Everything smells like vinegar.

As promised, I'm here to share an update regarding my Apple Cider Vinegar Challenge. (Daa da-da daaa!)

After a bit of research, and a very popular Facebook status and Twitter ask, I found that apple cider vinegar really does seem to be the miracle liquid as long as the personal testimonies hold true. I have discovered that ACV can be used to:

- condition your hair
- kill warts
- treat acid reflux
- remove toxins from your body after a massage
- help a sick gallbladder
- remove ringworm and other rashes on pets
- fix urinary tract infections
- clear blemishes and facial redness when used as an astringent
- calm sore throats
- even help cure cancer!

I was in shock when I found out how powerful apple cider vinegar really is. Turns out, you need to make sure your ACV is raw and organic for it to work it's "magic," so I made sure to buy the Bragg brand everyone talks about. Some of the uses are topical and some are ingested, so depending on your ailment, you can find recipes and measurements online regarding how much you should dilute the acid before ingesting it or applying it to your skin/scalp/etc.

I'm trying two remedies. I'm using ACV as an astringent every night, and I'm also playing around with an acid reflux killing drink. Since I'm still learning, I'm doing a lot of research and beginning by using very diluted mixtures. I have been keeping up-to-date with all my mixtures, and frequency of use in my trusty Moleskine planner that had been going unused for awhile. How scientific of me, right?

In the morning, I've been adding two tablespoons of the vinegar to 8 ounces or hot water. I also add a squirt of honey and a good bit of freshly chopped ginger to help with the taste, plus the ginger is an added acid reflux relief. It's sort of yummy, actually. What isn't yummy though is adding a tablespoon of ACV to water and not adding anything else. Especially if the water's cold... you just feel like you're drinking sweat. So that's a little tougher. During work today I mixed a teaspoon of vinegar into the water I drink out of this huge tumbler I have, and it was slightly more bearable. Still a little dirty tasting though. 

There are a few warnings when it comes to this stuff too. So, please please please read over these websites I found, and then I encourage you to do your own research as well before you start using this age-old home remedy. (Read up: one, two, three, four.)

And, as if I don't have enough vinegar in my life as is, I spent the evening with our interns dyeing easter eggs! I LOVE coloring eggs so much. They were so hospitable, and we laughed a lot while we got all snazzy with some hard boiled eggs.

(Why yes, all of my eggs had cat faces on them.)

Off to bed for me. Tomorrow I plan on making a coffee run for some coworkers (so I can live vicariously through them) before I head in, so I need some sleep!

In the next day or so I'll post a batch of photos I had developed at CVS earlier tonight. They're pretty cute and I'm excited to share some with you soon.
K

Off to the post office!

If you participated in my postcard swap, expect a little surprise in the mail soon. With all my notes, I wrote about springtime, upcoming events, and my favorite parts about the Easter season. I have a really good quote I'll be sharing on Easter that I sent my friend Kate's way. I really love renewal and growth, and as the season of Lent draws to a close and Easter inches closer, may we remember to focus on the power of redemption. Even if you don't believe in God, or a higher power, or celebrate Easter at all, there is still power in the hope of redemption in the things that feel dark and unfixable in each of our lives. So rest in that today.

What are you doing this Easter weekend? We've got some fun plans cooked up that involve parks, picnics, games, and friends. 

K

We make quite a duo.

Guess what? Remember Harbor's and my trip to Athens, GA two weeks ago? Well, Harbor's interview for Z!NK magazine is now online. Feel free to read it here. It's sort of cute that I snapped the photos for his assignment, don't you think?

It should also be noted that I just finished skating around my house in hot pink roller skates and scared Matilda the Hun half to death! Poor kitty.

I'll be back tomorrow with an update about my first few days testing out my new apple cider vinegar remedies.

Photo by my roomie Allie

Ok, enough procrastinating. Back to work, accompanied by a bowl of cereal and some Phoenix dance-jams.

K

Photo editing and apple cider vinegar.

Cornerstone 2010

Photo by the amazing, incredible Carra Sykes.

Hey everyone! I hope your night is winding down nicely. I'm just editing a few photos of our sweet interns that I took this afternoon. Pajama-clad, teeth-brushed-and-face-washed, and I'm just about ready for bed. Before I drift off to sleep, I want to doodle a bit and read another chapter in my book. And probably pet Matilda for a few minutes.

But! I wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to be embarking on an Apple Cider Vinegar Challenge! I've been battling acid reflux (or Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) for just about as long as I can remember and I've been trying to wean myself off of my meds for over a year. The frustrating part about having really bad acid reflux is that when you're not managing it, it can come back more intensely, and seriously damage your body in the process (i.e. eroding the sensitive lining in your esophagus, making you prone to cancer and throat/swallowing conditions). So, I'm wising up and getting serious about taking care of my body. I made a doctor's appointment today with a new specialist in town, and I'm also beginning to become very strict about the foods I eat, as well as experimenting with more natural and homeopathic remedies. If I could reach a point where I'm not spending tons of money on prescriptions for this, it would be a huge blessing.

All that to say, I'm currently exploring the "miraculous" powers of apple cider vinegar. I've heard a lot of neat things you can use it for, and I figure that since I'm trying one, I may as well try them all. In fact, tonight I'm going to be using a recipe for an acne-fighting toner that I read on Vanessa's blog. It's definitely interesting, and if it works for me, you won't hear the end of me singing this organic vinegar's praises. (I recommend reading various articles you can find online. This one is pretty interesting.) Wish me luck!

Have you ever used apple cider vinegar for health purposes? What were your results?

Goodnight, my friends.
K

(Sidenote: If you're a regular blog reader and do not have a blog of your own, Blogger account, or blog-reader you can still interact with me and leave comments in the comment section below. Just post as "anonymous" and then sign your name in the comment box if you'd like. I really would love any and all advice in relation to acid reflux, problem skin or other "natural cures" that have helped you.)

Calm moments.

Photo by my housemate, Allie VM

Today is Palm Sunday! I'm working on grad school applications, running some errands, and resting on this beautiful day.

See, I've been working on not being so diligent lately, which is a true struggle for me. I'm really great at thinking, planning, and feeling secure in my ability to make things "perfect," or at least believe that I have the power to do so. Which is such a silly, unrealistic aspiration. It's odd to me that the "perfection struggle" is something that I deal with, because I love the beauty found in brokenness, imperfections and the process that accompanies growth. To own that in myself? That's some seriously scary stuff. But, if I can believe so passionately that it is good in others, then I must continue to fight to believe it for myself, too. I deserve it. I am worthy radiating that imperfect beauty too. 

So today I'm reminding myself that it's ok to breathe, it's ok to dream and desire things for my future, it's ok to celebrate the small things, and it's even ok to want things that don't have to make sense to anyone but me. 

One way I've been doing this is by taking photos (almost constantly this weekend) of things that remind me of the beauty of creation. But, because 1) most of my photos are film and are still hiding in my cameras, and 2) because I don't own a scanner, you'll just need to be patient for another long photo post and Flickr upload. I really do love Brevard County, and though the changing of seasons in Florida is pretty subtle, if you pay attention, you can catch it too. Summer is almost here, and I'm continuing to hold onto spring and the reminder of newness and celebration of life that comes with it. 

I hope you find rest this weekend, too. 

K