My Oil Collection, and how I use it.

I love oil.

For cooking, for making salves and lip balms, and for plenty of other uses. I've gathered a pretty nice collection for my apartment, and I thought it would be fun to share it!
 
 Have you heard of those Misto sprayers? Well, I have one. I got it at World Market several months ago, and I personally really enjoy using it. I don't use spray oil often, but when I do, I sure don't want to use Pam. Have you heard what's in that stuff? So, I followed the directions that came with my Misto, and I've never had a problem with it!

 You can fill it with whatever you'd like. I typically fill mine with grapeseed oil. You'll learn more about grapeseed oil below!

 So, grapeseed oil. Probably the most versatile oil you can own. It has a high smoke point, so I'm comfortable doing most stovetop cooking with it. It has a very light/neutral flavor. Generally, I can't taste it at all in my food. Because it emulsifies well, it is also great for making homemade mayonnaise! The two bottles below were purchased at Trader Joe's and a co-op near my town.

 Extra virgin olive oil is a classic, so I'm sure you already have 100 uses for it. I mostly use it in pasta and to make dressings. You can buy it at almost any supermarket or grocery store.

Sunflower seed oil is light, and a good substitute for vegetable oil (for baking oil-based cakes and such). I often use it in baking, when a recipe calls for "vegetable oil." I also used it for some time when I was trying the oil-cleansing method for my face. I bought this particular bottle at Trader Joe's.

 Dark sesame oil is good for stir frying, if you like its flavor. It has a strong and very present flavor, which also makes it good for stir-fry sauces. I don't use it very often, though. Mostly for special occasion stir fry's. You can buy it in the asian section of most supermarkets.

 Mustard oil is pretty new to me! My dad bought it for me at an asian store, and I haven't found a use for it yet. The bottle reads, "For external use only," so naturally I had to research it. It's a pretty controversial oil! If I ever find a good external use, I'll be sure to let you know.

 Peanut oil is great for stir frying. It is my go-to oil (unless I'm making the stir fry for someone who is allergic to peanuts!). I bought this particular oil at a Korean food store.

 Coconut oil. This stuff is wonderful, and it has gained a lot of popularity recently. I use it sometimes for stir-frying, for asian noodle dishes, and as a moisturizer. My newest use involves adding a tablespoon or so to my morning cup of coffee. The one on the left was purchased at an amish bulk food store, and I got the one on the right at a natural food store.

I also own a small container of palm oil (sorry for not having a picture--it's packed away for my new apartment) which I bought at an amish bulk foods store. I plan to use it as a substitute for Crisco in certain recipes.

My oil collection is growing all the time, and I love finding new uses for each of these oils! Let me know if you have any interesting uses for these oils!

How to eat well when you are making minimum wage.

Quinoa Salad. Click here for the recipe.

I get excited when I see stuff on Pinterest about "Eating Whole Foods on a Budget" or similar promotions. However, I get frustrated when these things only give options that don't seem to apply to me! I'm a "poor college student" in a town where the nearest Whole Foods or Trader Joe's is over two hours away, where the farmer's market only runs from June to August, and where a package of organic tofu generally runs about five dollars.

Still, I've found myself recently getting questions from friends about how I can afford to eat well and still pay my rent. I have always been a pretty frugal gal, so here are my tips on eating well when you are making minimum wage. I know, I know, you've heard it all--"shop at the farmer's market," "pay attention to the dirty dozen and the clean fifteen." I hear these tips over and over it. So I tried to come up with some different ideas.

1. Know where to buy certain foods that you frequently use, and unless there is an especially good sale elsewhere, stick to it. For example, I know that at a Korean food store about 50 minutes away, I can buy organic tofu, noodles, and even oils for half the price (or better!) than I'll ever find these things in my town. The catch may be that this place is nearly an hour away, but typically, it isn't too hard to find people heading that direction. I stock up (paying attention to expiration dates, and planning to use or freeze all of it), and I am usually set for a couple months.

2. Know your priorities when it comes to food, and save money elsewhere to make them happen. Yes, I buy organic milk and free-range eggs. How can I afford it? By saving money on other foods. For instance, I do a lot of my grocery shopping here in town at a new experimental store called Ruler Foods (if there is one near you, check it out!). It even has some really nice organic stuff. Stuff here is super cheap (Think Aldi, but in general, better quality foods), and it allows me to spend a little extra on items I really care about.

3. Buy in bulk from trusted sources. There is an Amish community half an hour away, and my family regularly makes trips to Beachy's Bulk Foods, an awesome store owned and operated by the Amish people of that area. This is where I buy spices, dried herbs, honey, and a lot of hard-to-find (in my town, anyway) pantry staples, like spelt flour, sprouted whole wheat flour, oat flour, etc. Prices here are incredibly reasonable. If you can find an organic bulk supplier or similar store nearby, or even an online supplier, take advantage of it.

4. Keep a well-stocked pantry. Keep plenty of healthy grains, beans, frozen vegetables, etc. on hand. This way, when you get the urge to eat out or order pizza, it will be easier to convince yourself otherwise. When you've got tasty and healthy food on hand, you will use it. This may be hard to get used to, but just like exercise, diet, or whatever, it takes diligence.

5. Don't buy pre-packaged/processed meals if you can avoid it. They are overpriced, full of things you don't need in your body, and you can make meals yourself. Get a cookbook, or search Pinterest. I'm a busy college student who works and is very involved on campus, and even I can commit to cooking most meals for myself. I promise, it's doable!

6. When veggies are in season, buy them, use them, and freeze them. This will save you a lot of money. Try to eat seasonally as much as possible, too. Seasonal produce is cheaper and better!

7. Cook big meals and eat leftovers. I don't know why leftovers gross so many people out. I think they make a great lunch for the next day! I'm learning to cook huge meals, then eat the leftovers for a couple meals later. It not only saves time, but also money.

8. Speaking of lunch, pack yourself a lunch. Get yourself a nice looking lunchbox and pack yourself a healthy lunch! Don't go to Subway and think that six dollar meal is saving you money. Every time you pack a meal instead of eating out, you are saving yourself at least some money. It adds up!

9. This is only somewhat related to food, but it will save you money for food. Use Reusable items whenever possible. Ditch paper towels and napkins if you can, use jars to store things--whatever you can think of. Just try to find a second use for things, and it will save you money over time.

10. Plan your meals, and use everything you buy. I don't always shop with a week's worth of meal plans, but I have a select group of groceries that I know I'll use. Buy food with a purpose. Have some sort of plan for it, whether that's using this week, or preserving it for later use.

I hope that you found these tips to be useful and feasible. These rules for food shopping have really helped me, and I hope they can do the same for you!

A Wedding and a Funeral.

Have you seen the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral? I didn't go to four weddings recently. However, today I went to both a wedding and a funeral. Actually, I participated in both a wedding and a funeral. The wedding was for two friends of mine, Gabe and Katie. I wasn't a bridesmaid. I was a flower girl.

Yes, I know, I'm 20 years old. It's okay to have a flower girl of any age. It's okay to have a flower boy, too. It's your wedding. It's really okay to do what you want!

Anyway, the wedding was a really cute DIY-esque evening event. They sang their vows to each other, which was absolutely precious. And then, they decided to lock their bikes together, as a symbol of their unity. Adorable.

Now, about that funeral.

Mr. Daum passed away a week ago. He was a great person who inspired me when I was younger and definitely assisted in my path to music education. You can read his full obituary here. I performed with a group from the Charleston Community Band at his funeral this morning. It was such an interesting and emotional funeral. There was great involvement of music in the service, which was so nice. It honored him well. Especially when we played A Dixieland Jazz Funeral to close. Everyone was singing along, and seeing his family smiling but in tears was so touching. What an amazing person Mr. Daum was, and I am so happy to have known him.

And just for one finale update, I have hit the 60 day point with my no shampoo challenge. Speaking of which, it's really not a challenge anymore. The amount of time I can go between my baking soda/vinegar rinses is increasing all the time, and I am loving my hair these days.

Shopping, a lemonade recipe, and the purge.

 Yesterday, I went on a shopping trip with my father and Mark (happy Father's Day, by the way!). It wasn't the type of shopping trip I'd go on with my mom. Instead, we went to Strawberry Fields (a natural food store with great selection and not-so-great prices), Am-Ko (an Asian food store--highly authentic and awesome prices), and World Harvest (a store with tons of food from around the world, as well as gourmet and unusual foods). If you are ever in the Champaign, IL area, all of these stores are located very close to the U of I campus, and are definitely worth checking out.

At World Harvest, I got these "If You Care" gloves--just to check them out. I love wearing gloves while cleaning and washing dishes, and these gloves seemed like a pretty awesome investment. They are fair trade, ethically-sourced, and biodegradable. All of that sounded pretty great to me. They seem to be of very good quality, which is great, because they were five dollars. I like to spend my money well.

Unfortunately, they are bright green, which doesn't exactly match my kitchen!

Also purchased yesterday:
- Peanut oil
- Textured vegetable protein
- Arrowroot powder
- seaweed sheets (for making sushi!)
- washcloths
- rice noodles
- soba noodles
- and more!

Overall, it was a great shopping trip, and a wonderful way to spend a Saturday. And did I mention that we went to the Golden Wok Thai/Chinese Restaurant, too? We got vegetables and tofu. Yum.

Let's see. I've been doing some other interesting stuff lately, right? Oh, right, I made some delicious lemonade the other day. The old fashioned way, of course. Here's the recipe I used from the book, Back to Basics:

1 quart water

4 lemons

1 cup raw sugar (I used a little less)

First, juice the lemons. Then, put the peels on a bowl, and cover with the raw sugar. I only did these with half of the peels, because I used to other half to infuse vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes, then pour one quart of boiling water over the sugar and peels. Let cool. Combine with lemon juice. Taste, and water down as necessary. I probably added at least a cup and a half of water, because it was so sweet. But either way, it is absolutely delicious.

Now, for the purge.

I really don't wear makeup often. Mostly because it's expensive (I won't buy products that have been tested on animals, which is difficult and guilt-inducing, because many of the products within these products have been tested), and adds a lot of time to my morning routine. Still, I own a lot of makeup that has been gathered through the years (pretty gross, now that I think about it). Same with hair supplies. Having been no-'poo for almost seven weeks now, I have not been using any products (hairspray, mousse, etc.) whatsoever. And lotions, creams, powders, etc. with gross ingredients just freak me out. It's time to purge. In favor of more natural alternatives (I've been looking up homemade versions of these things!), I am attempting to rid myself of most of these products. The problem I'm facing is, what on earth do I do with all these stuff? I'll let you know how it turns out...

Finches.

Four little finches, relaxing on this Monday afternoon...

No shampoo, 30 days later.

You may notice that I only say "no shampoo," as opposed to "no shampoo, as well as the oil cleansing method." More on that later...

The last time I used shampoo was Tuesday, April 30th, the day of my Junior Standing Jury here at EIU (which I passed, by the way). Since then, my hair has gone through tremendous ups and downs. Some good, some bad, and some in between. I should have taken a picture that day, but silly me, I didn't think of it. Here are some pictures that were taken within a month of me starting this challenge:

Cooking tofu stir fry, of course. See my hair? Long, pretty thin, kind of dull and limp.

Dad and I at the greenhouse. My hair is long, as you can see, but it's pretty thin and limp.

Here's the low down:

Week 1:
Hair was disgusting. After four days I used a ton of baking soda. Hair felt cleaner, but still really oily compared to what I was used to. So I waited two days and used more. I continued this for the first week. My hair still felt sticky, or damp, or something, but the ends were somewhat dry, even though I was using apple cider vinegar.

Week 2:
One day this week, I curled my hair for a concert. It was the weirdest smell--like burning scalp--even though I had used the baking soda. The curls barely held, because I didn't want to put anything in my hair to hold them. That was frustrating, but I continued trying. Still keeping up with the every other day baking soda washes, my hair was feeling incredibly sticky and frizzy in the back of my head, even though my hair looked clean. I wasn't sure what was going on. I also noticed my hair feeling especially tangled, which got me pretty bummed.

Week 3:
Dry. My hair was so dry, I thought it was all going to break off. It was incredibly tangled, still, but dry, frizzy, and just not feeling right. I ended up putting some vegetable glycerin in it one night (before I went to bed) toward the end of this week, which helped a lot, but it was still feeling pretty dry the next day.

Week 4:
This week started off much like the previous week. My hair was okay, but pretty dry. Then, on Saturday, the 25th day of no shampoo, something happened. My hair felt absolutely glorious. So soft, very little frizz, volume, and the ends were hydrated and healthy looking! Here's the thing, though. That morning, I took my shower at a house about two hours south of where I live, where there is very, very soft water. So I was left to wonder, can a difference in water really change things that much? Since then, though, my hair has still been pretty soft.

Consensus:

This challenge has been pretty interesting. It was really difficult for the first week or two, and in the end, am I totally happy with my hair? Well, I'm not sure yet! I think I need another few weeks to really decide. My hair is definitely much softer at the top, and much more voluminous, too. That's the really big thing I've noticed--so much more natural volume to my hair. It feels like it isn't being weighed down. However, the ends are dryer than I'd like, in general, and my hair tangles so easily--it can be a huge hassle to de-tangle it in the morning. I have a feeling this is because it's so long, though. This is why I'd like to give this challenge at least a few more weeks before I make a final decision. Below is a picture of me with my 'poo-free hair. Completely natural. Washed with baking soda, rinsed with ACV, air-dried, and brushed.

Hair. Feels healthy, looks fairly healthy.

So what about the oil cleansing method?

Well, about a week and a half in, my face broke out like crazy. I mean, really, really bad. Maybe it had nothing to do with it--who knows! However, I was desperate, so I switched to using only the Castile Soap with tea tree oil, then used aloe and tea tree oil as a moisturizer/acne fighter. My face is looking really good these days. I am still sort of experimenting, but I've found that the Castile Soap is working great as a cleanser, and I alternate between vegetable glycerin and coconut oil as a moisturizer. It has been working really well.

How do we teach music?

While I may not bring it up too often in this blog, my primary "job" is a musician, and more importantly, a music teacher. And though I may not yet have my degree, I give bassoon lessons to several students, and have recently found myself with opportunities to instruct larger groups of young musicians.

Pictured below is a very influential woman in my life, Mrs. Ginger Stanfield. Mrs. Stanfield recently had her very last concert, after teaching band for 35 years. She was my beginning band director 10 years ago, and fortunately, as I have lived in the same town since then, we have kept in touch. As a music education major, I have done much of my observation time with her. Through this, I have seen both sides of the process: I was once her student, and now, as a future music educator, I have observed the meaning behind her methods.

(source)

I believe there are two key things Mrs. Stanfield does that make a difference:
1. System. There is a noticeable system in her band room, and the students know it. They follow all of her guidelines, and they know exactly what the consequences will be if they don't. She sets up classroom management from the very first day.
1. Music. Mrs. Stanfield not only teaches the students how to make sounds on their instruments. She teaches them dynamics, phrasing, and musicianship from the very beginning. It may not sound as beautiful as we'd like, as these are only fifth and sixth graders. However, they are learning music.

I believe these two things are the key to starting musicians, as opposed to starting a beginning band.

But back to my story...

I have taught several students so far in my college career, and it is easy to see the differences among how some students perceive music.

To one of my students particularly, music is all notes. Nothing more. Hardly even rhythm, sometimes. I can say 1,000 times how I'd love to hear this whole note go from a piano to a forte, and there will never be even the slightest difference. I can use analogies, examples, and spend 15 minutes on one whole note, and sadly, it will always be about two seconds long, mezzo forte, and have no purpose whatsoever.

I hope I'm not a bad teacher. I really do. My other students have been different, so that must mean something, right?

For example, one of my other students, who is about five years younger than the student I just mentioned, is a musician already. Not only does he play about three other instruments, but he plays bassoon like a real champ. I don't say this because he plays the right notes. I say this because as a 12 year old, he follows the dynamics, takes breaths where they naturally occur, and asks how he can make certain lines sound better.

Here's the thing. I think I have nothing to do with the above situations. I really think it's got nothing to do with me. I think it has to do with their first music teacher, or their first band director.

This is why I try not to get so bummed about the first student I mentioned. I just continue to teach lesson after lesson, waiting, because one day it's going to click. She's going to make the most beautiful sound on that bassoon, and the reason I'm going into music education will, once again, seem just right.

Why I am a vegetarian.

I was not raised on a vegetarian diet.

I have been a vegetarian for about eight years. Being 20 years old, that is creeping on half of my life.

I don't have a suavely-formulated philosophy to back up my dietary choices. This post is not meant to persuade you to go vegetarian. While I would love for everyone to go vegetarian, I know this will never happen. I'm not being pessimistic. I am simply noting that we all view the world differently.

While I compare human trafficking (which many of us will immediately label as "wrong") to the way that factory farm animals are treated, you may not see it that way.

While you may be "pro-life," yet have something dead on your plate, maybe you see that as perfectly fine.

You'd never eat a dog, would you? How is your pet dog any different from the cow you just ate?

You may watch documentaries like Food, Inc., and say, "Oh my God, I'll never eat meat again!" Tomorrow, it will probably still be on your plate.

This I have come to terms with.

And I am trying to understand all of this, just as you are attempting to understand the way I see things.

I just think every life is beautiful. Whether it's a millionaire here in the United States who owns a restaurant or two, a child in Kenya who is fetching water for her family, or a mouse rooting through my family's trash. They are all beautiful lives.

I am a vegetarian because I share approximately 80% of my genes with cattle. (source)

I am a vegetarian because it takes 2,500 gallons of fresh water to produce one pound of beef, and over 3,000 children die everyday due to lack of access to fresh water. (source)

I am a vegetarian because worldwide, 60 billion animals each year are processed for human consumption, not including fish. (M.C. Appleby, Ed., et al, Long Distance Transport and Welfare of Farm Animals, Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International (CABI), 2008.)

I am a vegetarian because the "need" (to many people) for frog legs has left our world with 120 less amphibian species over the last several decades. (source)

I am a vegetarian because 870 million people in the world do not have enough to eat, and the US alone could feed 800 million of them with the grain it uses to maintain its livestock used for meat production. (source)

I am a vegetarian because I can't read the facts about how factory farm animals are treated without crying, which is why this list ends here.

I am a vegetarian because those pigs on that truck did not do a thing wrong.

I am a vegetarian because as a child, I was taught to be kind.

Thrift Store Curtain, or Cloth Napkins?

Yesterday, while looking around at our local thrift store, I found a valance-type curtain for 75 cents. My boyfriend Mark was in need of some place mats and cloth napkins for his place, so I hoped there would be enough material to meet those needs.

For the cloth napkins, I followed this tutorial. They turned out great.

For the place mats, I used the same concept to sew the napkins, but used one of my own place mats as a guide for measurements. They are a little thin, as I didn't have a nice fabric to line them with (in the future, I will definitely do that), but I am pleased with how they turned out. I had enough leftover material to make a nice little lavender sachet, too.

All of this for 75 cents? Thrift stores are the way to go.

Now, for an update. It has been a week since I transitioned to the "no shampoo method." It isn't easy, when you're used to shampooing daily. However, I am getting better at it, I think. I've been using a solution of water, baking soda, and a drop of tea tree oil every few days, then rinsing with apple cider vinegar. My hair is really long, so I don't think the ends are getting quite enough hydration. They are feeling very, very dry. I am looking to see if I can find any alternative solutions.

As for my face, the oil cleansing method, so far, is going well. I have not noticed a big change in my skin, other than not having to moisturize as often. More updates to come.

A more natural cleansing routine...

Today is May 1st, and today is the day that I am officially changing my personal cleansing routine.

I've been experimenting for a while, and I have settled on my decision:

1. For my face, I will be using the oil cleansing method.
2. For my hair, I am going shampoo-free.

Why try these methods, you ask? Look here and here.

Wish me luck!

The latest.

I've been pretty busy lately. By pretty busy, I mean to say that this has been the busiest year of my life thus far, and it's only March 23rd. Despite lots of school, work, concerts, etc., I have had some time to explore further into something that really interests me: herbal and natural ways of doing things.

Here are some of my latest findings:

 Echinacea tea. I get sick pretty often. It's part of music major culture. If it's a concert week, I'm going to get a cold, unfortunately. I am a firm believer in Vitamin C, and now Echinacea tea, as well. Combine these forces, and I'm feeling much less sniffly by the weekend--concert time, I mean.

Deodorant. Alright. Confession time. I get really bad cases of folliculitis in my underarms. Embarrassing, I know. As a preventative measure, I've been experimenting with my deodorant choices. I'd like to think I don't sweat too much under there, so baking soda was doing the trick for a while. However, since the weather is (hopefully) going to get warm soon, I thought I'd invest in  some of this For Pits Sake Lavender Deodorant. It smells awesome, and so far, it really seems to be working. It was about eight bucks at our health food store here in town. I may search for cheaper options.

(Sorry, no pictures for the next one.)

Vinegar. I've never been too into the smell, but I've been into cleaning with it for some time now. Lately, I've experimented with different infusions, and my favorite has been lavender. Basically, you boil some vinegar, pour it in a mason jar with some lavender (I only used about a tablespoon of dried lavender per 2 cups of vinegar, because I wanted to be sparing). I let it sit for two weeks, strained it, and ta-da! Water it down, and use it to clean. Awesome results.

So there you go. This is just some of what I've been up to lately.

I need a new name.

The more I think about it, I am realizing how badly my blog needs a new name. Watercolor Problems is pretty clever, of course, but it doesn't exactly reflect my blog's content.

I'd like a name that is pretty clever, kind of catchy, not too cheesy, and that pertains to my blogging intentions. Which are, by the way, primarily recipes (vegetarian, of course), projects, and inspiration.

So, when I change the name, I'm nervous because all of people's repins on Pinterest will lead to bad links, right? Or will it automatically correct to the new url? Things to consider.

Anyway, be looking forward to a new name for this blog!

Graffiti Poetry

This is graffiti poetry at a bridge known as the Aritight Bridge. It's about ten miles from my house. You can read about its history here. My manfriend Mark and I teamed up to create some graffiti poetry and turn it into a serious of images that we hope to make into a book. This is called "a guide to you."