_Now once again I got the basics of this recipe off of A Sonoma Garden.  Her recipe calls for olive oil but I used grape seed oil instead.  I also omitted the essential oil because I felt that the grape seed oil and beeswax combination made a wonderful natural scent... so I left it as is.  I also want to point out that this lotion is a bit greasy.  So if you already have oily skin you may or may not like it... but for someone like me who is from the desert and has very dry skin... I absolutely LOVE lathering up in this after a bath or shower.  My skin soaks it right up! 

1 cup of grape seed oil
1/2 cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup beeswax (I think next time I'm going to add a little bit less)
1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil

Combine both the grape seed oil and coconut oil with the beeswax in a mason jar.  Set the jar in a pot filled with water high enough to cover the oils and beeswax within the jar.  Be careful not to let any water enter the jar itself.  Bring the temperature to medium/low and stir until all ingredients are completely melted.  You then remove it from the heat and let stand at room temperature stirring occasionally until it has solidified.  Now is when you can put your few drops of Vitamin E oil and essential oils if you choose.

Now right now my camera is broken so I could only take pictures with my phone... but for more details don't forget to check out A Sonoma Garden!

And HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Oh how I've missed you! As I wrote in my last post before taking some time off from blogging, we've had several things going on around our household and family.  Birthdays, Anniversaries, Holidays etc.  Things are just now beginning to settle down and although I had every intention on coming back to the blogging world, I must admit I was highly motivated by dear friends of mine asking if I've updated this blog and that they've periodically looked in to see what new things I had posted.  It truly made my heart fill with joy and warmth knowing that I was missed.

So here I am again!  I have so much to share with you!  I am still going to keep my Wordless Wednesdays and Words to Ponder Sundays because we all need a little beauty in our lives both visually and intellectually.  Of course as I type this I realize it IS Wednesday!  Ha!  So no worries... I'll leave you with something pretty at the end... but the "words" are still here. 

So let's talk a bit about what EVERYONE is talking about this time of year... New Year's Resolutions!  I have a handful this year...  they are very important to me, and instead of trying to do them every single day, which of course I would most likely fail at... My approach to my resolutions is to be aware of them and make them a part of me.  This way when a day goes by where I haven't cleaned or said a kind word to my husband, I won't feel like I failed.  What I AM vowing to do on a daily basis is to meditate on the things I want to change in my life.  The more I meditate on these things, the more I'm aware of them and the more likely I am to absorb and accomplish my new way of acting and thinking.  So what are these resolutions of mine?  Here they are in no particular order...

• Make myself and my marriage a priority again.
• Connect more with my spirituality
  
• Become a Homemaker I can be proud of!

Some of you might be a little confused by my last one.  You may be saying... doesn't this woman have a perfectly clean house, dinner on the table every night, and perfectly well behaved children to where she can accomplish these tasks every day?  I mean she must... look at her blog!  Let me be perfectly honest with you, this is not the life I lead.  This blog is merely a working sketch of what I hope to become.  It's where I come to meditate and where I come to rehearse.  It's both my reality and my fantasy.  And mostly it's my inspiration... because when you, my readers, tell me I've inspired and touched you it motivates me to be better and to do more.  So thanks for sticking around... YOU'RE what makes this blog magickal! 

Here's what's to come... I can't wait!!
A new lotion!
Herbs! Herbs! Herbs!
Recipes of course!
I have TONS of new Favorite Things!
Crocheting!