Some of my favorite things today

I did not have a previous agenda for tonight’s blog. I was, however, going to write a blog this morning on week 5 of my Hempworx CBD Oil trial, but Word Press was a bit messed up, and that time has passed. Then there was the pain in my CPRS/RSD foot that made me crawl back into the tub and soak it and take a nap about 3 PM. We abandoned going to the local book sale so I could hopefully sleep it off and then be able to go me my ladies’ circle for some coffee, but that got cancelled, too. So I looked through my pictures and decided to do some of my favorite things for being vegan, and for my sanity, which may otherwise be known as wellness, to some people. I was getting ready to go to bed and had shut the computer down, but my husband’s work called. Apparently, they had him on the schedule tonight, but it was not on our schedule we had hanging up….that his supervisor gave him. So it’s just me and the gang of animals here. So….let’s do a blog about some of our favorite things!

First off, I am enjoying blogging. My therapist has been trying to get me, for 2 years,  to journal more frequently and tell my story, but I just couldn’t seem to do it. I find it easier to type because my fingertips can better keep up with my thoughts, wherever they channel in from. Writing, while I have a favorite pen and journal, and have come to love seeing my script, just can’t keep up with the thoughts. That second pic up there is a little something I discovered at a college town’s Giant and then, our local WalMart had it the other week. It is incredibly scrumptious, and I’m hoping that they will have it when we go again. The General Tso’s Tofu is a bit spicy, so be forewarned, if you don’t like that. I do. The third pic is the latest paperback I’m reading. I have had a facination with Bill Murray since the late 70’s, and watching Saturday Night Live with my dad. And we share a name. Plus, when Ghostbusters came around when I was in fourth grade….lol….I ALWAYS got to play Peter. And I always got slimed out in recess when we would recreate the movie. That last pic is the Bermuda Rum Runner Coffee Latte I made. It was the flavored grounds, made the way I like it, So Delicious French Vanilla Coffee Creamer, and 4 tablespoons of coconut oil blended together in the Magic Bullet, which has since been named NutriBullet. Topped with So Delicious Coco Whip and cinnamon. These coconut oil lattes are a take-off of the BulletProof Coffees some shops, and even Dr. Oz focused on a few years ago. I can’t fully remember, but it is something about the fatty acids (MCTs in coconut oil) binding to the caffeine. It seems to sustain the energy and pump it throughout the whole day.  Here is the article I generally give to everyone, as a first-look tutorial, enhanced with witty comments, in coconut oil coffee : Swanson Vitamins Cococnut Oil Coffee . Swanson Vitamins is where I’ve been getting my supplements and alot of health, beauty, essential oils, AND VEGAN FOOD from. I save about 25% on there from our local health food stores. I’ve been using them for about 2 decades. If you choose to sign up for it, you can get cool recipes and other health info sent right to your inbox.

For those of you reading this that know me in person, you know I am BIG into essential oils and I even signed up for one of the major competing MLM brands to offer to my friends. I’ve since gotten away from that because it seems like all these competing companies do is put each other’s products and other companies down, and claim, “I am the best!” I don’t like the nonsense and ridicule some of the representatives do, and have done in front of me. Plus, there is some pretty sketchy health claims being made by people who are not educated in the medical field. Being a peer specialist, I am supposed to offer my peer/client a choice in whatever matter comes up. I carry this belief over to essential oils. It is my belief that, “Gee, I hope you order from me, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do for YOUR wallet and wellness, not mine.” Keep in mind, however, that if you go to a store and ALL of the 7-10 oils they are offering on the shelf are all about the same price…..walk away. It is probably filled with synthetics and crap. Even if it says “pure” and “organic” it might have fillers. Yes, Frankincense is over $50 a bottle, as are some other oils. Melissa (lemongrass) is close to $100! The more precious and rare a plant is, the more costly the oils, resin, incense, etc will be. Let’s not even talk about the Bulgaria Rose oil…..I have no clue who can afford that. Do your research. Essential Oils University on Facebook is a great place to start. Dr. Pappas does the gas chromograph testing for, I think, most brands in the world. He is a respected scientist. He’s outed several brands on Amazon lately for lying to the public. I’d actually like to take his course, as it is highly based in chemistry. Or David Crow’s course through Floracopeia. I’m undecided. And do not have $500 sitting around to make that decision right now.

I am jam-packed with essential oil knowledge, but have yet to take a course (see above) on aromatherapy outside of the training I got in Professional Massage Therapy School. I do DIY projects frequently. (But, due to a lack of energy and motivation, I still have to make my DIY Christmas products.)  Here is what I am currently diffusing in my diffuser, right next to my bed: It was called Tahiti by someone. It is 3 drops of orange (Citrus sinesis, as there are many “orange titles” by different companies), 2 drops of Ginger, and 2 drops of Ylang Ylang.  I multiplied this by 4 and put those drops in a bigger bottle and put 3 drops of the combo in the diffuser about 2 hours ago. It is still going strong. Our current diffuser holds about 3/4 cup of water.

Here is my absolute favorite that Trudy Scott, certified nutritionist talked about on an On-Line Health Talk last year regarding anxiety. It was diffused in a hospital cardiac ICU to help reduce stress and increase sleep. I can tell you that I took a mini “fan” diffuser with a felt pad in to the hospital last year when I had my malignant adrenal tumor removed and adrenalectomy. I had my husband, and my emotional support dog, Simon there as well. We still shake our heads because I woke up and kinda jumped off the bed and was attempting to groggily plug in my diffuser and administer drops of the (following) combination. All the nurses loved it when they came in my room to check on me. It is 12 drops of Lavender (English), 4 drops of Roman Chamomile, and 1 drop of Neroli. Now the Roman Chamomile and Neroli can be a bit pricey, but this combination is so worth it. I even gave some to my massage therapist last year, as she was having her gall bladder removed about 2 weeks after my surgery. She said she felt calm and relaxed using it!

Some day, when It’s not 10:00 at night, I want to try to figure out how to do the pages and archives to load up DIY projects. There is even something called a portfolio I see on my WordPress menu.   So this was a fun blog, not all about pain and negative feelings and such. I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I’ll leave you with pictures of Simon eating his nightly carrot snack this evening.

Take Care, Be As Well As Possible, and Until Next Time…