’Tis the Season to make your home smell amazing!
With all the hustle and bustle of the season, sometimes it is just nice to come home, make yourself a nice cup of tea, or hot chocolate, and take a few minutes to relax and recharge.
I recently held a Scents of the Season - A Holiday Diffuser Blends event and I shared a few blends that can help you get into the holiday mood. Everyone created a few blends that they were able to take home and share with their families. It was a really nice evening and I think everyone was happy with their creations.
Here are the recipes we created at the event. Go ahead and try them. They are a beautiful, toxin-free way to make your home smell wonderful and evoke feelings of Holiday Cheer. Enjoy!
I just had a wonderful visit with family over the Thanksgiving weekend and I am feeling so blessed. Our kids came home and our little granddaughter was here. She is just the sweetest little person!
My sister and brother-in-law were home, and my cousin and his family were in town as well. Thanksgiving Weekend has been a time of both gratitude and sadness in our family for 25 years. It was twenty five years ago that our Aunt Linda passed away of pancreatic cancer. A few years later, that same weekend, our Uncle Norm passed away at 63 years of age. The same age I am now.
We always think of both of them on Thanksgiving weekend, and of my Dad too, and Whitefish Lake. We spent so many Thanksgivings out there, having fun with our family, going for walks, playing with our kids. Our family is close, and our Aunts and Uncles, cousins would always try to get together over the holidays. We have so many memories of my Uncles Danny and Norm playing guitar, and singing, so many family dinners, and lots of times just hanging out, enjoying our time at the lake.
This year, because it’s been 25 years since Aunt Linda passed away, my cousins and their families all got together to honour her memory. I was so happy that we got to have a little visit with my cousin and his wife and their girls who came home for the weekend. My Aunt Linda would have been so proud of the man he has become, and the beautiful family that they have.
I still remember feeling so sad when my Aunt and my Uncle passed away and thinking that Thanksgiving weekend was cursed for our family. But now, with the passing of time, I can see that we have so much to be grateful for, and I cherish the memories that I have of my time with my Aunt and Uncle. I also have learned how fast time flies, and how fleeting life can be, and I think it’s made me appreciate my family even more, and the connections we share. I try to be more “in the moment” with people, and keep the pictures in my mind. I try to build good memories for my kids and my granddaughter.
Although the weekend never seems to be long enough, our little family was able to get out for a walk in the bush. Little Evee collected some rocks, and her Uncle Jake pointed out some moss for her and showed her how soft it was. Billy shared stories of his memories growing up around here and pointed out different areas where he played as a kid, as we walked along. It was so nice to be outside with our whole family, just enjoying our time together.
I am grateful for the wonderful people our kids have grown up to be, and I am so happy that they were able to come home and spend some time with us. This Thanksgiving Weekend was definitely a time of reflection, gratitude and love.
Cinnamon (2 drops)
Nutmeg (2 drops)
Orange (2 drops)
Vanilla (1 drop)
(Alternative - drop 6 drops of Thieves into a diffuser and enjoy!)
I ran into an old friend the other day. She was surprised when I reached for a non-alcoholic drink instead of a beer or cooler for my after golf beverage. I let her know that I don’t drink anymore, and had quit in March of 2020. She told me she had quit as well.
This may not seem like a big deal to those of you who haven’t grown up around a culture of drinking and partying, but for us, it’s a pretty big deal.
We both grew up in a small Northern Ontario mining town. Drinking, bars, partying, alcohol was just part of the culture. I was in my teens in the 70’s and I remember many weekends where us kids would find a bottle, or some beer and just get wasted. So many weekends were spent with a bunch of us, or just a couple of us, drinking and looking for a party or for something exciting to happen.
When I think back on those times, I’m surprised we all survived it. I was a pretty shy kid, and I still am a shy person. I think drinking was a crutch I leaned on to help me feel like I was fitting in, to help bring me out of myself and feel more comfortable in social situations. And most of the other kids were drinking too, so I didn’t really feel like I was doing anything that wrong. Anyway, the point is, alcohol was part of my life for a long time. Family get togethers all included lots of food, music and drinking. It was a big part of our family culture, actually, still is.
When I finally decided to stop drinking alcohol, it was about three weeks after my father had passed away. We had my sister and her husband over for dinner and we had wine with dinner. I drank a lot of wine as we sat there after supper, talking and reminiscing. The next morning I woke up with a terrible hangover. I was so sick, and had a pounding headache, and I thought, “What the hell am I doing? I’m 58 years old and still letting myself get so drunk that I am sick the next day? This is stupid.”
I know I was grieving, and feeling very justified in having several glasses of wine. That has been my conditioned way of coping with things for years. But I wanted to do better from now on. I wanted to be better...healthier... stronger...more clear-headed. I wanted to be someone my husband, my kids and grandchildren could be proud of. And mostly, I wanted to be better for me.
I had been using Young Living essential oils for about 8 years at that time, and sharing my love of the products with people in my circle. I used them for everything, every day and they really helped me, so it seemed more than a little bit disingenuous to be drinking as much as I was while I was promoting a healthy lifestyle with essential oils and non-toxic products.
I wasn’t living into my values, and it just felt wrong. I felt ashamed of myself. I was sad, for sure. I mean, my Dad was a very important part of my life, and I missed him. But using alcohol as a way of coping wasn’t making me feel any better. It just made me feel worse.
So, I stopped drinking. I just decided enough was enough. I figured I would just try not drinking for a week or so and see how I felt. I used my oils to help me breathe through the sadness, the anxious feelings I was experiencing, the sleeplessness. I used my oils, and I started walking everyday.
I should also mention that my Dad passed away on February 25th, 2020. On March 14, the pandemic shut down all non-essential services, so that just added an extra level of stress and worry on top of an already stressful time in our lives.
But I was determined to stick to my promise to myself. A week without alcohol turned into two weeks, then a month, then two months. My family was worried about me. I told them I was just taking a break from drinking. When we were finally allowed to get together in person again, I didn’t have any beer or wine, just water or tea. They thought something was wrong with me, that I had some kind of health issue I hadn’t told them about or something. There were discussions between my sisters wondering what was going on with me.
I assured them that I was fine, that I just didn’t want to drink anymore. I was trying to get healthy, and not use alcohol to cope with my grief. I was going to just choose healthier options, like breathing in my essential oils, walking, calling a friend to chat, getting hug from my husband. I think they may have been skeptical, but they let it go. After a while, maybe a year or so after I quit, they just stopped offering me alcohol when we got together.
Meanwhile, as time went on, I started feeling better. Not waking up foggy headed every day was a huge bonus. It’s amazing how much better I sleep now! Being clear headed and feeling healthier helped me focus on all the things I needed to do leading up to my retirement at my workplace. It made the transition smoother and easier to handle.
Today is September 16th, 2025 and it’s been 5 years and a little over 6 months since I quit drinking. I’m feeling pretty proud of myself. I’m happy I made the decision to quit. I actually wish I had done it sooner, but better late than never I guess.
I think I was lucky that I had already been using Young Living essential oils for years before deciding to quit drinking. It meant I already had some tools in my toolbox to help me navigate through that difficult time. I knew what I needed to do…I just needed to do it. And walking every day brought lots of benefits, including helping to regulate my emotions, and helping me to get stronger physically too!
Life is a journey, and this is part of mine. I’ve been sharing my love of these essential oils for years now, but leaving out this very significant part of my story. So now you know. Everyone has a story, everyone is going through their own personal struggles. For me, the decision to quit drinking opened me up to new possibilities for my life, And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Summer is always such a busy time. It feels like it just started and it’s over. I’m sure that’s true of anyone who lives in Northern Ontario. We treasure those hot sunny days, and when I was working, I am not ashamed to say, I would sometimes take a vacation day if the weather was nice, and just go to the beach. Around here, those nice days are not guaranteed and if you miss it, you missed it!
Now that I’m retired, I am really trying to cram every single bit of fun and sun into this summer. I’m out golfing a couple of times a week. I’ve been playing music with my friends and just recently performed in the local Music Festival with them. Family get togethers, trips to see our kids, and even a short camping trip. And some days, just relaxing on our back deck and doing some yard work is fun.
I honestly can’t believe that August is already here! And before you know it, the weather will turn colder and it will be autumn. I find myself almost frantic, wanting to make sure I pack as much into the last month of summer that I can. And I need to remind myself to calm down, to just take it in, and enjoy each moment as it comes. To be present, to be aware of all the beauty that surrounds us in this part of the country, and just take a moment to breathe.
I think that’s why I love these quiet mornings so much. I love the time, early in the morning, before anyone else is awake, when I can just sit and drink my coffee in peace and quiet, watch the sun come up and do a bit of writing. I put on my oils, and start my diffuser. It grounds me, it helps keep me centred, and start my day in a good way.
It’s important, when we’re running around trying to pack in all the fun of summer, that we take a few minutes each day to just sit quietly and reflect, whether that’s early in the morning, or at the end of the day, or maybe even sometime during the day, maybe while you’re sitting on a sandy beach.
Enjoy the rest of the summer everyone, and don’t forget to take a few minutes each day to breathe in some essential oils and count your blessings.
Summer Diffuser Blends
Forget-Me-Not - 2 drops each of Rosemary, Tangerine, and Eucalyptus Radiata
Tranquil Forest - 2 drops each of Northern Lights Black Spruce and Frankincense
Citrus Sunshine - 2 drops each of Orange, Lemon and Lime
Great Summer Roll-Ons (you’ll need a roll-on bottle and some organic grape seed oil or V-6 vegetable complex oil)
Patchouli & Tangerine (5 drops of each and fill with grape seed or V-6 oil)
Cedarwood and Orange (5 drops of each and fill with grape seed or V-6 oil)
Ylang Ylang, Lavender and Tangerine (5 drops each and fill with grape seed or V-6 oil)
Did you ever notice how summer just flies by? You have all these plans to do all these things, and you run like crazy trying to do them all, and then, before you know it, the fall winds and rain begins, and you realize, another summer has come and gone. And maybe you did some cool things, and maybe you didn’t.
Maybe it’s because I’m older now, but I find time just moves so quickly. When I was a kid, summers seemed to be so long. Lots of time for exploring in the bush behind our house, and swimming by the lake with my brothers and sisters. There were lots of lazy days when we would complain of being bored, which was always a mistake, because then my Mom would find a chore for us to do so we wouldn’t complain of being bored anymore.
I grew up in the time when we would leave the house in the morning and not come home until dinner time, unless we were hungry, of course. So we had to use our imaginations to keep ourselves entertained. There were lots of kids on our street back then, so we had plenty of friends to play with, and we were always able to come up with some plan or other.
Now, even though my days seem quieter, and not so busy and hectic, time still seems to fly by. Like, just the other day it was Summer Solstice, and now we’re almost half way through July! How did that happen? I guess time moves by, whether you’re ready for it or not.
So get out there and enjoy your summer while it’s here! Say Yes to invitations to go hang out by the campfire, or go swimming with your kids, or go hiking with a friend.
And if you don’t have people inviting you to do those things, then you can do the inviting! Or you and just go ahead and do things on your own.
And sometimes, alone time in the summer is really nice too, Some of my favourite times have been sitting on my backyard deck with a cup of tea and a book, just enjoying the peace and listening to the sounds of summer. It’s definitely okay to just be still for awhile, and not feel like you need to be doing something “productive” every second of every day! Resting and rejuvenating is actually necessary and recommended to increase productivity and maintain good mental health.
I’m talking to myself here too. It’s pouring rain outside today, so I’m staying home, and getting some housework and puttering done. I know I definitely still feel the need to feel like I’m being “productive” all the time. So I’m trying to give myself a break, and just enjoy the peace, listen to the rain and sip a cup of tea.
When you find yourself feeling scattered, and restless, like you don’t know what to do with yourself, but feel like you need to be keeping busy, just take a couple of minutes, grab your bottle of Peace & Calming essential oil blend, put a drop or two onto the palm of your hand, rub your hands together and just breathe! Again, talking to myself here too!
Whatever your plans are for the summer, or even if you don’t really have any plans, just take the time to enjoy whatever the day brings to you, whether it’s going for a walk along the beach, or just enjoying a cup of tea and reading a good book. There’s joy to be found in those little moments too.
Enjoy the rest of the summer everyone!
