CREATING A SIMPLER LIFE OFF-GRID
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Blog

A little bit of anything and everything that's part of
​creating, enjoying, and living a simpler life!
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2 SIMPLE RECIPES: Potato Salad & Macaroni Salad

5/22/2016

0 Comments

 
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Who doesn't love potato and macaroni salad at a barbecue?  Have you ever been to a barbecue that didn't have potato or macaroni salad and wondered "what's wrong with this picture?"  These are simple recipes but I can tell  you this - the potato salad recipe is my moms and there is not a summer party she's invited to that they don't beg her to make her potato salad! It truly is the best and there is NEVER any left!

​Click on the button below the recipes to download the pdf file  and print one sheet of  8 1/2 x 11 cardstock paper.  Then cut out each of the 4 x 6 inch recipe cards.  They always come two recipes per sheet in an effort to not waste paper! 

Visit my Recipes Page to view or print out previous recipes (pdf files) or to download a FREE 4 x 6 Recipe Card Template (.dox file) for your own recipes! You can also check out my past Recipe Blog Posts here!

Enjoy!
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download pdf of both recipes here!
FYI: there are always two recipes because I do not want to waste paper!
​

Thank you for visiting!

​Please 'like' us on Facebook or join our mailing list 

so you never miss out on a blog post!

Also check out our Pinterest Recipes Board for more great recipes!


Sincerely,
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0 Comments

WHY USE AN ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSER PENDANT?

5/18/2016

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Essential oil diffuser pendants...
Feel good all day, every day, everywhere you go!
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Essential oils have been used in various ways for close to 6,000 years. The science of aromatherapy was founded in 1928 and within 30 years aromatherapy was being used by doctors, nurses,  massage therapists, and other health care providers.  Aromatherapy is the use of Essential oils to help one heal or feel better.  Though they can be used in a variety of ways this post will focus on inhalation aromatherapy using a diffuser, specifically, a personal pendant diffuser. Unfortunately many lotions, candles, and beauty products that are sold as "aromatherapy" today contain synthetic ingredients and/or fragrances.  Synthetics can be completely avoided by using only 100% pure all natural essential oils. Pure essential oils are concentrated extracts taken directly from the roots, leaves, seeds, or blossoms of plants. The use of each individual essential oil depends upon its natural chemical properties and what the goal of the specific therapy is as described below.

Diffuse means to spread out. A diffuser is a way to spread out the aroma of the essential oils so you can benefit therapeutically from them!
​
  • Room Diffusers - I have one in the living room and one in the bedroom. Room diffusers require water with a few drops of pure essential oil added. All of our essential oils can be used in room diffusers. Room diffusers require electricity and are great because they shut themselves off when the water runs out!  They can help to disinfect and freshen household air.  Like a humidifier, they can help with sleeping at night especially when someone is ill. The only problem with a room diffuser is that you need to stay in the room to benefit from it! That's why personal diffuser pendants are so great - they are with you everywhere you go!
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Room Diffuser (affiliate link)
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Room Diffuser (affiliate link)
  • Personal Diffusers Pendants - These are simply pendants that are specifically designed to hold essential oils and are worn around your neck. A drop of pure essential oil is added and the therapeutic benefits of the oil can be enjoyed all day, every day, everywhere you go!
  • The specific oil you add to the pendant is determined by the type of aromatherapy you are interested in! For example, I deal with stress often and I suffer from stress headaches.  For this reason I choose to use 100% Pure Lavender Essential Oil on my personal pendant every day.  All day long the scent of the lavender diffuses and helps to relax me. If I feel a moment of extra stress then I lift the pendant and inhale deeply.  This helps me feel better right away!  Here are some examples of how essential oils can help you:
    • Are you fighting a cold?  Add a drop of eucalyptus essential oil to help clear sinus'.
    • Are you dealing with stress and anxiety? Add a drop of Lavender essential oil to feel relaxed.
    • Are you feeling down and out? Add a drop of Peppermint essential oil to feel more alert.
    • Want to ward off the flu? Add a drop of Tea Tree essential oil to disinfect the air around you.
    • Feeling tired all the time? Try a drop of Lemon essential oil to feel more awake!
  • Here are two of my personal favorite pendants available in our shop. They are both handmade by myself and my husband and can be purchased as just the pendant alone (you don't have to use essential oils with it) or with your choice of 100% pure Lavender (floral aroma)  or 100% pure Cedarwood (woody aroma) essential oils.  
  • They are the perfect way to start using essential oils for the first time!
  • View all our Essential Oil Pendants
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Sand Dollar
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Monarch Butterfly
click here for our essential oil diffuser faq's
Just add one drop of oil...So Simple!

Which essential oils should you use? 

There are many different essential oils available.  Some oils are helpful when coming down with a cold and some are more helpful if you are tired or stressed. You can even buy or make blends of different oils to help focus on specific problems.  Regardless of the oil, all you need is from 1 to 3 drops depending upon the oil and size/type of diffuser.  Our pendants only require 1 drop to help you feel good!

*Here are a few Essential Oils that we use regularly:
  • Eucalyptus - Clean, crisp menthol scent - good for asthma, cough, stuffed nose, sore throat, sinus problems
  • Lavender - Sweet floral scent - good for anxiety, tension, stress, insomnia, headache
  • Tea Tree - Fresh medicinal scent - good for colds, flu, to ward off illness, disinfectant
  • Peppermint - Sweet minty menthol scent - good for fatigue, exhaustion, or apathy, asthma, bronchitis, cough, sinus, headaches, migraines, nausea, indigestion
  • Lemon - Sweet lemon scent - good for immune system booster, digestive health, household odors, fatigue, PMS, or stress
  • Cedarwood - Woody scent - good for neverous tension or stress
  • Bergamot - Fruity & citrusy scent - good if you are feeling anxious, depressed, tired, nervous or stressed
  • Frankinsense - Warm spicy & woody scent - good for asthma, cough, cold, flu, sore throat, or fatigue​​
​​*NOTE: If you are pregnant, nursing, or have any health issues you should always check with your doctor before use!

Special 20% off all our diffuser pendants with code 20NOW at checkout!
Offer ends 5/31/16

Essential oil diffuser pendants...
Feel good all day, every day, everywhere you go!
Thank you for visiting!

Sincerely,
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Sources:
University of Maryland Medical Center
​


0 Comments

DIY GARDEN MAILBOX "TOOL SHED"

5/16/2016

1 Comment

 
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We are all about simple here, and well, I needed a way to make my 15 minutes a day garden maintenance even simpler!  I was tired of having to get out the garage key, then walking to the garage to get my gloves and tools, and then walking across the yard to the garden to do quick weeding and maintenance every day.  It felt like a total waste of my time. 

Since our garden is small and we are limited on space, I needed to find an option for storing these simple tools other than a shed.  After googling for ideas, I found this gem (original source at end of post)!  Simple, inexpensive, and exactly what I needed!  

This is such a simple idea and we already had the post on the side of our garden gate so adding a mailbox to it was no big deal. And, best of all, the side of the mailbox was a 'blank slate' that allowed me to be creative :-)

Total cost: $18.99 + tax (cost of mailbox at Home Depot). I already had the paints and everything else we needed!  So simple!
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MADE IN THE USA!
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SKETCHED LIGHTLY WITH PENCIL
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USED SHARPIE OIL PAINT PEN
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ACRYLIC PAINTS
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OUTLINED WITH THE PAINT PEN, PROBABLY LIKED IT BETTER WITHOUT THE OUTLINE...OH WELL.
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3 COATS OF KRYLON CLEAR COAT
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ALREADY HAD THE POST
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MY HUSBAND DOING THE INSTALLATION
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MY BASIC GLOVES AND TOOLS FIT PERFECTLY
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LOVE IT!
Thanks for visiting!

If you liked this, please consider following me on social media :-)

​Sincerely,

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Source of Original Idea: Hometalk - Garden Mailbox Toolshed
1 Comment

2 RECIPES: Cucumber Salad & Grilled Garden Veggies

5/14/2016

0 Comments

 
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I am posting this for a second time because it was sort of embedded in a recipe book post from last year and many people had a little trouble finding the actual recipes!  So here they are again, but easier to find and download this time.  Enjoy😊. 

Two of My Favorite Summer Recipes:
We make these two very quick and simple recipes a minimum of twice a week all summer long because they include a lot of the the fresh garden vegetables we grow, they are healthy, and any cooking is done outside on the bbq!
​

Click on the button below the recipes to download the pdf file  and print one sheet of  8 1/2 x 11 cardstock paper.  Then cut out each of the 4 x 6 inch recipe cards.  They always come two recipes per sheet in an effort to not waste paper! 

Visit my Recipes Page to view or print out previous recipes (pdf files) or to download a FREE 4 x 6 Recipe Card Template (.dox file) for your own recipes! You can also check out my past Recipe Blog Posts here or visit my our Recipes Pinterest Board.

Enjoy!
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DOWNLOAD PDF FILE with both RECIPES HERE!
FYI: there are always two recipes because I do not want to waste paper!
​
Thank you for visiting!

Check out our Recipes Pinterest Board!

​Please 'like' us on Facebook or join our mailing list 

so you never miss out on a blog post!

Sincerely,
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0 Comments

NO MORE SLIMY STINKY SPONGES!

5/3/2016

0 Comments

 
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Sick of slimy, stinky, nasty sponges?
Tired of having to throw them out and needlessly adding to the landfills of the world?

Well be sick and tired NO MORE!  This super simple scrubby can be washed, dried and re-used over and over and, well, over.  

​If it gets slimy? Wash it!  If it gets stinky? Wash it!  It's that simple!  And best of all: It is safe for all pots, pans, glassware, and surfaces!  

Check out this video of my husband using the scrubby on a really nasty pan....
Do you crochet?  
Then get started making this right away with this FREE PATTERN!

Not into crocheting but still want a scrubby?
Then
BUY IT HERE in our shop :-)
Every product we sell MUST meet THREE criteria:
1. Be Made of Simple Materials
2. Benefit Life in a Simple Way
3. Be Earth-friendly
The dishcloth and scrubby set we sell is handmade of 100% all natural USA grown cotton and polyester (black scrubby center only).

It benefits life simply by being reusable because it can be washed and dried over and over again!
​
And of course, this makes it Earth-friendly because it is one less thing that will need to be thrown out:-)
Thank you for visiting!
Follow us to keep up with the latest news in Creating A Simpler Life!
​Sincerely,

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    Hi there! I'm Kathie, the author behind Creating A Simpler Life blog. I'm excited to share our longterm projects (and planning) toward building our future retirement homestead in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. In the meantime I will be sharing all the other little things we do that are part of creating our simpler life!
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  • Home/About
    • What does OFF-GRID mean?
    • MINIMIZING >
      • Home Size
      • Room by Room
      • Get Organized
      • Household Waste
    • MINIMIZE DEBT, MAXIMIZE SAVINGS >
      • Bills & Other Debt
      • Saving Money
      • Shopping Tips
      • Affordable Fun
    • BACKYARD CHICKENS >
      • The Coop
      • The Chickens
      • Feeding the Chickens
      • Fresh Eggs
    • HOME GARDENING >
      • Building the Garden
      • What We Grow
      • Seeds, Weeds, & More
      • Preservation & Storage
    • DO-IT-YOURSELF >
      • Health & Wellness
      • Simple Cleaning & Tips
      • Crafts & More!
      • Printables
    • CROCHET >
      • IDEAS & MORE
      • VIDEO TUTORIALS
  • HOMESTEAD
    • The 5 Year Plan PLUS! >
      • 2017
      • 2018
      • 2019
      • 2020
      • 2021
      • 2022
    • WHY AN EARTH SHELTERED HOUSE?
    • OFF GRID TINY TRAILER
    • BUILDING our HOMESTEAD from Scratch >
      • BUYING LAND & GETTING STARTED
      • BUILDING THE CONCRETE DOME
      • FROM DOME to HOME
      • SURVIVING OUR FIRST WINTER
    • HOMESTEAD MACHINERY >
      • GENERATORS
      • KUBOTA TRACTOR
      • ATV'S & UTV'S
      • WOOD CHIPPER
      • CHAINSAWS
      • LOG SPLITTER
      • POWER TOOLS
      • SNOWMOBILES
      • AUTOMOBILES
    • BUDGETING THE BUILD
    • SUSTAINABILITY >
      • WATER
      • FOOD
      • SHELTER
      • ENERGY >
        • SOLAR POWER
    • The Adirondacks >
      • Wildlife & Nature
      • Insects & Bugs
      • Things to Do
      • Water Fun
    • ADIRONDACK CRAFTS
  • VLOG
    • 2023
    • 2022
    • 2021