Thanksgiving leftovers

Yes I still have leftovers from the turkey day, from our Saturday feast. There are many good recipes out there for casseroles and stews but I am not in the mood for such things.
So today for lunch it's homemade gnocchi out of some of the mashed potatoes (I have a gallon freezer bag full, this only used half of it)



2 cups mashed potatoes
1 beaten egg
1 cup or more flour (I had to add more than a cup because my potatoes were very moist)
1/2 teaspoon salt
I mixed everything in the kitchenaid with a dough hook. Then on a floured surface I divided into four balls, and each ball was pinched and pulled into about a two inch thick row (nothing too neat). Take a fork and cut the row into half inch pillows. Toss into boiling water and remove after they float.

Now I know the right way to make them, and I can tell you from experience they do not taste any different, sorry food purists. I have also frequently bought the packaged variety, and they are good too, and when you just have to have them they are great. Homemade can be so tender and just like little clouds of deliciousness, and only took about fifteen minutes to make.



The sauce is just a jar variety with some diced leftover ham, yeah I'm not interested in authentic just taste.

Enjoy,
Head Bather

Earth Body Bar is here!

Finally after a long week I have got something to show for my work, just in time to be thankful.

These body bar soaps are made with hemp seed oil, dead sea mud and the lovely scent of Nag Champa. Hemp seed oil is a great skin moisturizer with a light green tint, and dead sea mud is thought to have many healthful properties and adds a wonderful silky lather that is great for shaving.
All soon to be available on my zibbet and etsy stores.
Now to get ready for the holidays!
Head Bather

Little bits of beauty

One of my favorite brands is Bare Escentuals and around the holidays they have great product that are perfect for travel or the gym bag. Last year I scored these cool eye shadows that are pressed on a card in coordinating pairs, no thicker than a credit card.

There were also small sizes of their plumping lip gloss.
The only bummer is that some things never come back into rotation. This year no eyeshadow cards, there are some cute shadow compacts this year, but still too bulky for my gym bag. They also have small eye liners that look great.

 Hope your holidays are plump and bright!
Head Bather

P.S. I talk about their products because I like them, I was in no way paid by bare escentuals.

Trains

Just a little of what I did today.












Hope you had a glorious day!
Head Bather

Spices

I have always been attracted all things Indian. I think it started when my mother began cooking Indian food, all the spices were very interesting to me. Guess it goes with my herbalist tenancies, all the interesting seed pods, and ground herbs that tickle the senses. I even got my very own spice cabinet when I moved out, full of all the things I would need to make yummy curries, chutney, and korma.

 I still love the smell of spices and recently took a trip to a spice store here in LA and oh my goodness I was in heaven. I would have loved to have one of everything, but went home with a select few to add or replace to my spice cabinet. I even bookmarked their catalog when there was a spice or blend that seemed perfect to me for addition to RitualBath.

Spices have also helped me save a little on our grocery bill this week. Add some paprika, sage, oregano, cumin, peppers to a few cans of tomatoes, beans, and lentils and you have a veggie chili that won't have you missing the meat. I am also planing on having egg salad sandwiches (our local super market had the 18 count for .99cents!) and changing the flavor with different spices sprinkled on top.

NomNom,
Head Bather

What happens when an old tee shirt meets a crafty lady?

Lots of new cloths for a toddler that's what! I spent most of yesterday sewing away, trying to make my scrap stash dissipate. There were tee shirts the hubby had spilled too much on or jeans that I could no longer mend or tank tops that just didn't do it for me anymore.

I knew I wanted to make lounge/jammie pants out of most of the tees for the kiddo, but there was an old calico skirt and some tanks that were the real conundrum. What to do with a tank when the kiddo is almost in 5t, there wasn't much fabric. Ruffle cuffed bloomers to the rescue!

 The pants turned out great and the kiddo now has more play cloths to run around in. I made a car blanket out of the old jeans, it's not pretty so it will not be photographed but it's exactly what I needed.

Oh and I just had to share, ever since teaching the kiddo to dress herself she knows what the front or back of an article of clothing is by it's "bum tag" so she doesn't go walking around backwards looking. I sewed an inch of pink bias tape on the back of each pair just so she knows what's what.

Love y'all,
Head Bather

Bloomers

Did you know I have a little girl? Well I do and she loves skirts and dresses, no problem there, but she also love to run around and do things that make gravity flip said skirts and dresses. Now at home this is no problem, she could run around in underwear at home I don't care. In public there is a different code and under ware should stay under what you're wearing.

So the girl is getting bloomers and not just any bloomers but ruffled cuff bloomers.

She loved these floral ones from Romeo and Mae on Etsy.
So not what I would have chosen, the floral I mean. Oh mom loves bloomers too, just more toned down, layers of earth tones that's me. Though I will say the colors do have me dreaming of spring and that's not right it's barely winter. Oh well I have some lovely fabric that I will make into a winter coat so that will bring me round as I watch my girl flip and twirl in her ruffle bloomers.

Head Bather

Rethread

I have been severely lax about blogging, it's true. I don't find much inspiration around my computer these days, until I launch my reader. Inside there are such wonders that make me remember that I am a creative soul and am happiest doing.

So today I will just give you a link to a project that I will be doing for my holiday decorations, or a least using it as a starting point. I may just have to use what I have on hand, since that's how I roll.

Check out the tutorial from Paper Crave.


But I will not be doing that today, oh no, today is sewing! I have saved old tees, jeans and other odds and ends to make the kiddo lounge pants, or picnic blankets or yoga bags. What ever it is I am sewing today, the craft room that is a jumble and hardly inspirational will be infused with my spirit. And I will not get out of my jammies. That is all.

Head Bather

Happy Halloween

Guess what the hubby and I are dressed as for Halloween? After making the kiddo an avatar that was all I had the energy for.



Have a safe and fun weekend!

Head Bather

Ayurveda

One of the healing methods I have been interested in for a long time is Ayurveda, It's a system of health through balance of the three humors or doshas. If there is imbalance in your doshas then illness or disease could follow, and imbalances can come from stress, environment, and diet to name a few.
Each of the three doshas is a combination of the five elements: Space/Spirit, Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. You can be dominant in one dosha more than another or a balance between two. They are Vatha, Pitta, and Kapha, and each one has a body type that you can use to physically see what dosha you may be.

• Vatha: Air and Spirit, is a slender frame, with dry, rough and possibly dark skin, with brown or black hair color (natural of course) small thin lips and dark eyes.
• Pitta: Fire with some Water, is of a medium height with fair to reddish completion and hair, green to grayish eye color and an average size mouth.
• Kapha: Mostly water with some Earth, is a larger frame, tends to be over weight, thick and pale oily skin, and strong white teeth behind a large mouth.

Your dosha or doshas can be out of balance just due to living your life and can be brought back in balance with yoga, breathing exercises, diet, (my favorite) massage, and ayurvedic medicine. You can also work on your chakra's to restore balance, I have found that guided meditations on CD to be very helpful to lead me through the process. There are even some free pod casts to download, though it had taken some hunting to find one that works for me.

I use this knowledge of my dosha to help me understand what types of food to eat (though I still have a hard time letting go of my breads) and what kind of skin care to use on my body. I have always known I felt better after a good yoga series and continue to use it to release tension and bring me back to center. Next time lets talk about what types of skin care your dosha craves, till then remember to breathe and drink your water.

Head Bather

Comic relief Thursday

I needed a little comic relief today. Just one of those days, where everything gets on your nerves and you just need to laugh. So here is what made me laugh and bring back my smile.

Love, Laughter, and Light
Head Bather

10% off sale at RitualBath on Etsy!

RitualBath on Etsy with the sale prices or on Etsyonsale.com

Weekly Wrap up

This past week has been a whirl wind of fun! We spent the first half of it in the Washington DC area for a wedding, and reunion with some college friends. Our daughter cut a rug at the reception in a last minute fabulous find dress, and my hubby took one for the team bruising his chest during the chair dance.

Some tips to share for traveling with toddlers: 

1. Find an airline with a tv for each seat.
2. The CARES harness system is FAA approved and so much easier than the car seat ( if you have to take the car seat, check it doesn't cost anything if you travel with a kid).
3. Stroller them if you can check it at the boarding gate.
4. Bring food but don't freak if a strict security checker makes you throw away the juice boxes (LAX let em through, IAD wouldn't makes me wonder if they would have let me keep the capri salad that I made for the trip out, it was so yummy). 

While traveling our schedule goes out the window, but we communicate with our kiddo at every step of the way. Before the trip we tell her what we might do or see, then during we take breaks, snack and talk about our adventures. While there she had her first experience riding a subway and learned how to behave, we taught her how to ride the escalator (staying on the right so others could pass on the left), how to ride standing without falling down, and what was an appropriate talking volume. Amazing what kids will enjoy, the huge dinosaurs in the Museum of Natural History not so much. It was the first trip where I was not itching to get home, I was glad to be back but I had so much fun hanging out with old friends and their families that I had begun to forget we are all scattered around the US.

Now back home, and the daily routines, clean house, laundry and the like are done for the week. I have uploaded and edited most of my new Zibbet store. I haven't upgraded to a premium account yet, that would give me the features I wanted that Etsy was lacking, like coupons and store discounts. I have purchased a book about the craft business and hope to finish it this weekend. This evening I am hosting a craft night with some lovely mama's and look forward to all the crafty fun that will bring. I have thoughts about making it a regular thing but with a theme, topic or project, who knows. Off to make homemade ricotta (thanks Mom) and get the house ready for guests.

What are you planning with the rest of your weekend?
Head Bather

I wish my space was this awesome!

My creative space
Originally uploaded by *jenny b allsorts

This is from Jenny B Allsorts on flickr.
Doesn't looking at it just make you want to create!

Back to designing,
Head Bather

Another lovely treasury!

One of my favorite things about selling in a venue like Etsy is the connection around the world to other sellers and buyers. This treasury comes from a lovely woman named Vaida check out her shop here. She is in Lithuania a place I may never see in this lifetime, but through her shop, flickr and blog I get to see some parts of the world that are just magical in their beauty.

Thank you Vaida. I hope you all enjoy!

Happy Friday!
Head Bather

Strange and Inappropriate column

On the way home from a play date today (it's how I keep my sanity and get the kiddo socialized) I saw some quirky things. I wanted to take pictures but since I was driving and didn't want to cause any accidents I will just have to describe the two things that made this dreary day some what sillier.

Item 1: On the back of a large fancy SUV was the advertisement : Straight Up Bail Bonds with the tag line "We get to you before your cell mate does"
I just don't want to know.

Item 2: To preface this it is important to know that it is very overcast and 65 degrees in the Valley today. On the side of a busy road in a somewhat country setting (horse trails on the side of the road) a girl is in a pair of short jean shorts and bikini top, riding a bike very carefully. I mean She is making sure she gets a full rotation on each pedal, which I think is weird until I see the guy further up the hill sitting on the ground with a small camcorder.

Only in the Valley.

Night night,
Head Bather.

A new treasury!

My Balance bath tablets were included in the treasury below! Thanks Sydney for including me!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c859ee51d7a8eef12cd5647/lemongrass-sage-bamboo

Rich beautiful shades of green, so lovely. Makes me wish for greener lands, here's hoping I find it camping in the Sequoias in a few weeks.

Hope you enjoy,
Head Bather

Bone health

I know we don't often think about our bones, until we break them or someone is diagnosed with osteoporosis around us. Here is an interesting article from one of my Wise Woman resources.

Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD, the osteoporosis nutritionist, offers information on bone health at any age and natural ways to build bone strength, reduce fracture risk, and prevent osteoporosis.
http://www.wisewomantradition.com

Some greens

So my computer is still in the shop, no word yet. So I am reduced to finding things on my phone to post about. Here is one of my best greens dinner in a while. It was just a bunch of collard greens, Swiss chard cut up and thrown in the crock pot with some turkey kilbasa and chicken stock.



I set it to one of the second lowest settings and dished it up with hot sauce and rice, so easy and tasted like home.

I am waiting on the crock pot now for some baked sweet potatoes for dinner. They smell great, I might serve them with a little cooked bacon and light sour cream. What would you put on yours?

Health and happiness to you and yours,
Head Bather

Very easy veggie lunch!

So you may or may not know this but I am trying to increase the amount of I eat veggies and decrease simple carbs. Nothing extreme it's just every time I eat bread or regular pasta I bloat, tmi but hey, I wouldn't want anyone to think I went to strict, I mean I married an Italian I can't get away from pasta completely.

I love mushrooms and if they are stuffed even better. I have a great (but highly caloric) sausage stuffed mushroom recipe, but that's not this, I give ya that recipe next time I make it. No this is a bit more healthy and quick enough to have for lunch.




I started with medium cremini mushrooms but portobellas and large white would be just fine. I then add a small nugget of frozen spinach directly out of the bag no defrosting, with me so far, easy. Then I placed a tablespoon of a Parmesan artichoke spread bought at a favorite grocery store and topped with Parmesan cheese.



Then into the toaster oven at 350 for about thirty minutes. Then take them out and enjoy their melty meaty yumminess!



Enjoy!
Head Bather

Love Lip Balm Review from another great blog!

Love Lip Balm has lots of good for your skin oils like apricot kernel oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, and coffee butter. With a touch of natural beeswax for a solid but not waxy feeling stick. With a slight scent of coffee and mint.
Enjoy this moisturizing, velvety feeling lip balm.

I am so thrilled to share with you a lovely review from Susieqtpies for her month of coffee on her blog here.
Love Lip Balm has been a favorite of my friends and family for a few years now, I am so glad someone else loves it as much as we do.

Thank You!

Head Bather

Lunch anyone?

I just love the color of my lunch grilled snapper on a bed of red cabbage slaw (blitz half red onion, two cloves garlic, handful of cilantro, red wine vinegar, olive oil in blender or processor and toss it with shredded read cabbage that is size small to medium) with a really good store bought corn tortilla and a little bit of green taco sauce. Oh my goodness so yummy even as left overs!


What are you doing for lunch today?
Head Bather

Lip balm as wedding favors.

So this is not the greatest of photos but being the Matron of Honor had me moving quite a bit. For my sister's wedding the Love Lip Balm was altered to have more of a rose scent (no coffee butter) and the labels were customized for the couple. We then stamped wax bags with a customized rubber stamp in gold ink and attached it to a muslin bag also stamped with a piece of linen twine. I made the wedding programs as well in the colors of the wedding, printed and bound just in time for the wedding. My good friend's are getting maried this weekend and it had me thinking of all the fun decorations that go into the event. 

I hope you enjoy,

Head Bather

Help with your voice!

Oppose HR 5786: Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010, That doesn't mean I want unsafe cosmetics around, like the "natural" lotion I bought that caused a rash, but that the over regulation will kill our freedom of choice in bath and beauty products. Many of you may be completely unaware of this bill and that's ok, it's not like we all sit around watching CSPAN, but making bath products one of the things I do and want to continue doing in the future. Making bath and beauty products on small scale business or hobby would be nearly impossible if this were to pass. Here is what some of my mentors and peers in the herbal and bath and beauty communities are saying:

"The FDA already requires all ingredients to be listed. This bill however
requires those ingredients to be broken down and include all chemicals and
'contaminants' to be listed. So instead of writing 'water' on your ingredient
list you might write:
Aqua (lead, acrylamine, alachlor, alpha/photon emitters, antimony, asbestos,
arsenic, atrazine, barium, benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, beta photon emitters,
beryllium, bromated, cadmium, carbofuran, carbon tetrachloride, chloramines,
chlordane, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, chlorite, chlorobenzene, chromium,
copper, cyanide, 2,4-D, dalapon, o-Dichlorobenzene, p-Dichlorobenzene,
1,1-Dichloroethylene, cis-1,2-Dichloroethylene, trans-1,2-Dichloroethylene,
Di(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, dinoseb, diquat, endothall, endrin, ethylbenzene,
fluoride, glyphosate, hexachlorocyclopentadiene…mercury….radium….uranium, vinyl
chloride, xylenes.) "
Cindy Jones
http://www.sagescript.com

"it would mean that everything would have to be tested and registered
with the government. Each product would cost thousands of dollars to put up for
sale - each variation of a product would need the same expensive pre-market
testing and registration.
Most small businesses don't even make that much on a given product in a year.
Then let's say you decide to tweak your formula and add a little chickweed.
Back to square one, with all the costs and red tape. It would destroy cottage
industries. No more herbalists at farm markets, no more hand made herbal
products. Nobody could afford to jump through the hoops involved."
Tina
http://www.essentialherbal.com

Small companies are the backbone of our nation's economy. In fact, today, they
are sustaining it almost single-handedly. As unemployment figures continue to
rise, small companies are hiring employees, contractors, vendors and other small
scale service providers to help their businesses grow.
Consumer Choice at farmer's markets, locally owned spas and boutiques and in the retail stores
that small cosmetics manufacturers are opening everywhere, consumers are able to
choose to buy a wide and appealing variety of cosmetics to suit their personal
needs. They can choose from products made by big companies and they can choose
from products made by smaller companies. That choice will be removed if HR 5786
becomes law. if that happens, consumers will be left with a small selection of
products sold only by our nation's largest retail chains.
America is filled with talented innovators and entrepreneurs who don't need a
big bank loan or a huge line of credit to manage a profitable business.
Small cosmetics companies can continue to do their share to carry this nation,
but not if HR 5786 passes.
It is the duty of our Congressional representatives to pass laws that are
carefully tailored to deal with specific problems that need to be addressed on a
national scale. HR 5786 is not carefully tailored to help anyone.
If HR 5786 as drafted becomes law, it will close multiple thousands of small
companies immediately and in one fell swoop.
Oppose HR 5786
We, the nation's small cosmetics manufacturers, their customers, vendors,
suppliers and other supporters, urge you to vote against HR 5786.
The previous excerpt was written by Donna Maria Coles Johnson of the Indie Beauty
Network


Please help us keep our choices when shopping the bath and beauty isle and sign the or contact your representatives:

You can view this petition at:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/tell-a-friend/7553846

The bill was introduced and Co-sponsored by:
Reps. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc. As of the publication of this petition, the bill is new co-sponsored by Reps. John Conyers, D-Mi, Diane DeGette, D-Co, Alcee Hastings, D-Fl, Barbara Lee, D-Ca and James Moran, D-Va.


Thank you,
 Head Bather

Night all!

Fun kid toys or something out of the Beetlejuice set!

http://www.kidsmodern.com/gallery/1000096/
I just found this kids website and while I'm not modern in design preference (I'm more old Victorian with a dash of bright color) I do love the functionality of a lot of modern kid furniture design. It helps that this looks like something out of a "Tim Burton" style kids room. I love it!

Off to do some decorating,
Head Bather

Calling all Etsy'ians in LA and SF

There are two meet and greets in the California area if you are a fellow Etsy seller check out this article and plan on meeting up!

Head Bather

Here comes the heat!

I know many of my family and friends have been experiencing high heat and humidity but here in So Cal it has been mild, up until now. We are projected to reach our own triple digits by the end of the week, which has me adjusting my menu plans. Lots of crock-pot, salads, cold soups, and frozen treats are in my households future, here is just one of the recipes I collected and adapted to fit our pantry. Check out Cafe Fernando's blog not only delicious sounding food but gorgeous pictures as well.

Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt : Cafe Fernando – Food Blog - frozen yogurt - pomegranate - Ice Cream & Sorbet: "Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients
2 cups POM wonderful juice
1+ 1/2 cup plain, whole milk Greek style yogurt
2/3 cup Grenadine (pomegranate syrup)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Method
Stir pomegranate juice and sugar over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice and let cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, combine yogurt, pomegranate juice and pomegranate syrup and whisk until completely combined.
Chill the mixture thoroughly (3 hours in the freezer works for me), then freeze it in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Adapted from: Pomegranate Frozen Yogurt from Cafe Fernando - Food Blog

Putting the ice cream maker in the freezer,
Head Bather

Oh.My.Goodness! Carrot salad? Oh yes Carrot salad.

I am addicted to this recipe!
I was recently told to eat more veggies and one serving or less of grains for a little while, for health reasons. This is really difficult once you look at what you eat with a critical eye, at least for me. So I got to reading all my cookbooks for salads I could keep on hand and this is one that doesn't stay in the fridge for more than a day. Thank you Nigella Lawson and your Forever Summer cookbook, I bought it ages ago when I could catch her program on Food Network. I love how easy and yummy this recipe is, and if you don't have peanut oil olive works just fine.

4 medium carrots, peeled
1/3 cup salted peanuts
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons peanut oil
few drops sesame oil
Nigella says:  Grate the carrots very coarsely, push them through the french-fry cutter blade in the food processor, or just cut them into skinny batons or sticks. In a bowl, combine them with the peanuts and then add the remaining ingredients. I like to eat this, straight out of the Pyrex bowl I mix it in, held up high, under my chin, for ease of eating-action. In fact, the only way I stop eating it is by having someone prise the bowl out of my hands.
Serves 1-2, depending on your compulsiveness or generosity.
Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson Hyperion April 2003

Recycle clothing, Do you?

My Mom is the queen of finding me cool little things and she recently sent me a care package from FL (yes I'm an adult with a family and my Mommy still sends me care packages and I love it). Inside there were some new sewing notions to try out so I am dedicating this post to her, thank you for supporting all my crafts, even if they aren't quilts! I love you Mom.

My toddler is now potty trained but not button/zipper trained therefor when she goes to the bathroom by herself she needed to be able to pull her shorts up and down on her own. It's tough because I know she needs to learn how to use buttons and zippers it is more important to me that she is able to use the restroom on her own. So I made her elastic waist shorts that are stylish and a re-purposing of an item of clothing I already had but didn't use.

She seemed to like them!
Step one gather all needed materials: men's polo shirt, tailors chalk or something to trace with, pair of knit shorts that fit the kiddo now, scissors, sewing machine and thread. Extra: contrast color for heart pocket.

Step two trace the current pair of shorts against the right side, side seams. Make sure to get enough extra for your seam allowance and elastic casing at the top. I used the original hem and side seams to save myself some work.

Step three: flip the shorts over and repeat on the other side or use your new cut out leg as your pattern and carefully cut against it's edge.

Step four: turn your new legs inside out so that you can first stitch the inseam, Then put one leg inside the other right sides of fabric together and stitch the crotch seam. Turn the pants inside out and stitch a casing that will fit whatever elastic you have available, this about recycling and re-purposing so get creative if you have to. I didn't have white elastic so I used 3/4 inch black knit elastic, and black thread, not because I didn't have white but because it was already on my machine. I know kind of lazy, but it work out for me because.

I then stitched a decorative edge around a purple heart pocket (so the kiddo would know what side was front and what side was back) and a black heart deco stitch on the hem.

I love it so much I made a matching tank top out of the old tank top that I cut up for the pocket. I'm still not sure how much I like the tank so it may become a tutorial or may not. I don't have a serger and my abilities with the kind of fine knit the tank top is made from is not up to par, so it's ok but not oh la la like the shorts.
Thanks for checking it out and I hope this project inspired you to make something fabulous with your stash!

Signing off,
Head Bather

Camping in California

Recently we went camping with some friends and I just wanted to share the differences from FL to CA.

Florida

• Gators
• Rivers with lots of mud
• Canoe in all equipment
• Nature toilet
• Mostly the same temp, warm and humid
• Lots of grass and vegetation
• No kids (at least at that time)

California

• Streams with rocks
• Not much grass (the kind underfoot of course)
• Vault toilets
• Drive in camping
• Hot to cold weather in one day
• Kids (we have them now)

Both are dirty, fun and on of my favorite spring past times.
What are your favorite things to do in the spring?

Head Bather

Do you have a dry nose?

Photo credit: D Sharon Pruitt

In this dry air sometimes my nose gets so dry and the saline/neti pot just won't cut it. On days like that I dip a cotton swab or my finger in a little veggie oil and just lightly rub it inside my nostrils. Not too much just enough to ease the dryness.
So go ahead mine for green gold with a little natural oil if your nose is a bit dry.

Head Bather

Thank you to all who serve the USA

Women at work on bomber, Douglas Aircraft Company, Long Beach, Calif. (LOC)
Originally uploaded by The Library of Congress

We all do our part in some way.