Homemade Maple Granola

Brad and I used to be big cereal eaters until we learned that it's actually not so good for you.  As an adult I avoided high sugar cereals, choosing boxes that boasted of whole grains and high fibre.  I think pretty well everyone knows that Lucky Charms isn't the best option, but it turns out that even the "healthy" cereals like Vector or Special K, aren't good options either.  Commercial cereals are put through high heat, high pressure processes which strip the grains of most nutritional value they had.  It also destroys the structure of the amino acids which leaves them potentially harmful to our bodies.  Even the fortified cereals are pretty well useless, nutritionally speaking, because the vitamins added are man made.  The body treats many of these odd "vitamins" as toxins and eliminates them as quickly as possible.

Making granola is something that I have been wanting to do for a long time ever since I learned all this.  We've been buying muesli in place of cereal, but I knew it had to be overpriced compared to making it at home.  I always had it in my head that making granola would be some long, complicated process, so I put it off.  Well, I finally did it, and it was so easy!  This recipe has my own alterations from a recipe at Earthbound Farm's website.  You can add or remove any grains, seeds, nuts, and dried fruit as you like.

The Wife Life Maple Granola
-4 1/2 c steel cut oats (not quick cook)
-3/4 c raw sunflower seeds
-1 1/2 c raw almonds (coarsely chop)
-1/4 c flax seeds
-1/4 c hemp seeds
-2 tbsp ground cinnamon
-1 c maple agave syrup
-1/4 c honey
-1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
-1 c raisins

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Place oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Stir.
3. Add syrup and oil.  Stir until moistened.
5. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet.
6. Bake for about 25 min until begins to brown.  Take out and stir.
7. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and dry.  Take out and stir.
8. Put the baking sheet on a cooling rack.  Add the raisins and stir.  Allow to cool.

We both really like this granola. We eat it just with milk (rice milk) in place of cereal for breakfast.  It's cheaper than buying muesli or granola in the store, and tastes way better than the store bought stuff too.  This size recipe lasted us about a month eating it 5 days a week each.  It's so simple to replace different seeds, nuts, etc to change it up sometimes too.  It would also be good served as a topping on different foods such as yogurt.


Have you made your own granola?  What do you eat for a healthy breakfast?

A Fresher Night's Sleep: Mattress Cleaner

Baking soda has so many uses.  This weekend we tried out a new one to us.  Cleaning the mattress!  I have pretty bad allergies, so I am always somewhat concerned about dust especially in our bedroom (though most of the time not concerned enough to do much about it).  Our mattress is ooold.  It's the mattress I grew up sleeping on and brought along when we got married.  Since in bed is where I spend 8-10 hours a day, I decided it was high time to clean it and found a natural way to do so.

I've moved to a new website! Head on over to Heartful Habits for the natural mattress cleaner recipe. Thanks!

"Cream" of Broccoli Soup

We are vegetarians, and while I can't see us becoming vegans (at least not any time soon), we do have concerns about where our eggs and dairy products come from.   For this reason, we do our best to get higher quality, local, etc products or avoid certain items all together.  And sometimes it's just fun to try a vegan recipe.  This post is a little bit of both.

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup (found at Take Part as part of their Meatless Monday recipe collection)

2 bunches broccoli
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
4 c vegetable stock
1 russet potato
salt and  pepper

1. Chop florets and stalk of broccoli.  Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat.  Add chopped onion, and sweat about 10 minutes.
3. Add stock and chopped potato.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, and simmer until soft (about 12 minutes).
4. Stir in chopped broccoli.  Simmer until soft (about 10 minutes).
5. Remove from heat and puree in a blender until smooth.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.  Optionally, drizzle with olive oil, good vinegar, or a squeeze of lemon.

Served with fresh home baked bread.  Yum!

I loved this soup.  To start with, it was so quick and simple to make.  It is definitely up there in my list of favourite soups in regard to flavour as well.  It was also satisfying and filling without being heavy.  It is perfect for dipping with bread.  It was a soup I couldn't get enough of.  As soon as one spoonful was in my mouth, I wanted another one.

I wanted to share this recipe because even though most of you out there are not vegetarians, I think that reducing meat consumption is a viable option for everyone willing.  If for one day a week everyone in the States ate meatless, it would be the environmental equivalent of not driving 91 billion miles.  Or, according to Rodale, if just one day a week every family in the US left out meat and cheese, it would reap the environmental benefits of taking the family car off of the road for five full weeks.

What is your favourite meatless, or even vegan, meal?

Natural Drain Cleaner Fail

My husband is a scientist which means periodically we do science experiments in our house.  Yesterday we made a volcano in our shower drain.  Why, you ask.  Because I keep reading and hearing that vinegar and baking soda are the best non toxic drain cleaner.  I pretty well shed like a dog, and my hair has the nasty tendency to clog up our shower drain.  In the past a plunger has always done the trick, but that is no longer working.  I didn't want to use Drano, and I already had baking soda and vinegar in the house.

We put:
-1/8 c baking soda
-1/8 c vinegar
down the drain and shut the plug.  We allowed that to sit for about 30 minutes.  Then we poured hot water down the drain for about 2 minutes.  That step almost killed me with guilt for the waste of water.

The results: It didn't work.  Having the shower run for a few minutes still resulted in the tub filling up.  I have heard so many people talk about this though, so I know it must work.  I am turning to you now to ask for your experiences with this.

What did I do wrong?

*Note:
I'm now using a new platform, but you can still subscribe or just check in on your own as you wish.  I'm feeling enthusiastic about this new venture, and I hope you will join me!  You can hop on over to the new site here:

Gracepoint

The Power of Tea Series: Ginger

At the beginning of March I had a killer cold.  At first I thought it was the allergy season starting, but then it got worse and worse.  I was constantly having to blow my nose but there was no relief in my congestion.  I could hardly get out of bed because of the pressure in my head.  This is when I knew it had to be more than just allergies.  I immediately began looking for a herbal tea to soothe my symptoms and help my body heal.  My choice was ginger.

Ginger Tea
-2 cups boiling water
-1 inch piece of ginger - I used fresh, but you could also use dried or powdered
-optional: honey, thought I don't find this necessary

{photo source}

The effects of the ginger tea were noticeable within the hour.  Ginger helps break up the mucus and flush it out.  I could breath much better through my nose.  I was still blowing my nose a lot, but I was getting some relief from it.  It helped significantly with my congestion.  I believe it also helped my immune system fight off the infection and get healthy quicker.  I sipped on this all throughout the day even taking it with me while going out.

I used ginger tea for its power against congestion, but there are also many other benefits.  Here are some:
-treatment for motion sickness (Gravol has even made a ginger chewable pill)
-heartburn relief
-treats nausea and morning sickness
-anti-inflammatory
-painkiller
-treats menstrual cramps
-sore throat relief - I have written about this before as well in this post

Have you ever had ginger tea?

The Power of Tea Series: Cinnamon

I love tea.  It's been a sudden and powerful love that has grown quickly.  Actually I should be more specific.  I love herbal tea.  For years I never considered drinking tea nor coffee.  I still don't drink coffee.  First I drank it because it was something healthy and warm I could drink through the winter.  Now as I've gotten more into this natural lifestyle and home remedies, I have discovered the healing power of tea.  That is the inspiration for this series.

Cinnamon is such a wonderful experience for many of the senses.  Fortunately it also has many health benefits.  The first time I ever drank cinnamon tea was when I was sick with the flu.  I had read that it is helpful in alleviating nausea, and at 2 in the morning I was desperate for anything I could find in the house already.

Cinnamon Tea
-approx 4 sticks of cinnamon
-2 cups boiling water
-optional: add honey to sweeten, though I find this unnecessary

Simmer cinnamon sticks in boiling water.  Allow to steep and cool to a comfortable temperature for drinking. 

I think mason jars are perfect for making huge cups for tea.

It was very effective and quite tasty.  The smell of the cinnamon was the best part.  It had a soothing effect on my stomach and helped me be able to get back to sleep.  I was so happy with the results, I looked into cinnamon further and discovered that it has many other health benefits as well.  Here are a few:
-improves circulation
-eases cold symptoms
-eases flu symptoms and upset stomachs
-alleviates indigestion
-acts as an aid to menstrual symptoms
-even found to aid in weight loss

What are your thoughts on cinnamon tea?  What other teas would you like to see featured in this series?

Natural Zit Zapper

During boxing week sales after Christmas, I had to stop in at one of my favourite stores, Saje.  A bunch of products were on for half off, so I decided to purchase and try out the "Zap" roll on acne treatment.  It is an essential oil blend of tea tree, geranium, lavender, patchouli, and a few others.  This blend is specially designed to eliminate bacteria, reduce excess oil, and promote healing for blemishes.  It is used as a spot treatment on acne.  I have been using it twice daily, and it is amazingly effective!  I recently went for 3 weeks without washing my face at all, I only used this as a spot treatment as necessary.

 

{photo source} 

I realize that most people reading this don't have access to a Saje store (since they are only in BC, Canada), though you can order online.  Another option I thought of though is to make your own!  I will admit, when I took my newly purchased Zap home and read the ingredients, I felt a little ripped off (and thankful I got it for half off).  I had lavender and tea tree essential oils at home already.

So, I recommend to any of you looking for an acne spot treatment to make your own version of this.  Simply combine tea tree and lavender essential oils, perhaps geranium or patchouli as well if you have them.  Then you can dab it on as necessary using a q-tip or some other reusable alternative I haven't thought of yet.  That is what I am planning to do when my Zap bottle runs out.

What natural treatments do you use on acne?

Natural Deodorant Stick Recipe

Switching from antiperspirant to homemade deodorant was a crunchy leap I have wanted to take for a long time, but I was too scared.  Buying natural or crystal deodorant is another option, but I find them expensive and often the ingredients are not 100% natural.  Another preference for me was that it would be in stick form.  I found this recipe on Keeper of the Home which she has altered and worked on, and thus I trusted it would turn out well.  I have finally made the leap!

Natural Deodorant Stick
-1/8 c arrowroot powder
-1/8 c baking soda
-2 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
-1 heaping tbsp beeswax
-2 drops castor oil (optional - helps it to slide on better)
-8 drops tea tree essential oil
-8 drops lavender essential oil
-up to another 10 drops of another essential oil for scent purposes

1. Add all ingredients into a small pot over medium heat on the stove.
2. Stir until everything has melted into a smooth consistency.
3. Have a container ready.  We emptied mainstream deodorant containers and washed them out in a pot of boiling water.  Make sure it is turned back down the bottom.
4. Pour the melted mixture into the container until full.
5. Allow to cool and set on the counter for a couple of hours.

It is a good idea to have a "detox" period of about a week where you use no deodorant or antiperspirant after quitting the mainstream stuff and before beginning the natural replacement.  I was happy to be doing this in the winter.  When you do use it, this homemade deodorant will be softer than conventional deodorant.  Be careful not to twist it up too high when using or to put on too much.  Also, this will not prevent you from sweating, it will only prevent you from smelling bad.  I have heard that your body will adjust as time goes by.  I am still waiting to see.

I have been really impressed with the effectiveness of this deodorant.  We made one for Brad as well, and it works even on his man sweat.  Neither of us have been smelly, in fact we can smell the scents of the essential oils we each used.  Mine is lavender scented, and Brad's is the spa spirit essential oil blend from the Spa Spirit Lip Balm post.  The only downside I have come across thus far is that our white shirts end up with yellow in the arm pits, but I haven't found it to be a big deal.  I am not sure what exactly causes this though.  Is anyone out there able to educate me?

Have you tried any natural alternatives to antiperspirant?

Herbal Fire Starters

On Whole Living's website they have a list of 25 Eco-Chic Ideas for Your Home.  Most of them are really fantastic, and I encourage you to check them out.  One that caught my eye was the herbal fire starter.  I thought this would be especially relevant for a winter post because I am sure some of you heat your homes with wood fires or have them occasionally as a treat.

Herbal Fire Starters
To make:  Bundle combinations of herbs and small pine cones in newspaper.  Tie ends with twine/raffia/hemp, etc.
To use: Place one fire starter underneath the log pile with ends sticking out.  Light newspaper end on fire.

We put ours in groups of cinnamon with sage and lavender with rosemary then secured them with hemp.

Herbal fire starters are a natural alternative to lighter fluid.  They also add a wonderful aromatic aspect to the fire.  Putting the bundles together was actually a lot of fun as well.  Brad and I made most of these as a gift for an outdoorsy friend and also a few for ourselves to enjoy this summer out at our fire pit or while camping.

As a side note, I want to briefly mention that wood fires do quite significant damage to the environment.  I encourage those who enjoy the warmth and coziness of a fire to look into composite logs.  There are many options made from clean burning renewable resources.

What is an eco-chic idea you've implemented in your home?

Onion Cough Syrup

This is such a great, simple cough and cold remedy.  I first discovered it on Vintage Savoir Faire, a fantastic blog I read.  A while back Brad had a nagging cough, which was the perfect time to try it out.  Onion is a common home remedy for a variety of ailments.  Onions are high in the anti-oxidant quercetin which boosts the immune system.  Also, it is also known to be an effective expellant of phlegm.  Onion is similar in its healing power to garlic, though more gentle.

Onion Cough Syrup
-1 small onion
-sugar
-container with a lid

Peel and slice onion.  Make layers of onion and sugar inside the jar.  Cover with lid.

Allow to sit 6-8 hours.  Take a spoonful of the syrup as needed.

Brad thought it was a good remedy.  It tasted pretty bad, but not unbearable, like sweet onion.  It was easy to make and easy to take.  He said it felt very soothing when he took it, and it helped quickly with the cough.  The biggest downside was his breath afterwards, haha.  The downside from my point of view is that it takes 6-8 hours to make.  Also, I have read that sugar suppresses the immune system, and thus I wonder if it is hindering the healing process.  Perhaps honey would work in place of it.

How do you fight off a cough?

Cold Hands, Warm Heart - Hand Warmers

We only have one car, and thus Brad spends a lot of time outside waiting for the bus.  Usually this isn't a big deal, but at 6 in the morning through the winter, it's certainly not enjoyable.  For this reason, I made Brad hand warmers for a stocking stuffer at Christmas.  It was simple and cheap.  I had all the materials in my house already.  Plus, these use natural products and are reusable as opposed to the processed, disposable kind.

Hand Warmers

What you need:
-felt/wool/fleece (I used scraps of felt from another project. An old or worn out sweater or blanket would be another great option.)
-needle and thread
-rice

Cut fabric into reasonable size pieces.  I cut mine into circles 2 3/4 inches in diameter.  Sew two together along the edges leaving a gap of about an inch.

Carefully pour 1-2 tsp of rice into the packet.  Sew the gap shut and tie.

To use:
Warm in microwave/oven/toaster oven.  If using an oven or toaster oven, lay on the rack.  Place into pockets, gloves, boots, slippers or anywhere else for extra warmth.  Great for waiting for the bus, watching outdoor sporting events, engaging in winter sports, walking in cold weather, etc.  No chemicals and no disposal.

It's so easy.  Once they've warmed up, they hold their heat well.  I recommend them.

What have you done to combat the cold weather?

Easy Toilet Bowl Cleaner

I've previously spoken about what a danger household cleaning products are to our health and the environment.  You can check out this post for more information if you're interested.  Since learning all of this, I have been switching over my cleaning products.  When I ran out of toilet bowl cleaner, I looked around on the internet for a natural alternative.

I've moved to a new website! Head on over to Heartful Habits for the borax toilet bowl cleaner post. Thanks!

Giveaway Winner + Simple Ginger Sore Throat Relief

Today is the day!  The deadline for the giveaway was last night, and the draw has been made.  The winner of the Wife Life prize pack is... *drum roll*

Susan with her comment, "i follow you on your RSS feed."

Congratulations Susan!  You will be receiving:
-3 Lavender Love Lotion Bars (post here)
-1 container of Lemon Meringue Moisturizer (post here)
-2 tubes of Spa Spirit Lip Balm (post here) 

Thank you to everyone who entered!  I am thrilled to have so many suggestions for blog posts and am excited to cover those topics in the future.  Now on to more serious business...

-------------------------------

'Tis the season for colds and flus.  Brad had gotten a pretty rough sore throat.  I have find it easy to find many natural remedies for coughs, and have even written about a honey and lemon one here, but the sore throat remedies seem to be scarce.  Luckily for me I found an old post on Keeper of the Home about ginger.

Ginger Sore Throat Relief
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp olive oil

Take 1/2 tsp at a time.  Swallow slowly to coat the throat.  The ginger is for its anti-inflammatory properties and ground clove is for pain relief.

Appetizing, isn't it?

Brad took this the night we made it before bed and woke up the next morning pain-free.  I made him take it again that morning for good measure, and the sore throat never returned.  Very effective!  I have also been thinking of how to make this into more of a throat lozenge.  Should make for a good experiment another day. Before I finish up, I want to be straight with you.  This - stuff - tastes - awful.  Be prepared.

Do you have any sore throat remedies?

Natural Multi Purpose Cleaner

Way back when, some of you may remember that I made 3 cleaning products as a bridal shower gift for a friend.  I've already covered the homemade laundry soap and a natural air freshener.  Today I am talking about a multi purpose cleaner.

I've moved to a new website! Head on over to Heartful Habits for the natural multi-purpose cleaner recipe. Thanks!

Spa Spirit Lip Balm

Lip balm is a beauty staple.  Unfortunately it is also toxic (mainstream brands) and addictive.  I admit that I was once addicted to lip balm, and have had to take steps to breaking that addiction.  It sounds silly when talking about lip balm, but that has truly been how my experience felt.  It is now a priority of mine to keep what I put on my lips natural and safe while still using it sparingly.

After checking out EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database for this post, I found that popular brands such as Blistex, Maybelline, Softlips, and Avon (even the "natural" line) were in the top ten most toxic lip balms.  These toxins are absorbed easily through the thin skin covering the lips and also through ingestion from eating or licking the lips.  To combat this, I have chosen to make my own lip balm.  This is a slightly modified recipe for homemade lip balm originally from Eco Beauty by Lauren Cox.

Spa Spirit Lip Balm

1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp grated beeswax
1 tsp sweet almond oil
1/8 tsp vitamin E oil
3-5 drops essential oil blend of grapefruit, eucalyptus, benzoin, and peru balsam

The supplies.

Combine all ingredients into a small glass dish and place into a pan with a few inches of water (or microwave).  Heat and stir until everything is combined.  Pour into a suitable container of your choice.

Allow to cool completely.  Enjoy!
(To make 2 lip balms as shown in this picture, double the recipe.)

A friend and I made it and were both pleased after using them.  The consistency was great without being gloppy or greasy.  They are packed with moisturizing ingredients making this a perfect recipe for the winter especially.

If you're interested in learning more about cosmetics or taking action against the toxins in most beauty products, I encourage you to check out the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

------------

Don't forget about the current giveaway going on right now!  Part of the prize pack is winning 2 tubes of this lip balm.  Check out this post to enter.  Deadline is 1/15/2012.

First Blogiversary + Giveaway

Happy New Year!  I hope you have a wonderful night last night ringing in the new year.  I am lucky enough to get to begin this year with another celebration as well.  Today is my first blogiversary!  One year ago today I wrote my first post and began this incredible journey.  In the past year...
-I have posted 101 entries.
-164 people have become followers.
-there have been 107,332 page views.
-there are readers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Mexico, the Philippines, the Netherlands, Japan, and more.
-you guys have left 274 comments (my favourite part).

I am so thankful to each of you who reads and those who comment for your encouragement and support.  In this upcoming year I hope that even more conversations can be started.  Learning from one another, and me learning from you guys, is the best part of this blog to me.  To show you my appreciation and to celebrate my first blogiversary, I am going to do my very first giveaway!

The prize:

I am making some popular items that I've posted on my blog, and one brand new one.  Here is the prize pack:
-3 Lavender Love Lotion Bars (post here)
-1 container of Lemon Meringue Moisturizer (post here)
-2 tubes of Spa Spirit Lip Balm (coming soon)

Ingredients:

-beeswax
-shea butter
-sweet almond oil
-lavender essential oil



 Ingredients:
-beeswax
-grapeseed oil
-water
-borax
-lemon essential oil


Ingredients:
- coconut oil
-sweet almond oil
-beeswax
-vitamin E oil
-essential oil blend of grapefruit, eucalyptus, benzoin, and peru balsam


These products are made with beeswax and other potential allergens.  They were not made in a peanut- or nut-free facility.  You accept all risks and responsibility for any and all consequences resulting directly or indirectly from the use of these products.  They are free from chemicals and additives.

How to enter:

Mandatory entry:
-Tell me what you want to see on the Wife Life

Additional entries (1 entry for each):
-Become a follower through Google, RSS feed, or email (or tell me if you already are)
-Like me on Facebook (or tell me if you already have)
-Post about the giveaway on Facebook linking to this post

Leave one comment for each entry (up to four comments per person) below.  If you comment through the anonymous setting, please sign your name in the comment.  I will be using random.org's random number generator to determine the winner.  Giveaway deadline is 1/15/2012 at midnight PST.  The winner will be announced 1/16/2012.

Also, because I am from Canada and get so disappointed when I cannot enter giveaways, I am opening this contest up worldwide!  Everyone is welcome to enter.  Good luck!

Cloth Toilet "Paper"

In preparation for this post about cloth toilet "paper", I thought I'd read up a little bit on mainstream toilet paper for comparison.  I discovered some very unsettling facts from The Toilet Paper Encyclopedia.  In fact, I was shocked.

On average, consumers use 8.6 sheets per trip – a total of 57 sheets per day. That’s an annual total of 20,805 sheets!

According to Charmin customers, the number of days a standard roll of bath tissue usually lasts in the most-used bathrooms in the house is five.

I have now been using cloth toilet paper I made at home for months (though only for number one incidents).  I have yet to find a downside.  Making them was quick and simple.  I used baby wash cloths, so they are nice and soft.  Washing them is not a big deal.  Most importantly, I am happy knowing I am helping the environment.

Baby wash cloths cut into quarters.

Zip zag stitch across the 2 open edges.

Store in the bathroom.

Here is a more  uplifting statistic I found to end on:

Tossing all the toilet paper in America would save 15 million trees, 17.3 terawatts of electricity, and more than 473 billion gallons of water annually.

I have to say it's worth it.  After looking into it more as well, I found that some families are choosing to put bidets in their homes to eliminate the need for toilet paper all together.  I think I'd be a little uncertain trying one of those for the first time, but they all sounded really pleased with their decision.

Lemon Meringue Moisturizer

The other night we had two of our closest friends over for an evening.  The boys played video games while the girls made beauty products in the kitchen.  With winter approaching, dry skin is always an issue.  We found a recipe in Lauren Cox's EcoBeauty book for a hand cream and altered it to make our very own moisturizer.

Lemon Meringue Moisturizer

1/4 c water
1/8 tsp borax powder
5-10 drops lemon essential oil
1/2 c grapeseed oil
2 tbsp grated beeswax

1. Bring water to a boil in kettle and immediately pour over the borax in a bowl. Stir until dissolved.  Add lemon essential oil.  (This can of course be substituted for any essential oil, but then it won't be lemon meringue.) Set aside.
2. Place oil and beeswax in the top pot of a double boiler (a makeshift double boiler can be made by placing a small pot into a larger pot that is filled partway with water) over medium-high heat, and mix together until completely melted.
3. Pour the oil mixture into a blender and turn the blender on.  Add the hot water mixture in a slow, steady stream.  Blend on a high speed until well combined.  The mixture will become the consistency of a cream.

Finished product.

 The whole process was so exciting.  I couldn't believe that we really made such a completely different product from the ingredients that we started with.  I asked my husband, Brad the chemist, why this happened.  After looking into the chemical make up of the ingredients, he explained that we produced an actual chemical reaction.  Real science!

I love how thick and fluffy the cream is.  It is very moisturizing without feeling oily or greasy.  It soaks into skin quickly.  I like to use it as a hand cream, though it would work wonderfully on any dry skin areas.

If you're interested in or curious about why a person would want to make their own beauty products or be cautious about mainstream brands, I encourage you to watch this short video: The Story of Cosmetics

The Scent of Home - Air Freshener

Way back when I talk about my homemade laundry detergent, I promised 2 other homemade cleaning product recipes.  Today I am going to share with you a homemade air freshener from Keeper of the Home that I use.

First though, why would someone want to make their own air freshener?  Apparently having "fresh" air is a major first world problem, since 75% of Americans have some sort of air freshener in their home. Unfortunately all types of air fresheners (sprays, wicks, electric, etc) have a long ingredient list filled with toxic chemicals.  Just one example I found is trichlorofluoromethane.  With the help of my chemist husband, I was able to look into the safety of this chemical.  It has been assigned the exclamation point "danger" symbol because of its severe toxicity and damage to the ozone layer and environment in general.  Another harmful ingredient is called 1, 4-dichlorobenzene which has already been proven in studies to reduce lung function.  That is not exactly what I think of when I hear air freshener.

So, what can we do about it?  Make our own natural air fresheners!  Here is how.

I've moved to a new website! Head on over to Heartful Habits for the deodorizing bathroom spray recipe. Thanks!

Lavender Love Lotion Bars

I have purchased a few "massage bars" from Lush before, so when I learned how easy it is to make homemade lotion bars, I was excited to try it out.

I've moved to a new website! Head on over to Heartful Habits for the Lavender Love Lotion Bars recipe. Thanks!