Welcome to my
Perfectly Imperfect Life..........

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Monday, January 22, 2018

Weird Wild Wind ~ WW








Loved how it swept the garden paths ♥


All these leaves were on the stoop 
against the front door.


Needed to push them back so we could get out!
Been snowed in before, but never leaved in

Friday, January 19, 2018

Decongestant Shower Melts


It's that time of year where viruses, 
colds, the flu, and other bugs rear their ugly heads.
Congestion abounds and you feel like your
 head is going to explode! 

I started making these Decongestant Shower Melts
a few years ago and they've become a winter staple ever since.
Everyone in my household prefer showers instead of baths hence the Shower Melts versus Bath Bombs.

They are easy to make, just drop one on the floor of the shower as you get in. They dissolve during your shower releasing essential oils to clear your congestion.


You'll need:

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup citric acid (located in the canning aisle)
1/2 cup Epsom Salts
1 teaspoon water
2 teaspoons Peppermint essential oil
1 teaspoon Eucalyptus essential oil
1 teaspoon fractionated Coconut oil (olive, canola almond, etc. will all work), if you have the solid form of coconut oil, just warm a bit for easier mixing.    
food coloring ~ your choice/optional
bowl
whisk
jar
mold


Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and
 mix them evenly with the whisk.


In the jar, mix the liquid ingredients together.
 This is when the Essential Oils, Coconut oil and 
your choice of food coloring are added.
This is an important step! 
I happened to choose blue.


Slowly add the liquid mixture to the dry mix,
one small spoon at a time.


Once all the liquid is added you want to 
be sure to get the ingredients, 
food coloring, evenly mixed.


I found it was easier to get my 
hands in there to mix it up well.


Next you simply pack the mixture 
tightly into your mold.

Your mold can be anything.
I'm using a mini muffin tin. An ice cube tray, cookie cutter, jar lid, etc. could be used. You don't have to go out and buy a mold.


Once you have packed each mold tightly, 
you'll probably want to scrape off the uneven top part.
I used the wrong side of a knife to just 
scrape the excess back into the bowl.

You do want to work rather quickly so
 the mixture does not dry out.


Once your mold is filled, place something that will fit over the mold. Now place it on top of your filled mold, invert it so your mold is now upside down on top.


Give each mold a slight tap


They all come right out.
Leave to dry/cure for 2 days.
You want them dry and hard.
Keep in a tightly sealed container.

This recipe make 17 small Decongestant Shower Melts.
It's a great combo to relieve the sinuses. All 3 EO's have similar properties, but each varies slightly. Put them together and you have a super combo!

*Peppermint EO has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, analgesic, antifungal, and antiseptic properties.

*Eucalyptus EO has antifungal, antibacterial, antiseptic, and analgesic

*Lavender EO relieves inflammation and also helps to fight any bacteria and germs that may cause a sinus infection.


This jar was full.
I didn't take the photo quick enough after filling it.
Gonna have to make more!


Saturday, January 13, 2018

Garden Hose Recycle



Never let it be said I never try to make 
something out of trash before I throw it away!

I decided to pull all the bad soakers and hoses out of my gardens. When they spring a leak or get clogged from minerals in the water, I usually just buy a new one (usually after trying to patch the hole and failing), unscrew the bad one and screw in the new one.   
Hey, who out there said I was lazy? 
I resemble that remark!

Anyway, they sure don't make hoses like they used to.
It seems every year I have to buy new ones.
My backyard doesn't have sprinklers, that's why I use soakers and drippers. I have a 5 way manifold on my faucet so I can get things watered rather quickly ~ even while filling the pond. :)

It had been a few years since I had pulled all the 
bad ones out, there were quite a few.
 (hey, they get covered in the Summer
 by the plants - you CAN'T see them!)

I had seen somewhere were somebody
had made a welcome mat with one.
I didn't need a welcome mat, but did need some kind of replacement for one of my paths that had deteriorated.
Hey, why not, they were headed for the trash, 
it's not like I could hurt them any more than they were. 


You will need:
 lots of zip ties, 
something to cut with (I used my pruners),
some kind of pliers to pull the zip ties tight
(your fingers will thank you),


Oh, and did I mention LOTS of hoses - 
depending on how large and how many mats you plan to make.
Any style hose will do.
I used round soakers, flat sprinklers, regular hoses, 
even those curly hoses.


This was my first one so it was kind of experimental 
as far as what size it would turn out.

First cut off all the metal attachment ends on the hoses.
Bend a piece over about how long
you would like the mat to be when finished.
Use zip ties to secure the bend/fold together.
Now keep folding/rolling the hose tightly around 
and around it self securing with zip ties as you go.
I had no rhyme or reason with the zip ties, 
I just added one where I thought it needed to, 
to keep it secure.


If it is not as big as you want it, 
just over lap the end of another hose at the end of the hose you just finished approx. 1 inch. 
Secure tightly with zip ties and continue going around.
When your mat is the size you want and are completely done, 
secure tightly with more zip ties.
 Turn it upside down and cut off the ends of the zip ties.


Here's my experimental one. 
You can see by the different colors of the hoses -
it took 2 +. I needed to snip the 3rd off
so it would fit between the edging.

It is the perfect size for a door mat ;/

Now I would have loved for it to go down
that entire straight stretch, but oh well.
I have plenty more hoses.


So this time I started with a l o n g first fold/bend.
When I was done, it completed the rest of that 
straight stretch.
Yes, I ran out of black zip ties, 
so I used what I had - white. :p


I used a green sprinkler hose next, 
just to see if it was easier to manipulate.
Yes, it was!
My poor fingers needed a break.

I didn't quite have enough green ones to make it as wide 
as I wanted it. But wouldn't you know it, 
one of my good green ones just sprung a leak! UGGH
You can see it in the photo below - it will be finished this Spring. 


Now I needed a small one for the curve in the path.

Let me tell you right now - 
you need a lot of determination to use one of those curl up hoses. 
If I would have known how much I would have to 
had to fight with it, I would have tossed it!
Silly me thought it would be easy since it was 
already going in a circle - NOT.
It was the hardest one, but it turned out to be the 
exact size I needed for the curve in the path. 
It's on the end in the photo below.


All in all, I'm pleased with the hose mats for my path.
I think they will wear well and will provide secure 
walking when/if the path gets flooded.
Yes, I know the path is not complete - 
it is a work in progress....

After all ~
I have plenty of hoses from last year yet to use.



Other posts you may be interested in:
Feed Your Worms
Lazy Gardener Tips
Natural Pest Control in the Garden

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