Shower Bombs Try #2

I tried another batch of shower bombs today, using more essential oil than the last time...I'll use one tomorrow and let you know if it's any more fragrant.  :P  

I just used Grapefruit essential oil for this batch.  The smell reminds me of a kind of Grapefruit soda my Dad likes. 



I went to lunch with friends and tried Thai for the first time...that felt very adventurous.  :P  The dogs needed some exercise when I got home, so we went to the woods.  It was only Thea's third time there, and it was very cute to see her trying to keep up with Thane...sniffing what he sniffed...trailing along behind as best as she could.









I'm glad she's still at the age where she needs to crash for a nap after a short outing like this!  Lol, and I think Thane is glad too.  He loves Thea, but he also appreciates a few minutes' break.  ;P

Sunday Happenings

So the other day, I tried one of the shower bombs that I had made.  It was a little underwhelming, lol.  I'll have to keep tweaking the recipe.  

Today was one of our short Sundays at church - no evening service, so I took Thane out for a good long run in the woods in the afternoon.  I've been too eager to get home to my coffee in the mornings, so our walks have been rather short lately.

Thane had a very good time, lol.

I might start bringing Thea along soon.  She's a sturdy little thing, but she often burns through a lot of her energy just playing with Thane.  Plus, while Thane likes Thea a LOT, I think he might appreciate having a few minutes' break from her.

Lol, when I download the photos from my camera, it's always fun to see how they turn out.  Sometimes we get funny expressions: 

Or odd positions: 

Lol, and there are a lot of blurry shots, of course: 

And then, there's occasionally a shot that immediately becomes my desktop background or my banner photo on Facebook: 

Anyway...sorry I post so many photos of my dogs!!  I'm hopeful that this is the year I'll get my own place, and maybe this time next year I'll be planning the purchase of a couple goats or sheep...or ordering some chicks...or building beehives...  

In the meantime, it's just me and my dogs...and that's okay.  :)  

Shower Bombs...Try #1

So I tried making shower bombs today.

If you haven't heard of shower bombs...you moisten baking soda, add essential oils, and press the mixture into a mold.  Once they're dry, you can drop them in the bottom of the tub/stall while you take a shower and let them dissolve for a steamy, aromatherapy experience.

Why the sudden inclination to make shower bombs?  Well, I've been trying for a while now to think of things I can make as a small, in-home business so that I can become a hermit.

(Not really.  I don't believe hermitage is a Biblical concept.  But I would like to be working at least partially from home within a couple years.)

Anyway.

Shower bombs!

It was fun...even though I did pretty much everything wrong!  

This first batch I added way too much water:

They smell nice, though!  They're a blend of Peppermint, Spearmint and Eucalyptus...this one'll probably be a real sinus opener!  It reminds me of the Mint Medley tea that my sister and I like.  :)  We shall see if they dry out enough to be usable.  

My little collection of essential oils...lots of possibilities here!!

Next I decided to make a Lavender Orange.  I also decided to try using a scoop of the Citric Acid I had purchased because some recipes call for it.  It makes the shower bombs fizz when they get wet...but there's clearly some trick to keeping the shower bomb MIX from fizzing.  And I clearly don't know that trick.  

So while the Lavender Orange fizzled merrily away, I gave that batch up as lost and went back to the plain baking soda mixture.  This time, I think I put the right amount of water in!  The mixture should be like damp sand that keeps its shape when you squeeze it.  

This is a blend of Lemon, Lime, Orange and Peppermint.  I'm not a big citrus fan, but I think it smells nice, and should be very pleasant and refreshing in the shower.  :)  

After that, I decided to give the (still fizzing) Lavender Orange one more chance, spooning a small amount of the mixture into a few cells of the mold, but...well...you can see how well that worked: 

It got even messier later, and is now a crusty, unusable mass that will have to be soaked off.  Oh well.  Live and learn - and research more next time!!

I'll let you know how well they work!  :D

Ice and Crazy Puppies!

We got a bit of an ice storm today...just enough to lure me outside with the camera.

There are few things I love more than observing the intricate details and patterns found in Creation.

The crazy pooches followed me outside, and provided quite the contrast to the serene setting by zooming back and forth past me, wrestling and growling.

Thea apparently likes being Queen of the Mountain.  I wonder what she'll do when it melts?  :P  

Thane's getting pretty good at dodging those sharp little puppy teeth.  He really puts up with a lot - she's not super careful with her nibbles yet!

Going for Thane's ruff...her favorite tactic.  Her second favorite is his legs...and her third favorite is his tail.

Run, Thane, run!

Back on the "mountain."  Lol, don't worry - I zoomed in, and it only looks like Thea's chomping down on Thane's nose.  

It's the slow season at work, so I have extra time off.  I'm grateful for it, though it means using up vacation time to make up the difference in my paycheck.  I'm okay with a stay-cation.  It's nice to have the time to spend with family and dogs...to declutter a little bit and get caught up on some things.

Grape vine squiggles.  They make me happy.  :) 

Lol, anyone want some apples?  Toss them in the blender, and you'll have some nice aged Golden Delicious ice cream!  :P  

A Week with Thea

It's already been a week since my sister and I arrived home with this little munchkin!  We spent four days in the car to collect Thea from South Carolina...and yes, I did question my sanity at times on the trip...but she's totally worth it.  :P  

Thea has settled in very well...she's smart, spunky, brave, personable and sweet (and VERY soft and fuzzy, of course!).  There are times I'm convinced she's half shark (to say she's food motivated would be quite the understatement!!), but she's also biddable, meaning that she's responsive to correction and direction.

Thane was confused at first, especially because we were watching another puppy for the first few days, but now he LOVES to hang out with Thea.  The two of them play together frequently during the day.  It's quite a sight to see Thane, at 55 pounds, luring little baby Thea into a chase game with a toy!!

I'll try to get back into the blogging groove soon, but for now, I figure a few puppy photos will do.  :)  I hope everyone is having a great start to the new year!!