$5 Weekly Spa Day

For years I had heard and read about epsom salts being a great additive to a bath, however, I never paid enough attention to think it would help me. I do regret not looking into this soothing miracle sooner. I have seen packets and cartons of epsom salts sold in drug stores, the 99 cents only store, and health food stores. I always passed them by without a second glance. I am so glad I remembered where I had seen them! Recently, I read somewhere that epsom salts were good for plants. That alone was the reason I just had to buy some. I want my garden to be fruitful, and I'll try almost anything natural. I did a little bit of research, and learned that the crystals are magnesium, and are very good for the skin. I was intrigued. I rushed to my local 99 cents only store, and bought a few cartons and bags of this stuff.

Coincidently, my daughter had pulled a muscle in her neck. I remembered the epsom salts, and convinced her to take a bath in it. She reported that her neck felt a lot better, and she was able to move it again! I had to "feel" it for myself, so I took and epsom bath, and I have to say-it was soothing, relaxing, and I felt good afterwards. I thought maybe it was a placebo affect, so I took one every week for a month. The same good feeling each time.

I recommend this type of bath for anyone with anxiety, sore, achy body, or for a nice, relaxing way to unwind. For less than $5 a month, you can enjoy the serenity of these baths every week.

Organic soil, 99 cents only!

I took my usual trip to my local 99 cents only store, and came home with 2 bags of organic potting soil, a cute little green flower pot, and some sugar melon seeds. Less than 5 bucks. My kind of deal!

Upon opening the bag of potting soil, I found that it smelled fresh, looked healthy so to speak, and contained the perfect amount of moisture. I filled my egg cartons, planted various seeds, and less than a week later, some of my seeds sprouted!

I do recommend buying the potting soil from the 99 cents only store. The bags are enough to begin growing seedlings indoors, and the quality is much more than I had expected. I'll be going back for more!

My Superfoods Are Not Green

Because of my extreme sensitivity to gluten and dairy, I cannot take some vitamin or mineral supplements. I have to be extremely careful with anything I put in or around my mouth, even on my hands. For some reason or other, I believed that the only way to really get my vitamins was via supplements. It took lots of research on my part to realize that the best way is to get vitamins in their most natural form-food. DUH! More research later, I discovered several vitamin rich foods that I now add to my daily routine to re-build my health. Here is my list:

- Quinoa: It's got a mild flavor, which makes it delicious as a breakfast cereal or side dish. It is full of amino acids, very high in protein, iron, and gluten free. Because meat hits my stomach hard, I supplement my protein with this super grain.
- Blackstrap molasses: One tablespoon of this is extremely high in potassium (mine currently has 600 mg; Plantation brand), 20% iron and 20% calcium!
- Nutritional yeast: Bragg's is my favorite brand. I love this on popcorn, on my spaghetti, and as a supplement to cheese. It is also very high in B vitamins.
- Manuka Honey: While this particular food does not really have a vitamin content, it is full of medicinal properties. It is very good for those of us suffering with digestive ailments. It is even being used in wound dressings in other countries! I highly recommend keeping a jar handy at all times. However, to find authentic Manuka honey, be sure to only buy product with a license number, and the UMF symbol somewhere on the front of the jar. I can write a whole new blog on this miracle, but I think I'll leave that research up to you. I buy mine at my health food store, or my local Fresh & Easy Market.
- Bio-K+ probiotic drink: Okay, this isn't really a natural food, but it's loaded with probiotics. When my tummy feels irritated, this soothes it immediately. It is available in a dairy, soy, and rice base.

Getting my vitamins isn't limited to just these foods, however, these are my superfoods. After years of trial and error, I found that these are the easiest to digest, easiest on my tummy, and delicious.

A bit of an intro

My first blog of 2013. I am much better at writing things down-from experiences, to feelings, to recipes-than I am at speaking. I hope this time around, I find myself blogging more. I've got plenty to share.

I love crafting things. Creating art. Fixing stuff myself. Saving money. Reading. Learning. Gardening. Bartering. All of these things led to this, my newest hobby to add to the hoard.

I've added links to sites I frequent on this post for mobile viewers who cannot see the link bar. Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and my favorite bartering site, Listia. I have a couple of other sites I'd like to share with everyone, but I'll blog about those later.