exploring the moments

Justin and I are coming up on our six-month 'anniversary' of the day we were married.  Our wedding day was long and very busy, like most, and it was filled with precious, instantaneous memories and moments.  My mind has recently been revisiting a few of these moments, and playing them back over and over, like a song on repeat, and I guess I need to figure out why they're so important.

One such moment came very early in the morning on our wedding day.  I woke up, with no alarm clock, around 7.  Like a serene valley surrounded by a shattering dam, my empty, sleepy mind was inundated with the list of things to do.  I mentally sorted through the debris of mundane tasks, and remembered the one thing I'd been saving for last.  The one I was looking forward to.  I had to make my bouquet.

This Isn't A Food Blog...

...But it might as well be, from what's been on my mind lately.  :)  And on my blog reading list, which is mostly home design and food blogs! So fun!

Most of my experiments lately have been with very basic food staples, which I'm rather used to buying at the store, but I can actually very easily make myself. Bread, salad dressing, pitas, yogurt...and today, granola. I know I may not always have the time or energy to do this, but it feels good.

Yesterday, as many of you know, I made granola for the first time.  I looked at a lot of recipes before I set out on my own, so I'm going to tell you what I did, what I didn't do, what I did wrong and what was awesome.  Then you can take what you want from those things and hopefully apply them correctly in your own crunchy endeavors.  (I forgot to take pictures during the process, but I took a few after the fact...)

a miracle face-washing epiphany

Hey ladies! This post is mostly for you. Most of us work hard to keep our faces clean, zit-free, and even-toned, right? Maybe glowing, at least in our dreams? :) Forget about budget-friendly or all-natural, and we're not even thinking about all those icky chemicals in commercial cleansers! I wanted to share something that I've been doing for several months now, and it might sound strange at first, but...

I've been washing my face with olive oil.

Yep, just the stuff from the grocery store. Extra-virgin olive oil has been used for centuries as a cleanser and moisturizer, and there's no lack of information on the internet about its amazing effectiveness. Mixed with a little castor oil to help cleanse, it neither leaves oil on my skin or makes me smell like salad.  It has worked better than any cleansing/moisturizing/toning method I've ever tried in my life. 

for the love of thrifting

It seems like most people have a very specific attitude towards thrift stores. You either love thrift stores or are terrified of them. Either you think they're great, or you can only conceive of them as dimly lit, smelly, homeless-bum dens of holey socks and tattered, coverless books. However, this also means you never visit them. Whatever irrational fear is keeping you away, once you get the hang of it, you'll love thrifting as much as I do.

Did I mention that I love thrift stores? I have for quite a few years now, ever since I was old enough to drive and also old enough to have to buy my own clothes. I have this issue talent for searching for bargains and hidden treasures, and thrift stores are a great place for both of these things. (Photo: our room, most of the things on the wall from thrift stores & garage sales).

When I first started shopping at secondhand stores, I bought mostly wearable, practical things: shoes, clothes, purses, belts, sweaters. I balanced out my addiction to $.75 cardigans with the occasional splurge at Banana Republic, perhaps treating myself to a pair of $50 pants. (It still feels like a splurge, and I'm glad it does.) I needed to convince remind myself that I wasn't obsessed with thrifting, and I had more money for clothes since I'd gotten so many great deals at thrift stores, so...it was the least I could do. A duty. :) My find of the year--no, of the century--was a barely-used pair of Birkenstock sandals, exactly my favorite style and color, and exactly my size, for $6. SIX DOLLARS. They'd have set me back $150 if I'd bought them new. If you aren't sure there's a God, thrifting might just change your mind.