Hot Tea Toddy

Sometimes you need a warm drink to cut through all the stuff lodged in your throat, particularly during allergy season. I often have allergies through the winter, and this tea is perfect from cutting through all that mess.


The base of this tea toddy is chamomile. Chamomile is known for its healing properties and it is a perfect base for this health renewing tea.  I purchase my chamomile tea from Nemscok Farms because I love purchasing through family-owned businesses!  You should, too! The lemon, cinnamon, cloves, and honey all contribute healing aspects to the drink.

To make this tea is simple.


Stud one lemon with whole cloves.  Cut the lemon in slices so that the cloves are in the lemon slices.  Boil 2 cups of water, add lemon with cloves, a cinnamon stick, 2 T of chamomile tea (I put mi…

Strawberry, Banana and Cashews Overnight Oats

I am loving this new version of Strawberry Overnight Oats I have been eating.  It provides plenty of energy for a workout and for a day of snow shoveling.  At last count we had 14 inches of snow and it is still coming down! What a great time to have a Fantastical Food Fight!  Thank you, Sarah!  You always make this event so much fun!


Overnight Oats are a fabulous way to have a delicious and healthy breakfast and save time as well.  We make ours in a shaker and grab and go.  Sometimes we give it a quick blend to make it more like a smoothie, like this Apple Chai Smoothie that is so yummy.

I looked into the history of overnight oats, and basically it is a type of musli called Bircher Musli made by a Swiss physician named Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Brenner.  He made it for the patients of his …

Repurposed OUI Jars #pinterestchallenge

Welcome to the January Pinterest Challenge Blog Hop, hosted by My Pinterventures. The purpose of this Pinterest Challenge is to motivate all the participants of this hop (and you too) to not just pin, but to make it happen! This month, I chose to create dipped jars as made by Emily at Our House Now a Home.  My take on it was to use repurposed Oui yogurt jars.


Emily's blog is one that I read regularly and when I ran across this craft, I wanted to give it a try. I have a good-sized collection of OUI yogurt jars and I have a set of them on my mantle. I thought this would be a great way to jazz those cuties up.


I decided to use a pot of sand colored paint so I could use them for many different decor situations. For example, I love the sand with my usual beachy decor, but they will also l…

Could You Be Spending Less Each Month?

Are you starting to find that your monthly spending is growing every month? That’s not a good sign, and it could be the thin end of the wedge - before you realize it, your spending could have spiraled out of control, and it could put your family’s finances at risk. So, if you do think that you have started being a bit too loose with your purse strings, it’s important to nip your spending in the bud while you can. One way to cut down on your spending is to take things month by month. You should try to figure out how you can reduce your regular monthly expenditures. Here are a few tips that can give you some insight on how to do this.

Consider Changing Utility Suppliers
First of all, it’s worth checking how much you are paying for your household utilities, such as gas, electricity, internet,…

How to Make the Most of the Last Winter Days

While Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year have long since passed, we are still very much in the throes of winter, and there are still many of those winter days left for us to appreciate. Many people simply dislike the season; the cold weather, the dark mornings and nights, and the time spent indoors, but there are still many ways to have fun despite the conditions, so read on if you’re interested in making the most of the weeks that are left of the winter!
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Catch up on Netflix There are few of us out there who can admit that we don’t love pajama days and watching films and series all day while eating the foods that we probably shouldn’t. However, doing this in summer simply isn’t the same as doing so in the winter months, so why not utilize the season and have a few more pajama …

Bulletproof Chai Tea for Keto Fans

This list of cozy, warm drinks for the middle of the winter couldn't come at a better time!  We have a prediction of 5-7" of snow on the way to our area which thrills me to no end!  I adore the snow.  In fact, this photo popped on my Facebook memories today!

It had snowed hard for several days, and school had been out for several days. Making a snowman seemed fitting for that event!

Back to our drink, though.  As part of a keto diet, you must ingest good fats.  One way to do that is to add heavy cream and grassfed butter to your coffee.  I am not a coffee drinker but I do love my Chai tea, and that is how this drink was developed.

To make this delightful, warming and filling drink you need the following:

1 bag of chai tea (or a Keurig pod, like I do!)
1 T grassfed butter
1 T hea…

Top 5 New Arrivals at the Dollar Store for Gardening

I'm gearing up for my crafting and parties for the Spring season and of course, I think of Dollar Tree for those needs.  I love ordering online with Dollar Tree, too.  Have you seen their Pick and Pack page?  It allows you to pick the number of items you want, and they will pack it and send it to you!



Here are the goodies I am sending for:

Gardening Hooks


Flower Pail

Gardening Gloves

Tin Planter

Foam Handled Gardening Tools


I'm creating some gift baskets for the annual Garden Tour that my neighborhood hosts each year.  I'll need to make 4-5 for the drawings we do.  I'll add a few little plants for transferring into their own gardens.  What do you think?  We also create wreaths for raffling, but that is another post!

Please consider purchasing these delightful tools from Our Goo…

Katie's Highlander #ourgoodlifebooklist

The third book in the Highland Protector series, this book was my first by author Maeve Grayson. Her unique blend of time travel into the tenth century from our current times creates an exciting setting. 




Here's a summary provided by Random House Loveswept:

An archaeologist with a zest for life finds herself stranded in small-town North Carolina—with a brooding Highland hunk who’s straight out of ancient Scotland.

Ramsay MacDara wishes the goddesses had left his arse back in the tenth century. That way he never would have met the gold digger who made a fool out of him. A loner at heart, Ramsay is riding his beloved horse through the woods near his family’s North Carolina theme park, Highland Life and Legends, when he hears tires squealing—followed by a thud—and rushes to the scene to hel…

3 Reasons to Deal with Your Clutter

https://pixabay.com/en/chaos-clutter-a-mess-things-stuff-227972/
When it comes to decluttering, there are several different reasons people have. Here, we take a look at some of the top reasons you may want to give up some of your clutter.
You’re Moving!Moving house is a very emotional thing and something which most of us do only a few times in our lifetimes. You may be leaving the area and starting a whole new life, or you may be downsizing after the children have left home. Whatever your reason for moving, this is an ideal opportunity to get a clutter-free home. It is important to do this before hiring a moving company, especially long distance moving companies, otherwise, you are simply going to move your clutter with you, which will cost loads over long distances.

A tidy home equals a t…

Keto French Onion Soup #tastecreations

I have loved French Onion soup ever since I had this delicious homemade version made for me by the wife of my Circle K advisor in college.  French onion soup is easily made Keto style, and I love that I can have a bowl of comforting soup without all the carbs.


Onion soup is a peasant dish, often mentioned in literature.  Most recently, Harry Potter was served onion soup with his friends that Kreacher made.  The French adapted the soup to add a french baguette crouton and cheese.  Some believe that is the crowning touch to a bowl of French Onion soup. I believe the soup, made well, can stand alone.

To make this a Keto soup, reduce the number of carbs you use to make it.  I don't add sugar to help caramelize the onions, or flour to thicken the soup.  I choose yellow onions because they …

The Best of 2018

It is so important to take the time to review all the good things from the past year before planning your new year.  I'm excited about all the posts that you loved.  I'm ready to celebrate!  Here are the most loved blog posts from the blog this year:


Good FoodRustic Keto Cake  This cake was the top post of the year! Delicious vanilla cake with a low carb rating.  My daughter's 33 birthday cake!

Cold Brew I think this post had good timing! Learn how to make cold foam!

Spinach Baked Ravioli This is comfort food like you've never seen!  So good and creamy.
Home and GardeningSalad Bowl Planting  This post is popular every year!  I'm ready to plant this year's bowl already!
Summer Cutting Garden  I love my cutting garden and so do you!  I'm planning my summer garden no…

A Bound Heart #ourgoodlifebooklist

I love discovering a new-to-me author such as Laura Frantz. I loved reading this new, January 1 release called A Bound Heart.  She does what all authors should do: transport you away to another place and time in history. Make you feel like you are there.



Lark McDougall is the daughter of a fallen aristocrat who now serves in the castle stillroom. She concocts herbal medicines for the people of Kerrera, an island near Scotland.  The island is overseen by the Laird Magnus McLeish, who was a childhood friend of Lark.  The story begins with island life, and all the details that come with describing what happens on a day-to-day basis. When the Laird's wife dies at her own hand, Lark is blamed for her death and stands trial for this accusation. She is found guilty and sentenced to become an…

Good Bye 2018, Hello 2019!

As I look back on 2018, I would summarize it as SPEEDY.  Everything seemed to go by in a whirlwind. What was different this year is that I recognized that our life goes by quickly and I tried to really value each moment of it. I still feel rushed, but with good planning, I am able to get all I want to be accomplished. Since I am a very busy gal, I didn't manage to meet any of my blog goals. This truly bothers me. I believe 2019 is going to be a make-or-break me year when it comes to blogging.


So I have kept all my same goals from last year for this year:
Pinterest 10,000 followers (current 8033) Instagram 5,000 followers (current 4701) Twitter 5,000 followers (current 4951) Facebook 5,000 followers (current 4115)
Ok, maybe it wasn't as bad as I described, but I surely wanted to re…