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Are Siberian Cats Hypoallergenic? The Truth about Siberian Cats!

Our Siberian kitten at 12 weeks old
I thought we would never own a cat. My husband is allergic. And my son is allergic. So we put pet ownership out of our heads until some how we came across the Siberian cat breed. My husband spent all sorts of time researching Fel-D1 levels and everything he could about cats and allergies. He was convinced we could do it.

So we began our search. First of all, you should know that there aren't very many Siberian cat breeders. At least on in our area. We called and emailed a few but they all had super long waiting lists and were hours away from our home. Then we found two that were close to home. They also had long waiting lists, but were close enough that we could go visit.

We visited two separate breeders. We found them both to be very loving homes filled with cats. Soft, lovey, playful cats. But my both my husband and son had severe reactions after visiting the homes. Click here to see results of our first breeder visit.
Even still, my husband…

Figuring out What's Wrong with Your Berry Plants by Leaf Analysis

I've been growing berries all my life. First raspberries and over the last 9 years blueberries and strawberries. Over that time, I have encountered an endless stream of problems and have figured out how to fix many of them. So I thought I'd put that knowledge online so people can easily figure out what might be going on with their berry plants and have a place to start to search for information.

Most plants give signs of trouble with their leaves. In general, most plants (and especially berries) should have deep green leaves. Any other variation means trouble. Sometimes it's major. Sometimes it's an easy fix.

Raspberries

If your leaves have a purple tinge: It may mean the weather has been cold, they are just forming, or they are deficient in Potassium. To fix - apply light fertilizer (tomato fertilizer is a good choice, since it is higher in potassium which results in more flowers and more fruit - or buy Organic potassium source.)

If your leaves are yellowing: If they are…

9 Months Wearing Thinx - What I REALLY think and What you should know if you decide to use them!!

It's been 9 months since I bought my first pair of Thinx underwear. Since that time, I have transitioned to 90% reusable period products. I've figured out how to wash them, get them to stop being stinky, and when to use them.

I first heard of Thinx when a friend of mine showed me an article on Facebook.The article was an obvious paid to endorsement.

I was disappointed that my friend couldn't see through the propaganda, but it did motivate me to dig deeper into reusable menstrual products.

So I bought my first pair - I used a $10 off coupon and first time customers got free shipping. (This link will give you $10 off if you decide to give them a go.)

The first thing I did when they arrived was try them on. They fit well and looked really good. Fancy even? Well, maybe not for most people but they had lace and that is fancy in my world. I then tested them with a syringe of water to be sure that they could actually hold the liquid they claimed. They passed.

I bought the hiphu…

How to Make Raw Almond Butter using a Blender (Vitamix)

You CAN make your own almond butter (peanut, cashew, sunflower, or ANY nut butter.) It's fast and easy - and you can do it in a blender!

If you love almond butter, then I'd highly recommend learning how to make it yourself. I buy raw almondsfor about $3 a pound, so the savings aren't huge, but knowing what goes into my almond butter is priceless.
What goes in? Nothing but almonds. You can certainly add salt, cocoa powder, sugar, honey, or whatever floats your boat - but the truth is - you don't have to!
You can roast the almonds and have a rich nutty flavored almond butter or you can make it raw (which to me - tastes more like cookie dough mixed with peanut butter, yums.)
Here's the deal: you don't need to add oils or anything else. A vitamix blender
(or other similarly powerful blender) can handle it.
Here's a video of me making raw almond butter. I used about 3 cups (measured by a 5 year old - so about 3 cups is fine).

You will notice a lot of icky …

Homemade Deodorant that Really works - recipe with activated charcoal!

I've tried many "natural" deodorants and have always been super disappointed in the results. Either they smell like old lady or they just don't work very well. Not anymore! I made my own charcoal based deodrant.

I have heard great things about Primal Pit Paste so I decided to try and make my own.
Mine was slightly messy...and black. But here's what worked for me - you can play around with the quantities to get a harder/softer, stronger/weaker, more/less scented deodorant.

1 Tbsp Coconut oil (the solid kind)
1/2 Tbsp Shea Butter
1 tsp magnesium chloride
(you could use Epsom salt if you don't have this - just grind it up first)
1 tsp charcoal (I used bamboo charcoal from room deodorizing pouch and ground it in my mortar and pestle.)
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp corn starch
10 drops of tea tree oil (or sub in another antibacterial oil like orange, lemon, or rosemary - be advised that lemon and orange will react with and deactivate your baking soda - turning it in…

The Suburban Jungle

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