Challenge

Challenge to all of you bloggers and blog readers, I am running out of face wash so I am going to hunt out
an all-natural face wash for acne-prone, combination skin.
I would love any and all suggestions. Leslie, are the essential oils working out for you? Let me know because I may be starting off with that idea.

Leslie's Wedding and the Dalia Lama

This weekend, Andrew and I went to Tucson, Arizona for his sister's wedding. The wedding was gorgeous (especially the bride!), the desert was gorgeous, the weather was gorgeous, and the food was delish. I want to wish Leslie and Charles a very happy marriage. I have never been out west and really enjoyed exploring the terrain, even if it was only for a very short period of time. I hope to explore around there some day.

But while I'm here, other exciting news... today I went to a very intimate talk with the Dalia Lama. It was awesome. He really challenged the audience to work towards peace and harmony (both of which I happen to be a big fan of) and slow down in order to reach our inner peace. One of my favorite quotes from the day (in reference to achieving harmony) the Dalia Lama said, "For harmony, trust is essential. The basis of trust is love and compassion." Good one Dalia Lama! I think it's a pretty applicable quote to life no matter what religious or non-religious background you might come from. He really reminded of Yoda off of Star Wars. He was pretty darn cute and had a great sense of humor. Check him out with the Memphis Mayor here. Pretty hilarious! The chat made for a great day worth the books.

Bouquet Inspiration

It's not the best picture... it looks a little overexposed after the upload, but....

Does anyone else dig these flowers? Cause I do!

"A Simpler Way of Life"

Introducing my new reflection group on Mondays from 7-8 in the Conservatory.

This reflection group called "A Simpler Way of Life" will focus on sustainability and environmental issues in a fun, hands-on sort of way. We will be making our own homemade, all-natural goodies (think shampoo, deodorant, all-purpose cleaner, food, and more) while learning about issues surrounding our environment and reflecting on ways we can help, even while in college. We will also host guest speakers throughout the six-week class (hopefully including my cousin who is an awesome RAW and vegan chef). Time change is available if lots of people need to change it up so just let me know if you are interested, but can't make this time slot.

For those of you that can't attend the class since you aren't on campus, I will be posting updates. I have been gathering ideas including some from this awesome blogger Progressive Pioneer who gave me some personal advice (awesome!) as well as some great ideas off of her blog. Her blog is filled with all kinds of great projects supporting sustainability in many ways. Check it out for some inspiration and be checking back here for some updates about my class!

PS- I would still love suggestions, ideas, and inspiration for my class!! I'm all ears and so willing to learn.

Also, I wanted to give some updates on my personal all-natural adventures. I love the detergent. I add a 1/2 cup extra of borax to the 2 tablespoons that it takes to wash one load. This leaves the whites super white and everything completely odorless and clean. I have been pleasantly pleased with the fluffiness of my laundry and its cleanliness.

My No 'Poo is also fabulous though I have had to do some experimenting. I have thickened the baking soda wash just a bit. I put about 2 parts baking soda to 3 parts water. I have found that I am gradually lessening the amount of baking soda as my hair gets more used to the wash and the weather cools down (ie- i'm less sweaty). I also only apply the vinegar mixture to the ends of my hair because it acts as a conditioner and was too much for my roots. But now that I have worked this all out for my hair (yours will be different no doubt), it is wonderful and the experimenting wasn't bad at all.

Right now I am experimenting with some homemade deodorant because my Tom's failed me. Before I post results, I want to get the perfect recipe, but it's only made out of baking soda and corn starch. Nice!

Hello Bike

Photography class is awesome! Drawing I think is even better. It is so relaxing. We spent the past two class periods (total= 5 hours) listening to music and drawing what we heard. Tonight I worked on the homework way longer than he suggested, but I just couldn't tear myself away- maybe because my other to-do's included writing a paper (ouch!). I mentioned photography first however, because I can download part of my first project here. The project required us to take 30 images of an inanimate object. Thus, here you have my bike.


In other news, I am going to be teaching a "Service Reflection" class on sustainabillity, the environment, and basic simple living. The basis is to teach people here on campus about some of the homemade goodies that you can see here on my blog. I need to be posting some updates on how those are working out, but will need more time. For right, just know I LOVE them ALL. And I'm also working on some more for this class. I do, however, need all of your help. I need to come up with a catchy name for the class and I need any and all ideas you have on what to teach (Aunt Kathy and Jessica... I'm talking to you :)). I do have a budget... not much of one... but I do have one. Thanks for your thoughts and hope you are having a great week!

Apple Crisp

I baked this deliciousness when I was visiting Andrew a while back. I have been trying out some recipes on allrecipes.com. It's a great site for simple (and complicated) recipes for just about anything. It inspires me to experiment and try new things. It is also a great source for finding ways to use up an about-to-go-bad bag of apples in the fridge or whatever it may be that has a soon to arrive expiration date in your fridge.

Vintage Vases

So you know how I am digging the thrifted vases look for centerpieces at our reception? Lots of sizes, shapes, patterns, colors, etc.... Here is a photo of my collection thus far. I am quite proud, especially when I put them out on the kitchen table and start arranging them into little groups. They seem to come together really nicely. I think they will add some texture and uniqueness to the tables.