Natural Remedy for Heartburn

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In February our family began trying essential oils in place of many traditional over-the-counter medicines. A good friend of mine has been using Young Living oils for many years and she talked to me more about different natural remedies we could try with the oils.

Lately, heartburn has been an issue. Rather than having the chalky taste of Tums in my mouth {it only took one of those to remind me to try our oils}, I began researching some essential oil remedies – and came up with a great one that has been working very well for me!

Essential Oil Mix for Heartburn

The mix of essential oils is very easy. I simply drop the following oils into the palm of one hand along with a few drops of carrier oil, mix them together with two fingers from the other hand, and then apply topically to where I feel the heartburn.

• 1 drop of Young Living lemon essential oil
• 1 drop of Young Living peppermint essential oil
• a few drops of carrier oil (olive oil or coconut oil)

The oil mix may feel a little warm after you apply it. This is normal as peppermint essential oil considered a ‘hot’ oil, meaning it produces a warm feeling on your skin where you apply it. Peppermint oil should not be placed close to your eyes.

This mixture has helped stop my heartburn immediately ~ I am so excited!! No yucky aftertaste and it also has a pleasant smell. It’s a win-win for me.

Additional benefits of Lemon Essential Oil:

• adds a great scent to homemade cleaners
• add a drop to water for flavoring

Additional benefits of Peppermint Essential Oil:

• freshen breath {add a drop to a small water spritz bottle}
• help with digestive issues {add a drop to a glass of water}
• relieve headaches {massage into temples with a carrier oil}
• watch this video on Peppermint Essential Oil from my friend Jodi

Make Your Own Heartburn Essential Oil Mixture

Interested in ordering these oils for yourself? Click the ‘customer’ tab on my Young Living Essential Oil page and fill out the information to get started.

Do you use essential oils with your family? I’d love to hear what remedies you have found work for you!

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. If you are interested in learning more about Young Living Essential Oils, feel free to contact me.

Gearing Up for Disney World

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Our family was invited to be a part of the Disney Social Media Mom Conference and  received discounted Disney passes and lodging for the three day conference. Our decision to extend our stay was our own.

Taking the kids to Walt Disney World has been on our ‘LIST’ for quite some time. We had a growing fund specifically for this special vacation, but we got a little sidetracked.

Let’s just say, the kids weren’t thrilled to find out we used the money to buy a camper.

BUT – that camper will now be on the road with us in a little over a month as we travel to Disney as a family for a week of fun, fun, fun!! I was invited to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration this May at Disney World that will allow the entire family to tag along with me.

 

To say the kids are excited is putting it mildly. Really, I am equally excited because it isn’t often that I am able to have everyone with me at a conference and have time to relax and have fun with them.

We’d be silly not to stay longer, so after our stay at the Disney Contemporary Resort we’re heading over to Fort Wilderness for a few additional days of park visiting. I have a feeling the kids are going to love that the monorail goes directly into the hotel {how neat is that??}.

This next month promises to be a whirlwind. Family will be visiting us from overseas and we’re getting as much of our school wrapped up as we can. Don’t tell the kids though - I am planning to make part of this Disney trip a learning time too…shhh! If anything, this will be a field trip of gigantic proportions!!

 

Have you visited Disney before? What is ONE thing {or two} that you highly recommend we do together while we are there?

Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell {Book Review}

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This book was provided for me at no cost by Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and personal review.

After touring Europe, Lucy Kendall returns home with dreams of reviving her father’s candy making business. Armed with boxes of candy she sampled abroad, she longs to find that perfect combination that will have everyone running for the next piece – and show the nearby rival candy company a thing or two. Her mother is determined to sell the company, so Lucy has little time to produce a winning confectionary treat.

Believing the family secrets were wrongly stolen from her father’s company is still a sore spot with Lucy. When the rival company brings in a new manager, Charlie Clarke, Lucy is continually butting heads with him.

Charlie is trying to start over again, and the opportunity to connect with his father, the owner of a candy company, seems to be perfect timing. He longs to prove himself to his father, but that means undermining another candy company – and in the process a girl he is beginning to care about. Will both companies be able to survive the candy war? Will their relationship even have a chance to grow, or will the battle to be the best stretch both of them beyond what they can handle?

My Thoughts on Unrivaled

I love how a story can make you think about how companies functioned so long ago and the rivalry that existed {and still does} so long ago! Recipes under lock and key. Company espionage - the glimpses into life many years ago is so much fun.

Mitchell does a wonderful job in Unrivaled detailing the historical period and creating vivid scenes in the reader’s mind. From parties to the candy making process, the working conditions of the time and even the store-front windows that were such an integral part of advertising during this time period – all combine to create a story that will take you on a bit of a history trip while you relax and read.

While this wasn’t one of my favorite books by Siri Mitchell, it was definitely an enjoyable read. The hardest thing for me with her books in the point of view from which the stories are told – first person narrative. Because there are two main characters, the story is constantly switching between voices, which for me makes it a little more difficult to follow. This time the two main characters are male and female, so it was a little bit easier {grins}, but just takes my brain a little more getting used to. 

Find Out More

Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell can be purchased through Amazon and is available in paperback or Kindle.

 

I Heart Keenwah ~ or Quinoa

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I received a small sample of the Ginger and Peanut snack from I Heart Keenwah in exchange for my honest opinion.

 

Do you spell it keenwah ~ or quinoa? No matter how you spell it, quinoa is one of my new favorite healthy foods. Although my basic quinoa recipe repertoire is sadly lacking in creativity, there are two ways that I typically like to eat my quinoa.

 

For breakfast I love quinoa with a little cinnamon, vanilla, and some craisins or raisins added in. For lunch {warm or cold} with some fresh basil, feta cheese and some chopped tomatoes and cucumbers.

 

This last week I tried a new fun {and nutritious} snack from I Heart Keenwah, a crunchy and sweet treat made with ginger and peanuts. It’s a little spicy and a little sweet all rolled into.

 

The small bite-sized squares are a great afternoon treat when you need a pick-me-up. Although I tried the Ginger Peanut, there are several other flavors available: almond, cranberry cashew, and chocolate sea salt. While I enjoyed the crunchy ginger and peanut bites, I am very certain I will enjoy the other flavors as well {grins}.

ingredient list: organic quinoa (whole grain quinoa, quinoa flakes, quinoa crisps), peanuts, tapioca syrup, raw sugar, crystallized ginger (ginger, cane sugar), honey, almond oil, baking soda, salt

 

The snack-sized bags from I Heart Keenwah can be purchased directly through their website. Order in quantities of twelve and shipping is free!

 

Do You Heart Keenwah?

 

I would love it if you would share your favorite way to enjoy quinoa!! Leave a comment and let me know!

 

Apple and Sour Cream Coffee Cake

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This Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake is a wonderful breakfast treat, and the recipe actually makes two pans, so you can freeze one and eat one!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter {can also use butter flavored shortening}
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups of flour {we use whole wheat pastry flour}
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup sour cream {8 oz.}
• 2 cups chopped and peeled apples {we use Gala}

Topping Ingredients

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. cold butter
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans {optional}

Directions

1. Cream together the butter and the sugar until mixed well. Add in eggs, vanilla, and sour cream.
2. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder together. Slowly stir in flour mixture into wet ingredients.
3. Stir in the chopped apples.
4. Divide the batter between two greased 8x8 baking dishes.
5. To make topping, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until crumbly and then add nuts. Sprinkle the topping evenly over both dishes.
6. Bake at 350 for 30 to 35 minutes {or until cooked through}.
7. One dish can be covered and frozen to use another week – just thaw it overnight in the fridge!

Note: We use the Glad Ovenware 8x8 pans with lids to freeze and store. They are also great to use when sharing dishes with other families!

 

 

Need help meal planning? Don’t miss the editable main dish menu planner and the monthly meal planner ~ both FREE downloads.

The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen

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Emma’s father seemed to lose his enthusiasm and joy for teaching following his wife’s death. Determined to see her father happy again, Emma convinces her father to accept a private tutoring position for the two young sons of a baron. The older two sons were students at their boarding school years before and Emma is sure that some time away from home will be beneficial for both of them.

The manor holds many secrets – strange noises at night, odd behaviors from those living in the home, things disappearing from Emma’s room – all difficult to explain.

The older sons of the baron, Phillip and Henry Weston, are no strangers to Emma but with all that is happening in the house, Emma isn’t sure who to trust. Her past experiences with Henry make it even more difficult to trust him. During the time Henry attended the boarding school, he played endless tricks on Emma and the current happenings at the manor seem to mimic many of his pranks.

Emma’s emotions are conflicted though. Even though her past experience with Henry has been difficult, their present conversations and interactions tell her heart that he cannot be behind all of the secrets currently happening. She is torn between the friendship she holds with Phillip and the growing friendship with Henry.

When Emma stumbles onto a huge family secret, she believes all of the mysterious happenings in the manor will cease – but instead things grow even more difficult. Who should Emma trust for her safety and her heart?

My Thoughts on The Tutor’s Daughter

In a sense, this book reminded me of a cross between an Austen and Bronte book. The mysterious happenings in an old English manor, the troubling family secret – all combine together to make The Tutor’s Daughter a wonderful book from Klassen. Out of all of the books that I’ve read by her, this is one of my favorites {close behind is The Apothecary's Daughter}.

The relationship history between the main character Emma and the two brothers adds to the mystery behind the story, especially since there is a time difference and the reader knows there is some skew in perspective based on the ages of the characters. The development of the various relationships is fun to read and

Out of the entire story, I truly appreciate the big ‘family secret’ – which in that time frame would have been something that was very misunderstood and hidden. Klassen handles this situation well and even provides further explanation of the issue during that time period at the end of the book to help the reader understand it. {I can’t say more without spoiling some of the plot line}.

Add in a lot of suspense, several other parallel story lines that will intrigue you, and you have another great book from Klassen that you will want to add to your shelves {or your Kindle library}. Here are a few more books by Julie Klassen that I have also enjoyed: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall,  The Girl in the Gatehouse,  The Silent Governess, The Apothecary's Daughter, and Lady of Milkweed Manor. If you enjoy period fiction, you will really enjoy her books!

Find Out More

~ The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen is available on Amazon in paperback and also as a Kindle download.

~ ~ Visit Julie Klassen’s website or Facebook fan page.

 

This book was provided for review by Bethany House. All opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.