Beauty secrets!

Here is a bunch of recipes to make your own beauty products. I haven't used or tried them all. If you do make them, shoot me an email or leave a comment and let use know how it went and how it worked.

Most of the supplies can be found at grocery stores or health food stores. Walmart has Tea Tree oil, glycerin, coconut and other oils and probably more.

**Yogurt Facial**
2tbsp honey
2tbsp yogurt
Apply and allow to dry, about 20 min. Rinse

**Apple Mask**
1 apple cored and cut
2tbsp honey
Chop in processor and mix with honey. Refrigerate for 10 min. Tap onto face, allow to sit 30 min. Rinse

**Apple and Oatmeal**...for oily skin
1tbsp oat powder
half a grated apple
little milk
Mix and apply. Let set for 10 min. Rub off in circular motion. Rinse

Rub half an apple on face to even out skin texture.

**Moisturizing Face Mask***
Mash half an avacado and spread over face and neck. Let set for 15 min. Rinse off warm then cool water.
-Use old, brown avacados

***Clay***
Bentonite
China
French Green
Pink
Rhassoul
--Add a bit of milk and honey to a few tbsps clay of your choice. Apply to face and let dry. Rinse
--Add 2tbsp yogurt to1tbsp. clay. Mix, apply and rinse.

**Skin Softener**
1/2cup coconut milk
2tbsp honey
Heat up milk and add honey. Pat onto skin and leave 10 min. Rinse.

**Hair Strengthening**
1/2 lime
4tbsp coconut milk
Massage into scalp. Leave for 2-3 hours for maximum results. Once a week.

**Hair Rinse for brunettes or reds**
Rinse with black coffee after shampooing. Follow  with warm, clear rinse water.

**Face Scrub**
1/4cup finely ground cornmeal
Enough water to moisten
Apply with circular motion and rinse

**Nourishing Face Mask**
Cornmeal, yogurt and honey to make a paste. Apply and let set 15 min. Rinse with warm water.

**Finishing Rub**
After shower, pour cornmeal onto wet washcloth.  Rub all over body.

**Cucumber Astringent**
Rub piece of cucumber onto skin. Let dry a few min. Rinse cold.

**Cucumber Mask**
Puree 1/2 peeled cucumber.
1tbsp yogurt
Apply and let sit 20 min. Wipe off with damp cloth.

**Green Tea Spritzer**
3.5oz green tea
2cups mineral watet
Steep for at least 1 hour. Strain.
-Store in frig to last longer. Freshen face, on cottn ball or pad for tired or strained eyes, minor cuts and rashes, spots and blemishes  and even sunburn. Soak cloth and lay on skin until cool.

**Honey Moisturizer**
1tbsp honey
1 egg white, beaten
1tsp glycerin
Oatmeal powder
Make a paste and apply. Let sit for 20 min. Rinse cold.

**Honey Hair Shine**
1tsp honey
4cups warm water
After shampooing,  rinse hair. Blondes add a squeeze of lemon

**Face Scrub**
2tbsp ground oats
2tsp brown sugar
2tbsp aloa vera
1tsp lemon juice
Mix into a paste.  Rub onto skin and rinsr off. Can be used on body too.

**Skin Toner**
1cup water-rain, distilled, spring
1 heaping tbsp dried peppermint or sage, 1/4 fresh herbs
3tsp apple cider vinegar,  if skin is oily add 2tsp more
Use within 3 weeks,  store in frig

**Tomato Wash-combats oily skin**
Skin ripe tomato.  Puree briefly and strain some juice so it is thicker. Apply and rinse after 15 min.

**Tomato Mask**
1/2 tom
2tbsp oil-olive, sunflowrt, etc.
1tbsp sugar
1tbsp yogurt
Blend and apply for 10-15 min. Rinse

**Natural Shampoo**
1oz olive oil
1 egg
1tbsp lemon juice
Rinse- 1/2tbsp vinegar and cupmof watet

**Herbal Milk Bath**
1cup cornstarch
1cup powdered milk
2tsp favorite herb
Blend until smooth.  Add 1/2 cup to bath

**Bath Salts**
1cup epsom salt
1cup sea salt
1/2cup bakibg soda
1/4-1/2tsp essential oil
Grind salt until fine. Combine with whisk and add 1/3 cup to bath

**Quick and Easy Soap**
42oz can shortening
5oz canola oil or olive oil
5oz coconut oil
17oz cold water
7oz lye
Melt oils. Add water to lye outside. Let cool as oils melt together.  Let oils cool until warm to touch. Mix until trace. Pour into mold. Cover with towel and let set 24 hours. Cut and let cure for 3 weeks or longer.

Dang, That took hours! I also made dinnet;)

Enjoy! Please let me know if you make any of these. Off to fold laundry and country awards♥♡♥♡

Scentsy has a new line!!! And recipes:o)

As you might know, I'm a consultant for Scentsy...one of the greatest companies around!!! They now offer wonderful bath and body products that your body and family will love.

Please take a moment to take a look at my website Scentsy and have your order shipped right to your door! And there are specials,discounts and other fun stuff to check out.

I'm also very passionate about reading and books! The best place I have found on the web to get free books is from paperbackswap . I've recently received over 5 books in the mail just for sendin' out books that I have on my shelf, needin' love:o) How great is that? And you can print shipping right from home, get a discount on delivery conformation and other fun, useful things. I totally love the website and all the great people there!!

Okay, now for a few recipes I found again in a book I love. An oldie but goodie book that ya'll should try to get..."The Up-With-Wholesome, Down-With-Store-Bought"...Looooooove it;O)

Basic Batter and Bake Mix
*5 cups flour
*5tsp. baking powder
*1tbsp. onion powder
*1tsp. thyme
*1tsp. paprika
*1tbsp. sugar
Mix together in a bag and store on shelf or freezer until needed.***Mix other spices, cheeses, etc. to the mix when you use for chicken, pork chops, etc.

Baking Powder
*4oz. cream of tartar
*2oz. baking soda
*2oz.cornstarch
Store in air-tight container. ****Use could also trim down this recipe. Just use 4 parts to 2 parts of each;O)

Brown Sugar Syrup
*3 cups boiling water
*4 cups light brown sugar
*6tbsp. butter
Bring water to a boil. Add sugar and butter and boil over medium heat, stirrin' constantly, until syrup thickens to your preference.

I do have more but I would love to hear what ya'll would like to see as far as recipes. So please leave a comment and tell me what recipes you would love to see. Or if you have a favorite that you want to find a recipe for, let me know and I could find it or might make it. I have TONS of staples recipes, thoughts and ideas.

I will also be havin' another blog giveaway...yippee! I'm excited about this one. I am makin' soaps, lotions, balms and salves again and would love to offer a fun basket filled with pamperin' things...maybe for Mother's Day???

So, stay tuned to find out when the giveaway starts and how to get your entries...though I am really laid back and find that when things are easy, they are better;o)

Have a great day and don't forget to leave a comment!!!

What is wrong with parents???

To say I was shocked to hear the crap that is yelled at kids durin' softball practice would be puttin' it lightly. Why do some parents feel the need to degrade and belittle their children in front of their peers and other parents and people??? It truly breaks my heart and makes me want to whoop some ass, frankly!!! How can ANY parent EVER put their child down??? Are we not their biggest fans???

Sports should be fun for kids, heck, anyone!

So, when we go back to practice on Thursday, the parents will be enlightened to the rules and if they don't like them or can't abide by them...they can take their asses and big, mean mouths home!!!

Okay...sorry for the rant:O)

I do have a recipe for ya'll today. We're havin' tacos with beans and rice. It will be nice to have a real meal tonight as we've been husslin' and busy with practices all this week. O-and we're excited Little Man got drafted to his tball team from last year...GO BLACK SOCKS!!

Spanish Rice
*3 tbsp. olive oil
*1 cup rice
*1 small can of tomato sauce
*2 cups chicken broth
and spices...I use chili powder, garlic salt or garlic, pepper and salt and maybe a little red pepper.

Brown the rice for a few minutes and then add the rest of the ingredients. Turn down the heat, cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes or so until done. Fluff and enjoy:O)

And I've be forgettin' to give ya'll the update on the chicks we're incubatin'. They all died due to the egg position:O( So I put another clutch of eggs in and layed them on their sides, like they would be in the nest. They are due to hatch tomorrow and I pray they all make it outta their shells.  won't help a chick out because if they are too weak to get out of the shell, they are not right and should be culled. Sad but Nature is smart and does things like that.

Have a great day!!!

Goin' campin'! And a few recipes and pics

 Here are a bunch of pics of the house and property. My computer is overheatin' and just turnin' off so I can't post all I wanted. But I hope it gives ya'll a better idea of how it's laid out and what it looks like. O-and the weird pic taken from inside the car is the pond. Sorry they are just thrown in there...it took me 3 times of lettin' my 'puter cool off just to get this post off:O) I'm gettin' a tablet of some kind...hopefully it's frickin' soon!!!

YEEEEHAWWWW...we're goin' campin' next week and I can't wait!. Spring break starts and I told Brandon we had to get us all outta the house for a while or mama would probably hurt someone;O) At least the weather has been better and the kids have had a little time outside after they come home from school. Imagine...the boys wake up better for school now then before the time change...lol...but I'll take it!!

Not sure where wee will go campin'. The woods around here have gotten bad with loggers/big companies. You have to have a permit to even GO into the woods, even to pick berries! But even with a permit (rec permit is like 30 bucks!) you still can't use 4 wheelers and we really want to take'em.

We have family with property in the mountains but there really isn't much to do up there. We like to explore old settlements and homesteads and it's pretty much just pines and ponds. There's plenty of fishin' though. Hopefully we can get the 4 wheelers goin' and they only need the batteries charged. We haven't used them all winter but I need them now to get some outside chores done...I need to fence and get Spirit a buddy!!

We also have family with land along the Kiamichi, where we usually go, but we wanted some place different. I guess I'll get to askin' around and online search the area and see what I get:O)

   

Okay...here are a few recipes. I will try to put something useful in every post...but I won't make promises (I never do:O)...just try like hell!

Quick and Easy Handmade Soap

*42 ozs. crisco (1 can)
*5 ozs. canola oil
*5 ozs coconut oil
*17 ozs. water
*7 ozs water
This will make 3-4lbs of soap. Use basic soap making techniques (email or comment if you need more instruction).

Sweet Honey Lip Balm

*5-6 tbsp. sweet almond, jojoba, veggie, etc (liquid)
*1-2 tbsp. beeswax
*2 tsp. honey
*2 drops essential oil-tea tree, peppermint, etc.
Heat over low heat until wax is melted. Stir well. Let cool a bit and then add essential oil. Pour into container-recycled lip tubes, etc.

And as with all my recipes, I change them around to suit my needs or tastes. So have fun with these. O-and don't worry about the crisco in the soap recipe...the chemical reaction you get doesn't leave you with a greasy bar of soap:O) It's a very nourishing oil for your body. I've even make lotion with it:O)

Some of my favorite recipes

Here are some of my go-to recipes. These aren't all of them but these are just the ones that were handy. And I will do my best to be as detailed as possible but my copies onto 3x5 cards are a little lacking in details:O) As I've said before, I'm pretty laid back with things and cookin' and bakin' isn't any different.

Ranch Dip
*2 tsp. minced garlic
*8 tsp. minced onion
*2 tsp. pepper
*2 tsp. sugar
*2 1/2 tsp. paprika
*2 1/2 tsp. parsley
I mix everything in a zippered bag. Add 1 tbsp. per cup of sour cream for dip. Add 1 tbsp. per 1 cup of mayo and 1 cup buttermilk for dressing.

Pancakes
*2 cups flour
*2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
*3 tbsp. sugar
*1/2 tsp. salt
*2 eggs
*1 1/2-1 3/4 cups milk
Mix together and cook as usual. If batter is still a little thick, add a tad more milk.

BBQ Sauce
*1 cup ketchup
*1 tbsp. mustard
*3 tbsp. Worcestershire's sauce
*2 tbsp. vinegar
*1 tbsp. lemon juice
*3 tbsp. brown sugar
*1 tbsp. black pepper
I will mix this up right before I use it and heat it a bit to melt the sugar. I also add other spices and a little more vinegar. This is just a basic recipe you can change to your tastes:O)

Creamed soup
*1 tbsp. butter
*3 tbsp. flour
*1/2 cup milk
*1/2 cup chicken broth or beef broth
Mix cold milk with flour and whisk in a pan while heating over lowish heat. Add the rest of the ingredients. I will also make this with mushrooms for a creamed mushroom soup base.

Blueberry Muffins
*1/2 cup oats
*1/2 cup orange juice
*1 1/2 cups flour (wheat)
*1/2 cup sugar
*1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
*1/2 tsp. salt
*1/4 tsp. baking soda
*1/2 cup oil (olive)
*1 egg
*1 cup blueberries
Bake 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 12. I will double this recipe for our big family. I also change the fruit to banana nut and I've make chocolate ones. Have fun and experiment with them!!

Chewy Granola Bars
*6 cups oats
*3 ozs dry fruit
*1 cup brown sugar
*1 cup melted butter (real stuff!!)
*1 cup corn syrup (honey)
*1/2 cup flaked coconut
*package of choco chips (any chips), nuts, etc.
Press into a greased (spray) cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.

That is all I have for now. Please let me know if you have any questions or if I missed anything on the recipes.

I've got a ton of stuff to do in the kitchen today (yummy!!) but I will try to get pics of the property. I need to take some things down to my in-laws and I'll get that side too:O) It's a cloudy day though, so I'm not sure how the pics will turn out...I hate my new camera!