Two Cent Tuesday- Tulsi

I've been terrible at posting lately.  Work has been a frenzy! In the evening I'm just too pooped to do anything. I'd like to sit with a cup of tea and space out.  One of my favorites is Tulsi because of its health benefits (described here). The box even says its "stress relieving and magical". :)

Organic India is the brand I always get and I think my favorite flavor is Sweet Rose.  As its name suggests its floral, sweet and mild.  There are others like Lemon Ginger and Honey Chamomile.  Its organic and fair trade certified.

Two cent Tuesday - How to get half off organics

Organic food can be a little pricey sometimes but I've learned how you can get at least half off of your organic celery and green onions if you're willing to get your hands dirty. lil fish studios demonstrated how to regrow green onions.  I've tried two methods as shown below.

Method #1-Started

Method #2-Plant root tips in soil.

Method #1-After 10 days

Method #2- After 10 days

You can keep cutting the long greens, and they will keep growing new ones for a while. So technically you can get more than double for your money.  I'm still not sure what the ones in the soil will do since this is the first time I've tried that method.

After 1 week

With the celery, I cut the bottom 2 inches off then put in in a bowl with 1 inch of water until I saw little roots beginning to grow.  then I planted it in a small pot. Putting it in the water isn't necessary, rather it was for my own satisfaction.  I like to see things happening.  Waiting for seeds to germinate is almost agonizing. Another couple weeks and I should be able to harvest round 2 of organic celery.

After 2 weeks

Two Cent Tuesday - Creative Memories Custom Cutting System

Cutting circles is such a pain sometimes when you're running around trying to find bowls or glasses that are the right size, to trace onto your paper.  When scrapbooking with friends, I've really enjoyed using the Creative Memories Custom Cutting System. Its templates are easy to use and making different sizes for matting is so convenient.  The blade sets in a groove on the template and you just guide it around. It keeps the blade straight, the way it should be, so it cuts nice and clean, unlike the Fiskars circle cutter that I have.  They have oval and fancy frames templates too and also sell replacement blades and a self healing mat. These are great for any paper craft.

Two Cent Tuesday - Soap Creations kit

I got the Innovations Soap Creations soap making kit and one weekend my mom, roommate and I tried our hands at melt and pour soap making.  The kit comes with a melting pot and warmer, a chunk of glycerin soap, and a mold.  The instructions are very simple.  Cut chunks of the soap, melt it in the pot, and then fill the molds.  The pot is like a hopper with a valve on the bottom so you can easily stop the flow while filling the mold.  However the melting pot was a major disappointment.  As the soap was melting it began to leak, unknowingly to us, all under the warmer!  We thought maybe we got something in there that didn’t allow it to seal completely so we cleaned it up well and tried to melt some soap a second time.  Again, it leaked out of the pot onto the counter.  We manage to make 4 little soaps with what didn’t leak out and added some essential oils and lavender flowers to fancy them up.  I would not recommend this particular brand to start your soap making adventures.  

Two Cent Tuesday!

I am dubbing today "Two Cent Tuesday" to throw in my two cents about products, destinations, foods, services, and whatever else I think you might like to know about.

Seeing as I just went camping over the weekend in Meramec State Park in Missouri, I figured that would be a great place to start.  The campground was nice and had showers and flush toilets.  It was right on the Meramec river, which runs along scenic bluffs. It is also home to Fisher cave which you can explore as well. Unfortunately we were there a week before it opened for the season but you can see pictures and info here.  There is abundant wildlife in the campground.  We saw 10 deer and were visited by a raccoon several times while we sat at the campfire.  We also heard numerous bird species that were new to us, coyotes in the distance, and a couple different kinds of frogs.  We didn't have enough time to explore everything we wanted and if I get the chance to go back I would like to take a canoe down the river.

I also want to tell you about the tent I took and have been using the past couple years now.  Its the Arete 2.  The 2 is for "2 person tent" but unless you like that person a whole lot, i would consider this a 1 person tent + gear. Its meant to be small and lightweight because its a backpacking tent and it works wonderfully for that.  It packs down small and is lightweight.  Its a 4-season tent and I've used it several times in the colder months.  With few windows, its specialty is to keep out the cold drafts and stay dry, which it does exceedingly well. The downfall to that is in the summer it can get stuffy because of the little ventilation.  Overall I love this little tent and the quality is excellent. For complete specs on the new model, you can check it out here at REI.