Blog - Strategic Living

Pursuing Your Passion: Getting Started With Adult Coloring

November 16, 2017 Gaye Levy 12 Comments

In 2010, prepping took over my life, all in a good way. Years later, I now believe I have the skills, supplies, and most of all, the mental fortitude to prevail during dire circumstances. Although I still prep, albeit less frantically, I have moved on in pursuit of new passions. One of those passions is grown up coloring.

When I first learned about adult coloring (also referred to as grown-up coloring), it was an emerging craze, fueled mostly by Johanna Basford and her Secret Garden coloring book. As someone who had a day job as well as a full-blown website, I was stressed to the max and wanted something that would allow for private, me-time. I was also fascinated by the prospect of stashing some low-cost coloring supplies for passing the time during grid-down emergencies.

I jumped in with both feet and now, years later, find that doing so led me to discover that I indeed had some creativity and in my DNA and more important, I could pursue a guilty pleasure without having to spend a ton of money. Win-win.

With that introduction, let me help you get started with adult coloring!

How to Get Rid of Funky Odors in Your Home

October 30, 2017 Gaye Levy 11 Comments

No one likes a stinky, smelly home, least of all me. So imagine my surprise when I walked in the door after being outdoors in the fresh air and went Ewwww. What was that smell? It was not that it was foul, per se, but more of a stuffed up closed-in smell. That, plus the smell of cooked food. How did I not notice that before?

My first response to open all of the windows and turn the fans up to high speed so I could get the air moving. Next, I fired up my diffusers, using one of my favorite blends. It is now five hours later and things are smelling a lot better.

Over the years I have done many things to get rid of odors in the home. Many are common sense but that said, sometimes we all need to be reminded that the simplest of solutions are often the best.

Getting Started With 4 Basic Essential Oils: 20 Proven Ways to Use the Oils You Love

October 23, 2017 Gaye Levy 3 Comments

As much as I write about essential oils, I tend to forget how easy it is to become overwhelmed, especially if you are just getting started. Couple that with the fact that EOs have been a part of my life since the early 90’s, it is easy to become complacent and assume everyone knows how to use them day to day.

My goal today is to change that. Here are twenty uses for the four basic essential oils that I believe should be in everyone’s home and health care toolbox: Lavender, Peppermint, Rosemary, and Melaleuca (also known as Tea Tree). The twenty uses are tried and true and represent how I use these four oils myself.

5 Things To Set Aside and Not Worry About As You Pursue a Strategic Life

October 18, 2017 Gaye Levy 17 Comments

I recently watched a YouTube video about things you don’t have to worry about after age 50. The premise was that as you get older, things keep getting better and better. Since watching that video I have thought long and hard about what was said and have come to the conclusion that it was mostly fluff. To universally imply that things get better and better is simply not true. I say this because as we experience life, there will be good days and bad days. Over time, some things get better but some things get worse. That is the reality of our human condition and to try to convince you otherwise will only make you feel bad.

Even though I wanted to call BS on the video, the takeaway was that periodically we all need to identify those things that should be set aside because they drag us down and prevent us from having that better life we strive for. So that is what I did.

It is my hope that this article will motivate you to come up with your own list.

Kick Things Up a Notch with an Awesome Miracle Healing Salve

October 6, 2017 Gaye Levy 22 Comments

These days you will find my formula for “Miracle Healing Salve” all over the internet, including on YouTube and in Etsy shops. Many provide attribution to both myself and the Backdoor Survival website where it was first posted. It is thrilling to me to see that this formula has reached the mainstream and has helped so many people resolve common skin care and first aid woes. Learn how to make this DIY healing salve yourself with just a few, easy to find ingredients.

That being said, a few months ago I felt it was time to kick things up a notch by increasing the dilution of oils in the original salve recipe from just under 2% to 5%, thus making a stronger product. My goal was to be able to use less salve yet achieve the same beneficial results. I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome and share with you both the recipe and some common uses for this newly updated formulation with I have fondly named “Gaye’s Awesome Healing Salve”.