Oh how I love December!

The scent of fresh balsam and cedar filling the house, crafts with kids that seemed like a good idea before the mess starts, baking cookies and having nothing to show for it the next day because it's Christmas and perfectly acceptable to eat an entire batch in 12 hours time, real Christmas trees that need to be swept under 30 times a day because your kids insist on rearranging ornaments all day long , hearing "can I have that for Christmas?" after EVERY toy commercial (thank you so much Disney junior), and then while reading the true story of Christmas to your toddler she says to you "Mommy, Christmas is Jesus's birthday! Yep mommy, it's every Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30"...oh my child, you wish Christmas was every Tuesday and Thursday! LOL 

 DIY Christmas Tree Crayons 

This was so much fun! Ava helped to peel the crayons, of course.. Then we broke them and placed them in our silicone tree tray and baked them at 275 in the oven for 10 minutes or until they melted. We let them cool and then placed the tray in the freezer for a few minutes to really harden. 

Volia! A fun and festive crayon and the perfect stocking stuffer for the kiddos.

For the Glam Girl: Festive Nail Color 

It's fall time now and things are as crazy as ever! Ava started 3K-Preschool at the end of September and she is loving it. Which I'm definitely not surprised because she is my little social buttery fly.. a trait she gets from her father. 

As we head deeper into the fall season I thought I would share a few things that I'm loving this month so maybe someone else will find something new to love also. And of course no post would be complete if it didn't have some adorable tiny human pics. 

It's Friday!
I love Fridays and I am also loving so many new things right now that I just need to share them so maybe someone else can enjoy them also!

1.) Purify Essential Oils Cleansing Blend

The first of my current favorite things is Essential Oils! A sweet momma friend of mine helped to push my reservations about trying oils out of the way and helped me get started on a new natural path. Over the past year I've been thinking about incorporating oils into our daily lifestyle but I just needed that extra push along with LOTS of examples as to how they could actually help us.

What finally pushed me over the edge is the "smelly" towel issue in our house. I don't know about anyone else out there but I'm not strong in my 'laundry' game and believe me there is plenty around this house with farm clothes, kids clothes, ect... But laundry has always been a struggle because I honestly put it in the washer and then get distracted by a child or another household task and forget the load for about half a day and then its TOO LATE because the musty smell has set in. I always have about a million excuses I use when Aaron asks me why a piece of laundry stinks. I'm telling you, laundry is seriously my kryptonite. 

Then the Purify cleansing oil blend from DoTerrá arrived in the mail and my laundry has new life! I added two drops of Purify during the rinse cycle in the washer and then added 3-4 drops to a dry washcloth and tossed it into the dryer with every load. No more gross smelly towels and no more "how long did you let this in the washer?" from Aaron. Also I have come up with an alarm system on my phone to try and help me develop a healthier habit of remembering to change over the endless loads.

{In the two days that Purify has been in our house I've used it countless times.}
-I diffused 2 drops of Purify and 2 drops of Lemon oil freshen up the girls rooms
-I put 2 drops of Purify and 2 drops of Orange oil on a cotton ball and placed it in the vacuum canister - WHOA, I wanted to vacuum everything!
-I made a disinfecting spray with 2 cups water, 2 cups white vinegar and 10 drops Lemon and 10 drops Purify.

 {Purify is a combination of Lemon, Lime, Pine, Citronella, Melaleuca, and Cilantro essential oils. When diffused, Purify Cleansing Blend can help eliminate odors from pets, cigarettes, mildew, trash, food, and much more.} 

EO Spotlight: Purify 

{Here is a link to an spotlight post on Purify if your interested in knowing what else this amazing oil can do.}

2.) Passion Yoli Energy Drink Mix

About 2 months ago Aaron came home with two boxes of these drink mixes that he bought from a friend, I was skeptical but WOW I love this all natural, sugar free, no crash mix! Tropical Melon is my favorite flavor. Not only does it give me crazy energy for the day but they also help stabilize your metabolism, win win!

If your interested in trying this product you can check out Ellen's page, she is sweet and very helpful.
Yoli Passion

3.) Straws of Steel

There are a billion reasons I love spending time with my sister-in-law and one of the those reasons is she always has the most unique things and ideas. During the first morning of my visit to Chicago she made me an iced coffee in a mason jar {she knows my heart} with a stainless steel straw. Steel straw, say what! I was in love at first sip because the drink is ice cold until it hits your lips, literally. 

::Katie's tip: Mojitos are a must try with a steel straw::

You can find them at Restoration Hardware or at Bed Bath & Beyond

4.) Halloween PJ's and the 'Cat Dress'

Since having two girls I'm obsessed with putting them in matching/coordinating pajama's for every holiday. With the fall/halloween season finally upon us and I've been browsing and picked out my favorites.


Also I finally found this sweatshirt cat dress in Charlottes size yesterday at the Gap store
(It's selling out like crazy everywhere so grab it while you can)
The 'cat dress'


5.) Lush Products

My top three favorite Lush products right now to use when I get some "me" time is:
- Ocean Salt
Great for brightening your skin, body and face!
-Mask of Magnaminty (face mask)
Wash away impurities and tighten up your skin.
-Avobath Bath Bomb
Can I just say, SOFT skin!

No harmful chemicals - Check them out!


Enjoy your weekend!
-Tiffany