When Illness Strikes

So I'm a little behind this week. But it's because I caught a nasty head cold from work. Thankfully I've had the past two days off so I was able to relax with some buddies.

What I woke up to Monday

Everyone seems to have their cure for the common cold, but I thought I would share what I'm doing to get over this ailment quickly.

First off you need some ibuprofen & vitamin C. Ibuprofen takes down any swelling or inflammation, including your ear tubes & sinus cavities. I also grabbed a six pack of orange juice cartons. Vitamin C can also help reduce inflammation and is well known for boosting your immune system. Some say while it won't cure a cold, it can help prevent further complications. Outside of juice, drinking tea is also key.

The one echinacea flower I was able to grow this year

I normally try to drink echinacea tea. Echinacea is an amazing herb along with a beautiful flower. It is actually a native plant in North America.

Echinacea's root is normally what is used, which is best after growing for three years.  Some argue the real benefits of echinacea for the flu or cold, but it does have anti-bacterial properties that can stop pathogens from spreading. It can also be used as an anti-inflammatory.

But alas, I was out of echinacea. And my normal grocery store was not selling it. And needless to say with a cold, I wasn't motivated to look elsewhere. But there's more you can take than echinacea!

I first started off with some peppermint tea. Peppermint is normally best for an upset stomach, but mint's powerful menthol does wonders as a decongestant. It's also known as an astringent, antiseptic, antibacterial, and antimicrobial- just to name a few. My mother swears by peppermint tea for a sore throat and she's right. As with about any tea, I add a bit of honey. It not only sweetens the tea, but honey is also beneficial to your throat. If you don't enjoy peppermint tea, you can also brew and steep the tea before just inhaling the vapors.

Over the past couple days, I interchanged juice with peppermint tea along with Celestial's sleepytime throat tamer. That contains chamomile, licorice, ginger, tilia estrella, and slippery elm to coat the throat. Continuing a lot of a fluids is a must when you are ill so the body can stay hydrated as it disposes the bacteria & toxins. And knowing that I'm normally dehydrated, the extra fluids can't hurt.

But along with fluids, vitamins & herbs, I must confess that I used some medications. I'm dealing with a head cold- there's nothing wrong from the next down. There's just a sore throat and a lot of head congestion. So I caved in and took either some form of NyQuil or Mucinix. But we can still go over what these medications do to the body.

First we have DayQuil, which is obviously a "day" version of NyQuil. It has acetaminophen, phenylephrine, and dextromethorphan as active ingredients. I would rather see ibuprofen than acetaminophen since acetaminophen reduces inflammation in different way than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (like ibuprofen & aspirin). And Tylenol never really does anything for me.

But it's the Phenylephrine that matters the most to me. It's a decongestant and is marketed as a replacement for pseudoephedrine. Decongestants retract blood vessels in the chest and nasal cavities which reduces inflammation and mucus in those areas. Peppermint tea can break congestion up, but I needed my body to stop making unnecessary mucus.

Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant, but my cough in this case isn't terrible. That ingredient is just a bonus.

Ok, a friend convinced me to also take some Mucinex D. Its active ingredients are guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine. Guaifenesin is a cough suppressant like dextomethorphan. Both are debateable as a "good" cough suppressant, especially for kids. I would say if you are looking for a good cough suppressant, stick with honey and tea.

Mucinex D or even NyQuil D's biggest selling point is that it has pseudoephedrine, which is the leading cause of a big debate in my state. Pseudoephedrine is not only a degonestant, but a powerful stimulant. Drug makers use pseudoephedrine to make meth. In response, lawmakers in several states are making restriction of how a person can get medications with pseudoephedrine. So most drug companies conjure up a replacement for pseudoephedrine & can be sold over the counter. I'm not too concerned on this topic, but I can understand the arguments.

So there you have it- what I used to battle an icky head cold. It's been about two days & I'm feeling a lot better but it's also thanks to one thing I haven't mentioned yet: rest. I filled in at work over the weekend & in return I had Monday & Tuesday off. While it's always awful to be sick over your weekend, I'm overall glad. It happened over a time period where I could get a lot of rest. Sleep is the number on best way to get rid of an ailment. Resting allows your body focus entirely on destroying the bacteria or virus. And who doesn't enjoy a lazy morning or two?

Also something to keep in mind: a good amount of sleep, vitamin C, and tea will help keep away the cold or flu. So rest well my friends; and enjoy a cup o' tea for me.

Katsumi ensuring that I keep resting

A Little Fall Decore

We are well into autumn so I realized I better get out some decorations out before I have to take it down and get Festivus gear in order. Thankfully, I have some help this year.

Preparing the Jack O' Lanterns & Painting

I don't know why I didn't realize this before, but fall decorations can be expensive! A couple weekends ago, we went out to a local pumpkin patch. Don't get me wrong, we had a great time, but some of the costs for autumn decoration can cost a pretty penny.

It's not fall without a good ole' fashion hay ride!

We found a loverly little pumpkin patch

We still ended up purchasing a few pumpkins (and pie pumpkins for cooking of course), but we got into thinking about decorating without breaking the bank. Here are some key words: Hobby Lobby & Dollar Tree. First, I've mentioned it before, but if you're looking for a cheap way to all a little creativity with class to your home, you got to try painting your own letters!

I've been working on have a new Monogram for each season: here's autumn

At Hobby Lobby, the cardboard letters are about $2-3, depending on which you get. There is an initiative cost of getting enough paints, but after that, that's it! And here's to think the store's actual painted letters (only in one color mind you) cost more than $8.

But I decided to do a little more than just a new seasonal letter. So, I bought the letters to make a banner- "FALL." It didn't cost that much & only took about a week to finish.

During the first few steps

I decided to have each letter incorporate different things. "F" was for fall in general, so of course I had to get in some pumpkins. The other letters were a given: "A" had apples & acorns, "L" had leaves, "L" again for lantern. I was really happy with the end product.

Now here's the tough part. I decided I wanted to hang this out along our porch, but I didn't want to get my husband worried about drilling holes. So, I'm trying out a temporary structure using staples and twine. I simply strung twine across the back of the letters & stapled it to the letters. I did a few staples for each to get some support. Thankfully this project is light, but I'll have to keep an eye on it throughout the season.

So after that was all said & done, Ashley & I got to work on the porch. Most of it is a lot a great finds we got at the Dollar Store- couple window decals, a skeleton Ashley painted, and a lot of fake cobweb. You'd actually be surprised how well that stuff works.

It's all spooky!

But it's time for le piece of resistance! Thankfully, we already have a few hooks for planters & such on the porch. I tied the twine through the hooks and then touched it up with some ribbon. I'm so happy with how it turned out!

Ashley also got some cobweb on it

So all in all, our porch now has a touch of Halloween & autumn- all while spending $50 at the most. I hope this inspired you with a few some thrifty decoration ideas!

Happy Harvest Season!

Knowing Where Your Food Comes From

Taking a quick break from pumpkins to give an example of why I love living & eating in Western Kentucky.

This weekend, we went with another couple to Palmer Farms, which provides local, grass-fed beef. This is where we've been getting our more nutritional beef that takes a chunk out of our carbon footprint while tasting absolutely delicious. You can read more of why I'm getting picky about my beef here.

So, this was my second time going out to the Palmer Farm. It's about an hour and a half round trip drive for us to pick up about $50 (normally) worth of meat. And the ground beef is $4.50 / pound. And I can tell you without any hesitation that every cent, tank of gas, and minute of my time is worth it.

Both times we've been to the farm, it's been a wonderful experience. And this last time was no exception. We were first greeted by Stacie and two handsome lads who couldn't wait to show us some of their calves! We were able to spend some quality time with two calves that were just a week old and needed to be bottle fed. They were precious!

Couldn't get too many still photos of this guy- he was frolicking all over!

It took awhile to get this sleepy girl up, but isn't she a beaut?

In the midst of hanging out with these calves, Stacie's husband Mike showed up. We all ended up having a lovely symposium on the drought, livestock, and how a cow's diet impacts the flavor of meat. Then general crops came up in conversation and they offered to show us their tobacco barns. And oh my, did it smell wonderful.

Just one of the Palmers' barns that are full of tobacco leaves

During that time, we were able to not only learn about a crop that assisted in making our great nation, but also about American farming in general. On my first note, it was just a few tobacco seeds that John Rolfe was able to smuggle to the new land that gave a jump start to the colonies. You can just tuck that random fact away for a rainy day.

But we were also discussing what all has to be done in order to get the crops (like tobacco) to harvest in time. And I guess it just never crossed our mind for my husband to apply for seasonal farm work. I say this because the hubster is in the process of starting a career in (what he hopes) biology. Farm work, along with finishing school, could definitely get him one step closer! And of course, we all hope we can work something out next season.

I'm sharing all of this to tell you that I'm so happy to have these conversations with the family that raises my delicious burgers and steaks. We are able to talk about what grass the cow eats and what all they have to do when a calf gets sick. When it gets a bit dryer (can't believe I'm saying that after this devastating drought), we will even get to tour the pastures! And we hope this is only the beginning. There's a couple of other farmers when it comes to different livestock and crops. There's even one Amish farmer out here that wants to do a pig roast with his customers. These are relationships that are lost for most Americans. 

I got around to a few other things this weekend- mostly cleaning, cooking, and strangely: gardening! With the rain and still semi-warm temperatures, the tomatoes are still producing and my chamomile even seeded into a flower bed. So that's now a potted plant we will figure out how to house during winter. Maybe I'll get more tea out of it!

Live in Western Kentucky and love the thought of knowing your farmer & getting delicious grass-fed beef? Check out the Palmer Farms website. Not only can you learn more about the health benefits of grass fed beef, but Stacie has their prices along with some recipes on there.

Thanks Pumpkin: A Lovely Pumpkin Breakfast

Ok, things are now back in order. I hope you all enjoy the new layout. And I welcome any new visitors that come through pinterest.

Well, it's October and that means only one thing: time to enjoy some pumpkin! Last year, I explained why pumpkin is such a magnificent fruit. It's crammed pack of vitamins, minerals, and fiber all while containing low on calories.


Since there are so many ways to enjoy pumpkin, I'd like to continue to show you the great ways your can easily add a little pumpkin to your diet. Today's feature: a delectable breakfast of pumpkin french toast with a pumpkin spice latte!

As of all things, both of these ideas come from pinterest. I found a vegan recipe for the pumpkin french toast. For those who are not vegan (like myself), two regular eggs work just as well compared to flax. And we ended up not needing any additional topping outside of butter & syrup. It was delicious all its own!

A Yummy Pumpkin Breakfast

And I was able to find a great, but simple pumpkin spice latte that you can easily make at home. I even bottled up a second batch to keep as a creamer.

There is one thing to keep in mind for these and other autumn breakfast/dessert recipes. Many call for some "pumpkin spice." That is quite easy to make.

Pumpkin Spice For Various Recipes:
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground allspice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cloves

Combine those ingredients and store as you would any spice- in a seal-able container. I ended up using it for both of these breakfast items. When mixed with pumpkin, it is delectable. But then again, when is pumpkin not delicious?!

Oat Flour Waffles & Real Maple Syrup

Hello again friends. Bet you didn't expect to see a new post this week, eh? I don't blame you. But things are really starting to calm down. One thing is for certain, a wonderful (and grueling) fundraiser for the American Cancer Society is over. Our Ladies Social turned out great.

Dressing in style at the Ladies Social

But with that over, I was able to get another relaxing chore day at home with my husband this weekend. And we started the day right by sleeping in before I made us waffles. But these aren't your everyday kind of waffle. I made the mixture myself and with oat flour verses all purpose.

Waffles = Om nom nom

So why oat flour you ask? Well, in our attempt of getting to a more natural/traditional/hopefully healthier diet, I'm trying to replace nasty uber-processed ingredients with items in mother nature's pantry. Normally it's as easy as using olive oil instead of canola. But processed sugar and flour appear to be awful on the body since those lack any kind of nutrient. So those two are on the top of my list of figuring out replacements.

Nutrient-speaking, oat flour is a great substitute for all purpose flour. Oat flour contains more protein, dietary fiber and calcium. Also (depending on if it's from gluten-free oats) the flour can be gluten free. Oats in general are a great way to help your heart and reduce your cholesterol, so it seemed logical to try to implement more into my baking. And I have a lot on hand since I use it for our dog biscuits. Also, if you have a food processor- you can make your own flour.

This is not homemade, but here's an idea of it's consistency

BUT I have to warn you that oat flour is not the exact same as all purpose flour. Since I've incorporated it (and Amish butter) into my cooking, I've noticed a distinct consistency difference- mostly for the better. But the waffles (and other baked goods) are more moist and dense. It's still delicious, but keep that in mind when you try to replace your own baking ingredients.

So Sunday morning, I decided to attempt this waffle recipe, but changed a few things. So here's what I did:
- 1 1/3 c Oat Flour
- 4 t baking powder

- A pinch of salt
- 3 t sugar

- 2 t cinnamon
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1/2 c butter, melted
- 1 3/4 c 2% milk

I pretty much did everything that recipe called for, just added my own flare and ensured at least one meal that day didn't contain processed flour. It turned out great. The only thing I would note is that I had to put my waffle iron on a lower heat and baked longer. That's because the oat flour is so thick, it took awhile to cook all the way through. But after a few lame attempts, our last two turned out perfect. It's always nice when an experiment turns out delicious, right?

Oh, and while I'm on the topic, I'm going to bash fake maple syrup for a moment. It's unnatural. It's unhealthy. And most importantly: it. tastes. gross. I was raised on only have real maple syrup on my pancakes and waffles. I've tried the fake stuff (normally when we go out for breakfast) and I can't do it. In fact, I normally smuggle a small bottle of real syrup. I know I'm a syrup snob. My husband has made that fact known for years; but if the taste alone won't convince you, here's something to think about: normally, fake syrup contains mostly high fructose corn syrup. With that, it normally doesn't have any nutritional value. And while I wouldn't say you should go chug a jug of Canadian maple syrup, the real stuff does contain manganese and zinc, which can boost your immune system. Both generally have the same calorie count. Real maple syrup is mostly made up of sucrose, with a little bit of fructose and glucose.

My Smuggling Bottle

And in case you actually take my advice and go looking for syrup, here's a tip: in Canada & the U.S., a product can only use the phrase "maple" if it has a high amount of real maple syrup. It's going to be more expense, but your taste buds will love it.

So the moral of these waffles is to try to replace all purpose flour with oat flour in your next baking experiment. And use real syrup next time.

Preparations To Fill Your Spice Rack

Hey again, folks. See? I didn't disappear. Life has just been very, very, very... busy. As many of you know, this blog is normally written over the weekend. And frankly, I haven't had a free weekend for... weeks. I even had a few things this weekend, but Sunday was easy enough to get something together.

So, my favorite half of the year is coming up: autumn and winter. I know I'm crazy, and I've said it multiple times, but I LOVE colder weather. There's also the harvest and festivus season to look forward to. Hopefully in a few weeks it will even be hoodie weather.

Anyways, we had one day this weekend to tackle our neglected yard and start preparing for the harvest season. Over the next few weeks, I will start drying more herbs and prepare oil out of what is already dry. It was our basil's turn this weekend. Frankly, I should of started this couple weeks ago. For a couple weeks, the basil looked like it's lived life to its fullest...  or whatever a plant does to do that.

Basil gets to dry in our basement

Drying herbs are pretty easy, especially when you have the luxury of a basement or attic. With a shovel, slowly pry out the plant, saving most of the root system. Shake off as much dirt as you can then simply hang it upside down in a dry place. We chose the basement right above the dehumidifier. After awhile it will be nice, crunchy, and perfect to be broken down for my spice cabinet.

Crunchy basil from last year

Soon we will do the same with the oregano, some sage, and mint. I'm also working to figure out what all I can do with peppermint. But that's for another day.

Another thing we've had to do is say goodbye to some of our beloved plants early. We've had a difficult summer thanks to the drought. Already lost the squash & zucchini plants. On Sunday we said goodbye to a pepper plant. Soon we will say goodbye & give our thanks to the other pepper and tomato plants.

Throughout the weeks, I'll get back on track of sharing my musings, promise. Summer travels are wrapping up and I'll have plenty to show when it comes to harvest time. Soon enough it will be October, which is my favorite month of the year. Who knows, I may bring back my dedication to the great pumpkin.

But before October, next week is a special night for me. September 14th is the Ladies Social for the American Cancer Society. It's the first fundraiser I've really been involved in. Please stop by the event's website and if you can, donate a few dollars. I lost a grandfather to cancer, and my husband's grandfather has kept an amazing fight against it. Help us find a cure & help patients. Thank you.

Hey... you?

So it's been awhile. I get that. BUT at least I have a few reasons as to why I've been lacking on the blog posts. It's mostly because we've been super busy. I know I say that a lot, but I really mean it this time. In case you don't believe me, here's a timeline of what we've been up to for the past two weeks...

So on my first week off, we took a trip back up to Central Illinois to see my beautiful friends & family. Even though we gave ourselves a couple extra days, it never seems to be enough.

My Aunt, Dad, Grandmother & myself

Speaking of family, I was able to catch up with Mom and get a few more family stories & photos. I've had to put my work on ancestry.com on hold for now, but information is still coming in. For the first time, I found a photo of my mother when she was younger with all of her siblings and both of her parents.

I know I've said it before, but I really can't get enough of these families photos. It doesn't matter if it's my mom, dad, or even my husband's sides, I love them all. I imagine these snapshots are itty bitty glimpses of a better time. The stories too. Can't. Get. Enough.

But enough about that. Needless to say when we were in central Illinois, we drove. A lot.

Visited Pontiac, Streator, Peoria, Lexington & Bloomington-Normal

Loved seeing even more wind farms being built near my hometown

And I even got to see my friend's beautiful bunny for the first time

It was a very fast lovely yet exhausting four days. But we had a lot of fun. And within just a few days after that, one of my best friends in Central Illinois started the process of moving to Western Kentucky. She even works with me at the station & is starting to fit right in. But I'm not surprised since we worked so well together back in Illinois. And we are so happy to have her here now.

Toasting to her first day at her new job

So we are helping her (and soon her husband) move & adjust to their new life down here- like rental searching, moving, even a little shopping. And my beautiful new best friends in Kentucky know how to welcome a new bud in style. It's a bit of my past clashing with the present.

Ashley, myself & Heather- Hopefully more similar photos to come

And if you couldn't tell from the photo above, I got a bit of a dye job. It was part of a lovely ladies' night at our loving abode last week. After dyeing part of my hair purple for domestic abuse awareness month last October, I haven't done much. Needed a change.

Heather being oh so helpful at getting my hair back to one color

Speaking of ladies' night, this last weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to the bridal shower/bachelorette party for a dear friend that I went to school with and worked with back in Central Illinois. I can't wait for her wedding in a few weeks. The couple's been dating for YEARS. I'm so happy for them. But first, some shenanigans.

Having a beautiful time with a beautiful bride to be

 The party was in St. Louis. It was a blast, but once again, it meant a lot of driving. It's getting tiring, but I enjoyed seeing parts of Southern Illinois that I'm not familiar with.

The Mississippi River being super low in Chester, IL

And what's a trip to Southern Illinois without- guess it- a winery stop. Met up with some lovely girlfriends at our favorite vineyard- Blue Sky.

White sangria, fused olive oil, tasty bread...

So after all of these fun events I wrapped up the past two weeks the best way possible: making a new batch of liquid laundry detergent.

Soapy cleanness in all its lemony glory

So it's been a crazy two weeks, but we're having lot of fun. And there's a lot more excitement coming up- two weddings, more moving business, a local charity... not to mention work. I hope to update & expand on here as much as possible soon. I'd also like to clean up some of the old post- like my laundry detergent recipe. We will see how soon that all happens... Thanks for sticking with me, gang.