I’m letting you in on a little secret today, it’s easier than you think to make your own healing potions. After coming off of a homemaker high of making Katie’s Fire Cider, I decided to follow her lead and simmer some Homemade Elderberry Syrup as well.
For some reason, I’ve been really intimidated to make this Homemade Elderberry Syrup. Maybe it had to do with the “elusive ingredients” (they weren’t hard to find) or simply my own procrastination, but whatever was stopping me, don’t let it stop you! Homemade Elderberry Syrup is easy to make and I’ll be adding it to my monthly/bimonthly kitchen routines. Here’s how it’s done:
Hiking is definitely one of our favorite outdoor activities, and I happen to have two kids that are always up for a hike. We love our weekday hikes the best. The trails are relatively empty and we feel carefree to move along the trail at whatever pace feels good, even coming to a complete stop when we find spy a treasure worth investigating.
This week’s Waste Less Wednesdays post was originally published 3 years ago (it feels like just yesterday!). I’m happy to report that all of the shoes in this post are still going strong, and I just popped into the shop to get the heel replaced on a pair of my favorite winter boots.
Feeling like you have no soul* sole? Replace it!
In today’s cheap clothing culture it seems that we aren’t investing in quality clothing and shoes that can be refurbished rather than replaced. Today we’re talking about how easy it is to replace/fix the soles of footwear. We’re hoping to encourage you to think twice before you toss your next pair of shoes or boots.
*sorry, but you know we needed at least one soul pun in this post. It’s best that we got it out of the way in our opening line. 😉
If you’d like more cocktails, we have a pretty great archive of inspiration. Looking to sip something floral with your sweetheart? We’d recommend the lavender lemon gin fizz or our sour wildflower.
It’s blood orange season! Pick some up at the market and treat your V-day pals to this delicious pink cocktail.
This week’s edition of Waste Less Wednesdays is also a throwback! We’re reminding you of the least expensive valentine around (okay maybe a hug is cheaper) coming in at about .30, a banana valentine! We love this simple waste-free way to show your appreciation.
We are all about balance around these parts. Sarah’s balance goes something like this: wake up at 4:00am to catch a sunrise from the summit of a mountain then spend the next 24 hours sleeping. Me? I’m always trying to strike a balance between showing my guys I love them by making fussy treats and then leaving a few oh-so-simple surprises around the house that have just as much meaning. Today we’re sharing the latter. A simple surprise that will put a smile on anyone’s face.
You’ve probably seen this banana trick before, but we wanted to remind you of it again, especially if you woke up today realizing that you still don’t have anything for your Valentine. Don’t stress, just pick up a banana and follow these tips.
A treat for your Valentine’s Day sweetie! Whip up a batch of homemade marshmallows this week!
Seeing homemade marshmallows make the internet rounds and knowing how much my husband loves them (caffeinated marshmallows were a stocking stuffer hit!), I was excited to test my kitchen skills and make whip up a batch.
The recipes all seem simple enough, but there was still something daunting about turning sugar into perfectly puffed squares and not ending up with my hand stuck to the magazine inserts like Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation (need a reminder?). With a free day, and all of the ingredients on hand, I am now a homemade marshmallow convert ~ they are so easy to make! And addictive! Although, while in the middle of this sweet adventure, there were a few moments of panic.
I love (LOVE) living so close to Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s the closest that I’ve ever lived to a national park, and every visit puts a big smile on my face. Needless to say, when I came across the Subpar Parks account, I couldn’t stop laughing.
Subpar Parks
Illustrator Amber Share pairs negative reviews of the national parks with her own illustrations. She’s created an illustration for each US national park and has now moved on to parks in other parts of the world. I mean, I guess her work is funny. Would you believe me if I said I’m super unimpressed?
With the new year, we’re starting a new weekly series called “Waste Less Wednesdays”. Our passion for preserving Mather Nature is pretty strong, but we recognize that we live in a consumer-driven society. As such, we try to be honest with ourselves about our own consumption, our needs vs. wants, and the opportunities that we have to reduce waste. We are often sharing tips and tricks to reduce our consumption, and this series was born from those conversations. Read Katie’s previous post about the cup.
Today I’m here to tout my newest purchase, an Albatross Razor. For years, nah, a decade, I’ve used a simple 3-blade Venus razor. The amount of waste involved has always bothered me, like why does each razor head need to be individually wrapped in plastic inside of another box or piece of plastic? Strike one. The pain of chucking one of those plastic heads into the trash every two-three weeks without a way to recycle them, Strike two. The cost, about $5 per head, Strike three. Beyond that, I’m trying as hard as possible to purchase from companies with more integrity and while I won’t talk smack on Gillette, I wouldn’t say we’re aligned in our values.
Meanwhile, Albatross Designs is built around, “a desire to take back the metaphor of the albatross and return it to a symbol of good luck. If we give nature the respect it deserves, good fortune will follow.” The Schu family is already big fans of albatrosses and honestly, that’s why this particular razor company caught my eye early in my internet search to begin with. They ask customers to, “Please help us in our mission to “SHAVE” the World from Plastic.” and we’re so down with that.
There are many, many “zero-waste plastic” razor companies out there, but I’ll quickly note the reasons why Albatross stood out.
Integrity, mission, and motives behind the company – seriously, they cannot be beaten. Read all about Albatross here and you’ll want to support them.
Very minimal packaging! The razor is mailed in a cardboard envelope that contains a little burlap sack holding the razor and refills.
Simple design. Simple razor. Less waste. The butterfly razor design is pretty neat – you simply twist the bottom of the handle and the top splays open. Then you can easily take out the old blade and place the new one in.
This type of razor allows you to buy a year’s worth of blades at once without breaking the bank.
There’s no subscription hook or big starter pack filled with lotions and creams I’ll never use.
Albatross features a Take Back Program. You can send up to 40 used blades at a time back to the company. Albatross will then turn them into Take Back Ware! Pretty neat.
I will admit, I was a little worried I would cut myself to pieces with this razor. I’m not sure why, but they just seem more intimidating than the Venus razors. I appreciate the moisturizer on the Venus razor during the very first use, but by the second use they are enveloped in that gooey, lotiony, slime stuff, ick. Anyway, obviously not the case with Albatross. I use a bar of soap instead of shaving cream and then just glide away. It’s really no different than other razors. The ridged edge on the razor (not on the blade, but on the holder) provides a good guide for how much pressure to apply when shaving and I haven’t cut myself yet! It took me about a week to become brave enough to shave my armpits, I’m happy to report that it all worked out great!
I’m already loving the ease of use and not leaving a weird slime on my shower shelves. I also appreciate how easy it is to remove and store the blade, making this a safe razor to travel with. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve cut myself multiple times in my life just by reaching into my disorganized toiletry bag and somehow grabbing the blade of a razor. Yikes! Never again. Another plus? Now that I’m the proud lucky owner of a hot tub, I’ve already had a friend or two wishing they would have shaved before soaking – no problemo now. With this razor, I can easily swap the blade and let them shave. Bonus? Each blade comes in a tiny paper envelope, so I write my friend’s name on the envelope and slide their blade back in for the next sleepover, hot tub time. It’s the tiny perks my friends! Seriously, this razor is a simple pleasure, but it truly does delight me.
What about you? What razors are you using? Who do you purchase them from? Are you happy with your current setup? Let me know if you have any questions!
If you like this post and want to read more about our uterus-related topics? Click here for Sarah’s Mirena IUD experience and click here for her 2+ year IUD update.
Waste Less Wednesdays
With the new year we’re starting a new weekly series called “Waste Less Wednesdays”. Our passion for preserving Mather Nature is pretty strong, but we recognize that we live in a consumer-driven society. As such, we try to be honest with ourselves about our own consumption, our needs vs. wants, and the opportunities that we have to reduce waste. Sarah and I are often sharing tips and tricks to reduce our consumption, and this series was born from those conversations.
We’re starting the series by bringing back one of my most favorite waste-reduction choices: the menstrual cup. Why start with this post? Well, I’ve used my cup for every period for 2+ years. I had heavy periods requiring both pads and tampons. There was nothing fun about my period, but switching to the cup paired with period underwear (more on that below) has been a game changer and a major waste-reducer! I haven’t used a single disposable period product since making the switch.
That’s right. Not a single disposable product in over two years! I can confidently say that I’ve made the money back that I spent on the initial cup + underwear investment, and at this point I’m saving saving money that would have gone to more pads and tampons.
To be honest, I’m much more bashful when it comes to talking about certain topics than Sarah is. Kudos to her! But, I’m so happy + excited about my experience using a menstruation cup that it’s time for a post…. happy enough that I’ll repost this information every year with the hope that it will help others make the switch.
I’ve become the crazy lady that will talk to anyone about it if they just mention the word cup…. Oh, you were just talking about Boulder’s awesome new cup-sharing program? Well, let me tell you about my new cup anyway. You were just asking about the difference between a question mark and a period, we’ll let me answer all of your questions about my period cup.
Hey Valentines! We’re republishing an old favorite today: Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Icing and Rose Petals. The Schu family loves this simple chocolate cake recipe. Spend a year of birthdays with us and you’re bound to have it at least a few times. Fancy it up with some buttercream icing and the addition of dried rose petals and you have the prettiest Valentine’s Day (or any damn day) dessert. We like to share this cake a few weeks early in case you need to order the organic rose petals online. If cupid shot you with an arrow and you’re in need of more Valentine’s Day DIYs – check it! Continue reading …
