The Virtual Heart Walk

My heart is heavy this evening, a dear friend and fellow blogger (www.youaretheroots.com) has lost her sweet baby girl Wylie Meadow Joly to congenital heart failure at 1:10am this morning. 

I like to think that I'm an open minded person who is very spiritually connected. I spend hours on meditation and reflecting on all of life's meanings.

But on days like today, I find it hard not to try and make "sense" of a heart wrenching situation. I guess it's only "human" to try and gain some sort of control or perspective in order to understand how to process it all. Today I draw a blank... I simply cannot seem to wrap my mind around this loss.

So instead I have to channel this energy in the most positive way I can come up with.

The Joly family has asked that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to the Children's Heart Foundation. 

If you visit www.childrensheartfoundation.org, there are Heart Walks you can attend all over the country. Seeing as how the closest walk is in Tampa, I am inviting you to join me in the Virtual Heart Walk in honor of Wylie Meadow Joly. You can register your donation at: 

http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1102257&supId=408252278

"No footprints are too small, to leave a big imprint on the world."

Essentially yours,

Erika

Homemade: Deodorant!

Lots of DIY all natural stuff around here lately. I've been making a lot of this for a while, so I'm just getting you all caught up! (In other words, deal with it!) Ha ha!

Deodorant... We all need it, we all use it..(right???) 

On our "all natural, chemical free" journey I've tried a few brands. Only to find out that there were still some traces of aluminum to be found.

Although, the aluminum argument in homemade deodorants have since been de-bunked on account of there being aluminum found in BAKING POWDER, not BAKING SODA, which is the active ingredient in homemade deodorants. (Don't believe me?? Check out www.crunchybetty.com for research and references). To be sure, you can purchase Bob's Red Mill "Aluminum Free" baking soda to make yourself feel better.

So here it is:

1/4 baking soda

1/4 arrowroot powder

3-5 tbsp of coconut oil

15 drops of essential oil (I used doTerra's Purify blend which is magnificent!)

1 empty deodorant container

Combine baking soda, arrowroot and essential oil into a bowl. 

Add coconut oil with other ingredients one tbsp at a time until it reaches desired consistency.

Press firmly into an empty deodorant container. Let sit until coconut oil solidifies.

Voilà! Homemade deodorant! This not only smells better than any of the store bought brands, but it also works better than most I've tried! I even had enough left over to add to my roll on bottle!

I'm officially in love and plan on never paying for deodorant again! 

Essentially yours,

Erika

DIY: Floor Cleaner!

Ive recently received a ton of questions about all of my DIY cleaners, so I'm posting all of the recipes! 

I've been holding out on sharing with you all because I wanted to be able to add HTML codes and insert links to where I originally found all of these recipes.

Seeing as how I'm working mostly from an extremely uncooperative laptop, and I cannot insert links from my phone, I'm just posting these recipes from my memory. (I've tweaked them over time anyhow)

Here it goes!

Floor Cleaner:

1/2 cup of vinegar

10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil (depends on my mood, I use lemon when I need a pick me up, and lavender when I need a soothing scent)

Fill a 64oz glass bottle with warm water

Mix and let sit for about an hour before you use so all the ingredients have had a chance to incorporate.

Hope you enjoy the savings! I sure have! Not to mention, yet another batch of chemicals we can avoid in our home.

*Toddler Approved*

Essentially yours, 

Erika

Homemade: Febreeze Fabric & Air Freshener!

If you read my most recent post about "toilet learning" around here, then you know my couch has recently fallen victim to an accident here or there. 

After a thorough scrubbing my instinct was to grab some Febreeze, although I tossed all chemicals from under our cabinets last year. 

This is an awesome all natural alternative that is now my preference! 

Here it is: 

2 tbsp of Baking Soda

2 tsp of vinegar 

20 drops of your favorite essential oil (I used Grapefruit this time, it's fabulous and refreshing!)

Mix all the ingredients in a glass bowl, then transfer to a glass spray bottle. Fill the remaining space in your 8oz bottle with water. Shake and spray!

Enjoy!

Essentially yours,

Erika

Essential Oils: If you sprinkle when you tinkle!

Be a sweetie and wipe the seatie!!!

As you can imagine, living with three males has it's perks. I am always "Queen Bee" in my home. (Not even sure what that means) I certainly never have to hold a door open for the rest of my life.

There is no shortage of hugs and kisses for Mommy. I fully expect to never take out the garbage as soon as the boys are capable.

But, cleaning the three toilets in this home is not one of those perks!

Especially when two of those boys are what I like to call "practicing" with our three toilets.. (And floors, and couches & beds...etc, you get the idea!)

So here it is, my saving grace!

A few drops of Melaleuca in the bowl does the trick! I use about five drops and scrub away. Melaleuca's antibacterial properties make it perfect for those tough areas you need to keep clean.

There you have it, yet another item in the cleaning aisle I do not need and one less chemical product in my home.

*Husband Approved*

Essentially yours, 

Erika

Homemade: Rash Cream and Vapor Rub

A productive morning here! I'm always looking for new ways to rid my family of harsh chemicals. I used to buy Burt's Bees diaper cream, which is incredible. But how much better to be able to go "raw" in this area of our lives too. Not to mention yet another aisle in the grocery store we can skip. (Husband approved) 😉

I finally was able to mix together some rash and vapor cream.

Now, the rash cream from my understanding can take care of any skin issue. Ranging from Impetigo to your average diaper rash. Here is what you will need.

Rash Cream:

1/4 cup of Raw Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (fits perfectly in a 2oz jar, double recipe for a 4oz jar)

8 drops Melaleuca essential oil

8 drops Frankincense essential oil

8drops Lavender essential oil

Mix together in bowl and transfer to glass jar.

Vapor Rub:

1/4 cup Raw Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

15 drops of doTerra Breathe essential oil blend

Mix together in bowl and transfer to glass jar.

It's that simple! 

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! 

Essentially yours,

Erika

Products I Love: Rash Be Gone!

I love this natural diaper cream ointment. It's thick heavy duty zinc oxide gets the job done! 

My hubby may or may not have even used this on a zit or two and it totally works! 

Although it isn't "cloth diaper friendly", you can just use a liner to act as a barrier. A lot of the all natural diaper creams (trust me I have tried them all!) don't seem to have enough "oomph" (as my mother would say). They are thin or very light creams, that may take a few days to work. 

Burt's bees diaper cream works after one application! (in most cases)

Anyway, hope you enjoy! It sure took me long enough to find one that did the trick!

Essentially yours,

Erika

Best Chicken Salad Ever!!!

So I love chicken salad sandwiches. When I worked in corporate America, there was a tiny Italian deli who used to make the most perfect chicken salad ever!  

I'm not biased or anything, seeing as how it's my recipe (sort of). 

It's been haunting me ever since! I've gone through about a dozen recipes but by mixing a few of these recipes together I think I found the perfect fit.

So here it is:

1 Air Chilled Certified Humane Raised Chicken Breast (Humor me)

I grill mine, I like the char marks!

2-3 celery stalks chopped (two if long, three if it's the short kind)

2 Tbsp of fresh chopped Basil

Salt / Pepper to taste

2 Tbsp of dried cranberries

1/2 cup of Mayo ( or Vegenaise) 

Squeeze about a Tsp of juice from a lemon

Fold mixture in and spread on some delicious Low Sodium Ezekiel bread, toasted if you like. 

The celery adds the crunch I desire, while the lemon and basil add a fresh and light feel. The cranberries are just the right sweet surprise to round it all out. 

Hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Essentially yours,

Erika

DIY: Kitchen Cabinets

When I heard the news that our entire first floor would be re-tiled, my DIY wheels started spinning! 

I just couldn't see new tile laying next to the old 80's style wood cabinets we had in our "country style" kitchen. (That's what I convinced myself was the motif)

(Excuse the DIY mess)

I wanted to take advantage of the fact that our entire first floor was tucked away in our Totschool area and I could do as I pleased...

Sooooooo, I decided once again a can of paint is all they needed. Off to Home Depot I went! 

I started by removing all cabinet doors/ hinges. I then scrubbed them down and primed them with Gripper. 

(Ewwww chemicals I know!!) 

I sprayed the old rusted hardware an oil rubbed bronze color from Rustoleum and set them out to dry for 24 hours.

This is one area of our life that I haven't been able to eliminate all chemicals. I'm on the job and starting to research all natural alternatives to DIY. I'll keep you posted!

I then applied what felt like 5 million coats of fresh white paint annnnnnnnd...

Voila! It feels like a new kitchen! 

(No toddlers were hurt in the making of this post)

We are now leaning closer to our "country kitchen / shabby chic" vibe. 

One problem though.. 

Now I feel like our kitchen table isn't fancy enough for our bright and airy kitchen. 

I'm in love with farm tables, so let's see what I can pull off! 

(My husband may kill me) 

Essentially yours,

Erika