What I Loved in August

I love reading other blogs that share what the blogger loved during the previous month and I thought I would try something similar. Let's start with August and see where we go from here.

1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. I finished the 3rd book in the trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns that this book had. The author passed away several years ago after turning in the manuscripts and what a wonderful author he was. I highly recommend this trilogy and I'm sure you will love it!

2. Josie Maran Argan Oil. It's 100% pure argan oil from Morocco and I absolutely love it. It's an oil that provides the ultimate hydration and is great for the skin, cuticles, and split ends. I'm constantly finding more and more ways to use this product. Try it, I think you'll love it.

 3. Garden Veggies! I never thought that 1 cucumber plant, 1 tomato plant, and 1 cherry tomato plant would produce enough vegetables to feed the neighborhood. I think I got about 30 cucumbers from my one plant and too many cherry tomatoes to count therefore I've been sharing the fruits of my labor with everyone I can. My book club friends have begun to request my veggies which is a true compliment. What's my secret? Well I use compost, rain water from my rain barrel, and talk really nicely to the plants.....don't you do the same thing?

4. Time spent at Ravinia with my husband and friends. It's a great outdoor music venue where you can camp out in the park and picnic while listening to great music. We saw the Temptations and Carrie Underwood in August which was a blast.

5. My new Washer and Dryer! Our Laundry Room Demo was life altering - seriously! My husband and I have so much more time thanks to our super capacity washer and dryer. We used to do more than 10 loads a week because of the small capacity appliances we had and now we can do 3 a week - huge difference. It was the wisest money we have spent in a long time. The big reveal is coming soon so please ignore the tape since we are still painting and putting some final touches on the room. I'm excited to show you the finished product but you can see quite a bit of it here.

WARNING: Anti-Bacterial Products

One of my best friend's sister, Dr. Sarah Janssen, was on CNN this morning to talk about why the FDA is taking a closer look at a chemical found in many anti-bacterial products. One concern is that the chemical Triclosan has been linked to altering hormone regulation in animals. The FDA also says some anti-bacterial products are no more effective than plain old soap and water. There have been over 30 years of research that has shown that this chemical causes major health issues including infertility. It appears that we have once again fell victim to the marketing schemes that companie's put in place for us to buy more of their products despite a lack of value to the consumer and an increased risk of major side affects as a result.

I hope you take a moment to watch this short clip and learn more about the side affects of the chemical Triclosan that is commonly found in products called "anti-bacterial". Click here to view the clip so that you keep yourself and your family safe from the harm of these chemicals.