Homemade Dryer Sheets-With Update!

Homemade Dryer Sheets? Who knew, right?
Let's just say pinterest has forever changed my life! I spend hours on pinterest, so much so I think there should be a twelve step program or something, but it wouldn't matter because I'd go right back to using pinterest! Haha! I'm a pinterestjunkie!
But there are some really good things on pinterest, and I decided it was about time to stop just pinning and actually make some of the stuff I have pinned! At this point my husband is probably hoping I stay away from my garden spaces board or my design style board to prevent him from having a mile long list of things to do with pallets and mason jars!
Hence, the dryer sheets...

Here is what you need:

Distilled White Vinegar

A Clean Cotton Rag or T-shirt

A Glass Jar with a Tight Fitting Lid

A Cutting Mat/Rotary Cutter or Scissors

The Young Living Essential Oil of your choice

(If you want to know more about Young Living and essential oils, email me at spiceyourspace@yahoo.com)

 When you get all of your items together,
fold the rag, towel, or t-shirt you have chosen to sacrifice for the betterment of your cleaning supplies. Take your rotary cutter or scissors and cut the cotton into rectangles. Size and shape really don't matter. Cut the strips into hearts, stars, or monkeys if you want!!!!! No laundry police will come knocking at your door, I promise!

So what's next?

Remember the glass jar part? Yeah, a jar like this one.

I got mine at the dollar store. Use a mason jar if you want, just something that has a close fitting lid

Word of Caution: If using any kind of citrus essential oil, do not, I repeat, do not use plastic! Citrus essential oils, ex. lemon, lime, grapefruit, etc eat away at the toxins in plastic and corrode it. You don't want your earth friendly project to go to be not so earth or home friendly!

So back to the jar...

Place 1 to 1  1/2 cups of the Vinegar in your jar

Add 5+ drops of Citrus Fresh by Young Living

(or whatever other Young Living oil you choose)

Swish

Swish

yeah I said swish 

Next, put your cut up rags in the jar

Fiddle them around (I apologize if my terms are getting to technical here)

Make certain all of the rags are damp, if not add a little more vinegar

Close the lid snugly

Voila!

 Now how do you use these thingamajiggers?

                                                                                     Simply take one portion of the rag, and place in with your load of wet clothes in the dryer. Use the normal settings you normally use. When the load is done, simply take the rag section out of the dryer and put back into the glass jar to reuse again and again! Simple!!

For those looking for economical solutions to your housekeeping duties, this certainly qualifies! I already had the vinegar, I already had the essential oil for other uses, and I already had the rag, so for me this project only cost $1 for the jar. Plus I get to keep using these over and over! Lovely! I've used these already, and have to say I really like them. You may find you can't dry on as high a heat, but that is really bad for your clothes anyway, breaking down the fibers over time.

There are other reasons to go this route. I won't bore you with citations and sites spouting info, but in this past year I have read several times and have heard that commercial fabric softener dryer sheets contain carcinogenics, and ingredients that can instigate asthmatic symptoms, and irritate the skin. What??????! You mean I am putting potentially harmful substances up against my body and the bodies of my family just so our clothes can be softer and smell good? Um, no thank you. I kind of like being alive. And, I know from firsthand (or left breast) experience that cancer ain't fun to go through! I want to make my children safe, not induce skin irritants or asthma or cancer cells into their bodies!

This was the main reason I chose to try this route. Once I started reading labels and paying attention to what we are putting in our homes and in our bodies, I've discovered way too many things that are harmful which I have taken for granted as a necessity when actually it was me buying into commercial pressure. Even if you change only one thing for the health of your family, I challenge you to do so. Take one step for change, for health, for making a difference in the health of your family. Afterall, they are kind of worth it!!

Update:
Since this post has gotten so many hits, I thought I'd give you an update on how the homemade dryer sheets are working out for us.

• Number 1- the hubs is not a fan. Just thought I'd be honest with you!! 
• The MIL and I really like them, though. However, I would like to make some amendments: 
• I would add more drops of the Citrus Fresh essential oil, and at least one drop of Purification to get rid of the stinky odors that somehow infect our bath towels and sheets. Maybe its just us and we're stinky people, but I choose to cite that we have two dogs. Just sayin'. 
• The other change would be slightly larger pieces. Not too much bigger, but a little more so.
• The last thing is really just a note for you: when you get a load out of the dryer, put the dryer sheet right back in the jar. Don't stockpile them, then put a bunch in at once. You end up with really soggy pieces and dry-er pieces. I have found it works best for me to put each one in as it comes out of the dryer and put it down in the bottom of the jar, by wedging it in with my fingers. 
• When your sheets get too dry, simply make up more of the solution and pour over the dryer sheets, but add the essential oil to the vinegar before pouring it over the rags dryer sheets.

Hope you are all enjoying your new dryer sheets and saving lots of money on this venture!

The Way We Oil

Are you tired of me talking about essential oils yet?????????
(Insert evil laughter here)
You just wait! If you are not already a convert the oily way of life, you soon will be! And then you will see how it takes over your whole being, leaving nothing uncovered!
I'm so sorry. Did I just scare you? I have that effect on people sometimes. Some very uncool, un-nice people have suggested I seek help for my habits, but I pay no attention to them. I just threaten to rub essential oils on them!!!!!! haha

We've seen some pretty cool results from these essential oils, and we just want to share the love. It is mind blowing to watch, firsthand, the effects of someone being in pain (well that part is not so cool) or sick (that part is just kinda yucky) putting an essential oil (by Young Living, whose oils are therapeutic grade and contain no other ingredients but pure distilled essential oils) on their bodies or in their bodies by ingesting them and see the profound response their bodies have, because the actual root of the problem has been or is being fixed, not just dulling the senses like a lot of pharmaceutical meds can do (can anyone say "brain fog"?).

Just a couple of days ago, my daughter Mercy had a headache. She's nine, so there are not a lot of options in the medicine world to give her in the form of a pill. She asked what oil she needed to put on, and I directed her to the Peppermint essential oil. Her response: "Diluted, right?!!!!!" She hates the Peppermint neat, or undiluted, because it burns her skin, a common reaction for children and some adults (like my hubby). However, I keep some diluted in extra virgin olive oil for the wussies, I mean, more sensitive in my family. Mercy put that on her temples, but after ten or fifteen minutes, the headache had not gone away and she was still complaining of it. I almost gave in to the voices of peer pressure in my head telling me I needed to just give her a tylenol (I bet you have those voices in your head, too. It's all part of the generations we've been raised in!) but I held out, thinking what else could possibly help her that we actually had, in the way of essential oils. Frankincense! I should've thought of that first, because it has helped her before with a headache. It also helps her to concentrate during schoolwork, fyi for all of you fellow homeschool moms.

So, M put the Frankincense on her temples, neat, since she has no sensitivities to it and we went on about what we were doing while the guys were gone. About ten or fifteen more minutes later, I asked her how she was feeling, and she said much better! Within another ten minutes, it was completely gone! We laughed about it and I was so relieved for her to be feeling better. I'm telling you, just one moment like that of seeing a loved one find relief and you'll become a convert to this oily life!

Have I mentioned my husband doesn't snore at night anymore, when he uses Valor essential oil on the bottoms of his feet? Sound sleep is another reason you'll become a convert to the oily way of life! Can I hear an "amen" ladies (or any of you gents whose wife may snore)?

There are hilarious moments, too. Where you go "This can't possibly work!" and yet it does. I think sometimes God sets us up on purpose to show us the creative life He has instilled in His creations!
Our 3 month old puppy, Ginger, had a bit of a freak out the other night. It was like she had just lapped up a bunch of coffee and it zinged her or something. Which might not be far from the truth, since our son caught her drinking from my husband's coffee cup this morning! Anyway, she was zipping around the room so fast her legs blurred. She was nipping at us, barking over and over and over and over and over...you get the picture, and she was snapping playfully and aggressively at our other dog whenever she blitzed by her. We tried petting her, speaking to her calmly, giving her belly rubs, ignoring her, getting on to her (that's Southern for reprimanding her), and attempting to distract her with toys or food. Nothing was working, she was in such a frenzy. Finally, I'd had enough (of the biting mainly) and I pulled out the diluted Peace & Calming I use on the kids at night. Tim held her by the collar, saying "If this works, then this stuff is for real. Not like it isn't for real, but this is crazy!", while I rubbed the oil on Ginger's ears and the top of her nose, the whole while she was yanking frantically barking at me. She zipped around our bed a few times (yes, we let the puppy sleep on our bed. have you seen her? she's adorable!) and then she flopped down and went to sleep less than five minutes later.

You may say she was just exhausted and finally worn out, but we saw it, and we believe in the voodoo magic of the snake oils and we saw her go from ninety to nothing. Tim even tried to mess with her and entice her with a toy, but she just flopped like a stuffless animal! It was hysterical! We got so tickled at her flopping whenever he moved her, but she just laid there like a drugged puppy. Funny!

One day this week, we went to a local amusement park for the better portion of the day. I sat as much as possible, and tried not to walk a whole lot, because I'm better, but I'm not 100%, not even close! By the time we got back to our vehicle, my foot was hurting, both of my knees were hurting, and one hip was hurting from the walking I did do. Before everyone was even in the truck, I swiped some Peppermint across the places that hurt and by the time we reached our next stop, about 20 minutes or so, I was feeling a lot better. If I had been at home, I would've used Valor first, then PanAway and followed with Peppermint, getting down deep into the tissue. Alas, I do not have enough of said arsenal to carry it with me everywhere and the rest of the fam still have access to it, so Peppermint had to do the job.

I haven't had to take a percocet(sp?) in nearly two months, whereas I was taking one every day before I started using the essential oils. I still take tylenol when I need it, but my need has been far less than it was. I'm not telling anyone to go off their Rx meds! Goodness, no! I'm still on 5 myself every night. But that is down from the 13 I was on just before Christmas. Take one step at a time. One foot in front of the other. Why do people say these annoying mantras?!!!!! Because they are true!

You didn't get to the point of sickness, disease, syndromes, or what have you overnight, and unless God performs a miracle (which could happen) then you won't get out of the mess your body is in overnight, either! I'm preaching to myself here. If you got something out of that statement, then praise God. But mainly, that was for me to come back and look at to preach myself happy and on the straight and narrow!

Happy Father's Day weekend, everyone! I'm going to spend my weekend with one of the craziest, funniest, most caring, and completely insane dads there is: my husband, who puts up with me for some weird reason...Love you, baby! You complete me, you make me laugh, you listen to me even when I make no sense, and that is all of the sappiness you're getting from me!!!!!! haha I can't dish out anymore, sorry.

In The World Of Us

Wait! Wait! Wait a minute! You mean this blogging thing, I'm actually supposed to do it?! I can't just think in random moments throughout the day what I want to jot down, only to never get around to it? That sucks. I'm clearly not cut out for this. Maybe I should just go back to procrastinating. It is not nearly as much of a bother...but then I think of all the crazy good things going on in our lives that could just change yours for the better if you but knew about them, and I find myself back here like a hungover sot needing a drink. Maybe I should come up with a better analogy, that one didn't look as nice in print as it sounded in my head...

I come back around to blogging because I'm like that annoying little kid you used to have living down the street from you that would come around only to tell you what they were doing, what their dog was doing, what their hamster was doing (ok, I don't have a hamster, sorry), what they had for supper and all about all the stuff they know that you don't really give a hoot about, but your Mamma taught you right so you're being polite cause you know she'll bust your butt if you're not nice so you listen till you're bored to tears. In case you couldn't tell, I was that kid down the street that just turned into a taller kid with the same issues. That is okay, though. I can still annoy you with all of the things I know that you don't know.

Just so you know. Ginger, the puppy, is still alive. Our other dog hasn't eaten her yet. If you've ever seen our big hound, you will know that was a sincere possibility. She likes to pounce on things, which can be bothersome sometimes, for instance when small children and little babies are in the house and the parents get all antsy and peculiar about our lovely, giant dog/small horse trying her shenanigans near their child. Parents! Honestly! She hasn't ever, like, eaten someone's child!

Now, Ginger has been a spice to our lives for sure. She is adorable, she is cute, she is affectionate, she is cuddly, but she is also, well for starters: a puppy. Need I say more? She is inquisitive about every little thing, from the sound the air conditioner makes to the moth flitting about the lights. She learns commands well. Already, she recognizes her name, comes when I call her, responds to the word “no” (she might actually think her name is NoGinger, by the way the kids say it), will fetch a ball, play tug of war, sit (sometimes) on command, and chew everything in sight, even if that something happens to be your hand, your face, your toes, or in my case your breast prosthesis. I do have to admit that was laugh out loud funny to look down at her playing my lap, to see she had her whole mouth clamped down on the prosthesis I was wearing. Yeah, that might not be so much fun when I have surgery again in the next couple of months...

What is going on with us? So glad you asked! If you didn't ask, read anyway!

I have officially been a cancer survivor for 6 months now and believe it or not, it has been a whole year since I finished chemo. It is so freakin' wonderful to me, that I've been telling everyone! I'm not one of those people to keep quiet about personal matters, which my husband regrets at times. But this particular one isn't TMI, it is to bring glory to God's name, cause I sure didn't have anything to do with stayin' alive. (Que song!) I hope to have many more months and years to keep telling people about how God was and is my strength through it all. Let's face it people, if it had been up to me to handle it all, I'd be partly six feet under and partly dancing up in heaven. Thankfully, it wasn't up to me, since Christ bore it all for me on the cross. Not only is He my Redeemer, but He is my Healer, too. If you don't know Him, He wants to know you, too. I'm not special in that regard, but He loves me and you all the same.

My square foot garden has been planted, and hopefully I will feel up to taking care of it this year. Don't count on me blogging about it in my other blog, www.growingseedsplantinglife.blogspot.com. I planted tomato plants, banana pepper plants, carrots, onion sets, basil seeds, carrot seeds, spinach seeds, squash seeds, cucumber seeds, green bean seeds, eggplant seeds, okra seeds, and corn seeds. We will see what happens. Prayers please!!!!

It has been two months since essential oils (by Young Living) changed our lives. I'm constantly amazed by what all these oils can do! Sometimes I think, they couldn't possibly fix such and such, and of course they go and astound me by fixing such and such. Never say never!!!

Here are a few examples:

Sunburn- John got really sunburned the day before going to kids' camp from staying out in the pool too long. His face was burning and hot because of it, so I rubbed some Lavender essential oil, diluted in olive oil, onto his face (staying clear of his eyes) and he felt much better with the addition of something cool on his face. When he came back from camp three days later, he was sunburned again, so I rubbed more Lavender oil (diluted) on him. The next day, you couldn't even tell he was burnt, he was just dark. Tim got sunburned after working out in the yard; his upper arms and shoulders were very red. When he came to bed, I lovingly and thoughtfully (hahahahaha) rubbed some diluted Lavender oil on his arms and his the back of his neck. He slept fine and the next day was just slightly pink, the day after that, he looked tan and no longer burnt.

Wasp Sting- oh, this one was fun! Not! Tim and I had been out doing errands while the kids were at camp, and while we were in one store, I noticed my foot was hurting some. When I took my shoe off, I realized why it was hurting. My big toe on my left foot had swollen to more than twice its size and there was an open sore on it. Apparently, I had been stung by a wasp at some point, although I don't know when, because I don't have good circulation in my feet and they are numb a lot. Anyway, I only had Lavender essential oil with me, so I put that on it neat (undiluted). Lavender is good for allergic reactions, and this was certainly an allergic reaction! I don't know that I've ever been stung by a wasp before. Bees and yellowjackets, yes. Wasps? Not so sure. As soon as we got home, I put Purification on the place and applied ice to bring the swelling down. That night and each day after, I put more Purification on, covering it with a bandaid since my shoes all rubbed against the spot. Now, its fine. No swelling, or itching, or anything.

Bug repellent- Oh yeah! We live in the South, where mosquitoes outnumber people, probably 3 to 1. Every year I end up eaten up with mosquito bites, that swell and itch for days. My son has the same reaction, only a little worse. A friend posted about a bug repellent recipe to make at home and spray on before going outside. Go here to get the recipe for yourself: http://thelemondroplounge.com/blog/chemical-free-bug-repellent-recipe It smells so much better than the nasty OFF! Or other commercial things, like Bug N Sun. It also has no ingredients that have been reported to be possible carcinogenics and for me that is a big deal. I don't want my kids ever having to go through cancer! I mixed up the recipe and have used it several times now. I didn't get a single bite on me (except for my ankle where I forgot to spray, thinking the mosquitoes wouldn't find the thin area of exposed skin between my sock and my pants' leg)! Goodby OFF!

Heartburn- Lordy! I don't know about you, but heartburn is vicious! I had a day of it tormenting me like a preview of purgatory. I have come off my Rx heartburn meds, because I hadn't needed them with all of the Peppermint I've been using to aid in digestion. But this day, something caused me to be able to bring forth fire like a dragon having a tantrum. I took a Rx pill, but it was doing nothin'! Finally I remembered “There's An Oil For That!” and doused my chest with diluted Peppermint essential oil. I also took a capsule containing two drops of Peppermint. Within about an hour, every symptom of the heartburn was gone and I got to sleep.

I'm sure you've had all the essential oil talk you can handle, but know I could go on and on and on. There are just so many good things we're seeing happen when we use them. Oh, did I mention a cyst on my port scar fell off after using Frankincense on it for three weeks? So cool!

Ok, anyway, my point is, if you want to know more, I can certainly tell you more. Find me on facebook (Rachel Parrish White), or email me at spiceyourspace@yahoo.com. I will happily give anyone my distributor price, which is 24% off the retail price. Or you can become a member of the club for as little as $40. I just want to share all of this oily love with you!

We Got A Puppy! We Got A Puppy!

In case you did not pay attention to the title: We Got A Puppy!

Like most of the sane and mentally balanced people of this world, I love a cute and adorable puppy. If you don't happen to like puppies, then I'm sorry, there is something totally wrong with you and you should really seek counseling. Or take meds for that kind of condition. Really, God didn't create you that way, I promise. He created puppies and made them so cute and cuddly and sweet that He had to had to had to of meant for us to like puppies!

This little adorable puppy is Ginger

She is a mixed breed terrier with a spicy, sassy and smart personality

We were given her on 05/16/13 and she is 10 weeks old

                                                  How could I not fall in love with this face?!

  Mercy cuddling with Ginger

John John checking out his new friend

Our eldest dog tolerating this new interloper

 The car ride to her new home.

Upcycled Window Seat Cushions

In our kitchen, we have these two window seat cushions that came with the house. They are these awful dark red brick pattern, with a floral piping edge. There were curtains and valances all through the house that matched these, too. But that is another story.

This is to give you an idea of what it looked like. I ripped the covers off (they had velcro closures) with great disgust and decided they were not going to stay a moment longer in the kitchen. Matter of fact, we had naked foam cushions for about a week or so. Yep, I'm perfect that way!
What you see above is now our dog's bed in front of our fireplace. I stuffed it with old pillows and poly-fill I had in the shed. Now we don't have to pay $20 or more to get a bed for our great, big, lovely hound.

So what did I decide to use to recover the cushions? Well, here I had a delima because I didn't exactly have the right amount of material on hand to cover both cushions. I contemplated covering one side in one fabric and the other side in another fabric but I decided this would be waaaaayyyyyy too much effort and take way too much time! Keeping upcycling in mind (this where you take something you already have and turn it into something new vs. recycling, which is reusing something you already have to do the same job again), I pulled out some curtains I had bought at the thrift store for like $5 to hang in my son's room eons ago. They worked for about four years. Not bad for $5.

My husband cut to size some mdf we had from when we took our son's old captain bed apart (because it was falling apart and his cousin gave him his solid oak captain's bed) for me to use as a base, since the curtains weren't quite big enough for me to cover both sides of the cushions.

Using my hand-dandy electric staple gun that can shoot tacks or staples, I stapled all around the edges, then the corners, folding the fabric edges over and stapling them down, too, to provide more stability. That last part was my husband's suggestion. Don't you just love it when God blesses you with a sexy AND smart husband? I might keep him around...

And Voila! Ta-da! And all of those other words!

I ended up with two new to me cushions for the kitchen. Ignore my toe in the bottom of the picture and revel with me in the joy of upcycled things and the fact my left shoulder and right thumb ache from my ministrations upon the above cushion! I am still in the process of redoing the area of the window seat, so you will have to wait (patiently!) for pictures to come soon (by soon, I mean in the next year or so!). Hope you enjoyed this picture demonstration of upcycling brought to you by the company of me, myself, and my husband. Tune in next time for more unbelievable stunts and spectacular wording! 

Picture Tutorial-Upcycling Your Wardrobe

I don't know about you, but I need a new summer wardrobe and the budget so ain't gonna make that happen. I'm not one for spending lots of money on clothes anyway. I don't shop department stores. I might shop at Wal-mart and Target on occasion for clothes, but the place I have frequented since I was a child at the side of my mother, is the thrift store. It is like a huge treasure trove to me. But I still want clothes that are unique, fit my style, and don't make me look like a dork. I really don't like looking like a dork. You can if you want. I won't say a thing...I'll just think it really, really loud! Haha

So where to start in making clothes unique and beautiful: the nooks and crannies of your drawers and closets. You might have something perfect. Like this little beauty.

Picked up at a yard sale. Paid like a buck or two for it, maybe. I love the color and the unique design.

But what to put it on?

This question presented itself over and over for a year, but I found the perfect specimen waiting in the bottom of another drawer (an abandoned project, yep, I do those)

It has a zipper closure on the back. I love the retro feel to it and turns out it is an authentic retro piece, not to mention my favorite color: olive green.

 How much did this authentic retro shirt cost me?

Read it and gasp!

Yes, that does say 79 cents. 

But it had been in my project drawer for so long, I consider it to be free.

To get started on my project, I took a sharp pair of scissors and cut the center flower out, snipping only the threads on it, not on the other flowers.

 I found some embroidery thread that matched almost exactly. When in doubt use a shade or two lighter. I separated the threads (there are 6 strands) to where I was working with only 2 at a time.

I pinned the flower chain around the neckline and used a running stitch to tack down all of the edges

 This is what it looked like from the wrong side of the shirt.

This is when I still had pins in it. But you get the idea.

 I had to cut the last flower off at the end, to allow for the zipper opening, but I turned the loose threads under and made sure they were fastened down securely for when it is washed. This will only be hand washed though. I certainly don't want to ruin all of my hard work!

When I was done, I was left with two extra flowers (one is pictured in my hand, above) so I used one of them to tack down with the matching thread onto a yellow headband I already had.

Crocheted flower chain: $1?

Shirt: $0.79

Headband: $0.25?

Total cost: $2.04.

I know, I know!

I don't have a pic of me wearing it yet. I totally forgot the camera the day I did!

Living with Essential Oils-Allergic Reactions and Mouthwash

I've decided to change up the way I've been doing the blog a bit, to avoid boredom. Oh, you may not be bored; if you aren't then I feel much better, something I'm doing must be entertaining. However, I am getting bored with it. I mean, all I'm doing is describing my day, hour by hour to you. How can you stand that?!!! LOL Don't get me wrong, I love my life. I love living it. I love having it to live. But I've already lived through whatever I'm posting about so its kinda redundant to me. Remember I told you I get bored easily and have issues with carrying things through to completion, but as far as I am concerned my family will be using essential oils the rest of our natural lives, so that is a bit much for me to blog about day in and day out without going certified crazy! Notice, I specified certified? That is probably one of the only reasons people read about my life (other than wanting to know more about using essential oils) is because there is something about reading the screw-ups of someone crazier than you that makes one feel at least a teensy bit normal. Haha

One of the reasons for the change up is that I've got a few other projects going on. I always do, I'm notorious for reading several books at a time, doing several projects at a time, and always having a few figurative irons in the fire. One particular project I will also be blogging about soon, so as to not spend hours per day doing nothing but blogging, I will post about our lives using essential oils probably once a week to highlight, well, the highlights. That will free me up to post about some upcycling I've been doing with things from my closet, my sewing stash and the thrift store. My body is shaped a lot differently now than it was, so clothes don't exactly fit correctly, so I've been changing up some things I already have and getting some new-to-me things to alter. I can't wait to post about them! Just to give a hint, I turned a dress with a too-tight bodice into a skirt for me and a tube top for Mercy. I'm also redoing a few things in our kitchen, which takes time, and may end up being a few more blog posts.

So since its been far too long since I've posted I'll try to give you a quick run down of some of the things we've done.

I made some mouthwash. I guess I should say I made two mouthwashes. The first one was just warm water with sea salt and a drop of Thieves essential oil in a glass bottle with a lid. The second was based on one I saw in a book called Aromatherapy, a lifetime guide to healing with essential oils by Valerie Gennari Cooksley. 

It had one cup of strong chamomile tea, brewed. Take a teaspoon of honey and add two drops of Peppermint essential oil (remember to only use oils you can ingest, like Young Living oils, message me at spiceyourspace@yahoo.com to order any at my price), one drop of Tea Tree oil and 2 drops of Lavender essential oil to the honey. Then add the honey mixture to the chamomile tea. Adding the essential oils to the honey first causes the honey to act as a carrier and allow the essential oils to mix with the liquid of the tea. Otherwise they will just float. Store this mixture in an airtight bottle out of sunlight and shake well before each use. 

You could also add Fennel essential oil and Geranium essential oil, but I didn't have either of those two, so I couldn't use them. You can't drink or eat for twenty minutes after using this mouthwash according to the book.I should have added a drop of Thieves into this mixture, but didn't think about it at the time. I will on the next round though, because the Thieves has really helped with the tooth pain I'd been having. I was even able to eat a honey bun (I know! It's processed food, but it was so good!) without doubling over in pain, tears streaming down my face. It didn't hurt at all, matter of fact.

Another thing I've done is get an organic tooth soap from a company I'm a fan of here in our local area. The owner is a fellow homeschooler and my son just adores her candles (especially the quirky robot shaped one he slept with for an entire year); alas she has moved to Georgia, but she has an internet site, Cheeky Maiden Soaps. This tooth soap is made with clove essential oil, which helps numb mouth pain, and also has coconut oil in it. I love it, because it foams up when you use it and its not overly abrasive. This with the mouthwash is really good, although not the bestest tastin' stuff around according to Tim and John. My mother-in-law bought the mint version and really likes the taste of it.

John has had several scrapes lately. He is a boy afterall! Although I wish he was as indestructive as the rubber he seems to think he is. We've been using the same Lavender essential oil diluted with olive oil that we use on the kids at night to help them sleep, to apply to John's scrapes and they've looked a lot better and takes the sting out of it, which prevents the cry fest that sometimes accompanies said scrapes.

Mercy has had a few more stomachaches, hiccups, and gas pains that the Peppermint essential oil diluted in olive oil has helped with. She has also had a struggle with concentrating on her schoolwork here lately. I'm sure its because we are so near the end of the school year, but we certainly don't want her to bring down her good average with a few bad grades. She has been using Peppermint and Frankincense essential oils behind her ears and across her toes to help her focus and concentrate. Even this afternoon, I saw a significant difference after she had applied it. I just wish I had thought of it earlier in the day!!!

I have also been using Frankincense on my surgical scar from where I had my mastectomy last August. Frankincense isn't cheap, but I got a 5ml bottle of it in the starter kit I bought. Normally I wouldn't use something so “expensive” on a scar (I've got plenty of others to prove this point) however, this particular scar I need to stretch as far as it will go when I have reconstruction, so to me it is a safe and sound application of it. Frankincense is supposed to fade scars significantly and many women have raved about how it decreases under eye circles and puffiness. I haven't tried that yet, but I may.

Between the bath scrub I posted about before and the Frankincense, my scar is flat, without ridges and smooth. I do hope this helps when I have my next surgery. Hopefully the doctor won't tell me my skin is too soft and smooth! Lol

Several days ago I took around the yard and pulled a few weeds. Then two days ago I went out to my square foot garden (I have two boxes) to weed them for the vegetable plants I unintentionally bought (I got eight plants for less than eight bucks!). Something that I came into contact with caused a stinging, burning rash on my inner forearms. Yes, I wore gloves. But that didn't protect me and my uncovered arms. I also got some in my eyes and nose because my eyes started itching horribly and I was sneezing, sneezing, sneezing. Then the inside of my nose started itching like ants were crawling all inside it and stinging and biting as they went in circles. I was miserable! I washed off, but the damage was done. I have no idea what the weed was, but I know it was not stinging nettle. This weed's habit was like baby's breath, but with thicker, bright green stalks that stuck to you like glue. It also had yellow flowers instead of white.

I applied Lavender to my arms and immediately the stinging and burning stopped. If I hadn't of been so uncomfortable it might have been kind of neat. The other two things I didn't really know what to do about because it can be dangerous to use essential oils too close to the eyes or mucus membranes according to all of the warnings I see over and over. I took Lavender internally with Peppermint and Lemon in a capsule and applied Lavender behind my ears and on the inside of my cheek. I also applied Purification to my neck and Thieves on my chest. I was determined to beat this stuff, but the next morning I was still rubbing my eyes violently and sneezing. My nose was even worse. The inside felt singed and quite like my tongue felt during chemo last year; burnt. I continued using the Lavender topically and internally. My energy was gone, too. Like all of the sneezes were ripping my energy right out of me. I slept and slept like before I started all of these oils, but my body was tired of it all. I finally ended up taking some tylenol sinus to help all the oils get a hold and eradicate whatever that weed was. From what I read, the first time your body comes into contact with something it sees as a virus it develops a reaction to fight it, producing histamine. The next time you come into contact with it, your body will most likely respond with more symptoms. Hence my second reaction, apparently. Most people just call it hay fever, hives, or rhinitis. I called it misery.

I discovered something in this Aromatherapy book, though. It was a nasal soother. One part warmed toasted sesame oil, one drop of Tea Tree oil, and two parts pure vitamin E oil. Mix together and swab inside the nostrils with a q-tip. Some of these things are like being a kid seeing the circus for the first time. You think it couldn't possibly work, but somehow it does, and it is amazing and incredible and leaves stars in your eyes. I might not have had stars in my eyes, but I was certainly amazed at how instantly, instantly people, my nose was fine. I do have to admit the smell of toasted sesame oil inside of my nose was weird, really weird and the smell came back each time I subsequently had to blow my nose (another weird) but I was okay with that if the pain and torment was gone. This is one treatment I plan to use again if ever necessary.

The eye thing I never really figured out what to do about, but use a cold compress and use my prescription eye drops. Maybe I'll come across something in the future, but I most certainly am going to try to keep away from the un-named weed!

I even got a book from the library about gluten free living. I don't think we're really ready for that step yet, but little by little we are kind of heading that direction with the diabetic diet. I really like a lot of the recipes for diabetics, even though I am not one. Grandma is, and so we all are pretty much on board for that train, except maybe more sweets than she is supposed to eat. I love just about all kinds of food, especially indian, chinese, japanese, and other asian foods, which is among some of the healthiest given the amount of vegetables and fresh foods. Tim is having to grit is teeth and smile through this, cause there isn't so much meat and starch as there once was and he doesn't like too many vegetables. But I do win some, like chickpeas. Everybody in the house likes chickpeas. Score!!!! May God grant me patience in searching for more healthy things my family will eat!