RECIPE: DIY Stevia Extract

29 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

RECIPE: DIY Stevia Extract

stevia-extract-992x1024

Note: This recipe is taken from New Life On a Homestead.com

You’ll need a fair amount of leaves to get any goodly amount of extract. If you have one small plant, it might not bear much. If you have a larger one, closer to a bush, like mine, or several plants, you should be fine.

Step 1: Take the leaves off the plant and wash them. Hopefully this step is self-explanatory, but just in case it’s not…fill your sink with cold water and swish the leaves around in it. Drain the sink and then repeat the process with more cold water.

stevia-extract-5-1024x766

WASH THE LEAVES!

Step 2: Discard the stems of the leaves and use a salad spinner (I like this one) to remove as much water or other excess moisture as is possible. At this time you can also remove any leaves that are brown, etc that you may have missed before. If the leaves have a few brown spots, don’t worry about it.

stevia-extract-4-1024x766

Step 3: In a medium sized pot, get 2 cups of water almost to a boil. Be sure not to bring it to a full boil, as this can damage the Stevia. Add 1 cup of slightly bruised leaves (they will probably be bruised already from the washing and spinning if you go through those steps), and remove the pot from the heat. Cover, and allow to steep for about an hour.

stevia-extract-3-1024x766

Step 4: Using a coffee filter (a permanent one works best and lots of us have Keurigs so this works well), strain the liquid into a clean container. It’ll be a nice, greenish color.

stevia-extract-2-1024x766

Store your Stevia extract in a lockable glass container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It’s recommended that you store the extract in a dark container, but I didn’t have one so I put my jar in a brown paper bag instead.

Before putting my finished product up, we all tasted a sample of it. Whew, was it SWEET!

Need recipe ideas for stevia extract? Try here: Mother Earth News – there’s no need to buy the book of recipes, as the page contains several. Additionally, Pinterest (shocking, huh?) has a ton of recipes. Try searching for “Stevia recipes”.

35610_10000115

DON’T FORGET! My novella releases today!

5 ways to distract yourself from pain

27 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Disease Management

≈ Leave a comment

5 Ways to Distract Yourself from Pain

We all have days where it feels like your entire being is your pain. On those days, we need to face facts that we might not get much done. If that’s the case, we need to find ways to distract yourself from the pain. Here are five ways:

  1. Fire HD 8 Tablet, 8″ HD Display, Wi-Fi, 32 GB

    1. All-New Fire HD 8, now with up to 12 hours of battery life, 2X the storage, and 50% more RAM for faster performance – made for all day entertainment
    2. Stunning 8″ HD display (189 ppi / 1280 x 800), a fast 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, stereo speakers with Dolby Audio, and rear and front-facing cameras. Available in four colors.
    3. Coming soon: Alexa, a cloud-based voice service that provides quick access to the entertainment you want, including music, games, audiobooks, and more. Ask questions, shop, find news, weather, and more – just press the home button and ask.
    4. Amazon Underground, a one-of-a-kind app store experience where thousands of apps, games and even in-app items are 100% free – including extra lives, unlocked levels, unlimited add-on packs and more
    5. Enjoy millions of movies, TV shows, songs, Kindle e-books, apps and games – including Netflix, Facebook, HBO, Pandora and more
    6. Prime members can choose from thousands of Prime movies and TV episodes to download for offline viewing – at no additional cost
    7. 16 or 32 GB of internal storage. Free unlimited cloud storage for all Amazon content and photos taken with Fire devices. Add a microSD card for up to 200 GB of additional storage.
    8. $134.99
  2. Design Your Own Superhero Mask
    1. Make your own superhero mask and you’ll be on your way to all kinds of adventures
    2. Kit includes: felt mask, felt shapes, felt sheets, glitter glue and craft glue
    3. If you feel like a mask is not enough, you can also make a cape
    4. $19.99 ($35.99 for the cape)
  3. Join or Use Amazon Prime Membership
    1. FREE Two-Day Shipping on eligible items to addresses in the contiguous U.S. and other shipping benefits. For more information, go to Amazon Prime Shipping Benefits.
    2. FREE Same-Day Delivery in eligible zip codes. For more information, go to Order with Prime FREE Same-Day Delivery.
    3. Prime Now: Get FREE two-hour delivery or scheduled delivery on over 10,000 items, from groceries to electronics and more. Plus, get free delivery from your favorite local stores. Available in eligible zip codes only. For more information go to Prime Now.
    4. Restaurant Delivery: Get FREE one-hour delivery from popular restaurants with Prime Now. Available in eligible zip codes only. For more information, go to Prime Now.
    5. Prime Video: unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes for paid or free trial members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to About Prime Video.
    6. Prime Music: unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of Prime Playlists and more than a million songs for members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to About Prime Music.
    7. Prime Photos: Secure unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive. For more information, go toAbout Prime Photos.
    8. Prime Pantry: Access to Prime Pantry, where members can purchase and ship to addresses in the contiguous U.S. low priced grocery, household, and pet care items for a flat delivery fee of $5.99 for each Prime Pantry box. Prime Pantry orders cannot be shipped to addresses in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
    9. Amazon Elements: Access to Amazon Elements products, Amazon’s own line of everyday essentials.
    10. Amazon Dash for Prime: Never run out of your favorite products with Amazon Dash Button. For more information, go to Amazon Dash Button.
    11. Prime Early Access: Get 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals on Amazon.com and new events on MyHabit.com. For more information, go to About Prime Early Access.
    12. Kindle Owners’ Lending Library: access to members in the U.S. For more information, go toKindle Owners’ Lending Library
    13. Kindle First: Early access for members in the U.S. to download a new book for free every month from the Kindle First picks. For more information, go to Kindle First.
    14. Audible Channels for Prime: Get access to Audible Channels, a $60/year value, for free. Audible Channels includes unlimited listening to original audio series and playlists handcrafted for every interest. You’ll also receive access to Prime Exclusive Audiobooks, a collection of streaming audiobooks including best sellers, family favorites, celebrity-narrated classics and more. Just download the free Audible app and sign in with your Amazon account to start listening.
    15. Video Add-On Subscriptions: Members can purchase Video Add-on Subscriptions to premium content providers. Browse available Video Add-on Subscriptions, or manage your existing subscriptions.
    16. Deals and Discounts, Compliments of Amazon Family: These include 20% off diapers through Subscribe & Save and 15% off eligible products from your baby registry. For more information go toGet 20% off Diaper Subscriptions or About the Completion Discount.
    17. Prime Exclusive Savings in Video Games: Members in the U.S. save 20% on new release physical video games during pre-order through two weeks after launch. For more information, go toPrime Exclusive Savings in Video Games.
    18. Membership Sharing: Two adults living in the same household can create an Amazon Household to share certain Amazon Prime benefits. For more information, go to About Amazon Households. If you have a paid Prime membership under your personal account you can share your shipping benefits with your Amazon Business user account. Go to Amazon Prime and Business Accounts.
    19. If you choose to be charged on a monthly basis, your membership charge will be $10.99. If you choose to be charged on an annual basis, you will be charged $99. Prime Video membership is $8.99 a month.

  4. Creatively Calm Studios Adult Coloring Books Set – 3 Coloring Books For Grownups – 120 Unique Animal, Scenery & Mandala Designs. BONUS Weekly Designs For One Full Year!

    1. OVER 120+ IMAGES TO COLOR: These Stress Relieving Patterns Can Be Colored By Beginners And Enthused Experts Alike. Our BONUS Weekly Images Give A Sneak Peak At Designs From Our Upcoming Adult Coloring Books…
    2. UNIQUE DESIGNS FROM ALL OVER THE GLOBE: We hired the BEST designers from each continent to help us create a one of a kind set of coloring books for adults. See these designs for yourself!!!
    3. THREE BOOKS WITH BASIC, INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED DESIGNS: Our Coloring Books are best sellers for a reason, each book presents a relaxing challenge to the grownups who attempt it!
    4. A PORTION OF EACH SALE GOES TO CHARITY: Every month Creatively Calm Studios writes a check to various worthwhile charities.
    5. SOME OF THE THICKEST PAPER ON THE MARKET: We Care About The Quality Of Our Coloring Books For Adults, So We Have Ensured That Our Pages Do Not Bleed Through When Using Gel Pens, Markers, etc…
    6. $19.97

  5. Roku 3 Streaming Media Player

    1. Remote with headphones and gaming
    2. 2000+ streaming channels – free, subscription, rent & buy
    3. Search across the most channels. Great with mobile devices.
    4. Roku 3 works with virtually any TV with an HDMI® connection. You can plug your Roku 3 directly into your TV or receiver depending on your preference.
    5. $82.13

I realize there’s a price on all these products, but hopefully some or most are products you already own. My main aim in this post is to remind you of the things around you that might give you the most distraction while you’re in pain.

The Kindle and Roku are both self-evident – books, movies, and TV. The superhero mask and cape may seem silly, but bear with me. We’re all superheroes in this fight, right? So why shouldn’t we have a mask and cape? Plus, this is something you can do with your kids. Being with your children when you don’t feel well can be exceptionally difficult, but with this kit, they can help you! It’s recommended for ages 3 and over, so you don’t need to worry about giving them something dangerous.

Amazon Prime can also be a great distraction. After all, so many things are included, like Prime Pantry, Prime Movies, and Prime Music. Also, there’s the Kindle Owners Lending Library, which will help fill up that Kindle for distraction purposes. If you prefer audiobooks, you can have access to Audible.

Adult coloring books have been a lifesaver for me. I’ve gone through several already, and have more to go. When I need peace and quiet, and can’t handle reading, coloring is my go-to method for distraction. You’ll need pens, colored pencils, and/or markers, depending on your preference.

41810_16

MY LIFE: I finished a book! (Sort of.)

25 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by in My life

≈ Leave a comment

MY LIFE: I finished a book! (Sort of.)

On Thursday, September 29th, I’ll be part of a multi-author launch in Carly Phillips’ Kindle Worlds. The reason I said “sort of” above is because it’s not a full-sized novel, it’s a novella. But hey, it’s a release, and since I haven’t had one since January of this year, that’s a pretty big deal!

Here’s the cover:

playing-on-a-dare

Pretty, isn’t it?

INSERT BLURB HERE

Kindle Worlds, as expected, are books only available on Amazon. We’re having a Facebook party to celebrate the launch. If you’d like to join lots of awesome authors giving away some very cool prizes, here’s the URL:

INSERT URL

I hope to see some of you there!

 

1961_10000288

RECIPE: Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie (that your kids will love!)

22 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

RECIPE: Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie

dark-chococolate-strawberry-smoothie

If you make smoothies for yourself in the morning, try this one. And I bet you can convince your kids to have a sip or ten, too! Strawberries? Chocolate? What’s not to love?
Dark chocolate, creamy greek yogurt, and sweet strawberries are the perfect combination in this frosty heart healthy Dark Chocolate Strawberry Smoothie!
Author: Kaleigh McMordie
Recipe Type: Smoothie, Breakfast, Snack, Dessert
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • ½ cup nonfat or lowfat strawberry Greek yogurt
  • ¾ cup frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup skim milk (or milk of choice)
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened dark cocoa powder
  • ½ cup ice (only if using fresh berries)
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a blender (or Bullet, food processor, etc.) and blend until smooth.
  2. Pour into a glass and top with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired. Enjoy immediately!

NOTE: When you make this smoothie, be sure to use frozen strawberries to get the thick and frosty consistency without needing to add ice. If you only have fresh berries on hand, add about 1/2 cup of ice so that you can get the perfect thickness.

lego_logo_120x60

After you drink your delicious smoothies, try sharpening your child’s imagination with some Legos! My husband is a “collector”, in that he has boxes and boxes of every size and shape imaginable. We’ve purchased a bunch of the Lego Friends sets made for girls, and my daughter and my husband will sit there for a couple of hours making up entire cities. I believe this has enhanced not only her imagination, but her fine motor skills too.

PRODUCT REVIEW: RBX Cooling Sheets

20 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Product Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

PRODUCT REVIEW: RBX Cooling Sheets

pic-2

Any of you who battle chronic illness know one of the primary symptoms is the inability to regulate your body’s temperature. I am always hot, and now that we’re using high-thread-count sheets, that problem has gotten worse. The sheets are so soft and feel so nice, but man, they are not cool, especially in the heat of summer.

I had heard about “cooling sheets”, so I set out to find some. I did, but balked at paying the price the store was asking for them. I pulled out my phone and went to one of my favorite places, eBay, and did a search. Lo and behold, the very sheets you see above in the picture were listed for sale at a much better price. I ordered them while I was still in the bedding department at the store.

pic-1

When they came, I immediately washed them and put them on my bed. Now, the set I got, as you can see, is Twin. This is because I have a Tempurpedic bed, which requires separate fitted sheets for each of the two mattresses. My top sheet remained the high-thread-count type I’d been using. I changed one of my pillows – I use three to sleep with at night – to one of the cooling pillowcases, too.

This has been a hot summer all over the country, and Western New York is no exception. Contrary to popular belief, you can get a tan in Buffalo. But I digress.

I went to bed that night with high hopes. Then my hopes were dashed. I’ve been using 20the sheets for about a month (washing them, of course) and can honestly say I’ve seen no improvement in how freaking hot I am in bed. Now, it’s possible that’s the fault of the particular sheets or the brand, but in my research I didn’t find anything particularly bad OR good about specific brands.

pic-3

So, I continue to boil like a lobster – with less squealing – every night in bed. When I came in here tonight and saw the temperature in the room was 72.5 degrees, I believe I swooned. I might actually be able to use the top sheet and single blanket I have on the bed. To give you an idea of my body temperature versus my husband’s, he’s using the high-thread-count sheets for his fitted and flat sheet, plus the blanket, and topping it all off with a heavy afghan. Just thinking about it makes me sweat.

My daughter just walked in and saw me writing this blog post. She has the flat sheet and the other pillowcase. I asked her if the sheets were working for her and she said yes. Of course, she’s a very healthy kid without an autoimmune disorder, so that might have something to do with it. Apparently, your mileage may vary.

37174_51

I live on Starbucks light Frappuchinos. YUM.

MY LIFE: Shouldn’t I be writing?

18 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by in My life

≈ Leave a comment

MY LIFE: Shouldn’t I be writing?

5

I ask myself this question at least once daily. All too often, the answer is “I don’t have the mental energy to write.” For someone who once wrote over a million words in a year, this feeling cuts deep. It’s hard not to feel useless when you have a chronic illness. My body betrays me daily.

But I still have responsibilities. And I want to do things, and to get better. I realize my chronic illness is not one that will ever go away.

On many occasions, my mind wants to write, but my body doesn’t. Or my body wants to write, but my brain isn’t cooperating. Chronic illnesses can be like that. You never know when or if you’re going to feel good that day, or even something as simple as how high your energy level remains.

Should I push myself more? Not according to my myriad healthcare providers. The answer – at least for now – is that I need to take it easy and to realize I won’t always get to do what I want to do.

960x

This is me, far too often for my liking. Even if I want to write, many times I can’t. But I’m trying, and that’s the best I can do.

nutritionalfoundation

 

RECIPE: Do-It-Yourself Hand Sanitizer

15 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

RECIPE: Do-It-Yourself Hand Sanitizer

essential-oil-antiseptic-spray1

I don’t know about you, but I’m not a big fan of the hand sanitizers sold in stores today. There seems to be a lot of chemicals I don’t want on my daughter’s hands, plus I do agree with the notion the more we use these antibacterial soaps and such, the stronger the bugs will become.

essential-oil-antiseptic-spray-21

Supplies

  • 1 tablespoon witch hazel
  • 2 teaspoons pure aloe vera gel
  • 2 teaspoons vitamin E oil
  • 10 drops each: lavender, tea tree, and frankincense essential oils
  • Filtered water

Instructions

Combine witch hazel, aloe, vitamin e oil, and essential oils in a measuring cup with a spout. Transfer to a small spray bottle. Add enough filtered water to fill almost fill it, leaving a little space at the top. Shake well before each application.

Note: I used aloe vera gel that includes other ingredients; 100% aloe gel liquid can also be used, though the spray will be a little thinner.

This recipe was originally taken from http://helloglow.co/diy-hand-sanitizer-antiseptic-skin-spray-lavender-aloe/.

 

I’m excited to make more of this. It’s a useful product and I feel so much better knowing my child is using natural things rather than yet more chemicals.

308x211_dscm_logo

PRODUCT REVIEW: Promend Prebiotic Fiber Gummies

13 Tuesday Sep 2016

Posted by in Product Reviews

≈ Leave a comment

PRODUCT REVIEW: Promend Prebiotic Fiber Gummies

I’ve taken several pro/prebiotic products over the past couple of years, and I think I’ve finally found one I really like.

20140618095342_n8067promendgummies

If you struggle with chronic illness, you probably take a lot of pills already. I know I do. So when I find any kind of gummy supplement, I give them a try.

Adults take 3 of these a day. They’re not small, but they’re gummies, so that doesn’t bother me. They taste good, too. They’re a little softer than my Flintstone Complete Gummy vitamins, which I also like. Here’s some information about them, straight from the label:

20140618095358_n8067label

Wow, it looked larger before I added it here. Hopefully you can read that. If not, try checking them out on Amazon, which is where I buy them. You can do a one-time purchase of 120 for $14.99, or add it to your Subscribe-n-Save items.

Subscribe-n-Save is a great thing for chronic illness sufferers. Basically, you pick products and get a mailing once a month of them. You can actually choose one, two, three, four, five, or six months between deliveries. This saves me invaluable time and energy. Also, you get a discount from 5-15 percent off the price of each item. SCORE!

Anyway, I recommend these prebiotic gummies. They make all the pills I have to take a little easier to swallow. 😉

38530_20

MY LIFE: My new adventure!

11 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by in My life

≈ Leave a comment

MY LIFE: My new adventure!

As you may know if you’ve been reading this blog with regularity, besides being a mom, a wife, and a chronic illness sufferer, I’m also a writer. And while I enjoy writing, I don’t always have the energy it takes. When I don’t, but have some time, I’ve started making jewelry. My daughter has also learned how to do some pretty fabulous designs, like the one below.

20160725_180020

We opened an Etsy shop a few months ago, and we’d love to have you check it out! Here are some other pictures of our designs:

20160725_181216

 

20160725_182226

20160725_174457

One of the worst parts of chronic pain and illness is feeling useless when you’re tired or flaring. I like making jewelry, because even when I don’t feel well I can do something beautiful. And as an added bonus, I get to spend more time with my daughter!

We can customize almost anything, so please don’t hesitate to contact us with any special requests! Hope to see you out in cyberspace!

business-card-bb

RECIPE: Homemade Baby Shampoo and Wash

08 Thursday Sep 2016

Posted by in Recipes

≈ Leave a comment

RECIPE: Homemade Baby Shampoo and Wash

diy-natural-baby-shampoo

This recipe is so easy! Now, before you say “But Johnson & Johnson (or other company) makes such a good product, consider this. There are only three ingredients in this, and one of them is water. Another is essential oil. Castile soap is very gentle.

e02c3f0b375cf7cc94ec4a3d3cb7d94e

This is the Dr. Bronner’s brand, which is my personal favorite. There are others, but this one is pretty commonly regarded in “homemade” and “organic” circles as the best.

Here are the directions:

Homemade Organic Baby Wash

1 1/2C Distilled Water
1/4 C Castile Soap
A Few drops of essential oil (lavender, lemon, orange, etc)
Foaming Soap Dispenser (16oz)

Mix it up and done. Wasn’t that easy? And now you know exactly what you’re using to keep your baby clean.

This is a short post, I know, but since it’s been about two weeks since I put up anything new, I figured better a short post than nothing.

dd14accf9f47151d9fb5e69652f89a51

Look at that face! I want the best for my child, who’s no longer a baby, and I do everything I can to make sure she stays healthy. One of those things involves keeping harsh, potentially harmful chemicals out of the house.

41074_10