Posted by kiddo on 09/14/2010 at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Gank spent the better part of yesterday afternoon prepping our windows for the delicious cool weather coming our way. How I love a sparkling view out the window while I prep for dinner or wash dishes. I adore having the windows thrown open for those woodsy smells stealing in and out, teasing us with thoughts of Autumn while we still have some Summer yet to endure. It feels like rights being made from wrongs, as my darling husband sorts through the enormous pile of storm windows to find the correct fit.
It's lovely and heartwarming, and I am so appreciative of your hard work; thanks and Well done, love!
Posted by kiddo on 09/13/2010 at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Interesting that our first post here on typepad is just about a year from our last post on vox. Perhaps we were ready for a change of pace in our own blogosphere, as this time round both my husband and I are participating and we're planning on discussing our progeny and varying and numerous projects about which we tend to overplan and fantasize and run on at the mouth. A little excessively at times, but HEY! It wouldn't be kiddo and the gank without some unfinished crap sitting about.
We've since had another babe, to whom we delightfully refer as exhibit B. Exhibit A is doing marvelously, and at 2.75 yrs has somehow rocketed into fully-operational little kidhood. How did that happen already? I'm telling you, we're just as shocked as you.
But with a toddler and four wk-old infant, we moved into our first house, a wee Cotswold Cottage built in the late 1940's on .75 acre and nestled into a pocket of rural farmland in northern VA. Don't get me wrong; while farmers markets and backroads abound, Target and Starbucks and the nail place are just round the corner. I call it subrural, a nicely bastardized term from 'quasirural,' which is actually listed in the online dictionary.
Our goals are to turn around the mis-managed home-improvement from the previous owner, while maintaining the character of our lovely storybook English house, as well as a budget, and reusing as many resources as possible. We're also going to learn about, set up and nurture a productive biodynamic garden and dwarf orchard, as well as a small apiary and chicken coop.
Sustainable as possible. This is the beginning of our adventure, one step [ nail, meal, smile, project, giggle, day, poop] at a time. Thanks for reading!
Posted by kiddo on 09/12/2010 at 09:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
I've been battling with that pesky pimply-arm thing for the last, ohhhh, ten years or so, right? Well, since we've moved in with the -laws, it has slowly trailed down onto my left forearm, now reaches to my right inner elbow and I just noticed yesterday that it's starting to creep over my left shoulder to connect to the other arm. Yes, like a hideous bolero jacket. What the truck is going on?
I decided to copy my rockin' sis and do some dirty work. I mentioned it to Teresa (Herb School Goddess) when I got attacked by sawgrass digging up jewelweed in a murky ditch, and she said it seemed like I had a B-vitamin deficiency. Wha-what? B-vitahuh? How is that possible, I must ask, for moi to have any sort of vitamin deficiency, what with my food intake? Garp.
So, here's the original write-up by Dr. Thomas Cowan, to which I returned after doing a [literal] ton of digging for additional information that actually made sense and which also eventually pointed me back to my starting place:
A strategy for dealing with acne begins with effective "bowel cleansing" and healthy bowel flora (the normal lacto-bacteria that live in our intestines). This has always been considered the cornerstone of every natural acne treatment. The best remedy for this is ... to eat about 1/4-1/2 cup of fresh, unpasteurized traditionally made sauerkraut every day and then take one teaspoon of Swedish Bitters in warm water before bed. You can make the sauerkraut yourself following the recipes in Nourishing Traditions . There is also a brand called Bubbies, found in the refrigerator section of a good health food store. There are also scores of other lacto-fermented vegetables, fruits and drinks described in Nourishing Traditions that you can try. Sauerkraut, however, should be the cornerstone of treatment as the high sulphur content of the cabbage is especially valuable in skin cleansing. (Cabbage juice is valued in Irish folk medicine for giving a beautiful complexion.)
Another area of importance is the inclusion of the proper fats in the diet (such as good quality butter and olive oil) and excluding the commercial vegetable oils and hydrogenated margarines and shortenings. [You] should also take 1/2 teaspoon or 3 capsules cod liver oil daily and 4-5 capsules of evening primrose daily as supplements.
Raw foods should be included liberally in the diet, including vegetables, fruits, milk and even meat. At the same time, sodas, sugar and junk foods [should be declined] as much as possible.
Finally, there should be some attention to sweating and the general cleansing of the skin. If [you are] athletic, exercise heavily, then brush [your] skin vigorously (with a loofah) and then rinse off in cool-cold water. This is like a skin "exercise." If [you are] not athletic, one to three saunas weekly followed by a cool shower will aid detoxification. You might also look into a good herbal skin treatment. I recommend the Hauschka Cosmetics products, available from Raphael Pharmacy (916) 962-1099. They have a trio for acne treatment that consists of capsules containing silica and herbs, a special face lotion for acne and a cleansing cream.
I also located this letter on the WAPF website:
Your website neglects to mention high doses of the water-soluble vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) for curing acne. It does wonders, without of course the damaging effects of Accutane.
Ted Sawyer
Des Moines, IA
Thank you for sharing this important piece of information with us. Good sources of pantothenic acid include nutritional yeast and liver. Other nutrients that help in the treatment of acne are vitamin A (available in cod liver oil, organ meats, egg yolks and butter) and zinc (available in shellfish and red meat).
So that equals...
1/2 cup Sauerkraut per day for SULFUR, as it detoxes the skin
1 teaspoon Swedish Bitters beferr bed, as a bile-stimulator
Consumption of proper fats, like raw butter and olive oil {check!}
Bump up Cod Liver caplets to 3 per day {check!}
Look into the Evening
Primrose supplement for GLA [the manufacture of which is compromised by
a lack of b vitamins (mentioned above by Teresa) and compromised
Thyroid function (common issue in my family)]
Raw Foods, veggies/fruits/milk/meat/ {check!}
B Vitamins in the forms of Nutritional Yeast and Liver
Vitamin A in the forms of cod liver oil, organ meat, egg yolks and butter {check!}
Zince in the forms of shellfish and red meat {check!}
--
Looks like I'm not doing quite as well as I could be. Here's an average day:
Breakfast:
Now, I'm noticing that, while I do consume kombucha fairly often, I'm not including other fermented foods in my diet. I regularly do the bitters and nutritional yeast thing, but truly not consistently. So, it looks like a prescription for sauerkraut and bitters, an additional cod liver oil caplet, buying evening primrose caplets, possibly an additional egg yolk, and consistent use of bitters and nutritional yeast. :D
Here's to day 1! Woohoo, smoothie time!
**Forgot to mention my unfortunate Starbucks obsession. I have a quad grande breve white mocha or cinnamon dolce latte about three times a week. According to their website, the white mocha has 54g sugar, and the c.dolce has 39g. Could it be the sugar and ultra-pasteurized doodoo contributing to my backne? We'll soon see. I'm turning a cold pocky shoulder on the white devils for a little while. Yes, soon we shall see, but know this; I'll miss you, Starbucks!
(Such a sad, sorry individual I am!)
Posted by kiddo on 09/04/2009 at 07:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
So, it is BEST, though if you google it, it has to be with the periods in place, as in the subject header. I found this really cool link to a bunch of videos, so I'll definitely take a peek later this evening.
The B.E.S.T. woman happens to be our doc's sister and apparently, also a Reiki Master. Hmm! Basically the science behind it all is that mental stress can change the way your body functions. If you are feeling run down [yeis], have any persistent issues [menstruation is persistent], and experience the sensation of feeling unbalanced [that's right], then you may want to look into this possibility- especially those peoples who have had an intense emotional trauma in their lifetimes.
While I haven't had an intense emotional trauma, I have been feeling incredibly unbalanced lately and do have a rather strong-willed voice in my head, at times so strong I must stop what I am doing and be calm for a minute before moving on. Too much going on, no time to stop and reassess what we're doing and where we're going, feeling as though there is a lot at stake, etc. Nice and crazy, eh? It has been happening since I started menstruating again and began attempting the 'calm-assertive' state ala Cesar Milan and to be more attentive to the state of my home.
Hellooo, feeling stressed?! I'm running around, unable to focus on anything, resisting something building in my brainspace. Braincavity, more like it. But enough of the drama- there's stuff to be done! The babe has awakened from our walk with Max, so it's time to get our eggie on. [siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh] It's also time for coffee.
Posted by kiddo on 06/03/2009 at 08:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Those big guys are the cukes, and I think they'll be ready for transplanting pretty darn soon! I'm so excited our experiment worked; the egg cartons were a great idea. I'm planning on moving the rest
of the seedlings next week, to a big tub and various pots and such.
And I'm probably going to give some a'them boogers away- I certainly
don't need twelve pumpkin or watermelon vines. ;)
Posted by kiddo on 06/03/2009 at 06:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
heeeey!
But, no rest for the wicked [or those with excess produce] as we've gotta get half those girls in sugar and half in freezer bags for winter. A good portion of my raspberries were already moldy this morning, so the fire's on to get the jam jamming.
:) I just couldn't resist! Happy Monday to you all.
Posted by kiddo on 06/01/2009 at 09:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Iron is heating up, so I'm taking the opp for posting! Yay! I went on a girlfriends trip to Myrtle Beach for four days w/o the babe and it was AWESOME!! One of the gals is sick right now, and we're all boosting our immune systems to steer clear of getting the ick, too.
and the effing kid just woke up from her nap. Figures, eh?
Well, I'll be quick. I've got our fourth round of kombucha batches mellowing on the stovetop and I just pulled these delish whole wheat rolly things from the oven. Yom, I say. I made them specifically for Tabby, since she loves anything bready (that's my girl!), and since her Grandpa likes to give her cookies, I wanted an alternative for them with the 'treats' issue.
I've also done a load of laundry, with another in the dryer currently, and if she really is up, I'm going to go do the holiest of holies... clean out the refrigerator. Gack. Until then, the iron calls!
Posted by kiddo on 05/18/2009 at 07:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Hey! My mom recently sent this product recommendation for Sally Hansen's Lip Blush Plumping Balm and says it's the bomb. I googled it and everybody's raving about the stuff, though on Sally's site they mention 'marine sphere fillers' and 'peptides' that magically do both the bee-sting look and this color enhancement thing. I'm really intrigued, I have to say, though you know I had to look at the ingreds. What this stuff is really plumping is some serious paraben activity. Argh. Stupid science.
And as long as we're on the topic of Science, let's hop on over to Gravity. I wanted to let you gallies know about this FRIGGING AWESOME sleep tank I ordered a few weeks ago at Bravissimo, that site I kept sending my sis back before the wedding. It's geared toward girls with the big (and I mean b-i-g-g) boobies. I just received my gorgeous yellow sleep tank in the mail and I LOVE IT!
I know I mentioned going to several places to check different sizes for bras- especially since mahn larders are shrinking. I was pretty happy with the 34DD I tried on at Nordy's, but they wouldn't let me try a 32DDD/E! I was pretty surprised- if I'd been more insistent, I know they would have relented, but it was really irritating. I think brands like Freya and Panache automatically size a bit smaller in the chest measurement, so in defense, I can see how a smaller size from these companies would be a bad thing.
I know you're thinking '32 Whaaa?' But I'm telling you, my chest measurement is 33", and after reading a ton of stuff on the Bravissimo site about fit, I wanted to try several different sizes that were snug enough around my chest and full enough in the right areas around my boobs. The goal being (just like the Panache bra) having the bulk of boob weight being carried by the band around your chest, instead of your shoulders, therby preventing shoulder dents and creating back fat. Lovely! Yet, delightful because suddenly there's this tiny waist and amble decolletage, which rocks.
So, I went to this other place at the mall called Soma and got this bra in a 32DDD and I love it, too! (the straps are wider at the shoulder in the larger sizes.) I admit that it was tight as fricking hell for about three days, but now it's perfect. I got it almost four weeks ago and I just had to tighten the shoulder straps for the first time this week, though I also noticed that the girls have gone down a bit more. (sigh)
Hennyways, check it out, ladies! here's the link to the Bravissimo commercial, which is totally cute and mentions sizes for each of the girls shown. Kind of shocking, eh?
Posted by kiddo on 05/07/2009 at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)