A refreshing way to enjoy the weather

Spring is here and I can't wait to sit outside with a good book and a refreshing drink. I'm a big fan of natural stuff as well as things my whole family can enjoy.
I'm in love with this great Citrus Fruit Punch recipe. It's perfectly refreshing for the hot southern summers.
Here's what you need:

1 cup - mint leaves
1 cup - lemon juice
1 cup - orange juice (fresh squeezed citrus is always the best tasting)
1 tablespoon - grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon - grated orange peel
1 1/2 cups - Florida Crystals® Superfine Sugar (I love this because it's organic and has no additives)
2 1/2 cups - water
2 tablespoons - honey (I use my local honey for this)
Ginger Ale


Preparation:
Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Set aside.

In 3-quart saucepan, combine Florida Crystals® Superfine Sugar, water and honey. Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Pour over juice mixture and let cool. Strain and store in refrigerator.

To Serve:
Combine 1 part juice mixture with 3-4 parts ginger ale. Serve over ice.

Makes about 16 servings.

The great thing about this recipe is you can you more or less sugar depending on how sweet you want it.  It's also a fun and easy recipe to make with the kids and will surely be a favorite for the summer.

Trying our hand at lacto-fermented pickles

Hope our probiotic pickles are good. 3 more days of fermenting before we try them.

A Little Reflection and A Lot of Cloth

Normally I'd be posting my bi-weekly picture update. I'm holding off to post at week 15.  Mostly because we lived in Boston for 4 years. Our son was born there and we have friend an family in the area.
This week was very rough on us and I can't even imagine how it was for our friends in Watertown who were only a block from where the suspect was captured. They think he actually ran through their yard to get there at some point.

Today was the Great Cloth Diaper Change and we're hoping a new record was set. If you don't know about cloth you should find a local store and ask them about it.

Really hoping life can return to "normal" soon.

And just so I can throw some crafting in here...

These are the cloth pads I made as a giveaway for the Great Cloth Diaper Change next weekend.

I hope whoever wins them likes them.

12 weeks and a top I never could have worn before

3 months after surgery and I'm still getting used to my body. My right expander still has a weird dent in it and probably will until my exchange surgery.
I have found that yoga has really helped me gain back my mobility. Losing weight is just an added bonus.

It's really hard to take a good picture of yourself

Another added bonus is that I can now wear tops I was never able to before because I no longer require a bra.
Case in point this awesome halter I made myself.

I'm learning to be more comfortable in my own skin, which is important when you feel like you had Betty Rubble and Wilma Flintstone's plastic surgeon.
Pictures and more after the jump

Skin tags - You can get rid of them!

If you're like me you've ended up with lots of skin tags after pregnancy (or even due to other conditions). While skin tags are benign most of us don't like the look of them and want to have them removed without paying a huge amount of money to a doctor.

Here are some natural options for removing skin tags on your body:

1: Castor Oil and Baking Soda mixed together in a paste and then applied to the skin tags 3-4 times per day for several weeks. Until the skin tags dry up and fall off.

2: Tea Tree Oil rubbed on the skin tag is another natural remedy that can be used. Just make sure that you don't have an allergy to Tea Tree Oil before you try this remedy.

3: Apple Cider Vinegar applied to the skin tag. This method can take several weeks and doesn't work for everyone.

4: My favorite natural remedy is Healing Natural Oils Skin Tag Remover. This all natural oil is gentle on the skin and removes skin tags painlessly. Only a few drops are needed and it is even safe to use on skin tags on the eyelids (just keep the oil out of your eye by applying with a cotton swab).

No matter what options you chose don't ever try to cut them off yourself. Either with a blade or dental floss. Doing this yourself can result in infection and scarring.
Go for a natural remedy and say good bye to those ugly skin tags.