Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Garden Update: Week 2

My lettuce sprouts have been growing magnificently!


This week I harvested about six more leaves from the lettuce that's already been growing awhile. It seems to be growing more and more healthy.




My zucchini is looking fabulous! It has grown a lot this past week.


However, the squash isn't growing as well. I was told that maybe the roots are getting wrapped around each other, and I may have to pull it out and take care of that.


What are you growing? What do you suggest I grow that's easy and doesn't need full sun all day?

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

First Garden Update!

So sorry it's been awhile since I posted! Craziness! I do work part-time, care for my child full-time, and help with all the household chores, so blogging becomes a last priority quite often. This past Saturday, I planted a new batch of Romaine lettuce seeds, and to my astonishment, I already noticed green seedlings popping up!! I'm so excited!! Here's a look at my garden:
Can you see the little green sprouts?! I planted some in a pot and others in the ground, for comparison.
Thank you, Suzy for starting this squash plant for me!!

And again, I thank Suzy for starting this plant for me!!
The following two photos are of my first lettuce seeds planted. I planted them in mid-February and have already harvested from the plant a couple times. I was having serious problems with rolly-pollies eating my lettuce, but I found a solution! I was in Lowe's looking at bug killers, and one of them said "contains Lemongrass: a natural insecticide." So I thought, "What if I just use Lemongrass essential oil mixed in water as my bug killer?" So, that's what I've done, and it works! I barely ever have bite marks out of my lettuce now!!

I also have rosemary, but I just cut it back a ton because it got scorched by the recent heat wave. There's still green on it, so I'm hopeful it will grow back nicely again as long as it's watered well. Additionally, I'm growing green onions, but not on the patio. More on that in another post though.

What's in your garden? Or do you have aspirations to grow a garden? 

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Make your Own Deodorant--EASY

Antiperspirant makes me itch, but I've never found another deodorant without it that worked well, until I used a men's deodorant. However, that had toxic chemicals in it, I later found out. Boo! So, I mustered up the courage to make my own. It's SUPER EASY! Easier than making a dessert! Check it out!! Plus, a batch like mine costs you less than a dollar!

I made my husband try this, and he LOVES it too! He says it works better than any other deodorant he's ever used, and he didn't use antiperspirant either. He sweats easily and walks around constantly as a teacher, and he's pleased with the results of this deodorant.

Here's what you need:
  • 1/4 cup of baking soda 
  • 1/4 cup corn starch (not corn flour or any other corn product) 
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil  
  • A small pot
  • A spoon
Here's what you do:

1. Put each ingredient in the small pot.

2. Turn the heat on low and start stirring. It starts to melt, but it quite clumpy at first.

3. Stir until it's super smooth. Add a couple drops of an essential oil at this time, if you want. I added the Serenity mixture by Doterra.
4. Let the mixture cool down a bit, and then transfer to a container that's easy to get your fingers into.
Don't let the mixture cool too much, otherwise it won't pour into a container, but you don't want the heat from it to release chemicals from the container into it.


I've been using this for a couple weeks now, and the consistency seems to have dried up a little. It was going on clear at first, but now is a little powdery and white. I'm going to try adding a little more coconut oil to see if that helps.

Has anyone tried this? Do you have any other deodorant recipes you like or want to try? Do you make any other personal care products for yourself?