Harrowing Experience with a Hedge-Trimmer

On Friday, August 16th I had a yard accident. 

It was just two days before I was heading up to Silver Lake Youth Camp to lead worship and session for the week. Lance and I had already crafted the drama and recruited our acting team to spark conversation and session content. Plans were in place. I just wanted to leave our home in good order before I left. 

I was out in the yard trimming the bushes on our property. A tall branch had sprung up higher than the round bush I was focused on. It kept bending when I tried to cut it with the power trimmer. I decided to hold the branch steady and try to trim it with one hand on the trimmer controls. The blade bounced off the branch and hit my index and middle finger on my left hand. The cut was jagged and deep. I knew I was in trouble. 

I squeezed my hand shut tightly to put pressure on the wound and took the trimmer with me into the house. I ran my fingers under the water to try to wash away the blood to see the wound, but it was impossible to get a look at the cut. I reached for geranium oil, which I keep by the stove for accidents. I knew it could help get the bleeding under control. I started applying the roller to the wound while rinsing away the blood. Within a minute, the bleeding was under control and I could clearly see the cut. It was going to need stitches. 

Now that the bleeding had stopped, I applied a regular bandage to both fingers. I felt the adrenaline coursing through my body as I tried to figure out what help I needed. I communicated what happened to my guys and they responded quickly with clarifying questions and sympathy. They fueled my courage to keep taking the next step. I drove to the urgent care clinic but forgot to bring food and water for the long wait. 

Because the bleeding was under control, I waited five hours for stitches. An x-ray confirmed that there was no damage to the bone. During the wait, I started to feel cold, thirsty and hungry. Shock was slow to hit because blood loss was minimal. Lance arrived and found a nurse to provide a warm blanket and water. I started feeling better with some attention to basics. The doctor gave me three stitches in one finger and two in the next to help the cut to heal quickly. 

I used a roller with Helichrysum, Lavender and Frankincense with Coconut oil on the wound each time I changed the bandage. Rose ointment created a great barrier to keep the cut clean and promoted faster healing. By day three, I had the bandage off whenever I wasn't actively playing piano or using my hand. The roller and ointment moved the healing along quickly. I had the first stitch removed by the camp nurse on day eight and the rest out on day nine before heading home to Hamilton. 

I am convinced that geranium essential oil should be a staple in everyone's kitchen and first aid kit. 

My hand is almost fully healed. The skin is thick with scar tissue where it knit back together but there was no nerve or muscle damage. The body's ability to heal is amazing - and I love having the right tools 'on hand' to support it. 




Lavender Body Butter


I love whipping up a batch of this to share for gifting this time of year! The creamy texture and delicious scent keep my skin happy and healthy during the drying season of winter! 


  1. In a double boiler combine
    • ½ cup Shea Butter / Mango Butter
    • ½ cup Cocoa Butter
    • ½ cup Coconut Oil (Solid)
    • ½ cup Almond/ Jojoba/ Grapeseed Oil
    • Optional - add a tbsp of beeswax to make a firmer texture

2. Melt until combined well
3. Refrigerate for an hour then add 10 drops each of Lavender, Lemongrass, and Frankincense Essential oils and then whip with a hand blender.


Mix up the scent as you wish: 

Some well-loved skin care oils: Northern Lights Black Spruce, Geranium, Clary Sage, Ylang Ylang, Gentle Baby or Copaiba! 

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Spa Day at Home

We all go through seasons when stresses are high. 

My husband had a day off on Monday and really needed to let his body gear down. Instead of numbing with mindless activities, I suggested an at-home spa day! He was game!

I started with making him a nourishing smoothie with 1/2 scoop of Chlorella protein powder, 10 mg Collagen, 1/4 Avocado, 1/4 cup of Oat milk, 1 tbsp Coconut milk, 1/4 cup of Strawberries, topped up to the 2-cup mark with water. I try to make one of these for him most mornings since I already make one for myself. I handed him a Ningxia Red pouch, Super B for adrenals, Vit D/K, and mineral supplement to round out his nutrient care!

After a leisurely breakfast, I had him prep for a detox bath with some dry brushing. This stimulates the lymph system to circulate and drain as it is meant to. You just use a boar bristle brush to brush up from the feet to the groin area where the lymph drains. Then brush up the hands, arms, and torso to the armpits where the lymph can drain. 

While he was brushing, I filled the tub with very warm water, Epsom salts and 4 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil. He soaked in the tub for 15 minutes to allow his muscles to soak in the minerals and let the Rosemary go to work on helping cleanse his body of toxins. It is normal to sweat after this. I have been doing this bath every 3 days for the last few weeks and found it really restful and helpful. 
I learned about this routine during our YL team's summer lymphatic challenge. I really enjoy the benefits of the dry brushing and detox baths. At first, these actions stirred up headaches that eased in the bath. 

I showed him my YL Satin Mint Facial Scrub and three-step Bloom skincare routine, and he loved how it made his skin feel smooth and hydrated. 

Then I showed him how to apply essential oils for hormone balance, immune support and digestive care to help his body feel nourished and supported to function well. Supplements and essential oils are part of my daily routine - though I also include emotional oils. 

For lunch, we included a large salad with balsamic vinaigrette to enjoy the benefits of olive oil and greens alongside his normal easy picks for self-serve meals. He remarked that he isn't usually so intentional about self-care. I mentioned that it is to have a resilient body that can handle neglect. My system is so sensitive that these are habits that are necessary for me to feel well every day.

After lunch, Lance and I enjoyed some reading time and then he had a restful nap on the couch for 30 minutes. 

Some physical activity and creative time are great ways to nourish our body and spirit to reset. I was pleased when Lance mentioned how much more relaxed he already felt. A massage before bed will be the perfect finish to our spa day! 

What would you include in your spa day?  






My Favourite DIY Perfume Blend

Many perfumes and candles cause me to have headaches and an asthma reaction. So I love using beautiful natural scents from essential oils to make my own personal scent that also offers some stress relief! 

DIY VANILLA MINT PERFUME
I love vanilla and mint scents! They are calming and fresh, and remind me of peppermint patties and mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Wearing some stress-relieving self-care as you get ready for your day can be such a wonderful way to set the tone and move into healthy spaces! 

This DIY Vanilla Mint perfume is the perfect spring perfume and it is so simple!

DIY VANILLA MINT PERFUME
10-15 drops of Lavender 
10 drops Stress Away 
3 drops of Peppermint 
Add to a roller bottle and top with your favourite carrier oil.
OR
Add to a 30 ml Pretty Spray Bottle and add a splash of witch hazel to spritz it on! It can be a great linen spray, too! 


And BONUS: Lavender and Peppermint are great seasonal supports too, so as you're smelling delicious you're also fighting off the spring sniffles!

My favourite roller bottles can be found at this link:


Find some fancy bottles for gifting or pick up a few vintage perfume spray bottles. I like these but you can use half the number of essential oil drops for this size.: 

Ditch & Switch for Hormone Health

Ditch & Switch for Hormone Health

I am convinced that we can’t have good mental, physical health without balanced hormones!

I've been learning about avoiding xeno-estrogens in our everyday personal care and household products.  We can protect our hormone health from Xeno estrogens that are hidden under labels like parabens, phthalates, fragrances. These are synthetic and not biodegradable, but because the molecular shape mimics estrogen, they can get stuck on our estrogen receptor sights. They give our body unbalanced messages and our bodies don't know how to process them. They don’t break down. Our best move is to do what we can to avoid them. Here are our top five ditch and switch product swaps for hormone health. I talk through these swaps and a basic primer here: https://youtu.be/uTWRJw9_ZJU

STOP: 

  1. Laundry Soap - it sits against our skin all day long and chemicals get absorbed through the skin, By choosing a natural plant based formula, we cause less stress on our bodies and protect our hormones from messages that create imbalance. Young Living Thieves Laundry Soap has become our healthy choice. 

  2. Dryer Sheets - the fragrance is damaging to our respiratory system and the chemicals are harmful to our environment and our bodies, Using dryer balls allows us to pick our own essential oil scent to leave our clothes smelling fresh and clean. Young Living has Seedlings Lavender scented wipes that make an awesome biodegradable dryer sheet. 

  3. Deodorant - we want to avoid aluminum and chemical fragrance over our lymph nodes. Young Living has a great line of deodorants and their Aromabright or Dentarome toothpaste also make a gentle creamy deodorant/ antiperspirant with a minty spicy scent that controls odor really well, 

  4. Toothpaste - a child age 4 was already getting breast buds when her doctor recognized that she must be exposed to a synthetic estrogen product in her routine. It was brand name kids toothpaste that she used a little more than pea sized amount and may have swallowed some. The early onset puberty was reversed when they ditched the toothpaste. 

  5. Foaming Hand Soap - We was hands so regularly. It is so important to make sure what we are putting on our body supports our body's natural ability to heal and balance. We must get rid of chemical fragrances. Our favourite hand soap is Young Living's Thieves or Lushious Lemon. 

How do we cleanse the xeno-estrogens out of our body? 

DROP & ROLL:

Progessence Phyto Plus - just a few drops a day can help pull the xeno estrogens out of the receptor sites and allow healthy natural hormones to enter the cell. Progessence Phyto Plus was made by a doctor and encourages our bodies to make progesterone. It also locks onto healthy estrogen that is on the hormone receptor to help it enter the body. Spent hormones are then carried to the liver where bile is made to help carry them out of our body. Progessence is the cleanser for xeno-estrogen to pull them out to be filtered by the liver and flushed out of the body. 

To use it for this purpose, gradually increase the number of drops you apply morning and night on the inner arm or thigh or abdomen until symptoms resolve. Then gradually decrease until you can be symptom free with just one or two drops a day.  Your chemical exposure and how fast your body can effectively clear things out will determine the length of time needed to cleanse and restore balance. 

Spotlight on Progessence Phyto Plus: https://m.lfstps.com/pUJE/fwQ

Support digestion - meal in, meal out regularity. Our Cleansing Trio is really effective at restoring proper function. Essentialzyme helps move hormones and toxins out of the body so they don’t sit and cycle through again creating symptoms. Details here: https://m.lfstps.com/0o2e/fwQ

Support Liver - Lemon Oil in our water. We also have products designed to support the liver. Juvatone and Juvapower assist the body to help carry spent hormones from the body in bile. We have a Functional Nutritionist on our team who does a great class about these products. The video quality is poor but the information is really helpful. https://m.lfstps.com/Al3J/fwQ


Dietary Suggestions: to support the liver as it detoxes healthy normal hormones. Eat lots of cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower...) - 2 servings a day. These help the body's elimination process of moving  estrogens from your liver to clear them out of the body.  

NIngxia Red - is a wonderful support for this clean-up process and it nourishes the rebuilding at a cellular level. Details here: https://m.lfstps.com/ZHHye/fwQ

Sulfurzyme - natural sulfur is needed for detox. This is amazing support. Details here: https://m.lfstps.com/lv213/fwQ

Let's support our body to do what is does best! We really can find a whole new awesome normal! 

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