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Organic Seeds!

Liz James · March 5, 2017 ·

In early winter I start itching to get my paws on the latest edition of The Whole Seed Catalog. It’s crack for the organic gardener. Truly. I’m not sure how many times I thumb thru the catalog highlighting, circling, and dogear-ing pages before I make my final selections. I feel like Imelda Marcos in a shoe store. Rareseeds.com is my ‘go to’ source for seeds simply because I trust them and I respect their ethical stance on heirloom seed preservation. Their seeds aren’t just heirloom, they are also organic.

We are organic gardeners, and that includes our seed choices. I am frequently asked why seed choice is so important. Oh ho ho. Seed choice is VERY important any time you are asking something of a plant ( it’s one of the things that really sealed the deal for me on my essential oil company of choice ).

Organic heirloom seeds are better for a multitude of reasons:

Exceptional Taste and Flavor (far superior to hybridized fruits and veggies whose genetics have sacrificed both in favor of ship-ability & gas-ripening/green picking )
Seeds from organically grown plants are more likely to do well in an organic garden because the parent plant has proven that it can meet the challenges of an organic environment (We certainly experienced this too when we opted to convert our beehives to 100% organic management!).
Organic seeds have never been exposed to toxic pesticides, and they are chemical free! (this is a bigger deal than you might think)
Organic seeds are NEVER the product of genetic engineering.
Heirloom seeds are nearly ALWAYS more nutritious than their counterparts. You can read more about that here.
Heirloom seeds can be open pollinated (kind of a big deal if you are a seed saver!). Hybridized usually cannot.
Heirloom plants tend to mature at different rates. This means that you can usually assume a longer harvest period for your crops.

My seeds arrived last week and I’m itching to plant. It’s still a little early for most things. I prefer to plant directly into the soil, but will prestart a few that take longer to germinate in my greenhouse.

Cucumbers, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, lettuce, kale, onions, zucchini, butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, beans, beans, and more beans…. and so much more! I’m even making an attempt at growing loofah sponges this year!

Come on spring! We’re ready!

The Ultimate Prepper

Liz James · February 8, 2017 ·

Prepping. The word connotes to many the idea that we (preppers) are a bit like Chicken Little (you know… The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling). It used to be if you ‘prepped’ for something like the SAT, or a big dinner party, that was a good thing and the action was smiled upon. So how did it happen that we exchanged the “d” for an “r”, and suddenly those who prepare for the unknown are thought by many to be a few Fruit Loops short of a full box? Just something to think about.

In the meantime, I’d like to introduce you to one of our farm mascots and the ULTIMATE prepper…. Henri! Henri was hand raised after falling out of a tree onto an unsuspecting friend (who may or may not have screamed like a girl). Her mother was nowhere to be found, and she had no interest in returning to her nest despite attempts to place her there. I’ve worked with animals all my life, even having had a short career as a zoo keeper, and this is not my first rodeo squirrel raising experience. She was still young enough to need milk replacer, but was becoming of age to move on to more varied foods. She really thrived on a product called Ningxia Red, as well as other food supplements that baby squirrels need.

Today, she is about 7 months old, and is quite the #oilyfarmsquirrel / farm mascot. We have 6 very large dogs, and not only is she friends with them, she has also become part of their pack, and considers herself one of their own. See friends, …. animals have this down…. no matter their differences, ideologies, and predator vs prey status, it is possible to work out a friendship. Seems like since we have bigger brains than both squirrel or dog, our world ought to spin with a little more friendship and handshakes if we bypassed prejudices like we do out here on the farm :).

Henri was raised and released once she was old enough. She has chosen to live alongside us, and we are happy to accommodate her. Her presence has gifted us with additional smiles and quiet peace. She reminds us as only squirrels can:

Look both ways before you cross the path
Plan ahead…. and hide and protect your nuts!
Stay active and alert
Enjoy the sunshine & value sleep
Find your friends wherever you are, but know your enemies
Adapt to whatever life throws your way
Take care of the business and then take time to play

We might have bigger brains and opposable thumbs, but we can still learn a lot from our four legged friends!

Henri the squirrel video, Enjoy your day!

What’s your Retirement Plan Look Like?

Liz James · February 5, 2017 ·

Finances. Ah…… Debbie Downer…. don’t bring that up. I was having a pretty good day until you mentioned the “F” word.

This is a topic that is such a big one in ALL of our lives, and yet the average person wants to run the opposite direction when “the big F” is mentioned. It is very personal. Some peopleare blessed with stewardship training at a young age. One of my parents greatest gifts was the actual act of teaching us to manage money. I knew how to manage money from a pretty young age, partly from this training, and partly because I’ve worked since I was barely a teenager caring for and supporting my own horse. Squandering money just didn’t happen in my world. Others may have figured it out on their own without training, but by trial and error. My hat is off to you…. not everyone learns from financial mistakes, and consequently there is a wake left that grows to tsunami proportions with each passing year.

The reality in today’s world is this…… no matter what your prior circumstance, unless you are born into wealth, your retirement plan likely looks like one of these scenarios:

It just might be do-able. I’ve been saving for retirement since I was 16, and my family tends to die young anyway (now THAT’s another topic for another blog!)
I know I don’t have enough saved, but I’m planning on working til I die of old age. I just hope I’m not on duty as a Wal-Mart greeter when it happens!
Uhhh…. I’ll just live off Social Security… isn’t that what it’s for?(Good luck with that one! I’ve seen too many people at the pharmacy who make monthly choices about food vs medication because they’ve tried just this approach to retirement).

Now dream with me a moment. Have you already fallen in love with Young Living products? (If so, you can scratch the whole “dying young plan”off your retirement scenario list, ’cause it ain’t likely that’s gonna happen). Or, have you just stumbled into my website… dazed, confused, and a little rising excitement about what you’ve found regarding natural wellness options…?

I’m not asking you to share Young Living with others… Only about 8% of YL users actively grow a business, so you are in great company by just being a content product user. Thank you!

But I would like to tell you what could happen if you did share your love of YL’s presence in your life with others.

You see, my husband and I have great jobs. We both work very hard on the farm and in our careers. We also only get 2 weeks of vacation a year, and when you have remote family members with health conditions and/or farm events…. choices for vacation days have to be made. There were several years we’ve had to use nearly all our vacation to address very “non vacation” life events, and several times we’ve missed critical moments in life because of this. Residual Income comes from building an asset (your ever growing YL business) that continues to earn you money even if you are not actively building that asset at every given waking moment. Make no mistake… building a business around Young Living IS work, but the freedom to plan….. or to be spontaneous about this work is priceless. If I could have some “do over” moments in my life and not miss some extremely important family events because of work, I would in a heartbeat. Many of you are younger than me…. Don’t be me. Think about this long and hard now, and don’t miss out because you had to “clock in”. Begin working now on freedom.

Secondly, Charlie and I HAVE been saving for retirement. I personally have been saving since I was 23 years old (I am 50 now). There have been times in our lives that we have dumped relatively large amounts of income into retirement plans, and while we are better prepared than most (when we turn 70 1/2!), it’s still not a ton of money in the grand scheme of growing old. It gives me great peace to be at a point in my Young Living journey (after just 3 years) to have residual income we can count on. If Social Security evaporates into thin air before we retire, with our YL income, we will be fine. This is not a pipe dream… this is our reality. Again…. many of you are younger than me. If I’d started growing my YL business at 25 instead of 47, who knows what kind of financial magic would be happening! Remember, this business is an “at your own pace” kinda thing…. but even if you grow slow and steady, in 25 years, you’ll be the rockstar granny (or grandpa) who is enjoying retirement instead of working at Wally World because they have to! What is your current 401K offering you? You can see actual “pedal to the metal” numbers on the 2015 YL Income Dislosure Statement.

Thirdly…. what does your WILL look like? Will your job continue to pay you long after your death? Do you have a spouse, kids, relatives (or a farm full of animals like us!) who rely on the support your income affords? What if it stopped? The cool thing about Young Living is that once you get a YL business off the ground and write a personal will, you can then fill out survivorship paperwork with YL, and guess what….. that residual income becomes a legacy for your family…. (or in our case, our ‘farmily’). You can read more about willing your business in section 3.7.1 of the Policy and Procedure manual. Does your current job offer this perk? I didn’t think so….

If, after reading this… you find yourself interested in learning more, please contact me!

If you’ve never even heard of oils til now AND you’re already nervous about what your retirement does look like, let’s talk.

If you love oils and are already on my team, but have never even considered these options until now, maybe I’ve planted a seed or two. I am here to help you get started. We are about raising each other up, and I’m more than pleased to help.

If you are on my team or about to be on my team, and this message has rocked your world, ……………… contact me. If you are truly serious, I will make sure you have the resources you need at your fingertips to be successful. This business is about growing up, locking arms, and thriving together.

A Young Living business will truly offer you a sustainable future.

Hugs and Love, liz

Body Chemistry 101

Liz James · February 2, 2017 ·

Body chemistry 101…. Is your body acidic or slightly basic?… and why does it matter?

pH is measured on a scale from 0 to 14, with “7” being neutral. Our bodies are generally happiest when we are slightly basic… somewhere between 7.35 to 7.45. However, without a proper diet, our bodies frequently hover in the acidic range, and when that happens, body system dysfunction begins occurring…sometimes on a grand scale.

A chronically acidic body will begin stealing minerals from your cells that make up your bones, organs, and tissues in an effort to become more alkaline (basic). Robbing minerals means that they won’t be available for use, and when THAT happens…. toxins build up, oxygenation within our body is negatively affected, pathogens become active, our immune system becomes depressed, and vitamin absorption is compromised…. and THIS is just the short list! Chronic acidity within our bodies has been identified as a contributing factor to a myriad of diseases and dysfunction over time… including chronic inflammatory conditions, diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis. Kidney stones are also a not so gentle reminder that your body is likely chronically acidic.

So what causes acidosis? In a nutshell… it can happen predominantly thru our lungs (respiratory acidosis) or thru our kidneys (metabolic acidosis) by way of any of the following:

chronic airway conditions such as asthma or COPD
alcohol overuse
obesity
sedative overuse
antibiotic overuse
regular use of artificial sweeteners
chronic exposure to toxic household cleaners, BPA , pesticides, herbicides, and many beauty products
poor diet ……ie: regularly eating processed and refined foods (if the ingredients sound like chemicals, they probably are!)
pollution exposure
chronic stress

By far, the biggest contributing factor is our diet. We can encourage our bodies to stay at a more basic pH by eating more fruits and veggies (raw or lightly steamed is best), and avoiding processed foods, excessive quantities of dairy and standard processed red meat, and most grains (remember, corn is a grain, NOT a vegetable). Drinking alkaline water is also helpful, as is exercise.

You can read more about acidosis here

Alkalime is a supplement made by Young Living, and it is designed to help ensure the body’s proper pH balance…. thus preserving or even restoring our chances at better health. I encourage you to do more research on both acidosis and Alkalime…. it just might be the thing that helps you live above the wellness line!In health,

Liz James, RPh

NSHC Certified Health Coach & Wellness Educator

YL Brand Partner #1602257

“Making Wellness A Contagious Pursuit”

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Health Preparedness

Liz James · January 18, 2017 ·

Hey there,

Let’s talk for a minute. You have been reading (and hopefully learning) on this site for about a month now.

We (my husband and I) are “preppers” in the truest sense. By definition, “to prep” means “to make ready”. As a responsible adult, shouldn’t we be doing this in ALL aspects of our lives. If you spend life flying by the seat of your pants, chances are you will be caught with your pants down more than you’d care to admit, right?

So we prepare for life… We have insurance. We have careers. We plan and save for our future and retirement. We plan for our vacations, and we plan what we’re going to get at the grocery store. We create goals in life. WE just happen to plan in the event that those safety nets (the government) that we assume are in place fail us.

In essence, ALL of us are preppers to one degree or another whether admitted or not…… AND YET….. When we discuss this, the reactions are all over the board:

You might think us nuts.
You might think…. “No worries, I’ll just come live with you should “the poop hit the oscillator”. (Ummmm, no you won’t…. unless you have a skill,trade, or asset that we believe can be utilized, or you have been previously invited).
You might be the…“Hey! I’m with you in spirit, but I don’t have the knowhow or environment to do what you do. NOT. Everyone can learn and prepping can occur anywhere!
Or, you might be walking right along side us and prepping in your way that is relevant to your way of living. If that’s you……hopefully you’ve now embraced the notion that you need to be preparing on a level that is unique to you and your family’s personal health concerns. (If so, message me or email me… it’s time to get serious about the planning.)

Health preparedness is different. It is not as simple as just storing product.

While product is nice to have on hand when you need it, the ability to apply knowledge that you’ve accumulated thru personal experience and thru experience of others could be a gamechanger. Proficiency in anything requires practice. It is my personal goal that every single person who joins in this journey with me will have access to as much education as they desire (in the form of private Facebook groups, books, education here (thru my blog and private emails), and also direction to science backed resources)….. so that they (you?) can become proficient in their unique health and wellness plan BEFORE a crisis situation dictates that it must be implemented. However, when a crisis happens (and it WILL happen someday), what if you don’t have access to your internet, phone, or your “go to person” when a “how to” question arises? Then you must rely on what you have stored in your brain & what you have in your Bug Out Bag to implement your plan.

Today’s the day… make a commitment to do this. Let’s pack your bag with the essentials that will be pertinent to YOUR health, (along with the 400+ page essential oil manual you’ll get for free from me) AND begin training your brain to think a bit differently. Let’s get some practice under your belt! Who knows…. by implementing what you learn now, you will likely become healthier for it, and THAT itself could actually save your life… even if the SHTF doesn’t happen anytime soon.

Let’s do this!