Lavender Skin Salve

As much as I don't want to admit it, Winter is right around the corner. Having actually admitted that I thought it would be smart to prepare myself a little bit for the long months ahead, and one way to do that is making sure I have something for my dry skin. I tend to wash my hands a lot during cold season, (who doesn't) so my hands get really dry. Lavender essential oil is great for dry itchy skin, so I mixed up a little salve this morning. With only a few ingredients it was super easy, and fun to make with my little helper. It turned out so silky, and smells amazing. This would make a great Christmas gift for friends and family who have eczema, dry skin, or just because.

You will need:
2 Tbs. Beeswax pellets
4 Tbs. Jojoba Oil
15 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
4 Drops Vitamin E Oil

Method:
 Heat water in a saucepan. Place glass jar in the water and combine beeswax and jojoba oil. Stir until melted. Add essential oil and vitamin e oil. Pour into storage container. Use on dry skin, burns, bug bites, or just about anything. :) Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

As you will notice this lunch is not in our usual planetbox. :( Lately B has come home with his backpack so stuffed full and heavy I am concerned for his little 6 year old back. The weight of the planetbox and his stainless steel water bottle along with library books, his folder, sneakers, and random fundraiser papers that always seem to come home, we end up with a heavy load. I decided to try a lighter lunch container a few days a week. This once is from http://www.easylunchboxes.com/, and is made from bpa and phalphate free plastic. So far it has worked well for us, although I will always prefer the non-plastic planetbox. (I feel like I can't say that enough.)

In this lunch:
Pinwheels, cream cheese mixed with carrots, olives and spinach
Ham, Cheese and tomato kabobs
Kiwi
Herbal Popcorn

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Mixed Berry Muffins, egg free

I made these muffins for B's last soccer game this past weekend. I had snack duty, so I thought it would be fun to add a touch of Halloween for the kids. They loved it! I had these muffin cups and ghost picks, so I added a couple blueberries to the top for a cute display.

You will need:
2 c. all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 c. raw sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 c. organic mixed berries, extra for topping if desired
1/4 c. applesauce
3/4 c. milk
1 tbs. ground flax mixed with 3 tbs warm water. Let sit until clump forms.

Method:
Mix all ingredients and bake at 400 for about 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Halloween Mummy Cookie Pop's

Halloween is huge in my house. The boys absolutely love Halloween, and have declared it their favorite day of the year. I am always combing the internet for fun Halloween craft ideas, so when I saw these mummy pop's I instantly added them to the list. I saw they at howdoesshe.com You can view the post here. I used glutino chocolate sandwich cookies instead of Oreos, but use what suits you best. I made these with my 4 year old, so things got a little messy. We had fun though. :)

You will need:
Newmanos, glutinous, or oreo cookies
Lolly pop sticks
Melting White Chocolate
Mini Chocolate Chips
Parchment paper

Method:
Melt chocolate in double boiler, or microwave.
 Dip the tip of a lolly stick into the melted chocolate. Open the cookie and place the stick into the cookie frosting. Put the cookie back together and dip the cookie into the melted chocolate. Place on parchment paper to cool. Add mini chocolate chips for eyes.  Once cooled, spoon the extra melted chocolate into a plastic bag and cut the corner to allow a thin line of chocolate to squeeze out. Make your mummy lines as desired.

bjjThanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

Happy Monday! We had such a busy birthday weekend, with R turning 4. Can you believe it? It is so crazy to me that I now have a four and six year olds. They really do grow way too fast. :)

Life has been very busy lately. I am averaging about one blog post per week, which is going to have to do for now however, I am looking into some exciting blog development options, stay tuned.

In this lunch:
Ham and Cheese Pitas
Herbal Popcorn
Fruit kabobs
Cukes with Ranch dressing

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

A super easy school lunch is one that includes leftovers. We had pasta salad leftover in the fridge so using it in B's lunch was a great idea. I rolled up some ham and cheese, added crackers, and kiwi too. The little chocolate things you see in the center are power bites. View my recipe here.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Homemade Vanilla Latte

A warm latte on a fall day is one of my little loves, but they tend to come with a high price tag. Rather than paying the on the go price I decided to mess around with a homemade version. Seriously, it came out great. I love to make a vanilla latte, put it in a to go cup, and enjoy it during my B's early morning soccer games. If you cringe every time you spend money on a latte you might want to make your own too.

You will need:
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. coffee, brewed strong
1 tbs. pure vanilla extract
sugar

Method:
Heat milk in saucepan over medium heat until you see small bubbles.
Add vanilla, and pour into blender. Blend until you see the milk begin to foam. Make sure you use a regular blender and not a small bullet blender. I had a burn incident doing this. :(
Pour coffee into mug with desired amount of sugar. Add hot milk to coffee. I use a spoon to scoop the foam onto the top. Delicious!

Thanks for visiting, Kayla