Soap nuts

You’ll need a cooking pot, glass storage containers, a sieve, and soap nuts.

Bring about one gallon of water to a simmer and add either 4 cups of soap nuts that you have already used in the laundry or 2 cups of  fresh soap nuts.

Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Strain the soap nuts out of the liquid.

Pour your soap nut solution into glass jars, leaving room for the liquid to expand in the freezer. Close the containers tightly and store them in the freezer for up to one year.

Please don’t throw your soap nuts away! Toss them in the garden or grass for a free natural pesticide.  Soap nuts will also be a natural fertilizer because the saponin (soap) in the soap berries forces plants to grow deeper roots. This soap nut solution makes a fabulous anti-bacterial, anti-fungal dish soap or all purpose cleaner that’s low sudsing and extremely effective!  Visit http://www.LoadofLove.com for more uses for this amazing soap nut solution.

* Loads of Love, Inc. recommends three or four wash loads per bag of 6 soap nuts.

Have questions about making soap nut solution?  We’d LOVE to answer them!  Use the form below to contact us, and we’ll get right back to you.

Green juice first thing in the morning of course Excited to have another sunny day to enjoy; lovely that summer is finally here xx

-Bok choy
-Collard greens
-Parsley
-Celery
-Cucumber
-Carrot
-Bell pepper
-Radish
-Fuji apple
-Lemon
-Ginger

-

I used to jog all the time. My good friend and I used to jog anywhere from three to six miles daily. This was only four years ago. I have been pushing myself in my cardio work outs at home practicing breathing and such. I have been dying to get back out and jog. When I jog I have to have scenery. I can do a track, but it gets old really fast. I need a point A and point B. A destination. Being that I live in Vancouver, Washington I can literally have whatever kind of scenery I want. The wonderful Pacific Northwest has it all! Mountains, rivers, city, bridges, the good ol’ country. You name it. It is the reason why I love it here so much.

So I set on my journey. I headed down Highway 14 getting off on Ellsworth Rd. to park at the beginning of the bridge. I stretched and set on my jog. You go through a little woodsy area first before you hit the bridge. I walked up until I got to the bridge and then began to jog. I did not last the entire span of the bridge, which one way is just over a mile and a half, but it was right when the sun was setting. It was the most beautiful run I have ever taken. Absolutely gorgeous. I only had my Ipod with me so the pictures don’t do it justice but I will share anyway. I caught an airplane in the first one. Now I am determined to jog the entire bridge non-stop. This gives me a goal. It was a little tough to breath due to the cars and the smog, but the scenery was so amazing it is hard not to want to go back. In fact I’m pretty sure I’m doing it again today! So, if you know me, and you happen to look in the middle of the bridge while driving, do not be alarmed it is in fact probably me that you see.

Most exciting news ever! This morning I weighed and I am down to 206 pounds!!! This means I have seven more to go to get under 200. This is epic. It is so going to happen. So encouraging to see pounds come off the scale. So far at day 20 of this journey I have lost only four pounds. I hate to say “only” but sometimes that is just how I feel about it. The feeling I have is amazing. The energy I have is amazing. And the most important thing of all is that I have no desire to throw in the towel. I am determined like never before! I will have a bangin’ body by the end of the year. I am getting married for crying out loud. Every girl wants to look their best on their wedding day. Confession: I do still want cake, but that is beside the point. I will reward myself on June 1st with one piece of cake. I don’t want to go to crazy but when I make it this full month I will definitely be having a piece of cake!

Food over the last few days has been tasty. I have been eating a lot of salads. Using different meats. I put some really good garlic shrimp in a salad the other day and it was delicious! I also made some chicken breasts and had some left over so this morning ate a chicken breast and egg scramble! I was able to pick more collard greens from the yard and made Adrian and I some spicy italian chicken sausage with mushroom, onion and collard greens. That was really amazing. I am finding that preparing food is becoming easier and easier. This weekend was my turn to do “Chopped” and we forgot. So sad. We will give it another go next weekend for sure. I have only taken two food pictures over the past few days which is insane. I will try and stay on top of this. It’s always fun to share what I have eaten. It also helps me want to make pretty plates and encourages a lot of color. Until next  time…

Chicken, spring mix salad, yellow carrots, cucumber with balsamic dressing.

Beautiful flowers from my Mom’s yard. Peonies are my favorite!!! Had to share.

I want to share with you this important article about our meat supply published by the Environmental Working Group.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, they are the leading environmental health research and watchdog organization.   Their mission is to “see that Americans get straight facts, unfiltered and unspun, so they can make healthier choices and enjoy a cleaner environment.”  They offer extensive consumer guides to safe cosmetics, healthy cleaning products, pesticides in produce and safe sunscreens, to name a few.

Below is a portion of their report.

Superbugs Invade American Supermarkets

For the PDF version of this report, click here.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are now common in the meat aisles of American supermarkets. These so-called superbugs can trigger foodborne illness and infections that are hard to treat.

An analysis by the Environmental Working Group has determined that government tests of raw supermarket meat published last February 5 detected antibiotic-resistant bacteria in:

These little-noticed tests, the most recent in a series conducted by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System, a joint project of the federal Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Department of Agriculture, found that supermarket meat samples collected in 2011 harbored significant amounts of the superbug versions of salmonella and Campylobacter, which together cause 3.6 million cases of food poisoning a year.

Moreover, the researchers found that some 53 percent of raw chicken samples collected in 2011 were tainted with an antibiotic-resistant form of Escherichia coli, or E. coli, a microbe that normally inhabits feces. Certain strains of E. coli can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. The extent of antibiotic-resistant E. coli on chicken is alarming because bacteria readily share antibiotic-resistance genes.

Not surprisingly, superbugs spawned by antibiotic misuse — and now pervasive in the meat Americans buy — have become a direct source of foodborne illness. Even more ominously, antibiotic misuse threatens to make important antibiotics ineffective in treating human disease. In the past, people who became ill because of contact with harmful microbes on raw meat usually recovered quickly when treated with antibiotics. But today, the chances are increasing that a person can suffer serious illness, complications or death because of a bacterial infection that doctors must struggle to control.

The proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses special dangers to young children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

This is scary stuff!  I’m not suggesting you have to become vegetarian to avoid these foodborne illnesses – after all vegetables can be contaminated too, especially when coming from long distances.  Instead, be a smart meat consumer and opt for organic or grass-fed, grass- finished meats.  They are usually raised without unnecessary antibiotics and in a more humane and sanitary environment.  Ask your butcher or supermarket how the meat was raised and buy local meat when you can.  And always make sure you meat is cooked thoroughly.

Information compiled from ewg.org.

While the majority of Favor the Earth products are created by other small companies & artisans, there are a couple of items made by me. One of them is the organic cotton crocheted blankets.

What started as a hobby, and something fun to make for my kids, quickly turned to gift requests from others! Aside from being incredibly soft, here are 7 reasons why they’re fabulous for all ages.
1- organic cotton yarn means not having to worry about wrapping up in nasty pesticides
2- machine washable, need I say more?!
3- open v-stitch eliminates worry of little ones getting trapped underneath
4- great for elderly loved ones who are afraid of getting tangled in long blankets
5- customize with your own favorite colors
6- contact me for creating larger blankets great for those heading off to college!
7- makes a great lap blanket while enjoying morning coffee, watching ice hockey/skating practice at the cold rink, or catching a chilly evening youth baseball game

Blankets shown on the site are available and ready to ship, but custom orders are always welcome. If the color is available in organic cotton yarn, I can make it!

Depending on size, custom orders take 1-2 weeks to create, so order your baby shower, graduation, birthday, or everyday gift now!

Daily Green Special: Order an organic cotton crocheted blanket today & receive a free relaxation soy candle. Just write “nailed-it” in the checkout notes and we’ll add the free candle to your order. Offer valid until tomorrow’s post. Happy Monday.

What is wwoofing? World-wide opportunities on organic farms. Directly from their website, “WWOOF is an exchange – In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.” The French wwoofing site works like this: you pay €30 for 1-year access to the catalogue of farms needing help. Then you can browse ads by department and contact the farmers directly. (Each country’s website is different so look at the first wwoof site I linked to for further information on countries other than France.) After sending out a ton of emails, I found a goat farm that had an opening for the dates I wanted to go.

A few hours after arriving from Paris, Louise asked me to lead the goats to the pasture. They kept bumping me and I was so scared! By the end I was petting them.

Having never worked on or really ever set foot on a farm, I had no expectations. My main goals for the experience were to learn about farming, do some real physical activity, and accomplish something. I didn’t expect to have such great conversations, eat such good meals, or learn so much.

The garden where I worked a lot, their house is behind the big tree.

From the minute I first met Gundula (German woman in her 50s), Louise (Dutch woman in her 50s), and Maëva (French woman, 25), I felt at ease and welcomed. They were so hospitable and treated me more like a guest than a volunteer. Soon after my arrival I found myself integrated into the routine of the farm.

The Routine of the Farm

between 5 and 6am: wake up. La Traite (the milking of the goats). Other things I don’t know about because I didn’t enter the routine until…
between 8-8:30am: breakfast. Homemade bread smeared with butter, homemade cheese, homemade jams, organic hazelnut spread, local artisanal honey, tea made by one of their local friends…
9am: clean la chèvrerie (the barn where the goats live). feed the goats. feed the other animals (1 horse, 2 pigs, male and baby goats). if it’s not raining, lead the goats to a pasture.
11am-2pm: miscellaneous activities that change daily. sometimes cheese-making, sometimes cleaning, repairs, gardening, cooking, host random visitors who came to buy goat milk, etc.
between 1 and 4pm: lunch. always a long, hot lunch of things grown on the farm or purchased locally with dessert and coffee at the end. then: work. same as miscellaneous activities above. go get the goats if they were in a pasture.
5:30pm: goûter (snack) – always a cake or cookie with tea or coffee.
6pm: feed the goats, La Traite.
8-9pm: showers, then dinner which consists of the same things as breakfast. always a matzah-like cracker spread with butter, fresh goat cheese, and jam or honey at the end (this is just a quirk of Louise and Gundula but I started doing it too). This is where my day ended.
10-??: Louise and Gundula continued working. feed the goats again. cheese-making. treat sick goats. etc.

The tree is a cherry tree! and behind it is my cozy little trailer “le caravan”

Having a farm is SO MUCH WORK. They have been doing this 7 days a week for the last 15 years with only a handful of instances where they’ve left the farm for a vacation. Because I have so much downtime in Paris, I relished the opportunity to sweat and actually accomplish things, but I can imagine that it gets really difficult to keep going after more than a few months. By Sunday I was already having a hard time staying energized and that was only after one week!

Left: la chevrerie. Right: baby goat house

I’m so glad I’m no longer ignorant of this lifestyle. There are farmers all over the world producing the food we need to survive, and without any connection to them it’s hard to be aware of the hard work they do and the sacrifices they make. No sick days for them, no Christmas bonuses…no real Christmas break either! The goats have to eat – constantly! The sad fact is that the financial compensation nowhere near matches the effort dispensed. Luckily, my hosts seemed to love what they do and were really committed to their lifestyle and career choices. Overall, they seemed really happy.

I loved being able to take part in such a local and organic-focused home. In my daily life, I do my best to stay away from food that has been transported very long distances and yes, I would prefer not to ingest a ton of pesticides and other chemicals with my food. However, most of the time this is not feasible in terms of my budget or surroundings. During these 9 days I was happy to be able to join in their lifestyle.

Coming soon: more posts and photos about my experience on the farm.

Happy Mama & preeclampsia survivor Trish Adkins shows her support at the Philadelphia-metro Promise Walk on May 11, 2013.

Happy Family Organic Superfood is proud to be a national sponsor of the Preeclampsia Foundation Promise Walk for Preeclampsia in 2013.

Our team of Happy Mamas, real-life mothers who work to educate families on the importance of nutrition, will be at multiple Promise Walk locations across the country throughout May and June. We will be supporting the cause and sharing real life tips on keeping your family happy and healthy.

As the Happy Mama in Southern New Jersey, I am proud to work for such a socially active organization and their support of this cause touches me personally. I love that my job allows me to share my motherhood story and the values of healthy, wholesome nutrition and living that have kept my family strong through one of the toughest of life’s challenges: surviving preeclampsia twice.

Preeclampsia hit me out of the blue; changing an otherwise healthy, happy pregnancy into a nightmare.

I was 29 weeks pregnant with my first child, Lily, and woke up unable to see out of my left eye. My feet, hands and entire body were swollen. I went to the OB, knowing something was wrong; knowing that I could have preeclampsia, but not quite believing it.

At the doctor’s office, my blood pressure was 210/110 and I had gained 60 pounds of water weight since my last appointment.  They sent me to the hospital, where my blood pressure continued to rise. I was at risk for developing eclampsia, a seizure disorder that can be deadly to both mother and child.

The only cure for preeclampsia is delivery, but delivery carries risks for babies who are not fully developed. Lily was born that night, weighing just 2 lbs., 14 ounces. She could not breath on her own and required numerous medical interventions to survive. Lily was hospitalized for 7 weeks.

It was not the birth story I planned. Three years later, my second child, Chloe was born at 31 weeks and weighed just 3 lbs., 4 ounces. Again, preeclampsia crept up on me.

Preeclampsia is unfortunately common; affecting one in 12 pregnancies. No one knows what causes preeclampsia and so many pregnant women do not know the signs or symptoms of the disease. The Promise Walk is an important piece of raising awareness and funds to find a cure for this deadly disorder.

Happy Family provides organic foods for babies, toddlers, kids, and even adults!

Happy Family is dedicated to educating mothers and fathers on growing healthy families by providing nutrition information, organic foods and supporting causes like the Promise Walk. You can connect with your local Happy Mama on the directory on the Happy Family website.

You can also view the full line of Happy Family certified organic products including first cereals, baby and toddler meals and snacks, and Happy Squeeze smoothies for children and adults. Our new Greek Yogurt line provides gentle dairy for babies through toddlers in a self-stable pouch.

Launched on Mother’s Day 2006, and owned and operated by moms, Happy Family is the leading premium organic food brand delivering optimal nutrition for the entire family.  We invite you to join our Generation Happy community so you will be sure to hear about all our new products and special offers.

About our guest blogger: Trish Adkins is a Happy Mama for Happy Family Organic Superfoods. She is a two-time survivor of preeclampsia and has volunteered with the Preeclampsia Foundation since 2007, including her active involvement with the Philadelphia Promise Walk for Preeclampsia. She feels strongly that education is critical for women, doctors, nurses and fathers-to-be, and has made it her goal to make that happen in her local community.

She regularly blogs at http://2yoke.blogspot.com.

Watermelon Icey Pops

Watermelon popsicles are the easiest thing in the world to make.  In fact, you can just cube your watermelon and stick the sticks right in, which I have done many times.  For a more even texture, simply puree watermelon in a blender, pour into your popsicle mold, and freeze!  For something delicious and a little different, try adding chopped basil into your pureed watermelon before freezing.. yum!

♥

 Mango Lassi and Strawberry Honey Yogurt Pops

makes 8-12 popsicles, depending on the size of your molds

2 cups ripe mangos, chopped
1 1/2 cups raw yogurt (or almond/coconut yogurt)
1/2 cup raw milk (or almond/coconut milk)
1 tbsp local raw honey
BIG! pinch of ground cardamom
big pinch of salt

Combine the ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Pour the blended mango mixture into the popsicle molds and freeze until solid, preferably overnight.  To unmold, run hot water around the outside of the molds for a brief time until you can easily pull the popsicles out.

for a Strawberry-Honey variation…
Substitute 2 cups of ripe strawberries, chopped for the 2 cups of mango. Skip the cardamom and the salt and instead add 2 extra tbsp local raw honey

♥

Grape Kebabs

Frozen grapes have always been a favorite treat of mine.  These frozen grape kebabs are easy to make and fun to eat.  Simply slide your grapes onto a kebab stick and freeze!  Not only are the super delicious, but these silly looking treats are fun for kids to make and eat as well.

♥

Passionfruit and Mango Coconut-Macadamia Pops

]]> http://withloveforbaby.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/on-the-menu-paleo-gluten-free-baby-pouch/ Mon, 20 May 2013 14:41:03 +0000 withloveforbaby http://withloveforbaby.wordpress.com/2013/05/20/on-the-menu-paleo-gluten-free-baby-pouch/

When I was trying to look my best for my wedding 5 years ago, I ate this meal a lot. I also grew up eating it so for me, this is comfort food. When my mom comes and visits, we make and eat this at least once. It’s that good and that simple. Perhaps it’s so good because it’s so simple. This is also the chicken you’ll find when you go to your local Americanized Mexican restaurant and ask for a chicken salad, chicken quesadilla or chicken tacos. If your chicken isn’t grilled, this is the same shredded chicken but mine is better. Seriously. The stuff at restaurants almost always lacks flavor because it’s so watered down.  This meal is also incredibly figure friendly and there’s absolutely no guilt with this meal. I make huge a huge batch of this but it only lasts for 2 meals because my hubby and I love it. We also found out that Abby loves it too.

Almost Mexican Style Chicken (salad or tacos)

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 7-8 cloves of garlic finely minced (this is what makes this dish… do not skimp out on the garlic!)
• 1 head of iceberg lettuce
• jalapenos (optional)
• cilantro (optional)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Corn tortillas if you want tacos

Boil the chicken breasts in water until cooked through. Save about 2 cups of the chicken broth and set aside. While waiting for the chicken to cool, chop the veggies.

Cut the lettuce pretty thinly so you can use it either for a salad or tacos. You need to use iceberg. The crunchy-ness of the lettuce goes really well with the chicken. I have also been pretty lazy and just used iceberg lettuce cups with the chicken.

Shred the chicken

Toss the chicken back into the pan (do not use oil… this recipe does not need ANY oil) along with the broth that was set aside. Toss in the garlic, onion and tomatoes. Salt and pepper the mixture and toss once more.

Then cover for 15 minutes and cook in medium heat while stirring occasionally.  The mixture will cook and all the veggies will have melded together to create a wonderful smell and taste. Check for seasoning once more. If you do add more salt, let the mixture cook for another minute. At this point, I set aside a small bowl for Abby before adding in the jalapenos. If you choose not to add the jalapenos, it’s done! If you do add them, cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Warm corn tortillas for tacos or make a bed of lettuce and scoop the mixture on top. Garnish with cilantro or add as much cilantro as you like. My mom adds a whole cup of it. She loves cilantro. I actually got seconds because it hit the spot! Abby enjoyed alternating taking bites of the chicken and tortilla. She wasn’t a fan of the lettuce at all.

I even ate leftovers for breakfast this morning with 2 eggs and avocado after my workout at Crossfit Reliance. I was starving and this only took 2 minutes!

Baby Chicken, Peas, Corn and Squash Dinner

• 1/2 cup of chicken mixture
• 1/2 cup of peas
• 1/2 cup of corn
• 3 oz. of squash

Toss the chicken mixture into a blender. Add the peas, corn kernels and squash. Then blend. I had to add about a tablespoon of water to get it to somewhat of a smooth consistency.

Enjoy!

Sometimes, though it’s not economical to buy organic all the time especially when raising a family.

Anna goes through about 1kg of berries in a week, ranging from strawberries (which she calls ‘bigberries’), rasberries, blueberries and blackberries.

Needless to say, I can’t afford to buy 1kg of berries in organic form, although I am looking forward to the pesticide break once Summer decides to arrive and we have a few batches from our garden.

Anyway, I got this tip on Facebook and decided to try it out.

Braggs cider vinegar has so many uses (I’ll do a post on this another day) but it’s the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties are what we’re recommended to use for cleaning our fresh foods.

Not only does it clean our fresh food but it also helps it last longer in the fridge.

I have been washing everything in it (a bowl of water and a tbsp of cider vinegar) from berries to broccoli, then putting them in airtight tubs and leaving them in the fridge ready to eat.

The berries have lasted me all week!

Also, the most amazing part-but also scary bit- is the dirt left in the water afterward. It has really made me realise that just a quick rinse under the tap is doing nothing.

Here is the before photo:

Here is the after photo:

I left one punnet of raspberries and two punnets of strawberries to soak in the water with one tbsp if cider vinegar for just ten minutes.

There was no swishing or scrubbing.

I like to rinse them in a colander afterward but it’s not necessary as there is no after taste with such high concentration.

Try it for yourself and why not research into all the health benefits of cider vinegar to make the purchase worth your while?

I have a cider vinegar drink most nights to help with joint pain and high stomach acid.

My dad who has severe arthritis swears by it for maintenance (and he has tried everything)

Since Sadhana Kitchen opened its doors next to Jivamukti yoga studio last year, I’ve been a regular patron of their cafe. Offering a range of breakfast options, seasonal mains and healthy desserts, everything on their menu is vegan, organic and raw. Some all-year-round lunch menu staples include the Teja Tacos and the Sadhana Lasagne, both made with a crunchy walnut mince. However, as the weather grows colder, they’ve introduced a couple of new warm dishes that have been slowly heated in a dehydrator, such as the Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Onion Flat-bread and the Stir-No-Fry.

Sadhana Kitchen Granola: buckwheat, goji berries, cacao nibs, shredded coconut, served with almond milk, regular $10/ large $15 + Banana Crepes: sprouted flax seed and banana served with fresh banana, topped with caramel and chocolate fudge sauce $15.50 + Green Smoothie $8.50.

Sadhana’s breakfast menu includes a chia porridge made from chia seeds soaked in almond milk, a variety of raw buckwheat granolas, banana crepes and the newest addition – a breakfast scramble made from soaked almonds, seeds and seasonal vegetables. There’s also a seasonal selection of raw desserts available, such as cheesecakes made with soaked cashews, a guilt-free tiramisu, and they even made a batch of raw lamingtons around Australia Day.

Worth a visit even for just for an afternoon coffee and cake.

Sadhana Kitchen: 76A Wilford st, Newtown NSW 2042 (02) 9516 1334.
Trading Hours: Breakfast + Lunch: Tuesday – Sunday: 8:30am – 4:30pm. Closed Mondays.

So, this weekend I did a mock-up version of the Iced Capp using our Bullet, but dairy free. Lately, I have been sticking away from dairy along with my gluten-free diet… and let me tell you, it is NOT easy! This recipe is easy for those who are gluten and dairy free and of course it is diabetic friendly as well (minus the carbs in the Almond Milk).

INGREDIENTS (for single serving)

1.5 Cups cold coffee
1/3 Cup Silk Pure Almond Milk – Vanilla (Non-GMO labeled)
7 SweetLeaf Sweet Drops (organic Stevia Drops, carb/calorie free)
Ice to fill blender/Bullet

I use a Magic Bullet blender, so the recipe above is to fill the blender cup for one serving. Fill the cup with ice, almond milk, coffee and sweetener of your choice. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

Keep in mind, you can adjust this recipe to have more or less of any other above ingredients based on your individual preference.

We use SweetLeaf Stevia Clear sweet drops because it has zero carbs, tastes great and doesn’t have aspartame or other harmful chemicals in it to replace the sugar. We found this little guy at our local organic market. It’s not the cheapest (~$13/bottle), but definitely the best choice for Neil (who is type I diabetic) who likes a sweeter coffee without the aspartame. Plus, it has lasted us a long time because the drops are potent, you don’t need much!

Mythology Concept

No clever marketing needed here, no flashy packaging, no false promises or half truths, instinctively right.

The conversation went further, and deeper. The question that still lies unanswered is why there is a special section in the supermarket for fair trade. How is this accepted? Why is there not a specific section in the supermarket for product that have been made using slave labour? How is it possible that the modern society we live in today still allows such a flaw in humanity. It really has struck me that history is still being lived today, everyday. Because we as a community and society allow it to still be like this.

It also reminds me of a TED talk. First of all, I’m still amazed that not everyone has heard of TED. While people roam the Internet for fail compilations and spend hours you-tubing the weirdest stuff, I only know a handful of people who actually watch TED. And I always wonder why TED talks don’t go viral everyday. It’s just astonishing how the world relies on the stupidity level of the new generation. Or is it something of all times, with the only difference that now people are not embarrassed to be some sort of sadist or show their psycho side.

Please community, please society, please let us be smarter than what we make our selves seem now a day, and work our asses off to make the world a good place for everyone, not just better for a few. Hopefully, I’m still around when this happens.

Ps. I dare you to make TED your homepage.

I loved planting beans in the polytunnel, so shallowly that ‘they can hear the gardener walking away’.
I loved feeding the animals in the mornings, checking they all had what they needed, changing their water. Shutting them up in their beds at night against the predators.
I loved the way the give and take of life was so simply illustrated. Expending my effort, eating the food. Taking from the land, giving to the animals: Scattering seed in the mornings, then the weeds and compost for the chickens to pick over. The geese grazing their grass to a lawn fit for a golf course. Giving to the land, spreading compost and manure. Clearing a space for the artichokes and watching them stretch out, freed from choking weeds. Taking from the animals: collecting up to 17 eggs every day from the musty henhouse. Scooping fresh milk from the tank. Coming in famished from the work and eating buttery biscuits made from the eggs and the cream.
When it rained, gathering apples from last year’s pile in the yard and peeling and coring them for bottled compote.
I actually loved it so much, when I did switch my laptop on in the evenings, I was nonplussed. Why did I spend so much time on this? It’s not real. There are no nettles, no tiny red spiders randomly wandering around in here. What is it for?
It’s clearly a lot of work. Much more than the 4 hours we’re required to do here, if it was our place. But I think I could do it- if I get the chance.
I know very few people have the proceeds of a house sale with which to shop for land. There are still many options: allotments, community gardens, WWOOFing holidays, windowboxes, volunteering on local CSA farms, getting involved with Reclaim the Fields, finding and planting a neglected bit of green space in your area on the quiet. The more of us have practiced doing this stuff, the more bounteous we can make those abandoned shopping centres and cracked motorways when the time comes.
Facebook Farmers, unite! We have nothing to lose but our inexperience.

First off, let me thank you for reading my first ever blog! I am very excited that you are joining me in my love and interest in all things beauty related.. This blog is going to be focussing on my Ipsy bag of this month, Ipsy.com is a monthly subscription service that is only $10 on the first of every month and basically they send you a bag full of goodies and discounts on all sorts of beauty products. You can expect anywhere from 3-5 different high end beauty items in your Ipsy bag each month, sometimes even more than that. The cool thing about Ipsy is that if the service is not right for you, you can easily cancel. I do personally really enjoy it.

On with what I received this month. (Please remember that all bags vary person to person)

The bag itself is the same for everyone. It is a beautiful chevron pattern in aqua, orange, dark blue, and white with a aqua zipper. There is of course an Ipsy tag on it and that is orange.

Upon opening my bag the first thing to catch my eye was a Zoya nail polish box, I opened the box and found a bottle of off white polish in the color Jacqueline. As much as I think that it is a pretty color, I personally would have chosen pretty much any color besides this one if I were given a choice.

The next thing that I found was a Mirabella box, having received a Mirabella face primer in a previous bag I was very excited. This time it was a Perfecting Powder, the description is as follows: Translucent silica powder increases foundation wear while perfecting skin appearance. Universal shade flatters all skin tones. Applies smoothly to set makeup without adding any weight. Perfecting powder hydrates and conditions skin to help prevent fine lines. Talc-free, paraben-free, FD&C/D&C Dye-free.

Next I found a Juice Beauty Lip Gloss in the color Pink. I immediately noticed the amazing smell of the lipgloss, it gave off a yummy citrus smell, it reminded me very much of an Orange Julius, which I love. The color itself seems a little more of a berry than a pink, but either way it is a very pretty color. When I applied this on my lips I was very pleased with the feel, it is not sticky at all and is also very moisturizing, my lips soaked up the moisture very quickly, so I do not feel like it will be very long lasting.

Next is the Yaby pan in Buff. This product confuses me a bit. It seems like it would be a great blending color for anyone light skinned and possibly even a good brow highlight for anyone medium skinned. The consistency however is cream to powder. If anyone knows anything more on this product or if you have a suggestion on how to use it I would love to hear it.

Last, but definitely not least is a 2 FL OZ tube of Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl bronzing body butter. First of all, the smell of this product smells very good for a self tanner and has a very subtle hint of coconut. I noticed when I applied a swatch on my hand that when i rubbed it on that it almost foamed up a slight bit and then went to a “sun kissed glow” color. I like the fact that this does indeed give a glow to this skin without making it look greasy. I am very excited to try out this product, especially since I am very pale from being inside so much lately.

I will be doing a full review on these products after I have given each of them a fair try so that I can have a fully informed opinion, as I will do with all products I review.

Thank you for reading, I hope to see you here again and again.

**Beautiful moments of the Day**

~ Starting a blog of course
~ Having a relaxed day
~ Sushi for dinner B-)

disclaimer: I am not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned. These are my personal opinions.

Today I got another five robinia seedlings transplanted. That makes a couple of dozen, now, I think. About half the western fenceline is planted out and waiting for spring. As I was digging the holes for them it began to rain softly. Just after I finished up and came inside, it started to pour. I’ve heard people say that when you have more trees you get more rain, but I didn’t think it was supposed to work that quickly.

This Summer just past was so hot and dry that most of the things I’d planted in the first couple of years here died. It was pretty demoralising, to say the least. The nice little spot in the middle of the back yard with the lemon tree surrounded by stawberries is mostly straw. Surprisingly the goji berries fared pretty well. That lemon was never going to cope with the hard frosts so it’s probably as well to replace it with an apricot or something. Most of the herbs are dead including all the lemon balm, nepeta, oregano, marjoram and chamomile.

The lovely big bush of lemon thyme managed to hang on in one tiny spot. I’ll leave the dead branches around it to help protect what’s left from the frost. We’ll see how it comes up in spring. The insect repellent Southernwood and Tansy around the house have done okay.

Among the debris of the main veggie patch there’s been a couple of pleasant surprises. The broccoli from last winter survived under the remains of the arugula stems and are starting to produce flower heads. The green mignonette lettuce that I’ve been selectively breeding for about six generations looks like it’s crossed with the wild lettuce… Seriously. We have wind blown volunteer lettuce popping up in shady spots that are in between cos, mignonette and spiky lettuce. It tastes pretty much like cos, so that and the baby rocket have been making up a few salads for us. Chards, of course, are popping up all over the place. They’re just bomb proof and one of the most versatile things you can grow in a veggie patch. My lovely red cos and bronze oak leaf lettuce set seed but don’t look like they’re doing much. A bit more rain might help that. Or not. Probably the best result has been all the Asian greens. Everything like wom bok, bok choy, pak choy, mizuna and something that might be perilla are going nuts. Kale and red eschallots are starting to appear too.

That’s all great, but what’s this about the trees? Earlier I wrote about the condition of the soil here, or more accurately the lack of topsoil. One of the first things that went in to the new garden when I got here was the obligatory compost heap. In early Summer I turned it over to spread some compost on the veggie patch only to find that it’s been so dry that nothing’s broken down much at all. It will have to be covered in newspaper or plastic or something to help keep some moisture in. With that, the wilt diseases and the long dry it became apparent that the whole thing has to be completely reassessed.

Fortunately Geoff Lawton and others have a billion great videos about desert and arid area permaculture techniques to get things going. Around here it’s pretty much totally flat, so there’s no need for contours, although swales around the edges and through the paddock would help develop the soil and keep water available to the roots of the plants. Until we get a bit more rain and the ground is soft enough to get into with a shovel, I’m starting with transplanting seedlings that will be the canopy planting. That’s where those little robinia seedlings come in. While I probably wouldn’t put them in a suburban yard, their deep roots are great out in the paddock. They’re very hardy, the autumn leaves will help build up the soil and they won’t go up in a fire the way Eucalypts would. Plus there’s hundreds of them self-sown all over the property. All I have to do is put them in the right spots.

Over summer there wasn’t much to do but watch everything dry up and die. Instead I passed the time going through plenty of videos and reading to find some more ideas to get stuck into this in a more productive manner. Something more appropriate to the climate and soil. I really must link to the TEDx they did in Dubbo. There’s some great stuff in there for gardeners and farmers alike. I’ll link to Guy Webb’s talk first because he says the same thing I’ve been saying about not burning stubble haha.

Another fascinating thing he talks about is how the roots of perennial grasses can create new topsoil from the bottom up. This is the same principle Michael Pollan and Joel Salatin have discussed in some of their lectures on organic farming, but I found it very encouraging to see it being integrated into Australian broadacre farming. In pasture cropping this stuff is great for stopping the depletion and erosion of farmland and restoring fertility in degraded areas.

A bunch of that native grass, windmill grass, has prospered even in among the buffalo around the yard and paddock. It’s a brilliant native perennial.

The technique is simple. You let the grass grow a bit. The amount of roots the plant has are mirrored in the amount of growth up the top. You send through your cattle or goats, or mow it, and the plant will shed roots to keep itself in balance. These extra roots that are no longer needed become food for worms or soil organisms and break down into topsoil. And this windmill grass that is growing around here is just perfect for that. It’s a fairly slow grower so you don’t have to mow too often, but if you want it for pasture it’s quite resilient when grazed. Being indigenous it’s frost and drought hardy. Doesn’t cause allergies like buffalo and is nowhere near as invasive as some other types. Also you don’t get the seeds like ryegrass that can cause problems in fleece or getting into ears of animals. (Or your socks.) Out here at the moment I’d been encouraging it because it competes well with a bunch of weeds that are resistant to herbicides. Now there’s even more reason to keep it going.

I’m disappointed that it took me nearly three years to realise that I can’t do the same things here that I did in suburban blocks, although in hindsight that should have been obvious. It will be a bit slower going, since it’s starting from scratch in quite a different manner, but I’m looking forward to spring now. Can’t wait to see those little robinias take off.