An Afternoon at the Vineyard

To celebrate my sister's birthday, we spent a wonderful afternoon at Willocroft Vineyard enjoying good wine, great friends, and a killer view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Homemade Lip Balm

For a safer, non toxic lip balm, make your own. Here is a super easy recipe I found at Care2.

Basic Lip Balm Formula
From Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond (Three Rivers Press, 1999).

2 ounces oil
¼ ounce beeswax
1 teaspoon honey or glycerin

In a double boiler, cook oil and beeswax over medium heat until wax has melted. Remove from heat and stir in honey. Blend with a handheld mixer until creamy. Add flavoring oil to taste, stirring to combine.

Makes one-quarter cup.

Two Fave Non Toxic Cleaners

Window Cleaner

1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid soap/detergent
2 cups of water

Combine in a spray bottle. Shake to blend.

Hand Cleanser

In any foaming pump container (I use empty Clean Well brand pumps cuz I like the colors), combine a few squirts of your favorite non-toxic liquid soap (I use the Dr. Bronner's soaps) and fill with water.

While you don't necessarily need soap/bubbles to get your hands clean since warm water and time are all you really need, this makes for a fun non-toxic way to enjoy the benefits of the foam so many of us have been programmed to believe equals cleanliness.

Enjoy!

Back from a sad and at the same time wonderful visit to Michigan to mourn the loss of Gram O. I took the caboose with me and left the rest of the gang at home with daddy. It was very healing and rejuvenating to gather with family to share fond memories and otherwise goof off after a serious lack of visiting over the last several years. Considering we are all well into our adult years, the conversations with my siblings and cousins were much more R rated than in the past. I can't remember the last time I laughed and cried so hard. Cheers to my family up in MI for the terrific hospitality, all the amazing folks who provided us with enough food to feed an army, and most of all, the cheers and tears in celebration of Gram O's wonderful life. She was an incredible woman who touched the lives of so many people who will miss her terribly.