Category:

DIY Bleach

1/11/2019

DIY Bleach
Kick those chemicals to the curb!
By Cheryl L. McClure

I was never much of a bleach user. I mean, I didn’t want to risk bleaching out my favorite shirt or pants, maybe because I might get clumsy and spill it.

Now there is a way to brighten and clean our clothes with a non-bleach, bleach!! It’s a DIY and so easy to make! Use it along with your normal washing soap. Use our Thieves Laundry Soap, or in my case, I used three Soapberries! That is a whole different way of washing and downright TOTALLY organic since they come from a Soapberry bush!

Since we drink NingXia Red, because it tastes good and we love the antioxidant properties it has, I can use this empty glass bottle to store it in. It’s just the right size. It holds a little more than 3 cups, so, perfect for this recipe and the leftover 1/2 cup or so can be used in a load of wash right then.

The first time I tried this, I could not find any references on how much to use per load so I made a guess and used 1/2 cup. Please tell me if you used more and if you liked it any better. I honestly don’t know if it would have made much difference as I was happy at how my white and grey quilt turned out.

What I like about this, is, I don’t have to worry about it being too strong on one spot. I don’t have to be concerned about what it’s doing to my lungs when I breathe it. It’s clean, it’s non-toxic, and it brightens!! Can be used on loads with color too.

All it takes is distilled water, hydrogen peroxide, Thieves household cleaner and some drops of Lemon essential oil.

I did a price breakdown on it since I was curious about how much this bottle of bleach would cost and I came up with $1.00 for this amount. That includes the price of distilled water. Since I am a member of Young Living, I get a 24% discount on everything to begin with. So, not bad for a bottle of non-toxic, strong, brightening, clean non-bleach bleach!! Yay!

Here’s the recipe:

3 cups distilled water
1/2 cup Hydrogen Peroxide
2 caps full of Thieves Household Cleaner
10 drops of Lemon essential oil

Mix in a large mixing bowl and pour into glass container.

Use 1/2 cup per load or as needed. To make more, double the recipe. Just be sure to store in a glass container for best keeping because citrus oils can break down plastic.

I added it in the top part of the washing machine where it’s designated for bleach. Hope you like this and let me know how it works for you and how much you used!

Happy Oiling!
Cheryl @ Pickle Creek Ranch

essenty.com/cherylintexas

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Chocolate/Peppermint Dipped Pretzels

12/15/2017

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Chocolate/Peppermint Dipped Pretzels
By Cheryl L. McClure

Need I say more?

Oh ~ this is so simple!!

You have probably already made these in the past, where you melt the chocolate bark in the microwave and dip pretzels, lay them out on wax paper to solidify. Add sprinkles, etc. Right??

Well, do this > > > Add add a couple of drops Peppermint Vitality essential oil to one chocolate bark bar (like this) - after it comes out of the microwave. We like to use the thick pretzels (like these) for a special treat.

Mix it up and dip away! Use it in the dark chocolate or even in the white chocolate. Add nuts or crushed peppermint too if you like. The essential oil makes it all the more pepperminty!!

You're welcome!

Happy Oiling!
Cheryl @ Pickle Creek Ranch
Young Living Independent Distributor #1176855
essenty.com/cherylintexas

Yum Yum Yum! Save some for Santa and his elf!

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Body and Foot Soak Made Easy

12/12/2017

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Body and Foot Soak Made Easy
by Cheryl L. McClure

Taking a bath or soaking your feet in epsom salts is such a leisurely, relaxing way to end the day and when you add essential oils, it’s even better. Want to know how you can get more out of your essential oils? I have been a recycler/hacker since way back and this is just too good not to share!

There are two ways to use epsom salts and essential oils from your EMPTY bottles! You will end up with a jar or two of epsom salts with all the oils saturated in it. You will also have some awesome, soothing water containing the epsom salts and essential oils you just used to make your salts jars! Plus you will have empty, clean bottles to recycle and use for your own blends, rollerball blends and samples to give to friends. Win Win!

Try this simple method!

Start with some epsom salts - just the pure kind with no herbal additives. Then get your empty oil bottles. I only use Young Living essential oils, why? Because they have the Seed to Seal guarantee to be top quality!

Basically, soak all your empty bottles (without the labels) in epsom salts and then you have a wonderful aromatic blend to add to your bath.

Then, after removing the bottles from epsom salts, soak them in hot water and you have foot soak solution or a liquid epsom salt blend to add to the bath!

EZ instructions:
For Epsom Salts
All in all, I wound up with a three or four ball jars of salts and 5 or 6 bottles of soaking solution. There is no hard, fast rule to amounts. So however many bottles you have, just fill and cover them with salts and go from there.

1. Peel the labels off of your bottles and pour a little epsom salts in each bottle. I keep out and save some of the lids with labels on them to use on the new bottles I open. If you are going to soak the lids, take the stickers off.

…and umm - don’t take that shortcut! You gotta take those labels off or you will have little bits of metallic and paper flakes in there! Trust me, it's a mess if you do it that way!
2. Submerse all the bottles, stoppers and lids in a jar of epsom salts and let them permeate for about a week or two.
3. After emptying and separating, store epsom salts in a container for the bath. I just realized the container I used for the salts was from a candle I burned wayyyyy back before diffusers!! Haha! I remember that was such a great jar. It was good for storing many things.

For Body or Foot Soak
Follow steps 1, 2 and 3
4. After bottles, lids and stoppers have been emptied, place them in a pot or large bowl.
5. Boil some water and pour over all the parts.
6. Let cool and and take parts out to separate for washing.
7. Pour oily water through a sieve and funnel into swing top bottles. I recycled some from Pumpkin Cider we got at Aldi's! You can also get them on Amazon.
8. Rinse, repeat, and wash with Thieves Dish Soap so you can save for samples or additional blends to make yourself!

To alter the bath salts or water, add specific oils of choice and/or baking soda.

Here is a file you can download for labels. I used it for the 2x2 square labels from Avery.

I hope you have found this helpful and enjoy your EMPTY bottles of essential oils. You see, essential oils can be economical!

Happy Oiling!
Cheryl @ Pickle Creek Ranch
Young Living Independent Distributor #1176855
essenty.com/cherylintexas/

#diybath #footsoak #bodysoak #epsomsalts #makeyourown #youngliving #aromaticbath #spa #diy #essentialoils

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Fix Your Diffuser

12/12/2017

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Fix Your Diffuser
by Cheryl L. McClure

We love our Home Diffuser! Now, it is just like new! So if yours has stopped working, you push the button and it doesn’t come on anymore, try this little trick first! Add a capful of alcohol into the bottom of the diffuser and let sit over night. The next day, empty and rinse out, wiping out excess water, and wiping off the ultrasonic plate. When you turn it upside down, swab the alcohol dampened q-tip into the little holes where the fan is. Get that dust out. Add water to your diffuser to test it out, and if it works, fine! You have more life left in your diffuser! Woo Hoo!! Thanks to one of the readers in YL Hacks on Facebook for bringing this up!

And apparently, I have read that the more we clean our diffusers, the better off they are. My bad. I have not been so diligent!

Anyway, if it still does the same thing - that not coming on, it may be that you need this part. They explain it on their website and it was sooooo EASY to fix! Check out www.diffuserdoc.com if you want to extend the life of your diffuser. They have additional parts for other diffusers as well.

Diffusing Christmas Spirit and Pine now!

You can call Young Living (1-800-371-3515 ) and ask if they have an ultrasonic plate replacement for other diffusers, but the last time we checked, there was no replacement for the Home Diffuser.

Happy Oiling!
Cheryl @ Pickle Creek Ranch
Young Living Independent Distributor #1176855
essenty.com/cherylintexas/

#saveit #replace #fixyourdiffuser #fixit #easy #homediffuser #youngliving #diffuser #ultrasonic #replacement

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The North Sulphur River

8/20/2017

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The North Sulphur River
by Cheryl L. McClure

I love nature!! Ever since I was a kid and growing up with three older brothers, I would be exposed to the outdoors. We grew up in Irving and there was a creek behind the house, which back then had lots of opportunity to find fossils! Fast forward to now, and I am well, what they call “mature” I guess. Let’s just say I am no spring chicken!! We live near the North Sulphur River, which is in Fannin County, Texas. This particular part of the river is slated to become Lake Ralph Hall one day and before that happens, there are a lot of people fossil hunting while they can!

I’ve written a bit about the river in Rainwater at the Ranch, because at Pickle Creek Ranch, the creek that flows across our property is part of Pickle Creek, which dumps into the North Sulphur River. What would we do without rain and water? And without rain, and erosion in this area, how would we be able to find fossils here?

For those contemplating going into the North Sulphur River to hunt for fossils, I’d like to share some photos and a couple of tips for you. I love to explore and it’s nice to know ahead of time, what to expect. I call the North Sulphur River my happy place. Jan Paul does too! It is so peaceful and relaxing to walk the river. We like to pick up rocks and fossils for our garden and when we do find a special fossil it gets a more prominent place at home.

Where to go
First of all, there are several places on the river to gain access, but mind you, this is about a 70 foot descent and not all areas are easily accessible. You can look for creeks under bridges and so forth, but some are going to be fenced off as landowners may not want people wandering across their property.

So for those avid fossil hunters, and those who have families that want to enjoy the outdoors, the best access is on HWY 34 at Ladonia Fossil Park just North of Ladonia, Texas. There is a sign out by the road and if you use Google maps you can find it easily. There are no restroom facilities at the park unless we are having Fossil Day, and this year, 2019, it will be on Saturday, October 19. Be sure and watch for notices on Facebook @ Chamber of Commerce of Ladonia and @ Dallas Paleontology.

Weather
Weather is well, you know how it is in Texas. We have had sun, rain, snow and tornados all in the same week!! Be mindful of the weather! Check the forecast before you go and note that if it is raining west of the river it is possible that excess water will run off into the river. There have been instances where someone was in the river and almost did not make it out before flash floods did exactly that. Flood. This river can rise in a matter of minutes and if you are not near an exit point, it could prove to be disastrous. The link that can help determine a general forecast is on a specific page at weather.gov. Note the area they are pinpointing though is closer to Cooper than Hwy 34. Use your best judgement. Better safe than sorry.

Critters
When visiting the North Sulphur River, keep in mind it is inhabited by others!! When you are out in the country like this, there are a lot of forms of wildlife such as deer, hogs, bobcats, coyote, skunks, armadillo, snakes, spiders, creepy crawly things and on a rare occasion, further east, the alligator! Be aware of your surroundings and be prepared in the event you spot a critter in the river. We have not had any issues but if we see something, we don't exactly go up to it and say hello, unless of course, it says hello to us first. And then we walk away!

Pack
Especially if it is hot, be sure and carry water. We take a backpack with water, sunscreen, lip balm, and Peppermint essential oil (this is good to have when it is very hot. I use it on the back of my neck and inhale it when needed.) Take light snacks and wear a hat! That sun can cook you like a fried egg!

Along with a backpack, I bring a bag to carry rocks in - those tyvek grocery bags work perfect and I also carry one of those weed poker tools. You know, it’s straight and has two points on the end. Jan Paul walks with a long handled garden fork so he can lift pieces in the river. I wear gloves to get in and out of the river too. I don’t like to grab trees or rocks or anything without gloves.

Shoes
On this particular day we went into the river (not on Hwy 34) where it was not so easy but we made our way in and our way out very slowly. Be careful wherever you go because the terrain may be unstable and you need to have good shoes for sure footing. If it has been raining you may want to wear mud boots. Keep in mind that if it has been raining, and there is a lot of clay, it will be slippery.

No Cell Service
It’s important to know that there is no cell service in the river. The signals don’t go there!! So don’t go alone! Well, I only advise against it because if you slip or get hurt there is no one there to help you. That’s my two cents. At any rate, you can go with your phone anyway, so you will have it to take pictures but carry it in a waterproof container to keep it from getting wet.

Thanks for taking the time to read about our happy place.

Happy Fossil Hunting!
Cheryl @ Pickle Creek Ranch
Young Living Independent Distributor #1176855
essenty.com/cherylintexas/

Fossils are a unique art form themselves, so I designed a tote bag!
Fossils photographed are from the North Sulphur River.

FOSSIL TOTE

#fossilart #fossilhunting #northsulphurriver #nsr #ladonia #fannincounty #texas #water #river #familytime

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Traveling with Essential Oils

7/16/2017

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Traveling with Essential Oils
by Cheryl L. McClure

Do you travel much? I don’t very often, but I learned a valuable lesson this time!

Recently I took a trip to Utah and I experienced a drastic change in climate that affected me in ways I had not expected. Salt Lake City is a beautiful place to visit and my friend and I rode the TRAX rail system, each day to get to the convention center from our hotel. We arrived Tuesday afternoon and by Thursday afternoon my face was red, my sinuses inflamed. I felt as though I was going down, like the Titanic, feeling miserable, I could hardly breathe through my nose. It was simply a case of my body reacting to the climate differences. From humid Texas to dry Utah!!

Now, this guy was on the capitol lawn and he had it going on!!

Here’s a concept - listening to your body. Do you listen to yours? Especially, when you are rocking along in life and something changes, do you recognize the differences?

Well, here is what I did: I scavenged some salt from the restaurant and a straw to make a flush for my sinuses that evening. It felt soothing when the salt water poured over the inside of my sinus cavity. I didn't feel too great, but, luckily I had thrown my bottle of Inner Defense in the bag when I was packing!

Did you know that Inner Defense basically contains Thieves in a gelcap? Per the YL website, it “reinforces systemic defenses, creates unfriendly terrain for yeast/fungus, promotes healthy respiratory function”. Just what I needed to fight back. I began taking capsules that night when I got back to the hotel. The instructions say “Take 1 capsule daily in a.m. or take 1 capsule 3-5 times daily when stressed.”

I was stressed and wanted to make sure I could go to the farm the next day, so I took additional capsules during the middle of the night as I was not sleeping well and kept thinking, I want to go to the farm tomorrow!!!! I didn’t go way overboard but realizing that the way oils need to be reapplied for effectiveness, I thought this would increase my chances of fighting off the reaction.

By the time we went to breakfast I was better, well enough to walk to the TRAX and get on the shuttles to the Young Living farm in Mona! And feeling well enough that I was able to enjoy the rest of the trip with my friend and traveling partner, Debby! We are standing in front of a field of Goldenrod.

The Basics

Some basics to travel with are my must haves!! I take my little pouch with the 2DM oil bottles, Deep Relief, Stress Away, Thieves Hand Sanitizer and Thieves Spray!! And some other oils too. Peppermint is a favorite and I carry a 5ML bottle with me all the time - no matter where I go! I will never go without the Inner Defense again and OmegaGize and Multigreens are also on my list to take.

Among other new additions, we had a new Mineral Sunscreen Lotion unveiled at convention and I purchased it the day before. I used the sunscreen and we were out in the sun all day long. I had no redness or burning!! Our sunscreen uses naturally derived plant and mineral based ingredients and does not use parabens or synthetics. Woo Hoo!! Another good healthy product to pack in the bag when I go to the beach!

So, all in all, listening to my body enabled me to take action and support my immune system, improving my visit while I was away from home! Isn’t that what healthy living is all about? This type of scenario is an “everyday” thing. It’s not a chronic condition and I am not suggesting to diagnose, treat or cure a disease. Be sure and consult your doctor when you have serious issues. But on the other days, when you have some kind of “thing” going on and your body is talking to you, try some of the tools we have that will support your body and mind. The oils and supplements can make such a big difference.

Happy Oiling!
Cheryl @ Pickle Creek Ranch
[email protected]

essenty.com/cherylintexas/

There's no place like home!

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The Blog Page

DIY Bleach

DIY Bleach
Kick those chemicals to the curb!
By Cheryl L. McClure

Chocolate/Peppermint Dipped Pretzels

Chocolate/Peppermint Dipped Pretzels
By Cheryl L. McClure

Body and Foot Soak Made Easy

Body and Foot Soak Made Easy
by Cheryl L. McClure

Fix Your Diffuser

Fix Your Diffuser
by Cheryl L. McClure

The North Sulphur River

The North Sulphur River
by Cheryl L. McClure

Traveling with Essential Oils

Traveling with Essential Oils
by Cheryl L. McClure

The Basics

Cheryl L. McClure

Categories

Archives

The Blog Page

DIY Bleach

DIY BleachKick those chemicals to the curb!By Cheryl L. McClure

Chocolate/Peppermint Dipped Pretzels

Chocolate/Peppermint Dipped PretzelsBy Cheryl L. McClure

Body and Foot Soak Made Easy

Body and Foot Soak Made Easyby Cheryl L. McClure

Fix Your Diffuser

Fix Your Diffuserby Cheryl L. McClure

The North Sulphur River

The North Sulphur Riverby Cheryl L. McClure

Traveling with Essential Oils

Traveling with Essential Oils​by Cheryl L. McClure

The Basics

Cheryl L. McClure

Categories

Archives

DIY Bleach
Kick those chemicals to the curb!
By Cheryl L. McClure

Chocolate/Peppermint Dipped Pretzels
By Cheryl L. McClure

Body and Foot Soak Made Easy
by Cheryl L. McClure

Fix Your Diffuser
by Cheryl L. McClure

The North Sulphur River
by Cheryl L. McClure

Traveling with Essential Oils
by Cheryl L. McClure