One hard-workin' Skellie!

The rain we were having quit so Dear Hubby went over to Greeneville to rent a piece of equipment. He has plans! When he drove up with it on the trailer, Mr. Skellie was super excited. "Can I drive it?! Can I drive it?!" Hold on there Mr. Skellie, let's get it off the trailer first.

Once it was on the grass, Bill gave Mr. Skellie a ride over to the shop.

He taught him how to work the controls

and together they started drilling the nine holes the little add-on is going to take.

After drilling the first hole, Bill had to use a shovel to clean all the loose dirt and rocks out of the hole...whew, what a lot of rocks!

Mr. Skellie went over to inspect his work and was amazed how deep the hole was.

"Be careful, you're leaning awfully close to the edge....

Whoops! There he went! Are you okay down there?"

I pulled him out and he said he hurt his head in the fall.

I took him into the shop and it turned out his leg was hurt too, so I put him in a clamp and he has to rest for a few hours.

I went back outside to tell Bill Mr. Skellie was okay and then noticed my toes!

Gotta love Bermuda grass....guess I'll go inside and wash them off, and then go back outside and watch a certain handsome man run equipment...is it hot in here or is it me...😉 Have a great day!

Goodies in the mail!

When I arrived home from getting my hair trimmed today, I noticed packages on the front porch. I just love packages! I picked them up and brought them into the house. It wasn't long before I heard little skeleton feet running down the hall and Mr. Skellie was dancing around my legs wanting to see what came in the mail.

I asked him to go get the box cutter so we could open up our booty! He came in with it

and we started with the Young Living box.

People do open box videos of their orders, but Mr. Skellie prefers still shots so here we are. Mmmm, nicely packed...

and check out what was inside!

Some Slique to support healthy weight management, some Young Living deodorant, 3 bottles of foaming hand soap with the pumps (1 for each sink),a bottle of Purification that I like to use in the washer, and a surprise....

Spearmint Vitality! Yum! How about some spearmint frosting on the next batch of brownies...sounds good! Then I opened the box from Life Science and found the books I ordered to send to new sign-ups!

I told Mr. Skellie he has to get cracking on his next presentation...I think it's going to be about Ningxia, Young Living's essential oil infused wolfberry supplement...it's delicious! I saved the best package from my daughter for last. Enclosed was a nice note and some oils I had been wanting but was going to wait until next month's order to get.

My sweet, sweet girl! Thank-you so much Honey! So I think I will go sniff the new oils and then get cracking on cleaning up the kitchen. Have a great day!

Essential Oils 101

Hello everyone and welcome to my first Essential Oils Class!

I’m glad so many of you came out this afternoon. The minions are here, Rose and The Captain from the Steampunk Summerhouse, the Quilt Shop ladies and their husbands are here and even the Clockwork Robot made it here on only one wind-up!

So, to get right to it, what are essential oils? They are the most powerful part of the plant. They're distilled from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, fruit, rinds, resins, and herbs. Oils consist of over 100 different natural, organic compounds. In humans, they provide support for every system in the body: Your skeletal system (my personal favorite), your muscular system, circulatory system, endocrine system and your hormones, respiratory system, and immune system. They support brain health and a healthy weight. They are used extensively for emotions and for spiritual support in your prayer life. An oil diffuser can soothe a child’s tough day at school and provide a calming effect when you’ve had a stressful day at work. Oils can be used as an alternative to toxic cleaning products in the home. You can literally start swapping out every single toxic cleaning product in your home to live a purer lifestyle, and you can do it without breaking the bank!

So the big question, do essential oils work…well, for me, just take a look at my skeletal system….amazing, yes?

In the United States, there is no rating system for essential oils. The closest we get is an FDA requirement that, in order to label a bottle of essential oil “pure” or “therapeutic grade”, the contents of that bottle must contain at least 5 percent essential oil! Just think about that and let it “soak in”.

There are hundreds of oils on the earth, but you only need ten or twenty of them to build a good kit. You do not need to be an aroma therapist to use them either. There are 3 main ways to get oils into your system: the English apply it topically onto the skin, the French ingest and cook with it; the Germans diffuse and inhale, which can be a very effective method because it doesn’t have to pass through the digestive system. So how do these oils get to where they are supposed to go? I can just apply them directly to my bones, but for more lively people like you, tests have shown that oils reach the heart, liver, and thyroid in 3 to 6 seconds when inhaled; they were found in the bloodstream in 26 seconds when applied topically. Think about all the toxic cleaners you handle around your home…these enter our bodies too. Expulsion of essential oils takes 3 to 6 hours in a normal, healthy body.

So how long have oils been around? They were first mentioned by name in the Biblical book of Genesis, Chapter 37, when Joseph was sold to slave traders.

They carried spices, balm and Myrrh. Genesis ends with the burial of Joseph’s father anointed with myrrh. Oils are mentioned 1100 times directly or indirectly in Scripture. Some of the oldest cultures on earth used essential oils. The Babylonians placed orders for Cedarwood, Myrrh, and Cypress. The Egyptians used essential oils for beauty and embalming and they have the oldest recorded deodorant recipe made with essential oils. Pakistan and Rome used essential oils in the communal bath houses. They were even used by Christ! Jesus was given Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Frankincense is sometimes referred to as “the coconut oil of essential oils” because it has over 10,000 uses. Essential oils were also used by the Medieval Europeans, many of whom brought oils back during the Crusades. After World War 2, essential oils were “rediscovered”, and the science on their uses grows with every single year.

All oils in the world fall into 1 of 4 categories: Grade A, B, C, and D.

Grade A is the only one that could be termed therapeutic, made from organically grown plants and       distilled at low temperatures.

Grade B oils are food grade, but may contain synthetics, pesticides, fertilizers, chemical extenders, or carrier oils.

Grade C oils are perfume oils that often contain adulterating chemicals. They usually use solvents, for example hexane, to gain a higher yield of oil per harvest. Solvents can be cancerous, and are in many store-bought oils. They may also be diluted 80-95 percent with alcohol.

Grade D is called “floral water”, which is aromatic only and is usually a byproduct of Grade A distillation. After all the oil is pulled out, the leftover trash water is sold to companies which will fill 5 percent of the bottle with this leftover trash water, fill the rest with carriers, and label it “pure”.

Grade A is the only true pure oil. Grade D would be like walking to your fridge, pulling out that banana daiquiri you made earlier and diluting it 95 percent before you drink it. (sharp intake of breath by the minions) It wouldn’t have the full effect of the banana daiquiri.

That’s why you want Grade A oils. Before you purchase, check to see if the company grows their own plants, owns their own fields, and controls the entire process from Seed to Seal – from the farm to the sealed bottle. Pesticides, pollution, previously farmed land all can affect the quality of an oil. Young Living’s oils are Grade A. Why would you go the extra step of using an oil to get away from a toxin and then use an oil laden with toxins? It just doesn’t make sense.

One of the things that stands out to this skellie is Young Living’s Seed to Seal process.  It’s a promise of integrity. Gary Young, (the head guy) has said that he never makes an oil for profit, he makes it for a purpose. Seed to Seal means that each plant is hand-weeded, there are no pesticides used, no chemicals, and no weed killers. The plants are harvested at their peak and put through a vigorous testing process. Then they go from the farm directly to your home. Seed to Seal is not just a slogan, it’s a promise. I will put links at the end of my presentation so that you can go read more if you would like.

It takes a great deal of work to produce a tiny amount of essential oil:

60,000 rose blossoms provide only 1 ounce of rose oil.

Lavender is abundant – 220 pounds will provide 7 pounds of oil.

Jasmine flowers must be picked by hand before the sun becomes hot on the very first day that they open, making it one of the most expensive oils in the world! It takes 8 million hand-picked blossoms to produce 2.2 pounds of oil.

A Sandalwood tree must be 30 years old and 30 feet high before it can be cut down for distillation.

Gertrude, you have a question? Are the oils safe? There are certain oils that are photosensitive, meaning you don’t want to wear them and go outside. These are mostly citrus oils like grapefruit, lemon, etc. When using oils on your skin, always watch for redness and dilute with a carrier oil. Dilute oils on children, because their skin is more permeable and absorbs the oil more quickly. What is carrier oil? It’s fatty oil like olive oil or coconut oil, and its molecules are much larger than those of essential oils. Using carrier oil with an essential slows down the rate the body (or skeleton, as in my case) can absorb the essential oil because it has to ping pong through the large molecules of the carrier oil to get to your skin. Be wary of putting the oils topically near your eyes. Some oils, like peppermint, can cause a burning sensation. If you are place an oil near your eye, apply the oil with a Q-tip instead of tipping the oil bottle near your face.

The Frankinsense I’m using here is one of the top skin oils. Helps smooth the appearance and it’s a key ingredient in Young Living’s “Brain Power” essential oil blend. You can become desensitized to an oil if you use the same one day after day, so I rotate my oils every 3 to 4 days.

What about internal use of essential oils? NAHA, one of the top aromatherapy schools in the United States doesn’t advocate essential oils for internal use. Why? Most oil companies don’t carry any GRAS or “Generally Regarded as Safe” essential oils which have been cleared by the FDA. NAHA also bases a lot of their decisions on the British model, which advocates topical use only. Many of the British studies are flawed; for example, done at extremely high doses or in ways the oils aren’t used, like pouring a whole bottle inside the body. Young Living utilizes all 3 methods, British, French, and German. The French have been safely using some essentials oils internally for decades. Young Living has created a Vitality line with distinctive labels so you can easily recognize which oils are safe to take internally. And speaking about internally, how about we take a break

and dive into some of the delicious snacks folks have brought today…

and Steampunk tea brought by our dear Rose. We even have banana donuts courtesy of the minions;

While we all have a snack, my loyal assistant will get some samples of the oils for us to enjoy.

While Mr. Skellie was getting acquainted with some of our guests during the break,

I was getting the oils ready for sniffing!  Okay everyone! Back again for the last leg of our class.

Our Captain is trying out Thieves

which helps support a healthy respiratory ststem and helps maintain overall wellness when taken as a dietary supplement. Add a drop to hot drinks for a spicy zing! Gertrude has a smile on her face from the scent of Lavender

which is the oil of relaxation. Diffuse it for a calming, soothing aroma. Unwind by adding a few drops to a nighttime bath. One of the top oils to promote healthy skin, called the “Swiss Army Knife” of essential oils because of its many uses. Marlene is sampling Purification

that you can diffuse to freshen the air and eliminate odors; nice in the washer too. Add a carrier oil to moisturize your skin or for a soothing massage on your feet. Marlene liked that idea. Use in a spray to enjoy an annoyance-free experience.

So, how do you begin? With a Young Living Premium Starter Kit. As my human will tell you, we are a frugal lot around here and it’s the only thing on the Young Living website that’s half off. If you take the diffuser out, you’re literally getting 11 bottles of therapeutic grade oil for $70. You can’t even get it that cheap at the grocery store. Each bottle has 90 drops of oil in it…that’s 90 applications. Who wouldn’t pay 6 cents for a drop of  Thieves to dull the pain of an aching tooth? The kit also comes with bottles to share the oils with your family and friends, an AromaGlide roll-on cap to apply the oils on the go, and samples of Ningxia Red for full system support. I would love to see every single one of you on Ningxia! It’s our first line of defense in immune support! You also get a diffuser with the kit AND a lifetime wholesale membership. That means 24 percent off your oils for life. Every single order is 24 percent off. To maintain wholesale membership, you have to spend $50 in a calendar year of oils YOU select. That’s like 2 bottles of Thieves Household cleaner,

which is the only stuff my human uses to clean counters, the stove, floors, and windows. You might think this looks like a small bottle, but check out the water to cleaner ratio:

Without any toxic chemicals, just mix in a spray bottle and in one fell swoop, it eradicates their multipurpose counter spray, glass cleaner, and floor cleaner. If you need a small step toward using oils in your home, use them to clean! Then get plugged into our team resources to learn more about how to use the oils. Join our Facebook page: Team Natural, and read the monthly email for news, science, and class schedules. Log onto the WeAreTeamNatural.com website for training and support. Get teacher training if you want to learn how to share the oils and GET YOUR OILS FOR FREE! They share themselves naturally because of your love and compassion to see the people around you healthy and safe. That’s why I stand before you today.

So, where do you start? Go to http://bit.ly/themorins scroll down and press the “Join Now” button. The sponsor and enroller number should be put in for you automatically and just fill out the form and follow the instructions. You can then choose which premium starter kit you would like to order. Young Living has even started to use Paypal to make things easier for us!

Do you have bills that won’t quit and you’re getting tired of living paycheck to paycheck? Do you need a leg up? 

This can also be the start of a great home business. You don’t have to stock inventory, and your only expense to start is the premium starter kit. If you want to add flyers and information packets later, that is up to you. There is no pressure to sell and you can achieve what YOU want. When you sign up and purchase your kit, I will have my human assistant send you a selection of booklets and a great Essential Oils pocket reference.

I’ll also have her include a booklet by Sarah Harnisch called Your Gameplan that has the first 2 chapters of her book in it.

It tells her story of how having her Young Living business lifted her out of poverty and how she would like to see you helped too. If you would like just a copy of her booklet, send your mailing address to Debra at  billanddebmorin.youngliving@gmail.com  and she will be happy to send you out one. Oh, here’s the other link I promised you about the Seed to Seal: seedtoseal.com 

So I want to thank you all so much for listening and I hope you all go on to a more toxic free, healthy life! And don't forget to take your first step and go to  http://bit.ly/themorins  and join up!

Essential Oils 101! Your Personal Invite!

Everyone in the shop is very excited about Mr. Skellie's very first oil class! I think that even The Captain and Rose from the Steampunk Summerhouse are coming. The minions are busy making stacks of banana donuts and Larry and Louie are deciding what boutonniere to make up for Mr. Skellie to wear on his...er...lapel...or ribs or something....we'll figure it out! LOL! The minions wanted to bring banana daiquiries for everyone, but they make them pretty strong and we want people to remember things the next day....like their own name and such. They suggested banana coffee instead but everyone went "Ewww" when they heard that so that idea was nixed. So while everyone is scampering around getting things ready, here is Mr. Skellie's invitation:

Let's make hay while the sun shines!

I would like to personally invite you to my very first

Essential Oils 101 Class!

The class will start at 2:00 EST Sunday, June 11, 2017

There will be a short break, (so my assistant, Debra, can type more stuff in) and then start again at 3:00 for the Grand Finale. Everyone who signs up and purchases a

Premium Starter Kit will receive extra gifts in the mail (again, from my loyal assistant)

There is no sign-up fee and you can cancel at anytime without mysterious charges

appearing on your charge card (been there, done that)

Come on by and take a listen!

Sign me up!

Since I am still a little under the weather, I have been home alot. Mr. Skellie doesn't mind this at all. He has taken to reading over my shoulder in the afternoons.

I'm reading "Gameplan" by Sarah Harnisch at the moment and he was deeply interested. Since we have returned from the bicycle trip, we have been searching for something new to get involved in. I have been a member of Young Living for quite awhile, so we asked our daughter more questions about it. She recommended the book and we have been slowly learning and expanding our business. Mr. Skellie wanted to know if he could sign up under me. All he had to pay with was some pirate booty he had somehow accumulated so I checked to see if Paypal would accept that. He knows it's a little too late for him, but he was concerned about all the toxic cleaners and personal products in our home. He had an app called "Think Dirty" on his smart phone and was going through all the cleaners under the sink with it. He was chatting away and so I followed him around listening. "Did you know that the average person applies 300 chemicals to their body every single day, and 80 of those chemicals before breakfast?

Most are from 4 things...soap, makeup, shampoo, and hair care. The biggest pollutants in our homes are fabric softener, dryer sheets, air freshener plug-ins, and candles. You are literally poisoning your family every day with the stuff that you can't pronounce in your home, like your bright blue dish soap, the cleaner you use for your kitchen counters, processed food, and more. Health and safety data only exists for 15 percent of all the chemicals out there, even though so many are known to cause asthma or endocrine disruptions." Holy smoke I said, this is a real problem! He went on to say, "Essential oils are a better way. They are totally chemical free, steam distilled or cold pressed from pure plants. There's nothing in them but that one oil, whether it is lemon, tangerine, lavender, peppermint, or others. There are over a million uses for essential oils...cleaning supplies, personal care products like toothpaste and deodorant, in the diffuser, and oil-infused nutritional supplements." So how can I find out more? He said he wanted to get some people together and give an oils class and would I be there so his knees wouldn't knock together too bad. So we are preparing his posters

and inviting the ladies from the quilt shop and who knows, maybe the minions will show up too! I hope Mr. Skellie has a great turnout, just remember, you are invited too! See you soon, have a great day!
P.S.  If you would like to read more about Young Living, click on the link for all kinds of info.
http://bit.ly/themorins

Trip to Savannah and Home...

I was so wound up about the poor birdies the other day that I forgot to tell you about our trip to see our son and his family! They live in a lovely home and he wanted to do a bit of remodeling. So we packed up to go for a visit for a few days over Memorial Day weekend. It's about a 6 1/2 hour drive from here, but there's nothing I like better than a good road trip with my Dear Hubby. The day was clear and beautiful and we didn't come across too many crazies on the road. I did see a couple of billboards that made me smile. The first one was: "Country Cookin' makes you good lookin'!" Let's just say that is definitely puffery for sure! LOL! The second one showed a frog in the lotus position on an inner tube and it was for a company called "Zen Tubing" and their slogan was "Get in touch with your inner tube..." It cracked me up. When we arrived, Bill and Caleb got right to work building a wall in their master bedroom. The room is very large and was an L shape. It was kind of a second room but not a room so they built a wall with a doorway there and it became the "man room" of the house. The wall on the right in this picture is the new one.

The new room even has it's own air conditioning vent and a double window and easy access to the bathroom. If they sell one day, it will make a great nursery or even an office. But for now, there's a masculine place for my son to retreat to in a houseful of beautiful ladies

(my sweet daughter-in-law and their 3 beautiful daughters of course.) The next project was a large archway into the dining room which made the perfect visual separation from the kitchen. I will put up a picture when that is complete...we managed to get everything done but the sanding and painting so I am eager to see how it looks. A few days after we returned, both Bill and I were hit with a stomach bug of some kind and I am finally feeling better today. I have tried to stick close to home so as not to spread it around but I actually went outside today to get a picture of the early morning clouds on the mountain.

Now you know why they call them the "Smokey Mountains" here. Later on, I went out to pull a few weeds and got a picture of the very first gladiola bloom of the season.

I know these flowers are seen by some to be a little over the top, but I just love big bouquets of them. Can't wait until there are more out there! Uh oh, I just heard the clitter, clatter of little feet and you know what that means...the skellies are up and about! I was sure there would be rude comments about something, but Mr. Skellie had climbed up to the Minion Village to Larry & Louie's Landscaping

and got me a bunch of flowers.

I didn't ask if he went under the cover of darkness...I mean, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth around here...He said he heard I was under the weather and wanted to bring something to cheer me. He said he was sorry about the "wide load" comments but since seeing my x-rays, they know I am one of them and were just "busting my chops". Who knew a small plastic skeleton could have such a big heart. I was careful not to cry on him as he didn't want to get his bones wet so he scampered off and brought me back a tissue.

As he was leaving, he turned and said, "Ya big crybaby!" and winked. At least I think he did, this eye socket thing can get a bit disconcerting sometimes.....hurrah, I am one of them! Have a great day!