Homemade Hand Lotion

 

I have really dry skin, especially in the winter. Add living in a super dry climate, and well my hands can become quite the hot mess. It is not pretty...all cracked and craggy.

So I am always looking out for good lotions. I have had lots of recommendations over the years. I have tried lots too. Lots of them are really good, but they still don't completely soften or heal all the crackiness. At least not long term.

The Hubs feels my plight, quite literally, every time he holds my hand. Being all great and everything, he researched it out to see what he could come up with.

The result.

Dreamy, rich Homemade Hand Lotion that makes my hands feel softer than soft.

A softer than soft that lasts, and it lasts all the live long day. Day after day in fact.

Oh my hands are so very happy.

This lotion is SO easy to make and it only takes three really easy to find ingredients.

To make the lotion you need--

Johnson's Shea & Cocoa Butter Baby Lotion
Vitamin E Creme
Vasaline

Whip together the entire bottle of the baby lotion (15 oz), 8 oz of the Vitamin E Creme, and 8 oz of Vasaline. Make sure to whip it long enough that all three ingredients are completely incorporated.

Transfer the lotion to a lotion pump or another storage container. The recipe makes quite a lot. I put half of the mixture in a mason jar (you know how I love mason jars) and the rest I put into this adorable green glass vintage looking pump from Target.

Eek! Now not only do I have lusciously soft hands, but I also have a super cute lotion pump too.

This lotion will not disappoint your winter dry hands! Give it a try.

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Spaghetti Sauce {Slow Cooker Saturday}

Once the thrill and anticipation of Christmas has passed, winter takes on a different mood. I go from all warm, cozy and curled up by the fire to so cold I loathe every drop in degree.

Winter just doesn't seem as romantic after Christmas. It just seems cold. Now it doesn't help that I live where it gets down right chilly. A special kind of chill that lasts FOR-EV-ER...I am being a tad bit dramatic. Basically, it is cold and I am not a fan of being cold.

Being cold makes me want to dress in over-sized sweaters and big chunky socks and stay curled up in a blanket.I want to snuggle with my warm and cozy children. I want to drink mug after mug of hot cocoa and slurp bowl after bowl of soup.

Seeing as I don't want to unravel myself from my blanket or put my cozy kids down, I also don't really want to slave over dinner.

Yeah for the return of my slow cooker a month ago.  Now I can throw dinner together in the morning whilst still in my jammies. Then it just cooks away all day long whilst I remain cozy...yes I said whilst twice in two consecutive sentences.

I am feeling fancy.

For this first Slow Cooker Saturday of 2014, I am sharing this Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce.

This sauce is great! Super packed with flavor and there are some extra hidden veggies in the sauce. A double win. The recipe cooks all day long, so the flavors in this sauce are amazing.

We loved this sauce at our house. In fact, we were able to eat spaghetti for two nights in a row. This recipe makes a big family sized amount. We have leftovers for more than one meal. If you have read this blog for awhile, you know I am not always the biggest cheerleader for leftovers. Even if I really loved something the first time, I may not always want it reheated.

So when I do eat leftovers, that is a big deal. HUGE.

I ate these for leftovers, and enjoyed this spaghetti just as much the second night.

Pass the spaghetti please!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti
adapted from Damn Delicious

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground Italian sausage
1 medium onion, minced
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
3 (14.5 oz) cans diced petite tomatoes, drained 
1 can sliced carrots, purreed
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Brown the hamburger and the sausage for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and onions and saute for several more minutes, until the meat is browned. Drain fat.

Place the meat mixture into the bottom of a slow cooker. Add to it the tomatoes, carrots, tomato sauce, bay leaves, oregano, basil, salt and pepper. 

Cover and cook on low for 10 hours.

Serve immediately on spaghetti noodles.

 Happy eating!!

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Top Ten 2013 Projects

Earlier this week I shared the Top Ten Recipes of 2013. Since this is more than just a recipe blog, I just couldn't leave all my projecting out of the 2013 wrap up. After all, they would be so sad and lonely to be left out.

We can't have that!

I had a fun time going through and seeing what you guys (and Pinterest) made the Top Ten Most popular projects. Several of these little projects were my favorite of the year too. So I am kind of super happy you like them too.

Let's start the recap shall we!!

10. Faux Bow Tie Tutorial

 I love a good bow tie on a handsome little man. I actually have previous tutorial for a

Dapper Little Man Bow Tie. So this is my second bow tie tutorial. 

I just can't seem to stop the bow tie love.

9. Tornado in a Tube

 My kids loved this activity.

8. A Funny Valentine

This was one of my favorite projects this year.

That insanely adorable face doesn't hurt either.

7. Star Wars T-Shirt

Speaking of cute faces. This little man might

have been the wearer of my other favorite project this year...

Spoiler alert...he is going to appear in pretty much all my favorite projects.

6. Oven Hard Boiled Eggs

Tips and tricks were big this year.

5. Better Smelling Towels

 

4. Batman T-shirt

Here is my most favoritest project this year. 

Go and see how cute this shirt looks on my glasses wearing cherub.

3. Nacho Average Valentine

I had fun with Valentines in 2013!

 

2. Have A Kool Summer Printable

Just one of the many projects that I used PicMonkey to make.

I heart PicMonkey!!

1. A Charlie Brown Party

The number one viewed project this year, was this Charlie Brown Birthday Party.

Who doesn't love Charlie Brown?

I took last year a lot slower, with a lot less projecting and blogging. I felt like I didn't do much last year, it was fun to go back and see the tad bit I did do. Made me feel a little more productive.

Thanks for a great year! I hope you will continue hanging out with me over 2014.

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WOTY 2014: Confidence

Having a Word of the Year is kind of the new way to resolution...do you like how I just made resolution a verb.

Like, let's get to resolutioning. Or, it is a new year, shall we resolution?

WOTY (Word of the Year...I am sure you didn't need me clarifying that for you, but just in case) is a way to umbrella a lot of resolutions into one grand and glorious resolution.

Last year, you know two days ago, I didn't have a WOTY, and it didn't bother me.

For this new year, I have really been thinking a lot about it. Recently, I feel I have been lacking some direction in the personal growth area. When I got to thinking about a WOTY, I decided that this year I really wanted one to help me focus on good things.

Good things about life around me and good things about myself.

I went back and forth between two different words. Both spoke to a struggle I feel that has plagued my life for...well EVER...but a lot in the last several years.

So it is personal and sensitive and sharing it with you guys is kind of a big deal, to me any way.

I vacillated between content and confidence.

I finally landed on CONFIDENCE.

Keeping it real moment: I am not a confident person.

I struggle every day with confidence in myself. I struggle with confidence in my abilities, my parenting, my wifeering (making up verbs all over the place today), my appearance, my likability, my intelligence, my projects, my blog...

...okay, you get it. The list could go on for awhile.

Part of that is plagued by comparing myself to others, which is why I almost chose the word CONTENT.

When I realized my contentment was based on my confidence in myself, confidence became the winner for WOTY.

Now, I am really lucky. I have people around me who have more confidence in me than I do. I am so grateful to them and the love and support they give me. It is a darn good thing my husband is a therapist, and a fabulous one at that. It is a darner gooder thing that he is awesome and loves me so much. I am also grateful for my phone life line...you know who you are...what would I do if I couldn't send a photo to you of the outfit I am wearing to make sure I don't look like a royal goober?? Then there is my long-distance cheering squad and my near by one. So many people.

Like I said, I am lucky. My lack of confidence is not a reflection of the love I have from great people. I have lots of love and reassurance.

However, now it is time for me to give them a break. They have got to be exhausted.

So this year, I will strive to have more CONFIDENCE with myself and in myself.

I will have CONFIDENCE in--

how i look

being physically strong

the body God gave me

what I know

being a Momma

being a wife

 what I create

my friendships

what I have to offer

myself

My own CONFIDENCE is only part of my WOTY goal for 2014.

I know I am not alone. I am not the only person who lacks confidence in herself. It makes me sad to think of how many great and marvelous people there are out there who don't feel as wonderful as they are.

Is that you? I hope not. But, if it is you, let's work on being confident together.

In 2014, I also want to help others around me have CONFIDENCE in themselves.

A CONFIDENCE lovefest if you will.

I was recently studying my scriptures. I was reading about how much we are loved by our Father in Heaven and how highly He regards us. I came to a part that talked about if we love another we will feel love for ourselves as well.

It struck me with so much truth.

I think the same can be said of CONFIDENCE, because what is confidence in oneself, but love and understanding of our self.

This year, I hope to build CONFIDENCE in others and, in turn, myself. I hope to stop the comparing and start the celebrating.

Here is to a happy and CONFIDENCE filled 2014.

P.S. Thanks for letting me share all the personal stuff with you!

Top Ten Recipes of 2013

Time for the yearly post recap.

2013 was a big year for recipes. You the reader (and also the pinner...lots of love to Pinterest), really seemed to like the recipes posted here on Just Another Day in Paradise. In fact, that is two years in a row that the majority of the top ten most viewed posts are recipes. I always contemplate changing over into a recipe blog after I compile these lists. However, I just love the sewing projects, DIY, holiday, party, and all the other lifestyle aspects of this blog too much to say goodbye to them. So for now I will continue to be a general lifestyle blog.

I would love your input though, so feel free to let me know what you think.

As I was compiling my Top Ten Posts list for 2013, I realized I might need to do two lists. A recipe list and a project list, since like I just said, I also like all that projecting stuff.

Today, though we will stick to the recipes.

So here for your drooling...er...uh...reading and pinning (aka feel free to pin the heck out of these recipes) delight are the Top Ten Recipes of 2013 from Just Another Day in Paradise starting at number 10...

Drum roll please...

10. Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Pasta

9. Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup

8. Hawaiian Sliders

7. Dutch Oven Artisan Bread

6. Slow Cooker Mango Chicken with Coconut Rice

5. Slow Cooker Buffalo Mac and Cheese

4. Cheesy Spanish Rice

3. Taco Soup

2. Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken

1. Shredded Chicken Tacos

Are you hungry now? 

I am.

Did you notice the love for the slow cooker? I really need to dedicate more time to Slow Cooker Saturday don't I? I promise I will, just for you.

I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who reads this blog. 

Thanks for sharing and pinning what you read.

 I appreciate it just so stinkin' much!