Celebrating Fall with Cheryl's Cookies

Y’all know we LOVE to host and that we love to celebrate any and everything! The month of October was one of my favorites because it held so many good reasons to do just that. Between my husband’s birthday, celebrating our kids’ amazing report cards, and ending the month with a Barn Party where I board my horses—there was a whole lot of goodness!

Many of my friend have heard of and LOVE Cheryl’s Cookies, but in case you are unfamiliar, this company provides the most delicious, handcrafted cookies and treats delivered in gorgeous gift packaging which were perfect for ALL the occasions! Probably most well-known for its cut-out cookies with buttercream frosting, they also are offering so much Fall goodness with Marshmallow Frosted S’more flavors, as well as Peanut Butter Oat Chocolate Chip. We were also delighted to be the recipients of their Fudge Frosted Cut-Outs. ALL of the hand-crafted baked goods were perfect for all our occasions, and you can guess that our kids were NOT disappointed to be on the receiving end of the taste-testing!

We were able to share a lot of these at my husband’s birthday get together, but it was also fun for me to document our kids having their own little mini celebration on our back deck talking about how well they did in the first grading period of school. These sweet kids of ours are in first and second grade (where did time go?!) and they work SO hard in school and their grades are such evidence of that. Their teachers have nothing but positive and affirming things to say about each of them and they’re both discovering their love of reading, which makes me so happy!

We had plenty of cookies for them to be able to choose from and together as a family we celebrated their school victories—it was so, so sweet. LITERALLY! :)

So, Y’all! If you can’t tell already, Cheryl’s Cookies New Flavors Launch gives you more than enough cookies to share with your friends and family and they’ll all be oohing and aahing over the flavors and fun cut-out shapes. The company was founded in 1981 and is still going SO strong. Head over to their website to check out the ginormous variety of treats they have to offer (psstt…their Christmas selection is unbelievably delicious looking and CUTE!!)

Worry No More Thanks to this Magic Blue Roller

Aahh the “I don’t want to go to school blues.” Our kids are both amazing in school. They don’t have behavior problems, they listen and are respectful, they easily make friends, and they are so well loved. However, second grade for Pierson has admittedly brought some new challenges and it’s been kind of a weird spot for us parenting wise. The first few months of school he was really struggling with some anxiety. We couldn’t pin point it, but it even got to the point where he was complaining of chest pains and he needed to be seen by a doctor! Luckily and by the grace of God, we are MOSTLY out of that stage/ phase, but I wanted to share with you a fun tool that we have also been using with and for him.
The Magic Blue Roller:

This roller contains Frankincense (in your premium starter kit), Valor (also in the premium starter kit,) stress away (hello premium starter kit) and Bergamot. Bergamot was an oil I purchased for fall blends AND so that I could add it to roller balls like this one; it has a calming and centering scent, which is why it’s a well-known oil for stress relief.

I thought it would be fun to have Pierson help me with this and he loved it! My kids have loved being a part of our ‘oily journey,’ and have had a lot of fun adventuring with me, especially on DIY stuff like this! (And Reese LOVES to talk in my stories as y’all know about the starter kit and oils themselves.)

All you need to do for this roller is to add 10 drops of each oil into a roller ball, and then add your favorite carrier oil—in our case we used Jojoba! (Many people use fractionated coconut oil, but Jojoba is what I had on hand.)

I think it was pretty funny that Pierson wanted to wear his Harry Potter costume while doing this; I told him it was very fitting since this roller is called the Magic Blue Roller (or you may see it as the ‘Unicorn Roller.’

He was SO proud of himself and he immediately put it in his backpack for school. I told him to talk with his teacher and make sure she was on board, but that he should be able to apply it to his wrists a couple of times a day when he was feeling anxious or worried, and that he could breathe it in to try and help de-stress. He LOVES it, guys and I’m so glad his teacher was totally cool with it. It’s been a little over a month that he made and was using it pretty often, now he tells me that it’s in his backpack instead of locker, and that he doesn’t need it ‘as much’ as he had been. This blend is GREAT for all of the ‘scared of the dark,’ ‘I don’t want to go to school,’ ‘I don’t like crowds,’ and all the ‘can’t stop worrying about all the things’ type of feelings. Not only has it been good for Pierson, but I have made one for MYSELF because y’all know I can be QUITE the worrier!!

I want to add that consistency is key with these oils. Are they actually magical? Of course not. It takes repetition and time for oils to do their job; to BE the health support that we want them to be. If you have a sore throat, use your oils every 4-6 hours like you would over the counter medicine; when you’re feeling anxious—use your roller, and then use it again. It’s not going to hurt you, ever! For me personally, I am easily affected by scent and smell. When I breathe oils in like the above roller ball recipe, it does help me feel calm. But it’s not a one time one and done thing. If you make this recipe I would love to know! Comment below your FAVORITE essential oils for calming support and/or anxiety relief! I would love to hear from you :) And if you are interested in learning more, please comment or email me so we can be in touch!

Why You Should Invite Harry & David to Your Celebration

This post is sponsored by Harry & David but all opinions are my own

If you’ve followed me for any length of time you undoubtedly know my husband does all the cooking. Like seriously. So when he wanted to have a dinner party for his 36th birthday... I was a little freaked out about how I could pull that off. Thankfully, Harry & David Gourmet Foods came to my rescue!

The weather was so iffy (like, rain and temps in the low 40’s!!), so instead of gathering on the deck, we decided to move all the sitting furniture out of the living room and bring our dining room table there to accommodate the extra guests. As soon as the table was situated, the vision started coming together. Fall is great, because bringing in rustic elements like leaves, and live edge cutting boards can really spice up the aesthetic. The table runner was made by my adorably talented niece, lights were borrowed temporarily from another part of our fall décor...In fact, everything we used was already owned, and just moved from their normal spot in our home to complete the tablescape for Asa’s birthday dinner party.

We wanted lots of textures and tones to help fill in the table. But ultimately, once the food was set out, that’s when the party really happened. We love charcuterie boards around here, and these boards from Harry & David were INCREDIBLE. They offered so many options for cheeses and meats that everyone who attended was able to try new things.

The assortment of puff pastry appetizers were so delicious (but yet simple too!) Honestly, the food was delivered to our house a few days before the party, and everything was ready or near ready to eat. Twenty minutes in the oven to finish preparing those apps was literally all it took...umm, hello literal answer to prayer for this non-cooking wife!

Whether it’s a savory side dish, dessert or an entire decadent spread, Harry & David Gourmet has everything for entertaining with elegance and ease, and currently includes more than 200 premium products to serve, share and savor. Our guests had so much fun trying the wide assortment of food this night, and all were blown away that everything had been delivered, and yet was SO fresh! I really can’t say enough about Harry & David coming to my rescue. The party went off without a hitch, and took so little effort from me in the kitchen. Here’s to my husband turning 36, to a lifetime of memories still to be made at this table of ours, here’s to good food and even better, friends! Cheers!

Cleaning with Oils: Lemon

Y’all know we are brand new to the Oil World, but it’s been a little under a week and I am ALL IN! I am having so much fun Googling, researching, scouring Pinterest, and reading through my guide from Young Living. I’ve been on a Lemon kick recently, not only because it smells amazing, but because it has so many health benefits as well. It acts as a natural disinfectant for surfaces and it can also eliminate mold and help you get that streak-free shine on your appliances. Not only does it do those things, it can help you with fatigue, flu symptoms, and help re-charge your metabolism. The reason I dove in recently though was because I was most interested in cleaning surfaces and household things, while achieving that deliciously CLEAN smell after I did it. Here are three things that I did, but guys, there are SO MANY MORE hacks than what I did in one afternoon:

Household Multi-Purpose Cleaner: The recipe I found for it called for 1c.distilled water, 1c. vinegar, and 10 drops of Lemon EO. I want to always admit what worked for me and what did NOT, so because I have such a sensitive nose, I added 20 drops of EO, and I am not a fan that I STILL smell the vinegar the way that I do. I think next time I would only do 1/2 c. of vinegar and still 20 drops of the lemon oil. (You will find what works for you! It’s all about playing around with quantities and proportions and what you like scent wise.

Lemon & Lavender Room Spray: I’m a huge fan of this! I wanted to create a little room spray for our first floor bathroom. We did 10 drops of each oil (lavender and lemon) and did 1oz of the rubbing alcohol above. Asa was worried it would smell too much like alcohol but after we shook it real well and let it sit, it just smells like yummy lavender + lemon. The fragrance is super, super light and airy; perfect for a small room like a bathroom.

Microwave Cleaner: Some of you may have been doing something like this for years, however, I just tried it for the first time ever! One of my girlfriends said she cleaned her microwave by heating up water that had Lemon EO in it, and that she just wiped out the microwave afterwards and by golly she was right! I used this bowl above, did 10 drops of Lemon EO, microwaved the bowl for 5 minutes and then let it sit for 1 minute. I then used a paper towel and wiped out the whole microwave, inside of the door, tray and walls; and there wasn’t a single stain in it to be found! I’ve heard people who do this with straight vinegar, but I love the lemon EO route because it smells so dang yummy!

Other ways I’ve read you can use Lemon to clean:
-Soap Scum Remover
-Glass Stovetop Cleaner
-Wood-polish & Stainless Steel Cleaner
-and so much more!

What have you used lemon to clean? I’m going to need to add that oil to my October Essential Oil order because umm….I’ve used a LOT of it. Luckily it’s one of the cheaper oils, and you can order it HERE. Don’t forget to use my Enroller ID when or if you purchase oils from Young Living, my number ID is 20381963. And if you want to jump all in like I have and get the perks of being a member (wholesale vs. retail pricing = HUGE perk!!), click the link HERE.

PLEASE email me if you have any questions or if you aren’t sure, and especially if you are even slightly intrigued. I would love to partner with you, walk with you, and we can learn together how to live a more Green lifestyle!