Easter Basket Ideas

Do you need a Easter Basket that's personalized and FUNctional after the chocolate has been eaten? The Mini Utility Bin and Keep It Caddy (<---February Special)  are great options for Easter and fully functional after the holiday!

The Opportunity Is Now

Yesterday was a rough day for me and before that last week had some rough days. So I'll start with last week. My son started having an asthma attack in the middle of the night last week. After 3 doses of albuterol via his nebulizer in the middle of the night I got really scared and decided to run him to the ER. He sounded like a barking seal with his normal breathing (read there was no cough like many at the ER were thinking). After we got his vitals checked we were glad to see his O2 levels were at 97% so not as bad as he sounded. He received a dose of prednisone and a nebulizer drug that is specifically used at the ER/hospital. After that dose from the nebulizer he was sounding like normal and actually fell asleep on my chest for an hour and a half. They did x-rays and then eventually discharged us with directions to follow up with his pediatrician and maybe an ENT. I spoke with the nurse at his pediatrician's office and asked for a referral- more of a recommendation- to an Allergist. So fast forward to yesterday, we had our appointment with the allergist (who primarily works pediatric allergy and immunology) and found my son has an official diagnosis for asthma and tested positive for an allergy to mold/mildew. So while I'm glad I have an answer and a plan of attack I'm sad it's something I can't just remove from our living area/lifestyle for good.

 So while we were going through these appointments I was thinking about how God has blessed me. He blessed me with this beautiful, smart, well-behaved little boy who I absolutely adore. I was blessed with my daughter who is so fun, smart, and makes me laugh daily. I was blessed with a loving and devoted husband. He supports and strengthens me through everything. I was blessed with the opportunity to stay at home with my children, help provide for my family, meet new people, the chance to help others achieve their dreams and with a company that I LOVE to represent.

When I first started with Thirty One it was something to add fun money to my wallet while I got out of the house a couple nights a week. It still is but it's grown to be something more. I have found that my favorite part of Thirty One is the people. The people I meet when I go to my parties, the people I have met through my Director, the people I met at 2012 National Conference, the people I have met at other regional events and local events. It's all about the people! I have met some fabulous women that I asked to join my team and I continue to look for people that could benefit from what I have to offer them with Thirty One. Whether that benefit is a night out to re-discover who she is and get a great discount on fabulous products, to make some fun money, to make this their career and pull a full time paycheck, this business is what you make of it. Thirty One has made it even easier though. From now through April 1st there's the Opportunity to Join incentive which allows you to pay $99 for your enrollment kit that has many of our best sellers and the season's best prints and you can earn the $99 back if you submit $1000 in sales in your first 30days. Many think this is an intimidating number but in all reality this is really 2 or 3 parties. So, try it out! What do you have to lose? Could you use an extra $300 a month to your income? How would it change your life? If you have been thinking about what you can do on your own schedule, being your own boss, and making the extra money you need for your family or yourself this may be just the time to do it. If you have questions and I'm sure you do. Email me at 31GiftsFaith@gmail.com  To look over the Spring Catalog check out my website www.MyThirtyOne.com/FaithH

Cleaning products basics

I decided I was going to makeover my cleaning supplies bag (Organizing Utility Tote). I decided to do this because a) I have the best essential oils at my disposal and would like to get the most out of them and, b) my son has a fascination with the cabinet that mommy says "no!" to every time he opens it. For this tutorial you will be able to have a soft scrub, toilet bowl cleaner, window cleaner,  all-purpose spray and floor cleaner with less than 5-6 ingredients, all of which are very affordable.

What you need:
Baking soda
Vinegar
liquid castile soap
Borax

Essential Oils Wild Orange, On Guard, Melaleuca, Lemon, eucalyptus (optional), peppermint (optional), Lavender (optional)

Soft Scrub for Bath, Tile, and Toilet
Make in small batches for 2-4 uses. Store in an airtight container

3/4 rounded cup of baking soda
1/4 cup castile soap
1T water
1T vinegar
5-10 drops of Lemon essential oil

In a bowl, combine the baking soda and castile soap. Add water and stir. Finally, add the vinegar. Consistency should be a soft paste. Stir in essential oil.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
 This recipe is designed for a single use to be added directly to a half empty toilet bowl.

1/2 baking soda
10 drops of Melaleuca oil
1/4 vinegar

As it reacts scrub the toilet.


Window Cleaner

1/8 cup Vinegar
1 cup of water
10-15 drops of lemon essential oil

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake. Spray and wipe clean.

All Purpose Spray cleaner

1/4 cup of vinegar
2 cups water
30 drops of Essential oils (see below)
1 tsp borax

• 15 drops each of Lavender and Lemon oil

• 10 drops each of eucalyptus, peppermint, and wild orange

• 30 drops of On Guard

Other options are also available

Add all ingredients to a spray bottle and shake well to mix thoroughly.

Floor Cleaner
1 gallon hot water
2 T castile soap
15 drops Wild Orange
8 drops Lemon

In a large bucket, mix all ingredients. Use a mop to clean floors. Rinsing is optional.

Holiday Shopping is in full swing!

Here are a few great gift ideas ala Thirty One.

 Here's a great offer because the October special features the Super Organizing Tote-pictured here in Organic Poppy. Purchase the Timeless beauty bag (pictured in Black Pick Me Plaid with personalization), and a small zipper pouch (pictured in Natural w/Grey personalized with Lil Expressions) and get the Super Organizing Tote for 50% off !! Total cost of this traveler bundle $76 (before tax and shipping costs). Saving you $25

 Or this is great for just about anyone our Elite Retro Metro tote (in brown corduroy and personalized) paired with a Retro Metro wallet (in denim) with a nail file (in plum stripe). Add a small zipper pouch to bring along your chapstick or makeup and qualify to get the Elite Retro Metro 50% off. Total cost of this giftable bundle $69 (before tax and shipping costs)! Saving you $30

 Retro Metro Tote (pictured in grey pin dots and personalized) is also part of the October special and is paired with our silk scarf (in lavender pick me plaid). Add a Fold and Go Organizer to keep your shopping list handy to get the Retro Metro Tote half-off! Total cost of this giftable bundle $66 (before tax and shipping costs) Saving you $31

Other Great Gift Ideas and Stocking Stuffers

Cosmetic Bag in Purple Patchwork Paisley, add a nail file, and flat iron case for a Beauty Bundle Gift Set

 Great Teacher Gifts! Littles Carry All, Zipper Pouch (also comes thermal lined), and Mini Utility Bin. Pack them with treats, GC, or supplies for a great Holiday gift!

 No one better forget Grandma! What do Grandmas do BEST? Brag on their grandbabies. With the Lil Expressions on the Natural with Grey or Brown you can customize Grandma's grandbabies for a fabulous gift that she's sure to love! Lil Expressions is the same cost as our personalization with flat fee of $7!

Great Stocking stuffer ideas are: Thirty One Shuffle, Icon coin purse, mini (thermal) zipper pouch, double pinch top coin purse, soft wallet plus many other great ideas.

Get your friends together for a party to shop and socialize and get some gifts for free and get yourself a free or discounted gift for yourself!

Gluten-Free Flour mix

I have been toying with the idea of our family going completely wheat free and essentially gluten free. My DH has many dietary restrictions and over the last year it has been costly to try to only have him live this way. Not to say that it isn't costly as it is. The biggest food expense that DH has is bread with his lunches during the week and it's not even wheat free. So I have been researching gluten-free recipes and ran across Budget101.com. She has many great recipes on her site and I intend to check out more of them but for now I'm trying out her Gluten Free Flour Mix. I made a large mixture to have on hand. So here it goes

 You will need Rice Flour. I don't think it really matters whether it is brown or white rice but brown rice is better for you. I happened to pick up white this time around. You will also need Tapioca flour and Potato Starch. I'm fortunate to have a Wegman's so these things weren't too hard to come by at more affordable prices. Although the potato starch was sold out for two weeks I finally snagged some. I will be ordering this on my Amazon Subscribe and Save from now on.

 So here it all is: I found my entire sack of rice flour was about 4 cups so I doubled the small recipe available.

• 4 Cups White Rice Flour
• 2/3 cups Tapioca flour
• 1-1/3 cup Potato Starch (make sure this isn't Potato flour)

So for about $12 I have a flour mixture that is gluten free. I will be able to get plenty of more usage out of the left over tapioca flour and the potato starch for future batches- probably about 3 more of this size batch.

$225 Thirty One shopping spree!!

Hey there! I am going to be raffling off  a $225 Thirty One shopping spree! This will run like a 50/50 raffle, $200 will go towards the shopping spree and then you will also have the hostess rewards that include $25 in product credit, one item half off, and one Hostess Exclusive item. This will benefit the American Heart Association so $300 will be donated to the AHA.

Thirty One Gives partnered with The American Heart Association to help raise awareness of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women and is so high that the numbers for the next 3 top killers combined don't equate. What most people don't know is that 80% of cardiac events can be prevented with a healthy lifestyle. If you would like more information on a heart healthy lifestyle visit www.heart.org .

Here's what you do to win

1. You choose your numbers. If the number is highlighted then the number has already been selected by someone. 

2. The cost per number is $5. You will need to submit payment via the Paypal Donate Button

3. When all the boxes have been completed then I will submit the numbers to Rafflecopter and choose a winner.  The winner will be notified by email with the address which they used to pay for the box. I will also announce the winner on the blog to ensure that they are notified!

 

 

The photo above for the 50/50 raffle has been approved by Thirty-One Gifts CAGS Dept. This raffle is being conducted by an independent consultant. For any questions or concerns please contact the consultant at 31giftsfaith@gmail.com

DIY Sanitizing Wipes

I ran out of sanitizing wipes the other day and I refused to pay money for something I could make with the things I already had in my home. So here's the tutorial on making your own wipes. Essential oils can be purchased from me via my website

What You'll Need:
2 cups of warm water
1 roll of premium paper towels
2 tbsp of fractionated coconut oil
3-6 drops of On Guard essential oil blend
3-6 drops of Lemon essential oil
1/2-1 Tbsp of Liquid castile soap
container for your wipes.
serrated edge knife and cutting board

First things first you want to cut the paper towels in half width wise. Remove the cardboard center. Plunk your wipes down in your container. I reused the container that I had from my retail wipes. In a large measuring cup, measure out your warm water. Pour your other ingredients into the water. Then give it a good stir with a whisk. Then you're going to pour your soap mixture over your paper towels in the container. Pull your wipes up through the center and Voila! DIY sanitizing wipes. These wipes are actually better for your household than commercial wipes. They are environmentally healthy. They're all natural ingredients. They are kid friendly and pet friendly.

On Guard essential oil blend contains: Wild Orange, Clove bud, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus and Rosemary essential oils. Lemon Oil. Below is a chart to show what properties these oils have in disinfecting your home, body and life.

Information collected from doTERRA Living Magazine.