Soothe Your Throat

This is great for a sore throat or when you lose your voice.

Slice a lemon in quarters and place two of the slices in a mug.  Add a 1-2 teaspoons to a tablespoon of your favorite honey. One to two teaspoons is sufficient for this, but some prefer it to be sweeter. I always use local, raw honey.  Pour boiling water over top and stir to dissolve honey.  Let steep and discard solids if you want.

Some studies also state that honey is also a great cough suppressant when taken right before bed time.

Warm Cider with Mulling Spices

It is fall! In this house it means putting another quilt on the bed, attending fall festivals, carving pumpkins, using apple butter instead of jam, making/eating pumpkin nut bread, making/eating apple related foods and drinking cider/cranberry juice/coffee with mulling spices!

I just love mulling spices. I got this jar for free! If you have never heard of Penzey's Spices then please check them out here.They have a Richmond location in Carytown. The spices are great and mailer is free. The mailer sometimes comes with coupons for half off/free coupons, which is how I got the mulling spices for free. The mailer also includes recipes that are created by customers. The business does not create them at all. It is pretty cool to see what others are doing. Please check them out.

Dipping Sauce

This one is a favorite of mine!

5 tablespoons Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce (the regular flavor)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard or dijonnaise
2 tablespoons honey


Mix together and dip away!

New Loves

New Websites I Love:

Crafts for everyone!

I do not have children (yet), but I love this site!

Cannot wait to make some of these!

This feeds my Mexican folk art obsessions!

Not new, but my favorite boots!

Clarisonic Mia

Image taken from the Clairsonic website.

The Clairsonic Mia is a cleansing brush that effectively deep cleans the skin but is also gentle as well.  I use my normal cleanser which is Avalon Organics Vitamin C Refreshing Cleansing Gel.  I have been using the Clairsonic Mia twice a day for a little over a month now and I have seen results.  I do not use anything else other than my daily moisturizer which is Avalon Organics Vitamin C Moisture Plus Lotion SPF 15. I have combination skin which means I have an oily t-zone and dry cheeks.  The pores are larger in the t-zone and can be harder to clean. Their is nothing available in the market that will change the size of your pores.  With this brush, my pores are cleaner and appear smaller (because you can't see the blackheads on my nose and chin).  I have even received compliments from people who did not know I was using it. The acne I do get is usually just around my menstrual cycle and with this brush it does not stick around for long. Maybe two days or so and it is gone. The acne does not get ugly either (large, painful bumps). I have been impressed so far and I hope it lasts.

There are three different models of the Clarisonic Brush.  The Mia has a smaller handle and the same size brush. It does not come with the charging stand either.

I googled 'clarisonic mia discount' and 'clairsonic mia sale' to find the best price.  You can find it at Nordstroms too.

Cutting the Fat

I am trying to cut out the bad stuff in the food I prepare or swap it out with something better.  I will be re-doing some recipes already posted to make them more healthy.  A recent fat and calorie count of some of my favorite recipes was appalling. I have already been whipping up some low calorie/fat recipes and will be posting soon.

Stay tuned!

Blueberry Pickin'

It did not take long to fill up the buckets. We picked 15lbs of blueberries!

Smoothie Popsicles

These were slightly impromptu.  I have been wanting to make popsicles for awhile now, but I did not research the market to see what kind of popsicle molds were available and should I purchase one online. I bought this one at Walmart because I happened to be there already. It is smaller than I wanted. I think I will buy another online.

I did a few different ones and none of them had any real measurements.

About four diced strawberries into a blender. I squirt of light Agave Nectar and some orange juice. Blend and poured into two of the popsicle molds. Same recipe, but added scoops of soy vanilla yogurt. Blend and pour into two more.

A small handful of blueberries and a squirt of light Agave Nectar. Half soy vanilla yogurt and half mixed berry soy yogurt and a splash of orange juice. Blend and pour. Same recipe, but added diced strawberries.

A few strawberries chopped with cranberry pomegranate juice, orange juice and light Agave Nectar. Blended until smooth.

I just used what I had on hand. A great way to use up fruit and/or yogurt or smoothie mix you cannot finish.

We are ready!

Click image to be prepared as well!

April Smith and the Great Picture Show

I usually do not post about music, but I am just so enamored with this lovely gals sweet, sweet music.  Successfully pulling from ragtime, jazz, swing, cabaret, as well as pop and belting out sassy lyrics.  Check her out por favor.

Mother Maybelle's Cookbook

A lot of basic recipes, but also packed with stories about times growing up. This was my grandmother's and gave it to me as a wedding gift. She knows how much I love Johnny Cash and June Cater. She also had it signed by June Carter on the inside. I hold it dear to my heart.


Never know, maybe it will get me on Antique Roadshow one day in the future. Oh, what a dream!