Homemade Birthday Gift Idea: Bath Salts

After my rather busy day of cleaning up the church from a girl's lock-in that I hosted the night before and making up for lost sleep, watching Madeline, and trying not to over-do it on my back, I realized in a frantic scramble that my boss's birthday was the following day. Due to medical bills with going to the chiropractor for a slipped disc, and what seems like a mounting eternal sea of bills from utilities and credit cards we are trying to pay off, as always, I have found myself a week before payday and nonetheless broke. Anyone ever feel me on that one? Pretty sure I'm not the only one.

Regardless of my financial situation, I felt compelled to at least try to come up with something, because this lady has been THE best boss I have ever had in my 11 + years in the career force. That means something when you feel like all you have done your whole life is job hop to avoid drama in low-paying jobs.

I decided it was going to have to be something homemade, and in my language, that means crafty. Something not thrown together and cheap either. 

So after some countless meanderings through Pinterest, website browsing and my reflections of our spa-pedicure theme from the sleepover at church, I decided to do something that would be relaxing and from the heart since she works very hard. 

I happened to come across a simple recipe for bath salts- and low and behold....I had all the items! 

So, if you are somewhat of a baker and a stressed-out person, you will probably have these items on hand if you ever come in a bind and would like to make something for a gift:

Bath Salts recipe-

Materials:

• Bottle or Jar
• Epsom Salts
• Food Coloring
• Perfume or Essential Oil

Instructions:
Combine the desired amount of Epsom salts (enough to fit in your bottle or jar) with food coloring. Mix well so color is even. Add your perfume or essential oil and mix again. Spread the mixture out on a sheet of wax paper to dry for a couple of hours and then put it in the bottle or jar.

While the salts can be used right away, the perfume or essential oil will blend better with the salt if it is allowed to set in the jar for a few weeks.

My resourceful husband finally became of some good use, all the random pickle and tomato paste jars he stored away could be used for the bath salts container.  I peeled off the labels, used a rubber cement picker upper to take off the sticker goo, and used some of my craft items to decorate the jar. You could leave plain, print a label or use anything of your own imagination to decorate. I used some crocheted headbands I had leftover from a previous project, ribbon and fabric. But before I show the pictures, I will show my bath salts.

I had some perfume oil that you can buy from Hobby Lobby in the candle aisle. I used Lavender scent. I took the Epsom Salts, mixed with the lavender, and then mixed red and blue food dye to create violet. 

I mixed this all together, and laid out on wax paper on a baking sheet for about an hour and a half. 

  

If you are impatient or want to give it longer, you can be decorating your jar in the process. I am always one for multi-tasking!  (You have to when you are a youth pastor, wife and mother, part-time worker, and full-time school student.)  It seemed relatively dry after this, so I funneled the salts into the jar and Voila!

What a nice touch. I loved that I could make this for her and she could enjoy. I'm anxious about her reaction tomorrow. I also didn't have any gift bags, so I took an empty zipper package that contained a set of curtains and filled with a brand new vinyl table cloth from the dollar store that I already had, hot glued to line the inside, punched holes in the sides and knotted with yarn for a handle. It actually looks pretty good.   The envelope doesn't look too classy, but that's because I have a special picture I took of her with my old 35 mm film camera and her birthday card in it. So I figured I could get away with that!

Anyway, I am pretty tired. Been playing too much on this new MacBook Pro I got for school and can't seem to part with it until I am overly tired. 

Good night, and Best Wishes on your Homemade Bath Salts Gift!

-Daphne C.

Speed Cleaning..Company's Coming!

I adore Pinterest. It is my escape from reality, which in reality, is probably very sad. However, it really helps when you are like me and have 90 million things to do and it helps me to have neat ideas for organizing my life.

Speaking of which- because I have so much to do, I often let

my home clean

ing sit on the back burner. If you can relate, then you find yourself living in a post-Hurricane Katrina living zone and can become very stressed when unexpected (or expected !) company pops up.

Here are some speed-cleaning tips I learned from several blogs and Pinterest that is starting to make my life (and hopefully yours!) easier:

1. Start with the area you usually entertain in..(ex. livingroom). Allocate bins or even a laundry basket to make a wide sweep of the area and toss mail, toys and any other unwanted items into and store in a closet or room that will not be visited until you can sort through later.

To further this- I have a large basket on the coffee table and bins on my shelves to throw things in for better organizing. Run a quick vacuum, dust buster, broom, swiffer or put down a large rug over dirty areas.

2. Hit the bathrooms. Spritz a shower cleaner/bleach (go easy!) on your tub/shower and let sit. Pour some toilet cleaner in your toilet, swish, clean toilet seat and let sit, wipe all counter surfaces, cover dirty laundry or hampers with a towel or pretty pillow/quilt.

After this, go back and rinse your tub/shower and flush your toilet.

3. Put dirty dishes in dishwasher or fill up sink with soapy water and put in dishes. If you can't do this, find a large cutting board and cover up compartment of sink with dirty dishes until company leaves. Wipe down surfaces and tables.

4. Light candles, spray a fabric/room spray or even if you have time, fill a pot with water, cinnamon, cloves, and lemon slices and as it warms will leave a welcoming scent for visitors

5. Close doors to any places you don't want visitors going- simple enough.

6. If you like to entertain, try to use your remainder time to scrounge for a

hor dourve (keep crackers, olives, tomato past, olive oil and cheese in handy)

Follow these tips and you will have a presentable house for unexpected visitors. Usually this takes about 10 min or less!

You'll find reasons for anything

When you don't understand something or it makes you angry, it is hard to find reason. It is especially hard to find reason in things that can't always be explained in black and white. Things are just that way and are better left not trying to pick them apart in analyzing them.

When it comes to God, I really don't need to defend him, because he is a mighty God and can provide what proof He feels like when he feels like it, if he feels like it is needed.

But, when reading Amos today in the bible, a simple answer came to the questions we always hear that if "God is a good God, why did/does he kill people in the bible and today?"


Well, if we don't have a peaceful, kind AND wrathful God, then would you be content with it?

Amos 1-3:15:

13 This is what the Lord says:
“The people of Ammon have sinned again and again, and I will not let them go unpunished! When they attacked Gilead to extend their borders, they ripped open pregnant women with their swords. 14 So I will send down fire on the walls of Rabbah, and all its fortresses will be destroyed. The battle will come upon them with shouts, like a whirlwind in a mighty storm. 15 And their king[c] and his princes will go into exile together,” says the Lord.



Now, looking at this passage, if this had happened to someone you know, would you not want the perpetrator to be equally punished?

No, we should not go around wishing for people to die, but God is the only judge and he judges accordingly. He is JUST not FAIR. Fair is different. It is based on what WE think is right and wrong and it is just impossible to reason with that mindset when we have no idea how to run the universe and what is really good for anyone without seeing the whole picture.

Amos has several passages in this section that claims God will punish certain peoples for the things they did.

If we want to be black and white about it, then my answer would be- if you don't want to be punished, you need to be perfect and not do anything "wrong" if you can truly not get confused on what right and wrong is. But that's impossible, you say.

Of course it is, because we don't get made right with God for doing "good" or "bad". We get a get-out-of-hell free pass by simply asking him into our hearts to restore what got messed up there since we were born into sin from the first place. Now if you don't have any more complaints, let God do his job, and you do yours by being a greatful, creation :)

The Food Diaries of Daphne: When losing is gaining - Day 2

Today was a good day. I started back classes for the fall. I am soooo tired today. Tired is an understatement. But I achieved today, and that is all that matters. It is a good tired. A satisfied tired.

Food today:

1 nutritional shake and a cup of coffee with cream and sugar (Breakfast)

Chicken gyro and dill pickle chips with a water (Lunch)

Spaghetti lasagna, pasta salad, salad and some cream soda (dinner)

Piece of lemon meringue pie (snack)

Snicker bar icecream

I was a little over-doing it today- the soda and the extra goodies was a no-no.

But I walked to class for about 50 minutes today which was about 100 calories and then me and Eric exercised after class for 45-50 minutes on the treadmill and cross-trainer (whew!) Which was about 300 calories lost.

So, I lost close to 500 calories which makes up for my 300 over calorie intake.

I love when I do that! I am exercising after our movie date tomorrow (my husband and I's 4 year anniversary!) and every day of school after that for an hour.. so I hope to be reporting some results in a month!

Night all! Good luck and stay strong on your calorie adventures.

Art Anxieties

Okay, so it was probably not the BEST idea for me to go to RateMyProfessor.com before attending my classes tomorrow. Because...now that I have read the reviews, I'm thinking I don't have the hottest teachers and it is gonna be HARD!!

Granted, I understand sometimes people are overrated, and sometimes to get what you want, you have to work hard, but this has not eased my anxieties about what is in store for me tomorrow. See, art is so relative and subjective, it really is hard to tell if you have what it takes to please the teacher to get a good grade. People tell me my artwork is good or great even (not being conceited, just stating some comments I have gotten) and then you get the teacher that gives you a grade you were totally not expecting. So, I will be doing some praying tonight that I will have favor with my teachers and can spit out enough creativity to give 'em what they want.

3d art is gonna be a doozy. Everyone tells me they barely made it through their classes which leaves me with two contradictory thoughts:

Either A) I will too do horrible and when they pick the highest GPA'S to accept us in our next level of Graphic Design I will have a fighting chance because everyone else did the same..
or B) I will have to retake the class if I don't do so well and just spend forever trying to get in

Regardless, I am hoping for a C) to pop up somewhere in the mix and will just try to remain positive,because worrying never got me anywhere except in a random place chewing my fingernails.

I am probably going overboard on this so I am just going to stop venting my anxieties and believe for the best..

Night!

The Food Diaries of Daphne: When losing is gaining - Day 1

It sucks to start back from square one, I actually debated on if I should pick up on Day 16 where I originally left off, count the full number of days since I last started and start there or just start all over, and the latter is what I stuck with since I would feel too much like a cheater.

I am always out there looking for a weight-loss success story from an average jane on the internet so I know I can there may be hope out there for the sucker like me who reads it to succeed in my own life too without feeling like I am going after the impossible.

So.. I have to be as accurate as possible if I want to make this thing happen and be real for people......
ok...........
so.............

Wayoff the subject, but.....when in the WORLD did a cricket get into my room? OMG, this is going to be a long night if it continues like this.

I was off my goal today. I started off well. I walked with Madeline (strolled, rather) for 45 minutes down the local trail near my home. I could have walked further but I was getting close to the ghetto part of town and didn't want to be peeved, sweaty and robbed, so I decided to turn it back around.

Here is what I ate today:

1 nutritional shake for breakfast

A honey roasted turkey, cheese, lettuce and mustard sandwich on whole grain bread
About 8 cheeto puffs
5 grapes
a dill pickle spear and cup of Crystal light strawberry for lunch

For a snack with Crystal (bff) I had about half of a jumbo yocake from Chill (calories on that are still unbenownst to me, but I am in the process of finding out) and a grande Caramel Frappucino Light

For dinner, I had a chicken quesadilla, and refried beans and rice.

My calorie counting was off based on some of the incorrect calculations I was trying to find in nutritional facts, but I figure I probably was over by around close to 150-200 calories.. It's hard to tell but I just felt plain out guilty for eating that yocake even though it is supposed to be relatively healthIER, so I just tacked on extra calories to satisfy my conscience.

I plan on getting some good rest tonight and start out more determined tomorrow, walking and exercise bicycling tomorrow!

Night everyone, good luck on your exercise escapades!

The Food Diaries of Daphne: Picking back up where I started

I realized how long it has been since I last posted and I realized that I let my priorities fall because I thought I was "too busy" between going to school, church and I was slacking off. So, I am back to counting my calories, exercising and making a better me. You can't give up on things in life if you want to see a difference, and that means esp. you. So I am taking my own advice.

It is weird I came to this point, because I actually just stumbled across a notebook I haven't had in awhile and one of the titles in it was "My Calling and Word from God".

What? When did I write this!? It is so funny because I have been asking God for so long about this and apparently he told me a while ago and I just simply forgot.

Sometimes, when you can't find out how you got to where you were, where you are going or what to do next, the best thing is to look back from where you are and see if you already have the answer.

CAlling and Word from God:

• minister in your current situation
• pray for others
• pray daily
• read your word daily, and study it
• pray for direction in current situation not for the future
• start a church
• finish book (eric)
• pray for compassion for others
• bless others with what you have
• seek to bring the word of god to others in every opportunity
• stop being negative and speak life and uplifting talk
• worship often
• read the word to maddie
• speak encouragement and pray to and for your family

I'm really excited because I know if I can exercise for an hour a day, I will pretty much be able to eat (with in reason) what I want. I am down to 180 lbs, but I have been bad for not tracking and I notice I have not been eating a consistent breakfast.

School starts next week, but now I have a better excuse to stay on track, I can run by the gym I discovered and workout right after classes.

I will update my calories for today, I plan on getting on the exercise bike today for 20 min and do 40 in Dancing with the Stars for my exercise)