I apologize.  This week got away from me.  I expained it on Kettle and Cup if you are at all interested… Basically I have filled in my margins of life and am over extened in every direction.

Simplicity should be simple but it isn’t.  Somehow we go the idea that we could just choose voluntary simplicity and take our whole lives into it with us.  So, rather than laying things aside and choosing the most valuable, best, and most important, we brought all of that into our simplicity and started wondering where our simplicity went.

It’s like taking a case of Snicker Bars to a weight loss clinic.

The first thing you have to do in order to bring simplicity and order to your life is decide what is important and what your priorities are.  Don’t forget to put yourself on the list.  Try to keep it at a top ten.

I don;t know, that is where I am at right now.  I have to make a top ten.  I am not sure where I go after that.

How are you achieving simplicity in your life?

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Post from: Blisstree

Margins of Simplicity

Believe it or not it is that time of year again.  I know some of you are buried under a mountain of snow but here it is 70 degrees.

We may have a few more cold days here and there but it is definitely time to plan and plant.

While you can get all kinds of herbs in capsule form at the health food store you can also make your own herbal teas.  I like the convenience of the capsules but the herbal teas satisfy me more.  I mean, to be able to plant something, grow it, harvest it, dry it and then use it for healing purposes?

Ah…Sustainability at it’s best.  Hand me that copy of Mother Earth News and my bowl of Granola will ya?

One of the easiest ways to dry herbs is to cut the stalks, bind them together in small bundles and then hang them upside down in a dry place.  If you have a pot rack on your kitchen ceiling that is about perfect.  It looks great too.

You can also spread the chopped leaves and usable plant parts on a dehydrating tray and dry them that way.

Of course, on a warm summer day you can place them between pieces of screen out in the sun but take them in at night so that they don;t pick up dew.

There are lots of ways to dry plants.  Give one or two of them a try.

image: morguefile

Post from: Blisstree

How to Dry Herbs

Did you know that baby shampoo is a great item to refill your liquid soap dispenser with?  Well it is!  Just mix it one part baby shampoo to two or three parts water (experiment to see what you like).  Add a couple of drops of lavender essential oil for a natural germ killer and to make it smell nice.

Lavender is a natural relaxant but it also is an asset to infection control.  Handwashing with a milder soap helps your hands in other ways as well.

Not only is this method of creating handwashing soap very inexpensive but it keeps you away from the antibacterial hand soaps which are very, very, very bad for you.

Baby shampoo is gentle and easy on your skin so your hands won’t dry out either.  After you wash your hands, rub a tiny amount of organic coconut oil on them to keep them soft and unchapped this winter.

This way, you don;t need to worry if you toddler gets into it, or if someone accidentally gets it in their mouth, or if you happen to rub your eyes while washing up.  It’s all good!  Use organic baby shampoo for the best results, as well as the lowest environmental impact, unless you are making it yourself.

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Post from: Blisstree

Baby Shampoo Makes a GREAT Hand Soap

What are Swedish Bitter Herbs?

They are a 400 year old herbal combination that is extremely popular in Europe.  They can be used to heal nearly anything from indigestion to scar tissue.

Supposedly they were created to help with indigestion but it was found that they seemed to help almost everything.

Some people consider the cures miraculous.

The bitters are usually made up of the following herbs plus assorted other herbs depending on the herbalist:

• Aloe
• Senna
• Saffron
• Myrrh
• Camphor
• Rhubarb
• Manna
• Angelica

Swedish Bitters can be used as a tonic or as a curative, internally or externally.  It is extremely versatile and those who use it swear by it.

You can get the herbal combination and instructions at Swedish Bitters or several other online stores:

• Vitacost
• Mother Nature
• Lucky Vitamins

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Post from: Blisstree

Swedish Bitter Herbs

Why would you need a home remedy for spider bites in January?

Sometimes when it gets cold outside the spiders decide that it is time to come inside.   Generally they stay out of the way and you don’t see them too much but once in awhile  you may get on one’s nerves and…CHOMP!

Spider bite.

Most spider bites are no problem, at least not past the first pain, but others can cause problems whether from the venom or an allergic reaction or a secondary infection.

Following are some great home remedies for spider bites, but use your common sense.  If you think it needs to be seen by a doctor, or it doesn’t respond to treatment at home please see your health care provider.

• Garlic or onion- You can tape a cut garlic clove, cut side down, or piece of onion over the bite.  Cover it with gauze and change daily.
• Baking soda- Make a paste and pat it on the bite.
• Activated charcoal- This stuff is good to have around for food poisoning and other issues as well.  It comes in capsules at the health food store.  Open a capsule and make a paste of the charcoal.  Pat over the bite.  Wash off and put new charcoal paste on every couple of hours.

Electric shock on the bite area is said to be effective.  I have not read up on this yet, have no clue how to do it and am mentioning only to ask if anyone else had heard of using electric shock as a home remedy for spider bites?

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Post from: Blisstree

Home Remedy for Spider Bites

Blackstrap molasses health benefits were not a concern to our grand parents and great grandparents.  Much of the United States 150 years ago did not have access to sugar, at least not very often.  They learned to love the sweeteners that they had available locally; honey, maple syrup, other syrups, and blackstrap molasses.

Molassed did have to be shipped in but it was cheap and it did not go bad on long journeys.  Even the most remote mountain cabin generally had a supply of blackstrap ‘lasses.

Blackstrap has a good amount of iron in it.  Two teaspoons of iron provides a little over 13 percent of your daily iron requirement.  Other nutritional needs that just two teaspoons will take care of are:

• Nearly 12 percent of your calcium
• 14 percent of your copper needs
• 18 percent of manganese
• Nearly 10 percent of calcium
• 7.3 percent of Magnesium

An odd bit of trivia I found out about molasses as I was researching this.  In 1919 the Great Molasses Flood  occurred when a molasses storage tank that held  two million gallons of molasses broke in Boston.  The molasses tsunami poured through the street in Boston at 35 miles an hour and creating a 30 foot tidal wave of molasses.  Twenty one people were killed.

So, stay away from molassesstorage tanks but try to find ways to add blackstrap molasses to your diet.  It does have a strong taste so start slow, and do so experimenting to find what you like best.

image: Wikipedia, used iwth permission.

Post from: Blisstree

Blackstrap Molasses Health Benefits

I guess that writing “because I do” is not going to be impressive is it?

I have shopped at both.  Here are the similarities:

• Both VS and GNC offer gold card type plans where earn discounts and coupons.
• Both carry herbs and vitamins as well as body building supplements.
• Both have generic store brands at reduced prices.
• Both have websites.
• Both have good  return policies, although GNC has a better one.  With Vitamin Shoppe you get store credit for items you used but were not happy with, with GNC you get money back.

So why do I like VItamin Shoppe better?

There are more herbs and herbal remedies.  GNC is more involved in nutritional supplements and body building.  VS has tons of herbs and homeopathics, as well as vitamins in addition to the body building stuff.  AND best of all, the people at VS are knowledgeable about the herbs and other products.  They will help you look up an herbal remedy to see if it will possibly interact with anything that you are all ready taking.  That kind of customer service is very important.

If you don’t know much about herbs and you decide to try a supplement you can literally kill yourself if you haven’t done your own research.  Finding a store where the employees are interested in your health more than the sale is important.

Being able to ask someone whether uva ursi is going to work on your condition better than dandelion is also a benefit.

The main website has tons of articles and even a message board.

And THAT is why I like Vitamin Shoppe!

Check out their website, The VItamin Shoppe.  They have a place for Vitamin Shoppe locations and check this site for Vitamin Shoppe Coupon codes.

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Post from: Blisstree

Why I Prefer Vitamin Shoppe over GNC

I guess in this modern, medical age we sometimes get lulled into a false sense of security about our healthy and vitamin intake.  After all, we reason, even if we don’t eat right we are taking vitamins and other supplements, right?

You have to count the cost of everything and one thing that we don;t tend to count the cost of living our modern lifestyle is the fact that we often do so at our own expense healthwise.

Our lifestyles take a toll on our health in a number of ways.

• We don;t eat right
• Too many chemicals
• Too much stress
• Not enough real life exercise that our bodies were created to do..ie manual labor/work
• Too much time indoors

All of these things lead the the depletion of various vitamins in our bodies.

One of the vitamin deficiencies that is beginning to pop up everywhere is a vitamin D deficiency.    Vitamin D is available in a very FEW foods but the body makes it in response to …sunlight.  How about that? Getting outside is good for you.

Diseases linked to vitamin D deficiency are:

• Osteoporosis
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Depression
• Hypertension
• Arthritis

There are a host of other diseases linked to deficiency. Because of this there are people who begin to take supplements like cod liver oil.  In normal doses this is acceptable but be careful.  You can end up with vitamin D toxicity if you take more than your body can handle.

The easiest way to get healthy amounts of vitamin D every day is to merely take a walk.  That’ s all..just a nice walk.  Spend more time outside and your body will thank you.

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Post from: Blisstree

Vitamin D Deficiency: Don’t Go There

Yeah.  You put it in stuffing at Thanksgiving but did you also know the the common herb, sage, the one that is so great with poultry is medicinal as well?

You didn’t?

That’s why I am here.

Sage is really not appreciated nearly enough.  It is a hard working plant whether it is in your medicine cabinet or your pantry.

First, how does it work?

Sage contains an oil that holds chemical substances that are antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-establishment.

Nah.  I just said that becuase it is late and I wanted to see if you were paying attention.  They are antibacterial, antifungal, and  antiviral though. These substances include:

• Alpha thujone
• Beta thujone
• Camphor
• Cineole
• Tannins
• Flavonoids
• Rosmarinic acid

Sage tea is a great gargle for sore throat and mouth and gum infections.  It will help control and heal gingivitis and other bacterial problems in the mouth.

The tea can be used in compresses to soothe bruising, sore muscles, sprains and swelling as well as to stop bleeding.  Internally it has been used to soothe frazzled nerves and to lighten heavy menstrual bleeding.

Great stuff.  Easy to grow.  Nice to cook with.  You can’t beat it!

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Post from: Blisstree

Sage Herb, What’s It For

Yep.  You can make homemade deodorant, too.  In fact, as far as keeping you smelling good I think it works better than the chemical stuff.  It won’t keep you dry though, you are still going to sweat.  If you don’t have a huge problem with sweat and only want to keep the pungency of work at bay then this will do the trick.

You can find white clay also called kaolin clay or cosmetic clay, at many natural foods stores.  You can often buy it  in bulk.  You can also get it online if it isn’t available locally.

Just add equal parts of clay and baking soda and mix well.  Add 6 drops tea tree oil, 8 drops lavender oil, and a little tangerine oil, maybe two or three drops.  Cover and set aside for a day or two and then just dust under your arms as you need it.

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Post from: Blisstree

Homemade Deodorant