I am a stay at home mom. I am also a first year homesteader. This equals "duck" boots (hiking boots with the water proof shoe) becoming my new staple foot wear. I do don the flippies for excursions out into the dreaded public... but That's if I don't forget to take off my slippers before running the kids into school after they've missed the bus (4 1/2 weeks running). I lounge in Pj bottoms and scrub pants and too big t-shirts with stretched out sports bras the only thing keeping me from announcing to the world what boobies look like after nourishing 6 kids AND having an augmentation. It's not as pretty of a result as I had hoped for. My hair has been cropped above shoulder length (as per hubby's request and I will NEVER do something that stupid again. Long sleek dark hair is pretty. Short limp hair is not even close). I gave up make up the day I realized it showed more wrinkles than it covered. And short skirts (and shorts period for that matter) seem better placed on 20 yr old girls that aren't mine. To help me hide my housemom fashion disaster I have adopted a sort of hippiesque vibe to my wardrobe (and it's fantastically comfortable!). Camisoles, tanks, and ababy doll tees. Cap sleeve button up blouses over the top (if it's not like a bajillion degrees that day), long flowing floor length skirts (often in tye die and floral patterns), and flat soled slip on shoes (though I did get a pair of silver rope soled Steve Madden flats for $10 in the find of the century!). The obvious perk is no one expects a hippie to shower, have pretty hair, or wear make up. I no longer have to shave my legs (at least until the leg hair gets so long that my legs tangle together as I try to walk) and I can pee outdoors and no one ever even notices (By the way, if you ever want to hold your pee again, don't birth 6 mini minions and then have a hysterectomy. Just trust me on this one.). I have even started making my own hippie skirts out of miscellaneous fabric I find (usually from hideous thrift store sheets). I am almost never with out a hooded cardigan. I thought they looked classier than the traditional hoodie, but it has gotten to be such a problem that I am now considered the female equivalent to Mr. Rodgers. I only pluck my eyebrows when I look like I have two caterpillars making out on my forehead and I am often rocking a bandanna instead of just using hair product (or a straw hat.... I LOVE my hats). I call it all natural boho chic. I am sure most the folks in the kitschy little Mayberry type town call it lazy. Here, all the mom's have perfectly coiffed hair, professionally done fingernails (OMG! Don't even get me started on my nails. I grow things in dirt, mine are thrashed beyond recognition.), and make up applied heavily and expertly by the 7:30 am car line. I usually still have sleep in my eyes when we come scooting up at 7:58. If they run, they can still make it to class in time. We call it A.M. aerobics. My house looks like a mix between a junk yard and a yard sale, usually with bits of potting soil and random fabric bits strewn about... and dog hair a plenty. It's clean, just cluttered and, as always, with too much stuff. When it comes down to it, we are kind of hippie, but in a lot of ways we're not. I had an elderly woman at Wal*Mart tell me I was New School Old School. I really like that. It seems to be the best description. I believe in saving our planet, growing our own food, being frugal, upcycling, DIY, and a job done right. Hard work and dedication are fundamental to who I am. I, by no means, am perfect. I bite off more than I can chew and always have my plate piled higher than it seriously ought to be. I loose my keys, my phone, and my temper. I am slow to motivate and always short on time. I work hard, play hard, laugh hard, and love hard. I am frazzled, and scatterbrained, and have the worse memory. I make promises I cannot keep. I swear, HORRIBLY (sailors blush around me and truckers are taken aback). I am a super mom without super powers who is pretty sure her kids are going to be scarred and f*cked up for life over at least a dozen things I've done or said horribly wrong without meaning too. And while I ALWAYS love my kids, there are days I do NOT like them. Yes, I said it. I am strong and weak, brave and afraid, perfectly imperfect. We protest GMO's and preach an unprocessed life, but still stop for fast food on occasion and have a few boxes of "quick" food in my freezer and pantry. I can come across as ungrateful and hate to be wrong. I don't always apologize when I should. I am aloof and care far too much for my own good. I am definitely my own worst enemy. But I try, even if I fail the first 87,000,000,000 times. I kill more plants than I grow. I am a real true honest to goodness human being full of faults and dreams. My point is folks that we are all simply human. We all do our best to be our best. We have different beliefs and goals, but we're still just trying to survive the unsurvivable... Life. So the next time I yell at my kids, swear in public, do my grocery shopping in 2 day old PJ's and house slippers (another serious addiction... I have at least a half dozen pair of slippers (including flip flop ones)), and chug down a container of chocolate ilk like it was the last one on earth remember that I am only trying to be the best me I can be. I don't get upset if your you is better. I'm cool with that. I make no apologies to who I am... and I certainly offer no refunds. But I am a klutz and I will surely fall from any pedestal I am put on. And, I'm very really pretty much sure... I am also a lot like you - Pretty darn Awesome! And all of that hot mess you see written on this page is exactly what makes us beautiful. I think we ALL need to remind ourselves of that more often.
So, today, love yourself for trying, succeeding, failing, being. You deserve to be loved by yourself. We all do.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
"Smart" Water and Magic Feathers
The winner of the grand prize giveaway is...........*drum roll*............CHRISTINA S.!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations on winning the Grand Prize Sample Pack! I will be shipping it out later today!
That concludes our first ever week long giveaway contest!!!!! Hopefully not to be our last! Thank you so much to everyone who participated and spread the TOTG love!
And now for the blog...........
How many of you remember watching Dumbo as kids? You know, the Disney movie with the baby elephant that only thinks he can fly as long as he's clutching his magic feather in his trunk? That plain and ordinary crow's feather gave him the confidence he needed to be able to be himself and take flight.... to soar! Eventually, he lost his grip on the feather only to realize that he could fly on his own after all. Sometimes, we need our own "magic feathers" to help us succeed in some daunting task that we don't feel confident enough to accomplish on our own. Today is about one such magic feather.
Lady Bug has her EOGs (end of grade testing) today. Well, they start today. It goes on for about a week and a half and it's busted up into sections with as much as a week in between sessions. It's very stressful on the kids and they put ALL their emphasis throughout the entire year on the weight of these tests. You fail the EOGs, you fail your grade. This is one of MANY reasons I hate the public school system. They teach to a test, not to life, and they put kids through the paces all year to make good grades, pass weekly tests, have progress reports and report cards only to say that all of that work and effort do not matter as far as passing.... it's only about the test. It was like that when I was in school too. I used to have child anxiety attacks over end of grade testing. And my poor little Lady Bug is much the same way. She stresses and worries. She runs facts and drills in her head as she falls asleep the night before testing. She plays classical music because she read that it helps boost brain function. She insists on very well balanced meals for dinner and breakfast during test week so she can be at her best. And then she still hyperventilates with silent tears the morning of testing from sheer worry. Seriously! This is not fair to do to little kids. They make too big of a deal out of it and it's not fair to them. There is no reason 9 & 10 yr olds should be stressing out that much over anything that's supposed to be about their education. There's high school and college (and another few years of maturity) to take care of that for them. Thank God Booter doesn't start EOGs until next year.
How does a mommy deal with this? It's sooooo hard to see your child worry themselves sick (last year she threw up the night before) over something you have no control over. A mommy helps their child to deal with it on their own, to have the confidence in their own intelligence and abilities. To believe in themselves and know they will do just fine. Sometimes to accomplish this, we have to give them a magic feather. Lady Bug's magic feather last year was a bottle of store bought Smart Water, and some gatorade Gummy Bites that I told her were super intelligence chews. I told her both of them would help boost her brain function to the point that if she knew the answers her brain would always be able to find them. This helped her relax so much that she was laughing and joking on the way to school and got a super high score. I knew she could do it, she just didn't know she could.
But this year I wanted to do better by her than glorified tap water and chemical and corn syrup gummies. This year I wanted to give her something that would still be a magic feather, but healthier for her.... and maybe with a few of those brain expanding and calming properties I had so stealthily promised last year. Since we're going homemade on everything else, I decided to go homemade on this route too. I researched and took notes for days on the computer and devised what I believed to be the best options for what I had on hand. Hopefully it works..... We made homemade "Smart" water, a brain power sachet for inside her pillow case, and I made her a AromaWearapy bracelet. She also had a back rub with mommy's verbena massage oil before she was tucked in last night.
That concludes our first ever week long giveaway contest!!!!! Hopefully not to be our last! Thank you so much to everyone who participated and spread the TOTG love!
And now for the blog...........
How many of you remember watching Dumbo as kids? You know, the Disney movie with the baby elephant that only thinks he can fly as long as he's clutching his magic feather in his trunk? That plain and ordinary crow's feather gave him the confidence he needed to be able to be himself and take flight.... to soar! Eventually, he lost his grip on the feather only to realize that he could fly on his own after all. Sometimes, we need our own "magic feathers" to help us succeed in some daunting task that we don't feel confident enough to accomplish on our own. Today is about one such magic feather.
Lady Bug has her EOGs (end of grade testing) today. Well, they start today. It goes on for about a week and a half and it's busted up into sections with as much as a week in between sessions. It's very stressful on the kids and they put ALL their emphasis throughout the entire year on the weight of these tests. You fail the EOGs, you fail your grade. This is one of MANY reasons I hate the public school system. They teach to a test, not to life, and they put kids through the paces all year to make good grades, pass weekly tests, have progress reports and report cards only to say that all of that work and effort do not matter as far as passing.... it's only about the test. It was like that when I was in school too. I used to have child anxiety attacks over end of grade testing. And my poor little Lady Bug is much the same way. She stresses and worries. She runs facts and drills in her head as she falls asleep the night before testing. She plays classical music because she read that it helps boost brain function. She insists on very well balanced meals for dinner and breakfast during test week so she can be at her best. And then she still hyperventilates with silent tears the morning of testing from sheer worry. Seriously! This is not fair to do to little kids. They make too big of a deal out of it and it's not fair to them. There is no reason 9 & 10 yr olds should be stressing out that much over anything that's supposed to be about their education. There's high school and college (and another few years of maturity) to take care of that for them. Thank God Booter doesn't start EOGs until next year.
How does a mommy deal with this? It's sooooo hard to see your child worry themselves sick (last year she threw up the night before) over something you have no control over. A mommy helps their child to deal with it on their own, to have the confidence in their own intelligence and abilities. To believe in themselves and know they will do just fine. Sometimes to accomplish this, we have to give them a magic feather. Lady Bug's magic feather last year was a bottle of store bought Smart Water, and some gatorade Gummy Bites that I told her were super intelligence chews. I told her both of them would help boost her brain function to the point that if she knew the answers her brain would always be able to find them. This helped her relax so much that she was laughing and joking on the way to school and got a super high score. I knew she could do it, she just didn't know she could.
But this year I wanted to do better by her than glorified tap water and chemical and corn syrup gummies. This year I wanted to give her something that would still be a magic feather, but healthier for her.... and maybe with a few of those brain expanding and calming properties I had so stealthily promised last year. Since we're going homemade on everything else, I decided to go homemade on this route too. I researched and took notes for days on the computer and devised what I believed to be the best options for what I had on hand. Hopefully it works..... We made homemade "Smart" water, a brain power sachet for inside her pillow case, and I made her a AromaWearapy bracelet. She also had a back rub with mommy's verbena massage oil before she was tucked in last night.
Homemade "Smart" Water
---------------------------------------
Purified Water
Gingko Biloba Drops
Ginseng Drops
Peppermint Extract
Lemon Essential Oil
Lemon Juice
Honey
Vanilla Extract
Coconut Water
Baking Soda
In a water bottle fill 2/3 full with good water and 1/4 full with coconut water. This makes sure there is room at the top for the rest of the ingredients. We added 5 drops of gingko, 5 drops of ginseng, 4 drops of peppermint extract, 5 drops of lemon essential oil, 4 TBS of lemon juice, 2 Tbs honey, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Put the lid on and shake like crazy! One it's mixed it should taste more vanilla than anything else with a hint of coconut and lemon and an after taste of mint. It is slightly sweet and very refreshing. We even went so far as to make a little label for the bottle for her stating that it was Brain Power Juice! She thinks it's delicious!
No- Sew Brain Boosting Pillow Case Sachet
----------------------------------------------------------
1 quilting size square of fabric
6 in or so length of ribbon
2 TBS dried lavender buds
1 drop peppermint eextract
1 drop eucalyptus essential oil
1 drop lemon essential oil
2 drops lavender essential oil
Place the ribbon across the top of the fabric, laying it down the middle. Drop the lemon and eucalyptus essential oils and the peppermint extract onto the ribbon going length wise down the ribbon and rub so the oil/extract also goes into the fabric a little. Remove the ribbon from over the fabric and add the 2 Tbs of dried Lavender buds. Drop the Lavender essential oil directly onto the lavender. Gather the fabric square up over the lavender so it makes a little pouch and tie the ribbon tightly around the gathered open top making it like a ball with a spikey hair-do on top. Place this sachet in a bottom corner of a pillow case and let it do it's soothing and brain boosting work over night.
And the AromaWearapy bracelet is a cute little bracelet with essential oil (this one was 1 drop cedar, 1 drop, rosemary, 2 drops lemon) with an herb sachet on it (this one was lavender with an extra drop of lavender extract for a boost in scent). This way as she tests she can always have the calming mentally clarifying scents she needs with her at all times. The scent gently filling her space. And she can take a deep inhale with bracelet up to her face any time she needs with out looking conspicuous. I love the idea of that bracelet so much I am actually writing up a business plan to make and sell AromaWearapy from home. Shoot, just telling friends I have 3 orders for bracelets!
The result? Lady Bug left the car this morning telling me her mantra for the day was "Keep Calm, Do Your Best & Rock That Test!". Seems a good sight better than my nervous Nellie from last night. Once I got that sachet in her pillow she slept like a rock, awoke refreshed, and eager to test. She was calm, collected, and confident. After drinking a whole glass of "Smart" water this morning before we left, and huffing her bracelet as we were getting into the car she was a completely different kid than last year, or even last night. I have no doubt that she would do fantastic without her Magic feathers. She is a brilliant studious little girl who always strives to do her best. And I realize that this years helpers aren't as much of a benign feather as last years, but they won't take the test for her. They just keep her calm and focused enough to realize she has this all on her own. And I know, someday, she won't need her magic feather anymore. But I'll worry about that later. Right now, I'm just enjoying watching my baby spread her wings and Fly!
So today, find a way, using what's already available to you, to help you or a loved one find the boost they need. Find the magic feather that will help them see the ability that is already in themselves. It's honestly a fantastic feeling to be able to help the people you care about (yourself included) to be able to have confidence in themselves. Harness the power of nature to soothe, calm, and lift up those around you. Nature gives us the toold if we are willing to use them. The best part, everyone around you will be bettered for it.
Today I hope you find Confidence.... even if it is from your own personal Magic Feather.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
There ain't no bugs on me... (or sun burn)
So today is the final day of our contest and the day I'll be giving away the grand prize. I hope you're all as exited about it as I am. No one entered yesterday's contest, so there is no winner.
I have recently started making our own lotion bars that Cassie has named the all-in-one beauty butter body balm bar. It's a mouthful. They really are awesome though. They are a moisturizer, eggplant, sun screen, and insect repellent. We go through them, but it's ok with me. It's much better than sunburn and insect bites (and the diseases that come with them) and definitely better than the horrible chemical laden store bought alternatives. Just sunblock alone causes cancer, early menstruation, and its increase in use and be tracked with the increase in skin cancer..... Hmmmm. Makes you wonder. It's full of phyto estrogens with attack your hormonal systems. Google it! I wanted a safer route for my family. Something all natural and harmless. Doesn't that just sound better? That's pretty much when I decided to make our own. I stated reading up on natural spf containing ingredients and came up with a pretty awesome concoction with an spf of 10-12. Nice! When we add that to our antioxidant routine, we're perfect! I'm usually the type that can think about the sun and feel the burn happen so this has Been pretty much amazing.
You'll need a double boiler or (as in my case) a small metal bowl that fits inside a medium metal pot to create a double boiler. A large spoon, and a cupcake tray or soap mold. You can also use a crock pot type double boiler too... putting the small bowl inside the crock pot. It works quite well, just very slow.
Ingredients
---------------
1/2 Cup Bees wax
1/2 Cup mango Butter
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
10 drops citronella essential oil
10 drops thyme essential oil
10 drops Cedar essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops tea tree essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
dried lavender buds
oatmeal
Melt the bees wax, both butters, and all of the oil in your double boiler until completely liquid. Pour into cupcake tins or soap molds. Sprinkle lavender buds and oatmeal on top on bars when about half set (still soft) and gently push into the tops. If you are using soap molds, you have to wait until the are set and can be removed from the molds the re-dip into melted mixture and push into flowers/oats. I tired putting the lavender and oats into the molds, but that didn't work very well..... That's it. You wait until they;re cooled thoroughly and poop them out and use them! They work great! When Lady Bug and I went on her firld trip to the beach neither of our fair skinned selves burned at all... not even pink. And I haven't had a single bug bite since I started using them. They are definitely worth a go. I LOVE them!
(Insert Picture Here... Blogger still won't let me upload pics for some reason and it won't recognize the URL from my Drop Box Pics either... so you'll have to use you imaginations....)
So I say today you should make your own sunblock/insect repellent bars. They are super luxe, super easy, super good for you, and super worth the effort. Plus, they smell AMAZING and make your skin soft as butter. I have strangers brush into me at the grocery have to stop and tell me how amazingly soft I am. :) And I feel awesome about it knowing that I am helping to make my family and myself happier and healthier than ever before!
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 7 of my contest! Time for my GRAND PRIZE DRAWING!
Today you can enter to win A Dishwasher Tablet, A Laundry Soap Bomb, Scented Laundry Salts, A Lip Balm, Lotion, and a full size All-In-One Beauty Butter Body Balm Bar! All entrants from during the past 6 days are entered into the drawing already, but anyone who would like to enter today is also welcome to try for a chance. And for the grand prize drawing I am extending the deadline until 8:00 am est!
Starting May 13, Follow this Blog(by clicking
Follow) and Read that day's blog posts and post in the comment section
that you read it and you're following, Like and Share my blog post from
my Facebook Page, then comment in the Facebook post's comment box that
you liked and shared it (and if your Facebook "name" is different than
the one you put on the Blog, please let me know who you are.)! Each
thing you do is worth an entry. You can only follow me once, so most
days your going to get 3 entries a day.
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
4. One time only entry chance when you follow this blog by clicking follow = 5 entries
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total tickets accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
I have recently started making our own lotion bars that Cassie has named the all-in-one beauty butter body balm bar. It's a mouthful. They really are awesome though. They are a moisturizer, eggplant, sun screen, and insect repellent. We go through them, but it's ok with me. It's much better than sunburn and insect bites (and the diseases that come with them) and definitely better than the horrible chemical laden store bought alternatives. Just sunblock alone causes cancer, early menstruation, and its increase in use and be tracked with the increase in skin cancer..... Hmmmm. Makes you wonder. It's full of phyto estrogens with attack your hormonal systems. Google it! I wanted a safer route for my family. Something all natural and harmless. Doesn't that just sound better? That's pretty much when I decided to make our own. I stated reading up on natural spf containing ingredients and came up with a pretty awesome concoction with an spf of 10-12. Nice! When we add that to our antioxidant routine, we're perfect! I'm usually the type that can think about the sun and feel the burn happen so this has Been pretty much amazing.
You'll need a double boiler or (as in my case) a small metal bowl that fits inside a medium metal pot to create a double boiler. A large spoon, and a cupcake tray or soap mold. You can also use a crock pot type double boiler too... putting the small bowl inside the crock pot. It works quite well, just very slow.
Ingredients
---------------
1/2 Cup Bees wax
1/2 Cup mango Butter
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
10 drops citronella essential oil
10 drops thyme essential oil
10 drops Cedar essential oil
10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops tea tree essential oil
10 drops lavender essential oil
dried lavender buds
oatmeal
Melt the bees wax, both butters, and all of the oil in your double boiler until completely liquid. Pour into cupcake tins or soap molds. Sprinkle lavender buds and oatmeal on top on bars when about half set (still soft) and gently push into the tops. If you are using soap molds, you have to wait until the are set and can be removed from the molds the re-dip into melted mixture and push into flowers/oats. I tired putting the lavender and oats into the molds, but that didn't work very well..... That's it. You wait until they;re cooled thoroughly and poop them out and use them! They work great! When Lady Bug and I went on her firld trip to the beach neither of our fair skinned selves burned at all... not even pink. And I haven't had a single bug bite since I started using them. They are definitely worth a go. I LOVE them!
(Insert Picture Here... Blogger still won't let me upload pics for some reason and it won't recognize the URL from my Drop Box Pics either... so you'll have to use you imaginations....)
So I say today you should make your own sunblock/insect repellent bars. They are super luxe, super easy, super good for you, and super worth the effort. Plus, they smell AMAZING and make your skin soft as butter. I have strangers brush into me at the grocery have to stop and tell me how amazingly soft I am. :) And I feel awesome about it knowing that I am helping to make my family and myself happier and healthier than ever before!
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 7 of my contest! Time for my GRAND PRIZE DRAWING!
Today you can enter to win A Dishwasher Tablet, A Laundry Soap Bomb, Scented Laundry Salts, A Lip Balm, Lotion, and a full size All-In-One Beauty Butter Body Balm Bar! All entrants from during the past 6 days are entered into the drawing already, but anyone who would like to enter today is also welcome to try for a chance. And for the grand prize drawing I am extending the deadline until 8:00 am est!
Starting May 13, Follow this Blog
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total tickets accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Oh oh oh, It's Magic!
The winner of day four's TOTG give away is...... *drumroll* ........ Crystal G.!!!!
Congratulations on winning Day 5 of our week long
giveaway! Your mini sample pack will be mailed out next Monday! I'll
have to get your address from you (message it to me on FB). Thank you
so much for your support and I hope you'll enjoy your prizes! Thank you
to everyone who entered yesterday!
DAY 6 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
Everyone is a magician. At least Booter thinks she is. Today is the day of the Miss Princeton Pageant. A talent based, natural/enhanced (age appropriate make-up for Jr. Miss and Miss), small town proud type of pageant. You know the beauty queens you always see riding on Tractors, pick up trucks, and Camaros? I'm playing, it's not quite that redneck here, but if you envisioned small town USA's 4th of July and Christmas parades you'll almost always see them there. Nothing overly made-up, just pretty country girls with great personality. And they have to be a role model. I love that confidence and the ability to be a role model are parts of the criteria. :) But 50% of the score depends on Talent. Last year both Lady Bug and Booter were competing and Lady Bug won Little Miss Princeton. This year Booter wants to get her sister's crown. :)
Last year I afforded this by scouring every thrift store I saw with in a 3 county area. I got great deals on formal wear, shoes, casual wear, and talent wear. I did find some thing on sale really cheap, and things like pantyhose were bought new. My relatives even chipped in and bought them their jewelery. And the talent props. Can't forget those. Every year though I seem to get a little DIY on the thing. Last year I bought Lady Bug a beautiful ball gown that WAY too long and torn up on the bottom, so I cut the bottom off, added tulle straps that covered her shoulders and back and it looked made for her.... and in a way it was. We bought a big encyclopedia from the thrift store, Put Sleeping Beauty on the binding and cover, put Lady Bug's sheet music to Sleeping Beauty's Waltz in the center and decorated her music stand. Booter did an adorable little magic and dance act with a dollar store top hat, homemade scarves, a folding table, and PVC pipe wands. It wasn't a lot, but it was adorable. Figuring out how to make do with what you have often leads to a better outcome then the over priced, over the top store bought crap....
This year, Booter is doing a magic and comedy sketch act with her sister as her assistant. We pretty much "made" (if not sewed all together her entire outfit from stuff around the house or thrift stores and a crafty mama with some tulle and a sewing machine. Then we decided to make her sister disappear as a trick! *OHMYNIGHTMARISHHELLO* Two HUGE boxes, 3 full rolls of duct tape, 6 cans of spray paint (don't even ask about that fun....) and some tulle fabric, elstic, and a sewing machine. And the poster. Whew! I am exhausted. But it's all worth it to see them up there being the awesome kids they are! The props and costumes are even re-usable for play. The point is, it adds a touch of whimsy and love to DIY and it reminds kids to be creative and imaginative and to re-use and upcycle to reduce their carbon foot print. And it's super duper hella economical too! Last year we spent less than $100 (including gas) for two kids to compete.... This year I spent around $30 for one. You can't beat that considering some parents are spending thousands of dollars just on dresses for pageants!
Today's baby step is to find one thing for your life that you can make, create, reuse, or build for yourself. Even if it's something as simple as using an old awesome earring that lost it's mate as a ceiling fan pull knob to add a whimsical decorative touch to your air circulation. Even better.... Make something for someone else! Take some paints and decorate an old wooden spoon with colors and designs and tie ribbons around the handle, put a little picture hanging bracket on the back and use it as a housewarming gift or thank you gift. Seriously, the options are endless and you will not just give people your money and a something cold and impersonal mass marketed trinket, you will give them your time, your forethought, your effort, your consideration, your love... a genuine little piece of you. You truly thought about them and care about them to put forth enough effort to DIY for them. So, win or lose tonight, it doesn't really matter. They will have fun and get to shine as themselves for the town to see, and they will know that mommy loves them enough to give them my time, not just my checkbook. Besides, They are always My Little Misses. And I am proud of them just the way they are for who they are. They are strong, loving, caring, compassionate, outstanding, beautiful, funny, talented, confident, intelligent, amazing young ladies. And we certainly don't need a tiara to tell us that!
Today I hope you find satisfaction in life.
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 6 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog(by clicking
Follow) and Read that day's blog posts and post in the comment section
that you read it and you're following, Like and Share my blog post from
my Facebook Page, then comment in the Facebook post's comment box that
you liked and shared it (and if your Facebook "name" is different than
the one you put on the Blog, please let me know who you are.)! Each
thing you do is worth an entry. You can only follow me once, so most
days your going to get 3 entries a day.
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
4. One time only entry chance when you follow this blog by clicking follow = 5 entries
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total tickets accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
DAY 6 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
Everyone is a magician. At least Booter thinks she is. Today is the day of the Miss Princeton Pageant. A talent based, natural/enhanced (age appropriate make-up for Jr. Miss and Miss), small town proud type of pageant. You know the beauty queens you always see riding on Tractors, pick up trucks, and Camaros? I'm playing, it's not quite that redneck here, but if you envisioned small town USA's 4th of July and Christmas parades you'll almost always see them there. Nothing overly made-up, just pretty country girls with great personality. And they have to be a role model. I love that confidence and the ability to be a role model are parts of the criteria. :) But 50% of the score depends on Talent. Last year both Lady Bug and Booter were competing and Lady Bug won Little Miss Princeton. This year Booter wants to get her sister's crown. :)
Last year I afforded this by scouring every thrift store I saw with in a 3 county area. I got great deals on formal wear, shoes, casual wear, and talent wear. I did find some thing on sale really cheap, and things like pantyhose were bought new. My relatives even chipped in and bought them their jewelery. And the talent props. Can't forget those. Every year though I seem to get a little DIY on the thing. Last year I bought Lady Bug a beautiful ball gown that WAY too long and torn up on the bottom, so I cut the bottom off, added tulle straps that covered her shoulders and back and it looked made for her.... and in a way it was. We bought a big encyclopedia from the thrift store, Put Sleeping Beauty on the binding and cover, put Lady Bug's sheet music to Sleeping Beauty's Waltz in the center and decorated her music stand. Booter did an adorable little magic and dance act with a dollar store top hat, homemade scarves, a folding table, and PVC pipe wands. It wasn't a lot, but it was adorable. Figuring out how to make do with what you have often leads to a better outcome then the over priced, over the top store bought crap....
This year, Booter is doing a magic and comedy sketch act with her sister as her assistant. We pretty much "made" (if not sewed all together her entire outfit from stuff around the house or thrift stores and a crafty mama with some tulle and a sewing machine. Then we decided to make her sister disappear as a trick! *OHMYNIGHTMARISHHELLO* Two HUGE boxes, 3 full rolls of duct tape, 6 cans of spray paint (don't even ask about that fun....) and some tulle fabric, elstic, and a sewing machine. And the poster. Whew! I am exhausted. But it's all worth it to see them up there being the awesome kids they are! The props and costumes are even re-usable for play. The point is, it adds a touch of whimsy and love to DIY and it reminds kids to be creative and imaginative and to re-use and upcycle to reduce their carbon foot print. And it's super duper hella economical too! Last year we spent less than $100 (including gas) for two kids to compete.... This year I spent around $30 for one. You can't beat that considering some parents are spending thousands of dollars just on dresses for pageants!
Today's baby step is to find one thing for your life that you can make, create, reuse, or build for yourself. Even if it's something as simple as using an old awesome earring that lost it's mate as a ceiling fan pull knob to add a whimsical decorative touch to your air circulation. Even better.... Make something for someone else! Take some paints and decorate an old wooden spoon with colors and designs and tie ribbons around the handle, put a little picture hanging bracket on the back and use it as a housewarming gift or thank you gift. Seriously, the options are endless and you will not just give people your money and a something cold and impersonal mass marketed trinket, you will give them your time, your forethought, your effort, your consideration, your love... a genuine little piece of you. You truly thought about them and care about them to put forth enough effort to DIY for them. So, win or lose tonight, it doesn't really matter. They will have fun and get to shine as themselves for the town to see, and they will know that mommy loves them enough to give them my time, not just my checkbook. Besides, They are always My Little Misses. And I am proud of them just the way they are for who they are. They are strong, loving, caring, compassionate, outstanding, beautiful, funny, talented, confident, intelligent, amazing young ladies. And we certainly don't need a tiara to tell us that!
Today I hope you find satisfaction in life.
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 6 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total tickets accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
Friday, May 17, 2013
Monsanto = Evil
The winner of day four's TOTG give away is...... *drumroll* ........ Melody S. (AGAIN!...LOL. No one else entered yesterday folks!)!!!! Congratulations on winning Day 4 of our week long
giveaway! Your mini sample pack will be mailed out next Monday! I'll
have to get your address from you (message it to me on FB). Thank you
so much for your support and I hope you'll enjoy your prizes! Thank you
to everyone who entered yesterday!
DAY 5 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
So I am sure everyone figured I'd have a blog post on this eventually. If you follow me on Facebook you already know how I feel about these criminals (and yes, I consider them criminals). They peddle GMO's and other poisons as food, been connected to children slave labor the world over, and are even directly involved in the development and use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam war. Their list of evil goes beyond anything I could possibly list here. Google Monsanto and their Dirty Dozen list. You will be appalled! Asa a matter of fact, a farmer commits suicide every 30 seconds thanks to Monsanto and their seeds. They are slowly but surely destroying the farmer as they were once known by forcing them to grow substandard product that kills people and animals, destroys the environment, forces farmer's to buy seed for next harvest from them (you cannot harvest the seeds from your crop and grow next years crop...they won't work), and whose seeds produce less and less yield forcing them to buy even more supplies from Monsanto. They are losing it all because Monsanto is forcing them too! (Seriously! They will sue the socks off of farmers over their crops)
So what can you do to stop these giants who peddle boxed crimes against humanity with 10 cents for you school, pack it full of addictive chemicals and flavor packs to ensure you keep coming back for more, and who's eco tactics are linked to everything from cancer to hive collapse disorder? First thing you can do is Boycott their products. Refuse to buy ANYTHING that is connected to them and their profit train. Second, growtest! Grow your own non GMO heirloom open pollination seeds. Refuse to let them put their poison into your body and take away their power over you (and over the seeds). Third, spread the word of Monsanto and their evil doings. make it known to your friends and family to NOT support this company, or a list of others just as dirty. Fourth, write to your political leaders and urge them to vote against GMO's, The Monsanto Protection Act, and ask them to support GMO labeling so we can know what foods on the shelves are essentially poison and which are not. And lastly, PROTEST! You have a voice so use it! Go to your local town hall, state, capital, courthouse, ANYWHERE that might make an impact and spread the word that you are against Monsanto and want corporate scum to be held accountable for trying to destroy the word and kill for profit. Join the March Against Monsanto on May 25, 2013 at 11:00 am local time and make your voice one of millions that will rise up in a unanimous call for action! Me and the Sprouts will be at the Raleigh, NC march. We are making it known to the world that we want REAL FOOD.... not food like products! SAY HELL NO TO GMO'S!!!!!!!!!
This blog is going to be short and sweet (considering it is already after 9:00 at night. It's been one of those days. Please don't ask. Lol). I am writing to promote and spread word of the world wide March Against Monsanto and of Monsanto's wrong doings. These guys are truly evil and their hand is as deep in the governments pocket as it is in ours.... if not deeper. This is important. This can make the difference in life or death. Not just for you and your family, but for the world! Please Google Monsanto and inform yourself. You can never disarm a wise man for knowledge is power. Arm yourself and take action. He hold the food controls the masses and I will NOT let someone have that much control over me and my family!
Today I hope you find your inner activist! Go forth and change the world!
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 5 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog(by clicking
Follow) and Read that day's blog posts and post in the comment section
that you read it and you're following, Like and Share my blog post from
my Facebook Page, then comment in the Facebook post's comment box that
you liked and shared it (and if your Facebook "name" is different than
the one you put on the Blog, please let me know who you are.)! Each
thing you do is worth an entry. You can only follow me once, so most
days your going to get 3 entries a day.
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
4. One time only entry chance when you follow this blog by clicking follow = 5 entries
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total tickets accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
DAY 5 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
So I am sure everyone figured I'd have a blog post on this eventually. If you follow me on Facebook you already know how I feel about these criminals (and yes, I consider them criminals). They peddle GMO's and other poisons as food, been connected to children slave labor the world over, and are even directly involved in the development and use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam war. Their list of evil goes beyond anything I could possibly list here. Google Monsanto and their Dirty Dozen list. You will be appalled! Asa a matter of fact, a farmer commits suicide every 30 seconds thanks to Monsanto and their seeds. They are slowly but surely destroying the farmer as they were once known by forcing them to grow substandard product that kills people and animals, destroys the environment, forces farmer's to buy seed for next harvest from them (you cannot harvest the seeds from your crop and grow next years crop...they won't work), and whose seeds produce less and less yield forcing them to buy even more supplies from Monsanto. They are losing it all because Monsanto is forcing them too! (Seriously! They will sue the socks off of farmers over their crops)
So what can you do to stop these giants who peddle boxed crimes against humanity with 10 cents for you school, pack it full of addictive chemicals and flavor packs to ensure you keep coming back for more, and who's eco tactics are linked to everything from cancer to hive collapse disorder? First thing you can do is Boycott their products. Refuse to buy ANYTHING that is connected to them and their profit train. Second, growtest! Grow your own non GMO heirloom open pollination seeds. Refuse to let them put their poison into your body and take away their power over you (and over the seeds). Third, spread the word of Monsanto and their evil doings. make it known to your friends and family to NOT support this company, or a list of others just as dirty. Fourth, write to your political leaders and urge them to vote against GMO's, The Monsanto Protection Act, and ask them to support GMO labeling so we can know what foods on the shelves are essentially poison and which are not. And lastly, PROTEST! You have a voice so use it! Go to your local town hall, state, capital, courthouse, ANYWHERE that might make an impact and spread the word that you are against Monsanto and want corporate scum to be held accountable for trying to destroy the word and kill for profit. Join the March Against Monsanto on May 25, 2013 at 11:00 am local time and make your voice one of millions that will rise up in a unanimous call for action! Me and the Sprouts will be at the Raleigh, NC march. We are making it known to the world that we want REAL FOOD.... not food like products! SAY HELL NO TO GMO'S!!!!!!!!!
This blog is going to be short and sweet (considering it is already after 9:00 at night. It's been one of those days. Please don't ask. Lol). I am writing to promote and spread word of the world wide March Against Monsanto and of Monsanto's wrong doings. These guys are truly evil and their hand is as deep in the governments pocket as it is in ours.... if not deeper. This is important. This can make the difference in life or death. Not just for you and your family, but for the world! Please Google Monsanto and inform yourself. You can never disarm a wise man for knowledge is power. Arm yourself and take action. He hold the food controls the masses and I will NOT let someone have that much control over me and my family!
Today I hope you find your inner activist! Go forth and change the world!
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 5 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total tickets accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Shirt Stew
The winner of day three's TOTG give away is...... *drumroll* ........ Melody S.!!!! Congratulations on winning Day 3 of our week long
giveaway! Your mini sample pack will be mailed out next Monday! I'll
have to get your address from you (message it to me on FB). Thank you
so much for your support and I hope you'll enjoy your prizes! Thank you to everyone who entered yesterday!
DAY 4 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
When I was waiting tables at a local pizzeria last year I made the mistake of buying a white blouse that I LOVED to wear for work. We had full aprons so I wasn't too worried about stains. I, unfortunately, forgot about the amount of sweat one can make while slinging hash (or pie). This led to horrible ugly nasty stains around the neck and pits area. To the point that the shirt is more or less ruined (Never mind that I was told to buy one shirt because we were going to be getting new uniform with in 2 weeks of my hire... 3 months later of washing and wearing the SAME shirt 6 days a week we finally got those new uniform shirts. Definitely not soon enough to save this little gem). But I LOVE it. It's a cute little swiss dot thing with little puffy sleeves and pintucking. It'll be YEARS before my happy ass can sew anything that nice. I did get it at a thrift store and only paid $2.00 for it so it wouldn't be a huge loss if I had to trash it, even if it is designer (I love Love LOVE thrift stores for that). It wouldn't be a big deal at all if I didn't like it so much. So this left me to ponder over how to re-whiten it. It's yellow and grayed. I tried bleach back when I first noticed, but it was to no avail. This was going to take some experimentation.
I referred back to my upholstery cleaner find and tried to figure out how to use it for laundry. Baking soda, peroxide, and scalding hot boiling water. I decided the longer it could soak, the better it would be. And I needed to be able to keep it hot (hot water is freaking magic. No Lie!) for the whole time.... or at least mostly hot. So I decided to go old school and cook it on the stove. This seriously scared the girlies when they got home from school yesterday and thought I was making soup for supper! *HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA* Booter begged me not to make her eat laundry and Lady Bug just wanted to know why I was cooking clothes. If nothing else comes from this venture, that interaction alone made it worth it. ;-) In with this concoction I added Borax, salt, vinegar, and washing soda. It's should be a pretty potent mix of nature's best.
Whitening Laundry Stew
------------------------------
1/4 cup sea salt
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup borax
1 1/2 cups peroxide
1 1/2 cup vinegar
2 cups boiling water
Combine all the ingredients above into a large pot and heat to a low boil and turn off heat.
Add shirt (or whatever you are trying to whiten) and push down into the liquid using a wooden spoon and cover with a lid.
Let soak for as long as possible reheating anytime you notice the liquid is cool.
Rinse extremely thoroughly with HOT water until water runs clear.
Launder in machine.
Wear (hopefully).
Hopefully? Yeah, hopefully. I am actually in the middle of making shirt stew right now. I put it on yesterday and am trying to last at least 3 days before I remove it (which is so unbelievably hard....*ohmigawd*....I really really REALLY want to know if it's working or if I am just wasting electricity, energy, and supplies on a lost cause). This means you might not want to try this just yet, or you may be like me and desperate enough to try ANYTHING on a beloved article of clothing to keep from having to toss it's awesomeness away. But, I promised to share each step of this adventure... success or fail. Sometimes we have to take a leap, do the unknown, try something for the sake of trying. We may succeed brilliantly, we may look like a fool. But how will we ever know what we are capable of if we don't push ourselves to find out? I'm just sitting here today hoping I am at least capable of whitening a blouse. *lol*
So today, challenge yourself to do something completely new. Maybe make some laundry stew? It might not seem like much of a step to unprocessing and becoming self sufficient, but it forces you to push your boundaries, your knowledge, your limits. It gives you a chance to learn. And it will definitely challenge you. We, as a species (people), have become soft little marshmallows. This doesn't meant we're weak, just soft. We got that way from taking the easy way. Today, take the path less traveled.... or better yet, strap on your boots, hike up your big kid panties, and forge your own. Isn't that the very definition of what we're trying to accomplish?
Today I hope you are challenged to be more (even if miniscule) than you were before.
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 4 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog(by clicking
Follow) and Read that day's blog posts and post in the comment section
that you read it and you're following, Like and Share my blog post from
my Facebook Page, then comment in the Facebook post's comment box that
you liked and shared it (and if your Facebook "name" is different than
the one you put on the Blog, please let me know who you are.)! Each
thing you do is worth an entry. You can only follow me once, so most
days your going to get 3 entries a day.
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
4. One time only entry chance when you follow this blog by clicking follow = 5 entries
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total tickets accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
DAY 4 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
When I was waiting tables at a local pizzeria last year I made the mistake of buying a white blouse that I LOVED to wear for work. We had full aprons so I wasn't too worried about stains. I, unfortunately, forgot about the amount of sweat one can make while slinging hash (or pie). This led to horrible ugly nasty stains around the neck and pits area. To the point that the shirt is more or less ruined (Never mind that I was told to buy one shirt because we were going to be getting new uniform with in 2 weeks of my hire... 3 months later of washing and wearing the SAME shirt 6 days a week we finally got those new uniform shirts. Definitely not soon enough to save this little gem). But I LOVE it. It's a cute little swiss dot thing with little puffy sleeves and pintucking. It'll be YEARS before my happy ass can sew anything that nice. I did get it at a thrift store and only paid $2.00 for it so it wouldn't be a huge loss if I had to trash it, even if it is designer (I love Love LOVE thrift stores for that). It wouldn't be a big deal at all if I didn't like it so much. So this left me to ponder over how to re-whiten it. It's yellow and grayed. I tried bleach back when I first noticed, but it was to no avail. This was going to take some experimentation.
I referred back to my upholstery cleaner find and tried to figure out how to use it for laundry. Baking soda, peroxide, and scalding hot boiling water. I decided the longer it could soak, the better it would be. And I needed to be able to keep it hot (hot water is freaking magic. No Lie!) for the whole time.... or at least mostly hot. So I decided to go old school and cook it on the stove. This seriously scared the girlies when they got home from school yesterday and thought I was making soup for supper! *HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA* Booter begged me not to make her eat laundry and Lady Bug just wanted to know why I was cooking clothes. If nothing else comes from this venture, that interaction alone made it worth it. ;-) In with this concoction I added Borax, salt, vinegar, and washing soda. It's should be a pretty potent mix of nature's best.
Whitening Laundry Stew
------------------------------
1/4 cup sea salt
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup borax
1 1/2 cups peroxide
1 1/2 cup vinegar
2 cups boiling water
Combine all the ingredients above into a large pot and heat to a low boil and turn off heat.
Add shirt (or whatever you are trying to whiten) and push down into the liquid using a wooden spoon and cover with a lid.
Let soak for as long as possible reheating anytime you notice the liquid is cool.
Rinse extremely thoroughly with HOT water until water runs clear.
Launder in machine.
Wear (hopefully).
Hopefully? Yeah, hopefully. I am actually in the middle of making shirt stew right now. I put it on yesterday and am trying to last at least 3 days before I remove it (which is so unbelievably hard....*ohmigawd*....I really really REALLY want to know if it's working or if I am just wasting electricity, energy, and supplies on a lost cause). This means you might not want to try this just yet, or you may be like me and desperate enough to try ANYTHING on a beloved article of clothing to keep from having to toss it's awesomeness away. But, I promised to share each step of this adventure... success or fail. Sometimes we have to take a leap, do the unknown, try something for the sake of trying. We may succeed brilliantly, we may look like a fool. But how will we ever know what we are capable of if we don't push ourselves to find out? I'm just sitting here today hoping I am at least capable of whitening a blouse. *lol*
So today, challenge yourself to do something completely new. Maybe make some laundry stew? It might not seem like much of a step to unprocessing and becoming self sufficient, but it forces you to push your boundaries, your knowledge, your limits. It gives you a chance to learn. And it will definitely challenge you. We, as a species (people), have become soft little marshmallows. This doesn't meant we're weak, just soft. We got that way from taking the easy way. Today, take the path less traveled.... or better yet, strap on your boots, hike up your big kid panties, and forge your own. Isn't that the very definition of what we're trying to accomplish?
Today I hope you are challenged to be more (even if miniscule) than you were before.
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 4 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total tickets accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Wash Woman Woes
The winner of day two's TOTG give away is...... *drumroll* ........ Pat S.!!!! Congratulations on winning Day 2 of our week long
giveaway! Your mini sample pack will be mailed out next Monday! I'll
have to get your address from you (message it to me on FB). Thank you
so much for your support and I hope you'll enjoy your prizes!
DAY 3 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
I cannot be the only woman in the world who feels like all she does is stay in a proverbial state of "doing laundry". It always seems I'm either collecting, washing, drying, folding, or putting away laundry. A never ending stream of funk and grime stacked up waiting for me to migrate it somewhere else until it reaches it's ultimate clean state only to start the vicious cycle all over again. And don't get me started on the doll and Barbie clothes that get thrown in, or the hastily stashed school clothes stuffed into some forbidden zone when it's clean up time only to be discovered months later so deep in stench and crunchiness that it seems almost impossible to clean (because that was simpler that walking the 20 steps to the hamper....). Needless to say, this much laundry gets unbelievably pricey. We have fairly new HE machines and they just don't sell cheap HE detergent. Aside from price there's the issue of saturating your clothes (which are on your bare skin) with chemicals so toxic and harmful they have been linked to cancer, cause many deaths every year from ingestion, and numerous cases of dermatitis and allergic reactions. And who knows how many of those chemicals are being absorbed into your blood stream? Other than adopting a nudist lifestyle (cause that would go over famously (or infamously) in a small southern town), I don't see me eliminating laundry any time soon. So I decided to try making laundry detergent. Most of the "recipes" called for a lot of Borax (which I heard can be hard on HE machines, causing a film build up over time). I don't mind a small amount, but I didn't want to use a ton. Well, sugar foot. I guess I get to take a shot at making our own HE friendly laundry detergent bombs... chemical free of course!
I am actually amazingly impressed at how well these clean our clothes and how soft they are when they're dry. It's actually better than any detergent I've found so far. I've used this on everything from blue jeans to lingerie to snow coats with spectacular results every time. AND IT"S SUPER EASY!!!! You will need a few supplies:
Foam or Plastic egg carton
Baking Soda
Washing Soda (laundry aisle)
Borax (laundry aisle)
Apple Cider Vinegar
Peroxide
Essential oil of choice (we used citronella and cedar for an insect repellant effect)
Large bowl to mix in
Fork
Large spoon
The egg carton is for a mold. Seriously! It's the perfect size for my machine. The great part is that even if it's a little too much, the HE machines will run water over the detergent bomb and only use up what it needs. Self modulating. My kind of laziness right there!
Homemade HE Laundry Detergent Bombs
-----------------------------------------------------
2 Cups Washing Soda
2 Cups Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Borax
1/2 Cup Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Peroxide
20 total drops of essential oil
1. Mix dry ingredients together with a fork.
2. Add essential oils and mix thoroughly into dry ingredients
3. Add in vinegar 1/4 c at a time. There will be some fizzing, but go slow and it shouldn't be a lot. Mix well
4. Add in peroxide. Again, there will be some fizzing, but go slow and there shouldn't be a lot. Mix well
5. Once it is all mixed and slightly clumpy and moist spoon mixture into the egg holder wells in your egg carton.
6. As you fill each one, press firmly to pack the detergent down (it makes them stick together well)
7. When all the egg compartments are full leave carton open, place in oven with oven light on.
8. Let dry for 24 hrs. (seriously, don't touch it!)
9. Place dish towel over the top of the dried detergent bobs and close lid of carton over towel
10. Gently turn carton upside down and push on all of the wells from the bottom to release the detergent bombs
11. Go wash your laundry - Place on detergent bomb into soap dispensing cup (I put in a little ACVinegar for extra kick) and run as usual (remeber HE machines will use what they need and leave the rest in the cup... just put in another bomb next time and keep going until there's enough left to do a load with out needing a new bomb... it works for me!)
My challenge to you today, go wash your laundry. Make your own detergent bombs (these work in regular machines too, I've been told!) and know that your laundry is clean and chemical free. It'll get rid of your towels funk and make them more absorbent as well. The best part is you can multiply this to make a LARGE batch that could last you a year if you desired. They keep wonderfully! Mine are stored in an old coffee can I washed out. It'd seriously should be less than $30.00 in soap for the year! It's also much gentler on fabric making your clothes last longer too! So, you save money, effort, your family's health, and the environment. What are you waiting for?!?! GO MAKE SOME LAUNDRY DETERGENT BOMBS!!!!! :)
Today I hope you get the giggles. Seriously! The freedom giggling gives your heart is spectacular!
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 3 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog(by clicking
Follow) and Read that day's blog posts and post in the comment section
that you read it and you're following, Like and Share my blog post from
my Facebook Page, then comment in the Facebook post's comment box that
you liked and shared it (and if your Facebook "name" is different than
the one you put on the Blog, please let me know who you are.)! Each
thing you do is worth an entry. You can only follow me once, so most
days your going to get 3 entries a day.
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
4. One time only entry chance when you follow this blog by clicking follow = 5 entries
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total ticket accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
DAY 3 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
I cannot be the only woman in the world who feels like all she does is stay in a proverbial state of "doing laundry". It always seems I'm either collecting, washing, drying, folding, or putting away laundry. A never ending stream of funk and grime stacked up waiting for me to migrate it somewhere else until it reaches it's ultimate clean state only to start the vicious cycle all over again. And don't get me started on the doll and Barbie clothes that get thrown in, or the hastily stashed school clothes stuffed into some forbidden zone when it's clean up time only to be discovered months later so deep in stench and crunchiness that it seems almost impossible to clean (because that was simpler that walking the 20 steps to the hamper....). Needless to say, this much laundry gets unbelievably pricey. We have fairly new HE machines and they just don't sell cheap HE detergent. Aside from price there's the issue of saturating your clothes (which are on your bare skin) with chemicals so toxic and harmful they have been linked to cancer, cause many deaths every year from ingestion, and numerous cases of dermatitis and allergic reactions. And who knows how many of those chemicals are being absorbed into your blood stream? Other than adopting a nudist lifestyle (cause that would go over famously (or infamously) in a small southern town), I don't see me eliminating laundry any time soon. So I decided to try making laundry detergent. Most of the "recipes" called for a lot of Borax (which I heard can be hard on HE machines, causing a film build up over time). I don't mind a small amount, but I didn't want to use a ton. Well, sugar foot. I guess I get to take a shot at making our own HE friendly laundry detergent bombs... chemical free of course!
I am actually amazingly impressed at how well these clean our clothes and how soft they are when they're dry. It's actually better than any detergent I've found so far. I've used this on everything from blue jeans to lingerie to snow coats with spectacular results every time. AND IT"S SUPER EASY!!!! You will need a few supplies:
Foam or Plastic egg carton
Baking Soda
Washing Soda (laundry aisle)
Borax (laundry aisle)
Apple Cider Vinegar
Peroxide
Essential oil of choice (we used citronella and cedar for an insect repellant effect)
Large bowl to mix in
Fork
Large spoon
The egg carton is for a mold. Seriously! It's the perfect size for my machine. The great part is that even if it's a little too much, the HE machines will run water over the detergent bomb and only use up what it needs. Self modulating. My kind of laziness right there!
Homemade HE Laundry Detergent Bombs
-----------------------------------------------------
2 Cups Washing Soda
2 Cups Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Borax
1/2 Cup Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Cup Peroxide
20 total drops of essential oil
1. Mix dry ingredients together with a fork.
2. Add essential oils and mix thoroughly into dry ingredients
3. Add in vinegar 1/4 c at a time. There will be some fizzing, but go slow and it shouldn't be a lot. Mix well
4. Add in peroxide. Again, there will be some fizzing, but go slow and there shouldn't be a lot. Mix well
5. Once it is all mixed and slightly clumpy and moist spoon mixture into the egg holder wells in your egg carton.
6. As you fill each one, press firmly to pack the detergent down (it makes them stick together well)
7. When all the egg compartments are full leave carton open, place in oven with oven light on.
8. Let dry for 24 hrs. (seriously, don't touch it!)
9. Place dish towel over the top of the dried detergent bobs and close lid of carton over towel
10. Gently turn carton upside down and push on all of the wells from the bottom to release the detergent bombs
11. Go wash your laundry - Place on detergent bomb into soap dispensing cup (I put in a little ACVinegar for extra kick) and run as usual (remeber HE machines will use what they need and leave the rest in the cup... just put in another bomb next time and keep going until there's enough left to do a load with out needing a new bomb... it works for me!)
My challenge to you today, go wash your laundry. Make your own detergent bombs (these work in regular machines too, I've been told!) and know that your laundry is clean and chemical free. It'll get rid of your towels funk and make them more absorbent as well. The best part is you can multiply this to make a LARGE batch that could last you a year if you desired. They keep wonderfully! Mine are stored in an old coffee can I washed out. It'd seriously should be less than $30.00 in soap for the year! It's also much gentler on fabric making your clothes last longer too! So, you save money, effort, your family's health, and the environment. What are you waiting for?!?! GO MAKE SOME LAUNDRY DETERGENT BOMBS!!!!! :)
Today I hope you get the giggles. Seriously! The freedom giggling gives your heart is spectacular!
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 3 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total ticket accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Itch & B*tch! ... Like Stitch & B*tch, but wthout the yarn. *CONTEST DAY 2*
The winner of day one's TOTG give away is...... *drumroll* ........ SAMANTHA G.!!!! Congratulations on winning Day 1 of our week long giveaway! Your mini sample pack will be mailed out next Monday! I'll have to get your address from you (message it to me on FB). Thank you so much for your support and I hope you'll enjoy your prizes!
DAY 2 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
There are cruel and nasty things about nature. Seriously! If anyone ever tells you something can't hurt you because it's all natural, remind them Hemlock is all natural and it'll kill you right quick. It's a good way to remind people that there is a duality to everything. Good and Bad, yin and yang. There are also things like poison ivy. Ask Lady Bug about it. We don't know how, but she has ended up with poison Ivy on her face, neck, and 2 fingers. *smh* (I'm not quite sure how this crap keeps happening. When it rains is pours I guess.) Normally just having to deal with the incessant itching and burning of poison ivy is bad enough. But next week they are doing their end of grade testing, so she also has to go to school. Oh, and she's the reigning Little Miss Princeton and the pageant (where she is a presenter and performer this year as she passes on the crown (to Booter?)) is this Saturday. *face palm....sigh*
She woke up yesterday morning with what I thought were a couple of bug bites on her neck and finger. I put vinegar on them (they looked like fire ant bites though I was completely unsure of how she would get fire ant bites in her bed while sleeping (I was worried her room was getting invaded), And I wondered if they could have come from riding lessons yesterday where she stepped into a fire ant hill and got bit on her foot a few times and we had to use the body balm bar (I forgot to bring the vinegar.....), but I'd never even heard of delayed fire ant bite reactions. I hugged her and apologised that she had to be so miserable but that I didn't know what else to do. So I kissed her on the head, told her to pull up her big girl panties and deal with it, then sent her to school. By 11:00 am I was getting a phone call. Mommy guilt is awesome!
"Mom, I need vinegar."
"What? Why?"
"I have more fire ants bites all over my face and neck."
"What? How'd that happen?"
"I don't know they just showed up!"
Now, I happen to know for a fact fire ant bites don't randomly show up with out the introduction of more fire ants and the existing bites certainly don't spread. But I told her I'd be there in a few, grabbed the ACV, and headed out the door. I get to the school and the kid is scratching like crazy! She had red bltches and bumps all up her neck and on both sides of her face all the way up to her temples and new patches showing up on her nose, upper lip, and the middle of her cheek. It was bright red and puffy and some of it seemed to almost be like small hive streaks. I had no clue. We tried the vinegar. Nothing. Not even a temporary relief of the itching. Ok, something was up. I pulled her out of school and we went to the pharmacy for some calamine and advice. As soon as we walked up to the counter our local pharmacist looked at her and said,
"Good Lord girl! How'd you get that poison on your face?"
POISON? Oh God, I didn't even think about poison Ivy.... *mommy fail* He recommended Hydrocortisone cream and Benadryl. My baby got calamine lotion (I know it's not all natural), colloidal oatmeal, and witch hazel. We came home and had a nice lunch of turmeric chicken salad pitas (turmeric is a natural anti-itch herb) and had a "spa day" with calamine lotion and colloidal oatmeal masks, cool chamomile and witch hazel compresses (with cucumber slices on the eyes, of course), and a wash cloth ALWAYS soaked in a witch hazel and tea tree oil calming tonic I made just for her. I had her take an 80 mg bromelain (herbal anti-inflammatory) capsule when we got home and one before bed. She not only felt like a princess, her face and neck didn't hardly bother her, and she slept the whole night with out itching.
The best part is when she woke up this morning and while there re still bumps and raised spots all but one spot on her neck is flesh colored! And the only spot that was bothering her or itching at all was the one on her neck that was still red. So before I sent her to school today I had her take another bromelain and then made her some itch witch pads (homemade Tucks) to take with her to school so if it starts to itch too badly she can soothe it and still pay attention and learn. The best part? She doesn't need a doctors note to have them or leave them in the office! They are not made with "medicine", so she can keep them with her! This brings me to the mandatory disclosure. I am not a medical professional nor am I representing myself to be one. I have never had any formal training of any kind in health care or medicinal herbs and I am speaking solely from personal experience and Google search information. This is solely advice from one nutty natty to another. Ok..... Now that we're done mucking the barn ;-) ..... Here's the how-to low-down on Itch Witch Pads.
Itch Witch Pads
---------------------
2 sheets of paper towels (or a small chamois cloth)
1/4 cup witch hazel tonic
20 drops tea tree essential oil
Cut the paper towels into small squares (2 in x 2 in or what ever works for you)
mix the witch hazel and the tea tree oil
Stack paper towels squares up and put into the witch hazel/tea tree oil mixture
Pull out stack of paper towels when completely wet
Press flat between hands to remove about half of the moisture until it's not completely dripping (I squeeze back into the bowl)
Put soaked paper towel squares into small container or ziplock baggie (we used a micro sized storage container)
Apply when needed for itching, pain, or swelling.
It works on boo boos & sunburn too!!!!!!!! (also great for hemorrhoids and episiotomy owies.... but let's not go there) The Paper towels are disposable and the chamois are reusable. I used Viva paper towels today.... they're super soft and thick and absorbent. The batch I made for home are made of chamois (from the dollar store). They are fantastic and an awesome concoction that works amazing! I was glad I could provide her some relief with out covering her in and filling her with chemicals.
So go out there and get your supplies and mix up a batch of this handy dandy great for everything first aid healing skin tonic. You'll be so glad you did and it will do wonders for your all natural first aid kit! It's super cooling and soothing and calming (all these zen words are making me want a nap...hahahahahaha) and 100% worth the investment. :) Plus you can't pass up the feeling of being able to lessen the suffering of those you love. That, to me, is worth the investment.... all by itself!
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 2 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog(by clicking
Follow) and Read that day's blog posts and post in the comment section
that you read it and you're following, Like and Share my blog post from
my Facebook Page, then comment in the Facebook post's comment box that
you liked and shared it (and if your Facebook "name" is different than
the one you put on the Blog, please let me know who you are.)! Each
thing you do is worth an entry. You can only follow me once, so most
days your going to get 3 entries a day.
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
4. One time only entry chance when you follow this blog by clicking follow = 5 entries
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total ticket accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
DAY 2 OF THE CONTEST IS TODAY! ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!
Now on with the blog!
There are cruel and nasty things about nature. Seriously! If anyone ever tells you something can't hurt you because it's all natural, remind them Hemlock is all natural and it'll kill you right quick. It's a good way to remind people that there is a duality to everything. Good and Bad, yin and yang. There are also things like poison ivy. Ask Lady Bug about it. We don't know how, but she has ended up with poison Ivy on her face, neck, and 2 fingers. *smh* (I'm not quite sure how this crap keeps happening. When it rains is pours I guess.) Normally just having to deal with the incessant itching and burning of poison ivy is bad enough. But next week they are doing their end of grade testing, so she also has to go to school. Oh, and she's the reigning Little Miss Princeton and the pageant (where she is a presenter and performer this year as she passes on the crown (to Booter?)) is this Saturday. *face palm....sigh*
She woke up yesterday morning with what I thought were a couple of bug bites on her neck and finger. I put vinegar on them (they looked like fire ant bites though I was completely unsure of how she would get fire ant bites in her bed while sleeping (I was worried her room was getting invaded), And I wondered if they could have come from riding lessons yesterday where she stepped into a fire ant hill and got bit on her foot a few times and we had to use the body balm bar (I forgot to bring the vinegar.....), but I'd never even heard of delayed fire ant bite reactions. I hugged her and apologised that she had to be so miserable but that I didn't know what else to do. So I kissed her on the head, told her to pull up her big girl panties and deal with it, then sent her to school. By 11:00 am I was getting a phone call. Mommy guilt is awesome!
"Mom, I need vinegar."
"What? Why?"
"I have more fire ants bites all over my face and neck."
"What? How'd that happen?"
"I don't know they just showed up!"
Now, I happen to know for a fact fire ant bites don't randomly show up with out the introduction of more fire ants and the existing bites certainly don't spread. But I told her I'd be there in a few, grabbed the ACV, and headed out the door. I get to the school and the kid is scratching like crazy! She had red bltches and bumps all up her neck and on both sides of her face all the way up to her temples and new patches showing up on her nose, upper lip, and the middle of her cheek. It was bright red and puffy and some of it seemed to almost be like small hive streaks. I had no clue. We tried the vinegar. Nothing. Not even a temporary relief of the itching. Ok, something was up. I pulled her out of school and we went to the pharmacy for some calamine and advice. As soon as we walked up to the counter our local pharmacist looked at her and said,
"Good Lord girl! How'd you get that poison on your face?"
POISON? Oh God, I didn't even think about poison Ivy.... *mommy fail* He recommended Hydrocortisone cream and Benadryl. My baby got calamine lotion (I know it's not all natural), colloidal oatmeal, and witch hazel. We came home and had a nice lunch of turmeric chicken salad pitas (turmeric is a natural anti-itch herb) and had a "spa day" with calamine lotion and colloidal oatmeal masks, cool chamomile and witch hazel compresses (with cucumber slices on the eyes, of course), and a wash cloth ALWAYS soaked in a witch hazel and tea tree oil calming tonic I made just for her. I had her take an 80 mg bromelain (herbal anti-inflammatory) capsule when we got home and one before bed. She not only felt like a princess, her face and neck didn't hardly bother her, and she slept the whole night with out itching.
The best part is when she woke up this morning and while there re still bumps and raised spots all but one spot on her neck is flesh colored! And the only spot that was bothering her or itching at all was the one on her neck that was still red. So before I sent her to school today I had her take another bromelain and then made her some itch witch pads (homemade Tucks) to take with her to school so if it starts to itch too badly she can soothe it and still pay attention and learn. The best part? She doesn't need a doctors note to have them or leave them in the office! They are not made with "medicine", so she can keep them with her! This brings me to the mandatory disclosure. I am not a medical professional nor am I representing myself to be one. I have never had any formal training of any kind in health care or medicinal herbs and I am speaking solely from personal experience and Google search information. This is solely advice from one nutty natty to another. Ok..... Now that we're done mucking the barn ;-) ..... Here's the how-to low-down on Itch Witch Pads.
Itch Witch Pads
---------------------
2 sheets of paper towels (or a small chamois cloth)
1/4 cup witch hazel tonic
20 drops tea tree essential oil
Cut the paper towels into small squares (2 in x 2 in or what ever works for you)
mix the witch hazel and the tea tree oil
Stack paper towels squares up and put into the witch hazel/tea tree oil mixture
Pull out stack of paper towels when completely wet
Press flat between hands to remove about half of the moisture until it's not completely dripping (I squeeze back into the bowl)
Put soaked paper towel squares into small container or ziplock baggie (we used a micro sized storage container)
Apply when needed for itching, pain, or swelling.
It works on boo boos & sunburn too!!!!!!!! (also great for hemorrhoids and episiotomy owies.... but let's not go there) The Paper towels are disposable and the chamois are reusable. I used Viva paper towels today.... they're super soft and thick and absorbent. The batch I made for home are made of chamois (from the dollar store). They are fantastic and an awesome concoction that works amazing! I was glad I could provide her some relief with out covering her in and filling her with chemicals.
So go out there and get your supplies and mix up a batch of this handy dandy great for everything first aid healing skin tonic. You'll be so glad you did and it will do wonders for your all natural first aid kit! It's super cooling and soothing and calming (all these zen words are making me want a nap...hahahahahaha) and 100% worth the investment. :) Plus you can't pass up the feeling of being able to lessen the suffering of those you love. That, to me, is worth the investment.... all by itself!
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 2 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment on Facebook Post = 1 entry
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total ticket accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
(Turns out I don't have a follow button.... I'm so unobservant sometimes. Sorry about that confusion.....)
Monday, May 13, 2013
Happy Mother's Day... I want a do-over!
So today was a disaster that culminated with me sobbing hysterically on the floor, ready to kill one of our Dogs (Lucy.... who else?) dog, my girls staring on wide eyed in disbelief. Awesome I tell ya! So my Sweet little Booter offered to share her birthday, tomorrow, with me. How sweet is this young'un? That should tell you something though.... It was really messed up. ESPECIALLY at the end. Let me start with yesterday....
My Mother's Day gift was the fabric I wanted for my multi-tiered peasant skirt I have been wanting to make. It's from my own "pattern". I make four kids skirts and I suddenly act like sewing genius. The idea was that, since my girlies were away until Sunday afternoon, I was going to sew it together on Saturday so I could wear it on Sunday. Instead I spent the better part of my day getting my seedlings all set up on their big kid pots until I had my plot done. My "little" seed plants weren't ready for this yet, But my "big" seed plants were raring to go. Between taking care of my plant babies (which are our food givers, so I tend to hold them and my seeds a little sacred and I get a little crazy about them.... It's a whole food anxiety issue. Ignorance truly is bliss. A slow poisonous death of a bliss, but bliss none the less), trying to get some mommy relaxation time, being 6" x 36" short of fabric, Our kitty Sadie giving birth at 4:00 am Mother's Day Morning behind the Couch in the bonus room, and my bobbin winder function suddenly ceasing to work, I did NOT get my skirt done..... But I tried. It's 4/5 of the way done and I was up until 7:00 am trying to get it all the way done. Yes 7:00.... am. I woke up at noon too. I still had another hour to sleep, but just couldn't. Oh well, My babes wanted me to be able to wear my Mother's Day skirt for Mother's Day. But, this led to absolute disdain when I retrieved my beauties. I was improperly clothed. But to me, even still, it was worth it to get to work with my little plants and just relax with my hand covered in compost and soil....... (my nails loathe gardening, but my soul cherishes it).
On top of this, I was almost 20 minutes late picking them up because I had to go run errands before picking up my Girlies. But I had Lady Bug's friend with me (she carpools with us to our Sunday riding lesson but was dropped off an HOUR early today with threw off my schedule horribly), so it took longer than was necessary. Plus I had to buy stuff for Booter to give to their host as a Birthday Present. But then we were given 5 trash bags funn of random may or may not fit clothes and shoes for the girls an a huge box of toys. A nice gift, don't get me wrong, buut we're trying to downsize.... not have to get a bigger moving truck! With all that as it was it we would have been 10 minutes late for lessons. Not a big deal. But then my GPS crapped out mid trip and just LOST the directions while I was on the 40 going a direction I had never been before and had no idea how to go and ended up missing the exit and having to drive close to 25 miles out of the way to get there. *smh* This made us a full half hour late. *hangshead* Awesome. At least their instructor was understanding.
Riding lessons were awesome! With on exception.... I didn't get to ride. :( We were too late and the horse was already tired out from a day of lessons and 3 kids back to back was just too much for her to bear stuck in a round pen. I'll ride next week.... even though that was to be the highlight experience (next to loving and being loved by my girls!) of Mother's Day... riding a horse (I do not take riding lessons, I am learning hands on equine care and proper care and management of a barn, tack, feed, etc. I can ride already. I just don't get to hardly ever (2x in 10 yrs)). Meh. It didn't work out, but it's ok. I found out I have a very special friend in the horse, Casey. As she was getting tired and lazy, it took more and more convincing to do her job. She had two lessons in the morning of preschoolers walking around for 30 minutes, then us in the afternoon. She just hates the round pen, she hates going in circles. She, apparently, loves a work out buddy. ;) Those of you who know horses you know how cute and playful they can be! They are like giant puppy dogs! They have the same eyes, they love companionship, they want to please their people, and they are amazing loyal and protective..... mostly, they LOVE to play. Even the serious horses (like Casey) will decide that someone is worthy enough of silliness and act a fool for the sake of acting a fool. Casey decided she didn't want to walk or trot the girls at all unless I was walking/running with her. As we were making our laps around the ring she kept head nudging me and everytime we stopped she would lean her head into mine and we'd "hug". When the kids weren't on her, I'd pat my legs like you'd call a doggy and she would thump thump her from hooves and put her head down and shake it then come over and "hug" me again. I fell in love with that horse then and there and Cassie simply marveled about how it's like on Flicka 3! Caity couldn't stop laughing. We had a nice picnic dinner at the stables before we left.
On the way home (way later than I intended), I stopped by Wal*Mart and got the rest of the fabric I needed (only place with fabric even close to us) and then headed home.... finally. We drop off the girls friend with her dad, who was waiting in the drive, and head inside. I opened the door and immediately start crying. All... ALL of my beautiful baby plants are destroyed. They are littered amongst the house; compost, egg shells and organic soil ground into the carpet. I still have no idea why, but Lucy thought that they all looked like a tasty snack. The only plants that survived are the ones I already sold (thank GOD) to a friend, but all of ours (except for 4 corn, 2 peas, 1 watermelon, 3 unidentifiable beans (we had 2 kinds), and 2 unknown other plants of vine/squash variety (out of 60 plants)... and all of these were up rooted and laying dry on the floor) are destroyed. Our garden is done before it even started. I sat and cried as I picked them all up and put them into the compost and replanted what was left. I cried as I swept and vacuumed up their soil. And then I just sat and cried. Don't let me fool you folks. I am not all tough and strong. It's the first time I've sat and cried in a while and all of the stress and frustration of trying to do what we're doing, maintaining a somewhat normal routine at the house for the girls, doing everything by myself, the end of the year stress that comes with public school, getting ready for the talent/pageant, and Matt being gone came pouring out. I sat there with broken stemmed cucumbers in my hand grieving them and my ability to feed my children food they deserve. They were my plant babies. I sprouted them, tended them, hoped for them, worked for them, and they are all gone. I was (and still am) devastated. I puled out my saved seeds for next year and put half as many to germinate. But it's the middle of May..... So if anyone wants watermelon for their Halloween party, let me know.....
As I sat here last night, starting to write this blog and feeling completely defeated. I saw one of our older kittens catch a mouse (great now we have mice too? On top of the ants (some of which have made their home in Lady Bugs room and bit her while she was sleeping.... Yay for vinegar) and everything else.... now I have mice too. I almost lost it all over again. But then I realized something my kitty was teaching me. She wasn't worried about the other mice. She was worried about that mouse. She couldn't change the fact that there were mice in the house, but she could get that mouse out of the house. She had to learn to hunt those mice and I'm sure it took her many tries and failures to accomplish this. I may have the dumbest bottomless pit of a dog ever created, I may have ants and carpenter bees, and mice, and talent shows/pageants, and EOG's for the girls, and year books, and house keeping, and blogging, and yard work, and organizing, and cooking, and baking, and cleaning, and decorating, and birthday's, and lessons, and car issues, and new kittens behind my couch, and 1000 things to pay for and money for about 3 of them, and a garden plot to finish, and having get my direct seed plants into the ground., and..., and..., and... And I have a lot on my plate, but at least I have it there. I may try and fail and try and fail and try and fail... but someday, eventually, I will succeed. Success isn't measured in quantity... it's measured in quality. Just like life. Hopefully Booter will learn all of her magic tricks by Saturday and Lady Bug will learn to sing in time with her back ground music, hopefully I'll get the 3 ads for the programs sold today, and hopefully my garden will be a full and bountiful late harvest (at least this happened while living here in NC instead of after we moved to WA. I'd be so SOL up there.... they don't have the growing season like they do here....). All I can do is try and worry about what I can affect, one thing at a time, right in front of me. I hope I don't let anyone down in the mean time, but I'm new at this and I promise I'll get better. Just give me the chance to fail so that I can learn to succeed.
And..... HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY TO MY BOOTER!!!!!!!!! I can't believe my BABY is growing into such a beautiful young lady!
(I was going to put a pic... but it won't let me (Lord knows why...)
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 1 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog (by clicking Follow) and Read that day's blog posts and post in the comment section that you read it and you're following, Like and Share my blog post from my Facebook Page, then comment in the Facebook post's comment box that you liked and shared it (and if your Facebook "name" is different than the one you put on the Blog, please let me know who you are.)! Each thing you do is worth an entry. You can only follow me once, so most days your going to get 3 entries.
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment that you liked & shared (and tell me if your posting names are different and who you are. LOL) = 1 entry
4. One time only entry chance when you follow this blog by clicking follow = 5 entries
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total ticket accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
ENTER NOW!
My Mother's Day gift was the fabric I wanted for my multi-tiered peasant skirt I have been wanting to make. It's from my own "pattern". I make four kids skirts and I suddenly act like sewing genius. The idea was that, since my girlies were away until Sunday afternoon, I was going to sew it together on Saturday so I could wear it on Sunday. Instead I spent the better part of my day getting my seedlings all set up on their big kid pots until I had my plot done. My "little" seed plants weren't ready for this yet, But my "big" seed plants were raring to go. Between taking care of my plant babies (which are our food givers, so I tend to hold them and my seeds a little sacred and I get a little crazy about them.... It's a whole food anxiety issue. Ignorance truly is bliss. A slow poisonous death of a bliss, but bliss none the less), trying to get some mommy relaxation time, being 6" x 36" short of fabric, Our kitty Sadie giving birth at 4:00 am Mother's Day Morning behind the Couch in the bonus room, and my bobbin winder function suddenly ceasing to work, I did NOT get my skirt done..... But I tried. It's 4/5 of the way done and I was up until 7:00 am trying to get it all the way done. Yes 7:00.... am. I woke up at noon too. I still had another hour to sleep, but just couldn't. Oh well, My babes wanted me to be able to wear my Mother's Day skirt for Mother's Day. But, this led to absolute disdain when I retrieved my beauties. I was improperly clothed. But to me, even still, it was worth it to get to work with my little plants and just relax with my hand covered in compost and soil....... (my nails loathe gardening, but my soul cherishes it).
On top of this, I was almost 20 minutes late picking them up because I had to go run errands before picking up my Girlies. But I had Lady Bug's friend with me (she carpools with us to our Sunday riding lesson but was dropped off an HOUR early today with threw off my schedule horribly), so it took longer than was necessary. Plus I had to buy stuff for Booter to give to their host as a Birthday Present. But then we were given 5 trash bags funn of random may or may not fit clothes and shoes for the girls an a huge box of toys. A nice gift, don't get me wrong, buut we're trying to downsize.... not have to get a bigger moving truck! With all that as it was it we would have been 10 minutes late for lessons. Not a big deal. But then my GPS crapped out mid trip and just LOST the directions while I was on the 40 going a direction I had never been before and had no idea how to go and ended up missing the exit and having to drive close to 25 miles out of the way to get there. *smh* This made us a full half hour late. *hangshead* Awesome. At least their instructor was understanding.
Riding lessons were awesome! With on exception.... I didn't get to ride. :( We were too late and the horse was already tired out from a day of lessons and 3 kids back to back was just too much for her to bear stuck in a round pen. I'll ride next week.... even though that was to be the highlight experience (next to loving and being loved by my girls!) of Mother's Day... riding a horse (I do not take riding lessons, I am learning hands on equine care and proper care and management of a barn, tack, feed, etc. I can ride already. I just don't get to hardly ever (2x in 10 yrs)). Meh. It didn't work out, but it's ok. I found out I have a very special friend in the horse, Casey. As she was getting tired and lazy, it took more and more convincing to do her job. She had two lessons in the morning of preschoolers walking around for 30 minutes, then us in the afternoon. She just hates the round pen, she hates going in circles. She, apparently, loves a work out buddy. ;) Those of you who know horses you know how cute and playful they can be! They are like giant puppy dogs! They have the same eyes, they love companionship, they want to please their people, and they are amazing loyal and protective..... mostly, they LOVE to play. Even the serious horses (like Casey) will decide that someone is worthy enough of silliness and act a fool for the sake of acting a fool. Casey decided she didn't want to walk or trot the girls at all unless I was walking/running with her. As we were making our laps around the ring she kept head nudging me and everytime we stopped she would lean her head into mine and we'd "hug". When the kids weren't on her, I'd pat my legs like you'd call a doggy and she would thump thump her from hooves and put her head down and shake it then come over and "hug" me again. I fell in love with that horse then and there and Cassie simply marveled about how it's like on Flicka 3! Caity couldn't stop laughing. We had a nice picnic dinner at the stables before we left.
On the way home (way later than I intended), I stopped by Wal*Mart and got the rest of the fabric I needed (only place with fabric even close to us) and then headed home.... finally. We drop off the girls friend with her dad, who was waiting in the drive, and head inside. I opened the door and immediately start crying. All... ALL of my beautiful baby plants are destroyed. They are littered amongst the house; compost, egg shells and organic soil ground into the carpet. I still have no idea why, but Lucy thought that they all looked like a tasty snack. The only plants that survived are the ones I already sold (thank GOD) to a friend, but all of ours (except for 4 corn, 2 peas, 1 watermelon, 3 unidentifiable beans (we had 2 kinds), and 2 unknown other plants of vine/squash variety (out of 60 plants)... and all of these were up rooted and laying dry on the floor) are destroyed. Our garden is done before it even started. I sat and cried as I picked them all up and put them into the compost and replanted what was left. I cried as I swept and vacuumed up their soil. And then I just sat and cried. Don't let me fool you folks. I am not all tough and strong. It's the first time I've sat and cried in a while and all of the stress and frustration of trying to do what we're doing, maintaining a somewhat normal routine at the house for the girls, doing everything by myself, the end of the year stress that comes with public school, getting ready for the talent/pageant, and Matt being gone came pouring out. I sat there with broken stemmed cucumbers in my hand grieving them and my ability to feed my children food they deserve. They were my plant babies. I sprouted them, tended them, hoped for them, worked for them, and they are all gone. I was (and still am) devastated. I puled out my saved seeds for next year and put half as many to germinate. But it's the middle of May..... So if anyone wants watermelon for their Halloween party, let me know.....
As I sat here last night, starting to write this blog and feeling completely defeated. I saw one of our older kittens catch a mouse (great now we have mice too? On top of the ants (some of which have made their home in Lady Bugs room and bit her while she was sleeping.... Yay for vinegar) and everything else.... now I have mice too. I almost lost it all over again. But then I realized something my kitty was teaching me. She wasn't worried about the other mice. She was worried about that mouse. She couldn't change the fact that there were mice in the house, but she could get that mouse out of the house. She had to learn to hunt those mice and I'm sure it took her many tries and failures to accomplish this. I may have the dumbest bottomless pit of a dog ever created, I may have ants and carpenter bees, and mice, and talent shows/pageants, and EOG's for the girls, and year books, and house keeping, and blogging, and yard work, and organizing, and cooking, and baking, and cleaning, and decorating, and birthday's, and lessons, and car issues, and new kittens behind my couch, and 1000 things to pay for and money for about 3 of them, and a garden plot to finish, and having get my direct seed plants into the ground., and..., and..., and... And I have a lot on my plate, but at least I have it there. I may try and fail and try and fail and try and fail... but someday, eventually, I will succeed. Success isn't measured in quantity... it's measured in quality. Just like life. Hopefully Booter will learn all of her magic tricks by Saturday and Lady Bug will learn to sing in time with her back ground music, hopefully I'll get the 3 ads for the programs sold today, and hopefully my garden will be a full and bountiful late harvest (at least this happened while living here in NC instead of after we moved to WA. I'd be so SOL up there.... they don't have the growing season like they do here....). All I can do is try and worry about what I can affect, one thing at a time, right in front of me. I hope I don't let anyone down in the mean time, but I'm new at this and I promise I'll get better. Just give me the chance to fail so that I can learn to succeed.
And..... HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY TO MY BOOTER!!!!!!!!! I can't believe my BABY is growing into such a beautiful young lady!
(I was going to put a pic... but it won't let me (Lord knows why...)
*********CONTEST!***********
This is day 1 of my contest!
Starting today (May 13), Follow this Blog (by clicking Follow) and Read that day's blog posts and post in the comment section that you read it and you're following, Like and Share my blog post from my Facebook Page, then comment in the Facebook post's comment box that you liked and shared it (and if your Facebook "name" is different than the one you put on the Blog, please let me know who you are.)! Each thing you do is worth an entry. You can only follow me once, so most days your going to get 3 entries.
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment that you liked & shared (and tell me if your posting names are different and who you are. LOL) = 1 entry
4. One time only entry chance when you follow this blog by clicking follow = 5 entries
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total ticket accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
ENTER NOW!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Free Stuff! It's not spam, It's a Contest!
Don't worry. Everybody stay calm. We are still having the contest.... it just got pushed back a week. :) My interwebs broke. Well, not the net specifically, just the modem. And I thought I was hot stuff with a back up modem. Turns out they have to program them or something I am completely unaware of this. Hubby knew, but didn't know how. So we waited for the repair man. He came Tuesday, the same day hubby left. You'd think I could have posted since then, and you're right, I probably could have. I needed a break from my break. It was crazy here this past week. Bought an above ground pool (since we're not using the AC again this year), started the seeds, started, the garden, set up the pool, filled, the pool, saw the pool was WAY wonky, drained the pool, took down the pool, started to level yard, Lady Bug's 100% Homemade Birthday Party, A BBQ, Planting my cocoa seed (Yep! They sprouted!), and Lady Bug had her field trip Monday. I carpooled with a friend and one of Lady Bug's besties' Mom. It was awesome having field trip buddies and we had plenty of time where it was just me and her (and about 100 more prepubescent angels in the background. *rollmyeyes*), Hubby stayed home and had some one on one time with Booter. Lady Bug got to go to the beach and then go on a boat to an island and see wild horses and do some fishing on the way back!. Awesome! Except for the fact that I get terribly and miserably sea sick. Thankfully, I didn't throw-up, just felt like I was about to (aren't you glad I shared?). I had a whole batch of motion illness remedy all mixed up ready to go.... then it got left at home where I am amazed Lu didn't eat it. My point is, I was going to do a whole post about an all natural homemade motion illness remedy, but sadly, I missed the boat completely. *smh*
So I am going to tell you about the contest! Why? Because I am stupid excited about it. I am probably the only one who will be this excited about it. LOL! I don't know... I like to make people smile and a present makes everybody smile! I have been making a LOT of fun stuff here at home, some awesome, others not so much. And, I know many of you might be a little apprehensive about purchasing a bunch of products to make something when you don't even know if it will work. So I decided to give away a TOTG sample pack of a bunch of my homemade stuffs (A Dishwasher Tablet, A Laundry Soap Bomb, Scented Laundry Salts, A Lip Balm, Lotion, and All-In-One Body Balm Beauty Bar), that way you guys could decide if you want to invest in making your own! But don't feel dismayed that there is only one sample pack being given away.... Because I have 6 mini sample packs that have a Dish Washer Tablet, A Laundry Soap Bomb, and a mini All-In-One Body Balm Beauty Bar. I'm just rad like that! How do you win these sample packs of homemade awesomness-ish? Spreading the word!
Starting this coming Monday (May 13), Follow this Blog (by clicking Follow) and Read that day's blog posts and post in the comment section that you read it and you're following, Like and Share my blog post from my Facebook Page, then comment in the Facebook post's comment box that you liked and shared it (and if your Facebook "name" is different than the one you put on the Blog, please let me know who you are.)! Each thing you do is worth an entry. You can only follow me once, so most days your going to get 3 points.
1: Read & Comment on Blog = 1 entry
2: Like & Share Facebook Blog Post Link from Foodies At Heart Page = 1 entry
3: Comment that you liked & shared (and tell me if your posting names are different and who you are. LOL) = 1 entry
4. One time only entry chance when you follow this blog by clicking follow = 5 entry
I'll take entries everyday until midnight. I will have one of the Girlies draw the previous day's winner in the morning and announce the winner here. Monday through Saturday you win a Mini TOTG Sample Pack and on Sunday I will draw the grand prize out of all of the total ticket accumulated over the week (except for the 6 tickets previously drawn) and will announce the Grand Prize Winner on here next Monday. I will ship everything out the same Monday as the announcement of the Grand Prize Winner.
That was probably confusing as sin. If you have any questions or need any clarification, post below and I'll try and answer them in a way that makes sense. :) But, there ya go! Hopefully this will be a fun way to share the blog and have a chance to try before you buy!
Tomorrow we will start back to the real blog posts about important stuff. But this is epic(ish)!
Today I hope you find unexpected joy!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Stink, Stank, Stunk
One of the things I decided to make for hubby coming home is all natural deodorant. It works quite well actually Now, it is not an antiperspirant. You will still sweat like no body's business. But it won't stink. Besides, commercial antiperspirant/deodorant is linked to all sorts of health problems including breast cancer and premature puberty. That's not all, by any means, that's just (honestly) what I remember.
Making deodorant is like everything else, deceptively easy. It has 6 ingredients and together they are a pretty potent cocktail in the fight against body odor. TMI time.... Several years ago I had to have a total abdominal hysterectomy catapulting me into a surgically induced menopause hell. Ever since, my body odor has become quite harsh. I can shower and still stink. After a long day of manual labor and I can make the dogs clear the room. I had used many different store bought versions with minimal effects and the worst ever dry armpit itching ever. I had even sought out medical advice. I was told to bathe more frequently and use lotion for my itchy pits. Um... thanks. I had all but given up hope when I discovered that apple cider vinegar naturally neutralizes odor by destroying the bacteria responsible. I used it. It burns after you shave. But it works. YAY! But I was still stuck with using store bought deodorant and itchy pits.
I started thinking about other natural odor eliminators. I could only come up with one... Baking soda. But it's really abrasive. Definitely didn't help with the dry pit either. Coconut oil did help with the itchy pit. You don't get a much better moisturizer. But it has such a low melting point it's kind of messy for use as a deodorant. So I decided to add mango butter due to it's stiffness. But there was still the issue of the abrasiveness.... I came up with Arrow root powder! It would definitely cream up the mixture and cut down the abrasiveness. With that, I came up with my deodorant recipe...
Making deodorant is like everything else, deceptively easy. It has 6 ingredients and together they are a pretty potent cocktail in the fight against body odor. TMI time.... Several years ago I had to have a total abdominal hysterectomy catapulting me into a surgically induced menopause hell. Ever since, my body odor has become quite harsh. I can shower and still stink. After a long day of manual labor and I can make the dogs clear the room. I had used many different store bought versions with minimal effects and the worst ever dry armpit itching ever. I had even sought out medical advice. I was told to bathe more frequently and use lotion for my itchy pits. Um... thanks. I had all but given up hope when I discovered that apple cider vinegar naturally neutralizes odor by destroying the bacteria responsible. I used it. It burns after you shave. But it works. YAY! But I was still stuck with using store bought deodorant and itchy pits.
I started thinking about other natural odor eliminators. I could only come up with one... Baking soda. But it's really abrasive. Definitely didn't help with the dry pit either. Coconut oil did help with the itchy pit. You don't get a much better moisturizer. But it has such a low melting point it's kind of messy for use as a deodorant. So I decided to add mango butter due to it's stiffness. But there was still the issue of the abrasiveness.... I came up with Arrow root powder! It would definitely cream up the mixture and cut down the abrasiveness. With that, I came up with my deodorant recipe...
Ingredients
--------------------
1/3 C Coconut Oil
1/3 C Mango Butter
2/3 C Baking Soda
2/3 C Arrow Root Powder
1/3 C Apple Cider Vinegar
20 drops Essential Oils
Melt the mango butter and the coconut oil together in a small bowl (double boiler method). Mix in the apple cider vinegar with the melted oils and add in the essential oil of your choice (I used tea tree to help with the itchiness and increased antibacterial properties). Mix the baking soda and arrow root powder together. Mix the powders into the oils/vinegar and mix until a thick creamy paste.
That's it. I keep mine in a Tupperware and smear it on daily and after my shower. I still use the extra vinegar, but it's super easy to just do it in the shower since I've started the no poo method. The best part... if you have a day or two (I'm a mom, no judgement, no shame... I completely understand) without a shower, you still won't stink! Even if you only get to put it on after your last shower and not reapply. This is truly a miracle in the whiffy wifey department (and the Stinky hubby dept too)! We even have our oldest using it (puberty funk is a special funk all on its own). I really hope this helps all of you out as much as it has helped me!
With that in mind, your baby step is to make an all natural personal hygiene product. Use one of mine or utilize Google for something more your speed! Just do it! (sorry Nike) You will be amazed at how easy it is to make and the level of satisfaction you will get from making something so practical with your own two hands. Find something you use everyday or once a week and find an all natural home made alternative! It's a very simple step to self sufficiency and think of the chemicals you will be eliminating for you and your family's lives! I know you can do it! And share a comment and let me know all about it! I am always looking for new ideas of things and ways to make stuff!
Today I wish you curiosity. You will never find knowledge if you don't seek it first!
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