Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Lavender; you can't barbeque it, boil it, broil it, bake it or saute it, but it smells real good.

I love lavender.

Which is actually a surprising thing for me to love. Because I don't really care for flowery smells all that much. I don't wear purple clothes. I don't eat eggplant, and I've never even seen The Color Purple. So for me to have such an affinity for something so purple, is pretty surprising.

But I can't help it. I love lavender like Bubba loves shrimp.


I took this picture in October, the house next door to me has beautiful lavender plants that line the front walk. The smell envelopes you as you walk past them.

Now, I don't have quite as many uses for lavender as Benjamin Buford Blue had recipes for his beloved shrimp.

(Holy cow. Can you believe I just pulled Bubba's real name off the top of my head like it was my favorite flavor of ice cream?)

(My mind, 'tis a scary place.)

However.

I do appreciate the plethora of goods which derive from the versatile plant known as lavandula angustifoliant.

(And that, I did not know off the top of my head. Go figure.)

(Useless fact obscurely related to a shellfish I enjoy; no problem. Scientific plant name that I'm sure I had to know for my high school horticulture class; no clue.)

(In my defense though, I only took horticulture because my high school had a green house. And I thought it would be an easy A to go and water plants for an hour.)

(It wasn't.)

(Hence the reason I did not pursue anything remotely related to anything remotely horticultural once that class was over.)

I guess the thing I enjoy lavender the most in is my body cream. I love the way it smells. I love that it is subtle and calming and smells clean. It feels so good when I rub it on my legs and feet before I go to bed at night.

There's also lavender body wash, which is my favorite thing to pour into a warm tub at night.

I like to burn a lavender candle in my bathroom and I think a little misting of lavender linen spray on my sheets before climbing into bed would be like transforming my bedroom into a room at a 5 star resort.

Clearly, as scents of lotions and candles go, lavender is my choice.

You might be wondering why all this talk of lavender during the long cold winter? Well, my skin is dry, for one thing. And also, there is a big new pink button on my sidebar. Have you checked it out? Are you giving something away next Monday?

I am.

Can you guess what it is?

13 comments:

tammi said...

Hmmmmmmmm, I wonder.....

You're too funny, Lisa! That's a very pretty picture, too!

Martha said...

OO! Ooooooo! I want it! I want it! I love lavender! I love lavender!

xoxo

Upward Falling Autumn said...

method has a bunch of cleaning supplies in lavender. And it smells more like the fresh lavender from a plant vs the perfumey faux lavender.

Chrissy said...

Isn't it nice that your neighbors have to take care of the plants, but you get to enjoy their scent.

I do love the smell of lavender, but it makes me itch if I use any of its products on my skin. It took me about six months of using Crabtree & Evelyn soap to figure out that was what was doing it.

I do want to try out the Method cleaning stuff, though.

Queen B said...

I love the lavender linen spray...I think Tide (or maybe Cheer?) has a lavender liquid detergent that is pretty great.

Can't wait for your giveaway!!

Kelly @ Love Well said...

One of my favorite smells.

I'm excited to enter your giveaway.

Megan Cobb said...

But it CAN be used in cooking! Did you know it's a component of Herbs de Provence, which is used in classic French cooking? I've also seen a recipe for lavendar shortbread, too. So maybe, just maybe, you can have your lavendar and eat it too!

Jennifer (Jen on the Edge) said...

I love lavender so much that I have a small lavender garden with at least six varieties in it. I'll be expanding and adding more plants this year.

forcryeye said...

I too share your love of lavander. I love it so much I brought my plant inside for the winter, and although it looks a bit wilted...it is still alive! Keep your skin hydrated darling!

snaphappy said...

I love lavender, but only at night. Weird, huh?

Mary@notbefore7 said...

I have no clue what you are giving away.

(but I imagine it smells good)

(probably like lavendar)

(but that is just me guessing)

(thinking I should be putting little known facts in these parentheses, but I just feel the need to use them after this post)

(never had a green house...I have a black thumb)

OH...

PICK ME!

(or is that not this post yet?)

Jeni said...

Lavendar is fantastic for baby baths & lotion, too! I've used it for my girlie on occasion, and I really think it relaxes her more than her average bath.

I took botany in college, and I'll randomly see a tree and think to myself, "Oh, that's Lyriodendron tulipifera," or, "Liquidambar styraciflua!"

I'm strange that way.

Pedaling said...

love lavender; love the color and the smell!