Spiked Honey Tea Recipe

The Facts Behind food Prices : Rising Food Prices

CME Group - Ensuring Effective Market Place Check out cmegroup.com to read the rest we do not own this infograph

Stay Bug Bite Free:Homemade Herbal Bug Spray recipe

Summer is upon us, memorial day ceremonies will be going on, the charred smell of plump hot dogs cooking on a fire grill will be in the air, and pools will be opening up for another busy season. Yes, summer is full of grilled food and outdoor activities which means, the increase of pesky bug bites. We all know we have to share mother nature with outside critters but, that doesn't mean we have to spend our precious outside time fending off bugs.
 Before you go running to your medicine cabinet in your bathroom and grabbing that can of chemical bug spray , consider making your own natural bug repellant using essential oils. This is a recipe that I use during the summer and find very effective. Plus, it is free from deet which is known to cause rashes,soreness, and blistering when applied to skin. Also, herbal bug spray has no harsh chemicals and actually smells good.


Homemade Herbal Bug Spray Recipe

• Fill spray bottle (I used 8 ounce) 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water

• Add witch hazel filling up the rest of the bottle. 
• Add 30-50 drops of Ceder (which is a natural bug repellant) you can also add other essential oils to make desired scent. Lavender smells great and it also is good for repelling moths.
•  Spray on then go outside and enjoy this nice memorial day weekend  .

Other natural repellant ideas

• Apple cider vinegar for fruit flies and gnats
• Basil is good for repelling mosiquitos
• Rub  some lavender or dried mint on your body to keep away the bugs!  

Share with us. What are you favorite natural ways to keep the bugs away?

Remember before you know it we all will be back in heavy winter coats and cable sweaters  so, go out enjoy some summer. Have a great Memorial Day!

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Social Media Fast

Puttin on my life shoes and going for a hike

Lately I have been feeling really stoic about my life. It seems like I will work from 7-3:30 , get home at four and immediately get sucked into the Internet Black Hole, clicking cute dog video after cute dog video on Youtube, taking the newest quiz to tell me which Friends character I am on Buzzfeed. Before you can say Peter Piper Picks some Pickled Peppers 3 times fast it's 8:00 and I have not achieved anything except I now know what people I graduated high school with ten years ago had for dinner. The sad consequence of my internet prowls is ....I've been missing things that I hold important such as;  my hobbies , watching my favorite t.v.show, reading a good book, missing valuable conversations with people that are actually in the room with me and giving attention to my favorite pup.  The result- weekends are spent drained and tired .I often cancel plans because I haven't had time to just relax and be  I'm not unwinding and revitalizing myself during the week. After probably years of being part of the social media party  I have came to the decision  that it is time for a complete social media fast. No Instagram , Facebook,Twitter, YouTube,  Tumblr or Blogger. However, I will still be checking my email from time to time, paying my bills online, and texting. What I hope to gain from this little social experiment is too actually see how much a big of influence all of these websites and apps have had on my life, connect with people in a more personal way, and be a more productive active participate in life.  So Tommorrow,  March 17,2014...I am going out of the virtual world and back into the real world. Wish me luck ....it could get ugly!

Sorry for the absence

Sorry for being MIA the past couple of months ! Life has a funny way of taking you by the reigns and flinging you around a little bit! In the next few weeks we hope to start posting again. We missed you all!

The Feisty Organics

Swords to Plowshares

   Violence is a virus.  It can be transmitted by exposure just like hepatitis, AIDS, or the common cold. The thing about violence is that it grows from the smallest thought, and begins to take root to greater depths.  Violence is not acted out against another person; in fact, it has nothing to do with other people. It is a thought pattern within each individual. Violence is viewing another's misfortune for entertainment, violence is the acceptance of murder because the victim is not of your nation, and I will even go on to say that violence is valuing yourself over someone else because they lead a different walk of life. We all know the parable of The Good Samaritan. Walking by the wounded man is a form of violence. No, the first two travelers were not the instigators of the injury, but they were just as accountable nonetheless. Violence is not a physical, but rather a spiritual entity.  Like a virus, it always begins invisibly, takes root within the host, and propagates before it even shows its first symptom. It can be as simple as an attitude or thought. Violence always develops in the same pattern: detachment, passiveness, indifference, egocentricity, entitlement, and only then does it progress to physical violence.

   In contrast to violence, compassion is a seed.  It requires cultivation. Cultivating compassion is much more difficult than becoming a host to the violence virus, because compassion doesn't "take hold" like violence.  It requires conscious cultivation and must be nourished to germinate.  Nurturing your mind with wholesome entertainment, interactions, and thoughts are necessary for growing compassion. 

   I usually do not address potentially political topics because people will invariably think of a ridiculous hypothetical situation in which to trap you into contradicting your own beliefs. I am not implying that I WILL always take the path of compassion, I am attesting that compassion IS always the right path to take.

 

Roots of violence and compassion are already within all of us.  How deep they grow is up to you..... 

Breaking the mode of breakfast

    If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then why is it the most likely meal to be drenched with high fructose corn syrup, bleached flour, and repulsively fatty meats such as bacon and sausage?  It's time to modify the morning meal...
    With breakfast, I think convenience is the key.  It's easy to grab those sausage patties, and douse those pancakes with syrup, but there is another option that is just as quick and easy.  Adapt your thinking about breakfast and a whole new culinary world awaits you. 

• Who says that "breakfast foods" have to be breakfast foods? Instead of the heavy meats such as sausage and bacon consider having cooked vegetables. They will fill you up, but will also give you the energy you need for your day and won't drag you down like those unhealthy meats. 

• Skip the high fructose corn syrup and tickle your sweet tooth with fresh fruit.  Fresh fruit offers the sweetness you may crave in the morning, but prevents the "sugar crash" you get with refined sugars.  Check the back of your syrup bottle.  Unless it is 100% pure maple syrup (which costs $15.00 a bottle by the way) the first ingredient is probably high fructose corn syrup.  Is this the way you want to start out your day?  We didn't think so.  Honey and molasses are great alternatives.  Studies have shown that local honey can relieve symptoms of allergies, and molasses is rich in iron. 

• Eggs are a great way to get protein in the morning.  Dress up those bland scrambles with veggies such as bell peppers, kale, or mushrooms. 

• NEVER skip breakfast.  Even if you are running late, grab a fruit to eat on the road. Fruit such as bananas, apples, and grapes are perfect grab-and-go-grub. 

Evolving your point of view about breakfast foods will alter your energy level, your health, and ultimately, your life.