Spring Time!

      Spring is here! I love all the flowers, the rain and the occasional sunny day. One of my favorite things about spring, is the sudden urge to thoroughly clean everything. Due to this urge to clean, I am going to share a couple natural cleaners with you guys.

I have been doing a lot of research on natural alternatives to various different products that are used on a daily basis, but contain a ton of chemicals. I have found some really good alternatives for laundry soap, all purpose cleaners, dryer sheets, and even hand soap.
       Young Living has essential oil infused cleaning products, that not only work great, but they smell amazing. The main essential oil that they use in their cleaning products is the blend Thieves. Thieves is a blend of Cinnamon, Clove, Rosemary, Lemon, and Eucalyptus essential oils. This particular blend is based on the legend of some thieves during the Black Plague. The story says that these thieves would put this blend of oils on themselves and then go loot the houses of the dead and dying of those who were suffering from the plague. When the authorities finally caught them, they let them go on an easier sentence in exchange for the recipe of this blend. Using  Young Living's Thieves infused cleaners kills germs both airborne and otherwise, more effectively then store bought cleaners. Plus they smell like Christmas! 

     If you already incorporate natural cleaners, but still use store bought laundry soap, I have found a   recipe that I have tried and I really like how it works. It uses 3 simple ingredients, Borax, Washing Soda and an organic bar of soap. This recipe works really well and its super simple. I have also made my own dryer balls out of 100% natural wool yarn.

What you do is you buy 100% wool yarn from your local craft store or farmers market. Then you start rolling the yarn into a ball until its the same size as a soft ball. Next you put it into the feet of nylons and wash and dry them until they are felted. You will then have dryer balls that you can use for a very, very long time.
       These are only a few of the ways that you can switch out the chemical laden cleaning products in your home. If you are interested in any of these products you can check them out at Young Living's website. If you decide to order while you are there click on the Member Sign-up button at the top of the page and enter my member # in the enroller # and sponsor # slots. (My # is 1564241.)
       The Essential Oil Infused Pillow Spray Part went really well last week. We had a lot of fun! I will be hosting more oil parties, so if you missed that one there are more to come. If you are interested in attending a party check out my Facebook page at Thoughts From Oakdale, where I will be posting more information about future parties.
      We only have 27% of the signatures that we need statewide, to be able to vote to end taxpayer funded abortions in Oregon. Please sign the petition, have all your friends and family sign it. This is such an important issue that we can't just let it go any longer. Go to the website and print off the petition, contact me and get petition sheets from me, or just sign one. We only have till May 11th, 2014 to get to our goal, so that we can vote on it in November. We can do it you guys.
     If you have any natural cleaning products or recipes that you like to use please share them with us! I would love to hear what you use.

Soli Deo GLoria!

Ear Trouble

          This week I had to deal with my ears being plugged with ear wax and had to go to the doctor's office to have it taken care of. My ears were really sore from all the trauma of having the wax taken out, so I did some research to see what oils would be be good for ear pain. I will be listing ones that are a great defense against earaches, ear wax, and just plain old ear pain.

        Earaches are really unpleasant, whether your an adult or a child, and they are hard to relieve. Lavender, Thyme, Roman Chamomile, Purification, Eucalyptus and Melaleuca Essential Oils are  great earache relievers and they help your body fight the earache bacteria. I am not against going to the doctor or using modern medicine, in fact I am all for using both natural remedies and essential oils with as well as modern medicine. They can compliment each other. I think there are times when it's not necessary to use modern medicine and vice versa. This week was definitely a time when modern medicine and essential oils worked together, and I am very thankful for both.

However, with the way modern medicine as been made lately, with all the chemical ingredients, why not use something natural and safe, that works just as well, if not better. To apply any of these oils apply it topically behind the ear on your head. Before I went to the doctor, my ears hurt pretty bad and I wasn't sure if I had an earache as well as a lot of ear wax. I used lavender between my ear and my head to help with the pain. It worked so well that I was able to fall asleep that night.
            The only oil that I heard of that would help with ear wax was Thieves.
                                          
I tried using Thieves to get the ear wax out of my ear before going to the doctor, but my ear wax was so solidly in my ear that it was even hard for the doctor to get out. I am going to try putting some between my ear and my head for a few weeks to try and keep the wax from building up. A bonus is that Thieves smells really good.
              My ears hurt really bad this last week, because, there was so much pressure in my ears from the wax. So to help relieve some of the pain I put Peppermint and Panaway on my ears in the same place that I put Thieves and Lavender. My ears were very uncomfortable for a couple days, until I went to the doctor to have them cleaned out. I am going to try to maintain them now and not let them get so bad.

            Saturday, March 22nd I am hosting a hands on house party, during which we will be making essential oil infused pillow spray. The options for scent are Lemon essential oil and the blend Purification. If you are interested in joining there are a couple slots still available, and if your not able to come to this one I will be doing another one in April and several more through out the year.To stay updated on these events like my Facebook Page where I will be posting that kind of thing. If you are interested in learning more about Young Living and their products, check out their website. And if you like what you see and decide to order, click on the member sign-up button and enter my member # into the enroller # and sponsor # slots. (My member # is 1564241.)
             We have less then 2 months to get all the signatures  we need to end taxpayer funded abortions in Oregon. We have already collected 26% of the signatures we need statewide and 32% of the signatures we need in Jackson County. I think that anything is possible and that we can get all the signatures we need in time. However, we only have till May 11th, so now is the time for action. Please go to the website and sign the petition! Simply print it out, sign and mail it in. And while you have a sheet please have your friends, family and neighbors sign before you send it in.
        Have a wonderful week! If you have any natural remedies for any kind of ear ailment, whether its herbs or essential oils please share them with us.

Soli Deo Gloria!            

          

Culinary Essential Oils

       As I have been researching essential oils, I have discovered that you can cook with them! You have to be careful with how much of each particular oil that you use when cooking, as each oil has different safe dosage. So I will include a short list of oils that are safe to cook with, a few ideas for flavored water or tea, and a recipe.
         The oils that I am going to mention are ones that we are already familiar with in the kitchen but have been used in different forms. Basil Essential Oil is first on the list. We are used to using basil in its herb form, so use its oil for a little extra flavor.

 Another essential oil that we are familiar with in the kitchen in powder form is Nutmeg.

         Peppermint and Lemon Essential oils are also on the list for oils that are wonderful additions to any recipe. These oils are also great natural flavors for drinks. Add a couple drops of lemon to water for lemon water, or peppermint to coffee, hot chocolate or tea for a seasonal drink. If you don't feel like cooking with essential oils, you can still receive the benefits of ingesting them by using capsules. Young Living has organic gel capsules that you can order as well as an excellent line of cast iron  skillets.
        Cooking with essential oils allows you to get the great nutritional value of the oil, and enjoy its wonderful flavor. I have included a recipe for brownies that uses peppermint essential oil and orange essential oil. It's a recipe that I got from the newsletter that Young Living sends out.
     

           Vegan Orange Cacao Mint Brownies
8 large Dates                               2 cups Walnuts
3/4 cup raw Cacao Powder         1/4 cup chopped walnuts or almonds
1/4 chopped soft Raisins             6 drops Young Living Orange Essential Oil
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract


1) Place 2 cups of walnuts in a food processor outfitted with the "S" blade and grind until they are finely ground.
2) Add the cacao powder and pulse to combine.
3) Add the Orange oil and the Vanilla extract.
4) Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube while the processor is running. The mixture should appear like cake crumbs. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
5) Add the remaining walnuts and raisins to the brownie mixture. Mix well with your hands. If the mixture is dry sprinkle with water.
6) Pack firmly into a 7x7 inch pan and chill 1 hour before cutting and serving.

             Peppermint Topping
1/2 cup Blue Agave                      4 tablespoons Cacao Powder
2 tablespoons Olive Oil                1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 tablespoon melted Coconut Oil  3-4 drops Young Living Essential Oil

 Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender and spread on top of the brownies.

If you are interested in any of these products checkout Young Living's website and if you decide to order click on the "member-sign up" button at the top of the page. There will be 2 slots at the top of the order form labeled "enroller #" and "sponsor #" enter my # into both of those slots. (My number is 1564241.)

       Earlier this week 5 homeschooled Juniors and Seniors competed in the Right-to-Life Oratory Competition. All 5 of these students did an excellent job on their speeches. We still need signatures for the  petition to end tax-payer funded abortions in Oregon. State wide we have 26% of the signatures that we need, and here in Jackson County we have 30% of the signatures that we need to collect. It is encouraging to see progress, but we still have a long way to go in a short amount of time. The deadline is May 11th, 2014. We can do it!
   
Have you ever used essential oils to cook with? Please share your cooking experiences!

Soli Deo Gloria!
 

Can Essential Oils Relieve Migraine Headaches?

                One of the questions that I have gotten quite a bit since I have started my oil business is, can they help with migraine headaches? There are quite a few essential oils that can help relieve the symptoms of migraine headaches.  I used to get migraines when I was younger, so I understand how they feel, but I have not had one since I have started using essential oils.
          Almost all the oils that I am going to mention are in the Everyday Kit that's included in the Premium Starter Kit.

Peppermint Essential Oil is one of the oils that helps. It has very nice cooling effect when its applied. And it smells divine! 

Panaway which is a blend that contains: wintergreen, helichrysum, and peppermint. This is one of my favorite blends. Like peppermint, Panaway is very refreshing when used.

Lavender is an oil of many faces, not only is it calming, but it also is great for fighting colds, headaches, skin blemishes and much more. It's a great oil to have on hand.

Peace & Calming is another blend that made it on the list. It includes: tangerine, ylang ylang, blue tansy, orange and patchouli. It has a very unique and interesting smell.

So the last oil that I am going to mention is the only one that is not included in the Everyday Kit, but it is a wonderful oil to have. It's called Deep Relief, it's another blend that includes: copaiba, balsam fir, helichrysum, wintergreen, palo santo, lemon, peppermint, clove and vetiver. I love using this one! I have used it for headaches and to get to sleep.

One way of application is to apply them to your temples, or to the soles of your feet or you can diffuse them into the air, or do all three. You can also use one or all of the oils that I mentioned. If you are interested in any of these oils or in any other product from Young Living check out their website. If you want to order click on the Member Sign-up button and enter my member # (which is 1564241) in the enroller # and the sponsor # slots.
              We are only 28% towards our goal of signatures for the petition to end taxpayer funded abortions in Oregon. Please sign it by either going onto the website and printing it out from there and mailing it in, or by talking to me about it when you see me next. May 11th is getting closer. I think we can achieve the goal if we all work together.
          What are some natural migraine relievers do you like to use? Please share them with use.

Soli Deo Gloria!