An Unusual Twist on Gratitude

Today I was looking back over some of my past twitter/facebook posts, and the more I did that, the more I was overcome with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. I remembered the good times, the times I was laughing so hard I was crying, the memories made with my friends, and the longing to be remake those memories again. However, I really was drawn to reflecting on the difficult times, and more importantly, how much I had grown through those difficult times.

It's weird.
You see, I enjoyed thinking about and reminiscing on the hard times almost more so than I did on the fun times. It seems almost backward.

I'm not saying that I necessarily enjoyed the thoughts and feelings that rushed back along with those hard memories, but it made me realize where I am today, and how I would not be where I am today had I NOT had those hard times, and had I not chosen to grow through them. Hence, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for them.

God is so good. He grace is....indescribable. In my own life, I've always found that I grow the most through tough times, and I'm pretty sure that applies to most people. I LOVE Genesis 50:20 that states "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result." (NASB)  What Satan intends for evil, God can turn it around for good and for His glory, because He works ALL things for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Rom. 8:28). We see this all throughout the Bible, but the story of Joseph is especially brought to my mind.

So, what can we learn from this?

1. You can choose to accept and be at peace about the past: Nothing that you've done is out of the reach of God's forgiveness and grace. Don't beat yourself up! Forgiveness of yourself and others is a key catalyst to the healing process. God can and will work everything for your good! I'm not saying you may not have to deal with the consequences of your actions, but your future can be bright! We all make mistakes, so don't dwell on the past, but rather, choose to learn and grow from it. :)

2. Live in the present! I sometimes catch myself playing the "what if" game...don't do that! You are where you are for a reason. The past is gone. Whatever you are doing and wherever you are, be all in and do it for HIS glory.

3. Get excited about the future- and stop worrying! God has you in His hand, and He will guide your path and direct you, if you let Him! Yes, we make mistakes, but He is always there to guide us back and lead us to Him. I was once told to think of it like a GPS. We're supposed to let God direct us (let Him be our GPS), but sometimes we take a wrong turn. When this happens, the GPS recalculates to get us back on the right track- so God does with our life!


Here are 2 songs that I absolutely LOVE that completely resonate with this entry:

Sovereign Over Us- Aaron Keyes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPkMbhydU9I
Through All of It- Colton Dixon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91KliTa1ksY

Anyway, just a few thoughts for the day. Time to go back and study for my Gen Chem II final exam that is tomorrow..ha.. :p THANK YOU for taking the time to read. :)

Beautifying Foaming Facial Cleanser

A few people have asked me what I use to make my own facial cleanser, so, here it is! I absolutely LOVE to lather my face with this recipe....it's so luxurious and refreshing- better yet, it's extremely economical AND completely natural. Can't get much better than that!

I made a video about how I do this on Youtube. This is EASY EASY EASY but some people prefer to actually watch it happen. You can check out the video by clicking here. 

The biggest thing that I emphasize when I do this recipe is that you can MAKE IT YOUR OWN!! Play around with the ratio of the oils you use, or try different oils! It's really really hard to mess this up, I promise. Sometimes I substitute different oils based on what I have on hand, and that's okay! Make this how YOU like it. Or in the words of Burger King, "Have it Your Way." 

I always like to gather all my ingredients first. 

With this recipe, all you do is mix all the ingredients in one foaming *glass container and you're all set! It's really that simple.

Ta da! Foaming facial cleanser, it about 3 minutes. 

*A note on the container. I am reusing a Young Living facial cleaner container. I know they use a special grade of plastic that is safe to use with the oils at this level of dilution- do not just go out any buy any old plastic container! Amazon has some good glass ones, and you can also get some at www.lifesciencepublishers.com that are okay to use with diluted EO's.

Natural Beautifying Foaming Facial Cleanser

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:

1). Young Living Essential Oils! Use this as a guide, but you can also substitute other oils. For example, my mom uses Frankincense, Geranium, Myrrh, and Sandalwood instead of the oils I'm using.

-8 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

-4 drops Lemon Essential Oil

-7 drops Frankincense Essential Oil

-6 drops Purification Essential Oil

-7 drops Lavender Essential Oil

-5 drops Elemi Essential Oil

2). About 1/4 c. Organic unscented Castille Soap- this is available at Target or on Amazon.

3). Distilled water

Directions:

1). Pour the castille soup into your empty container. 

2). Add the oils as you desire.

3). Fill the container the remainder of the way with distilled water! 

Shake it up and you're good to go!

*Note: This supports ALL skin types, but, if you do have more mature skin, you can make it extra special by adding a little jojoba oil, vitamin e oil, and rosewater. 

If you're curious about how to get some Young Living oils, I can hook you up. Just click here to read my post about it!

How Can I get these Young Living Oils?

So you've read some of my posts or maybe some other things online about the awesomeness of Young Living Essential oils, but are you ready to try them for yourself? I'm here to help walk you through that process- seriously, it couldn't be easier! There are a few different starter kits to choose from, but the premium kit gives you the BEST deal around.

The Young Living Premium Starter kit comes with 11 of the most commonly used essential oils, your choice of diffuser, a FREE wholesale membership, and other various samples and product information.

As a side note, know that you do NOT have to promote or sell Young Living- EVER. There are NO monthly minimums. There are NO strings attached to this...really! :) You WILL be getting a box full of goodies and tools that have the power to change your life!


ᗯᕼᗩT ᑕOᗰEᔕ Iᑎ TᕼE ᑭᖇEᗰIᑌᗰ ᔕTᗩᖇTEᖇ KIT?

The Everyday Oils Collection, which includes 10 oils that come in 5ml bottles. The bottles contain about 85 drops, and since essential oils are very concentrated, you usually only use 1-2 drops per use. With this in mind, you can see how economical this kit is when you consider the price per drop. The oils included in the U.S. Kit are:

     1. Thieves: Supports a healthy immune system!
     2. Digize: Promotes healthy digestive functioning.
     3. Frankincense: The famous gift! Valued higher than gold in ancient times due to it's many uses,                                      from promoting beautiful skin to being emotionally grounding.
     4. Lemon: Uplift and clean with this oil!
     5. Copaiba: A wonderful oil that is effective in supporting healthy digestion when taken internally.
     6. Peppermint: Promotes healthy digestion and mental clarity, among it's many other uses.
     7. Panaway: The "after stretching, after climbing, after working, after bending" kind of oil.                                       Supports a healthy musculo-skeletal system.
     8. Lavender: One of the most versatile oils! Creates a peaceful and relaxing environment when                                 diffused.
     9. RC: Promotes a healthy respiratory system.
    10. Purification- Purifies the air when diffused as opposed to just masking smells; apply topically                                  to enjoy the outdoors "annoyance-free."

PLUS you get a 5mL bottle of Stress Away- one of my favorites, the name says it all!

Roller Filament- for easily using your favorite oils on the go!

Two Samples of Ningxia Red- a powerhouse of nutrients in a DELICIOUS low sugar juice                                                                   containing the Ningxia Wolfberry and essential oils.

10 Sample packs of essential oils for sharing with friends or to take on the go!

AND a diffuser! The diffuser acts as a humidifier, air purifier, and aromatherapy diffuser in one easy to use product that safely releases essential oils into the air to eliminate odors and create a peaceful atmosphere in any home! This is one of the MOST effective ways to use your oils! The oils are broken into micro-particles that you passively breathe, which goes into your lungs and entire body.

You also get a FREE wholesale membership that allows you to save 24% on future orders!

The Premium Starter Kit is an INCREDIBLE deal for $160 + tax and shipping. If you were to buy all these things at retail, it would cost nearly $300, so why not save some money now and take advantage of this AWESOME deal!? This is how I was introduced to Young Living, and I LOVED playing with all my oils when I got them! There are hundreds of ways to use the oils in this kit! When you order with me, you'll also get one-on-one personal support from me and group support from our Lavender Legacy Team community. We offer a New Member Bootcamp on Facebook as well for our new members, as a gathering place where you can learn about the oils in a safe environment and get started using them!

GᖇEᗩT! ᕼOᗯ ᗪO I OᖇᗪEᖇ?

Ordering your Premium Kit is SUPER easy! Just follow these simple 5 steps:

Step I

-Click Here to go to my online referral link.

-Choose your membership- "Wholesale member" will already be selected. If you want the Premium Starter Kits or another Starter kit, you can move on. If you'd like a retail account, select "retail customer."

-Young Living is a referral based business, so they will ask who introduced you to Young Living. My member number (1485460) will already be populated in both the "sponsor" and "enroller" fields, so you can move along.

Step II

-Fill out your membership information and sign-in information. Create a username, password, and pin. The password will need 1 capital letter and 1 number. I'd recommend writing this down for future log in's.

-Tax Info- select Individual or Business. Wondering why they need this? A SSN is required for wholesale members (like how you had to give it to get a Costco or Sam's membership) as a federal regulation for tax purposes. However, If no one purchases anything using your Young Living member number, your SSN will not be used. 

Step III

-Select Starter Kit- The Premium Kit should automatically be selected, but you get to choose your diffuser! The dew drop diffuser comes with the $160 price, but you can upgrade to other diffusers if you'd like.

-Essential Rewards is Young Living's monthly auto-ship program. It's COMPLETELY optional, so you don't have to worry about it right now. In the future, if you find yourself making repeat orders, then it's definitely something you'd want to do as it's free and allows you to start earning points back for free product and gives you reduced shipping rates. But for now, don't worry about that section.

-Now you can add more products or proceed to check out.

Step IV

-Select your shipping method and enter payment info.

Step V

-Review your cart, then select "Activate and Place order"

You're all set!! Congratulations on making a decision that will promote the wellness of you and your family! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me using the link at the top of the page! Your order should be arriving in 5-8 days. You can always log into your Young Living account to track your order. I'll be sending you a personal welcome email shortly that will give you some more information and resources for you to use while you wait for your lovely box of oils!

Also, check out this video, it really shares the heart of Young Living as a company!

I'm so excited for you to try these oils, AHHH I can't wait for you to get them!!!! Hah. I'm just as excited as you are for you to get them, because I know how AWESOME they are and how much they are going to rock your world!!

Gluten-Free Lemon Cupcakes with Luscious Lavender Icing

About a month ago it was my birthday, so I decided that I wanted to make a dessert to celebrate! (Yes I am posting this super late, but better late than never!) Now, usually, if you know me at all, you know that I would TOTALLY go for something chocolate, because well, that's just me. BUT I'd been wanting to experiment more with using essential oils in cooking, so I decided to try something that would be (hopefully) pretty good and that would allow me to try something new with the oils. Turns out, it WAS really good!!! I ended up taking the cupcakes to a team meeting (with other oilers) and they LOVED them- yay!

Side note: I ONLY recommend cooking with and ingesting Young Living brand essential oils. You can look at my previous post to find out why it's the only company I trust, but even if you don't take it from me, Young Living oils are the only ones that are GRAS (generally recognized as safe for ingestion) by the FDA and are food-grade quality. Anything else you use migghhhttt a). cause the taste to be different and/or b). contain chemicals that might not be the smartest to ingest.

Anyway, I found the original cake recipe here, and the icing recipe here! However, I did make some modifications from the original recipes, since the recipes didn't use essential oils like I did. :-)

Got all the supplies ready to go!

I LOVEEE lemon zest!! Mmm! The recipe above originally called for the zest of 2 lemons, but I only used the zest of 1 lemon + 12 drops of Lemon EO. YUM. It was the PERFECT balance of fresh and tangy!

YAY! Finally out! The batter was thick, so the cake turned out to be more of a moist lemon pound-cake consistency, which was actually really delicious with the lavender icing. 

Finally, after waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting....they were cool enough to ice. :-) The original icing recipe used dried lavender instead of Lavender EO. I just used the essential oil and it worked wonderfully! BUT you ONLY need 1 or maybe 2 drops oil. Start with less, trust me. The lavender is VERY potent and if you put too much, your icing will taste like a bar of soap. 

Final touches. :)

Ta-da!! Lemon Cupcakes with Luscious Lavender Icing. Perfect for your next summer event, or the next time you want to try cooking with your YL essential oils. :-)

Gluten- Free Lemon Cake Recipe- modified from Sweetapolita's original recipe

Yields 18 Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 cup buttermilk, at room temp.

2 eggs + 1 yolk, at room temp.

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 cups gluten free flower, sifted

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp.

Zest of 1 med-large lemon

12 drops Young Living Lemon Essential Oil

Directions:

1). Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 2 standard sized muffin pans with baking liners.

2). In a medium bowl, combine and stir the eggs, 1/4 cup of buttermilk, and vanilla. Set aside. 

3). The the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the dry ingredients, including the sugar, together on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and blend on low speed for 30 more seconds, then add remaining buttermilk and mix on low speed until just moistened. Increase to medium speed and blend for 1 1/2 minutes.

4). Scrape the sides of the bowl and begin to add egg/milk mixture in 3 separate batches. Beat on medium speed for 20 seconds in between additions. Stir in the lemon zest and essential oil.

5). Divide the batter between the liners, do not fill liners more than 2/3 full!

6). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 15-20 minutes). Be really careful not to over-bake. When done, place the hot pans on wire racks and carefully (they're really hot!!) remove the cupcakes to let cool. Allow to cool completely before icing. 

Luscious Lavender Icing- modified from Corkandspoon's original recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup milk (give or take, play around with it until you get the consistency you want)

1/2 cup butter, softened (NOT melted)

about 5c. powdered sugar

salt

1-2 drops Young Living Lavender Essential Oil (I'd stick with one, personally) 

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (I don't recommend the pre-bottled stuff)

2 tsp. fresh lemon zest

Directions:

1). Beat butter and 2 tbsp of milk together in an electric mixer, add a nice pinch of salt

2). Add 2.5 cups of powdered sugar and beat until incorporated.

3). Add lemon zest and juice, and Lavender Oil

4). Begin alternating between additions of more sugar (about 1/2 c. at a time) and milk (no more than a few teaspoon's at a time). Taste test frequently to determine if you need to add more sugar or milk, based on the flavor of the lavender. Keep an eye on how thick it is becoming. Play around with it a bit, and make it how you like it. If the lavender is too strong, add more powdered sugar. If the icing is too thick, add more milk. 

5). If you'd like, use gel food coloring to tint the frosting. Liquid food coloring has the potential to make the frosting runny, so stick with gel if you can.

6). For best results, chill the icing 30-45 minutes before piping on cupcakes (I totally forgot this step when I made it, hence why my icing looks more runny) :) 

Enjoy and happy baking!! 

If you're curious about how to get some Young Living oils, I can hook you up. Just click here to read my post about it!

Can You Trust Your Essential Oil Company?

Okay, so this is a topic that I feel NEEDS to be addressed. If you're totally confused about the whole essential oil thing and don't even know where to start, THIS is the article for you.

There are ALOT of essential oil companies out there. Literally, just walk into the nearest health food's store and take a walk down the entire isle they have dedicated to the stuff. If you've never noticed it before, you will now. Now, if I was new to this field, I know I would feel very overwhelmed trying to decide which oil is a good one!  I was at a conference this last weekend on Essential Oils, and the speaker said that the essential oil industry is one of the most corrupted industries out there. WOW, that blew my mind! BUT it does make sense when you start to do some research! I found out that 98% of oils on the market have been adulterated or diluted to some extent.  I mean, it would be ironic, even dangerous, to try to do something "natural," but then unknowingly be using "natural" products that still contained synthetics.

SO what's the deal? How can you really know if what you're using for your family is safe?

Personally, I only use Young Living Oils. Yes, I'll admit that I am a bit biased. However, here's a good comparison of different companies. You can make the decision for yourself. These are GREAT questions to ask when determining what oils you want to use- the company you use should be willing to provide you with this type of information. If they don't know or won't tell you...RED FLAG.

Other reasons I only use Young Living....

1. Not only do they own their own farms, but they go BEYOND organic in their farming. They clear all their own land, so they never buy farms that have previously been farmed on, due to potential residual pesticides that could be in the soil. Pest control is done using their essential oils, and weed control is done by hand!

2. They are the largest distiller of essential oils in the world and are a 20 year old company. 
Lots of experience here!

3. When a particular plant is out of season and a product runs out of stock...we sometimes have to wait until the harvest until we are able to get that product again! While this can be a pain sometimes, it truly is evidence that they will NOT sacrifice purity for sales. It would be SO easy for them to add synthetics to the oil so that it smells almost exactly the same, but they're not about that life. They're about purity and giving their customers only the best, even if it means we have to wait for it sometimes. However, they are currently expanding their farms so that this doesn't happen. :)

4. Many Young Living Oils are GRAS (generally recognized as safe for ingestion) by the FDA.
     HINT: If an oil you ever buy from somewhere else says "not for internal use," in small print,...red flags should be going up EVERYWHERE!! After all, everything you put on your skin goes internally anyway.

5. The Seed to Seal Promise ensures quality throughout every part of the distillation and growing process. Distillation and testing facilities are on site. Check out www.seedtoseal.com for more info.

6. YL oils are first distillation only- which means they are the most potent and concentrated.



After looking at all of the facts, it was easy for me to determine that I was with a company that was providing the highest quality EO's on the market, and that YES, I could trust Young Living oils to be held to the highest standard of excellence.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone out there that's working through all this! Essential Oils are a wonderful thing. :) I'd love to chat with you about it and can help you get the best deal with the best EO's around! Just shoot me an email under the "contact me" tab or visit www.naturallypureoils4u.com!

Love you guys!!