One Year Mega Giveaway(s)!!!

New Post Mondays!

New here? Start here...

For those of you who are new here, come on in, make yourself comfy and let's learn together...

It's been a long, arduous road leading up to what I talk about in the following video. All I can say is "People start your engines!" ;o)

Count em, 7 glorious items!

*ecoTOOLS Reusable Tote Bag

* Honey Oat Cookies

* Smell Goods Chai Soap

* ten minute facelift by Jennie Harding

* South of France Shea & Mango Butter Soap

* 100% All Natural Lip Balm

* thinkhappy Organic Surge gentle cleanser

(products are valued at over $75.00!)

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED...SORRY

How to enter:

1 entry * Tell me what product you want the most (you can choose only 1)

1 entry * Follow me and tell me that you are

1 entry * Follow me on twitter @ lcoultrup

1 entry * Post a tweet about it and let me know (did I say it right?)

100 entries * explain to me how to use twitter and why it's worth it

(JUST KIDDING about the 100 entries, but seriously, how on earth does Twitter work?

Email me)

2 entries * Blog about it, link back, and leave me the link

I know we are all busy so if you want to do more than one thing, you can put it all in one comment. NO SEPARATE COMMENTS NEEDED, IT MESSES WITH MY EYES =o)

This giveaway will end @ midnight on Sunday Jan. 3 and the winners will be announced on Monday the 4th. All gifts will be on a high ledge out of reach of my 2 toddlers. I promise. Now have fun y'all and lets play safe. This is gonna be great! :o)

My best,

* Thanks to Itiel of www.smellgoodspa.com for providing the soaps for review and giveaway. Come back next week for a full write up on her products!

Song of the Week: Queens "We Are The Champions" of course.... even if you lose, you are all still winners in my book! (Feel any better?) Maybe I'll do a new Queen song each day as inspiration...yeah that sounds good.

How We Learned To Love Squash

New Post Mondays!

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...there are 150 varieties of squash grown in the United States? Go ahead...name more than 4, I double dog dare you...

Photos courtesy fotosearch

I read an article titled "Squash It!" by Matthew G. Kadey, M.S., R.D and he talks about the benefits of squash and how to use them. I used to walk past that section of the grocery and not even dare to grab one of those eery, bumpy, weirdly shaped things like gourds or squash or pumpkin even. To say I was intimidated would be an understatement. It was just this last fall when our family instituted 'try a new fruit or vegetable each week' that made me say "Let's try one of these tonight." I went out of my cooking comfort zone and I'm really glad I did. Get a load of some of the benefits within this superfood...

* Contain high levels of potassium and iron.

* Lots of fiber.

* Vitamins A - retinol, (good for eyesight, growth, appetite and taste)* and C - ascorbic acid, (good for immune system, healing wounds, reducing cholesterol, cell lifespan, preventing scurvy, and is also a natural laxative)* are all over this thing! *netdoctor.co.uk

Ellie Krieger, R.D. from alot of things but namely from Food Network says to find the right one look for the heavy one with taut skin, matte finish, and no spots or cracks. Also, if you can press your fingernail into the rind easily, pass on it. It means they picked it before it was fully ripe. Store it in a cool, dry place and it should keep for several weeks.

My families favorite way to prepare butternut squash is taken from Everyday Food. I cut the top and the bottom off. Split it in half longways (what's that called? Vertical, right? I only remember that from the 90's Mountain Dew commercials. Get vertical with Dew. So much for all that schooling huh?) Scoop out the seeds BUT DON'T THROW THEM OUT! I'll tell you why in a second. Set them flesh side up on a roasting or baking pan. (If they keep rolling, cut a sliver from the skin underneath to make a flat spot) Fill the seedless hollows with 1tbsp butter and 2 tsp of some really good maple syrup -Grade B recommended. Sprinkle it with maybe some Kosher or regular salt and pepper. Roast @ 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour and feel free to baste them with the maple butter sporadically throughout. Cut it up, spoon any extra sauce over it from the pan. Serve it as a side and the skins are edible.

Photo courtesy fotosearch

What? The seeds? Right! About them. Squash seeds contain protein, zinc, magnesium, iron, and phosphorous (which aids in bone and teeth formation)

*Protein - hair, nails, skin

*Zinc - supports normal growth during pregnancy, helps sperm develop, is needed for ovulation and fertilization.

*Magnesium - improves cramps, energy production, aids electrical conduction of the heart.

*Iron - for blood health

All this in some little seeds. Truly amazing...

Let's Eat Em! Seed Prep:

Wash off the pulp slime, dry the seeds with a towel, toss with some olive oil, salt n pepper. Spread across some aluminum foil on a baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 15-20 min. until they start to brown. Don't let them burn though, you've got to watch them towards the end there.

How about everyone else? Is there a gourd that really gets your gourd going and your belly fed well? Let us know. Leave a comment.

My best,

Muzak! Nelly Furtado "Well Well". I try and always say what I mean, but sometimes I get tired...

All Natural Soapmaker Extraordinaire!

New posts on Mondays!

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...that using germicidal soaps too often may produce antibiotic-resistant bacteria? Using regular soap will do just fine.

Which brings me to todays post. I had the pleasure of using soaps from Elizabeth Rose and I posted a review on their all natural soaps a few weeks ago. You will find it most enlightening I'm sure! Also enlightening? An interview with the maker of Elizabeth Rose soaps, Kathryn Quick HERSELF!!

Read on to learn more about the woman behind these wonderful all natural soaps....

How long have you been making your soaps?

I have been making soap under the name of Elizabeth Rose for more than 8 years.

Why do you make all natural soaps?

Most commercial soaps are not really soap, they are detergents and are very drying to the skin. I love the idea of taking something we all do on a daily basis, such as washing, and turn it into a very pleasant experience, not only for the skin but for the sense of smell as well. I also like the idea that my soaps do not contain animal fats, as do all commercially made soaps, as well as some handmade soaps. In the end, I love everything about making soaps and keeping it all natural, using only plant based essential oils for scent. Our skin is our largest organ and chemicals can and do enter our body through the skin and through the nose. Why rub animal fats, dyes, and chemicals into ourselves when there is a natural, non-toxic way of doing things?

What is the shelf life for most of your products?

I keep my products in a cold room and thereby extend the shelf life to two years. However, being that I don't use preservatives and being that people don't normally live in cold dehumidified rooms, I recommend that once my products are sold and go into various climates and conditions, they should be used within one year.

How long does it take you to make a bar of soap?

I make my soaps in relatively small batches of 108 bars, and the initial process takes approximately 3 hours. The soap mixture is poured into molds, and kept warm, so that the process of saponification can continue for several more days. Afterward, we demold, cut and store in a cold and dehumidified room for 6 weeks. This ensures that the soaps will cure properly and will be long lasting. At some point along the line, we hand stamp each rough cut bar into the pleasing, rounded edged shape you see on the shelves. I believe that we are one of the only if not the only handmade soap company that goes through the effort of hand stamping their soaps, taking the look and finish of handmade soaps to another level.

What was the first thing you made and what made you spin off into other products?

We began as a soap company and that will remain a constant. But people loved our scents so much, that we decided to extend the scents into perfumes, body oils, and bath salts.

How long have you been selling your products?

We have been selling online and have a presence in over 50 retail stores for about 6 years now.

Do you have specific shipping days or are you working your store 24/7 -so to speak?

We work Mon.-Fri. producing and shipping. I don't work on Sunday but will occasionally work alone on Saturday, creating a new scent or product idea.

Is there anything new you are currently working on?

I'm currently working on creating a delicious chocolate scented soap and hope to have it done by February. By next spring, I'd also like to have a line of soap and body products just for babies and toddlers.

I would like to thank Kathryn for taking time out to answer all my questions. She enlightened me on many things soap. I hope that you all go by her site and check it out and purchase some of her wonderful goodies. Your skin will say "Ooooo....yum". This is her contact info:

online site: www.elizabethrosesoaps.com

phone: 1*877*457*SOAP (7627)

fax: 1*845*457*9802

email: Sales@ElizabethRoseSoaps.com

the shop:

Elizabeth Rose Purity, Inc.

137 South Searsville Road

Montgomery, New York 12549

My best,

*2 weeks and counting....(said in a very high pitched Julia Childs-ish type voice)

Song of the Week: The Apples In Stereo "Energy". I wonder if there is a correlation to repetitive endings and subliminal messages...

For The Mamas and the Papas...and Bebes!

New posts on Mondays!

New here? Start here...

Did You Know...

...for centuries, milk has been used as a natural, soothing skin cleanser and skin softener? - Burt's Bees

Babies, toddlers, and children 4 foot and under are just the cutest aren't they? After having our 2, my husband and I have reached our limit I believe. I remember before they were born I read what seemed like every single article in every parenting and pregnancy magazine ever written. I thought I was so prepared that nothing would surprise me and my house would be in order at all times, with quiet babies napping and learning and being pleasant.

image from 123rf

What I got was a dose of reality that no books or 2 page articles in Pregnancy magazine could have prepared me for. Late night feedings, round the clock cryfests (them AND me), still LOOKING pregnant for awhile after the babies were born (umm...so unfair), and dealing with all the products I had in my house for the wee ones. People had bought us a lot of different things and the time had come to put them to use. I was young and a new mother and wasn't into reading cosmetic labels yet, I WAS however the mom that read every single food label that was on baby food jars which led me to making a huge portion of their food myself.

When it came to lotions, soaps, shampoos and such I just looked for one thing: "helps soothe baby to sleep". YES! Those were the words I longed to see. Anything that said that ended up in the cart, bought, and hauled off to our home.

Sadly, I used alot of things that had ingredients like the ones I warn everyone about on here. In one area this could have been avoided with this following product...

Burt's Bees Baby Bee Buttermilk Lotion

I tried this lotion out a few months back, and for some odd reason this review got lost in the shuffle. It's such a nice bottle of lotion. It is not completely all natural. The website says it's 98.81% natural (odd percentage right?) When I put it on my skin I slathered only a little bit onto my hands and I was able to use that little bit up to my elbows. It lasts for a long time and it really kept my hands moist. I am still looking for a completely natural lotion for my babies, but for now I use this on occasion and I share my other great lotion with them.

So if you are interested in this product, here are some places you can find it:

*Burt's Bees website of course

*Amazon had it the cheapest @ $3.10 + $5.98 (Shipping) for 4 oz.

and I do believe they sell it in Target.

Enjoy!

* Side note: something special is going to happen very shortly, so stay tuned...oooo intrigue!

My best,

Song of the Week: Florence + The Machine "Dog Days Are Over". If you are scared of clowns, don't watch the official video for this song! If you aren't scared of clowns, this video may change your mind. :oP

*Enjoy my "snow" for the entire winter. It's my little slice of real winter weather while living in the South. It would have more effect if my background weren't so light but whatya gonna do right?