Achieving Perfection

A Woman's Journey in Life: Motherhood and Parenting, Balancing Life, Crafting, Photographing and much more~

Mar 1

Dream Jobs

by blewis85

The other day, I was talking to my best friend on the phone and we were discussing what our “dream jobs” were as kids.  I honestly couldn’t remember.  How sad is that?

It took me a while to remember that I wanted to be marine biologist for a while – probably due to the fact that I looked up to my Aunt who was a scuba diver and I wanted to make a career out of something to do with the ocean.  I loved being in the water and honestly, if my husband and I could move to, I don’t know, Honduras, and open up a scuba diving business to teach tourists, we would probably have our ultimate dream jobs.

I’ve been thinking of other things that I wanted to pursue as a child.  One thing I finally remembered was working for the travel channel.  That would be the ultimate dream job in my opinion.  As a kid, I remember staying home from school and watching Samantha Brown on travel channel and hoping that one day I could grow up and do something like that.  I’ve always wanted to travel.  I’ve always wanted to somehow make that a career.  Or at the very least, have a career that afforded me the ability to travel to my hearts content.

Another dream I never dared to dream was to become a writer.  I never thought I was “good” enough to pursue writing as my friends seemed to always have a better way with words than I did.  And it’s true, they still have a better way of verbalizing there opinions.  But I still love to write and thus, this blog was born.  It’s given me an outlet to write about serious things and silly things and it’s given me a chance to put my words down “on paper”.

So what happened to these dreams?  They just evaporated over time, I guess.  I grew up and started doing things I thought I was supposed to do instead of the things that I wanted to do.  I’m not sure how to get back to pursuing my “dreams”, but I want too.

I’m not sure what my new “dream jobs” are or how to begin pursuing my new versions of the dreams I mentioned above, but I have a lot of thinking and researching to do.  I have a family now so that is something that is a huge factor, but I want my children to look up to me and see passion and be proud.  I need to find my passion.  I need to find it for myself and my family.  So that is another goal that I have for 2012.  To truly find what it is that will make me happy to do with my life.

Do any of you have a dream job?  Are you working in your dream job now?  What was your dream job as a kid?

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Feb 28

Monster Tissue Box!

by blewis85

This weekend, I found an empty tissue box hidden behind a table at my parent’s house.  I was about to throw it in the trash and for some reason, I find it very difficult to throw anything away.  I’m all about reusing and up-cycling as much as possible.  So, instead, I decided to allow Peyton to make a “monster box”.  I covered the box in copy paper (all my parents had in the house) and cut out some teeth from paper and taped it to the inside of the box.  They don’t have any “craft” stuff, so we used what we had on hand.  Then I let her and her Nana have fun coloring it.  What a wonderful Sunday afternoon craft!

Ours isn’t as “pretty” as some of the other ones I’ve found out there, but I think my 3 year old did a pretty good job!  :)

Here is ours:

And I found some links via pinterest that led to some other “monster box” creations out there.  Take a look around.  Enjoy!

http://gigglesgalorenmore.blogspot.com/2011/08/tattle-monster.html
http://adaywithlilmama.blogspot.com/2011/05/monster-first-birthday-party.html
http://honeybeebooksblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/tissue-box-monsters.html
http://funfamilycrafts.com/tissue-box-tattle-monster/

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Feb 27

Dear Peyton…

by blewis85

(This post is a letter to Peyton about our developing relationship since her birth – the truth – the ups and downs – a pouring of honesty and love directly from my heart – part 1).

Dear Peyton,

I just dropped you off at school where you go part-time.  You love it there, though recently it’s been more of a struggle to get you out the door.  I think it probably has something to do with your baby sister being born.  You probably feel a little deprived for attention – especially one-on-one attention.  Since I’m breastfeeding your little sister, it’s hard to get any time alone with you, though I try to squeeze in as many snuggle and play one-on-one moments as possible while your sister is sleeping.  I promise you, it will get better.  Not only will we have wonderful family moments, when your sister is a little bigger, we will start being able to have one-on-one Mommy-Daughter moments again.  I’m working on planning an afternoon outing just the two of us for next week.  It will be a nice break from all the chaos our house has endured these past six weeks.

I want you to know that I love you more than anything – more than I thought I could ever love anyone or anything.  (Tears streaming as I type this).  You were born to me and your daddy at the exact right moment (although we thought we weren’t ready).  I was on birth control when I got pregnant with you – but it failed.  Word to the wise, when you are on prescription meds when you are an adult – be careful.  I had just had neck surgery and even though I was on birth control, will all the meds I had been taking, you were created.  With all the hell my body was going through at that time, it was a miracle you were created and born problem-free.  God has a plan for you as he does for us.  You are our miracle child and you were placed on this earth for a reason.  And we couldn’t have been happier when you were born.

Since you were born, you have been a blessing to all of those that you have come into contact with.  You have these big bright blue eyes and the most enchanting smile.  You have this uncanny ability to brighten up any room you walk into with your smile and laugh.  You turn strangers into friends instantly.  You have friends from baby to age 100.  You remember everyone you meet – names and faces.  There is a never a trip to the grocery store that you don’t encounter someone you know and we usually leave with you having made a new friend.  All the elderly people you meet – I’m positive that you have brightened there day and probably there week.  You make people just feel better by your presence.  And you are so concerned for people’s well being.  You hate it when people are hurt or sad.  When someone is hurt or crying, you feel there pain, and it effects you.  You talk to them and try your best to make them feel better.  You are so concerned for there well being.  You keep checking on them and there are times, where when someone older has been hurt, that you have asked me repeatedly to take you to “take care of them”.  There was an older lady at our church who fell and hurt her hip.  She had to have surgery.  When you found out, you told me that you had to go take care of her and she would get better.  You say the sweetest little prayers for those you love and know.  You ask God to take care of those you know and love and even those you don’t.  When someone is hurt, you always ask about them constantly until they are better.  And those rare times that you have caused someone pain (like when you scratched your baby sister’s face), you have been so saddened by your actions that you have apologized for weeks and it has brought tears to your eyes on several occasions.

We struggled developing a connection after you were born.  You and me.  Of course I loved you and you loved me.  But I worked all the time and your Grandmama took care of you during the day.  Then most evenings, your Nana and Papa took care of you.  I was out of the house the majority of the time for work – at one point, even working two jobs.  So, when it was just you and me, we struggled with what to do with our few hours together.  It broke my heart when I would come pick you up and you would cry because you wanted to stay with your grandparents.  It kept me at arms length for a while because I was afraid to “love you to much”.  Of course, I got over that, but it took me a while.

Honestly, losing my job, just before your 2nd birthday, was a huge blessing in our relationship.  I’ve sort of become a stay-at-home mom since then.  We have spent the majority of time with each other since then and our days are fun filled.  We play all day.  I don’t spoil you and I discipline you.  But I try to plan something memorable to do with each day it’s just us – crafts, a trip to the park, outside time, whatever it may be.  We have been closer that I ever thought we would be at this age.  Our relationship now is the epitome of what a mother-daughter relationship should be.  It’s more than I ever hoped for.  My heart is over-flowing with love for you.  And now that your sister has arrived, it hasn’t changed, if anything, it’s increased.  I’m so blessed to have this time with you at this age.  I don’t know how much longer I will be a sahm, but I want you to know that I’m truly enjoying and treasuring these moments with you.

You are your mother’s daughter and your father’s daughter.  You have some of my personality traits, but you have a LOT of your dad’s personality as well.  You are kind, gentle, open.  But you have a short-temper and get mad easily (thank you daddy).  ;)  But you love BIG and you have a huge heart.  You forgive quickly and have more love inside of you than anyone I’ve ever seen.  You have a lot of your dad’s talents.  I can already tell that you are musically inclined – you got that from your daddy.  He’s a very talented singer and plays guitar.  And although you are a girlie girl at times (like me), you love to play outside and get dirty, which are also traits you got from me.  I was girlie, but a tomboy at the same time and played numerous sports.  I also did a lot of theatre.  I have a feeling you have a combination of all of these talents and interests and I am excited to see you grow and see what interests of your own you develop.  You are unbelievably smart.  You have the vocabulary of a 5 year old and you’ve been talking in complete, complex sentences since you were 18 months old.  You understand adult conversations without needing a translation.  You understand farsi and can speak it  with your Papa (he is from Iran and I’m 1/2 Persian, so you are 1/4).  You used to know a lot of sign language, but I’ve kind of let that slide, so we are going to pick that back up again.  I love the fact that you are bi-lingual.  And you are learning some spanish at school which makes me incredibly happy.  You are brilliant.  I have high hopes for your future and I know you will do amazingly well with whatever you decide to do with your life one day.

I want you to know how much I love you and that I am so thankful and blessed to be your mother.  I will continue these letters in the future, but I wanted to start somewhere.  I hope one day you will understand how much love I have for you and how deep our connection is.  It’s hard to explain how our relationship has developed and changed since your birth.  But this is a start.  I love you my darling girl.

Love, Mommy

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Feb 25

Salt Dough Hand/Foot Prints!

by blewis85

Yesterday we finished making the salt dough hand and foot prints we had started on the night before.  I had been looking for a kit to do hand and foot prints for Addison, but they were all pricey.  I remembered back to when Peyton was an infant and the kit that I was given then was pretty terrible.

So as an avid do-it-yourself person, I decided that I could come up with something on my own that would not only be inexpensive, but be fun and easy to do with my girls.  Then I flipped through my idea book and glanced on pinterest for something to spark my creative eye and realized that salt dough was an easy solution to my problem.

So how do you make salt dough?  The recipe for salt dough is:

2 cups flour

1 cup salt (I’d recommend table salt)

Cold Water (start with 1/2 cup)

Instructions:

Mix your ingredients together until it has the consistency of play dough.  I started with a 1/2 cup of water and probably added in less than 1/4 cup more.  Then, I added a significant amount of flour in addition to the 2 cups called for in the recipe.  The salt dough will be sticky at first, so you need to add in enough flour to make it like play dough and to get rid of the stickiness.

Then roll out your salt dough on a cookie sheet.

Since I was making hand and foot prints, I wanted my salt dough in circle shapes.  So I used a small plate to get the right size of the circles I wanted and then a pizza cutter to cut the shapes out.

 

Once it’s cut out in the right shape, make your hand and/or foot prints in the salt dough.  If you plan on hanging it like an ornament, use a straw to puncture a hole in your salt dough at the top.  (Disregard the coloring that you see – I had food coloring on my hands when I started this project.  It wasn’t a problem since I was planning on painting the finished product anyway.  Also, the specks that you see are from the salt.  When we made this batch of salt dough, all I had on hand was sea salt, not table salt.  It works the same and doesn’t make a difference as long as you paint it.  If you are not planning on painting it, then be sure to use regular table salt).

Once you have made the hand and/or foot prints in the salt dough, leave the salt dough on the cookie sheet and place it in the oven.  Bake it at 250 degrees for at least 2 hours.

When your salt dough comes out of the oven, make sure it has a hard, rock-like feel.  It needs to be completely cooked through.  Once it cools, you can paint it.  Our daughter had a lot of fun helping painting these creations!

Here are closeups of our finished products:

After you are done painting, make sure to seal the finished product.  You could use a sealer or even mod podge.  Seal both sides and it should help your creation from ever falling apart.

If you have any questions, let me know.  Has anyone out there ever done anything with salt dough before?  If not, it is super easy and you can make absolutely anything out of it.  Simply mix up the ingredients, create, bake and paint!  Ta-dah!  Easy crafts for kids (and adults) of all ages.  Happy crafting!

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Feb 23

New Beginnings with Lent

by blewis85

Since today is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the Lent season, I’ve been thinking a lot of what I wanted to do to make the most out of the time between now and Easter.  There are several things that I think I will do/not do to commemorate and celebrate the season.  My faith is hanging on by strings.  Of course, I believe in God and believe He is the answer.  But that is about the extent of my knowledge.  I did not grow up in Church and have never developed a strong relationship with my religion.  I want to raise my children differently than my parents raised me, so part of my daily Lent ritual will be to do a daily devotional in order to explore and understand my faith.  I hope by doing so I will create a deeper spiritual connection that will help my faith become strong and unbreakable and create a habit that will continue for a lifetime – long after Lent is over.  I want my children to be able to look to me for spiritual guidance and inspiration.

Here are a couple of Bible verses on faith that I hope will inspire you during this season:

“Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” – Hebrews 11:1

“Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-contol, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 2 Peter 1:5-8

So I’m going to make a list of my goals during Lent season.  Things I’m going to add to my daily ritual at least until Easter and things I’m going to give up.  It may seem excessive, but I believe I need a strong change in my life and Lent provides the perfect opportunity and inspiration to achieve these goals.

First, I’m going to complete a daily devotional along with a short bible reading.  I may or may not post my thoughts in my blog, but from time to time, I’m sure some postings on my faith journey will make there way to my blog.

Second, as part of my faith journey with my children, I’m reading 2 chapters a night of my daughter’s Children’s Bible to her.  It’s an over-simplified text – perfect for a 3 year old – and I will have finished reading it to her by Easter.

Third, I’m going to give up all Cow’s Milk products – so most milk, cheese and yogurt products.  I believe my daughter (Addison) whom I’m breastfeeding may be allergic, so this provides a double-pronged reason for me to give this up.   I’m so ingrained in eating or drinking something of the cow’s milk variety so this is going to be very tough.

Fourth, I’m going to the doctor today.  Hopefully, I will be released to take up physical activity again (it’s been 6 weeks since my c-section – which also means that Addison is 6 weeks old today!).  If I am released, then I will be doing some type of physical activity each day throughout Lent.  Possible walking (hopefully jogging eventually), yoga, workout videos, etc.

Fifth, to complete a blog post every day.  It can be on any subject.  But I want to write and write I shall.

Sixth, to complete a craft project every day.  It can be for myself or something with my daughter’s.  Sometimes it will be something as simple as coloring.  Other times, it’ll be something more intensive. I may not post these projects every day, but I will post summaries weekly at the very least.

And seventh, make an effort to call or go see someone, either family or friends, that I don’t see often.  I need to make an effort to see my grandparents more often.  I also need to make an effort to call my friends and keep up with them.  Relationships are important and I don’t want mine to fall apart.

So, some of these read like resolutions, and to me that is okay.  This season is about making my relationship with God stronger and creating a deeper faith connection.  All of these things are necessary for me to accomplish that for a spiritual connection that reaches my mind, body and soul.

If you decide to participate in Lent, what are your goals?  Or what are you going to give up?

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Feb 19

Make an Instrument?

by blewis85

My daughter is enrolled in a local Kindermusik class.  It’s wonderful and she’s been doing it basically since birth.  (For more info on Kindermusik, check out there website: http://www.kindermusik.com/about/).  Thursday night, in class, they left for the first time with “homework”.  They have to create an instrument to bring to class next week.  Hmmmm….

Sounds like a fun challenge for Mrs. Mom and Peyton to tackle together!  I’m sure we’ll make several instruments together this week, but we started tonight with 2 simple instruments that took less than 15 minutes to make.

First, we gathered an old coffee can, put some raw rice in it, then mod podged the entire can with pretty scrapbook paper.  We talked about the sounds the rice made in the metal can and came up with a name for it.  It almost sounded like rain.  Peyton named this particular instrument the Spinning Wheel Instrument – she’s on a Sleeping Beauty kick, if you don’t get the reference.

Then we made a second instrument from an old glass alfredo jar I had just cleaned.  We mod podged a little bit of pretty paper on it and added some raw pinto beans.  Peyton named this her Animal Instrument.  I guess to her it sounded like an animal sound.

So this week, our goal is to listen for sounds and try to understand how different sounds are created.  Why does rice in a coffee can sound different than in a glass jar?  How does drumming on a pan sound different than drumming on a plastic container?  Try collecting a few toilet paper rolls and adding different things into each container and covering the ends.  For example, add beans in one, rice in another and maybe sand or rocks in the third container.  You can cover the ends with construction paper and a rubber band or foil and a rubber band.

For toddlers, everything you encounter is a time and a chance to learn.  Take this opportunity to use household items to start teaching your little one about different sounds and how to make them on their own.  Have a fun week!

 

Children's Health Crafting Homemade Items Instructions and How-To's My Children Parenting Issues Uncategorized

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Feb 17

And please bless the chickens….

by blewis85

Tonight at the end our bedtime routine, my daughter said her prayers.  She went through her list of loved ones, friends, teachers, etc. and then she said, “God, most of all, please bless the chickens that I met this morning.  I love them.”

It was so cute and so sweet.  She did meet chickens.  She spent the day with my Mother-In-Law and her next door neighbor has 10 chickens.  So this morning, Peyton got to go pick eggs, which was super fun for her.  I think it would be fun for most any kid.

However, my husband almost ruined her love of her chicken friends by making a sly comment about having them come over for a chicken dinner.  Thank the Lord that Peyton was otherwise occupied and missed this stab at trying to be humorous by my husband.  She hasn’t made the connection between animals and the meat that we eat yet.  Heck, I try not to think about it.  But I think if she did understand that the chickens she met this morning are the same as the chicken we eat at dinner….oy, I think we’d have a vegetarian on our hands.  And I think the world as we knew it would be over.  I’m sure she would want to start a revolt in protest of this.

And I just don’t want to throw that into the mix at age 3.  At some point, I know, I will have to explain this all to her.  But at this point, I think I’ll let the meat we eat for dinner be a mystery, and all the animals she encounters be her friends.  It paints a much happier portrait of the world, don’t you think?

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Feb 16

Pending Vacation…Eek, I’m scared!

by blewis85

So next month, for Spring Break, we are taking our first family of four vacation, by CAR, to Georgia.  My husband’s paternal grandparents live in Georgia and it’s about a 10 hour car ride from where we live in Texas.  Well, it’s a 10 hour car ride with one or two stops….with two kids it may turn into a 15 to 18 hour car drive.  Hell, we may have to make it a 2 day car ride and stay the night somewhere.  Oy.

I’m a little nervous about taking this trip.  We took the same trip last year (I actually found out I was pregnant on said trip last year) and it was rough with one 2 year old.  With a newborn whom I breastfeed and a now rambunctious 3 year old, I’m biting my nails and spinning around from the potential disaster we are setting ourselves up for.

How are we ever going to survive?  We do not have a pretty, spacious suburban or minivan with lots of space.  We are limited on entertainment and toys that we can bring, especially with all the “new baby” stuff that is a must when traveling with a newborn.  Should we travel at night while the kids sleep?  Well, that would work for our toddler who sleeps at night.  But our newborn seems to be a vampire and is awake from about 9 pm to 5 am every day.  So, what to do?  Hmmm…

Well, I may invest in one of those car dvd players.  That might help a bit.  And I’m planning on having a sack full of toys and snacks stashed in the backseat for my toddler.  Other than that, I’m at a loss.

Any helpful tips from the parents out there?  I’d love to quell potential tantrums and make this as smooth a trip as possible for our kids.  And has anyone ever taken such a long car trip with a newborn?  What was your experience?

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Feb 12

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Tacos with Mango Cilantro Relish and Black Bean Mash

by blewis85

This is one of my husband and I’s favorite recipes of all time.  We adapted it from several recipes we found online, into something that has turned into one of our favorite dishes.  That really is one of our favorite things to do.  Find recipes that have a good premise and then transform them by adding and subtracting ingredients until we get something that is superbly our own and uber delicious.

I have got to say that the preparation on this recipe is a bit long – best saved for a weekend meal.  But it is well worth the wait.  And if you and your partner cook it together, then it goes really fast.  Also, we cook the chicken ahead of time to save time (since the recipe calls for cooked, shredded chicken).

What all is included in this recipe?  It is Caribbean Jerk Chicken Tacos with a Black Bean Mash, Mango Cilantro Relish and a Spiced Sour Cream.  You can serve it with Chopped Cabbage (my husband loves adding Coleslaw).  Make sure to pick up some tortillas and some sweet potato fries at the store!!  Now let’s get started on the ingredients and instructions…

SO….here we go….

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Tacos topped with Mango Cilantro Relish and served with Sweet Potato Fries (our favorite)!

Ingredients:

Ingredients For the Chicken:
2 large chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
2-3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. all spice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 Lime

Directions For the Chicken:
In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium low. Add chicken and all seasonings. Stir to combine. Add in lime juice, red wine vinegar and 1-2 more tbsp. of olive oil (depending on how moist it is). Stir to combine and cook until chicken is heated through. Add more olive oil if chicken needs more moisture.

Ingredients For the Black Bean Mash:
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2-3 tbsp. olive oil or Mojo Marinade
1 Can Black Beans, slightly drained
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Juice of 1/2 lime

Directions For Black Bean Mash:
In a medium sized pan, add 1 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low. Pour in black beans and add in garlic powder and additional olive oil or Mojo Marinade. Stir to combine and allow to cook down until most of the liquid is dissolved. Mash with the back of a spoon. Keep on low heat until ready to use. Right before you use it add a squeeze of lime and stir to combine.

Ingredients For the Sour Cream Mixture:
1/4 cup light sour cream
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Directions For the Sour Cream Mixture:
Stir together sour cream, red pepper, lime juice & cilantro. Set aside until ready to use.

Ingredients For the Mango Cilantro Relish:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions For the Mango Cilantro Relish:                                                  Combine the mangoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and orange juice in a bowl and gently mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper. This relish can be made ahead of time.

What else do you need for this recipe:                                                                   Small Flour or Corn Tortillas, Chopped Cabbage or Coleslaw, Extra Cilantro for garnish (if wanted) and Sweet Potato Fries.

For Assembly:
Begin with a flour tortilla, spread a thin layer of the black bean mash across the center of the tortilla. Top with chicken, then cabbage, then sour cream mixture, then mango cilantro relish. Top with more cilantro if desired. Roll up & enjoy!  Don’t forget the Sweet Potato Fries!!!  :)

So, I’d love to know what ya’ll think of this recipe.  It’s delicious and worth the little bit of extra preparation.  And the good thing is that leftovers are just as delicious!  Yum-yum!

Goodnight Ya’ll!

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Feb 8

Homemade Brown Sugar Body Scrub

by blewis85

I made a few homemade items (actually dozens) as Christmas presents this year.  I have since had rave reviews about my Brown Sugar Body Scrub.  I gave them to friends and family.  I even gave some to acquaintances, just for the heck of it.  I was definitely in the Christmas spirit this year!  Ah, how I can’t wait for the holidays to come back around.  The Christmas lights and the tree.  I could stare at those lights forever.  And I digress…

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up next week, I thought I’d share one of my recipes.  No worries, more are to follow.  :)  They’d make a great gift for Moms, Daughters, Sisters, Teachers….get my point?  I haven’t met a single person who hasn’t loved and more importantly, used them, yet.

So let me get started.  The Brown Sugar Body Scrub.  This recipe is very versatile, simple and easy.

What you need:

A bowl

Spoon to mix

Jars (I used 4 ounce Mason Jars, but you can use any style and size)

Brown Sugar

Honey

Oil (EVOO or another oil of your choosing)

The basic recipe is:

1 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)**

I’ve used sunflower oil instead of the EVOO and it has turned out great too. Sometimes the smell of EVOO can be overpowering, so in some instances, depending on the recipe, I’ve substituted sunflower oil so it doesn’t have as harsh a scent.  In this recipe, the brown sugar and honey calm the EVOO scent down, so it meshes nicely.

Instructions:

1.  In a bowl, add the 1 cup of brown sugar and the 2 tablespoons of honey.

2.  Add in the oil SLOWLY!  This is important: mix with your hands as you add the oil in.  I usually do not use the entire 1/3 cup. Keep adding the oil in and mix until you get the desired scrub consistency.

3.  Dab a little bit of the mixture on your hands, rub in and then wash your hands.  If it has the right scrub “feel”, then you are finished.  If not, either add in more oil or more brown sugar, depending on what it needs.

4.  Spoon the mixture into your nicely decorated jars.  Ta-da!  Now you have a nice, homemade gift that your recipient is sure to love!

Do you need to know how to decorate your jars?  Decorating a jar can be as simple or as complicated as you make it.  Keep your eyes open for a how-to simply decorate a glass jar in the next few days!

If you decide to try the recipe, let me know what you think.  I’d love your opinions!  Happy Valentine’s Day!

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