Where have you been??

Hello blog followers,
Though my views are far many more than my followers....Those few of you are priceless.. Lol

I have had a lot of emails asking "Where are you OGIK"...
Well, Ive been busy. And very possibly , Hiding out.

As of my last post, We had a near fatal car accident.. One night last spring, we were visiting friends. It was just before mothers day, The kids were playing, I was sewing a quilt...It got late. Anyways we decided it was time to go home. We had our truck out that night, with its slightly balled tires, ok, they needed to be replaced, and it was on the to do list... We never drove it, because we had the car, which was way better on gas....ok, Im rambling. Anyways, we had loaded the back with ten bales of hay and were on our way home, then came the first rain of the season...And around a 45 degree corner we went, rain pouring....


The truck on its crappy tires spun...The only thing that stopped us was a few trees. In the longest fifteen seconds or so of my life, we spun, i gasped, then we played ping pong between two large trees. The truck was totaled. It was raining. I was scared. We jumped out...all three kids were in the back, two of them crying...one of them not breathing. .



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My baby...5 years old.
We ripped her from the car seat and started cpr. She coughed, and breathed. We checked the others. they were ok, some bruising, bleeding, fear,.....but nothing life threatening.
Just so happens we were in a bad cell spot and i could not get my fingers to dial 911...every time i tried. I hit 9...CALL.
91...CALL...
191 CALL.

Finally i just hit redial in my list. My brother came from around the corner. And A passer by. An angel from God, stopped on this desolate road in the middle of the night in the pouring rain,....And called 911 just seconds after it happened. Someone else from a nearby house had called too. I held my baby begging her to stay with me, begging God to watch over us. I was In shock. Severe shock. what seemed like 45 minutes later, the ambulance found us.
My baby had a section of her skull caved in, several skull fractures...And they said she wouldnt make it.

She hit her head on someting, we dont know what...either the side of her car seat, or her sisters head.
Anyways, as this floods back, the ability to type or even think straight is quickly leaving me, So lets just jump to the end here. She was placed in Childrens hospital in Nashville after the hospital here said they could do nothing. a week in the NICU. life support, ventilation, tubes, meds, coma, pain...they finally ruled out surgery, and said she would be ok, but would never smile again or have facial movement...

They were wrong!!!
PRAISE THE LORD> Only because of Him, because of all the thousands of prayers.....because of his undeserving Love and Mercy, did my baby beat the odds, and walk out of that hospital a week later, perfect as she ever was. Her only residual affect is a small spot on her skull which is flat, not round.

Needless to say, We became incredibly over bearing protective parents.
This year we started homeschooling all three of our babies. 5,7,and 9.
So i have been insanely busy loving and protecting my little world. My bit of heaven on earth...
But promise to get the site back up and running for you all....


Also
Check out Prayers for Cheyenne on Face book. Its our journey of that of week, and without all those prayers,..i dont know where we would be today. It had over 800 members within 6 hours of the accident.

God is so good.
And now i need to go...breathe and get off this memory roller coaster.
I love all my OGIK readers.
See ya all later, and thank you for continuing to check back

~ Miranda

Bloated, Tired, And not So sexy!

So I finally just finished a movie that I had set out months ago to watch. No It didn't take me that long to watch it, It took me that long to get it.
Some people have Netflix. I have Blockbuster, (Blockbuster will be the next Hollywood Video.) That statement is only relative to my Californian Readers....(HWV is outta business because they act alot like BB does.) I ordered the movie months ago and it turned from, Available to short wait, to Long Wait. I waited so long that when it came in the mail I was shocked and had totally forgotten about it.

I know the anticipation is killing you. Its Called.....

"Fat Sick and Nearly Dead". Now I had seen clips, trailers, youtube recipes, etc. But everything in between was missing.

My point is that it was a great movie and I cant wait to start Juicing.
Bypassing the texture and weight of the fruit in your digestive tract and just consuming the juices gives you more intake of your Daily 5 and does amazing things for your body. It allows your body to help heal itself from the inside out.

My dad, who has health issues due to cancer and a handful of botched surgical procedures and removals..(Thank you Zion Hospital, ((in San Diego Ca))......... Watched the movie after I did, And has already ordered his Juicer in hopes of losing weight, dropping all the meds, and looking twenty again. lol. (funny joke dad)

Now I know if you're like me, You look at this whole Juicing idea and think, Oh great, PREVENTATIVE MEASURES cost too much.  I cant afford to juice 3 times a day, organic fruits and veggies,....!!!

Thats why Im not going that route. Im going to replace 1 meal a day, and my coffee.....maybe......hopefully........(We'll see). And instead of buying all organic Im going to stick with the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15.
If you're wondering what that is, you can find it in one of my previous post.

The machine we've decided on is the Jack Lalanne Ultimate Juicer. Its 99 Dollars and has a lifetime warranty. That's about the going rate at Walmart except those arent crafted as beautifully. And Im told you get 30 percent more juice with this baby!!! Then a recipe book that tells you how to turn your pulp into muffins.

My dad already ordered his and I cant wait to try some Juice, Just as soon as I get mine Ill update you all on the delicious amazing goodness I will be drinking.

I suggest you all watch the movie...

Loving the most out of your clothes*

Good Morning OGIK Readers,
Update:
I wanted to update you all on the homemade deodorant from last week.
I am excited to say that I love love love it! It works great!!!
My armpits are super soft and I have had no odor whatsoever. Also not much sweating. Unless of course its warm outside and im doing my spring planting. (lol) But even then, its not much and like I said NO ODOR!
I encourage you to try this or maybe just go buy a small bottle of Toms of Maine.
http://www.tomsofmaine.com/products/deodorant


Now that we have that out of the way, Today I want to talk to you about Washing and Drying your clothes!

As you all know, I use a DIY (do-it-yourself) Laundry detergent. Im still working out the bugs, but am for the most part satisfied. My detergent is part Dr. Bronners Castile Soap (Shout out to Escondido, CA...), Lavender water, and borax or Baking Soda. It washes the clothes well, Its super inexpensive to make, and a small jar is lasting about 2 dozen good sized loads, And the clothes smell clean, but not as fragrant as I would like.

So while Im still trying to find the perfect ratio of "this and that" to perfect my detergent, Ive decided to take another approach to the fragrance of my linens, and such.

Im having a hard time not running out and getting a huge bottle of Gain, and some Snuggle Softener and some static cling fabric sheets. The thing Ive noticed with Baking Soda in my detergent and in my hair, Is that Im battling a tad bit with the much hated and feared STATIC!!!
It really is a pain in the butt. I have to fight off things like frizz and fly aways out here in the middle of humidity hell, You'd think the Natural/Green/Tree Hugging fairies could cut me a break!!*(lol, ok, so theres no such thing, But it was better than the alternative of cursing my luck on a public site)

So after a little inspiration and a lot of thinking,...I have come up with two great ideas.

DIY Fabric Softener & DIY Dryer Sheets!

I know right, Super great idea. Why I waited so long is beyond me.
******************************************************

I love the way my clothes smell with that faint scent of Lavender on them. If I could intensify that smell I would. But the only way I could think to do that is add Lavender Essential Oil to the washer. Not only would that be ridiculously costly, but it might damage some of the materials in there. So
ex-nay that idea. Maybe I could just toss the lavender right into the wash, but then I may clog it up and would be pulling lavender petals out of My unmentionables all day.
I read some other blogs and did some research online as to how others are doing it. I seen some great ideas, and took notes. I also seen some that just wouldn't work for me.
I don't want chemicals in the laundry or on my children's skin.
However, It was a great idea for a home-made cheap softener.

You take and mix up a cup of vinegar to a gallon of water and add into it a half bottle of cheap conditioner. They mentioned using Sauve. A fragrance you love.
You put all this into a stockpot and simmer on low heat just enough to break down the binding compounds and incorporate the conditioner so its not a chunky mess floating through out the water,
Then just put in back into the gallon jug and use about a half cup in each load.


That would cost you approximately 3 dollars to make and would last an average of 30+ loads.
A 2 gallon bottle of Snuggle is over 50 dollars.

(I prefer to use a very fragrant organic conditioner, Or Tates Miracle Conditioner because it has no dyes, parabens, and chemicals in it.)(This costs about 2 dollars extra per batch if using an organic conditioner)

Then after using my Natural Homemade Fabric Softener, theres nothing better than hanging the clothes on the line outside. The sun naturally bleaches my whites, Keep my towels and linens fresh, and adds the smell of sunshine, and spring flowers to my clothes.

I understand that there are those of you without a clothesline, or who have too many neighbors and not enough privacy to feel comfortable hanging their skivvys out for the neighbors to see. So for you I have a great idea to reap the same benefits using the dryer.


When the weather was crappy, wet, windy, overcast, stormy, etc.I wanted a way to have soft clothes thats were less static clingy and smelled just as good as blowing in the breeze. I researched several ideas....
I thought about buying dryer balls to throw in, but don't feel comfortable with the idea of hot plastic in the dryer. So I pondered. The concept of something heavy that beats your clothes is do-able. What next...
Smell, Hmmm. Something pleasant and calming. Without the dyes, commercial fragrances, and the cost....(Who doesn't want to smell amazing right :-)But how can I do it without having to prep a new batch every week, .....

And last but not least....Static. I was ready to give up fleece and silk inevitably!!

But then, A miracle,....Here's what I came up with,.........
Its simple and cheap. And you can do it in minutes!!!

You could take old wash cloths, drench them with your home made Softener,(above) wring them out, and throw that in the dryer as a dryer sheet.

~~~~> Or you can take pebbles, stones, or marbles,...

For now, I used Pebbles as I have a garden full of them. The husband is working in Savannah Georgia right now and will be bringing home Beach Rocks for me. (They are wonderful because they are infused naturally with Sea Salt which helps with static and softening.)

Then Take an old sock, or some Cheese Cloth,.....



Unfold it partially, but keep it double layered, Then add the pebbles to it. It shouldn't be super heavy, Just enough to throw its weight around. About as heavy as an apple.

I then added a handful of lavender. You can add whatever you like. Flower petals, potpourri, essential oils,  Orange And Lemon peels works great!!! Fresh or Dried!!! The heat draws out the oranges' natural oils. Or get a little crazy and combine several scents.

Then make a knot in the top of your sock or gather your up your cheesecloth. Make small incisions in your cloth and tie some yarn through it or a zip tie. Something that wont break. I say make the incisions like your sewing the bag closed so that tie wont slip off while its beating around it the dryer. Or you can find Milk Nut bags and Drawstring Cheesecloth bags like this one at your local health food store...

Throw it in every dryer load. It should be good for quite some time. When you want a fresh & strong smelling batch, Take out the pebbles and add them to a new bag with fresh lavender.... The great thing is you can hang the old batch in your closet. It helps ward off moths that may ruin your clothes. So you're reusing/recycling and it smells way better than moth balls.
And thats it, Easy Peesy Lemon Squeezy. :-)

Im so excited for you all to try this and cant wait to hear about what you thought.
Please leave your comments..... Let me know if loved it, hated it, shared it,....etc.

And let me know if theres anything youd like to learn more about.

Sincerely <3 Miranda from OGIK.

Homemade Deodorant ...

So as promised I went out into the world And made great things.
(Or into the kitchen to make deodorant)
Either way, I feel good about myself.




I put the Coconut Oil in a pot of hot water to melt it without destroying the content or reaching a smoking point. (this took about 2 minutes)

I used 1/4 cup of cornstarch, 1/4 cup of Baking Soda, And 5 tbsp of Coconut Oil.

Lou Anns Pure Coconut. Im not sure if this is refined or not, however, refined oils or non virgin oils are bleached and tormented so they lose there values.

Look for pure and unrefined.

The mixing process, Melting the oil first helped to incorporate the dry ingredients easier.

Mix, Mix, Mix.

(this took about 3 minutes)

Then I added 8-10 drops of Sweet orange and 5 drops of Lemon Essential Oils.
Lemon is an antifungal and Antibacterial. And the orange is calming and soothing.

As it cools youll notice the consitency begin to change.

Once it thickened to the texture of a warm frosting, I began to drop it in. If it was any thinner it would run out the bottom.

After about 5 minutes this is how it looked.

I then stuck my deodorant in the freezer to completely cool it. 

And here is the finished product. It came out great, set wonderfully, and I am super freakin proud of me.

WaHlah!!

Enjoy. And comment to let me know if you try it, or have any changes, or ideas.

<3 You OGIK.

My under arms are irritating the hell out of me.

Ok, So Im turning out to be the worst blogger ever, It seems almost easier to take a picture of my newest venture and post to my wall on Facebook, along with a little caption that says, "Look what I did".

I dont imagine that this blog has changed anyones life or that anyone actually trys to walk down this path of sheer craziness with me. I do however believe that this is where my wonderful California friends come to read about my newest crazy scheme, lol, or people stumble upon this blog while bored.
I do it all the time, blog surf, when Im bored...:)

But Ill continue to do this, Because I believe someone, somewhere, someday will read a post, try it, and BAM....they will be forever changed. And maybe it'll be this post...

Im not shy. Ill usually talk about anything! Best part is you cant see me typing this, and you i don't have to face anyone while their face turns beet red. lol

My armpits are irritating the hell out of me. I hate dislike deodorant. I hate dislike the way it feels when im hot, I hate dislike the way it rubs on all my shirts and leaves that annoying white streak or potential deodorant stain, I hate, dislike, NO...I hate the way I have had to change brands a hundred times because supposedly my pH balance had altered due to tiny humans being created in my girly organs. Didn't see that one coming. I expected hemorrhoids, heartburn, & stretchmarks, But to still be having armpit trouble 5 years later....Come on.

Ive tried and tossed,
*Soft & Dry
*Secret
*Degree
*Teen Spirit
*Suave
*Dove
*Sure
*Right Guard

They work for about a month and then Id start sweating again. So Id change brands yet again or go back to an old one. (I currently have 4 different sticks in the drawer.) And no matter what I used, I always felt like a horse looks, you know when you remove the saddle and saddle pads and under all the harnesses they have that frothy white sweat,....Mmmmmmm.
Little did I know that the aluminum in deodorant is bad for you and that my pores were being clogged, which is why I was sweating more and more. (Girls dont sweat, they glisten)Right?!


Wait Ladies,...Do we eve know whats in Deodorant????
Ok class, Pay attention.

There are 7 ingredients to avoid(that are in your deodorant)

Aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly or any aluminum compounds. Aluminum is absorbed through the skin and accumulates in the body and in the blood stream. ewwww. It has been suggested that there is an association between aluminum and Alzheimer’s disease.

Parabens (methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyl and butyl), are all derived from toluene, a toxic petrochemical derivative. Toluene is toxic if swallowed or inhaled. (These Parabens are in almost everything in the beauty world, Your perfumes, Shampoo, Soaps, Bath Oils.) It is also harmful in contact with the skin. There is some evidence that repeated exposure to toluene may cause reproductive harm. Since 2000, 13 research studies have shown that various types of parabens act like estrogen in animals and in tissue culture. Estrogen is known to drive the growth of cancerous cells.

Especially in BREASTS, Ladies. And where does the deodorant sit all day??? One inch from your breast. Scary huh. Whats even more scary,.... You've been using it since 5th grade sex ed class. Remember when you got that first tiny bottle. You took it home with your STD packet and your single use condom.?.... Awesome, I don't think I had even sweat yet,... Or had sex. Way to go school system. (Thats a whole nother blog lol)

Well, we have been wearing it since that day. For me that's been 16 years.

Plus- Have you ever noticed if you get deodorant on your hands and it ends up in your mouth it leaves your tongue numb?!?! Wth.

Here's another CUTE FACT: Parabens never leave your body. Every time you squirt, or drench, your skin in those perfumes and body sprays, the parabens and chemicals seep into your blood stream, and they never leave. And yet, hours later you need more. Hmmmm. Point being, These chemicals damage us.

And just some food for thought: Every bit of the blood in your body runs through your heart and lungs and is filtered by your liver. So imagine your blood traveling around, leaving deadly chemicals in your arteries, and a few in your lungs, and a few more in your liver. These toxins build up over the years, Until ....finally.....you get cancer and die.

True Story. :-) End of story.

So Back to the blog,
The more deodorant I used the worse I sweat.
I decided to go off of it for a while. No deodorant!!
I mean why not, I quit using shampoo. Might as well be gross all around. LOL. Just joking. And PS, I use an Organic Gluten free Shampoo now. Its freaking amazing....

So The first few days I noticed I sweat. A little more than I would like. Then after about 3 days, I quit. I didn't sweat at all. And when i did "Glisten" I didn't get that sticky wet feeling. And best of all, My B.O. was gone. Not that I had BO before, but this new exciting form of sweat didn't have a bad smell.
So I started studying. The aluminum actually makes your pits sick and confused, And the deodorant clogs your pores. You have very important Lymph-nodes in your armpits, And shoving a cancer causing and clogging chemical up in there is not a good idea. Once your pits get clogged they sweat even more to try and drain the crap out of there. So you pack on more. Endless expensive cycle.
In fact, when I stayed with my daughter in the hospital last week, They kept the temp so low I would freeze, then we'd get it warmer and Id sweat. I was stressed and living in a sweater and jeans in a reclining chair. So I decided to try my deodorant just once, and within 20 minutes I was sweating and my pores were stinging and burning, Needless to say I had to wash it out.

Now Ive decided I am going to experiment and try to make my own. I technically dont have to wear it at all anymore. Granted Ive only gone through the cooler months without it, But i hardly sweat at all anymore.
I am going to try this so Im prepared for the summer. And for you of course.


~I have everything I need at home to make a simple deodorant.
I would like to use beeswax in it because its amazing for your skin and keeps it solid passed 76 degrees, so later on If i decide to add it, Ill just remelt the deodorant, add it, then resolidify.

You'll need-
5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
And 1-2 deodorant bottles.

Combine equal portions of baking soda & arrowroot powder/cornstarch. Then slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon/fork until it maintains the substance you desire. (Coconut Oil is solid until it reaches 76 degrees, So you need to take a fork and mush these ingredients together.) It should be about the same texture as the store bought kind, solid but able to be applied easily. You can either scoop this into your old dispensers(make sure that its empty and cleaned, And twisted all the way down) or place in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use.
Im also going to be adding about 10 drops of sweet tangerine essential oil for a sweet clean calming scent...And may refrigerate it after its made to really solidify it.
After applying the product, you can just rub the remains into your hands as a lotion! Yeah!

This recipe lasts about 3 - 6 months.

I will take pictures and document it later when I make it so u can have a step by step guide. :-)
Thanks for reading OGIK, time to get busy, Ill see you later.

Ps TGIF!

Yours Truly, Miranda

The month of february!

Sorry it's been a few weeks. So much has happened in my. Crazy hectic life. My 4 year old was sick, twice. My son turned 7, and had some tests run. And my 8 yr old is currently soaking in a tub. My husband at some point this week said ,"when it rains, it pours"!
What a true statement. It seems like if it could happen to us it did.

Let me start out with, I missed you guys so much. Every corner that held something new was a moment I thought, dang, I need to share this with OGIK!

Ok well it all started about three weeks ago when my youngest got sick. I tried everything to make her better. Turned out she had bronchitis! She had to go on breathing treatments and medicine to keep her from having breathing attacks. Just so happens this awful week my husband was trucking through The lower U.S. And could be of no assistance. I did what I could with eucalyptus oil as a topical oil on her chest, which really helped open her lungs when shed have a spasm, and peppermint oil for her temps, and after 8 days it finally went away. It was a long process in which I lost my job because I requested a day off to care for my child. I won't name names or point fingers because, I'm nicer than that, but if I wasn't, I say this particular company employees it's share of jack asses any how:-) And I am better off :-)
anyways....


My baby went back to school for a total of 4 days. On Day 4 she came home with a temperature of 102. I took her home, gave her a cool cloth, and let her sleep. She was so tired. She slept all that day, and most of the next. She would eat then sleep, and wake up for an hour, then go back to sleep. Around 2 pm that day she spiked a fever that registered 103.8 under the arm. I immediately took her to her doctors where she was admitted to the hospital. She spent a week in a croup O2 tent. Meds around the clock every 3 hours, over 1100 ml of heavy duty antibiotics and 2 IV's. She was dehydrated and they couldn't figure out what was wrong. They said RSV. Swine flu, seasonal flu, pneumonia etc. Turns out she had pneumonia, sinal bronchitis and the flu. Happy to say she's now home and well.

Unfortunately the rest of the family caught her flu bug including my poor dad who may be hospitalized because of it. Please pray for him.

My son had a strange spot form over night on his scalp four weeks ago. We were concerned with the possibility that it may be cancerous, so our amazing family doctor took a sample of it. I'm please to say that it is just a mole.

Now we are semi caught up to date, the whole family is sick with the flu, and
My oldest child is on antibiotics for her throat. She had been on them 4 days when me and the baby came home from the hospital. (did I meantion I managed to avoid all sickness until the day she was declared better and was released, then I became ill) Anyways, the day after I got back I noticed some red dots on my oldest daughter. The next day she was covered. Every inch of her. If I tried to play connect the dots,....I'd have been there a long time. Turns out she's allergic to the penicillin family.


See, I told you it was a long few weeks.
I officially hate public schools with there germ ridden children. Hey um... Parents, if you're child is sick, man up and stay home and take care of your child. Don't send them to school for someone else to babysit. Eventually they sneeze or cough, then those water droplets infused with death float around in the air until they make contact with someone's mucus membranes and BAM!!! I have a sick kid. Obviously I'm from California where the PTA just gangs up and kicks your butt, however, here I'd have to kick alot of butts. So to spare me from losing friends, lol please keep your kids home.


Anyways, here's a few things I found to help..
I sponge bathed my rash baby with chamomile tea and after two baths, the rash got lighter. I'll continue to do this until it's gone.
Lavender tea(to drink) calms you inside and out and helps with infections, colds, and stomach aches.
And coconut oil, (which my amazing family doctor told me about) is great on eczema and dry skin. I'm still finding uses for it so I'll let you know as I find them.

I challenge you to venture out and see what amazing things hide in your spice cupboard.

Yellow Zucchini Casserole

As promised, here is the recipe for last night.


I Boiled about 16 oz of spinach pasta in a stock pot while i made the sauce.

In a separate skillet, I drizzled about 2 TBS of Sun roasted tomato Olive Oil. Into the oil I added 1 red onion chopped small. 2 pearl onions, and 3-4 cloves of garlic.
I seasoned with oregano, sea salt, and pepper.

(NEXT TIME IM GOING TO ADD BELL PEPPER)

After a few minutes I added 3 yellow zucchini's, slices about 1/4 inch thick.(I peeled and washed it first.)

I let them all saute for about 5 minutes.
Then I added 1 can of diced tomatoes with peppers in it.

After that I stirred in 1 jar of tomato sauce.
And 1 lb of cooked hamburger meat. You can do it with Mutton, or Turkey.
I also chopped up a handful of fresh Parsley and a small clump of fresh Cilantro.

Then I let it all cook together for ten minutes. Add a pinch of Paprika and a little more Sea Salt and Pepper.

It was already so good by this point!!! The Zucchini takes on any flavor you want it to.

Then I added the Pasta to the Pan. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.



I used a hand full of cheese, but you can use more or less. Or substitute with cream cheese or ricotta.

Then I pored my sauce on top of this and added another handful of cheese.

YUM!!!

Cook it at 350- for about 10-15 minutes just to melt the cheese and heat the pasta through.

Serve with an Organic, fresh Salad & a homemade vinaigrette..

Mine has honey, vinegar, Olive oil, Dijon, And agave.

AND ENJOY. SUPER SIMPLE....CHEAP. AND HEALTHY!