Yikes! More Snow!

It's been snowing off and on in my neck of the woods ever since last month, and it doesn't seem like it'll be slowing down anytime soon! I was just telling someone not too long ago that we haven't really gotten as much snow as we usually do. Well, I should've kept my big mouth shut because now there is a blizzard warning in effect. I can't remember the last time we had a blizzard. It must have been forever ago!


In addition to the blizzard warning, we also have a flood watch and winter storm advisory in effect. It is also reported that there will be crippling ice.


The snow started early this morning and is suppose to continue all the way until Wednesday evening. I went outside today and all I could say was "Yikes!"

If we have this much snow already (which we got just in a few hours) I dread to think what it will be like by the end of Wednesday.

It's no wonder there's been many years where we got so much snow toward the end of the winter, that snow was still on the ground slowly melting in the spring. I'm sure you can imagine how odd it was seeing snow outside while it was 60 degrees.

But I guess nothing surprises me anymore since I know mother nature will do what she pleases. I remember my father telling me about a blizzard we had in the middle of April one year! I'm glad to say that hasn't happened since. (I hope I didn't just jinks us!)

Well, in any event, hopefully the weather man was wrong and the blizzard will pass right by us. I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Homemade Whipped Shea Butter Cream

These cold winter days in Wisconsin has reeked havoc on my skin! As a result I experimented by making my own whipped Shea butter. There are only 2 ingredients that are needed to make this. They are Shea butter and Castor oil. Castor oil is one of my favorite products. I have been using it on my skin and hair over the last few months and I love it!

I have also used Shea butter many times to combat dry skin, therefore, I started thinking one day "I wonder what would happen if I mix the two?". Well, what happened was pure fabulousness! It moisturized my skin (and hair) very well and went on smoothly.



To Make:

Take equal amounts of pure, unrefined Shea butter and Castor oil then place in a bowl. (I used approximately 1/2 cup of each.)




Next, mix the Shea butter and Castor oil together mashing it with a fork.

Once You have mashed it together, mix it with an electric mixer.


Mix it until it becomes fully mixed. You will know when it's done because it will become very fluffy and creamy.




Once it was finished, I removed the left over Shea butter from the original container it came in, then filled it up with the new mixture.

I also put a little of this in a smaller container to use just for my hands.

The inside of the container is porcelain, therefore, I could have just put the cream in there as is. However, I decided to line it with waxed paper first in hopes of somewhat preserving it.

First, I cut a small piece of waxed paper.


Then I placed it in the container and trimmed the excess paper.

Once I lined it, I just filled it by scooping up some of the cream with a spoon.

Clean up was fairly easy. I washed the dishes I used by hand. I just let the dishes soak in hot, soapy water (not too hot to touch), then I placed another drop of dish washing liquid on each dish before cleaning with a sponge.


All of the dishes ended up completely spotless and no grease or residue was left behind at all.

Please keep in mind that the shea butter cream works best when applied to damp or wet skin. Therefore, you may want to apply it directly after getting out of the shower or tub.

Also, If you are experiencing very dry or chapped skin, you may want to apply aloe vera gel to your skin, then immediately follow up with this whipped Shea butter cream. It will give your skin extra hydration by locking in the moisture from the aloe vera gel. I tried this and my skin felt twice as good as when I used either of them alone. (Although they feel great by themselves).

This also makes a very good hair pomade. Please be aware that a LITTLE goes a very long way. If you have naturally straight and/or fine hair, you will want to use a very small amount. You may even want to melt it first and apply it as a liquid. Using too much will weigh down your hair.

I hope you enjoy!

Learning to Knit

Well, today I started working on my list of things I wanted to learn this year (Things I want to learn before I have children). The first thing I started on was knitting.

Yesterday my mother and I went to purchase my very own knitting needles and some yarn, and today she gave me my first lesson (well, my first lesson in over a decade!).

Today she showed me the basics on how to make the slip knot and some basic stitching. I was able to stitch a few rows (see the photo above). She even showed me how to make pearls which she uses when she makes baby booties. I didn't quite get the pearls though...I think I was having coordination issues! LOL Hopefully I will be able to do those next week when she gives me my next lesson.

Overall, I am very pleased by how quickly I caught on to the basics. It was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be...I don't know why I was so intimidated before. I am very excited about my next lesson and I can't wait to start making things. I'll be sharing knitting projects with you all in no time! (Hopefully! LOL)