Your Life As Art Photography by Pam

Living in Disarray | My Renovation Life

Im going to get a bit personal here. My life feels like its been in disarray for the past almost 6 months… hmmm maybe even 7.

A renovation which was anticipated to be “simple”, has been a challenge. A reminder of why we moved from our first home… to get away from the massive extensive renovations!

With the idea of removing the old flat carpet downstairs and installing nice laminate turned into completely gutting rooms of carpet, drywall, insulation, framing and then having to properly seal, insulate and re-construct! With each room we have renovated things have gotten worse :( Its busy when you are both working full time and me building my doTERRA Wellness Business as well.

In the couple weeks Ive felt low on energy, unmotivated and a very blah feeling. It feels like we’ve been living in disarray the entire renovation process. Clutter is not good for my own well-being, it feels suffocating, overwhelming, and anxious.

Here is a glimpse into my family room… GAH!!!

This is the result of moving two complete bedrooms into the family room while renovating them completely. Then having to completely gut the bathroom as well – which is still only 1/2 done.

Too much stuff!

Need for organization!

Such an overwhelming feeling – where to even begin!

If I am feeling like this… how the heck is this affecting my kids?

They thrive on organization, they are much more self sufficient when everything has a place and they each have their own space. This disarray weight has already begun to show in the kids as well. They haven’t been as happy as they have been. We’ve noticed this, we’ve talked about it, about being more organized, about doing this and that or what needs to be done.Its been too easy this summer – with the amazing weather we’ve been having – to just “do it later”…

For all of our own mental health and wellbeing this has now officially become the MAIN focus for our family – together.

The first significant step is recognizing and admitting… This is crazy overwhelming to me! From gutting room by room downstairs to pulling ALL the brick off the back of our house… thanks water damage! Sigh…

The good news is our local Cancer Patient Services Thrift Store will be getting a lot of great donations to find a more functional and suitable home to suit each item!

I envision the end, I can picture it in my mind. Its so close I can feel how amazing it feels to come home and be able to relax and hang out together vs having a list of on-going projects and renovations.

I honestly thought it was overwhelming in our first house when we renovated our livingroom in the first house… a fun flash back!

2006-02-26 Livingroom reno & 11w2d Belly 002 2006-04-07 Living room complete & 17 Weeks 001

And the living room was after the extensive reno of the entire 2nd floor to transform into our master suite!

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger… hell freaking ya!

Thankfully these were both done before kids… however while also trying to conceive (during the master reno) and then pregnant while during the living room reno! Apparently we were destined to renovate and customize our dream home and here we are… finally “at home” at last!

The time is now to bite the bullet and dig in… with working together as a family to keep the daily life rolling forward more smoothly and gettin ‘er done!

Tonight we all pitched in… I had Peace in the diffuser and although it looks slightly more in disarray now, we made significant progress… to be continued!

I can do this. We can do this. My goal for our family is 1 year… to be all done and sitting in the sun!

Getaway at the Cottage | My Family

This past long weekend my family and I took an extra long weekend and enjoyed a couple days just the four of us before our family and friends joined us on Friday!
What a fantastic weekend – the company, weather, water, food, drinks… just fabulous! Hope you had a great weekend as well with your loved ones! Its early to bed for all of us ;)

My oils came in handy this weekend. My little man had a cut which we were able to gently and thoroughly cleanse, we were protected from the bugs – they don’t like our Terra Shield spray blend hehehe, the kids slept soundly with Wild Orange and Serenity!

Preparing for back to School | Focus & Immune Boost

With back to school a little over a month away this month is amazing to stock up on the “Back to School” Essentials!

These 4 items are what I would consider key for back to school!

Fractionated Coconut Oil is what we use as a “carrier” for the essential oils. This provides the oil a slower absorption rate and a greater coverage area. Using the FCO also lowers the chance of developing a skin sensitivity that you may develop by using the same oils or blend every single day.

In Tune is the focus blend. This blend includes oils which assist the mind to be grounded and concentrate. “This blend is all so known as The Oil of Presence. In contrast to Lemon oil, The Oil of Focus, Focus Blend calms the mind, facilitating inner peace. Whereas Lemon activates the mind, Focus Blend quiets and grounds mental forces.” (Emotions and Essential Oils 2015) This blend comes in a convenient roller bottle and the main oils includes Amyris, Patchouli, Frankincense, Lime, Ylang-ylang.

Lemon, as mentioned above is The Oil of Focus. This oil stimulates the mind to assist in concentration. “It teaches individuals to be mentally present by focusing on one thing at a time.” “Lemon calms fears and insecurities while restoring confidence in the Self”. (Emotions and Essential Oils 2015). Lemon is also beneficial to relieve colds and coughs, cleanse the skin, remove grease or sticky labels and more!

On Guard is a powerhouse of a blend. This can be diluted and applied to the bottle of the feet, spine or in the diffuser. It’s effective as an all purpose cleaner, will cleanse the air when diffused and has a beautiful spicy sweet aroma with Cinnamon, Wild Orange and Clove. This blend is know as The Oil of Protection. “This blend’s protective properties, however, extend beyond the physical level by aiding individuals in warding off energetic parasites.” “The protective blend strengthens one’s immune system, which governs the ability to defend against attacks from physical pathogens and negative energies.” (Emotions and Essential Oils 2015).

This month you have the opportunity to receive On Guard and Lemon for free and In Tune is 10% off!!!

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Place a 150PV Canadian Order (OTG) and receive On Guard and Lime FREE!!! We have these two in the diffuser now and they smell incredible together!

Place a 160PV US Order (NFR) and receive Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint 15ml Trio for FREE!!!

If you are not working with someone with doTERRA I would love to help you get started on your journey! I am passionate about my team and our health and wellness. I provide on going support and education for safely using the oils along with some excellent resources which have been a valuable asset these past couple years!

Hope you had a fantastic long weekend :) Let me know if you have any questions!

Remove Toxins From Your Life | Top 50 Health and Wellness Tips

Check it out! Hot off the presses… the top 50 Health and Wellness Tips from REAL people making a difference!!!

I’m loving tip #30… It’s mine!!!

http://www.flipsnack.com/9DFD697EFB5/defyeneurs-fall-2016-issue.html?b=1&p=46

My tips for a healthy and well life are simple. Remove toxins from your life, this includes chemicals and people! Shift your health care focus from problem solving to preventative maintenance. Support your body’s natural processes to become healthier; when we are healthier we are happier! Listen to your heart and gut; know that it’s ok to say no to others! Most important put yourself first, make time for being with people you love and doing things you enjoy!

I am so excited to inspire others to make a positive changes for their life, their body, mind and soul!

Savour Life and Return to Love | doTERRA Black Pepper & Basil

After hearing some very heart breaking news today, this evening I asked The Spirit Plant Essential Oil Cards which 2 oils I should use in the diffuser. I found this incredible which two oils were suggested.

So tonight while enjoying this diffuser blend I wanted to share this with you. A reminder to truly open up your heart and mind to what you really love, where you are most at comfortable and feel strength.

I am so very grateful and thankful for everyone in my life, past, present and future. For those in the past have shaped me to where I am today through happiness, sadness and challenges. I am grateful and thankful for our home, being able to provide a beautiful home for our children to grow in and to make it our own. A reminder to take everyday full open with love and happiness.

Black Pepper – Return to Love – The Oil of Unmasking

From the Spirit Plant Essential Oil Cards this oil is known to help with the release of grey energy, spiritual, emotional or mental darkness and strength to overcome crisis. Its time to return to love where you are most at home and where you are yourself.

From the Emotions and Essential Oils book Black Pepper is known as The Oil of Unmasking. Black Pepper reveals the masks and facades used to hide aspects of the Self. Black Pepper invites individuals to “get real” by digging deep within the less understood parts of the Self. With positive properties of emotional honesty, authentic, courageous, motivated, self aware and personal integrity.

Basil – Savour Life – The Oil of Renewal

From the Spirit Plant Essential Oil Cards this oil is known to help with being present, enjoying pleasure, experiencing life to the fullest, when questioning, ‘what’s next’ in your life. To slow down and taste your life. Use your senses to connect with the life that’s all around you.

From the Emotions and Essential Oils book Basil is known as The Oil of Renewal. The smell of basil oil brings strength to the heart and relaxation to the mind. This oil is excellent for nervous, anxious or sad feelings. It gives hope and optimism to the tired soul. Basil has positive properties of energized, renewed, rejuvenated, rested and strengthened.

Sources

Emotions and Essential Oils Book – http://www.enlightenhealing.com/about/

Plant Spirit Essential Oil Cards App – http://www.plantspiritmessages.com/

Empowered Femininity | doTERRA Diffuser Blend

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My evening oils consisted of Women’s Blend, Wintergreen, Ginger and Calming Blend – Serenity.

I used the Spirit Plant Cards ap and their “My reading” option.

I then read in the Emotions and Essential Oils resource book.

Women ‘s Blend is The Oil of Femininity. This blend supports a woman with feeling kind, accepted, teachable and adaptable.

Wintergreen is The Oil of Surrender. This oil “can assist a strong willed individual in letting go…” and has positive feelings of inner strength and relying on the divine.

Ginger is The Oil of Empowerment. This oil can emotionally support someone who feels stuck or on a negative path of blame and misfortune. Ginger has positive emotional support of feeling empowered, purposeful, capable, accountable and responsible.

Calming Blend – Serenity is The Oil of Forgiveness. “Calming Blend has a powerful effect on the heart…”, “When an individual expects too much from others, Calming Blend can relax their perfectionistics expectations”. Calming Blend is emotionally Calming of feelings, accepting, forgiving, compassionate, receptive and tender hearted.

This is tonight’s diffuser blend. 3 drops of Serenity, 3 drops of Wintergreen and 1 of Ginger with Whisper on my wrists and neck.

Truly amazing how our bodies know what we need emotionally. We are drawn to the oils which our bodies emotionally need support with.

#DiffuserBlends #doTERRA #EssentialOils #oilyphotographer #ouroilylife

Pam McLellan Zmija
Ask me about “Our Oily Life”!
Www.yourlifeasartessentials.com

Fun in the Sun | Sunburn & Sunset

What a gorgeous weekend to be at the beach! The water, sand and sun was simply fabulous – so warm, refreshing and calming! In and out of the water proved to heat things up with some of us getting a little extra sun. Imagine that, me as a red head under an umbrella for the better part of the day getting a sunburn ;)

I mixed up this super easy DIY Sunburn Soothing Relief with Aloe Vera Gel, 10 drops each of Lavender, Melalueca (Tea Tree), Frankincense with 8 drops of Peppermint. Cooling and very soothing to the skin with wonderful skin healing benefits as well.

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At least once each summer I take all the kids on a photo walk – the mere purpose of getting similar photos each year of all the kids on the beach in the same area. This year they had some beautiful ideas of their own which really personalized the shots. I am so incredibly happy with them! These are my littles – they didn’t even plan to match and they did perfectly ;)

Saturday evening I had some time to myself – completely alone after dinner so I went for a drive to capture the sunset. Boy was it simply amazing. The sun rays came directly to me. I sat for an entire hour, by myself on the beach. It was relaxing, refreshing, cleansing and energizing all at the same time.

This little dude came along while I was enjoying the scenery and hung out with me the entire time I sat there.

Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank.

I can still feel the warmth and energy of the sunlight shining directly at me.

“Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows.”
― Helen Keller

The windows of my soul I throw
Wide open to the sun.
~John Greenleaf Whittier, My Psalm

We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”
– Jawaharlal Nehru

A Solid Foundation of Wellness | doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Supplements

The lifelong vitality supplements is a pack that is on my loyalty rewards order every month. For anyone like me with an invisible illness (PCOS, Hypothroidism and Endometriosis) these supplements are what I personally consider a must!

Since beginning with the LLV Supplements I am feeling my body is much more balanced, I am also not as sensitive to sugar as I was before – yes even the natural sugars in fruits or honey! PCOS affects our insulin and many women end up developing diabetes. I feel like the me I never truly knew, the woman who has an abundance of energy and life within her to live each day to its fullest with my family! A true blessing and one that after years of trying this and that I have found what fits exactly right for me, my body and my health!

From the doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Booklet:
Our lifelong health and vitality depend on many factors including diet, physical activity, weight management, rest, stress management, exposure to toxins, and inherited genetic predisposition for disease or wellness. While some of these variables are beyond our complete control, breakthrough scientific research is revealing many ways we can influence—and even control—significant factors of aging and wellness. A long life full of vitality and healthy aging begins with providing your cells with essential nutrients and metabolic factors to help them perform optimally.

To read more about the LLV Supplements click the image below.

UPDATE to the formula!!!

doTERRA BOGO – Lotus Diffuser & Free Douglas Fir AND Grapefruit | TODAY ONLY

doTERRA always saves their absolute best BOGO for the last day ;)

This can even be added to your first enrollment order – so if your first order is 150PV and included the Lotus Diffuser that means you would get 4 OILS FREE – Douglas Fir, Grapefruit, Cheer and Motivate!!!

If you need help setting up a wholesale account please let me know before 8pm today! If you feel comfortable doing this yourself ensure you follow step by step instructions to ensure it is processed correctly!

TODAY ONLY (Friday, July 22, 2016). Buy 1 Lotus Diffuser get 1 Douglas Fir AND 1 Grapefruit FREE!

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We can’t say enough good things about these oils! First of all, Douglas Fir and Grapefruit smell AMAZING paired and individually. Both promote a POSITIVE mood and sense of focus and are both cleansing to the skin when applied topically. Douglas Fir promotes feelings of clear airways and easy breathing and Grapefruit helps to support a healthy metabolism.*

The doTERRA Lotus Diffuser’s slender design takes up minimal surface space while being a great decorative piece. Its ultra-fine mist reaches up to 330 square feet.

Click here to learn about the Lotus Diffuser: http://doterra.com/US/en/p/usage-lotus-diffuser

Click here to learn about Douglas Fir: http://doterra.com/US/en/p/douglas-fir-oil

Click here to learn about Grapefruit: http://doterra.com/US/en/p/grapefruit-oil

Click here to view the official BOGO rules: http://bit.ly/29Vbzpi

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Backyard Nature Photography | Flowers and Birds

One of my favourite things about our back yard is nature. We have so many gorgeous flowers which over the years have multiplied and a gorgeous and calming sound of a great variety of birds as well!

How gorgeous is the back of this flower? Isn’t it just beautiful. The range of colour, so deep and rich! I just had to capture it. As the saying goes, “don’t judge a book by its cover”!

Macro love <3
I was thrilled to see so many of these little birds in our back yard. I pulled up a chair under the tree and simply waited with my camera, happily enjoying the sounds of nature. This little one was a little timid at first, then was quite happy to flit around!

More new friends!

When getting up close and personal to nature I always like to keep my Terra Shield close by! SO many bugs are turned off by the smell – which leaves us happily bug free ;)