Green Thumb

Every year the hubs and I have a goal to have a beautiful, bountiful garden. Each year we are disappointed. We always have been so busy that we neglect our garden. I have always worked, and he has always had the kids (which is a job in itself) during the summers. But. Not this year. We are taking gardening to a whole new level and making it part of our daily routine. We want nothing more to enjoy fresh veggies and fruits that we grew ourselves. How liberating is it going to be when we pick our first strawberries for breakfast, or our zucchini for dinner, or the kids grabbing a carrot if they are hungry while playing outside. The possibilities and gratification are endless!

So, we decided to start planting early. I'm a few weeks late in posting these because of course, as always, my excuse is that we are just so darned busy. But alas, I am here to start documenting our journey to living off the land just a wee bit more this year:

The kids love their gloves from Nana:


It's indescribable when you see your kids working together for the same results. Especially if those said kids are 4, 2, and 1.

Noah sure wanted to wear Bria's gloves, and the good sister that she is, she let him:

Bria put the seeds in so delicately and whispered "please grow pretty for me":

Bailey, oh my sweet Bailey Ann. She is just a go-get-'em type of gal. She just poured the dirt without thinking having faith it'll all just go where it's supposed to go:

and it did :) 

We have been watering and watching the flowers grow daily. I have been in charge of watering the soil everyday for our outside garden. We have planted the following: 

kale, spinach, lettuce, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, tomato, radish, onion, potato, basil, cilantro, parsley, rosemary. I hope we get at least a few from each crop! 

We will be documenting them on the blog, but for now it's a waiting game trying to be patient. Trying to keep the little fingers from digging up the dirt. 

No more Bloating! No more excess weight! No Cravings!

It wasn't until recently that I stopped and watched a youtube video which asked these questions that focused on the positive instead of the negative:

• Why am I so healthy? 
• Why do I love my beautiful, healthy body? 
• Why am I happy when I look in the mirror? 
• Why does my body treat me so well? 
• Why did my ____ heal and get better so fast? 

Even though I couldn't answer these questions yet. I wanted to. So I set new goals. My goal was to be able to answer the above questions. There were a few key steps I took to achieve my first 5 pounds I lost within the first 2 weeks! 

STEPS I TOOK TO MANAGE WEIGHT AND CURB CRAVINGS

STEP 1: KEEP A PLANNER JUST FOR HEALTHY LIFESTYLE

I have a filofax with different sections to keep me accountable. My sections include:

• Goal Page : This is where I list my top 3 most important goals of my diet/fitness plan. I make it colorful and nice to look at because 1) It's the first page in my planner and 2) It will make me want to use my planner. 
• Movtivation: Do you have a health/fitness board of some sort on your pinterest board? Like most women, I did as well. How many times did I look at it though? Never! I wanted somewhere I would look everyday for motivational quotes, pictures of women I admired for being healthy, and most importantly pictures of myself. 
• Fitness Log: This is where I write down every day what I did for my fitness. I write down what I did, how long I did it, and my thoughts if I was really working hard or just wanting to complete the workout with as least amount of effort etc. This helps me figure out when and why I am not really motivated! 
• I also have a bucket list (list of things fitness wise I want to accomplish: go to an actual yoga class, run a half marathon, actually finish Insanity and T25., hike all trails in Ketchikan, etc). 
• Food Journal: This is where I track all of my calorie intake. Having to write it down makes a huge difference in how often I eat and what I consume. I have writing down that I had 3 mini size chocolate bars, but it also allows me to check what I was feeling like that day in correspondence with my workouts, etc. 

STEP 2: TAKE MY SLIM AND SASSY OIL

• I fill veggie capsules with three-five drops of oil and take one capsule three times a day. 
• I put 3-5 drops of Slim and Sassy in with my water 3x's a day and drink at least a gallon of H20 ( I also use lemon and wild orange with my water) 

STEP 3: USE MY SLIM AND SASSY TRIM SHAKE 

I use the Trim Shake for a meal replacement during lunch. I blend it together with 1 banana 1 cup spinach and some almond milk. When I am in a rush and we are headed out the door, I will simply put a scoop in my shaker bottle and go. The taste is amazing and it's all natural no chemicals or additives. 

They also have a vanilla option and you can get that here.

There are also some very good recipes on pinterest and the blogosphere just google "Slim & Sassy Shake Recipes" 

I will also be sharing the ones that I use on a regular basis. 

STEP 4: None of this will help in aiding weightloss or manage cravings unless there is a lifestyle change with healthy eating and regular (that means daily) exercise. These products are not to cure, prevent, or diagnose anything but are simply products that compliment a healthy lifestyle. 

If you have any questions about anything or how I'm finally able to get back on track and feeling great about myself again, I am always happy to answer or chat about anything! 

Kid Approved Juice Recipe

When we go out to birthday parties, potlucks, or out to dinner (which is very rarely) our kids choose to drink water. It's the only option at our house. When our kids don't know what a Capri Sun is, I smile and think to myself, "at least we did one thing right." I am a proud mama!

Lately, my husband and I have been juicing every morning. To get the good enzymes and vitamins from the fruit and veggies we love. It's an instant pick-me-up and more gratification than a cup o' joe. Although, I can't wait for the sweet peppermint mochas during Christmas time...

Anyway, I have come up with a juice that is not only good for you but it's delicious and kid-friendly! I have comfort knowing exactly what I am putting in my little nugget's juice. 

"We Are God's Country. Ketchikan Is The Heart Of It All"

I was born and raised in Ketchikan. I'm Alaska Native and from the Haida (High-Dah) clan. Growing up I didn't fully comprehend the importance and honor that I had being able to call myself Haida and often took it for granted. I was part of a traditional dance group since I was in fourth grade. During that time I was able to learn how to gather, weave cedar, speak in the language, sing and dance, I was able to embrace the culture and what Ketchikan had to offer. I had good relationships with the elders.

I then entered middle school where I was made fun of for embracing my culture.

So I turned my back to it.

Now that I am older, I am seeking out my heritage and learning all I can. I will be posting my journey as I gather cedar, greens from the wild, and fish for our food. I'm going to go hunting for the first time this year as well!

Here is a little glimpse of where my heart and family is:

How to Order DoTERRA Essential Oils

Are you tired? 

Are you tired of not getting results from over-the-counter medicine? Or perhaps filling your body with toxins and chemicals full of synthetic material? Or perhaps the side effects of them?

Are you tired of feeling your not doing enough for your kids when they are sick?

Are you tired of being up all night overdosing on sleeping pills with no sleep?

Are you tired of being in a funky mood not able to pinpoint what is wrong?

Are you tired of being tired of not feeling the best YOU?

If you want to learn more about how DoTERRA has helped our family and how I use my oils every.single.day then head on over HERE

The Essential Oil I Stand Behind

We are real people. With real problems. With real needs. That is why I will NEVER recommend a product on this blog that I don't personally use and love. This is why I have chosen DoTERRA. I have used oils from DoTERRA since 2013 and just this year have really wanted to create a business and sell the products. DoTERRA has set the standard for the highest, purest essential oil on the market. With so many brands out there it's hard to know which brand is the best. I have tried other brands before deciding on DoTERRA and I didn't get great results. After studying the DoTERRA philosophy, how the oils are made, and who DoTERRA supports. Here is what I found out about DoTERRA and why I chose to represent this brand:

• • They test each and every batch of oils….not just once, but 7 different ways! 
  • They follow strict and sustainable growing and harvesting processes.
  • They source their oils in their prime environment.
  • The oils are a step above organic, they are Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade with no fillers, artificial ingredients, synthetic chemical substitutes or contaminants of any kind.

  
  

HOW TO GET STARTED:

**IF YOU WANT TO PURCHASE SOME OILS GO HERE FOR MY ONLINE STORE:

**AWAKE FAITH OILS** 

**IF YOU WANT TO GET OILS CHEAPER AT WHOLESALE PRICES READ BELOW: 

I recommend EVERYONE start by purchasing a wholesale starter kit. If you purchase a wholesale starter kit, you become a wholesale member (an advocate) and you are able to get WHOLESALE PRICES on all your future orders (I mean, come on. Who doesn't like a good great deal) 

There are several options to chose from with a starter kit CLICK HERE for more information and prices:

SIGNING UP for *Wholesale Prices* STEP-BY-STEP:

1. Check out the enrollment kits and decide which one you would like and which one is in your budget (the $35 enrollment fee is waived if you purchase one of the starter kits above!) 

2. Click over to the sign-up page and enter your country

3. Select your country then select "Wholesale prices" 

4. Fill out your basic information: Name, address, shipping address and contact form (the reason you are asked to list your SSN is for tax purposes. If you make over $600/year selling DoTERRA products, you will receive a 1099 form in the mail, as is required by law. DoTERRA will never share your information with anyone!). 

5. Make sure that under "Sponsor ID" it has 778767 (it should automatically be there, but just in case). It should say Tory M. Shultz as the advocate. 

5. Select your time zone and choose a virtual office password. 

6. Agree to Terms & Conditions and the Virtual Office User Agreement) (The basic version of the virtual office is free. There is an upgrade option available, but you won't need to worry about that for a while) 

7. Select your enrollment order. This is where you can specify which enrollment kit you would like -OR- if you'd rather not start with a kit, simply select the Introductory Packet ($35) option and add in the oils you would like below in the "cart" section by typing in the name of the oil. 

You can also purchase other items if you wish. 

8. Set up your *OPTIONAL* Loyalty Rewards Program (LRP). This is amazing and I hope you look at this because it's something you are GOING to want to learn more about because it will save you TONS of money. It's called Loyalty Rewards and it's very simlar to a "frequent flyer" program. See the purple boxes below: 

Look at the first box on the left. See how it says "Months 1-3" That means for every $100 you buy, you are going to get $10 back in FREE product credits that you can redeem when you want!  REMEMBER, you are already getting 25% off the retail. This is an ADDITIONAL 10% off!!! The next 3 months it goes up to 15%, then next 3 months it goes up to 20% and so on and so forth! 

More information on the LRP program can be found HERE!  

9: That's it! Congratulations on starting your DoTERRA journey! You will receive a confirmation email- you can log into your back office right away to manage orders, check your team, and send messages! You are now a DoTERRA Wholesale Member!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: 

How do I use DoTERRA essential oils? 

There are three different ways you can use the oils: 

• Aromatically
• Breathe in or use diffuser to: 
• Kill germs in the air
• Open airways
• Affect mood, including depression
• Topically
• Apply to localized area
• Bottom of feet (oils enter the blood stream within 30 seconds) 
• Apply to head, feet, ears, chest, and the back of the neck
• Internally
• This method is specific to DoTERRA CPTG (there is a suppliment facts box on each oil that is safe to take internally if you're not sure) 
• Take in a gel capsule, under tongue, or in water 
• Relieves issues in the: digestive system, mouth & throat, liver, and urogenital tract

Why are DoTERRA oils more expensive than others? 

In essence (like the almost pun?) you get what you pay for. Most store-bought essential oils are not put through the testing like DoTERRA oils are and are filled with added synthetic substances that actually harm you instead of help you.  Next time you go to the grocery store or look at oils, pick it up. If you're not allowed to internally take them (such as peppermint, wild orange, lemon, etc) they are not safe to use. At all! When I buy essential oils I want to get the full therapeutic benefit from them. I love them so much that I became a distributer (not to make money, although it's a huge benefit for something I'm already doing), but I wanted the insane discounts that come with being part of the team. 

Is there a monthly minimum order? 

Nope! You do not need to have monthly orders to benefit from being a Wholesale Member or a retail customer

I don't really want to sell essential oils. Do I have to sell DoTERRA products to be a Wholesale Member? 

Absolutely not! Since there is no monthly order requirement you can just order whenever your family needs it. There is no pressure to have a business, unless you want to. 

CLICK HERE if you would like to read some more 

FAQ's about using Essential Oils

As always, if you have any questions you can contact using our CONTACT FORM

Walking on Sunshine...

Lately, the spring here in Ketchikan has been wonderful. It's been warm, sunny, and just absolutely worth all the rain we get during the winer months. And that's a lot of rain!

Lately, the family and I have been enjoying evening walks down to the beach down our road. It's a favorite of theirs, and mine and ask for it almost every night. Even when it's raining!

Family time spent together. In the outdoors. Exploring. Building castles for our seashell princesses. working on martial arts with driftwood sticks. Watching little boys go straight into tide pools with not a care in the world. Bliss.

I'm ready for long summer days. beach fun. campfires. spontaneous picnics wherever we end up.

Easter! It's What Makes Us...Us

Easter to me is a holiday that proves. It proves that Christ died and rose again. It  proves that we are born again.

It proves that He died to give us life. And what a life he gave us!

Easter proves quite a bit with kids during the holiday too...

It proves that my kids can sit together without fighting (do you know how hard it is to get 3 toddlers to look at the camera at the same time. To smile and say cheese at the same time? It's nearly impossible I tell you. At least I have them all in the frame together!): 

Easter proves multiple things....

Easter proves that sisters can get along for more than an hour: 

Easter proves that dogs are truly a man's best friend: 

Easter proves that my kids can find things when they truly want to: 

Easter proves that I have the most handsome babies (obviously I'm bias): 

Easter proves that the most important thing in this life is family. 

My prayer for you is that you had a blessed Easter weekend! 

Have a happy day, Friends.