So, some of you may have noticed that I've been very absent lately. While it is true that I have been really busy with school, that really isn't the only reason.
I have also been struggling and not feeling my best lately. I have been fighting off nausea throughout the day. Sometimes it would last for long periods of time and make me want to curl up in the fetal position under my desk. That will get you some funny looks from the students for sure! Other times, it is mild and passes quickly. I've also been battling fatigue. One day, Hayden and I were sitting downstairs watching Elmo. I feel fast asleep within 2 minutes. Luckily, the toddler decided to wake me after Elmo was over and not get into trouble. I have had nights in which I'm in bed by 8:00! While that sounds great, it means that all of the things I need to do for school and Honu are piling up a bit. I wasn't lying when I said I'm constantly behind. I really am because I often don't have the energy to do what I need to; it is all I can do to get under the covers before I fall asleep.
What other problems have I been having? Let's see, my multivitamin makes me sick because it makes me burp icky fishy something. My pants are starting to get too snug. It doesn't matter what I do, they are just getting more and more snug and I don't really want to get a wardrobe. I can't take a long hot soak in the tub. I can't have caffeine. I'm not supposed to be gaining any weight, so I'm supposed to avoid carbs, but eats lots of low-fat protein and veggies. I have a toddler that thinks the best game is to jump on mommy, but that is suddenly more painful than it was. I tried making soap the other night and the scent made me sick so I had to stop (maybe I should make some more ginger soap).
I know some of you have already figured out what all of this means, but for those of you who haven't quite gotten there...I am pregnant. Hayden will be a big brother in April. We are very excited and I'm working on dealing with the side-effects. I'm almost 12 weeks along, so hopefully most of the symptoms will let up through my second trimester. That will get me through my busiest season! Past that, we will have to see what life brings.
Thank you for your patience and support through this. I promise, I'm not neglecting you or my soaps. I'm just making sure I take a little bit more care of us :)
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Declutter Challenge: Update
I know I haven't posted an actual weekly update in a while, but there is a good reason. It isn't just that I've been busy. Really, we're all busy, there are just times when we happen to be busier than others.
I have been decluttering! I promise. The reason I haven't posted an update does have to do with having little extra time, but it also has to do with the fact that right now everything is just random odds and ends that I'm finding. I have a box sitting the office area (yeah, like that isn't clutter!) and I just dump stuff in it when I decide it should go.
For example, last week I pulled two shirts out of my closet and in they went to the box. I pulled a pair of ripped pants out and put those in the trash. I pulled out a pair of not-so-warm gloves and they went into the box. I have added several other things that I just picked up and moved. The box is almost full, so it will be donated soon.
So, I really haven't had an update to give you because I haven't spent a lot of time on decluttering. BUT, it is still happening. It isn't requiring much thought at all. If I see it and have thought about giving it away, I just pick it up and carry it upstairs to the box. It is almost like putting your toys away when you are done. Just pick it up and put it where it goes :) I have found this to be very effective for those hectic times in your life.
Have you found any easy way to declutter that you'd like to share?
I have been decluttering! I promise. The reason I haven't posted an update does have to do with having little extra time, but it also has to do with the fact that right now everything is just random odds and ends that I'm finding. I have a box sitting the office area (yeah, like that isn't clutter!) and I just dump stuff in it when I decide it should go.
For example, last week I pulled two shirts out of my closet and in they went to the box. I pulled a pair of ripped pants out and put those in the trash. I pulled out a pair of not-so-warm gloves and they went into the box. I have added several other things that I just picked up and moved. The box is almost full, so it will be donated soon.
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| I don't have a picture to share, so I'm distracting you with a toddler and a puppy! |
So, I really haven't had an update to give you because I haven't spent a lot of time on decluttering. BUT, it is still happening. It isn't requiring much thought at all. If I see it and have thought about giving it away, I just pick it up and carry it upstairs to the box. It is almost like putting your toys away when you are done. Just pick it up and put it where it goes :) I have found this to be very effective for those hectic times in your life.
Have you found any easy way to declutter that you'd like to share?
Monday, September 3, 2012
School Has Started
If you are a teacher or a parent (or you know a teacher or a parent) then you know how crazy the first of the school year is. I know everyone thinks that teachers work 7:30-3:30 and then take off for lazy afternoons, but that just isn't true. We have everything that we did last year to get our kids into the swing of things to do all over again. Notebooks must be set up, gradebooks must be set up, classrooms must be set up, and we have to set the students up for a successful year! If you have kids, you know how hard it can be to get 2 or 3 organized. Now, imagine doing that for a class of 25!
I feel very fortunate to be teaching at the school I am teaching at, but it is a big change from most other schools (keep in mind, I had only taught high school before this). As a small charter school we spend a lot of time with our students making sure they do all of the things that students are just expected to do on their own at other schools. I actually think it is a good thing. We don't just throw them into middle school and say "good luck!" We spend a lot of extra time showing the 7th graders what to do to be successful. I'm happy to do it, but that means a lot of extra work for me and a lot of time at school after Hayden is asleep.
That also means less time for things like blogging and making soap :( Luckily, the students catch on quick and we are all getting into the swing of our new year, so I'm finding more time for the rest of my life! I have resumed my decluttering. My soap room is clean again. I have even managed to find time to write a blog post. I have some soapy plans for the week. And, I'm not at school when Hayden is asleep.
So, forgive my recent absence. We are rockin' along in our new school year and I will be around more often now!
I feel very fortunate to be teaching at the school I am teaching at, but it is a big change from most other schools (keep in mind, I had only taught high school before this). As a small charter school we spend a lot of time with our students making sure they do all of the things that students are just expected to do on their own at other schools. I actually think it is a good thing. We don't just throw them into middle school and say "good luck!" We spend a lot of extra time showing the 7th graders what to do to be successful. I'm happy to do it, but that means a lot of extra work for me and a lot of time at school after Hayden is asleep.
That also means less time for things like blogging and making soap :( Luckily, the students catch on quick and we are all getting into the swing of our new year, so I'm finding more time for the rest of my life! I have resumed my decluttering. My soap room is clean again. I have even managed to find time to write a blog post. I have some soapy plans for the week. And, I'm not at school when Hayden is asleep.
So, forgive my recent absence. We are rockin' along in our new school year and I will be around more often now!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Babassu Oil
I've been looking into substituting some of the oils I use for other oils that would offer more skin care benefits and enhance the quality of my products. I've also been looking at creating products that contain more tropical ingredients because I want to tie everything into the name of my company.
One of the oils I came across is called babassu oil (Orbignya martiana). It comes from a palm tree in Brazil and can be used in place of palm or coconut oil in cosmetics. I like that it can be used in place of palm oil in soap, but I will admit, I haven't tried that yet. According to what I've found, babassu oil is good for all skin types. It is can be used on dry/damaged, mature, and even oily skin! It is so versatile that people are using it in all of their products.
I decided to try it in a lip balm. I substituted the hydrogenated soybean oil for babassu oil and I LOVE the feel of the lip balm. Soybean oil makes a good lip balm, but I have found that many of my customers were questioning whether it was non-GMO soybean (I was assured by the supplier that it was). Soybean is a good oil for normal skin, but doesn't offer that many extra skin care benefits. It really is a good, skin-softening oil, but I want to find some that are better.
The lip balm with the babassu oil has the same consistency, which I really like. It goes on just as smooth and stays on for a long time. However, my lips really do feel softer when I'm using that one! I use several different ones throughout the day, so I notice the slight difference between the new formula and the old.
The only lip balms currently made with babassu oil are my Orange Cream lip balms, but as I make new batches of the others, I will be substituting babassu oil for the soybean oil!
I can't wait to see how it feels in lotion!
One of the oils I came across is called babassu oil (Orbignya martiana). It comes from a palm tree in Brazil and can be used in place of palm or coconut oil in cosmetics. I like that it can be used in place of palm oil in soap, but I will admit, I haven't tried that yet. According to what I've found, babassu oil is good for all skin types. It is can be used on dry/damaged, mature, and even oily skin! It is so versatile that people are using it in all of their products.
I decided to try it in a lip balm. I substituted the hydrogenated soybean oil for babassu oil and I LOVE the feel of the lip balm. Soybean oil makes a good lip balm, but I have found that many of my customers were questioning whether it was non-GMO soybean (I was assured by the supplier that it was). Soybean is a good oil for normal skin, but doesn't offer that many extra skin care benefits. It really is a good, skin-softening oil, but I want to find some that are better.
The lip balm with the babassu oil has the same consistency, which I really like. It goes on just as smooth and stays on for a long time. However, my lips really do feel softer when I'm using that one! I use several different ones throughout the day, so I notice the slight difference between the new formula and the old.
The only lip balms currently made with babassu oil are my Orange Cream lip balms, but as I make new batches of the others, I will be substituting babassu oil for the soybean oil!
I can't wait to see how it feels in lotion!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Whirlwind Week
You may have noticed that I have not posted anything all week. I didn't even get my Declutter Challenge done last week! I don't think I'm going to get this week's done either :(
Last week was pretty packed.
Wednesday was my normal market day from 3-7 and I'm usually wiped out afterwards anyway. But, I also received a call letting me know that my 97 year old great-grandmother had passed away. It was hard and very sad, but she was 97. She outlived my grandmother by 30 years, her husband by 20 years, my mother by 15 years, another daughter by a year, and several other children and grandchildren by many, many years. She is at peace.
Thursday, we had a going away party for the middle school aide. She found a job teaching math and science. We'll miss her, but I'm really happy for her too.
Friday was date night and it was a much needed time.
Saturday was my market from 9-1. When I got home, I took a short nap and then packed so we could head to Lubbock for my grandmother's funeral. We got to Lubbock around 3 on Sunday morning. I usually do my decluttering on Saturday or Sunday, so it didn't happen last week.
Sunday we spent with my dad and stepmom and they got lots of Hayden time.
Monday was my grandmother's funeral in Muleshoe, TX. We had to leave around 11 to get there for lunch before the services. Services ended around 4 and then we stayed to visit. We left Muleshoe around 6. We got to Colorado Springs around 2 Tuesday morning.
Tuesday was my first day back for teacher inservice, for which I was an hour late because Hayden and I fell back to sleep. I went to bed around 7 Tuesday night. I was a tired puppy.
Wednesday was the first chance I got to get on my computer, so I did a few things, but my brain was still wiped out.
Thursday was more of the same at school. BUT, my turtle tank was stinky! So, I spent some time cleaning it. We went back up to school Thursday night to clean out the filter and the tank because Open House was Friday and I didn't want parents coming in to a stinky room. We got everything cleaned (I bought a nice new vacuum for the gravel) and the filter hooked back up. We plugged it in and it chugged for a few minutes and died. It was old and turtles are hard on filters, but did it have to die AFTER we cleaned it?
Friday was a long day because of Open House. I enjoy meeting my new students, but it makes for a long day. Then, some of us went out afterwards :)
Saturday was a busy morning filled with getting new school supplies, our awesome board gave us gift cards to help us out, and a few new clothes. Yesterday afternoon, we went to the zoo because I needed a break. I was productive last night...I balanced the checkbook and paid bills. I hear they like it when you do that :) So, no decluttering.
Today, we hiked Seven Bridges, which was really pretty and Hayden had fun in the water at the top. But, we all needed a nap when we got home. This afternoon, I went to school because I was nowhere near ready for the first day of school, but now I am. I got home just in time for dinner and then I played with a toddler. So, I didn't declutter today either, but I made my little guy giggle right up until bedtime, so I'm okay with that.
The first couple of weeks of school are usually the craziest, so please bear with me. I may be absent more than usual.
Last week was pretty packed.
Wednesday was my normal market day from 3-7 and I'm usually wiped out afterwards anyway. But, I also received a call letting me know that my 97 year old great-grandmother had passed away. It was hard and very sad, but she was 97. She outlived my grandmother by 30 years, her husband by 20 years, my mother by 15 years, another daughter by a year, and several other children and grandchildren by many, many years. She is at peace.
Thursday, we had a going away party for the middle school aide. She found a job teaching math and science. We'll miss her, but I'm really happy for her too.
Friday was date night and it was a much needed time.
Saturday was my market from 9-1. When I got home, I took a short nap and then packed so we could head to Lubbock for my grandmother's funeral. We got to Lubbock around 3 on Sunday morning. I usually do my decluttering on Saturday or Sunday, so it didn't happen last week.
Sunday we spent with my dad and stepmom and they got lots of Hayden time.
Monday was my grandmother's funeral in Muleshoe, TX. We had to leave around 11 to get there for lunch before the services. Services ended around 4 and then we stayed to visit. We left Muleshoe around 6. We got to Colorado Springs around 2 Tuesday morning.
Tuesday was my first day back for teacher inservice, for which I was an hour late because Hayden and I fell back to sleep. I went to bed around 7 Tuesday night. I was a tired puppy.
Wednesday was the first chance I got to get on my computer, so I did a few things, but my brain was still wiped out.
Thursday was more of the same at school. BUT, my turtle tank was stinky! So, I spent some time cleaning it. We went back up to school Thursday night to clean out the filter and the tank because Open House was Friday and I didn't want parents coming in to a stinky room. We got everything cleaned (I bought a nice new vacuum for the gravel) and the filter hooked back up. We plugged it in and it chugged for a few minutes and died. It was old and turtles are hard on filters, but did it have to die AFTER we cleaned it?
Friday was a long day because of Open House. I enjoy meeting my new students, but it makes for a long day. Then, some of us went out afterwards :)
Saturday was a busy morning filled with getting new school supplies, our awesome board gave us gift cards to help us out, and a few new clothes. Yesterday afternoon, we went to the zoo because I needed a break. I was productive last night...I balanced the checkbook and paid bills. I hear they like it when you do that :) So, no decluttering.
Today, we hiked Seven Bridges, which was really pretty and Hayden had fun in the water at the top. But, we all needed a nap when we got home. This afternoon, I went to school because I was nowhere near ready for the first day of school, but now I am. I got home just in time for dinner and then I played with a toddler. So, I didn't declutter today either, but I made my little guy giggle right up until bedtime, so I'm okay with that.
The first couple of weeks of school are usually the craziest, so please bear with me. I may be absent more than usual.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Declutter Challenge: Week 29
I recently made a new jewelry holder based on several I found online, but I'm not sharing that just yet because I'm going to share its transformation later. I decided to replace my old and boring jewelry cabinet with something updated and fun. As I pulled my jewelry, I also decided that I should go through it and get rid of what I don't wear anymore.
I got rid of anything that I hadn't worn in the last year. That really took care of a lot of my jewelry. I got rid of earrings that I've had since high school, but had been saving because they were sentimental. I got rid of a cheap ring I bought in Australia so many years ago, it was cute, but I remember the trip fine without the ring. It felt good to go through and declutter my jewelry collection. I donated it and there were some pretty pieces in there, so maybe someone else will find something they love and enjoy it. I enjoy that my new jewelry holder is starting off just a little neater!
Why did you get rid of this week?
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| See...old and boring |
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| Bye bye! |
Monday, July 30, 2012
Scent of Serenity
I recently hit upon a lavender vanilla blend that I just adore. It was hard to get them to blend just right.
At first, my lavender was overpowering or my vanilla was too sweet. I just couldn't get that delicious blend of herbal, yet sweet that I was looking for. I was using Hungarian lavender and Bramble Berry's vanilla select. I love the vanilla select because it is deeper and richer than most vanilla. But, I still couldn't get it right.
I ended up using 3 different vanillas, the barest hint of a sweeter sandalwood fo, and a fair amount of lavender. And I must say that I'm quite happy with the results!
First, I called it Lavender Vanilla Bliss. It really is a blissful scent :) However, that seemed like a very long name and I'm all about simplicity. So, I decided to change the name to Serenity. I thought it was pretty appropriate because it smells wonderful!
I currently have used Serenity to make lotion, soap (bar and liquid), and fizzing tub treats and I am truly loving the scent! There is just something about lavender and vanilla that makes everything better.
What is your favorite scent to blend with lavender?
At first, my lavender was overpowering or my vanilla was too sweet. I just couldn't get that delicious blend of herbal, yet sweet that I was looking for. I was using Hungarian lavender and Bramble Berry's vanilla select. I love the vanilla select because it is deeper and richer than most vanilla. But, I still couldn't get it right.
I ended up using 3 different vanillas, the barest hint of a sweeter sandalwood fo, and a fair amount of lavender. And I must say that I'm quite happy with the results!
First, I called it Lavender Vanilla Bliss. It really is a blissful scent :) However, that seemed like a very long name and I'm all about simplicity. So, I decided to change the name to Serenity. I thought it was pretty appropriate because it smells wonderful!
I currently have used Serenity to make lotion, soap (bar and liquid), and fizzing tub treats and I am truly loving the scent! There is just something about lavender and vanilla that makes everything better.
What is your favorite scent to blend with lavender?
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