A Little Nostalgia

 Throwback to my CHILDhood!

Wow! 

It's been a while, but this mix takes me right back to that awkward middle school age! 

When I play this, I am taken right back to all the times! 

Happy ones, sad ones, and nostalgia overwhelms me.

Take a listen and tell me where in time does this music hit you! 

Wow!

GRIEF

It hits me at the most random times. Triggers are odd.

Today it was while I was doing my online grocery order, looking through the chicken items. 

Banquet fried chicken!!! 

Now....I know this is weird.

However, it reminds of when we were growing up and my dad actually was the one that cooked dinner at our house during the week! 

Several times a month he would cook us Banquet fried chicken with various vegetable sides! 

I remember it being good, I haven't had any in such a long time, I do not know if it's any good now.  

I just know the memories it brings me when I see it! 

Today.... it made me cry, because I miss my daddy SO much!

Maybe I should add this to my grocery order today, for old times sake? 

BEYOND Excited!!

Guess What?!?!? 

I have a "new to me" older brother!! 

What shocking news! What fabulous news! 

To find out at age 51 that you have a brother you had no clue about....

WOW, to say the least.

The exact back story on how this happened is not mine to tell. I will however say that my mother made the only choice she felt she had at the time and she chose ADOPTION!  

Thank God she did not chose ABORTION. 

52 years later, that sweet baby boy she placed for adoption, has found her!

AND found a half sister & brother, Lord help him! :) 

Just kidding, even though I just met him, I feel a connection and already love him. 

At 51 yrs old,  while I understand the reasons,  I feel like I was robbed of a sibling! I wish things had been different so long ago, and I could have known my older brother all my life.  I am very thankful I have him now. I am hopeful, we can grow into a relationship, like we have known each other forever! 

It REALLY is a Small World After All !!

My sweet brother grew up only 2 hours from where I grew up! 

His home town is small & adorable.  We recently traveled there and spent the day with him, his partner, and his 91yr old uncle! 

His home is beautiful & inviting. His farm is delightful with cattle, chickens, & bees!

Hello

REALLY?

I Know You've Heard It Before..........

BUT for realz this time......I'm back! 

I know things, people.....evolve, and I've felt kind of like I've been in a hole for the past 15 years! Raising a daughter, keeping many other people's babies, has kept me too busy to put myself and my wants first. Then my dad passed away,  and then covid hit! I was in ICU for 7 days, and a regular room for 3 days before they let me come home.  When I came home I was on oxygen for a while.

My dad passing away and covid hitting me not once,  but twice,  really knocked me down.  

I feel like I've laid on the couch trying to catch my breath for almost 4 yrs.  

I am going to get my creative side flowing again. 

 I have to. I miss "me" and all things that bring me joy.

( Besides my family )

I. Am. Determined. 

I want to increase my followers here,  I still keep other people's babies,  but not as many, and they are older now, which allows me some time. I am not as exhausted. 

I still have an Etsy shop:

Shop In My Etsy Store

I still have a DoTerra shop:

Shop My DoTerra Store

I still have Fine Art America shop:

Shop My Fine Art America Site

Also Check out my ClickAsnap site:

Click A Snap

{ I would appreciate some photo views & comments, if you have a minute :) }

I also sling Dry Nail Polish & MakeUp at:

Nailposh4u

MY Thoughts on MY Loss

I.LOST.MY.DAD.

I realize I am not the first person this has happened to.  I have lots of friends and family that have lost parents. I have lost many loved ones. Grandparents,  that's a really tough one. Uncle, not an easy one either. Friends, I miss them dearly. However to loose a parent......is different.  I look back to the friends and family that have lost parents,  and I think. WOW!! I was not "there" for you.

I thought I was, I meant to be.......I did not understand.

I.DID.NOT.UNDERSTAND.

This loss is like no other.

( I haven't lost a child, so I can not even begin to compare that loss )

This loss is devastating.  My ROOTS are leaving the earth.

The one & only man in my life who loved me unconditionally, to the ends of the earth, to the moon & back, to the depths of his soul. He had my back. 

When the PTA ( yep I said it) did me so wrong and treated me so badly,  he wrote off a business that one of them was involved in. HE.NEVER.WENT.BACK. 

It was one of his favorite places to go. 

He was my safety net.

When things were bad, he was always there to help. 

NO.MATTER.WHAT.

Did we ever argue? 

Of course. We didn't always see eye to eye on everything. 

It didn't matter. 

He was my solid, no matter what, had my back guy! 

( My husband is good at this also, but it's different )

It's been 2 months and 9days as of today,  since he left me.

(Yes I know he left everyone else too)

It's STILL VERY RAW.

Some days are okay. Some are incredibly SAD.

EVERYDAY.I.THINK.ABOUT.HIM

What was the last meal he ENJOYED?

(Esophagus cancer took his joy of eating away)

When was the last time I hugged him, really hugged him?

(chemo took that away from us, he didn't need the germs)

HE.PROMISED.HE.WOULD.FIGHT.

Why didn't he fight harder? 

Didn't he know how desperately I needed him to stay?

What was he thinking? Was he sad or ready to go? 

Did he know he wasn't staying?

Did he know how much I loved him?  I mean REALLY know? 

Did he know that I LOVED the way he loved my baby girl? 

Did he know he was a most awesome grandfather & FIL?

Did he know what an awesome daddy he was? 

( Grumpiness & all)

THE.GUILT.

OMG! THE GUILT.

The guilt of eating in front of him when he couldn't.

The guilt of giving him a metal spoon to taste something I had made him.

The guilt of not hugging him anyway.

The guilt of not telling him how great he really was.

The guilt of  going to the beach, when he can not.

The guilt of not taking his dog.

The guilt of carrying on with my life.

The guilt of not knowing what was happening with him.

The guilt of not making the dr.'s check him after unusual pain.

The guilt of not fighting harder with him.

The guilt of not telling him "it was okay" if he didn't want to fight.

The guilt of not thanking him for treating my adopted baby girl as his own flesh & blood.

SO.MANY.UNSAID.THINGS.

I know what everyone thinks of these things. I know he probably knew most of my thoughts. I know what I should think of these things. I can not help where my thoughts go.

Sadness washes over me at some of the oddest times. 

It's a sadness I had not ever known. 

ENGULFING.CONSUMING.OVERWHELMING.HEAVY.

My love for my parents is so strong. I know not everyone has this tight bond and love with their parents. My husband is one of them.  He doesn't quite understand why I am so incredibly sad. He doesn't understand me waking up and just being so sad I cry, and will cry all day off and on. I hope he can make amends with his many parents before they are gone and all he is left with is what should have been. ( Yes I said many parents, long story.) 

I am doing my best to carry on with daily life things. If you met me today you would not know how sad and heart broken I really am. I put on my happy face, and deal with it.  

What else can we do?

Like I said before I.DID.NOT.UNDERSTAND. how great this loss can be. 

I am SO sorry to my friends & family who have lost parents. 

People ask "How are you?"  

I say "Okay" END.OF.CONVO. most of the time.

Really though?? 

Do I try to put into words how I really feel, for people who ask? Do they really want to know?  

I know they care, but they need me to be "okay", otherwise it's awkward. 

My husband wonders..... where is everybody? Why aren't more people calling to check on you...us....our daughter?  Well honestly it's okay that they are not. 

I don't REALLY want to talk.

It was expected. 

It was not expected. 

Cancer sucks. 

That is not what immediately killed him. 

We thought we had some time.

Not on our time, but God's.

We are not promised tomorrow.

Remember that.

I know many people lost him, but today I needed to talk about my loss. 

Who has a Cricut or Silhouette ?

ADDICTED TO VINYL?

I am!!  

ALL the colors, ALL the types, ALL the feels!!

Vinyl, vinyl, vinyl...

I used my birthday money to buy me a Silhouette machine!

NOT an original idea, I found out! 

It seems as though today EVERYONE has either a cricut or a silhouette !  I was thinking I could make shirts and various vinyl creations, as a side gig, to my stay at home mom job of keeping other babies, besides my own! It started out good, you know showing stuff I made on FaceBook, getting orders from my friends & family, of course I wasn't ( and still don't ) charge as much as I should. Mostly because people don't want to pay what it's "worth". 

Especially when you can get "vinyl" shirts so cheap online somewhere, or at Target & Walmart!

SO I love doing custom creations, that maybe you can't find at Target or Walmart! Of course I've done shirts you could find at these places, but the difference is on a shirt that you like, in the color you like, so that makes it a custom shirt! I've also done lots of other projects, other than shirts. 

Here's the link to my album on Facebook:

Vinyl Creations Album

What people don't understand is you have to buy lots of accessories to go along with the cutting machine. Not to mention tons of vinyl, to have colors & types on hand, you know.....in case you get an order! It never fails, I don't have THE color a customer wants, so I'll have to order it. Well the shipping on one sheet of vinyl is insane! That alone makes you go in the hole on a project! So of course I order the minimum amount to get FREE shipping, hoping one day I'll get to use all this vinyl I'm purchasing! 

It's a lot of fun,  but it can be an expensive hobby! 

I just love to craft, and my busy schedule doesn't leave me a lot of time to be as creative as I would like! 
How do you fit in your creative time?
What is your favorite crafty pastime?

Who wants a crafty giveaway?
Let me know in the comments if you want me to do a crafty giveaway,  and maybe some items you'd like to a chance to win?  

Sweet Momma Kitty

Sweet Momma Kitty

So.... this has happened at our house! 

Please don't tell me how irresponsible we are for letting this happen.  It has happened and we will make sure the babies go to good homes. We will probably keep one! Maybe the grey one.

I have always found nature just amazing.  It has been amazing for my daughter to watch this momma kitty taking care of these babies, and how naturally it comes for the momma. All of their needs are being met, and momma kitty is fierce in protecting them. They are precious,  and will be so well loved that they will be extremely hard to give up. 

Until they are ready for new homes we will just enjoy a lazy summer, playing with & loving these new precious lives! 

Here are some awesome things on my Kitty Wishlist:

This would be nice for our new babies!

It would be SO funny to watch these kittens play in this once they get older!

Freakin' Awesome!

{ The above links are affiliate links, we may earn a small commission on these products if you were to buy. AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU  :)  }

I'm Back.......Again

OMGoodness !!

It has been four years since I have blogged! 
Planning on changing that.  

I need a space where I can come and be myself, and get opinions as well as give opinions! 

Just a little update on me.

I now have a 5th grader!! Where has the time gone?
I have been babysitting and it takes a lot of my time as well as raising my daughter! 

I'm still using my essential oils, which I still LOVE !!
You can check out my website here:
Rebecca's Oils


I have found a new addiction!! Vinyl.  You can check out what I'm doing here:
Vinyl Creations

I am working on bringing back my jewelry.  I do SO love creating, and I feel like I've lost "myself", because I have not been able to do any of what I love. Some of it is because of health issues. I am a full fledged diabetic now, and honestly it has taken a lot of my energy and I think I've been slightly depressed with this horrible disease.  HOWEVER, I have found Keto which promises to help me heal and get my life back. 

SO will you join me here on my blog and let's be friends!
When you stay at home and keep babies all day,  you need some interaction with ADULT friends!!

Give me a comment if you are following the Keto WOE!!
I need tips & help on how to stay focused and what to eat.  I must beat diabetes, and reclaim my life! 

Give me a comment to say hello and let me know you're here!

What should you start with.......

“What essential oils do you recommend I buy?” is a frequent questions of beginners .....

It’s a tough one to answer, because what EOs you buy depends on what you’re going to use them for. However,  I’ve narrowed it down to 10 essential oils to consider when starting to use them.

1. Peppermint - headaches, clear sinuses and invigorate. 

2. Melaleuca - for all skin issues

3. Lavender - AWESOME for burns, ALL calming things, sleep, relaxing

4. Lemon - LOVE to add this to my drinking water but it's also awesome for a cleanser, cleaning and add to honey to soothe dry throat

5. Frankincense (favorite of mine!) 1 drop under tongue for depression and SO MUCH MORE. it's the King of Oils, blends with everything to make it work better. If Lavender on your pillow isn't working add 1 drop of this to it, and it will knock you out for a very restful sleep! 

6. Breathe (Doterra brand blend) - for all respiratory issues. cough, colds, asthma

7. Digestzen (Doterra brand blend) - LOVE this for heartburn, stomach aches! ALL DIGESTIVE ISSUES!

8. On-Guard (Doterra brand blend) - it's called the protective blend. use it to build up immunity in blood. Studies have been done on this. Kills MRSA in petri dishes. I use this on our feet all the time!

9. Deep Blue (Doterra brand blend) - for all the sore, achy muscles. LOVE DEEP BLUE!

10. Oregano - a natural anti-biotic. use in a capsule when starting to feel sick. Gets rid of sickness FAST. Use as part of cleaning out the GI tract (candida). I also add this to ON GUARD blend when rubbing on our feet!

DISCLAIMER: Information contained here is my personal
opinion and is not meant to treat or cure any disease.

You should always check with your personal physician
before using ANY essential oil especially if you are
nursing or pregnant.  NEVER use essential oils undiluted,
or on children without proper research or consultation 
with a physician or practicing holistic doctor. 
I can only express what I have used and how I have used it. 
ANY purchase and usage of essential oils is solely at your 
own discretion and risk.

6 Things you should know.....

SIX things you should know about Essential Oils:

1 -Essential oils are not really oils. They do not contain the fatty acids that constitute what we would consider an actual oil. Valerie Gennari Cooksley, author of Aromatherapy: Soothing Remedies to Restore, Rejuvenate and Heal defines essential oils as “highly concentrated plant constituents possessing potent medicinal and cosmetic qualities.” However, I think Stephanie Tourles nailed it in Organic Body Care recipes when she said, “I consider essential oils the life force or the soul of the plant.”

Most essential oils are high in antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties: This makes them an excellent addition to your homemade cleaning preparations. Oils that are best for cleaning are: Lemon, grapefruit, eucalyptus, peppermint, melaleuca, lavender, and rosemary.

2 - Essential oils are miniscule in molecular size, which means they are absorbed well by the skin – making them perfect ingredients in personal care items intended to heal, soften, and nourish. However, they do not accumulate in the body over time – they simply offer up their healing properties and then pass on through.

Scientific studies have shown that rosemary essential oil helps your brain perform. Specifically, smelling rosemary essential oil helps memory recall and performance on tests. Interestingly, this study also showed that groups that inhaled either rosemary or lavender essential oil felt much more relaxed than those who inhaled no odor at all.

Fragrance oils and essential oils are NOT the same thing. As a rule of thumb, if you see the word “fragrance” or “fragrance oil” or even “perfume” on anything, you can assume this is synthetic and NOT natural. (Even if it says natural fragrance.)

3 - Essential oils are wholly natural and cannot be patented; which means that you’ll never see an essential oil in a pharmaceutical drug. As such, you can expect that the vast majority of mainstream healthcare practitioners will never recommend essential oils as therapeutic alternatives to drugs. More importantly, because essential oils cannot be patented, drug companies will not waste money studying them. This limits our scientific knowledge of essential oils GREATLY, and the majority of what we know about them are things that have been passed down through thousands of years of personal use and experimentation.

Enormous amounts of plants are needed to produce essential oil. In fact, on the extreme end, it takes 4000 pounds of Bulgarian roses to produce 1 pound of essential oil. Other plants like lavender only take 100 pounds of plant material to produce a pound of essential oil. Still, can you imagine how concentrated essential oils must be, in light of how many plants are used to produce them?

4 - Not all essential oils are created equal, nor does more expensive necessarily mean “better.” The best one's are the ones that the plants are taken from the source of where the plant is native to and they test beyond what the standard is.

To test your essential oil to see how “pure” it is, put a single drop of it on a piece of construction paper. If it evaporates quickly and leaves no noticeable ring, it is pure. If you have a ring left, then it is likely diluted by the manufacturer with an oil of some sort (this test will not work for myrrh, patchouli, and absolutes).

5 - An average Essential oil will last for at least 5 years (if not 10), so one bottle could literally last you a decade. The highest grade blends will NEVER expire. Hopefully that thought will help mitigate the cost involved in purchasing some essential oils. Because they are SO concentrated and only a tiny amount is needed in anything you do, they’ll last you FOREVER. The only exception to this rule is citrus oils, which will see a reduction in potency after 5 years. BUT will still last a very LONG time.

Store your essential oils in dark glass bottles (which they were probably packaged in) and out of direct sunlight. This is simply to help preserve their potency.

6 - USE ESSENTIAL OILS TO HELP YOUR MOOD. Lavender, peppermint, grapefruit, chamomile, lemon, ylang-ylang all help produce happy, joyous moods. Clary sage helps with PMS Rosemary increases focus and concentration. Don’t forget the mood benefits of essential oils. 

If you know me at all, you know I have always had my hands doing something! 

I do not have idle hands.

Since my daughter was born it has been mostly taking care of her. Doing fun things with her. I absolutely LOVE taking care of her & spending my every moment with her. She is the light of my life.

She has also been the inspiration for a lot of the things I love doing!

Making soap, because of her very sensitive skin, and when I make soap ......

I know exactly what is in it, and I can pronounce the ingredients !  

Using essential oils......

I have used them for YEARS now,  and just recently joined the DoTerra team so I can now get them at wholesale prices and sell them to family & friends.

I have always used Lavender to calm her.

Citrus Oils to turn a grumpy mood into a happy mood.  Most of the time it's been aromatic uses on her, except for the Lavender,  her skin gets so irritated by heat, cold, and some foods she eats,  so I have always used Lavender in a carrier oil to keep her skin hydrated and soothed.

I have also always loved to make jewelry and have been meaning to start an aromatherapy line. Working on that now.  I have some pieces that can be used for that now in my make your own necklace section of my online Jewelry Shop !  

However I am hoping to expand on this in the very near future!

So stay tuned & follow me.......

Deep Blue

Wow.....

That's all I can say.....

Just kidding, you know I can always say more !

Deep Blue®
Soothing Blend

According to recent studies, more than half of us are sufferers of ongoing discomfort. Deep Blue® is dōTERRA®'s soothing solution to this challenge. Wintergreen, camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, blue chamomile, helichrysum and osmanthus work together to ease achy joints and sore muscles. Its effects are deep and penetrating with sustained results. Once gently rubbed into the area of discomfort, Deep Blue's cool therapeutic benefit will be felt almost immediately. For topical use only.

My family LOVES the Deep Blue for tired, sore, achy muscles. Be it from sleeping "wrong" or working out, Deep Blue helps tremendously!

Order you some Deep Blue Today !

So far so good......

knock on wood !

Remember when I wrote about 

On Guard

I've been rubbing it on my daughter's feet, and she has not gotten ANY of the mess going around school so far this year! At least 4 children in her class have gone home throwing up and with fevers, she has been around sickness, yet not been affected by it all ! 

I think this is definitely because of the On Guard! 

I am loving my essential oils,  and being with DoTerra!

Order you some today!!

Click here to Order On Guard and other Essential Oils & Products

About Essential Oils ...

Derived from leaves, bark, flowers, roots, stems and other parts of the whole plant, essential oils are the highly concentrated, healing liquid of plants; the true essence of aroma therapy and other natural, physical and psychological therapeutic practices. Free from artificially created perfumes or fragrances, the chemical composition of essential oil molecules carefully penetrate the lungs when inhaled and are absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream to deliver efficient and effective healing qualities.

For thousands of years, essential oils have been part of natural medicine, aiding in the relief of pain to clearing of skin irritations, healing chronic diseases and provide many other physical benefits. They have also been shown to enhance and balance out moods and bring energy or calm when needed.

Grown and harvested throughout the world, each essential oil is hand selected and purposefully chosen from its indigenous place of origin, to maximize therapeutic potentiality.

  If you have ever enjoyed the scent of a rose, you’ve experienced the aromatic qualities of essential oils. These naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compounds are found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant. In addition to giving plants their distinctive smells, essential oils protect plants and play a role in plant pollination. In addition to their intrinsic benefits to plants and being beautifully fragrant to people, essential oils have long been used for food preparation, beauty treatment, and health care practices.

What is an Essential Oil ?

{ Click above link to answer the question }

History of Essential Oils

Uses of Essential Oils

How they are Extracted

About Grades of Oils

Safety of Oils

Being On Guard ....

Did you know DoTerra, offers a whole range of OnGuard products to help ward off sickness for you?

Check out all the products!

Protect yourself and your family from pesky germs and bugs this season!

  OnGuard Protecting Toothpaste

 OnGuard Beadlets

 & OnGuard Throat Drops

 is the way to go without the chemicals and negative side effects!

On Guard Beadlets are an easy and convenient way to obtain the immune-boosting benefits of On Guard Essential Oil Blend. On Guard Beadlets provide a flavorful dose of dōTERRA's proprietary blend of wild orange, clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary, all contained in tiny vegetable beadlets that melt in the mouth quickly to freshen breath and support the immune system. On Guard Beadlets are perfect for home use, while traveling, and to boost your family's immunity - anytime, anywhere.

Get the immune support your body needs when facing winter threats or elements that can weaken your immune system with the proprietary blend of dōTERRA On Guard and Black Pepper, Oregano, and Melissa essential oils.

Features a unique blend of essential oils in an easily dissolvable, vegetarian softgel.

• Provides additional immune support when needed.
• Protects against environmental threats.

\

On Guard Protecting Throat Drops

Don't let flu season catch you off guard! dōTERRA®'s On Guard Protecting Throat Drops provide a convenient way to benefit from On Guard's immune-supporting properties. With all-natural organic cane juice and organic brown rice syrup, these drops help support fixed and mobile immune function*, and can help calm and soothe dry, scratchy throats.

On Guard Natural Whitening ToothpastedōTERRA's fluoride-free toothpaste provides the protective benefits of therapeutic-grade On Guard essential oils, while also reducing plaque, and whitening teeth with gentle polishing agents. On Guard's unique cinnamon-mint flavor, with xylitol, also leaves your breath (and your toothbrush), fresh and clean.

Also while you are visiting the On Guard products check out the cleaning, handwashing, & laundry products to help you on your journey to staying healthy! 

Also you can diffuse the OnGuard Oil Blend into the air to help ward off germies in your home! 

DoTerra's OnGuard offers a complete line of defense against unwanted germs !

'Tis the season,  so be OnGuard !!

Click the descriptions to find these products for sale!

 OR JUST CLICK THIS LINK!!