Aromatherapy Dream Pillows

Another Christmas gift I made this year was aromatherapy Dream Pillows.
I had seen the idea online and was struck by how easy they were to make, and useful!
Herbs have been known for years as being therapeutic not only for their medicinal properties but for their smell as well.
I wanted to make pillows that could be easily slipped into a pillow-case, that was stuffed with loose, aromatic herbs to induce a calmer, quieter more restful sleep.
In these pillows I stuffed:
- Lavender
- Chamomile
- Rose Petals
- Calendula
- Mullien

I can't say I actually measured anything, just divided the herbs evenly then poured them into the bag. I didn't stuff it tightly or with anything else other than the herbs.
I wanted it to lie flat under the pillow and not be bulky or over-stuffed.
These ones I did just simply sew shut - however if you wanted to re-use your pillow, a line of velcro could easily be sewn onto the opening so you can refresh your herbs every few months.
I would really recommend using fabric such as cotton or linen, something that air can easily pass through.
Another benefit is that these dream pillows can also be put with children, to help promote sleep as well.
If you decide to do this however, I would make a pillow that cannot be opened, or placed on top of the mattress but under the fitted sheet so playful babies don't suck on it like another toy.

Sweet Dreams!

Homemade Oil Of Oregano

I had gotten introduced to Oil of Oregano a few years ago and have been using it as a go-to method when I feel a cold or flu coming on.
The one thing I wasn't impressed with however, was the price.
Thankfully I found this recipe online and decided to whip myself up a batch!
Here are a few of the benefits of Oil of Oregano:

• Destroying organisms that contribute to skin infections and digestive problems.
• Strengthening the immune system.
• Increasing joint and muscle flexibility.
• Improving respiratory health.

Skin Infections

Oil of Oregano can be applied directly onto the skin to treat itches, skin infections, and irritated gums, but only if it has been diluted. Always follow the instructions on your particular bottle before applying topically onto the skin, since highly concentrated oils may first need to be mixed with Olive Oil or Coconut Oil before application (usually one teaspoon of Olive Oil or Coconut Oil per one drop of Oil of Oregano). 

Digestive Problems

The high concentrations of thymol and carvacrol in Oil of Oregano have been shown to calm upset stomachs and aid digestion. Therefore, a quick home remedy for mild indigestion is to drink a glass of milk or juice that is mixed with 2 or 3 drops of the oil. 

Sinus Congestion

Oil of Oregano is a wonderful natural remedy for sinus congestion. A common solution is to add 3 drops of the oil into a glass of juice and drink this mixture daily for 3 to 5 days.

Colds and Sore Throats

Oil of Oregano is an excellent early defense mechanism when you feel a cold or sore throat coming on. Simply take 3 drops of the oil once per day (you can mix it into a glass of orange juice) and you should notice results within a few hours. Repeat this once per day for up to 5 days until the symptoms are gone. 

http://www.homeremediesweb.com/oil_of_oregano_health_benefits.php

DIY Oil Of Oregano
You need a ratio of 1:1 with fresh Oregano and Olive Oil.
I used 1/2 cup of Oregano to 1/2 cup Oil, but you can reduce the amount of oil if you'd like a stronger batch.

• Wash and dry your Oregano
• Place Oregano in a ziplock bag, cover with a tea towel and hammer at the leaves using a meat tenderizer or something similar. This will bruise the leaves causing them to release their oils.
• Heat up a small amount of Olive Oil (in the microwave is fine) until warm than add to ziplock baggy of crushed leaves. Close the bag and squish and smush the oil and leaves around for a minute or two. (This ensures that you pick up the released oil.)
• Now pour the leaves and remaining Olive oil into a clean, dry glass container with a fitted lid, and place in a cool, dry place for 2 weeks.
• After 2 weeks strain the leaves from the oil and bottle. 

Please keep in mind that there are side effects to taking Oregano oil continuously, and should be avoided if pregnant. 

Voila! You've just made your own Oil of Oregano!

Peace,

Homemade Vapour Rub

I came across this recipe for homemade vapour rub from CrunchyBetty's website.
As a Mum to a little one, I didn't feel comfortable even using the baby brand vapour rub on her little chest when she got the coughs or sniffles.
This recipe seemed straight forward enough and true enough I soon had a natural vapour rub that seemed identical in texture and smell.

Homemade Vapour Rub

• 2 tsp beeswax (grated)
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 35 drops peppermint essential oil
• 15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
• 15 drops rosemary essential oil

Melt the beeswax and olive oil together until smooth (I used a glass bowl in the microwave, stopping and stirring a couple of times until it was completely melted). Stir well with a whisk. Continue whisking while adding the essential oils drop by drop. Transfer to a small lidded container. Store in a cool, dry place for up to  a year (or more).

Both baby and hubs loved it, not to mention it left the skin on the bottom of my feet nice and soft!

Enjoy!

Peace,

DIY Decongestant Shower Disks

DIY Decongestant Shower Disks

My whole household has been sick with a cold and I desperatly wanted something to help clear our poor sinus'.
Thakfully I came across THIS. A recipe for a vicks vapor rub shower disk knock-off.
The recipe is extremely easy:

• Baking Soda
• Water
• Eucalyptus EO
• Rosemary EO
• Lavender EO

With 2 cups of baking soda I was able to make about 8 disks.
Add water to baking soda slowly, until it is thick and resembles putty, add 15 drops of each essential oil.
Spoon into lined muffin tray and let dry over-night OR bake at 350' for 20 minutes. 

I added a little too much water to mine, and they didn't set as well as I would've liked overnight - so I popped them into a 350 oven for about 15 minutes and they seem just right. 

To store keep in dry place, and are well kept in just a simple paper bag.
Try not to put disk under direct water-fall, instead put it on a shelf or side of the tub. The steam of your shower should draw out the EO's and you'll keep your disks longer. 

Enjoy!

Peace,

Raised Bed Veg and Picnics

This past week has been extremely busy. Between Eloise's teething, getting the house ready for the hot weather and gardening, we've been jumping.

Jeremie and I are currently renting our little home, so I didn't want to put too much effort into making a large garden, flower or vegetable. However, having grown up most of my life with large vegetable and flower beds, I really found myself missing digging in the dirt.

I have many fond memories going to one of our many gardens at my parents home, and weeding with my dad, or picking beans with my mum.

So after a quick chat with my dad and hubby, they were able to put together a raised bed for me. I was even able to get all the supplies from dad, including dirt and plants! (because I'm just spoiled that way) and Jeremie knocked the box together for me lickity-split.

Really, I say "my garden" but the most work I've had to do thus far is water!

The box is placed right out my front door on what I suppose would be the 'side-lawn' of the house. It's easily accessible by hose, I'm never too far from baby if she's inside, and I can protect it from the groundhog family living under the shed in our backyard.

I have lettuce, green onions, basil, tomato, peppers, dill and a few others I'm sure I'm forgetting. I even have some space left to put a cherry tomato plant in, and room for one more; but I haven't decided what yet.

For my flowers this year I decided to get window boxes. They were very cheap and I got to walk around the garden center and buy pretty plants that "made me happy", like my lovely straw flowers, which Eloise finds hilarious every time she touches them. In my little boxes I also have lavender and spearmint, so I can easily add them to summer drinks.
I tried something new this year and bought a tiny Stevia plant from the local farmers market. I had never grown/tasted stevia still on the plant and was amazed by how sweet the leaves were!
I'm glad Eloise is too small to try it, or I'd fear my child would eat it all because it tastes like candy!
I look forward to drying it out and trying it in some recipes.

It was so hot this past week, we decided to go to the park and have a picnic with my sister-in-law and her family. They have a little girl just 4 months older than Eloise.
Great fun was had by all, and as you can see, the baby swings were a great success!

The river was so warm and lovely, I almost considered jumping in, in my clothes.
I didn't think to change into a bathing suit before we left, but I should have! Eloise loved the warm water, as long as Papa had a good hold on her.

I hope you all have a lovely week!
Peace,

Bar Shampoo Soap and the Oil Cleansing Method

In my quest to eat more natural and healthy foods, I've also desired using less processed products on my person.
You can absorb just as many chemicals by rubbing it on your skin, brushing you teeth or washing your hair, as you can by eating it.
I started researching other alternatives to store bought products and came across more natural beauty choices.
A strangely popular "no-poo" method for washing hair has gotten a fairly large following; women and men who have given up shampoo and conditioner all together, and have started using baking soda, and apple cider vinegar   as replacements.
I was tempted, but call me a wuss, I wanted to ease into tossing shampoo, especially since I have naturally greasy hair, and cannot go more than a day without washing.
So, I found an alternative:
This is the "Soap Works Shampoo and Conditioner" bar. The soap works is a Canadian based company, nothing they make contain phosphates or lauryl sulphates. 
I found it at my local organic store for a mere $1.45.

 I figured if I was game enough to be tempted by just baking soda alone, surely I could try this! I've been using it for a week now, as is Jeremie and we both quite like it. It smells lovely, has a nice lather and my hair feels clean and fluffy. If I had to knit-pick one thing, I would say my hair is slightly drier. However, being a naturally greasy person, this hasn't really been a problem. 

I've been able to go three days without washing my hair, and still not get to that frighteningly-stringy greasy look. 

During my little cruise for natural beauty products, I came across this: "The Oil Cleansing Method". 

I know it sounds crazy, cleaning your face with oil?? But it seemed just crazy enough to work. 

"The basic concept of this skin care and cleansing method is that the oil used to massage your skin will dissolve the oil that has hardened with impurities and found itself stuck in your pores. The steam will open your pores, allowing the oil to be easily removed. Should you need it, the smallest drop of the same oil formula patted over damp skin will provide the necessary lubrication to keep your skin from over-compensating in oil production. "

Well, okay then. I'll give it a shot.  

I already had the Olive oil at home, and after a quick jaunt found my castor oil. The little bottle I conveniently found at the dollar store. You can apparently buy little bottles and the like in their "travel-sized" section. 

Because I think I have fairly normal skin, (sometimes dry, sometimes greasy) I used a 1 to 1 ratio of castor oil and olive oil. I made only 2 tsp castor / 2 tsp. olive, as I'm still in the 'testing' stage. 

" Castor Oil has potent anti-inflammatory properties, but is also healing and cleansing, which is why we're focusing on this oil as our primary oil."  

The olive oil is simply used as a carrier oil, and can be replaced by grape seed or sunflower seed oil. I just used what I had on hand. 

The rest was very simple. Throw it in a bottle and give it a shake!

The best time to cleanse is at night, to get the day's grime off, and this cleanser is also a wonderful makeup remover too! 

Take a quarter sized amount in your hands, rub them together to warm the oil. 

Massage into your face for approximately a minute making sure to work into your problem areas. 

Take a face cloth and soak in water warm enough to steam the oil off your face - lay it on your face for another minute. 

Your face should immediately feel softer. If you're using the right ratio of oils, you shouldn't need to moisturize. If your skin feels dry, add more olive oil to your mix, if your skin feels greasy, cut back on your olive oil amount or adjust the ratio to a greater amount of castor oil.

I've just started using this, so I will update you all in a week or so when I have some real results. However, after just a few uses, my skin already feels softer and more moisturized. 

I'll also try to take a picture of my hair after 3 days of no washing, and then again after using my soap. 

So that's what I've been doing lately! 

Peace,

Tea Time

There is nothing quite like a good cup of tea on a cool day, and nothing is better than sipping it from pretty china.

Even as a little girl, I loved tea sets. This was probably because my mother loved little tea sets and every so often I would suddenly be gifted a little porcelain tea set.

They were always very feminine, generally white with little flowers or designs painted on them.

I've had numerous tea parties during my childhood - I clearly remember filling up my miniature tea pot with water from the tap in the washroom, so I could then pour it into those minuscule cups and sip daintily from them, while discussing important issues with my collection of teddies and dolls.

Sometimes I would able to rope my little brother into a having a tea party with me, but somehow it didn't seem nearly as 'refined' as I thought it should be.

In middle school I even sent out little invitations to my girlfriends, inviting them over for a "Victorian Tea Party."

It makes me smile to think of my Mum pulling out the lacy tablecloths, setting out her "Old Country Roses" tea set for us to use, and even make us little cucumber sandwiches, all set prettily on fancy plates.

Right on time, my girlfriends showed up. All in pretty dresses, hats on their heads and gloves on their hands.

Mum let me wear one of her large brimmed straw hats, and tied a silk scarf over it and under my chin to make it look more like a bonnet. 

I thought I looked like one of those little Victorian girls I had seen in my books and felt beautiful. 

We tried to talk like refined ladies, and it was much later that my Mum let on how funny our conversations were, while she listened discreetly from the other room.

By the end I felt like a natural hostess and that the party had been a great success.

I very much look forward to introducing Eloise to tea sets and parties.

I hope she'll enjoy them as much as I did as a girl, and already in my minds eye I can see having little tea parties with her in the backyard - I'm probably more excited for that than she will be!

I found this picture a while ago, and I just loved the instructions and the image itself.

Have a lovely Friday!

Peace,

~ Jenny

Apple Sauce, Herbs and Babies

I love how Apple sauce looks. It's so pink and pretty, not to mention delicious! Mum got a great sale on "deer apples" so Saturday morning the girls made apple sauce while the men chopped wood.
It was a gorgeous day; the wind was cool but the sun kept you nice and warm as long as you were moving around.
Even though we've had nights of hard frost my herb garden somehow survived and I was able to collect a good portion of it. I have been so lax in my herb gathering, I could've gotten tons of cuttings off my plants, but was only able to do it a few times.


My Calendula even blossomed again! I was shocked - I missed the first blooms sadly, but I was given another opportunity! I gathered Lemon Balm, Calendula, Applemint and Peppermint - they're hanging upside-down now in my pantry drying out except for another bunch of Lemon Balm that I put in the dehydrator.
From my garden and dried, I have Chamomile, (more) Lemon Balm, Spearmint, Peppermint, Comfry and some others I can't remember at the moment.
They'll be mostly used in teas and baking.

The ladies were also able to finally sit down and pick out days to finish all our projects. We'll be meeting every Wednesday until Christmas to get the candle making, soap making, preserving and organizing done. I can't wait!

I'm now on a big hunt for recipes to use all my lovely herbs in. I know most of them would be lovely in tea and I have recipes for that - but I'd like to make more goods such as the Lavender Bread I made a couple weeks ago. I find them very original and tasty!
Does anyone know of a good website or cookbook they can recommend?

The same apple sauce making Saturday, we also had a bit of a baby party. A friend of ours came over to dinner with her two adorable twins, Issac and Maggie. Sam and Henry had fun playing with them, but Jack the dog was happy to follow them around and be on crumb-control.

And finally a picture of the hard-working men chopping/sawing wood!

This week is fairly quiet - all I have is work, a hair appt, and French lessons, which it turns out, I'm hosting! It'll give me good incentive to clean and get everything tidy!

Have a good week!

Peace,

- Jenny