Who loves Fireworks!?!?

Most people do but for our furry friends, they can be frightening.

Did you know the noise from the fireworks can cause animals to run away from home because they are disoriented and scared?

Since most people won’t be shooting quiet fireworks, PREPARATION is needed.

Here are my top preparation tips for fireworks.

WAYS TO HELP YOUR ANIMALS DURING FIREWORKS

1. Make sure your dog gets lots of exercise before fireworks start.

2. Be sure your pet has a safe place to hide inside.

3. Play calming music. Did you know YouTube and Spotify have playlists for dogs and cats? Google “calming music dogs” or “calming music cats”

5. Make sure to put a leash and collar or harness on if your dog has to go outside – EVEN if your yard is fenced in.

6. Ensure your pet has a microchip and the information up-to-date.

7. Try to distract them with treats and toys.

8. Diffuse high quality essential oils to create a soothing, relaxing atmosphere. Suggested Oils to Use: Peace and Calming, Lavender, Valor, Roman Chamomile, or Copaiba.

Don’t have oils yet? Here’s a link you can use to order high quality oils to use topically and diffuse as needed to promote a calming atmosphere.

Dandelion Lavender Body butter!!!!

I have wondered for sometime about using what I had always considered as the weeds in my yard for their nutritional value. Years ago, I had a friend to tell me that she wanted to pick dandelions at my house because she was making tea with the flowers. It seems they grow very quickly after the rain and before my husband has a chance to cut the grass.

I started thinking about what were some other uses for dandelions. I did some research and discovered dandelion flowers have a lot of vitamins and antioxidants in them. This is especially useful when you are putting it on your skin.

That is why I began the task of making my own whipped body butter.

This was not a labor-intensive project but definitely took a lot of patience!

For my first batch, I did not let my oil steep as long as it should have ( I was too impatient). But I have some more oil that is steeping and will have more of the dandelion nutrients.

My whipped body butter:

• 1/2 cup dandelion infused coconut oil
• 1/2 cups Shea butter
• 15 drops @youngliving lavender essential oil

Melt the Shea butter in a double boiler

Remove from heat and add in the dandelion infused coconut oil and lavender essential oil

Cool until slightly opaque. Mix with whip attachment in a kitchenaid type stand mixer or hand blender for 5-10 minutes. It will have soft peaks.

To make the dandelion infused oil:

pick 2 cups dandelion flowers and dry 7-10 days on a cookie sheet

put in 16oz jar, top with coconut oil (preferred organic unrefined cold pressed) and cover and allow to sit in a warm spot 4-5 days.

strain and use oil in recipes

We are now deep into fall. The crisp, cool air is changing the color of the leaves. The time change earlier this month means that nighttime comes earlier.

I feel like I should be getting ready for bed, look at my watch, and see it is only 5:45pm! It’s so dark!!!

For the fall, I prefer warm, spicy scents like cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and nutmeg in the diffuser. These smell “cozy” to me. It is true that scents can create feelings of nostalgia. I imagine myself snuggled up by the fireplace, basking in its heat, about to fall asleep. Because when it is cold and rainy outside, all I want to do is sleep.

To help me to deal with the blues of shorter daylight hours, I pair those spicy scented oils with orange or other citrus oils. I feel like that is a good balance and they complement each other nicely.