GOOT - natural remedy for colds and more!

We've fallen behind the last couple weeks because our fellas have been under the weather. But thankfully they are finally on the mend. It's never fun when kids are sick, and it's especially not fun trying to decide when it's time to get out the medicine or go to the doctor. Fortunately this time we were able to avoid both, and today I'm sharing one of our favorite home remedies that has helped us through many such sicknesses (you can see our list of remedies and make some immune-boosting elderberry syrup here).

GOOT is the name of the game. A simple mix of garlic, coconut oil, and olive oil, it boasts some great healing properties! Garlic is a natural antibiotic that doesn't carry the bad flora associated with conventional antibiotics and applying this salve to your skin allows the garlic to tranfer to your bloodstream. This makes it great for treating all kinds of sickness and infections! You can read more about the benefits here. But of course, always consult your doctor!

GOOT is so easy to make! In fact usually whip it up in the middle of the night when someone is suddenly sick. It takes just a few minutes in a blender. Here's what you need:

• 1/4 c. peeled garlic
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. coconut oil, melted

Combine the ingredients in a small blender (I use the mini blender attachment that came with my immersion blender) for a couple minutes until it's well combined. Then strain the mixture through a fine sieve or some cheesecloth to remove any chunks of garlic. Straining is important especially for kids because the chunks can burn their sensitive skin. Then just pour the mixture into an airtight container and put it in the fridge to harden into a firm salve. That's it!

We like to keep a batch of goot in the fridge anytime someone starts acting under the weather. Whenever someone is sick we apply the salve to their feet and put on warm socks. We've also put it on chests to treat congestion and croup and around ears to ward off ear infections. GOOT should be stored in the fridge and will last 2-3 weeks.

And of course be sure to get plenty of rest when you're sick! And you'll be back on your feet, wearing a cape in no time.

Why is he so much funnier with a cape on?!

To make it even better, he kept running around throwing a bouncy ball, then striking this post to see if it went under the table:

And let's not forget the Big Brother, who seems to have grown 6" and an entire vocabulary.

What are your favorite home remedies? Have you every used GOOT?

Reclaimed Window Stocking Holder

We run into a problem every year around Christmas time. The problem is that we don't have a fireplace. No fireplace = no mantle = nowhere to hang the stockings! We spent a few years using stocking holders on top of the entertainment center. Then last year we moved the entertainment center into the office to use as storage so we used command hooks to just hang the stockings on the wall. But this year we're stepping up our game a bit! A few weeks ago we were visiting Husband's grandpa and he gave us an old window from his barn. With a good washing and a few tweaks, we had our new stocking holder!

Our plan is to leave the window up year-round and just hang stockings on it at Christmas. We're still trying to figure out the spacing of our pictures around it, which is why we have newspaper cutouts all over the wall.

To get our window stocking-ready we started by giving it a good scrub. Then I drilled holes along one edge. I started with a hole right in the middle and put two more on each side 6" apart.

Then I attached a knob in each hole. I used plain wooden knobs from Lowe's. They were about $0.85 each. I put 5 for now, but left plenty of room for adding more later if we need to.

I thought about painting the knobs white, but ended up liking the plain wood finish. This way when I don't have stockings the knobs don't stand out too much. I also originally planned to put family photos in each window pane, but once I got it on the wall I realized it would look too cluttered. So for now it's staying empty.

Except of course for the stockings!

And next week I'll be sharing how I made our stockings last year, so stayed tuned! Plus you can see our list of stocking stuffer ideas for boys here.

And speaking of things from grandpa, he also sent home this old metal rack thing that ended up being the perfect end table for our living room!

I still haven't figured out what to put in the top section since it's divided up into vertical sections. Maybe some books? For now it usually is full of stuffed animals "in them cages."

Where do you hang your stockings? Do you have a mantle or do you freestyle?

Stocking Stuffers for Boys

Earlier this week we shared our favorite gift ideas for the boys this year (along with our tips for trying to keep things simple). Today we sharing a few of our favorite stocking stuffer ideas! Since we only do four bigger presents for each boy (want, need, wear, read) we tend to stretch it with the stockings to pack in a few fun smaller gifts. Here are our top runners for this year:

1. Twistable Crayons - easy to color with and harder to break! Any small art supply is a great addition to your stockings.

2. A Watch - Big Brother has asked to wear a watch like daddy, and he's always asking what time it is. We already ordered this watch for him from zulily a few weeks ago and I'm not sure where to buy them now, but Amazon has several options for boys.

3. Wallet - this also falls into the "I want to be like daddy" category with Big Brother asking if he can have a wallet too. I'm' thinking about making something like this for his stocking.

4. Dinosaur Slipper - I found this on pinterest but haven't been able to find where to buy them, so I might trying making a pair for Baby Brother.

5. Toothbrush - we put a new toothbrush in every year. Last year we found Spiderman toothbrushes with travel caps at Dollar Tree!

6. Wooden Car Launcher - perfect size for a stocking and tons of fun! You can get the launcher here and a car here. (We ordered the launcher through zulily and just realized now that there is probably no car in the box. Oops.)

7. Small Wooden Toys - something like this bus would be perfect for Baby Brother's stocking (they also have other vehicles like this adorable pickup truck). Etsy is a great place to shop for things like this that are unique and handmade by crafters!

8. Harmonica - will it get annoying? Probably. But Big Brother got one at a party this summer and fell absolutely in love with it, even though he had to blow with all his might to get sound out of it. So a nicer one like this might make it into his stocking this year.

So that's our list! We'll probably add some kind of treat or snack along with a couple of these for each of our fellas (do we need bigger stockings? maybe.). What are you stuffing in your stockings this year? Do you have a tradition you make sure to include every year?

Hot Chocolate Mix {and free printable labels}

We haven't bought hot chocolate mix in over year since we started making it ourselves. It's great because you can adjust the amounts and add different things to find what you like and you know exactly what is going into it. Last year we shared our favorite recipe and included a printable recipe card but with Christmas right around the corner I wanted to share a printable label that's a little more giftable.

Just print out the tags on paper or cardstock, cut them out, and attach them to jars of hot chocolate mix some twine or string. You can punch a hole in the tags and tie them on like the pic above, or tape them right onto the jar like the pic below.

Download and Print the tags here.

This hot chocolate mix is so easy to make! Just combine the ingredients in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed, then divvy it up into smaller jars.

• 2 c. powdered sugar
• 1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• pinch cayenne pepper
• 3 cups dry milk powder
• 1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

You'll probably want to make a jar for yourself while you're at it. There's nothing like a toasty mug of hot chocolate on a snowy day!

Individual jars like this make a great, easy gift for friends, co-workers, neighbors, even your Sunday school class!

For more homemade gift ideas check out my 31 Handmade Gifts series. Do you like to give food gifts? Share your favorite recipes in the comments!