Summer Fun

Olivia got a new camera for graduation and this picture was taken with it.  She has a nice zoom option! I love birds as long as they are not flying anywhere near me.  Flying things freak me out when they are fluttering next to my head and I have no control over what they might do!  They sure are cool to look at though, from afar.  Birds give out such a peaceful feeling.  Probably because they never seem troubled.

With two boys who fight a whole lot, I've been trying to pull tricks out of my hat to keep them occupied.  I used to live and breath "fun activities for kids" but as the years go by, I've forgotten what they love to do.  One day when I was particularly tired of trying to entertain my almost 5 year old, I saw a bucket out back and the hose and thought, "hey, who cares if he gets wet or dirty, I'll just give him a bath when he is done!"  Instant entertainment, when there is water around, right?

Then I was reminded of many summers spent in these little plastic pools and I went out to find one.  I'm still hopeful it will be just as entertaining next week as it was the first week.

We have a pair of lovebirds in our backyard and I'm pretty sure they have babies in one of our trees.  I'm a little scared to go searching since when I go to pick my tomatoes, they yell at me and fly around just like a mother bird would to protect her young.

Another summer activity that Anthony and I do every year is make soap.  This is our second batch this month.

Anthony always tries crazy stuff (his is on the left) and I decided to do my own since I really wanted a fresh green soap with a lemongrass scent.

Making stuff is so fun especially when it's useful. I love learning how to make things so that we don't have to rely so much on big companies to produce what we need to survive. I just recently learned how to make a lovely scented paste to use as a deodorant!  I don't have a picture of it here but the recipe is so easy that I have to share it with you.  It works so well that you only need to apply it in the morning and you will be good to go all day long!  And if I can say that, living in Texas, you know it's got some awesome oder power and . . . it's all natural!

Love this picture of Anthony's soap.

Ok, deodorant recipe is:

Equal amounts of Arrowroot and Baking Soda (I used 1/4 cup)

Stir together and then moisten with coconut oil until it's the consistency you like.  It doesn't take much.  I think I used maybe 2 TBSP.  I might add a little more to see If I can make it more like a lotion than a paste.  Then I used a Young Living essential oil called Thieves to scent it and for it's anti bacterial/fungal properties.  

I hope to post some pictures of Olivia's graduation once I get them.  Stay tuned!