Going No 'Poo

I recently abandoned my Suave shampoo and conditioner for a more environmental and wallet friendly washing method. I used a baking soda and water paste to wash my hair and then sprayed apple cider vinegar diluted with water on my hair for conditioner.

I must say, it did take some time to adjust to using this concoction. A number of times I jumped into the shower and then realized I had forgotten my baking soda. All the preparation aside, it worked wonderfully. As long as I scrubbed my entire scalp with the baking soda, my hair felt very clean and not greasy.

The real kicker was the vinegar. Yes, it did smell when I applied it, but then I rinsed it out. Other blogs and articles promised that I would not smell like a salad all day long. And they were right. When my hair dried, you could not smell the apple cider vinegar. However, when my hair got wet - like while I was working out at the gym - the smell came back.

I could handle that, but my husband wasn't too keen on the vinegar smell. He did have to put up with working out next to me and using the vinegarized bathroom after I was done, so I see his point. I've switched to Nature's Gate shampoo and conditioner. It's an organic and vegan product line. I'm hoping it's a winner.

Jewelry Holder - Check it out!

I have finally uploaded a picture of my DIY jewelry holder that I was talking about before. Here it is!! I actually made two - one for my necklaces and one for my earrings. I love it!! It was so easy and fun and I'm so very, very happy with it.

Life Changes

I'm embracing voluntary simplicity and going green!!

First, living simply. It all started with the book Affluenza. I read it once in high school and had the urge to read it again. The authors bring to light how shackled to consumerism Americans really are. How we buy, buy, buy and are still never happy or satisfied. After that, the dam broke loose.

I read all sorts of books on decluttering and living simply. It was like an addiction. I decluttered my apartment and vowed to live simply. Reading those books let me to other topics such as sustainability and earth-friendly living. I was hooked. There are so many books, articles and blogs about these topics! I devoured all I could. Currently, I'm reading Walden.

So, what steps have I taken?

• I decluttered. Big time. I went through my closet and gave away bags of clothes, make up, hair stuff and other miscellaneous stuff that we all seem to accumulate. Then I moved on to the kitchen. I sold some items on Craigslist and gave away what was left. Then I went through my desk and my files - I recycled a lot of old papers!!
• I bought organic food.  Not much, just apples and carrots, but it's a start!
• I built a balcony clothesline. When it gets warmer, I'm going to dry my clothes outside. I'm so excited for this because I never thought I could have a clothesline since I'm living in an apartment. 
• I read and journal more.  And I Facebook a lot less. I actually use a timer when I'm surfing the web. Seriously.
• I doubled my recycling efforts. I even considered making a compost bucket to recycle my food waste. But unfortunately, it turned out to be more work than it is worth. When I have my own yard, I'll definitely start my compost pile. 
• I am making a huge effort to eat less fast food.  One idea I've discovered that helps is writing out our weekly menu, then going grocery shopping for just what we need that week. This is only the second week and it has been wonderful. We have everything we need and we know what we're going to eat each night. Genius!
• I've started biking to work. It's four miles to work, eight miles round trip. I've only biked four days in the past couple weeks because the weather has been cold and/or rainy. But I'm looking forward to the warmer temps!
• I clean my hair naturally.  I use baking soda and water to wash and apple cider vinegar to condition. It's too soon for me to say how well it's working, but I'm optimistic. 

Okay, so these are some of the big things I've been doing. But really, it's a mental change too. Especially living simply. You can declutter and not buy more stuff but then what? You need to know what you are all about! I'm on my way; I'll keep you posted. 

Spring Break

I have fallen way behind again! Oh dear. I really want to do better.

I just want to share a couple of pictures from my recent trip out West. I went with my husband and my brother road tripping to the Great Sand Dune National Park in Colorado, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, and finally Zion National Park in Utah. It was a wonderful, memorable, amazing trip that I'm going to remember forever. I love road trips!!

Great Sand Dune National Park

Sand Dunes

Three awesome people at the Dunes!

The Grand Canyon

Zion National Park

Zion

A beautiful array of cairns at Zion

Beautiful, just beautiful. I loved it. I'm looking forward to my next road trip!!

Homemade Bread

I'm so excited for this!! I'm making my own homemade bread this weekend!!! :D

Here's the recipe I'm going to follow:

1/4 cup milk
5 teaspoons sugar (or 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons butter (or 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 package active dry yeast (you can get yeast near the flour at your local grocery store)
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups flour (get unbleached white for your first attempt)
Corn starch or nonstick cooking spray (just to prevent the bread from sticking to the bowl or pan)


It's from The Silver Dollar. 


I'll let you know how it goes!

DIY Jewelry Holder

I've been doing some spring cleaning and I've realized I need a better way to store my necklaces and earrings. So I did some google searching....and I found some beautiful ideas!! Here is one and here is the other. I just need to find a frame and some netting and then bam, I have an inexpensive yet lovely way of hanging my jewelry!