Wow time flies

First off I would like to apologize for my absence.  I have been busy dealing with a family issue and I am still deeply involved with cleaning up the mess in my home at the moment.  G took some pictures of my 'mess' and I will post them later with a more elaborate explanation to my absence.

I have missed spending time with you all and trying to get my house in order before Xmas season officially starts.  My health is holding in by a thread at the moment and feel a burn out coming quickly but I can no longer stand the chaos in my home.

G is still looking for work and actually has an interview today and a friend has passed on G's resume to his own business and when the owner saw it, he said, "This guy sounds perfect for a new job opening." So we really hope he gets the later job because it seems like something he would love to do and has experience in doing it.

My stress levels are ridiculously high the last couple of weeks and am trying to relax for a couple of hours in the early morning and late evenings.  Not sure if it is working LOL.

I do have some projects that I will be working on soon.  Some of them are Christmas presents that I need to work on for the kids this year.  I need to make my way down to the Re Store and go shopping.  Any excuse to go shopping right girls?  LOL  I am looking for cabinet doors for one of the projects.I need four of them.  I also have to start working on getting addresses for Xmas cards this year.

My mom and her boyfriend have been gone for only 10 days and I miss them horribly.  I do try and call them at least once a day, especially since they are my support at the moment for my 'mess'.  I don't know how I am going to be like after 5 months without my best friend around.  I am not sure if I will ever get used to her leaving each year.  But I am trying not to be selfish but its very hard.  As we grow,  I cherish her time with me more and more and am afraid that the time she is away from me is time wasted.  *see trying really hard not to be selfish but I think I am failing :(

I have a few more ideas for homemade solutions like I did for the 31 days Nester challenge I did in October.      I was able to get all my posts done but I have more in my head I would love to share with you.  I am also going to try and get a few things to host a small giveaway.  If you have a product or service and would like to donate to our readers then please email me at homemakerhaven at gmail dot com and I will see if we can get set up for a december giveaway.

Well back to work for me.  I do hope you all are still around and look forward to spending more time back on the blog and I am still in the process of designing a new self hosted/domain blog that I will eventually switch over to.  I do admit that I have just been too exhausted to even reach over and open my laptop.

Have any of you started your Christmas decorations yet?s  If so, are you finished or is it a work in progress?  What is your most loved Christmas decor piece and why?

I'm still here..

Wow what a busy week I have had.  I got my mother and her boyfriend off Sunday morning to Detroit, where they stayed in a hotel till the next morning before flying to Yuma Arizona, where the live half the year.  We have also had an emergency in our family that has been taking G and I away from home each day.  Although I do believe that by the end of Wednesday we should be finished for the most part.

I am sure I will fall asleep Wednesday evening, and spend most of the next days sleeping and recouping from all this activity.

I am sorry that I haven't been able to get over and share some awesome projects that I am working on but I do think I can share a couple at the end of the week.

I have also purchased a domain name and hosting and will eventually migrate to WordPress.  I am not aware of all the goodies that come with WordPress as well as not knowing the exact way to create my own themes..  So I will be doing a lot of studying till I get that up and running.

I know there are couple of  you that have commented and I will try and answer you by Thursday.

For all of you knowledgeable WordPress users, what plug-ins/widgets are your 'can't live without' favorites?  Also please tell us why you like them?

Thank you for stopping by and I hope to be back soon.

Do you have a hard time sleeping when your are stressed?

Wow can you believe that it is November all ready?   I am still awake tonight, it is 3:30 am and I am trying to get some work done on my household binder since I am unable to sleep.

I experience a lot of anxiety and today it just wasn't a good day.  Stress crept up and bit me all day. 

I suffer from depression and have since I was 7 years old.  When I get excited, nervous or afraid, my stress level skyrockets, like I am sure most of you do as well.  Tomorrow will be a long day for me. 

First thing in the morning I need to get up and tidy the dining room as I am having a meeting at 10:30.  This meeting was scheduled for last week but they cancelled the day of.  The worst part is that this meeting in my home will consist of 5 of us.  To give you a little back history, I have a PSW come into my home to help me twice a week.  So I have a meeting with all the agencies involved to deal with a few things that have been a bother to us about the service in the last few months.

The agency would change the times that the PSW's were coming to my home almost every week.  Now you ask , what is bad about that? LOL Well they kind of didn't tell me ever.  So I would sit here and wait, and wait, and sometimes I waited 5 hours.    With my health and all the doctors that I have to see, its very hard for me to schedule anything on days that the PSW comes cause I never know when they are coming.   Also I am of the mind that if I am sure to be ready and early for my appointments (showing respect to others), then I should be respected for my time as well.  I feel totally disrespected as if I have no life at all and am free to wait around all day for them to show up whenever.  Issue 1

**Note:  I just wanted to add to the paragraph above, that I understand things come up and people are late.  But I feel a patient's time is just as important as the Dr's. etc.** 

Also the second last time I had a review with the agency that sends my PSW out, she said something like this (paraphrasing), "You are too young to be on service, we will have to try and get you off within the next 6 months."  Now I know I have not talked much about my illnesses, but none of them will improve.  Each has 'will deteriorate' on my disability forms.  Also, one of the standards in the book they give you it says they will not discriminate based on race, age, etc. etc.  That really upset me.  Of course I would love to be off service but that is not realistic.

Anyway that is my morning for tomorrow, so am nervous about the outcome.  But the exciting part is that tomorrow I will finally be getting my hair cut.  Not just a trim , but quite a few inches.  It is almost at my tailbone.  I have picked a lovely medium cut, and a color and foil.  I haven't had short hair in many many many years, but due to my health I just cannot look after it anymore.

Also lets add the stress of G not having worked in almost a year.  Add a temporary stint at one employers for 2 months, but it wasn't a good fit.  We have basically been living due to family helping out.  I will be forever grateful for all the help we have received in the last year.  It's super stressful, I never know where we are going to get the money to pay this bill and that bill.  This week has been super long cause we are waiting for one company to give him an offer. 

Have I told you that I hate 'waiting' LOL.  I am not the most patient person in the world.  I also am not fond of surprises.  Yeah I know… boring lol. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finally fell asleep halfway through writing this post.  It was actually written yesterday Nov.1, but due to the busy day I had, I never got the opportunity to finish and post this.  I will be writing a post tomorrow about my day today and the results of the meeting and hair.  

What strategies do you use to calm down when you have had 'one of those days'?  Do you use meditation techniques at night to let yourself mellow out and sleep well?  

31 Days...Phew

Phew I actually made it through and also was able to manage to catch up on the days I was too ill to make my posts.  But due to no kids, and being in bed often due to my illness I have the extra time to do this.

Today I have seen a lot of people upset or disappointed that they were unable to complete all 31 days of posts but I want to say to you all reading that were unable to 'complete' all 31 posts this month…

Blogging should never be your number one concern.  This journey of life we are on provides so many amazing memories of our families and friends and amazing experiences.  It is much more important to be out there creating memories than sitting down to blog about your past memories and our lives past, present and future.  Remember to live and enjoy the moments you create memories for others as well.

Good luck to all and I know that I found some absolutely amazing blogs this month due to TheNester's (31 Day Challenge).  I am excited to delve deeper into the blogger lives I have chosen to keep reading.  I hope to make some friends in this niche of loving home and all that that includes.

Thank you everyone for coming to visit with me this month and I am really looking forward to doing some projects for you in the next few weeks.

Fun Fact:  In the little over a month since I have started this blog I have received almost 2000 hits.  To me that is amazing.  Thank you everyone, and I do hope you continue to visit.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kylara

Shampoo and Conditioner

Today is the last day of Homemade Solutions.  I have had a lot of fun and I hope that you all enjoy these recipes and learn to make things for your home that you know all the ingredients of to help purify our lives of unknown ingredients all around our home.

So back today… today I will be offering a couple ideas for homemade shampoo and conditioners.

Shampoo:

I have found that a lot of people online are using a baking soda shampoo.  Due be aware that people say it does take your hair a while to get used to the change but eventually it is said to work and you only need to wash a couple times a week.

1 tbsp. baking soda

1 cup warm water

Mix both ingredients well and shampoo your hair.

Next shampoo recipe:

1 cup pure liquid castile soap

1 cup green tea (brewed for 30 minutes)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. honey

Use as is.

Conditioner:

This is another recipe that many are using.  It consists of an ingredient we all can find in our supermarkets.  It is said to also aid with tangles.

Dilute 1 tbsp. of apple cider vinegar to a cup of water. 

We even have shampoo and conditioner combos we can make:

1/2 cup Organic castile soap (liquid)

1 tbsp. Apple cider vinegar

3/4 tbsp. Tea tree oil, Vitamin E oil, Olive oil (chose either a combination or just one)

Drops of essential oils: lavender, eucalyptus, etc. (optional)

1/8 cup of water

1 container

Combine ingredients together.  Rub thoroughly into hair to activate suds and then scrub scalp.  This shampoo/conditioner combination is more liquid than standard hair products.  You could use this in a spray bottle to apply if you would like.

To know if this is working properly, your hair will more oiled.  This is a good option for those with dandruff.

Another Conditioner:

2.5 cups hot water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 sprig of rosemary

1 bag of your favorite herbal tea for fragrance

Place the water in a container of your choice.  Then, add the rest of the ingredients.  Let the mix sit for 30 minutes.  Use about 3/4 cup of the rinse each time you condition, shaking bottle prior to use.

Another recipe for 2 in 1:

Blend one fresh peeled lemon with one peeled cucumber in the blender and pour out into a jug.  Mix into your hair, massaging well, and rinse thoroughly.

Cucumber: conditioner agent

• For dry hair add more cucumber

Lemon: Cleansing agent

• For oily hair add more lemon

(it can be difficult to wash it out properly.  The tiny flakes of lemon can get stuck in your hair)

Have you ever tried to make homemade shampoo and conditioner?  Do you have a favorite or new recipe?  Please let us know what you think of these.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kylara

Dry skin magic.....body oils

Body oil is a skin care product that is generally recommended as treatment or prevention of extremely dry skin.  It provides dry skin with a shine and luster.

  Good body oils contain only natural ingredients.  The best way to ensure the products are natural is to make them yourself.  Usually you can do it at home at a fraction of the cost.  You can also use this product as a shaving cream. 

Basic body oil

Ingredients

• Vitamin E

• Jojoba oil

• Almond oil

• Distilled water

• Sweet orange essential oil
• Vanilla essential oil
• Neroli essential oil
• Lemon essential oil

• Bergamot essential oil

     Buy all the ingredients from a whole foods store.  Almond oil, distilled water and Vitamin E are available even in supermarkets.  Essential oils can be purchased in a few places.  I know that there are some essential oils for sale in my bulk barn store.  You can also look at stores that sell makeup ingredients.  If you are unable to find these ingredients in your area stores, they are available for purchase online.

     Combine 10 drops of each essential oil in a glass bottle and allow to mellow for at least two to three days.  This will enhance the individual fragrances, making the find finished body oil more aromatic.

     Add 4 ounces of distilled water, 3 ounces sweet almond oil, 2 ounces of jojoba oil and a tsp. of Vitamin E to the glass bottle containing the oils.  Gently shake the bottle to blend the ingredients.

     Pour a few drops of the body oil into your palm.  Rub your palms together and apply the lotion anywhere on your body that you need extra moisturizing.  Store in a cool dry place.  Refrigeration does prolong the shelf life of your body oil.

Below is a link to a site that has multiple recipes as well she pairs her oils with body powder for gifts.  Do check out her site it is very informative.

Crunchy Betty

Do you use body oils?  Have you ever consider or made any homemade body oils?  If so please feel free to share your recipes and let us know which is your favorite body oil scent?

Sandy...

Hi all,

I just wanted to let you know that the storm is supposed to hit us sometime tonight, ( I am close to toronto) and so if i disappear for a bit you will all know what is going on.  I scheduled a post to go out tomorrow morning but if we lose power they are saying it might be a few days for us to get electric back.  Please say some prayers for all those who will be affected.

Your all in my thoughts and prayers.
Kylara

Disappearing Water Rings

I am sure  most of us have come across this problem in their lifetime.  My mother is very OCD with cleaning and as a child I didn't really think before I did things and I know that I have left rings in my wake.  But it doesn't mean that the furniture piece is ruined.

First thing you need to do is determine if the furniture piece is an antique.  If it is, please call an antique specialist.  Also call if the water rings have turned from white to black.

There are a multitude of suggestions online on methods to clean this nasty stain off our furniture but the most popular and successful methods is the following.

First go grab your iron and a clean cloth.  Place the cloth upon the stain and once your iron is heated (low heat, no steam setting) place the iron on your cloth for a few seconds.  Be careful to not let any of the heated surface of your iron to touch the wood directly.  The low heat will warm the finish on the furniture to release the moisture into the towel. 

Be sure to check the progress of the water ring removal and repeat the ironing process until the mark has disappeared.  Finish by polishing and buffing the wood furniture as normal.

This method is by far the most popular and the most successfully used.  I hope that you will be able to use this tip in the future.   Have you tried to remove water rings on your furniture before?  What method did you use?  Have you tried the above tip before, if so please let us know how it worked.

Unclog your home..the cheap way

I'm sure you have all had your drains clogged at some point.  If you go to the grocery store to get a product to help you clean your drains, you will notice that 1) they are quite expensive and 2) Each store bought drain cleaner  is full of strong chemicals some of which we have no knowledge of.  Commercial drain cleaners are among the most dangerous of household cleaners.

• They can be fatal if swallowed

• Can damage your skin such as burns to the outside of your body as well as tissues inside your body
• It can cause blindness if the product gets directly in your eyes
• They are very harmful to our environment
• Store bought solvent based cleaners can contaminate drinking water and damage septic systems

What if you are strapped for cash?  Well below you will find some information about homemade drain cleaners and you probably have the ingredients already in your pantry. 

When using home methods to clean our clogs, one method that people are using, I must warn you about.  You need to avoid cleaning your pipes by blowing a large amount of air through them to dislodge the clog.  This will most likely result in burst pipes so I warn you NOT to do this for any reason.

This homemade cleaner is very basic and easy to make and only consists of 3 ingredients.

1 cup of baking soda

1 cup of vinegar

Boiling water

     Toss in 1 cup of baking soda, and pour down a cup of vinegar, and put your stopper in the drain and let it sit for 30 minutes.  Remove stopper and pour a kettle of hot water on top.  Double the recipe amounts  and give it an hour then dump more kettles of boiling water (2-3 times) to completely clear out the gunk.

The following is a monthly preventative measure you can use to prevent a build up in your drains.

     Once a month you should do some easy maintenance on your drains by adding 1 part baking soda, 1 part salt and 1/4 part cream of tartar.    Doing monthly clears out any fat, grease and nastiness that buildup to help prevent clogs.

• Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of this mixture into the drain and dump a kettle full of boiling water down the drain

• Run hot water from the tap for a couple of minutes, and then turn to cool water and run a few more minutes

Hopefully this will help you save money in your home on drain products and plumbers.  Have you ever tried this on your drains?  If so did it clear your drains out well?  Do you prefer to use products that you know what all the ingredients are?

Save big with homemade eye shadows!!!

Ok, this one gets me all caught up again LOL.  This writing daily for a month is not as easy as some may think.  I am looking forward to showing you all the projects I have been working on during this month. 

Back to today's topic.  Cream Eye shadow

First recipe:

Find a small container for your cream shadow.  This could be an old contact lens case or a small container with a lid.

Scrap the color of eye shadow you want to use into the container.  Use something flat to do this such as tweezers, a butter knife, your fingernail. 

Add a small amount of a binder such as lotion or petroleum jelly.  The binder is what will ultimately make your eye shadow creamy and able to stick to your eye lids. 

Here are a few things to consider:

• Add less than you need of the binder at first - remember its easy to add more later then take things out of the mix.

• Use lotion, if you want to add a bit of sparkle to plain eye-shadow, try using shimmery lotion

• Or use, Vaseline.

Mix the eye shadow with your finger or a cotton swab.  It should start turning to a creamy consistency.  Keep mixing and try to break down all of the large clumps. 

Store in a container with lid.

Tips:

• Buy cheap eye shadow to use as your base color at the dollar store

• Place a small dab of your new eye  shadow on your wrist to check for a reaction.  If you are ok, apply to your eye lid.

Second Recipe:

You need:

• Some lipsticks ( if this is your first time making this you may want to use a lipstick that you don't use anymore

• Some empty cosmetic jars
• Vaseline Petroleum jelly
• A butter knife

• Candle or stove for heat

• Some spoons (one small and one bigger)

Cut the lipstick you want to use with a knife in a desired amount, and place it on the big spoon.

Add some Vaseline.

Do not mix the products yet, because it will be sticky and create a mess.

Light the candle or turn on the stove.

Place the big spoon above the candle, and wait until the products melt.

Stir with the small spoon until its all mixed together.

Pour the mixture into the jar.

You might want to leave it open for about 10 minutes and then put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

All done!

Tips:

• You can add any color you like because we all have that lipsticks that are too dark, too bright, too pink etc, so you can mix them with others colors to make your own shade.

• Can be used on lips, eyelids, and even cheeks.

• Add an eye shadow base to help prevent the product from creasing.

Recipe for eye shadow base:

• Moisturizer (preferably intended for eyes)

• Liquid foundation in your skin shade or lighter

• A container with lid. Such as empty blush containers.  Please try and sterilize the container before use.

• Something to combine the ingredients such as tweezers or butter knife

In a bowl combine cream of your choice (perhaps three times what you would use for your face).

Add the liquid foundation.  The ration of powder and cream should be approximately 1:3.  The cream allows faster absorption of powder.

Mix ingredients with your tweezers.  This dilutes the powder that will be applied to the eyelid, gathering in the folds within 30 minutes.

Please date your jar as the product has approximately a month shelf life.

I recently purchased some of the new 24 hour Tattoo stuff and I love it, but I am eager to make tons of eye shadows so they are customized to the look that I am going for.  We all know how expensive our makeup is… and this gives us another opportunity to use those colors, in our compacts, that we never use, and with them create unique shades to our hearts content.

Let me know what is your favorite cream shadow color?  Have you ever tried to make this at home?  What price do you usually pay for this product?

Bath Cookies (not edible!) LOL

I think that I will be making these to go into some gift baskets I am making for Christmas.  I know that the girls will love these and I hope that you will too.

Chocolate Chip Bath Cookie

2 cups of sea salt or rock salt

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 tbsp. almond oil

1 tsp. vitamin E oil

1-2 eggs

6 drops essential oil

This recipe makes 10-12 cookies depending on size.

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.  Cut the cookies out with cookie cutters or flatten balls to form a cook shape.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Allow to cool.

Use 1-2 per bath by adding them to running water.  Sprinkle with chocolate sprinkles or chips.

If you wrap these in air tight packaging or seal them in an air tight container, these cookies will last for several months maybe longer.

Chocolate Lavender Bath Cookies

2 ounces cocoa butter

2 ounces extra virgin olive oil

1 cup oatmeal, fine

1/4 cup whole milk powder

1/4 cup hot chocolate mix

3/4 cup Epsom salt

1 cup cornstarch

1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup citric acid

1 tsp. lavender essential oil

Warm the cocoa butter and extra virgin olive oil in a hot water bath until completely melted.  Remove the cocoa butter and oil from the heat, allowing it to cool slightly, but not to harden.

Next, line a small baking sheet with waxed paper and set it aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oatmeal, whole milk powder, hot chocolate mix, cornstarch and Epsom salt.  Stir the ingredients well, making sure to break up any clumps in the powder.  You may want to grind the oatmeal in a blender or food processor to achieve a fine consistency. 

In a second mixing bowl, combine the baking soda and citric acid.  Make sure to work out clumps in mixture.  Combine the bowls of dry ingredients and mix well.  Add the lavender oil to the melted cocoa butter and olive oil.  Pour the liquid mix into the dry ingredients. 

Begin stirring and kneading the mixture immediately.  You must work quickly at this point to get the cookies formed and placed onto the baking sheet.  Using your hands, form tablespoon sized balls of the mixture.  Place the balls onto the baking sheet then press them down gently, flattening the top. 

They should be similar in shape to a gingersnap or sugar cookie.  Continue shaping cookies with the remaining mixture.  All the cookies to harden for a full 24 hours before attempting to remove them from the baking sheet. 

After 24 hours the cookies should be hard enough to be handled and packaged.

These should be stored in a tightly sealed bag or container.  Moisture or humidity can cause the cookies to fizz or "flower" prematurely.  They look adorable in Cello bags or 1/2 lb. tin tie bags.

To use these cookies, simply drop one or two into a warm bath.  They will fizz and bubble, filling the bath with the delightful aroma of lavender and chocolate.

Rainbow Sprinkle Bath Cookies

20-30 drops FD&C Yellow #5

3/4 cup Epsom salt

1 cup fine oatmeal

1/4 cup whole milk powder

1/4 cup honey granules

1 cup cornstarch

1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup citric acid

2 ounces mango butter

2 ounces organic virgin coconut cream oil

1/2 ounce Easter cookie fragrance oil

1/2 tsp. assorted or solid colored jojoba wax beads

(The last two ingredients contain synthetic components can be left out if desired.  Natural herbs can be used to top the cookies, and vanilla absolute can be used to scent them.  Leaving out the FD&C dye will only alter the color slightly, so a substitute isn't necessary.)

Line a large baking sheet with wax paper or plastic wrap and set it aside.  Pour Epsom salt into a large mixing bowl and color generously with the FD&XC Yellow dye.  You'll need about 20-30 drops to dye the salt a bright yellow.  Mix the salt thoroughly to make sure that it is evenly dyed. 

Next, add the whole milk powder, cornstarch and oatmeal, breaking up any clumps in the powders.  Add the honey granules next. 

In a small heat proof container gently melt the mango butter and organic virgin coconut oil.  You can either use a double boiler or a microwave to do this. 

If you use a microwave, be sure to melt the oils in short 20 - 30 second bursts.  Be careful not to overheat and damage the oils.  When the oils are melted, allow them to cool for a few moments before adding the Easter cookie fragrance oil to them.

Next, add the baking soda and citric acid to the large mixing bowl.  Mix the powders thoroughly then add them melted oils mixture, stirring constantly.  After the oils and powders are mixed, wipe the mixing spoon clean and continue to knead the dough with your hands.  This will make sure that all the ingredients are completely mixed. 

Using your hands, form small round balls out of the dough.  Drop them onto the baking sheet and press them with your hands to form cookie shapes.  Continue until all of the dough is used. 

This recipe will yield about 2 dozen 2 inch cookies.  Allow the cookies to dry and harden for several hours before attempting to move or package them.  They will harden completely when left overnight in a cool, dry place.

Package in small cello bags, using a ribbon to tie close the bag. 

To use, simply drop one or two into a warm bath. 

Hope you enjoy these.  If You decide to make them please come back and let us know which one is your favorite.

Hand Lotions

I know that the 25th is technically over for me, but I had a busy busy day, and so much is swirling around in my head, I have been unable to sleep..  So I thought I would come in and post today's yesterday's post.   Hopefully I will be able to find some time to tell you about my day that I just had.  But I will probably do that tomorrow on a post of its own.

Anyway, a lot of us need hand lotion, people who often use the bacterial pump at hospitals, doctor's offices etc.; the elderly, the young, the germaphobes and the list could go on and on.  But the one ingredient that seams to be in most of those solutions is alcohol, which can smell very strong.  Our hands are drying out and using a quick and easy lather of lotion will have your hands nice and soft like a baby's bum.

Here are a few recipes to try out.    

Easy Lotion

1 1/4 cup hot water

1/4 cup emulsifying wax (don't use beeswax)

1/4 cup olive oil

24-36 drops of essential oil

In a Pyrex/glass measuring glass, combine the olive oil and emulsifying wax and microwave on high for 1 minutes until it is all melted.  The temperature should read about 155 degrees.

While that is heating up , add the essential oil into the melted wax/olive oil mixture.  Then pour hot water into the mixture and watch it turn a milky white.  At this point the temperature is about 125 degrees.  Pour the hot lotion into a wide mouth pint jar and let it cool overnight.  The next morning you'll have a fresh jar of homemade natural hand lotion.

Oooops.  I fell asleep writing this post the other night and its been super busy since.  Sorry about that everyone.

Herbal Moisturizing Cream 1

1 ounce vitamin E oil

4 ounces sweet almond oil

1 ounce beeswax

1 ounce jojoba oil

1 ounce coconut oil

1 tsp. oil of calendula

1/8 tsp. oil of chamomile

1/8 tsp. oil of rose geranium

Combine the vitamin E and sweet almond oils in a nonreactive saucepan.  Heat over low heat (do NOT boil).  Gradually add the beeswax, stirring constantly.  Add the jojoba oil, a little at a time, and stir until well blended.  Slowly stir in the coconut oil.

Remove the saucepan from the heat.  Add the calendula, chamomile, and rose geranium oils, stirring the mixture until it is smooth.

When the mixture has cooled, pour into colored glass jars and seal them tightly.  Keep refrigerated

.

Herbal Moisturizing Cream 2

*makes 2 cups*

*to add a fragrance to this, use essential oils of your choice, the following were recommended scents.  A few drops of rose, jasmine, or lotus oil, and for men the sandalwood or mint*

1 cup fresh rosemary leaves

1 1/2 cup fresh comfrey leaves

3/4 cup fresh lavender or patchouli leaves

1/2 cup olive oil

16 ounces anhydrous lanolin

Aloe vera gel (optional)

With a mortar and pestle, bruise the herbs with a small amount of olive oil.  In a nonreactive saucepan over low heat, melt the lanolin with the remaining olive oil.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Let the mixture cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then stir in the herbs and aloe vera gel.  (Heat breaks down the allantoin in the comfrey, a substance that promotes new cell growth, and destroys the healing properties in aloe vera.

Strain the mixture through cheesecloth and pour it immediately into heat-resistant jars.  Thick blue, green or brown glass jars protect the mixture from light and make attractive gifts.  Store in the refrigerator.

What are your favorite scents used in hand cream?  Have you ever attempted to make a homemade version?

My nominees for the Liebster Award are….

I spoke about this award and my answers to the questions so you can learn about me more by following this link.

I was nominated

I wanted to split the post up because the post would be extremely long if I didn't and I wanted those who I nominate to be able to see everything without having to find the information they needed.

First please save the award jpg above or one of the award jpg's I posted in my Nominated post.

Here are the rules…

• Each person nominated must post 11 things about themselves
• They must also answer the 11 questions that I (the nominator), has written below.

• They must create 11 more questions for those they have chosen to nominate.

• They must choose 11 bloggers to tag with 200 or less followers.  (If you do not know of 11, just post what you can)
• The lucky nominated blogs must be told of their nomination by email or message.

• You may not nominate the one who nominated you.

Here are my nominees for the Liebster Award.

Cooking Up a Sale - Join Lisa as she tries to keep her families grocery bill down while creating interesting tasty food for her family.  She has tons of things to offer such as recipes, before and afters, stock up alerts based on sales, giveaways and more.

Our Little Northern Life - Meet Sara, she writes about her life as a wife and mother.  I enjoy reading about her days.

Our Pemberly - Read about Charity and her husband Jose.  They have just purchased their first house and write about her day, decorating and organization to name a few.  She posts lots of pictures and makes you feel like your there in her day to day.

Transforme - Christa Jean is a wife, home-school mom, and Jewelry designer.  She likes health food, crafts and more.  She shares her life and the word of god in a very intellectual way that will make you think about your own life.

Lauras Crafty Life - Laura is a mom to two and a crafter.  You will find inspiration all over this blog.  She also has some awesome tutorials.

Shannon's Back Fence - Right now I have been enjoying her 31 Days of Cleaning Small Spaces.  

Sweeter Still - She loves to write and share parts of her life with us.  She is trying to make her life Sweeter Still for her family.  You will enjoy her descriptive writing so that you feel as if you were there with her.  One of my favorite newer blogs to me.

Prairie Scraps - A blog that is doing 31 Days until a Craft Show at the moment.  I am eager to read all of those posts.  She also talks about scrap-booking and tutorials.  I am sure you will love this blog.

My Nesting Instincts - Ashley is a wife, a mom and a homemaker.  If you enjoy all things homemaking you will love her blog.

Homemaking Challenged - a blog about organizing, cooking, and so much more.  Do go and check this blog out.

Domestic Bliss Diaries - A great blog all about managing your home.  The blog is written by Alana.  I am sure you will find lots of goodies here.

Here are my questions to those I am nominating.

1. What are your favorite colors?
2. Do you have a household binder or home management book or command center?

3. What is your favorite craft project you have pinned?

4. If you could pick one post that you are most proud of which would you choose and why?  (got this one for one of my  questions and loved it)

5. What is your favorite blog?

6. If you could give one piece of advise for new bloggers what would it be?

7. Have you ever made homemade cleaners and do you have one you still use?
8. Do you use a mop or get on hands and knees to wash your floors?

9. What time of the day do you like to blog?

10. Are you a morning person or night owl?

11. If you could choose one room in your house that you love the most which room would it be and why?

I was nominated...

A few weeks ago (sorry it has taken me so long to participate) Mary over at Cherry Blossom Love awarded me a Liebster award.  She has a great blog and I love checking in on her and finding out what she is up to.  She is a new mom and loves to decorate, organize, craft, and more.  Please check her blog out!

I have been unable to find the origins of this award, but most speculations are that it began in Germany as Liebster means "dearest".  There are some speculations about the actual rules of this award, some saying it needs blogs under 3000 followers, but the one that I received is blogs with less than 200 followers.  Due to the fact that I received mine for under 200, that is what I will do for my choices.

Here are 11 things about myself.

1. I taught myself how to make websites many years ago.  I do love to play around with them but am not dedicated enough to make a business out of it especially with my health.
2. I grew up around my aunts dog kennel.  She bred American Cocker Spaniels for about 20 years and then she started breeding Shitzu's. 

3. I once moved to the US for 3 years.

4. I collect fairy sculptures and pictures.

5. My favorite animal in the world is wolves.

6. I love to make graphics and find it very relaxing if there are no deadlines to the project.  I got tired of the drama in the graphic world online and went a whole year without creating anything and have just started again since starting this blog.

7. I only have 2 real friends.  One of them lives 11 hours away and I miss her terribly.  The other friend I just met about 2 months ago.  She lives 3 houses away and due to my illness and being in bed most of the time, I just never got the opportunity to meet many people.  I am enjoying this time spent with K and her family.  It also motivates me to try and get up a bit more then I am used to.

8. I have had both big toes amputated due to excessive ingrown toe nails.  I got super sick with an infection called Cellulitis for 8 months and they finally agreed after trying all avenues of treatment that it was best.  It was the greatest decision I ever made.  G likes to kid and say that at least I am unique lol.

9. My mother is my closest friend.  It wasn't always this way but it has changed drastically in the last 10 years.  She is a snowbird and travels from Ontario Canada to Yuma Arizona each winter.  I find it extremely difficult because she is gone for 5 months a year and I miss her dearly.

10. I love to watch reality shows.

11. I suffer from depression and have since I was 7.  It has been relatively under control for the last few years but I still have times when I get into a deep slump and sleep a lot.

Well those are things about me.  I hope that you learned a bit and haven't scared you away.  I am totally an open book and I am online who I am in real life.  I am looking forward to making friends online from this blog.

Here are the answers to the 11 questions that Mary asked me.

1. What is one item you could never live without? Why?

I couldn't live without my computer.  It truly is my connection with the world.  Due to my illness I do not get out much but due to my computer I don't feel so isolated.

2. What is your favorite post you have written?  Why?

My favorite blog has to be Projects and Projects and more Projects.  This is my favorite post because it was a light bulb for me about trying to stick to my 'Today's'.  I also think it’s a lesson a lot of people can take and apply to their lives.

3. What is your favorite holiday?

My favorite holiday is Halloween.  Unfortunately I haven't been able to celebrate a Halloween the way I wish I could.  Last year both G and I had a horrible flu so we ended up unable to give out candy as we didn't want to risk getting the children ill.  One day I will totally decorate outside the house and have a huge Halloween party.

4. What has been the best gift you have ever received?

I think other than my children, the best gift I ever received is finding G and beginning our friendship from an online site.  I wasn't looking for him but found him none the less.  Best gift ever!

5. If you could go back in time and do one thing differently what would it be?

I hope you don't think this is a cop out but I believe that each road I have traveled I brought lessons with me into the future.  All those experiences , some good, and a lot of bad and tough ones, have made me who I am today.  If we go back and change even the littlest thing it would change who and where you are today in some way and I wouldn't risk it. 

6. How much time do you spend a day blogging?

While I am not posting the whole time, I do spend tons of hours each day focusing on blog and home things.  I would say that in some fashion I spend at least 6 hours a day on the blog.  This includes research, blog posts, reading blogs, and planning projects for the house. 

7. How many hours do you wish you could?

Wow, if I could I would spend about 10 hours a day.  The reason for that would be because I always feel there is never enough hours in the day for me to do all the things I wish I could do.

8. What is your favorite Pinterest Pin?

This is my favorite pin because it is in my favorite color, and its an organized fun craft room and I hope to have a room like this one day.

http://pinterest.com/pin/75927943687757257/ 

9. If you could team up with any company for a product review/giveaway who would it be?

I think it is a tie between a cricut and silhouette cameo.  Both of these would be used all the time in our house. 

10. Did you like high school or college better?  Why?

I enjoyed college better due to being so sick during high school.  I ended up leaving school in grade 10 and went back many years later and received my GED and went to college twice. 

11. Who is your male/female celebrity crush?

LOL everyone always looks at me funny, but my favorite alive crush is Sam Elliot but my biggest crush ever was Heath Ledger.  I loved him dearly and was so distraught to hear of his passing.