Hello!
I am officially over a bad summer cold and I am relieved it's over. I passed the torch to to whom ever is now getting sick and will need to recoup' my boyfriend seems to be sneezing a lot. To get rid of the cold I took extra vitamin C, drank lots of hot tea and lemon drinks with unpasteurized honey, and added extra lemon to everything, ate some garlic and stayed warm. Guess what? I pulled through~!
It's always good to take care of ourselves. So let's get started to our summer events, as I know you have been waiting all week.
D.I.Y. Beauty
This week is all about skin wounds and psoriasis! I have some good information for sufferers, or those who have the occasional flare-ups of various skin ailments. Let's start with a personal experience of mine.
Recently, I had to hit the deck on my balcony to avoid possible lightning that was streaking across the sky in my direction. I not only felt my hair rise at the back of my neck, I also felt a strange electric feeling all around me in the air and it was a warning to me. So needless to say, I flew down fast as I could when hitting the deck. You know those moments when you know you have to move insanely quickly- kind of a little bit like an action movie in your real life. All while trying to capture the most perfect lightening strike picture on camera.
It really wasn't smart. I did end up with a wound from wiping out on the balcony carpet (luckily there is a 70's brown striped outdoor rug covering the entire concrete pad that is the balcony. Otherwise I would have been biting concrete. So it was really a bad rug burn style of wound with a bad gouge on the side of my hand. A total OUCH!
Here's what I did to help it heal up. I cleaned it and it looked really bad as it healed, so I kept it clean and used polysporin to heal it and it worked. Usually I might not use polysporin but I did try to prevent a huge scar, so I felt it needed it and after it started to look bad I put a small amount on. It did heal it nicely compared to what I thought the end results would be, since it looked so nasty along the way. I always use my organic grown Aloe Vera gel I froze in my deep freeze. I harvested it from my dying Aloe plant because my cat dumped over the pot, then the plant's health turned for the worst afterwards.
Anyways, Shea Butter products and some other powerful healing lotions to help speed up the process. One was actually from the Amber Romance Line from Victoria's Secret and despite a bit of a perfume smell it has, the Ultra-Softening ingredients in it like Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, Shea and Olive oils helped a lot. Buttery body butters or lotions do seem to moisturize, soothe, condition and protect the skin. It is totally probably bad for the skin though all while smelling awesome! I did love this smell so I used it up fairly fast.
Just below that wound there was a flare up of psoriasis that had started before I wounded myself. I was finding it hard to penetrate the psoriasis patch with any type of lotion,and it was itching
and flaring. I have not had psoriasis before so I did not buy psoriasis cream. I recently seen Kim Kardashian has psoriasis which she inherited genetically from her mother. Kim did not have psoriasis before either, and it can appear in later years or get worse as you get older.
I resorted back to more Shea Butter formulas and it took away the itch to this psoriasis patch as well as the rough scaly look to it. I also have SPA Resources Hawaiian Ginger Line Body Butter and I use the lotion in the pump bottle too. That one mentions no Shea Butter, but in the Body Butter it does contain Shea Butter, Aloe, Jojoba Oil, Horsetail Extract, Seaweed, White Tea Leaf & Grape seed. I had to use this when I thought my patch problem was coming back. Out of those ingredients in the formulation it's not clear which one worked the most effectively.
It's also not good to scratch your psoriasis which only makes it worse. If you see dry skin peeling and flaking or it's itchy don't do it. I have been simply exfoliating gently on my patch with Eshe's Body Exfoliant in order to deflake the area. It is a refined formulation meaning it has small scrubbers in it with Green Tea and Chamomile to soothe and bring soft skin to the surface. It's also infused with
Vitamin C and Aloe Vera and is hypoallergenic and irritant free. I recommend this scrub and it's hard to find out if they have a website but you can pick up Eshe products at Fabutan Tanning locations. I would recommend making your own natural exfoliant in any case.
Here's a great link (it does load slow, at least on my computer) to all kinds of help with psoriasis,
and who knew Epsom salts baths are listed as a really big help and I do this quite often for sore muscles and in general a relaxing bath. So be sure to check this out if you need some help with this condition:
Home Remedies for Psoriasis
It's best to find out why the psoriasis is happening if it doesn't run in your family. It could be due to stress or an environmental factor, while it's not a curable condition but apparently it can be controlled to a degree.
Write down or pay attention to what you are doing differently and or if there is are any aggravating chemicals or things around. If you have sensitive skin it could be just that it's changing. We can adapt by changing everything from laundry or hand soaps we are using to changing the type of fibres our clothes are made up of. I also like to have baths and skip any perfume bubble baths, but instead add baking soda or epsom salts which soothes the skin.
100% cotton or breathable clothes are good and organic cotton products even better. Perhaps, a soft organic hemp clothing line would work to help to keep from being itchy. And finally, the psoriasis creams that you buy in the store are made from synthetic ingredients quite often and can actually aggravate some peoples skin. Here's a D.I.Y. recipe to make your own NATURAL psoriasis cream, that I will also be making:
How to Make Homemade Psoriasis Cream
Hope this helps~!
Summer Recipe of the Week
I am making sure I am eating right and lots of good food with nutritious values to recoup from a summer's cold. Vegetables come to mind and are always easy to eat in the summer with all the abundant and fresh product. In fact, it's best to eat or drink as much as possible.
I recommend this delicious medley of summer grilled veggies!
Avocado & Corn Salad
Per Serving (1/8 of the Recipe): 180 calories, 3 grams protein,
9 grams of total fat (1.5 grams saturated fat), 0 milligrams
of cholesterol, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams fibre, 5 grams
of sugars, 330 milligrams of sodium
Shopping List:
6 cobs of corn, husked
1 1/4 cups (310 ml) finely diced red onion
2 limes, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 small red or green chili, finely diced (approx. 1 tablespoon/ 15 ml)
3 large avocados, medium diced
1/4 cup (60 ml) Salsa Verde
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely chopped fresh cilantro
Really Easy, heat the barbecue to high. Grill the corn until lightly charred, about 5 to 7 minutes. Cool, then slice the kernels from the cob and into a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients and serve.
There are many variation to this recipe, and I actually make a version with more tomatoes and colorful peppers too, all chopped and tasty, so use your imagination but you will get better eating this
salad and it's great for your waistline!
Better Body Time
How do you excercise when you are sick? I cannot do it very well without energy and if you don't sweat out a cold a bit you won't find energy. My secret is I dance, dance, dance. Put on a turtleneck and groove to your favorite beats. The very fact you are moving even in small ways will get you sweating out all the toxins from being ill.
While you may have laughed this is literally what I did very carefully and slowly, if you are me.
Almost anyone can do this, of any fitness level. You can start at the right level for your body type and sway or move your legs.
Even holding your arms up over your chest for over 5 minutes can be difficult, so don't do that if you are not up to it. Try doing some dances where your arms must come up. And if you keep your figure tightened up as you move will also help to feel more of a work out.
I make sure I have a fan near by and water of course. In case you are coughing from the cold and a bit out of air, use both. I also recommend having a sweat towel perhaps something you will be using a lot, if you are going to sweat to the oldies. Keep cool while you work out and NEVER over do it.
There are dance steps called Zumba shown on You Tube, you could implement these steps into your routine if you feel comfortable with them. Here's a look at how easy it really is:
If the last one isn't for you, and it still looks a bit too physical them moving from side to side works too. I suggest throwing some arm exercises in there and lift your knees up a bit here and there. You can put on light ankle weights or hand weights such as the velcro ones that wrap around or fit like a glove. Only do this if you have no previous injuries and always consult your doctor first. Do this as long as you can. I do it for 15- 20 minutes and then do some cool down dancing.
Don't forget to stretch lightly at then end. Alternatively, some beginner's yoga poses might also help. You will feel like you at least did something...... just move a bit from the couch potato position.
Let me know if this helps anyone to feel better about themselves or give any added motivation!
Fresh Summer Drinks
Finally, the best part of this week's post. A nice drink which may not be a part of getting better but it makes us feel better. I feel like rum does the trick at times but this drink may taste more of summertime!
Cava Sangria
Shopping List:
1/2 ounce amaretto
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce apricot brandy or another fruit brandy
Cava (a sparkling wine made in Spain)
Fresh Fruit like apples or oranges
Combine amaretto, Cointreau, and brandy in a glass, then fill with Cava. Add two or three slices of fresh fruit like oranges or apples. Sip in summer!
-created by Azafran in NYC.
Bonus Topic: Garden Update
I have done a good job on keeping those little aphids at bay previously, but they are on a revenge mission now. I finally had eradicated them with the insecticide treatment called Schultz Houseplant & Indoor Garden Insecticide that is a ready-to-use solution derived from pyrethrin daisy and can be used up to one day before harvesting.
I know it's for the "indoor" garden, however, I am trying not to use this product at all if it's not necessary. So, it's not like I haven't had this same aphid infestation or these aphids trying to take over all my houseplants and all the vegetable plants. My question is why are they so bad the last little while?
Does anyone know fro this year, because I did not have this gardening problem last year or the year before? That I remember, and I had separate garden problems but not this one, such as some mold or fungus on my tomato plants.
I had tried organic gardening recommendations, but with little results and if I had let these bugs take over, I would have wasted my initial investment into the garden. You know things like seeds, pots, soils, plants, etc. etc. These things all cost money and it can become a factor to your gardening hobby fund, if there are not any results yielded. Then I have to buy my vegetables more than harvest my own.
Well, that's my rant and if anyone knows about these super breeds of aphids, I would love another organic tip on how to deal with them. I will try to update you on this, perhaps in a couple years so I can write about more experiences along the way with gardening.
Bonus Topic: Book Review
I actually have been partially finishing my summer book reads, and ended up renewing all my books due to the lack of time to read them all. The one I am really working on reading now is;
the 2nd Edition of Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords, which describes AdWords and what they are, how to use them. Bascially the cover says, "How to Access 100 Million People in 10 Minutes" by Perry Marshall and Bryan Todd.
Does that seem like a long title?
Well, it's not a long book, but it does detail the AdWord world so it has been taking me a while to read it, in between other obligations of course. I find myself halfway through with less than a week to return it. to the library.
So, I can review what I have read, and this book it really interesting to me for the tips and tricks to marketing in general that I learned. The scheme of how to arrange your AdWords, advertisements and how to save money is really covered in this book.
This is key to saving yourself from common mistakes that even the largest companies accidentally make in this type of advertising. It costs them a lot of money so saving myself from making these mistakes is my mission.
Really, this is the 2nd Edition so it is just more in depth than the first edition. I recommend this book, to those who are looking to find out about AdWords or even if you think you are a pro at Adwords. If you want to learn how to drive traffic (people clicking on your ad and buying from your store or site) then this is definitely for you.
I have yet to use what I have read from theory to action, but the authors do recommend not wasting time as you read this book, to take the steps right away and see results in 24 hours. Google sends $100 credits in the mail at different times in the year, and it can be used toward your own AdWord campaigns. There are additional savings listed in the book, just for reading this book, so it pays to read it if you are already interested in this topic.
It's already Monday tomorrow and then the long weekend is coming up so I will be away camping. For the next blog post, it may be delayed and all the summer events posts are just about finished.
There maybe an Internet connection where I am camping at which is Ol' McDonald's Campground, but I would rather just get into nature and take pictures and post for you later. Have a good week!
I am officially over a bad summer cold and I am relieved it's over. I passed the torch to to whom ever is now getting sick and will need to recoup' my boyfriend seems to be sneezing a lot. To get rid of the cold I took extra vitamin C, drank lots of hot tea and lemon drinks with unpasteurized honey, and added extra lemon to everything, ate some garlic and stayed warm. Guess what? I pulled through~!
It's always good to take care of ourselves. So let's get started to our summer events, as I know you have been waiting all week.
D.I.Y. Beauty
This week is all about skin wounds and psoriasis! I have some good information for sufferers, or those who have the occasional flare-ups of various skin ailments. Let's start with a personal experience of mine.
Recently, I had to hit the deck on my balcony to avoid possible lightning that was streaking across the sky in my direction. I not only felt my hair rise at the back of my neck, I also felt a strange electric feeling all around me in the air and it was a warning to me. So needless to say, I flew down fast as I could when hitting the deck. You know those moments when you know you have to move insanely quickly- kind of a little bit like an action movie in your real life. All while trying to capture the most perfect lightening strike picture on camera.
It really wasn't smart. I did end up with a wound from wiping out on the balcony carpet (luckily there is a 70's brown striped outdoor rug covering the entire concrete pad that is the balcony. Otherwise I would have been biting concrete. So it was really a bad rug burn style of wound with a bad gouge on the side of my hand. A total OUCH!
Here's what I did to help it heal up. I cleaned it and it looked really bad as it healed, so I kept it clean and used polysporin to heal it and it worked. Usually I might not use polysporin but I did try to prevent a huge scar, so I felt it needed it and after it started to look bad I put a small amount on. It did heal it nicely compared to what I thought the end results would be, since it looked so nasty along the way. I always use my organic grown Aloe Vera gel I froze in my deep freeze. I harvested it from my dying Aloe plant because my cat dumped over the pot, then the plant's health turned for the worst afterwards.
Anyways, Shea Butter products and some other powerful healing lotions to help speed up the process. One was actually from the Amber Romance Line from Victoria's Secret and despite a bit of a perfume smell it has, the Ultra-Softening ingredients in it like Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, Shea and Olive oils helped a lot. Buttery body butters or lotions do seem to moisturize, soothe, condition and protect the skin. It is totally probably bad for the skin though all while smelling awesome! I did love this smell so I used it up fairly fast.
Just below that wound there was a flare up of psoriasis that had started before I wounded myself. I was finding it hard to penetrate the psoriasis patch with any type of lotion,and it was itching
and flaring. I have not had psoriasis before so I did not buy psoriasis cream. I recently seen Kim Kardashian has psoriasis which she inherited genetically from her mother. Kim did not have psoriasis before either, and it can appear in later years or get worse as you get older.
I resorted back to more Shea Butter formulas and it took away the itch to this psoriasis patch as well as the rough scaly look to it. I also have SPA Resources Hawaiian Ginger Line Body Butter and I use the lotion in the pump bottle too. That one mentions no Shea Butter, but in the Body Butter it does contain Shea Butter, Aloe, Jojoba Oil, Horsetail Extract, Seaweed, White Tea Leaf & Grape seed. I had to use this when I thought my patch problem was coming back. Out of those ingredients in the formulation it's not clear which one worked the most effectively.
It's also not good to scratch your psoriasis which only makes it worse. If you see dry skin peeling and flaking or it's itchy don't do it. I have been simply exfoliating gently on my patch with Eshe's Body Exfoliant in order to deflake the area. It is a refined formulation meaning it has small scrubbers in it with Green Tea and Chamomile to soothe and bring soft skin to the surface. It's also infused with
Vitamin C and Aloe Vera and is hypoallergenic and irritant free. I recommend this scrub and it's hard to find out if they have a website but you can pick up Eshe products at Fabutan Tanning locations. I would recommend making your own natural exfoliant in any case.
Here's a great link (it does load slow, at least on my computer) to all kinds of help with psoriasis,
and who knew Epsom salts baths are listed as a really big help and I do this quite often for sore muscles and in general a relaxing bath. So be sure to check this out if you need some help with this condition:
Home Remedies for Psoriasis
It's best to find out why the psoriasis is happening if it doesn't run in your family. It could be due to stress or an environmental factor, while it's not a curable condition but apparently it can be controlled to a degree.
Write down or pay attention to what you are doing differently and or if there is are any aggravating chemicals or things around. If you have sensitive skin it could be just that it's changing. We can adapt by changing everything from laundry or hand soaps we are using to changing the type of fibres our clothes are made up of. I also like to have baths and skip any perfume bubble baths, but instead add baking soda or epsom salts which soothes the skin.
100% cotton or breathable clothes are good and organic cotton products even better. Perhaps, a soft organic hemp clothing line would work to help to keep from being itchy. And finally, the psoriasis creams that you buy in the store are made from synthetic ingredients quite often and can actually aggravate some peoples skin. Here's a D.I.Y. recipe to make your own NATURAL psoriasis cream, that I will also be making:
How to Make Homemade Psoriasis Cream
Hope this helps~!
Summer Recipe of the Week
I am making sure I am eating right and lots of good food with nutritious values to recoup from a summer's cold. Vegetables come to mind and are always easy to eat in the summer with all the abundant and fresh product. In fact, it's best to eat or drink as much as possible.
I recommend this delicious medley of summer grilled veggies!
Avocado & Corn Salad
Per Serving (1/8 of the Recipe): 180 calories, 3 grams protein,
9 grams of total fat (1.5 grams saturated fat), 0 milligrams
of cholesterol, 21 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams fibre, 5 grams
of sugars, 330 milligrams of sodium
Shopping List:
6 cobs of corn, husked
1 1/4 cups (310 ml) finely diced red onion
2 limes, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 small red or green chili, finely diced (approx. 1 tablespoon/ 15 ml)
3 large avocados, medium diced
1/4 cup (60 ml) Salsa Verde
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely chopped fresh cilantro
Really Easy, heat the barbecue to high. Grill the corn until lightly charred, about 5 to 7 minutes. Cool, then slice the kernels from the cob and into a bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients and serve.
There are many variation to this recipe, and I actually make a version with more tomatoes and colorful peppers too, all chopped and tasty, so use your imagination but you will get better eating this
salad and it's great for your waistline!
Better Body Time
How do you excercise when you are sick? I cannot do it very well without energy and if you don't sweat out a cold a bit you won't find energy. My secret is I dance, dance, dance. Put on a turtleneck and groove to your favorite beats. The very fact you are moving even in small ways will get you sweating out all the toxins from being ill.
While you may have laughed this is literally what I did very carefully and slowly, if you are me.
Almost anyone can do this, of any fitness level. You can start at the right level for your body type and sway or move your legs.
Even holding your arms up over your chest for over 5 minutes can be difficult, so don't do that if you are not up to it. Try doing some dances where your arms must come up. And if you keep your figure tightened up as you move will also help to feel more of a work out.
I make sure I have a fan near by and water of course. In case you are coughing from the cold and a bit out of air, use both. I also recommend having a sweat towel perhaps something you will be using a lot, if you are going to sweat to the oldies. Keep cool while you work out and NEVER over do it.
There are dance steps called Zumba shown on You Tube, you could implement these steps into your routine if you feel comfortable with them. Here's a look at how easy it really is:
If the last one isn't for you, and it still looks a bit too physical them moving from side to side works too. I suggest throwing some arm exercises in there and lift your knees up a bit here and there. You can put on light ankle weights or hand weights such as the velcro ones that wrap around or fit like a glove. Only do this if you have no previous injuries and always consult your doctor first. Do this as long as you can. I do it for 15- 20 minutes and then do some cool down dancing.
Don't forget to stretch lightly at then end. Alternatively, some beginner's yoga poses might also help. You will feel like you at least did something...... just move a bit from the couch potato position.
Let me know if this helps anyone to feel better about themselves or give any added motivation!
Fresh Summer Drinks
Finally, the best part of this week's post. A nice drink which may not be a part of getting better but it makes us feel better. I feel like rum does the trick at times but this drink may taste more of summertime!
Cava Sangria
Shopping List:
1/2 ounce amaretto
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce apricot brandy or another fruit brandy
Cava (a sparkling wine made in Spain)
Fresh Fruit like apples or oranges
Combine amaretto, Cointreau, and brandy in a glass, then fill with Cava. Add two or three slices of fresh fruit like oranges or apples. Sip in summer!
-created by Azafran in NYC.
Bonus Topic: Garden Update
I have done a good job on keeping those little aphids at bay previously, but they are on a revenge mission now. I finally had eradicated them with the insecticide treatment called Schultz Houseplant & Indoor Garden Insecticide that is a ready-to-use solution derived from pyrethrin daisy and can be used up to one day before harvesting.
I know it's for the "indoor" garden, however, I am trying not to use this product at all if it's not necessary. So, it's not like I haven't had this same aphid infestation or these aphids trying to take over all my houseplants and all the vegetable plants. My question is why are they so bad the last little while?
Does anyone know fro this year, because I did not have this gardening problem last year or the year before? That I remember, and I had separate garden problems but not this one, such as some mold or fungus on my tomato plants.
I had tried organic gardening recommendations, but with little results and if I had let these bugs take over, I would have wasted my initial investment into the garden. You know things like seeds, pots, soils, plants, etc. etc. These things all cost money and it can become a factor to your gardening hobby fund, if there are not any results yielded. Then I have to buy my vegetables more than harvest my own.
Well, that's my rant and if anyone knows about these super breeds of aphids, I would love another organic tip on how to deal with them. I will try to update you on this, perhaps in a couple years so I can write about more experiences along the way with gardening.
Bonus Topic: Book Review
I actually have been partially finishing my summer book reads, and ended up renewing all my books due to the lack of time to read them all. The one I am really working on reading now is;
the 2nd Edition of Entrepreneur Magazine's Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords, which describes AdWords and what they are, how to use them. Bascially the cover says, "How to Access 100 Million People in 10 Minutes" by Perry Marshall and Bryan Todd.
Does that seem like a long title?
Well, it's not a long book, but it does detail the AdWord world so it has been taking me a while to read it, in between other obligations of course. I find myself halfway through with less than a week to return it. to the library.
So, I can review what I have read, and this book it really interesting to me for the tips and tricks to marketing in general that I learned. The scheme of how to arrange your AdWords, advertisements and how to save money is really covered in this book.
This is key to saving yourself from common mistakes that even the largest companies accidentally make in this type of advertising. It costs them a lot of money so saving myself from making these mistakes is my mission.
Really, this is the 2nd Edition so it is just more in depth than the first edition. I recommend this book, to those who are looking to find out about AdWords or even if you think you are a pro at Adwords. If you want to learn how to drive traffic (people clicking on your ad and buying from your store or site) then this is definitely for you.
I have yet to use what I have read from theory to action, but the authors do recommend not wasting time as you read this book, to take the steps right away and see results in 24 hours. Google sends $100 credits in the mail at different times in the year, and it can be used toward your own AdWord campaigns. There are additional savings listed in the book, just for reading this book, so it pays to read it if you are already interested in this topic.
It's already Monday tomorrow and then the long weekend is coming up so I will be away camping. For the next blog post, it may be delayed and all the summer events posts are just about finished.
There maybe an Internet connection where I am camping at which is Ol' McDonald's Campground, but I would rather just get into nature and take pictures and post for you later. Have a good week!
