Archive for the ‘Life at the Rose Cottage’ Category
Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
It’s summer fun on the South Side of Chicago. Last week it was President Obama in “Golf Cart One” at Beverly Country Club. This week it’s the Duggan Sisters in Golf Cart Two and we’re headed to Blackwolf Run® in Kohler, Wisconsin, for the 65th Annual US Women’s Open. That’s right, lifestinks® deodorant has been invited to the US Women’s Open. Each year the USGA selects four exclusive gifts for the athletes of the US Women’s Open. We have been fingers crossed since we got the heads up that we’d been nominated. When official word came in that the USGA had selected lifestinks® deodorant for inclusion in the US Women’s Open gift pack we were blubbering like Bubba. Imagine garnering this level of recognition as a small family business! Whoopie!
Golf Cart Two heads to the US Women’s 2012 Open
Know that while having lifestinks® chosen by the USGA to travel from our little cottage to the US Women’s Open is a wonderful honor, we have always made our products to celebrate the every day heroes. (more…)
Tags: Blackwolf Run, Kohler, LPGA, US Open, US Women's 2012 Open, US Women's Open, USGA
Posted in Life at the Rose Cottage, LifeStinks® deodorant | 1 Comment »
Saturday, June 30th, 2012
Memories of a first job, a senior prom and a big, yellow convertible collide in this simple story that both touches the heart and tickles the funny bone. A look back to her earliest encounter with golf, the good life and a summer when everything changed. This summer coming of age story might trigger some memories of your own.
Return with Mary to 1971 — a time of tentative beginnings and equally uncertain endings.
By Mary Duggan
I grew up in a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago called Beverly Hills. Everyone calls it Beverly, to not confuse it with the sunshine, movie stars, and glamour of Beverly Hills, California. There are two country clubs in Beverly. One built for Protestants called Beverly Country Club. And one built for Catholics called Ridge Country Club. I have ten siblings and lots of us worked at the Club. I’m sure you can imagine which one. I joined the team at Ridge as a waitress. I started the day after my senior prom in June of 1971.
(more…)
Tags: car accidents, country clubs, golf, reflections on life, self-reflection, summer before college, teenagers
Posted in Life at the Rose Cottage, Stories from the Rose Cottage | No Comments »
Saturday, June 30th, 2012
By Mary Duggan
When my beloved dog Ceiliedgh died at age 15 she had a soccer ball sized tumor hanging from the side of her body. She had carried this expanding growth for five years, a constant and terrifying source of concern for me and visible to one and all. At the time of her death it weighed in at about 20 pounds and required constant care. Ceiliedgh had adapted bravely to its growth, her spine twisting and distorting in an ongoing effort to maintain balance and mobility as she adapted to being a 60-pound border collie on a 40-pound frame. It broke my heart that I had unwittingly contributed to her suffering and ultimate death.
Lots of happy memories.
Annie with Ceiliedgh.
A Walk on the Beach
Our first 10 years were really healthy, with few if any visits to the vet. (more…)
Tags: Organic Lawn Care, Pesticides, Service Dogs, TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury
Posted in Life at the Rose Cottage, Our Service Dog Chester, Stories from the Rose Cottage | 1 Comment »
Saturday, June 16th, 2012
by Mary Duggan
I identify with birds. I am captivated and inspired by birds. I heart birds. When I purchased The Rose Cottage, some 6 years ago, I went in way over budget. I had to have it. The yard is filled with birds due in great measure to the bird sanctuary developed by my next door neighbor. Inside of our home, as well, bird imagery abounds. This past winter and spring brought lots of bad news about my health. So, of necessity, this summer begins a period of change, hopefully transformation. My summer molt, if you will.
I have decided to get my molt on. As we are spending very little time in public this summer, I think it’s a good time to take this on. It’s a necessary and natural ritual every now and again to shed ones skin, make some changes and see what returns in the Fall. A molt is triggered by crisis or angst or the not so simple need to regain or reestablish what is authentic in one’s life. Deeply experiencing each category lately, I figure it’s high time and highly important. My sisters think it’s hysterical, but they are learning to accept its meaning in my life.
MOLTING – STAGE ONE: Hair
I stood before the mirror, trying to get my mousy brown paper flat molt hair to pouf. I was racing to get out of the house for our standard Wednesday night at the movies. Clare poked her head in the door. Are we ready yet? This is Clare’s way of saying you are making us late. “My hair looks awful! I look like Margaret Mead!” I offered in explanation for making us late. I was not used to my hair being a problem. (more…)
Tags: birthdays, molting
Posted in Life at the Rose Cottage, Stories from the Rose Cottage | No Comments »
Friday, June 15th, 2012
In this post: A series of health problems, disappointments, and outright crises forced Mary to take a look at her health to see if there wasn’t more she could be doing. It was time to shed her skin and build some healthy new habits in the process. Here she shares her new hair care program. Click here to read the first installment of Mary’s Summer of Molt.
by Mary Duggan:
Shampoo and Conditioner Recipe:
Put about a 1/2 inch of borax in the bottom of an old shampoo bottle. Add warm water and shake. Then you just squirt a bit on your hair. It doesn’t lather but feels kind of slippery so you know where it is. Rinse it out with 1\8 tsp -1\4 tsp citric acid in 16 oz of warm water – we use an old cream rinse container. Then rinse out the citric acid. It smells fresh and wonderful.
More on the Borax Shampoo:
While the borax shampoo does not lather it nonetheless goes right to work removing sweat and soil without stripping your color or natural oils. It inhibits scalp bacteria and stops flaking and itching. Hair gets squeaky clean so quickly (just a few squirts does it) that you might think nothing has happened! You will soon be accustomed to non-lathery soap. Clare has super oily hair and she has found a few techniques to help with this. (more…)
Tags: borax shampoo, citric acid rinse, diy shampoo, hulda clark, natural shampoo, oily hair tips
Posted in Life at the Rose Cottage | 11 Comments »
Monday, May 21st, 2012
Many thanks, Brad, at Well Spent for your lifestinks shoutout. We misread your comment on first read that lifestinks® is the “hippiest” product you use. We were sure you meant “hippest.” But if “hippiest” refers to our green refill program and lymphatically sound deodorant choice, we’ll take it!
We know that “nothing comes close” to lifestinks®. That’s why we created it. We were fed up with natural deodorants that promised to work but never did. One word on the price, though. An initial stainless steel decanter may cost $27 but it lasts about nine months! That means you’re spending about $3 per month on deodorant. That’s cheap compared to what you’ll find at Walgreen’s or the health food store. Plus, once you move into the refill program, your cost comes down to $1.50 per month.
We’re glad you stuck through the transition. Very few users experience that, and know that you can always boost the odor control of lifestinks® by adding the stinkstick® booster or by switching to extra strength. Some big stinkers even use both.
Thanks again for the lifestinks® love, Brad!
Tags: Deodorant Blogs, Well Spent
Posted in Life at the Rose Cottage, LifeStinks® deodorant, Lifetinks® in the Blogosphere | No Comments »
Monday, May 21st, 2012
The post on lifestinks® on Goodies and Besties taps into the concern many mommies have surrounding chemicals. Know that lifestinks® is a safe option for your kids.
“It was one of those AHHHH moments! They have developed a natural deodorant (that actually works). It’s called LIFE STINKS and comes in an adorable little canister with a six month supply of powder. These three sisters are delightful and their enthusiasm is contagious. The packaging and marketing equals perfection.”
Most users now report getting about nine months of use from their first decanter.
Tags: Deodorant Blogs, Goodies & Besties
Posted in Life at the Rose Cottage, LifeStinks® deodorant, Lifetinks® in the Blogosphere | No Comments »
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
Thanks, Audrey, for your post on The Succulent Wife. We’re so glad you found lifestinks® for your mother-in-law.
“I had to try this. My mother-in-law, Betty, is a breast cancer survivor and I knew I had to get her a LifeStinks kit. I told her the story and she confided in me that she’d always hated wearing store-bought deodorant but felt she had little choice because the natural stuff never worked for her. She absolutely loved the Lifestinks product! Not a big fragrance* fan, she still found the lavender very pleasant (I personally love it, but then I am a fan of essential oils). She stayed with us for a month during Christmas and never looked back at her store bought deodorant again. In fact I found it in the bathroom waste basket after she had left. Now that is a testimonial!”
* Lots of people that are sensitive to fragrances really appreciate that lifestinks is made with essential oils. “Frangrance” is a term developed by the perfume industry to protect their top-secret concoctions. They don’t have to tell you what’s in it. Not so with lifestinks®. Duggan Sisters products are fragrance-free, and we only use the best Australian botanicals on the market.
Tags: Deodorant Blogs, The Succulent Wife
Posted in Life at the Rose Cottage, LifeStinks® deodorant, Lifetinks® in the Blogosphere | No Comments »
Monday, May 14th, 2012
Thanks, Patricia, for your post on Eclectic Eating Chicago.
“The base ingredient used to make LifeStinks is aluminum free sodium bicarbonate. This is not the baking soda that can be purchased at the grocery store as that product contains aluminum. Pure Australian botanical oils like tea tree oil are added to address odor causing bacteria. Lavender or cedarwood is also used to further naturally purify the underarm area. The Duggan Sisters buy the oils from a company that has an on-site laboratory where all essential oils undergo rigorous testing and analysis. This is done using the latest in Quality Assurance with Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) equipment to accurately analyze each and every batch of essential oils they produce. Sounds like James Bond kinda stuff to me!”
We like the idea of Daniel Craig wearing lifestinks®, that’s for sure!
Tags: Deodorant Blogs, Eclectic Eating Chicago
Posted in Life at the Rose Cottage, LifeStinks® deodorant, Lifetinks® in the Blogosphere | No Comments »
