The Adventures of Shoogie...All Natural products

I am not one to rant on social media sites in general, but this week I found myself feeling utterly exasperated at how tricky cosmetic companies actually are.  I am doing a promotion for my Shoogie Face Shield, which is a daily face moisturizer with a heavy dose of nourishing ingredients and sunscreen.  After looking for another well known "natural" sunscreen product to do a side by side comparison, in my weekly Instagram ingredients posts, I became flustered.  After turning over and reading the ingredients of products I used to think were "Pure" and "Free" I discovered the dirty little secret companies hide...their ingredients read more like a science experiment, and contain ingredients that are known neurotoxins and carcinogens. How is it that they are still ALLOWED to even sell this snake oil disguised as "protection" from the suns "harmful" rays.  I almost feel like you would be better off taking your chances with the sun, th

I t's that time again where on Sunday we have our family get together.  Now, the one thing I must have at every family get together is wine...whether it be white, red, pink, sparkling, or in the form of something delicious, refreshing, and just plain yummy...also known as Sangria.  I am a believer in making it up to a week ahead of time and letting it sit in the mashed and cut up fruit...that way I don't ever have to add any sugar into it.  But if you don't have that long or just need to whip up an overnight batch, you most certainly could add some in the mix to your liking.  So here is one of my secret sangria recipes...I guess it's not a secret anymore :)  I call this baby: SHOOGIE SUNSET SANGRIA Makes about 2 gallons 2 bottles of red wine (I use a tempranillo and a red blend) 32 oz. Pure Pomegranate juice 1 Cup Rum 3/4 Cup OJ (fresh squeezed) 1 pint blueberries, smashed 2 oranges, sliced and quartered 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 5 whol

W hen I was a kid and mom loaded up the station wagon and took us four kids somewhere, it was a sight to behold.  I always wondered why she was so frazzled after going grocery shopping or to the bank with us (keep in mind these were the days before the glory of drive thru banking)...and then it happened to me...of all places, at the bank...in the lobby...making a Shoogie delivery to a client. It was unavoidable that day and I had to take my two (usually well mannered) kids with me to drop off the order.  The day began like many others, but I had an unusually high number of delivery's to fulfill and make, so I couldn't let the kids outside to play because I couldn't supervise them and get the orders done in time.   They sat quietly watching public broadcasting and animal shows on the TV while I was cooking Shoogie orders in the kitchen.  The time flew by and finally I announced their 15 minute warning time for us to leave. The car ride over was not that unusual except fo