Natural ways to fight exhaustion

If you read this regularly, you may have noticed I have been away from this place for a while.

Its because I have been tired. I mean Ti-uh-herd.

I have been working more (Yes I know my goal  is for us to work less, you know, stick it to the man, off the grid, not-quite-a-hippy stuff ) But to obtain that goal in the fashion we desire we need to do a few things first.


1. Pay off debt


2. 3-6 month emergency fund 


3. Save for retirement

4. Invest

Sounds like a lot, eh? But I have done some very simple math and figured we can be debt free including the house if we just add a little extra income every week for two years. Freak-in-amazingly cool.

Yup.

So I picked up some extra shifts at my old job (bartending) and found out that they are very short handed. So instead of a few extra shifts, I was given about 60 hours worth of shifts for last week alone. Oh goodness.. Was I tired.  Then I had already had long standing plans with my family (both sides) for Saturday, so no rest then. Then I had to work again on Sunday at my regular job, so again, not much rest. Then back to an extra bartending shift yesterday. I am bartending again tonight. Luckily I  have tomorrow off to focus on my regular job. Then back to juggling both.

So I realized I need some natural ways to fight exhaustion. My cup-o-joe in the morning is not cutting it.

I do not drink those energy drinks anymore. They are terrible for you. Especially if you consume them every day.

Here is my list of ways to combat exhaustion:

1. Make time to eat-(Small frequent meals) I know when I work on my feet all day it is easy to loose track of time and not eat like I should. I am busy busy busy when I bartend and often wont eat for 8-18 hours at a time(Not healthy). Nor do I drink enough water. When I finally get off work I either have lost my appetite and just want to sleep, or I eat a huge and generally unhealthy meal, which causes me to need  to be rolled into bed because of the lump in my belly.

If you can make sure to keep water handy and take small sips through out the day, and keep some easy, nutrient rich snack foods around to munch on you will fair much better. Keep a water bottle filled and some nuts and dried fruit around. Bam.... instant and lasting energy. It actually keeps your metabolism going too, which encourages your body to burn fat for energy.  Try keeping homemade larabars around. Easy and energy rich (tasty too:)

2. Stretch- Take a minute, or even just 30 seconds to do some gentle stretches. Even if the only time you have to do it is in between the bathroom stall door and washing your hands. It will awaken your muscles, increase oxygen flow, and help you identify if you have been unconsciously standing at an odd angle, or with poor posture, or anything else that will make you sore at the end of the day.

These you can do sitting at a desk. 

3. Small amount of strategic caffeine- If you, like me, tend to turn to caffeine for your energy, then listen. There is no need to guzzle the stuff all day. Identify your lowest energy point in the day. Then plan on drinking a small cup of green (or other healthy, non sugared tea-or coffee if you must) about 30 minutes before that time. For me it is in the afternoon, around 3:30. About 4 or 4:30 it hits me. So plan ahead.   The hit of caffeine will help counteract that time of day your at your most tired. Don't guzzle the stuff all day though, or else it won't work. I make mine iced in the warm months and add a splash of lemon and cranberry. Refreshing and full of goodness.

4.Re-evaluate your vitamins- We tend to run low in iron in my family, being a vegetarian makes it doubly so for me, if I am not careful. Making sure you are getting the proper amount of b vitamins, iron, and vitamin C at rates your body can absorb will go a long way.  Sometimes you need to space out the vitamins. Your body can only absorb so many at a time, so if you need to take some in the morning and the again at night, do so. Just make sure you are taking the proper amount for your body and not over doing it either. This calculator is pretty neat, if you do not have any idea where to start, but of course consulting a doctor is always a good idea too.

5. Find something that excites you-This morning I reluctantly got out of bed. Then I found out about a small city fest in my area that I could possibly set a booth up at and try my hand at selling my soaps and lotions (something I have wanting to test out for ever). The booth charge is only 15$ and I made it just in time!!!! Yippee!!! Suddenly I have energy to spare!!!

Now I  realize that this is an extreme example, but it works in small ways too. Plan a special dinner with your spouse for the end of the week, or a cookout with friends, or flirt (a little)  with the cute guy at the store. Whatever gives you just a little extra oomph, or something to look forward to will help you gets past the exhaustion.

After all, its the little thing that really make life worth living :)

Sunday Funday :)

Poor Handsome Hubby got stuck working today.

So I....

Decorated the little I do for spring

The little girl in me just loves pastels and sparkles, well, and the big girl too....

I made Honey Shampoo

Stored in a clean gallon jug I saved

I baked bread

I wanted to make my first batch of Kombucha, but ended up arguing with this

darn frikkin' lid until I gave up. My sweet father-in-law made me the lid for my 2 gallon crock. So I quickly got it stuck. I am a bit accident prone.

 I am going to wait for HH to come home and see if he has better luck with it. If not I am going to find a small saw and get it out, darn it.

I made a batch of soap and experimented with a cinnamon orange scent :) I'll let you know tomorrow how it comes out.

Here it is cooling ever-so slowly 

Then I went for a run/walk (I have found if I run one lap, then walk one lap I can convince myself while walking that I am not THAT tired, and will run the next lap. Then I can always walk one more to finish up. Its a good way to trick myself into working out :)

Here are some lovely things I encountered on my walk

It is wisteria, and it smells divine

Then I found out that they make seed pods, see, like this

So now I am determined to grow a plant or 5 for myself! Instead of taking a cutting like I had planned.

I took a picture Friday on my run/ (Okey.... okey, its really just a very slow jog. But run sounds better and I am getting there. slowly.) walk around the park. I think it turned out really cool and want to see if anyone can guess what it is!

Here it is:

Any clue what this could be? Take a guess in the comments!


What did you do today?

YESS!!!! Its that time :)

I LOVE my garden. Let me say that again.... I LOVE TO GARDEN.

Gotta love good dirty fun :)

This year finds me better educated on proper gardening and growing techniques, so I am even more excited! I have ordered seeds from a seed catalog, so I have a greater variety then I have ever had before.

I am starting my seeds later this year then last. But I know more this year so hopefully I will not kill most of then again.  I bought seed starting pots and organic seed starting mix. (Next year I'll save egg cartons instead of the pots, didn't think about it this year). I used some popsicle  sticks I had sitting around to label them.

On my grow list this year: (It is pretty aggressive for me)

Cherry tomatoes
Pear tomatoes
Beefsteak tomatoes
Cucumbers
yellow summer squash
zucchini
luffas
bell peppers
jalapenos
banana peppers
pinto beans
green beans
kale
amaranth(leaf variety, not grain. That'll be for next year)
broccoli
cauliflower
Brussels sprouts
artichokes
lettuce
pumpkins
basil
sage
corn
okra
Cilantro
Potatoes

I think that's it... Maybe.

I am super excited. I was intensely satisfying playing in dirt. I for one, relish a bit of dirt under the nails...

My father in law was sweet enough to get me some bails of hay for the walk ways through the garden. I never thought I'd be excited to have someone surprise me with hay. But, hey, what can I say... Hardy har

I also got some lime and sulfur (organic) to help me fix my soil. This is the kind of thing I had no idea about last year. My idea of gardening was throw it in the ground, cover with dirt. Now it is supposed to grow, right? Ha.... Oh the inexperienced gardener... Haha, from the lofty heights of a 3rd year gardener  ;) But I have learned a lot. Really. I swear.

I can't wait to start seeing the little green bits poking out of the soil!

What are you growing this year?

*Thankful Thursday*

Today I saw a blip from  blog that a friend from high school writes on Thankful Thursdays.

I love that idea, so here I go....

I am thankful for the beautiful day we are having, it feels like I should be going to the beach! (Ok, lets get ready beach body. I'll find you somewhere...)

I am thankful that I am no more allergic to pollen then I am anything else (I am allergic to something every season)

I'll have to update this with my car turned yellow. It rained last night but by tomorrow the whole of the south will be yellow again. 

I am thankful for the beautiful blooms

and most of all I am thankful for the wonderful people in my life!

What are you thankful for?

Scratch that... and this too

Do you make things from scratch?

I have already stated here how I prefer too. I remembered this morning however, that that was not always the case.

I had a conversation with a friend of mine this morning after a meeting, where she mentioned she had to stop by the store on the way home to pick up pancake mix so they could have pancakes for Sunday breakfast. I said she should just make them from scratch so she did not have to stop.

She looked at me like I was crazy. (Maybe I am... Bwhahaahaa.....)

I forget that I used to buy mixes as well. Most of the people I know are not on the natural living, whole food bandwagon with me. Most are still your average convenience driven American. I have not rubbed off on them enough yet, but I am working on that (Though I have never been one to push my ideals onto others. I find that very irritating. I think its best to lead by example).

Cinnamon swirl cake (I failed on the swirl, but it still tastes good!)

Cooking from scratch is healthier, cheaper, and more delicious. But can be intimidating, if you are not used to it.  My idea of scratch cooking when I first started was the bagged instant pasta, a canned veggie and some frozen flavored fish filet for the Hubs. Now I can whip up a batch of biscuits as quick as I could grab the bag of frozen ones I bought and cook them. Also I'll make a double batch and freeze my own for those times I am short on time.

A Mexican slaw I made last minute for taco Friday

I make an effort not to buy anything that I can make on my own anymore. This includes things like crackers, bread, tortillas, cakes and cookies. They are all much cheaper home made and do not contain any mystery ingredients (maybe more butter then I need, but at least I know what is in there! : )

What things are you making from scratch?

Apricot, cashew, banana bars (sorry they look a little funny pictured through the container)

And now for some Weekend niceness......

Why yes, this is just too sweet

Happy Sunday everyone!

Non-extreme couponing

I have mentioned on here that I am a coupon-er (and proud of it!).

However I am not the lady that clears the shelf, buys 200 toothbrushes, or  insures her "stockpile".

Those people are crazy.  I do not need that much mustard.

This was my first big trip, I think I paid like 28$ for all this...

I have adopted a philosophy of buying as many whole food items at as low of price as I can find. I also buy the things I can not make when they go on sale. I will buy a couple weeks worth. That way I am just running out by the time I can find it on sale again.

Doing this I tend to save about 60-75 percent on my grocery budget. I think this is fantastic savings. I save big on things like trash bags and coffee creamer. Two things I can not make for myself.  I was purchasing things like laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent with coupons as well, and saving a ton of money. Now I have recipes to make this for myself, and it will be even LESS expensive (and more natural).

For example, on my most recent shopping trip to Publix, I bought:

3 boxes of cereal
4 canisters of nuts
2 5lb bags of sugar
2 boxes of fruit snacks (I LOVE fruit snacks, its a weakness)

I saved 31.63$ on this purchase, buy finding sales and matching it with coupons. I actually use this site to do the work for me, so I do not invest a lot of time in it :)

Aside from the fruit snacks, these are basic items I can not produce for myself (And I have yet to find a fruit snack recipe I really like yet, if you have one please share :)

The Trading Post

Have you ever traded someone? Other then your pb&j sandwich to the kid down the lunch room table?

I never knew that I had anything to trade.

In times of a depressed economy people do move to using old fashioned trading instead of purchasing things with cash.  It seems to work well. Instead of needing to come out of pocket for something, you can provide a good you produce or some sort of service in return.

Our old house (built in 1930) was sorely in need of re-wiring to update it and make the electrical system safe. That would cost us about 15,000$. THAT would take us forever to save. If we even ever did. My husband met an electrician who asked him about remodeling a bathroom. HH had the good sense to ask him if he would be interested in bartering. The electrician had his bathroom remodeled, and we got our house re-wired. Win-win for all involved. (Though poor HH was exhausted for a few months working on the electricians bathroom every weekend, but it was worth it!).

That is kind of an extreme. Not everyone needs that kind of work done or has those skills to offer in return. Maybe you can sew in exchange for using a neighbors tractor to till your garden. Or maybe you can offer to baby sit for free two nights a month in return for  some help working on your car.

Recently HH's friend, who lives a similar simply lifestyle offered to start "horse trading" with us. He loves my soap, and my husband likes to eat deer meat (but not hunt). I keep him and his family supplied, he'll keep HH supplied. Sounds great to me! It is less expensive then buying meat at the store. Deer meat is also a very lean meat, which makes it healthier for HH too!

Do you have any experience trading goods or services?  How did it work out for you?

Lotion Bar

Seems like I am posting a lot of lotions lately, huh?

I started making this lotion bar last year. It was my first home made beauty product. I think I started with this because the ingredients are easily accessible just about anywhere.

Make the lotion bar med-small sized. They last a really long time and make great gifts! I use silicon ice cube trays in fun shapes. I bought them at the dollar store, its hard to beat that price! You can add an essential oil to them to make a scented variety.  I am making orange scented stars and summer shapes this time.  My sister in law made Christmas shapes and scented them to smell like cookies and gave them to her daughters teachers for Christmas presents.

To use the bars just rub them between your hands, the heat from your hands melts just the perfect amount onto your hands, then rub it in. It is wonderfully moisturizing and fits into your purse! Just make sure to wrap it or store it in a small tin container, because it will melt if left in heat.  I keep it next to my sink to use after washing dishes.

I have been dreaming lately of making these products and selling them as my business. *Ahh...*

Anyways, enough dreaming!!!!

Lotion Bar:

1 part beeswax
1 part coconut oil
1 part shea butter

I use the "parts" measurements because I want you to make a small batch first to decided if you like it firmer or softer. If you want it firmer, add a little more beeswax, if softer, a little more coconut oil. In hotter climates (Like here in the southern states) I would recommend firmer, so it will not accidentally melt on you as easily.

Put all ingredients into a microwavable container and heat until just melted. Or you can use a double boiler if you like.  Stir in essential oil at this time and pour into molds. You can use molds or just  a parchment paper lined pan and cut out squares.

Let cool until solid. if you are impatient like me stick it in the fridge to cool quicker :)

Once you are melted this much, usually carry over heat will  do the rest. No need to heat it too much.

They start to solidify pretty quickly

These are going to a friend of mine :)

That's it!

Homemade lotion

Lotion. Most of us use it all the time. Ever think about all the extra junk we are smearing all over our skin?

I consider myself to have a  fairly large vocabulary and  still can not pronounce half the ingredients on the average lotion bottle. Yikes! Not to mention my HH is allergic to most every artificial scent and coloring on the market. Thinking of that brings up the correlation between exposure to these and the rise in allergies to them. Maybe that's a sign we should not have this stuff on our bodies every day all day like we do now?!? 

And maybe I just like making stuff. Have ever since I was a kid. Of course, back then it was different types of mud and muddy water mixed with varying weeds and tree leaves. But, whatevs....

I found an awesome recipe here and finally broke down and tried it. I had to buy a special ingredient, emulsifying wax, which is what caused me to hesitate for so long. I prefer to only use things I think I could find in nature, and emulsifying wax is not one of them. However it is plant derived, and this lotion looks so fresh and pretty I could not resist!

Doesn't it look like something you would want to drink? I mean don't, but still... yumm..

1 1/4 cup hot water

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup emulsifying wax (I bought mine here)

Melt wax with olive oil ( a minute in the microwave worked well for me)

Pour in water.

That is it.... seriously. That is all.

Pretty cool huh? It is beautiful in a jar. I have mine in a canning jar (Its what I melted the wax and oil together in) but I will probably use one of my saved glass jars that I can not use for canning. Jelly jar or something. 

It feels great and has worked to help many people out with skin issues (eczema, psoriasis). HH  and me nephew L will be my test subjects since I am lucky enough not to struggle with that. 

The lotion is creamy and not greasy at all! You can add essential oils to it for a scent if you would like. Just add it to the oil after heating it with the wax. I didn't this time so HH would use it, but I think on the next batch I'll add some of my orange oil I just got!

Wax and olive oil after melting

No special equipment. Just a good ol' coffee mug.

How does it work out price wise you may ask?

Fan-freakin-tastic!

I used maybe .30 cents worth of emulsifying wax (6 ish bucks for the bag) and about .15 cents worth of olive oil. Not counting the water and jar I am at .45 cents for some kick but lotion. That works for me!!!

Can you tell it is Saturday? I have had little time for posting this week, so I am making up today! This will be the third.... hehe

Just for kicks and because they were supper yummy on home made bread. Paninis! Squished between my griddle and a cast iron skillet :)

Veggie for me and turkey for the HH

Whew.... finally!

I have been having a little trouble with my vintage sewing machine. I wanted to make a summer shirt, and it would not release the thread correctly. NO clue how to fix it i searched high and low, asked everyone I know that sews. The only answer I got was "buy a new one".  I don't want to buy a new one. I like my old one.

So there.

So I switched back the the last thread I used and changed bobbins and some how it started working again. Apparently everything I sew has to be done with yellow thread. Nothing else will work. For now anyway ;)

Far from perfect? Heck yeah.....

But since it is only the 2nd thing I have sewn since I was a kid and made pillows (imperfect squares are not that difficult) I think its not too shabby! My HH did give me a huge compliment when I showed it to him. He said " When you're hungry, you make bread, when you want to drink, you make beer, when you're dirty you make soap,when you need clothes you build a shirt." I think thats pretty cool. I would like to stay that way :)

Please forgive the pasty white arms and spotty mirror. I need to clean that, apparently. But I like the cats ears in the corner, so there it is!