Tuesday, July 22, 2014

10 Ways to Get Free Money

I'm on a tight budget, so I'm always looking for ways to get stuff for free. I've been asked many times how I manage to find so much for free, so I'm going to share some tips with you.

1. Bing Rewards: Bing is a search engine like Google, however, if you sign up for Bing Rewards, you can actually earn points for searching. You can earn up to 15 points per day from searching on your computer and an additional 10 points for searching on your phone. Just make sure you're logged in before you do any searching. I go in and just do a bunch of random searches every day to get the maximum number of points. When you get enough points you can cash them in for gift cards. We frequently redeem them for our monthly Hulu Plus Subscription (we haven't paid for that in probably 6 months) and Amazon gift cards. My husband and I both have accounts so we earn rewards twice as fast. Sign yourself up and then refer your spouse or significant other and you will both earn bonus points when they hit silver. You can sign up for Bing Rewards here (and when you hit silver status we both get bonus points!)


2. Ebates: If you do any online shopping this is a great website (including some things on Amazon). You earn cash back on your online purchases. Simply log in to Ebates before you buy anything, select the store or website you are buying from, and continue shopping as normal. You can also use this for booking hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, etc. Every 3 months, you can redeem your cash back as long as it's over $5. You can have them send a check, paypal, or you can donate it to an organization or charity. You can sign up for Ebates here.(You can also earn money for referrals.)

3. Coupons: This is a time consuming one, but if you can find the time, couponing saves a lot of money. You can make it easier by using sites like www.thekrazycouponlady.com where they have the best deals already figured out for you.

4. Amazon: I have Amazon Prime so we get free 2 day shipping on most items and we use the rewards we get from Bing to buy stuff for free. We have gotten over $110 in free products from doing this in the last 6 months. You can sign up for Amazon Prime here. (Amazon also offers referral bonuses but only for student accounts.)

5. Open Checking Accounts or Credit Cards: This one can take a ding on your credit, but depending on the amount you earn it can be worth it. Keep your eyes open for bonuses for opening up checking accounts or credit cards. Just be careful not to use the new found credit to put yourself in debt! We cancel ours as soon as we are able to without losing the bonuses we earn. Just yesterday Amazon was having a promotion that if you are approved for the credit card you get a $60 Amazon credit. Earlier this year, Capital One had a promotion that if you open a checking account you get $125 and $75 for a savings account. So my husband and I both opened accounts and earned $400 for free! We have done this a few times with different banks.

6. Achievemint: This is a great rewards program for people who are trying to be healthy and active. It links to your apps that keep track of your health and activity habits. You earn points based on activities you do or healthy posts you make. When you earn 50,000 points they send you a gift card for $50. So for example I have Facebook, Twitter, MyFitnessPal, and Runkeeper all linked to this app. Every time I complete a run on Runkeeper, I earn points. Any time I make a healthy post on Facebook or Twitter, I earn points. If I keep track of my eating on MyFitnessPal, I earn points. It's an easy way to make money for things you are already doing, and a great incentive to be more active.  You can sign up at www.achievemint.com 

7. Young Living Oils Essential Rewards: I by essential oils on a monthly basis, so I signed up for their Essential Rewards (ER) program and I earn a % for every ER order I place. I can then cash in the points for free oils. If oils are something you are interested you can sign up for them here, or go to the contact page and I can talk to you more about them.

8. Credit Card Rewards: For the most part we try to pay cash, but for our online bills, or big purchases, we use a credit card that we can earn rewards with. There are lots out there, so just find one that works well for you. You have to pay close attention to your spending though and be sure to pay it off at the end of the month, otherwise you will end up paying more in interest than you will earn in rewards which depletes the purpose of using it in the first place.

9. Surveys: Check your receipts because many times they have surveys that you can complete for gift cards. It's usually only around $5, but for a couple minutes of you time, it's an easy $5.

10. Time Share Presentations: We haven't done this one in a while, but you can go to different kinds of time-share like presentations to earn gift cards, or vacation packages. You have to sit through a lengthy presentation, and turn down the pushy sales person multiple times (don't get sucked in!), but sometimes the promotions they give out to get you there are really good.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

DIY Body Wash

I made my own body wash this week. It's great because I know there are no harmful chemicals in it, and it's much cheaper than buying organic body wash.



Here's what I used:

2/3 C Liquid Castile Soap
1/4 C Raw Unfiltered Honey
1 Tbl Organic Cold Pressed Coconut Oil
2 tsp Jojoba or Olive Oil
20 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
5 Drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

I just combined all the ingredients into an empty bottle of store bought body wash. The first time you have to shake it up pretty good, but after about a day just a gentle shake is all you need before applying to a wash cloth or lufa.



This recipe does make a liquid. You can put it in a foaming dispenser if you prefer it that way. I just pour some on my lufa and it lathers great.

Why I chose these ingredients:

*Castile Soap gives you suds without the added chemicals.

*Honey helps your skin retain moisture and elasticity without drying it out.

*Coconut Oil is great for the skin. It moisturizes, but it also helps kill germs, reduce the appearance of stretch marks, and wrinkles, and smells good.

*Jojoba or Olive Oil gives your skin added moisture. You may not even need to moisturize after using this soap.

*Lavender Essential Oil smells good, is great for acne, eczema, psoriasis, and just good for your skin in       general.

*Tea Tree Essential Oil is great for killing germs, fighting acne, and helps oily skin. This has a strong scent though, so you don't need much.

You can add other essential oils as you choose that are great for the skin. I think next time I will add some peppermint for the smell, but also because it has cooling and stimulating properties.

Want your own essential oils? You can get them at cnbachus.wix.com/m613oils

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Lemon Essential Oil

Lemon is a FANTASTIC essential oil! It's one of my favorites. It's also one of the first oils that I started with.

It's made obviously from lemons. But it's not made from lemon juice like you might think. It's actually made from the lemon peel. It also takes 1,500 lemons to make just 1 pound of lemon essential oil!

So what's so great about it? Well first it smells fantastic. It smells just like freshly squeezed lemons. But it also has some great uses.

It can be used in cleaning products. It works great as a degreaser, and can get rid of the stickiness left from labels, gum, or anything sticky really. It also kills germs, which is great for cleaning, but also for killing germs in public water. Just add a couple drops to a glass of water.

Lemon oil also has health benefits too. It can be used to combat bloating, and used in combination with peppermint to help with weight loss. It can help with congestion, just put a little over the bridge of your nose and along your sinuses. Fighting acne is another use for this oil.

I've also used it in my hair if it's really oily as it absorbs oils. If you want natural highlights, you can even put it in your hair and go out in the sun. But be careful as it increases photo-sensitivity if it's on your skin.

You can use it to treat minor cuts and burns. Just make sure to read your labels and dilute properly before applying to your skin.

And that's just a few of the ways this oil can be used! There are many other was as well!

If you would like to learn more about essential oils, or find out how you can get your own oils go to cnbachus.wix.com/m613oils

I also teach classes if you are interested in learning more about them, just contact me to set up a class, or if you are far away, we can do an online class!



Wednesday, June 25, 2014

The Key to a Great Marriage

I'll admit, the first 3.5 years of my marriage were pretty bad. We had a lot of trials the first couple years, and it set a pattern for our marriage.

I was a complete control freak, and I told Jeff on a regular basis what he was doing wrong and how he needed to fix it. We yelled and fought all the time. I even thought I'd made a mistake marrying him. But my pride kept us together. I didn't want to be one of those couples that got divorced. I would stay married to him no matter how miserable I was. Plus, I was in seminary, so it wouldn't look very good if I divorced my husband.

Then my husband lost his job and was unemployed for about 6 months. That was a blessing in disguise. At first, things got worse. I tried to control him even more by telling him how he needed to be out looking for jobs, and what I would be doing in his situation. We fought even more (if that was even possible).

I finally got to a place where I gave up. I prayed about it, and decided that God was in control, not me. My constant breathing down Jeff's neck wasn't going to change anything. So I stopped. I talked to Jeff and told him, that it was his responsibility. If he wanted my help, I would give it, but I was done trying to tell him what to do.

Something amazing happened when I did that. Both of us changed.

I quit looking at his faults. I started focusing on the things that he did well, and that I liked about him. When he did something I didn't like, I didn't say anything. I quit complaining to my friends. And when I stopped speaking what I didn't like about him, I stopped thinking about it. I stopped dwelling on it.

I paid more attention to what he was doing well. I started praising him in those things. I started thanking him when he did something that made me happy. My attitude changed.

Through that, Jeff started feeling like he could do things right, or on his own. He was empowered by me instead of torn down. By changing my attitude, it changed his.

Our marriage isn't perfect now, but it's great. We don't just love each other, we actually like each other. We still argue some, but nothing like we used to.

I easily could have given up and divorced him. In my mind, everything was his fault. But  nothing I did was changing him, so I focused on what I could change. Myself and my attitude.

I make a conscious effort now not to complain to others about Jeff. I make a conscious effort to find things that he is doing that please me and praise him for it. I purposefully tell others good things that he does. I still slip up, I still make mistakes, but it's better.

After our marriage started turning around, Jeff was in his accident. I was able to use the skills I learned to take care of him during the most difficult phases of his brain injury.

And now, 7 years into our marriage... we have a wonderful marriage. We love and trust each other. We get along and are able to communicate. We are able to work through our problems instead of yelling at each other. Our arguments are much less heated and last minutes instead of days.

The key to a great marriage is to change the problems that you find within yourself instead of blaming your spouse. No matter how much of it is their fault, there is always something you can change about yourself. Unless you are perfect, you are contributing in some way to the problem. So focus on yourself and look for the good in your spouse.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Homemade Remedy Gone Wrong

There are good things and bad things about home remedies. The plus is that you can get great results for cheap, and they are way healthier than the store or medicated alternatives.

The down side is that they don't always work the way you think they will...

I've heard that coconut oil is supposed to be a really good conditioner for your hair. I read a couple blogs that said for a deep conditioning treatment, to put it on your scalp and hair, and let it sit for an hour or more before washing out.

So I tried it. And my hair is shiny...but it's because I can't get the oil out!

No joke, I have washed my hair 5 times and can't get the coconut oil out! When my hair "dries" you can't even tell because it is so greasy, it still looks wet.

I've even tried putting lots of lemon essential oil in my hair to try and dry it out. But no luck.

Here's what my hair looks like this morning, and yes it's dry, no I didn't put anything else in it.



On the plus side, I could pull it off as styling it with gel to make it curly...No?

Thursday, June 12, 2014

It's Coming

I've hinted at this before, but it's time to just say it outright...Judgement is coming for America, and America is going to crumble.

If you don't believe me, then you haven't learned anything from history. Every nation has had it's rise and fall. When the nation falls is when it gets so arrogant that it thinks it won't. America as a whole thinks it's the most powerful nation that has ever been. We are secure, and think that what we have already is the worst it will get.

But I'm telling you that the Great Depression, and 9/11 have nothing on what will come.

America has become too proud. We look to our size, money, and military strength as our security. We think no one can hurt us. We bow down to the idols of money and self-absorption. We have become so self-absorbed that we don't stop to think about what we are doing. We have completely turned from God as a nation.

Just turn on the TV. Look at a billboard. Turn on the radio. You will see sex, crude language, and homosexuality. Marriage is a joke. Abortion is a right. And we are going to pay for it.

9/11 was a warning. It was God taking his protection away from us, to show us how vulnerable we are without Him. Yet, instead of turning to Him, we turned to ourselves. We went after those who came after us. We rebuilt, and built even bigger.

Judgement is coming. If America doesn't repent of our many many sins, and start turning to God, then we are doomed to fail like every other nation before us.

I don't understand why we haven't learned from history. Biblical history is clear. Every time Israel turned from God, and turned to idols, their nation was destroyed, and they were taken captive by another nation. When they turned back to God, they were restored. Other nations throughout history have suffered the same fate when they rose to fame and fortune. They placed their security in themselves, and they were destroyed.

Not only is it coming, but it's coming soon. You have been warned. America as a whole needs to repent, or we will endure the judgement of God.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

7th Year Itch

Jeff and I just celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. I know it's not a lifetime of marriage, but we've been through A LOT in those 7 years. A brain injury being just one.

The 7th year is also when a lot of couples end up divorced.

I grew up in a family of divorce. In fact, on one side of my family, pretty much everyone has been divorced at least once.

Now that I'm older, I have married friends. I'm finding that many of them are starting to divorce as well.

It makes me wonder what the point to marriage is.

I've heard people say that you don't know if you're going to get a divorce, or you can't say you won't because you don't know what life will bring. But I thought that was the purpose of marriage. You don't know what life will bring. Things are going to change, your spouse is going to change. But if you are married you are supposed to work through it!

So if sticking together until the end isn't the point, then what is?

Seems to me that if you don't know if you'll ever get a divorce, then you shouldn't get married in the first place.

Jeff and I agreed when we got married that divorce wasn't an option. Period.

I'm human, I have definitely thought about it. There have been times when I wanted to walk away. But I knew it wasn't an option. So I didn't.

Instead, we worked through our problems. Did I mention Jeff has a brain injury? We went through some rough times with that. He changed. He has improved, but he is not and never will be the same man that I married 7 years ago. Nor will I be the same woman.

We've also dealt with a lot of other issues that we prefer to keep private. But let's just say that the 1st 3.5 years were really bad.

People change. There are rough roads in life. There will be days, weeks, even years that you may not like your spouse. But that doesn't give us the right to leave them.

There are so many excuses and reasons to get a divorce. I'm sure you'll say your reason is different. But here's what it all boils down to...

Selfishness.

If you get a divorce, you are being selfish.

Now, I know there are exceptions to that. Sometimes it's a safety issue, I get that. But those are the rare exception, not the rule.

50% of marriages ending in divorce isn't because of legitimate reasons. It's because people are selfish.

Marriage isn't about you and your happiness. However, that's why most people today are getting married. And that's why most people are getting divorces.

Marriage is about making us more like Christ. It makes us less selfish. It makes us more patient. It helps us see how patient God has to be with us.

I could go on and on about this subject. It's something I'm very passionate about. We are destroying marriage in America. It means nothing anymore.

Unless you truly believe that you won't get a divorce, you tell  yourself it's not an option no matter how bad things get, then there's no point in getting married. You might as well change your vows from "til death do us part" to "until I get tired of you."

Seriously, pull your face away from the mirror. Stop staring at yourself, and what you think you want. Start looking at your spouse and figure out what he/she needs. When you die to yourself is when you gain the most.

It doesn't matter how selfish you think your spouse is, unless you are perfect, you can change something to make your marriage better. So stop trying to change your spouse, and work on what you can change which is you. Change your perspective, change your attitude, change your habits.

Divorce among Christians really makes me mad.

"'Why then,' they asked, 'did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?' Jesus replied, 'Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.' The disciples said to him, 'If this is the situation between a husband and a wife, it is better not to marry.'" Matthew 9:7-10.

I can guarantee you, there will be no 7th year itch with Jeff and me.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Let's Talk About Essential Oils

So you've probably noticed from some of my posts that I've started using Essential Oils. You might be wondering what they are or why I'm so crazy about them.

Basically essential oils are part of plants, it's their essence or the part essential for them to have life. We have 100 trillion cells in our bodies, but one drop of Essential Oil contains about 40 million-trillion molecules. That one drop has enough molecules to cover every cell in our body with 40,000 molecules. That makes them extremely unique. They can pass into our skin, to our blood, and into our brain. Just smelling them allows them to get into your bloodstream.

I started using them because nothing else was working on my sinus problems. I'm now using them to completely replace my medicine cabinet. They work quicker than medicine, and they have no negative side effects. Plus, because they are working on the cellular level, they actually work to CORRECT the problem rather than just cover it up!

Not only that, but as I learn more about them, I discovered they are actually Biblical. There are many references to oils in the Bible. Mark 6:13 references them when Jesus sends out his disciples and it says "they drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them." I think it's amazing that God created plants with these amazing healing powers knowing that we would be able to use them.

So what's in your medicine cabinet?


Essential oils can replace everything in this picture. They are good for pain, allergies, sleep, headaches, colds, sinuses, heartburn, and many other ailments. 

Let's look at peppermint essential oil for an example. This one oil helps with headaches, stomach aches, gas, diarrhea, nausea, inflammation, sinus problems, coughs, weight loss, and it's a great additive if you want to make your own toothpaste. These are all ways that I have used peppermint oil, but there are so many other uses for it as well. You can even use it in cooking!


It is important to note what kind of essential oils I use because there are different kinds. Most of the oils you find in stores are aroma or food grade. The kind of oil I'm talking about is Therapeutic Grade which means it has medicinal properties. It's more potent than what you will find in a store, and it's not diluted in any way.

Now that I've started using them, I LOVE them! I decided to become a distributor so that I don't have to pay for my oil addiction out of my own pocket. ;) 

So if you want to learn more about essential oils, or want to get your own, visit my website at cnbachus.wix.com/m613oils 


Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Fed Up

What has our society come to that I feel more self-conscious wearing a modest bathing suit than a skimpy bikini?

I won't get into the whole modesty debate and whether I think it's right for you. I don't think bad about you if you wear a bikini, but I have recently felt convicted to start wearing a more modest bathing suit. It has nothing to do with having something to hide. Granted I don't look like I did when I was 20, but I don't look bad either.  I just feel that I don't need to put my body on display for everyone to see every inch of it.

So this past week I went swimsuit shopping for a more modest swimsuit. And it actually made me feel horrible about my body.

Every swimsuit I tried on made me feel like I was trying to cover up or hide something. My generation wear bikinis until they have kids, and then feel like they need to cover up their stomachs. So I felt like I was joining the "mom" crowd.

Then when I was out this weekend wearing my modest tankini, I felt old. All the other girls, except of course the ones who have had kids, were all wearing their cute, skimpy, bikinis. And there I was, all covered up.

That's absolutely ridiculous! Society has fed me so many lies that I feel like I'm only beautiful or attractive if I "show off what God gave me." If I try to cover up, then it's only because I have something to hide.

I'm fed up with it. I'm fed up with society and the media. I'm fed up with the lies that we are told about our bodies.

I have pretty good self-esteem. I'm realistic about my body. I know I have a few extra pounds that I could probably lose, but I'm by no means fat. I think I'm pretty, and attractive.

For me to take a hit to my self-esteem because I want to show less of my body is stupid. There is something wrong with the messages that the media is sending us. What ever happened to leaving something to the imagination?

I'm done with letting the media or society tell me what is attractive. I am attractive. And I don't have to strut around in a string bikini to know that. And there is something wrong if we think we do.


Thursday, May 8, 2014

My No 'Poo Experiment

I've been slowing transitioning to chemical free products. My newest experiment with this was to go no 'poo. What is no 'poo you might be wondering? It's short for no shampoo. I've stopped using shampoo and conditioner on my hair.

I did lots of research on how to do this so I could have the best results. The best blog I found was from Code Red Hat and you can read it here. I knew it would take some time for my hair to adjust to this. Shampoos basically strip your hair of all the natural oils. So you end up having to produce more to make up for it. This is why we have to wash our hair so often. Therefore, your hair will need to go through a transition period while it adjusts to not needing to overproduce oils.

So how do I get my hair clean? I premixed 2 bottles ahead of time so it would be easier.

Shampoo Mixture: 1 Tbl Baking Soda and 1 Cup water. I also added a few drops of lavender. Although, I think I will try Tea Tree Oil when I make my next batch.
Conditioner Mixture: 1 Tbl Apple Cider Vinegar and 1 Cup water.

Here is my before picture. This was the last time I washed my hair with shampoo and conditioner. I dried it with the hair dryer, but didn't do anything else to it. Notice how frizzy it is.


I told myself I'd give it 6 weeks to try. Some people have a harder time transitioning than others, so I decided to give myself long enough to see results. In the transition period I expected to have gross oily hair and was fully prepared to wear my hair in a ponytail every day.

The first wash wasn't too bad, but actually washing my hair was not what I expected. It really just felt like I was washing my hair with water. There was no lather, so I kept putting more and more of the mixture on my hair to make sure I had enough. But I scrubbed my hair like I would with shampoo. I only did my scalp with the baking soda mixture, then I left it in while I finished my shower. I found that a squeeze bottle worked well for this mixture.

Then I rinsed it out and used a spray bottle to spray the length of my hair with the apple cider vinegar mixture. Boy did that smell! But I rubbed it into the length of my hair (not my scalp) and then rinsed it with cold water. Once it was all rinsed out, my hair did not smell like vinegar.

I fixed my hair like I normally do, just brush and blow dry. It was a little oily but not too bad.

I did this every other day. By the 2nd and 3rd time I was definitely noticing the oiliness. However, it also started getting a weird waxy feel to it. It felt gross. I got a 100% boar hair bristled brush because it was supposed to distribute the natural oils evenly, that seemed to help a little.

The 4th wash, I added lemon to my baking soda mixture because it was supposed to help with the oiliness. It did seem to help. But after a couple washes I noticed my hair becoming too dry so I quit.

It's been 2 weeks since I took the before picture and I already notice a difference in my hair. The oiliness and waxy feeling are gone and my hair is shinier. I've even gotten compliments on how good it looks. It also doesn't seem as frizzy. Here's a picture from this morning. Again, all I did was brush and blow dry my hair.


I like the way my hair looks and feels way better now. It doesn't seem as thick and unmanageable. I have these weird wavy curls in random spots on the back of my head, but with with no 'poo they seem a little straighter.

Not only does my hair look and feel better, but no 'poo is WAY less expensive than commercial shampoos and conditioners! I doubt I'll be going back!

I get my essential oils from Young Living. To get your own essential oils click here to visit my website.















Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Why I Beleive

People are Christians for many different reasons. Some are simply afraid they will go to hell if they don't. Others believe because it's what they've been taught. Some because they think it makes them lead a better life.

I believe because of what I've seen evidenced in my life.

I've seen what happens to my life when I turn from God. I end up feeling hopeless, depressed, and bad stuff starts happening in my life. I always made the biggest mistakes when I wasn't walking with Christ.

I have also seen what my life is like with Christ as the center. I have joy, hope, and peace. I am able to withstand the trials of life, and my mistakes aren't quite as bad. I've seen God help me through the difficult times and give me strength to endure them.

Then there have been miracles that I've witnessed and watched God provide in impossible circumstances.

I witnessed my husband make a full recovery from a brain injury when he was supposed to need 24-hr care for the rest of his life. God answered very specific prayers during those times.

I watched God provide for us financially during that same time when neither one of us had any income.

I am different because of the changes God has made in me.

I believe in God because He gives me a purpose for my life. I believe because I hate my life without Him. I believe because there is no way that I would be where I am in life without Him. I am able to have peace and joy in my life through all circumstances. Even when my husband was lying unconscious in a hospital room, I had peace that whatever happened, God was in control.

I believe because God loved me so much, He sent His only Son to die for my sins even though I did nothing to deserve it. I believe because I can't deny what God has done in my life.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Benefits of Coconut Oil

My newest favorite thing is coconut oil! It’s awesome and can be used for just about everything!

Here are 10 ways that I’ve used it and my thoughts:

1. Shaving cream: This left pretty bad razor burn. I saw a recipe though to make an actual shaving cream as opposed to using straight coconut oil that I want to try. I’ll keep you posted when that happens.

2. After shave cream: Worked great on the razor burn left from shaving with it! It was very soothing. I added a little lavender and that makes it even better.

3. Lotion: Makes my skin super soft, but a little goes a long way! (You can read about that lesson here)

4. Toothpaste: I used it as a base for a toothpaste recipe I found, it works great, but doesn’t feel like the toothpaste I’m used to. It does help with my teeth sensitivity though and my teeth seem whiter.

5. Oil Pulling: You are probably wondering “what in the world is oil pulling?” Well I’m glad you asked…All you do is put a tablespoon of coconut oil in your mouth and gently swish around in your mouth for 15-20 minutes. I add a drop of Thieves to mine, it helps with the taste, and it kills germs so that’s an added plus. It has all kinds of great benefits. The benefits that I’ve noticed are less teeth sensitivity, whitens, cleans, breaks down tarter build up, freshens breath, and helps with swollen or red gums. I’ve heard that it can also help with headaches, detox, and even reverse tooth decay!

6. Sunburns: Last time I had a sunburn, I used this and didn’t even peel! I did add lavender to the coconut oil for the sunburn.

7. Bug Bites: Helps reduce the itching. (Again, the lavender was added-really I just made a jar of coconut and lavender cause the 2 are great together).

8. Eye Makeup Remover: Worked great, and it even doubles as a wrinkle cream, left my eyes feeling very soft.

9. Hair Serum: Only use a tiny bit cause otherwise it will make your hair greasy! When I used the right amount, it helped with the frizz and made my hair smoother.

10. Hair Conditioner: Made my hair soft and smooth.

And don’t forget that it is food, so it’s also great for cooking!

You can get coconut oil at most grocery or health food stores, just make sure it's organic, unrefined, and cold pressed.

If you are wondering where you can get your own Thieves and/or Lavender you can do so on Young Living's Website just make sure that when it asks for the Sponsor and Enroller ID you enter #1671443. Or you can visit My Website.

Have you used coconut oil? If so, what for, and how did it work?

Welcome to my Blog

Welcome to the Bachus Blog.

I previously had a blog called How I Survived My Husband's Brain Injury, however I wanted to have more freedom in what I posted, and not feel like it had to relate to a brain injury. If you would like to read previous posts from that blog you can do so here: www.howisurvivedmyhusbandsbraininjury.blogspot.com

I may still post blogs about my experience with brain injuries, but the blogs will vary much more than before. Now you will find blogs on marriage, religion, essential oils, my "weird hippie" experiments, and more!

So stay tuned!