mint box mini oils

start with a cute, little box 

of trader joe's green tea mints.

{save them in another container.}

you'll need three 1/4 dram sample bottles,
and three 5/8 dram sample bottles.

fill with your favorite essential oils.
put them cap-to-cap for the best fit.

this would make a great holiday survival kit.

which six essential oils would you pick?

do you need to make one of these?
i can help you do it!

_________________________________________

i love helping people find solutions

using these pure botanicals

for things like:

better sleep,

pain relief,

emotional well-being,

digestive support,

preventing illness,

basic first-aid,

non-toxic cleaning,

and holiday survival.

they are amazing tools for wellness.

are you curious? let me know.

find more info here.

♥

homemade nail oil

i am ditching nail polish.
i have come up with something better.

my nails have always been weak.

prone to splitting, peeling, and breaking.

a {toxic} strengthening polish

wasn't really making my nails more resilient,

just coating them in a strong layer of synthetics.

i am no longer willing to absorb those toxins

through my nail beds.

after some research & experimenting,

i'm ready to share

my homemade nourishing oil blend

that is actually making my nails stronger.

= nail oil recipe =

in an empty 5mL roller bottle,
combine these pure essential oils:

10 drops myrrh

5 drops frankincense

5 drops lemon

5 drops lavender

3 drops vetiver

top with these nutritious carrier oils:

jojoba

avocado

apricot kernel

almond

calendula

neem

pop the roller top in the bottle 
& shake to combine.

use a buffing block

to gently smooth out the surface,

then apply the oil 

and massage into nails & cuticles

throughout the day & at bedtime.

.................................................

results?

after a few weeks,

my nails are growing without breaking,

and the peeling is non-existent.

i'm ditching polish & not looking back.

♥

p.s. the essential oils i use can be found here.

bulk carrier oils can be found at the boise co-op.

'the works' sauce {it's vegan!}

we're going vegan.

and this is my new vegan sauce.

i'm calling it 'the works'

after emily's favorite vegan wrap

at her local grocery in santa cruz.
emily has been vegan for almost a year,
so this recipe is dedicated to her.

'the works' sauce

makes 2 cups

combine all ingredients and blend until smooth:

1 cup cooked beans {save broth}

{cannellini beans, chickpeas, soybeans}

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup tahini

1/8 cup tamari

1/8 cup apple cider vinegar

1 - 2 cloves garlic

1 tsp spike {seasoning blend}

note:
you can adjust the thickness of the sauce
by how much bean broth [bean juice?] you add.

this sauce is delicious on rice & beans.

make it 'the works' by adding

fresh spinach, purple cabbage, avocado,

salsa & cilantro.

serve in a bowl or in a tortilla.

yum!

it also makes a great creamy salad dressing.

tip:

to make this sauce regularly,

cook batches of chickpeas & soybeans,

combine them & freeze in 1 cup containers.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

interested in why we're going vegan?

watch this documentary:

{also here}

{it's on netflix right now}

♥

takes me back

this steve winwood album 

takes me back to my junior year of high school.

specifically, sanibel island, 

spring break 1987.
especially back in the high life again {16:43}

backup vocals by chaka khan, james taylor, james ingram

{listen here as well}

this cover brought it all back...

{here}

♥

día de los muertos

the book of life is a visual feast.

go see this one on the big screen.

cool fact:

we watched this with our amigo, joaquin.

learn more about the day of the dead

here, here, and here.

♥

pretending zucchini is pasta

got a giant zucchini?  try this:

1. slice thin

i used a cheese plane.

note: this zucchini was huge - these slices were 1/3 the width.

2. boil in salted water

until just tender - 4 or 5 min.

3. spread with filling & roll 

homemade pesto - yum!

they were delicious!

we took them to the river & shared with friends.

perfect picnic food - no fork needed.

not all of the slices were roll-able.

for the bits & pieces that fell apart,

i just treated them like noodles

& mixed the pesto right in.

not quite as pretty, but still delicious.

these zucchini noodles - zoodles?

would be so good with chunky tomato sauce.

i want to use them to make lasagna.

such a great alternative

to dense, doughy noodles.

♥

tie dye

ned made this at the library last week

so this seemed in order

♥

cabin

i found a little cabin in the woods.

i think it needs me.

i've already started dreaming about it.

have a closer look at my cabin dream

◄here►

♥

three big bowls of garlic mashed potatoes

that's what happens

when someone has oral surgery

then two of her best friends

come to bring her milkshakes

and sit with her in bed while she recovers.

♥

a few things

forgiveness

we delivered warm cookies

to our new neighbors last night.

do you know your neighbors?

neighborday is saturday, april 26.

making my head spin.  there's more.

i want to learn how to play cribbage.

do you play?

{my vintage cribbage board}

stayed up late waiting for banana bread to bake.

so worth it.

a friend who knew i was at the bottom

of the library wait-list for this book

gave me the audible version.

i'm listening to it every night before bed.

next step: hang the hammock & listen al fresco.

{thank you, mary!}

♥

saturday

my morning started like this

then proceeded in this fashion

have you ever tried these?!

chocolate croissants from trader joe's.

i had to show you the way they look

when they come out of the freezer,

like a small, pale brick.

you let them "proof" on the counter

for 9 hours {overnight}.

then bake for 25 minutes in the morning.

wow.

they are $4.00 for a box of 4.

well worth $1.00 apiece.

there was a break in the rain,

so ned & i took a walk.

it started to rain again

& the wind started blowing.

we froze.

but we found this little nest on the ground.

it is made mostly of mud.

ned wants to know how birds carry mud.

do you know?

in their beaks?

happy saturday, everyone.

it's my favorite day.

♥

indigo girls

do you love them?

i sure do.

and on letterman...

♥

homemade applesauce

we had some beautiful, organic apples

that got soft & mushy & unappealing.

today, we turned those mushy apples into

homemade applesauce

no biggie.

ned did all of the peeling 

here are our unappetizing apples

we made our applesauce with just

apples

{peeled & cored & chopped}

& cinnamon

{we also added a little water in the beginning}

simmered on the stove for about an hour

when they were finished cooking,

we let them cool.

then we used a potato masher to,

you know, mash them.

it turned out great.

sweet, tart, cinnamon-y.

our applesauce is ned approved

have a listen to pete seeger

singing about old apples:

click here, then click on old apples.

♥

knitting

i've been knitting.

finishing old projects, starting new ones.

do you ever daydream about knitting?

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some great knitting resources:

wool and the gang shop

wool and the gang blog
madder

fringe association

the craft sessions
camellia fiber company

a fresh new series for fresh new knitters:
supplies & casting on

getting started

binding off

finishing up

an entire video series from loopy mango

{find loopy mango on etsy}

♥