I like to be busy, not frenetic busy and stressed, but I like to have something to show for at the end of the day. Maybe it's just a product of working for all those years, but I like to be productive. For a while, after we moved here, I felt adrift and lost. I didn't know what to do with my time. There weren't any museums or parks to explore with the kids. And the shopping was definitely depressing, plus how many times can you go to the local mall a week? So after we purchased the house, I started working on the house.
First I painted the interiors. I did all but two rooms and the baths. I would drive to Lowe's or Home Depot at least twice a week with Little Miss. I'd buy all sorts of paint and drop cloths and brushes. I also changed the locks in the house. I switched out electrical switches and outlets and some plumbing fixtures. I did landscaping and mulching. I did all I could with a baby at home, which basically meant no real demolition or serious home improvement. Maybe when she starts school I'll have the opportunity to switch out sinks and vanities in the bathrooms. So I did all I could do on the house with my limited time and with Little Miss.
Next I decided to take on some cooking. I started out making things I missed from NY. I made rainbow cookies and black and whites. I made my own bagels (which I discovered I need a more powerful Kitchenaid since the dough is too stiff for my Kitchenaid) and pretzels. Than I started tackling macarons and cream puffs and gougeres. I made spicy bacon caramel corn (yum, who doesn't like bacon?) and NY Style Crumb Cake. I made chocolate soufflés and florentine lace cookies. Than I started getting fat and decided I need to take a break from all the sweets.
So now I'm in the beginning of my latest obsessions - skin care. For a while I wanted to see a dermatologist, but it seemed that a lot of the ones I checked out on the internet were big proponents of botox and fillers. I don't need to see a derm for him to make me feel worse about my skin and push products on me that I don't even want to consider. So I really resisted my need to see a derm. For a while in the past I was an avid user of Tazarac cream which I loved, and I'm seriously considering getting back on for what little vanity I have left. So I thought I should first explore vitamin C serums, and happened across a website called skincaretalk.com. Holy crap, talk about hardcore women who concoct all sorts of potions and creams for their faces. All based on organic and holistic ingredients. I'm no hippie but I try to buy organic and recycle when I can. But I'm not hardcore. So when I saw a DIY recipe for vitamin c serum, I knew I had to try it. I also saw a DIY recipe for Rodin's Olio Lusso. Now I was also contemplating Darphin's 8 Flower Nectar Oil, since my skin is so dry out here I need more moisture, and Olio Lusso seemed relatively similar in composition. So I decided to try to make some of that as well.
I spent about two weeks researching oils and websites, trying to figure out what I wanted and where to buy them. So between three different websites, I purchased about $350 worth of oils (essential and carrier) and bottles to start mixing up my new fangled potions. I started out with a simple vitamin c serum, which is nothing more than lactic acid, glycerin, distilled rose water and a few drops of jojoba and vitamin e. It's a bit thin, but I can feel the tingle and who knows if it's really working or not. But in order to make it more of a "serum", I bought some ferulic acid, sclerotium gum, and phenoxyethanol. As for my DIY oil, it actually seems pretty good. I realized I don't need to wear my old standby La Mer anymore since the oil is moisturizing enough at night. Maybe I'm mixing too many essential oils in, I got a couple more that I'm going to toss in. So far my little foray into DIY skin care seems to be working. It was a pretty big initial investment, but with all the oils I purchased I can make enough to last me for a couple of years. Plus I'm going to make some for when my friend comes to visit me in May. She'll get to experience my DIY skills. Hopefully she won't break out as a result.
Anyway, I guess the point is I'm constantly looking for ways to occupy my time during the day. I hate feeling like I wasted a day, and when Little Man has play dates and Little Miss is napping, and I like to be productive. I started looking into DIY shampoos, but that seems a little too hardcore for me now. I'll just stick with my serum and oils and see what I look like 2 months from now. Maybe some of those "freckles", aka age spots, will fade away. Than I'll move on to something else to DIY.
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