EVCO Revisited, Vacation, & Cooking

If you read my blog often, you know I have a slight grudge against using coconut oil on my skin...

I first mentioned my misfortune with it in this post. I used it on my face and developed TERRIBLE pimples that were super deep and incredibly painful. I decided then I would never try it again.

Then, I discovered the oil cleansing method that I mentioned in a different post...it used castor oil and EVOO mixed together. Unfortunately, after a little over 2 months of using this on my face, it stopped helping. If anything, it started making things worse. I have a friend that has been using it for a long time with no trouble, though. Everyone is different.

Several people told me they had used the oil cleansing method, but with extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO) instead. I was considering it, but still wasn't sold...

Then I read this blog post by another blogger, Little Miss MBA, about using coconut oil the same way I had been using CO & EVOO, I decided to give it a shot.

I've been using it for a month now and my face has never looked or felt better. The only thing I changed was not to moisturize with the EVCO, too. Usually, my face has just enough leftover it doesn't need it. This was not the case with the other oils...they dried my face out more. Like I said, everyone is different!
Here's a picture of how it's looking...I'm wearing a tiny bit of makeup here, but only a little powder to even my skin tone out a little. Sometimes parts of my face are a little more pink than others...

Insert topic change here...

As I mentioned before, I took a trip to Arizona to see my precious family. I got to spend so much time with my amazing grandmother and it was a HUGE blessing! I also got to spend time with 2 of my uncles, my sweet aunt, and a few cousins. I have an interesting bond with my family in Arizona. We don't see each other very often, and we're not technically immediate family, but we're very close. I love them so, so much. It was so great to see all of them!

Mema looked so great and she acted like she was feeling really great all but one day. It made me so happy to see her!
Then, I was supposed to leave on Tuesday, but there were severe storms back home, so my flight was canceled. Unfortunately, I had already turned in my rental car and was sitting in the airport when I got the news, so I had to call my Aunt Loraine to come to the airport to get me.
I called Mema and said, "well, you get me another day!" Her exact response was, "Well, praise the Lord!" It was precious. However, saying goodbye to her twice was awful. She will always be my best friend. I thank the Lord for an extra day with her.

The view on my way home definitely helped...

I've also had a lot of fun cooking lately. Thanks to school, I haven't really had time to do much cooking, so I took advantage of some free time in Arizona. I made my favorite Chicken & Dumplins recipe (my dad's recipe) from scratch and my favorite Peach Cobbler as well. I'm told both were absolutely delicious, but I was especially proud of my cobbler. My Uncle Larry said peach cobbler is his favorite dessert and he said it was incredible. Definitely a win in my book :)

I also finished the cover of my personal cookbook I've been working on and filled it with most of my favorite recipes. It is a Moleskine notebook that I am filling with recipes passed down, made up, and recipes found in various places from various sources. So far, I'm very pleased with it. I'm hoping to collect more recipes from mine and Randy's parents and add my own in as well. Eventually, I really hope to pass it down to our future children. I think family recipes are such an amazing and valuable thing to pass down through generations.