Make every meal a cloth napkin meal!

When having fancier meals or eating at expensive restaurants, cloth napkins are usually on the table -- but have you ever stopped to think about why?  Reasons could include because they're nicer than paper napkins, have a certain upscale feel to them and look prettier on the table.  It's a throwback to an earlier time when folks embraced simplicity and all napkins were made of cloth.

There's been a resurgence of reduction of paper products and getting back to simpler things, so I decided to try swapping out my ever-present Mardi Gras print paper napkins for some of the fabric variety.  About a month into this experiment, I have to say I am quite pleased with the swap and I'm really enjoying the cloth napkins over the paper ones! 

 

The research I found on the web seems split between which napkin is "greener" (disposing vs washing), but I think in my own experience the cloth ones may be greener for me.  Throwing these small cloths in with my weekly laundry means no more detergent and no more loads -- I just include them in with my towel load. 

I was using approximately 4 paper napkins a day (almost 1,500/year) and replaced these with twenty 6.5" x 5.5" flannel napkins.  They fit into my existing napkin holder perfectly and work great!  They were pre-washed so I'm seeing little-to-no shrinkage.  One cloth napkin may last me several meals and then I toss it into my hamper.  They are brightly colored and several folks who have seen them in my kitchen have asked me where to purchase them.

On Etsy, you can search for "flannel cloth wipes" - I purchased mine from seller "LoverofLifeDesigns" and am very happy.  Pay attention to the sizing if you are fitting these into an existing napkin holder and also to the fabric used (flannel works great), whether it's pre-washed/pre-shrunk, and how many ply the cloth is (2-ply is a nice thickness).

Try this out - you may find you save a few dollars on purchasing paper napkins over time and prefer the upgraded experience a cloth napkin at every meal can bring!

Save money on cotton moisturizer gloves

For years I have been purchasing the "fancy" cotton spa gloves one pair at a time for ~$10 each.  I really enjoy using these, but they were getting so expensive that I'd continue using a pair even after it was getting holes at the seams! 

A few months ago, I discovered that simplicity comes in bulk, in the form of cotton gloves by Cara.  These spa gloves are wonderful!  Each pair costs approximately $1 or less depending on the size and deal you get.  I am 5'10" and have long fingers, so a large fits me very comfortably without being tight or binding.  This is important if you want to wear the gloves to bed -- I've found that cotton gloves containing spandex will sometimes leave your fingers slightly numb if worn for longer periods of time. 

They launder very well but do shrink quite a bit - so make sure to order 1+ size up if you're going to dry them.  They hold up to a lot of essential oil, shea butter and lotion uses!  A box of 24 should last me quite a few years.  This is a great way to moisturize your hands and keep costs down. 

A few pair of these with a spa product basket would also make great gifts that you can buy and assemble in bulk for the holiday season.  Oh, and speaking of the holiday season -- I've also realized that when assembling and fluffing the branches on your artificial Christmas tree, these are wonderful for saving you from scrapes and scratches if you have sensitive skin.  Let me know how you like them and other uses you've found for your cotton spa gloves!

Lavender healing balm replaces Neosporin and more

After reading an old article in Mother Earth News, I came across the story of a wonderful organic lavender farm named Central Coast Lavender Farm and decided to order some products for myself.  Little did I know that this discovered simplicity would be put to use right away.

I ordered a healing balm they make from the organic lavender they grow, which is so deliciously simple.  The only ingredients are olive oil, bee's wax, and essential oils of lavender, tea tree and eucalyptus.  

When traveling in Mexico this past week, I cut my toe on a rocky outcrop on the beach while collecting shells.  I didn't have any Neosporin with me, but luckily I had packed my healing balm and put it to good use!  Right after I hurt my toe and for two nights afterward, I put some of the balm on my cuts and I was amazed how quickly it healed.  Another day I was tanning too long without reapplying sunblock and got a few spots of pink on my shoulders (not quite sunburn, but almost).  That night before bed I smoothed on a thin layer of the healing balm.  The next morning when I woke up there was no redness and my skin was healed and ready for more beach time.  This is really wonderful stuff.

I also ordered some organic lavender essential oil and it's so nice in a hot bath before bed.  I also use the oil on my dryer balls and inside my diffuser when I want to de-stress after a long day.  Deeply inhaling lavender (from steam in a bathtub or from a diffuser) also seems to help me when I have a headache.  There are many uses for this staple essential oil.

Essential oils and products made from them go a long way to adding simplicity into your life.  What are you using them for?  Let me know in the comments what you think if you end up trying Central Coast Lavender Farm products out for yourself.

Avoid allergies and save money on dryer sheets by using dryer balls

Here's a quick tip for simplicity that I learned a few weeks ago.  I'm loving it!

I always bought "lightly scented" or "free & gentle" dryer sheets because I noticed my clothes would make my skin itch if pressed onto my skin (e.g. where my shoulders might press against a chair back or if I was sweating and a piece of clothing was sticking to me).  I think I have a slight allergy to the dyes, perfumes or chemicals in the sheets.  I never really felt good about using dryer sheets for my clothes, but hey, that's the way you're taught to do laundry. You MUST put a dryer sheet in with your clothes to make them smell fresh.  Right?

Wrong!  I've learned that felted wool dryer balls work awesome for fluffing laundry and shortening drying time.  Add a few drops of essential oils on each ball and your laundry will smell BETTER than if you used a dryer sheet!  On the 3 balls I have, I used orange oil (be careful, it's strong) and also a blend of ylang-ylang, jasmine and lavender.  If all that isn't enough, an additional bonus is that there are no chemicals and that you'll be saving money (and waste) on dryer sheets too.  Win, win, win.

There are a lot of folks selling dryer balls on Etsy and I can recommend this seller (this is where I ordered mine from).  You can also make your own if you're feeling adventurous!

Ideas for making Meyer lemons last after the harvest

I have a great little Meyer lemon tree that is consistently putting out 20-30lb of fruit each year.  Before now, I've never really known what to do with the fruit -- but I've discovered some fantastic uses this year and thought I'd share them with my readers.

This year, I decided to harvest my fruit in mid-February when it looked large and fresh.  I used small handheld rose snips to cut the fruit from the tree without damaging the branches or the fruit.  My tree is small enough to harvest while walking around it on the ground, but if you have a very large fruit tree see how to make this handy homemade picker.  

After harvest, the fruit will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks in a cool location (here in Arizona, my garage is the best bet in the 'winter').  I stacked the fruit in boxes in a single layer to avoid the fruit being crushed and developing soft spots.  I harvested all my fruit at once since I didn't have a lot, but also learned you can harvest in several "waves" letting Mother Nature keep your fruit fresh on the tree.  Next year I may do this to extend my harvest season for a month or more.

Okay, you've harvested your fruit - now what?  In year's past, I would have squeezed one or two lemons on fish filets and gotten rid of the rest when it turned moldy.  This year, I was determined to use every single lemon!  I started by making some old fashioned lemonade.  I found out hand squeezing lemons is very hard work, so for my second batch I borrowed my sister's juicer to make quick work of the lemons.  

For lemonade, I strained the pulp and used:

2 cups of lemon juice
10 cups water
3/4 cup of Splenda 

Of course, you can adjust this to your taste.  My lemonade was tart but very refreshing on a hot Arizona afternoon.


I used up several more lemons by zesting the rinds into stir fry, adding them to fish recipes, and also using them when making guacamole to keep the avocados from turning brown.  I also gave several large bags to friends and family.  Used rinds worked great to freshen up the garbage cans and garbage disposal.  

I was hitting the home stretch and was left with about 40 lemons that were getting soft ... so I decided to juice the rest and freeze to use later.   I used a jumbo silicon muffin mold (about 1.5 cups each) and after a day in the freezer, I popped out the "lemon cubes" and vacuum sealed them into bags so they would stay fresh.



Simplicity from my garden to yours!  Next year I hope to collect more good ideas since the tree will likely have even more fruit.  What did you do with your citrus this year?  Let me know in the comments section - I'd love to hear your ideas.