Word Play

Correction....so I guess the word dasterdly is not a "made up" ala Gabe style word. I found it used in a title chapter of an audio book we have (G.A. Henty...great stuff for you homeschoolers). But I'm pretty sure jadical is not real....

No Weigh!

Last we spoke of pounds, or the excess thereof, I was mixing things up by trying all raw. Things have changed again...if you know anything about me, you know I'm a girl who likes variety, some may call it getting bored easily, either way. To date I have lost 25 lbs. That's since the end of May. BUT the 25^th pound was lost somewhere around early August. Where are we now? Late September, oh yeah. Sheez. What's that tell ya? Two things.....1) I am great, say that with me Great! at maintaining my weight. Not that it's really any greatness on my part since that's the way all our bodies were created, to maintain. Maybe I just like to feel great at something. 2) I have made no effort to lose more weight in the last almost 2 months now. Good griggidy grief. That's sad. I justified my lack of effort by saying I didn't want the slishing of calories to effect the milkies.....hasn't, yet still I justify.

By the by....just want to throw in here that if you know anything about me at all, you know I make up words like mad fire. Not sure why, it just happens. I've passed that gene on as well, as Gabe spoke of the dasterdly dish he was trying to wash I said to John, “Dasterdly? Where does he come up with this?”

“You.” saith my man.

“I don't say dasterdly.”

Then he gives me a lowered eyebrow, over the rim of the glasses look....”You make up words.”

Oh, yeah, forgot.

Where was I? Oh, yes, weight. So I decided last week that I'm on the bandwagon again. No more maintenance for me. That's for when all my clothes fit without the extra squish. I do have to say, however, that I have throughout this stagnation been steadily losing inches or ¼ inches each week. So that's encouraging, but this extra squish is buggin' me. So I'm gonna hit it hard for the next few weeks and see what happens. Oh, and before you ask, I'm shooting to lose 15 more lbs.

Hitting it hard? How? I'm thinking the 11 day diet again. I will do two rotations of it and take a break for a week and then do it again until the 15^th pound is gone. Give or take a few of course. :) Then maybe we'll do an all raw week. Not sure yet, but I do know that I want to start fasting once a week. But that's for another post...

Deodorant...again

The recipe below makes alot, I put it in a small spray bottle and put the rest in a glass jar in a dark place. Shake well before use. :)

Who's Got the Funk, Ya-OUW

Since my natural cleaner recipe went over so well, and since I'm no longer doing skincare (for now anyway) I thought I'd share my newest deodorant recipe. It absolutely rocks, I mean defunks!! If you want to read more about how I came about this deo and why it's so hoppin' great, read here.

Times-a-wastin' so here it is:

3 oz witch hazel (this is 3oz by weight)

1 oz vodka or grain alcohol (again by weight)

1 tsp lime essential oil

1 tsp lemongrass essential oil

½ tsp tea tree essential oil

½ tsp rosemary essential oil

1 tsp grapefruit seed extract

**Warning....if you have an aversion or sensitivity to essential oils, don't use this deodorant, it's pretty concentrated.

Concentrated....yes. Effective....yes, yes. Long lasting...yes, yes, yes. In fact, I made this a couple of months ago and John and I are just now down to the last of it. I LOVE IT!!!

It has an excellent citrus smell and has a nice cooling feel when applied. I love it...have I said that yet?

Thatch Attack

In lieu of current economic and political unrest, I thought we could all use a smile. But be warned:

This post is rated PG as some of it's contents may not be appropriate for young eyes. To those who dare, however, read on.

I had a friend recently tell me that if I decided to go back to six kids, she's got dibbs on Thatch. Now mind you all my kids are great in my eyes....Zev's edible and I can't seem to stop kissing Harmony. Cherish is my right hand woman...choppin', slicin' and dicin' with the best of 'em. And my three older men, well, they're just that, young men in making. I love watching them all grow and mature....but my sap is getting away with me and I'm diverting from my story. Where was I? Ah, yes, Thatch. Beloved by all who know him. He's unique..funny...chubby...cute. With his growly, low, yet high pitched voice, he keeps us laughing continually. Just last night I was sharing with John some of the newest Thatchisms. Here's how it went....

Thatch informs me that he needs to go potty. Well actually he says he needs to poo poo, because he reserves the word potty for urinating. So I take him and since we were at the house of a friend, I stayed in there for the much dreaded wipe. (Though I have done this act a bazillion times, I never cease to loathe it. ~sigh~) I politely turn away to face the mirror to offer him what little privacy I could when from him emerges a series of sputtering sounds as his bowels move.

He says, “Mom, did you hear that motorcycle noise?”

Suppressing my laughter hear renders me speechless, again, “Did you hear that motorcycle noise?”

“Yes, honey, I did.”

“I make that motorcycle noise when I go (he had to pause here for the effort involved in the task at hand), when I go pooo-poooooo. (again more effort)”

So as John and I are cracking up over yet another story from this hilarious three year old, I say, “Oh the quotes of Thatch.” To which John shares another Thatchism. “Saaaadie! Don't eat my p-n-s!” What? Your kids don't pee outside? C'mon.

Meet Thatch.

Meet Sadie.

Color me Clean

A few posts back I mentioned my handmade cleaner...great for everything (yes, even wood, but I would recommend a spot test, just in case). I've even found that when I clean a mirror, I don't have to use paper towels to make it streak-free. That's right, just a plain ole cloth....how green is that? Because of the generous gal I am, I'm gonna share it with ya (sorry it took me so long Ash). Send your thank yous to my 'I wanna better camera' fund. Checks and money orders accepted.

But before I do, I'd like to give you a little background on my natural cleaner, um, experience. I know you can't wait. It all starts with mirrors and glass. If you have kids you know that three feet up on any surface is, well, nasty. But on glass, it's yank. Yank, I say. But I wanted to not use chemicals anymore in my home. I'd tried vinegar, baking soda and everything in between and various mixtures thereof, but nothing worked on everything, especially not glass. I could never get something that would clean a mirror or window without making it look like someone spit on it and wiped it with their palm. So imagine my excitement when I used this cleaner and I could actually see myself in the mirror. Whewee. As a side note here, I still use a bit of baking soda in addition to the cleaner on my tub and toilet. Abrasive scrubbing action, right on.

Anyway, the cleaner.

1-1 1/2 cups water

2 1/2- 3 cups vodka (or grain alcohol)

1-1 1/2 tsp essential oil blend (see below)

　

~I give these approximates because you may want to be skimpier with the alcohol as it's more expensive than um, water. But I usually use the 1:3 ratio. As for the eos, 1 tsp is sufficient but if you just like more smell, than add another half.~

The disinfecting, deodorizing, grease-bustin', bacteria-killin', great smelling, rockin' essential oil blend I use is:

3 tsp lavender

4 tsp lemon

2 tsp eucalyptus

3 tsp rosewood

I mix these in a brown glass bottle, labeled ever-so-cleverly as...Cleaner Mix, and add 1 tsp to my cleaner bottle with each making.

Enjoy this very effective, natural cleaner.

Note: Rumors have circulated around my house about the possible selling of this ingenious remedy, if that should happen I will destroy all traces of this post, so get it while you can. :)

Bitin' the bit

I know you're all bitin' the bit...waiting for the next post. Where is she? You ask. Well, a post is comin' but for now how'd ya like the new look?