Made with Love Lip Balm

Orange Apricot Lip Balm

Trying to come up with something other than candy for my kids for Valentines Day, I searched fun things to make for them.  ( other than crocheted hair accessories.  LOL  They have enough of those!)  I found a recipe for homemade lip balm and it turned out delightful!  The biggest plus to this recipe is that it's 100% natural. 

I had all the ingredients at home already, so I whipped it up in no time this morning. 

The recipe is

1 tsp beeswax
1 tsp apricot kernel oil
1 tsp calendula oil ( I used almond oil) 
5 drops of orange essential oil

You heat the wax and oils together in a double boiler, remove from heat.  While still hot add essential oil and coloring.  Now, This is a small amount of wax and oils, so it cools fast.  And the coloring did not blend fast for me.  So I had to heat it up for a few seconds in the microwave until I had everything blended well.  I also do not own a double boiler, so I made a make shift one with a glass bowl over some boiling water.  Just make sure your bowl leaves room around the side for steam to escape, you don't want a pressure cooker instead of a double boiler! 

Pour the hot liquids into a lip balm container and wait for it to cool.  I boiled my lip balm containers before I started this and let them air dry while I completed the lip balm.  I got my containers at Wal-Mart.  They are actually little plastic pill holders that I found in the travel size toiletries aisle ( .97 cents for 2).  Then I just let them cool and added a little orange sticker to the lid. 

These smell HEAVENLY!  They are not very shiny though.  A lot more like chap stick than lip gloss.  Which I prefer, because my kids are 5 and 7 years old. 


For the original recipe click HERE. 





  

Monkey Bread, Yum Yum

I have fond memories of eating monkey bread when I was kid, so I thought I would give my kids those sweet memories too.  They are 5 and 7 and hearty little eaters, so I knew when I thought of making this, it would be a hit. 

I am always looking for something a little different in the kitchen.  I get tired of the same ole, same ole.  I remembered eating this and hunted a recipe down and actually found one in a Kid's Paula Dean cookbook.  The name of the book is Paula Dean's My First Cook Book.  My kid's and I cook together from this book ALL the time.  It's a great way to teach them.  The book is EASY for kids to understand.  It has great pictures, and even tells them what tools they will need with pictures of the tools and ingredients. 

Anyway, back to the recipe.   I changed the method a bit, but the ingredients are the same. 

3 cans of biscuits ( 10 each per can)
1 cup of sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick of butter


I took a pair of scissors ( I use them instead of knives all the time.)  And I cut the biscuits into quarters.  I placed the cinnamon and sugar in a gallon size baggies with the quartered biscuits and shook it till they were all covered (Don't forget to seal the bag shut.  LOL) 

I then melted the butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan. 

I sprayed non stick spray in a pound cake pan and I added the coated biscuits and poured the brown sugar and butter melt on top.  I baked it in the oven for 45 minutes on 325 degrees.  The recipe calls for a bunt pan and to cook it for 35 minutes, but I don't have a bunt pan.  So I used what I had and adjusted the cooking time, because I wanted to make sure the center biscuits were cooked completely and I was using a more condensed pan. 

This turned out delicious.  My kids ATE and ATE!