The lemon tree originated in India and is one of the oldest cultivated fruit plants. Lemon trees primarily grow in subtropical climates especially like Florida and the Mediterranean. Lemon has many different purposes and health benefits besides its use as a culinary accent.

Oddly enough, although the lemon has a very sour and acidic taste, it actually can help reduce hyperacidity in the body. Lemon juice and peel have an antiseptic effect and leaves of the tree uses to reduce fever. Lemons are rich in vitamin C, strengthening the immune system and act as antioxidant and protects cells from free-radical damage. The lemon can stimulate the appetite, aids digestion, relieves cramps and strengthens the bodies defenses. When ingested internally it has anti-inflammatory action helping to cleanse the body by promoting perspiration and acting as a diuretic.

The word “honey” comes from ancient hebrew and means “enchant.” Rightfully so, as this time honored natural remedy can be found all over the world and serves many culinary and healing purposes.

I was looking for a quick, delicious and nutritious morning breakfast smoothie that would help wake me up and not weigh me down as I started my day. I came up with a combination of ingredients that are easy to get and you can alter to fit your needs while still tasting amazing!

• What you’ll need:
• A blender
• Frozen mixed berries or fruits (you can also get fresh ones)
• Bananas
• Maca Powder
• Cacao Powder
• Chia Seeds
• Ground Flax Seed
• Almond milk or soy milk – you can use water as well

You can get most of these ingredients online or at a local health food store, some grocery stores carry these ingredients like the powders in their health food sections.

How to Make the The Happy Day Smoothie:

I add about 1 cup of berries, two bananas (break them up into pieces so they blend more easily) 2 tbsps of maca powder, 2 tbsps of chia seeds, 1 – 2 tbsps of flax seed and about 2 cups of almond milk. You can add in a ice cube or two. On days that I am very sleepy, I do add in about a 1/2 cup of black coffee to my mix – coffee does have its benefits too, but in moderation. Mix them together into your blender until it is silky smooth. If the smoothie is too thick or chunky for your liking, you can always add some more water or almond milk to thin it out.

I call it the Happy Day Smoothie because you can drink it in the morning to feel good all day or throughout the day as a supplementary meal – since it has plenty of nutrients and vitamins. It is so simple and easy to make, plus it is absolutely scrumptious!

Originally posted here: sixdifferentways.com

For a long period of my life, I have dealt with fatigue throughout the day even when I’ve got plenty of sleep the night before or when I am on a healthy sleep schedule. I tried to remedy this through a number of quick fixes whether it be drinking coffee all day long or taking small breaks during the workday by going on a short walk around the area.

There were some days where I was so tired I would use my lunch break to nap in my car. Somedays I would go to work, get home at about 6pm, eat a little dinner and fall back asleep until the following day. It felt like I wasn’t even living my life but just going through the motions like a zombie.

There are a number of approaches you can take to cope with this. I would say first and foremost, what is it that you are doing for work and what sort of environment are you in? Secondly, are there external stresses in your life that are outside of your control that you be expending a lot of emotional and mental energy towards?

Write down a list of the things you enjoy about your job and the things you don’t. Write a plan to change or better your situation and work towards that a little each day when you have the energy to do so. Even looking ahead and beginning to plan, will breathe new life into you, you’ve given yourself something to look forward to. Keep a journal or a BLOG about the thoughts, feelings and experiences you’ve been having that have been causing you stress, add solutions to those issues and if some of them are beyond your ability to change, simply writing them out is a great way to stop them from swirling around in your mind so often.

However, it is a holistic process. Hence, why we are so fatigued or physically weak often. The stresses that happen in our minds can be felt and experienced in our physical world. If we can’t change what is happening in our minds and in our external world immediately. We can find physical methods to cope with these stresses.

The way our energy production is working on a cellular level can be treated. One method is doing some sort of physical exercise in the morning, it can be a soft jog, a brisk walk, a hard run, a bike ride, yoga or even good stretching. At the time this was occurring, I was going to the gym almost every morning and running before work but I obviously needed more.

A balanced diet can help. Take multi-vitamins in the morning after breakfast (do not take them before bed as they can increase energy). A light but nutrient filled breakfast is best. Avoid foods heavy in carbs, salt, fat or sugar. Eat nuts and dried fruit in moderation throughout the day. Brown rice, pineapple, walnuts, sunflower seeds and tofu are good choices to add to your meals. Avoid alcohol, coffee and nicotine as much as possible.

Energize using hot-cold showers. In the morning and when you get home from work, alternate water temperatures in 3 minute intervals, first hot and then cold. Dry off vigorously to stimulate the skin, to increase circulation and to stimulate the lymphatic system.

Essential oil combinations of clove, cinnamon and sage in an oil diffuser or applied directly on the skin can also help.

Breathing exercises can also help – sometimes this goes beyond working out or during meditation by simply focusing on the breath. I have found that quiet meditation relaxes me more than wakes me up. I actually like to play a song I know the words to and sing with it, simply make up one of my own or you can even do vocal toning and mantras to change your breath while also changing your vibration in the process.

Another great way to cope with your fatigue is by finding something you like to do outside of the world of work or staring at a screen whether it’s watching Netflix or going on Facebook and Instagram. Maybe you enjoy painting, sculpting or drawing? Maybe you have a great idea for a novel and want to start writing? Maybe you like to craft – you can start by making your own homemade castile soaps, like I described in my previous blog post.

Shari Kreller – “Crows”

Getting into nature on the weekends or if it’s still daylight after work on a weekday is another great way to revitalize your energy levels. You can start small like taking a walk around a local park at night and work your way up to venturing to nature preserves or hiking destinations.

Maybe you are feeling a little lonely and just need a hug from a friend or some affection from another person. Call a friend or family member up and let them know how youve been feeling and express that you need a hug, I am sure they would be more than happy to give it to you! But sometimes, its hard to ask for that or maybe you don’t have someone in your life you feel comfortable hugging. You can always go to local animal shelter, a pet store or ask a friend with an animal if you can cuddle with their kitten or puppy. Sometimes we just need a little loving.

I have tried all sorts of ways to help with my fatigue – some of them have worked beautifully, by doing one or a combination and other days it seemed like nothing would work and I just needed to rest. The point is to try! Be easy with yourself and find out the best solutions that work for you. I hope this helped!

Massaging is an ancient practice that can help to relax, soothe, heal and in using some techniques has been known to help with severe nerve damage or issues with body weight. If you want to start giving massages to yourself or to others, you can easily start by using hot massages stones.

Using heated stones for healing purposes dates back to China over 2,000 years ago. The practice expanded into North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Egypt and India.  They were used by just placing the stones in specific patterns on the patient’s body, where some practices involved kneading the muscles using the stones or even simply wearing the stones for protection and healing.

You can acquire a set of hot massage stones, they are typically oval and round flat and smooth black stones, the most commonly used stones are called Balsalt river rocks. You can heat your stones using an electrical heating device, i’ve used a small crockpot and had the stones soaking in water.

The stones can get very hot so test the temperature periodically and if you are massaging another person make sure you use caution when applying the stones, use a barrier like a cloth between the stones and their skin.

If you reduce the temperature on the stones, you can oil the body using sweet almond oil or coconut oil and gently massage it into the skin beforehand, it allows the stones to move more smoothly over the surface of the bare skin.

The heat helps to sooth and relax the muscles while breaking up the tension in them. It calms the nervous system and increases blood flow to those areas dissipating the tension. When we relax our stress hormones are reduced and it allows us and the practitioner to better feel what the body needs and where it is experiencing pain and tension.

Once the muscles are warmed, it is easier to give a less painful deep tissue massage. Apply the stones to the skin, gently placing them, this is a good technique if you have cramps caused by menstruation. You can also place them gently on other muscles on the back or shoulders, while hand massaging other parts of the body.

Use sweeping movements when massaging with the stones. These help to flush out the lymphatic system and improves circulation. This is where the help in weight loss and nerve damage comes in.

Using hot massage stones is great beginning guide to the art of massage. It is a great way to heal your own pain and tension and it is a great gift to give to a friend or significant other who may be experiencing stress and needs to have a good nights sleep.

The Dawn Living Room Set – Inmod.com

Suburban Chic.  A gorgeous mid-century modern living room set by Mod Interior Concepts and featured on Inmod.com brings you a clean, comfortable and contemporary look to your home living space. The set includes a spacious sofa and loveseat padded with plush foam cushions and accented with button tufting along the backrest. In a true mid century modern design and in a classic Scandinavian fashion, the legs of the base are wooden with a conical shape and slightly splayed outwards.

The base is elegant while also extremely stable and supportive. Upholstered in a sleek, dark gray eco-leather and paired with a few light and brightly colored throw pillows – the contrast adds an even more contemporary and homely touch to the design. Keep the surrounding decor minimal such as shaggy rug or carpet in a neutral tone like gray, black or beige, a round modern coffee table with a wooden base to complement the base of the sofa and loveseat, one or two standing lamps and a couple of wall art decorations or wall paintings to complete this cozy yet ultra modern look.

5 Days until Halloween countdown –

You can use your carved pumpkins this Halloween as a funny and creepy decoration to add to a yummy chips and dip recipe –

First start with the pumpkin carving –  you’ll want to pick up a mini pumpkin, it shouldn’t be too hard to find especially during this time of year, you might even be able to find them at your local supermarket.

Using a sharp knife, cut a circle around the top of the pumpkin stem, make it like a lid so it can easily be taken off and put back on. Use a fork to remove the pumpkin seeds or as I like to call them pumpkin guts, a suitably name for this dish! Using a pencil trace two eyes and a mouth on one side of the pumpkin – you’ll want to make the eyes like two triangles with the point of the triangle pointing towards the center, trace the mouth like an horizontal oval – use the photo provided for reference. Carefully use your knife to cut along the outlines you made. Pop the shapes out and in a few easy steps you have your mini pumpkin decoration.

12 days until Halloween countdown!

When I was a child my mom came up with such a cute concept for a combined halloween costume.

She dressed up as a witch and I was her little spider. She made a little web attached to her dress so she could keep me close while trick or treating. Not only was this idea adorable but it served as a smart way to keep us together while we went from door to door.  Years later I saw pictures and I thought I’d share a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

source: bored panda

I will be doing 3 blogs a week leading up to the king of spooky holidays – Halloween! Each blog will incorporate some spooky recipe, fun party idea or halloween centered theme! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays from the costumes and candy to the haunted houses and spooky hayrides –  it is fun, festive and gives everyone a chance to show another side!

Today is Day 16~ Let the countdown begin!

If you are thinking of throwing a halloween bash this year or if you want to bring a fun and creepy dish to someone else’s halloween party, here is one of my all-time favorite halloween party treat ideas that is sure to thrill your guests!

Decapitated Barbie (and Ken) Body Part Jello – Barbies can be a little creepy in general, proportionally speaking that is, especially those new Brat Dollz i’ve seen over the last couple of years – this unique dish will definitely have guests rethinking one of their favorite childhood toys.

The easiest barbies to use are the ones from the dollar store that have hollow body parts. The rubber dolls can be expensive and are difficult to slice up.

Grab a few of those depending on the amount of guests you’ll be serving. I like to use both male and female dolls to keep things neutral!

Slice up your barbies into parts, don’t make the parts too small because you want your guests to be able to see them when eating so they don’t accidentally eat the part! I would not recommend serving this dish to children under the age of 12 or without adult supervision. Be sure to let guests know the body parts are not edible. 

I like to chop the hair up on the dolls heads, this gives it a scarier look and this is also to avoid any long stray hairs floating around in your jello mold.

Next you’ll want to make your jello. Follow the instructions on the package.

You’ll want the jello liquid to solidify a little bit before sticking the body parts in it otherwise the body parts will just float together.

Place the jello in the fridge for a little while – checking periodically to see its consistency. The consistency should be firm enough to keep your creepy parts from floating around aimlessly but soft enough to be able to place them in it.

Another trick is to make individual cups of jello and place one or two body parts in each. This prevents the body parts from floating around and mixing altogether.

Plant your body parts throughout the mold, you can make it look like a bloody massacre especially if you use red jello, meaning the jello mold can look all mashed up or you can choose to gently press down, using a wooden chopstick to push them deep down into the mold.

Decapitated Barbie Body Part Jello – a particularly frightening party treat for your halloween spectacular!

Before electricity and oil burning, candles were the best way to light the home. In the middle ages, only the wealthy class and institutions such as churches and temples had access to beeswax candles. Today it is easier to acquire beeswax and it is proven to be one of the best waxes to use for candle making as it is one of the slowest burning and it purifies the air. Beeswax is also the best wax to use when adding essential oils for aromatherapy for candle-making.

Beeswax Candles | Source: Bee Wilde

Here is what you’ll need:

• Preferred essential oil (s) – see below for list
• 1 lb pure filtered beeswax
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3 half-pint canning jars
• 60 ply cotton braided wick #4 cut into 6 inch pieces
• An empty coffee can or metal pitcher
• double boiler or a pot large enough to fit your pitcher to use as a double boiler
• bamboo skewers

The only setback to beeswax is the wax can become very sticky wax when using molds. It is still totally worth it.

Disclaimer: Beeswax is flammable, keep a close eye on it when it is heating. Don’t forget about it while its cooking or it might get too hot and spill all over your stove!

Beeswax Bars | Source: eBay

First, place your beeswax in your metal pitcher or coffee can. Place the pitcher in the pot or double boiler and fill it with enough water to surround the pitcher without spilling into the pitcher. Turn the stove to a medium-high heat. As the water heats, it will boil so make sure you don’t feel it too high for when it starts bubbling.

As the wax melts, prepare your wicks and cut them into 4 pieces about 6 inches long. You may even be able to purchase them at this size already.

Once the water is brought to a boil, turn the heat down to a gentle simmering boil until all the wax has melted.

Remove the pitcher from the heat once the wax is melted. Add your coconut oil to the mixture. Take your bamboo skewer and stir the wax-oil combo gently.

Add drops of your preferred essential oil to the mixture (depending on the size of the batch). I use about 10 – 15 drops for 5 jars.  Do research on the best scents for candles and aromatherapy. Below is a list to help you! Gently use your skewer to mix the wax, coconut oil and essential oil blend together.

Aromatherapy Chart | Source: University Health Newsa

Pour about a quarter size amount into the bottom of each jar. Place the pitcher back in the hot water so the wax stays melted.

Place one wick in the center of each jar. Use the skewer to push down the wick and make sure it is placed properly. Allow the wax to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes until it is solid enough to place the wicks inside.

Using Wick & Skewer in Teacup | Source: ElizabethAnneDesigns

Using your bamboo skewer, wrap the top end of the wick around it and make it taut with the skewer resting atop the jar. You can even use tape to keep the skewer in place.