Starr has a new bike this afternoon! All of a sudden she needed a bike and needed it now. I know the feeling of needing something in a hurry, but I don’t know if the best decisions are made when you give in to it…we will see. She’s been wanting a bike for several years and I didn’t want to spend the money. With her first paycheck for working full time this summer, she bought her own!
First we visited a friend of mine who is selling her bike. Nope, it wasn’t exactly what Starr had in mind. Then we visited a used bike store where we saw the cutest vintage red Schwinn similar to this:
It also cost $900. Yeah…no, it’s not that cute!
Two stores later, she finally found one that made her happy and rode it home.
I know that my diet could be much better than it is, but as I’ve said before, I am trying. Trying to eat more whole foods and reading labels. One thing that I’ve kept an eye out for is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). My pantry is not pure, but I do watch out for it when I can. I use real maple syrup…it’s lovely. Starr on the other hand claims to hate maple syrup and will only eat Mrs. Butterworth’s —high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, salt, cellulose gum, molasses, potassium sorbate (preservative), sodium hexametaphosphate, citric acid, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors—sounds delish!! Not. I hope to change her mind sooner than later.
In passing, I mentioned it to Starr, who said, not for the first time, “What’s wrong with High Fructose Corn Syrup? It’s made from corn, it has the same calories as sugar and it’s fine in moderation.” parroting the flippin’ Corn Refiners Association advertisements. Ugh. So I thought I would do some Googling to see if I could find some data for her. During my search, I ran across this HFCS commercial spoof that I appreciated and thought I would pass it along:
I don’t know if HFCS is the root of all evil, the “cause” of obesity or a serious contributing factor in diabetes, but I do know that I would rather eat real food and limit the amount of chemicals and chemically altered foods in my diet. In the long run I know that I am moving in the right direction, hopefully Starr will join me and teach her future kids better than I taught her!! She is making some changes without really thinking about it, more water, less fast food, adding exercise, etc. It’s funny, she asked me for Activia the other day, I pointed to the refrigerator and said “why don’t you drink some probiotic Water Kefir.” She looked at me like I had grown a second head. “Never,” was her answer. : ) Oh well, maybe someday.
Every year around this time, I look forward to it. Some years are better than others, but I really love the smell of the lilac bushes wafting through the house. Florals in most other cases just intensify my headache, but the softly scented air from the lilacs just makes me happy. As Spring progresses I find myself glancing at the bushes every day watching for the hint of blossoms and then keeping an eye out until they bloom. One year, our neighborhood landscapers trimmed the bushes just as the flowers were blooming. Gone, just like that! I was livid, how dare they!
Yesterday, I was sitting at my desk when it hit me. Yes! Blissful lilac scented air! *sigh*
Yesterday marked Starr’s 21st birthday. 21 years ago, it seemed like it would be forever before she was out of diapers and forever again for her to start school. From this perspective, the time went by so flippin’ fast!! Yikes.
She did go out and do the “I’m officially 21 bar hop” last night. I am relieved to say that she is home safe (and currently sleeping!) and she had a wonderful designated driver/designated friend to watch out for her well being! Thank you Skye!!
I took Starr and Skye out for lunch yesterday. Lunch included “Sex on the Beach” and her first opportunity to get carded.
I mentioned Water Kefir a couple of weeks back and was asked to elaborate…this is my attempt:
Why Water Kefir?
Water Kefir is a non-dairy probiotic drink full of beneficial bacteria. Instead of buying and taking expensive supplements, I can make my own probiotic drink.
According to Wikipedia, probiotics potenial benefits include: Managing Lactose Intolerance, Prevention of Colon Cancer, Lowering Cholesterol, Lowering Blood Pressure, Improving Immune Function and Preventing Infections, Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea, Reducing Inflammation, Improving Mineral Absorption, Preventing Harmful Bacteria Growth Under Stress, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Colitis, and Managing Urogenital Health.
If any of these are partially true, then taking probiotics on a regular basis sounds like a good idea and one that I have been doing the pharmaceutical way for several years, until I started drinking Water Kefir.
Looking at my expensive probiotics (and I have several), only one has more than one type of probiotic and it contains Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Streptococcus thermophilus.
I have read that Water Kefir includes the following: Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus casei rhamnosus , Lactobacillus alactosus, Lactobacillus casei casei, Lactobacillus pseudoplantarum, Lactobacillus plantarum, Streptococcus lactis, Streptococcus cremeris, Leuconostoc mesenteroides,Saccharomyces florentinus, Saccharomyces pretoriensis, Kloeckera apiculata, Candida lambica, Candida valida. (Source Dolores Sánchez-Peñalver)
What is Water Kefir (Tibicos)?
From Wikipedia:
Tibicos, also known as tibi, water kefir grains, sugar kefir grains, Japanese water crystals and California Bees, are a culture of bacteria and yeast held in a polysaccharide matrix created by the bacteria. As with kefir grains, the microbes present in tibicos act in symbiosis to maintain a stable culture. Tibicos can do this in many different sugary liquids, feeding off the sugar to produce lactic acid, alcohol (ethanol), and carbon dioxide gas which carbonates the drink.
People who do not wish to consume dairy products may find that water kefir provides the living pro-biotics without the need for dairy or tea cultured products, like kombucha. Since the finished product, if bottled, will produce a carbonated beverage, it provides an alternative to sweet soda drinks for children and adults.
Do this–not that:
I have read all kinds of conflicting information about how to ferment and care for Kefir Grains. Use plastic utensils only, no metal; metal is fine, no worries. Never use honey it will kill your Kefir; honey is good. Cap the jars tightly; leave them loose. Ferment Kefir in a dark cabinet; leave on the counter.
I am still new to the process and am seriously winging it. My grains are multiplying, which is what they are supposed to do. I use a metal strainer, because I don’t have a plastic one with tiny holes. I also use regular spoons.
Water Kefir Grains
First Ferment
Second Ferment with Lemon
My current method/recipe (which might change as I plod along):
First ferment: In a new jar I dissolve 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar (organic, if possible) in spring water, I hear that tap water is bad because of the chemical treatments and distilled water is bad because the natural minerals in the water have been removed, leaving room for the Kefir Grains. I add the grains and cap tightly. Setting the jar in the cupboard for 24 hours or so. Taste it to see if it is to your liking. If I can’t tend to them at about the 24 hour mark, I stick the jar in the fridge for another day…the cool temps slow, but don’t stop the fermentation process.
When ready, I strain the liquid into another clean jar and set aside. I then wash the Kefir Grains by swishing them around in spring water for a moment and then redraining them before adding them to a new jar of sugar water.
Second ferment: To the strained Kefir water that I previously set aside I add some fruit (organic is preferred) and cap for another 24 hours. Then I strain it once more and refrigerate for drinking. I have tried lemons (loved them), lemon with lime (good), lemons and strawberries (yum), figs with lemon (I liked just lemon better), ginger (meh), peaches (yum), mandarin oranges from the can w/juice (it was good)…etc. The only time I really hated it was when I accidentally over-fermented a batch. I could tell immediately that I wasn’t going to be able to drink it. I threw it all out, except for the grains which I washed with spring water, and started over.
Here are a couple recipes from other sites if you are curious:
It was a beautiful weekend weather-wise. No snow!! In fact, I actually turned the air conditioning on for a few hours Saturday afternoon.
I didn’t get much done practically, but I went out Friday night to watch some live music with some friends. It was nice! We saw and experienced Meg Hutchinson. It was a very small crowd. I know that at least one couple knew Meg’s music well as they were singing along to each and every song, smiling ear to ear as they did. Their love for her, her music and each other was such a pleasure to see. I had never heard of Meg before that night, I was glad that I went.
“Home” – Meg Hutchinson
And…
Saturday a friend and her teenage daughter, A, came over to browse through some of the clothes that Starr cleaned out of her closet in one of her first acts as an “adult”. She found way more things to take home than she expected, it was cute seeing her say “I really like this!” to item after item. Sunday afternoon, another two teens and their moms were able to come over. They ended up with a haul! I will still have at least two large garbage bags of donations unless I find another teen or two who would like to go through the rest. It was nice to purge, it was great fun and good for the spirit to see these girls excited about their “new” things!!
Starr and I made plans to go to the farmer’s market Sunday afternoon before my friends came over to “shop”. At about 11 am Starr asked me if noon would be a good time to leave and I said sure. It was just 5 minutes later when I felt a twinge in my back, just walking from the kitchen to my room so that I could get ready. I immediately turned around and went back to the kitchen for meds. I took a prescription Motrin and tried to finish getting ready. After just a few minutes, I was barely able to move and could tell that the Motrin wasn’t going to cut it so I dug out an old prescription for muscle relaxers. I don’t know if it helped because I was in serious pain all day. Still am. I wish I could say that I was lifting or doing something specific to cause the pain/stress, but I was just walking…damn it.
Despite my flippin’ back, I am ready to greet this Monday with a smile.
*Do any of you watch Grey’s Anatomy? Starr and Sunny drove my interest in the show as they were often here watching it together and they welcomed my presence. If they didn’t watch it together, they were always on the phone with each other immediately after each episode. It was fun to see them so animated and interested. *sigh* Anyway, Starr and I just finished watching last night’s season finale. Seriously intense! Whoa. And that’s all I’m going to say about that.
*Last year I bought a basil plant and kept it in my kitchen. Starr and I have used it regularly, snipping and eating…yum. Fresh basil rocks!! The plant was starting to get seriously spindly, so a month ago I bought another plant thinking to replace the old one. I killed it within a week. I don’t know what I did. Over-water? Under-water? Look at it the wrong way??? Spoiled as we have been with the fresh basil and not willing to give it up, I purchased new plants this week and am trying again. Wish them luck in my care. They will need it.
*Just over a week from now my baby will be turning 21 years old. I keep looking at her wondering if I can lock her up somewhere and when exactly did this happen?? I miss my cuddly little sweetie but am really proud of the young woman she has become. I will probably bore you with a lengthier post on this subject next week.
Truthfully, I was dreading this year’s move. I didn’t want do deal with weeks and weeks of junk at the top of the stairs. Imagine how happy I was to find this:
Not perfect, but it is pretty darn awesome!!! Woot!
mp3: “The Darkest Side” – The Middle East
“…and it’s the darkest side of my heart that dies when you come to me…”
It took a couple listens for this song to grow on me. It’s funny, most of the songs I run into are “nexted” within seconds. I don’t give them another chance, but some, including several that I’ve posted here in the past catch me just enough to garner another listen or two. I don’t know what the formula is, but I am often (but not always!!) quite glad that I made that choice. The Recordings of The Middle East The Middle East-MySpace
Name? Kelly. Mysterious? Not really. Passionate? Yes. Lazy? Sometimes. Outgoing? Not a bit. Trusting? Mmhmm. Artistic? On good days. Crazy? Could be. Trustworthy? Absolutely. Graceful? I wish. Sarcastic? Often. Deserving? You bet. Forgiving? Yes. Religious? No. Spiritual? Yes. Uncertain? At times. Confused? Sure. Distracted? Daily. Silly? Yeah. Talkative? Not. Punctual? To a fault. Breakable? Quite.
This is not a music blog. While it is my desire to share free and legal music here (music is a part of me), it is not my goal to critique this music.
If I have posted music, it is because I like it, and it moves me at the moment. It might match my mood, it could be on repeat, or mirror the sentiment of my post. It might be quite random, and just what I wish to share.
*Older links may not always work, as promotional MP3s, in particular, are known to disappear without warning.
Artists and labels: if I have erred and posted a song inappropriately, let me know, and I will remove it.
To download a song: on a PC, right click the link and choose "save link as"
