Simple Home Remedies

I am always looking for drug-free ways to help common ailments. If I can go natural, I prefer to do so. Here are some home remedies I found recently:

1. Restless Leg Syndrome: Drink a 6-ounce glass of tonic water each night before bed until symptoms go away. Tonic water contains quinine, which stops repeated muscle contractions.

2. Headaches: Try do-it-yourself acupressure. Feel along your trapezius, the large muscle that runs from the high point of both shoulders and joins your neck. Use your thumbs, index, and middle fingers to squeeze the muscle just below where it attaches to both sides of your neck. You'll be releasing "trigger points," tiny muscle spasms that can cause neck tension and are a common cause of headaches. Hold for 30 seconds to 1 minute—or have a friend do it for you. Or try: massaging one or two drops of peppermint (Mentha piperita) oil into the same trigger points and the lower neck. Peppermint oil relaxes muscles in spasm. 

3. Sore Throat: Mix together a clove bud, which is antiseptic and fights infection, with ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger (or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger) and ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon—the latter two because of their anti-inflammatory properties. Infuse the tea in 2 cups boiling water, and for every cup, stir in 2 teaspoons soothing and sweet raw honey. Sip throughout the day until your throat settles down. 

4. Brain Freeze: The second you feel a brain freeze coming on, put your tongue to the roof of your mouth. The heat from your tongue will calm the nerves and reduce pain faster.

5. Sleeping problems: Have a good night's rest with this triple-threat sleep aid! Tart cherry contains a healthy dose of all-natural melatonin that assists in getting good-quality sleep.Try swapping your midnight snack with an 8-ounce glass of tart cherry juice and bring on the Zs!




*Reposted from prevention.com and doctoroz.com

Dry Dog Shampoo

I've been looking for a recipe for dry dog shampoo. I know you can buy them from the store but as some of you know, I'm health minded and cautious of the ingredients added in everyday things. I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback that is an outdoor dog. I bathe him with homemade wet shampoo and a hose during the warmer months but have been stumped as to how to bathe him in the colder months. I have been researching homemade dry shampoo but couldn't find one that I could actually do with ingredients in my pantry. I have taken a recipe for human dry shampoo and a recipe for homemade wet dog shampoo and tweaked it to my liking, this is what I've come up with. I hope you like it.

Dry Dog Shampoo

1/4 cup ground oatmeal
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Chamomile tea bag contents (I opened bagged and poured contents into the bowl, discarded bag)

*The original recipe calls for 1-2 drops of essential oil, I used the tea instead.*

Mix well in a bowl and add to a shaker for use. Shake onto dog and rub in. Brush out coat after you have rubbed in the powder. This works well for my dog, he is large and has a very thick coat. To test on small, short coat dogs, use sparingly.

Ornaments

As a follow up to my December 5, 2012 post, I am posting this year's St. Jude ornaments.  I have already ordered mine and I'm very excited to get them. I plan on giving more ornaments as gifts this year, I also purchased a few other things from the store as well. All the ornament artwork is produced by St. Jude patients, they are so adorable. Those of you that know me, know I'm kind of a penny pincher, if I'm going to spend money I'm going to make sure it's worth it. St. Jude is worth every penny. 100 percent of the profits, after all related expenses, benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Who wouldn't want to help children with cancer and/or other catastrophic diseases? Here is the link to the gift shop: http://giftshop.stjude.org/stjude/
I hope you purchase one for yourself or as a gift.

Painted Shoes...oh my!

A friend of mine from San Diego, Nick Battaglia (owner of Loose Cannon Customs) http://nickbattagliapaint.com/, started a painted shoe line that is amazing. Nick has always been talented. As a teenager, I think he painted anything he could get his hands on, friends and family included. =D
I know he did some amazing work on surfboards at that time. His talent really knows no bounds. His shoes are just another example of his outstanding work. These shoes are definitely going on my wish list. I really have no place to wear them now but I think I'd be happy just wearing them around the house. They are so cool!!! I have heard that his shoes are making their mark on the Pinterest community, I couldn't be happier for Nick. I'm sure his shoes will be on every woman across the globe in no time at all. Check out his line and you will be adding them to your wish list as well. He is currently working on a new website so this link is the only one I have at the moment. https://www.facebook.com/tattooshoe?hc_location=timeline

Quote of the Day!

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. -Khalil Gibran

Marketing Design

I am currently looking for a design concept for my new line of jewelry. I'm not selling it on Etsy under my other store. That store is jewelry that has no real genre and that I don't promote. I want my new line to be promoted. It is steampunk and industrial chic. I use bullet casings, as well as unusual found pieces. I have both female and male sets. The name of the store is B.A.D. (Bad A$$ Designs). I would like something edgy and bold but still slightly feminine. ie: sugar skulls, leather & lace....etc.
 RB, I don't know if you have the time but I'd love to see what you come up with. I need a logo, avatar, store banner and possibly business cards. I know I can use an artist from Etsy but I didn't see anything that caught my eye. It all looked very feminine and floral. Etsy designs are about $12.00 but I'm willing to pay a little more for something I want. If you have any ideas, please email me. Thank you.

Quote of the Day!

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. -C. S. Lewis

Finding myself

Some of you know me, you know that I was a city girl that was always adventurous and liked to try new things, what you didn't know was that I also liked to do things that weren't typically feminine. I grew up with guns, I am an expert marksman and love to shoot. Also, I use to spend my summers at horse camp, I loved horses, but as much as I loved horses I also loved archery. When I couldn't ride, I would spend all time at the archery range. I became quite good at it and started competing against other camps. It doesn't seem like much but it is something I still love today. In San Diego, guns and weapons aren't really acceptable. Since I've moved to Missouri, I've had a bad attitude. I haven't liked living here and have wanted to move back home. But now...I have accumulated quite an arsenal of guns that I enjoy shooting whenever possible. And just recently, a friend that bow hunts has reintroduced me to archery. I feel like I'm finally coming into my own. I'm really enjoying myself and I don't feel any pressure about what I should or shouldn't do as I did in San Diego. I'm still me, just a better version of me. I just turned 36 and just now feel like I finally found myself. I always knew what I liked but felt like my hobbies were unacceptable. I'm still not completely sold on Missouri but it definitely has its perks. I wish everyone could do what they love without being judged or mistreated. It's a horrible feeling and it stunts people's personal growth. I hope that I am always supportive of some one's interests. That's a goal that I can grasp.

F.Y.I. I am currently doing 4 of my bucket list items. (March 22 post) It's a slow process but I am making some headway. Woot!!!

Monster High Doll House and Furniture

My daughter, Tori, is addicted to Monster High. She has the new line of dolls and now doesn't even look at her Barbies. I recently donated her Barbie house because it was too big for her room. We wanted something for her Monster High dolls that would also be versatile when she no longer plays with them. We purchased a small black bookcase (Walmart $18.00). I'm currently in the process of making this bookcase into a Monster High doll house. I'm making as much furniture as I can because I've seen the prices of furniture and I really don't want to spend that kind of money to furnish her house. Jeez, the price of furniture for these dolls costs more than the bookcase I bought for the house. It's ridiculous. Tori doesn't want me to alter her Barbie furniture because she wants to keep that furniture for her Barbies. I don't want to battle it out with her about it, since she doesn't play with her Barbies anymore, so I'm just going to make furniture from household items as I find them. I will post pictures of the house when I finish it. I will include tips and links for anything I found useful during the process. I hope other parents can save some money and make their own. So check back and see what I've done. See you soon!

Quote of the Day!

There are two types of pain in this world, pain that hurts you and pain that changes you.

The List...Educating Kids During The Summer

1. Find out what exhibits, events, or concerts are happening in your town over the summer and take the kids to them. Discuss these events with them, let them express themselves freely.
2. Let them help with dinner. They can read the directions and follow them under your supervision
3. Let them write the grocery list. If they are too young, let them draw a picture of the item on the list.
4. Explore around the house if you can't go elsewhere. They can write or draw in a journal, documenting their finds and thoughts.
5. Listen to them read...anything!
6. Let them learn using the computer...here are some educational websites you may be interested in, per http://www.readingrockets.org/:

• National Geographic Kids: offers great nature videos, activities, games, stories, and more
• CoolMath4Kids: take a trip through an amusement park of math and more at this extremely interactive math website
• Smithsonian Kids Collecting: how to start your own collection and see what other kids collect
• Explore Dinosaurs: FAQs and top 10 myths about dinosaurs, a virtual dig, behind the scenes tours, and more from the National Museum of Natural History
• Smithsonian Digging for Answers: a site that tests your research skills and knowledge
• NASA Quest: interactive explorations that engage students in real science and engineering. Topics include robots, helicopters, lunar exploration, and designing your own human-friendly planet
• My Wonderful World: a multimedia tour of our seven continents
• Time for Kids: fun games (The Great State Race), an online weekly magazine written for kids, and news from around the world

I'll be adding to this list but for now, I think this will give you a good starting point.

Quote of the Day!

“Hope never abandons you; you abandon it” -George Weinberg

Quote of the Day!

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." - Franklin D. Roosevelt

Bucket List Update

I want to add a few things to my bucket list...

On October 2, 2012 I wrote:
Tomorrow is my birthday and I'll be 35 years old. This birthday has really got me thinking about things I should have/would have done in my life. I've decided to make a Bucket List to help me decide what I want to accomplish before I die. This will be an ongoing process, I'm sure I will always find things I want to experience. My list is in no particular order and some are more important to me than others. Here I go...I'm starting my journey today.

1. Get my master's degree or, if possible, my doctorate. (Currently working on my bachelor's degree)
2. Have my steampunk or men's jewelry line featured in a magazine
3. Go to Italy and Greece
4. Parasail
5. Waterski
6. Snowboard
7. Donate a LARGE sum to Breast Cancer Awareness & St. Jude Children's Hospital
8. Learn and be efficient in some type of martial arts
9. Go to Paris and take a cooking class
10. Learn glass-blowing
11. Learn to weld

Here are the new additions:
12. Learn a foreign language
13. Learn as many survival skills I can...you know, in case of a zombie apocalypse (Hehe!)
14. Take my kids to Disney World
15. Take my kids to play in the ocean. I'm from San Diego and grew up going to the beach, playing in the water, and then surfing as I got older. My kids have never even seen an ocean, they really should be able to witness it's glory.
16. Go scuba diving
17. Have a large garden *dreams of The Secret Garden* lol

Homemade Laundry Detergent-Liquid

I am so glad I found this recipe. My whole family seems to have sensitive skin and I was buying a name brand detergent that is fragrance & dye free.  That can get expensive, it's really sad that it costs more for a product that has less ingredients in it but I bought it anyways. Now I will no longer be spending that kind of money. The Fels-Naptha has a scent so I was a little weary of using it but I love the scent and it doesn't have any effect on our sensitive skin. So here is the recipe courtesy of http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/08/how-to-make-homemade-laundry-detergent.html
I have rewritten it so I could add my own notes.

 

Homemade Laundry Detergent-Liquid (makes 2 gallons)

(Under $0.50 per gallon if I get ingredients from Walmart)

1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}

 1/2 Cup: Borax

 1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap {you could also use Ivory soap, but if using Ivory… use the whole bar}

·        Grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap over large pot or saucepan…

·        Add 6 cups of Water.

·         Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.

·         Add Washing Soda & Borax, and stir until dissolved.

·         Remove from heat and set aside.

*See notes following instructions: After doing the above as directed, I mixed it differently bcuz I didn’t have a bucket

·        Pour 4 cups Hot Water into bucket, then add Soap Mixture (makes 6 cups of soap mixture)

·         Stir, then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water.  Stir.

·        Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.

·         Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.

·         Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery… kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!

·         Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.

*Notes: I didn’t have a bucket so I made the soap mixture as directed in the pan, I'm splitting the recipe in half after the cooking stage, then I used these instructions: 

·        Pour 2 cups of hot water into a one gallon container (I used 1 gallon Gatorade containers but 1 gallon milk jugs would work)

·        Add 3 cups of soap mixture

·        Then add 11 cups of water

·        This is one gallon. Do the same with the other 3 cups of soap mixture and that’s your 2^nd gallon.

· Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.

· Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery… kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!

· Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.
 

*I use the measuring cap from my old laundry detergent bottle.  I use the exact same amount of homemade detergent as I did the name brand.

Additional info:

 

I use roughly 1 gallon of laundry detergent a per month. I did the math and found I could make a year's worth (12 gallons) of homemade laundry detergent for the same price as one (1) store bought, name brand 66 load (3quarts 4oz - not even a full gallon) container of laundry detergent. That's just crazy!!!