Flu Relief

So everybody has the flu. That's really stinky. I hate that.

Not so much because I want everybody to be happy and healthy, but because I wanna do stuff and have nobody to do anything with.

So, I'm going to tell you what I just read last night. You can mix 2 oz of oil of oregano in 12 oz of water and gargle with it if you have a sore throat. Do that and swallow it once or twice a day. If you do that within 48 hours whatever ails will be ridden from your body leaving you good as new. Magic, you say? While it does offer magical results, its all scientific. Let me share.

Oil of Oregano is powerfully antimicrobial. It has been shown to kill bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, and yeast. And that's not all!

It works against food poisoning and digestive distress.

Its a powerful immune booster to protect against toxins. Its a natural antihistamine. And it inhibits the growth of cancer cells!

If you want to take oil of oregano as a daily supplement or at the first signs of illness, here's what you can do:

1. You can buy capsules and take them as directed on packaging.
2. You can dilute a drop of Oil of Oregano in a drop of Olive Oil and place under the tongue for a few seconds and then wash down with water.
3. You can gargle with it as stated above.
4. You can inhale a vapor of it for sinus infections. Boil 1/2 cup of water in 2-3 drops of the oil and inhale the steam.
5. You can put it directly on your skin for external infections. It'll probably sting a little. But the stinging should go away after a few minutes.

So, there ya go. Fight the Flu!!!


I wanna do stuff...and I need a sidekick.

Warming Socks

I've decided. I'm not a winter girl.

Okay, I like it to be all snowy, cold, and dark for the holidays. I hate going out Christmas shopping in sunny, 70ish degree weather.Its hard to get into the holiday spirit. I don't know what you southern hemisphere people do at Christmas. BUT, other than that, cold is good for nothing. Well, I've heard its good for getting rid of bugs, but I'm becoming a little skeptical of that.

Last spring we had April  June bugs...in spring, not June....spring!! They were horrible, too. We had some weird, freaky little ants that apparently came from South America and are working their way north. And then we had the greatest fly invasion ever in the history of man. All this after the coldest winter we've had in decades and a record breaking heat wave this summer. So, the next time an old man says to me "Well, at least it'll kill all the bugs!" because he sees me wearing my ski pants around town when the temperature dips to unbearable levels, I'm going to kill him in a horrible knitting accident!

If you're an english teacher, I apologize. That may have been a run on sentence. I'm just going to say I'm sorry and excuse me instead of researching to see if I need to fix it. I need to tell you about this warming sock and then go hunt down my ski pants.

That little beauty in the picture above is going to be your very best friend in the whole wide world if you're a summer girl stuck in winter like me! If you get cold easily this is wonderful and super easy to make. I just grabbed an old sock. A long one is best. Then I filled it up 3/4 way full of rice. Use the white rice. You probably have some lying around and now that you're a real foodie, you aren't going to eat it anyway. And its cheap! Then, just because I love it so much and I have it lying around too, I added a little lavender. Then ,I just tied the end of the sock in a knot and bada boom, bada bing, all done.

Put it in the microwave for a minute or two and you have a homemade, moist heating pad. You should be using moist heat for muscular aches and pains anyway. Dry heat actually makes it worse.

You could also take it a step further and use some pretty or fleecy fabric and give them as gifts! I would totally love one as a gift. In fact, Melanie gave me a really nice one last year that was about 2 feet long with handles on it so you could hang on to it and warm up your back. I had to get rid of it though because my puppy pee'd on it. I washed it but.........its hard to relax thinking your warming yourself with puppy pee.

Hence the sock.

Alright, that's it for today. I have to go dig out my ski pants. Its only supposed to get into the 60's today. Brrrrrrrrr......

This post is linked to Tip Me Tuesday, Handmade Tuesday, Terrific Under $10, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways

Herbal Medicine Cabinet

As I've done more and more research on the effects of drugs...

.....No, not recreational drugs.....I wish!

Not really. I won't put NutraSweet in my body much less something some dude with no teeth cooked up in his trailer house! As a funny aside, I live in a small, rural town. The weekly county paper had a report about a kid that was injured when his house blew up in a hair coloring accident.

Hair coloring accident?!?!?!??
I was thinking 'What the heck was that kid coloring his hair with anyway??? THAT'S the news report right there!! THIS JUST IN Ladies stop coloring your hair until we figure out what's making it blow up your house!!'
Turns out as I'm sure you've already figured out, that was no hair coloring accident. Kid was cookin up some meth.

I know, I know all you english teachers out there are about to have a hyperventilation fit because I left a sentence fragment at the beginning of this post so I can tell you about the meth kid with funky looking hair.

Its okay, seriously. I'm coming back to it *looking at my watch* right about......NOW!

As I do more and more research about the effects of drugs it makes me realize that I want to use them less and less. (Whew! feeling better?) So I put together the staples from my medicine cabinet which really arent in my medical cabinet at all! These things are scattered all about my house, mostly in the kitchen. These are the basics and with them you can treat almost any malady you have.

Let me first tell you what you don't see.

Bandaids - of course we should all have bandaids and I don't think I need to tell you how to use them....right?

Apirin or Ibuprofen - We do occasionally use them. In fact, I thought I was getting sick yesterday. I was achy all day. It started with a stiff neck and shoulders and moved into a headache. I think I just slept funny because it was cold. In fact, I'm wearing ski bibs today and everyone is making fun of me asking if we're going skiing. I can't help it. I live in Texas. I'm a summer girl! Anyway, I took an Ibuprofen and BAM! achiness gone.

Monavie - We drink Monavie everyday for the anti-oxidants and it makes my knees feel good. If we feel like we're coming down with something we chug it. If you want to try it, we're distributors. You can order it from my website on the right hand side bar.

Thats really it for what I didn't take a picture of.

Heres what the rest of it is.

Neti Pot - You use it to rinse out the nasal passages and sinuses with salt water. Salt water is also great to gargle with if you have a sore throat. If you want to know more about the neti pot click Here.

Aloe Vera - I use the plant when I burn myself (which oddly, I do frequently when I'm cooking.) I break the leaves and rub the juice on the burn. It works wonderfully!

Calendula ointment - Same as with the aloe. Its great for scrapes, burns, rashes, and other skin irritations

Arnica Cream - You're gonna love me for this one! Its like IcyHot, but without the Icy and the Hot. It really works great for muscle and joint aches and pains. You can't really feel anything when you rub it on but it really works. I fractured my pelvis when I was thrown from an unbroke horse. I used the heck out of my arnica and I continued to teach yoga and Tae Kwon Do (even sparred!) and continued to work cleaning pools. A nurse friend found out about it and screamed "You're supposed to be on bedrest!!" I said, as I was down blocking waiting to be thrown by her to the ground in TKD "Yeah, well, good luck to me, because that was weeks ago!"

Gas Stop - Uhhhhh, yeah.....I think you got that one, right? Shall I explain? I don't think I really need to but here goes.......It. uh. stops. gassiness....If you need more than that, leave a comment.

Crystallized Ginger - I like to take a little piece and nibble it if I'm feeling queasy. It just takes a little to work. Ginger is also good for other things as well. If you want to know more about the benefits of ginger click Here.

Traditional Medicinals Ginger Aid tea - Same principle as the crystallized ginger but in a tea form.

Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat tea - Good for minor throat irritations. These are what's in it:
Medicinal ingredients: Each tea bag (2.0g) contains: organic licorice root* (Glycyrrhiza glabra) 420 mg, organic wild cherry bark (Prunus serotina) 340 mg, organic bitter fennel fruit (Foeniculum vulgare) 300 mg, organic marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) 120 mg, organic slippery elm bark (Ulmus rubra) 100 mg.

Non-medicinal ingredients: organic cinnamon bark (Cinnamomum spp.), organic sweet orange peel (Citrus sinensis).
I like Traditional Medicinals because they are fair trade and organic.

Yogi Stress Relief tea - It has kava kava in it. It helps reduce anxiety. I live with a Type A personality and this helps me to relax so I don't kill him in a horrible, knitting accident. Its okay, he knows. In fact, I'm now thinking that maybe it should be HIM drinking it, not me. One of these days, he's going to disappear and "I'm not going to know what happened". Its okay. He knows that too. We've been married for 21 years and we work together. If you want to know how that works read This. But, back to the kava kava, its a little hard on the liver. So, don't drink it a lot. If, like me, you live with a Type A personality, do what I do, Yoga and martial arts where you can relax and beat the crap out of bags, and then go home to your loving spouse. They'll be spared the horrible knitting accident and you'll be spared years of inprisonment. Of course, I won't be inprisoned because as I've stated "I won't know what happened."

Yogi Bedtime tea - This is fantastic if you have trouble sleeping, It contains valerian, chamomile, hops and other calming herbs. Chamomile helps you fall asleep while valerian helps you stay asleep. Honey before bed helps too, as does a shot of Monavie. It has to do with blood sugars. You can also learn more about that Right Here.

I also use Burts Bees lip balm for chapped lips.

That's about all we use to stay healthy. Its so much more body friendly than using drugs. Did you know that according to FoodMatters, prescription drugs AS PRESCRIBED BY YOUR DOCTOR is the number one killer of people. Not to mention all the nasty side effects of pharmaceuticals.

If you're looking to create an herbal medicine cabinet or just supplement whatcha got, this is a good start. If you have anything to add let me know.

This post is linked to Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday, Farmgirl Hop, and frugally sustainable.

Yerba Mate

Guess what I'm doing right now!

Go on guess!

Ha! No, I'm not doing THAT!!!! I'm having a cup of Pumpkin Spice coffee with real cream. mmmmm....delicious! As a side note, adding a spoonful of coconut oil is yummy too and its super healthy. I actually got the idea for the coconut oil from Dr Perricone. He said he adds coconut oil to his tea. Well, I love my tea so I can't jack that up with anything, healthy or no.

And speaking of tea, this post isn't really about what I'm doing this morning or the yumminess of pumpkin spice coffee on a chilly October morning. Its about my favorite tea of all time, Yerba Mate. More specifically Wisdom Of The Ancients Yerba Mate Royale. They are not paying me to tell you how wonderful I think they are either.  I stumbled upon it when I read about Yerba Mate in my Yoga Journal one January. It was a small article about giving up coffee. Yerba Mate was one of the alternatives they listed.

For years, I've wanted to be a tea drinker but never found anything I liked. In fact, I'm addicted to buying boxes of tea. I have massive piles of  beautiful, delightfully artistic boxes of tea promising a relaxing cup of serenity.

Except they taste like dirt.

Okay, maybe not dirt, but leaves from a tree that grows in dirt.

Okay, so I guess that what tea really is, anyway.

 I don't even like iced sweet tea!! And since I live in the south I'm something of an outcast. At every family function all across the south,  the drink choices are Sweet and Unsweet. Nothing else. In fact, if you even dare to ask for water, they look at you like you have a chicken on your head! I have to keep the fact I dont like iced tea on the down-low so as not to be called a Yankee! If you live in the south, there is nothing worse than being called a Yankee. So at all the family functions and events I just get a glass of sweet tea and pretend to drink it and then guzzle from the water hose while I percieve no one is looking.

I do that so as not to look weird and bring attention to myself. I percieve that I pull this ruse off very nicely.

Years go by. Tea boxes pile up. Friends  reap the benefits of my tea buying and tea hating extravaganzas.........

Then, hark the herald angels sing! I found this Wisdom Of The Ancients tea, and its wonderful! Its Yerba Mate and stevia leaves.

What really got me, though, are the health benefits of this tea. It fights free radicals, cleanses the blood, and suppresses appetite. It fights aging, stimulates the mind, stimulates the production of cortisone and tones the nervous system. It also enhances the healing powers of other herbs. In addition, its useful for allergies, constipation, and inflammatory bowel disorders.
And according to the Yoga Journal article, it has three times more anti-oxidants than green tea. Its slightly more caffeinated than green tea, about 1/3 the caffeine of coffee, so its not recommended for those suffering insomnia.

Traditionally, its drunk from a gourd and a metal straw. I'm not sure what the purpose of that is, but this is my favorite way of drinking it:

Go getcha some and see what I'm talking about!

This is part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday. You can check out other real food recipes, tips, and ideas Here

Relief From Cold Sores

Today is Thursday!!!

You know what that means? And I'm on time, even!!

Thursday is Herbs Day!! ya-hoooooooo!

So, today my friends, we're discussing something I just heard. Melanie texted me last night and said swishing chamomile tea helps relieve the pain and speeds healing of canker sores.
Even more important for me is that a chamomile tea bag pressed against the lips reduces pain and speeds healing of cold sores by 82%.

All I can say about that is WOW!!!!!

This is why she sent me the text. Not because she thinks I'm such an awesome blogger and wanted to give me material to share. Although, I'm pretty sure if she ever read my blog, she would think I'm just darling at it. *blink, blink...batting my eyes*

No, she shared it with me because about a month or so ago, I went to the lake in my parents boat and very stupidly opted out of a hat and sunscreen.....


So, this is what I looked like afterward.

Melanie laughed at me until I sent this photo. Now, she sends me info I can use.


She just laughs at me for other stuff now!

This lovely picture of me is submitted into Food Renegades Fight Back Friday. (I know, I know...its Thursday is Herbs Day..But, its Friday now.....But, it says Thursday.....Its confusing...Just go with it. Have a cup of chamomile tea. You don't need a cold sore to enjoy it.  You can throw the bag away. Its okay.)
If you want to read more from other real food lovers and healthy livers check it out HERE!

Herbal Sleep Aids

Do you have problems sleeping?

I know lots of people do, that's why I thought this would be such a great blog post today. Every morning I wake up and check out what's going on in the world of news, weather, and facebook. There are lots of facebook posts that go like this: "WHYYYYYY am I still awake???", "I am soooooo tired but I can't sleep!", "I'm awake and I'm bored!".

Not me, though. I sleep like a baby....usually. Lately I haven't been sleeping so great. But, that's because I have an 18 year old son that thinks he's a man. "I am a MAN!!! I don't need a curfew anymore!".... *sigh* you can imagine......

Sleep aids won't help THAT!!

But, if YOU have a sleep issue that doesn't involve a teenager, I think I have some help for you!

I blogged awhile back about honey and how it can help you fall asleep. You can read about that here, Insomnia Help

But, I've been reading herb journals and here's something I came across. Its about valerian. I've used valerian in the past and it really works!! I didn't use it for a sleep aid initially. I used because I had strained my neck really badly lifting weights and my chiropractor gave me some. That's when I noticed its sleep inducing benefits along with its relaxing properties.

The thing about valerian and most other herbs is that they don't have any side effects! In studies, valerian worked just as well as valium without the grogginess. However, if you take more that 600mg in a capsule form you might be groggy when you wake up. The best way to take it is in a tea form. In a tea form, you don't have ANY grogginess. It's especially good if you take the valerian tea with chamomile. The chamomile helps you fall asleep while the valerian helps you stay asleep. A lot of people like to add hops to it as well.

I do, on occasion, have some chamomile tea. I don't particularly like the flavor. I like Bigelow's Chamomile Mango tea, but oddly, I can hardly ever find it anymore. Sad........

It really does work, I must say. Sometimes, when I've been working really hard I find it hard to relax and that just hits the spot! I've not tried the valerian for a sleep aid, though. I'm going to give it a whirl when I get my hands on some tea.
So, if you fall into the can't sleep or can't STAY asleep camp, try making a tea of chamomile, valerian, (hops if you want an extra boost!), and a touch of honey. See what it does for you. I have a feeling you'll be sleeping like a baby!

Not a baby with a poopy diaper!! (hopefully! Yikes! If that's your problem then the valerian wouldn't really be a good idea!! :)



Appetite Suppressant

Thursday is Herbs Day!!!!! Except its not....its Friday......Yesterday was Thursday and I blogged about something other than herbs. I don't even know what it was about. Oh yeah, skin care. We've been super busy at the pool store. Remember...Pearson Pools, your one stop pool shop? :)

I know, I know...I tried to stop the shameless plugs, but I can't.

You should know that about me by now.

I thought yesterday was Wednesday. It obviously wasn't. I NEEDED yesterday to be Wednesday so I could finish up some work that needs to be done. I know everyone gets all excited about Friday. Not me. I need ONE extra day so I don't have to work on Saturday. Every week, I plan and plan so that my weekend is free. And yet, here I am again, looking at a Saturday in which I'm working. *sigh* Oh well, its always good to earn a living right? In fact, I keep telling my husband, now I'm telling you. I'm not working for money. I'm working for home improvements!!!!!

Okay, Back to Thursday Is Herbs Day!! ....except its not. You get it.

Look at what a funky looking flower this is!!!

Its like "hauntingly beautiful". I've never said that about a plant before. Or anything else for that matter. But, it really kinda is. Its so ugly its pretty.

Anyway, the reason its REALLY interesting is this little plant is a really good appetite suppressant. Guess what its called.

Go on, guess....

No, I said GUESS...


Okay, Okay!! I'll just tell you. Its called caralluma fimbriata.
This is a super cool herb!! Its clinically proven to remove hunger pangs. Its 100% all natural with no side effects, caffeine, or other stimulants.

It really works too! I've tried it. I buy it as the NOW Herbs brand. The NOW product is called Slimaluma Plus.

If you're trying to lose weight this can be a very valuable tool in your box to keep you from feeling hungry.

Here's an excerpt of one study from http://www.carallumaactivesweightloss.com/


Of the remaining 22 participants, the summary of the trial found that over 80% of subjects lost weight with Caralluma, with 11 of them losing more than 6 inches total. Of the others, most lost around 1 to 2 pounds or maintained their original weight. The highest weight losses recorded were by one woman who lost 9 pounds, and a second woman who lost 8 pounds. Meanwhile, there was one subject who deviated from instructions and increased her calorie intake, resulting in a gain of 17 pounds.

Now, its not like a fat burner or anything. It just reduces your hunger. You take it 45 minutes before each meal. It helps to comfortably keep portion size way down.



You're welcome!!! :)

And since its really Friday, this post is part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday, go check out more healthy living tips and recipes here http://www.foodrenegade.com/fight-back-friday-april-15th/#more-2780

Arnica

For Thursday is Herbs Day I wanted to tell you how wonderful arnica is.

Its wonderful!

The End


Just kidding. It really is wonderful! I use the cream all the time for aches and pains. Not that I have a lot of aches and pains but when I do...Arnica cream is for me!!!
Its so much nicer than Icy Hot or other creams like that. I don't like the hot and cold sensations of those types of treatments. Arnica has no "feel" and it really works!

Here's when I really learned how wonderful it is:

Picture this:

Its a nice summer day. There is a woman and a horse in a nice, shady round pen working peacefully with her loving mate sitting peacefully. He's enjoying the day watching the woman and her horse perfectly synchronized and in tune with each others movements as if they were two seasoned ballet dancers that have been dancing together for all time.......

................

uh...yeah. That didn't happen.

The part about the woman, the horse, and the husband was true but that's really where the truth ends. What really was going on was I (the woman, just in case you didn't know)was working a very green horse in my round pen. (oh yeah, it was shady. So that part was also true) My mare (his mama) was running up and back wildly along the fence the whole time we were working. He was doing okay except he kept stopping at the point in the round pen where he could watch her. I calmly turned him away got him back on track. This whole time, the loving mate portion of the story is that my husband was sitting in the shade in a lawn chair watching and chatting with me. That part was okay too. What I forgot to mention is that I had scheduled to go on a big trail ride with a friend of mine for Labor Day weekend which was coming up that very next weekend. So, that horse needed to be ready!

So, I decide he needs to be out of the round pen in the back yard. My trees need to be trimmed really badly and the low branches were catching the horn of my saddle spooking him. My husband, meanwhile, is informing me of my bad decision in bringing him out of the pen. I very politely (he will tell you differently but he drinks on occasion so don't believe him!!) told him that I was taking him on a ride and if he can't behave in the back yard how in the h... oh yeah, I said politely. How in the WORLD (yeah, that's what I said... :) is he going to behave out in the wide, wide world of horses???? So into the big yard we go! I get up on him and he's dancing around a little. I keep him turning into the fence line away from his mama and all is well. I really was only going to ride another 5 minutes and turn him loose. Then, at one point, he decides his mama has more pull than my reins so lifts his front feet off the ground in a pirouette (well, not a pirouette, because a pirouette is pretty and what he did was just plain naughty). I wanted to make sure he knew that wasn't a cool thing to do so I smacked him on the neck. Not a hard smack, geesh!!! And that's where all heck breaks loose!! He starts bucking, my husband starts yelling "Misty!!!! Make him stop!!!!" I'm yelling or maybe I'm just thinking, because in that situation who really knows 'Yeah Right! Don't you think if I could make him stop, I would have already done that????'

And then, BOOM! I'm on the ground. Well, let me just say that BOOM! may have been an over reaction. I'd like to think I'm petite enough to maybe just go boom. But, anyway, he asks me if I'm okay. "Yes" I say because I try not to make people worry. As an aside, when I was a teenager I got hit by a speeding car as I skipped, yes I said skipped across the street. As I was rolling or spinning, because in that situation who really knows, I had the thought 'I bet whoever's driving thinks they probably killed me' so when I stopped spinning I jumped up, threw my hands in the air and yelled "I'm Okay!!!!"

But, back to my original story. Where was I? Oh yeah... "I'm okay." As it turns out I really wasn't okay. I think I probably had a mild concussion and I for sure had a fractured pelvis. I didn't know about the pelvis for a couple of weeks though. I'm tough that way.... :)

Anyway, the whole time I'm in excruciating pain. I say tough, you say stupid....tomato, tomato....

But, I just happened to have some arnica cream laying around because my good friend Barb had some at her health food store and I bought it when she went out of business. But I will tell you that it really made me functional. That's why I didn't know my pelvis was fractured for weeks!! By the time I had X-Rays, the doc said "Just don't do anything extreme and it'll heal by itself." Okay, define extreme........

I continued my yoga teaching, Tae Kwon Do, working cleaning pools, and riding horses....all with a fractured pelvis.......arnica cream my friends...arnica cream.

Lovin The Lavender!

For this edition of Thursday is Herbs Day, I chose lavender.

Here in North Texas, today, its cold with a slight freezing drizzle. Its a perfect day for cuddling up on the couch with a warm, toasty drink, a blanket, and a good book! I'm not, of course DOING that, but one could. I'm just sayin......

With thoughts of cuddling, my mind drifted to thoughts of relaxation. And for that, lavender is my favorite! Not only that, but it is an absolutely beautiful plant. It makes me think of Old World France or something similarly simple. Not that I've ever actually BEEN to France or that my ultra conservative husband would let me go there, but in my imagination there is lots of lavender....and cream....and butter........Whose up for a quick trip to France???? I'll drive.

Wait.

We'll have to fly.

Oh Well. In the meantime, lets all take a big whiff of lavender, relax and not worry about what they are eating in France.

We have a few pool customers that grow lavender. Its wonderful and beautiful. I have to tell you this, though, one of our customers has this 100 acre ranch. She and her husband owned it. I LOVED it!! It has these original log cabins on the property behind their house. One cabin is used as a barn for the chickens and guineas. The other one was being used as a guest house. In front of the guesthouse cabin, the lady planted beds of lavender in front of it trimmed with red rocks found on the property. It was truly lovely. I used to love walking by it on my to the pool and just run my hands over the top it. The oils from the flowers would adhere to my skin and my hands would smell good for hours. Her husband passed away and she decided that it was all just too much for her to handle by herself. So she sold it to a young German couple who wanted an authentic horse ranch. So, they completely remodeled EVERYTHING!! They changed the siding on the quaint farm house into a cedar and austin stone with a red tin roof. Then, get this.....They tore down the guesthouse cabin and rebuilt a NEW cedar and austin stone guesthouse!! Then....they ripped up all the lavender (I don't know what they did with it. They probably threw it away!) so they could pour a big cement patio in that spot.

Now. It all looks very nice. It looks like the multi-million dollar ranch that it is. HOWEVER, it is now bereft of all its previous charm. Its very sad. But, *sigh* Oh Well. Such is life. We dream of a simple Old World European existence and they dream of big Texas horse ranches!

disclaimer alert!!!!!

I am a Texan! I have horses! I love America! I love big Texas horse ranches! I love boots and cowboy hats! Not stupid Bud and Sissy cowboy clothes but real Texan cowboys! How did my post about lavender turn into a cowboy lovefest???? I love the Dallas Cowboys too! Oh, yeah! and the Texas Rangers!!!

Oh yeah! I remember. I didn't want you to think that I want us to be like the Europeans. Or like when we were kids, 'you're a peein'! HaHa!

Okay, enough of that tomfoolery!!! Back to the lavender! Geesh! I wish ya'll would stop trying to distract me all the time!

Lavender is a wonderful herb that is native to the sunny, mountainous regions of the Mediterranean. So, if you decide to plant some, you'll want it to have really good drainage. Or as my friend Melanie likes to say "It likes dry feet!" meaning that the roots cant be standing in water. I have some planted at my place and my soil is really sandy. The lavender does REALLY well there.

Lavender is used primarily as an oil that is used in soaps, lotions, shampoos etc. It is proven to induce a slight calm, thereby improving sleep, improving mood, reducing anxiety, better concentration, and helping create an overall better sense of well being. It is also found to be anti-viral and can be used in creams to treat minor skin ailments. In one study, those with alopecia ariata (an auto-immune disorder causing hair to fall out) that used a lavender mixture massaged into the scalp had a 70% improvement in hair regrowth over those that didn't use the oil.

Lavender is also edible. My friend Sue uses it frequently to make jellies,  cheesecakes, and even ice cream. Believe me when I  tell you that they are delicious!!

One of my favorite things to do with lavender is use it by the bed to create a nice subtle aroma as I fall asleep. One year, for Christmas, I made eye pillows for my yoga students. It was very easy and I'm going to tell you how I did it.

First, find a fabric that you like. I found a strong, satiny fabric.

Cut the fabric into 2 12" x 6" rectangles. (you can adjust the size to make it bigger or smaller to your preference)

Sew around 3 sides of the rectangle leaving a "short end" open.

Fill the eye pillow 1/2 full with rice. ( you can use just cheap white rice. The rice is good because you can heat it in the microwave and use it as a moist heating pad. It feels wonderful! The rice also gives weight to the eye pillow very inexpensively. You don't need to use a lot of lavender to reap the benefits!)

Then add lavender to the pillow to make it 3/4 filled up.

Hand sew the short end closed.

And voila! all done! Its super easy. It makes a great gift for yourself or anyone else on your list!

If you want to go to a real Texan lavender farm and enjoy some lavender lemonade, or just some peaceful porch sittin' you can go to Lavender Ridge Farms right down the road a ways from my house and pick your very own lavender. They have strawberries in the spring and flowers too!!!!

Here's a link to their farm http://www.lavenderridgefarms.com/

But, I wouldn't do that today! Its really cold out! You should for sure grab a blanket, a book, and warm toasty drink and just cuddle on the couch!!!

Herb Wreath

This is an herb wreath. I did not make this herb wreath, but you can go to this website and purchase it, http://www.organicbouquet.com/p_75/three_herb_wreath.html. However, they are currently sold out of this particular wreath. So I'm going to tell you how to make one of your own.

Why an herb wreath, you ask? Why not?!?!? I reply back at ya! They smell terrific too, by the way!

I did not make one this year because I've been entirely too busy creating an empire. :)
In fact, its December 23 and I JUST decorated the Christmas tree last night. I usually have this done by at least the first weekend in December! But, when an empire needs building, you gotta build. So, I decorated the tree in about 20 minutes.

I used candy!! This is brilliant and you should try this one year. The real beauty part is that when its time to take down all the decorations, there is no need to bring out your boxes and wrap ornaments to be put away. That can take hours or in some of the homes I've been in, days or even weeks!!! All I gotta do is turn my family loose and Ka-BAM!!!!! tree done!!!! :)

Back to the wreath though. All you need is a grapevine wreath, some 24 gauge wire, wire cutters, some pretty ribbon for hanging, and some herbs.

I have to warn you though that the herbs are not cheap. So I made a small wreath to hang in my kitchen. But, I will tell you that I think you could do this year round and the smell is sooooo wonderful. If you have a garden and access to fresh herbs (or tons of money, time, and patience!) you could make a bigger one.

The pictures I've seen of herb wreaths keep each herb together. I do like the one in the picture at the top of this post especially with the peppers in between. But, when I made mine, I used a variety together, like a floral arrangement with only greenery. I used lots of sage and rosemary and added in others like oregano or whatever looks pretty. Cilantro and parsley won't hold up well for very long, though fyi.

Take bundles of herbs and tuck them in to the spaces in the grapevine. Use the wire to attach the herbs to the grapevine, trying to keep the wire hidden and the layer more bundles of herbs all around the wreath. You'll want to layer the leafy parts of the herbs over the stemmy, wired parts of the herbs. Keep moving around the wreath in this fashion until the entire wreath is covered. Then loop the ribbon through the back of the grapevine and tie into a bow on top. And voila!!!! herb wreath complete!

This will continue to smell good for weeks. It will start to wilt though. Once the herbs no longer look good, you can just remove them from the wreath and do it again!

Winter Skin and Lips

I've been super busy lately!!!! This is the first time in my adult life that I've actually had enough money in the bank at Christmas time that I wasn't worried about paying bills and what cheap things to get people for Christmas! (sigh)

Ahhhhhhhh.........feels good...... :)

I'll tell you what doesn't feel good though is dry, chapped winter hands! Of which, mine are.

You know we own a pool service business. Add to the cold water, chlorine and muriatic acid and you get fingers that are dying from a thousand little cuts. (Try adding lime or salt to a lovingly prepared dish with those hands!! Give it a try.....I dare you!) Ouch! Ouch! Double Ouch!!!

But, since I'm busy (I have more pools to clean today) and its Thursday is Herbs Day I'm sending you a link to a recipe for lip balm. I want to try some of this recipe for my hands soon. Maybe next week I'll post on the lotion bars my friend Melanie makes. I'll be making some of that too! It's absolutely wonderful!

Here's the link http://www.cauldronsandcrockpots.com/2010/12/winter-lips/

Stay hydrated, my friends! :)

Ginger

Ginger!!!!

Yeah, not THAT Ginger, silly!!!!

This Ginger

Well, its a gingerbread man because its the holiday season, ya know!!! :)

I DO Like Ginger from Gilligan's Island, though. Every time my husband wants me to make a sexy face, I make the "Ginger" face and say, "Hello, Gilligan". He thinks that's REAL sexy......SCREECH....NOT!..He always says, "Why do keep calling me Gilligan?" to which I say, "If you don't want me to make a sexy face, then don't ask me to make a sexy face." and then I walk away. HeeeHeee. I like to keep our love life spicy. So, I like to play "sexy games" like that. We HAVE been married for over 20 years, so you can imagine....

Anyway, back to my real post for the day, and that's the SPICE ginger and no, I don't mean the SPICE GIRL, Ginger. I mean the Real Ginger.

This is part of my new, regular Thursday posts, about herbs.

Ginger has a whole host of health benefits!!!

I consume it regularly in a tea form anytime I'm feeling a little queasy. I make some ginger tea (I just use the tea bags. You could actually make your own if you're feeling so inclined) I put some Stevia in there to sweeten it and BAM! queasiness gone! You can also take it in a supplement form. You can even buy ginger candies in pharmacies now if you don't like the tea. Even a little ginger ale and ginger cookies can help with nausea.
I think we all knew that one already, but here are some other benefits of ginger that you maybe didn't know.

It reduces pain and inflammation. In studies it has been shown to be a natural painkiller and people who consume it have less soreness after working out. I can only assume that would also apply to people with injuries.

It has also been shown to relieve symptoms of colds and flus and help with digestive issues. When someone in my house gets sick, I always give them some ginger tea with honey in it. It tastes good and honey is also anti-inflammatory as well as being anti-viral and anti-bacterial.

In a University of Michigan study, ginger killed ovarian cancer cells. Can you say, WOW!!! ?On a side note, I've been claiming all along that cancer can be cured and prevented with diet.....I'm just sayin'....

A University of Minnesota found that ginger slowed down colorectal cancers. Again...I'm just sayin'...

Another study done on rats found that ginger may reduce diabetic nephropathy (kidney damage).

In addition to all the things that ginger can do, it tastes pretty good too!! So, go home and make some gingerbread. Make it extra gingery and feel good about your family eating it!!!


mmmmmmmmm.....AND it smells wonderful......... :)

Thursday is Herbs Day!! - Aloe

Welcome to Thursday!!!! Yay!!! Its so great because its one day closer to Friday AND its the first installment of Thursday is Herbs Day!! I think a celebratory cake is in order. I'll get right on that. But, FIRST let me tell you about one of my very favorite "herbs".

Aloe Vera.

You probably already know a little about it, because its in sunburn lotions in pharmacies all across the U.S. So you know it helps soothe a sunburn. But, do you know WHY and how that info can help soothe and heal other conditions as well?

Not only that but its super easy to grow in pots. It looks pretty and you always have a ready supply on hand and even enough to give away to your closest friends, more if you're like my friend Melanie who tries to GIVE them away on a regular basis!! Those things make "babies" and Melanie's must be extra fertile because she has "babies" out the wazoo. If you're nearby and want a free "baby" let me know and I'll hook you up!

Aloe vera is a succulent so it needs very little water. In addition to that it doesn't need a lot of light either. Its very easy to maintain. If you leave it in the sun it gets faded out and if its in the super dark it also loses its pigment. It can live in either of those conditions but for asthetics, ambient light is best.

I keep some around all the time. Its especially good for burns. It soothes a burn faster than anything I've ever seen. When I'm cooking and accidentally burn myself I just go over and break off a piece and rub the gel on the burn. It instantly feels better and heals much faster. Its also good for cuts and scrapes too. Its anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory. Its full of vitamins and minerals too. You can also buy aloe vera juice to help with some digestive issues.

ssshhhhhhhh, here's  a secret just between us. *looking around*, come in close.........

It has laxative properties...........

Just sayin.......

You never know. That sometimes comes up. Or doesn't. Again, just sayin.....

Okay enough with the eighth gradedness and poopy humor.  Okay, seriously, stop. POOP  and lack thereof is NOT a laughing  matter.


Here are some fun things you can do with Aloe Vera: (From http://www.aloevera-benefits.org/)

1.Create your own facial cleanser with aloe vera: Just mix with olive oil, rosewater, and a few drops of grapeseed oil in a food processor. Keep it in the fridge!

2.Create an organic sugar scrub and apply to damp skin:


■2 tbsp. aloe vera

■2 tbsp. brown sugar

■1 tsp. lemon juice

3.You could also try a salt scrub for rough patches:


■2 cups sea salt

■1 cup aloe vera

■1 cup baby oil

■2 tbsp. honey

4.For those with eczema or psoriasis, aloe is possibly the best moisturizer available. Rub all over hands and feet, put on gloves and socks and let it work its magic!


You can also dress up your plant and take have a photo shoot! I personally wouldn't do it, but you could.... Again, just sayin..... :)