DIY Laundry Pre-Treat Options

Three Reliable Ways To Get Stains Out

I had so much fun telling you all about some of the fun things I made as Christmas gifts (fizzy bath salts, peppermint sugar scrub, decongestant shower melts and wax melts) that I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite homemade cleaning supplies!


I've had my most recent adventures making my own pre-treat laundry spray. I will first advise you to stay away from any recipe that mixes hydrogen peroxide with baking/washing soda and tells you to put it in a spray bottle. The washing/baking soda will react with the peroxide, expand, and then the liquid starts spraying, almost magically, out.  Mind you, this will happen long after you've left the room. You'll just come back to a film-y mess.

This is a great pre-treater, especially for protein stains, though. It's that chemical reaction that works so well getting out the stain so you don't want it sitting around anyway. If it's not too difficult for your lifestyle you can mix it up on an as-needed basis. 

Explosive Laundry Treatment!

• 2 parts water
• 1 part washing soda
• 1 part hydrogen peroxide

Soak stain thoroughly in treatment for roughly 20 minutes and wash as usual.

That doesn't, personally, suit my lifestyle. I like something that's easy to grab when I need it. I was even willing to spend extra time putting a recipe together if it meant it would be ready to use when I needed it. After some research, additions and a fun name I'm using the following recipe. It has a couple of ingredients you might not have in the house, but since you'll be able to make multiple batches, I think they're totally worth it.

Bellow!

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap (Dr. Bronner's is great and readily available)
• 1/4 cup liquid glycerine (any drugstore)
• 2 tablespoons baking soda 
• 1 tablespoons washing soda (in the laundry aisle at most grocery stores)
• 10-15 drops lemon essential oil (I use NOW)

In a pan mix the baking soda, washing soda and water on high heat. Stir continuously until powders are thoroughly disolved and water appears clear. Allow to cool before adding the rest of the ingredients.  Pour into a spray bottle and spray onto stains 10 to 15 minutes before washing. Swirl/shake before using.

I love this! It makes a reasonably large supply, doesn't require any weird storage and smells amazing. The lemon essential oil is for cleaning as well as fragrance so while it can be omitted, it's not interchangeable with any other essential oil.

If you're not already a DIYer this may seem like an expensive route with a lot of ingredients you don't use or have on hand. While it winds up being less expensive in the long run there is a certain upfront investment. I can assure you all that I want that you'll find other uses for your essential oil or that you'll be amazed at how much you'll use your bottle of Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap, but buying all that may not suit your wallet right now. I get that.

For that reason, I'll introduce one more idea. It's cheap, easy and environmentally pretty sound.
 

Cheap & Easy Stain Fighter

• 1 Bar Laundry Soap like Fels-Naptha or Zote (Zote being more environmentally friendly but you can always use Kirk's Original Coconut Castile Soap if you keep it vegan at your house)
• 1 Pretty Soap Dish

I like to keep the soap in the plastic netting that some produce (like onions or lemons) come in, for a little extra scrubbing power.

You'll need to get the bar a little wet to get the lather going and apply it to a stain, so if you don't have a nearby sink keep a spray bottle with water in it. That's it!

I've always liked the idea of starting with the money saved with one DIY and using those savings to buy some of those investment items. For instance, taking the difference in price between a bottle of, say, Shout and a bar of Fels-Naptha and putting it in a little change purse. When the change purse has enough in it use that money to buy a big container you'd need for DIY laundry detergent, buy that. When you would ordinarily have to buy more detergent (the recipe I use makes enough for over 250 loads at a price that's comparable to a big bottle of Tide) put the money you would have spent on it in your change purse to save up for the next little investment product.

I've had to live on a very strict budget before, so I still sometimes cringe paying almost $10 for a tiny bottle of essential oil or pacing up and down the aisle at Wal-Mart (a store that I don't feel good patronizing to begin with) trying to justify spending $5 more on the pretty glass jar than the functional plastic bin.

Those are my three pre-treatments. Hopefully one will suit your needs.

I hope to go through all of your laundry options soon. Going soup to nuts from pre-treat to dryer balls.


*****Since taking the above photos I've started putting Bellow! into an old glass vinegar bottle with the sprayer from the bottle pictured screwed on it. It fits perfectly and I'm much happier with it.

Small for You, Big for Me!

So much has changed! In classic Katherine styling I've been working different recipes and writing up blogs to accompany them. Some I'm perfecting the recipe before putting it out there, others lack pictures. (Hopefully, I'll put out a series of blogs on laundry and do-it-yourself products that I've researched, made and used by years end!)

Bigger than that, for me anyway, I met someone. I know! Almost 40, never married, set in my ways and I managed to meet a nice man that doesn't feel at all like a compromise.

If you don't know me, I'll give you a little hint of how comfortable as a singleton I was.  I posted this exactly five days before meeting Ben:

I was laughing for a few days about how funny and happily single I was. I was. I like not having to answer to anyone and the idea that I could take off on a moments notice. (Which is still true. I'd never considered that you could be involved with someone and still have those things.)

About a year before that I was watching a romcom and when the leading man got down on his knee to ask her to marry him I, without thinking, yelled "Don't do it!" at my television. It's a funny story, but I was a little embarrassed when it happened. (Ok, mostly because of the whole yelling at my TV thing.)

Now, I'm not saying that this is the love of my life, or my soulmate or any of those other ridiculous things I don't believe in. (Sorry, not ready to be a romantic quite yet.) But we are kind of insanely happy together. We're planning to move in together (way too soon). So, you may be seeing some lovely Ikea hacks or fun flea market finds. (We'll see. Recently I've only found boiled peanuts and orange soda at the flea market.)

Ben is lovable and funny and almost completely onboard with my new mantra "plastic free by 2023". (He's only about 80% onboard, but I only want to be about 90% plastic free so it may work.) He wants to raise chickens for eggs and is interested in ethical meat sources. (Do you think I could eat my own chickens? I'm not sure.)

Best news? He loves dogs.

It's all golden now. I know. Wait a year, you say. With complacency you'll each see what the other is really all about and then you'll feel differently. You're probably right. I'm just going to take this time, make it last as long as possible and enjoy it as much as I can.

I was in such a hurry when I was younger. I wanted to just be married already and start having kids. Now I just want to make this part last forever. It's not realistic and the day will come when things change and I'll try to enjoy that as much as possible when it comes.

Sauna Etiquette

Going for a Shvitz

After a week of hitting the sauna at my local YMCA I'm a little disappointed. Not in the sauna experience! It's pretty wonderful and I suggest everyone try it, health permitting. I'm disappointed that so many women don't get that there are rules. I'm not talking about "soft rules" like not listening to music or talking (although I'll touch on a couple of these) but the hard rules about hygiene.

Before I went to the sauna I did a little reading.  My favorite was this how to, which I highly recommend but seemed a little male oriented. I thought we needed some more feminine guidelines. I'll not bore you with the basics like don't drink and sauna or sauna when pregnant, as that's printed on the doors of most public saunas.

When I go for a shvitz (it's Yiddish for "sweat") I like to look a little glamorous. I wrap myself in a towel and put my hair up in a terry cloth headband like I'm at a fancy spa. (Remember to take all your jewelry off.) No underpants, but I never take the towel off. I'm shy like that, but also, my gym has a rule. Always wearing a pair of shower shoes or flip-flops. (Saunas are the perfect temperature for foot funk, so you don't want to turn your sneaker into an incubator or catch it from someone else.)

Maybe you're a little more casual than I and wear old biking shorts and a tee with your hair up in a ponytail (no metal clips or such). That's fine, just make sure they're clean and not the ones you just worked out in.  The same is true with a swimsuit. This is where a hard rule comes in. You must be clean when you go in the sauna! Take a quick rinse off in the shower if you've just been in the pool, working out or even are just wearing a lot of lotion or perfumes. Try to keep outside smells and toxins out for the long term health of the sauna.

You're gonna need towels! Towels to wrap around you, towels to sit on and towels to dry off with. (Again, clean and not full of chlorine from the pool.) Goodness knows what a pain this can be if your gym doesn't provide towels. You can choose to sauna in something other than a towel but you must sit on one. Don't leave behind a sweaty butt print. On the bright side, it doesn't have to be a full sized towel. You can sit on a nice hand towel to lighten your laundry load.

You really should bring a clean towel for showering off after, though. One of the many reasons to sauna is to help your body get rid of toxins through sweat. You don't want to get them out just to rub them back all over your skin. (I even use a mild soap during my after-shower.)

Are you lucky enough that you find yourself frequently in the sauna by yourself? I'll admit, I am.
Because I am alone I feel free to bring a little bad new-age music with nature sounds. It is my secret shame. (Generally, I like heavy metal.) I'd never do this if people were there. Even with headphones it can disturb someone else. 

If you have the opportunity to do this always be respectful of others. While I doubt anyone is going to go into an Enya induced rage, you should still turn it off the moment someone else enters. Use an old iPod or even a discman. Something that you won't be overly upset if it doesn't survive the heat. Really, other than this specific circumstance, there is no reason to bring any electronics into a sauna.

Do you find yourself often in company? Generally saunas are thought to be a "quiet place". Somewhere to turn off the chatter and be a little introspective.  Don't feel the need to fill the air or look at others with a critical eye. You should be too hot for any of that anyway.

Conversely, you may find that your sauna is the chatty type. If you find yourself walking in to find conversations, just make the best of it. Giving side-eye and clucking at strangers is not conducive to a good experience for anyone. 

Saunas, strangely, seem out of fashion now. Fewer gyms have them and those that still do find them empty a good portion on the day. Once you go, it'll be hard to understand why anyone ever stopped. Twenty minutes in a sauna is life changing. I never come home from one and don't daydream about building one in my backyard.

Peppermint Sugar Scrub

I need to warn you up front that I cannot guarantee my proportions here. I know there are only four ingredients but not so long ago I decided to make my own liquid castile soap from a bar and, while I've used it in other recipes that I use personally including this one, it went kind of sideways. It's kind of lumpy and weird, but it still makes a nice lather. I know, who'd have guessed I'd have problems with something like that? (You know, other than everyone who's ever met me.) In the long run, I blame trying to make too large of a batch the first time out.

But I digress. This recipe is small batch, requires few ingredients and is easy to manipulate to your own desires.

Let's start with the most basic recipe:

2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Tbsp liquid soap
1 Cup sugar
3 drops essential oil (obviously I used peppermint)

 Mix thoroughly. 

That's it! You're done. Except I haven't told you what kind of liquid soap, or for that matter sugar, to use. In truth, any. You may wind up needing more or less sugar, but not by much.

I used my "homemade" liquid castile soap so I tend to think of a liquid castile first but you could use an inexpensive liquid face soap or even just baby shampoo. Some versions I've read of this recipe skip the soap all together and just used 1/4 cup coconut oil.

 I also used a regular bag of white sugar and while I can't think of a reason to use anything else, my lack of imagination shouldn't limit anyone.

I thought about other fragrances and I like the idea of a more lively scent for a scrub. Something to wake a person up a little. If you're using a scented soap, you may opt to not add any essential oil.

This shouldn't be liquid-y at all. It will have a nice light consistency and be reminiscent of snow. That may mean that it's a struggle to properly fill a jar, but if you're doing anything resembling pouring it, you need more sugar. If the sugar melts in the liquid, it will stop being a scrub and just be goo.

This was the last project I finished before Christmas and they made for such a jolly little gift! (I'm enjoying the jar I made for myself, as well.

 Try some of my other DIY Christmas gifts

Decongestant Shower Melts
Decongestant Wax Melts
Fizzy Bath Salts

Fizzy Bath Salts!

Why didn't I do this first? This was a clean, easy and cheap little project that I feel is certain to be enjoyed. 

You need very little:

• 2 cup Epsom Salt
• 1/2 cup Sea Salt
• 1 cup Baking Soda
• 1/2 cup Citric Acid (at the supermarket or hardware store in with the jarring supplies)
• Food Coloring (I like 8 drops red, 4 drops blue)
• 25-30 drops Essential Oil of Your Choice (I used lavender with a few drops of either sweet orange or peppermint)

First, I mixed these ingredients up in a large bowl until the color and consistency was about even. (Perhaps too even. As I look at photos from other bloggers I kind of like the flecks of color.) Then I sealed it in a large jar for a day or two so the smell would be even throughout. Finally, I packaged it up in fun Christmas themed mason jars I'd just gotten from Dollar General for $1 a piece.

There are certainly mistakes that could have been made, but I didn't make them. (For once.) I happened to have quite a bit of sea salt on hand and the citric acid was easy to find.

Leave a little room at the top of the jar you're ultimately storing them in. The top layer tends to get a little crusty and you'll appreciate the ability to shake it up a bit.

I did try to take the last couple tablespoons and  make these cute little bath bombs that everywhere I was reading said it was totally possible. I put the salts in one of my silicone cupcake molds, sprayed with a little water and pressed down on them. Not a success.

I hope my next couple projects go as well!


Check out my other DIY Christmas gifts

Decongestant Shower Melts
Decongestant Wax Melts
Peppermint Sugar Scrub

Decongestant Wax Melts

This is actually the item that got me started on the idea of a DIY Christmas. I was just happily scrolling through my feed on Facebook one day when I saw an image very much like this:

 

Now, there was something about this that I liked, but also something kind of disturbing. Put a petroleum based medicine in water, leave it on an open flame in your baby's room then close the door and wish them the best of luck? Yeah, no.

A little research and I found out two things very quickly. 1) Vicks VapoRub is not intended for babies and it's actually harmful to them. 2) The good people at Scentsy hate this idea and will void the warranty(?) on your warmer if you try but have a similar decongestant melt they'd be happy to sell you. I, however, was not deterred.

The season was changing and in spite of high humidity I was really stopped up at night. So, I ran over to the local Family Dollar and bought a generic warmer. At first it totally worked. Kind of. I mean, if you're ok sleeping next to a lit candle. Then after a few hours I woke up to some popping noises. I didn't see anything and there were no marks of where the oil had popped up out of the warmer, but I was not comfortable trying that again when I went to bed.

Rather than just putting it in the lose column I really went down the rabbit hole. I took a tea light out of it's tin cup, removed the wick, then put it and a teaspoon of Vicks in the warmer. Eureka! After a few hours sitting next to me while I studied it gave off a pleasant, decongesting aroma and remained stable, without any pops or splashes.

This gave me some hope, so I got a wax melter nightlight. We all know where I went to get it. I went into the heart of darkness. The evil empire. Walmart. I'm never proud of my decision to shop there (a subject I'll surely revisit at a later date) but I knew that I could find this weird little item quickly, easily and cheaply.

As I was using it, though, I was still reading. I was not the only one who'd discovered this trick and a lot of people had blogged about it. Many had small children and were using Baby Vicks or mixing their own essential oils. I'm not sure exactly when or how, but as I was starting to think about what I was going to do for Christmas gifts I decided to go natural and get some essential oils. So, the ideas merged. 

I stopped by Family Dollar again and picked up a great little ice tray for only $1. It's a little different from the average ice tray. It has a rounded, silicone bottom that you push up on to release the ice and I think I'm in love with it. So, with much less thought than I should have used, I started in on this.

As one blogger had used a large, religious style, candle in a glass container I decided that would be fine. Sure, it takes a while to melt but they're unscented, cheap, readily available and I wouldn't need to get out the double-boiler. This, kittens, was a terrible plan.

Almost as soon as I got it home I started thinking about how on earth I was going to be able to pour hot wax out of it? I put off starting this project just to avoid dealing with it. I probably should have not attempted it. Instead I sat the candle in a pot of hot water on the stove and prepped everything while I waited.

I washed and dried my new little ice cube tray then put four drops of each of the following essential oils in it:

Tea Tree

Eucalyptus

Peppermint

Rosemary

Since I was working by myself I thought that putting the oil then wax in would be better than wax first. I didn't want to be playing "Beat the Clock" trying to get the oils in before the wax dried.

If you're thinking about making these yourself, you can certainly alter the line-up of oils. Some people like to use lemon or wintergreen to replace rosemary and peppermint respectively and the amounts are completely up to personal taste.

When the wax melted I took a deep breathe, braced myself, and with an oven mitt on each hand pulled the candle out of the pot and began pouring it into the ice cube tray. The wax got everywhere! Only now some of it had overflowed the ice compartments so it was oily wax. All. Over. The. Counters. There are no pictures of this. I just had no time. I was too busy wiping up wax and shouting profanity.

After a significant amount of cleaning

How else did I think it was going to work? Any sane, rational person when they realized how unwieldy an eight inch tall, glass cylinder with a squared lip was going to be, would have rethought it. Not me. I need to make the mistake before I see the solution. 

On the bright side, the ice cube tray was perfect! The ice compartments themselves each hold about one tablespoon and when it cooled off and I was able to chip the extra wax off the top, they came out nearly perfect. Only a couple had a slight fault, which surely had more to do with the big waxy mess than anything else. In two the oil and wax hadn't mixed together properly and so the top (what had been the bottom as they were drying) never solidified fully. The rest looked perfect, but due to losing so much oil in the waxy mess, weren't very potent.

My second batch, I obviously needed to find a better source of wax for. It should be unscented but the color can be anything. After some thought I went in hunt of an unscented pillar candle that I could grate (my mother later recommended putting it in a plastic bag and wacking it with a hammer) into my Pyrex measuring cup (that has a spout!) and I placed it into a hot water bath to melt the wax. Simple plan!

Unfortunately, it is really hard to find a big unscented candle these days. Know what's easy to find? Unscented tea lights. They're all over the place and super cheap. I got a big bag of 30 for $2.

I figured since each compartment holds one tablespoon and there are 21 compartments in the ice cube tray that I'll need just over 1 1/4 cup to fill the tray. I could melt the tea lights just a few at a time until I had that amount so that I'd waste as little as possible.

A quick search on The Google told me that one liquid teaspoon is the equivalent of just under 100 droplets. That measurement seems quicker to get and a bit stronger than the first batch. So, I knew my measurements which felt like half the battle.

Everything went according to plan! I was able to use a low pan that the handle of my Pyrex measuring cup went over, which meant the handle remained a reasonable temperature and I could hold it without a even an oven mitt.

The oils measured nicely and stirred in smoothly after the wax melted. (I was sure to take off the plastic top that pours by the drop. That would have taken too long.)

When it was time to pour, it was a dream! I just picked up the measuring cup and started pouring with hardly any overages.

I did find that I had a little too much wax. (Evidently, my math is not as good as I think it is.) I got out my trusty silicone cupcake tray and poured a few extra in there. I'm still not sure if those can are better as gifts or keeping for myself.

Since I used the same cupcake mold to make my decongestant shower melts and these are likely to wind up in the same gift package, I think having a different look might be important, but the symmetry of having them look alike, since they're both decongestant, has an appeal too. Ultimately I'm deciding against it because they are a little to wide to fit in the nightlight wax warmer and wouldn't want that that to happen to someone I've given a gift to.

With no cleanup at all!

Waiting for them to cool they look a little shiny and greasy, but I'm taking that to mean that they'll be nice and strong. Unfortunately the melts in the ice cube tray aren't firm enough to come out in one piece, though. (The problem isn't in the silicone because it's flexible enough to peel up from around the wax.) I decided to try freezing them to see if that would help.

A few hours later they popped out perfectly! Which is nice, because not only is Christmas coming but the season of dry, forced hot air has begun in the south. Happily I can go to bed tonight with my humidifier going and one of these little lovelies melting in my nightlight.

Check out my other Christmas gift DIYs!

Decongestant Shower Melts
Fizzy Bath Salts
Peppermint Sugar Scrub

*****Only after I finished this project did I start reading about toxins and ingredient sources in candles. While I don't think that discount store tea lights are "dangerous", in the future I will either use a non-toxic, organic tea light or use the wax mix recommended by The Hippie Home Maker.  As always, I think that you should make educated decisions that are right for you and your family.

A Very Pinteresting Idea...

I've decided that this year I will have A Very Pinteresting Christmas! I have no children and most of the people of my gift list are adults and I've decided to craft all of the gifts myself. I'm a poor student so I'm hoping this will also save some money. This may get ugly, I won't lie. We've all had those, "Nailed it!" moments trying to recreate something we found on Pinterest.

Today I've decided to make something that, if it goes well, would make an excellent little gift. Decongesting shower melts. You put them at the bottom of a hot, steamy shower and as they melt, they release a wonderful smell to help clear out your sinuses. I looked at a couple of different recipes before deciding on one I liked. I'm making a small batch to try out and thought I'd take you through it. It seems very easy and if it goes well I'll look into making a large batch and packaging them up in festive holiday jars or tins.

Let me start by listing the ingredients:

Baking soda

Water

Eucalyptus oil

Rosemary oil

Peppermint oil

Tea tree oil

All of the  essential oils can be purchased for a fairly reasonable price at your local GNC. I'm sure you can do better price-wise at an online specialty store, but I'm always impatient to start a new project and love the instant gratification of brick and mortar.

Some of the recipes I read called for corn starch rather than baking soda, but this left me a little uncomfortable. Was that the type of thing that after you've used for a couple of day you find your tub draining slower? I didn't know and opted not to risk it. I decided since baking soda is a product often used in cleaning and sometimes used for clearing out a stopped up drain it was the better choice.

You start by mixing the baking soda and water at a 3:1 ratio. If you're not good at math or just never really know what that means, let me make it easier. Measure out one cup of baking soda and add 1/3 cup water. It'll be quite thick and I think a simple dinner fork is best for mixing it together. Run the tongs of the fork across the top and it'll smooth out the top, almost unbelievably.

At this point you're supposed to it put into some sort of individual containers to dry. Having read multiple directions I saw everything from large ice cube trays to paper cupcake liners mentioned and decided on a silicone cupcake tray. Well, I decided on it mostly because I saw one on sale at a second hand shop for $1.99. I am not sure if metal would work. I think it probably wouldn't. It seems to me the discs would crumble when you try to get them out of the pan. However, if the over-sized ice cube tray and silicone cupcake tray weren't options for me I would probably have gone with tin foil cupcake liners. I feel like they wouldn't fall apart when you're trying for take them off.

I filled the cupcake tray about halfway with the mixture.

After you've put the water and baking soda mixture into whatever container you're using, you need to wait a full 24 hours for it to dry. I know! In my mind I hear Tom Petty singing "The waiting is the hardest part." How, how am I supposed to not mess with it for that long?! I keep tipping the screen of my laptop down to watch it sitting there, drying. I really want to skate my fingers across the top of it to see if it's started to harden up yet. Somehow, I manage not to.

Once they dried fully I thought about how to apply the oil. How much is a bit of personal preference. Maybe you want it to be peppermint heavy for use in a morning shower, or maybe you love rosemary. I went crazy and added six or seven drops of each. They are pretty darn strong. I suspect that when I find myself a little congested these will more than do the trick.

Now, everything I read recommended adding the oil after the discs had dried and been removed from their mold, but I'm not really sure why. (Because now I have a cupcake tray that now smells like shower melts, that's why.) I decided to try a little experiment. One disc I removed from the cup and added the oils while it was in my hand. That one was a little crumbly. The second I added the oil while it was still in the cup but removed it right away to store in a sealed up glass jar with the first. It was significantly less crumbly, which got me thinking. Why couldn't I add the oil, leave the discs in the cups and let them absorb the oil fully before removing them? I added the oils and sealed the entire tray in a big, gallon sized Ziploc bag. I even put in the little bag of desiccant that had come in the glass jar I'd bought for storage.

I figured I would wait until the tops of the discs were no longer shiny with oil but had returned to the nice matte finish before I attempted to do more them. Once they were ready to remove they were the least crumbly. They were also the wettest, though, and I'll revisit the idea of desiccants later. Wouldn't want them all falling apart in there!

Almost after the fact I thought about decorating them. I was thinking of jolly little blue snow flakes. I only had food coloring gel but I thought I could draw out the edges with a pin or something, that did not work...

 

So, I went right out to get the liquid food coloring. In my mind's eye, I would put one drop in the center and it would spread out in a beautiful pattern.

Not so much

But that funny little dot made me think about adding other dots.

Well, that didn't really work either.

It looked significantly cuter after a couple days

After going through the entire process of making them, which really took a several days, I finally got to try one! Of course, my luck, we were almost out of hot water so my shower never got really steamy.

I gave a couple to some friends, who've agreed to be my test monkeys, and based on their reaction I'll decide whether to give these out as gifts. The making wasn't difficult or terribly expensive and even if I don't give them out, I know I'll appreciate having them when I get all stopped up this winter.

I started on a second batch, convinced that this time I have solved all of the problems. This time I added color right away. Two drops blue and two drops green to each cup in an effort to give it that aqua blue color we associate with Vicks products. I didn't waste time trying to stir in or in any way distribute the color. After the first batch I felt confident that it would slowly color the whole disc. I let the baking soda, water and food coloring dry for a full two days before adding the essential oils. I imagine that if I tried to take them out they would have just crumbled to pieces but with the first batch I'd felt like they were a little damp and I wanted the only moisture to be the oil.

Unbleached coffee filter, non-dairy
 creamer and a ribbon

In those two days I had the opportunity to research desiccants a little bit. (I became a bit obsessive about the moisture issue when I noticed some condensation on the inside of the glass jar I'd stored my first batch in.) It seems that the easiest, least expensive and most effective desiccant packets would be homemade. Just make little sachets with coffee filters and non-dairy creamer. (The powdered kind, obviously.) I read this in a crazy survivalist blog where the guy tried several different product and used staples to make his sachets. I assume that most DIYers who are interested in shower melts are more likely to tie them up with a pretty ribbon.

The second batch is really nice. There is a minor problem with the color. Coloring should definitely be added after oil. They aren't terribly crumbly, though, and since there were no experiments, I have a pretty glass jar full of them!

It's occurring to me now that they don't all have to be decongestant, either. I can make up a batch of lavender for relaxation or peppermint and lemon for energy. I'm not exactly sure how I would package different "flavors" up together as gifts but it's definitely worth a try.

Hope you've enjoyed my story and find the little lessons to go along with the recipe useful!

Here's the recipe without the story getting in the way:

Ingredients:

1/3 cup water

1 cup baking soda

eucalyptus essential oil

tea tree oil

rosemary essential oil

peppermint essential oil

food coloring

You'll also need:

silicone cupcake mold (or similar)

large, airtight storage bag

Combine water and baking soda into thick paste and divide into cupcake molds. Allow to dry for 24 to 48 hours. (48 preferred.)

To each compartment add 6-8 drops of each of the essential oils. Seal entire cupcake tray into large bag. 

After roughly 8 hours add two drops green and two drops blue food coloring to each mold and reseal into bag.

After the coloring has spread throughout your disks they are ready to remove and enjoy!

Store in an airtight container.

Check out my other Christmas gift DIYs!
Decongestant Wax Melts
Fizzy Bath Salts 
Peppermint Sugar Scrub

To My Son On The Subject Of Consent

My dear son,

I am writing to you now when I am confident and unashamed. I'm a little worried that when I am older I will be embarrassed to discuss this with you and rest back on having "raised you right." This is important, though.

Right now, before you were born, there are a lot of stories in the news about date and acquaintance rape. Two young, drunk people. She's too drunk to consent. He's too drunk to recognize that. But it's like driving. If you were sober you would never drive in that state but you're drunk and making bad decisions. (I am overly simplifying this, of course.)

I can't expect perfection from you. You may find yourself in a situation where you've been drinking and things are getting heavy with a girl. Stop. Look her dead in the eye and ask her, yes or no, if she wants to have sex. If she can't focus her eyes enough to meet yours or is incapable of clearly saying yes then you need to stop. You are not a rapist.

Be the gentleman I have raised you to be and guide her to somewhere safe to sleep it off. Don't dump her on a doorstep or abandon her where someone with bad intentions may find her.

At this point you may be rolling your eyes at me like I'm a crazy person. We've talked about sex! You know it's not a trivial thing you do with someone you hardly know. We're active church members! You don't binge drink! So use this knowledge to look out for your friends.

If you're at a party and see a friend, who's been drinking, with a girl clearly incapable of consent, get him out of that situation. You are his friend and "cock block" or not you can't let him commit a felony. (Yeah. I'm also a little shocked that I just said that to you.) Don't let anyone try to confuse you, you're looking out for his best interests. You wouldn't let him drunkenly rob a bank or kill a man so don't let him drunkenly become a rapist.

This should be a simple issue. Incapable of saying no isn't the same as yes. Making a bad decision and having too much to drink does not mean a girl deserves to be raped.

I love you. I want good things for you and hope this helps you make good choices.

Sincerely,
Mom

PS - Clean your room.

I currently have no children and no immediate plans to have any.

What Is My Favorite Woody Allen Movie?

Like so many others I recently read An Open Letter From Dylan Farrow. My heart ached for her! Here was a young woman who'd never asked for the spotlight reminding us to consider the artist behind the art. It was a great moral question and one I appreciate her asking of me. How can I, as a good person, enjoy something created by someone who's done something morally repugnant?

Then the internet blew up. Twitter accounts, comments sections, blogs, everywhere I looked people talking about how they knew he was definitely guilty (occasionally throwing in a charming anti-Semitic comment for effect) or how Mia Farrow is a loon who coached and brainwashed Dylan who is now looking for a paycheck. Yikes!

Now, I claim no special knowledge on this case. Some of the uncontested facts make Allen look like an unbelievable pervert, though. He maintains his innocence, and I will not be grabbing a torch or pitchfork any time soon. I also won't be asking him to babysit.

After awhile I noticed something interesting. People continually prefaced Dylan's name with the words "adopted daughter." It reminded me of The Royal Tenenbaums. (Please, Wes Anderson, don't do terrible things that make me question my love of your films.) "This is my adopted daughter Margot." 

I'm gonna go ahead and speak for Mia Farrow here and say that Dylan is her daughter. She adopted her so that she would be her daughter. I wonder why it is continually mentioned. As an adopted child is she considered, somehow, more or less reliable? Is it more acceptable to molest an adopted child?

What's more, adoption is not an easy thing.  You can accidentally get pregnant but you can't accidentally adopt. It even makes me wonder how (I'm going to use a kind term that even his great defenders would agree with) an odd bird like Allen was approved? I can only assume that Mia Farrow passes psychological and home studies with such ease that anyone she decides to adopt with is passed on her strength.

I guess my pro-Mia stance is revealed. It's true! I think Mia Farrow is a tremendous child advocate. She's gone through difficult international adoptions to rescue special needs children from inhumane conditions.  I'll admit I think it's unlikely she ever coached a child to say anything that would traumatize that child.

I need to reveal something else here. I am a younger sister. I have firm memories, that seem as real to me as they can be, that either factual evidence or a good witness have contradicted. They were just stories my sister told me. It is absolutely possible that something similar happened to Dylan. Her father was already so massively inappropriate with her (asking her to suck his thumb) it would probably have made it easier.

So, Dylan, this is what I know and don't know. I imagine it is only more difficult for those who knew him socially before or met him later without hearing your story in full.

What is my favorite Woody Allen movie? Annie Hall. It's a great movie. I'm sure the more recent movies are good but I haven't been able to watch his movies for years. There's a lot of moral ambiguity.

Packing For Club Getaway!

This past weekend I had the most amazing time at Club Getaway in the Berkshires! I went for a "reunion" for people who've gone on the ShipRocked cruises. (I've done two, myself.) We had a couple of bands play and enjoyed all the great lakeside activities. We drank a lot. We're hoping to go ahead and come back next summer.

Since this had been our first time going, most of us didn't quite know exactly how to pack. Personally, I over packed. I just figured I'd rather fix any potential problems rather than complain about them. I wanted to put together a nice list that we, ShipRockers, can look to in the future that maybe others could find useful.

Basic - These are items I think everyone should have.

• Case of water - Yes, they have plenty of coolers of water around but they only have tiny cups. Sure, you could have one bottle you just refill but you know you'll lose it. Also, you can share the case with your cabin mates.
• Beach towel - You'll find your cabin has a bath towel, a hand towel and a washcloth for each guest. No beach towel, which you'll want for swimming and other activities on the lake.
• Hoodie - You're a grown-up and I'm not going to take a lot of time telling you what clothes to pack but it gets cool in the evenings and you will probably want this.
• Walking shoes - just something appropriate for tramping around in the woods. I'm sure you'll have sandals but I think you'll want something else too.
• Aerosol deodorant - This is mostly for the men but I think it's a good idea all the way around. Go crazy with it. (Note: Axe is a body spray, not a deodorant. We can still smell your BO.) 
• Cooler for snacks and discreet drinks - If you're someone who constantly sleeps through or otherwise misses scheduled mealtimes you can feel free to bring snacks. Since the bar, according to Connecticut blue laws, must close at 2am and you and friends want to stay up until 3:45 drinking and talking you may want to bring a 6-pack of this or a flask of that. Club Getaway does not crack down on this, and has no problem with coolers, but be discreet with the adult beverages.

Comforts of Home - Things that you don't need but will want.

This cabin looks much larger than mine

• Pillow with pillowcase - Each twin sized bed (and they're all twins) has one smooshed down poly fill pillow. You'll want another. If you're picky, bring one from home but you can also pick one up at a discount store for four or five dollars and just leave it behind when you go home. 
• Soap - Ok, I'm gonna assume you're packing toiletries. This is more my personal suggestion to get two bars of a nice soap that you're willing to use on your face and body. Put one in the shower and one by the bathroom sink. They have soap dispensors in those places but, c'mon, you gotta take care of your skin. (Yes, you'll still need shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and such. I just really liked this idea and thought I'd pass in on.)
• Hangers - There are a few plastic ones in each cabin but bringing a couple more might help to keep you organized.
• Shower mat or shower shoes - Foot funk happens. You can play it solo with rubber flip flops or talk to your cabin mates and one of you bring a shower mat.
• Power strip - This is another item that you'll only need one per cabin. We all have stuff that needs to be charged or plugged in. Don't fight over an outlet.
• A watch - Ok, I have no kids and told all of my family, friends and coworkers that I would be out of range all weekend (completely untrue but absolutely decadent.) I tucked my phone away right after arriving didn't touch it until I was packing up to go. I completely annoyed everyone asking what time it was.
• Big insulated cup - Remember those adult beverages? Have a big cup to put them in. Because we all know that if you go back to your cabin for a refill after 2 am, you're not coming back.
• Wipes - Cleaning wipes, anti-bacterial wipes, make-up removing wipes. Don't lie. You love wipes. Pack some wipes.
• A couple of small scented candles - They take up such little room and can make such a difference.
• A camp chair - My cabin mate and I loved our neighbors. We chatted with them before bed and in the morning. It would have been really nice if there were enough chairs on our porch to all sit out there occasionally.

Princess - Ok, you may be made fun of. But you won't care! You're super comfortable.

• Twin sized inflatable mattress - The mattresses weren't great. I personally did fine but I spoke to a few people who said they had a bad crick in their neck. Set up the inflatable mattress and slide the one they supply for you under the bed. These mattresses pack down quite small so you even if you're flying in that shouldn't be a problem, just contact someone who lives locally (like me!) to bring an air-pump. 
• Sheets - I want to be clear, the linens you are supplied with are clean and functional. If you're someone who doesn't sleep on anything less that 450 count Egyptian cotton you'll have to bring your own, though.
• Bedbug spray - No one I know saw any signs of bedbugs which is the reason I thought of this as a princess item. I can really get wanting it just in case though. It's my understanding that bedbug spray and lice spray is the same thing. So, if you can't find one you can just get the other one.

A Meditation On Losing 15 Pounds

Right after Christmas I went on a diet. Nothing complicated or trendy. I just dug out all my old Weight Watchers material and started keeping track of what I ate. All of my information is older so I'm using the "old" points system but it's as effective as any of the different ways of keeping track of your diet that WW has used. I haven't been going to meetings, which I've enjoyed and I think are helpful, but have managed to stay on track. That's right, 15 pounds and counting.

I had no plans of doing this either. No grand New Years resolution or idea of what I was trying to attain by when. I just kind of started doing it and kept it up.

Actually, that's not entirely true. I had no plans of doing anything when a friend posted on Facebook how she was sick of reading the same people posting the same sort of "This will be my year" that they'd posted last year. I agreed with her that it was annoying but if a date on a calender inspired people to get on it, that seemed ok. Made me wonder what date I was looking for or what it would take to get me on it. Turns out, that's what I needed. Thanks, Flo!

Now, mistakes were made. By that I don't mean the Wendy's Baconator (which I totally planned for so it didn't have a negative impact) but rather the dozen or so oatmeal cookies that I ate one Saturday without an ounce of planning or even managing the rest of the meals that day to make it count less. Instead, I believe I drank a lot of rum.

The biggest thing is how my wardrobe has opened up to me. It took me years to put this weight on and so many of my clothes just kind of wound up in the back of the closet. Today I tried on shirts and pants that I haven't worn in forever and they just slipped on. I didn't struggle zipping up flies or have trouble buttoning a blouse. I hope to get to a point where everything is too loose.

There are moments when I get this serenity where I think that this is how I'll live my life and it's completely satisfying. I try to make those last as long as possible.

Soups On!

I know someone who recently admitted on Facebook to having eaten a can of condensed soup for lunch. "But, Katherine," you ask, "what could possibly be wrong with soup?" Well, I answer, it was really the fact that he didn't add water. He ate it condensed. Yuck.

So, this is for you "Michael F." (See? I'm protecting you anonymity.)

This is my recipe for Mexican Winter Bean Soup. (Thanks here to my sister for coming up with the name.) It is really easy to make, good for you and delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb low fat ground turkey
• 1 small onion chopped (if you're really lazy there's chopped onion in the frozen food section)
• 1 clove garlic minced (use the jarred kind, see if I care)
• 1 can corn
• 2 cans pinto beans (any color)
• 1 can RO*TEL (I can usually only find Original here but any variety will work)
• 1 can fat free low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 package taco seasoning
• 1 package ranch dressing seasoning

 In a large pot brown the turkey with the onion and garlic. You'll want the turkey crumbles as small as you can get them. Add all cans without draining. Add seasoning packages. When it's hot, it's done.

If you omit the can of broth it's more like chili and works great over a baked potato.

I'd also like to give a slightly advanced version for those who are interested.

Rather than using the seasoning packages upgrade to Penzeys. I get most all of my spices from them. The closest store is about an hour away from me but the prices are great and the quality is absolutely amazing. Four tablespoons each of their taco and ranch seasonings gives the same amount of flavor without as much sodium and no msg.

I also break the pinto beans before adding them. It makes for a thicker soup and the beans don't all float to the top. Empty the cans into a large bowl and take the back of a fork to them.

For the truly advanced you can divide the taco and ranch seasonings, add half to the ground turkey then make little meatballs like in Italian wedding soup. I've done this twice. Both times I've come close to killing myself. I never want to make tiny meatballs again. You can feel free, though.

Hope you enjoy this! And, Michael, if I ever hear of you eating condensed soup again, you're fired.

My October Birchbox!

I recently subscribed to this brilliant service, Birchbox. For $10 a month they send you out this precious little box with four or five, mostly high end, beauty samples. It's a brilliant idea. It allows you, as the consumer, to try out a product you may not have otherwise purchased.

I just got my first box and, since I had a friend already tease me gently about my previous beauty blog, I'm going to review the products.  I hope that you'll find this helpful. If you're interested in trying out Birchbox, please message me for an invite. You don't need an invite, but they give me credit towards future purchases.

The sample sizes were all pretty significant. You have at least a weeks worth of any of the these products. Probably more.

I'm just going to list the products off and follow it with a review. The product links that I'm using are to the manufacturers but you can get all of these products through Birchbox. (Or, heck, froogle it and get the lowest price. I got nothing on the line here.)

Befine Lip Exfoliator - I may never wear lipstick again! I don't need to. When I choose to it wears so much better, though. My lips are soft and the natural color really shows. After using it once I was hooked. This was a big win for Birchbox.




blinc Mascara - This is the craziest stuff! It's not like regular mascara, it's "tubing." When you put it on it coats your lashes in a colored polymer that doesn't flake or run. It doesn't create a lot of length or volume but it wears beautifully so it's perfect for daily wear. It comes in colors, too. I'm thinking about getting a tube in dark purple.

Pagea Organics Facial Scrub - It's a really good quality facial scrub. It exfoliates and feels nice but I'm not sure it really stood out for me. I'm not saying that I would never buy this. I just wouldn't go out of my way.

Redken Shine Flash 02 - I have shiny, fine, straight hair so I wasn't sure what this could do for me. I'm game, though. You just need a light spraying and those weird little fly-aways settle in with the rest of your hair. There's no hold, since it's not hair spray. If anything it's closer to a leave in conditioner, but that kind of overstates it. Shine Flash is unlike any product I've tried previously so it's hard to describe. It doesn't impact style, just leaves your hair shiny and soft.

 Tea Forté Minteas -  Ok, I have no idea why they included these. They're good and not at all like the average mints you can pick up at the 7-eleven but it's not really a beauty item. Eh, it's a $3 value so it'll work. Plus, they're mojito flavor. Who can say no to that?




All in all, I think this worked out wonderfully. When you add up the value, ounce for ounce, I received over $25 in great products. I'm certainly going to be buying the lip exfoliator in the future and am considering purchasing both the mascara and the Shine Flash.

A Detour From Mouth to Hands

I usually talk food. Well, I don't know if I can say usually, since I blog so irregularly. The point, though, is that for the past few weeks I have been totally obsessed with my nails and have been dying to talk about them.

I should begin by explaining that for most of my life I was the worst nail biter. After I was in a terrible car accident I stopped. Just stopped. Ok, so maybe that's overstating it. They tied my hands down so I would stop yanking out my IV and that was what really stopped it. But I digress.

I have thin weak nails, so even after I stopped biting them I had to learn a lot of tricks just to keep them decent looking. The big thing I learned was that nail salons make almost no money on a regular manicure so they do a rush job on it. If you're lucky enough to find a place that does a decent job tip well and tell your friends.

I've spoken to women, occasionally at the table next to me in the salon, who get they're nails shaped and prepped by a professional and then paint them at home. I've not tried that but I like the idea.

I have a short product list that I'm really happy with. It's mostly higher end stuff, but nothing you can't find a good drug store.

A glass nail file - I was shocked at how inexpensive this was and how much of a difference it made in overall nail strength. I'm not even sure why that would be, since it doesn't seem to make sense.

Orly Bonder - This is great stuff. For a while I was just painting on anything labeled "base coat". You can do that if all you want is to keep the color from staining your nails but this changes the ball game. A great buy at twice the price.


Any higher end polish - OPI, Essie, Orly (I like the minis to save money) or even the higher end Sally Hansen. Sure, you can buy a bottle of cheap polish for a third the cost, but it won't give a long lasting manicure. I'd really recommend staying away from the drugstore makeup brands. Those polishes aren't cheap and they don't last. Paint on two nice, thick coats of the good stuff.

Top Coat - I use Sally Hansen Insta-Dri when I don't have a lot of time but have found it chips a little easier than Sally Hansen Super Shine Nail Finish.

Give each coat a minute or two to dry before starting the next. That's it. My manicures last five days minimum and I'm super tough on my nails

Settling Into Routine

My aunt makes grape jelly from grapes that, get this, she grows herself. It's so delicious, too. So, this week for breakfast I've been having a light english muffin with a little of her grape jelly. I know I said that I was going to start the morning with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice but the grapefruits I got just weren't producing enough juice. I'm not going to forget about my juicer though. Citrus season is coming soon.

Lunches for me are a bit more complicated. I don't get time for a real lunch break most days so it's best for me to put together a bunch of low cal snacks to nibble on in the car. My favorite this week has been these completely awesome single serving packages of Popchips. I do like the single serving packages. Very convenient. I try to always get a baggy of carrots or grapes but sometimes get forgetful.

As I'm thinking about it, I've become really good at putting together my little lunch bag. I'm going to go ahead and list some really great foods that work in the car or when when stopping for a meal just can't happen.

• 100 Calorie Snack Packs - Yes, it's obvious and you can't rely on them but they are probably the most convenient.
• Low Fat String Cheese - I sometimes will wrap them in a nice deli meat but mostly it's just about the cheese.
• 100 Calorie Almond Packs - So good it needs to be listed on it's own. We all know nuts are good. I don't need to sing the praises of a small serving of nuts. 
• V8 - Shoulda had a V8? Yeah. Just make sure you have an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack in it.
• Fiber One 90 Calorie Bars - Make sure they're the 90 calorie kind. Brilliant! They're filling but sweet and almost candy bar like. Well, if you haven't had a candy bar in a while.
• Tuna Cups - Like the kind by Chicken of the Sea. I don't eat as much of these but they're shelf stable so I can actually leave on in the car for emergencies. (With a fork. These are much less useful without a fork.)
• Fruit Cups - I like the cups of pineapple in juice, pears in light syrup or mandarin oranges.

I used to eat sandwiches, but I get bored with that pretty quick. The problem with boredom is that, like forgetfulness, it leads to fast food.  At least in my world it does. In fact, when I find myself slipping or struggling with my weight it usually goes hand in hand with not packing my lunch.

Chinese Food Surprise

I woke up to some delicious, fresh popovers this morning. If you've never had one, I can't really describe them. You know, other than yummy. They're not really terrible for you either, so I felt confident it was a good start to my food day.

I wasn't really hungry at lunch time and was planning on a late afternoon meal from the this great little sushi place down the street from me. Unfortunately, that place was closed. So, I got decent Chinese take-out from around the corner for vegetable dumplings and some wonton soup. I didn't even finish it but am so unbelievably full that I'm uncomfortable. I'm not even sure how to feel about that.

I mean, I guess it's good to be unable to overeat but I enjoy food and turning enjoyment into discomfort is not fun. While I only had a little I'm going to have to learn to enjoy even less than that and let my membership in the clean plate club lapse.

I think that as a jumping off place for a diet, the Master Cleanse worked really well for me. As a cleanse, I just didn't give it enough time.

Broke

Ok, ok, I broke down. I just couldn't do it. There was nothing I wanted less in the world than to have another glass of that lemonade. I think I'm going to take something from the cleanse into my diet and start my mornings with some fresh squeezed juice (grapefruit) and limit my coffee seriously.

So, today I went to the store and picked up some fresh fruits and veggies. I was really disappointed to find they didn't have the pre-cut butternut squash. Butternut squash is difficult to peel, but it's so delicious. I was planning on making a version of Hungry Girl's Squash-tastic Shepherd's Pie. It's a real favorite of mine.

• 1lb extra lean ground turkey
• 3 1/2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (about half a squash)
• 1 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/2 large onion chopped
• 3/4 cup mushroom gravy (a bottle of the Heinz brand is perfect)
• 1 Tbsp light butter
• 1 clove garlic minced

You'll be mashing the squash so set that up like you would potatoes for mashing. For most of us that means putting it in a pot of water on the stove, but I won't judge if you involve the microwave or something.

In a medium pan, brown the turkey with the onion and garlic. Remove from heat, add the mixed vegetables (I sometimes like to add some chopped mushrooms as well) and the gravy.  Move to casserole dish or deep pie pan.

When the squash is soft drain off the water and mash with the butter. You can add salt and pepper to taste or whip it up with a hand blender if you'd like.  Layer the squash on top of the turkey and veggie mixture and bake for 20 to 25 minutes in an oven that's been pre-heated to 400 degrees.

It makes about 4 servings, reheats wonderfully and allows for some playing with. Hungry Girl recommends a fat free gravy and using extra garlic and onion powder so you can go in that direction if you like.



Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Day Two of the Master Cleanse

I woke up today feeling good. No hunger, no headache, no problems, umm, eliminating toxins. Today was really easy. I'm really tired after a short day, though.

I didn't drink much lemonade during the day, so that may have something to do with it. Every time I looked at the bottle it was in, I thought, "Ugh. I don't want that." I wasn't hungry either. Just didn't want anything. I don't feel sick. More like I've been eating pencil top erasers all day. (Yeah, I was that kid in school.)

I finally picked up some grade B maple syrup. Which is good, since I was almost out of the small bottle of grade A I had. I'm still going to drive up to Salinger's Orchard tomorrow, though. I'm hopeful the prices will be better than they were at the health food store. The store at the orchard will be very tempting. They'll have fresh apple cider donuts this time of year. The rest of the bakery doesn't worry me as much. Just the donuts.

I'm going to have a couple cups of tea, some lemonade and head off to bed crazy early.

Day One of the Master Cleanse

I feel bad that I'm only starting to write about this now, since I've been planning it for about a week. Now that I'm actually doing it I feel like I should talk about it to keep my momentum up. I'm kind of excited for this, though. I feel like I'm really prepared.

Before I started I reread the original Master Cleanse by Stanley Burroughs.  I'll admit it's kind of hippie-dippy and full of pseudo-science but there's also some real information in there. I'm going to take a moment here and assume that you're familiar with the Master Cleanse. It's the "diet" that consists of a drinking lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water.  It sounds crazy but works really well as a cleanse and can be used as a jumping off place for a diet.

The first day involves missing food and headaches. I haven't been hungry (you get about 1200 calories just with the lemonade) but I am definitely missing food. The headaches can be for a few reasons. I get mostly caffeine headaches since I'm going without coffee or Diet Coke.

I've found out a few things this time. The first, which I found reading Master Cleanse Secrets, is that I can drink any caffeine free herbal teas and even mix them with the lemonade for flavor.  The original book by Stanley Burroughs only mentions that you can drink peppermint tea. I got a few different teas but am thinking of picking up the peppermint since it can act as an appetite suppressant.

The second thing I've learned is that it's a better bet to buy a few lemons every day than to buy a bag.  I found that the lemons in the bag are smaller and you don't get as much of a chance to judge them. About half the bag I bought yesterday were unusable.

I'm not really enjoying the last 10 or so ounces of the batch I made this morning. Well, actually, I'm not drinking it. Just looking at it and thinking it doesn't look very appetizing.

Victory!

Are you familiar with the term "victory garden"?  They were vegetable gardens that the Department of Defense encouraged Americans to grow during WWII.  The idea was to help get commercial food product to the troops rather than being wasted on those who had the ability to grow them at home but it also became a wonderful morale booster.  More and more Americans  are keeping victory gardens now to fight obesity.

I keep a victory garden and today I really put it to use.  After a simple bowl of cereal in the morning and a lunch that consisted of a couple of spare ribs and a few buffalo wings my father had made (Ya killin' me Dad!) I set my eye on a healthy dinner. 

I went out to the garden to get a hand full of lettuce, red lettuce and butter crunch, and a nice fresh cucumber for a salad but was thrilled to find a beautiful yellow squash was ready to be picked.  I made the nicest salad with a balsamic dressing then had the squash sauteed with a petite sirloin.  I'd actually had the steak marinating since this morning in Lawry's Baja Chipotle Marinade, so it was perfect.  At medium-well it was perhaps over done for my taste, but it was delicious anyway. 

I'm actually thinking of going out and picking up a little desert.  Maybe a little sundae from Baskin-Robbins...