Make It Yourself: An Article on Sugar Scrubs and How To Make Your Own Facial Scrub

I decided this evening while waiting on supper to write a quick post containing a few Do-It-Yourself ideas. I've lately been training the horses outside a great bit so I've arrived home quite sweaty and stinky and exhausted.

Today, however, I decided to pamper myself. No puppies, no Manfriend, no ponies... just me, my book, my beer, and a nice hot relaxing bath.

With Lavender scented bath salts and some baking soda for detoxification added, I enjoyed a super hot soak while enjoying lots of lit candles, a beer, and my aforementioned book (The Second Horseman, for those who are interested)

The reason, though, for this post is not my bathing habits. While I was in that bath, I went ahead and quickly whipped up a lovely exfoliating mask of baking soda and honey. Just take a tablespoon of honey- any one will do, they all have antiseptic and antibiotic properties, mix it well with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a teaspoon of baking soda for exfoliating.

The lemon juice acts as a toner to tighten skin and close pores. Honey moisturizes and removes the bacteria within pores and baking soda acts as an exfoliator to remove dirt, dead skin cells, and open pores.

Enjoy pampering yourself!!

Realigning Energy

I post a lot about our trials and errors in the test kitchen and on the streets. I haven't posted much about our facility. There's a bit of a reason why, but all in all, that's inexcusable. See, our facility is in my home. So posting lots of pictures and talking about how and where I live isn't exactly something I want to face. Then I'd have to own the messy office/den and the dishes in the kitchen sink. But here's the thing- It shouldn't be there anyway.

My den doubles as my office and because of the double duty, collects double the mess!

Lots of people go through changes in their lives. Some people move, some change jobs, some refresh their looks. I, too, am in a transition phase: from a hardworking corporate stooge that I hated to an independent free agent who loves everything about her job. Unfortunately, my work space needs some changes, too. 

This post is more about something I learned last night than anything else. Last night I attended a get-together in which a "Clean Sweep" was the topic. This Clean Sweep "program" isn't really a program, but a reality check. It's all about energy. Ever notice how cleaning your living room makes you feel better? And not just when you clean it and the next day. The whole room feels different- as long as it stays clean. It's all about energy. Clutter in your home, in your relationships, in your finances- has a huge impact on your well being.

For example- when you make your bed, you feel better about your bedroom. It's one less thing to worry about. And even if you think you don't worry about it, you're just going to get back in it and mess it all up- it still makes an impact. Try it for a week. Make your bed and pick up all the dirty laundry or put all the clean stuff away. See if it makes a difference. 

My moment of epiphany occurred when I realized my work space was abysmal. Maybe that has been holding me back. Could that be the reason that I find it hard to concentrate? That I'm not sure what comes next? The reason I can't focus? 

After my cleaning, my desk looks SO much better! 

I even added a couple pieces of wire to hang pictures on to act as inspiration for my various projects. 

Now that I've got one area of energy remedied, my goal is to attempt to fix one or two of the issues I discovered could be affecting my well being every week. If I can fix one thing a week, imagine how much more streamlined, fluid, and harmonious my life and yours could be?