I made this blood orange tart for valentines day, but highly recommend it anytime you want to impress a loved one.  Click here to get the recipe from Food&Wine Magazine!

One of my favorite books when I was a young whippersnapper was the classic by Margaret Wise Brown.  The drawings that Clement Hurd did to accompany this simple narrative were just perfect.  Well, sort of.  Apparently this book didn't completely stand the test of time and a reprint issued in 2005 made sure to erase the burning cigarette that used to be one of the few accessories the bunny's room.  (smoking?  bad bunny! what did I tell you about smoking?) The New York Times took this act one step further with their tongue-in-cheek  list of things that would make Goodnight Moon (and the world) safe again.  Click here to read that article.

I loved this article about a UCLA study on the friendships among women.  Apparently there's a hormone (oxycotin) released in women that help us cope with stress.  I knew something was up!  The report goes on to explain how friendships among women are the key method that relieves stress, so as soon as you're done reading this, why don't you give one of your galpals a little ringaling? (painting by Gustav Klimt)

Here in Portland, OR, the trees are in full bloom. Fortunately, I can still appreciate this annual phenomenon, despite the horrific hay fever that always accompanies this florific splendor.  In fact, it makes me want to grab my tampon applicator pan pipe and skip merrily through my neighborhood park.  Tra la la!  (Thanks to tamponcrafts.com for this  instructional video.)

I wanted to start my contributions to this blog with a post about Vitamin D.   There has been some press about it lately, but still many of the patients that come to my naturopathic practice are not supplementing yet with Vitamin D.   Here in the Pacific Northwest, we don’t get enough sun, but there is Vitamin D deficiency in other areas of the country as well.  Cloud cover, northern latitude, and the use of sunscreen products are common reasons for the lack of sun’s ability to produce Vitamin D in our skin.  There are other reasons as well: darker skin and obesity are linked to less Vitamin D production. Unfortunately, there aren’t many foods with enough Vitamin D to do the trick. It has to be sun or supplements.   Many people are nervous about taking Vitamin D in high doses over 1,000 IU, but our bodies would make many thousands with a good dose of sunshine.  Most people that I have tested here in the NW in the winter months have needed between 2,000 and 10,000 IU a day to get their lab values up to normal.   Testing can be expensive, so when we don’t test, I recommend taking 2,000 IU a day during the winter. The most common symptoms of deficiency are fatigue and muscle aching or stiffness.  It is one of the first tests I recommend with fibromyalgia or similar symptoms.   Even without symptoms, Vitamin D deficiency can lead to low bone density or osteoporosis, since this vitamin plays a critical role in calcium absorption.  There is even research that Vitamin D is necessary for normal immune function, cancer protection, and prevention of depression, as well as other conditions. Vitamin D is easy to find, comes in capsules, liquids and chewables, and is pretty inexpensive.   This is one nutrient that is worth the effort.

Some folks who advise other folks on how to promote their business feel strongly that you should keep your political views to yourself, lest you offend a potential customer.  We feel, on the other hand, that it's important to put those views out there loud and proud because there's no time to waste.  We have a planet to save, after all! GladRags has always felt strongly about this logic, and to prove it, we joined a few groups while we were there setting up our shop.  We're particularly fond of the ones that are set up in order to share valuable information among women of the world.  Here are a few of our faves that we hope you'll look into: American Heart Association: Go Red for Women With over 21,000 members, their mission is to create more awareness about the causes and prevention of heart disease.  By encouraging women to wear red, it helps remind people to keep these discussions alive.  Who knows…one simple act might save someone's life! Hey Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscene! Do I even need to explain this one?  Who decided this was on par with pornography anyway? Real Women Have Curves!! This group is currently sporting a membership of over 32,000 people who spread the gospel that real women come in all shapes and sizes.  Case in point:  Marilyn Monroe was a size twelve!  If we were at the Gap, that would be the fat girls section!  'Nuff said. tips for all women… please join… and pass on This is a great group (over 300,000 members!) that features nine crucial tips that any woman can use to protect herself in the horrifying event of abduction or physical attack.  I can never read these lists enough, personally. 2 Million people against Female Circumcision{FGM: Female Genital Mutilation Although this group is still on its way to the desired number of members, they create awareness that this horrifying practice is still at large in many parts of the world. and last but not least, GladRags recommends the group "Commie Homo-Loving Sons of Guns," who got its name from Sean Penn's recent acceptance speech after winning the Oscar for his portrayal of slain San Francisco politician Harvey Milk.  Remember the day when famous actors wouldn't take leading roles as homosexual characters for fear it would ruin their careers?  (It wasn't that long ago, kids!)  Nice to see some positive change we can measure. that's all for now, but we'll share more of these important social issues with you another time.  (If you would like to suggest any groups, we're all ears!  Friend us and pass on your favorites.)

GladRags now has a Facebook business page!  Click here to join our group and be our very special friend.  If you're a regular user of this amazing social networking site, you'll be able to easily catch up on our blog postings there, plus get alerts on your homepage when we have fresh news to share with you!

I know it's very retro, but I still get a morning newspaper subscription. Unless I shred them for my worm bin, or use for a painting drop cloth, they go straight into the recycle bin. But here's a great way to recycle them in a more useful manner. I'm not much of a gardener these days, because my CSA delivers almost more veggies than I can use, but if you have a green thumb,  check out this great way to make seedling pots -  here are the instructions, courtesy Little House in the Suburbs. 

Calling all knitters! CODEPINK is creating a beautiful, quilted cozy to cover the fence in front of the White House to honor Mother's Day. The message will be “We will not raise our children to kill another mother’s child”-inspired by Julia Ward Howe’s Mother’s Day Proclamation. It will be pieced together from individual squares knitted by YOU as part of the 24 hour Mother’s Day vigil for Women who live in War Zones.  The best part is you don’t have to be an experienced knitter to help!  This is perfect for knitters of all skill levels—and a great opportunity for those who want to learn! Celebrate the time honored tradition of the radical act of knitting.  There's no excuses because newbies to the craft of knitting can click here for online instructions.

All over the world, great minds are thinking alike. Case in point, more than one designer thinks that the washing machine drum that most of us simply stuff with dirty laundry could double for a fancy piece of furniture.  Here’s an interesting adaptive reuse the once-lowly discarded washing machine drum. click here to get yours today!