Key Lime Indeed....

I've been hitting the Greek yogurt like it's been going outta style lately.  Normally, I eat Nancy's Nonfat Plain yogurt on everything: pancakes, baked potatoes, in baking recipes, in my mashed potatoes, in homemade macaroni and cheese.  It gives everything a creamy richness without adding a ton of fat.  Plus, Nancy's seems to have more live active cultures than any other yogurt I've ever run across.  There's also the awesome connection to one of my favorite authors, Ken Kesey.  It's even somewhat local to a Portlander.  Nancy's is based in Springfield, Oregon.  

Then, I found some yogurt in the clearance zone at the grocery store.  It was 75% off, seeing as it was about to expire.  I don't normally eat conventional yogurt, but this was clean.  Completely natural ingredients, just not organic.  Dannon Oikos Greek yogurt in Key Lime.  It's so dang difficult to find lime yogurt in general, let alone KEY lime, and Greek style? 

Good God, I was sold.  I never looked back.  It was the most delicious thing I've put in my mouth since cheesecake.  Or brownies with vanilla bean frozen yogurt on top.  This isn't just yogurt, it's a full-on dessert, and I'm fanatically in love.  It tastes exactly like a completely authentic Key Lime pie from Key West.  I formerly lived in the Keys, so that's saying something.  This yogurt makes me Keys-sick.  

You need to put this in your mouth as soon as possible.  You won't be sorry.  You can experience a bit of this:

UPDATE!  

Nancy's Creamery now makes Greek Yogurt!! Rejoice!  I've already contacted them to see about whipping up some lime flavored yogurt.  Keep your fingers crossed, Y'all!

The Quest to Fit into a Wedding Dress

On a cold, blustery, rainy afternoon in the Pacific Northwest--the first one of the season, mind you--I waited for almost an hour, damp to the core, as trains were delayed in downtown Portland.  Once the line I needed arrived at the stop, it was jam packed with folks trying to get home from work.  There were screaming babies, elderly men coughing directly on me....in short, a lot of closeness.  And coughing.  

A mere two hours later, I already felt like I was coming down with something.  Seriously.  Unbelievable, right?  I had already been turned on to an amazing concoction by a close friend in an effort to ween myself off booze.  It's a detox elixir that she found on Kimberly Snyder's blog.  

It's merely ginger, lemon, two shakes of cayenne, and a little honey, if you so desire.  While you're boiling your water, peel a couple tablespoons worth of ginger.  Make sure you cut it in small cubes.  If you mince it or otherwise slice it too small, you will have to filter ginger chunks  using your teeth.  Nobody wants that.  

What's great is that it gives me the lovely illusion that I'm drinking a hot toddy, but is virtually calorie-free.  It's also great for digestion and immunity.  Not only that, but it helps in detoxification of the liver.  Amazing.  I highly recommend it.  

Battling the Vains.

I never realized my pale skin would turn the color of a tea rose...permanently.  

I spent most of my years outdoors as a child, seeing as I was--and still am--a raging tomboy.  Later on in life, I worked hard to stay outdoors as a field worker in environmental restoration.  

I noticed fine lines developing and worst of all, the initial stages of--wait for it--rosacea {gasp!}. 

I figured with my pale skin and propensity for sunburns, I might oughtta check in with a dermatologist for the first time in my life.  

As it turns out, there's a VERY cheap treatment available for those of us with visible facial capillaries, or "fissures" as my ManFriend likes to call them.  Are you ready for this?!  Afrin nasal spray!!  Kind of amazing, eh?  I was stoked, especially after scouring Groupon for years looking for laser treatment deals.  I did have a few, but you always need to return for retreatments, which are pricey and painful.  

In the interrim, this is a great redness-reducing remedy.

If you want to get SUPER crafty, I recommend digging a little deeper at the bottom shelf level and snatching some generic nasal spray.  

Go forth and fearlessly be pale!  

Color of an Era

My brother and I found a box in Grandma's basement.

It wasn't what was in the box that was extraordinary, it was the box itself.  There was a tres-1963 woman dressed in what my brother and I dubbed at once, "Lady Vanity Blue."  She was peering contentedly into a vanity of the same color.  

The shade is somewhere in the viscinity of these blues.  Dancing lazily in between Seafoam and Tiffany blue.  Lady Vanity Blue conjures an entire time period and if I concentrate long enough, almost a scent--old books from an old library.  An old motor on a still functional art deco sewing machine.  

And amidst planning my wedding, there it was, always quietly lingering in the creases of my brain.  

It became almost symbolic of my extremely delayed journey into actual Lady-hood.  Suddenly, I began caring about clothing and makeup.  Though I doubt I will ever veer this far into Lady Vanity.

Let the journey begin.