Body Business

Aaron's mom has been reading a few books about juicing, how our body processes foods, and the food industry. I know you all are very familiar with all of this stuff, so I'll just jot a few notes that were new to me.

• If your body is in an alkaline state, rather than acidic, diseases can not survive. So, stay away from vinegar and processed foods. Apple cider vinegar is good though. So I've been drinking 2 tsp of ac vinegar a day. This is especially beneficial if you eat meat because it helps you process the protein. I don't eat meat anymore but I take it anyway.
• It's extremely beneficial to supplement the amount of raw vegetables and fruits you normally eat with juiced raw veggies and fruits - make sure it is a juicer and not an emulsifier because it's hard for your body to process the fiber found in the skins and pulp. You just need the fiber from the 5 un-juiced servings you should be eating. I'm going to buy a juicer one of these days... or those days.
• Carrots and spinach are life savers!
• Processed foods suck - we all know this. But they layer the foods so that your mind gets complete satisfaction and you become addicted. Gross... it's like brainwashing.

Okay, peace out.

Artsy Craftsy

Aaron and I are volunteering for a local non profit called Treasures for Teachers. They have tons of 'junk' donated to them on a regular basis and teachers can fill a bag of random items for a couple of bucks to make projects with their students. We've been contracted (freely) to make fun arts and crafts projects for the store to display... so that the teachers have ideas for what they can create out of the random odds and ends. We filled a huge bag - binders, styrofoam cups, pine cones, styrofoam blocks, coin wrappers, fabric, string, plastic trays, so on and so forth. We'll make about 6 items out of these materials. So far, we made a stained glass inspired panel (plastic tray, paint, bubble wrap, wood sheet), neo-conservative finger puppets named Dan and Louise Meadows - they're married and he's a reporter - (coin wrappers, styrofoam blocks, paint, wood sheet, fabric, pine cone, plastic strap), and a penguin (styrofoam cups, file folder, plastic cap, pine cone, paint). Well, WE LOVE them! We took some pictures and together, they look like they're on a 70's TV talk or game show set. 

Over the weekend: We had an awesome visit with Becka this weekend and she looks amazing and seems full of spunk. Vivian's (Aaron's mom) 50th birthday was also this weekend and we threw her a surprise party at a greek festivity restaurant. That was also so much fun - she was super happy. Last night we all went to see Wicked for her b-day (Aaron, his sister and her husband, Vivian and Ron, and I). Their set was pretty kick-ass, and likely very expensive, and Glinda the Good's character was quite funny. I read the book a few years ago, so now I'll finish Son of a Witch finally. 

Becka and me... I need a tan:)

Vivian with the belly dancer 

Goings On

So, Aaron and I are both gainfully unemploy', (I just finished reading Confederacy of Dunces) and we're looking into jobs of various skill, pay, and objective. We want to get rid of our debt - who doesn't? - and then just get easy breezy jobs and travel around working on farms, making art, and eventually, hopefully, buying a piece of cheap land that has lots of dirt that we can use to make bricks and build a little dwelling, and have a garden, grove, and some goats. Anyway, there are tons of avenues to take. We both have our resumes out, our contacts contacted, our extra car on the market, and a few small, freelance (and babysitting) jobs scheduled to make it through August and hopefully get our credit cards paid off by mid 2010. But, our Mega Blaster 3000 to Get Out of Student Loan Debt Free plan is to get our teaching certificates and teach in low-income neighborhoods for 4 years. They pay a  large percentage each year towards your student loan debt and by the 4th or 5th it's inilated. Oh yeah, I didn't get the AmeriCorps jobs - rats! So, that's that. Who knows what will actually happen but this is what we're thinking at the moment. 

I was reading this book called Shelter last night. I think Dad happened upon it in one of his used book store rummages and gave it to me. It's really great - lots of pictures and random writings about shelters built throughout history throughout the world. I think my favorite buildings for the moment are that of the Dogon of central west Africa. They make bricks out of the earth and water, then make a mortar to plaster the outside. They could definitely work in Arizona. Also, the ghorfas in Tunisia are pretty awesome. They remind me of Arcosanti. 

This is the book cover. It's far out - very 70's and delightful. 

Two above - Dogon village and dwellings 

Two above - Ghorfas in Tunisia

What else? Oh yes, WWOOF - World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. So, you can work on organic farms that are listed through WWOOF (www.wwoof.org) and your food and lodging is paid by the farm. They typically want you to work 5 to 6 hours a day 6 days a week. Pretty cool. So, that may be something else we do after paying off our debt. So many wonderful things.

Okay, I'm going to eat some of the butter oatmeal raspberry bar that I made. It's so terribly good. 

2 sticks butter, 2 cups oatmeal, 2 cups flour of your choosing, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 cups brown sugar. Mix it. Put 2/3 in a buttered (more butter!) pan and press it. Spread either fresh fruit or preserves on top. Then add the rest of the butter crumble mix and press. Put in 375° for 40 minutes. Let cool and eat... but not too fast because it's like eating a sweet butter stick and it's very bad for you. 

Peace out! 

No One's Blogging. What's the Deal?

I suppose summer has us heat stricken. 

Well, I had a phone interview for an AmeriCorps position today. The woman who interviewed me recommended me on for a live interview with the supervisor of the Phoenix office. I REALLY hope I get it! It sounds perfect for me and it would be something I feel exceptionally great about. This is the description of the program:

Rebuilding Together Capacity Corps is a high-impact National AmeriCorps program of 44 full-time AmeriCorps members serving in 24 Rebuilding Together affiliates in 15 states including Arizona. RT CapacityCorps members will build the capacity of Rebuilding Together affiliates to serve additional low-income homeowners through volunteer recruitment, client outreach, direct repairs for low-income homeowners, new project implementation, community partnership development and program expansion.

Also, I was feeling inspired last week and made a piece of art for Becka... finally. 

Amazing Food Blog

I love this website. www.deliciousdays.com. The site design is fresh and simple, the pictures are awesome, and she has some very cool recipes. Have fun:)

Bircher Muesli - made a variation of it this morning... yum!

This red onion confit looks rockin'

Hmm... squid breadsticks

I'm SO going to make these cubes of decadence

Fragrant Spring

Hi. Here I am at last! I haven't blogged in a while. I've been out of touch with this and Facebook since coming back from Louisiana. Aaron and I may be moving to California next month (I know - it's getting pretty close for me to still say 'may be' but that's how I roll... or stroll). I'll be a cook for Rachel! How exciting:) I love to cook and I love Rachel and I love to eat Rachel's food so this should work out well, I hope. In the meantime, Aaron and I have been looking for and applying to jobs in the area but it's pretty slim pickings. 

I haven't been packing or anything of that sort. Nope, I've been painting and preparing my bath püffs ('poof's). I made 15 püffs this week and they smell and look great, I must say! I'm packaging them and sending them out this weekend. Look forward:) They are made with organic, naturally derived ingredients. 

Look, I've finally drafted something to paint!

Here are the püffs and two that were packaged for Aaron's bosses 

My birthday is in two weeks and Aaron and I will perhaps spend the night at Arcosanti again (I want to make it there in case we leave soon) and will definitely head to the Reiki center and river in Sedona (as seen in the pic with Aaron - he's unwrapping some new stones at the river). 

I am also volunteering in the office at the refugee non-profit organization I've worked with over the years. I started that today and it was just me and the director Kelly in the office Aaron and I designed and decorated... I must gloat that it's a relaxing space. Kelly is awesome - she likes to cook, sew, knit, garden, entertain friends, do community work - a combo of we Main girls. She invited me to her home to see her garden, so I'll bring her a bath püff and this wonderful herb book I've been reading and recommend by Jack Staub. I love the illustrations, and he gives a history of how the herbs have been romanticized over the centuries and their practical applications today. 

Nice Things

Before leaving Louisiana for architecture school in Arizona five and a half years ago, I was told by a unseemingly drunk woman of 80 years that she would help me receive a scholarship for interior design school. I was working at Foodies Kitchen and she and I had a funny chat while I helped her find a few items. She gave me a date and time to come to one of her lectures at the Longue View Gardens in Metairie. So I went. It turned out she was a textile designer from Europe. A cute, sweet, old thing. There were plenty of designers at the lecture. And me. I talked to her during a break and she didn't remember who I was or that she ever mentioned anything about school to me. Her assistant said she drinks at night and she probably forgot. Anyway, that was that but I've been interested in textile design ever since. She made tapestries mainly but I would love to design wall coverings and apparel fabric - and be an old lady who gets tipsy at night and goes around town having random, inspiring conversations with strangers (seriously, I would:)). 

Here are a few interesting pictures I found last week. The clothing looks like leaves or palm bark, but it's made of silk thread and other materials.