From the Porch.

A few weeks ago one of my good girlfriends said, "Kelli, you're really in your element, aren't you?" I took a few minutes to think about her question. The two months have been incredibly wild, and 'in my element' aren't the first words I would use to describe my experience. 

You see, we've said goodbye to our contractors that built our cabin; we're doing all of the finish work ourselves. After we sold our home in December, we moved into an apartment. When our lease expired, we lived in our camper for about two weeks. The cabin wasn't ready. 

Then, I had this crazy idea to quit my day job as a mentor for beginning teachers and embark on a brand new career path. I've worked in public education for 10 years, and at the end of June transitioned to work as Director of Education at a non-profit nature center. The change was pretty incremental, y'all. 

"In my element", you say? It almost seems funny, until I take a beer out to the porch, light a candle, and look around. 

It's quiet. Birds are the only sound. It's just absolutely lovely. Maybe I am in my element on this front porch? The view isn't very great.

We have no yard, and really no intentions of mowing much, but there is a lot of mud due to the septic system and digging the foundation of the cabin. It's definitely still a construction zone, and my fern has tipped off the porch more times than I can count. 

I think I love this porch because I can sit and just be. Our phones don't work much in the cabin due to the metal roof, we don't have wifi yet, and have no intentions of getting cable TV, so solitude is really easy to find.

Simply lighting a beautiful mosquito-repelling candle keeps the 'skeeters away.

We really like the lemongrass candle from Clover's Garden, but there are several other scents too. They're indoor/outdoor candles, and don't smell like chemicals like those commercial ones in the green tin.

The chickens love this porch, too, even though there aren't any bugs nearby to much on thanks to the Clover's Garden candle.

So, yes, I think I am in my element. A new cabin, a new porch with a beautiful ambiance, a new job, a new outlook on wellness. 

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The birds. A train. The air.

I was sitting in the hammock, and an overwhelming sense of contentment washed over me. The pretty white rope hammock with stained wood holding it open at each end was strung between two wimpy trees in the middle of our property.

 

To say it's been months, maybe more than a year, since I've felt such contentment is no exaggeration. Since August I've been in a whirlpool of work stress, selling our beloved home, building a cabin, my sister's beautiful winter wedding, health concerns with family members, and the passing of our dear niece. Contentment wasn't really a feeling I would experience more than briefly after a good meal or after finding a snuggly nest of bunnies, for example.

Laying in that hammock on a breezy, sunny spring Saturday made me feel content. It was glorious. And fleeting. The daily stressors of work and life always manage to creep in.

Storing Essential Oils for Longevity + A GIVEAWAY!

All my oily friends, it's time to up your game when it comes to storing your precious oils. You've spent a ton of money on your stash, so you might as well protect it.

Facial products that are infused with essential oils should be stored in glass jars or glass bottles. Proper storage in a dark, airtight glass bottle gives you a longer shelf life and sustained quality on. If I'm putting an essential oil infused product on my face, especially if they are homemade, I want to make sure they last a long time and don't degrade.

The two things that cause a natural product (like essential oils and food) to degrade quickly are air and light. This isn't news. The ancient Egyptians invented deep violet glass thousands of years ago and preserved precious oils and herbs for centuries in tombs. This is the philosophy behind storing essential oils in amber glass bottles. We have great glass storage solutions available to us, guys!

 

Infinity Jars' special pigmented glass is thicker and more durable than your standard glass; it is smell-proof, blocks harmful UV light and is visually discreet. These glass jars can actually slow down the decaying process of organic matter while maintaining the freshness of whatever is inside. The jar lid systems, the screw-top and glass-on-glass lid, are completely airtight.

What sets Infinity Jars apart from all other glass jars is that it blocks out all harmful visible light rays while selectively allowing infrared and UVA rays.

 

I made my own facial toner in a 30mL glass spray bottle, a facial serum in a 50mL push pump glass bottle, and an essential oil perfume in a 15mL steel roller bottle. The recipes require some basic, affordable Young Living essential oils that most oilers have in their stash.

Facial Toner

(from my crunchy mama friend, Wannette)

3 drops Lavender

2 drops Frankencense

1 tsp. V6 Carrier Oil

Witch Hazel (choose the alcohol free with aloe type)

30mL glass spray bottle

Directions: Put the essential oils and V6 Carrier Oil in the spray bottle first, then fill the rest of the way up with Witch Hazel. Place the sprayer on top, and enjoy! Shake gently before each use.

Facial Serum

(adapted from OneGoodThing.com)

20 drops Lavender

20 drops Frankincense

10 drops Geranium

approx. 2 T. V6 Carrier Oil, or another carrier oil of your choice (some like sweet almond or jojoba)

50mL push pump glass bottle

Directions: Put the essential oils in the pump bottle first, then fill the rest of the way up with your carrier oil. Place the pump on the bottle, and enjoy! You should apply this serum to a clean face. I apply this at night after washing my face, and sometimes it can double as a moisturizer. Just shake gently before each use.

If you use a different size pump bottle than the one I recommend, you'll have to adjust the essential oil-to-carrier oil ratio as to not have too much carrier oil.

"Walk in the Woods" perfume

(adapted from Don'tMessWithMama.com)

5 drops Lavender

4 drops Lemon

3 drops Vetiver

V6 Carrier Oil

15mL steel roller bottle

Directions: Put the essential oils in the roller bottle first, then fill the rest of the way up with V6 Carrier Oil. Place the steel roller ball on top, and enjoy!

When Tania sent my Infinity Jars, they shipped USPS Priority 2-Day and she provided a tracking number via email. My package was impeccably packaged (it's the little things, guys!): Hand labeled and with sturdy shipping materials. Although, I do wish the shipping materials were compostable instead of plastic.

When browsing their site, I became particularly interested in the Variety Packs. These are packages  that make sense in terms of variety of styles and sizes, with an additional savings to reward customers for buying multiple products at one time.

You can win a $30 credit to spend on any of the Infinity Jars products by leaving a comment below. We'll randomly select a winner on April 20th, 2017.

Have you used an essential oil infused facial product? Do you have a favorite 'recipe' or blend? Leave a comment!

Ready to get oily? 

Well, first I'd recommend learning more about the Young Living Wholesale Membership. If you're going to invest in some oils, you might as well get them at the wholesale price (24% off retail!). To set up your wholesale account, all you need to do is:



1. Go here to enter in your information. Enter this Sponsor/Enroller ID number: 1880846
2. Choose a starter kit. (When I started, I bought the Premium Starter Kit and am SO happy I did!)
3. Optional: Sign up for Essential Rewards, which is a monthly auto-ship program. This is totally optional, and you can choose to sign up for the monthly auto-ship later, if you want.
4. Once you enter your payment for your starter kit, you're set! Just sit back and relax until your kit is delivered.



If a wholesale account isn't for you, and you just want to order a few oils to get started, just go here to set up your retail account, then feel free to browse the products. Just be sure to enter in this ID number when you set up your retail account: 1880846