Welcome….or for those of you who remember our old blog Essentially Savannah, welcome back!  Yes, it has been 4 years since I last blogged.  That sounds like a confession but it is more than that.  I didn’t quit my business.  In fact, to give you all a bit of an update, my last entry was January 3, 2015.  I had just been accepted into my first round of doTERRA Diamond Club  then we received news that our blog needed to stop.  It was the “dark times of doTERRA”.  The compliance days.  My blog was one of the first shutdown due to the fact I was not going to have an enormous amount of time to rewrite 53+ posts (I think I flat deleted some) while traveling and meeting people face to face to share my love of oils.

Two more rounds of Diamond Club, my kids have gotten older….so have I and well, I really want to blog again.  For those who don’t know me, I am a mother of 3 kids who have embraced acting, a former airline captain who loves all sort of crazy music from The Beatles to Green Day to Rixton to Carrie Underwood to King & Country.  We homeschool to accommodate crazy schedules and embrace the individual.  I love an independent thinker…even though it frustrates me when they don’t clean their room.

You will hopefully experience some of the great content you loved before such as The Spot but with some extras.  See, through all of this struggle, I have learned some serious lessons about myself, these fabulous oils, my team and the power of being grateful. 

I hope you will stick around to experience the love I have for essential oils but also learn ways to kick the toxins out of your home and out of your mind.  My hope is to also inspire a few of you to start seeing yourself as your best self.  In the words of the great Dusty Crophopper from Disney’s Plane, “I’m just trying to prove that maybe, just maybe, I can do more that what I was built for.”

Glad your here!

DDR Prime....Why I Will Never Run Out Again!

For months now, I have been dealing with migraines that have progressively gotten worse.  The symptoms would linger for weeks and I was told by doctors, "well sometimes that is normal."  So I did what I always do and asked everyone I knew who suffered migraines what their symptoms were like, how long they lasted, what the doctors prescribed for them, etc etc.  My symptoms were NOTHING like theirs so I dug a little deeper.

I felt the aura and sensation of another migraine attack and due to a good scolding from my doctor over my "self treatment with oils" I tried his way.  The previous headache lasted 3 days.  One of those days I was completely out of commission but the other two I felt lousy but I could get my stuff done.  In his professional opinion, that was too long to suffer.  

OK fine, I will try these drugs he gave me.  So it hits, I take the meds.  The side effects were awful but the headache did go away by morning.  The problem.....my right side weakness, tingling, numbness and pain from head to toe did not and in fact got much worse.  It stayed around for a month by the time he ran a second MRI.  It is still around 3 months later.

Throughout that month, major diseases were tossed around such as MS.  Very scary and put me in a horrible state of mind.  Not only did I not know why my body felt so terrible, the doctor's weren't really sure and kind of suspected what I consider a major illness.

Anxiety and stress levels were at an all time high.  Life around here was not fun.  I did not feel like blogging.  I did not feel like doing much that worry.  Fear ruled me.  It is a bad place to be for anyone but when your kids can't figure out why mom is in such a bad mood, it just spirals into a much worse place.

The MRI took place and the clouds opened up.  It was NOT MS.  I have a neck that is a trainwreck with a potentially torn disc between C5 and C6.  Can you say OUCH?!  But I will say, thank you Lord!  This is so much better than a degenerative disease.  Now, to deal with this naturally.

After, I took some very needed deep breaths I looked back at the course of events to see why the situation flared up so badly.  One product came to mind - DDR Prime.  We ran out of it for 2 weeks right before all hell broke lose.  Once I got back on, it took another few weeks to calm everything back down.  That had to be it but what makes DDR Prime so amazing?

• Frankincense: Promotes a healthy inflammatory response
  
• Wild Orange: Supports healthy cellular response
  
• Lemongrass: Protects against environmental threats
  
• Thyme: Broad-spectrum activity in promoting immunity and cellular health
  
• Summer Savory: Helps reduce oxidative stress
  
• Clove: Powerful antioxidant properties
  
• Niaouli: Supports cellular immunity 

For me, it was keeping the inflammation down therefore the pain in check.  By taking it out of my daily regiment I took away a powerful tool of health.  Never again will I be out of it!

I use the softgels but it comes in the straight oil form where you can apply or make your own veggie caps.  And yes, I now have a bottle of that which I apply to my neck prior to physical therapy.  

This video will highlight the many other uses and give such a better in depth explanation of DDR Prime.  I highly reccomend it!  And for January it is on sale!!!  

Natural First Aid

Let's talk a bit about First Aid and the oils.  

 Let me warn you, there are some graphic pictures of my finger in this blog as well.  

About a week before I went to convention, I was trying to get some yardwork done.  It wasn't oppressively hot out and the shrubs needed trimming, weeds needed pulling, we needed to mulch the flower beds.  You get the picture.  I was on my last set of shrubs of the day with a our handy electric hedge trimmer.  

I cannot say if I was rushing or tired or just plain careless but I can say I got my finger with that power tool.  It stunned me for a second.  I felt dumb then it hurt.  The pain and the blood kicked into high gear as I ran into the house while the rest of my family was finishing up lunch.

Keeping my head in the game, I told my husband to grab Helichrysum and fast!  It is known as "the liquid bandaid" of oils.  I hovered over the sink washing off the finger complete with dirt and mulch.  I was pretty grossed out.  Blood is really not my thing.

The damage to my finger was signifcant but could have been much worse.  All things were attached thank heavens.

My husband handled everything calmly even as the kids were crying "why is Mommy crying and hurt?"  It was a rough few minutes.

Luckily for us, a friend was already on her way to pick up some items.  As she walked in the house, she was stunned at the chaos but put me in her car and off to Urgent Care we went.

Mind you, the bleeding was almost stopped.  As I got back to the nurses, the bleeding began again as the pulled the bandaging off.  My husband was complimented on his excellent First Aid.  The biggest question they had was, "why aren't you bleeding more?"  I replied, Helichyrsum.  It just worked.

With the finger cleaned up, I took a few pictures......

The nurses were kind, glued me back together and wrapped me back up.  I was off to travel west in just a few days.  It was sore and hurt to bump anything.  It was also swollen for a few days.

To help the soreness and swelling, I used Deep Blue.  

For the healing process, I chose to use my oils.  Although, I could not access the actual wound for many days, I applied Frankincense and Helichyrsum at the base of my finger three times a day.  Then I arrived at doTERRA's Aspire Convention where they announced a little product with a huge punch called CorrectX.  It packs all the heavy hitter oils like Frank, Helichrysum, Cedarwood and Lavender in a nice little ointment.  Perfect!

I even won this from Mark Wolfert!  Yeah me!!

Once the bandages came off, I started coating the wound.  It kept my skin moist but really helped speed the healing in my opinion.  I still have ant bites on my foot from June that haven't gone away!  

After a week and a half it looked like this.....the black is a where the glue caused my hand to bleed until the Dermabond sealed it up.  What a weird feeling!

About 2 full weeks later

3 weeks

And now....just about completely healed.  There is still nerve sensitivity on the pad of my fingertip so typing is not always fun but my nail bed is in good shape and really the shape of my finger is not terrible like they warned.  I am extremely pleased with my healing.

If I stress one thing with this blog no matter if you are an oil user or not, have some sort of First Aid kit in your home.  Accidents can happen anytime.  In the middle of one is not the time to wish you had some way to treat your friends or family.  I was extremely lucky to not really do some major damage to my hand.  I do highly suggest using a natural approach!  

Be safe!  Take your time with yard work!  

Let It Go

Sorry...yes I know the song is probably in your head now.  It is constantly in my head since I live with two girls ages 5 and 3.  The movies is constantly playing. 

Today's blog is about just that though....letting go.  Letting go of whatever is bothering you.  Frustration.  Addictions.  Anger.  And let in the happiness.  I know this all too well since it is a big part of my writer's block lately.  Frustration is the one for me.

Through my journey with doTERRA I have had far more ups than downs.  My family has experienced so many successes with better health, more joyfulness and even a bit of wealth all thanks to our little bottles of oil.  But I have had my share of lows, mainly frustrations.  

I have always been so excited to share my doTERRA with everyone and through that sharing I have been ridiculed by my doctors, called names by "friends" and other "fun" things.  Many have told me they would love to come to my classes then no show.  The most hurtful of all is the "friends" who have called me names thinking they are funny I suppose.  I find it funny they will ask my advice on resturants to schools for their kids, yet the thought of natural alternatives like essential oils evokes calling me a voodoo witch doctor.  hmm....

But, that doesn't stop me.  Why?  I know.  I know the power and change my family has seen and that is all that matters.

It does however wear down my soul a bit and I know that takes a toll on my kindess towards others.  Sharing can become a bit more challenging when you have a touch of fear lurking in the back of your brain hoping you aren't called another name.  Name calling is just so harmful.  Stop it if you do it!

Today, as I am checking out Facebook I find a post by Dr. Susan Lawton.  The "Let It Go" Blend.  She included a quote from Kate Spencer 

"Whatever someone has done to you is going to be attracted right back to them at some point.  You are not involved in this process, its simple law of attraction.

Stop carrying it around and let the universe take care of it - good, bad or indifferent. Their stuff, Their lesson. Let it Go."

And a lovely layering of oils to add....Juniper Berry, Geranium and Peppermint.

I saw the post and thought it was just for me.  Selfish, yeah I know but it hit me.  My frustrations were simmering rapidly today.  I did not want a boil over. I needed to let some things go.  So I got myself ready for the day and layered the three oils on my wrist and down the back of my neck.

By the time I sat down to write this, I laughed at myself thinking, now that I am all chilled out, how am I going to get this in a blog.  It worked!  I feel like a happy woman with a great perspective.  I know I can be kind, helpful and the woman I want to be to others.  Not a grumpy old troll!

So if you have things to let go....

1 drop each per wrist of Juniper Berry, Geranium and Peppermint.  Then down the back of your neck and tell yourself a new story of a positive life!  

Live a life of abundance and happiness!  A little Wild Orange in your water never hurt either.  :)

Catching ZZZ's

As I was watching the news a few mornings ago, I was pleasantly surprised to hear an update to some sleep studies.  Conventional wisdom has ingrained in us "get your 8 hours or else."  I don't know about you but getting 8 hours of sleep a night sounds fabulous but not attainable all the time.  I have kids, a job, friends, stuff to do and while I know sleep is important, sometimes it is just really hard to get 8 hours.

Well, this story was a nice change letting us off the hook of 8 hours and that the sweet spot for sleep might actually be 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours of sleep per night.  Even though it is less, I know that for many that still seems like a huge task to accomplish.  

Some of the highlights of the study I thought were interesting said less than 6 hours and your cortisol levels rose causing you to crave foods, store fat and loads of other bad stuff.  Too much sleep on the other hand....more than 8 hours could contribute to diabetes and depression.  The study does emphasize that everyone is different and your perfect amount of sleep might be different than mine.  

There are some options to help you get better sleep.  I still think quality sleep trumps quantity any day.  One of the best combos I love is Cedarwood and Lavender.  

I apply 1-2 drops of each oil per feet at bedtime and sleep it greatly improved.  

This picture was shared with me online.  I found this to be amazing and really great proof that the oils make a huge difference in your sleep.  Her comments are below the picture.  

"This is my fit bit read out if sleep. Top picture is no oils (the little blue lines are times of restlessness, stirring, etc. Bottom picture is with oils (serenity in bath tin and Cedarwood on feet and in diffuser). I'd say oils worked!"

Other great sleeping oils are Vetiver. Frankincense, Clary Sage, and Serenity.  Diffusing these, especially Vetiver and Serenity combined will really help with sleeping.   It fills the whole room and really helps everyone in the room.  

And for anyone who says "I hope you sleep like a baby" I laugh, they must not have been around babies sleeping.  I will wish a happy deep sleep......and your perfect 7 ish hours!

Move from Stick & Rudder to Autoland

Technology is a wonderful thing.  I have always been a huge proponent of technology helping humans have easier lives.  I just want to establish that first because the rest of this post will sound very much like I am someone who uses the phrase, "life was better back in the day."   That is a rare phrase coming from me.  Doing dishes by hand does not build character contrary to my grandmother's popular saying!  :)  Loading a dishwasher properly is a far better talent in my world.

I had the pleasure of listening to Annette, who is a shining Diamond in my up line, teaching about business building.  The discussion was wonderful and got my gears turning.  Much of my thought process was about the mistakes I have made in my doTERRA business and lessons I am learning each time I test out one of the "tried and true techniques".  I wanted to help my team not make my same mistakes.

As I many of you know I started my doTERRA journey in an area I was a relatively new resident.  I heavily relied on technology and social media.  I had a huge fear of talking about the oils I was just learning about to people I barely knew.  Even though I had heard, DON'T do mass emails to contact people, that is what I did.  My rate of return for contact was minimal.  When I did speak, I was made fun of by some.  It was very frustrating.

Fear was my enemy.  Don't make fear your enemy.

Maybe the daily dose of Cassia or Cinnamon

in my coffee has changed me or the training I have been given over the past few months or just life lessons, I will tell you I still email but I don't just rely on technology, emails and social media.

By the way...Cassia is the oil of Self Assurance!  Beat your fear with Cassia.

These days, I will  call, Skype, FaceTime, private message and have lots of one on one contact with people to give them a more personal touch.

It has truly made a huge difference in the response I get from people.  By taking a little time to really listen to their needs, offer support and sometimes solutions with the oils, I give them options but more importantly relationship.

We will call this personal contact the "stick and rudder" technique.  Sorry, sometimes the pilot in me just doesn't leave.  Without that stick and rudder skill to be able to listen to other humans and converse, life really can be hard.  This is not to say, you have to be a true extrovert vs an introvert.  You just have to be someone who cares and respects another person enough to give them your time.  It might be 5 minutes, it might 5 hours or longer.

The pastor at our church always stresses to us to "invest and invite".  This is so true to most of life's journey.  Invest in others and invite them along.  For fun, for healing, for coffee.  Invest first though....make sure that person knows they are special to you because you never know who on this planet has made sure to make them feel the opposite.

If you need an oil to help with connecting with others try Marjoram.  This is the oil of connection.  It helps soften, free those from life's harsh experiences and break the fear of rejection.  

So once you have those "stick and rudder" interpersonal skills you can move on to adding the technology.  A few tips of adding social media to your doTERRA business.  First and foremost, do a business page if you really want to build and talk nonstop about oils.  Nothing is more annoying than those who post about their current business on their personal page as if they suddenly became the product itself.  A post once in a while on your personal page is fine.  Just make sure it shows a great tip or something of real value to your friends.   Remember, your friends still want to be your friend.  Always keep in mind the "stick and rudder". 

Modern airliners have a great functionality called "AUTOLAND".  This function allows the pilots to program the autoflight system to fly the airplane completely through until landing.  It is really a wonderful feature when necessary but not utilized often.  Why?  Because most pilots have a desire to be part of the approach and landing.  The computers that do AUTOLAND have no real finesse. They know their parameters and can get you on the runway technically correct but probably not the smoothest, stylish landing.  Pilots truly take pride in their landings.  

How does this relate?  You are running your own business.  Take pride.  You can rely on technology to mass email, mass invite and show off you have a business but until you talk to people one on one or in smaller groups you will never show your true style and shine!  

When Life Gives you Lemons.....

Hope that is doTERRA Lemon Oil!  

Lemon oil is so versatile it is part of the 101 Uses of the Intro Kit.  Some of the great uses for Lemon oil listed at that link:

1. A Cure for Laundry Neglect. Lemon essential oil takes out ALL odor when you forget and leave your load of laundry in the washer way too long! 
2. Tame Oozy, Sappy Trees. Whether the sap is on your carpet, clothes or seeped into your skin, lemon oil is excellent for removing pine gum and tree sap. 
3. Stop Grease in its Tracks. You just fixed your bike. Your hands are black and greasy. Soap alone won’t remove the grease, but lemon oil mixed with your soap will.  Lemon oil is a great de-greaser! 


Grease, you say?  Hmm.....let's put this little tip to the test shall we?  Well, that is what I said to myself today.  Why?  What was so greasy?  My garage floor.  Yes, guys....and I mean that as men....pay attention to this little blog.  The oils aren't just girly stuff.

I will admit that I have been a bit busy and I let my car go a bit long for an oil change.  It is very unlike me as I appreciate an well oiled engine and take care of my car.  My Dad taught me well in this area.  But it was overdue and started leaking on my garage floor.  

Not good at all. 

I also appreciate the fact that we don't want to walk out in the garage and step in this junk.

I decided to try just 10 drops of Lemon oil to see what exactly it would do.  Just 10 drops.  It was a spread out spot that has been baked by the south Georgia heat for about a month so I wasn't too hopeful anything would really make a difference.

But 10 drops of Lemon, a tsp of liquid soap, a bucket of water and a little bit of scrubbing....and I emphasize a little bit of scrubbing....I was really hot from our bike ride....we ended up with this:

It lightened up the spots and I think with some actual elbow grease and another application, it will be gone.  I was impressed.  

So why did it work?  As I teach my classes, I always brag that lemon and all citrus oils break down petrochemicals.  Motor oil is just that so I don't really know why I didn't think it would do much.  By taking Lemon oil internally, you help your body rid itself of petrochemicals as well.

I also warn anyone attending my classes to always use their citrus oils in glass or metal containers.  They will dissolve your stryofoam cup.  There are numerous YouTube videos you can google to see it all happen.  

I use my "jars" to drink my citrus water!

The number one question I get is "I don't drink motor oil or eat plastic, so how am I ingesting petrochemicals?"  Breathing and living in our society today.  It is just a fact of life that we are exposed to so many toxins, many which are petroleum based.

Everyday exposure happens more than we know.  From pesticides during the growing process to the additives in personal care products,  we are bombarded with chemicals.  Lemon oil helps break those down and rid our body...and garage floor of them.  

Cleaning your garage...or your house can be much easier and less toxic by using Lemon oil. Try switching to more of a green cleaning option using doTERRA's lemon oil.  You will still have a clean house or garage without the toxic chemicals.

Next item to tackle with Lemon....crayons on my wall!

Calm, Peaceful & Less Crazy

As I sat down to write today, I noticed that my ideas were not flowing.  I did what every mom does, I asked my daughter, "hey what should I write about?"  Her response...."me and my favorite oils."  

She is 5 and unafraid to tell everyone that she loves her "Mommy's oils" and her "favorite oils are Lavender & Serenity."  I love that she never feels awkward about telling perfect strangers about her love of oils.  On occasion it has prompted questions and led to me giving a one on one.  She is a great little oil sharer.

Why are these her favorites?  "They make me feel calm, peaceful and less crazy." 

And yes, yes they do!  She along with her sister and brother can get wild and crazy which makes their momma crazy.  

Lavender is one of the most well known oils on the market.  Many call it the "swiss army knife" of oils.  It can calm bug bites, burns, headaches, and much much more.  It is lovely.

 

Serenity is one of the four oils of the Mood Management matrix.

These oils include Serenity, Elevation, Citrus Bliss and my own personal favorite Balance.  

They really do improve people's moods. It can occur in minutes.  The transformation around my house is truly amazing.  We will go from so wild you would think no one has an inside voice to chill, fun and relaxed.  

I know I rely on the oils' ability to keep the chaos in check.

So what can Serenity do for you in your house?  

Diffuse Serenity to fill the room with scents of Lavender, Roman Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, Vanilla and a few more to help everyone feel less anxious and calm.  She requests it in her own diffuser nightly because she said it helps her sleep and have good dreams. 

It is also great to rub on your feet, apply to your wrists or down your spine to help you release those knots in your stomach from the anxiety.  I know I use it frequently on my little oil sharer when her "tummy hurts" but really it is just her nerves.  

For me, I use it on myself when the kids get so crazy and I need a mommy time out.  I will take 1-2 drops and rub my hands together then cup over my nose and mouth.  Take multiple deep breaths until you feel the calming effects.  

Yes, she needed a drop so I could keep typing. For the record, after her "modeling session" she decided she needed to go find a book to read so I could finish.  It is so awesome when it helps her break her cycle of asking the same question over and over.  

We are truly grateful to have the doTERRA essential oils in our home.  I would love to help you get them in your home.  Just let me know if I can help you!

Bugs bug me!

Spring and Summer in Georgia always means you are going to see critters.  Critters creep me out!  I know there are many people love the great outdoors but my definition of camping means the hotel doesn't have room service!  Only kidding....well only slightly kidding.

Well, it is May and I have started to see the spiders, ants and the gnats.  Yuck!  If only they all could be beautiful butterflies.  Before I had oils, I would grab all the standard bug sprays.  Man do they smell bad.  Worse, they are filled with really nasty chemicals.  The warning labels scare me too!  I really didn't think much of this until I had kids.  Now, we have the oils and I have really adopted these as my first line of defense against the multi-legged creatures.

So let's talk Spiders.....I admit, I am scared of all spiders even though some are really not that dangerous.

What I do when I see spiders.....diffuse Peppermint!  They hate peppermint!  Lucky me, because I love it.  

Peppermint is also a great use in the garden against aphids on your Crepe Myrtles and roses.  I mix about 6 drops with 2 cups of water in a spray bottle and bathe my plants.  It cut the black residue down to almost none last year.  This year I will be better since I will be home more.

Want to keep the mosquitoes away?  TerraShield is your friend.  And you will smell great!

Also works great for fleas and ticks!  Never go camping for real without a bottle.  I sent a mixture of 5 drops with a half cup of water in spray bottle for my daughter who went to see Frozen in the park.  She didn't get a bite but smelled really good! 

Ants?  Ants hate Lemongrass!  Wipe down your counters and baseboards with a damp cloth with a few drops of Lemongrass to help drive away the army of ants trying to overthrow your kitchen.

For more ideas and oils to choose, check out the blog from doTERRA!

And if you get bit....turn to the swiss army knife of oils to soothe that itch....Lavender!

Try the natural alternatives to drive those bugs out.  Reduce your exposure to toxins and chemicals.