inspirations-from-the-pinhibited-cook

A Spa-Tastic Day

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:46:11 +0100

Making my own healthy cosmetics and body care is something I like to dabble with now and again, and something I've come back to more recently in order to try and not only save some money, but to also be more health conscious, since I became a contributing writer for a health and wellness website, Trevida. One recipe I'd been saving for this week was a homemade exfoliating scrub with microderm abrasion properties. For a fraction of the price of what I'd normally pay for a scrub for my face, I made this awesome coffee scrub that is just as effective as it is healing for my skin!

For the homemade recipe, click here.

If you've never dried used coffee grounds, don't worry - I hadn't either. I'm told you can actually use them undried right into scrubs, but the idea of doing that didn't seem too appealing, so I read through these tips on drying coffee grounds and ended up putting them in the oven to dry out for about 5-8 minutes.

This recipe is a guaranteed keeper in my book!

Are You Ready for Christmas?

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:47:25 +0100

I know, it's one day before Christmas Eve and 2 days from Christmas Day, and maybe you've had it all planned out in your head for months, so you're reading this and laughing at the question with a rhetorical response hovering on your lips. But on the other hand - maybe you have been running around like a crazy person all week trying to get all your last-minute shopping done. I'm raising my hand on being THAT person, because for all my preparations I've set out to do ahead of time, somehow it all kept changing day-to-day to where I had to keep re-prioritizing how I was to accomplish everything and still come out sane.

The good news is, THERE IS STILL TIME! Time to clean, cook, shop, or even relax - but it's all about setting goals so you don't let things get lost in the shuffle. Plus, you'll be able to feel good about yourself for crossing off those tasks from your list. It's a win-win situation! But even in the event that you're stuck working up until having to be with your family and friends, or if you have to celebrate on a different day entirely, know that the best plans are those which leave you with some wiggle room.

So to keep from having a meltdown, experiencing a fit of perfection gone awry, or from becoming a nag, here are some last-minute ideas to follow as you approach Christmas (or whatever day or days you choose to observe it):

Prevent Christmas Eve dilemmas with these last-minute Christmas helpful hints.
Declutter your home in a hurry by printing out some handy cleaning/organizing lists.
Decorate in a pinch with these 10 Christmas light inspirations or last-minute decorating ideas.
Soothe your Christmas woes with these practical printable lists as well as the hilarity offered on the site to help put things into perspective!

And above all else, don't sweat it!!!!!!!!!! Enjoy the moment, take some time out for you, and breathe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From our house to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

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How Much Water Do You Drink?

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:48:52 +0100

The amount of water required to cleanse our bodies varies by body weight as well as lifestyle. It is recommended you drink half your total body weight in ounces. For example, if you are 130 lbs, then aim for 65 ounces a day. Do you work out a lot? Live in a warm environment? Consume caffeine or alcohol? Add more water intake on top of that minimum to keep yourself fully hydrated.

Speaking as someone who has had to receive medical intervention for dehydration before, and has suffered from numerous side-effects from not having enough water in my diet, I cannot stress the importance of the water you drink!! And I know it can be a challenge, particularly if the taste might make you gag, or you don't want the hassle of multiple trips to the bathroom. Been there, done that - both before and after pregnancy. But the benefits really do outweigh (no pun intended!!) the annoyances. Water helps moisturize your skin, give you energy, and help you lose weight. By flushing out the toxins in your body, water helps keep you looking and feeling revitalized, clean, and healthy.

My new go-to for my water routine is this handy little chugger. Meet my fruit water infuser cup!

I reviewed the Young & More bottle after purchasing it on Amazon and have loved it ever since. That particular concoction I tried (and enjoyed) is a combo of cucumber, strawberry, and kiwi. Yes, you CAN do more than just fruits in there. Who knew those three things would taste good in water? I sure didn't! It's a clever way of getting my water intake with added benefits from the other foods. On that first day alone, I refilled the cup 3 times with fresh water, reusing the existing fruits and veggies. All I had to do is let the water steep for a good hour or two before drinking it again, and it was just as good as when I first made it.

Of course, there are a slew of other types of water bottles and infusers, all depending on your preferences. So, what are you waiting for? Drink up!

Birthday Freebies!

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:50:29 +0100

Nothing makes me smile faster than when I go retrieve my annual birthday gift from this place...

I mean, really, who doesn't love receiving little birthday freebies from places you frequent? It's a no-brainer...everything you get will usually be something you'd normally want to spend your money on, anyway!!! It's usually free to sign-up for rewards, and it's worth checking into to see if places you go to on a regular basis do something special for your birthday.

So far this month, I've gotten a free ice cream from ColdStone, a 20% off coupon at Payless Shoes, and two lip pencils from Sephora. I know that I will also get some sort of coupon from Half Price Books, a free Blizzard at Dairy Queen, a little something yet to be determined from The Container Store (last year was a handy notepad), yet another ice cream from Baskin Robbins, as well as a free drink at Starbucks (usually with a birthday message autographed on it by the barrista!).

If that sounds like something you too would love to take advantage of, go to your favorite stores' websites, or browse this running list of participating stores and even more stores.
Happy birthday, whenever yours is!!!!!!!! :-)

I know I'm enjoying being a Gemini girl!!

Organizing Your Family Recipes

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:51:20 +0100

For years, now, I've saved stacks of recipes I've acquired through my family, as well as all the Sunday papers and magazines to which I've ever subscribed. The way I started saving them was to put them in protective sleeves in 3 ring binders. But through the years, the recipes were too numerous. So recently, I culled hundreds of them, saving only those I know will be made (if not attempted before), along with ones from relatives. I had reorganized my pantry during the process, and came across one of my Christmas gifts from my mother-in-law a couple of years ago - a 3 ring binder with label tabs devoted to recipes! It's rather pretty, and as you can see from the photo above, it's also customizable. Love it!

Believe it or not, all of the recipes I wanted to keep fit perfectly within the confines of this binder. I see it, and it makes me do two things - smile and want to cook! I highly recommend that if you have paper copies of recipes that you want to pass down to your family one day, try this out! And you can't go wrong with using protective page sleeves, either - because they will keep your recipes intact without and smudges, smears, or tears.

What's Your Muse?

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:41:58 +0100

Nature. It inspires me. With it, I can write, sing, laugh, and dream. It helps when the weather is good, too, though rain and wind can also be inspiring. However, the cold of winter keeps me crazy. To combat its effects, I dabble in Pinterest dreaming - i.e. looking at random pics of outdoorsy scenes and indoor home decorating ideas. It helps to pass the time when I have something to do! And when I can't walk outdoors like I long to do, then at least I can perfect my home so that it remains just as inviting at a lush green trail at the park. Here are some of my favorite inspirations:

Monet water lilies
Japanese Gardens
Thomas Kinkaide and Disney - Love it!
Dragonfly - my spirit animal (more about that here)

So what's your muse?