Make your own body wash!

 I've been wanting to make my own body wash for weeks. I've read a lot of reviews for the stuff online and seen enough Pinterest posts to be very tempted to try it. The gist of it is that you melt a bar of your favorite soap with enough water to make it liquid and squeeze it onto a bath pouf for luxurious cleansing. Easy enough, I thought.

Those who have made it tend to like it because it's

1) fairly inexpensive to make (vs. buying bottles that run from $1-$5 each)
2) you control what goes in so it can be formulated to be just right for each user ( adding extra moisturizing agents or essential oils, for example)
3) it's just so much FUN to make something yourself  :P

  So I went through my crafting supplies, hit up my local Dollar Tree, and my kiddo (a.k.a. "Crafty Girl") and I got started.

 What we used :

(shown here: FO, Skin Milk soap grated, recycled squeeze bottles, Bubble Magic)

(coconut oil)

(oatmeal, milk, and honey FO)

(Bubble Magic)

• 1 seven-ounce bar of Skin Milk bar soap from Dollar Tree, grated (Crafty Girl grated and grated and grated). It has a nice, light vanilla scent.
• 1  TBS. coconut oil (doesn't everything need a bit of coconut?)
• 1 TBS. of Soap Wizards Bubble Magic (this is purely optional; I like BUBBLES. I feel cleaner with them--I can't get past it. I know it's a foaming agent and some of you might not want to add this to your soap but it was leftover from my soaping days)
• 21 oz. of water (I began with 14 oz. but as the mixture cooled it thickened)
• 1 TBS. honey (honey is good for your skin and is nice to add into beauty products)
• 20 drops of Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey FO (also leftover from my soaping days...why waste it?)
• squeeze or pump bottles (recycled from previous B&B products or you can buy picnic condiment bottles for around a dollar at Dollar Tree or Walmart)

(I have developed extremely itchy skin and new allergies over the past year, so if this batch works I plan to make a batch for sensitive skin without all the Fragrance oil and Bubble Magic):


Step 1: grate the bar of soap

Step 2: add your water to your pan and turn it on medium heat (start with about double the amount of soap used; if the mixture starts to harden/thicken as it cools, add more water and reheat it. This seems to happen to a lot of homemade body wash mixtures on other blogs and it looks as though it is just trial and error depending on the type of bar soap that was used)

Step 3: put your soap shreds in the pot and start the melting process

(adding in coconut oil)

(adding in the Bubble Magic)

Step 4: cook the mixture until it's melted, on medium heat, gently whisking it as you go. You can add in optional ingredients such as coconut oil, honey, etc. at this point. Hold off on the fragrance oils. Wait 'til the mixture cools to add those or the scent can evaporate right out).

Step 5: if you like you can use a hand-held mixer to mix the liquid. Crafty Girl tested this out. Leave it alone to cool for a while.

Step 6: Crafty Girl added the optional 20 drops of FO and gave the mixture one last stir before we left it to cool the rest of the way.

Step 7: pour your body wash into recycled pump or squeeze bottles to enjoy! Might need to shake it each time before using if it begins to separate.

You can just use the soap and water and nothing more and make the most simple, basic version of body wash. It can't get too much easier than this. And if you can't even stand the thought of grating all that soap, you can just cut your bar into tiny chunks instead. There you have it.

This was my first effort and I have my bottles ready to use. So far this one batch filled 4 recycled squeeze bottles, each one about the size of a picnic condiment bottle. So if it works then it was well worth the price. And if I had only used the bar soap and water, it would have been SUPER CHEAP. Almost ** free** even.

Try it yourself and be sure to let me know how it goes, how much water you used, what type of bar soap you started with, if it thickened in the bottle, and all that jazz. ;)

Blessings,
Lynn

Diet success (with a temporary hang-up)

    I started Fastin a few weeks ago just to aid me in controlling portion sizes and to fill fuller, faster. And it worked! Not only did I feel feel full and eat less but I craved lots of water (and I usually don't like water a whole whole lot). I have been trying to kick the cola habit for a long time and while on this pill, I drank one cola a day and just didn't feel satisfied without water. The only time I had any issue with this pill was the second day when I tried the recommended morning dosage and had a run-in with the jitters and a queasy stomach that lasted all day. Thankfully that incident was a one-time thing. My total weight lost in the time on the pill was 5 pounds! I wondered though, if this was water-weight, and wanted to go further in my quest for a skinnier me, but I had already run out of pills. I wasn't even taking the daily dosage suggested on the bottle and I ran out pretty fast. Therein lies the double-edged sword of this pill: it's expensive. But if it works, it works. I found out the company that makes Fastin has another pill that is reported to be just as good, if not better, than the regular Fastin, and that is Fastin XR.

      So I ordered a bottle of 45 for less money than the original Fastin (thanks to Ebay) and I start it tomorrow. One more thing about the regular Fastin: during the last 4 days without my diet aid, I immediately felt very very hungry. Like pig-ish. Oink, oink. Nothing filled me up. I was right back to the old portions and not only that, but the urge to snack was overwhelming.

         I was disappointed to see how quickly my body would return to its former ways, but also content knowing that the pills do give me a mind-over-matter advantage in the world of endless appetite and cravings.

  Tomorrow I step into the world of "XR"...keep ya posted.
Lynn

Sleeping Beauty

So I went to my allergy clinic for a checkup. I have been so hoarse for months that it's becoming hard to talk or call across the playground to my class or even sing at church sometimes. So the point of my checkup was to work on my throat issue. But in the middle of a health questionnaire my doctor asked me if I snore. Moi? Sleeping beauty snore? Ha! I don't snore....I sleep sweetly in a glowing state of dreamy bliss in all my radiant beauty......(yeah, and Prince Charming is on his way in his official government carriage with a a couple of bodyguards to take me to my own personal Taj Mahal). Shoot yes, I snore. I started that annoying mess about six months ago I told the doc. Doctor disagreed with me; he told me I have likely--get this---been snoring for a LOT LONGER. And his reasoning is this--how would I know anyway since I am usually asleep when I snore? You can't argue with that logic. *sigh*  So I have been snoring....quite loudly I admit...and yes Doc, I have been getting drowsy earlier at night, even falling asleep during Andy Griffith reruns....and yes Doc, I do get up to go to the bathroom frequently....and buy sleep aids...and wear an eye mask....and adjust my pillows (one allergenic, one memory foam, a regular one, and a neck/travel pillow because ---one type rarely will work for me all night long)....and I toss a lot...and find myself staring at the clock at odd times when  my eyes should be closed.... and sometimes awaken with headaches...and yes, I even snore myself awake with a snort and gasp (there, I confessed). The sound is so sudden and loud that it often startles me awake and I'm like, "What??? Huh??? What's that??" and I sit up to find my family all grinning at me from around the living room. Embarrassing and annoying. Now I can't even sleep on my back in bed because I feel like I am choking. The idea, doc says, is that he thinks I have sleep apnea and need to undergo a sleep test A*S*A*P. So when June rolls around and others are lying on the beach dozing in the sun, I will spend the night lying in a cozy bed in the hospital with a group of strangers watching me and studying my every move. Should be interesting. I'll keep you posted.

Meanwhile, if you suspect that you or a loved one might have sleep apnea, here is a link that is helping me. Maybe it will help you as well.

http://www.helpguide.org/life/sleep_apnea.htm


Sleep apnea can be dangerous and causes lots of side issues so don't wait-check it out and if you feel there is a problem take your concerns to your doctor.

Blessings and zzzzzzzz's,

Lynn

Easy as pie!

   Tonight my daughter and I made a thick, creamy, lovely, cold, summer-will-soon-be-here Kool-aid pie. We are rather fond of these easy pies. I was first introduced to the rich taste of one at a church function. The sweet-toothed kitchen staff at a weekend church camp, it turned out, had found a simple dessert recipe to feed a crowd of hungry teens with little work and basic ingredients. No matter what the teen's taste buds might hanker for, offering an assortment of these tasty treats was a easy as 1-2-3 by using a variety of Kool-aid  flavors.

   On tonight's test menu was a Pina Pineapple Pie. I was hoping it would taste like a Sonic Pineapple Milkshake but it wasn't quite as good as I had hoped. Good, but not the BEST. We've learned that some Kool-aid flavors make D-E-L-I-S-H pies (orange, key lime, or strawberry, for example), some are mediocre (such as tonight's pie), while some are just sort of odd and sort of weird and sort of good all at once (grape pie, anyone?). Then there are some Kool-aid pies that ought not to be (wild berry---sounded great but was not a repeat on our dessert menu; same for cherry).

   To make your own yummy goodness in a pan, you'll only need 4 ingredients, about 5 minutes to prepare the pie, and then a dinner to eat while your pie chills for an hour or so.

  Here we go folks....Kool-aid Pie:

1 packet any flavor Kool-aid unsweetened drink mix

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 8 oz. tub Cool Whip topping, thawed

1 graham cracker pie shell

   In a medium bowl mix the first three ingredients well, so all the drink mix powder is well-blended (trust me, you DO NOT want to bite into a pocket of un-blended powder later on). Pour/push/scrape/ and scoop the now-thick filling into the pie shell. Refrigerate the pie for an hour. Go do a word search or walk the dogs or drink some coffee or hit Pinterest...I don't care. Just don't eat the pie yet. It's really good when it's chilled. You'll be glad you waited. :) Oh, you can lick the spoon....and the bowl. 

  Here's a cool idea: try a chocolate pie shell with a compatible Kool-aid flavor....like strawberry. Don't forget to top the pie with fresh fruit when possible. Mandarin oranges are a MUST on the orange pie. Bet you can come up with some nifty flavor sensations, too. Leave me a comment with your flavor combos.

Blessings,

Lynn

  

The rest of days two and three with FASTIN

   When I signed out yesterday I had just taken the recommended dosage of my new diet pill, Fastin. I had the jitters and could barely type so I decided to chill a bit and see what the day brought. I can tell you...my day brought me nausea and not much more. I stayed just at the "slightly queasy" level of functioning all day, with an occasional spinning head tossed in to boot. I was not completely rendered useless, but just felt kind of crummy all day. I had no desire to eat or drink whatsoever, but forced myself to do a little of both. My usual day of eating is three meals (with dinner being way too big) and at least 3 snacks a day (often unhealthy cravings toward bedtime). I also crave sodas continually. I craved NOTHING on Fastin. Not even water. In fact the thought of food made me feel sick. ....all day. :(  By dinner time I forced myself to eat a small cereal bowl of taco salad. I haven't forced myself to eat in years! I guess that's how it works. I can see where there'd be some really rapid weight loss that way, but my goodness, who wants to take that dangerous route?

   Not one to give up so easily but deciding to tweak the program a bit, I only took 1/2 of a pill with my morning cereal today. MUCH improved. No nausea, no jitters, and only slightly (as in reasonably) hungry (I do confess to eating a slice of chocolate loaf bread with our Sunday school class but I felt full really fast and didn't crave that second piece). Now it's 2 pm and I am about to eat a little lunch. That's a big change for me as typically I'd be hearing my stomach growl by 11 am. Just took a full pill, too, to see if the nausea returns. That way I can plan my dosage before I go to work in the morning. I have no desire to feel queasy in a room full of 3-year olds for 8 hours. ;)

    Again, I'm not really hungry; just kind of snacky. This is do-able. This is great. This was what I hoped for on FASTIN. Nothing dangerous or with horrible side-effects. Just a little help suppressing my appetite so I can gradually lose the weight (and hopefully feel better physically so I can up the exercise).

Wish me luck and I want to hear your comments on diets/medications you've tried,
Lynn

My weight loss journey with FASTIN

    I am a mom to three kiddos. Love it! But over the years, as many of us have, I've put on a few *ahem* pounds. I am not the five- foot, seven- inch tall, 117-pound girl I used to be. Now I don't want to be pencil thin, just healthy. But all my plans have been thwarted in the last couple of years by a medicine I have to take to combat horrible hormonal migraines, which sadly, has made me gain eighteen pounds. :(  And the real kicker is this---around the time I began the medicine I learned I have heel spurs and some back and neck problems with arthritis (thank you, genetics).  You can imagine what standing at work most of the day with the heel spurs and that extra eighteen pounds is doing. I don't sleep longer than 5-6 hours at night, most every night, even on sleeping medication, because something, somewhere, begins to ache. Not even middle-aged and I find myself getting up sometimes to sleep upright in the recliner. That in itself sounds like something an eighty-year old would do (my apologies to my sweet senior audience). I am still young and offended that my body doesn't do what I want it to.  I am on a long road to feeling my best and not ending up like other family members whose arthritis became so bad that they became wheel-chair bound.

  Since exercise is a wonderful thing to do daily, God saw fit to move us into town where our dogs have to stay chained in the backyard. And since He knew I would look daily upon their sad little faces and feel compelled to walk them a block or two, that has been my exercise for a while. Every day two strong horses, er, I mean dogs, drag me/walk me/gallop me forcefully one block and back. You'd think that would help my weight loss.... Nada. Zero. Zip.

  From January-February, our staff at the daycare decided to play Biggest Loser. I think only a few people actually lost so I don't feel too bad there with the results. ;) But here's the rub: I banned all colas (at least that weren't zero everything), drank water 'til I could have floated away, and switched most of my foods to healthy ones. Even tried watching portion sizes. Pounds lost at the end=zero!

  I don't know what else to do except try ANOTHER diet pill. And believe me, I've tried quite a few with no results. I read some reviews about Phentermine and I wanted to try it, but it's pricey with the doctor visits and all, and my insurance won't cover it. So after lots of online study, I bought Fastin.


   

     So I began yesterday and plan to keep a daily, if possible, journal of sorts to see if it really works. I also wrote my current weight on the calendar and a goal I want to reach. I will eat and drink normally as this medicine has been claimed by many to work regardless of diet and exercise. I will continue to walk the horses each day but otherwise doubt there'll be much other exercise in my life.

Day 1: took one pill at breakfast only because many reviewers say 2 pills makes you jittery. Only ate 1 slice of pizza with lunch instead of my usual 2. Did cheat and have a cookie as an afternoon snack. Wasn't terribly hungry again until supper, which was late because I worked late and then we grilled out. I ate a plate of grilled chicken, a roll, and corn and green beans. No bedtime snack either, and I ALWAYS get snacky before bed. Felt really sleepy all day yesterday (which surprised me because most reviewers say you can't sleep at all on this pill). I fell asleep on the couch before 9 pm and slept til 6:30! Wow for me.

Day 2: I just had a bowl of shredded wheat and took the recommended 2 pills. My gosh, my hands are so shaky I can barely type this and my heart is racing. I am wide awake and feel like I could run the block and back with the horses' help. We'll see what this day brings. I am not sure about the jitters though.

Will post again soon,

Lynn

Shop/craft room DONE!

     It's been a while since we've updated a room in our fixer-upper but Jarred decided this week was a good time to renovate his shop since we didn't need to buy anything but a gallon of paint. ;)

     Here is what the "shop" looked like when we moved into the house.

   Pretty bad, right? Unfinished walls that resembled cardboard. A previous roof leak had left water stains. More "stuff" from previous owner (I have no complaints there; I love nothing more than pawing through a box of mystery items). Moldy, dusty carpet. Moldy, dusty everything. This room hadn't seen action in years when we walked in.

    First we had to sort the stuff. Then for a time we had to use some of the space to store our own stuff. Meanwhile Jarred has been working around all the piles of things. This is how the shop looked from about November-well, last night night.

My crafting side is beginning to take shape

This old shelf we found in the blue bathroom is about to find new life in my craft area!

soaping supplies

Jarred's side for his game console repair business

Lots of repair work to be done which, praise the Lord, equals lots of paychecks!

      I am so proud of the "new" shop. It is a nice place to go and work when you need a little solitude. It's clean, bright, and airy. It smells good, too. lol    I can hang with my man while he works or maybe find some time to begin my crafting again, since Jarred organized my area too. He even mounted that old bathroom shelf on the wall and repainted it to house my odds and ends. I really enjoyed running my two Etsy stores and have an awful lot of supplies just begging to be used. Now I can locate them and have a wonderful place to spread out and create. :)

Shelf is mounted and paint has begun.

Leftover tiles from our breezeway and Parisian bathroom.

Jarred's side...DONE!

worktable and shipping area

my crafting side....DONE!

I think working here will be great.

And the shelf on the wall is working out just beautifully.

Thanks Sweetie! Everything is so nice and clean and organized.

Take heart those of you with fixer-uppers....we will get this done...one room at a time. And we will make ourselves PROUD.

Blessings,

Lynn