Tuesday, April 12, 2011
We are still here!!
Just wanted to drop you all a note and let you know that we are still here. Our early spring has been so super busy, and full of homeschooling, making garden boxes, spring cleaning, and then my youngest son had to have his tonsils taken out (poor little man), but we are still here, and will be back on track by the first of May!!! So please stay tuned, because we will continue where we left off, and there is so much new to tell you about!!!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Wow what a week!!
Everyone, and I do mean everyone in our house was sick this past week. . . yes even the dog!!!
So I figured what better to post than a relaxing yet refreshing bath soak that will not only refresh your senses, but your skin and spirit as well!!!
What you will need:
1/4 cup dried organic milk (or 1/2 cup fresh whole milk. . . organic if possible)
2 T of grated orange peel
2 T oatmeal (not quick oats although they will work in a pinch)
1 T fresh parsley chopped
1 T fresh mint chopped (can substitute dried, or even use a mint tea bag!!)
old pair of hose (which you will need to cut the foot off of !!), muslin drawstring bag, or scrap of cloth that you can tie with a string.
What you need to do is add all of these together, and then put into the cloth of your choice. Draw yourself a bath, and throw it in!!!!
If you are using milk in it's liquid form, then of course you will need to add this to the bath separately (and you can always just omit it all together, if you are sensitive to milk products!!)
The milk is wonderful for your skin, adding lots of vitamins and nutrients that promote healing in small cracks and cuts.
The orange peel is not only refreshing, but will help to promote good circulation and the natural orange oils are wonderful for treating and preventing acne!!!
Oatmeal is amazing for winter skin!!! It will soothe and repair your itchy skin.
Now some of you may want to omit the parsley, but I like to add it to my bath teas because it is so wonderful for the skin. It can reduce swelling and redness, reduces blackheads, and aids in the prevention of wrinkles!!
Now for the mint, I prefer to use a peppermint or wintergreen mint, but really any mint will do (if you want a more calming bath use cat mint). They all have cooling, rejuvenating and relaxing effects on the skin! The aromatherapy qualities when you are not feeling quite your self are also amazing!!! Mints help to clear the mind, and bring a little zest back into your muscles . . . which for me tend to be sore after a bout with the flu!!!
Now it really does not matter what you use to put all of your bath tea items together in, as long as you can tie it up securely, and it's contents will be able to seep into your nice warm bath water!!
I have to say this is one of my favorite bath teas!! It is easy to adapt to what you need, or like and the amounts really do not have to be that precise!! I have prepared this bath for everyone this week (except the dog!!) I used a muslin drawstring bag because my youngest son likes to squeeze the bag and make a "fog" in the water for his men and dragons to battle in. . . and then he LOVES to use the bag as a scrubby on his feet before he gets out!!! I like the muslin bag because I can dump the contents into the worm bin and put them to work composting, and then wash and reuse!!!
Bath teas happen to be one of my favorite home remedies!!! They are easy to make and they are nourishing to the mind and body!!! They can be easily adapted for infants, and because the contents are all contained, there is little mess to clean up!!!
So I figured what better to post than a relaxing yet refreshing bath soak that will not only refresh your senses, but your skin and spirit as well!!!
What you will need:
1/4 cup dried organic milk (or 1/2 cup fresh whole milk. . . organic if possible)
2 T of grated orange peel
2 T oatmeal (not quick oats although they will work in a pinch)
1 T fresh parsley chopped
1 T fresh mint chopped (can substitute dried, or even use a mint tea bag!!)
old pair of hose (which you will need to cut the foot off of !!), muslin drawstring bag, or scrap of cloth that you can tie with a string.
What you need to do is add all of these together, and then put into the cloth of your choice. Draw yourself a bath, and throw it in!!!!
If you are using milk in it's liquid form, then of course you will need to add this to the bath separately (and you can always just omit it all together, if you are sensitive to milk products!!)
The milk is wonderful for your skin, adding lots of vitamins and nutrients that promote healing in small cracks and cuts.
The orange peel is not only refreshing, but will help to promote good circulation and the natural orange oils are wonderful for treating and preventing acne!!!
Oatmeal is amazing for winter skin!!! It will soothe and repair your itchy skin.
Now some of you may want to omit the parsley, but I like to add it to my bath teas because it is so wonderful for the skin. It can reduce swelling and redness, reduces blackheads, and aids in the prevention of wrinkles!!
Now for the mint, I prefer to use a peppermint or wintergreen mint, but really any mint will do (if you want a more calming bath use cat mint). They all have cooling, rejuvenating and relaxing effects on the skin! The aromatherapy qualities when you are not feeling quite your self are also amazing!!! Mints help to clear the mind, and bring a little zest back into your muscles . . . which for me tend to be sore after a bout with the flu!!!
Now it really does not matter what you use to put all of your bath tea items together in, as long as you can tie it up securely, and it's contents will be able to seep into your nice warm bath water!!
I have to say this is one of my favorite bath teas!! It is easy to adapt to what you need, or like and the amounts really do not have to be that precise!! I have prepared this bath for everyone this week (except the dog!!) I used a muslin drawstring bag because my youngest son likes to squeeze the bag and make a "fog" in the water for his men and dragons to battle in. . . and then he LOVES to use the bag as a scrubby on his feet before he gets out!!! I like the muslin bag because I can dump the contents into the worm bin and put them to work composting, and then wash and reuse!!!
Bath teas happen to be one of my favorite home remedies!!! They are easy to make and they are nourishing to the mind and body!!! They can be easily adapted for infants, and because the contents are all contained, there is little mess to clean up!!!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful
So I thought I would start this years blog off with items that I wouldn't sell in my shop on Etsy, http://www.theapawthecary.etsy.com/ because they all require fresh produce to make :)
I personally have tried each of them and will tell you my feelings on them too :)
I have done tons of research on old world recipes for skin and hair, and have poured thru tons of old folk remedy texts, and figured it would be fun to try them out and to share what I find. . . so here I go :)
Dry skin is horrible, in the winter it can be the bane of your existence!!! So I figured I would start with simple recipes you can make at home, usually with the things that you have in your refrigerator.
Winter Mask
you will need the following items:
1 egg yolk (preferably fresh and organic)
1 tsp honey
1 T cottage cheese
1 tsp Cognac
Mix together the egg yolk and the cottage cheese, and then and the honey. Stir until well mixed, and then add the Cognac slowly.
You should cover your face and neck with this mask recipe and then lay back and relax for a good 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off the mask with warm water and then apply your favorite face cream.
The egg yolk will leave your skin feeling silky and soft (obviously do not use this part if you are allergic to eggs!!)
The honey and cottage cheese will gently exfoliate your dead skin cells, and the cognac will help to tighten pores and stimulate blood flow to your face.
I found the mask to be quite comfortable, although I was not truly fond of the smell. The scent did not linger however, after the mask was removed. I also found it to be a little warming and left a fresh tingle to my skin even after it was removed . It did not cause me to have any redness, and it was not irritating at all.
Over all I think it was fun, easy, and left my skin feeling and looking wonderful :)
I personally have tried each of them and will tell you my feelings on them too :)
I have done tons of research on old world recipes for skin and hair, and have poured thru tons of old folk remedy texts, and figured it would be fun to try them out and to share what I find. . . so here I go :)
Dry skin is horrible, in the winter it can be the bane of your existence!!! So I figured I would start with simple recipes you can make at home, usually with the things that you have in your refrigerator.
Winter Mask
you will need the following items:
1 egg yolk (preferably fresh and organic)
1 tsp honey
1 T cottage cheese
1 tsp Cognac
Mix together the egg yolk and the cottage cheese, and then and the honey. Stir until well mixed, and then add the Cognac slowly.
You should cover your face and neck with this mask recipe and then lay back and relax for a good 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse off the mask with warm water and then apply your favorite face cream.
The egg yolk will leave your skin feeling silky and soft (obviously do not use this part if you are allergic to eggs!!)
The honey and cottage cheese will gently exfoliate your dead skin cells, and the cognac will help to tighten pores and stimulate blood flow to your face.
I found the mask to be quite comfortable, although I was not truly fond of the smell. The scent did not linger however, after the mask was removed. I also found it to be a little warming and left a fresh tingle to my skin even after it was removed . It did not cause me to have any redness, and it was not irritating at all.
Over all I think it was fun, easy, and left my skin feeling and looking wonderful :)
Monday, December 27, 2010
WOW!!! What a crazy ride!!
Okay I really thought that I would be able to keep up on this blogging thing, and I really am going to try. I think it will be my new years resolution to make sure that I post at least three times a week on what is new and exciting in the worl of herbs.
I am hoping that everyone has had a safe and amazing holiday so far and that your lives have been filled with lots of love, lots of food, and lots of family.
Happy Winter everyone :)
I am hoping that everyone has had a safe and amazing holiday so far and that your lives have been filled with lots of love, lots of food, and lots of family.
Happy Winter everyone :)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
My Son the Entrepreneur
So last night my six year old son tells me that he wants his own Etsy shop. He thinks that he knows what everyone out there REALY needs to make their hearts happy. So after several hours “business planning” Wyatt has come up with the idea that a cinnamon star will not only make people’s hearts happy, but their noses too!!
Of course, I proceeded with caution, and asked him what will people need Yule and Christmas ornaments for after the holidays? His reply. . . “Momma you have sweet smelly things hang’n ALL OVER THE PLACE!! And not just for the holidays“.
So again, I proceeded to ask a few more questions. . .“how much is this going to cost me”. . . “who’s going to clean up the mess” . . . his answer quite simply was that he was going to do it all J So we are going to let him have a go!! He is so EXCITED!!! He has already decided that "his" star will be good for New Year's decorating, so he wont have to make a new design until Valentine's Day rolls around!!! (he amazes me).
So he and I are going to the health food store to pick up some organic apples, because you need lots of apple sauce (and he is going to make that too!) and some organic or free trade Cinnamon, and we will see what his enormous heart comes up with. I will be sure to blog and post pictures as he accomplishes his task!!
Now to decide if he will get a section in my shop http://www.theapawthecary.etsy.com/ or if we will sit down and let him run his own shop on http://www.etsy.com/? hmmmm what to do?
Of course, I proceeded with caution, and asked him what will people need Yule and Christmas ornaments for after the holidays? His reply. . . “Momma you have sweet smelly things hang’n ALL OVER THE PLACE!! And not just for the holidays“.
So again, I proceeded to ask a few more questions. . .“how much is this going to cost me”. . . “who’s going to clean up the mess” . . . his answer quite simply was that he was going to do it all J So we are going to let him have a go!! He is so EXCITED!!! He has already decided that "his" star will be good for New Year's decorating, so he wont have to make a new design until Valentine's Day rolls around!!! (he amazes me).
So he and I are going to the health food store to pick up some organic apples, because you need lots of apple sauce (and he is going to make that too!) and some organic or free trade Cinnamon, and we will see what his enormous heart comes up with. I will be sure to blog and post pictures as he accomplishes his task!!
Now to decide if he will get a section in my shop http://www.theapawthecary.etsy.com/ or if we will sit down and let him run his own shop on http://www.etsy.com/? hmmmm what to do?
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Aromatherapies at work
I have an adopted child whose younger brother does not live with me, he lives with my beloved cousin who is adopting him. The boys get to see each other often, of course not as often as they would like, but more than they would if they were seperated completely. Both of the boys, and their older brother, have ADD and ADHD. I wanted to find something that would not just be a treatment for symptoms but a relaxation therapy as well.
Aromatherapy Dough is the result.
Made with all natural, organic ingredients, natural coloring, and calming EO blends (essential oil blends), this has had an amazing impact on stressful situations. Keeping my son on task is a difficult endevor to say the least, the Aromatherapy Dough allows him to stop for a few minutes, concentrate on something simple, and allow the EO's to take control. I would say we employee this technique about five to ten minutes each time sometimes three or four times a day.
Essential Oils are amazing!! In this format, they do not first have to enter the body and then be processed thru the liver to become effective. Direct contact with the skin thru play (squishing and squeezing the dough) allows the EO's to work into the skin and into the blood stream within just a few minutes!!! The scent of the doughs trigger responses in the brain to help manage specific targets, and together with the squishing and the squeezing of the dough, this becomes a ritual, a more encompassing way of healing, by teaching the brain and the child (yes I know they go together, but in our house it sometimes feels as if they work as two seperate units!) to slow down, to focus, and to get back on task.
After several attempts at making hand made play dough from recipes I found on the internet, I finally developed one of my own. Aromatherapy Dough is much smoother than regular or home made play dough, and it has a firmer squish to it, not like a putty, but just firmer. It is not gritty, although I do use ground dead sea salts( they have amazing properties) so they do leave your hands feeling a little rough durring play, but watch out when you go wash because your hands will feel AMAZING!! The organic vegetable and nut oils used in Aromatherapy Dough not only work as a carrier oil for the EO's and help hold Aromatherapy Dough together. THEY ARE DELIGHTFUL FOR YOUR SKIN!!!
I have two types of dough available the four ounce (4 oz) tin, for daily therapy, and the itty bitty, I like to call Dough on the Go, which is a small amount of the Aromatherapy Dough in a little container that will fit in your pocket or purse, you can take it almost anywhere!! Perfect for work, sitting in traffic, or waiting around for your next appointment :)
Both sizes come in just about every scent combo I can come up with that not only smells good, but that has healing properties to it.
You can find my Aromatherapy Doughs on Etsy.com in my shop. http://www.theapawthecary.etsy.com/
Okay off to make more Aromatherapy Dough!!!
Aromatherapy Dough is the result.
Essential Oils are amazing!! In this format, they do not first have to enter the body and then be processed thru the liver to become effective. Direct contact with the skin thru play (squishing and squeezing the dough) allows the EO's to work into the skin and into the blood stream within just a few minutes!!! The scent of the doughs trigger responses in the brain to help manage specific targets, and together with the squishing and the squeezing of the dough, this becomes a ritual, a more encompassing way of healing, by teaching the brain and the child (yes I know they go together, but in our house it sometimes feels as if they work as two seperate units!) to slow down, to focus, and to get back on task.
After several attempts at making hand made play dough from recipes I found on the internet, I finally developed one of my own. Aromatherapy Dough is much smoother than regular or home made play dough, and it has a firmer squish to it, not like a putty, but just firmer. It is not gritty, although I do use ground dead sea salts( they have amazing properties) so they do leave your hands feeling a little rough durring play, but watch out when you go wash because your hands will feel AMAZING!! The organic vegetable and nut oils used in Aromatherapy Dough not only work as a carrier oil for the EO's and help hold Aromatherapy Dough together. THEY ARE DELIGHTFUL FOR YOUR SKIN!!!
I have two types of dough available the four ounce (4 oz) tin, for daily therapy, and the itty bitty, I like to call Dough on the Go, which is a small amount of the Aromatherapy Dough in a little container that will fit in your pocket or purse, you can take it almost anywhere!! Perfect for work, sitting in traffic, or waiting around for your next appointment :)
Both sizes come in just about every scent combo I can come up with that not only smells good, but that has healing properties to it.
You can find my Aromatherapy Doughs on Etsy.com in my shop. http://www.theapawthecary.etsy.com/
Okay off to make more Aromatherapy Dough!!!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Okay lets give this a shot!
Okay, everyone was asking, Mandy do you have a blog? Well guess what? Now I do!!! But I am fore-warning you that I am amazing at taking a conversation (yes even one with myself) to a whole new level.
I LOVE to talk, write, converse, whatever you wanna call it I love it . . . and on top of that I love to talk about my business, and the new things I have come up with to better the lives of my family,friends, and clients!!
So here I am, and I didn't want to leave my blog empty just incase someone happened upon it. So pull up a chair and grab yourself a cup of tea (hopefully one of my blends) and stay for a spell. Look around search other blogs, but come back here, because you will find wonderful and magical things are afoot in the world of HERBS, well at least in my world of herbs :)
I LOVE to talk, write, converse, whatever you wanna call it I love it . . . and on top of that I love to talk about my business, and the new things I have come up with to better the lives of my family,friends, and clients!!
So here I am, and I didn't want to leave my blog empty just incase someone happened upon it. So pull up a chair and grab yourself a cup of tea (hopefully one of my blends) and stay for a spell. Look around search other blogs, but come back here, because you will find wonderful and magical things are afoot in the world of HERBS, well at least in my world of herbs :)
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