Stop The Itch of Contact Dermatitis

A big welcome to my friend, Tonya!

Tonya blogs over at Created2fly.

 

Tonya is guest posting for me today as I have family in from out of town.  If you've not been to her blog Created2fly.net you need to go and spend some time reading her posts.  She is an excellent writer with quality content about all things essential oils and her spiritual insight will amaze you.

DRUMROLL PLEASE.....!!

HERE'S TONYA...:)

Thanks Dawn, for letting me stop by and share one of our first success stories with essential oils!

This year when we began using quality essential oils, I held in my hands a small Altoids tin with about 30 drops of 5 different oils. My starter kit from Rebecca of www.campwander.com

At that time we were struggling with an allergic reaction Miss Diligence has to her sweet dog Tasha (You can read her story HERE). All it would take is a single hair from Tasha and Miss Diligence would itch horribly. Then, she would scratch. Here's what it would look like after just a little scratching.

 Horrifying, isn't it?!

I remembered something about lavender helping with allergies, so I grabbed my little vial and shook out a few drops onto her welts. She looked at me with shock in her eyes, "That's creepy!" 

Immediately, the itching stopped. The welts were still there, but without her scratching they went away and she didn't even know when it happened.

She now keeps a roller bottle with lavender diluted in Fractionated Coconut Oil with her. (About 20 drops lavender, then fill 1/3 oz roller bottle with Fractionated Coconut Oil.) However, when she went to stay with my parents, she forgot to bring it and we received this text:

 

Lavender is Miss Diligence's favorite oil. She not only uses it to deal with contact dermatitis, but also diffuses it for Tasha using a custom Flower Power. 

What ways do you use this versatile oil?

Have a blessed and itch free day!

Tonya

Butter Dip Biscuits

I found this recipe on The Country Cook and we've been making it ever since.  

At least once a week.  

I know, they're probably not that healthy, but oh so easy and really, really yummy!

I quadruple the dry ingredients and mix them all together and store in the glass jar.  That way, when we're ready for them we just measure out what we need and add the liquids.  

Makes it so simple!

And, QUICK!

DRY MIX RECIPE

10 c. flour

6 T. sugar

5 T + 1 tsp. baking powder

4 tsp. salt

BISCUIT RECIPE w/ MIX

2 3/4 c. mix

1 1/4 stick butter (melted, keep 1/4 stick separate)

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. whole milk 

I took some pics of each step in the recipe for ya

BUTTER DIP BISCUIT RECIPE

1 1/4 stick butter

2 1/2 c. flour

4 tsp. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. whole milk (I don't buy 2% anymore)

Melt the stick of butter (1/2 c.) and pour in an 8" pan.
Melt the 1/4 stick and add to bowl with mix.  
Add the milks.  
Stir until combined.  Will be very sticky. 
Pour on top of the butter in the pan and press it in the pan until covers the bottom.  The butter will come up and over the top.  
Take a sharp knife and score the batter.  You want 9 biscuits.  This allows the butter to seep around the sides of each biscuit.
Bake at 450 for 20-25 minutes.

Give this recipe a try and let me know how you like it.  I promise you will be glad you did!  
Please come back and leave me a comment.

Thanks for stopping by!
Dawn

White Chicken Chili

I know, I know....it's summertime!  

Who in their right mind (there's the kicker! :o) ) would eat chili in the heat of the summer?

But I just can't handle this craving any longer.  

HOT or NOT!!  

We love this "Chili".  It's really spicy and yummy!!

 

And some gave all

I buy the package mix (will be making my own mix, soon) 

and sort of, but not really, 

follow the directions on the back of the package.  

My recipe includes:
4 cans of chicken broth (or 8 cups)
3 cans great northern beans (or 2 qt. jars of home canned)
2 cups shredded chicken
1 pkg. White Chicken Chili Mix

Add all to a pan and simmer for about 30 minutes.  

We eat this with salsa, tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded lettuce and grated cheese.  Yum, yum!!

Sit down and enjoy a scrumptious bowl--or two!

You could even have Patti's Woodsy Winter Day diffuser blend diffusing in the kitchen to bring the wintertime feel into the house while you eat it! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Dawn

Spark Naturals is Now Offering Birch Essential Oil

Spark Naturals has launched it's newest product...

BIRCH ESSENTIAL OIL

 

 Here's the skinny on BIRCH...

Birch's properties are:

anti-inflammatory/anti-rheumatic--it helps to stimulate the circulatory system which improves circulation.  Improper circulation results in edema (swelling), arthritis, and rheumatism. As a detoxifier, Birch helps to remove the root cause of these diseases which is toxin buildup in the body.

antispasmodic/analgesic--helps relieve cramps, reduces pain of joints, muscles, headache and toothache.

stimulant--stimulates the circulatory system, digestive system, excretory system and nervous system.  Also stimulates the secretion of hormones and enzymes through the endocrinal glands which can be helpful to diabetics in need of lowering their blood sugar levels.

antiseptic/disinfectant--protects from bacterial and fungal infections.

astringent/tonic--tones the skin by effectively reducing wrinkles and saggy skin.

diuretic--helps remove toxins from the blood through increased perspiration and urination therefore, purifying the blood. 

 Birch essential oil works great in lotions and salves to help rid the body of ringworm and relieve eczema.

Birch promotes weight loss, improves digestion and lowers blood pressure!  

What doesn't it do?

Birch blends well with lemon, sandalwood, rosemary, basil, bergamot, cypress and geranium

So many great uses for this fantastic oil!  

You need this in your essential oil arsenal!

Purchase it here:  Spark Naturals and use code "sonshine" for a 10% discount!

Supply may be limited, so you might have to wait on a backorder--but don't let that stop you!  Order yours today!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dawn

Sources
http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/health-benefits-of-birch-essential-oil.html
Modern Essentials 4th Edition
Spark Naturals

Birch is not recommended for pregnant women and those who suffer from epilepsy due to it's high concentration of methyl salicylate.

Friday Feature

Good Morning, everyone!

Happy Friday!

I am guest posting today on my sweet friend, Tonya's blog Created2fly.  She asked me to write a post for her Friday Feature.  So, why don't you grab a cup of coffee and join us over there....

FRIDAY FEATURE on Created2fly

 

Thanks for joining us!

Dawn

 

Stop That Itch!

We have found ReFresh blend to be an awesome thing for itching.

I make up a blend of witch hazel and ReFresh in a spray bottle for me and sometimes I just use it neat.  

We call it Stop. That. Itch!

I also make up a roller bottle for my kids with fractionated coconut oil and Refresh and they slather it on anything that itches including but not limited to: mosquito bites, chiggers, any type of rash, poison ivy, tick bites.  This stuff really does stop the itch.  It also will keep poison ivy from continuing to bubble up and dries it up quickly.  If I realize that I've gotten into some poison ivy and rub the area with ReFresh (neat) as soon as I realize it....I never get an itchy spot at all.

Refresh includes: 
6 drops Cilantro
8 drops Citronella
20 drops Lemon
31 drops White Fir
13 drops Lime
7 drops Melaleuca essential oils.

You can purchase Stop That Itch! in a roller bottle or as a spritzer or make your own using ReFresh.
Thanks for stopping by!
Dawn

Wildcrafting Wednesday Linkup 

Introducing Spark Naturals

And the winner is....Spark Naturals!  

For affordable, pure, quality pharmagrade essential oils!

Here is a little about Spark Naturals from their website:

At Spark Naturals, we understand the importance of quality sourcing for our products. Our Essential Oils are tested, pure oils. What separates Spark Naturals is our variety of top quality products and our competitive pricing.  Each oil, whether it is a component of a blend or a pure essential oil, is selected from the best geographic area in the world to cultivate and grow that particular plant or tree. Spark Naturals’ Essential Oil product line is made up of oils from just about every corner of the world. For instance, our lavender comes from France, our Eucalyptus from Australia, our Lemon oil is sourced from Italy, and our Wild Orange is harvested in the Dominican Republic – to name just a few. Spark Naturals oils are the purest Essential Oils available, because we carefully and strategically source them.  Luxury products found at our prices are rare in the marketplace. We purchase each oil in large quantities to ensure lower pricing. Our exclusive agreements with the farmers, distilleries and cold press houses mean a cheaper, higher quality raw material.

Company Values

At Spark Naturals our focus is finding, creating and developing only products that improve the health and wellness of our consumers.  Try them out… We guarantee that you will be impressed!

• 100% customer satisfaction
• Pure and natural essential oils, attars and herbal extracts
• Highly focused research and development
• Best luxury pricing in the industry

I love that I can purchase Certified Pure PharmaGrade essential oils from Spark Naturals that are more affordable!  Here's what that means: 

CPPharmaGrade™

Spark Naturals  products are Certified Pure PharmaGrade -(CPPharmaGrade™) - a physical standard ensuring our products are of the appropriate identity, strength, quality, purity, and consistency – standards used internationally for quality and purity.  Our raw materials are tested and authenticated to be of pharmaceutical grade purity.  Spark Naturals likes to deal with facts; our goal is to educate the public about health issues, offer serious, useful alternatives, and to provide luxury products backed by facts – not advertising or business opportunity ploys or gimmicks.  We are not a marketing / distribution company; we are a quality and customer service company.  CPPharmaGrade™is our quality commitment – we will offer only those products for which we can ensure our commitment to true quality – our commitment to provide all consumers useful, luxury products, intelligently priced.

Essential oils have become a daily part of my family's life and even the 2 yr. old will come to me now and ask for the "spay" (usually he's showing me his latest scrape and asking for the Cuts & Scrapes Spritzer that we keep on hand--it helps to soothe and heal).   When he wants my homemade bug spray: Dawn's Bug Beware he stomps his foot and says "bad bug"!  It's so cute....anyway...I digress. :0)  

Speaking of Spark Naturals......

Spark Naturals has a wide variety of Essential Oils and Essential Oil Blends.  They also have roller bottles you can purchase to make your own roll-on blends and handy-dandy tins to store your oils in.  Don't forget about their empty 5 and 15 ml bottles. These can come in handy when you'd like to share your oils or blends.

Spark Naturals offers an "Oil of the Month Club" at a great value!  Once you sign up, you will receive that month's oil for only $15.99 including shipping and tax.  The oil of the month will then be shipped on that same date and your credit card charged the $15.99 each consecutive month.  This is a great way to build your EO supply at discounted prices.  All oils are 15 ml bottles.


January - Cassia
February - Peppermint
March - Bergamot
April - Oregano
May - Lavender
June - Geranium
July - Basil
August - Shield
September - Melaleuca
October - White Fir
November - Coriander
December - Respire

If you are interested in the Oil of the Month Club or purchasing essential oils, blends or accessories...please use my affiliate link: Spark Naturals and coupon code "sonshine" for 10% off (code does not apply to the Oil of the Month Club).  I will make a small amount off of each order placed using this link, but it does not change the price of your items or cost you anything more.  

The little bit of extra $$ I make allows me to stay home with my children, homeschool, and brainstorm, research, and learn about essential oils so I can bring you more great recipes to use in your home!  Thank you!  

If you have any questions about Spark Naturals, please let me know.  When purchasing, use code "sonshine" for 10% off your order.

Thanks for stopping by!
Dawn

Spider Ban!

Do any of you have a plethora of spiders in your home?  Well, we do....or I should say we used to!  YAY!  

I read somewhere that spiders hate the smell of peppermint.  

So, I decided that was good for me!  I took some peppermint essential oil and mixed it with some witch hazel and oo la la!  We have a mighty tool for keeping spiders away. 

Recipe:  20 drops peppermint essential oil
witch hazel (put EO in first then fill)
4 oz. spray bottle

We spray this around the wood floors in my bathroom and around the fireplace.

Usually, starting in early spring I have at least one spider a day in here

We have cedar floors and also a White Fir on the walls in this bath.  Spiders evidently love the wood!  Or at least they think they like the tub....until they get in it and can't get back out.

See this picture....no spider!  That's how I like it.  And, except for maybe one or two (when it was time to spray again and I hadn't) it's staying spider free!

A simple solution.  I like simple! And, it works just as good as those toxin-filled household bug sprays--without all the toxins.  I love toxic-free!

I typically will spray this about every 2 weeks.  I use it in my kitchen and the kids rooms, too.

Thanks for stopping by!
Dawn

Linked up with these blogs. Click any picture and it will take you to the blog with all the links of some really wonderful, ideas, recipes, information!

The Dreaded Bagworm!

Bagworms!  

A Christmas Tree Farmer's worst nightmare....well, not really.  

They are no fun, but we are surviving them and will be victorious over them!

 They attach to the needles on the tree.  They are actually little caterpillars who live in a bag.  

They emerge a tiny bit through a hole in the top of the bag and feed on the tree. (See above picture)

But, boy do they do a number on the tree!

Do you see all the brown hang-y down-y things?  (Don't you just love my professional jargon ?) :0)  What about all those brown needles in the center of the tree?  That's the damage from these yucky ole bagworms.

How dare they!

Actually....it's our fault.  

How is that, you ask?  

Well, last summer while we were shearing we evidently missed the mama bagworm on this tree.  In late summer she lays her eggs and they winter over in her bag.  Each bag can have as many as 1000 eggs.  These worms on this tree are the babies.  In the springtime they will hatch out and climb out of the mama's (she is already dead) bag, make their own bag and then commence to just devouring the poor tree.

A close up of the damage to the tree.

Once they have eaten their way to maturity the males metamorphosize into a black moth while the females remain a caterpillar and stay in the bag to lay their eggs.  Then they die.

How do you get rid of them?  Well, we remove them one at a time by hand.  Yep, it's kinda gross!  

 

 We carry a jug of gasoline and just drop them into it.  That insures that they die and we don't have to spend the time smushing each and every one....ugh!

After smushing...green ooze! 

Like I said, they're really gross.  This is what we used to do until we found out just pulling them off and tossing them into the gasoline is faster and um...less gross!

Once we find a tree with bagworms we have to go through it with a fine-toothed comb to find each and every one.  It's imperative that we find them all.  We found a total of 163 bagworms on this tree.  Yep, we counted each and every one.

Then, we check each tree on every side of this one.  Typically, we will find one or two in these other trees.  So, all shearing stops until we have found each and every bagworm.  

Here's the tree after all the bagworms are off.  This tree will survive, but will have naked parts on the inside. If the bagworms had been left to do their work, this tree would be totally needle-free. 

We typically find the bagworms in our White Pine trees and Spruce trees.

Anybody wanna come to the farm and help de-bagworm the trees??

I'll gladly give up my spot! :0)

Thanks for stopping by!

Dawn

Our First Pickins from the Garden!

These are from the cucumbers and peppers planted in our haybales.

 Anaheim Peppers

 Yummy!  Sweet and mild flavored cucumbers.

Thanks for stopping by!

Dawn