A little more detail

As requested here's a little more detail about the "no 'poo" way of doing things. Please keep in mind I have waist length fine hair, you will need to play with the proportions to get things to suit you personally. I use about a tablespoon or so of baking soda made into a thin paste and applied to the roots of my hair, left for about a minute or two, then rinsed well. For the vinegar rinse I use about 2 tablespoons of herbed vinegar in a cup to a cup and a half of warm water, poured over everything except the roots of my hair and left for about the same amount of time as the baking soda paste, then again rinsed well. If this is too much work, as it does take a bit of prep time and thinking ahead, Burt's Bees makes lovely shampoos and conditioners without all the extra unwanted yuck in them. Hope this helps!

Officially the Mother of a Teenager

Isn't she sweet? I suppose I should be feeling old at this point. I don't really. I rather enjoy the fact that she picks out loud color skull and cross bone earrings with colored rhinestones, wanted a cake in the shape of an octopus, and to spend most of her actual birthday in various bookstores. Yay!

This is also the second week of Husband's vacation. I'm wondering if what was supposed to be done the first week of said vacation is going to get done this week. I admit to being a bit doubtful. On the upside, the more he sits around not doing what needs to be done, the more I tend to sit around and knit. I've finished a sweater(this morning so I haven't taken pictures yet), am working on the Mystery Stole 4 and have cast on a shawl of bat lace a la The AntiCraft. All the while plotting(with yarn on the way) lovely baby items for one of my Darlings. I'm rather thankful for the excuse really, otherwise my small hoard of baby patterns might seem a bit creepy. I prefer to think of it as being prepared for any eventuality, kind of like a practical pack rat. Which is why I have a small pile of lint from the wool/silk blankets I bought(at almost half price) for the beds. It looks a bit like roving, it's fiber-y, so there's a chance it could be spun into yarn....right?

My first attempt at hula

It's been something on my list to try for quite some time. I figured it would be interesting. I have a good bit of belly dance experience so that should help, right?

Not as much as I thought. The words awkward and embarrassing come to mind.

The forms have similarities, mainly hip motions. Not enough for me to pick it up as quickly as I'd like. I've spent the rest of the day randomly practicing moves while checking my form in the bathroom mirror. My body isn't thanking me yet. In fact, it yells at me every time I go up or down the stairs. Which is why it made perfect sense to go out and rake up rocks in the backyard afterwards. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. Energy is at an all time low. Sitting, knitting, and watching mindless television call to me. Knowledge of the huge pile of clean laundry on the couch, waiting to be folded is ignored.
My respite is short-lived; dinner must be made, house must be tidied, and that horrible monster called laundry must be finished. I imagine I will do an astounding impression of a rock not long after I fall into bed tonight.

Trying another something new

This morning, after much deliberation, I decided to try the "no 'poo" thing. That's right. No commercial shampoo in a large plastic bottle for me. I got my hands on a couple of lovely triangular glass bottles in Hobby Lobby a couple of weeks ago. One is frosted looking and green, the other shiny and blue. Both are so dark as to look black in indirect light. I had a bottle of apple cider vinegar with nettle and rosemary steeped in it for just this purpose. With everything all ready to go, I didn't have any more excuses. I mixed up my stuff in the lovely bottles and proceeded to pour baking soda solution on the roots of my hair. After a minor wait accompanied by a rinsing, the rest of my hair got a vinegar rinse, followed by another minor wait and another rinsing. Then it was business as normal. I was worried that my hair was going to end up a tangled, greasy mess, but so far the results have been decidedly positive. This is very much a good thing. Even little things that mean fewer chemicals (in me and in the water) and less trash, count for something. It doesn't hurt that this particular experiment also ends up being a frugal endeavor as well. My waist length hair uses mass amounts of conditioner on a regular basis. Commercial stuff gets pricey. Apple cider vinegar and baking soda, not so much. Conventional shampoo has been one of those things I've been leery of getting rid of. I make soap, body and face butters, scrubs and face masks no problem. The idea of having manky hair was just too much of a consequence. Till now. Maybe all that raw food has gone to my brain!