I went to girls camp (a church camp for girls ages 12-18) with my daughters for a week during the summer of 2007. While there we were given a booklet of poems and thoughts to help inspire us during our daily scripture study time. I was reading one of the poems by an unknown author, and one of the lines struck me, “be swift to love, make haste to be kind.” When I got home from camp, I sat down one day and wrote the lyrics to a song based on that line. The song is about our journey in life, and the people we meet along the way. I’ve tried a few times to finish the song with an arrangement on the piano, but have yet to get it done. I hope you enjoy the melody and the words, but especially the spirit I wish to convey with each listening. Love and joy to you all!
Author: Kayla
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Spring in the Garden
Spring is just around the corner and we can’t wait get back into the garden to start growing some fresh vegetables again. The below presentation was shared by Dr. David Hill on is doTERRA facebook page.
He stated:
“Learn more about how essential oils can help you to promote the health and vitality of you and your garden. Because the are safe and effective, essential oils provide a great alternative to garden chemicals.
In this presentation, you will learn how to use essential oils to protect you and your plants against environmental threats and to promote the health of your garden.” -
Why am I being a Big Grump?
Oh my goodness! I was such a big grump the other day and I figured out why. “Let me esplain, no, there is too much, let me sum up.” If you didn’t get that reference, you need to watch more movies 🙂
So, most people don’t know this, because I haven’t shared it with many, but I’m starting a change in my eating habits and exercise. I’m doing a program through our insurance and I’m looking forward to seeing the results over the next months. I’m only a few weeks in, but I was discouraged the other day because I had seen 0 progress. Usually when I start paying more attention to what I eat and add activity to my day I see a pretty immediate response on the scale, but this time when I’m trying to make some real, lasting changes the scale was going up. (and we don’t likes that, do we precious?) Please tell me you got that one!
I have a mentoring call with a good friend once per week. We talk about my goals and progress in my business as well as other areas of my life. I told her of my frustration so we did a little energy clearing. If you don’t know what that is, ask me later and I’d be happy to fill you in. We found that I have some stuck emotions that are blocking my progress, so I’m using some essential oils to help reset those emotions and to help my body release toxins and negativity. One of the oils I’m using is Spikenard. Now, this is an amazing oil that is very universal, but it is not my favorite smelling oil. In spite of that I have been putting it on my feet night and morning and will continue to do so for about 3 weeks. Let me tell you a little about spikenard and then I’ll tell you why I’ve been grumpy.
Spikenard is the oil of gratitude. “It encourages true appreciation for life. It addresses patterns of ingratitude, where individuals see themselves as the target of bad luck or a victim of their life circumstances. This perception can often lead to feelings of blame and anger. Spikenard encourages the soul to surrender and accept life exactly as it is. It invites individuals to let go and find an appreciation for all of life’s experiences.” (Emotions and Essential OIls, Fourth edition) It helps with gratitude for present circumstances. When we have gratitude we express acceptance and abundance. Spikenard addresses these emotions: Ingratitude, resistance, feeling like a victim, anger, irritable, greed, selfish, fear, expecting bad luck
After a few days of using the spikenard on my feet I had a day that was very grumpy. I couldn’t figure out why I was so irritated and angry. Then the thought came into my mind (this would be inspiration from a loving Heavenly Father) that the oil is helping to release the anger and resistance that I’m holding in the cells of my body. Some of this is generational from ancestors past, but most of it was anger at myself for neglecting my body for the last 25 years. I have 6 beautiful children and would not trade any of them for a slender body, but I could have made healthier choices all along, and taught my kids better health habits. I’ve always been very athletic, but you really couldn’t tell by looking at me. So now, I have some affirmations to replace those negative thoughts and that will allow me to have gratitude for my current circumstances while I work to build a new foundation. I will share them here at the risk of exposing my weaknesses.
I have a beautiful, athletic body. I have strength, endurance, and a lean, toned, and healthy body like Liz and Paige (you know who you are, oh and I asked their permission to use them as examples).
I can attract these qualities by continuing to release bad energy and by inviting positivity with my thoughts and my words, and by using oils to help me resonate on a higher level. You can do it too! If you are struggling with similar issues or want to know more about essential oils or energy work, please reach out. I am here to help. That is why I am sharing this website with people, so I can help to lift and help others find joy.
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Yards and Yards of Skirt
I love to sew. I like to make clothes, and table covers, and curtains, and bags. Pretty much anything. This year, I have had the opportunity to hem choir dresses and pants for the high school choir, and band. When we lived in Ohio, and Kiah started playing in the high school band, I was recruited to be on the sewing committee. We helped with fitting and altering marching uniforms and concert attire. Then when Devon got to high school and joined the choir, I added choir robes to my repertoire. I think sewing is becoming a lost art and I’m so thankful that I learned this skill from my mom, and my 4-H leader when I was young. I’ve made a few wedding dresses, and I’m sure I have at least a couple more to make. I’ll do another post about that later.
So here I am, taking over the living room to finish a few dress hems. One of the styles is a gorgeous full dress with an organza overlay. It takes me about 30 minutes just to serge around both layers, and I have to mark them with chalk so I can see where to cut them. It has been a fun project throughout the school year, and it was a good way to earn money for Kamee and I to go on the New York trip with the choir and actors ensemble next month.
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A New Relationship with Money
Have you ever wanted to improve your relationship with money? I have had a rocky relationship with money in the past. It has always been a source of stress and anxiety for me. On bill paying day, I used to get physically ill, it was horrible. I have since had many experiences and opportunities to learn more about finances and how money works. I think it’s important to note that the things I learned were not entirely foreign to me, but I had to progress in my knowledge before those things really made sense to me, or at least made sense in a different way. I understand them at a different level now. It’s all part of my life story, as it should be, because all of our experiences affect how we view the world. Anyway, I wanted to share a little bit about a book I’ve been studying, and that Ron and I are starting to implement in our lives.
The title of the book is The 4 Laws of Financial Prosperity by Blaine Harris and Charles Coonradt. As you will notice the more you read my website, that I use essential oils in every aspect of my life, and finances is no exception. When I’m stressed about money or paying the bills, I use oils to calm my troubled heart, and bring peace into my day. There are also oils that help to open my mind and allow me to more fully accept new ideas and concepts so I don’t get so overwhelmed when I’m studying and learning new things. Oils have also played a different role in my journey with money. The company I work with has started a program to help its wellness advocates become free of debt. It’s an educational program that if we follow it, will allow us to be free to give back. In fact that’s the name of the program; Free to Give. Wouldn’t you like to be free to give? Free to give to the kids next door when they are fundraising for school, free to give to the Marching Band that needs new uniforms, free to give to the charity that you have always believed in, free to give to public television, or another arts foundation, free to give to your brother when he needs help, free to give your sister a new outfit because she deserves it…..the list could go on forever. I will tell you that I believe this freedom is possible for anyone who wants it and is willing to follow the steps to make it happen. It doesn’t even matter what your income is. I’m not going to tell you all the book has to say, because I want to encourage you to read it for yourself, but I want to impress upon you that it has made a difference for me, and the results begin almost immediately. There is ample abundance in the world, and anyone can access it.
I’m so excited to see how all of this will unfold in our lives. I’m not sure what it will look like exactly, but I know that God is waiting for me to be prepared to receive the blessings he has in store for me. He has innumerable blessings for you too. Will you take this journey with me? We would love the company, and I would enjoy learning along side of you. When you read the book, let me know what you thought.
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Christmas dvd from 2012
I’ve been singing since before I could talk, so my mother tells me. I used to be fearless in my performances, and sometimes I am still fearless, and other times it scares me. It’s amazing to me that I can play a recording of me singing and get just as nervous as if I were performing live. One of my favorite performances was at a Christmas party at church. I was singing live to a video about the nativity, so the lights were off and everyone was looking at the screen. I was standing at the back of the gym and everyone thought the music was part of the video. That took so much pressure off me!
After this performance we decided to make this DVD and send it to our families for Christmas. It’s a treasured memory from that performance.
The video is an excerpt of a video put out by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the birth of Christ. The song I am singing is called Breath of Heaven and according to google was originally sung by Amy Grant from her album Home for Christmas.
It’s truly amazing how well the words of the song and the video fit together. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did performing it.
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How do I use Essential Oils every day?
Some people wonder how they would ever use essential oils everyday in their home. They wonder if it’s worth the price, or if it’s even possible to need to order something every month, so I thought I would give you a glimpse into an average day here at my house and how we use the oils in our daily lives.
Let’s see, my toothpaste has a protective blend of oils in it. My shampoo, conditioner and body wash have oils in them too. So do my facial cleanser, toner, anti-aging serum, and moisturizer. That’s 8 products and I haven’t even gotten out of the bathroom yet. Then I come down stairs and take my supplements, yep they have oils in them as well. I them may put a protective blend on my feet to help boost my immunity for the day. I like to put citrus oils in my water, and if I’m feeling a little “moody” I may try an emotional aromatherapy blend. One of the kids may feel a bit “under the weather” so I’ll give them some protective blend and a respiratory blend to support them. Each time we wash our hands we get another round of oils in our foaming hand soap. I will also use my protective blend concentrated cleaner to wipe down counters and bathroom surfaces to keep the germs in check. Even in the laundry room I use detergent with oils in it to keep the clothes fresh and clean. At bedtime, I like to reach for my restful blend to help quiet my mind so I can sleep well through the night. The question I ask myself is how could I get through the day without using my oils!
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Barn Doors and Benches
I love to work with wood. I love the smell of it and the feel of it in my hands. When we built our home last year, we knew we wanted to build some original doors for our mudroom and master bath, as well as a mudroom bench. We were blessed to learn that just when we needed it, my lifelong friend in Adrian had torn down an old house and some out buildings and corrals. He graciously offered this wood to me so we could build these beautiful doors and bench. Thanks, Eric! I’ll always remember our friendship when I see this wood in my home.
The barn doors were so much fun and a lot of hard work. The kids all helped pull nails out of each board, and then we sanded, dry fit, and screwed them together. They were so warped from years of being out in the weather it was a little difficult to keep them together. We used lots of clamps and muscle.
The mudroom bench was much the same way. Most of the boards were 16 feet long and very twisted after being part of a coral for 50+ years, so we measured what looked to be the flattest and straightest parts of the boards and did a lot of cutting. The first two pictures in this post show the difference a little sanding can make. The transformation was incredible! The only finish on them are 3 coats of clear satin poly
Here is the final look with the barn door and mudroom bench. It’s such a great feeling to see the final outcome was even better then you imagined!!
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Questions regarding the Hobbit
I was watching The Hobbit with my youngest son, over the course of a few snow days this winter. I hadn’t read the book in about 12 years, and as we were watching I had several questions enter my inquisitive brain. Question such as: Was Thorin such a big jerk in the book? Were the orcs even in the book? Was Thranduil as heartless as they portrayed him in the movie? There were probably more that I just don’t recall at this moment. So I decided I would just read the book again and find some answers. Now, I need to give you a little background about my love of reading. I used to read all the time! I probably went through 12-20 books in a year. I thought I would always love reading and use it as a way to travel to distant places and live in a little dream world for a little while every day, then I went to college………Reading became a little bit of a chore. Even when I was taking literature classes and literary analysis classes, it just wasn’t as fun as I thought it would be. Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved those classes and learned so much, but it really did taint my sanctuary of reading. So, when I picked up the Hobbit and started to read after having just watched the movie, I thought the story dragged on a bit in places. (Curse you Hollywood) But, I did enjoy visiting the Shire, and Rivendell, and all the other places of Middle Earth.
Let’s get to the questions. Was Thorin a big jerk? Not really. He was much more jovial in the book, knew how to laugh and really liked Bilbo. He was affected by the dragon sickness, but not as extensively as they portray in the movie. Thranduil, on the other hand, was pretty spot on. He just wants to live in the middle of Mirkwood and let the rest of the world alone. Of course, the book doesn’t mention Legolas by name so we don’t see their relationship, but I can imagine that they weren’t too far off in writing it the way they did for the film. The Orcs only come into play during the battle. There was no chasing of the Hobbits, but they were nasty competitors in the battle. Bard was a character that was written so differently. In the book he is a well respected citizen of Lake Town. The mayor is still a putz, but he doesn’t have his grips on the city as he does in the movie. The people were much more free and less oppressed. Of course the battle is much shorter in the book than in the movie. I think the book is more about the journey than the destination.
Now, I’ve always wondered if Gimli still lives in Erebor when he travels to Rivendell for the council about the Ring. His father, of course, was Gloin, and after the battle of five armies he stays in Erebor. I’ve done a bit of research and yes, Gimli does come to Rivendell from Erebor. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship shows him enter Rivendell with Gimli.
The next novel, I have on my stack is the last Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites book. I’ve owned it for many years, and haven’t picked it up yet. I think it’s about time!
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JJ’s Funeral Song
My husband’s dad passed away a few weeks ago, and we both flew to Alaska to be with his family and attend the funeral. I had the privilege of singing at the funeral. Not always an easy task, or ever an easy task, but with lots of prayers to sing without tears, I accepted. I sang a song called Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing arranged by Sally Deford, I was accompanied by Aunt Jeanne. She did a fantastic job. Thanks to my brother in law Johnney for filming this.