DIY Peppermint and Lavender Foot Scrub (plus more holiday gift ideas)

I remember my first pedicure dearly. Not because of the scrubbing and scraping that was happening on my feet, but because of that chair. Have you ever gone to get a pedicure just to sit in their massaging chair? No? Yeah, me neither...

While pedicure visits were never a regular thing for me (I like to do them at home), I did love to sit in that massage chair and watch as flakes of dried skin went flying all over the place. My sister had some really dry feet. We mostly went for the experience -- to just step away from life for a moment. But we left with so much more. We put on our little plastic flip flops and stepped out of the salon with smoother feet, a relaxed back, and a whole new outlook on life. (Well, at least the relaxed back part.)

Homemade Sparkling Ginger-Peach Spritzer (Paleo, Autoimmune)

As I was trying to take pictures of these spritzers, it began to rain. I picked up my stool and large bamboo cutting board (yep, this is my super elaborate set-up for picture taking) and proceeded to head inside. Instead of making it safely inside, where I could just forget about taking a decent picture and just enjoy my spritzer, I dumped ginger-peach spritzer all over the front of my pants. Not a drop was left (okay, I did have some left in a pitcher, but most was on me and the porch).

As long as they taste good, right? Right...

DIY Baking Soda Air Freshening Scent Jars

Are you one of those people that puts a box of baking soda in the fridge or freezer? Why do people do this? Well...because baking soda absorbs odors. (Actually, it neutralizes strong acids or bases.) Instead of just setting boxes of baking soda all over your house (That might be a little weird. Although I have put a box in my car. Don't tell anyone.), you can put the baking soda in cute little jars. The addition of essential oils and herbs gives each room a nice smell. 

Eight Natural Remedies for Insect Bites and Stings

Last week as I was walking to my car, I felt something bite my neck. I'm pretty sure it wasn't a vampire. The sun was out. So my next guess... a mosquito.

As I was driving, I reached in the bag next to me and grabbed my lavender oil (don't ask why I had a bag of oils next to me...probably planning to make something). I put a drop on my now throbbing neck. Instant relief. (Tea tree oil works just as well.) Though I usually tell people to use apple cider vinegar or coconut oil for everything, there are some other options. The following are some that I've used and/or researched for providing relief for insect bites and stings.

Natural Foot Baths for Dry Skin, Aches, Detox, and More

I usually talk a lot in my posts. A lot. It's funny how much I "talk" in my posts because I'm not a big talker. I only talk when extremely passionate about something or just to make a sarcastic comment. Really. (My family might beg to differ.)

So, I figured I try out something a little different. On Sundays (not every one, but most, and hopefully in addition to my regular post), I'm going to share something simple. A natural remedy or an easy recipe. A kitchen tip or some other easy-to-explain food or health related idea. No long drawn out stories or explanations (no promises on that though...I may not be able to help it.)

So, let's get to it.

All About Freezing Lemons and Limes

At one time in my life, I relied on ReaLemon for most of my lemon juice needs. They leave that extra "L" out for a reason (it's from concentrate). Lemons can be expensive though. And if you don't use them quick enough, they can get moldy. Seriously, what happened to the price of lemons? Back in my day, you could get a lemon for a nickle. No, maybe that was bubblegum...

So when I can, I buy lemons in bulk when they are on sale or cheaper than usual. I don't want the lemons to go to waste, so I freeze some of the juice so I can always have fresh juice on hand. (If you want to zest and juice your limes and maybe oranges, do that too.) Now, I know someone is thinking, "I don't have time to juice a bunch of lemons." And that's okay. If you buy lemon juice in a bottle and decide not to buy ReaLemon, here are a few other options: Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Juice and Volcano Lemon Juice. (This one I actually found at the base commissary for $5 for a large bottle. Supposedly it can be found at Costco.)

DIY Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub

Back in January, I showed you how to make a one-time-only exfoliating scrub. I started with that because my sister always says she doesn't have time to make any of the homemade products I recommend. Understandable. Truly, it is. The kitchen-to-tub body scrub (as I like to call it) is quick and easy and you can make it as needed. But making an exfoliating body scrub to store for future use, whether for yourself or to give away, is also nice (and quick).

Today, I'm going to tell you how to make a very simple Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub. Before you run off because you don't have lavender, just wait...you can make this scrub with just the simplest ingredients that you probably already have in your home. Using lavender is optional (but highly encouraged).

How to Grow Herbs in Mason Jars

I have a black thumb. If you don't believe me, ask the aloe plant that I killed. Aloe plants are supposed to be very easy to care for. From now on, I can only keep the absolutely easiest-to-care-for plants in my house. Like bamboo. No one can kill bamboo. I think.

But I grew herbs. Okay, so I didn't start them from seeds (well, I did but those died), but it still counts...right? 

Rosemary, Basil, Chives, Mint

If you love herbs as much as I do and want to try to grow your own, especially if you have limited space or a black thumb, this is the way to go. This idea came from Pinterest, although I'm not sure of the original source. I don't have a personal Pinterest account (and I just joined for my blog - join me here), but a friend told me about this so I wanted to try it out. I don't take credit for this idea, so if this was your idea, thank you. I'm guessing it was probably Martha Stewart. (Kidding!)

DIY Microdermabrasion with Baking Soda

While I'm working on the post for my chicken recipe, I figured I could share another quick DIY beauty recipe for you. This is another simple switch I made when I gave up store-bought products. But first, have you made ACV (apple cider vinegar) toner yet? If not...get on that. I'll wait.

I remember being at my sister's house and she was using one of those microdermabrasion kits -- you know the one that vibrates (that you use on your face). I actually used to own one myself. Since I had thrown out almost all of my beauty products (and I had an embarrassingly large amount of them), I'd been thinking about what to do about my acne scarring (none of those expensive products worked). My day to day acne was clearing up, but unfortunately after years of bad skin, it left it's mark behind. I knew that microdermabrasion was typically used to treat acne scarring (as well as wrinkles, discoloring, and sun damage). Usually this procedure is done by an esthetician or dermatologist with micro-fine abrasive crystals in order to remove the outer-most layer of dead skin cells. But it's not cheap. (Exfoliation is good for your skin even if you don't have acne scars.)

So, I started to research natural ways to do this at home.

The next day, I put baking soda on my face.

DIY Apple Cider Vinegar Facial Toner

Once you make the switch to real food, inevitably you will start looking at your beauty products and checking the ingredients as you do with your food. Maybe you won't/haven't gone a little crazy like me and start tossing everything. Then you stare at your pile of moisturizer, wrinkle cream, toothpaste, plus all those extra products you never use and obviously never really needed, and you realize you can't wash your face or brush your teeth.

Luckily some of these things (like this body scrub) can be easily made from products you might just have in your kitchen. (Or ones that you should have in your kitchen. Hint. Hint.)

Homemade Seafood Seasoning (plus make-your-own Celery Salt)

Have you ever had it in your mind to make something but you are missing a crucial ingredient? Okay, maybe not crucial, but important to what you want. Several weeks (maybe months) ago, I decided to make crab cakes. Gluten, dairy, and egg-free crab cakes. Why? Well, because I couldn't eat those things while doing the Whole30® program and autoimmune protocol. But I wanted crab cakes.

Homemade Single-use Exfoliating Body Scrub

I'm still fighting off illness, so while I have a few recipes and other things to share, today I'm going to give you something simple. It involves sugar. But we aren't going to be eating it.

Many of you probably (maybe) already know about this...well, I'm sharing it anyway. Because I have a person in mind when writing this. As I brushed across her arm the other day, snow began to fall -- in the form of dry skin cells. Actually...it was probably my arm.

Yeah, it was my arm.

Winter is here and my skin has finally become aware of that. And it's time to scrub those skin cells away. (Doing this all year is best, but who thinks about this kind of stuff in the summer...) While making and storing a body scrub is nice, that is not what we are doing today.

Sorry no pics from the shower...

Natural Sleep: Herbal Sleep Pillows

How many of you get at least 8 hours of sleep a night? More like 6? Or maybe you have trouble getting to sleep in the first place. Or maybe you have a child. A loving child who, at bedtime, suddenly needs to use the bathroom or is dying of thirst or is scared of the monsters under the bed.

As for me, I've always been a night owl. If there was an overnight shift available, it was mine. Not necessarily because I wanted it, but because they knew I wouldn't complain. And they knew I would have no problems staying awake.  Sleep has always been the one avenue to good health that I refused to take.

I didn't want to sleep. I wanted to stay up and do important things. Fun things. Just anything. Because if I didn't sleep, I had more time. You can sleep when you die, right? But I don't want to be a night owl anymore. I want to sleep. And I want to wake up with the sun and not be tired (at least until I have a baby). I always thought if I didn't sleep, I would be more productive. I would have more time to do things I needed or wanted to do. But I've been lying to myself. After years and years of living off 5 or less hours of sleep, I haven't gotten any more accomplished than the people sleeping 8 hours a night. Maybe I've been accomplishing less, because I'm so tired all the time.