Herbaria Soap Company

Hi All -

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and another six more weeks of winter is on the horizon. Whether this news makes you want to hit the slopes or burrow underneath the covers, this season is synonymous with the colds, flu and Xerosis.

Moisture deprived, sand paper rough, itchy skin can be downright uncomfortable. There is nothing worse than sitting in a meeting, trying to pay attention, when it feels like you're wearing a wet wool sweater while receiving a bear hug from your aunt who wears too much perfume.

Luckily I found a remedy that not only is all natural, but comes in combinations like lavender oatmeal, lime coconut aloe and sassafras birch. The place to go is Herbaria Soaps. Visit them online or 2016 Marconi Ave.

Their soaps are all natural, cruelty free and come in a nice 4.5 oz sized bar. Plus if you buy six bars, the seventh is free. Herbaria came into my life quite by accident. While at Skif, I struck up a conversation with an engaging man who invited me to visit his soap shop next door. Always a sucker for bath and body products and wanting to support a mom and pop business, I made my way over.

Wowee Kazowee! I am in love. Upon entering the store my senses were greeted by a bouquet of fruit, flowers, spices and herbs. It was just the pick me up I needed on a cold, grey December afternoon.

Interestingly enough, Herbaria has been in existence for over six years doing a brisk business online before opening its shop, and has devotees from Massachusetts to Kansas to France. Started by LaRee DeFreece and her husband, Ken Gilberg. She she was a real estate attorney and he a graphic designer (which explains the elegantly simple packaging) prior to entering the soap business.

They make their soaps using cold process soap making method and use lye to convert food-grade vegetable oils to soap. I don't really know what this means exactly, but it makes a luxurious bar that lathers nicely and doesn't quickly melt.

Another great find is the organic jojoba oil, it comes in unscented, lavender, may chang (an essential oil) and patchouli. Use it after a shower and your skin will feel silky smooth all day. It absorbs quickly since jojoba oil is close to oil in skin (who knew).

So check out my new favorite, Herbaria. I hope it becomes one of yours too. xxoo, Jill

Fitness

While I am completely hopeless about things like keeping my closet organized or sticking to my rule of using my credit card only in dire emergencies, working out is one thing I am disciplined, some would say fanatical bordering on obsessive, about. So, if one of your 2010 goals is to incorporate more fitness into your life, here are some of my favorite things to stay on track and motivated.

Early AM workouts

Getting up when it is still dark out does take a bit of getting used to, but the benefit is you've completed your workout before your day has begun. Stuff can, and does, arise during the day that makes time for fitness fall to the bottom of the list (such as your significant other whisking you out for a romantic evening or the day's carpool driver got sick giving you the added task of after school pick up). If you are restarting your fitness regimen and the thought of getting up at the crack of dawn just makes it more daunting, just aim for getting up 20 minutes to a half hour earlier two days during the work week and one day on the weekend. There is a certain stillness and beauty in the early morning that you get to experience (my friend and I call them Masengill Mornings), plus if the rest of your day goes to hell at least you got one good thing accomplished.

Prepare the night before

Take 5 minutes the night before to get everything ready. If you are going to the gym that means bag packed with everything you need (toiletries, clothes etc), and work out clothes ready to go. To make prepping even easier, when you are putting away your clean laundry throw a pair of socks and undies (items you're likely to forget) in your gym bag. If you're working out at home to a DVD put it in the player so all you have to do is hit play. Make it so you don't have to think, just do.



Vary your activities and choose ones you like.
Some people love to run everyday. If that is not you, choose a
few activities you like such as walking, Pilates, Wii Fit, lifting weights, yoga Spinning/bike riding and mix it up. If it's hard enough to figure out what you're going to make for dinner every night let alone plan your work outs, write each activity on a slip of paper and fold it up. Put all the slips of paper in a jar and pull one out. That will be your work out. And since you're only choosing among things you like to do, there's less chance you will cheat by putting that piece of paper back because you don't like the activity. Plus mixing things up keeps you from getting bored and injured.


Manage your own expectations
Some days you will feel like pushing yourself, other days it will be challenging enough to lace up your kicks and go for that walk. I used to think that every work out had to be 110%. But as I've gotten older I've come to realize sometimes a crappy work out is better than no work out at all.








Splurge vs. Save
Invest in a few key foundation items like shoes, socks (I'm a big fan of SmartWool) a good hat and gloves for cold days and sports bras (got to keep the girls perky). Luckily workout clothes have evolved from the Jane Fonda and Olivia Newton John Spandex and thong days. Cute clothes can be found across the pricing spectrum from Target and Old Navy to Athleta and Lulu Lemon. It doesn't take any extra effort or a whole lot of money to be comfortable and look good.

I hope these tips help you meet your fitness goals for 2010 and that working out becomes one of your favorite things.

xxoo,

Jill

Zicam Extreme Congestion Relief

Hello!

2010 was ushered in by a head pounding, sinus blocking cold that made its entrance on the heels of 2009. At about 4:30 New Years' eve morning I awoke to the suspicion that a group of gremlins mistook my head for a country bar, sinuses as blocked like the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour and muscle aches that felt like I had run a marathon. Since ignoring these symptoms wasn't working, I broke out the Neti pot, gulped down Tylenol, filled a ziploc bag of ice to put on my head, curled up under a blanket on the couch and watched an MSNBC documentary about the 1979 Jonestown Massacre.

Fast forward a few hours later when Tom made his appearance in our TV room. By that time I was engaged in an equally uplifting Law & Order SVU marathon. While we previously made plans to go out, he was quickly working plan B - dinner in. As he was leaving to go to the grocery store I summoned from my La-Z- Boy perch "Get some Zicam". By that I meant the stuff that heads off the cold. He came home with Zicam Extreme Congestion Relief.

At first I was reluctant to use a nasal spray.

Will I turn into an addict like Felix Unger who always seemed to turn to the junk at the slightest bit of an attack? Do I troll the medicine cabinet for some pills in a hard to open blister-pack from colds gone by that may dry my head out completely and leave a tinny, bitter taste in my mouth but not open up the risk of becoming the equivalent of a crack whore?

But throwing all caution to the wind (and not wanting to go through the hassle of changing out of my pj's and driving to the store to exchange it), I tore open the box, negotiated through the tamper resistant plastic and stuck the applicator up my nose.


Three pumps on each side. In less than about a minute I could breathe clearly and felt a thousand times better. It works great - the package says it lasts 12 hours, which in the throes of my cold started to wear off at about 10 hour mark, but as the severity of my cold abated it seemed to last as promised.

Extreme Congestion didn't rid me of my cold completely and it took a few days to fully recover, but it allowed me to breathe clearly and my head didn't feel like it being pinched in a vice. My malady only lasted a few days, and am happy to report not a nasal spray junkie.

So in addition to the tried and true ways to deal with a cold, this has become one of my favorite solutions to deal with head congestion.

I hope you have a healthy New Year!

xxoo, Jill

Bourbon Slush

The week of Christmas. Not a dust bunny in sight, the silver is polished and all I need to do is sit back and enjoy the season.

Who am I kidding?

The house is a mess, the holiday hand towels are MIA and the Christmas Eve menu has yet to be planned (though it will be fish of some kind). None of that really matters because the bar is fully stocked with everyone's favorites, although what gets everyone in the spirit for an evening filled with family togetherness is Bourbon Slush.

It's festive, easy, can be made a day ahead and is good for a crowd. Since it is a popular party favorite, there are lots of versions. The one I use from Cooks.com:

1 (12 oz.) can frozen orange juice
1 (12 oz.) can frozen lemonade
2 c. strong tea (3 tea bags)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 c. bourbon
7 c. water
1 bottle maraschino cherries, drained (optional)

Freeze until slush, stirring occasionally and serve with 7-Up or Sprite. For those of you classy enough to actually own a punch bowl, it makes a nice presentation on the cocktail table. I serve it in highball glasses, pour in the soda and give it a quick stir with a cocktail swizzler, or, at our house, a chop stick.

The earthiness of the bourbon mellowed by the tea coupled with the tartness of the lemonade sweetened by the sugar makes a very sippable and delicious frozen delight. If you do decide to add in the cherries keep in mind they soak up the bourbon. One Christmas my mom, who is not much of a drinker, ate just the "fruit" which put her in in such high spirits our family had not witnessed since the Reagan era.

For those of you worried about the overindulgence of holiday season, it's got vitamin C from orange juice, water for hydration and antioxidants from tea. And bourbon does not contain any additives, preservatives or artificial colors.



Maybe Bourbon Slush is already a favorite to toast to family and friends or perhaps it will become a new one.

xxoo and Fa la la la la,

Jill

Skif International

Finding an ownable look can be challenging. Trendy without looking like everybody else. Age Appropriate without being F&D (Frumpy & Dumpy) or a Cougar. Now that it's winter, my standard uniform is a pair of jeans and a turtleneck sweater. In order not to look completely boring, I put on a sweater from Skif International and my drab outfit is transformed into an actual "look".

Skif International, has hand made knit wear that is funky (its sweaters were featured in the Matrix film), unique and comfortable.
The retail shop, housed in a former furniture store, is located on Marconi Street in the St. Louis' The Hill neighborhood across from DiGregorio's Italian Market (another fave). Walk into the store and you'll find it's part retail part workshop - as unfussy as the clothes. Be prepared to spend some time in order to see the full range of offerings, when I go there I do one lap to take it all in and then another to find what I want to try on and then a third to see if there is anything I missed. In addition to the fabulous sweaters, you can find jackets, pants, dresses, hats and scarves. If you aren't sure how the clothes all look together ask Nina Ganci, the owner, or one of the other sales associates for help. I was in the store the other day for a pre-Christmas scope out and spied a beautiful sweater that could be worn three different ways; the way it was intended, backwards and as a poncho. Many of Skif's sweaters can be worn almost all year round. One sweater that I've had for at least 7 years is worn with a long sleeve tee and skinny jeans in the winter, with a cami and cropped leggings in the spring/summer.

If you want to jazz up your significant others wardrobe, Skif would be a great place to start. Nina has a great selection of mens' sweaters.

For those who want to design their own look, Skif also sells its yarn as well.

Not in St. Louis? Skif does sell its sweaters at botiques in a few different markets. You can also contact Skif at 314-773-4001.

Skif International is definitely one of my favorites. Perhaps it will become one of yours as well.

Talk to you next week.

xxoo,

Jill

Jill's Favorite - Collapsible Laundry Basket

I debated writing about this, because it's kind of lame. But it is one of my favorite things. The collapsible laundry basket.

Living in an older two story home the washer and dry are conveniently located in the basement down two flights of stairs, through three rooms and two narrow doors. Usually I overfill the laundry basket so that it totally messes up what little natural coordination I have, making me navigate through the house while fending off a nosy retriever who believes that anything falling out of the sky is a gift from the chew toy gods. Being a domestic goddess is not without its challenges.

One morning at 0 dark thirty, while at my 24-Hour Mass Merch Super Store buying a box fan to help dry a damp basement, I decided to take a spin through the household organization aisle. The fluorescent ceiling light over the shelf was like a beacon and and drew me to an entire shelf of baskets from small to large priced from $2.99 to $5.99.

While mesh should never be used in articles of clothing like men's tank tops and underwear, in the case of the basket, it works great because its lightweight and can expand; so you can really put a lot of stuff in one basket without it getting too heavy. Plus the handles make it easy to carry multiple baskets comfortably. And unlike a conventional laundry basket, when not in use it folds up taking up less space.

Each major laundry category has its own basket whites, darks and colors - so when laundry time the clothes are already sorted. They also work great for organizing and putting away clean clothes. You can find them at any big box, container store or online (there is cyber store devoted to laundry bags called HandyLaundry.com.)


Has it transformed my laundry experience? No - not like Betty Draper discovering the wonders of an unbalanced load during the spin cycle.

But it does make the task of laundry less of a hassle.

Perhaps the collapsible laundry basket will be one of your new favorites.


Talk to you next week. xxoo, Jill

Jill's Favorites - Foam Rollers

Hello:

This week I'd like to tell you about one of my favorite things, the foam roller.

I was having nagging aches in my quads this summer (the kind where your legs just hurt all the time) from cycling and wanted to find an alternative to popping ibuprofen and regular massages weren't an option due to my limited budget. A personal trainer at the gym suggested using a foam roller to get rid of the places in my legs where my muscles were chronically tight. Basically, you use your own body weight and roll on the roller to break up trigger points in the muscles, and soothe tight fascia (connective tissue) while increasing blood flow and circulation to the soft tissues.This technique works as a kind of deep tissue massage and feels similar to Active Release Therapy. The foam roller can be used on the legs, calves shoulders, lower back etc.

The first few times, the pain was so intense, especially on the knots (which is where it's important to focus the rolling), it literally brought tears to my eyes. But it was a good kind of pain - I could literally feel those knots breaking up. Breathing while you do it certainly does help (as there is a tendency to not). Wanting to be able to roll my legs at home, I bought one at Relax the Back. SPRI products also sells them. Now I use it before and/or after I cycle or run on my quads, hamstrings, IT band and lower back and my muscles feel less gunky, tight and heavy.

It's ideal if you can have a fitness instructor show you the variety of ways to roll. Also there are many instructional videos on You Tube that explain in greater detail different ways to use it. The first few times can feel a bit awkward, though, once you get the technique down it's pretty easy to use.

Rollers are pretty affordable and make a nice gift for the fitness fanatic (even if that fanatic is you).

Perhaps the foam roller will become one of your new favorites.

Happy Thanksgiving. Talk to you next week.

xxoo,

Jill


Photos: Relax the Back, About.com