self-reliance
here are some of the happy things i've been making this week:

peanut butter cups
this basically involves melting chocolate chips, coating paper muffin cups with the melted chocolate, putting them in the freezer for an hour, and filling them with peanut butter (and a sweetener, if you wish) and a top layer of melted chocolate. don't be deceived by the simplicity. they're tremendous.


body scrub
i love homemade body scrubs made from granulated sugar (the one thing it is good for...) and oil, then essential oil if you're feeling spoiled. it's as good if not better than those expensive store-bought ones.
also, you can use old coffee grounds by themselves or added into soap/body wash/scrub. it's great for your skin. seriously.


iced tea
i don't think any of you really needs directions on how to boil and then cool water, but having a cold jug of iced tea in the fridge during the summer is crucial.


tempeh
i ordered a tempeh culture from "gem cultures" and it arrived this week. tempeh's yummy, but fairly expensive in the store and packaged in... yup, plastic... so i decided to make my own. turns out it's easy and fun! go figure.

toothpaste
no fluoride, no packaging...

there are a number of recipes online depending on your dental needs. all of them are cheap and easy. (ahh, my favorite.)


my scar
all things considered, it's healing quite nicely- and it's a pleasant reminder that a wild, destructive thing is no longer wreaking havoc in my body.

we (my scar and i) have actually become great pals. we think it's a hoot when children and grown men cringe or cry or cover their eyes at the sight of my belly. we laugh and laugh.

no pants
my top priority when i come home is taking off the clothes that got sweaty on my bike ride home. i usually don't get around to putting pants back on. i really enjoy not wearing any around my house. fortunately phoebe and misha walk around in their underwear too, so no one feels uncomfortable.