JJ's Hand Lotion
Original Recipe

Note from Brenda: I purchased decorative 8 oz canning jars to put this in.  They made wonderful gifts!

32 oz of Baby Lotion (I like the kind that doesn't smell like baby lotion, like Gerber's Lavender or Oatmeal)

8 oz Fruit of the Earth Vitamin E (oil or cream- I used cream)

7 oz Vaseline (Sometimes you can find this in scents too.)

Here are the proportions I actually used because of the size of ingredients I purchased.  These proportions worked well too:
2- 15 oz bottles of baby lotion

I purchased a 13 oz jar of Vaseline and split it between two batches of the recipe, so it was 6 1/2 oz instead of 7 oz per batch.

8 oz of Vitamin E

Dump all ingredients in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer until well blended.  One recipe filled 8- 8oz jars.

   (This makes a fairly large volume of lotion.  This recipe also makes nice gifts.  Shirley recommended using 24 small containers, such as baby food jars or the plastic containers that Pizza Hut's carryout cheese and peppers come in.  If you aren't giving this as gifts, be sure to have plenty of containers to store this in! I used the Unibase jar and old hand lotion bottles.. and anything else I could find!)

*SPECIAL NOTE: It has come to my attention that Unibase is no longer sold under that name.  My local pharmacist says that Hydrophylic ointment is the replacement cream for Unibase.  My apologies to those that have hunted and hunted for Unibase!

1 pt of glycerin
16 oz jar of Hydrophylic Ointment (previously  Unibase)
4 oz bottle of Rose Water
2 1/2 qts of distilled water

   Mix glycerine and Unibase together in a large bowl.  Add small amounts of water, say 1-2 cups at a time.  Mix with a hand mixer until smooth.  Keep adding water until it reaches a creamy consistancy.  You can adjust the water amounts. (Sometimes this varies with the weather.  One time I only used 4 C of water.)  Too much water will make the lotion weak.  Too little will make it oily.

   Add 2 tbsp of Rose Water. More if you want the scent to be stronger.

Shirley Yake
Stinnett, TX

Woodwork and Wall Cleaning Solution

1 gallon warm water
1 C ammonia
1/2 C vinegar
1/4 C baking soda

Combine and use to clean walls and woodwork. 

When cleaning windows I leave out the soda and use an old newspaper for a lint-free wipe.

Brenda Brazell
Dumas, TX

Homemade Insecticide

Myth: Homemade sprays are not as effective as store-bought pesticides for controlling insects in the garden and on houseplants.

Fact: In many cases, remedies you make yourself work just as well as the high-powered pesticides.  Here is a USDA formula that is safe around pets and children, and good for the environment:

Add 1 tsp of liquid dishwashing detergent to 1 C of cooking oil and shake vigorously.  Add 1 C of rubbing alcohol.  Add 2 tsp of this mixture to 1 cup of plain water and shake well to emulsify.  pour into a spray or pump bottle and use at 10-day intervals, or more often, if needed.  Murphy's Oil Soap, used at a rate of 1/4 C per gallon of water water will kill whiteflies, mites, aphids, scale and other pests.

I don't remember where I got this, but it sounds good!