garbage disposal refreshers DIY

a common theme you will see in the coming weeks. . .

blog posts on what i am doing with my doterra essential oils!

i don't know how to explain how happy i am with these oils. even my mister is sold. and usually it's hard to sell him because he thinks i go through phases and that in a few weeks i'll be over whatever phase it is that i'm in. i have proven him wrong with my "sewing phase" that has been going on for well over a couple years now and i am 1,000% sure that i will prove him wrong with the essential oils. in my mister's defense, i have gone through plenty of so-called phases in our 6 years together so i can sort of understand what he is getting at. plus, there are two other things i am doing right now that he also thinks are a phase. . .

so, back to my doterra essential oils. as soon as my family physician kit arrived i could not wait to test them out. besides diffusing and applying the oils topically, the first thing i made was garbage disposal refreshers because who doesn't want a fresh smelling kitchen?!

this simple recipe helps to freshen, clean and deodorize your garbage disposal. just drop 2-3 of these homemade refreshers down your disposal for a lemony fresh kitchen sink.

supplies:

• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup liquid castile soap {i prefer unscented & found mine at target}
• 30-35 drops lemon essential oil
• cookie sheet
• parchment paper
• tablespoon measuring scoop
• half gallon mason jar

directions:

1. combine baking soda and salt into a bowl.

2. add castile soap and essential oil {any citrus flavored essential oil would work. with my next batch i plan to try the wild orange or grapefruit.}

3. add the water 1 tablespoon at a time while mixing with your hands. you will want the mixture to be the consistency of damp sand so it sticks together when you press it together. i definitely did not use the whole 1/2 cup of water. if you end up adding to much water you can add a little more baking soda and salt until you get the right consistency. this was my favorite part of the whole process. it was very therapeutic and almost relaxing mixing with my hands.

4. using the tablespoon measuring scoop, place packed spoonfuls onto parchment paper.

5. let the garbage disposal refreshers dry for 24 hours or until they harden. my batch made about 35 garbage disposal refreshers.

i store my refreshers in a half gallon mason jar and keep them next to our sink because we use them daily. wherever you choose to store them, make sure you keep them in an air tight container. put 2-3 refreshers into the garbage disposal and turn it on. these little miracle rounds pack a serious punch and you will instantly smell the lemon essential oil.

hashbrown egg cups

today i'm going to share my hashbrown egg cup recipe with you all. and oh my goodness friends, they are oh so good and oh so easy to make.

we used to make these tasty little cups all the time. i'm talking like at least once a week. yes, they are that good. last week my mister suggested we make them again soon and i happily made them last night for brinner. yes, breakfast for dinner.

ingredients:

3 cup. simply potatoes hashbrowns (usually found in the refrigerated section by the milk & eggs)
1/4 cup melted butter
salt
pepper
6 slices of deli ham
handful of baby bellas, diced
small container of egg beaters
shredded cheddar cheese
italian seasoning (or my favorite and what i usually always use is penzey's spices northwoods seasoning!)

 directions:

preheat oven to 400 degrees. combine hasbrowns and melted butter in a mixing bowl. stir well and add salt and pepper to taste. spray muffin tin and evenly distribute hashbrown mixture into each cup. press into cup and up the sides. bake for 12-15 minutes, until the hashbrowns begin to brown.

in a pan, heat the ham until a little crispy. then saute the mushrooms. this is where you can switch up the recipe a bit. sometimes i add sauteed onions, peppers, or any other vegetables that we have in the house.

pull the muffin pan out of the oven. evenly distribute the ham, mushrooms or any other vegetables you choose to add. pour the egg beaters into each muffin cup. sprinkle your favorite seasoning onto each cup and don't forget to add some shredded cheese.

place the muffin pan back in the oven for another 12-14 minutes. then grab a cup of coffee and enjoy a delicious breakfast. oh and add sriracha. delish!

valentine heart pillow DIY

a few weeks ago i made the cutest little valentine heart pillow that i posted on my instagram account. a few friends asked for more details so i decided to create a DIY post so that everyone can have in on the valentine's day cuteness! this project is easy peasy so even if you're a beginner sewer i encourage you to give it a try.

supplies you need (for a 16" x 16" pillow):

• 1/2 yard of fabric
• fat quarter of fabric for heart
• sewing machine, shears/rotary cutter, tape measurer, tailor's chalk, coordinating thread, pins/pin cushion
• embroidery floss and needle (if you want to hand stitch the heart. i liked the chunky look of 6 thread embroidery floss, but you could always sew with your machine)
• 16" x 16" pillow form

 first, hand draw a heart onto the wrong side of the fat quarter with tailors chalk. cut out the heart.

cut out a 16" x 16" square for the front of your pillow. if your pillow is very plump you may need to add 1/2" to your measurements. i chose not to and my pillow fit just fine.

cut out two 16" x 11" rectangles for the back of your pillow. iron all of your pieces of fabric on the wrong side of the fabric.

pin the heart onto the front of your pillow. hand stitch or machine stitch heart into place.

take the two rectangles and fold over one of the 16" sides 1/2" and press. fold over another 1/2" and press again. pin this down and repeat on the other rectangle. sew the fold your back pieces and use the edge of the presser foot as a guide. make sure to back-stitch at the beginning and the end of the piece.

place the front of your pillow right side up. place the right side down of one of the back pieces (the right sides should be facing each other) and line it up at the corners and raw edges. pin this piece down and repeat with the other back piece.

sew around the pillow using the presser foot as a guide, removing the pins as you sew. remember to back-stitch at the beginning and end and pivot at each corner. trim the corners to reduce bulk, but take care not to cut too close to the stitch.

turn the pillow cover inside out and place pillow insert inside and you've got yourself a valentine heart envelope pillow. go ahead, toss it on a chair and admire your work!

if you make a pillow cover of your own, please share it on instagram and tag me @mrshein so i can check it out! happy sewing.

doterra essential oils

in my instagram world i have seen a lot of my friends posting about essential oils (eo's) and all the benefits they can provide. a couple days after christmas, my mister and i both came down with a nasty bug and a lot of my friends recommended doterra's onguard for immune system support. when i was feeling human again i started to research eo's. of course the internet is filled with information and i quickly became overwhelmed.

enter my friend kate from nesting elm . she was 40 weeks pregnant and sweet as could be explaining about all the different eo's and how to use them. she still sends me weekly texts with tips or ideas when she thinks of something and diligently responds when i annoy her with my 17 questions a day! ;)

through conversations with kate, i decided to sign up with doterra's family physician kit. the price of this kit includes the enrollment fee and i signed up as an independent product consultant so i qualify for wholesale prices which are typically a 25% discount off the retail price. the family physician kit includes 5mL bottles of lavender, lemon, peppermint, melaleuca, oregano, frankincense, deep blue, breathe, digestzen and onguard, a 15mL bottle of slim & sassy essential oil blend, an introductory packet and the enrollment fee.

upon receiving my starter kit, i was excited to explore the different uses for each oil in the kit. oh and pinterest has been an amazing wealth of knowledge. i love diffusing onguard, lavender, or breathe at night when we sleep. even my mister has commented that he has been sleeping better since our eo's arrived. one to two drops of lemon oil in my water helps with digestion and an energy boost. lavender on my feet at night is a natural sleep inducer. last night i used the lemon oil in a cleaning product that i will include as a future blog post. we've used the lemon oil so often that it's almost gone and it will definitely be an oil that we order on a monthly basis.

be on the lookout for more posts about our adventures with essential oils and the results that we see.  if you have any questions feel free to send me an email: ashley.r.williams {at} gmail {dot} com or check out my website:  http://mydoterra.com/ashleyhein

everyday i'm hustlin'

do you ever have days where your mind is racing and you can't turn your brain off? 

that has been happening to me a lot lately. i'm an accounting manager at a public company that is awaiting FDA approval for a non-invasive stool based screening test for colorectal pre-cancer and cancer. our external auditors are on site for our year-end audit, i need to get a draft of our 10-K out, tie up loose ends from 2013 and prepare to close january 2014. besides everything going on at work, my brain won't rest when i'm at home because i have so many business ideas and projects in mind. from new items to sew to painting our kitchen cabinets {who am i kidding?...to remodeling half of our kitchen} i have a lot on my "to-do" list {that's only two items on my extremely long list...i'm not even exaggerating one bit...which my mister thinks i do on a daily basis}. 

i don't want this post to sound like i'm complaining because that is not my intention at all. i am very thankful to have my job. i can without a doubt say that i enjoy working with each one of my co-workers and for that i am extremely thankful. i am challenged on a daily basis and that keeps me excited. the company treats its employees very well. i'm lucky to be where i'm at. 

i found this quote on pinterest today and it really hit home. it was my daily dose of inspiration that i needed to be reminded of after a long day in the office. it was the encouragement i needed to keep hustlin'... well, that and diffusing lavender oil as i drift off to sleep. :)

as i try to remain focused on my goals for the year, this quote will be the pillar i look to for strength when i lose sight of my path. i'm going to have a lot of i did it's this year. #aintnobodygonnabringmedown 

welcoming 2014 with wide open arms

2013 was not my best year. in fact, it was downright difficult and i'm happy to say so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye. 2013 brought me and the people i care about most more heartache than anyone should have to experience. i made mistakes in 2013 that i am not proud of, but i have most definitely learned a whole lot from them. and as i welcome the new year, i'm feeling refreshed and ready for a whole lot of sunshine, happy times and smiles for me, my family and my friends.

as with every other year, i have made a list of goals that i want to accomplish in the coming months. i thought i would share it with the world wide web to help hold me accountable. with that being said, my goals for 2014 are. . .

• develop and implement both a personal and family savings plan
• increase my 401(k) deferral
• maintain a positive attitude and optimistic outlook on life despite the hardships i may face
• go to the YMCA at a minimum of 8 times per month
• limit the number of weekday trips to starbucks to one time per week and make coffee at home each morning
• green smoothies galore!
•  sew something at least once a week and use up all my fabric scraps
• invest time in worthwhile friendships and be the friend that i expect in return
• open that etsy shop i keep talking about

my goals my not seem that far fetched or difficult to obtain, but i don't believe that's how they should be. by tweaking some things in my day-to-day life there is no reason that i shouldn't be able to achieve each bullet point above.

so, as i sit here and watch the bachelor {hello, juan pablo} i am welcoming 2014 with wide open arms. 

jumping in with both feet

over the past few years i've had numerous people tell me that i should start a blog, and i started thinking, "hmmm, maybe i should." however, i procrastinated and it was easy to come up with a million excuses not to...who would want to read it? i don't know what to write about. i am not tech savvy enough. i can't write a post everyday...and the list goes on. i ultimately came to the conclusion that the reason i had not already started a blog was because i was scared. i follow many amazing bloggers on instagram who have some pretty fabulous blogs and my main fear is how could my blog ever compare?

after some encouragement from several friends {thank you, ladies!}, i came to the realization that i wanted to start a blog for ME. i want to document this crazy thing called life and if others are interested and want to follow along, well, then that's just a bonus. 

one of my new years resolutions this year is to try new things and push myself out of my comfort zone, so here i am, jumping in with both feet and starting my blog... :)