Sniffle, Sneeze, Wipe.. Is It The Flu or Our Daughter's Wedding Engagement? Or Both?

The sneezing, coughing and congestion is going around and our house was no exception.  After trying these protocols suggested by a friend,  I did a little research on my own and doled oils out to my family like it was Christmas giving. Speaking of joy, our daughter Abby was proposed to this past weekend - grab some popcorn and tissue and read on...

First things first -

Here are some great oil recipes that worked wonders for us and helped us to avoid highly sought after waiting room waits and subsequent expensive antibiotics.

For cough,  alleluiah!  You know the cough that nothing over the counter seems to help?  This works every time:

Now, if you're wheezing or have a fever, you might have pneumonia or some other serious medical condition.  In that case, please see your doctor.

For chest congestion, whip some of this up.  It's easy and so yummy you'll want to slather it all over your body.  Just don't slather it on the cat, your neighbor or your neighbor's cat.  That would be weird.

1.  In a saucepan, I heat the coconut oil (or almond oil) and beeswax together just until the beeswax melts.

Now easy does it here - you don't want to fire up the stove burner a full blazing! A gentle heat until the mixture is melty goodness will do. Think gentle as in purring kitten.  (If your an I-want-it-now gal like I am, you can melt the mixture right in your glass jar directly in the microwave on low.)  At a gentle purrrrrfectly low setting....

2.  Remove pan from heat (or jar from microwave) and allow the mixture to cool (about 5-8 minutes).  This keeps excessive heat from damaging the oils you're about to add.

3.  Add your DoTerra oils.  (Pour into your glass jar if needed.)  Now do a lap dance.  Just kidding. I don't know where that came from.  This recipe is super easy and you know everything that's in it.  Pretty spectacular.

Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your ears are? You can't help it if they're beautiful. Here's a goodie for keeping them healthy:

Why didn't anyone tell me about this tip before? Try it. It works for us.

Btw, you can get all of your oils at wholesale cost by purchasing an enrollment kit.  There's no commitment to ever buy or sell, and DoTerra knows once you get these oils in your hot little mitts, you'll love them.  In exchange, they're gonna give you a lifetime wholesale cost at 25% off.

Get the low down on the break down here.  If you're wondering why(?) DoTerra, watch this info here. DoTerra is a no-brainer in my genius, heavily-weighted opinion.

Now on to a feel-good, love story in honor of Valentine's Day.  Our daughter was engaged over the weekend.  I thought I would share our special moment with you.  Grab tissue, popcorn and a husband or wife if you have one.  If not, find a furry, purring cat.  Now pet that cat lovingly and watch on:

Enjoy your week.
~Charlene

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What's the most romantic thing that has ever happened to you?
Are you currently using DoTerra's oily goodness?
What are your Valentine plans?

I'd love to hear from you.  Leave a comment below.

DoTerra DIY Cuticle Cream: Yes please!

I spent yesterday cleaning my house from top to bottom.  Nothing says hit the sack better than fresh clean sheets.

And I wasn't the only one excited about it.   PS:  If you don't have a one-eyed dog in your bed to snuggle with, well you should. TMI alert: Honey lost her right eye back in December to a foster dog attack, but she's still cute even when she's running into the furniture.  

Having recently retired, I've started to take back ownership of some of my previously hired out chores.  If I haven't mentioned yet, I LOVE cleaning. 

If you can't say anything nice...  But I also occasionally enjoy Raspberry Jello with Dog the Bounty Hunter.  Well, not him himself. Ewww.  Nevermind.

I've started a regular cleaning schedule on Mondays, after everyone's left the house. Not everyone is crazy about the whirling sound of the vacuum.  I don't even want to try to understand it.

All the cleaning causes me to have dry hands syndrome.  It comes with constantly wiping up, wiping down, wiping all around.  I'm getting a weird visual on that too.  

To combat my scaly, dry, enthusiastically ever-peeling cuticles,  I've adopted this cuticle cream recipe from DoTerra as a fun DIY.  It calls for beeswax and shea butter.  Btw, beeswax and shea butter are two staples to have on hand along with your DoTerra oils because they're called for in a whole lotta great recipes. Plus, these two ingredients can make life very interesting.

To start, you're gonna need this stuff.  This recipe is easy peasy.  (You can find Fractionated Coconut oil here.) And if you follow the instructions here for wholesale, you'll get it at 25% off. 

Find a small container to put your oh-so glorious cuticle cream in, plus one for a friend.  (A tiny plastic snack-size storage container will work nicely.) Actually, get together with your BFF and make the cream together.  With wine.  And recorded episodes of Housewives.  Don't forget to buy your oils here first or you'll be drunk and watching a lot of botoxed faces with no cuticle cream to slather with.  Oy vey!

Then, do this:

1. In a pyrex 2 Cup measuring cup (or other glass container), combine the shea butter, beeswax and fractionated coconut oil.  Now place it in 1-1.5 inches of boiling, scald-your-tongue-hot water. Thank you DoTerra for this lovely photo. And the next one and the next one.

2. Stir it around until the whole thing melts.  If you use a popsicle stick to stir your newly made brew, it'll make for waaay easy clean up.

3. Slather some oil all over your body and then pour yourself more wine.   Now add what's left of your DoTerra oils to your just-melted goodness. (7 drops of lavender or 7 drops of myrrh.)

4.  Put the wine glass down, wipe your mouth with your sleeve and with the help of your friend, pour the mixture into your tiny storage container.  Let cool for 2-3 hours to solidify.  Have more wine.

Enjoy.

~Charlene

What's your favorite tv-watching guilty pleasure?

Do you have a pet that does crazy things?

Who has a February birthday?

I LOVE comments. Leave some love for me in the comments box below.

Superbowl is the only *holiday* where I don't gain 5lbs (& 6 Surprise Uses for Melaleuca)

I don't watch football.  And I know it's unAmerican.  I've tried to watch it, but there are too many things to keep track of - all going on at the same time. Yardage and downs and safeties.  Forget it. I've got too many things going on here in my house already - why would I voluntarily subject myself to more?

Okay.  Well maybe if I were smart, I would.  I hear there is incredible food at super bowl parties.

Instead of watching football and eating, I headed outside to soak up some sun on with a run.

It was glorious!  Thank you, Lord that I have legs that can move me!

Check out my 70's style Ray Bans.  They look a little like Blublockers, don't they?  (If you were born pre-1990, this means nothing to you.) One thing I've learned about running gear - it has to be comfy - and these old sunglasses are super.

Here's my Nike+ photo collage with ma mileage!  Woot! Woot!  It's like proof, that when I come off exhausted delerium, I can look at and know that I really did it.  One run at a time.

One hour prior, what I really wanted to do was lay down on the couch and watch recorded episodes of My Big Fat Fabulous Life.  It's the funniest, most inspiring show airing right now and I love it.  Do you know how long it's been since I laid down on the couch?  So long I can't even remember, come to think of it.  I'm adding it my bucket list for 2015.  Baby steps past my OCD, constant multitasking, neurotica!

Tomorrow is Monday and I'm so excited to stay home and clean my house.  I love cleaning.  Another component of my OCDnessssss.  I get asked a lot about what I could possibly be cleaning since I had just cleaned the day before and the day before that....

Speaking of cleaning ... are you using DoTerra's Melaleuca yet?  DoTerra is known for it's quality and purity when it comes to essential oils.  DoTerra means you know you're always getting the purest, therapeutic quality when it comes to essential oil products.

DoTerra's Melaleuca  (also known as tea tree oil) is known for its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and anti-social properties.  Which works perfectly, because Melaleuca works terrific without friends or as a component in blends.



CLEAR SKIN REGIMEN

For clearer skin, add Melaleuca to your cleansing routine.  Just add 1 or 2 drops in the palm of your hand to your cleanser.

After you've cleansed your skin, follow with this skin clearing toner:

In a small glass bottle (found in your local health food store), mix
1 part apple cider vinegar with
1 part distilled water and
3-4 Drops of Melaleuca

This toner helps balance the natural pH level of your skin.  Apply the toner to your face using a cotton ball, taking care not to get the toner into your eyes.  Let absorb into your skin for 10 minutes.  Do not rinse.

Finally, moisturize afterward with Melaleuca and Argan oil for a fantastic moisturizer.  If you have skin younger than 35, lucky you.   umm... errrr.  If you have younger skin younger than 35, you can substitute Argan oil for Doterra's Fractionated Coconut Oil (which is the liquid version of coconut oil vs the solid). Btw, Argan oil can be purchased at your local health nut food store.

You can also apply Melaleuca directly on a breakout, but I don't recommend this full strength method on larger areas.

There are slews of uses for DoTerra's Melaleuca oil, and here are 6 more of my favorites:

Cold Sores: Dab a small amount (diluted at a 1:1 ratio, with coconut, jojoba or almond oil depending on your sensitivity) over the sore.

Ear ache/ear pain:  Drop 2-3 drops of Melaleuca on a cotton ball and place the cotton ball in the ear.  Do not drop oil directly into the ear canal.

Canker Sores: Dab directly onto the sore.  Repeat 3-4 times daily after food and drink.

Infected Wounds:  Dilute 1 drop of Melaleuca with 1 cup of water and rinse the infected area.

Lice:  Mix 2 oz. of olive oil with 20 drops of Melaleuca.  Divide hair into sections applying the oil mixture to scalp with cotton balls and combing with a fine tooth comb.  Be sure to get as close to the scalp as possible.  Follow with a good shampoo.  Mix 10 drops of water to 1 oz of vodka and spray into hair to avoid re-infestation.  Repeat oiling, combing, washing and spraying a second time if needed.

Shingles:  Mix 1/2 oz (15 mL.) of coconut oil to to 15 drops of Melaleuca. Massage mixture over the body. Massage into the soles of the feet for immune stimulation to prevent future outbreaks.

I hope you've enjoyed this post.  I love comments and I'd love to hear your thoughts.  Leave some love for me in a comment below.

~Charlene