Make your own Cough Drops with Coconut Oil, Honey, and Cinnamon

I know my pic isn't fancy, but this is my day off and I've got it packed with stuff to do to catch up with life. So, this is what you get. :)

Here is the link to The Coconut Mama recipe I used.

The ingredients are super simple - raw coconut oil, raw honey, and cinnamon!

Some folks had issues with their recipe not hardening up. I had  no issues. My CO was solidified when I started (pantry runs 68*-72* or thereabouts).

I don't have tiny ice cube trays, so I used my Tupperware ice cube trays and a small Pampered Chef scoop and put a scant scoop in each compartment. Then I pounded them on the counter top to make them settle in and flatten and stashed them in the freezer for the afternoon.

When I took them out of the freezer, they were solidified. They popped easily out of the ice cube tray (over a cookie sheet, I twisted the ice cube tray, turned it upside-down, and most of them came out. For the remainder, I pounded the ice cube tray upside down on the cookie sheet a couple times.)

I put them in baggies and they are in my kitchen freezer door for easy fighting-illness pick-me-ups.

I'm thinking these will be good to add to my morning tea, as well as a soothing throat drop!

After a long hiatus.....I am back! Here's a recipe I made today for Homemade Cough Drops!

I know I've been gone for awhile. Life sort of got in the way and I've been pulled away to other things.  But this month I've been working a bit on writing a very-much-in-the-beginning-stages novel for National Novel Writing Month and the writing bug has bit me in the hind end and I wanted to get back to writing here on the blog again.  So maybe this blog post is part procrastination, but it just seemed so much easier than figuring where to go next with the novel. It's still writing....right? ;-)

After this whole election thing and finally finding out the results, I was feeling the need to do something....to make something with my hands.  I've been dabbling a bit in some make-your-own type stuff and I know winter's on its way.... I was having a gluten-free cinnamon roll(been a long time since I had one - it was yummy) and I swear by my Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice (decaf) tea to keep me healthy through the sick season.

(Yeah, I know that was a long, crazy sentence up there...)

Anyway, I looked around a bit and decided to try my hand at making my own cough drops/throat drops. I'm not too thrilled by the ones with all the extra junk I wouldn't otherwise consume.

I found 2 recipes, and this is the one I decided to make today: http://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2014/11/diy-homemade-cough-drops.html

It was super easy - no need to heat anything up. And my little handmade cinnamon and honey cough drop balls look a lot like the ones on the The Prairie Homestead's site, so I must have done it right!

Now I need to let them sit a day or so to dry and then either wrap them up in wax paper pieces or put them in a container to keep them safe until I need them!

I was able to find Slippery Elm Bark and organic cinnamon at my local health food store (I believe it was from Frontier). I had the raw honey in my pantry already - purchased from the farmer's market.

Spring Chickens

Finally! An afternoon off work and the sun is shining and we can see the ground!

The chickens get to come outside and play!

A Charlie's Soap Post - Again! (I love this stuff!)

Yes, it is time for another Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder post.

Why, you may ask?

Because I am scraping the bottom of the bucket and need to buy some more!

I went on Amazon and found it and put it in my cart and found that the last time I purchased it was on March 3, 2011.

That was 3 years ago, folks! That means I have spent $40/year doing laundry.

And it means that, going by the # of loads the bucket says it will do, I have done 333 1/3 loads of laundry each year (that's a lot of laundry!).

I still recommend it. Works well in our hard water (unlike the homemade stuff), doesn't bother my or my kids' eczema-prone skin (like the homemade stuff did), and it's cloth-diaper friendly (if you're into that).

Go get yourself some. They sell smaller containers(cost more/load though) if you feel sorry for your delivery guy or just don't know where you would stash a bucket of the stuff or want to try it before you commit to a 3 year supply. (lol)

(and, no, I'm not being paid to put this out for you all to read. I just love the stuff and am passing the news on to my friends! :) )

Meet Heather: Mesothelioma Survivor!

Today I would like to share with you a story from one of my readers by the name of Heather.  She is a wife, mother, and a mesothelioma survivor. When her daughter was 3 ½ months old, she was diagnosed with this rare and deadly cancer, and given 15 months to live.  Her prognosis was grim, but she knew that she needed to beat the odds for her newborn daughter, Lily.  It’s been 7 years now and she feels that it is her duty to pay it forward and inspire others.

Her words: "I clung on to hope throughout my whole journey with mesothelioma. When you have hope, it makes the battle easier.  I want people to be inspired by me, I want to make them fight; give them something to hold on to when all else fails. That is why I do it.  If I inspire one person, I've done my job.

I'm using my personal story to help raise awareness of this little known cancer, and to provide a sense of hope for others facing life’s difficult challenges."

You can read more and watch a video of her telling her story here:
http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather



If you want more information about mesothelioma treatment, you can find it here: www.mesothelioma.com/treatment

For any of us who are struggling with mesothelioma, or any other health issue, I think we can take some inspiration from Heather's words at the end of the video: "Don't give up. Don't take a death sentence as a diagnosis. There is hope."


What an amazing outlook on life. Thanks for sharing your story with us, Heather!