Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day! (and Good Friday) :)...and the Botanical Center was free today! We had fun looking at the fish and turtles especially and adventuring around the paths looking at all the beautiful green. Click here to see the rest of our pictures from today.

Have a fabulous Easter weekend!

Emerald

Thought I would share my smoothie for the day... a bunch of frozen peaches, 1 banana, 1/2 an orange, small scoop of spirulina powder, 3 large kale leaves, and a handful of unsweetened coconut flakes. Coconut water would have made it much smoother, but I only had flakes on hand, and I have to admit that it really wasn't delish until I added the coconut. :) Have a splendid tuesday!

The Four Essentials to Life

photo by boliston

There have been found to be four physical essentials to life that we know of. I have learned that instead of just existing, it is left up to me to choose this in higher quality leading me to live longer and happier. Many of us are familiar with the first three that we have been taught in grade school, but #4 seems to be something many of us don't even think about or have skipped over. Check it out!

#1 Food-the body can live approx. 30 days without food.

Food gives the body nutrients for energy and healing. It is the quality of this food that determines how much nutrition the body receives. Many processed foods lack nutrition altogether, and many fruits and veggies are covered in pesticides or are genetically engineered. When the body takes these types of food in, it takes away valuable energy trying to rid the body of toxins. Making a choice to eat organic, unprocessed food the way nature intended you to is very important in minimizing the toxins in your life.

#2 Water- the body can live approx. 4 days without water.

We all know that we should be drinking lots of water through out the day, but what about the quality? Many cities send out alerts as to the local water contents. It is best to drink filtered water. According to the EPA, there have been 480,000 cases of learning disorders in children each year in the United States due to lead in drinking water! Ahh! crazy! There is so much to learn on this. We use a PUR water filter in our home and I have heard that it doesn't even filter out the bad stuff...hummm, lots to learn.

#3 Air-the body can live for approx. 4 minutes without air.

The world record for holding ones breath is still a matter of minutes. we need this oxygen to allow or body to thrive, producing energy for all the body functions.

#4 Nerve Supply- the body can only live a fraction of a second without nerve supply!

Your nervous system controls everything that you do, and don't think about doing. Every action, healing, hearing, seeing, breathing, blood flow, temperature maintenance, originates in the brain. A message travels down the spinal column and out into the body. Subluxations block and slow these messeges causing health problems beyond headaches and back problems. The only way to remove the interference caused by subluxations is to get adjusted. Get a hold of a chiro! In order to be at 100%, your body must be functioning at 100%. It all begins with your nervous system.

Everyone has potential to be truly healthy. It's about quality of life!

Creative Christmas Day 3-Gifts/Wrapping

picture by intermissions

As you have heard me say before that this year I have not been much of a mall-goer...I have been trying to get creative. Here is a list of unique gift giving options that I came up with and also got inspired from an article in this month's issue of Mothering.

1) Buy Handmade of course! Check out the gift guides on Etsy there are tons of ideas for just about anyone from the tech lover-to the sports fanatic-to the home chef-to the person who has everything. Or if you are wanting to be the artist but need some inspiration check outInstructables or Martha's page. Some of these websites can be a bit overwhelming if you are like me and want to try everything...but they are fun. :)

2)Look for items that have a Fair Trade label...<Fair Trade is an organized social movementand market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. >-Wikipedia. There are many places to shop fair trade, sometimes even your local supermarket will carry fair trade items, but a popular place to shop is Ten Thousand Villages. Also check out Earthlover.

3)Give a gift card that supports a worthy cause. For example Tisbest.org TisBest Philanthropy is a registered non-profit corporation in the state of Washington and qualified as a 501c3 charity by the IRS. (It doesn't seem like you need to worry about charity schemes). This would be particularly good for kids so they can maybe choose which charity that is associated with their own interests.

5)Even if you are giving a gift card there are many ideas on how to make it personal. Check out these handmade giftcard holders.

4)Give the gift of service!- A gift doesn't have to be an object. You could cook a meal, clean someones house, babysit, write a song, give a back message, etc.

I can't think of a reason why I would need to buy wrapping paper this year when I have loads of crafting paper, paper grocery bags, etc laying around my house. Plus the Internet has tons of crafty bloggers of course with tons of inspiration. Not to mention a few... :)

1)fabric gift bags

2)Seasonal Delights- cards and gift tags

3)Tip Junkie- tons of unique ideas!

4)Olivemanna-textiles and paper goods.

5)Use pine cones or holly (careful if it is poisonous) instead of a plastic bow.

6)Decorate paper grocery bags with stamps or markers.

7)Make use of the newspaper comics.(I remember this always being a hit at birthday parties when I was a kid)

8)prettytape has tons of fun tape and don't forget to mark it handmade when you are done.

Any other creative ideas?

Local Freshness!

My favorite part of the weekend is the farmers market. Look at these pictures!...so much color! They really look this good in person...and even better, they taste as good as they look! :)

There is just something about cooking/preparing food that you either grew yourself or know who grew it. Over the past 4 years or so I have developed a huge love for buying food locally. When putting something in my body it is a big deal where the food came from and how it was treated when grown. When I buy from the market I am able to talk to the actual person who grew this produce. It's kinda neat when you think about it.

Over at Heather Jane's blog she is doing a Go Local 2009 challenge: preparing at least one meal a week with fully local ingredients. You can check out the details here. Below is my lunch; just your basic strawberry salad with a couple different kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, sunflower seeds, and strawberries. You can see how red and juicy those strawberries are in the center as opposed to your store bought berries that have a little white. Oh boy, I sure am going to miss it when berry season is over, they are my absolute favorite! Ask any of my friends from growing up...they sometimes would buy me a package of strawberries for my birthday. :)

Wordless Wednesday "Neighborhood Blooms"

eat rhubarb

Last night my fantastic neighbor introduced herself to Thad as he was grilling out back. She is pretty old and must have not remembered meeting us before, but since she thought we just moved in (we moved last July), she brought over some homemade rhubarb cherry jam. Yummy!! She is super sweet and thoughtful. She also mentioned that she has tons of rhubarb growing in her backyard and we can go and pick our own anytime we want. I was super excited about this and also realized that I have never picked my own rhubarb. I think the only time I have ever tasted rhubarb is my grandmothers rhubarb sauce back in the day, or strawberry/rhubarb pie from Perkins. Oh, I can not wait for the day I can experience my own garden. :)

I came across a website a while back that tells you what produce is in season each month and gives you recipes to choose from with that food in it. Eat the Seasons. -go check it out! It has been very helpful to look at before I go to the store. Why should we eat what is more local and in season?...well it's always good to support our local economy, but it also tastes better, fresher, and is more nutritious. Specifically rhubarb is in season april through july and here is some fun info I found coming pretty much straight from Nick, an editor from the website...kind of fun to know the facts. :)

"The outlandishly colored vegetable that thinks it's a fruit. Rhubarb makes deliciously comforting puddings but its sharpness works extremely well with meat and oily fish dishes (the duck recipe below is a resounding success).Forced rhubarb (grown in the dark) has yellowish leaves. The field-grown variety has greener leaves and is less tender but often more flavorful.HISTORYRhubarb was used as a medicine in ancient China. It was brought to Europe by Marco Polo and has been eaten as a food since the eighteenth century.BIOLOGYRhubarb is a member of the family Polygonaceae and is related to sorrel. It grows best in cool climates and the effect of forcing was discovered by accident at the Chelsea Physic Garden early in the 19th century.NUTRITIONRhubarb is a good source of fiber and contains moderate levels of vitamin C and calcium. Studies have linked the fiber from rhubarb in the diet with reduced cholesterol levels.TIPSBUYING:Choose crisp, firm, plump stalks with good color.STORING:Kept in the fridge, fresh rhubarb will stay in reasonable condition for 1-2 weeks. Raw and cooked rhubarb freeze well.PREPARING:Wash and trim both ends of the stalks, and discard the poisonous leaves. Rhubarb, in particular the later field-grown variety, is very tart and requires considerable sweetening. As with other relatively acidic foods it is recommended that it is not cooked using aluminum pots."

Local Harvest is a great website that helps you search for local produce in season...or click here for another site and information about farmers markets near you. Hope you all had a super weekend...now I must go enjoy some toast with rhubarb/cherry jam. :)

April 22-Heart the Earth Day...

Tomorrow is April 22nd...Earth Day! Yay! What a perfect time of year for this. Plants are growing, lots of spring cleaning happening, and everyone is much more motivated this time of year. Everyone has a right to live in a healthy and sustainable environment. That is why I think this day is so important. Having a day dedicated to this helps people to become more aware with information, new ideas and how to make more informed decisions. For those that want to be more "green" or so they call it; just knowing what is helpful and what is harmful toward the environment is key. Even just doing little things like driving less, taking shorter showers, or avoiding access packaging in the things we buy. I remember learning in school as a kid that even the simple act of turning off the lights when leaving the room can be a huge help...so I always did from that day and it is now a habit.

Being "green" has become such a trend these days. That can be a wonderful thing so that it helps more people to be aware, but unfortunately because of it's popularity there are so many "green" products or eco-friendly gear. Most of these things are great!..although it can give you the gimmies. There comes a time when we have to choose whether we are still helping the environment or are we harming it with too much consumerism. There is nothing wrong with buying a fun fashionable reusable grocery bag, or an organic t-shirt. But when we already have 12 of them and we are buying because everyone else is, then it may be a problem. So I encourage you with earth day coming up tomorrow to rethink about what you have, what you want, and what you probably don't need. I know I will be thinking about this. I am also hesitant bringing up this topic because I do not want to sound hypocritical..being American, or even just being human makes it hard to not want when I do not need, but I do know that I can try by simply being more aware of the things I buy and why I buy them. Here is an article on consumerism in America.(just the top part of the page)... it is very blunt, but will make you really think. After reading this I wondered if what people call the "American Dream" is even acheivable anymore? Interesting article.

So in summary one of the easiest ways and best ways to "go green" is to stop consuming so much stuff!...not to say that it is bad to shop because I love shopping, but to be more happy and resourceful with what you have. Below are some other great new links that I came across.

-check here for ways to recycle just about anything.

-check out an old post of mine here on how to make your own household cleaners.

-click here for guide to think more eco in just about any situation; at home, work,weddings, holidays, dorm rooms, cars, food, beauty, gift guides, and lots more.

-borrow or buy used; go to libraries, consider craigslist or freecycle.

-...and of course I talked about consuming too much in our country, but if it would truly help you waste less think about getting your own bags for grocery shopping. I have made one that is for sale in my etsy shop with the hope to make lots more. I have really got into hand embroidery so there will be lots more of that coming soon as well. Check it out here.

Have a splendid day!

Wheatgrass

It was actually pretty nice a couple days this week, but I know not to fool myself...it always seems to get cold again this time of year. I decided I needed a little bit more green in our house and i found this great idea from mom in madison. Wheatgrass!...it sprouts and grows so fast its a lot of fun to watch. I literally woke up every morning this week and went straight downstairs to look how much it has changed.

It is so easy to do, and I chose to do it in glass so i can watch the growth process. All you need is a little sand, potting soil, wheat berries(i found organic from our farmers market),plastic wrap and a container to plant in.

First soak the wheat berries in room temperature water for 8-12 hours-drain and change the water about half way through. Then fill the bottom of your pot/jar with one inch of sand.(this is to keep it from getting waterlogged) Then put about 2 inches of potting soil layered over the sand, and then top it with a thick layer of wheat berries. I think I may have put too thick of a layer-as the grass has grown and it has been pretty crammed, and too thick of a layer makes it easier for mold to grow....so just enough to cover the soil. Water lightly and then cover loosly with plastic wrap and place it in a shady spot. 

march 2

Spray with water morning and night. Berries should sprout after the first day; after sprouted you may remove the plastic wrap and keep it in a window to get light. In a few days you should have grass! Continue to spray with water every morning and night. Once the grass is growing you may want to rinse it out everyday to prevent the lower berries from molding.(fill the jar with cool water then use a finger to drain.)

It is so much fun once the grass starts growing, it can grow like an inch or more a day! You can trim it when it reaches 4 inches or so...this makes for some green in the house during these long winter months...you could also snip it and add it to smoothies, or if you have a grinder some people grind it and take shots of it...I don't know enough about that, but my step mother does that. Just beware of the overwhelming scent it gives off when snipped. :)

march 4

march 5

march 6

march 7

Its always nice to have a little more green life in the house when its cold outside. :) Have a good weekend.

Happy Earth Day!

April 22nd is Earth Day this year. This holiday was founded in 1970 to promote environmental awareness around the world. I was realizing today that it is a perfect time of year for this...last week I just started to notice leaves budding on the trees and daffodils popping up finally after a long winter. Yay! It makes me so happy! Last saturday we had the Earth Day Fair here in the Quad Cities. The photo above was taken at the fair. It is a chandalier made out of empty water bottles by a local artist. How cool is that! It is always good to see what your community is doing and how you can further get involved. Even taking one step in changing your lifestyle to be more eco-concious can help tremendously. I feel like God has entrusted us to be good stewards of His creation. He probably is not very pleased to see excessive waste or chemicals being poured into His waters. I like to use this day to thank God for His creation and how He shows us His beauty through nature. If you want to look more into what Earth Day is all about for 2008 click here. For some fun earth day crafts click here. Have a happy day!

GreenDimes

100 million trees' worth of junk mail arrive in American mail boxes each year. That is the equivalent of deforesting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park every 4 months! (according to New American Dream calculation from Conservatree and US Forest Service Statistics.) The production and disposal of direct mail consumes more energy than 3 million cars!...Crazy!....and to think that 44% of Americans dispose of it without even opening it.

Anyone who is as fed up with junk mail as I am should check out www.GreenDimes.com. It is a service that will stop your junk mail and plant 10 trees instead! Humm...sounds so easy.:) It is for only $20 per year and $10 any year after that if needed. So far GreenDimes has stopped over 3 million pounds of junk mail and planted over 400,000 trees. I love it! We have just recently signed up and are anxiously waiting for results. They say it may take a few months to come into effect, but it is sooo worth it! Smiles:)

Favorites of 2007

Well, the year is coming to an end and the other day I took some time to reflect back on all the good times and things I discovered through out 2007. It has been a great year. Thad and I had our 1st wedding anniversary on June 10th, our first nephew was born (Tate; he is soo cute!), Thad started school at Palmer College of Chiropractic in October, my sister Kristin and best friend Liz got engaged to be married this spring/summer 2008, we got to visit our good friends Kali and Andy in Denver, CO exploring the Rockies, vacationing in Wisconsin and Minnesota this summer with family, I had my first couple of art shows in the Quad cities, and we have met so many great couples and friends through Heritage Wesleyan Church enjoying small groups and other crazy fun-ness. :)

God has blessed us so much in the past year, looking back on it helps me to recognize those blessings I didn't even know existed. Even the little things daily that make you smile. :) Here is a list (in no particular order) of some of my favorite things I discovered this year...

Reusable Bags and produce bags from Reusablebags.com

Saves plastic and makes it easier to carry groceries over the shoulder. These string bags hold up to 40 lbs. Now I don't have loads of extra plastic bags cluttering under the counter. Makes me smile.:)










Klean Kanteen
...helps my water to taste so good and klean.:) 27 oz. is perfect for traveling and
taking to work...another good one(Thad's favorite)...SIGG.

Scoop of peanut butter

---my new favorite snack...yummy!

Homemade Pesto
...we like to mix in with whole wheat noodles or to spread over pizza crust...homemade pesto pizza, yum! I think its a new favorite! Here is the recipe:

1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
2 c. firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 c.grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and quartered
1/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
(I also like to add a little lemon juice for flavor)

In food processor or blender, mix all ingredients and toss with noodles. You can keep it in the fridge up to 2 days and freeze up to 3 months. Enjoy!

Dr. Bronners...

...like I have talked about before in a previous post, its an all-purpose mild soap that has so many uses! Everyone should have this in their household. Peppermint is my favorite.

TAZO and YOGI tea...yummy! I like the white tea with blueberry and cranberry flavors.

so good....so good.:)

Pomogranate over my salad...It's so juicy I don't even need any dressing!

David Crowder Band new CD "Remedy"...love it...love it.:)

Ikea plant pots

...they make me smile; I enjoy having plants in my kitchen and bathroom to absorb moisture so it doesn't feel so stagnant. They have such a clean and simple design.

Organic blue agave

....perfect for sweetening my oatmeal; so I don't use any sugar.










Cricut!

---I just got this for Christmas from my mom. It cuts out tons of different images on paper for scrapbooking and card making. By tons of images I mean tons! There are so many cartridges you can buy with different fonts, shapes, characters, sayings, etc. I am having fun exploring and creating.:)

Have a Happy New Year!!