Edith's Bakery

Today we had a truly lazy Sunday morning. When we finally rolled out of bed, around 11am, we took the dog for a short walk and then made our way to the Walnut Creek Farmer's Market. It's one of our favorite markets in the area and we have become familiar with many of the local vendors.  

We frequently visit Edith's Bakery on Sunday mornings to pick up a loaf of bread (or two!) for the week.  We first found Edith's Bakery a couple of months ago when they caught our attention with their Honey Wheat Bread, which includes just five ingredients. We bought a loaf and devoured it within a few days! Since then, we have also fallen in love with their flaxseed bread.

It makes the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I have ever eaten.  

Which we enjoyed as soon as we got home today.

This is a truly good, and lazy, Sunday :)

Keeping Cosmetics Simple

 Since I was a teenager, I have no doubt spent thousands of dollars on beauty products, specialty skin treatments, and hair products. While I'm not quite ready to give up my not so natural highlights, I've been trying to slim down my cosmetics and simplify my beauty routine. It started a couple of months ago when I was once again searching for just the right product to smooth my skin, get rid of my acne, and protect me from the sun. It's not any easy combination and after sooo many skin creams and potions, I didn't want to spend a lot of money, again...

So I started doing some research online and came across several articles discussing Apple Cider Vinegar as a facial toner.
What?! Apple Cider Vinegar?! Like the one I keep in the kitchen pantry?! next to the olive oil?!?!? I was totally baffled that this simple kitchen staple could be the secret to clear skin, but after a little more research I decided I was willing to give it a try. If it sucked, at least it was free, right?

So I mixed up 1 part ACV and 3 parts filtered water. For the next week, every night I religiously smoothed this magical mixture on my face. Sure, I smelled like a salad, but my face felt refreshed, clean, and smooth. My acne also seemed a little bit better, too.

Feeling confident about my new found mixture, over the next few weeks I tried out a few different combinations. I tried stronger and weaker mixtures, only to come back to my original ratio of 1 part ACV to 3 parts filtered water.  This seems to be the best ratio for my skin.  Stronger was more drying, and weaker didn't seem effective. Next I tried mixing it with Green Tea, because although I liked the results I was getting from the ACV, the smell was just too overwhelming.  But the Green Tea didn't really effect the smell of the ACV and it also dried out my skin (which may be helpful if your skin is more oily than mine), so I decided to look for another way to give this great toner a more friendly scent.  After some more poking around online, I came across an article about essential oils. Now, I am very picky when it comes to essential oils. Although I love the idea of them, there are so many that I just can't stand the smell of.  Except one; rosewood oil.  I use rosewood oil in the all purpose cleaning spray I make and it just smells delicious. Come to find out, it is also very good for your skin. So I decided to give this ACV toner thing one last shot. I mixed a new batch, using 1 part ACV, 3 parts filtered water, and 5 drops of rosewood essential oil.


And..... it was perfect!!! It smells beautiful and my skin loves the combination of the ACV and the rosewood oil.  I've been using it for a few months now and my acne is almost completely gone and my skin feels clean and smooth.

During my experimentation with ACV I have also been reading a lot about beauty products. While I still don't completely understand all of the "ingredients" that go into making a bottle of lotion, or shampoo, or mouthwash, I have come to the conclusion that, just like the food I eat, simpler is better when it comes to my beauty routine.

I am big on moisturizing and sun protection. I truly believe that keeping your skin (and lips!) well moisturized and protected will keep you looking young (and reduce your risk of skin cancer) for years to come.  When possible, I have been trying to purchase products containing no additional synthetic dyes or fragrances, phthalates, harsh sulfates or parabans.

Here are a few of my current favorite finds in no particular order.
** this is not a paid advertisement for any of these products, I just like them and wanted to share :)

DeVita Solar Body Block SPF 30+ 

& DeVita Solar Protective Facial Moisturizer SPF 30+

I am absolutely in love with this sunscreen. Mainly because it is not at all like sunscreen. It's really more of a gel actually and it glides on so easily, has no scent, and sinks in quickly.  My favorite part is that it only contains one sun-blocking ingredient, Zinc Oxide, which, so far, my sensitive skin loves.

Kiss My Face Ginger Mango Lip Balm SPF 15

This lip balm is one of the few items I purchase with a fragrance in it. 

It smells so yummy and the SPF doesn't hurt :)

Dr. Bronner's Naked Organic Lip Balm

I keep this next to my bed and use it at night (when I don't need the SPF). 

It keeps my lips soft and smooth.

Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towlettes

I keep these around for the nights when I'm tired and want to wash up quickly. 

I also keep a travel size pack in my purse for the really hot and sweaty days at the playground :)

      Everyday Shea                                                      Avalon Organics 

                   Moisturizing Body Wash                            Hand & Body Lotion Aloe Unscented

                                  

                This super gentle, moisturizing body                   This lotion is good for everything...

                 wash gets super sudsy without any                              feet, hands and body.  

                     harsh chemicals or additives.                           It's gentle enough for sensitive skin                                        

                                                                            and sinks super quick.

We have also switched over to a fluoride free toothpaste after Tom read several articles suggesting that fluoride isn't really necessary.  We're testing it out, so I'll be sure to post an update if we change our minds, but for now, it's working out great.  We have also both switched to deoderant (instead of antiperspirant). It took us a few weeks to adjust to, but now that we (and our bodies) are used to it, we're really liking it.  

All of these changes are very simply an attempt to eliminate any unnecessary ingredients/additives in our medicine cabinet (and our bodies).  I'm still pulled in by the latest beauty products (just like I've always been) but when I look in the mirror and see that my skin is clear, healthy and glowing, it's an easy choice to continue with my new routine.  I also feel much more relaxed and happy since I no longer have to write down the order in which I am supposed to apply my numerous prescriptions from the dermatologist.  It's a major shift in thinking about how I treat my skin, and my acne especially, but so far, it's been a positive one.

And there are a lot of great products to get excited about too! :)

When Basil Bolts

When the summer sun starts to heat up, basil will attempt to bolt (or go to seed). Our basil did just that last week when temperatures here in Northern California reached into the 90's. 

The flowers are actually kind of pretty. They look like little rosettes from the top.

But since we would like to keep eating from these basil plants, and bolting can greatly diminish the flavor of the leaves, I trimmed back each stem about an inch or so below where it was flowering.

Once I had trimmed back each stem, I removed any larger leaves from each plant.  Harvesting basil actually promotes new growth, so regular harvesting is the best way to encourage basil to continue producing its yummy, tender leaves.

These plants were really full and I gathered about 2 1/2 cups packed full of basil leaves! We are making a big batch of pesto with it now to share with friends and family :)

Basil Pesto

Our favorite basil pesto recipe from SimplyRecipes.com

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

1/2 cup extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup pine nuts

2 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

** We like to reduce the garlic so I've listed 2 cloves instead of the 3 that are called for in the original recipe. Make this pesto to suit your taste, it is delicious!

** If making ahead of time, mix only basil leaves, olive oil and pine nuts. Since garlic can become bitter when frozen and cheese can lose its flavor, its better to leave these ingredients out until you are ready to use the pesto.  I also find that making it this way, keeps it tasting fresh, even after it has been frozen. When ready to use, defrost and put in food processor.  Add cheese, garlic and salt & pepper, blend, and serve with a fresh baguette or some nice ripe tomatoes!

Enjoy!!!

Our new Clothesliner!

Last weekend we hung a clothesliner (my childhood term) in our front yard.  

We're really happy that we found a location that gets lots of sunshine and is mostly 

out from under the trees (we have a lot of trees so that wasn't easy!). 

We found all the parts we needed at our local hardware store and only spent 

about $25 for the whole kit and caboodle (even the clothespins!).

It goes from one tree, to our house, and its completely out of 

the way of our (and our neighbors) entry and walkway.

Of course Napali kept watch the entire time :)

And supervised as the first load of wash was hung to dry.

We're really happy with how it turned out.  

And our first load of wash dried in about 35-40 minutes, 

much faster than if I had put it in our dryer!

Is it really June?!

Have we really been in California for 5 months!!?!?!?!?  

We have been super busy these past few weeks and in the meantime our garden has been growing out of control. Well, not exactly out of control, we're pretty excited about how much it's grown in, but it's grown in so quickly.  

Yesterday evening (after the days heat had dissipated a little bit) we spent a couple of hours hanging out outside and tending to our small container garden.  While originally we were a tad bit disappointed that we wouldn't be able to plant a large garden in the ground, now we're singing praises of our more modestly sized container garden.

It is flourishing!

The patterning on the sage leaves gets me every time. 

It is an absolutely beautiful detail of these delicious plants.

Tomatoes are my favorite garden treat! 

These bush beans are really fun. They have me captivated every morning when their leaves rotate vertically to let the sun shine in the beans, and then again every evening when they rotate horizontally, creating a roof to keep the beans warm at night. Mother Nature is so amazing in her ways. 

The hot peppers are flowering and we can't wait to see them bearing fruit!

We also picked up this little pepper at the Walnut Creek Farmer's Market last weekend. 

We hope he likes his new home :) 

Here's a fun one of the tomato blossoms. 

She could be flying, right? Tomato blossom fairy!

Okay, maybe not...but I'm having fun, so just go with it :)