SALT

Salt Is Essential

Ye art the salt of the earth:  but if the salt has lost its savour  wherewith will it be salted?  It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot by men.

Matthew 5:13

Salt is ancient, to say the least.  Salt is essential to life.  It is found all over the world in different forms.  Salt  found in oceans is the main mineral, thus the term “sea salt.” In its natural form it is called rock salt or halite which is a crystalline mineral.  

Common table salt is composed of sodium chloride. The taste for salt is basic to the human taste buds.  However, only 6% is used for human consumption.  Sodium is essential to human health because it is an electrolyte.  With this being a fact, consuming too much salt can be harmful to the human body. 

A fact to note: ancient people who raised animals and ate animals from their herds did not use salt in their food, because there is more salt in animal tissue than in plant tissue.  

Because salting is probably the oldest method of preserving and seasoning food, salt was highly valued by the ancient Hebrews, Romanians, Chinese, Greeks, Romans, Hittites, Egyptians, and Indians.  In other words the world, as it existed at that time, valued salt as a precious commodity for trade.

The ancient Hebrews used salt in making a Covenant with God.  They sprinkled salt on their offerings to show their trust in Him.

  Wars were fought over salt as the need increased for preserving and salting food.  In fact, Roman soldiers were paid a “salary” in salt; thus, the word “salary” comes from the Latin word salarium.  

Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French salarie, from Latin salarium, originally denoting a Roman soldier's allowance to buy salt, from sal ‘salt' (dictionary definition).

This mineral, salt, has many uses aside from seasoning and preserving:

• manufacturing: polyvinyl chloride, plastics, paper pulp
• water conditioning processes
• de-icing roads
• agricultural use
• soaps
• glycerine

These are some of the uses in manufacturing.

Other Uses:

• Clean oil stains on garage floor by using a paste of salt and water

• Epsom Salt for the garden (must be Epsom salt, not table salt)  Epsom Salt is a mineral containing magnesium, sulphur, and oxygen. It is an inorganic salt.

• 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt 
• 1 gallon water
• Dissolve the Epsom salt in water, then water the vegetable garden once a month.  
• For tomatoes mix a tablespoon of the Epsom salt into the soil before planting. The magnesium in the Epsom salt will help the tomatoes grow.  

Every 2-3 weeks water with the water/salt solution.

Here is a new tip that I just discovered:

• If you have a swimming pool and you are thinking of updating it, consider making it a saltwater pool.
•  Building a new pool?  Make it a saltwater pool.  You will be exposed to less chlorine, as the salt dissolves it can cleanse and sanitize the water.  Just a thought, 

        goodtips

OLIVE OIL-Benefit and Uses

What to do with Olive oil

One of the oldest ingredients used in all parts of the world is olive oil, originally, a product of the Mediterranean area.  From the olives come oil that is used in many ways with benefits for the entire body, inside and out.  

The oil is derived from the olives and refined from a heavy oil to a fine extra virgin consistency for use on salads and where a thinner oil is preferred.  

There are other uses for this natural product from olives.  

• Olive oil is beneficial as a skin ointment to minimize and smooth wrinkles.  It provides protection from the harmful rays of too much sun.  Applying olive oil to the hair gives the hair a smooth enriched appearance, and makes it more manageable.

• Taken internally by eating food with olive oil provides nutrients that benefit the skin and hair directly from inside the body.  This oil is used in the manufacturing of many products because it is natural and beneficial

• Soap, cosmetics, cleaning compounds, hair and skin preparations contain some amount of olive oil.  These are vegetable based products

• Even pet food now may contain olive oil for the benefit of the pet and its outside coat

• Got squeaky hinges?  Use a little olive oil on those hinges, the squeak will be gone in no time

• Shoes look dull from wear?  Rub a little olive oil on them.  They will look new and revitalized.  This is a good solution in a pinch.  As a last resort, you have no shoe polish, do this and your shoes should look as good as the rest of your outfit

• Use olive oil as a polish for wooden furniture.  Mix olive oil with lemon essential oil and you have a cleaner and a polisher in one:

    1/2 teaspoon olive oil

    5 drops lemon essential oil

Pour into a spray bottle, spritz, and wipe with lint free cloth. The lemon disinfects and olive oil adds the shine.  

• Lemon juice and olive oil mixture can be used to mop a wooden floor.  Add vinegar to cut grease, deodorizer and disinfect: 

    3/4 cup olive oil

   1/2 cup lemon juice

   1/4 cup vinegar 

   1 gallon of water

• Pour a small amount of olive oil on a cloth.  Rub over a sticker that is hard to come off.  Rub until the sticker loosens and turns into a ball.  Wipe away the ball and the gooey access.  That’s how you remove a sticker easily, using a product from your pantry.

• Got paint brushes with dried up paint in them?  Soak them in olive oil for 30 minutes, then wipe them clean with a rag.

 Another use for an ingredient from the pantry,  goodtips 

Living Green

GREEN LIVING

For me, green living is living within the Eco system responsibly.  That means no polluting or pouring noxious gases into the atmosphere.  Using the natural elements of nature to sustain life is green living.

Solar power, wind power, and using rain water to the ultimate is part of this plan. 

The Sun is a natural resource that is free to all. Although, there may be those who would harness its energy (if possible) and attempt to sell it only to a privileged few.  Solar energy can benefit everyone, especially  those living in deprived areas and countries.  One does not have to pay a utility company to use it.  Where there is abundant sunshine 80% of the year, this can benefit the people by providing electricity. What a blessing! Living green.

There are large appliances such as washers, dryers, and refrigerators designed to be used with solar power. 

It seems that there is a lot of foot-dragging or some intentional obstacle to prevent people from using energy from the sun for electricity.  The greed for making money and hoarding it seems to be the impetus for not instituting solar energy into the power system for town and country.  

Controlling non renewable energy and making a profit by doling it out for a price is the greatest hindrance of developing renewable sustainable energy for the masses.

A few States in the U.S. have programs that make it affordable for the average citizen to incorporate renewable energy into the power source to generate electricity going into their home.  This is used with the local power company.  This is a great savings for the homeowner.  The local utility usually ends up paying money to the consumer for electricity not used, since usage is prorated.

Wind energy is free also. There are areas where the wind is strong enough to sustain enough power to generate electricity for near and far.

Wind turbines are starting to appear all over the world.  Instead of raising sheep a young farmer overseas decided to develop a wind farm. There is plenty of strong wind power in many areas.

Rain water is a natural resource with many uses.  As it comes down it cleanses the air, therefore, it is dirty.  Even in this form it can be used to water the plants and animals. The waterways are replenished.  

Gathering rainwater in a barrel or another large container and recycling it can save money.  Use this water for outside chores, cleaning outdoor furniture, watering the garden, washing the car, anything that does not need potable water.  

There are ways to purify the rainwater.  There are about 7, or more, stages of filtering that takes out the impurities. Living green.    

Renewable energy is here and will eventually overtake the need for purchasing electricity only from the electric company.  (My opinion)

This planet has resources for all people. No one should be in the dark, be cold or too hot, or even thirsty. goodtips

Uses for Felt

A FELT TIP

There are many uses for Felt.  Felt is made by wetting wool fibers, pressing them together into a non-woven mat. There is no crosswise or lengthwise direction. This is eliminated in the wetting and pressing process.

You can make your own Felt if you wish.  I use ‘store-bought’ felt because I need a larger quantity for household as well as creative uses.

Craft Felt can be purchased in 72” width and assorted colors. Felt in 36” wide is also available. Because it is non-woven, it does not have a selvage edge and can be cut with scissors without fraying.  This is a good thing when cutting out shapes, costumes and Christmas decorations.  

Adhesive backed Felt is handy when the Felt has to stay in position without moving. Lining the bottom of a drawer used to store small tools or sewing notions will keep items in place and prevent them from getting jumbled and mixed up.

Lining the inside of a trinket box that you have created is attractive and does not allow the noisy rattling of the contents.  Contrasting Felt colors add to the design of the creation.  Adhesive backed Felt comes in handy to be used in this way.

Lining the inside of a sewing basket will prevent loose pins from poking through.  Using a contrasting color will make it easier to find loose items in the basket, thimbles, pins, needles, etc.  

Felt is an ideal non woven to use around the Christmas tree.  You can be creative and use any color you wish.  If you like a live tree, cleaning up the fallen needles is less of a task.  Just pick up the felt sheet, empty it outside or brush it off outside. Fold it up and store it until next Christmas.

Make any drawer a jewelry drawer.  Line the bottom of the drawer with Felt.  Place your necklaces, bracelets, beads anything you want to keep in play in the Felt lined drawer.  Each time you open the drawer you will find that your jewelry does not move around. 

Felt can be used to make Felt boards for learning.  Felt figures and alphabet letters on a Felt board can be moved around by the children as they learn. 

Decorate a child’s room with Felt.  Make a valance to go around the perimeter off the room just below the ceiling, this is where the cornice or moulding is located.  If there is mounding, use double sided tape to adhere the felt valance to the mounding all around the room.  You can staple the valance to the moulding instead of the double sided tape if you do not want to use the tape. This will also work on plaster walls and plaster board.

Cut out felt pictures of animals and put each one in a frame and display on the wall or table easel.  This can be a way for the child to learn the animals.  Cut out alphabet letters and do the same.

Save left over felt, there is a good chance it will come in handy in the future.

goodtips, 

Felt Tips

Express Yourself With COOL SHOES

Shoe Fly

 https://www.zazzle.com/comfy_shoes_poster-22886385807952516

 

https://www.zazzle.com/white_strap_slippers_acrylic_print-256078180257137969

Make your shoes look ‘fly,’ ‘cool,’ ‘bling-gy,’ ‘flashy,’ ‘to the utmost,’ ‘and then some’.  Be creative, add accessories to your shoes that say: ‘this 

is me.’  This is the age of expression: express yourself and your creations.

Each of us has artistic tendencies and strong urges to show how we feel, who we are, and what we can do.  We express these things through visual art, music, performance art, and, if in no other way, how we dress and what we drive and ride.

Physical exercise seems to have generated a need for a whole genre of clothing and shoes to make exercise more palatable.  There are shoes for walking, running, jogging, and an athletic type shoe for just plain looking good and being well put together.  Sometimes we like our shoes so much, we forget about fashion, and wear them out.

It seems that the faux gem embellished sneaker is flying out of the stores.  SHOE FLY  has begun.  These sneakers come in tie-up and slip on styles.  The colors are phenomenal.  The sneaker has been reinvented.

The old school sneaker has been redesigned by elevating the sole to a platform sole and adding removal insoles that can be replaced or washed.  

EMBELLISH, EMBELLISH, EMBELLISH! There are all kinds of trinkets that can be clipped on to personalize your shoes.  Bows, ID charms, even mini lights, and gems are among the choices to choose from to make your shoes stand out as your signature shoes.

Shoes come in a variety of colors and materials including neon, fluorescent, shiny patent look, leather, canvas, synthetics, and probably others that have not yet reached the market.

https://www.zazzle.com/fashion_high_heel_acrylic_print-256602761050555943

All in all, there is a way for you to express yourself with the type of shoes you wear.  Now, with shoes that tie up, change the color of the laces.  Contrasting colors can add a lot of punch to the shoe.  Bright orange, or hot pink or bright blue can get you attention that you had not expected, and a compliment to go with it.  

Not only shoe laces are a way to accessorize, but pompoms are fun when they are clipped-on or threaded though the laces.  Fur and faux fur pompoms are clip-ons that add fashion flair to a pair of heels or flats. Be bold, add a pair of pompoms to your sneakers. They come in a variety of colors. Add bows to the back of the heels and strut your stuff.

So, EXPRESS yourself as SHOES FLY out of the stores, BIG TIME.

Add contrasting laces, wear high tops for a change, bright, colorful, bling-gy.  Water proof high top sneakers (athletic shoes) has just been introduced to the market by a top brand. If you like wearing high tops all year round as an all weather shoe, then seek these out.

SHOE FLY, 

good tips

Green Clean

Castile Soap

Cleaning with natural ingredients is preferred by a lot of people.  There are many natural ingredients on this planet that you can use safely to clean with, most people don’t know what they are.  Years ago I discovered the many uses for Castile soap and I have been using it ever since. 

‘Castile’ designates that the soap is vegetable oil based and not animal oil based.  The identification ‘Castile’ comes from the fact that this kind of soap was made originally from vegetable oil ingredients found in Castile, Spain centuries ago. If it is pure Castile soap, then it is a simple ecological soap. The main ingredient is olive oil. My family has used Castile soap for decades.  As a child I remember my mother using Castile bar soap.

Liquid soap has not been around as long as hard bar soap. However, because it is liquid it is easier to use and has more applications.  Pure Castile liquid soap can be used for many things including household cleaning as well as washing the body and washing clothes. This is green clean.

Other vegetable oil based soaps include Marseilles soap, a bar soap made around Marseilles, France.  It is made from sea water, olive oil, soda ash and lye (sodium hydroxide).  This is a greenish hued soap. The white hued soap is made with palm oil.  

Nabulsi is a Castile soap made in Nablus, Palestine on the West Bank.  It is made with virgin olive oil, water, and an alkaline sodium compound of powdered ashes from the barilla plant. It has no scent and is light colored. This soap has been around since before the 14th century. 

Some Castile bar soaps have coconut oil as a vegetable oil based ingredient which help moisturize your skin. I have found that vegetable oil based bar soaps have more lather than animal oil based soaps, especially in hard water.  They are more beneficial and add to the quality of life for everyday living.  More green clean.

These soaps are biodegradable and kind to the earth, you, and the atmosphere. 

From my investigation making your own "green clean" soap can be easy and interesting. You can be creative and add scents and ingredients that will make your soap special for you.  I think I’ll search for a recipe for a beginner like myself.

Have a pleasant day  good tips

Cream of Tartar

From The Pantry

 Cleaning with the leavings or byproduct of wine making: cream of tartar.  In the natural state it is found in various fruits, especially grapes from which wine is made.  The residue from the alcoholic fermentation crystallizes onto the sides of the wine vat. In this raw state the cream of tartar is collected and successively purified into refined cream of tartar.  

Potassium bitartrate, or potassium hydrogen tartrate is not only used in cooking, but it can be used to clean when mixed with an acidic such as white vinegar or lemon juice. 

 Cream of tartar is primarily used for baking. Chemically, it is known as the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid).

It is a good cleaning agent for metals such as brass, aluminum and copper when made into a paste using white vinegar.  This same paste can be used to remove porcelain stains, also. Try cleaning the bottom of your cookware with this paste.  

I like using cream of tartar to clean my stainless steel sink.  It sparkles after a good cleaning and rinsing with clear water. You can clean the bathtub and shower with this mixture.

Cream of tartar has been around for ages and has many uses.  Medicinal uses are quite common.  It is also used in making toothpaste.  Whatever the uses, it should be kept in a dry place and kept tightly sealed.

Uses include:

Yeast 

Baking

Pharmaceutic Industry

Watch and Clock Making

Treatment of metals

Glassware

Pyrotechnics

Manufacturing of Plaster

goodtips

STYLE with HANDBAGS and JEWELRY

HANDBAGS what EVERY woman NEEDS or WANTS

The question is which one, how big, how small, what color, what material, and what to wear with it.  The handbag.

Now there are all sorts of handbags for every occasion and some for “a just because” occasion.  Some are so big that they look like a piece of luggage.  They are always fashionable no matter how big or small.

There are even handbags for carrying pets, (little dogs).  There are bags that are masquerading as fashionable lunch bags. (chic).  There is a handbag for everyone and everything.  You just have to find it and decide which one is for you and your style.  Yes, your style.  Everyone has one.  

Style is your individual way of accessorizing and wearing your garments with flair and fancy.  Style is how you put your signature on the manner in which you wear your clothes. To complement your style, add jewelry.

 A favorite pin, necklace or earrings can make all the difference in making an outfit stand out.  Faux gems are the focus today.  They are certainly fun and beautiful.  The sky is the limit.  There are no rules on how or when you should wear your baubles, or with what.

There seems to be a myriad of colors to choose from, as well as several shapes and combination of shapes.  Rings are big, and I mean BIG.  They are popular and the BIGGER they are the more eye catching and fun.  

Genuine stones and faux stones come in beautiful colors of nature.  There seems to be more focus on stones this year.  Matching sets with earrings complement any outfit.  So if you don’t want to spend time looking for matching pieces, look for sets.

Wearing pieces of clothing together that in yesteryear would have been a faux pas is now the thing to do.  What freedom of style.  Love it.

We can and should be as creative as we want and look FABULOUS

while we wear our designer handbags with our grungy jeans, boots or heels, with our faux or genuine gems and of course our huge rings.  Fun, Fun,  Fun.
goodtips