Clump #96:  Give away catalogs; buy natural skin product gifts.

A dear friend told me she wished she had some of the catalogs I was describing as the scourge of our mailbox.  I curated a bunch for her (on the right), recycled the rest (left), and dropped the nice ones off at her house today.  I’m glad they have a new home with someone who will appreciate them.

My husband has taught me to rip off and shred our names, address, and all the codes on the backs of catalogs before recycling:

Another good friend, who started the business Only NatCHeryl Body Cremes, was selling her products at a local craft and gift sale today.

Her brochure begins, “I first started making lotion about 10 years ago after my son was born with a hormone related birth defect.  After researching the possible causes, I discovered one of the contributing factors could have been exposure to BPA and Phthalates, common hormone disruptors that are found in products used daily in many households.”   Her products are homemade, contain only the good stuff, and can be ordered here.

Deodorants are a very popular item in the line, formulated because she couldn’t find, for herself, a natural product that really worked.  She also sells lip balms, bath salts, sugar scrubs, sunblock, and seriously dry skin balm.  I went crazy over her mojito (lime and coconut) scented balm and lotion.  You can tell how excited I was by the blurry photo:

Yesterday I wrote about our youth-obsessed world, with a hope that we will evolve into a culture that values, and finds beauty in, age and life experience.  At lunch I drank a bottle of Honest Tea, and this was my message in the bottle:

The six words Elle McPherson chose to sum up her memoir: “I want to be Tina Fey.”

I feel renewed hope for the world and woman-kind that a super model, who built her fame and fortune on a Sports-Illustrated-Swimsuit-Issue-Worthy body, wants to be someone known for intelligence, talent, and great, sharp wit. Poor Elle is now a fading flower in an industry that values only youthful exteriors.

We’re all flowers bound for fading, but why not delay the process with a good moisturizer?