Ugh…so…I miss my mom. 

I always miss her…but I really miss her during Thanksgiving and Christmas time.

She always loved getting ready for holidays.  While my favorite part of the holiday season is cooking and baking lots of yummy food…her favorite part was always making fun and beautiful crafts.  She’d sit for hours on winter evenings working on homemade ornaments and gifts for her co-workers and for our family.  She loved it.

Thanksgiving weekend as I was getting out all of our Christmas decorations I really took note of all of the beautiful handiwork that was hers.   I am SO thankful we have so many decorations that she made.   

It’s like hanging beautiful precious memories all over my home.

I already shared with you about Malachi’s quilt from his Grammy.  Today I’d really like to share some of the Christmas treasures around our house…

The first year Matt and I were married, she hand-quilted us our very own Christmas tree skirt.  It is so, so pretty.  I stare at it for a long time when I put it at the base of our tree.

Every single year…until she was just too sick to create any more…Mom made all of her grandchildren their very own hand-made ornament.

I am SO glad she put the date on them.  The boys love hanging their very own “Grammy” ornaments.

Malachi doesn’t have any “Grammy” ornaments…so he gets to figure out where to put her pillow…

I was around ten years old or so when Mom first learned how to do counted cross stitch.  One of her first big projects was to make stockings for all of us.   She made a “Mom” “Dad” “Kevin” and “Laura” stocking.

When my brother and I got married…she made one for our spouses.  As we started having kids…she made a stocking for each of them.  (Giggle…Each time she found out my sister-in-law or I was expecting, she requested that we please name our new baby something with seven letters or less…so that their name would fit on a stocking!)

Mom didn’t plan on getting sick.  But she was always planning for the next craft.  That’s why there was plenty of stocking material in her “stash” even after she was too sick to make things anymore.  And that’s how…even though she’s gone…all of my kids and all of my brother’s kids still have stockings from Grammy.

There’s a lot of comfort in memories. 

What my mom created to be small Christmas gifts…turn out to be our biggest Christmas treasures.

The most beautiful decorations of all.
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This post is linked to Christmas Tour of Homes at Nesting Place.

Okay, so let’s talk sundries.  I kind of like that word, don’t you?  Sunnnndreeees.  It’s one of those words that I never use in actual conversations…but I kind of think I might start.  “Oh my, I do believe I’m running out of sundries.  Perhaps I should order various and sundry items…”

Many of you have asked if I make my own soaps, etc and what kind I use.  While I realize that making my own detergents and soaps would save  a little money, it  has not reached the top of my list yet…although it is on my list.  Lindsay at Passionate Homemaking has several good recipes you may be interested in if you want to make your own laundry detergent and deodorant.  I think it’s awesome, but I just haven’t made the time to figure it all out yet.  With the exception of inventing my own dusting solution (one part water added to four parts old rag), I’ll continue at this point to purchase the brands of soaps and lotions that I trust.

I check the EWG website to see if a product is safe and non-toxic.  Also, if it comes from Tropical Traditions or Wilderness Family Naturals…I just trust it.  Their products are always pure and safe.

All of the soaps and lotions I buy are unscented and without dyes.  Our littlest guy, Malachi, can not tolerate any kind of scent or dye with his eczema and strong scents really irritate my asthma. 

Here’s a list I came up with of sundries in my home:

• Laundry soap – I use Shaklee.  It’s the ONLY detergent I found that does not make Malachi break out.  I have family members who are Shaklee distributors who helped me finally find this detergent that works for us.  You have no idea how thankful I am.  It seems pricey…but I can make a box of detergent last a long time.  I love that our clothes smell like…nothing.    If it smells like nothing…that means CLEAN.  I don’t use fabric softener.  What’s a little static?I’ve been researching and may try using these soap nuts.  They seem to be one of the most economical non-toxic “laundry detergent” around.  My Shaklee costs about .25 per load of laundry.  Soap nuts are at least half of that.  I’ll let you know what comes of my experiment!
• Dish soap- For the past three years I’ve used Ecover.  Love it.  Love it.  Love it.  I use the lemon dish soap and the powdered dishwasher detergent.  Love it.  No spots on glasses.  Clean, clean dishes.  No fear of icky, toxic soap residue on our plates.  Love it.

• Body soap – I love the Unscented Bar Coconut Soap from Tropical Traditions.  I even use it to wash Malachi’s hair.  Again, it leaves us smelling like nothing….which is clean.  I LOVE smelling Malachi’s hair after a bath.
• Shampoo – The bigger boys and I use Giovanni 50:50 shampoo.  I buy it by the gallon.  The boys use such a small amount…the gallon lasts us a LONG time (well over a year).    I’m the only one at our house who uses conditioner, and I use Giovanni Smooth as Silk.    Matt uses Home Health Medicated Scalp Wash.

• Toothpaste – We’ve been using Creme de Peppermint from Nature’s Gate.  I’m not a fan of fluoride.  I suppose that’s another post for another day.  We really like this toothpaste.  The Creme de Mint is a little less spicy than the Peppermint, so we get the mint one for the boys.

• Lotion – I like the unscented lotion from Tropical Traditions but it’s pricey so I use it sparingly.  I mostly just use butter or coconut oil.
• Deodorant – I’ve been using this one from Tropical Traditions and I’m mostly pleased with it.  I’m looking into trying this one.  Have any of you found one that works well for you that is not an antiperspirant and doesn’t have aluminum and all that stuff?
• Chap stick – Again, Tropical Traditions.  I pretty much wait until they’re offering free shipping, then I stock up on all the items I buy from them!
• Cleaning supplies – Besides my famous water-on-old-rag solution for dusting and wiping things down, I use Shaklee’s Basic H for almost all cleaning.  That stuff is pure enough to drink (not recommending that) and does a great job of cleaning.  It is SUPER inexpensive.  A little bit goes a long way which means your bottle can last for years.
• Feminine products – Read this post to learn more about my preferences for “punctuation”.

What are your favorite sundries?  Isn’t it fun to say sundries?
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This post is linked to Works for me Wednesdays.

This is what I have to tell myself too often:  “Laura…Slow Down!”  (Yes, I talk to myself.)

Especially when I get in the kitchen.  What can I say?  I like to be efficient.  I don’t measure ingredients.  I often don’t close cabinet doors.  I usually stir together three recipes at one time. 

All of this is fine…but it can get me into trouble.  Sometimes slowing down and taking the extra two seconds to close a cabinet door (so that my tall husband doesn’t crack his head on it when he walks by) is a good thing.

So here’s what I did last week.  I’m only telling you this out of the kindness of my heart and so that you can be sure and avoid the same trouble.  Really…I’m not telling you this so that I will feel ridiculous all over the internet.  Why in the world would I do that to myself?

Anyway….last week I was making breakfast cake.  I had been a good mama and soaked the grains overnight.  I was getting an early start in the morning so that I could have the cake ready for Matt to eat before he needed to leave for work.  I was doing everything right.

I put all of the ingredients into my food processor, because I find it so much easier for my food processor to stir together my soaked grain recipes.  Otherwise my arm muscles rebel against all the stirring.

Yet that particular morning, even my food processor was having a hard time breaking up all the big clumps of soaked flour and oats.  “I’ll just push some of it down with a wooden spoon,” I thought to myself.

Yeah, you know where this is going don’t you?

Instead of turning off the food processor like a good girl…I “efficiently” poked the wooden spoon down into the thing while it was running.  Hey, I was being careful.  I know what can happen to wooden spoons when they meet up with a fast moving blade.

And then what I knew could happen…did happen.  Duh.

Ooh, I was so mad at myself.  I broke my favorite wooden spoon.  AND…I had to throw out the entire batch of breakfast cake.  Do you know how many wasted ingredients that is?  Butter…raw honey….farm fresh eggs…organic grains…  sob

Oh, and then I had no breakfast for my family.  sob

However, I figured I’d prefer to have no breakfast for my family rather than having to rush a little boy to the emergency room with a splinter in his esophagus.  At least I made that decision correctly that morning.

So, my kitchen tip for you today is this:  Don’t put wooden spoons into a running food processor. 

Oh, thank you, Laura.

You’re very welcome.
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This post is linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays.

You all know how weird I am right?  And, you all know how much I love butter right?  It’s such good stuff!   

Well, I’m pretty sure I’ve never told you one of my favorite uses for butter.

Lotion.

Uh-huh…after I butter my bread pans I just rub all the extra buttery mess all over my hands.  And sometimes, when my hands feel like they might fall off from being so dry…I just walk into the kitchen, swipe a slab of butter and rub it all over my fingers and cracked knuckles.  Ah, it feels so good.  It rubs right in and doesn’t feel greasy afterward.  (Psst…olive oil works well too!)

The good qualities in butter are actually good for your skin.  Go butter.

It’s the best lotion I’ve ever…eaten on toast.

I keep on proving how weird I am, huh?

Yeah well…

I could be boring and tell you that I also buy this lotion when it’s on sale bogo and when they offer free shipping…but that’s just not as much fun is it?

What’s your favorite lotion?  You’re welcome to also share your weirdest use for butter if you think you can outdo mine.
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More Works for me Wednesday tips here.