Ecolips

I love Ecolips lip balm. It is the BEST out there, hands down. And believe me, I've tried them all. Imagine my utter glee when I found out that a friend of mine is friends with the owners! She told me one day..."I have tons that I can give you when you need it". Oh the joy! So I filed that little piece of info away until today. I had been meaning to get lip balm for several weeks, but kept putting it off because I didn't want to spend money on it. Then I remembered my friend, gave her a call, and voila! I have new goodies for my chapped lips. And even though it would have been "allowed" on the Compact (under the health exception), it was great to get it for free!

They are environmentally friendly, organic, local (for me)...pretty much fabulous all around. They have a really great story and get rave reviews in the press. Check them out and get your own today!

Thrifty Thrifty

I love thrift stores. I try not to frequent them if I'm not looking for something specific because I can get sucked into the mindset of "I don't need it...but it's so cheap...how can I NOT buy this!?" But today I went in search of a few things...and found some goodies. I was delightfully surprised to find that everything was 40% off because they are moving their store around the corner. Yay!

I'm starting a Flickr set to document my thrift store finds. There are descriptions on each photo with prices, etc. I will only document going forward...even though it would be fun to take photos of everything in my house that is thrifted. It could take days!

What has been your BEST thrift store find?

Capoeira

Capoeira. A few months ago I would have said..."capo what?" But thanks to my friend Rebecca, I've learned about the interesting new world of Brazilian dance and martial arts. Rebecca and her husband, Mauro, run the Des Moines capoeira group, which originated in Sao Paulo, Brazil in the 1970's. I have attended 3 of their "events" (most recently, The World Food Festival) and have thoroughly enjoyed learning about a new culture and new form of expression. I've always been fascinated by other cultures and would love to travel to Brazil some day.

Capoeira first came about in Brazil, where slaves from several different African cultures were thrown together. The slaves combined fighting, music, and dance elements of their cultures and came up with what is now called Capoeira.

African slaves developed their own fighting style to protect themselves from white slave owners, but hid their training by making it look like a ritualistic dance-game. It was practiced by Brazilian slaves up until they were freed in the 1888, at which point Capoeira became the fighting style of criminals. Capoeira gangs would have their own turf, where they controlled the criminal activities. Capoeira at that time incorporated less ritual and music and involved the use of weapons such as knives and clubs. In the early 20th century, the first Capoeira academies were opened, and Capoeira went from being the art of outlaws to being declared Brazil's national sport.

(www.capoeiradesmoines.com)

They also teach Afro-Brazilian dance, which is delightful to watch as well. There is so much energy...the music made by the drums and other instruments is amazing. Check out some more photos here. Hear music and learn more here.