Merry Christmas!

It's quite late here and I realized at some point this afternoon that I had not posted at all the past two days, but I really have been incredibly busy. I am sorry, and a little disappointed that the finish was like this, but I missed less posts that I thought I would. I hope you have had fun reading and enjoyed this, maybe I will do it better next year. 

I have my brother visiting me so we have be out and about a whole lot and I had plenty to finish up before the Christmas holidays. Not to mention all the people that we see during this time. 

Any way, I wanted to wish all of you a merry Christmas! I hope you have wonderful holidays with your families and loved ones and can enjoy the seasons joys as well as relax a little bit. 

Cinnamon Stars

These have always been my favorite Christmas cookie! They are really not al that hard to make except that the dough is quite sticky and the meringue is annoying if you don't have a proper mixer to beat the egg whites, but the result is a sweet nutty slightly chewy cookie. They are also gluten and lactose free since they do not contain any flour or dairy products. 

So starting out with 

250 grams of ground nuts 

traditionally you would use almonds but this year I mixed in 50 grams of hazelnuts with 200 grams almonds and it was slightly different, but still delicious. Then add 

125 grams of sifted powder sugar 

and a solid teaspoon of cinnamon. 

Is a separate bowl whisk 

one egg white and

A tablespoon of amaretto (almond liquor).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and if you are using a machine you may have to intervene to scrape down the sticky mass from the sides. This also seems like very little liquid for the amount of dry ingredients but the sugar melts almost instantly and it does all come together. 

Then on a surface dusted with powdered sugar roll out the dough and it out your stars. I only had this shooting start available, but technically the shape doesn't really matter. Set the cookies on a lined baking tray and make the meringue by beating 

One egg white

Gradually adding 1 tbsp powdered sugar 

Continue beating until stiff. Then adding a little bit of this mixture to the top of every cookie. Now they just need to bake! This takes about 10-15 minutes in a 150 degree Celsius oven. The tops should still be white bit just starting to turn golden, mine here were obviously in just a little too long and turned fully golden. 

Let them cool a little before consuming. Enjoy! 

Schools Out!

I am so happy that the stress from school and tests has gone to have a vacation with the unicorns and leprechauns! We actually had a really chill day at school today because everyone was fully aware of the fact that we were already in break mode. On top of that I slept really well last night because I was able to shut everything off and take a hot bath and go straight to be at 10:30.  

After school I went into town to buy a zipper and some thread for my sewing project and then I met up with a friend of mine because she is going home for the holidays soon so it was lovely to see her again and catch up. And walking through to Christmas markets in our town center was also wonderful despite the slight stormy drizzle that was never gone for very long. The hot apple- sea buckthorn juice most certainly made for a truly lovely finish before our bike ride home. 

As much as I love spending time with her for her, there was a certain free and truly deeply relaxed feeling over the two of us because we were clearly going into a very relaxed period of the year. these next two weeks will probably be busy for me, but still fun to no end. and afterwards I will have my next internship; this time for 6 weeks followed by the next vacation week. 

My mental state seems to have spun right around from rather high stress and tight time management to freedom! For whatever reason, I feel the difference far more this year. It's almost like the feeling before summer break ads a kid, except that I have the joy and anticipation of seeing so many relatives soon on top of that free feeling. Life really is good. And today was a wonderful reminder of that. Also I think my methods yesterday have proven that I need to take half an hour before bed just for me more often. Especially when my roommate is not home and I can turn my phone on silent and just enjoy the tranquility of that moment. 

And thank you for reading, especially if you have stuck with me throughout my advent blogging despite two missed posts and everything. 

The Quest for Unique Fashion

So many of us want to be on trend and so called fashionable but still have unique style. This seems a little contradictory since trends are what most people are wearing, but somehow this is the ideal that the fashion industry and fashion and beauty bloggers instill in us. The simplest solution would of course be to sew our own clothes! This is most certainly not what commercial clothing stores are trying to sell us on, but it would make for clothes that are exactly our own style, unique and if you do it right, they always fit. 

I learned how to sew from my mother. It really isn't all too hard, and it seems to be a skill that was very much forgotten but looks to be coming back with the young people. It may be more work than going shopping and require some creative foresight to imagine the finished product you are aiming for. Using patterns available and a simple sewing machine it really isn't all too difficult. 

I thought I might write this little bit as food for thought as I took my last test before Christmas break and am currently working on a top I plan on wearing to some of my Christmas parties this season. Pictures will be up once I finish sewing this piece. It occurred to me that not only is this not that hard, sometimes you can find really cool fabric for great prices, but I don't have the time in one pice to do both the creative bit and actually make the piece I imagine. And it is sad becuase I have a lot of fun sewing and also wearing my own clothes knowing that no one else is wearing the same thing. 

I suppose I have my first new years resolution too. I want to sew more and I have a few ideas that I have seethed or noted in my notebook so that I can look back to those when I need some inspiration. As always, thanks for reading, and I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic. 

Birthday Dinner Outfit

Birthday Dinner Outfit by alovelylittlethought-1 featuring black skinny jeans

I'm off to a Birthday in the family and this is roughly what I am wearing.  I love the simple and timeless elegance of black jeans with a clean cut black top, soft brown eyeshadow and a bold red lip.

Study Break!

Oh my, oh my! It is most certainly Monday. And I have already put off studying with some grocery shopping and a trip into the drugstore for bits and bobs that I needed, although if I am totally honest it could have waited until tomorrow or the day after. But I have a Monster test coming up and because I know exactly how much I have to study and how much of it I really only need to refresh and all of this to Wednesday. I have a terrible case of the Mondays.
Tomorrow won't look much better in terms of things I have to do outside of school stuff. And lets face it once I have survived that and then the second test of the week on Thursday it is all smooth sailing! Christmas breakfast in school on Friday and then I'm off! I have lots of Christmas presents to finish and wrap and then my brother will be joining me in Dresden for the two weeks. There is so much to enjoy and look forward to. Unfortunately, there are a few hurtles that are not too small standing in my way. So it is hard to get into this week and start getting through this week.
This was my study break, so I will now go hit the books. I have definitely vented enough for one day. I hope your day has been better than mine and Thank you for bearing with me and getting this far.

Baked Apples Recipe

Bakes apples are a wonderful winter treat! Absolutely delicious and mindbogglingly simple and also a great way to use apples that have been sitting just a little too long to have a pleasant texture raw. 

I fill mine with a combination of vanilla sugar and coconut oil that have been creamed to an even paste and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Then I add some chopped nuts today a mixture of almonds and walnuts in about equal parts. I eyeball all of this based on what I have in the house and am feeling. Many people like raisins or other dried fruits in the fulling, but I am not a huge fan of raisins and I like the simplicity of apple and nuts without any other sweetness added to the mix. If you like it, you go right ahead and add it in. 

The apples need to be washed and cored, but not peeled, they fall apart if peeled and the filling can easily be scooped out with a spoon if you don't like the peel. The stuffed apples go into the over at about 180°C for half an hour or so. When they fill the apartment with a delicious scent and look slightly golden they are ready. I like mine with some Greek yogurt or quark but ice cream is also quite tasty and they are of course delicious just as they are. 

Thank you for reading. and happy 3rd Advent! 

Chocolate Shells

praline shells are a bit or a tricky situation. I found instructions that said to fill the hot chocolate into the form and flip them to let it run down, but mine seemed to just run down one side and filling them all the way seemed pointless because then the chocolate would have nowhere to go. so i took a tooth pick and meticulously coated the sides of these starts with chocolate from the bit i had put in the bottom.

These stars are actually pretty cool, although I tend to prefer simple shapes without too much fuss. The outer shell is really just the first step but it is so important to get a nice layer that can then be filled. Because the shell needs to be thick enough to be sturdy but thin enough that the filling doesn't go under inside a hard shell that also overpowers the flavors. Also it is always better to have a nice shining chocolate cover and not a coat of cocoa butter that makes the finished color milky and dull. this is pretty easy to do. All you need to in to chop your chocolate and melt about 2/3 in a double boiler and add the last 1/3 once it had been taken off the heat. It will still melt, but it takes advantage of the multiple melting points of cocoa butter that make chocolate to scrumptious.
Once they are filled with whatever you want they are also easy to close. If you put quite a bit of chocolate on one side you can scrape it over with a dough cutter or scraper or anything sturdy with a straight flat edge. This leaves a thin coat on the bottom of the chocolates and close the praline with a nice finish.

I'm working on perfecting a Compari orange fulling that should come soon along with some other fillings I am working on.

Book Covers

It is once again that time of year when I realize just how behind I am on making all of the Christmas gifts I have planned. And for whatever reason this year I am still putting it off because I have some pressing school work that needs to be done first.
This was simply a notebook and not a very pretty one which is why I wanted to spruce it up. I should mention that this is possible with any number of other books especially books you have bound yourself. Notebooks with blank or lined pages are just as good as stories, poems pictures, or whatever else you have up your sleeve. But you will need a book of some kind, glue and some paper also a ruler and a pencil make this easier and something to trace the folds just go ahead and make everything a little neater.

Firstly you will need to measure your book. Including the spine! Then mark the paper from the wrong side with about 1cm margin to fold over the edge. Then for the inner lining you will need to measure the inner side of the book and subtract about 1/2 cm from each side. this peace will be posted over the folded in sides of the outer paper. The margins I used here are just suggestions if you would like a little more or a little less boarder then go ahead and adjust accordingly.

For the glue it doesn't really matter so long as it ti suitable for both components that are being joined and it is spread thinly all over. Then gently align the outer paper and smooth it on pushing to the outside to eliminate any bubbles. The inner side go on the same way. Then let it dry. this here is my finished project:


Make it your own! I love paper, so this is just the thing for me to do and not just for me but also to give others. Now I can collect my thoughts in one very neat and lovely book that is all mine.
I think this is a great idea for gifts because it provides a one of a kind object that is also useful in many ways. Happy crafting!

Veggies in Bread

I have always liked baking my own bread and rolls, but I don't have the time usually. But it is possible and tastes great not to mention that I always know exactly what is going into the food i am eating.
Now we all know that whole grains are better than white flours and organic is better than conventional so organic  whole grain bread has got to be amazing. As it turns out, its not that simple. Firstly, not all grains are created equally and secondly grains that are high in gluten tend to create more sourness in the body when they are being digested. I have been thinking about this a lot lately because I want to eat more alkaline building foods. So the next step was to try making bread that was more alkaline.
I went for a basic recipe with spelt instead of wheat for a start and then added quite a bit of grated zucchini. The result form this experiment was delicious but very dense and moist. Thankfully I didn't make all too much, but it got me wondering a few things:
1. How much grated veggies can I put in my dough before it greatly changes affects the texture?
2. How can I make this taste just a little bit better? Because there are so many other things that should shift the scales towards the more alkaline end that sound delicious.
So I figure that I would not post the recipe because it needs improving, but it seemed worth posting about because it has occupied my thoughts. So please please let me know if you have tried something similar and have any tips. Also what is your take on alkaline diets? I have mixed feelings but I want to try this out and see how my body responds. If you want more posts like this one or about nutrition let me know.
Thanks for reading!

Candied Orange Slices

I missed yesterday! And I feel so badly about it but I just couldn't get it done in time, so I hope this recipe makes up for it. 

1 cup of water and 1/2 cup sugar go into a pan ans come to a boil. Gently stir until the sugar is dissolved at this point in go the orange slices I have mine at about 3/4 or a cm thick and organic. I recommend organic because the peels stay on so it is just a smidge more relevant. Let them simmer until the white bit of the peel turns translucent and the syrup has thickened a little bit. 

Then once they are done they need to drip of, ideally on a rack. Unfortunately I do not have a drying rack but laying them out on some parchment paper overnight will do the trick in a pinch. Then once they have cooled and dried some roll them in sugar and lay them back out to dry fully. 

These are do delicious and the syrup is wonderful too! The orange slices are also wonderful covered in dark chocolate or in any number of other forms. 

An Herb Concoction for the Scalp

with the colder season comes cold and dry air which causes many of us to suffer from dry skin.

I personally also have quite the dandruff problem in the winter. This is the kind of thing that I'm sure some people can ignore or are not too bothered by, but I am very annoyed by the little flakes that perch on my shoulders and sit in my hair for a while. So I whipped a little something up to combat this little thorn in my side causing an itch on my scalp.
This is not a science, it is just a combination of natural remedies that have in fact helped me. I muddled up a couple sprigs of rosemary and thyme in a mortar and pestle then I filled them into this little bottle and filled it almost all the way full with olive oil and added a few drops of tea tree oil.
To use it give the bottle a good shake and then I take about a tablespoon in multiple smaller droplets onto my hands and rub them into my scalp. It helps significantly to take the time to massage your scalp for a few minuets and them allow it to sink in for a little while longer. You can wash it out almost immediately after or put a shower cap over the oily strands and sleep on it. Obviously you will want to wash you hair thoroughly before contact with society, and that may take two shampoos as the oil doesn't just rinse out like conditioner or store bought masks. Also the olive oil is wonderful for your hair, and it just so happens that most of the ingredients are so helpful because the increase circulation, which also helps increase healthy hair growth.
This is the kind of thing you have to believe in and try for yourself, if you have any allergies then leave it, otherwise feel free to give a shot and see if it works for you.

Homemade Caramel

This next one is a recipe I got from a pamphlet last year, but only tried out the other day and it makes for a very sweet weekend theme. So for all the caramel lovers here goes!

This takes a little time and patience but is totally worth it so start by bringing 175g sugar, 1tbsp honey, 200ml heavy cream, 80 grams butter to a boil and the reducing the heat and letting it continue to caramelize until it turns a lovely golden brown color. Stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn check how it has thickened up. Then once its done let it cool a little until it can be handled and then it can be formed into balls, or spread out and then cut into shape. 

Topping up the finished treats is the fun part. Salt is a delicious option. I went for candied ginger on these because I am a huge fan, but you can go nuts with whatever suits your fancy. 

This might be a whole lot of things that are apparently bad for you in one pot, but it is delicious and a lovely treat. And several of my relatives will be getting a selection of homemade candies for Christmas this year. They also make a nice little something to bring to all those dinner parties that seem to take place right around this time. 

Vegan Sweets

This is greatly variable since this is so easy to substitute and change to suit your taste. I went for a an orange, date and coconut combo here.

So if you have a blender in goes, 4 dates and some coconut shavings until a crumbly slightly sticks mixture forms. If you don't have a blender or, like me, your blender is broken roughly chop these until the same consistency is arrived.

In a pan go the juice or an orange about 1 1/2tbsp coconut oil and some finely chopped candies ginger until the orange juice thickens and the mixture starts to caramelize the give is a good whisk before is goes into a bowl with the dry ingredients. Once it is all really well mixed up and not too hot to touch form the mixture into little balls and let them cool completely. The mixture will firm up a little more once it has cooled down.

These are really delicious and very tempting. Cherry almond is also a lovely combination with some dried cherries and dates as a base with almonds, and almond butter. Experiment around. If you have any other combinations let me know!  

Sulfates - My Experiences

The topic of sulfate free shampoo has been around for a while. I don't remember when I started hearing about this, but I do remember very clearly that it was a big deal when cleansing conditioners were hot on the market and L'Oreal came out with their first Ever products. I believe it started with the ever pure line. I also remember liking that shampoo, it smelled like rosemary and mint if I am not mistaken. As a teen fascinated with beauty I was convinced that every beauty guru on the internet was righting some new scripture! But I have just avoided shampoos containing sulfate for the most part since them. I currently own one cleansing shampoo and I always notice that it leaves my hair squeaky clean(over dried and stripped), makes my hair color fade faster and makes quite a lot of hair fall out. I don't wash my hair very often and of those times I use this shampoo about ever 4th or 5th time. At this point I really just want it to be empty! Because I find that this over irritates my scalp and removes color that I purposely put in my hair.
I feel as though a lot of people think it is normal to loose lots of hair when they wash their hair. While it is normal to loose some hair and rinse out hairs that were already loose but still caught up in the bunch, but there are limits to what can be considered normal, a big handful certainly exceeds that limit for most. Also it is important to mention that there are any number of other ingredients in your shampoos that could be irritating your skin and scalp.
All of this said, I do use shower gels that contain sulfates. I find that most of my skin is not irritated, but the skin on my head seems to be sensitive. And by that I mean not only my scalp but also my face. I find that the skin on my face dries out easily and a sulfate free face wash feels better. In the case of sulfates I know where I stand on sodium laurel sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate from the experiences I gathered from trying products and reading the ingredients. That's not to say I didn't read up on them, but I also listened to my body and the messages it was sending me about what was doing it good versus what was causing more harm than good.

Vegan Spaghetti Squash

This was something I threw together with vague recollections of a stuffed spaghetti squash recipe I once made and then just adapted as I went along and the result was beautiful, delicious and entirely plant based and even gluten, lactose and soy free.

Spaghetti squash is pretty easy to cook, it just takes a little time if yours is as big as mine was. also my biggest casserole dish was not big enough to fit both halves side by side. Essentially a decent amount of water goes into a pan and the squash halves go cut side down into the pan an roast in to oven until the outside starts to brown and the inside is tender when tested with a fork. depending on the size this takes between 45-75mins. 

In a pan I started by melting some butter and letting it brown just ever so slightly before adding half a chopped onion and soon after some roughly chopped mushroom. Once this started to fall into itself a mixture of chopped walnuts, cranberries, sage and pumpkin seeds go into the hot pan along with some chopped green pepper the nuts and spices just need to toast a little and the pepper is best when it still has a little crunch. the result is almost a faux meat. The sage along with nuts and mushrooms in this constellation and a flavor that is slightly meaty but also a texture that resembles ground beef a little bit.

Once the spaghetti squash is done and scooped into a bowl or onto a plate the veggie nut mixture can either just be added up top of mixed int thoroughly. for any cheese lovers like myself this does also do well with a little grated cheese of your choosing over the top. I would recommend a Gouda but almost anything will do the trick.

Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Leftovers from thanksgiving don't only make wonderful sandwiches, they also make great pancake ingredients. To be a little more specific I still had some pumpkin puree that I  had make for pumpkin pie. So this is an adapted recipe for buttermilk pancakes.

1 1/2 cups of flour (I mixed rye and white flour)
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
with 1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups jogourt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
a piece of ground ginger
about 6 tablespoons of butter
all into a bowl and then into a hot pan with a little bit of melted butter. The result really was wonderful, so I just had to share because it is so easy!

Did You Open an Advent Calender Today?

Today is the first day of December which means it is time to open the first box of your advent calender AND the start of my blog advent calender. I am going to do my utmost to post every day so that from now until Christmas Eve there will be new content right here.

To kick start this: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Now the supermarkets have had Christmas spirit since October, but in the past week or so the rest of the city has been draped in lights and joined this Christmas vibe.

The pinnacle being the Dresden Striezelmarkt, a time honored tradition during the Christmas season. According to a speedy internet search this is the 580^th Striezelmarkt in Dresden. I loved this tradition whenever I was in the country during the holiday season, and apart from the crowds that make the historic marketplace impossible to navigate it is still lots of fun!

Fall Foods

I have shared my excitement for fall so many times now, but once more: I love fall! and I love fall food! These are all seasonal and mostly local foods. I think it is obvious that the pomegranate is the odd one out as they do not grow in Germany as our climate is not suited. But I bought one to treat myself the other day. And I checked; they are in season.
Apples and pears and winter squash are all seasonal local foods right now that have me very excited for Thanksgiving. This year we are once again planning a potluck style dinner in my friend group. We did this last year because why not? And it is a great excuse to get everyone together. So if you are away from home and want to celebrate Thanksgiving with people you love and who love you do it. Just gather up everyone else who doesn't have anything better to do.
Pomegranates, oranges, clementines and the like are also very present in grocery stores now, but they have a very wintry vibe. So as delicious as all of those are, I am far more excited about the local foods right now. Also because these are delicious foods that can be and are grown in my area! And that is something for me to get excited about. Also this kind of harvest festival reminds us to take a look at what we eat, and for some of us that also means where that food comes from.
Happy Thanksgiving eve!

As the Days Grow Shorter and Colder

All I want is soup! I love cold crisp weather when I can put on layers and layers of coziness to cuddle up in. But there is something incredibly soothing about warmth from within, specifically from a hot meal. And nothing warms quite like soup. My personal favorites being any kind of chunky stew or miso soup. I know they are very different, but both are delicious. I also find them fitting for very different situations, and staying with the chunky stew something filling, warming, comforting and delicious that has a magical way of also not breaking the bank and being a great way to use up little bits and bobs that need to be used up before they go bad. what more could you want? Oh did I mention that it is also really healthy with fiber, protein and fresh veggies. Before I start, this can be varied in so many ways that the options are endless and you rarely have to go get groceries before starting.
First a nice flavor base for the broth. I started with one finely chopped onion and some sun dried tomatoes in olive oil. once the onions start to go clear I added some bouillon cubes and let that simmer with the occasional stir.

Then I add everything that takes a while and plenty of water. Potatoes are a must, and butternut squash (or any other winter squash or pumpkin) and lentils or beans go really nicely too.





While that comes to a boil I chop like a champion. This here is tomato, zucchini, eggplant, carrot, and mushroom. Along with that some spices for example fresh ginger and turmeric along  with the classics: salt and pepper. I also added a can of chick peas. Any kind of bean or pea out of the can should go in close to the end, whereas dried beans that have been soaked need to be added earlier so that they can cook through.

I garnished my soup with some plain yogurt and smoked paprika which made for a lovely finishing touch. I was also able to eat from this big pot about four times and give my roomie some. Something this delicious and Nutritious always hits the spot! 

Hello there

My life really is a work in progress, but I find myself having to look more and more to the future and plan what I want to do and where I want to be. Because I grew up in Boston for the most part of my younger years, I do play with the idea of moving back to the United States or staying here. While that decision is still wide open I was really hoping to do an internship abroad in the United States and idealy in Boston so that I can see my family while I'm there. I did contact several hospitals expressing my interest in an observationship. Since I cannot work with patients directly I would of course only be able to observe, but that too is a wonderful learning opportunity.

So now it is really happening! I know it will work and even though the final week is not yet set in stone it certainly is taking shape in a very good way. I am so thrilled about this so I really wanted to share since this is a personal blog. I hope these kinds of posts are interesting to you as well. 

Thanks for reading, 

Eva Mathilde 

Veggie Burgers

Hey there. I know I disappeared for a week, but I was on break from school and internship shenanigans. I did actually put a lot of thought into weather I was going to take this completely off or continue blogging, and chose this first because I was working at my side job and doing lots of things so I took the time for me to recuperate and am coming back full force. So from here on out the goal is once again posts every Sunday with eventual bonus posts during the week. And I have lots of ideas!

I love me some veggie burgers. I was watching YouTube videos and saw several videos from Sorted food as part of their #BeatMyBurger line and remembered some wonderful black bean burgers I made a while back. I don't however remember the exact recipe so I winged it with this one which has more texture and a wonderful flavor. So firstly, I cooked some black beans the day before so they are not quite as soft as those from a can, but both work just fine.
First I took about 1 cup of green Spelt. (This is a common ingredient here, but far less popular in the United States. I recommend checking natural food stores) and about the same amount of hot broth, or just enough to cover the spelt well so it can soak up most of the liquid. This takes about 15 minuets. Once it is finished and the spelt is softened and the broth liquid is mostly absorbed about 1.5 cups of black beans with some of their cooking liquid and any spices go in. I have here from the top left some sun dried cherry tomatoes finely chopped, salt, freshly ground black pepper, fresh herbs, coriander and cumin.


 At this point I used my hand to mix and mash everything really well, but with canned beans they might be easier to mash with a potato masher before adding. My mixture was a little too runny, so I added 2 Tbsp of fine oat flakes to thicken it up. If it is too thick , just add little bit of water 1 tbsp at a time.






then I just spooned the mixture into a hot pan and let both sides get nice and crispy. They do hold up really well and do not need any egg to bind everything making these delicious burgers vegan! So these are done now and I am just going to take the patties and some salad with lots of fresh veggies to work with me tonight. You could of course add a bun and the condiments for a more traditional burger if that suits you better.

Clean Cosmetics - a Closer Look at Parabens

I find the topic of safety of cosmetics fascinating and the more I look into this the more I realize that this is really controversial. The only thing everyone seems to agree on is that there is a lack of research. I found that it was easier to start some where and for some reason I had parabens on my mind, so why not start there?

Parabens are preservatives that are found in personal care products, make up, pharmaceuticals and even food. They are cheep to produce, effective bactericidal and fungicidal properties and have been used for years. Products need preservatives to keep from growing bacterial colonies or fungi, both of which are gross but also potentially dangerous. In more recent studies parabens have been found in breast cancer cells and have been found to mimic estrogen. The piece about parabens being found in breast cancer tissue doesn't however show that they case cancer, rather that the molecules are absorbed and stored by the tissue. The research that parabens are carcinogenic (cancer causing) is simply not there. The direct link has not been proven, but it has also not been disproven which makes all of this so controversial. Because not knowing means we can trust that its been like this for long enough or to avoid a potential risk to minimize any unwanted side effects. Parabens are also believed to mimic estrogen, which I personally find far more frightening. Any hormone or hormone mimicking substance can affect fertility and the general homeostasis and balance of your body this is particularly strong in children and children in puberty. When we are no longer developing the effects are not quite as severe, but also rather controversial and honestly a whole topic of its own. Studies also indicate that methylparaben in skin products reacts with UVB rays and increases skin aging and damages DNA.

 Essentially: knowledge is power and knowing what the deal is is crucial to deciding what products you want to use and buy. So I implore you to be informed, because this is an overview and I am not an expert and all the information I found is available on line. I take form this that I will from this day buy products that stay on my skin and are exposed to sun without parabens and minimize my exposure to them through “rinse off” products.

A Funny Story About Adventures

The story starts in 1995 with a baby Eva Mathilde being born in Dresden Germany, then we might as well jump to 2001 because nothing all too exciting or relevant happens before my family moves to Boston USA. Then we might as well fast forward to me trying to decide what to do with my life like so many high school seniors do. And for several reasons I decided to move back to Dresden.

I went into this thinking that it would be the big adventure of my life, and somewhere in the back of my mind I really wanted to blog about moving so far away from home and life as a so called adult, but I was too busy. So I thought I would just postpone any real blogging for when I got situated. And it hit me that about a year later I just started blogging more regularly as life has allowed me to do so. Which makes all of this quite the funny story with the real kicker being that my life if just my life. In progress.

But for today, I would like to share my little adventures from the long weekend. So here goes with Thursday night because we all know that when Friday is a holiday, the weekend starts Thursday night. I started my weekend with a lovely muscle and joint bath since I have been having problems with my knees lately and woke up this morning with mysterious shoulder discomfort that had not let up. So to conclude a day where I had been on my feet for most of the day starting at 7am all the way to 21:15 it was truly fitting and wonderful! No pictures here because the light is bad and there wasn't much exciting to photograph since I went to bed not long after.

Friday was Halloween, which is not quite as big here as it is in America, but it is an excuse to through themed parties which is always fun. In any case it falls on a national holiday which means that I had nowhere to be and didn’t leave my house until about 5pm. But I went for a nice walk as the sun had just set and I curled up in many layers and took an aspirin for my shoulder. I also opted not to go out tonight because of my shoulder despite my love for everything Halloween.

I spend about two hours waiting to get my shoulder checked out by doctor and about 15Euro at the pharmacy for the medication recommended by the doctor and some homeopathic remedies that I wanted to stock up on for my home pharmacy stores. But when I left the clinic I went for a lovely walk before being too weighed down with groceries to take any more pictures on the way home.

As much as I hate to admit this: I did not leave my apartment at all on Sunday. I got so caught up in school stuff and had some technical difficulties. So that just sucked up my whole day! I also talked on the telephone with some family members and then I made dinner for me and my roommate who came back today because she went to visit her parents for the weekend. But essentially I always have one big assignment over the internship blocks where I have to test all kinds of things on one patient and sum it up and then write what I did with them in one of my therapie sessions. I suppose it makes sence that this could consume my whole Sunday if I don't watch out or force myself to do something, but now that it is done and really only needs a final read through I am incredibly relieved. 

Also I would have posted this earlier but I was just now torn out of my bubble when I saw the time. So off to bed it is as soon as I finish this. I hope you enjoyed reading this and feel free to leave a comment below. 

October Was a Cozy Month

and here is what I quite enjoyed this month:

Somehow being in a work setting more than a school setting I found that while sometimes stressful and while I was having to prepare things now and again I had a lot of time for myself that I didn't have to use studying and it allowed twitter to happen... if you have one that is actively in use, you know what I mean. It's addictive.
Also it got quite cold this month and there were some rainy patches which explains the candles and sweaters and general cozy atmosphere that I have tried to build in my home environment.
And this may be the most exciting bit: I bought I used DSLR! I have had mixed results with the local eBay functions here, but that has more to do with the people and the fact that the best stuff is gone really quickly, but this high turnover rate also makes great little bits that you can be lucky enough to find, and this camera really is still in great condition and it is a good one for me to start out with.

Concluding an Exercise in Self-Control

In mid July I posted about a promise to myself that I would use up 8 products before I buy anything new for myself that I cannot reasonably justify. In that post I knew that it might go terribly wrong and I also knew that there are certain things that I was going to repurchase and wouldn’t want to wait for.

So from this attempt I learned a few things. Firstly I noticed that when I am downtown looking for something for someone else I am quickly tempted to treat myself as well. I was buying a birthday present for my cousin when I strayed from the goal to treat myself.

Secondly I noticed that I am impulsive in treating myself to something like a nice bath. And when I am having a bad week and the weather in cold and rainy too boot I am all for “cheating” and allowing myself to have that experience (with the bath salt packet I bought for the occasion) without feeling guilty about it.

Last but not least I think I saved quite a bit of money! Not tons but enough that it caught my attention. Probably also because the whole thing put me in a mindset where I was being far more conscious of my consumption and justifying what I purchase.

I think I learned form this, and putting a number on the situation does give a nice solid goal to work towards and a sense of accomplishment once there. I think that this also worked out really well for me despite my not being very strict about the whole thing. Also if this mindset and general way of looking at the products I use and particularly the things I purchase then I wont be setting this kind of goal too soon. But if I notice things piling up again I probably will try to strictly reduce it, and this is most certainly an effective method.

Clean Cosmetics- Where to Begin?

I've been thinking a lot about synthetic ingredients and natural cosmetics. I once had a rule of thumb to only buy things where I could pronounce the ingredients and avoid everything with long or weird names that only dermatologists and chemists would recognize. This quickly unraveled because there seemed to always be something.
The next option would be to minimize the number of things that cannot be pronounced in one take, but where the line should be drawn is always rather fuzzy. And what if the list is endlessly long?
So like I mentioned, lately this topic has caught my attention several times. And I know it is a bit of a trend to watch out for silicons, sulfates, parabens, mineral oil and aluminum salts. But what does that mean? Why those things? And as if those five things weren't enough once you start looking you find lists of 10, 15, 20 things to avoid. Should I write them down for the next time I'm out shopping? Its a mess!
Maybe focus on what is really bad for me and what is just highly complex. A simple Google search will bring up plenty of of credible sites with great tips that make it seem so easy. But if you are shopping in a plain old drugstore and reading all kinds of labels and trying to remember 15 things to look out for you might wish you had an eidetic memory and the powers to quickly crosscheck all of those pages you had read last weekend.
To get to the point: I really have been making an effort to pay attention to the products I buy and even more so to those that I use on a daily basis and repurchase regularly. It's not easy and it takes more time. These products tend to be more expensive, but that investment is one I personally am willing to make. And most importantly I believe it is doable, and I want to get better at picking out the toxins that I don’t always realize are there.
I'm curious what you think about this. Please leave a comment with experiences or tips! I would much appreciate it!

Bobby Pins to the Rescue

The awkward stage between lengths when you want to grow out your hair can not only look weird, but but be incredibly annoying! This is where bobby pins save my sanity and keep me from seeming like I have a tick because I am constantly trying to get the hair out of my eyes. These are mostly variations on the same thing, but the subtle differences make for cute styles that vary from day to day. I hope you enjoy my series of selfies! If anyone has other ideas for this length hair let me know.
Until next time!

Growing My Hair

I like having a pixie, but it has occurred to me that it is incredibly impractical for my line of work. So last night I decided to let it grow. I have had short hair for about 5 months now, if I am not mistaken, and I had pretty long hair before that. So I have been at both extremes and I do this periodically. I let my hair grow and at some point I just decide to cut it all off. And right now I want my hair just long enough to quickly pull it together into a ponytail for the clinic or on lazy Sundays when I just don't feel like walking around with a bed head but really do not feel like doing anything more with my hair.

At this stage I am almost due for a haircut anyway, which I am just going to skip and allow my hair to grow for a few more weeks. I can only recommend patience, lots of water and exercise. These are simple things that will be crucial to letting your hair grow out along with regular maintenance and care as you would anyway. There is no miracle, no elves, no potion that will make your hair suddenly grow out. And I know that this takes months and the process feels awful, especially in the beginning, but its doable. and I am going to try and document this from time to time with little tips as I go.
So I would like to end this with one little tip: blow drying hair really does help it fall better. This is a step that I don't normally have time for in my busy day to day morning routine, but especially as my bangs get longer I have tried to take the three minuets to at least blow dry my bangs into place so that I am not tempted to shave my head. And it has made a huge difference.
Until next time!

The IKEA affair

I love ikea! I con to explains why, but apparently I am not alone. For me it is not the food, or even the furniture itself really, it's more going through all of the rooms and getting inspiration for the interior designation of my room and any future apartments I might one day decorate. Also there is something about the little things: there are a few little things from ikea that I own that are not fancy in any way shape or form but I absolutely love them. My big problem with ikea is that much of the furniture in particular, is designed to be cheep. This means it is not expensive to buy now, but won't hold for a very long time. And some of the furniture is really nice, but this is out of my price range although I had to mention it because it really is not all crap and I don't want to make it sound that way. Recently I went to ikea with my roomie, and to be precise we needed two trips before we truly had everything we needed but I am getting off topic. We were successful and I bought new cushion covers of the sofa which look wonderful and I bought an entirely new pillow for my bed, a bookshelf for my room and a kitchen cupboard along with a few nick knacks.

The furniture mentioned is all basic stuff, nothing out of the ordinary or fancy. Almost a little plain. So particularly the white kitchen cupboard needed a little personal touch. 

This is all just acrylic paint on the cheapest fronts we were able to find sealed with a clear acrylic sealer. The results are definitely my style and fit into our eclectic kitchen. I love it! So thank you ikea for the basics that, combined with a little time and effort, allow me to own unique, interesting, and affordable furniture. 

Until next time, Eva Mathilde
P.S. the cupboard still needs to be mounted, I  just got too excited to wait since I had finished painting it. And the bookshelf gets to keep a sleek simplicity as it is the direction I plan to go as I am paining a few other furniture pieces in my bedroom. So stay tuned for some pictures there.

Fermentation takes on a whole new angle with fermented beverages

My kombucha is still being weird and doesn't seem to want to grow an actual SCOBY although it does taste and smell like the right bacteria is having a blast. But my patience comes a little easier since I started trying to make as natural sodas using fermentation.

Left to right: Maracuja, Ginger-Lemon, Ginger-Orange

I did a fair amount of research and started by making a ginger bug. This was the easiest process  and mine was not particularly picky. Once the process started a few days in, it was very clear to see what various bloggers were talking about when they described to process. The post I used from Wellness Mama has very easy to follow instructions that I then changed ever so slightly to accommodate my far smaller scale batch. And all you need is Ginger, Sugar (in my experience white sugar worked best), water and a glass jar. 

To start I combined about 1.5 tablespoons on grated ginger with 1.5 tablespoons sugar and a generous cup of water and cover lightly to allow to ferment. Now, I fed my mixture about once every other day and after about 5 days I had a culture that was probably already ready to use, but I left it out for another day before refrigerating to be safe. This is obviously subject to vary depending on temperature and surrounding conditions. 

Once this was done the actual soda is just tea, juice, infusion or cocktail of your choice plus some sugar for the bacteria and some of the liquid form the ginger bug. This would be the step where I completely disregarded the measurements and eyeballed the whole process. My first try was one with tea made from fresh ginger and lime juice. once that cooled I added about 2 tablespoons of sugar for 1.5L of liquid and then added a hearty swig of the ginger bug juice and let that sit with a coffee filter over the top for about 3 days before covering and letting it carbonate for another two days. This batch was less fizzy that I was hoping for, but the bottles pictured above are round two and they are looking very good. I decided to cover them lightly for about 2 days or until a few small bubbles collected around the top when I was checking them and them covered them. I also bought airtight bottles especially for this project because these release tops are practical and more reliable than regular old bottles. Also glass containers are always recommended for fermentation processes.

I have been having so much fun trying all of these and they are so much tastier than overly sweet store bought alternatives. If you try this let me know how it worked for you!

Why hello there. It's fall!

 It struck me that September is almost over and we are experiencing the first days of fall. Sadly the beautiful crisp days of fall have been spotted with quite a bit or rain here but but candles are out and comfy clothes are not only acceptable but stylishly practical. Watch out Man-sweaters, you are back in high demand! Not to mention that it is almost Friday and although I have a lot planned this weekend and so much to do in the very near future but I am an a high that I hope doesn’t end too soon. So I hope you are having an absolutely wonderful day too!

Quebec City

Saturday, August 16th

We arrived in the late afternoon and proceded to check into our bed and breakfast and then we went back into the city for dinner and tried to stay out of the rain as much as possible until the fireworks by the river started. 

Sunday, August 17th 

After breakfast we went to a pottery market in town. We had luch at a lovely bakery that our neighbor had recommended to us the afternoon before. After lunch we walked along a few touristy streets, which are always amusing in the limited doses that we choose to take them in. The afternoon was well spent exploring the old city with a short stop at the market by the old port. 

Monday, August 18th

The day started with a trip Beau Port and the waterfall out there. This was was an incredibly convenient destination as the bus that we always take into the city center also goes out this way in the outbound direction. The walk was not bad but not the hike we were secretly hoping for. It is also filled with tourists the whole way. In the afternoon we went back into the heart of Quebec for a stroll and dinner followed up by ice cream. We called it a night relatively early as we had big plans the next day that also had to be formed a little more concretely. 

Tuesday, August 19th 

This was the day we got the adventure with the Canadian wilderness! We found a bus that dropped us of at the Jacques-Cartier national park. To be more precise it dropped us on the other side of the highway with instructions on how we would get to the park itself and very vague directions as to where the bus would pick us up that afternoon. We also found out that as users of public transportation our best shot at getting to the main visitors center and the start of our planned trip would be to hitchhike there. And we did. We also got very lucky on the way back with the hitchhiking, but had quite the experience waiting for the bus that was quite late and came shortly after a bus from the same company drove right past us. 

Is summary: the hike was lovely and it seems like camping for a few days and trying various trails would be great. As non-drivers we learned quickly that there is a lot of time pressure since we are bound by rather unreliable public transportation. I do highly recommend the park, but I would recommend that anyone looking to go by bus be informed and warned that it may be quite the adventure. 

Wednesday, August 20th

In the morning we did our best to get out of the house early and made our way over to the botanical garden. It was very small but very nice al the same. My personal highlight was the section with vegetables since I have been trying to plant more and more producing plants and herbs on my balcony. 

In the afternoon we walked along the city wall and up to the citadel, but decided not to take a guided tour. We were however able to see the short version of the changing of the guards since the big ceremony is always at 10 am.  We then continued walking through the battlefields parc up to Le Musée national des beaux-atrs du Québec. By the time we got out we were all very hungry and had a lovely dinner at a restaurant that we found coincidentally on our way back into the old city. And finally we arrived just in time to see the last night of fireworks being held over the river. We found out soon after tht this was the last of a series that had been taking place in Quebec City throughout the last few weeks. 

Thursday, August 21st

We had a very nice lazy day. My brother and I walked along the old harbor and enjoyed the weather while our parents went to the museum of civilization. Afterwards we all met up and went out for a nice dinner. 

Friday, August 22nd 

For our last day in Canada we diced end to go back into a bit of wilderness and enjoy a very relaxed day canoeing and hiking back in the Jacques-Cartier national park. We learned a little something from our first trip and stayed a little closer to the bus stop. But we still had poor luck with the bus as it was almost an hour late and by that time it was very dark and sitting by the side of the highway that late is probably not the smartet move, but unavoidable for us. 

Nevertheless it was a wonderful finale to our vacation.  

Saturday, August 23ed 

We expected long day of bus rides, but had no idea just how long it would be. Sadly I think that greyhound has been reducing the quality of their services. And on Saturday we really saw a lack in crisis management when the bus from Boston was delayed at the boarder and in turn ours left an hour late. Long story short after our driver change our second driver seemed very in experienced and lost all of the time our first driver had made up and then some. This is too bad becuase my family has been taking the bus for years and it seems our world is continuing to push us to start driving.  

The photos used in both parts of the vacation posts were taken by me or my father with his Sony DSLR.

Thank you for reading! Until next time!