Brown Sugar Body Scrub

She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. (Proverbs 31:13)

At the bottom of the closet in our spare bedroom, there is a large Rubbermaid tub. The tub belongs to me and holds a variety of interesting items: vegetable glycerin, oatmeal, aloe vera jelly, brown sugar, joboba oil, olive oil, several essential oils, Epsom and Kosher salts, honey, as well as many measuring cups and spoons. I call these items the tools of my trade.

Whenever I bring my tub down to the kitchen JT usually says, “Hmm, I see my little alchemist is about to begin her work. I wonder what she’ll be making today.” I love to mix up heavenly-scented, skin pampering treats for me and my friends.

One of my favorite treats to make is a brown sugar body scrub. I found this simple recipe online a while ago, but I do not recall where I found it. It makes a thick, rich sugar scrub that leaves your skin soft, smooth, and smelling delicious!

Simple Brown Sugar Scrub
1 cup ground oatmeal (I use our blender to grind it.)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Epsom salt
½ cup scented body lotion
¼ cup baby oil

Combine oatmeal, white sugar, brown sugar, and Epsom salt in a large bowl. Add the baby oil and lotion and stir into a thick paste. This makes enough scrub to fill a 16 ounce container.

To use: Stir the scrub to redistribute the oils that have risen to the top. Apply the scrub in the shower after your skin has been cleansed. Place a bit of the scrub in your hand or onto a bath mitt and massage it into your skin (from your shoulders to your feet) using gentle circular motions. Do not rub too vigorously or you will scratch and damage your skin. Rinse with warm water, pat yourself dry, and apply lotion to your skin. When done, be sure to rinse out the tub and shower fully because the oils in the scrub will make it slippery.

Though this recipe is great as is, I’ve modified it to include more natural products such as aloe vera jelly and jojoba oil. Tinker with the recipe to customize it to your liking. Play with the ingredients to create a scrub that suits your skin type (dry or oily) and matches your scent preferences.

If you’re interested in creating more homemade scrubs, check these websites. They’re some of my favorite places to visit:

Belle City Soapworks
From Nature With Love
Robbie’s Recipes

One Green Thumb and a Few Red Berries

The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. (Zechariah 8:12)

A few weeks ago, we took a family trip to Lowe’s to buy some flowers for the yard. Sweet Pea loves to dig in the dirt, so I planned to buy some herbs and let her help me plant them in pots. I also figured I could teach her some things about plants as she tended the herbs.

As we neared the basil, peppermint, and chives, Sweet Pea noticed an advertisement for strawberry plants. “Mommy, can we make strawberries?” she asked. I laughed at her desire to ‘make’ strawberries and responded, “You bet! We’ll make strawberries together!”

We took the strawberry plant home, potted it, and have been watching it grow. It has been doing well, so well that a few strawberries are ready to be eaten! Yesterday, I allowed Sweet Pea to have the honor of picking and eating her first homegrown strawberry. When you see her, ask her about her strawberries. She’ll be happy to tell you all about them!

Another Year!

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart (Jeremiah 1:5a)

Yesterday was JT’s birthday, so we celebrated with a date night dinner. We put the children to bed, left them with the babysitter, and enjoyed dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.

I am so very thankful that God has allowed my husband to enjoy another birthday! He is a great man, one who has been a wonderful friend to me and a dynamic father to our children.

Happy Birthday Baby! The girls and I love you very, very, very much!