Keeping Hearth and Home

We eat a lot of popcorn in our family.  And I mean a LOT.  We buy our popcorn kernels in bulk, by the 25 lb bag-full.  Yeah....we eat a lot of popcorn.  When we first got married, it was microwave popcorn. While it may taste pretty good, we figured out that microwave popcorn isn't the best for you.  Since moving more towards real food, we have found a happy place with our popcorn making, and I want to share our recipe and method with you, as well as some other options. We use a stove top popcorn popper when we make popcorn at our house.  We were introduced to this method by my brother-in-law who would make us theater style popcorn whenever we would visit them.  He used the actual oil and popcorn salt that they used in movie theaters (purchased at Sam's Club) in his stove top popper.  That is originally how we used our popper as well, but then I started looking for healthier options.  This recipe is our favorite variation so far. Photo...

I love essential oils.  I also love tinctures and other herbal remedies.  But my kids aren't always thrilled with home remedies because of taste/smell/random finicky-ness, and *sometimes* I run through a few natural options and still can't solve a problem myself.  Case in point:  my 7-year-old has a nasty bug.  We had family come and visit this weekend, and someone was sick.  Sunday he started complaining of not feeling well and by Sunday night he was running a moderate fever (100-101 degrees Fahrenheit).  I rubbed some lavender oil on him to keep it moderate and put him to bed.  The next morning his fever was 101.8 when he got up. Still no big deal.  But within an hour it was up to 102.8.  Hmmm. Time to try something a little more potent.  Out came my glycerin tinctures, diluted in water.  He wouldn't take more than a sip and then refused more because it turned his already painful stomach. Out came the essential oils again....

Okay guys, I gotta admit that I have discovered something I am super stoked about, so I thought I would share!  Before I get to the nitty gritty, let me back up a bit and give you some history on this discovery. We have problems at our house. Skin problems, sinus problems , fertility problems...you get the idea. Many of these problems are what led me to start making my own cleaning and beauty products. Commercially available household cleaners are chocked full of harmful chemicals known to cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, cancer, and even reproductive problems. I don't have proof, but I have a sneaky suspicion that many of our modern illnesses and health concerns have their roots in what we put in, on, and around our bodies. I have been using vinegar and baking soda to clean with, and I have also been making my own laundry detergent for at least 5 years.  Both are great options for cutting down on suspicious chemicals in your home, but I could never get my mir...

This post can be found on the Homestead Barn Hop #163 I am not a doctor, nor do I claim any medical training or knowledge.   I just want to share a story about some success that we had with essential oils a few weeks ago.   The information in this post is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Let me just start by saying that his post is not a plug for one brand of essential oils or another. I totally respect the products of many oil companies, but I also feel that it is okay to use products from more than one company.    I may mention what brand I use simply because of the particular blend that I used, but I in no way want to contribute to the "essential oil wars." There, now that that is out of the way, let us move on…. I was introduced to Essential Oils (EOs from here on) by a friend of mine about 2 years ago.   She was trying to convince me to buy a membership or start a business, and I was a total skeptic from the get-go b...