I finally decided it was time to get an e-reader. The Kindle Fire was one of my first choices, but after trying it out, it wasn’t for me.

My next choice was either Barnes & Noble Tablet or the Nook Color. The best thing about these two compared to the Kindle Fire was the expandable memory w/ microSD card.

I decided on the Nook Color because Target was offering $40 gift card towards the $169 retail price. Plus I like to support Target since they give back to local communities and schools.

Back to the Nook, Barnes & Noble offers some nice things. Such as previewing a magazine free for 2 weeks before deciding to buy it.

Another great thing about the Nook Color is that it runs on Android. Android is open source. Many people have been turning their Nook Color into a fully functional Android tablet. Either by rooting (hacking), which would void it’s warranty. Or run CyanogenMod 7 for a custom, open version of Android 2.3 Gingerbread off a memory card. This way it’s configured for dual-boot Android and Nook.

I chose the memory card route. And I’ve been having lots of fun running the Nook with CyanogenMod 7. There are lots of apps you can chose from Google Play (formerly Android Market) and Amazon’s Android Store. And many of them are FREE! From calendars, notepads, knitting & recipe help.

As for web browsing, it’s pretty fast. Some browsers include Opera Mini and Dolphin. I switch back and forth, but Dolphin has a much better layout.

The only glitches I’ve had was the wi-fi would get discounted out of the blue. Or it would say “weak wi-fi signal”. Then I installed a wi-fi widget app from Google Play and now I don’t have any connection problems.

A few other glitches I’ve noticed is when I charge up the Nook, it would not read the SD card and was reverting back to Nook Color all on it’s own. I solved that problem by shutting off the device completely. Check the SD card by removing it and putting it back inside. Boot up the device and it’s back to Android.

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I just love the pattern for the Beaufort Hat. The pattern can be found at Angela Hahn’s knitting blog, Knititude. She writes, “waves are topped with whitecaps, and foam begins to spray from their peaks. (For those landlocked, small trees sway!)”

This is my Beaufort inspired finished product. After I finished knitting this I thought the pattern looked a lot like leaves on a vine, but growing diagonally.

It’s a simple neck warmer and makes a great spring or summer accessory. It can even double as a head scarf.

Yarn: Lion Brand’s Cotton Ease Yarn in terracotta.

Knitting needles: Takumi 16″ circular needles size 7.

The pattern is simple to follow. I’ve never tried a 3 x 3 ribbing before and it looks really neat. Instead of finishing it off as a hat, I ended up knitting until I ran out of yarn. Actually it was left over yarn from another project.

Thanks Angela for sharing the free pattern!

Note: To bind/cast off a stretchy rib stitch I used a similar .

Beets are one of those vegetables that people either love or hate. I love them. My mom also loves them. They taste great either roasted or steam.

So mom planted some beets in her garden at the beginning of spring. And now it’s time to harvest them.

These beets came in all shapes and sizes. It makes pulling out each beet a surprise.

The Cheap Vegetable Gardener (a neat blog about gardening) listed beets as one of the “Top 10 least profitable plants to grow in your garden.” Personally I don’t agree. Out here the organic beets are much more expensive than conventional beets. Plus we eat them often, so it makes sense to grow them. And fresh produce always taste way better!

The young greens are also edible and full of nutrition. I like to add them in spicy vegetable and noodle soup.

Beets are loaded with calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin A and vitamin K.

Bugs including earwigs and slugs love young plants. Applying diatomaceous earth (also called DE) is one way of dealing with them. DE is considered to be a non toxic pesticide.

I’ve sprinkled some DE around these tomato plants.

DE is actually not earth but the fossilized remains of microscopic shells created by diatoms or single celled plants. It looks a lot like talcum powder.

Perma-Guard describes it best:

“Diatomaceous earth packaged under our FOSSIL SHELL FLOUR® label comes from an extremely pure fresh water deposit of the diatom Melosira Preicelanica. Its shell is made of amorphous silica. Its shape and hardness are important to how it works. Its hardness keeps it from dissolving in liquid. The holes along the diatom’s wall allow it to absorb moisture, hence its use as an anti-caking agent.”

When placed under the microscope, the diatoms look tubular with holes on the walls. DE is pure silica along with some beneficial trace minerals.

DE is perfectly safe for humans and pets. Safe enough that some people eat this stuff. But make sure it’s FOOD GRADE and not the type used to clean swimming pools.

Food grade DE can be mixed with water or juice and drink on a empty stomach. Start off with 1 tbs to 1 cup of water first thing in the morning. Health claims include detoxing, colon cleanse, and removing parasites such as worms. Just be careful to not breathe any of it. As it can get dusty when you are preparing it.

It’s an eco-friendly and naturally organic material used for pest control. Not only is it used in the garden, but it can be use to kill bed bugs, flea, and mites. When the insects come in contact with the powder, it will cut up their exoskeleton and cause them to dehydrate and die.

DE is also used for long term grain storage. DE gave better protection of grain than malathion, particularly over the long term, without exposing anyone to the dangers of toxic chemicals.

Note: Will also kill beneficial insects (except earthworms), including bees. Therefore avoid sprinkling on the blossoms.

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We didn’t get to see the “Ring of Fire” in our area. Instead we saw a partial eclipse.

What I found more interesting then the eclipse was the type of sunlight being cast. The usual brightness of the sun was now replaced by twilight.

The moon is moving across the sun. You can’t see this unless you have special glasses. I took this photo with safety filter.

Along the brick walls were these crescent images made by the tree.

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Last Sunday was Mother’s Day. And I took my mom to the Lao Wat (temple) in Ceres, California. It’s located just outside of Modesto, California.  Once a year Buddhist monks from around the country meet for the annual meditation and retreat.

The drive to central California is a little scenic if you like farmland. The temple ground was once a cherry orchard turned Buddhist temple.  The surrounding areas include peach and almond orchards.  California is one of the largest growers of almonds.

I like how peaceful this area was because it was under the shade of the mulberry trees.  People left water and rice balls on the alter.

On the other side of the temple area was this reclining Buddha, or the Tuesday Buddha.  This would be my favorite since it’s also my birthday of the week.

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This Sunday, May 2oth, many of us in the western parts of the U.S. will witness a solar eclipse. This is where the moon will pass between the Earth and the sun. Some will see an annular eclipse and others, such as our area, will see a partial eclipse.

Photograph from ChinaFotoPress, Getty Images

Annular eclipse also called “ring of fire” eclipse happens when the moon will appear to cross into the center of the sun. Thus blocking almost all the light except for the sun’s outer fringes. The outside fringe creates a burning ring.

The eclipse will begin on the west coast of the United States at 6:30 p.m. PDT (Pacific Daylight time) on May 20. It travels from west to east. For those living in some areas of western U.S. (North-eastern California) and Asia will be able to see the annular eclipse.

But don’t just look up with your naked eye. Nasa cautions, “The Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye only during the few brief seconds or minutes of a total solar eclipse. Even when 99% of the Sun’s surface is obscured during the partial phases of a total eclipse, the remaining photospheric crescent is intensely bright and cannot be viewed safely without eye protection.”

So don’t attempt to observe the partial or annular phases of any eclipse with the naked eye. Failure to use appropriate filtration may result in permanent eye damage or blindness!

A safe way to view it is with a Pinhole Projector. Another simple way is to use your own hands. Hold up both hands with your fingers overlapping at right angles. The holes between your fingers make pinholes.

Or if you have some shade trees, try looking at the images of the sun coming through the holes formed by the leaves.  I’ll see if I can look at the images made by the shady tree this Sunday.

Science 101: What are eclipses and what makes them happen? Read more here.

The secret to helping your skin appear more supple and reduce fine lines is by using 100% pure squalane oil. Our skin naturally produces a small amount of squalane, but as we get older not so much.

Many top skin care companies use squalane in their products. Such as the Japanese beauty line DHC.

Instead of relying on the small amount beauty companies put in their product, why not use 100% squalane as part of your skin care regimen?

There are two types of squalane oil. Mayumi’s squalane is derived from the livers of deep sea sharks. And the other brand is derived from olive oil.  Both prices are very decent. Swanson offers 2 fluid oz bottle with dropper at $11.99.

Using squalane oil consistently will help skin appear more supple and plump, thus reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

I’ve been using both for 2 weeks now. Mostly Mayumi since I ordered that one first. But then I found Swanson’s vegetarian squalane and will use that one too.

My skin loves this stuff. There is no scent or color. It absorbs quickly and keeps my skin moisturized all day. No more dry spots! This has really become my favorite beauty product. No fancy labels, just pure and natural oil.

Benefits of Squalane:

Blocks UV rays naturally.

Anti-bacterial.

Quick absorbing, non-irritating, and won’t clog pores.

Assists in the acceleration of new cell growth.

Prevent the formation of brown age spots.

Can be used as a moisturizer on any part of the skin.

More interesting notes:

Olive Squalane is plant derived squalane produced by the total hydrogenation of the squalene source in olive oil. It’s an alternative to using shark-derived squalane.

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I found this recipe for “homemade Ricotta Cheese” by Russ Parsons at the L.A. Times.  Well, it’s not exactly true ricotta but a good enough substitution and shortcut.

The word ricotta is Italian for “recooked”. True ricotta is made using Ricotta milk whey left over from the production of cheese. The milk comes from sheep, cow, goat, or buffalo.

When the milk is heated, it changes the nature of the proteins and they begin to stick together, or coagulate. Adding acid further coagulates the proteins.

After this happens, you skim out the curds and strain them in cheesecloth and you’ve got ricotta.

This original recipes makes about 2 cups or 1 pound.

Ingredients:

9 cups whole milk
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 tablespoons distilled vinegar

I made a smaller batch and divided this recipe in half.  Instead of whole milk, I used skim milk. Making this, reminded me of making yogurt.

In a heavy pot, heat the milk and buttermilk on medium heat until it gets to 185 degrees F. Then add the salt and vinegar. Stir and remove from heat. For about 5 to 10 minutes the curd will form. Skim off the curds to a cheesecloth and let it strain for a few minutes. And there is your homemade ricotta cheese.

The homemade ricotta cheese was delicious, very smooth and creamy. I added it to my dish of pasta and zucchini.

After this experiment, I don’t see myself making this anytime soon. Even at this small amount, there was too much whey (the water part) left over. I tried to save it and used it to add to omelets and pancakes.

Maybe if I were to make cheese blintzes.  It would make it all worth it.

I haven’t made much jeweleries lately until I saw these pretty bracelets from Lee’s Design. They have inspired me to make a bracelet too.

The best things about making jewelries (or soap) is that they are truly unique. Handmade gifts always feel more genuine than something found at the mall.

And if you can’t make it yourself, you can always support local artisan that do excellent and beautiful work.

This bracelet is held together with steel wire and clasp. There’s also some fresh water pearls, random small gem stones and glass beads. I think I bought most of them from The Bead Shop many years ago.

Sometimes I still find myself admiring pretty gemstones and taking them home with me. Now they are just sitting there waiting for an inspiration.