Souveniers

We brought some stuff back from Alaska.

Greg found this t-shirt for me and I did not resist it because I say this to him often 

(especially in the winter when the desert is at its most beautiful):

"The mountains are calling and I must go." 

(John Muir, Alaskan explorer extraordinaire) 

I wore it with a gray patterned skirt, but I was wearing socks and flip-flops in the photo; I couldn't bring myself to post such an unfashionable thing!

This shirt is also my favorite . . . it says "Alaska last frontier 1959"

I didn't want to try it on in the store, so it's a little big (great for wearing with leggings).

worn with teal skirt from Macy's and silver shoes from Aerosoles

This outfit isn't from Alaska, but I found some great elbow-length tees at Old Navy and wanted to share.

This one is the navy and white striped one. I also have gray & white stripes, solid black, and solid navy.  And for some reason I also decided on a bigger size than I probably needed - I really love the extra length.

The skirt is also from Old Navy.

shoes from Target

Here is the gray and white striped one.

pants from Macy's

I have been working on gathering some new, healthy (i.e. made from real food) recipes together, and this was one that I won't be making again . . . at least, not the same way.

blueberry coconut milk frozen treats.

The problem for me was that the sugar pooled at the tip of the rocket during the freezing process and so the tip was really yummy and the rest was boring!  I don't yet know how to solve that problem.  Better mixing, maybe?  I will be trying similar treats and probably will figure out how to adapt this recipe so it works better!

And here are two that I WILL be making again for sure!

Homemade hash browns . . . 

Step 1 - wash potatoes and put them through the mandolin attachment on your food processor.

Step 2 - fry them in olive oil, butter, or other oil.

I at first tried without any fat because I use a non-stick pan, but the potatoes stuck to the bottom of the pan and burned, so I added good old fashioned (organic) butter.

Step 3 - EAT!  I added organic ketchup.

This next recipe has been taste-tested by my friend Sage (thanks, Sage!)

She said she even thought her kids would eat it.  She isn't going to tell them that there's avocado in there!

Step 1 - put four extremely ripe bananas in a bowl (black ones)

Step 2 - peel & core one avocado and add it to the bowl

Step 3 - Add some unsweetened cocoa powder - I used about 1/4 cup

Step 4 - mash everything up - use a mixed or blender if desired 

(you'll build up arm muscles if you don't, though!)

Step 5 - chill as long as desired

Step 6 - garnish with berries and ENJOY!

I will be trying this recipe again without the avocado.  It seemed a little heavy to me (high in calories, too).

I think I will try bananas, cocoa powder, and maybe a little yogurt or almond milk.  But if you don't do dairy, this would be a great one!

Since it has been hot here (summer in the desert, you know), Juvy, who is usually a mostly-outside cat, has been spending her afternoons on the couch.  She is very snuggly with her little white belly poking out!

And her paws are pretty!

I have been cleaning up ("greening up") my beauty products.

Yes, I was diagnosed with a "chronic" disease (Crohn's Disease), but I believe I am wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) and that God created my body to heal itself most of the time if I get all the inhibitions out of the way.  So I'm slowly trying to remove as many potentially dangerous and harmful things out of our home and out of our diet.  Beauty products are horrible - and I didn't even know!  Because we don't consume them, companies can use whatever ingredients they want - and the FDA has no power to regulate (click here to read more).

I have gotten rid of the worst offenders in my drawers, shower, and bathroom cabinets, and when I replace the remaining items, I will be buying products that are a 2 or below on the safety scale created by the Environmental Working Group.  Click here to enter your products and see how they score!

They also have a smart phone app so you can scan products while you are at the store to see if they are safe or not.

My new shampoo and conditioner!

I have been using them for about a week now, and my VERY picky hair is loving them.

Also, they smell like almond, which is my favorite smell probably in the world*

UPDATE: After a month of using this pair, I went back to my trusty Pantene because the ends of my hair were getting dried out and straw-like.  So sad!  I am doing a lot of deep-conditioning now.  Maybe these great products will work for you if you have shorter hair, if you don't do a lot of heat styling, or if your hair is less persnickety than mine!

 * okay, I have lots of favorite smells: warm sleepy kitten, the back of Greg's neck, clean laundry, chocolate cake, strawberries, lilacs . . . I could go on and on!

I got a new dress at Ross 

(Note to Ross, you are my very good friend for all the cute dresses you've been stocking just for me!)

I also got a new mirror, and I think it's skewed on the side of making me look a lot thinner than I am.

Either that or someone has been secretly Photoshopping my photos to make me feel skinny!

The waist has a little chain!

And the pattern is fantastic.

BONUS (just for you!)

This game at the movie theater made me happy - one of the best shows in history: Star Trek Voyager!

My dear friend Jennifer and I went to see "Fed Up".  Good film, but if you want to save some moolah, check out most of the same information (without graphic bells and whistles) here and here - free!

Happy Saturday!

P.S.  I have received some questions lately about supplements and natural options for treating Crohn's that I have found and tried, so I'll be posting an update on my research and my experiments SOON!