I love Kauai. I kinda hate being home and wish I could be back there right now. And Marriott's beds are fabulous.

I loved everything about our trip. The pool at the hotel was the perfect temperature. The water at our beach was gentle enough to paddle board in (I even got up! Can you believe that?) but fun enough that it could knock us around close to shore. Kauai is so, so beautiful. (Except the west part of the island. No comment there.) Kayaking the Wailua river was so fun! Even when the boys were too fast to catch up to. Hiking through the mud was a little exhilarating and the secret falls were magical. I loved watching the girls and Husband jump from Hanalei Pier and when we were at Tunnels beach, the snorkeling was outstanding and we all saw a turtle. The lava cave was cool and Husband looked like a vampire.  Keilea Beach had some great waves and Olympic Cafe had some yummy coconut syrup and a super delicious Pig Breakfast Burrito. The Napali Coast was breathtaking and the dolphins were spinning around in the air. Our little trip to the fern grotto featured the perfect around of Hawaiian music and dance. The hike in Waimea Canyon was hard for me, I don't know why, but it was beautiful. The dark chocolate covered macademia nuts were yummy. Our minivan was comfy. It hardly ever rained on us. The poo poo flowers were tasty. As I said, the beds were fabulous. I can't remember that last time I spent 10 hours in bed because my hips always hurt, and I normally just sleep 6-7 hours top.The food we ate was good, the company was the best. I loved this trip and I thank my Heavenly Father for blessing us so richly.

Big deal, give me the food

I have taken up a new hobby! It all started with Costco discounting the price of their bucket of coconut oil down to 15.99. Oh, the things I could do with that stuff! I bought it and decided it was time to do that which I have been secretly pining to do for a little while . . .  make soap! My cousin's wife starting soaping a few years ago and she posted the pictures on facebook and they were incredible. What a great skill to have! I really long to create something new--does everybody have that desire to make and build--and soap is a necessity. Practical hobbies make sense!
So, I began my soap journey. The great thing about soapmaking is that everything you need to learn is online and on youtube. And you can buy the ingredients from Amazon. I don't have to leave my house and in three days, I can have made something totally different and new. And there are lots of other side products to make with almond oil and shea butter and various essential oils. Whoppee!

By now I have made maybe 5 batches of soap, several pounds of bath bombs, dozens of lip balms and several different facial cleansers. Not everything has been a success. But I have had fun. And just about everyone but Husband loves my version of Burt's Bees lip balm. Plus, I'm washing my face with coconut oil, honey and baking soda. Pretty cool.

The funny thing about all this is that everything I am learning is online (I did buy a book, but only because I wanted to step back and get a bigger look at it all). And all articles are on websites with names like: homemademommy.com and hippysoapgirl.com. These ladies are fabulous! I commend them for their soaps, their pictures, their cool websites, their great families and their positive energy. But I have one thing to say. And this also goes for people with super recipes for lasagna and crockpot refried beans and wedding and egagement photographers:
LESS IS MORE
Give me the recipe! Show me the pictures and prices! I'm sure you have a lovely family, but I'm afraid I am skimming past all of your details about your outings and your cats and your husband's funny ways and the hopes and dreams of this or that couple. I just want the recipe! I just want to see the pictures and prices.
Of course this is ironic that I am blogging about frustrations about blogging. But first of all, no one is reading this. Second of all, I'm not promising you a recipe. Though maybe I'll post some recipes once I know I have some that I like.
I guess I can't criticize people for sharing their words. It's a beautiful thing to share your life. And maybe I should slow down and read. But not today!


And on a different topic, here are some pictures from our trip to the Yucatan. It was perfect. I loved it and would be thrilled to go again. Go yourselves! Stay at the Playa Maya in Playa del Carmen (unless you hate stairs and the beach).

I loved the Yucatan

Swamp Tour Pix, Baby!

The swamp tour in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana was exceptional, otherwordly, beautiful, amazing, extraordinary, enchanting. I would do it again and again and again.