For the sake of homemade beauty

This morning my face is green with honey and clay. My hair is also green, coated with henna and piled in a great mound on top of my head. Time was spent yesterday over a double boiler, melting and blending cocoa butter and coconut oil, creating a golden liquid that will keep my skin healthy and (hopefully)wrinkles to a minimum. There is a bottle of witch hazel on my bathroom counter that is now a deep, mossy shade of green, courtesy of the green tea and bee pollen that was added to it almost two weeks ago.
Each ingredient researched. Small batches made to test. Pretty jars bought to hold the larger batches when a recipe works.
It takes a bit more thought and effort to make these items. It takes truck loads more will power to not pay attention to all the commercials. Fancy containers with contents promising to make me look like the luminous woman on the screen. Then, a little voice in my head starts in with things like: well, yes, she's lovely,but I would love to see her without her makeup artist, hairstylist, and the photographer who insists on perfect lighting.
I like to think she would be prettier without them.

One of my favorite distractions ever!

I love playing dress up. Always have. Always will. The problem for me has been finding eras, genres, or styles that I like enough to have more than one outfit or piece of art from. I have made Renaissance Faire costumes, belly dance ensembles and 1950's house dresses.
In the last year or so, I have found steampunk. I love it. It allows me to incorporate almost everything I adore and then some. The decor in my home is slowly steampunking itself through choices made not only by me, but my Darling Husband as well. Leather and antique brass paired with darker wood and lush silks and velvets. It is a wonderful way for us to combine elegant and eclectic without being hodge podge. Someday, the whole house might actually be done.
My kids have also latched onto it in their own ways, so it's becoming kind of a family thing.
Now I just have to figure out how to get them all to dress up with me! :-D

Juney-Fu Accomplished

Let me confess now: I didn't exercise as much as I had intended this week, mainly because of lower back pain that reared it's ugly head. I also failed in the "eating the way I'm supposed to" department yesterday. My body is reminding me that I did something wrong yesterday by blessing me with a horrible creeping headache today so I remember I am not to do that again.
This week ended up being a weird blend of Victorian/1950's/ modern house management. I've been very conscientious about using up leftovers, making things from scratch, sticking to my planned menu choices, not giving in and have Hubby pick up Chinese take-out or pizza on the way home and using online resources to find menu plans and ideas for new recipes. I even sat down this morning, clipped coupons and put them in a clearly labeled envelope with date of expiration on the outside. I feel very accomplished JuneyFu-wise. The plants I have left are thriving, so hopefully I will be able to harvest fresh fruits and veggies from the yard before the summer is done.
I also started work on the Strider Cowl in some lovely Malabrigo in Black Forest. It's very simple, very lovely, and a lovely break from mass amounts of lace knit with yarn the gauge of dental floss.

Keeping it going

Our fourth of July weekend went fairly well. The kids made chocolate coated ice cream sandwiches because they heard me lamenting not being able to obtain an It's-It. Their version was quite tasty! We watched almost every firework show in the nearby area from our backyard, all at once. The entire horizon was swathed in multi-colored sparkles.
The hard part was my husband having a four day weekend. I did not. I still managed to get my workouts in Friday and Monday mornings. The housekeeping was accomplished. After a year of ripping, re-knitting and long bouts of hibernation, I finally finished Darling Husbands socks. Even in heavier sock yarn , much effort was put into The Socks.
I also finished a very over-dramatic, fuzzy, black hooded wrap that's been hanging around half done for ages. I admit to giggling when I tried it on after fulling. Now I just have to wait for the cooler weather so I have an excuse to wear it! Quite a productive weekend!
Now to just keep going....and not think about chocolate coated ice cream sandwiches, that are in the freezer.

Is the week over yet?

Not the greatest week this week. While I managed to stick with the exercise plan and not live off of cheese crackers and popcorn, there was a cloud of termites that tried to take up residence in our backyard, neighbors' landscapers who don't seem to understand what a fence line means and my poor old computer started sputtering again after we thought we fixed her up. The wind also ripped out one of my tomato plants, two of my cucumber plants and all three of my honeydew plants.
Nothing horrendous. I know others have had far worse weeks than I. This one just came with a lot more emotional irritation than we've had in awhile, some related to the goings on, some sprouting from other sources, none particularly enjoyable. At least I'm getting better at hula!