Category Archives: Healthy Home

A Few Great Ways to Use Apple Cider Vinegar

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Did you know that apple cider vinegar can be used for more than just fantastic salad dressing? My home is never without a bottle of raw apple cider vinegar (ACV). {photo source}   Apple cider vinegar is different than your regular ol’ white distilled vinegar. It is made from fermented apples (hard cider) and contains tons of great properties that are wonderful for your health. The best type of ACV is raw, unfiltered… it contains “the mother” which is the cloudy webbing you’ll see at the bottom of the bottle. This vinegar is alive and so good for you.  ACV without “the mother” is dead; all the good stuff has been removed. So, What Do You Do With It Well, I love adding ACV to my water (I’ll tell you why in a moment). To be honest, if you had asked me to consume any sort of vinegar several years ago (or even smell it for that matter), I would have looked at you like you had a third eyeball growing from your chin, just ask my mother! But I am pleased to say, I have repented of my foolish ways and I am all the better! Anyhow, back to what I do with ACV… I drink it. I eat it. I spray it. I bathe in in. I rub it on things and pets. And I do other interesting things with it. It’s definitely a great item to have around your house. If you don’t believe me, keep reading… … Continue reading →

Why I Really Like Diatomaceous Earth

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Last year I stumbled upon a product in the pet section of our local health food store. It had a weird name I could hardly pronounce and it was supposed to be a natural alternative for pet flea prevention. Instead of purchasing it, I snagged the product name/info and headed home to do some research… I was pleasantly surprised by what I found! {photo source} {Enter diatomaceous earth} Food-grade diatomaceous earth aka DE. One of my favorite supplements/natural products used regularly at my house! I use it, the hunk uses it, I put it on and feed it to my pets, I brush my teeth with it, sprinkle my carpet with it, dust my garden with it (when I remember), have friends and family using it… yeah, it’s that awesome Okay, okay! I know you are dying to know what I am talking about {please don’t die, I can’t bring you back, hold on – I’ll tell you more!}, so let’s start with what DE actually is. What DE Is Diatomaceous earth is not “earth” at all. It is actually fossilized diatom shell that has been ground into an off-white powder. Billions of diatoms live in water and produce a necessary food source for aquatic life. Diatoms are unique among phytoplankton in having a hard, glass-like exterior made of silica. As they die, the mineral deposits left wash up to dry land creating huge mounds of silica fossils that are harvested as diatomaceous earth or fossil flour. DEs natural silica … Continue reading →

“How To” DIY: Powdered Laundry Detergent… Hot Weather Approved

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OK, last year I was so excited to show you how to make your own liquid laundry detergent… remember? Well, it has been way too hot to turn on the stove… melt down soap shavings… and muscle gallons of almost boiling water. But what is a girl to do when you run out of lovely, homemade laundry soap and you have a monster pile of laundry chasing you down the hall? Here is where the brilliant idea of powdered laundry detergent comes into play! {to those of you who knew better already… shhhhh! Let me revel in my amazing discovery } Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent What you will need: 1 bar of Zote soap, grated (or 2 bars of Fels Naptha, Castile, or other bar soap) {I prefer bar soaps designed for washing laundry, not bodies} 3 cups Borax 3 cups Washing Soda {not to be confused with baking soda} Instructions: Grate your soap bar. Measure out your powdered ingredients. Mix all three ingredients in a large bowl. Once well blended, pour into storage container. Use 1 tablespoon for small-medium loads and 2 tablespoons for large or dirty loads! Okay… would someone please tell me why I waited so long to try powdered laundry detergent? Hahaha! How easy was that?! So. Much. Cooler (literally). Than. Liquid! I found that it cleans just as good, if not better than the liquid detergent I had been making. It does cost a smidge more, but I figured it evened out when I considered … Continue reading →

Homestead Blessings, Get Ready to Learn Something New

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Have you ever just wanted to take a weekend to learn and try natural ideas/projects for your family, like make an herbal remedy or can your garden vegetables or create delicious butter? Of course you have! The real question is… do you have a great, fun resource to learn from? May I introduce you to the Homestead Blessings DVD collection? I have been so blessed by the West ladies wonderful willingness to share their knowledge on just about everything. The first DVD I watched was their gardening DVD… I was impressed that the ideas they shared actually worked and worked well. After watching that first DVD, I was hooked! I started watching these videos on the weekends every chance I got. I learned cooking skills, sewing ideas, basic herbal and soap making knowledge… I loved every bit of it! They have 9 videos… the topics include DIY bread making, candle making, soap making, canning, gardening, herbs, cooking, dairy, and sewing. You will love the West ladies. They teach in a way that is fun for the whole family to watch and their ideas are easy to understand and apply. My younger sisters enjoy watching the “extras” on some of the videos, like the West sisters singing a tune! So are you ready for a great weekend full of the best “homesteading” DIY projects? I sure hope so, any reader of mine would be… and you are reading this, right!?   A great place to grab these DVDs of gold is … Continue reading →

Quick Tip: Natural Weed Killer

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If you are like most people, you probably find weeds to be a pest. While I welcome “helpful weeds” like dandelions, plantain, and Lamb’s Quarter, there are several places in my yard where weeds just aren’t welcome. I don’t know about you, but I just don’t have time to hand pull all the weeds in my yard or gravel driveway and I certainly am not too keen on using commercial chemical weed killers (which are SO harmful to your reproductive health). So… my solution? A cheap and natural, homemade liquid weed killer. Natural Weed Killer 1 gallon distilled white vinegar 1 cup table salt 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap Directions: Completely dissolve the salt in warm vinegar, then mix in dish soap. You can use a small spray bottle or a large pump sprayer. Spray weeds and root base on a dry, sunny day. Reapply in a few weeks if needed. I have used this recipe for the past few years and it has worked lovely. Note: This really works, so you may only need apply twice. Applying too often could sterilize the ground, so if you wanted grass or other plants to grow there, don’t over apply. Do you have other natural solutions for weeds? I’d love to hear your ideas… so please comment! … Continue reading →

Living Green Link-up #2

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Here we are again… our second week of Living Green Link-up! I’d like to give a big “Thank You” to everyone who participated in our link-up! We had a great turn out for our first ever Living Green Link-up! There were several great posts…here are a couple I’d like to feature: Heartfelt Homemaking shared a fun, easy recipe for yummy and nutritious Dandelion Lavender Cookies. We all know how much I love herbs, so once my lavender starts to bud… I’ll be baking away! Green Idea Reviews read my mind when she posted Using Eggshells as a Slug and Snail Barrier Review — Does it Work?. I have eggshells ready to create a nice barrier for my tender plants. I love that she is willing to test out these ideas so others can save some time and learn from her! Susan Godfrey shared several great ways to reduce how much trash we produce. I try to be careful about recycling, reusing and composting, but there is always room for improvement. I am going to start implementing a few of her ideas. Now it’s your turn to share… Join us every Tuesday for Living Green Link-up! <a href=” http://www.likeamustardseed.com/category/living-green-link-up/” target=”_blank”><img src=” http://www.likeamustardseed.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/living-green-button-4.png” alt=”Living Green Link Up” width=”125″ height=”125″ /></a>   Each Tuesday we invite you to share how you are living GREEN! Have you been growing some veggies or herbs and have a tip that worked well for you? Or have you discovered a great use for your favorite herb? Share … Continue reading →