Castile Soap and Chamomile

Sometimes the simplest things are the best, and cheapest. If you are trying for a healthy home, these two items are your friends. I have a large bottle of Castile soap, purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs, in my cupboard. I use it in foaming face wash, shampoo, and other home made personal items. Its simple to use,To make an all purpose cleaner, combine 1 gallon of hot water with 1/2 cup liquid Castile soap and 10 drops essential thyme oil. Spray on cupboards, sink, tubs,any surface you need to clean., If you have pets, make a shampoo that repels fleas with Castile and peppermint essential oil, bugs hate peppermint. Just keep it out of eyes and nose. Add a few squirts of Castile to 2 cups hot water to clean up greasy stove tops. Using Castile instead of normal disinfectants can help ease allergies, it will take a few weeks to see improvement as you need the toxic stuff you have been using to get cleaned out. Living in a clean , green house is so good for your health. Chamomile has long been used as a relaxing tea, to aid in sleep. But its good for ulcers too, and tummy troubles, very soothing. Steep a cup of chamomile blossoms in 2 cups boiling water, strain, cool and use as a hair conditioner, do not rinse out. It will leave your hair soft and slightly lighter. If you have puffy eyes, steep some flowers and make small compresses to put under your eyes, while relaxing a short time.Its also good for itches, scrapes and burns, can use tea or make salves and lotions, recipes easy to find on line. Amazing how going back to old remedies can improve our lives. I watched a spot on ABC news a while back saying lots of folk are getting tired of the side effects, cost and inconvenience of prescription meds, so they are looking for holistic, and alternative doctors who can use both, and keep your side effects at bay. Seems our grandparents knew a lot more than we gave them credit for. Back on the prairie, docs were few and far between and pioneers needed a good basic knowledge of herbal care. Even the Native Americans had a good handle on growing and using herbs, tree roots and bark etc. It kind of seems the farther we progress, the less healthy we are. It's trying to be spring, the dogwoods are lovely, the red buds are about gone, but my snowballs, tulips etc are so pretty. We have been in an area this week with 3 forest fires burning very close to us. We ate our share of smoke for a day or two, but the fire is burning away from us and up another mountain now. It's splitting so they are still using helicopters to drop water, last report said we had an extra 130 firefighters brought in to fight this giant blaze, We could use a good soaking rain to help get all these fires out. Hope you are having a lovely spring, enjoying some warmer days and the flowers that are now appearing. I am waiting for my little hummingbirds to return, love watching them. Take care.

OK, go ahead and hate me

I was brought up in a different age. My parents took me to church, taught me respect and I knew they could see anything I did even if I was 100 miles away from them. We walked to school alone at the age of 5 or 6, knowing not to get into a car with anyone we did not know etc. And our parents were not in trouble for letting us do this. Cursing was a sin, I still can not abide any one who spews out a curse word every other word out of their mouth. It shows a lack of knowledge of good words and proper speech. I also can not stand the new tv shows. They are so full of deviate sex, violence, murder, blood, no wonder we have created the world we live in. The news media adds to this by repeating over and over all the stories featuring mass murder and violence. Of course its copied. We grew up watching Andy Griffith, Petticoat Junction, The Waltons, Night Court. Last night I watched a Night Court episode that touched on death and disability in a wonderful way, I laughed all the way through it. I will not watch any show that promotes gay marriage, God says that is an abomination. And I know that my life has to be lived according to God's teachings or I have no hope of getting to that Kingdom he is preparing for us. Oh sure, I am a sinner, but God forgives if we ask, and more, he forgets the sin. We just have to ask Him to point us in the way he wants us to go, and do our best to go there. My folks picked up a switch or a razor strap once in a while, we were not abused or beaten, just disciplined. And having boundaries is important. If we goofed at school and got a ruler smack from the teacher, it was reported to our parents who followed it up at home with another smack. We survived, we respected others, and their property, and are still following those rules. Bring up a child in the way he should go, and he will not forget it. Not an exact quote, but close, and yes it's Biblical. I am fortunate enough to have brought up my kids the way I was brought up, and they are all wonderful, caring, useful humans, always out to help others. Too bad this generation is not the same. There are, I am sure, some wonderful young ones out there, there will always be parents who follow rules and convictions. and raise solid citizens. But there are many more who just don;t care. I feel sorry for these kids, what a poor way to grow up. So I will be accused of being narrow minded, not accepting, whatever. Yes. I am that way. I can accept the sinner, but not the sin. I can not judge. I keep trying to make sense out of life, but the best I can do is ask for God's help, and stay true to my roots. And so I choose not to watch news, tv shows that offend me, and other stuff that just makes me crazy. There are good stations, like Hallmark, Inspiration, FETV that show the old shows that taught morals and were truly funny at no one's expense. Hang me out to dry, I am done.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and some Aloe uses

Yes, I say Merry Christmas, after all, if we take Christ out of Christmas, it's no longer the reason to celebrate. Looking forward to a visit with my family, across Illinois and Nebraska for the next few weeks. Can hardly wait to see them all. These last months have been difficult. I am avoiding the news for the most part, just do not want to know we have been struck with another mass shooting, airplane crash, sinking boat, or whatever else is on the bad news list. I'm an American and proud of it, and a Christian., And being punished for those beliefs is so unjust. When I was much younger, I remember the boats bringing in immigrants from other countries, stopping at Ellis Island, where they read the message at the Statue of Liberty, Bring me your -----. But you know, those people came here to escape tyranny in their homelands. They did not expect to convert us to their way of life, they wanted what we had. They learned English, got jobs and many became Americans we know to this day, musicians, artists, laborers, they adjusted and fit in. Now all these people flooding our country want to change us to their ways. Maybe they need to stay in their homelands and fight for change. If I left this country, I would pick one that had what i wanted, not what I have, and go there expecting to adapt to their ways. Nuf ranting. Did you know that aloe gel is good for your teeth? It's anti-inflammatory and has beta sitosterol, which helps quell bad breath, fight tooth decay and gum disease. Mix 1/4 cup of aloe gel in 1/2 cup of water and drink to improve mouth health. And you are sure to know it's great to soothe burns, cuts etc. Did you know that putting aloe gel on your face at night can help defeat wrinkles? Leave it on overnight and rinse off come morning. You can also rub it on bruises to help them disappear. All these tips come from the new Mother Earth Magazine. What an incredible week we have had,mostly sunny, warm, into the upper 60s and lower 70's, and its mid December. Hope it holds another few weeks. Of course here in TN we are getting seed catalogs, and starting to think about the spring gardens, which we will be working on in early March. Love the south. I want to wish you all a Christmas filled with God's peace and love, and a year with less going on in this world that is terrifying and sad. Take time to spend with your loved ones, we have to keep trusting God to take care of us as he has planned. Have a great Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Why? Do you not ever wonder? Plus recipes for mouthwash and flu prevention

Bear with me today, I am just saying things I have observed, studied and learned, all of which you can verify on line. About six years ago, driving to town down the beautiful mountains, I watched them working in the tomato and corn fields, and it struck me that something was odd. They brought in big sprayer trucks almost weekly and used chemicals to kill bugs and weeds, and then they started picking green tomatoes. Why? Are not vine ripened the ones that taste good? Well, it turns out you can't ship ripe ones across the country, they would be rotten when they arrived. So they ship them green and ripen them in gas chambers. The gas, ethylene is somewhat natural, but still,a man can't walk into the ripening chambers with out being killed by this gas. Well, that got me looking at a lot of the growing we do in this country, it's not good. There are 6 big company's, including Monsanto, Basf, Bayer, Syngenta, Dow and one more that use GMO growing practices on everything they grow. So for about 30 years, we have been eating all this Round up, agent orange, Hep c etc. And over those years, we have increased cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's, allergy's, ADHD and many other ills. On this mornings news, we are told that ADHD has doubled the last few years. A mother to be that eats GMO grown foods, passes on to her child big chances of cancer ADHD etc. This is all documented, and can be pulled up and checked out. It's not so much that we need cancer cures, we need to just stop it by what we eat. And there is now a big swing to organic foods, and non GMO foods. The stores are picking up on our desire to be healthier. Yeah. We have options. Why would we choose to be sick, or to make our kids sick? All that needless suffering. Ok, nuf ranting. Looking for a safe mouthwash? Try this, In a container, glass if possible, put 1 cup of aloe vera juice, 1/2 cup distilled water, 2 teaspoons baking soda, a dash of salt, and 20 drops of peppermint oil, 10 drops of clove oil, and 10 drops of tea tree oil. All this can be found in most stores now, if not look for them at Amazon or Swanson Vitamins, or Mountain Rose Herbs. If you are not big on flu shots, here is an immune builder for you, in a cup put 1 teaspoon of raw or organic honey, 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric,1 Tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 ounces of hot water, mix and drink it all. It may not taste too good, but gives your system a good boost. Seems a front moved across a lot of the states this last week, we didn't get any of the wicked weather, but we have a few cool days ahead, down to the freezing mark for 2 nights, but then rebounding into the 70s by next week. Don't mind a few days, just hate prolonged cold weather. We are coming up on Thanksgiving before long, the holidays seem to gather momentum and just rapidly pass by. I have so much to be thankful for, a wonderful family, a beautiful place to live, and now a paid for home. Not that I didn't work for that! And of course the Good Lord to bless me every day. Hope you are counting your blessings too, as we get ready for that turkey dinner. Til next time, stay well. '

Tiny House Living, Hand soap and mold spray recipes

There is a trend now to tiny house living. You have seen them on HGTV and Facebook. Funny, in 1955 when I married and moved to Amarillo Air Base, we had a tiny house. An 8x25 foot trailer we rented. Our bathroom was a corner of the bedroom big enough for a grinder toilet and wall mout sink, both stainless steel, and the whole room was a shower. The kitchen had a tiny frig with a freezer big enough for 2 ice cube trays. Apartment sized stove, and the living room was big enough for a couch. But it was my first home, and special. When our first baby was on they way, it was clear we could not fit a baby bed or anything else into this place so we bought a burned out mansion, 8 by 37. That one moved with us to Wichita Falls, in fact we moved our house around a lot, that was an adventure in itself. Learned a lot about "Fish tailing" one trip, wondered why cars kept diving for the side of the road as we approached. Guess the big thing is to avoid high utility bills, otherwise, some of these houses could be easily stolen while you were away. And they are not cheap. Need some hand soap? Chemical free? Mix 1/2 cup boiled or distilled water 1/2 cup castile soap, 1 T jojoba( or apricot kernel or grapeseed) and 15 drops of sea tree oil. Put in a pump bottle, shake slightly before use. All this stuff'seasy to find at Walmart, or I get mine from Swanson Vitamins or Amazon or Mountain Rose Herbs. Got mole on the north side of your house? Mix 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water, and 1 T baking Spray on, do not wash off, rain will take it and the mold off. One of the blogs I read listed foods healthy people eat, will share. Apples, asparagus, blueberries, spices, broccoli, butternut squash, dark chocolate, legumes, nuts, plain yogurt, greens, oatmeal, olive oil, pears quinoa and salmon(wild caught). Lucky us, we still have greens and tomatoes, DOug extends the season well on salad stuff. Its still warm, but will change a little this week, 60's instead of close to 80. still not bad. Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away, holiday season really rushes up on us, I am working on notes to many friends on Christmas cards, a once a year occurrence. Never did like form letters, easy but so impersonal. Enjoy the end of fall, that cold stuff will arrive too soon. Have a good week, and love one another.

Tiny House Trend, Hand soap recipe and mold sprays

If you watch tv or follow Facebook, you must have seen the trend to tiny house living. It kind of makes me laugh, as back in 1955, newly married, 18 whole years old, we moved to Amarillo Air Base in Texas, and our first house was an 8x25 mobile home. If that's not tiny, don't know what is. Our bedroom had a small corner, maybe 4x4 that was a "bathroom, a stainless steel grinder toilet, a wall mounted sink and the whole room was the shower. A very tiny kitchen, big enough freezer in the frig for 2 ice cube trays, no food. An apartment sized stove, and the front room had a couch. Period. But it was home, my first one. And we were happy. Until a baby was on the way. Oops, no place for a baby bed or any other needed stuff, so we moved into a big house. Ha. 8x 57. Well, it felt big. And this one we bought, the first one was rented. This one had been burned in a fire so it required a lot of repair, but we lived in it for quite a while. Even moved it from Amarillo to Wichita Falls. Nothing like taking your house with you. Ah, the adventures we had doing that. Anyway, tiny houses are not new, they have been around for a long time. Guess leaving big utility bills behind has a draw. If you are getting into the DIY of loosing chemicals in your useable products, how about some great home made soap, liquid of course. In a container put 1/2 cup of boiled or distilled water. Add 1/2 cup of castile soap, 1 T of vitamin E oil, 1 T jojoba(or grapeseed or apricot kernel) oil, and 15 drops of tea tree oil. Shake a little before using. These items can all be bought at Amazon, or Mountain Rose Herbs. I tend to get them from Swanson Vitamins, they have so much these days. If you have a saved pump bottle use that, or you can buy one. Maybe a pretty one in the bathroom department. Got mold on the north side of your house? In a spray bottle mix 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 cup of water and 1 T baking soda. Spray on, don't wash off, rain will take it and all the mold away. One of my blogs gave a list of stuff healthy people eat on a regular basis, here goes: Apples, Asparagus, Blueberries, spices, broccoli, butternut squash, dark chocolate, legumes, nuts, plain yogurt, greens, oatmeal, olive oil, pears, quinoa and salmon. Wild caught salmon. I do eat this stuff, and a large amount comes from the gardens here on the mountain. It's November and Doug still has lettuce and cherry tomatoes, so we are blessed with good food most of the year. Still enjoying t shirt sleeve weather here, looks like next week will be a little cooler but not bad for November. Just three weeks til Thanksgiving, the holidays sneak up and roll rapidly by. Working on my Christmas cards, do a lot of them, with notes to a lot of folk, not big on form letters, seems like a short cut, not personal. The colors of the trees are spectacular but fading, my snowball bush is blooming. As are petunias and cosmos. Hope you are enjoying fall in your area, not looking forward to the cold days coming. Enjoy each day, never know how long we will be allowed to be here. Til next time, Love one another!