"Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind"

Prepare, this is gonna be long.

I've been slacking on this particular post, but I'd like to present....

Poo free hair, one month!

I have switched up my normal routine of a vinegar rinse, and moved to a rosemary rinse. And it's magical. And, the rosemary, is locally grown and brewed into tea at home. Win!

I tried adding grapeseed oil to my baking soda/honey mess, but it was creepy, and didn't make a difference in the hair. I DO use grapeseed oil for frizz control sometimes, and it is pretty great.

Secondly..

I've completed week two of no meat. Aside from a tiny sample of a chicken tamale at the Farmers Market the second weekend, no meat has been touched. Well, that's a lie, I cooked chicken last night, but didn't eat it. Veggie and brown rice stir-fry for me, thanks!

I tried a lentil sloppy joe recipe for the first time last week. I've never cooked with lentils before, so it was an experiment for me. First lesson, holy hell does 1 cup of lentils make a LOT of food. I made everyone stay out of the kitchen while I cooked, and waited until we were starving, thinking that would at least incent them to try it.

The devious plan worked for #2... She started chowing down immediately.

#1, however, poked it, and declined. Punk. I liked 'em, but I'm old and stuff.

A few days earlier, the kids requested tacos... so I made myself a separate batch of lentil... stuff. Lentils, onions, red peppers, purple potatoes, cumin, oregano, etc. Not bad, really. Everybody else looked at it all crazy like, but... their loss, right?

And, finally, succes part 3....

#2's birthday was last week, and I took advantage of that time to practice my baking. I'm going to digress a second, but when we moved, I was really worried about how they'd cope being... away from everyone. I mean, our entire family, both sides, live in Florida, so it's kind of like we're here, all alone, y'know? My cousins (the P's) came over, as did the Snorks, and we had a fun dinner, and opened her present, and played video games, and it was marvelous, and not the sad, lonely affair I was concerned about. I am so, so sappy happy. Anyway. /Digression. She requested a chocolate cake, with chocolate chunks, and chocolate frosting. Dear god, diabetes what!?

But I made it, and it was pretty rad. Mr. Snork babbled something about flour and eggs making good stuff and who knew, so I'm going to call it a success!

Which makes a great segway to... the Corona del Mar 5K that is quickly approaching. Snork and I have been running our route the last few weeks, and have improved our time each attempt, which I am super pleased with. I've gotten some new Brooks Adrenaline's from Runners High in Irvine, which are heavenly on my shin splints. I personally didn't need to be fitted, because I've been loyal to the same shoe/brand for ages, but I watched them fit some other people, and... these folks know their business.

Perhaps equally as exciting as our being rockstars and kicking a 5K's ass, is Mr. Giraffy and Mr. Snork have been practicing "together"... by which I mean that they run separately from us, and hang out at the finish line bonding until we are done. Admittedly, our time might be better if we stopped petting flowers and trying to take pictures of humming birds, but... then it wouldn't be as much fun, right?

I made my regular run to the Farmers Market Saturday, with just Baby - 1 & 2 have decided it's no longer fun. I just adore this market - there's something comforting about know exactly where your food is coming from, and when it was picked, and how it got there, and talking to to the dude who knows that this batch of tangerines is a little rough, and he might only have one week left on them.

Baby goes to help me pick flowers.

I'm super excited that my friend Squirrel is coming to visit next week (NEXT WEEK!) for Weekend of Awesome... I intend to try to get her to stay in OC this trip... it might work this time. She's also raising money for AHEPA to run in the 2010 Athens Marathon. She's remarkable, and, I've said it before, but when I grow up, I want to be her. Donations accepted by clicking this link, if you're so inclined.