New Year, New You

New Year, New Happenings!

I’m so excited about 2018! The 5DF group has been such an encouraging, helpful and awesome collection of personalities. Graditude is just one of the things that I am carrying over into the New Year.

This is typically the time when some of us reflect back upon things good and bad in the previous year. My mind is a steel sieve so I have to “reflect” using my planner. Ummmm, something I need to get better with… writing in my planner. Oh! And organizing. And pacing myself. Maybe not taking on too many projects (ok, even I am laughing at that one). To put it in one word, what I’ve learned from this last year is Authenticity. Folks searching for the ways our grandparents or great grandparents lived. A simpler life (not to be confused with easy) where there are more moments of quality and less moments of quantity.

Something Mr. Bluejeans and I want to do is spread the word about an authentic lifestyle. In my mind, homesteading, gardening, farming, urban homesteading, more D.I.Y less B.U.Y… all these things are authentic to me. Trying to better your way of living with what you have or making plans to change things altogether are part of this movement. To find an authentic way to align yourself with better health, eating, learning crafts from the past, growing herbs or growing a relationship (no cell phones required) are all part of what I lovingly call our Rustic Revival™. The creation of 5 Dog Farm is the fulfillment of our desire to spread the truth of a Rustic Revival ™.

Looking back at 2017 I asked myself, what’s missing? What is it that I want to share to help and encourage our little Rustic Revival™? What is something that I’ve done for decades that falls into the authentic category and I’d never live without? What change can be made that doesn’t require acreage or loads of moo-la? Believe it or not it took me a bit to drill down, only to see the very nose on my face!

Essential Oils are also known as volatile oils or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as Lavender oil. Using essential oils for healing purposes is often called aromatherapy, which is a holistic treatment seeking to improve physical, mental and emotional health.

I’ve been an Essential Oil user for years. No, decades. My dad was a natural food and healthy living advocate since I was a tot. I grew up with fresh home cooking courtesy of my grandmother who lived with us, and a neat and tidy household was provided by my mom Gigi who, even though she and my dad owned their own small business, found time daily to provide a fresh and organized home. It was just how we rolled.

Early on Dad decided to get a Ph.D. in Holistic medicine and while he never opened a practice, he did live by his beliefs. A healthy soul and body make a better you.

In our home essential oils were a go to when a sniffle or a cough reared it’s ugly head. In turn, I took what I learned about essential oil use and raised our girls with the same knowledge. Over the years we’ve acquired nebulizers and diffusers, along with tons of recipes for yummy room sprays and more. I use roll on synergies (synergies = various essential oils mixed together for a particular solve to a problem) for anything from headaches to sore muscles or just when I need a kick in the pants if I’m feeling a bit sluggish. Hello Eucalyptus/Spearmint/Peppermint!!

Ok, so none of this is big news… but this is:

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I announce 5 Dog Farms decision to become an affiliate for

The Plant Therapy story is awesome. They are a family owned business and here are a few reasons that they have won my loyalty:

• They TEST their oils! Using several third party analytical laboratories for testing as well as working with Robert Tisserand, a world renowned essential oil expert for over 40 years!
• They tell it like it is. There is no such thing as “theraputic grade”, that’s a marketing term.
• Plant Therapy is a USDA Certified Organic facility.
• They batch code every bottle. Every. Bottle.
• Their strict testing creates a 100% pure high quality oil AND they explain how their oils are extracted.
• Plant therapy does NOT condone internal use (something my dad learned in school)*.

It’s ALL these reasons and more that tipped the scales for me.

When I think about all the things I use essential oils for – from homemade soaps, lotions and lip balm, in diffusers and nebulizers, in homemade deodorant and laundry detergent to our pets flea and tick control – finding a company that I can trust and depend on means a lot to me. Plant Therapy is truly authentic.

So if you’re searching for a more authentic lifestyle… your very own Rustic Revival™, here’s a great way to start! Incorporate essential oils into your life!

I promise to offer you my expertise and product knowledge. To provide personal guidance in essential oil use, along with enhancing your learning and love of these precious oils. Not to mention excellent customer service… ok I mentioned it….! We are a team so feel free to contact me via email or comments regarding your questions about essential oils.

To kick off 2018 Plant Therapy has put together

This set contains oils to help you with your New Year’s resolutions and goals! Here’s what you get:

• Munchy Stop. Resolution: lose weight, eat healthier. Um. Ya. No brainer.
• Energy. Resolution: exercise more, achieve fitness goals, as well as professional ambitions. Like writing in a planner, just sayin’.
• Rapid relief. Resolution: because you will exercise more (see Energy) you’ll need this workout recovery product!
• Brain Aid. Resolution: take a more active approach to life, learn a new skill or hobby. It’s all part of your decision to start your own Rustic Revival!
• Relax. Resolution: spend more time on personal well-being, spend more time with family and friends, reduce stress, sleep better. Again, in alignment with the Rustic Revival lifestyle,

PLUS a Hard Travel Case – So you can take it on the go along with and informational insert with how-to-use content!!

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE THE NEW YEAR NEW YOU SET!

So there you have it. The BIG NEWS. Let’s start 2018 with happier homes and healthier families. Let’s invent our Rustic Revival™ together!

* Per Plant Therapy: “We do not recommend the general internal use of essential oils. Essential oils are highly concentrated and have the capacity to cause serious damage if used internally without the necessary expertise required in administering them. We do have customers who choose to use our oils internally. However, we recommend it only be done with great respect for the power of essential oils, under the direction of someone who is qualified in the internal use of essential oils and someone who truly understands the chemical makeup of each individual oil, and NOT on a daily basis”.

What are your favorite ways to use essential oils?