1–10: mini x-mas trees

1–10

Christmas trees in small versions. I think branches and small trees are super decorative. 

Go out for a walk and find a broken branch, save it and take it home with you. 

Buy a small tree you can enjoy indoors for some weeks and then 

you can plant the tree to grow and live for ever more!

– Read more to see all the picks – 

1, 6 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5

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The Gift of Time ~ A Mother's Treasure

Drift off to Dream by Daniel F. Gerhartz

The best gifts in life are made up of minutes and seconds. 

It is the time and energy you give to your children.

It is the moments poured from your soul and into their little hearts. It is something that money can never replace and gifts can never satisfy.

It is you, dear mother.

It is those mornings you sit with your child as you read together from books. It is those afternoons spent stirring a batch of cookies. It is the evenings spent embracing them, showering them with kisses. 

It is your investment of time.

It is precious, invaluable.  Just like your children... for they are your gems.

They are the only treasure that you may take with you to heaven.

Forego the fancy toys and the glittering electronics… It is the memories spent with you that will always be cherished.

Won't you wrap yourself up these next few years in a box with pretty string and offer yourself to your family?

Your time, dear mother, is the best gift that you can ever give.

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

making the best use of the time…"

~ Ephesians 5:15-16

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: Modest Mom Monday's, Make it Yourself Mondays, Homestead Barn Hop, Natural Living Tuesday's, Teach Me Tuesday, Raising Homemakers, Make Bake Create, Wise Woman Link Up, Christian Homemaking, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Whatever You Want Wednesday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Homemaking Wednesdays, Homemaking Thursdays,  From the Farm Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop and Deep Roots at Home. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. 

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buy our book online

We want to tell all the interested that our book is sold 

online on Home and Delicious. 

Just click here.

It can't be easier! 

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stars all around

hallabára

Paper stars as decoration is one of my all time favourite. And by the way, I love light through paper. How soft and warm. As I've decorated our home with the stars I thought I should show you were I put them. Actually I put them all around (feel I need some more!) but one thing I always do is prop them against something; wall, big photo, window... I never hang them up in the window. Hope this give you some ideas to try at home. 

– Read more to see all the stars –

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monday's mix: enliven the christmas decoration

Monday and already December. When considering today's post I immediately thought about Christmas decoration and how to pull it off. The idea of decorating for Christmas is the same as decorating other days of the year. To make things more interesting, beautiful and intriguing. My opinion is that if the decor is just put here and there without consideration we are not going to enjoy it as we should. It's nice and cozy to warm up this Christmas month with extra light and cute things and let the decor be in rhythm and harmonise the interior. 

Ideas for Christmas decorating –  group your decor, make vignettes / use light, lamps and candles to lighten up the vignette / play with hight / play with texture / play with personal things and ornaments and add into vignettes with design and classic objects / use the floor as well for bigger ornaments / use mirrors to reflect the decor and make it more compelling ... use your imagination. 

– Read more to see the images –

1, 3, 5 / 4, 6, 7 / 2

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Uses For and How to Dry Orange Peel ~ Citrus Series

"Orange peel contains aromatic compounds that are antiseptic, reduce muscles spasms and decrease the thickness while increasing the production of mucosal fluids. It also contains bitter compounds that are anti-inflammatory, reduce muscle spasms, increase the production of digestive fluid and increase blood circulation. Citrus peel has been used to treat coughs, colds, flu, fevers, and bronchitis."

~ Nutritional Herbology: A Reference Guide to Herbs by Mark Pedersen

With so many medicinal benefits and practical uses, I am in awe that we are taught to throw away the orange peel. A few moments later and we repurchase them in prettily packaged products that someone else produces. We are sharing some of our favorite ways to use your peels and instructions on how to dry them. Some of these recipes use the fresh peel while others use dry, so keep that in mind when preparing them. It is quite fun to play in the kitchen and it feels so good to be frugal!

Important Note: Because we are using the actual peel for these products, I highly recommend using an organic (unsprayed) source of oranges.

How to Dry Orange Peel (Two Ways) ~

Simply remove peel from a clean orange with a zester, paring knife or vegetable peeler. If you keep the pith with the peel (and peel it like you are going to eat the orange) that is fine too, but keep in mind that the pith is a bit bitter. 

• Orange pieces (or any other citrus peel) dry for 3 - 6 days (depending on the humidity) on a cookie sheet, single layer, in a warm room. Stir peels every day until dry and brittle. Drying only the zest will take half of the time.

• Although I prefer the slow dry method because I believe it retains more of the beneficial orange oils, you could also dry them quicker if time is limited. Simply place in the oven on cookie sheets (single layer) at 170 degrees for an hour (or more) until completely dry and brittle. 

Store your dried orange peel in an airtight container in a dark, dry and cool place (such as your pantry).

Make Your Own Orange Peel Granules ~

Build up your pantry by preparing your own orange peel granules for cooking, baking and handcrafting needs. Simple grind up your dried orange pieces in a clean coffee grinder. Store in an airtight container. They can be used to enhance flavors in your preserves, desserts, sauces, grilled vegetable and meat dishes. Dried orange peel can also be used as a pretty garnish and many of the projects in this post.

Note: You will find our printable "seasoning and spice" labels for your dried orange peel here.

Sweet $avings: Williams Sonoma sells 2 oz. of blood orange peel for $10. Yours was created from a by-product and can be considered free!

Make an Orange Peel Sugar Scrub ~

Use your dried and coarsely ground peel to make an "orange sugar scrub" for a luxurious bath product. Here is the simple tutorial.

Sweet $avings: Burt's Bees sell an 8 oz. orange sugar scrub for $10. Ours is all natural and cost 90% less to make!

Make Your Own Orange Extract ~ 

Make your own orange extract by using this tutorial but replacing the citrus zest with fresh orange zest. You will find a printable recipe link featuring our label and gift tag at the bottom of this post (simply download and print). You may consider adding it to your herbal.

Sweet $avings: Nielsen-Massey sells 4 oz. of orange extract for $12. Our cost is 50 cents!

Make Your Own Mulling Spices and/or Simmering Potpourri ~

It is easy to make your own simmering potpourri or mulling spices with your dried orange peel. Our tutorial is shared here.

Sweet $avings: Williams Sonoma sells 4.5 oz of mulling spices for $12.95. Ours probably cost $1.

Make Your Own Citrus Grilling Salt ~

Mix together 2 tbsp. fine sea salt, 1/4 cup of dried, ground orange peel and 1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper. Prior to grilling, add oil and vinegar to some of this rub and spread on vegetables for a distinct flavor. This would also be tasty sprinkled on marinating meat. This recipe was inspired by Kami McBride from her book, the Herbal Kitchen.

Note: Free printable "orange" labels are found here.

Make Your Own Custom Tea Blends ~ 

Use dried orange peel in your own handcrafted tea blends. Health benefits of the peel are shared above and more information is here so consider them in your next brew. They also make a frugal addition to your medicine cabinet. Visit this post for tea blend ideas. 

Make Orange Peel Potpourri ~

For a frugal autumn/winter potpourri blend, follow these three easy steps:

• Place your dried orange peels in a large bowl and add what you can find in your pantry and your backyard. Some ideas are broken cinnamon sticks, dried pods or cones from trees, whole (or coarsely crushed) nutmeg, cloves (whole), allspice (whole), dried leaves, bark, wood chips, sticks and/or an assortment of dried, pretty petals.
• Add in a few drops of your favorite seasonal essential oils such as clove, orange and/or cinnamon.
• Toss well and store this mixture in an airtight container for 3 days to allow the aroma to infuse (shake a few times a day). When the time is up, place your potpourri in a pretty bowl or vase. 

Note: You may want to be creative with your cuts when drying your orange peel for potpourri. In the photo above, however, we just used regular orange peel pieces.

Make an All-Purpose Citrus Cleaner ~

Place fresh orange peels into a clean jar (peels contain d-limonene which is a natural degreaser and excellent cleaning solvent). Cover peels with white household vinegar (make sure they are submerged under the vinegar so that they do not mold). Cap your blend with a plastic lid and let it infuse in a sunny spot for 3 - 4 weeks. Once the time is up, strain the vinegar and discard the peels. Pour through a coffee filter (or fine sieve) to remove any excess solids. You now have an effective and aromatic cleaning solution (our printable cleaning labels are shared here).

Ideas for Use:

• Use a 50/50 mixture of citrus infused vinegar and water for an all purpose cleaner.

• Add a cup of this solution to a bucket of hot water to clean your floors.

• For tough cleaning, use pure without diluting.

Make an Orange Peel Scouring Scrub (Household Cleaning Cleanser) ~ 

Grind up approx. 2 - 4 tablespoons of dried orange peel until powdery (I used a coffee grinder) and add approx. 1 - 2 cups of baking soda (this is flexible). Blend mixture together and pour into your cleanser jar or empty spice shaker (tutorial to make your own cleanser jar is shared here).

Optional: Stir in a few drops of orange essential oil.

Misc. Orange Peel Ideas ~

And this is just the beginning of what can be done! You could also make candied orange peel, add orange zest into your preserves for a flash of flavor, use the peels to keep your brown sugar soft or try this natural ant control remedy. Preparedness Mama shares "24 Uses for Oranges" in case you would like inspiration for the entire orange. We will be sharing more ideas in the future because there is a creative art to being frugal and we seek to develop it in our little home.

“Wealth is certainly a most desirable thing, but poverty has its sunny side, and one of the sweet uses of adversity is the genuine satisfaction which comes from hearty work of head or hand, and to the inspiration of necessity, we owe half the wise, beautiful, and useful blessings of the world.”

~ Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

HERBAL RECIPE Orange Extract by JES

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: Modest Mom Monday's, Make it Yourself Mondays, Homestead Barn Hop, Natural Living Tuesday's, Teach Me Tuesday, Raising Homemakers, Make Bake Create, Wise Woman Link Up, Christian Homemaking, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Whatever You Want Wednesday, Welcome Home Wednesdays, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Homemaking Wednesdays, Homemaking Thursdays,  From the Farm Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop and Deep Roots at Home. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these. Clip art for the orange extract is courtesy of the Graphics Fairy.

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Aliments qui empêchent les troubles digestifs

La nourriture que vous mangez peut affecter la santé digestive. Par conséquent, les experts de la santé recommandent toujours que vous choisissez vos aliments à bon escient.
Lorsque la nourriture est consommée correctement, cela aide le tube digestif de prévenir les troubles tels que les brûlures d'estomac, ballonnements et la constipation.

Eh bien, voici quelques aliments qui sont bons pour la digestion selon The Times Of India.

Le gingembre contient gingerol active qui produit un sentiment de chaud, épicé, de stimulation et de propriétés thérapeutiques. En plus d'être une épice de cuisine, le gingembre est souvent utilisé comme un médicament pour les troubles du système digestif, tels que des nausées.

Fenouil contient l’anéthole qui peut soulager le système digestif. Le fenouil contient de l'acide aspartique, qui agit comme un anti-flatulent.

Le yogourt contient des bactéries probiotiques qui sont bonnes pour l'intestin. Les probiotiques garderont l'intestin de rester dans les meilleures conditions, tout en prévenant les maladies invasives par les aliments. Et aussi d’améliorer la fonction digestive.

la menthe est souvent utilisée comme un traitement pour l'indigestion, les brûlures d'estomac et des flatulences. La menthe est aussi connue pour son efficacité à stimuler l'appétit. Il est également capable de traiter les nausées et maux de tête.

Les feuilles de laurier sont déjà éprouvées, d’êtres capables de traiter la migraine, l'anxiété et le stress. Ces feuilles peuvent aussi améliorer le système digestif et aident à purifier le système.

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