Embracing Him

Because the girls enjoy playing with it so much (and because it’s fun for me to make), I’ve started making my own. I find that when I make it myself it lasts much longer. Plus, I can customize the Play Dough with unique scents, wild colors, and sparkly glitter. Best of all, when I make it myself, I know exactly what’s in it.

Homemade Play Dough is easy to make. I usually triple the recipe, split it into sections, color it with cake decorating gel (achieves a more vibrant color than food coloring), and store it in clean, empty frosting containers.

This Play Dough also makes a great gift. When packaged decoratively and accompanied by kid friendly, child sized cookie cutters, this an inexpensive but fun birthday present!

Whether you’re giving it away or keeping it for yourself, homemade Play Dough is a great treat for little ones.

Basic Play Dough Recipe:

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup salt
2 teaspoons Cream of Tartar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients in a saucepan then stir in water and oil. Heat over medium heat and stir until thickened. (Mixture will resemble mashed potatoes.) Remove the pan from the heat and cool for about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dry but pliable.

Photo: Courtesy of zanarodgers (Flickr)

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. (Proverbs 31:13)

At the bottom of the closet in our spare bedroom, there is a large Rubbermaid tub. The tub belongs to me and holds a variety of interesting items: vegetable glycerin, oatmeal, aloe vera jelly, brown sugar, joboba oil, olive oil, several essential oils, Epsom and Kosher salts, honey, as well as many measuring cups and spoons. I call these items the tools of my trade.

Whenever I bring my tub down to the kitchen JT usually says, “Hmm, I see my little alchemist is about to begin her work. I wonder what she’ll be making today.” I love to mix up heavenly-scented, skin pampering treats for me and my friends.

One of my favorite treats to make is a brown sugar body scrub. I found this simple recipe online a while ago, but I do not recall where I found it. It makes a thick, rich sugar scrub that leaves your skin soft, smooth, and smelling delicious!

Simple Brown Sugar Scrub
1 cup ground oatmeal (I use our blender to grind it.)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Epsom salt
½ cup scented body lotion
¼ cup baby oil

Combine oatmeal, white sugar, brown sugar, and Epsom salt in a large bowl. Add the baby oil and lotion and stir into a thick paste. This makes enough scrub to fill a 16 ounce container.

To use: Stir the scrub to redistribute the oils that have risen to the top. Apply the scrub in the shower after your skin has been cleansed. Place a bit of the scrub in your hand or onto a bath mitt and massage it into your skin (from your shoulders to your feet) using gentle circular motions. Do not rub too vigorously or you will scratch and damage your skin. Rinse with warm water, pat yourself dry, and apply lotion to your skin. When done, be sure to rinse out the tub and shower fully because the oils in the scrub will make it slippery.

Though this recipe is great as is, I’ve modified it to include more natural products such as aloe vera jelly and jojoba oil. Tinker with the recipe to customize it to your liking. Play with the ingredients to create a scrub that suits your skin type (dry or oily) and matches your scent preferences.

If you’re interested in creating more homemade scrubs, check these websites. They’re some of my favorite places to visit:

Belle City Soapworks
From Nature With Love
Robbie’s Recipes

Photo: Courtesy of memyselfandkai (Flickr)

Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. (Song of Solomon 4:3a)

I am obsessed with lip balm.

My husband, my mother, and my best friend Valerie can all testify about my pitiful dependency. Because I hate to be without lip balm, I have stashed my “lip love” tubes all around: in the car, in the van, in coat pockets, in nearly every bag or backpack I own, and in both girls’ bags as well. In spite of my preparedness, I still have had to make emergency trips to the drugstore in order replace precious tubes that have been lost. In dire situations, I have even bummed balm from JT.

After our MOPS group created homemade sugar scrubs, I was inspired to make my own lip balm. I figured if I made it at home, I would probably never have to be without it. I was surprised to discover that lip balm is easy to make and contains simple ingredients that don’t usually cost too much.

Lip balm recipes are posted all over the internet. Over the past several months I’ve collected and tried several, but this recipe is my favorite. Keep in mind that you may have to “play” with the recipe in order to create a balm you like. If your balm turns out too hard, melt it down and add a bit more oil. If it turns out too soft, melt it down and add more beeswax.

Creamy Cocoa Lip Balm

2 tablespoons cocoa butter
1 tablespoon beeswax
½ teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons jojoba oil
1 Vitamin E capsule
1 tube of lipstick (any color you choose)

Melt the cocoa butter, beeswax, and honey. Stir very well to prevent lumps from forming in the balm. Add vitamin E and oil. Stir very well. Add color to the balm by slicing off a small amount of the lipstick and stirring into the melted lip balm mixture. (This will not color the lips, but will just give your lip balm a pretty color.) Pour into small airtight containers.