Creations

The lil me wanted to make pepper sauce of her harvest from the tabasco plant

and me...well I decided to get creative as I pruned the basil and oregano :)

we'll let you know how it tastes in a few weeks!

Oh...and you should keep reading

seems as though several of my posts over the past week went to 'save' rather than 'publish.'

All caught up now :)

yummmy!

Today is our oldest's birthday

we did breakfast up right!

I made belgian waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, corned beef hash...the works ...everyone just picked and chose at their faves.

For me, I made gluten free apple cinnamon waffles with homemade cinnamon ricotta (who KNEW how easy it was to make!) Fresh strawberries, Bananas and REAL maple syrup

OHHH it was heavenly!

Garden updates...

We planted our topsy turvy garden today

japanese cucumbers and tomatoes

We also put some peppers in the ground AND I treated myself to a new lavender plant...and YES those ARE the patchouli cuttings flourishing in the background!

Definitely time for a good book and a lazy afternoon on the porch!

BRAVO!

I can cross off one of the things on my to do list for the year.

I always make a "professional goals" list and a "personal goals" list...actually 2 of those, one that pertains to work and one that pertains to everything else

One of my personal, work related goals is to be the receipient of a BRAVO! Award, my company's version of "Team member of the month"

and today...tada! I was awarded for the month of June

lots of goodies

not the least of which is a CLOSE parking spot with my name on it for the month of June

if you knew where I worked...you'd KNOW this is a major perk

heck I parked in IDAHO today and it's been raining every night at just about 5

Like I told my boss

I've had my aspirations for this award for about a year now...the "qualifications" have been what my work process has been modeled after...and will continue to be...gotta be a good role model now :)

oh oh oh

AND I got a name plate for my cubicle!

I know this seems trivial but I've had my cubicle for almost 3 years now

and I've never had a name plate because I'm a "department" not an individual...it's confusing...

but my cubicle neighbor noticed I didn't have one and didn't think that was right...so she ordered one for me :) (she's the admin in charge of name plates...it was easy for her to sneak it in)

so not only was I recognized...I was validated too :)

and

OOHH this is a good AND

something GOOD happened to me and I didn't EAT!

Living Room Colors

yeahhhhhh I am sooo excited for this remodel!

the accent wall and doors are going to be the deeper color (red pepper) and the rest of the living room and hall will be tibetan orange.

The hub is building a bookcase/entertainment center wall and the back wall behind the shelving unit is going to be spiced plum. I'll save the Divine Red for accent pillows etc.

ohhhhhh I can't wait!!!!

Blessing or a Curse?

On one of my fave blogs I just read that Betty Crocker is going gluten free this summer! Yes it's true
That's pretty cool....but I'm sure the changes they've had to make to their facilities will be reflected in the price...sigh...

First Team Pop Warner National Scholar

Woot Woot

yeah she did it

and yes...the banquet was just as boring as the last one!

AND we were at the table of troublemakers again :)

Hair part deux

Okay so I'm thinking I'm hitting the "gonna seem greasy" phase of my 'poo free summer

it HAS also been raining and humid here allllllll week long, seriously, 25 inches of rain this week

so the frizzies have come out a bit

I've committed to giving up my products once they run out and doing without them until after my Sedona trip...at least that's the "check in date" my real hope is that by then I'll be so used to living without them I won't miss them!

but...I fear my curls won't be good looking curls without some sort of product so...I'm trying some homemade curl remedies starting tomorrow...

• Boil 1 cup water, stir in 2 Tbsp whole flax seeds and reduce heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened, strain. (Tip: it will thicken a bit as it cools, so do not simmer for much longer than 10 minutes, as it will be impossible to strain.) Add a few drops of essential oil for scent, store in fridge, should be good for about 2 weeks. 
  
• Lavender mist: You can take a gallon of distilled water, pour out a bit into a cup so you have room to shake, add 10 drops of lavender essential oil, cap and shake, then return the rest of the water, shake. Pour into a spray bottle, and use the spray to revive your waves on non-wash days. 

FINALLY

Okay...so yes, I've been moving more towards RAW foods because it seems to be what my body wants....but ever since I've learned of my gluten intolerance, it's also wanted PIZZA. We have a Pizza Fusion opening in our area soon and I've been looking forward to that but the grand opening keeps getting postponed so ....sigh, I just sniff while the fam eats pizza

But not tonight!

we had homemade pizza night...haven't done that in a while...

regular pizza for the fam and Gluten Free for me

It was my hope that everyone would like the Gluten Free crust and we could just switch over

maybe if I hadn't said anything and just made it ... but the hub said he could taste the difference (that's okay, more for me...I have individual slices wrapped and stowed away in the freezer now

 for those gotta have a slice of pizza days)

Definitely yummy :)

Mustard, Mayo, Catch-up later...

Well I realized there's a lot of 'stuff' to catch up on so first...

the Patchouli project...

the cluster method definitely worked best and mama has come back in nicely

 the water method netted the 2nd best returns...all those offshoots are in planters at my mom's now...I'll get pictures next time I visit

The Breakfast nook is completed (except the pop-tab window sil)

The curtains are banners with different quotes about gentleness and love (mustard curtains wound up in the mud room) and the herb pots hold basil and oregano for the kitchen. You can't tell from this picture, but the pots are made of sliced corks that mirror the circles in my original inspiration art (Klimt).

Then there's the no 'poo project

this was before...flat and frizzy... (and blurry but hey)

and this is after one week...not sure you can tell but I can, not as flat, not as frizzy and shinier :)

okay...now you're caught up 

'poo free update

On Saturday, May 9th 2009 I stopped using commercial shampoo and conditioner

I donated the remainder of my stash (about 1/8 of a bottle each of s and c that I've had for about a year) to my lil one and switched to Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar.

1 tbsp of BS to 1 cup of warm water

then

1 tbsp of ACV to 1 cup of warm water

That was Saturday morning and my hair STILL feels and looks great

I've rinsed twice since then, and will probably wash tomorrow but more so because I think I should not because my hair looks, feels or smells funky.

My hub even said something about it

he was surprised it didn't smell bad :)

okay so the cartoon is just for fun

I'm really happy with this process so far

I didn't really shampoo much to begin with

probably twice a week then mostly rinsed

once my hair care products are gone...I'm ditching those too

and not coloring (at least not until September)

so we'll go summer hair product free and see what happens...

Today I'm officially 'poo free

I've used up my shampoo and conditioner...the same set I've had for over a year now so I guess I didn't use it much to begin with...and in my attempt to reduce the amount of plastic bottles we use and chemicals we put back down into our own septic system I've gone to a baking soda and apple cider vinegar process on my hair.

It definitely feels very clean. Very very clean

Right now i think the thing I will miss the most is the product I used on my curls

But as I delve deeper into this journey of discovering my true self...maybe my true hair needs to be a part of the unfolding.

I've also decided no hair color

at least not until back from Sedona in September

love my grey in all it's glory

I've actually been quite intrigued by it in years past because it is more white than grey...so maybe I'll take on that look of a wise sage :)

I've always wanted to try kicking the hair color...and now I have a tangible (because we already bought our tickets AND reserved our lodging) time to shoot for.

Will I dye my hair as soon as I get home..or in Sedona even? who knows

more likely I think I will have come to a point where I have reasons for grey or no grey that will resonate more truly with my being so in the end it will not matter.

So as you can see if you've been reading my posts, baking soda is becoming quite a staple around here, clean the house, clean my teeth, clean my hair...and i think today we'll run some through the dishwasher and clothes washer to give them a nice cleaning too.

But for now I'm in a new white eyelet sundress and off to the hub's sister's house for a family get together...tons o family i've never met with lots of miracle whip and spam but their hearts are kind and the laughter is loud

needless to say...I'm packing a cooler :)

Happy Labyrinth Day!

http://www.labyrinthonline.com/flash/chartres.swf

I'm always walking towards something good

even when i feel it's so very far away, Peace could lie just beyond the next turn

sometimes I'm close enough to glimpse it and know it is close

others I feel as though it will be forever before it is attained

but I know I am always walking towards something good

I fold back over my steps

perhaps I missed something the first time

If I try to look or plan ahead

I miss what is happening right now

But I am always walking towards something good

The way seems short, it seems so close

but there are times I must take the long road

There is something there for me

There is always something in the journey

And I am always walking towards something good