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"This fundamental truth of the self can be realized only if the individual is willing and courageous enough to follow to some natural conclusion this moment of experience, this facing the unknown and participating with the total committment of the self.
Such expresison, such passion for life may emerge in written, spoken, graphic or asethetic forms in relation or in isolation; in I-Thou enounters; and in silent, inner experience.
A compassionate willingess is required - as is the courage to live before the fact, before the understanding, before any rational support or certainty, to live the moment to its natual peak and conclusion, and to accept with dignity whatever joy, grief, misfortune, or unexpectedness occurs."
Oh yes, another homemade tutorial. This time I'll be showing you how to make toothpaste. Why do I want to keep learning how to make my own cleaners and body care products? Because I can and knowing my body care items and household cleaners only contain ingredients I want it to have, puts my mind at ease.
Okay, so here is what you'll need:
Just mix all of the ingredients together very well. You can add water if you need to but only a little at a time. I didn't add any water to my mixture and it was still very creamy.
Pour into your bottle..
...and there you have it.
This is a super easy concoction to make. After doing some research I found that the stevia and baking soda really help keep your teeth clean and healthy. Bella and I were really excited to try it out and after we did we agreed it made our teeth feel so clean BUT...we couldn't get past the salty taste which comes from the baking soda. The peppermint felt great but the salty taste was stronger. We tried adding more essential oil and more stevia but it didn't help.
So why am I sharing this recipe if we didn't like it? Because others may not mind it so much. I would love to hear your opinion on this. If you've tried this recipe, did you like it and what can I do different to make it more pleasant.
Paper Culture sent me an adorable assortment of their cards. They range from bright and bold to soft and cute. I particularly love the quality of the paper and gorgeous modern designs. With the Mail & Message service, you have the option to include a unique personal message on the back of all the cards. They don't just personalize the cards - they offer to stuff the envelopes, address them, and even mail the cards for you FREE. You just have to pay for the postage stamp. How awesome is that!
Now I must tell you how wonderful this small company truly is. The one thing that draws many to them is that they don’t just market sustainability, they live it. They start with high quality 130lb 100% Post Consumer Recycled Paper for their cards and stationary. They minimize the resources they use and the impact they have by using recycled paper for their envelopes, packaging and even environmentally friendly products in their corporate offices, from the paper in their printers, to the light bulbs in their office. They go even further and purchase carbon offsets so that as a business, they are certified 100% CarbonFree®.
Paper Culture doesn't just love our planet, they love the people who live in it too. As a San Francisco Bay Area based company, they understand the potential devastation of earthquakes and thus the Haitian tragedy hits especially close to home. This is why they began Cards for Haiti. Paper Culture donated 100% of all proceeds from its 2010 Valentine's Cards to Haiti Relief
. I am truly grateful for their generosity and the inspiration they may bring to other companies.
In celebration of Paper Culture's new line of birth announcements and party invitations they are offering you 20% off storewide. Enter discount code NEWCARDS to receive your discount. Applies to all announcements, invitations, and stationary. Does not apply to stamps for Mail & Message orders and expires August 3, 2010
{this moment}
A Friday ritual. A single photo. No words.
A simple but special moment to savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, share a link to your 'moment' in the comments.
Inspired by Amanda Soule
Ever have those days you wonder how some of your dear friends are doing? You know, the friends you haven't spoken with in what seems like ages. How does one go from chatting and confiding in each other all the time to just wondering. Most likely due to busyness at work, moving, hardships or just raising your children. We have moved four times in the last ten years and much has changed in such a short time. I got married, had three kids, we've had family members get very ill, some financial hardship (who hasn't these days) and had many friends come and go - for both good and bad reasons.
When I think back to the old days - it's funny to see myself type that considering I'm only 35- I like to reminisce about all the good times my friends and I had. It's also nice to think about how much I've grown and how they've grown. Sometimes the friendships you think are over are only just beginning- It's a wonderful gift when that happens. So much changes throughout life and most of us are not even half way through it.
If you have some old friends you would like to catch up with give them a ring, send a letter or contact them via Facebook or Twitter. I use to send letters then realized, nowadays, people are too busy to write back. For me, reconnecting with some old friends via the ever so popular Facebook is good but I prefer continuing the connection via the phone or good old-fashioned email. Never thought I'd be calling email old-fashioned.
Our next day trip was to the Adirondacks with Whiteface being the main destination. Here are some postcards from the trip. It was a cloudy day, so I'm sorry about some of the dark pictures.
I'm sure many of you have been blogging about your day trips with your family. Why don't you share your trip with us by entering the link below. I look forward to checking them out.
I love Henry's little hands in this picture.
It's not common for Augie to take some time off from work, so when he told us he put in for a whole week of vacation we were more excited than you can imagine. There were so many things we wanted to do but ultimately decided to take some day trips. Our first trip was to the Hancock Shaker Village. We were able to get some free tickets from our local library. One of the many great things about our awesome library.
The Hancock Shaker Village is in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The Shakers trace their beginnings to Manchester, England, in 1747. As Millennialists, they believed that Christ's second coming was realized in their leader, Ann Lee, whom they called Mother Ann. In 1774, Mother Ann Lee made the monumental decision to lead eight Shaker converts on a journey to America, seeking the freedom to live, work and worship according to their main religious tenets: celibacy, communal life, and confession of sin. The Shakers also believed in racial and gender equality, simplicity and pacifism. They dedicated their lives to creating a working Heaven on Earth amidst the boundless opportunities presented by settlement of the New World. You can read more here.
Many who visit the village may see it as a simple life but they were quite ahead of their time when it came to technology.
This building housed 100 Shaker members at one point.
I guess you can call this room their pharmacy. They made and stored many homeopathic remedies here.
This guy ruled the roost!
Henry, in a Shaker hat. It was too hot to try on the clothes.
The look on Wolfie's face was priceless.
Last stop was the schoolhouse. It was really hot and everyone was getting tired.
We took the long way home and checked out the Bennington Battle Monument in Vermont....
....where we took this photo. It was great to see them getting along.
"To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to."
A Friday ritual. A single photo. No words.
A simple but special moment to savor and remember.
If you're inspired to do the same, share a link to your 'moment' in the comments.
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