I just saw the most pretty yet subdue knitting book ever. It’s Classic Knits: 15 Timeless Designs to Knit and Keep Forever by Erika Knight. I am not the expert knitter, as I have never successfully knit anything more than a scarf.

If you are interested in classic design and can’t really knit any of the patterns in the book, you can still find ready made items and include them into your wardobe. Personally, I always like the idea of mixing a few classic items with trendy ones. Classic designs are the best since the style will last much longer for years to come. Unlike trendy pieces that can only be worn for a few seasons.

The photography in this book is also very beautiful. The background feels like somewhere in an Irish or English country cottage mixed with Parisian city apartments. Katya de Gunwald, who is the photographer, did a great job highlighting the clothing and setting. At first, it felt a bit solemn, but it’s still bright enough to feel like spring is just around the corner.

This picture above is a classic, but mix the nice leather boots and it looks modern. I love the combination of polka dot dress and a simple sweater. The decor reminds me of a drafty English home. It could probably use some fresh flowers, or maybe even a sleeping cat.

The three pictures in the photo gallery are some of my favorite from the book. I also like the cute little navy vest. I think I have one like it in wool, but unfortunately it was thrown in the washing machine and shrunk! I love the classic knit messenger bag. Just the right size for all your magazines and books. And finally, the soft caramel color sweater is sweet, but with an air of elegance.

If you like classic designs, I think you’ll like this book. And if you can’t knit, just keep it as an inspirational picture book. Please note, all pictures are copyrighted by Erika Knight and Katya de Grunwald. Please do not take photos without permission of artist. Thank you!

Loquats are one type of fruits that are first to appear in spring. While most other fruits don’t appear or ripen up until summer or autumn. The loquat tree is also considered to be an evergreen, as the leaves do not turn brown and fall, very much like citrus trees.

These fruit trees originated from China, but can bee seen growing in much warmer climates of the U.S., from Texas to California. Even in the warmer parts of Europe too. They are actually fast growing trees and very easy to propagate. The best part is that they are drought resistant trees. So this would be a great time to grow one, especially when water is scarce.

As seen here, the photo of young loquats and leaves growing in San Jose, Ca. This photo was taken in springtime. The leaves are glossy green in the front but fuzzy in the back. And the fruit itself can be a bit fuzzy like a peach too.

The fruit is tangy to sweet. But it is delicious when it ripens and turn yellow. Loquat fruit and leaves have high concentrations of Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Potassium, Vitamin A and Ascorbic Acid.

The leaves can also be used to make tea. I have made tea with some of the dried leaves and the taste is very light. The color is interesting, it’s dark pink, almost reddish in color. It is important that the leaves used to make tea are organic and not sprayed with pesticides. Traditional Chinese herbalists have used the leaves of the loquat tree to support respiratory health. You can even find cough drops in Chinese grocery stores that contains loquat leaves too. Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t think of myself as having much of a sweet tooth as I enjoy eating fruits more then candy. But once in a while I can satisfy my need for sweets with a cup of fruit infusion tea and add a small teaspoon of agave syrup. I also like to add it to my cup of coffee too. It has a light sweetness to it. But I have not tried it with pancakes or baking yet.

Agave syrup is something new I’ve come across. I have noticed some fruit drinks use agave syrup as a sweetener too. It’s much sweeter then honey and it’s from the same plant used to make tequila. It’s made from the nectar of the blue agave plant, which is grown mostly in central Mexico. In Popular Science’s article, Agave Nectar, A Sweetener for Any Occasion, they described how the juices are expressed from the core of the plants and then processed to produce the nectar. Then after the juices are extracted, they are heated to break down the carbohydrates.

larryn2009 of flickr.com took this nice picture of blue agave plants at the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Gardens. They look like they are easy to grow in a sunny climate. I might have actually seen a few of these grown as landscaping in California.

Time magazine wrote in it’s June 2008 issue that the future of agave syrup does look promising. It’s interest has grown amongst heath conscious people. And popularity has grown in countries such as Germany, New Zealand, and Japan. And in the U.S. , many food manufacturers want to add it to drinks, ice cream, ketchup, amongst other recipes.

Cane sugar and honey are fine as natural sweeteners, they are better than high fructose corn syrup. But agave syrup surpasses them all. And you don’t need to use as much, as the sweetness is concentrated. And if you are diabetic, the The Chicago Tribune adds, “It scores around 20 on the glycemic index, a measure of how quickly carbohydrates break down during digestion. Cane or beet sugar scores around 70. Agave nectar’s score is so low on the scale that diabetics can use it as a sugar substitute.” Ingested sugar is still burned as energy or stored as fat, so you still have to be careful to not over indulge on agave syrup. It has plenty of calories and you can find yourself needing to exercise more!

Madhava Agave comes in different flavors too. Imagine adding this to your morning coffee! Sweet Cactus Farms also sells agave syrup. And Madhava Agave has a great photo gallery of the farm and these interesting looking plants.

Central Station is a movie made in 1998 from Brazil. Winner of Best Picture at the Berlin Film Festival. Winner of Best Foreign Language Film at Golden Globe. Directed by Walter Salles and written by Marcos Bernstein and João Emanuel Carneiro. It is one of my all time favorite movie and I thought I should make note of it here. I think this film is worth watching and remembering. I just wish there were more films like this is in production these days.

Despite the fact that it is 10 years old doesn’t even take away from it. The story itself is timeless. The story begins in the busy central bus station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It’s very interesting to see the diversity of the people living in the city. Each one of them has their own story, but this movie is the story of a boy in search of a father he has never known. In a twist of fate, his mother dies in a bus accident and a retired school teacher working at the bus station becomes his only friend. The retired teacher then agrees to help the boy find his father in the outskirt of the country. And that is where the real journey begins.

There is a magical chemistry between the young boy and the retired teacher. The casting was perfect and the director did a great job. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone, so get the DVD and watch this movie for yourself. But there is a bitter-sweet ending, and I think that is what makes it unforgettable.

Here is a on Youtube. And nice too.

These are very beautiful paintings by Caroline R. Young. Caroline’s works can be seen at the permanent collection of the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, and the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena.

Chinese New Year is on January 26th. If you have a girl born in 2009 - she will be Year of the Ox.

This one is funny, the ox is trying to eat her hair. Playful ox and girl. I also really like is the purple morning glory, one of my favorite climbing flowers. I think it would make great art wall for a child’s room too.

There are more fine arts and selection from this website: “Zodiac Children’s Series Girl Year of the Rabbit. All the beauty, wonder and magic of childhood come alive in the paintings of the renowned Chinese painter, Caroline R. Young.  This exquisite limited edition print is done on ceramic coated polyethylene paper using hand embellished giclee.”

This one represents “Year of the Rabbit” which represents prosperity.

I really like the varieties of flower arranged in the vase. This cute little girl and her black and white rabbit are very expressive.

So if you have a little girl born in the year of the rabbit, I think this would make a really great framed gift.

Each 9X12 print is signed and numbered and has been given some individual touch by the artist so that no two prints are exactly the same.

The print run is limited to 88. But they are very expensive from about $200 to $700 each!

Copyright © 2004, Caroline R. Young Studios, LLC

I haven’t been reading much fiction lately, but I do try to read one once in a while. I think the last fiction I read and enjoyed was by Margaret Atwood. The latest fiction that I’ve read recently is Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers

The story was pretty simple and reminded me of something Lifetime TV would produce. Or even along the line of Gilmore Girls, but for the over 30 year old crowd. It was well written, the characters are believable and lovable. Especially the main character, Prudence. She would be someone you could see as a friend or sister. She makes you want to cheer for her all the way and see that things turn out well for her. And in the end everything did wrap up nicely, despite a few pitfalls.

There isn’t much to contemplate after reading this book, but merely entertaining. But I did come out thinking that there are second chances in life. It reminds you to not be too hard on yourself if the plans you made didn’t turn out exactly as you wanted.

Actually I only picked out the book because of the title and the book cover design. Especially with the pretty dress boutique. I know it’s funny, I’m judging a book by it’s cover. The cover is actually more stylish then the book itself. So that was a good marketing move from the publishers.

Here is nice little synopsis from Publishers Weekly:

Read the rest of this entry »

This is an update from my “Caring for Cashmere“. I wanted to add how to care and wash wool and cashmere blend sweaters as well.
Washing by Hand: Do not use hot water as this will “felt’ the wool. Soak in warm water and add mild soap. I think shampoo or dish washing liquid (Palmolive) should be fine. Soak garment for 5 minutes. Do not use warm water wash followed by cold water rinse. Rinse clean in warm water several times until all the soap is gone.

Squeeze out as much water as possible, but do not twist the garment. Wrap the sweater inside a towel like a sushi roll and squeeze to remove excess water. Unwrap the garment from towel and lay it flat to dry . You may want to first lay down a dry towel before laying down the wet sweater. When finish, shape garment to proper size. Do not hang to dry or put in dryer, as this will shrink the wool.

Storage: It’s best to air out your sweaters for at least 24 hours between wear. After washing, you should store in plastic containers. Do not use plastic bags as it does not breathe well. I do NOT recommend using moth balls, they are toxic. You can make your own natural herbal moth repellent. It’s very simple, see below for recipe.

For cotton/cashmere blend sweaters, you can easily wash by machine and lay flat to dry. If you like things easy, just go for the cotton/cashmere blend. The nice blue one pictured above is from Land’s End. I have one similar to it by Sebastian Cooper in navy. It is very comfortable, light, and warm as well.

Herbal Moth Repellent Recipe: Mix the herbs well and fill them in empty tea bags or just wrap in cotton fabric and tie with ribbon. Tuck these into your sweater drawers or plastic containers. Or hang in your closets.

8 ounces whole cloves
2 ounces each dried rosemary
1 ounce ginseng
2 ounces dried mint

Photo: Wikepedia Rosemary Sprig

Debenhams has these very pretty bracelets. I never heard of Debenhams, but they have 153 stores in the UK and Ireland. Maybe just like another department store in the U.S. But I haven’t seen anything like this over here. Found out about Debenhams at ShopStyle - there are lots more pretty jewelries there.
Silver enamel flower cuff

There are some neat textile and jewelry designers coming out of Europe. They must have a somewhat different taste over there, the sweaters are usually very happy and bright in colors. As these bracelets are too. And the price isn’t too bad, about $20. You can order them here.

Silver enamel stone bracelet

Sometimes there seem to be more charities out there then we knew existed. There are charities for children and abandoned animals. Even one for fruit trees, at least for growing more fruit trees. The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation from San Diego, Ca is one charity that is dedicated to planting fruitful trees and plants to benefit the environment around the world. I think this is a great idea as it helps teach people to be empowered by growing their own food and also sustain the environment too. The charity’s primary mission is to plant and help others plant a collective total of 18 billion organic fruit trees. These programs are aimed at enriching the environment, providing nutritious food sources for wild and rescued animals. And to improve human health by bringing delicious, fresh, locally grown raw fruits and vegetables in their area.

Papaya tree planted in Kenya. Photo from FTPFoundation.

The charity has already planted trees in many locations throught the U.S., Africa, and India. My favorite part of the project is “Orchards for Animals” which provide rescued animals sanctuaries with fruit trees for shade, shelter, and healthy diets. As the trees mature, animals can then eat the fruits and forage for more. During times of extreme heat or precipitation, the animals can seek shade and shelter under the trees. Fruit trees allow for the most natural diet available to animals, plucked fresh off the tree with no chemicals or pesticides. One of the Farm Sanctuary is located in Orland, California. They planted 50 fruit trees. The trees will provide shade and foraging opportunities for rescued animals.

Another sample of other neat things provided by the program took place in Florida.

Fruit Tree Workshop & Giveaway in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

“In November of 2008, FTPF partnered with the Fort Lauderdale Parks & Recreation Department, in a program made possible by Absolut, to implement a a free fruit tree give-away at three city parks and delivered a unique interactive workshop to teach fruit tree enthusiasts about proper planting and care. The program resulted in 671 fruit trees—including mangos, avocados, carambolas, grapefruits, oranges, and tangelos—being distributed to city residents. The effort trained nearly 100 workshop participants on how to plant trees and help restore an area that has lost countless trees in recent years due to hurricane damage—while fighting global warming and providing healthy nutrition at the same time.” Wow! What a great idea. I wish I lived in Florida with a huge backyard. Read the rest of this entry »

Today I wanted to expand more about my Himalayan rock salt lamp.

Ever since I put one in my mother’s bedroom, I’ve noticed she has slept better, snored less, and even minimized her consistent coughing. And she has been coughing for a while now. I don’t believe it’s all placebo, as I have used the same lamp and woke up feeling very refreshed as well as having more vivid dreams.

The brochure that came with the lamp also mention other benefits, such as help with insomnia, depression, and S.A.D. But the main reason behind the benefits of salt rock lamps is to help purify the air naturally.

Negative ions can be found here.  Beautiful waterfall picture from FreeDownloadscenter.com

When the rock salt lamp heats up, it produces negative ions. At first you would think it’s a bad thing because of the “negative” part of the description. But negative ions are actually good for you. According to WebMD website, negative ions are “odorless, tasteless, and invisible molecules that we inhale in abundance in certain environments.” The article can be read here.

Pierce J. Howard, PhD, author of The Owners Manual for the Brain: Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research and director of research at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, N.C. says, “Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy.”

There are immense amounts of negative ions in the mountains, the countryside, pine forests, around the beach and near waterfalls. These negative ions brings oxygen to your brain, lift your mood, and boost your immune system. Columbia University studies of people with winter and chronic depression show that negative ion generators relieve depression as much as antidepressants. They also help lessen depression and cure Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). So this is possibly the reason we feel so refreshed and happy after a day at the beach.

Read the rest of this entry »