K Crazes…An update of my favorite things

I am in CO these days…but I wanted to share with you more of my current loves:

Need a laugh? 5 minutes a day will make you more productive. Check this site out. Simple, yet funny!

This special edition of Newsweek: The Beauty Advantage. Check out The Beauty Breakdown: What a lifetime of cosmetic maintenance will cost a modern woman….I definitely don’t spend that much money on cosmetics (I have 4: mascara, highlighter, eyeliner, base), hair products (don’t use any), face products (night cream, moisturizer), body products (lotion, oil) compared to most women (I AM PLAIN LAZY) but recently started adding it up….and it is more than I expected. More so, the notion that

Economists have long recognized what’s been dubbed the “beauty premium”—the idea that pretty people, whatever their aspirations, tend to do better in, well, almost everything. Handsome men earn, on average, 5 percent more than their less-attractive counterparts (good-looking women earn 4 percent more); pretty people get more attention from teachers, bosses, and mentors; even babies stare longer at good-looking faces (and we stare longer at good-looking babies).

well….pissed me off and intrigues me. We become attached to worth and success by these things, and the article about how even with all advantages (money, acclaim, the job, the “relationships”) pretty people aren’t more happy or serene….says it all. RESILIENCY is knowing that WHO YOU ARE isn’t about achievements or our ideals…it is about our values and core.

 

the little engine that could

 

Eureka Environ Steam Cleaner: Tile and hard wood (heated in the winter!) show every speck of chaos inevitably accumulated by living. I’d prefer to see dirt than hide it in synthetic fibers, but it calls for  “constant cleaning”. Some people love their swiffer, but when I think of all those yucky chemicals and wasted paper , I get a little woozy. Reading Mary Janes Farm and Michael Pollan’s work urges me back to “simple solutions” ones that a generation 100 years ago would approve: HOT WATER. Thus, the purchase of this little baby. The re-usable pads convey boiled water onto any solid surface and instantly sanitize  without requiring ANY toxins. This little baby saved my knees, saved the paper towels, saved my green guilt insanity. Might make my favorite purchase list of the year….

Sole Socks….I’ve tried both the light and dual layer versions, preferring the dual layer for more support and because my feet don’t usually get sweaty. Holy Tootsies. Hands down beats every pair I’ve ever gobbled up at Target or a department store. I ordered them online and they were well worth the investment….WANT A PAIR? I feel a SOCK exchange coming on…if you are interested…email me at specialktreatment@gmail.com and send an invitation up on your blog with a link to the Gimmie Your Stuff Page.

BADGER BALM! Their chapstick beats Burts Bees HANDS DOWN…maybe I just love the GARNET color too much, or the dual colors on one stick. Or the fact that THIS BB feels more homey and less hollywood. Have you checked them out yet?

Half the Sky….Have you read it yet?

And of course, EXCHANGES! Last week, a little package sent my taste buds along Moon River. First us…Fig Whiskey Jam….Remember my tomato jam exchange endeavor? Well, my partner sent me some lovely, lip smacking, throat tingling, bread envying jam that won her 3rd place in the county fair.

Just when I didn’t think life would get better, I received a jar of soynut butter from dietician diva Gina…The best part of a package lies in its SENTIMENT…and the card says it all. I love this lady’s humor and insight.

Gina’s description of this product had me eyeing it for my eyeball biscotti recipes and recent exploration of protein-oatmeal drops (basically nut butter, oatmeal, applesauce, and protein powder….plus spices and nuts and dried fruits and xantham gum).

Check out a cool recipe from her blog that you can use the soy butter in. Battling against my ever pathos of always DELAYING GRATIFICATION, I opened the jar up right away. Gina advised that the spread is much better in recipes as compared to other nut butters, which after tasting, may agree in her deliberation. The spread is less “natural” than I am accustomed, and tastes of roasted soynuts mixed with smooth Jiffy. So, I looked up her granola recipe and plan to roast up some yummy-ness with it. In the meantime, I folded it into a protein bar recipe to take along on my 11 hour flight. Excellent creamy, saltyness with a toothy crunch.

OKAY! So what products or reads are you loving lately?