Reconnecting (and a DIY spa recipe!)

Lemon Vanilla Sugar Scrub

Sometimes the stress just gets to us.  It's not even anything particularly big, but a bunch of little things piled up together to the point where we throw our hands up in surrender and cry, "No more!"  A few nights ago was one of those times.  We were snippy, we were exhausted, we were all sorts of angry and hostile and just needed a time out.  Well, why let it just lie when you can do something about it?  I began to scheme.

While the evening was winding down I began to prep.  I started by giving the bathroom a really deep clean, because that's where the evening was going to begin.  Then I placed some candles on small dishes around the sink near the shower.  And then it was off to the kitchen.

Now, when I do anything in the kitchen, Husband gets excited and thinks I might be baking something.  He immediately wanted to know what I was up to, but I made him wait.  Then I started making a sugar scrub (recipe at the bottom of the post).

After the kids were in bed, I lit the candles and started the shower.  I took Husband in with me, and we spent quite some time using the body scrub on each other.  The contact was soothing, relaxing, and really helped us just stop and reconnect with each other.  We were able to ground ourselves and really just be with each other for those few minutes.  There is nothing quite doing something so caring for each other, even when it is as simple as washing the skin.  It had been a long time since we had done something just so aching beautiful.  I know it sounds ridiculous and dramatic, but it's true.

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All this had an amazing side effect, besides the obvious emotional reconnection.  That body scrub I made?  It was beyond fabulous.  We now make and use it regularly.  Both of us had smooth, soft skin that we, yes, WE, loved.  Want the recipe?  Here it is:

Vanilla Lemon Sugar Scrub

• 2/3 cup white sugar
• zest of one lemon
• a teaspoon or so of lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• smidge of olive oil

Pour sugar in a bowl, add vanilla and stir until well combined.  Zest a lemon, making sure to break up any long strands of zest.  

My zester.  I love this thing.

Ribbons of lemon zest

Add it and the lemon juice to the sugar and stir.  Now comes the olive oil.  How much olive oil you need is really going to depend on how damp the atmosphere and sugar are, but it will be somewhere around a tablespoon or so. You are looking to make a paste, but not too wet.  Place in airtight container.

Ingredients mixed together

To use, place some in your palm and scrub over your body in circular motions.  Rinse off.  Take care, as the oil in the scrub may make the bottom of your shower slightly slick.  Now, enjoy the smoothness of your skin.