#Soap #SoapSlivers How to Use up your old Slivers of Soap... Wait, don't throw it out, just convert it to Liquid Hand Soap - lol! #LiquidSoap

How to Use up your old slivers of soap... Wait,  don't throw it out, just convert it to Liquid Soap - lol!

Okay, so, if you know me even a liiitle tiny bit, you'll know I don't like to waste anything - surely there's another use for it, right?  And if there is another use for anything leftover, I'll find it - and I will go to great lengths to figure out another use for something... no wastes it! lol!  

So I had a LOT, and a I mean, a lot, of slivers of soap left over, all in the shower caddy, I'm not sure why... maybe I thought someone would use them - although, I am very quick to replace the 'slivers of soap' with a new, full bar of Dove soap, our favourite - no dyes, no scent, is perfect for most people... the heavily scented soaps are no-bueno for me - lol!  

Anyway, I had all these slivers of soap, right, and I didn't want to just throw them away - I kept thinking, maybe I could microwave them, reshape the slivers of soap into a whole new bar?  I had a lot of good ideas like that - until I saw some meme with the kid holding a huge mass of soap that had been put in the microwave, but it was the million warnings of 'watch out, don't burn yourself on the soap you've heated in the microwave'...okay, good enough for me, I had to find another solution.

I went to get all the slivers of soap from the shower, and while I was there, there was an older bottle of our fave Coconut Body Wash - yum, smells delicious, and I don't have a reaction to Coconut (and some lemon, some orange...), but this bottle of Coconut Body Wash had just a little bit left in it, enough for me to use as a 'base', if you will... sooo, I opened the bottle, broke the leftover slivers of soap into smaller bits that I could jam into the top of the bottle, filled it about half way, maybe a little bit more, with water, closed the bottle and shook it.  Left that for a few hours, shook it, again... is like a shake-and-bake process, without da baking... shake and wait, more like it - lol! 

And lookie what happened?  Now I've used up all my leftover soap slivers, so I no haz a'wasted a'nuffin', and now I've got a whole bottle of liquid soap - yahoo!  I think, just give it a wee shake, when you're about to use it - you could just pour it on a sponge or clothe - I am partial to Buff Puffs - remember them?  I love them - they're great for your skin : ) 

And look at that - a whole bottle, so maybe a good thing I just added the water to the halfway mark, maybe a little bit more, because, evidently, the soap has grown in size, magnified itself - how cool is that?  And no wasting anything - lol!  

Now you know what to do with all your leftover soap slivers - make them into Liquid Soap!  : )  

New Idea: I just recently figured out you don't have to try to break the soap slivers into little pieces to fit in the top of the container, with your fingers - put the soap slivers in a baggie, use the bottom of the container - I just use the old Body Wash containers, then the 'new soap' has my favorite Body Wash Scent - I love the Caramel Fudge and the Coconut - ah'yum! 

Try to put the soap slivers in a single row, in the baggie, just kind of roll the bottom of the container, the edge of it, into the soap, and it'll come apart so easily - who knew? Put that sledge hammer away ( for now - hahaha!) #UrWelcome! lol! 

I had started using the can, in the kitchen, then occurred to me, the last time, was just about as easy to break the slivers of soap in a little baggie, right in the bathroom, using the bottom of the Liquid Soap bottle, if you will - you just roll the bottom edge of the bottle over the soap, it'll pretty easily break into little bits, then seal up the baggie, pop in the drawer for the next time you need to refill your Liquid Soap container... Just Add Water - and I add a little of whatever scent I like, Coconut or Caramel Fudge are my two faves - yum! It just takes a small amount of the body wash to create a nice scent, or just leave the soap on its own, for scent-free, if you like that ...

Normally, everything I use is scent-free, since I'm allergic to many scents - but there are a few I'm okay with - is hit and miss, as it might be for most people... but, generally speaking,  think the less scent, the better, seems like a good idea : )  (Unless it smells delicious, with no reaction - lol!)

Why, that makes no scents - bah'hahahahaha! Ailsa : ) (You know me happy you' in here! lol!)

Happy cleaning!  Ailsa : )

Oh, and I've just recently discovered all the incredibly beautiful books by Louise L. Hay, and this is her Publishing House, Hay House - sooo smart, so lovely... but there was one wee bit I read in one of Louise's books, her book on Daily Meditations, which I normally would not have read, before, but this stuff really speaks to me, and is not at all what I thought a 'daily meditation' might look like - they're just really nice, really eye-opening, lovely wee passages to read - who knew?  Anyway, there was one that I read, about just taking one tiny bit of your house, just like taking one tiny bit of your mind, or your life, and 'cleaning it up', tidying it up, right, and sooo, the next thing you know, I had straightened up a bit in the kitchen that had been bothering me... so, that one little 'meditation' totally helped me get down to figuring out what to do to make the clutter go away in that area of the kitchen - so now I want to tackle my little 'craft' table, if you will... they're more than 'crafts' to me, they're wonderful pieces of art, but, I do need to tidy that bit up, maybe even see if I can turn it into a business!  Wouldn't that be cool, to turn something you love to do into a real, live, business??  2015, here me comes! lol! 

Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande - What a Brilliant Read - so smart, a very interesting take on Elder Care and End of Life Discussions #Hospice #PalliativeCare

Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande - What a Brilliant Read - so smart, a very interesting take on Elder Care and End of Life Discussions

I loved this book so much - what an absolutely beautiful way to look at elder care and end-of-life situations, with a total evaluation of the person's life, making sure the person is truly happy, and not just housed well, and kept safe from harm, but for each person, as they near their own end of life, to live as full a life, and as happy a life, as they can.  The whole key is autonomy for each person, or as much autonomy over their own lives as possible, as each person reaches the different stages of the end of their life.

You might think this is a bit of a dry read, and why would you read it if you're totally fine, nothing to worry about, right?  But here's the thing - so many of us have parents who are getting older, and we want the best for our parents, and many people will be approaching this end-stage of life, themselves, right now, or are starting to think about it, and sadly, there are people who reach their own end-of-life stage much younger than they thought, and then all of a sudden, this becomes of utmost concern to the patient, and to everyone around them.

Atul Gawande is a beautiful storyteller.  Atul takes us through the stories of his own family, his Father and his Grandfather, who had lived to 110 years old, and only met his 'demise', if you will - hmm, that does not seem like a good word, given the nature of this lovely book - passed away, at 110, from falling when he was getting off a bus, because he happened to be going to deal with a business matter, so it was an accident that brought on the end of life... that's amazing, right?  110 years old!  Wow. And the stories of Atul Gawande's own Dad, and his whole family - so touching, so moving.  You will be taken into their lives, learn more about how to manage what can be a very difficult situation, and feel very connected to all the people in Atul Gawande's excellent book, Being Mortal.  I highly recommend it.

I loved the whole section on the experiencing self and the remembering self.  Very interesting, how we perceive a situation, especially a health situation, like childbirth, or a surgery, or anything of a health-related nature... that we will identify with one very painful part, then see how it all turned out, like, when I had my son, Aidan, they had induced me, even though I had begged them not to, t o let me have the baby completely naturally, and it was the most excruciating pain I had ever felt, and could never have imagined that level of pain - and I wonder why they did that?  Time constraints at the hospital?  Who knows. But in the end, here I have this wonderful new human being, my wonderful son, Aidan, mah' boy, I call him (!) - now he's 6 feet tall, such a good boy, so all that pain had an excellent outcome, right, so my main memory, if you will, is Aidan, not the pain, not the procedure ... anyway, when you read this section, toward the end of the book, Being Mortal, you might have your own stories come up, and you will think this is a very interesting concept, the 'remembering self' versus the 'experiencing self'.

I first came across Atul Gawande on The Daily Show, with Jon Stewart, I think, or maybe Atul was on The Colbert Show?  Or maybe both?? lol!  I looove The Colbert Show - we're savouring Stephen Colbert's last show - we'll watch the rest of it, tonight, slowly, if you know what I mean - all the Stephen Colbert fans will get that, for sure... we'll miss Stephen Colbert - so endlessly funny, and soo super-smart.  Anyway, that's where I first heard Atul Gawande speak, and what a kind and articulate man, so I immediately went out and read The Checklist Manifesto, which was a very good read, too - was great.  You will get so much out of these very smart, very well written books... you'll love them!  And maybe you'll stay up 'til 4:30 am reading them, too! lol!

I loved the whole concept of helping people to stay in their own homes as long as possible, and I loved the new ideas for 'nursing homes', where they are much more like homes - closer to the Canadian model for group homes, that we have had for a long time, for our people with Special Needs.  If there's a chance this is your first time in reading me, so-to-speak, I'm a Special Ed Teacher, so I have a very big interest in how people who need help are given it, and how great a life they have... where their lives are fully valued, they have as much autonomy over their actions as possible, and that their whole selves are nourished, not just on a physical level, and this goes for all people experiencing end-of life scenarios, where they, all of a sudden, require a higher level of care, but that that same care can be very kind and cheery, not stale and scary.  Just think of how happy you are in your own home, surrounded by all the things you love, and the people who mean the most to you - you would want to keep that as long as you could, right?  It just stands to reason.  I loved all the stories of all the different new care-models, for what used to be called old folks homes.  Haha!  Makes me laugh, now - that's what we called them - there were amazing models in Calgary, where you could buy your condo, and you could increase your level of care as you needed it, but they were gorgeous units, moderately priced (I had really wanted my husband-at-the-time, a very good guy, to get his parents to have a look at them, they were that nice... but they have excellent elder-care, end-of-life care in Calgary, Alberta, Canada... and I can only hope they have that level of care, everywhere...).

We're in BC, Canada, now, and hilariously enough, one of my favourite jokes is that I can't wait to be 55, because life just opens up for everybody here, when they reach 55! hahaha!  You should see all the beautiful places that are only available for the 55 and up group - lucky dogs! lol!  The only downside to that, was, when we first moved here, all the places I looked at, that I really liked, with the fabulous views of the mountains and the ocean, were all only for the 55 plus group, so we weren't able to get any of them, and my son was 12, and they said, he had to be 19 to live there... soo, well, there you go, too young for the Island  - hahahaha! No, me joke, and we're on Vancouver Island - is craaazy- gorgeous, and a beautiful place to live - and just think of what opportunities await me when I get to turn 55, too! lol!

Cookies?? Maaay-be! lol! Easy (ludicrously easy) Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Easy (ludicrously easy) Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Soo, I just made these cookies - my lovely son came in and called them, "Cookies??"  Hahahaha, mah' son is so funny!  Jus' like his Ma! lol! (Dat me!)  So we laughed and laughed... is pretty funny....

These are not your typical 'cookies', but they are surprisingly good (way to sell it, right?? haha!), but I heard this recipe when we were driving in the States, a long time ago, was the John Tesh radio show, and he would chat in between the music, put little tidbits of information on - was fun to listen to as we drove happily along - we looove a road trip! 

Anyway, so John Tesh was saying about these healthy 'cookies' that he and his wife really like - I think they must really be into health food, and healthy living, so, that's good... we're into chocolate chips, sooo, maybe this could work for us, too - haha!

So John Tesh's recipe was 2 bananas, 1 cup of Oatmeal, and some raisins (in my mind, I automatically substituted chocolate chips - you gotta think on yer feet, right? lol!).

I happened to have 4 very ripe bananas, and couldn't really be bothered making my favourite Banana Bread - mostly because we still have two pies from Thanksgiving, and not may takers to eat them, soo, it seemed like not a good idea to put even more stuff in the fridge, right now...but cookies fall under a different category and I really, really didn't want to waste the bananas, and, thus, this "Cookie" arrived - finally!  I have been meaning to try this for a long time, now...

My Recipe: A clever adaptation on John Tesh's recipe:

4 Bananas (or whatever is leftover, and you don't want to throw out your bananas...)(Mashed)

2 cups of Oatmeal (really, I think I could've added a bit more Oatmeal)

1 cup of Chocolate Chips (okay, you got me, I just threw in da whole bag - or whatever was left in the bag - lol!)  (I feel like the 'saving grace, as it were, to these 'cookies', is the chocolate chippies! lol!)

That's it.  Three little ingredients, and I just popped them in the oven, in spoonfuls, on Parchment Paper, at 350 Degrees for about 20 - 30 minutes.  I would just check them, see how they're doing, maybe leave them in a little longer, if you felt like it... I liked the ones on the bottom shelf, better... had to put the ones on the middle shelf of the oven back in, make them kind of 'toasty' on the bottom, not lightly cooked - the key to to bake them thoroughly, I think : )

See how ludicrously easy this recipe is?  Mash the bananas, add the Oatmeal, stir well, add in the Chocolate Chips (or nuts, raisins, all of the above... whatever you happen to enjoy), and voila, some pretty tasty little 'cookies'.  and surprisingly sweet, too, and not a drop of sugar, flour or eggs... is a funny little recipe, but it might totally work out for you, too - is definitely worth a try, and you won't waste your bananas!!  Yahoo, Save the Bananas!  

Oh, and I happened to put the 'Cookies?' in front of my lovely wee Trees that I love to make - fancy up the picture for your viewing pleasure - hahaha!  Ooh, and I think these little cookies would've cost about $1.50 to make - the bananas that you might have tossed out, anyway, and the chocolate chips, and oatmeal, which I loove, costs next to nothing, and Oatmeal is a Super-Food (so are bananas, in my opinion...and also, the chocolate??? hahaha!  Okay, that's a bit of a streeetch, but if that's what makes them tasty, so be it, right? lol!  

Wee tidbit:  I actually eat a fair bit of Oatmeal - I loove my Scottish Porridge!  Excellent for weight loss or weight maintenance, and general, overall good health - lowers your cholesterol, is truly a little miracle food, for sures!  If you've never made your own porridge, you can try my recipe - I think I might put a wee bit more salt in than is the norm, but pretty common in Scotland - or, at least, at our house (oor wee housie!).  : )  Oh, and I love my porridge with milk - poor old milk, it's gotten such a bad rap, lately, but milk is very, very good for your body - great for your bones, and whatnot, and I work out a lot, so I need that, for sures - plus, I totally plan to live well into my 90's or beyond, sooo, I've gotta keep my body strong and healthy, right?  Dat my goal: old!  Jus' like Steve Harvey says, "Old is the goal!"  (Love me some Steve Harvey! lol!)

Yours in Healthy Eating! Ailsa : )

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