Homemade Bug Spray

The bugs are out in full force right now. Ugh! They drive me nuts. Tick's are my main concern as they carry horrendous diseases, and are EVERYWHERE.  The kids love playing outside, so we are constantly finding ticks crawling all over their clothes, and have even pulled are few out that were attached. I decided to make my own bug spray this year, in hopes I could repel these nasty creatures in a safe natural way. Homemade bug spray is one of the easiest things to make. Once you get a collection of essential oils on hand, it is much cheaper than buying the good expensive bug spray at the natural food store.

You will need:
Spray bottle(I found mine at Target)
Distilled water
Witch Hazel
Essential Oils, Cedarwood, Citronella, Eucalyptus, Geranium, Peppermint, and Lemongrass

Method:
Fill container 1/2 full with distilled water. Add witch hazel almost to the top. Add about 10 drops each of the essential oils. Cover, and shake to combine.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Birthday Lunch

This is the lunch I sent with B on his birthday a couple weeks ago. You can see I cut out the number 6 from some scrapbook paper that said happy birthday. I also cut a strip of it for the happy birthday message. I made his favorite pinwheels with the cream cheese, olive, carrot and spinach mixture. Strawberries, watermelon shapes, cucumbers and bunnies complete this yummy lunch.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

I am sitting here righting this post super quickly so I can find a few minutes to plant some flowers. The time seems to be flying by me right now, and I am finding it difficult to cross things off my to do list. So, happy Wednesday everyone. Here is a school lunch. :)

In this lunch:
Turkey, cheese, spinach wrap
Carrot Sticks
Kiwi and Strawberry fruit salad
Circle Crackers with Brie
Bunny Cookies

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Homemade Deodorant

I have been wanting to make deodorant for a while now. I finally managed some time to play with some ingredients. This is the best combination I came up with so far. I spend a lot of money on all natural deodorant from the health food store, so why not make my own, and save a little money. My main motivation for using an all natural product is to avoid the aluminum, which is cancer causing. It has also been proven to cause dementia. NO thanks. I use this deodorant every day, and I love it. I do 3-4 swipes under my arms, and call it good. I will say the weather has been pretty mild since I started using this, so I can't tell you how it works on a hot sticky day just yet. I will update this post once the temperatures climb a bit.

You will need:
2 Tbs. beeswax pellets
1 Tbs. Shea Butter
5 Tbs. Coconut Oil
1/4 C. Arrowroot Powder
1/4 C. Aluminum Free Baking Soda
3 Drops Vitamin E Oil
20 Drops Vanilla Essential Oil
20 Drops Lavender Essential Oil

Method:
Bring a pot of water to boil. Place a small glass jar inside the pot and melt beeswax, Shea butter and coconut oil.

Once melted stir in the arrowroot powder and baking soda. Add vitamin e oil and essential oils. Pour into empty deodorant containers, or into a mould of choice.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

Here is a school lunch photo for you. I made B this lunch on Monday and he of course gobbled it right up. The best part for me is that most of this lunch is made from leftovers we had in the fridge from the weekend. How easy is that for a Monday morning? Have a great day.

In this lunch:
Greek yogurt with a gorgeous fruit mixture on top
Cheese quesadillas
Broccoli with Ranch
Bunny Crackers
Chocolate Chips

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I had such a great day, I hope you did too. My family and I spent the day exploring our beautiful state. We took the boys to see a lighthouse, and walk the large rocks out into the water to reach it. They had a blast. After that we had a picnic lunch and enjoyed the gorgeous view from on top of the mountain. Lastly, we went out to dinner, and ate some locally made fudge as we watched the boats come into the marina. It really couldn't get any better.

 

 

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

The girls.

We got baby chicks. They are so adorable. I am in love. :)  The hatched on Wednesday, so they are only a couple days old. The boys absolutely adore them, and are so excited to watch them grow. We have all six of them named already. Their names are Camille, Lucy, Belle, Chip, Callie and Gwen. I will post pictures of their growth here and there so you can watch them grow with us. Have a great weekend. Happy Mother's Day.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

6th Birthday Party

 

B turned 6 this week, so tis past weekend we had a big party with family and friends to celebrate.  I thought I would share  few pictures with you from the party. I made Skylander cupcakes, as B is obsessed with Skylanders. I think he ended up getting 13 of them for his birthday, along with the actual game system. The cupcakes are my regular chocolate and vanilla recipes with buttercream frosting that I have shared on the blog before. You can find the vanilla recipe  here, and the chocolate recipe here. I found the Skylander ring on amazon, and used dye free naturally colored sugar crystals to top the frosting. The kids loved them.

 

I kept the snacks light for this party. It was supposed to be held at our local playground, but since the weather was not on our side that day, we relocated the party to our house. I filled mini plastic cups with different kinds of fruit for the kids. I had a large bowl of fruit salad for the adults. I also had popcorn for everyone. The fruit cups are so colorful and yummy.

This is my little family. The boys are wearing Skylander masks that I had set out on the table. All the kids wore one. So cute.

Here are the Skylanders. Ha. B had a blast having this group of friends over to celebrate him turning 6.

.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

Peanut butter and jelly kabobs, what?? How fun is this? B absolutely loved this lunch. I used heart shaped cookie cutters to make mini peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Some strawberries and kiwi in between made for an eye appealing kabob. B loves brie cheese, so  cu a wedge and included some circle crackers. Cucumbers and a chocolate macaroon complete this delicious lunch. Have a fabulous week.   
Thanks for visiting, Kayla                                                                                                                                                              

Herbs in a jar

 

A few weeks ago I planted some basil and chives in the lids to some mason jars. All you do is put a little soil in the lid, place the seeds in, add some water and screw the jar on. Wait a few weeks and your fresh herbs will grow. I keep mine on the window sill in the kitchen. They are still growing, but once they grow a bit taller I will be able to cut them as I need them.

 

There is nothing like fresh herbs to add to your recipes. I love being able to go to the garden or a herb garden pot and use my own herbs and vegies rather than getting them from the store. It is so convenient, and it come s at a great price tag.  

 

Thanks for visiting, Kayla