Earth & Oil Deodorant Recipe

I posted a recipe for homemade deodorant a couple of weeks ago. It was fantastic for eliminating odor, but it irritated my underarms. I think the baking soda was the culprit. So, daughter and I developed a new concoction that we think will work famously. If you so desire, try this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 5 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp emu oil
• 4 tsp bentonite clay
• 2 tsp arrowroot powder
• 1 tbsp aloe vera gel
• 30 drops various essential oils:
• 7 drops tea tree EO
• 4 drops eucalyptus EO
• 6 drops lavender EO
• 7 drops geranium EO
• 6 drop jasmine EO

How to mix:

• Use a ceramic or glass bowl
• Mix the coconut and emu oils together
• Add the bentonite clay and mix well
• Add the arrowroot powder and mix well
• Add the various essential oils and mix well
• Lastly, add the aloe vera gel and mix well
• Place the mixture in your container of choice. I prefer a small glass jar
• Place in the refrigerator and allow to set
• When ready to apply, use your fingers; rub gently into our underarms

Enjoy!

What's the Root Chakra About?

I attended a webinar a couple of weeks ago on the seven Chakras. Fascinating. I honestly believe that we can affect our selves and our energy.

Carol Tuttle's work with Chakras is enlightening and it is seemingly a passion of hers. I've 'liked' her on Facebook. Do the same if you so desire. You can also see her work at: www.chakrahealing.com.

Since the webinar, she has been sending email Chakra healing tips. The message I received today is for healing the Root Chakra.

Root Chakra Facts:

• The color associated with this Chakra is red
• The Chakra It is located in the groin area and the base of the spine
• This Chakra hold the energy associated with your birth, money, health and wellness, grounding, belonging, and more...

Enjoy!

Recipe for Coconut Oil & EO Deodorant

I recently discovered that the non-aluminum deodorant that I have been using for some time has derivatives of alum in it. Yikes! Is it possible to get away from toxins? What is hiding in our cosmetics and foods under deceptive names?

When we gave up anti-perspirant deodorants over a decade ago, we did so because of research that suggested that aluminum is linked to Alzheimer's. At that time, we checked to ensure that we chose no products with aluminum or alum in it.

Note to self and you: Check labels constantly. Companies change their recipes.

So, daughter and I went searching for a natural, home-made concoction for deodorant. Below is our recipe. I am using it for the first time today and am pleased!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup baking soda (aluminum free)


• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder


• 3 to 4 tablespoons coconut oil


• 5 to 10 drops teatree essential oil (optional)


• 5 to 10 drops lavendar essential oil (optional)


• 5 to 10 drops geranium essential oil (optional)


• 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel

Instructions:

Use a wooden spoon. Use a medium to large glass or ceramic bowl. Mix baking soda and arrowroot powder together. Add the coconut oil and mix until the consistency is a paste. Add the essential oils. Use the ones listed above or ones that you like. Add the aloe vera gel and mix thoroughly.

Place mixture in a glass jar. Make a label - fancy or not.

To apply, use your fingers.

Enjoy!

Purpose

I really love this idea - the notion of purpose; finding your's and courageously engaging in it.

'What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us; we feel useful and the work we do feels like play to us."

-Julia Cameron

The Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen

Onions are at the top of the clean fifteen list. Apples are at the top of the dirty dozen list.

Eating more fruits and veggies is a goal for most of us. The key is to do it without ingesting toxic pesticides. If the fruits and veggies you eat are on EWG's dirty dozen list, buy these items organic.

The EWG - Environmental Working Group - is an action-oriented organization dedicated to providing the public with information that protects our health and our environment. Check out their mission and sign up to get their alerts and tips, if you so desire. Visit their web site for additional information. Click: www.ewg.org/foodnews/

I absolutely love their EWG's 2011 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce list. Get a copy for yourself from their web site.

Enjoy!

Quote of the Day

"Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

~Gloria Steinem

Photograph taken at MOMA - NYC

A Short History of Medicine

I found this accounting on a web site for quotations on medical subjects. The history seems about right. Enjoy!

A Short History of Medicine

2000 B.C. - "Here, eat this root."

1000 B.C. - "That root is heathen, say this prayer."

1850 A.D. - "That prayer is superstitious, drink this potion."

1940 A.D. - "That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill."

1985 A.D. - "That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic."

2000 A.D. - "That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root."

~Author unknown

It appears we have come full circle.

Photograph taken by Teaka.

Talk & Taste Event

We invite you to join us at the Talk & Taste Networking and Fundraiser Event - the Art Edition.

Come to the Defoor Centre in Atlanta, GA. on Tuesday, June 14th from 6pm - 9pm.

Purchase your tickets now for only $5.00 at: www.talkandtaste.eventbrite.com.

My sister, Lucretia and I will spotlight Ganovia Coffee! To learn more about this amazingly delicious gourmet coffee, go to: www.CoffeeGanovia.biz. Click the Wellness tab, then Ganovia Coffee.

We will have the coffee available for purchase at the event. You may also order from the website.

Hope to see you there.

Enjoy!

This Side of the Rainbow

I am grateful for the hope, love, faith, charity, and possibilities that I see on this side of the rainbow.










Photograph by Teaka

Serendipity

I am grateful how serendipitous life can be. I am so pleased and happy that this is a good day in America.

Life is But a Dream

I am grateful for life. I am grateful for dreams.

This photograph is of a graphic on the side of a building in Ellensburg, Washington. I loved it when I saw it! It reminds me that we have the wherewith all to make our dreams our reality. We can discard old dreams and make new ones. Oh, yes we can!

I remind myself, daily to dream big. Dream true. Dream well.

Expressions of Creativity

I am grateful for the chance to express myself creatively. Though my arts and crafts art far from expert quality, I am pleased with them. Artistic expression is so fulfilling and beautiful to the soul.

I have painted with water color pictures on canvas and paper, sketched with pencil in black and white, fashioned pottery, made collages with pictures and varuious elements - even woven baskets. With every project, I have stepped back and said, "this is good!" I love that creative, articstic projects allow me to use the the right side of my brain, whereas most of my days' work relgates me to left-brain thinking.

Oh, the joys of whole-brain thinking!

Daughters

I am grateful for my daughters. They are different, yet alike in many ways. Both are brilliant, funny, savvy, resourceful, thoughtful, reflective, and beautiful. My Girls!

Easter Sunday

I am grateful for this sunny, warm, peaceful, quiet Easter Sunday. Easter, in my mind, is the official beginning of the new season - spring. It is also a time to affirm the newness of life. I look forward to new beginnings.

Blessings to all.

Photo taken by my sister, Teaka.

Spring Rebirth

I am grateful for this beautiful spring season. Spring helps me to realize in its vivid excellence the rebirth of life. Everything seems to come out of dormancy--trees, flowers, birds, bees, the sun, even people!

I simply love it!

NOTE: This photograph was take by my sister, Teaka.

The Simple Things

I am grateful for the simple things that life affords. Peace of mind. Love unlimited. Happiness. Joy. Abundance. I too am grateful that I realize that these simplicities require effort and determination.

What are you grateful for?

A dear friend extended an invitation to record for the next 21 days what we are grateful for. I am extending the invitation to you.

Will you commit to record in writing what you are grateful for? I am choosing to do it on my Facebook wall and in my personal journal.

Will you join me?

Gratefully yours!

Letetia

Peace Within

This is a quote that a friend sent. I think it worthy for all to see.


Peace Within

"May today there be peace within. May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content with yourself just the way you are. Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love. It is there for each and every one of us." -Unknown

Enjoy!

The Origins of Valentine's Day

What does Wikipedia have to say about the origins of Valentine's Day?...

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,[1][2][3] is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.[1][3] The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs, Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.[4] (Source: Wikipedia)

Making your own massage oil

Do you mix oils for your own special recipe? Here is one of my favorite combinations using essential oils:

10 drops Geranium

10 drops Tee Tree

8 drops Lavender

8 drops Lemongrass

4 drops Eucalyptus

Combine the essential oils and add to 4 ounces of sweet almond oil. Mix well and enjoy!

In Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King was one of America's great civil rights leaders. I wish to honor his memory and his works by putting forth here some of his notable and inspiring quotes:

Enjoy!

Dr. King on Segregation:
"I could never adjust to the separate waiting rooms, separate eating places, (and) separate rest rooms, partly because the separate was always unequal, and partly because the very idea of separation did something to my sense of dignity and self respect."

Dr. King on Faith:
"God, who gave us minds for thinking and bodies for working, would defeat his own purpose if he permitted us to obtain through prayer what may come through work and intelligence."

Dr King on Education:
"Remember that education gives you not only knowledge, which is power, but wisdom, which is control."

"Study constantly even after you leave high school and college."

Dr. King on Love:
"Love is a potent instrument for social and collective transformation."

"Take time to compose a letter or speak on the phone with people who disagree with you."

"Hat scars the soul and distorts the personality."

Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. on his son, Dr Martin Luther King Jr.:
"He was a genius. I am not talking about my son when I say that; I'm talking about a world citizen. He moved beyond us early. He did not belong to us, he belonged to the world."

Germ Fighter

This is the cold and flu season, and our houses are more closed up that in warmer weather. Want to help minimize airborne viral and bacterial germs.

Try one of my favorite essential oil recipes:
4 drops lavender
4 drops lemon
4 drops eucalyptus
Place in a diffuser and diffuse throughout the house.

Enjoy!

The Clean Sweep Program--Self Assessment

Are you familiar with the Clean Sweep Program? It is a great way to begin the year with self introspection and examination.

Check out this web site: www.envisioncreate.com/clean_sweep.htm.

You will be able to print the assessment. Answer the questions honestly and continue to review and assess throughout the year until you are at 100%.

What is the Clean Sweep Program? The web site review states the following: The Clean Sweep Program is an assessment tool to help each of us approach our lives in a positive, balanced way. The program consists of 100 items with a focus on your money, relationships, well being, and environment.

Enjoy!

Speak!

'We have discovered that there are ways of getting almost anywhere we want to go, if we really want to go there." --Langston Hughes

Social Media is Here to Stay!

See this webinar to learn how to use social media to generate more... traffic, leads, sales, influence and more: http://www.crowdconversion.com.social-media-results/webinar-sean-lewis-500million-strong-5th-Jan-2001.html.

Position 2011 for Success

How have you positioned 2011 for your success? What are you doing to ensure this new year will be your very best? Have your created your goals for this year?

To make 2011 your best year to date, here are some suggestions:

• Wrap up 2010 by acknowledging your successes. Also examine your areas of opportunity.
• Ask yourself what you learned and how you can apply successes and opportunities to your goal plan for 2011.
• Assess what is important to you - where you want to place your energy and time. Remember - you have to choose key areas; you cannot focus on everything.
• Match up your values with your focus areas.
• Determine which roles you will focus on e.g. spouse, parent, business partner. etc.
• Write your 2011 goals for each key role and focus area.
• Write an action plan for each goal with quantitative tasks and due dates.
• Take the time to plan, review, and adjust. Do this: yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily.
• Choose a calendar systems that works for you - electronic or paper.

I wish for you all the best in 2011 - may it be your very best year! Enjoy!