Tell me More!

We had a pretty exciting Thanksgiving Day, actually!

When we got to the house (after sleeping in super late and having a very leisurely morning) Mary and Brint were involved in a somewhat intense "discussion" about the turkey's stat- as in, he said it was done, she said it was not.

I was immediately pulled into the "discussion", and I determined that the turkey was, in fact, DONE.

That being settled, we continued on with the rest of the dinner's preparations.

The oven was on, and the kitchen kept getting smokier and smokier, and we realized that the turkey grease had spilled onto the bottom of the oven.

So, we opened windows to let the smoke out.

I was at the stove stirring the gravy, when my eyes really started to water and burn. The rolls were in the oven (which I was supposed to be keeping an eye on and had completely forgotten, actually!) when Mary said "Oh! the rolls!" and opened the oven door.

Black smoke rolled out and she yelps

"The oven is on fire!"

And it was!
There were FLAMES on the bottom of the oven!!!

So we're standing there saying
"The oven's on fire! The oven's on fire! What do we do?!?!"

"WES!!!!!!"

(Wes is a firefighter. This is always a handy profession to have in the family. Especially on July 4th when you buy fireworks from out of state and put them off in the street... but I wouldn't know anything about that...)

Wes comes over and very calmly puts the fire out.
With salt.
Baking soda would work, too.

Gee. I forgot all about that....

Happy Late Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope yours' was GREAT! We went to George's sister's home and had a LOVELY time. We spent the night before at a hotel nearby, and had a nice little get-away. I had to work on "Black Friday" so that was sort of stinky- especially since it seemed I was suffering from exposure to "little kid germs". But, I slept well last night, and am off today- feeling much better, especially after taking Airborne.

Not much new going on... we're counting down the days until our Christmas Bahamas trip. Can't wait!! I have a very busy week this week- meeting friends a couple days, working, Open House where I work, decorating the church for Christmas... whew!

So that's all for now! :-)

Choco-NOT!

Okay, this morning I decided to try out the "chocolate shampoo".

What transpired was like an Oompa-Loompa experiment gone terribly wrong and a Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory explosion all in one.

Chocolate syrup was all over the inside of my shower, dripping off of me, running down the drain...

(Although, I have to say-it smelled HEAVENLY in there!!!)

However, I can't say that it did one-single-thing to improve the appearance of my hair.
It was just very hard to rinse out, and then I had the entire shower to hose down.

In a nutshell (chocolate coated of course) I don't recommend this particular beauty treatment.

Aren't you glad you have me?!?!
hahahahaha!!!!

p.s. I could totally see adding this to your bath with some epsom salts and soaking in chocolate deliciousness, however. Just be certain to have some chocolate on hand... because you WILL start to crave it!! ;-)

Chocolate?!?

Oh my gosh, can this really work?!?!
I am reading a book called Fast Beauty- 1,000 Quick Fixes by Rona Berg.
Listen to this all you brunettes out there...

If you're a brunette and your haircolor looks flat, mix a teaspoon of
unsweetened Hershey's cocoa (will Ghirardelli work?!?) into your palm with
a few squirts of shampoo and wash your hair. It will make the color look
richer, more lustrous, and, well, more chocolately! Plus it smells
yummy!

Just a quick little update to say... all is well! There is really nothing new to report... George did go to see his doctor here on Wednesday, and has a couple scans lined up. We don't anticipate any problems with those. We are just trying to stay to the diet and the protocols and I'm trying to not let it take over my entire life... aahhh!!

We do have some "family issues" that if you pray- God will understand. Thanks.

We are looking forward to the holidays! We are spending Thanksgiving with his sister this year at her home- we haven't done that in years, and it's always such a great time.
For Christmas, we are running away to a tropical island- we are taking advantage of part of our internet travel business and going to the Bahamas!

So, that's about it for now... I DID get a really great pair of cowboy boots at the antique mall the other day..... :-D

NEVER FORGET!

This remarkable video was put together by our grandson (George's oldest daughter's son), 13 year-old Zachary.
He wants to be a Marine when he grows up...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGt1htrAK8w

knock-knock! who's there? ALOE! Aloe who??

Aloe! How are you??

hehe.

Okay- I may have discovered my new fash wash. But... time will tell. I was trying the coconut oil, which feels wonderful- but started getting a few new pimples, and we canNOT have that!! it still makes a wonderful eye makeup remover and I am using it on my lips and as an undereye moisturizer and for my hair and my cuticles... not to mention to cook with...!! Great stuff.

Anyway- I am trying out aloe vera gel- so far so good. This needs to be pure gel, or at least close to pure with no alcohol. Pure is definitely better. Here is what I've been reading about aloe:

*****
(from http://www.rootsherbal.com/PageGels.html)

Benefits: Aloe Vera is nature's miraculous gift for complete everyday skin care (as well as for hair) and can be used by both men and women of all ages. Below are the most important benefits.
Moisturizes, cleans, smoothens, and softens the skin.
Prevents wrinkles and keeps the skin fresh, young and gives it a healthy glow.
Protects from the after effects of sun rays, dust, smoke, exhaust fumes etc.
Provides relief from burns and skin inflammation.
Reduces swelling, pain and treats bruises
Stimulates dermal cells and rejuvenates skin

How to use:
For everyday use: Simply apply the gel anywhere on the body including face, neck and hands. Let the gel dry. First it turns into a thin flaky white layer. This is normal. Give it some time and it will slowly become a moistures, transparent and invisible film that supplies nutrients to skin. This film protects skin from exposing to harmful dust, sun rays, smoke, exhaust fumes etc. If the initial flakiness bothers you during day time, you can also use it at night time and wash it off in the morning.

Other uses:
As a cleanser: Take half a spoon of gel and dip a piece of cotton (or a soft cloth) into it. Move the cotton in the upward and outward motion all over the face, neck and even areas under and around eyes. It is completely safe to use this gel near eyes. This process will help remove the dust, grease, oiliness, perspiration, old make-up etc. Use it every night and see for yourself what a difference it will make in the morning.
After-wax relief: Apply gel over the areas that have been waxed. Aloe helps to soothe, moisturize, heal and cool the de waxed surface.
After-bath lotion: Take a spoonful of aloe vera gel and add 4-5 drops of lemon juice or glycerin (or both). Mix well and apply all over the body for a long-lasting refreshing feeling.
After-shave lotion: Aloe gel can be used as an excellent natural after-shave lotion. Apply gel on the shaved areas either by itself or by mixing with a few drops of lime, lavender or rose oil.
For burns: Aloe vera greatly diminishes the chances of scar if applied immediately after the burn occurred. It also helps in faster healing and relives pain.
As a shampoo and conditioner: When it comes to hair, it is no secret that the less chemicals you expose your hair to, the better it is. Aloe vera is an excellent natural hair conditioner and can be used in greatly reducing the amount of shampoo you use and can completely eliminate the need to use other chemical conditioners. Take your favorite shampoo (preferably herbal) and pour in a bowl just half the amount you normally use for each hair wash. Add to it twice the amount of aloe vera gel and mix well. While in shower, after the hair is wet, simply use the mixture as you use a normal shampoo. For most hair (especially short hair) there is no need for a conditioner afterwards. If your hair is long and feel the need for further conditioning, you could do so by using only half the amount of conditioner you normally use. For short hair, if you feel the need for more conditioning, after the hair wash, take half a spoon of aloe vera and run it through the hair with fingers. Let it stay for 3-5 minutes and rinse it off.
*****

Sounds pretty interesting, eh?!? Unfortunately, some people have allergies to this little miracle (Lacy!) so be careful- test first before putting it all over your body.

Hmmm... to answer your questions... and other stuff... AND AN UPDATE!!

• Yogurt has lactic acid in it so it's supposed to gently exfoliate and cleanse the skin. It felt pretty nice! I'm not sure how practical unless I plan to wash my face in the kitchen every night...
• PLAIN yogurt- no flavored yogurt on the face! :-)
• No, I do not use a waterpic- but I do wish I had one!! Just good ol' string floss.
• I flossed BEFORE the yogurt wash. I usually floss, then wash my face, then brush my teeth, then do my other skin care stuff. (like anyone cares, but there ya go! haha!)

Okay, THAT was fun!!

And thanks for the input about the tees! Need to get over to Target and Old Navy!

I have been doing some more reading... and it seems that just plain ol' water is a very good cleanser. Just friction and water- a lot of people swear by it. May give it a try for a few days. Certainly would save a lot of money!! I spent about an hour perusing the aisle at the health food store for a replacement cleanser... and just got frustrated and left empty-handed. My skin is problematic, but it hasn't been for years because of the skin care regime I currently use (Paula's Choice, remember?)- however, it is full of the "bad ingredients"!! I am scared to start using new products on my face and dealing with all the old problems!!

Another thing I read that I thought was really interesting is to use dry powdered milk as a face wash! I think it might follow the same reasoning as the yogurt (think Cleopatra who reportedly took daily milk baths for her beautiful skin!), only you could keep it in the bathroom closet! You just shake some into your hand, add water, and scrub your face. That might be worth a try to me...

As for a natural eye makeup remover, I came across this entertaining video:

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/natural-eye-make-up-remover-coconut-oil/768211688

Okay! will keep adding ideas as I come across them!!

UPDATE!!

Leah- I am updating this post in response to your comment... it is interesting you should mention cleansing with oil because last night- I did just that!!

I used coconut oil. I decided to try it for the eye makup removal- FABULOUS!- and then thought to myself, I said "SELF.." haha! sorry. Anyway.... it occurred to me that if coconut oil could melt eyeshadow and mascara off my face then surely it could melt powder and undereye concealer!

1. So I scooped a little out and rubbed it all over my face. It feels SOOO good to do that!!! then I rinsed.
2. Then I followed up with a little shake of baking soda and gently scrubbed my face with that to make sure I got all the coconut oil off (baking soda is the BEST physcial exfoliant).
3. Then I used raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar as a toner! I wet the cotton round, then put a little apple cider vinegar on it, and then rubbed my whole face with it. That is supposed to balance your skin's pH.
   

I am doing a little reading about making your own salicylic acid toner, which is what has kept my skin in really good shape for years (Paula's Choice Beta Hydroxy Acid is basically salicylic acid in a liquid, gel, or lotion). I will update about that later- but it helps tremendously with blackheads and breakouts and overall good skin condition.

I also want to learn more about undistilled witch hazel as a toner- without alcohol. Think I will buy some and try it out...

Stay tuned!!

Confessions...

• It often takes me a week to unpack and put everything away.
• I leave clothes in the dryer- a lot.
• I wear the cute shoes- no matter how much it hurts.
• I can't sleep if I don't floss.
• I washed my face with yogurt last night!
• 90% of my clothes have come from thrift stores.

That reminds me... where is a good place to get fitted white v-neck tees CHEAP??

November 4

I steer away from politics on my blog- but today is ELECTION DAY (as if none of us know that!! whew!! FINALLY!!!).

Get out there and VOTE!!

Today is my first day back to work in about a month....!!!

The List

Here is a list we were given at the Treatment Center of the top ingredients to avoid in personal care products (hair/body/skin):

*Butylene Glycol

*DEA (Diethanolamine)/MEA (Monoethanolamine)/TEA (Triethanolamine)

*Fragrance

*Parabens (butyl/methyl/ethyl/propyl/isobutyl)

*Phthalates (Dibutyl DBT), di(2-thylhexyl) (DEHP),di-ethyl phthalate (DEP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP)

*Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)

*PPD (P-Phenylenediamine)

*Propylene Glycol (Propan-1, 2-diol, PG, Propylenglycolum)

*Sodium Lauryl/Laureth Sulphate-SLS/SLES

*Toluene (Toloul, Methylbenzene)

*Triclosan (5-Chloro-2(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)-phenol)

*Xylene (Xylol or Dimethylbenzene)


A little overwhelming and a little frustrating... but I'm going to try. My biggest concern is that I've been using the same skincare for about 10 years now and LOVE IT. I am afraid to start experimenting again... and dealing with breakouts after getting it under control for so long.


Here’s a database to use to check your current products and their hazard levels- http://www.cosmeticdatabase.org

For what price beauty?

I learned a LOT at the Treatment Center, and I plan to share tidbits now and then... of real concern are all the chemicals in our cosmetics, hair and body care products that are potential carcinogens (cancer-causing) and hormone disrupters.

A website for all women...
http://www.safecosmetics.org/

Looking for a deodorant with no chemicals in it to potentially cause breast cancer?? Alba Organics Clear Enzyme Deodorant is a SAFE bet!!

Just Added- here's a blog to follow if you are interested in pursuing safer personal care products- I like to learn from those who have gone before, myself. :-) Easier that way!! haha!

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/green-girl-disposes-of-endocrine-disruptors.html

ONE MORE LINK!!

Just came across this- www.100percentpure.com

HOME!!

When they say there is no place like home, they aren't kidding!
As sad as I was to leave behind the beautiful ocean views, all the fabulous organic produce available year round, and the gorgeous sunny days... it still feels wonderful to sleep in my own bed, shower in my own bathroom, and get comfy on my very own sofa. ahhhhhh!!!

We were sent home with a great prognosis! George's outlook for healing is excellent. We have a "regime" of diet and supplements and follow-up procedures to keep him on the right path. We are very optimistic, and feel great hope for his outcome.

This is great!!!