Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Not-So-Sucessful Adventures in Homemade

Thanks to my friend, Mindy, and this blog she posted to me on Facebook, I had the genius idea today to make my own lotion and shaving lotion. I have had great success with homemade washing powders (the Fels-Naptha/Borax one). I also love the vinegar/blue Dawn bathroom and counter cleaner (it makes all things shiny and sparkly and doesn't require a trip to see my favorite physician for respiratory meds.) So when Mindy recommended homemade lotion and shaving lotion - even though I am UBER picky about my lotions - I decided I'd give it a shot.

One of the things I like about making my own stuff at home is I am better able to monitor the cruddy/chemically things that find their way into the products we use regularly. I know, I know, they're not all bad, but some of them are just not great and if I can avoid them I try to do that. I knew first off that the coconut oil was the only item on the ingredient list that was organic. Thankfully I had plenty at home and didn't have to spend anything for it (very nice) and I headed out to the Wally to grab the others. I am sure you can sub other organic products in for the ones Jillee recommends, but I figured I go the cheaper route this time.



Shampoo, conditioner, vitamin E cream, baby lotion, and 2 lotion pumps (I don't keep extra ones of these around - I call that clutter) later I have spent $13.33 (not including tax). I get to my table, find my bowls and mixer and funnel and bowl-scraping-utensil-whose-name-escapes-me and mix up a batch of lotion at roughly $1.60 per 8oz and shaving lotion at roughly $.75 per about 10oz. Clean-up was easy (always a plus) and I have plenty of products left over to make another 3 batches of lotion and umpteen more batches of shaving lotion. (NOTE: These prices do NOT include the coconut oil as I already had that on hand.)



Assessment:

The lotion has already made me sneeze. It is nice and thick, but a little on the greasy side for 97 degree summer weather that one expects in July. I think it will be GREAT on heels that need some extra TLC after too many days in sandals so I'll try it before I go to bed tonight. The results of this very scientific foot test will determine whether I will make other batches.

I haven't shaved with the shaving lotion yet. It does smell nice and it hasn't made me sneeze. If The Preacher will use it then it's a go, if not . . . who knows?



The Moral of the Story:

I should have bought the bottle of conditioner ($1.46) and shaved my legs with that and spend the rest on the $10 tube of my favorite-I-use-it-all-the-time-daily Naked Bee lotion and been done with the whole ordeal. (Although it's not really her fault, I may blame this little endeavor on Mindy. She's been getting away with too much lately anyway!)

From the Mom who spent too much to save too little . . . . Megan

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Why Remarkably Whole?

Obviously I am no great blogger. Rhonda is certainly the more well-written and frequent author of our team, but I have been thinking for several weeks that if I am going to do this then it's time to get on board and work this out.

I have tried blogging before and I noticed that most of what I would write came across as rather angry. I did not consider myself an angry person, but as our Heavenly Father in his infinite wisdom often does, he revealed to me some areas of significant anger in my life and some places that, together, we need to clean up and make whole.

And there it was, did you catch it? The name for our blog is REMARKABLY WHOLE! We are not remarkably whole because of anything that we have done or who we are. Sure we are pretty neat Southern gals with a penchant for health and wellness inside and out, but we are remarkably whole because of what HE has done in our lives and in our hearts. Do we have this life all figured out? Certainly not. Are our homes always clean and our meals always homemade and our laundry always done. Um, no. Do we get our quiet times done daily and always make wise choices in our speech and child rearing and diets? Not quite. But, we are on this journey that is changing the things in our lives that aren't like the One we follow.

And we are discovering that this walk is a two-way one-way street of graciousness from the Giver of all Good Things. He gives us the desire to be Remarkably Whole and also provides for us the ability to be Remarkably Whole. It's all rather amazing and it's never dull. He is gracious and true and is doing as he has promised as we give over to him everything we are.

Megan