A Collection: Indoor Herb Garden, Essential Oils, and New Planners

I actually forgot about this type of post that I tried out in mid-2018. And I liked doing it! But then life happened ... summer, then the fall season came, and with it our big trip out east, then the holiday season. And I forgot all about it.

But here I am again, sharing a few random things that I have been enjoying recently!

Indoor Herb Garden

The first, is that we've experimenting with an indoor herb garden! We loved growing herbs last summer, and loved using them in food preparations. So very tasty! Last fall, we got the idea to see how they would grow indoors, throughout the winter. 

Our patio doors face south, which is the perfect direction to catch the best of the winter sun. We purchased a two-tiered plant stand which fits just right by the patio doors, and bought some pots, and a few fresh herbs from Mulhall's. I love having these herbs indoors, and it has been fun to snip a few leaves here and there. I admit we're still in the process of learning, as the plants are not doing quite as well now in January as we had hoped. But it has still been a fun project for the cold winter months.

Essential Oils

Another new venture for me this winter is ... trying out essential oils! I've been intrigued for awhile with all that I've heard about essential oils, and in the fall listened to a podcast that brought a lot of clarity to my mind about the benefits of their use. So ... at my suggestion, my dear hubby gave me the Young Living Premium Starter Kit for Christmas!

 

January has been a month of fun experimenting with my new oils. I've been diffusing different blends many mornings and evenings, and have also purchased some little roller bottles to use the oils topically, as well. My starter kit was purchased through Melissa Michaels of The Inspired Room, and I am loving all the tutorials on the Dwell Well Collective website, as well as on the private facebook group that Melissa and her daughters provide for those who purchase through them. You'll likely hear more as I continue to learn along this new venture.

Click here to listen to the podcast that brought clarity to my mind about the benefits of using essential oils. And click here for a great place to purchase your oils through, also a source of many very helpful tutorials.

New Planner for 2019

And what would a new year be without sharing about my planners? I love planners, as they are so very essential for me. Writing things down takes the burden of tasks and responsibilities off my shoulders. It also helps me keep on target with the things that are most important for me.

It seems that I mix up my planner routine every few years or so, as I like variety, and also, as there are many types of fun planners to use. I used Emily Ley's Simplified Planner for three years in a row recently, and really do love it. 

However, for variety, I'm trying a new idea this year. Using some fun notebooks that I purchased at Target (sold in packs of three and in a variety of patterns in 5.75 x 8.25 size), I'll be using one notebook for each month. I started this for the month of December, and am loving using a fresh notebook each month, and also am loving being able to create my own pages, using washi tape to add some color to the pages, and also adding a few printed charts I've made on my laptop.

Above are just a few of the pages that I've been preparing for the new month of February ... a monthly calendar printed from an online source, weekly calendar pages, and a chart to track good health habits. Other pages track a variety of projects and responsibilities. And the main portion of each notebook holds weekly task pages, plus daily pages. It also holds my prayer journal for the current month. 

One of the biggest benefits of using these notebooks is that they are very portable, fitting very easily into my bag when leaving home.

What has been new for you recently?

We are all made uniquely by our Creator, and it's been fun for me to share a few of the things that have given me joy at the start of this new year! I'm so thankful for the beauty all around us ... of indoor herb gardens, the scents and health benefits of essential oils, and the creativity we can use with new planners.