Review of e.l.f. cosmetics
Mood:  flirty
Topic: product reviews
I'm not really one to promote products, but I have to say, e.l.f.'s line is just too good not to review.

When I first saw a display of their cosmetics at a local Target, I was drawn in by the price: a dollar a piece. Then I saw them labelled as cruelty-free (no animal testing) and ALL of their products have since become vegan (no more beeswax or lanolin)! I figured, what the heck, I'll try a few. Even if I didn't like them, I wouldn't be out much money.

So, I bought the Element compact, a mirrored compact with four magnetic slots in which to place refills of eye shadow, lip gloss, and/or blush, plus a dual-ended applicator. For eye shadow, I chose Dusk, a gorgeous smoky black, and Moonglow, a shimmery 'taupe-y' shade. Whatever shade you choose, you will get excellent coverage with very little product.

I chose Crimson for my lip gloss, a shade which looks very red in the container, but, once applied, gives just a hint of colour and plenty of moisture.

I also got Ivory, a white eye shadow that provides a nice shimmer. I use it as a highlighter along my brow bone or anywhere I want shimmer without colour.

Normally, I don't use face powder, because I have mild eczema brought on by food allergies (you try avoiding any and all tomato products when you don't live alone). Most powders just aren't an option for me. e.l.f.'s powder, though, is so light and does not exacerbate my sometimes dry skin. It pairs really well with their concealer. Like the eye shadow, a little goes a long way and blends into the skin quite well.

Since I first tried their cosmetics, I'm hooked. I love experimenting with their different colours to get new effects, ranging from dramatic to sultry to natural, and am never disappointed.

I've tried different brands over the last fifteen or so years, and I have to say, e.l.f. is the best, in my opinion.

There are lots of great things I could say about e.l.f. cosmetics - the low price, the great coverage, the light-weight feel of it on your skin - but the best way to find that out is to try it yourself.

So go to http://eyeslipsface.com. You can order online or use the store locator to see who sells these products in your area.

Remember the troops
Mood:  hug me
Topic: things to share
This was sent to me by a dear friend of mine (thanks, Nick!), and because I have family in the military, I think it is important that we all take a moment to think of everyone in uniform.

1/2 boy 1/2 man

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy.

Not quite dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country.

He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's, but he has never collected unemployment either.

He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.

He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.

He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity.

He is self-sufficient.

He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.

He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.

If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.

He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humour in it all.

He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime.

He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while temperring the burning desire to 'square-away ' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking.
In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.
Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.

He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.

And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.

As you go to bed tonight, remember this image . . .

A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.

Prayer wheel for our military (if you pray)
Prayer Wheel

'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'

When you receive this, please stop for a moment and remember our ground troops in Afghanistan , sailors on ships, and airmen in the air, and for those in Iraq , Afghanistan and all foreign countries.

There is nothing attached . . .
This can be very powerful . . .

Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Coastguardsman, Marine, or Airman, an encouraging word and your thanks might be the very best one.

lawns, neighbours, and dogs
Mood:  irritated
Topic: stop and think
I can't understand my neighbours' thought processes. Well, really my parents' neighbours. You see, I live with my parents due to lack of job/money. They are friendly with their next-door neighbours.
Understandable.
I'm civil to them, but I wouldn't go so far as to say we're friends. The father of that family (I'll call him Manny here - not his real name) cuts our yard as a favour to my dad, who's chronically ill. I was willing to do it, but for some reason, I guess that just wasn't acceptable. Whatever.
That's not the issue with which I have a problem.
The problem is Manny takes it upon himself to water the lawn as well. That is not necessary as I water the lawn. The difference is that I actually point the water at the grass instead of the driveway. Also, I water at night when the ground is cooler and better able to absorb moisture. He knows I water at night! I've told him this before!
And yet, a little earlier today, right after he finished mowing the lawn, he turned on the sprinklers. But he set it in a position that got half the driveway wet.
I had been waiting for him to finish mowing so I could take my dogs outside. Imagine how I felt to see the water spraying in the air. Utterly ridiculous.
What's worse is that just three days ago, the local newspaper (Valley Morning Star) ran a story about the drought we are still experiencing. Granted, it was more about the heavier workload for WaterWorks due to an increase in water line breaks, but the drought was mentioned as one of the causes.
Besides all that, it rained just three days ago, a good couple of hours of decent rainfall. So why would he feel the need to take it upon himself to turn on the sprinklers here?
The front lawn is fine; I watered it in sections less than a week ago. Same as the back yard.
It just doesn't make any sense to me!
Another thing about that family I don't understand is why their children continue to taunt my dogs when we go outside. My dogs bark at eveybody, even more when someone starts jumping around and calling to them. Since I always have them on leashes when we go out, I pull them back and try to calm them down, but when those kids get my babies worked up, they keep at it until their mother reprimands them. I can't be heard over the barking of three loud little dogs, partially because of a perpetually sore throat brought about by my parents nearly constantly exposing me to tomatoes (I'm terribly allergic), but she can, and she frequently tells her children to "Leave the dogs alone!"
But they still do it.
I just don't get it.

in regards to my sites
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: site update
Well, Tripod is discontinuing the Trellix site builder (for free accounts, paid subscribers can use either Trellix or Webon) and switching to Webon. This means I will be migrating each of my sites to the new version. Please be patient while I do this as I am as yet unfamiliar with webon. This process should not take more than a couple of weeks, a month at most, since I am doing all of this from a BlackBerry Curve rather than a computer (no net connection).

==UPDATE==

I bought my domain so I wouldn't have to worry about migrating my sites.

Night Owls aka Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
Topic: general blog
I always simply figured I was a night owl. It turns out there is an actual name for what I have!

It's called Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. It is exactly what it sounds like: sleep phase is delayed, but normal other than the time of falling asleep and waking when compared to others in the area.

For example, take me. I fall asleep sometime between 4 am and 6 am, sleep just fine, then awaken sometime between 10 am and 1 pm. My sleep is not intermittent or disprupted, just delayed.

Not a lot of doctors know about this syndrome/disorder, and I found out about it while researching dyssomnia, which is sleep disorders, including insomnia and narcolepsy.

I just find it fascinating and a relief to have a name for this, and to know that I am not alone in this. I mean, I know that a lot of people consider themselves night owls, but this brings it into better perspective.

I hope this helps anyone that sleeps on a different schedule from other people in that part of the world.

a blog entry originally written in february
Topic: general blog
This is something I wrote a few months ago on another blog.

I made a decision to renew my attempt at veganism. The thought of eating animal flesh is just so . . . . shudder . . . . If you stop and think about it, doesn't it seem unnatural?

And while we're on the subject of unnatural, why do so many people think it's ok to steal milk from cows for human consumption? Mammals produce milk in order to feed their own young. Human women tend to lactate for a few years to feed their babies. After that, we don't actually need dairy products! Something like 70% of humans are actually lactose intolerant, but a lot of them don't even realise it. Plus, there are so many sources of calcium, like kale and broccoli, that don't involve cruelty and are probably better for you nutritionally.

Yes, dairy farming involves cruelty! The calves that are first stolen from their mothers are then subjucted to tiny pens and a steady diet of antibiotics and other things that make their muscles atrophy. After a while, these calves are slaughtered and their flesh becomes veal.

This is why I can't understand why someone who is vegetarian in order to avoid killing would continue to consume dairy products.

But enough about dairy (for now); let's talk about about . . . . oh, resources for those who don't live in vegan-friendly places, like I do. A friend of mine on facebook had suggested that I needed to be more creative with what I do have.

With that in mind, I did an internet search for "vegan recipes"; yes, with the quotes. If you don't put quotation marks around vegan, you'll wind up with a multitude of vegetarian and vegan sites. At least, that's true with google; I'm not sure about other search engines.

Anyway, I found a few good sites that have some really good info. If you are inclined to enjoy cooking, check out vegweb.com. It's pretty easy to find what I want by just going by category and subcategory.

There is another site, veganwolf.com, that could be very useful for anyone contemplating vegetarianism or veganism. Plenty of information there, but there are also some good links included.

Well, that's all for now. I think I shall go try some more of those yummy recipes I found last night! I shall write more later. Until then, peace, love, and blessed be!

Water usage vs waste
Mood:  irritated
Now Playing: open your mind to the possibilities!
Topic: stop and think
I'm not sure if it's simple stupidity or intentional ignorance that makes a lot of people in south Texas act the way they do.

I mean, we are still in terrible drought conditions, the temperature keeps rising, water supplies are dwindling, yet no one seems to want to conserve water! You would think that if there are warnings about heatstroke and tips on how to prevent it regularly on the news, they would also mention, oh gosh, maybe NOT wasting water. But no, there are no such pleas. Lawns should be watered when it is cool, like, I dunno, maybe the evening after the sun sets or early morning before the sun rises.

And here's a thought, use sprinklers that actually water the grass instead of spurting it all into the hot afternoon air! Oy, it's unbelievable to me.

But, then again, this is an area where people tend to be blind to anything but what's right in front of them. They tend to have blind faith and won't try to expand their minds beyond what they have been told by certain people. And if anyone challenges that, they become hostile.

Or, to paraphrase something Hugh Laurie (as Gregory House) said, some people prefer to live in the holes in their lives, and if you offer them a way to get out of the hole, or even to fill it, they just dig themselves deeper until they can't see anything outside of that hole they made for themselves. Climb out of your holes, people!

And look at the world around you and recognise that we all live in a global community. We are all linked to each other. We cannot afford to ignore the problems that affect us, be they the impact humans have on the environment, discrimination against any group of people based on something as trivial as religious/spiritual preference (like paganism, heathenism, or atheism), sexual identity, dietary choice (like being a vegan), speaking up for those who have no voice, or the colour of their skin.

Forget the petty differences and remember that we all live in the same world. We might have a slightly different view of the same world, but it's still the same planet, and we all need to share it.

VegePagan
Topic: general blog
I was not sure if I might have seen or heard the term VegePagan prior to May of 2009, so I tried looking for the term VegePagans online. The only results I got back were the groups I created on care2 and facebook. So, apparently, I coined the term on May 23, 2009, when I formed the care2 group.

The simple definition of a VegePagan is someone who is both vegetarian/vegan and a Pagan. Pagans, for those who don't know, tend to worship nature; some are polytheistic, some are panentheists. There is no single definition that everyone can agree on, but to my mind, Pagans recognise that nature and the planet are divine entities, sacred, and to be honoured. Others will, of course, have slightly different definitions or ideas of what being a Pagan means.

The Wiccan Rede states that so long as you are not hurting anyone, you can do just about anything (Harming none, do what you will.) To some that I have spoken to, the vegan lifestyle goes hand in hand with harming none.

Hmm, VegePagan, VegeWiccan, VegeHeathen, VegAsátrú, the list could go on and on.

As for me, I could be called a VegePagan or a VegErisian, a vegetarian who is a follower of the goddess Eris, goddess of discord.

Posted by fmqa-blaue.blume at 6:08 PM CDT

Updated: Fri, 31 Jul 2009 6:51 PM CDT

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dog food - homemade
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: recipes
OK, so my boyfriend called me this morning, asking me for my recipe for dog food. A co-worker friend of his is contemplating making food for his own dogs, so they figured since I've been doing that for the past three years, I'd be a good one to ask about it.

Here's the recipe. Measurements are approximate, since I just throw it into a big pot :-)

A little over a cup of beans (blackeyed peas, red beans, cranberry beans, etc, or any combination thereof). Cook beans until they are thoroughly done (lentils and split peas cook faster, just about half an hour). Add about 3/4 cup of brown rice (it has more vitamins and minerals) during the last half hour of cooking (or cook rice with the lentils). When thats done, add a couple of cups of diced mixed vegetables (I use the frozen kind, already cut and cooked; just make sure there are no onions or seasonings added). Make sure there's enough water to almost cover this mixture. Simmer until vegetables are warmed through, maybe 5-10 minutes on low heat. Remove from heat and add about half a cup of instant (1 minute) oatmeal; stir thoroughly, then add a little more oatmeal, maybe 1/4 - 1/2 cup, depending on how much water there is to soak up. Let food cool before feeding to dogs. This lasts my three Chihuahua-mix dogs three days when fed 3/4 cup servings.

*note: onions cause toxicity in dogs. I can't remember exactly what they do if ingested, but it's bad for their blood, something about the clotting, I think. Do a net search for onion toxicity if you want details on that.

a movie summary and one of the webrings I manage
Now Playing: Broken Blossoms - a classic silent film from 1919
***SPOILERS ***Broken Blossoms is a classic film directed by D. W. Griffith, an excellent work of art that I am so glad survived the ravages of time. Granted, I missed the first part of it, and also a little bit nearer the end, but it's too good a film not to attempt to summarise. It stars Lilian Gish in a bittersweet role. Her performance is quite haunting as the waifish daughter of a boxer, Battling Burrows, (played brilliantly by Donald Crisp) who is harsh, cruel, and abusive. He's also a bigot. Richard Barthelmess plays a Chinese man, Cheng Huan, who cares for Lucy (Gish) when she falls ill outside of his small flat. He adores her, but does nothing more than tend to her, call her White Blossom, and hold her hand while she regains her strength. She likes him, too, and appreciates what he is doing for her. Later, while Chen Huang is out running errands, Battling finds Lucy at Huang's flat. Because of his prejudice against anyone who is not American, he begins to harangue her, insinuating that she has not behaved with propriety. She attempts to placate him and tells him that she has done nothing wrong, that she only fell in the doorway. He tells her "I'll learn yer!" (for befriending a foriegner) then savagely beats her (only part of that is seen onscreen). Then, as she lies dying, she lifts her hand to force her lips into a final smile. I missed a couple of minutes here, but Cheng hears that Lucy is in danger, and he goes to seek out Battling. When Cheng finds him, Battling wants to beat him for having been near his daughter. But Cheng has a gun and shoots him dead. He then returns to his flat to say good-bye to White Blossom and falls to the floor, having stabbed himself. ******************************** This is a webring that I manage

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