Rogue Writer

working out.

2011-12-31T00:13:00.000-08:00

So because of my spinal cord syrinx, spinal stenosis, and oseophytes in my cervical and lumbar vertibrae I was told no exertion, no lifting, no running, bouncing, jumping etc.

I am supposedly getting surgery soon and am hoping I will be at least allowed to ride my bike. I wanted to be able to run again, but doc said "not gonna happen"

So now I am saving up for a recumbent bike for inside. I am also going to start doing at least 20 minutes of stretching each morning. Doc said crunches, slow exercise like Tai Chi and pilates was ok for 20 minutes.

I need to do something, I do not want to become my mother and being worried about my health and weight makes me crave sugar.

Hollah

2011-12-29T17:54:00.000-08:00

So there are not a lot of people who read this blog. Which is good actually. More like a journal. I wanted to post this here not to complain or garner sympathy but to get it out of my head.

I have a pre-op MRI, then a pre-surgical consult for the end of this month. They are going to decide based on the damage in my neck what surgery would be best. They also want to look at doing the same surgery in my low back.

Since I knew back surgery was a something that I would have to get eventually I didn't get upset when they finally decided it was time. I am tired of having headaches 3 or more times a week. I am tired of not being able to stand in my own kitchen for more than an hour without my legs literally giving out on me. I am tired of not being able to go out with my friends because I don't know if I will get a headache and start puking, or have the nerve pain kick in and have me distracted from any fun because my hands and feet feel like they are on fire.

That said I am nervous about surgery. I know two people who have had it and said it changed their lives. However I have other people who have had it and said they wished they had just stayed on pain meds becaus there were serious complecations.

Being as I hate taking medication anyway and knowing that after surgery I could go from taking 20 pills a day to taking 5.

That alone is enough to make me want the surgery. Also I would be able to walk, and stand, so maybe I could WORK. I need to work, being in this house all day drives me crazy. On the plus side being unemployed has REALLY made me realize what is truly important and how materialistic I was when I was working three jobs. Now I look at all we have and think "we are so lucky ad blessed" things could ALWAYS be worse and have been. I will never be as much of a spoiled brat like I was 3 years ago.

So much physical, mental, and emotional pain and I came out the other side. I know there is nothing I can't do and know the type of person I want to be.

Isn't it great to have a productive weekend?

2011-11-06T18:07:00.000-08:00

So this weekend I managed to make homemade pizza that was AWESOME. Made buttermilk pancakes. Vacuum the entire house, vacuum the dog, water all the plants (and maybe save my air plant, fingers crossed!) strip the hair from my legs my legs with my Emjoi Emagine (best 70 bucks I ever spent) hair removal machine (ie the loud hand held buzz saw that rips the hair from your legs) give myself a full MyChelle Facial (with the fruit enzyme scrub and fruit fiesta peel.)

I also applied for a few jobs, but honestly? I REALLY don't want to follow up on one of the jobs because once I was away from there I promised myself I was not going back, the anxiety of even THINKING about going back is making me ill.

I think I can do better.

I am going to be starting phlebotomy school hopefully soon. I think classes start soon so I need to find out when tuition is due, whether I can get help from my Nana, and talk to Crash about the car situation. I was hoping to be working by now, maybe I will be able to get a work study job if I am taking courses?

Honestly I am going to really hope for some sign that its a good idea.

I hope everyone is well! tomorrow I am making challah bread in hopes of having french toast this week!

KJ

Baking Sunday

2011-10-30T12:45:00.000-07:00

I am nesting. Whenever nature plays its evil, painful, bit*hzilla inducing plague of the lady parts on my I start craving food like I am knocked up.

So knowing that I needed to make some easy grab and go breakfast, as well as craving short bread like CRAZY I decided to make two simple, cheap and relatively easy treats.

First off was my Nana's Russian Tea Cakes. They are basically short bread rounds, infuse with vanilla beans, lots of organic butter and chopped pecans then covered with powdered sugar.

They are by far one of the most quickly eaten cookies on the cookie trays my Nana used to make every wnter.

Nekkid bawls:

Clothed in sweet confectioners sugar:

The final thing I made was Creme Koekga. Its a breakfast cake with creme fraiche, vanilla, pecans, brown sugar, and organic eggs.

This is one of the cakes my Nana used to make us and we would get to take some for lunch desert.

Its full of yum and easy to make and the ingredients are cheap too.

Ok nap time for this tired sleepy ewok.

KJ

Hike and NOTD!

2011-10-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

So my fiance, dog, and I went for a 5 mile hike at the Clark reservation.

The last time we went the mosquitoes were so terrible we made it about a mile before literally RUNNING for the Jeep.

So this time armed with water, sandwiches, dog snacks, and Deep Woods Off we went on the Long Trail Loop with PuppyChupra Kayne Michael.

Can I just say my dog is HILARIOUS? He kept sticking his head in the rock crevices and barking, or pulling Crash to the egde of the cliff face and trying to look over.

Crash said he about had heart failure.

But Kayne LOVED climbing rocks, walking the trails, and getting to drink out of the stream. Here are some pics:

Some Scenery:

And my nails? well I tried to do UV-less gel overlays, and that didn't work out. They ended up cracking or lifting. So I said "screw it" and took them off. Then I used my Nail Magic Base coat therapy, and two coats of Beauty secrets Hardener. THEN I used 4 coats Wet and wild Meet my Magenta that I frankened with China Glaze "Strawberry Fields" and OPI "OPI Red" MMM was just too sheer by itself.

So I ended up with this color:

There is still a SLIGHT visible nail line (VNL) and I didn't do an accent nail. I have some Holographic Bar Glitter from Sally Hanson Xtreme Wear that I am toying with throwing a coat on.

But not until tomorrow.

I am REALLY trying to go at least three days before changing nail color. This is day 2, I would like to make it until Friday, I am not going to lie, I may decide to play with some striper polish, or add a coat of Fairy Dust or 9021Orange if I don't go crazy with Bar Glitter LOL.

Soon I will be posting a recipe for a super absorb-able and less greasy cuticle creme that I have been using with great success. I have been playing around with the ingredients and currently it has petroleum and I am toying with finding an alternative like Whipped Castor oil or Beeswax, though I am leery about bees wax because I feel like they need it more than I do...

So whats your opinion? Beeswax ok for us to use, or should we leave it to the bees?

KJ

Nails...Nails...NOTD!

2011-09-22T23:59:00.000-07:00

LOVE this manicure! I actually wore it three days! (this is a record in case you are wondering)

It is Sally Hansen xtreme wear in CRUSHED with 9021Orange on top.

Simple but fabulous:

My nails are actually getting MAD long. I am seriously thinking maybe overlays? dunno, maybe a dumb idea. My nails are just so thin I feel like they need support! Nail Bra!

Let me know in comments what you do to keep your nails strong!

RW

Sugar busting...and food puuuurn

2011-09-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

So I have been REALLY trying to eat low fat and no sugar. Let me tell you, going into a gas station now I am just AMAZED at the high fructose crack syrup treats that are freaking EVERY DARN WHERE!

I have finally found my body surprising me. I FINALLY don't drool when I see something sugary. I can remember how crappy I felt and NOT eat it.Still. Now if I eat an apple I am shocked at how good it is where before I would have said "An apple? I want a 'lowfat' poptart" Now, I KNOW low fat isn't necessarily healthy and I know low carb isn't either. I have just been trying to eat my daily requirements of fruit, and veg and if I am craving something I do a low calorie version.My fave?

Grilled cheese Hungry Girl style.
2 slices low carb no sugar bread (who stone ground wheat or 12 grain is good, just make sure its smaller, not those gigantic pieces!)
1 Tablespoon Brummel and Brown spread
1 piece fat free cheddar cheese
1 laughing cow light spreadable cheese. (I like bleu cheese flavor, but I love stinky food cheese)

put one half of the Brummel and brown on one slice of bread and place on hot skillet. place cheddar on bread in skillet..
Now spread the Laughing Cow Cheese on the other slice, put in n the bread in the skillet.
Use the other hald tablespoon of Brummel and brown to spread on the back of the bread slice.
Wait about a minute (med low heat) and flip, cook other side for another minute, serve with tomato wedges! ok that's just me...
I can't believe I have made these over 10 times for me and the fiance and never took a picture. But other pictures of some of my diet food creations:
Turkey burger with baked center cut bacon and reduced fat cheddar and low carb Kaiser roll:

Reduced fat vegan Caesar Dressing on Romaine with Turkey Bacon

Stuffed Green Peppers with 90% lean ground beef, and low fat part skim mozzarella string cheese

And breakfast oatmeal with flax, toasted wheat germ, sliced apples, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and splenda:

Hungry? me too!

Autumn= time for comfort food!

2011-09-20T04:09:00.000-07:00

So Autumn to me means its time to whip out my slow cooker and make some rib sticking chili, stew, and utilize those squash before winter is upon us and fruit is a thing of the past (sigh)

So I don't know about you but the idea of throwing together some things in a pot, leaving it on, and coming home to a house smelling like food is my idea of a good day.

I know a lot of people never leave their crock pots unattended, personally I just throw it on the stove and plug it into a surge protector and the house hasn't burned down yet *knock on wood* But even so, a lot of crock pot recipes are the types that you can come home, turn on the crockpot, and then go do whatever for 4 hours and come home et voila! dinner is DONE mang.

So in celebration of the season of the crock pot I am listing a bunch of MY personal favorite recipes, in hopes that you will enjoy them.

Crock Pot Autumn Roast so easy it should be criminal. This fills the kitchen with SUCH wonderful smells. I have tried many roasts and darn it all those southern woman know their meat!

Chalupas Not taco bell! I omit the green chilis (personal taste) and use low carb tortillas to wrap these up. They are excellent as a leftovers on Taco Salad. Serve with peach salsa if you can find it.

Pumpkin Soup My Nana was southern and raised me, Thus we ate pumpkin, A LOT. It didn't help that at one point we had pumpkins hanging from our pine trees in the vegetable garden. This recipe is SO GOOD, coating the pumpkin in butter (I use Brummel and Brown) and cooking for an hour is well worth it. I also use vegetable better than bouillon to make stock, and use center cut bacon. SO GOOD.

Crock Pot Corn Chowder Diana Rattray KNOWS her recipes! I have tried several of hers and found them tastier than even my beloved church recipe cookbooks that I collect! These recipes are ones handed down from generations and hoestly you can taste the proof in the food. A fellow cookbook collector and self made culinary goddess her about.com recipes are truly unique and delicious!

Kielbasa Casserole In Minnesota we call casserole "hot dish" everywhere else in the country they look at you as if you have lost your mind. Never the less this hot dish is not only insanely simple, but I have use grated blanched sweet potatoes in lieu of frozen hash browns to make this low glycemic. Also I used cheddar soup mix halved with fat free sour cream for tasty results. Experiment! This also tastes great with browned ground turkey or low fat ground beef.

So I hope you pull out and dust off those crock pots and let the savory smells waft through YOUR kitchen this Autumn!

Who do you love?

2011-09-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

There are many blogs I subscribe to that when they have new posts I do a happy dance.

You KNOW the feeling. When your blog feed of choice shows you a new post and its like getting GOOD mail when its usually bills.

So without further ado, my blog heroines and heros:

Scrangie fellow animal lover and nail polish aficionado. I have been following her for over a year. Check her out, you won't be disappointed!!

Robin Moses I admit I was late to the game on finding her site, But now I make it my Monday, Wednesday, Friday stress relief. Not only is her art inspiring but she and her clients are HILARIOUS, you owe it to yourself to check her out.

Miss 80Millions this Canadian nail blogger never ceases to amaze me with her creativity. Her youtube tutorials are easy to follow, designs are easy but chic and are in steps so that you can stop at simple, or go elaborate.

I have two swatch homies that never cease to amaze me with the beauty and precision in which they apply color!

Enamel Girl has picture perfect nails, and lots of swatches. I may be a tad jealous.

Lextard I started stalking her on her Flickr feed. Everytime I wanted to know what a nail enamel looked like I.R.L. She usually had it. (that britch! LOL) Her application is always smooth and flawless.

Loodie Loodie Loodie She is the Mr.Science of the nail care world. All the questions and bad habits you had with your nails she answers in a totally hilarious and down to earth way. And it doesn't hurt that she loves good food, just like me!

Black Nail Polish and Lip Gloss this lady is the mother I wish I'd had! Teal hair, rocking eye makeup, long natural claws. She is funny, sweet, and a font of knowledge. A blog I cherish.

So I bet you wonder WHY you don't see your blog here. Its not that I don't follow or don't love it, I am just doing a longest subscriptions first!

Check out these awesome blogs and tell me what you think!

KJ

Blingernails Give away!

2011-09-17T17:03:00.000-07:00

So I am late to learn about this give away. The winner gets three polishes from pIcture pOlish (Awesome Aussie Brand, but again everything Aussie is awesome)To enter go here: http://www.blingernails.com/2011/08/picture-polish-giveaway.html

Some deets from Blingernails:

"pIcture pOlish is hosting a giveaway to win THREE polishes of your choice from their own range (this doesn't include the Ozotic brand). They have a fantastic choice of shades to choose from"

pIcture pOlish is located here: http://www.picturepolish.com.au/ on the web to look at their beautiful colors.

Good luck to anyone else who enters!

NOTD-Wet and Wild Franken

2011-09-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hello readers of mass destruction.Today I have a manicure using a slightly frankened version of Wet and Wild "How I met your Magenta" with "9021 Orange" over it and OPI "OPI Red" for accent nail art.Nothing fancy to gussy up the WnW HIMYM, I just added 5 drops of China Glaze Strawberry Fields and 9 drops OPI "OPI Red" Then mixed the bejeebus out of it.I like how it turned out!The above is 2 coats WnW HIMYM Franken with 1 coat WnW 9021 Orange.I think it turned out nice! WnW has been surprising me with the quality of their polishes. I have 6 bottles of OPI in similar colors to WnW and have to say the WnW chips a LOT less and usually only starts on day three. (Which by then I am literally panting to change my manicure) The OPI on the other hand is usually chipping for me by the end of day one. Now to be fair I am HARD on my manicures. I have 4 cats, a tortoise, a turtle, a dog, and a fiance to take care of, my nails take a BEATING. A friend of mine suggested that I try gel polish, saying that I could still paint over the color as long as I used non acetone remover. However with the frequency in which I change my nail color, it seemed like a waste of time to me. HOWEVER, when I go out of town for 7 days in October I am SERIOUSLY considering getting a gel manicure in a neutral color so that I don't have to mess around with lugging polish.I am doing wedding coordinating, hair, nails, and makeup for the Bride and her entire Bridal Party. So needless to say a 7 day french manicure might be just what I need so I don't obsess over chipped nails. Then I could do a review! LOL Ah the depths to justify a nail care purchase.I need to go out and buy some more Acetone, however I was in the Emergency room all last night for a terrible migraine. They tried Toradol and Benadryl and it didn't help. So they gave me Thorazine. MAN. I instantly felt like I lowered my IQ by 20 points. Its lingering too. Then my O2 stats kept falling below 90 so they hooked me up to O2. And it was cold as a meat locker in the room. I had a minor panic attack once the doctor saw me and was in the middle of putting on my shoes and clothes and leaving (for some odd reason I had this foreboding that I was going to have a bad reaction to the IV meds, and I did) but one of the nurses who knows my sister in law came in and talked to me and got me to relax. I told him about my weird fear and anxiety (which is NOT normal for me at all) and he said if I felt like that again to tell him right away and he would walk with me around the floor, that maybe I just had nervous energy or my back may be n a bad position and be irritating my nerves.He was wonderful.So Today I am resting in bed, Doctor AND Fiance orders.Hope you are well!KJ

Who do you love? Right now.

2011-09-07T22:55:00.000-07:00

So I posted before about how much I love certain brands of things. But there are lots of things that I am loving right now that have nothing to do with polish (I know...WEIRD)

Well. I have had time to use, and use and use and I wanted to post an updated WHAT I LOVE, now.

1. Nail Magic Base coat therapy. Available at Sally Beauty, I am on my second bottle and am going to be going back for a third. It has replaced CND Stickey and Instant Artificial's as my Holy Grail of Nail Bases. You do need to apply two coats so that your polish does not stain (If you are like me and wear dark China Glaze, Sinful Colors, and LA Colors)I love it so much I am going to be buying some for my Nana.

2. Blue Cross Cuticle Remover. Also Sally Beauty staple. I use this on my dry feet, Chris' cuticles, and oh yeah, to remove cuticles from my nails.

3.Olive Oil in an empty nail polish bottle. I actually BOUGHT a sterile nail polish bottle and put in some organic extra virgin olive oil with just a few drops of Evening primrose and vitamin e. Every time I think about it I swab it onto my cuticles (And my fiance' cuticles) and let it soak in. I use to have hangnails lke cray cray, but now not the case!.

4. Poshe Top Coat. Yes I know the old Poshe was supposedly better, and something about the new Posche people don't like. But you know what? This top coat dries like instantly and keeps my mani fresh for three days with no chipping. I don't care if it is made from the tears of lonely puppies, it works. ( I actually would care about the puppies, I love puppies, and kittens, and all baby animals.)

5. Suave Naturals Rosemary Mint Conditioner. I have used this conditioner three bottles now. My fiance Chris loves it, I love it. It doesn't weigh down the hair, rinses clean but leaves hair soft but not coated. Plus the smell is rad.

6. Wicked Scentuals (Etsy) Liquid Blue soap. This soap is so complex...like old skool blue Coast, and vanilla, and awesome. We have almost used up our sample bar and are going to buy a pound. It is cleansing but doesn't strip the skin, is a perfect face wash for me. And the scent lasts for a long time without being overwhelming. I actually caught a kid sniffing me in the grocery store and when i looked at him he says "You smell like happy" LOL.

7. My old retainer. YES I said retainer. My teeth are actually floating again and I called my orthodontist and he said "start wearing your retainer at night again" its been freaking 10 years since I wore that thing! But here I am once again wearing it. My Dentist does not cover orthodontia but my old Ortho said if I came back to MN to bring it and he would adjust it or replace it for free so my teeth would stay straight. Wearing it keeps me from grinding my teeth in my sleep too.

8. Laughing Cow Light spreadable cheese. This is the shiznit. 50 calories, 2 grams of fat, add a slice of fat free cheese and low carb bread and a tablespoon of low fat buttery spread and you have a decadent grilled cheese that is 1/8 the calories and fat of a normal grilled cheese.

9. Brummel and Brown Yogurt and Butter spread. Tastes just like butter, 65% less fat, grills up awesome, you can bake with it, perfect on a piece of toast.

10. Straight Leg Lunges. OK yeah, actually I HATE these. But I make myself do 90 a day on top of my plie squats, normal squats, Horse stance squats, and Russian Twists abs. Adding in the other weight and resistance stuff I do while watching netflix I am finally starting to loose thigh, and gain muscle. WIN.

So what are you loving right now?

KJ

Fingerpaints Fall Fashionista Collection

2011-08-18T16:09:00.000-07:00

So I just found the Finger Paints Fall Fashionista Collection in Sally. I was looking for a Sally Hanson "Eel skin" by Tracy Reese dupe.

I applied this polish and let me tell you, I can't stop looking at it!

I am going to link to the Polishaholic (who I follow and I suggest you follow too!) so you can see her swatches as my camera is broken (I will be able to fix it, I am handy with Panasonic stuff)

Follow the link and tell me what you think!

Just in case the link is broken:
http://www.thepolishaholic.com/2011/08/fingerpaints-fall-fashionista-fall-2011.html

Also, just got my paws on some POSHE top coat. Man, this stuff is damn near perfect! no tip wear, nice easy formula. Granted it has only been a week using it (three polish changes, I have a problem) But so far I think it may be the answer to my prayers!

Also, Have been using Nail Magic Base Coat Therapy for about 6 months now. I CANNOT say enough about hot much this base has helped my thin, brittle nails! Now my nails are stronger, more flexible (remember when the dog took me down the stairs and I majorly broke a nail? I have fallen down three times with long nails and although it HURT no break!)It has the added bonus of helping polish adhere so your mani last longer (but with how much I clean, cook, scrub, and type it is a miracle to make a manicure last three days, this does.)

I have to say I like this better than Instant Artificial's...Which I loved but hate that it thickens, which I have NOT had a problem with Nail Magic Base Coat Therapy.

I may actually have to see about sending my Nana a bottle since we have the same nail problems.

KJ

OK that is just crazy sauce: Period cycle and Lunar Calander

2011-08-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

So since I have terrible periods (we are talking emergency room, handful of vicodin, puking because the pain is so bad periods here) I am un-naturally interested in my cycle. I ALWAYS comes between the 7th and the 9th. But this month, it is coming on the 3rd! (I am pre-spotting and PMS'ing like a raving banshee.)S needless to say when friend said she was tracing her cycle online I said 'I wanna do that?!"

So after asking my fiance WHEN I had gotten my period and how heavy it had been when (he has the uncanny ability to remember me talking about mundane sh*t like "Uh I have CLOTS in my period" or me bitching about having stained ANOTHER set of panties, when will my period be over!? SO he ironically was of GREAT assistance in this endeavor!

SO what did I find out? First off? I have 26 day cycles between periods. Second my periods go from Heavy to Medium to Heavy to Light to Heavy and so on.

I also found out that two days AFTER the moon is half Risen, I get my period. Like CLOCKWORK precision here. Be it cloudy, rain or muggy my uterus can sense her Buddy.

Now I am just spotting, trying to reign in PMS and stay cool.

To get your own fascination with your Aunt Flo visit: http://www.mymonthlycycles.com/

Don't say I didn't warn you.

KJ

Yay superflous nail post!

2011-07-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

WHEN was the last time I got to sit down and do a great manicure AND show it off AND talk about products?

Yeah.. very excited to have things calming down in the cat cave.

First and foremost thank you Miss80Millions for patiently giving me advice on spongeing, her vids can be found HERE and HERE

So onwards! I have a fantastic mani to show y'all I used the following:

My super duper base which I recommend to EVERYONE Salon Science Instant Artificial's If you have weak nails that break easily this is your nail stuff. Available at Sally's Beauty everywhere.

"Misa "Femme Fatal", Sally Hanson Extreme Wear "Crushed", and Sally Hanson Salon "Hidden Treasure"

Topped off with Sally Hanson Strengthening top coat. Just a quick side bar, this top coat is NOT fast drying, it was the only top coat I have left because I am out of fast drying and well, I am having some issues with formulas! This is normally my French top coat only, but I have to say it IS hard, shiny, and does strengthen.

OK So the method:

I wanted a manicure that "looked" kind of batik but was shiny (of course) and had depth.

So I first applied one coat Misa "Femme Fatal" a beautiful red with a slight orange warmth.

Then I sponged on Sally Hanson Extreme Wear in "Crushed" I did two applications using the sponge method (great tutorial for it here

Make sure when doing this manicure that you apply the nail color to the sponge and then dab it once on a piece of paper. This helps to make the color apply better not gloopy.

After letting the "Crushed" color dry I applied two coats of Sally Hanson Salon "Hidden Treasure" (note NUBAR 2010 is an EXACT dupe and can be bought here AND Nfu oh has a dupe as well and can be bought here )

After applying those and letting them dry I applied my top coat and voila!

Look at that flash!

I could not stop looking at my nails:

Hope you enjoy and have a happy day!

KJ

Nails-complicated

2011-07-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

So this floral design took me 45 minutes to do...

This is the left hand: (clickable)

this mess is the right: (clickable)

Thumbs:

Left:

Right:

Yeah no doubt someone is right handed!

KJ

DIY Laundry Soap

2011-06-17T05:15:00.000-07:00

So as many of my readers and friends know, I am broke as a joke.

Some serious costly things in our house were processed foods, cat litter and laundry soap.

So now that I make our bread, make our pizza dough, and make all baking mixes from scratch (which was a LOT easier than I thought it would be!)

We couldn't replace cat litter with the cheaper thicker grain kind (the kind that doesn't clump urine, just makes it go to the bottom of the pan...ewww) We are buying BOXES of cat litter instead at a discount place (clumping, and unscented, works for us since I clean their boxes daily)

Now for Laundry soap.

First a little background. I am sensitive to smells. I HATE the way most laundry soaps smell. I grew up hating the way TIDE, GAIN, and ERA smelled.

I used Dreft unscented for the longest time but it didn't get my clothes clean.

I even tried Ivory snow (which has a light scent) but still, clothes came out not that clean.

So I went online to an awesome Pioneer Women forum and researched laundry soap.

There were a few recipes that required liquid soap, but I was really looking for a powder. Then I saw some powder recipes but they called for castile soap, I wanted something I knew worked and smelled good (if I had to have scent I wanted it to be CLEAN smell)

So I got Fels Naptha and used that.

Once ground Fels Naptha will give you about 2 cups soap flakes.

I add 4 cups borax, and 4 cups washing soda (soda ash)

This gives me a total of 80 ounces of product. Around 145 tablespoons.

1 TBSP equals one normal sized load.

So the basic recipe is 1 cup soap flakes (you can use ivory, dr. bronners, ZOTE, Fels Naptha, or another castile soap)

1 cup borax

1 cup washing soda.

Now here is the reason why my numbers are different.

I used Fels Naptha which is a heavy duty soap. So I doubled up on Borax and Washing soda.

Results? Worked perfectly.

Now the 1 cup each mixed together recipe may work perfectly if the soap you use is Ivory, or Kirk's Castile or Dr. Bronners.

But A soap like ZOTE or Fels Naptha which is specifically made to be heavy duty I find it works good to double the other ingredients.

But here is the thing: Experiment, try mixing soap flakes,such as ivory AND fels naptha, 1 and 1/2 cups each borax and washing soda. Experiment and find out which one of these recipes and conversions works best for your soiled clothes.

And note that you will be using about .05 cents per load vs. commercial detergents which cost about .25 cents a load.

I use 3 tablespoons on my fiance's work clothes, and since the commercial front loaders have 2 wash cycles I split the soap between the two and he ALWAYS has his clothes come out soft, clean, and smelling good.

Give your own recipe a try and save some time and money!

So how do you do it?

Grate the soap with a fine grater into a bowl (takes about 3 minutes)
Add your Borax and washing soda (amounts depend on which soap you use: Heavy duty laundry soap I use 1 cup soap to 2 cups each borax and washing soda. Regular soap such as Ivory or Kirk's Castile I follow the 1 bar, 1 cup each Borax and Washing soda)

After you grate the soap (and this part is optional) Mix it in with the borax,washing soda and pulse it in a food processor for about 2 minutes.

(Otherwise you can just mix everything together and have it be more chunky)

I recommend using a food processor because the smaller the soap the more quickly it dissolves.

Store in an airtight container, add essential oil scent if you wish.

KJ

Baked and half baked goods

2011-06-04T01:17:00.000-07:00

So First for the win:

Fauxroni, Chreeze, and vidalia onion pizza on home made dough, with home made sauce:

Amish Sweet Bread:

And...

Matzo Crack:

Don't ask me how many times I had to make each to get them perfect...

And a fail!

Cinnamon rolls:

Wait...WTH is wrong with them...Sits up pondering...didn't add freaking cinnamon.

F-it they are sweet rolls instead. Eat em.

KJ

OPI Cajun Shrimp

2011-06-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

These are definately summer nails. I am debating whether or not to add a coat of Sally Hanson gold flakies over it. part of me thinks "wow pretty!" the other part says "get up? its nap time biotch!"

I think nap time wins...I don't even think I have the energy to do top coat right now. At least my toes and fingers are painted and I have brushed my teeth, showered, and am resting up for laundry

Here are my nails. HORRIBLE picture:

Thats all for now. Looking up Cajun Shrimp online is better to see the color.

THis is perfect

KJ

I have Syringomyelia.

2011-05-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have had it since 2004. It is post traumatic and sometimes I feel like it has completely taken over my and my fiance's lives.
I have Syringomyelia, Syringomyelia does not have me.

Syringomelia symptoms come on suddenly after a fall or minor trauma. Symptoms include but are not limited too:

Inability to regulate body temperature
Loss of sensitivity to hot and cold
Numbness and tingling
...Loss of Bowel and bladder control
Muscle weakness
Spasticity
Paralysis (in severe cases, quadriplegia)
Chronic pain
Neuropathic pain
Chronic severe headaches

Nail crap and Nivea Soft review

2011-05-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

So I FINALLY got my hands on some China Glaze Crackle polish!

But I do have pictures of a few other mani's to tide us all over until I can cook or try a new product.

Oh Quick review first, Nivea sent me some lotion to try for a week Nivea "Soft" for body and face.

Went on quick, absorbed fast, made my face feel too greasy but on my body was AWESOME. It worked like a thick cream without feelig greasy or taking forevr to absorb. 5 hours later and after vacuuming the whole house and spending 3 hours outside with the dog my skin is still moist and comfortable but not the least sticky.

Made me get a small bump on my chin (I have a super sensitive face!) But otherwise I think I am going to ditch my Neutrogena and buy a big bottle before they DC it!

Here is my sparkle mani:

T'Jours!

KJ

Medic alert bracelet your will WANT to wear

2011-05-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

Thank you Michelle Vorbeek again for saving my life.

Example here

My medic alert bracelet is just over a year old and I wore it to the hospital the other day and the lady said "Ah! I like this! Where did you get it?"

Even my nana has a Michelle Vorbeek Medic alert bracelet now.

All the kewl kids are getting them for reals.

Keep cool and safe, I wonder if she can add compazine to my bracelet...???

KJ

Sulfite allergist gives new list of "No No" foods

2011-05-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

So I am allergic to sulfites and sulfa drugs.

I have to be seriously careful about what I eat.

So imagine my surprise to find out a new list from my allergist of no no foods.

Following foods contain Greater than 100 ppm of sulfites (very high levels, strict avoidance advised in people with sulfite allergy)

* dried fruits (prunes)
* bottled lemon juice (non-frozen)
* bottled lime juice (non-frozen)
* wine
* molasses
* sauerkraut (and its juice)
* grape juices (white, white sparkling, pink sparkling, red sparkling)
* pickled cocktail onions

Between 50 and 99.9 ppm of sulfites (moderate to high levels of sulfite, avoidance advised in people with sulfite allergy)

* dried potatoes
* wine vinegar
* gravies/sauces
* fruit toppings
* Maraschino cherries

Between 10 and 49.9 ppm of sulfites (low to moderate levels of sulfite, may cause symptoms in people with severe sulfite allergy)

* pectin
* fresh shrimp
* corn syrup
* pickled peppers
* pickles/relish
* corn starch
* hominy
* frozen potatoes
* maple syrup
* imported jams and jellies
* fresh mushrooms
* imported sausages and meats
* cordials (alcoholic)
* dehydrated vegetables
* various cheeses
* corn bread/muffin mix
* canned/jarred clams
* clam chowder
* avocado dip/guacamole
* imported fruit juices and soft drinks
* ciders and cider vinegars

The Hell? Maple SYRUP?! I freaking love maple syrup. I already use rice vinegar and am lactose intolerant anyway so the rest of this didn't bother me so much but...Corn muffin mix? Corn muffin tops are a staple in our house I make them and toast them in the toaster oven!

And if I can't have my pickle relish on my Tofu Pups I would want to pass away from it. I LOVE pickles. Hell I make my own! Can I eat those?

Ugh....sucky new list.

Crash (fiance) said "So basically you can't eat anything without risk of dying?"

Uh yeah basically that.

KJ

Salted Caramel Molted Choco-cake

2011-05-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

So I made some vegan caramels (let me tell u now, easy ingredients list but it took me two times to get the batches right! But at least I could use the first batch for Caramel Powder (Thanks Mattie!)

Salted Caramel-Filled Molten Choco Cakes

4 oz vegan dark chocolate, chopped (those dark choco candy making wafers work great, as do dark chocolate chips)
3 tbsp unsalted vegan baking "butter"
1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax meal and 2 tablespoons hot water)
1 tsp guar gum (plus 2 tsp hot water)
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp all purpose flour/Garam flour (garbanzo bean flour for gluten intolerant)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
6 chewy salted caramels
or 6 caramels + pinch of sea salt for each

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease and flour a 6-cup muffin tin.

In a small bowl, melt together 4-oz dark chocolate and the vegan butter.

Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes until mixture is close to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine the flax egg, guar gum and water, sugar, vanilla and salt.

Mix with spatula until is just moist (about 2-5 minutes)DO NOT OVER MIX or your cakes will be flat and crumbly.

Sift flour over egg mixture and fold in. Add cooled chocolate/butter mixture and fold with spatula in until batter is uniform and no streaks of chocolate remain.

Divide evenly into prepared muffin tins.

Gently push one caramel into each of the muffin cups (or one caramel and a generous pinch of sea salt) and cover with batter.

Bake at 400F for 9-11 minutes,OR until the tops are just set. Let cakes cool in pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of each pan and turn cakes out onto a large plate or cutting board. Use a spatula to transfer cakes to individual serving plates.

Cakes can be served right side up or still inverted.

Note: if you over stir the cakes will be a bit crumbly. So try to stir gently and I recommend NOT using a mixer but plain old arm work.

African dessert

2011-05-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

Note: there is a vegan cream called Mimicreme that woks really well here instead of dairy cream.

COUPE MOUNT KENYA

Mango Ice Cream

Yield: 1 quart ice cream

Any fruit ice cream will serve for the Coupe Mount Kenya, especially peach ice cream. Fruit sherbet may also be used. Canned pineapple may be substituted for the fresh, but it does not have the same zing.

Mash 4 or 5 RIPE MANGOS, peeled and pitted. There should be 2 cups.

Whip: 1 cup HEAVY CREAM with
1/2 cup SUGAR until stiff.

In a 2-quart bowl:

Combine: 2 cups MASHED MANGOS
2 Tbs. LEMON PEEL cut in tiny ribbons
1/2 cup CONDENSED MILK
1/2 tsp. SALT.

Fold in the whipped cream.

Pour into freezer trays or a 6-cup mold and freeze.

PINEAPPLE RUM SAUCE

Yield: 1 quart sauce mixture

In a 1-quart sauce pan:

Simmer: 1 cup PINEAPPLE JUICE (canned) and
1 cup SUGAR until it dissolves and a syrup is formed.

Add 1/2 cup WHITE RUM. Cool.

In a 2-quart bowl:

Cut 3 cups FRESH PINEAPPLE in 1/2-inch dice.

Pour the Pineapple Rum Sauce over the pineapple.

Marinate for several hours.

Place 1 scoop MANGO ICE CREAM in a 6-oz. wine glass.

Top with 3 to 4 oz. PINEAPPLE RUM MIXTURE

Garnish with 1 Tbs. PISTACHIO NUTS, coarsely chopped.

vegan baking

2011-05-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

so in an effort to get Crash to eat more veggies and to cut out meat and dairy I have begun vegan baking and cooking again.

We are predominantly veggie just because its cheaper and healthier plus if I can get away with not having to touch raw meat or eggs I am all for it!

So when I saw this recipe that used my fave ingredients and found a suitable substitution for condensed milk I jumped at the chance to try it:

http://www.veganbaking.net/vegan-recipes/brownies-and-bars/chocolate-coconut-madness-bars.html

Also try making Cashew Vegan Cream cheese too, so good on bagels and toast:

http://www.veganbaking.net/vegan-recipes/frostings-icings-and-sauces/creamy-cashew-cream-cheese.html

Its this lactose intolerant's dream cream.

KJ

Weight management and spinal cord injury

2011-05-04T21:15:00.001-07:00

So I am unsure of how many people know this but I have a spinal cord injury on top of my arthritis.

So whereas before I was running 3-5 miles a day, now it i often painful for me to get up stairs or do daily chores.

Case in point: Today I managed to clean a cat box, make muffins, make dinner for Crash, and clean the tortoise cage and take the do out twice for a short 1 block sniff and p-mail trip.

After that my legs and arms were hurting so badly I had to lie down and stretch them out.

I actually made the mistake of watching the Biggest Loser Makeover tonight and it made me feel like crap watching how hard they were working out knowing that since I was in the hospital again I have not been able to get back to the gym.

The fact is there are not a lot of personal trainers (who are affordable) who work with people who have arthritis and a spinal cord injury, they are just too worried (rightfully so!) that they are going to tell you to do something and have it blow up in your face.

I do have one personal trainer who has been working with me but since I hurt my ankle we have been seriously hindered by what exercises I can do. So I had tried to make lower fat meals at home only to have Crash bring home cookies and refuse to eat whatever low fat high veggie thing I made for dinner.

So I was talking to some online crip friends (tongue in cheek) and one of them gave me a site that talks about realistic expectations with spinal cord injury, I am not going to re-write everything they said but there was a few things I think bear repeating even if you don't have a SCI

Ultimately, it is really up to you to take control of your life. With practice, you can improve your self-talk to improve your overall health.

• Be honest with yourself.

• Do not try to be perfect.

• Avoid over exaggerations.

• Do not try to predict future.

• Keep a positive attitude.

• Do not be self-critical.

• Recognize the good with the bad.

• Pat yourself on the back for a task well done.

Reducing Stress

Managing stress is an important key to maintaining healthy behaviors because your eating behaviors often change when you’re under stress. People who constantly experience symptoms of stress are often at higher risk for serious health problems including illness, addiction and depression.

No one is going to be stress free, but you can minimize the impact of stress. There are many things you can do to feel better emotionally and physically.

• Get enough sleep.

• Eat regular, healthy meals and snacks.

• Participate in regularly physical activities because your body can fight stress better when it is fit.

• Cut down or cut out use of caffeine and tobacco.

• Seek a balance of work and play.

• Hug somebody!

• Be assertive with your feelings, opinions, or beliefs instead of becoming angry, defensive, or passive.

• Be socially active with friends and family.

And on that note, I leave you.

KJ

Dog Massage

2011-05-03T01:22:00.000-07:00

Yes I massage my dog. I learned from a massage therapist, took some basic anatomy courses of mammals and physiology and now I am master at massaging large animals. Because Kayne Micheal is 80 pounds, this applies.

And what do you ask, does it do massaging your dog?

Well, in the case of most over bred, or bred to look a certain way dogs, most of whom are not exercised enough, eat too much, and don't live in a place where the ground is similar to that of a forest floor...well it helps them to live longer in short.

We walk our dog almost every day on concrete, we live in a hard wood floor apartment, and on the second floor.

Needless to say Kayne Micheal had joint issues before from his nightmare of being used as a bait dog. Now that he is 4 years old what seems young to us is middle aged for him and his hard early life is showing.

Thus every night his collar comes off and the massaging wand (yes he LOVES the back massager)comes out.

He is so used to this as soon as he is done helping papa move the car to off street parking he comes bounding in and hops on the bed and gives me "The Look" ie dog speak for "what are your hands broken? get to rubbing mama!"

In fact if I don't get going, he will sit by my head and whine and paw at me until I get up, and start giving him a rub down.

Both Crash and I noticed that the massage in conjunction with him sleeping on a Serta Baby mattress (We found one used that didn't smell like pee) has him a lot more limber in the AM and sleeping through the night like a champ (before he would cry, toss and turn on his blanket on the floor bed.

His bed is so comfy now I have climbed in his cage and cuddled up next to him during thunderstorms (He is TERRIFIED of them and only being held and sung too calms him down) I ended up falling asleep with my arms wrapped around him. That's some mattress!

So go give your dog or cat or other large mammal some TLC today.

Facelift!

2011-05-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

In celebration of spring and gardening and soon upick berries and apples (My favorite time of year!!!)

I changed up the template.

Kayne Micheal and I sat outside on the porch watching people drive too fast and enjoying the lovely weather (chilly and overcast, but not raining!)

My deck garden is once again active and my plants are enjoying being outside i the fresh air. Soon the Tortoise can move to the porch to enjoy the early morning sunshine as well (when I get his pen together again...whoops)

So I am all a twitter to finally start eating local fruits and veggies but only the hydroponic and green house fruits and veggies are available until May.

I am using this calendar: http://www.pickyourown.org/NYharvestcalendar.htm

Thank goodness most intrepid NYS farmers utilize cold boxes and green houses or I would not be able to enjoy my blueberries this AM.

So in celebration of early blueberries, I give you this recipe (one of my favorites) although I admit, I hate to waste blueberries IN something when you ca just eat them by the handful instead..

http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/07/blueberry-crumb-bars/

Blueberry Crumb Bars
Adapted from AllRecipes.com by Smitten Kitchen

Recipes like this make me wonder why I don’t use AllRecipes.com more. After seeing a blueberry crumb bar on another site, I immediately wanted to make them but the first recipe seemed overly fussy. I knew there was a simpler way to do it, and lo and behold, All Recipes had it. Once I swapped the shortening for butter–of course–and dolled it up with some lemon juice and lemon zest, they were just as heavenly as the 176 commenter promised they’d be.

I could imagine easily swapping another fruit or berry for the blueberries–I’m especially thinking something tart like sour cherries or cranberries in the fall (I’d use orange instead of lemon with cranberries). But if you have blueberries on hand, do not miss a chance to make these.

These are easiest to cut once chilled, and store even better in the fridge than they do at room temperature–something unusual for cookies!

Yield: I cut these into 36 smallish rectangles

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. (This took an extra 10 to 15 minutes in my oven.) Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Some notes by Rogue Writer: In an effort to lighten and add more nutrition:
I am a health nut, and though I cannot say for certain that it adds anything I use pure turbinado sugar (unbleached) or organic cane sugar as well as wholewheat flour usually substituting one cup Garam flour for one of the three cups of flour. Also in the topping I mix in 1/4 cup ground flax seeds (I substitute a mashed banana or 1 tbsp ground flax and water for the egg.) Its the flour sugar and butter that have the heaviness so I usually end up halving the butter and using fat free greek yogurt for half...which lends nicely for a crumble, but not so much a bar.

Editors note:

That kitchen mixtress! I told her about my hemming and hawing over the lack of nutrition and amount of fat in the bars I love and she says "Try this tart" I examined ingredients and am happy to say not only are they more nutritious but the fat is decreased and this is SUPREMELY easy to veggetize!

So without furthe ado:

http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/04/blackberry-and-coconut-macaroon-tart/

Blackberry and Coconut Macaroon Tart
Adapted from Super Natural Everyday

My attempt to swap the whole wheat flour with matzo cake meal was only moderately successful, though I’m not sure if it has to do with the baking-unfriendly bread of affliction or the fact that my coconut was “medium” not “fine” as suggested. If you’re trying it with matzo meal, it might be worth it to grind everything together in a food processor and if you need an extra tablespoon of melted butter to pull it together, go for it.

Some long-winded notes about volumes: The original recipe called for an 8×11-inch tart pan, which I did not have, or the equivalent of in volume. I ended using 2/3 of the crust recipe and 3/4 of the filling (2/3, which would have been correct, seemed like too much of a headache with 4 egg whites) to fill a 13.75×4.25-inch tart pan I have (but never use, because no standard recipes work in it!). Instead of suggesting pan sizes you probably don’t have, I’ve done what I should have from the get-go and scaled the whole recipe to 3/4 of the original volume which should nicely fit in a 9-inch round tart pan (with removable bottom) or an 8-inch square cake pan with the understanding that the first bar will probably not come out cleanly! Unless you have an 8-inch square cake pan with a springform or removable bottom, in which case, I’m jealous of how well supplied your kitchen is!

Crust
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour, spelt flour or matzo cake meal
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened finely shredded coconut
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon natural cane sugar (I used a coarse Turbinado because I had it on hand)
Generous 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 1/2 cups unsweetened finely shredded coconut
6 tablespoons natural cane sugar or lightly packed light brown sugar
3 large egg whites
6 ounces fresh blackberries, halved (feel free to swap any berry/cherry you can find in season)
1/4 cup pistachios, crushed

Make base: Preheat oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom or an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment. Generously butter parchment and sides of pan.

Combine flour, coconut, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in melted butter until evenly distributed in dry ingredients. Press mixture firmly in the bottom of the pan to form a solid, flat layer, like a shortbread cookie base. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove and set aside to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the filling.

Assemble tart: Stir together coconut, sugar and egg whites. Evenly distribute blackberries across tart base. Using a small spoon or your fingertip, drop little tufts of macaroon filling around the blackberries, allowing them to stay at least partially uncovered.

Bake for 20 to 25 until the peaks of the macaroon filling are bronzed. Let tart cool, then garnish with the crushed pistachios (I pressed mine in just a little bit, so they’d stick better) before slicing into skinny wedges or small squares.

(Taken directly from Smitten Kitchen GO THERE NOW!)

KJ

Reviews and blues

2011-05-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

So on the rear end of my job money spiraling away, I did buy myself some treats to cheer myself up, and of course, to review.

So in no particular order:

Emjoi Emagine Epilator: I started with the Braun silk epil and was certain that epilating my legs was simply going to take less the time of shaving (1 a week vs every day) but after using the Braun I noticed that each and every time I used the machine I got ingrown hairs or it stung like the dickens!

So I invested a little money (89 bucks) and bought the emjoi Emagine.

All I can say is WOW. First of all it has twice the tweezers and is super fast and very grippy! I got done with both arm pits, my legs and my happy trail in under 15 minutes.

Although my armpits are always a tad ouchy, before was hell and the Braun Tweezers would tear at my skin and pinch. Not the case with the emjoi emagine.

I simply skin in over my skin and in one slow pass it takes out the hair, ALMOST painlessly.

Now the size makes for doing the bikini line and face a little scary (I now wax my face, I am not putting anything that loud to my lip) but as long as you twin your nether hair, the emjoi works great, just use only one side.

Now I can have smooth legs for weeks instead of hours in the time it takes to shave.

STRONGLY recommend.

Wooly Rhinoceros Yarn:

Just bought a skein of CashMerino. It feels like straight up cashmere. The test knit was a delightful pebbly texture due to the thick and thin stranding of the yarn and the dye was vibrant.

This yarn is available on Etsy at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/WoolyRhinoceros

Earth shoes sandals:
So ever since it has become warmer weather I had been eying these sandals at Wegmans.
I went online to compare the price and found that Wegmans had the CHEAPEST deals and the widest selection thus far in Earth Shoes so I snapped them up (39.95 plus tax)
Wearing these I had no "First day in new sandals" uncomfortable. Which for spinal cord injury girl is rare. The dropped heels helped with my chronic calf cramping and I found myself wearing them even inside the house because they were more comfortable than being barefoot, which if you know me is saying a LOT.

There are so many styles, it would be amiss to only mention one, so go to http://www.earthfootwear.com/ourfootwear/ourfootwearproducts/tabid/65/language/en-us/p-381-cozumel.aspx to see mine, but buy some for yourself, your feet will thank you.

OK kids, that's all for this segment,this girl went through yet another hospital visit with migraines from hell and two days in be with sunglasses.

Next? My dogs new collar, my new bling,and deck gardening for dummies.

Rogue

Government spending and Budget Crisis

2011-02-21T14:21:00.001-08:00

So now I learn they are going to try to cut Americorps.

http://www.change.org/petitions/save-americorps

Also they are going to cut PBS and NPR:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/budget-debates-begin-republicans-put-npr-pbs-chopping/story?id=12915626

Heating assistance for the disabled and elderly:

http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/533853/HEAP-funding-may-be-cut-in-half.html?nav=5002

Which could means 3 million families that can't pay the outrageous Niagara Mohawk bill would be left without heat.

Also Environmental Protection Agency would see its budget cut by a third.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-gop-passes-61b-budget-cuts-senate-democrats/story?id=12958186

I could go on, but I won't. Here is the basic idea that I am kicking around. The average high placed senator, governor, and congressman make $70,000 to 250,000 a year. If each state governor took a 1% pay reduction we would instantly have $65,790 JUST FROM A GOVERNOR SALARY CUT.

Congress Rank-and-File Members:
The current salary (2011) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $174,000 per year.

Senate Leadership
Majority Party Leader - $193,400
Minority Party Leader - $193,400

House Leadership
Speaker of the House - $223,500
Majority Leader - $193,400
Minority Leader - $193,400

So how much is that?

In the US there are 100 senators and 435 members of the House of Representatives.

http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congresspay.htm

Now to another idea. How about government spending on the military?

We spend billions of dollars on sending troops overseas and Military Readiness.

However many Military personnel don't make enough money to support their families, and rely on government programs for food and heat.

http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp

This has long been a peeve of mine, to ask military personnel and their families to risk life be away from family and not even pay them a living wage.

However we are at the forefront in spending for advanced weaponry, aircraft, and assault vehicle science. To make a small point U.S. military spending – Dept. of Defense plus nuclear weapons (in $billions) – is equal to the military spending of the next 15 countries combined. (Incl. The China, Russia, Britain, Japan, Germany, France and others)

http://www.warresisters.org/pages/piechart.htm

So as quick as we are to cut money, its an idea to ask those so willing to cut out funding to take a look at where a majority of our spending goes.

If you are not willing to take a budget cut personally, should you be able to cut budgets to those who need the money most?

Just a thought.

Hydro-Aqua Running/Jogging workout examples

2011-02-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

Aqua Running Workouts:

1. Steady-state: 10 minute warm-up, then aqua jog five to ten minutes steady at 75-80% effort. This can be repeated three to four times with one minute of easy jogging between each.

2. Tempo: 10 minute warm-up, then do 5 x 1 minute at 80-85% effort with 30 seconds of easy jogging between each. Then do 4 X 2 minutes at the same effort with 30 seconds of easy jogging between each five times. Finally, a last set of 3 X 3 minutes each at 80-85% effort with 30 seconds of easy jogging between each.

3. Intervals: warm-up 10 minutes then try intervals of 10 X 2 minutes at 85% effort or 5 X 4 minutes at 75% effort. These should be followed by easy jogging of equal recovery.

4. Strength: To build running strength, add a pair of shoes. Use either a clean old pair or footwear made specifically for the water . Shoes provide more resistance. An elastic/tether cord (aqua hitch) can also be attached to both the back of the flotation belt and pool to add more resistance or when space is limited. This tether increases resistance by pulling you back as you attempt to advance forward. There are also aqua-specific hand weights on the market that can be used for additional resistance.

5. Drills: Use a variety of range of motion drills to increase your flexibility and stride length on land. Try running with a longer stride, higher knees, and play around with stride rate (how fast or slow your legs go).

Note: There is nothing in here about temperature control. Pool temps vary. Also if I run in a lake/river I am going to be FREEZING.

Invest in a good Thermal layer/Rash Guard. Even think about a neoprene swim vest.

In the AM my pool is always so warm I am sweating and stopping frequently to wipe my face. But in the PM the pool is almost always cold as they begin shutting down for the evening.

Hydro-running/Aqua Jogging

2011-02-16T19:17:00.000-08:00

This cripples answer to hating swimming but missing running like a son of a b*tch!

I have been HYdro-Running/Aqua Jogging for two weeks and MAN. It is AWESOME!

I wish I had a running buddy and I wish that my nail polish didn't disintegrate in the pool.

Oh and I really need a new suit. My suit is like...Inappropriate. My breasicles are ready to pop out and expose.

Suit shopping will have to be done whether I want to or not.

Its February shouldn't they be on clearance now having gone one sale the day after Christmas?

LOL

Cardio Workout log

2011-02-06T12:19:00.001-08:00

https://www.smartsheet.com/b/publish?EQBCT=70b9e130548643558da7c011b14b8b76

Keeping tabs of my workouts for this month.

Topiary awesomeness and Bass Lake Memories

2011-02-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

Now I want to have a rosemary bush shaped like this. This is just the kewlest looking topiary ever.

Its a plant skeleton!

Plus, I have fond memories of hiking this trail on Bass Lake in Ely, Minnesota with my cousins and my Uncle Mike and its the same trail my uncle passed away on. Sad but I couldn't imagine a prettier place to pass away with my dog guarding me and never leaving my side.

You're a good girl Mantis.

The waterfall at the end where you can take your boots off and cool your aching feet!

KJ

The Beach Bum Workout: Legs

2011-02-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnC6Iv6PYJI

This KILLED my legs. In a good way. Worked off my PB and Jelly sammich.

KJ

Greek Yogurt Review

2011-01-21T12:55:00.000-08:00

Greek Yogurt Review

So I have been on a no holds bar diet for the last 6 months.

No fast food, no soda, high protein, small meals, 30 minutes of aerobics every day MINIMUM (usually do 55 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weight training 6 days a week)

But because I had three bad falls down our icy front steps and a killer bought of costochondritis I have only lost 10 pounds and gone down one size.

GRRRR!!!

So a friend of mine said I should start taking a multivitamin each morning, drinking a high protein shake and eating a greek yogurt for breakfast, and make sure I carry snacks in my workout bag.

I'd never tried greek yogurt so I got four different kinds.

First I tried Stonybrook Farms Oikos Honey flavored yogurt. This yogurt was very thick, very tart despite the honey, and I ended up adding a dollop of agave nectar to it. Despite that I did enjoy it. I love Plain yogurt with honey and granola so I was a fan of the taste, loved the texture and the serving size was perfect. Could have used a tsp more honey.

Next I tried Chobani Pineapple: This was a lowfat not a fat free yogurt. This was a perfect blend of not too sweet, not too tart. It was perfectly creamy, mixed dreamy, and left me sated for 4 hours while I walked the dog and shoveled the front walk. I will definitely be buying this again and trying the other flavors.

FAGE Total Greek Yogurt: This is the full fat ice cream like greek yogurt. Had I seen how much fat was in it before I bought it I may have reconsidered. But seeing that I hadn't had a single gram of fat today I decided it was OK to indulge for science sake. This yogurt is AMBROSIA. SUPER thick yogurt,with honey so clear its like glass, with just the right sweetness. I ate this slowly savoring each bite, and then licked the container clean much to my dog's dismay. This is BY FAR the best tasting yogurt I have ever tasted. But for 12 grams of fat and only 8 grams of protein for 3/4 cup it had better be!

So for fat content and calories to taste I think Chobani makes the best tasting Greek yogurt.

I am going to go to the local greek store to see if they have a Greek yogurt they recommend. But for now I think I will be trying some more Chobani.

KJ

Intermediate Hiatus: Best Nail Crap of 2010!

2010-12-13T17:35:00.001-08:00

I am SO SORRY! As many of you know I have a Spinal Cord Injury and Connective tissue disease so I am often under the weather and even typing or staring at a white computer screen is painful.

SO if I am gone for a while without blogging, I apologize!

I have lately been rocking the French Manicure almost exclusively. But here are my Best buys of 2010.

My Manicures have been the following changed every three days:

Base: Instant Artificials by Salon Sciences available at Sally Beauty Supply.

Note: This is by far one of the BEST strengthening, quick drying, and non peeling bases for my thin, ridge riddled, peel prone nails. I use only one coat (it gets thick at the bottom of the bottle) and it provides a great base layer and my nails have gotten less stained from nail enamel.

Anchoring layer: CND Stickey By Creative Nail Design.

Note: I have tried Sally, Orly, Borghese, OPI, and other "Bonding/Anchoring" bases and found this one not only actually works the best but it doesn't get thick and difficult to use when you get to the dregs of the bottle. I have had one bottle and used it for 7 months and change my nail color FREQUENTLY and still have 1/8 bottle left. It is GREAT.

Top Coat: INM Out the Door Fast dry Top Coat. Available from Sally Beauty Supply.

Note: I tried Poshe, Seche Vite, Sally Mega Shine, Sally Insta-dry,and Opi RapiDry Top Coat and Borghese Presto. But I found that even though they dried fast the shrinkage was majorly ticking me off and tip wear was TERRIBLE! Plus the price was almost double that of a single small bottle of INM Out the door. I even went so far as to try Nubar Diamont Seal and Shine my friend had and was not impressed enough to pay the same amount of money for a .5 oz bottle when I could get a 2.5 oz bottle of INM for the same price.

Note: Sally French Tip Manicure Pen I have shakey hands. I tried to do my tips with an off white french manicure color by Orly but needed three passes and 5 minutes drying time. I am not that patient, nor do I have that steady of hands. So when I saw this I thought "Eureka!" I patiently tried it out and it works out great! One caveat I do have to mention is that unless you layer a a few coats of top coat on your tips you will have to do touch ups in 2 days because this white does chip unless you use a stickey base coat.

I actually change my nail color every three days anyways to clean, file and inspect my fingers (I am strange) but to the people who want 10 days of coverage be ready to use a stickey base, a good top coat and do touch ups and seal your edges well.

Still for 6 dollars and I have used mine for almost 7 months, its great.

Best Staying power colors of 2010:

I was expecting that when I got my expensive OPI, MAC, and Nicole polishes that I would be blown away by their staying power. I was expecting that because cheap polishes like Maybeline, Revlon, and a few 1.99 Sally polishes has given me some terrible chipped, blotchy manicures.

So imagine my surprise when I found The best polishes in application, drying time, coverage turned out not to be the pricey brands!

LA Colors Color Craze: These polishes are Big 3 free and I found them by accident in a dollar store. I got the bright polishes and took them home. They are the smoothest application, quick drying, longest wearing and brightest colors. I looked online to check out non dollar store prices and they are still only around 3-4 bucks a bottle! I was Seriously surprised and pleased by these. So much that I ended up buying and sending bottles of polish to friends in California, Texas, and Canada.

Misa Nail Lacquer: This is a polish that my friend the nail tech who goes "Ghost hunting" and "product shopping" with me swears by. He is the one who told me if he saw me using Sinful Colors again he was going to cut of my thumbs (He says they turn your nails yellow) Misa is Big three free, huge is Korea, and the laquer is a 2 polish full coverage beauty that comes in a huge array of colors and cost about 5 bucks a pop. It is Super long wearing (I wore red on my hands while making two birthday cakes and cupcakes and went to a party that evening didn't have a chip for two more days). Have to give it props. It can be a little wonky finding all its colors, a lot of nail salons have it and will sell bottles of color, but you have to ask, and also they will let you try it out on a piece of paper, but I bring a plastic nail wheel.

And my final favorite manicure aids for 2010?

Hydrogen peroxide and a q-tip for whitening your natural nail tips.

Sugar and warm water for a natural hand scrub.

Eucerin Healing Ointment on cuticles (Hands and feet knuckles) at night (I use it on my lips and eyelids too)

Hope that this update finds you all in the holidaze spirit.

XOXO

KJ

The difference between think and feel

2010-11-30T13:41:00.000-08:00

I am a fiery person. I believe myself to be intelligent however there are a few triggers that when deployed open wide the flood gates that are my emotions and suddenly my mind is over run.

Animals, children, and the elderly. Basically anyone who is a vulnerable person or who takes great time and care of vulnerable persons who is under attack will activate my defense mechanisms faster than you can say "Houston we have a problem"

Yesterday I was lying in bed reading an article about Fran Lebowitz. An author and speaker whom I admire. She was speaking about how no one takes time to appreciate quality anymore, and no one shows courtesy or gratitude.

More importantly she said young writers and speakers will speak at great length to anyone who will listen about how they feel.

To put it simply it is what separated her from other authors and speakers, she didn't write how she felt, because she didn't want to know how we felt, she wanted to know what we thought, so she wrote what she thought.

It is what separated her as a great thinker.

In this time when everyone is in a mad rush to purchase the perfect gift. When it seems the entire focus of the holiday season has been completely lost to consumerism, it seems to this author the perfect time to think about quality and what truly matters.

I am grateful to continue to have a roof over my head, that my family is settles in their new lives. I am happy that my partner enjoys the colleagues at his job and that it pays enough, even if we have to scrape to get by.

I am excited to meet the newest family member due any day now and wonder if it will be a boy or a girl.

As for feelings? Well I feel a lot of things, but those are my own.

I know that this season only feels dreary for me because of my lack of employment. I am fully aware that any gifts we buy will be purchased with my partners money and none of my own.

With every twist of my brain I can't see any way around it, and I try to come at this point logically. In the end all I can come away with is that it is logical for one to feel beholden even if the circumstances are beyond their control.

So I will pick out all the gifts,decorate the house, budget for the new year, wrap everything up, and sign all the cards from the both of us and create a house bursting with holiday spirit.

This is our favorite holiday despite circumstances beyond our control. Its right we should shake as much happiness from it as we can.

I'm not quite dead yet...

2010-11-22T22:27:00.000-08:00

I am here, I am healed from surgery. I am still painting my nails like a fiend.

Right now I have on China Glaze discontinued "Wild Mink" on mah mitts. It is my favorite salmon-y pink.

I also have been doing some mad physical therapy at the local YMCA.

I am swimming twice a week and doing weights and cardio three times a week.

Needless to say I come home exhausted and the animals are like "Do you have a job, or another family?"

Suddenly not having 24/7 beck and call mommy has made them appreciate me more. Especially in the dinner, laundry, and potty department.

I on the other hand have muscles in use I had forgotten I had. And they hurt, often, and a lot too.

And this cold slimy Syracuse weather is just BEGGING for me to take a fall down our slippery ass front steps from hell.

I predict I will be falling down the front steps at least once this winer because of or in spite of the dog or the steps being slippery.

KJ

666 give away on Scandelously Polished!

2010-09-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Ange is having an evil give away to celebrate having 700 friends reading her blog!

And to celebrate she is giving stuff away!

To enter you need to follow her via Google friend connect.

Her Blog is here: http://scandalouslypolished.blogspot.com/

She is QUEEN of Frankens so I would check it out anyway.

XOXO peeps.

KJ

Saturday Gun and Knives show!

2010-09-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Nails:

I got some tactical knives for Chris and got to see some beautiful knives from a friend of mine Phil Adams:

I also helped my boy Baxter get a scope for his gun and then got to see a really neat decolletage knife:

Had I more money I may have picked it up.

It was a smorgasbord of guns for Baxter and Knives for me, we were there for HOURS.

The next day was the Westcott Street Cultural Fair, so I wore my Yay Prop 8 nails:

I was having a great time until Baxter called me and told me he'd found a tortoise in rough shape that some one had abandoned in an apartment he managed.

Knowing that I knew my way around reptiles and amphibians he asked if I would take it and get it healthy.

I took it, little did I know that my ex- abused, ex-fighting dog Kayne Micheal would adopt it and decide that it was "his" tortoise.

Sigh.

Today Chris came home with a piece of italian marble, a metal lamp, a full spectrum lamp, and a huge underbed storage container. The Tortoise now takes up an entire coffee table.

Today I have my Barbie nails, and tonight I have to have naked nails and toes because I have surgery in the morning :(

Well. Thats my update. There will be more n a week. I am going to be going into surgery I need to go do my pre surgical B.S.

KJ

OK I am not a slacker REALLY!

2010-09-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

I have been fighting some depression and getting ready to have surgery on my low back.

However today I actually got off my keister and actually wrote a review of my Fynnirae haul on Associated Content http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/499923/kj_callaway.html

Keep peeking for it to get published!

I also picked up some new Sinful colors polishes and am going to review them.

However I have to say what is up with Sinful Colors pulling Daddy's Girl (my FAVE purple) and then re-releasing it for a Halloween color?!)

This nail freak is unsure that screams Halloween about purple.

*shrug*

I have had so many freaking manicures that I have not uploaded....

Lets see....Here is a white polish that for the life of me I can't remember what it was called...

So yeah. I have more but I have to upload from my camera.

I've been kwazi-useless. Well time for puppy-chabra and me to get a snack.

We leave you with this picture:

Don't hate us 'case we beautiful

KJ

Quickie post- Ciate worst customer service.

2010-09-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

I have been recieveing this e-mail for TWO months.

Hello Guest,

We have noticed you still not complete processing your order on www.ciate.co.uk.
Just to inform you this order will be cancelled automatically in two days unless its fully processed.
If you are still interested in making a purchase then please click on http://www.ciate.co.uk/customer/account/login/ and visit your order history once you have logged in.

We look forward to your purchase.

Lots of Love,
The Team at Ciaté

Notice canceled is spelled wrong.

I was going to purchase from them until the shipping and handling charges came up, as well as reading reviews from other nail bloggers about Ciate wear (or lack there of) and drying time.

For the money I think that I will keep to my native land for now.

More nail updates soon, my google account was compromised and I was ill again, but I have been a busy little bee!!!

KJ

Fyrinnae Makeup review, edit: Best Customer Service!

2010-09-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

So my Fyrinnae makeup came while I was down with the sickness.

I managed to do swatches of the gloss and eye shadows, as well as a full look using the bronzer and sunkissed finishing powder.

So without further ado lets get started:

Here is the swatches:

Left to right: Acidic Cherry Lip Gloss, Candy Coated Eye Shadow, Kamikaze Eye Shadow, and Delvian Eye Shadow.

Here is a look using the Sunkissed Finishing Powder, The Medium Bronzer, the Candy Coated Eye Shadow, and the Acidic Cherry Lip Gloss.

So on to the review!

I am a long time MAC fanatic. I still have much love for MAC but I have to say for 5.90 a pop these loose shadows pack a WHOLLOP amount of pigment! And bonus? They are VEGAN.

So to prep my lids for Fyrinnae I used my normal primer of a NYC mineral concealer patted on my lids and then applied "Candy Coated". This shadow stayed true and vibrant for 6 hours of humid sweaty schlepping around with no AC and the windows down in my crappy car.

Which I cannot say for my MAC eye makeup.

I was looking too, no creasing in the brow line, no flaking off, the color seemed true and vibrant until I took it off with a chamois cloth and diluted baby wash. I also have to say much to my delight and surprise that the Fyrinnae eye shadows not only came off in one or two swipes, but they left no staining!

Again, something that I can't say for some of my other bright eye shadows.

The finishing powder looked really white when I got it and at first made me a little nervous. But I am glad I used it anyway. It blended in easily with my Kabuki brush and gave my skin a pearl like sheen without looking "powdery" or "ghostly" I used the bronzer like a blush and it warmed me just enough to look "healthy" but not like I put on bronzer.

Which in my opinion is what a bronzer should do.

I have eczema and was unsure if these formulas would irritate my skin, but I wore then two days without any itching, rashes or problems. Color me impressed.

Now for the one product I am not so thrilled with.

The Acidic Cherry Lip Gloss.

Perhaps I should have chosen Blood Stains instead. Perhaps I am a lip gloss snob. But I am not impressed with the Lipgloss from Fyrinnae.

The color looked pretty, but it was difficult to get on evenly, smelled strongly, was extremely tacky and difficult to work with, and once I applied it, even after using the tried and trusted apply, blot, reapply method, came off within an hour.

It also left my lips feeling dry and despite the promise of non transfer was sticky and when I kissed my fiance goodbye he said "Eww your lip gloss is sticky and stinky!"

As I said, perhaps I would have been better off with Blood Stains. I told the lovely staff at Fyrinnae the trouble I had with their lip gloss and was almost within the hour of posting my review sent an e-mail offering an appology and offering to send me Blood Stains or Okinawa Beauty with my order that I had placed to I could see if another lip gloss was more to my fancy.

What DIVINE customer service! Does anyone actually perform customer service anymore? Well apparently Fyrinnae does and they also care about what their customer think of their products.

Which to this writer and reviewer means quite a lot.

On to the Eye Shadows and insert the Squeal of delight!

The Eye Shadows I loved so much I just ordered two more and a sample of Pixie Epoxy from their Website which is here: www.Fyrinnae.com

I highly suggest you load up on some samples on eye shadows, bronzer, and finishing powders! They are vegan and well made and work wonderfully. I honestly cannot stop playing with them and have already informed Mr. Rogue that I WILL be purchasing three full size pots once I figure out which colors best suit me.

The question is, can I narrow it down to three?

Next post- Salon Science Instant Artificials Review and CG Spontaneous!

XOX

KJ

Holy Giveaway Batman! Polish-Aholic Big 300!

2010-09-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.thepolishaholic.com/2010/09/300-follower-giveaway.html

One of my FAVE bloggers Polish-Aholic (yeah I was late in the game finding her gimme a break I'm a newbie!)

Has 300 followers and is having a give-away to celebrate her big 3-0-0!

Go over and check out her website to see the deets, her tweets, and check out her facebook page.

But you got to be in it to win it.

Peace.

KJ

Just a quickie post

2010-09-02T22:33:00.000-07:00

I am alive and just got my Fyrinnae order yesterday! *swoon*

Even though I had the throat plague and a fever from hades I managed to swatch all three eye makeup samples, Lip Gloss, the Bronzer and Sun kissed Finishing powder I had to have.

Thank you to Black Nail Polish and Lip Gloss for fueling the addiction.

I will post pictures tomorrow.

One thing also I am going to post now is a tutorial that saved my nail. I broke my first nail. Split the sucker sideways. Right into the meat of the nail!

So I went online, looked up nail repair and watched this tutorial:

I bought brush on nail glue,got an organic unbleached cotton tea bag (from old tea I didn't like) Salon Science Instant Artificials.

Then I applied two coats of China Glaze "Spontaneaous" and you can't tell where the patch is.

neat.

KJ

Polish Haul and Flakies Mani!

2010-08-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

My splendiferous Fiance decided that I could go on a shopping trip.

So he got me a pair of new ankle boots for Fall

Nail Polish:

My ebay win-

My H&M Polishes-

My Claires Moods Polish-

And my Mani using the H&M Blue Sky Polish with the SH Hidden Treasure Polish-

Look at those foil like shimmers!!! I can't stop looking.

I have swatched everything all my fave colors.

Swatches laters.

KJ

My Nail Wists

2010-08-28T12:18:00.000-07:00

So, I have been getting bored of my manicures.

I've even created a color chart of all the possible color combos of manicures that I can do and I just look at them and sigh.

48 color combos I have worked out with my measly stash and I am still at a creative stand still.

Right now I am wearing Revlon Minted with China Glaze Fairy Dust on my Mani and Maybeline Purple Aluminum with China glaze Fairy Dust on my Pedi.

Both are my favorite colors.

They make me happy, but I need inspiration.

I need LA Colors Nails Art Deco Polish.

I found them for 1.50 an a nail site but I CANNOT be buying anything when I am jobless.

Chris just let me buy makeup and bid on a limited HTF polish on e-bay.

No more polish this month.

(I went a LITTLE high on bidding for my lemming)

I really want to try:

Nfu-oh Holo

Nfu- of Flakies

Mood Polish

Gradient Manicures

Konad Stamping with Bundle Monster Plates

With surgury coming up I can't get a job for at least another 2 months.

GRRRR! At least I will have one thing fixed. Off to go buy a printer cartridge.

XOXO Pics later I promise... heres to hold ya.

"But I don't want to wear the horsey thing!"

"A little PRIVACY while I eat your plants?!"

le SIGH

Products that my eczema loves

2010-08-24T03:24:00.000-07:00

So having had eczema since I was a baby I have always looked for the perfect face cleanser, lotion, and means to keep clean and have a bubble bath without breaking out in a rash.

I wish that Galderma, Proctor and Gamble, and Johnson and Johnson would stop animal testing all together.

However it seems that there are laws that "require" any topical treatment that is considered medicinal to be tested on animals first.

Since those three companies, especially Galderma being the leader in products for people like me with severe skin conditions, products are almost all medicinal, it would be illegal for them to discontinue animal testing.

What bullcrap.

I finally find Cleanser, Face potion, and a bubbly bath that I can use and all of them are tested on animals.

This face wash is a person with eczema and combo skins dream. It foams slightly, has little or no scent, doesn't sting, takes off stubborn makeup, and won't leave your skin feeling like you just walked in from a sand storm. The pump bottle top makes it easy to use in the shower or at the sink and it was gentle enough that I could use it twice a day if I got really greasy sweating at night without stripping my skin.

I am 33 now. I don't have wrinkles yet but I am getting discoloration, uneven skin, and noticing my skin isn't as supple as it was. So I had been experimenting with moisturizers. Holy Jeebus there are a lot of them out there but finding one without dyes or fragrance that also brightened the skin and didn't cost 80 dollers? Forget about it.

Until I was talking to another friend of mine with severe facial dermatitis. She said the local drugstore was having a buy one get one 50% off and to go get Oil of Olay Regenerist 7.

Skeptical but impressed with how great her skin looked I went, bought a bottle (27.99 normally)

I have used it for three months and notice my skin is softer, no more rash, even skin tone, my old scars are faded, my pores are smaller. I really like this stuff and my Nana used to give me samples of her Lancome, Estee Lauder, and Clinique to use as a kid and that stuff NEVER worked on me!

This is one of my favorite things. My softly bubbling non girly part irritating bubble bath. It washes all my body without drying it out, and unlike the Dove "fragrance free" body wash it really doesn't have much of a fragrance. No dyes, and it doesn't feel like I am washing in lotion, I come out of the shower or bath feeling clean and soft.

Another great thing is that it works well with essential oils. I can easily add a few drops of Lavender and have a relaxing soak, or shower before I drift off to sleep. Or put some Sage on a poof and wake up before I go to a party. This is a real workhorse that is gentle enough for baby, but strong enough for this dirty girl.

My trifecta of happy itch free skin after almost 33 years of looking and trying everything else.

As you may notice I linked to the companies disclosures on Animal Testing and most seem to be trying to do away with animal testing, I don't understand the animal testing for pet food. I have protested that, wrote letters about it and will continue to do so.

Also animals anatomy is so much different than ours I really don't understand what exactly they are testing. Just because a dog is sensitive to vicks vapo rub, doesn't mean it is going to make me sick. Dogs also naturally have Salmonella in their digestive tracts and can eat raw meat and it makes them HEALTHIER.

I eat raw meat, I get sick and die from an intestinal parasite.

Bottom line will I use these products? Cetaphil and Oil of Olay? Yes. I have not found ANYTHING and I mean ANYTHING that works nearly as well to help my poor face.

Body wash I am going to try some of the cruelty free baby wash lines. I hear California Baby was really good.

And as always, if I find a replacement and its good, you will be the first to know.

KJ

Vroom-Vroom! Frankenpolish

2010-08-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

So I have made a new frankenpolish. Named after the manicure I used for its debut.

I went to a friends birthday recently and all the ladies had awesome manicures and pedicures (as did I but I does mah own nailz)

One Miss Tiffany had an awesome gray polish on her toes and when I asked her what it was got a "I dunno, got it at my weekly pedi"

Hrm...

So went home and having had the bottle of white polish from LA Colors (Energy Source) a drab white out color) I took it, doctored it with ink black from Sally Xtreme wear until I got a gunmetal gray.

Then thinking I needed a little something and having a longtime LOVE affair for 70's muscle cars I put a shiny black racing stripe down the side.

Vroom-Vroom Gray Franken Polish is born!

I think this manicure is hawt.

KJ

Simple Flashy French

2010-08-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

Went to a birthday party and after I made these Double Dark Chocolate "Brooklyn Blackout Cupcakes" and Classic Yellow Cake with Ganache Frosting mah nails was RUINED!

SO I needed a fast manicure that was pretty.

Enter simple french.

But how to pretty it up for a party?

Well after my friend har-har ING at me for not understanding what a Stripe-er was (I kept saying "What would a stripper have to do with nails?"

I went to the local beauty barn where Stripe-ers were on sale 2 for 1!

Needless I bought a silver and a glittery black.

So this Manicure was born:

Obligatory Brooklyn Blackout Cupcake (with chocolate pudding injection) food porn pic:

Happy Birthday Classic Yellow Cake with Chocolate Ganache:

Sad dog who didn't get to taste ANYTHING!

KJ

LA Color Craze w/ Sinful Colors Nail Junkie

2010-08-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Look at those flakies! I keep staring at my nails. I am not a cool colors fan but this is defiantly going into my rotation.

Up close Macro shot of the Flake-y goodness.

This is a Sinful Colors polish that was actually quite thick and had variations in glitter size that surprised me!

I have had a few Sinful Color polishes that I have been unhappy with. But using them as top coats I have found they are beautiful.

And I finally broke down and bid on a bottle of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure on ebay. Damn you nail polish blogs for showing me all those pretty pictures of Hidden Treasure beautifully perverting your nail polish!

Now I haz to have it.

In other news my dog got a new bed! Now my beloved Kayne Micheal has an inflatable Orthopedic Air Mattress by Precision Kennels, ironically for his Precision Kennel.

The cats like it so much and it was so cheap (Yay clearance!) I may go back and buy a smaller one for them.

Action shots:

First I had to share this sad shot of Kayne Micheal hiding in the bathroom during a thunder storm. He gets so scared and upset that we have to dope him with benadryl.

You see the drool right? Poor baby!

And him with his new bed, which I woke up this morning to find him sleeping UNDERNEATH...?! Doofy dog!

Well Papa is home so time to make the donuts.

KJ

Teal and Silver Manicure

2010-08-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

So I have been REALLY trying to get my cuticles to not look jacked.

I have been using cuticle oil EVERY night. I use hand cream EVERY night. I wear gloves when I do dishes.

So why do my nails look jacked?!

Seriously?!

On the other hand I love this manicure. It reminds me of my favorite casserole dish with the silver inlay.

Classic.

Its Nina Pro Nails "In a Tiff" and Sally Hansen Nail Art Pens in silver.

Can I just say that I do NOT like the Sally Hansen nail art pens?

They drag, smudge and lift color. I think I am going to just go get a thin brush and use that instead. Seriously DO NOT LIKE.

See my jacked nails? Any advice on those?

More Nails soon!

KJ

Battle of the Fast Dry Top Coats: "Seche Vite" vs. "INM Out the door"

2010-08-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

So I was a late nail bloomer.

I always did my Nana's nails, but a life that revolved around constant working out, Martial Arts, playing guitar, and piano did not bode well for having pretty nails.

Now that a disease has caused me to have less fine motor skills and makes guitar playing too painful and weight training and martial arts impossible I started to let myself grow my nails out.

I have amassed what I think is a great base of colors to start me mixing and matching and hopefully having some pretty nails.

But the long asked question I had was, how to keep my manicure fresh?

My Nana used the long stand by Hard as Nails "Hard as Wraps" by Sally Hansen in the round bottle. she was the super patient woman who would put on her base coat and color, let it dry while she watched her nightly shows, then put her Hard as Nails "Hard as Wraps" on before bed and sleep with her arms crossed across her chest like a vampire corpse.

Only to rise with a lovely long lived manicure.

I was never that patient.

So I bought my Hard as Wraps to use as a top coat when I did my french manicures but still looked for the dream top coat.

Enter the debate. First came Mega Shine top coat by Sally Hansen. But I found that it puckered around the edges and pulled at the nail enamel!

I read from many reviewers that this was to be expected. Then I noticed that within a few weeks my bottle began to get really thick in consistency and hard to get the product out.

I had enough by then and gave the bottle to a friend of mine who said she wanted it.

Then I went online and read everyone raving about "Seche Vite"

If there is one thing to know about me its that if EVERYONE is telling you to use something, I am bound and determined to resist.

SO I went to my local beauty supply store where my friend the nail tech worked next door and asked her what she used. She pulled out a JUG and I mean a HUGE bottle of "INM Out the door" Fast dry top coat.

I Immediately went next door and bought it.

I loved it. It dried in seconds, provided a chip free shiny finish, I had the bottle for 2 months before it started to get a little thick. My nail tech friend told me to clean the bottle neck with Nail Polish remover and put a few drops of thinner in the bottle and it would be good as new.

I noticed no puckering, and I could reapply a coat every three days to extend a really fantastic manicure.

On my birthday my fiance gave me 40.00 to spend on whatever I wanted at the Beauty Supply store.

I was just about to pick up my trusty bottle of "INM Out the door" when I noticed they were offering "Seche Vite" for the same price.

So in the name of science I picked up the bottle and decided I would do a comparison.

First thing I noticed "Seche Vite" is thick right out of the bottle. So I am concerned that it is going to get thicker the longer I have it.

It went on easily enough and smoothed out over my nail polish. It gave a really glassy shine too!

I actually got a lot of compliments on my birthday manicure.

But one thing I have noticed is that "Seche Vite" tends to pucker my polish and pull it away from my tips.

I am careful to pull polish almost over and under my tips to kind of protect them and the "Seche Vite" seemed to almost pull the polish in.

For Shine I agree it is fantastic. And I took a beating on my birthday nails and was amazed they woke up in suck great condition. But the puckering at the tips raises an eyebrow since the regular price is more than "INM Out the Door"

I am going to do a left had vs Right hand challenge later this week.

But do you use Seche Vite or INM? Which one do you like better?

KJ

Laquerized- Nail polish give away!

2010-08-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

So, one of the nail blogs I follow besides Miss 80 Millions, The Daily Nail, Vampy Varnish, The Polish Addict, All you Desire, and Pink Sith.....

Yeah...its becoming a problem LOL

But ANYWHOO! Laquuerized is giving away KIKO German Nail Polishes if you are a follower on her blog (I am!) and comment and leave your e-mail addy (I did!)

I'm a rather huge fan of German cosmetics and so here is hoping one of us wins huh?

Here is the link

Good Luck!

KJ

Birthday Haul

2010-08-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

My honey was VERY generous.

I got a 15% off coupon, plus a 5 dollar off coupon, plus a birthday discount from my friend who is a nail tech and said he would meet me at Sally Beauty and buy my stuff for me with his Cosmeticians license.

I was completely geeked out.

SO I gots THESE:

And then I decided I needed THESE:

And a bottle of Seche Vite to try and a ginormous bottle of Nail Polish remover.

I am kinda impressed with Seche Vite. It goes on thick but really smooths out any mistakes and really makes your manicure look nice. BUT, it is SO THICK. It is going to be gel before I am halfway done with it and that drives me NUTS.

My friend said the way you keep it fresh is by cleaning the top of the container so that it closes and forms a good seal. If it gets crusty and can't close the water will evaporate.

I am still a fan of INM Out the Door but I am going to do a side by side comparison to see which top coat works better.

SO without further ado. Here are Birthday Mani/Pedi Pics!

Birthday Mani- Sally Xtreme Wear Black out with China Glaze Lubu Heels, 2 Coats Seche Vite TC:

Birthday Pedi- Frankenpolish "Raising Kayne" with China Glaze Fairy Dust, 2 coats Seche Vite TC:

It went PERFECT with my Turquoise and peach beaded sandals that I was wearing with my jeans, black suit jacket and slinky t-shirt.

All my buddies who were with me were like "Wow! we all look like slobs!" Bax was like "Well I'm wearing shoes, so theres that." I was very proud he wore shoes and shorts for me.

No underwear though. Which he announced to everyone. Which is probably why we wee surrounded by hoe parade on and off through the night. Much to Bax, Lil Joe, Beretta
and I's amusement Bai tried to hit on every single scary looking, inappropriately dressed, drunken barfly that flitted over to our corner of the patio.

Granted, you have my very handsome guy friends all talking bikes, travel, music, and bloody movies and somehow girls always seem to flock like moths to a naked bulb.

It was highly amusing to watch Bai speaking Russian and trying to pick up several Ukrainian women who were so thin I could actually see their ribs and hip bones.

Bax kept shuddering whenever she leaned over whispering to the rest of us "I can see her spine! someone give her some chicken stat!"

Lil Joe and I decided that every girl duo in the bar had a hot girl and a fat friend, or a hot girl and a grenade ( a friend who is not as attractive as you ad therefore makes you feel better about yourself or makes you look better in comparison)

He and I decided that I am the fat chick AND the hot girl, he is the thin chick AND the grenade.

We told Bax our thoughts and he reached over and cupped Joe's chest and said "You definitely ain't the hot chick, your titties ain't big enough"

I snorted gin out my nose.

I love my guy friends. Real drinks, interesting conversation, real jokes, I can look at pretty girls with them and laugh until gin comes out nose and not worry about whether I look pretty.

Happy Birthday indeed.

KJ

LA Color Craze Swatches

2010-08-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

So I broke down and swatched!

I was having some serious questions about Magnetic Energy so I broke down and swatched it.

Let me just say the bright pink bottle did NOT match the neon orange with gold frost that it turned into. I still can't decide if I like this or not. I think it may be great for someone with darker skin or who LOVES bright color.

Next is a swatch of all the colors that I got for myself (Excluding High Voltage which I am not going to keep)

Left to Right

Magnetic Energy, Static Electricity, Transformer, High Voltage

And my thumb a PRETTY purple that I love: Nuclear Energy

I honestly love Nuclear Energy, Transformer, Static Electricity, and Atomic

I think Rain is going to love her colors she picked out!

I still have two bottles of Magnetic Energy, one bottle of Shock, one of Static Electricity, and one of High Voltage (the one that looks like White out, but shiny)

I did not swatch Shock, its unopened. If you are interested but want me to swatch it I will.

KJ

Atomic Manicure from the dollar store, learning my lesson about yellow nails

2010-08-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

So I was hoping to score some Maybeline Nail enamel when I saw a few bottles of LA Colors Color Craze. Not knowing anything about the product but really digging the in your face brightness of the turquoise shade of "Atomic" I snagged a bottle and thought "hey for a buck if I hate it who cares?"

I went home and booted up the trusty laptop and found this site. Needless to say I was shocked and a little thrilled to find out my dollar store find was a cruelty free, toluene and formaldehyde free product!

So further enthused I waited until my current manicure at the time (China Glaze Strawberry Fields) gave up the ghost and then go my arsenal together and set to do my manicure.

Because this is a somewhat darker enamel I always start my manicure with a good coat of Orly Orlon Base coat.

I have not found any other base coat that I like better for the price. I use this to set up a barrier between my nails and the color because I noticed my nails yellowing a bit.

Next I apply Creative Nail Design "Stickey" Anchoring base coat. Yeah, yeah, I know two base coats. Here is the thing though, I noticed that using the CND Stickey alone did NOT help to stop yellowing. Also I read reviews of CND Stickey and several people said that while it is great for making your color stay longer it is not good at stopping the yellowing of the nail.

So I consulted a friend of mine who is a nail technician at a Spa in Palm Springs and asked her opinion. She said she alternates between light and dark polishes, uses a regular base coat and the CND Stickey basecoat, and gives her nails a good scrub with baking soda and peroxide paste followed by a soak in a bowl of water with a denture tablet. She does this every other time she changes her polish (so once a week) and says her nails are not yellow in the slightest.

Since I have been following her advice I noticed that my nails are much whiter and I can barely see any yellow at all.

At one point they were getting pretty gross.

See the yellow on the side of the nail peeking out from even underneath? ewww.

After two treatments, and a light buffing, the yellow is SERIOUSLY on the outs.

Today before I did my nails. The basecoats, treatments, and care paid off!

My pretty "Atomic" nails in the sun. I love this color! I cannot believe it was a dollar!

So, lesson learned about base coats, nail care,and enamel ingredients. I learned a lot by taking a risk on a tiny bottle of pretty blue nail enamel and it paid off.

Things I am entering. A giveaway

2010-08-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

China Glaze Vintage Vixen set in Cat´s Meow
One lucky winner gets this set of six polishes. It includes:
Goin' My Way?
Emerald Fitzgerald
Riverter Rouge
Classic Camel
Midnight Mission
First Class Ticket

So the lovely lady at All You Desire (www.all-you-desire.com) was reccomended to me by a fellow polish affianado who knows how much I love looking at comparisons between nail polish colors.

Whay do you mean? you are saying? Let me explain. I hate nothing more that to go out, buy a 10 dollar bottle of ail polish, come home and find out it is a chipping, flakey mess, or worse that I love it and have just bought the last bottle.''It is enough to make you hair turn white, and grind your teeth flat.

So in comes All-that-you-desire.com with a great eye for immediately picking out similarities between polishes and showing the to us so that we can decide for ourselves whether the more expensive one is earth the price r replace a discontinued much beloved color.

We all fall down

2010-07-31T01:32:00.000-07:00

So once again my great big horse of a dog managed to physically injure one of us in the house with his overly enthusiastic bull headed self.

Whilst walking to the front porch to let the do out for our afternoon break, my dog Kayne suddenly lurched in front of me.

Thus knocking me sideways causing me to step partially out of my shoe, become tangled in a potted plant, step sideways onto my right ankle and then fall to my knees.

The same ankle I have broken three times.

The same ankle I have sprained so many times I have lost track.

The same ankle that is so screwed up and badly patched that after one x-ray y my doctor he took back my handicap tag application and wrote "disfigured right foot" under reasons for needed a handicapped tag.

So back to the front porch.

I am on my knees when the pain of my right foot hits me and I think I a about to throw up. I pull it out in front of me and look at it and immediately know that if its not broken its badly sprained.

Trying to move my toes and I have to suck in breath. I feel tears begin to sting my eyes and suddenly think. Didn't I used to compete with broken limbs?

Pulling out my cell phone I call my fiance Chris. I get his voice mail and I sit there for a moment wondering what to say.

It has come to the worst case scenario. I am trapped, on my front porch, with my anti-social dog. I have fallen, and I can't get up.

Hanging up the phone, I throw my flip flops at the dog who is sleeping peacefully in the sun.

Then I remember, my laptop is plugged in just inside the door.

Reaching inside the screen I drag my laptop to me by the cord and boot it up. using my arms and left leg I lever myself into a patio chair and set myself up with my lap top and set to distract myself until Chris comes home.

He calls and I pick up my cell phone, trying to hold back tears.

"What happened?" he says sounding annoyed.

"The dog tripped me and I fell down and hurt my foot and can't put weight on it, I am stuck on the front porch, but I have my phone and my laptop." I say, voice wavering with tears.

I hear him start to swear and rant as he puts the phone down.

Hearing myself begin to apologize for calling saying I didn't know what to do because it hurts really bad. My inner voice is whacking my head with a newspaper screaming "Don't apologize! Why are you apologizing?!"

"What do you want me to do about it?!" he yells.

I am shocked. I am no longer upset. I am deeply, passionately, pissed off.

"Thanks you for calling, it was so kind of you to be concerned." I say and hang up.

Seated, unable to get up and throw things, unable to yell because I am outside in front of the neighbors, unwilling to cry,ankle throbbing in time with the beat of my heart I try to pull myself together into a state of calm resepctability.

I take some deep breathes and try to focus on anything besides the deep, burning, throb that is my right foot.

I try to think schematics of my house. Where is the nearest cane? Chris has a skateboard in the living room maybe I could sit on it and scoot to the kitchen for an icepack? did I need an x-ray? did we have ace bandages? How was I going to make us dinner? Did the dog need to go potty? hell we lived on a 2nd floor walk up! How was the laundry going to get done?

Suddenly the reality of what just happened fell on me like a bucket of water and I was in a panic. There was three cats, a dog, and a redheaded human male to take care of and I couldn't just trust that he would pick up and take over the things that I did because I couldn't walk.

Just as I was trying to psyche myself up to try to crawl inside and find my old foot brace or an ace bandage the dog did his "ZOMG! Daddy came home and he brought the car!" song and dance.

Chris came upstairs, came out to the patio, looked at my foot and said "Wow, you aren't going to be able to walk on that for a few days, let me get ice and find an ace bandage."

So I lifted the death threat I had put on him. He actually helped me get inside, set me up comfy with an icepack and a book. Even went and bought me an iced coffee.

It wasn't until 3 hours later that he started complaining about being hungry and asking if we really were going to eat Peanut butter and jelly, cereal, and ramen for the next few days because that was all he could make.

To be fair he did set everything out for me and got me a chair to sit in while I cooked. And he does help me get things so I don't have to move around a lot, and he makes me ice my ankle.

Still, I see the wheels turning in his head on how to get me to the laundromat with the 4 baskets of laundry and not need to stay himself.

So yes, I have probably further screwed up my foot. Possibly done irreparable damage but in this comically hard luck life of mine, nothing comes as a surprise to me anymore.

I hope by the end of next week that my foot is significantly better, I'm not holding my breath.

In the end, everyone falls at one point or another, it take a strong will, and the support of someone who care to lever ourselves back up to soldier on.

The Makings for a home manicure

2010-07-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

My fiance met me and loved that I loved kitties. Loved that I could play acoustic guitar. Loved that I had more compact discs and vinyl records than him (which is saying a lot) What he didn't love so much is my habit of biting my nails.

Yes I admit it, I was a nail biter. beyond just biting, I would literally bite my nails until they were so ragged and destroyed I needed band aids.

So after a few failed attempt with acrylic nails, which I literally felt like I was wearing something that needed to be taken off because it felt so weird on my fingers.

My lovely fiance came home with a bunch of nail files, a bottle of Sally Hanson "Hard as nails" and a promise that for every week I didn't chew my nails I could get a new polish.

How he is regretting his offer now.

I never take into a bet halfheartedly.

Nails are actually made out of a protein called Keratin. Nails grow fastest during the summer (just like our hair, because its the same stuff) and the rate of growth is largely dependent of factors such as diet, exercise, heredity, and gender.

In addition to diet many have resorted to supplementation to thicken their nails. There are several dermatologists and nutritionists who say taking 2.5 mg of Biotin will help to grow out nails that are thin, brittle, or peeling.

There is also the long standing advice of housewives everywhere:

Wear plastic gloves to do dishes.

Always moisturize after you wash your hands.

Use a really thick moisturizer at night.

Avoid constant wetting and drying of your nails.

With the advent of hand sanitizer this seems easier than ever, but be wary not to overdo with the alcohol based hand sanitizers. Alcohol draws water from the skin and can make hands and nails dry.

So after learning about the anatomy of a nail I went online and into the drugstores to find the most cost effective products to give me an awesome manicure.

Here is what I bought for my arsenal:

Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking Soda, and Denture cleaner ($6)- Yes, you have read the previous correctly. I have the previous in my collection of manicure supplies. If you mix a TSP baking soda with just a drop of peroxide to make a paste and apply to nails between dark polishes it will keep them from yellowing. Additionally once every 4 weeks I give myself a soak bare nails in denture cleaner. You can get this cheap at the dollar store. This whitens my tips and removes any trace of yellowing or discoloration from my nails. I have to thank my friend Garnet for this tip!

Cotton pads($1)- Dedicated only to your nail polish stash. You will use up these little babies like they are going extinct.

Polish remover($2-$5)- I have heard the arguments "No use non acetone on natural nails" "No acetone is fine!" It is a personal preference. Personally I would like to not spend 20 minutes removing polish from my nails. Acetone polish remover takes it off like no bodies business. However, I have heard from many beauty guru's that acetone is very drying. But every Non- acetone polish remove I have used has sucked! So until I find a non acetone polish remover that removes polish at a speed I am comfortable with I will be continuing to use Acetone based polish.

Orange sticks/Cuticle pusher ($2)- I have a rubber cuticle pusher as well as a few orange sticks and a metal under nail cleaner (what the pointy part of the orange stick is for) I have to use this routinely on my fiance and his ingrown toenails. The great part about metal is that after you are done you can sanitize it. Orange sticks are not as sanitary, but are entirely disposable and cheap. I recommend having at least a few.

Creative Nail Design Stickey Base Coat($6)- A base coat that came highly recommended. I'd tried Orly Ridge Filler, Sally Hansen Ridge Filler, and Orly Orlon base coat and Orly Bonder. All of them began to chip and peel by day two no matter how carefully I applied my nail polish. The only one that I managed to get more than 5 day wear from was Creative Nail Design Stickey Basecoat. I think you have to do your own testing and find out what works for your nails, but this seems to work for several.

Several Nail Polish colors! My favorite brands are Sinful Colors and China Glaze. China Glaze I have only found at Sally Beauty Supply. I do have some OPI colors, some Sally Hansen,and Some Scherer Petites.

Sally Hansen French Tip Pen($5)- This has made doing a french manicure SO MUCH easier for me. I have shaky hands, don't want to mess with tiny strips on my nails, and want to be able to do touch ups with no trouble. This pen makes it so easy. Available in wide tip or fine tip its easy to find one to suite your needs and the look on the nails is natural.

INM: Out the door fast dry top coat ($5)- So everyone I know says "I LOVE Seche Vite top coat! oh its so great!" I was able to try it for free from a friends bottle. I'm sorry but the shrinkage, the smell? and the fact that it dries up so fast in the bottle! for almost 10 bucks for a bottle I was not colored impressed. Enter INM "Out the door fast dry top coat" from Sally Beauty Supply. This 5 dollar a bottle, thinner liquid, super fast drying, and not NEARLY as terrible smelling Top coat is great at drying my polish, and maintaining my manicure.

The best part is it isn't too thick that I can't reapply a coat every other day to freshen my mani.

Emery boards ($2)- Basic must. Have a few of these in a grit for natural nails. And always keep one in your backpack or purse. Something that drives me crazy now is when I break a tip or have an edge and no emery board in site.

Crystal/stone file($3-$12)- You can find these at any Beauty supply stores. I was stupid enough to buy one at the Mall of America for 20 bucks. Its a stone nail file that files the nail and you can use it to seal the nail edge as well as buff off dried cuticles.

Thick hand cream and/or cuticle oil($3-$12)- I happened to find Barielle cuticle oil on clearance at a Big Box store for 3 dollars. So I use it every night along with my super thick old lady cream that I haven't been able to find recently and am using sparingly. But there are several great thick hand creams that either have oils already added in, or are specifically for hands. Find one that works for your skin type and use it religiously.

Its an arsenal right? But once you find your go to products and arrange them in a neat little bag, you find out that it really isn't that many things.

So looking at the list is "seems" like a lot of stuff. In reality it fits into a small plastic bin. Once you have your Mainstays like basecoat, topcoat, polish remover, emery boards and other tools, you will learn how best to organize it and the only thing that you will continually need to find space for is nail polish colors.

Consider this, setting up your own at home Manicure set will cost nearly $35-$60 to set up and that doesn't include Nail Color. But going to a salon and having your nails done 52 times a year for $20 not including tip would be $1040 a year. Even just having a once a month Manicure for $20 would still land you $240 a year.

Where as you add in toe separators and a friend and you have a Friday night pampering session that leaves you beautiful and saves you money.

So go forth into the Beauty supply stores, drugstores, and dollar stores of the world and gather your arsenal and prepare to get beautiful.

The Mills Rose Garden is one of ten AARS accredited public display rose gardens in New York State.

2010-07-29T00:48:00.000-07:00

I have always driven by The Syracuse Thornden Park Rose Garden and said "I have got to get there and see the roses"

For 8 years living in Syracuse I have been there twice.

Once for the tackiest wedding ever. And once to break up with a boyfriend.

Ah sweet, sweet memories.

I needed to get back to the garden and make it less of memory seeped in evil.

The one great thing about this greenhouse weather we have been having is apparently it has made for absolutely robust and stunning roses.

So I grabbed my handy Panasonic, my Keen sandals, and Deep Woods OFF! and went to smell the roses.

A small bit of trivia I learned boning up on the M. Mills Rose Garden. The Mills Rose Garden is one of ten AARS accredited public display rose gardens in New York State.

The Syracuse Rose Society is in charge of maintenance of the roses in the M. Mills Rose Garden and it is the third Syracuse Rose Society garden founded in Syracuse by the society which was started in 1916.

This garden is located in Thornden Park, Syracuse, NY. A park that is located on land donated to the city by M Mills, a founding member of the Syracuse Rose Society and Rose and Garden enthusiast.

Thornden Park still boast the M Mills Rose Garden and the Syracuse Rose society continues to perform maintenance every Wednesday and some Saturdays throughout the late spring through early November.

I have this vision of the Syracuse Rose Society being a select group of people converging on the rose garden in the early morning when the park is still misty armed with pruning shears and hand misters. Wearing straw hats and khaki shirts silently moving across the garden like devoted monks at prayer. I am informed by a member of the SRS whom is 25 years of age with a laugh that my visions are fanciful and couldn't be farther from reality.

In truth they are always happy to have a hand weeding, pruning, spraying, and hand picking dead heads off flowers. Often there is music, laughing, and refreshments in the gazebo that sits in the center of the garden.

With this new insight shattering my ninja-assassin secret society of rose enthusiasts I still find the enthusiasm to go sniff the local flora.

Upon entering the garden and visiting rows upon rows of riotous color, the careful dedication of his small group of volunteers shows.

Hundreds of people use the Rose garden During June through Early August for Weddings, Photo shoots, and parties. When others are not using it for these reasons you can still find people walking around simply enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of the blooms.

The sheer amount of colors is enough to keep you wandering around in circles for hours on end.

I found colors that I had to check the camera and take off my sunglasses because I wasn't sure I was seeing correctly.

Unusual shapes, colors, scents. Flowers that I couldn't confirm were roses except for the placard set at their feet.

And roses that reminded me of loved ones like my grandmother who used to tell me how she had once received a perfect blue rose and always remembered it as being so beautiful.

However the most interesting thing about the rose garden is not the roses themselves. It really isn't. It is the age of some of the bushes that are still blooming there.

Those are just some of the oldest placards that I took a picture of and not all of them.

I was thoroughly exhausted, sore, and had no power left in my camera by the time the light faded from the sky and I trooped back to my car to head home with my camera full of pictures and my nose full of heady perfume.

It occurs to me though the M Mills Rose Garden is more than a place in Syracuse with pretty flowers. Its more than a beautiful place to get married, more than a nice area to soften the blow of a breakup, more than a romantic spot to walk and hold hands.

It is a sacred beautiful space where anyone can come and still find something to be in awe of. A place where people with a common love for a very old flower still join together to keep it beautiful for our future generations.

So if you are near, don't wait for a special occasion to visit these pockets of beauty. Its our responsibility to enjoy them, share their beauty, and revel in their splendor.

Musicians road map.

2010-07-28T23:09:00.000-07:00

So we consider the source. I am a music snob. Truly no holds barred, I will have heard some of the best singers, songwriters, conductors, composers, and true masters on stage, in churches, on street corners, in smokey bars,in hot basements, crowded community centers, dives, plazas, hotel rooms, tour buses, and my life is half done.

I love music and developed an ear early because I was lucky enough to have parents who loved and appreciated music, a knack for picking up instruments, and now a partner with my same ear for the sweetness.

Also pervert my sensibilities with a father who ran a kitchen in the most popular night club in Minnesota. A classically trained vocal performance mother with a poster of Rick James in her closet. And a Southern born and bred grandmother who would drag me to every orchestra concert she could, and also taught me every burlesque song she knew.

I was doomed to be the kid who played the ukelele at camp and had a collection of autographs of famous Old men like "John Ritter" and "Sir David Wilcocks" (who knew me by name and always sang one christmas songs to me and wrote it out to me on sheet music before he left to return to England saying "Keep music close")

Kool and the Gang, Prince, The Times, and Chaka Khan! I don't even remember who else. Combined with Susan Battle (The opera Worlds Naomi Campbell) Sarah Brightman (nicest woman in the world), Andrew Lloyd Weber, John Milfrod Rutter,and Sir David Wilcox.

These moments burn themselves into your memory and come back in waves hearing the familiar opening notes.

If you have been touched by it you know what I am talking about.

That feeling when you hear a musician, or performer start their set and the entire audience in gelled together into one cohesive heartbeat and one song glides seamlessly into another.

Everything around the audience and the musician disappears and you are led through a series of stories. Muscles in your arms and legs twitch involuntarily in beat to the rhythms, maybe tears come to your eyes or you have to fight not to sing along.

I personally hate it when you sing along. But I remember once at a Dead Prez rap concert. One of the most magical concerts I have ever been to. I was in the middle of the crowd dancing, singing along, and the lead artist stopped mid track and put the microphone out to the audience, and the audience spit the lyrics to the rap verbatim without skipping a beat. It was heart stopping how powerful it felt.

"Hell Yeah"

http://www.youtube.com/user/deadprezVEVO?ob=artistob#p/a/u/1/J27tRF1FvXs

I actually really love this group because of the social commentary and how much the group and grown up personally and professionally. I had the chance to meet them and talk about growing up, being vegan, drugs, inner city youth, and even cancer. A great bunch of guys don't let this video make you think they are a bunch of Street thugs. You couldn't be more wrong.

No one was violent, no one was angry. Everyone was there with a mutual appreciation for a great group of rappers and a desire to hear them perform.

The first memory I have of being absolutely mesmerized was when I saw Placido Domingo and Sarah Brightman sing Hosanna in Excelsis Deo. Part of the great music piece "Requiem" If you never get a chance to hear this piece....

It was during a rehearsal, so I was literally front seat, third row, holding my mom's purse. She and her friend were in the background chorus for the performance with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Imagine a little girl hearing this, sitting by herself in a huge theater.

Needless to say it was the when the drums came in and Placido and Sarah started to encourage the chamber choir to dance with them and the full orchestra came in that I was literally stunned and didn't know whether to stand and dance or continue to sit their with my mouth hanging open.

Since then I have heard many musicians. Some great, many not so great and many that I will carry in my memory forever.

Its a curse, once you hear music that is divine and you receive the gift of being able to sort the good from the bad it is a musician lovers game of mousetrap trying to find musicians these days with something new and wonderful to offer.

If you have not checked them out I have become a huge fan of Muse. Particularly this song.

Musically having your chops, not afraid to take chances, drawing you into their music, and they deliver on CD and in concert. Concerts, remember those? When we used to go to hear music? Not to watch a magic show, or a skateboard demo, just to sit or stand in the audience with your fellow music lover and revel in music.

So this is my small synapses to today. Albeit brief, my play list on my computer is almost 3G and we have over 2 MP3 players, 7 shoe boxes of digital recordings, 6 CD towers of original recordings, and 20 vinyl records worth of music in the house.

I for one am by no means done seeing what the world will put out for me to discover.

Canine Courtesy on the curb.

2010-07-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

Walking in the heat of the city streets of Syracuse is pretty brutal in the months of June through August.

You can tell what season it is by looking around you and seeing the mass exodus of people whom move furniture out of their homes and onto their patios, porches, stoops, lawns, steps, driveways and sidewalks.

They sit and enjoy what breeze they can, watch the kids play, catch up on neighborhood gossip, and revel in being out of the house while they can.

I too enjoy this time of year. It is the time I take my dog for late evening walks. Armed with plastic bags, my cell phone, emergency money, and self defense device. I often take to the street with and without the hound to walk to the local coffee shop, pick up a book at the library, or just tool around and check out what is growing in my friends gardens.

When my canine companion is with me on my walks he routinely stops in one of three places and takes a masterfully large dump. I always come prepared and carry three plastic bags.

I pick up the poop, tie off the bag, and off we go.

He continues his walk on his leash, I carry his droppings, to be disposed of in my trash can or a dumpster.

Never does it occur to me to leave his crap on someone else's lawn.

Neither does it occur to me to take off his leash and let his run amok.

Would he listen to me? Yes. Would he come if I called him? Yes. Would I absolutely rely on that? Absolutely not.

So why is it that I am the minority?

Walking around my neighborhood it drives me insane to see piles of dog crap left everywhere. I don't mean here a crap there a crap, I mean everywhere a crap crap.

Walking in the park we passed twelve dogs who had taken massive dumps and their owners smiled, shrugged, and walked away from the steaming pile of poop.

My fiance and I just stared at each other. This is why when we go to the park, we have to mind our step, because other dog owners cannot be burdened to carry a plastic bag and pick up dog crap.

Which brings me to the next issue of canine courtesy that seems to be missing in Syracuse local dog scene. Leash laws. In parks, dogs must be on a leash. This is for your dogs protection, and mine.

Here is a situation. My dog is afraid of other dogs. We keep him away from other dogs. Your dog,who is not on a leash, runs up to my dog, who is on a leash, I have to grapple push, boot, and yell at your dog to go away and get back to you, you whom are standing there holding your leash mouth open gaping like a fish not helping me by grabbing your dog.

Thanks.

Don't count on your dog listening to you. Dogs are dogs. They are driven by instinct and it takes one second and one time chasing something across a busy street and not having a leash on and being hit by a car and suddenly hindsight is 20/20.

Your leash could be made from a shoelace if thats all it takes for your dog to remember to stay within a certain distance of you. But in a park where there are leash laws and rules about picking up after your dog. Everyone has the right to enjoy the park, and if you want to come out and play, follow the rules.

You want to leave your dog crap on the ground and run loose with your dog find somewhere where everyone is cool with it. until then watch out.

I see your dog taking a crap and you leaving it, you might wake up to a weeks worth of dog crap on your doorstep with a note saying "Dear inconsiderate citizen, I believe you forgot to clean this up when you walked your dog. I left you some plastic bags so next time you can clean up your dogs poop. We are watching you, next time you leave your droppings on our lawns and gardens you will find it on your doorstep in flames. Sincerely, Citizen Canines"

We are pissed, we are watching, we will your crap at your doorstep.

Coconut London Bars: Test Kitchen Success!

2010-07-13T04:21:00.000-07:00

So people who know me know that I have been looking for an authentic version of my Nana's awesome "London Bars" since she lost her recipe moving into her retirement castle.

I have tested several "London Bar" recipes as well as several "Coconut Bar" recipes and while they were ok to terrible nothing came close.

After another EPIC FAIL last night with a recipe involving evaporated milk I went online seeking expert advice.

An online cook friend who happens to work in a baking test kitchen I told her about my Bar quandry. She suggested that we conference online and try to work out ingredients.

Together we came up with a recipe and this morning too excited to sleep I woke up and whipped out a batch.

They came out delicious!

Here is the recipe and I hope that you make some for yourself soon!

KJ's Coconut London Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 c. flour
1/2 c. Brown sugar
1/2 c (stick) unsalted butter

Mix together to form crumbly texture and press into bottom of 8x10 pan
(note: I used 1 1/4 cup flour 3/4 cup brown sugar and the same amount of butter in a 9x13 glass pan with no problems)

Bake at 325 for 10 minutes or until golden brown

Center layer:
1 c. Brown sugar
2 eggs (don't whisk first!)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
dash salt
1 c. Fresh grated coconut/Frozen thawed fresh cocnut

Top:
1 c. Chopped pecans or walnuts

So while the crust is baking put together the ingredients for the middle in a bowl and mix together with a spatula, folding the ingredients together gently scraping down the sides as needed for about 2 minutes.

Pour mixture over crust when it is done and hot from the oven, and sprinkle with nuts.
Bake at 325 for 15-20 minutes, cool on wire rack. Can be drizzled with confectioners sugar icing if desired.

You make it, you eat it

2010-07-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

As an independent foodie and child of a chef and grand daughter of one of the best home cooks in the midwest I'd like to think I know my way around food.

Growing up with a grandmother who knew good food and could tell list the ten top restaurants still running in Minnesota off the top of her head, while banging out homemade cookies in 12 varieties for the neighborhood I was spoiled for quality.

My nana and I still call each other and share recipes we see on television that we thin are ridiculous, or call to gossip about a restaurant poorly preparing a meal.

My nana and I are always going out for dinner at some restaurant famous for their food and giving it the once over.

Sadly, since I had taken her to Matt's Bar and had a Jucy Lucy Burger we hadn't had any restaurants or chef's that we both really wanted to seek out.

So on a whim I told her we should watch some Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. We both enjoy his show and have been to his restaurant in NYC Layla's (Bes Fries EVER.)

My nana even bought me a copy of Kitchen Confidential for my birthday.

Watching his show always whet our appetite to go out and try new recipes and restaurants again.

That was when we saw Chef Edward Tuson.

I have always been a big local eater and our backyard growing up was a virtual forest of vegetables and edible flowers.

The first time I went to camp at nine years old and tasted iceberg lettuce with bottled dressing I remembered asking my camp counselor what it was.

Living in an apartment before I found the farmers market I literally befriended the elderly citizens of my neighborhood and helped them out with small chores just for the opportunity to take a few things from their garden.

Edward Tuson was a chef in Vancover, British Columbia who understood that devotion to food.

He raised his own meat, grew his own veggies, smoked his own fish, (that he caught himself or bought from local fisherman), and harvested local flora, to prepare and serve for 12 years at the Sooke Island Restaurant.

And as Anthony Bourdain said of his food both eating and looking at it, was magical.

Edward Tuson said that everything that he used could be found within 20 miles of Sooke and it consisted of 75-85% of what they served.

Can you look in your kitchen cupboard and find 10 things that were produced in the same state you live in?

Now Edward Tuson is running a smaller restaurant with much simpler but still local and delicious fare in an establishment called "The EdGe" Still finding it packed to the gills and still using his garden, local flora and fauna his reason for leaving is simple.

"I want to cook food that I would eat."

A chef after my own heart.

Visit Edward Tuson at "The EdGe" on Sooke Street, British Columbia, Canada

KJ Callaway

Dinner on the cheap

2010-06-29T23:56:00.000-07:00

So we have no money. But being that I stock up on weird things like pasta sauces, dried herbs, frozen fish, rice, cake mixes that go on clearance for 50 cents. We may whine about not being able to go out an have someone else do the cooking for us, but the truth is, not only are we eating well, but we are eating cheap.

Having a chef for a dad and having gotten to know him and having the worlds greatest home cooker for a Nana raise me gave me a minimalist sense of putting things together. I grew a palette for food that had a taste for Flavors that excited, soothes, sent electricity down your spine or lit up your mouth with a simple medley of flavors that went well together and I also learned to create some of my own culinary pieces that border lined on religious experience.

So eve though we are broke and scraping by I keep my spice shelf stocked by trade. I know which stores to buy fish for cheap.

I go to the farmers market and load up on the fresh fruits and veggies for the week, and know I am going to spend the day cleaning, processing and readying them for the week to make dinner faster.

But its worth it to be able to feed 2 adults for about 200 dollars a month.

We don't drink, I don't buy soda, we rarely eat meat, and when we do its from the farmers market and is usually cheaper than the store.

I trade bakery products for Venison and Duck.

And we eat WELL.

Tonight for dinner we had Agave-Spicy mustard reduction covered Salmon with Panko breading.

* 4 (4 ounce) fillets salmon
* 3 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
* 1 tablespoon raw agave nectar/1 tsp honey
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1/4 cup Panko dry bread crumbs
* 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a shallow baking pan with aluminum foil.
2. Place salmon skin-side down on foil. Spread a thin layer of agave/mustard on the top of each fillet, and season with salt and pepper. Top with bread crumbs, then drizzle with melted butter.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Chris couldn't believe it was low Glycemic index and Loved the taste. He sill gives brown rice the big thumbs down. I even added butter bacon drippings and salt.

It was TASTY. He said It was chewey and crunchy. It was NOT crunchy. I tasted it the whole time I was coking it.

He is just never going to be a fan of anything but mooshy smooshy white rice.

Up next I want to get a grip on the 5 mother saues. I did tomato. So think Holandaise is going to be next.

Happy Cooking

KJ

Dad's impromtu eulogy

2010-06-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

So I had to get up in front of a room full of baptists and give a short impromptu Eulogy. (one of three)

I was a LITTLE ticked off that 1. They were having a baptist funeral and he was REALLY not even christian. He was very OK in being a sort of Pantheist.

2. A guy who had never met that man spent almost the entire funeral preaching at the people in the chairs who were there trying to mourn.

3. The people who came and spoke the longest about him BARELY KNEW THE MAN, because most of his construction worker, and chef friends WEREN'T INVITED.

4. OPEN CASKET. Cancer emaciated guy on display? so wrong.

So my eulogy was a little I dunno. I Aunt J helped me piece it back together. She and my cousins loved it.

*Shrug* They didn't run me out of town and they told me I had to come and visit, so it must have seemed ok.

SO here is the eulogy:

Wow, I am up here with nothing prepared. I'm JC's daughter Joy Elizabth. I told myself I wasn't going to cry. I am finding that hard to do.

Not for the reason you think though. This whole thing just does not feel right. My dad and I, we didn't have that father daughter thing. I remember for so long being angry about that. Thinking I was missing out on something.

I remember walking into the restaurant “The Egg and I” in Minnesota. I was 12 year old. I stood toe to toe with my father. He looked so happy to see me. Until I started to rip him a new one. Asking him why he couldn't be a normal dad, why he wasn't a real father, telling him he had no right to call himself my father.

And instead of getting mad, instead of turing away, or coming up with exscuses, or promises, he put his hands on my shoulders and said “You're right, I have no right to try to be your father, but maybe I can be a friend”

And whenever I needed someone to talk to day or night, I could call him and he would talk to me, listen to me, and tell me his advice.

I called him when I was failing home-ec in junior high because I couldn't bake. And he walked me through it step by step. I can bake now by the way.

I called him the night I graduated high school, made the joke that I was going to skip college to become a race car driver and was rewarded with a 30 minute lecture of the importance of an education, by the man who didn't graduate high school.

I called him when I got my black belt.

I called him when I moved away from home to another state.

I called him when I got engaged.

Then my fiance started to call him. We called him and would split our time and wrestling the phone away from Chris was like a poodle with a chew toy.

I called him when we got our dog.

I called him when I got sick.

I called him when I lost my job.

I called him when I got sicker.

And always, every Saturday on Chris' cell phone or mine up until the last 3 months of his life he would call us if he hadn't heard from us in a week.

We talked about religion. I talked to my dad, and sent my dad books and I know my dad was right with his god long before anyone else put any label on him. My father never needed a label or a chapel to be a good man.

We talked about the base of a person, how it has no label, but there is a spark, and how a persons actions feed or dim that spark.

My dad had this spark about him that burned small but bright and hot. Anyone who was close to him felt that pull to be near him and listen to him, talk to him, and ask his advice.

Even though he never led on the wealth and breadth of how much he knew if you were near him and asked the right questions to the right friends of his, even ex wives and girlfriends, they would tell you stories about him that would blow your mind.

So while it saddens me to see so few people here today, it doesn't surprise me. Dad was like a VIP club you had to have something to get in, but once you were in, you were in for good.

So his death will probably come to a shock to a lot of people I have to tell, who would have come to pay their last respects.

This doesn't feel right.

People are trying really hard to not mention Cancer, but I am going to say it. Cancer is a killer, it is vicious and leaves people heartbroken.

I know everyday will get easier. My brother died of cancer, and it still hurts, but not as much.

But someday I will wake up and not want to cry.

Today, however. The world is a dimmer place without my father in it.

Rest in peace dad, you never needed anyone to tell you how to live or die a man.

Well Pickles.

2010-05-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

I made Bread and butter pickles.

Pickling gear: Because that shit BURNS.

Day one:

Day 2(32 Hours later)

ASAP.org Syringomyelia confrence: SEND $

2010-05-26T21:15:00.001-07:00

Want for my birthday

2010-05-03T23:29:00.000-07:00

http://cgi.ebay.com/Casio-Cuff-Watch-Retro-Genuine-Leather-/230459442915?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Wristwatches&hash=item35a87406e3

Both my timex watches have
shit the bed, so to speak. I have had casio watches that lasted so long that they literally still were working even when the pain was chipping off them and the band was falling apart.

I am a little old to wear a Baby-g-shock (though I do still love them!!!) But this watch by casio is SICK and I want it for my birthday.

I know Chris owes me still from last year...and my parents skimped me.

Maybe they can join together and buy me a watch!

kJ

Food Porn

2010-04-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

Even though its getting nicer out this transition weather has been cold and sometimes rainy.

Which leads me to whip up some leftover magic and reintroduce my oven to bake wear.

Pistachio Crusted Vanilla Cream Cupcakes:

Maple Glazed Ham, Cheddar cheese, Fried egg on a home made buttermilk biscuit sandwich:

Tonight I am letting my fingers do the cooking via cell phone.

Delivery pizza for Crash and a nap with a heating pad for me.

KJ

Opening my beercard

2010-04-13T08:55:00.001-07:00

So I decided I am going to open my beer card. But only to review ONE beer a weekend.

But I am going to put the list up here so I can cross them off as I drink them.

Start with some locals and some easy finds that got high ratings.

Middle Ages Brewery Dragon Slayer

Middle Ages Brewery Wailing Wench

Laguinitas Brewing Company Brown Shugga'

Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic

Ithaca Beer Company Cascazilla

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Midas Touch Golden Elixir

Brewery Ommegang Ommegang Nine Spice Harvest Ale

Stone Brewing Company Stone ruination IPA

Harpoon Brewery Harpoon Leviathan Imperial Red Ale

http://www.lawsonsfinest.com and I want to go here and try the Nano beer Maple Triple. It won bronze against beers from around the WORLD.

Big porch plans and food thoughts

2010-04-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

So I really want a hammock for the back yard or the front porch.

I saw these: Hammocks

And I think the price and everything would be suitable.

I just want our house to be relaxing.

I worked hard last summer to make a garden, plant flowers, create a porch garden. A place for Chris and I to come and enjoy the weather.

I am planning on getting a straw bale and making it into a waist high herb garden. I had tried before in old underbed storage containers. My friend has his back yard all in straw bale and its no weeds, waist high and easy and cheap to set up.

I just will use the free mulch from the dPW, some fertilizer, and water that I mix crumbled nori into.(cheaper than buying the liquid from the manufacturer and works as well) Besides we eat Nori all the time in this house when we make sashimi or Nori brittle.

It comes in a little shaker and we frequently use it when we make tofu salad with eggs (to lower the cholesterol) we feed the cooked yolk to the dog, only use 2 eggs and 1/2 brick firm tofu with light miracle whip, onions, celery, pink and black pepper and Kelp sprinkles. Sometimes I make the eggs and tofu into a mousse and then add the veggies and we eat it like pate on crackers, or other times just on farm bread.

Either way its good.

We were fortunate to have ham for easter. They also make Lamb. But Lamb, Goat, and chicken I find take a deft hand to cook well. So the last time they cooked a turkey I actually went over early and brought over one of my vintage cookbooks that i collect that had a old tried and true recipe for Rosemary Citris Turkey Cruet.

Now I though they being gay would have a submergeable cruet which is like a clay cooking oven that you soak in water s when you are cooking a bird or dry piece of meat, the water keeps it moist.

They did not.

They DID have a large french casserole big enough for the turkey which I was amazed, and oven bags.

So I brought one of the guys to the store and picked up sweet onions, sausage, rosemary, day old french bread and farmers wheat, Basil, LAVENDER SEA SALT, which I reccomend everyne tries to make or buy once in their life. Finally a case of Sweet Valencia oranges, and some raw agave nectar.

I went with him home where the other partner was cleaning the bird. I cut the oranges (there were 13) all into 1/2's and the onions into 1/8s 2/3 of the oranges were tossed in a bowl with 1/4 agave, 4 springs rosemary and a handful of onions. Then this was places in the cavaty.

Outside the bird was rubbed with agave, sprinkled with olive oil, then the remaining oragnes and rosemary and onions went beside the bird nestled in.

Finally cracked Lavender salt and Tri color pepper was dusted over it and the bag was shut and the lid put on.

hours later.

Fragrant, perfectly cooked, falling off the bone, moist, flavorful turkey.

Seriously not a difficult recipe and I have used it for making chicken but I don't eat fowl very often unless I shoot it or help process it myself.

When I am going to be eating something that I feel some sadness that id died, or that I know its meat costs a lot of money, I want to make sure that the preparation doesn't outdo the taste of the meat.

My cousin taught me the best way to eat a steak is cowboy style, thick cut, over a grill, rare as you dare with a bit of sea sat and cracked black pepper.

THe only thing I can tell him now after having m mind blown by vegetables all over the world? try that steak with Sesame soy marinated cucumbers. The coolness of the cucumbers with the bits of the soy and vinegar mixed with the sweetness of the sugar in the sauce actually adds so much to grilled meats.

I am putting it below and I hope to all my friends and family who read this you become curious and exploratory with your palette.

SESAME CUCUMBERS

2 cucumbers chopped and seeded
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce

Skin, de-seed and chop cucumbers, cover with salt. Let stand 30 minutes. Press and drain excess liquid. Coat frying pan with a thin sheen of oil. Sprinkle one layer of sesame seeds into pan. Cook over medium flame until brown. Place seeds in a Mortar and pestle or a clean coffee Grinder. Grind until fluffy. Add sugar, vinegar and soy sauce, and mix together until thoroughly encorperated.

Pour over cucumbers. Chill 1 hour before serving.

This is great with Red meat, fish,BBQ chicken, almost anything off the grill.

Go try something new tonight.

Henry ROllins, did not marry me. Sad day.

2010-03-28T21:38:00.000-07:00

But guess who got to hug Henry Rollins, get his autograph, get a picture of him outside his tour bus, talk to him about South Africa (My dad was born there and I have been once, Henry is going back in 2 weeks) and tell him places he should visit when he gets to Nicaragua, cause he has never gone! (again once because having wealthy summer room mates from other countries and a passport was awesome!)

Yeah, be jealous...I am :cool:

For my suffering I was gifted with whiskey bombs by my bouncer friend Dix and his girl "H" (3 Amber Beers) and then handed a beer by KT, Dennis, and Keir (3 Guiness Draughts) and then bought ANOTHER beer upon being discovered by Bax walking out of a bar where he had ditched his date (1 Red Stripe in a can).

A grand total of 7 alcoholic drinks in 5 hours.:alcoholic:

I came home belching and complaining about the ceiling spinning. Crash made me make myself eggs and toast, drunk. Which is a good thing I am such a autopilot cook because I seriously was looking down periodically watching my hands move and grab things and thinking "wow, that looks good, whose making that?" Yeah...drunk.

7:30AM the next morning my cell rang and it was Bax texting me saying "How hungover are you?"

I sent him a pic of me in my hoodie, with my skullcap, and sunglasses on flipping the bird to the camera.

Today I can only say I prayed to the great deity of pharmaceuticals. If it were not for Zofran, Tramadol, and Nutritional shakes I would still be lying in bed with the dog complaining that Crash was breathing too loud. :disgust:

As of now I am happily doped, managed to go to dinner with my boy Darrin and actually eat a sandwich and later a slice of pizza (followed almost immediately by more Zofran)

Tomorrow is Bax birfday and I have to go figure out what to get the old man. He called to check on me and asked if I was coming out with him to celebrate. :( I told him I loved him to death but on top of the hangover in the seventh ring, Crash and I are still fighting off the plague. He said "You could come and not drink! Honestly I think he was just trying to be nice, Crash really doesn't want to go out, I've been out twice this week already and I know his boy AJ AM is going to be there and that guy is still sweating me about "How do I know you?!" I don't know how many times I shoudl have to tell a smokehead "I hit and quit you, now I am off market property, move on, write it down" I know AJ AM is friends with Bax and hell he was friends with me but its been 10 years since spent time with AJ. SO....get over it ad move on?

Maybe I am rude but everytime we all get together he brings it up and Bax and I are both like "OK new subject anything else, what do you do for living, favorite band, NAME your kids AJ!!! usually that one shuts him up or confuses him so he is deterred or refocused enough so I can slip away ad talk to some of our other friends like will or Bri that I know who also give AJ the head shake.

Long story short. Hanging out with Bax guy friends in a group is like all the girl drama and emotions with none of the holding back or restraint. Because on top of Aj you have Bri who has a control freak GF who calls him every 5 mintues when she hangs with us. We go shoot pool, see a movie, play chess, and his phone is ringing every 5 minutes with her yelling at him LONG DISTANCE, to get back to his mama's house and be home in case she wants to talk.

Because she doesn't trust ME. A person who is engages, who she has never met, who doesn' find your BF Bri attractive in any semblance of the imagination. Yet even if I did I love MY fiance and I am not a stupid home wrecking nutbag.

But my ex military, firfighting, gun liking, marttial arts, motorcycle riding, and movie and traveling interests amke it so I get along with all Bax friends and I am the only girl they invite because I am pretty much the kid sister.

So half the guys who are married have their wives calling them every 10 minutes, or just randomly stopping by. To see if I have managed to erase their mind and steal their essence and make them run away with me...I don't know because I don't get women whic is why I hang out with a bunch of guys...But Bax crew...Its the guys ans the girls who have some drama and its exhausting. and tedious. Bax keeps saying they have to know you are like our kid sister and if these people don't like you, there's something up, because you are my barometer. You are like a puppy.

Gee thanks.

It just isn't relaxing it inds up bing socially taxing and not party but a artistic event of dodging and weaving around people and leaving early enough to avoid most of them but lte enough not to appear weak or tick off Bax. See? Guy drama? Girl Drama? It sucks the life from you like a lesion! I just thought I'd figure out a time to gift him later.

In typical Bax form he said "I hope it will keep!" to which Darrin who heard the convo said "No problem we poked air holes, now we are just waiting for her papers. :rolleyes: One more joke from either of them about a mail order bride...Its just gone from "oh hah stupid joke to "OK seriously, you are dumb and I don't want a INS agent tailing me because you guys have a stupid sense of humor."

With my recent luck, it would happen.

Tomorrow I should get my shoes:

I spent a LOT of money but my friends all tell me they last a long time (longer than New Balance) and are the best shoes for a bad back and bad feet.

Then I just have to figure out what to buy Bax for his birfay... I am thinking new bamboo plugs (have) some catnip for his babies (Godzilla and Dracula) he and both like knives, guns, motocycles, sushi, tea, comic books...asian stuff...

I mean I know he has a tea pot so I can't get him that. He already has a machete. I am not giving him any of MY guns, they have sentimental attachments and I like to target shoot. I am thinking I will try to find some B movie dracula bat related something. He likes bats and dracula and vampires. Because he is weird.

I am totally stumped so PLEASE feel free to text me with ideas if you have my number. or tell me via facebook.

KJ

Cross Post: Rules and regulations

2010-03-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

Rules and regulations
Posted Today at 08:12 PM by Keenkitty
I am not stupid enough to go shooting off my mouth to purposely offend people just to get myself tossed out on my behind.

In fact those of you who know me really well, know that when I get angry I don't get foul mouthed and irrational.

I get thoughtful and articulate.

The points that really rankled me was not that I got mod-slapped. Honestly with all the friends on here that I have lost who never come back here (you all know who they are), with the sheer number of PM's and messages and e-mails telling me that they too were mod-slapped for similar "offenses" I was feeling 50/50 on my comfort level talking about my life here.

However with the recent adoption of my brother and his partners new daughter. and the upcoming wedding of my Godmother, I was feeling really good about "LGBT" culture.

I was feeling like the idea that my godmother used to be a genetic man and now is going to get married to a wonderful man as a beautiful bride meant more people were OK with talking openly and honestly about what really goes on in our lives and how we really see ourselves.

We talk about tattoos in naughty places. We have entire blogs and threads devoted to piercing our bits. But that is OK because that type of information titillates but doesn't push too far past the comfort zone.

Yet if I say that I had over 240 partners before deciding to marry Crash and 100 of them were female I wonder how long it is going to take before I am told that is "inappropriate language or content"?

I do NOT talk about our bedroom life on here. I have never talked about the frequency or the lack there of on this blog. But I talk about my home boys joking around with me because they themselves are comfortable enough in their masculinity to hang around with our friends who are gay, straight, bi, purple with yellow polka dots, or disabled like me.

They treat each person on their individual merits or demerits as a case by case scenario. The fact that I wear boxers, appreciate women, have a sordid track record, and wear men's clothing and identify more with my homosexual brother than my bisexual sister doesn't matter to them.

They love KJ the music lover. They love the writer who wrote such a scathing review of a friends new restaurant that he still won't let us in there.

They love me because I treat everyone the way I would want t be treated and I am still hurt and angry that people are told to "Just pipe down and do what they tell you" or to not cause a fuss when something is really fundamentally screwed up.

It feels like they are saying: Be who you are, just, be fun LGBT, not out LGBT and not too much LGBT.

Better yet, just leave off the "T" because it makes us really uncomfortable.

The thing is. I used to be one of those people. I used to be uncomfortable and against the "T" in LGBT. So I can understand where they are coming from. But I never went as far as to ban someone else from talking about their life.

Life is a library, you don't like one book you walk away and get another book. You don't walk it up to the librarian and demand it be burned because someone else might read it.

You know I wouldn't talk to my godmother for three years when she started transitioning. Then I went to a conference and heard a Kate Bornstein lecture. I offered to take her out for lunch and ended up sitting in her car after wards crying in her arms.

She told me imagine if you were forced to wear dresses all the time, and hose, and put your hair up, or worse, shave it off, cover it, and never allowed show your face.

I told her I would feel like someone else was wearing my skin.

That night I went to my Godmothers house with cookies, Pricilla Queen of the Desert, and a 4 pack of Guinness. I let her paint my toenails, we sat up talking, laughing, and crying.

The next day after my shower I grabbed my boxers and pulled them on and saw her in her makeup and robe.

I was shocked because she was beautiful. SHE was beautiful. I'd never thought of my godfather as a great looking person. But My godmother was poised, elegant, smiling, and beautiful.

I changed my mind about being weird-ed out or against the "T" in LGBT after that.

So I guess yeah this is a community for us to talk about long hair. But we talk about other things. We seem to pick and choose what we get offended about and what we choose to find appropriate and inappropriate.

However, if I were to use that same logic in my life 12 years ago I would have wrote off my Godmother and never been involved with the LGBT community and have the many friends that I have. Many of which have come on here and later left because they didn't feel welcome.

Merriam-Webster defines "Community" as:

"Main Entry: com·mu·ni·ty
Pronunciation: \kə-ˈmyü-nə-tē\

1 : a unified body of individuals, people with common interests, an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location d : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society: social activity : fellowship d : a social state or condition."

We are a LONG HAIR community. Not a Long Hair >insert neutral non offensive term< Community.

It would be really unfortunate if we started to pick and choose what types, and whom those "various kinds of individuals" can be.

KJ

Freedom of speech is Bullshit.

2010-03-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

"FUK! and I am so gay."

Deleted Blog Entry: Because of offensive language.

Posted March 19th, 2010 at 12:24 AM by Keenkitty:

I vampire d again.

slept all damn day.

FUK FUK FUK!

I have been watching "The L word" and trying to alk to my brother Jase about it and he is not into it. He is bitching about me not watching Project Runway the INSTANT it comes on so that we can talk about it all week long.

So I picked up a fashion magazine today because Lady Gaga was on the cover and we went through the outfits together and I was saying I liked the outfits the guys were wearing.

Suddenly my brother squeals "You are so GAY!"

uh yeah, I am, I REALLY am, and?

I know I am like a "Bi-butch/Gay-guy" as my fiance calls it. Except that I like to shave my armpits and legs, I wear makeup sometimes, and I have longer hair.

Other than that my fiance and I wear the same style clothes. My friend Bax and I wear each others clothes. (And the bastard stole my opalite plugs saying "you don't wear these, they too small fo' yo' azz, I wan'em" ) and I have exactly three girls shirts. and 4 girls pants. The rest are guys.

If I tweezed my brows, wore product in my hair, and watched what I ate and worked out more, I would be a gay man.

Well I would need a peenus but honestly I would probably stick it into too many things I wasn't supposed too so its a good thing I don't have one.

Bax said today on our hike "Man I'm glad your not a guy, you'd be gay and you'd be sticking your sh*t into anything tight and dark as it is you probably carry your peenus around in your back pack."

I laughed so hard I literally almost fell off the edge of a fukkin cliff.

Bax caught my arm and Trib who was with us said "Dude, Shotokon over there saved your life, now he has to watch you like a hawk until it needs saving again"

Bax said "Thats it, you're going over the cliff"

It was an interesting afternoon.

When I got home I took out Chupdogra and he scared the sh*t out of the neighbor kid by barking at him. I scolded him and he didn't get to come to the bank with me. I drove Trib home and saw his new digs. He has n furniture, 3 cats, and sleeps on the floor.

Bax and I were like "Dude, this weekend you are taking the futon and we are getting you furniture."

His wife broke it off and cheated on him and HE LEFT her the house?! The guy is vegan and has LOST weight. I actually was able to lift him up today. I told him "OK, time for Mama to feed you, this weekend you are coming over and I am making you pasta."

Bax said he works all the time, never goes out, and sits at home with the cats and reads.

Bax was like "dude! wrong puddy!" We are going to make him go to a movie and not wear pajamas this time.

Crash was like "How many friends, like five? guy friends without girlfriends we have now? WTH man?"

He gets to stay home and babysit, I have to drag their sorry azzes out and make them do ****e.

Deceptacon: More than meets the eye

2010-02-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

Deceptively simple, this hat was actually long in knitting. Knit on teeny needles it is a vegan yarn so its hand washable! This yarn has good stretch, little sheen and is warm and toasty.

great hat for a boyfriend or urban guy.

$30.00 will bring it home.

KJ

Double knit brim

2010-02-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

The Wilford

starting bid: 20.00

E-mail if interested

Thanks

One more hat up for Auction

2010-02-19T06:22:00.000-08:00

The Pixie

starting bid 20.00

E-mail if interested.

Thanks!

First Hat up for auction!

2010-02-16T01:11:00.000-08:00

So I am auctioning this hat. I am jobless and physically crapped out. But I can knit, and apparently really well so here is a hat: Its made out of Moochi Plus by Crystal Palace. It is 80% Merino wool and 20% nylon so you can wash gently and flat dry.

Shipping to anywhere inside the Continental US (sorry Hawaii,Alaska, and Puerto Rico)

would be free, anywhere else I can calculate once it is figured out.

So here is the hat.

Bids start a $20.00

New hats will be up Shortly!

Thank you!

KJ

Life in review

2010-02-10T22:27:00.001-08:00

So I have been watching a lot of Andrew Zimmerman, Man vs. Food,and Anthony Bourdain in my recovery since contracting a wicked kidney infection, then piggy-packing a sinus infection and costo-condritis on top of that.

It made me want to start my product reviews even more. There are so many products that we use or are given and asked to review that we I love or hate and I review them on Associated Content, but I always mean to make the reviews available here if they are not picked up exclusively.

I have picked up product and band reviews even some event and organization and company reviews. I would love to get some restaurant reviews. Having been raised my a chef dad and a Nana whose recipes were featured in over 20 church cookbooks and who made 12 different types of holiday cookies for over 14 sets of families not including her own every year until she was 83. I used to get cooking implements and pots and pans for holidays and birthdays because I asked for them.

Whenever I go home to Minnesota my Nana and I sneak her out of her retirement home and I find out which restaurant is supposedly the best in town that year and we get a reservation (I still don't know how, you mention her name and suddenly there is a table) and we go and eat and I always know if it is good not by how it tastes but by whether or not she asks if the chef would step out and say hello so she can give her compliments.

Once we were eating at a new restaurant in town and she had a reuben that was greasy and terrible. She told me to taste it and I could they had not used fresh sliced meat (from that day) they had left it on the grill to long, and had applied oil to the grill before putting the meat down to warm.

All rookie mistakes. But simple to see if you looked at the presentation of the sandwich. Also, if a customer complains, especially an 80 year old customer, you comp the meal and apologize.

Well this manager came out and said there was nothing wrong with the sandwich, maybe my Nana had no idea how Reubens were made and it wasn't his problem if she couldn't take a little grease.

I happened to know the owner of the restaurant was in the kitchen so I leaned over to my Nana and told her to follow me.

I walked quickly past the manager with my Nana on my heels with her walker. Walked up to the owner who knew my Nana. He said hello and I told him what his manager had said and dropped the greasy sandwich plate on his prep area.

He looked down at the soggy bread and sighed. He said our meal was free and he insisted we come back for dinner on him that weekend and bring the whole family.

The manager started mouthing off again and I slapped my hand on the counter and said "OK thats enough, I am going to SHOW you what a real Reuben looks like, get me a jacket and gloves."

The manager started saying something about insurance and impossible and the owner just laughed and told him my father had worked there as a sous chef when I was a little girl and to stop talking and watch.

I got my gear together tot bread toasting got kraut draining, started warming meat on a dry skillet on the grill as soon as it was steaming I flipped it a few times used tongs to put it on the toasted bread, added cheese, covered it for a few seconds with a lis, grabbed a plate, turned grabbed the kraut, gave a final shake, turned out the toasted sandwich, tonged out the kraut on the sandwich used a spatula to put it together, cut it in half on a cutting board, and plated it and then wiped the plate with a clean cloth.

The owner and my Nana each took a bit of the Reuben and said it was good, moist, not greasy. I asked the cook and the Manager to bite and they did. The manager just shook his head and walked out. The cook apologized.

I explained to the cook that My dad once worked at a Kosher deli and they used to make Reubens and Brisket, and all sorts of meat sandwiches in which you had to re heat meat. The trick was you had to make sure that if it was a oily meat like certain parts of Beef or perk, you didn't need to add oil when heating it up for a sandwich. Especially when serving it with something as moist as kraut.

It is were Chicken you might have to add some oil but you would have to slow the cooking process to make sure the meat didn't dry out and get chewy like breast tends to.

My Nana said it was too bad I already had a job in NY. I shook my head, I would never do food service again, talk about a harsh mistress!

We did end up coming back and having a great meal. They did hire a friend of my dads who was looking for less hours due to retirement and specialized in BBQ so he knew his meat. The steaks they served were excellent. They have since re-opened under a new name and re-located downtown and I have not had a chance to visit their new digs. Same chef, same owner. New menu with simpler options prepared based on seasnal availability.

My Nana said she heard it was great and she wants to go eat there. I just hope I don't end up in the kitchen.

Dear Food Bloggers, Hear my small rant

2010-02-08T22:39:00.001-08:00

If you are going to go to a restaurant or a cafe or diner and review food there are a few ground rules those of us firmly ensconced in the culinary world ask of you.

1. If you are going to rant or rave about something; know what it is and what the ingredients are. Nothing is more annoying when a self proclaimed "foodie" says they enjoyed or hated something and can't describe what about the item or preparation they didn't like. Which brings us to number two.

2. Learn to cook. You don't have to cook well. You don't have to be a master chef, baker or BBQ boss. However you should be able to know how sauces are thickened, what common spices are used for what, and the names of some universally used meats, vegetables, fruits, grains, and how to prepare them in theory at least.

3. Be willing to try it. I have myself sampled so much wine, that I am now allergic to it and can't even eat dried fruit, drink grape juice,or anything with sulfites. I am also allergic to shellfish. But the way I found out how much I was allergic to shellfish was when I tried fresh caught oysters on the half shell with a squeeze of fresh lemon and a shot of hot sauce. My sister had to inject me with my epipen and I had to take a weeks worth of prednisone. Was it worth it to be able to say I have tried fresh Oysters? Hell yes. Unless its the local drinking water in a third world country be willing to take palate risks. This is how I found out I absolutely LOVE fried caterpillars and sun dried crickets in lime and salt.

4. When speaking about experiences with food keep perspectives clear. When you dine alone it is easier to describe food. Do not try to describe your dining partners experience! Not only is this impossible to do, but it is boring to read about. If you must let your diner relay his or her experience make a clear distinction; "Sally ordered the Corn Fritters. She ate half her order leaving the rest saying it was too rich but good. She described the fritters as crispy without being over fried with a soft bread like inside that was not the least bit goey...I sampled them as well and found the spices to a great compliment to the crunch of the corn meal crust. I could taste the black pepper, and a hint of oregano in the seasoning"

To sum it all up Foodie reviewers at large. If you are going to review food you need to do more than shove it down your gullet and describe what it tastes like and how it makes you feel. My father is a chef and my Nana a master baker and cook in her own right. I grew up around food and have spent years refining and spoiling my palate, and learning from both of them as well as some top chefs in the world who came to learn from my dad or came to visit the animal rescue I run with my partner. I love seeking out restaurants "known" for their award winning or famous entrees or desserts and taking friends with me. I've put in my time and have my chops and can call myself a foodie and not feel I have not earned the title.

Ask yourself Foodie blogger, if you are bragging about the restaurant PR invites you scored because you give good reviews even if its sub par food, are you doing well? Have you juggled four pans over a stove, cooked for 12 people, had 6 people all tell you they hated your food, or have 20 people clear you out of your appetizers? Have you written a review about someones restaurant that was so bad you were worried that they might send you a bill for the PR invite?
Unless you can say yes, in this foodies opinion you have not gotten your training wheels off yet and have more work to do.

I will fix you

2010-01-14T23:43:00.000-08:00

My brother died this month, many years back. Cancer wracked his body and he died.

Its so strange that around this month and this time I start thinking not about my anniversary that is coming up in February, but of the family that I have lost.

An 18 year old brother in the Spring, an Uncle in the late summer, another brother in the winter, a best friend in the fall.

To name a few.

It seems every time that I say that I am becoming more comfortable with death, it tests me another time.

This year one of my good friends killed himself and I hadn't even seen him for months. I'd been sick and even hospitalized because of costochondritis. I'd seen him perhaps once in the three months of being sick and we'd promised we'd go out for lunch.

I had thought we had time to make up for me not being able to see him.

When he killed himself I thought; "I should be ok, this hah happened to me before with my brother, with my friends, this has happened three times, I should be ok with this."

It has been 6 months and I am still not ok with it.

I still feel like I should have known he was depressed.

I still feel like sick or not I should have forced myself from the hospital to the funeral.

I still wish I had the courage to call his family and ask where he was buried.

But I am ashamed because I don't want to say goodbye.

Not just to my friend. I am angry with all the people who left me and made it so I had to learn to be OK with death.

I still feel like I should feel guilty for feeling like that.

That is just how I feel. When something happens during the day and you think "Oh this person would love this!" and then you remember they are dead and that pain stabs you?

I hate that, and I still feel that about each person who I loved who has died.

So what have I learned that can help you? How can I go on? Well I can tell you it never goes away. That stabbing feeling. That bittersweet memory of you and that person and wishing you could just know that they knew that you still loved them and you missed them and thought about them.

What I can tell you is that stabbing feeling lets you know that you ARE still alive. And being alive is good. I can let you know that the people who are dead do know that you love them and that they are warm and safe and secure and far better off than we are.
I an tell you that even though having someone you love die is never easy, it doesn't change and the pain always gets better.

So maybe from all this death there was something I learned. Death University of sorts. I won't ever be jaded or untouched by the loss of life no matter how stone faced I may appear.

But maybe with all the things I have overcome, and all the things I have learned about death and grief, if you are saddened by loss and feeling alone, you can stand by me.

Maybe I can fix you.

KJ

Tub time

2010-01-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Because I have a bad back I take probably about 3-4 baths a week. This has led me to become somewhat of a bath connoisseur. I know where to get the best bubble bars, the best bath soaks, who makes the best salts and what temp makes the best bath.

I have become an expert on which herbs steep to make the softest skin, I have a collection of essential oils to mix and add to my bath to create stress reduction, cold remedy, relaxation, romantic, energizing and other scents.

I have the bath pillow which I sanitize and clean every three days. I have the back scrubber, I have the tub tray that allows me to read in the bath.

Seem a little extreme?

Here is the point of my bath. Not only is it a chance to relieve my back pain for 15 minutes and release some of the tight muscles that plague my body 24/7. It is a chance to inhale some aromatherapy, soften my skin, ex foliate, shave, steam the pores, and read a little without a cat on my chest (well, sometimes he still tries) or a dog bothering me.

Bath time is a time that I make very special for myself and make sure that it is undesturbed.

Everyone could take a little ritual like tub time and make it there own. Mayb tea time, or Meal time.

Hell maybe we should have several little things that we do for ourselves that are little but special.

It helps us feel cared for and relaxed.

Think of how much money we would save if we did little things like taking a nice bath and time for tea each day instead of spending hundreds of dollars every 6 months to "get away" to an expensive spa.

Think about it.

KJ

Muses from the Manlove-Armstrong Clan

2009-12-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

Funnies between us often amuse the hell out of us but there is no one else to hear it but the dog.

So Crash composed what he thought was the 5 best anecdotes of the year:

1. Me: "You had me wrap my own present, and your present didn't come here on time, and we have to go eat terrible food at a house with your father's in laws who are horrible people, christmas sucks."
Chris to the dog: "Don't listen to mommy, she also killed santa and ate the easter bunny."

2. Chris: "What time did you set Hello Kitty for?"

Me: "I set it for, time for Chris to get a pair of glasses, and go to bed earlier so he didn't need two alarm clocks."

Chris: "Is that around 6:15?"

3. 3AM I am awake and saying "Fear is the mind killer, fear is the little death, I will not fear."

Chris: "Fear is waking up at 3AM to your fiance talking to herself...go to sleep!"

4. Chris from the bathroom. "Hunny?!"

Me: "Yes?"

Chris: "Um, Can you come in here and get Billy? I need some privacy."

Me, walking into the bathroom. "Sure, why?"

I walk in and see Billy standing on the sink staring eye to eye with Chris seated on the bathtub.

Chris: "I think h wants to intimidate me and I need to, um, take care of some things and I don't think I can do it while he stares at me."

Me: "Why? We look at them when they go?"

Chris looks shocked: "I would never watch them go potty, that is private you are depraved.

Both men look at me blinking and staring. I roll my eyes and leave picking up Billy.

5. While shoveling outside Chris had me bring the dog out. It was 4AM when we had to go outside and clear snow off, and shovel out the drive. After clearing the snow and drive and sidewalk and came back inside and crawled back into bed where I cuddled up to my large black cat and told him "Billy you are lucky you are a kitty, you didn't have to be Cold, and outside helping Daddy shovel snow." Chris heard me mutter this before I passed out to sleep and laughed about it all week.

Now he teases me each morning that its time for Kane and I to get up and go outside to be "cold and outside helping"

We are not amused.

Happy Holidaze from the Manlove Armstrong Krew

KJ, Crash, Kane, Billy, Ani, and Jayne

In fondest memory Of Samsara Rose 2005-2009

Million dollar ideas...

2009-10-22T00:59:00.000-07:00

In times of great stress we seem to find out thing about ourselves and others.

Things we didn't want to know.

In great sickness we find out who are friends are. here are friends who send e-mails. Then there are friends who follow around with a shop-vac.

In our worst hours there are friends who hold a mirror up to us and make us see our deep dark truth. In we either repay that kindness by facing that darkness and wrangling that dark passenger. Or we smash that mirror and turn our back on the friend who had the courage to call us on our bullshit.

In great sadness we find the person who knows that place you go to hide when you say you want to be alone, but you really shouldn't.

And again you will find the person you call with trembling hands, and weakest resolve who tells you quite honestly they just don't have the time for you right now.

It is both eye opening and heart wrenching the things that we find out when life decides to make things interesting for us.

There must be millions of dollars of research and man hours spent trying to find that one curative fix that would replace the healing effect of simple human kindness.

Thinking about the worst times in life, heart wrenched, broken, mind numb, body aching, mind all jumbled yet unable to focus on anything.

The urgency to be alone, yet the craving to be consoled.

The need to have someone say something to make everything make sense, and the wish that everyone would just stop talking.

Imagine if there was a pill, or a drink, or a patch. In your worst moment you pop it, slap it on, drop it under your tongue and suddenly your entire being is filled with the sense that everything really does happen for a reason and things really will work out and you are ok, and everything will be ok.

Suddenly you are calm, you can handle everything and you feel comforted and safe and assured that everything will be taken care of.

Someone would be a millionaire.

Part of me wonders if that is what alcoholics and drug addicts are seeking. However after questioning them as to how they feel when they do drugs they say it just makes them forget about how hard life is for a while.

But thats just it, what a poor drug or alcoholic I would be. I want something more. I already have a hard time remembering things and I need to remember things so that I know if they are working out.

I've tried a lot of things to reach this state of calm. Hypnotism,Meditation, Yoga, running, Martial Arts, Tai Chi, Fasting, even a sweat lodge ceremony.

Several times I have seen things I cannot explain. Several times I have felt closer to the earth and nature and closer in tune with my body.

Never have I felt that calm assurance that everything was going to be OK.

The reason I seek it out so diligently is that I am told that I appear to have it.

I am not a stranger to death. I saw my first animal corpse while hiking through the woods near my house. We came into a clearing and found a cat that had been nailed to a stump and gutted.

I had enough sense not to touch anything sent my friend back to call the police and stayed put.

I was the one who listened as the officers asked if anyone recognized the cat, saw any collars, or knew of anyone who hung out here a lot. I calmly told them about the neighbor who had three cats whose yard was adjacent, the kids who came down here to smoke who I'd seen the other night hanging out in the cemetery, and retraced our steps and showed them cigarette butts and shoe treads.

I felt angry about the cat because it was innocent. My friend threw up in the bushes and never spoke to me much after that.

A few years later my brother killed himself in our basement and I was the one who found him. I was 14. I remember waking up to my grandmother yelling hysterically.

I was screaming for 10 seconds. Then Nana slapped me and told me she needed me to be strong because she couldn't go into his room again. Something slid into place and I just handled it. I called 911,checked his pulse. I took the shotgun out of his dead hands, I unloaded it, I put on the safety and put it on the floor. I led the police down the stairs and showed them the body. I remember feeling calm. Like everything was OK. Like he was there behind me walking me through each step.

I remember washing linens for the company and making sure we had pillows. I remember my Nana telling me thank you because she just couldn't have gone into that room again.

We never talked about it after that.

I have seen hundreds of dead bodies and seen thousands of medical emergencies and life threatening situations and I still snap into that calm. I just do what needs to be done.

Its the afterwards part that is becoming a problem and I wonder if it is something that more people suffer from than just myself.

We learn to self soothe from example. In times of great trauma in my family they threw their hands up in the air and argued until I handled the situation. As early as 9 years old I was soothing over arguments, helping a drunk mother drive a car, and calling the police on a fight between my brother and my drunken parent. While consoling my bereft grandmother.

I don't remember what happened after I fixed things. I just remember that after things got out of hand, I would fix things even in college if my Nana and my mother were fighting I would come home and soothe things over. Because I could remain calm and not rise to anyones bait.

Even now people throw tantrums and things get insane and people get hurt and I am detached and making a list of how to best smooth things over.

But after its over and everyone else feels better. I don't know what to do.

How does one self soothe if they were never taught how? How do you learn to let yourself when everyone around you is telling you to take care of them?

The immediately pragmatic list making, name taking and sensible side says get over it. You may never learn to self soothe, you may forever bite your nails, have ulcers, and insomnia but you will always be calm under pressure. Count your blessings.

Yet the other side of me thinks after a half life of taking care of everyone else, I can still learn new tricks. Yes, I can be absolutely rock solid and calm under pressure. Learning to self soothe doesn't mean I am going to weep if someone has a heart attack in front of me instead of starting CPR. It may just mean that later I may give myself permission to be a little shaken up. To need extra hugs from my fiance, or a call from a friend.

Perhaps I will never invent the magic pill, and I won't learn to "get over" the strong after currents that come with emotions. But maybe by taking some time to learn some positive self soothing I can be even better without one.

Yet we still try to work against the whales

2009-10-19T00:47:00.000-07:00

http://www2.wdcs.org/blog/index.php?/archives/258-Orcas-and-fishermen-working-together.html

Tietze's syndrome

2009-10-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Finally an answer as to why I keep getting chronic chest pain. My doctor says it is also called Costocondritis and with patients like me who have Fibromyalgia and Syringomyelia it can occur for any reason.

He thinks mine was brought on because of infections in my bladder and sinuses. (Coughing, sneezing, and peeing a lot I guess?!)

He said it can take between a week to 6 months for it to go away.

I am back on prednisone and antibiotics and on a schedule of pain medication. I was able to sleep for a while last night in bed and today upright in my chair with a down comforter wrapped around my ribs.

I only woke when the dog nosed me in the gut to go outside.

Crash (fiance) wants to tape pillows around my ribs so he doesn't hit me in the ribs by accident again and make me wake up in tears!

He also got me a new buckwheat pillow for my neck it smells like lavender and works great on my neck.

KJ

The only way I will watch Single Lady's by Beyonce

2009-09-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

http://music.todaysbigthing.com/2009/08/24

Mother Amy

2009-09-27T01:44:00.001-07:00

OK. So after Amy Winehouse's complete debauchery and addiction some moron said "I know! I am going to have her be my child's Godparent and let her sign then to her label and mentor her!"

YES! Because what a roll model for a easily influenced 13 year old girl!

F.F.S.

KJ

Man Screw Cancer

2009-09-17T19:08:00.001-07:00

My dad has Stage Two Lung Cancer

His Oncologist says he has about 98% chance of success in radiation successfully getting most of if all of the cancer but because it went undetected and spread to his brain he had a high chance of relapse.

His stats are:
3 and 5 year life expectancy if they can't remove all the cancer from his lungs or it metastasizes to his lymph nodes.

Distant metastasizes as first failure were noted in 38 patients (39%) with brain metastasizes....
This is important because my dad had a brain tumor removed.

If he relapses there is a 45.2 and 37.3% chance they can eradicate the cancer again. This time with only a fifteen (15.3%) percent success rate.

In laymen;s terms this means They can't operate so they have been radiating him. If radiation doesn't work, he has between 6 months to a year dependent on how long he can stand radiation and chemotherapy. Because his original tumor was found in his brain there is a higher chance that despite taking out the brain tumors and using radiation therapy on his lungs, that he will relapse.

If he relapses and the cancer comes back, his prognosis is even shorter.

Seriously, Fu*k cancer.

KJ

Associated content

2009-09-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

New Article coming up soon

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/499923/kj_callaway.html

OK maybe there is hope for the human race

2009-08-02T17:06:00.001-07:00

See we really can all join in harmony

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

P.S. I got to meet Bobby McFerrin The guy is just hella cool.

KJ

awesome spoken word on love

2009-08-01T09:58:00.000-07:00

Kane Micheal, wounded baby

2009-07-13T04:36:00.000-07:00

Kane was attacked by a third pit bill.

This one was ALSO off its leash.

This ones owner was also useless in helping separating the dogs.

He stood there watching us trying to separate the dogs waving his hands and calling for his dog over and over instead of just going and getting his dog like Crash and I were trying to do.

Kane had a muzzled leader on and in the fight somehow put his canine tooth through his front lip.

I got him upstairs, got the tooth out, stopped the bleeding and then closed the wound with vetbond after cleaning it with surgical scrub and hydrogen peroxide.

Kane was a trooper and only snapped in the air when I pulled his lip off his tooth and not at anyone just in the air because it hurt.

But since it was 9 PM on a sunday no vets were open and we had no where to take him.

I gave him 30 MG of Tramadol suspension I had left over from when I was in the hospital and His first dose of Cephalaxin.

I've been cleaning his mouth wound, giving him clean water and having him eat fish and eggs to make it easier to eat and to speed healing.

His wounds are pretty much closed up this morning. He came away pretty much unscathed except for the tooth.

The other dog had a snapped harness and not a scratch.

It was off its leash in a SCHOOL PARK wit a 5 foot by 3 foot hole in the fence.

This is the third time a pit bull off its leash has attacked Kane. Where as Kane who has been deemed an "aggresive dog" has never attacked another dog.

Look: here was my sweet boy just hours before his walk:

Then this morning when I had to clean his wound, bundled up in bed with mama after pain meds:

Here is an up close view of his mouth:

Poor guy, I hate jerks who don't keep their aggressive dogs on leashes! Mine wears a muzzle and NEVER goes off leash and has never GONE AFTER another dog. He is RE-ACTIVE not proactive. He doesn't go looking for fights like these dogs did.

KJ

When the spring goes stagnant

2009-05-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

Now that I am writing articles that are possibly going to be read by people whose opinions I am concerned about, suddenly things such as grammar, punctuation, and spelling become extremely important. More important that those is having a topic that people want to read about.

I can talk about my dog, my cats, my collection of Simpsons and Vintage my little ponies. But unless you are a American Bulldog lover or a 5 year old I have already lost your attention.

SO what brings the reader in? What draws us to the perfect article?

The fact is we all want to hear something that makes us feel better. Either about the world or about ourselves. Whether it is about the three legged dog that can detect cancer, or the hooker who now managed a hospice for people with AIDS. Sad stories with tough but happy endings are usually goldmines.

I have some of those. Actually I have quite a spring of those. In my life it seems friends have gathered themselves to me who have come from the same stock as myself and we have come together and cobbled ourselves into a semblance of toughness.

The rpough point being, while we have tough stories of obstacles overcome and hardships averted to sell, we're not selling even if they're buying.

So our pool runs stagnant at times for fodder for the mill.

A fellow author and co-patriot of this "Land of misfit kids" from whence I sprang and I discussed our lack of selling our stories despite the public seeming to devour the personal story of trauma overcome.

We tried to rationalize it to one and other. Just to see if we could, to practice in a way in case the question ever came up from an editor. Oddly enough it never has. We have been good enough at finding stories however obscure as to not dig up our personal dirt and lay it out for the public to feast on.

Neither of us could rationalize why we couldn't or wouldn't do it. We just knew that it was never going to happen. It wasn't shame, or fear, or protection. If I ever did s memoir or a bibliography it would be a comic and it would be free with a donation to Hoenwald elephant sanctuary.

I would tell my story to a friend over beers in a bar or during a camp out. I have and probably would again.

But I would not feel comfortable knowing somewhere soccer mom's were having an Oprah's book club about my childhood and how it related to their upper middle class existence.

It would not be OK with me, even if it paid my rent.

My friend laughed at me and said. "That is all you would have to say."

More stories up on Associated Content soon, Keep checking please.

KJ

The agony of da feet- confessions of a shoe nut

2009-05-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Persons with neurological disorders such as syringomyelia and neuropathic pain will tell you that there is nothing worse than aching hot feet.

So when a person with serious neuropathy and foot pain goes out to find shoes it is not a quick trip to payless BOGO or a cute little boutique window that hd the most darling little sling backs.

Oh no dear reader. When we go shoe shopping, you should bring a book.

First off there will be our regular haunts. The AJ Wrights, Marhsalls, TJ Maxx's, and DSW' shoe stores where we will first scope out and handle every single possibility in footwear before even trying anything on. The first day is rarely successful.

It usually ends with lunch in a food court where the we the shoe nut will bring up gladiolas or turtle food. Leaving you the victim to stare dazed and confused as visions of shoelaces dance in your head.

That night will find the shoe nut online and on the phone talking to customer service agents and shoe specialists (yes there are shoe specialists!) asking them what new things have been brought to the forefront for persons with foot pain.

Comparing with the notes the shoe nut has already compiled (Yes she has notes!) She will look for the brand names of these specific shoes and see if she can talk to consultants from those companies or go to stores that feature that brand.

After all this work she will narrow it down to the top three shoe styles under 100.00
Because having done the research she know that she wears her shoes out in an average of 6-10 months and refuses to spend more than 100.00 on a pair of shoes that she very well may have to replace again before the year is over.

Now she goes and tried on the three pairs of shoes. She jumps, walks, squats, she repeats with each shoe.

Then she goes home and sleeps on it.

Finally she decides which shoe she is going to buy, buys it, takes it home, carefully seals and waterproofs it, puts in her orthotics, and begins to break them in around the house.

Another pair is born. Until its time to retire them to the Rescue mission or the garden working pile.

KJ

Some indoor fun on rainy days

2009-05-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

So its dark and gloomy and my after school kids are going insane because we haven't gotten them outside.

So today on a whim I downloaded some templates for some paper planes.

You remember those don't you? The ones you did in class that were perpetually confiscated and put into the teachers drawer next to whoopie cushions and MAD magazine Never to be seen again?

Well for all of you who still are kids like me, or who have kids ( like me) here is a little fun for those days you just can't go outside to romp in the sun.

http://www.funpaperairplanes.com/index.html

KJ