My Little Orange Kitchen

Make Love Not War

It should be easy enough with Blog Anniversary Give-Away item number two! It's a Sex Bomb by Lush and as it fizzes away in your tub it'll leave you soft, scented and feeling very secure!  Because, after all...the  wars we wage with ourselves over body image must end too.  Did you know many women won't take baths and prefer to shower because they are uncomfortable looking at themselves naked and reclining in the tub?

When I had my shop, I wrote an article about this for our newsletter and many women approached me  later and told me it made them sad, because as much as they told themselves it was about not having the time or privacy, in truth, it was because they didn't feel comfortable in their own skin...even alone.

Another reason many women don't take baths is because they don't feel their tubs are "spa-like".  We don't need deep antique tubs or whirlpools to have a nice relaxing bath. My tub us tiny, stained, the caulk is yellowed  and the wallpaper is peeling...it's not at all spa-like in a 197O's era bathroom, but I get in, ignore it all and just soak. 

Another tip...avoid the temptation to have a long hot bath...warm is best. Hot water dries out your skin and is the reason people get out of the tub and barely have energy to dry off, plus it makes you perspire and unless you are detoxing you don't want to get out of the tub dehydrated. The ideal bath temperature is 97-100 degrees. If you slowly lower yourself in or if you notice that a layer of skin floats off of your calves when you first step in...it's too hot!!  Though, maybe I'll do another post on hydrotherapy where you alternate between hot and cold water.   

OK...so just leave a comment on any of the giveaway posts (or all of them) by 5/23 and you could win!

                                           Thanks for being such loyal readers!

P.S. I'm pretty impressed with myself...I think the bath bomb picture came out clear for once!      

Liquid Gold

We don't have kids over here, but I've been a supporter of many a pregnant friend and as some of you have read before, even helped delivered a baby in an emergency when my boyfriend at the time raced over to my apartment because his sister was delivering "Right now!" I got there just in time to "catch" the baby while her two-year old son stood peering at it shocked at what he'd just witnessed and yelled what I'm sure many people would have liked to, but wouldn't dare "Somebody better clean the messy baby up!!!!" The paramedics arrived a minute later and mother and baby were fine. The little girl was named Tiffany (not after me obviously hmpf!).

You might wonder what any of this has to with the picture of deodorant above and I am embarrassed to say that my mind drifted off in a Six Degrees of Separation tangent.  The Deodorant is called Liquid Rock and is as precious as gold which reminded me of when my cousin Carolyn who after having trouble nursing her first baby, began to refer her breast milk as liquid gold. Which, then brought me to one of my friends demanding that I cup her pregnancy breasts (in front of her rather alarmed but maybe intrigued husband) so I could be "a witness" as to how huge they were (So far, no one has called me to testify).  Anyway, this is how my mind words and now I can get to the business of explaining why Kiss My Face Liquid Rock Deodorant is a miracle product.

It's not a new discovery, I've been using it for years. Prior to discovering it, I'd purchased every natural deodorant/antiperspirant known to mankind.  Though I love both companies for other things, even Tom's of Maine and Lush failed. If you remember this post, you know why one thing I can't handle is deodorant failure.

It's natural and they found a way to suspend crystal deodorant stone properties in liquid. It works. There is nothing more to say except a few things you should know:

• The patchouli scent is strong. I like it, but most people would prefer lavender.
• It takes about 5 minutes to dry, but you don't have to keep your arms up--it just dries.
• It doesn't travel well because it leaks out of the roll-on ball.
• It isn't billed as an antiperspirant, but it does seem to serve that purpose too.
• I apply it liberally.
• It's OK to use after shaving, but do not use right after having your underarms waxed or sugared. I did and learned the hard way...wait a day.
• In a pinch, I'll use Secret, but I prefer an aluminum-free deodorant. The jury is still out on conclusive evidence that aluminum in deodorants and antiperspirants can cause cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but why take any chances when there are such nice natural products around. 

A big apology for the worst blog manners in history.  I tagged some of you and didn't message you to let you know! I appreciate those of you who found out through reading!!

Things are great on the non-grocery shopping front! I'm holding strong, though we're out of bread and I  haven't had time to bake any. Yesterday I made beef stew and served toasted tortilla halves with melted Parmesan instead of the usual peasant or corn bread and they were perfect!  We went out to eat for my mother in-law's birthday, are going out for Nancy's and Mark and I went out for pizza last Friday. I knew going into this we'd have a few meals out, but nothing impulsive.  The crazy thing is that we still have so much food left!  I'm not making any wallet making for the art show induced delirium statements yet, but it's possible that with only a few exceptions we can skip the groceries in February too.

The main problem is that there aren't enough easy snacks for Mark...he'd prefer to grab some chips and dip as opposed to making popcorn, though he did make himself some chicken wings the other night. In the last post I mentioned that he does the cleaning, but the cooking and kitchen are my domain completely, so I'm usually the snack-maker and to be honest...it kind of sucks to be out of easy snacks...Don't get me wrong...I could make plenty of treats, but I haven't wanted to, so popcorn has been the name of the game around here.   

Rennaissance

First let me say I just noticed a typo on one of my little ingredient signs...Hell's bells!!! Oh well, I forgive myself and I'll move right along...nobody click to enlarge the picture!

People often associate the scents of baking during the holidays and while I love nothing more than the scent of spicy cookies just out of the oven, it's also uplifting to walk into a house fragrant with citruses and florals from a morning of natural cosmetic making.   

I'm an aromatherapist and used to hold workshops on making your own products and I taught classes to introduce people to ingredients, essential oil safety and the basics of skincare in general. 

Aromatherapy is a subject I'm passionate about, but I'll try not to get too preachy or go on for two hundred paragraphs. Notice I said I'll try...not that I promise!      

Renaissance is one of my favorite products even though it isn't that pretty.  It's a great facial softener and the glycerin draws moisture to the skin.  If you're familiar with Lush's Angels On Bare Skin, you'll note the similarities, however I use ground lavender and this darkens the scrub a bit. I'm a Lush fan, but am annoyed they haven't caught on how sharp the ends of dried lavender can be. OUCH!

This recipe can be halved or quartered easily and while I tried to give accurate measurements, I make these things rather intuitively (Have you ever watched Nigella cook?  You get the picture.)

Renaissance Facial  & Body Scrub

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Kaolin Clay (drawing and softening)
• 1 cup finely ground almonds (or almond flour if you prefer, but it can be a little pasty)
• 1 tablespoon lavender flowers ground fine (naturally astringent)
• 1 tablespoon red roses ground fine (anti-inflammatory) 
• 8 ounces vegetable glycerin (easily found at any drugstore as well as natural food markets and is a humectant which means it pulls moisture from the air and keeps your skin soft, plus it's a natural preservative)
• Essential Oil-40 drops (rose and lavender for dry or sensitive skin---lavender and tea tree for acne prone skin)

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add glycerin a little at a time and work in with a spoon...this may require your hands...I like to knead it in.  Add more clay if you need to. After some vigorous work, you should have a mound with a play-dough- like texture and you can turn it out onto the counter or a breadboard. Note: Kaolin clay can be dusty as you work with it...don't include the children at this stage because breathing in Kaolin can irritate new and sensitive noses! 

I wasn't lying when I said it isn't pretty! The little brown flecks are just that...flecks of almond skin, not chunks.  You must be diligent if you choose to grind your own almonds rather than use these:

Protecting your skin is crucial and you don't want to have any sharp bits of almond doing damage.

Now you can add your essential oils drop by drop directly on top of the kaolin mixture.  Give the mixture a few moments to absorb the essential oil before you begin kneading it in. Use any combination of the oils you feel pulled to (40 drops total).  The oils I've listed are considered safe, however, pregnant women should probably avoid rose...it's a wonderful oil, but in quantities far greater than I've suggested, it's been known to stimulate contractions...better safe than sorry.

Once you've kneaded the oils into the scrub it's  completely done and ready to store in an airtight container until use.  Directions coming soon...But first, here are a few suggestions:

Shape and roll in flower powder, crushed herbs, almonds or even poppy seeds (no poppy seeds if you use it as a facial scrub-they're too abrasive for facial skin).   

 

Or do as I do...shape into into a log, roll in gorgeous bright orange calendula flowers and slice:

Package for yourself or gift giving in any way that suits you. Renaissance doesn't need refrigeration and will keep for about one month in an airtight container.

I love giving it away in little gift bags or just looking at it in my prized mini-cast iron tub!

Try using pretty muffin papers, little tins or jars. I made the box based on a candy box I once had.    

Before I give you directions that you can copy and include with gifts, let me explain a little about the dangers of over-exfoliating.  When you exfoliate for the the first time your skin always feels so incredibly soft that you just can't keep your hands off it!  A few days later the newfound softness seems to disappear, so we feel the need to try it again. Most women scrub too hard...this creates a skincare nightmare from hell because without even realizing it, we abrade our skin. 

It feels soft at first, but then the abraded skin (usually unnoticed) heals a little tougher than it was originally.  We feel dry, crave the softness, so again...we pull out the scrub and the process begins again.  Each time we do this, we damage our skin and it heals a little rougher...Over time we actually damage our skin and it can be impossible to ever get that first time softness again. You must not rub any scrub (sugar or salt included) into your skin...Gently press and smooth it over your body. Vigorous rubbing of a scrub over your hips and thighs will cause you to lose softness and worse...damage the texture of your skin.

How To Use Renaissance Scrub

For Face:
Take an olive size amount and rub it between your palms under warm water. This will distribute it evenly in your hands. Bring palms to face and lightly press...do not rub. Start at your forehead and work down to décolleté (avoiding eye area).  Rinse thoroughly and follow with your normal skincare routine.

For Body:
Press a plum sized amount into a flat disc in your hands. Wet with warm water while in the shower or bath and gently press and roll over skin. Rinse and follow with your favorite lotion or body oil.

Here are couple of sources for clays, floral powders and essential oils:

Mountain Rose Herbs

Camden-Grey

Safety Information:

Aroma Web

Aromatherapy Organizations:

National Association For Holistic Aromatherapy

I.T.H.M.A

Visit This Site For Great Recipes:

Indie Beauty Network

Visit This Blog For A Homemade Linen Water Tutorial:

The Scent of Water 

Season Of The Magical Child

Ever since I first discovered blogs (I still say blog is an ugly word) and began reading them regularly I've been drawn to one thing. December posts.

When I find a new blog to love, I pour through the archives  hoping to get a real sense of the blogger (usually women).  December is always the month I begin with. There's just something about seeing how other people celebrate (or not) that intrigues me. 

I'm not religious and belong to no organized faith, but I've written before that I consider myself to be very spiritual...or I contemplate my own beliefs quite a bit.  Our family celebrates Christmas, but as a secular holiday and we have another side that also celebrates Hanukkah. I mark the solstice and have been known to make a yule log or two in my time, but I think more than anything, my mother helped me view the season as a time for celebrating the birth of the magical child. 

Now, this may offend people and this isn't my intention, but I mean the birth of Jesus as a symbol of the magical child in us all. Can you imagine how different the world would be if every single child born on this planet was treated as a potential savior? What if we dropped to our knees at every single birth announcement and what if each of us had been treated with such care in our own childhoods?

I didn't have best childhood and certainly didn't have the worst, but I made it through. Holidays used to depress me and I found myself wishing December would just be done quickly. The days were stressful and I seemed to pick up on everyone's hopes, fears and disappointments. In time, it's become easier and the whole celebrating the magic has become fun for me (for the most part). I like to take the time to do fun things and making skin care products to give away is one of them.

I plan to post a lot this month and the picture above is a preview of what's coming tomorrow.  A fantastic facial and body scrub I call Renaissance.   It can be made into any shape you desire...even cut out with cookie cutters and it is 100% natural...no artificial colors, preservatives or fragrances.

So....stay tuned!

Tiny Bubbles

I've often thought if I ever had another bath and body shop or a blog solely dedicated to bath and body posts, I'd call it Tiny Bubbles. This time of year, I feel a little nostalgic for my shop. I always loved walking in and seeing the young women who worked for me excitedly arranging soaps and making gift baskets. We made much of what we sold right on the premises and while it always smelled good, during the holidays it was even better.  I'm not a fan of heavy scents in retail, but I love the scents from soaps and salts made with all-natural ingredients...a more gentle experience than walking into a Bath & Body Works, let me tell you.

Emicat over at Java Jibber got me thinking and I can't wait until I can post mini-tutorials on how to make handmade toiletries, but in the meantime, let me give you the scoop on someone else's!

Meet Perusha.  I discovered her on Etsy and thought I'd give her a try.  She uses only essential oils in her soaps. No fragrance oils whatsoever.  She also uses natural colorants like rose clay and red palm oil. Her soaps smell divine and have a wonderful lather.  My skin is highly sensitive and I have to be very careful what soaps I use, so the decision to try a new one isn't easy.  I'm glad I did. My order arrived and I'm in awe. 

Say hello to Almond Macadamia made with macademia oil and bitter almond essential oil. Doesn't it look positively edible?  Notice the stamp! Soap stamping, like butter and ice cream stamping, is an old tradition, but she makes it look cutting edge.

She even dresses the top with little soap chunks that look like nuts.

Now say hello to Rosehip Magnolia with rosehip seed oil and magnolia essential oil ( a rare treat).

What would the season be without a little Cranberry Orange?  With avocado and rice bran oil as well as bits of cranberry and orange.  Ungodly.

Perusha is an excellent soap-maker and it's clear she puts a lot of good energy into her work. If you're not encouraged to make your own, then please let her do it for you.

Little Orange Kitchen Tip: 
Natural soaps aren't milled the way most soaps are. Milling is what makes soap hard and smooth, but it also removes the moisturizing fats. So much in fact, that commercial soap-makers have to replace  moisturizers when the milling is complete. Triple milled soaps from France are not always the best (some are wonderful, but many are drying).  Because natural soaps retain all the good oils that nurture your skin they tend to be soft and can melt quickly in water. Because of this, I like to make mine last by slicing up my bars with a wire cheese slicer. I find that it lasts longer overall because there is less loss from melting.  I just pull out a new slice when I need it.

jill jennifer aromatherapy

I'm fortunate to have no shortage of creative and inspirational friends. Janet has a great sense of color and line, is a multi-faceted artist, makes a mean lasagna as well as handmade journals and Christmas ornaments.  Nancy's aromatherapy, card making, beading, purse crafting and German apple pancake making would blow your mind. Sherry's gardening, superior entertaining skills and spiritual insights have benefited me enormously.  Julie's direct and encouraging "You can do it...dream big focus small" outlook has recently helped me more than she knows. Kelly's feng shui skills, woman about the world energy and banana cake makes me want to hang out at her place for days.  And Christine's digital art, lentil soup, biscotti, turkey and rice, channeling, writing and sense of timing has kept me in awe since I first met her almost 19 years ago.  These women (and my other friends) are amazing, but today I'm going to focus on Jill and her new venture.

Jill's little house with its built-in shelves, glass doorknobs, Scooby-Doo phone and pale blue kitchen cabinets is the perfect example of the Aquarian penchant for all things quirky and cool, yet at the same time cozy and warm.  However, it was her new aromatherapy line that was the star of the evening (though her own artwork in the healing room comes in close!).

As soon as I tried her Chakra and Aura cleansing spray I was sold on the scent (It's called Clear). The fact that her handout accurately describes it as "like spraying white light all around you" is just an added bonus! The texture and scent of her Earth Spice lotion bar makes me think of Janet and this made me almost cry because I felt like I was wearing Janet's friendship energy right on my body! How comforting is that?  I haven't tried the citrus mint foot soak yet, but I have to say the scent is intoxicating. It's the only citrus/mint blend I've smelled that truly smells like a blend instead of one or the other.

Jill gifted me with a whole sampling of her products (as well as a boatload of Enzymatic Therapy samples) and I bought a bottle of the spray.  As many of you know, aromatherapy is a serious subject with me.  I don't take using other's people's products lightly. I've used Nancy's and Pat Diamond's, but no one else's.  It's my one new age hypochondriac quirk...I don't like putting things on my body or in my energy field that other people blend. Some of you may be surprised since I dismiss most of the "Well, you gotta protect yourself you know" singing experts with exasperated eye rolling. I never feel like I have to clear my cards if someone touches them or freak out if someone picks up one of my crystals. In fact, to conserve words when describing a certain type of new ager to my friends I say things like "Oh, she's the kind that has to run around doing protection rituals, you know the type."  However, we all have our little paranoias and this one is mine.

So, you can imagine my relief when I instantly bonded with Jill's products.  Plus, they're sooooooooo reasonably priced. The foot soaks are only $1.50! And a four ounce bottle of the Aura & Chakra cleansing sprays (in three varieties) is only $7.00.  Her line is called jill jennifer aromatherapy and she also makes lip balms and bath bombs using all natural essential oils. Email me for her phone number if you're interested and if she's going to do another fair soon, I'll post it.  Good luck Jill.  And I love your house!

OK. Moving along. I usually post a lot on my days off, but I've been super busy. I do have good news; the Broadway Farmer's Market is the place to go...more on that later.  Tomorrow I'm back to work and may  be unable to post.  Though...when you guys see my new tablecloth, you're all going to die from envy!!!!! I'm going to post it next week, so get your estates squared away! aghahahaahahaha!!!! 

Here are a few things that came out of my kitchen this week:

Mark's favorites...I slightly carmelized the butter and marshmallow to give these a deep flavor.

My favorites:

Thai Beef with mango and lightly dressed cucumbers:

OK, Kitchenettes! I'm off to bed and the dread. The dread? Yes, the  dread of having to make cold calls  (in person!) on businesses tomorrow to market the place I work for (not a career, just a job). This was supposed to start my second week there, but I told the Universe the cold calling had nothing to do with me and three months went by with nothing being said. However, the big boss (I've grown to like her...she's kind) told me that tomorrow is the day. I threw a major tantrum and told her I'm going out alone and she "can't come with me!!!!"  How I get away with this behavior, I'll never know, but I can't bear the thought of her being with me and forcing me to use the dumb script. H.(my manager) supported me and the big boss sighed, indulged my tantrum and said OK. So, at least when I go to businesses and explain how sending their customers to our store can be mutually beneficial she won't be there making me "sell it."  Crumps.    

It Ain't Easy...Coming Clean.

Or...The longest post in the history of blogs.   

I love creams, lotions, natural perfumes and essential oils. However, I've never talked about why I became so drawn to the fragrant lotions and potions that are a major part of my life. The other day painful realizations and memories began to work their way a little closer to the forefront of my mind. Not that I'd forgotten them completely, but they just resurfaced in a more pressing way.

Between the ages of five and thirteen I lived aboard a thirty-seven foot sail boat.  There are lots of details, but I'll save them for another time and try to stay on the bath/shower track. 

Bath time for small children living aboard a sailboat can be a lot of fun. Standing naked knee-deep in a canning kettle filled with hot water heated in a coffee pot seemed like some adventure straight out of Little House On The Prairie! Jumping overboard with a bottle of detergent (Joy lathers in salt water) with your little brother and splashing around getting clean didn't seem like taking a dumb old bath at all! Even racing up on deck to get a fresh water rinse off during a rainstorm is thrilling to a seven year old, but trust me, once early puberty hits and you have to go to school in the morning...the thrill is gone.

We were living at a marina in Annapolis, Maryland when my body changed.  I was ten years old, one of the few girls with breasts, a period and no indoor plumbing. We took our showers at the local recreation center. And therein lies the rub (I love Clive Owen).  The problem was that the recreation center was located right next to my school and where all the boys played basketball early in the morning.  Walking past boys in my class while holding my towel and giving the attendant fifty cents so I could clean up  prison style (5 nozzles on the wall, no stalls) while fearing that one of my flat chested female classmates might walk in and see not only my breasts, but my new and embarrassing pubic hair, caused me a great deal of dreading the mornings stress. I began to devise all kind of ways to spare myself the potential for public shower humiliation.

I had close girlfriends, but I had too much pride to ask to use their showers and because of the attention I had begun attracting from older boys, my friendships with the girls seemed tense anyway. So I did things like wash my hair in the sink at the marina, gave myself quick sponge baths, covered myself from head to toe in baby powder and since I had recently noticed that everyone else's clothes seemed to be  softly scented by fabric softener (which we didn't use) I began spraying all of my clothes with Right Guard deodorant.  I did my best to stay on top of my routine, but I was only ten after all, so some days I just assumed I was OK and skipped the whole thing.

One day while sitting outside with a male classmate discussing which girls and guys would make a good match, I mentioned my new obsession with older Puerto Rican men who I had recently learned all wore sexy open silk shirts and had chest hair (?). Since there were no Puerto Rican men attending Green Street Elementary School and perhaps not even one in the whole town, my short for his age friend asked me who else I "liked". 

I confessed that if I had to choose a boy from our school that it would certainly be tall George Irving, who I was positive had crushed on me big time a few months before. He agreed that everyone knew George had really liked me. I wondered aloud why George had never said anything or asked me to "go out" with him, which would have meant sitting together at the picnic table during recess.

My friend was quiet for a long moment and I realized he was actually going to answer to my rhetorical question! I loved that I was going to get some insight into the minds of ten and eleven years old boys, which would surely help me should any sexy Puerto Rican men with chest hair suddenly arrive on the scene. He looked away and softly said, "Laura, you're really pretty, but all the guys say you smell."

I was so surprised that he actually confirmed by biggest and thus most often dismissed fear, that I couldn't even react at first. I was quiet on the outside, but on the inside I felt a surge of rage and humiliation that I just wasn't equipped to deal with. It seemed so unfair! First, I blamed my parents. After all, who signs up to live on a boat and make their kids take showers at the recreation center anyway? Then I was furious at myself for not being diligent enough in my baby powder/sponge bath routine which evolved to me being enormously pissed off at my body for changing and getting me into this mess in the first place. My friend said he was sorry to hurt my feelings and I did what any humiliated and suddenly self loathing girl would do. I said "fuck you" as I walked away.

He did what any ten year old boy who had gone from having a nice conversation with a girl who he really "liked" to being told "fuck you" in a matter of five minutes would do. He angrily shouted, "Well, it's true! You stink and we can smell you got your period!" 

I wish I could say that this incident led to me talking to my parents about buying a house with a shower and we all moved in and lived happily ever, but no such luck. I became even more nervous about smelling clean and my routine became more complicated and involved. I stole money from my mom's purse to buy "good shampoo" and Babe perfume. I knew that a real shower rather than sponge baths and perfume was the way to go, but I just couldn't bring myself to endure the humiliation of showering before or after school at the recreation center.  Especially since, to add insult to injury, rumor had it that one of the boys had seen my naked dad showering in flip-flops (or as he called them...shower clogs). OH!MY!GOD! I wanted to die. Today you'd be hard pressed to find a place where men shower openly next to boys peeing in urinals, but this was 1979-80.  It was my bad luck to hit puberty in more open times.      

I also wish I could say that being told I smelled was a one time thing, but the next year, while standing in line talking to Andrew Gebhardt, who I did not have a crush on, but who I respected enormously for being smart, it happened again.  In the middle of my juicy story about so and so "calling Mrs. Campbell a b-i-t-c-h" Andrew pulled away and said "Phew! You stink!".  I said never mind about my juicy scoop and turned away. Andrew immediately said he was sorry, which as an adult, I can see was kind for a fifth grade boy, but at the time made me feel even more embarrassed.  I was spared being teased or made fun of, but somehow it seemed worse that most people did like me and felt bad when it slipped out that I smelled.  I felt so powerless and angry about our living circumstances. I had a very bad year. I went from being voted the class representative on the Human Relations Committee (I was known for being nice and fair) to being a bully who took out her rage on smaller boys.

Finally, we moved and eventually, when I turned thirteen, my parent's divorced and we wound up living in an apartment with a shower and bathtub.  I continued stealing money (sorry mom) for bath and body products and certainly overdid the hard core scrubbing hoping to be as clean as everyone else. I was enormously (and still am) self conscious of not being considered clean, but after the comments from girlfriends about how I always had the best smelling lotions became regular and guys (including one silk shirted sexy Puerto Rican!) always said my hair smelled great, I began to feel better and considered my Annapolis humiliations a thing of the past. 

However, the ghost still remained. I ended up owning a shop that specialized in naturally made bath and body products, became an aromatherapist, and could probably start a second store with all of the products I have in my bathroom right now.  Yesterday, I realized that even though I have all the tools, I still feel like that ten year old (pictured above, attempting to look cool and thinking/hoping she looked at least 18) standing by the marina sink creatively pouring swiped vanilla extract all over herself in the hopes that she'd smell kind of edible and not so obviously overly perfumed.

I realized that it is her voice I hear every time I leave the house and dab on a little more essential oil or lotion. She's over protective and especially concerned that since I've gained weight that people might assume I'm unclean, so she insists on one more spritz of bergamot body mist or on bad days, a second shower. She's just trying to spare me from further humiliation and her heart is the right place, but I had a long talk with her yesterday. It sucked for both of us, but I told her it's time we realized that twenty eight years ago is a long time and the hurt can finally be packed away with about half of the body products taking up space in the bathroom, linen closet, file cabinet and jewelry boxes around here.

Whew, it feels good to finally, after all these years, feel clean. 

Girl, I'd Drink Your Bath Water

I remember seeing The Color Purple with my friend Sandi in 1985 when I was about sixteen.  I was the mainstream movie tester-outer, and she was the independent film tester outer. We'd each see a movie alone or with other friends first and based on our individual reviews, decide if we had to see it together, so we could discuss.  I gave Fatal Attraction a huge thumbs up and she gave Spinal Tap a ringing endorsement (we considered Spinal Tap cutting edge and very independent...) Anyway, there's a scene in the Color Purple where Shug Avery is dancing at the "juke joint" and a man whistles his appreciation and says (moans), "Umm...Girrrrrrl, I'd drink your bathwater." Sandi and I looked at one another in the theater, each of us taking the statement rather literally and not quite sure how we felt about this, but intrigued none the less. 

After the movie we understood the man was not being literal, but we still kind of liked the way the whole thing sounded. It became my regular statement of high praise when one of us or another friend was looking especially good before we hit the local forest preserve (dolled up in our finest) hoping to meet up with guys who had beer, cars and boom boxes (this was the eighties).  Sandi moved out of this stage a little sooner than I did, and made her way to basement and garage parties where the guys were in bands, but I stuck to the woods...I've always been a nature lover. :)

Anyway, when I saw this bubble bar at Lush on my recent trip to Arizona, I had to get it. It's touted as the ultimate bon-bon bubble bath and is a toffee, chocolate and orange scented delight. That brown sugar cube pressed into the center sold me completely.  I love it and used it the other night. My bathroom still smells delicious and when I was soaking in the midst of candy scented steam, I seriously entertained the idea of drinking my own bath water! 

I have a love hate relationship with Lush. I love them, but they are pricey and some of their products are not as natural as they imply, but they are truthful with the ingredients and have quite a creative team working to come up with the coolest of cool bath products that usually look edible and some in fact are! Can we make this stuff ourselves? Yes, but sometimes it's nice to have someone else do the cooking. 

Take a gander... www.lush.com

Off to work I go...today is my looooooooooooooooooong day.  Sigh.