The Fox Adventure

distress, comfort, endurance

September 2, 2019

Most of this year I have been camped out in the Old Testament. I’m talking like base camp. It took me reading 2 Corinthians chapter one and listening to Annie F Downs’ podcast to realize why I was spending so much time reading these ancient stories of God’s chosen people.

Verse six says, “If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.”

It’s not always linear: distress, comfort, and then endurance. The beauty of this walk with Jesus is in our distress, there is comfort. You can’t just tell stories after you’ve been comforted. Keep telling stories. Even in the hurt. Those stories in the midst of chaos and confusion are the ones that shine the brightest in the darkness. They shed the light of salvation and provide the confidence of true comfort.

When we tell the story from a mountaintop perspective, others find comfort and endurance. Those who are walking through the valley go, okay, I can survive this too. It reminds us that sunny days aren’t promised but God’s presence is, and He is there within the heartache – that is why you keep pressing on.

I realized I have been gleaning comfort and endurance through the lives of God’s people.
▫️Watching God’s faithfulness play out in Sarah’s life.
▫️Seeing over and over how God never left nor forsake Joshua.
▫️Finding how to persevere from the story of Ruth and Naomi.
▫️Learning how to wrestle with God through Habakkuk’s account.
▫️Searching Esther for how to wait on God.

The Lord put a whisper in my heart to share my story of distress, my story of longing and waiting to be a mother. Obeying God can be hard, we have a choice to ignore his calling or to walk faithfully with Him. My prayer from the beginning was that He uses this for His glory. I am choosing to lean in. I am choosing to share this story.

Fertility has been a topic that is not discussed enough, it’s a hard, emotional and different for every couple. Andrew and I have been trying to get pregnant for over two years. When we got married at 20, we had a lot of growing to do, personally and as a couple. We wanted to grow together before we brought a human into this world. Both of our parents had no trouble conceiving, so in our minds, there would be no issue for us. We both had magic ages for when we should start trying, Andrew’s was 27 years old and mine was 25 years old. We meant in the middle and went off birth control shortly after our 26th birthdays. We could have never imaged two years later, we would still be hoping, wishing and dreaming to be a mother and a father.

These two years: “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” Matthew 7:25

If the foundation was our righteousness, we would have crumbled. If it was our strength, we would have folded. If the foundation the Fox family was built on anything less then the one who is faithful – we would have quit. But God’s character and compelling grace have kept us going.

xx katie
Essential Rewards

August 2, 2019

The Scoop on Essential Rewards

Let’s imagine that your go-to shopping spots for home, wellness, and personal care products (think Target, Amazon, Costco) offered you a whopping 25% back on your purchases! It would be a no brainer to shop there–am I right?! DID YOU KNOW that Young Living offers this?! True story! So here’s the added bonus…. EVEN if you have ZERO interest in oils (which could never be the case), you can buy safe/clean products (i.e. shampoo, detergent, dish soap, hand soap, shave oil, lotion, kids products, baby products, vitamins and MORE) in your customizable, monthly order option. You will first get 10% back EVERY one of the orders, then 20% then 25% back always and forever!!!!

the highlights:

* You can customize your order on any day of the month up until the day your order ships.
* Discounted, exclusive shipping rates.
* You can cancel at any time.
* The minimum monthly order is 50PV. PV means points value, which means approximately $50.
* An amazing, economical way to begin a cleanout of your toxic household products one order at a time.

My Ditch & Switch Commitment

I lived in denial about the toxins lurking in my household products for a long time (toxins known to disrupt hormones, quicken aging, interfere with fertility, cause cancer, and more). After using the Think Dirty App (check it out for the full scoop about all the products you’re using on your body and in your home–it’s scary but so enlightening), I quickly became motivated to apply my best efforts at making our home healthier. Andrew and I were about to start trying to grow our family, I felt strongly about creating a healthier living environment for ourselves and our future children.

But the task of switching everything out for non-toxic and natural alternatives seemed like an overwhelming project…and quite frankly, it seemed expensive. It was an ah-ha! moment for me when I was introduced to the concept of “ditch & switch”. Basically, now I utilize the perks of my Essential Rewards to slowly switch out those yucky products for toxin-free alternatives every month, one order at a time. So for my first month, I switched out all my surface cleaners with the Thieves Household Cleaning line. The following month, laundry products…and so on! I felt empowered about the healthy changes I was making in my home without the stress of going over budget (and just remember, you’re simply replacing purchases you would already be making at other stores).

xx. katie
FAQ

June 5, 2019

⋒ What are essential oils?

Essential oils are a highly concentrated version of the natural oils in plants.

They are obtained by a distilling process that involves every part of the plant, including roots, leaves, stems, flowers, and bark, resulting in oil containing the fragrance and healing properties of the plant. You can think of the oil as a plant’s immune system; it is the life-blood of the plant!

Essential oils can provide support to every system of our bodies, including hormones, nervous system, and metabolism. It only takes 2 minutes for oil molecules to hit the bloodstream, and only 20 minutes to affect every cell in your body!

⋒ What do we use oils for?

For just about everything!! Whether you are looking for oils to help you sleep, for natural immune system support, for energy, for focus, for relaxation, for your kids, for natural alternatives to cleaning products, the list is endless, there is an oil for that!! And you will learn along the way, there aren’t hard set rules, but part of joining our oils team is that you get access to the most amazing resources & our private facebook community.

⋒ Why Young Living?

YL has an unmatched Seed to Seal process to guarantee the purity & potency of every oil. Each batch of oils is rigorously tested in house for therapeutic viability & they are so confident in their products that you can actually visit the farms & participate in the harvest/distillation process.

⋒ How do we use oils?

There are three ways that you can use Young Living essential oils. Since Young Living’s oils are 100% pure therapeutic grade, they are safe to use in the following three ways:

1. Aromatically: Use an essential oils diffuser, inhale directly from the bottle, or place a drop in the palms of your hands and cup over your nose. This is the most gentle way to use essential oils.

2. Topically: Dilute with a carrier oil or apply ‘neat’ to your skin either directly at the source of concern or on the corresponding Vita Flex point on your feet. (some require a carrier oil like coconut oil, you’ll learn all about that later!), you can make rollerball combos, creams, sprays, and just about anything!!

3. Internally: Mix with water or use a clear vegetable capsule (with carrier added to the essential oil in your capsule) to ingest, add oils to water (always use a glass cup). Some oils can also be used in cooking and baking. NOTE: This can only be done with therapeutic grade essential oils and it is a personal decision to ingest. We recommend that before you decide to ingest, research for yourself to find your comfort level. Young Living’s Vitality line is GRAS approved (Generally Regarded as Safe) for internal usage.

⋒ How will I learn how to use my kit?

You’ll get plenty of reading material with your kit, but as mentioned above, you’ll get access to our exclusive Facebook community full of amazing resources like how to use each oil in your kit, which oils to avoid around kids or while pregnant/nursing, and all of the dilution ratios for individual oils. We have classes, books, live facebook hangouts & search functionality that will help you navigate through any questions you might have.

⋒ What should I get?

A premium starter kit, which comes with 12 of the most commonly used oils + your diffuser (I recommend the Desert Mist or the Aria to start out), is the best value & provides you with everything you need to get started. You’ll get over $300 worth of product for only $165.

⋒ Do you have to order more oils monthly or sell them?

Nope! Your kit can be a one time purchase, but along with it comes a wholesale membership, which just means that should you decide to purchase oils in the future, you would get a 24% discount!

You will also get a personal referral link should you ever decide that you want to share them, but neither is required. As a wholesale member, you will never ever be pressured to sell or share about your oils. You can simply enjoy our oily community–facebook group, classes, etc., and get your wholesale discount on all Young Living products.

However, if you ARE ever interested in starting your own business to sell Young Living products, our team will set you up for success with plenty of resources! We have a mentorship & tons of training videos to help you!

⋒ Are there any yearly fees?

The Young Living wholesale membership is included FREE with the purchase of a premium starter kit. Once you are a wholesale member, you receive 24% off all purchases of Young Living products! There is no monthly fee to maintain membership and no renewal fee. The only condition of maintaining membership is that you order at least 50pv (approx $50) of product per year, otherwise your membership would go on hold due to inactivity, and you would have to contact Young Living to reinstate it (but there would still be no renewal fee).

⋒ What’s the difference between Doterra & Young Living?

Both companies make very high-quality essential oils. Young Living, however, has been in business longer (YL founded in 1993, and DoTerra in 2008), which not only means that Young Living has a better-established track record of quality, but they also offer a much broader range of products. Additionally, only Young Living is committed to quality and control from “seed to seal.” For a great article comparing the two companies, check out this comparison.

⋒ I’ve heard you talk a lot about rollers – – what’s the deal with them?

Rollers are a great way to apply oils topically. Don’t be intimidated, it’s fun and easy to make your own rollers of all your favorite oil blends! I have quite a few highlights on this very topic!

⋒ How & why do you use a diffuser?

Diffusers are a super-easy way to use oils aromatically for therapeutic use, and to make your house smell great! It’s one of the best ways to get oils around/in your body! I have a diffuser in every room in our house!
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HOW TO PICK A DIFFUSER BLEND:
The key is to choose a diffuser blend based on your wellness need. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀
1️⃣ HOW DO YOU WANT TO FEEL
Ask yourself – “How am I feeling?” 👉🏼 “Would you benefit from access to more energy? more focus? calm? rest? or boosted immune system? The good news is: there’s a diffuser blend for that. Follow your mood, your wellness & your nose to the blend best suited to helping you meet that need” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2️⃣ PICK YOUR OILS
Oils are hecka versatile. ex: lavender can help you sleep AND help ya focus. Remember – everybody’s bodies are different, so this is where you wanna use intuition & good ole trial and error. Take the lids off, hold the bottles up to your nose to get a whiff, and see if it suits your fancy!

Here’s a little cheat sheet of oils by category:
⋒ CALM: Lavender, Stress Away, Northern Lights, Palo Santo, White Angelica
⋒ FOCUS: Frankincense, Rosemary, Vetiver, Orange, Geneyus blend ⠀⠀⠀⠀
⋒ ENERGY: Peppermint, citrus oils, Basil, Geranium
⋒ HAPPY: any citrus oil, Joy blend, Valor, Spearmint, Inner Child ⠀⠀⠀⠀
⋒ WELL: Thieves, Raven, Oregano, Frankincense
⋒ REST: Chamomile, Cedarwood, Dream Catcher blend, Patchouli

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3️⃣ CHOOSE THE RATIO OF DROPS
It’s important to think about the aroma strength of the oils you’ve picked! If one aroma is very powerful, you would not want to blend equal amounts because it’ll overtake the others. A great example of this is rosemary is STRONG & will overpower lavender.

Any more questions? 👇 Ask away.

xx. katie
Starter Kit Oils

April 30, 2019

THE STARTER KIT BUNDLES YOUNG LIVING’S 12 MOST POPULAR, VERSATILE OILS WITH A BEAUTIFUL DIFFUSER.

this is how I got started with oils! & how I recommend everyoneeee gets started! it’s by far the most cost-effective, versatile way.

CHECK OUT THESE IMAGES FOR A BREAKDOWN OF EACH INCREDIBLE OIL, INCLUDING WHY I LOVE + HOW I USE EACH ONE!
Grandma Frizell’s Cookies

February 15, 2018

This last week I have been teaching my students a unit on kindness. As I was planning these lessons my mind started wandering to my Grandma Frizell, one of the kindest people I have ever known. Teaching this around Valentine’s Day only made me think of her more, since its been a little over two years since she went to be with the Lord. It was an easy decision to get in the kitchen and cover my hands in flour, as a way to show my students how I (like my grandma) like to display kindness and love to others – through baking.

As I was elbows deep in flour, I my heart filled with joy at the thought of all the people my grandma touched through these cookies. All the family members, classmates, church members, teachers, teammates, people in the community – thousands of people. If you lived in Smithville you probably had a Grandma Frizell Cookie. I remember how when I would look in her pocketbook (what she called a purse) she had a snack size ziplock baggie with cookies – in case someone needed a pick-me up. Today, as my class went around the school and gave out these heart shaped cookies, my own heart could have not been happier.

When I got married, my grandma gifted me with her secret reciple that not even my mother had a copy. After about 6 years of making these on my own, this was the closest I have ever been for these to be Grandma Frizell worthy. [though I don’t think they will ever be as good as her’s] I am so happy to be able to carry on her love of these cookies, even in my own small way.