i heart craigslist

i learned as i went, but made this bread from scratch.

with. my. new. kitchenaid. mixer!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it is an Italian Bread minus the sesame seeds.

i had to make a starter and all :)

it's all shiney b/c of the eggwash

and it told me to make 3 ropes and braid them, that's how you get the shape.
the end closest to the camera is missing a bite....????

brand new, never used, artisan, grey, talked him down to $200. sucker.

i was afraid i was going to get abducted though, so i made him

meet me in a very large parking lot.

not from craigslist, but i wanted to show everyone my BLACK GOLD!

*see below

inside the composter...black gold

(well that's what people call compost)

those are grapefruit rinds, banana peels (very black things) and eggshells from this am.

i had to move this thing down to the basement, b/c everytime you open it, it is kinda stinky, but i dont mind as much as cameron does.


-

CRAIGSLIST AGAIN

umbrella = $5

chaise lounge = $5

6 chairs, a table, and an umbrella stand = $30

-

driving to broomfield in rush hour traffic TWICE, and one the way home being squished in the car wth an umbrella poking in your head, and a chair bungeed to the top of the jeep, but the girl not having change for a $20 so you got everything for $40 instead of $50...

PRICELESS

schnooze with a haircut.

she also got a st patricks day bandana,

but is not wearing it.

-

-

-

tonight the boys are camping in snowcaves,

so the girls are having a dinner comsisting of:

salad with chicken and some amazing dressing by bethany,

chocolate fondue with a million things to dip in,

peach belinis courtosy of shellie,

the bread you saw above by me,

and lots of good conversation!

-

pray the boys can build caves, not starve, and be safe.

lists

a. i got a composter with some of our tax return money, and it is so awesome.
i think i am too lazy to do one in the backyard... so this works perfectly!
some of my friends are even saving stuff to compost for me :)
b. i realized the other day we have 2 credit cards, which is so dumb. we don't even use one
of them, the last time we used it was in may 2008. so i decided to call and cancel it.
let's just say, capital one wants the word to go into debt. they haggled me the whole time.
and no matter what i said she tried to get me to keep it. and then when i finally said
"I understand ou have to ask me all this stuff and try to convince me to keep my
account, but you don't have to, b/c i just want to cose my acct." she got sooooo rude.
we are keeping our REI card, b/c we get a better dividend at the end of the year; which
= more free money to spend wherever or at REI. I got a pair of shoes last year ;).
c. the boys: cameron, kimel, steve, and stephen are going snowshoeing, then camping,
without a tent, making a snow cave, saturday to sunday. they are crazy.
d. sus is coming in 1 week!!!!
e. i have been perusing craigslist for patio furniture for our garden fiascos this summer; and
for a kitchenaid mixer, hopefully these people will email back today!

congrats!!!!!

wes and becky

congrats to the happy couple

(well not in this pic, which was halloween)

they got engaged, just recently

don't know the details yet.

CHEERS WES & BECKY!

we all love you vey much!

june 1977

june of 1977, dad was in a really bad car wreck.

these are pics i found at gram's house.

it made me sick to see them;

knowing my dad was in that car.

but he survived, thank God.

the car

grandpa fred (dad's dad)

dad in the hospital

(OU med center)

evy and judy

(it was evy's bday i think)

this was at home i am pretty sure/ at grams

this is Ruby!

dad up in the chair!

at home with his nurse.

he was in this partial cast, but had been in an almost full

body cast... it was from mid-abdomen to thighs i think.

he had broken his back, ruptured his spleen, popped his lung,

and shoot, a whole bunch of other stuff. but it was pretty crazy.

walking in arcadia; on the road to recovery

(just think he was our age in this pic.... 26)

a baby.

this picture cracks me up... what was he doing?

-

-

praise God he made it through!

good job daddy!

SUS IS COMING!!!

Sus is coming into town in a few weeks! YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!!! *at sea world in the 80's (sus & liz

dinner last night

i made this pizza last night with:

eggplant, bell pepper, onion, garlic, spinich, asparagus, & chicken

i sauteed all of the above beforehand, and cooked the chicken

*chicken was free range, no abx, no hormones

and it was awesome

also i baked 3 pizza doughs, and roze the 2 I didn't use

so i can make my own "frozen pizza" later :)

the dough is super easy; sus gae it to me;

she said it was betty crocker:

oh yeah, and i didn't use cauce, i used EVOO, then put on

heaping amts of mozarella, then the toppings!

also, i love love love these chips kettle brand black bean chips; they have 3gm protein in 1oz!

oldies but goodies

sorry for the fuzziness and sideways...

i was too lazy to scan them, so i took pics of pics...

onnie, grandpa, mom, derek, me
me and Lo on a ski trip, jumping on the bed in all our glory

me and momma; like the tent?

Lo, Judy, Mom, Me... look how skinny mom was

I think i was about 1.5 y.o.

mom and dad at gram's house

so hip

i promise i am NOT deaf...

i got this for a bday present :)

me and mom... in toronto...

i put the shower cap on, and wouldnt take it off for several days, no matter where we went... hmmm stubborn much?

Crow, Plow

i can do this

and this

proud?

i tried to download the pics onto blogger, but it wouldn't let me.

Lo, are you proud?

new products

banana cheerios????

RubyPomegranate

got these at the store yesterday on super sale, and they are so tastey!!!!!

It's Gonna Be Great

so... my friend Julie and I were talking the other day about how we both want to have a HUGE garden this summer. The problem is, she doesn't have a yard, BUT I do!!!!!!
-
Sooooooooo... we decided to rent out our backyard.... jk that's just what cameron says.
Julie and I (and maybe a couple other peeps, katie and bethany) are going to till the earth, make some beds, and plants some (seeds or plants) plants and flowers.
-
i think it's better to have more than 1 head in the game, b/c each person will bring something different to the table: ie: julie has had a garden before and her husband is a greenthumb; i grew up having gardens, and i will be like the little mother talking to the plants.
-
we will all learn together & share all the glory of the veggies!!!!
-
we are going to plant:
tomatos
tomatillos
sugar snap peas
green beans
strawberries
swiss chard
potatoes
spinich
corn
popcorn
onions
eggplants
broccoli
carrots
cucumbers
bell peppers
jalepenos
lavender
rosemary
basil
mint
lettuce
thyme
-
i am making a spread sheet about when to plant, sun/shade, how much water, etc...
then we will make a graph of where we will plant the plants when it's time
then we will talk to nurseries to see if we should do seeds or plants and when to get them.
-
then we will rent a tiller thingy-mabob and bribe the boys with beer and pizza to make the beds in the backyard in april-ish.
-
we are so excited we can't wait for the first crop!!!!
-
i just want to have a basket and clippers and walk along the beds with a hat on....
yes i know i liv in denver and not in the country... but it will feel like that :)
-
yea for gardens/organic/homegrown/beauty!

Past Feb's

I like what some people do on their blogs, and re-cap that past several years...
so...
Feb 20o7:
I found out I had Hashimoto's (autoimmune hypothyroidism)
I rescued a dog named Snickerdoodle
Hot water heater broke and got a new one
we went to plano, tx and cam jumped into the pool (32*) with all his clothes on
Emily's jeep got stolen
emily's jeep was found
Melting Pot in my living room for vday
babysat Habib and he peed on cam's head
emily and chris crowder got engaged
denver aquarium with steve, LB, and cam

Feb 08:
Shail storm
Wes sick in hospital
love sigur ros
cam mtb in pueblo, cut his eye
vaccuum broke, sleezeball couldnt do math in his head
cam bought first suit
liz made first homemade pizza via sus's recipe
had cyst removed from head with odette and sara
cam's interview at DU friday
cam got a phone call monday that he got accepted to DU!
got new glasses for the first time since sr yr highschool
listed why i love cameron
-
have a great tuesday peeps
-
AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANER!

safe cosmetics

for christmas i got this book: Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano
it's really great for the gal who wants to be green, but is daunted by all the
steps she has to take. This book walks you through those steps chapter by chapter.
-
-
Sophie tells us all to take as long as we need for each chapter.
-
-
chapter 2 is where i have stuck pretty much.
-
-
it's called: Step 2: Green Goddess
-
what i learned was scary.
-
it was all about shampoos, soaps, makeup, self-care items...
-
you can go to this website Skin Deep, type into the purple box at the top - the name exactly of the product or just general, like Burts Bees, Dove, Garnier Fructis... and search the products available.
it will tell you what's in your product, and on a scale from 0-10 (0= awesome, nothing in it to 10= you will drop dead of cancer immediately by using this *scale made by liz cannon)
They rank chemicals by how known they are for carcinogens and neurotoxins and things of that nature.
-
it was scary
-
Sophie says she doesnt use anything higher than a 5; but after seeing what was in 5's, I didn't want to use anything higher than a 3.
-
I mean everything has bad stuff in it; the shampoo cameron was using so his hair doesnt thin, actually has chemicals in it that can make him lose his hair... WHAT???
-
I will list some chemicals she has in her book, and also some products that i can afford that i like so far!
-
She calls these RED ALERT items:
1. Coal Tar: used in dandruff shampoos and anti-itch creams, it's a known carcinogen. Coal tar-based dyes such as FD&C blue 1 which are used in toothpastes, and FD&C green 3 which is used in mouthwash should be avoided.
2. Fragrance: hs ubiquitous termi used to mask hundreds of ingredients, including phthalates, which disrupt the endocrine system and cause reproductive and developmental harm.
3. hydroquinone: commonly found in skin lighteners and facial moisturizers; it's a neurotoxin and is allergenic.
4. Aluminum: Often used in eye shadow as a color additive and also used in deodorants, it is listed as carcinogenic, toxic, and mutagenic.
5. triclosan: this chemical is used in almost all antibacterial products, including soap, toothpaste, and cosmetics. Triclosan is often contaminated with dioxins, which are highly carcinogenic and can also weaken your immune system, decrease fertility, and cause birth defects.
6. P-Phenylenediamine: This is a chemical that has given a bad name to regular hair dye. It can damage your nercous system, cause lung irritation, and cause severe allergic reactions. It's also listed as: 1,4 Benzenediamine; p-Phenyldiame and 4-Phenylenediame.
7. Lead and Mercury: Lead could appear in toothpaste as a naturally occuring contaminant of hydrated silica. It is a neurotoxin that also appears as lead acetate in men's hair dye. Mercury is found in a cosmetic preservative called thimerosol.
-
Awesome.
-
ORANGE ALERT:
1. Mineral Oils: they coat the skin like plastc so it cannot breathe. They slow down the skin's natural functions and cell development, resulting in premature aging. They come in the form on Petroleum Distillates (which are carcinogens and are prohibited in Europe). Also appears as: petroleum or liquid paraffin.
2. Parabens (methyl-, ethyl-, -propyl, isobutyl-)
Parabens are chemical preservatives that have been id'd as estrogenic and disruptive of normal hormone function.
3. Phthalates (hidden under the term: fragrance): causes a brad range of birth defects, and lifelong reproductive impairment in labs animals exposed during pregnancy and after birth. They are also a hormone mimicking chemicals, many of which disrupt normal hormone processes, raising concerns about implications for increased breast cancer risk. they have been banned in the European Union but not in the US.
4. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate (SLES):
This ingrediant is a foaming agent that is derived from coconut oil. It is used in brake fluid and antifreeze and also in a huge variety of skin care products, including toothpaste, bubble bath, shampoo, and soap.
There is a great deal of controversy surrounding SLS, as many feel that it is not only a proven skin irritant but also could be carcinogenic. The Environmental Working Group considers it to be a carcinogen; others say it is pone to contamination by a probable carcinogen called 1, 4-dioxane, which is used for foaming ability. Many other groups blame the hype on the natural skin care industry, who want to make a buck or two flogging their SLS-free products.
5. Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
6. Formaldehyde-Producing Preservatives
7. Talc
8. Acrylates and Methacrylates
9. alcohol, isopropyl (SD-40)
10. Tocopherol Acetate
11. Phenonip12. Quaternary Ammonium Compouds (Quats)
12. Cationic Surfactants
13. Benzyl Alcohol
14. Silicone Derived Emollients
15. Carbomer 934, 940, 941, 960, 961C
-
nuts.
-
I like:
almost anything Burts Bees is safe:
Burts Bees Rosemary and Mint Shampoo Bar
-it foams up nicely, smells good, and makes my hair feel very clean
-about $5
Burts Bees Soap Bark and Chamomile Face Wash
-creamy, and tingly, i use a washcloth for exfoliation
-~$8
Kiss My Face Olive Oil and Green Tea Bar Soap
-smells awesome, probably has more than "1/4 moisurizing cream"
-$3.50
Toms Lavender 12-hour deoderant
-doesn't last 12 hours
-only deo, not antipersperant
-like the smell
-i switch off and about 3 days a week use Dove deo/anti-p b/c i can't risk smelling on my 13 hours work days of pulling fat people up in bed...
-$4
Giovanni Natural Mousse
-smells good, strong hold
-$7.50
Burts Bees Milk and Honey Body Lotion
-$8
-
-
More on these life saving things later.