Wednesday, February 22, 2012

On the Road Again


 It seems that Uncle Sam has decided that it is moving time again for the occupants of this humble home, which is the reason for the lack of posting on this blog. We are making a very quick move, due to the fact that this mama wants to be settled before she gives birth! Call me crazy, but something about going into labor in the midst of unpacking boxes isn't too appealing. So the days here have been busy with sorting and packing and finding a new house.  I wish I were one of those really organized women who can pack, blog and still put a 4 course meal on the table...........but I'm not! I'll check in when I can, and in the meantime, I hope everyone has a productive lent!

Monday, February 6, 2012

Easy Winter Moisturizer



I wanted to tell you about a great moisturizing technique that I have been using successfully this winter. Usually by this point my face is so dry that I have horrible cracks around my mouth.This year I set out to beat it before it beat me!
The first step (after washing my face of course) is a few spritzes of rose water. Rose water helps restore the skins Ph, is antibacterial, and tightens pours. It is also said to calm stress and anxiety....not that I ever have any of that! It helps to hydrate skin, and fight lines and wrinkles. On top of all that it smells wonderful!



Next I put a nice amount of macadamia nut oil on my face, while the rose water is still damp.  Macadamia oil is rich in  calcium, B vitamins, and Vitamin E. It also contains the highest amount of palmitoleic acid of any plant. This substance is abundant when our skin is young but decreases with age. The oil is similar to sebum, which means its a lot like your own natural oils.   Macadamia nut oil is know to reduce wrinkles and dryness. It has a light texture and is easily absorbed in your skin.

Finally, I give another spritz of the rose water and that's it!
Usually I only do this at night, but if I have time in the morning I will do it again. It  really does absorbs rather quickly and doesn't feel like some other oils when its on your skin. The best thing is compared to those high end moisturisers, this is very inexpensive, as a bottle of oil will last forever if you just use it on your face. You can get both the rose water (look for rose hydrosol) and organic macadamia nut oil from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Birthday Bonanza


This week we celebrated two birthdays and there's more to come!





 Of course we had  homemade gluten-free cake and homemade ice cream..............yummmm!


 The first party was just us, but the second one we invited friends and went all out with the princess theme.
Here we have our princess party bags.


Every princess needs a castle.

So does every muffin.




Princesses also need to eat.







Here are the two birthday princesses blowing out their share of candles.




Didn't Thomasina Tittlemouse do a good job on her pin the crown on the princess that she drew!!


Of course, no party is complete without some gifts!












Even the rabbit behaved......all right, he slept through most of it, if you must know the truth.