Chocolate for me?!

Happy belated Valentine's Day!

I know, I know.  "It's just a Hallmark holiday."  Right?  Well, that may be, but you can't tell me you don't enjoy being gifted one of those crimson, red ribbon wrapped, heart shaped boxes of decadent chocolate... and if you can, I'm not sure we can be friends anymore.  Kidding... kind of. 

Well, I don't know about you, but my family has spent the better part of February ill with the dreaded flu.  Yuck.  I finally started feeling more human yesterday, the BIG day, but still not completely 100%.  Considering I've been home from work all week, I've spent many an hour on Pinterest and stumbled across the lovely blog, Henry Happened, and discovered her Homemade Chocolate Milk Bath recipe.  Oh wow.  You have no idea what you're missing here, people.  (please excuse the low quality phone photos... my Nikon is needing batteries!)

As my wonderful hubby distracted the kiddo, I got to try it out for myself.  I made a little larger of a batch than what her recipe called for, because the pouch of milk powder I had equaled out to about 1 1/2 cups.  This isn't a recipe that is difficult to increase.  I added an extra tablespoon of cocoa powder and an extra half tablespoon of cornstarch.  I climbed the stairs to my bathroom, lit a candle and ran the bathwater, nice and hot (but not too hot!)  After my tub was full, I added half the batch as well as a few drops of peppermint essential oil (who doesn't love the combo of chocolate and mint?!) and gently stirred it all together with my tootsies. 

 Looks like I'm bathing in hot cocoa, right?!

Immediately, I could feel my dry, dehydrated skin softening right up.  It was positively love at first dip!  While I soaked, I also pampered my body with a peppermint sugar salt scrub that I was gifted by a dear friend, a facial with my lavender brown sugar scrub and a nice raw honey cleanse. 

Notice the empty jar of lavender sugar scrub... expect a blog post for that soon!

 

Albeit to say, I'm feeling MUCH better today... and I've determined to believe that it's a direct result of the chocolate and sugar!  Which leads me to believe I shouldn't start that diet afterall.... ha! 

My Intro...

Well, hello there!  Allow me to introduce myself...

I'm Nikki.  I'm a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and employee.  Let me tell you a little about myself.  I met my to be husband in 2005, we married in 2008 and two weeks after our first wedding anniversary, we welcomed our son Max!  Does anyone else feel that once you have a child, your life speeds WAY up?  Well, the past five years have been a blur for me. 


Becoming a mom changed a lot about who I am, as most of us anticipate.  I became very focused on healthier eating, particularly cutting out over processed foods and creating nutritious (well, more delicious) meals from scratch, by hand.  Being a stay at home mom allowed me that freedom, but it also made me a little stir crazy, so I took up knitting (which went over like a lead balloon,) and subsequently, crochet, which I really enjoy, when I have the time!  I've also started making bath and body products, with natural, organic ingredients straight from my pantry, and of course, full of love.  I can't wait to delve into my skincare routine with you all! 

I did go back to work outside of the home this year, after being home with my son for four years, so that's been a big transition for the family... trying to play little Miss Susie Homemaker AND keep an office running smoothly has it's fair share of challenges, but I'm lucky to have a husband who pulls his weight (plus more) and who's adventurous in the kitchen!  I've been trying to convince him to give a "Julie and Julia" challenge a whirl, but for some reason he's slightly intimidated.  I can't imagine why...

You can expect this blog to be a mishmash of delicious, mostly from scratch recipes, adorable crochet patterns, easy and fabulous DIY beauty tips and products, simple DIY projects to compliment your home, cute crafts and maybe a funny story or two... or five million.  Life with a little boy and a man child make for some good times! 

I hope you enjoy the blog and say hello!