Nothing says its Holiday time like cookies and warm cocoa.  I love to gather my kiddos, snuggle together by a warm fire, munch on some homemade cookies and sip some delicious cocoa, while watching our favorite holiday movies.  The kids really enjoy this!  We bake during the day and watch movies in our jammies at night.  It is one of my favorite holiday things to do as a family.   

Since I love you guys and want you to have the best Holiday season, I have gathered my favorite doTERRA recipes below…just for you!!

Hot Cocoa

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 5 teaspoons cocoa powder
• ¼ teaspoon liquid stevia or 1 ½ teaspoon powdered stevia (amount of sweetener can be adjusted to taste)
• 1–2 tablespoons sugar or agave (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ¼ teaspoon almond extract
• 3 cups almond milk

Recommended Essential Oils: Cinnamon Bark, Lavender, Wild Orange, or Peppermint oil

Instructions

1. Heat water, cocoa powder, and...

Oh my goodness!!  Did anyone take a step outside this morning and freeze?  It’s cold!!  

The temperature change shocked me and reminded me that Old Man Winter is on the way.  I try to always be a “glass half full” type of person so I’ll tell you first what I LOVE about Winter…fires, warm drinks, comfy blankets, Christmas, and the occasional snow.  Now I’ll be honest……Winter can also be a hard season. The Winter time brings some of the darkest and coldest days of the year.  Add in Covid and this Winter will no doubt be hard.  

So to bring some soothing comfort and warmth into your home, I’m going to give you TEN… Yes, you read that right, TEN amazing diffuser blends to help you chase away the Winter blues.  

Positive Energy Diffuser Blend

• 3 drops Eucalyptus oil
• 2 drops Bergamot oil
• 1 drop Tangerine oil

Warm & Cosy Diffuser Blend

• 2 drops Cinnamon Bark oil
• 2 drops Wild Orange...

So it’s official……holiday shopping season has begun!!  I’m one of those holiday gift planners; I plan each gift out, keep everything organized with an app on my phone, and I try to stay on budget.  Try!!!  LOL!!  This year since I’m home more and trying to spread extra joy and cheer, I have decided to make my close friends and family essential oil pampering products.  I love DIY gifts!  I get to be creative and get to customize them for the receiver.   

This year I am going with a peppermint theme.  Peppermint Essential Oil has so many amazing benefits.  This oil promotes healthy respiratory function, clear breathing, digestive health when taken internally, and repels bugs naturally. 

Candy Cane Sugar Scrub

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup white sugar
• ½ cup Fractionated Coconut oil 
• 12 drops Peppermint oil 
• Skin safe food coloring

Instructions:

1. Combine sugar and Fractionated Coconut...

In celebration of all things Fall, I wanted to take a moment to focus on the amazing oil that is Cinnamon Bark.  This oil is used for a healthy metabolic function and immune system!  It repels insects, flavors food, and smells wonderful.  

Cinnamon is used in many culinary dishes from desserts, to the main course, to hot beverages.  Check out one of my favorite cinnamon recipes below.

Cinnamon Apple Chips

Ingredients:

• 7–8 medium sized apples
• 1 tablespoon sugar or sweetener of choice
• 6 drops Cinnamon Bark essential oil  

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 225° F.
2. Put parchment paper onto two baking sheets.
3. Combine sugar and Cinnamon Bark oil in small bowl. Stir to combine.
4. Slice apples into thin slices.
5. Place apples onto parchment paper covered baking sheet in single layer.
6. Sprinkle apple slices with cinnamon essential oil sugar mixture.
7. Place baking sheets in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Halfway through, flip apples over.
8. When edges of apples are...

As you know I LOVE this time of year.  Spending time with family and friends, catching up and sharing laughs, feels me with such joy!

Since Thanksgiving is next week……I can hardly contain my excitement……I’m about to share with ya’ll some amazing recipes that use essential oils in everyone’s familiar Thanksgiving favorites.  

Citrus & Herb Butter

Ingredients:

• 4 drops Wild Orange essential oil
• 3 drops Lemon essential oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and stir together thoroughly. Set aside.
2. Use fingers to carefully loosen skin around the entire bird. Take ¼ of the butter mixture and rub it, thoroughly, under skin making sure to coat as much of the turkey as possible. Brush remaining butter mixture...

Sandalwood

Let's talk meditation. This is something that I am constantly trying to work on and improve. And to be honest, most days it's soooo hard to stay focused when you have a thousand things going on. 

So, how can we improve our mediation? 

Well, who would have guessed that I would say "essential oils"?!? 

But seriously, oils have the ability to transform your meditation space. And the good news is that there are lots of great oils to choose from!

I've included my top ten meditation oils. And a tip? Choose the same oil as often as you can when you meditate. Specific scents will often transport your mind. And if you associate a certain oil with meditation it can help make meditation easier.

The best way to use oils during meditation can be topically or in a diffuser, or both! I'm a big fan of both.

Alright, so which oils are the best for meditation?

1. Frankincense

Frankincense is one of the most sacred essential oils for spirituality.  Frankincense helps to...

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to accept this quarantine as the new normal. 

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it is most definitely a thing.

So, since I am who I am and that's a glass half full kind of gal, I decided that it would only be appropriate for me to finish off my "Friday Favorites" highlighting and finding the things to be most grateful for in a time where it's hard to be grateful at all.

1. Extra time with the family. This might be my most favorite part of the quarantine, actually. Being able to spend time with my children and my husband is invaluable. Time never stops and it's one of the things that money can't buy. When it's gone, it's gone. And too often we take the time we have for granted. So being able to spend all these extra minutes with the ones I love most has been the biggest blessing. 

2. The slower pace of life. Oh my gosh, y'all, but this part is amazing! No rushing around to be places. No waking up early if we...

Okay momma's this one is for you.

Let's talk First Aid. I don't know about you, but with all these kids running around I am constantly needing something from the first aid kit. 

I am especially grateful for these tips and tricks in the times we are in. Being able to have safe first aid products available at home without having to run to the store is a lifesaver, no pun intended. 

(Kidding, I totally intended a pun.)

Flu Shot in a Bottle

• 40 drops lemon
• 30 drops protective blend
• 20 drops oregano
• Fractionated coconut oil

Mix essential oils in roller bottle and fill with fractionated coconut oil. This is a great remedy for the onset of an illness. When you feel a scratchy throat or aches coming on, you will want to apply mixture to throat, bottoms of feet, and behind the ears. Because this mix contains oregano essential oil, it should be used for only five to seven days. Oregano essential oil can be hard on the liver when used for long periods of time. Protective blend...

I cannot tell you how many times people ask me "Why doTERRA?" 

What is it about this brand? This company? Why have I chosen to not only align myself with this company as a business, but why I have chosen to use these oils on those that I care most about? 

Easy, purity. 

I mean, don't get me wrong, I can sit here and come up with a 1,000 reasons why you should choose doTERRA, but for me, it all comes back to purity. 

Not all oils are created equally, unfortunately. And it can be tricky trying to navigate a virtually unregulated industry. 

I have personally bought oils from other companies and had them sent off for testing only to learn that THEY ARE NOT PURE! Sure, it cost me a lot of money, but it proved exactly what I have been shouting for years: that doTERRA is the ONLY brand on the market that proves their purity time and time again. 

And this is extremely important for consumers like you! You do not want to be ingesting these oils if they are not...

Okay, so who doesn't love a long weekend, am I right?

And I'm so excited that my first "Friday Favorite" series starts on the long July 4th weekend. 

Okay so let's talk about some of my favorite things about the Fourth of July. 

1. This is probably a given, but fireworks! Duh. Aside from the animals hating them I can't help but think they are just gorgeous. There's just something about fireworks, you know? The way they light up the sky. The way that no matter how old you are when you see them you still feel like a child, full of amazement and wonder. 

2. Um, the food. And I mean ALL of the food. I can't even pick a specific favorite because I am pretty sure that nothing beats a proper Fourth of July cookout. I can't even talk about it that much because it makes me so hungry. The burgers, the hotdogs, the fixin's, the sides, the desserts. ALL. OF. IT. Do you have a favorite Fourth of July food or recipe? I'd love to hear it!

3. Spending time with friends...