Love to Decorate (even if it's not my house)

I love to decorate, organize and rearrange!  Sometimes I run out of ideas at my own house, so I like to go play in other people's houses.  (I have been known to beg people to let me organize their closets.)

My mom lets me do what I want at her house...usually, as long as I run it past her first.  And I have the best sister-in-laws, who let me share my opinions (bossy??? maybe???) and sometimes even let me help a little!

Last summer, I got to go on a major shopping spree with one of these sweet sisters who had a small fortune in wedding gift cards waiting to be spent making their house a home.  We had so much fun...well at least I did, I'm not sure about her, since shopping is not her favorite thing to do.

Just last week, I was at her house and told her that I saw a mudroom bench on Pinterest that was so similar to what she let me do for her.  She said that I should post hers on Pinterest, so I guess I will!

I didn't have my camera with me, so an iPhone shot will have to do. 

 

She already had this great old church pew, and the room was just begging for some bright color.  I love how it turned out!

Everyday Essential Oil Storage for Kids

 

In our house, we use essential oils everyday.  And each one of us has a different combination of oils that we use for various reasons.  To make this easier, first I make roller bottles for everyone for easy application. Spark Naturals has 10 ml roller bottles available on their website, making it convenient to add them to your order of essential oils and carrier oils (my favorite carrier is the liquid coconut oil).

To make it easy for the kids to use their roller bottles, I store them in travel soap containers.  This way, they know where to find their particular oil bottles and it keeps them all together in a safe place.  One of these travel soap boxes can hold three of the 10 ml roller bottles of essential oil.

If you are looking for a way to order top quality, pure essential oils WHEN you want, WHAT you want, and HOW much you want, Spark Naturals is the place to go!  And as an added bonus, you can enjoy 10% off of every order by using discount code:  lisakaye
And every order over $55 comes with FREE shipping.  If you want an affordable way to build your supply of essential oils, Spark offers the Oil Of The Month Club.  For only $15.99 a month (total cost, including shipping and tax), you receive a 15 ml bottle of top quality essential oil.  You can sign up at any time and cancel at any time, no lengthy commitment required. 

 

 

If you have any questions about these essential oils, please ask me!

Lessons from the Trail: Avoid Hidden Snares

I love running trails. And there is no more beautiful time of year to be on the trail than in the fall. There is also not a more dangerous time to run trails than in the fall. The thick cover of newly fallen leaves covers roots, rocks and holes. I have to slow down and be extra careful of these hidden dangers. 

This made me think of an important lesson for life. We need to slow down and listen to the LORD, through His word, the Bible, and be careful not to fall into the snares of sin. 

In Psalm 141, David is praying to the LORD for safekeeping from wickedness. 

LORD, I cry out to You; Make haste to me! Give ear to my voice when I cry out to You. Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice wicked works With men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies. Let the righteous strike me; It shall be a kindness. And let him rebuke me; It shall be as excellent oil; Let my head not refuse it. For still my prayer is against the deeds of the wicked. Their judges are overthrown by the sides of the cliff, And they hear my words, for they are sweet. Our bones are scattered at the mouth of the grave, As when one plows and breaks up the earth. But my eyes are upon You, O G OD the Lord; In You I take refuge; Do not leave my soul destitute. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, And from the traps of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, While I escape safely. (Psalms 141:1-10 NKJV)

Let's all do our best to avoid hidden snares!

Body Butter

Sometimes, at night, my legs go crazy.  They are just uncomfortable enough that I can not relax.  I used to take ibuprofen and that would help, but a couple of years ago when I started using essential oils, I found that a little Spark Naturals Lavender and Roman Chamomile essential oils rubbed into my legs would help just as well as the ibuprofen. 

 

This week, I decided to make a little "body butter" to use as my carrier oil for the Lavender and Roman Chamomile at night. 

 



Yesterday, I whipped up a small batch of body butter.  It was quick and easy and feels amazing! Not only does it help my legs calm down at bedtime, but it has my hands feeling silky smooth.

 

This body butter can be mixed up with your choice of essential oils for whatever need you have.  It is a great carrier oil. Add a little Rosemary for achy joints, or Lemongrass for aches and pains.  The possibilities are endless!

 

For 10% off of your entire order from Spark Naturals, use discount code:  lisakaye



HoneyCrisp Apples and Caramel Dip

One of my favorite sights at the grocery store is a bin full of HoneyCrisp apples.  This is made even better when there is a sale sign above the bin!  I have been know to spend a small fortune filling several bags full of these delicious apples.  I eat one almost everyday.

Recently, I was introduced to crock-pot caramel dip.  WOW!  Easy and tastes amazing!  I filled one pint sized mason jar with a can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, tightened the lid and placed it in a crock pot full of water on low for eight hours.  The caramel comes out perfect.

I love to eat a HoneyCrisp apple plain, but now, if I want just a little sweet treat, I scoop out about a tablespoon full of the caramel dip and eat it with my apple.

Try it...you just might love it, too!

Oil Flowers

My girls love for me to make "oil flowers" for them to take to sleep.  It started when I was trying to help my older daughter get to sleep when she had a headache.  I took a cotton ball and added two drops of lavender oil, then wrapped it in a Kleenex to keep the oil from touching her skin.  I gave it to her and told her to hold it close to her nose and breathe in the oil.  It worked beautifully!  Her headache eased up and she fell right to sleep. 

 

 

Now both girls like to have "oil flowers" often.  Whether for a headache, bellyache, coughing or just trouble falling to sleep.

Next time you have a little one who is having troubles at bedtime, try an "oil flower"!

A great source for essential oils is Spark Naturals.  For 10% off of your entire order, use discount code:  lisakaye

Favorite Skin Mousse

I used to LOVE Clinique's Moisture Surge, but I never loved the price and when I started trying to use all natural products on my skin, I wasn't crazy about buying a product for my face whose ingredients were unknown to me.
I tried several alternatives, but was never happy with the way any felt.  Nothing felt quite as nice as the Moisture Surge....UNTIL...

I found this "recipe" for Skin Mousse in The Essential Guide to Oils by Jennie Harding:

In a clean glass jar that is big enough to hold up to 20ml, mix 15 ml Aloe Vera gel and 5 ml Jojoba oil.  Whip the mixture together until it thickens and becomes an opaque, pale cream color. 

Aloe Vera is known for its medicinal properties and can be used to heal irritated skin.

Jojoba oil is similar in composition to our skins natural oil, so it is absorbed easily.  It provides great hydration for our skin and can be used to help balance oily skin.

Next, I add 10 drops each of Spark Naturals Cypress, Frankincense and Lavender essential oils.  I found this blend on Camp Wander.

Cypress has antiseptic and astringent properties and can be used to help clear oily skin.

Frankincense has astringent properties and can be used to improve skin-tone and heal blemishes.

Lavender has analgesic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties and can be used to calm irritated skin and reduce swelling.

This is a wonderful moisturizer when you don't want something too heavy on your face, especially in humid climates.  I use this skin mousse daily and it is safe to use on children, so I put it on the kids sun-kissed cheeks or any other irritated skin that they have.

As always, to enjoy 10% off of your entire purchase at Spark Naturals, use discount code: lisakaye