I like to shop early, before the local Walmart gets busy. So Thursday a.m. I headed out at 7 am. The Knoxville news was reporting heavy fog, so I was not sure what I might find. It was a lovely morning, crisp and fresh, following rain the day before. The drive is always nice, something new to see every trip. The calves are growing so fast, here they are born in February so they are now four months old.
Did my shopping and headed home. The sky was a lovely blue, the mountains tall and proud, and sitting atop all the Smokies in my home area were puffy white clouds, just resting on the peaks. So beautiful. Sometimes they are tucked down into the rows of mountains, but this day they just sat there and created another picture. The mountains rise up around us like protective giants, fending off most storms and keeping us safe. Makes me think of the hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God. I was brought up in the midwest, which is quite flat by comparison.
There are two shows I watch most days, The Doctors and Dr Oz. Both give us so much information on healthy living, preventive health care and so much more. We live in a dirty world, but would not think of things like this. Did you know that DVD's from Redbox, Blockbuster, Netflix etc are found to be crawling with staph, fecal matter and other gross stuff? Its a good idea to use a disinfectant wipe on them, and then after putting them in and out of the player, wash your hands before munching on that popcorn.
If you rent a car now and then, be sure you wipe down the steering wheel, gear shift, door handles etc. The car places vacuum but don't sanitize. When I visit my grand daughter, her parents make sure to wipe high chairs, table and anything she might touch.Good thinking.
I have a quick recipe for you, good for your face, like feeding it a meal. Mash up about a teaspoon of avocado, add a teaspoon of Organic greek yogurt, and about a half teaspoon of honey. Mix well, spread on face and let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse off gently with warm water. Leaves skin silky and soft.
Last thought for today, to make a natural window wash, use the juice of 1 lemon, 2 cups of water, 1/4 teaspoon peppermint essential oil, and 1 teaspoon of corn starch. Mix all and put in plastic spray bottle. A bonus, newspaper makes a great window cleaner , no lint and you are recycling. Yeah! Don't use the funny pages, the colors might mess up your effort.
Be sure to take time to look at the beauty in the world around you this week, what an incredible world we live in. Take care, be well.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Friday, a bit of this and that
Sorry I missed last week, we had yard sale at our church to benefit our local hospice and it took extra time and work, but was so worth the effort. Good cause to support.
I am baking kale chips this morning,if you haven't tried them I recommend them. Just tear kale into chip sized pieces, toss a bowl full of them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, lightly salt, and bake at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes, or til crisp. They are a great alternative to potato chips, quite tasty. If you are avoiding salt, you can use paprika, cumin, or whatever spices you like.
Have a few ideas for you, first, if you have brown spots on your hands, arms etc, try taking about a half cup of cooked brown rice, add a teaspoon each of agave nectar and lemon juice mix well, rub on and leave for 20 minutes, then wash it off.
If you eat foods with biotin, you can keep your lovely locks from graying much longer.
To look slimmer, don't wear baggy clothes, things that fit more make you look thinner.
Grapefruit burns bodyfat, so be sure to include it in your diet. You can make a sangria type drink by slicing grapefruits and tangerines into rounds, adding sliced cucumbers and parsley and adding to a pitcher of water. Let sit in frig til cold, strain and add ice for a refreshing drink.
If you are watching your purchased products and looking for more natural items, here's a recipe for home made body wash:
1/2 gallon of distilled water
2 cups Dove soap
2 Tablespoons glycerin
if you want,you can add essential oils for scent.
Melt the soap in 1/2 cup of the water, add the glycerin, mix back into the 1/2 gallon of water, and store in plastic squeeze bottles.
Time to take the kale chips out, working on drying some herbs my son brought yesterday, rosemary, thyme and sage, smells great.
Have a great week, we seem to be into summer now, warmer days, but still cool nights here on the mountain, love it. Til next time, be healthy!
:
I am baking kale chips this morning,if you haven't tried them I recommend them. Just tear kale into chip sized pieces, toss a bowl full of them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray, lightly salt, and bake at 300 degrees for about 25 minutes, or til crisp. They are a great alternative to potato chips, quite tasty. If you are avoiding salt, you can use paprika, cumin, or whatever spices you like.
Have a few ideas for you, first, if you have brown spots on your hands, arms etc, try taking about a half cup of cooked brown rice, add a teaspoon each of agave nectar and lemon juice mix well, rub on and leave for 20 minutes, then wash it off.
If you eat foods with biotin, you can keep your lovely locks from graying much longer.
To look slimmer, don't wear baggy clothes, things that fit more make you look thinner.
Grapefruit burns bodyfat, so be sure to include it in your diet. You can make a sangria type drink by slicing grapefruits and tangerines into rounds, adding sliced cucumbers and parsley and adding to a pitcher of water. Let sit in frig til cold, strain and add ice for a refreshing drink.
If you are watching your purchased products and looking for more natural items, here's a recipe for home made body wash:
1/2 gallon of distilled water
2 cups Dove soap
2 Tablespoons glycerin
if you want,you can add essential oils for scent.
Melt the soap in 1/2 cup of the water, add the glycerin, mix back into the 1/2 gallon of water, and store in plastic squeeze bottles.
Time to take the kale chips out, working on drying some herbs my son brought yesterday, rosemary, thyme and sage, smells great.
Have a great week, we seem to be into summer now, warmer days, but still cool nights here on the mountain, love it. Til next time, be healthy!
:
Friday, May 4, 2012
Aloe Vera, a true wonder plant, not just for burns
Living in my east window in the front room, is a very old, large aloe vera plant. My first use of this plant was for burns, most of you are familiar with its soothing properties.
But I have learned there are many more uses for this wonder of wonders.
Aloe was brought to this country by Spanish priests, and first uses seem to be in the Florida area. One of the earier studies was done on digestive issues, and today more uses are being studied. Aloe contains anthraquinones and an enzyme called bradykinose, besides phenols, sulpher and magnesium. Capsules are available for internal use now. It soothes the stomach and intestines regulating issues in that area. It is also being studied for anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties.
On a news cast this last week, it was pointed out that if we women use as few as 2 cosmetic products, we are being exposed to no less than twelve chemicals that are not good for us. I am awarethat there are natural companies outthere but the cost of their products is sometimes much higher than theones we could buy in the stores. It was suggested that we cook up a beet, and use the resulting water on our lips or use asblush. LipsI can see, blush, not sure. I do know I have been making a good share of my face creams, hand lotion, lipbalms etcfor quite a few years now, and they have no unpronounceable words in them. Rule of thumb, if you can'tsay it, and don't know what it is don't use it. My creams are based on beeswax for thickening, and oils, like jojoba, apricot kernal, etc, and I add rose water, vitamin E, calcium and aloe to them along with essential carrot seed oil. They work well and cause no problems. I have had an allergy to coconut oil all my life so avoid it.As long as you are making your own product, you controlthe ingredients. I would much rather be there than trusting a manugacturer with that list. For many years I ve used product, starting with an A, that I love, but turned the containers over and read labels last week. Oh no, must no w part company with them until they revise their formulas. Sad, I will miss them.
So besides breaking off a piece of the leaf and using ist for burns,cuts and scrapes, you might want to consider kee pingsome capsules handy for those occasional tummy woes.I also have a bottle of pure aloe gel that I use for brewing up stuff, much easier than milking the leaves.
Hope your week end is productive, see you again soon!
.
But I have learned there are many more uses for this wonder of wonders.
Aloe was brought to this country by Spanish priests, and first uses seem to be in the Florida area. One of the earier studies was done on digestive issues, and today more uses are being studied. Aloe contains anthraquinones and an enzyme called bradykinose, besides phenols, sulpher and magnesium. Capsules are available for internal use now. It soothes the stomach and intestines regulating issues in that area. It is also being studied for anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties.
On a news cast this last week, it was pointed out that if we women use as few as 2 cosmetic products, we are being exposed to no less than twelve chemicals that are not good for us. I am awarethat there are natural companies outthere but the cost of their products is sometimes much higher than theones we could buy in the stores. It was suggested that we cook up a beet, and use the resulting water on our lips or use asblush. LipsI can see, blush, not sure. I do know I have been making a good share of my face creams, hand lotion, lipbalms etcfor quite a few years now, and they have no unpronounceable words in them. Rule of thumb, if you can'tsay it, and don't know what it is don't use it. My creams are based on beeswax for thickening, and oils, like jojoba, apricot kernal, etc, and I add rose water, vitamin E, calcium and aloe to them along with essential carrot seed oil. They work well and cause no problems. I have had an allergy to coconut oil all my life so avoid it.As long as you are making your own product, you controlthe ingredients. I would much rather be there than trusting a manugacturer with that list. For many years I ve used product, starting with an A, that I love, but turned the containers over and read labels last week. Oh no, must no w part company with them until they revise their formulas. Sad, I will miss them.
So besides breaking off a piece of the leaf and using ist for burns,cuts and scrapes, you might want to consider kee pingsome capsules handy for those occasional tummy woes.I also have a bottle of pure aloe gel that I use for brewing up stuff, much easier than milking the leaves.
Hope your week end is productive, see you again soon!
.
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