Experimenting with Young Living

I have always maintained an interest in Aromatherapy and have sporadically used oils to make cleaners for the home as well as natural hygiene products.  Lately I have been using Young Living oils and have been very impressed with their quality and effectiveness.  This week, after one scraped knee too many, I decided that there had to be a better alternative to the traditional antiseptic cream and experimented with blending oils to make a BooBoo Balm.  I used coconut oil for a base with a little cocoa butter and some beeswax, left over from my previous forays into homemade cosmetics.  The oils I chose to use were Peace and Calming, Lavender, Thieves and Valor.  Peace and Calming and Valor were obvious choices to help soothe a little one after an accident.  Lavender is a powerful antiseptic and Theives is known for its cleansing properties.

I am very happy with the balm I created.  It smells divine and has solidified to a nice consistency, making it easy to apply without fuss.  Now we just have to wait for the bumps and grazes to manifest.  With five boys, I don't think it will take long.

I also made some Thieves cleaning spray, using a mixture of white vinegar, water and ten drops of Thieves oil.  I don't know whether these are the correct quantities or not as I am still an aromatherapy novice, but it certainly seems to do the job and I feel far more confident using something I know to be entirely natural as opposed to the toxins contained in many commercial cleaning agents.  Furthermore, it smells most pleasant and may even entice me to tangle with the dishcloth a little more often.

If you are at all interested in Young Living oils and the benefits they offer, feel free to post in the comments below.

Ray of Hope

Spring has felt like such a long time coming.  This winter has been a hard one for me emotionally.  It is only recently that our car was fixed so, for the most part, we have been immobile, squirreled away in our snug nest, awaiting the sun.  Hibernation sounds like a cosy idyll to begin with but when the incandescent glow of Christmas has faded, and there is not even the excitement of snow to break the monotonous bleakness, it begins to feel more like incarceration.  So we held on.  Held on to the rituals that guide us through the year: Epiphany, Candlemas, Valentines.... Held on to the hope of light and warmth and community.  Held on to Him who is present within every difficult, stir-crazy, ill-tempered moment and yet promises that this is not all, promises to make streams in the desert and a path through the wilderness.  And just when the dark and cold seemed most oppressive, just when I needed it most, ...the sun shone.  I am sure that there will be many more inclement days around the corner but for today I am thankful for a chance to wake up from my winter sleep, stretch out my arms and welcome the sun.  Similarly, even though I know that my long fought battle with depression is likely not over, I grasp the good days and thank God for his mercy.  

Our Christmas in Pictures