PUMPKIN SPICE CINNAMON ROLLS

Preheat to 350

4 1/2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast

1 cup warm water

1 teaspoon sugar

Whisk together and let sit for 5-10 minutes

Then, add in 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

Mix until you've got a huge ball of dough

Roll the dough out into a big rectangle. Cover top with two handfuls of brown sugar (about 1/2 cup) and then sprinkle on Pumpkin Pie Spice and Cinnamon until brown sugar is covered. At least do 1 Tablespoon of PPS and Cinnamon, but add more if you want!

Roll up, slice into about 10-12 rolls and place on baking sheet. No need to let rise, throw them in the oven now and bake for about 20-25 minutes. You might have to check the center of one to make sure it's cooked to your liking.

Now it's time to frost!

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2-3 Tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon Vanilla (optional)

Now add in that Pumpkin Pie Spice until you're happy...I added and mixed until I got a nice mocha color. Be warned, I used so much PPS that the rolls had a kick to them (I think from all the clove). Also, don't be afraid to double or triple the frosting recipe if you like extra!

I promise these are super easy. I can whip them up in 20 minutes and by the time they've baked and are on our plates, it's only been an hour!

Try them this Saturday morning!

PS - if you're not into PPS, just use cinnamon in the rolls filling and leave it out of the frosting!

Let’s Stop Treating Men Like Children

I’ll always remember my Grandma Jackson refused to watch shows where men (specifically husbands) were portrayed as dumb.

Once she pointed that out to me, I realize how many shows do that!

It’s so disrespectful.

But it’s not just TV and movies, I’ve seen it happen, right in front of me, over and over again.

It’s so sad.

But this is what I’m sure of: Men can succeed at work, take care of their home, spend time with their family, be involved in church and cultivate meaningful relationships.

I see Nick do it well!

So, what if instead of treating men like they’re dumb, we show them we believe in them and watch them excel because of our support?

I always find that people turn out exactly how we expect them to, so let’s choose our thoughts and language wisely.

Why don’t we stop telling men how to do their jobs, rolling our eyes like they can’t care for things at home, quit calling it “babysitting” when they’re simply being a daddy, dragging them to events, setting them up on “play dates” with other men and not taking their advice?

I know, I know, it goes both ways and no one’s perfect.

But it’s got to start somewhere and treating men like men is a good place to begin.

How To Go Vegan TODAY

Going vegan wasn’t all that hard for me, but every now and then I’ll be reminded of something I used to enjoy. I know that I could eat that item again if I wanted to, but feeling good just feels so much better.

Have you been interested in going vegan but aren’t sure where to start?

Here are my tips:

1. Focus on what you can eat and don’t dwell on the few things you’re avoiding. You’re really only cutting out three things: meat, dairy and eggs. But, you can eat EVERYTHING else: all fruits, all vegetables, all nuts, all seeds, etc, leaving you with tens of thousands of options.

2. Fill up on what you enjoy. I love juiced oranges, sliced pineapple, dates and avocados covered in lemon juice and salt.

3. Be willing to experiment. I used to hate salads, but now I’ve figured out my favorite recipes and actually crave them.

4. Educate yourself. The more time I invest in learning about how food is related to health, the more I’m motivated to eat well.

5. Read labels and say no. Dairy (and other crap) is in everything and not everyone understands diet restrictions, so don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself.

I know it’s tempting to eat whatever is easy, whatever’s put in front of you and whatever you crave. I know. But, I promise that putting some boundaries on food will leave you feeling better in the long run.

Balance Is A LIE

As a mom, I often feel like I’m doing everything.

And nothing.

My days are consumed with putting together meals and snacks, loading and unloading the dishwasher, washing, folding and putting away laundry, running errands, vacuuming and mopping, meal planning and grocery shopping, scrubbing toilets and showers and on and on.

At the same time, my days are also consumed with trying to spend time with friends, volunteering with our church and participating in studies, working out, and spending lots of time with Ivy, reading books to her, allowing her to help me around the house, talking to her and playing with her and spending roughly 3 hours awake with her nightly because she's not a good sleeper.

It feels busy, all day, everyday.

But, I often look around, at the end of the day, and wonder what I did with all those hours.

I feel that I'm doing everything I can, and at the same time, I feel like I should be better.

Better about staying in touch with friends, better about eating healthier meals, better about deep cleaning, better about working on our small business, better about working out and losing the last bit of baby weight, better about reading my Bible, better about doing educational play with Ivy, and better about getting out to do stuff with other people.

I feel that I should do better, but to be honest, I'm mostly consumed with being a mom, wondering if this is good enough to be considered "my best".

I want there to be a balance, but I can only do so many things well at once and this is it. So, for this season, my minimalist house might be untidy and somewhat dirty, my vegan meals might be a ton of rice and beans, my reading list might be mostly kids books, my friendships might be lots playdates and my date nights might be take out and a movie we’ve seen a million times.

This is my new normal and this is a 24/7 job.

There’s no way to balance it all, so I’m focusing on what’s most important right now - Ivy - and I’ll figure the rest out along the way💕

The Cheap, Lazy Girl's Guide to Essential Oils

With all the tips, tricks and recipes all over Pinterest, using essential oils can seem overwhelming.

Let me just go ahead and confess here…I’m slightly cheap and lazy. So, if my friends want to get together and DIY, I can get onboard. Who doesn’t love girl-time? But, when left to myself, I’ll just order the products that are already made. Easy peasy.

If you’re like me, you want a healthy lifestyle, but you don’t want it to be rocket science. Am I right? So, I put together a list of suggestions to save your money and keep things simple.

Aka, “The cheap, lazy girl’s guide to essential oils”:

🌱snag Young Living bottle labels and throw them on your caps so that you can stop wasting time and quickly find the essential oil you’re searching for
🌱soak your empty bottles in epsom salt and add 1/4 cup to 1 cup salt to your baths (the epsom salt draws out the last drops of essential oils out of the bottles)
🌱clean up those same bottles, grab Young Living AromaGlide Roller Fitments and DIY your favorite roll on recipes
🌱pick up spray caps (from gotoilsupplies.com) and turn your clean, empty bottles into DIY sprays like makeup setting spray, mouth spray, stinky puppy spray, etc…
🌱remove the cap from your favorite oil, place a few toothpicks down into the bottle, put it on any surface and enjoy the scent without having to turn on your diffuser
🌱keep a pitcher of water next to your diffuser to skip walking back and forth to the sink
🌱buy multiples of your favorite oils and keep one in each room you spend time in…don’t forget your purse (again, skip the walking back and forth a million times)
🌱replace all your cleaning supplies with one product: Thieves Household Cleaner
🌱stock up on oils for cooking and baking, like Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Lemon, etc., and use them instead of the fresh stuff that often goes bad too quickly

I know living a healthier, toxin-free lifestyle can seem expensive, but just think of it as an investment in your health! It’s worth it and over time, you can find your own ways to save money and keep things simple.

Already do so? Share your tips below!

***Order your essential oils HERE and use my code SHAREYL for 10% off!