September is National Honey Month

Wow where has time gone? It is almost the end of September and I find out it is Nation Honey Month.. Oh honey it great for beauty product and can be used to help heal you.

Honey for your skin. Honey can be used to help soften your skin. Just take some honey and pat it on your face. You might add some warm water if too thick, but most times I just pat it on my face. you really can't rub or smoothly put it on that why I say pat on your face... LOL really I have forgotten and it is quite funny. I feel like the kid from Home Alone. Rinse well with tempt water. Your face will feel so soft after-wards. Add some to your bath with powdered milk. It just like the honey and milk bath you can get at the store but without all the extra skin drying ingredients. hummm it is cool here to day sounds so good..

Honey for your hair. You can mix a teaspoon or more with your hair conditioner before adding to your head. Or you can coat your hair with honey out of the jar or bottle again adding a little warm water if you want a smoother product. I have heard that adding cinnamon to the honey help grow your hair longer but not sure if this is true. It will leave it shinny. I have left the honey on my head for over a hour however most times it was only 30 minutes. It is also been said that tit will lighten your hair. Basically honey has natural hydrogen peroxide.

1/2 cup of natural uncooked honey
1 1/2 cups of distilled water
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon or cardamom

Leave out for a hour for the honey to release the peroxide. Add to hair as you would any type of dye. Cinnamon might sting your head a little but will go away after a minute or so. After you have coated your hair wrap your head with plastic wrap or swimming cap. Leave in as long as you can stand. For a hour or overnight if possible. The longer in your hair the lighter if will make it. It's not like a drug store dye, but it did make it lighter. Lemon juice in the sun is faster if you are blond.. but I use it more for a deep conditioner than to lighten my hair, with out the cinnamon or olive oil. I do this before I wash my hair to get everything out. It is great for damage from the sun and harsh weather.

Honey for wounds. Yes I have put honey on wounds. Those stinging bleeding wounds. It helps keep out infection, remember from he hair lightening it is a natural hydrogen peroxide and has natural antibacterial properties. It's great for canker sores that you get in the mouth and sometimes your teeth rubbing on them can make your mouth scream with pain. It doesn't taste too bad not like the over the counter canker sore stuff. The kids looked at me like- what honey??? I can have honey???

Honey for sore throats and coughs. Many times I had a sore throat my grandmother had me take a tablespoon of honey. The key she said was to slowly take the honey as to let the honey coat the throat. It does feel like it was coating the throat! I just thought yea! honey! and got to take a spoon of honey and little by little lick the spoon clean and my throat felt better.... PS that little guy to the right of this.... after you use the honey out of him; he can become a special drink bottle. The straw will fit in the top if you cut it down to the part that has the lines............

Honey for energy. Ahhh honeymoon. We call it the time after a couple gets married; the honeymoon. This is after a Native practice that would feed the couple honey for potency to procreate. Energy and stamina...... Well I really can't tell you if this works or not I didn't try for my children right after getting married we waited.... It is a simple sugar and sugar does give you a boost of energy. Well I guess if anyone wants to try this they can let me know...

Honey Mead. Ok I do know honey mead can help with stamina or maybe that was just help with the seduction.... But honey mead is a alcoholic drink. Much like wine for it is not high in alcohol content but smooth like wine. It is Irish in nature. Apple cider mead was very delicious.... ok so it not really good for the skin or healing,,,, wait it is good for stress! Yea that it, mead is good to de-stress. Of course used in moderation.

Well Honey's I hope you enjoy this salute to honey!! Warm apple cider honey mead is calling my name..

Love Blog award

Thanks to Margaret at Take a Walk With Me I have my first blog award!!!


Okay, the rules of the "One Lovely Blog Award" are:

Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award. Now it's my turn to pass it along!


Here are my fabulous 15:
The Thrifty Divas
The Grab Bag
A Frugal Housewife in training
Lunch Box Limbo
Thanks Mail Carrier
The simply Made
Unmasking the Monster
My Sweet Home Inspirations
Mommy Lite
Means to Eat
Homemade Mommas
Ruminations Of a Twenty Something Momma
Frugal Green Girl

Really! This is Worst then Greenwashing!

The debate on plastic bags and reusable bags rages on. The latest crazy thing is that plastic is healthier for you. Canada's Environment and Plastics Industry Council found high levels of yeast, molds and bacteria in some reusable bags they tested. The key word here is Plastics Industry Council because their message was that plastic bags where better for you because they are disposable. Hummmm. Now many scientists and professors of leading science department here in the USA are saying Yea, germs grow on a lot of things.. like every surface can have germs, yeast, mold or bacteria. Then it is also been reported that some of the "reusable bags" they tested where diaper bags. With used diapers in them, oh yea you will find some fecal matter if you really want to find it. People used the reusable bags for gym clothes and other items... Yes if used as grocery bags; meat and produce can leave behind some nasty things that are fungus, germs and bacteria. So it is a better bet to use your grocery bags for just groceries. your gym bag for just gym clothes and Please your diaper bags for baby items, and throw away the used diapers in the trash cans.
Ok I work with the public and guess what many people shop while sick, heck many people come to work sick. In this economy many people have to work sick, that the bags being set on the checkout counter can expose them to germs. Using the cashiers pen can expose you to germs. Germs are everywhere. The best protection is of course hand washing! And not the anti-bacterial soaps because those kill the good bacteria we need. It has been proven that these soaps don't kill more than the regular soaps. But can harm us by not letting our bodies develop anti-bodies to fight infections and the flu.

Ok back to reusable bags........... So I guess That some common sense
needs to be used with reusable bags.......... I have to admit I have stopped purchasing bags from the store; the ones with their logo, most are made with recycled plastic bags. This could be a great thing but not for bags that get regular washings. Many washings that is. They begin to pill and break down. I have had seams rip. My favorite bags are Ecobags; the string bags, because they are easily washed with my laundry and are small enough to fit in my pocket even thought I just sling it over my shoulder. Plus they come in many different colors.

One thing I learned from many of my customers at the warehouse club was that a cooler can hold your meat perfect for you. I very rarely purchase meat anymore but when I do I use a cooler. Yes no bag but when I get to the car I have a cooler for the cold items. Easily washed after each use. I have forgot the cooler and yes I have gotten a store plastic bag, gasp; for my meat. But then that bag becomes the trash bag liner for the bathroom. Yes I use a liner in the kitchen and bathroom. If you are a woman or live with a young woman; you know why the bathroom is one place you should have a liner....

Remember to throw your reusable bags in the washing machine with your jeans or anything that geta heavy duty washing. Many sites tell you to use bleach but I don't bleach my clothes, only with a non-chlorine bleach some times. Add some borax to the wash load. Borax is a booster for your detergent, stain remover, deodorizes and is anti-fungal. Many times can be used as a substitute for non-chlorine bleach. But my daughter loves her non-chlorine bleach for her clothes.

I feel for Canada's Environment and Plastics Industry Counci, really must be hard to try to hang on to a job you might lose if most of Canada turns eco-friendly. But hey maybe they could figure out how to make something useful out of the plastic in their country. Picket fences like Ed Bagely Jr has in his front yard, plastic wood for decks..... guess they don't see the big picture.

Wild food of Ohio

Wild Food of Ohio

Money is green!

Can it be? Is the money we spend not only green in color but also green as in eco-friendly? SO when I heard the comment that our money is green; that the government uses eco-friendly ways to make money I had to google this to make sure this is true. This is what I found.

The Us Mint was the first place there was just general information. So I found the site for a company that had received the very first contract to produce the paper for our money. Crane and Co. Looking on their site I found that they indeed use eco-friendly ways to produce our dollars!

Currency paper is composed of 25% linen and 75% cotton. Red and blue synthetic fibers of different lengths are distributed throughout the bill. Prior to World War I the fibers were made of silk. Now we use a polymer fiber to make it harder for counterfeiting.

This is the ways that Crane and Co. use eco-friendly ways to make our dollar bills:

Cotton ginning waste. After ginning and combing there is fibers left over but not the quality for clothing. They are mostly the fiber that are attached to the cotton seed called linters. Million pounds of linters are used and saved from the landfills each year. Plus the linters are 100 percent pure alpha cellulose. That in turn equal a minimum of waste product.

Textile cuttings:. After cutting the fabric cotton broadcloth textile companies will have yards of scraps that aren't usable in garments. For centuries this is how our paper was made. From cotton rags where the source for paper fiber. It was in 1860 trees where used as paper fiber.

Water based inks. Made with vegetable oils and lower vapor pressure solvents. Low VOCs.
Crane & Co. who prints most of the paper money in circulation also has energy eco-friendly ideas. They use steam from a local waste-to-energy facility that they themselves started in 1984. This would have been over 2 Million gallons of gas per year. Not bad!

The waste is used for compost and added to topsoil.

Save the Beer! Or how to get your man to recycle

SO you're eco-friendly yet your man still has a hard time? Does he or one of his buddies drink Holsten, Amstel, Heineken, Beck's or any type of pilsner lager? If so maybe this will be the way you get him on board with stopping global warming. Saaz hops is what make a lager a pilsner lager. And in the Czech Republic they are noticing that the hops are being effected by global warming. The crops are slowly declining. The hops are slowly becoming effected themselves.

Higher air temperatures are effecting the yield and acidity of the hops. From1954 to 2006 the hops crops are yielding less then the year before. Plus the acidity of these hops have dropped .06% each year. The hops must contain around 5% alpha acid for that delicate taste. The increase in air temperature has had effects on the hops growth phases and it has shorten the vegetation period. Study show if we continual to have increases in air temperature that the crops will decline 7-10% and the acidity will drop 13-32%.

Plus even if your man doesn't like pilsner type larger what to say that all hops are not going to be effected. Or even have been effected and we haven't heard about it yet..... Humm that will be our little secret......

Could the cure to H1N1 be in our kitchen or yard?

With the winter months coming it has been all over the news and radio that the CDC thinks we will have a new wave of H1N1 outbreaks. It has also been reported that they also think there as many deaths from the vaccine then the flu. And the side effects: neurological diseases particularly Guillain-Barre syndrome. Not something I want to do. I'm not pregnant, over 65 or have a immune disorder. Really don't need the vaccine. I also heard many stories on how cinnamon and other herbs can cure the flu. Many sites that are trying to sell herb supplements. I think it's more than the cinnamon bark.......... Or the thieves oil. Save your money it might just be in your own kitchen or yard.
Nostradamus, 1503-1566 the famous doctor and prophet that survived the black plague also cured many others with what was called rose petal pills. He ran a perfumery that meant using natural petals like rose petals and herbs to make the scents in his day. But he noticed that his workers didn't get the plague. Then there is the famous 4 thieves vinegar. The story goes that there was 4 thieves in France that were robbing the dead during the plague and many of the doctors where shocked to see that not one of them had became infected. They asked how they protect themselves. They told them of a wine that they drank each meal.
This is where it gets fuzzy. Because there are many different recipes. First I heard it was vinegar or wine. Now there is a doctor that is marketing a oil that he named Thieves Oil after this legend. And there is no garlic added. Yes many say the reason it works is the garlic makes people stay away from you!!
4 Thieves Vinegar (or Wine)

1 clove of garlic crushed and minced

equal parts:
thyme
peppermint
rosemary
sage
lavender

Place in red wine or in a clean bottle. Cover with apple cider vinegar. Many recipes online will say just say vinegar. But I think it depends on your area. For in areas that have many wineries that wine would be easy to get. While other areas cider was easier to find.
Leave out for 6 weeks and shake everyday. After the six weeks is up strain the herbs. You can drink with meals if brave. I have used this vinegar as a cleaner.

There also is many different recipes for Thieves Oil. One thing they do have in common is that the garlic isn't included.

Thieves Oil

equal amounts of cinnamon bark, lemon oil and eucalyptus
equal amounts of: cinnamon bark, lemon, eucalyptus, clove, and rosemary

So not to different on ingredients but both are placed in a clean jar or bottle and covered with a base oil. This could be extra virgin olive oil, almond oil or walnut oil. Do not use basic vegetable oil or canola oil they will turn rancid. I know from experience that my olive oil that was a mix of vegetable oil and olive didn't last long. But this is left out for 6 weeks and shaken everyday. After the six weeks is up strain the herbs.

There is medical studies proving that cinnamon bark can kill common and hospital-acquired infections. A study of surgeons have proven this. In 2008 the French researchers found this fact to be true also.

Studies also show that lemon juice is antibacterial and antiseptic, and a effective insect repellent. Straight vinegar kills 99 percent of bacteria, 82 percent of mold, and 80 percent of germs (viruses). Even lavender and thyme are more antiseptic than phenol, the stuff in common household cleaners! Research shows that antibacterial plant oils may not cause drug resistance germs. Even rose petal have antiseptic properties. It is regarded as a mild sedative and anti-depressant which can reduce the stresses in our lives. In this day and age we all can use that. Wow that why our men bring us roses to say they are sorry... Giggles...

I love the smell of lemon, cinnamon, lavender, rose and peppermint that I could have many different vinegar cleaning products. Or Apple Cider and cinnamon for cleaning. Lemon vinegar for the bathroom and kitchen. Lavender and rose for the bedrooms. My daughter would love a wintergreen and peppermint cleaner.
How about the Thieves Oil for cooking. That lemon oil for lemon pepper chicken. With sage, thyme and other herbs that are good for Italian dishes and could also help fight infections.

Keep in mind this will not as all things keep you from getting sick. Like echinacea it doesn't keep you from getting a cold or flu it helps your body fight the germs. I really think the truth is that we need to eat more healthy and wash our hands like our doctors. Washing for 20 seconds. That good old warm water and soap do the job but a little help from nature to kill the nasty viruses doesn't hurt. Sing in your head or out loud to help your little ones The ABC song.