Good Search

Hpw many times a day would you say that you do a web search? 10? 15? 20 times a day? How would you like to turn that simple, itty bitty action into an opportunity to donate money to an important cause or charity?

Well, if you install the Good Search tool bar, and use them to do your web browsing, (it's a simple tool bar to install...not a search engine like google/internet explorer....to the best of my knowledge) they'll donate money to the cause of your choice!! AMAZING! So simple and an easy  way to help a good cause.

The link below will direct you to their page.

Happy browsing :) !!!

http://www.goodsearch.com/

Seabuckthorn. Why I love it, and a bit of FYI.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-buckthorn

Above is the link to wiki-s basic run down of Seabuckthorn.

Below are some pictures of it.

These tiny berries, found most abundantly in the Himalayas- are packed with Omega7. They're actually the only significant food source of it. The only other place you can get it is in macadamia nuts, and it's only in trace amounts. You'd have to eat a LOT of macadamia nuts (which would be awesome...but thats a LOT of fat...) to get what you could in regular use of seabuckthorn supplements and products.

And it's great that it's beneficial for both internal and topical use.

My experiences with this product started when I worked for a company that represented a seabuckthorn product. It had face cream, soap, a supplemental oil, and then a daily juice supplement. They all worked SO well, and my hair, skin and nails looked AMAZING.

Eventually I moved on and started work with another company and no longer represented Sibu- So I didn't have easy access to the products.
Recently when my skin started to flare up, for whatever reason- I tried everything to calm it down. I had weird red scaly flaky patches by my eyebrows. It was gnarly looking and I was not thrilled. To remedy this I tried ALL sorts of moisturizers. From OTC, to olive oil. All I could think about was how great my skin was when I was taking the seabuckthorn pills, using the soap. Well, at that moment I was nowhere near the store and couldn't buy what I had wanted- BUT I did manage to get some seabuckthorn oil. Not only within 10 minutes did it soften the dry areas, but after a day or so it eliminated the redness.

I wanted to share this little tidbit because I'm so happy with the results I have gotten. If anyone has hair skin or nail issues I'd look into getting seabuckthorn products- specifically Sibu. They're a great company and the products are stellar- They've got everything from face cream, to seabuckthorn seed oil. I love them!
Another company that makes wonderful seabuckthorn body products is Weleda. Then for supplements (which Weleda doesn't make), you can look to New Chapter.

And we have pickles!

I had a really nice couple of herloom tomatoes. One of my favorites is, the Zebra. Perhaps theres another name for them but I don't know it. Well- they seemed perfect for pickling. I really got excited about it and decided that it must be done. And in the later weeks of October and November they'll probably be great!

 These here above are 'Zebra' tomatoes. They're firm and delicious. Perfect for pickling! 

 They're so pretty sliced. I can't believe they're the same kind of fruit as the mealy gross tomatoes you'd see in December!

 And this blurry bad shot ;) is the habenero peppers that JUST stopped burning my hands (5 hours later!). These are going to be some hot tomatoes!

One jalapeno or two?

 Two. Definitely two.

                                     

Yum.

Like flowers!

                                                   
     My associate Samson, ever ready at my feet. <3 Him!!! He's such a good boy!

And here are the spices! They're so pretty.

                        

       Can't forget the garlic!

 More veggies.

                                                  

Jars!

 

  You've got to sterlize.

                                                        

  And here we are- pickled zebra tomatoes!!

It was fun, but I feel like if I were going to do it again I'd used a wider variety of veggies. Perhaps green beans, or other miscellaneous veggies.

Ooooh- but I forgot to mark which ones had XXXHabenero...and which were mild. Oops!

Heirloom Tomatoes. The good, the bad and the ugly. ALL delicious.

One of the most wonderful parts of the summer is the produce. Especially summer tomatoes. This time of year makes those beautiful red, (and if you're lucky enough to get heirloom tomatoes....green, yellow, mottled brownish purple....) globes burst with flavor.

Yeah, I'm a bit nuts about it- But who could blame me? You can't get REAL tomatoes after September as far as I'm concerned.

Here are pictures of some delicious heirloom tomatoes I ate tonight!

Delicious!

So what is an Heirloom tomato some of you may ask? Click HERE to learn more.

For a quick answer to that question, they are varieties of tomatoes that are not common (i.e. your average red, often boring- tomato). Often they vary in size, texture, color, and flavor. One of my favorites is the Zebra (first picture). They're great for pickling (which I WILL be doing this weekend... Pictures to be included in that follow up post). There are so few ways to make the delicious summer veggies last all year long.

This week will be the week where all I eat is tomatoes. Thats not bad right? Maybe some kale or spinach with olive oil and a smile. That could work.


Oh, and the best part about these tomatoes? LOCAL, AND ORGANIC. It's like a belated birthday gift.

breakfast-lunch-dinner and everything in-between

Sometimes I eat really really ridiculously (said like Zoolander) well. Like uber healthy, local, organic and balanced. And then there are those other times. We'll say that those 'other times' make up about 10% of all my food consumption. Those are the times when a meal consists of (organic) cheezey poufs (ONE serving by the way, measured out b/c I'm awesome like that....), a handful of peanuts, grapes, 4 veggie dumplings, and salad. Or other miscellanea. I feel like it's ok because it's like a tapas meal....but less sophisticated.

It can happen at any meal and usually starts with something that is disappointing- like an apple that is actually 3/4 rotten after the first bite, or a dropped bowl of hummus and crudite (which is usually the last of the hummus and veggies for crudite...) so I am forced to scavenge. What I come up with is usually a myriad of crap and things that don't alone make up a good meal, or even a solid snack...but when combined with other misfits makes for a an interesting pairing.

Does anyone else have food moments like that?

Yerba Mate

So over the past few months, I've weaned myself off of coffee. It's dark, and usually too hot, and it makes your breath smell and teeth yellow.....And it makes me want to smoke. BOO!!!! Now, once and a while I'll enjoy an iced cup of coffee-Once in a very blue moon. My beverage of choice for the most part is tea. And as of about a year ago- Yerba Mate.

"What is Yerba Mate?" you may be asking yourself? Well, in case you didn't know- Yerba Mate is according to Wikipedia an infusion of leaves and twigs from the mate' plant (a relative of the holly bush!). This plant is native to South America- specifically Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay and Southern Brazil. The indigenous people have consumed this beverage for centuries...It is consumed for a myriad of purposes. It has many chemical components that have excellent health properties for your body and mind. Studies have shown that it helps lower cholesterol, is a good source of minerals (magnesium, manganese, and potassium), as well as enhances ones metabolism. It's better than any energy drink- thats for sure!

I love it most of all because it helps me focus. LIKE A LASER BEAM!. Holy shamoly- It's like nothing else I've consumed in my life. Not only do I feel like I can get things accomplished after sipping this fine herbal concoction- but I actually DO get things accomplished. It's got less caffeine than a traditional coffee and many teas- however it's not overly stimulating.

There is so much tea at my house I should host daily tea time. And since becoming a mate' drinker in the past few years it's become even more packed because I buy loose mate, loose smoked mate, mate with sticks, mate with no sticks, chocolate mate, chai mate.....and it continues. I already had a problem with my tea collection- and it's rapidly extending into a collection of mates and teas. Today there was a tea related calamity in my tea cabinet (An entire cabinet dedicated to tea/mate). I was making some iced mate with agave and then about 14 boxes, and bags and tins flew onto me. Projectile flinging of inanimate objects. It was like an anti-tea poltergeist decided to attack me. I realized that I had put my bag of mate back on a shelf that was arranged with tetris like precision and my haphazard placement disturbed the fine balance. But seeing how much brewable goodness I have really made me laugh. And it's only going to get worse. I'm on the lower side of the spectrum with tea at this time of year. Now that I've discovered TeaVana at the mall, and I have all sorts of other ways to get my mits on some herbal/white/green/chai/tropical/mate teas. OOh. It's on. And only a few weeks until it's proper tea weather. Oh boy...

Please do try Yerba Mate and let me know how you like it. The taste isn't overly aggressive, but it's not for everyone either. I enjoy it with a tiny spot of agave, or honey.  If you try it let me know! I'd love to hear about your experience!!

.....photos....

WANTS vs. NEEDS

We all have that list. It's part of our make up as Americans. If you aren't originally from America, or have mastered Buddhist philosophy, or just shunned the disgusting 'gimme gimme gimme' mentality that we are supposed to have as good fat capitalists- then this may not apply to you.

And now I will admit my dirty shameful secret. My wants list is miles and miles long. I want so many material possessions. Shoes, clothes, bags, jewelry, gadgets, and other crap that in all honesty I can not afford or even contain in my medium small apartment. It's an unfortunate result of watching television, and exposing myself to the fanciful pretty magazines that perpetuate this 'thing' based mentality.

Lucky for me my NEEDS list is meager and staggeringly short. This is what makes me so pleased, and so thankful for all I have been blessed with. I am fine as long as this needs list stays small and short.

Ooh, and here is the part where I share my wants/needs lists.

WANTS (abbreviated)

-converse sneakers- red, yellow and green high top one stars. black, purple and navy blue low top one stars.
-michael kors bag/wallet
-issey miyake purfume
-hanae mori pink butterfly perfume and lotion set
-i pod. nano. purple
-macbook. I love pc's but want a mac to expand on my design capabilities
-a new iphone
-a new iphone case
-an accord crosstour.
-a complete cd set of the beatles albums
-paid vacations to: province town, jamaica, paris, london, spain, australia, the south west, alaska, the pacific northwest, greece
- my yoga instructor certification
-a certification from the institute of integrated nutrition
-a kitchen aid mixer
-a vitamix blender
- 5 pairs of jeans that fit perfectly
-comfortable cowboy boots
-a standing spa day every other week at bliss spa
-a dining room large enough to entertain 20 of my closest friends and family for dinner parties and bbqs.
- a house in a nice neighborhood
-box seats for the mets
-an art studio space  filled with canvas and supplies to make jewelry, accessories, clothes and other art.
-an assistant
- a house out east on the north fork of long island
-a wardrobe that is bohoemian, and classic and tailored to make me look effortlessly put together.
-a loft in Brooklyn, in a neighborhood that is envied nationwide for diversity, community and safety. There would be projects going on all the time and efforts to bring farmers markets weekly to the community.
-a boat for excursions out east and possibly up and down the coast.
-cabins in the woods upstate NY, and in Maine.
-a workout room. It'd have weights, an elliptical machine, a treadmill, a pilates/yoga and meditation room.
-garden space where I can cultivage heriloom herbs, veggies and chickens (for their eggs). I'd also be a bee keeper and work on creating awareness of their importance. Create a program for schools as well as colleges to promote apiaries .
-A home in europe. Italy or France. If it were in Italy, it'd be in the countryside outside of Rome or Milan. In France it's be in the country south of Paris. About an hour and a half away. I'd entertain there all the time....
-a completely energy efficient, semi-off the grid power set up. I'd have rain water runoff containers, I'd have solar panels all over my homes, and I would work on setting up windfarms so that the energy could be harnessed from that too.


The list continues and it's ridiculous.

my Needs:

love
laughter
air
water
food
friends
family
more love
music
art
hope


in no particular order. Also, ALL of those needs are met.

I am so thankful.

NOT food related.

Alternate title:

Help I don't know how to dress my age!!

Last night I posed a question to FB (so you know that the answers I got we're really spot on and rules to live by....).



Am I too old to have a really epic t-shirt collection? Well....I just turned NOT 30, but not 28 or younger. Do the word problem....
Should I start doing more to dress in a sophisticated and classy demeanor? I want to kick my stye up a notch.

For the most part if I could wear whatever, I'd wear leggings with t-shirts, jeans with t-shirts, and skirts with boots and t-shirts. I friggin' love t-shirts. Slap a sweater over it and you can look like a grown up. Add a belt, a scarf and some kicky sandals and you look like a star. I've done the overly styled thing before. When I want to look fancy, truth be told, I kind of do the retro/ pin-up look with a pencil skirt, and pretty top. It feels better than wearing trendy skanky outfits that are lurking out there. My hair easily rolls up into cute pin-curls, and the curve-hugging styles from the 40s and 50s just make me feel good about how I look. And thankfully I never seem to look like I'm playing dress up. That is never cute....Not at this age when it's not Halloween.

I'll happily take some suggestions to maybe make myself look like a bit more grown up though, but I'm not sure what else I could wear or do at this point. Am I hopeless? I just don't want to look like everyone else.

Maybe the best thing to do at this point is own it. I don't actually care what other people think, as long as I'm taken seriously....For work I tend to dress the oart of the grown up better with slacks, and tops with some decent accessories. Or pretty dresses.

Ok- I'm over it. And officially on a quest for awesome t-shirts. If anyone has local t-shirts from where they live that are staples, I'd love to do an exchange. I'll happily buy and send some I (heart) NY shirts and send them as an exchange. What better way to get awesome t-shirts?! Email me if you're interested.