The Magic of Coconut Oil

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the joys and benefits of cooking with coconut oil. Today I want to take my enthusiasm for coconut oil a step further and confess that this wonderful substance has also become my favorite face and body lotion. It moisturizes and conditions like a charm, leaving my skin a little less like crepe paper every day. Sure, it's a bit like getting oiled up for the spit at first (greased pig, anyone?), but ere long the slippery residue absorbs and you are sitting pretty. Honestly, I am loving the difference––and I love the price, too (relatively inexpensive, and it goes a long way).

Yesterday, I even used the stuff as a hair treatment. Yep, I just rubbed it through my hair until it hung in oily snakes glistened around my face, then popped on a shower cap and let it marinate for a couple of hours. What I like about this hair salad is that it actually takes away the dryness while leaving your locks with some body. In fact, it adds to the body...and I kinda need that, these days.

So there you are, friends. My very best beauty secret is yours to keep. Can't promise you that it will work miracles, but it does work like a charm!

;)

PS. This is also a great massage oil, with antibiotic and anti-fungal properties. And as I've said before, the extra virgin, cold-pressed, organic brand (Nutiva) is even great to cook with because coconut oil includes high amounts of lauric acid, which is good for cholesterol and aids in weight loss. Some people even swear by it to prevent tooth decay. (The Mia Flora brand is not for ingestion, though.)

Divine Nature

Divine Nature

©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson

Proof of divinity is all around.

God's handiwork transcends His mystery.

We hear His voice in every sacred sound:

the trill of birds, the pounding of the sea.

His whisper reaches us in sunrise stillness,

when all the earth awakens from her sleep.

Betimes He warns us with an eagle's shrillness,

or speaks to us in rumblings, soft and deep.

We see His radiance in sunset glory;

His Light enlivens moon and stars and sun.

Each shining lake that shimmers tells His story.

Each mountaintop proclaims Him as the One.

We feel His tender touch in gentle breezes

that muss our hair or cool a rosy cheek.

His every gift to us is balm that eases,

to know Him is the sustenance we seek.

And yet the proud heart is not counted wise.

Only the humble and the reverent see.

Look for Him in a newborn baby's eyes,

then find Him in your own divinity.

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Appreciating Autumn

Autumn is a feeling,

and it takes you for a ride.

It puts you in the driver's seat

and welcomes you inside.

Fall paints as many colors as

a rainbow, bright and bold,

and teaches you to find what's true

in orange, red, and gold.

It shows you what you're made of,

and the harvesting feels good.

Hard work is never wasted

when you've done the best you could.

To reap a great reward brings joy

and deep reflection, too.

The heart remembers all is well,

and love belongs to you.

As seasons come and seasons go,

every end is new.

=)

photos of grandkids by tendershootz

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Riding the Wind

©1991 Susan Noyes Anderson

Sometimes on a windy day,

I close my eyes and fly away.

I float with leaves upon the breeze,

then skitter about the lofty trees.

I hop and skip from yard to yard

and frolic down the boulevard;

until, at last, my journey through,

I find my way back home to you.

click below for more fall colors