Beer Soap

I have two craft fairs at church coming up and I've decided to try selling some soap. It seemed like a no-pressure environment I could live with.

I have made tons of recipes and am intrigued by tons more. There are endless combinations of ingredients that can do wonderful things for your skin and senses. It is all a bit overwhelming. I finally decided that I needed to come up with one single gimmick for these craft fairs in order to keep things simple and easy to manage. I settled on beer soap.

Beer is full of great properties that are nourishing and beneficial for your skin. The hops, wheat, oats, etc are all full of vitamins and minerals. Some other benefits of hops are that it soothes irritated skin; contains polyphenols thought to account for its anti-bacterial and preservative effects (beer's long life); and contains skin-softening amino acids. The yeast is also rich in nutrients and naturally anti-bacterial which can be good for acne and other skin problems. It is also soothing and moisturizing. Last, but not least, beer produces a great lather. With all of these attributes, combined with it's uniqueness, I think this is the best way for me to go.

I went to the store today and chose three beers: Pumpkin Ale (I'll use my shea butter recipe with this one), Double Chocolate Stout and Milk Stout. I will be spending the next several days huddled over my stove and stick mixer making my yummy fall and winter beer soaps.

Wish me luck!!

Groupon

If you don't know what Groupon is yet, you need to check it out.

A different deal will be emailed to you every day. I don't think I've ever seen a groupon for less than 50% off it's regular price. The item or service can be anything. I've seen restaurants, beauty treatments, museum memberships, fitness sessions....you name it. You can look at the deal of the day and decide if you want it. I've only taken advantage of two thus far, but I have been more than pleased with those two purchases.

The first was $50 at the Gap for $25. Micah scored some new work clothes.

The second was this morning and I'm so excited! I purchased a photography class and practice session with two local, successful photographers. This particular workshop is on "Capturing True Emotion" and is for all skill levels. According to Groupon, they normally charge $450 for workshop/practice combo. I purchased it for $49!!

I can't wait!! I just have to check hubby's schedule to find a time that works. Shouldn't be a problem though since he's been out of the country for 8 days so far (10 total) and owes me. ;-)

Appreciation

I have the distinct pleasure/honor/responsibility of waking up before everyone else in my family. Everything just runs a little more smoothly in the mornings if I'm up and ready to go before the hustle and bustle begin.

Just the other morning, I was walking down the stairs to get my coffee when I spotted a huge flock of quail outside through the window on the stairs. I quickly grabbed my camera and ran outside to photograph them. They were enjoying the cool(ish) morning and taking advantage of the time to play on the street before everyone started on their way to work and school. Within minutes of taking the photos, they quickly scurried back into hiding.

I suppose there was nothing extraordinary about the moment other than that I took the time to actually appreciate something to which I may have been the only witness - especially because I rarely appreciate having to wake up first.

This moment (among others) has also made me want to invest in a super telephoto lens. Time to start saving!

Goin' on a bear hunt....

Based on a suggestion from a friend who read the previous blog post, I thought I'd take #2 to Hole-in-the-Rock at Papago Park today.

The very first words out of her mouth every morning, without fail are: "Where are we going today?" This morning, I responded "Oh, I thought we'd go find a bear cave." She literally squealed "WITH GOD?!?!"

The princess shirt and sparkly pink shoes were chosen specifically for the adventure. Can't go bear hunting in anything less.

We searched every "cave" we could find. Alas, no bears. We speculated on where they might be...perhaps just out for the day. We also talked about how God was all around us and the importance of that.

We went next door to the zoo so she could see a bear.

Be Not Afraid...of bears

I had to write this one down before I forgot.

This was a brief exchange #2 and I had during mass this morning.

Cantor: "Please turn to #170 in you Spirit and Song books. 'Be Not Afraid'"

#2: Turns to me and says, "Mommy, sometimes I'm afraid."

Me: "Well, this song is about how we don't have to be afraid because God is always with us."

#2: "Even in bear caves?"

Me: "Yes, even in bear caves."

#2: After intensely pondering this concept for a couple of seconds...."Maybe tomorrow, can we go to a bear cave with God?"

Me: "Yes, maybe we can."

#2: Huge grin

Anyone know where I can find a bear cave in Phoenix?

Fun with whole grains

This past weekend, our produce co-op offered 25 pounds of beans and grains for $22 and I couldn't pass it up. We got 5lb bags each of green split peas, garbanzo beans, pearl barley, whole wheat and lentils. While I have cooked with each of these a little bit in the past, I usually don't have these huge bags sitting around, so I've been having a lot of fun trying new recipes. Micah and I have been talking about modifying our gluten intake recently anyway, so the timing was pretty perfect.

We've enjoyed barley and eggs every morning for breakfast. We can't believe how filling it is...so much more so than our usual bowl of cereal! I made a crock pot split pea soup (also incredibly filling) for the first time - also delicious. We've had a brown rice and lentil chicken dish and I'll be making a garbanzo bean and tomato soup in the next day or two (have to soak the beans first)

But my favorite discovery so far has been the spicy roasted garbanzo beans. Think corn nuts, but healthier.

Soak your beans over night. Pat dry. Put in a bowl with a little bit of olive oil, sea salt and the spice of your choice (cayenne, curry - I chose turmeric). Put on baking sheet in single layer and bake on 400 for about 40-45 minutes.

#1 begged me for some to take to school and hubby gladly helped himself to some for work.

Yummy crunchy snack!