SKINourishment... ethical, clean, safe

I'm so excited to be giving away a couple of gift certificates to SKINourishment, LLC during my 10th blogiversary celebration!

If you're not familiar with SKINourishment, LLC, let me just share some bullet points that highlight this awesome company:

• Made in the USA
• EU Compliant
• 100% pure
• Food grade
• NO synthetic ingredients
• No "fragrance"
• NO phthalates, NO petroleum by-products, NO mineral oil
• NO GMOs.
• NOT tested on animals
• Safe for Adults, Children, Babies, Animals and our planet!

I know Will personally and believe in this company as they continue to work toward making their products even better for you and the environment. They are working to make their entire line to biodegradable and compostable packaging.

I use the POLYN line of skin care and love it. You can check out my review here.

Perhaps the company is best known for its climbOn Bar. They've even compiled a list of 100 uses for it (well, actually 63). From cradle cap to unsticking zippers to sunburn and chaffing. Check it out here!

There's a lot more to choose from and a $100 or $50 gift certificate would certainly help you get acquainted with the company. Just hop over to the giveaway and enter! 

There are going to be 2 winners. One of them just might be you!

Oh, and don't forget to check out the SKINourishment website and follow them on their many social media outlets.

It all started a decade ago...

So here it is. My 10-year blogiversary. Exactly 10 years ago today, I sent my thoughts out to the entire world in my first post. I must say, I've changed a lot since then. Grown. Developed more of a conscience regarding my role in caring for the environment. 

I started off with a blog focused on cloth diapering and other common sense ways to help the health of your families and the environment, and then stretched my wings and started regular features. Remember Review it Wednesday? How about The Sabbath Experiment which later became The Sabbath Experience, focusing on our need for rest. Of course, there was also my most popular feature, Vinegar Fridays, which resulted in a book. All-in-all, I, along with some guest bloggers here and there, put up 2,124 posts. Whew. That's a lot of writing and editing.

Along the way, I formed friendships with folks in the GG blog community. We bonded over similar interests. It's been one of the biggest blessings to emerge from this simple blog.

I had planned to launch a big giveaway to celebrate the day, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I've had to postpone it. But check back because it's a mighty fine giveaway with sponsors like Earth Mama Organics, Happy Baby Company, SKINourishment, Natural Products Network, Our Children Our Earth, Motherlove, and eatCleaner. That's quite a lineup, wouldn't you say?

I'll post the giveaway on FB, Twitter, and Pinterest as soon as it's live. Stay tuned...

Something's bugging me. P.S. This post ends with a GIVEAWAY!

Lyme's disease! Everywhere you turn, it seems someone is talking about Lyme's. As parents and grandparents and just simply people who enjoy the outdoors, we're developing a tick paranoia... rightfully so. Horror stories of folks we know with Lyme's have us holing up in our homes, scared to venture out into our yards, or... gasp... into the woods for a normally stress-reducing hike. 




That said, you can imagine my delight when I stopped into Happy Baby Company in their final days before closing their brick-and-mortar store** down the street from my office, and saw this bottle of Flick the Tick!









Of course, I snatched it up right away and took it to the counter where Judy asked me if I wanted to review it on the blog. I did tell her that there's a problem with reviewing tick repellent in that the only way you can honestly review it is with a negative review when you come inside and discover one of those nasty critters embedded in your flesh. Otherwise, you don't really know if it's working. 

Then she pointed out that Flick the Tick also repels other insects. Even as she said it, the dozen or so mosquito bites on my arms and legs and feet started to itch. Yes, yes, yes... I'll gladly review it! I couldn't wait to get home and try it out. After all, my husband (who never gets bitten by mosquitoes and has never had a tick on him, despite the many hours he spends in our yard and small woods) has been frustrated with my lack of desire to be out on the porch with him at night. It's not the ticks that keep me inside. It's those darned mosquitoes!!


So, check out these safe ingredients:

• Cedarwood Oil
• Citronella Oil
• Geranium Oil
• Lemongrass Oil
• Rosemary Oil

After giving the bottle a good shake after I got home, I sprayed it on my bare legs, feet, arms, and clothing and headed outside. 

After an hour or so, there were no fresh bites on me.

This morning, I went out onto the porch to have a cup of coffee and do a bit of reading. Before long, I was back inside, reaching for my bottle of Flick the Tick. Another good shake and spray. I spent the next hour bug-free on the porch. I'm sold. 

Will it keep ticks away? I can only hope. But it works for the mosquitoes and it smells amazing. So I'm a happy camper and tonight, when I sit outside with my husband, he will be, too.

So guess what? Judy, at Happy Baby Company, gifted me with a bottle of Flick the Tick for one of my lucky readers. Just enter the Rafflecopter below. I'll draw a winner on Wednesday, August 21, 2019. 

Oh, and one more thing -- Judy isn't closing Happy Baby Company. She'll continue to sell all her great cloth diapers, safe baby toys, amber teething necklaces, and products for mama and the rest of the family online and at various pop-up shops around the Pittsburgh area. Check out her website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Must be 18+ to enter. USA and Canada only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway



If you just can't wait to see if you won a bottle and want to order one now, you can buy Flick the Tick on the website. Now on sale for $14.99!

Gluten-free pancakes... they're simply delicious!

I love Saturdays. The laziness of the mornings is exactly what I need after a busy week. My husband and I sometimes head out for breakfast and stop at some garage sales. But often, we make breakfast together at home and enjoy it out on the patio. That's what we did today and the recipe we made is so good, I just had to share it with you.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancakes 

Ingredients

6 eggs

1 cup steel cut oats or instant oatmeal

1 cup cottage cheese

Cinnamon to taste (I use LOTS)

1 TBSP of chia seeds

Beat the eggs and cinnamon with a fork.

Add the cottage cheese.

Stir in the oats. I prefer instant oatmeal. I use the Simply Nature brand from Aldi's. They're organic and have flax in them, which makes these pancakes even healthier! 

Since 2 packets aren't quite a cup, I did add some steel cut oats as well. I use the organic ones from Trader Joes.

Finally, I throw in some chia seeds. 

In the meantime, my husband was heating up the griddle on our outdoor grill. He melted some Irish butter and poured the mixture into our silicone pancake mold. The end result was 21 ridiculously delicious pancakes, 11 of which we ate (his with maple syrup, mine without). Now I have 10 leftover to heat up for breakfast before work this week. And that makes me happy!

So that's what I made for our Saturday breakfast today. Then I threw some pork chops and onions into the crock pot for dinner. Think it's about time for me to go eat again. 

Ahhhh... Saturdays. Aren't they the best?