Cool Off With Mint

Almost forgot! My "Small Measures with Ashley" post is up on Design Sponge. This week focuses on using mint to cool off during these final (one can hope, right???) scorching days of summer. On a side note, whilst reading the most current issue of Jamie Oliver's outstanding magazine "Jamie" today (you might remember me telling you of the gracious subscription my editor and buddy Nicole gifted me with back for my birthday last month), I found a nod to none other than Design Sponge in the magazine's "Site Seeing" section. How cool is that? The August/September issue is available now on newsstands. Check it.

I can fully attest to the cooling effects of mint sun tea, as I've been imbibing it all afternoon while engaging in a cleaning assault on the house*. A mint foot bath later tonight definitely seems in order, as well.

Stay cool, friends!

*For what it's worth, I thought I'd share my DIY solution for a gentle, eco-friendly, low-cost floor cleaner. I simply fill up my kitchen sink with hot water and, to it, add approximately 1 c. of white vinegar (I never measure it, opting instead of the tried and true "eyeballing" it method) and about 4-6 Tbsp. (again with the eyeballing) of baking soda. Next comes about 3-4 drops of essential oil.

I try to make the scent correspond to the general "mood," if you will, of the season at hand. Accordingly, in the winter, I use juniper or balsam fir needle, in spring lavender, lemongrass (what I used today) or grapefruit in summer, and cinnamon in autumn. Aside from the essential oils (of which so little is used each time that a bottle lasts for quite a while), the other ingredients are super cheap to purchase and imminently easy to come by. There you have it-your own "Handy Household Hints from Ashley."