Playing Favorites

Now I know in life you aren't supposed to play favorites: with your children, pets or other family members.  But I think it's OK when you are talking about essential oils; although, it may be quite difficult to choose which one will be your favorite.  I like to approach it as which one I am currently in love with, being open to that changing daily, weekly or even hourly since they are all so great!

best lavender ever!

But, today, my favorite is lavender.  Maybe because it was one of the first oils I truly used.  Possibly because it is "universal" in that is has like 1001 uses.  Definitely because it saved my life and sanity the first 3 months of my pregnancy.

These are some of my favorite uses so far for Lavender:
1. helps me personally combat nausea by spraying on my pillow at night, in the air or even on my skin so I smell it throughout the day
2. use it in a bath with Epsom salt to relax and drift off to sleep easier (paired with it on my pillow)
3. use alongside of frankincense and peppermint oil on my forehead and the back of my neck to combat headaches.
4. use it on Luke whenever he gets that "baby acne" or little bumps/rash caused from simple reactions to everyday stuff.  I use it straight {without dilution} on his skin and in a matter of an hour or two it's gone and his skin is clear.  For all you friends out there with eczema, I have heard it works wonders!
5. Since he was born, I have been using lavender as part of his cloth wipe solution.  We use cloth diapers and wipes and although some of you may be thinking I am crazy, believe me, it is so, so easy! They absorb much better than the store bought wipes and you only have to use one per changing rather than 3-4 for those really messy diapers and we just throw them in the wash with his diapers- easy!  :) We have never really dealt with diaper rash with Luke and I believe it is largely because of our choice to use this natural solution, wipes and diapers.  This is the "recipe" if any of you are interested.  I got it from our local cloth diapering store but have found similar ones online.  I like this one the best- it literally takes me 2 minutes to make enough for a couple weeks.

all this and some distilled water and you are all set!

Cloth Diaper Solution

2 cups distilled water

2-5 drops tea tree {melaleuca} oil

2-5 drops lavender oil

1 tsp. of your favorite baby wash

I use Burt's Bees and started out with a blended oil that had tea tree and lavender so I would add around 8 or 9 drops of that.  I also use a lot of California Baby wash as well and either one works great! I put it in a mason jar, screw the top on and shake! One jar fills our cloth wipe dispenser and the other one goes in the fridge until we need to fill it again.  So easy!

did I mention they smell amazing?

You can find the lavender and melaleuca {tea tree} here as well as many other oils I will introduce soon!

nice to meet you peppermint- who are your friends?

So, I just started using essential oils.  Mainly because of Luke. Have I mentioned that most things are because of him these days? The funny thing about the phrase "just started" is that if I actually take a few minutes {which is what I rarely have these days} and think about it, then I laugh because I realize that I have been using them for over a decade {at least} in various ways! What I meant to say, is that I just started proactively, or aggressively, using essential oils.  Yes, that's better.

So, I also can't give Luke all the credit, even though that cute little 19 lb bundle of all boy goodness is responsible for most things we do these days.  He does seem to have an invisible whip that magically forces us to do things that we would never do before.  Literally, I have never sung so many silly songs in the previous 30 years as I have in the past 6 months of knowing this boy.  Luckily, I have discovered that I am excellent {beyond} at creating really good songs, rhyming, verses and all.  Seriously, I should burn an EP.  But having L has driven me to have a healthier, more holistic, approach to our everyday lives.  Also contributing, has been my long, tedious journey to finally "figure out" my "gut" issues.  It's a funny thing, that you can go to an IG specialist, get probed, prodded, scoped, etc and they can quickly suggest surgery based on a virtual guess.  Or that your issue could be one of 4-5 diagnosis and you have to "rule" them out one by one, only speculating at your problem without knowing 100%.  Frustrating doesn't even come close, but that is our modern medicine people.  I know, I know- believe me, I am not knocking it because I welcome it with open arms when I need it but believe me, no one is getting any of my organs without proving it to me first.  But we are too quick to write prescriptions and try to fix the symptoms without really finding the problem first.  I don't know about you, but I don't really want to be on antibiotics bi-monthly or popping my daily limit in tylenol or whatever migraine meds I can get a hold of.  So, a drastic change in my diet with crazy restrictions is what my future holds.  But, essential oils and home-made cleaning products and other items are helping us to not only live in a homeopathic way, but also, surprisingly, save money.  I think we call that a win-win.

and he knows he's the boss

I wish I could make myself look good and say from a young age I had this enlightenment about essential oils and their benefit to your health and mentality.  But when I say that I have been benefiting from them since I was young, it was in a little bit of a mis-directed way.  Well, in actuality, I didn't know I was using them and they weren't in their purest form to say the least.  I am about to be honest in a way that is a little embarrassing: but I was a child so that;s ok. My earliest memory is being at a friend's house in 2nd or 3rd grade and my stomach was hurting {probably because I really did not want to be there} but to get me to stay this girl bribed me with ice cream.  The ice cream just happened to be mint chocolate chip aka peppermint.  Like I said, not in it's purest form- I know! But that did the trick- no more stomach ache.  From then on, through high school and college {and beyond} every time I had my "gut" issues I would get a peppermint mocha from Starbucks.  So, I have known for a very long time that peppermint was medicinal and I knew from personal experience- of sorts. :)

Really, my first oils to "use" were peppermint, eucalyptus {we used to put it in our sauna to clear sinuses and purify} and lavender. For years, I have used oils in baths and tried some pre-mixed oils for headaches but it wasn't until I was pregnant that I was really introduced to the rest.  The only remedy for my morning sickness and nauseous was lavender.  I would spray it on my pillow, in the air or basically wear it as a perfume.  It still helps me to this day to fall asleep more soundly {well if Luke will let me...} and to relax and unwind in the bath.  My husband and I used oils to prepare for birth and my doula, Kiesha, used oils during my labor.  Since that time, I have used them more than ever, whether it be in L's wipe solution, in cleaning products or preventative purposes.  All of these uses I will go into more detail as I showcase them oil by oil.  So, there you have it- that is how these oils became my acquaintances, but now I dare to call them my close friends... look how far we've come!

the new nest

Originally, this blog was created for me to share my love of design and various products with the world but since having our first {God-willing of many} child in August, our lives have turned upside down.  I have always been a closet health nut, granola, crunchy, hippie at heart person.  Drawn towards all things natural- I credit this to being raised in Alaska. It is impossible to not love nature when you live there for 18 years.   Somehow, after moving to Dallas it all got away from me. It could be that there really is only shopping and restaurants here, so this city doesn't exactly promote a healthy, all natural life style.  I would walk, run, bike more if it weren't 100+ degrees in the summer or if it were possible to do so without inhaling your weight in smog.  Dallas is considered one of the most materialistic cities in the nation so that does offer more clarity as why it may be more difficult to focus on the things that are {should be} more important in one's life.  Can you tell I miss the mountains yet? While it has it's challenges, you should be able to have a healthy lifestyle and promote a natural life no matter where you live. It may be more enjoyable and much, much easier in other locations but it is possible. {but really, Dallas isn't all that bad so please don't think I am an uber hater- it's just not where my heart is!}

So, needless to say, it has taken me a while, but in the last couple of years, I have been returning to my "roots" so to say.  Feeling the draw of the mountains, fresh air, nature and peace & quiet has only been multiplied since having Luke.  So has the drive to eat clean, be around nature, not fill a prescription for every little ailment and to really look at what we are allowing in our bodies and around us. For me, having a baby centered me: it brought everything into perspective about what is important and opened my eyes again.  They say that it becomes all about baby.  You sacrifice everything for them and want what is best for your child, putting their needs above yours.  That is true- every bit of it.  L just turned 6 months and the past 6 months (but more for the 9 months before that) I have been stopping myself before to ask the question, "Is that really the best for my baby?" Now, I can't say that it hasn't stopped me from the occasional fast food meal or dessert or doctors visit, but it has caused me to pause and consider things with a definite soberness.  It has also caused us to really strive to be in an environment where we can raise our children around nature with our goal to live in Colorado within the next few years.  It's amazing how a child can force you to have the drive you need.

With L now being 6 months, I finally feel like we are getting some balance in our lives {as you can see since I haven't blogged in a year} and that is coming from the acceptance that you can give your child what they need while still taking care of yourself.  It's not all or nothing- because this healthy, natural lifestyle benefits us all- myself, my husband and our son.  It may have officially launched because of him, but I am thankful that that prodding was what we needed- something outside of ourselves to get us to focus on the good.  Something to bring out what had been lost in me, to bring it back to the surface.

So this blog is staying as the "girl nest door" because it is about me sharing my heart, passions, home {nest} and family. Think of it as our adventures in raising Luke Ryder {and trying to do better by him!}  So, this is our journey. Thanks for reading!

Valentine's Gifts You'll {heart}

I hadn't began to fully appreciate this "holiday" we call Valentine's Day until a few years ago.  I have just now graduated from candy and flowers to see the world of potentials out there for this dear day in February and I'm here to share those with you! Some are sweet, some are cute and some are naughty- but all are for {loves}. All of these finds are from Etsy and are handmade.  I always try to support Etsy and other small and local businesses whenever possible.  It helps our economy and is always better quality and unique.  Made in China, no thank you!

3D card from witandwhistle

aeiheartu print from coniLab

heart knee patch boy pants from shopantsypants

nerd card from Paperwheel

hand drawn sweet card from BubbyAndBean

heart crayons from LiddleandBoo

conversation heart soaps from LoveLeeSoaps

glittery love banner from confettidesignshop

keeping you card from sadshop

heart filled suckers from CandiedCakes

LOVE pillow set from linxge

heart print from doodledewdesigns

totally inappropriate but hilarious bad humor card from sweetperversion

Deck the Walls

I love finding new decor for holidays.  There are so many ways you can go: uber traditional, modern, eclectic, handmade, etc, etc, etc.  Way to many possibilities! I tend to like simple classic with a twist of modern, handmade and eclectic.  As I have written before, I love nature, so I tend to gravitate more towards decor that is more natural based.  Less is more.  There are many things that contributed to the "less is more" branding in our homes.  My mom had decorations everywhere! Any place you could put something, there would be something- usually in the form of a snowman.  She was obsessed with snowmen- I mean they were cute but c'mon mom! One year when I was home from college, I counted her snowmen figurines, pillows, signs; anything that she put out that Christmas with a snowman.  There were over one hundred.  That was the moment I vowed to never have that many of anything ever.  That moment I turned into a minimalist.  My husband had the same experience with his mom and decorations so we are 100% on the same page when it comes to all that.  And we like it that way.  This year, we will actually be gone for Christmas, but we still got a tree (and fresh wreath as is our tradition) to decorate and enjoy in December and January.  But we only put lights and garland on it this year (no ornaments) and it looks really pretty! We have our stockings hung and our wreath on the door, but that is it my friends.  I'm sure in the years to come, we will add a little bit more but we will always reign it in and remember our past vows.



 For those of you that want a little bit more, I have included some of my picks this year from mainstream stores and Etsy for ways to deck your walls, halls and home in general.  Here they are! Enjoy!

Christmas tree ornaments from adatine on etsy

red felt circle garland from HobbleCreekDesigns on etsy

Nordic stocking from CherieWheeler on etsy

wreath from WildRidgeDesign on etsy

stocking from anthropologie

felt wreath from west elm

stocking from free people

stocking from free people

party confetti from west elm

confetti garland from west elm