My Winter Must Haves

1. Northface jacket

2. Pumpkin Pie spice creamer

3. Sally Hansen Salon nail polish

4. The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

5. Grey Riding Boots

6. Lip mask

7. Infinity Scarf

8. Simple, classy stud earrings

DIY Scented Wax Melts

My mom and I recently made our own wax melts for our warmers!

 

I love all of the uses of DoTerra essential oils and this was yet another way to eliminate some more chemicals from our home! DoTerra Oils are Certified Therapeutic Grade. You can safely ingest them, use them topically or diffuse them throughout your home. We use oils in our home for a lot of things, but compared to the things we COULD be using them for, our efforts are minimal. I put lavender in James' bath each night. Peppermint** makes my sciatica pain subside quicker than you can say "subside" and lemon and melaleuca are mixed with our Shaklee multi-purpose cleaner for a fresh, safe alternative to the neon-yellow bottle of Mr.Clean. 

**peppermint is an oil known for decreasing milk supply. As I am still a nursing mama, I do not use this on a regular basis. I use it when nothing else will ease my pain and I am near the point of not being able to function.

Ok, Back to the wax melts... my mom purchased some Organic Bee's Wax off of Amazon and we slicked our hair back into pony-tails and pulled our goggles over our eyes.... just kidding. 

We did however put the pellets into small bowls and melt them in the microwave... it took over ten minutes to melt one little dish worth and by the time my mom put her little bowl in, the microwave overheated and shut itself off.

In the future I will melt it in a pan on the stove!

I had already decided I wanted to do a Clove and Cinnamon scent, and I tossed in some On-Guard for it's benefits during cold & flu season. 

I dropped, mixed, smelled, dropped, mixed and smelled till I got it just how I wanted it and then poured the wax into an ice cube tray and popped it in the freezer! 

Easy as that! They did not last as long as I hoped, so I will be adding more oil next time (which would be easier if I knew how much I used for this batch... silly me didn't write it down!) I encourage you to make your own! If you have any questions about the process or would like information or to order some DoTerra oils let me know! I 'de love to chat! :)

Him & Her. Style & function.

I have had quite a few people tell me that our home is a perfect combination of my husbands and my styles.

He is a hunter, outdoorsy, practical guy. Things he brought into the home: antlers, decoys, a gun cabinet, camouflage, I would go so far as to say rustic items.

Enter wife.

Throw pillows, jewelry, items that simply serve as decor and nothing else. I love cozy, yet modern. Rustic, yet clean and and feminine, yet classy.

I am not all ruffles and he is not all cabiny. 

I would venture to say that most, if not all, bachelor pads are in need of a woman's touch and I have beyond enjoyed turning our house into a home.

We have animal portraits beside abstract art and we have ruffles next to antlers. We have carefully styled bookcases with decoys atop books, pinecones is nice baskets and old iron ducks perched on gun cleaning kits. The challenge of combining our tastes to create a home we both love has been a great one! Today, I took on our oasis, our escape, our bedroom [again]. (if you don't know me, or are new to these parts, you will soon realize I redecorate and rearrange monthly if not weekly)

Let it snow!

We have had snow for a few weeks now, but the temps were well below zero and the wing was a-gustin' so James was basically kept indoors except to go to the doctor and church!

After recovering from his upper respiratory infection, we bundled the little dude up in his adorable  monkey snow suit from Target and out we went!

Happy Winter! 

Happy Sunday!

the kitchen sink

The "Blog" World

Do you ever feel like you know someone I mean REALLY know someone.. you've seen their home, their children and heard their hearts.... only to realize you've never actually NEVER met the person? Ok, ok this sound slightly "stalkerish".

Not my intention. Let me explain...

I regularly read four blogs.

The first blog I read was the Naptime Decorator. Liz, the author of this blog is a mother of three who loves crafting, yard sales, bargains, her family and, last but not least, God. On Tuesday she shared about her recent health journey. Her testimony is amazing!

He & I is a blog written by a momma (that is the same age as me) of an ADORABLE little girl. She is a graphic designer as well. I love her creativity, positive outlook and her sense of humor!

The third blog I read is Lauren Elizabeth. I am new to this style and beauty blog, I found it from her sister Kate's blog, the Small Things Blog. Kate's blog is popular from her hair tutorials that have BLOWN up pinterest...

Which brings me back to my initial comments, Kate had a c-section today. I have been praying for her, her husband and their new little boy.

(No I have never met her. Would I like to? absolutely!)

anyways.... I have been praying with this woman, who I've never met. But feeling as if I am sitting in the waiting room, anticipating my first glimpse of her precious new son!

Balancing the content you share with readers on a blog and your personal life can be tricky, and there are alot of things you shouldn't share out of concern for safety alone! "Mom blogs" receive so much advice... which is not always friendly. But I am so thankful for the blogs that I read and for their authors who put up with no-so-friendly comments. I don't know the women behind the blogger accounts personally, but through the things they share, I am able to pray for them and with them as they deal with health issues, babies and LIFE in general!

I guess what I am trying to say is that I want THIS blog to be a place where I can share my life, my thoughts, dreams, struggles and passions with you. Not just for you to see what I did last week, but to encourage you in your walk with God, to give support as we journey the motherhood, and to inspire you as you make your house a home. 

I encourage you to check out the blogs I listed above (after you read mine, of course ;)

If you have a blog, I would love to read it, too! Leave a comment with the address!