Instead of fabric softeners, I was using the blue plastic dryer balls with rounded spikes for a while. I practically grew up with Bounce, but after realizing how much chemicals was in that stuff I’ve switch to dryer balls.

I used the blue ones for a few years until they started to fall apart. The noise factor was also very loud. It sounded just like tennis balls being thrown around the dryer.

So I switched to these from Joanne’s sold at $4.99 for two. This one doesn’t make any noise. But it also doesn’t remove the static cling too well.

And the folks at Treehuger had this to say, “(PVC) material the supposedly “nontoxic” dryer balls are made of is one of the most poisonous plastics ever created, posing great environmental and health hazards in its manufacture, product life, and disposal.” They were talking mainly about the blue ones made by Nellie’s.

There are also these PCV-free dryer balls but a bit costly at $25 and not to mention the fragrance stick is additional $10. I know I am not going to spend $35 on dryer balls.

After looking at this for a while I came upon people talking about wool dryer balls which are more budget and eco-friendly.

The wool dryer balls absorb moisture from the clothes and separate them to make drying time faster. It’s also suppose to remove static too. And very eco-friendly since it’s from natural wool fibers.

Photo from Amazon. EveryDay Willow Set of 3 Organic Wool Dryer Ball Gift available for $19.95. Still a bit too expensive! The best way is to make it yourself. Spinning Alpaca Yarns has a DYI and it came out looking very nice. I will have to make some of these soon with some 100% wool leftover yarn.

I’m also thinking of using wool from some sweaters I’ve felted and wrapping them with the wool yarn. Hopefully will get to do it soon and post my review later. As for fragrance, I’m thinking of adding a few drops of essential oils in the wool dryer balls before putting them in the dryer.

Back in April of this year, Amazon announced they would be partnering with OverDrive to bring Kindle Library lending to 11,000 libraries across the U.S.

Can’t wait to look into this option when it’s available later this year for Kindle and free Kindle app users. At the moment I am using Google’s eBook. And it makes reading so much more neater!

A note from Amazon:

- With Kindle Library Lending, customers can take advantage of all of the unique features of Kindle and Kindle books, including:

- Read everywhere with free Kindle apps for Android, iPad, iPod touch, iPhone, PC, Mac, BlackBerry and Windows Phone

- Whispersync technology wirelessly sync your books, notes, highlights, and last page read across Kindle and free Kindle reading apps”

Read more at TechCrunch.

UPDATE: October 4, 2011

I have been using OverDrive app on my iPod Touch. Some things to know to make it run smoothly. The EPUB books have to read with Adobe and requires free registration.

Must set your Touch to military time, 24 hours mode. And make sure your time zone is correct.

Some things I didn’t like about the lending library. The selection is limited, buy hey it’s FREE. You can only check out 8 books and you set the loan limit starting at 1 week to 3 weeks.

Once you’ve check them out, there doesn’t seem to be an option to delete these books on the list.

Many interesting books are checked out and there’s a waiting period. You would think with E-books they shouldn’t have a waiting list. So anyway it’s OK so far, but can be better.

One of my favorite songs from the 80’s. I remember listening to this as a kid and even to this day it makes me smile. Also love this Youtube video - it looks really beautiful out there in Wild Africa.

The Sotho people use the words ‘Khotso Pula Nala’ meaning peace, rain and abundance as their traditional greeting.

Partial lyrics of Rain in Africa by Toto

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She’s coming in 12:30 flight
The moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way,
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say, Hurry boy, it’s waiting there for you

It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

Note: For the longest time I thought he said, There’s nothing that a hundred men on Mars can ever do. I guess that wasn’t it.

I recently was asked to do a product review for Amal 100% Organic Oils.  I received the bottle about a week ago and have been using it twice a day.

At first I was skeptical about applying oil to my face as I usually break out easily. Jojoba oil is one that my face doesn’t like too much and extra virgin coconut oil and rose hip oil is okay. But argan oil is the best!  It’s been treating my skin very well.

Argan oil comes from Argan Tree (Argania Spinosa) that only grows in Morocco. It’s a really light oil that’s golden in color. It has a pleasant nutty scent.  When apply to your skin it is non-greasy.

The oil is super moisturizing, especially great to use this time of year with all the indoor heating and cold winter weather that could leave your skin parched. I love that it soaks right into my skin.

I’ve been applying it both in the morning and at night. To apply, just take a few drops onto the palm of your hand and use your index finger to apply the oils to your face. The result was much smoother and soft skin. So I’m really thrilled to have found out about argan oil and will continue to use it.

You can also use additional drops to nourish your hair and nails. It’s also works great as a before or after shave lotion too. I also like to put on my neck as that part of the skin sometimes get neglected.

“A closeup of the argan nut on the tree. Moroccans will harvest the nut once it falls off the tree or throw rocks at the branches to free them.” - flickr.

The argan tree only grows in Morocco and obtaining the oils is very labor intensive. Amal Oils are harvested and pressed by Moroccan women as part of their cooperatives. The cooperatives are women owned and run businesses, which serve to provide education, healthcare and income to the women and their families.

The founder of Amal Oils is Jalila Bouchareb. She is a Moroccan woman who has lived her entire life in the U.S. and frequently travels to Morocco and is very close to her roots. The word “amal” means “hope” in her language. She has this to say about her oils, “Amal Oils is an expression of their hard work and effort, and with our support we can give them hope, Amal, for the future.”

Highlights of this great product:

- Nourishes your skin with super rich in vitamin E, antioxidants and amino acids like Omega 3, 6 and 9
- Pure and natural care for hair, nail and skincare
- Reduce signs of aging and improve skin conditions like acne, eczema and psoriasis
- Supports local Moroccan women
- Safe for people of all age, including children
- For pregnant women, it can be used to prevent stretchmarks

Amal Oils 100% Organic Argan Oil is pure, natural argan oil that is certified organic by ECOCERT - an independent organization that represents the highest international standards for nature-friendly products.

Sometimes you can spot goats up in Essaouira’s argan trees, feasting on the fruit. - Photo from NY Times. Read more “Liquid Gold in Morocco“.

Jalila’s DYI face mask:

2 drops of Amal oils
1 tsp organic honey
2 tsp of organic yogert
1/4 avocado mashed

Apply to skin for 15 minutes and rinse off with warm water.

Check out! Amal 100% Organic Moroccan Argan Oil And for a limited time receive 20 % off.

I’ve been happy with my cell provider (Sprint) for many years now. I’ve also been wanting to upgrade to another phone, but they require another 2 year contract.

That wasn’t going to happen since I don’t like contracts. Especially ones that threaten to charge me a fine for early cancellation.

Then I came upon Virgin Mobile plans with no contract necessary. There were many plans to chose from, but I decided on the $25 plan (taxes included). This plan has 300 minutes (with each additional minutes 10 cents) unlimited text and data.

I also like that there’s no activation fee (saving you at least $30). No credit check necessary either.

This is the mobile phone I got - the Kyocera Loft. Now on sale $60. Available online or at Radio Shack. Description from Virgin Mobile:

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In the eastern Himalayas, between India and China, there is a place that hasn’t been explored very much. And now a  decade of research done by scientists have discovered 353 new plant and animal species.  From a flying frog to the world’s second smallest deer.

In 2005 they discovered this bird. It was located south of the Tibetan border in Burma’s Kachin State. They call it the “Naung Mung scimitar-babbler” (Jabouilleia naungmungensis). The midsize forest bird uses its big bill to scratch the ground in search of food. It’s like a cross between a small bird and the New Zealand Kiwi.

This little frog has a giant pair of mesmerizing golden eyes, it was discovered in 1999.  It is 1 of 5 new frog discoveries in the Indian state of Assam. It measures just a few centimeters.  Reminds me of the tree frog, but not so green.

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