Oh, winter. You bring with you so many lovely things: comfort food, cozy fires, Christmas… but why, oh why must you always bring me dry skin?
It’s true. I have super, super dry skin. And this is the first winter that I have been making my own homemade lotion. I loved it in the summer, but I’m going to be honest, I haven’t loved it in the winter. My elbows, my arms, my legs feel like alligator skin. They’re awful. I’m embarrassed.
The thought crossed my mind, just for a moment, to just go buy a bottle of Lubriderm and slather it on my scaly skin. But not willing to give up my all-natural beauty regimen, nor to pay $8.99 for a bottle of lotion, I began searching the Internet for even more skin-nourishing alternatives.
And I found this: Vanilla Brown Sugar Body Scrub at www.bystephanielynn.com. Sign me up. Turns out it’s exceedingly simple to make and I already had the ingredients on hand. I’m sure you do, too.
First, mix together 2 cups of brown sugar and 1 cup of white sugar until all of the lumps are gone. This is an important step. I didn’t do it the first time and ended up with lots of lumps that didn’t mix up once I put the oil in.
Next, you stir in 1 cup sunflower oil, (I used safflower oil, which is sold at my local grocery store. You could use olive oil, but it has a much stronger scent, a scent that does not mix well with vanilla) and 1 Tablespoon vanilla until well mixed.
Finally, scoop into a sealable glass jar (I had this one in the 16 oz size from the Container Store, but you could also use a mason jar) and viola! You have a wonderful body scrub that will make your dry skin a thing of the past. I use it in the shower, after soap, before my final rinse, then I just pat my skin dry with a towel. I have also been known to use it on my face, which is also extremely dry.
And if you have chapped lips this winter, use it as a lip scrub before you put on your favorite lip balm. Bonus: it tastes wonderful!
Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter, we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us: for shining star and angel’s song, for infant’s cry in lowly manger. We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child. We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance.
Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, the incomprehensible comprehended, the poetry made hard fact, the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder. We kneel before you shepherds, innkeepers, wisemen. Help us to rise bigger than we are.
After weeks of sacred waiting, the day has come. The promise is fulfilled. The Savior is born. Joy to the world!
Dana and I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas. May peace and blessings fill your Christmas season.
We’re going to take a Christmas break. We’ll probably still be popping off on Twitter and Facebook, and we’ll be back on the blog January 3. So Happy, healthy New year, too! And thanks for everything.
As Jen said in the last post, I was “inspired by Oprah” but I feel like that is such a cheesy thing to say!!! I always loved her Favorite Things shows and they sometimes gave me good ideas for holiday purchases. So we wanted to share with you some of our favorite things, just in case your brain needs a little jump start this gift giving season.
All of the places or things that we are writing about are personally vetted. We believe in these companies, in what they stand for, in their products. Some of my favorite things are local businesses here in Southern California. If you’re not in the area, I’d encourage you to find your own favorite small business shop or non-chain restaurant and support the heck out of it.
Mrs. Tiggy-Winkles
When I die, I hope that heaven looks like this place. Mrs. Tiggy-Winkles is a wonderful, eclectic gift shop that has become a cornerstone of downtown Riverside. The owner, CeeAnn Thiel, opened this great shop that sits across from the Mission Inn in 1976 because, as she put it, she’s a farm girl from Idaho, and farm people can’t work for anybody else. “Tiggy’s” has great gift items if you have someone on your list who likes things just a little out of the ordinary, or things that sparkle. My favorite part of the shop, though, is the holiday room, which CeeAnn changes out for the different seasons. Christmas is just magical in this place.
And if you don’t find yourself in Riverside, just let me know. I hereby volunteer to be your personal Tiggy’s shopper!
My first trip to New Orleans was a college graduation present from my parents in 1997. There are oh so many wonderful memories that I have from that trip, and the many return trips that I’ve made. But you know, there are just some times that I need a little New Orleans here in So Cal. Aunt Sally’s always fills that need. The actual shop on Decatur Street cooks and packages pralines (pronounced prah-leen), which are creamy, sugary, pecan confections native to New Orleans. They’ve got great little gift packages which come with New Orleans coffee with chicory, beignet mix, hurricane mix, aprons, and coffee mugs… and of course, pralines. And since my daddy used to send me pralines every Christmas, Aunt Sally has a very special place in my heart.
My favorite Nathalie Lete is this beautiful Eiffel Tower dish!
Nathalie Lete dishes
It’s probably been about 5 years or so, but one day my cousin and I were walking through Anthropologie (this is no surprise) and I gasped (this is also no surprise). I saw the most beautiful, quirky, fun, and very French dishes that I have ever seen. They came with a variety of different pictures painted on them, birds, dogs, butterflies, mushrooms, so how could I decide on which one I would buy for 6 place settings? So I picked 6 different plates. Over the next year or so, those 6 turned into 20. Nathalie has a showroom in Paris and so I feel like even though she sells tons of dishes at Anthro, I’m supporting an artist. Her wares include rugs, purses, scarves, paper goods, stuffed animals… Que c’est beau! She also has a personal Facebook account and we are friends. That makes me happy.
You can find her dishes at Anthropologie stores and at anthropologie.com
They’re even beautiful just stacked in my cupboard!
Wellness Mama
In my path to having a more healthy home by ditching conventional cleaning and beauty products, I have found a wealth of information on this website. I have used her recipes for creating tinctures that replace antacids, mouthwash, and sleep aids. I’ve read countless articles on healthy eating and herbal profiles, learning how to use natural resources to increase the health of my family. She’s got great information on all-natural baby products, too, which I use, and cloth diapering, which I do not use. It’s all there, and it’s great.
Dana came up with this idea, inspired by Oprah, and I was instantly on board because who doesn’t want to be like Oprah? She is a force for good in this world!
So here’s my list. You may notice that they all come with links. That’s because we want our Favorite Things list to be a two way street: we share things we think are awesome with our readers AND support our favorite businesses by giving them love on the blog. Dana and I get nothing but the satisfaction of knowing we brought people together, which really makes us happy. Win-Win-Win!
Listen, I am serious about my coffee. SERIOUS. And I will tell you there is not much good coffee in this world. Most coffee is passable. So when I say this is the best coffee ever, I’m not foolin’. Door County’s Christmas blend is everything good about the holidays. We buy it on October 1 and drink it straight through til New Year’s. I can also vouch for their hazelnut, breakfast blend, harvest blend and French roast. If you like coffee, try the Christmas blend. You won’t be sorry.
We’ve had this company listed on the resources page of the website, but they need a special mention. This is a completely family run enterprise out of Pennsylvania. PJ is the mom and with her husband and kids, they raise and milk the goats, make the soap, cut and cure the soap, run a store and a website, plus multiple blogs and podcasts. They’ve been on the Dr. Oz show and here’s why: their soap is pure and healthy, a giant chemical-free step away from store brands. In our family, using this soap has meant saying goodbye to eczema and acne, and we need less lotion in the wintertime. The bars are huge and last a good 4-6 weeks. I recommend the problem skin pack for first timers, especially with skin issues. But my current favorite is the cranberry spice. And oh my goodness, the lotion stick in Pink Sugary is divine.
In the category of “Wish I’d Thought of This”, one of our school moms, Erin Mathews, has started a business finding and refinishing wooden frames and furniture from garage sales in Sun City. This is a stroke of brilliance, because Sun City is a retirement community that has existed for over 60 years. You know, back when furniture was made out of wood? She scores these pieces at ridiculous prices and then turns them around with her chic sense of repurposing at wonderful prices. She made these for me to hang between the kid’s rooms for messages and a place to display their work (so I can find the door to my refrigerator again…).
Six months ago, I made the full time switch in my car to this nationwide Christian station after Kate was becoming a wee bit too enamored of Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Shea and I enjoy music, so I was reluctant at first. I like Church music as much as the next person, but I can’t do heavy organ and choirs all the time. No fear, this is a rock station, with a bit of pop and hip-hop mixed in. Honestly, who knew? No commercials and no politics, completely listener supported and an 800 number for anyone needing prayer. Love, love, love, especially when my kids are belting out this song.
Disclaimer: Karen and Jim Shoemaker, the owners of this company, are my sister’s-in-law…sister-in-law’s… parents. But that means I can personally testify that they are wonderful people with incredible talent. Their signs are wood, handmade, handpainted and cute as can be. Not MDF. Not canvas prints that look like wood. The real thing. They have lots and lots of suggested signs on the website, but she is very willing to try and accommodate any quote. And the family signs are such great keepsakes. Just in time for newlyweds, new parents, and Christmas.
Hold on, now. These companies have created apps for your phone that allow you to shoot the bar codes of your favorite cosmetics, lotions and personal care products. Then the app tells you how “dirty” they are—as in cancer-causing, hormone disrupting, reproductive system affecting dirty.
Think Dirty is located in Canada, with 12,000 products in their database and a way to add products that have not been graded for review. They are iPhone only at this point, but assured me that an Android app is coming.
Skin Deep is a product of the Environmental Working Group here in the US. They have 72,000 products and a way to add info for products that have not been graded. They are iPhone and Android compatible.
This is the kind of intelligent consumer information we should have at our fingertips. I already see women shooting barcodes in Target and walking away from stuff that comes up dirty. If enough of us walk away from products, companies will be forced to get cleaner.
And if you think your Loreal, Aveda, Desert Essence and Herbal Essence are clean, think again.
Kate’s dance company, Dunamix (Temecula, CA) does a Christian interpretation of the classical ballet. This year’s performance is December 21 at 2 and 6 pm at Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinore. Another disclaimer: haven’t seen it yet. But based on this year’s recital and the rehearsals I’ve been seeing, it’s going to be one of my favorite things right after Kate and I go see it!
One of my favorite homemade products that I use on a daily basis is homemade dish soap. But it’s also one of the hardest things that I’ve had to get used to on my all-natural path. It has only 3 ingredients, making it super easy to throw together, but as is the case with most natural soaps, it doesn’t suds up very well. And by very well, I mean at all. We have been conditioned to think that more suds means more clean, but that isn’t the case. More suds really just means more chemicals.
Two of the most potentially harmful ingredients in most dish soaps are Triclosan, which is a known hormone disrupter, and Quaternium-15, which releases formaldehyde. Hormone disrupters interfere with the body’s natural hormone messages by either blocking them or mimicking the hormones themselves. This can lead to a host of problems, including decreased sperm count and a higher occurrence of certain types of cancer. Yikes, right? So I really don’t mind fewer suds and an extra 5 minutes to make my own.
There are lots of different scents of liquid castile soap. I’ve used the citrus, lavender, and peppermint, but I have been using the almond scent lately because it smells like amaretto, and that makes me happy. But you could choose any scent that makes doing the dishes a little more pleasant.
Full Of Graces 