Adventures in Soaking Breakfast Cereals

When I say breakfast cereals I mean hot cereals; I've gotten to the point that I forget about cold cereal as an option.  I wish I could say the reason for this is because I know that cold cereals are bad for me, but the actual reason is that I can't have milk on account of the little one's tummy disagreeing with it.

Why soak grains?
I could explain it to you, but Dyno-mom has a wonderful, detailed post about it that says it better than I think I could say it.  Also, I'm feeling lazy today.

The above linked post also explains how to soak your grains properly.

How I soak my breakfast cereals:
I like love hot cereal.  During the last trimester of pregnancy, all I wanted to eat was malt-o-meal.  I knew it probably wasn't the best, but I couldn't get enough of the deliciously creamy, comforting goodness.  I was eating double servings sometimes twice a day (midnight snacks, if I felt inclined).  After having the little one, my cravings for it dropped, but didn't discontinue altogether.  The difference was that now I was somehow more conscious of buying a higher quality version of malt-o-meal which I perceived to be low quality because it's produced by a ginormo corporation.
I decided that Bob's Red Mill (BRM) was a better company for me to support.  Mainly because some of their cereals are USDA organic, and for some reason I trust this company to not be using GMOs.
Anyway, thus began my search for a BRM equivalent to malt-o-meal.  What I found is called wheat farina, or creamy wheat.  Not exactly the same, but delicious nonetheless.  Then I tried oat bran (which I originally purchased with the dumb idea that oatnut bread required it - before I actually looked for a recipe) and that was delicious.  Then came rice farina, or creamy rice, in an attempt to lower my gluten intake.
I never soaked the oat bran.

The wheat farina soaks nicely with whey, but I found I had to tinker with the amount of water I used.
The rice farina is super delicious soaked with whey, but again, I had to tinker with the water.
The proper way to prepare these cereals is by boiling the water and then slowly adding the cereal to the boiling water.  Somehow they turn out a lot thicker that way than if you soak them in warm water overnight, bring to a boil and then simmer.
The wheat farina needed considerably less water while the rice farina only needed about 1/4 cup less.  I never got around to fine-tuning the wheat farina because hubby and I are trying to cut down our grain consumption and I ran out of wheat farina after soaking it once.  Maybe some other day.

A double portion (what I eat) calls for a 1/2 cup of rice farina to 1 and 1/2 cup water.  So, that means I put the 1/2 cup of cereal into the bowl, mix with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of whey (or acid of some other kind, like lemon juice) and then pour in 1 and 1/4 cup warm water.  I generally do this around 7 p.m. the day before, so the cereal soaks roughly 12 hours.

I've been soaking my oats for some time now.  I usually use lemon juice for them, but whey works very nicely also.
 If you soak with lemon juice, be prepared to use a lot of honey or some other sweetener or spice.  Unless you like the bitter flavor the lemon gives to whatever it is you're soaking.
I tried soaking with apple cider vinegar once, but once was enough for me to decide that vinegar was not a good match for my taste-buds.

What is whey?
I didn't know what whey was for a long time, which is why I soaked my oats with lemon juice.  I got this idea that I would walk into Vitamin Cottage and ask, because they're a health store, they should know, right?  Well, the guy I asked looked confused and said, "you mean whey protein isolate?"  To which I said, "no, I mean whey..."  So he didn't know either.  Consulting the mighty google wasn't terribly helpful as the results I got all had to do with the protein powder as well.
Finally I discovered from my mother-in-law exactly what whey is, and how to get it.  I'm not sure why I didn't ask my sister-in-law or Dyno-mom.
Whey is the clear liquid that collects on the top of things like yoghurt and sour cream.  Also, had I actually searched the right combination of words, I would have found this page.

Basic Rules of Avoidance, and Good News.

Good news first:
As my husband puts it, my eggo is preggo!

Growing a baby is making me even more serious about avoiding certain things in food, and certain appliances.  So here is what I consider to be a beginner's guide to eating healthier.

Avoid processed foods as much as possible.  When shopping always read the labels on anything packaged you are about to buy.  I will put it back if it has:

• Soy.  In moderation this is OK, but this "good source of protein" messes with your hormone levels (as a woman)
• High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or corn syrup.
• Modified anything.
• Hydrogenated oils.  These are trans-fats and thus bad for you.  Partially hydrogenated is worse than fully hydrogenated.  They do this to extend shelf life.
• Artificial coloring of any kind.  Particularly caramel color, or anything with a number (yellow 5, etc.)
• An ingredient list more than five items long for no good reason (generally there is not a good reason for this)
• An ingredient I cannot pronounce.  Usually I put the product on hold and research the offending ingredient because there are some things that aren't bad for you, but are still big long science-y words.

I don't think I missed anything there.
I'm still starting out, but I can tell you that cutting all of this stuff from my diet has really made a difference.  Even before I was buying mostly organic produce I felt better.  I don't miss it, either.  Occasionally I'll get a craving for Pepsi, but that's pretty easy to fix with one of the glass-bottled ones (I call them Mexican Pepsi; they come from Mexico, as do the glass bottled Cokes).  The sodas in glass generally don't have HFCS in them.  They do, however have caramel color, so I only rarely indulge myself.

Another thing I try to do is avoid plastic packaging.  Who knows how hot the warehouse was (depending on what you're buying) or the stockroom at the grocery is.  Acidic things are something I will not make exceptions for if I'm buying them for cooking/eating.
For example: I buy white vinegar.  I use it to cook and to clean, but I buy the big plastic jug to clean with and the glass bottle to cook with.


Household cleaners:
I went biodegradable with my dish soap and my laundry detergent so far.  The products are more expensive, but with the dish soap I use much less of it because it is more effective than the cheap-o store brand stuff I used to buy.  I can't say about the laundry detergent, as I purchased it prematurely (it was on sale) and still have some regular detergent left.
The next thing I'll be looking for is biodegradable dish detergent for the dishwasher.  We use a lot of dishes, so the washer gets run quite a bit.  I run it once a day on average, sometimes less.  I like my machine because it has air dry and low energy options, so it's generally efficient.  Particularly because I'm a bit lazy when it comes to dishes.  And we don't have a drying rack right now.

I use vinegar water to mop with, and to clean off walls/counters.  Depending on what I'm cleaning I'll do a mix of half vinegar to half water, or a quarter vinegar to three-quarters water.  The latter formula I use mainly on counters and appliances while I use the former on floors and almost everything in the bathroom.  If I'm feeling extra cheap I'll use the quarter to three-quarters on the floor as well.

I do have 409, Windex, Comet, and generic Drain-O in my cabinets in various places around the house.  These I use rarely and they're mostly surplus from before I started switching.  I have Bona for my wood floors because the mop I bought happened to come with a bottle of cleaner (bonus!) but I will be switching to really diluted vinegar when that runs out.
The only thing (and I don't know where it came from, it just magically appeared under my kitchen sink one day - and I'm not joking about that, I have a thing against this stuff) I am actively pouring out is an aerosol can of disinfectant.  This is taking a while because it's full and I can't throw away a full can per trash collection rules.  So I spray as much as I can without backlash into the dumpster when I think about it.

~~~

I talked earlier about avoiding microwaves.  I guess I should also be avoiding my laptop and other electronic devices.  I have been avoiding the laptop (sans today) for the reason of eye strain, but now I have extra reason to not bring it with me to work.  At work the laptop goes on my lap, so that's probably not good.

~~~

There you have it; a small guide to how I got started.
And I do recommend taking this slowly as the price differences can be daunting.  Not to mention how overwhelming it is to overhaul your entire diet and some of your lifestyle.

I May Have Gone off the Cliff.

I was at Ross yesterday with the specific intention of buying new sheets for our bed.  Any time I'm upstairs in the particular Ross I go to I have to look around and see what's on the clearance racks, or on the baking/cooking aisle.  A lot of times I leave with cutesy cupcake pans featuring shapes such as Easter eggs or hearts.  This time I managed to avoid the baking/cooking paraphernalia and headed straight to the clearance rack.  On the way there I was side-tracked by a shelf of journals; I've been looking for a new journal for a while now.  These journals happened to have religious quotes on them, and I happened to leave the store with one that said, "Nature is the art or God," or something along those lines.  I also acquired the specific sheets I was looking for and a pizza pan/serving stand set.  All for around $65.  The journal accounted for $4 of that.
I was excited to bring the journal home, intending it to be a prayer journal my husband and I could use together.

I haven't written in it yet.
Or told hubby what it is for.

In an interesting series of non-events my mood changed (pretty rapidly) from chipper to sulky.  And then to angry.  And then I cried.  And then I was back to angry because nothing had happened to provoke any of it.
So after trying to calm myself down with my nightly yoga - which worked until I was finished with the yoga - I went to bed and fell asleep.
That is why I didn't tell hubby what the journal is for; I'm apparently losing control of my emotions.  It turns out that that is quite distracting.

I do like the idea of the prayer journal.  Although sometimes I think I'll feel weird when I'm writing in it, but I won't be able to tell until I actually make an entry.

~~~

I read a book about intuitive communication at work: the security guard produces books for me to read when I tell her I'm bored.  These books are always books that I would never pick up myself, so it's interesting to read them.
At any rate.
This book was about intuitively communicating with animals.  Or, being an animal whisperer.  I started off really skeptical, wavering pretty sharply between the idea that it was possible and totally dismissing it.  Then I read more, and more.  And by the last quarter of the book I was convinced of most of it.  There are still things that I doubt, but through curiously trying the exercises outlined in the book (it was sort of an instructional work) and actually having a fairly high success rate, I'm pretty convinced this is real.
Actually doing this is a lot like praying, except it feels different.  I realized around page 85 that intuitive communication with animals is almost synonymous with praying to God.
The basic idea is you talk to the animal as if you know they can understand you and respond themselves.  When you pray, you talk to God as if you know he is listening and will respond in a way he sees fit.  The difference here is you don't pray to the animals, you have a two-way conversation with them (once you've gotten good at receiving information).
I tried this with my cat Vincent before the convention at the beginning of March.  My roommate had been gone all day and her cats had been locked up for that time in her room, with no litter box.  Vincent usually follows me downstairs if I go - especially if I open her door to let the cats out for any reason - and the three of them don't get along.  If he was going to follow me, there would be no litter-boxing for Caspian or Sphynx.  So I stopped and patted Vincent for a second, then told him that I would appreciate it if he stayed upstairs while I let the other two out to use their litter box.  I went downstairs and Leeloo followed me, so there was no litter-boxing anyway, but Vincent stayed at the top of the stairs like I had asked.
I have several stories similar to this, and I know that to an outside perspective it sounds like coincidence, but it's interesting to see the change in behavior if you just speak to your animal the way you would speak to a person.

I got a little off topic there.  Ahem..
I meant to say that the book made me sad when I finished it.  We're so disconnected from nature now, and I think it causes more problems than we realize.  Nature really is God's art, and we should really take more time to appreciate it in my opinion.
Which is why the article in the Post about the Lorax made me want to laugh, cry, and punch someone simultaneously.  The article was about how the movie the Lorax was creating "Occu-babies."  By teaching children to appreciate nature it was somehow anti-progressive.  I haven't seen it myself, and I didn't read the whole article - just enough to figure out what "Occu-babies" meant - but I'm pretty sure some appreciation for nature couldn't hurt.

Why People Think I'm Crazy.

Because I'm crazy.

By society's standards I am, anyway.

I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom (SaHM) - since I can remember anyway.  The idea of the traditional family structure appeals to me.
Recently (within the past few years) I have lost faith in the public school system, deciding to home-school.  Homeschooling is a very much misunderstood endeavor, and I think I could be justified in looking to the government for the reason why.  The same reason I can look at the government for the reason people have a stigma about home births.
I want to avoid a hospital birth if I can.  I don't want the pressures of vaccinations, epidurals, pitocin, or which birthing position.  Lying down while you have a baby is the worst position you could probably be in.  Work with gravity, not against it.
I became Catholic: I joined an organization that appears to be against everything society is for.

Now, I'm pursuing healthy food.
People think I'm crazy for not using microwaves.  I've somehow gained a healthy (or unhealthy, depending on who you are) mistrust of microwaves over the last four years or so.  There was not one in my old apartment and there is not one on the counters of my current kitchen.  I have kept the microwave my old roommates left and stored it under the stairs for visiting guests who stay a while and absolutely cannot live without it.  I do understand why people think I'm odd for refusing to have a microwave.
People think I'm crazy for turning down fast food.  A friend of mine brings me things from out and about occasionally.  Last week she brought me Del Taco and Arby's.  I ate them, because I always feel guilty when people give me food and I will eat it rather than waste their money.  But dayumn.  I broke out like nothing else and felt pretty miserable the rest of the week after the fish sandwich.  This week she offered me a hot fudge sundae from McDonald's.  I declined and she got fussy saying it was only frozen yogurt (I'd like to know exactly what's in their "vanilla reduced fat ice cream").  A lot of the time people get angry with me for saying I prefer real food to fast food.  I'm sorry, but if eating better food makes me feel better, I'm going to do it.  Whether or not you think I'm being "too healthy."

The point is that some people just don't believe that eating better makes you feel better.  They say things like, "I feel fine now, so there must not be anything wrong with it," but if you've ever tried an organic chicken over a "regular" one you know the difference.
On a similar note; tomatoes are proof that agribusiness fails.  I hate tomatoes, at least I thought I did.  But organic or home-grown tomatoes are sweet and juicy and generally delicious.
Eating healthy is not only better for you, but you end up with food that has a richer, more satisfying flavor.  The chemical shortcuts they take to mass-produce food (which is a necessary evil at this point) cut from the quality of the product.  Not to mention what they do to the earth itself.

But the price!
Oh, how do I budget for organic food?  How, with so little money!?
It's not easy; there are sacrifices that need to be made (like that jar of Nutella that looks so delicious sitting in the baking aisle).  In the end you have to make the commitment to your body before you start comparing prices.
Actually, it's just better not to compare prices and be a sale shark.  If you compare prices, you will always second-guess your purchase.  At least if you're a cheap-skate like me.


So, here is some advice from one crazy to another potential crazy:
Make the commitment to yourself first.  If you're going to embark on the journey into the whole food diet, you'll need that extra willpower of, "this will be worth it in the end."

Like the Jamba Juice cup says:
Your body is a temple...

I want Jamba Juice now.....curse me!

Shopping Logistics

So today I thought I would write about where I shop for my food as the beginning of the whole food saga.

I haunt two places; King Soopers (Kings) and Sprouts.
I frequent Sunflower, but it's not a regular part of my weekly shopping journey.
I also go to Natural Grocers (Vitamin Cottage) when they have sales on things I want/need.

At King Soopers I get the majority of my paper products, some produce, and cereal.  I generally buy Cascadian Farms cereals because they are the lesser of the evils.  In fact, they have hardly anything bad in them, just the occasional soy lecithin.  We love cereal (particularly hubby).  The store right by my house doubles as a liquor store, and also has a very decent selection of organic produce/cleaners.  Plus the gas discount comes in handy.

At Sprouts I get Almond milk for the roommate, and the rest of my produce.  Sprouts is where I go for meat because the exact same chicken is at least $4-$5 cheaper at Sprouts than Sunflower.  I also get honey here ($1 cheaper than Vitamin Cottage and much cheaper than Kings).  I tend to get my cooking oils here too; olive, coconut, etc..  And sometimes they have great prices on wild caught Atlantic Salmon.
I'm a sucker for some fish.
Also, being Catholic, I usually have some in the freezer for Fridays.

Sunflower is a supplementary store.  This means that if I find some crazy good deal in the sale paper that either Kings or Sprouts does not match, I will go there.  And while I'm there I'll pick up bulk things like nuts and dried fruits.  Or toothpaste.

Vitamin Cottage is similar to Sunflower excepting Good Belly (a pro-biotic juice drink of deliciousness).  Good Belly is always cheaper here than at Sprouts.  Also vitamins.  Lots and lots of vitamins.

Places I will not shop:
Wal-Mart or Sam's Club.  Basically anywhere in the Walton empire.
My reasoning here should be obvious, but I will explain because I know a lot of people don't run with he same crowd as I do.  I was even a Wal-Mart shopper before I knew better.
Wal-Mart is not cheaper for the majority of it's goods.  Not only that, but the company started out shady.  This mega-store had it's beginnings in cheating distributors and driving out the little guy - even when it was a little guy.  The reason this bothers me is the intention was to drive out the little guy, not to be successful and just take the casualties as they happened.  If my information is correct.
They still cheat distributors, but parts of the company are palatable for me now.  Even still, I feel like I'm supporting evil when I buy things from there.  I will exhaust every other option before setting foot in a Wal-Mart.
The bottom line here is I don't trust their produce, or their business practices.

Whole Foods.
Otherwise known as Whole Paycheck, here is where you will find the trendy organic foods.  The foods that are labeled "organic" but are not necessarily organic.
Everything here is generally marked up a couple bucks also.

 ~~~

On an unrelated note, a link to a video was shared with me.  It's a Penn and Teller bit about organic farming.  I haven't watched it all on account of eye strain and hubby not arriving home with glasses for me to use until 7 or so (which is an hour before I like to be in bed).  But the bit I did watch struck me as intentionally polarized.  It seems like a comedy bit.  Please watch and let me know what you think!

FAQ and Miscellanious Musings.

Random story:
This morning, while opening the shop, I grabbed the airpot full of warm water to brew coffee and set it in the sink as usual - I brew a pot of water before leaving to keep the pot warm, thus keeping the coffee hotter for longer during the day.  I measured the grounds into the filter, loading them into the brewer and proceeded to empty the airpot into the sink.  Today there was some sort of spider, about the size of a dollar coin, in the sink.  I watched him as he struggled to avoid the flood, which he did successfully all the way up until the very end when he seemed to just give up.  He curled into a ball and followed the last trickling stream down the drain.
I wanted to save him, but I'm afraid of spiders.
I was so sad that he went down the drain.  I even said, "I'm sorry spider."  I felt bad that I had potentially killed him for almost an hour, and even recounting the story just now I still feel bad.
And that's my random story.

Some of these questions are off topic; I just decided I wanted to write about what it is I get asked the most as a blogger and as a barista.

More on HHS and Contraceptives.

I am back.  The convention went fairly good.  I do wish I had been able to garden this weekend, or get some semblance of housework done.  Guess what I'm doing this whole week!

Just in case:
The following post is based upon arguments I have read and heard.  It is not, in any way, intended to refer to every single person and their views about the issue.

Further regarding HHS:
I read two articles in last Sunday's Perspective section in the Post about it.  Both opposing the religious side in favor of "women's health."  One was written by a woman and one was written by a man.  Both brought up valid points in favor of birth control, the latter bringing up the point that the government indeed forces others to pay for things they are opposed to.  The author cited four to six things (I can't remember now) that peoples of other faiths pay for via taxes that they oppose.
The religious argument is not a new one.
I suppose the question now is what makes the Christian/Catholic argument any better than the others?
Upon thinking on the things the author cited (vegans paying for subsidized grazing land for livestock we eat) I've realized that the difference is that birth control is not something that is needed by the majority.  It is not a necessity that people be able to have sex without facing the consequences of a child.  There is a percentage of women (I think the first article mentioned said something around 14%) that need birth control as hormone therapy for treating certain disorders (PCOS) however, these women are most likely not going to die without it.
In a further discussion with my roommate she argued that freedom of religion is acceptable until your religion is hurting someone else.  The example she gave was as such: what if she worked for a Christian Science company and for some reason went to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.  At the hospital she dies on the operating table and needs to be resuscitated.  Now, because Christian Scientists do not believe in medical care they refuse to pay the particular part of the medical bill (after insurance) that is regarding the resuscitation and she is left with the resulting enormous bill.
That's valid, but I don't think a Christian Science company would even offer health insurance to begin with.
I can say, that having been in a situation where I was uninsured and "needed" birth control, it is not difficult to get.  All I did was go to a Planned Parenthood, told them I needed a prescription for this pill, and they gave it to me.  The cost was double what I was paying with insurance but even then it amounted to an extra $10 a month.  I understand that this is hard to come by sometimes, but it's not like I had a high paying job.  I was pretty much below the poverty line according to my income totals at the end of that year, but I made due.  It's all about budgeting, which is a skill Americans seem to notoriously lack.  In any case, I haven't found an insurance provider that covers contraceptives fully (albeit I haven't been really looking for one either).
So my point is that those who argue that it's OK to force someone to pay for something they morally oppose argue that those who are morally opposed are in some way physically harming someone else.  At least that's the way it seems on the HHS issue.
The issue is silly because it isn't like birth control is hard to get.  If someone opposes it and therefore will not pay for it, pay for it yourself.  You're already working, so use $20 of that money every month to buy a pack of pills.

The whole thing frustrates me.  I have a problem with people who expect others to just pony up for their stuff.  The group of people who are entitled to everything regardless.  The same people who will buy a shiny new car when they know damn well they can't afford it and then are surprised (sometimes even enraged) when it gets taken from them because they can't pay.
Yes, there are people who legitimately need the help, and help should come to them in some form or another.
But there are also those people who are perfectly capable of supporting themselves if only they didn't live outside of their means.  I feel like these are the people that make up the majority in this case.

But it could be that I'm just being a cynic.

Wasabi Con.

Animeland Wasabi Con is next weekend.

This is relevant because I have a table in the Artist Alley and will be selling my work there.  I am putting my blog on hiatus until the week after the convention to work on art and only art (I have no new product since two years ago).

The convention runs March 9th through March 11th.
I will be returning March 12th.

If you are in the area and you'd like to drop by to say hello, here is the address of the hotel:

3200 S. Parker Road
Aurora, CO 80014

Fair warning:
This is an anime convention which means there will be people who are scantily clad (whether they have the appropriate figure or not <3).  So if you're easily offended by things of that nature I would advise against visiting.


For those of you interested:
My Art

Boulder Billboards

"Man has the dreadful power of refusing to think"
- Fr. Ronald Knox

The above is taken from a chapter in the book I'm reading (I hate to be redundant, but there it is).  Having been a person who was not thinking, I find this quote amusing.  I'm sure someone will take offense, but it is intended to be lighthearted.  It's also true; working in customer service I can attest that perfectly intelligent people do (often) refuse to think.  We'd rather follow mindlessly.  It's easier.

At any rate, I was reading the paper this morning and came across The Open Forum in today's Opinion section:

Atheists' billboards: "God is an imaginary friend"

There were three responses published; all cordial, but all opposing the sentiment of the billboard.  The title of The Open Forum sort of softens the actual text on the billboard:

GOD IS AN IMAGINARY FRIEND.
CHOOSE REALITY, IT WILL BE BETTER FOR ALL OF US.
The Colorado Coalition of Reason
www.cocore.org

One response that was published said,

If Boulder Atheists' goal is separation of church and state, why don't they just say that?  They want to "encourage dialogue," they say, but dialogue can quickly become a monologue if you attack the intelligence of your audience.  I suspect "believers" know what reality is...
-Bob Benham

I understand the purpose of the billboard.  What I don't understand is the logic behind it.  They call themselves the Coalition of Reason, but I find their phrasing to be a little on the unreasonable side.  Choose reality, because what you believe is so wrong it affects everyone else in a negative way.  Uhm....what?  How is that reasonable?

I also disagree with the statement that choosing to live my life differently would be better for everyone else.  Living a Christian life is akin to living a good life.  No, you don't have to be Christian to live a good life, but the average person might be more inclined if he or she believed there to be consequences to their actions.  No, you don't have to be Christian to believe that, but following a faith certainly helps.

The people that paid the money to put up this sign are perhaps misguided.  Just as Bob Benham said, a dialogue quickly becomes a monologue if you attack your audience.

There is humor to be found in this, however, because it is better to laugh at it than to be irate.

There are more.  Apparently this is a thing:

 

On a related note, have any of you seen the Mormon billboards?  They're just a little on the creepy side:

pictured: creepiness.

 Check out that guy on the far right.  He's friggin' stoked about being Mormon.
These normal, unassuming people are Mormon!  It's awesome! They think it's awesome, you should try it!

Nothing against Mormonism, I just think the ads are creepy.

If you find any Christian/Catholic billboards, do share.  It's quite fun to see what people decide to advertise to the world.

The point of all this talk about billboards is this: if you ask me, I don't think religion belongs on billboards period.  It shouldn't be something you sell.

Merry Christmahanakwanzika.

The verdict is in:
This blog will remain anonymous until I am married at which time I will begin using my own name and being less impersonal about situations that happen to me.
I've decided to stop writing early in the morning when I get to work.  I'm not as good with words until I'm fully awake.

~~~

Last night my roommate and I cooked a delicious dish with (mostly) organic veggies/sauce.  We had previously gone to King Soopers (City Market/Kroger) to procure some edibles for my pathetically empty refrigerator and 'pantry.'  We were in the organic produce section - which is fairly large; this particular store has a very decent organic and 'exotic' food selection - and there were some things that were so expensive that I refused to pick them up there, preferring Sprouts' prices.  So we purchased said things in the un-organic variety as there was, generally, a more than $2 difference between them.  The whole trip took a little under an hour as we meandered through the store trying to think of things we may have forgotten (we had no list, because we're geniuses).
Something occurred to me (or, more accurately reoccurred) this morning; we - the consumer - are at the mercy of the companies.  How much do we really know about what happens on the farms?  What fertilizers the plants are getting, or what pesticides?  What legally qualifies as organic, and what are the labeling criteria?  Is something that says "organic" necessarily going to be bona-fide organic?
These are questions to which there is no readily available response.  If you're that interested in it, you usually have to go online to find out, and even then the information can be hard to find.  So, in a world where produce is available in massive quantities, what can the consumer do to make sure their food is not being mishandled?
Sorry, I shouldn't even say "world," I should say country.

Another thing that occurred to me is what I see capitalism doing to Christmas every year.  Slowly, we're leeching the meaning from this great holiday.  Not Christian?  That's okay, but it should also be okay to be Christian and express our love for God publicly, just as you express your distaste publicly.  I'm not angry that the above linked tree has only one ornament relating to Christianity, but I would say it should be called a 'holiday tree' rather than a 'Christmas tree.'
On a related note:  Those of you angry about the cross at the WTC site should find a more productive use of your energy.

Christmas is not about gift giving.  Christmas is about Christ:

"The word "Christmas" originated as a compound meaning "Christ's mass". It is derived from the Middle English Cristemasse, which is from Old English Crīstesmæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038 Crīst (genitive Crīstes) is from Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), a translation of HebrewMāšîaḥ (מָשִׁיחַ), "Messiah"; and mæsse is from Latin missa, the celebration of the Eucharist. The form "Christenmas" was also historically used, but is now considered archaic and dialectal;Cristenmasse, literally "Christian mass". "Xmas" is an abbreviation of Christmas found particularly in print, based on the initial letter chi (Χ) in Greek Khrīstos (Χριστός), "Christ", though numerous style guides discourage its use^; it has precedent in Middle English Χρ̄es masse (where "Χρ̄" is an abbreviation for Χριστός). it derives from Middle English"

 This holiday should be a celebration of faith and family, not a celebration of capitalism.  There are countries that don't have enough food or readily available clean water.  How has it become so important to buy people things they don't even need, and extravagantly so?
I hear on the radio quite often during the holiday season that someone has "ruined Christmas" by not getting a child what they want (like a puppy) to put under the tree.  This is more upsetting to me than the Capitol's holiday tree.  We've lost sight of what's truly important.

Quote found here.

Tapping Into Inner-Femininity

Normally I don't participate in the madness that is Black Friday (why is it even called that?) because why should I get up at three in the morning to go throw my money in a bonfire?  This year the counter to this question was fabric.  I'm going to add chiffon to the wedding dress I bought so I thought I'd go to Jo-Anns and see what they had.  It was only dumb luck that I got the dress the week before Black Friday, and extremely dumb luck that I even remembered it was Black Friday.