Hard lotion bars
We got the electric brakes replaced yesterday, so are good to go. I watched the guy do it so I would understand how they worked. I even got to stick the wires in the 7 pin connector to test the electrical connection. 😀
So I’m happy — except that it cost $450 of our trip money.
Oh well, at least we will enjoy the trip a lot more knowing that the brakes work as they should.
I started preliminary packing today — starting with cleaning out my purse! That’s always a chore, but once I’m past that psychological hurdle, I’m primed for the rest. Got our underwear and linens packed in the Casita, and have sorted out which clothes to take. Not that I’m anxious or anything!
Lotion bars shrink wrapped for storage.
After the shea butter allergy fiasco, I decided to stick to a very basic lotion recipe. I decided against a liquid because I didn’t want to add a preservative. Without a preservative, liquid lotion would have a short shelf life and I would have to keep it refrigerated to keep mold from growing in it.
So I made hard lotion bars, consisting of equal proportions of beeswax, coconut oil and almond oil, scented with several drops of essential oil. Since it doesn’t contain shea or cocoa butters, it is not as rock hard as some, and is much easier to use.
The almond oil makes it even more moisturizing to my extremely dry skin, and the beeswax keeps the moisture from evaporating.
So — two things have worked out right in a row. I’m on a roll! 😀
Tinycamper's Blog 
Gerri Jones
/ December 5, 2013YAY!! The lotion bars are adorable and if they work as nicely as they look you are in for a treat!! Nothing is better than success!!
Glad you got the brakes replaced. I know spending the money hurts but your safety is first!! We are still busy trying to equip our Casita so we get the spending money thing!! We decided our Christmas presents this year would be “camping” stuff and Casita stuff!!
Have fun packing!! 🙂
LikeLike
tinycamper
/ December 5, 2013I was tickled with the lotion bars, and the fact that they did turn out so cute did a lot to brighten my world. 🙂
I figure we stand a better chance of being around for more trips with the new brakes. That’s a positive way to look at it.
Oh, I bet you will have the most fun Christmas ever. Camping gifts are the best!
LikeLike
cozybegone
/ December 5, 2013Ouch….but safe on the braking! Gives a peace of mind I’m sure. What lovely bars…just love them! Almond oil smells so good!
LikeLike
tinycamper
/ December 5, 2013Carla, he showed me the inside of the old brakes. They are supposed to be smooth. Both of them were very deeply grooved. He said the reason the brake controller was giving such erratic readings was that the brakes were continuously shorting out. YIKES!
On the bright side, the bearings were in great shape so there was no heat damage to the spindle.
Aren’t those bars the cutest things? I am glad my shea butter didn’t work now. These are much more fun… and feel so dreamy!
LikeLike
Marcia GB
/ December 5, 2013Your lotion bars are adorable. And hooray for things going right! I have all my clothes sorted out for heading south on Dec. 29th and will transfer them to the Casita soon. Before we have snow here! For the first month we’re in a apartment at the beach so the trailer acts as a storage closet but on Feb 1st begins 2 months of camping at several state and county parks.
LikeLike
tinycamper
/ December 6, 2013Marcia, the combination of an apartment at the beach followed by camping around Florida in the Casita sounds like a great vacation plan. The best of both worlds, maybe?
Hope it’s wonderful for you!
LikeLike
Elizabeth
/ December 5, 2013Interesting idea for the soaps…thanks for sharing. We also have had nice skin from using goat milk soap.
LikeLike
tinycamper
/ December 6, 2013Elizabeth, it’s not soap. It’s like a hard cream that was poured into soap molds. I love goat milk soap, too!
LikeLike
Kim
/ December 5, 2013Those are so gosh darn cute!
LikeLike
tinycamper
/ December 6, 2013Fun, huh? 😀
LikeLike
Jo
/ December 5, 2013I just love the lotion bars especially the little flip flops.
Isn’t it funny how we pack in those underwear first thing. I was wondering why I had to do laundry so often because I lacked clean underwear. While I was checking my clothes supply I couldn’t believe how many pairs of underwear I had in the camper. haha I brought some back in the house of course.
LikeLike
tinycamper
/ December 6, 2013I suppose maybe we figure we are prepared for anything as long as we have clean undies on board! It’s a security thing! 🙂
LikeLike
lynne
/ December 6, 2013Darlin’ little soap bars. Where in the world did you find the molds?
Looks like your having lots of fun!
LikeLike
tinycamper
/ December 6, 2013Lynne, they are not soap bars. They are hard lotion bars. You rub them in your hands and they melt slightly, and you rub that wonderful lotion into your skin!
I had the molds left over from my soap making days. 🙂
LikeLike
lynne
/ December 6, 2013Sorry, you said hard lotion bars and my mind interpreted it as soap bars. Great example of how our brain sees something and names it although it is labeled as something else!
LikeLike
tinycamper
/ December 6, 2013You weren’t the first one. 🙂
They LOOK like soap bars! And I never heard of lotion bars until I started looking for homemade cosmetics recipes!
LikeLike
Renee Harris
/ December 7, 2013How soft are they? Does it “smoosh” if something heavy was placed on top?
Those are cute – great idea about subbing out the shea butter. I’m going to search your blog to read that post.
LikeLike
tinycamper
/ December 7, 2013Renee, they are pretty hard–about like a bar of soap, so they are not smooshable. 🙂
LikeLike
Steven
/ December 19, 2013Very nice design! Cute.
LikeLike