mint box mini oils

start with a cute, little box 

of trader joe's green tea mints.

{save them in another container.}

you'll need three 1/4 dram sample bottles,
and three 5/8 dram sample bottles.

fill with your favorite essential oils.
put them cap-to-cap for the best fit.

this would make a great holiday survival kit.

which six essential oils would you pick?

do you need to make one of these?
i can help you do it!

_________________________________________

i love helping people find solutions

using these pure botanicals

for things like:

better sleep,

pain relief,

emotional well-being,

digestive support,

preventing illness,

basic first-aid,

non-toxic cleaning,

and holiday survival.

they are amazing tools for wellness.

are you curious? let me know.

find more info here.

♥

homemade nail oil

i am ditching nail polish.
i have come up with something better.

my nails have always been weak.

prone to splitting, peeling, and breaking.

a {toxic} strengthening polish

wasn't really making my nails more resilient,

just coating them in a strong layer of synthetics.

i am no longer willing to absorb those toxins

through my nail beds.

after some research & experimenting,

i'm ready to share

my homemade nourishing oil blend

that is actually making my nails stronger.

= nail oil recipe =

in an empty 5mL roller bottle,
combine these pure essential oils:

10 drops myrrh

5 drops frankincense

5 drops lemon

5 drops lavender

3 drops vetiver

top with these nutritious carrier oils:

jojoba

avocado

apricot kernel

almond

calendula

neem

pop the roller top in the bottle 
& shake to combine.

use a buffing block

to gently smooth out the surface,

then apply the oil 

and massage into nails & cuticles

throughout the day & at bedtime.

.................................................

results?

after a few weeks,

my nails are growing without breaking,

and the peeling is non-existent.

i'm ditching polish & not looking back.

♥

p.s. the essential oils i use can be found here.

bulk carrier oils can be found at the boise co-op.

homemade beard oil

last month,

when my bearded brother jon was here,

we made beard oil.

what's that, you say?

what the heck is beard oil, and how does it work?

well...  here's a little huffpost article titled

what the heck is beard oil, and how does it work?

that might help.

here are the two recipes we created

for their aroma & therapeutic properties:

we used these labels.

'that smells nice' & 'that smells better'

on one side of each bottle {since we made two},

and 'beard oil' on the other.

here's a little how-to video

keep those beards {and the skin beneath them} conditioned & smelling nice.

check out the oils i use here.

♥

'the works' sauce {it's vegan!}

we're going vegan.

and this is my new vegan sauce.

i'm calling it 'the works'

after emily's favorite vegan wrap

at her local grocery in santa cruz.
emily has been vegan for almost a year,
so this recipe is dedicated to her.

'the works' sauce

makes 2 cups

combine all ingredients and blend until smooth:

1 cup cooked beans {save broth}

{cannellini beans, chickpeas, soybeans}

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini

1/8 cup tamari

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 - 2 cloves garlic

1 tsp spike {seasoning blend}

note:
you can adjust the thickness of the sauce
by how much bean broth [bean juice?] you add.

this sauce is delicious on rice & beans.

make it 'the works' by adding

fresh spinach, purple cabbage, avocado,

salsa & cilantro.

serve in a bowl or in a tortilla.

yum!

it also makes a great creamy salad dressing.

tip:

to make this sauce regularly,

cook batches of chickpeas & soybeans,

combine them & freeze in 1 cup containers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

interested in why we're going vegan?

watch this documentary:

{also here}

{it's on netflix right now}

♥

pickles

lacto-fermented or salt-water pickles.

i had never heard of them

until amanda from our csa

made some a couple weeks ago.

i understand that this is the old-fashioned way.

let me know if you've tried this because

i am almost certain i'm doing it wrong.

read more here and here.

♥

tie dye

ned made this at the library last week

so this seemed in order

♥

zen bento {made at home}

brown rice

tofu

broccoli - carrots - cabbage

zen bento teriyaki sauce

there's a cute little place in my town called

zen bento

you can order their bento bowls

in countless variations {even with noodles}.

we always order the tofu bento with brown rice.

it's good, simple food,

but the cost is nearly ten bucks per bowl.

staggering.

it's rare that i am willing fork over the cash.

however, the magic is all in the sauce,

and they sell it by the bottle.

"rice & veggies" is practically
my middle name, so the rest is easy.

see the menu & all the sauces here.

♥

p.s. you can also use

any good teriyaki sauce,

like soy vay.

heartfelt rings {from tiny owl knits}

heartfelt rings!

first, you knit them, then, you felt them.

i made three this afternoon.

cute, quick, easy, & free!

from stephanie of tiny owl knits.

find the free pattern PLUS

a video knit-along on her blog here.

♥

mantel

♥

kitchen window

♥

rainbow loom

have you heard of

rainbow loom?

i read about it in an ad from our local toy store,

then again in the goop gift guide.

chosen by moses,

gwyneth paltrow's 7 year old son,

i figured there must be something to it.

{although the kid did pick a hamster,

and i know i don't want one of those...}

we gave a rainbow loom to ned for his birthday

two weeks ago with the idea that he could

use it to make some christmas presents.

{we also bought an extra bag of rubber bands and clips}

rainbow loom is basically a plastic "loom" to

loop and weave the little colorful rubber bands

into bracelets.

and let me tell you, it is a hit.

ned is 9 and can make the bracelets,

start-to-finish, all on his own.

marian is 14, and she loves it, too.

i'm betting emily will want to take

rainbow loom back to college with her.

{she and her friends make these}

here's a link to lots of fancy

rainbow loom patterns and tutorials.

you know you want one.

♥

advent calendar, our way

today is december 1st,

and my kids would never let me forget

that our advent calendar begins today.

our "calendar" has evolved into

a snowy forest that takes over

an entire tabletop.

behind the doors,

sometimes there is candy,

sometimes there are stickers,

and sometimes there is just a note.

since the compartments are small,

i often substitute a note that tells

where i've hidden the surprise.

sometimes the note will lead to another note,

and another, and another, and finally,

the treats.

tonight, i used 4 old notes to create

a little scavenger hunt.

other old notes

they made me smile when i unpacked them today.

♥