New flavors

I've tried some new foods recently.  Thankfully, most of the results have been positive.  I started with questions, such as:  What does almond milk taste like?  Shockingly, it tastes like almonds.  What does sunflower seed butter taste like?  You guessed it, a bunch of sunflower seeds.  Turns out, rice milk doesn't taste like much of anything - which works out pretty well for things like vanilla rice milk fake ice cream (which is actually quite good).  I still don't know what hemp milk tastes like, but evidently it's pretty popular despite being THC free :-).

Sadly, I did discover something that does not taste good.  That, my friends, would be organic gummy worms.  I'm sure I'll finish the bag anyway, out of obligation and the price I paid for them.  But I don't think I'll be buying any more of these...

Above All Else

Above All Else, Guard Your Heart, For It Is The Wellspring of Life.
Proverbs 4:23

I've spent a lot of time in life contemplating this scripture.  I remember that it first struck me all of a sudden while reading the Bible in my dormroom.  Since then, I've heard it countless times.  Most often, I hear it targeted towards young single persons and how you should guard your heart in dating.  Sometimes you hear it in reference to the gift of discernment.  You often hear it used in reference to overcoming hurt and pain. 

This morning, the scripture became brand new to me, yet again - as scripture tends to do.  I realized that when taken totally literally, this scripture is just as true.  Really, no better medical statement could be made.  Death, no matter the cause, comes when the heart stops.  All of our behaviors and actions should be approached in a way that guards our heart, from what we eat and how we exercise to the people we surround ourselves with.  This became more profound for me because I am in the process of changing the foods I eat specifically to guard my heart from danger.  If I approach it from this perspective, I'm not so bummed about giving up or restricting some of the foods I love. 

Perhaps we should frame all of our decisions with the following question:  Does this bring even more life to my heart?   

My Ongoing Love of Mascara...

As I have mentioned before, my favorite makeup indulgence is mascara.  So, I thought I'd give an update on the past 4 I've tried.  (I know - I'm sure you've been waiting your whole lives for this -maybe).

So, I bought this, and I fell in love:

This is Bad gal lash by Benefit.  I really liked it.  Then, I used it all up.  I decided to try to be economical and control myself, so I thought I'd try this:

It was much more affordable, still full and black, and it did quite a nice job.  But, by the 2nd week I noticed it was starting to clump and that it was leaving black flakes under my eyes.  And, if my eyes watered I looked uber goth.  So, I decided to just spend the money and go back to the Bad gal.  But...when I went in Ulta...there was this super sweet guy that was signing people up for free Urban Decay makeovers and he urged me to try their Big Fatty.  He promised that it had the same brush as the Bad gal and that it was super emollient and so it would give me the look and moisturize at the same time.  So, I bought this:

 

This mascara is not bad, but it is no Bad gal.  This made me very sad.  I will say that the hemp oil makes it moisturize your lashes and makes it easy to take off.  Also - never once did it clump. But, it never gave me the eye drama it promised.  So, there I was, frustrated.  Then, I saw a commercial for the new Rimmel Max Volume Flash.  My mom had just gotten a lovely Rimmel lipstick, and I like the idea of buying something British.  Also, it was on sale and still significantly cheaper than the Bad gal. I bought it:

This is my new favorite!  The brush looks strange at first, but it makes your lashes big and dramatic with very little effort!  And, it stays that way through the day, unlike others that look amazing when you put it on and fall flat 5 minutes later.  It doesn't flake (on me anyway) and it doesn't run. 

As of today, here are my top 3 mascaras:  The Rimmel above, Bad gal by Benefit, and Plush Lash by MAC.

The Bad gal pic is from the Benefit website.  The other pictures are by my iPhone - just in case you couldn't tell ;).

Milk comes in handy sometimes

I'm very much a newbie in the world of non-dairy living and never expected to be here.  It means I'm eating way more sugar but less saturated fat.  I'm delighting in twizzlers and gummy bears and snow cones - things that I was only minimally drawn to before.

I'm just starting to explore new recipes.  This weekend, I found out that you can't make jello pudding with rice milk.  I could have learned this from a simple internet search, but where's the fun in that?  Turns out, you need casein to make it set, and that's only found in real milk.  Once I realized the truth, I mixed my liquid pudding with a whole container of Cool Whip, which made it only slighty thicker.  I was determined to use my strawberries and my vanilla wafers and make a pudding - so I went ahead and combined it all anyway.  I couldn't have taken it out anywhere in that pourable state, but it sure did taste good!  Good enough that I simply had to eat it all within 48 hours.  Thankfully, the Bud's Best Vanilla Wafers are strangely impermeable by the Cool Whip/pudding mixture, so they stayed at just the right texture.

For those of you that can have cow's milk, I highly recommend mixing the French Vanilla Jello Instant pudding with this summer's yummy berries.

I got this picture from amazon.com - where evidently you can buy 24 packs of your favorite pudding.  

The Most Beautiful Wedding of All

Last weekend I had the chance to attend the prettiest wedding I've been to thus far - and I've been to a lot! Unfortunately, I missed most of the reception and fellowship with some really wonderful folks in order to be the official ladies room greeter. Here's the pictures I took before manning that post.

These colas came in fun flavors and were personalized with a picture of the couple.

Each guest had a program and a lavender sachet waiting in their seat.  Lavendar is my favorite!

Summer Snow!

I just went to Summer Snow for the very first time ever.  Yes, it took me that long.  No, I have no good excuse.  I went with Strawberry Daquiri and I learned that you really should get the medium because the small is just not enough :-).  I finally get how it's far superior to a snow cone.  I feel like I deserve my official Tuscaloosa native card now.

I didn't have any cash and was out of checks, so I took my change cup and stood in line.  Even though I was standing there in my work clothes, I felt like a Southern kid in the summer.  I haven't felt that way in ages.  The combination of those factors:  extreme heat, kids, spare change, standing in line, and waiting on a treat brought it all back.  I felt like it was 25 years ago and I was walking to Harco drugs with my Mamaw.  All I needed was a sprinkler to run through (or a washtub to sit in since sprinklers are too fancy for country folks).  My recent summers have been spent freezing while I sit at my desk in my overly air-conditioned office.  Maybe some secret Summer Snow breaks can change that.

Eat, Pray, Love?

I had been hesitant to read Eat, Pray, Love.  I figured it was full of squishy ideas that I wouldn't really agree with and be a tad too Oprah-ish (not that I don't still have some love for her).  However, it had been recommended by numerous trustworthy sources, and I figured I'd give in to see the Julia Roberts' movie, so why not go ahead and read it before hand?

I must say, it is a good read.  Very few books have held my attention in these recent post-dissertation years, and this one had me wanting to read on my lunch break.  I finished it a couple of weeks ago, and I'm still not really sure what I think about it, but here are some things I've decided.

First of all, I did instantly relate to Elizabeth Gilbert and the premise of the story.  I may not understand feeling trapped in a marriage, but I understand being a woman in her early 30s whose life doesn't necessarily look the way she thought it would.  I know what it's like to feel beaten up, heartbroken, a little lost, and suspicious of the "American Dream".  I understand the need to stop for a while and take care of one's self and go on an adventure.  And I most definitely understand the freedom and healing that God can bring.

That said, I was right to think she would spout out all types of spiritual thoughts and advice - some wise and some mucky.  By the end, I found myself wanting to re-read the book to tally all of her spiritual statements and then count how many of them agree with one another.  However, I heard a great sermon once on how all truth is God's truth - and she does have some great moments of revelation.  Every now and then there would be something spot on that I wished every Christian would get and live deep down.  Then, there would be some more muck.  Most of all, I wanted to jump into the book and introduce her to the Holy  Spirit because I'm sad that her strict Protestant New-England raising seemed to never teach her about that part of the trinity.  It seems as though he nudges her every now and then and she just doesn't know what it is.  I think that relationship could have brought her a lot of relief earlier on in her life - but we each have our own path and I hope hers takes her there eventually.

One concept in the book that I loved is that of "pretty power".  I've long believed that existed but haven't had a cute little name for it.  I don't necessarily agree with the Balinese Meditation Technique of it - but I agree that smiling (on the inside and the outside!) makes people beautiful because it communicates God's beauty and love to yourself and the world.  I believe there is life and power in this.  And, I want to run around like a little girl sticking my fist in the air and yelling "Pretty Power!"

By the end of the book, I was a little tired of her - the way you tire of a sibling.  You still love them but you kind of want them to shut up before they ruin the good moment.  In that way where you're not sure you'd want to be friends with this person in real life - but you've formed a bond now and you'll always care at least a little.

In the same way - if you've read all of this - you might be tired of me :).  So, to sum it all up - I'm still unsure whether I necessarily "recommend" the book to you - but I'm glad I read it because there was bits of truth in there that I felt were just for me.

Picture from:  http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/eatpraylove.htm

Dear Gulf, I love ya!

I admit it - I've been avoiding the Gulf Oil Crisis.  I think it upsets me too much, so I've been changing the channel or just reading the article headings and not the articles (aside from one about Gov. Bobby Jindal, who I heart a little bit).  I feel like I can't fix it and it's entirely too overwhelming and I don't want to think about what is really going on.  In turn, this makes me feel guilty.  I know that if I were the kid version of myself, or myself in my marine biologist phase, that I would be livid and organizing fundraisers while spending the rest of my time personally saving sea turtles.  Instead, I'm just putting it off because grown-up life seems hard enough at the moment without thinking of the impact this may have on my state's economy, families, and precious nature reserves; let alone our nation's dependence on foreign oil.  (Have I mentioned that I tend to overthink a bit?)

However, today I desperately want to go to the beach - and not just any beach, but the Gulf.  I need a vacation and I need the Gulf's beauty and its laid-back southerness.  So friend, please know that I'm aware that I'm ignoring you right now, and I'm sorry.  But, I love ya and I'll come around eventually.

Picture from: Town of Dauphin Island

   

Since Way Last June...

The Song of the Day is:  "Gonna Get Along Without You Now"

Mm-hum, mm-hum, gonna get along without you now
Mm-hum, my honey, mm-hum, my honey

Gonna get along without you now

You told me I was the neatest thing

You even asked me to wear your ring

Then you ran around with every girl in town

You never cared if it got me down

Mm-hum, mm-hum, gonna get along without you now

Mm-hum, my honey, mm-hum, my honey

Gonna get along without you now

[Instrumental Interlude]

Got along without you before I met you

Gonna get along without you now

Gonna find somebody who's twice as cute

'Cause I didn't like you anyhow

You told everybody that we were friends

But this is where our friendship ends

All of a sudden you changed your tune

You haven't been around since way last June

Mn-hum, mm-hum, gonna get along without you now

Got along without you before I met you

Gonna get along without you now

So long, my honey

Goodbye, my dear

Gonna get along without you now

(Lyrics by M. Kellem.  I learned this song from She&Him, but evidently it's an old song covered by lots of folks)