A Better, Healthier Home

I was just reading through the March issue of the Better Homes and Gardens magazine and loved the article titled "Be It Ever So Healthy..." on page 196. It gives some great tips on keeping a better, healthier house. Some of the things they suggest are super simple, and for me the simpler the better! I love the thought of having a toxic-free home, and there is no better way to start than with small, easy steps. Some of my favorite ideas from the article are these, summarized in my own words:

-Go No-Hands Buy a trashcan where you don't have to touch the lid to open it. There are versions that can detect movement and flip its own lid, or you can buy one with a foot pedal.

-A Better Dishrag Microfiber sponges are woven with more pores on the surface so they remove more bacteria than a regular rag. Sign me up for some of those!

-Know What's Inside It is important to know what kind of ingredients you are introducing into your home. Manufacturers aren't required to put ingredients on the label, so use a cleaner where you know what is inside. I personally love Thieves Household Cleaner not only because it is safe for you to clean your home with but because it smells good, too.

-Fantastic Fans Bathrooms can be a breeding ground for mold, but one way to keep it from growing is to dissipate the heat and humidity. BHG suggests to leave your exhaust fan running for 20 minutes or so after showering. I also suggest diffusing Thieves essential oil, which is proven to eliminate mold and purify the air.

-Please Remove Shoes Harmful things can be tracked into your home unseen--from dog droppings to herbicides that were sprayed on the grass. Keeping a no-shoes policy keeps those things out of your home as well as keeps your carpet looking new.

Wanted: Lavender Fairies

A peppermint fairy handing out fairy wands.

We are about to start interviewing lavender, peppermint, aqua, and clary sage fairies for our Lavender Fairy Tea Party at Lavender Days. We have a bunch of fairies who want the job, but we have to make sure we have the best representation at the festival (after all, fairies are known to be mischievous!) We don't want any pranks played on all the Lavender Days attendees, so we have come up with some guidelines the fairies must follow to be our special Lavender Days fairies.

An aqua fairy listening to the children.

Lavender Fairy Guidelines:
*Fairies must be on time to all parties no matter what mischief they were up to the night before.
*No pouting.
*Fairies must be willing to share their fairy dust.
*Fairies must know how to play Ring Around the Rosie and Duck, Duck, Goose.
*No flying around the tea party tent. Those wings might poke an eye out.
*Fairies cannot invite any elves or gnomes to the parties.
*Fairies must have a skip in their step.
*A great love for children is required.
*Fairies must be human sized because children always want to take the miniature fairies home.
*Fairies must not eat all the cookies before the children get any.
*No naps are allowed during the parties.
*Fairies must not spike the lavender lemonade with peppermint.
*Fairies must have a twinkle in their eye.

A lavender fairy looking for a smile.

Has anyone ever attended a Lavender Fairy Tea Party before? If so, do you have any ideas on what we should add to the list of guidelines?

This Farm Has a Soul

The Cowboy Way of Life
Driving down the road to the lavender farm today, I looked across the vast fields, still covered with snow, and wondered what it would have felt like to be a farmer and rancher in this area of the west one hundred years ago. I have the "cowboy way of life" on my mind since spending the weekend in Arizona with Tricia, visiting a western town. We enjoyed spending time in the great outdoors, hearing stories of cowboy adventures, eating around a campfire, and listening to some good ol' country music. (I was raised in Texas so it was music to my ears!)

Gary Young and Jacob Young hanging out at the western village on the Young Living Lavender Farm.

Cowboy Supper Show at Lavender Days
If you're eager to spend time in the great outdoors witnessing the cowboy way of life, be sure to join us at Lavender Days for our Cowboy Supper Show! The pioneering and adventurous spirit of the Wild West is very much alive at the Young Living Lavender Farm, where Gary Young, a farmer and rancher himself, created a western village that will delight the entire family. What better place to experience the spirit of the west than on the very land that was once a successful cattle ranch known as the Starr Ranch.

A Brief History of the Young Living Lavender Farm
Gary Young purchased this farm, rich in fertile soil, in 1996. A farmer and rancher from Idaho, Gary very much appreciates the spirit of the West and has a love of the great outdoors. But even more importantly, he is a steward of the land, carefully tending to the soil, plants, and environment to provide pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils for the world. It would seem to many quite a coincidence that the very land he purchased for planting, harvesting, and distilling herbs had been used for the same purpose one hundred years earlier!

Back in 1871, Howard and Martha Coray, with their eight children, homesteaded this same area. Howard farmed and raised livestock on the land, while Martha grew herbs, distilled them, and made liniments and medicines for neighbors and visitors. Today, thousands of people enjoy the health benefits of Young Living essential oils that are produced at the Young Living Lavender Farms. As history shows, and as local historian Jeneil Deuel put it, this farm has a soul.

Health & Wellness Winners

We had so many wonderful comments on the Here's to Health and Wellness post below! As promised we have the winners of the lavender bath salts from the farm. We had 18 comments, so I went to random.org to generate three random winners. And the winners are:

Lynn who said: Lavender applied neat quickly cleared up infected sores on my scalp that no other prescription cream or product helped at all. Only a few days of Lavender and my scalp was healed and healthy.

I also use lavender in my fabric storage area to gently scent the fabrics used for doll/toy making and bandannas.

www.AlaskaYoungLiving.com

Karla who said: Many of you may know that the Thieves Spray will take off permanent marker instantly, however, did you know that Lavender oil applied neat does just as good of a job?!!! We were delightfully surprised!

Brenda who said: From feet to sheets and everything in between! Reading the comments on Lavender and its infinite abilities bring memories rushing back in!

As a Practitioner that works out of home, my clients are greeted by Zoe the dog and O the cat. Those with severe allergic reactions to animals have yet to react in my care - as Lavender is applied to their feet soon upon their arrival. Their need of medication is quickly forgotten - what a testimony! Lovely Lavender how we enjoy thee!

So Lynn, Karla, and Brenda, please send your shipping information to webinfo@youngliving.com so we can send you your prizes!

Congratulations!