Party Time

Last week I hosted a Pillsbury Potluck and Ladies Game Night.  We had quite the spread by the end of the night. 

We enjoyed hot wassail to drink.

 I made the pesto crescents I already posted the recipe for-- I've made those before and they always get a really good reaction.

I decorated the buffet with my matryoska dolls--They need to see the light sometime when there's not little fingers out to destroy them!

We had a fun evening playing Bunco, and eating delicious food.

Besides the Pesto Crescents we also enjoyed Mascarpone-filled Cranberry Walnut Rolls (though they were actually filled with cream cheese--also delicious!), some Orange-glazed Crescents, a "grandma's recipe" Meat Pie, and Baked Crescent Churros.

Winner!

Woops! I had scheduled this to post this morning when I was leaving town--but I set the time for PM on accident--well, here it is:

Thanks to everyone who played the giveaway game:-)  I maintain that blogging is fun when there is interaction included--blogging minus interaction equals not as much fun.  I tallied up entries for all the comments--added the facebook likes and had Jeremy pick out of a hat.  So if you are sad about not winning--it's his fault!

And the winner is:

Jen Wayland. . . lucky!

Send me your address at email4jeanette at gmail dot com and I will get it in the mail!

I'm off to the dentist this morning with Owen so I'll return here tomorrow morning.

All Natural Bath Products Giveaway

Along with homemaking soap I've been experiementing in homemaking other bath products as well.  My first experiment (before the soap even) was making homemade lotion bars.

Jonas' skin needs to be kept smooth and moisturized to help the excema.  His doctor and dermatologist both recommended Aquaphor.  Truthfully the Aquaphor does a great job of keeping his skin smooth and protected.  The product's main ingredient is white petroleum jelly.  So my problem with using such large amounts of Aquaphor (at least once a day and after every bath) come from more ecologically-minded reasons.

So I started researching alternatives.  For a while we used straight coconut oil.  We also tried using straight olive oil.  Both are great natural moisturizers, but both are liquid in a warm room temperature, so we had some issues with application.  I'd heard of "lotion bars" and decided to research them. 

It turns out that lotion bars (in my recipe) use the two oils I was already using, plus beeswax as an extra skin protectant.  The beeswax is what keeps it in a semi-solid state at room temperature. 

I use 1 part by weight of coconut oil, olive oil, and beeswax.  I priced beeswax at our local craft store, and I was able to get it 1/3 of the price per pound by purchasing it through our beekeeping supply company.  Plus it supported local economy instead of a big box. 

We keep our bars in a little jar, and just turn it out to use it.  It is a great thing for elbows and knees and rubbing good into little dry spots.  The boys love using the little bars as well.  And the baby loves eating them when I'm not looking--oops, at least I know there's no chemicals in them that will hurt him. 

The bars are not the best thing for all-over coverage, so my next experimentation on the radar is for some sort of body butter lotion variation. 

I'm starting to see why people get into selling soaps and bath products as a small business.  It's because your mind is always thinking of "the next batch" and other experimentations.  I may actually dabble in trying to sell some things as well, partially because for Jeremy the idea of designing product labels and packaging sounds just like Christmas. 

But as for today we are simply enjoying using these products as a family.  And I want to give the opportunity to one of YOU to try them out as well. 


A GIVEAWAY! for loyal (and new, and part time) readers of Jeanetics.net You have the opportunity to win:

One 2-ounce beeswax lotion bar (smells delicious), one 3-ounce bar of all-natural fragrance and color-free homemade soap, and one chicken.  Just kidding--the chicken is not included.

To enter just leave a comment on this post and tell me what kind of posts on Jeanetics.net are your favorite.  (a simplified post labels list is in the right sidebar if you need ideas.)

For a second entry:  "Like" Jeanetics.net on facebook and I will automatically give you a second entry into the giveaway.  Plus as a bonus I've posted the picture there of me in my mad scientist soap-making getup--it's totally classy.

This giveaway will end one week from today.  I'll announce the winner Wednesday July 20th.

Winner

I hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July. I had fun making the traditional American Jell-o in a very patriotic fashion. I added actual fruit *gasp* to my fruit-flavored Jell-o and it was a hit!

The middle layer is a 4 serving sized package of lemon Jell-o cooled and thickened just to egg-white consistency then mixed with 1 small container of Cool Whip.

This is a special-occasion junk food treat that I love because I'm American (and Mormon). If you are looking for real food recipes sans preservatives--come back next week. . . I'm serious--next week.

Well, my ten loyal readers (I love you), here are the results you have been waiting for:




So there you have it. Send me an email at email4jeanette*at*gmail*dot*com with you mailing address and I'll ship this right off for you and your little ones!

To everyone that entered--thanks for playing!

Giveaway!

Welcome to Jeanetics.net!

I'm really excited to be here although I'm not quite sure of my reasoning. I didn't really dislike my old name that much (that was kind of a joke), it's more of like when you are a kid growing up and then you start buying your own clothes... It just kind of makes you feel more like an adult.

That's what it feels like for my blog to get its own domain name--It feels like it's a little more grown up.

And the name Jeanetics--well it's an old inside joke from high school, and those types of things are never funny 10 years later, but the basic idea is that if someone says "genetics" on the other side of a crowded room, I will probably turn to look and see who's calling me.

But I like the sound of "Jeanetics." It almost sounds like It could be a contraction of "Jeanette's Antics"--which is a lot of what goes on in my blogspace anyway. So that works too. I've got a little more tweaking to do on the site--but that's the fun of having a blog.

And on to the giveaway. . . Remember back when I made one of these?


Well, I happen to have plenty of funky fun owl fabric for like 6 more. But I'm not making 6 more I'm making one more, and it could be yours! To show my appreciation to anyone who reads my blog I am hereby opening this giveaway to anyone who cares to enter-- effective immediately.

Do you have a little bum at home that needs wiping on the go? Or perhaps you are at the wipes for washing sticky hands only phase in your life. Or maybe you are at the I have a baby shower to go to in two weeks and can't think of a gift to take point in your life. Or perhaps you are at the my sister had a kid five months ago and I still haven't sent a gift phase in your life. Then this giveaway is for you.

Simply leave a comment on this post for one entry. If you want to put one of my buttons on your personal website or blogs (or update from my old button to my new one) do so and leave a second comment for a second entry. This giveaway will be open for one week. I'll announce the winner next Monday.

Meanwhile be ready for some fun posts including Jeremy's Fathers' Day present, a certain birthday party for a certain five year old, a matchy matchy sewing project for three boys, and who knows what else. Thanks for coming along!

Giving Back

Thanks to everyone who participated in my very first giveaway. I think it was tons of fun, and I plan on doing more in the future. But I can probably guarantee that they will all be homemade, that is until I get my big break and secure a large corporate sponsorship. Ok that won't happen, so you are stuck with my handmade oddities.

Without further ado here was my selection process. Sure, I could have used the computer to generate my random number between one and ten, but how much fun would that have been for Owen? Watch him in the video- he has no clue what's going on, but he thinks it's hilarious regardless!



Well, I already have your address, so you don't need to e-mail me, to everyone else: Please play again next time!

On to today's agenda--find out what smells like chicken dinner in my laundry room (I hope it's not a dead mouse!)

Won-Hundred

Welcome to my one hundredth post (if you don't count my fake posts for my button, contact info, or favorites list, and if you do count the two old school posts I just imported from 2006)! Apparently a 100th post is a big deal in the blogosphere--like it's the first step to having people take you seriously as a blogger or something. I don't know, but I do like a reason for a good celebration.

So I decided to celebrate my one hundredth post by naming it a "won"-hundredth post because for one of my lucky readers--there's a prize to be won!

Yes, I'm doing my very first bloggy giveaway. To thank you, of course, for indulging me and my "musings" on life at home.

I've been feeling crafty, but not the go-out-and-spend-a-bunch-of-money crafty. Also, I decided maybe no one wants any of the crappy crafts I make. So I decided to make something that was functional to raise it's perceived value (insert double eyebrow raise here).

So here's the giveaway gift I made. It's a reusable grocery shopping tote. It helps fish to not choke and die on plastic bags. Plus the real reason I use reusable shopping bags: for each one you bring in to use at a Kroger brand store you get five cents off your order. You know that 25cents a shopping trip really adds up.

When Jeremy walked by and saw the green ribbon on it he said, "Now that's cute." So at least he thinks it's cute.

But you don't need to use reusable shopping bags because they are cute, you need to use them because it's what all the hip people are doing these days. . . I mean, because it's good for the environment, and see it's even more "green" because I made it out of an old sundress that I used for a swimsuit cover-up, but I was going to get rid of it.

So to enter this giveaway just leave a comment on this post. You have until Sunday the 21st (Fathers' Day), and I'll announce the winner on Monday, chosen through the most democratic method I can think of. Also, anyone can enter, whether I know you personally or not, as long as you aren't "one of my enemies, I hate those guys."

Good Luck!

As I mentioned before, for the sake of interested parties . . . um you with the funny sideburns, and . . . you hiding behind the curtain, I have uploaded two posts that were actually my first attempt at blogging (over on geocities) a year and a half before I started this blog. I called it Jeanette's Mommy Blog: On Life, Love and Babies. At that point the only exposure I'd had with blogs was one my brother was doing for his son. I had found out I was pregnant, but ended up miscarrying a week later. But if you are interested in a trip down my memory lane, please enjoy:

Introduction and Pregnant