My Garden! It is changing too!

This is truly a year of new things!

We are reinventing our garden this year!

I wish I had pictures, that I could find, of my Daddy's gardens.  They were big!  And very bountiful!  It was almost as if the seeds knew that his skilled hand was placing them in the ground.  I don't remember a "failed" crop.  He even broke dry, crusty ground in Dumas, Texas and beautiful tomatoes bounded forth.  From him I learned plant and row spacing, seed depth, hills and mounds, and what perfectly tilled soil felt like under your feet.

I simply don't have the space that Daddy did to sprawl a garden across my city lot.  This year we are rethinking everything.  We are going to attempt square foot gardening.  I have purchased a few books.  I have convinced my Hubby to build them.  I am working on my plant selection and arrangement.  I am deciding what to germinate indoors.  I know how I am going to naturally fight pests. I am hoping for a wonderful idea that will keep the dogs out.

So what is stopping me?  I still live in Illinois!  Daddy's rule was not to plant anything in the ground until Mother's Day (May 11, 2014).  I may cheat that a bit and go with May 1st.

Trust me...I will keep you posted!

Ants vs Peppermint!

Ants!  We have had a constant battle with ants in my sink for 10+ years. Our Terminex guy has watched our children grow. He knows all of us by first name. I have his cell number. 

When I first read this, I saved it for gardening. 

Then the ants came back!  Hundreds of them!  Marching two by two!  Dan called our Terminex guy but it would be the next week. 

WAIT!  Peppermint!  I quickly mixed 5 drops of peppermint and water in a small spray bottle. Squirt squirt DIE!  And they did!  See more, squirt more!  By day four there were no ants!  

Yesterday my Terminex guy came to the house. He couldn't find their trail!  He even acknowledged that the oils definitely work!

Just a piece, but a big piece, of the puzzle. What DoTerra has made me rethink.

Flash back with me to last spring.

I took the first big step to returning to my "crunchy" roots.  I joined a CSA!  I didn't even know what a CSA was last winter.  Do you? It stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  Here is how it works.  In the spring, you buy a "share" of the crop at an organic farm.  Every week, during harvest season, you go to the farm and pick up your share of fresh produce.  You get a bit of everything they plant.  Most things we loved.  Some things, lemon cucumbers, we simply passed on after the first time.

 I could feel the change starting.  I knew we were moving our family in the right direction.  I was feeding my children really well.

I started seeing recipes on Pintrest for things I use in my home everyday.  Recipes to make everything I felt I was missing...Magic Shell!  Yes, I was missing Magic Shell!  And I found a recipe to make it!  I quickly evolved into a person that made her own laundry soap, cleaning spray, etc.  I love a good concoction!

Then, one of my children would get a cold, or allergies, or some random virus.  I would go to the medicine cabinet and see what I had to fix them.  decongestants, cough suppressants, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, Benadryl.  You name it and I was passing it out.  This didn't feel right to me.  Why was I moving away from processed food and heavy chemicals but not processed healthcare?  What was I missing?  How can I change this?

I began reading, thinking, and processing how I would change this. I was also drawn to the world of essential oils through Pintrest.  It intrigued me.  How would I make this my next step?  How would I convince my husband?  Guess what, I didn't have too!  A dear friend, that was lit on fire by DoTerra and posted her journey on Facebook.  He read it all without saying a word to me.  When I finally talked to him about the changes I wanted to make, he was already on board!

I don't do things quickly.  I process and ponder.  I finally ordered my DoTerra Family Physician kit in January of 2014.  I now reach for Breathe for a stuffy nose.  I reach for Balance if someone is stressed.  I go to Wild Orange if I just need a pick me up.  Aroma Touch, Deep Blue and Peppermint are my new ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

I don't know it all.  I am only scratching the surface.  I am learning.  But I really like where I am headed.  It feels right to me.

If this path is calling you, or you have questions.  Please let me know.  I am a DoTerra IPC.   I am happy to try and help.  I also have a team of people behind me, who are further down the path, that are open and helpful.  My web address is:  http://mydoterra.com/tiffanyhigginson