Oi Oi! Hello there my dears! Firstly and foremostly, I want to extend a HUGE thanks and shout-out to Meghan, who was kind enough to hit that tip jar over on the right. Thanks so much lady! I love seeing you here and on LJ, and it means so much to me to have your support. So thank you!!!

And of course you know what the weekend means for us here – it’s time for comments, critiques, thoughts, support, and suggestions.

So let it out! Sharing is caring! I want to know what’s on your mind, what’s making you tick, what’s suiting your fancy and what’s ticking you off. What cool events are going on in your town? What do you wish would happen? What are YOU interested in?!

As usual, the Feedback Forum will remain here at the top of the page all weekend, so if you’ve got an idea or a question or you just want to introduce yourself and say ‘Oi!’, you can stop back by any time. This is your community, so get involved and have your say!

And in more personal news, I added some ultrasound and midwife visit pictures, here, for whoever may be interested. It’s all current as of now, and I’ll be updating every few weeks as well. And stay tuned for the Pregnancy FAQ next week!

And your final October reminders, it’s your last chance to cash in on National Co-Op Month, and National Fair Trade Month, and it’s also Vegan MoFo (that’s Vegan Month of Food). How about getting involved!?

Okay, that’s all for now. Have the most wonderful weekend!!!

#6
Remember MMM #6, where we aimed at reducing the plastic portion of our groceries? Well, I didn’t quite feel like I nailed it, so I had another go at it this month. Check out the difference!

Last Month:



And This Month:


Not bad, right?! And the best part is, I think this is totally doable. I think I could maybe even improve it. So, success! Woo-hoo!

So what about you guys? Did any of you track your plastic again this month? And how did you do?





#7
For this month’s mission we went No-Poo! But this is also a long-term sort of mission, and many readers didn’t join in until after I wrote the follow-up article half way into the month.

For that reason, I’ve decided to extend the No-Poo mission another month. Thus, we won’t have a November mission, except to continue no-pooing and working on getting harsh chemicals out of our bathrooms!

So keep it up guys, and keep in touch. Let me know if it’s working or if you’re having issues. And don’t hesitate to ask questions!

Look at the size of that sucker!

My backyard just isn’t complete without sunflowers. They cheer up any space they inhabit! If you’re feeling generous (or just lazy), you can leave your sunflowers alone and they’ll act as natural built-in bird feeders for your garden.

But if you’re inclined to save your seeds, either for next years planting or as the delicious edibles that they are, here’s the ins and outs of the task.





Cut the head when it begins to die back. It’s ready when the backside has gone from green to yellow (below).





At first the head will be covered with small yellow buds. Leave it alone it in a dry airy place for a few weeks. When it’s all dried out, you’ll be able to easily brush off the browned buds to reveal the seeds (below).





Pry out the seeds! There’s a ton, so this may take a while . . .





From here you can either store the seeds in a cool dry place to plant next spring, or you can eat them. NOM. You can shed the husks and use the insides in raw form. Or you can toast them, by soaking the seeds (husk and all) overnight in a 1:4 salt water solution, and then oven roasting them at 200º for 3-4 hours.





I love my sunflowers! This year was my biggest yield yet, and I’ll definitely save a few seeds to plant again next season. But most of them are for eatin’. They’re just too wonderful (and nutrient-packed) not to !

Image by Jodi Bieber.

I don’t follow trends and I don’t buy magazines, but I do adore the self expression of personal fashion. And since I’m not concerned with being ‘current’ and since I choose not to shop at new clothing stores, I’m always in the process of reworking and redefining my own sense of style.

I pull my inspiration from everywhere, wherever inspiration strikes. I’m always collecting images and eventually, when I feel an aesthetic shift coming on, I delve into my collection. Revisiting these images is always interesting – some of them make no sense to me anymore, while others just sing out loud.

The following pictures will fuel my creative fires this fall and winter. I hope you’ll find a few of them as inspiring as I have!

Helena Bonham Carter is amaaaazing.

Helena with Nell.

Sassy magazine spread from the early 90s.

So what about you my dears? What’s inspiring you this season? (PS – I’d love to credit these images if I could. If anyone knows any sources, please pass them along!)

Oh dear, I love dill. I grew a ton of it this year, because it’s my favorite herbal additive to my morning green smoothies. But there’s more to dill than it’s lovely liquid union with strawberries and citrus (seriously, strawberry-dill smoothies are SO good).

Dill seed is also a unique spice, similar to caraway with hints of that fresh dill flavor. Sometimes it even reminds me of rye. It’s delicious in home-baked bread, great when ground into salad dressings, and perfect for slow-cooking roasts and stews. And of course, it’s key for homemade pickles!

Dill is also a natural remedy for all sorts of maladies, from gas and indigestion to insomnia and menstrual cramps. It can also ease the symptoms of cold and flu, and colicky babies. You can soak your fingertips in a dill seed infusion to strengthen your nails!





Saving the seeds is so damn easy, this is really more a reminder that it can be done, as opposed to a tutorial of how to do it. Of course, because I’m me I’ve got all these pictures so I might as well walk you through it!

Begin collection after the dill has flowered and started dying back. You can pick the heads while the seeds are still green. Just place all the heads in a brown paper bag and allow them to dry completely, 1-3 weeks.





Once the heads are dried it’s pretty easy to remove the seeds. Some will shake right off. The rest you’ll need to pluck, which can be a bit time consuming, but it’s quite worth the time.

And that’s really all there is to it! Store your seeds in a cool dry place and use within the year for maximum flavor.





I think I’m going to make some dill infused potatoes first off. Then some onion dill rolls (I’ll definitely post a recipe if these work out!). And after that, who knows . . . any ideas?