not feasible for us right now. So while I'm doing what I can and making little changes wherever possible, hoping they add up in the long run, I was thrilled to discover that THIS is something I CAN do for my family.

  I've noticed and maybe you have too, that Doctors these days are quick to fix the symptoms. Sometimes that 'fix' creates another issue which is also treated by covering up those symptoms. It's a big messy spiral. And while I still believe in Doctors and I'm thankful for their expertise, our culture does not do Health care, we do Disease care. There is a big difference! I love that EO's work both ways. They are preventative as well as curative. I also love that they are 100% natural, good-bye to (at least some of the) chemicals around here.

  So the million dollar question you're asking right now is, "yeah, but do they work?" Let me start here by saying, #1. I'm Miss Skeptical when it comes to this kind of stuff, I'm gonna have to see it myself to believe it. That is if I even bother to try it at all. And #2. I'm Miss Cheapskate. You won't find me handing over my precious, hard earned $$ for the latest, greatest scam. But once I heard some of the stories of how people have used EO's I immediately started a list in my head of things in my family that I'd like to experiment on, with my own high blood pressure issues at the very top of that list. To date I have seen impressive results on 2 of those issues, a third one is still in the proving phase and there are at least one or two more I'd like to tackle but haven't yet. That doesn't include the 'minor' things I've used them for, fever, sore throat, headaches...for example. I'm starting to feel like an iphone commercial..."yup, there's an app oil for that."

  One of the first things I did was purchase a big old fat Reference Guide. I've only skimmed the surface of it but it's here now anytime I need it. Like I said before, there is just so much information and it's important to be informed! If you have questions, I'll do what I can to answer them but I'm still learning too. Feel free to message me if you like. And I really would love to hear from you. Have you heard of EO's before? Do you use them? How? Or is this all "Greek" to you?

 
That other stuff you should know: I am not getting paid anything by anyone to tell you this stuff. I'm simply sharing with you what I wish someone would have shared with me a long time ago. I am not an expert on any of this so do you're own research. You can start here. I am not a dealer or a sales representative. I don't sell any of this stuff but I'm more than happy to help you in any way I can. Just ask!