Thought this was interesting . . .

Wonderwash--a portable washing machine that uses no electricity but claims to get clothes as clean as a conventional washing machine.

Description

Why Use the Wonder Wash?

• Washes a 5-lb. load super clean in just a couple of minutes.
• Has a patented pressure system that forces detergent into the fabric at high speed for a fast, efficient, economic and very easy wash
• Is ideal for campers, single persons and even for the housewife with small frequent loads like hand washables and diapers.
• Is ideal for delicates such as woolens, silks, knitted dresses and cashmere garments.
• Uses far less water than even hand washing.

Pretty cool.

Tomato, Tomato!

Even before I entertained the idea of getting a garden going (today we are going to pick up supplies, by the way), I've always thought of growing tomatoes especially after seeing my sister in law growing them easily in pots. I use a lot of tomatoes in my kitchen and I could easily spend $20 on organic tomatoes alone (just a couple of pounds at that). When we were part of a food coop, some weeks we'd get so much tomatoes I wouldn't know what to do with them. It was tomatoes this and tomatoes that. In fact, it was those tomatoes that made the whole coop worthwhile (actually the tomatoes and the fabulous eggs). Those tomatoes we got were some of the most delicious tasting tomatoes ever. They made store bought tomatoes (even the organic ones) taste like cardboard. I had always thought I didn't like raw tomatoes but those coop tomatoes? I could eat them like an apple. I wish I had thought about preserving and such back then. We could have enjoyed those tomatoes for so much longer. But now that preserving is where my mind is, I'm even more eager to get some tomatoes growing. I want to make tomato sauces and tomato pastes and I'm hoping to have enough tomato products to preserve for our use right through next winter. The Bell Blue Book of Canning definitely describes how to do it but you can also find great resources online for canning tomatoes.

One of my favorite blogs NYAM! Adventures in Cooking and Eating gave me one excellent tip about saving tomato paste. I would always open a can or jar of tomato paste, transfer it to a storage bowl and come back a few days later to find it moldy and unusable. What a waste! Last night I was using tomato paste to cook and once again thanked Anaylli for this wonderful tip. The tip? Put the remainder of your tomato paste into a freezer bag (Ziploc), try to eliminate as much air as possible, flatten the tomato paste, and then seal the bag. Store it in your freezer. It will keep a very long time. When you need some tomato paste for a dish, break off a piece. If you're making a stew, just toss the frozen tomato paste in. If you need soft tomato paste, just leave it out to defrost. Come to think of it, if had a deep freezer, I'd definitely be considering freezing as a good way of "putting up food".

Photo Credit: "tomatoes squaredcircle" by Muffet on Flickr.com

-------------------------------------
This morning I did Denise Austin's Get Fit Daily Dozen: 12 Move in 12 Minutes. This DVD was just OK. I wasn't bowled over by it although I did get my heart rate up and sweat. I did two of the twelve minute routines (Cardio-Athletic Blast and Cardio-Kickbox Burn). I was going to add on the 12 minute yoga stretch but I was bored to tears. I like when I'm so into a workout that my eyes are not glued to the DVD timer counting down to when it's over. Overall, it's a good DVD especially if you're really tight on time and/or just starting out. The routines were varied, i.e. you weren't doing the same move for too too long. Maybe I'm just to used to Denise Austin to appreciate her anymore. Her Blast Away 10 Lbs., though, is still the best that she's done to date in my opinion and it's one of my favorites.

Ooooh-weee!

Just wanted to report that this morning, my legs are on fire! This is as a result of yesterday's workout. I'm glad too . . . it means I worked something that I haven't been working on.

I am seeing results, by the way. I'm losing weight slowly but I'm also getting toned up. More than all of that, I feel strong and energetic.

I'm not sure if I can get my stomach back to being the way it was pre-children because there's a lot of stretched out skin. I can feel the muscles underneath are getting more toned but overall, my stomach doesn't look much different. That's a bummer but oh well. I'm surprisingly comfortable and accepting of my stomach the way it is because it reminds me of what my body did.

On another note, I was looking in The Reader's Digest Back to Basics book (which has everything you ever wanted to know about back to basics/off the grid/back country living) curious about how to make perfume at home. Very interesting if not gross. You use lard to make it. You can get your scent from flowers or herbs/spices. Basically, you take lard that has absorbed the scent from the flowers and mix it with alcohol. That's back-to-basic perfume. I'm not so sure I can get with that. But then again, lard was originally used for making soap.

I woke up an hour late today I guess making up for the hour that was lost. I'm not sure if the boys will sleep till 7:45/8:00 today because of daylight savings or not so I'm off to try to squeeze in Radiant Heart Yoga before they get up.

-----------------------------
It's 7:11 right now and everyone is still asleep. I just finished Radiant Heart Yoga by Shiva Rea.
Since I've been learning about the chakras (currently learning about the throat chakra), I was intrigued by this DVD which focuses on the "heart center" or heart chakra. Overall, I feel this is an excellent offering by Shiva Rea who has a very peaceful and detailed way of instructing. The poses/moves she uses were at times challenging for me so I did the best I could. It is definitely not a DVD for pure beginners. My only qualm with the DVD is the way it was shot. I get that they wanted it to be artsy and the background to be calming (it was a very beautiful background indeed) but it was kind of dark and shadowy and I had a difficult time seeing what Rea was actually doing. That's my only real complaint.

Okay, so this DVD is not necessarily something I'd add on as part of my fitness routine. It's more of a moving meditation and a powerful one at that. She incorporates the chanting of "Aum" into the routine and the sound "Ha" in the sun salutation part. I enjoyed this DVD but not because I felt like it burned calories or toned me up. It was perfect to do after yesterday's workout and the soreness I am feeling today. This yoga is all about the heart center (chakra) and focusing energy and healing towards the heart while calling up positive characteristics such as love, compassion, and forgiveness. I could feel love all around and inside me while doing it and even right now. So I would say that in doing this routine, my heart chakra opened up. Shiva Rea achieves what she set out to do. It would be so nice to find other yoga DVDs focused on specific chakras.

Anyway, today's practice left me feeling energetic and bright even though the day is quite dreary. I'm ready to start my day feeling positive and joyful. While I don't think I'll be purchasing this DVD, I'm adding it to my wish list and I'll definitely check it out from the library on a regular basis.

Back-to-Basic Ways to Keep Yourself Looking Good

One thing that's generally clear about women cross-culturally is the desire (or maybe even need) to feel lovely, beautiful, flawless. Most women like to walk into a room and have heads turn. We do all sorts of things to achieve this (especially pre-marriage and pre-children when we are free to focus 100% of our energies on us). Now that most of us are tightening our belts, we've had to chuck a lot of the things we may have been doing to help us achieve that sense of outward flawlessness. I know at Whole Foods the other day, I had to put back some very nice soaps that I wanted because my grocery bill was way over what I had on hand to spend. As I read folks' blogs, I hear ladies talk about cutting out manicure/pedicure visits, learning to do their own hair (and sometimes stumbling along the way) or going longer periods of time before paying the hairdresser a visit, and eliminating other things (they don't have to be huge things either) that used to help us achieve our signature flyness. So I got to thinking: if the shit really hit the fan and we were suddenly thrown into chaos, what are some practical ways that we as women could retain a sense of flyness? It's important to our survival as whole women (not just physical survivors).

Now, I'll be the first to admit, with a three year old and a one year old, and with only one household income, it's a challenge to make sure I feel good about how I look when I step out. It's much easier to throw on any old thing and go. But it's a challenge I at least try to meet just because for me personally, feeling positive abour how I look changes how I approach the world. If I feel good about how I look, even with two kids in tow, I have a spring in my step and I can turn heads. Wanting to feel good about how I look drives my physical fitness efforts. It's what makes me choose a pretty headwrap and make the effort to wrap it instead of tossing on a hat.

I've been getting into World Made by Hand recently and the words that come to mind are "stark" and "difficult". I think to myself: I already have limited resources and limited time . . . what if I had even less? What if most of the resources and time went into physically surviving? First off, would I even care how I look? Secondly, with nothing to really work with, if I did care, what could I do about it?

So I thought about it and came up with at least one way to feel beautiful despite whatever is going on: rose water. Out back we have an old rose bush that the hubby's grandmother used to tend. It no longer flowers but back when granny attended it, it was beautiful, so I hear. I don't know if it will happen this year as my focus is on vegetable gardening, but I am going to get that rose bush back to flowering (if not plant a new one). Why? Because it looks beautiful and being surrounded by beauty helps us feel the same but also to make rosewater. If you've ever smelled rosewater, it's divine. It is rosey but not overly so. And it's not too hard to make at home. You can use it as a toner/refresher or as a body spritz or as a linen spray. I buy commercially made rose water now but it's good to know that if I had to, I could make the stuff. I've tried my hand at making rosewater lotion (emulsion of rosewater and jojoba oil I think) . . . not so good.

You know, every time I hear a story of disaster or difficulty, what often strikes me most is people's desire to feel human. For women, one aspect of our humanity, it seems, is beauty. Often you hear that for women who have been through hard times, a little perfume or nail polish goes a long way to alleviate the suffering.

(I'm editing this post 03/10/09 in the interest of keeping my blog positive and not catty.)

I am interested in being the best we can be especially in difficult times. I'm not talking about being 100% perfect--no one is. I'm talking about you feeling good about how you look (really doesn't matter how anybody else feels). Ms. Erykah Badu sang one of my most favorite songs (Cleva) and I love how the words always apply. It's acknowledging that your dress may be $7 and your hair may not be quite right . . . and so what? I'm.still.flyy.

We hope for the best always but in the event of the worst, it's helpful, in my mind, to think about ways that we could still feel gorgeous in spite of. To me, a big part of emergency preparedness (aside from physical survival) is keeping your mentals intact so why not incorporate this aspect? It's imperative to meditate or pray or do whatever you do to ground yourself but it's also important to me as a woman to think of little back-to-basic ways to feel good about how I look.

One-on-One Training with Jackie

Look, I just have to rave about One-on-One Training with Jackie, which I borrowed from the library to preview. It is the bomb! It is an excellent strength-training workout that is varied and never boring. There are three 20-minute long workouts: upper body, lower body and core. Today I did upper body and lower body. I was never bored. The routines are varied and challenging yet not overly so. And I can't say enough about Jackie Warner. I really like her style. She is not brash or loud. She provides just the right amount of encouragement without being patronizing. And she's all about form so she takes time out to say what position each part of your body should be in as you do the exercise. I sweated and breathed hard but I feel really good. Initially, in fact, I was only going to do one routine today but I loved it so much, I did another. If I had more time, I would probably do the last one! I give this one five stars for sure and I'm actually looking forward to doing the core routine.

I have two other DVDs on hold that I'm yet to try: Shiva Rea's Radiant Heart Yoga (I'll be doing that tomorrow) and Denise Austin's Daily Dozens (I'll be doing that Tuesday). You know, I'm not terribly fond of Denise Austin's style but I will say she is encouraging and comforting.

I bought Hemalaya Behl's Yoga for Urban Living on Amazon.com Marketplace. The first copy refused to play through and then I noticed it had a scratch. The seller sent me a second one. Now this one is acting up. Uggh. I hope it's just a glitch as I really like it.

And it's daylight savings time!!!!! Yayyyy!!!!

Oh, we had a blast at the birthday party yesterday. It was at an arcade type place with all kinds of games and prizes. Zion had a free pass to go on all the rides and he enjoyed himself tremendously. And, to my great surprise, when I told him it was time to go, he willingly came along.

Working my Workout Schedule

It's clear that I can't or shouldn't be doing high impact aerobics for two consecutive days. I was totally unmotivated to start this morning and when I did indeed start, my knees hurt. Initially I was all "work through the pain" and then I realized that I might actually hurt myself so I stopped. By that time, I felt it was a little too late to start anything else and so no exercise today.

I need to figure out a workable schedule. Right now it is as follows:
Sunday: Denise Austin Blast Away 10 Lbs (first workout on the tape)
Monday: Crunch Yoga
Tuesday: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Blast (Level 1)
Wednesday: Crunch Yoga
Thursday: Denise Austin Blast Away 10 Lbs (first workout on the tape)
Friday: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Blast (Level 1)
Saturday: Crunch Yoga (will be Yoga for Urban Living soon)

So on Thursday and Friday, it's high impact aerobics. I don't think my knees like that back-to-back abuse like that. I've got an exercise DVD on hold at the library right now. That might be the ticket. Otherwise, I may just do the second workout on Denise Austin's tape (which I don't feel gets my heart rate up enough for long enough). Actually, now that the sun is up so early, I think I may start walking for 30 minutes--fresh air and music on my Ipod. It's too late to go walking now as the family should be up in about ten minutes but I think that walking is a really good idea! And I enjoy it. Which is more than I can say for Denise Austin or Jillian Michaels.

New Things . . .

I find one of the best things about life is discovering and doing new things. So here, on the tail end of winter, it's nice to have some new things I'm doing.

New Thing 1: Knitting Socks
I've been knitting for a while now but this is the first time I've ever tried to knit socks. I'm using a pattern from Knitty called Monkey using Regia Silk sock yarn (a really nice yarn to work with) and they are turning out quite lovely. I think sock knitting could become addictive! Sock knitting is a small but functional project with some many possible variations. If I was focused completely on it, I don't doubt I could finish a pair in a week

New Thing 2: Sprouting seeds for the Garden
The seeds for the garden arrived yesterday. We bought seeds for tomatoes, peppers, carrots, kale, onions and chickpeas. Hopefully we'll spend Sunday sprouting the seeds that need to be started indoors. I think the last time I sprouted seeds I was in kindergarten so this counts as a new thing as far as I'm concerned.

New Thing 3: Yoga for Urban Living by Hemalaya Behl
Previewed the DVD and thought it would be a great one to have. I bought it on Amazon.com marketplace for a steal. Unfortunately, the copy I was sent is scratched so I couldn't really get through the routine earlier this week when I tried. The seller, however, seemed more than willing to send me a new one. I really like this particular yoga DVD--the set, the instructor and I'm hoping to have the new DVD here soon.

New Thing 4: Books I'm reading
I'm actually reading two books concurrently: Brick Lane by Monica Ali and World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler. Of course, when I'm done I'll review both but I will say this, neither book is that great.

New Thing 5: Chocolate Chocolate Chip Macadamia Cookies
Okay, I recognize that I am in ultra baking mode. It's winter. I'm in the house a lot. I love to bake. I love to eat what I bake. What can I say? I had the macadamia nuts just waiting to be used (okay, they could have waited longer) but I decided I wanted something chocolately. I used this recipe for the cookies but I substituted nuts for half the chocolate chips and used almond extract in addition to vanilla. I baked them for 12 minutes and they've not quite chewy (I like a cookie that's well done though). They're really good although Z1 won't touch them because they've got nuts in them. Oh well, he doesn't really need sugar anyway.

---------------------------------------
Saturday is Z1's godbrother's birthday party. It's at a Chuck E. Cheeses type place and I know I'd be hard pressed to find anything wholesome and nutritious for him there. I'll probably bake a few chocolate cupcakes for him to take. I have to figure out what good finger foods to bring along for him. If I get a chance today, I'll get on my message board and search for "vegan party food for kids" or something like that.
----------------------------------------
Right now, I'm procrastinating about working out because I just don't feel like it. I kind of wish it were a yoga day . . . I don't have to drag myself to do yoga. But I know I need cardio too especially if I'm to lose this weight. So . . . I'm going, I'm going.

Suffocating

I'm going to be a little bit real/revealing today.

The loneliness and isolation I often feel as a stay-at-home mom is suffocating and sometimes excruciating. On stay-at-home mom message boards you hear the concern a lot so I know it's common for women who make the choice to stay at home to feel this way.

I don't have many true-blue girlfriends to begin with. Somehow or the other, I just have never really had the opportunity to cultivate those friendships throughout my life being somewhat introverted and very "booky". Right now, I'd say, I'm pretty "different", I guess some would label me eccentric. I don't generally go with the flow and I *must* do my own thing. So here I am at 27 years of age and I can really only say I have about three friends, all of which I met as an adult. One lives far away (and we really only reconnected recently). The other is on her way to becoming a naturopathic doctor and has a child of her own so she's extremely busy. And the other works full time and has a child of her own and one on the way. Me and her generally do drive-by visits. Oh, and there's my sons' godmothers, one of whom lives in Ethiopia right now and before that lived in California.

I won't lie . . . sometimes I start to feel a bit sorry for myself and think that if I were back at work, I wouldn't notice the void so much because I'd be too busy running around. But going back to work so that I can ignore the void is not the answer, I know.

Trust me, I've reached out plenty of times. Joined meetup.com and other groups for stay-at-home moms. Somehow or someway, it just never really worked out and I have not been able to make real connections that way. I actually hate doing aerobics and would rather do yoga any day. I've been thinking about taking a yoga class. I also am interested in belly dance too and I know that would be a way to get fit that I'd actually enjoy. I'd like to take a class of that too. It struck me that classes might be a good way to make connection with all different kinds of folks (because while a good friend who was a stay-at-home mom and on the same tip as me regarding natural living and world view would be exactly what I need, I'm open to all kinds of connections). The problem is who would watch the children? There's really no money in the budget for babysitters and so I basically have to do things that I want to do alone while the kids are asleep or while the hubby is home. And since he's not home all that often, it leaves me with very little time.

Then I decide that it's silly to be worrying about making friends as an adult and I really should just turn on the radio, fold this laundry, knit this sock, read this book . . . but it's inescapable. Sometimes you just want to go over to your friends house and just sit. And it's magnified by 10x's in this cold, cold winter because generally when I feel this way, I could pile the boys into the stroller and walk for miles listening to music or something or go to the playground and absorb myself in playing with them. The snow and the cold make these things difficult if not impossible.

I get tired of taking the boys to the library, playground, and other activities where I end up basically talking and playing with my boys, while the adults ignore each other. Adults seem to want to avoid meaningfully connecting by all means. I recently called one lady who brings the children she watches to the library program we go to and while we seemed to have a good conversation at the library, on the phone she seemed disinterested and distant. I figured she only talked to me at the library, then, because I was there in person driving the conversation and face-to-face you often can't just be like, "leave me the hell alone." (It's a testament to my personal growth that I didn't personally feel rejected by her coldness on the phone.)

Anyway, many days the only other adult I speak to is the hubby and since lately he works so much overtime, I often find that the whole day has been spent talking to and dealing with children. I go to bed mentally and physically exhausted only to repeat the whole thing the next day. Recently, I've been making it a point to read at least one mentally stimulating article daily. Even if there's no one to talk to about it.

It's gotten to the point now where I don't even want to participate on message boards or comment on folks' blogs anymore. I'll ask a question or make a comment and no one responds to it. It makes me upset. I realize that what I really want is someone to talk to, to reason with, and most times, it's just not there. Instant messaging doesn't cut it . . . I can't be attached to my computer all day. The internet, all around, is a poor subsititute for a roll dog to vibe with and dialogue with.

The whole situation has me really re-considering homeschool. Honestly. If I don't have any connections myself, how will I help my children make connections? I want to homeshcool them but I don't want to cut them off from social interaction. I've been busting my behind trying to find it and I just can't. Sure they would go to music classes, martial arts classes, swimming classes, etc . . . but would that be enough? And where is the money going to come from to do all this extra stuff to make sure they have social outlets? We'd need more income and I'm not entirely sure I could work and do a good job with homeschool.

It struck me the other day that one of the better schools on the north side of the tracks claims to have closed enrollment, i.e. only kids who live in that zone can go there. But my sister-in-law sent her kids to a school on the north side and she says it was just a matter of talking to folks and making your demands known. This school is a blue ribbon school within walking distance. I substituted there a while back and was very impressed. I do believe Z1 and Z2 would do well there and it would give me a few years to think about what we'll do when it's time for middle school (absolutely no way in hell they will go to middle school in this town). While they're at school, I could work part-time somewhere or focus on getting an advanced degree--something that would give me flexibility and time for them. I definitely know that I don't want to go back to full-time teaching.

So, I'm telling you, it's suffocating. I love being here for my boys and being a stay-at-home mother, but like with every choice, there are consequences. You don't always know exactly what you're in for when you make a decision but being grown means you just handle it. So while I'm not depressed about it (because honestly, I have a lot of shit to do with a 3 and a 1 year old anyway--I can't sit around depressed too long about things), I'd be lying if I said it didn't bother me, that it didn't make me sad at times. There's no easy solution to this. So all I can really do is take it one day at a time remaining as open as I can be to opportunities to connect.

(((shrugs shoulders))) Time to go work out . . .

So I'm looking through . . .

The Ball Blue Book of Preserving which I bought to learn how to can some of the veggies we get from the garden, most especially tomatoes. A few weeks ago, I was able to obtain 3 dozen Mason jars without lids through Freecycle. I was curious as to why they were all lidless but I figured I could just purchase the lids at a canning supply store (which I am yet to find). Reading the book today, I understand: the book expressly warns against reusing lids. I'm a little annoyed at that. So in order to can, you have to constantly purchase lids . . . and do what with the old ones? I'm not interested in doing craft projects with lids . . . I want them to be useful again and again. I know some folks just reuse them anyway regardless of what the book says but I'm just surprised that by now with the whole "green movement" blah, blah, blah, there are no reusable lids on the market.

These folks are always, always thinking about ways to keep you spending more, getting more. Sheesh.

Photo Credit: "One 2 Quart Mason Jar" by Gzap on Flickr.com

Cooking and Baking from the Pantry

Like many others, I'm trying to find ways to reduce how much I spend on grocery shopping. For the past few months, I have not purchased any new ingredients to try new recipes but have focused on using what is in my pantry (except for some macadamia nuts I bought to make ginger macadamia coconut cake--I realized after that I could easily have use walnuts but the change of pace was refreshing and I'm on the lookout for recipes that use macadamia nuts so that they will not go to waste). I focus on stocking my pantry with basics that I can use in a myriad of ways and try to have at least a month's worth of food on hand at all time. In the upcoming days, I will be re-organizing the pantry and I will try to post a picture.

I borrowed Veganomicon from the library again just because I like to read cookbooks and not because I was looking for anything special to try and found a recipe for Orange Cranberry Walnut bread. The recipe calls for fresh cranberries but I had dried in the pantry. We have walnuts and we always have fresh oranges. The bread turned out fabulously. I immediately thought that this bread would make a fabulous holiday mini-loaf to maybe sell at the hubby's friend's restaurant come holiday season this year. I could sell a mini-loaf for about $5 each and do well (thanks to my sister-in-law who gave me plenty of mini-loaf pans a few years ago).

Anyway, everything I needed to make the bread, we had already. That was so satisfying and comforting in a very real way. Personally, I'm growing weary of how much it costs every time I go to the grocery store. I watch as the prices of things I buy by default, including some vegetarian convenience foods like veggie burgers and soy yogurt, go up. With a picky toddler, it's very difficult to put these things down knowing that I will have to jump through hoops to get him to eat something else. For example, last I saw they were trying to sell soy yogurt for $1.20 per 6 ounces. Insanity. Plain soy yogurt is actually cheaper and less sweet than the flavored kind. I've tried to add vanilla flavor and maple syrup to see if he'll eat it. No go. I've tried mixing in various types of fruit preserves. "Mom, are you bugging?" And smoothies? You might as well offer him kerosene to drink. It's tough to swallow as a mom but I simply cannot pay $5 for 4 veggie burger patties when I know I could make about 12 Perfect Tempeh Burgers for even less than that. I'm eternally grateful that Z1 tolerates these burgers even though he's doesn't request them.

So after making this bread, I began to fully appreciate how much peace a successful garden will give me . Everything I need right there. I'm even considering planting soy beans to make soy milk and soy yogurt and maybe even tofu and tempeh (I used to make soy milk and soy yogurt--even bought a soy milk maker and returned it--wishing I had kept it). This "pantry" bread has increased my enthusiasm by leaps and bounds and even the newly fallen foot of snow on the ground outside hasn't curbed it a bit!

Made it Functional!

So I asked "How Can I Make it Functional?" and no one really answered. But I figured it out!!

I went on one of my crafting message boards and asked the same question and someone suggested wrapping the yoga mat in a Teflon (non-stick) sheet then sliding it into the bag. That was cool but I really didn't want to spend any extra money. Then it struck me: wrap the yoga mat in cotton fabric and then slide it into the bag. Works like a charm. No friction. The bag wrapped in cotton slips in and out easily. Problem solved.

How can I make it functional?

I'm disappointed . . . although my yoga mat bag is lovely to look at, it is soooo hard to take the yoga mat in and out because of the intense friction. I thought it might be because the bag is made of a rough wool so I figured I'd sew a lining for it. But it even sticks to the smoothest of cotton fabric. It's probably because the mat is made of latex (super grippy) and that's the point of a yoga mat, I know. But it takes me too long to get the dang thing in and out the bag! And after a bit of a struggle, it never goes in nicely rolled. I'm having a difficult time thinking of ways to ameliorate the situation to make it functional. I mean, I'm making it do what it do but it would be nice just to be able to easily slip it in and out.

So crafty folks, any suggestions?

Nightime Lip Conditioner

I've mentioned that before I go to sleep every night, I make sure to put on lip balm. Last night I realized I didn't have any more left. What to do?

Recently, the hubby has been experimenting with body butters that feature lanolin as an ingredient so there was a tub in the bathroom with just pure lanolin in it. I decided to use it on my lips. After all, many of the lip balms I buy have some lanolin in it anyway.

I was first introduced to lanolin because of sore, cracked nipples in my second trimester of pregnancy with Z1 and used it faithfully during those painful first few weeks of nursing him. The smell was kind of iffy but it worked fabulously. Later on as I discovered wool for cloth diapering, lanolin became important again because it is what gives wool it's waterproofing properties. So we have had lanolin around the house for a while now.

I'm sticking with it, ya'll. It's great. I woke up and my lips were soft and did not feel dry at all. I put some more on this morning and with my regular lip balms, I'd be ready to reapply by now. But this stuff lasts!

I've always been a huge lip balm fan. Back in the day it was Vaseline all the way but I moved away from mineral oil in my body products. I can't say I've found the best solution for my lips in all the numerous mineral-oil free lip balms I've tried but, and maybe it's really to early to say, I think the lanolin comes close.

If you're worried about the purity of the lanolin you use on your body, buy Lansinoh brand lanolin (which is triple purified) or some other high quality lanolin. Be aware, that there is no such thing as "organic" lanolin so just go with a company you trust.

Photo Courtesy of http://en.heilkraeuter.net/ointment/lanolin-anhydrous.jpg

Let them eat cake . . .

. . . Ginger Macadamia Coconut Carrot Cake, that is.

For a while now, I haven't really been experimenting with new recipes that call for things that I wouldn't ordinarily use like macadamias. But I got the urge to make this interesting sounding cake that I'd seen the recipe for in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan with a Vengeance. I borrowed it again from the library and was going to make a copy of the recipe. I turned to where it should have been only to find the page had been ripped out. In fact, multiple pages were gone. I was livid and disappointed at the selfishness and thoughtlessness of people. I was also bummed that I didn't have the recipe! But thanks to Google, I found it (and linked it above).

The cake almost never happened. Especially since at Trader Joe's I had to start putting things back after they were rung up since the tally was almost double what I had to spend. The macadamia nuts (and my guilty pleasure Trader Joe's Green Tea Mints) almost didn't make it home. In any case, I managed to do some decent pantry building and bought these two unnecassaries.

We really enjoyed the cake (I halved the recipe--I wasn't trying to use a whole half-cup maple syrup on some cake and we don't need that much cake anyway). I was afraid that it might just be too much "stuff" thrown in there but it was flavorful and delicious. A nice twist on carrot cake. I hand grated the carrots as per the suggestion of The Barefoot Contessa who said that shredding in the food processor makes the carrots, and consequently the cake, too wet. She's right. I only had to grate about 2 carrots, chopped a 1/2 cup macadamias and 1/8 cup candied ginger, tossed everything in the mixer and then 45 minutes, the cake was done.

A nice one to try although I don't think it's going to be one of my go-to cakes. I already have pretty solid carrot cake recipes (one that uses coconut and one that does not). It was fun to try a new dessert after such a long while.

Writing Another Story

So about two weeks ago, I finally mailed off my first story manuscript to a chidren's (young reader's) magazine. That story was a re-telling of a story my father told me as a child about how the tortoise came to have a bumpy shell. Remember, I wanted to publish it as a book, but a similiar book has already been published. My re-telling is almost completely different but I'm not sure that I could get it published as a book. Getting it published in a magazine, it seems, would be a good first step. I should know in about 6 months whether they want to publish the story. I am visualizing holding the letter that says they are thrilled to publish it. I am visualizing writing a blog post to let everyone know that they can pick up an issue. I am visualizing introducing myself as a published writer. Yet, I also know I need to send the manuscript out to more publishers. And I will. Honestly, it is just difficult to find the time to seek out publishers who would be interested in the story. A friend helped me compile a list of three or four more so I know I should at least send it out to those places.

Anyway, last night as I was getting ready to go to sleep, another story came to me and I started writing it then and there in my mind. I'm very interested in stories that depict the lives of pre-colonial Igbo people, that imagine what life would have been like. Since our history and traditions are mainly oral (not written), these true stories have been lost to a large extent and so to me, it's fun and interesting to imagine, knowing the bits and pieces that I know, what the world looked like. How it felt to live in those times. I'm really interested in all kinds of stories that involve and/or are about Igbo people in history or right now.

This morning when I woke up, the story was like a pot boiling over so I've taken the last hour to pour off some of the liquid, so to speak. I've been typing and typing and now, I have one and a quarter page single spaced--chapter one. I know the general direction the story will take next but for now, I'm going to go exercise.

I'm also going into the city to get acupuncture today at the recommendation of one of my best friends who is in school to become a naturopathic doctor. I'm reservedly excited and cautiously hopeful.

The name of this new story is "The Oracle's Girl".

Photo Credit: "Teal Typewriter" by Amanda Woodward on Flickr