Category Archives: Photo LOVE

This here is the Perfectly Flawed weekly round-up, so if you missed me on Pinterest & Facebook, this is where I’ll be sharing some of that LOVE on Fridays. Enjoy!

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Art, Blueberry Season & The Beatles.

Oooo, and it’s Friday the 13th!

Heading to Ft.Lauderdale today to spend the weekend with my best friend Dawn. Kids can’t wait to see her, she’s Aunt Dawn to them. Tonight we’re going to see the Beatles Tribute band, Across the Universe, in the park.

I was on Pinterest a bit this week, duh! Aren’t you??? Here’s what I’ve found! This amazing blog on Thai cuisine & culture. I made this last night. Well, I made all the components, packaged them in my many saved glass jars, packed it all up and the family head out to the beach for a picnic dinner. Yum!

Anyone else excited about blueberries coming into season? Me! Check out these pretty pictures of blue goodness! Here, here & here at Griottes, Palette Culinaire.

I’ve also fallen in love with a couple of artists this week, both found on Pinterest. Yep, you need to get on those boards people:-). They are Tracy Verdugo & Angelo Franco!

We’re on our thirdish week of using our home-made toothpaste mixture. It’s simply baking soda, coconut oil and peppermint essential oil, about 15 drops. We’re all adjusted, our teeth are whiter I swear, maybe it’s in my head, but I think so. I also use this mixture as my deodorant. I LOVE it! It gives your pits a cooling sensation and I don’t ever stink like I did with Tom’s of Maine. You can make your deodorant with a different essential oil, I just use the peppermint for ease. Take a look-see at more things you can do with Coconut Oil!

We also finally got our herbs and pineapple planted! Here’s a great tutorial video I found on growing pineapple! Enjoy!

Peace!

This here is the Perfectly Flawed weekly round-up, so if you missed me on Pinterest & Facebook, this is where I’ll be sharing some of that LOVE on Fridays. Enjoy!

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Earth Day crafts, Chipotle, and More!

This week was the first week of Earth Month. This month for Natural Living Tips I’ll be covering how to green your clean. Yep, we’ll be making homemade cleaning products. Good for the planet and your loved ones!

The family is getting itchy, we need to travel:-). Though we’re taking a family trip to Key West in a few weeks, I can’t help but be thinking of the kids and I’s road trip this summer. I’m having visions of places like these:

After seeing this image on Pinterest, I now must read A Street Cat Named Bob. I’m thinking it may provoke tears in a way Dewey did.

Yesterday the kids and I stocked up on the veggies needed to make our own natural egg dyes. Beets, carrots, red cabbage, yellow onions and spinach. Take a look see here for more.

There is still time to get in on Hybrid Rasta Mama’s giveaway. A one-gallon bucket of Gold Label coconut oil and her e-book. You can enter through April 9th!

Until the 14th to purchase one of Chipotle’s upcycled/repurposed lunch bags, made out of old billboards. With your purchase you get a coupon for a free burrito on Earth Day, April 22nd.

Do you need some cool Earth Day craft ideas for kids? Here you go!

Leaving you with this picture of Addy getting ready to feed the Tarpons in the Florida Keys. She really did love it, can’t you tell:-)?

Peace!

Thanks so much for following this new segment, Natural Living Tips which you’ll find here on Tuesday’s. My friend Rosemary Nickel (Motivating Other Moms) and I have paired up to bring you these weekly tips on living a more natural life. They will be fun, quirky and informative, just like us, ha. We hope you join us here weekly for a new Natural Living Tip! Enjoy!

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Lemons - Italy, spring 2010.

I’m sure there is no more perfect a time to begin thinking about Greening your clean than this month of April. It’s Earth month, so let’s all begin using more earth friendly cleaning products! And remember, I support baby steps so don’t get overwhelmed, just pick one thing and move on from there.

Let’s begin with a list of items  you should have on hand to make your own cleaning products:

Baking Soda, a naturally abrasive product with mild alkaline properties, a natural deodorizer and stain remover, completely non-toxic. One of the most versatile cleaners on the planet!

Lemons, acidic and can provide some antibacterial and antiseptic properties for cleaning *Add a cup of lemon juice to the wash cycle to boost the whitening action of your laundry detergent.

Distilled White Vinegar, a great natural cleaning product, a disinfectant and deodorizer, an all-purpose cleaner.

Essential Oils, I like to have lemon, lavender, rosemary and tee tree on hand.

Liquid Castile Soap (Dr. Bronner’s) a vegetable based soap, not petroleum. It’s completely non-toxic and can be used on your body as well as in cleaning products.

Hydrogen Peroxide, non-toxic, safe for people, pets, plants, the environment. Many uses.

These next three weeks of April I’ll be sharing with you how to use these ingredients to make safe & effective home-made household cleaners. So stay tuned:-).
Peace!

This here is the Perfectly Flawed weekly round-up, so if you missed me on Pinterest & Facebook, this is where I’ll be sharing some of that LOVE on Fridays. Enjoy!

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Dinner, Produce Bags & Baby Steps!

Woo Hoo, got my cooking grove back this week! Love Pinterest, so many great recipes being shared. I’ve made Gingery Soba Noodle Soup, Shrimp in coconut sauce over rice, Roasted rep pepper & goat cheese alfredo and last night we made homemade chick pea veggie burgers with a side of Brussel sprout & Swiss chard salad!

Finally purchased our reusable produce and bulk items bags. I bought five of these from Flip & Tumble, I also got 6 of these from Kootsac on Etsy. I can’t wait to get these, another stride towards being plastic free!

I’ve been gathering information on making our own cleaning products. I already use alternative non-toxic products, but they come in plastic so…. Next Tuesday on Natural Living Tips I’m switching from Coconut Oil to Home-made cleaning products and I’ll be discussing them throughout April. It is time for Spring Cleaning after all!

Though I did manage to make home-made toothpaste this week, Gavin’s not thrilled, lol. He’ll get used to it.

Just a reminder to anyone trying to go green or make strides in that direction. The best way is baby steps. I’ve not arrived here quickly or without challenge and I’m still far from where I want to be. Here’s an article, from Almost the Truth,  I read this week about Baby steps and why it’s so important to celebrate every one of them. Please read it.

What Baby steps are you taking?
Peace!

Harry says "chill"!

Thanks so much for following this new segment, Natural Living Tips which you’ll find here on Tuesday’s. My friend Rosemary Nickel (Motivating Other Moms) and I have paired up to bring you these weekly tips on living a more natural life. They will be fun, quirky and informative, just like us, ha. We hope you join us here weekly for a new Natural Living Tip! Enjoy!

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Seems I’ve been a bit consumed with Coconut Oil lately, the differences, the benefits, the uses which are all plentiful & the information floating around on the web is endless. I’ve only scratched the very surface, but am excited to share with you what I’ve tried, what I’ve learned & also the the things that I plan on trying.

It was not my idea, BTW, to learn about coconut oil. The brain child for this adventure was Rosemary, my co-conspirator of Natural Living Tips, ha. However, I’m so glad we did this, I’m a transformed woman, I feel this research & trial period has really helped push me that much further into reducing unnecessary chemicals, preservatives & plastics, in my families life. How you ask? To begin with I’m making my own natural body butter, body moisturizer, salt/sugar scrubs, deodorant, make-up remover & coming soon, toothpaste. Yes, all from coconut oil. Think of how much poo is residing inside of those toiletries & most come packaged in plastic containers that I’m no longer purchasing, score!!

A few benefits that I’ve taken advantage of or intrigue me are:

Reducing the appearance of age spots.

Speeds up metabolism.

Apply directly to a bug bite, it can stop the itching & burning sensation & quicken the healing process.

Apply to burn immediately & continue applying until healed, it can reduce the chances of permanent scarring & aids in healing.

Affordable eye cream! apply under eyes to reduce puffiness, bags & wrinkles, use on lids in evening.

Wrinkle prevention/reducer!

Energy boost.

LOVE THIS: Use as an insect repellent! Mix coconut oil with peppermint oil extract and rub it all over exposed skin. Keeps insects off better than anything with DEET!
Tons safer too.

This is an itsy bitsy sampling of the benefits of coconut oil. One of the most extensive lists I’ve found is from Hybrid Rasta Mama. You’ll be amazed!
When cooking I’ve use coconut oil in place of all other oils and butter. If you don’t like the flavor of coconut but want the health benefits purchase a refined, expeller pressed coconut oil. If you love the flavor, look for unrefined or raw varieties, these retain the most nutritional value as well.

You can find coconut oil in most grocery stores these days, Spectrum Brand (refined) is found in most locations. Otherwise go to your local natural food store or Whole Foods and you’ll have a variety to choose from. Also found online at PantryParatus.com or TropicalTraditions.com, also a great place to learn everything you’d want to know about coconut oil & other coconut products.

I’m going to leave you with this video on how to make a exfoliating lip scrub, you guessed it, coconut oil!

Peace!

This here is the Perfectly Flawed weekly round-up, so if you missed me on Pinterest & Facebook, this is where I’ll be sharing some of that LOVE on Fridays. Enjoy!

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Natural Egg Dying, Factory Farming & OWL Love!

This week has been totally BLAH in the food department.  I did manage to make butter though, we were out.

We welcomed in Spring this week:-). I wish it felt like spring here, it feels like the first week of summer instead, Boooooo. Preparing for a long, hot one.

Spring - Cornelia, Italy 2010

Collecting kitty & owl love on Pinterest! Check out some new cuties here, here, here & here:-).

Continuing my passion for Natural Living here are two natural ways to dye Easter Eggs this year. ONE, the “I want to go natural but have limited time” way and the “I will devote a Saturday or Sunday to dying naturally” way, lol. Enjoy either way!

I’ll leave you with a couple of thought provoking articles that are near & dear to my heart! This ONE is about legalizing the reuse of jars in our grocery stores for bulk items. It’s not new news that throwing away glass & plastic containers is a HUGE pet peeve of mine, I have many others. But, I see no reason to do this when there are so many ways to put them to use. Please read, some very good information here.

And THIS ONE about how much you should tell your kids about Factory Farming. Would love feed back people:-).

Peace!

Thanks so much for following this new segment, Natural Living Tips which you’ll find here on Tuesday’s. My friend Rosemary Nickel (Motivating Other Moms) and I have paired up to bring you these weekly tips on living a more natural life. They will be fun, quirky and informative, just like us, ha. We hope you join us here weekly for a new Natural Living Tip! Enjoy!

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The last few weeks I’ve been researching the benefits of Coconut Oil,  there are many.  I do promise to cover them in the next couple of weeks, but I’ve been distracted by all the yummy things you can make with other coconut products, the milk, water and juice.  These also have many health benefits including they’re loaded with Lauric Acid which is naturally found in mother’s milk. Lauric acid has been shown to have negative effect on many microorganisms in the body including yeast, fungi, and bacteria. It also has anti-carcinogenic and anti-viral properties.  You can read more about the benefits of coconut products and lauric acid at The Weston A. Price Foundation.

Here is a wonderfully refreshing way to add coconut to your diet.  This coconut tonic is also a nice substitute for cows milk if you’re sensitive to lactose or simply trying to reduce cows milk in your diet.

This is so easy peasy! You can purchase Coconut water and/or juice in most grocery stores or health food stores, as well as the coconut milk.  These two products are very different. The water is found in a young coconut, it’s the liquid you hear when you shake it. The milk comes from the white meat of the nut and is so yummy to cook with.

You simply take a can of each, dump them into a blender and blend. Viola!  Store in the fridge and serve over ice.  They may separate a bit, so give a little shake before serving.  Use this tonic to make the following green smoothie I found on Pinterest by Delicious Obsessions.

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado
1 cup Coconut Tonic
1/2 cup coconut water or juice
handful greens (I used spinach)
honey or other sweetener of choice – optional

First pit avocado and scoop out flesh. The easiest way to remove the pit is to whack it with a knife and twist, it pops out.

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Warning: If not used to drinking coconut milk smoothies, they are extremely filling, you’ll want to share the love!

Peace!

Thanks so much for following this new segment, Natural Living Tips which you’ll find here on Tuesday’s. My friend Rosemary Nickel (Motivating Other Moms) and I have paired up to bring you these weekly tips on living a more natural life. They will be fun, quirky and informative, just like us, ha. We hope you join us here weekly for a new Natural Living Tip! Enjoy!

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Coconut Oil Body Scrub

In my never ending quest to be as plastic-free as possible, I’ve been taking a closer look at the products our family uses on a daily basis. Which of these, if not all, can we DIY to eliminate the need to purchase yet another plastic container? Well, while researching the endless amounts of things that one can do with coconut oil, I came across this recipe on Pinterest for a Body Scrub. I decided to tweak it a bit and go for it!

Ingredients:

1 cup organic raw brown Turbinado sugar
1/3 cup dead sea salts or other sea salt
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
2 tablespoons almond oil
1/2 tablespoon Vitamin E Oil
1/2 cup crushed Lavender Flowers (optional)
5-7 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Combine sugar and salt, then add in oils one at a time checking for consistency. If too dry at the end, add a bit more coconut oil. Then mix in any dried flowers and essential oils. I also love to combine Sweet Orange essential oil with Lavender or for a pick me up scrub use a combination of Peppermint and Rosemary!

This scrub is wonderful in the bath or shower, use it on all your edges and rough parts. Or by the sink as a nice hand softener. Just rinse with warm water and you’ll have yummy soft skin.

Watch Rosemary and I make the scrub:-).

Have fun!

This is the first of many a weekly round-up, so if you missed me on Pinterest & Facebook, this is where I’ll be sharing some of that LOVE on Fridays. Enjoy!

Kombucha, GMO’s & Jamie Oliver, OH MY!

I’ve been on kinda an Asian cooking kick lately so find some of those recipes here & here.

This week our reusable straws from Strawsome and my Shampoo bars from Chagrin Valley Soaps arrived. All in the name of eliminating plastic. We’re on our way!

I finally began my windowsill sprouts!  I’m on day two, so no sprouts yet but I’m documenting the growth daily. I’m sure it’ll be a future blog post, ha.

A few things on my to make/learn list are 1) butter, home-made using the cream from my neighbor, The Dam Ranch. 2) this amazing looking coconut/vanilla frozen yogurt and how to brew my own Kombucha Tea, buying this stuff is getting pricey!

I called my local senators and representatives for the first time this week. I asked them to please put their name on a letter that was drafted to the FDA to support the labeling of GMO’s. Don’t know what those are or why you should know? Click here & here.

Have you ever checked out Jamie Oliver’s Recipe Yearbooks?  I guess it’s a recap of recipes from throughout the year. I have the 2011/2012 yearbook and love it! (I found it a local Fresh Market Grocery, but can’t seem to locate the new one on-line, only previous years. Feeling lucky to have it at this point!

To wrap it up a new blog I’ve spent more time on this week are 1) Delicious Obsessions (which led me to make this yummy coconut/avocado smoothie) and 2) Cheeseslave.

Carmello wanted to make an apperance:-), my ham!

Peace!

Since moving here to East Bradenton, we have really been enjoying the many local farms and ranches. One we’ve been to several times is Hunsader Farm which is only 10 minutes away from our home. We’ve gone to pick strawberries and tomatoes a few times now, once the kids and I picked 22 pounds of strawberries for our housewarming party. We freeze them for smoothies, eat them whole, make sweet treats. I took great pleasure making home-made tomato sauce twice now, blanching, peeling, squooshing, cooking… So many dinners to eat up the fresh sauce. Love it!

Thought I’d share some of the love!

If you want to find local U-pick’s or Farmer’s markets in your area, just click HERE and HERE!