Friday, July 15, 2011
Car Safety
My daughter is so smart, and I'm so proud of what she has caught on to without me telling her. This is a picture of her driving the babies, that she is babysitting, home to their parents... Yes, these babies are rear facing in her car. She told me that all babies rear face in their car seats until they are 4 years old. Baby Boy's car seat is invisible, in case you were wondering. =)
Kayla's New Vase and Flowers
At my Grandma's house recently, Kayla noticed that there was a little mini vase, holding just one or two flowers, was shaped like a tall thin mug with a handle on it. She loved it and asked me for one of her own. I haven't found one that actually looks like a mini mug, and Kayla is still looking for the perfect mini vase, but we did manage to find one that will work for now. Here it is filled with all the flowers Kayla picked on the way to her ballet class.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Homemade "Toothpaste"
Most of you probably know that I buy very few commercial cleaners or beauty products. Toothpaste is one of the newer things that I tried, and I've gone through my entire (one ounce, maybe less?) container that I made before Christmas. It's still working great =) Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share today.
This is so simple, I used about 2 tablespoons of unrefined coconut oil, a teaspoon of baking soda, and added various essential oils. You'll have to try the essential oils out yourself to see how strong you like it. Personally, I add quite a few drops but my husband can't handle his so strong. I used a mix of tea tree, cinnamon, spearmint, peppermint, along with just a couple drops of tangerine. YUM.
Just mix your ingredients with a spoon or fork and let sit.
My short list of ingredients I want to avoid in store bought toothpastes:
Glycerin - debatable, glycerin is supposed to coat your teeth to keep bacteria away, however, I prefer to not use it.
SLS - foaming agent used in many, many personal care and cleaning products. Horrible for your skin and body.
Fluoride- most of you probably know the debate about fluoride, I don't think I need to go into detail about it.
This is so simple, I used about 2 tablespoons of unrefined coconut oil, a teaspoon of baking soda, and added various essential oils. You'll have to try the essential oils out yourself to see how strong you like it. Personally, I add quite a few drops but my husband can't handle his so strong. I used a mix of tea tree, cinnamon, spearmint, peppermint, along with just a couple drops of tangerine. YUM.
Just mix your ingredients with a spoon or fork and let sit.
My short list of ingredients I want to avoid in store bought toothpastes:
Glycerin - debatable, glycerin is supposed to coat your teeth to keep bacteria away, however, I prefer to not use it.
SLS - foaming agent used in many, many personal care and cleaning products. Horrible for your skin and body.
Fluoride- most of you probably know the debate about fluoride, I don't think I need to go into detail about it.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Kayla's Very First Ice Skating Lessons
DSLR and Kelly Moore Bag
I have wanted to get a DSLR ever since I was a teenager buying my very first camera of my own. At the time though, I couldn't quite afford one (I don't think I even had a job yet, at 14 or 15 years old) and I bought my very first Canon P&S digital camera. If I remember correctly, it was about 3MP at and I paid just over $200. I don't remember the model. Since then I have gone through 2 Casio cameras and one Olympus (1080SW which is still being used for snowboarding or the beach). I still use a newer Canon for videos or when I don't want to bring a whole bunch of stuff with me.
Anyway, I got a new camera for Christmas - bought on boxing day. A Canon Rebel XS!!! I am in LOVE and kicking myself not getting one sooner. The package came with a 18-55mm 1:3.5-?? and a 75-300mm 1:4-??. Basic kit lenses. I used the 18-55mm lens for about a week, and haven't used the 75-300mm aside from about 5 shots. They have both been replaced by a 50mm 1.8 which has not been removed from my camera since I bought it.
I am in love with this (basic) camera and have been taking it basically everywhere. My ugly black square box of a camera case actually doubles as a "purse" when I go out and I quickly realized that I would have to look for something better.
I have been searching and searching for a nice looking camera bag. I have only a few requirements like having a cross body strap and room to actually store the camera body when it's not in use. Having a shorter strap for one shoulder would be a bonus and I was ideally looking for something that looked like a purse and would acceptably double as a purse. I found a number of different options, most were half-solutions, a few camera bags actually did look like purses, just not purses that I would normally carry!
Enter the Kelly Moore Bag, I could gush about these forever. Perfect, perfect, perfect! Look for yourself, each of the "purses" or bags pictured below are actually designed to be a camera bag!
I have taken a long hard look at each of these bags, although they are pricey for our situation(hubby has gone back to school full time), I am determined this is the right purse/camera bag for me and I will own one even if I have to wait and have my parents give it to me for my birthday.
I immediately knocked the JuJu and Kelly Boy bags off my list. The JuJu "mother of all bags" is way too big for what I need, and the Kelly Boy is too "messenger bag" for me. This leaves me with the Classic, B-Hobo, and Posey. My original pick for myself was the Classic. I like the extra room it has over the B-Hobo and Posey, I like the design of it and I like how the top closes with snaps. I eventually decided against the classic, mostly because it's not the style of purse I would buy for a cross body strap, it just seems to be square and "stick out". I knew right away that the Posey was not my bag, however I LOVE how the zipper on the front contains pockets for all your credit cards! I would love to be able to get rid of my wallet and store it all directly in my purse.
This leaves the B-Hobo bag, this IS the bag I am getting. Personally, I think this one looks much nicer as a cross body purse. At first I didn't like the flap and thought it would bother me, but I've thought about it more and I think I can live with it :). I like that I can probably manage to stack two shorter lenses near the sides if storage does become an issue in the future. If I had more gear and switched lenses often/had to switch lenses quickly I would have a harder decision, but since I'm just a casual photographer who likes to have her camera within quick reach on a daily basis I feel quite confident in my decision. Although, I feel like I my brain was completely focused on Classic v B-Hobo for the last week!
Now I only have to decide on the colour... Oh dear. I like the blue, green, and yellow (after seeing it here) - oh, I like the red too. I like the blue because I love the colour but it's also more neutral and not a colour that I'm worried I would get bored of. I don't think I would likely get the red one, as much as I like it I'm not a red person. Green and yellow are both currently out of stock...
Does anyone own a Kelly Moore bag? What do you think of it? Any colour recommendations?? Did you find the colour was true to what you saw on your screen?
*I wanted to clarify that I do like the look of the flap on the B-Hobo bag, I just wasn't sure if I would feel like it got in my way when trying to open the purse.
*Also, the blue colour I referred to is the muted teal, not the normal teal.
Anyway, I got a new camera for Christmas - bought on boxing day. A Canon Rebel XS!!! I am in LOVE and kicking myself not getting one sooner. The package came with a 18-55mm 1:3.5-?? and a 75-300mm 1:4-??. Basic kit lenses. I used the 18-55mm lens for about a week, and haven't used the 75-300mm aside from about 5 shots. They have both been replaced by a 50mm 1.8 which has not been removed from my camera since I bought it.
I am in love with this (basic) camera and have been taking it basically everywhere. My ugly black square box of a camera case actually doubles as a "purse" when I go out and I quickly realized that I would have to look for something better.
I have been searching and searching for a nice looking camera bag. I have only a few requirements like having a cross body strap and room to actually store the camera body when it's not in use. Having a shorter strap for one shoulder would be a bonus and I was ideally looking for something that looked like a purse and would acceptably double as a purse. I found a number of different options, most were half-solutions, a few camera bags actually did look like purses, just not purses that I would normally carry!
Enter the Kelly Moore Bag, I could gush about these forever. Perfect, perfect, perfect! Look for yourself, each of the "purses" or bags pictured below are actually designed to be a camera bag!
I have taken a long hard look at each of these bags, although they are pricey for our situation(hubby has gone back to school full time), I am determined this is the right purse/camera bag for me and I will own one even if I have to wait and have my parents give it to me for my birthday.
I immediately knocked the JuJu and Kelly Boy bags off my list. The JuJu "mother of all bags" is way too big for what I need, and the Kelly Boy is too "messenger bag" for me. This leaves me with the Classic, B-Hobo, and Posey. My original pick for myself was the Classic. I like the extra room it has over the B-Hobo and Posey, I like the design of it and I like how the top closes with snaps. I eventually decided against the classic, mostly because it's not the style of purse I would buy for a cross body strap, it just seems to be square and "stick out". I knew right away that the Posey was not my bag, however I LOVE how the zipper on the front contains pockets for all your credit cards! I would love to be able to get rid of my wallet and store it all directly in my purse.
This leaves the B-Hobo bag, this IS the bag I am getting. Personally, I think this one looks much nicer as a cross body purse. At first I didn't like the flap and thought it would bother me, but I've thought about it more and I think I can live with it :). I like that I can probably manage to stack two shorter lenses near the sides if storage does become an issue in the future. If I had more gear and switched lenses often/had to switch lenses quickly I would have a harder decision, but since I'm just a casual photographer who likes to have her camera within quick reach on a daily basis I feel quite confident in my decision. Although, I feel like I my brain was completely focused on Classic v B-Hobo for the last week!
Now I only have to decide on the colour... Oh dear. I like the blue, green, and yellow (after seeing it here) - oh, I like the red too. I like the blue because I love the colour but it's also more neutral and not a colour that I'm worried I would get bored of. I don't think I would likely get the red one, as much as I like it I'm not a red person. Green and yellow are both currently out of stock...
Does anyone own a Kelly Moore bag? What do you think of it? Any colour recommendations?? Did you find the colour was true to what you saw on your screen?
*I wanted to clarify that I do like the look of the flap on the B-Hobo bag, I just wasn't sure if I would feel like it got in my way when trying to open the purse.
*Also, the blue colour I referred to is the muted teal, not the normal teal.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Natural Shampoo
I just noticed a post I made last year regarding shampoo and I thought I should add a little update. I had been looking for the right shampoo for a while. Apparently that was before I started buying the Kiss My Face brand, that is like the only real shampoo and conditioner I buy, however, I haven't used shampoo since the summer. I also stopped using my blow dryer or hair straightener.
Since late spring I have been using a combination of baking soda, vinegar, and (Kiss My Face) conditioner. I don't know if I will continue using vinegar or not. I have stopped using it each time I wash my hair and I'm going to try using it only once every couple weeks.
Typically most people wash with baking soda, rinse, then "condition" with a vinegar (or lemon juice) rinse.
Currently I wet my hair, put just a little conditioner on the ends, then "pull" the baking soda down from my part using my fingers like combs, stopping before I get to the ends. I use less than one ounce of baking soda in 4 ounces of water (and I used a similar vinegar to water ratio as well). I use my fingers to comb my hair a bit more but once I turn the water of I don't touch my hair at all!
I still have bad hair days but honestly, my hair has never felt better! Cost wise, I am still working on the $2.00 box of baking soda that I bought many months ago and once I run out of conditioner (I expect it will take me some time still) I'll experiment with the many butters and oils I have instead of buying more.
When I have time to pay attention to my hair, I'm going to try out some Nature Clean shampoo that my aunt gave me, and castile soap as well.
Since late spring I have been using a combination of baking soda, vinegar, and (Kiss My Face) conditioner. I don't know if I will continue using vinegar or not. I have stopped using it each time I wash my hair and I'm going to try using it only once every couple weeks.
Typically most people wash with baking soda, rinse, then "condition" with a vinegar (or lemon juice) rinse.
Currently I wet my hair, put just a little conditioner on the ends, then "pull" the baking soda down from my part using my fingers like combs, stopping before I get to the ends. I use less than one ounce of baking soda in 4 ounces of water (and I used a similar vinegar to water ratio as well). I use my fingers to comb my hair a bit more but once I turn the water of I don't touch my hair at all!
I still have bad hair days but honestly, my hair has never felt better! Cost wise, I am still working on the $2.00 box of baking soda that I bought many months ago and once I run out of conditioner (I expect it will take me some time still) I'll experiment with the many butters and oils I have instead of buying more.
When I have time to pay attention to my hair, I'm going to try out some Nature Clean shampoo that my aunt gave me, and castile soap as well.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Life since May 2010
Well, it's been quite some time since I last updated my blog. So many things have happened since May 2010!
The first, and most notable, was a flood in our condo July 3rd (?). It was a huge mess, we were finally moved back home at the end of September, and we are STILL waiting on certain things to be fixed. I took advantage and was able to do a fair bit of sewing after moving my machine over to our temporary house (my parents dining room). I sewed a number of face cloths or cloth wipes, along with a couple baby blankets and a few t-shirts/dresses for Kayla. My classes started in September and I have not had time to REALLY get on my sewing machine since then. My cousin gave me an adorable pin cushion for Christmas, so I'm now itching to clear off my desk and at least finish up on a couple unfinished projects.
Upon moving back home I was also able to get my kitchen scale out which helped me immensely with the lip balm I had tried to make in the summer. Early in the fall I made quite a few lotions, lip balms, make up items, etc. which I'm now starting to run out of. I placed a number of orders with the supply store I use in December, however, I honestly cannot think of what I made recently aside from crayons or deodorant... I'm sure I made a few other things but my brain doesn't seem to be working.
On December 20, I had my eyes "fixed" with PRK. Over all I've had a great experience. I had some pain on the 1st day after that didn't seem to go away with either the T3 or pain drops I was given and it turns out that my eyes healed faster than expected and the contacts (they are no prescription contacts that basically act as a band-aid) had to be changed. My vision is still "sharpening up" but I can now read without having to squint and that makes me happy.
Kayla has been learning to ice skate and really enjoys everything except having her helmet put on. She is 3 now and is such a wonderful little girl. She loves to talk and tells me many stories, some made up and some real. She's now into the Disney princesses and knows all of their names from the two books she got for her birthday. Carly and Stefan bought Kayla (and Paul and I) tickets for Disney on Ice, we had SO much fun!
I promise to post again in the next couple days!
The first, and most notable, was a flood in our condo July 3rd (?). It was a huge mess, we were finally moved back home at the end of September, and we are STILL waiting on certain things to be fixed. I took advantage and was able to do a fair bit of sewing after moving my machine over to our temporary house (my parents dining room). I sewed a number of face cloths or cloth wipes, along with a couple baby blankets and a few t-shirts/dresses for Kayla. My classes started in September and I have not had time to REALLY get on my sewing machine since then. My cousin gave me an adorable pin cushion for Christmas, so I'm now itching to clear off my desk and at least finish up on a couple unfinished projects.
Upon moving back home I was also able to get my kitchen scale out which helped me immensely with the lip balm I had tried to make in the summer. Early in the fall I made quite a few lotions, lip balms, make up items, etc. which I'm now starting to run out of. I placed a number of orders with the supply store I use in December, however, I honestly cannot think of what I made recently aside from crayons or deodorant... I'm sure I made a few other things but my brain doesn't seem to be working.
On December 20, I had my eyes "fixed" with PRK. Over all I've had a great experience. I had some pain on the 1st day after that didn't seem to go away with either the T3 or pain drops I was given and it turns out that my eyes healed faster than expected and the contacts (they are no prescription contacts that basically act as a band-aid) had to be changed. My vision is still "sharpening up" but I can now read without having to squint and that makes me happy.
Kayla has been learning to ice skate and really enjoys everything except having her helmet put on. She is 3 now and is such a wonderful little girl. She loves to talk and tells me many stories, some made up and some real. She's now into the Disney princesses and knows all of their names from the two books she got for her birthday. Carly and Stefan bought Kayla (and Paul and I) tickets for Disney on Ice, we had SO much fun!
I promise to post again in the next couple days!
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