My Latest Crazy Adventure.....

This week, January 2nd-9th, I will be busy with my latest crazy adventure. For my more conservative friends and family, don't worry about me. It doesn't hurt, that much......

Toxic Toothpaste

Have you ever read the label on a toothpaste tube? Ever wonder what all those ingredients are? Lara Berch runs an interesting blog about the state of our Earth called Down With Basics. She has an interesting article on toothpaste from Scott Baker. Here is a short excerpt.



"The 5 Hidden Dangers In Toothpaste
By: Scott Baker
A Must Read if You Have Children
Would you allow your family to brush their teeth with engine degreaser or rat poison? The fact is, they probably are and you don’t even know it. See http://toothpastewarning.here.ws/ for specific list.
Dental hygiene products that you and your children use every day may contain toxins that have been linked to cancer, blindness, and even death. Have you checked out the ingredients in your toothpaste or mouthwash lately?" For the rest of the article, click here.

Is Shampoo Safe?

I took a major brand shampoo out of my cupboard, I still have a few left, and read the ingredients. Some of the ingredients I am familiar with like water, glycerine.......and......um......well, that's it apparently.

The other ingredients? Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Dimethiconol, Cocamide MEA, Glycerin, silk powder, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Cocamidoprpyl Betaine, Gragrance, PEG-5 Cocamide, Carbomer, Amodimethicone, Guar Hydroxyprpyltrimonium Chloride, Ammonium Chloride, TEA Dodecylbenzenesulfonate, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM Hydantoin, C11-15 Pareth-&, Laureth-9, PEG-45m, Trideceth-12, PPG-9, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Titanium Dioxide.

Here is what Deidre Imus says about some of these ingredients in her book, The Essential Green You:

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate- Research suggests, skin irritant, carcinogenic, neurotoxic, developmentally toxic effects. It may also release a carcinogen known as 1,4-dioxane. Found in shampoos, conditioners, bar soaps, body washes, facial cleansers, liquid hand soaps, acne treatments, hair dyes, mascara, shaving products etc....

Fragrance- The FDA lets personal care companies classify their fragrance formulas as "trade secrets". Most fragrances contain highly volatile allergens that are a recognized cause of asthma and skin rashes in children and adults. Many contain dibutyl phthalates which have been identified as potential hormone disruptors in animal studies.

Cocamide DEA- The National Library of Medicine has found moderate evidence that DEA is toxic to the human immune system and irritating to skin, while the EPA classifies it as a "known human respiratory toxicant". Once your skin absorbs it, DEA is also prone to forming compounds called nitrosmaines, which have been shown to cause cancer in lab animals.

It pays to do your research and a healthy dose of skepticism my be good for your health.

Putting By Carrots

I am a bit late on harvesting the carrots. I just didn't make time to harvest them earlier. It's one of the benefits of gardening with root vegetables and many winter veges, you can harvest them when you need them or when it's convenient to you. There are fewer pests in the winter to ruin your veges so I tend to just water them like I do the rest of my 'plants' and 'go to the garden to fetch dinner' as needed.

Carrots are easy to grow, just make sure to dig and turn the soil about 6-8 inches so the roots can grow freely. They are somewhat forgiving if you forget to water them for a while. Carrots are very nutritous and are easy to cook.

This food is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Iron, Potassium and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin K and Manganese.

You can 'Put By' carrots by canning, dehydrating or freezing. I don't have a pressure canner so I decided to freeze mine. I washed and sliced the carrots into discs, laid out carrots in a single layer on a cookie sheet, placed in chest freezer. This way each carrot was frozen individually and they won't freeze into one, solid block. I can then store in two freezer jars and 'shake out' what I need for recipes. It's very convenint to do it this way.

In this part of Texas, we can grow carrots year round. In fact, I have some new seeds in the ground now. I hope you decide to grow carrots too!

Plant A Row For The Hungry

Territorial Seed Company was giving away free carrot seeds for gardeners that would plant extra in order to help feed people in need. The instructions were simple, plant these free seeds in extra space in your garden and donate the veges to a food bank, soup kitchen or a neighbor in need. I finally harvested this vege bed and donated it to a neighbor two houses down from me. They are recent immigrants from Africa that are challenged as they are making a life here in the U.S. I harvested the veges, put them in a paper bag along with herbs, greens and lemon grass from my garden and placed them on the front porch. Anonymous is more my style. This act is a vintage concept of community that was pervasive in earlier days and was also a key concept in the book Radical Homemaker by Shannon Hayes.



I enjoyed this book tremendously. Thanks Julie for recommending this book!!

Creative Spaces

This is my favorite crafting space. I have a few others, sewing, knitting, cooking (I consider cooking a craft). In this colorful room, I am movitivated to make something everytime I clear off the table. The vibrant colors in there are like a piping hot cup of creative coffee, energizing me and motivating me to create a one-of-a-kind piece. I really like color, this room shows it:)

I finished the Kittyville hat from Debbie Stoller's SNB

I finally finished the Kittyville Hat from Kitty Schmidt that i knit from Debbie Stoller's SNB book.


I first saw this hat actually on a fellow girl scout in our troop. When I asked mom where she got this hat she said ' I knit it from this book'. I had the same book and started to knit this hat. It's pretty easy, very much an intermediate hat. I want to knit more, especially from Malabrigo Yarn. This color is Ravelry Red
The cold weather has inspired me to start knitting again. It's been a while, a casualty of having so many hobbies. Oh well, what can i do?