Lighter Hair and Whiter Whites--a few ways to use the sun this summer

Blonder hair, bronzer skin, and whiter whites?  

Many of us have been incorporating the sun into our beauty regime since we were in Jr. High--lemon juice on our hair to make it blonde while we baked for hours to achieve the perfect bronze.  But did you know that you can use the sun to clean your clothes? And standing in the sun for 15 minutes is more effective than taking vitamin D supplements?  Did you know you can elevate your mood AND make your white's whiter simply by taking a step into the sun?  As temperatures creep into the triple digits this week and you're stuck inside, sipping cold iced tea and working on your blog/inside-project-of-choice, why not let the sun do a little of the extra work for you?




1. Brighten your Whites.

my sun tea

The sun emits ultraviolet rays which have the ability to break down organic stains on fabric (note, the sun will not be effective on inorganic stains such as paint, ink, some food stains etc).    The sun does this by breaking apart the molecular structure on a stain, which, in turn, changes the way light is reflected on the fabric (Heida).   Be careful when putting your colors in the sun as well--it'll bleach those too.

2. Disinfect and Freshen your linens 
In addition to bleaching your fabrics, the sun's ultra violet rays can also disinfect and freshen your linens.  That's right, put your stinky, musty, and mildewed items in the sun and let 'em bake.

3. Make sun tea.
So, I grew up drinking this stuff and have never become ill from sun tea.  Apparently, if you don't make sun tea the correct way it can grow bacteria which is harmful, so proceed cautiously.  In a large glass jar, place sprigs of mint leaves, lemons, sugar or honey, and black tea (make sure the tea is caffeinated, as the caffeine will help stave off bacteria that may grow in luke-warm water).  Let it sit in the sun for 3-4 hours.

4. Soak up some D's.  
Step outside for at least 15 minutes to get your daily dose of vitamin D.  A healthy dose of vitamin D will not only reduce your chances of developing certain diseases, but it will also put you into a better mood and help regulate your immune system.

Cooking with Road Berries and Flowers

Obviously, she's fancy.  Ladies, repeat after me, "Of course I can."

I come from an amazing family of women.  My Mom, Grandmother, and Aunts are my heros.  Naturally, when Brandon and I got married, they all came together, throwing us the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to.  I'd like to say I could take credit for that day, but all I did was say "I do."  For our gifts to our guests, my Aunt Beth made blackberry jam from berries she had picked on the side of the road at my grandparent's house.  Maybe it was the fresh berries, maybe it was just the Aunt Beth touch, but it was the best jam I've ever had.  Often in the morning I find myself dreaming about her glorious jam, wishing I still had a jar.

Following are a few recipes you can make with road berries and flowers.  Please don't eat flowers and berries you aren't certain are edible, as some can be deadly (those of you who saw Hunger Games  know exactly what I'm talking about).  Should you eat things from your yard and feel strange afterward, please go to the hospital.




1. Honeysuckle Sorbet
I came across this recipe on the NPR site [Noah Adams].

4 cups of honeysuckle blossoms
1 2/3 cups water (for those of us in TN, better use bottled water--our water tastes gross)
2 cups of sugar
1/2 t lemon juice

1. Soak the honeysuckle overnight to get rid of any thing living on them.
2. Pour the honeysuckles and water into a sauce pan and add the sugar.  After the mixture is clear, allow to boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat.
3. Strain honeysuckle through a sieve and add 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
4. Take a spoon and press all of the juices, honey, and flower flavors out of your flowers to maximize the flower flavor.
5. freeze it, stirring occasionally if you're able.
6. break up your honeysuckle ice and blend in the blender or food processor before serving.


2. Sugared Violets
Eat sugared violets by themselves or use them to garnish your delectable spring desserts.

1. Wash your flowers and allow them to dry completely
2. Spread 1/2 cup of caster sugar on a plate (for the really poor fancy girl, you can take regular sugar and give it a few spins in your food processor to make it fine).
3. spread egg white onto the petals and dip into the sugar
4. place on wax paper, which also has sugar sprinkled onto it for easy removal

3. Muleberry Pie
3 cups of muleberries
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 t salt
2 T butter
1/4 c. flour
double pastry crust

1.Mix berries, sugar, salt, and flower and place into dish with piecrust
2. dot with butter
3. cover with piecrust and seal
4. Place pie in over and preheat to 400.  Once oven reaches 400 turn down to 340 and bake for 15 min or until the crust is slightly golden.
5. allow to cool on your window-sill like they do in the movies

4. Blackberry Ginger Glaze
Ok, so I'm cheating on this one--I haven't made this yet.  But I'm going to.  Here's the link for Baked Salmon with a Blackberry Ginger Glaze

• 
  

Gee, Brandon. Your wife is so snotty.

Whilst on a transcontinental treck, Meagan
and I found this book at a thrift store.  
We had finished it by Nebraska.
It was the best, most awful book I've ever read.
And it is highly recommended.  

Had I listened to my own advice I wouldn’t have had the time to write this blog.  “What was this grand mistake you made? And can I make it?” you might wonder.  Well, friends, I can tell you right now, it’s not the key to more time in your day.  I wore my body down, ate brownies instead of broccoli, and denied I was getting ill instead of facing the truth and fighting that nasty virus with my righteous proteins and a few Zzzz’s.  Yes.  The bad guy won.  And I paid big time.  And by big time I mean I’ve been in bed for almost a week now and still sound like a man.   Not fancy.  In fact, the fanciest part of my week was when I was hunched over a pot of boiling water because my lungs were closing and I realized that some women pay good money to have their pores opened like this (and, naturally, a facial ensued).  

If you work for a big company, chances are good that you look forward to your sick days--they’re like paid vacations where you get to watch movies and eat chicken noodle soup.  However, if you’re like me (and I am assuming you are because we fancy poor girls have a tendency to work for mom and pops that only pay you when you show up to work--and little at that), you are your own benefactor on a sick day.  Few work days may be spared.   And that’s the price you pay for the beautiful life you live.  

So, the best way to avoid sick days is not to get sick.  You can do this by drinking plenty of water, getting 8 hours of sleep every night (preferably, between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am--not kidding.  It’s most bodies’ natural, healthy rhythm), exercising, eating your veggies, proteins, fruits, good fats, and proper carbs; and shying away from sugar, alcohol, coffee, dairies, and any grains your body may have an aversion to.  Simple? Yes.  Easy? No. Possible? Possibly.  This proves especially difficult for a fancy girl who rarely turns down the opportunity to live and be marry, who, had she her druthers, would treat herself to wine and artisan cheeses daily, who begins every day with a cup of her favorite, locally roasted, single origin coffee and a breakfast cookie, and dreams about a bar full of olive varietals.  I mean, really, why have an island when you can have the world?  Consequently, sometimes all of the fun you’ve had just ends in a big, snotty mess.  And this is the price you pay for the beautiful life you live.

However, if you feel your body is shutting down there are a few, cheap things you can do to stave off that nasty illness.  The more of these you do, the better.  If you’re on a major budget, just purchase the alliums and lemons. 

1. Remember, the first step to recovery is recognition.  To be honest, this is the one I have the most trouble with.  I will deny I am becoming ill until I am in bed and very sick.  I’m like the little kid who hides from his dad by covering his eyes.  
2. After the initial recognition has been made, drop everything you’re doing and run to the store.  Grab the following: 2 onions, a clove of garlic, dark leafy greens, lemons, chicken drumsticks, broth (msg free), and noodles or rice.
3. When you return home, you’ll want a cookie because your body is exhausted and wants a quick pick-me-up from the sugar.  Don’t do it.  That cookie will land you in bed all week.  Instead, shun the cookies and bread and pull out an onion.
4. Cut off the top of the onion and hollow out the middle.  Fill the inside with water and place in the stove.  Turn the oven to 350 (it does not need to preheat) and bake for 15 minutes.  Drink the onion water.
5. Next, eat an entire clove of garlic. (you can swallow it whole if you are able or chop it up into manageable pieces.
6. After your garlic, if you are able, go to bed immediately and sleep for as long as you can.
7. When you awake, make hot lemon water, using an entire lemon.  Drink this and eat the seeds.
8. Drink a lot of water.  A lot.  
9. If you are up to it, make chicken soup.  
10. If you’re still hungry eat your dark, leafy greens
11. Then repeat steps 5-8 as many times as needed, with a minimum of 3 times per day.  
12. Go live your life because you’re better!!!!!!!!

Brag on my Bragg

Yes, this ad is real (found on barnbaby).  Little did they
know, they could have just used apple cider vinegar

Making healthy choices can be expensive.  I hate how short ingredient lists mean bigger prices.  And it's terrifying to think that the food once produced by farmers and chefs is now the work of scientists.  Though some may be tempted to scoff at my boutique grocery shopping (fancy is as fancy does), I find that my body and mind are satisfied when I'm feeding my body things that are good for it.

This is why I love apple cider vinegar.  It's an inexpensive cure-all, which frees up some cash so I can buy things like fennel and an El Rey, coursly conched, 72% chocolate bar.  When buying apple cider vinegar, make sure you buy the one that says "from the mother" or "with the mother."  You also want to buy the bottle that has all of the stuff at the bottom.  I always buy Bragg.  

Apple cider vinegar is--you guessed it--fermented apple cider.  Apple cider vinegar contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron, among other minerals and elements that your body needs to survive.  It has been known to cure stomach problems, dandruff and other yeast problems, sore throats, and mold in your house (note, due to the high acidity content, apple cider vinegar is not for everyone).

Following are a few links on how to use apple cider vinegar:

daily health

dandruff 
acid reflux
yeast infection
sore throat
weight loss
acne
sinus infection
chest cold

Organic Gardening by a Friendly Farmer

I'm working at the Harvest Market Garden. It is a part of UT's  organic program. There are 6 of us interns and we run a one acre garden and sell the produce at a weekly farmers market on campus. My farm dream is to have a homestead to produce food that is healthy for people as well as for the land. I want to heal the land and heal people with the food I grow. Organic, small-scale farming (what I do) is a great gender equalizer, I think, because it is mostly a matter of stamina - not sheer muscle power. The strength it takes to make it through a 12 hour day of harvesting, when it's 95 degrees, is quite different from the strength it takes to bench press 350pounds. I enjoy being on equal ground with the fellows I work with and feeling strong in what I do.

  

I'm working at the Harvest Market Garden. It is a part of UT's 

organic program. There are 6 of us interns and we run a one acre garden and sell the produce at a weekly farmers market on campus.

My farm dream is to have a homestead to produce food that is healthy for people as well as for the land. I want to heal the land and heal people with the food I grow.

Organic, small-scale farming (what I do) is a great gender equalizer, I think, because it is mostly a matter of stamina - not sheer muscle power. The strength it takes to make it through a 12 hour day of harvesting, when it's 95 degrees, is quite different from the strength it takes to bench press 350pounds. I enjoy being on equal ground with the fellows I work with and feeling strong in what I do.

If fancy loves anything it’s fresh.  Which is why Kirsten Eisele, who is currently working with The Harvest Market Garden in Knoxville, has written a little piece for us on budget organic gardening.  Kirsten has also agreed to help out with a little Q&A on budget organic gardening.  This girl knows her stuff.  Ask her anything in the comments below and she’ll answer.  

"Greetings, fancy ladies! I am a fancy girl who gets her hands dirty at different farms across middle and east Tennessee. Last year I had the privilege of living in a house where the owners had established a perennial herb garden and was 

completely won over to the joy of cooking with fresh herbs.

Fresh herbs are essential to every fancy girl’s kitchen. They lend that extra edge of flavor to any dish, whether a simple spaghetti sauce or a crusty loaf of rosemary bread.

The only problem with fresh herbs is that they cost a whole lot if you have to rely on the grocery store to get them. You’ll pay about $3 to buy a tiny package of probably not-so-fresh herbs that will go bad quickly if you don’t use them immediately

The solution? Grow your own! Most herbs are notoriously easy to grow. They will grow in the ground, in a pot, indoors, outdoors, on the roof, in the backyard. 

Starting from seed is my recommendation. It may take a bit longer for you to get the lovely-smelling plants you desire, but it will be worth the wait.

You’ll get the best value by purchasing an assorted seed packet. Individual seed packets cost about $2/each and can be bought at your local hardware store or farmers co-op.

http://www.amazon.com/Custom-Collection-Varieties-Quality-Seeds/dp/B0042AIYH0/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1307643807&sr=1-2

Many herbs are either perennials, such as rosemary and sage, or self-seed easily, such as dill. Put a bit of effort into setting up your garden and with luck you will be literally reaping the rewards for years to come.

The cheapest soil prep is good hard work, if you have a home where your herbs will be permanent. Dig up the spot where you're going to put the plants 

Here's a link to a recipe for homemade organic pest sprays. Super easy to make and earth-friendly. Though usually, the best organic form of pest control is to use two fingers to squish the offending bug!

Two Homemade Sprays for Fighting Aphids organicgardening.about.comThese two homemade organic sprays have a proven track record of effectiveness when it comes to getting rid of aphids.

Interested in an indoor garden? Check out this resource for information on growing different kinds of herbs.

http://www.indoorherbgarden.org/indoorgardeningtips.html

Interested in an outdoor garden? In our mild climate, perennial herbs can survive the winter and thrive during warm weather.

http://www.ehow.com/how_4933292_plant-outdoor-herb-garden.html

Please comment with any additional questions and I’d be happy to do a follow up Q and A post!

Your friendly farmer, 

Kirsten"

Pretty Skin!!!

I want to dance with vanity and still have the gumption to stand when it's over.  And I want to have good skin doing it.  Unfortunately, my favorite products (i.e. the orange sugar exfoliant by Fresh) cost upward of $50.  I thank my mother, my grandmother, and my Aunt Patti for my expensive taste.  However, it can't be helped. My taste may be expensive, but who says you have to spend a fortune on goodness?

this is a portrait of Erzsebet Bathory, the Countess

    who bathed in the blood of young maidens to retain her youth. 

Little did she know she could have used a sugar scrub.

I love the Fresh products because they are comprised, primarily, of things I can buy at my neighborhood grocery.  But since I can buy the ingredients at my grocery then I should just make it myself, right?  And the answer is yes.  After a short trip to the grocery, all you'll need is a bowl, a spoon, and a pretty little air tight container that you love to open and close (I'll admit, I do love the sound the Fresh container makes when you close it--the glass is so thick that the sound it makes is most substantial and satisfying.  Do you know what I mean?)

Granted, my Fresh exfoliant that I love so has many more ingredients, so know we're not making the exact scrub.  But this exfoliant works like a charm.   Use it one to 2 times per week.




1 tablespoon cane sugar
2 teaspoons of oil (try olive, avocado, macadamia, sesame, jojoba, or coconut oil. you may have to try a couple before you find the right oil for your skin)
1 teaspoon of orange juice
Citrus zest
(the citrus is optional for those of us with dry skin.  If you do leave the citrus out, add another t of oil.  However, if your skin is extra dry, throw some oats and honey into the mix.  Wear it for 10 minutes--eat it if you'd like).


Wet your face with a warm cloth.  Gently message the face with your sugar scrub.  Let it sit for 4-5 minutes.  Then rinse and moisturize (I moisturize with olive oil).  Pretty skin!!!!  

The Price of Purity--toxic free cleaning.

I'm coming clean.  I am a social-eco-freindly-ist.  I only recycle when I have company.  I refuse bags at the grocery store so the cashiers like me (and those reusable totes are so cute).  And when I must have a choice, I choose paper even though studies show that plastic is less toxic for the environment.  However, when it comes to the things I am breathing inside my house I always, always go the natural-green-eco-friendly-organic-enviromental-whateverwe'recallingitatthismoment route.  Unfortunately, as the ingredient list gets shorter, the price gets higher.  However, with a few cheap household items you can make your own organic cleaners and clean the way they did before chemists
made cleaning products.



Not only are organic products better for the environment and family, but they also smell good.
In the words of dear Coco, "A woman who doesn't wear perfume has no future."  Likewise, a house with no scent has no past worth remembering.  Every time I smell cranberries and cinnamon together I feel like I'm at home.  It was a mixture of my mom's cranberry and cinnamon candles and the Murphy's Oil soap she used to clean our wood floors.  With that said, choose your scent.  Go down to your local, organic grocery and choose the essential oil that fits your house and season.  Think of it as an investment.  This will be the most expensive thing you'll buy for these cleaners.  Right now mine is Lavender and Hops.  I'm also considering tangerine, verbena, cyprus, bergamot, or cinnamon.

Every day cleaner for countertops, linoleum, and windows
Mix the following in an empty spray bottle (Home Depot has one for 89 cents):
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 cups water
15-30 drops of your essential oil

At first when you spray this it will smell like vinegar.  However, as it dries the vinegar smell will go away and the scent of your oil will remain.



Tough Cleaner
You can also make a baking soda paste by mixing the baking soda, water, and your oil.  Then scrub with the paste and wash off with water.


If this doesn't work, sprinkle the tub with baking soda, then pour white vinegar on top of the baking soda.  Let it fizz.  Then scrub with a brush or sponge.  After the grime is gone, clean it with your every day cleaner.



For Furniture
1 t olive oil
1/4 c. lemon juice or vinegar

To clean dark Hardwood
Brew your favorite black tea.  (use 5 teabags to 2 quarts of water--let is steep for 5-10 minutes).  Let the tea come to room temp, then mop the floors.  The tannins in the tea will make your floors shiny, the oils will moisturize your floors.

click here for other recipes

you can't take the fancy out.

The roof leaked. The window sill was rotting. The floor creaked and caved around the 60 year old heater in the floor. The grass had grown 2 feet tall because I couldn’t afford to put gas into the mower. I sat on my couch, eating my meal du jour, a hot dog and mayonnaise, while I sipped hot water from a Hutschenreuther teacup (Richelieu), signed and numbered “33.” 

Hutschenreuther Richelieu 

Hot dog and Mayonnaise

do these really go together?




















Yes, yes, it is true. Fancy moved out of her parents’ house and into a place of her own, carting only her Hutschenreuther and an old silver spoon she got from her mother. It’s a well known fact that the women in my family can pick out the most expensive thing in the room because it’s the first thing to which we’re drawn. We’re fancy girls. We want it all. And really, let’s be reasonable, what’s the point in having cake if you can’t eat it too? 

And yet, amid all of the frill, there’s the survivor, the warrior, the girl who will stop at nothing for freedom and a love to call her own. Though she may have to trudge through the rain, sell her dresses to buy groceries, hold the soles [souls] of her shoes together with duct tape, and wear mud on her shirts because she can’t afford detergent, she will survive. She will make due. She will rise above and conquer. And she’ll look good doing it. 

This, my friends, is why I present you with the fancy girl’s guide to being poor. Because you can take the girl out of the fancy, but you can’t take the fancy out of the girl.