Final Review on Body Spray

Due to my EXTREME tardiness on making this one, I combined the "thoughts on process" and "final review" below...

image from: expressandstar

My Final Thoughts:
Cons- Not sure I love the smell of the essential oil I used (lemongrass). 


Pros- Easy to make, inexpensive, makes a boat-load. As long as you like the essential oil you chose, you could probably make this body spray (with the first round of ingredients you purchased) for years to come without having to refill your stash.


Overall- If you are looking for a light, refreshing, inexpensive DIY body spray, this is for you. It is relatively inexpensive to collect all of the ingredients ($10 max) and as I mentioned before, once you purchase what you need, you shouldn't need to re-purchase for a very long time. The downside is experimenting with the different essential oils and finding which one you like. If you have a favorite scent already, this will probably come very easy for you but I have the hardest time when I'm in the EO aisle picking a favorite. I chose lemongrass because it has a slew of properties (click the links to read more) that are fantastic! Some include: relaxer/nerve-calming, insecticide = great for summer, anti-depressant, etc. -it even reduces gas in the intestinal tract! I mean, what more could a gal ask for? I also decided to use lemongrass because I wanted something unisex that (if he so desired) could be used by both my Husband and I.


I decided to combine a few of the recipes I found and make mine with 1 tablespoon witch hazel, 1 cup water, 10 drops lemongrass, and 1 drop rose otto for fun. I then just shook it all up and voila! If you are looking for a very light, fresh, and well, "lemony" scent then you will love this combination. I have found that I don't like the smell very much when I first spray it, but once it has settled in I love it. By the way, this scent seems to linger for quite a while, much longer than some of my store bought ones. My biggest complaint with the lemongrass is that it's not strong enough. I decided after making this that I kinda want a spray that makes me smell like I just got out of a Grecian bath of rose petals and lavender... too much? Ha, either way I want something strong and beautiful, this is more light and fresh (which is normally right up my alley!) so I may give it another go with a few different essential oils until I find the perfect combo. Until then, I plan on keeping this in my fridge to make it extra refreshing to use throughout the summer.


*As a side note I will say that after using my bronzer with rose otto for awhile, I really like the scent that it leaves me with and have gotten kind of spoiled with the bronzer/ perfume duo.*

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Just a little more motivation to grow your own fruits and veggies...

First let's get one persistent canard out of the way. Yes, the tomato is technically a fruit, not a vegetable, but for purposes of economics the USDA classifies it as a vegetable, and as such it is the second most popular vegetable in the nation after that other burger staple, lettuce. This is surprising in only one respect: A vast majority of the tomatoes consumed in the U.S. every year ($5 billion worth), are devoid of the flavor and nutritive value they once had.

Sure, that plant your neighbor gave you that's just beginning to enjoy the summer heat will produce lots of delicious, succulent tomatoes come August or September. But in his new book, Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed our Most Alluring Fruit, two-time James Beard Award-winning journalist Barry Estabrook tells us why the modern factory-farmed tomato in most grocery stores is a poster child for nearly everything that is wrong with industrial agriculture. A recent USDA study, he points out, says that the average tomato of today, the kind on your Whopper or Taco Bell taco, has "30 percent less vitamin C, 30 percent less thiamin 19 percent less niacin, and 62 percent less calcium than it did in the 1960s. But that modern tomato does shame its 1960s counterpart in one respect: It contains 14 times as much sodium."

This is because the tomatoes grown in the fields in and around Immokalee, Florida, where nearly one third of the tomatoes consumed in the U.S. are grown, are bred for one thing and one thing only. And it's not flavor, and it's not nutrition. It's shipability, period. To qualify as grade A in that department, it needs to be a specific size, and a specific shape, and it needs to be picked while still green and rock hard. In fact, Estabrook relays a story of nearly losing control of his car as it was pelted with the tough green orbs bouncing off the back of a tractor-trailer on a Florida highway. The fruits hit the pavement at 60 mph and rolled to the gravel shoulder unscathed.

Click here to read the rest of the article from Huffington Post

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*Guest Post* Plants for Summer Harvest

"There is nothing quite like the experience of working hard to plant different vegetables and fruits and reaping the benefit of theirharvest. I have been gardening since I was a little kid. Every spring my mom and I would plant a large numbers of items and harvest a bounty of goods in thesummer! With my husband going back to school on the new GI Bill, I found myself having some extra time and decided to start a garden, both to help the earth and myfamily. Additionally, having participated online in some nutrition classes froma distance learning university helped out when I was trying to figure what plants would be best nutrition-wise.


We would have the most incredible meals in the summer madewith food we actually grew ourselves. The freshness simply cannot be beat, andthe satisfaction gained from growing your own garden.


My favorite time to plant is in the spring after the lastthaw. I love to finally get into the garden and begin planting the seeds. There are many things that I enjoy planting, but there are a specific few that arebest to plant in spring to be able to harvest in summer. My absolute favorite thing to plant in the spring is zucchini. Zucchini grows like wildflowers andproduces some of the most beautiful vegetables that you could never find in the grocery store. They grow to be rather large and are so flavorful.


Another one of my favorites is tomatoes! Tomatoes are the perfect things to plant in the spring because they will render the juiciest,best-tasting tomatoes you have ever had. We plant tomatoes all over our garden because we eat so many of them, and want the biggest bounty possible. Tomatoes are wonderful because they are easy growers and are so versatile in thekitchen.


In addition to zucchini and tomatoes, squash, cucumber,basil and cilantro are wonderful to plant in the spring. Squash, like zucchini,grows rather rapidly and produces a wonderful crop. The plant can overrun your garden, so it must be pruned and planted with room to spread. Cucumber is another fantastic plant that is fun to grow. My mother was always keen ongrowing herbs and her favorite were basil and cilantro. Both of those herbs grow with relative ease and are perfect for spring planting and summer picking.


It’s hard to find any food or meal that isn’t improved bythe addition of fresh herbs; especially picked from your garden. I love to make a cold pasta salad with my zucchini, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and fresh herbs.The flavor combination is out of this world and so very healthy! No matter whatyou want to grow, I encourage you to get out and plant anything! The rewards are tasty, nutritious and fun to experience!"

Karen is a long time blogger, and a life long gardener. She now enjoys sharing her gardening hobby with her kids when they are home from their outdoor education school.

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An article on "Why should I buy organic?"

CLICK HERE for the full article (taken from "Healthy Bellies Happy Babies")


an excerpt:

Why should I buy Organic?

I always hear the reason why people don't buy organic is because its much more expense then the alternative brands; I get that, but I've been doing my research on why eating organic is so important.  So here is why.

The Environmental  Working Group recommends buying organic whenever possible. It is the smartest way to reduce your exposure to pesticides; Pesticides are toxic by design.  They are created to kill living organisms -such as insects, plants, and fungi.  Many pesticides pose health dangers to people.  These risks have been established by independent research scientists and physicians across the world.
As acknowledged by U.S. and international government agencies, different pesticides have been linked to a variety of health problems, including:

• nervous system toxicity
• cancer
• hormone system effects
• skin, eye and lung irritation
• Lower IQ in children (recent studies done out of Mount Sinai, Columbia, Beekley)

Also by buying organic we are sending a message that we support environmentally friendly farming practices that minimize soil erosion, safeguard water quality and protect wildlife. 

Finally, organic foods are healthier for you. The research on whether consuming organic food is healthier for people remains inconclusive. However, the USDA's own tests show that most non-organic produce contain residual pesticides even after washing.  The long term effects of consuming these pesticides has not been sufficiently studied, but most research shows that they aren't good for you.

Things to do to limit your exposure to Pesticides:

• Wash, Scrub and Peel your fruits and vegetable's
• Buy organic for those fruits and vegetable's that cant be peeled
• Discard the outer leaves on leafy vegetable's
• Meats/Poultry/Fish - take off skin and trim fat since pesticides affect these areas most

The Environmental Working Group composed a full list of the Best and Worst (Fruits and Vegetables) that contain pesticides.

Starting with the Best and down to the Worst!

1. Onions (Best)
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn (Frozen)
4. Pineapples
5. Mango's (Subtropical and Tropical)
6. Sweet Peas (frozen)
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi Fruit (Subtropical and Tropical)
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe (Domestic)
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potatoes
15. Honeydew Melon
16. Plums (Domestic)
17. Cranberries
18. Winter Squash
19. Broccoli
20. Bananas
21. Tomatoes
22. Cauliflower
23. Cucumbers (Domestic)
24. cantaloupe (Imported)
25. Grapes (Domestic)
26. Oranges
27. Red Raspberries
28. Hot Peppers
29. Green Beans (Imported)
30. Cucumbers (Imported)
31. Summer Squash
32. Plums (Imported)
33. Pears
34. Green Beans (Domestic)
35. Carrots
36. Blueberries
37. Lettuce  (Imported)
38. Grapes (Imported)
39. Potatoes
40. Kale/Collard Greens
41. Cherries
42. Spinach
43. Sweet Bell Peppers
44. Nectarines
45. Blueberries (Domestic)
46. Apple
47. Strawberries
48. Peaches
49. Celery (Worst)

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*Side Note* Quick and Easy DIY artwork

I don't normally post things like this, but because decorating/remodeling has been our main focus the past few weeks (and will be our focus the next few months) these are the little things that are occupying my time right now :). I thought I would share in case anyone is getting a little crafting itch as the weather warms up. Not necessarily "eco-friendly" but definitely budget friendly! Hopefully these will give you a little inspiration...

So here's what I did:

Lost my "before" picture, but it was a hideous dark, fake wood frame

"before" this picture actually makes it look a little better than it was

"After" looks bright and sunny!

Project 1
Spray paint ugly frames white


Project 2
Make "wall art" (scrapbook paper + modge podge + canvas)

Project 2, this picture doesn't really do them justice :( these turned out so cute!

Project 3

Make more "wall art" (scrapbook paper + modge podge + matting paper- for framing)

Project 4
Paint, paint, paint; a rocking chair, toddler bed, kitchen table, etc. haven't started this one yet... yikes!

Share your cheap and easy DIY with  me! I need some inspiration!

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Body Spray postponement... (please don't hate me)

Due to my delayed trial and reviews on the OCM, everything has gotten pushed back a little bit. I am going to attempt to make the body spray by 6/1 (ish). We are moving that weekend so I may be a little delayed again, but please know I will post just as soon as I can!

This lull in making new products would be a FABULOUS time for you to revisit some of your favorites, or to read up on older ones you may have missed! Just type "final review" into the little search box at the top left of the blog and you can see a list of what I've made to date... if you see a final review on something you're interested in, just follow the links back for all the info you need.

Good luck, and as always please e-mail if you have trouble finding anything or if you just feel like saying hello :)

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Final Reviews on the Oil Cleansing Method

First, let me start by saying thank you all soooo much for your patience! This school semester is officially over and I am a free bird until summer school (yippee)! I apologize for running late on this review, but I assure you it was worth the wait :)

CLICK HERE to read my initial thoughts on parts, price, and process.

I used 3 parts EVOO to 1 part Castor Oil (b/c I have drier skin).  I didn't make much because I wanted to test it out first (and it doesn't take much) but that didn't keep me from making a gorgeous label... well...

My Final Thoughts:
Cons- The smell of EVOO. Unfortunately, since the start of this pregnancy I can barely stand the thought of even cooking with EVOO. I used to use it almost daily, but something about it has me weirded out now? Anyway, this probably wont be a problem for the majority of you all, but if you are finicky about smells, remember that there are several different oils you can experiment with here (jojoba, grapeseed, almond, etc).

Pros- For fear of sounding like a broken record: easy to make, chemical free, and most importantly, it works! You HAVE to try this. Even if it's just once in a blue to give yourself a little mini facial. It feels sooo good and your skin will be soft and glowing. The whole process of rubbing it into your skin, then laying a warm damp cloth across your face... it's so fancy feeling, and I know each and every one of you could stand to take an extra second on yourself (even if it's just a fleeting moment of serenity, pretending there isn't a 2 year old banging on your door saying "HEY! HEY! MOOOOOMMY!!") -just me? 


That brings me to the second thing I love about this; you don't have to be in your bathroom to do it! All you need is your little cleaner and a warm damp cloth, but you can do it anywhere. If you're like me, there is no such thing as a quick and easy face rinse at the bathroom sink.  Whether I'm brushing my teeth or washing my face, the wreckage I leave behind is enough to make you call your Mother. My Husband refuses to believe this type of mess if physically possible by 1 woman. Sometimes he sits and stares in disbelief as I try to daintily splash water on my face with my eyes closed (like the commercials). The end result looks like a I composed a blindfolded water painting across my bathroom sink and walls. Anyway, with this there's no water splashing, no lathering, you don't even have to close your eyes! Just rub the oil in, let the warm wash cloth sit for a moment, then wipe away!


Overall- Like I said, you have to try this. Remember, this if for EVERYONE dry and oily faces alike! You can take my word for it, or read my PREVIOUS POST explaining how it works for everyone. If you just clicked that link and read that post, you could have already washed your face with this method 3 times and just seen for yourself ;) I really hope you all try it. Experiment with oils based on your skin type and see what works best for you. I promise it doesn't take nearly as long as you think it does. I don't think I'll go back to face wash. I have been in dire need of something that works (and doesn't take the top layer of my skin with it). Besides, once you start using this there's a good chance you wont need face lotion anymore, what was that sound? Ohhh just the sound of $money$ being saved!


Let me know if you try it!!


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