Linky Inspirations

Craft Inspirations:
Table Runner from Plastic Canvas Circles - love this idea. . . now all I need is a table to make one for.




Paleo Recipe Inspiration:
Homemade Mayo - I know I have linked to recipes like this before, but I like the recommendation in here for trying coconut oil instead of olive oil.


Raspberry Jelly Treats


Pickled Slaw - think this sounds interesting.


Blueberry and Cucumber Salad - as simple as this is, they sound yummy together.


Cilantro Lime Shrimp


Gluten-Free Recipe Inspiration:
Peanut Butter Mousse Pie


Peaches and Cream Popsicles



Recipe Inspiration:
Chocolate Chip Cookies - with other comparative information on how your butter effects your cookies, interesting.


Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Quiche - I know most of you won't agree, but I think this not only sounds good, but has given me some ideas for something else to try!

Humidity Bites!

Neither Wookie or myself are fans of the humidity lately. Neither one of us started our lives in places that had humidity like this . . . I try to comfort him and myself with thoughts of one day retiring in Colorado! :)

With the humidity, Wookie changes his sleeping habits. It's the only time he sleeps in his crate, the cooler plastic of the crate is something he appreciates.


If you look closely at the toy bin to the left, you can see a teddy bear.  It is the same teddy bear I had as a little kid!

He also likes to lay tummy up in front of the fan:



I feel for him and he will probably get shaved again when we come back from Ohio in a couple of weeks.

Turkish Delight

So, I have been watching a new podcast, Yarnrasing and I am loving it. I have been increasing my spinning, both wheel and spindle. I decided that it was finally the time to get that nice Turkish spindle I have been wanting. I ordered a different one than I had originally planned. I ordered this spindle from Threads thru Time.  I recommend them, it arrived quickly, safely and is probably one of the best spindles I own.  I will most likely order another one in the future.

With the spindle, I received a small amount of fiber to spin on it, which I must say was lovely to spin with:


Here you can see it's a little bigger than an avocado!


The wood is beautiful and it spins very nice.


A small bit of fiber was included with the spindle to try it out and it was lovely to spin with.


I made a mini skein, it is Navajo Plied and is only small bit of yarn, but I love how it turned out.  I will probably use it for a row or two in a hat as a little detail bit.








I also ordered some fiber from there and have been spinning it slowly on the Turkish Spindle and will show you some of that in the near future, as I plan to spin for 30 minutes a day during the Tour De Fleece!

Rockin Toddler Tunic

Ah, here is a top that I test-knitted. Just finished with it a couple days ago. I chose to do a size 6, for Eleanor as she appreciates my hand knits. My biggest fan is 2, it's a little odd, but I will embrace it! :)










some detail shots:












Yarn: Knit Picks CotLin
Colors: Creme Brulee and Lilac
Content: 70% Tanguis Cotton, 30% Linen
Care: Machine Wash and Dry
Needles: US 4
Pattern: Rock-a-baby Summer Dress (not yet published)
Mods: I made this a tunic length instead of a dress length as I thought it would be more wearable.


Although, I think it might still be a tad big on her, we shall have to see. If all else fails she will be able to wear it next year or for a few years. I truly hopes she likes it.

Linky Inspirations

Quotes:

Love this one, so true!


Crafty Inspirations:

Fancy Edging

Hexagon Squares and Screen Printing.

Re-purposed shirt - - love this idea for still using shirts with stains! Do you think I could get away with this as an adult??

Sweet and Sour Radish Pickled




Paleo Recipes:

Spicy Chipotle Ketchup

Mini Layered Ice Cream Pops

Homemade Peach BBQ Sauce

Lemon Electrolyte Drink




Gluten Free Recipes:

Thai Basil Chicken


Recipes:

Fennel, Leek, and Spinach Soup



I used:
1 stick of butter
4 leeks (white and light green sections) - chopped roughly
2/3rds of a fennel bulb - chopped roughly
2 small onions - chopped roughly
4oz baby spinach
6 cups homemade chicken broth
chopped and fried ham


Sauteed the leeks, onions, and fennel in butter for about 15 minutes. Added broth and simmered for 30 minutes. Turned off stove and added spinach. Let set for 20 or so minutes while it cooled down some and used an immersion blender to make it smooth. Dished it up. To the leftovers, I added some chopped up and fried ham, it adds another depth and is worth it.



Shrimp Chowder

Attempted Alternatives to Shampoo and Conditioner

So, I am trying to do some stuff to take better care of myself. I have known for years that something in my conditioners irritates the skin on my back, but have honestly been to lazy to do anything drastic about it. I mean, I did small things like change conditioners, some were less and some were worse.

However, when I was out in Washington State at the end of May/beginning of July, I used my sister's shampoo and conditioner and my back started healing. It was super weird, because nothing had ever just stopped irritating it and I had my light bulb moment in that I could actually have a back that wasn't constantly irritated. It's amazing some of the stuff we put up with because we get so use to it that it seems "normal" to us, isn't it?

I'm cheap and my sister's shampoo and conditioner isn't that bad, but there's no way I am going to pay what it costs. But I realized I should try alternatives to shampoo, especially since I am not working right now and who cares if my hair is a little oily one day or completely unruly. Who was going to care, Wookie? Please!

So I tried some of the options on this post and here's how it worked with my hair:

1. Baking Soda - No matter how oily my hair was, this completely dried it out and made it feel like I had just fried the crap out of it.

2. Tea - haven't tried yet and not sure if I will, a little discouraged by the others.

3. Water Only - this doesn't work consistently for me, but I can and do go for a couple days in between with only water.

4. Dry Shampoo - Did not try this, honestly, I am a shower a day kind of gal to wake up, so my hair is going to get wet each day.

5. Egg with honey - I tried this and I tried just honey water, but honey and my hair do not get along at all. It makes my hair feel way dirtier than when I got into the shower and ratios didn't make much of a difference, my hair doesn't like honey.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar - I tried this after the baking soda and it only helped marginally as my hair really hated the use of the baking soda. Although I am considering trying this alone every once in a while.


So, what is the moral of this story? My hair is finicky, just like the rest of me and so far the only thing I have found that works and doesn't irritate my back is to shampoo lightly every few days and the other days I just use water. My hair doesn't get really oily or look dirty. I am thinking Monday, when I wash my hair again I will try an ACV spritz and we shall see how well that works.

Linky Inspirations

Food for thought:

Sizes Manifesto, part 2 - watch the video also


Body Inspirations:
Shampoo Alternatives - - I am trying shampoo alternatives due to my skin having issues with shampoo and conditioner, take a look, I will be writing more about this in the coming week.


Coconut Aloe "Shampoo"


Homemade Baby Wipes - - I like this possibility since there is a fair chance my future kids could have allergies.


Crafty Inspirations:

Needle Book and Built in Pin Cushion


Paleo Recipe Inspiration:

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Truffles


Chicken Avocado Salad


Cultured Fruit Leather


Gluten Free Recipe Inspiration:

Immediately when I saw this recipe, I knew I wanted to try these Eggplant Cannelloni!


Lacto-Fermented Mayo


3 Ingredient GF Ice Cream - - and better because you don't need a machine!


Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce!


Blackberry Ketchup


Fudge with Homemade Fluff


Recipe Inspiration:

Garlic Creamy Alfredo


Lime and Coconut Chicken


Cinnamon Buns


Pull Apart Bread

Linky Inspirations

Body:

DIY Honey Shampoo



Recipes:

One of the things I had never seen before moving to New York, was Black and White cookies. There are many variations of these, but I agree with this recipe of Pink & White Cookies that the ICED kind are infinitely better!

Homemade GF Rice Krispie Treats - - ah, a must try!

Bacon Horseradish Deviled Eggs

Coconut Freezer Pops

Grainfree Stuffed "Shells"

Honey and Cream Taffy