Well this weekend flew by in a blink of an eye! I hope you had a happy one. Today I'm sharing about the Young Living Starter Kit. I bought my first one about four years ago & I got a new one for Christmas. I've been wishing for the Aria diffuser for a lonnnng time & it is even more beautiful in person. Every morning after my cup of coffee I get it going with my oil recipe for the day! What I love the most about essential oils may be the very thing that makes someone new to oils hesitant. There is A LOT to learn. I read about & learn new things about oils each day. There are endless way to use them & support your overall health. One of my 2018 New Years resolutions is to slowly rid our home of toxic chemicals & bring in healthy alternatives using YL essential oils. In many ways this change is going to save us money in the long run. For example, I now make all of our cleaning products using Thieves.

If you are hesitant about using essential oils, let me tell you, I understand. In the beginning, I wasn't quite sure where to begin. I felt inspired to learn about them & one day I decided to jump in and give them a whirl. I cannot tell you how happy I am to have taken the leap. What I've learned over the past four years is that there is plenty of fun inspiration out there & unlimited resources. Whatever way you wish to learn, whether it's on Instagram, blogs, Pinterest, Facebook, a book, etc. it's a fun process. There is nothing to be afraid of with the oils & only an abundance of health benefits.



This is the Aria diffuser and the clouds smell beautiful. Magnolia & I are obsessed with it.

Please feel free to email me with any questions. It'd be my pleasure to answer any of your questions or to tell you more about the life changing oils. Also, you can read more about getting started with Young Living here, along with a link to the page to see the Starter Kit options.

Product links to all the oil accessory goodies can be found below.

XO

Yesterday I woke up to an ELEVEN month old baby girl! We had a pretty chill day with our biggest excitement being our trip to Target for groceries. It's too cold here to do much else. I was telling Ryan this morning that she wore her fur hooded coat the whole time. She sat like a little eskimo only moving her head around to look at all the stuff. She normally wiggles around and ends up sitting sideways in the cart by the time we get to check-out. The bulky coat kept her warm, cozy, and sitting still. I might have to use this trick each time! She's like a little lady now & her personality blossoms every single day. Her smile (with her six big teeth) & laugh lights up our world. She talks constantly, even in the middle of the night when we should be sleeping.




To remember this age, I thought it'd be sweet to make a little list of all things Magnolia.

Height: 28 inches
Weight: Over 17 pounds, we haven't been to the doctor since nine months, so I'm not really sure
Favorite Song: Thunder by Imagine Dragons & any song that has a good beat
Loves to Eat: Mommy's milk, avocado, and mommy's strawberry smoothies
How many teeth?: Six with a bunch coming in now, including some big ol' molars
Sleep: Next to her mommy at night & on mommy or daddy for naps, the car is the only place she'll sleep alone




Favorite Christmas Toy: Her piano
Movies We Watch On Repeat: Moana, Santa Paws, & Santa Paws II (yes the Christmas movies are still playing into the New Year); oh and not a movie, but she loves any TV commercial with a catchy song
Favorite Book: That's Not My Unicorn
Best Friend: Other than mommy & daddy, her cousins Mylene & Addy, and she wishes Mrs. would be her best friend, but that's never going to happen [sad face]
Favorite Place To Go: Aunt Haley's house, Target, & Kindermusik




Crawling, Standing, Walking?: She crawls & stands like a pro, she's still not walking on her own & we're in no rush
Always Makes Her Laugh: Her daddy, when Mrs. accidentally gets close enough for her to touch, blowing fart bubbles on her belly, tickling her feet or any part of her body - she's a ticklish one
Things That Scare Her: A lot of things scare her, especially loud noises & new people that get too close for her comfort
Generally Loves: Bath time, music, going places, people (at a distance), other kids, dogs, reading, real cell phones (the fake ones do not excite her), FaceTime with her daddy/grandma/aunts/cousins, & shopping


As I work on this post, she's walking around the fireplace singing & talking to herself. Did I mention, she never stops talking!? Lastly, I have to always remember the way she gives kisses. She clicks her little tongue and makes a sound that is her "kiss." She does it when we enter a room & sometimes even to strangers. She'll often give "kisses" to her Mrs. & always to her daddy when he gets home from work. When we leave Aunt Haley's house, she always gives "kisses" good-bye & they're the sweetest. I know someday she'll give a real version of the kiss & my heart will miss Magnolia's affectionate baby ones.

Her adorable outfit was made by my sister Little Lucca Love & the knot is by Knotts.co. If you're on Instagram go follow them & look for one of their most recent posts as they're currently doing a giveaway. The darling + glittery silver shoes are from Pediped Footwear.

xo

Ryan loves music & I love the arts. We knew before we had Magnolia that music & arts would be an important part of her life. When I was pregnant with her & listening to music she would literally start dancing around inside of me. There were a few specific songs I could play & without a doubt it'd get her moving instantly. Now when she hears music she'll tap her hand to a beat that impresses her daddy. She will throw her hands up in the air & scream when she hears commercials that she likes. In the car, if she hears Thunder by Imagine Dragons she'll clap her hands, smile huge with her six teeth, and kick her feet to the rhythm.  And then my heart melts into a puddle!


I take her to Kindermusik once a week & I believe I enjoy it as much as her. Watching her interact with her friends & play music with the teacher is a highlight of my week, each week. The music experience boosts cognitive skills that enhances a child's ability to detect, expect, & react to pattern in our complex world. The research on very early music education and brain development is impressive.



For Christmas her grandparents got her this Schoenhut 30-Key Fancy Baby Grand Piano & we both play on it every single day. It is so much fun watching her make music & get comfortable with the keys. We have several years before we can start piano lessons, but this is surely the funnest way to learn/play on the piano while she's a small tot. This is her little spot in the kitchen to make music for us.


I just had to share this with you because it is one of our favorite additions to our home. If you're in need of a quality & adorable gift for a baby this is such a fantastic one.

Her Dusty Pink Knot is from Knotts.co & that stylish + comfy outfit was made by my sister Little Lucca Love.

Have a lovely little day! xo

Happy 2018 to you!

On New Year's Eve we took down our beautiful blue spruce Christmas tree. We knew it was drying out because each time we touched it about 100 needles would rain down on us. After we got all the ornaments off we decided the lights should be removed outside, just to contain the mess. As Ryan was pulling the tree out the front door, it rubbed against our furniture, the walls, and stairs. Our white carpet was covered in green tiny pine needles, I'd say somewhere between 100,000 and one million were dispersed throughout our living area & entry! No kidding. When I saw them stuck between the carpet & baseboards I swore off a real tree, forever. It was a mini-disaster. Magnolia had to spend a good hour in her playard watching Moana while we went on a frenzy of a cleanup. We stopped several times to look at Magnolia watching us, she must have thought we had lost our minds! When it was all said & done, there was only one bloody finger tip, and a few curse words yelled after pulling them out of our feet. After some nice detail work, I think we got 99.9% of the needles up & I've already recommitted to a real tree again next year.

After the clean-up we bundled up in our warmest clothes & fuzzy hats, because it was negative something in Kansas City, and we ventured out for pizza. When the clock struck midnight we were not dancing under the disco ball, but cuddled up in bed. The next morning, on the first day for 2018, is when our party started!


Ryan did some major (& much needed) deep cleaning in our master bathroom, while I baby-fyed (I made that word up) our main living area. I had so many breakables to move to a new area & many new toys that now have a place in our living room. We cleaned, organized, and rearranged most of the day. I think the best way to start a New Year is with a freshly cleaned home!





Magnolia now has a safe & fun play area in our living room & kitchen. We celebrated the new space & first day of 2018, with a balloon drop & disco ball dance party. She currently loves the Apple Animoji commercial & will throw her hands up in the air & scream when she hears it. So we played that song for her & let her dance amongst all the pink & blue balloons. I want her to grow up knowing it's quite easy to throw a mini-party. Follow along with us on Instagram to see all the cute videos & Instastories.






In the kitchen is her baby grand piano. Her & I both play on it every single day. Later this week I'm going to share photos of her little spot to make music for us.



Also, later this week, I plan to take some time to write out dreams & aspirations for this New Year. Are you making New Year's resolutions? I'd love to hear them.

May all your 2018 hopes & dreams come true. xo

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