Lecithin for pelvic and hip pain

I was passed along this article on Facebook by a friend. It is slightly lengthy, but very informative and well worth the read.  This is definitely a piece of information worth passing along to childbearing women.

"Got lecithin?" at Birth Faith

 I'd be interested to see how or whether it's effective when you're not pregnant, when your body isn't flooded with the hormone relaxin.  I occasionally get some shooting pains at my pubic symphesis, but I've started paying attention to such pains so recently that I usually can't decide whether it's pelvic or perhaps ovulatory.  I'm inclined to think the former, since they often repeat.  I guess I could try upping my intake of eggs and finding out!

Stop reading me.  Go read that.

A lot of people don't

I was in line at the grocery store tonight and the lady in front of me saw my tub of rice pudding (yum) and went "Oh! I want some of that!" and ran off to the back of the store. This probably would have bothered a lot of people, but there was no one behind me, I wasn't in a rush, and she just seemed so happy. I looked at the cashier and told her she could ring up my tub for her, once the other groceries still on the belt were done. She thanked me and did so, and I sort of meandered until the woman came running back to pay and leave. The cashier remarked that I seemed in a good mood and I paused, thinking about it. I was. I had no reason not to be. Then I got to thinking about all the things I have, and how much I've been blessed.


I've got a home, and a lot of people don't. I've got a job, and a lot of people don't. I've got a loving family that I love and no mistreatment to speak of, which a lot of people don't. I have a pair of cats that love me, and a lot of people don't. I have a car and money in the bank, which a lot of people don't. I have the opportunity and ability to earn more money, and a lot of people don't. I have a phone that texts, takes pictures, and surfs the web, and a lot of people don't.


I have access to high-quality, inexpensive higher education, and a lot of people don't. I have a strong, sure faith in God and a lot of people don't. I have a lot of diverse knowledge that a lot of folks don't. I have a career, friends, and a beautiful place to live, all of which I love, and a lot of people don't. I have clothes on my back, food in the cupboard, a creative mind, a giving heart, a patient soul, and a talent for working with my hands. A lot of people don't.


That's not to say, I sometimes don't quite have all the money in my account I wish I did, or that I need. Or that I always get along with my family and friends. Or that I never mistakes, or wonder if my faith is good enough.  Or that my life is everything I want it to be, especially with regards to men, marriage, and family. Life is far from perfect, but that's how it's meant to be. If life were perfect, we'd have nothing left for which to strive. Imperfection gives us drive and opportunity for growth. I've learned and continue learning to be grateful for all things, good and "bad", because I have few real reasons to complain.


A lot of people don't.

Mad Science!: Laundry day

Image found at Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees

I work with the skin and the body, and I believe everything that can be absorbed through the skin, will be absorbed whether we like it or not.  I've had many dear friends over the years with extreme skin sensitivities and I've seen the effects harsh chemicals and some products from nature can have on them, and the pain it causes.  Bearing these things in mind, I do my best in my practice to not intentionally put anything on another person's body that has a reasonable potential to cause a reaction if they have or could have sensitive skin. 

This goes right down to my laundry.  I do my own wash at home, I don't send my linens out to a service.  Brands and products I use at various points or various times (depending on sale prices, availability, or as a result of one being closer than the other to reach) are:

• Seventh Generation Free & Clear (considering moving to the powder to avoid SLS)
• Ecover Delicate Wash 
• Oxyclean
• I do not currently use any fabric softener either in the wash or the dryer because I haven't found one that I would feel totally comfortable with being against a sensitive person's skin.  I do occasionally use dryer balls (handfelted from upcycled wool... I know, I sound so greener/craftier-than-thou hip or whatever.  Yee haw.) if the noise won't bother other people.

I've been looking into homemade detergents, considering using a mixture including borax.  I'm a little hesitant, though, because we have a septic tank that leeches out to our apple orchard.  If I moved to a homemade mixture, I may feel more comfortable doing my laundry in town at the laundromat just up the hill from the salon, or the one next to my favorite deli, which is closer to home.  This, of course, would raise my overhead costs, an idea that doesn't particularly thrill me, so this will be an area of continued exploration until I settle on something I love without a doubt.

It's sort of like dating!

Latest Experiment: Foot Butter!

I know, this is neither the ranty nor hilarious post I promised. I've been a lazy bum lately with my blog and my Tweeting. But now I have something to document.

So, hopefully starting next week, I'll be dedicating a day or two to walk-in partial sessions: Head-to-shoulders, hands, or feet, or a combination of the three.  This requires some signage for advertising and pricing purposes, and I looked at the prices online, and a super simple sandwich board runs about $130.  Well crap, I can do that for less!  Right?

Hoo boy.

That sign is a whole other post of its own that I probably won't do.  Today's mad science experiment is foot butter for said sessions.  The idea was the make Plain, Lavender, and Peppermint.  Since I can't find a satisfactory cream that doesn't have 20 ingredients in it, I decided to wing it!  (This is often how I cook, too...)

Abundance Foot Butter ingredients:

• Shea butter
• Jojoba oil (actually it's a liquid wax, but whatever)
• Cocoa butter
• Dead Sea salt
• Love
• Blood, sweat, and tears (figuratively speaking)

I should have photo documented this journey.  Oh well.

I started with 10 oz of shea, 1 oz of jojoba, a chunk of cocoa, and some salt.  My idea with the salt was to hopefully dissolve it in for the mineral content.  Yeah.  It doesn't really.  Oh well.  Maybe later I'll mix it in, finely ground, as an exfoliant.  Maybe.  We'll see.

I started out gently melting the shea in pyrex on the lowest setting on my cook top.  I added the ounce of jojoba and half an ounce of cocoa butter., poured it into squeeze tubes (a big one plain, two smaller ones lavender and peppermint, 15 drops in their respective bottles) and stuck it in the fridge to cool.  It was thick, but it came out of the tiny orifice of the cap so I thought it was fine.

I got up this morning to go to work and try it out on a client, and it had set so thickly overnight that it wouldn't come out anymore.  Well crud.  I could still use it but I had to remove the cap to squeeze it out.

Conclusion on Attempt 1:
I knew shea was thick, but holy cow.  One ounce of jojoba is not enough to significantly loosen up ten ounces of shea and half an ounce of cocoa.  In spite of this, the mixture melts like a dream into a lusciously warm and smooth massage oil when I rub it in my hands.  I used the lavender, and it needed more essential oil; the smell was pretty evenly lavender, cocoa, and shea across the board, with nothing really sticking out.

So, on to Attempt 2.

I've remelted approximately six ounces of the original mixture (all I could get back that didn't have essentials in it) and added just under half a cup of jojoba, so it's approximately a... what... 60:40 split of shea:jojoba?  Something close to that.  It's cooling right now, so it'll be a while before I can give more detail, but I'm hoping that loosens it up enough to be squeezable.

More to come!

Update:  I've been using the foot butter as my massage lotion this past week and I do like it, but it's still too viscous for my squeezy tube.  I'm going to attempt another mixture with jojoba and neem in greater proportion to shea next.

Happy Backness!

Hey guys! I'm back. Did you miss me? Awww, thank you. I missed you too.

I know, I know I've been back for several days, and I haven't really said much. It's been crazy around here, and I'm lazy. And currently hungry. I need breakfast. I've got a couple of posts brewing for your viewing pleasure, one rather ranty and one hopefully hilarious. I should have finished the ranty one when I began it weeks ago, because within days of relegating it to "I'll finish that", my Twitter exploded with posts about it the subjects within, and now I feel behind the curve when originally I was just ahead of it. Boo.

Carpe Diem, readers, and hope for some awesome the next time you're here!

Happy Independence Day!

  ©Not Me

 As of today I am out of town until Wednesday, July 7th, celebrating with my family the coordinated commission of high treason against the British crown and our resultant liberty and freedoms!  I will be back to work July 8th.

Remember!: Don't drink and drive, don't point fireworks at people or other flammable objects (like dry grass, houses, and tents), use non-toxic (to you) bug repellant, stay hydrated, and be grateful for what you have because so many people in the world couldn't even dream of 1/10th of what we take for granted.  We are greatly blessed, in spite of our shortcomings.

May you all have a wonderful Independence Day and be healthy, safe, happy, and well.

Ha ha, very funny, June 18. You got me!

I posted last immediately before I left for class this morning.  I crated the dog in the garage, popped open the side door so she could have air, but blocked it partially so it would stay closed, and left.  Morning class was great, we talked about labor and postpartum and essential oils.  I considered staying for lunch to watch The Business of Being Born, but I had little cash, no packed lunch, and food at the house to consume before departure.  So I returned.

The dog came trotting out to the street to greet me.  She had chewed her way out of her crate, squeezed out the door, under the wheelbarrow blocking the hole she recently dug in the gate, and plopped down outside after who knows what exploits and wanderings.  Just great.  So I called my sister to let her know, she asked for the number for the dog rescue they got the dog from, hoping to have them pick her up and they'd figure things out after they get home, Monday night or Tuesday morning.  I had to return to class, so I just hid everything edible, closed all the interior doors, and left.  I was already fifteen minutes late.

I hit traffic.  Make that 25 minutes late.

Two of my classmates were outside the room, visibly upset, and the one's sister wasn't present for our postpartum demo/practice.  Not good.

I ended up doing half the demo practice on a classmate who had brought her 5 month old son in.  It was a great honor and a pleasure to work with them.  He was so cute, hanging out with Mom on the massage table.  He even fell asleep until I put her into seated position.  They were such a beautiful, peaceful pair.  It was an amazing experience to participate in.

Our last hour of class was spent in mixing massage oils and lotions.  We were having a ball, getting "high" off the essential oils we were blending.  It was amazing.  Such a giggle-fest.  It felt wonderful.  And then I looked at my oil bottle (carrier oil with e.o.s mixed in) and went "....There's bits of plastic in my oil."  The e.o.s had eaten the plastic.  It did this for no one else.  I went and got another bottle, repeated... same result, different kind of bottle.  I know that essential oils do that-they eat/digest/break down plastic if they're not in a carrier oil-but... they were in a carrier.  And it happened to no one but me.  I thought maybe it was because I perhaps hadn't swirled them into the oil soon enough, I let them stand for quite a few minutes on top of the oil, but when I redid it in another bottle, that layer wasn't on top for more than a minute while I was getting the blend poured before I shook it up.  Both have sizable flakes of plastic floating in them, so they're useless to use on other people.  I'll use them for diffusing and on myself, but for clients, no.  Speeeectacular.  But at least I have lotion that is hopefully uncontaminated.  That should last me for a little while.

The guy from the dog rescue just called and I'll be dropping the dog off at his place in a little bit.  I'd best get on that now.  I have no idea if I'm leaving tonight or not, I may be too tired.  I'll just have to see when I get back from dropping the dog off, since I can't go straight home from there.  I have to unload a crapload of supplies from my back seat to even make room for her.  Blah.


Well let's get this show on the road so tomorrow can be be less roller coaster-y.