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.


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CRAIGSLIST AGAIN

umbrella = $5

chaise lounge = $5

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

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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.

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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!

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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?

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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!!!!!!
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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.
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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.
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we will all learn together & share all the glory of the veggies!!!!
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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
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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.
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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.
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we are so excited we can't wait for the first crop!!!!
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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 :)
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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
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have a great tuesday peeps
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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.
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Sophie tells us all to take as long as we need for each chapter.
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chapter 2 is where i have stuck pretty much.
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it's called: Step 2: Green Goddess
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what i learned was scary.
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it was all about shampoos, soaps, makeup, self-care items...
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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.
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it was scary
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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.
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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???
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I will list some chemicals she has in her book, and also some products that i can afford that i like so far!
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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.
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Awesome.
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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
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nuts.
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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
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More on these life saving things later.

haircut

my friends friend caroline cuts hair.

she's good.

i like her.

i think we are silly

i think we are so silly in this pic.

mexico 6.08

cannon fam reunion

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just organizing my pics while i lay on the couch...

i think i lost some from this summer... so i am getting them back from blogs

and kodakgallery.com

i think it will be fine.

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then i have to force myself to get off the couch at 11 to get my hair cut.

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peace out.

it's freezing here!

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
-it was 8* wen we walked to get coffee a couple blocks away.
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i have a cold and it's a good day for it.
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i am obsessed with Lost; i am on the season 4 finale....
i was watching all the episodes with cameron, but when i woke up at 4 this morning and
couldnt go back to sleep, i got like 5 episodes ahead of him...
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it sucks when yu go to work at 3am, and thn come home and fall asleep at 6pm...then wake up at 4am naturally... boo....

Dr. Bolton

at work today it was crazy, and i was calm, which was great.
until...
dr bolton (no relation to michael, although they look like the could be).
he is RUDE.
he called me arrogant,
and said i did not have the capacity to understand how to manage a patient.
i say to him "NI"(monty python).
take your bad day out on someone else poopface.

Full Squish

old bike

new bike

(see below)

rocky mountain fanatik

(handmade canadian bike)

front and rear shock = full squish

see the pretty maple leaves??

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sad day, we have to sell my old bike,

and cam is selling his cyclocross bike

and that will pay for this bike and we will

have money left over.

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i am so cool.

hott!

holy cow.
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note the date, and the temp.
(yesterday)

the finished napkins

the finished napkins

oh so cute!

doesn't the one on the right remind you of sus k?
this especially reminds me of sus.
it's a tea towel!
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i think i might make coord. napkins out of the top of te fabric!

thanks uncle dd

thanks kim and derek for the awesome new trashcan!

we got a gift card to the container store for christmas.

i had had the same trashcan since my soph year of college, and no matter how much you wash a white plastic trashcan, it still seems gross. this is one of our better investments!

the lid doesn't even slam, it closes quietly on its own :)

adios papel (bye bye paper)

most of you will think i am crazy, but most of you also know that i already am crazy.

you all know (and if you don't, then you obviously don't know me at all) that i am a little on the green side, okay, okay, my blood runs green.

i was randomly blogstalking people, when i came upon this new idea:

reusable toilet paper.

yes, at first my very first thought was "GROSS".

but then i started to think about how not gross it was, and how amazing it would be for: my body, the environment, for when we have kids (reusable wipes) and a million more reasons.

it was kinda crazy, but here is one website

i got from this website (jake and christy)

but you can also google: cloth toilet paper.

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yes everyone that i talk to (besides sus) is totally grossed out beyond belief, and almost every person has som story to try and deter me from doing it... little do they know, wipe by wipe i am saving their earth too.

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so here i how i made some cute napkins and toilet paper.

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1. buy cute 100% cotton cloth for napkins

&

100% cloth (i used flannel) for toilet paper

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2. iron said fabric

3. cut said fabric into whatever size you want for napkins

-i just got 1/3yard for each print of fabric, then

cut that into 3 pieces... big enough for us.

-for the tp, i ct them into 6x6in squares (that's what google said)

CRAZY CUTE!

tp
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4. sew a border around the tp, or it will really ravel away... i tried my hand at all the different stitches my machine can do, and it was fun to see them :) i used brown thread.
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you can sew 2 tp's together inside out then flip them and sew around the edges again to make a border and have no raveling at all, but i was too anxious to get them done.



see the borders below

with the napkins, i actually hemmed them,

they are too cute to look ravely.

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we use cloth napkins all the time, but i had a giftcard to the fancy tiger

and it has such cute fabric, i couldnt resist making napkins!!!

FINISHED!

i love the napkins so much!

i will take pics of the other fabric later!

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care of the toilet paper:

a site

1. wipe

2. place in an aluminum trash bin labeled

"cloth toilet paper only"

3. once that fills up,

wash in washer on medium heat with regular detergent

(i use all clear)

4. dry (in dryer or on line) too cold out now :)

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another site

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another site again

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at some point soon i will make some wet wipes with

Dr Bronners soap

essential oils

but i dont have a container/wipe warmer...

so until then, just dry ones.

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i love them so much so far.

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*note: since i didn't hem them, i have to FOR SURE wash them separately, b/c strings get everywhere, even though i did sew around the edges.

i came home form work on saturday to find these:

just because

and thursda in the mail from mr. UPS man,

i got this:

my very own (working) computer!!!!

yippee!!!

thanks to cam for letting me use his computer while he should be studying or something.

now i can get back into the blogging world.

so it has face recognition, so i don't type in the user-name, it's my face..

and when i took out my contacts and had my glasses on, it wouldnt let me sign in.... tricky-mctrickersons people.

ttfn.