Ever since I started using a French Press, I have been drinking more herbal tea. The French Press makes it easy to brew and pour. Normally I would fill my unbleached tea bags with loose tea and then brew.
But you don’t always need special equipments, just a tea infuser or something to strain the tea would work fine.
Photo of fresh stevia plant from ECO library.
So far I have made the following blends:
Peppermint, Hibiscus, and Stevia: This is one of my favorite blends, since the Stevia leaves add some sweetness to the tea. Stevia leaf is great, it’s sweet but has zero calories. American sugar substitutes are selling them as Truvia and other names. A few years back, I was really intrigue by the sweet leaves. I even bought a stevia plant so I could eat the fresh leaves.
Rooibus (red tea) and hibiscus flower: Rooibus looks more like red pine needles. This combination makes for a very tangy and red colored tea! Loaded with vitamin C too. Even people who don’t like tea think this is good tea.
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This is the best eye cream I’ve made so far. The others I’ve made previously with carrot seed oil did not turn out so well. You can read more about the benefits of rosehip for skincare here.
The eye cream goes on nice and smooth. I’ve been using this for about 1 month and find it’s great for the delicate area of the eye. And this one even has extra virgin coconut oil, so it smells like real coconut too.
It’s a nice natural product with no preservatives or chemicals. And all the plant oils nourishes and protects your skin. The shea butter and beeswax is what holds it all together - naturally!
I used an old container from another cosmetic company. I never finished their cream as the texture and smell was just too odd. At least I got to re-use the container.
If you would like to make this eye cream, the recipe is listed below:
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This is the latest soap that just finished curing after 4 weeks. Time seems to go slower when you are waiting for them to cure. But if you just leave them alone and check back later, it’s really not that long!
In the beginning, there were some nice swirls. But now it’s pretty much in one color that looks almost light brown in color.
It’s a smooth skin clarifying soap made with Moroccan Red Clay. The clay will help with the removal of impurities and toxins. It’s good for those with oily or acne prone skin.
It would also make a great shaving soap due to the smoothness of the clay. A shaving brush or facial scrub could be used to increase the later.
Other ingredients include olive oil, coconut oil, palm oil, and grape seed oil.
I have tried it in the shower and noticed it’s a hard bar that turns smooth once it’s wet. The scent is also very light and refreshing, less of the lavender and more of sweet orange scent. The combination is very pleasant smelling handmade soap full of gylcerin that is a treat for your skin!
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These pretty little flowers are call vygie (sounds like jiggy). It’s a blooming kind of succulent plant without thorns - unlike cactus. In California, I’ve seen them grown in rock gardens and also used as ground cover in parking lots.
These were my vygies from last summer. They have survived the cold weather, but no blossoms yet. Probably in spring or summer. They are completely easy to grow and propagate too. And best of all they are drought tolerant plants so require very little water. The bright colorful flowers are the best part of this plant.
There are 1700 species of this plant and a large percentage of them are found in South Africa. I like the colorful type with bright flowers.
Oscularia species The plant flowers en masse in Fall & the blooms nearly obscure the foliage! Grows in less than perfect soil with minimal water & always looks great! - Annie’s
Annie’s Annuals and Perrenials, a seed and plant nursery in Richmond, California has many type of vygie available for sale. Many of them look like ice plants with many bright blossoms.
I love the little description they give of the plants too. If I am ever in the area, I will have to stop by and pick out some nice plants - especially the vygies!
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Monkeys aren’t the only creatures that live in trees. Tree kangeroos also live in trees high up in the rain forests of Australia, West Papua, and Papua New Guinea. They are so elusive that the locals refer to them as “ghosts of the forest.”
They look a bit like small kangaroos and wallabies. They have such an endearing face and look almost like a plush toy animal. In this photo, they look a bit surprise that they’ve been spotted. It must be the furry yellow marking on the chest that gave it away. Photograph by Russell A. Mittermeier/Conservation International, National Geographic.
Unlike their cousins, the front and hind legs are closer in size than ground kangaroos. They also have stronger fore-limbs to help with climbing and living in trees. As for the fur, it is thick and grows in opposite direction on nap and back. This helps to shed water when it’s head is crouched.
Although there are several species that live in the lowlands too, call the Lowlands Tree Kangeroo. As tree dwellers, the tree kangaroo eats mostly leaves and fruit. And sometimes collect and eat fruits that has fallen to the ground. Tree kangaroos will also eat other items such as flowers (orchids), tree sap, eggs, baby birds, grains, and even bark.
They are a reclusive and solitary bunch, much like pandas. I hope the natives learn to protect these animals since they are an endangered. And who would eat a creature with such a cute face!
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The Japanese have been using buckwheat pillow for centuries. Buckwheat hull pillow provide firm and even support for your neck and back. It has the ability to perfectly conform to the contours of our head. Thus resulting in better and sound sleep.
Buckwheat pillows can be expensive. So I decided to make my own using buckwheat hull and some linen fabrics. Having a zipper is also helpful as you can adjust the amount of hull for personal comfort. And with zipper openings, you can remove all the hulls before washing the pillow case.
The list of benefits for using buckwheat hull as pillow filling includes:
grown without pesticides as they are naturally pest resistant
biodegradable (can be composted and even used as mulch)
naturally hypoallergenic (for those allergic to feathers)
odorless, pest and fungus resistant
I used 100 % linen fabric and filled it with 1 lb of buckwheat hull. The hull is very light but feels substantial once stuffed inside the pillow. It may be a small pillow for most, but it works fine for me. Maybe it’s more of a travel pillow.
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Pomelos (sometimes refer to as pummelos) must in season this time of year, just like many other citrus fruits such as mandarins and tangerines. It’s a nice treat to find such bright orange and yellow fruits in the drab of winter. Plus the extra Vitamin C is good to have around to stay healthy.
Pomelos can easily be found at many Asian grocery stores, usually priced at $3 each. The Chinese like to have pomelos around for their new year celebration. It symbolizes abundance and prosperity. Must be due to the size of this fruit!
I thought I had seen my share of giant pomelo, until I came across this one shaped like a bowling pin.
According to Purdue University horticulture department, there are many different cultivars of pomelo grown in Thailand. This one is call “Kao Phuang or Khao Phoang” meaning ‘White tassel’. This may be the only commercial cultivar of Thailand that is in great demand. As large amounts are usually exported to Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Although many are also grown in Indio, California.
The pummelo is native to southeastern Asia and all of Malaysia; grows wild on river banks in the Fiji and Friendly Islands. It may have been introduced into China around 100 B.C. It is much cultivated in southern China (Kwang-tung, Kwangsi and Fukien Provinces) and especially in southern Thailand on the banks to the Tha Chine River; also in Taiwan and southernmost Japan, southern India, Malaya, Indonesia, New Guinea and Tahiti. - Julia F. Morton, Purdue University
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In every city I’ve ever lived in, I try to find out where the local library is located and make sure to pay a visit. And best of all - it’s free! It’s also a plus if it’s located in nice building too.
This is the Chicago Public Library where I like to visit if I am ever in the area again. One thing I remember about Chicago was that it was one windy city!
It’s a beautiful building we don’t usually see in the west coast. It is design in the Beaux-Arts Classicism revival style. This style is an academic classicism taken from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
This building was the first permanent home of the Chicago Public Library in 1897, it is now the Chicago Cultural Center. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and designated a Chicago Landmark in 1976.
Image source: Mary Ann Sullivan of Bluffton University, Ohio.
In case anyone is curious, here is a list of the top 10 largest libraries provided by American Library Association, www.ala.or , Aug. 2005.
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I love the artwork by George Barbier. Here is two I’ve managed to scan from my note cards.
George Barbier was born in Nantes, France in 1882. He was a popular fashion illustrator and costume designer during the 1920’s Art Deco period. His illustrations were usually found in French fashion magazines and now can be found in art museums (as well as stationary).
“Voice me ailes!” - Look at my wings! This artwork was first printed in 1922 in French fashion magazine.
The drawing really brings you back to a different era. From the fashion to the sailboats in the background. I also like the simple yet elegant black dress, but can’t imagine looking like this all the time.
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I was sent a few products from Surya Brazil to review. My favorite is the hair mask made with organic Brazilian nuts and Preciosa tree Essential oils.
The Amazon Forest is fill with interesting and beneficial plants. So it would seem natural that a beauty company could come up with many great products. But doing so means being aware of the biodiversity of the forest.
Surya Brazil is able to do that and more with it’s organic products that are harvested in an ethical and sustainable manner. They are also a very Eco- conscious company that uses all recycled materials for it’s packaging. The products are all free from sulfates, parabens, silicones, artificial color and fragrance.
Lately the dry indoor air has left my hair and scalp less then healthy. I’ve used conditioner, but my hair is still left feeling dragged down. So I decided to apply the Amazonia Preciosa hair mask to my scalp and hair then wrapped with a towel.
It was advised to leave on for 15 minutes, it’s a gentle product that I wouldn’t mind leaving on much longer. The smell is very pleasant and light. Scent is a very personal thing and I always think going on the light side is safer than the strong overpowering scents.
After I rinsed off with my Aloe Vera based shampoo. The mask was not greasy at all. Everything washed off nice and clean. My scalp was back to normal and hair was left super soft and shiny.
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