Rub-a-Dub-Dub...

.....a Sugar Scrub for your tub (OK, shower)!

I needed to take my mind off a few (trillion) things the other day so decided to make a sugar shower scrub for myself and my daughter (and have an extra jar I'm saving for a friend too...which is in the photo).

Growing up, my grandmother owned and operated a health food store. She taught me early on the importance of natural products (she's like a wise medicine woman) so rather than buy chemical-laden store brand scrubs I make my own.

The base recipe is so simple:

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

(or 1 cup granulated, 1 cup brown)

1 cup of olive oil

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice from a lemon

For a real exfoliating experience I added 1/2 cup of coarse kosher sea salt. I also decided to make it a sugar and spice scrub so added:

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

dash of cloves

Stir it all together and put it in a jar or plastic container. Any extra oil/juice will separate and float to the top so you want to stir it again before each use. I personally don't like the extra oil and juice so I poured mine through cheesecloth to strain it. I use recycled food jars to store the scrub but you could buy the pretty Ball preserve jars and tie a ribbon to it for gift giving.

Rub on and leave for 5-10 minutes and rinse well with warm/hot water. Your skin will thank you for it. The olive oil does wonders for softness and to clear up any irritations.

It's awesome just as a hand scrub too! Leave a little jar by the kitchen sink and whenever your hands are extra dry, rub some on and leave for a while and they'll be baby soft again in no time.

You can add other things rather than the sugar and spice mix....you could add lavender or a little baby oil or instead of sea salt you could add dried grated orange/lemon rind to add an extra scrub factor. Use the base and then use your imagination.

With Mother's Day around the corner I may make some more and give it as a gift. Girls....share this recipe link with your friends, it really is so cheap to make and takes 5 minutes. Guys....make some for your mom, girlfriend or even guy friends who appreciate good skin care! If you want me to make some for you, let me know. I don't have a ton of supplies but could make little samples to send out.

Enjoy!

Totally Mundane

After yesterday's sock fire, today seems to be settling in quietly for a change (which is the only reason I am able to write another entry within 24 hours of the last one). Nobody has gotten hurt, sick, or started anything aflame!

Consider it the quiet before the storm though because this weekend, we are finally transforming this (and it's not going to be pretty, well, in the end I hope it will be, but the before and during process...not so much):

Our "very much in need of something different" bedroom

This is our bedroom, which has pretty much looked this way since we moved in during the Autumn of 2007. The furniture is from my Grandma, probably from the 1940s or 50s which I love, but it's really distressed and my husband hates it that the paint is chipping off. I cannot part with it though so it's going into our girls' bedroom, maybe someday I will repaint it.

The lady who owned our house for 50 plus years was in her 90s when she passed away (right before we bought the home) and I think she had the same curtains for almost as long. They have charm to them (if you could see them up close you'd see the cute songbirds and leaves- all in brown) but again, Hubster cannot stand them. I will probably try to recycle the fabric for something as it's really good, heavy fabric- the kind you can't find anymore not to mention be able to afford in today's economic climate.

Built-in shelves are really cool, but as you can see mine are totally unorganized (anyone who knows me will know that I really am unorganized but seem to be able to find everything still without trouble). Organization is a goal of mine though, in every part of my life- so the shelves will be a good place to start.

The Englishman wanted to paint the room a dark royal blue, but as you can maybe see through our open bedroom door, our living room (which is gigantic) is a deep orchid blue/purple color which is beautiful, but dark enough to please Dracula. So I wanted something cheerier for the bedroom....I'm not afraid of bold colors, just don't want anymore dark colors. So we're going with apple green and white.

What is paying for this? A work bonus that we weren't expecting, but are very happy and blessed to have received (despite the lack of pay raise we are truly lucky to even have a job)! We are doing it on the cheap- Ikea here we come (for some new bedroom furniture)! But hopefully it'll be enough to lighten every one's moods around here- it's been a hard year. And hopefully the job will continue to be secure, otherwise it'll be a big waste of money....personally I'd save this money for a billion other things, but since it's his bonus money, he gets the final say. I cannot argue that I find it endearing that he cares about having a nice bedroom to relax in and look at.

Here's to hoping we get through the weekend without a major catastrophe...and that the green turns out the shade we hope it will.... it's my favorite color in the entire world, but know it can backfire. Fingers crossed. I will post some after pictures when we are done, if I survive the adventure!