This is a Cute Little Useful Sensible Gift for You to Make: Talc-Free Dusting Powder

"The mounds of Christmas presents my grandchildren receive now would have been unbelievable to me as a teen in the 1950s,"..."Each of us kids received two gifts that year.  My brother, Donald, got his usual gift-a dress shirt-but he's still smiling!" 
-Virginia Meseraull, taken from the Dec. issue of Reminisce magazine.  The story includes a photo of the two teens, she in a lovely ballgown holding her two gifts, one appears to be perfumed lotion of some sort.  Is that not the sweetest thing?  

I just love my natural cornstarch dusting powder that I make for myself so what better gift could I make for friends and family?  And hey gals, it is soooo easy! 

 I started with this little box from Dollar General.  Hobby Lobby also has nice tins.  Or you could just give it in a bag with a little bow and call it good.  You could use a simple white cardboard box, a wooden box...whatever.  K.I.S.S.  Keep it simple sweeties.  But whatever you do keep it thoughtful! : ) 

 Here is what you will need.  Plain ol' cornstarch.  Edit:  I now use non gmo cornstarch!  A fragrance if you desire, I would think for a gift a fragrance is needed.  I chose natural lavender oil, but if you don't have any on hand and really don't give a hoot about toxins etc. make sure the recipient doesn't care about toxins either (thoughtfulness), you could spritz a light spray of perfume.  Not too much though. Less is always, always better!  I used just a couple of drops of oil to the cornstarch..  Then I placed my plastic bag, a quart sized plain jane food storage bag, the old fashioned kind with a twistie, the cornstarch, the drops of oil and shake-a, shake-a, shake-a ya go!

 Put the twistie on top.

Done!   Now isn't that  the cutest thing ever?  The box cost a dollar, you may already have one or just go super simple with a little bag and bow as I have suggested.  The box of cornstarch cost 79 cents, the oil I ordered for my everyday uses.

We have found the old fashioned food storage bags from the Dollar General or the 99 cent stores to be invaluable for an economical storage solution.  Love'em.

Here are some pics from the last month or so I thought were neat.

 Janie made the "Give Thanks" banner above, I still have it up for Christmas too and it may just stay up! : )

A foggy morn out the back window...

I always get a kick out of the girls taking the trash out in our little 'Mr. Sparky' vehicle, see the chickens hitching a ride? 

The other week we  were coming home from our beloved Veterinarian's office (God bless Dr. H.) and this huge farm monstrous vehicle was coming at us on the country road.  He pulled over on his land and as we pulled away he got out and stood by the huge wheel on that thing!  Wow.  HUGE!

Winter skies at the Forest Cathedral.

Right now I'm looking out the window watching a blustery day out..My husband is burning a brush pile. Our two youngest daughters, 20 and 23 are readying for an English Folk-dance winter ball.  Good clean fun with beautiful hand-sewn modest ballgowns.  I sure wish I would have had nice clean things like that to attend when I was their age.  

If you get the druthers you may enjoy my last blog, The Faces of Advent Part I and II sometimes I have a lot to write and think about...

To keep track of these lives we live is not just a means of enriching our understanding and possible improving our sermons but a truly sacred work.  In these pages I tell secrets abut my parents, my children, myself because that is one way of keeping track and because I believe that it is not only more honest but also vastly more interesting than to pretend that I have no such secrets to tell...

-Fredereck Buechner, excerpt from 'Listening to Your Life' Dec. 14.

I hope we are all staying in The Christmas Story this Holy Advent Season...

Love,    ~Amelia