Saturday, December 20, 2014

First Week of Vegetating


Hi all -- What've we been up to? The girls have spent a lot of time staring at screens, recovering from many months of "screen-deprivation," a.k.a. "school." Hmm. Adam threatened to turn off their internet, or change the Netflix password, whichever worked better. They went from watching on separate screens to watching together, sharing a pair of headphones. Thus they claimed to be engaging in a family bonding activity.


Together we've watched While You Were Sleeping, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, A Christmas Story.
Beau likes the couch too :)
 I snipped out a few oblong snowflakes for the front window. It felt festive. The pretty tree is a paper cut-out I did years ago at a ladies' gathering, with quite a bit of help. It's lovely.

 I finally bit the bullet and made some home-made deodorant. Did you know that almost all store brand deodorants and antiperspirants contain aluminum? Many people think that is cancer-causing, and it can't be good to slather a lot of it right near your lymph nodes each day. I used some aluminum-free deodorant for a couple of years -- Arm and Hammer, I think. Then I tried Tom's deodorant, but I was allergic to it. In frustration I switched back to trusty old Suave, but I really wanted to use something natural. Finally I made my own:
 I made 3 bars, 4 oz. each. I've been using this deodorant (I don't need antiperspirant) for several days, and I love it. It works very well, smells nice, applies easily. It's perfect. I keep it in a little ramekin on my dresser, with a bit of plastic wrapper around one edge so I can hold it. And it costs a fraction of what those pricey natural deodorants cost.
We've had a banner year of pecans, as I've said before. Adam has been cracking and picking.
 Tonight I made these for our Christmas church service/reception tomorrow night.
pretzels, Rolos, pecans, powdered sugar
 And on Monday, Peter comes home!!!!! Squeeeee! We bought two boxes of his favorite cereal. That should last him a couple of days. Now ... to empty the milk aisle.
 And for you ladies wondering (Rebecca, Sarah, Mags) -- here's a photo of my nails, mere moments ago. I've done a lot of typing, piano playing, tons of knitting/crocheting, dish washing, 3 soaks in the bathtub, and regular living, and they still look great. But it's only 3 days so far.

7 comments:

melissa said...

You're so darn clever with all your creating. :)

And happy you have your girls to be around. So sweet. As to the nails, our daughters have used the Jamberries and enjoyed them too. Yours look fine!

Sarah said...

Yay!

Kezzie said...

Ha, I like their way of getting round it!!! I've had a lovely 2 days of frantic cleaning and cooking and then entertaining friends and family (we don't do it very often!) both successfully!
I share your concerns about the deodorant- I tried to use aluminium-free ones for ages but they reaally don't work for me- I really need an antiperspirant! Do you have a recipe at all I could borrow for yours as I'd totally give it a go (as would my Mum- she likes Alum free as well!)x

Lisa Richards said...

Ah, I want to watch While You Were Sleeping again! But I have enough movies to last me for a few days!
I love the natural deodorant I made a while back. It seems to work even better than the store bought ones.
I was going to make my mom's fruitcake recipe this Christmas, but I figured after buying the pecans, dates and maraschino cherries it would cost me about $20 per loaf!!! Nope! :) Jazzy nails!

Lisa Richards said...

I can't comment on the girls staring at screens. I've been doing the same thing all weekend. lol!

Mary Ann Potter said...

Ah, the couch, tv, and other winter pleasures! "Downton Abbey" starts on Sunday, Jan. 4. More reasons to turn on the tv!

M.K. said...

Hi, Kezzie -- will email you with it :)