Young Living Essential Oils Giveaway

April 2, 2017 By Marijean

I have always been interested in trying Essential Oils. I have many friends who swear by them, and that essential oils can help everyday issues such as stress, headaches, stomach issues and much more. I am for anything natural that can help. I was recently contacted by a An independent distributor for Young Living Essential Oils. Her name is Nicolle Schwartz, and she has offered a giveaway for my readers. Below you will find information all about Young Living Essential Oils.

About Young Living:

Young Living was started by Gary Young over 20 years ago. He and his wife Mary still run, own and operate the company. Young Living owns all of their own farms and distilleries all over the globe.

Young Living has developed their own “Seed to Seal” promise that ensures that they have inspected the purity of the oil from the planting of the seed to the sealing of the bottle.

Because of the Seed to Seal promise, they are what we call, “beyond organic”. When Young Living buys land for a new farm they even check the history of that land to ensure there has never been any pesticides or herbicides used on it that could leak into the crop.Young Living Essential Oils don’t have any additives in them and are complete pure. This makes them safe for Ingestion.

Stroll through a lavender field or a pine forest, and your senses are instantly awakened—from the energizing aromas that envelop you to the sense of well-being that they evoke. At Young Living, we celebrate this harmony between nature, body, mind, and soul, and we infuse it into everything we make.

What are Essential Oils?

Young Living Essential Oils are a pure, therapeutic grade and work with your body to assist your health. Within 20 minutes of applying an oil, they can be found in every cell of your body. These types of pure oils are steam distilled from plants and contain the hormones, immunity, scents and essence of each one. They can be used aromatically (through diffusing, putting a couple of drops in your hands and smelling or just smelling from the bottle), topically (the feet is the best place to start as they are the least sensitive) or some oils are FDA approved to be ingested as well.

In addition to essential oils, Young Living also provides chemical free cleaning products, a kids line, beauty products, and other products to supplement a healthy lifestyle.

Here is some information about what you need to get started with Essential Oils!

Premium Starter Kit:

Includes a diffuser, 11 oils, samples, literature, access to member wholesale prices and an amazing community that offers workshops and resources to help you make the most of your kit. The PSK usually costs $160 but I will offer it for $135 to your readers. There are 11 oils that come in the starter kit to get you started. The 11 that come in the kit are:

* Lavender –
Calming. Soothing. Great for skin. Perfect before bedtime. Add into coconut oil for your skin care routine. Use when battling spring seasonal issues.

* Lemon –

Cleansing. Use while cleaning sticky surfaces. Use while cleaning crayon off the wall. Add to water for a cleansing boost. Supportive of respiratory health.

* Peppermint –

Hot/Icy feeling. Keep away from eyes. Great to use across head and neck for head tension. Diffuse while working. Supports the intestinal system. Use after a big meal.

* Frankincense –

The #1 oil for skin care. Add to coconut oil for your skin care routine. Great for youthful looking skin. Key ingredient in an oil blend called, “Brain Power”. Research is being done on this powerful oil and it’s properties for health. Look into the research on this one!

* Thieves –

One of Young Living’s most popular blends. Great to diffuse during the winter when germs are entering your house. Supports healthy immune function. It has a warm, Christmas scent.

* Copaiba –

Promotes wellness. Supports the body’s natural response to injury and irritation. Add to a hot tea for a soothing throat drink.

* Digize –

Use after a big meal. Supportive of the digestive system. Add to water or take in a capsule.

* Purification –

Cleansing. Diffuse to clean and freshen air. Apply to skin to enjoy the outdoors annoyance free.

* Panaway –

Hot/Icy Feeling. Apply topically after exercise to muscles. Apply to neck and back while experiencing head tension.

* RC –

Unique blend of 3 types of Eucalyptus. Supportive of the respiratory system. Apply to chest or diffuse.

* Stress Away –

A blend of vanilla and lime. Use to combat every day stresses.

This kit retails for $160, however Nicolle is willing to offer it to my readers for a $25 discount making the kit only $135.

To purchase a kit, readers can click on the below link. Please contact Nicolle Schwartz at nicolle.schwartz@gmail.com to receive your discount.

http://bit.ly/Myessentialobsession

Connect with Nicolle Schwartz: Facebook Instagram

If you currently love essential oils, and want to learn more about the business side of Young Living, please contact Nicolle and she will answer all of your questions!

GIVEAWAY

One lucky reader will win a Stress Away Roller! It is a lovely mix of vanilla, lime, copaiba and cedarwood. Roll it on your wrists during a hectic day at work, on your feet before bedtime, or on kids before they go to school. It is great to keep in your purse. U.S. residents only, giveaway ends on 4/17/2017.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*No compensation was given to me for this review.

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

Vacuvita Vacuum Food Storage System Review

March 5, 2017 By Marijean

If you want to take the classic practice of vacuum sealing to a new level with style and convenience, you must check out the Vacuvita Vacuum Food Storage System! This system is absolutely amazing, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it and how it has changed the way I store food.

What is Vacuvita?

Keep food fresh up to 5 times longer

Enjoy your daily fresh food, stop food wastage and save money. Vacuvita is a fully-automated and sustainable kitchen system that keeps food fresh for up to 5 times longer! No more freezer burned meat, dried out vegetables and soggy salad.

Have you ever tasted a steak, prepared sous-vide? With your Vacuvita system you can and you will love it! Did you forget to marinate your salmon the day before? In the vacuum containers you marinate in minutes, just in time for your spontaneous BBQ with friends and family. Whether it is marinating, pickling, sous-vide cooking, Vacuvita will help you to cook like a chef.

Did you know an average household wastes 1300 pounds of food a year costing them over $1500?

I was able to review the Vacuvita home base along with the complete container package and storage bags. This complete package would provide you everything you need to start storing your food longer and to keep it fresher.

This system utilizes not just vacuum storage bags but also various sizes of food storage containers. The bags comes in sizes Medium and Large and are completely resealable with a zipper. For example, if you store 2 chicken breasts in the bag but only want to eat one, you can do so easily and then reseal the bag. This will prevent unnecessary waste of plastic or food. Vacuvita bags are BPA and BPS free and made out of a multi-layered plastic that is stronger than what most competitor’s use.

The containers have made it possible to store foods that you were unable to store with bags with other food storage systems. Many items such as bread, chips, cookies, donuts and pantry items that could easily be crushed in the bags. These containers come in various sizes (small, medium and large) and colors (white, blue, orange and green) to suit your needs and your kitchen style. They are well designed, durable, reusable, dishwasher proof and free of BPA or BPS. With a see-through-window, and usage of high-end materials you own, this is the newest and best vacuum food container in the market. You can easily refrigerate or freeze fruits, meats, nuts and vegetables in these containers. Utilize the app for your iPhone or Android device and you will never have to worry about how long it has been in the fridge or freezer or when you put the items in the container. The Vacuvita containers can be scanned and also bags can be added. You can conveniently scan the contents of your containers without breaking the vacuum seal. When food is nearing its shelve life you’ll get a message so you can consume it in time. You’ll know exactly what you have, so you can plan your meal – even if you’re not in the kitchen. I enjoy having salad for lunch everyday, however I could never consume it quick enough before it turned soggy and brown. The containers allow me to save money on my salad items because they last so much longer in the containers.

Let me tell you about the main unit of this system, the Home Base. The Home Base is the perfect way to keep your food fresh right on your counter top. It can also be used to apply vacuum to external containers and bags. I use the home base to store my bread products right now. The home base cannot be stored in the fridge or freezer, it needs to be plugged in on your counter top. It opens easily with the push of a button, and once you close it, it automatically reseals. So easy and simple. When you want to seal up bags or containers, just plug the adaptor in and a little button will appear on the top lid of the home base. Once you put the adapter on the sealing part of the bag or container, push the button and then you just wait for the sealing to be complete. Very easy and simple.

Storing crisp, dry foods and humid products in the same Home Base or container causes the dry products to go soggy and the moist products to turn dry. Fresh baked bread is actually both: a crispy crust, and a soft, moist interior. We recommend that you leave the bread in a paper or plastic bag inside the Homebase. That way it is protected from the outside air and atmosphere, but does not suffer from the moisture migration.

The quality of your bread and ingredients also strongly affect the storage time. Some store bought breads have preservatives in them, so they are likely to keep longer than home baked or artisanal breads that don’t.

Because the air is sucked out of the Homebase, bags or containers, the relative humidity inside is much higher. This means that sometimes when you open the Homebase, it feels warm in there, while it is actually not warmer, but more humid than the room the Homebase is standing in. Some baked goods are very sensitive to high humidity and might even spoil faster. Keeping the bread inside a bag will resolve that as well.

If you enjoy cooking Sous Vide style, Vacuvita and Chef Steps Joule are a perfect match! I recently reviewed the Chef Steps Joule, and I love how my food turned out pairing that with the Vacuvita bags. This is such an easy process for anyone, whether you are a first time cook or a master cook! I purchased 2 rib eye steaks from the market, once I seasoned them up it was time to put them in the Vacuvita bag. The medium sized bag was perfect for the steaks. Once the bags were sealed it was time to cook! Since the bags are BPS and BPA free, I didn’t have to worry about any chemicals leaching into my food while I cook. My steak came out amazing and was juicy and delicious.

Check out this handy list comparing items to storing with or without the vacuum system:

Room temperature	No vacuum	Vacuum
Baked goods	2-3days	5-7days
Coffee, tea	30-60days	365days
Cookies	120days	300days
Dry Foods	10-30days	30-90days
Nuts	30days	90-120days
Pasta (uncooked)	180days	365days
Potato Chips	5-10days	20-30days
Rice (uncooked)	180days	365days

Fridge *	No vacuum	Vacuum
Berries, fresh	3-7days	8-20days
Cooked meals**	2days	6days
Desserts	5days	10-15days
Deli Meat	3days	6-8days
Fish, fresh	2days	4-5days
Lettuce	3days	6-8days
Meat, cooked	3-4days	8-10days
Meat, fresh	2days	6days
Meat / Sausages, cured or smoked	90days	365days
Nuts	30-60days	120-180days
Poultry, fresh	2days	6days
Spices, fresh	2-3days	7-12days
Vegetables, fresh	4days	6-12days

Freezer *	No vacuum	Vacuum
Baked goods	6-12months	18months
Bread, rolls	6-12months	18-36months
Coffee, beans	6-9months	18-27months
Coffee, ground	6months	12-34months
Deli Meat	2months	4-6months
Fish, fresh	6months	18months
Fruit	6-10months	18-30months
Meat, fresh	6months	18months
Meat, minced	4months	12months
Poultry, fresh	6months	18months
Spices	3-4months	8-12months
Vegetables, fresh	8months	24months

*when using vacuum bags
**depends on ingredients.

As you can see, so many food items can be stored in the containers and bags and kept fresh. The containers are a great size and fit perfectly in my fridge or freezer with no issues. I love how you can just pop the containers open, take out what you want, seal it up and put it back. Same with the bags and their zipper closure.

I reviewed the Complete Kitchen Package that is on sale right now for $299.00 with free shipping until March 12th.

Complete Kitchen Package contains:

1 Vacuvita home base
1 Container large
1 Container medium
2 Container small
1 Vacuum tube for Container
20 Large vacuum bags
20 Medium vacuum bags
1 Power adapter
1 Manual

This package is perfect for starting out. I also purchased 2 additional large sized containers for my cereals. They are the perfect size for a large box of dry cereal.

In Conclusion, Vacuvita has really changed the way I store my foods. No more crushed foods or stale bread products, no more freezer burned meats. And most of all, no more waste! Vacuvita keeps all of my foods fresh for a long time. Vacuvita is the sustainable way to save food and money. What more can you ask for?! Click here to shop and learn more about Vacuvita!

Connect with Vacuvita: Website Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest

*I received a complete set in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own

Marijean

My name is MJ. I have two wonderful children and work part time as well as volunteer at my children's school.

The Natural Way to Color Eggs

February 23, 2017 By Anne

Okay, I haven’t done this myself, yet. I really want to try it this year. We have company coming in tonight and I’m not sure I will get a chance.

But… I wanted to share these recipes in case you want to try it! I promise to share pictures if I get to it!

Boil eggs the usual way…. place raw, white eggs in a single layer in a pan. Cover with cold water. Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar. Add the natural “ingredients” for the color you want your eggs to be.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

If you like the color, pour off the hot dye liquid and rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop the eggs from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain and allow eggs to cool in the refrigerator.

If not, cool eggs and cover in dyed water in the fridge. You don’t want the eggs to continue to cook.

So – how do you get the colors?

Red – Pink — lots of red onion skins, cranberry juice, or frozen raspberries.
Orange — Yellow onion skins
Brown — Red beet skins or grape juice (produces a beautiful sparkling tan), coffee.
Yellow — Saffron, tumeric or cumin, orange or lemon peels, or celery seed.
Green — spinach, or carrot tops and peels from Yellow Delicious apples for a yellow-green.
Blue — Red cabbage leaves make the most incredible robin’s-egg blue.
Deep Purple — Red wine makes a beautiful burgundy color

Another idea that sounds neat is making a cracked eggs with tea.

You’ll need eggs, 1 1/2 tablespoons of black tea leaves, 8 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Place eggs in a large pan covered with water. Bring water to a gentle boil. Boil for 10 to 12 minutes. When the eggs are cooked, gently lift the eggs out of the pan and place them under cold running water for 2 minutes.

When eggs are cold, gently crack the eggshells all over by rolling them on a paper towel. NOTE: Do not allow the shells to detach from the eggs.
In a large pan, add black tea leaves, water, and salt. Place the cooked eggs into the pan. NOTE: If needed, add additional water to cover them. Bring water slowly to a boil; then cover the pan, turn off the heat, and allow the eggs to simmer for one hour.
Remove from heat and let the eggs cool in the liquid. When cool, drain and wrap the eggs in plastic wrap or a sealed plastic bag. Store in refrigerator.
Remove the shells just prior to serving. Eggs will have a marbleized appearance

Info and pictures from BHG.com, Allfreecrafts.com and Squidoo.com

Anne

I'm a mother of 2 who likes to get involved in too much! Besides writing here I started a non-profit, I'm on the PTO board, very active in my community and volunteer in the school. I enjoy music, reading, cooking, traveling and spending time with my family. We just adopted our 3rd cat and love them all!

5 Trends In The Solar Industry To Watch Out For

February 22, 2017 By Anne

Kansas Project Solar House

1. The Solar Rush Is On!
People in places as diverse as the United Kingdom (UK) and China are scrambling to install solar heating and power generation systems, before the special incentives run out. Already, earlier in 2016, the one-millionth solar energy system has been installed in the U.S. This is a milestone that proves solar is no longer on the experimental fringe. And, with Elon Musk’s Solar City in the news, there is a rush on to quickly adapt solar in more and more areas and industries.
2. Large Solar Power Producers
Solar City has also started an advocate organization, The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC). The focus of TASC is to make the process of getting photovoltaic (PV) solar power stations successfully installed on rooftops, even in those regions that are opposed to it. The effect of all this positive traction for these new, higher power systems is that demand is now through the roof, literally. This now makes the USA the number 2 ranked solar power producing country.
3. Accelerated Growth
Equally impressive is how fast solar power is growing overseas. In the first half of this year, India added a whopping 2 gigawatts of solar power systems to their extensive power grid. As for the rest of 2016, the U.S. is projected to grow to a total of 73 gigawatts of solar power by year’s end. That is a 43 percent increase over last year, according to a report in the Global Solar Demand Monitor, which GTM Research publishes quarterly.

Germany had been advancing with solar power, until this year, when China far surpassed them and became the new Number 1 solar market, as measured by total PV installations. A lot of these were rushed installations in order to still qualify for the tariff discount that ended on June 30th, 2016. During this same period, the U.K. had record-breaking solar installation growth. This was also involved in a similar rush to meet requirements for tax breaks, which are called Renewable Obligation Certified incentives.
4. Coming Downturn
Although the U.S. and India are probably going to continue growing solar throughout the year, projections show that it is very likely China will reduce their numbers of solar installations by the end of 2016. This is due to multiple conditions, not the least of which is China’s overall economic downturn. That problem has put the brakes on nearly every project there. The U.K. is also projected to dramatically reduce new installations near the end of 2016, because the tax incentives have not been renewed; they will lose them if not used on time, before the deadline. Japan is in a very similar situation of projected downturn for solar installations by 2017.
5. Tax Savings Extension Allows Procrastination
Since the incentive of the Federal Investment Tax Credit has been extended, many of the solar installations that were or will be started this year may not actually be completed until next year, in 2017. This actually produces skewed tabulation results for 2016. It is the tax-reducing incentive that has gotten the U.S. listed as a top-three market, listed from now until at least the end of 2021. That is one of the primary reasons 2017 is slated to be a record year for solar power installations. So, for the sum of this year and the next, the total installs will rocket up 60 percent higher.

“Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Econoheat., the world’s #1 leading OMNI heaters manufacturer.”

Anne

Caboo Paper Products Review

September 8, 2016 By Marijean

*This review was written by blog contributor Mariella Sajkowski

I’m always looking for safe products to use in my house and for my family. When it came to paper products, I never really knew what to buy so I just purchased what was on sale. I thought all toilet paper, napkins, tissues, and paper towels were the same. All these products are white, which means they’re free of dyes and have to be safe, right? All paper products perform the same, right? Well, I was wrong. I was recently asked to write a review for Caboo Paper Products and now all the confusion has passed.

I tested four products by Caboo: napkins, paper towels, tissues, and toilet paper. First let me begin by telling you a little about the company. Caboo makes sustainable paper products from bamboo and sugarcane. These plants grow quickly so there’s no need to uselessly destroy trees. Unlike trees, bamboo and sugarcane do not require replanting. All of Caboo’s products are 100% biodegradable. This also means their products are more eco-friendly than their recycled counterparts. Lastly, they are non-GMO verified, BPA and chlorine free which was what interested me the most about this company.

When you think bamboo, you think hard and stiff. Caboo was anything but these things. I was really impressed with these products. The napkins were soft yet strong! They weren’t stiff like many other brands of napkins. The paper towels were similar. They were absorbent with spills and held up to hand drying and house cleaning. The tissues have lasted through three children with colds and several nosebleeds. We’ve had no blow-outs or pesky lint floating around.

Finally, the toilet paper. Many of us are toilet paper snobs (at least in my house). We want thickness so it doesn’t tear but not too thick because it will leave behind fuzzies. One ply is too thin and rigid but anything more can be too thick. Again, I was impressed with Caboo’s 2-ply softness. It’s velvety without all dust and lint and has just the right amount of texture.

Caboo has a luxurious feel you wouldn’t expect from eco-friendly products. The company puts your mind at ease by keeping the Earth clean while keeping your families safe. I highly recommend their products for their performance and their safety. You can pick them up at Whole Foods, Wegman’s, and Bristol Farms just to name a few. You can also log onto their website at caboop aper.com to search a Caboo retailer nearest you.

**I received products in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.