Please note: SkinnyPop popcorn infographic was provided by SkinnyPop. All thoughts, opinions and obsessions about SkinnyPop are completely my own. Thanks! #skinnypop @skinnypop

The post LIFESTYLE: Wine and….Popcorn? Sign me up. SkinnyPop Wine Parings appeared first on UrbanDomesticDiva.

This sweater looks like a yarn garden threw up all over it. I saw later in the day a paper gift bag and a pillow that looked much like this. It looked much better on a pillow.

The post LIFESTYLE: 2nd Annual Top Ten “WTH? Finds” at Goodwill appeared first on UrbanDomesticDiva.

We finally did it, we took the plunge and took a step closer to our retirement plan, by buying a fixer-upper lakehouse. The place is a bit of a blank slate, and we are slowly making it our own. But we need to be thrifty, and a lot of what we want to do may have to wait a few years. But as the summer season winds down, it’s a great time to get some end of season sales and deals, so we have a head start on summer next year. I just bought root bound, end of season perennials at Home Depot for 60% off! I got those bad boys in the ground over labor day. They look terrible, but so does the whole garden bed. Come spring they will come up bright and perky as if I bought them at full price.

Same goes for outdoor furniture and decor. Craft stores need to make room for Christmas, so right now porch signs and even fall blankets and decor are on sale. It’s the perfect time to spruce up your outdoor space and enjoy it before the snow falls. Imagine a crisp morning with a blanket and cup of coffee on the deck, enjoying the changing leaves? I cannot think of anything better.

Here is my challenge. My screened in porch as well as my massive deck is overwhelming to even think about. And I need to mention that outside of cute porch signs and blankets, hubby and I have some major structural stuff to deal with. Screens need to be mended and stapled. Wood planks need to be pressure washed and restained. Some wood planks probably need to be replaced. But regardless, there is no reason for me not to enjoy these areas and make them welcoming and usable for guests this fall. SO I stepped back and made a list of what I want each of these spaces to do. From there, I created tone/idea boards to start the “spruce up” process. Then comes the fun part… haggling for my budget with hubby (if you heard sarcasm, you heard correctly).

Let’s start with the main deck. It has a rotted out picnic table, and some chairs and lounge chairs that we bought in a neutral charcoal.

Here it is:

Needs some work, right?

Well
Here are my wish lists:

DECK:
A place to put fishing poles, vests and waders, I have fisherman husband and friends (including me).
Dining areas, possible place to hold plates or serving area.
Reading (which I may need a place for blankets), side tables, cushions.
Night time lighting (candles and lanterns).
Warmth for cool evenings.

Here is a tone board. I cherry-picked large pieces from arhaus.com with accents from wayfair.com, World Market, shabbychic.com and upcycling and refurbishing ideas from Pinterest.

My favorites are the groovy rod holder paired with a vintage bench for taking off waders or water shoes, as well as the fish with hooks to hold vests. I also love the dining table with chairs-a dining set worthy of my cooking for sure! I also love the idea of keeping cozy throws all over the place, inviting guests to curl up with a book and enjoy the outdoors.

Here are some shots of the screened in porch. The previous owners left some cool string lights which are really romantic at night, but other than that it is a blank slate, with a cement floor and windows on the house wall. Here is my wishlist for this space.

SCREENED IN PORCH:
Puzzles.
Board or card games.
Reading.
Dessert or small meals.
Warm lighting at night.
Warmth for cool evenings.
Seating.

Here is an inspiration board for this porch. My favorites from this board are the porch swing piled high with pillows, and a cozy chair from arhaus to pair with the swing. I also would love a little wood stove for cool evenings, some beach glass lamps for late night reading and a shabby chic table and chairs for game nights or puzzles. I also love the outdoor oriental rug I found on wayfair.com, which this porch needs desperately because the cement slab floor is too cold and hard.

Now that I have some guideposts and color palettes, I can start haggling with “The Tower” on my budget and do some shopping before it starts to snow. You still have time to enjoy your decks for fall! get out there!

The post HOME: Cozy Porch Plans and Ideas for Fall at the Cottage appeared first on UrbanDomesticDiva.

This blog just keeps expanding and growing as my experiences and crazy life does. My most recent interest was brought around by my sister, and it’s all about essential oils. At first I was quiet skeptical. She was claiming all of these crazy health benefits and beauty benefits, and was surprised with how much clean eating and gardening I do I would be such a naysayer. Part of it was money (do I need to spend more money on something like that?) and part of it was overwhelming (do you know how many oils there are and all that they do? It makes your head swim!).

Then I burned myself quiet badly at her house. She quickly created a “burn love” roller ball oil for me to put on my burn through out the day and over a few days. It was unbelievable. My burn never even scabbed or bubbled up and blistered! It just quietly went away within a few days. And the pain went away quite quickly. The last time I had a burn, it turned into a horrible staph infection! This was amazing.

So then, knowing I was beginning to be swayed, she made me a concoction for my Crohn’s disease. One night of bad cheating, my tummy was not feeling great. I rubbed that oil on my tummy and inhaled it all evening and felt way better!

I was hooked. Especially after reading some articles around some of the science behind oils.

I got the starter kit from Young Living and the rest is history. I use oils for beauty things, I use it for ADHD hand soap for my daughter, I have made some roller balls for hormone balance, I took care of my husband’s skin infection with some. The list goes on and on.

I am not going to go into the science of it all, there is plenty online if you want to research essential oils. There are also a lot of providers, so do your research and figure out what can work in your budget based on your needs.

But think about this, before Western medicine made synthetic chemicals in labs, there was nature. How do you think early civilization cured and cared for itself? Plants, herbs, spices, flowers, fruits were all easily accessible and the smart ones among us could connect the dots between benefits of one thing and another. I am not saying there isn’t a place for modern medicine. I think essential oils can work with modern medicine.

The world of essential oils is overwhelming at first. My sister bought me an amazing book that has everything, and it has post-its now all over it! There is also an app on my phone I really love, and there is also Pinterest. Now I am making my own blends. I keep a small journal to keep track of my recipes and my tweaks. I recommend you do the same. Every person is different, and sometimes your blends may change depending on your body’s natural rhythms, so keep a journal. It brings organization to the madness.

I have come up with some good recipes, as well as my sister. So I am going to dedicate a section on the blog for me to share some of our favorites.

The one today is a hair mist I came up with.

My sister was like, “Really? Why do you need that? You have more hair than you know what to do with?” Well guess what? The minute you get into..well…..lets just say middle age….hair likes to fall out and thin out. You see clumps of it at the bottom of the shower. It’s very upsetting. And if you chemically treat your hair, it’s going to need extra love. SO this baby I spray on my hair wet, I hit three sprays on my scalp in different areas, then hit the ends twice ( I have long hair and it is thick). If you have short hair, you may just need two spritzs. Focus on your scalp, because that’s where you need the oil to do it’s work, but massage it in and comb it through so the hair shaft gets some too.

I have noticed a lot less hair at the bottom of my shower and fuller, smoother hair. My color also stays richer longer. This works for me. Will it work for you? I don’t know. Give it a try! I would also advise on staying away from citrus oils if you have color treated hair. I just remember squirting lemon juice into water and spraying it on my hair to lighten it in the summer. I have no idea if citrus oils would do that, but I would just be safe and stay away from those. I spend too much time and money coloring my hair to mess the color up on accident!

Flora’s Hair Mist

A 4 oz. glass pump
distilled water
8-10 drops rosemary oil
8-10 drops of cedarwood oil
8-10 drops lavender oil

Carefully drop oils in a clean glass pump. Fill with distilled water. Label the bottle. Spritz wet hair near scalp, then massage in and comb through. Style as usual. Don’t use too much or your hair will be oily. You just need a touch. Shake bottle before each use. I use it 1-2 times a week.

The post Essential Oils: My new found interest and a recipe for “Flora’s Hair Mist” appeared first on UrbanDomesticDiva.

Some of my followers may know that I am a HUGE thrifter and second hand shopper. I find great pieces to add to my closet as well as unique things for my home and garden. I also love upcycling and being green, and the cycle of donating and thrifting is a great way to keep piles of stuff away from the landfills. Even for crafts, the thrift store is a great place to get supplies. I like getting vintage plates to break up and use for mosaics, and old T-shirts make great scarves and bags. The bric-a-brac section is a great place to get fabric and ribbon for a song.

Now what I usually do with my donations at the beginning of each season is dutifully tally my items and get receipts for tax deductions. But there are some items I just can’t bring my self to donate. I have wanted to take the time to tally all my daughter’s beautiful holiday dresses and sell them for money on eBay, but who has time? I don’t! Then I heard about ThredUP!

ThredUP is an online solution to second hand selling and buying. It’s like consignment-but even the items they don’t end up selling they recycle. You can choose to donate the money you earn from your clothes or it can be put in your pay pal account. But here is what I liked, they take pictures of your items to sell in their online store, they send you the bag to fill and they pay for shipping, and it’s all tracked by a handy tracking code on the bag. Now I am pretty sure they take a nice chunk out of my earnings for doing all of this, but I am curious-how much? And if it’s this hands off, it may be worth it?

SO I am giving it a try and I am reporting back-mainly because a few of my friends want me to. So here goes.

So first thing first, I signed up on their website and “ordered” my free “clean out” bag. It was very easy and the site is very intuitive. You need to choose what you want them to do with the items they can’t sell. You can have items shipped back to you if you wish for a nominal fee, or they will recycle it themselves. It’s up to you., but they need to know.

The bag came within the week, and I already went through my closet and decided on what to get rid of. I had filled a whole garbage bag. Surprisingly, almost all the clothes already in the garbage bag fit in the clean out bag!  I couldn’t fit one blouse and a skirt, so those will have to wait for round 2. So that bag can fit a lot!

And I must say here-the colors on the bag, the copy tone and the visual branding was pretty fun. I loved the humor and it just had a fresh and happy feel. Good job, banding agency. Sometimes it’s hard to part with items, and they really make it a fun experience.

The one complaint I do have, the card that was sent with the bag was confusing. It began to outline what ThredUP accepts and what it doesn’t, but in not enough detail. The card made it look like their parameters were very limiting, and I knew from the site that they accepted a LOT more brands. I sort of freaked out. But I kept my laptop near me as I went through my clothes, and checked every label against their online list. This was a better route. They accept a lot of labels, so don’t fret. Advice to the company-I would rework the copy on that card to urge sellers to go online for a full list (sorry- you can’t take the marketing out of the marketing girl).

Once the bag was comfortably filled, I pulled the tape off the top of the bag, folded it over, glued it closed, and BOOM,  done! I have a UPS drop off site in the lobby of my office building, so this is going to be super easy for me to leave there tomorrow morning. And then, we wait.

I’ll let you know how the next phase of my ThredUP experience goes soon!

But so far, this was pretty darn easy-and actually, fun!

*ThredUp did not contact me to write this post, all opinions and experiences about ThredUP are all my own.

The post LIFESTYLE: My Experience with ThredUP, Part 1 appeared first on UrbanDomesticDiva.

 

Every year, my Girl Scout coleader and I take a fun winter weekend retreat with other Girl Scout leaders up in Wisconsin. We all stay up at a GS campground and enjoy fellowship, rest, relaxation and idea sharing. It is really a way for many of us to not only catch up with each other, but also take some time out for ourselves. I look forward to this weekend every year. Lisa and I have so much fun trolling around a nearby small town, browsing antique shops and eating a local Friday night fish fry. Some years we travel to nearby Lake Geneva for the snow festival, but lately we tend to support the small shop owners closer to camp and do more thrifting. One of our funnest stops is the local Goodwill. We both usually pick up some great frocks for a steal. This year, we also were picking up trinkets for Lisa’s new beach themed bedroom.

It is often said that anther man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That is why I love thrifting. What may not fit one person any more (taste or size) may still be awesome for someone else. But some things you will find thrifting may really be there for a reason. Some things will leave you scratching your head and wonder, well, just because you CAN make or manufacture something, doesn’t mean you should. So as we looked around the Goodwill, we found some things that made us laugh out loud.

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Dear Facebook,

I am just a lowly blogger, sharing my knowledge and creativity with the rest of the internet in hopes of making the world a better place. 

I don’t have a staff. My editor is my cat. My blogging hours are weekends and weeknights 7 p.m.-2 a.m. My salary is the few dollars I get from advertising placement, enough to by a few extra Christmas presents a the end of the year. But that’s not why I do this. My real salary is the reward of connecting and sharing with others-with the larger community I built around myself with similar interests and joys. I have had some pretty emotional moments, like inspiring a mother to make a container pond so her blind daughter could hear the sound of water on her deck. Or coaching a young lady around baking her first pasta casserole for her guests. These were real people that found me on my Facebook page and started a virtual relationship with me. Through my blog’s Facebook page, I could reach further and get to know more people with similar interests. After all, wasn’t that the whole point of having a Facebook page? I could really make an impact in other people’s lives. That’s the real reward of having an active blog that I work so hard on. Creating a rich and active community of sharing and connecting. Sadly, you continue to make it more and more difficult for content developers like me to do that. You are making the internet a less richer place-simple because you are focusing on the content developers that are RICHER, meaning they have money to spend.

Not so long ago, we bloggers worked hard on trying to build likes for our pages. Many people (and companies) even bought likes. Now, you are making it so page owners have to pay again just to talk to those same people-thanks to your crazy new algorithm. We have built communities around ourselves that you are now making virtually impossible to connect with unless we pay for it. I am not a large corporation. I don’t have money spilling out of my pockets. But my content is pretty good, and I have been diligent with my writing since 2008. That should count for something. At least Google thinks so. At least Google ranks and honors the good content developers of the world, because they are looking at the greater good of information sharing on a global scale. You have become a social channel that’s about the money. And frankly, it’s not fair. And as for companies and bloggers urged to pay for likes? They probably feel taken to the cleaners right now. And these updates have completely changed the personal Facebook experience for many of us.

I want the old Facebook back, where it was a place to reconnect with old friends and discover new people, places and feeds that had cool content. It was not as much about brands and companies as it was about creating a community around your little cyber-self. I followed bloggers I adored, and yes-even small companies I discovered and loved. I commented and shared many of their posts. They showed up in my feed a lot more regularly. Now I don’t see them at all. Now I see ridiculous promoted posts 5 times a week asking me to engage with a bottled water, a new beer or some ketchup. Where are the pages and people I CHOSE to engage with years ago? They must not have deep enough pockets to continue getting visibility to me.

My guess is you will continue to answer to your bean counters. After all, you are a publicly held company now. But don’t be surprised when people begin using Facebook less and less. We don’t want to be sold to all the time. We don’t want companies forced on us. And we believe in the underdog, the little guys out there that are creating and sharing. We want to hear from them. We want to give them a chance to have their voices heard. It’s why we “liked” many of them in the first place. 

My blogger-self wants to be able to connect with my followers that opted to do so-and not just 2% of them on any given post. I don’t have money. But I do have a voice. So at least maybe 2% of my followers will see this and they will share it. Maybe, just maybe, you will listen and make some changes to help us little guys with good ideas and expertise to share. Maybe you can start ranking ideas and content as high as you rank media spend?

Thanks,

The Urban Domestic Diva

The post An Open Letter to Facebook from a Lowly Blogger appeared first on UrbanDomesticDiva.

Apple and Pear Pie with Pecan Custard and Caramel Drizzle

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Dear FDA,

Let me tell you a story.

My story is like so many others shared with me through my Anatabloc journals housed on my blog. I became ill with Crohn’s Disease at the young age of 26, an age when I should have been enjoying life as a new bride and the rigors of starting a home and maybe even a family. Instead I started the grueling merry-go-’round of tests, scares, steroids, surgeries and other meds. I have lived with this chronic inflammatory illness for almost 20 years now. And like many people who come here to my blog who share their health journeys, my disease has only progressively gotten worse. The medicines to treat this disease have gotten more expensive with potential side effects that are often worse than the disease itself. The pharmaceutical industry that you regulate is failing us. But don’t just hear my story. Read others here who have commented and posted their challenges and trials. I am not alone.

Let me add a chapter to my story.

It’s a chapter of hope- a small sliver of hope that grew and grew. A little over 2 years ago my doctor at the time insisted on my moving to auto immune suppressants. I was dismayed, but was told I had few if no other options. Yes, you have passed these drugs to be “safe” and many people use these to have somewhat normal lives. We all need to make our own choices in life, especially in our health. So after discovering the potential side effects of these drugs-particularly the affect on my ability to fight infections-I said no. But after continued lectures and badgering, I almost gave in. Almost.

My husband heard of this little pill made with Anatabine, and he read about other people with inflammatory illnesses that were on the path to wellness after taking it by supporting the body’s immune system. More surprising, it is an alkaloid found in nicotine plants and other vegetables. It was natural. But I don’t need to tell you what it is. Or maybe I do, because you are convinced that it needs to be considered a new drug or new food. At any rate, what did I have to lose? I was already looking down a list of choices that went from bad to worse in my book.

I will not bore you with the long list of benefits I have experienced over the 2+ years on Anatabloc. You can read my Anatabloc logs to understand my progress on it, and I kept a more detailed journal for a time and I would be happy to share it with your panel of doctors. But what started out as a sliver of hope became my lifeline. I’ve been sick enough to know when I am well-really well. I have been drug free for 2+ years, and forget I have Crohn’s Disease on most days.

But unfortunately, this chapter of my story seems to be ending, and I am concerned what the next one will be. But perhaps to share what the next chapter will be, I need to remind you of your story.

Your story started in 1906.

You are the FDA, put in place by us and paid for by our tax dollars. Your tagline is Protecting and promoting your health. A big part of your mission statement is the following;

“FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines more effective, safer, and more affordable and by helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to maintain and improve their health.”

All due respect, if your mission is to focus on the health of our nation, then you must allow anatabine back into the hands of the people that need it most. Look around, the health of this nation is not stellar. Cancer, heart disease, obesity, genetic disorders and chronic inflammation is rampant and an ever growing problem in our population. The solution is that we all get on the cycle of expensive drugs instead of helping our bodies heal. Why? Because it’s profitable. Anatabine comes from nature. I wonder if all this hullabaloo is more about that fact alone – the fact that I can buy it at a retail store versus having to go to the doctor, get a prescription, fight my health insurance to pay some of what inevitably would be an inflated price, a price that probably needs to cover all the investing and drug trials that your agency will force to have happen-for something that’s found in tomatoes.

Please stop blocking something that has helped me-helped countless others-get on a road to health. After all, isn’t that what you are supposed to do?

I have been quiet during all the politics and mudslinging, I have been quiet as rumors started about Anatabloc being taken off the market. And truthfully, I wanted to stay quiet now. I just want to take my Anatabloc and live my healthy, happy life. The last thing I want is to get into this debate. But many have reached out to me who don’t have a voice-and now they are hurting again-and scared. They have asked me to be brave and speak up.

You have taken away our health. I don’t know anything about the complicated nature of what needs to transpire between you and the company that makes Anatabloc. The company and I have not made contact. But I ask you, please do one of the following (or both) quickly:

1: Reverse course, declare Anatabloc is NOT a new drug and allow its sale

2: Fast track its investigation and trials to get it into the public marketplace ASAP

We just want our Anatabloc back.

I am pretty sure I am not the only one.

PETITION on CHANGE.ORG

#DONOTBLOCKANATABLOC

Thank you for your time.

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