Busy Little Bees...

A friend of mine just came back from West Virginia bearing gifts of Basswood Honey from the Mountain State Honey Company.  I’ve never been a huge honey fan, but this honey is DELICIOUS!

I’ve been using it in my morning hot lemon water and my hot tea this past week. Yum!

Since we already use honey in general at home for cuts & scrapes and sore throats, I was curious to see what other uses there are for it.  It turns out that honey is fantastic for skin!

We already new that honey has an antimicrobial/antibiotic tribute which is great for cuts and scrapes, but that also means it's great for acne. Honey is also considered a humectant, which makes it a great moisturizer for dry skin. On top of those, honey is an antioxidant, too! Wrinkles beware! More info here.

Here are some awesome ways to use honey for a facial:

Plain Ol' Honey:Rub ½ teaspoon in your hands until warm and spread all over your face. Let sit for 5 minutes and then rinse with water.

Honey Sugar Scrub:Mix 2 teaspoons honey, 2 teaspoons almond milk and 1 tablespoon sugar together to make a face scrub. Rub gently onto face and rinse with water.

Honey Lotion:Mix together 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon olive oil and ¼ teaspoon lemon. Rub into dry skin. Leave on for 10 minutes and then rinse with water.

My Oh My!

Yay for summertime and yay for new albums and concerts!

Can't wait to see Tristan Prettyman in Cleveland this July!

The ladies and I are loving her new song, "My Oh My."

Ouch! Itch No More...

Summer is here which means more time outdoors and

more contact with the bugs that bite.

My little ladies tend to react BIG to bites.
Mosquitos bites turn quarter-sized on my oldest
and my middle CAN’T stand to be itchy at all!
Most products only work short term and the girls are
quick to ask to try “something” else.
Sometimes a mixture of different remedies does the trick and

we tend to rotate through them as the day progresses.

So here are a few of our favorites…

COMPRESSES

1. Ice

2. Tea Bag (cool before applying to skin)

3. Banana peel

SPRAYS

Pour into a spray bottle and spritz on bites.

1. Witch Hazel

2. Lemon or Lime Juice

3. Tea tree oil (dilute with water)

4. White vinegar

TOPICALS

Spread small amounts over bites.

1. Honey

2. Baking Soda (make a paste with water)

3. Mud (yes, mud!)

4. Aloe vera

Read Much?

The Big Read

So, the BBC has a list of the

Most-Popular-Must-Read-Books, evah.

It was published a couple years ago,

but I just came across it recently.

They state that the average person has read

fewer than 6 of the books on their list.

As an avid reader and to challenge myself

I’ve taken up the gauntlet.

100 books to finish reading by the time I turn 40.

That’s give or take 2 years!

Luckily, I was able to knock quite a few off

right away thanks to my high school literature classes.

So that leaves me about 70 to go!

In the spirit of being an eco-friendly gal,

I discovered that I can download for free

most of the books from the public library

to my android or my kindle.

Pretty stinking cool!

Stayed tuned as I review each of my conquests!!

Go HERE to see The Big Read list and join me!

DIY Playdough

So in our house we have lots of toys for playdough,

 but the dough has long since run dry. 

Today Morgi was in the mood to mix

something up in the kitchen, so we decided to try our hand

at cooked playdough.

 It's all natural and almost good enough to eat!

(if you're a deer and looking for a salt lick)

Ingredients:

1 Cup Flour

1/2 Cup Salt

2 Tbsp Oil

2 Tsp Cream of Tartar

1 Cup Water

Food Coloring

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together EXCEPT the food coloring.

2. It will seem very soupy. That's okay.

 3. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Repeat.

4. The dough should start to form.

 If still too soft, continue nuking in 25 second increments.

5. Let COOL.  Knead into a smooth dough.

6. Divide and add food color. Do a little more kneading.

7. Start playing!

Cool

After having a smart phone for a year now, it occurred to me that there might be an app for blogger. Lo & behold there is!
So this is my test post from my phone.  Hope it works! :)

Sight Word Flash Cards

What a great way to repurpose paint sample cards!  Obviously, deciding in-store the color you want for your room would be the most eco friendly, but if a few cards happen to find their way back home, here's a great idea to repurpose them.

My middle child is going to kindergarten this fall and dying to read.  So I gathered up the paint sample cards she and her dad brought home and turned them into flash cards. So easy!

I found our list of sight words HERE.

Tag It!

Brilliant use of bag tags! Label away!

Safe and Sound

A song the ladies and I are just LOVING right now.
Purchase the song HERE! 


We saw Taylor in concert this summer and it was probably one of THE best shows I've ever been to - she is an amazing performer!  We are so excited that she is going to be part of this amazing story.

Absolutely loved the books and can't wait for the movies!!
Click for info on the books

My Three Green Girls

Well it's been a looong time since our last post & I am hoping that with the start of a new year, we can change that! After an endless (lol) pregnancy, my 3rd miracle finally arrived in October. A lack of a working laptop, a dislike of typing from my phone, and her crazy weeks of colic kept me from heralding her arrival.  Hopefully as things are settling down we will get back in the swing of blogging. My oldest now has her own laptop and her own room, so I'm sure we'll be seeing more from her!

So without further ado...

My beautiful daughter arrived October 20th, weighing 8lbs 11oz and was 20 inches long. She is named in memory of her Uncle Joe, after her father, and in honor of her great-grandmother. I've dubbed her our "tribute" baby!

Welcome Josie Mikayla Adele!

Minty Madness!

The mint is prolific in our garden this time of year

and so we thought we’d share some

favorite non-food recipes.

Minty Facial Toner
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 ¾ cups water
Directions:
1. Bring water to a boil, add mint, take off heat and steep 15 minutes.
2. Strain the mint leaves from the liquid.
3. Pour the liquid into a glass bottle and store in the fridge.
4. Apply to face – no need to rinse!

Fresh Mint Foot Scrub
3 tablespoons ground salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 drops peppermint essential oil
2 drops tea tree oil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ cups finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Directions:
1. Combine salt, sugar and mint leaves.
2. Add oils and mix well.
3. Store in a glass container.
4. Massage into your feet and rinse with cold water when done.
Minty Smooth Hair conditioner
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup chopped mint leaves
1 tablespoon honey
½ juice from a fresh squeezed orange
Directions:
1. Mix well.
2. Leave on hair for at least 15 minutes.
3. Rinse well.

Here's a post for the mama's-to-be

Nothing like unrelenting all day nausea

for weeks on end to put a crimp on

anything computer related!

Our third miracle is will make his/her

spooktacular presence this October.

In the meantime, here's my tried & true remedies for nausea!

1. Anything lemon. 

In my water, candies, tea, protein bars.

2. Spanish olives

3. Decaf black tea

4. Potato chips

5. Gum - lots of gum

6. Sleep - lots of sleep!

And if it doesn't end by 12 weeks, or 14 or 16, it will by 40!!



Just say NO!

Eco tip for the week!

A really cool website that lets you

opt out of receiving the yellow pages,

all in one click!

CLICK HERE

to start saving some trees!

DIY Boo-Boo Bins

Need a handy way to cart around first aid supplies?

Then you need to make yourself a Boo-Boo Bin!

Easily fits in your purse, the glove box or a backpack.

To transform your tin into a Boo-Boo Bin,

you'll need:

1 empty Altoids tin

Different colored paints

 (the girls used nailpolish this time)

Sharpie markers

Stickers

First aid supply suggestions:

assorted bandages

butterfly bandages

tweezers

alcohol wipes

antibiotic ointment

q-tips

eye drops

yummy candy :)

DIY Facial Toner

Here in our house, we try to lesson the amount of toxins and chemicals we put on our bodies. With a multitude of skin types, we've found this recipe works best on all of us!

Toner Ingredients:

Witch Hazel

Tea Tree Essential Oil

Tangerine Essential Oil 

1 repurposed small container

(think shampoo bottles from hotels,

 prescription bottles, make-up jars)

Directions:

1.  Fill bottle 3/4 full with witch hazel.

2.  Add 10 drops of tea tree oil.

3. Add 4 drops tangerine oil.

4. Cap bottle and shake well.

5. Store in refrigerator.

6. Shake well before each use.

**To stay earth friendly, use an old t-shirt and cut

 into 2 inch squares to apply the toner to your face!

Toilet Paper Roll Bird Feeder

This one's an easy project!

You'll need:

toilet paper roll

peanut butter

birdseed

hole punch

yarn

Directions:

1.  Punch 2 holes opposite each other at the top of the roll.

2. Spread peanut butter all over outside of tube.

3. Roll in birdseed.

4. String yarn through holes.

5. Hang outside near other branches,

so the birds have somewhere to perch. :)

Here are some more creative ideas for toilet paper rolls!

(photos belong to their respective websites)

Binoculars!

Pencil Holders!

Firestarters!

(click on the underlined ideas above to

get instructions for the other crafts pictured!)

Ice Play!

Even in the winter we can continue to help keep our beaches clean.

On a recent expedition to the vet (sans dogs), we decided to stop at a park we've not yet been.  We trooped down to the beach and on the pier and discovered an ice palace. We were also pleasantly surprised to find very little garbage on the beach after such a windy week!

People are Getting It!

So nice to see in our community that people do care!

I loved watching my oldest separate all the paper &

cardboard that could be recycled from Christmas gifts .

 I didn't even have to tell her or remind her!

Wrapping and packaging from each relative's house

we visited was repacked out and stowed in the car.

Then we made the trip out to the recycling center

and saw a container full of more wrapping paper!

Thanks community for remembering to be good recyclers!

Save a Stray and Share your Love!

We rescued a puppy 2 weeks ago, who ended up being really sick and after having her only 3 days had to put her to sleep. I had my 3 yr old with me and it was a heartbreaking and learning experience. Morgi was a trooper and we sent Luna to heaven with a hug and a kiss good-bye. We snuggled at home and I fielded all sorts of questions. We decided that she was a lucky dog, because for 3 days she was loved and adored.

Undeterred, we headed back to the rescue for her littermate. Affectionately known as Peppermint, aka Pepper, she is spunky & wild and in very good health. The girls miss Luna, but love that we were able to save 2 dogs, even if one was for a fleeting moment.
Pepper is a boston terrier mix and she looooves her new brother Timbo!

If you're thinking about getting a pet this holiday season (or any season in general) consider adopting one from a rescue. What better way to share your love? It keeps the pet population down, you aren't promoting puppy mills or buying from pet stores and you get to save an animal from an uncertain future. Woof!

Greening up the Gingerbread House

We thought this was so cute! Happy Holidays!