Making Bath Time Fun

When I was a kid, one of my favorite places to take a time-out from the world was my bath tub! I would play for hours with my assorted plastic toys, all on a mission of some sort. I had adventures on the high seas, rescued princesses, I even tried to teach a parakeet how to swim... Don't ask. It survived. I was young. Anyway, I have passed this love onto my children and in doing so, have given myself the responsibility to offer new fun things to do in there! Well, my parents were snow-birds last winter, staying on the beach from October to April and while my mom was out shopping she ran across a lady who sold clear soaps with toys inside. My mom thought that was an awesome idea and knew I would be interested in making them (little did she know how much I would LOVE IT) so she bought a couple for us to try. My 3 year old spared no time at all working to dig out the group of tiny snakes, suspended in the clear "carbonite" as he calls it (he's already a Star Wars nerd). So, I started thinking, how can I do this at home and improve on it? Well, this is what I have come up with, and I'm more than pleased!

I use soap, candy and chocolate molds
Clear vegetable glycerine soap
Small toys - the best toys to use are small, solid statues, erasers, bouncy balls, marbles, and I've discovered that when using girl's plastic jewelry, the color runs and the plastic corrodes... Might try to protect them before submersion, next time round! My favorite toys to use are Toob toys! They're great quality, perfect size and the details and colors are spectacular!
Alcohol, in a spray bottle, to pop the bubbles that rise to the surface
Cellophane
Tape or sticky back labels

Melt the soap according to package directions, place molds on a flat surface. Using a stiff cutting board underneath the molds will allow you to move, if needed, without damaging the clarity of the soap. Place the toys (face down) into the molds that fit them best, and pour the soap over the toys. Bubbles will surface, spray them with the alcohol. Leave to cool at least 40 minutes - to overnight.

The kids don't always like being the testers for my products but this has been a hit! The 3 year old was more than happy to "free them from their carbonite."

Not sure you want to take the time to make these for yourself? I offer them in my shop! Use the Contact Form on my website to begin your order today!

Parabens, Breast Cancer and your Chapped Skin

The skin you wear is precious. Do not cheapen it by slathering on products heavy-laden with chemicals. Parabens have been linked to breast cancer and if you take a look at your common hand cream ingredient list, you will likely find at least one or two types of parabens listed.

For example, Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream, Fragrance Free

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Dilauryl Thiodipropionate, Sodium Sulfate

Notice, the Methyl and Propyl parabens are both listed.

So, what are parabens? Why are they used in products and how common can this really be? I turned to BreastCancerFund.org for some of these answers.

“Parabens are a group of compounds widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics products, including underarm deodorants. Parabens are absorbed through intact skin and from the gastrointestinal tract.

Measurable concentrations of six different parabens have been identified in biopsy samples from breast tumors.

Parabens have also been found in almost all urine samples examined from a demographically diverse sample of U.S. adults through the NHANES study.

Adolescents and adult females had higher levels of methylparaben and propylparaben in their urine than did males of similar ages.

Higher levels of n-propylparaben were found in the axilla quadrant of the breast (the area nearest the underarm). This is the region in which the highest proportion of breast tumors are found, although paraben concentration in the tissue samples was not related to location of breast tumors in individual women.

Parabens are estrogen mimickers (agonists), [and] can bind to the cellular estrogen receptor. They also increase the expression of many genes that are usually regulated by the natural estrogen estradiol and cause human breast tumor cells to grow and proliferate in vitro....”

I urge you to stop using parabens as a great first step to cleaning out your beauty regimen!

To start, let’s make our own solid lotion bar to keep in our purses, cars and powder rooms! Using just a few ingredients and about 15 minutes, we can make a  few silky smooth bars.

Ingredients:

½  c coconut oil

½  c beeswax (mine is locally sourced through  my great friends at Le Bleu Bee)

⅛ c cocoa butter (or another hard butter like Kokum)

⅛ tsp grapefruit seed oil (preservative)

30 drops essential oils (I used a combination of citrus and vanilla)

Melt the first three ingredients in a double boiler, or if you’re in a hurry, microwave 15 seconds at a time, stirring between, until smooth. Remove from heat and add the rest of the ingredients listed. Stir well and pour into heat-safe molds. I like to use candy molds and silicon baking molds. Allow to cool 30 minutes before removing.
The heat of your hands will cause the bar to melt just enough to spread over your skin. Keep in a plastic baggy and in cool place (don’t leave this in a hot car or near a heat vent!!).

I make this bar in a variety of scent combinations ranging from citrus-sweet to anti-sniffles! If you would rather I make this for you, please contact me here.

Sarah Fabisiak,

Wood Creek Naturals

Cough syrup

I decided I wanted to make my own cough syrup this year and I was pleased to see I had all of the ingredients already in my pantry!

Grab an 8 oz glad jar with a lid - I used a Ball jar. 

2 Tablespoons each dried:

Ginger root

Echinacea root

Dandelion root

Marshmallow root

Fennel seed

4Tablespoons dried Elderberries

Pour enough bourbon to cover herbs (check a few hours later and top off as they may soak up the liquid and swell above the liquid - this is bad because they can mold). Place jar in a paper sack or in a dark cabinet. 

Shake daily or every few days for 3-4 weeks. 

Use a fine mesh strainer to remove the herbs and roots. Using a coffee filter or cheesecloth as a second step will remove any tiny fibers the mesh strainer left behind. 

I keep this infusion in a dark cabinet until we are in need. When we begin to feel the sniffles I will add honey and lemon to taste and refrigerate for up to a month. 

I've tasted this concoction (before adding honey and lemon) and it definitely needs flavor but it smells just like the cough syrup my mom used to buy at the pharmacy. 

Please keep in mind - I am no doctor and this should never replace a visit to your naturopath or family physician if you're feeling ill. 

An ode to summer... soup!

We're waiting for a major freeze here in Ohio and the Bengals are in the playoffs. This is a great day for hot soup! I am so thankful that I froze the leftovers from our summer garden because today's soup is an ode to summer in deed. I suppose this meal started a few days ago when I roasted an organic chicken, placed the leftovers (bones, neck, meat, onion, etc) in a crockpot and simmered it for 24 hours. Today, I strained the bones and bits through a mesh strainer and poured the broth into a stock pot. I like to stretch my broth by adding water (a lot will steam off anyway). A couple tablespoons of Celtic sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to start the soup while I chop veggies. I sift through my freezer and realize I have enough summer veggies to make a beautiful soup. Chard stems (used as I would celery), kale, corn, peas, cabbage, cauliflower, onion, garlic; seasoned with thyme, rosemary, tarragon, salt and fresh ground black pepper. After an hour (or so) of simmering I add a package of egg noodles and set off making some butter swim biscuits. 
I hope this gives you inspiration to save your summer veggies for an ode to summer soup, leaving the snow and cold outside your window!