forget the poo, how about some BOO!

Happy Halloween!!

No poo update

I'm about to make my second batch of the stuff so at best, it wasn't a total failure, at worst, I'm not sure I love it.

The smell ended up being fantastic. Somehow hair actually smells good and almost sweet after using it, even in spite of an apple cider vinegar rinse.
I'm still working with figuring out how to get it all over my scalp with my hair as long as it currently is. I've had to use two of the no poo balls to cover everything.
John has been using them since I made them. I've been using them on and off. We will continue the experiment and I take consolation in the fact that every time I use one I'm cutting back at little bit on chemicals and need of plastic.

Aside from the fact that they look like the delicious snowball cookies my grandma used to make, they have yet to be eaten (and that's a good thing).

Homemade Shampoo?

I'm trying something new. About a year ago a friend mentioned that she had stopped using traditional shampoo and had started "no pooing." Sounded interesting but I didn't run out to try it.

Today I made my first batch of no poo balls.

I pretty much followed a recipe I found on a Canadian parents website.

1 cup of baking soda
a big squeeze of honey
a few drops of essential oil (I used tea tree and rosemary and I am not sure that I like the smell)
and enough water to make a paste

I rolled balls, about 1/2 an inch in size, out of the paste and am letting them dry.

I've read that you can use one of the balls as shampoo and then rinse with water, as you would normally do, or you can rinse with apple cider vinegar and water. I guess I'll try both and see what works.
It's an experiment so I'll let you know how it works.

Memememe

I was tagged by Chanie.

The rules are:

1. Open the fourth file that you store pictures in.
2. Post the fourth photo in that file.
3. Explain the photo.
4. Tag four other bloggers.



Okay, I don't have my photos organized into neat folders so I just picked the fourth one that came up in my search.
I love this picture of Thomas, it is from last spring and he was having such a wonderful time.

Hmmmm...who to tag.
How about Whozat, Amy H., Dawn H., and Julie R.

tuesday ten: ten things happening in my life

Okay, it's time to ease back into blogging. I've been slacking off for a while and I have a plan to get back on track.

So...we'll start with the Tuesday ten...

1. I'm back on the farm. I'm going once a week and it is nice to get back out there. Things look beautiful and spring has definitely arrived in PA.

2. We're considering buying a house in town. It is exciting and terrifying. We have found a house we really like and it is in the same neighborhood we currently live in. We wish it was cheaper, we wish the taxes were less, we wish it had nice flooring under all that old carpet. Mostly we wish $20,000 would fall out of the sky and land in our laps.

3. Did you know that taxes are insanely abundant and high in PA? We're not in Georgia anymore.

4. Thomas is keeping us busy. He's winning awards in the county science fair, he's getting speaking parts in school concerts...the boy is a superstar!

5. JuJu...ah, there's always something happening in my life that revolves around her. She is a joy. She is busy. She is sensitive. She is currently singing, to her dolls, in her room.

6. The kids are starting tennis lessons this week. I hope it doesn't rain and I hope they have fun.

7. I'm busy with work. It's good. I sometimes wish there was more. Sometimes I wonder if I should get a "real" job (this is closely related to item #2).

8. The semester is over, but for the finals and grading, at Wilson. I can't wait to have John back again. Things get crazy when we are too busy.

9. We recently went to Pittsburgh. I loved the city! I enjoyed seeing art museums; happy, busy, friendly(!) people; good food (that wasn't the usual fare); even a Frank Lloyd Wright house. However, I was a little relieved (and that unnerved me) to get back to this small town where there is no traffic and virtually no crime. If only there was more good food and the natives were a little more friendly. I guess we take the good with the bad, right?

10. Mostly, as usual, the things happening in my life are wonderful. We have the flexibility again to travel this summer and we are looking forward to that. We can't wait to get to see our friends and family who don't live this far north (and I remind myself that if I had a "real" job that would greatly affect this freedom). We are excited to have some Cuban food and experience some real southern charm and hospitality!

ten things i like about snow

1. I admire how peaceful it is. It is nice to watch it fall and I love it after a big snow when it seems so quiet and calm outside. It is beautiful.

2. I like having a fire in the fireplace and being somewhat oblivious to how cold it is outside.

3. There is nothing like a warm mug of hot chocolate on a snowy day.

4. I love watching the kids' excitement when they see it. Thomas can't wait to build things...snowmen, igloos, etc. Julian can't wait to make snow angels all over the neighborhood.

5. The dog LOVES it. She gets so excited in a lot of snow and it is fun to watch - not so much fun to hold onto the leash, however.

6. Having grown up in Miami, FL, I still always get really excited when I see snow falling.

7. I love looking at snowflakes. They are so pretty. Especially the big, fat ones. Check out this book. It's a great one for kids. http://www.amazon.com/Snowflake-Bentley-Caldecott-Medal-Book/dp/0395861624/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229441194&sr=8-1

8. I love snow days when there is nothing to do but hang out at the house and cuddle.

9. I love that it means winter is here. I get really excited about winter...until I am ready for it to be over.

10. Sledding!

will work for garlic

Tthe fruits (or rather, garlic) of my labor.




And for the record. The dilly beans were delicious (or dillicious, depending on how fond you are of farm puns).