This was just sent around by all my friends, and I think it is an amazing story. Nice to remember, as the article says, that "there’s always another way, that the world could be infinitely better than it was."
WWII Figher Pilot Story
Monday, December 10, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
Comparison
Point of comparison, these photos are of my all-natural hair color. No dyes, no highlights. Sorry they are modeling photos, and not just relaxed photos, but they are the best shots of my natural hair color. The blue shirt has no color alteration, so it is the closest to my real color.
Henna and Henna
I know I haven't posted in a long time, but I had a friend who wanted to see my henna. The first is of course my hair with henna. This was the first time I dyed my hair with henna, sometime in February 2012, but it looks about the same each time. Well, actually, the color is a lot more vibrant now that I put henna on top of henna, but still about the same. It takes henna a couple of days to settle in the hair, and then it calms down, color wise. This is my hair right after dyeing it, but it settles to a nice auburn color on me.
***Bonuses to henna - all natural, conditions the hair instead of stripping it, and while most people hate the smell, I think it smells like warm green tea. It also permanently dyes the hair folicles, unlike chemical dyes that strip and replace pigment within the hair, which means it doesn't fade the same way that chemical dyes do. It fade naturally, like your own hair would with sun exposure and time.
This second photo was my first attempt at henna on myself. I doodled this on my thigh. Not the best, but I'm working on getting better at henna on skin. I need to refine my lines, and I think I know how now. This was a few months ago.
Please excuse the horrible image qualities. I have a tiny little point and click and there wasn't any good lighting on both of these days.
***Bonuses to henna - all natural, conditions the hair instead of stripping it, and while most people hate the smell, I think it smells like warm green tea. It also permanently dyes the hair folicles, unlike chemical dyes that strip and replace pigment within the hair, which means it doesn't fade the same way that chemical dyes do. It fade naturally, like your own hair would with sun exposure and time.
This second photo was my first attempt at henna on myself. I doodled this on my thigh. Not the best, but I'm working on getting better at henna on skin. I need to refine my lines, and I think I know how now. This was a few months ago.
Please excuse the horrible image qualities. I have a tiny little point and click and there wasn't any good lighting on both of these days.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Dalai Lama
This is one of my favorite quotes...
Someone once asked the Dalai Lama what surprises him most. This was his response:
Man, because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived.
Life Story
When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions –
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else --The small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled
'I'm glad you asked'.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
There’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.
A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions –
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else --The small stuff.
'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.
If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.
So...
Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.
There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.
'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.
The professor smiled
'I'm glad you asked'.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
There’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'
Professions
I think I missed my called as an herb gatherer/healer...too bad the profession doesn't really exist in the mainstream anymore.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Step II: Health
Tonight, I do something I hate...I join a gym. I hate gyms, I hate them so much, and I am so bad about going to them, but I need to get in shape. I also think they are overpriced, and annoying. I could do a lot of other things with that money, but you know what, I also want to live a long and healthy life as much as possible.
Blarg, stupid gyms. At least they have a month-to-month plan so I can stop if I hate it.
Edit: Maybe I will try DVDs again, or P90X at the behest of my sister-in-law, who I trust on such matters.
Blarg, stupid gyms. At least they have a month-to-month plan so I can stop if I hate it.
Edit: Maybe I will try DVDs again, or P90X at the behest of my sister-in-law, who I trust on such matters.
Henna
I have wanted to dye my hair red for some time, but I hate commercial dyes, and think salons are too expensive, which they are. Being an eco-minded person, I started to research henna as a means of dyeing my hair, and let me tell you, I love it.
This weekend my husband applied henna to my hair, and it has come out this amazing red color. It isn't too bright, and it isn't too dark, and I didn't kill any little animals in the process. In sunlight the henna is a very vibrant red, and in indoor light it looks like my natural color with red highlighting. Here are some pictures:
This weekend my husband applied henna to my hair, and it has come out this amazing red color. It isn't too bright, and it isn't too dark, and I didn't kill any little animals in the process. In sunlight the henna is a very vibrant red, and in indoor light it looks like my natural color with red highlighting. Here are some pictures:
Friday, February 3, 2012
Home, Sweet 351-square feet
I have always wanted to live in an efficient, environmentally friendly home. In recent years, this has started equating to small, homey, and efficient uses of space. I have been further inspired by this couple, who had a large home and after a fire decided to modify and live in 351-square feet.
Here is the article on that story.
Here is the article on that story.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Dresses
I am officially becoming a dress person. My mother is finally getting what she wanted all those years ago...I'm wearing dresses. Mind you, my mother was sweet and never pushed the issue, and she let me be a tomboy all I wanted, but she would have liked it a lot if I had enjoyed dresses, makeup, and shoes.
My favorite pieces of clothing are about 6 dresses: 2 retro wiggle dresses, 2 modern retro-ish dresses, a sweater dress, and another retro mod-dress. Now I am looking at 2-3 more that I really like:
I definitely want to try and sew these...now to get motivated to sew. I am always so motivated to do things when I am at work, and I get all excited, and then I go home, and my brain turns to mush, and I never seem to get anything done.
My favorite pieces of clothing are about 6 dresses: 2 retro wiggle dresses, 2 modern retro-ish dresses, a sweater dress, and another retro mod-dress. Now I am looking at 2-3 more that I really like:
I definitely want to try and sew these...now to get motivated to sew. I am always so motivated to do things when I am at work, and I get all excited, and then I go home, and my brain turns to mush, and I never seem to get anything done.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Step I: Health
With great health comes great happiness, and supposedly longer life. In any case, I have started to consider my own health. I am very lucky in that I have been about the same weight my whole life. It is both a blessing and a curse that it is very hard for me to either lose or gain weight, and extremely lucky that my weight, size, and shape are all of healthy proportions.
I think it is great that I look fine, but am I healthy? The answer: I am healthier than most, but not as healthy as I should be. I walk about 3 miles to and from work each day, but I have an extremely sedentary job. Also, I am prone to being a couch potato at night either with books, movies, or video games. I'm slightly health conscious, but I eat out, I eat a lot of junk, and generally I never really consider what I am eating. I seek out all organic, grass-fed, etc. etc. food, but I never notice the calories, sugar, or fats involved in that food.
What spurred this? A New Year's resolution? Hell no, I never make those, because I know my own will power and limits, and I would never be able to live up to a resolution. Instead, I am spurred on by the fact that my young parents are ailing in their late-50s. I am not referring to the general progress of aging, taking Lipitor, or having joint problems. Diabetes, severe arthritis, excessive pain, sickness, and poor health, not to mention highly misinformed decisions leading to weight gain, inactivity, and complete lack of mobility or ability to do anything physical is what I am referring to. I don't want to be that way when I am 57. I want to ride my horses, take care of my farm, and be able to chase down my college age niece with surprising grace. Some part of health is genetics, and accidents, and so maybe I won't be able to be in the condition I want at 57, but it will damn well not be for lack of trying.
The first order of business is that John and I have decided not to ever eat out again unless it is for a special occasion, or friends and family want to, but not the two of us alone. Second order of business is more exercise, because walking and riding horses is not enough. To this end I am trying to do yoga at home, and find other possible exercises that are easy to do outside of a gym, because I am horrible at attending gyms and classes. Third, I have started to write down everything I eat so that I can count the calories, and be more aware of what I am actually eating in a day. I definitely eat too much sugar, or items with high sugar content...honey is a huge problem for me, and carbs and breads are a major issue. I need more vegetables, which I have known for some time, and I need to make sure to eat food that are good for my cholesterol since my family is prone to heart diseases. Any suggestions on your favorite foods?
Wish me luck, because I have never been very good at this...again, better than most, but a far cry from what I should be doing.
I think it is great that I look fine, but am I healthy? The answer: I am healthier than most, but not as healthy as I should be. I walk about 3 miles to and from work each day, but I have an extremely sedentary job. Also, I am prone to being a couch potato at night either with books, movies, or video games. I'm slightly health conscious, but I eat out, I eat a lot of junk, and generally I never really consider what I am eating. I seek out all organic, grass-fed, etc. etc. food, but I never notice the calories, sugar, or fats involved in that food.
What spurred this? A New Year's resolution? Hell no, I never make those, because I know my own will power and limits, and I would never be able to live up to a resolution. Instead, I am spurred on by the fact that my young parents are ailing in their late-50s. I am not referring to the general progress of aging, taking Lipitor, or having joint problems. Diabetes, severe arthritis, excessive pain, sickness, and poor health, not to mention highly misinformed decisions leading to weight gain, inactivity, and complete lack of mobility or ability to do anything physical is what I am referring to. I don't want to be that way when I am 57. I want to ride my horses, take care of my farm, and be able to chase down my college age niece with surprising grace. Some part of health is genetics, and accidents, and so maybe I won't be able to be in the condition I want at 57, but it will damn well not be for lack of trying.
The first order of business is that John and I have decided not to ever eat out again unless it is for a special occasion, or friends and family want to, but not the two of us alone. Second order of business is more exercise, because walking and riding horses is not enough. To this end I am trying to do yoga at home, and find other possible exercises that are easy to do outside of a gym, because I am horrible at attending gyms and classes. Third, I have started to write down everything I eat so that I can count the calories, and be more aware of what I am actually eating in a day. I definitely eat too much sugar, or items with high sugar content...honey is a huge problem for me, and carbs and breads are a major issue. I need more vegetables, which I have known for some time, and I need to make sure to eat food that are good for my cholesterol since my family is prone to heart diseases. Any suggestions on your favorite foods?
Wish me luck, because I have never been very good at this...again, better than most, but a far cry from what I should be doing.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Random Truths #4
I love the way hair looks underwater or in the bath tub, like seaweed or something so beautifully organic and alive (yes, I know hair is organic and alive, but you get the point).
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Mountain Rose Giveaway
So, my favorite herb company is having a giveaway this week. If you are interested, or if you ever wanted to get started with making your own laundry soup, cleaning chemicals, etc. I'd say enter and try to win, as the items would make an amazing start-up kit. The link to the giveaway is below, and a general link to their website is on my sidebar of links, as per usual.
http://mountainroseblog.com/recipes-2011-giveaway-3/
http://mountainroseblog.com/recipes-2011-giveaway-3/
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