feature: essential oils

hi everyone! i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving with your friends & family! it's hard to believe Christmas is right around the corner :) 

several weeks ago, i was gifted a super fun package in the mail from a friend in indiana sharing her essential oil business with me "doterra." she sent me a care package and wanted me to try all of the essential oils that she offers. 

i will tell you, that i am a huge fan of essential oils and have been using them for almost two years now. the essential oil that has truly saved my life has been peppermint oil. if you know me, you know i have had migraines and headaches since i was 15 and i would regularly get them every two months or so. i discovered peppermint oil online when a Facebook friend said to try this for migraines. i had literally tried everything in the book and been to every type of doctor under the sun and nothing helped or worked. because they are hereditary, i knew i would have them for a long time if not forever. it wasn't until i started using peppermint oil and also regularly attending a chiropractor; i discovered these terrible things that started with an "m" disappeared. it has been a little over a year since i have had one and i truly can't believe it. 

you might be wondering how this can help a headache or migraine and how to use it. because the peppermint oil is so strong, it simply soothes and relaxes the muscles. i apply peppermint oil to the back of my neck, temples, and dab it under my nose. i will use this anytime my head feels tight, pressure, or i feel like i might get a headache. i have passed this on to many friends and family members! if you ask any of my old co-workers what oil i used constantly in the office they would all know and say peppermint oil haha! it has truly saved my life. 

now, enough about me. my friend sent me this wonderful package full of healthy snacks, essential oil samples, magazines, and my favorite was the recipe cards of what to use and how. i would be more than happy to pass along my friends information as well if anyone is interested, please send me a message or e-mail and i will gladly send you her personal information :) as you can see, she sent me a great sample of each of the essential oils. i haven't tried them all yet but i obviously have been using the peppermint oil that she gave me as well as the lavender for sleeping purposes (its wonderful). i have also experimented with the lemon oil as well in the kitchen and have really enjoyed this one as well. 

here are a few helpful essential oil tips & recipes that i used:

all purpose cleaner: i mixed dr. bronners peppermint soap with 4-5 drops of peppermint oil and placed it in a spray bottle and i use this daily for cleaning in my kitchen and home

linen pillow spray: 3 drops of lavender, 2 drops of chamomile, mixed with distilled water  add this to a spray bottle and spray a mist on your pillows and let dry before sleeping (lavender is great for a good nights sleep)

refreshing room spray: 2 drops of peppermint oil, 2 drops of lemon, and distilled water and add this to a spray bottle and use as a mist for your home! smells so good and fresh!

20 health benefits of essential oils: 

1. affect the psyche

2. support immune function

3. supply potent antimicrobials

4. provide natural pain relief 

5. reduce inflammation 

6. ease stress and anxiety

7. decrease insomnia 

8. rejuvenate skin

9. protect against colds and influenza

10. soothe digestive disorders

11. improve circulatory system 

12. promote optimal endocrine function

13. support urinary system 

14. soothe burns, sunburns, minor cuts, and scrapes

15. support muscles and bones

16. provide oral and dental care

17. nourish and strengthen hair

18. improve mental clarity

19. protect against cancer

20. provide safe and natural alternatives to household cleaners 

i hope you have enjoyed a little bit of information on essential oils and why i am a true believer of them! thank you so much to Jerrie for inspiring this post and for sending me products to try! i love them all and appreciate it! if you have any questions at all or would like further information/ personal information on Jerrie's business in essential oils please contact me. 

thanks so much and hope you all have a great week :) see you again soon xoxo

recipe: mexican chicken casserole

hi everyone! happy wednesday! i wanted to share a new recipe i found in the "come home to supper" cookbook from the author of Southern Plate. i wanted to try a new casserole and found this mexican chicken casserole. i am a picky eater; therefore, i made this for reed haha! i wanted to make this for him since he loves anything and everything mexican! he absolutely loved it and i wanted to share it will you all. this is very easy and simple to make and like i said he really enjoyed it. here is the recipe!

ingredients:

-cooking spray

-4 cups of chopped cooked chicken

-2 cups of uncooked brown rice

-1 can of cream of chicken soup

-1 cup of sour cream

-1/2 cup of diced onion

-1 can of hotel (i used cilantro & lime juice flavor)

-1 can of beans (if you wish, this recipe didn't actually call for beans but i added black beans)

-1 can of green chiles 

-1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin

-1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

-1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

-8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese 

details:

-preheat your oven to 350

-spray a 9 x 12 baking dish with your cooking spray

-place the chicken, beans, rice, soup, sour cream, onion, rotel, cumin, garlic powder, chicken broth, and half of the cheese in a large mixing bowl

-stir well 

-turn the mixture into a prepared baking dish

-top the dish with the rest of the cheese

-bake the casserole for 30 minutes or until it is bubbly

-you can serve this with tortilla chips, flour tortillas, or corn tortillas (we used crunch corn tortillas)

-enjoy :)

this recipe was so easy to make and reed loved it! i hope you enjoy this recipe and i will see you all again soon :) as always, thanks for stopping by! xo

home decor: hallway details

happy monday! the past few days have been extremely relaxing and laid back. we finished up our Christmas open house at The Faded Farmhouse and i had two days off to relax yesterday and today and it has been pretty wonderful. my brother came over yesterday and we all watched football, the walking dead of course, and ate lunch & dinner together. reed and i spent friday night out for date night with dinner & a movie and saturday evening was a time to also relax and cook dinner. all in all, this past weekend was good for the soul ha! 

i wanted to share a few hallway details with you. i apologize the picture quality isn't the best in these photos due to lighting but wanted to share a few good finds from our hallway. i found a bottom of an old tobacco basket from a little antique shop in palestine, il. we found it for $5 yes you heard me right! i couldn't believe it and thought it was so neat with the stamps and imprints on the basket. this hallway is located at the front of our house as soon as you walk in the front door. this hallway connects the guest bedroom, bathroom, and my craft room. 

the table we found at "at home" stores when we first moved in. the greenery at the bottom of the table was found at "home goods" and the barn painting is from the faded farmhouse (of course) ha! on top of the table; i found the small greenery at tjmaxx and the basket came from the nashville flea market (it was also a steal for $4). lastly, i am a lover of old books. i use them to decorate the house with and i love the old vintage look of them. especially when you can find great classic titles such as "gone with the wind." 

again, sorry the photos are a little dark but i hope you enjoy our hallway details today! hope you all have a wonderful week and i will see you again real soon :) xo