Rain and Bottes!

Michelle Kaufmann a eco-friendly architect and designer has the coolest rain chain to help direct the rain for your plants.

I got lost on her site with many ideas on outdoor and indoor fireplaces that are eco-friendly. Decorating ideas..

Then I see a blog on bottles used as building material. Filling up the plastic bottles with mud and using cement to hold them together. How cool is that? It is known that plastic takes thousands of years to decompose so this would be sturdy building! It's as strong as a blick building.  It is also being used in many areas of the world that are in a economical crisis. Jobs and affordable housing....... Sound like a good deal to me...   I have to keep this is mind for my shed is having some problems and many have to rebuild the back wall!!

The Sunshine Vitamin

Well having learned that playing in the dirt can do some good, lately I have heard every time I turn around about the Sunshine Vitamin. That is of course vitamin D. We get some of our vitamin D from fish, eye yolks and milk.  But we can get vitamin D from the sun.  That's right just by going out in the sunshine our bodies get vitamin D. Sunscreen does inhibits vitamin D production but I really think as a very pale freckled person;  I will keep my sunscreen on thank-you.  I don't want  get a sunburn.... which is very easy for me to do. But our bodies has a chemical reaction to sunlight.  Some say don't wash your sunlight off your skin, just wash the "areas that need it".  the stinky parts. But if you have been out most of the day isn't the sunlight starting to do it job before you come in?? I don't know I am not a professional..... I'm just a mom.... But we all know how the sunshine can pick up our spirits! 

 Vitamin D helps our body use calcium and phosphorus.  That's why many calcium supplements have vitamin D added.  It's  like an aid in helping  our bones get the calcium.  Like that commercial were the key is in the shape of a D and they tell you that vitamin D helps unlock calcium to help build strong bones. 

Children that don't get enough vitamin D end up with Rickets. Where the bones don't grow right causing deformities.    This also leads to weak bones and weak muscles in their adult years.

So research has shown that it also may help conditions like diabetes, heart conditions, and multiple sclerosis.   I know I thought "sure that is what they thought at one time about vitamin C".  But the fact that they find many more cases in the northern hemisphere makes one think maybe it does help. Not cure but help.  Then I learned that some conditions like Crohn's disease, cystic fibrosis, and celiac disease can't absorb vitamin D from foo.

So really there isn't the proof of Vitamin D curing anything.  It just studies that show it helps.  So it can't hurt to take a supplement. Or get outside and enjoy a day in the sunshine........  Yes you can overdose on vitamin D but only  if  you take more than 10,000 IU's per day for long periods of time.  And never from it natural state as in sunshine or foods.  So a little can't hurt but may help.

 

Mosquitoes!

Last month we got eaten up by the mosquitoes at our gathering at church. Someone had a natural mosquito spray. Well it didn't work too good. Smelled very good but didn't work that great... We got eaten alive!!

We are getting some citronella candles, but I wondered what mosquito repellents  recipes I could find online...


 What I found:
Of course the citronella plant. (I don't have one ....)

African Marigolds Plants works too.  (Wow I have some in the garden and  the front flower bed)

Mix one part garlic juice with 5 parts water Spray or soak clothes in this mix........ (so no one will talk to me...)

Add rosemary and sage to the fire (I don't think we will have one this time.....)

EOs (essential oils) that work:

* cinnamon oil
* lemon eucalyptus oil
* citronella oil
* Castor oil
# Peppermint Oil
# Clove Oil
# Geranium Oil
# Possibly Oils from Verbena, Pennyroyal, Lavender, Pine, Basil, Thyme, Allspice, Soybean, and Garlic

10-25 drops (total) of essential oils
2 tablespoons of a carrier oil or alcohol

Use Vick's Vaporub. (so no one will talk to me or if they do they will ask are you feeling ok?)


lavender oil: dab it on your pulse points (ok I like this one)

Things that you can spray on yourself

Clear real vanilla  Sold at health food stores Some Mix 50/50 with water Some say straight  (oh yea how much$$?)


Then I see you can use  the grocery store vanilla extract but I found some say mix 50/50 with water other say use straight on pulse points.  (ok I will smell nice!! Lavender oil and vanilla) 

Catnip tea.  (wait I really do want to sleep afterward... I have cats that love catnip and would love to keep me up half the night)

Amber colored Listerine (They say it works and to spray the yard and deck with it too)

Lemon Fresh Joy dish washing soap  put a drop in water on a plate. (ok the next idea is better for I don't use that dish soap- I use 7Th Generation) 

cut up a lemon and boil it for a few minutes.  Let sit a couple of days before bottling.  Plus others have said to use oranges. limes or lemons.  (ok I have lemons.... plus it make a great de-greaser- I can add some citric acid to preserve)

So I have vanilla and lavender on my pulse points,  and lemon spray......... Maybe I will add some amber Listerine to the spray...... Well it might smell something like the natural spray we had last month.  Lets hope it works...........

Spread the Word.

Spread the Word for Charity Where you can help raise funds for your favorite charity. It is so easy.

Become a fan on their  Facebook page and earn 5 dollars for your charity.

Ttweet about them on Twitter and earn 10 dollars for your charity.

Then blog about them and earn 20 dollars for your charity!

They are a site you can use too.  Search for all hotel deals, from all major travel websites Saving you money and helping out a good cause too.

I had to email them and ask pretty please if I could get my donation to local animal clinic in the area.  They don't get any government aid and really are a great organization.  Where most vets try to get you to buy this vitamin or try to get you to return for the same condition, Pet Guards Clinic has in my experience always did what was best for the animal. With the canines ear infection the other clinic had us return and so did the infection. Pet Guards Clinic gave us the ear wash to help keep the infection from coming back. And we can get flea meds without a appointment.  We can just pick them up at the office.

Of course most of the time they donate to charity that are nationality based but I got them to make an exception for this charity.....

If you like you can donate to this worthwhile organization at this page

Night of Oreos and chocolate followed by retail therapy

Oh poor Miss Animal Rights; her car died.  It just stopped working.  PLUS there was a dark red liquid under the car.  So she called me. I was at work. I got off work and find the little box on my cell saying 6 missed calls... 1 voice-mail.... ok that set off the mom alarm, you know something is up if you have a ton of missed calls and most of the time I get texts of hey mom get more cheese on the way home.  SO having that many calls missed and voice-mail I just knew...  I call voice-mail and hear a hysterical message... asking to please get home....

After I get home I call AAA for a tow. We find some way to get this fixed or to get a new used car I tell her.  She calls G-Pa and of course he is out of town.... Maybe he can work on it.  We both know that her dad strong points have nothing to do with working on any car.  Because it was G-Pa he called, before divorcing me....

I was like OMG Spike (yea we name our cars...) couldn't have waited 3 months??? I would have my car paid off... SHHHH we are in the car...... Oh yea don't tell Ariel we almost have her paid off.  Cause she might get jealous with Spike getting all the attention......... 

Then the child young woman that only wanted to get home after it happened now wants to get to her car and get stuff out of it.  I try to talk her out of it saying it could be a hour and half before they get to our car. They will call when they are 10 minutes away... NOPE she hears nothing of it.  I talked her into Subway because I just got off work and was hungry. Then we go a sit by the car for about a hour longer.

So drinking  juice  and talking to her I really had to go to the bathroom... We ran to the gas station and buy some Oreos  and chocolate.  Sometimes you need some chocolate.......... sign.
Guess what!  they finally called, and sure enough it has been a hour and half!


We dropped  off the key Monday and they would call us when they figure it out.  We stopped by the thrift store and we went  looking.  I was laughing I am not a big person for retail therapy but hey why not I need short sleeved shirts for work.  Of course yesterday she had Tech's  mom drag her to the mall for retail therapy and she got a dress and shorts out of the deal. Today she got a skirt out of the deal.... I spent a total of 9 dollars for 3 shirts and 2 skirts.  Oh yea most  of the things where the color of the day....... Not bad for a day.  So they called today.....
It's blown. Transmission cost any where between 1,500 to 23,000. 


So where can I get a BOGO deal on cars?? You know... don't I wish.

Or any of the car companies looking for  long term test drivers for new hybrid cars? Electric cars heck I take anything!!! Oh life........ she looses a job then a car.......

Let's play in the Dirt!

Playing in the dirt can help you keep from developing allergies and 
"hygiene hypothesis" was first published in the British Medical Journal by Dr. David P. Strachan in 1989 Where he found that the children exposed to more dirt and siblings had less allergies. The scientists are looking into the fact this could lead to autoimmune diseases like asthma, MS,  lupus and RA.

He believes that vaccines, anti-bacterial soaps that really don't work much better than plain old soap and warm water, and the over use of medications to prevent and quickly treat infections has weaken  our immune systems.

So we become stronger to infection after our bodies build anti-bodies to find this infection. That's what the idea behind vaccines are.  We get a small dose of the live infection and our bodies fight it off. That builds our immune system to keep us from catching the condition or infection.

Plus studies show that exposure to dirt and it's the natural bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae found in soil will help us become smarter!   When we spend outdoors in nature we breathe these helpful microbes. Stimulating neuron growth and that will  causes serotonin levels to rise. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that helps us sleep, and helps regulate  mood, appetite,  muscle contraction, and some cognitive functions including memory and learning.  

Yes we might not like the clean up after our little girls make us mud pies but they could be really helping their bodies and minds become stronger........

I am not saying to give up your medicines if you do have one or more of the conditions named
here. Maybe it might not hurt to try to get out in nature...it's free.........

I have always thought kids should be outdoors as much as they can to use their imaginations and muscles..

 

Natural Tomato Fertilizers

Talking about my tomato plants a co-worker asked me what fertilizer I used. I said nothing just the compost I planted them in. She told me that's why they didn't do very good last year, you need fertilizer cause tomatoes need a lot of nutrients.  So have you seen the prices of organic fertilizer? WOW. So I thought I find a recipe online.

But really didn't think it would be this easy!  Gardening tips ideas dot com.... tells me that hair helps my plants grow. Well with  us long hair women and all the animals  living here that is easily done.... It's the keratin, a protein in hair that helps the plant. Plus tomatoes need some nitrogen, carbon  and calcium. Egg shells and coffee grounds are good too.  Easy! Well I don't eat a lot of eggs here but can keep them for the tomatoes......

  I also added coffee grounds and tea leaves to the topsoil that we used for earth day wild flower plants for the kids, to make it easier to handle. My containers have inch of rocks for draining. Then I have about 4 inches of top soil then the compost black gold for the bedding of my seeds.  The few things I planted early; like my herbs, I didn't use new compost and they are not growing.... guess I learned I need to add some fresh compost the hard way

I have added some leaves as a ground cover  I found under the patio table to help keep the moisture in.  But I thought I want to make sure these are a healthy crop.

So I just kept looking for ideas on helping my tomatoes.

I also learned that adding a tablespoon Epsom salts to a gallon of water helps add nitrogen.  Wow I have some Epsom salts for muscle aches....  I have some buckets for rain water they are about 3/4 full.  I did use some water from the hose to let it air out like you do with fish tanks. Oh if I still had a fish tank I could use the water that would be tossed to water the plants also.  But I will add a couple tablespoons of Epsom salts and see how that goes. 

If you have bugs that are eating the stem cover the stem with a toilet paper roll and it will protect the stem. It will also add to the soil because it decomposes!  Win win!