Benefits of Paraffn on Hands and Feet

Paraffin is a wax coating made from crude petroleum and is used as a lubricants, candles, and waterproof barriers on fruits and preserves. Most people do not think of paraffin as a beauty treatment, widely used in spas.

The use of paraffin treatments as a therapeutic or relaxation treatment can be traced back to the Roman Empire.  The paraffin treatments were used on the body prior to massage treatments. Later on English and French masseurs or masseuses used paraffin treatments to aid in the healing of injuries, most especially for joint ailments.

The benefits of paraffin treatments, according to Body Balance Massage and Day Spa, include hydrating dry hands and feet by allowing the deep-penetrating heat to alleviate sore muscles and joints, and help relieve afflictions like arthritis, fibromyalgia, tendonitis, and muscle spasms.

A paraffin treatment consists of submerging your hands or feet in a tub of hot paraffin wax. The purpose of these treatments is to surround the sore or affected area with the heat from the wax.  The heat helps with the inflammation and stiffness in the joints. Heat therapy has also been known to decrease painful joint stiffness and muscle spasms and helps to reduce inflammation.  A buildup of fluid in hand tissues can be decreased with the treatment also.

When heat is applied to an area, the blood vessels expand thus stimulating circulation in the hands or feet. By increasing circulation, the nutrients in the body can get to the affected areas and the wastes that need to exit the body can be carried away. Increased circulation will also help increase flexibility. Aside from increasing circulation, paraffin will also moisturize the hands or feet. “According to "Evaluation of Paraffin Bath Treatment in Patients with Systemic Sclerosis" by Lund University Hospital in Sweden, the result of a paraffin treatment is often softer and more elastic skin.” The softer, more elastic skin will also have better skin color than hands and feet suffering from poor circulation.

Paraffin therapy is commonly used in the treatment of sports related injuries such as tendonitis, according to the Medical Supplies and Equipment Company website. Paraffin not only soothes the tendon, but also calms and moisturizes the skin, increases circulation and opens pores. Hands aching from tendonitis can be placed into a small paraffin dip or a larger paraffin therapy bath. The same can be done for feet afflicted with tendonitis or arthritis.

LivingStong.com gives excellent step-by-step instructions for giving you a paraffin treatment at home. You do not have to visit a spa to get a great, soothing paraffin treatment for your hands and feet.

Ways to Reuse a Banana Peel

Bananas are a healthy addition to your diet. However, once you have eaten the banana, what are you to do with the skin or peel of it? Once thought the peels were only good for the compost pile, there are actually numerous other uses for them. Although some do sound a little odd and just a shade quirky, they are real uses for your throw away banana peels.

Fruit Fly Trap

You will need a large yogurt container, a nail and hammer, and a banana feel. You will make small holes in the lid of the large yogurt container using the nail and hammer. Place the banana peel inside the yogurt container and snap on the lid with the holes. Place the yogurt container near the fruit flies in your home. The fruit flies will be attracted to the banana peel and will fly into the container. They will not be able to fly back out if your holes are not too large. Once the fruit flies are trapped, dispose of the trap.

Stop The Itch

You can stop the itch of bug bites by rubbing the inside of a banana peel on the bites. The oils in the banana peels will soothe the itch of annoying bug bites. So next time you go camping, bring along some bananas for healthy eating and itch relief.

Look At That Shine

Banana peels are an inexpensive way to polish your shoes. Leather shoes lose that have lost their shine can be brought back to their vibrancy by rubbing them with a banana peel. Banana peels are also a cheap way to polish your silverware. Some people also use them to polish their jewelry.

Keep Aphids Away

For the rose gardener who is fighting a battle against aphids or plant lice, banana peels could be your answer. Chop up some banana peels and bury them below your rose bushes. Do not use whole peels or you will attract new nuisances to your garden such as raccoons and squirrels.

Compost It
Your garden will thank you for tossing your banana peels onto the compost pile. Peels are full of potassium and phosphorus which are nutritious and yummy to you plants.

Fertilize It
Instead of putting banana peels in the compost, save them and dry them out during the winter months. When you are ready to fertilize your spring garden, grind the dried banana peels in a blender and sprinkle them through your soil.

Heal A Cut
To heal a small cut or scrape, rub the inside of the banana peel on it to speed the healing process. Remember that if a cut is serious you should seek medical advice from your doctor. The inside of a banana peel is also great for small burns, rub the affected area with the banana peel to ease the pain and aid in healing.

Splinter Removal
A deeply embedded splinter can be drawn out by cutting a piece of banana peel and taping the inside of the peel against the entry point of the splinter. The enzymes in the banana peel acts like a drawing salve and the splinter will rise to the surface for easier removal and will aid in healing the wound as well.

Wart Removal
Cut a small piece of a banana peel to fit over the wart and and tape the inside of the peel against the wart. In about two weeks, the wart will disappear.

Brighten Your Smile
Gargle with warm water and salt then rub a banana peel on your teeth. Do this once a day and by the end of two weeks, you will have a significantly whiter smile.

Brighten Your Leaves
Houseplants that need a little sprucing can be polished with banana peels. Just wipe each leaf with the inside of the banana peel and they will shine again.

Shining Down On Me

On Monday I was driving home from taking Freedom to the library. I was a little distracted and reflecting on all the things that were piling up on my plate. Freedom, from the backseat, started yelling at me to look at the sky. Thinking I was about to drive into an oncoming tornado, I slammed on my brakes and looked up. Thank God there was no one behind me because I would have been rear-ended! But I saw the most amazing sky and it reminded me of all the blessings in my life and how I should be keeping them in the forefront of my mind instead of all the negative things. It looked like God had placed a spotlight in the sky for me to see and know that I needed to focus on the good things around me! As soon as I pulled into the driveway, I rushed to get my camera and was able to capture some of the vision that was filling the sky...

Thriving Within A Drought

St. Louis has had its fair share of days without rain. We were officially in a drought, according to the ever correct weathermen, in July. While plants withered away in the hot sun, longing for a deep drink of water, there were a few precious blooms that emerged among the dry and brittle branches and leaves. I have captured a few of those blooms here...

St. Louis From Above

Recently I took a trip to the top of the St. Louis Arch. I absolutely have a phobia of heights so this was a fantastic feat for me. The things we do for our loved ones is truly amazing. But, all in all, I did get some amazing photos of St. Louis that I want to share!

Bowling Is Not Just For Senior Citizens Anymore!

Back when I was in elementary school I thought it was so cool that my grandparents were on a bowling league. They suddenly lost all coolness when I entered high school and was ridiculed for spending weekends at the bowling alley with the “old people”. I did not realize how much my shunning their sport really hurt them until recently.

In a desperate attempt to draw in customers, bowling alleys teamed up and offered Kids Bowl Free Summer Program. Kids could come and bowl two free games. Freedom was not so sure about bowling last summer until she spent a few fun-filled afternoons with her friends tossing bowling balls down the lane.

She begged me this summer to go every week. While we did not make it a weekly endeavor at first – I still had misgivings about the coolness of the bowling alley – we did eventually become regulars. Every visit we made I saw more and more kids, teens and young adults enjoying the promotions that were being offered to beat the heat of summer. One of Freedom’s friends, Sprite, informed me that bowling was the coolest thing around. Another friend, Liberty, had never been bowling until this past summer and now says that bowling is the best thing ever!

Albeit, these are seven and eight year olds proclaiming the coolness of bowling, there were others such as the group of high school students in the next lane who were taking selfies and having a blast doing the unlimited bowling for $5.00. They were having such a great time and were talking about joining a bowling league.

Liberty’s mom and Sprite’s mom and dad also enjoyed bowling while the kiddos tossed bowling balls down the lane amid gales of laughter and finger-pointing fun. I decided that I would give bowling another try. Go figure – I actually had a blast! I may not be the insecure teen that I once was, but I still had the preconceived notions that bowling was not the cool thing to do and it was so lame. I had refused to give it a try last year because heaven forbid someone should see me hurling a 12 pound ball down a lane towards pins in hopes on knocking them all down.

Now, I, Micki Holley have joined a bowling league! Gasp! Freedom has jumped on board, too. She is a part of a kid’s bowling league where she is working diligently towards earning her very own bowling ball. She has teamed up with her best friends, Sprite and Liberty and loves every second of it.

I was amazed at the number of kids, ages 5 to 17 that are on bowling leagues! My own adult league is made up of mostly 20 to 30 somethings with a few 40+ year olds in the mix. Maybe I am just not there when it is senior citizen day at the bowling alley, but even then I have re-discovered something. It does not matter what others see as lame or un-cool. If you enjoy doing it, that is all that matters.

As for my grandparents, when they found out that Freedom had joined a bowling league, they were so proud. When they discovered that I was bowling too, they were speechless! To give them that little bit of pleasure and in a way a connection when their health is failing is a gift that I will always cherish and I hope that Freedom will come to understand that her great-grandparents have passed on a legacy for her to be proud of. Even though they will never get to see her bowl, she feels a camaraderie with them that can never be broken. Her 8 year old heart beats in rhythm with their 80+ year old hearts.

So, the next time you think bowling may be fun, take the time to follow that thought to your nearest bowling alley and give it a try. The relaxed atmosphere and interesting mix of people is well worth the effort!

Homemade Salsa -- Restaurant Style

How many times have we sat in a Mexican restuarant munching on chips and salsa throughout our visit? I am a chips and salsa junkie and if I could get away with just stuffing my face with tortilla chips and salsa when I go a Mexican restuarant, I surely would.

I cannot wait for summer to arrive and my tomatoes to be weighted down with juicy, ripe tomatoes. This means I can make salsa by the gallon! I have glass jars that I use to store the homemade salsa and have been known to pass out jars to friends and colleagues.

This year, my tomatoes are taking their sweet time ripening so thanks to a very dear friend, Melissa, I was able to make a batch of salsa. Thank you Melissa for providing so of the tastiest tomatoes I have had in a very long time!

One friend asked me to share my recipe for homemade, restaurant style salsa. So, Jane, this one is for you. I hope that everyone does try this recipe, it is super simple and very flavorful. You have the ability to control the heat and sweetness of the recipe, which I love. You can also add things to the salsa to make it your own.

Needed Ingredients:

2 pounds tomatoes
1 large white onion (peel and quarter)
2 jalapeno peppers (medium to large size)
2 cloves garlic (medium size)
1 teaspoon salt (plus extra to taste)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
1 lime
Suger (to taste)

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Slice tomatoes and place on cookie sheet (you may need 2 cookie sheets), sprinkle with salt. Slice jalapenos (stem and seed) and add to cookie sheet. Add garlic cloves (peeled) and quartered white onion to cookie sheet. Cook in oven for about 15-20 minutes, tomatoes and onions will be softened by not mushy. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes.

Transfer all ingredients from cookie sheet into blender and pulse until finely mixed. Romove to a medium bowl and stir in cilantro and lime juice (cut lime in half and sqeeze over the salsa). Using salt and sugar, season the salsa to taste.

I would transfer to a glass container and chill in the refrigerator at least  45 minutes to an hour before serving.

You can store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or you can freeze in glass containers for up to 3 months.

I like to add corn kernels to the salsa to give it more depth. You can also adjust the amount of jalapeno peppers that you use to adjust the heat of the dish.

**I will also be sharing this on my other blog -- MickiHolley19.blogspot.com