End of the First Year

Happy (almost) New Year! This year seemed to fly by, didn't it? Where has the time gone?

Reflecting on the year, I have so much to be thankful for. It has been such a blessing to have this blog and am grateful for all of the new friends I have made through it. Because of this blog, I have learned so much about essential oils. It seems, the more I learn, the more there is to learn. Educating myself enables me to bring you the best knowledge I can. As I learn new things, I have updated past blog posts to reflect that new information. One of my favorite things is the dilution chart {click here} that is so important to remember when using essential oils. Just like so many things in life, there is more to learn but not enough time to learn them all in. 

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

Everyone!

December is a great month! There is so much to celebrate and be grateful for. As the magic of the season fills the air, the notion of Christmas traditions and holiday festivities fills the air. This year, we will be spending time building memories with family and friends, enjoying lots of beautiful music, delicious food, and most importantly embracing the love that surrounds us.

Chocolate Peppermint Twist Milk Bath

A few weeks ago, I ordered a set of mini milk cans and was having a hard time coming up with what to do with them. My friend, Tonya (Created2Fly), suggested putting a milk bath in them to give as gifts. *Genius!* 
While perusing Pinterest for milk bath recipes, I came across several posts for a hot chocolate milk bath. Um, yes please! I love hot cocoa! Don't you? It is so good this time of year. 

DIY Gift Basket

Are you still looking for gift giving ideas? Do you want to have something on hand for those "just in case moments"? I have a great idea! Let's make a few gift baskets with all the great DIY recipes we've talked about this year!

Homemade Holiday

Here is a collection of handcrafted gifts, that are "A Drop of This" tested. 

Wooden tile art:

There are so many fun uses for these wooden tile art pieces. A few of my favorites are: A name plate for a child's bedroom or a festive saying like "noel" or "believe." 
I got my tiles and wooden trays from eBay. If you search, you can find good prices. I used this post by Sugar Bee Crafts to get started. {click here}

Stuffed!

Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! In the spirit of family togetherness, I asked my little brother Schuyler to write a post about something he is more knowledgeable in...cooking! I hope you enjoy this recipe and a few family photos. I'm thankful for all the friends I have made through this blog and all the information we've shared. I hope you have a wonderful week full of family and love. 

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Are you in need of something new for Thanksgiving? Good news! There is still time; it is only Monday! 

Thanksgiving is a big deal to my family. Ever since I was a little kid, I always remember being super involved in the kitchen for the big Holiday meals.  As I got older and went off to college, I started bringing recipes back home for us to try. My poor Mother, ha ha. I am sure she was wondering how much of a pain these recipes would be to try for the first time, on one of the most important and already complex meals of the year. I mean why would you chance a new recipe on Thanksgiving Day? No pressure!?!

The Solution for Dilution

I heard about diluting essential oils shortly after I got started with them. The more I researched EOs, the more I learned of the importance of dilution. I think this is an important topic to cover, so I wanted to share a little about what I've learned about dilution. Plus, I made a cute little printout so that we can easily remember the "solutions for dilution".

What is dilution:
Dilution means to make something less concentrated or to weaken. In the case of essential oils, we want to dilute the essential oils by adding them to a carrier, such as vegetable based oil, lotion or cream. 

Thank a Vet

It's Veterans Day! 

Veterans Day has always been a special holiday for KB and I, as there are many of our loved ones (family & friends) who have taken the time to serve or are currently serving our country. Because of this, I am always looking for real, practical ways to show my appreciation and support for our veterans and those on active duty. There are a lot of websites and groups dedicated to doing good work for them, but it can be overwhelming for me to decide what is good and what I have time and resources to do. I asked aroundand got these ideas to share with you. 

Make Your Own Aromatherapy Pendant

A few months ago, Krysta (ADOT behind the scenes gal) got this awesome clay pendant necklace from her MIL to be used as a diffuser. That's when the wheels started turning in my brain, and I thought, there has to be a way I can make something like this.

With a little time spent on Pinterest, I found the directions to help me get started. They were listed on the doTERRA blog found {here}.

First manner of business was finding the clay. I read a lot of reviews on Amazon and found Sculpey 1.75 Pound Pack - Terra Cotta by Polyform {here}. I've enjoyed working with it and it has good reviews. 

Lotion Bars: Lotion To-Go

The first time I saw lotion bars I thought it was an ingenious idea! Lotion on the go! Nothing to spill! Great for traveling! Easy to make! Okay, enough exclamation points...you get the idea that I really love this concept and I think you will too.

In the last year, I've made my fair share of these little gems. I keep a stock pile of them around for my travel bag,  and have made some to share as gifts. I love them for dry trouble spots - they're great for rubbing the awesome lotion power into elbows, heels, knuckles and dry patches on your skin. 

I got my recipe from Katie at Wellness Mama in a post she wrote for Health Impact News Daily, {click here} to read the post. She has great ideas for personalizing them by adding different essential oils and other products.

What is a Nasal Inhaler?

A nasal inhaler - hmm. I have heard of these over the last year that I have been exploring the world of essential oils. I never looked into exactly what they were because it sounded odd, like something complex I wouldn't be interested in. 

Then I took this *free* intro class (click here) from Aromahead Institute. Now I can't wait to make a few.

Wonderful White Fir

This week in our EO spotlight, we're looking at white fir. I hope you're enjoying these posts as much as I am, they remind me of all the great uses for my stash of oils.

Scientific name: Abies alba

Common extraction methods: steam distilled from needles

Properties: Anti-arthritic, anti-catarrhal (inflammation of mucous membranes), antiseptic (pulmonary), expectorant, stimulant, and analgesic (painkiller).

A Look at Clove Essential Oil

For our EO spotlight this week, let's take a look at clove.

Scientific name: Eugenia caryophyllata

Common extraction methods: steam distilled from bud and stem

Properties: Anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, antiseptic (strong), disinfectant, analgesic (painkiller), immune stimulant, antioxidant, anti-tumor, antiviral.

Applications: Dilute this oil before topical use; I recommend a 2% dilution for adults (10-12 drops per 1 oz carrier oil) and a 1% dilution for children (5-6 drops per 1 oz carrier oil). Diffuse.

All Purpose Healing Balm

As you probably know, I love the All-Purpose Salve That Solves it All. I am also very fond of the All-Purpose Healing Stick. Recently, I sent my brother a 5mL roller bottle of the healing stick and his response was, "Can you make me something more like a paste or cream?" Although he liked the idea, the healing stick is wet and can drip (but in my opinion evaporates quickly). 

So for weeks I've been thinking about how to make something more like an over-the-counter first aid cream. Then one day it hit me and I had that wonderful "light bulb" moment. I decided to combine two of my favorite things - the above mentioned Salve That Solves it All and my lip balm recipe, affectionately called Kweli Kisses.  Voila! 

September is National Preparedness Month

A friend mentioned that September is National Preparedness Month and that got me thinking..."How prepared am I?" The answer is, not very. I figured, if I'm not that prepared, it is likely that others aren't as well. So I thought, maybe we should get prepared together!

My cousin, Jen, is prepared. I like to tease her about being a prepper. I also joke that if there's a nuclear winter or a zombie attack, I'm too much of a wimp to want to stay alive. Jen was kind enough to offer some tips from her personal experience to help us all get prepared (or as I like to call it, "prepped"). Here's what she had to say: 

Practical Peppermint

Back to our EO spotlight...Today let's look at peppermint. To me, this is a very strong smelling EO and I find that it overpowers other EOs when mixed into a blend. So, as a word of caution, make sure you take that into account when measuring prior to blending EOs. But, on the upside it is an invigorating oil and is a great one to wake up your senses.

Scents of the Season

Fall is my favorite season! 

Having said that, I'm not ready to give up summer just yet. We've still got a good two weeks left before the autumnal equinox. Officially that's September 22 at 4:44 pm per the Farmer's Almanac - since I was born at around 1:00 pm, I'm still a summer baby. To enjoy the last few weeks of summer and get you ready for fall, I wanted to share my favorite scents of the season.

Getting Back to School with Essential Oils

I love back to school time. Pencils, blank notebooks, ruled paper, paste....ah, the memories. While I haven't been in school in over a decade and we (the hubs and I) aren't sending any wee ones off to school, I know many of you are getting ready to or have already started the school supply preparations. In further preparation, I wanted to provide ways essential oils can fit into your back to school needs. I searched high and low - online and through my blogger friends' posts - to find you some great resources for getting back to school with essential oils. 

Here's what I found:

Protect Yourself with a Protective Blend

Back to my "series" on profiling my favorite oils. I love the protective blends. This one is a little harder to profile, since most are proprietary blends - a mixture of oils with a top secret recipe. Hopefully, this gives you enough general information.

What is a protective blend: A protective blend is a mixture of several essential oils that, when combined, help protect you from germs - harmful bacteria, mold and viruses. 
These blends can be diffused into the air or used to clean around your home. They may also be used topically, with a carrier oil. 
Protective blends typically affect your immune system, to boost it and help your body protect itself. 

The Essential Oil Gym Bag

For the first time in my life, I joined a gym. Although, when I was in college, I took step and weight classes...but that's not the same, because they were for credit. 

Like most people, I have struggled with my weight and the idea of looking and feeling a certain way. Three years ago, I got the motivation to make a life change. I refused to say that I was going on a diet. Instead, I told everyone the change was my "healthy living concept." Eating better and working out.  So, for the past three years I have been working out 6 days a week for 20-25 minutes a day at home on the elliptical or doing aerobic videos (I'm a Denise Austin fanatic). 

Recently my "healthy living concept" needed a jump start - so my friend Victoria encouraged me (for months) to join the gym. She teaches step aerobics and attends Zumba classes. To start August off right, I finally joined. 

After my first class, I realized I need to get my gym bag set up.  

Magical Melaleuca (Tea Tree)

In the spotlight this week - magical melaleuca, often call tea tree. 

Scientific name: Melaleuca alternifolia
(Not to be confused with Melaleuca quinquenervia.)

Common extraction method: steam distillation from its leaves

Properties: anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, immune stimulant, decongestant, digestive, expectorant, insecticidal, stimulate and analgesic (pain management). 

Lovely Lavender

Over the next few weeks (or months), I am going to showcase some of my favorite - and most used - essential oils. In the spotlight this week - lovely lavender. 

Scientific name: Lavandula angustifolia
There are other species of lavender out there, but this is the one I'm talking about today. 

Common extraction method: steam distillation

Properties: anti-coagulant, anticonvulsant, anti-depressant, anti-histamine, anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, anti-microbial, antiseptic, sedative, anti-toxic, antispasmodic, anti-tumor, cardiotonic, regenerative, and analgesic (pain management). 

Eye Serum + a spill = Face Serum by accident

As you know, I have an awesome behind-the-scenes gal, Krysta. She even wrote a post the other day {click here}. She is always experimenting in the kitchen, making potions and delicious foods. We send each other fun packages every month or so and usually included is a creation of a new or improved potion. 

Last month, I got this delicious smelling eye serum from her. Since it's summer, it was in more of a liquid state than a solid state, but I keep forgetting about that, and it spilled...all over. I was NOT going to waste a homemade potion that might help with my wrinkles. I commenced to rub the spillage on my face. The next night, forgetting again, I did the same thing. I noticed my face was GLOWING (not like radioactive, but in healthy way). From that point forward, I started using it on my face every night and, guess what? The glow continues! I sent her a text to tell her and she's been doing the same thing! 

Good Night, Sleep Tight

Everyone needs sleep - at least 7 hours per night - but often we don't get that amount because we can't seem to fall asleep. Whether it's noises we hear outside, the inability to shut off our brains, or too much stimulation before bed, sometimes it just seems like sleep will never come.

Summer Wreath - Flip Flops in the Grass

This is the year of the wreath at my house. Aside from Christmas wreaths, I've never had one for any other holiday. This year is different, I've made one for each season. I saw an idea for this a few years ago on a friend's door. This is my attempt to duplicate it. There are also many detailed instructions for similar wreathes on Pinterest. 

Here's a short and easy tutorial on how to make this 

Summer Flip Flops in the Grass wreath.

Time for Travel

Summer is the time for travel! Travelling is FUN! In the summer months, it seems as if everyone has plans for an adventure. Despite our best efforts, some minor problems can arise with traveling - jet lag, bed bugs, and germs, to name a few. Listed below are a few potions that are easy to whip up and take with you to help your trip be even better - with less yuck.

Check out my earlier post on the benefits of traveling with your diffuser, {click here}.

Summer = Outdoor Fun

Today's post is from ADoT's formerly behind-the-scenes gal, Krysta. We met years ago when we both lived in Utah, but we were just acquaintances. What brought us together was our love for EOs and needing someone to talk about them too - now we're great friends, even though we live states apart. 

Hello Friends,

Review: "The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy" plus 3 recipes

One of my favorite essential oil (EO) books, that taught me a lot about implementing EO use into my life (aka the #eolife), is Valerie Ann Worwood's The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy. 

Wedding Day Kit

June has arrived and with it comes wedding season! I'm such a romantic, I just love weddings. All my favorite movies involve weddings: 27 Dresses, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, My Best Friends Wedding, Mystic Pizza, The Proposal..okay you get the idea. 

According to The Knot, June is the most popular month for weddings. I can see why, the weather is getting nice, there are so many flowers in bloom and gardens are sprouting making fresh food readily available. It is, in many areas, the perfect month. 

Best FACE Forward *Part Two*

Last week, I talked about how my mom's advice to "always clean my face" is continuously in my head. In that post, I gave some great recipes for face care, that I tested. 
There are so many great recipes for different products (masks, mists, cleansers, moisturizers, etc) it was too overwhelming for just one post. Here are a few more great ways to put your best face forward.

Face Cleanser/Wash
I found this recipe on DIY Natural {click here} and used their variations to make it my own.
What you'll need:
1/4 c castile soap
1/8 c water
1/8 c rosewater
8 drops essential oils - 4 drops lavender, 4 drops chamomile
What to do:
Combine ingredients, mix well. Pour into a small container. Makes 4 oz.
Tips:  I used a 6 oz squirt bottle, wanting the extra room to shake up the ingredients before each use. Change the EOs to suit your skin type or scent preference. Check out DIY Natural's post for other ideas to make it fit you.

Best FACE Forward *Part One*

One of the first beauty lessons I learned from my mom was: clean your face! Now this seems obvious and silly that she had to remind me all the time. Whenever I feel too lazy or tired to clean my face before bed, I hear my mom's advice automatically in my brain - like brushing my teeth, it just doesn't feel good to go to bed without doing it.

There are so many options for face cleansing products on the market today. Since I have started to experiment with making my own beauty products, the store versions seem even more expensive, plus they contain all those unknown ingredients. The following recipes are ones that I have tested. I have relatively clear, sensitive skin that can be slightly on the oily side; living in the desert, however, my skin tends to get dry.

Hydrating Facial Toner
I got this recipe from doTERRA's fall 2012 magazine. I've been using it for a few months and really like it. 
What you'll need:
1/4 c water
1 T witch hazel
1/2 t veg glycerin
5 drops of each essential oil: clary sage, grapefruit, roman chamomile
3-4 oz bottle (spray or cap)*
What to do:
Combine all ingredients in your bottle, shake to blend. 
Spray on skin or use a cotton ball/pad to apply to face. 
Lasts 2 months
*Glass is preferred. I currently house mine in a plastic bottle. With enough additional mediums (i.e. liquid and/or carrier oil) added to the EOs, you are able to prevent the negative affects EO's may have on plastic containers.

Storing Seasonal Clothes with EO Sachets

I have a lot of clothes! I attribute this to the fact that I seem to always live in climates where the seasons regularly change. There is always winter and summer and generally some lovely weather in between that never seems to last long enough.

Depending on the season, I store my "off season" clothes in a plastic tub in the garage, an idea I got from my mom who does the same thing. Lately, NorCal has suddenly gotten hot.  Time to get out my summer clothes. (As you can see from the picture, I haven't quite unpacked it yet.)

In order to put my summer clothes in my closet (and drawers), I will be putting my winter clothes back in the tub. I use to put dryer sheets in the tub to help them stay smelling fresh, but I am not using dryer sheets these days. Brainstorm session...

Cleaning Reusable Grocery Bags

I love reusable bags and have quite the collection. I use them for groceries, dog traveling accessories, beach/lake bags, and the list goes on. Confession: I have never washed them, until now. I've seen the news stories about reusable grocery bags being a breeding ground for E. coli and other nasty things. But, I figured it was other people's bags and not mine because mine are stored under my car seat, behind the couch and hanging in the garage. Perfectly and most definitely clean...not.

Last week, I was unloading my groceries, noticing how dirty my bags were. They are several (four,eek!) years old and have never been washed. Gross. I have two stuff bags I carry in my purse and I have sprayed them out a few times or when they get something on them. But the cloth-like bags, that I use for food and bring into my kitchen....yuck!

I researched the best way to clean these bags. Here's what I found:

(Wild)Fire Wife's Life ~ Food & EOs

I am a wildfire wife. More specifically, a hotshot wife. Almost ten years ago, I met my husband (KB) on a wildfire; I was the EMT in fire camp, he was on a hotshot crew and we've been together ever since! Every spring, the seasonal firefighters return to work, joining those crew members stationed year round; after training, they "go available" for fires nation wide. [Read more about hotshot crews {HERE}]

Salt Lid + Mason Jar = Awesome

During a late night web surfing session, I came across this idea. A mason jar with a spout top? Unheard of...I just had to try it. As I was cleaning today, it just so happened that I finished a jar of salt scrubbing out my sink and I remembered the idea. Perfect! I decided to figure out how to make it. After I did, I sent a picture of it to my friend (and behind the scenes A Drop of This girl) Krysta and she said it would be even better embellished. I LOVE EMBELLISHMENTS!! 

Here's a step-by-step guide on what I did to get a pour spout on a mason jar for free (assuming you have the salt container). 

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Are you searching for the perfect way to honor your mom this Mother's Day? Thinking of giving her something special to accompany the heartfelt "Thank You, I Love You?" If so, I have some wonderful ideas for you! Check out all the great tips and ideas below - to buy, to make, to do, and a section for essential oil living. Now the only hard part will be picking which of these loving gestures to give.

The Card 

Mom's love a homemade gift. Here's a card I made at my last Stampin' Up party:  
{click here} to buy supplies from my demonstrator, Becky. 

The Salve that Solves it ALL

Yes, I still own some VHS tapes.

Have you ever watched the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"? If  you have, you may remember that the father of the bride felt that Windex© was the fix for everything - You have a pimple? Just spray some Windex on it. 

Now, I don't have any Windex© nor have I purchased any that I can recall. What I do have is Windex© alternatives. My point is, that we all need a fix for everything. Obviously, I don't think ANYthing really will fix EVERYthing. But boy, do I wish it could. I digress. Back to alternatives. The other day I was watching this movie and thinking to myself, "I have something like that." A solution to a problem. Pimple? Put some salve on it. Dry skin? Put some salve on it. Cold sore? Put some salve on it. Burn my finger?...Well, you get the idea!

Cleaning Copper & Wood (or Rehabbing a piece of my childhood)

Like most couples, my husband and I try to visit our families as often as possible. The last excuse for a trip home happened to be for my dad's 65th birthday! While we were there, my mom offered me a set of copper and wood utensils. These weren't just any set of utensils, but the ones that had hung on the wall next to the stove for my entire childhood. There was no way I was going to bypass this offer. I love to collect family items and happily took them home. As you can see in the picture below, they had seen better days.

Before

Because they were in such poor condition, I decided to try a few homemade natural cleaning products (and essential oils, of course) to try to restore them to their former glory. If nothing else, they would at least get a fabulous cleaning.

Confessions of a flu victim

For those of you that follow A Drop of This, you know that we recently endured a bout of the flu. It was not fun and just as bad as everything I'd seen in the news (but didn't think would happen to me).

While laying on the couch with sore muscles, coughing every few minutes, barely able to breathe through my stuffed up nose, I wasn't thinking clearly. So what did I do? I went with what I knew.

Spring {Skin} Scrub

Spring means fresh and clean! 

With the days getting longer, the songbirds singing and shiny green shoots beginning to emerge after a long winter. 

It also means warmer weather, flip flops, and rolled up jeans. Being that I'm originally a western Oregon girl, it can also mean rainy days complete with sweatshirts and galoshes. Lately, I've become a high desert rat where wearing flip flops is the norm. The desert environment and a winter of wood stove heat with low humidity has taken its toll on my skin; leaving it dead, dry and cracked.

Here's a few Lea-tested scrubs to help you get rid of that old wintery dry skin and bring on soft spring-like skin again.

Clean Hands

I happen to LOVE hand soap. I love 

DIY All Natural Foaming Hand Soap

Back to the Basics: plus a GIVEAWAY!!

Reminisce with me for a moment, won't you?
Come along, as we take a walk down memory lane and get back to the basics! We'll be chatting about the three oils that changed my life and sparked a passion! Lavender, Lemon & Peppermint - These three oils changed my life - the way I take on my family's healthcare and living a better DIY/green living lifestyle (and I, too, won them in a giveaway - how awesome is that?!).

How might these three oils and this little giveaway change your life??

Let me count the ways:

We Have The Flu

Our house has been battling THE FLU. We're just now, a week later, starting to win. Today is the first day I've been on the computer in six days. My head is still fuzzy, so bear with me.

Roll-On for Better Health

Sometimes, the application of essential oils can be a challenge. I remember getting my first bottles and thinking, "Okay, now how do I apply it?" Although there are several ways essential oils can be used (topically, internally, & aromatically), applying them to our feet may be one of the best for quick delivery of EO benefits. But then came my dilemma...how do I get it there, without dripping it all over - and I'm pretty flexible.
You may have more effective results applying essential oils to the area of need or on your wrist, neck and chest.

Enter, the game changer, ROLLER BOTTLES! These little gems make EO application to my feet effortless and effective.

Here's a list of my MUST HAVE roller bottles:

Favorite EO + Vodka = Custom Linen Spray

One of my favorite luxuries has always been linen spray. There's just something about it that makes me feel special. It's like those scented drawer liners, they remind me of another time (or another income bracket). For me, linen spray was always an extravagance that when put in the cart next to all the other needs, often found itself re-shelved. 

My world shifted for the better when I discovered I could make it myself. Pure bliss!

Adventure #1 of the Traveling Diffuser

Over Thanksgiving, we took our first trip to Hawaii and had the pleasure of traveling with  friends and their three year old daughter. She is the cutest thing in the world. I love her.

View from our condo in Kona

Our first full day there, she got extremely sick (stomach flu like symptoms of unknown origin). Stuck in the condo, with trips to the ER, it was not good!

Personal note: It seems that I am a germ magnet. If someone has it, chances are I will get it too. Take shopping, for instance, is one of my favorite things. But touching things other people have touched means that I sometimes catch whatever they had. Yuck!

So…here we are in Paradise, with a sick child, for ten days. What to do, what to do??

Muscle Salve - that REALLY works!

Last fall, as I was starting to make potions, my husband informed me that everything was "girly."  I found this awesome recipe for sore muscles by an essential oils friend, Peggy, at Essential Living/Caring Oils. She tweaked a hand salve recipe she found over at Camp Wander. This got the husband nod as a manly enough product to give to manly men.

Let me tell you, this stuff works! Sometimes, though, I am still a bit of a skeptic. I know that in theory it works and that there are amazing testimonies from strangers about how essential oils have changed their lives to back up that theory. But, part of me still wonders...does it really work? Big chunks of that skepticism disappear every time someone I know tells me, "Yup it really worked." This gets me all giddy because, well...IT WORKED!

Valentine's Day Crafts

It's February! The month of love - and snow and freezing temperatures.  Just this week was the 200th anniversary for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, my personal favorite romance - besides my own, of course. I celebrated by watching the six hour BBC Colin Firth movie. Yay!

Love is in the air and I love decorating my house.  I seem to have Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas covered but lack decorations for the other nine months of the year. I'm going to fix that!

Here are some easy projects for putting a little Valentine's love in your life, or at least in your house.

Honey Throat Drops (or Candy)

A few months ago, I got a cold. Cough and throat drops helped. After my cold, I was stocking up on more On Guard and I saw that doTERRA has On Guard Protecting Throat Drops (item #3405). Rebecca over at Camp Wander said, "you're  crafty, I bet you could make something like that." Well, thank you, but....Could I?

I'm not very handy in the kitchen. Over the last six years, I've been teaching myself to cook; I have several friends and my brother (hi, Schuyler) on emergency text standby for kitchen/cooking help. This sounded like a kitchen disaster waiting to happen....

And it was!

My first attempt was a disaster, okay not exactly a disaster but it was not good, it was edible but not salvageable. I lacked a key tool - candy thermometer (hey, the blog post I read said you didn't have to have one and I was too impatient to go buy one for $5.06 at Safeway).

I can't be sure if this is a result of not getting to the needed temperature of 300 degrees or that I used candy trays from a chocolate candy kit, that are now in the recycle bin. 

With the proper tools, I'm happy to report, the second effort was a success! Tasty, hard honey candies...I mean honey throat drops. If I can do this, you really can too!

Foot Spa Night

I need a pedicure BAD! Unfortunately, the budget doesn’t allow for that sort of thing right now. But I can be pretty resourceful, so I’d been thinking for a few weeks that I should just give myself a foot spa. Now this in no way replaced my love for going to the spa for a pedi– oh the massage, the cute painted flowers, sigh – but my feet are softer and it was pretty fun if I do say so myself.

Here’s my version of a foot spa at home on a budget with things you probably have at home,  or can easily make/acquire.

I watched a Hallmark Christmas movie (yes, I know, Christmas is over, sad) while pampering myself. I also had some candy hearts and tea and my house was husband free and the dog was snoozing.