My So Called Green Life...

Lego Minifig Storage & Display Box

2012-01-27T19:39:00.000-07:00

I admit to doing a little pride strut around the house this afternoon after finishing this project. It took all of about 10 minutes active time, with 30 minutes or so between coats of paint.

Our house has become a Lego City with three kids who love Star Wars, SpongeBob, Harry Potter, Cars and (the actual) Lego City Legos. I can't walk three feet without stepping on one of those little buggers - and they hurt!

But back to the project at hand... I've been looking for an old display box, thread box, printing press box -- anything at all with small compartments -- for a long time, but have come up empty-handed until yesterday when I spotted this shadow box frame at our local thrift store. It was still in the plastic for $3.00!

I took it apart and discarded the glass, since I want my son to be able to access it from the front. The inside was spray painted silver and the frame painted Star Wars blue. Reassemble and fill with minifigs. (The majority of ours are currently on vacation in the Lego City airplane, thus the empty spots here.)

Now that I look at it here, I think I might disassemble it again and paint the backing black with white stars to resemble the opening of the Star Wars movies.

Linked to: Fingerprints on the Fridge | Tidy Mom | Five Days Five Ways |

Wooden Nickle Chore Magnets

2012-01-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

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Am I the only one who has a hard time getting her kids to do simple "chores" like eating breakfast and getting dressed each morning? They have one true chore each week: take the laundry downstairs, clean the bathroom (meaning wipe down the sinks), or set & help clean up the dinner table. Each child keeps a chore for a week, then they switch on Sundays.

Surprisingly it's the smaller things like getting dressed or having their back packs ready for school that seem impossible to accomplish. I tried laminated chore charts where they'd mark off each task with a dry erase marker, but it was messy and the marker was always drying out or disappearing.

Then one day, as I was cleaning out the junk drawer in my kitchen, I came across a wooden nickle drink token that Hubby had brought home from a local bar eons ago. (Also found: random legos, keys from the house we lived in three houses ago, Chuck-E-Cheese tickets, and extremely old chapstick.) But a light bulb went off with the wooden nickle and I immediately ordered some from Etsy. (Search: raw wood circles, unfinished wooden circles, wooden nickles, etc.)

I printed out the kids daily tasks - words for my 6 and 7 year olds, pictures for my 4 year old - and used Mod Podge to stick them on.

You can find loose magnets at any hobby store or Walmart, and I used Tacky Glue to glue them on. It seems to work much better than hot glue.

Now the kids slide the magnets over to the left once they complete a task and slide them all back over to the right at bed time so they can start over again in the morning. Their tasks include things like eat breakfast, get dressed, brush your teeth, check the calendar (for things like Show & Tell, gym class, Girl Scouts), do your homework, read a book, pick out clothes for tomorrow, pack your back pack and pick up toys.

Eating in 2012

2012-01-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

Boy have I been a bad blogger so far this year. I guess that's because there's been a lot of doing, but not much writing about it so far.

With the Mister making a commitment to eating more vegetables this year, I've been cooking up a storm. I also joined the Cook From Your Cupboards challenge on the Frugal Kitchen message board at iVillage. Our goal is to get the processed, boxed, prepackaged junk out of the cupboards and start eating (mostly) freshly prepared foods. With only one week of the CFYC challenge under my belt we've made a noticeable dent in our pantry - and our grocery budget too!

In addition to committing to fresh, organic produce only, hubby has agreed to purchase meat from a local farmer who raises grass-fed beef. (Huge victory!) Factory farmed meat is something we've known the harsh back story on for so long, but have chosen to ignore, based solely on the high price of organic, humanely-raised meats. Ignoring how our meat is raised is something neither of us feel we can do any longer.

Factory farmed chickens (above) and cattle (below).

In general, meat is something we hope to eat a lot less of this year. When hubby and I first met, we ate meat for dinner every night, as the main attraction. Over the years we've decreased our meat consumption by about 50%, but we hope to decrease that by about 50% again this year. It has seemed unappealing - to prepare and eat - to me for about two years now and, just tonight, hubby remarked that "...it kind of makes [him] feel sick" lately.

Last night we watched Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead, a documentary about a man who went from obese and ill to quite healthy in the matter of a year by reforming the way he eats. While it seemed a bit like an advertisement for juicing, the point really hit home with hubs: you are what you eat. Put organic vegetables into your body and you'll reap a lot more health benefits than you will with additives, preservatives, antibiotics and growth hormones.

Between that, my years of nagging, and this Ted talk (below) by Dr. Terry Wahls, who {claims to have} cured her Multiple Sclerosis through a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, the Mister is ready to make a change. I couldn't be prouder and more excited!

Happy New Year ~ Goals for 2012!

2012-01-02T22:11:00.000-07:00

I have so many goals for this year that I can't even begin to remember them all. I was talking to hubby the other day and said something about, "One of my goals next year is to..." and he just laughed. I think I say that every five minutes.

In general, I have a lot of the same goals that I have every year: eat healthier, lose a few pounds, tone up, stop yelling at the kids so much, be more patient, get organized, keep up with the laundry...the list goes on and on (and on)!

Parenting

More specifically -- and realistically -- I want to work on my parenting. I'm impatient, I admit it. My kids drive me to the brink.of.insanity more days than I want to admit. I've had the article The One-Week Fix for Bad Behavior from Parents magazine on my fridge for since it came out in October. It includes 7 ideas or steps for becoming a better parent and changing your kids undesirable behaviors. (I hate the term "bad behavior" because much of it is natural or learned, rather than just "bad.") While I remember to employ some of the ideas from time to time, I'm still working on the first: Don't React. {Ear plugs would be a huge help to block out the whining in this step!}

Food

On a more positive note... Hubs has agreed to try eating more vegetables this year! If you're a long time follower of the blog, you know that Hubs only ate meat and potatoes when I met him. He seriously had to have a big ol' hunk of meat with every dinner - and hopefully with breakfast and lunch too. Over the past ten years I've gotten him down to a small portion of meat with dinner a few times per week. He's also grown to tolerate a few veggies like asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, squash and zucchini.

This year, though, he's agreed to go all out and try whatever I want to make. This is a huge step for him - and a huge victory for me. I've stopped making so many meals that I love because of the veggie content, so I can't wait to break out a few old recipes. And, of course, it will be SO good for Hubby's health too!

One of my many goals for the year is to get back to eating more organic, local and sustainable foods. I've already signed back up for a weekly organic produce delivery service and have been trying things that are even new to me. (See my mushroom & kale hand pies!)

Our garden should help with this goal too, though we're no where near being able to grow or preserve enough to carry us through the winter. We do hope to build on the lessons learned over the last few years and be able to grow more for canning and preserving this season.

The delivery service we're using (Door to Door Organics) also just announced that they'll begin offering milk and eggs soon as well, which I'm very excited for. Now if I can just get the Hubs to spring for some local, grass fed / free range meats and chicken, I'll be in heaven!

Another food-related goal I couldn't brush aside any longer was learning to make bread! I picked up Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day from the library a few weeks back and have been making their most basic recipe. I need to buy my own copy so I can try some other types of bread but, until then, the basic boule is highly requested in our house. That's the loaf I made tonight (I forgot to score the top of this one, so it split open.) for Hubby's potluck breakfast at work tomorrow morning.

Last but not least in the food arena is learning how to use the pressure cooker I bought over a year ago. I've heard how amazing they are, but have just been too afraid to use it so far. It also has a pressure canning system with it, which will be great for some of the produce we grow and purchase at the farmers market.

Money

I've been working on reducing our monthly grocery bill, which has meant buying less processed foods - always a good thing! Our cupboards are still bursting at the seams though, so I'm challenging myself to "cook from the cupboards" this month, buying only fresh produce and dairy products. This should help reduce our grocery bill further for the month and pay off a few bills from Christmas.

We always tend to start new years off with a spending freeze. Last year we "compacted" from January through June. We're not really planning that this year, per se, but we are making a conscious effort to not spend money on anything we don't truly need. When you live on a teacher's salary and a part time job, you have to live simply...but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-27T14:28:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a little time off until the new year. Our Christmas was fantastically chaotic, but I seem to have caught a cold so I'm planning to lay low for a few days. See you all in the New Year. I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Finally Christmas at The Browns'

2011-12-21T20:11:00.004-07:00

We're just in under the wire. Hubs and the kids cut a tree from our yard (forest) yesterday, we located the missing box of decorations, and it just started snowing. Christmas can officially come now!

The rest of the house is just too messy to show! Hope you're all ready for the big day!

Green the Season: Homemade jams and jellies

2011-12-19T13:00:00.000-07:00

Here they are, the final teacher gifts of the year. We gave all of our teachers a jar homemade raspberry topping (top of your pancakes, waffles, ice cream or tongue) or apple butter -- the ones I canned using the microwave this summer!

I printed simple labels for the top of each jar, tied some Christmas ribbon around them, and added a little chalkboard tag with their names. The tags came as raw wood {from Pick Your Plum} and I painted them with chalkboard paint.

{Sorry for the wretched lighting. Our house is like a little cave at night.}

Meatless Monday: Kale & Mushroom Hand Pies

2011-12-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

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What began as a completely experimental and impromptu breakfast idea turned into a fab appetizer with these kale and mushroom mini pies. I'll try not to dislocate a shoulder patting myself on the back, but I never ever just break out the pots and pans and start cooking without any direction. Today I did -- recipes be damned -- and I'm in love with the results!

Ingredients:
- 1 bunch Red Kale
- 2c Mushrooms
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
- 3/4 Chicken or vegetable broth
- Gruyere or any other cheese you like
- 1 box pie crust (2 pieces of dough)
- Egg (to brush on the crust)
- Salt, pepper

Everything here is approximate since I was flying by the seat of my pants. I chopped about 1/2 of a yellow onion and sauteed it in olive oil for several minutes, until it started to turn clear. Roughly chop one bunch of red kale (my "bunch" was pretty small) and throw it in with the onions. Chop about 2 cups of mushrooms while the kale is cooking down and throw them in too. I sauteed all of this for several minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste, then added about 3/4 cup of broth. Allow this to come to a boil, turn down to low, cover pan and let it all simmer for about 10 minutes.

While your veggie mixture is simmering, roll out your dough. I used boxed dough, because I'm a slacker like that. It comes with two pieces per box. I rolled it out thin and used a cookie cutter to cut out about 20 pieces, then put the scraps together and kept cutting more until it was gone. You could do circles, squares (and fold them into triangles once filled) or any other shape you'd like. I did stars because I was feeling like a star. Ha.

Heap the veggie mix onto each piece of dough. {Tip: If all of your broth hasn't cooked off, you can add a bit of flour - just sprinkle in a little bit at a time and mix, until it forms sort of a gravy.} Top with a piece of cheese, then another piece of dough. Smash the edges of the dough together to seal. Brush the top with beaten egg.

Cook at 350 until golden brown. I cooked mine on a baking stone and it worked out great.

These came out too small to be breakfast foods, in my opinion, but they'd be great for tea, with other tiny foods, or as an appetizer. However you eat them, they were delish!

This post is linked to: Midnight Maniac Meatless Mondays | Just Another Meatless Monday | Motivate Me Monday |

#Upcycle: DIY Mercury Glass Jars

2011-12-13T13:54:00.000-07:00

I pinned this DIY Mercury Glass tutorial from iVillage way back in the summertime as a reminder to try it out one day. Little did I realize "one day" would be five months later! The timing is perfect though, because it's just not Christmas without a house full of mercury glass.

If you haven't tried DIY mercury glass, the technique is beyond simple! I raided our recycle bin at home for glass spaghetti sauce jars to use as vases. You can use glass candlesticks, votive holders, an old lamp - anything your heart desires. {Confession: I actually pulled two of those organic juice bottles from the big dumpster at the recycling center.}

Clean your surface, remove any labels or glue. Spray the surface with water in a spray bottle, then spray on your spray paint. iVillage recommends Krylon's Looking Glass Spray Paint. Unfortunately, it was no where to be found in my teeny little town, so I had to use an alternative. Next time I get down to the "big city" of Denver I'll be hunting down the Krylon, for sure.

These little vases turned out very sweet regardless. They're much splotchier (?) up close, which I think makes them look more authentic.

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Update: Krylon's Looking Glass spray paint definitely works better for that mercury glass look! I finally found some at Hobby Lobby and used it to cover these little votive holders.

I'm planning to put on one more coat, but I had to put them out tonight for Hanukkah! I filled them with white beans, which you can see through the glass, and just popped the candles in. It's my DIY Shiksa Menorah.

Homemade Butterfinger Bars...yum

2011-12-07T11:55:00.001-07:00

Tis the season for cookie exchanges! Macy's brownie troop is hosting one tomorrow afternoon and I've been heming and hawing over what to bring. Baking is not my forte, but I needed to redeem myself after last year's lame store-bought mix chocolate chip cookies.

This year I had to step up my game. I'm hoping these homemade Butterfinger bars I found on the blog Making Memories are a hit. They have three ingredients: candy corn and peanut butter (in equal parts, melted together, then cooled) covered in chocolate. Now, before you turn your nose up at candy corn melted with peanut butter, I have to tell you that I was equally skeptical. It really does taste just like a Butterfinger bar though.

Instead of making them in bar form, I used my mini muffin pan to make bite-sized pieces. They're a little sloppy looking, but they were my first batch. C'est la vie!

Try it. You'll be amazed!

Ethiopian coffee set winner!

2011-12-03T08:15:00.001-07:00

Good morning everyone! We're huddling for warmth this morning in the snowy mountains of Colorado. I guess winter is finally really upon us.

As promised, Random.org and I have picked a winner for World Vision's Fair Trade Coffee Pack...

peace love and rainbowssaid...
liked world vision on facebook (gidgetnfroggi)

Congratulations! I'll be emailing you soon with instructions.

If you didn't win, you can still support World Vision and our friends in Ethiopia by donating $50. You'll receive a printable gift certificate that you can give a loved one for Christmas, along with a package of coffee from OneCup.org, a beautiful bag made from African cloth and a hand carved olive wood scoop.

If coffee isn't up your - or your recipient's - alley, there are many other gifts to choose from.

Spray Painting in the Snow

2011-12-01T14:20:00.001-07:00

When a girl's got to spray paint, a girl's got to spray paint. You don't hear people saying "Oh Santa, it's all snowy outside. Why don't you just wait for a nice day to deliver gifts?"

I have a fire in the fireplace, a cup of hot cinnamon tea, Christmas music on Pandora, and all of my Christmas decorations waiting eagerly to be displayed. I picked up some clear glass candlesticks at the thrift store yesterday and had to get them painted. But it snowed. As Tim Gunn would say, "Make it work!"

Right after I took that picture I went to bring them inside. As I was bending down, a huge pile of snow slid off the roof and onto my head and the candlesticks, ruining the not-quite-dry paint job.

Moral of the story: paint in a dry place. But not in your living room. Not that I tried that. I'm just saying that I personally find silver wood floors to be very holiday-ish.

Green the Season: Gift Wrapping ~ my vintage paper makes its debut.

2011-11-30T13:56:00.001-07:00

I wrapped my first Christmas gift of the season today. I'm normally not so on top of things -- I'm the one frantically wrapping at midnight on Christmas Eve -- but this gift needs to be mailed soon, so I dug out the supplies and went to work.

Wrapping paper is typically a no-no in our house as we try to opt for greener alternatives, but vintage wrapping paper practically jumped into my arms at an estate sale and begged to be taken home. So I was really saving it from the landfill, right??

The twine is from our local thrift shop and I purchased a huge bag of gift tags at Goodwill early in the year.

I haven't really planned out my wrapping motif yet this year. I guess I better get thinking. Here are some ideas from last year...

Kraft paper, raffia, sheet music & an old button.

Gifts from my mom. She's really the master of packaging. She put mini biscotti in a vintage glass jar, a scarf wrapped in white cloth "tied" with wire threaded through buttons, and other gifts wrapped in sheet music. Hello Martha!

Several different types of ribbon and a small piece of evergreen.

I wish I could say that I made this little box, but it was one of my gifts!

A clever way to package gift cards in an Altoids tin...

And the crafty inside-out cereal box wrapping job I did...

How will you be packaging your gifts this year? Any clever ideas for me?

Green the Season with @Loving_Eco + Free Cyber Monday Gift!

2011-11-28T10:36:00.001-07:00

Loving Eco is a fun site dedicated to stylish and innovative products that are also eco-friendly. Hip and green - what could be better? Ah, yes, the products are also sold at a great discount, with 3% of the net proceeds going towards social and environmental causes.

Today - Cyber Monday - Loving Eco is offering a FREE Hurraw vegan lip balm with every purchase. Here's a sampling of what they have to offer...

Conscious Box - Sale: $9.50!

Get a special holiday-themed Conscious Box and discover a variety of pure and natural products. The Conscious Box is dedicated to introducing you to the most ethical, sustainable products, and this holiday-themed box is a great gift!

WE ADVANCE Necklace - $44.95

This exclusive handcrafted necklace, designed by actress and activist Maria Bello, features a medallion pendant with the symbol of Maria's WE ADVANCE non-profit organization. The medallion is made from recycled oil drums. The taupe paper beads are made from recycled cereal boxes and the aqua beads are made from porcelain. The necklace is about 17" long and the medallion pendant is about 2" long.

This beautiful necklace makes a statement for "Style for Change." By purchasing this piece, you are helping to advance the health and well being of women throughout Haiti. 50% of net proceeds go to WE ADVANCE.

C. Marchuska - Christine Dress - Sale: $39 (Orig $130!)

A-line button dress made of : 50% cotton and 50% modal fabric with Italian recycled polyester buttons. Made with care in New York's Garment District, USA. Available only in noir black. Part of the cmarchuska Signature Collection. Can be worn as a stand alone dress or with tights. Try it with your favorite dress pants or skinny jeans for a daytime casual look.

LovingEco - Stand Up To Cancer Bracelet Exclusive

In honor of the life and work of Laura Ziskin, 100% of net proceeds of this limited edition, exclusive bracelet go to Stand Up To Cancer.

"Thai artisan Panapha combines the timeless allure of hill tribe jewelry with a bold sense of originality for this wrap bracelet. She crafts it by hand, tying bright carnelian gems into a sleek leather strap featuring a florid Karen hill tribe silver clasp. The soft pink pearl symbolizes friendship, harmony and inner peace. Carnelian's bright orange glow is energizing and fosters a sense of humor."

Loving Eco sells jewelry, home products, clothing, food, bath and body products, and loads more. They always have something new, so stop in today and sign up for their newsletter. They'll send you emails alerting you to their ever-changing merchandise and deals.

Don't forget to pick up your free vegan lip balm with your purchase today!

DIY: Custom Paper Clips

2011-11-27T17:20:00.001-07:00

The best discovery I've made this year has to be the website Pick Your Plum. It's like Groupon for crafters. They sell all sorts of supplies at highly discounted prices and I end up buying lots of things I "need" but don't need...if you know what I mean. Here's some of my PYP stash: paper clip blanks, necklace blanks, stamps, and unfinished wood earrings. All items you think "Ohhhh the things I could do with those!" when you see them on the site.

This weekend I made some sweet little button paper clips with the paper clip blanks I bought from PYP a few weeks ago. You can also find them on Etsy (search "paper clip blanks" or in craft stores).

I thought they'd be cute with these cabachons I had in my stash (also from Etsy), but decided that the recipients would prefer the buttons. Just glue them on and you're good to go!

I'm planning to use them as stocking stuffers this Christmas. I think they'll be sweet little page markers for the avid reader on your list or just a very pretty paper clip, of course. These are quick and easy to put together, but make a thoughtful and fun gift.

#Giveaway: Ethiopian Coffee Pack From World Vision!

2011-11-27T08:37:00.001-07:00

If you're still on the hunt for some meaningful holiday gifts, I have a great resource - and giveaway! - for you today: The World Vision Gift Catalog.

World Vision is a humanitarian organization serving children, families and communities in 100 countries around the world. Their gift catalog, which can also be found online, has almost 250 items ranging from $16 to $39,000 that help children and families in need, including:

Two chickens that provide a daily supply of eggs (with plenty of protein and 13 essential vitamins and minerals) - $25

Feed a family in the US for a day with a Family Food Kit which includes nutritious meals like oatmeal, lentil soup or pasta, and a bean and rice casserole - $16

Ten fruit trees such as apple trees, orange trees, and mango trees provide the vitamins and nutrients growing kids need - $60

In addition to the items above, World Vision offers several Maximum Impact Fund gifts that help answer specific, urgent needs of children and families that might otherwise go unmet. One such gift is the Fair-Trade Coffee Set which includes coffee from Ethiopia, Sumatra, and Costa Rica blended by OneCup.org delivered in a bag of African fabric hand-sewn by local women. It is accompanied by a hand-carved olivewood scoop made to benefit over 200 orphans of the Kamba tribe.

Because Ethiopia is very near and dear to our hearts, our family hopes you'll consider making this gift your first choice for all of the coffee drinkers on your list. If coffee isn't really your first choice, we understand. Watch this quick video and see other ways that you can help through World Vision...

And because World Vision is so amazing, they've asked me to do a giveaway of one Fair-Trade Coffee Set! There are multiple ways to win. You can pick one or all of these. Just leave a comment for each one that you do.

1. Watch the video above. Let me know you did.
2. Share the video via Facebook and/or Twitter.
3. Share this post (via the email button below) with friends who might like to win!
4. "Like" World Vision on Facebook.
5. Follow World Vision on Twitter.
6. "Like" World Vision's The True Spirit of Christmas page on Facebook.

Let's use our holiday buying power for good this year!

Please check back next Saturday, December 3rd to see if you've won, or leave me a way to contact you. Good luck!

Three Way Beauty Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-25T18:01:00.001-07:00

Hope all of our American friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. We cooked and cooked and stuffed our little bellies until we couldn't eat anymore. It was a beautiful day here in Colorado and I'm looking forward to two more days of weekend!

Since I'm already a day behind on this, I thought I better pick the winner for the Shhh bar from 3 Way Beauty. Random.org has worked its magic and chosen~

Meig Heyburnsaid...: Awesome giveaway. Thanks!

You are very welcome Meig! I'll be contacting you soon. I hope you enjoy the beauty bar as much as I do.

Stay tuned for another great giveaway - I hope to have it posted it by tomorrow at the latest.

PSA: Save Green Monday!

2011-11-23T09:35:00.001-07:00

First and foremost, one of my favorite green companies, To-Go Ware, is offering 30% off from Black Friday through Cyber Monday, using code "savegreen". Their tiffins and bamboo utensils are great for taking your lunch on the go, or, gift it to someone you want to encourage to live more sustainably.

Second, To-Go Ware and 20 other eco-friendly companies are participating in Save Green Monday, where they'll be offering 15 - 50% off their products on Cyber Monday. Just visit the site to see who's participating!

Green the Season With Global Girlfriend

2011-11-19T10:42:00.001-07:00

Global Girlfriend has been one of my favorite sources for gifts over the past few years. Started in 2003 by a woman with a vision, the company helps women in need in countries all over the world...

In 2003, Global Girlfriend founder Stacey Edgar had a $2,000 tax return and a deep desire to help provide economic security for women in need. She knew that of the 1.3 billion people living on less than $1 per day, seventy percent are women. What she didn't have was a business plan. Or a passport. But that didn't stop her from creating a socially conscious business that has helped poor women in five continents feed their families and send their children to school.Global Girlfriend has since grown into a multi-million dollar enterprise that specializes in handmade, fairly traded, eco-conscious apparel, accessories, and items made by women all over the world. Global Girlfriends is Stacey's inspiring story of following her convictions, as well as her passionate argument for simple actions we can all take to eliminate extreme poverty. Stacey Edgar refused to be paralyzed by the size of world poverty; she started by taking several small steps, personal responsibility firmly in hand, and never looked back. {source}

You can buy a copy of Stacey's book, Global Girlfriends, and support her mission, or choose from thousands of amazing eco-friendly, organic, fair trade products on the site. Here are a few of my faves that I wouldn't mind seeing under my tree this year. {ahem}

Organic Africa Pocket Skirt - $36

"A pocketful of pretty! Handsewn in Kampala, our soft and stretchy skirt is made of 100% organic cotton. Made by seamstresses who found themselves living in poverty when the government closed down their factories -- your purchase offers them new hope for the future."

Wouldn't this skirt (in, say, a medium, brown) go with everything? I can see wearing it all summer, plus with boots and tights in the winter.

Start Small, Dream Big, Change Lives Leather Bracelet - $12.95

"Our leather bracelets are made by the women artisans of the Sapia fair trade group in Colombia. They're a perfect gesture of friendship, or a reminder to yourself to dream big and follow through!"

Recycled Water Pack Wallet - $7.95

Wouldn't this be a fun stocking stuffer for the guys in your life?

"Finding value in seemingly valueless materials, the makers of these innovative bags pride themselves on low-energy recycling solutions for the countless drink packets discarded everywhere around Ghana. Due to its ubiquitous presence and indiscriminate disposal in the streets of Ghana, the plastic sachet is recognized regionally as a potent symbol of the solid waste problems faced by the nation. The millions of discarded plastic sachets that are collected by the Trashy Bags group are triple-washed, disinfected, then dried before being turned into durable and eye-catching bags."

Recycled Soda Bottle Soy Candle - $16.95

I love the Black Cherry version of this candle. I saw something similar at a craft fair last weekend for twice the price!

"Old Boylan Bottling Company soda bottles have been cut in half and transformed into candle jars, creating quirky home additions that catch the eye and charm the soul. Another bonus -- after serving as a home for your candles, these tumblers can be washed and used as glassware. Soy wax burns more cleanly, and at a cooler temperature than paraffin wax, so candles last longer. The candles are produced by women involved with Bright Endeavors, a nonprofit social enterprise that helps inner-city and at-risk women gain the skills needed to make a living and become self-sufficient."

Ugandan Waxcloth Lunch Bag - $22

I love the colors on these. What a great gift for someone who takes her lunch to go.

"Crafted with hand-printed Ugandan waxcloth, each bag is a unique work of art. And because it's handmade by women artisans in Uganda, your purchase helps to improve their lives -- as well as those of their families and community."

There are some great deals to be had on the Sale section of Global Girlfriend's site too. You can stock up on gifts for everyone on your list.

The very best part of Global Girlfriend's site though, is their Gifts That Give More area. There you can choose from hundreds of ways to donate directly to the causes you support, from helping shelter dogs, to donating clean birthing kids to women in Africa, to fighting breast cancer, to helping homeless veterans.

I hope you'll stop by their Global Girlfriend today and see how you can lend support!

#Giveaway Thursday: 3 Way Beauty's Shhh bar

2011-11-17T11:27:00.001-07:00

One of the very first things we did to "go green" was to ditch those body washes and shower gels that come in plastic containers and go back to good old fashioned, no-waste bar soap. Easy change. A year or so later I decided to see if I could eliminate shampoo and conditioner in plastic bottles as well. That didn't go as smoothly. Let's just say the "no poo" thing wasn't for me. My hair was a hot mess.

I counted the whole experiment as a green fail and moved on with my life, coming to terms with the fact that I'd probably always use shampoo and conditioner. Until, that is, 3 Way Beauty asked me to try their Shhh bar.

Their motto?

"Shampoo, shower and shave. No shit."

It's as easy as that. Use this one little bar to replace your shampoo, your soap and your shaving cream.

To me this seems like the perfect gift for a traveler. Whether you're packing light for a trip to another country, or you're jaunting to the mountains for the weekend and don't want to lug every product you own along.

Shhh makes a great gift for the man in your life because, let's face it, they're not know for their desire to use multiple products when getting ready. When I handed the sample to my husband he mumbled something to the effect of, "Finally, somebody's listening to me."

I loved the soap too. It was nice to have one do-it-all product in the shower - especially one that involved no plastic! I did find that I needed to use my regular shampoo about one a week, but my hair is long, inexplicably thick, coarse and naturally ~~frizzy~~ curly. Kind of like horse hair with a perm. Lucky me.

The Shhh bar comes in a 1.5 oz size for $5 (hello stocking stuffer!) and 6 oz for $17 which, in my opinion, is not a bad price for replacing three products.

Shhh is manufactured in Minnesota by a family-run company in a 100% hydro powered mill. The bars are free of synthetics, preservatives, artificial fragrance and coloring. All packaging is 100% compostable and recyclable, making it a great Green the Season gift!

Of course, I'll be giving away a small Shhh bar this week. There are two ways to enter:

1. Follow 3 Way Beauty on Facebook
2. Follow 3 Way Beauty of Twitter

Just leave me a comment letting me know which one(s) you did. A winner will be chosen next week. Check back to see if you've won, or let me know how to reach you. Good luck!

This post is linked to Someday Crafts.

Winner of the Ingredients DVD!

2011-11-17T08:17:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to DramaMama, winner of the DVD Ingredients: The Local Food Movement Takes Root!

DramaMama said...

I'm curious to see this film...and the one the previous commenter mentioned! I'm in SE WI and we used to go up to Mackinac Island a lot when I was little. But back to documentaries I've seen - not many! Food Inc, of course and Supersize Me, which I watched when I was pregnant and it made me hungry!! Is that bad? LOL I wish I could see more of Joel Salatin, there wasn't enough of him in Food Inc if you ask me. I have some documentaries on my list that I would LIKE to see - there's one called Flow and another about trees being planted around the world, I forgot the title...if only I had more time to watch! Can't wait until my kids get a little older and we can watch together =)

Please email me at kellie (at) mysocalledgreenlife (dot) com and I'll send this out to you!

And stay tuned for another giveaway, coming soon!

Upcycle: Old frame into chalkboard serving tray!

2011-11-16T14:11:00.001-07:00

I've been on the lookout for an old wooden serving tray for months now. The plan was to paint the bottom with chalkboard paint, so one could label what she was serving guests. Brilliant! Only I haven't seen a tray at any of the second hand stores I've visited.

Then I had a light bulb moment (If you haven't seen Despicable Me, it went something like this.) where I decided to use an old picture frame instead. More brilliant!

I rushed to my local thrift store and found a lovely framed poem about marriage for $7. A little spendy, but it was a great frame, with glass...plus this is a Christmas gift, so I didn't mind spending a little more to get just what I was looking for.

Anyhoo... If you'd like to make one of these, here's how to do it.

Take the backing off your frame and disassemble it. Sand the frame down so you take all the varnish off. If, at this point, you feel like your frame doesn't look rustic enough, try this tip for instantly aging wood. (Really, check it out. It will be the best thing you've learned all year. Promise!)

If you're happy with the frame, wash it off, let it dry completely, then stain. I chose a dark mahogany.

While the stain is drying, you'll paint your glass with chalkboard paint. Word to the wise: try using a primer coat of something meant for glass. The chalkboard paint I used was not specifically designed for glass so I had a bit of a problem with it at first. So prime your glass...or find a chalkboard paint you can use on glass.

When it's dry, prime the painted surface by rubbing chalk on it, then wiping it off.

Put the glass and backing back into the frame and bend the staples back down around it to secure. If you're a geek like me who happens to have a ginormous roll of kraft paper, you can finish off the back of the frame.

Simply cut the craft paper to the size of your frame and use Tacky Glue around the edges.

Now you're ready to throw a party!

Or share a bottle of wine with the one you love. (Who is sure to comment on your ingenuity and crafting skills!)

#Green the Season: Craft Fairs

2011-11-13T10:01:00.001-07:00

Local craft fairs are always a great source for holiday gifts. Yesterday was my Super Bowl of craft fairs with our local high school organizing a show and one of the local churches having their annual Alternative Gift Fair.

The show at the high school was made up of local artists and crafters. I found some great organic soaps and lotions. Evidently the big thing this year (or maybe I'm way behind?) is lotion in a bar form that comes in a little tin. It's similar to a tin of hand salve, only the product is more solid like a bar of soap and actually comes out of the tin, where salve does not. You warm it up by rubbing it between your palms, then rub it into your skin. Such a neat idea (no more lotion explosions in my purse, or frozen lotion in my glove compartment) and every soap booth was selling them. I picked up a few from Evergreen Candleworks, a local, family-owned company here in town. They use organic soy, fair trade shea butter and their operation is run completely on wind power. These make great stocking stuffers, so check them out!

The Alternative Gift Fair was filled with non-profits that help those in need from here in Colorado to the Himalayas. From the Women's Bean Project, which employs homeless women in Denver, to One Mother, which helps HIV positive women in India, each gift purchased helps a person in need. Plus, you get a gift for someone you love, hence their "Buy Once, Gift Twice" slogan.

I got some fabulous gifts here as well. My favorite vendor has to be One Mother whose blankets, scarves, place mats and change purses are made in India from recycled saris. The colors and patterns are brilliant.

Will you be hitting any local craft shows this year?

#Giveaway Thursday: Ingredients documentary on DVD

2011-11-10T18:46:00.001-07:00

Are you a proponent of the local food movement? Or perhaps you'd like to encourage a friend or loved one to eat locally-grown seasonal foods? The documentary Ingredients: The Local Food Movement Takes Root will make a great gift for yourself or someone near and dear to you.

With the world's population recently reaching 7 billion people, it's no secret that change must be made to our already-failing industrialized food system.

Cases of diabetes in our country are rising rapidly among adults and children. Our lifespan is expected to be shorter than past generations. Our overly processed, genetically modified, shipped-from-halfway-around-the-world food is killing us and the environment.

Ingredients seeks to reconnect viewers with their food, where it comes from and the people who grow it by introducing them to chefs and farmers around the nation who are working together to take local, sustainable food from farm to table.

Win a copy of Ingredients by leaving a comment here. I love a good documentary, so let me know about one you've seen - on any topic - and loved. A winner will be picked next Thursday, November 17th. Good luck!

Every Man Jack Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-10T11:04:00.003-07:00

Giveaway time is here and Random.org has chosen... {drumroll please}

Heathersaid...: I liked them on facebook! My husband would LOVE these. I like it when he smells nice, and it's almost a girl with his Axe stuff and Old Spice things. :)

Congratulations Heather! Please email me at kellie {at} mysocalledgreenlife {dot} com and we'll get your prize out to you. Once you use these products up, you can find a list of retailers here, buy directly from their site, or from online stores like Drugstore.com.

Hope you enjoy the products!

If you didn't win, don't be sad. I'll be posting another giveaway later today, so stay tuned!

Green the Season: Gifts for Teachers

2011-11-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Visit the Green Phone Booth today and read my guest post on thoughtful gifts for teachers. With eight teachers to gift, we end up giving items that are mostly handmade.

According to the Hubby, who teaches at a mostly Latino inner-city school, he prefers to receive home made green chili (cuisine may vary in your region) :-) and baked goods over more #1Teacher mugs. Because female teachers may be a little more figure-sensitive, they may not want 20 to 30 dozen cookies though, so Hubby suggests gift cards to a locally owned bookstore or teacher supply store. Personally, I think a gift certificate for a manicure would be nice if it's in your budget. He also receives many Starbucks cards, which I appreciate, since he doesn't drink coffee.

If you're giving a gift card, consider personalizing the gift with one of these little gift card holders where your teacher can store all the cards she receives this year.

What will you be buying or making for your teachers this year? What's been well-received in the past?

#Giveaway Thursday: Every Man Jack

2011-11-03T10:02:00.001-06:00

What better way to kick off Green the Season 2011 than with a giveaway to give you a jump start on your holiday shopping!?

~* This giveaway is now CLOSED! *~

Introducing Every Man Jack, a line of personal products for men. They're affordable, they're good, and they're cheap...but in a good way.

"The idea was simple. There should be high-quality grooming stuff made just for guys that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Products that are honest and straightforward and stripped of all the things you don’t need, like harsh chemicals and unbelievable promises. Guys would buy our stuff and they’d like our stuff and maybe even tell a few friends. And so we’d come up with more products. Guys would have a brand they could count on from head to toe. And it’d be time for their stuff to take its rightful place in the bathroom."

EMJ sent us a few of their products to test out and the mister is really enjoying them. (And I'm enjoying smelling him!) I love the masculine look of the products -- even the bar of soap is dark brown -- and the cedar scent...well let's just say I may or may not have smelled the empty box several times when no one was looking. Yum.

The hubs likes that he gets special fru fru products that are actually manly. His favorite so far has been the Cedarwood Body Bar which is bumpy for a massage sort of feeling when you use it. He also tried the Cedarwood Body Wash and the 2-in-1 Thickening Shampoo. They all got two thumbs up with a recommendation that guys would be happy to receive these as gifts.

Every Man Jack is currently running a promotion on their kits which you can buy for only $15. That is a serious bargain, so snatch them up for all the men in your life - hubs, boyfriend, dad, mailman, milk man, garbage man, the guy at Starbucks who makes your latte...

The Cedarwood kit includes:

2 – body bars | cedarwood (4.0 OZ)
deodorant | cedarwood (3.0 OZ)
body wash | cedarwood (16.9 FL OZ)
lip balm | fragrance free (.15 OZ)
dual compartment toiletry bag

All for only $15. Tell me that isn't a huge bargain! Other kits include the Tea Tree or Citrus Hair Kits, and the Mint or Fragrance Free Shave Kits. All come with travel cases.

Of course, it wouldn't be a giveaway without something free, so here it is! Every Man Jack is going to send one lucky winner the same set of products that we tested out - a Cedarwood Body Bar, Cedarwood Body Wash and their 2-in-1 Thickening Shampoo!

To win, visit Every Man Jack on Facebook and "like" their page. Leave me a comment letting me know you did.

Do you really, really want to win? You can get a second entry by telling me who you would give these products to - or if you'd use it for yourself. (There has to be a male reader or two out there, right???)

Be sure to check back next Thursday, November 10th to see if you've won or let me know how to reach you if you do win.

Good luck!

{This post has been linked to Giveaway Thursday on Someday Crafts.}

Green the Season 2011 is here!

2011-11-02T11:49:00.000-06:00

For the past two years, I've done a Green the Season series starting in November and running through Christmas. It's my chance to share with you some of the things I'm buying or making as Christmas gifts, products I love, philanthropic organizations, eco-friendly companies, things I'm doing with the family to celebrate the season, and much, much more -- including some fun giveaways!

Keep an eye out for my Green the Season (or "GTS") posts that will start popping up shortly. In the meantime, feel free to browse some Green the Season posts from past years for inspiration!

Squeezing it all in...

2011-10-30T19:56:00.001-06:00

The older I get, the faster time seems to move. I hate to sound cliche, but the last time I checked it was summer, then I blinked and it was Halloween. Even though I've been decorating for it, making Halloween crafts, and planning school parties it still really snuck up on me. This weekend we had to squeeze a whole lot of Halloween into one day.

Saturday was the Fall carnival at school. The boys went as Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper. They both already had the masks, received as gifts. We found Felix's Storm Trooper costume at Goodwill for $3. I just painted a black shirt for Fletcher's costume.

Macy went to the carnival as a rock star. She intended to be Hannah Montana, but the wig just wouldn't fit right. And, really, an African girl with a blond wig just gave me a weird vibe. I hate for her to think she needs to have blond hair to be pretty. Anyway... She wasn't very happy with the costume sans wig, so she decided to be Lava Girl instead. Photo coming since her costume is still drying. But it's cute. And crafty. Natch.

We borrowed Halloween books from the library and watched spooky movies on Netflix.

We picked and carved pumpkins. And lit them when the power went out. {Good timing!}

And we made caramel apples and toasted pumpkin seeds.

It was like one of those movies where the main character only has 24 hours to live, so he has to do everything he ever wanted to do before his time is up.

Happy Halloween!

The garden that never died...

2011-10-26T21:01:00.000-06:00

Our first snow came a few weeks ago and I thought that would be the perfect time to give up on the garden. I stopped watering and unplugged the night time heater. We picked the last of the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce and thought that would be that.

Only the darn vegetables had another idea.

Last weekend we harvested more cabbage...

a boat load of radishes...

...red, green and hot peppers, various types of tomatoes, green beans and more. And Macy got a little lesson in seed saving, which we've tried for the first time this year.

I picked even more tomatoes and peppers yesterday before the foot of snow and 20 degree temps. I think that will officially be it for the season.

Apple Brunch Biscuits

2011-10-26T13:21:00.003-06:00

It's the first snow day of the season! The kids had a half day at school today anyway, so I opted to play hookey and keep them home. The Apple Brunch Biscuits we had for breakfast were so good.

Next up: Homemade chili for lunch and a little cuddle time in front of the fire.

Our Wii Play: Motion party! #NintendoEnthused

2011-10-25T15:06:00.002-06:00

Hooray! My ~~baby~~ computer is finally out of the ~~hospital~~ repair shop and I can get back to blogging. I feel like my left arm has been missing.

Last Sunday was our Wii Play: Motion party and as "Nintendo Brand Enthusiasts" Nintendo was kind enough to send our family some great goodies to play, eat and share at the party.

If you have a Wii, the Wii Play: Motion game is a must-have. And if you don't have a Wii, well, what are you waiting for? We (Wii) have had so much fun playing this with the kids -- and I may have challenged the mister to a late night rock skipping game after the kids went to bed one night. The kids love the Grappling Ghosts game, which they call Ghost Busters.

One of the 12 games on the disc is Cone (as in ice cream) Zone so what better food to have than build-your-own ice cream sundaes!

Remember this light fixture turned cake stand? It doubled (tripled?) as a veggie stand for the party. Mmmm ice cream and veggies. I'm a mom, what can I say.

A great time was had by all. Thanks Nintendo & Brand About Town!

If you're looking for a holiday gift for the little ones, this is a great idea that the whole family will love!

Upcycle: Juice can top into chore magnet.

2011-10-13T15:01:00.001-06:00

It seems all the crafting I do these days can be traced back to Pinterest. With all of the fabulous ideas I see, I hardly have time to think of anything new. All I want to do is recreate the things I ogle there! Maybe "creativity" can be my New Year's resolution?

I recently saw some chore magnets on Pinterest that I thought were completely clever - and very necessary in my house. They were pinned from Etsy though and, being the cheap arse I am, I repinned them with a reminder to just make some myself.

One of the other things I saw and loved recently were stamped owl magnets made with the metal lids you find on frozen cans of juice. Check them out here on Grow Creative. So. Darn. Cute.

The two ideas collided in my head this week as my kids asked if I could make them new chore charts. (Ridiculous, I know. Who asks for chore charts!?)

In reality, their "chores" are really just normal things they need to do in the morning and before bed - get dressed, brush your teeth, lay out your clothes types of things. Frustrated with having to do about 99.9% of the real chores in our house, I decided to add a rotating weekly chore for each of them, which is what I put on these magnets. (And, before you call social services, "Clean the bathroom" just entails wiping wayward toothpaste off the sink, putting toothbrushes and toothpaste in the proper place, and putting any dirty clothes in the laundry pile. No scrubbing toilets or anything. I save that little gem for myself.)

So here's what we have. Admittedly, the laminated lists are not my proudest crafting moment, but they do in a pinch and the kids can mark their items off with a dry erase marker. Their real chore just says "weekly chore" since it changes from week to week.

With the new magnets, I just stick them onto the proper list.

These were so simple to make. It took me about 5 minutes, including the time it took to snap photos.

Just take your clean metal lids, print what you want them to say, cut it out and stick them on. I used photo splits to stick the paper to the lids. You don't even need to glue the magnet to the lid because it's metal!

Next I'm planning to make some up with others chores they can do to earn a little bit of money. I'm guessing there's a fine line between "chores" and "child labor"?

This project is linked to: Freestyle Friday |

Home-juiced tomatoes.

2011-10-08T14:40:00.001-06:00

Hubby and I spent all morning juicing tomatoes using the fancy-schmancy Italian tomato press I won from Jovial Foods on Facebook last year. The sauce turned out great, but it was the biggest ordeal ev-er. I hate to talk smack about something I got for free, but I definitely would not recommend the Gulliver Tomato Press. Jovial, on the other hand, I do recommend. We love their einkorn pasta - and now I'll have some home made sauce to go with!

With the snow that we're getting today, our gardening might just be done for the season. It's been our most productive season yet.

Boo! Get Crafty for Halloween.

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

My favorite (only?) Halloween decoration from last year. I'm obviously in the Halloween spirit MUCH more this year! Thought I'd re-post for a little Friday inspiration.

As soon as the leaves start to turn yellow I put out the fall decorations. I love decorating with the seasons in general, but not necessarily with each holiday. Halloween, for one, usually gets passed over in favor of earth tones for fall. Maybe it's because I find so many of the Halloween decorations to be, ahem, not really my "aesthetic" as Tim Gunn would say.

This year I'm going to "make it work" (sorry - no more Project Runway puns) by designing my own little Halloween signage.

I found these letters at Hobby Lobby for $1.25 each (plus they were 30% off - score!). The Halloween-themed scrapbook paper was 2/$1 and the black paint was $0.89 at JoAnn Fabric. All pretty inexpensive supplies.

I started out by painting the backs and sides of the letters black - you could do orange, or any other coordinating color you'd like.

After the paint is dry, lay each letter face-down on the back side of your scrapbook paper. Trace them, then cut the letters out. You don't have to worry about trimming them to the perfect size at this point.

Cover the front of your letter with a thin coat of Mod Podge, then stick the scrapbook paper on. Smooth out any wrinkles and allow to sit for 15 minutes before adding a coat of Mod Podge on top of the paper. I find using one of the sponge brushes gives me the nicest finish. Let this sit for another 15 minutes then add a second top coat. Allow letters to dry overnight.

In the morning, you can clean up any uneven paper with an x-acto knife, then take a fine-grit sandpaper and run it along the edges until they're smooth.

Take the tiniest amount of black paint and your sponge brush and apply the paint to the corners to give the letters an antiqued look. This would also probably work with a black ink pad.

If you'd like to hang these on the wall, small picture hooks can be purchased from any hardware or craft store and added to the back of each letter.

Green Your Halloween: Thrift store decor

2011-10-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

Since we seem to be going all-out with the Halloween decor this year, I decided to put up a spooky mantle display. Just about everything here is second hand...

Mirror: Bud's Warehouse several years ago
Candle sticks & holders: ARC & Goodwill
Glass apothecary jars: local thrift store
Candles: free from my mom's storage shed

The candle sticks and holders were all sorts of colors, so I spray painted them all black. The banner is made from pieces of fabric I found in the clearance bin at Walmart. (The colors are a little more vibrant in person.) Pumpkins are locally grown.

Upcycle: Light fixture into cake stand

2011-10-05T09:59:00.000-06:00

10/11/2011 ~ Update: This post was featured over at Coastal Charm, a lovely blog about decorating and thrifting (two of my favorite things!). Be sure to check it out!

The people who built our house had some very questionable taste. This light fixture being one clue to that...

It had a glass globe that went in it at one point, to cover the bulbs. I know this because the same fixture was in almost every room throughout the house. Lovely. They were one of the first things to go when we started remodeling.

Over the summer we came across one of these black metal pieces as we were filling a roll off dumpster with construction debris. I happily threw it on top of the heap and went about my business, but the curly metal kept haunting my mind and I wondered what I could possibly do with it. I quickly spray painted it a nice cream color - because spray paint makes everything better - then sat it in a corner and stared at it for the next two months.

After looking through a zillion photos on Pinterest I finally decided that a cake stand or food stand was in its future. I'm still looking for a plate large enough to sit on top. (I try painted plywood, which did not work out at all.) Until I find the right plate though, I'm using round cake board, which is basically just white cardboard cut into a circle. It's what bakers put cakes on, or what your frozen pizza would come on when you take it out of the box. You can find them at Michaels in a package of 5 or 6 for about $5.

For Halloween, I used Tacky Glue and glued some Halloween themed ribbon around the edge of the cake board, then set it on top of the stand. I also picked up a pretty green, red and creme ribbon for Christmas already.

You can sit a cake, cupcakes, muffins or other pastries on top, or use it for other types of food as well. On a buffet table I think it would give nice elevation to some of your dishes. I'm also envisioning it with a round mirror on top, used as a display around Christmas - with candles maybe? So many ideas, so little time!

This post is linked to: House of Grace | Nifty Thrifty Tuesday | House of Hepworth | Strut Your Stuff Thursdays | Freestyle Friday

Bats in my belfry... {create your own!}

2011-10-04T10:39:00.000-06:00

I never decorated for Halloween until I had kids and now I'm wondering -- WHY!? -- because it's so much fun! We got our bats up last night and I smile every time I look at them. Such an inexpensive way to create some spook for your home.

Just go to Google Images, search "bat template" and you'll come up with all different shapes and sizes. Cut your bats out of black card stock (aka: scrapbooking paper). I folded mine in half and only taped down one wing. Having the other wing free gives your display a 3-D feeling.

Enjoy!

Finally Fall...

2011-10-03T14:59:00.001-06:00

Although Fall is truly my favorite season, I also hate to see summer go - mostly because I'm a baby when it comes to cold weather. I promised myself that I wouldn't start decorating for, or posting about, Fall until October 1st and now the time is finally here! The Aspen trees around our neighborhood are brilliant. If you're in Colorado, you have to get up to see the leaves soon.

I know I've been MIA these last two weeks. We've had so much going on as a family. We took our older son out of 1st grade at his new school and moved him back to Kindergarten at his old school. It was truly the hardest thing I've had to do as a parent, but it's working out beautifully. He's feeling confident where he used to feel intimidated, happy where he used to hate school. Last year he rarely finished the assignments he was given in school and this year he's finishing on time, able to sit through the day without going nuts, and no longer feels anxious.

We received some news about M&F's birth family in Ethiopia last week that was shocking to say the least and left me feeling a little too "blah" to do much blogging. On the plus side, we also found out that they have an extended family member who is living here in the States. Incredible. (In a good way.)

Additionally, momma got some much-needed time away with a girls weekend in NYC! Just what I needed.

Now that things have calmed down here (not that our life is ever calm) I hope to be back to blogging more regularly. I just pulled out all of my Fall and Halloween decorations and am in the process of making some more. Hope to have lots of photos for you soon!

Harvest time...

2011-09-14T13:30:00.000-06:00

This has been our best year for gardening up here in the mountains. We've finally outsmarted the deer and most of the bugs and have managed to figure out ways to keep our greenhouse cool and moist enough during the day, and warm enough at night. It's not always pretty...we have a wet towel hanging in front of a fan, which helps to increase the humidity...but it's ours.

{Fancy-shmancy deer-proofing}

Our cucumbers are almost ready to pick, we've had a handful of green beans, many hot peppers, a few bell peppers, broccoli, lettuce coming out of our ears, radishes growing like weeds and we even have an accidental pumpkin patch! (A product of "Eh, this will never grow. Just toss is out there in the field.")

{Can you spot the two types of cucumbers? One has a yellow tip.}

I honestly feel like a pioneer each and every time I go out to the garden and bring back food. Real food! To eat! We had alecha for Ethiopian New Year and it felt amazing to go and chop this from one of the raised beds...

Isn't that the most beautiful head of cabbage you've ever seen? I might be biased. Gardening is sort of like parenting though: a hard job, but very rewarding. Oh, and produce never talks back to you.

Happy 10th Anniversary {and a map craft}

2011-09-08T20:52:00.000-06:00

Today is our 10th wedding anniversary! My sweetie and I have seen, done, and experienced so much over the past ten years and I wanted his anniversary present to commemorate that in some way. When I saw this idea on Pinterest (see the inspiration here by minimoz) a few weeks ago I just knew it was the perfect gift because the Mister is a collector of maps.

{Our first home in Denver}

The hearts are cut from maps and represent places that have meaning to us: where we met, got engaged, got married, our honeymoon, our first home, where we had our baby, some places that we traveled, and where we adopted.

{Our honeymoon in Thailand...we danced under a full moon on the beach}

To make this, I used an old framed photo that someone had given us. It never really had a home and ended up in our dark hallway. I planned to spray paint the frame, but decided that I really liked the brown faux bamboo look for this.

And if there was ever a question about how often I dust the one thing hanging in my hallway, this should answer it... Yikes!

I removed the brown paper on the back of the frame and lifted the staples so I could remove the current photo.

I just used the white poster board that was in the frame as the base for my project. I used osnaberg fabric as the background, pulling it tight and gluing it to the back of the poster board. I had planned to use a spray adhesive but mine had mysteriously disappeared.

I then measured where I wanted each heart and taped some thread on so I could keep all of the hearts in line. (This was removed later, of course.)

After cutting out all of my hearts from maps I found on eBay or second hand stores, I printed up their descriptions, cut them and added grommets for decoration.

Using Tacky Glue (sparingly.), I put the hearts and descriptions onto the background fabric and weighed them down with something heavy. A cell phone box and pen holder, natch. Once they were all dry I tugged the thread out carefully.

Now the front looks so pretty and the back...well...this project is like a mullet: business in the front, crazy party in the back. But that's okay, no one will ever see that part. I just folded the staples back down to keep it in place...

...and covered the back with brown craft paper so it looked nice and neat. I knew this giant roll of paper would come in handy one day.

I glued it onto the frame, then trimmed it with an X-acto knife, trimming around the picture hook.

I'm so pleased with how it turned out and the Mister LOVED it (or he's really good at pretending, which still makes me happy).

Spray Paint & Mod Podge Make Everything Better

2011-09-05T19:05:00.001-06:00

I've tried to give this CD holder to Goodwill at least ten times over the past ten years of my marriage to Mr. Cheap. It doesn't fit anywhere, or "go" with our decor, or even fit CDs in their cases! Every time I put it in the Goodwill pile though, it magically makes its way back into my house. Since it seems to have some mystical boomerang properties, I decided that I might as well transform it to some I like a bit more.

Enter three of my favorite craft items: Mod Podge, spray paint, and scrapbook paper.

The easiest way to transform something - in my opinion - is to spray paint it white. Or just paint it, but spray painting is so much quicker and easier. For this, I removed the hardware and spray painted both the box and the hardware.

Then I clipped my scrapbook paper, painted the back of it with Mod Podge and applied it to the front of the box.

I reattached the hardware and was good to go!

It's now in an area that I'm trying to transform from a nook in our loft (that normally just collects junk) to a workspace.

Canning apple butter in the microwave {With metal lids!}

2011-08-31T13:56:00.002-06:00

No, surprisingly, I have not gone completely mad. It really is possible to can fruits, jellies, preserves, et al in traditional glass jars the microwave. WITH their metal lids. AND live to tell about it. {I did hide behind the kitchen counter the first time, just in case.} Who knew!?

We were down in the "big city" last weekend and decided to take a spin around the Borders bookstore that was going out of business. On a 50% off shelf, sitting all by its lonesome was a book about microwave canning. What? You can can fruit in the microwave? For only $2.00, I had to have it just out of curiosity.

It's called 5-Minute Microwave Canning, by Isabel Webb, and it is amazing!

Did you know that you can put metal in the microwave? Without causing an explosion or small fire, that is? Well you can, as long as the metal to "other" (food, glass) ratio is no more than 30% metal to 70% other. Seriously. I did it. And I'm alive to tell about it.

Did I just blow your mind?

I love canning fruits to have in the winter months because nothing grows here in Colorado at that time. If we want fresh fruit it's super expensive, shipped from half way around the world, and never tastes as good as the fruits of summer. Our other option is canned fruit, but that can be so high in sugar, not to mention the fact that many cans have BPA in the lining. To me, the best option is to can the fruits my family loves in the summertime and eat them all winter long.

Now, when I say "I love canning fruits..." I don't mean I actually love the process of canning. I love the end result and that pioneer feeling that comes with it. The actual process, while not difficult, is certainly tedious. Using the microwave makes it so much quicker and easier.

But enough about me, I know you really want to know more about this process!

Apple Butter
{Recipe from 5-Minute Microwave Canning}

2 lbs cooking apples
1 cup water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves (I was out, so I used pumpkin pie spice)

Reminder: First, sterilize your jars, rings and lids. I put mine in the dishwasher using the high temp and heated dry options (two things I never use otherwise!) and just left them there until I was ready to use them. Try to time it so that the jars are still nice and warm though.

1. Place washed, roughly cut up apples (retaining skins & cores)* in a microwave-proof bowl. Add water and lemon juice.

2. Cook on high for about 8-10 minutes or until apples are soft.
3. Puree in a food processor or blender.
4. Return apples to a microwave-proof bowl and add sugar and spices.

5. Cook on high for approx. 6-8 minutes or until mixture has thickened and holds its shape when tested on a cold plate.**
6. Fill clean, sterilized jars. Secure lids.
7. Vacuum seal as directed. {See below}

This made 6 half pint (8 oz) jars of apple butter for me -- Christmas gifts for the kids' teachers!

Here are some of my own thoughts on the instructions above:

*The author suggests leaving the skins and cores in the apples. I actually used 3 lbs of apples and cut the cores out, leaving as much of the apple as possible. I hate getting those little hard parts of the apple that are around the seed. You know what I mean! I did leave the skins on and, even though I processed the heck out of it, I could still feel some little bits of skin. I'll remove the skins next time for sure.

**The cold plate test - If you haven't canned before, this is a way to tell if your product has "set" which just means, is it thick and goopy enough? Put a little plate and spoon in the freezer while you're preparing the above. After cooking it, take a little bit with your spoon and return it to the freezer for about 3 minutes. Take it out, hold it upright and, if your product doesn't run, you know it has set. If it does run, that just means it needs to cook for a few more minutes.

How to Vacuum Seal:
The author gives different processes for sealing each product or recipe in the book, so don't try this with any and every fruit concoction, because they can differ. For this apple butter specifically, put your jars in the microwave in a circle -- no more than 4 jars -- and make sure that they are at least 1 1/4 inches apart and away from the microwave walls. Cook on medium-high for 1-2 minutes. The tops will "pop" (seal) a few minutes after you take them out. Be sure to use hot pads to take them out. They will be SUPER hot!

Leave the jars to sit, undisturbed, until cool. Turn them upside down for an hour or so to check for leakage. If they leak, take the lids off, clean the tops and reprocess. If they don't leak (mine didn't!) you're good to go.

Wasn't that easy?

I also bought a bag of clementines which I canned in a light simple syrup. The kids love eating them in the summer. In the winter, they usually con me into canned mandarin oranges. Now we have our own BPA-free version.

Next up, several pounds of organic raspberries for preserves...aaaand I might try the raspberry gin that Webb suggests. Something for the kids, something for mommy. A little give and take is only fair.

Update: Raspberry preserves are done! I am loving this new microwave technique!

Meatless Monday: Faux Larabars!

2011-08-29T11:24:00.004-06:00

I was planning to make granola bars today for my kids, but was thrown for a {good!} loop when I saw some girlfriends talking about homemade Larabars on Facebook this morning. {Thanks Shannah & Endy!}

My kids are starving ALL.THE.TIME. You would think that I never feed them. Or that they have a hollow leg, as my grandfather used to say. Nope, I've checked. Just growing kids. And, like any kid who's been exposed to the joyous highs of prepackaged HFCS-laden snacks, they would rather have something store-bought than homemade. My Ethiopians are actually pretty good about eating fruit or yogurt for a snack, but my home-grown kid tells me "Mooooooooom, I want something good." Sometimes it's hard to believe he's a 6 year old boy and not a preteen girl.

Where was I going with that? Oh, yes, I love Larabars and my kids love granola bars, but the good ones can get expensive, plus there's all the waste of individually packaged bars, so I tried my hand at these recipes this morning~

Hot Fudge Brownie Larabars by Chocolate-Covered Katie

Fruit & Nut Bars by Everyday Paleo

I used elements of each recipe, plus my friend Shannah's suggestion of adding cocoa powder and chocolate chips...because chocolate makes everything better. As all the ladies have reported, you can really change this recipe to add fruits and nuts that you like. I used a combination of nuts that I had in the house and the only dates I could find at my little grocery store. Here's what I ended up with~

Faux Chocolate Larabars

1/2 c raw almonds
1 c walnuts
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 8oz bag of dates {Note: My store only had chopped dates, which are slightly dried. I would recommend using whole pitted dates - see right - which are juicier / stickier. I fixed this by adding about a tablespoon of coconut oil.}
Pinch of kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dump it all into your food processor and process until sticky. I then pressed the mixture into an 8x8 pan and stuck it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. They were easier to cut and remove from the pan this way. This made 8 good sized bars, but you could cut it into 12 kid-sized bars as well.

Enjoy! This is such a perfect start to the morning - fruit, protein and chocolate.

It's the most wonderful time of the year... {Back to School}

2011-08-25T12:56:00.000-06:00

For some, the most wonderful time of the year is Christmas, but for me it's Back-to-School time. This is usually something that I don't admit. I overheard a group of moms talking once, saying how sorry they felt for those of us who were excited to send our kids back to school. Until then, I never considered the subject. Note to self: good parents want to spend time with their kids. Check.

So from then on, I kept my true feelings to myself.

Summer in our house means complete chaos. Each Spring, Marc and I plan wonderful things we're going to do with the kids over the summer. (He's a teacher, so he has the summers "off" too...although he wouldn't call it time off.) We plan zoo trips and camp and museum outings, hikes, bikes, a weekend trip or two if we're lucky. And, for the days when we're at home, we brainstorm all sorts of cool homeschoolish lessons.

In reality, summer looks like this: Super Uncle comes out to Colorado and stays with us so that he and hubby can tear apart every room in the house in preparation for a remodel. The kids chase each other around with sharp sticks, stopping every 2.8 minutes to ask for something to eat. I am lucky if I get my work done in 12 hours each day, since I work from home. By the end of each day we're lucky if we've escaped without stitches or a call to poison control.

Now, I love my kids. A lot. I love that I work from home and can be Room Mom, volunteer in the classroom, pick them up from school, take them to dance lessons and science classes and play dates. I love our Friday movie nights and weekend outings. But I also love dropping them off at school again on Monday (and Tuesday, and Wednesday...). In fact -- and lean in real close, because I'm gonna whisper this -- I felt as if the clouds parted and the hallelujah chorus started playing on Tuesday when I dropped the two remaining kids off for their first day of school.

I've gotten more accomplished in the last two and a half days than I did all summer. As I type, there's a plate of homemade "cupcakes" (apple cinnamon muffins with cream cheese frosting) sitting next to me for my little guy's preschool birthday party tomorrow; a pan of eggs in the oven, with which I'll make and freeze "Egg McMuffins" for on-the-go breakfasts; chicken in the crock pot for tonight's chicken enchilada dinner, the dishwasher is empty, the laundry is running, and later I'm going to sneak in a workout before I go to pick up the kids. That's how it's done! {Watch out Martha!}

Oh, and when I pick the kids up from school? Instead of thinking "I'm going to jump off a cliff if I have to hear one more argument." I think "Aw, I missed you guys today!"

Sure I miss the days (and there were a lot of them!) of staying in pj's all day long, staying up late and sleeping in, but I'm pretty sure I'm a more patient mother, organized homemaker, and better chef when school is in session.

Meatless Monday: sesame noodle stir fry with veggies

2011-08-22T20:00:00.000-06:00

In the spirit of the Summer Pantry Challenge (where I've been completely slacking) I used up a box of whole wheat spaghetti and some white and black sesame seeds from my cupboards. The spaghetti was actually cooked a few nights before. We had massive amounts of leftovers, so I used it in this stir fry the following day. I had zucchini and mushrooms in the crisper {crisper? who says that?}, so I sauteed them in a bit of olive oil, then added some hoisin and soy sauce as it cooked. As they got soft, I threw in the cold spaghetti noodles, then added the sesame seeds, plus a little more hoisin and soy sauce to taste.

Quick, easy, delicious and meatless!

For more great Meatless Monday Meals, check out Midnight Maniac's Meatless Mondays.

DIY Chalkboard Plaques

2011-08-21T22:14:00.007-06:00

With all the remodeling we've done this summer, I've been eager to start the decorating portion of the show. I've seen so many neat things done in chalkboard paint recently, from serving trays...

{Via Pinterest}

To entire walls...

{Via Pinterest}

I wish I was bold enough to have a chalkboard wall. One day! Until then, I made this sweet little plaque to hang on my much more conservatively painted wall.

Supplies: unfinished wood plaque, chalkboard paint, turquoise paint {all from Hobby Lobby}, lace {from my stash}, hot glue gun.

I simply painted the sides of the plaque, allowing it to dry, then applied two layers of chalkboard paint on the front. I'm obsessed with the little birdie stencil I found a few weeks ago, so I had to put one on the bottom of this plaque too. Using a hot glue gun, I added ribbon to the back for hanging.

My baby heads back-to-school...

2011-08-18T10:51:00.000-06:00

Fletcher and Marc started back to school this morning. Fletch is attending Marc's new school this year because, while his old school is phenomenal academically, it just wasn't the best fit for him socially. {Yes, I'm officially a tree-hugging, whole-child-teaching, hippy.} He thinks it's super cool to be going to daddy's school now.

Fletcher picked what I'm sure was ragweed for his teacher - I hope she doesn't have allergies - and put it in a pretty glass juice jar. I wanted to paint it like so many of the sweet painted vases I've seen in the blogosphere lately, but ran out of time.

I got a kick out of the two of them leaving together this morning, playfully pushing and poking each other.

I know Marc will miss his quiet commute to and from work, but Fletcher will love having this time with his daddy.

Do you have school aged children? Have they started back to school yet? Please come ~~commiserate~~ chat with us about it on the School & Learning messageboards at iVillage~

Our Back to School Community Challenge is starting soon too. Sign and you'll have the chance to win a weekly $500 Zappos gift card, or a $1000 grand prize gift card!

Plank Yoga Mat Winner!

2011-08-17T08:09:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to Janine (@FrugalCrafter) of Janine Rae's Ramblings who said...

Janine said...: I'm tall, and find mats too short. A nice long one would be great!

Janine is the winner of the Plank yoga mat giveaway! Please contact me at kellie {at} mysocalledgreenlife {dot} com with your address so I can send your new mat.

If you didn't win, but would like a Plank mat or accessory, visit their website. Remember they have a great 60% off sale going on right now. Be sure to like Plank on Facebook too, so you can get all the latest news, products, and sales.

Thanks to Plank for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!

Harvest Time: Peppers

2011-08-16T20:34:00.000-06:00

What are your favorite pepper recipes? I have my hands full, with more coming!

DIY Cork Jewelry Board

2011-08-15T10:43:00.006-06:00

I'm a very visual person. If something gets pushed to the back of the closet, or hidden between other clothes, it never gets worn. The same goes for my jewelry. For the past 10 years or so I've been using a six-drawer wooden box from Hobby Lobby to store everything but if I don't see it all the time it's out of site, out of mind. I had to laugh the other day when I started pulling jewelry out of the box, saying "Where in the world did this come from?" "This is definitely not mine!" "I have never seen this before in my life!"

Pin It

Time for a more visual display!

I've seen all sorts of creative ideas online lately and, since I have plenty of room on the closet wall, I decided to make a large cork-board display for myself.

I took a plain old cork board (you can use any size, depending on how much jewelry you want to display) and painted the wood trim turquoise. I love bright colors, but have always been too chicken to use them in my house of earth tones, so this closet project was the perfect opportunity to try something a little more bold.

I also bought a little stencil to paint some birdies on the cork.

For earrings, I put a little wire across the top. It's jewelry wire that I happened to have on hand already. You could use twine or ribbon too. I attached it to the board with some wooden tacks that I found a Sprawlmart a long time ago. It would be cute to glue some little buttons on the ends of the tacks. {note to self!}

Finally, I added a few hooks to the bottom of the frame, from which to hang necklaces.

My shoe box contraption is right below this, so it acts as a nice little shelf for extras. I used an old pottery flower pot to hold bracelets, a crystal ring holder, and a small dish for post earrings. I'm considering spray painting the shoe shelf but, until then, it has a little piece of fabric over the top. I also got the stink-eye when I inquired about painting the ugly cedar walls. Boo hiss.

Now to finish purging jewelry and hanging up the rest!

A Trip to Berry Patch Farms

2011-08-14T20:43:00.000-06:00

Did you know that yesterday was National Can it Forward Day? It was the perfect excuse to take the kids to Berry Patch Farms for some good old fashioned strawberry picking.

I've never actually been berry picking before, so I may have been more excited than they were -- and I'm not even a huge berry fan to begin with. Something about the texture of all those little seeds that icks me out. I was excited to see what the hype was all about though, and planned to buy pounds and pounds of berries to turn into jam can for Christmas gifts.

When we got to the farm we found that the strawberries were about a week away from being ripe, so each family was only allowed to pick one basketful. My Christmas jam plans were foiled, but I was secretly relieved that I wouldn't be spending hours that night making 87 pints of strawberry jam.

As a special treat from Mother Nature, the raspberries were ripening early and we were able to pick two baskets of them. Both the strawberries and raspberries were like little gifts from heaven...so incredibly sweet and juicy. Even Fletcher commented on how much better they were than the ones we get at the grocery store. It was a great time to talk again about where our food comes from, how food from far away is picked before it ripens, which affects flavor, and how everything at Berry Patch Farms is grown organically.

The kids loved seeing all the animals -- many of which were just wandering around in the open -- including the fattest pig I've ever seen. Her poor little belly just dragged on the ground as she walked. Maybe she was preggers?

My favorite part was walking through the flowers. The flowers they grow there are brilliant. I could have taken home a truck-load! Aren't they gorgeous?

We had such a nice day at the farm {with the occasional "I'm so hot I'm going to die." and "Moooooooooom, when is luuuuuuunch?" thrown in for good measure, of course}. Now we just need to cram all the other things we planned to do this summer, but didn't quite get to, into the next week and a half.

Plank Yoga Mats: Review & Giveaway!

2011-08-10T09:11:00.002-06:00

~* This giveaway is now close. Thank you to Plank and everyone who participated! *~

Welcome to the new era of yoga!

Who says every yoga session has to be a quiet, introspective -- or worse -- boring one? Definitely not Doreen Hing, designer of the fun and stylish Plank (TM) yoga mats and accessories. Hing believes that, "Yoga first and foremost can be useful, fun, creative and achievable for those real people with busy lives ~ no matter their passion."

Fueled by her love of fashion, art, design and her belief in conscious consumerism, Hing designed a series of Gripping Art Yoga Mats (pictured above) that combine high quality photography with a functional, gripping mat. She also has a fabulous line of accessories.

Plank loaned me a mat to try out for this review and, while I was hoping for the one that resembles a wooden plank, I received the also tongue-in-cheek "spilled pills" mat. At first I felt like I was doing yoga on a crack house bathroom floor, but the more I used it, the more it made me laugh. It also eerily reflects the colorful chaos of my house. Doing yoga on a mat like this seems fitting when you have three kids doing laps around you screaming "Look Mom! I can do exercises too! Feel my muscles!"

{Yoga on my deck...best start to the day!}

Here are some thoughts I had about the mat~

Length - Plank mats are nice and long. At 5'9" I'm not abnormally tall by any means, but mat length always seems to be a issue for me. Maybe it's because I've always used a cheap Target brand mat?

Feel - Enough cushion to be comfortable on the knees, spine and so on, but firm enough hold a pose without any balance issues.

Slip factor - I found this to be slightly better than other mats. My hands and feet tend to get a little sweaty during a more intense session, but I didn't find myself slipping or sliding any more than I normally would. For some of my less intense sessions I had no slimey slippage. The mat itself didn't slip on my hardwood floors at all, which made me very happy! I seem to jump forward a bit reluctantly, causing my mats to bunch up at times. I'm working on that...

Environmental aspect - The mats are made from eco-friendly, natural rubber, plus 10% recycled content.

To me, the best thing about the Plank mats was the reminder not to take yourself, or your yoga practice, too seriously -- at least not all of the time.

So you're probably wondering, "How do I get my hands {and feet} on one of these rad mats?"

First, you can WIN the Cobra Luxe Yoga Mat right here at My So Called Green Life. Hooray! Just leave a comment below. Unless we're BFFs, please make sure I have a way to get in touch with you, or be sure to check back next Wednesday, August 17th to see if you've won. You'll have one week to claim your prize, then I'll have to pick another name.

You can score additional chances to win by becoming a follower of this blog {I love new friends!}, or by sharing this post on Twitter (cc: @cmkellie) or Facebook. Leave me a separate comment for each that you do so I can reward you accordingly.

I wish I could give each and ever reader a Plant yoga mat but, if you don't win, you can visit the Plank website to purchase mats and accessories. Click on Get Connected to sign up for their newsletter and they'll give you a super secret 10% off code right then and there to use on your purchase. While you're there, check out Plank's Summer Blowout Sale where prices start at 60% off! {Christmas and Hanukkah are only 4 months away!}

Good luck & Namaste!

Upcycle: Tshirt into funky necklace

2011-08-08T16:47:00.013-06:00

I am going to be fully accessorized by the time Fall rolls around! I've been madly purging my closet -- ten year old suits? Yeah, don't think I'm going to be needing those! -- and finally made the decision to discard some old jersey gaucho-type pants that the Hubs hates. Did I say HATES!? {But they're soooooo comfy...and I work from home...and no one sees them...and and and...}

Of course, about 2.5 seconds after I put them in the Goodwill bag I was taking them back out thinking "I know I can make something with all this material!" I was inspired by an old post on the Method blog about the scarves they made from old tshirts and decided to try some necklace type accessories.

You don't need ugly gauchos to make these. Any old tshirt will do! I started by chopping off a big piece to work with. If you're using a tshirt, chop off the bottom hem first. Leave the seams attached so you have a big tube. I used my ruler and rotary cutter to cut strips from 1/4" to 1/2" wide, stopping just short of the seams on the top and bottom so that the whole things would stay attached together. You don't have to leave it attached though.

Once the strips were all cut, I gathered them together, then wrapped extra strips around the seams to hide them. Just tuck those little tails under.

The blue version I made was the first, so I just played with it a bit. It was long, so I wrapped it around my neck twice, then added a shorter version for volume. It turned out more scarf-ish like this.

The second one I made, in olive green, used a much wider piece of the leg. If you're using a tshirt, you'll want to judge how big of a piece to use by how thick your tshirt is. My ugly pants were made of a very thin jersey.

After putting it together, I clipped one strand from each side and slid some beads on, adding knots between each one, then tied them together somewhere in the middle.

I really like the way it turned out with the beads.

There are so many possibilities with these and no right or wrong way to do it. I think my next one will be braided! I already have my eye on a sage green tshirt the Hubs brought home from a conference last week. Think he'll miss it?

How to Sew a Credit Card Wallet, Business, or Gift Card holder

2011-08-04T06:00:00.032-06:00

Update: I've finally created a Flickr group where you can upload photos of the credit card wallets you've made. I've seen some really fun versions out there, so please share them with us here~ http://www.flickr.com/groups/mscglwallet/

I'm a huge purse-lover, but I always find myself grabbing my driver's license and credit card when running into the grocery store, post office, out to drop the kids off at school, etc., so I love having these little wallets in a multitude of colors and patterns. They're light enough to grab and go and compact enough to slide in my back pocket. They're also great way to personalize giving a gift card.

The tutorial I did for this version has been the most popular post on my blog every week since I put it up in November of 2008. I feel embarrassed every time I see it on the list of top posts because I had just picked up sewing again, the photos aren't great, and there was no closure on it...blah blah blah. This week I finally found some time to do a new and improved tutorial. I found this Fall-ish, vintage looking fabric at JoAnn a few months ago and have been looking longingly at it ever since.

Credit Card / Business Card / Gift Card Holder Tutorial

Materials:
Two pieces of fabric cut to 6" x 4.5"
One piece 6" x 4" in coordinating fabric for inside pocket
One piece of interfacing cut to 6" x 4.5"
Closure - snap, button and/or pony tail band (I'll give instructions for each.)

Start by ironing all of your fabric. Attach the interfacing to what will be your outer piece of 6 x 4.5 fabric. {Update: It was brought to my attention that I ordered these incorrectly because I was using the same fabric as my outer piece and my lining, thus the new colors here in the updated version!}

Here you see the pink lining piece and my blue floral outer piece, with interfacing attached.

Take your 6 x 4" pocket piece and fold it down about 1/4 inch, then 1/4 inch again. Pin and sew.

Now we're going to layer the fabric pieces in preparation for sewing them all together. Place your lining piece of fabric right side up on the bottom of the pile. Put the pocket on top of that, right side up as well, as seen below.

If you're planning to do a button closure, use the version on the top of the photo, positioning the rubber band so it's half way into the fabric.

If you're planning on just using the pony tail band closure, use the photo on the bottom, placing as much of the rubber band as possible to the inside of the fabric.. When you're done, you'll pull the rubber band around the entire wallet to keep it securely closed.

If you're using a snap closure, you don't need to add it until the end.

Once you've positioned your fastener, you're ready to lay the outer piece of 6 x 4.5 fabric on top (with interfacing attached) right side down on top of the pocket. Pin and sew the sides and top, leaving the entire bottom open.

Clip the two top corners for easier turning. To turn, lift up the outer layer only and flip right side out. Press. You should have something that looks like this...

Now, if you chose a button and rubber band closure, this is the time to add your button. Fold the wallet in half and pull the band to the front to determine just where your button should be. Mark it with a fabric marker. Because the bottom of the wallet is still open, you'll have easy access to sew the button on.

Side note: One of the few things I remember from high school Home Economics is this tip for sewing a button. {Thanks Mrs. Tate!} Slide a toothpick between the button and fabric to ensure the wiggle room the button will need. Once you've sewn it enough, pull the needle up through the fabric, but under the button and wrap it around the threads holding the button on 5 or 6 times. While this is a great trick for buttons on clothing, it's important that the button on your wallet have the same type of wiggle room because the rubber band will need to catch on it.

Okay, back to the tutorial...you're so close now!

Lift up the pocket piece, which is still only attached on the left and right sides. Flip it so that it is inside out, but the other pieces are still right side out.

Press, then pin and sew the bottom.

Clip the two bottom corners for ease of turning, then flip the lining so it's all right side out. Iron again. Using a ruler and fabric marker, mark a line down the very center of the wallet. Be precise!

Sew along this line. (Start at the bottom of the wallet and sew to the top; this will keep the pocket from bunching up.) This seam will give the wallet a natural place to fold in half. While you're there, top stitch all the way around the wallet.

If you chose the rubber band or the button and rubberband closures, you're done! If you chose the snap closure, you'll need to sew your snaps on like so...

The snaps are easy, I just suggest making them very secure. I'm always afraid of them pulling the fabric too much. I do think this is a more masculine look. Well, if the fabric was masculine, that is.

I'd love to see photos if you make one of these wallets, so please come and upload a photo to the Flickr group!

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Repurposing thrift store finds...

2011-08-01T09:40:00.000-06:00

My local thrift store is always a little treasure trove of goodies that I don't really need, but buy anyway. On Friday, I found two lotus bowls to go with my growing collection, gorgeous green pillow shams that don't actually match any bedding in our house, a glass jar, and some vintage Ovenex loaf pans.

I loved the texture of these Ovenex pans and thought they might make a nice centerpiece for our table with candles in them.

I put floral foam in the bottom and stuck the candles in, then covered it with moss. I'm not sure I love them yet.

The third one is in my craft room holding my markers. The other two will probably end up there as well, once I tire of these candles. They'd be pretty with votives and pebbles too. I think the tall candles are what's bugging me.

This jar is another thrift store find. I'd love to have a bunch of them, filled with candles, to use on the deck when entertaining.

But, since I only have one, I decided to go a completely different direction and plant some runners in it...

The nice thing is that you can tear these projects apart in less than a minute and do something completely different. Just my style.

Felt Flower Headband for Fall

2011-07-31T18:02:00.000-06:00

I couldn't resist making some more of these sweet felt flowers. With Fall right around the corner I decided to go with earth tones. This one is about half the size of the original one I made and is attached (via hot glue gun) to a cloth covered headband. It will be perfect for those crazy-hair mornings dropping the kids off at school.

I made a few changes to the pattern this time. Instead of having the sharp corners like this that the original tutorial called for...

I cut the petals a bit rounder or softer like this. I think it makes a nice difference in the finished product.

I also made them smaller because I don't really want to wear a ginormous flower on my head like a hat. Although if I'd been invited to the Royal Wedding I would definitely have worn one.

"Reuse" is his favorite "R"

2011-07-29T08:20:00.000-06:00

Each summer Super Uncle comes to help us tackle our ever-growing home improvement list, and each summer I'm left in awe of his problem-solving skills and ingenuity.

The first summer he was here we met the bears and Super Uncle built Bear Proof Trash Corral 1.0 complete with wood from our scrap pile and hinges we found in a pile of old hardware left by the old owners.

Several patches were made prior to the newest release. Squirrels were getting in through the slats and there were bigger openings up top where raccoons and skunks could shimmy through.

Our little baby bear has grown much stronger over the past three years and ripped this to shreds last month, thus Bear Proof Trash Corral 2.0 was born...

The boards on the front are newer - left over from another project this summer - and much stronger. He drilled down through the decking and inserted a piece of copper pipe - left over from a plumbing project - to keep the heavy door in place. It's supported by a wheel that came from the gate we took down and some brackets that were on the deck we remodeled. Total cost: $0.00. The bear tested it out. He lost.

Though most of Super Uncle's ideas are very good, he sometimes likes to tease me. We recently canceled our satellite TV service and purchased an antenna so we could pick up local stations. The first day the antenna was up I came home to find this...

That's a fan without blades. It was hanging by that pole from our vaulted ceiling. We replaced it last summer, but he dug it out of the "one-day-we'll-order-a-dumpster-and-get-rid-of-all-this-construction-debris" pile.

Genius? Yes. Attractive. No. Luckily I found this improvement several days later.

He removed the satellite dish from the side of the house, disassembled it, and reused the arm to mount our antenna. Much less obtrusive.

And, speaking of the "one-day-we'll-order-a-dumpster-and-get-rid-of-all-this-construction-debris" pile. Look what's currently in my driveway!

You will never find a girl so happy to have a giant red dumpster in her yard!

Felt Flowers - my favorite project of the year!

2011-07-27T14:46:00.001-06:00

This adorable felt flower is - by far - my favorite project of the year. Just imagine the things you could do with some of these: headbands, brooches, gift toppers, itty bitty magnets, a giant holiday wreath for your front door, glue them on picture frames...the list goes on and on. This is the first one I've made, but I'll be sure to overwhelm you with everything I glue them to in the near future.

I originally saw this on Pinterest (can you say obsessed?) linked to a half-arsed how-to description. I used that and my own creative genius to recreate this one. The felt is made from recycled pop bottles.

After burning my fingerprints off with a hot glue gun all evening, it suddenly dawned on me that I could actually look for a tutorial...but what's the fun in that, right? I was able to find these amazing versions on Flickr by Coco Rose1~

Love, love, love the brown/green/orange one at the top. Did I say L-O-V-E!?

{Photo: Megan Reardon}

From there I found the original tutorial on Holidash by Megan Reardon. (Next career: P.I.)

My dahlia has been sewn to this throw pillow to cover a certain little boy's slobber mark. The pillow actually goes on my bed, but it's way too messy to photograph up there. And I'm having fun admiring it in the living room today.

Off to rummage through my felt stash so I can make these in mass quantities!

Give a three year old a blow torch...

2011-07-25T21:06:00.001-06:00

Judging by the number of things our three year old has broken, we're pretty sure he's going to be an engineer. He's not the kind of kid who maliciously, say, runs over things with a bicycle to break them. He's more of the "I wonder how this works? Maybe I'll take it apart to see. Huh, too bad it doesn't go back together again." type. So when hubby tackles a project he brings the little guy in and explains step-by-step what he's doing in hopes of encouraging his little mind. I love him for that. (Among other things, of course.)

I also love a man with a blow torch...

When I heard him explaining to the three year old what a blow torch is I thought "This sounds dangerous. I better get my camera!"

That's our master bathroom by the way. If all goes according to plan - and, trust me, it never does - it should be done in about a week.

Things NOT to do when someone is in the hospital...

2011-07-25T09:46:00.000-06:00

Good Monday morning friends!

This weekend was no fun at all. My dear mommy had an outpatient surgery done last Monday and was finally beginning to feel good at home on Friday when her body crashed. She began shaking, had a rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, and her speech began deteriorating.

Her doctor sent her to the emergency room where test after test was done. The good news is that it was not a stroke, seizure, or anything else they could think of. The bad news is that they have no idea what it could be. As of last night all of the other symptoms were gone, with the exception of the speech issue, which has improved slightly.

To say the least, it's been an interesting few days. She has seen an outpouring of love, support and prayer from her friends and I've learned a few things about hospital etiquette in the process. Here are some rules you might find ~~sarcastic~~ helpful.

Things not to do when someone is in the hospital:

1. Don't stop by unannounced. The person you're visiting feels bad, looks bad, and probably smells a little bad too. She might be trying to nap since the hospital staff mission is to keep people awake all night long with poking and prodding. Or, 87 other people might have decided to drop by at the same time.

2. Don't come by and get chatty with someone who has a sudden-onset speech impairment. It's like asking the paralyzed guy next door to dance.

3. Don't insist that you are kept up-to-date with every piece of information. That's for family. As much as you love the patient, it's not really information that is mandatory for you to know.

4. Don't insist on receiving a phone call the second she knows something new. Eighty-seven other people have also insisted and there's no chance I'm calling all of them.

5. Don't call every hour because you haven't gotten a phone call. This is a hospital, nothing happens quickly.

6. When you come by, don't insist on knowing every detail of what has transpired over the past two days. The story has already been told 87 times.

7. You don't know the answer.

8. Your brother/aunt/cousin/next-door-neighbor didn't go through the same thing.

9. Your tales of woe don't make anyone feel better. (What's with all the people who come visit someone in the hospital just to tell them a horror story of their own.)

10. Don't be melodramatic. Unless the doctor tells you "Your friend/loved one is definitely going to die." you don't need to cry. It's just not right for the patient to have to comfort the visitor.

Anything I've missed here? Please feel free to add it to the list. Hospitals seem to do strange things to people.

Little tiny baby lettuce...

2011-07-21T14:32:00.002-06:00

There was an "incident" with a deer in our greenhouse a while back. As a result we had to replant a good portion of our veggies. At this rate it might be Fall before I have my first garden salad. But it will be so worth it.

Our new retaining wall & garden plot!

2011-07-20T08:02:00.000-06:00

We (and by "we" I mostly mean Super Uncle) have been busy all summer with home improvement projects and the outside of our house especially is starting to look so nice. The leaning tower of Pisa, also known as our retaining wall, had fallen so far in the past two years that it had broken one of the outside outlets and was threatening to block the entrance to our basement.

I don't seem to have a good "before" photo of the wall, but you can see the lean in this photo. Now picture the wall being 3 to 4 railroad ties higher than that. It was a disaster just waiting to happen and not good at all for resale.

With a little - and I do mean little - help from the hubby and a bit of interference from the kids, Super Uncle tore the wall down, then rebuilt it in a design that would withstand a bit more pressure from the mountain above.

The mister planted some little shrubs at the bottom, chives and rosemary in the middle and English ivy at the top, which he hopes will spread (I, on the other hand, foresee it taking about 10 years). My real desire would be to fill all three areas with veggies and herbs, but the deer and rabbits dictate what goes where around here.

At the top of the wall is a path that leads from the greenhouse and area where we park, up to the house. It was just dirt and weeds at one point, but now looks like this~

I'm afraid once all the work is done, I'll never want to leave!

Pretending to be classy with glass bottles

2011-07-19T15:11:00.000-06:00

These French-inspired glass bottles are my new favorite possession. They close like an old canning jar with a stopper on top and read "Limonade - Aux Extraits Naturels De Citron - France."

I picked them up at Sunflower Market (for the bargain price of 2 for $4!) for our Forth of July picnic because they had red and blue-ish juices in them...

But I couldn't bear to throw them in the recycle bin once they were empty, so I've been filling them with juice and pretending to be French and fancy.

Beauty Without Cruelty

2011-07-18T19:18:00.002-06:00

If I could change one physical feature, it would be my hands. I have grandma hands. They're the bane of my existence. My fingers are long and skinny and my knuckles are big and boney. My veins are bright blue like a road map and the skin on my hands is always dry, no matter the season. In the winter it's not uncommon to see me sporting band-aids on three or four fingers where my skin just pops open for months at a time.

As a kid I always got comments from people who said "Look at those elegant fingers! You should play piano." But I always knew they were really thinking "Look at those freakishly long fingers. Hello E.T.!"

Over the years I've tried every brand, feature and price point when it comes to lotions. The cheap ones are usually too thin or greasy and wear off quickly. The expensive ones usually don't do enough to justify the cost. Recently though, I had the opportunity to try Beauty Without Cruelty's Fragrance Free Hand & Body Lotion and I am a convert!

"For over 40 years BWC has been a company with a mission - ethical, cruelty-free products that are made with natural, safe ingredients, are superior in performance, and are an exceptional value."

Indeed.

It may not magically make my fingers shorter or my veins disappear, but the skin on my hands went from looking like plucked chicken skin...

{Embarrassing. Seriously.}

To looking semi-normal. It's hydrating without being greasy and it lasts for a long time. With other lotions I apply them every few hours.

I actually received the lotion from BWC at the end of the winter (and, yes, have taken until now to write up this review...bad blogger) and I have to say that it was a life-saver in our ultra-dry winter weather. Within a few days of using it, my fingers were band-aid free.

If you suffer from dry skin this is a really affordable option (currently $10.99 with a buy 2, save 20% deal on drugstore.com) that I really think you'll love.

In addition to lotion, BWC offers an extensive product line of other beauty products from cosmetics to hair care products to make up removers. All of their products are vegan-friendly, most are gluten free, and none are tested on animals.

{Disclosure: Beauty Without Cruelty supplied me with free samples to test out for this review. I was not compensated in any other way, or asked to write a glowing review. That part was all me.}

Fletcher's Star Wars Lego Birthday Party

2011-07-16T18:14:00.002-06:00

When Fletcher got old enough to start requesting themed birthday parties I was afraid I'd be resigned to the party aisle at Target. So far I've been able to placate him with themed plates and napkins, while adding a DIY element of my own.

This year he requested not a Star Wars or a Lego party, but at Star Wars Lego party. I think he's testing me.

I made these Star Wars Lego tickets / invitations using my very limited talents with Photoshop Elements.

As we started planning the actual party though it began to stray from the Lego theme and move more towards Star Wars. It could be due to the fact that the entire 6-movie series was on TV recently. (About 87 hours of my life that I'll never get back. And I still don't know a wookie from a hole in my Death Star.)

I was able to find loads of Star Wars party ideas online and openly admit that everything we did was lifted from someone else.

We made pool noodle light sabers a la Aimee Austin Designs, but Googling "light saber pool noodle" with give you images of many, many different designs. The only thing we did differently was to put PVC inside the noodle, sticking out the end about 6 inches so that the kids could hold them with one hand instead of two. It also made them a bit stronger when it came time to smash the pinata.

The Jedi robes I planned to make ended up being Jedi vests, since I didn't start working on them until 8:00 pm the night before the party. For spending about 3 minutes a piece on them they turned out cute and none of the kids seemed to mind their simplicity.

The kids had full Jedi lunch of Obi Wan Pepperoni Pizza, Wookie Cookies, Jedi Juice, and Yoda Soda...

Followed by Federation Space Cakes for dessert. There are a lot of printable cupcake flags floating around online, but our printer isn't working, so these had to suffice.

I found the electric blue foil cupcake papers and these straws at The Cupcake Social. I wasn't really happy with the way the glasses looked but, without a printer, I wasn't able to print cute little tags for them. I did find some crazy sparkly ribbon at Hobby Lobby...

I missed getting a shot of them filled with the green Yoda Soda (lime sherbert & Sprite) but they looked pretty neat.

I made all of the signs using the free Star Jedi font by Boba Fonts. I printed them as photos at Walgreens then mounted them on Lego scrap book paper (found at JoAnn Fabric).

We accessorized with Star Wars toys, graciously given to us by a friend. And, by the way, Star Wars toys are totally different than Star Trek toys -- don't make that mistake unless you want to get a huge eye roll from your children and husband.

For more Star Wars party ideas, check out Tip Junkie who has a nice round up.

Our new(ish) deck!

2011-07-14T17:37:00.000-06:00

Our rickety old deck was one of the first things we wanted to replace upon moving into our new home three years ago. Today I can report that it is finally done! Such is the story of my life. When you're a DIY family though, things don't always run on schedule.

Here are some Before photos. The deck was definitely a 1974 DIY project. The paint was peeling, boards were loose, safety rails (if you can call them that) were all different sizes and sporadically placed. It was a disaster - a decksaster - we knew we'd have to replace it for resale purposes, but we wanted to enjoy a nice new deck ourselves too.

Knowing we couldn't afford $10,000 to $20,000 or more for a new deck, we decided to strip the existing boards and see what we were dealing with. Surprisingly - and contrary to our usual luck - they were beautiful!

After staining the decking, Super Uncle pulled down all of the railing, which was too damaged to reuse on this project, and built new railing. We decided to paint it green since it was pressure treated and the decking was not...we just couldn't get the two to match with the stain we had. I really like it green though.

We found solar post-top lights at Home Depot for about $4 each.

And Super Uncle designed and built these benches. I just have to find the time to sew some cushions for them now.

Don't you want to come over for a margarita now?

Rolling with the punches...

2011-07-12T17:37:00.001-06:00

Do you ever have those days when you want to throw your hands up and dare the universe to throw something else your way?

For those of you who know my husband, you know that he's a bit Eeyore-ish in his outlook on things. Last night he was telling me about the important meeting he has today for his new job and how he just knew something would go wrong. It was a little drastic in a creepy, prophetic type way.

Today started off like any other normal day here. I caught up on work, then changed into my super awesome pajama shorts for a run on the treadmill. It's what I wear when all two pair of my real running shorts are in the hamper. And, let's face it, it's not like anyone will ever know or see me.

I started week 4 of Couch to 5k today and it's a killer. I went into it thinking there was no way I'd make it through. I planned in advance to let myself cheat, as long as I could build up to doing the full routine by the end of the week. But surprisingly I huffed and puffed and sweated my butt off and I made it the whole way without stopping or cheating even once! Right as the timer went off my phone rang and -- excited to share my victory with the hubs -- I answered with an "I DID IT!!!"

Silence.

Wind noise.

Hello?

It was the hubs. Out of gas. On the side of the road.

Cue the thunder and dark clouds rolling in over poor Eeyore.

Red-faced from running, with no make up and my super awesome pajama shorts on, I wrangle the kids into the car - one with no shoes, because we're just going to quickly drop off gas - grab Super Uncle and our two cars so we can give one to hubby so he's not late, and head for the highway.

A few minutes later, with the hubs on his way to his super-important-can't-miss-it meeting, Super Uncle, the kids and I hit Sprawlmart for a gas can (I stay in the car since I'm in my super awesome pajama shorts and all), McDonald's drive-through (because the kids are starving and I think that a hamburger and fries sounds like a logical post-workout meal) and the gas station.

Naturally, once we get back to the car and put in the two gallons of gas, the car does not start. {Insert the waht-wah-whaaaaa "you're a loser" sound from the old game shows.}

AAA was called and we're promised that it will be 50 minutes at the very most, but it shouldn't take nearly that long. The only logical thing to happen next is that all three kids will need to go to the bathroom at the same time...on the side of the road...in the mountains. Being the loving mother I am, I wish them luck and send them mountain climbing. Even the one with no shoes. What can you do at that point, really?

On the way back down the mountain, Macy's flip flop breaks, so I now have three children with only three shoes between them. About that time I get an email on my phone from our HOA that the Sheriff's office is patrolling the neighborhood because there was just a burglary on my street. Good thing the tow truck is due any minute.

Ninety minutes later (also known as 5 minutes after it started pouring rain) the tow truck driver showed up and towed the car to the shop... right after assuring us "Oh yeah, I know where that place is. Our shop is right next to it, just a few minutes from here." Argh!

Short story made extremely long, we did finally make it home safe and sound. The kids are bathed, since they spend their time on the side of the road playing in mud with bugs, and I've had a big mug of coffee, since it seemed like a more responsible choice than a mug of vodka at 3pm.

The best part? I called my mechanic who said "Nope, nothing wrong with the car. Working great now. I'll keep an eye on it, but why don't you stop by tomorrow and pick her up?"

I think I love him.

Introducing...My So Called Green Life

2011-07-09T09:53:00.000-06:00

When I started this blog several years ago I had no idea what I was doing. Was it obvious? We knew we were living in a manner that was not sustainable and we wanted to change that. Eventually the Greenhab title was claimed (green + rehab = greenhab) but my URL was stuck at kelliebrown.blogspot.com.

Over the past (almost) 4 years I've had over 40,000 visits from 111 countries! Some as interesting as Rwanda, Qatar and Isle of Man. (Hello! Why didn't someone tell me about the Isle of Man earlier???)

But there came a point when we weren't making great big changes anymore and Greenhab no longer seemed like a fitting title when I was posting more about upcycled crafts than going solar.

After much thought, brainstorming with Mr. Greenhab (eek - what will I call him now?) and advice from friends I settled on My So Called Green Life as a place to chronicle our day-to-day life. What do you think? We still plan on making the big changes from time to time -- and hopefully many small ones too -- but I wanted a place to write about the little green choices we make as well.

So be sure to bookmark http://MySoCalledGreenLife.com (although kelliebrown.blogspot.com will forward there) and join me for even more mundane ramblings about my thrift store finds, crazy recipes, green lessons for the kids, upcycled craft projects and more.

Joining the Summer Pantry Challenge

2011-07-06T12:00:00.000-06:00

I was just telling Mr. Greenhab this morning (as I opened our pantry door and boxes came tumbling out) that we need to do another "Eat From the Pantry" month - stat. I don't know when or how things got this bad, but our cabinets are overflowing again and I can't take it.

I have to believe it was fate that I saw @fishmama's tweet about her Summertime Pantry Challenge on Good (cheap) Eats.

So for the rest of the month, I'll ~~bore~~ amaze you with the odd and interesting things we're making. My goals are as follows:

1. Buy only perishables: milk, yogurt, cheese, fresh produce.
2. Use as much as possible from our cupboard.
3. Clean out the freezer.
4. Try some new things - we seem to be stuck in a food rut.

If you'd like to join in the fun, head over to good (cheap) eats and sign up!

Our 4th of July party wrap-up.

2011-07-05T13:43:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was perfect for a 4th of July picnic in Georgetown. The weather was great - warm but not hot - and we only had a few minutes of the lightest rain sprinkles in the late afternoon. With family, friends and food we couldn't have asked for a nicer celebration.

I posted over the weekend about the firecracker cake I was making. Well, it worked! Red, white and blue cakey goodness~

It's a small success, but opens up a world of ideas for me.

I also tried the marshmallow pops I posted about from Living Locurto. Huge fail there. I found red, white & blue star shaped marshmallows at Sprawl-mart and decided to use them instead of the traditional round ones. Unfortunately they turned into gooey blobs when I dipped them in the melted chocolate. I made some other mistakes when making them, but let's not rehash that. The kids still thought they were completely rad and the grown ups thought they were intriguing enough to try one.

We had red, white and blue drinks, snacks and candies and some real food like sandwiches, hummus, pita, cukes, etc. thrown in for good measure.

Here I am with the birthday girl, aka: Mom, setting up. And here is one of our very happy customers~

Hope you had a very happy 4th!

Firecracker Cake

2011-07-03T17:30:00.001-06:00

I can't wait to see the inside of this firecracker cake. In theory it should be swirls of red, white and blue. I used Pillsbury cake mix dividing the mix in three equal-ish parts and coloring them with food coloring. The icing is simply white Pillsbury icing, colored with the same food coloring, and melted for about 15 seconds in the microwave. I drizzled it over the cake then added the sprinkles that came with the frosting. {SLACK-ER}

The blue fabric in the background is thrifted from ARC. It will serve as a table cloth at our picnic tomorrow. Can't wait to put all of this craftiness together at the park tomorrow!

Fourth of July plates score!

2011-07-03T11:48:00.000-06:00

I love my friends because, not only do they pick happy hour locales near the hippest Goodwill in the state, they also still think I'm cool when I disappear for an hour to go shopping before the store closes. One would think that a Goodwill in a neighborhood filled with bars and restaurants would stay open later than 9pm, but I'm getting off track here now...

I picked up paper plates for our 4th of July picnic tomorrow because it's just to hard to cart our real plates back and forth. Then I returned the paper plates because I hate using disposables and picked up plastic plates instead. I hate plastic too, but they were dirt cheap at Sprawl-mart and I figured I could at least use them over and over again. Then I bagged those up and put them by the door to return because I just felt too guilty buying plastic. Where does it end? (With my sanity, evidently!)

Flash forward to Friday night happy hour, made even happier by my Goodwill score of 12 patriotic melamine plates for $4.99. Woot! I guess melamine is still plastic, but I find it more palatable when I buy something plastic second hand instead of newly manufactured.

I do find it interesting/odd/wrong that I was able to purchase 12 new plates at Sprawl-mart for $3, yet the 12 used plates at Goodwill were $4.99. Five bucks for second hand plates seems like a good deal. Three dollars for new plates from a retail store just makes me wonder how could they manufacture them for that price and still make money off of them.

At any rate, they're going to be a great addition to our party tomorrow. Can't wait!

4th of July Napkins

2011-07-02T06:00:00.002-06:00

I'm not quite sure when I became the crazy lady who had holiday-themed decorations, but I realized this week that my life would not be complete without festive Independence Day napkins.

This is the easiest project you'll ever make. It inspired me to start a Slacker Crafter blog but the name was already taken. Foiled again!

I used this mattress ticking fabric in red and blue because the front and back are almost the same color, unlike many of the quilting fabrics out there. I cut it into 8 inch squares, zipped a stitch around all sides in a contrasting thread color and clipped the edges with pinking shears. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Fourth of July Banner!

2011-07-01T14:31:00.000-06:00

This Fourth of July we'll be celebrating Independence Day, as well as the women we depended on for many years - our moms. I'd hate for them to feel like we threw together a 4th of July picnic and called it their birthday too, so I wanted to make it extra special for them both. Luckily I have so much inspiration this time of year.

Fourth of July Banner:

I made this banner from some scrap fabric I had lying around - an old chambray crib sheet, some thrifted polka-dot fabric, and a few pieces of red and blue that I found in a clearance bin. The red, white & blue ribbon is from Sprawl-mart.

Simply make a template from an old cereal box and cut triangles of various sizes. Arrange, pin and sew the ribbon across the top. Easy-peasy and so festive.

Birthday Season Begins...

2011-06-29T10:12:00.000-06:00

July is always a crazy month around here with 6 family members and at least that many friends having July birthdays. On the 4th we're having an Independence Day / Birthday party for our moms, who both have birthdays near the 4th. Here is some of my inspiration so far...

Firecracker cake from Cooking With Sugar

Marshmallow Pops from Living Locurto. I picked up star shaped marshmallows yesterday to do a smaller version of these on toothpicks.

{Photo from Living Locurto.}

And these straws from Cupcake Social - this site will make you want to throw a party every day!

I'm working on a few crafty things for the party as well, which I'll post photos of later. (aka, as soon as I get my butt in gear and get some of it done)

Later this month is Fletcher's 6th birthday {GASP} and he's requested a Lego Star Wars party. While there are a ton of Lego themed and Star Wars themed party supplies, the Lego Star Wars stuff is not as plentiful yet. Inspired by this Superhero Birthday Party, I'm going to try to make the supplies myself. How cute is this banner made from comic book pages!?

{Photo: One Charming Party}

So far I've gotten these invitations printed and in the mail...

And some sparkly cupcake liners ordered. So much to do...

We took the West by storm.

2011-06-28T15:03:00.000-06:00

It was more like a tornado, leaving destruction everywhere we went, but I like to remember it fondly despite the temporary insanity my kids seemed to experience.

Our June road trip took us through Utah~

To Vegas which, no matter what anyone tries to tell me, is not a place for kids. I don't know why we accepted the "There's plenty for families to do in Vegas these days." line, but we should have trusted our instincts on this one. Or maybe we were just bummed that we couldn't go to the clubs. Whatever.

The kids favorite part was Freemont Street.

My favorite part was when Macy and Felix shut down the pool at the Luxor by simultaneously throwing up in it. Oh wait, that wasn't my favorite part at all.

After spending two days in Vegas we proceeded to California and Disneyland! This was a perfect age for them to go for the first time - still young enough to be ecstatic to meet their favorite characters and go on some of the younger rides, yet old and brave enough to ride the fun rides like Space Mountain.

We could have spent more time at Disney if it wasn't for that pesky budget thing. Not to mention, Mr. Greenhab and I were more than ready for the relaxing portion of our vacation.

Since we aren't planning any other trips this year, we decided to rent a condo on the beach while we were in California.

I purchased a Groupon the week before we left for this....

...and the rental shop ended up being less than a mile from our condo. That makes us happy!

We had lots of good food...

Lots of shenanigans...

And saw some famous sights...

We spend so much time outside... (I think this was the longest my kids have gone without TV!)

Marc and I even started the Couch to 5K program while we were there, in addition to all of the walking, hiking, biking and swimming we did.

A good trip was had by all. Now it's back to cooking and cleaning and 87 loads of laundry and 32 product reviews I need to do and...reality.

We're baaa-aaack!

2011-06-27T21:25:00.000-06:00

Here's a hint to where we went on vacation...

More to come. (Because everyone loves looking at someone else's vacation pictures?)

Nature's little helpers

2011-06-08T09:58:00.000-06:00

With our new birdhouses in place (see yesterday's post) I was feeling a little guilty for ruining all the hard work the birds had done on their nests this Spring. The blog Chalk in My Pocket had a great idea for a DIY Nesting Materials Dispenser, so we used it as a craft project for the afternoon.

We followed her advice and checked out The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman from our library. It gave us several good ideas for nesting materials.

We gathered our bags - mesh potato bags I'd been saving for someday.

And set out on a hunt for nesting materials.

In addition to natural materials like pine needles and leaves, we used some other things that were recommended on All About Birds like stuffing from an old pillow, hair (I had just trimmed my layers up a bit), ribbon in 4 - 6 inch pieces, and dryer lint.

After stuffing our bags, we hung them outside for the birds to see.

I hope they enjoy creating their new nests!

If you're doing any summer reading programs like we are, this is a great little project for the kids. They get in some reading, time outside to hunt for materials, and creative time as well.

If you can't beat the woodpeckers, build them a house.

2011-06-07T15:41:00.000-06:00

The woodpeckers here drive me insane in the spring time. They've drilled hole after hole into our already poorly insulated house, leaving it incredibly drafty...not to mention the incessant bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang bang...

I've tried everything "they" say to try from putting an AM radio in my window (in theory, they think it's a real person and stay away...except, in reality, they get hip to that after a few days) to nailing pie tins over the holes, to putting streamers up to scare them away. None of these things have actually work. I've checked bird sites and the Colorado State University extension office. I've checked out bird books and talked to the locals and, short of hiring a professional to come and relocate the birds, I've tried just about everything else.

Exhibit A:
Last year's solution - Cover holes with wood.
See also: Side of house.
See also: Front of house.

Exhibit B:
This year's solution - Put something reflective over the holes.
See also: CD recycling

Exhibit C:
Woody's latest and greatest hole. Measured roughly 4 inches high and 3 inches wide.
See also: Side of house. Eves of house. Front of house.

Last week the kids and I headed to the library to do some research and solve this problem once and for all.

We learned that our woodpecker - the Northern Flicker, actually - is extremely difficult to displace once he makes his home. Check. So we put our heads together and decided that if we can't beat him, we'd build him his own house.

All About Birds is a wealth of information, complete with diagrams for making houses and roosting boxes. With Super Uncle and several power tools, we ended up with three lovely boxes made from reclaimed wood.

And knowing how Super Uncle builds things, they're probably better insulated than our house is.

Up, up and away they go...

They also re-covered the newer holes in the side of the house. So far, so good.

Stay tuned for a new post on the nesting material bags that we're making today!

Garden Wars

2011-06-04T21:25:00.000-06:00

Our garden officially moved from inside our house outside to the greenhouse this weekend. Woohooo! Spring has finally sprung here in hardiness zone 5.

Super Uncle and Mr. Greenhab are planning a fun-filled summer of home improvement projects and gardening. In fact, they seem to have a bit of a gardening competition in the works.

Super Uncle has built this mini grow box in which to start his seeds. It comes complete with light bulb warming system for the still-chilly evenings we have here in the mountains. How does he think of this stuff?

Mr. Greenhab will be nursing his seedlings in the trough system the boys built last year.

I have no understanding of the reasoning behind this, but it should be fun to watch.

iVillage / PBS Kids Summer Reading Party

2011-06-04T18:52:00.000-06:00

We had a fantastic morning at the Evergreen Library hosting our second {and hopefully annual!} iVillage & PBS Kids Summer Reading Party. We've all heard the crazy statistics about how much knowledge a child can lose over the summer -- up to two-and-a-half months worth!

PBS and iVillage have teamed up again this year to help prevent that dreaded summer slide. If you haven't yet signed up, get thee to the community challenge page pronto! Beginning Monday, challenge coach (and creator of the show Super Why) Angela Santomero will be sending out daily tips, ideas and projects to keep the kids engaged in reading activities while they're out of school.

To kick the program off, we invited our friends to join us at the library for story time and activities. The library was also kicking off their summer reading program today, so the librarian was happy to read several books and tell us all about their One World, Many Stories theme for the Kids Summer Reading Club. (Check your own local library to see what they're doing this summer!)

The kids picked up Dinosaur Train books, reading bracelets, activity books and more from PBS, Scholastic and iVillage.

They brought books to trade with a friend...

...and made reading journals to track their progress.

Parents shared ideas for keeping the kids excited about reading and writing.

Some of the ideas included~

Writing in our school journal about the events we do over the summer.
Keeping books in the car for longer trips. Putting coupons for fun treats/activities inside the books, to be found by the child randomly.
Keep a travel journal about your summer vacation.
Pre-read to stuffies and siblings.

Of course there are many incentives from companies like Barnes & Noble and Borders too. B&N offers a free book after your child logs 8 books read, Borders for every 10 books.

Being the over-achiever I am, (Okay, maybe it's due in part to my ~~cheapness~~ love of freebies too.) we're taking part in all of these programs, plus a little side challenge put together by some friends to see who can read the most books this summer. If my kids slide backwards in their reading I'm not doing something right -- I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Happy reading everyone!

Daisys, Brownies & Plastic, Oh My!

2011-05-24T06:00:00.001-06:00

Macy bridged from Daisy Scouts to Brownies last weekend. The ceremony was sweet and it was a fun get-together to have on a Sunday afternoon. It also brought me back to my days of scouting - all the awards ceremonies, pot lucks and picnics we used to have. I always saw them as events for us girls, but as an adult I realize it's also a nice way to bring the community together.

I offered to bring something for the party and, ironically, was assigned to bring bottled water. After much contemplation, I decided to just do it and not be the weird, tree-hugging, hippie mom. Seriously, a lot of thought went into an alternative, but bringing a drink dispenser full of water would still necessitate bringing disposable cups.

Instead, we used it as a lesson at home. The Girl Scouts have incorporated environmental lessons into their curriculum since I was a Scout~

"Through Girl Scouting, girls see the earth as their home. Whether they're learning about endangered wildlife, developing creative recycling projects, or working towards such earned grade-level awards as the Environmental Health Badge or the Eco-Action Interest Project Award, girls focus on care, conservation, and responsibility and ensure the safety of our planet for future generations."

So we used those ideas to create this, which we brought to the reception in addition to our bottled water~

We had a good conversation about bringing our own drinks in reusable bottles but how sometimes we need to do things like this. We talked about doing the best that we can and inspiring others at the same time so that we can continue to live in a place like this where the deer and the ~~antelope~~ elk roam.

(And on a complete tangent, I saw a suggestion on Facebook for a "Plastic is the new cigarette." tshirt, which I thought to be very funny. Can someone make that? Because I'd totally buy it! Come on CafePress!)

What to do when your boy wants to be a Boy Scout...and you disagree.

2011-05-23T13:40:00.000-06:00

I knew the day would come, but have put off the Boy Scouts conversation with my oldest son until now. He came home last night with an "I want to be a Boy Scout!" sticker on his shirt, directing us to the informational packet in his back pack. Now Mr. Greenhab and I are faced with a difficult decision. Do we swallow our morals and let him join, or disappoint him because of our own, grown-up, beliefs?

If you're not up on the subject, the Boy Scouts of America have repeatedly disallowed openly gay members as well as atheists and agnostics.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA), one of the largest private youth organizations in the United States, has policies which prohibit atheists and agnostics from membership in its Scouting program, and prohibit "avowed" homosexual people from leadership roles in its Scouting program as directly violating its fundamental principles and tenets. BSA has denied or revoked membership status or leadership positions of youths and adults for violation of these foundational principles. The BSA contends that these policies are essential in its mission to instill in young people the values of the Scout Oath and Law. (source)

So here we sit weighing the (good) lessons he'll learn, the skills, friendships...with the bad. If we allow him to join BSA, will we be teaching him that it's okay to exclude people based on their sexuality or religion? What if they wanted to exclude his little brother who is African American?

By allowing him to participate in an organization that thinks being gay or atheist is wrong, wouldn't we be supporting that view too? Just as the BSA think these folks would push their beliefs and ideas on Boy Scouts, should we be concerned that the organization might push it's myopic views on our son?

Or, should we be allowing him to form his own views on the subject? Should we even be broaching such a heavy subject like that with him? At this point, he just knows that his Girl Scout sister gets to sell cookies, do fun art projects and go camping. Is a 5 year old able to weigh "cool stuff" against moral values?

I'm really interested in knowing how everyone feels about this, so please tell me your thoughts. What have you done? Do your sons know about BSA's policies? How do they feel? How do you feel? Please, views are bound to vary greatly, so let's be respectful.

Meatless Monday: Scrambled Quinoa

2011-05-23T12:51:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've posted a Meatless Monday dish, but I made the best lunch today, so I had to share. I had a craving for scrambled eggs with veggies, but really needed to use up the leftover quinoa, so I combined them all into....Scrambled Quinoa!

I used roughly 3/4 cup quinoa (cooked), 2 eggs, and 1 cup of fresh spinach. Saute the spinach in a dash of olive oil, then add pre-cooked quinoa and heat for two or three minutes, stirring. Whisk the eggs, then add them in as well. Stir like you would when you're scrambling eggs. Season to taste. I used some of Paula Dean's garlic and salt that comes in the grinder...I think I'm addicted to it.

One could also add more quinoa and veggies and call this vegetable fried quinoa. Whatever you call it, it's good!

Be sure to stop by Midnight Maniac for other fabulous Meatless Monday recipes!

Ben's Bells...a lesson in kindness

2011-05-18T11:08:00.000-06:00

As Felix and I left preschool yesterday afternoon we heard a quiet tinkle coming from a nearby tree and spotted this hanging on its branch~

It's a Ben's Bell and, much like the Toy Society that I blogged about a few months ago, Ben's Bells are left somewhere for an unassuming passerby to find and be reminded to spread kindness.

"Kindness is the light that dissolves all walls between souls, families, and nations." ~Paramahansa Yogananda

The story behind Ben's Bells touched me and reminded me of two friends who also lost their little ones way too early. So, in honor of Thomas and Ryan, we purchased a Be Kind ornament and an ILY Ornament to pass on to someone new.

Do you practice random acts of kindness? Don't you think life would be a little bit sweeter if everyone did?