Ayurvedic Scalp Oil

I love Ayurveda. Love, love, love it. What I don't love, is that the most popular manufacturers of the hair/scalp oils I would LIKE to use, insist on putting mineral oil into their formulations. Blech. Why? There are some oils without it, but few and far between, and none available at my local Indian grocers.

Yesterday after my aerobics class, I stopped by the grocer since I was on that side of town. I had everything else I needed, but not the shikakai powder.

I found a recipe that I liked here.

My ingredients:

My potpourri simmering pot:


I found that 100ml of oil seemed to not be enough for all the powders she used, so I added a bit more. I let it simmer for a little over 5 hours, then unplugged the pot. I chose a potpourri simmering pot, because it doesn't get as hot as some of the settings on regular crock pots. If your crock pot has a "warm" or "warming" setting, that would be good. Low was too much heat, and in my old crock pot it was like the oil was scorching.

I'm going to strain through cheesecloth to get the powder out. I'll make a follow up post after that's done and I get to try it out on my scalp.

This Here!

And this here is why I go to Cardio Funkytown class two times a week. Look at the bottom edge of my shirt. Note it's a lighter color that the rest of the shirt. Why? Because the rest of the shirt is soaked with sweat! We had a GREAT workout today. There were some new routines that I wasn't quite used to. And I ran into someone from the rink that I hadn't seen in ages! We exchanged numbers. She's thinking of running the Disney Half Marathon. While I won't be able to run long mileage with her, I told her I'd try to do some short runs with her.

I'm glad he changed it up a bit. I like that I'm getting the hang of more of the routines, but I don't want to get too used to it. I love the Footloose routine. It doesn't make me think of the movie, though. It makes me think of an episode of Will and Grace entitled, "Bacon and Eggs." Jack is stalking Kevin Bacon, but he blames it on Will. Then ultimately Will and Kevin start doing the dance from Footloose. I think I'm gonna pop that in the DVD player right now for kicks and giggles.

Anywho, it's a great workout. If you're in the Charlotte area, you should come out! You won't be disappointed!

Gotta Love Rewards

Happy Friday!

I logged in to Cha.se to pay my bill, and decided to see how many points I've earned on my Free.dom card.

Now, the history on this card is that it USED to be my beloved Duetto Visa. Those bamas discontinued the program. The hawra! I pay my rent, cell phone, power bill, and cable bill on that card and then pay it off after the statement cuts. So I was earning myself a nice little treat at Starbucks every now and then.

Imagine my face when I got that notice in the mail that they were discontinuing the program, and converting my card into a Cha.se Free.dom card. Um. What the deuce? I want my Duetto Dollars! :::shedding a tear now at the memory:::

Sigh. So anywho, the rewards points have been building up, but I honestly haven't been paying them much attention. 'Cause you usually need about 1 billion points before you can get anything decent. Like with the airline miles. That's some shullbit.

Today, I checked the balance. Say word? :::goes shopping at Cha.se::: Some time in the next 7-10 days I should be receiving $75 in gift cards to use at O.ld N.avy. I needed some new jeans, so that will come in handy. And all from paying my bills.

Happy Friday indeed! Well, except for the part where I paid my bills online and my account balance will be awefully anemic by the time all the monies are withdrawn. Oh well. Still happy! :lol:

Boot Envy

These are in my Sho.e Daz.zle show room this month. Who wants to contribute to the $39.95 cause? I have yet to find a pair of camel boots that will fit over my muscular calves. Truth be told, these probably won't fit over them, either. But the best thing about SD is that you can send shoes back within 30 days, for FREE! And the original shipping is free. Free.99 is always good. Ya know?

Another reason I DON'T need these boots (read: me trying to talk myself out of these) is that it is yet another pair of heels that is not the greatest thing for me to be wearing, given my plantar fasciitis issue with my right foot. But, um...yeah. I've pretty much been ignoring that and wearing my heels every day, much to LDR's chagrin. Does it count that I take my shoes off at my desk and do stretching exercises and all that?

I was doing a pretty good job of IGNORING my showroom, and then here comes Barista talking about her awesome purchase. Those were also in my showroom, but then I asked them to send me new selections.

I might have to un-join SD when the Budget Freeze of 2011 kicks in. Sigh.

Workout Gear

I think I may have mentioned previously that I need some new sports bras and some new tops. I have plenty of bottoms from the Kohl's sale I raided in the spring. But my t-shirts are getting worn out. I like wearing my shirts from previous races, because I was smart enough to get them in a fitted size. Other t-shirts I have, they are huge. Good to sleep in, not so good to work out in.

Additionally, I sweat PROFUSELY. After last night's cardio class, my shirt was soaked at the small of my back, and during class I could feel sweat dripping off my head and down onto my chest. With this sweat comes the funk. After a while, my work out clothing tends to want to hold on to the funk. So, it was time for some upgrades.

I was in WalMart and found these goodies:



The shirts are DanskinNow moisture wicking shirts. Moisture wicking is important. It helps to protect you from chafing, and helps you stay a little drier.

I wore one of these last night to class and I loved it! It stayed in place during all the movement, so I didn't have to constantly tug on it. They are fitted (but not too snug) and hit at the hip as far as length. Well...they hit at the hip on me, but I'm only 5'2". It did what it was supposed to do, as far as moisture wicking.

And guess what? IT ONLY COST $7. Yep. $7. Are you kidding me? So of course, I stocked up. They had several colors: brown, blue, hot pink, green, white...there was a big table display.

The other thing I needed was sports bras. I actually bought a Danskin sports bra (not the one pictured)to wear in my half marathon last year, and it worked well, but I bought the wrong size. I didn't figure out until after the fact that it was too big.

Yesterday I wore another sports bra I had purchased, and it worked very well! I mean, the ta-tas are gonna move a little bit, unless you have a compression bra on. But for my somewhere between B-C cup tatas, this bra was sufficient. It's the DanskinNOW high impact sports bra. It has adjustable straps and a closure like a regular bra.

And guess what, again? IT ONLY COST $10. Yep!

I know that bra may not be enough support for some of my more amply endowed sisters, but it worked for me. If you're similar in size, check it out.

I also found myself stopping by Run For Your Life to pick up this:



Penguin Sport-Wash - it's supposed to be used on your workout clothes, instead of regular detergent, and is supposed to be better at removing odors. I haven't tried it yet, but I will in the next couple of days, and I will definitely let you all know how it works.

2011 - The Year of Minimalism

I've got to get my spending under control and reduce debt. This year I was just all over the place. The trip to Vegas, Jazz Fest with my sisters, my trip to NY...just too much going on. Add to that extraneous spending on dumb isht...so, yeah.

Next year is going to be really minimal. I'm already warning my friends and family. Ain't no extras. I will probably register for very few races, if any. I'm not going to be doing a lot of extra traveling or eating out. It's time to get this mess under control!

LDR and I were discussing random wedding plans (no, we're not engaged - yet) last night and I told him whatever it is, it has to be SIMPLE because I don't have the cash to be throwing some extravaganza. Somewhere in that convo, two tired and delirious people were discussing dancing like Turbo and Ozone at the reception...and something about a dress with fall colors. Which I don't know why 'cause he knows my favorite color is blue so he just needs to get with the program. :lol:

So, anyway...I give my blog friends/TwitterFriends/FBFriends permission to go slap off on me if I'm talking about shoes and clothes and a bunch of stuff that are wants and not NEEDS. Really. Just go slap off. Cuss me out. Well, not on FB 'cause my nieces and nephews are on my friends list. But you know what I mean.

My last hurrah for 2010 is the Frankie Beverly concert at the end of this month in VA with my sister (I already paid cash for the ticket) and my trip home to NY for Thanksgiving.

After that, I'm in chill mode. I feel like, if I type it here, y'all will hold me accountable. So, yeah. That's what I'm doing. :)

Lunch Munch

This is today's lunch:


--Baby spinach leaves
--Hot house tomato cut into chunks
--Salad Pizazz Gourmet Salad Topping with Cherry Cranberries and honey toasted pecans
--Balsamic vinaigrette dressing (hadn't put it on when I took this pic)


I have Cardio Funkytown tonight and didn't want to have anything too heavy on my stomach. And one can never have too many greens in their diet. )I am not happy about this extra poundage around my mid-section and hips. Now that I'm not running, I really have to be more cognizant about what I'm eating. And really - increasing veggie intake should be a goal for life, anyway.

Now that I'm not running, I don't expect to be a trim 6, but I don't want to be a puffy 8, either. :lol:

Taking it day by day. Working on my 2nd liter of water for the day. I made it through Monday and Tuesday drinking all three liters of water. I've tried out some new foods. I am determined to use up the veggies in my fridge and make it work.

My weaknesses are bread and sugar. I don't really drink sugar-y drinks, but if you put a cookie, donut or piece of cake in front of me, you can forget it. Gotta do better on that front. I think my biggest dairy weakness is cheese and cheese sauces. I haven't eaten a bowl of cereal in months, so milk is usually not an issue. I'm weaning myself away from ice cream as well.

It's a work in progress, as per usual! :)