CLOSED- doTerra essential oils from Lemon Living

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER #10 MARY! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

For over a year now, my sister-in-law, Jill Lemon, has been on a journey for better health.  She's focused on fitness, diet and enhancing her lifestyle.  She's worked hard and it has paid off.  Jill looks amazing but more importantly she feels amazing. 

She's started a new blog called Lemon Living, full of tips and tricks that she has used in her journey to better health and I'm happy to introduce you to that blog, Lemon Living.

In addition to exercise and better eating she has also discovered essential oils as a way to improve her health even more and has become a consultant for doTERRA oils.  Now you need to understand something about Jill, she is not a person who wastes her time and money.  She researches every purchase she makes and doesn't spend time doing things just for the sake of doing them or because it's the next best thing.  So when she told me that she loved these oils and wanted to share them with others I sat up and took notice.  These must be for reals because Jill wouldn't mess around with them if they weren't.

I was skeptical but she sent me a few samples which to my surprise I actually have enjoyed a lot.  There are lots of ways that you can use these oils and they can help with a variety of ailments.  Here are the samples she gave me and my experiences with them -

• Lavender:  I used this on a patch of poison ivy I had on my arm.  My ivy burn was close to healed when I started using the oil so I can't say that it "cured" my burn but it did make that patch's scar clear up a bit quicker than the other patches I had.  My friend Mary also uses this as aroma when she cleans the floors and I plan to put a few drops in my carpet cleaner solution the next time I clean.
• Lemon:  My husband had a major stomach ache a few days ago.  He was complaining about being sick like only a man can do.  I put two drops of lemon oil in a glass of water and made him take a sip.  After only 5 minutes he was back to normal and even he had to admit that it really did make him feel better.  I also plan to add this scent to my homemade cleaning supplies.
• Peppermint:  Jill used to get migraines every day and since she started putting peppermint behind her ears every day.  She hasn't had a migraine since she started doing this.  I had a headache one day and I used the peppermint instead of Advil.  I felt like it worked well.  My daughter also complained of a headache one night.  I put a drop on her forehead and she stopped complaining about the pain and started asking for candy because is smelled so good.  Haha!
• Deep Blue:  This is like a lotion with a mixture of a few different oils in it.  It's supposed to help with things like sore muscles, bruises etc.  I slept funny one night and my shoulder and neck were in so much pain I couldn't move them.  I tried the Deep Blue and the pain was gone and I had mobility within minutes.

These are just a few examples of the uses for these oils there are hundreds more but these are the ones that have helped me in the past few weeks.  I was skeptical at first but I really did like them and will be buying more in the future. You can find what oils are available and their uses HERE.

Now... who wants some free stuff???  I can sense you raising your hands behind those computer screens so let's get on with it.

Jill from Lemon Living is offering one lucky reader a doTERRA Introduction to Essential Oils Kit valued at $26.67.  The giveaway is open to anyone in the US or Canada.

The doTERRA Introduction to Essential Oils Kit includes:

- an introductory audio CD and booklet

- 5 ml of Lavender

- 5 ml of Lemon

- 5 ml of Peppermint

Here's how you enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post about essential oils.  Have you used them before?  What's your favorite?  Are you skeptical?  Do you have an ailment you hope they can fix?  Do you make homemade soaps or lotions that could benefit from some delicious scent?  Just leave a comment about anything and you're entered.
• BONUS ENTRIES just leave a separate comment for each one that you do to be entered multiple times.  That's up to 8 chances to win!
• Follow Lemon Living Blog
• Follow Lemon Living on Facebook
• Follow Lemon Living on Pinterest
• Make a doTerra purchase from Lemon Living
• Follow The Creative Vault Blog
• Follow The Creative Vault on Pinterest
• Share this giveaway (pin it, facebook, email, google+, etc.)

The giveaway will be open for one week and a winner will be announced on Monday the 13th.

Thanks Jill for the awesome prize!  Don't forget to visit her blog, Lemon Living and say hello!

 

Crockpot Chicken Chili

Looking for something inexpensive, easy and delicious for dinner?  Don't worry - I gotcha.

I made this dish for a freezer meal group I'm a part of.  You can read more about how it works HERE.  I ended up making seven meals which I put together in gallon sized Ziploc's and froze flat.  Nice and compact for storing in the freezer.

This chili is really flavorful and has just the right amount of spices that everyone will love.  It's great as a chili but also works well in tortillas as tacos.  It would make a good chili to put on top hot dogs or nachos.  Assembling the meal is simple and cooking it is even easier.  Flick a switch on your crockpot and walk away.  What's easier than that?!?

Here's how it's done -

Ingredients

• 1 large chicken breast
• 1 c. salsa (I used Pace )
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans chili beans in sauce
• 1 Tb. oregano
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions

If making freezer meals - place all ingredients into Ziploc bag and freeze.  When ready to cook remove from bag and place in crockpot (frozen or thawed).  Cook on high for 4 hours until chicken easily shreds with a fork.


Enjoy!

Updating the Deck - Phase 1

It's spring so naturally I've been gradually emerging from the cave which is my house and getting out into the sun to work on some house projects.  Plus, I'm tired of being fat and I've been looking for ways to "work out" without actually working out.  Saturday's project was to tackle the deck.

When we bought the house in 2007 the deck pretty much looked exactly like this.

Outdated lattice and dead dry looking wood.  I never had a deck growing up and I just figured that the deck was old and that's just what they looked like.  I did not learn the magic of a pressure washer until recently.  My neighbor just built a beautiful brand new deck which I have been enviously staring at for the last couple of months.  I thought I was just doomed to have the crappy deck.  But last week he had his deck stained and a man came out and pressure washed the stairs that we share at the same time {you can see them in the background}.  They were new again!  What?!?  Seriously?!  My deck isn't old and dried out!  It's just dirty!  It was like a tiny little flicker of hope burning inside me. 

I could do this.  I could make this baby awesome again.  Sweetness.

The man who did the neighbors deck quoted me $1,000 to revamp mine.  Uhhh.... no dude.  That's cool.  I think I can tackle this baby on my own.

So today was phase one.  REMOVE THE LATTICE.

Wanna see how it looks now???

 

Booyah!

 

Gone baby!

 

I did it mostly by myself {Jackson always had a tool in hand and Maggie helped me haul stuff to the curb}.  But all it took was a hammer and a chair to stand on to reach all the tall parts.

Let's look again shall we?

So much better right?!?

To remove it I just used a hammer to remove the rusty nails and to act as a crow bar.  The lattice came off fairly easily after that.  I listed the large lattice pieces on Craigslist for free {maybe someone could use them in their garden} but I'm pretty sure most of it will just be picked up by the garbage company.

It only took about 2 1/2 hours from tear down to clean up and a portion of that time was dedicated to screaming, and jumping and waiting for the big scary lizard to relocate.  He just stared at me with his creepy dead eyes, daring me to move him but there was no way in hell that was going to happen so I waited patiently for him to move on on his own.  Can you imagine if he had jumped on my face and attacked?  The horror.  Just my luck though he'll have relocated into my house now that I've torn his down.  *shudders*

Okay let's think of some happy thoughts like this cute helper -

 

 

Ahh.... that's better.  He was so determined.  He thinks he's Fix It Felix.  He kept hitting himself in the head with the hammer {I guess that's how you learn} so I eventually moved him to pliers duty.  No more accidents after that.

The deck looks better but it's a far cry from done.

Next on the deck to do list:

•  Clean out the leaves and junk from underneath
• Pressure wash the deck
• Repair loose railings
• Stain and seal the deck {I may try to match my neighbors deck but I may go with a nice dark stain.  Thoughts?}

And if you're like my mom and are wondering about that one beam that looks a little bendy, don't worry, that beam is mostly to support the lattice.  There is nothing wrong with the structure of the deck.  The three large beam are the main support beams.  I don't know yet if I'll remove those extra beams yet.  Who knows?  Probably not though. 

Hope you feel inspired to get out there and tackle a project at your house that you've been putting off.  Even if it means getting out there and doing something that looks tough all by yourself, I'm here to testify that YOU CAN DO IT!

Easter Bunny Egg Cozies & Owl

Did you have a nice Easter?  I hope you did!

Ours was very nice and relaxing.  Church and the bunny stuff and dinner with friends.  What could be better than that?!

A few days later we were surprised with a great big box of even more Easter stuff from Nonie and Grandpa.  Inside were the cutest little bunnies I ever saw.  My mom had knit these adorable Easter Bunny Egg Cozies.  I died.  Inside each one was a little Cadbury egg that I did not let the kids touch because I did not want them messing with the bunnies.  I declared them MINE!

I've showed you other great stuff that my mom has knit or crocheted before HERE and HERE.  She's just so talented.  I can't get enough.  If you're on Ravelry (a social network for yarn enthusiasts) you can check out her page and even more of her projects.  Her user name is MOBOYLE.

The pattern she used is called Huggie Bunnies and is available for free download from Ravelry by Sandra Paul.

{P.S. If you're wondering about the background fabric, it's a clothing cotton I found recently at JoAnn Fabrics.  There's a whole line that goes with it.  Super cute.  It will soon be a dress so keep an eye out for that post in the future.}

Mom put a Cadburry egg in each one but they could easily fit a regular sized egg too.  Such a cute little project that I can't wait to save and pull out for next years Easter baskets.  Maybe by then I'll be more generous and share with the kids.  Maybe.

But the bunnies weren't all that Nonie knitted up for the kids.  She also included this adorable little Owl Puff.  I thought the eyes were especially neat.  It's little rounds of felt attached with rounded safety buttons.

 

The pattern for the Owl Puffs is available for free on Ravelry by Jenna Krupar.

Hope you feel inspired by my talented mom and all these adorable patterns! 

Kisses from the Cutts Family!  xoxo

Cinderella Cupcakes

Maggie turned 5.

 

It feels like it should be a crime to grow up so fast.  Am I the only mom that wants to freeze time?

 

Last year all she wanted was Shaun the Sheep cupcakes, but her speech delay has improved so much that this year she actually had several requests for her party.

 

1.  Cinderella themed

2.  A long list of boy and girl guests

3.  Cinderella cupcakes with glass "swippas"

 

All three wishes were granted.  

We ended up having a Cinderella Ball.  With actual dancing and turning our house into a ballroom kind of ball.  It was the real deal.  It was basically kid prom and it was amazing.  I have lots of photos to sort through but while I work on that, how about I show you her third wish?

 

 

Cinderella Cupcakes With Glass Slippers!

 

My dear friend Amy helped me make them.  She's pretty amazing when it comes to cupcakes and cute treats.  She can do anything.  Check out her blog, Indulge With Me when you have time because you will get lost over there for days.  These cupcakes were nothing for her, she tackles much more difficult tasks but they were exactly what Maggie wanted so in my mind these were her best work.

I created the slippers from melted almond bark and a candy shoe mold.  I purchased my mold at a local candy supply store for $1.99.  If you don't have one near you, you can find the same one on Amazon HERE and HERE.  If you've never used a candy mold before the process is simple.

 

First you melt your chocolate, melting candy chips or in this case almond bark.  There are several ways to melt them but I just took a few pieces and placed them in a Ziploc bag.  I then microwaved them in 15 second increments, squishing the bag between each increment, until the almond bark was good and melted.  I then cut off a tip of the baggie and squished the melted bark into the mold.  The chocolate settles nicely into the mold and to get a nice clean back I scrape the mold with the back of a butter knife to get any excess chocolate off.

 

The cupcakes themselves are just boxed white cake.  Amy has tricks to make boxed cake incredible on her blog but for these were were going super simple because the kids are only interested in the frosting anyways.  Amy stirred the heck out the the batter which gave it a really light nice texture.  Much better than how mine usually turn out.  The frosting was made with a combination of butter and cream cheese and the dye was 10 drops of neon blue.  Maggie approved the color as Cinderella's so we stopped there.

 

To frost, Amy used a large star tip and gave each one a nice swirl.  If you have never frosted a cupcake using a pastry bag before you are missing out because it is the simplest, fastes, cleanest and prettiest way to do it.  I got THIS set a long time ago and I use it all the time.

 

Once the frosting was on, we topped the big ones with some glittery sprinkles and a slipper and the mini cupcakes were decorated with sugar pearls.

 

 

 The cupcakes really were SO simple to make and made my little princess' dreams come true.

 

Happy Birthday Maggie!

 

 

Frosty Potter - The Snowman Who Lived

Y'all.

Things went crazy today in Alabama. It snowed! It's snowed here a couple of times before {less than once a year} but you Northerners would probably call it frost or a dusting of snow.

No, today was serious snow. When it snows down here everything shuts down completely. No one dares to drive because there are so many hills and no one knows what to do. So Southerners do what we always do when "severe weather" strikes - stock up on bread and milk and hole up in our homes until it goes away and gets warm again.

But I was brave and I tried to find winter clothes for us {I ended up in canvas shoes with no socks} and Maggie and I got creative and built the world's greatest snowman.

So without further ado, I'd like to offer you greetings from Alabama, The Cutts Family and Frosty Potter - The Snowman Who Lived!!

The Mustache Bandana

Happy New Year!

It's been a while. Hope you had an excellent holiday season. Despite being sick for a month we still managed good times. Santa didn't bring me a new computer (so I'm still blogging from my iPod) but I'm working on it. So many things to show you!

In the mean time, I thought I'd share the gift I made for my little brother. He rides a Harley so I thought a nice bandana would help keep the bugs out of his teeth when he rides. It's a bit of a gag gift but I figured every rider needs a nice full mustache.

To make your own simply fold a bandana in half (I bought mine at Hobby Lobby) and make a stencil of a mustache from freezer paper. Iron it on about an inch below the fold so that it sits right where your upper lip is. Paint inside the stencil and then peel off. Easy peasy!

It almost makes me want to take up bike riding. Too bad I'm a total chicken. I think I'll just stick to arts and crafts.

I need to share their story

This is something that has been hard for me to write about but I need to tell you because not only do I think you will be strengthened by their story but I'm also in need of your help.

On Thanksgiving day I was at the dinner table talking and relaxing with my family.  We chatted about this and that and were having a great time.  I glanced down at my iPod and then heard the news, a friend of ours who we met here in Birmingham had just passed away in her husbands arms.  She was 28.

 

Let me back up a bit - toward the end of 2011 Janette started to feel tired.  Don't we all?  But she also noticed other things that seemed off too.  In November she was diagnosed with leukemia.  We were all scared.  How could this be?  She was a mom.  I am a mom.  This sort of thing is impossible right?  Right?!  It didn't feel real.  We were all so devastated but we knew that Janette was strong, positive and determined and that if anyone could fight this it would be her.  And fight hard she did.

Her journey to fight leukemia began here in Birmingham.  Her husband, Marc was just weeks away from graduation and their life was turned upside down.  She began her treatment here and Marc became her permanent caretaker but soon it was too much and they moved to Utah to be close to family that could help take care of her little boys, Connor (6) and Brayden (4).  So we followed her journey from afar through her blog, Janette's Journey. 

She would tell us about the 3 bone marrow transplants, about the troubles her organs would face, she talked about the hallucinations, the isolation, the pain, the fatigue, the nightmares, the time she went blind, the fevers, the endless waiting for results.  But there were good days too.  The days she got to hold her boys, the days she got to go home, the days she felt like she could take on the world, the closeness she got to feel with her husband and the days that made her see the world and life in a whole new way.  She was strong.  She was inspiring.

She fought hard and did things that seemed impossible.  In her final post before she passed she wrote, "I hope I am home for Thanksgiving!"  My heart broke at those words but I also felt comforted because she was home.  It wasn't the home she was hoping for with her little boys but it was her heavenly home where she can watch over her family and wait for their reunion, free from the pains of this world.

In the weeks since her passing I have been strengthened by her husband and boys.  Although Marc is devastated he has strength and grace.  You can read his thoughts after her passing here.  And just the other day his little boy said to him, "We miss mom now, but we don't have to miss her forever, we will be with her in heaven someday!  We will always love her!"  Oh the faith of a child!

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that you could help.  Popular San Francisco wedding photographer, Marielle Hayes, has generously selected this family for her annual fundraiser.  For any donation amount given she will give you a digital file of this beautiful print of hers.  It is a mother with her child and to me it signifies the strength and power that mothers have. 

So please take a moment to check out Marielle's post about this great family and the needs they now face and consider a donation (in any amount) to bless a family that has fought so much and still has a long journey ahead as they try to heal.  100% of the donations will go to Marc and his boys.

This holiday season I hope we can all be a little more grateful for the things we have in our lives.  May we hug our kids a little tighter and speak kinder to our spouses.  May we call our parents and tell them we love them and may we all draw closer to God and be inspired to do great things.

Black Friday Deals Without Leaving Home

 Hope y'all had a happy Thanksgiving!  We sure did!  Are turkey comas real because I feel like that's where I'm headed.

I just wanted to stop by the ol' blog to make sure you guys knew about the great deals on Amazon.  There are too many to list here but we discovered that they have matched nearly every deal that you see in the stores and then some.  

My husband is the worlds best gift giver and he always buys my gifts from Amazon and for great deals too.  That's where he got my Cricut, Serger, iPod and nearly everything we own.  {Our family is obsessed with Amazon, can you tell?}

So if you're interested in good deals without fighting crazy people at the store feel free to click on the link below which will take you to Amazon and you can get all your shopping done at once.

Black Friday Deals

Have a wonderful relaxing holiday with the ones you love!!

Slow Cooker Herb Bread and Butternut Squash Soup

Isn't Fall the best?

It's a season that brings new weather, new clothes, new sights and smells and my favorite, new food!

Today I'm excited to share with you some of my Thanksgiving favorites.  Many people like to stick with the same old tried and true recipes for Thanksgiving dinner and I'll admit that I love the feeling of a familiar dish, but sometimes it really makes the meal when you try something new.

When I was in culinary arts school I declared Thanksgiving that year to be "Fancy Thanksgiving".  I made my family a five course meal made entirely of dishes we had never tried before.  It was adventerous and delicious and we all enjoyed it.  That was the year I created this tasty Butternut Squash Soup.

Just because it was part of "Fancy Thanksgiving" doesn't mean it was difficult to make.  In fact, this is one of the easiest, most flavorful and healthy soups I've ever made.

 

 Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

- 2 Tb Country Crock
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 Tb brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Optional garnish: cream, parsley, roasted squash seeds

Instructions:

1.  Over medium heat, melt Country Crock in large pot.

2.  Add carrots, onion, garlic and cook until soft but not brown.
3.  Add squash, stock, sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice to pot.
4.  Turn soup to high heat and bring to a boil.  Once it is boiling, turn down to medium and cook until squash is soft enough to put a fork in and have it come out easily, about 20 minutes.
5.  Blend soup mixture completly with a food processor or blender.  **Be very careful because the soup will be hot.  Allowing soup to cool before hand is a good idea to avoid burns.
6.  Reheat soup of necessary and garnish with a swirl of cream, parsley or roasted squash seeds.

Over the years, Thanksgiving dinner has evolved to fit our growing family.  With a bread loving husband and two bread loving children, on the menu this year is a new one for us, Slow Cooker Herb Bread.  With all the things I have going on it will be nice to whip up this simple bread in my slow cooker and save the room in my oven for more important things like turkey.

This bread is dense and chewy but also has a nice crunchy crust.  Making it in the slow cooker eliminates all the time and hassle of homemade bread but doesn't comprimise the taste.

Slow Cooker Herb Bread 

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 Tb sugar
- 1 Tb melted Country Crock
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3-5 cups flour
- chopped fresh herbs; basil, chive rosemary etc.
- additional Country Crock and cornmeal for greasing the slow cooker

Instructions:

1.  Place water and yeast in mixer.  Stir until yeast is disolved.

2.  Add sugar, salt, Country Crock, milk and herbs and stir.  Depending on the amount of herb you want in your bread should determine how much you use.  The herb will shrink up in the bread so the more the merrier.
3.  Add the flour a 1/2 cup at a time until bread pulls away from the sides of mixer and is no longer sticky.
4.  Using a paper towel take about a tablesoon of Country Crock and grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker.  Sprinkle cornmeal on top of the greased dish.  This will prevent the bread from sticking.  You can also use parchment paper.  See image below.

5.  Place round ball of dough in slow cooker and cook on low for about 2 hours or on high for 1 hour.  The dough will spread out and rise to fit the slow cooker.  For a taller bread than pictured here, use a smaller slow cooker.

6.  The bread will look like it is not cooked but it is.  To determine if your bread is done, remove the slow cooker lid and thump the top of the bread.  It should make a thumping sound and be firm to the thouch.
7.  Remove the bread from the slow cooker and place on a cookie sheet.  Put on the bottom rack of the oven and cook under the broiler for about 5 minutes.  This will firm up the crust and give it a nice golden, crunchy texture.

To serve with your soup, slice a thin piece of bread and spead Country Crock on both sides.  Over meduim heat, place bread in frying pan and heat until crunchy and golden.

So there you have it!  Two new delicious Fall dishes and two new reasons to use Country Crock. 

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you to Good to Know & Unilever Spreads for being a sponsor. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.