This is HOME made!

From my home to yours I have these recipes that can help get ya away from all those products in the stores;

Homemade deodorant;

1.5 ounces of coconut oil
2 ounces of baking soda
Heating up over the stove or in microwave the coconut oil then stir baking soda.
Then add a splash of lavender oil or tea tree oil. Storing this deodorant in a bowl like container is best. Rolling your fingers around to apply is the best way to capture it under your arms usually right out of the shower all fresh and clean helps it work the best as well.

Homemade shampoo;
1/2 cup of fresh baking soda
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 brush or comb
While under the shower water scrub your hair with the baking soda, even use brush or comb to really clean through your hair with the powder.
Then rinse along side apple cider vinegar, scrub and rinse again.
Stepping out of the shower, drying your hair off then roll coconut oil over the long ends and let set in.
(I personally find this time to be the best opportunity for braiding my hair)

Homemade Foot or bath soak;
1 square bucket
1 package of  Lavender Epson salt
add warm water, stir and soak feet. (I usually set-up ahead of time all of my manicure and pedicure tools with a big towel and wash cloth to be ready after the long warm foot soak) This is best experienced with a cocktail in hand and good movie! 
Also remember that Happy clean well pampered feet will take ya ANY WHERE!

The NO Products Lady

As I got my hair cut, I mentioned about having some bangs not quite like Michelle Obama those bangs of hers are WAY to serious for me! I just wanted some maybe even shorter hair all around. As my friend asked what I use in my hair, I decide not to shy away from the simple fact it has been a full year now of using....NOTHING.
"Your hair is so healthy and soft...what do you use?" She asked as I cleared my throat to ponder how to answer back. "Not much of anything, maybe I'll scrub it with baking soda and apple cider vinegar IF dirt or spiders get in after gardening but actually I use nothing." I waited wondering if I should have shared this much. She exclaimed "Oh that's right you are the "No products" friend, I remember now!" She didn't scream or jump away from me in horror as some people have done. I chuckled happily realizing being honest is such a refreshed feeling once again. 
NO products, it's really such a wonderful good life full of natural oils and natural healthy smells.....(My husband has never said that I stink so now that I have gone off of products completely using only pure oils I feel much cleaner and in fact he says I smell even more amazing then ever before!)
Coconut oil is my most FAVORITE for replacing conditioner or for replacing any other kind of lotion. Because coconut oil is a anti-microbial/anti-viral oil, along side using tea tree oil, peppermint oil and lavender oil I don't ever need any store bought chemically made product! I am very happy with my new way of life in getting clean! I think that video clip called "The story of Stuff' changed my choices several years ago but in the last year I made a stronger commitment to not using products anymore.
When I was first married I noticed how oddly people looked at me for not wearing much make-up, for not picking out a perfume I liked. (My Lavender was simply hard to replace:-D) Walking into a salon with my mother-in-law in those early years, was a fun experience but when I said "I don't like hair products." The whole room gasped in alarm from my statement and then the lady working on my hair gave me a long lecture on how she never goes out of her house without her hair done. It was very bushy curly and stuck up all around her face as she seemed to find me not natural. I look back with a laugh now in remembering but at the time I did buy these products in hopes to "Fit in" or have nice curly hair too......it's nice now to have learn about all these hair products causing cancer or actual hair lost in 20 or more years of usage for I don't WANT to "fit in" anymore! I want to live with strength in every part of my body in 20 years from now so now is the time to warn people especially women of how easy it is to be a NO product lady! Making your own deodorant is easy, brushing your teeth with no sugar toothpaste is also as important. Taking vitamin D, vitamin C and extra fat like in Coconut oil has strengthen my teeth, along side the occasional oil pulling and active charcoal my whole mouth is AMAZINGLY healthy.
These result of not buying or using products have left my skin, my eyes and teeth sparkling! Even my hair smells like lavender or coconut all the time so how could you ever go wrong with that?
I am the proud no product woman now after all I have read and played with.....
It doesn't freak me out the odd looks or quick judgements I get for sharing, If the whole of society would changed to no products then it would NOT stink so much out there of artificial chemicals causing cancers....

For this I personally believe "You are not really clean until you can smell fresh air when you walk with yourself."

D&B

It hasn't been open every long here in Boise Idaho, Dave & Busters. It is like stepping into Vegas or a high class Chucky Cheese. It's by far cleaner then Pojos or Game world. It isn't as far to drive as Jackpot Nevada nor as time consuming as the state Fair. But it is wild and loud, there are TV screens the size of a drive--in movie theater, music playing over all the sounds of the video games and slot machines. Everything works with a slide card that you put money on and then go play, even cocktails get delivered to you at your game station of choice by a the bush of a button. Score Tickets pile up on the floor and you put those ticket points back on your game sliding card at the end. I for one am AMAZED at how easy it is to play!  
My husband Tony loves this place more then I would have ever thought, he loves the pirate game the best and dropping coins to push more coins down the shoot is fun to watch as well. Last night I got hooked on the Black Jack spin wheel. I won more then ever before on a game and we cheered together as I felt like I had figured it out in how to win.....If you go to Dave & Buster you need to be well rested and well organized knowing it will be a loud fun kid like place only full of adults with big bright colored cocktails! It is flashy and showy, it is crowded and crazy but if you understand that going in then it is a really fun place to hang out!
The food choices are good, I always try to eat wisely knowing I need a good source of protein and fat to help the alcohol sugars from taking me down fast. I really enjoy watching others play games as I sip on my gin&tonics, it's so entertaining to watch and learn or cheer! For I LOVE cheering, giving out high-five to those who hit the jackpot. The whole place is energetic, friendly and fun all around. Last night my cousins got to see this place too and so we all made it a party, out on the town for game coins and tickets, for laughs and bright flashy lights!

I don't think I could ever got back to Chucky Cheese after discovering this new place!

The State Capital

Yesterday I walked all through out downtown Boise Idaho, ÁLL through out the State Capital too. Having my Cousin Henry visiting over this weekend has kept me on my feet! (He loves visiting the Capital) He also knows the Government system and all it's rules, he can talk with and meet new people there in one hand shake and a smile. He is in his lament giving tours and lectures on how it all works from floor to floor. (He was reminding me of our Papa Rudy, who always could talk and joke with strangers so naturally) My cousin came alive in the Capital and I learned so much for the afternoon! 
 Of course the place got me reminiscing of when my own times spent there, of my Mother taking us kids there for those Homeschooling events. It was called "Cherry Pie days" when the mothers all served slices of pie and coffee to the legislators in hopes to secure homeschooling practices. but I simply liked wearing my dresses, being on my best behavior with good manners while wandering up and down all the marble stairways. As a little girl I would easily imagine being a princess in a castle on those long boring afternoons, as a teenager I would lock arms with my other girlfriends wandering again in and out of all the floors, chatting and giggling it up. There were also those rare family visits while I was growing up that my father would take us all to the state Capital. Those Aunts, Uncles and Cousins would pile into the building with us for a long afternoon tour. It also was impressionable for me to take note that the red carpet room was the Senate, and the blue carpet room was the House. I sat in both places as a kid trying to not get confused or bored watching them vote. I remember trying to sit still, trying to not get restless especially if my father was watching! He would sneak up and bop me on the back of the head if I was moving in my seat to much! It was so important to me not to get hit so I learned how to sit still and be respectful at a very young age. The Capital kinda reminded me of church actually only there was no singing as they voted. As a kid growing up among this building I paid close attention to the Red carpet, Blue carpet, creepy headless angel statue or the man on a horse all in gold....yet now as an adult I can choose how much time I will be spending reading all that history.  
Boise isn't complete without the Capital, it's the familiar backdrop to looking downtown. While the outside world changes, the chaos of the news or of all the politics disrupting the everyday life, there is a sense of classiness and a sense of respect within those walls of the State Capital.....I for one really like looking up into it's magical marble structure from the bottom floor, it's one of those views that has always stayed the same!

The Guest Room

I have always LOVED having a guest room! It's a big part of my homemaking and planning to have an extra bed somewhere in my mind for my home. I often think about how I would feel visiting someone and having my own bed or comfy corner to sleep good is important.

 Back in my condo days when my cousin came to visit I got an air mattress for him but then we had no living room to sit so we went out instead for his one night stay. In my cottage days the guest room was also the pet room, the girlie room and the storage room so rather crowded. 
But in my home right now over the last few weeks I've been working up in my attic with my arts and crafts and my photo albums.....among boxes of things I hadn't look at in a few years I finally got it all organized! Upstairs among the beaded necklaces and colored pencils I would get lost in front of the heat dish for warmth as the crazy wind blows outside hanging up my costumes, unwrapping old framed pictures and petting the cat! It was rather a messy place as I slowly moved in......magically the room became THE best guest room I have EVER had! 
So now when my cousin visits tonight he won't have an air mattress pinched between book shelves, insetad he will have his very own space! I am so proud and so excited to have company! Although he may have to watch his step down those sleek stairs as I do now:-}

Before;

After;

My Fawkes

Fawkes is the name of my red sparkling dragon. I just found him yesterday while browsing a second store....how odd that I had just wrote about my love for dragons, here in front of me in the store was a nice looking cheap needed fixed up sculpture!
(My life is magical like this....everything is connected and I noticed it more after having wrote first about my thoughts, this helps me pay attention to things I would have skipped over otherwise) I think Fawkes looks better all cleaned up! I used olive oil to clean the dust out of his scaly texture. I also glued a marble ball to finish his look and help display him better. Dragons are magical, they can be mean or nice so I shall say my Fawkes is a very nice dragon protecting my home and hanging out upstairs mostly....Of course when I am gone I imagine he will fly around taunt the cats for a laugh and watch over the home with his mystical powers! For he has such a sense of duty and honor as a cozy home dragon:-D

My Surprise Fall

Every single night has a routine, I am often on top of washing dishes so that they dry through the night because I like my kitchen to be clean for breakfast the next morning, My routine stays pretty much the same night to night of letting my dogs out and letting my cats in. I lock doors and check on each animal. My husband hates getting into bed last, chances are that he won't have a good spot. I have to check every water bowl, every litter box, every cat dish this is set up high from my dogs. I have a routine of fluffing every pillow, of picking up/organizing everything in each room. Lights out often takes a few minuets from me doing these chores. So the other night I went upstairs to brush out Tinker and check on her water supply. She is my socially awkward cat.... Every night at midnight she would freaks out running through the house which startled us awake. But ever since I made her a place upstairs to sleep, she likes taking a break from everyone (especially playful Jazzy). Now she goes upstairs for bed each night, I went up with her to let her know she is still loved. Every night I do this, I also check the side door for my black cat to come in and then I carry my silver cat on my shoulders while locking doors. The dogs come in all at once and get into bed. My nights are cozy sometimes holding 5 animals at once in my bedding before I even hit my pillow.

"Good night Tinker Stinker....You sleep well." I had finished brushing her out and fluffing up her bedding. She is a huge cat with bright blue eyes and purring while I gave her attention. I can't smother her with kisses like I do the other 2 cats because she hates it. I turned down these stairs without a second thought...there was no warning to my sudden fall. I was wearing smooth blue socks when usually i would have been bare foot. The fact the second step was there for a second then gone threw me down into the door! By total shock and surprise I squealed as I realized there was NO ground. NO balance to check myself in a graceful move. I went down on my back and hip only to keep falling while my hand reached out for support. It was so scary to fall! It was so powerless to know this is going to hurt badly! I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream but I knew that would only terrify my husband more who came running the second he heard me hit down. Falling is in your head a slow motion thought, an action that your body moves fast but your mind sees it all slowly.....I didn't brake anything but I had to open the door to get my ankle out. It is hard to believe that I fell, I had to sit at the last step awhile to check my body over......The alarming look on my husband's face was how he said we should go to the ER and have them look me over. But I just chuckled shaking my head that I don't want to do that.....catching my breath and calming my shaking hands. The human body is so easily challenged, so in the moment of falling I realized just how powerless against gravity we really are! I went to bed shortly after checking my new bruises. My husband banded me from doing hard laboring projects for the next day, I couldn't sleep very well for as I began to drift off I felt like I was falling and woke in a jolt! Falling taught me to be more careful of course, it also reminded me to stay focused on being healthy for when we get older there are more situations in which we will fall down and might not get back up so quickly.
My surprise fall was scary, I hope to prevent that in the future having learned now not to fly around the house just before bed.

My Breakfast

Every single morning of my life is importantly focused on food. I love to brew and drink coffee of course but it is my breakfast, my most FAVORITE meal of the whole day that keeps my focus. Just a couple of days ago my husband had to be rushed off to his office as I realized we were out of eggs and meats to cook up for breakfast. So I excitedly started thinking how we could grab a bite to eat, if i don't eat my hearty full breakfast then the rest of the day is a struggle to pull weeds or walk the dogs with hardly any energy I am not ready for all i take on until I have my breakfast. 
I will NOT skip breakfast even if that means swinging through a fast food joint. When we went to Portland last fall my hubby made a paleo fast food breakfast sandwich for on the go and I LOVED how tasty and satisfying it was! 
So here I was ordering breakfast through the speaker "We need 2 sausage breakfast sandwich and 4 hash browns." My husband tosses the biscuits and layers the meat and egg between the has browns. IT is AMAZING and I waited in shock as the clerk through the speaker said "We've stop serving breakfast, sorry." I stared at the bright morning sun light and I helplessly looked to my husband for direction....it was 10:31AM. We were so stunned that we didn't get anything....it would be an odd day all around for not having any breakfast but honestly when did breakfast get cut off by 10am???? Shouldn't breakfast be served till NOON??? It's a FAST FOOD place for goodness sake! All those boxes of foods are stored in the freezer until we order then cooked in a microwave or dropped into boiling oil. It's not made fresh from scratch as a impatient customer I get this.....I am hungry and to lazy to go to the store for what I know is a much healthier better breakfast at home! 10:31AM was all I could say as we drove away, my hubby went off for awhile about how stupid that whole thing was. He would be chasing food all day never getting anything until late that night when I made a taco salad for him. SURELY breakfast is the most important step to getting out in the day, in completing projects and being smart.
I'm reminded of Michel Douglas, as he blew up the fast food joint when they also stated that they don't serve breakfast one minuet after the cut-off time. He calmly gets his guns out and shoots up the place for such stupidity! It was in that movie "Falling Down" YET a very understandable situation:-) I made a really great breakfast this morning thinking of how glad I am that my kitchen doesn't have a schedule! HA!

My Dragons

I have always admired and been attracted to dragons, any fairy tale follower would actually! I have enjoyed watching the awesome TV drama "Game of Thrones"....such depth, such mystery and such fantasy even WITH some dragons! 
Again Fantasy movies are my guilty pleasure! If they have a dragon in the story then I am hooked for sure!

A dragon can be so many different things in a story, like the dragon with a dog's face in the movie "The never ending story." or the evil scary dragons in those "Lord of the Ring" trilogy.

I like the idea of how we all have "Dragons" inside of us, we can "slay them" or "train them" to work WITH us in this life.....

I think the power of dragons are amazing, but the actual frame of such a beast with wings is almost a graceful, magical strength! The vibrant colors, those deep eyes and scary teeth go hand in hand when I think about how AWESOME dragons are!

It is true that I can be a "butterfly" girl in everyday life,YET during a battle I want to be a DRAGON! HA!

There is a certain powerful magic in looking at a dragon, a picture or a sculpture comes to life with this awe-inspiring fear and bravery!

There is a dragon for each human emotion, for each human frailty, for each human conquest.  Even the Chinese culture have "the year of the dragon" which was just LAST year if I remember right. (They also have "The year of the Rat" But I wouldn't want to think about it YIKES give me a dragon over a rat ANY day!)

If I could have a pet dragon much like the animated movie "How to train your dragon" then I would be living most of my life up in the sky along the clouds. As every night we cuddled down deep to sleep against the one blow fire pit....we live happily ever after my dragon and I! 

At least until the next fairy tale story is written.......

Planting Flowers

     

These last few days have been wonderful outside to get into the dirt! I am excited to have my front door and pathway done soon with color and some bird feeders in front of the front living room window. I have a hundred ideas, a hundred projects and a certain confidence that it will all get done! But it takes time, strength and organization to complete my imagination of gardens, of flower corners and cleaned pathways full of beauty!

My front yard is often shaded all summer day long until the evening then there's a few hours of hot sun light sneaking in under the trees.
My flowers of choice right now are primroses, they are vibrant against the plain cold March days. As we are now moving into April this is a flower full of bloom! Primroses enjoy the cool temperatures and shine before most anything else out there.

This is how I am planting along my sidewalk;





1. Dig out old dirt and weeds, clear the space.
2. Lay down thick newspaper. 
3. Pile on potting soil mixed into the soil over the newspaper.
4. Plant some colorful flowers!

Planting flowers is just the first step to welcoming in the days of  gardening and being outside more!

I can Feel It....

I can feel it... for this is the re-birth of Spring!

The Passion

Easter was just this past Sunday so I thought I would try to watch the movie "The Passion of Christ" because when Mel Gibson brought to the box office in 2004 I laughed out loud saying "No Christians I knew would support it. It's not for hollywood to tell the story! No one will be happy about this."

THEN suddenly everyone, I do mean EVERYONE even my own Husband were talking about it! I was left truly surprised by it all in the end, for some people loved it and some people really hated it. I decided not to participate in these debates so I avoided ever watching it. I had grown up christian sooo THAT was enough of the story for me!
Yet every Easter I've notice how I don't like this holiday more and more, must be the older I get...so it's good to have friends with kids to keep me hiding eggs of candy and dressing up into flowers! 
But it's the message of Easter that will always leave me shaking my head sadly.......a rather strange message to be celebrating!
Why did everyone or most everyone seem to like this film? It's so gross and bloody and well I will be completely honest it was Discussing to me! I could never go back to being a christian now having watched this film! I would feel gross all over as if blood, brains and human flesh was stuck to my fingers.....because that is the message Christianity tells us.....it was OUR fault and OUR sin and OUR guilt that THIS...This barbaric torture befalls Jesus! DEAR GOD I am so deeply sorry to have been apart of this religion after watching this film! YET it is because of my past that I wanted to watch it now a decade later..for this is a story I know forwards and backwards. The plays at church capture it far better then this movie (Once again Hollywood ruins the real thing) 
I am a different person then 10 years ago when this hit the Media frenzy! AND I am a far different person then 20 years ago when I was thinking Jesus HAD to die in order to rid this world of sin.....odd to look back seeing how different knowledge and life experiences will change me so in another 10 years this movie will be forgotten I am sure, my reaction was first to be angered that they cheapen Jesus's life to only focus on his sick death but then again that is where the drama is for a good film. I need to be aware that this is not my faith anymore so I can't be so personally insulted. For It is a poorly done movie, with very bad acting and ridiculous scary scenes, I thought it was full of gore, full of stupid people and the wrong message from Jesus's whole life! Even a simple issue like Salvation was completely misplaced and the Jews I know today are not that ugly.......What a let down film!
    SO If I was sleeping the garden after a big ass feast like the last super to find Jesus had woke me up to warn me acting as crazy as he was in the very first scene of this movie I would have shot awake replying "Holy Shit, he has flipped out now! Should we even be following this guy around? I mean really what is up with him moaning and groaning against the trees all sweaty in that creepy mist over there?.....ya know.....
maybe it's NOT my place to ask!"  

True to form REAL life can't be capture in a Hollywood movie! And we can't be changing the bible stories for our own purpose, although we do! Everyone has their own faiths and their own translations of the same bibles stories. Even Mel Gibson's idea of his faith and his church came through in this film. Now I like that I can create my own stories, for my passion is over how one lives not how one dies! 
I am glad that I gave this movie a try, this crazy messed up film! For now I know that it's not something I would ever watch again, NOR will I even recommend it! 
It's simple gross and weird!!! (NOT the story of Jesus that I remember as a child....Soooooo to each their own!)
Just as with my least favored Holiday Easter, we can run and play in the first spring like sunshine or go to church or get a basket full of goodies or eat some chocolate bunnies! It rather up to our own choice like in telling a story.....we can make it beautiful or bloody.....for WE are the story tellers, we have the power to make it a crown of thorns or a crown of flowers!
Praise be to Spring!