by Heidi Schulz | Oct 6, 2011 | Heidi Bosses You, Make Me
Have I mentioned that I’m utterly in love with fall? Only every. single. day.
Well, I am. I’m practically giddy with changing leaves, cool mornings and pumpkin patches. Even the rain is making me happy right now. It just feels so cozy. I know by the time February rolls around I’ll be singing a different song (one that uses the words “water-boarding”) but right now, I’m in seventh heaven.
I’ve been seeing a nutmeg, cinnamon and honey facial scrub popping up on pinterest quite a lot lately. Something weird to put on my face and yummy fall spices? I’m all over it.
Purported benefits: Nutmeg and honey are both anti-inflammatory, good for calming red skin and acne. Also both cinnamon and nutmeg are great exfoliants, helping to reduce blackheads.
Added bonus: Yummy.
Since Newt seems to be so fascinated with smearing mud on her face, I thought she might enjoy trying out this scrub with me.
I made it by mixing a couple of tablespoons of raw honey with a teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg. It made a thick, sticky paste. Getting our fingertips slightly wet helped to thin it enough to slather it on our faces.
The original recipe suggested leaving the mixture on for 30 minutes, but my face started to feel a bit warm and itchy after only ten. Plus it was making me hungry.
Time to rinse.
We took turns splashing our faces with warm water, taking time to gently scrub.
Thankfully that slight itchy discomfort went right away. After toweling off, my skin felt soft and smooth. So did Newt’s but she’s only ten; her skin always feels that way.
I’m not sure it’s gentle enough to use often, but as an occasional scrub, I liked it.
When I asked Newt’s opinion, she said, “It was scrubby and it tasted good. I’d probably use it like every… two times every year.”
We may have to come up with another use for the leftovers. I’m thinking about putting it on toast.
Are you on Pinterest? Has it inspired you to try anything crazy new?
Read more about my sweet skincare:
Honey Challenge: Before
Honey Challenge: Update #1
Honey Challenge: Update #2
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by Heidi Schulz | Sep 22, 2011 | Heidi Bosses You, Homeschooling, Make Me
Newt has been feeling a bit under the weather the last couple of days. Nothing drastic, just a case of the sniffles. I’ve been loading her up on home remedies, extra vitamin C and cabbage soup. But I know that the best thing you can do for yourself when you are not feeling 100% is rest.
I think rest for the mind can be just as important as rest for the body. We’ve spent the last couple of days taking it easy, listening to books on CD or visiting while doing some crafting.
I love needle felting; it’s such a soothing craft. The wool is wonderfully soft, and the rhythmic poke of the felting needle can be almost meditative. It was the perfect activity for a homeschool sick day.
Newt has done a little felting with me in the past, but only flat designs. This was the first time she attempted something three-dimensional. She decided to make a little doll. I created a framework for her from pipe cleaners. Then I showed her how to cover the framework with wool and use her needle to shape and sculpt the wool into what she wanted.
All together she spent about four hours on her work.
Here is her finished piece:
I wish you could see the wonderful detail she has crafted into it, especially the hair. She did a really good job, and can’t wait to try something new.
This is what I made:
I know it’s a bit early for Nativity scenes, but I was thinking of making a few to sell. What do you think?
We have a lot of activities planned for the rest of the week. I’m hoping this restful, quiet day has helped preserve some energy and that Newt will be feeling all better soon.
If not, I may need to order some more wool.
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by Heidi Schulz | Sep 19, 2011 | Heidi and Her Family, Heidi Bosses You, Make Me
Are you sick of hearing about my hair yet?
No? ‘K good.
I finally went in to see Mindy, my hairdresser, on Friday. There are three things you must know about our relationship.
- I firmly believe with all my heart that Mindy is awesome.
- Mindy has been doing my hair for 15 years. Even when I moved 3000 miles away for three years, I still managed to squeeze in a cut and a color when I visited home.
- I would never, ever consider going anywhere else. Seriously. Even if it was free. Even if *Vidal Sassoon him(her?)self held the scissors.
Mindy cut Newt’s hair first. She looked over at me while she was cutting and said, “Your hair looks great. What color is that?” I detected a hint of suspicion in her voice. Doesn’t she know the depths of my devotion? She thought I was cheating on her!
I proudly explained that my hair color is au natural, due to no ‘poo. (Remember? Once I stopped using shampoo the color changed?)
Mindy was intrigued. Then she cut my hair (dry cut, so as to not have to mess with shampoo thank-you-very-much). Her verdict? My hair is in awesome condition. It’s strong, smooth, and shiny!
No ‘poo wins! Yay for baking soda!
Here’s a beauty shot of Newt and I (with Walt, who did not get a new haircut) sporting our new ‘dos at the Oktoberfest.
Yes, I know it is not October yet. We live in Oregon. It rains here in October. And Septemberfest doesn’t sound cool.
Here are some other random characters we ran into this weekend:
I spy a waxed mustache in the wild!
What’s German for adorable? Cüte?
And then there was that guy… there are **no words.
Speaking of no words, last week Newt painted this gnome.
It’s wearing a prison jumpsuit…
Hope your Monday is full of unexpected surprises.
*I have no idea if Vidal Sassoon is a real person, but with a name like that I certainly hope so. Can’t you just see little Vidal getting ready for the first day of school with his(her?) name stitched in his(her?) coat, holding a Scooby-Doo lunchbox and a box of new pencils?
No?
Maybe it’s just me.
**No good words. There is, however, a really bad pun. Ready for it? Here goes: I wonder if he’s Tongan! Get it? Tong-an uh… nevermind. I should have stuck with no words.
P.S.: Thanks for the lovely comments and emails from Friday’s post. I wasn’t fishing for compliments, but I won’t throw them back!
Linking up with Miss Elaine-ous Monday.
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by Heidi Schulz | Sep 5, 2011 | Heidi Bosses You, Make Me
I’ll bet you’ve been asking yourself: I wonder how Heidi’s no ‘poo experiment is going?
No? You haven’t?
Oh… Okay…
You know I’m going to tell you anyway, right?
Right.
It’s been over a month since I last used shampoo and it’s going great!
Here’s actual photo evidence:
That picture was taken first thing in the morning. I had not even brushed my hair yet. There is no reason for showing you an unbrushed photo. It would have looked nicer if I had bothered, but it was Saturday morning and I didn’t feel like it. Sorry. (I’m not really sorry.)
Even so, not too bad, right?
Observations:
I wash my hair with baking soda and water and condition with diluted apple cider vinegar. I do this every third day or so. My hair looks best on day two for some reason. By the end of day three, I think it looks a bit greasy but not terrible. Pretty much how it used to look after a day or so of not shampooing, so that’s a win.
Sometimes my scalp feels a bit itchy up top. This is the area I “scrub” the most when I wash with the baking soda. It may be getting dry? I tried adding some tea-tree oil to yesterday’s wash and no itch yet, so cross your fingers. I have heard that itchiness can be a normal part of the adjustment period.
My hair has continued to lighten. At first I thought that the baking soda had been stripping out old color, but the area I notice the most lightning! lightening in is at the crown. I haven’t colored my hair in months; there surely was no color there to begin with. The good news is: I really like the new color.
I need a trim, but that has nothing to do with anything… Except laziness.
I’m sensing a theme this morning.
When I finally get around to driving the eight miles required to go visit my super awesome hairdresser, I’ll be curious to see what she thinks of the condition of my hair.
Also, should I ask her not to shampoo my hair that day? Perhaps condition only? Or will it matter? Your thoughts?
She might think I’m weird if I ask her to skip the shampoo…
On second thought, she’s been doing my hair for 15 years. I’m sure she probably already thinks knows I am.
Lastly, one of my friends recently said to me, “Heidi, I haven’t ‘pooed since Saturday.” Only, I heard, “Heidi, I haven’t pooed since Saturday.”
My first reaction? Why are you telling me that?
My second? Try a green smoothie.
Googlers who have no idea why I’m trying to solve your painful problem with haircare, that is my advice to you as well. And maybe try to drink more water.
You’re welcome.
Unrelated: Happy Labor Day! What do you like to put in your potato salad? Tell me about it on Frantically Simple’s Facebook page.
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by Heidi Schulz | Aug 29, 2011 | Heidi Bosses You, Make Me, Tricks and Tips
Mondays are for housework at my house. I find it’s a great way to get the week started fresh – and after the weekend, our home always needs a bit of a sprucing up.
This house has laminate floors (I know, I like hardwood better too, but this is what we have.) For convenience, I like to use a Swiffer wet-jet to mop, but I don’t really like the stuff that comes in the refill bottles.
It seems to leave a film on my floor.
It smells too strong.
And oh mylanta! it’s expensive.
I wanted to refill the bottle with my own solution, but those evil corporate geniuses that created it did not intend for the bottle to be refillable.
However, I’m not one to take no for an answer so I found a way to do it anyway.
First boil about a cup of water. Use the stove top or microwave. Pour water into a coffee cup. Carefully (don’t burn yourself) soak the cap end of your swiffer wet jet bottle in the hot water for a minute or two.
Remove the bottle from the water and dry it off. Use a wrench or pliers and a tiny bit of elbow grease to remove the cap.
Rinse it out and refill with your own solution. I added 1/4 cup of white vinegar and few drops of lavender essential oil to my empty bottle, then filled it to the top with warm water. Twist cap back on. You will see that it goes on tight and will not leak.
Hmm… now to find something to keep me from having to waste my money on those disposable pads.
How about an old washcloth? Yes!
I used binder clips to attach one to my swiffer head, being careful not to cover the nozzle that the cleaner sprays from.
How does it work? Better than ever!
My floors feel so much cleaner – no sticky filmy residue.
There is no cloying perfumy smell. In fact, once they have dried there’s no scent at all other than a faint hint of lavender.
I have nothing to throw away when I am done mopping, so there is no waste.
Best of all, my refill costs only a few cents.
Mondays are looking even better around here.
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by Heidi Schulz | Aug 15, 2011 | Heidi Bosses You, Make Me
A couple of weeks ago I showed you a few simple things I did to improve the look of my living room. Namely, moving a large mirror above the couch and creating a wreath and family silhouettes.
Sorry about the glare – here’s a side shot of the silhouettes that is a bit more clear.
I remember doing silhouette portraits in grade school. I stood where the light from an overhead projector could cast the shadow of my profile onto a piece of paper tacked to the wall. I remember having to stand as still as I could while my teacher traced the shadow for me to cut out.
Since I don’t have an overhead projector and I don’t think I could get my family to stand still for that long, I made mine the easy way.
Step 1
Take a profile photograph.
Step 2
Print on card stock and cut out. I like to use an xacto knife
and my handy glass cutting mat
(though a sharp pair of scissors and a steady hand will work too).
Step 3
Turn photo over to blank side and paint black (or whatever color you like) with craft paint.
Step 4
Mount on background paper, mat if desired, and frame.
I used pages from an old paperback Harry Potter book as my background.
(I had used the covers a long time ago to make Newt some spiral notebooks.)
After hanging my silhouettes, I needed something to balance them out. I remembered seeing this book wreath tutorial online. I also remembered that my really cute niece had made a really cute one herself, and I still had a whole lot of Harry Potter pages left.
Here are a few more shots of the finished product:
Now I can curl up with a good book, under the pages of a good book. What do you think?
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