Also me: You'll burn more calories unwrapping the chocolate.
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Just for Kicks - Evil Kermit
from my cousin, had to share
Me: Should I eat grapes or dark chocolate? I should eat the grapes.
Also me: You'll burn more calories unwrapping the chocolate.
Also me: You'll burn more calories unwrapping the chocolate.
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY - Water on the go
Hello Texas. You've got an organization with a Facebook page worth following. @PlasticCrisisAlliance.
Columbia's blog talks about the crisis in the US. When you consider how lightweight plastic can be, it takes an awful lot to make a ton.
https://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2012/01/31/what-happens-to-all-that-plastic/
Here's something easy we can do. I mean, I'm guilty of buying a couple cases of water at a time. Three or more if they're on sale especially leading up to hurricane season. https://greatist.com/live/plastic-water-bottles
My commitment #1 - I'm going to buy a Brita and just refill my on-the-go bottles from now on.
Some easy (and not so easy) ways to reduce waste...https://greatist.com/happiness/ways-help-environment
My commitment #2 - Do something hands on. Volunteer to clean up some trash. https://oceanconservancy.org/trash-free-seas/international-coastal-cleanup/volunteer/. International Coastal Cleanup Day is Saturday September 15th.
What's something(s) you're willing to do to help the planet get restored to good health?
Unrelated note: Did you know that grapes are poisonous to cats?
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
#Ecofriendly
#plasticcrisis
#Brita
#DoSomething
#InternationalCoastalCleanupDay
If you'd like to know when the blog is updated, shoot me an email at MackenzieLittledaleWrites@gmail.com. No spam please. Honor system.
Friday, August 24, 2018
Dinner for One With Bipolar
This is almost identical to the first post I made about EASY af dinners for one. The difference is the stuffing in the ravioli and dessert. The key difference is I took a photo this time, so you can see the beautiful ravioli.
Same instructions. Just boil water and drop in the ravioli, turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
This delicious meal is Trader Joe's Sweet Corn, Burrata and Basil Ravioli. It's already made! Find it in the produce section of Trader Joe's. Just boil it and serve. If I can do it, ANY-body can do it. In my 30s, I had to call my aunt to ask her how to boil corn. Ok? I'm so very close to useless in the kitchen, but I do love to eat good food.
Dessert. This is a bit of a throwback to an early Part-Time Half-Assed Vegan Notes post about #fakeicecream. I had SO DELICIOUS Salted Caramel Nut Cluster. It's creamy, crunchy and sweet. God, I love it! Plus, it's nondairy. The base is cashew milk. You'd never in a million years guess it wasn't real ice cream. Available at Publix.
If you have bipolar or another mental health challenge, it doesn't have to stop you from living independently. There are super easy ways to get nutrition without a whole lot of fuss in the kitchen.
#Foodies
#bipolar
#fakeicecream
#SoDelicious
#traderjoes
#Publix
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
Same instructions. Just boil water and drop in the ravioli, turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
This delicious meal is Trader Joe's Sweet Corn, Burrata and Basil Ravioli. It's already made! Find it in the produce section of Trader Joe's. Just boil it and serve. If I can do it, ANY-body can do it. In my 30s, I had to call my aunt to ask her how to boil corn. Ok? I'm so very close to useless in the kitchen, but I do love to eat good food.
 |
| Trader Joe's Sweet Corn, Burrata and Basil Ravioli drizzled with Spanish olive oil and Romano Parmesan Cheese Photo: Mackenzie Littledale |
Dessert. This is a bit of a throwback to an early Part-Time Half-Assed Vegan Notes post about #fakeicecream. I had SO DELICIOUS Salted Caramel Nut Cluster. It's creamy, crunchy and sweet. God, I love it! Plus, it's nondairy. The base is cashew milk. You'd never in a million years guess it wasn't real ice cream. Available at Publix.
If you have bipolar or another mental health challenge, it doesn't have to stop you from living independently. There are super easy ways to get nutrition without a whole lot of fuss in the kitchen.
#Foodies
#bipolar
#fakeicecream
#SoDelicious
#traderjoes
#Publix
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
Thursday, August 23, 2018
PART TIME HALF ASSED VEGAN NOTES - Mixed Up Salad (customer) at Jason's Deli
I'd had this salad before, and was surprised to see chicken on top. It precluded my intention of a less half-assed vegan blog post.
A closer look at the menu revealed CHICKEN was the first ingredient listed. The voice in my head said I should have my eyes checked.
Undaunted, I went back to Jason's and asked if they'd hold the chicken. Troy told me enthusiastically, "Yes, however you want it!" Troy made my day, that's for sure.
The proper name of the salad is "Nutty Mixed-Up Salad".
Grilled 100% antibiotic-free CHICKEN (request it to be withheld)
organic field greens
grapes
feta (not vegan, but I wouldn't be surprised if you can ask for that to be withheld as well)
cranberry-walnut mix
organic apples
Balsamic vinaigrette
This is a yummy salad with lots of textures and a nice balance of flavors
To make myself even happier, I also ordered the strawberry shortcake. It's my day off, right?
Troy even offered to toss my empty peach iced tea bottles, but when I asked him if the store recycled the bottles, he said he'd make sure of it. I would have been perfectly ok carrying them home to recycle, but Troy also told me that Jason's Deli doesn't rely exclusively on plastic containers. They have containers made from sugar cane, which are fully biodegradable and present the food better than plastic because they breathe. Jason's is also family-owned, and got started in Vermont.
Several menu items can be customized to be vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. You can make it easy on yourself and ask for the Vegan All The Way menu at the register.
Troy beamed with joy and pride - it was just all over his face as he shared the story of the deli with me, and showed me the sugar cane containers.
Nutty mixed up salad, peach iced tea, strawberry shortcake - $15.02
Jason's Deli #184
1361 South University Drive / Plantation, Fla
#foodies
#vegan
#placestoeatPlantationFL
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
A closer look at the menu revealed CHICKEN was the first ingredient listed. The voice in my head said I should have my eyes checked.
Undaunted, I went back to Jason's and asked if they'd hold the chicken. Troy told me enthusiastically, "Yes, however you want it!" Troy made my day, that's for sure.
The proper name of the salad is "Nutty Mixed-Up Salad".
Grilled 100% antibiotic-free CHICKEN (request it to be withheld)
organic field greens
grapes
feta (not vegan, but I wouldn't be surprised if you can ask for that to be withheld as well)
cranberry-walnut mix
organic apples
Balsamic vinaigrette
 |
| Nutty Mixed Up Salad - Hold the Chicken at Jason's Deli, Plantation Photo: Mackenzie Littledale |
 |
| Nutty Mixed Up Salad - Hold the Chicken at Jason's Deli, Plantation Photo: Mackenzie Littledale |
This is a yummy salad with lots of textures and a nice balance of flavors
To make myself even happier, I also ordered the strawberry shortcake. It's my day off, right?
 |
| Strawberry Shortcake Jason's Deli Plantation Photo: Mackenzie Littledale |
Troy even offered to toss my empty peach iced tea bottles, but when I asked him if the store recycled the bottles, he said he'd make sure of it. I would have been perfectly ok carrying them home to recycle, but Troy also told me that Jason's Deli doesn't rely exclusively on plastic containers. They have containers made from sugar cane, which are fully biodegradable and present the food better than plastic because they breathe. Jason's is also family-owned, and got started in Vermont.
Several menu items can be customized to be vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free. You can make it easy on yourself and ask for the Vegan All The Way menu at the register.
Troy beamed with joy and pride - it was just all over his face as he shared the story of the deli with me, and showed me the sugar cane containers.
Nutty mixed up salad, peach iced tea, strawberry shortcake - $15.02
Jason's Deli #184
1361 South University Drive / Plantation, Fla
#foodies
#vegan
#placestoeatPlantationFL
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
Just for Kicks - Evil Kermit
The Evil Kermit memes crack me up!
I often do take a nap instead. Sometimes Evil Kermit wins.
Why read them one at a time when you can read 35 from Cosmopolitan? Thanks Cosmopolitan
A little levity (and I did, after all, promise some humor).
#evilkermit
#justforlaughs
I often do take a nap instead. Sometimes Evil Kermit wins.
Why read them one at a time when you can read 35 from Cosmopolitan? Thanks Cosmopolitan
A little levity (and I did, after all, promise some humor).
#evilkermit
#justforlaughs
PERSONAL ESSAY - Speaking with Integrity
Speaking with Integrity
There’s a post on David Wolfe’s website of six things about
which women in their 40s should be able to advise women in their 20s. According to the list, self-love comes first.
Have I sufficiently learned to love
myself enough that I can guide younger women on how to achieve this? At 47, my answer is yes and no. Yes, because I have a measure of love for whom
I’ve become; and no, because there is always opportunity for that love to either
fade or blossom. Even now, I don’t
always choose responses to life’s situations that let it blossom. However, even in those moments of personal
failure, the next moment opens to a new opportunity to try again.
In the interest of developing more self-love in order to
blossom more and more often, I set a goal: to improve my communication skills. The goal is to respectfully express the full
range of my emotions with my integrity intact.
Even with this one simple goal, my inner critic piped up. She said I’d fail. She said I’d give up. She said I was stupid for trying. I hadn’t even taken the first step and was at
risk of shutting myself down. Clearly,
the first thing I needed to do was get past my own hurdle: make the inner
critic go into a coma. It all came down
to a simple question that I could ask the critic every time she bared her fangs
at me: what if you’re wrong? Just
allowing myself to wonder if the inner critic was wrong opened me up to a long
string of what if questions about the possibilities of success. The inner critic never goes away. She lingers and mutters. Having at least one pithy response to quiet
her down is most helpful. Sometimes the
pithy response is simply to tell her, “SHUT UP! I’m going to try anyway.”
Once my critic cringed in a corner, I could take the next
step toward improved communication skills.
Sticking with this one overriding goal made a major difference in the
quality of relationship I have with one brother. According to my niece, he and I are very alike
in some ways. According to me, we have
nothing in common. Only one of these
attitudes had any potential to yield positive results.
Case in point, my brother has a gruff way with words that
tends to trigger my insecurities and when that happens, I clam up in
self-defense, unable to articulate myself.
As the saying goes, it’s better to keep your mouth shut and have people
think you’re a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. But living with my
mouth closed was no longer a viable option.
Said brother relentlessly advised me to buy a bigger, better
replacement television. To this I said
every time that I don’t watch enough television to warrant a purchase. On the flip side, I encouraged him to upgrade
his dinosaur cell phone to a smartphone, and listed all the benefits he’d
enjoy. He said he had internet access
from home and work, and had no use for a smartphone. I said that I’d felt the same way he did, but
once I did upgrade, I found the features indispensable. His reaction quickly escalated to anger and
frustration, and voila! I was triggered.
This particular time though, I remembered what I’d been
learning about assertiveness. Instead of
clamming up or lashing out, I noticed my physical reaction. My chest had clenched. I took a deep breath and realized I had a
choice. If I was truly committed to stop vanishing into the shadows of bullies,
I had to respond with intention, rather than react mindlessly. I could reach
for my higher self and stay calm. Not
silent, but calm. This may seem easy to
some, but doing something different after 40+ years of reacting out of habit was
a challenge. I said, “I don’t understand
why you’re escalating. This is a normal
conversation. I’m not attacking
you. I’m just saying that I felt the
same way you do, so there’s a chance you’ll change your mind also.”
His tone shifted back towards neutral. He stopped shouting.
Taking my relationship with my brother down a new path was a
side effect of sticking to my intention, which was borne of a desire to improve
my life because I love myself enough to want better. By remaining true to my commitment, I got to
turn a corner with my brother. Having this one singular victory fed my
self-confidence to stay with the process.
Emotions are multiplicative.
Love of self gives rise to more and more love, and the love itself
matures and gets stronger. Everything
else goes off in the right direction from the starting point of self-love. Developing it, nurturing it, affirming it,
and believing in its power help it blossom.
When that happens, I blossom too.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
RANDOM THOUGHT - Waxing Philosophical
This is funny, sort of. What I'm finding in my own quest for self-improvement is that commonsense really isn't all that common. Perhaps for reasons other than I first assumed. When I see people make decisions that are way different from a decision I'd make in the same situation, my first reaction is, "Wow, what a dummy!" But when I'm fortunate enough to see the consequences of that person's decision, sometimes it works out splendidly for him (or her). Not always. It's having that sense of openness to learning from whatever life puts in front of me that gives me peace of mind and a sense of wonder. Enlightenment is always a choice and it's always available.
The point I'm trying to make is people will make their own decisions, given the benefit or misfortune of their own background and experience. Just because people do things differently doesn't make them foolish. It doesn't even mean necessarily that they're misguided. They may be ignorant, and when comparing them to your own life experience, how could they NOT be ignorant of what you'd do? That's where higher levels of communication skills can help them discover your thought process. Share your insight. Maybe it's relevant to them (maybe not, but a chance at a meaningful conversation is worth creating a new path).
If there's such a thing as commonsense, then there's probably a thing as common ignorance. If most people don't communicate their thoughts and feelings, then there's nothing but miscommunication all around. So the common ignorance is better communication. People think communication is all about them talking and the other listening. Really, it doesn't work that way. Listening and understanding has to work BOTH ways. Listening is not just the other person's responsibility.
I think there's something in the quote that breeds judgment in people who simply take it at face value. If I look at a decision that other people make and, for no other reason than it's not what I would do, if I immediately think they're foolish, then I'm being judgmental, aren't I? If there's a chance to instruct, or at least share my thought process that would lead to better results, shouldn't I share? If I can do it respectfully, then what do I have to lose by opening my mouth?
My cousin the massage therapist had a male guest who never had a massage before. When she uncovered his legs, she saw he had on those (silly) long shorts, covering his entire thigh. And they were noisy like diapers. At the end of his service, she suggested to him that for future appointments, if he WANTED his legs massaged, he should feel comfortable removing his shorts. He smiled. It's important not to be assuming or condescending. For all my cousin knew, he had a bad scar, or had an embarrassing disfigurement, or was ticklish, or didn't want a strange woman touching him there, or simply didn't know what to expect from a massage, or who knows? Whatever. Over the course of time, my cousin has her hangups, and she makes up stories in her head about why people do what they do, but she has grown careful not to make assumptions about what's true for other people. In the end, she wanted him to know that he was safe in the room, but there's no law that says people have to take off their shorts for a massage just because it suits the massage therapist. (She wants me to alert you that the profession addresses itself as "massage therapist", not "masseuse". The word "masseuse" went out of style and into disrepute with the French massage parlors of the 1800s. End of Public Service Announcement.)
Back to Kermit. I think the key phrase in the quote is "deal with it". So why not deal with it like an adult? Communicate. Negotiate. Instruct. Guide. Teach someone how to navigate their problem so they win in the end. Give the person a chance to explain why he (or she) made the decision he did, so perhaps you'll learn to see from another perspective. This is really wonderful actually, when poor and middle income people get to ask questions of upper middle income and wealthy people. Perhaps better stated, when consumers get to find out how to become producers, the whole game changes - hopefully for the betterment of the seeker.
If you're fortunate enough to know ethical people who have created and amassed some wealth (and you can replace "wealth" with "health" or "lasting relationship" or whatever you'd like to acquire and develop in your own life), invite them to lunch or coffee and ask them some questions. You might be making mistakes that they've already learned how to avoid, which would mean you're the person they see as lacking commonsense.
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
#randomthought
#philosophy
#commonsense
If you'd like to know when I've updated the blog, either click the BLUE FOLLOW BUTTON at the top of the DESKTOP version screen, or shoot me an email at MackenzieLittledaleWrites@gmail.com
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
RANDOM THOUGHT - Dogs and Cows
I've seen plenty of posts on Facebook where American activists are pushing for Korea to give up slaughtering dogs. I wonder if any American would taken an Indian seriously if they organized to push us to give up slaughtering cows. While Kevin Spacey may have fallen from grace, I can't help but be moved by his portrayal of a vegetarian in K-PAX.
Different culture have different values.
I think torturing animals (and humans) is just plain wrong. Even when hunting. The idea is a quick kill with minimal suffering. But if Americans knew how their burgers and bacon were treated when they were living animals, perhaps they'd be ASHAMED of the industrial farming machine. It's just heartbreaking. Animals have feelings and longings and personality. One person I've heard of won't eat mammals, and perhaps that's a great rule for dining humanely.
That's just my opinion. And I do love a good burger. That's why I want to try Adina's at Gulfstream. Farm to table type restaurant. Grass fed cows. I can't deny that predators on this planet eat other animals and humans are predators, but there's no moral reason to keep prey living in shitty conditions all the days of their lives. So I'd like to try grass fed burger because the animals get to live their normal day to day grass-eating lives until it's time to be converted into dinner.
Different culture have different values.
I think torturing animals (and humans) is just plain wrong. Even when hunting. The idea is a quick kill with minimal suffering. But if Americans knew how their burgers and bacon were treated when they were living animals, perhaps they'd be ASHAMED of the industrial farming machine. It's just heartbreaking. Animals have feelings and longings and personality. One person I've heard of won't eat mammals, and perhaps that's a great rule for dining humanely.
That's just my opinion. And I do love a good burger. That's why I want to try Adina's at Gulfstream. Farm to table type restaurant. Grass fed cows. I can't deny that predators on this planet eat other animals and humans are predators, but there's no moral reason to keep prey living in shitty conditions all the days of their lives. So I'd like to try grass fed burger because the animals get to live their normal day to day grass-eating lives until it's time to be converted into dinner.
PART TIME HALF ASSED VEGAN NOTES - For Women only
I hadn't considered being "vegan" during my time of the month. I just wanted blood absorption without chlorine. I found rayon-free, chlorine free pads and tampons at Target from a brand called "L" from Italy. The packaging is superb. You can't miss it on the shelves.
But today's search yielded vegan varieties. I hadn't considered how many feminine hygiene products wind up in landfills or in the waterways. All those chemicals toxify the environment (and they were touching our lady parts for how many hours every day for 5 days????)
I can't say I'll ever try menstrual cups or reusable period panties, but there are options, depending on how seriously you make your efforts.
The vegan woman says these 5 products will change your life. Worth a try.
http://www.theveganwoman.com/green-period-5-eco-friendly-vegan-period-products-will-change-life/
But today's search yielded vegan varieties. I hadn't considered how many feminine hygiene products wind up in landfills or in the waterways. All those chemicals toxify the environment (and they were touching our lady parts for how many hours every day for 5 days????)
I can't say I'll ever try menstrual cups or reusable period panties, but there are options, depending on how seriously you make your efforts.
The vegan woman says these 5 products will change your life. Worth a try.
http://www.theveganwoman.com/green-period-5-eco-friendly-vegan-period-products-will-change-life/
Monday, August 20, 2018
RANDOM THOUGHT - ECO-FRIENDLY EVERYTHING
Blue-green algae blooms in Florida's waterways are a menace. I've seen posts asking why the mainstream media isn't covering it. They are. What I'd like to know is why isn't anyone talking about the same problem in Lake Erie and all throughout the Mississippi River deltas? It can't all just be contained in local news.
This is actually a nationwide problem - and since water is life sustaining for everything on earth, that makes it a CRISIS.
I posted about consumer products that can help, but there's more to it. The main culprits are phosphates and nitrogen - found in commercial/industrial fertilizer. So, let's turn our attention there.
It comes down to science. Not science fiction. Not electronics technology. Not medical science. But agricultural science. The Union of Concerned Scientists has garnered over 450 signatures to influence Congress on pursuing sustainable agriculture practices. It's really bizarre that taxpayers subsidize farms for excess commodities, then pay again to clean up their bad messes, and then complain about high food prices and then complain again that the Western diet is making them fat and sick. Probably on their way to pick up some fast food.
Wtf?
It's hard to stay focused on a single topic when it comes to food.
There's the production (soil health or deterioration, slaves on farms in this day and age)
There's the shipping (gasoline and manpower)
There's the variety (monoculture farming is bad, so avoid palm oil)
There's the climate change (methane gas from cow farts)
There's the living conditions of the animals (the FDA allows a certain amount of pus in your milk)
There's the nutrition (nutrition science is pretty new and ever changing and contradictory)
There's the shopping for it (making sense of the labels and the plastic bags, which wind up in the ocean and the poor sea turtles mistake them for jellyfish - their food - and die. This could lead to an overabundance of jellyfish)
There's the storage of it (plastic containers right? Get GLASS)
There's the preparation (is your utility's power source sustainable or petroleum based?)
There's the garbage and excretion (all comes back to water)
How could I find a point in the chain to even begin the conversation without sounding bipolar? (that's a joke, right? I have bipolar and my meds are working. It's the vast enormity and complexity of topics like this that start my mind racing ahead of me. So I write it down so I can get back in the driver's seat and stay calm)
Election season is here, so let's start with farm policy. Sustainable agriculture is the way to go. They're calling it agroecology. I'll let you check out the Union of Concerned Scientists' article and in the very near future, I hope to find candidates who are serious about the environment and not kneeling before the throne of Big Sugar and industrial farms.
Information overload, I know. But, we are NOT POWERLESS. We have to start getting serious right away because there's so much we CAN DO.
This is actually a nationwide problem - and since water is life sustaining for everything on earth, that makes it a CRISIS.
I posted about consumer products that can help, but there's more to it. The main culprits are phosphates and nitrogen - found in commercial/industrial fertilizer. So, let's turn our attention there.
It comes down to science. Not science fiction. Not electronics technology. Not medical science. But agricultural science. The Union of Concerned Scientists has garnered over 450 signatures to influence Congress on pursuing sustainable agriculture practices. It's really bizarre that taxpayers subsidize farms for excess commodities, then pay again to clean up their bad messes, and then complain about high food prices and then complain again that the Western diet is making them fat and sick. Probably on their way to pick up some fast food.
Wtf?
It's hard to stay focused on a single topic when it comes to food.
There's the production (soil health or deterioration, slaves on farms in this day and age)
There's the shipping (gasoline and manpower)
There's the variety (monoculture farming is bad, so avoid palm oil)
There's the climate change (methane gas from cow farts)
There's the living conditions of the animals (the FDA allows a certain amount of pus in your milk)
There's the nutrition (nutrition science is pretty new and ever changing and contradictory)
There's the shopping for it (making sense of the labels and the plastic bags, which wind up in the ocean and the poor sea turtles mistake them for jellyfish - their food - and die. This could lead to an overabundance of jellyfish)
There's the storage of it (plastic containers right? Get GLASS)
There's the preparation (is your utility's power source sustainable or petroleum based?)
There's the garbage and excretion (all comes back to water)
How could I find a point in the chain to even begin the conversation without sounding bipolar? (that's a joke, right? I have bipolar and my meds are working. It's the vast enormity and complexity of topics like this that start my mind racing ahead of me. So I write it down so I can get back in the driver's seat and stay calm)
Election season is here, so let's start with farm policy. Sustainable agriculture is the way to go. They're calling it agroecology. I'll let you check out the Union of Concerned Scientists' article and in the very near future, I hope to find candidates who are serious about the environment and not kneeling before the throne of Big Sugar and industrial farms.
Information overload, I know. But, we are NOT POWERLESS. We have to start getting serious right away because there's so much we CAN DO.
Sunday, August 19, 2018
DINNER FOR ONE WITH BIPOLAR
I have bipolar disorder. I hate to cook for myself. I'm not going to stop to think if the bipolar has anything to do with my disdain for cooking for one. It's just a labor intensive endeavor and I eat so quickly, it hardly seems worth the effort.
However, being here to serve, it occurred to me that there are others who have bipolar and perhaps their bipolar keeps them out of the kitchen. Let me be the one to turn you on to Trader Joe's. Because of Trader Joe's I eat a hot meal that's easy. Really, unbelievably easy.
Take tonight's dinner.
Snack - pretzel chips with tomato and basil hummus dip
Lobster ravioli drizzled with Spanish olive oil, vegan pesto and Romano cheese
French brioche with cream cheese and strawberry preserves
Glass of Moscato (not recommended with most meds but I'm on low dose and I'm fine)
This literally took me less than 10 minutes and the only skill necessary was boiling water and defrosting. Defrosting takes time, but zero effort.
Snack - zero preparation, zero cooking. My favorite kind of dinner
The lobster ravioli is already prepared and it's pretty. Red and chamois striped pasta. If I thought I was going to write a post about it, I would have taken a photo. You just put it in lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Scoop it out with a sifter or a slotted spoon, drizzle with olive oil or butter and eat. The ready-made vegan pesto and Romano cheese were optional. That's about as experimental as I get in the kitchen. If it weren't for the fridge, I'd probably never go in there.
French brioche. Defrost. Eat. Smear with preserves or jam or honey if you like.
Glass of Moscato. I prefer it chilled, but I don't even think that's necessary.
One day, I'll count the calories and report back, but until then, just eat regularly.
I'm hoping that someone with any level of bipolar can manage this, so here's to us!
However, being here to serve, it occurred to me that there are others who have bipolar and perhaps their bipolar keeps them out of the kitchen. Let me be the one to turn you on to Trader Joe's. Because of Trader Joe's I eat a hot meal that's easy. Really, unbelievably easy.
Take tonight's dinner.
Snack - pretzel chips with tomato and basil hummus dip
Lobster ravioli drizzled with Spanish olive oil, vegan pesto and Romano cheese
French brioche with cream cheese and strawberry preserves
Glass of Moscato (not recommended with most meds but I'm on low dose and I'm fine)
This literally took me less than 10 minutes and the only skill necessary was boiling water and defrosting. Defrosting takes time, but zero effort.
Snack - zero preparation, zero cooking. My favorite kind of dinner
The lobster ravioli is already prepared and it's pretty. Red and chamois striped pasta. If I thought I was going to write a post about it, I would have taken a photo. You just put it in lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Scoop it out with a sifter or a slotted spoon, drizzle with olive oil or butter and eat. The ready-made vegan pesto and Romano cheese were optional. That's about as experimental as I get in the kitchen. If it weren't for the fridge, I'd probably never go in there.
French brioche. Defrost. Eat. Smear with preserves or jam or honey if you like.
Glass of Moscato. I prefer it chilled, but I don't even think that's necessary.
One day, I'll count the calories and report back, but until then, just eat regularly.
I'm hoping that someone with any level of bipolar can manage this, so here's to us!
What's up with the "follow" feature?
In case you want to follow my blog, and it'd be so cool to me if you do, shoot me an email and I'll email you whenever I post.
The follow button doesn't seem to alert anyone that there's a new post. Go figure.
mackenzielittledalewrites@gmail.com
Subject line: Please add to list
I don't spam. I don't advertise. I'll just let you know when I've posted something new to the blog.
Mackenzie
The follow button doesn't seem to alert anyone that there's a new post. Go figure.
mackenzielittledalewrites@gmail.com
Subject line: Please add to list
I don't spam. I don't advertise. I'll just let you know when I've posted something new to the blog.
Mackenzie
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS
This morning's motivation wasn't motivation per se, but a listen in on a TED Talk about the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. This led to browsing the TED Talk website's blog, and I found a request for comments on what plastic products people would like to see banned.
I was surprised to see microfiber show up, but this isn't good stuff apparently. Too bad. It's so soft!
Then I saw a request to ban personal care products with plastic microbeads. Once the plastic microbeads are washed down the drain, they wreak havoc on the world's water supplies, including everything that lives in water.
I found a very long list of products that have ZERO microbeads. It was too long to replicate, so here's the link directly to the products with ZERO in the USA. If you're from another country, browse around the site for your country's list.
If the ocean dies, we all down, Armageddon-style. Maybe that's God's ultimate plan, but I'd rather not live through it, so please let's all do our part.
http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/ProductTable.php?colour=0&country=US&language=EN#
An even more stringent search for zero microplastics is here:
http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/ProductTable.php?colour=0&country=US&language=EN&zero=true
#SaveTheOcean
#Ecofriendly
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
I was surprised to see microfiber show up, but this isn't good stuff apparently. Too bad. It's so soft!
Then I saw a request to ban personal care products with plastic microbeads. Once the plastic microbeads are washed down the drain, they wreak havoc on the world's water supplies, including everything that lives in water.
I found a very long list of products that have ZERO microbeads. It was too long to replicate, so here's the link directly to the products with ZERO in the USA. If you're from another country, browse around the site for your country's list.
If the ocean dies, we all down, Armageddon-style. Maybe that's God's ultimate plan, but I'd rather not live through it, so please let's all do our part.
http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/ProductTable.php?colour=0&country=US&language=EN#
An even more stringent search for zero microplastics is here:
http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/ProductTable.php?colour=0&country=US&language=EN&zero=true
#SaveTheOcean
#Ecofriendly
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
Saturday, August 18, 2018
RANDOM THOUGHT - Money as an agent of love
I recently got turned on to a Shaman who has a podcast called Ancient Wisdom Today. I was listening to his interview of Serah D'Laine. They touched on several topics, but about 50 minutes or so into that podcast, they started talking about money, things and love.
The Shaman comes from a monied family that demonstrated little affection. For years, he shied away from human touch, but he got to a point in his own life when he became a hugger. People would tell him that they couldn't afford to visit him, so he'd buy their air tickets. He gave freely. When it was time that someone would offer him a gift of a Rolex, he'd refuse.
The two discussed this and it got me thinking. The Shaman had a dual edged view of material things. When he was the giver, he gave freely. When he was on the receiving end, he refused. No one has to be rich to see the contradiction in terms. Either things can have loving intention and meaning both when we give and when we receive or they have no meaning at all. Why can't material things represent loving intention both ways, as giver and as receiver?
I think it's important to strive at balance between self-love and outward love, between being self-centered and giver. I don't want to refuse to receive love. A hug is just as nice as a crystal vase. Why can't it be so? Demonstrations of love like hugs and kisses are wonderful, so why can't love that is represented by a gift in a box also be wonderful?
When a gift shows up in a box, it's got a price tag on it. That price tag represents how much labor had to be expended in order to purchase the gift, and now it's being given. There are large, inexpensive but showy gifts, and tiny, steeply priced gifts like diamond cuff links.
It just seems to me that people aren't happy with what they've got. A kid with a loving family wants the prosperous family. A kid with every toy still craves affection. We can't have it all. Or can we? Is there anyone out there who had a satisfactory balance?
#LoveAndMoney
#AncientWisdomToday
#MaterialThings
The Shaman comes from a monied family that demonstrated little affection. For years, he shied away from human touch, but he got to a point in his own life when he became a hugger. People would tell him that they couldn't afford to visit him, so he'd buy their air tickets. He gave freely. When it was time that someone would offer him a gift of a Rolex, he'd refuse.
The two discussed this and it got me thinking. The Shaman had a dual edged view of material things. When he was the giver, he gave freely. When he was on the receiving end, he refused. No one has to be rich to see the contradiction in terms. Either things can have loving intention and meaning both when we give and when we receive or they have no meaning at all. Why can't material things represent loving intention both ways, as giver and as receiver?
I think it's important to strive at balance between self-love and outward love, between being self-centered and giver. I don't want to refuse to receive love. A hug is just as nice as a crystal vase. Why can't it be so? Demonstrations of love like hugs and kisses are wonderful, so why can't love that is represented by a gift in a box also be wonderful?
When a gift shows up in a box, it's got a price tag on it. That price tag represents how much labor had to be expended in order to purchase the gift, and now it's being given. There are large, inexpensive but showy gifts, and tiny, steeply priced gifts like diamond cuff links.
It just seems to me that people aren't happy with what they've got. A kid with a loving family wants the prosperous family. A kid with every toy still craves affection. We can't have it all. Or can we? Is there anyone out there who had a satisfactory balance?
#LoveAndMoney
#AncientWisdomToday
#MaterialThings
Thursday, August 16, 2018
RANDOM THOUGHT - When Art Instructs
There are works of art that go beyond beauty and storytelling; they reach inside you. Sometimes they grasp, sometimes they grab, sometimes they shake, and sometimes they soothe and tell you everything is going to be ok if you just trust the process.
"Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot" is a work of art like that. A film from amazon that's based on a true story is both gripping and reassuring. It's the story of John, a man who has a serious drinking problem, goes out to tie one on and winds up getting paralyzed in a car wreck. The driver mistakes a pole for a highway exit and plows into it at 90 mph. I won't tell you what happens to the driver (played by Jack Black). You need the shock. John's transition from being fully able-bodied to permanently disabled will move you. Hopefully it'll move you to the point that you drop your baggage, drop your story and start living with purpose to your full potential. At least get started.
John, the protagonist played by Joaquin Phoenix, has to accept his new circumstances. He can't take it all at once and his recovery and life building is slow. But when he discovers what's still possible for him, it's a thing of beauty and inspiration almost beyond words. It's in AA that he has to face his excuses. That's where the film starts to take on the role of a consoler with healthy measures of tough love. It lays firm hold on the viewer and shakes. Shakes out all the bs stories that we cling to. It can be said that many people use up all their life energy refusing to live. "Let that go!" life says. "Let go of that excuse and work with what you do have. No legs? Who cares? Move forward anyway. Still want a drink? Water. You don't have to stay stuck here in that muck."
By way of metaphor, John has a pet mouse with not much more than a hamster wheel to keep him occupied. By accident, the mouse gets set free. In a way, the same can be said for John - set free from the hamster wheel of telling his sad story to anyone who will listen in order to write the next chapter of his life. When the glass cage he lives in shatters, what's left? John has to tap into his essence. (I'm afraid that's a rather convoluted mixed metaphor, but you get the idea, right?)
When John finally stops being angry and takes a step back from his tragic story and listens long enough to realize that all the AA members also have tragic stories and they're still taking the 12 steps to recovery, he really starts to shine. To remove himself from his tragic story is to step out from behind a wall and face himself naked. He taps into his humor. His humor is part of what gets him through and becomes the paving stones to a new life and source of income. The other part of getting through it is trust in the people around him. I'll say this, we ALL need a friend and advocate like his therapist who draws John's attention to his "cute nurse". The only word I can remember is "reflexo" and with a bit of luck, you'll remember that word as well.
Just icing on my cake, I was delighted to see Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth in the film. She's so cool.
"Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot" is a work of art like that. A film from amazon that's based on a true story is both gripping and reassuring. It's the story of John, a man who has a serious drinking problem, goes out to tie one on and winds up getting paralyzed in a car wreck. The driver mistakes a pole for a highway exit and plows into it at 90 mph. I won't tell you what happens to the driver (played by Jack Black). You need the shock. John's transition from being fully able-bodied to permanently disabled will move you. Hopefully it'll move you to the point that you drop your baggage, drop your story and start living with purpose to your full potential. At least get started.
John, the protagonist played by Joaquin Phoenix, has to accept his new circumstances. He can't take it all at once and his recovery and life building is slow. But when he discovers what's still possible for him, it's a thing of beauty and inspiration almost beyond words. It's in AA that he has to face his excuses. That's where the film starts to take on the role of a consoler with healthy measures of tough love. It lays firm hold on the viewer and shakes. Shakes out all the bs stories that we cling to. It can be said that many people use up all their life energy refusing to live. "Let that go!" life says. "Let go of that excuse and work with what you do have. No legs? Who cares? Move forward anyway. Still want a drink? Water. You don't have to stay stuck here in that muck."
By way of metaphor, John has a pet mouse with not much more than a hamster wheel to keep him occupied. By accident, the mouse gets set free. In a way, the same can be said for John - set free from the hamster wheel of telling his sad story to anyone who will listen in order to write the next chapter of his life. When the glass cage he lives in shatters, what's left? John has to tap into his essence. (I'm afraid that's a rather convoluted mixed metaphor, but you get the idea, right?)
When John finally stops being angry and takes a step back from his tragic story and listens long enough to realize that all the AA members also have tragic stories and they're still taking the 12 steps to recovery, he really starts to shine. To remove himself from his tragic story is to step out from behind a wall and face himself naked. He taps into his humor. His humor is part of what gets him through and becomes the paving stones to a new life and source of income. The other part of getting through it is trust in the people around him. I'll say this, we ALL need a friend and advocate like his therapist who draws John's attention to his "cute nurse". The only word I can remember is "reflexo" and with a bit of luck, you'll remember that word as well.
Just icing on my cake, I was delighted to see Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth in the film. She's so cool.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
RANDOM QUESTION - Can any one woman fulfill 100% of a man's needs?
I knew this man who had a mistress on the side for decades. His wife never had a clue. He said his wife lacked affection, lacked interest in his interests, lacked worldly wisdom, and he was never sure whether she had an opinion on anything that mattered to him. He gave her a lot of free rein to make household decisions, but even on the rare occasions when he put his foot, she clammed up and ignored him, leaving him frustrated. I don't know the details on what he saw in her in the first place besides her lovely face and slender figure, but he confessed that he didn't really find out what sort of personality or character she had until he retired and was stuck at home to spend time with her. Thirty+ years married, and turned out she was more or less a stranger to him.
While he was confident that his wife never cheated on him, he needed somewhere to go to get his needs met. He wasn't willing to abandon his family for reasons I'm not going to share here right now.
In the end, he loved his wife. In the end, she loved him.
There are women who bitterly wonder what's in it for the "other woman". Why be 2nd? There may be a dozen responses to that, but what's the point in demanding to be the one AND only? If you cook, clean, take the kids to soccer practice and sleepovers, exercise and stay fit, get waxed in ungodly places, play guitar and whisper sweet nothings with panache, wear lingerie, shop on sportsheets.com, and all that fun stuff - you still can't be enough. Men like variety. Cheaters say sex with some women doesn't mean anything to them. Is that true? Is it possible to climb into bed with someone without feeling? It seems so dirty. If all one needs is physical exertion, won't a trip to the gym do the same thing? I'm kidding. It's not the same!
My question then, is can any one woman fulfill 100% of a man's needs, or does a mistress on the side actually do a service to keep marriages together? If a wife has a roof over her head, never misses a meal, goes on family vacations and has the karats on her left hand, should she demand her husband give up the mistress if she finds out? Is monogamy even natural to humans?
If you're willing to comment, please do so anonymously.
While he was confident that his wife never cheated on him, he needed somewhere to go to get his needs met. He wasn't willing to abandon his family for reasons I'm not going to share here right now.
In the end, he loved his wife. In the end, she loved him.
There are women who bitterly wonder what's in it for the "other woman". Why be 2nd? There may be a dozen responses to that, but what's the point in demanding to be the one AND only? If you cook, clean, take the kids to soccer practice and sleepovers, exercise and stay fit, get waxed in ungodly places, play guitar and whisper sweet nothings with panache, wear lingerie, shop on sportsheets.com, and all that fun stuff - you still can't be enough. Men like variety. Cheaters say sex with some women doesn't mean anything to them. Is that true? Is it possible to climb into bed with someone without feeling? It seems so dirty. If all one needs is physical exertion, won't a trip to the gym do the same thing? I'm kidding. It's not the same!
My question then, is can any one woman fulfill 100% of a man's needs, or does a mistress on the side actually do a service to keep marriages together? If a wife has a roof over her head, never misses a meal, goes on family vacations and has the karats on her left hand, should she demand her husband give up the mistress if she finds out? Is monogamy even natural to humans?
If you're willing to comment, please do so anonymously.
Sunday, August 12, 2018
RANDOM THOUGHT - (Skin)tone it down
My family is mixed race, and I grew up in a sea of white, so I'm accustomed to treating white people on a case-by-case basis as to whether I like a person's personality and character. I've never generalized or thought of one white person as a credit or discredit to their entire race. My uncle drilled that into me. I'll let my cousin hit on that in a bit.
And then there's my cousin. She told me about this "cute guy at work" and said he was her complexion, her "favorite color". The moment it came out of her mouth, I saw the look on her face and we both knew something had changed in her. Something unsettling. She explained it along the following lines:
"It's been a very long time since I stopped worrying about whether my skin color was socially acceptable, and now this. To hear myself say my own skin is my favorite color means I'm more aware of my brown-ness. So what if white people find their own skin color not just good, but preferential? Does that alone make a white person racist or bigoted? Knowing that the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania has white supremacist supporters means all of a sudden, I can't trust random strangers with white skin like I used to. I hear 'white devils' in my head and it scares me and it makes me angry. I haven't had rocks thrown at me for being an unwanted black in a white neighborhood since my teens!
"It makes me mad because the voice is persistent and insistent, like shouting in a whisper that I'm in danger in their presence. My place in society is insecure. It makes me mad because it shouts louder than the memory of my dad telling me over and over that the Civil Rights Movement would have been dead in the water without support from white people. It makes me mad because I still trust and love the white people I've always known, loved and trusted, and why shouldn't I? They haven't changed. How could I even bring this up with them?
"I'm 57% European, and 38% Sub-Saharan African, so can I afford to pick sides in race riots? Skin color is no indicator of character or income level or education level or virtue or vice. But America may be boiling up. This is backlash for a Black man to make it to the White House, but I never thought it would infect the way I think, the way I see skin color. It's making me paranoid. Will that redneck in the pick up truck threaten my safety? I used to know that rednecks aren't all racist. Live in the south long enough and you even know that the Confederate Flag doesn't necessarily mean racism abides in the house behind it. It takes discernment. Discernment, not complacency.
"Even saying that the cute guy was my favorite color doesn't even mean that I won't consider dating white guys or darker guys again. I could meditate on this, and I'm hoping I'll come to see that the only thing that changed inside me was I came to find myself my own favorite person and nothing more. Me first, not me only. I just wish the race paranoia would cipher itself out."
Is there a social issue related to race relations in the USA that's gotten your attention and what do you think about it? Feel free to comment.
Feel free to FOLLOW by clicking on the BLUE FOLLOW button near the top of the screen on the desktop version.
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
#RaceRelations
#BlackLivesMatter
#AllLivesMatter
And then there's my cousin. She told me about this "cute guy at work" and said he was her complexion, her "favorite color". The moment it came out of her mouth, I saw the look on her face and we both knew something had changed in her. Something unsettling. She explained it along the following lines:
"It's been a very long time since I stopped worrying about whether my skin color was socially acceptable, and now this. To hear myself say my own skin is my favorite color means I'm more aware of my brown-ness. So what if white people find their own skin color not just good, but preferential? Does that alone make a white person racist or bigoted? Knowing that the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania has white supremacist supporters means all of a sudden, I can't trust random strangers with white skin like I used to. I hear 'white devils' in my head and it scares me and it makes me angry. I haven't had rocks thrown at me for being an unwanted black in a white neighborhood since my teens!
"It makes me mad because the voice is persistent and insistent, like shouting in a whisper that I'm in danger in their presence. My place in society is insecure. It makes me mad because it shouts louder than the memory of my dad telling me over and over that the Civil Rights Movement would have been dead in the water without support from white people. It makes me mad because I still trust and love the white people I've always known, loved and trusted, and why shouldn't I? They haven't changed. How could I even bring this up with them?
"I'm 57% European, and 38% Sub-Saharan African, so can I afford to pick sides in race riots? Skin color is no indicator of character or income level or education level or virtue or vice. But America may be boiling up. This is backlash for a Black man to make it to the White House, but I never thought it would infect the way I think, the way I see skin color. It's making me paranoid. Will that redneck in the pick up truck threaten my safety? I used to know that rednecks aren't all racist. Live in the south long enough and you even know that the Confederate Flag doesn't necessarily mean racism abides in the house behind it. It takes discernment. Discernment, not complacency.
"Even saying that the cute guy was my favorite color doesn't even mean that I won't consider dating white guys or darker guys again. I could meditate on this, and I'm hoping I'll come to see that the only thing that changed inside me was I came to find myself my own favorite person and nothing more. Me first, not me only. I just wish the race paranoia would cipher itself out."
 |
| (c) Shutterstock We're all in this together |
Is there a social issue related to race relations in the USA that's gotten your attention and what do you think about it? Feel free to comment.
Feel free to FOLLOW by clicking on the BLUE FOLLOW button near the top of the screen on the desktop version.
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
#RaceRelations
#BlackLivesMatter
#AllLivesMatter
Saturday, August 11, 2018
RANDOM THOUGHT - Mexican Proverb
They tried to bury us. They didn't know we were seeds.
Who couldn't love that?
We all go through "it", whatever "it" may have been, could have been, would have been, will be. Just remember that life is impartial most of the time. We all get treated unfairly at least once in our lifetime. We all get blamed for things we didn't do. We all get off Scot free over things we really shouldn't have done in the first place.
What's left to do?
Just learn from it. Tuck it away in the back of your mind and keep on growing upwards and outwards.
For example (this isn't me getting buried by anything other than guilt), I had a boyfriend once upon a time. His mother told me in a joking sort of way that he used to want to grow up to be Annie Oakley. It didn't occur to me that that was a sort of gender identity crisis and I didn't take it seriously.
Said boyfriend and I were on a double dinner date. When he got up for the restroom, I told his (CO-WORKER friend) about the Annie Oakley thing. They made fun of him when he returned to the table. I thought it was hilarious, but my boyfriend was humiliated, and I couldn't understand why. That's what happens when we're insensitive, and it wasn't until years later that I really got it, how I'd been a b*tch. He couldn't turn his back on me for a second, which meant I was untrustworthy and lacked integrity. When it hit me what I'd done, it was too late, and the guilt set in.
I could stay buried under the weight of my own guilt, or I could find out what it meant to have integrity, to be loyal even when I was left to my own devices, and grow upwards and outwards from that. I'm under no obligation to stay stuck in my own darkness. God's light within can shine and it's always a choice worth taking.
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
 |
| (c) unknown. Seen online |
Who couldn't love that?
We all go through "it", whatever "it" may have been, could have been, would have been, will be. Just remember that life is impartial most of the time. We all get treated unfairly at least once in our lifetime. We all get blamed for things we didn't do. We all get off Scot free over things we really shouldn't have done in the first place.
What's left to do?
Just learn from it. Tuck it away in the back of your mind and keep on growing upwards and outwards.
For example (this isn't me getting buried by anything other than guilt), I had a boyfriend once upon a time. His mother told me in a joking sort of way that he used to want to grow up to be Annie Oakley. It didn't occur to me that that was a sort of gender identity crisis and I didn't take it seriously.
Said boyfriend and I were on a double dinner date. When he got up for the restroom, I told his (CO-WORKER friend) about the Annie Oakley thing. They made fun of him when he returned to the table. I thought it was hilarious, but my boyfriend was humiliated, and I couldn't understand why. That's what happens when we're insensitive, and it wasn't until years later that I really got it, how I'd been a b*tch. He couldn't turn his back on me for a second, which meant I was untrustworthy and lacked integrity. When it hit me what I'd done, it was too late, and the guilt set in.
I could stay buried under the weight of my own guilt, or I could find out what it meant to have integrity, to be loyal even when I was left to my own devices, and grow upwards and outwards from that. I'm under no obligation to stay stuck in my own darkness. God's light within can shine and it's always a choice worth taking.
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
Monday, August 6, 2018
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY LIQUID HAND SOAP - FROM LIVEGREEN
The quest continues for products that are safe, effective and get good marks from Environmental Working Group. These are all available from www.livegreen.life/peace.
What you need to know about LiveGreen: their mission is to make healthy living affordable. Membership shopping ($99/year includes free shipping and a tree planted).
If you saw my post with the dead fish, you'll know why I'm on a mission of my own to help Florida's ecosystem. We can't survive if the planet is in distress, and buying products from companies who share those values will help our descendants have a healthy planet to call home. Healthy and natural and organic mean nothing if all you do is believe the marketing banner on the label.
EWG is a trusted source that vets the ingredients.
Brand / scent / EWG score / Note
What you need to know about LiveGreen: their mission is to make healthy living affordable. Membership shopping ($99/year includes free shipping and a tree planted).
If you saw my post with the dead fish, you'll know why I'm on a mission of my own to help Florida's ecosystem. We can't survive if the planet is in distress, and buying products from companies who share those values will help our descendants have a healthy planet to call home. Healthy and natural and organic mean nothing if all you do is believe the marketing banner on the label.
EWG is a trusted source that vets the ingredients.
Brand / scent / EWG score / Note
| A La Maison | fig and basil | 2 | low hazard |
| A La Maison | fresh sea salt | 2 | low hazard |
| Avalon Organics | refreshing lemon glycerin | 4 | moderate hazard |
| Avalon Organics | rosemary glycerin | 4 | moderate hazard |
| Avalon Organics | lavender | 5 | moderate hazard |
| EO Everyone | meyer lemon and mandarin | TOP | top marks incl manufacturing process |
| EO Everyone | apricot and vanilla | TOP | top marks incl manufacturing process |
| EO Everyone | lavender and coconut | TOP | top marks incl manufacturing process |
| EO Everyone | spearmint and lemongrass | TOP | top marks incl manufacturing process |
Sunday, August 5, 2018
ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY CLEANING - Laundry Detergent
The cyanobacteria messing up Florida's coastline and inland waterways is a big problem. Marine life is dying! The noxious smells of rotting carcasses is making people sick too. It may take an act of the Governor (ha! Rick Scott???) or an act of consumers to get Florida's Big Sugar industry to stop polluting the water. That fight has been going on for decades.
What you can do as a consumer (I assume you have laundry every week) is to wash with environmentally friendly products. I did some cross-checking of laundry products for you. You can do your part without changing your habits, just change your product brands and save our planet's marine life.
EWG = Environmental Working Group
LiveGreen = www.livegreen.life/peace
What you can do as a consumer (I assume you have laundry every week) is to wash with environmentally friendly products. I did some cross-checking of laundry products for you. You can do your part without changing your habits, just change your product brands and save our planet's marine life.
EWG = Environmental Working Group
LiveGreen = www.livegreen.life/peace
| BRAND | SCENT | EWG GRADE | SHOP |
| Better Life Laundry detergent | lavender grapefruit | A | LiveGreen |
| BioKleen Free & Clear Laundry powder | scent free | A | LiveGreen |
| Dr. Bronner's 18-in-1 Hemp Pure Castile Soap | Baby mild | A | amazon |
| Fit Organic Laundry detergent | Fresh Citrus | A | Walmart |
| Meliora Laundry powder | Lemon | A | amazon |
| Green Shield | Lavender mint | A | amazon |
| GrabGreen bleach alternative pods | scent free | A | Walmart |
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
MORNING MOTIVATION - Hunger has purpose
I can't say it any better than the one and only Les Brown. You gotta be HUNGRY!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDIE_QPOPzo
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDIE_QPOPzo
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
Saturday, August 4, 2018
RANDOM THOUGHT - The English Language isn't Politically Correct or Incorrect
It's been a long time since I sat in English Lit, but I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that Millennials are trying to make English conform to good politics.
In my day, if a sentence referred to a singularity, the pronouns were he or she/his or hers. Now, everything is "they". This is just bad grammar, if you ask me.
I'm writing an article and when I reference a client, I refer back to her or him, because that's singular, but I'm being corrected to refer back to they. This doesn't make any sense to me. A "they" is a plurality. A person is either male or female, a he or a she, generally speaking.
I don't think I'm old enough to be old-fashioned, but there it is. I am part of the binary gender system, by nature. I think of humanity broadly as men and women. People who don't fit into those categories have political rights; no one should deny that. But in terms of a writer writing to an audience, I'm expecting that the overwhelming majority of readers understand that a singular person is going to be either a he or a she, not a plurality of a human. Sexual orientation and gender identity are irrelevant to grammar.
It's not up to me to stop the English language from evolving, but please, it doesn't have to evolve to be political.
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
#PoliticallyIncorrect
#RandomThought
#EnglishGrammar
In my day, if a sentence referred to a singularity, the pronouns were he or she/his or hers. Now, everything is "they". This is just bad grammar, if you ask me.
I'm writing an article and when I reference a client, I refer back to her or him, because that's singular, but I'm being corrected to refer back to they. This doesn't make any sense to me. A "they" is a plurality. A person is either male or female, a he or a she, generally speaking.
I don't think I'm old enough to be old-fashioned, but there it is. I am part of the binary gender system, by nature. I think of humanity broadly as men and women. People who don't fit into those categories have political rights; no one should deny that. But in terms of a writer writing to an audience, I'm expecting that the overwhelming majority of readers understand that a singular person is going to be either a he or a she, not a plurality of a human. Sexual orientation and gender identity are irrelevant to grammar.
It's not up to me to stop the English language from evolving, but please, it doesn't have to evolve to be political.
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
#PoliticallyIncorrect
#RandomThought
#EnglishGrammar
Thursday, August 2, 2018
RANDOM THOUGHT - Can we remove "hysteria" from the dictionary please?
- an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear, often characterized by irrationality, laughter, weeping, etc.
- Psychoanalysis. a psychoneurotic disorder characterized by violent emotional outbreaks, disturbances ofsensory and motor functions, and various abnormal effects due to autosuggestion.
(Dictionary.com)
hys·te·ri·a
(his-tē'rē-ă), Negative or pejorative connotations of this word may render it offensive in some contexts.Wednesday, August 1, 2018
PART TIME HALF ASSED VEGAN NOTES - Skin Care Products at LiveGreen
There's more to being vegan than eating plant based. There's also the products in the bathroom. My cousin's friend is an affiliate for LiveGreen, which is member-based online shopping for all-natural pantry, personal care, household and other products.
You can shop by standards, like vegan or gluten-free or Kosher, etc.
I did a little cross-checking on skincare products available on the LiveGreen site and found the following products get good marks from the Environmental Working Group.
You can shop by standards, like vegan or gluten-free or Kosher, etc.
I did a little cross-checking on skincare products available on the LiveGreen site and found the following products get good marks from the Environmental Working Group.
| PRODUCT TYPE | SKIN TYPE | BRAND | PRODUCT DESCRIPTION | EWG GRADE* |
| face wash | acne | |||
| overnight cream | acne | Andalou Naturals | Clear Overnight Recovery Cream | 3 |
| face wash | all | Blum Naturals | Daily Facial Wash Lavender | 4 |
| day cream | antiaging | Reviva Labs | InterCell Day Cream w/ Hyaluronic Acid | 1 |
| Eye cream | antiaging | Olivella | Olivella Contour Eye Cream | 5** |
| face wash | antiaging | Avalon Organics | Wrinkle therapy cleansing oil | 1 |
| face wash | antiaging | Derma E | Vitamin C Micellar Cleansing Water | 3 |
| face wash | antiaging | Olivella | Face and Body Bar | 1 |
| Moisturizer | antiaging | Beauty without Cruelty | Vitamin C Renewal Moisturizer | 3 |
| face wash | dry | Beauty without Cruelty | Herbal Cream Facial Cleanser | 3 |
| face wash | dry | Desert Essence | Gentle Nourishing Organic Cleanser | 1 |
| Moisturizer | dry | Beauty without Cruelty | Daily Moisturizer | 4 |
| Eye cream | Eye and neck | Blum Naturals | Eye and Neck Cream | 5** |
| face wash | normal | Beauty without Cruelty | Herbal Cream Facial Cleanser | 3 |
| Moisturizer | normal | Beauty without Cruelty | Daily Moisturizer | 4 |
| face wash | oily | Earth Science | Clarifying Facial Wash for Oily & Combination | 4 |
| Moisturizer | oily | 3 | ||
| Eye cream | puffy eyes | Alba Botanica | Fast Fix for Puffy Eyes | 3 |
| Eye gel | sensitive | Alba Botanica | Hawaiian Green Tea Eye Gel | 2 |
| face wash | sensitive | Burts Bees | Face Towelette - Sensitive | 3 |
| face wash | sensitive | Desert Essence | Gentle Nourishing Organic Cleanser | 1 |
| Moisturizer | sensitive | |||
| Eye cream | undereye circles | Alba Botanica | Fast Fix for Undereye Circles | 3 |
| face wash | Blum Naturals | Daily Cleansing and Make Up Remover | 1 | |
| overnight cream | Alba Botanica | Natural Even Advanced Sea Plus Renewal Night Cream | 5** | |
Join and shop at www.livegreen.life/peace
Annual membership is $99. Shipping is always free. They plant a tree for every new membership. Households of 2 or more will save lots and lots of money, even compared to amazon.
* 1 low concern / 3 moderate concern / 5 moderate concern
** all ingredients low concern except for fragrance
#livegreen
#allnatural
#skincare
#treatyourselfdontcheatyourself
Make someone else's day magical!
Mackenzie
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