DIY Bath Bombs

Bath bombs are fun and cool, but why pay for them when you can make them yourself out of ingredients that you usually have around the house? Below is the recipe and steps for how I made these lavender bath bombs. I got this off of Pinterest, but changed the recipe up just a tad.

You will need:
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup corn starch
1/2 cup of lavender scented Epsom salt
4 tablespoons of cream of tartar
4 tablespoons of coconut oil
1 tablespoon of water
Food coloring

1. Mix your dry ingredients (baking soda, corn starch, Epsom salt, and cream of tartar).

2.  Mix your wet ingredients (coconut oil, water, and food coloring). I'd suggest using one color of food coloring. I put a drop of red and blue in mine hoping it'd turn purple, but I just ending up with a bath bomb that had specks of red/pink and blue in it.

3. Very slowly pour a little bit of the wet mixture into your dry mixture and stir. Continue to do this until all of the wet mixture has been mixed into the dry ingredients.

4. Use a mold (I used a muffin tin) and pack your bath bomb mixture into it. At first I used a spoon to pat it down, but later I found it works better to actually use your fingers. I usually did about two heaping teaspoons into the muffin tin and then squished it down as hard as I could. It's key to get it as compact as possible.

5. Once all of the molds in the muffin tin are full, flip the muffin tin over onto a cookie sheet. Gently tap the bottom of each mold to make sure the bath bomb comes out onto the cookie sheet. Continue until you've used all of your mixture. It should make about 8 bath bombs.

6. Let dry overnight. Once dry, be very careful. These are super fragile and crumble easily. That's the one flaw about this recipe and I'm not sure how to fix it. I've had about 3 crumble or break. Actually, one of them broke because my sister got home after I had just made them (they were drying) and she thought they were cookies. So she poked one to see if she could get some frosting on her finger to see what they tasted like. I honestly don't think they look like cookies at all (my sister's crazy).

7. Last of all, you can package them up to make an adorable gift for a friend. Again, it's kind of a bummer they're so fragile because they could easily break in the bag when transporting them. I honestly would be tempted to just give a friend a bag that said "magical fairy dust for your bath" because by the time they get their gift home it'll be crumbled to dust.

In the end, I realized making bath bombs isn't as easy as it sounds. Maybe with a different mold or a lot of practice, they are easier to make. At first, they weren't sticking together and they kept crumbling, but with a little experimenting, I finally got them to cooperate. I'd challenge you to try and make them at least once, but I won't blame you if after making them you just go to the store to buy them.

Summer Picnic

Don't know what to do with friends? Have a picnic! My friend's mom surprised us with a wonderful picnic lunch this week! Here's a few pictures from our fun adventure.

We sat in a nice shaded gazebo in Big Spring Park.

Serving our plates with yummy food.

We had three types of pasta salad from Publix, cheese & crackers, and fruit! It was a great picnic lunch!

 I thought it was so sweet of my friend's mom to pack us such a wonderful picnic. We even had petit fours and cheesecake for dessert. It was such a fun time getting to spend time with friends. We ate lunch, listened to Reide play her ukulele, sang to Hamilton, and fed the ducks. It made for a great day!

A Sign of Love

Yesterday, I went to dinner with a friend. After we ate, it was pouring down rain. So we played cards and waited it out. The storm looked pretty bad there for a while. Once the storm cleared up, we went outside and there was a beautiful full rainbow. The colors were so vibrant; I could have looked at it for hours. I was awestruck. Everyone was out taking pictures. We were all fascinated by  God's creation. As people passed admiring the rainbow, I heard one lady say "Wow, it must be a sign or something!" I was still dumbfounded and captivated by the beauty of the rainbow to say anything, but it got me thinking. God promised to never flood the Earth again, which means He's in control of the rain, the wind, the lighting. Actually, He's in control of everything. He placed the rainbow in the sky as a reminder that He keeps His promises. His promise that He will never flood the Earth again; His promise that He is in control; His promise that one day we will be united with Him in heaven. It was then I was struck with peace and comfort. It was then that I was reminded that even though we live in a crazy and dangerous world, no one can be against us if God is for us. So to the lady who admired the rainbow before walking into Paneara, yes, it was a sign. It's a sign of God's promises to his children. It's a sign of peace and comfort to the troubled. It's a sign of love.

My Favorite Apps

We all love apps. I'm sure many of you have Instagram, Facebook, and etc. installed on your phone. I always enjoy looking in the app store to see if there's anything that is fun or can improve my productivity. I feel like I'm constantly downloading apps. Many of them I get tired of after a week and end up uninstalling. So from least liked to most liked, here are eight of my favorite apps that are worth downloading. Stick around for the last app that's currently my most favorite app ever!

8. Sky Map: This one I used for school when I had to find certain stars in the sky. It's now uninstalled on my phone, but it's really a neat app! If you ever want to look at constellations or certain stars in the sky, this app is perfect. You can search for whatever star or planet you are looking for and it will show you where in the sky to look. It shows just how big and majestic God's creation really is!

7. Aqualert: If you have trouble remembering to drink water throughout the day then this is the app for you. I actually uninstalled it because I got tired of it constantly reminding me to drink water (thanks, but I'd rather drink my Sweet Tea). Nonetheless, I find it's pretty cool that you can put in your gender, how much you weigh, and how active you stay, and it will tell you how much water you should be drinking every day.

6. ESV Bible: It's just handy to always have a Bible with you. It'll also let you highlight, so you can go back and look at all your favorite Bible verses that you've highlighted.

5. Colorfy: I'm sure there's several adult coloring apps out there, but this is the one I downloaded. I haven't used it in a while. However, I love that the pictures are detailed and you can zoom in to color those details. This would be a fun app for a long road trip.

4. Chick-fil-A One: Okay so I actually haven't used it yet, so I can't say much. I love the idea and it looks like a great app. It also comes with a free sandwich! I tried to use this app the other day, but was struggling to figure things out. When it comes to new technology, I'm a little slow, so it's probably just me. I'm really really hoping that I'll be able to use this app a lot.

3. The Decider: This is an app I use in my ballet classroom. As the name suggests, this app helps you decide using a wheel that you spin. In my class, I put the children's names on the wheel and whoever it lands on get to do something special (for example say the prayer). The kids love watching the wheel spin round and round. It's easier for me, too! I get less whining when I use the wheel.

2. Color Checklist/Checklist: I'm all about checklists. My room is scattered with papers that contain checklists, my planner has a checklist build into it, and of course, my phone has several checklists, too. I have two checklist apps. The first, which I've been using for forever, is simply called Checklist. It's easy to use but has one flaw. It can only hold one checklist. So I recently downloaded Color Checklist, which can hold several apps. In addition, you can even color code them!

1. 1 Second Every Day: This is currently my most favorite app! I just think it's so cool! Everyday, you film one second of your life. Afterwards, you can compile them. My goal is to film a second every day for a year! I think it'll just be so cool to look back and see what I was doing throughout the year!

Thanks for reading! I'd love to know what some of your favorite apps are!

Little Things in Life

As a child, I read inspiring stories of missionaries, people who were brave, and people who were remembered. I liked those stories. I always wanted to do something big, something that would be remembered, or written in books for future generations to read. I used to think you had to do something big to be important, but you don't.

Each and everyone in God's family plays an important role. I needed to stop waiting for the big amazing thing I hoped to do later in life and start doing the little things that are important, too. Things like helping a stranger, encouraging a friend, praying with the hurting, and loving the friendless. Maybe those things aren't going to be remembered years afterwards like the stories of brave missionaries, but they are important.

As I embraced this mentality, I think this is why I liked the idea of being an elementary teacher. Teachers can play important roles in children's lives. They help the child build a foundation on which to grow and learn. They teach and nurture individuals that will be our future leaders. It's a big job, but it takes the little things to get there. Things like helping students succeed, encouraging struggling students, and praying for and with students. These small actions may not be recognized by the public or make the front page of the paper, but they are shaping the lives of children, and that's big.