What to write, what to write?  Well, it’s not that I don’t have any thoughts today per se,  it’s that I have too many thoughts!  And my thoughts jump around from one subject to another faster than my two-year-old can gobble down parade candy! 

Thoughts, thoughts….

Well,  for one I’m excited (and a slightly overwhelmed) to start a new school year.  I love looking through our homeschool curriculum and seeing all that we’re going to learn this year.  It will be a challenge since this year I have 2 kids in school grades, not just one.  Before I could just keep the other three busy and work with my oldest.  Now I have a 2^nd grader AND a kindergartener to “teach.” And I suppose the preschooler and toddler will have to be occupied too.  But I love how just being all together at our own dining room table the younger children glean so much as I teach the older! Should be interesting!  

 I think the kids are ready for school too.  These last two weeks they’ve been asking for crayons and papers and scissors, doing more sit-down-inside things rather than spending sun up to sun down outside as they have for the last three months!  A little more structure and routine will be good for us all.

Other thoughts floating through my head…I’m looking forward to visits from family!  My dad and step-mom are driving up right now as I type! They live in Oklahoma and are making the 14hr trek to come spend a long weekend with us! And at the end of September my mom will fly in from Idaho to spend 10 days here!  Family is precious and we’re so glad to spend time with loved ones! YAY!

Speaking of family, we also have a wedding to go to this weekend and I’m beating my brains to come up with some amazing homemade gift.  I’m coming up with a big fat nothing!  Creative juices are NOT flowing! Bummer.  I may have to break down and buy something. 

I was just wondering where all those creative juices went.  I think they went into our newest project: we’re building a house!!! (I hope!) We have to submit the house designs and wait for construction loan approval, but we’re doing a lot ourselves, including the designing and we’ve worked with a bunch of different styles on paper and have finally narrowed it down to one!  My incredibly talented husband is the main brains of the operation, but he assigned me the task of laying out the floor plan and we FINALLY have one we both love.  (And do you know how difficult it is to design a house plan for two indecisive people!?!?!  VERY!) But we did it.  We may not get to start building this fall, but it’s still exciting changes ahead for us! Stay tuned!

So…if you could follow any of these random thoughts maybe there’s hope for this blog (and for me) yet!    Happy Thursday!

In Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, we know mosquitoes! And two of my children have very bad reactions to mosquito bites.  So after seeing some homemade bug repellant recipes on-line I decided to try making my own in a lotion bar form for my family.   If you’ve never heard of a lotion bar (a pretty new concept to me too!) it just what it sounds like.  It looks like a bar of soap and you rub it into your skin where you need extra moisture.  The recipes I found used bees-wax too which really helps add protection to the skin as well as moisture.  And since you can use whatever essential oils you want in a lotion bar, I thought I’d use the essential oils that will {hopefully} repel mosquitos.

So here’s the basic lotion bar recipe:  (ANOTHER POSSIBLE CHRISTMAS GIFT!!!! See other Christmas in July posts)

• 1 part beeswax
• 1 part cocoa or shea butter (I used a combo of both)
• 1 part oil (jojoba, sweet almond, avocado, or I used a combo of olive oil and coconut, mostly olive oil)
• Vitamin E gel caps (optional)
• Essential oils (optional)

**To make this lotion bar with bug repelling power using a combination of these essential oils: citronella, lemongrass, cedarwood, lavender

1. Use a scale and weigh equal parts beeswax and cocoa/shea butter. (Definitely go by weight rather than volume!)

2. Use a liquid measuring cup to measure the same amount of oil.

3.  On low heat (or using a double boiler) gently melt wax, butter, and oil together. 

4.  If you’re using Vitamin E, poke a hole in a gel cap and squeeze the oil into each mold shape (I used a silicon muffin pan, but you can use candy or soap molds or metal muffin pans too!)  Add drops of essential oils in each mold shape too if you want different scents for each bar.  If you want one batch of the same scent just stir the essential oils into the melted wax after it’s taken off the heat.  Pour melted mixture of wax and butters into the mold and stir each one.  Let them sit for several hours until cooled and hardened.  (You can put in the fridge if  you’re in a hurry, but don’t use the freezer.  From what I read it may crack the lotion bars.)

5.  To use simply rub the lotion bar on your skin.  It might feel a little greasy at first but it will quickly be absorbed.

For my first batch I tried a variety of essential oils…a different combination in each mold opening!  I used 3 oz of each: wax, butter, oil and my silicone muffin pan holds six bars. 

 

 

And now we’ll be testing to see if this really keeps the bugs away!   There will be plenty of opportunities around here!  Check back in and I’ll let you know how effective it is!  (And if nothing else, at least our skin will be silky smooth!) 

Note:  You can also make a liquid insect repellant spray with the same essential oils, witch hazel, and water.

Other posts you may like:

DIY lotion

DIY face wash

DIY  lemon sugar scrub

You can buy carrier oils, essential oils, beeswax pastilles, and different butters at Moutain Rose Herbs.

Here’s another thing I have added to the list of things I don’t have to buy…enchilada sauce!!  I tried a few FAILURE recipes before this one…and this one is AMAZING!  For the effort it takes to make a batch, I usually double or triple to have some to freeze.

Enchilada Sauce

Well, folks, I’m off to the Oregon coast to spend time with my relatives! But before I do here’s another idea for Christmas in July: home “grown” gifts like canned pickles, salsa, or jam!

Even if you don’t grow the produce yourself if you come across a great deal on some fresh fruit or veggies consider trying your hand at canning or making jam and jelly!  It’s a lot easier than I thought it would be and it’s such a special treat to share with friends and loved ones at Christmas time!

Last year I tried my hand at homemade vanilla extract, and gave bottles away as Christmas gifts…it was a hit!  So…this year, I thought we would try mint extract!

We have an abundance of mint growing in our garden area, and if you’ve ever grown mint, you know it is actually a noxious weed…it is EVERYWHERE!  So I have been finding all sorts of new ways to use it!

What you need…

1. 3-4 cups of mint leaves

1. A pint of vodka…the cheapest kind is fine!
2. A glass jar

 

Chop your mint leaves into smallish pieces…you want to break up the leaves so they can release the flavor.

Add your leaves to your jar…I had to STUFF mine in!

Pour your vodka over the top and wait…it should be ready in two months!  When you are ready to use, strain the liquid from the leaves.  The extract will be tinted (green-brown) from the leaves.

{My mint is behind my vanilla jars…a litle hidden!}

I hope to aquire some cute little jars to put my mint extract in and give some away to friends I know love to bake for Christmas!

 

It’s hot here in central Minnesota.  REALLY hot and humid! Winter is about the last thing on my mind right now.  And I know Christmas seems like a loooooong way off, but there’s good reason to start thinking about it now: HOMEMADE GIFTS!

On one side of our extended family we decided to exchange only homemade gifts at Christmas time last year.  It was nice for many reasons:

1. We all have so much stuff,  and I found myself  looking at trinkets I might afford but would only add to someone else’s clutter.
2. The focus was more on spending our time and talent on the gifts rather than money.
3. It was fun to tap into my creative reserves and learn (or grow in) a new skill!
4. Age and income didn’t matter as much, everyone can make something!!!
5. They ended up being more useful or practical gifts.
6. Since we made our gifts at home we didn’t have to run around as much in all the Christmas Retail Chaos and fight crowds and parking lots!
7. The gifts seemed so special knowing the love and time that went into them!

Some of the things given and received:

Homemade Vanilla

Friendship Bracelets

Homemade Candy and Sweet Treats

Sewn kid bathrobes

Crocheted Hats and Scarves

Dress-up Superhero Capes and Crowns

Sewn Backpacks and purses

Premixed Meat Rubs and Spices

Pajama Pants

Wood carved toy rifles

Quilted Table Runners

Painted Christmas Ornaments

Rice-Filled Hot/Cold Packs

Homemade Jewelry

Sewn Pillowcases

 

There are so many options out there! If you start to think about it now, you could even learn a new skill like crocheting and give away simple dishcloths! The point is, start looking now and considering having a Homemade Christmas this year!  It might become an annual tradition! J

Some of our other favorite blogs are showcasing different  homemade gifts too. Check out Happy Housewife’s Christmas in July posts here.

On A Lighter Journey here’s a couple options for Homemade Gifts:

Lotion/Hand Cream

Vanilla

Come back throughout the week to see more thoughtful gift ideas you can start working on now to prepare for the Christmas season!