Kickin' it with Karen : Beyond Sauerkraut

Kickin' it with Karen: Beyond Sauerkraut If you read my last post, you know that the gift giving season is very important for me for one specific reason. As young children, my dear sister and I would make gifts and spend hours happily giggling away as we haphazardly wrapped them with the tape all wonky and the corners sticking up and not really folded where the box had a corner or an edge. Again, the holidays are here and  I rejoice in my memories of my sister, but I miss her so much.  Forty-nine is too young to pass on. However, I was given the gift of those 49 years and I have memories to carry me through another year. So, in my sisters honor, I will make gifts. Not drawings or cut out dolls,  but non-toxic homemade gifts that my colleagues, friends and family can make use of everyday.  As I said in my last post, I believe in gifts with a purpose. I also believe in gifts from the HEART 💖 and not from the wallet. Winter is long here in Minnesota. Right...

As the snow flurries flip, twinkle, and waft gently to the ground, I find myself thinking of my family and loved ones, the one's I've lost and the family I still have left. I reminisce and hear the laughter of my dear sister (1964-2013); I remember us as young girls eating cookies and giggling endlessly as we haphazardly wrapped gifts we either made or that our parents bought  for our other siblings and let us say they were gifts from us. We were two peas in a pod. Just six months apart (I was adopted), we were the best of friends. As this holiday season ramps up, I rejoice in my memories, but I miss her so much.  Forty-nine is a young age to pass from this world 💔, but I was blessed to have the 49 years I was able to spend with her beautiful spirit. With a joyous heart, in my dear sister's memory, I make gifts. Not the Shrinky Dink  art I used to do when we were 5, but non-toxic homemade gifts that my colleagues, friends and family can make use of everyday. I believe ...

I was addicted to antiperspirants. All I wanted was to make sure I didn't have pit stains and I didn't stink. As a dancer, sweating is a fact of life. If your gonna dance, your gonna sweat. But I wanted to do it in a "Lady-Like" fashion and not pit out all of my clothes. Although, there were rumors abound suggesting that store bought deodorants, and especially antiperspirants, caused breast cancer and Alzheimers,  I was not inclined to care. I knew that the research available did not confirm that antiperspirants were the cause of such deadly diseases(Klotz et.al.).  However,  there was enough research that said that over-exposure to heavy metals such as aluminum is toxic and potentially dangerous (ATSDR - Aluminum). Aside from the heavy metals, there are other irritants such as propylene glycol. Propylene glycol, found in antifreeze, is a synthetic liquid that absorbs water. In most personal care products, it is used as humectant and emulsifier (McCay et.al.) Freq...

Kickin' it with Karen: Beyond Sauerkraut So, I am not only a Kitchen Goddess experimenting with ferments, gluten free recipes, and recipes where I can replace chicken eggs with duck eggs. I am also a teacher at a large high school in Saint Paul, Minnesota. I teach dance and English. I know, that's an odd combination. Most people who have dual licenses to teach, teach English and Social Studies, or Science and Math. But it just so happens, I was a dancer in my first career - I had earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater with Emphasis in Dance from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. After U.W.S.P.  I spent ten long hungry years dancing and touring with African dance companies on the East Coast as well as building my own dance company called "Sisters: women of common ancestry" . Though it was a life full of travel and excitement, it was also a life full of HUNGER. I was dancing 6-8 hours a day, and I am telling you - there is not enough food in ...