Delicious teas to warm...

This past weekend, while doing a walking tour of the wonderful & beautiful Historic Inns of St. Augustine, I stopped into the Old Drug Store at the corner of Orange Street & Cordova Street to visit Old City Remedies. I had visited their shop in the past just prior to moving here & purchased some soap, but this time decided to purchase an ounce or two of Tea they have available (in addition to other handmade bath & body products)! They have a huge selection of teas... black, red, green, white, rooibos, organic herbal, oriental... you name it, they have it!

First I tried their sample tea, I think it was Red Berries Fruit Melange, which was a melange of different fruits including blueberries (great antioxidant). I was very VERY surprised at how deliciously thick this tea was and enjoyed it's naturally sweet flavor which was not overpowering!

After drinking the sample, I got busy sniffing all the samples of tea, and decided on two: Cocoa Cardamom: black tea, cocoa chips, cardamom, & cinnamon. Smells like cocoa tea! :-D Lemon Chiffon Rooibos: South African rooibos, lemongrass, marigold flowers. This truly smells like lemon chiffon, but the rooibos & a hint of lemon shows through when enjoying the tea!

I'm looking forward to trying some of their organic herbal teas as well. They have a website that includes a large selection of their popular teas in a variety of areas and all their handmade products as well, but it doesn't include the flavors I mentioned above! Be sure to ask them for those flavors or... you'll just have to visit St. Augustine to find them! '-D

Visit: Old City Remedies

Softer clothes & towels...

I've discovered a whole world of *new* natural & organic products in the natural food markets after moving here this Fall! One particular product that really stands out is Ecover. They use plant-based ingredients & fragrances, it's biodegradable, and their containers are recyclable. I haven't had any irritation issues with the product either... which is a nice plus!


They have a variety of products available, but the products I've used most often since I've moved here are their fabric softener which comes in several nice soft scents, this one being "Sunny Day". I also like that they print the ingredients on the bottle as well as on their website. This is something that I myself feel is important especially with skin sensitivities... and people have a right to know what's in the product their buying for their own bodies! :-)


My clothes & towels come out so much more softer now as compared to other organic fabric softeners, and I can tell you I've tried them all!! To me, it's worth it to pay a little more for something that works -- as the saying goes: You get what you pay for! '-)



Visit: Ecover

I know it's THE place...

The BEST way for me to know whether a new town that I'm considering moving to is the right place is when I find THREE (3) handmade soap & body product shops, especially when one is organic & vegan!! :-D JACKPOT!! LOL

Of course, I'll share these three wonderful shops with you... they all have a website, but it's worth visiting St. Augustine to check out their distinctive little shops & smell all the goodies to spoil yourself with! The first place I wandered into is called Bath Junkie. It's an interesting shop with lots of colorful soaps, soap beads, bath salts, bath products... and empty bottles, etc. Your delite & treat is to custom create & blend your own bath & body products! Even though they have products made with essential oils, I actually found a handmade soap made by Nikki's Naturals. I tried Cranberry, and was greeted with a soap having a variety of oils with a spunky cranberry scent! It lasted a long time too... as I'm still using it! Apparently the Pet Soap is very popular on the 'net with a lot of pet shops; since I don't have a dog, I can't say how good it is. Anyway, Nikki's Naturals is a one woman soap company (just like Jackie's) out of Arkansas. Her soap is definitely one to try as it's available in a variety of scents, sure to please everyone, including your dog(s)!

The next shop... Hickory Ridge Organics was definitely a TREAT! Originally when I sought out this shop, I was looking for Dead Sea Salts in particular. I found a wonderful jar of Lavender Dead Sea Salts, and also Vanilla Ylang Ylang. I decided to try the Lavender and was NOT disappointed! The first night I used it in my tub it was SO relaxing with little bits of lavender seeds floating around, I had the deepest night's sleep afterward! :-D LOL It had a very nice strong scent of Lavender; I'm looking forward to trying the Vanilla Ylang Ylang next! The owner, Lisa, and I had a really great conversation about organics available in the St. Augustine area. She also included a free sample of Lavender soap for me to try... that's next on my list! Next time I visit, I'll be purchasing a few bars of her soap as well as the perfume! She has a website also, and I noticed she has an interesting type of soap available also... Felted Artisan Soap! Sounds interesting, huh? :-D With an order from her website, you receive (2) Free soap samples, which is a nice bonus, PLUS Free Shipping for orders over $50! Very nice incentives for shopping online! '-D I also learned that the B&B I stayed at, the Centennial House, has contracted with Hickory Ridge to purchase their soap & body products for the B&B! A very NICE choice!! This B&B was also a wonderful place to stay... I'll elaborate more in another article. '-)

The last shop I visited was in the "Oldest Drugstore" on Orange St. After looking at a variety of antique drug store products (of which I noticed they had no antique Johnson & Johnson items) further perusal of the shop in the back led to a variety of handmade soap, face, & body products, as well as large glass jars of blended tea, all made by Old City Remedies. I purchased a small package of Peppermint Dead Sea Salts as it smelled so minty fresh, I could imagine it clearing my sinuses while bathing with the salts! I also purchased two handmade soaps: Pear Berry and Black Licorice. It was really a tough decision... as the Vanilla Silk smelled like warm caramel, but I decided to try that one the next time, along with the facial products. I did try a sample of the shea butters -- very nice, looking forward to purchasing a container of that also!

Stay tuned for more tidbits from my north FL visit to St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S.!

Luscious Lavender...

Found a truly wonderful soap @ Whole Foods a few weeks ago, and even my friends agree that it's a wonderfully scented soap & very luxurious! While shopping I came upon a table with huge blocks of soap and little pieces cut off. I bought several scents to try & gave some to a Lavender-loving friend. Very aromatic & nicely priced, Hugo Naturals also has a nice variety of body products, baby hugo, & soy candles products available at their website! Go get a sample of this bar at your local Whole Foods... or just take my word for it & order it! '-D

A New Kind of Cleansing...

Just for something a little different, I'm going to try some handmade soaps from several *new* Vegan soapmakers on Etsy over the next month or so. There's such a nice variety of handmade soaps available these days, maybe I'll find some others to add to my current favorite!

Here's a list of those that seem rather appealing, and if you have any thoughts or soapmakers to share, please feel free to leave your comments! :-)

*Burnt Mill Candles & Soaps -- very colorful soaps
*Elegant Rose Boutique -- essential oil soaps (plus bath salts)
*Spa Goddess -- organic soaps (plus bath salts & perfume)
*Long Leaf Soaps -- Nag Champa soap

Stay tuned for the results... '-)

Guess you're waiting for the results, eh? :-D I'll be receiving soap shortly from Spa Goddess in a variety of essential oil scents: Peppermint, Lavender, Citrus & Lavender, Juniper Forest, and Blood Orange & Bergamot. Continue to stay tuned... '-)

Where do we go to Eat?

Being an organic food lover, it's difficult at times to find a place to eat with healthy food choices... and make choices amongst the many non-organic food items. Living here in the Keys though tends to open up some of the food choices because of the wealthy abundance of fresh fish! Just yesterday one of the fishing charters (where I work) came in with a Swordfish!! It weighed 228 lbs.! I've never seen a swordfish, so it was a delightful treat to actually see one in person... it was a bit shorter than I thought it would be, with a small tail but a rather long sword. I've been told that they're THE BEST fish to eat... maybe the charter boat captain left us some samples! :-D

But besides the fish... we do have a few places in the Upper & Middle Keys for organic/vegan eating choices, although some are far & few between. One great place in Key Largo is Eco Eats. They create really delicious wraps full of chicken, fish, veggies that are large but not overly filling. I enjoy going to this small restaurant whenever I'm up in that area. I believe they're opening another (smaller) location at Froggy's, the local gym, in Tavernier.

On Big Pine Key, there's the Good Food Conspiracy! Wish we had one of these up in the Upper Keys! They combine health & organic food, organic products, good-for-you products, and a snack bar with awesome smoothies and cookies made by Deer Run (a Green Lodging B&B nearby-link is to the right). This is a definite stop on your way to Key West, and be sure to make time to visit The Crystal Loft next door for beautiful crystal gifts for yourself! :-D

There's a new health food store in Marathon, Food for Thought... I'll touch on this at a later date (after I've had a chance to visit & sample)! Sure wish a health food store w/organic snack bar would open in Islamorada! It would make eating so much easier & healthful!! :-D

If you're looking for a location somewhere else in the U.S., a great online source of vegan/organic restaurants is Happy Cow. I've tried some of the restaurants recommended while travelling and it's been an enjoyable eating experience!

Fruit & Greens...

Recently, like in the past month, I've signed myself up for Annie's Organic Buying Club. Annie & her husband used to run Delicious Organics (outside of Miami) delivering organic food/veggies/fruit from West Palm Beach to the Lower Keys. But now... she's doing the Organic Buying Club; which basically combines everyone who's interested to purchase fruit & veggies for a much lower price. There's a small share and a large share, plus you can order extra fruit. The latter is always a nice bonus!

I'm a total believer that fruit & veggies are good for everyone's bodies and souls. The MORE you eat of them, the better you and your body feel in the long run. I can't say I'm a total Vegan... I DO still enjoy pork, chicken, and fish... no, correct that: I LOVE pork (couldn't NOT have it for any length of time!), but most of the time I do prefer to eat fruits & veggies, and have tried numerous times to eliminate processed foods -- it's difficult, but I limit them. Harry & David's Moose Munch isn't organic or vegan... but it sure as heck tastes great!! LOL

Anyway... Annie has her Buying Club in a variety of cities around FL, not just in the Keys. I've tried the small share initially, but found it wasn't enough fruit for me, but good on the veggies. Now I get the large share every 2 weeks (believe it or not, for one person!!), and there's plenty of fruit, but now there's TOO many veggies... but I deal with it. It's good for me and I need to eat more green veggies, so that's how I rationalize it! LOL

Annie includes lots of recipies for the veggies you receive, like kale, spinach, beets, chard. But I just found a website that has some additional recipies that are less complicated and more to my liking -- Earthbound Farm. They not only give recipies for a variety of veggies, but pictures, where it comes from, colors, etc. You'll probably learn more than you ever thought you would about kale!! :-D LOL I've never been a fan of Spinach, wondered about I guess because Popeye ate the whole can! But I just saw a really scrumptious looking recipe I can't wait to try: Spinach & Tuna Linguine -- YUM!! Check out this pic @ right. I also just printed out Orange-Glazed Beets; my Mom always used to tell me how her grandmother made her eat Beet Soup, which really never sounded good to me... so I'll try this recipe instead. '-)

I'm gettin' back into cooking again, which I really enjoy! Cooking "good for ya" stuff! So... if you want to eat more fruits & veggies... give Annie's Buying Club a try. For what you get and the price you pay... it's a STEAL!! Then visit Earthbound Farm for some awesome recipies (they also sell organic food).

Visit: Annie's Buying Club, Earthbound Farms

Natural Sunscreen for Kids...

Here's an interesting article on the Organic & Thrifty blog about Natural sunscreen for kids & adults... focusing on Omega-3 fatty acids, and eating healthful, all natural from scratch meals (no packaged or fast foods).

Sometimes the higher the SPF goes, it seems like the product doesn't have enough coverage. So maybe changing our diets can/will eliminate sunscreen all together! '-)

Visit: Organic & Thrifty

Bicycling, bicycling...

Do you like to bicycle? I LOVE bicycling... always have!! I've had a lot of bikes in my life, several new ones stolen in high school, but somehow or other I always had a bicycle wherever I went in life. My Dad and I used to go on 20-30 mile rides around NJ... we'd tackle some rolling hills, passing huge estates and farms, have lunch at a country deli, and come home exhausted!! Nice memories... :-)

Have you ever seen the two guys who bicycle up and down the highway between Key Largo & Islamorada? One guy must ride in 1st or 2nd gear (the lowest gear, greatest workout), and he always shirtless and has a basket with a box that he hunches over on. I think he rides down to Islamorada somewhere & back up north -- EVERY DAY. So that's about 40 miles per day, at least! Note: Believe it or not, I've just learned who this guy is... "Box Man" is a retired special ed. teacher who rode with a box on his bicycle (usually of fruit he purchased @ MM103)... for 25 years he's been riding his bike like this -- definitely an eccentric! ONLY in the Keys!! Then there's the other guy who was featured in the paper a little while back... he wears a blue baseball helmet. He used to ride his bike from Key Largo to Plantation Key Convalescent center where his wife used to be, but after she passed away... I think he just rides to the Tavernier Post Office now. He says "hi" to everyone he sees, and just wears that distinctive blue helmet. He's a harmless sort of fellow... but here's another guy who does about 40 miles every day ... in the HEAT no less!!

I just rode around Old Town in Key West today... 20 miles believe it or not!! And I did it in the middle of the day just like those guys do! Gosh, if I did 40 miles/day every day... I would be pretty SVELTE!! :-D LOL But then I might have to be living under the bridge or somewhere similar since I wouldn't have a job. Come to think of it, maybe some advertising company should put a sign on either one of those guys' backs as they ride up and down the highway!! LOL

I had a really enjoyable day riding in and out & up and down the streets of Old Town. My favorite streets are Elizabeth and William Streets... I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the architecture of Key West! Since it didn't seem to work out to live there several months ago, I still enjoy going there and riding around... and dreaming of living there some day. :-) I must have lived in a similar house (gingerbread or Victorian) in a past life... because I really love staying in similar type B&B's whenever I'm away.

I was interested in eating at an Organic or Vegan restaurant for lunch. Not that I'm totally Vegan, but I do eat Organic food & feel so much better when I eat healthy like that. Happy Cow pointed me to (3) different places... but twice I seemed to end up at the same place, so I decided to eat there -- Help Yourself on the corner of Fleming & Margaret Streets. Everybody seemed to be enjoying the Smoothies... but since I was riding, I felt I needed something more substantial. So I ordered a chicken salad wrap... it was GREAT -- it has bits of apples with the chicken, sort of like a Waldorf Salad wrap. There's a great place in Key Largo that makes a great one of these... Eco Eats... they're in the Office Depot shopping plaza. I learned about Healthy Cow, which is a great reference site for Vegans/Organics, through a Green Lodging B&B on Big Pine Key... Deer Run B&B. They're great - Jen & Harry! They make the most wonderful Vegan/Organic breakfasts and it's truly a relaxing paradise... along with visiting Key Deer! Great place for couples and singles who need a break from the world.

Besides doing the East side of Old Town, I went over to the West side... found myself at the courthouse then wandered beyond that to the Truman Annex -- BORING!! I went a little further south and decided that area wasn't worth pursuing since I seemed to be riding through some run down areas. Not a good area for someone like me on a bicycle, so back over I went to the other side of Truman Ave. I must have circled the Cemetary at least 4 or 5x today... and I still got confused as to which direction I was going! Thank goodness for maps!!

A nice HOT Bath is looking really good tonight! LOL So... be sure to check out bicycling Key West! There's so much MORE to see than Duval Street! So many more options of places to eat and new people to meet! '-D

General Synopsis: The next time I decide to go to Key West and do that much bicycling, I'll stay overnight! I was SO EXHAUSTED making that drive home! A-a-a-CK! Thank goodness for a stop in Marathon & a high protein smoothie... only that got me back home!

Spring Cleaning...

I've been trying all kinds of "organic" and green cleaners around the house. Seventh Generation isn't bad in some instances... but I'm not fond of their dish soap; hardly suds', I don't feel like anything is getting clean, AND you have to use too much of it! I guess as a society of using things that "suds up"... if something doesn't suds up enough, then we don't feel like it's cleaning very well. All these "suds" come from using coconut in the ingredients. Coconut oil or coconut-based "surfactants" (used by most commercial cleansers). I've been using the laundry soap and softener; the softener especially after I learned Mrs. Meyer's Dryer Sheets weren't softening the laundry. I like the laundry soap & softener, but my towels aren't as soft (as using Shaklee's Get Clean Laundry Soap). I've been using the Seventh Generation laundry products as a less expensive alternative to another series of products that I really like (Shaklee Get Clean), and for the money and it's not a bad choice.

But before I get to the Shaklee products... I'd like to comment on Clorox Green Works. I've been using this cleaner around the house, on the walls, in the tub, and toilet. I like how effective it is... green as well as cleans (well), it's affordable, and has a nice scent too! (I've used the Original scent plus Tangerine.) It appears that other users, like the Sierra Club are also "pro" for this product, which is really a plus+. Their A-P (all purpose) Cleaner is a MAJOR PLUS in my book -- it cleans everything! The stove, the countertops, the walls... just about everywhere! A pet peeve I have about some of these "green" products is they don't list the ingredients on the label. But Green Works does! I like that; I want to know what's in something I'm using whether it be a cleanser for the home or my body (especially my body!)!

A lot of people want to "go green" but a lot of people feel that it's expensive to "go green"... and I feel Clorox Green Works is a nice, affordable way to achieve those green goals for many people. I hope they decide to come out with a Laundry Soap... '-)

Above I mentioned Shaklee's Get Clean products. They are a little pricier, but buying one bottle of Basic H2 (an A-P cleaner) and using a few DROPS mixed with a spray bottle of water to clean your house (a little more for windows), just goes to show you how LONG you will have that one bottle. I bought a bottle of it last year and I STILL haven't bought another bottle since! And the Laundry soap... I purchased the largest box which if you measure it out equally for each wash, you should get about 84 washings out of it... that box lasted 7 MONTHS!! I don't have any laundry soap that has EVER lasted 7 MONTHS! Have you?? They also have this wonderful little compound, Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste (made from pitted cherries I think)... I've cleaned boats with this product! It's SUPER on fiberglass... gets all kinds of stains out, especially rust, and it's o.k. for the water ... and works wonderfully on the tub & tile as well! If you'd like to try Shaklee products, contact me. Their products work GREAT for the home as well as the body!

Of course, if you're not into any of the store-bought green cleaners, you can always mix vinegar or baking soda with warm water and still have just as good a cleanser! This way is rather economical and eliminates all those various bottles under the sink!

So... DO Tell what your favorite cleaning product is! These products I've described are available here. Maybe there are others available that I'm not aware of! Please share with us your experiences!

Feel Free to Visit: Seventh Generation, Green Works, Shaklee

Trying some *New* Things...

I've been away... went up to NJ to visit family and had a really NICE time! Also enjoyed visiting my favorite shopping area: New Hope, PA... an artsy quaint town in Bucks County, PA, right on the Delaware, across the river from another favorite town, Lambertville, NJ. I met a friend in New Hope, besides having lunch, we perused the shops. I hadn't shopped there in 20 years!! LONG TIME!! LOL But... it was fun to see which shops had stood the test of time and which ones moved on or closed entirely. This was the type of town that had the quintessential bong shop (and I think I still saw part of it in the Vintage store on the corner!) amongst other artsy shops, eateries, and of course, the best ice cream shop in the valley!

A wonderful shop we stopped into was Strawberry Jam... the owners have been running this beautiful little shop in the same location for 35 years! It seemed like a quaint shop with lots of exotic cards, glass, vintage jewelry, and bath products (my kind of store!). Most of the bath products weren't organic or handmade, but they sure did smell good! They featured a soap from Portugal -- HUGE bars with very colorful wrappings and wonderful scents... but a little on the pricey side. One product from Stonewall Kitchen in Maine was Lavender Mint soap... had to bring a bar of this home to try. I just checked out their website... and they have SO MUCH MORE than just soap! :-D Lots of yummy looking pancake & waffle mixes (m-m-m-m-m!)... seems like they have lots of cooking/specialty foods, things for the kitchen/home, and I finally found the soap... under "Fine Home Keeping"... that's a New one (shown at right)! Lots of all natural products and essential oils in this soap plus Shea butter. They also have a nice selection of gifts for Mother's Day, which is right around the corner!

Another shop we stopped into called Heart of the Home had a lot of pottery from various U.S. artists, unique handmade purses w/rather exotic pictures, soap & body products (another +++ for me!), handmade jackets, 2 garden rooms with outdoor treasures, two floors of perusing -- I LOVED IT!! LOL My original reason for going into this shop was for a handmade mug I saw in another store (being used by the owner). Although I was interested in possibly purchasing this handmade mug, it was a little out of my budget. Instead of a handmade mug... I found this collection of organic soap that I found on the internet a few weeks prior called "Fraiche" (pronounced "fresh"). A little on the pricey side, but I figured this was my (only) opportunity to try it -- bite the bullet & buy it!! As soon as I do try it, I'll fill you in. But the Set of 3 soaps I purchased (similar to that shown above right): bare naked/lavender fields/soothe me smell really awesome, and are all finished off naturally on the top portion of the soap (Bare Naked bar at left). You'll see more when you visit the website! These are definitely organic soaps, and they promise "an unforgettable bathing experience"! I'll let you know... :-D LOL Another product I found that I did purchase for my Mom was a Lotion Bar made entirely of Shea butter from Footbridge. What a WONDERFUL bar this is (shown at right)! Just rub it right on to your dry skin and the shea butter sinks right in! She loved it and I can't wait to get one for myself! '-D LOVE the Dragonfly!! LOL

I perused a few of the shops on my own after my friend left to go back to the Philadelphia area. I lingered as long as possible, enjoying the cool air and the warmth of being in an area of which many past fond memories were created... always wanted to live there, one never knows what the future holds! '-) But I hope it doesn't take me 20 years to get back there again! LOL

Conclusion(s): The Fraiche soap: Bare Naked. Very nice soap, no grittiness, nice scent... great on my dry skin. If the cost of it doesn't kill you, try it! Actually, the best way to try it is to buy the "Trilogy". Then you get (3) 1/2 bars and you pay roughly $6.25/bar. Each bar lasts approx. 5 days on the average person. :-)

Note: I also found the Fraiche soap at The Gallery at Morada Bay in Islamorada.

Visit: Strawberry Jam, Stonewall Kitchen, Fraiche, Footbridge, and Heart of the Home

Think & Live GREEN...

It's really great to see so many people turning to use more Green living in their lives! Today I visited the FL Keys GLEE Expo in Marathon! GLEE = Green Living and Energy Education What a wonderful day it was too! Windy, but mostly sunny... definitely a day for my SPF 50 Baby Blanket lotion (but sometimes I feel like I only have SPF 30 on with THIS sun)! Incidentally, according to Safe Cosmetics.org this is one of the BEST suntan lotions you can use that doesn't have harmful ingredients... for baby AND you! :-D I'm really careful about what I put on my skin... oh! I was talking about GREEN Living!! LOL

There were so many exhibitors with great ways to save energy in our homes and all around us, free workshops with all kinds of great tips (eating & living well, recycling, creating a healthy home/office, solar energy in living, etc.), the food court featured organic food and I especially loved the farmer's market with all kinds of delicious organic fruits and vegetables (some home grown or community garden grown)! I LOVE organic pink grapefruit... and made several of them mine! LOL Then there were also a few artists with recycled art, and... oh! I LOVED the electric scooters! I could see myself riding around on one of those! Or how about the little truck with 3 wheels! :-D One wheel in front and two in the back, in bright colors... how cute! LOL I've always loved electric vehicles. I also contributed to the local Upper Keys Girl Scouts by buying a recycled bracelet! '-)

It was a fun day... definitely worth doing if you're into Living Green (whether you live in the Keys or anywhere else) and eating & using organic products; happens once a year. It's by far the most healthiest way to go.

Visit: FL Keys GLEE

Organic Liquid Hand Soap...

Have you been seeking an organic liquid hand soap to use at your kitchen or bathroom sink(s)? Well, search no more... I've been using Terressential's Real Soap for Hands for several years now. Made with organic tea tree oil, organic essential oils, organic extracts, and other organic ingredients it comes in nice scents such as Chillin' Mint, Zingin' Citrus, Lovin' Lavender, and Jammin' Spice.

Terressential's products are hand made in Maryland. They're very particular about their products being as organic as possible, so much to the point that they refuse any shop that's not strictly health food or organic-related to sell their products. They also give you a list of the ingredients in each bottle -- what they DO put in and what they DON'T put in!

Nonetheless, they're products are authentic and great! They ARE worth it!

Check it out: Terressentials