And Then She Discovered Seasonal Allergies

Until a few weeks ago, I could gladly say that I was not familiar with allergies. At all. I'm not allergic to anything (that I know of) and, each spring, I see everyone struggling with seasonal allergies when, thankfully, my own nose is feeling great.

Think again, my friend. 2013 decided to give me a taste of what seasonal allergies look like. And it's not fun at all.

Well, it could be worse. But I'm really annoyed with my nose and eyes at the moment: I blow my nose every five minutes and, sometimes, my eyes are so red it looks like I took a swim in a pool full of vinegar. Or acid.

So far, drinking sage has helped making life a little better, but I also found some other natural remedies that I'll try if it becomes too much. I thought they could be helpful to you too, if you're as unlucky as I am.

1/ Drink Peppermint and/or Nettle tea (sage seems to work on me too). And a lot of water.

2/ Drink apple cider vinegar mixed with water (twice a day).

3/ Apparently, neti pots are your best friend when it comes to seasonal allergies. I hate this, but if it really works, why not?

4/ Use essential oils: Peppermint, lavender, lemon, Eucalyptus, chamomile.

Are you in the same boat as I am? Got any tips and tricks?

Random Thoughts on a Rainy Day

I don't know how the weather is in your part of the world but, here in France, it looks like autumn. It's cold, wet, and I almost forgot what the sun looks like. We turned the heating on, we eat soup every night, and we're contemplating the idea of lighting a fire tonight.

Here are a few updates and random thoughts, from me to you.

1/ Today, I finished and sent my translation of The Secret of Ella and Micha, by Jessica Sorensen. Next step: Book 3 of the Enclave trilogy, which I'm pretty impatient to read! This year is going to be busy.

2/ We still haven't decided where we're going to move. We really need to get a grip. :)

3/ I'm thinking about buying myself some dry shampoo. I have bangs, and one of the cons of having bangs is that it tends to get greasy faster than the rest of your hair. So I usually wash my hair when, in fact, they're clean. Dry shampoo seems to be a great option, and I read about it over at Essie Button and Hello There Home, and these two ladies made me want to give it a go! Have you ever tried dry shampoo?

4/ I'm about to watch the last episodes of series 7 of Doctor Who. For those of you who are familiar with the show, I've been a huge fan until Russell T Davies (writer) and David Tennant (actor) left. I am not a fan of Steven Moffat (writer). At all. But I'm watching nonetheless, even if the finale apparently deceived a lot of people.

5/ I loved reading about what ingredients to avoid in beauty and personal care products, and also about the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen. Although we're buying more and more organic products (both for the kitchen and bathroom), this information is really useful.

6/ I am still working out on a daily basis, even if I don't talk about it often on my blog. After finishing the 30 Day Shred, I kept on going with other DVDs by Jillian Michaels. I'm alternating, so that it doesn't get boring. I'd like to start running at some point too.

7/ I bought myself a headband to try this 2 minute updo tutorial, and it's become my favourite hairstyle ever!

I hope you guys had a lovely weekend! 

Keep warm if you're as unlucky as me weather-wise,
and enjoy if the sun is out where you live!
I'll only be a tad jealous. Just a tad.