A Little Bit of This

As I mentioned before, I am trying to become more of a naturalist.  That is, I want to make a lot of my own household things and reduce the amount of waste I add to the earth.  After all, my faith is that I honor and celebrate the earth and her seasons so I don't want to be a person that is adding to the negative impact on our planet.

August 20 was National Honey Bee Day, and so I think it's appropriate to tell you about a new product I stumbled onto called Bees Wrap!  It's taking natural resources that are sustainably produced and replacing the plastic wrap, Press and Seal, and some Ziplock Bags in your kitchen.  It's washable, reusable, and compostable.  Beeswax is naturally antibacterial and will keep your food fresh.  John just talked me into making them ourselves and I'm excited to take this on as a couples project.

I finally found a crockpot at the local thrift store, so I am looking forward to getting into making my own soap very soon!  I made liquid hand soap from handmade bar soap that I had picked up at a local festival.  You can purchase natural bar soaps at any market and use it to make liquid hand soap and laundry soap.  The first batch of laundry soap I made was with Ivory original.  It's inexpensive and pretty straightforward.  Making your own soaps will save you money, and I find it to be a lot fun.  Basically, anytime I can feel like an alchemist, I'm having a blast!  Making the liquid hand soap and laundry soap was also easy.  Making homemade soap from scratch will be a little bit more of a process, but I am excited to get started.  I will also be making my own toothpaste!

Do me a favor, and if you decide to make your own toothpaste as well, do NOT add essential oils to it.  Essential Oils should NEVER be added to anything you ingest or put in your mouth.  If you want particular flavoring, use fresh ground spices.  Most likely the spices you choose are good for oral health.  I will be using cinnamon and clove in mine.

Are there things you have changed about your lifestyle to be more natural and more friendly toward the environment?  Are there any details you would like for me to share (I know I kept things pretty general here)?  Let me know!