Anti-stank breath! (Aka fluoride-free toothpaste)

My 10 year old is a militant hippie! (There is a such thing). First she asked if we could take a road trip to Ferguson to protest and then she asked why I was allowing her to use "cancer causing, fluoride- laden, brain eating tooth paste". She then suggested I go back to making our paste so she could graduate. 😁😑.

Who made her?!!!!

Anyhow- I decided she was right because with as much research as I've done on fluoride, combined with the fact that I actually PREFER my own toothpaste, I have no business buying this stuff:

So I got to work and made a fresh batch:

1. Mix equal parts baking soda and coarse Salt (I used table Salt 😁)

2. While coconut oil is warm (In a liquid state) add just enough to make a paste.

3. Add a few drops of stevia (for taste)

4. Mix well. Store in airtight container

*tips*

-this will melt in a hot bathroom

-coconut oil will stain clothes!

-don't be a douche buy heating oils in a microwave or stove. Just run under warm  water.😀 happy brushing suckas!

Crockpot apple butter

Y'all already know I hate cooking. From the bottom of my heart. I do, however, love food! I wanted to make something for my daughters to have instead of syrup with their pancakes and decided that apple butter would be awesome. Instead of standing over a stove (yawn), I decided to follow and easy recipe and throw it all in a crock pot instead! Score!! I didn't have a crock pot though.😔😢

Then: I found a brand new one at the Salvation Army for the low, low, price of 2.99!  Score again! Yay 😊😀

Super easy! 

-pick apples

-wash

-peel

-core

-chop

-toss in crock pot with the spices of your choice (I used, salt, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon,and cloves)  top with water.

-summer until soft (overnight for me)

-remove cloves

-blend smooth 

-bottle and ENJOY!

DIY TIME! Cute anthro lamp tutorial.

Super easy, super short (because I hate long winded tuts)

Cost: 1.50. (No lie)

Time: 15 min (not including paint drying)

Materials: flat white paint, (had some on hand), old lamp (ugly sucker I bought for 1.00), plastic bags (FREE). Ribbon for rosettes (.25), pink shade (.25). Super glue and hot glue (free because I always have them!)

3 easy steps!

1. Make sure the lamp works! (Duh). Then cover the important ish with bags. Paint base white. Dry completely.

2. Apply cute shade.

3. Hot glue rosettes and super glue the broken crap you finally noticed. 

TADA! She's a beaut eh? The girls loved it.💚

The Eleventh Hour

     So many of us quit when life get hard. It's as if we've  been sold this fairy-tale from birth, that teaches us that if we have to take a risk, or struggle, or fight, it's better to simply give up.

     I've seen talented men sit on their gifts because they are too afraid to fail again. I've seen phenomenal woman stop just shy of their goal simply because an outside distraction, obstacle, or issue  made the last few steps seem impossible to take. If the greatest tragedy of life, is to die never having reached your full potential, how then, is it that so many of us fall victim to this tragedy simply because "shit got real"? Life is real, and sometimes, life is just hard.

I have learned this; Anyone can take the next step forward when it is sunny outside. It takes a courageous spirit to take the next step in complete darkness. 

 Where there is courage, there is strength.

 Where there is strength, there is resilience, 

and where those attributes meet, there, lies success.

 No man or woman ever became great any other way.

    So when you are facing your darkest moments, remember that it is merely your opportunity to be amazing. To respond with courage. Don't miss it. Keep going. 💚

Can't cook. Don't wanna. Probably ain't gonna.

     

     Whenever I tell someone (especially someone of the male persuasion) that I really don't cook, I always get a blank stare. It's as if my having a vagina and being a good cook ought to go hand in hand! I often wonder why no one ever asked my father or my brother if they knew how to make a meal...While there are obvious sexist tones to such a question, I want to explore a deeper issue: Why does society need so badly for each of us to fit in to a box?

     Now, please hear me out. I agree that some roles have to be set in families and partnerships. What I disagree with, is the fact that so many people feel the need to dictate those rules for others. EVERY family is different and every situation unique. Round' here, we rarely turn on a stove. We prefer our food (mostly plant based) raw. Unless, of course, bacon is involved. We loooove the hell out of bacon, but I digress. The point is, my children are happy and healthy. They  receive a balanced diet, and have had absolutely no complaints about the way I feed them. (unless I try to actually cook).

     I have tried. A really long try. 3 full years of trying, and I am no better now than the first day I caught the stove on fire. (Yes, that actually happened). Not only am I a bad cook, I absolutely HATE it. I get no pleasure from the act or the results, and in my personal opinion, that's good enough reason to stop. I'm not going to spend the rest of my days striving to cook like my mom. That's just not what I'm good at. 

     I admire a women who can whip up a gourmet meal that her family swoons over, I really do, but the simple truth is: Not every woman is a mini Paula Deen. That doesn't mean that I am any less awesome. 

     I can't make a casserole, but I'm the best cuddler this side of the Mason-Dixon line. I have no idea what goes into a sweet potato pie, but I make a mean PB and J. 

My spaghetti is always sticky, 

my fried chicken; always raw , 

my roasts are undercooked,

and to be perfectly honest with you,

I can barely boil eggs, and guess what?

That's ok.

      I'm convinced that what I lack in kitchen-prowess, I make up for in laughs, hugs, dancing in circles, Sam Cooke records and Love. I'll take that over a grease fire, any day. 💚

     

Less being angry, more being great.

     Clearly, we all know a few people who we'd like to introduce to a wood chipper. It nearly goes without saying, but the whole reason for this post is tell you that the aforementioned bloodshed isn't necessary. Neither is gossip, or unkindness, or anything else that gives idiots,  power in your life. I have a much better solution: Cut Them Loose! Easy, right? It really is. 😊

Do WHATEVER you want.

     

     I have often thought, even in my own life, that the greatest tragedy, is living in fear of what other people think. It one of those human conditions that nearly everyone has experienced and yet, in reality, it simply makes no sense. Why on earth do we shirk our own responsibilities, neglect ourselves, and set aside our own happiness for something as trivial and insignificant as. "What everyone  ELSE might think"?

      WHAT ABOUT YOU? What about what YOU think, what makes YOU happy , and what gives your life purpose? Listen: the world doesn't need another "yes man". The world need people brave enough to be different. Society could do with a few less angry people who have been stiffled by social "norms" and could do WITH a few more people who love themselves enough to have love for the rest of humanity. We need more doers and lovers; less gossipers. We need more resilience and fortitude; less convention and acquiescence. Whatever you do in LOVE is all good. If it makes your soul happy, if it's what you want, if you can't find any reason not to (other than what other people think), do it. 💚