Spring!

Happy Spring!  Here in Colorado the trees are still bare, but there are buds getting ready to open.  My bulbs have sprung and I have bright yellow daffodils in the flower bed.  They are so cheerful after a cold winter.  This week we had a wet heavy snow.  It was a good watering for the flowers, trees and grass.

I recently did some thrifting and came across some good finds.  I found a mug and a boho style silk blouse both from Anthropologie.  The blouse was $3.00 and the mug was a $1.49.  Such a steal!  Here below is a picture of the mug.

I have the mug on a thrifted Noritake china saucer. 

Now on to cleaning!  Which spring brings to mind "Spring Cleaning".  In honor of  "spring cleaning" I have a tip that you can use all year.  Did you know that veggie washes have more uses than just washing your veggies?  I use the veggie wash product called "Fit" (but Veggie Wash works too).  I spray Fit on the inside of my mugs after drinking coffee or tea and let it sit a bit, then hand wash with a scrubby in sudsy water.  Doing this will keep the inside of your mugs looking new.  I also use Fit on my wooden cutting boards to eliminate berry stains, beet stains, etc.  I spray the Fit on the stains and then scrub the stain with a scrubby.  Wipe with a sponge or paper towel and walla the stain is gone!

My birthday is on the first day of spring.  This year its birthday #54.  Can't believe it!  Our spirit stays young, but our body, well that is what ages.  I wonder what year #54 has in store?  Well, already I have stories to tell.  One of them is my birthday celebration with my daycare clients.

They took me to Benihana's for my birthday.  I had never been before.  We had a lovely time.  What darlings they all are!  And there is sweet little Isaac, he is such a good boy and I love taking care of him.  So thankful to God for the blessing of these beautiful souls in my life.

BUS Update

Hello!  Time for my Back-up Storage (BUS) update.  Not a whole lot to report I don't think, but lets get into it.

Okay, I got this Desert Essence Unscented conditioner out of BUS and was using it.  Unfortunately, it is not a good fit for my hair.  Hate when that happens, but you don't know until you try.  So I ditched the conditioner and went out and bought another bottle of the Kiss My Face Everyday Conditioner (love it).

Okay, I am currently using the soap pictured here which is made by The Bubbly Soap Co. and the lotion in the blue bottle is Whole Foods brand lavender lotion (I put the lotion in a recycled bottle).  The lotion is nearly done and the soap is probably at the halfway mark.  My daughter in-law used some of the Ala Maison liquid lavender aloe soap (smells good) when she came over one day (she got it out of BUS).  So since she opened it I have used it a couple times myself.

I am nearly done with the Andalou rose lotion pictured here.  It is thick & creamy and my skin loves it.  Still working on the rosewater spray.  And the Ala Maison bar soap remains unopened.  Currently using it as decoration in my master bath.  I went ahead and bought another tube of the Andalou rose lotion on sale.  I know I will be using it as I still have a lot of EO Rose-Chamomile body wash to use up yet.

So that is my BUS update.  Been doing fairly well at not buying anymore products, just a couple.  So far I am really impressed with Andalou products, so I will probably be trying out other products in their line when I have the chance.  But until then, I am looking forward to using something up so I can start using my lemon collection.

Winter Beauty

Hello!  Hope this post finds you doing well and surviving winter.  Here in Colorado we have a nice blanket of snow on the ground and on our roof tops.  This round of snow is now melting off too quickly as the temperature has been very chilly.  When it is cold like this it takes an extra toll on our skin as well as indoor heating.  As for myself, my hands always seem to suffer the most, even when I was a teen.  Now that I am older, my face suffers as well.  But this year, I think I have finally found products that are helping my years long battle with winter.

Pictured above is my face and hand arsenal for the winter.  The two supplements pictured are Krill Oil and Evening Primrose.  I found (through reading about my symptoms) that I was deficient in my Omega 3's & 6's.  As you know these oils help with many things in the body, but they help skin as well.  Since taking them I have notice a difference and my eczema is under better control.

I am still continuing to use the Emu Oil on my face.  As well as an Emugency stick, which is like a big chapstick.  I use it on dry patches that pop up on my face, but mostly I use it as a moisturizer for my delicate eye area.  It works great and is so easy to use.  Of course Burt's Bees lip balm is wonderful.  It is pure and simple and non-irritating to my system.

And then there is hand cream.  Of course I continue to use the Out of Africa which I sometimes also use on my face as well as my hands.  But I have found a new lotion that is wonderful as well.  Its from Bee Happy located here in Erie, Colorado.  I came across their products in a little shop I happened to browse in at Christmas-time.  I have been using the lotion for a few months now and I am happy to say it is wonderful stuff.  Here is their website if you would like to check them out: http://www.beehappylipbalm.com 

Other products that I have been using and am impressed with are flower waters.  I am using lavender water and rosewater & glycerin.  Both are refreshing and versatile.  They can be sprayed on the face after washing acting as a toner.  I think the Rosewater & Glycerin is my favorite for winter.  I use it as a body spray and think that it is a great way to get a little extra moisture after lotion is applied.  I also use the Rosewater & Glycerin in my hair before I blow dry it, which gives my hair a great smell as well as moisture & softness.  These flower waters can also be sprayed on a pillow at night for some aromatherapy benefits.

So these are my winter beauty tips.  I hope that these tips help and inspire you to enjoy winter. God bless!