Exciting new find:

I was in magnificent Powell’s today, picking up a cookbook, and I came across this little number: make your place: affordable, sustainable nesting skills. It’s only 7 bucks, so just go pick it up (if you order online through the publishers website it’s 5 bucks!)! It has tips, recipes, and helpful hints for sustainable domestic life outside of the consumer driven economy. This gem is hand-drawn by the author, and it’s a blast to read! Want to create a tincture for insect bites? It’s here. Want a recipe for cold & flu tea? Check! Need some basic ingredients for natural cleaning? There is more here than I ever thought possible. Make your own liquid dish soap, bleach, laundry soap, floor cleaner, and appliance cleaner. These are seriously just a few cleaners… so many more in this book! Home made shampoos and conditioners are here. Face cleaners and moisturizers, awesome tips for gardening, and beginning instructions for composting.

I want to find the gal who wrote this book and give her a big hug. I have long ago wanted to get rid of cleaners such as scrubbing bubbles, clorox bleach, and windex. I wanted to find a balance between getting rid of unhealthy toxins in my home, while at the same time protecting my husband and kids from germs that could make us sick. I do not respond well to medicines like dayquil or nyquil, and I knew there had to be natural remedies comparable to such things.

So here is a huge thanks to Raleigh Briggs. I think this book will soon be dog-eared, splattered, and creased from over-use. Now, my blog readers, go get it, and let me know what you think!