Day 1 of the 30 Day Shred

Okay, so I've been putting off going into a real exercise program for a while now. It's easier to reject food to control portions than it is to actually put out effort to exercise. Lol! However, I decided I need to get my rear in gear.

A few weeks ago, I bought the Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred DVD that promises 20 minute workouts on 3 levels. Essentially, there are only 3 workout routines, with one routine per level. Within the workout routine, there is one trainer that demonstrates an easier, modified version for those who are like me, a bit out of shape. Each routine has a 2-minute warm-up and a 2-minute cool-down. The heart of the workout is her 3-2-1 interval training technique. Interval training is a huge buzzword in the physical fitness world, claiming to help you burn way more calories than a steady workout. The concept behind interval training is to work your body as hard as you can for about a minute, then progress to a lower level for the next 3 to 4 minutes, then start the cycle again and again until you complete your workout. In the 30 Day Shred, it starts the cycle with 3 minutes of strength training, like pushups, then 2 minutes of cardio, like jumping jacks, and then 1 minute of ab work, like crunches. She goes through this cycle a few times, and then it's time to cool down. Since it's only 20 minutes, there are no breaks and you have to maintain your momentum and intensity. In terms of equipment, you will need some dumbells and an exercise mat.

So yesterday was Day 1 for me. Let's see just how "shredded" I get in 30 days. Lol! Anyways, I watched through the Level 1 workout before starting it and everything looked simple and easy enough. None of the exercises are anything I haven't seen before. However, once I started the workout, I realized how hard it was! I mean it was HARD!! There were times when I really wanted to just drop to the floor and just breathe for a minute or two! It makes sense that you have to maintain a high intensity to get the most out of a mere 20 minutes, especially if this is all you're planning to do for the day. After the workout was done, I was wiped out! I admit that I did take a break during the workout to drink some water, plus I thought my heart was going to pound itself out of my chest. Lol! Anyways, I survived, and my arms are really sore now.

Overall, I really like the workout and I'm glad I got it. After the first day, I am definitely motivated to keep going and try it again tonight, though I'll go a little lighter on the arms so they can recover. I do have to say that I think the cool-down is too short and doesn't stretch you out enough. Going forward, I may just supplement the cool-down with a few yoga stretches.

Paper flower decoration

I love how pretty this looks! I might want to borrow this idea for my own decor.

http://blogs1.marthastewart.com/weddings/2009/10/grace-bonneys-bar-d%C3%A9cor.html#more

A gift idea that caught my eye

What could it possibly be? Why, it's a wreath of yarn balls! Unfortunately, the yarn balls in this wreath were glued onto a styrofoam form. It would have been so awesome if it was attached to the form in such a way that a person can easily remove a ball or two to use. A yarn ball glued onto a wreath just seems like a waste of good yarn to me. Lol!

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=280949.0

Strawberry cake

Growing up, my absolute favorite cakes were either the ice cream cake from Carvel (the one with the chocolate crunchies) or this strawberry cake from a Chinese bake shop. It was the only bake shop I ever found that made my favorite strawberry cake. It was light and pink and tasted richly of sweet, sweet strawberries. Yum!

So lately, in a fit of nostalgia, I was craving some strawberry cake. Maybe it was because I saw a strawberry cake mix in the supermarket that the craving began. The beautiful pink, yummy texture beckoned me to buy the mix. Well, I haven't made a cake from a mix in a loooong time and I wasn't about to start now either! Looking online for "strawberry cake" yielded lots of results of people mixing white cake mix with strawberry gelatin mix, which is definitely not what I wanted. Then I found a forum where someone posted a strawberry cake recipe from Whole Foods. You can see the recipe here:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=732

At the time, the supermarket near me didn't have any fresh or frozen strawberries, so I decided to use strawberry preserves. I left out the sugar in the recipe and added some lemon zest. It actually turned out quite well, though unfortunately we finished the cake before I remembered to take and post pictures. As much as I liked the cake, it didn't really satisfy my nostalgic craving.

So in the next attempt, I was able to procure some frozen strawberries, which were delicious and very sweet on their own. This time, however, I was missing lemon zest, but I made it anyways. This cake turned out very nicely too, but I felt it didn't taste of strawberries enough. While polishing off the last of this second attempt before remembering to take photos again, I realized that it wasn't just any cake I wanted. I really wanted to make more of a sponge cake!

So the next attempt will require much more work. First, I'm actually going to make strawberry gelatin. I have some agar agar packages I bought from an asian supermarket so I'm not using any non-vegetarian gelatin. A nice strawberry gelatin recipe is offered from Martha Stewart. Then, I'm going to incorporate the gelatin into a light cake recipe. For the cake recipe, I'll be using cake flour and I'll be separating the eggs, so I can beat them fluffy. I may just use the egg whites and freeze the yolks for something else (yes, you can freeze yolks! Just pop them and add some salt to keep them from getting lumpy). The idea is to get lots of air into the batter. Cake flour is lighter, and more fine than regular flour, so it will create lighter texture. I haven't worked out all the details of how I'm going to meld the two components, but as you can see, I'm sort of trying to duplicate the gelatin-cake mix recipe.

Anyways, I won't be able make another attempt until the local supermarket stocks frozen strawberries again, which doesn't happen all that often. :-( Ah well. Another project on the To Do Someday bin!

A community helps a family

Wow, I'm so down about how horrible human beings can be to each other that this story just seems too good to be true! I wish there were more stories like this:

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/830300.html

Making bread

My fiance loves bread. He gets all dreamy-eyed when we talk about delicious crusty bread from our local bread shop. Unfortunately, good, homemade bread can get expensive to buy every week. So for a short while, I made bread at home. Then I got lazy and didn't want to make bread anymore. The thing is, we eat a lot of bread when it's good, which means one loaf will last a week. That means I have to spend precious down-time making bread every weekend! Chores are only fun when they're novel, then they just become chores. Lol!

So one way to get around making bread every weekend is to make a big batch of dough and freeze it after the first rise. Punch down the dough and divide into small portions for fast future thawing. Wrap the portions in plastic wrap and place in freezer. When you want to use it, just unwrap it and leave it on the counter, where it will thaw and go through its second rise. At this point, you can bake it, or punch it down and let it rise one last time before placing in the oven. Tipnut.com suggests doubling the amount of yeast if you're planning to freeze the dough.

As for bread recipes to use, there are plenty floating around on the internet. I haven't tried a lot of different recipes, but I have found a pretty decent whole wheat bread recipe here. Some wheat bread recipes use half whole wheat flour and half white flour because 100% whole wheat tends to make a very dense, chewy bread. It's also very difficult, if not impossible to get a good crust. In the recipe I use, I replace a few tablespoons of flour with vital wheat gluten, which is also used to make seitan. The vital wheat gluten helps give the bread a spongier, lighter texture. Sometimes, I'll add a few shakes of ground ginger as well. When it comes time to bake, I'll arrange two racks close together in the middle of the oven and place a tray of water on the bottom rack. Before placing the bread in the oven, I'll brush the surface with cold water. During the baking process, I might have to refill the tray of water, in which case, I'll brush the surface of the bread again. This helps the bread form a crunchier crust, though it works best with white bread recipes. For whole wheat recipes, the crust is only crisp when it first cools from the oven, and even then, it's not as crisp as with a white bread recipe.

The result of my efforts is a really good loaf of sandwich bread. Even though the crust isn't crusty, the insides are soft and delicious! This is a bread for everday use. On those days when we want something a little more decadent, I'll consider making a crusty white bread. I've been eyeing the no-knead bread craze for a loooong time now - and I'm not kidding when I say "craze." Lol! Check out the no-knead recipe here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html

Cat steals socks!

Some stories are just too funny not to link to!

http://optimistworld.com/Cat-owners-leaflet-neighbours-after-pet-steals-fifty-socks/

Marshall Alexander paper toys

The cool thing about paper toys are that they are fun to make and fun to play with! All you need is some paper, a color printer, scissors (or craft knife with cutting mat) and glue. Not all of these toys are easy to make, or suitable for young children, but they are pretty cheap, considering the fact that many of the templates and instructions can be downloaded for free. For the most part, I love visiting Canon CREATIVE PARK, but today, I found another site for paper toys: Marshall Alexander! The best part about Marshall Alexander's designs are that they use only one sheet of paper to create. Check it out:

http://members.chello.nl/m.egtberts2/library.html

Ribbon wreath

Here's a project that is not only simple, easy and pretty quick to whip up, but also looks quite nice! I haven't considered using any wreaths for my wedding decor, but if I change my mind, I'll definitely keep this project in mind:

http://www.i-do-it-yourself.com/2009/10/diy-grosgrain-ribbon-wreath/

Hello Hanna placemats

I am not really a fan of placemats. I like them when they're pretty, but it doesn't make cleanup any faster or easier, in my opinion. It certainly dresses up the table, which is nice, but it's not something that I consider necessary or even very desirable. That is, until I saw placemats from Hello Hanna! They look so cute and fun that I felt an instant attraction for them.

However, there are a couple of things that hold me back from taking the plunge and splurging on them. First, they are made of uncoated cardstock, which means they're probably not going to last you very many meals. I prefer placemats that are infinitely reusable, or close to it. Lol! Second, I personally believe that there should be few distractions at the meal table. Mealtime is when we all focus on each other and actually have a real conversation. That means, no cellphones, no TV and no toys. The Hello Hanna placemats can definitely qualify as a toy for the meal table.

Having said all that, I still can't get away from oogling them! They are just so cute! Curious yet? Check it out for yourself:

http://hellohanna.com/index.php

Chair from single sheet of plywood

I think this chair is so cool!

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/10/sheetseat.php?dcitc=th_rss

Microwave chocolate cake in a mug: Update

I didn't get to try this one out. Turns out, after the awesome birthday dinner, we were too stuffed to eat anymore! Now, my sweet tooth cravings have pretty much stopped calling, so I am no longer motivated to make this. I guess I'll save the recipe for some other time then. :-)

Microwave chocolate cake in a mug

For a few days now, I've been craving something sweet and decadent. I've finished our small tub of ice cream, which was sooooo yummy, and have taken to adding an extra bit of sugar to my daily coffee in an effort to assuage my sweet tooth. It worked for a little while, but then it hit me this past weekend that I wanted a chocolate cake! Unfortunately, baking a whole chocolate cake means I'll be munching on that all week, unlike having a mere spoonful per day of ice cream. I really just wanted one small slice and not have to worry about finishing the leftovers, causing me to completely ruin my diet.

Then I came across a cake recipe you can make in your mug using a microwave! It's perfect because it's a small portion that I can share with my fiance, it's fast and easy to make and it's made from scratch. Perfect! Previous recipes required using those powdered cake mixes, which I haven't used in a few years now and have no intention of using again.

The timing is also perfect as it is something I can make tonight for my fiance's birthday. Yay! Of course, it might turn out horribly since I've never made this before and there won't be any chance to tweak the recipe. Also, you should know that despite its small portion, it is by no means a low-calorie snack. In fact, the recipe below is for two servings, at about 400 calories per serving. Anyways, here's the recipe:

4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
pinch of salt
pinch of baking powder
few drops of vanilla extract

Spray mug (recommend a really big one, like a big pyrex cup) with cooking spray, or rub a tiny bit of butter on the surface and sprinkle with flour. Mix all the wet ingredients separately from the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix. Try not to over-mix. Pour into baking mug and place in microwave. Set the microwave for 3 minutes, but most likely the cake will be done before the time is up. Experiment a little and it's important not to overcook the cake.

Some changes I'll make to the recipe when I try it out tonight:
Add a pinch of instant coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor
Since I'm not sure if my baking powder is still good, I may have to replace it with baking soda and a drops of cider vinegar

If this turns out well, I might try replacing some of the oil with applesauce and/or replacing the egg with agar agar powder. Wish me luck!

America's work culture - no vacations!

In the U.S., the standard number of vacation days per year is 10, and you're one of the lucky ones if they're all paid vacation days. In Europe, it's almost unheard of to get less than 20 paid vacation days. In the U.S., you are expected to show that you're totally devoted to the company, which often means pulling long hours, working through your weekends and vacations, or not taking your vacation days at all! In our current uncertain times and the lack of job security, people are working their rear ends off to avoid the chopping block, as if our work culture wasn't bad enough before. Even before our current economic crisis, people felt they're less likely to be rewarded with a raise or a promotion unless they have no life but the life of devotion to work.

Yet with all our miserable days and hours spent working, our productivity levels are not way higher than a country with a more relaxed approach towards life and work. Considering that we're not getting better results and individual burn-out is more prevalent here, I don't think our work culture is an ideal one. It's hard to avoid the pressure of collective attitudes, but I really feel that we need some tweaking here. I mean companies should start encouraging people to take their vacations and to take one should not be in any way construed as slacking on the job. Your work life shouldn't be your entire life. That also means working during your vacation should absolutely not be allowed. These are just some of the thoughts that popped up when I started reading this article:

http://www.wisebread.com/america-is-the-no-vacation-nation

Invitations, part 3

Okay, so I talked previously about how I started working on my invitations. So far, I've scored and folded about a hundred sheets of cardstock, most of which has had its edge punched out.

Once I've finished punching out the edges, I'll have to start cutting and pasting on the pockets.

I've also printed out half the wording pages. I spent a lot of time designing the wording page, tinkering with the images and downloading free brushes and fonts from the internet. I ended up use a cherry blossom brush for the purple flowers, Chopin Script font for our names, Curlz MT font for the venue name and regular Times New Roman for everything else.

I guess I'll print out the other half tonight. Once the pockets are pasted into the covers, I'll start stamping the wording pages and then paste them into the covers.

I still have to do the inserts...

The art of having insecurities thrust upon you

Let's face it, we live in a consumerist culture, meaning we like to buy or "consume" things. As a group, we feel the need to consume things in order to obtain a fleeting moment of what we think is happiness. These days everything you see is geared to get you to buy something. So how do they get millions of people to buy billions of dollars of stuff they generally don't need? I mean, do I really need to have another dress hanging in my closet? Do I really need to get that awesome-smelling soap shaped like the most adorable flower for some exorbitant amount of money? The answer is simply no, I don't need those things, but I want those things. How did it get that way? Marketing!

I remember when I took a marketing class in college, they mention the different ways a company can sell their product. If a product is useful and definitely people need it to carry out certain useful functions, the company has to find a way to get the message out that their product can help and is better than all the competitors' products. However, what if a product serves no useful purpose? What if there is no need for it whatsoever? What if no one ever even thought about using such a thing before? Meaning, what if there is no market for it? Well, a good marketing company makes a market and creates a need for it. So how do you get someone to buy something they probably think is useless or a waste of money, if left to their own devices? You play upon their insecurities.

If you think about it, we are bombarded by ads everywhere we go, everywhere we look. From magazines, to the radio, to the TV, to the internet, everyone is marketing something. They all have the same message: You're a loser and are totally inadequate, and if you buy our stuff it will fill the hole you've been trying to fill your whole life. They fill you with completely unrealistic images that we're supposed to strive to achieve and since the "perfect" life being the "perfect" person doesn't exist, we are ALWAYS left feeling insecure and inadequate. But it's not just any image of perfection they want you to strive for, but theirs. It has to be theirs because they want you to buy their stuff. Those beautiful models on magazine covers, the men in luxury cars driving on an empty road, the great fun people seem to have drinking certain brands of alcohol - these images are not just selling the product, but selling an idea and/or image. The implication is that you are just not good enough or you are not happy unless you buy our stuff. The implication is, you're a loser because the car you currently own makes you a loser and that's why you're not as happy as that man in the commercial.

For example, one of the commercials that ALWAYS ticks me off are those Kay Jeweler commercials because their slogan is "Every kiss begins with Kay." The slogan says to the man that no woman could ever want or love him unless he gives her expensive jewelry, which implies that he just ain't good enough to get a woman to love him without bribing her and so implies that women are materialistic gold-diggers. At the same time, the commercial is telling women that your man don't love you unless he gives you expensive jewelry and that's why you should kiss him. This leads men to buy the most expensive, ugly jewelry ever for their girls and have no idea why the girl doesn't wear it! To quote a friend of mine after her boyfriend proudly presented her with a gift, "Just because it's Tiffany's doesn't mean it's pretty."

Another commercial that ticks me off are those hair loss ones. They're flat out telling the guys that they're ugly, unwanted and totally unattractive unless they have hair. It's pretty sick. I mean, the poor dude is probably already embarrassed about the hair loss and now there's a commercial saying, "Yes, you are indeed a totally undesirable, disgusting loser because you're balding so go buy our stuff cause it will make you into everything you've always wanted to be!" What they don't tell you is that it might not work and all you're left with is this burning feeling of inadequacy, making you even more desperate to "solve" the issue.

Of course, most of the time, we tune out these commercials as silly. I only get riled up when I deconstruct this stuff and realize just how much of this kind of messaging is out there. It's unavoidable and if you are constantly told that you're inadequate, you can't help but be affected no matter how hard you try to ignore it.

The truth is, even the most naturally beautiful person in the whole world isn't beautiful enough because our idea of beauty simply doesn't exist. The idea of natural beauty no longer exists because what's natural isn't beautiful anymore. The same goes for the brilliant lifestyle marketing sells. Don't we all want to be like those impossibly beautiful, popular people in the drinking commercials at a fancy bar, laughing and having the best time? It's an impossible life with impossible people, which means that no matter how much we buy and how much we spend, we will never be satisfied. We are so bombarded by images of youthful beauty and youthful enthusiasm that we forget that youthful enthusiasm often is reckless and impulsive and gets us into trouble. We cannot accept that it's okay for youthful beauty to fade, so we buy thousands of dollars of stuff to make us age more slowly, yet none of that stuff buys us less misery and more wisdom. Whatever happiness we feel is fleeting until the next upkeep appointment or the next sign of aging sprouts up. I feel like nobody knows how to age gracefully anymore. After all, reckless and impulsive enthusiasm gets people to buy more stuff than pragmatic, equanimous wisdom.


I, myself, find myself getting caught up in my insecurities and see my mentality shifting as I'm going about my wedding planning process. Things that didn't bother me as much before now takes on epic proportions. The idea that we have to look absolutely stunning on our wedding day is putting an impossible amount of pressure on me because all my physical and imagined physical flaws are "ruining" the "perfect" future moment. The truth is, what will be, will be. I cannot control the weather and I cannot keep my eyes from protruding due to my medical condition. So most likely, I'll look like a frog in many of my photos, but what can I do? Nothing. So I shouldn't worry, right? I know I shouldn't, but I do anyways. That's how powerful the Wedding Industrial Complex is. I had immersed myself in  thinking I could resist its powerful pull to spend loads of money on the "Look at ME!" mentality, but now I realize that resistance is harder than I imagined. If I could do things all over again, I might do them a little differently by worrying less about having a picture perfect wedding and more about taking it easy!

The thing is I started out taking it easy and became more stressed as I looked at more magazines and wedding sites. See what I mean about having insecurity thrust upon you? I mean how you would have been fine and happy had someone not told you that a "good" wedding has certain "must have" things. So you go out and buy this "must have" thing after recovering from the initial sticker shock, only to be left with a vague feeling of dissatisfaction. So you think, oh no! Did I not buy enough "must have" things? Is my wedding going to be "cheesy?" and will people judge me to be a bad, tasteless person forever because I didn't get matching napkins for this one day!?!!? Sounds kinda funny, doesn't it? Well it's not funny to the person freaking out at the moment. Maybe the trick is to constantly step back and try to remember the big picture whenever I start worrying. After all, at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you're married!

Fashion magazine goes model-less

All I can say is, "Whoo hoo!" That's one less magazine in the world telling women they're inadequate cause they don't look like a woman that doesn't exist! Be proud of being REAL! Feel beautiful inside and out without dousing yourself with a million chemicals! Be a part of Operation Beautiful!

http://www.thelocal.de/national/20091005-22367.html

Office in the woods

How many times have I dreamed about taking my laptop to a nearby park to work when the weather's nice? Countless times! I know I'm not the only one who longs to work in an environment filled with greenery on nice summer days. So how about working in an office in the woods? Check out this work space!

http://www.planet-mag.com/blog/2009/architecture/ryan-grim/office-in-the-woods/#http://www.planet-mag.com/blog/2009/architecture/ryan-grim/office-in-the-woods/

Chocolate powered race car

I saw this article and... well it's weird and amazing and the techniques used to make it probably isn't sustainable, but hey, what do I know? Lol!

http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217300279

Homemade nonstick cooking spray

My fiance is a fan of Pan nonstick cooking spray. Growing up, the only time my mother used Pan was when she was baking a cake. As for me, I stopped using it years ago, preferring to use oil and flour in my baking pans instead. I've also seen some people use it to spray their griddle when making pancakes. I usually smear a thin coat of oil onto the pan with an oily napkin. Still, I suppose a nonstick spray can be convenient to have around, especially if your fiance likes it! To make your own, you will need liquid lecithin, which isn't something you can find in a regular supermarket. My local health food store has soy lecithin, but it's not something that I would have thought to purchase until I saw this recipe:

http://tipnut.com/homemade-non-stick-spray-recipes/

So considering the fact that I'd have to purchase something soley for this purpose, I'm not inclined to make this. Honestly, I see no need to use non-stick spray, but if ever I'm doing a project that needs it, I'll try to keep this recipe in mind. :-)

Homemade glue

When I think of kids' glue, the memories of my classmates sniffing Elmers and "rexo" sheets pop up. Those were to days, no? Well, now they say sniffing those rexo sheets probably wasn't good for you and now the schools no longer use them. What about Elmer's glue? I still have a bottle lying around somewhere, and yes, I still occasionally use it. It's fun stuff and no one's debunked their claims of being non-toxic yet.

However, what if you've got an artsy-craftsy kid around and you forgot to get a bottle of Elmer's?! What if you just don't have time to run to a far way stationery story to get it? Well then, make your own!

The recipe below uses flour, sugar, water and vinegar:
http://ecochildsplay.com/2009/02/26/homemade-glue-for-kids-crafts/

You can also make rice glue by boiling a cup of rice with 3 to 4 cups of water for about 45 minutes. This is the glue that's traditionally used to make kanzashi flowers (japanese fabric flowers). It's also the stuff used to glue the Great Wall together. Yeah, I mean The Great Wall of China. Talk about standing the test of time! It also means that this is probably a very old way of making glue in asia. I've also seen my dad use it to glue our passport photos onto our application. Apparently, it worked cause we got our passports later. Lol!

When you think about it, both glue recipes use items that create a paste or mix of starch and sugar. Think about how sticky dried foodstuffs are, like spilled soda, and you might think about how soda would make a great glue! In any case, I'm sure both recipes work well as glues. Enjoy!

Castile soap

There are lots of information out there on "green" cleaning products and how to make your own. Sometimes, I get lazy and/or I forget to mix and bottle a batch or buy an ingredient. When that happens, I'll reach for some liquid castile soap. There are lots of brands of castile soap these days, and if you're into making your own soap, it's also a pretty simple recipe to work with. If making your own, make sure you get the cheap olive pomace oil cause the extra virgin stuff takes next to never to reach trace!

Now, before I go further, I want to clarify some things. "Castile soap" can mean different things to different people. Traditionally, castile soap was made with nothing but olive oil. For some people, a soap isn't truly "castile" if it isn't all olive oil. For many companies that market castile soap, "castile" just means a vegan or vegetarian soap. So although olive oil is still a big ingredient for some of these companies, their recipe is usually a mix of vegetable oils. Many of the popular commercial soaps cannot be considered vegan or vegetarian because it contains animal fat, such as lard and/or tallow. Lard is a very popular ingredient for soaps because it creates a very nice, moisturizing, skin conditioning soap. Tallow creates nice, rich, creamy lather and also has good skin conditioning properties. For me, I use vegetarian soaps in my household as a part of my personal practice in harm reduction. Otherwise, my biggest concern with commercial soaps are all the weird ingredients in it.

So what kind of castile soap do I use? I like Dr. Bronner's brand of castile soap, even though the label is weird and crazy and sounds kind of cult-like. If that's an issue, you can try a different brand, but so far, I like Dr Bronner's the best. I like it because it's popular enough that I can find it almost anywhere in the city and because the ingredients list is simple. Granted, it is not a true castile soap because it's not made from olive oil only, but some will argue that true castile soap is not as "rounded" a soap as a mixture of oils. I've read that true castile soap can create suds that feel... slimy. Lol! So for now, my favorite pre-made all-purpose soap and cleaner is Dr. Bronner's liquid soap. I prefer the Baby Mild, unscented kind because I can add my own scents or essential oils if I wanted, but my fiance likes the Peppermint scented one. My only real issue with Dr. Bronner's is the price. It's not cheap, so it can feel like an indulgence when I get it from my local health foods store. However, I did find an online site that sells it for a lot cheaper than I've seen anywhere else.

It's called vitacost.com and I can get a gallon of Dr. Bronner's soap shipped to my place for under 40 bux! Normally, I'd have to buy it at a local health food store and pay 50 to 60 bux and then still have to lug it home. I'm not going to say that buying it at vitacost means Dr. Bronner's will be cheaper than another brand of liquid soap, but it definitely makes it more cost effective for my purposes. I like having it around, but I have other cleaning materials at my disposal. If I were to actually use this stuff for everything, I'd have to buy lots more of it!

Fabric scrap necklace

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mereteveian/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

For someone who hasn't been sewing very long, I sure have a lot of scrap fabric lying around! At first, I was throwing away the smaller scraps and saving the larger scraps for future use, though I have no idea what I'd use them for yet. I thought about making change purses, or quilts or headbands. Then, I found a tutorial for a scrap fabric necklace and thought, "Hey, that's something I might actually wear and it will use up some of my smaller scraps!" Brilliant!

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/06/how-to_tuesdays_fabric_scrap_n.html

Beer Can Solar Heater

I think this is a really cool project, but I'm not sure how well it would work in the winter around here. I think I would be more inclined to make this is if it didn't block light from coming in through a window and if it were more... attractive. The blockage of sunlight is a big concern here since living in an apartment often means that you probably don't get a whole lot of windows with lots of sun to begin with. Still, a passive heater that can lower your heating bills for free can be an attractive thing.

http://www.squidoo.com/beercansolarheater

Body sugaring instead of waxing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsmagic/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

In the last year or so, on and off, I get into these moods where I become enamored of the idea of not having to buy any more razors. I don't particularly like the fact that I have to keep buying more as they dull and I don't like the fact that the ones I like aren't cheap! So far the only alternatives I've heard of are waxing and body sugaring, both of which involve pulling the hairs out. Ouch! On top of that, I've been told that the stuff found in the wax you use to wax yourself is filled with nasty chemicals. Double ouch! As for body sugaring, it's a method you can do at home with some cotton strips and supplies in your pantry, so it involves no weird chemicals. As for the ouch factor? Some reviewers say it hurts the same as waxing and some say it hurts less than waxing. I guess it depends on your pain tolerance and the way you pull it? I dunno, but if you're wondering how to do it, here it is!

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/care2-hair-removal-sugaring.html

Carmelizing veggies

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mckaysavage/ / CC BY 2.0

I love, love carmelized onions! Usually, I'll just cook them in some veggie oil until they turn translucent brown, or when their natural sugars carmelize. I've never carmelized anything green like brussels sprouts though. I think it's because there's just not enough natural sugars in there to do what you can do with onions. In general, I'll usually just stir fry the veggies and enjoy their flavor. Sometimes, I'll add a commercial stir fry sauce made from mushrooms, or I'll add garlic or soy sauce. Today, I learned a new way to cook veggies. Carmelize them with balsamic vinegar! Yum!

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/kids-eat-greens-carmelized.html