Ham and bean soup

If you're looking for something to do with the leftover Christmas ham, here it is! I cut the bulk of the meat off of the ham bone, but left a little bit on, cut up a few potatoes and boiled it all in the ham juices plus a bit of water.

I sat the whole pot in the fridge over night, then skimmed off the fat the next day. Be sure to cut the ham off the bone and dispose of the bone at this point. Then I added some green beans and water and brought it all to a boil again. It was delicious with no added seasonings or anything. You could also add other beans like black eyed peas - yum - which no one else in my house likes. :(

I have about three servings saved in the freezer now.

Changing bulbs...

Most of our house is now lit by compact fluorescent bulbs. I think only the kitchen light fixture remains non-CFL. It takes 4 bulbs that don't have a CFL version. Here's Mr. Greenhab changing our flood lights outside today. We'd been putting it off because it's such a hassle, er, for him, not me. Isn't he brave and manly?

Ted's Montanna Grill

Some friends invited us out to dinner at Ted's Montana Grill a few weeks back. Mr. Greenhab and I had been talking about going there since we hadn't been in years, so we jumped at the chance. (Oh, and did I mention our friends were treating us with a TMG gift card? Can't beat great company, a night out and free food!)

I was geeked to see how eco-friendly the restaurant is! I even pocketed one of their cardboard straws, to which Mr. Greenhab laughed "Uh-oh, it's going on the blog!"

All of the tables had these recycled paper table cloths (left). At the bar I noticed that all of their mixed drinks were made with soda from glass bottles - there was no soda tap at all. They were also serving some local wine.

Here's the cardboard straw, which I had to try out.

Here's some more from the Ted's website...

Ted’s Montana Grill has a deep commitment to the environment and our goal is to be 99% plastic-free. That’s why we re-introduced the paper straw, (not produced in the United States since 1970) and use it in all of our restaurants. Menus are printed on 100% recycled paper. Our to-go cups are made of cornstarch that bio-degrades in landfills in just 50 days. Soft drinks are served in recyclable glass bottles. Our take-away food is placed in Bio-Plus Earth Containers, which are high-quality, bio-degradable containers that are microwavable. These containers have been endorsed by the Green Restaurant Association. In addition to maintaining a 99% plastic-free restaurant, we also try to conserve energy and water. In Tallahassee, Fla., we worked with the city’s Energy Services division and One World Sustainable Inc. to install 66 solar panels on the top of our restaurant. And we are always looking for innovative ways to reduce our energy consumption like wind generators as well as low voltage lighting in all of our restaurants. Many of the restaurants feature water-efficient toilets in order to help conserve water. And all of our restaurants are non-smoking.

Will all of this change the world? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s the right thing to do.

I love a place that does the right thing.

Gift card holder

Can you tell that I finished my shopping and have moved on to wrapping? :@) I had an empty Altoids tin in my hand a few weeks ago about to throw it into the recycling bin, but just couldn't do it. I decided to use it for a gift card holder instead. I had planned to sand and paint it, but let's face it, I just don't have that kind of time! Instead I cup a piece from the front of a card my mom gave me for Mother's Day and used a little Mod Podge.

Last minute wrapping...

I had a whole 5 minute to myself this afternoon so I started catching up on some of my favorite blogs, including Maya*Made. Of course I had to stop reading immediately to try this sweet gift bag she made from a box turned inside out.

(Photo courtesy Maya*Made. See her blog post here.)

I made this one from a cereal box. I added some sheet music from a hymnal to the inside to hide the yellow inside of the box. I thought it would look like tissue paper peaking out the top. It's not fabulous, but for a quick project (and three kids pulling on my leg) it's alright.


And this one is the end of a spaghetti box. It's for a tiny little gift for MIL.

It's kind of a running thing in our family to try to out-do each other with eco-friendly wrapping the past few years. MIL used canvas bags one year, my mom used pretty fabric another year (which I've been using for sewing projects ever since). I think this will be a winner.

Thanks for the inspiration Maya!

TisBest.org

In search of a last minute, eco-friendly, or philanthropic gift? Check out TisBest.org where you can purchase a charitable gift certificate that the recipient can donate to an organization of her choice.

According to an article on MSNBC...

"The company sold 15,000 charity gift cards last year and expects to more than double that this year. The cards can be loaded with any amount of money (to the penny) between $10 and $5,000. Customers can print the card on their computer, have it sent by e-mail or physically delivered. For standard shipping there is no charge."

The money can be donated to a number of organizations from PETA to Big Brothers Big Sisters to Environmental Defense Fund to the Alzheimer's Association.

Now you don't have to shop at 7-11 for last minute gifts (anybody else remember that episode of Family Ties?).

Little Felty Trees

I saw the cutest thing on The Long Thread the other day. Little felted Christmas trees made from thrifted wool sweaters. I, of course, had to try one (or three) too.


How cute are these??? I only wish my photo did them justice. They're actually a beautiful dark green. It's hard to get a good photo in my house with my cheapy camera. You can find the directions here on the Long Thread blog. I added a cork to the bottom of the small one. I thought it would be cute with a wooden spool instead, but didn't have one handy.

Yes, friends, this is how I cope when I have eight-hundred-kabillion other things I should be doing. Curl up in a corner and craft. Maybe everything else will go away? I'm pretty sure it's better for my health than crack though.

We buy your used electronics!

You've heard those "We buy your gold jewelry!" commercials on tv and radio? Now there's a company that buys your unwanted electronic devices.

BuyMyTronics.com will buy your used or damaged iPhone, BlackBerry, xbox, MacBook and (much) more. They fix them up, wipe all personal information, then resell them. If the electronic is damaged, they use it for parts. Electronics more than 5 years old aren't very usable, since they're not exactly in demand, but the company will take them anyway and ensure they're properly disposed of.

All you have to do is mail your device to the company (they will even pick up the tab for shipping) and, if they find it to have value, they send you a check, pay you via PayPal, or donate the money to your favorite charity.

Of course you can always donate your old, but working, cell phone to a good cause like a battered women's shelter, but I think that this is an excellent option for the iPhone you dropped or the PlayStation that doesn't quite seem to work properly after your kids swung it around by the cord.

Cosmetics Schmosmetics

The universe seems to be talking to me lately about cosmetics. First, over at iVillage, we're doing a 30-day Green Your Routine Challenge. It's largely aimed at the novice crowd, but I've found myself saying "Oooo good idea!" a few times too.

One of the things I haven't bothered to green along my journey is make-up. I don't wear very much, first of all - powder, mascara and lip gloss on a day-to-day basis - and, secondly, I've seen the prices of some of the organic and natural products. Not happening!

When we started talking about make-up and all the junk that's in it though, I conceded that I should probably take the subject a little more seriously. I was pleasantly surprised to find that both my Burt's Bees and Alba chap sticks were very low risk. My mascara and powder, on the other hand, were not. You can check just how toxic (wow that sounds scary!) your products are at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.

It wasn't until I read the Conscious Shopper's very informative blog post I need....makeup that I actually took some action. After all, if anyone is going to switch to organic make-up I should probably complain the least since I only use three products. So, I bit the bullet and bought some Physician Formula "Organic wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara" (pictured above).

The box had some pretty impressive claims like~

• Revolutionary 100% Natural Origin formula contains the purest ingredients and provides 5x Lash Boosting for lash length, volume & definition naturally.
• 100% Recyclable Eco-Brush defines each lash with ultra-soft plastic bristles.
• 100% Free of Harsh Chemicals, Synthetic Preservatives, Parabens, Clumping, Smudging, Flaking, Fibers & Dyes.

The thing I wasn't very impressed with was the packaging. I guess if it was a green company making green make-up, because they believe in making safe cosmetics and protecting the environment, I could expect better packaging. I guess I have to accept the fact that many companies add green products to their lines in order to sell to another type of consumer.

At any rate, I think it stinks that it had to come in two pieces of plastic inside a cardboard box. So you have not only that waste (the cardboard is obviously recyclable, but the plastic was not), but the waste of the actual tube of mascara. In this instance, the box says that this mascara wand is recyclable, but the plastic tube is not.


Maybe that's part of the reason I never bothered to purchase organic make-up in the past. Sure, the part inside is organic, but there's still so much packaging and waste that it just didn't seem worth it. It's like my local natural grocery store that sells "bulk" products that are prepackaged in plastic bags. It kind of misses the mark.

Brrrrrr....

It's been around ZERO degrees here for the past week, give or take a few degrees. Currently it's 57 degrees inside the house. Each of our bedrooms stay nice and toasty, so we turn the heat on in them about an hour before we go to bed at night. I just can't fathom another winter like this so I finally called about having an energy audit done.

I know what we need: all new windows, insulation in the walls, probably a fire place insert. Unfortunately we can't afford any of that, but we'd like to see where the biggest issue is and start there. Our house is all electric (no gas available, although we might have to start looking at the option of installing) and our bill goes up from about $90 - $100 in the summer to almost $600 at the highest in the winter. And it's 57 degrees in my house!!! It's not like we keep it on 72.

Do they still make electric blankets? I'm thinking I could make one into a Snuggie and walk around the house plugged into an extension cord.

Stocking Stuffers: Coffee Sleeve & Utensil Wrap

Here are some photos of the coffee sleeve and utensil wrap that I made for my mom's stocking. The tutorials for both are up today over on Make it From Scratch. These are both quick and easy projects that you can do with scraps from your stash.

CitizenPip Winner Is...

Stephanie!

Sorry it took me so long. Things, as you all know, are so hectic this time of year.

If you didn't win, but would still like to have one of these lunch systems, visit Citizenpip's website for some great offers for Greenhab readers~

A free gift: Receive a free fork+spoon set with every order over $50 (before tax and shipping). Just add a fork+spoon to your shopping cart and use coupon code: GreenhabGIVES

A gift to the environment: Citizenpip will plant one tree in partnership with Trees for the Future for every $10 spent.

And lastly, Citizenpip will donate $300 to one of the following organizations...

• Trees for the Future
• Environmental Working Group
• Healthy Child Healthy World

...on behalf of the blog with the most coupon codes redeemed between 11/1/09 and 12/31/09.

To make your Christmas shopping easier than ever, Citizenpip kits will arrive beautifully packaged with white cotton ribbon in a recycled white box. Customers can include a gift message and even pre-order gifts for a later ship date.

Making Christmas Gift Progress

I feel like I still have a long long way to go, but I have made a little head-way on the ol' Christmas gifts.

I found bamboo utensils for my mom and her beau, so I made them each a carry case that doubles as a cloth napkin. (Don't worry, his is in a more manly fabric!) You just put your utensils in, roll it up, and tie it closed.


I made a coffee cozy out of the same fabric to go in my mom's stocking.


I made this Buttercup Bag for my mom. I purchased the pattern and commercial license from Made by Rae months and months ago so that I could sell them in my Etsy shop. You can see how far I've gotten...this was the first one I actually made. But it sure is cute, eh?

Although now that I look at the photo of the purse under the photos of the coffee sleeve and utensils I realize that the fabrics really clash. Not that she'd carry them all together at the same time, but do you think I should make another bag in a fabric that coordinates more? Or is that too "matchy-matchy", as Nina Garcia would say?

This is the larger version, which will go in my Etsy shop as soon as I find the time to list it. It's made from an Orla Kiely dish cloth. The strap went just slightly wonky when I sewed it, so look for a discount! I love the pears though.


I think I'll put tutorials for the coffee sleeve and utensil case up on Make it From Scratch for my Friday post, so be sure to check there!