Strawberry Shortcake

I only started baking about three years ago and ever since I started I wouldn't do anything that I didn't know anything about without someone with me who did...tonight my mom-in-law really wanted strawberry shortcake and the way she remembers making it with her momma. However, I had never made anything like that before but her trust in my abilities gave me enough motivation to attempt the recipe, and to my surprise it turned out awesome.
It feels so good hearing your mother-in-law's moans and groans over her pleasure from the food you made.

I modified a recipe I found for using Bisquick mix...this is my version.

Strawberry Shortcake:
*Have sliced strawberries with 1/4 cup sugar sprinkled on top set aside first so the sugar can really moisten the berries.
Ingredients for shortcake-
*2 & 1/3 Bisquick mix
*1/2 milk (I used evaporated milk with only about a tb extra of water-for moisture)
*4 tb sugar
*3 tb melted butter and 1 extra tb set aside

Instructions:
*Stir mix, milk, 4 tb sugar, and the 3 tb butter until the dough is soft.
*Put into an ungreased pan or dish.
*Drizzle on top the 1 extra tb of melted butter.
-if you want it all together then bake at 425 deg for 15ish minutes.
-if you want it separated into individual blobs then use a cookie sheet for that and blop it on old fashioned biscuit style and bake for 10-12 minutes.
*I put it all in one circular glass dish and it turned out perfect.

*Serve crumbled onto a plate with the berries and cream on top. I would presume that most of you would already have cool whip or something close to it to use but we don't have that where we are so we had to add sugar and vanilla to a can of 'cream' and mix it for a few minutes and that turned out just fine.

Clearing and Keeping a Blemish Free Face

I admit that the only time in my life my acne ever really got out of hand was in middle school where all on the side of my upper face and along my chin I had blemishes. BUT I hadn't ever really had a perfectly clear face of blemishes until this year.
My secret is baking soda.
While in the states the vitamin e oil and tea tree oil definitely helped with my face, but the number one thing that has prevented pimples is washing my face with baking soda once a day. 

If you want to try this here are my instructions:
Each night wash your face by making a paste out of baking soda. Just put a spoonful of soda on your hand and lightly wet the other and mix it in to make a paste-like texture. Have your face wet first and then start GENTLY circulating the paste on your face. Do this only for a minute, or two tops, making sure you get your entire face covered. Then, when splashing your face to rinse, rub your face real well multiple times until you do not feel any more of the gritty paste. To get my mascara off I will get my eyes rubbed in there too during the rinsing process which will clean them just right but I won't directly use the paste on them like with the rest of my face.
Then finish off with your moisturizer...I prefer vitamin e oil but I can't find any in this country we're in right now so it's whatever I can get my hands on.
Don't wash your face in the morning. Just rinsing it in water will be sufficient, even if you will be putting on make-up.

When preparing to leave the states my husband warned me that my face would be breaking out really bad and so I prepared myself for the worst. But it never happened and we have been here over six months. And I know it is solely because I been washing my face once a day with baking soda paste.

Cinnamon Vanilla French Toast

I have been dying to make french toast. A recipe of my own that I kept playing with has been stuck in my head for months and finally tonight I crafted it to become reality. I wanted to bake it, but our oven went capooey so stove-top it was...which was less assuring but still worked fine.

You will need: 

4 eggs

1/2 cup heavy milk -I used evaporated milk.

1/2 cup melted butter

1-2 Tb or more of cinnamon (depending on how much you like it)

1 overflowing Tb of vanilla

bread (-I used raisin bread) -I made 3/4 a loaf but had plenty left over for the full loaf.

Instructions:

*Melt butter and mix very well with eggs and other ingredients but not the bread. 

*Put a little oil in your large skillet and put on low heat setting.

*Dip each slice of bread into the mixture soaking each side.

*Gently place the wet slice of bread into the skillet...continue placing as many slices you can into the skillet.

*You will know when to flip by the color of the bread. It will not be like the texture of grilled cheese so be expecting a little softness. As long as it's golden colored then it's time. A little crisp is okay too.

*Hints: To keep the slices warm as you continue cooking each round just place on a plate with a lid on top.

*For Baking Instead: Follow instructions until it's time to place in a skillet. Instead of placing into the skillet place each wet slice of bread standing up in a dish and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown at 350 degrees. Check often.

Enjoy! We put butter on top of our warm slices and then syrup on top (pancake style). 

Classic Stuffing....FROM SCRATCH!!!

Every year for Thanksgiving there is only one thing that I absolutely MUST have...I don't care about the turkey or the pies...what I care about is the stuffing. And me, well, I'm a stove-top girl and I have mastered it very well. However, as many of you know, I am currently living in a third-world-country -a place that does not have stove-top anywhere to be found.
So what was a desperate girl to do? Make it from scratch. I was not expecting it to end up this amazing so when I took it out of the oven the first time I freaked out over how good it smelled and looked so of course it was picture time. IF I KNEW that it was going to turn out so amazing then I would have taken pictures of my entire process but I didn't because I was expecting it to be a failure.
For weeks I searched and searched online to find the winning recipe. I didn't want raisins or cranberries or sausage or whatever else fancy nonsense...I just wanted simple stuffing. AND FINALLY, I found it and gave it many of my own little tweaks due to the lack of certain ingredients and making it the day before but re-baking it the next day. I also did what I needed to do to make it moist...the way I like it.

Berdy's Classic Stuffing (no, my name is not Berdy...just my nick-name)

You will need:
1.5/2 loafs of white bread - stale or lightly toasted -cubed (approximately 16 cups of cubed white bread)
lots of seasonings (sage, oregano, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper)
2 eggs with a little milk (about 1/4 cup)
1 stick of butter plus some on the side
chicken broth
1 cup of finely chopped celery
9X13 dish....it made A TON!

*Assuming you start this the day before your feast*
Melt the stick of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add celery with lots of garlic and herbs...only a little salt but heavier on the pepper...& cook 5 minutes.
Add 3 cups of chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
Beat 2 eggs w/ milk in a VERY LARGE bowl...add the 16 cups (or close to it) of cubed stale white bread.
Pour in the veggie-broth mixture and toss. Really get each cube of bread a bit wet.
Transfer to a buttered baking dish and lightly pour melted butter over the top...don't go overboard.
Cover and bake 30 minutes @ 375 F. Uncover and bake a good 15 minutes.
The next day soon before it's time to eat so you pull it out hot...
Pour in a butt-load of garlic and seasonings (minus the salt and pepper) into a cup of water and mix.
Pour over entire top of stuffing and bake uncovered for approximately 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Lastly, eat it!

I prefer my stuffing on the moist side and not so much on the dry side so if you prefer it on the dryer side then don't add milk to your eggs and only pour 1/4 cup of seasoned water on the for the last baking instead of a full cup.

Enjoy!

Unheated Curls

Heating your hair in any way is harmful to the sensitive locks. About a couple years ago I attempted to find alternative ways to bring curls to my hair besides the waves I get when braiding or what comes from my damaging curling iron. I searched and searched online and found these foam rods...

I admit that I can not remember how much they cost me but I know that if money is ever an issue then tearing strips of rags or socks will do the trick just enough. These I love because they are long lasting, durable, soft (thus easy to sleep in), and I can use them in multiple ways.

Be sure to have a wide tooth comb or pick handy.

First you want to be sure your hair is only damp, if it's soaking wet then it will never dry unless you have extremely thin hair.

Second, comb through your hair and grab a small chunk on the top.
*Please note that the amount you grab will indicate how loose or tight the curl will be.

Third, twirl the chunk of hair and start wrapping it around a rod end first...

 Fourth, hook the end of the rod through the hole of the tulip. No worries, it will stay in place.
Fifth, continue to do that throughout all of your hair.

Next morning/when dry....
Take out each rod one by one.

I wanted loose curls this time, so instead of my usual many spiral chunks of hair it came out like this...

Next, use your wide-tooth comb and gently loosen the spirals. Shake your hair if necessary.
And then BAM...it looks like this....

 I am living in an extraordinarily high humidity area and so I have no idea why but my hair doesn't curl as well in this climate. In the States my hair can go all day with curls without any hairspray or product but here, not having any products even, it just loosens even more so. But none the less I loved how it turned out. It gave a nice wave.
The way you place your hair on the rod also depends upon the outcome of the curl as well. If you want super tight almost perm-like curls then you wouldn't twirl it first but simply use a very small chunk and wrap it around the rod tightly. I've done that before and I loved it.

Have fun curling!

Greasy? Smeasy!

Since I had been doing my 'no-poo' hair washing technique I now only wash my hair usually twice a week. However, when there is something special I want to do with it or the days of washing get a little scrambled sometimes I need to let it be greasy for a day so I can wait and wash it the next day...example: I washed my hair on Monday. Today is Friday. Usually I would have washed it yesterday but I want to wash it on Saturday (tomorrow) so I can do this curly thingy I want to show you all...that way I can wear this curly look to church on Sunday.
So, yesterday I was able to get by with it just being in a ponytail but waking up this morning it looked liked this...

It's so greasy it looks wet! Gross! So, I did my thing to make it presentable for the day...

You will need:
*small cup/bowl/lid/etc.
*eye-brow brush or like substance.
*corn starch

Dab your little brush into the cornstarch and start brushing it onto your part blending it into your greasiness. It should start soaking up the oil quickly. 

Please note: If you have dark hair then do not use corn starch alone. Since I have light hair (caramel color) then cornstarch works just fine for me. 

At first you may start freaking out by the look of the powder in your hair, but don't worry, if you simply keep blending it the powder will disappear. 

To make yourself feel better try small amounts at a time.

Next you'll want to take your regular bristle brush and brush forward, back, and upside down. 

Then take a pick and brush it back to it's normal lay.

- Looks much better doesn't it?

Notice there are still a few spots needing it? Clearing away the first major layer of oil let me see the other spots that needed it. Thus I was able to attack those specific spots you see there in the picture.

Using cornstarch is a much healthier and safer tool to use instead of dry shampoo or things with alcohol and other chemicals that end up hurting your hair. Plus the fact, it's inexpensive since it's a regular household item we all find and use in our kitchens.

Have a good day!

P.S. Last week I did this and poured the remaining amount of starch into my loose-facial-powder. Doing that not only pro-longed the life of my powder but it also helps keep away shine...thus me not having to put more powder on throughout the day to diminish the shine.

Losing Weight

I admit, I've always been thin. I've been a size 2/4 since I was 15 years old and now I am 26. But, I am soft and pear shaped so, while I look even smaller at first, when a person takes a real look at me they see where it's all hiding. This is something that I battled with for years and oh how I have been tormented by other females for having all my fat in my toosh instead of my chest and how men are lying when they say they prefer booties over boobies. But oh contrare ladies!....the women who say that are lying and are either in denial or are trying to pull you down. For years and years I hated how I looked and wanted to change it so badly all because 'no man would be attracted to me otherwise'. But God knew what he was doing when he made me because I have no doubt in my mind that the man I am married to firmly believes with all his heart and soul that I am the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet...and I am not about to jeopardize that nor talk him out of it. He has made me embrace that toosh of mine.
BUT, I will always battle within myself when I try on clothes or look in the mirror. Us pear-shaped gals no taller than 5'2" have a stinky of a time with clothes. And while yes my husband loves my body I still want to trim it and maybe look in the changing room mirror with a little more confidence than before.
Before we came out to the country we are interning in for the year I had hit an all-time high with the number on the scales. My weight no longer was only staying in my toosh and thighs but it was starting to thicken my stomach...I despised it. So, when we came out here within the first week I lost 5 lbs. Within 1 month I dropped 10 and then 17 in which now I'm always floating around 110 lbs depending on what scale I use (and yes that's annoying). I honestly have been extremely lazy in my exercise routine but I've been great with my diet.
Diet is the key for me. Before we came out here we were having 'party nights' 1-3 times a week which consisted of late night grocery runs and grabbing some sort of junk-food and a movie. My diet was horrible. But a couple months before we came out my sister got me on a free online study called 'The Lord's Table'. It really made me rethink food and how we looked at it. Then coming out to a third-world country gave the final stamp to the meaning behind food.....Food is just something we need to fuel our bodies and keep us healthy and strong. Making our decisions for what to eat based upon taste/craving, body image, etc is not right or healthy. But making our diet decisions based on what would please God is key. I didn't finish the study, but I didn't need to...seeing and hearing about people starving and scrounging to have at least 1 meal a day really forces a person to change their perspective on food very quickly.
When a person is hungry they don't care about what they are eating as long as it's food. Sure, it's okay to have a brownie now and then and to go have an ice-cream date with your man but to be controlled by those impulses and to make them on a constant basis is not uplifting to God nor healthy for the body he created for you.

Because of the history with cancer in my family and my digestive issues I have to make sure to have a decent amount of produce every day. Since we've been here I've been eating huge carrots and large portions of peas at least 5 times a week and I try to have a mango every day. My usual daily intake consists of oatmeal and a mango for breakfast, a very light lunch of some kind, and either chicken, fish or whole grain pasta for supper with more veggies than anything else put together. And yes, I love to bake and so I often have no-bake cookies or brownies or fudge in the fridge and I would have a little. But I always give away a lot of what I make so that I don't eat it all and so that I have something to give to these people whom love to give so much to me.

I brought this exercise band with me that I have found to be amazing. it folds and fits into any tiny little crevice and yet it works so much of you all at once.
Ladies, we don't need a gym or some expensive trainer...just a video or an at-home routine should do the trick.
With this band I wrap it around my feet while laying on my back and placing my legs straight up. I spread my legs, pulling the band, as far as I can for 20 reps and then I do it again with my legs at a 45 degree angle. Finally, I will spread them as far apart as possible and hold it for about 15 seconds or however long I can manage it. This not only works my hips, booty, and thighs but I've noticed right away that my waste has been pulling in giving it a deeper curve.   It's not changing the shape of my body necessarily but my skirts and other clothes are fitting much better.
I don't do a lot, and I am planning on adding to my little routine, but I just wanted to share that with you because it helps me so much and it's so stinkin' easy.
I don't plan on ever having what the United States considers, a 'perfect body'....which is fine by me because my husband doesn't even like that. Before I got married I was sooo worried that my future husband would expect me to shave my legs every day, have the perfect body (curve mixed with skinny mixed with tone and absolutely no cellulite). But I learned that he doesn't care about any of that. The cellulite on my thighs doesn't bug him one bit, he doesn't care about my legs being smooth every day, and he adores my body the way it is.....petite and pear-shaped.

My Guidelines:
1. Only eat when hungry -unless that means you will eat late, then eat supper to keep from eating at night.
2. Don't let what you choose to eat or don't eat consume your thoughts and mood. Just please the Lord.
3. Have a little exercise and a lot of veggies.
4. Drink lots of water and not much soda or milk.
5. Don't over-eat. If you eat until you're satisfied then that isn't quite enough for some people (like me, whom gets full very quickly). Just stop eating the moment you start to feel full and you'll be fine.

I would do the typical thing of showing you pictures of my body (befores and afters)...but 1. that's weird and immodest and 2. I promised my hubby that I would stay in the shadows and not tell or show who I am...there are some weirdos out there that love the internet and what a person can find on it.

here is the site for online bible study that helped give that spiritual kick in the bum I needed to gain control.

What are some of your food struggles?

'No Poo Style'

While on pinterest sometime at the beginning of last week I came across an extremely interesting pin which led me to a blog that may have been the most useful thing I've learned from pinterest yet. The blog was about washing your hair 'no poo' style, meaning that you don't use shampoo. I at first was wondering if it was even possible but apparently it is. I mean it makes perfect sense, back in the frontier days they didn't have shampoo like we do now nor did they bathe as often yet they kept their hair 'clean' for much longer periods of time. I am not a fan of what's in our shampoos, even in my famously organic shampoo it has words in the ingredients that I can't pronounce, so I decided to give it a try.

It's only been a week and a half and all though my hair is still getting used to this new way of being washed my scalp definitely likes it. I was having such extreme issues of itchiness that I was in desperate need of something. I was doing all the correct things to do like using clear shampoos, not putting my conditioner on my scalp, not washing my hair every day and even using tea tree oil on my scalp. Grant it, those things helped, but I knew it was going to take something extreme to help my irritated scalp.

Here is the link to follow. It's extraordinarily detailed. I follow method 1...
http://www.coderedhat.com/no-poo/

What I am doing is I wash my hair using a mixture of only baking soda and water. I use more baking soda in my mixture because I have hard well water and I have much thicker hair than the average woman. Then since I have dry hair I rinse it with vinegar. The recipe says to just use half vinegar half water but that wasn't conditioning my hair enough. Yes my hair stinks like vinegar but all I need to do is get some essential oil to mix with water and/or tea and spray/rinse in my hair after the vinegar...I just haven't gotten to the store yet.

The one huge issue that I was having was static. The day after washing my hair it would look like I was struck by lightening from being so staticy. I had sprayed a leave in conditioner I made of coconut oil, olive oil and water but that didn't take care of the static and on top of that it made my hair look gross. So that idea was thrown out. Then a woman with the same problem suggested to me to take a dryer sheet (which smells good) and rub it through my hair. It certainly makes a big difference but I ended up buying a leave-in-conditioner to use for days that the static can't be tamed. Right now it is extremely dry out and has been under 10 degrees every day this week, so I am sure that is part of what's effecting it.

For a little while my hair started darkening, but now that my hair and scalp is starting to balance out it's getting it's shine and natural blonde streaks back.

It's even becoming not so weighed down and gaining volume.

And...

On top of that my scalp is turning pinkish! Which is very good.

I still have some itch, but I think it's taken care of the majority of the itch...my hair/scalp is still in the balancing out phase anyways.

I don't think every person on earth needs to do this because some women are blessed with amazingly healthy hair and scalps...however I am not. All though my hair has always been very thick and owns a decent amount of shine (which means health) I would get a lot of breakage (in my opinion), and itchiness. This I am banking on to help both those issues.

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

Right before I started this 'no poo' hair washing technique I did a conditioning mask on my hair which by the way did wonders...I melted coconut oil from it's usually white chunkiness to just oil and doused my hair in it. Then I left it in my hair with a shower cap over night and washed it out the next day. It worked wonders. I would definitely recommend doing this if you are in need of some serious conditioning.

Have a great weekend!

UPDATE: 1 YEAR LATER...

Firing Up The Kitchen...Literally

Within the past 2 1/2 years of being married I have almost burned our home down about 5 times...like I say in my 'about me' paragraph...I have a lot to learn. However, my biggest and latest lesson of starting fires had the potential of a massive catastrophe.

As most of you know, water is the last thing to use when putting out grease fires...

Well one day a few months ago I was trying to make meatloaf for the first time. I didn't have any sort of pan that allows the fat to drain out so I used my creative skills and punched holes in one of those cheap aluminum bread pans. I then strategically placed it on top of a dish for the fat to drain out onto. Well 3 hours later and the meat still was only half done, apparently that wasn't such a crafty idea. When it was time for my husband to leave for work he decided to try and help out his frustrated wife by taking out the dish the fat and grease was dripping onto and just letting it drip onto the oven floor because it was "needing cleaned anyways...". About ten minutes after he left the entire apartment starting reeking of smoke.
I ran out into the other room and grabbed the towel that was tossed on top of the oven thinking it was catching on fire...but no it was fine. At that same time I noticed tons of smoke coming out of every crevice of my oven. I turned it off and opened it only to see huge flames filling the boxed area. I hurried up and closed it and out of shear panic I grabbed the large bowl by the sink, filled it with water and tossed it in then slamming the oven door shut. Then I realized what I had just done and I let the oven door stay shut hoping the fire would just be suffocated. That worked. A couple minutes later and it was out. Needless to say I never got to eat my meatloaf and have never made it again...

I called my husband in panic with my heart racing (for I very much fear fire) and he calmed me down. I didn't use the oven after that until I had it squeaky clean. The only logical conclusion that I could come up with for the cause of the fire was the grease dripping down onto the hot coils and thus causing a grease fire. I to this day feel so utterly lucky because throwing water onto a grease fire only intensifies it X's 3. I could have died. If you don't believe me go to the myth busters web site and look up when they tested this confirmed 'myth'. People have literally died because they tried to put out a grease fire with water! Oh my heart is racing just thinking back to this. 

So then how are we supposed to put out grease fires if we can't use water? 

The safest way would be to 'suffocate' the fire. Just place a lid onto the flame filled pan. 

Or... 

you can just pour tons of baking soda into the pan. But the best way is still to suffocate it. 

Do not ever use water or flour to put out the fire and never bat at it with a towel because then you will just spread the flames.

Do you have any crazy kitchen fire stories? If so write it in the comment section and I will pick out my favorite one and share it at a future time.

Happy cooking!

The Wonder Of Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil is something I learned about way back in high school at the herb and natural health shop I worked at. Tea Tree Oil was most always an answer to any question. If I accidentally cut myself on something my boss would suddenly be by my side with Tea Tree Oil on hand. The oil is something I have grown to really love and so I want to spread it to you...

Please be reminded, I am not a specialist of any kind. I have just been using the oil a lot for many years and have learned much about it as to it's useful traits and such...

What is Tea Tree Oil?
Tea Tree Oil is an essential oil extracted from the leaves of a tree in Australia. It is purifying and used as a great topical agent but is not to be ingested.

The uses I have personally found great from it:
Cuts and scrapes of most any kind. -using a qtip dab the oil on the cut. A little goes a long way.
Acne -using a qtip I rub the oil along the acne area. Again, a little goes a long way.
Scalp treatment -fill a baby dropper and squeeze the oil along the scalp. Use a pick and divide the hair inch by inch until the oil is on each section of the scalp. Or use it in your shampoo. There are tea tree oil shampoos you can find or just pour a tea spoon or table spoon into your shampoo bottle and shake.
Burns -using a qtip dab the oil along the burned area. If you want to put a pain relieving cream on the burn then do not mix it with the oil...I have no idea how the two would react.

Some folks have claimed that it has made their moles and/or worts disappear ..however I have not tried using it for those cases...partly because I do not get worts and partly because moles are very sensitive and I would be scared to irritate it.
I do however have a mole half the size of a pencil eraser on my face and since I put tea tree oil on my face often that particular mole does get exposed to it...but it has never changed.
There have also been claims that Tee Tree Oil is a great use for a bug repellent, however I have not found that to be the case for me. Maybe the type of bugs that I was around at the time of trying it were not repelled by it, I don't know, but in my case I have not found that to be true...but it may have some partial truth to it. There just needs to be more research and/or experiments for it.

Tea Tree Oil is a cleanser and purifier and even anti-fungal which is why it is a great replacement for peroxide or alcohol on cuts and things.

It is not a pain-relief nor an itch-relief but depending on the cause of the itch it may just simply take care of the problem.


In it's history it has been used as a cold, cough  and sore throat treatment through inhaling it. However I would never recommend this unless a real natural health specialist would. I have read that the oil is poisonous thus why it's not to be ingested and with that I presume there are strict rules as to how it is to be used as an inhalant.

http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/tea-tree.htm
above is a website with great information...one of  the best I've found.


A cool thing that I have accidentally discovered about it is that it eats completely through styrophome....

These pictures below are what happened to a foam plate that I poured a tiny amount of the oil on. The section that is completely eaten through was where it had gathered the most when poured. The circle under the plate is just a cup I was using to place it on. But this shows you just how strong the oil really is...

When I had first discovered this I had poured it into a foam cup not realizing what would happen. In just a couple minutes the entire bottom of the cup was eaten through. This plate took longer to be destroyed but only because it's thicker and made differently.

You should be able to find Tea Tree Oil at your local super market in the vitamin section under 'T'. It should cost under ten dollars and last months depending on how frequently you need it...I use mine a lot and only have to buy a new bottle twice a year.

Have a great day!

The Attempt at Beauty #2

After skimming through my Pinterest home page the first 'category' I tend to click on before all others is the 'hair and beauty'. Most of the pins are absolutely ridiculous to me while a few of them are quite useful and others are interesting enough to store it in the back of my mind but not worthy of pinning.

Some of those interesting ones are things to do to help cure acne, acne scars, hair conditioning, quick lose weight tricks, make-up tips, etc. Most of them I wonder why on earth women will go through such lengths for such results when there are way simpler ways of achieving their goal...

Acne:
There is no need to make nasty combinations of ginger and honey and all this gross ooey-gooey stuff that costs a butt load to buy anyway... In my mind the more ingredients (and dollars put into it) then the less I want to use it.

1. Tea Tree Oil
    Yes that's a repeat I know but for the category I must list it. It's amazing stuff. Use a q-tip and dab it on the blemish after washing your face or rub it all over the area of your face that tends to breakout.

2. Coconut Oil Scrub
    I gotta admit, I was avoiding this stuff because it was becoming so popular and I hate joining bandwagons...but there is a reason why this stuff is getting so much attention...because it works! I finally got a jar of this stuff. I scooped some out into a small container and poured in a decent enough amount of Sea Salt to give it a scrubbing texture along with two drops of Tea Tree Oil for extra cleansing (even though salt is a natural cleanser). I have been using it as my face scrub in my morning shower and I must admit the stuff is amazing; it was the perfect solution for the kind of face wash/scrub I've been dreaming of.

3. Vitamin E Oil
    Yes I know this one is a  repeat too but I again, I had to put it on the list. Leaving this stuff on my face over night after using the coconut oil scrub made my skin so amazing times ten the next morning!
    The thing I love most about Vitamin E Oil is that it's one ingredient and yet does so much...but the thing I love most that it does is it diminishes scars. I always used it on my body to prevent scars and I never thought to use it on my face to reduce/prevent acne scars...but I am so glad that I did start using this one my face because I was immediately seeing a difference in my acne scars.

Following just these three things (plus of course not sleeping in your make-up or touching your face constantly) should help you with your acne issues...of any many kinds.

*UPDATE -click on to read about an even better natural face-wash I've discovered.

Detox Bath:
Don't take them!
So I followed the ingredients the best I could from a popular recipe found via pinterest for a detox bath. I do not know what exactly happened but I had to get out of the bath ten minutes after getting in. I had become dizzy and my butt and hips literally felt like they were burning. It started out as just a tingly feeling on my skin and it kept growing too intensely. I walked away from it and had to lay down because I felt so sick and drained from the bath. Like I said, I am not quite sure what happened but I would never recommend following detox things unless you have a skilled herbalist or doctor or such person to approve it.

But what you can do in the meantime, if you are for sure needing/wanting a detox, is the safest thing...drink tons of water and stay away from bad foods and harsh chemicals until then.

Make-up:

I saw this pin about using eye drops to keep your mascara from drying out that was one of those bonk-on-the-head things that made perfect sense. Eye drops are sterile and easy to get into hard places...like your mascara tube....and what do ya know! It did make a difference to my mascara just enough to keep it from clumping.

I have also seen pins about the 'best eye make-up removers' or make your own 'eye make-up remover'...but the thing is those aren't needed... Not a single one of them. There is one thing that I know every female already has in her home, especially since it's the winter season, and that's lotion. All you need to do is dab a q-tip in some good non-scented/non-sparkly lotion and rub it along and below the eyelids (make sure not to get any in your eye). I tend to get mascara under my eyes throughout the day and doing that little trick allows me to keep my mascara and make-up on without taking a ton of time or needing to rewash and make-up my face.

Teeth:

Another popular pin I've seen go around about fifty times is the one about using Peroxide to whiten your teeth. I tried it. I would swish peroxide in my mouth twice a day before brushing my teeth. After about 3 days my teeth became so dog-gone sensitive that I had to stop for a couple days and do a little research. Any sip of water I drank (even when room temperature) my entire mouth tingled...it really freaked me out. Since then I've only been swishing it in my mouth once a day and putting a little water in it first to give it to make it more diluted and that solved it. No more sensitivity and I still got the effects of a good mouth wash...however it has not given me the amazing whitening transformation that the pin so solemnly swears by.

Weight Loss:
Update -click on for update on my weight loss journey.

I myself have been wanting to lose about 12 lbs. Over the month of December I fasted from all sweets. I still ate sugar since that's in most food anyways, but I kept away from sweets (that wasn't to lose weight but to break a sweets addiction)...well I lost 4 lbs from that and I am already taking steps to lose all 12 to be back down to my favorite weight (108 lbs). I know what I need to do, and it's nothing like what we constantly find on pinterest.
There isn't some quick fix to losing weight because to successfully lose weight in my mind would be to do it in a healthy fashion and most of those are not. We are to eat a certain amount of calories each day and not getting enough does more harm to your body than good. We are also to have a certain amount of produce and I know for a fact that most of us do not get the recommended amount. We also are not to eat 4 hours before bed and we are to drink a lot of water...I drink about 6-7 glasses of water every day (teas included in that) and that is still not enough...we're supposed to drink at least 8.
Really, there isn't some magic drink that will burn off all your weight and keep it off the rest of your life. And while yes we need exercise there is a point of over-doing it. When I was a teen I was obsessed with exercise and while I wore my tennis shoes to gym I never wore them outside of school. Going barefoot or in flip-flops has torn my knees up in so much that I cannot do regular 'hard core' exercise. I have to do low impact exercise...and you know what...that is all we need anyways. Just a bit of movement each day to get our heart-rate up for about 30-60 minutes. Pilates are great for me however I have put together my own low impact workout that I am starting and I shall let you know of the results probably by Valentines Day.

Part #1.