10 Herbs that Heal

The Tower Garden

This is something that my family and I will be investing in next month. It is cost affordable and with very little effort you will be able to grow your own fruits, vegetables and herbs. It is super easy and very affordable! 

The website to learn more about the Tower Garden by Juice Plus is www.JKeller.TowerGarden.com
When you open the website, click on Learn More, then click on left Photos & Videos and watch the time lapse video of how quickly you can grow your food in just 3-4 weeks to maturity.
Tower Garden Basic Package is $499.99 and is paid for in 12 equal installments of $43/month, plus $50 to ship, interest free.
Check out the online store to see the accessories you can get for your tower. If you want to grow tomatoes, there is a tomato cage you can add. If you want to add two more canisters to add 8 more plants to the same tower, order the extension kit. The only thing you will have to buy more of after you pay it off is the Tower Tonic which costs about $3.50/month to maintain a residual garden all year round.

Either way, Tower Gardening is fascinating and you won't be able to stop talking about it with others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

Five DIY Natural Room Scents With Herbs, Spices & Fruits

Another DIY Favorite of mine found at (http://www.theyummylife.com) Cheap and easy and none of the harsh chemicals you find in the store bought alternatives!

There is a simple, all natural, truly lovely solution. That is to fill the air in my home with subtle scents of spices, herbs, and fruit. All I have to do is simmer some sweet smelling ingredients in water. The steam fills the air with a pleasant scent. Truth is, I did this many years ago on the advice of our realtor when we were selling our house. Realtors often advise sellers to bake cookies or boil cinnamon water right before a potential buyer drops by. That inviting aroma goes a long way to leave a good first impression. Why I didn't continue scenting the air in a similar way for our own enjoyment, I don't know.  I've now got a simple routine going that keeps our house smelling pleasant without staleness or day-after garlic odor.

Keeping the supply list simple. I only used items available at the grocery store or in my yard for these scent recipes. I want this to be easy and inexpensive so that I can set up a sustainable routine of pleasantly scenting our home. These recipes are simply guidelines and don't have to be followed exactly. In fact, I change them up all the time based on what I have on hand in my kitchen or yard. 

Fragrant items for naturally scenting your home:

• citrus -- I've tried other fruits. Some of them smell good initially, but they don't hold up for more than one use. Citrus is sturdier, longer-lasting, and gives these scent recipes freshness. Lemons and oranges are particularly fragrant and have the best staying power in these scented waters.
• herbs -- Any herb can be used for making a room scent, but the ones that are sturdier and on woody twigs hold up the best. My favorites for room scents are rosemary and thyme.
• pine or cedar twigs/needles -- There may be other fragrant trees that will work, too; pine and cedar are the two I've tried for their appealing, fresh fragrance.
• extracts -- A touch of vanilla or almond extract improves most room fragrance mixtures. Mint extract has a nice fresh scent. You can also use whole vanilla beans instead of vanilla extract; pricey but amazingly fragrant. Amazon has a good bulk price (80% less than grocery store prices).
• spices -- You can use ground or whole sweet spices. The whole spices look prettier, if your scented water will be in a location where it will be seen. I have found that cinnamon sticks and whole cloves have the most scent staying power. Cinnamon sticks can be rinsed off and reused several times. They keep on giving.

Five Natural Room Scent Recipes
These are all scents that my nose likes. But, scents that are pleasing to one person may not be to someone else. Consider how many different scents of perfumes, soap, and candles there are in stores in an effort to appeal to the masses. So, use my recipe combos as guidelines that you can tweak and customize to suit what your nose likes.
General procedure: Combine the ingredients in a 2 cup (pint) jar or container, or in a pan on the stove top. Cover them with water and heat. I'll explain different heating options further down. Keep reading.

Scent #1: Oranges, cinnamon & cloves (allspice and anise are optional). This is my favorite, both for it's wonderful aroma and for it's staying power. This scent carries into multiple rooms better, and it can be reheated to scent your rooms for several days.

Scent #2: Lemon, rosemary, & vanilla. A similar scented water is often simmering in Williams-Sonoma stores. It has a lovely freshness to it.

 Scent #3: Lime, thyme, mint & vanilla extract. This combination has such a fresh, pleasant scent. I initially made it without the mint extract, but have found that it really kicks up the aroma.

 Scent #4: Orange, ginger (fresh or powdered), and almond extract. This is a sweet, delicious scent.

Scent # 5: Pine or cedar twigs (or other fragrant twigs), bay leaves, and nutmeg. These scents combine for a complex aroma. If you have whole nutmeg, use a microplane to grate off the outer surface--this will release the scent. Add the whole nutmeg piece along with the gratings.

Here's the gang of five. Aren't they beautiful? I like to make these up in pint jars and keep them on hand in the fridge so I'm ready to start a pot of simmering scents as needed.

DIY Scented Plugin With Essential Oils

Plug-in air fresheners are not good for our homes. Like most commercial air “fresheners” they contain toxic chemicals that can be dangerous to our health.

Just some of the side effects of these products include: infertility, headaches, nervous system disorders, memory loss and even cancer. But, luckily, I just came across a fantastic tutorial which reveals how to get rid of this horrible toxic liquid and replace it with health giving, wonderfully fragrant, toxin free essential oils. (via: http://holycrickey.tumblr.com)

1. remove the wick part (which ironically looks like a cigarette) empty and rinse out the bulb

2. find an oil you like. i chose peppermint because its pretty cheap and it makes my house smell cool and clean. i highly recommend orange, lavender, cinnamon, roman chamomile, clary sage, lemon, rose, grapefruit, jasmine or ylang ylang oil. 

3. pour the oil into the bulb

4. i fill it up about 1/3 of the way but it will last lay longer if you do the whole thing. 

5. fill the rest of the bulb with water, but not to the top or else inserting the wick with make it spill. put the wick back in the bulb.

6. screw it back into the plug in part and enjoy refreshing, healing air that won’t make your hair fall out.