Light

 Just put a couple of solar powered lights in a mason jar. I have river rocks in the jar and set them in the window all day to charge up. Then at night or if it gets dark we have some light. These Solar Lights are bigger than some and very bright. Great way to make sure you have light just in case.

User Error (kerosene heater)

 Oh wow! Got woke up at about 2 am by the horrible strong smell of kerosene. It was below zero here wind chill so I had lit the heater yesterday morning. Hoping to just use it to get through the few days of frigid arctic blast. The smell scared me and I was tired so I turned it off. 

On waking up I did some googling and found out the reason it was starting to smell so bad of kerosene was because I had set it too low!! I am usually real good at using my heater. Have grown up around them and used them myself for the last 20 years. You have to find that happy medium on the Wick when you first set it. You can set it too high or too low. 

They really put out the heat so they are awesome when the wind chills fall. Just have to be safe with them. I have a huge kitchen and one part if just for the heater. Nothing sitting around it. 

Our local places that usually sell kerosene are out of it! Planning on this summer to buy it when ever I can to stockpile for next winter. 

Prepared for Winter Storm.

I just went and got my Mr. Heater out of the shed. Getting ready for some bad winter weather coming our way. The news said to be ready for power outages. So, now I have my kerosene heater, Mr Buddy heater, candles, charged up my phone, and have blankets on the couch. It is so cold right now. But, I think that we are ready. 

Always be prepared for anything. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

When the power goes out..

This baby lights up! 

 

Really was a lifesaver overnight. Our power kept going off and on all night. The joys of winter where I live. Snows half an inch the power goes out. But, luckily We have this kerosene heater that I started last night and it quickly got so hot in here. UGH actually had to open the bathroom window an inch. 

Be prepared for things like this. Have a few ways to heat, light, cook, communicate, etc. You never know what could happen and you have to be prepared for all of it. 

DIY Cinnamon Honey Hair Mask/Ambrosia!!

If there is anything that never ceases to frustrate me, it is shopping for beauty products. Whether it is makeup, shampoo, moisturizer, exfoliators, or self-tanners, there is soooo much to choose from and so many brands to research! Not to mention, many of the reputable brands are rather costly.

That's where DIY comes in handy! I have taken a liking to DIY beauty here lately, as it does tend to be more affordable. In addition, it is super fun and hardly frustrating at all! Oftentimes, the necessary ingredients can easily be found in your kitchen already! AND, DIY beauty products are generally made with natural, fresh ingredients.. leaving the guesswork and extra not-so-healthy, and unnecessary, ingredients out of the equation.

Below is a DIY hair mask that I made today, in like five minutes. First, a little backstory here: Roughly a year ago, I decided to get my hair done and my ex-hairdresser completely destroyed my hair, leaving it weak, awfully damaged, and breaking off at mere touch! It was awful, but I have slowly been bringing the health and beauty back to my hair. It's grown a few inches within the past couple months, or so. And, split ends are scarce. Long story short, I want to take care of my hair and do what I can to baby it.

Enter this hair mask. This DIY hair mask is SUPER easy and QUICK to make! All you need is:

1/2 cup 100% pure honey

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Mix all of the ingredients together in a small, or medium sized, glass jar. The mask can truly reap some wonderful benefits. Honey is a natural humectant, which attracts moisture, leading to more hydrated hair - which is super important in mending dry and damaged hair! Olive oil not only makes it easier to massage the honey into your scalp and hair, but it helps to promote a healthy scalp and really penetrates the hair at the roots, smoothing and coating each and every strand of your hair, leading to incredibly soft, hydrated hair (everydayroots.com)! Lastly, cinnamon helps contribute to preventing hair loss and breakage (Maheshwari, 140)!

I would suggest applying it to already wet hair. So, perhaps an application in the shower, after having already washed your hair.  Just make sure that you have enough time to apply this mask to your hair and leave it on for roughly half an hour, once a week. Enjoy this cheap, easy, fun, and healthy creation! And rinse! :)

 

DIY Coffee Scrub

Cup of Joe Sugar Scrub

1/4 cup fresh coffee grounds

3 tablespoons white sugar

2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tablespoon olive oil/or almond oil/or coconut oil

1 tablespoon water

(ALL RELATIVELY CHEAP STUFF EASILY FOUND IN THE KITCHEN! YAY!)

Simply mix all of these ingredients together in a mixing bowl, then add to jar. For a 20 oz. jar like mine, you have to make like 6 batches worth I wanna say? I can't recall for certain, but it still only put a dent in my can of coffee and my container of sugar. So this scrub certainly goes a long way. Not to mention, the application doesn't require much. 

I would recommend applying this coffee scrub while in the shower, as it is very messy. Scrub in circular motions all over your body, although I would suggest avoiding the genital area (for obvious reasons - ouch!). You can apply it to your face as well, but be a little more stringent with use if your face tends to be on the more oily side, naturally. Let the scrub sit on your skin for five minutes and then rinse off. Fair warning: you will be left incredibly, beautifully soft; you will not want to stop touching your body, haha! Also, you will smell lightly of coffee, which is pretty fantastic. Who doesn't love the smell of coffee?!

 

Can Never Have Enough...

Seeds!

These came today. Now we are 90% set with seeds. Planning on where to grow them, now. Cannot wait! I have a neat plan on doing the herb seeds this spring. I will share the idea as soon as it gets time to plant them.

 

 

Up at 5 making no bake cookies

.

I got up early to clean and make no bake cookies. 

And drink a cup of coffee by myself!

The recipe I used is here

https://www.cookingclassy.com/no-bake-cookies/

Easy treat to make!

Keeping warm...

 

This is actually keeping my small house warm! 

Even if you have a bigger house this would keep one room warm. 

 

 

 

 

Bought seeds early!

I remembered how it was last spring and how hard it was to find seeds! We were in lockdown and everyone was wanting to start gardens. So I am starting to get seeds earlier this year. I received my first order on Saturday! Cannot wait til I can work in the yard and garden, etc. Just want to be outside. Get your Garden Seeds now!  

DIY Lavender Green Tea Face Mask

 

I've really become quite obsessed with natural DIY skin remedies and beauty concoctions as of late. But, it's a healthy obsession! Not only are they easier on the wallet, but they are safer. You know exactly what you are putting into your homemade products and don't need to worry about extra unnecessary ingredients, whose names you can't even pronounce. Generally, the bare essentials are really all that you need to get better skin and to become an overall healthier human being. 

A little back story: last year, I broke out with my first really horrible bout of contact dermatitis..RIGHT on my face. It was seemingly never ending, leaving me depressed and slightly disfigured for many months. I eventually overcame that embarrassing debacle, but not without suffering frustratingly persistent scars along my jaw and lower cheeks,. After many visits to my dermatologist, my face does look A LOT better and my scars have improved a bit as well.  However, they are still visible and any amount of visibility leaves me feeling insecure at times. I also suffer a bit from hyper-pigmentation, as a result of the dermatitis. So, I do what I can. 

Unfortunately, store bought skin care and beauty products are so pricey, as are repetitive trips to the dermatologist. So, upon doing some research, I found that green tea, chock full of antioxidants, is great for anti-inflammatory purposes and fading fine lines (great combatant against hyper-pigmentation!). I also learned that lavender is pretty fantastic at healing up scars, when applied topically! So, hence the face mask. I'm going to try to use it every night, in conjunction with my Avalon Organics Vitamin C Renewal face gel wash (vitamin C is also great at fading scars and sun damage!) from here on out. Hopefully, it works for me.. and you, too!

Lavender Green Tea Face Mask

1 tablespoon honey

2 tea bags of 100% pure green tea (i used decaffeinated)

4 drops lavender essential oil

*I tripled this AND THEN added about 1/2 tablespoon of water, so as to dilute it better and make it easier to spread on face*

Mix altogether in a glass bowl and then simply add to a jar! I would recommend applying to your face in a circular motion, allowing the green tea leaves to gently exfoliate your face. Once applied, allow it to sit on your face for 15-20 minutes. Rinse. It left my face feeling nice and soft, and it looked more even and fresh! Not only that, but the lavender smells amazing and is super relaxing! Enjoy!

Lemon Cough & Cold Tea

This is so good for when you have a sore throat! Helps with colds also. The lemon is high in vitamin C. Honey has antiviral properties. I try to drink this as soon as I start feeling that I am getting a cold.

 

 1 lemon 

 

2 teaspoons of honey 

 

Put the juice of that lemon into a cup and pour boiling water into that.

 

 Add the honey .

 

 Drink as soon as it gets cool enough.

Mason Jar TO Replace Light Cover?

            I don't have any broken light covers, but I would love to do this! Has anyone done this?

Left Over Rotisserie Chicken Into Yummy Quesadilla

 Left over rotisserie chicken, black beans, cheese, and onions quesadilla

 

So  easy to make - I took left over rotisserie chicken and shredded it up. Fried some chopped onions . Layered the chicken, black beans from a can, shredded cheese, and the onion onto a tortilla in a pan. Placed another tortilla on top and fried it up. I fry mine up like a grilled cheese sandwich with butter on them. Then I cut it into triangles and enjoy. My son and I dip them into sour cream.

Fire Pit! A New Way To Cook?

I am already thinking about spring and gardening! My mom gave me this fire pit for Christmas. Cannot wait until I can get out in the yard and build a place for it and then enjoy it. Already have a stack of pavers on my back deck for making a place just for the fire pit. Cannot wait to try out some new ways to cook. I have been printing out recipes and on Pinterest looking for recipes.

Fuel Your Adventures with Great Coffee on The Road

(NewsUSA) – Sponsored News -Whether you are in a hotel room, at your desk, in an RV, or by a campfire, it can be difficult to get a good cup of coffee away from home. With the holiday travel season in full swing, travelers are wondering how best to enjoy their morning java while on the go.Most away-from-home coffee options have major drawbacks. Hotel room coffee makers are convenient and cheap, but the coffee they brew means a major compromise on taste. Local cafes often offer good coffee, but the cost of all those to-go cups can really add up. Existing travel coffee presses offer a way to brew while on the go, but they typically brew slowly and therefore brew a bitter and very acidic cup.Travelers benefit from being able to brew delicious coffee quickly and easily wherever they are. Luckily there is a perfect way to do just that. The AeroPress Go travel coffee press brews up to three cups of delicious hot or cold brew coffee that is richer, smoother, and lower in acidity than coffee brewed by other travel presses. Simply add ground coffee and water, stir briskly, press, and enjoy a cup of hot or cold brew coffee in just a minute or two.The AeroPress Go travels self- contained in its own mug with a lid, making it easy to fit in a suitcase, in a desk, with camping gear, in an RV or in a backpack. It is compact, lightweight, and durable, making it easy to transport. And it cleans up in just a few seconds with a quick rinse.The AeroPress Go’s ability to make cold brew coffee is a big additional advantage because it can be used where there is no access to hot water. Wherever you go, there is almost always a source of water, but often no way to heat it. Use the AeroPress Go to join the hot new trend of drinking coffee that’s an amazingly smooth, rich cold brew. With the AeroPress Go, it’s easy to brew a cup of cold brew using unheated water in about two minutes.Visit https://aeropress.com/ for more information about how to brew great coffee on the road.

A Cookie Sheet Pan Meal!

 

               Super meal that is quick to put together - all on 1 cookie sheet! 

 

I cut up a few potatoes, some little smoked sausages, onion, green and red peppers. Seasoned it with some All Purpose Seasoning . Took me about 6 minutes to put it all together on the pan with some oil - then about 25 to 30 minutes to cook in the oven that was set at 400 degrees.

We had some home made bread with it! 

A really filling meal that also warmed the house up.

Backup Heat!

 So glad that I had backup heating the last few days. My furnace went out a couple of weeks ago and it was not too cold - I just used my Duraflame Fireplace Stove Heater, and it was perfect for my small house. Not small enough to be a tiny house, but it is SMALL! It is the back half of a pole barn garage. So most of my house is garage. The last couple of days have been very cold. Teens overnight. So I had to bring in the Kerosene Heater. I always keep at least 10 gallons of kerosene on hand for emergencies. Really helped the last couple of days. I think that this winter so far has been mild, but when it does get too below freezing I want to have my kerosene heater so none of my pipes freeze. Hope to get my furnace looked at this summer. Might be cheaper to have it done then. I tried what I could on my own with the furnace, changed filters - new thermostat, and nothing worked. Still blowing out cold air. Luckily I had some backup. I still have a wood burning stove sitting out in my shed that my insurance said I could not put in. So that sucks. I need to go talk to them again. Was wondering if I could just put it in the garage? Hope.