I just made a really lovely Honey Rose Facial Toner which i tested this evening just to see how it feels. I will keep using the green tea one i made then next week use the honey one and see which one I like best. Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup rosewater (found at mediterranean stores)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (try not to use white vinegar)

1 heaping tbsp of liquid honey

Mix everything together and store in a bottle. I like this recipe because it doesn't need to be refrigerated unlike a lot of toner recipes I've come across.

Right now I am using a washcloth to apply as I do not have cotton balls and the eco-green girl in me doesn't want to purchase them so i went looking for an alternative. Beacuse I am such a fan of Etsy.com and supporting indie artists, I went there to see what I could find. To my surprise I found some awesome reusable crochet cotton type balls. 25 of them for $4!! Comes with a mesh bag so you can wash them and not lose them. I purchased them thinking this is definitely a good investment! I'll never have to buy cotton balls now :)

Here is where I got them if anyone is interested. I'm sure she'll post more: http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=14468263 These are listed in the "facial scrubies" section in her shop so if you don't see them right now just contact her and I am sure more will be posted. These are not only environmentally friendly but frugal. Great gift if you make the toner and give it with these.

If you can crochet, you can purchase a pdf file of the pattern from another seller for $2.50 to make your own!(http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20799695

If you don't want to spend any money, you can easily use a facial scrubbie for the same purpose, perhaps you can make them smaller. I don't crochet so I am not sure how this would work, but here is an easy FREE pattern for a facial scrubbie: http://grannysquarewoman.blogspot.com/2006/02/vesy-easy-small-scrubbie-pattern.html This would be great if you have leftover cotton yarn from other projects.

I'm really getting into using natural homemade stuff. I have done this for years on and off but sometimes get caught getting stuff with pretty packaging...ugh. So back to the homemade products wave for now!

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This is a bit of a rant, so be forewarned! LOL

My recent trip to Kiehl's when I was in Montreal made me realize how much money and time we spend on beauty. What is beauty...exactly? And why our constant obsession to achieve it and why are we willing to spend so much money to get there? Is there a way to get beautiful without sucumming to all these advertisements making claims for a youthful appearance? Do we have to take out a second mortgage just to be beautiful? :) Of course not.......

For the record, I do believe beauty comes from the inside, but sadly so many of us have stressed out over-worked, unhappy insides.....I mean, what do we do?

My friends often tell me I am blessed with youth and good genes. I've even had to show ID to people who didn't believe my age when I told them. I'm 39 but apparently I look 27. Most of my friends are in their mid-late twenties and tell me they keep forgetting I am almost 40. One  friend even told me there must be something magical in our water, because my sweetie who is 37 looks 25. LOL. So what gives? Why do we look this way?

Of course I laugh at all these comments and know that *maybe* genes have a small part in this but it certainly isn't because I buy fancy creams, go to the spa twice a week or have a personal chef or trainer on hand :o)

So here goes:

DIET

I had a naturopathic doctor who herself was not vegan but told me that I look the way I do because of my diet. Food can be a poison but also a healer and we all know it can make our skin awful or beautiful looking. If we eat lots of raw fruits and veggies, have enough protein and move around a little, you'd be surprised what that will do! Eating chips for a snack and burgers and processed foods for dinner isn't going to make you look or feel good, especially if it's a habit. (watch a documentary called SUPERSIZE ME) Not saying everyone should be vegetarian or vegan because there are many of us who are who don't eat well! It comes down to this:  don't overeat, don't eat processed foods too much and increase raw seasonal fruits and veggies in your diet. I am not a health nut at all (believe it or not) but i have trained my body to tell me what it wants. A friend of mine who used to live with  me, once told the story to his mom that i'd come home sometimes and eat an entire stalk of broccoli as my body was craving it. Funny isn't it? But that's how it goes with me now. I was overweight for a big chunk of my life, so i'm not one of those people who doesn't understand what it's like to lose weight..trust me i do all too well. Once we train our bodies, it's very strange what starts to happen. Believe it or not, I CRAVE fruit and vegetables. I never could have said that 15 years ago. Granted, I do crave chocolate too, but I eat eat almost everyday..just the dark 80% stuff because it's so good! Nothing wrong with some indulgence, everything in moderation right?

LIFESTYLE

Another thing that contributes to youthful appearance and energy is one's lifestyle. Now granted, we all have different choices as to what makes us happy in life so I'm not going to tell you how to live a happy life on my terms. Sometimes I think people's views are distorted as to what REALLY makes them happy. I know I'll never have a midlife crisis because I've always done what I felt was right for me regardless of the ridicule i've experienced around me. For example,  I decided at 15yrs old that I did not want children and kept that promise to myself. I knew I just had too much to do in the world and wanted more freedom than children could give me. Some people say it's selfish but in the end, it made me such a happy person (not a miserable parent with a child). I  do LOVE animals and have adopted several, these are my "children" and they make me so happy. I've actually met people who said they love their kids but regret having them, now that they know what they know now. I've heard that WAY too many times and found it rather astounding. On the other hand, my mom is the type who just adores being a mom, she is an amazing mother who wanted us so much and I am thankful for that. Having children made HER happy. Luckily she respects my brothers' and my wishes not to have any. These are the choices she made and she was more than thrilled with them. Too often I see people doing things that they feel they HAVE to do because of societal pressures. In the end, these people get depressed and miserable, go on medication and start looking terrible. Before I go on too much of a rant, the moral of the story is to do what you FEEL is right for you and what makes you happy (as long as you don't harm anyone physically of course). I am one of the happiest people I know when it comes to my life. No one should EVER tell you it's wrong to want to go live on a beach and write for the rest of your life. It's your life, do whatever you want, as long as it makes you happy. Happiness is beautiful.

EXERCISE
 

We all love exercise right? Nope! Every magazine in the world is telling us different ways to move our bodies and demonstrating different contraptions on how to make it happen more easily. Most of us dread that trip to the gym or on the treadmill at home. Some of us like to move but our lives are so busy. I admit, I am not athletic even though my body is built to be. I never liked exercise and all the times I lost weight in the past, exercise was my least favourite thing. Myself, I got lucky and discovered something I actually like in the past year...yoga!!! I have  been slim for over 10 years now but I know I didn't move enough. Walking to the corner store just didn't count :)
It took me that long to find an exercise I truly enjoyed. I had done it in my late twenties and hated it but revisited it last year and loved it. So the moral of this story is, just because you hated something years ago, doesn't mean you would now. So keep trying new ways to move your body, it's amazing how great you feel when you do. I still love walking and when I travel that's how I mainly get around in the city I visit. I never liked running, but am curious to try it again, though nothing beats yoga and meditation for me! Next year i will take my teacher training!

AND THE MORAL OF THIS POST IS.............

We need to retrain our bodies and minds to recognize what makes us feel good inside and out. Miracle creams and diets aren't going to fix us, they will only make us feel like we're being defeated. Feed yourself properly, move around and make sure you fulfill your dreams and wants in life (not your mom's, neighbours or friends!). I have never felt so good and free in my life, and I look better now than I did when I was 20...because now, i know who I am, I do only what makes me happy and I eat good grub. :) Oh, and I have LOTS of love in my life and a partner who accepts me for me....always.

Excuse the rant, i was feeling this!!

Some less serious postings tomorrow with recipes! 

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Yesterday I finally felt like I was putting a dent in chores and errands. I didn't make it to yoga (argh!) as I had too much to do during the day. Then I meant to go to yoga again this morning and forgot about the time change so technically I woke up too late! Is the universe just telling me I am not ready to go back to yoga yet? Who knows?

We ended up at the farmers market yesterday where I bought some locally made organic tofu (a bit pricier but worth it as I like to support local businesses). Also got some stufffed grapeleaves and guacamole from one seller I buy from weekly. I realize I can make my own guacamole but right now avocadoes are ridiculously expensive here so buying the guacamole is almost cheaper if not the same price.

Then we headed to the fruit/veggie store and spent under $20 for a bag full of stuff: Strawberries, LOTS of bananas, sweet potatoes, cortland apples, broccoli, frozen local blueberries and a few other goodies). It's nice to have fresh produce again as I eat so much of it usually.

For dinner I had a few stuffed grapeleaves and a few cups of cooked broccoli. It was delicious. My sweetie had leftover pizza that he had bought at the store and has enough leftovers for at least 2 more meals.

Last night I had the house to myself, so I made a Citrus Honey Beer soap, some honey sugar body scrub and some pedicure stuff (rose geranium foot soak, tea tree & juniper foot cream). I have been tempted to go get a pedicure. I used to do it every 6-8 weeks but haven't in almost 5 months! I almost went last week but because of my big spending in Montreal, I stopped myself and did it at home last night. Here is what I did:

AT HOME PEDICURE

1.Fill a large basin with warm water & fill bottom with flat stones (this massages the feet). Then add 1/2 cup of sea or epsom salts, a few drops of rose geranium (you can also use lavender, tea tree, peppermint...) & some dried or fresh rose petals (2 tsp). Soak for 10 minutes.

2. I then used my professional foot file and took off the dead skin & rinsed in the foot basin.

3. Then, take a foot scrub (I used my honey sugar one). You can make your own by using 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp sea salt & 1 tsp olive or jojoba oil & 1 1/2 tbsp honey. Mix together, wet hands and scrub on feet. You can also just use a combination of sea salt and enough oil to make it pasty. Add some tea tree or peppermint if you have it on hand.

4.After that, I cut my nails, dried my feet and added lots of cream on them and placed plastic over my feet, then socks to keep it warm. I walked around like that for awhile and when I went to bed I took my socks off to find lovely soft feet!! I didn't polish them as I am not really good at it, I find the natural looks nice anyway right now :)

Since I missed yoga this morning, I will cut my honey beer soap and make some blueberry muffins. Off for coffee with my friend later this morning and I plan to cook and bake the rest of the day so I have lunches prepared for the week.

More tomorrow!

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