Small bites of life and a recipe

Did a bit a of calendar and planning session this morning and realized that we are going to be home in our own beds less days in July than we are going to be other places. I am so thankful that I have the summer off to be home with the kids and that we are able to give them new experiences. But I freaked out a bit too.

When I freak out I make lists. Packing lists, menu lists, shopping lists, to do lists. It gets a bit out of hand, really. And I used to let the freak-out and panic take control and I ended up freezing and not getting anything done. However since I added essential oils to our lives, I can use their support to clear the fog and focus on accomplishing the things on the list (s).

So, I rolled on my stress relief and focus oil blends, made my lists and realized that I don't need to eat the whole elephant today. Instead, I looked at the next three days, reorganized my thoughts and focused on what I can do, rather than what I can't.

One of the goals I have for myself over the next few months is to remember that I have tools to cope with a great many things. I have changed so many things in our lives because of essential oils and I want to keep making those small changes and keep relying on them as important tools in our lives.

Anyway, I am sure that I will be talking about my oils journey in the space again. They are practically a member of the family at this point.

So, back to the plan for the next few days. I LOVE the Independence Day holiday. Everyone is outside, relaxing, hanging out. No one makes anyone else feel guilty for how they celebrate. We all put on a bit of an air of pride at our patriotism and we celebrate. It helps that I also happen to really like fireworks too. We're not going to do anything fancy or special. We are going to relax. Then when the weekend is over, I'll focus on the next little piece of July.

When we get really busy, I try to have healthy and easy snacks on hand. My kids are definitely meat eaters, so I often make beef jerky for them. I have a batch on the dehydrator now, so I wanted to share our recipe. I prefer eye of round and have it sliced thin at the meat counter of our locally owned grocery store.

Beef Jerky
1 pound, boneless, thinly sliced beef
1/4 Cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Dash of liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients and soak meat overnight.

So simple and delicious.

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend filled with relaxation!