Witch-ing around

I worked all day Wednesday, came home and did a few little things, checked e-mails and popped the casserole back into the oven for night#2 of the GREAT DINNER.
We watched a little TV, then scooted off to church, where there were 7 people for Mass. The number doesn't matter though, and Father Liam's homily was as great as when he is addressing the full Sunday crowd.
We then went to Wal-Mart and had a rigmarole (what a funny little word, huh? It wasn't until I was typing this that I wondered what the heck this word really meant, had I been using it wrong all of these years? Did anyone even use this anymore?)trying to get my prescription and Matthew's since we had lost our insurance card. In fact, I had just ordered another copy of it earlier at work that day. Matthew and I still could not find it, but the ladies in the pharmacy were so helpful and called CVS to get our info. from them. How nice! So, we got Matthew's Prevacid and my Metformin ($4) WhooHoo.
We came home and unpacked groceries. I made a snack of fresh strawberries and dark cherries and covered them with yogurt and it was excellent. The entertainment value of spitting out cherry pits is way high, and I had fun making fun of myself. :-)
I decided to try a new skin care treatment, witchhazel, that you can buy in any pharmacy. It is cheap and easy to use. I have heard it is good for my skin tone and oiliness.I used it last night after my shower and this morning before work and my skin is noticeably softer. Although it has a thick yucky smell (like BBQ sauce) it doesn't burn or tingle or make me feel dried out.
As I have learned today from the internet.. there are many uses for it. Pity I haven't found it sooner!


taken from Wikipedia article:
Uses
Witch hazel is mainly used externally on sores, bruises and swelling. The main constituents of the extract include tannin, gallic acid, catechins, proanthocyanins, flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin), essential oil (carvacrol, eugenol, hexenol), choline, saponins, and bitters. Distilled witch hazel sold in drug stores and pharmacies typically contains no tannin.

Witch hazel hydrosol is used in skincare. It is a strong anti-oxidant and astringent, which makes it very useful in fighting acne. It has been recommended for psoriasis, eczema, aftershave applications, cracked or blistered skin, for treating insect bites, poison ivy, and as a treatment for varicose veins and hemorrhoids. (It is found in numerous over the counter hemorrhoid preparations.)

Witch hazel is also known to help with speeding the healing of cold sores with several daily applications.

Witch hazel is also traditionally known as a good first reaction against shaving cuts and abrasions for men and is also recommended by The Doctors Book of Home Remedies as effective for helping sunburns.

Some people have found it to be an effective cure for athlete's foot.

It is also known to speed the healing of piercings.

You can use witch hazel instead of hair spray or other holding products if you have normal to oily hair when you are curling your hair.


Non-medicinal uses
The drug store product witch hazel has also been found to be useful in the restoration or renewal of old furniture finishes. When poured onto a flat wood surface with significant crazing in the old lacquer or varnish and left to sit, the witch hazel will essentially "melt" or soften the surface.