.beets me.

i found this recipe for a DIY lipgloss made from beet juice, olive oil and powdered sugar! yum!

i think i'll send the man-friend to the farmer's market for some beets while i am at work on saturday so i can try it . . .

.it's the little things #1.

ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first installment of "it's the little things." these posts will contain small lists of little things that make me happy.

yessssssssss!!!!!

#1) compost makes me happy! i LOOOOVE fresh fruits and veggies and greens and herbs (esp from the farmer's market and from my OWN GARDEN). and I HATE throwing away the beautiful nutritious left-overs (peels, cores, ends, etc) after i've chopped up the goodies and put them in my belly. it makes me so happy to take those brightly colored odds and ends and put them in my cute ceramic compost bucket (with a charcoal odor filter) to later take to the garden so they can return nutrients to the soil for next year's gardening expedition.

#2) this guy makes me happy! my bearded man-friend. he makes me coffee in the mornings, and often ends up being the one who has to take the smelly compost outside. :) he walks our pup every morning without complaining (even though it was MY IDEA to get a dog). he loves me through the ups and downs of life and the ups and downs of ME. he's been constantly by my side even when it was the hardest choice for almost 9 years. what adventures we've had! what adventures are yet to come!

#3) farm fresh eggs make me happy!! these are from zephyr farm in cranston, ri. the eggs are always so colorful and lovely - i almost don't want to eat them. but when i DO i find how much more amazing they taste than store-bought eggs. plus, how awesome is it to know that the chickens these eggs came from are NEVER CAGED and live in pastures! so great. also awesome? the fact that this farm is SO CLOSE by that i can go visit any time to meet those darn wonderful gals (the chickens that is) myself!

#4) hudson makes me happy! he's our 5 3/4 yr old (6 in march!) alaskan malamute. it's been amazing for the man-friend and i to learn to take care of a living mammal together . . . totally a challenge and there are definitely days that are harder than others. imagine living with a 3 yr old who weighs 80 pounds and has teeth and claws and sheds cotton ball sized clumps of fur all over your house? i say a 3 yr old, because malamutes are known to have very stubborn temperments. but they are also SO FUN and LOVING and SMART. hudson has definitely taught us a thing or two about love and sacrifice and consistency . . . and so much more. he definitely changed our lives for the better when we adopted him back in sept 2007.

#5) rice milk lattes make me happy!! since i am allergic to soy milk and i can't really digest regular milk too well (makes me all clogged up, ew!), rice milk lattes are where it's at for me. sadly, NO ONE in the state of Rhode Island believes in offering rice milk as an option in their coffee houses . . . so i am stuck drinking americanos until the man-friend can fix our espresso machine. while we were home in OREGON for the holidays, i had 3 GLORIOUS WEEKS full of delicious, steamy, rice milk lattes (like the one pictured above, purchased and consumed in the sellwood area of portland, oregon). sigh.


there you have it. the first installment of "it's the little things!"

what are some little things that make you happy!??!

.JAMMIES!!.

if you haven't seen this SNL digital short, go watch it now.

mmmm... today is my day off. love it.

i went to bed LATE last night (see time of post from last night and add half an hour) because i was so jazzed from roller derby practice. since this past weekend was a holiday weekend, work was crazy (well, it's been better in the past - i blame the economy and the fact that the students aren't back yet. this weekend should be better!) . . . it was like working 3 weekend days in a row at the restaurant instead of just 2. so, needless to say, i was beat. without any guilt at all, i slept in until 10:15 and then lay in bed until 11.

pure. luxury.

AND i declared today to be JAMMIE DAY. i will NOT get dressed until right before it is time to go to derby practice tonight. wonderful!

nonetheless, i have been pretty productive with the few hours of daytime i had left after sleeping most of them away. i've brewed more tea for our homemade kombucha, baked a batch of granola, did the dishes, swept the kitchen, played a few rounds of mario kart on the wii, and tried to catch up on all the emails that i am behind on . . . now i just have to prep for my day at the massage clinic tomorrow (i have a full day! yay!), sweep/vacuum upstairs, make stuffed squash for dinner and put together a package for my sister and her BABY (due next month! ah!). maybe i'll clean up all my dirty clothes if i get around to it.

man, i sound really domestic.

in other news, i am totally toying with registering for this local food forum next month. it falls on one of my days off and will be over in time to get to roller derby that night . . . and it's FREE!! i just wish i could find someone to go with me . . . i love supporting all things local as best as i can . . . esp local farmers!

hmm, is there something i can blog about that does NOT sound so domestic? :) my little feminist heart is beating hard (i really actually don't mind being domestic, it's my choice. i can be both domestic and a feminist, feel free to ask me about it if you have questions).

{photo taken at the portland farmers market by ME!}