Today I learned that there is nothing wrong with the occasional kolache. (Yesterday at this time I didn’t know what a kolache was. It’s so important to keep learning.) For lunch, I enjoyed an egg and cheese kolache and a spinach and mushroom kolache and now I want to try to make sweet potato pecan kolaches and blackberry apple kolaches and blueberry peach kolaches. (Every time I type the word kolache my computer burps up a red underline to tell me that I’m dreaming.)
I finished my Norrland hat and I’m super proud of it.
(Both colors of yarn have silver woven in, so the hat is super sparkly. There is a slight chance of snow on Sunday.)
Finally, I made another shirt because I can’t seem to stop making shirts.
My freelance project should be here in two weeks. Can you tell that I turn into a nervous ball of creative energy when I’m waiting for a project? It’s not pleasant, but it’s certainly productive. ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
You guys: This Lent thing. Do you know what I’m saying?
I was just in BED because my allergies (they really ARE allergies) are making me cranky and then I was like, “Well, hell. NaBloPoLenta!” So here I am. Back downstairs. In my pajamas with a weird honey pumpkin masque all over my face. (I’m saying masque instead of mask only because I’m very fancy.)
Meredith had her braces removed today and her teeth look amazing and you’re just going to have to take my word for it because she no longer wants to be exploited at Fluid Pudding.
Harper had her parent/teacher conference this evening and it went really well and I would post her grades, but she no longer wants to be exploited at Fluid Pudding.
Unless I start going on adventures soon, this is going to turn into (even more of) a cat and dog blog.
Tempe dropped by this afternoon for some hard core t-shirt making, some perfectly ripe avocado cheddar sandwich eating, and some friendly diagnostic services. Because of her knowledge and connections I am now convinced that I have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which is called SIBO by the cool kids who proliferate bacteria faster than you can type the phrase “rhythm nation bacteria proliferation.”
Do you ever do the thing where you’re like, “Maybe my gallbladder is bad!” and then “Maybe I’m having phantom appendix pain!” and then “Could my one remaining ovary be working its way toward the center making me sort of like a three-legged dog?” Confession: That’s what I’ve been doing since December which is why I’m ALSO being all “YOGAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!”
It’s 9:33 at night. Harper and Jeff are trying to catch a bug. Meredith is searching for a permission slip that’s due tomorrow. The dogs think they need corn chips. The cats are resting so they can go to Crazy Town at approximately 3am.
I hope your Thursday was a good one. Mine was a good one.
Do I need a shirt that says Swanky? ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
EDITED TO ADD: I just researched the tree count, and it’s not high at all! I believe this is a cold and NOT allergies! This changes everything! (This changes nothing.)
This is what I know: If I were to be elected President of the United States, I would probably do a really shitty job. Like, REALLY shitty. I can be talked into giving money to just about anyone, and I don’t even MAKE that much money. I want to knit hats for good-hearted people who are actively dreaming and searching out better opportunities. I think everyone should be given their own umbrella and if you don’t WANT an umbrella you should receive a voucher to cash in for a warm monthly dinner. I don’t want anyone to go into serious debt just because their appendix blew up and they had to have it taken out. Only people who can take care of dogs can have dogs. I want to be the president who cures cancer. I want to encourage regular neighborhood get-togethers (introverts get a pass). I want to take some guns away and offer incentives to people who step up and get involved with community service. I want to see a major decline in the prison population. I want every child to feel loved and encouraged and well-rested and never hungry. I want to enforce Meatless Mondays. Someday we’ll find it, the rainbow connection—the lovers, the dreamers, and me.
Yes. I voted for Bernie Sanders today.
And, yes. I know there’s a fairly good chance that he won’t be our candidate. I had to vote with my heart.
It’s such a charged time for us. Overly charged. For the first time in my life I truly have no idea what will be happening a year from now. (Actually, I suppose it’s safe to say that I never have an idea in regard to the happenings of next year. I’m not a wizard! I’ve never felt this ruffled about the future before.)
WHOOSH! I have to change the subject because wetlrkdafogiyaehrtkajnawp9hy8. (That was me banging my big forehead against the keyboard.)
We have essential oil winners! RzDrms won the lavender!
Sherry won the orange!
Kathy G won the lemongrass!
Thank you all so much for dropping by and participating in the giveaway, and thank you to Better Essentials for the oils! (Don’t forget to check out the Better Essentials website!) ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
I then met Tempe for a much needed sushi/coffee/knitting adventure before returning home to this t-shirt in my mailbox.
Also, I did some laundry, I cleaned up a bit, I practiced some yoga, I wandered around the neighborhood with Jeff, and I’m currently getting ready to settle down with some chamomile tea and a book. It’s time for a freelance gig, but until it arrives I’m going to keep on doing what I’m doing.
This afternoon I was told that we should replace judgement with curiosity and I LOVE that, so I decided to start immediately. I then made the mistake of turning on CNN and watching political news.
I’ll try again tomorrow.
Luckily, the day wasn’t a total detour from my path to Tranquil Town. I made a shirt! (I received a Cricut for Christmas. I sort of want to spend all of my time cutting vinyl and making window clings.)
Also, I went to a steakhouse where I ate fries dipped in cinnamon butter and I feel only slightly guilty about that choice.
During the sleep deprivation experiment I mistook my stomach growl for an outdoor animal fight. I smiled at the television for nearly thirty minutes before realizing that I was watching a documentary about Richard Nixon. (Also, I prayed that Harper will not follow in Meredith’s footsteps by deciding to complete a project on sleep that involves me NOT sleeping.)
I’m dragging a bit today.
ANNOUNCEMENT: During the Republican debate a few nights back, I was able to do this:
(I couldn’t do that four weeks ago. Currently, I can’t bend over from a standing (legs far apart) position and touch the top of my head to the floor. I’ll be working on that. Also, I haven’t been very successful when it comes to cleaning my shower. I’ll work on that, too.)
This morning Harper made a PowerPoint presentation. Here is a highlight:
It made me laugh like Seth Rogen for thirty seconds.
Clarification: Meredith will actually be sleeping during the sleep deprivation study. (One of her classes requires a 35-minute presentation, and she chose sleep as her topic. Jeff and I are the animals being tested.) ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
UPDATE: Names have been drawn and winners have been notified. I’ll announce the names sometime on 3/15!
In December of 2015, Jeff purchased an essential oil diffuser for me and suddenly our entire house was filled with the scents of lemons and oranges and eucalyptus and lavender and peppermint and I think you’re getting the idea. Because I find that certain scents actually improve my mood, I bought a diffuser necklace last year so I can have easy access to calming oils. (I think the world would be a better place if everyone would just sit in a dark room, smell an orange, and listen to Chopin.)
A few weeks back, Jennifer from Better Essentials contacted me and I immediately liked her because she is a yoga instructor, a young mom, and someone who started her own company with the goal of selling the best oils at the best prices. She asked if I was interested in offering a discount on oils at Fluid Pudding. I asked her if we could host a giveaway instead of a discount. She was in.
A few days later, four oils arrived: Lemongrass, Orange, Lavender, and Best Friend Blend. I decided to keep the Best Friend Blend for a demonstration video and give the rest away, and I’m so glad I kept the Best Friend Blend because get this: On Tuesday morning I woke up all lousy with a cold. For grins, I put some of the Best Friend Blend in my diffuser and I rubbed some of it onto the bottom of my feet. My cold was completely gone on Wednesday and I’m not even kidding. (Meredith asked me to not share that story because it makes me sound like “one of those people.” But, listen. If I can shake even 23% of my head colds within a day? I’ll sign on to be one of those people!)
If you don’t have a diffuser and you’re not quite sure how to deal with essential oils, the easiest thing to do is make an air freshener, so that’s what I’ve demonstrated in the video below. AND, before you say it, please know that when I’m nervous my declaratives sound like interrogatives. Also, my glasses need to be adjusted so I tend to do a nose dance to straighten them out. My white balance is off. I say “Anyway” a lot. Aren’t you glad I don’t have a vlog? (Vlog.)
Here goes!
After watching that video, don’t you want to make an air freshener of your own? You do? You do! Leave a comment below and and tell me about your favorite scent. Or tell me how you use oils. Or write a poem about your nose. In a few days I’ll do a random drawing and three people will win a bottle of Better Essentials oil! (Giveaways are fun. I really should do this more often. But probably without the videos.) Meanwhile, please hit the Better Essentials ad at the top of the page and check out all of their oils! The site suggests different ways to use different oils, the prices are great, shipping is free in the US, and the idea of supporting a small business owned by an awesome yoga instructor mom jazzes me to no end. ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
In April of 2014 I ate a doughnut and decided to take my sidebar ads down “for now.” Two years passed and during those years I turned down probably three or four offers to promote products on my website because I don’t want to subtly hint that I support plastic bags or weird makeup that was tested on sweet baby rabbits (or monkeys or dolphins). ((Or any animal, really.))
Anyway, a few weeks back I had an e-mail conversation with the woman who founded Better Essentials and she is super nice and she actually sent me some oils (I’ll be giving them away here in a few days) and I love them.
When I started this website back in 2001, I was a totally different person than I am now, and I sort of dig the fact that I’ve grown into someone I would have made fun of (behind my own back, obviously) back then. Today I’m a 45-year-old comfortable-clothes-wearing yoga-loving fiber-spinning essential-oil-diffusing cardigan-knitting drama-free clean-eater who used to know all of the rules of hyphenation, but is no longer a total stickler. Anyway: If you like things that smell good, I invite you to check out Better Essentials. If you dive deeper and want to explore oils beyond the good smells, I invite you to check out Better Essentials.
Best of all, please know that *I* asked *them* for the graphic and link on my sidebar. (I still have lingering guilt over the ad thing. I need to get past that, knowing that I’m going to recommend only things that I love.)
Tomorrow you and I are going to make a room freshener out of one of the oils and at the end of the post will be the random giveaway. Consider it payback for the way I’ve been mostly mundane during NaBloPoLenta. Thanks for sticking with me. ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>
