Natural Remedies: Blushing Bluebird Essentials- Reusable Feminine Products

Have you been looking for a more natural way to manage your time of the month or that annoying thing that happened after you had all your babies? You know when you laugh really hard or a cough unexpected...er, ya..I'm here to enlighten you, friends.

There is a better way to live, a cleaner, cost-effective and environmentally responsible alternative.

I know you think this city girl has gone completely crunchy. Yep, when you live in the middle of nowhere something fundamentally weird happens, you start to feel just a little differently.

But seriously, I seem to be allergic to just about everything, and I have passed that down, kind of me eh?

So when the need to figure out something a little different came along so did many, many hours of research. It seems like this issue is not all that uncommon!

I was scouring the internet for a natural product, something that was breathable, not synthetic and ultimately comfortable without being overly obvious.

We came across a local company, Blushing Bluebird Essentials and we also trialled some we found on Amazon.

The ones from Amazon were well made and had a minky top, these were not the natural product we had been looking for but were a fraction of the price and came in fun teenager approved fabrics. However, they did not make the final thumbs-up approval for two reasons. One they were not the natural product I was seeking, and two they were reportedly too big and bulky.

The Bluebird Essentials Product we bought was handmade with love, local and the customer service was beyond anything I would expect!

Not to mention that we got to visit the workshop and see first hand how everything was assembled. I love the idea of women coming together to sew and chat, all the while changing lives and passionately creating a well-made product! That's community friends...Now I do sound crunchy!

Back to the topic at hand, the ick factor, how was that going to be received? Having never tried anything like this, and being on the squeamish side I was a tad worried about how well it would go.

However, we were pleasantly surprised. It has been easy to manage, these are machine washable, and you can even pop them into the dryer (although it is recommended to hang to dry, we haven't) I was given a thumbs-up, and just made the big switch over and have fully committed.

Are you curious yet? These are awesome for everyday use, monthly needs, postpartum, or incontinence. Seriously friends give it a whirl, you might just be surprised!

Here is a little about the company: Click on the links below.

The story behind the product

Products and Features

Book Review: Your Cholesterol Matters

From The Back:

85 percent of people over the age of 50 have significant artery blockage without any symptoms. 

Two-thirds of the time, the initial symptom is a full-blown heart attack.
Doctors routinely tell patients to watch their diet, get regular exercise, and lose weight. They also increasingly prescribe "cholesterol lowering" drugs that patients will take every day for the rest of their lives. The pill makes us feel like we're doing something, so we slack off in our goals for a healthier lifestyle. To make matters worse, the pill solves only a portion of the problem, giving us a false sense of security.

Dr. Richard Furman wants you to know that you don't have to pin your health hopes on expensive medications that only address a small part of the cholesterol puzzle (and often have negative health-impacting side effects). In this practical guide to better health, he offers specific strategies to

· lower your levels of "lethal" LDL cholesterol
· raise your levels of "hero" HDL cholesterol
· develop new habits that make healthy living easy and natural
· adjust your lifestyle in order to stay off of expensive medications
· and more

Your aging process depends on the health of your arteries. Dr. Furman's advice will not only give you extra years but, even more important, it will improve the quality of those years, beginning today.

My Reflections:

I can't say I enjoyed reading Richard Furman's book, "Your Cholesterol Matters," but since I am predisposed to high cholesterol and have it already, this was a mandatory read for me. This book is super informative and covers all areas of cardiovascular health. It was such a sad read, though, I mean no snacks, no desserts, ugh sounds so miserable! 

I follow a fairly healthy diet called the Trim and Heathy Mamma diet; it includes yummy desserts and satisfying foods in a responsible way. I am not overweight but do have health issues that I need to work hard at addressing, hence why I chose this book.
But I digress, back to this book. Furman shows readers how to get their cholesterol back on track and their health back in the green zone. 
Simple terminology and a step by step plan make this book relatively easy to navigate and follow. 

Although you may not like the sacrifices to your eating and lifestyle, you will appreciate a healthy heart and long life. I had to disagree, however, with a few points in his book, one being his description of not seeing overweight people in a nursing home, (because they have all died.) I worked in a nursing home for many years and can attest that I saw plenty of individuals who had extra padding. 

If you are overweight and have cholesterol issues, this book may be the tool to give you the wake-up call you may need. Our society has a diet for every ailment, and the world does not need another fad diet, perhaps it's time we turn back to natural foods and good old exercise? 

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc

About THE AUTHOR

1. Richard Furman MD, FACS

   Richard Furman, MD, FACS, spent over thirty years as a vascular surgeon. Furman is past president of the North Carolina Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, past president of the North Carolina Surgical Society, and a two-term governor of the American...

   Continue reading about Richard Furman MD, FACS

Kefir: A Wonderful Probiotic

A picture of Milk Kefir grains (web picture not my own)

This country girl has gone through some mighty big and bold changes since moving to "the Middle of Nowhere"

Some have been gradual and some have been speedy. My gradual slide into healthy living has been the biggest and most surprising transformation yet. As some of my followers remember I was determined not to turn "crunchy"...

....Ugh, city dwellers, I hate to admit it, and, well darn it hurts, but I think I may just have become slightly chewy, NOT crunchy mind you, just a tad chewy.

I think the trouble started before I even moved here, It was when I realized I was intolerant to gluten, you have to get pretty ingenious to eat, when half of your food choices are taken away. That my friends was the start to my chewy journey...It is a slippery slope my friends, a slippery slope...

If I was to predict that I would be off Gluten, Sugar, and not able to wear makeup 5 years ago, I may have locked myself in a small dark room and called for chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate. Thing is I can't eat chocolate...oh I do love chocolate, the creamy dark goodness of it..ahh well so much for that. It makes me spacey, gives me migraines and raises my blood pressure..all of which are pretty nasty!

OK, OK back to the Kefir. My dear friend Agnes introduced me to the wonders of this stuff called a grain but is not an actual grain, more of a bacteria...sounds yummy, right? Truth be told this bacteria is filled with some mighty good probiotics too, did I have you at Probiotics?

I have found some great literature on Kefir here is some of what I found:

  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kefir  Wikipedia is always a good source right?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/ask-a-health-expert/whats-the-difference-between-yogurt-and-kefir/article7904569/   This one from the Globe and Mail

http://chriskresser.com/kefir-the-not-quite-paleo-superfood I like this one it is pretty informative!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlZrlm9tsrw Here is a u tube demo on how to make Milk kefir, the music is catchy and the lady is peppy!

So there you have it friends, some great info on the health benefits of Kefir. I also have water Kefir and Kombucha, although I have not been able to convince anyone (including myself) to try that one, it looks a little too liverish...eek! Update: The Kombucha went to an new forever home RIP dear liver, I am far too squeamish to try you!

I have to tell you my youngest loves water kefir, and asks for it daily, the other two drink it without much complaint! That says something right there, so I will continue this journey and let you know how it goes. If you need some water Kefir I have lots extra!

God Bless friends!

Gluten Free Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten free goodness

Simply the best, you wouldn't know they are gluten free. I have been tweaking my friends recipes again. She is simply the best cook around, no surprise that she works at a well known care home in Abbotsford. So thanks goes to Raelene K for the base of this delicious cookie recipe, us gluten free folks can now savor! Gluten free has never tasted so good...

OK so disclaimer, the flour substitute has a few ingredients but it is well worth the end result. I usually buy my Rice, Tapioca, and potato flours at the health food stores in large quantities, it is cheaper that way. But if you are looking for small sizes you can easily find them at Superstore. The Bob's Red Mill are your best bet for little packages.

Without further ado here we go...

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 3/4 Cups butter (because butter makes everything better) You can use margarine though..
1 3/4 Cups white sugar
1 Cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Cream together

3 cups of flour  

OR to make it gluten free
~2 cups Rice flour
~2/3 Cups Potato starch or flour
~1/3 Cups Tapioca Starch
~1 1/2 tsp Xantham gum

2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
3 Cups oatmeal (Gluten free~ I use Only Oats pure whole grain rolled oats)
1 1/2 Cups flaked coconut
2 cups chocolate chips

Blend everything together until well mixed, I used my kitchen Aid. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes till golden. For chewy cookies, do not over bake and use old fashion large flake oatmeal.

This makes a whole lotta yummy goodness. I froze most of them and bring them out a few at a time.
Enjoy~

Natural home spun Lavender body quench

 *These are the brands I use.*       

Body oil is excellent for dry skin. It feels extremely luxurious, but need not be kept for special occasions; body oil is a perfect moisturizer for every day use as it hydrates skin exceptionally well.
I use this every day and have extremely sensitive skin! 
~To use body oil: apply to damp skin after a warm shower (even better if you’ve used a body scrub). It soothes your legs beautifully after shaving. No more itchy scaly skin!

One side note: It may take a few minutes for the oil to soak into skin, so don’t rush and get dressed in your Sunday best right after application. (or else you may end up with oily stains).

Body oil is also wonderful when used during a massage treatment. Especially if it’s infused with lavender.
So relaxing . . .                                         

The recipe I am sharing today is very simple. In fact, it will probably take you longer to get the ingredients out of the cabinet than it will to make it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup oil. Use unscented coconut oil, (make sure it is unscented as you don't want the scents to compete with each other), safflower or sweet almond oil)

• 6 drops lavender essential oil. Use good quality oil to ensure the best results.

• Scant 1/8 tsp Vitamin E oil (or 10 drops)~ I don't add this as some brands contain gluten. (I am Gluten free)

Method

Pour all ingredients into a bowl.
Makes about 8 ounces.
It is easier to blend the ingredients in a cup especially is using coconut oil. If yusing coconut oil you can slightly melt the oil to get the lavender oil to mix evenly.
Pour into a glass bottle, and enjoy the relaxing moisturizing feel of a chemical free body quench!

Gluten Free: Baked Apple Treat you can whip up in a flash

Baked Apple Treat, Oh so yummy so sweet!

I have been craving some sweet gooey goodness.
Since apple pie and apple strudel are a no, no for us wheat free gals, I searched low and high for this yummy recipe!
My son always makes baked apples (a fine skill the lad gleaned from Scouts) on the open flame when we have a bonfire. I never eat them because they are just lacking a little something. This is the key to my locked mouth, oh yes please!
Give em a try you never know, perhaps they will be your new fave?

Baked Apples Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 large good baking apples, such as Rome Beauty, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup currants or chopped raisins
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 cup boiling water

Method

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Remove cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples. It helps if you have an apple corer, but if not, you can use a paring knife to cut out first the stem area, and then the core. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds. Make the holes about 3/4-inch to an inch wide.

2 In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, currants/raisins, and pecans. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with this mixture. Top with a dot of butter (1/4 of the Tbsp).

3 Add boiling water to the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.
Serve warm with vanilla icecream on the side.

Yield: Makes 4 servings. Don't forget the GF ICE CREAM!

Thank you for this recipe, you can find the original post at www.simplyrecipes.com

Allergy- Free Rice Krispy Treats!

 Here is the recipe for Allergy-Free Rice Krispie Treats.

To make these fun Valentine treats you’ll also need a heart shaped cookie cutter and gluten free chocolate chips.  melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute and stir it continuously until it is fully melted. Drizzle the chocolate sauce across the heart and sprinkle with red sprinkles.
Or you can frost it, with a recipe you trust, I like the one on the back of the Rogers Icing sugar bag!

 If you want to make them into Rice Krispie Heart Pops then you’ll also need lollipop sticks.

 I pray this treat will delight your allergy blessed children!

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

15 mins

Ingredients

• 3 TBS. Earth Balance Butter Substitute (dairy-free & soy-free)
• 4 cups Mini Marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies (Gluten free)
• ½ cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips or Enjoy Life Chocolate Chunks for drizzling
• Red Food Coloring (if you wish)
• Sprinkles

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Add in the marshmallows and stir until completely melted.
2. Remove from the heat. Add in the Rice Krispies and stir until well coated.
3. Use a greased (allergy free butter or shortening) spatula to spread the mixture onto a lightly greased 9×13 pan.
4. Once cooled, use a 2-3 inch heart shaped cookie cutter to cut out shapes.
5. Enjoy. ~   Happy Valentines Day!!

sweet potato brownies

   =  = smile!

 Sweet Potato Brownies

Who doesn't love Brownies, so when a friend shared this link, I also had to share it with you. If you would like to see the un- changed version you can go right to peace love and primal site. I made slight changes to her recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 Sweet Potato (Baked)
• 3 Eggs, whisked
• 1/4 cup Coconut Oil, melted
• 1/3 cup Raw Honey, sugar or natural maple syrup
• 1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips 
• 3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
• 2 tablespoons Cocoa Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Bake the sweet potato. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, puncture  sweet potato with several holes to allow for proper cooking. Bake for 25 minutes or so, until it is soft. once cooked, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
2. Peel the skin off the sweet potato and mash.
3. Combine the sweet potato mash with all the wet ingredients: coconut oil, honey, vanilla, and whisked eggs.
4. Now its time to add your dry ingredients: coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips so they are in every brownie bite!
6. Pour the batter into a greased 8x8 baking dish
7. Bake 30-35 Minutes...until the center is done
8. Let it cool

 http://peaceloveandprimal.blogspot.ca/2012/05/sweet-potato-brownies.html?spref=fb

Make-up madness

Now to just get the hair this "natural"

Had to share a wee story about shopping for "natural" make up.
So a woman from church told me about a very nice resort that sells natural make up. I have to tell you the city girl in me is missing putting on my face.
So you know me, I could not for the life of me remember the directions to the "resort"

So I wondered around down town, hehehe. So not a down town. It is a little shopping district on the old side of town. Very quaint and darling. I happened upon a little Chinese herbal store, it said natural cosmetics on the side, so I dashed in for a peek a boo. Dear daughter says" ugh it stinks in here", I reply "honey that's the "natural".

So over comes the chemist to help me and I tell him what I need, and the sweet man shows me several bottles, starts blending them together and rubs it on the back of his hand. It looks pretty good! I think he said something about grape seed oil as the base and some other "stuff" The grape seed oil is brown, but when mixed you can get pretty close to my natural color. Throw a little beet powder in and you get that rosy glow. hehe this dark man says oh, you are the same color as me! Love it!

So my dear friends it is worth a trip over just to see me, looking like I got a little too much sun, and beets on my cheeks!
I was thinking I could do this at home, grind up some grapes, rub on some beets, oh so, beautiful and oh so natural !!! :-)

I loved this little man, how often do you see a grown guy mixing up a concoction for a woman to slather all over her face in the name of vanity?
It was a good day....

Proverbs 31:30- 
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised

10 things to do with Kale.....

In my quest to find healthy things for my family to eat, I have happened upon a green leafy vegetable yep it's Kale.
Kale seems to be something that grows really great in this climate. So here are 10 things you can do with this green calcium packed veggie. Ready, set go!

Top 10 Things to Do with Kale  

1. Chop it up, saute’, and scramble with eggs.
2. Add a handful to yogurt, berries, and blend to make a green smoothie.
3. For a healthful addition to a cold pasta salad, add chopped kale to the pasta the last 10 minutes of the boil. Drain. Add pesto or your favourite oil and vinegar dressing and additional chopped vegetables (a great way to get rid of those random vegetables!)
4. Kale chips.
5. Add to your favourite stir fry recipe.
6. Add to any soup.
7. Greens in peanut sauce.
8. Saute’ and add to your favourite hummus recipe (pretty AND nutritious!)
9. Confetti Kale.
10. Kale Potato Soup.

What are your favourite kale recipes?

And here are some expressive pictures of my kale smoothie I forced my kids and dear husband to drink.

poo poo deodorizer, ah ya That's what I said!

The Oil Magic Trick That Hides Number too Given everything we know about the harmfulness of the ingredients in almost all store-bought air fresheners: Including phthalates that affect hormones, formaldehyde and petroleum distillates, and other VOCs that can trigger asthma and other respiratory problems, here is a most excellent post on how to rid the throne of that embarrassing odor. So don’t just cover stinky poo with even MORE stinky toxins. Pick up eucalyptus oil or peppermint essential oil and use teensy-tinsy amounts that pack a huge poo-fighting punch instead. Just as a reminder, you can buy eucalyptus oil on the cheap at just about any local natural foods store – it’s not hard to find! The Oil Magic Trick that Hides #2 How many of you work with other people? Raise your hands. How many of you live in close quarters with other people? Raise your hands. How many of you find yourself in a public place now and then? Raise your hands. Okay. You should all have raised hands at this point, which means you can’t scroll down anymore. So put your hands down. Thank you. The real kind. The stinky kind. The kind you don’t want anyone to know about. I have exciting news. I have something you can do to get rid of evidence of #2! It works, people. It really, really works. It doesn’t just halfheartedly mask odors (or toxic up the quality of your air) like bathroom sprays do. It traps them before they can even become an issue. It’s fresh and clean as the morning breeze. And nontoxic, so you’re not putting anything (but your own, um, issues) into the water supply. AND it’ll only cost you – at most – $5 for a bottle that’ll last months. Eucalyptus Oil For Preventative Bathroom Measures That’s right. Eucalyptus oil. Two to three drops in your toilet water, before doing your business, will nearly completely eliminate any odorous evidence that you’ve done anything. How to Use Essential Oil to Cover Your Tracks Before sitting on the toilet, place 2-3 drops of oil into the water in the bowl Do, you know, it Flush Walk out of the bathroom, confident that you’ve left no evidence of what you did in there Now, of course sometimes you (or your husband, who I’m very certain is probably going to be encouraged to use this the most) will overpower the abilities of the oil to some degree. But those times will probably only be after a Indian food binge – and you’ll feel so terrible anyway, it’s not like you’ll be in public.  And – you don’t HAVE to use eucalyptus. Peppermint, lemon, wintergreen … any relatively fresh and clean scented essential oil will do the trick. Heck, you could even mix some to tailor to your preferred scent.  Using eucalyptus oil is the example because a) it’s the strongest-smelling essential oil I know, b) it smells to me like a bathroom SHOULD smell, c) I like to spell out the word eucalyptus and d) it’s one of the least expensive essential oils. Why This Is the Coolest Weird Trick Ever These bottles are SO small, you can hide them anywhere: Tuck a bottle in your purse for on-the-go emergencies Keep a bottle in your desk drawer for unfortunate workday calls Tape a bottle to your husband so he doesn’t forget Tuck a bottle on the back of your toilet or bathroom cabinet  (PS – Eucalyptus oil should never be ingested, so keep out of the reach of your little ones.) Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due I did not come up with this idea all by myself. Crunchy Betty is my "Natural Blog post queen", this is her very, interesting idea! I love sharing her ideas, thanks Betty!

soap, natural toothpaste sucks!

Well I did it.
I will not do it again trust me on that!

You are probably thinking what is she talking about right?
Well this country girl has been trying things here at home to improve your life in the city. In doing that I have sampled quite a few different facial and skin remedies, I have tried natural gardening. Which by the way does not work, just go and grab the round up and slug bait my friends.

I am sure you will have a garden if you do, because all I have is healthy green grass, and let me tell you the only good thing it is good for is making dogs throw up!

But back to my newest remedy healthy toothpaste.
I read last night that the toothpaste I have been using for my entire life is not healthy and can make your teeth recede. so I did what the "doctor" told me I used his idea....get ready...I did.... It was soap any old house hold bar soap it said and I thought well if I was going to put soap on my tooth brush and take the hit for my friends then it had better be natural soap so I used goat soap.
Oh my word ......
I put it on started brushing and thought well this is not so bad, until it hit my tongue.
 It tasted terrible.
You see I was a very good child I never had my mouth washed out with soap. It is punishment, indeed!

So after several rinses, some gagging and lots of not so happy comments I finally rinsed what I thought was the rest of the soap out.

 I still taste soap, and perfume.
I think I blew bubbles all night.

Hey I could be the newest country sideshow at the fair, country girl who blows bubbles...entertaining!

So sorry to say this was so not worth it, don't care if I am a 50 year old with no teeth, I would rather brush with my sensitive teeth toothpaste any day, thank you very much!

So rest assured you now do not have to try this at home I took the hit for you!
If you need a bubble blowing side show I am available for the next couple of days any way. Hugs!


Here is the link if you don't believe me...... http://www.detailshere.com/dentalhealth.htm

John 15:13 

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. Or eat soap! :-)

How to treat a sunburn with tea!!

 

 

How to treat a sunburn

Ok so it is now finally summer and while browsing some cool sites I came across this post.

I am so going to try it tonight as I can feel a little burn on my back starting to tingle. Yep didn't apply the sunscreen on my self, did everyone else, but me. Silly silly girl!


But Oh, Oh, Oh it was such a lovely time of playing in the river today, I am loving it here now that it is summer! so here it is try it I am.
 I think I may have a nice cup of tea and just stick the tea bag right onto the burn, I am still a city girl at heart and easy is my thing, besides who wants to clean the bath tub!

If this works Its an extremly easy and effective method to treat a painful sunburn. Not to mention cheap, because I am such a cheapo!

Step 1:Gathering materials

You will need a total of five things.

1. A bathtub to do this in (preferably ceramic, so it wont stain)
2. A pitcher
3. A rag that you dont mind getting stained
4. Water
5. Three bags of black tea (I use Earl Grey)

Three Earl Grey tea bags,Old rag,Pitcher,Dirty ceramic bathtub

Step 2:Fill the pitcher

First things first, strip down, because you dont want to get any of your clothes wet. Fill the pitcher with warm water and soak the tea bags in it. When you have the water almost black, like the picture, then move on to step 3.


Almost black tea water

Step 3:Healing the wound

Dunk the rag into the tea, and dab it onto the sunburn. DO NOT WIPE IT OFF! Leave it on and let it be absorbed into your skin. Once its dry, re-apply as necessary, but never wash it off. If you do this process before bedtime, you can go to sleep and give it time to work its magic. In the morning you can wash it off in your shower. The sunburn should be substantially subsided or all gone, but remember: the sooner you can apply the tea after you get the burn, the quicker and more effective it will be.

Note: I had a severe sunburn and I also used the tea bags straight up, dabbing them directly onto my skin. You may use as many "coats" of tea as you want, but the more the better.

Posted to Instructables by drpepper8412 (The original poster)

Update: You got food on your face!

Update on the honey and Coconut oil experiment.  

My experiment for the last two weeks is complete and I am happy to say it seems to be a complete sucsess!
This is going to be my wonderful new facial regimen.

Coconut oil (organic) every morning and night
and a weekly honey facial, my skin is so much better than it has been in a long time. It is soft, moisturized and glowing!

Added to this is my new favorite body moisturizer of extra virgin olive oil.

Oh I am so very naturally Country now.
Just don't sit too close to me as I kind of smell like Olive oil, :-)