Summer Times

10/17/2026

🍂🍁 Falling leaves, crisp nights, and homemade comfort food… is there anything better?!

Chicken pot pie with a homemade crust is at the TOP of my comfort food list! 🥧🤎 There’s just something about a warm, hearty meal made from scratch that makes a house feel like home.

Around here, we’re embracing all the flavors of fall, spending time in the kitchen, and making the most of simple, homemade goodness. 🏡🍂

Now tell me… what’s YOUR favorite comfort food when the weather turns cold? 👇 I’m always looking for new recipes to add to our family favorites!

Follow along for more from-scratch cooking, homesteading, and simple living with a family of six! ❤️

10/16/2026

10/16/2026

🚛📦 AZURE DROP DAY! And yes, my boys get just as excited as I do! 😂❤️

There’s something pretty exciting about watching a truck pull in with a MONTH’S worth of food to nourish my family! 🌾🥕🍎

My boys love drop day! Partly because… well, they’re boys 😂 But also because they can’t wait to see what goodies Mama ordered this month, and they LOVE helping unload the truck!

One of the things I love most about Azure Standard is being able to stock our home with quality ingredients, bulk foods, and fresh produce without having to make endless trips to the grocery store. It’s one of the ways we make feeding our family of 6 on one income work!

And here’s something you might not know… YOU can do this, too! 👇

📍 Finding an Azure drop near you is easier than you think! Check out the link below to find one in your area.

🚛 Don’t see one close enough? Gather a few local families and start your own drop!

Seriously, if you’ve been wanting to buy more wholesome foods, stock your pantry, or save on bulk ingredients, this might be just what you’ve been looking for!

👇 Tell me in the comments! Have you ever ordered from Azure Standard, or would this be something new for your family?

10/14/2026

Experience YL (Virtual Event): Escape to a Winter Wonderland ❄️🌲

Young Living has an exclusive, limited space virtual event happening in December! It is a winter wonderland of YL fun and giveaways!

Here are the two registration options:

Full-size holiday kit: $50
Filled with full-size Young Living favorites to enjoy during and after the event.
Includes:

• Red Cedar Bliss essential oil blend, 15 ml, Item No. 43909

• Evergreen Essence essential oil blend, 15 ml, Item No. 3353

• One Heart essential oil blend, 5 ml, Item No. 31088

Or:

Sample holiday kit: $25
A wonderful collection to bring the celebration to your home.
Includes:

• Winter Nights essential oil blend, 5 ml, Item No. 35240

• Lavender Hand and Body Lotion, 2 oz., Item No. 42704

• Lip balm (1) variety, Item No. 5203

If you are wanting to be part of it, register soon because space is limited to 500 people! Here's the details and registration link from Young Living.

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It’s the holidays—the perfect time to slow down, celebrate, and reconnect with the people and passions that bring you joy. Bring the magic of the season to your living room by joining our virtual Experience Young Living Winter Wonderland. It’s our final event as we wrap up an incredible 2026 and launch into an exciting new year together!

Curl up with a cozy blanket, your favorite drink (NingXia Red®, anyone?), and friends and family as we bring you:
🎁 Inspiring presentations from passionate Brand Partners
🎁 Heartwarming stories and favorite memories from 2026
🎁 Product education with best-selling products
🎁 Practical wellness tips to help you and your family thrive through the holidays
🎁 Motivation, business ideas, and encouragement to help you start the New Year with confidence
🎁 Special guest appearances from Young Living corporate speakers sharing exclusive updates, stories, and behind-the-scenes moments

We’re also giving away lots of Young Living products all throughout the event! You could win wonderful gifts!

This is more than just another virtual event—it’s a festive gathering of friends, family, and the Young Living community. Let’s celebrate a beautiful old year and head into the new feeling inspired and connected.

Join me and reserve your spot today at https://younglivingevents.com/events/26-eyl-winter-wonderland

10/14/2026

🍎📚 This week’s homeschool lesson: Making applesauce!

Three boys, a toddler tagging along, a pile of apples, and minimal assistance from Mom!

Homeschooling isn’t just about math, reading, and writing. It’s about teaching our kids the skills that will carry them through life. From preparing food and preserving the harvest to working together, taking responsibility, and learning to do things independently, these are lessons that go far beyond a textbook.

One of my biggest goals in raising my boys is to teach them to be capable, independent men who can take care of themselves AND be good husbands and fathers one day. ❤️

I want them to know how to cook a meal, care for a home, solve problems, and handle the responsibilities that come with life. I want them to be confident enough to figure things out on their own, but humble enough to ask for help when they need it. I want them to be the kind of men who don’t expect someone else to do everything for them, but who are willing to step up, lend a hand, and serve their families with love.

Because being prepared for life means more than knowing how to pass a test. It means knowing how to take care of yourself, contribute to your household, and care for the people around you.

And if three boys can make homemade applesauce with minimal help from me, I’d say we’re making some pretty good progress! 😂🍎

I’m not just raising boys. I’m raising future men who will know how to take care of themselves, contribute to the world around them, and be a blessing to their future families. And sometimes, those lessons start right in the kitchen! 🏡

10/11/2026

Scratch cooking with fresh milled flour! 🌾

There’s just something special about making food from scratch, knowing what ingredients are going into it, and serving your family something made with love.

These homemade buns are made with fresh milled flour, simple ingredients, and a whole lot of love! You don’t need fancy ingredients or complicated recipes to start making more of your food from scratch. Sometimes it’s as simple as swapping store-bought for homemade!

Little changes add up, and before you know it, scratch cooking becomes a way of life.

Who else loves baking with fresh milled flour? 🙋‍♀️

10/09/2026

Commercial pectin, like Sure-Jell, contains ingredients such as dextrose, a sugar derived from corn or wheat, and citric acid. Citric acid is commonly produced through a fermentation process using Aspergillus niger, commonly known as black mold.

I don’t know about you, but when I started looking into what was actually in pectin, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. 😬

Over the years, I’ve slowly removed more and more unnecessary ingredients from our family’s diet. One of the more recent ones has been citric acid. But that left me wondering… how do you make jams and jellies without relying on commercial pectin or loading them up with sugar just to get them to thicken?

I knew there had to be another option. And there is! 🍋

You can make your own liquid pectin from citrus fruit. Lemons naturally contain a high amount of pectin, making them a great option—and they’re easy to find.

I purchased 10 pounds of organic lemons from Azure Standard, and I was determined not to waste a single part of them.

First, I washed and peeled the lemons. I put the peels in the dehydrator for another project, because around here, we try to use it ALL! Then I removed the white pith and chopped it into fairly small pieces.

Next, juice the lemons, making sure to save the pulp and seeds. Add those to the bowl with the pith. Cut up anything remaining after juicing and add that in too. Keep the juice separate.

Once everything is prepared:

🍋 Add 8 oz of the pith, pulp, and seeds to a stock pot.
🍋 Add 1½ cups water and ¼ cup lemon juice.
🍋 Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
🍋 Remove from heat and allow it to cool to a reasonable temperature.
🍋 Line a colander with cheesecloth and place it over another pot or bowl so it has room to drain.
🍋 Pour the mixture into the cheesecloth and let it drain overnight. Do not squeeze it!
🍋 Ladle the finished liquid pectin into clean Mason jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
🍋 You can also freeze it for later use.

Use your homemade liquid pectin in place of commercial liquid pectin when making jams and jellies!

And the best part? One lemon project can turn into multiple useful things instead of a pile of waste. 🍋

Follow along for more old-fashioned, from-scratch ways to make the things we normally just buy at the store!

10/08/2026

Sometimes we pigeonhole certain oils and how we use them because we know they work really well for this one thing. That happens with Cedarwood. A lot of us know how great it is for sleep - it helps stimulate the pineal gland which releases melatonin - and that’s where we stop with it. It sits on our nightstand next to the Lavender. But there’s sooooo many more uses for it. Did you know how great it is for your hair and skin? Some people swear by it for healthy hair growth. It’s also cleansing and deodorizing. It’s been used for thousands of years in tonics and natural health in many different cultures. Cedarwood really is versatile and good for so many things. Here are a few easy ways you can start using it:

• Diffuse Cedarwood with Lavender and Roman Chamomile or apply 1−2 drops to your pillow before bed.

• Massage it into your scalp to promote the appearance of shiny, healthy-looking hair or add it to your favorite lotions and skin care products to help cleanse and moisturize the skin.

• Diffuse it with Frankincense, Northern Lights Black Spruce, Ylang Ylang, and Orange for a calming, mental health break.

• Apply it topically to use it as a natural deodorant.

It can also be used in an outdoor spray! So versatile. Now, some people don’t like the aroma of Cedarwood at first (which is a small part of the reason why it’s paired with Lavender, Rosemary, or other oils in certain recipes), but an easy way to get used to it is to apply it to the bottom of your feet at night as part of your sleep routine. The more you use it, the more you realize how amazing it is!

The best part is it’s free with a $100 loyalty order for the month of October!

What do you use Cedarwood for the most? Sleep? Skin or hair care? Some other super cool fantastic use? Let me know in the comments below! 👇

10/05/2026

🍎🍏Applesauce time!

I purchased 120 pound of juice grade apples to make applesauce.

Time to get it done. ✔️

10/02/2026

Sometimes I question my life choices… 😂 But hey, at least not a single piece of lemon will go to waste when I’m done! 🍋

Keep an eye out for a video showing you how to make your own pectin from lemons (or any citrus) —because who needs to rely on what’s sitting on the store shelf when you can make it yourself?!

One more step toward using sustainability, wasting less, and doing things the old-fashioned way. ❤️