Even the lowest-chemical dish soap we can find makes me sick. Thanks to my friend Ruth M., I gave Castile another chance! Since writing this post, we have switched to all Unscented instead of orange (same brand).
The grease is hard to cut with Castile. Ideas that have helped me:
When clearing dishes, don’t put non-greasy dishes in/near greasy ones. (I.E.—don’t put a cereal bowl in last night’s greasy casserole dish that is soaking.)
Wipe greasy dishes with a paper towel before even putting in/near the sink.
Do NOT fill a sink with water and squirt Castile in. The large amount of water basically makes Castile ineffective on dishes unless you use a very large amount.
Instead, squirt a good amount of Castile into a wet dishcloth.
Then, start with glasses, pots used for non-greasy cooking, and other non-greasy dishes. Use your soapy dishcloth to wash a glass, then rinse the glass but do not rinse the dishcloth.
Next, do less-greasy plates and dishes. But with these, you can start by using baking soda only. Sprinkle on dish, wipe with a SEPARATE damp dishcloth (not the Castile-soapy one) or your hand or a paper towel, rinse. (To conserve water some, rinse over other dishes that might benefit from extra rinsing.) Then wash with the Castile soap dishcloth and rinse of course.
If you begin to run out of bubbles in the dishcloth, add a little more Castile to the cloth.
If you begin to have trouble with grease, your dishcloth is probably greasy. Get a fresh one.
Lastly, tackle the greasiest pans. Start by scrubbing with baking soda. Then use the Castile. You might still have trouble, but I have seen baking soda work some pretty good wonders. 🙂
Tired of reading the word greasy? LOL I am!
Using these ideas, I have been able to do a good many dishes with only a few squirts of Castile.
Castile is [was] $57 a gallon, so yeah, conserving is good! However, I don’t resent the price. It’s Fair Trade, and human beings should be paid what their labor is worth.
Energy level now around 15% of normal!! I cannot remember the last time I had this amount of energy consistently.
Less nausea. A couple times this month, I have experienced nausea and then thought, “Oh, wow, it’s been a while since I’ve had nausea!” YAY!!!!!
Fingernails turning back to healthy pink. Not sure why they were whitish in the middle while sick, but getting pink means something is working better.
Heart palpitations less often.
Can be on computer and wifi many more hours, as long as I don’t put the laptop directly on my lap.
Craving veggies and able to eat them.
I am finally beginning to perspire normally again. This is huge, as it will allow more detox—an upward cycle.
The last time I began to perspire normally—for the first time in my life—it took about 6 weeks camping to get there. This was in 2012. (Later, that camping spot became bad. 🙁 ) This time, it took almost 12 weeks. I guess that’s how much sicker I was this year? SO happy for this turning point.
The “mudroom” has been a fantastic thing. Even when I’m standing outdoors a couple feet away with the door open, the mudroom makes me sick. Lots of scents are picked up on winter coats, shoes, medical supplies, packaging, etc. We also store things out there that we need/want but are stinky (printer, microwave). I can’t imagine how bad it would be to have all that stuff in my living space and trying to detox!!!
So, Steve has this room that I can’t go in! LOL He even has a desk in there so we can keep all the stinky/inky bills (etc.) away from me. It is so helpful.
Sometimes scents come sneaking in the house from the mudroom, but usually turning the mudroom vent fan on takes care of that.
I did find out/remember that we do have a smart meter. (Required.) But, it is 50 feet away on a pole, and right now it is shielded from me by some aluminum. Apparently it’s not affecting me too much, as I am still improving, even regarding radiation/wifi!!!
Praise God!!!!!!!
Our mountain bluebird friend “Digory”
Christa Upton Black Hills Picture Books Edgemont, SD 57735
A number of people have asked me how we built our house. So, I thought rather than keep losing track of my posts on Facebook groups and re-writing about this, I’d blog it and can’t lose it now! LOL
Of course if you want to try something like this, ALWAYS test materials for allergy, reactions, etc.
Update: since I wrote this post, we published a detailed book on this house, explaining over 40 precautions against mold and including many photos of the building process.
Also find more information including free videos here.
Here is the short version of what we did:
Built up dirt so house above surrounding area (per foundation guy’s great advice), installed underground drainage around house, graded/created water flow to flow all away from house (all for mold prevention on slab).
Put gravel under insulation/slab for capillary break.
Laid radiant heat “pipes” (used PEX) on insulation before slab poured.
Wonderful foundation guy did his recommended mono-pour, shallow, insulated slab foundation (plain cement, no additives).
Lester Buildings for the “shell”–wood framing, steel siding & roof, steel ceiling inside. http://www.lesterbuildings.com/ I don’t know how small they go; ours is 30 X 40 (1,200 sq. ft.)
Ceramic/porcelain tile throughout, laid with plain cement/sand mortar. (Found odds and ends of tile on sale various places; I think we ended up getting most of it around $1 per sq. ft. Make sure NO lead or Microban in tile.)
“Vinyl” windows because it seemed a lot of mold risk with many of the cheaper metal windows. I covered the vinyl on the window by my bed with foil tape.
Metal doors, even on bedrooms. (from Habitat Re-store–pre-owned construction/building items and cheap! 🙂 )
Metal kitchen sink, counters, and cabinets. Exposed pipes so can be vigilant about leaks.
Porcelain tub (free-standing “claw foot”), sink, and toilet.
Vent fans vented to outside and insulated in the attic (so they don’t create condensation and mold in the attic).
All light fixtures are glass and metal and could be washed (of potential mold or chemicals), so they all came from Habitat Re-store also. Toilet from there as well (CHECK for mold in tank, though!!!), and bathroom cabinet, etc.
More mold prevention, such as very little wood (except wood framing inside walls), etc. No landscaping by foundation, unless we figure out how to do some dry things (cactus, rocks).
It’s a lot of old-fashioned things. Not surprising, since the bulk of chemicals in our world were created post-WWII.
Hi, Mrs. Griesse, thank you for agreeing to this interview! (Mrs. Griesse is author of a new, fun, historical fiction book for children: The Mysterious Gold Medal )
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
Mrs. Griesse: Thanks, Christa, for inviting me to share on your blog. This is something new to me. I’m a retired school teacher and enjoying working in our school library as a part-time job. I love it, probably because I love books and I love to organize things. I also love music, and for a long time (25 years) my husband, Bob, and I directed a children’s outreach singing group. I wrote most of the songs we sang and also some musical dramas the group performed. So writing has been a part of my background for a long time. But this is my first children’s book. (I know you are more than familiar with our singing group, Sounds of Sonshine, because you were a part of it. )
Oh, my, yes! I loved Sounds of Sonshine!! Fantastic memories, and I loved singing. How much research did you do for this book?
Mrs. Griesse: When we moved to the St. Louis area, our kids were young, and we took them to many sites around St. Louis. I was especially interested in Forest Park where the World’s Fair was held in 1904 and read a lot about the Fair, so when the Missouri History Museum advertised an exhibit with all kinds of objects, photographs, etc. about the Fair I had to see it. We went several times, and that’s how the idea to write about the Fair started. I did more research from books, the museum exhibits, and drove all around the area (I should say my dear, patient husband drove me all around – and many times) to get familiar with streets and buildings from 1904 as well as now in St. Louis. It was fun to discover the many sites that are still present today that were a part of the 1904 Fair or related to it somehow. These are a big part of Emily’s adventure in my book, and I loved imagining what it must have been like for little Anna!
Wow, that sounds fun as well as very helpful for your book!! Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer just see where an idea takes you?
Mrs. Griesse: I usually think through a plot and kind of plan where it’s headed, but often when I start writing, the story takes new twists and turns as I go. Sometimes they are wrong turns, and I have to back up and start again. But usually they come as a delightful surprise for me and add more to the plot. I know that is the gift of creativity from God, and it’s the best part of the writing process. It has happened to me when I write songs, too. A new line, a perfect word for the line, may come suddenly and not be something I had to figure out. It’s like a gift.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
Mrs. Griesse: I guess it’s trying to stay in the story and the characters when there are other things, people, work, just daily life that demands your attention. Sometimes I’m able to go ahead with work–for example, housework–while my mind is still in the story. But that isn’t possible when other activities and people are involved. Then I guess the hard part is getting back to where you were in the story.
What is the easiest thing about writing?
Mrs. Griesse: Probably the fun of creating, especially when the story is flowing along and you can hardly write fast enough to keep up with your ideas. I used to write in longhand on notebook paper with a pencil. It is faster now to write on the computer and easier to keep up with your thoughts. But I often still start out with paper and pencil.
What is your favorite book or author and why?
Mrs. Griesse: My favorite book is “A Lantern in Her Hand,” by Bess Streeter Aldrich, who is my favorite author. Growing up in Nebraska, her books were recommended reading in high school literature. She wrote about the pioneers and immigrants, especially Germans, who settled on the prairie, and she gave such a clear picture of what life was like then. She has a simple, direct style that just rolls along so easily as you read. And because I had grandparents who were immigrants to Nebr. from Denmark and Germany, it made the stories more personal. She’s a member of the Nebr. Hall of Fame.
What is your favorite quote (from any book)?
Mrs. Griesse: I had to think about this a while. I couldn’t think of any quote from a book, and then I remembered a Scripture – a quote from my favorite book in the Bible, Esther.
“For such a time as this.” I am amazed at how that story unfolded, how God carried out His plan and used the young Esther at just the right time. God has a plan for our lives, too, and just as with Esther, the things that happen are not coincidences but part of His plan for us.
I agree!!! Which famous person, living or dead would you like to meet and why?
Mrs. Griesse: Of course, Jesus! But besides Him I think I’d like to meet Beatrix Potter. She must have been a fascinating person – her artistic skills to capture such detailed drawings of animals, her appreciation and love for God’s creation, and her boldness to do what women of her time just didn’t do. I think it’d be amazing to sit down and share a ‘spot’ of tea and a ‘biscuit’ with her and have a chat.
Could I join you? LOL I love Beatrix Potter, too! Thank you so much for sharing with us! I loved chatting with you today!
Also, Mrs. Griesse will be signing books at the Festus Public Library in Festus, Missouri, on Saturday, May 7 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Come and join the fun!!!
Specific improvements this month:
1. I can eat more veggies than in a very long time.
2. A few times recently—for the first time in almost 8 years, I felt good after eating instead of bad!
3. Pain levels are much better, generally levels 1-5 (instead of generally levels 4-9 or 10!)
4. I am able to be on wifi longer. (It helps that we turn our router off at night.)
5. Brain fog is clearing more. I can grade my children’s papers now!
6. Energy has gone from 5% last month (and 1% in January) to about 10% now. That’s 10 times as much energy as January!!
7. The smell of natural popcorn does not bother me anymore. (Family is happy, too. LOL)
If anything, I still tend to overdo a little, but I am trying to lie down when needed.
Headaches are actually more frequent (which I’m pretty sure is due to detox from the mold illness and chemicals/pollution) but far less severe.
Still experiencing intermittent malaise, fever-like feelings, body temp. problems, aches, nausea, etc., but again that’s likely detox/the process of healing.
Still getting intermittent swelling (in belly, hands, etc.) but not as uncomfortable.
Hopefully not TMI! Just wanted to encourage others (who may experience things like more frequent headaches, etc.) if they are going through detox, too, that these things can happen.
It’s very easy to be tempted to think everything is a “new reaction,” to get paranoid or frustrated—especially with intermittent symptoms. But I am learning that there is a lot that is just detox, which you have to go through to get better. My advice is to look for the overall big picture, like energy rising.
Obviously it’s still good to pay attention (and figure things out like the lunch bag that went to town with husband and kids picked up an awful scent and needs to go to the off-gassing room away from me), but detox (like all long-term healing) does take time, and it can be 2 steps forward, one step back.
But boy do the steps forward feel great!!! I sure hope for this for many others!!!!
Christa Upton Black Hills Picture Books Edgemont, SD 57735
Gorgeous weather—bedroom windows stay open almost every day!
Specific improvements this month:
Digestion, almost immediately. I could not digest meat the last 4-6 weeks in town. Within 1 day here, I could.
Ability to use computer now, not get sick from the computer screen, and even be on wifi for very short times.
Brain fog is starting to clear.
Energy is slowly increasing. I went from energy level about 1% of normal for a person my age to about 5% now.
Numb and painful spot in my left foot has cleared up.
The smell of cinnamon no longer bothers me!
One thing that surprised me, though, was the first week. Other than a couple immediate improvements, I was absolutely miserable. Headaches, nausea, chills, malaise, heart palpitations….
It felt for all the world like withdrawal, and I think it was! If caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, then why not another chemical—namely car exhaust—for those of us whose bodies do not process it quickly enough while in it!
I went from town being the sickest EVER since leaving the mold house to this safe, low-tox house; from smelling car exhaust every day in town to not smelling it but once in the whole month!
After about the first week, the withdrawal-type symptoms began to reduce significantly.
The one time I smelled car exhaust here—I got into our relatively-safe car and gagged before the engine was even turned on!
Compared to this house, the relatively-safe car is pretty bad now—what a wonderful thing!!! LOL
I know it probably doesn’t sound wonderful to you, but it is fantastic to me. It shows how good the house is.
Knowing the house is much, much safer than my “safe spot car” means that God has given us wisdom on building and materials.
The house was less than 3 weeks “old” yet far superior to the car (or anywhere else I have lived, with the possible exception of the metal camper until it got contaminated with herbicide numerous times).
HALLELUJAH!!!!!
I must also mention how wonderful it is to see our daughter Sarah so independent. She is 10 years old, has spina bifida, and is wheelchair bound. She has not been able to use her wheelchair at home in almost 6 years due to various problems in rentals (carpet, no space/room for wheelchair, living in a Winnebago, etc.)
We designed this house to have wheelchair access and space so that she can basically get anywhere in the house.
It is obvious that she is just thrilled to get around other than a little army crawling, get things out of kitchen drawers, reach the fridge, help wash veggies, bring things to me in my bedroom, help with laundry, go wash her hands anytime she wants. Oh, it’s so exhilarating to see her enjoy this new freedom in her life!!!!
We are so very thankful for everything.
Christa Upton Black Hills Picture Books Edgemont, SD 57735
Our pastor finds private investors willing to lend us money for a house!!!!!!! (Banks won’t touch us for a number of reasons.) We have been researching the area for about 4 years, but now we begin looking for land in earnest. We can’t believe the real solution for my severe health problems is about to begin.
Mar–We search for land.
April–Land is purchased!!!! We spend as much time as possible out there for my health.
Church begins fundraiser for what investors can’t cover of the project.
May–Church friends help us build a shed, we get electricity on the land, and I sleep in there.
Dear, dear friend from back home (MO) begins working like crazy to help us raise funds needed. (She continues this work all the way until Jan 2016!!!)
June–Friend from church spends hours digging and getting us rural water on the land!
Bluebirds move into the bluebird house the kids made 3 years ago.
I help edit a friend’s book. Editing is one of the very few things I can do when I am really sick.
July–Our friend from church continues to spend hours on his digging machine, digging out a septic field for us.
August–Our friend continues to spend even MORE hours digging and creating a foundation plot for our house.
Smoke (and bad stuff with it) from the NW wildfires blows here so much that I cannot breathe very well. So we go back into town to stay with friends where their house protects much better than the shed.
But I know the time spent camping there and the healing begun has helped me.
Sept–Church friends help prep for foundation (gravel, insulation, heating pipes, etc.) Wonderful, experienced local guy pours foundation. I have never seen anything so beautiful in my life. It’s real. House is coming.
Oct–Church friends help wash release oils off all siding and roofing (steel).
I finish publishing “The Cat Race” (on CreateSpace) and get my first print copies.
Nov–Accouters High Country Erectors in Hot Springs, SD puts up a wonderful Lester Building. 30 X 40, just WONDERFUL, and I got to pick out the siding and roof colors.
Church friends do interior framing, licensed electrician wires house, and one friend spends many hours after his own job working on plumbing.
Husband, son, and others begin lath & insulation.
I help publish & edit a friend’s book (on CreateSpace).
Dec–Husband and son do more lath, insulation, plaster, and floor tile. Friend does more on plumbing.
I begin helping edit another friend’s book.
Yep, our life pretty much revolved around the house the 2nd half of this year! It has not been a year doing much fun with the kids at all (mostly because I’ve been so sick and also son and husband so busy on the house), but I must set that aside and look forward. And be thankful for learning experiences, bluebirds the kids loved, TV shows enjoyed together, and the hope for life-changing relief coming soon in that house.
Christa Upton Black Hills Picture Books PO Box 293 Custer, SD 57730
Today I would like to introduce Mrs. Virginia Griesse. Nearly 30 years ago, she was my music teacher at school! 🙂
She and her husband also led a wonderful children’s singing group called Sounds of Sonshine. I have many wonderful memories of singing at camp, doing puppets, recording cassette tapes of the music (hey, Cathy, where’s that tooth?), and even traveling to sing at other churches.
You can learn more and purchase Mrs. Griesse’s wonderful music and puppet shows, etc. at www.soundsofsonshine.com
And today I’m excited to tell you that Mrs. Griesse has just published her first children’s book! It is here. Only $6, it would make a perfect present for the children on your holiday list.
will be free on Kindle from Dec. 11 through Dec. 15, 2015.
Grab your copy, and you can even “loan” it to others who read on the Kindle app!
And if you would, go back to Amazon and leave a review after you read it. Only if you like it, though. lol Just kidding. They say even “bad” reviews can help books because it creates controversy and people get interested! 😀
It would be great to have your child’s perspective, too. You can write the review and just explain what your child thought of it.
Or, how about a Christmas story based on true events? Click here for the 1st installment, and the next two are in subsequent posts. Maybe next year when I’m not so tired, I’ll put it in a nice PDF. Or you could put the three parts of the story into three different people’s stockings. 🙂
Christa Upton Black Hills Picture Books PO Box 293 Custer, SD 57730
From 2007 to 2010, I suffered accidental Toxic Injury (also called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity or Environmental Illness). But, the forced time in bed has given me time to write. It has been such a blessing to work on my children's books and stories!
I love: God, family & friends, outdoors, gardening, animals, writing, reading, photography, cooking, music, dance, bare feet, long skirts, lavender & yellow, and chocolate.
If you would like to support further blog posts and writing from me, you can become a patron by signing up on my Patreon creator page.
Patreon does not have an option for a one-time gift, but you can sign up and then cancel later. I would be happy for you to have the listed rewards even for support for only one month. :)
