Lusting For... Lavender

Has anyone read The Wildwater Walking Club? It's a book I read over summer about three women who walk and get to know each other as they begin to bond over different areas in their lives. One of those areas just happens to be lavender and it got me quite obsessed for a couple of weeks. Every couple of chapters there's a little recipe posted of ways to use lavender: in foods, in "dream pillows", in air fresheners... pretty much anything!  I love lavender, even the color.

Today, at the Last Hurrah sale on Modcloth, I fell in love with this Lavender Mist Dress, but it was sold out! It was so perfect in terms of what I was looking for in a dress; 3/4 sleeves, float-y sheer material, and muted color with a contrasting collar. I have no idea if it'll be restocked, but you can bet I'm crossing my fingers in hope!

I never used to like the smell of lavender until recently since I found it to be too strong. However, Yardley English Lavender powder smells like a dream! I'm not joking. It's brilliant, and every time I use it I feel very refreshed and clean. Random thing to throw on a list, I know, but this powder is amazing.

And now for some lavender-related things I really want to try...

Lavender honey. My sister's tried a flavored honey before and told me it barely tastes like honey and mainly tastes like the flavor, so I'm curious to see what lavender tastes like.

Lavender fudge from SpoonFudge or any kind of chocolate, mainly because I am a true chocoholic. Doesn't that look delicious? I'm thinking it's like Nutella but with a lavender kick. SpoonFudge also makes a bunch of other flavors that I'm curious to try!

Lavender syrup! Here's a great recipe to make some, but there's also a bottled form you can buy. It's great for adding to drinks, making things sweeter, or even putting in recipes as a replacement for sugar.

And lastly, before you suffer from lavender overload, check out this lavender essential oil! Lovely. It may not look that amazing, but while Googling I found out some really interesting things about lavender oil:

• It can be used for lots of skin conditions, like burns, hair loss, cold sores, acne, sunburns, cuts, eczema, and stretch-marks. Stretch-marks!
• It can be used as aromatherapy to calm you, but can also be used for stress, headaches, depression, and PMS.
• It can help sooth the stomach by relieving nausea and improving digestion.
• It can even be useful for simple coughs, colds, sinus, throat infections, and asthma!
• Even more uses can be found here. It seems to be popular for most things, like cinnamon and honey.

Natural remedies, folks. That's the way to go. Hope you don't mind my lavender craziness. I blame it on the book.

<3 Linda

The Top Five Bravest Jobs

Sometimes, you've just got to admire some people for doing what they do, despite the enormous amount of pressure.

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1. Being a comedian is scary. I mean, can you imagine going out there and risking being laughed at, or, even worse, having no one laugh at all? And let's not forget the hecklers and half-drunk people that think they're funnier than the person up on stage. Putting out things that you think are funny takes guts.

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2. Entrepreneurs have the daunting challenge of starting off something from scratch. It can not only be overwhelming, but also a huge risk. One day you could be soaring, and the next, your employees could be bought up by the competition and you could find yourself being forced to do their jobs just to get the product done. (Okay, so I got that from watching too many episodes of The Cupcake Girls. But their show really got me thinking!) You have to do it all, and be good at it. However, it's probably the most satisfying of all jobs to be your own boss. The only thing is, being your own boss means taking full responsibility for everyone beneath you.

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3. I'm not sure of exactly what investors do or how they do it (My dad's answer when I asked for clarification: "Nobody knows"). But I would imagine it involves a lot of gambling and numbers, which are equally scary. And if you don't do your math right, you could be faced with a lot of issues, mostly financially. The thought of putting your faith in someone else's product is enough to make me not want to learn any more about it, but I can see why it's worth it. Forgive me if I'm ignorant!

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4. Doctors are often hailed as heroes, but E.R. surgeons probably have it the worst. Not only do they have a time crunch and have had to go through half of a lifetime's worth of education, but they have people's lives in their hands! It's so amazing to think of how many people owe their lives to surgeons working under pressure. And how brave a doctor has to be to keep working despite occasional failures.

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5. Teachers are my final choice for having a brave job, even though there are plenty of other occupations that are also considered brave to others. Teaching is such an important skill; it's how we pass our knowledge down to others. To be the person that is responsible for molding the minds of young children (or older) requires a lot of courage. And plus, working around the generation gap must be scary too! Getting your students just to think you're cool is probably a tough job in itself.

And there you have it folks! The most unconventionally brave careers that you can possibly have. Sometimes courage comes in different shapes and sizes, whether it be social, financial, or otherwise, and I think it's important to honor them all.
<3 Linda

Adventures Galore

Today I went out and about, so I decided to bring my camera along!

 

This is what I look like as of recent. My bangs make me look like a 10 year old.

First we went to Petsmart or Petco (I forget which) to check up on a friend's dog, Whiskey. The little bugger refused to stay still!

While I was there, I peeked about at the other animals. The Zebra Finch was my favorite! It's so sad to see them in these cages. If I had my own bird, I'd let him or her fly about wherever she pleased within the house. At least it would be a step up from the confined pet store spaces!

Then it was off to Target, where we ogled at cards. They look so colorful and pretty together!

I had to resist the temptation to buy scrapbook supplies...

These little pinatas made me laugh!

T'was a random but fun day. I normally hate going shopping, but I pulled myself out of the house because I wanted to see Whiskey. Tonight's the Harry Potter premiere, so I may not be posting until late tomorrow!

<3 Linda