A Journey Through Words

How I Changed My Dental Health

2016-07-31T18:11:00.001-07:00

A few years back I was having problems with my gums, they were very sensitive. I brushed my teeth regularly, I flossed, used mouth wash (I use to use scope) went to my regular dentists appointments but still I had this problem with my gums being sensitive and bleeding and my teeth being sensitive to cold. I talked to my dentist about the issue and he told me that some people just have really sensitive gums. He then proceeded to prescribe me a electric tooth brush and some prescription grade mouth wash. So I did everything that I was told to do and use but still had this problem so I started searching out other options. I started reading about how fluoride was bad for you. Click now to read more in this medical journal and learn more. The article was done by the world's oldest and most prestigious medical journal, The Lancet. Dr. Philippe Grandjean of Harvard School of Public Health, and Dr. Philip Landrigan, Of Icahn School of Medicine. The best solution to this is a water filter, I recommend the Kangen Water Filter. It is alkaline water which is the best type of water you should be drinking. It helps keep the PH levels in your body at a good level and keeps your body from being acidic. You don't want your body to be acidic. Here are some links on what Kangen water is and why it is good for you. Link 1 , Link 2 , Link 3 , Link 4 , Link 5 ,

So back to what I was saying before, so once I saw how bad fluoride was I went in search for some tooth paste that was fluoride-free. I tried a lot of different toothpastes and finely settled on Jason. (See picture below) Overall I just felt like I got the best results with this product. Another good article on fluoride is Here

I also started swishing my mouth with the 2.5 pH water that my Kangen water provided me. *Note* the 2.5 pH water is not meant to be drank but it is safe to swish in your mouth or gargle in your throat and then spit out. It has the capability to kill bacteria in the mouth and throat that cause dental infections, sore throat (strep throat), bad breath, and cavities. Brush teeth and gargle for one minute to kill the bacteria that causes gingivitis. 2.5 pH water can be used to disinfect toothbrushes. It also provides a gentle, safe bleaching of the teeth. Rinse your mouth out with neutral or alkaline water when you are done. I saw a dramatic change in my mouth, gums, and tong when I did this. My gums no longer bleed and are not sensitive, the sensitivity to cold has drastically reduced and is almost not even there any longer. My tong has no coating on it and is pink like it should be. I also eliminated strep throat within a few days by using pH 2.5 water in my throat. This type of water from the Kangen machine no toxic substances or antibiotics. If you don't have access to Kangen water or can't afford a machine at the moment, another good solution is to try a mouth wash called The Natural Dentist. (See picture below) I saw amazing results with this product!

This is an alcohol-free mouth wash which is much better for you. Read more Here about why it is better. And Here. The results of a double-blind clinical study supported that 1) An alcohol-free mouthwash containing a combination of 0.075% CPR and 0.05% NaF produces statically significant reduction in dental plaque and gingivitis after three and six months compared to Scope or Listerine. 2) The alcohol-free CPC mouthwash provides a statistically significantly greater level of efficacy in controlling established dental plaque and gingivitis after three and six months of product use as compared to mouth washes like Listerine and Scope. I fond this to be true. I believe that the harsh alcohol and other things in my old mouth wash was causing the problems with my gums mixed with the fluoride in my tooth-paste and other bad additives. once I stopped using them and switched over to the above mouthwash and tooth paste I have NEVER had a problem since and have had nothing but good dental appointments with NO problems with my gums.

I hope this helps anyone that is having issues with there gums...

SUMMER VEGETABLE TIAN

2016-07-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

I try to eat a vegetarian dish at least 2 to 3 times a week. I also try to avoid frying things as much as possible to stay on the healthy side. In this recipe the vegetables are sliced thin, seasoned only with pepper, salt, and thyme. Then topped with just a small amount of flavorful cheese. Roasting the vegetables magnifies their flavor and gives them just a hint of sweetness.

Now you are suppose to line the squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and potatoes in a domino affect type of way in the dish, however I did not do that. I was tired and had just got home from grocery shopping when I did this so I saw this pre cut up squash, zucchini, and onions in the store. It was cut up in halves so what I did was saute the onions and garlic and put it in the dish then put the onions, zucchini, and squash in. Then I put the S&P and thyme on the veggies. Next I put some of my finely diced tomatoes over the veggies. I decided not to use potatoes in this to keep it low carb, so I whipped up some cauliflower mash potatoes and put that on over the veggies. Then I put some more diced tomatoes over that. After doing this, I followed the directions in the recipe for the oven and putting the cheese on. Even tho I tweaked the recipe it turned out great and was a super hit! :)

If you were wondering what the word Tian means look Here . Hope you enjoy! :) Let me know what you think....

Day 1 of 1 - Cooking With Cauliflower Challenge.

2016-07-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Picture from tasty.com

Last week I made these, they are called cauliflower fritters. To me these are similar to the Potato cakes my mom makes sometimes, just much healthier. I forgot to take a picture of my own finished product, sorry about that. I will do better in the future. They literally turned out just like the picture tho and I served them on a white plate with sour cream and onion chives just like this to. I kid you not when I say mine looked just like the above picture. They tasted amazing and my family loved them! Cauliflower is a good low carb option. However I did tweak some thing when making this recipe. First off I used coconut flower instead of wheat. I do not use wheat flour at all. You can also use almond flour, tapioca flour, or chickpea flour to make it gluten free. Now with the coconut flour I found that I needed to add equal amounts of potato starch with it to make this recipe work. You may need to do the same with the other types of flours I mentioned if you have trouble with those flours when making this recipe. 15 minutes in the microwave sounds disgusting to me, mostly because I am ant-microwave. If you don't like using the microwave there is an easy substitute put the cauliflower in a pot with water covering the cauliflower. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and cook 15 minutes and then your good! :) If you are dairy free, for a healthier option, use a flax "egg" and nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan. Use vegan sour cream, organic sour cream or applesauce. You can also spice it up with some Sriracha sauce. Here is the link on how to make a flax "egg". You can also do crushed cashews+garlic+salt+3 tbs nutritional yeast and it tastes identical! Now the first time I made these I did fry them in the skillet however you could bake them as a more healthier option. Next time I make these I plan on baking them. So what you would do is take your baking pan out and spread olive oil all around the inside of it or you could use a baking sheet. Place the fritters on the sheet or in your glass Pyrex dish. Then drizzle a little olive oil on the fritters. Depending on your oven, I would say bake at 425 for 8 minutes on one side, then flip, and do 8 minutes on the other side. You could also melt 1 TBS of butter and olive oil on a baking sheet or in a Pyrex dish/drizzle a little olive oil on top of fritters, bake till crisp, at about 350 for 8-18 minutes turning over once.

I know in some areas the price of cauliflower can be high, a good idea if you live in an area where cauliflower is high is to grow you own, even a small apt isn't an excuse, these can be grown in large pots in place of house plants, lol, a person is desperate enough, they can find a way to grow their own foods. ;)

Shepherd’s Pie With Cauliflower Mash - Day 2 of 1, using cauliflower as a food subsitute

2016-07-28T11:57:00.000-07:00

Picture from tastemade.com

I have been finding out a lot of neat things to do with cauliflower lately from FB and Pinterest. This was the second thing I made involving cauliflower. I absolutely LOVE! the new cooking videos they have out now that show you how to make the different recopies. I literally set my lab top out in the kitchen and play the video while I am cooking up that very recipe. So this is Shepherd's pie, this was a very easy recipe to make. I am all about quick and easy but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen making it. I am trying to lose some weight so I try to pick and make healthy choices. I love the fact that the crust for this Shepherd's pie is made with cauliflower rather than potatoes. Helps cut down the calories a bit and is low carb. Those with a restricted diets will relish the possibilities cauliflower presents. Once you discover cauliflowers amazing powers, you won't be able to imagine eating any of your favorite foods without it. If I can find a healthy alternative, I will take it. A member of the cabbage family, cauliflower originated form China. This vegetable is high in potassium. Cauliflower also comes in green and purple. Sometimes I have even seen it in orange. The recipe I made can be found Here. Even if you don't like eating cauliflower by it's self try cooking with it, it's amazing and tastes great in dishes as a substitute. This dish was a great hit with my family and had I not told my family that the crust was made from cauliflower and not potatoes they would have never known the difference. I hope you will give this a try and if you do please let me know how you liked it and what your thoughts are. :)

What is CBD oil? and How Can It Benefit You?

2016-07-27T10:07:00.002-07:00

I have been dealing with fibromyalgia and pain issues since 2006 when I got into my
first ever car accident and I have never been the same since. I started going to chiropractors, doing therapy, visiting my primary care doctor to help with these issues. The therapy and chiropractors did help but unfortunately I had some issues with the pain med's I was taking. The pain med's caused me to have seizures. I found out I had what they call a low seizure threshold and my body could not tolerate certain drugs. Seizure threshold is the amount of stimulus necessary to produce a convulsive seizure. All humans can have a seizure if the provocation is sufficient. Mine just happens to be a little more sensitive. The term seizure threshold is used to describe the balance between excitatory and inhibitory forces in the brain which affect how susceptible a person is to seizures. So because of this and other factors such as I did not like a lot of the side effects of different pain medications, I went in search for something natural. The first thing I started taking was called Curamin by Terry Naturally. Pictured below. (I get the extra strength)

The other thing I take is Inflama Free Anti-Inflammatory by VitaLogic. (see picture below) You can normally find these products at your local vitamin shops, (Not GNC or Wal-Mart) or Google them and purchase them on-line. If you need help finding it just let me know.

I still take both of these items but in talking to a friend of mine one day she told me about CBD oil. My friend deals with a lot of pain issues as well and is bound to a wheel chair do to a genetic disease she has that affects her spine and hips I believe. So she starts to relay a story to me about how her father-in-law (or someone in her family) had cancer and due to the cancer he had formed some kind of abscess of sorts on his ear, so he started putting this oil on his ear and the cancerous abscess fell off and new skin growth (that was cancer free) began to form back. Also some of the cancer inside of him was shrinking/clearing up as well. (you can take CBD oil internally as well) I keep pretty current on things going on in the natural health community because I am really into that, so I had heard a little about CBD oil but most of the information I had read pertaining to it was for people with epilepsy or seizure disorders. So, in the beginning that is all I thought is was good for. Come to find out there is a WIDE variety of things it helps with, here are a few listed below... I personally use CBD oil to help with my low-seizure-threshold issues, pain, fibromyalgia, and inflammation problems.

1. CBD is an antibacterial and slow bacterial growth. This is significant for those of us who are

dealing with imbalance of bad bacteria which can cause health problems such as gum disease,
heart disease, and intestinal issues.

2. When you take CBD oil, it does not cause the typical "high" associated with cannabis. In the

cannabis world there are two types of plants, broadly categorized -hemp plants and drug plants.
Hemp plants include plants grown from fiber and plants grown for seed oil. Drug plants include
euphoric THC-rich (which is what they give to cancer patients and people who have other terminal
illnesses.) plants and non-euphoric CBD-rich plants. As far as medicinal cannabis goes, the
resin is where the action is. The resin contains THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) the THC is what gives
people that high feeling. Among low resin hemp varietals, dioecious oil-seed plants, used for
making nutritional oil, body care and industrial products have higher density of trichomes than
monoecious fiber hemp plants. Hemp-seed oil is not the same as CBD-rich oil extracted from the
flowers and leaves of the plant. Oil presses from hemp-seed contains no CBD, no THC, no plant
cannabinoids to speak of, but it's excellent for making varnish, paint, soap, nutraceuticals, and
much more. You can obtain CBD oil without ANY THC in it. (so in other words you won't get
high) it would be like taking any other kind of oil or supplement. You just get the benefits of the
plant and it is perfectly legal. The reason the govt regulates the other stuff is because of the high
THC levels. This is the brand of CBD oil I use and recommend. (See picture below) Here
is a link to there website. I think they have the best quality and I have seen the best results with
this brand.

3. CBD Oil reduces inflammation. Let me repeat that, CBD oil reduces inflammation! Inflammation
in the body causes disease. Less inflammation, less disease.

4. CBD promotes bone growth. How many people do you know that have a musculoskeletal
deficiency? Who would benefit from a non-toxic, natural medicine for bone growth? I was really
excited to find out in my research that CBD oil could help keep my bones strong, the first thing I
thought of were my parents who I put on CBD oil the moment I found this out. I want to be able
to age gracefully and help my parents do the same without having to suffer from degenerating
bones, scoliosis spine ect. so, knowing this is one of the many benefits of CBD oil helps me
sleep a little bit better at night.

5. CBD reduces function in the immune system. If you suffer with an autoimmune disorder
calming your overactive immune system down is vital for you continuing health. I have a friend
that had this and I have seen the way she suffers. When her immune system overreacts all kinds
of things happen to her. She gets migraines, body pain, numb fingers and toes, and so on. Having
something that can help regulate these symptoms with no bad side effects is more valuable than
words can describe.

6. CBD relieves anxiety. I'm a relatively even tempered person, but I do deal with anxiety. I am
aware that this is a side affect of having chronic pain but most of my anxiety comes from a
different place. CBD oil has allowed me to relax and feel like somebody who can handle the
regular stresses of life during spells of anxiety. I just get this warm, clam, feeling. It's GREAT!
It has helped me so much! Another thing that helps with anxiety is Kava Kava Root, I recommend
the brand by Gaia. I have been using this for years. I can be in the middle of an anxiety attack
and I will take this stuff and try and sit down for a moment and concentrate on my breathing and
it helps within a few minutes. Sometimes I will also take some magnesium with it as well. Take
it with some luke warm water, as warm as you can stand it. It helps you get it in your system
faster that way. Take it this way for at least the first month and then you can just take it
with regular water after that, if you so desire.

7. CBD relieves pain. This is by far the most dramatic thing that CBD does for me personally. To be
able to have relief from the pain that is debilitating you and locking you within your body feels like
absolute freedom.

8. CBD suppresses muscles spasms. I actually had to think about the last time I had a muscle spasm
because it had been a while. I used to get them all the time before I started using medicinal CBD
oil but now they are something that I use to get.

9. CBD reduces blood sugar levels. High blood sugar can cause havoc in the body. Ask any person
with diabetes and they will tell you that regulating your blood sugar is vital to one's health and
vitality. I was diagnosed with being pre-diabetic and so I changed a lot about my diet and started
taking this and so far I have not become a full-fledged diabetic and I am aiming to keep it that
way.

10. CBD reduces seizures. I know of people who have been able to reduce and in some cases stop
the seizures that they experience by using high amounts of CBD oil.

11. CBD inhibits cancer cell growth. Yep! You heard that right, my friends father-in-law saw
amazing results when he started taking this, after being diagnosed with cancer.

I am just scratching the surface here of what CBD oil can do for the body but that is a pretty impressive list isn't it? I would just like to add that my life drastically changed for the better
when I found CBD oil. :)

MY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHER

2016-07-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

Adam Stephenson Photography: http://www.ajmsphotography.com/

Lots of wonderful things happen around us all the time; but being able to capture that very moment is probably the hardest part. In capturing that moment, a good photo is comprised of many different things. Some have that wonderful talent, of seeing, and making those moments come to life before our very eyes. Capturing a moment in time, forever! You can't paint unless you study and practice and the same holds true with photography. It’s an art, it’s more than just pushing a button down on a camera. Not only must you hit the shutter at the right time and moment, the perspective, composition, color, lighting, angle, and using the right settings play a big role.

Adam Stephenson Photography: http://www.ajmsphotography.com/

Being a good photographer is not easy, let alone getting to that professional level.Today though, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite photographers. In my opinion he has one of the best portfolios. His name is Adam Stephenson; he is a recent graduate of Hereford College of Arts BA honors in Photography. He is currently based in Halesowen, England. He tends to focus towards landscape, wildlife and astrophotography, as well as time lapse. He has been interested in photography since a young age, getting his first camera when he was eight. “I saw it as a way to show others the beauty in our surroundings which is often overlooked or dimmed due to being surrounded by negative headlines and perspectives of our world.” – Adam Stephenson. He has been Shortlisted as one of top 100 in the national ‘BBC Countryfile Calendar Photographic Competition’ – 2014 and Shortlisted in Black and White photographer of the year, 'Emerging Talent' category -2015

Adam Stephenson at work....

Adam Stephenson Photography: http://www.ajmsphotography.com/

There are two types of art forms in this world that inspire me the most. Painting and Photography. This is why I enjoy websites like Pinterest and Tumblr so much. I'm very much a visual person, and seeing certain moments or little details captured beautifully is so inspiring to me. Adam is very talented at capturing the little and big details of everyday life. As well

as making us notices the everyday little things that we tend to take for granted. I feel like he can make any moment, no matter how dull, look photogenic and magical.

Adam Stephenson Photography: http://www.ajmsphotography.com/

Thank you Adam for giving me permission to use some of your pictures in my blog so that I can display your wonderful work for the world to see. Please take sometime to check out Adam's website and facebook page. The website is Here you can by prints of his amazing work! Check out Adam on FB Here don't forget to like his page. Are you passionate about photography? Who are some of your favorite photographers? Please share in the comments below.

Why I Choose Young living Oils

2016-07-24T20:23:00.000-07:00

Being healthy, eating healthy, going organic, taking the right supplements, What’s in our food? Are such a hot button topics these days. There seems to be someone talking or posting about these things everywhere I go, which is good because we need to be educated and we need to be aware of what we put in our bodies. It can literally make or break us. A couple of years ago I came across Young Living Oils, a dear friend of mine whom has since passed away introduced them to me. I was complaining about having a bad headache when she told me about using some peppermint oil on my head, so I tried some and it worked amazingly! I have since tried oils for weight loss and when I have gotten sick. They have worked great as well. Up until this point I was clueless about oils or this company.

I had already begun my journey on making healthier choices back when I was in high school and threw out the years I tweaked things when I needed to and continued to educate myself. As any person who really makes a commitment to change their lifestyle will tell you, it doesn’t stop at food. I was learning so much about the dangers of the harmful chemical-filled cleaning products and even bath and beauty products that filled my house. I had some health issues so I wanted to learn how I could fix the overall problems I was having and not just mask them with drugs. I also had the problem that my body did not tolerate certain drugs also I did not want to deal with some of the side effects some of these drugs had or could cause over long time use. So I began my search for natural ways to help me solve these issues. I was also interested in natural ways to boost immunity and kill yucky germs around the house. If I could do this AND make my house smell great at the same time – with no chemicals – I would be golden! I started seeing a lot of information about how good oils can be and the many things they can do and help with. I started doing a lot of reading about different essential oils, and what makes some superior to others. The more I learned, it became very important to me to make sure that whatever essential oils I was going to be using in, on, or around my family were the best of the best, not only for safety, but also to get the most bang in the bottle for my buck. So I started going in search for these oils I was reading about. I went to my local vitamin shops to purchase different brands of oils. During my process and research, I quickly began to realize something's. Some of these oils I was purchasing were not completely pure, which meant I could not take them internally without getting very sick or being poisoned. Your essential oil label should say 100% pure and not “blend” or “with jojoba/almond” as that means they are already diluted and not just pure essential oils. With one quick Google search you will find plenty of bloggers that will, quite frankly, FREAK. YOU OUT! About the “horrible dangers of essential oils”. I have been using Young Living essential oils for 2 years on and off and have not once experienced anything frightening. (As well as none of those nasty side effects I used to get from pharmaceutical meds.) However, I’ve also always taken our oils seriously and used them with caution. No matter the method you choose to use essential oils, dilution is key. You should NEVER apply an essential oil to your skin, neat (alone, without a carrier oil to dilute it). Same if you are taking it internally. Some essential oils can cause irritation to the skin if not diluted. These “hot oils”, (oils that produce some sort of warming or burning sensation when applied to the skin) such as cinnamon, peppermint, marjoram, clove, nutmeg, black pepper, etc. should be highly diluted to prevent irritation on the skin. Some essential oils can cause photo-sensitization when going out in the sun What’s that, you ask? It means that if you use certain citrus essential oils on your skin, (with the exception of products that wash off in the shower, such as body wash and shampoo) before exposing your skin to the sun’s rays or UV lights used in tanning beds, you may get a red rash around the area of application. Some of these essential oils do not take very much to garner this reaction, while others you can safely use in small percentages without issues.

Essential oils known to be photo-toxic

Bergamot essential oil

Grapefruit essential oil

Lemon Lime

Bitter orange

Mandarin leaf oil

Clementine essential oil

Non-Photo-toxic citrus essential oils

Bergamot essential oil

Lemon essential oil (steam distilled)

Lemon leaf oil

lime essential oil (steam distilled)

mandarin essential oil

Sweet orange essential oil

orange leaf oil

tangelo essential oil

My point being is that you need to be educated when it comes to using essential oils because not all oils are the same. know the do's and don'ts. A lot of time people get hurt, due to the fact that they did not know enough about what they were doing. People can also have allergic reactions to oils just like they can to pharmaceutical drugs. Just because something is plant based or natural does not mean you cannot be allergic to it. If you are taking any medications check with your doctor or pharmacist and let them know all the supplements and essential oils that you take to make sure that they will not interact with anything you are currently taking. Also some essential oils are not meant for women who are pregnant or nursing. Again this is where education and knowing what you are doing comes in to play. One thing I have enjoyed about Young Living Oils is that the person I talked to them about was very knowledgeable and if she did not know something off the top of her head she was not afraid to ask questions and find out for me, they have a number where you can call directly and they have people that will answer your questions, and they also have support FB pages. It's really nice! So if you're not sure, just ask. All of Young Living Oils are safe to digest, if you wish to do so. I am living proof of that. When you digest them they do great things for you internally and for the cells in your body, When you consider these next statements by Jane Goldberg, Ph.D., you can understand that essential oils should be respected and are by no means toys for your kids.

“Within 21 minutes of being placed anywhere on the human body, essential oil will penetrate every cell within the body.”

“Merely breathing in the fragrance of essential oils is a powerful healer. The healing begins in the brain. There are 800 million nerve endings in the nose that detect odors. The nerve from the olfactory bulb extends back toward the mid-brain and then on to the pituitary and pineal glands and finally to the amygdala.”

Read the rest of her article Here where she also explains the fascinating story behind the “Thieves” oil, and goes into more depth on how oils work in the healing process. But if you would rather not then that is okay to. You can smell them and use them topically. Young Living even allows you to visit there establishment and take a tour so you can see for yourself how things are done. You can even volunteer there. How many oil companies can you say that about? However, you can have the greatest essential oils on Earth, but they are only going to do so much if you continue t make poor diet and lifestyle choices. Life does not offer any “magic pills”, so stop looking for them. Combine high quality essential oils with cleaner eating, a less toxic home environment, and a less stressful/hectic lifestyle, and watch your quality of life improve right before your eyes. YOU’VE GOT THIS!

There are different schools of thoughts when it comes to oils, the most recent debate I have seen is this British vs. French “schools of thought” - Read more about it Here this article goes into some good detail and just breaks down the two different schools of thoughts and what they really mean. Another thing you can look at is a video, in case all the above info was confusing to you. Jen O' Sullivan explains it on YouTube: Here Oils, supplements, plants, etc.... they have been around for 100's of years and were used to heal and cure aliments and sicknesses long before big pharma ever existed. The Native Americans used them, our ancestors, and many other cultures had used them for many years and taught others about them. There has been enough of a ruckus made recently to make the FDA throw some yellow flags. I mean, we can’t have some $50 unpalatable plant extract out there shaming giant pharma, now can we? To put your mind at ease, and to make a long story short, the FDA doesn’t like the way essential oils were being marketed, and laid down the law. If a company claims that a product prevents or cures disease, it is “legally” considered to be a “drug”, and drugs must be approved by the FDA. You can read the “warning” letter from the FDA to one particular EO company Here If you have a more difficult time finding more specific verbiage online to help you better understand your oils, now you know why. Have no fear, thankfully real books still exist, and essential oils have been around for a looooong time… long enough for you to be able to find plenty of reading material. I am not saying that the FDA is all bad and they do serve a good purpose in some regards but not in all regards. That is just my opinion. Please do not start screaming at me about this, it's fine if you don't agree with me. I respect your opinion so please respect mine.

Here are 6 reasons I made the choice to go with Young Living Oils, after all my research....

1. There SEED TO SEAL®

2. NO CHEMICALS ~ Young Living uses natural herbicides, like essential oils, for
pest control. Weeding is done with hoes and hand pulling.

3. EXPERIENCE & REPUTATION ~ Gary and Mary Young established

     Young Living in 1994. Their company has experienced massive growth and has
     maintained high standards throughout. Side Note: This is the only company that
     I have come across that I know for sure that it is safe to ingest there oil's. Not
     all companies make this claim and some will recommend that you don't ingest

there oils for different reasons.

4. PASSION FOR THE INDUSTRY ~ The more I read about Gary Young, the
    more I see his passion for the vision he has for the essential oils industry. He
     knows what he’s doing. He LOVES what he’s doing. I’ve never met the guy before
     but I’m not interested in supporting a company whose owners simply saw a way to
     make a lot more money at the expense of others. I can tell Gary and his
     company take pride in what they do, threw the process they use,
    how knowledgeable the staff is, thefact that you can actually ingest the oils, the
    fact you can visit the farms. They don't try to hide anything. They don't have to

because they are the real deal!

5. Now I realize when it comes to our food, what we eat, what we drink,

our supplements (because not all supplements are created equal either) and yes our
oils to, that “pure” is a relative term. By definition, pure means not mixed or adulterated

with any other substance or material. In my research this does not appear to be a term
regulated by the FDA as pertaining to essential oils. Much like the word "natural" on your
food labels. Just because it's on a label does NOT mean there are no traces of chemicals
in it. That's why it's important for you to learn as much about a company as you can and that
goes for anything you're putting in or on your body. So, as I understand it, a PURE essential
oil to be one that is 100% nothing but the oil itself - excluding all chemicals, additives, and
synthetics. I also understand that Young Living sells only first distillation oils (except in the
few cases where further distillation is necessary for safety), giving it the highest potency
possible, which would explain why I have had such great results. There are some great
online sources that teach about first distillation vs. 2nd, 3rd, 4th or complete distillations.To
share just a few points I've learned, one is not necessarily "worse" than the other. "First"
would retain the most potency, but "complete" would result in a much higher quantity
produced, therefore making it much less costly than first. Complete distillation, if done
properly, can still be a "pure" oil, it would just be less potent and typically have a more
appealing (sweeter), less earthy scent. This would be ideal for, say a health food store
whose customers are purchasing based on smell and price. If this subject interests you, I
encourage you to research it yourself.

6. As I mentioned before anyone can visit Young Livings farms, tour the facilities
and even participate in the harvest and distillation processes. I have currently not had the
privilege of doing this yet, but I look forward to it one day for sure! Hopefully my top reasons
will help you spark some ideas of questions to ask and things to look for in your own journey
to finding the right fit for your family. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I think Yong Living
Oils are the only essential oils on the planet that you should use. Although I do highly
recommend them. Just make sure you ask questions about other companies oils and

research there company as well as their methods. If you appreciate the SEED TO SEAL®
process as much as I do - knowing that the oils you are using have been gently mothered
form the choosing of the perfect seeds, to the bottling of only the highest quality of oil - then
Young Living is a great choice for you. Below is a book that I recommend for anyone to read
as they get started with oils. This book is not published by Young Living. This book is from
Life Science Publishing.

A lot of us march right into a Wal-Mart, Kroger, Ingles, etc... and fill our carts with $200's worth of stuff you probably don’t even need, not knowing one thing about where it came from, what the owners stand for, what is really in your food or who and what your money is supporting. I know being healthy does not come cheap but it is worth the investment, instead of throwing your money away eating out or buying something you see on TV., save and invest in something like this, that will have lasting benefits. Now that I have done my research and chosen the company I want to go with I to will be doing just that, I am saving to get my premium starter kit. I hope to get it by this fall. That is my goal. I just have been fortunate to have some nice friends that have given me samples, allowed me to try things for free, or gave me stuff from their inventory at a discount to be nice and help me out. That is how I have been able to continue using these amazing products till I get my starter kit this fall. I will keep you guys posted on when I get my kit and I will do an un-boxing video. I will also keep you updated on my Young Living journey and how I use the oils. I still have a nice little assortment. I’m just super passionate about sharing something that has tremendously helped me and my family.

Young Living offers numerous products in addition to oils such as personal care items, cleaning productsand supplements. I primarily focus on the essential oils, as I prefer to keep things pretty simple around here and I can easily use the oils to whip up some toothpaste and all-purpose cleaner. But for those who’d rather just buy it, the options are there. I find that most people start out just diffusing a few of their favorite oils, and maybe rubbing oils on the feet for immune support while they are becoming familiar. I think this is a fabulous way to get started safely while you are educating yourself and joining a community of experienced oil users. Over time, my family and I have come to use our Young Living oils to support immune system function, digestion, healthy skin, health issues, respiratory function, & more. I use oils in every load of laundry, to make our home smell yummy, to keep the mosquito's away, to help the cats and to sooth itches and boo-boos.

This is my YL Story....

Barbra Streisand with Anne Hathaway and Daisy Ridley - At The Ballet (Au...

2016-06-11T11:04:00.001-07:00

How to get well faster when you are sick

2014-12-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

So this past week/weekend I got sick, I have not been sick for a long time but I was around 2 of my friends that were and so sure enough I got it to and it could not have come at a more inopportune time. I had company coming in from Ohio this past Thursday and I was trying to finish cleaning the house, thankfully I had some help. On Monday morning I felt fine, I have been watching a friends house while she is out of town so I went over there to take care of all her animals and then came back home to start finishing my kitchen that I had already started cleaning. I get home and maybe an hour or two into cleaning I start feeling really bad, I start sneezing a lot, my throat starts hurting, I feel like a fever is coming on. I immediately stop what I am doing and run over to my vitamin cabinet, I am very big on health, eating good, and of course vitamins. The first two things I ALWAYS go for when I think I am getting sick are Cold-C with Echinacea and Bio-C by Vita Logic

I HIGHLY! Recommend this brand, it's a good quality and brand of Cold-C and works like a miracle. It runs around $11.65 for 50 tablets I believe. If you have a Peachtree Natural Food Store in your area you can buy it there. If not you can buy it here: http://www.vitalogicvitamins.com/cold-c-with-echinacea/ If you feel like you are starting to get sick or are getting sick, start pooping these babies, you can take 1 to 2 every 2 hours when you are sick. I recommend you take 2 every 2 hours if you are sick. once you get to feeling better then go back to the normal dosage on the bottle. Getting this in your system and taking them every 2 hours when you are sick helps build up your immune system and fight off the sickness. This stuff is AMAZING! Even if you think you are getting sick start taking it the Cold-C every 2 hours, if you figure out your not getting sick then just go back to the regular dosage. Also if you are around someone who is sick start taking these as well but just take as directed on the bottle.

This is the second AMAZING thing I take when I am sick, Bio-C, it gives you great Immune support, especially when you are sick. When you are sick, take one of these a day or as directed on the bottle. Sometimes when you take a lot of these it can give you diarrhea or your stool may become loose so I recommend only taking one a day when sick or otherwise. The bottle say's you can take 1 to 3 of the supplement 3 times daily and if you want to try that, that is fine but if you start noticing lose stool or diarrhea just cut back to 1 a day. Here is a link: http://www.vitalogicvitamins.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=Bio-C+1000

This is the third thing I take, really I take this rather I am sick or not but especially when I am sick. This is a multi-vitamin and when taken with other vitamins it makes them work better. You can get this with or without iron it it. For 30 tablets it is $13.55 Here is the link: http://www.vitalogicvitamins.com/daily-extra.

This is the fourth thing I took, this was actually my first time taking this. The girl at the health food store I go to, Peachtree Natural recommended it. Counter Attack™ provides 3,899 mg of herbal strength for powerful immune system health. Designed to be taken at the first sign of seasonal discomfort, this herbal blend contains andrographis and berberine to mobilize the body's acute response along with a fast-acting, stimulant-free Clear Relief Complex traditionally used to ease sinus and respiratory discomfort. Rainbow Light's Herbal IQ™ Guarantee means its products have been thoroughly reviewed by qualified herbalists, backed by the latest science. Extracts are identity-verified and tested for purity, efficacy and safety. Formulated by Christopher Hobbs, PhD, and manufactured in the USA. This will run about $24.49 Here is a link: http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/rainbow-light-herbal-prescriptives-counter-attack,-tablets/ID=prod6147162-product

I had a sore throat so the minute I felt it come on I took this, sovereign silver. This stuff is great! Especially if you take it right when you start feeling the sore throat come on. It works really well! You can spray it in the back of your throat several times a day, you can do several squirts. After I did that I would suck on a Zinc Lozenger, I usually get the kind that are flavored cause I can't stand the plain ones. You can keep taking the Zinc Lozenge's until your throat stops hurting. They work well and drink lots of water. Here is a link to the flavored Zinc Lozenge along with prices: https://www.google.com/webhp?tab=ww&ei=u9t9VLG4L4W9yQSoo4CoBw&ved=0CAkQ1S4#q=flavored+zinc+lozenges&tbm=shop&spd=0

Here is a link to the sovereign silver: http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=358932&catid=183271&aid=338666&aparam=358932&kpid=358932&CAWELAID=120142990000030783&CAGPSPN=pla&kpid=358932

After I take enough Zinc Lozenger's to make my throat stop hurting I take Zand's Green Tea Herbal Lozenger's. They are very soothing to the throat. They have Echinacea Extract and Eucalyptus which really help a sore throats. I take them more for the soothing effect they give. Here is a link: http://www.iherb.com/zand-greentea-herbalozenge-sweet-mint-15-lozenges/5351

I had a lot of congestion in my nose so I needed some nose spray. The nose spray on the right by NutriBiotic is one of the best as is the one by xlear. The NutriBiotic nose spray has Grapefruit Seed Extract in it and you can only use it up to 3 times a day but it's worth it! The xclear has xylitol in it and it can be used more often both were very helpful and helped me breath, especially the one on the right. Here is the link to both of these products. Xlear: http://www.iherb.com/Xlear-Inc-Xclear-Xylitol-Sinus-Nasal-Spray-75-fl-oz-22-ml/13454?gclid=CjwKEAiA4_WjBRCNgf7A_KeE9jwSJADtegYdc2rwdutLKJtTNTYj5bwKwPoV6A7VFf1tNiS8EdOPTRoC3yTw_wcB

NutriBiotic: http://www.iherb.com/NutriBiotic-Nasal-Spray-with-Grapefruit-Seed-Extract-1-fl-oz-29-5-ml/4219?gclid=CjwKEAiA4_WjBRCNgf7A_KeE9jwSJADtegYdYVviS8e3HN4de0EljsWGq0RwgJ4tir_aThIjWN-PHRoC1qHw_wcB

This stuff is good to, I was running a fever so I took IBP for that and took this stuff, Inflama, for my aches and pains, helped me sleep at night. Inflama: http://www.vitalogicvitamins.com/inflama-free-formula

I highly suggest keeping all these products on hand, buy a little at a time and stock up, it will be worth it the next time you get sick. My friends were sick for 3 to 4 weeks I got over the virus in 4 days, just in time to enjoy my family's visit from Ohio. The minute you start feeling something come on, start taking that Cold-C and bio-C or if someone around you is sick take the cold-c (as directed on the bottle) and bio-C. I recommend these products because not all vitamins are the same quality. There are hundreds of multivitamins on the market. So why choose one over the other? Well, first look at the company producing the vitamins. Vita Logic has been a leading supplier of high quality, potent vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements since 1994. Dr. Jan McBarron, a board-certified medical doctor, oversees production of Vita Logic products, staying on top of the latest research and development advances and insuring quality formulation. Hypoallergenic formulations in Vita Logic products allow for greater customer tolerance, digestibility and absorption. Vita Logic’s flagship product is the multivitamin, Daily Extra. Vita Logic Daily Extra contains no artificial preservatives, colors, binders, or fillers and is loaded with B vitamins, with a natural vitamin B-2 and cellulose coating. Dr. McBarron explains, “Taken daily as part of a nutritional supplement program, Daily Extra can provide all of these essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants a person needs to stay healthy.”

When choosing a multivitamin, read the label! Supplement facts are essential in evaluating the effectiveness of vitamin formulas. This table found on the label lists the components of a multivitamin and the percentage of recommended daily values of each vitamin and mineral. Also listed are the international units or milligrams associated with each ingredient. Reading and understanding labels on multivitamins can give us a basis for comparison between brands and the ability to compare and contrast different formulas to meet our individual needs.

In other words don't buy your vitamins form Wal-Mart, GNC, Target, ect, I know they are cheap and that's why a lot of people buy there but there is a reason that they are cheap. Those vitamins barely have any nutrition in them, not enough to help you, so basically you are taking something that is doing little to nothing for you and pooping/peeing it back out. It has a lot to do with how the vitamin is made, when they have to compound it into a pill form, the process they use. It's worth paying a little more and getting something good, that will actually benefit you.

Also if you are on any medications or have certain allergies to things make sure you check with your pharmacist before taking anything because vitamins and interact with meds. So just call and say, hey I want to take X,Y, and Z will it interact with X,Y, or Z that I am taking. If they give you the green light then take them. :) you won't be sorry.

Fake Flowers & Foliage:: Fabulous or Faux Pas

2014-11-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

Easy way to use fake flowers in the home to decorate with...

The issue of using fake flowers and greenery in decorating is generally a very divisive topic among decorators. There are those who think everyone should make weekly trips to the florist, which if you have that kind of money then go for it, but not everyone can do that. Then there are those who think fake blooms and greenery are terribly tacky but if done right they don't have to be tacky at all.

Decorating with nice fake flowers is a brilliant solution–especially for those of us who don’t have green thumbs, who have allergies, who have small children and pets, and who simply don’t have the time or desire that is necessary to constantly attend to and refresh the flower population in our households.

I guess you can tell what side I am on in this debate. :) So on which side of this debate are you? The advise I have is this, if you are going to decorate with fake flowers it's all about the quality of that flower, as long as they're nice silk flowers or made our of some other nice
material and not cheap plastic flowers and of good quality you can make it work and look
really nice! If it looks cheap don't get it, look for something nice, or for sales, coupons, and looking for something nice does not always mean you have to spend a lot of money. Wal-Mart can have some nice faux flowers at times, you just have to keep you eye out, hobby lobby and Micheal's can to, especially if they are having a sale, you can get some good finds. These purple ones that I have displayed are from Wal-Mart, they looked nice so I snatched them up!

I’m sure this debate has been raging on for decades, and it’s certainly one of those topics on which we will never reach a consensus. Once in a while I will put some fresh flowers on the tables when I can but let me just say…when I see a store selling some faux flowers I’m pretty sure I’m in good company.

Ideas and inspiration for your home

2014-11-23T07:52:00.001-08:00

Easy At-Home Entertaining with a nice fall Dining room table

Easy Dinning room essentials Decor...

Autumn is a perfect time to catch up with friends and family. Why not gather them around the table for a nice meal. I have family coming in from Ohio this Thursday and I wanted to fix my dinging room up for when they got here. I wanted to set the stage for a fun evening. With a little preparation and a simple menu, this no-fuss dinner and table setting will be a big hit.

These are my owl placemats that I got from Wal-Mart, they were $1.99 each, I needed 6, they were marked down. A good time to buy fall decorations is right after Halloween because a lot of stores like Wal-Mart will have things discounted because they are getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas items to come in. Other placemats that were not on sale there were around $2.48 - $3.00 dollars a piece, so I thought these were pretty good.

These are my linen napkins that I found on Amazon, I got 12 for $7.05 Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/LinenTablecloth-17-Inch-Polyester-Napkins-Burgundy/dp/B008TKX4M4
After shopping around in stores and on-line, this was the best deal I found. Some places on-line wanted to charge me 2 dollars and some change per napkin. I went into a Bed, Bath, and Beyond and they had some cloth napkins like mine pictured above. A set of 2 were $8.00, I needed 6 so I would have ended up spending about $24.00 dollars (that's not including tax) so I really think this was my best deal. The only thing I am not crazy about is that they are more of a Polyester feel rather than a cotton cloth like feel but for the price I will deal with it for now until I can find a good deal on some more cotton like ones. Also with the placemats you can see that they have tan, brown, and burgundy color in them, when you are setting a table you want to look at the placemat and find a color that will accent the placemat nicely with your napkins. So for example, for my napkins I did not use a tan color napkin because it would have camouflaged in with the placemat and you don't want to do that. So as you can see in the above picture, there is some burgundy at the bottom of the placemat, so I choose that as my accent color, it's one of the non-dominate colors in the place mat and it looks good against the tan.

For my napkin rings I choose a gold color with some brown in it. Any kind of rustic gold color like this will do with this kind of color scheme. I got my napkin rings at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I kinda splurged a little with these because I really liked them. I paid $3.99 a piece for 6. Here's the link: http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/tuscan-tiles-napkin-ring/1040456126?Keyword=napkin+ringsI am a pretty thrifty shopper but every now and then I splurge a little on something I really like and good napkin rings are never going to be really cheap, unless you just find a good sale.

I got 2 of these Cranberry Pear candles last fall, I have 2 of these on each side of my center piece on my dining room table. Candles are a nice accent piece on a table, I light mine while I am cooking dinner to make the house smell good but because they are a scented candle I usually blow them out a little bit before I set the table because with all the food smells and then the fruity smell from the candles at the table some times it can be a little strong and over whelming so I take them off the table and replace them with a unscented white candles to set the mood, to make it even easier, you could just have 2 nice unscented white candles on the table and not bother at all with the scented ones if you prefer. I don't light these very often so they last a while and I like to stock up on things to save money so every fall I look for new fall candles that I might like to switch out with these to change things up a bit.

This is my fall center piece that is in the middle of my table, I bought the bowl last year on clearance after Halloween and then I bought some scented pine cones and put them in the bowl or you could pick pine cones from outside and put them in the bowl and scent your own pine cones. Here is a link on how to scent your own pine cones: http://www.ehow.com/how_7683297_make-cinnamon-scented-pinecones.html
This year I added some cranberry potpourri to the scented pine cones. I found this big bag of cranberry potpourri for $5.00 at Ross. I love shopping at Ross for home decor, there are a lot of neat little finds for good prices. If I would have bought a bag that size anywhere else it would have costed around $12.00, Ross really has good discounts.

So here is the final result of everything once it is all put together. I have a dark red dining room, it's not burgundy but it's just a dark red, so I use warm colors to decorate that area with because it looks the best. I used a white table cloth to lighten things up a little bit. I am not Martha Stuart but I do enjoy organizing and decorating. I like doing things that are not to expensive and easy to do. I know a lot of us woman and mothers are busy, we are on a budget, and it's nice to have something quick and easy but still looks nice when putting our homes together. I hope you enjoyed this article and hopefully find it helpful, I would enjoy your feed back so please comment. :)

Black and White Child's Purse with Blue Flower Applique

2012-12-05T22:24:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone and Happy Wednesday! I don't know about you guys but I am ready for the weekend! It's been a busy week and the shop has been busy as well. :) I am working on several different things for the shop and I just finished a nice purse that is great for a young girl to hold her belongings in. The outer fabric is made of canvas and is 100% cotton in the inside. The outside of the purse is black and white as seen in the below pictures and Blue and white on the inside (Also pictured below). It's finished off with a blue accent flower on the front of the purse that any little girl would love! :) There is a magnet sewed inside the purse, at the top. (where the zipper or snap is normally) once the magnets touch the purse closes. Makes it easy to close and open for her. Visit our store at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlushieBoutique?ref=si_shop

Little Girls Purse

Front of purse

Inside of purse

Flower accent on purse

Zebra Print Leg warmers with zebra print bows

2012-12-03T21:26:00.000-08:00

Adorable custom piece, Highly-Fashionable. Keeping the Little One's Legs Nice and Warm on cool days with matching ankle bows for over-the-top girly fashion!!! Our versatile Legwarmers look cute with bloomers, tutus, or just on a cute outfit. Also very popular with photographers on photo shoots to get that adorable, unique look. See photo examples below. (I did not take these below pictures, just using them as examples) Great for little crawlers and easy diaper changes! For the big girls, they'll be styling' at school while they keep their legs warm too!! Tutu legwarmers are fashionable and functional!! These Zebra legwarmers are high quality, super stretchy, and soft.

Melissa Ashley Photography

Rachael Murphy photography

Artist is credited in left hand corner of this pic, sorry I could not make the name out.

If you like buying unique quality items for your little one, Please take a moment to browse our collection to see all the items that are available At: http://www.etsy.com/shop/BlushieBoutique?ref=si_shop

I make a range of things for children, from hair accessories, clothing, blankets, and much more. I want to provide every little Prince and Princess the opportunity to wear unique quality items at affordable prices.

Note: I just set up my Etsy shop, I am fairly new there, so I don't have every item up yet, some things are in the process of being made. So Please check back periodically with the store to see whats going on and see new items as they come in.

BlushieBoutique@yahoo.com

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and join us on twitter: https://twitter.com/BlushieBoutique