Out of Control

I'm out of control.  I'm like a sponge. I want to learn how to make so many different things! Justin calls them concoctions and potions and experiments, but it is so fun to use a different side of my brain. 

Laundry, cleaning messes, the busyness of doing things with/for others, running errands, wiping bottoms, disciplining a 3 year old, ect., ect., gets monotonous sometimes. I miss being creative. (Does anyone else enjoy coloring or painting with their kids? I LOVE it!  I could sit and paint with Josiah for a long time; waaay longer than he wants to sit and paint.) So learning and trying these new things is an outlet for me to create. And in turn give to others what I've made. I like that a tube of homemade lip balm can bring a small slice of joy to someone's day. 

Here are some of the latest things that have been concocted in our kitchen. 

~Hard Lotion Bars~ 

Simple ingredients- Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, and Beeswax. 

That's it.  Got the recipe HERE

Melt it all together. 

Pour into a mini-muffin pan. 

 Voila!
They are greasy, but great for dry spots, chapped heels and knuckles.  I rub it on Paul's face and arms before bed, and his skin just soaks it right up. 

 More lip balm to give away! 

My new recipe is this, after tweaking the original:
~Lip Balm~

 Makes 6 tubes.
1 TBSP beeswax (0.5 oz) - I use local beeswax
1 TBSP coconut oil
1 TBSP shea butter
4 Vitamin E capsules
15-20 drops of Vanilla essential oil

First- clean everything that you will use to touch any of the ingredients, measuring cup, ect, with alcohol. Use a glass pyrex measuring cup and put it in a saucepan of boiling water on medium/med-high heat. Melt your beeswax first, then add the coconut oil, shea butter and pierce the Vitamin E capsules and squeeze it into the mixture. Once it all melts, add the essential oil. Pour quickly into the tubes, and let it harden before putting the lid on. Easy as can be!

~Herbal Healing Salve~

made with Calendula, Comfrey, Plantain, and St. John's Wort infused olive oil.  {all of the herbs I was able to buy at a natural (a.k.a 'hippy' as Justin would call it) store downtown}.  

Used as a first aid, diaper rash, or irritated skin ointment. 

It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, not firm enough and quite grassy smelling (needs WAY more essential oil scent than I thought), so when I make it again I'll share the recipe with you! 

 Multitude of mason jars with various things in them. HAHA! 

It's like we have a science lab.  :) 

They are all just herbs infusing in oil or alcohol.  

Another batch of lotion! This time I used Calendula infused olive oil instead of just plain olive oil. 

It is lovely.  And I am really amazed at how easy this lotion is to make.

Also, on the quest to learn more about the healing power of plants and herbs that God gave to us on this amazing planet, I picked up these two books.  I have just glanced through them and can't wait to dig in!

 A Kid's Herb Book- by Lesley Tierra

I look forward doing some of the things in this book with Josiah and using it as the boys get older to teach them some cool things about plants! It is a really neat book, with a wealth of information in a fun, easy to read format.

Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health- by Rosemary Gladstar

Can't wait to dive into this one!