Updated April 28, 2021

A lot has happened since the last time I updated this section a little over 3 years ago. It started with increasingly toxic work and home environments; colorectal cancer and subsequent radiation, chemo and a permanent colostomy; the loss of my beloved terrier, Bess, a week after she came home from being boarded for 2 1/2 weeks while I recovered from the surgery; and ended with the loss of the man I spent half my life with, the love of my life, and to whom I referred to as “hubs” in my blogs. A lot has happened, and it’s changed me for the better. I still have the same passion for all the things that make up Oils & Spoils. I  am now also a survivor and thriver, sharing my story with the world to help those dealing with illness and other life changes.

I just finished a pre-order campaign for my book, Are You S***ting Me?! How to Survive, Thrive and Transform Through Colorectal Cancer through Publishizer. Thank you, again, to those of you who pre-ordered a copy or copies and who subscribed. I am creating another WordPress site to continue the campaign and build an author platform, while continuing to shop my book proposal to traditional publishers in order to truly share my story with the world. I am also shifting content about the book from Oils & Spoils to the new site to keep the content here true to Oils & Spoils’ Mission & Vision. I will provide a link on Oils & Spoils to the book campaign site for anyone interested in coming along with me on that journey.

So, it’s just me and Bailey now, along with my faith, family and friends – the trifecta of my strength and peace. I count you, dear reader, among my friends. Thank you for following, subscribing, liking and breathing life into this blog that started 6 years ago and has become so much more. Many more giveaways and posts to come.

Much Love,

Kim

Updated 2017

Personal details about my favorite authors stick with me and offer insight into their writing, particularly when they write about what inspired their latest offering. As I mentioned in my Halloween posts, I love scary books and movies. I’m a huge fan of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, although sometimes, their work gives me the creeps. Thanks to Koontz’s Phantoms, I get uneasy in a deserted, public restroom. Koontz may be as well known for his love of Golden Retrievers, as he is for his writing. Watchers featured an extremely smart Golden, appropriately named “Einstein”. In his book, On Writing, King reveals that he doesn’t like to sleep with his arms or legs hanging off the bed, because the monster under there might be real.

All this to say, while I don’t like to talk about myself, I don’t want you to click on “About” and find nothing. I am truly humbled and amazed by the response to oilsandspoils, and those of you who have visited, walked around, shared or commented on my posts are my inspiration.

When I first began posting in August 2015, I knew I wanted oilsandspoils to be a positive experience. I originally wanted to call this blog, spOILed, but the name was already taken. So, I combined two of my loves, essential oils and jewelry making, and came up with oilsandspoils. Luckily, it’s an easy name to remember. I’ve pretty much stayed true to these two topics, although sometimes, I wonder off into other areas. Each post can take anywhere from an hour to a few hours, depending on the topic and amount of research.

One topic I’m particularly passionate about is the safe use of essential oils. I do not claim to be an expert on essential oils (Disclosures and Disclaimers), but I am doing my best to learn all I can, including working toward full certification in aromatherapy and French aromatherapy certification. Always feel free to ask me questions in comments or message me. I will respond to you as quickly as possible and provide the best answer I can, backed with experience and/or credible sources.

I began my essential oil journey in March 2015. A friend had posted on Facebook that the combination of peppermint, lavender and lemon helped her with seasonal sniffles, coughing, sneezing, and watery, itchy eyes. I tried the combo on my year round seasonal issues, and I not only noticed a huge improvement, but so did my allergy doctor. This is my why, why I am a bit obsessive about essential oils. I’ve since branched out to using essential oils for tons of things, and oilsandspoils documents my journey. I am so pleased to have you join me on this life-changing journey. For more information, visit my Young Living Essential Oils website.

As for the “andspoils” part of oilsandspoils, I’ve been making jewelry for about a decade. I prefer to use sterling silver, gold-filled or copper metals and semi-precious gemstones, Swarovski crystals, cultured freshwater pearls and glass beads in my designs. I’m also a fan of vintage jewelry and have pieces from the 1920s to the 1980s in my collection that I sell or refashion. To view some of my work, visit my etsy site.

In addition to learning all I can about essential oils and making jewelry, I also draw, paint and write. I love the creative process and end result. I would describe my brain as having a thousand tabs open at the same time. I do the creative as I can. I work a “day job” and enjoy it very much, but I am looking forward to the day when my “job” is essential oils and anything creative.

My husband, Jeff, and I live in Middle Tennessee with our two terrier-ists, Bess and Bailey. In the fall of 2012, Bess became diabetic. Every day, I give her an insulin shot in the morning and at night. I consider the fact that she is alive and thriving to be one of my greatest accomplishments in life. Bailey is Bess’ best buddy and protector, although her attitude is much bigger than her size. They are both pound puppies who found us. And just so you know, I am not the only nerd in the family; Jeff is a magician.

Kim Harris Mullins – Oils & Spoils – Blogger – Designer – Distributor