Tips and Tricks

Here are some options:

A Tide™ pen.

I’m a generic kinda lady. I hate promoting brands 99% of the time. BUT if you catch absolutely any kind of stain before it gets ground in, you can get most of it out with one of these babies. I’ve tested it on blood, chocolate, coffee, guacamole, pizza sauce, red wine on, on that one time i accidentally slopped some oil I was supposed to be using on antiques onto a fancy rug (also an antique but not the one I was gunning for). If you’re washing something delicate, pump it onto your finger a couple of times and gently rub it in. I’m not sure what they put in these things but I’m pretty sure it’s an arcane secret.

Dish soap

Granted, this is a little trickier for upholstery/carpet, but it can still be done using a rag, some water, and some patience. But for clothing, just pour some soap on the stain and rub it in under cold running water.

Absolutely any clear alcohol is your new best friend

You know the old “white wine to clean red” trick? Well, this is its updated sister I like to call “you, too, can use coconut rum to get red jello shot out of your nice white dress”. It’s a nice party trick. Straight vodka works even better. For every day situations involving any kind of alcohol-related spills (including markers)–and especially work situations–rubbing alcohol is ideal. To quote another adage, this one from every chemistry teacher you will ever meet, “like dissolves like.”

Hydrogen Peroxide

It can get blood out of absolutely anything, including your mattress. It reacts with the iron in hemoglobin, which breaks down the molecule, causing it to lose its red color. So make sure you’re not using a cast iron skillet to wash your period underwear in.

Vinegar

This will dissolve lime buildup overnight. Fill a bag, tie it around your showerhead, and presto. You can also use it to scrub the area around your sink and to break up any buildup in pipes. (Limeaway™ is for rich people.) 

Baking soda

This is great if you have a pet or child who peed on the carpet. Just cover the area, wait until it dries, and vacuum it up. The longer you leave it, the better it will do at removing the smell. It’s also good removing mild odors from a small space, like a fridge or a laundry hamper. 

Charcoal

In 2016, over 75,000 mail-in ballots were left uncounted and discarded because they were received after  mail-in voting deadlines, which all vary by state, according to CBS news. 

Some states like California allow you to check with the Registrar of Voters on-line to verify both if a ballot has issued and if it was received to help prevent voting errors.

Nowadays, with DSLR’s and a variety of lenses, we are able to depict a wide range of focal lengths by using one kind of camera.

So that is why most people on social media may seem to look thinner than they do in person (especially in selfies because the front facing camera on phones especially have short focal lengths).

If you’re not quite ready to make the jump, there is a podcast you can listen to as well as articles and links to help answer some of your questions about mental health and/or therapy.

The purpose, as I understand it, is to provide a place where black women can go to find culturally sensitive therapy. Some specialize in family/couples as well.

Taking care of your mental health is another important factor in your overall health. Fighting for good mental health is a fight worth doing, and is just as difficult, if not moreso, than physical fighting. 

Alfalfa: protection, money, happiness, grounding, fertility

Anise: dreams, youth, lust, blessing, cleansing, divination, offerings, protection, spirit protection

Allspice: energy, money, luck, healing

Aspen: protection, healing, performing arts, spirit work

Aloe: femininity, healing, protection, beauty, love

Basil: protection, grounding, happiness, peace, money, love, luck

Bay Leaf: wishes, dreams, psychic ability, cleansing, healing, curse breaking, banishing

Catmint: healing, animal magic, relaxation, calmness, happiness, psychic ability, love, wishes, meditation

Clove: healing, prosperity, friendships, money 

Clover: money, prosperity, luck, happiness, spirit work, fae, protection, healing

Chamomile: calmness, money, love, peace, cleansing, love, meditation

Chives: protection, balance, divination

Coriander/Cilantro: love, protection, divination, fertility, psychic ability, peace

Cinnamon: safety, calmness, love, happiness, money, blessing, protection, healing

Cardamom: femininity, love, charm, performing arts, relaxation, calmness

Cumin: protection, love, fertility, banishing

Cayenne: strength, curses, protection, heartbreak, curse breaking, love

Dandelion: wishes, dreams, psychic ability, lunar magic

Dill: dreams, money, protection, luck, love

Eucalyptus: energy, healing, cleansing, protection

Elderberry: healing, protection, blessing, banishing, cursing, cleansing

Fennel: divination, concentration, energy, meditation, fertility, confidence

Ginseng: love, fertility, beauty, healing, strength

Ginger: energy, speeding things along, passion, travel, healing

Garlic: healing, curses, curse breaking, lunar magic, protection, energy, protection, luck

Holly: dreams, luck, banishing, spirit work, protection, beauty

Juniper: cleansing, fertility, curse breaking, psychic ability, protection

Lavender: calmness, cleansing, love, happiness, fertility

Lemon Balm: cleansing, confidence, overcoming challenges, relaxation

Lemongrass: psychic ability, divination, cleansing, communication, protection, love, luck, jobs

Magnolia: love, fertility, meditation, psychic ability, healing, strength

Mint: communication, energy, money, spirit work, cleansing

Marjoram: protection, happiness, banishing, cleansing

Marigold: love, protection, peace, femininity, comfort

Mugwort: healing, divination, astral projection, dreams, psychic ability, cleansing, protection

Nettle: spirit work, protection, curse breaking

Nutmeg: luck, travel, love, meditation, psychic ability, money

Olive leaf: healing, luck, protection, cleansing, fertility, offerings, blessings

Oregano: happiness, peace, luck, protection, healing, general health, letting go of the past

Peppermint: healing, cleansing, sleep, love, money

Parsley: protection, communication, spirit work, passion

Paprika: spell work, energy, psychic ability, curses, creativity

Pepper (Black): curses, curse breaking, banishing, spirit work, jealousy, absorption of negativity

Raspberry leaf: fertility, femininity, menstrual cycle, lunar magic, love, creativity, protection

Rosemary: cleansing, curse breaking, blessing, healing, fertility, psychic ability, past lives, dreams, marriage

Rose: love, fertility, femininity, protection, marriage, self love

Sage: cleansing, protection, spirit work, smoke cleansing, wisdom, wishes, funerals

Saffron: healing, offerings, wealth, strength, blessing, cleansing, psychic ability, sleep

Spirulina: power, strength, health, luck

St. John’s Wort: cleansing, blessing, offerings, spirit work

Thyme: dreams, sleep, strength, confidence, leaving the past behind you, moving forward, health, healing, fae

Tarragon: luck, calmness, secrets, peace, love, protection, meditation, spirit work

Valerian: spirit work, absorption of negativity, protection, self acceptance

Wheatgrass: cleansing, protection, blessing

Ylang Ylang: beauty, love, luck, happiness, relationships

Yarrow: love, divination, dreams, psychic ability, marriage, courage, communication, focus