MISSING IN ACTION

I have to apologize for my absence the last few months.  I have literally been missing in action due to an upcoming arrival.  We are expecting our third little blessing in September and I have been SO SO SO extremely sick that I have done nothing but sit on the couch with a bucket.  It has been, by far, my toughest pregnancy!  I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still here and I will be continuing my blog posts from here on out (as long as pregnancy allows ;-). So looking forward to getting back into everything!

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

So, this is the first year I have had to think about teacher gifts.  Eli, my oldest son is in preschool and has two sweet teachers.  I wanted to give them a gift card because what teacher doesn't love a gift card?  But I thought it would also be nice to give them something homemade.  

It was the perfect opportunity to use things I already have around my house, including peppermint oil!  So, I decided to whip up some peppermint sugar scrub!  It was so easy and it made my kitchen smell so yummy!!  I will definitely be doing it again!  

Here is the recipe I used:

Ingredients: 

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

peppermint essential oil (I use Young Living)

red food coloring

Directions:

Pour sugar into medium sized bowl and mix in coconut oil (I warmed mine a little bit so it was easier to mix).  Add a few drops of the peppermint oil and mix.  Divide your sugar mixture into two equal portions and add a few drops of red food coloring to one portion.  Add the sugar mixtures to the jar in layers and press down with a spoon to compact.  Alternate the white and the pink.  Top with a cute piece of cloth and a sticker.  Super simple!

I am not a super creative person so if I can do it anybody can!  These are great gifts for any occasion, not just Christmas!  

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A bottle of...

Frankincense has a sweet, warm, balsamic aroma that is stimulating and elevating to the mind. Useful for visualizing, improving one's spiritual connection, and centering, it has comforting properties that help focus the mind and overcome stress and despair. Frankincense is considered the holy anointing oil in the Middle East, where it has been used in religious ceremonies for thousands of years. More recently, it has been used in European and American hospitals and is the subject of substantial research. Frankincense is also a valuable ingredient in skin care products for aging and dry skin. The ancient Egyptians used it in rejuvenation face masks.

Some of the main uses of Frankincense:
It slows the signs of aging, it can aid in maintaining normal cellular regeneration, it supports skin health, it calms the body and mind, it helps overcome despair and occasional depressed moods, it boosts immunity, it supports and promotes a healthy immune system, and it supports and promotes healthy lung function.

Frankincense is highly fragrant when burned and was therefore used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God.  Frankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness.  The gift of Frankincense to the Christ child was symbolic of His willingness to become a sacrifice, wholly giving Himself up, analogous to a burnt offering.

"And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him:  gold, frankincense, and myrrh."  Matthew 2:11

I pray everyone has a very Merry Christmas and may you always remember the reason we celebrate!

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A bottle of...

Christmas Spirit is a sweet, spicy blend of orange, cinnamon, and spruce essential oils that tap into the happiness, joy, and security associated with the holiday season.  With Christmas Spirit on hand, simply open a bottle and start diffusing.

For aromatic use. Diffuse or sprinkle on logs in the fireplace, on Christmas trees, on cedar chips for dresser drawers, or on potpourri. Use all year round.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas Eve!!

"To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair.  In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory."  
Isaiah 61:3

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A bottle of...

Myrrh has a rich, smokey, balsamic aroma that is purifying, restorative, revitalizing, and uplifting.  It is a helpful aid to meditation, having one of the highest levels of sesquiterpenes available.  Sesquiterpenes are a class of compounds that have a direct effect on the hypothalamus, pituitary, and amygdala, the seat of our emotions.  Today, myrrh is widely used in oral hygiene products.

Obviously, I added Myrrh to my twelve oils of Christmas because it was given to Baby Jesus, at his birth, by the Magi (along with Frankincense and Gold). So, Myrrh and Frankincense were considered luxury items used by the wealthy and highly regarded next to gold.

Myrrh is also highly regarded for its effect on the skin. Since the Egyptians it has been used to maintain healthy skin, prevent skin aging and sooth chapped or cracked skin. It is great in a homemade face lotion combined with coconut oil, shea butter, frankincense, and lavender!

You can use Myrrh as a dietary supplement by putting two drops in a capsule and taking it as needed.  You can also apply 2-4 drops (undiluted) to desired area.  You can also diffuse it as desired!

Myrrh was combined with wine as an analgesic offered to Jesus on the cross:

"Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it."
Mark 15:23

So I encourage you, during this Christmas season, to not only remember Jesus' birth, but why he was born.  He was born to live like us and then die like us, so that he could be a fair and just High Priest:

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Hebrews 10:19-25

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me..

A bottle of...

Evergreen Essence has a refreshing, crisp scent that is invigorating and emotionally strengthening.  With an arrangement of popular evergreen trees, the scents of pine, fir, and spruce complement one another and may assist in the release of occasional emotional blocks.  Refreshing to the sense, Evergreen Essence may bring a feeling of balance, peace, and security.  The relaxing scent may also help clear the mind for a calming sense of meditation and reflection.  
Not to mention it smells like a Christmas tree!!!  At this stage in life, being on a low budget and having two small children, we are just not able to get a real Christmas tree each year.   So, we have a tiny little fake one that we put up on a table every year.  Evergreen Essence is going to be a staple Christmas oil for us to help it feel like we have a real Christmas tree up.  That was always one of my favorite smells growing up and it brings back so many memories!  I want my boys to start getting used to that smell, so that when we are able to get a fresh tree it will already be a scent they remember!

Interesting Fact:

Evergreen trees can grow up to 220 feet tall and 14 feet wide!

"The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious."  Isaiah 60:13

On the eigth day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

A bottle of...

Clove has a sweet, spicy fragrance that is stimulating and revitalizing. An important ingredient in Young Living's Thieves blend due to its wonderful immune-enhancing properties, its principal constituent is eugenol, which is used in the dental industry to numb the gums. Clove is the highest-scoring single ingredient ever tested for its antioxidant capacity on the ORAC scale. It can also soothe toothaches, stop bad breath, ease nausea and vomiting, improve digestion, relieve joint pain, improve respiratory conditions, ease headaches and earaches, treat acne, and fight stress. Clove may also be used to enhance the flavor of foods.

I love the smell of clove.  Yet another smell that reminds me of the holidays. I used to boil orange peels, cloves, and cinnamon sticks on the stove to give off a yummy Christmas smell but now I just diffuse my oils!  

Always dilute clove for topical use because it is a hot oil.  Dilute it 1:4 with a carrier oil and apply to location needed (including gums or mouth).  For a tickling cough you can put a drop on the back of the tongue.  You can also diffuse for a yummy smell.

Interesting Fact:
The people on the island of Ternate were free from epidemics until the 16th century, when Dutch conquerors destroyed the clove trees that flourished on the islands.  many of the islanders died from the epidemics that followed.

"Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdelene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him." Mark 16:1