Sizzle Sizzle

Work hard and play hard in the sun? We do!

While we'd like to believe that we're awesome about protecting the good ole skin and peepers over here, the truth is, we're just not. That first layer of sunscreen, yes. That second layer is usually where we fail.

Enter: refrigerated sunburn relief! (Brr! Yes! Run! Relief! All at the same time).

There are quite a few oils in this mixture. Each one has its job to bring you relief.

Lavender is usually known for bringing on relaxation and peace. Lavender also has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which supports your skin's healing process. Peppermint just makes us think of cool and ahhh. Peppermint promotes a cooling sensation and the scent will just bring you joy. Geranium has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce redness. Frankincense helps to promote the healing of your skin through regeneration.






What you need:
-4 oz glass spray bottle
-10 drops lavender essential oil
-7 drops frankincense essential oil
-5 drops peppermint essential oil
-5 drops geranium essential oil (or, exchange geranium for chamomile essential oil)
-3 Tablespoons of aloe vera gel
-2 Tablespoons of witch hazel
-Top with Fractionated Coconut Oil

Feel free to add a few drops of vitamin E oil as well, if you have some.

Shake well and spray on to sunburn. This mixture is for external use only. 

We like to keep our after sun spray in the fridge, which adds a little challenge, as you have to let it sit out for a few minutes to warm up so it sprays well when you use it. And, it may be a little surprising, but it feels oh so lovely when the cooled after sun spray hits your skin and just about sizzles.

Load up on your oils here. You never have to sell oils to get them at wholesale prices! We just love using them and want to share this goodness with you all.

Enjoy!

Summer Bug Busters

We're loving summer - the sunshine, summer nights, time at the lake...and the bugs are loving us! Chomp chomp.

We love to use Terrashield to keep the bugs off without all of the chemicals. It smells nice and will keep you from being skeeter dinner.

Terrashield is safe to diffuse and it won't stain clothing.



What you need: 
-1 oz glass spray bottle (always put essential oils in a glass bottle)
-10-20 drops of Terrashield (you can you get your favorite oils here)
-1/2 oz witch hazel (with alcohol - this works as a preservative)
-1/2 oz distilled water (distilled to keep funky sedatives out)

Shake and spray! 


Here is another similar recipe you might like:
-4 oz glass spray bottle
-10 drops Terrashield essential oil
-5 drops Purify essential oil
-3 drops lemongrass essential oil
-3 drops lavender essential oil
-1 Tablespoon fractionated coconut oil
-1 teaspoon witch hazel
-fill the remainder of the spray bottle with distilled water

Shake and spray!

You can find any of our favorite oils here.

Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins

You know when life gets a little hectic and you, well, hibernate?

Summer's finally here!

We have a great company recipe to share with you, in case you're spending the weekend celebrating our Independence with some folks who just can't do gluten.

What you'll need: 

MUFFINS
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups + 2 T Gluten Free Flour (divided)
1 t Xanthan Gum
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 c sour cream
2 t vanilla extract (be sure to use real vanilla extract; some imitation versions may contain gluten
1/4 c milk (we use Ripple Vanilla Unsweetened -- any milk will do!)
1 T lemon juice
1 T + 1 t lemon zest

TOPPING
2 T Gluten Free Flour
2 T melted butter
4 T granulated sugar* 
1 t   lemon zest
*if your topping is not crumbly, add a little more sugar; if it is not crumbly enough, add a tad more


What to do: 
-Put together your crumble topping in a small bowl. Mix with a fork.
-In a small mixing bowl, roll your blueberries lightly in 2 T of gluten-free flour to coat the berries.
-In a second small mixing bowl, mix together 2 cups of gluten free flour, 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, baking powder, and salt.
-In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs, vanilla, milk, lemon juice and lemon zest. Beat until smooth. (Don't panic if things start to separate...flour is next and that'll bring it all together!)
-Add the flour mixture to the large mixing bowl one cup at a time.
-Add the sour cream to the mixing bowl.
-Carefully fold in the blueberries.
-Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full of muffin batter. Spring each muffin top with a T of topping before baking.

Notes: The gluten-free flour you use matters. If you have one that you adore, give that a try. Some gluten-free flours and flour mixes have a grainy texture that you won't like in your muffins!

If you want a really lemony punch, add a drop of lemon essential oil.


Baking: 
-Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. These muffins will have a light color when baked - use a toothpick to check if they are done at 20 minutes.
-Let your muffins cool, then enjoy!

April showers brings...snow? Spring cleaning with essential oils.

Here in the midwest tundra of MN, one can never really tell if it's time to put the winter gear away and leap in to spring. Usually, a sure fire way to get another snow storm is to start adding spring clothes to my closet. Worked great this year! We're working on 12+ inches of snow - in April!

A spring snow day home from school is a great time to get some little things done around the house. I tend to let things 'to do' stack up on our counter tops, so we made it through the pile today. But then, it's cleaning time.

Our fave essential oils co has some great pre-made OnGuard products for cleaning if you're not in to mixing stuff up or inventing potions on your own. OnGuard is a protective blend that smells fabulous anywhere in the house. We use it in a salve on our feet to keep us healthy during cold and flu season and it's a great natural household (and sheshed and barn) cleaner.

If you like to mix and mingle your own inventions, here's one that I like to put in a 16 oz (or bigger) glass spray bottle to clean all over the house:

• 1/4 c white vinegar
• 1 3/4 c water (distilled if you have hard water)
• 20 drops OnGuard essential oil
• 20 drops lemon essential oil

If you're thinking meh, no thanks, I like my toxic cleaners, you might also add OnGuard to your daily routine in other ways:

• Diffuse 3-4 drops of OnGuard to give yourself a boost 
• Add 2-3 drops in a veggie capsule for an immune boost
• Mix 10 drops with water in a spray bottle to clean toys 
• Add a drop to honey to soothe a sore throat
• Add to dishwater fluid to help remove water spots
• Put a few drops on your vacuum filter to freshen the air 

You Do You

Lately I've been getting questions like, you do essential oils? You make candles? You make vinyl sticky things? You - insert comment here - do that? Where do you find the time? How'd you figure that out?

Yup.

I've got a mean talent for rhinestoning costumes, too. E6000 is some wicked glue. But, that's not what this is about.

As we travel along this journey trying to figure out how to do this thing, live more simply, quite a bit has surprised me. There's a lot we can live without. There's a lot I was holding on to that I can live without. There are also so many things we love to do, that we don't get to do enough of. We forget these simple things that fill our souls, when we're dashing from one thing to another all of the time. While this started out being about more simple 'stuff', it's evolving in to choosing to spend our time in a different way and with different people.

Make the time to do the things you love. Honor that time. You'll never regret it.

We used to run all over the place every weekend. We were trying to make everyone else happy. You know, do it all, have it all. So...we all got in the same place and stopped running. Don't get me wrong, there's still stuff to do, so we do some of it, and then we spend the rest of our time doing what makes our hearts sing. Creating.

Crazy idea: this doing better stuff is not sold at Target. I know, I love Target. The magical land where everything you need is in the back of the store, so the mesmerizing music can hypnotize you into buying $98 worth of stuff when you went in thinking you'd spend $2. Welcome to my life! Target even has Magnolia Market items there now and ughhh --- it's wonderful, farm-y looking stuff that I think I need to have on those days that I'm missing the dirt. You know what? When I buy those things they look cute in my house. Yet, they never spark any joy and wonder like the old stuff does. Ever.

WHOA. 

That right there is what I'm talking about. Target doesn't even fuel my fire anymore. (To the Zon and sister Prime, we're still pals, don't worry, but your time may be coming, too).

I like old stuff. Stuff that already has a story, that brings renewed joy, that makes my mind wander and peaks my curiosity. Dishes, farm stuff, furniture, lamps - things that have filled the space for someone else and fits perfectly into our being, just as it has before.

I like simple stuff. Food and life hacks that come from my kitchen. Essential oils that smell good and make a body feel good. The flicker and scent of the soy candle I made, filling the room with yummy and no black soot. Curling up on my chair with a chai tea. Mermaid hair stuff that has rosemarytea, essential oils, and sea salt in it to calm the crazy frizz. Homemade spa days with the fam. Tossing snowballs at the Queen.

[I like internet that works. Yes. Simple. 21st century. I can live with that, even at the farm.]

I like a little online boutique that has clothes that fit me all the time, that make me look sexy, that I love to wear...and I now own one third of the clothes I did a year ago, because I don't need all of those clothes to choose from. I just wear what actually makes me happy. (I do need a clothes line and this tundra business isn't helping). Still, happy.

I like me. I don't mind the judgement from other people. I don't mind missing the things I used to do. I don't mind being enough and having enough. I don't even mind setting boundaries and saying nope.

I didn't expect to get here, though I also don't think I'll ever truly arrive. You might say I'm glad to be participating in 40 bags in 40 days, which is something I love about lent - finding your inner self just a little bit more. Each year, more stuff goes and more happiness fills its space. I'm starting to like it here in this happier, emptier, simpler space.

Don't take my word for it. You decide when it's time to let it go. You find yourself in there and let it all out (hold on tight!) You do you. We'll still love you.

The Thaw

Wondering where we've been? Digging out from snow after snow after snow!

It's beautiful here in the tundra and all of that snow makes for a sore body. Mixing essential oils with epsom salts for a muscle loving soak is one of the best ways to thaw and rejuvinate.

A few notes for the wise: epsom salts dissolve in warm bath water, essential oils don't. Using essential oils neat on your skin could cause a burn, so be cautious when adding those drops of blissful oil. Essential oils done right are a beautiful thing!

The best way to spread the essential oil love in your bath is to add the essential oils  to your epsom salts before you put the salts into your bath. To do this, put 2 cups of epsom salts in to a container with a lid. Add the drops of essential oil throughout the salts, cover, and shake 'em up well. This will help to mix the oils with the salts and disperse them more evenly throughout your bath.

Optional adds: If you have something like liquid castile soap or liquid goat milk soap, you can also add this to the bath. If this crazy cold weather caused your skin to chap, you can also add a tablespoon of carrier oil to the bath.

You can use other salts, such as dead sea salt, or himalayan salt. We like to keep it simple and are looking for some muscle relief, so we use epsom salts.


Salts Bath
-2 cups epsom salts
-10-15 drops essential oil
-liquid castile soap (optional)
-1 T carrier oil (jojoba, coconut, etc. - optional) if your skin needs moisturizing too

Which oils do I use? 
Many people love the smell of Lavender in the bath. Peppermint can be uplifting and give your muscles some relief.  Eucalyptus provides stuffy nose support. Roman chamomile is calming. Wild orange puts in a spring in your step.

Not all oils are skin friendly. Learn more about each oil here.

If you're using a citrus oil in your bath, you only need a few drops. Citrus oils (most of which contain furocoumarins) are also photosensitive, and some are phototoxic. This can make your skin much more sensitive to the sun's rays (including tanning beds), which can cause burns when you're exposed to sunlight or UV light. Fear not, if you're in the tundra like us you won't see that ball of light for a few more months! Still, guard your skin (trust me, I tend to only learn the hard way).

Enjoy!






More info about using peppermint and eucalyptus with kids.

People often ask about the best essential oils to get started with.

Essential oils support us in so many ways and we each have scent preferences. Two easy essential oils to get started with are peppermint and lavender. These oils are pretty flexible in their use. Still, they are concentrated, so diluting them with a carrier oil is needed for use topically. If you're using essential oils for kids, diffusing is a less intrusive way to introduce essential oils. It's best to consult with your physician before using essential oils with very young children. Our fave oils have a kids line, with guidelines for use to help you out!

Let's start with peppermint. We use it every day. It's wonderful on our diffuser bracelets, in lotion or in a body butter. I just love the smell.

The better half of us is not a spider fan. He uses peppermint throughout the inside of the house in the city and in all of the buildings at the farm to ward off spiders - works pretty well! A spray bottle with water and peppermint or rubbing alcohol/vodka and peppermint will do the trick.

Peppermint supports you in a number of ways: it's a pick me up, reduces nausea and headaches, supports focus and activates the thinker, provides some pain relief for muscles and sunburns (add it to organic aloe in a spray bottle and toss it in the fridge - ahhh!) Peppermint also smells great and can help to clear up stuffy noses. It turns death breath in to sparkles. Make a peppermint breath spray in a 10 ml glass spray bottle with 4-6 drops of peppermint essential oil (depending on the flavor intensity you're looking for) and filtered water.

Lavender is quite popular in the bedroom. For relaxation. You dirty minds!

Lavender doesn't usually get as much recognition for the antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties as it does for aromatherapy, though it's often used to calm the skin. Lavender also supports relaxation, can calm and easy anxiety or restlessness, and it might just reduce your crankies. Many people love lavender in a diffuser at bed time to calm wiggly humans. We like lavender in a roller bottle with a carrier oil like fractionated coconut oil to calm nerves.

Wherever you start, do a little pre-research (pre-search?) and enjoy! There is no right or wrong, just what you're comfortable with in your home.