Dreaming of Green!

Once upon a time, two desert dwellers had a dream of living in a place where the trees grew green, tall and for as far as the eye could see.

We even started making plans...but the economy had other ideas.

My husband surprised me with a trip to Washington state and Oregon, near Portland, in the summer of 2008, just to see the area up close that we had talked about moving our family to. Our third son, a baby at the time, tagged along. We celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary that way, as we drove winding roads, gazing at farms and charming houses outside of the suburbs and talked about our dream of living on 5 acres with our children.

We'd love to move to that area, but we have to take the time to do it right, to pay off debts and save for a house.

As I sit here in my house in the dry desert with the a/c chugging along in the 110 degree heat, my mind wanders back to those cool fields, wet with rain, and my heart longs to be there. Maybe someday... in the meantime, it's still fun to dream!

Rosy Rose Lip Balm

It all began with running out of chapstick: none in the car or my bag or in the kitchen or bathroom. Can you tell we use chapstick a lot? Even more in the wintertime. I am now using my homemade salve as chapstick, but the ratio of beeswax to oil is too low to last long on my lips. Plus, I had to scrape the last of my favorite Burt's Bees lipgloss out of the pot this week, so I knew something needed to be done.  

A little idea popped into my brain: why not make your own? You can make it the way you want, make a ton so you won't run out, and it won't cost much of anything as I already have most everything needed to make it with natural ingredients.

For those who are tempted to give it a shot, too, and make some, 
share with me how it went! What is your favorite tried-and-true recipe?

Here's mine! 


Rosy Rose Lip Balm:

Melt two teaspoons of beeswax with two tablespoons of sweet almond oil or Coconut Oil. Color, if desired, by adding 1/4 teaspoon grated lipstick. Set aside until lukewarm, then add 5 to 6 drops of rose otto essential oil. Puncture a Vitamin E capsule and add two drops to the balm mixture. Stir ingredients together, the pour into a lip balm pot.

A Few Things Lately...

 This summer has been incredible, so far! I can hardly believe it is mid-July already.

The weather has been cooler than usual this year and so we have had more time outdoors NOT sweltering in the heat! That's been great.


This past week a certain little someone celebrated his 4th birthday!





His request...homemade Oreo cake!



Playing with his new knight toys. The castle I painted but
was made by my Dad and youngest brother a long time ago.
It is fun to see it being used again!


A super day at the splash park with homeschooling friends...





Later...

On a slow Saturday (aren't those the best?!)....

Setting the scene for a Lego stop motion movie with Dad.









Made pickles for the first time using the Duggar family recipe.

In the Good Ole Summertime...

What's summer without cool shades? :-P





 

Hermosa Beach in California with cousins









Swimming one last time at Grandma's and Grandpa's pool
before they moved to a new place.







New pets: lizard and a turtle







And the Lego fun goes on...






He built a ship and all the 50+ minifigures that went inside.
He beat his own record for building 'guys' in a day
and was stoked about that.


Oh, what do you do in the summertime?    :-)