Homemade Chest Rub

A few blogs ago, I said I was not sure how natural Vicks Vapor Rub was.  So, I looked into it…  and technically, it is somewhat of a natural option.  It is actually made from quite a few essential oils with a base of something similar to Vaseline.  However, I am plagued with the do-it-yourselfitis…  and so I found several recipes and then kind of made my own from what I saw.  Google is definitely feeding my addiction.  Besides, at our house we use a lot of Vicks, so this way I can replace it with something that I made knowing full good and well what is in it.   

When my kids see me pull out the Vicks, they actually willingly bring me their socks so that I can rub it on their feet before they go to bed.  It’s like candy for the toes. 

All Natural Skin Care and Remedies

I have been on somewhat of a health kick lately.  It makes for a whole lot of good crunchy herbal information for everybody around me.  So much so that I am calling people up and telling them “Did you know such and such is good for such and such!”  This kind of thing gets me excited.  In my former life, I was a medic in the Army.  I dig medical information even if it is a little…  ahem…  less than mainstream now.  ...And it is less emergent than my previous life.  Going from combat medic to wannabe herbalist is a big transition no matter how you try to swing it.  But the part I love most about it is that I can still manage my family’s health without pumping them full of chemicals to get the job done. 

Natural Cold Remedies and Care

Out of everyone in my family, I am the only one that ever gets knocked off my feet kind of sick.  It is almost guaranteed that at some point in time when the weather starts cooling down that Mom will get deathly ill.  Okay, not really DEATHLY ill (although, it feels like it to me in a very dramatic way), but in a way that surely keeps me from my true potential.  It could be that I am pregnant right now, which means my immune system is already weakened.  Whatever the case, I feel terrible. 

Lessons from a Homesteader and an Herb Garden Plan

Today we did a lot of work.  Well, Keith (my husband) did a lot of work.  I did a lot of managing and complaining.  You know, I realized very early on, that even a backyard farm was A LOT of work.  We don’t have much space.  Everything we do is strictly limited to a backyard space.  I like to think of it as a farm (although the definition might vary for people) because this is the way I see it…  We grow food, we have the opportunity for fresh milk, eggs, and meat…  so in my mind, that makes us a farm. Right?  Everybody nod your head in unison.  Thanks.  I have learned a lot of lessons on a small space that someday I hope to take to a large space.

In the Beginning there were Chickens...

I got this CRAZY idea, so I called around and asked my question.   

By the way…  our motto at our house has always been and probably always will be “go big or go home.”

“Are there any zoning laws against having chickens in the backyard?”  I was told that there were not as long as there was no rule against it with the neighborhood association.  Well, we don’t have a neighborhood association (thank goodness) so that eliminated that obstacle.  Then, I am pretty sure I brought it up casually in a conversation or two with Keith, and he didn’t seem overly opposed to the idea.  Keith expects these kinds of things from me. 

Natural Sunburn Remedy and How to Grow It!

Needs to be replanted  Has lots of offsets.

Aloe vera.  One of my most favorite plants in the whole wide world.  English ivy is up there, too, but does not possess the same qualities as something like aloe vera does.  At least…  not that I know of yet.

What is aloe vera?  Aloe is a succulent plant that can grow really fast.  It does not need a lot of water, and in fact, does best when you put it into a terra cotta pot and leave it alone, only watering it after it dries out completely.  It does not need direct sunlight, only bright filtered light.  I have mine growing in a garden window that gets indirect sunlight through most of the day, but always stays bright.  I took mine outside this past summer thinking it would do okay outside but under my garden window and…  it didn’t.  It almost killed it in fact.  So, back in the window it went, and it started recovering.  It can get really big if you allow it.  Three feet high and three feet wide is very possible.