Body Wash Update

The other week, I made body wash.

I couldn't wait to try it out, so that evening, sweaty and stinky from the gym, I poured some out into a cleaned out ketchup bottle. (Recycling! It was plastic- one of those with the lid on the bottom and a silicone vent thingy in the spout.)

Only it didn't pour nicely like I thought it would.

Some dribbled out, into the totally inadequate funnel. I had to pause to sort of push the soap through the funnel.  Then, I hefted that gallon jug of soap again, but it didn't pour.  I shook. I squeezed. I'm sure I did some damage to my wrist.  Finally, the soap sloped towards the opening and I tried scooping some out with my fingers. Only that glob that I scooped did not want to separate from the rest of the soap in the jug. I had to scrape it against the edge of the jug opening to get it out and into the funnel, where I had to push it through into the ketchup bottle.

It took me a good 10 minutes to get my bottle filled.  Heft, scoop, scrape, push. Heft, scoop, scrape, push. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Finally, my little ketchup bottle is full. Off to the shower!

Like any good hippy, I rinsed my hair with apple cider vinegar, scrubbed my face with baking soda and neglected to shave my pits.

Then I grabbed the body wash.

I squeezed a bit out onto my scrubbie. (ok, truthfully, in our house, we call it a pouffy thingy.  Which is not elegant or grown-up at all.)

The result: Lovely scent, more bubbles than I expected, squeaky clean feeling in the shower, soft skin after shower.

I've noticed, in subsequent showers, that the soap wants to gel back into one solid mass after being left to sit for a while. It helps to shake it up really well before using.

And now, for a more scientific approach to soap reviewing...

Pros: Vegan, organic, free trade body wash for cheap!
          I love DIY stuff
          Easy to make, once you've got the kinks worked out
          Skin feels super soft and moisturized
          Squeaky soap-cleaned feel in the shower (if you're into that)
          Makes more than a gallon of body wash (this version cost me about $7- two bars of soap plus a few tablespoons of the glycerine)
       
Cons: Trial and error method of making, depending on what kind of soap used
           Squeaky soap-cleaned feel in the shower (if you're not into that)
           Texture
           Difficult to manage- decanting and shaking and trying to separate portions
           Messy. If you're like me, it is a little bit of a messy process, what with the spilling and sloshing during the cooking and decanting phases. At least it cleans up easily, and leaves the place cleaner than before!

Tips:
-Pay attention to the soap you use! Soaps with moisturizers are probably right out.  Soaps with oils are ok.
-Don't be afraid to water down the final product.  I think I should have added a lot more water when I was mixing it up after the overnight gelling process. A LOT! I was so afraid that I would get soap soup again that I was too cautious.
-Don't get a shower bottle that can't be shaken.  (and stay away from glass! Glass, soap and shower tiles are a bad combination!)

What I will do differently next time:
-Add more glycerine to the mix.  I think that may help with the squeaky-clean shower feel.

My final impression- I like it! Like I said, my skin is feeling super soft and moisturized these days, and I LOVE the scent.  Now I've got to convince my husband to let me make some for him! 

Baxter Bees

We're getting bees.
Right in our own backyard.
And they'll be delivered very, very soon!


Here's how it happened.  We are friends and neighbors with the state beekeeper.  Yeah, that's right- the state beekeeper.  They home school and so we see them all summer at the pool, and all the rest of the year at the park.  They are part of our beloved Tuesday playgroup.

So Jon gives classes on beekeeping. And this season, he's giving a Youth Beekeeping Class that we enrolled in.  It's a 16 week class that includes lectures on honeybee biology, beekeeping, honey, bee pests and diseases, how to inspect hives and keep a beeyard, etc... It also includes workshops in building the beehive and frames, and, once our bees are delivered, it will include several weeks of hands-on help in working with our bees.  We'll install them in a collective bee yard, but we'll bring them home to our house once the class is over.

We have learned so much!  Jon's a great teacher- I take pages and pages of notes each lecture, but he's still teaching to a youth level, so X is understanding just about everything.

As of this week, we've got our hive ready to go, we've got all of our safety equipment, we've got our tools (smoker, hive tool, bee brush, etc...) ready to go! We're just waiting for the delivery of our bees!

Common questions answered:
-Yes, in our yard, in the city.  It's legal! We do have to register our hives, but it is free to do so, and it entitles us to free apiary inspections.  So if anything is going wrong, we can call and they'll send out an expert to help us diagnose the problem.
-No, I'm not worried about stings.  Honeybees are not aggressive, unless defending their home. I'm sure we will get stung, but I'm not super concerned.  I'll probably keep a bottle of Benadryl on hand, though.
-No, I'm not worried about the neighbors.  Honeybees fly up and away from their hive when they go foraging, and we've got a big backyard, so the bees aren't up in anyone's business.
-We won't get honey this year, but if our bees survive the winter, we'll be getting honey next fall! It takes time and energy to draw out the combs (they have to eat a pound of honey to make 2oz of wax!) and build up the brood, so we'll just let our bees go about their business for the first year.
-We're getting bees because they are good for our environment, because bees are struggling for survival.  We're learning to work with the bees, and help them as they follow their natural instincts. Also honey and beeswax!

I'll be updating and probably blogging about bees and honey and stuff.  Future topics: Ethics of Beekeeping, The Awesomeness of Bees, The Amazingness of Honey, What the Heck Have We Gotten Ourselves Into?!, Involving the Kids in Work, The First Time I Get Stung.


Some pictures...

Putting together the deep super that we'll be using to house the bees and the brood.

Priming.

Putting frames together.

Painting. Bright orange.  Not the color to put the neighbors at ease, but it makes us happy.

Putting the foundation into the frames.  It's a wire-reinforced peice of wax, it helps the bees make their combs straight and gives them a little bit of a head start in making comb to fill with brood, pollen and honey. The comb that the bees make is used for several years. The wire-reinforcement helps the comb stay strong when it's filled with honey.

Saftey equipment.  His gloves. My veil.

Mara trying out the saftey gear. X showing off the hive- you can see the frames in the box, and he's lifting off the inner lid.  There is another, aluminum topped lid that goes on top of the whole thing.  The inner lid is used to help regulate humidity and temperature.

Updating

We've had our couch pillows for so long, what was once pretty blue and green have faded into greenish bluish greyish yuck.

By the way- what do you call pillows that are on your couch but are not the couch cushions.  Accent pillows? Lounging pillows? Decorative pillows?

Well, no matter what they are called, they sure weren't decorating anything anymore.

I got one of those packs of fabrics at Hobby Lobby.  Pre-matched, pre-cut and just the right size for what I need.

I sewed them up, and stuffed them with the old pillows.  Pretty quick and easy update!
(sorry for the crappy quality photos.)

The Fabrics. Yellow, black and grey.

Mara approves.

What a stinker.

Lessons Learned

I've been making my own laundry detergent for a while now, thanks to my amazing Cousin Jill and her recipe. Love it! I've only made one batch that I disliked.  I made it with a bar of Dove soap that had been lost in the depths of a bathroom drawer.  (I usually make it with Ivory, but used Fels Naptha on this last batch, and while it irritated my throat and nose while I made it, I've loved it for the laundry soap.)

So, when I stumbled across this recipe on Pintrest, I was intrigued. I hate buying bodywash, because the expensive stuff is... expensive. And the cheap stuff, while ok, never lasts as long as I'd like it to.  PLUS, I always get the dye and fragrance free stuff for my kids, because of their sensitive skin, and it'd be nice to make something a even more pure for them.

Well, I tried it out.  I used... Dove.  And I made very pretty, yummy smelling soap soup.  PINTEREST FAIL!  The lesson I learned- Dove bar soap stinks for making other soaps.  Learn from my mistakes, friends!

I did, by the way, save the Dove soup.  I read the comments (should have done that in the first place!) and I think maybe it needs to cure for a while.  Or I will get one of those foamy pumps and use it with that.

So, moving on, still determined to make body wash.  (Plus, I'd bought the bottle of glycerine and didn't want it to go to waste!)  I found myself at Whole Foods, for a Lady Beekeepers of Arkansas meeting. (more on that in another post!!) I bought coffee while I was there, and decided to look at the soaps.

I bought Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap.  Almond flavored.  Fair Trade. Organic. Vegan. It's got coconut, palm, olive, hemp, and jojoba oils.  And it smells divine!

The verdict: It worked!

Proof:

The texture is a little... gross and slimy. We'll see how that is once I actually use it in the shower. I got out my hand mixer and mixed it up with a little hot water to thin it out a bit, then poured it, little by little, into a milk jug that I saved. When I've finished my current bodywash, I'll rinse out the container and re-fill it with this. I'm going to report on the results after I start using it.  I'm also curious to see how long it lasts!

RIP Puppet

I LOVE unpacking Christmas decorations.  Every year I hit the after-Christmas 90% off decor sales at Target and Hobby Lobby, then I pack away my finds for the next year.  So getting into my new decorations, without having to spend the money, is fun!

However. This year, we unpacked and I remembered that I threw away our tree skirt at the end of last season.  It was a cheapie red felt number, on of the cheapest I could buy at Target.  It looked good for about five minutes until our dog, Puppet, managed to nose her way under the tree and leave her abundant, fine white hair all over that thing.  I think that I also managed to catch it in the vacuum cleaner more than once. I kept it around for more years than it deserved, but apparently last year I had finally had enough. I vaguely remember looking for a new one at the after-Christmas sales, but I don't think I could find one that I liked.  And we had to put Puppet to sleep earlier this year, so I haven't been battling the War of the White Hair.

So a few nights ago, I got onto Pinterest and searched for tree skirts.  And showed them to my husband.  This was our conversation...
"Do you like this one?"
"No."
"This one?"
"No."
"Do you like ruffles?"
"No."
"How about this one?"
"Eh."
"Polka dots?"
"Mmm."
"Fine."

Then, yesterday, I got my husband to come pick up the kids and take them with him to his second job.  I went to Target, to see if they had any skirts I liked.  The one that I sort-of liked was $40.  Nope.

Off to Hobby Lobby! (They've got some cute new fabrics, BTW. Lots of chevrons and clean, graphic prints) I was going to follow this Design Sponge pattern.  I chose to make it reversible, and  I also chose to use muslin as my middle rather than light batting.

Closeup of the fabrics I chose.  RJ liked the one on the right the best.

 That is a great tutorial. The only things that I did differently was that I used a seam allowance smaller than one inch, and I notched all of my edges to help it lay flat.  Also, I just realized that I forgot to stitch the opening for turning it rightside out closed. 

Finished product!

I've left it on the green/blue pattern side, for now.  It looks really good with my pear green walls and the dark green tree.  I like the polka dot pattern better in the pictures, though. I may be changing it soon.
AND, the best part... since both of my printed fabrics were on sale, I made this for less than $10.  

Slippers!

One of the things that I love that knitting/crocheting is that it's so practical! Hats! Scarves! sweaters! Toys!  BUT, I hate how long some projects take. I keep starting blanket projects, to use up my extra yarn, but I don't have the attention span to finish. I've tried complicated blanket patterns, quick squares or poofs or rounds that come together at the end, even plain old double or single crochet in stripes. Nothing holds my interest in blankets.

Luckily, these slippers are both practical and quick to make. 
I sort-of followed this pattern.  Adapting it to fit toddler feet, of course.  And I had to use DPNs (Double Pointed Needles)because my smallest circular needles were too long. DPNs are... challenging for me. And I left off the integrated I-cord because just reading the directions made me frustrated.  I think the bows look really cute, though!

And, for traction on slippery floors, I added her initials in hot glue!

On a tangent... I LOVE the Purl Bee and Purl soho. I keep looking at the cross-stitch phone case.  I desperately want it, but just haven't been able to justify buying it. Also, I really like this four seasons embroidery kit. 
I would ABSOLUTELY make the sacrifice and power through my blanket-making boredom for this blanket! I have no words for how happy this would make me! The price is depressing, though; I ABSOLUTELY can't and won't pay $780 for yarn for a blanket.  (not that the Koigu premium, hand-dyed, merino isn't worth what they charge for it, I just can't justify it for a blanket that will probably be used to make forts and floor-nests)

One last thing... I also want this book. It looks like fun!

What I'm working on... X has asked for a Jayne hat! I've already gotten and inch and a half done!

What a cunning hat!

Well, since August, my energies have been focused on keeping the family healthy (which did not happen, we've all been sick in turns), and home improvement projects.  Fun!

There have been a few craftsy projects happening, especially since it's been getting dark so early!  Also, on Monday nights, we've been watching Walking Dead AND Dexter- I knit or crochet during those and just watch out of the corner of my eyes.

On to the pictures!!

These wreaths were one of my major scores at the Target after-Christmas 90% off sale!  Love them, but they're getting a little beat up.  So I thought I'd try to hold them together for a few more seasons.

Here's the before.

Here's the after.

I think they turned out ok.  I think I might add some twine, if I get around to getting some. Also, I think they look better in person. I ripped strips of unbleached muslin and wrapped the strips around the wreaths.

Made this hat for M using the leftover yarn from her wedding shrug.  Made the Jayne Cobb hat for RJ.   Man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything!

What joyful children I have!

 Halloween! We went with a Dr. Who theme this year, with our neighborhood friends.

M is Rose Tyler; she even had a TARDIS key. X is the Absorbaloff monster.

The whole Dr. Who crew.

And finally, a look at our home improvements! Because we've worked hard!

Ikea pendant lamp that I've had for two years!  My fantastic Father-in-law installed it for me!

New toilet and bathroom floor! Now I want to repaint!