Trip, Changing out Plastics , Face Mask Recipe

  Hello, it's been a while. Thanks to my wonderful children, I have been visiting kids, grandkids and great grandkids from TN to NE the last month.   Weather was not wonderful for driving, rain, fog wind etc but we did it safely, and I enjoyed time with all my family, including sisters in NE.  I was having coffee in the semi dark early Christmas morning, didn't see my little 4 year old grand daughter sneak down the stairs, just heard her yell " He came, he came!" meaning Santa. Sent her to get her parents and the fun began. It's always a treat seeing little ones totally enchanted with their gifts. These are the youngest, 1 and 4 and sadly the day will come when they no longer believe. Enjoyed visiting with my grand daughter and her 2 babes in Illinois, while staying at my daughter's house. Attended her church and was warmly welcomed by her  congregation. All in all, a great time.
  Let's talk about plastic today. It would be nice if we could phase out most of them, it would be more efficient for our planet and safer for us. There are some ideas here for you to seriously consider.  You might even find yourself feeling better by dumping as many as you can. Start by removing items made with Bisphenol A and Phthalates. Why? They lead to cancer and other serious illnesses. They are found in drinking glasses, beverage cans(soda), food storage containers, and toys. These disrupt endocrine function and mess up your hormones.  Try not to use plastic dishes or straws, use glass or ceramic dishes and find paper or metal straws. Buy wood toys, not plastic, use cloth shopping bags, and cook with metal or wood utensils.  I do a lot of canning these days and find the jars great for storage, both in the freezer and the frig. Kids can drink from smaller ones,  you notice a change in taste of foods that have been stored. I have also stopped using my large thermos cup for water and gone to a tall glass one.  Easy changes.
   Beauty products are also something to watch. A lot of them have parabans added. They mimic estrogen and cause cancer.  Read labels, avoid ingredients like methylparaban, ethylparaban, prophylparaban, and butylparabans,  Phtlalates are also present in cologne, perfume, shampoos and numerous other personal products.   We widely use petroleum products, who does not have Vaseline in the house? This  lowers sperm count.  and invades kidneys, liver and lungs.  It's found in baby products, oils etc. So we are on our own to protect ourselves and our children, it comes down to reading and understanding labels.  For the most part, I make the products I use  now, from laundry detergents to bath and personal items, not hard, just takes a bit of research and time to create the product.
  So why not start by making a wonderful facial mask?   In a small bowl put 1/2 cup of steel cut organic oatmeal, or quick oats, organic if possible,  add the juice of an orange, 3 tablespoons of plain (Greek) yogurt, 2 tablespoons of raw honey, and 2 teaspoons of grated orange peel, dried.  This ingredient might be available in the stores, but I just grate the peel when I eat an orange, and put it on parchment paper in the oven, sliding it in after I have baked something and the oven is off, it dries and can be stored in a jar for future use.  Mix all this together, you want it thick enough to stick to your face.  Wash your face, and cover with mask, leave on  for 15 to 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water.  This is very moisturizing, great for these cold winter days, and the left over will keep in your frig for up to a week.
  It is January, we are having some down right chilly days, have another month till it starts looking up here, love the south. By March 1 we usually have daffodils and forsythia blooming and days warm enough to get outside and putter a bit. So I am going to start my spring cleaning, and get it done by then so I  can spend time in the great outdoors.  Hang in, stay warm, eat healthy and stay well.