Tuesday, May 31, 2011

It's in the Bag!



I had the BEST time making my first personalized bean bag for a dear friend's little boy last week. I'm making toys now! woah, I would never have imagined. This is a huge deal for me! Allowing myself to be imperfect and sharing that imperfection with a sense of confidence and trust as I learn the ropes of being green and mastering the art of living has been amazing.


It was simple, and although my technique was not perfect and the embroidery was a little off, I was happy with the end product....although not sure if my friend liked it! ha ha. But, hey, it's a sturdy little bag of lentils for a toddler to knock around as only a toddler can, so I hope our toddler friend has a blast with it. We've decided to build a bean bag toss game for our backyard and the personalized bean bags will abound this season! I didn't take a picture of the first one I made last week since it was personalized, but I will post the next ones while they are in progress, and I'm confident my technique will improve so that you can tell a grown-up made them, although...they ARE beanbags people....

Friday, May 27, 2011

Kids Parties on the Green Side



Fallen bamboo leaf plates, cutlerymade of corn startch, and reusable home made banners made my son's 2nd birthday party a lot greener than last year's bash. I bought some gingham fabric and made some no sew table cloths that I will be using at every outdoor party. Cute and green - a la Kermit. I opted to rent an extra table and some chairs, rather than buy. Made things easier. I am liking the rental idea for parties. Is it greener? Well, I haven't delved into the specifics of gasoline used for delivery, but I didn't have to purchase new chairs. The bouncy house was definately not the greenest, as it needed an air pump guzzling electricity for about 4 hours, but it was not a brand new purchase, and our house did not have many lights on for the duration of the party, so I think I'm on the right track....but I am learning as I'm going, and there are things I can improve upon for my daughter's celebration in a few weeks, but this has been a gratifying experience, to be sure. For more on greening up your parties, check out my take on it at the Urban Times!












Saturday, May 21, 2011

How Cool is THIS?


These were taken about 2 weeks ago. My daughter found it pretty easy to plant these with me. It was a fun project and we did it in under 45 minutes. We transferred our seedlings to the hampers and as of today, we have a few green beans that didn't survive the transfer. So far the carrots, peas, and cucumbers are doing awesome in these containers. We still have some other seedlings to transfer to bigger pots and eventuall to more hampers. So far, so good!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Happy Mother's Day





Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible - Marion C. Garretty













Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Days to Celebrate

Mother's Day will be here soon, as will my children's birthdays. When I asked a good friend what she wanted for mother's day she replied "world peace". In lieu of the recent world news, my friend's wish is profound.

Image courtesy of Courtney's Confections

I asked for house peace! My husband will be taking the children for a morning at Nana's.

But, my friend's wish makes me think: What will become of this wonderful, complicated, and at times so politically broken world? How, when I get so nervous, do I maintain this eco-friendly rythm of life in the shadow of the current world geo-political climate? For instance, my fight or flight response can kick in when I begin to let myself feel fearful about the myriad possibilities of retaliation.

One thing I'm going to try is to maintain the focus on my children, friends, and close family and help them, and myself, feel taken care of and content in the present. Loving is green. Compassion is green.

Monday, May 2, 2011

"You're Putting the Vegetables in WHAT?!?!"

...so said my husband this afternoon when I returned from a local discount curtain store that was selling these for 29 bucks a pop. They are about 3 feet tall and about two feet wide. A terra cotta planter that big or a wooden one that big would cost me at least twice that much. The hamper shown here is not the actual type I am using...but I will post mine soon. They are still in the backseat of the car! If weather permits tomorrow my vegetable sprout friends will have their new home, and will grow, hopefully, unhampered.