No 'poo

I've been thinking of trying this whole no 'poo (i.e., no shampoo) method for quite some time, but I've been too chicken to actually try it.  I'm afraid of the transition period and what it will do to my curly hair!  So I told myself I'd give it a try if my shampoo and conditioner ever ran out at the same time.  Since this pretty much never happens, I thought I had given myself an indefinite "out".  However, yesterday the inevitable happened.  I'm thinking about getting my hair cut on Thursday (can you tell I'm still procrastinating?) and then it will be experiment time!  Here's the plan:

1. Have a jar of baking soda in the shower.  Combine baking soda with water to make a paste and massage into scalp.
2. Rinse well.
3. Make a 1:4 solution of apple cider vinegar : water in a spray bottle.  Spray on hair.
4. Rinse with cold water.

We'll see how it goes.  Anyone else out there have any tips for me?

Productivity

This has been a horribly unproductive week.  Let's recap, shall we?

Baby girl and I were both sick on Monday.  I dragged my butt to class and then straight home.  I tried to write in bed, but is just wasn't happening, so I gave up and laid on the couch instead.

Tuesday was better.  I actually finished my to-do list, started training for a 5k I want to run in October, and felt ahead of the game.  Unfortunately, that productivity, drive, and motivation was short-lived.

Wednesdays are usually my most productive day because I head out to my office after class and work until dinner at church -- a good, uninterrupted 4 hours!  However, this week I had a once-a-month group meeting that lasted at least 2 hours.  I then met with my advisor to go over notes for the class I'll be teaching next week while he's in China.  Before I knew it, I had a half-hour until I needed to take the shuttle back to campus in order to exchange a textbook.  Spencer picked me up from school and we headed to church early.  We had a great time socializing with everyone, but didn't leave until probably 8pm.  I got maybe 1-2 hours of writing done all day, but at least finished the homework that's due today.

I don't know what happened yesterday.  I wasted the entire day!  I knew I had many things to do and that I would regret being lazy today, but I just couldn't focus.  Hopefully this isn't a sign that my depressing is returning (or hasn't left).  Maybe it's time to find a new counselor?

Today isn't looking wonderful on the productivity front, either.  Between classes, meetings, and commuting time, I'll probably only get 1-2 hours of writing in.  I wish working on the bus didn't make me sick!

What I'm really trying to get at here is that I'm bummed.  Because of my laziness, I need to work all weekend instead of spending quality time with Adelaide, Spencer, or my friends.  But enough of this pity party.  Next week is a new week, and it will be better!

Creamy Linguine with Shrimp and Veggies

We had this recipe from Cooking Light for dinner tonight, and it's a keeper!  It was fast, easy to make (and would be even easier if I had more proficient knife skills), and definitely qualifies as a budget meal.  I  wonder how it would taste with yogurt substituted for part of the cream cheese.

As a side note, this was Adelaide's first experience with pasta, and she thoroughly enjoyed playing and "eating" it.  We should have taken a picture!

Menu Plan Monday - Labor Day Week

This week's menu is brought to you by Cooking Light magazine.  My parents gift me a subscription each year, and I've filled a binder with recipes I think sound interesting.  It's time to try some of them out.

Monday - Labor Day
B: Baked oatmeal
L: Grill-out with friends
D: Hotdogs, potato salad, and s'mores

Tuesday
B: Green smoothie
L: Leftovers
D: Chicken Tostadas with Avocado Dressing, Mexican Rice

Wednesday
B: Yogurt
L: Hummus sandwich, veggies, fruit
D: Church

Thursday
B: Chick-fil-a
L: Leftovers
D: Herb and Goat Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Red Pepper Couscous, Sautéed Spinach

Friday
B: Yogurt
L: Leftovers
D: Creamy Linguine with Shrimp and Veggies

Saturday
B: French toast, fruit
L: Leftovers
D: Beef and Mushroom Sloppy Joes

Sunday
B: Church
L: Church
D: Greek Festival

Check out the rest of Menu Plan Monday at I'm An Organizing Junkie!  What's your family eating this week?

Green Smoothie

I made my first green smoothie for breakfast this morning: kale, whole milk, goat's milk yogurt, strawberries, and mango.  It tastes...interesting.  Grainy.  It needs to be sweeter.  I tried adding honey, but that hasn't helped.  It gets a little better with each sip.  Next time I'll decrease the amount of kale, increase the fruits, and maybe add a little cucumber.

The real test -- how long until I'm hungry again?  I'm trying different breakfast ideas because cereal just isn't sticking with me long enough.

Have you tried a green smoothie?  What's your favorite combination?

Depression Sucks

Last week was an amazing week.  I was happy, productive, and felt like there was finally some balance in my life.  It was a good mental health week.  Then Tuesday arrived and it's like I've hit a wall.  I'm unfocused, unproductive, and unbalanced.

I want every week to be like last week and it's not.  Depression sucks.

Kitchen Questions

I'm working my way through One Year to an Organized Life by Regina Leeds.  Part of the first section is devoted to helping me understand how I currently use my kitchen and how I would like to use it.  Here are my answers to selected questions posed in the text.

What do you like about your kitchen?
I like that there is plenty of storage space for my pots, pans, and baking supplies.  There is sufficient lighting and even a window overlooking the back yard.  My favorite part is probably the pantry.  I imagine it filled with self-canned, homemade, and real foods.  I like having a double sink and really hot water.  In general, the layout seems to work for us given the small space.  It's not like we could change that anyway!

What do you dislike about your kitchen?  
Pretty much everything else!  Unfortunately, most things can't be remedied since we rent this house:

• Fridge/Freezer.  When we first moved into this house, we were excited about the side-by-side fridge/freezer with a water/ice dispenser.  Since then, we've realized that the ice maker and water dispenser never have worked and never will work.  Because there are no shelves in the freezer, only curved drawers, we can't even make our own ice in ice cube trays.  Instead we have to buy bagged ice from the store.  Also, the shelves/drawers are immovable on both halves.  This is particularly problematic on the fridge side; it's so hard to make everything fit!
• Cabinets.  On first glance, the cabinets aren't that bad.  They're not my style, but aren't the end of the world.  I think it's annoying and pointless that the area between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling is closed off.  However, my biggest problem with them is the insides, which are unfinished!  We tried lining each shelf with contact paper, but it doesn't stick.  Any other ideas?  Splinters in my glasses and on our plates is unacceptable!
• Counters.  After living in three rental properties, we've realized the utter lack of respect people have.  Do people not own cutting boards?  There's also not enough counter space, but I'm not convinced any kitchen would have enough counter space for me :)

Are there any cosmetic changes or tools you could introduce that would make the space work better?
We would really like to buy a small deep-freeze in order to preserve more foodstuffs throughout the year.  This would also provide a space to make our own ice.

We recently purchased a small cabinet for the bread and coffee machines, which freed up some counter space.  Hanging a mug rack above the coffee machine and storing items with the two machines in the cabinet would make this space even more functional.  I've recently started setting up the coffee maker in the evening and setting the timer so that coffee is already ready by the time I get up.  I may use a similar feature on the bread machine in the future.

The kitchen, and house in general, is not personalized.  We've been cautious of putting money into a rental property in the past, but since we're planning on being here for another 3-4 years, we are starting to consider making temporary cosmetic changes.  We don't plan on painting any walls, but are looking at hanging artwork and pictures, making curtains or valences, etc.  We want to be happy living in this space!

What we need is a simple, functional space.  Our kitchen is not there yet, but it's a work in progress.

What do you like/dislike about your kitchen?