The Afdem Farmhouse

My New Essential Oil Accessory Shop is Open!

February 21, 2020 | Farmhouse, Home, Motherhood, Oils, Uncategorized

Mama Roller Bottle Set for Essential Oils, 10 ml Amber Roller

I can’t believe I am typing these words! My new essential oil shop is open right here on my blog! It’s located in the Shop tab or you can click HERE.

Ever since I saw You’ve Got Mail I’ve daydreamed about being a shop girl like Kathleen Kelly! My retail space at Center Street got me half way there but owning something of my own has been a dream. So now you can shop right here on my blog. Sorry it’s not farmhouse decor! It’s essential oil bottles, labels and accessories! Next month I’ll be adding crystal jewelry.

Some of my favorite products are the canvas makeup bags, the clear rollers with dried botanicals, the mama roller set and the kid roller set. The rainbows give me all the feels!

To celebrate my shop opening I am sending a special goodie with each order, now through Sunday February 23rd! If you are local to me (Puyallup, WA area) you can click local pickup and I will coordinate a meetup time!

essential oil canvas zipper pouch, i heart oils, oil up buttercup, custom essential oil bag modern rainbow decal, 4 oz amber dropper bottle for essential oils Mermaid Hair Glass Spray Bottle, Essential Oils, DIY Spray Bottle

Thank you so much for your continued support! I am so excited about this new adventure.

Thoughts on the Social Media Comparison Game/Organic Cotton Sibling Pajamas

February 17, 2020 | Kid's, Motherhood, Style

matching sibling pajamas, organic cotton pjs, brother sister love This morning as I was eating breakfast I had a clear vision of how the morning was going to go. I would make the bed with clean sheets, get the kiddos in their new matching pajamas and then take the most magical photos of them cuddling and smiling together on my bed. And of course the best morning sunlight would be coming through the window because it was shining while I was eating! As my husband and I were wrangling to get them dressed I quickly saw that dream disappear. Not only did they not want to cuddle but it turned into a giant pillow fight and then escalated to full out mad wrestling each other. And it was raining and dark! I was yelling and trying to bribe them with chocolate at 9 am, I even threatened to take away their pads.

Why? For a damn cute picture for Instagram! Silly right? Well you see the comparison game was strong with me today. I see all these perfect pictures on Instagram of kids smiling, cute outfits, perfectly crisp bed linens and think I NEED to live up to that. But friends, nobody is perfect. Not even Karen on Instagram. Maybe she bribes her kids too. Maybe she hides the mess under her bed. Maybe she is depressed. Maybe her husband is distant and her kids lash out. We don’t know. Instagram is a highlight reel.

After sitting down to reflect on these over exposed photos I actually love them. They show two kids that love each other. They show my perfectly un-perfect bedroom with no headboard. They show me and my husband in their faces.

I hope you don’t compare yourself to anyone on social media. Especially me! I’m just doing my best to keep my kids alive, no black eyes, and not feed them too many chicken nuggets! By the way, how many nuggets is too many nuggets in one week? Asking for a friend 😉

matching sibling pajamas, organic cotton pjs, brother sister love, social media comparsion

Now let’s chat about these Foggy Morning pajama sets for a second! I’m obsessed with them. I love any opportunity to coordinate my kids. They are made out of organic cotton by a local small shop here in Washington. Two of my favorite things – shopping local and organic! If you’re in the market for comfy pjs for your kids, check them out. She can also make a matching pair for you mama!

Use code AFDEMWINTER15 for 15% off at Bare Pine Boutique.

What are your thoughts on the social media comparison game? How do you keep negative feelings away?

Disclosure: We received samples from Bare Pine Boutique but this isn’t a sponsored post.

What We Wore | Valentine’s Day Edition

February 14, 2020 | Mommy & Me, Motherhood, Style

Wow guys, can you believe I started this blog almost 6 years ago!? I seriously thought about shutting it down 2 summers ago after receiving several messages about my daughter who was barely 3 at the time. Here I am pushing through though! I have BIG plans for this blog in the coming weeks, including a new shop page, but for now I would like to get back to posting regularly. My question is do people still read blogs? Do you even care what a 37 year old country girl that goes shopping twice a year is wearing? Am I even relevant!? In all seriousness though I hope you enjoy these Valentine’s Day outfits that Parker and I threw together this morning because that’s how we roll! I couldn’t get any pictures of us together because she had to go to school for her Valentine’s Day exchange. I can’t wait to read all the sweet messages she gets from her friends!

First up is my outfit. I picked up this shirt from Mabel McKinley boutique last week at the Pinology Market. It’s so cute and perfectly boho. It’s on SALE too! I’m wearing the XL but it’s pretty big. I’m hoping I can shrink it a tiny bit in the wash. The colors are cream, lavender and a sort of dusty rose. I plan on wearing this a lot this spring. My sweater is from Target last year. My jeans are probably 5 years old and these are my favorite flats that just happen to have the same name as me! If you haven’t tried ROAN footwear I highly recommend them! They are some of the most comfortable shoes. I’ve found them at Buckle and DSW, as well as, Amazon!

Parker’s outfit is from Old Navy. Her love sweatshirt is so comfy and cute. The inside is lined with fleece and it has a sweet eyelit detail at the bottom. In just a few short days she’s going to be 5 years old! Ugh I can’t handle it. I love her little personality though. She’s always got some great poses for the camera.

Happy Valentine’s Day!! Leave me a comment below with your plans for the day.

Pumpkin Spice Thieves Cleaner DIY Recipe

September 16, 2019 | Oils

We’re one week away from the first day or fall! Can you believe it? Honestly I’ve been in fall mode for a couple weeks now but who’s counting? Also I hope nobody is counting how long it’s been since I blogged. MONTHS. Since early spring actually. Ahh well, let’s just pick up where we left off shall we? I used to be obsessed with Mrs. Meyers products, especially when the pumpkin scent came out. But know better, do better right! Most Mrs. Meyers products score an 8 on the Think Dirty app (with a 10 being the worst!). So that’s a big no from me. I knew I could create my own pumpkin spice scented cleaner using my beloved essential oils and Thieves Household Cleaner as the base. The end product is a lovely spicy, buttery pumpkin spice scent!

Thieves Household Cleaner is a super concentrated cleaning solution. A little goes a long way! For everyday cleaning all you need is one capful in a 16 oz bottle, then fill the rest of the way with water. Some of my favorite things about it are it’s safe for granite countertops and it’s completely fine to use around children, even infants! There are no harsh chemicals so I don’t have to worry about ingesting something toxic. My toddlers even help with the cleaning! Plus you only need one product for counters, floors, bathrooms, glass etc. Which saves space in my small cabinets. One bottle lasts for 4-5 months and I clean every surface of our house with it.

To make Pumpkin Spice Thieves Cleaner I started with my normal cleaning solution ratio – one capful Thieves Household Cleaner in a 16 oz amber glass bottle. Then I added about 5 drops of each of the following oils: Cinnamon Bark, Nutmeg, Clove, Ginger and Cardamom. Then I just filled the rest of the bottle with filtered water, put the sprayer on and gave it a good shake! Voila! Pumpkin Spice cleaning goodness.

Here’s a breakdown of each of the oils I used:

1. Cinnamon Bark – Cinnamon Bark is one of the key ingredients in Thieves but smells sweeter on its own. It smells amazing with Orange too!
2. Nutmeg – Are you a Pumpkin Spice lover? Look no further than Nutmeg!
3. Clove – Clove is a wonderful oil to have on hand for not only it’s warm, smokey scent but also for the health properties! Simply google “benefits of Clove essential oil!!”
4. Ginger – Ginger offers amazing digestive support and it’s also a wonderful oil for baking with and using in the Pumpkin Spice Blend
5. Cardamom – Cardamom is a member of the ginger family and features a spicy, refreshing aroma that can be uplifting.

I only trust and use Young Living essential oils. The “green products” at the store are hiding all sorts of nasties that I don’t want anywhere near my family. One of the main things that separates Young Living as a company is their seed to seal process. We have our own farms and the process that goes into assuring purity is truly incredible.

Want a free bottle of Nutmeg, Clove AND Ginger? Ask me how before the end of the month!

Are you Pumpkin Spice obsessed like me?

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Farmhouse Spring Front Porch

April 5, 2019 | Farmhouse

Happy Friday! I’m so excited to be sharing our farmhouse spring front porch today. Make sure you read all the way to the bottom because there you’ll see a linkup. Some of my favorite bloggers also revealed their spring porches today! Feel free to link up and check out everyone’s fabulous homes.

My redheaded princess decided she wanted to help me reveal our porch to you while eating strawberries. I hope you enjoy a peek into our little slice of farm heaven…

My husband hung our Edison cafe lights last spring and they are still a favorite of mine. We leave them up all year and use them all the time. This set is from Costco but here’s a similar set from Amazon. Our black farmhouse wall light is also from last year but I just saw that Walmart was clearancing them out!

We do most of our sitting on the back porch as a group so we have more seating out there. On the front I just have an old bistro table that my mom gave me and a couple chairs. I sit out here and drink my tea most mornings either by myself or with the kids running around in the yard. The daffodils are almost done for the year but this little pot was a great pop of color.

Every year I put white Osteospermum (African Daisies) in my metal hanging buckets. I just think they are so pretty and they last a long time. I usually have a hydrangea in the crate next to the rocking chair but I haven’t found one yet. It’s still early for most flowers around here. We had frost on our barn roof yesterday!

The metal “THIS IS OUR HAPPY PLACE” sign can be found here. Seriously I can’t believe they sell this sign for less than $11. It’s so big and perfectly chippy!

The sound our little fountain makes is another thing I love most about our porch. We have a few gold fish in there that survived another cold winter below the ice! They are much bigger this year. Parker is so excited to start feeding them again. The whiskey barrel pond and fountain is another one of my mom’s hand me downs! I love it when she decides she needs something new. I have a couple wood Adirondack chairs coming my way in the next few weeks because she bought new ones!

The milk can was my husband’s grandpa’s. He had it on this porch but I painted it white. I love that the rust is already starting to come through. The old rocking chair and crate were also his. I haven’t moved them from the spot his grandparent’s had them. Someday I would like to have two rocking chairs out here though.

This bench was another hand me down! I got it from my mother-in-law and all I had to do was give it a couple coats of spray paint and it looks great. I even found the paint stashed in our garage so it cost me nothing! I keep my garden boots and a few supplies underneath it.

Here’s just a couple of my little plant babies coming back to life! I was so happy to see that most everything that I planted last year survived the winter. I probably should’ve watered a couple of the evergreens because they are looking really crispy. I will pull them out in the next couple of weeks if I don’t see any signs of life.

That’s our spring front porch! Writing this made me realize we have a lot of old stuff! I really love it though. This truly is my happy place. Is your outdoor space ready for spring yet?

DIY Thieves Stain Remover Stick

March 25, 2019 | Oils

Happy Monday guys! Does the internet know I still exist?! I have good reasons for going mostly dark here and not sharing much about my kids etc but that is a story for another time. Last weekend I hosted an oily make and take with a couple friends and we made this amazing Thieves stain remover stick. I am obsessed with it! It has come in so handy. In the last week I have cleaned poop, blood and black paint off my white bedding with this. Not even kidding. My kids are crazy, beautiful messes! Parker is learning how to wipe herself and let’s just say she uses more of her hand than the toilet paper. Good times!

The recipe for this DIY Thieves stain remover stick is super easy. All you need is 4 ingredients, water and a 30 ML roller bottle. I love these rollers from Amazon. I plan on making my hubby a muscle relief roller with one next. I’ll share that recipe soon!

Ingredients

+ 1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner
+ 1 squirt Thieves Dish Soap
+ 5 drops Thieves Essential Oil
+ 5 drops Lemon Essential Oil
+ Water

Instructions

Add Thieves Household Cleaner, Thieves Dish Soap, Thieves EO, and Lemon EO to your 30 ML roller bottle using a funnel. Add water to top and add roller. I found these rollers to be difficult to put on at first. You just need to push really hard!

I’ve also seen this made with Thieves laundry soap instead of dish soap but I haven’t tried it yet. This version works great! All I do is roll it on the stain, wait a few minutes, scrub with a wet cloth and then throw in the washing machine if necessary. I don’t like to wash my comforter 3 times a week but just scrubbing a little with a damp cloth has gotten every stain out. I wish I had before and after pictures!

There you have it! Another simple DIY project using Young Living products. I love this so much because not only is it chemical free but it smells amazing. Like Christmas and spicy chai tea! Let me know if you plan to make this one!

I love to share my love of essential oils with everyone. If you have questions leave me a comment or send me an email!

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