Kaarinivorous Crunch

Do You Know What You're Eating?

2011-07-25T17:26:00.000-06:00

GMO Film Project Sizzler from Compeller Pictures on Vimeo.

Are you a carnivore or an herbavore?

2011-06-06T09:24:00.002-06:00

Would You Like a Heart Attack with that?

2011-03-18T10:23:00.000-06:00

Bad Bad Blogger!

2010-12-08T22:03:00.002-07:00

Been quite the while since I have posted anything. Went back to work and by the time I got home gimping around with the stupid boot on my foot I was thoroughly exhausted. Then in August, school started back up and literally kicked my ever living ass. Anatomy and Physiology, Technical English, Fitness Foundations, Humanities, CPR and my fun class...bowling. Next semester isn't going to be much better. I have two computer classes that I need to have before I can take Accounting, I have the second half of A & P, Math 143 (this is going to be my scariest class-I so suck at math), and Child Development. Really looking forward to winter break. I have 3 finals next week and then I will be done with this semester. My grades are definitely not where I want them by any means, though. We will have to see after next week how I did. Keep your fingers crossed for me-I need it bad!

Toe has never completely healed. I still have pain (also pain on the incision site, too, weird) and still can't touch the floor with it. According to the doctor the X-rays look okay, but he thinks my tendons are too stiff and wants me to do a little physical therapy on myself. Am trying, but it does not really seem to help. I think he had the pin angled up too high and the bone healed that way, but what do I know-I am just the suffering patient. It also didn't help that my youngest daughter accidently slammed into it the other day (it was hiding under and blanket and sticking off the end of the couch. She felt so bad, she cried along with me.

Unfortunately, I gained about 20 pounds being off my foot for so long, so this week I have started back at the gym. I can't really run, but the recumbent bike, the elliptical machine and the weights are okay on my foot. Don't think I will be doing yoga again anytime soon, though.

Slowly recuperating

2010-06-28T21:03:00.003-06:00

Well, my toe is slowly getting better. I was off work for about 2 1/2 months and am using a boot to get around. I am now trying to wear shoes when I can, but still need the boot at work. I still can't put my toe completely flat on the floor yet, which puts a lot of stress on my ankle, and I am much faster at work with the boot on. Unfortunately, when the floor is wet I have to be careful, since there is not a no-slip bottom on the boot and have almost ate it quite a few times. As you can see from the pic, my left foot is still swollen and red. I now have a toe worth over $10,000, do you? Who would have known that a stupid toe could cost so much?

Frugality out the window

2010-02-16T20:03:00.002-07:00

So much for being frugal when I do something stupid and injure myself. Not only did I blow a ton of money on hospital and doctor visits, but I can't go to work. Now you ask, how did I do this really stupid thing....well, I was already not feeling well and had given up a few shifts, when I remembered that the kids needed clean clothes for school. So, I grabbed a huge load of clothes in my arms and missed the last step on the way down to the laundry room. Knew I broke my toe as soon as it happened. The orthopedic doctor I saw said that usually with toes you can't do anything, but when I do something, I guess I have to do it well. Not only did I snap the bone in half, but completely moved it away from the joint. So, now I have a screw (which won't be removed) and a pin (to hold it all in place, which eventually will be removed). Had surgery on Friday, but still hurts and got infected. Taking antibiotics that upset my stomach and make me dizzy, and can hardly get out of bed because of the pain.

Another doctor appointment for me tomorrow to check on the infection and see when I may possibly go back to work. Have a shit ton of homework due this week and can't even think straight. When I went to St. Al's for my surgery, one of the nurses there said that she broke a toe the same way-so a warning for all those out there with a laundry room in the basement, BE CAREFUL on the way down, the toe you break may be your own. And so are the bills and loss of income. My work only allows two weeks off of work in a row or you are fired. Hope this will count as medical leave-they are very strict. I had an umbilical hernia surgery and was out for 2 weeks once, was short 9 hours for my insurance and they cancelled me, even with a medical, so will see if I still have a job after this too. My husband doesn't call me Grace for nuthin'. Need to be more careful, this is costing me too much. I also hate relying on others for everything. I can pull together a quick frugal meal with just a few ingredients, but hard for my husband to do and he is the one doing the cooking-so higher grocery bill as well. We also had a birthday today and yesterday for some of the kids and had to send out the man shopping...OUCH!! Then, birthday celebration in my room, NICE! Had plans with daughter to do the 50% off shopping sale at Savers and wanted to take my son and a few of his friends to the college for a bowling party...Sorry guys maybe next year. I know they understand, but still feel bad about it.

Want to Know What Kind of Produce You Are Eating

2010-01-31T03:03:00.002-07:00

You know those annoying little stickers attached to your fruits and veggies you have to remove before eating? Well, you can learn a lot about what kind of produce you are eating by "cracking the code" on them.

A four-digit number means that your produce is conventionally grown using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. A five-digit number beginning with 8 means the produce is genetically modified. And a five-digit number beginning with a 9 means you are getting organically grown produce.

No impact week

2010-01-15T08:17:00.002-07:00

Colin Beaven, aka "no impact man" is challenging everyone to try a "No impact week". All the information is available on his website, including instructions and sign up. What do you think? Could you go "no impact" for a week?

http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/

Sorry for the Rant

2010-01-14T18:14:00.008-07:00

Not really sure where to begin, but it seems to be an on-going full moon or something. So, I apologize for a bit of ranting, but I have been a little frustrated lately. First off, my brother had met this lady over the internet (already know where this is going right), hillbilly from Virginia-remember the Hatfields and McCoys-she's a McCoy. We are talking grade A hillbilly here, with 3 kids and my brother meets her in real life I'd say a total or like 3 times and then he marries her and moves her and the brood to Boise. Well, they are both on disability. My brother had gastric bypass surgery which almost killed him, had to have surgery on his legs and learn to re-walk. Finally out of wheel chair not too long before he meets her. She has some undiagnosed illness, which most docs think is mental illness, but finally finds a doctor that diagnoses her with MS (after Lord knows how many). She had stated that in her family the sicker you are the more attention you get. Anyway, her parents didn't disclose all her issues to my brother, because they were done being care-takers to her and her kids.

So, now into the real world, my brother ends up being housekeeper, care-giver of her kids (who haven't had much for parenting up until now) and her (she never gets out of bed). All while he is trying to work a part-time job and go to school. She is addicted to pain-killers, Marinol (a synthetic form of Marijuana), Methadone (her and her ex were addicted to heroin) and who knows what else. At a picnic we had this summer my brother had to wheel her up in his old wheelchair (couldn't walk) and she couldn't even talk and watching her eat was just disgusting, because she was so doped up. Anyway, with the temptation of the painkillers in the house and her wanting someone to get high with my brother became addicted to painkillers again (became addicted after his surgery, but had been off them for many years). They started having a lot of trouble and my parents intervened and agreed to help both of them get into recovery. If they didn't they would have to move-my parents owned the house they were renting and they didn't want to be renting to drug addicts, my brother had dropped out of school, got layed-off, lost his disability and the kids trashed the house, since there was little to no supervision. My brother agreed to treatment and asked his wife to get help, but she refused and that was his stipulation for saving their marriage. She went into detox and then to the mental health unit, but refused to treatment since she thought she only had a physical addiction, so she was asked to move and my brother asked for a divorce.

My parents were more than nice to her, they gave her back 2 months worth of rent, so she would have the money to find another place. They even offered to pay for plane tickets for her and her kids and to pay the moving costs of her things back to Virginia, but her parents didn't want her back. And to pay them back she kept my brothers things hostage and refused to give them to him. All my brother wanted was the things he came into the marriage with and let her have everything else, but she refused and even wanted to sell his family heirlooms on E-bay for the money. I think my brother was way nicer than he should have been, but even so, she pulled this? After she left, he finally got a few things back that she left in the house. The house was trashed and now my parents have to clean it and pay for repairs and they are missing out on several months worth of rent. She also abandoned one of her cats-out of three-in the house.

My parents always treated her kids as if they were their own grandkids, spent a lot of money on them buying them all new clothes, etc. and watched them while she was hospitalized. We even had the boys over the weekend and my DH had to clean up puke all night when one of the boys got sick. Half the house also walked away in the boy's stuff when they left. Joanna-if you are reading this we would like our movies back and whatever else walked away. Never got a thank you, either.

But, I guess the thing that irks me the most is that she is telling everyone on her blog about poor little her and telling everyone about how horrible my brother and my parents are and making up lies. She even stated that now my brother is now living FAT in my parent's million dollar house. My parent's house is May-be a $250,000 house, no where near a million-don't know where that came from. My parents are not well-off. And they were so awful that they kicked out a poor defenseless woman with MS with three children who had no-where to go. And she was hospitalized to adjust her medication-not mentioning anything about addiction or mental illness. All her readers think that she is just an inspiration for everything that she has been through. She even tries to say that my brother is an abuser because he grabbed one of the boys when he was trashing the house having a tantrum and that he told her to F-off over the phone when she wouldn't give him his stuff back. OMG, how abusive.

I am not trying to be degrading to her, but it just makes me angry that she is trying to make herself out to be some Saint and make everyone feel sorry for and they believe all this crap. I think she needs to tell the truth and maybe her readers will appreciate that instead of the garbage bag full of doodie she is feeding them full of.

Well, I think that is enough of ranting for today, part 2 tomorrow-my DIL. Bet y'all can't wait!

And if ya wanna, you can all check out the blog here: http://jojo-justjojo.blogspot.com/

Fowl Play

2009-12-13T16:54:00.004-07:00

If you think that you are being less cruel and being healthier by eating “cage free” or “free-range” eggs, you might want to think again. Animals in "free-range," "cage-free" and other systems are still often subject to some or all of the following abuses:

Overcrowded living conditions
Denial of veterinary care
Abusive handling
Transport through all weather extremes
Painful mutilations (debeaking, castration, dehorning, etc)
Unproductive, "spent" or by–product animals, such as
male chicks of the egg-laying industry, are killed by
methods such as suffocation and crushing.
Violent slaughter

"Free Range" means that the animals must have some access to the outdoors, but there are no government regulations about how much outdoor area must be provided.
United Poultry Concerns, an advocacy group for poultry, describes the typical free-range egg farm like this:

"Typically, 2,000 or more hens - each hen having only 1 to 2 square feet of floor space - are confined in a shed without access to the outdoors during their lives. If the hens can go outside, the exit usually is very small allowing only the closest hens to get out. The yard may be nothing but a mud yard saturated with droppings and intestinal coccidia and other parasites."

"Cage-free" eggs means that the birds aren't in cages, but the majority of cage-free eggs are produced by hens forced to live in overcrowded sheds. These living conditions aren't as horrific as the typical battery cage, but overcrowding and cruelty are still common occurrences in many cage-free operations.

Meat's Not Green

2009-12-12T18:06:00.007-07:00

Free Gym Membership

2009-11-29T22:57:00.006-07:00

One of the benefits of being a full-time student at BSU is a free gym membership at the Student Rec Center. I admit that I have been having difficulty finding time between work class, homework and family-that and the fact that I tend to be sorta lazy. Since school was out this week, due to Thanksgiving vacation, we decided to check it out. We went 4 times this week. One of my sons who is also a full-time student decided to join us as well. Hope to try to make this a regular routine, since I really need to get my fat ass in shape and why not take advantage of a FREE gym membership.

They have all the benefits of a regular gym-cardio, weight machines, free weights, classes, climbing wall, racquetball, basketball, indoor track, etc. For an extra fee, there is massage and personal training. There is also an aquatics center located elsewhere on campus, for those that prefer swimming and such. Used to like water aerobics, but hated traipsing back to the locker room all wet, cold and drippy, then having to get out of a wet suit.

Also, think my body may be rebelling against this healthy crap. Since I started eating vegan (started off as a self-intervention for a psych class and decided to continue for health and ethical reasons) and exercising my GI system is complaining (well, complaining more than it usually does-have IBS). Gonna try to keep this up though. Think the health benefits will be worth it. And did I mention the membership was FREE!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T22:38:00.003-07:00

Normally, not a fan of some of Peta's tactics, but like this ad.

Lunch?

2009-11-09T23:00:00.001-07:00

Stop Animal Abuse

2009-11-08T11:07:00.003-07:00

Warning-contain graphic images. Please help stop animal abuse. If you don't have the time, money or patience to properly take care of an animal...don't get one! And if you already have one, please give them to someone who can. I don't understand how people can be so cruel, all animals want is someone to feed them, give them somewhere warm to sleep, someone to play with them and give them some attention and a lot of love. The same as every one of us wants. I don't think that is too much to ask.

Plowing Their Way to Zero Waste

2009-10-30T21:17:00.003-06:00

Interesting article on a family in Shoreline, WA (where my parents used to live), trying to eliminate their impact on the earth and living more sustainably.

SEATTLE - A family of four has moved from the farm to an urban Puget Sound community and is now plowing its way to zero waste.

When the Peterka family moved to Shoreline, they brought part of the farm with them. They ripped up the backyard lawn and planted a large garden.

They built a fenced chicken coop in one corner, and worm and compost bins in the other. Then they made some sacrifices.

"We stopped buying groceries that came in plastic, essentially which was a big deal, not an easy task," explained Brian Peterka.

The family trimmed its plastic waste-line by adding on the bulk. They buy most of their food in bulk then store it in jars. They buy their vegetables fresh and unwrapped and grow everything else in the garden.

The Peterkas have successfully re-created the perpetual farm cycle they enjoyed in the country.

Here's how it works: The leftover food goes into the chicken coop or worms bins. The chickens return the favor by providing the next meal, the worms produce nutritious soil to put in the garden, which produces the Peterkas' meals, and leftover stems and leaves that go to a compost bin where more soil is produced.

At the end of the week, the Peterkas have about a baggie full of garbage leftover. They only put out their bin once a month for the CleanScapes garbage trucks to pick up and then its only about half full.

"This is impressive," exclaimed CleanScapes President Chris Martin who toured the Peterkas' yard today.

Martin says because his company is small, small trash producers like the Peterkas, allow him to serve more neighborhoods with fewer trucks.

Cleanscapes is even hosting a contest to see which community can reduce the most waste.

Shoreline is taking part and has found a goal to shoot for in the Peterkas' backyard.

Eating Animals is Making Us Sick

2009-10-28T10:07:00.006-06:00

Saw this article on CNN and it is pretty interesting, thought you might enjoy it.

www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/10/28/opinion.jonathan.foer/index.html

Jonathan Safran Foer: Inhumane way we raise animals for slaughter poisons us all
Foer: Factory farming tied to global warming, swine and bird flu, other illnesses
He says animals loaded with antibiotics, live in gruesome conditions
System driven by food and pharmacetical industries; Foer asks: Why no outcry?l

2009-10-27T20:39:00.002-06:00

I apologize for the lack of posting lately, but I started back to school in August.

GO BRONCOS!!!!!

I am trying to figure out how to juggle school, work, home and all the mom stuff (with 5 kids still at home). All while getting good grades. I haven't taken any classes for about 11 years and got my AA in 1993. So this has been a little stressful, but rewarding. I feel like I am actually using my brain, now-instead of just asking-"Are you ready to order?" My current major is Health Education and Promotion. Am thinking about working in some kind of childhood obesity program. I still need to come up with a minor and am thinking about Psychology or Multi-Ethnic studies.

I am currently taking Medical Terminology, two 300 level Psychology classes (Human Sexuality-fun class-and Psychology of Health), and a Cinema History and Aesthetic class.

Haven't had a lot of free time for posting, but will try to keep tabs here and there.

Free Boise Entertainment

2009-07-18T22:18:00.003-06:00

ALIVE AFTER FIVE on the Grove downtown Boise

Boise's favorite Summer Concert Series runs June 3rd through September 30th every Wednesday and is held in the Grove Plaza downtown Boise. Listen to live music and enjoy cool beverages, vendor booths and delicious food each week. Cool off in the fountain...dance 'til you drop...or just sit back and watch! Either way, it's a great event for the whole family to enjoy...and it's FREE to attend! The event starts at 5pm and lasts until 8pm.

Great place to hang with your friends, have a drink (we bring our own-much cheaper) and listen to some good music. The opening bands are all local. The local band this particular week the pics were taken are just 2 kids from Timberline high school. Awesome! I think their name is BoDo.

Also a great place to people watch-from rednecks to hippees to grungers, cowboys and goths, punkers and everything in between. The guy in the floral shorts is there every week along with the roller-skating guy in a dress. People playing hackey sack, jump ropers and hula-hoopers.

Free exercise

2009-06-29T19:48:00.005-06:00

Hiking in the foothills at Camel's Back Park with my husband, Chris, and youngest daughter

View from the bottom

Holy Crap! I'm out of shape!

Views from the top

Lunch after our hike-in the shade. Silly Alexis with sandwich hanging out of her face!

Think Globally, Hoop Locally

2009-06-19T19:58:00.002-06:00

Wilson's Rebound Basketball Shows Company's Commitment to Making the World a Greener Place

Just in time for Earth Day, the global sporting goods company releases the planet's first "green" basketball.

04.11.2008

CHICAGO, IL-April 11, 2008- The key to curbing global warming and greenhouse gas emissions is to re-examine the way we do business. Wilson Sporting Goods is taking the lead by producing a green basketball that will be good for the player and the planet he or she dribbles on.

Wilson's Rebound came about when the company's engineers decided to tackle the question of how to produce an affordable basketball that would have less of an impact on the environment. The ball itself, which will be available just in time for Earth Day on April 22nd, is comprised of a surface that is made from 40% recycled rubber. How will the use of recycled rubber impact the planet? In practical terms, every 70 Rebound basketballs Wilson produces is the equivalent of one less tire ending up in a landfill.

"We know that today's young athletes are very aware of their impact on the environment," says Mike Kuehne, General Manager of Basketball for Wilson Sporting Goods Co. "And we're always looking for ways to improve our own performance. The Rebound will afford young players the chance to work on their game in an environmentally friendly way. Wilson is proud to be a leader in moving towards a greener, more sustainable planet."

In addition to the green composition of ball itself, the Rebound's display box is produced from nearly 80% pre or post consumer board. To add to the greenness, The Rebound was designed with a green and black color palette and features the slogan "Think Globally, Hoop Locally." The Rebound retails for $14.99 and will be available in stores across the country.

Making Music Biodegradable

2009-06-17T11:30:00.003-06:00

Think I am going to have to get my son some of these guitar picks. They are from a company called Wheatware and they sell a lot of biodegradable products made from wheat and corn. Here is some into from their website....

Wheatware.com™ exclusively distributes Wheatware™ and Cornware™ products in the USA. Our products are manufactured in America from annually renewable crops grown in America. Who we are is a company of people committed to environmental values.

Purchasing our crop-derived Wheatware™ products, instead of forest-derived wood or cardboard products, helps supports Wheatware.com’s mission to annually save millions of virgin forest trees and their precious habitats. Within these habitats, a multitude of species live. As these habitats are destroyed, species are perishing everyday. We also recognize the importance of our forests acting as air conditioning systems for our planet. With each forest lost, Earths capacity to cool itself becomes diminished.

Forest-derived products, such as chopsticks, clothes hangers, golf tees, cardboard drink coasters, and drumsticks, combined, cause the destruction of over 30 million forest trees per year, typically by “clearcutting” (see deforestation).

Our commitment is to continue to offer an ever expanding number of products which replace virgin forest wood products in order to help secure a sustainable future for our children and generations to come. We thank you for buying our Wheatware™ and Cornware™ products…..you make a difference.

Their website is www.wheatware.com

Slacker

2009-05-27T18:40:00.011-06:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately and it may seem like I have been slacking, but life has definately gotten in the way lately. Besides work this month, we have had my son's girlfriend's birthday on the 7th and mine on the 9th, son's guitar concert, daughter's band concert, son's surgery (tonsils and adenoids removed) and I attended a 1980's prom theme bachelorette party. And I have the pictures to prove it.......

These pics were taken at Flying Pie Pizzeria. The BEST Pizza in Boise! They have what they call "It's Your Day", and when it is your day you get to come in and make a free pizza. On this day it was for everyone born in May, so my son's girlfriend and I got to make a free pizza on the same day. Awesome. Their website is http://www.flyingpie.com/. Check it out.

First we had to pick out our goofy hats. I chose a moose and leila chose a deformed turkey (reminds me of the poor turkey from the Thanksgiving episode of "South Park".

Dough Masters

Now for the best part.....Eating. I've got a really good canadian bacon, jalepenos, artichoke hearts, pineapple, zucchini, mushrooms, mozzerella, gouda and one other cheese I can't remember what it was now. I just remember it was delish! Leila made half her's without cheese for the vegan boy.
Daniel's guitar concert. He's the one with the bandana with the hair in his face next to Mr. Grant his teacher. This is his second year.

Alexis got to play 2 solos, since she is the only 6th grade band student. And then she also played all the songs with the 5th graders. This is also her second year.

Dan before his surgery...after he got the happy drugs. Looks like he's feeling quite well.

And after.....feeling rather miserable.

Now sorry if some of these are a little risque', but it is a bachelorette party after all.

Some of the girls posing with Fabio........

In the limo on the way to dancing and drinking downtown. I'm the old one on the right.

Love this pic. Check out those straws.

And Sharon getting a lap dance from the Prom Queen (er, bride-to-be). Check out the top of the tiara. Took tons of pics (the battery on my camera died-guess I should have paced myself), but just wanted to post a few for ya'll. Now you know why I have been so busy, so I will try to keep up with this a little more. Glad to be back.

Local Dinner

2009-05-26T20:12:00.003-06:00

Went to our local downtown Farmer's Market last Saturday and picked out a few things for a nice dinner. Got some bread from Alipcella a local Boise bakery. It is a mushroom, spinach and feta cheese bread that I basted with fresh garlic butter and toasted on the grill. The Bok Choy and Kale stir-fry was from a local farm. And the Wine is from the Snake River Winery, also here in Idaho. Served with whole wheat spaghetti and a chickpea, veggie marinara sauce, topped with fresh romano cheese. Delish.

Check out your local Farmer's Market and see what you can find. Makes for a fun Saturday. We also got some local salsa and some huckleberry honey, an heirloom tomato plant and some organic Kale and Chard for the garden.

Earth Day

2009-04-26T05:37:00.002-06:00

Ahhh, the smell of freshly line-dried clothes

2009-04-07T20:44:00.004-06:00

We finally got some nice weather and decided to take advantage of it, by hanging out some clothes to dry. Using some culled lumber that was deeply discounted we were able to build our clothesline for under $20. Unfortunately, by the time we got it finished last year it was just in time for the nasty weather to start. At least I got a few loads done today before we get a few days of rain and some cooler days (rats).

Unfortunatley, I only can get about 2 loads on my clothesline at a time, so I put clothes wherever I could find room. I hung some on the gazebo and jeans and socks over chairs in the sun.

Clothes dryers use 10-15% of domestic energy in the US. They are one of the biggest energy users in your house. By hanging clothes you can save more than $25 a month off your electric bill. And an added benefit is that your clothes last longer. Where do you think that lint in your dryer comes from-it is worn away fabric from all your clothes. And your clothes smell better, too.

Grandma's Brag Book

2009-03-25T22:10:00.002-06:00

Sorry, I haven't posted for a while. Our computer died just after we sent the laptop in for repairs, and then my son and his family came for a visit and wanted to spend as much time with him as possible. My son is stationed in New York at Fort Drum and was able to get leave for about a week and a half. He spent some time with us and also his wife's family that live in Wendell.

And here is little missy, Isabelle. She is almost 7 months old.

Ya think Archie may be a little jealous.

And here is 8 year old Uncle Evan with Isabelle.

And Uncle Evan being used as a teether.

And finally, with Great Grandpa. Unfortunately, Great Grandma didn't get to see Isabelle. She got to spend the day with my son. He went to church with her and then had lunch at her house after, but Isabelle was with her mom in Wendell that day and my mom had to go to Seattle that night (she has a business in Seattle and flies back and forth between here and Seattle every couple weeks or so). Hopefully, it won't be too long before my son can get leave again. I want to make sure little Isabelle doesn't forget her Gma, Gpa and all her Aunts and Uncles.

Platic Recycling Voyage

2009-03-09T08:41:00.004-06:00

SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- Imagine collecting thousands of empty plastic bottles, lashing them together to make a boat and sailing the thing from California to Australia, a journey of 11,000 miles through treacherous seas.

You'd have to be crazy, or trying to make a point. David de Rothschild is trying to make a point.

De Rothschild hopes his one-of-a-kind vessel, now being built on a San Francisco pier, will boost recycling of plastic bottles, which he says are a symbol of global waste. Except for the masts, which are metal, everything on the 60-foot catamaran is made from recycled plastic.

"It's all sail power," he said. "The idea is to put no kind of pollution back into the atmosphere, or into our oceans for that matter, so everything on the boat will be composted. Everything will be recycled. Even the vessel is going to end up being recycled when we finish."

De Rothschild's vessel, scheduled to set sail from San Francisco in April, is called the Plastiki. Its name is an homage of sorts to Thor Heyerdahl, the fabled Norwegian explorer who in 1947 sailed 4,300 miles across the Pacific on the Kon-Tiki, a raft made from balsa wood.

De Rothschild is something of an adventurer himself. The scion of a wealthy British banking family, he is one of only several dozen people to traverse both the Arctic and Antarctic ice caps. In 2005 he founded Adventure Ecology, an organization that uses field expeditions to call attention to environmental issues.

Joining him on the Plastiki will be a permanent crew of three sailors and scientists plus a handful of other crew members who will rotate through the voyage. The Plastiki is expected to stop in Hawaii, Tuvalu and Fiji on its way to Sydney, a trip estimated to take more than 100 days.

The plastic sailboat is taking shape in an old pier building not far from this city's famous Fisherman's Wharf. Here, thousands of two-liter soda bottles are being stripped of their labels, washed, filled with dry-ice powder and then resealed. The dry ice sublimates into carbon dioxide gas and pressurizes the bottle, making it rigid.

The vessel's twin hulls will be filled with 12,000 to 16,000 bottles. Skin-like panels made from recycled PET, a woven plastic fabric, will cover the hulls and a watertight cabin, which sleeps four.

"This actually is the same material that is made out of bottles," said de Rothschild of the PET fabric. "We actually wrap the PET fabric over the PET foam and then basically put it under a vacuum, heat it, press it and create these long PET panels. So that means the boat is, technically, one giant bottle."

Two wind turbines and an array of solar panels will charge a bank of 12-volt batteries, which will power several onboard laptop computers, a GPS and SAT phone.

Only about 10 percent of the Plastiki will be made from new materials, de Rothschild said. He declined to reveal how much it's costing him to build the boat.

"We could potentially put together a boat that costs a fraction of what normal conventional boats are made of," he said. "The idea is to take the Plastiki, break it down [after the voyage], and put it back into the system. So, it may come out being a jacket, a bag, more bottles. It's infinitely recyclable."

The ultimate goal of the Plastiki voyage is not just to encourage people to embrace clean, renewable energy but also to see consumer waste as a potential resource.
That's what this is all about -- showcasing cradle-to-cradle products rather than cradle-to-grave," de Rothschild said.

Whether the Plastiki will successfully complete its unique journey remains to be seen. But to conservationists concerned about the amount of energy required to manufacture and distribute plastic bottles, its symbolic message is a welcome one.

"Anything that gets in the news and makes people stop and think about plastic can be very helpful," said Betty McLaughlin, executive director of the Container Recycling Institute.
"But it strikes me as a long way to go. I flew from Los Angeles to Australia once, and it took forever. This trip strikes me as kind of dangerous."

Luxury Toilet Paper More Harmful to the Environment than Gas Guzzling Cars

2009-03-02T22:25:00.005-07:00

Found this article in the Daily Mail (a newspaper from the uk)

Luxury toilet paper is more harmful to the environment than gas-guzzling cars

By Ryan Kisiel
Last updated at 1:51 AM on 27th February 2009

More than 98 per cent of toilet paper in the U.S. comes from virgin forests

Extra-soft toilet paper is more harmful to the environment than gas-guzzling cars, campaigners claimed yesterday.

An obsession by Americans for the expensive quilted and multi-ply paper means that thousands of trees are being cut down for the U.S. market every year.

More than 98 per cent of toilet paper in the country comes from virgin forests and uses hardly any recycled materials.

Toxic fumes are also released into the atmosphere because of the chemicals used in paper pulp manufacture.

In Europe, up to 40 per cent of toilet paper comes from recycled products.

Scientist Allen Hershkowitz of the Natural Resources Defence Council, said: 'This is a product that we use for less than three seconds and the ecological consequences of manufacturing it from trees is enormous.

'Future generations are going to look at the way we make toilet paper as one of the greatest excesses of our age.

'Making toilet paper from virgin wood is a lot worse than driving Hummers in terms of global warming pollution.

'I really do think it is overwhelmingly an American phenomenon.
'People just don't understand that softness equals ecological destruction.'

Greenpeace has launched an ecological guide to toilet paper in an effort to counter the multi-million pound marketing budget of luxury toilet paper manufactures.

Lindsey Allen, Greenpeace's forestry campaigner, said: 'We have this myth in the U.S. that recycled is just so low quality, it's like cardboard.'

Americans use more paper than paper than any other country - about three times more than people in the UK, and 100 times more than the average person in China.

Toilet paper manufacturer Kimberly-Clark denies that its products are damaging the environment.

Spokesman Dave Dixon said his company used paper from sustainably farmed forests in Canada.
He added: 'For bath tissue Americans in particular like the softness and strength that virgin fibres provides.'

The Truth About Animals and Global Warming

2009-02-26T18:10:00.003-07:00

Go Green, Go Veg.

http://www.humanecarolina.org/globalwarming.html

Interesting Information about the effects of animals on the planet.

Here's to more veggie meals

2009-02-24T17:55:00.003-07:00

The less meat, we eat, the less greenhouse gasses are produced. My kids thought this was hilarious.

Global Warming School

2009-02-24T16:38:00.003-07:00

Want to teach your kids about global warming-see kids it is your fault. Enjoy!

Tips for Reducing Your Energy Consumption, Part II

2009-02-19T09:12:00.005-07:00

These easy at-home energy savers will instantly improve your home's energy-efficiency, and save money on your utility bill. A quick trip to the home improvement or hardware store will set you on your way.

Weatherizers

The gaps around the windows and doors in an average American house are the equivalent of a 3 foot by 3 foot hole in the wall! Caulk and weather-strip to seal off these air leaks.

Stop air from escaping under doors with "sweeps" or "shoes" attached to the bottom.
Use window putty to seal gaps around loose window panes.

Cover bare floors with padded rugs for added insulation.

Look for other air leaks you can seal, such as those around plumbing penetrations or ceiling-mounted lighting fixtures.

Better yet, call an energy rater who can test your house for hidden leaks with a "blower door."

Compact fluorescent bulbs

Lighting accounts for about 15 percent of household energy use. If you swap the five standard light bulbs you use most for energy-saving compact fluorescents, you can save roughly $60 each year on electricity. Make sure you use EnergyStar compact fluorescents, which are tested for quality and longevity.

Water Heater Blankets

Bundle up your water heater, especially if it's located in an unheated part of the house.

Fresh Filters

Keep your air-conditioning and heating systems properly maintained by changing air filters and keeping air conditioner coils clean.

Low-Flow Showerheads and Faucet Aerators

Replacing old models with new low-flow designs prevents the energy used to heat water from going down the drain.

How to Get Fat Without Really Trying

2009-02-18T19:27:00.002-07:00

The meat and dairy industries receive the most government financial backing. Corn and soy are subsidized, allowing cheap processed foods to be created and sold at high profits. This short video sums it all up nicely and should push us all to rethink what we eat and what we feed our families.

Where does your child's school lunch come from?

2009-02-15T23:02:00.002-07:00

How to reduce your energy consumption, Part 1

2009-02-15T21:55:00.005-07:00

Unplug

Unplug seldom-used appliances, like an extra refrigerator in the basement or garage that contains just a few items. You may save around $10 every month on your utility bill.

Unplug your chargers when you're not charging. Every house is full of little plastic power supplies to charge cell phones, PDA's, digital cameras, cordless tools and other personal gadgets. Keep them unplugged until you need them.

Use power strips to switch off televisions, home theater equipment, and stereos when you're not using them. Even when you think these products are off, together, their "standby" consumption can be equivalent to that of a 75 or 100 watt light bulb running continuously.

Set Computers to Sleep and Hibernate

Enable the "sleep mode" feature on your computer, allowing it to use less power during periods of inactivity. In Windows, the power management settings are found on your control panel. Mac users, look for energy saving settings under system preferences in the apple menu.

Configure your computer to "hibernate" automatically after 30 minutes or so of inactivity. The "hibernate mode" turns the computer off in a way that doesn't require you to reload everything when you switch it back on. Allowing your computer to hibernate saves energy and is more time-efficient than shutting down and restarting your computer from scratch. When you're done for the day, shut down.

Take Control of Temperature

Set your thermostat in winter to 68 degrees or less during the daytime, and 55 degrees before going to sleep (or when you're away for the day). During the summer, set thermostats to 78 degrees or more.

Use sunlight wisely. During the heating season, leave shades and blinds open on sunny days, but close them at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows. Close shades and blinds during the summer or when the air conditioner is in use or will be in use later in the day.

Set the thermostat on your water heater between 120 and 130 degrees. Lower temperatures can save more energy, but you might run out of hot water or end up using extra electricity to boost the hot water temperature in your dishwasher.

Use Appliances Efficiently

Set your refrigerator temperature at 38 to 42 degrees Fahrenheit; your freezer should be set between 0 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Use the power-save switch if your fridge has one, and make sure the door seals tightly. You can check this by making sure that a dollar bill closed in between the door gaskets is difficult to pull out. If it slides easily between the gaskets, replace them.

Don't preheat or "peek" inside the oven more than necessary. Check the seal on the oven door, and use a microwave oven for cooking or reheating small items.

Wash only full loads in your dishwasher, using short cycles for all but the dirtiest dishes. This saves water and the energy used to pump and heat it. Air-drying, if you have the time, can also reduce energy use.

In your clothes washer, set the appropriate water level for the size of the load; wash in cold water when practical, and always rinse in cold.

Clean the lint filter in the dryer after each use. Dry heavy and light fabrics separately and don't add wet items to a load that's already partly dry. If available, use the moisture sensor setting. (A clothesline is the most energy-efficient clothes dryer of all!)

Turn Out the Lights

Don't forget to flick the switch when you leave a room.

Remember this at the office, too. Turn out or dim the lights in unused conference rooms, and when you step out for lunch. Work by daylight when possible. A typical commercial building uses more energy for lighting than anything else.

2009-02-14T22:21:00.013-07:00

Love on the cheap heats up romance in recession

Tips on how cash-conscious couples can keep the romance in their marriages amid the stress of the economic crisis.

By Melissa Rayworth

The Associated Press

With a recession raging, keeping the romance in a marriage isn't easy. Expenses that many couples considered basic a year ago — dropping $50 on a Friday night baby-sitter, buying each other impromptu gifts, planning weekends away sans-kids — are being eliminated.

Couples lying awake at night wondering whether they'll survive the next round of layoffs probably don't have romance on their minds. These days, "the very last thing on that list of priorities is physical connection," says author and marriage therapist Michele Weiner-Davis.

And yet, the same pressures that have Americans cutting back on expenses — rising costs, fear of losing a job, panic over dwindling savings — make it especially vital for couples to stay connected. Under siege, people need all the benefits that a strong relationship can bring.

So how can cash-conscious couples make sure their marriage isn't a casualty of the economic

crisis?

Carve out time

As over-scheduled as most parents are, it really is possible to find pockets of time to focus on your spouse.

Step One is cutting down on distractions. Don't reflexively reach for your computer, iPod or the remote, says Doug Brown, author of "Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned on Their Sex Life for 101 Days (No Excuses!)."

Step Two is getting your kids to bed on time. "If you have one of these deals where the kids float around all night," says Brown, "give up on your sex life."

Call each other during the day just to say hi.

And if you work near each other and your schedules coincide, meet for lunch once a week, even briefly. It may be easier to dine at your desk, but the extra effort pays off.

Plan at least one night a week that will belong entirely to the two of you, and decide how you'll spend the time. "People think you lose all this stuff because you don't have the spontaneity," says Brown. "But planning it does give you this anticipation."

Time together doesn't have to be about wild romance, says sex columnist Yvonne K. Fulbright. "Have one evening where you're giving each other a sensual massage, and it's just about that and a good night's sleep."

Be a cheap date

A night out doesn't have to break your budget. Have dinner at home with the kids, then have a baby-sitter come for just two hours. Go out for dessert and coffee while the sitter does the work of putting the kids to bed. And have a movie chosen to watch when you get home (a monthly Netflix subscription can be cheaper than a single visit to a multiplex).

If there's no money for baby sitters, swap child care hours with friends — you watch their kids this Friday night, they watch yours next Friday. And don't feel guilty about it."

I see people with young children who, because they work so much, they're feeling guilty about spending an evening away or a weekend night away," says Weiner-Davis. "The best thing you can do for your kids is to put your marriage first. ... You may be feeling like you're sneaking away and stealing time, but you're really building the foundation of a family."

Small splurges

Two great steaks from the supermarket butcher will cost far less than you'd pay for dinner at a good steakhouse. Ditto for salmon steaks and jumbo shrimp. Put the little kids to bed early on a Saturday night and set the older kids up with a movie, then cook a late — and luscious — dinner just the two of you. Use your favorite dishes and glassware, and bring out the linen napkins.

If you both have work to do on a weeknight — whether it's folding laundry, returning e-mails or doing homework for a class — do it in the same room. Put on some music and have your favorite small treat on hand — cookies and cocoa, maybe, or beer and chips.

Bring home a single flower or a tiny box of chocolates, says Fulbright: "People shouldn't be afraid to make it old-fashioned, the way lovers used to woo each other."

Create a sanctuary

It doesn't have to cost anything, says Doug Brown, to make your bedroom a cozy, inviting place that's all about the two of you. "You've gotta have candles somewhere around the house," he says. "Just straightening up the place and getting rid of the Dora the Explorer dolls and taking the big portrait of granny off the walls ... makes it a really sexy, friendly kind of place."

Add some framed pictures of the two of you, and make sure you've got some good music on hand — maybe songs from your earliest years together.

The single most important element in all of this, Weiner-Davis says, is communication. Spend time really talking with each other about something other than the kids or the miscellany of running your lives."

Nothing makes you feel more connected to the person than talking about dreams and aspirations and what you can do together in the future," says Weiner-Davis. "There's something really exhilarating and inspiring about planning that together."

Tips to Prevent Impulse Buying

2009-02-12T18:57:00.012-07:00

I found this article on green tips and it has some great information.....

Tips to help prevent impulse buying.

Times are tight and when consumers tighten their purse strings, bad things happen to the economy. We're told we need to spend to do our bit to avoid a recession/depression. For many of us, we buy stuff on impulse - things we don't really need or purchases we haven't really thought through.

Hyperconsumption forms the core of our environmental woes; issues that will make this financial crisis seem insignificant.

Here's some tips to help you avoid impulse buying so you can do your bit for the economy by spending cash on stuff you actually need and will last for a while.

- When you see something that really grabs your eye, think about want vs. need. Is it a case of really needing it, or just wanting it? By buying that item on impulse will you be preventing yourself from buying something that you've really been wanting or needing for a long time and will purchasing this item delay you from getting to your real acquisition goals?

- Don't trust brand names as much any more. Sometimes we'll justify a bargain by saying "oh, but it's a great brand". So many goods now are made in countries where quality control isn't so great. What's more, the same factories create the same goods for many leading brands - the only thing that may differ is the color and label. Many brands that previously represented quality now churn out crap and they are still riding on their old reputations.. for now.

- when you go out shopping, take a list with you and stick to what's on the list.- Set yourself a weekly budget and don't exceed it. - Plan out your major purchases. A stack of research will save you cash, even if you miss an item on sale. Better to be safe than sorry.

- Never, ever buy the latest or greatest in electronic or computer equipment. The reason being is that you'll pay more and it's likely to be buggy. Better to wait a few months - the price will usually drop dramatically and you'll wind up with a product that's more likely to work as it should. (Or try used at stores like Game Stop)

- Compare prices. An 80% off sale may sound really attractive, but not if the store was grossly overpriced for starters. Check other merchants and you might find the sale is a little misleading which will take the shine off your bargain hunters buzz. (Often stores overinflate prices before a sale or put lower quality items from another country on sale-DH worked retail for a while)

- Check the warranty; not just the length but what the warranty covers. The sooner stuff wears out, the sooner it becomes waste and the sooner it needs to be replaced. Often a warranty will be pegged to product serviceable life - it's a formed of planned obsolescence.

- Bear in mind that marketers are pseudo-psychologists. They spend their careers trying to figure out how to get people to buy on impulse and billions are invested into strategies to get you to part with money. Watch out for marketing that focuses on pain points such as "Everyone's buying this - don't be left out!" As much as we think we are resistant to marketing messages, our subconscious fears and need for acceptance tend to override rational thought.

- Resist fashion and trends; particularly in clothing; even "green" fashion and eco-chic products. This years fashion is next year's moth food. Find what you feel you look good in and feel comfortable wearing - and stick with it. I grew up in the 70's and 80's and often when my peers look back at their old photos they'll often say things like "Geez, I can't believe I wore those sort of clothes - they are gross!". Fashion is so transient.

- Check out the ingredients and components of the item you're about to buy. What effect on the environment will your impulse buy have? Can the item be recycled? This tip has saved me a lot of cash - and waste :).Out of all the things we can do to go green, one that is in the control of just about everyone is impulse buying.

While our economic system is unfortunately based on consumption and spending, we can take more responsibility on when and how we spend our money. When you think about it, the best purchases we make in our lives are usually not those that are made on impulse, but the ones we have given a lot of thought to. By resisting the little impulse purchases, we can indulge in some of our bigger green goals such as perhaps installing solar power or a more efficient washing machine; and much sooner!

Do you have some tips you've found useful in resisting impulse buying?

Michael Bloch
Green Living Tips.com Green Living Tips is an online resource powered by renewable energy offering a wide variety of earth friendly tips, green guides, advice and environment related news to help consumers and business reduce costs, consumption and environmental impact .

Hippie in Me...

2009-02-09T17:45:00.005-07:00

So, I'm really excited about our new "lifestyle". We always generally ate pretty healthy. I read ingredient lists to stay away from hydrogenated oils, artificial colors and flavors and too much sugar. Was even vegetarian for about 9 years (ate some fish occasionally). Tried to be pretty frugal, although I am sure there is always room for improvement-had to be with 6 kids. But, after finding some environmental and green blogs (such as Crunchy Chicken), I guess I didn't think too much about my carbon footprint as such. My DH has also gotten really interested in this as well. He has even changed his major to Environmental Science.

Most of the kids seem to be on board with all changes we are trying to make in our life, except, maybe the 22 yr old. Maybe when has to start paying all his own bills, he will realize some of the reasons for the change. He is interested in all of the documentaries we have been watching though, and maybe this will get him thinking about his own impact in the world. He does ride his bike to classes at BSU, even in the snow, because he doesn't want to pay the $300 per semester to park.

I asked my 17 yo son what he thought of his parents turning into "Tree Hugging, Hippies", and he said he thought it was cool. His girlfriend's mom is also kind of a free-spirit, health nut, so he gets it on both sides. We think he has a dairy allergy and since he has already changed his diet he has decided to try and go vegan. Will see how long this lasts.

I want to tell everyone what we are doing to reduce our impact on the world without sounding like I am being "preachy" or telling people what they should be doing and I definately don't want to be like "that" guy. (Watch Video)

Greening your garbage

2009-02-05T15:11:00.005-07:00

Here's a video about a woman from Portland, Jean Roy, who has gotten her garbage down to ONE can per YEAR. I imagine it is a lot easier with a smaller family or ones without any children. We still have 7 people home and have managed to get ours down to half a can. Next goal is for one can a month.

Unfortunately, our garbage company doesn't have any incentives for keeping your garbage consumption down. In Boise you HAVE to pay for garbage service whether you want to or not and it does not matter if you have one can or ten cans it is the same price. They also make recycling difficult as well. They want everything separated in one bin in their own paper sack (more waste). If you want another recycle bin they charge your for it. We just went out and got some bins at Fred Meyer that are the same size and color to make it easier and less wasteful. They are going to change recycling to one large bin for everything mixed this summer. They really need to implement some sort of system to make people to want to reduce their garbage. Maybe I need to be an advocate for this somehow. Just not sure where to start.

The second part of this video is the enviromoms, Heather Hawkins and Renee Limon, doing a garbage intervention on a typical American family. On their website http://www.enviromom.com/ they have a once a month garbage challenge with great helpful hints on all areas of your household, from the kitchen to the bathroom to all areas in between. They say to start out slowly, baby steps, baby steps, and take it from there. Check out their website, some great information.

What are your goals for reucing your garbage and what have you accomplished so far?

Take Your Canvas Bags.........

2009-02-04T09:40:00.001-07:00

Here's a little diddy by Tim Minchin to help you remember to take your canvas bags to the supermarket. Enjoy.....

Oceans of Plastic

2009-02-02T17:34:00.002-07:00

Just a couple videos I found on the destructiveness of plastic in our oceans. It is hazardous to animals, humans, sealife and our ecosystem. We can't wait. We have to start today. Please, let's limit our consumption of plastic. Take re-usable shopping bags and produce bags to the grocery store. Re-usable coffee cups to the coffee shop. Use re-usable water bottles, such as a Sigg, instead of disposables. Look around your house and see how much plastic there is and find ways to reduce your consumption. Even if you recycle, it is not always recycled, it can only be broken down so many times and you have to blend it with new virgin plastic. What are you currently doing to reduce your consumption of plastic products?

Another Garbage Post

2009-02-01T23:06:00.001-07:00

Here's a video of a woman in Portland, Jean Roy, who has reduced her garbage to only ONE can a YEAR. I imagine it is a little easier to do in a smaller family without children. I currently have 5 people still living at home. We have gotten our can down to 1/2 can for one month. But am striving for one can a month. Unfortunately, in Boise you HAVE to have garbage service every week and it doesn't matter how many cans you put out, they will take them for the same price, which I am sure discouages people from trying to eliminate their garbage. They also make it difficult to recycle, they want everything separated into paper bags in one bin. If you want another you have to pay extra. We just went to Fred Meyer and got 4 bins to make it easier and not have to rely on paper bags (more waste). They are going to change to one recycle bin for everything this summer, but still no incentive to reduce garbage consumption. Maybe I need to be an advocate for this, not sure where to start though.

On the second part of this video are the Enviromoms, Heather Hawkins and Renee Limon, who do a garbage intervention on a typical American family. On their website, www.enviromom.com , they have a once a month garbage challenge with many helpful tips for reducing waste in all areas of the household. They say to start off slow, baby steps, baby steps. Check it out. Some really great information.

Reducing Garbage Waste

2009-02-01T11:07:00.004-07:00

In an effort to reduce our garbage waste, DH and I went searching for a compost bin, but all we saw were those plasticy bins priced around $80 or more. Our neighbor works at Lowe's and found us some culled lumber for about $35 bucks. We even have enough left over to make some more raised garden beds this year. DH blew out his elbow, so my son made this bin for us. The lid is some scrap wood we found in the shed and DH found a scrounged drawer handle for the lid.

Here is the little pot we keep all the scraps in on the counter (also scrounged) before they are taken out to the bin.

And this is the basket we have in the house for all of our recyclables before they make it into the garage where we have them all separated into their own separate bins. Still trying to work on keeping most of the plastic out of the house. What you see in here are purchases from pre-greener days.

Between composting, recycling and giving our dogs some good healthy dinner leftovers we got our garbage for this week down to half a can. Before we started this we were at about 5-7 cans every week. My goal is to get this down even farther. We are trying to be more carefull about packaging and what comes into the house.

Mmmmmmm Local Lunch!!

2009-01-25T15:50:00.002-07:00

Found an organic bread from Alpicella Bakery, a local Boise bakery. The Golden Flax bread makes awesome tasting toast. Tried the oat and whole grain on a pepper-cheese and veggie sandwich, all ingredients (except the mayo and pickle-which are organic) and even the apple on the side came from our local co-op. Delicious!!

What's Your Pledge?

2009-01-23T09:21:00.002-07:00

Yes We Can......

2009-01-20T11:41:00.005-07:00

What a historic event in our history! When I was just a little one, black people didn't even have the right to vote and didn't have the freedoms as everyone else. My parents took me on a civil rights march when I was just 2 years old. Now we are celebrating the inauguration of the first African-American President.

For the first time in a long time, I have something to believe in. Change, real change for our nation. For the economy, education, for the environment, for our troops, healthcare, peace.

And for the second best thing to happen today...........Bye, Bye, Bush!

I Have A Dream........

2009-01-19T21:15:00.003-07:00

How appropriate that Martin Luther King's birthday should fall on the eve of Barack Obama's inauguration. Rev. King helped to pave the way for this historical event in our history. To see the first black man become President of the United States.

"I have a dream...."

What ever happend to the "thrift" in thrift store?

2009-01-17T18:42:00.004-07:00

Okay, so my DH and I are checking out the local thrift stores.....I love thrift stores, not only in the hopes to find that great one-of-a-kind item, or maybe the exact thing you were looking for and trying to save some money by doing it, doing your part to help the environment by keeping something out of the landfill and by being non-consumeristic (if that is a word) by not running out and buying new......anyway......so we are out looking around for a pair of boots for myself and my kids and OMG!!!!!! I am getting sticker shock left and right!! I am finding things more expensive than I could buy new!

What the H*LL is going on? Has thrift store shopping become the "in" thing among the rich and the smug that now every day average people can't afford to shop there anymore? Who sets their prices anyway?

My 14 year old daughter's birthday is the day after Valentine's Day and I was going to take her on a shopping spree for her birthday at the thrift store to pick out some clothes and fill in with a few things she can't find there. Now, I am almost thinking of going to the......dare I say it?.......M,M,M,MALL??!!! Unfortunately, with the way the thrift stores are now, I can probably find better deals at JC Penney clearance, for instance. Not very happy. I hope this trend changes soon. How are thrift stores faring in your neck of the woods. Just curious to know if ya'll are experiencing the same thing.

I shouldn't have to keep telling you.........

2009-01-15T09:18:00.003-07:00

WE DO NOT GNAW ON OUR PUPPIES!!!!!!Sorry, just had to post this, I thought it was hilarious!

Need to do this more often........

2009-01-12T21:19:00.003-07:00

Decided to take the Doggies for a walk the other day. We really need to do this more often. We only live a block and a half away from the greenbelt, so we really don't have any excuse except for maybe pure old fashioned laziness. And Lord know, we both need to lose a few. Did see a few interesting sites though.

There is a thin sheet of ice on Quinn's Pond.

Don't know if you can see it, but there is a blue heron in the tree over yonder.

And this is a giant wasp nest we found hanging from a tree. Couldn't see it with all the foliage. But sure can now. That thing is HUGE!

Here's to trying to be more active in 2009. Who's with me? Well, I'll give it a good try anyway, how's that?

Home Haircutting

2009-01-11T12:42:00.007-07:00

Hubby in process

In order to save a little extra money each month, I cut all the boys hair in our family. I also cut my youngest daughter's hair, but my 14 year old daughter wants such a particular style, she waits until Grandma takes her. My 17 year old son and the 14 year old daughter want certain colors and I can do that. I also cut and color my own hair. Going to try a more natural hair color next time (from the co-op)-try to cut down on all the nasty chemicals-and see what kind of results I get.Now, I'm not an expert by any means, but do an okay job. They don't have to hide their hair in shame. All you need is a clipper (even Walmart sells these) and a good set of scissors. You tube has many videos on haircutting. If the boys in your family like a short, military style, even better. Just give them the 'ol buzz cut. So, give it a try, you may become an expert in no time.

Product happiness....

2009-01-10T18:26:00.006-07:00

I found all-natural soaps at the grocery outlet for $1.49 ea.

And the great thing is........all packaged in cardboard, NO PLASTIC!

Haven't tried the Sonoma Soap, but it smells really good. I love the "Save Your Skin" soap. It smells great and makes your skin feel really nice and moisturized without feeling heavy or greasy. DH says his eczema hasn't bothered him as much since using this soap and a portion of the proceeds from the purchase is helping to preserve 200,000 acres of pristine rainforest located along the upper reaches of Guyana's largest river, the Essequibo. One product equals one acre of rainforest saved for a year.

To learn more about their products visit http://www.saveyourworld.com/

Greening Your Video Games?

2009-01-07T21:40:00.004-07:00

Found this report at Planet Green

The NRDC came out with a report on video game systems recently. Their findings were astounding. Did you know that video game systems consume 16 billion kilowatt-hours annually, about the same amount of electricity used to power San Diego for a year. More than 40 percent of homes have video game systems and many of those video game systems remain on all the time.

Turn Off the Console When Not in Use By simply turning off the video game console, you can save gobs of energy. An Xbox or a Playstation 3 left on 24/7/365 uses as much energy as two modern fridges.

Buy a Wii The Wii uses only 16 watts of energy while in Active Mode. The Xbox uses 119 and the Playstation uses 150. If you're deciding on which system to buy and want to pick one with energy-efficiency in mind, the Wii may be for you.

Use the Power Saver Mode If you have a Playstation or Xbox, you can reduce the energy use of these consoles by digging around the menus and finding the auto-power down option. Playstation 3 didn't add this option until fall 2008.

Don't Watch Movies on Your Game System Watching a Blu-Ray movie on the Playstation 3 uses 5 times more power than watching it on a standard Blu-Ray player.

Dispose of Mangled Systems Properly If your system breaks or gets stepped on and cannot be repaired, never throw the system into the garbage. Most modern video game systems contain toxic chemicals, such as beryllium, bromine and phthalates. Make sure to dispose of it with other hazardous materials. Local used video game stores or fix-it shops may be able to take the broken machine off your hands and cannibalize materials from it.

Most video game companies are in the process of making their systems without or with less of these chemicals or have plans to do so.

So happy I found...

2009-01-06T21:12:00.003-07:00

Just found this at Fred Meyer today and am so excited to share.....

Eco-friendly CFL lights packaged in 100% recycled cardboard.

NO PLASTIC!!!

Happy New Year! Albeit a little late

2009-01-04T14:47:00.005-07:00

Okay, I know it's been a while and Christmas didn't quite go as planned this year. My daughter and I were both sick and I am finally starting to feel much better. Some of our usual traditions didn't quite go as planned. We usually read "'T'was the Night Before Christmas" and the story of the first Christmas before bed on Christmas Eve, put out milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, but mom was sick in bed and Dad had to do a mad dash marathon wrapping, so a lot of things fell by the wayside. The kids wanted to do a more natural tree this year, so they strung popcorn and painted wooden ornaments with Dad. They also hung candy canes and pinecones on the tree. Looked real nice. I was going to do dough art ornaments with the kids, but between working, shopping and being sick, we will have to look forward to that next year.
Kids and Dad painting wooden ornaments.

I was also sick New Year's Eve. I had to work that day and started feeling so bad that I had to have another server take over a few of my tables. By the time I got home I just wanted to crawl into bed. Dad went to the store and got some supplies for me and some fried chicken at the deli for dinner and they watched movies until count down. The kids got to have some sparkling cider. I stayed in bed all night and watched episodes of the "Ghost Whisperer" on the laptop.

I have been almost continuously sick since the end of August. I had that nasty cold flu thing twice and each time it lasted about 3-4 weeks. This time was migraines (almost continuously now since Dec. 23), stomach cramps, nausea, chills and fever (my daughter had the stomach flu...unfortunatley for Dad). Went to the doc on Friday and am going to have major blood tests done. Thyroid (have Graves Disease), liver function, anemia, blood sugar, leukemia, and auto-immune disorders. He said that since I already have an immune disorder (the Graves) it is not uncommon to get another. Hopefully, tests will be back next week.

I have also decided that I am going to try to use more natural products (health and beauty). I already eat pretty well, but going to try even more. A lot more local and organic (money permitting). Unfortunately, it is more expensive to eat healthier. Went to the co-op after my doctor's appointment to stock up. Had oatmeal for breakfast with craisins, walnuts, ground flax, wheat grass powder, spirulina, raw sugar, cinnamon and soymilk. Lunch was half a veggie sandwich on multi-grain bread and a broccollini veggie salad with an unrefined sugar halvah for dessert (all from the co-op).

Dinner was brown rice topped with a stir-fry of red onion and organic baby bok choy and carrots with seasoned tofu and a soy-sesame sauce.

The worst thing I had was a mexican mango ice cream bar that my son and his girlfriend got. Not so good because it had corn-syrup in it. Everything else was pretty natural, so why did they have to go and ruin it with corn-syrup, yuck.

Also got me, DH, and the kids stainless steel water bottles. Good-bye plastic. That is except for the caps. They say that they are made with polypropelene. How safe is that? I get the stainless steel so that chemicals are not leaching from plastic water bottles into my water, but how many am I ingesting each time I drink through the pop-top cap?

Anyway, sorry so long, but since it has been a while, I decided to catch you all up since the holidays. Hope yours was a good one. And here's to more greening throughout the new year. Baby steps, baby steps.

Christmas 2008, Part Deux

2008-12-26T16:52:00.003-07:00

Christmas of 2008

2008-12-22T22:52:00.004-07:00

Found a few cartoons that summed up the economy this Christmas. Enjoy.

Mmmmm Homemade Tortillas

2008-12-22T09:31:00.003-07:00

Trying to save money, I have been trying to make a lot more things from scratch. I found a tortilla recipe without lard or shortening (not even in my house, think the stuff is evil). But now since I started making them, the kids won't eat store bought. Definately no comparison and no suspect ingredients.
Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a try.......

Chewy Flour Tortillas Recipe

· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
· 3/4 cup lukewarm milk (2% is fine)

Stir together the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and vegetable oil to the lukewarm milk and whisk briefly to incorporate. Gradually add the milk to the flour, and work the mixture into a dough. It will be sticky.

Turn the dough out onto a surface dusted with flour and knead vigorously for about 2 minutes (fold and press, fold and press). The kneading will take care of the stickiness. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with a damp cloth, and let it rest for 15 minutes. (This dough will not rise, but it needs a rest).

Divide your dough into 8 balls of equal size, cover them, and let them rest again for about 20 minutes. Avoid letting them touch, if you don't want them to stick together.

Dust your work surface with flour. Working one at a time, remove each piece of dough and pat it into a 5-inch circle. With a rolling pin, roll out the tortilla, working from the center out, until you have a 7- or 8-inch tortilla a little less than 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the tortilla to a hot, dry skillet or griddle. It will begin to blister. Let it cook for 30 seconds, turn it, and let the other side cook for 30 seconds. Remove the tortilla, place it in a napkin-lined basket and cover with aluminum foil. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. (I just wrap in a tea towel).

If you like, you can substitute one cup of whole wheat for the all-purpose. Tried these, not bad, but everyone prefers the white.

Also, hard to get perfectly round, since the dough tries to draw up on itself.

Here they are made into quesadillas....

Really good with homemade Lentil Chicken Veggie Soup. Yum!

Dan's Birthday

2008-12-21T23:14:00.006-07:00

Sorry, been a while since I posted last, way too busy working. Today was the only day we had to finish our shopping and I am toasted. Monday (the 15th) was Dan's 17th birthday and we had homemade pizza for dinner. Cheese, pepperoni (nitrate free) for the boys and plain pineapple and pineapple and jalapeno.He wanted Dutch apple pie and I thought I had enough apples for 2 pies and ended up with an extra crust, so I made pumpkin. Couldn't figure out why the pumpkin wasn't a big hit until I tasted it.....I forgot the sugar. Not very happy, pumpkin is probably one of my favorites and I ruined it. Tried sprinkling raw sugar over the top-definately not the same.

Dan said he got the best present ever. You can probably tell by the look on his face. He is taking guitar in high school, he is in his second year and just loves it. He had no idea, so it was just priceless.

Now we just need to get headphones for his amp!

A Fun Video

2008-12-15T12:41:00.005-07:00

When I was a kid my grandfather used to play his Allan Sherman records for me. I have great memories of he and I listening to his collection of record albums. Here's to memories.....

Talking about YouTube - Hail To Thee, Fat Person by Allan Sherman

By the way, why did our parents tell us that eating everything on our plate would help starving children?

Definately going to freeze the 'ol buns!

2008-12-15T09:52:00.005-07:00

Unofficially participating in Crunchy Chicken's freeze your buns challenge. We usually only turn on the heat in the morning to take the chill off the house and then again in the late afternoon or evening when the temperature starts to go down. Even so, our electric bill went up $29 (bill is about $130) and we have gas heat (must be the blower).

Which is funny, since my gas bill from Oct was $12.88 and Nov was $27.30. Only a difference of $14.42. Although my level pay went up to $56 a month. They claim it is supposed to go down in Jan. We will see.

Anyway, how does that work that I have gas heat and my electric goes up $29, but the gas only $14? WTF?

This coming week, is going to be a bit more of a challenge, here is the weather forcast for our area..........

Did I say B..B...B...B...BBBBRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate being cold. Although, it seems like DH is usually the one that turns on the heat over everyone else. And he's lived in Minnesota. My oldest daughter always complains and I just tell her to wear a sweater. Doesn't really like my answer much.

Curious to know how everyone else is doing so far this winter and how much you spend for heating your house in your neck of the woods.

Finally.......

2008-12-11T20:30:00.005-07:00

Okay...finally got the Thanksgiving pic from the Botanical Gardens......drumroll please.......

Cast...in order of appearance.....Starting with the back row.

My lovely DH (with the creepy grin), Leila (Dan's girlfriend), my son, Dan (almost 17), my son Ryan (22) and my nephew (sister's son), Nick (13).

Second row...Haley(11) my brother's step daughter, my three...Laurel (14), Alexis(11) and Evan (7), my mom, my brother's step son, Jared (9)and my bro-in-law(sister's hubby) John.

Last row...brother's step son, David(7), brother's wife, Joanna, my brother,Arne, ME, and my Dad.

Missing are my sis and neice, whom we call Little Alexis, she's 4 and I guess my sister thought it would be too cold for her. And also, my brother's daughter(12) who lives with her mom in Pullman, WA. And my oldest son, Justin(23), his wife and my grandbaby, Isabelle(About 3 1/2 mo), they are all in New York, at Fort Drum where my son is stationed.

Hopefully that wasn't too confusing for Y'all.

Have a nice day...and please tip your server!

2008-12-09T17:34:00.003-07:00

Due to my medical problems I need a job where I am constantly moving around and on my feet. No sitting behind a desk for me. So, my choice for employment is serving. So, forgive me for a moment whist I do a little biatching. I know the economy is bad and no one has any money, but I need to make a living a too, so please don't take it out on your server. If you don't have money to leave a tip, then you certainly don't have money to eat out, or at the very least go somewhere, where tipping is not required.

Unfortunatley, I live in a right-to-work state and tips are included as part of my income. When the national minimum wage went up, mine did not, and will not. I currently make $3.35 an hour and tips are supposed to make up the rest of my income. Out of my tips, I am required to tip out my bartender, my busser and food runner. The amount I tip out depends on a percentage of my total sales and the restaurant is assuming that I am at least making 15%. I also get taxed by the government the same way. If I don't get at least 15%, I am losing money to everyone I tip out and the government.

I try to give everyone excellent service, unless of course I am slammed out of my rear and , you, the patron, should take that into consideration. You should at least leave 15-20%, more for excellent service or a larger party or if you are extremely demanding or camping in my section. I understand that people like to sit and visit, but the more you stay at the table, the more money and I losing and you should tip accordingly.

I don't know what make people think it is okay to leave me less than 15% or absolutely nothing for excellent service. Are people ignorant, so stupid that they can't figure out 15% of their bill (most cell phones have tipping charts or at least a calculator in them now) or just plain rude? Combination of all three?

I really don't like having to rely on tips for my income, but until the nation decides to make all tipped staff make at LEAST minimum wage, that's not going to happen. And please don't tell me to get another job, with my medical problems that is currently out of the question.

So, next time you go out, please remember that most servers need tips to work their way through school, support a family, etc. And try to be a gracious guest and to treat your server the way you would like to be treated. Mean and rude people suck!!! Thank you for letting me rant a while.

Frugal vs. Green Living

2008-12-05T20:01:00.006-07:00

My DH was layed off the end of January and hasn't been able to find work since. He decided to go back to school in September and his unemployment ends next week with only a partial payment (just in time for Christmas, yea). My hours have been cut and we still have 5 kids at home. It is becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet.

I want to live a more eco-friendly, simpler, healthier lifestyle, but it seems that sometimes frugality and green living clash in that regards. I want to eat local and organic, but with the high price of those foods, I just can't justify the cost right now. It seems like the worse the food is for you the cheaper it is. We don't eat a lot of meat, usually just some chicken and turkey and maybe some nitrite free ham slices. But if I see a good deal, I stock up and freeze. Unfortunately, it seems that when you find the mark-down meat it is packaged in plastic and styrofoam. I can usually buy apples and potatoes cheaper in bulk, but they come in plastic bags.

I would like to buy soap from my local co-op without any packaging or suspect ingredients, but for the cheapest bar, it is $1.99 ea. I can go to my local Wallmart (yes, I know, big box store) and get a 12-pk of Ivory for $3.25. I can buy shampoo for $1-$1.50 for the cheaper brands in 18 oz. plastic bottles or I can re-use a container at my co-op for .49 an ounce

Also, I like to pick up free samples of beauty items at the co-op (I so love free stuff), but then there is the waste of the foil pack for the teeny amount that you get.

There are some things that we do that are both frugal and green, such as reducing water and energy usage, composting, recycling and gardening. But where do you draw the line between being able to afford the necessities, your health and being more green?

If it's yellow, let it mellow.........

2008-12-02T16:20:00.003-07:00

Even my 7 year old knew this rhyme without me having to tell him. We have been trying to use the concept of this little rhyme for the last month or so. We didn't flush much at night for the noise that the toilet made while people were sleeping. But we have decided to implement this also during the day. Now the toilet only gets flushed when the toilet gets backed up with paper, which is why I am thinking of switching to cloth wipes for #1. Curious to know what kind of cloth everyone else uses for this purpose and how receptive all the girls in the family were. And it also gets flushed for #2.

Have mentioned to DH that peeing on the compost bin is a great source of nitrogen, but so far he has yet to be receptive to this idea, although he has no problem when he is drinking beer out in the back yard peeing behind the trailer.

It also gets flushed when company is over due to the ick factor of other people. I remember when I was a kid and going to other people's houses that follow this rule and was totally grossed out when I used their bathroom. I also have an ick reaction to using a public restroom that hasn't been flushed, more so for #2, but still gross. I guess there is a difference between family pee and stranger pee.

One of my older boys does the dishes and I am trying to get him to fill up the small part of the sink with the garbage disposal and use that to rinse dishes before they go into the dishwasher instead of leaving the water running. Still haven't got him to follow this, but he is using colder water and not leaving it running so much. I also have the kids leave the water off when they brush their teeth and so far all of this has brought down the water bill $10. Want to get that figure even lower if I can.

One third of all fresh drinking water is used to flush the toilet. Depending on the age of your toilet, you can use approximately 1.6 (for a low-flow) to 4 gallons of water per flush.

Ways to save water in the bathroom:

1. If you don't have a low-flow toilet, put a plastic bottle or a plastic bag weighted with pebbles and filled with water in your toilet tank. Displacing water in this manner allows you to use less water with each flush. Saves 5 to 10 gallons a day. That's up to 300 gallons a month, even more for large families. Better yet, for even greater savings, replace your water-guzzling five to seven gallon a flush toilet with a one and a half gallon, ultra-low flush model.

2. If you're taking a shower, don't waste cold water while waiting for hot water to reach the shower head. Catch that water in a container to use on your outside plants or to flush your toilet. Saves 200 to 300 gallons a month.

3. Check toilet for leaks. Put dye tablets or food coloring into the tank. If color appears in the bowl without flushing, there's a leak that should be repaired. Saves 400 gallons a month

4. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Saves three gallons each day.

5. Turn off the water while shaving. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of water to rinse your razor. Saves three gallons each day.

6. Put aerators on bathroom and kitchen faucets.

Pet Adoptions

2008-11-29T19:15:00.007-07:00

Cat & Dog Adoption Fast Facts

25% of pet dogs put to sleep in animal shelters are purebred.

Over 7 million pet dogs and cats are put to sleep each year due to overpopulation.

Adopting a dog or cat from a humane society, an animal shelter, an SPCA, or a dog rescue or cat rescue group saves a life!

This is something that is very important to me. There are so many animals right now without homes and sleeping in tiny cold cramped cage with a cement floor; forced to eat, poop and sleep all in the same tiny place. We adopted Goldie, a retreiver/chow mix in March of 2002, and then little Archie the end of October. I knew he was the one when I walked up to his cage and he looked up at me with those cute little eyes and wouldn't stop licking my hand. He is a dachsund/miniature pincher mix. He had a few issues at first, getting to know the rules, but he is a great dog. All the kids and Goldie just love him. Goldie is enormous compared to him, but they play constantly, and she is gentle with him. She has bad hips and needs to lose some weight, so Archie with all his energy is great to keep her in shape. He burrows under our covers and sleeps with DH and I all night. He washes my face when I get home from work. Make sure you keep your mouth closed or you will get dog-frenched. He was a lot more spendy than the other dogs for adoption, but definatley worth it for such a great dog.

Due to the economy and loss of homes and jobs there are too many abandoned pets. If they can't all be adopted they will be euthanized. Such a waste. If you have a loving home to share with a friend, please visit your local animal shelter. Your life will be much fuller because of it and you will save a life.

And please have your pets spayed and neutered. Another way to cut down on the overabundance of unwanted pets.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T19:44:00.003-07:00

Well, I think Thanksgiving turned out well this year. We all went over to my Parents. My brother-in-law made pie, and my sister-in-law made a pumpkin dessert. I brought sweet potatoes, and I think they were the best ever. Must of been-I didn't take any home this year. My youngest daughter wanted to help, so she peeled them all, which was nice, I hate that part, but she didn't mind. I boiled them until soft and whipped them with raw sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and since I was out of OJ I used a blend of orange, strawberry, banana juice-put it in a casserole, layered on marshmallows and toasted until brown. They were soooo good. I was hoping for a leg this year, but my mom only got breasts, although there was enough for us to bring one home for turkey sandwiches. It has already been devoured, darn it.

I usually also bring pie, but my brother and brother-in-law wanted to. I should have any way. Was a little disappointed. The pie had kind of an odd flavor. Mine is definately better, and another drawback is that we don't have leftovers. I love pumpkin pie. Not really a cake person and on my birthday I used to have my mom either make me pumpkin pie or strawberry shortcake. I have a major sweet tooth right now and would really like a piece of pie. Maybe I can make some on Sun. I had to work today and have to work tomorrow.

Anyway, after we ate we went to see my granny at the nursing home. Really sad. My grandma was always so independent, she volunteered at her church, drove herself from Seattle to Aberdeen all the time, lots of crafts, sewing and baking. Her favorite thing to do was give out cookies and sweets to everyone. She especially likes ice cream and going out to eat. She turned 94 in July and has dementia due to Parkinson's, so she doesn't really remember who we are anymore and it just is heart-wrenching to see her that way.

Came home and had dessert, then went out to the Botanical Gardens by the Old Idaho Penitentiary to see all the holiday lights. It was a little chilly, but nice. My son's girlfriend froze. She was wearing a dress and forgot her other shoes and had high heel dress sandals on. Brrr. We all had our pic taken. I will post it as soon as my brother e-mails me a copy, knowing him it could be a while.

Thanksgiving Funny

2008-11-28T19:09:00.004-07:00

17 Ways To Cook A Turkey

Go buy a turkey
Take a drink of whisky
Put turkey in the oven
Take another 2 drinks of whisky
Set the degree at 375 ovens
Take 3 more whiskys of drink
Turk the bastey
Whisky another bottle of get
Ponder the meat thermometer
Glass yourself a pour of whisky
Bake the whisky for 4 hours
Take the oven out of the turkey
Floor the turkey up off of the pick
Turk the carvey
Get yourself another scottle of botch
Tet the sable and pour yourself a glass of turkey
Bless the dinner and pass out

About Me.

2008-11-26T20:14:00.006-07:00

My name is Kaarin (and Carnivorous) is kinda my DH's nickname for me, hence the name of the blog. And Crunch for the mere fact that I am trying to be more crunchy (living simpler, more frugal and a lot more green). This is a pic of my family and my oldest son's wife. He's the one in the Army uniform. I am a mom of 6, grandma of one (she was born after this pic was taken). We have 2 dogs (one we adopted from the pound in 2002 retriever/chow mix-Goldie) and one from the pound just recently (doxie/min pin mix-Archie), one cat (Smokey) and a rat (Cinnamon). And our 16 year old cat (Oreo) also adopted recently passed away. Currently live in Boise, Idaho. I graduated from Twin Falls High School (Twin Falls, Idaho) and shortly thereafter moved to Seattle with my 2 oldest boys (they were about 3 and 4 at the time). Where I met my DH and we had 4 more children. Lived in Seattle for about 13 years and thought I wanted to move to a smaller area and the only one I was familiar with was where I grew up, but when I got there I had major culture shock and after 5 years we finally had an opportunity to move to Boise. Not quite Seattle, but at least I am in the city. We recycled and composted when we lived in Seattle, but got away from it when we moved back to Idaho. But we have started back up again and are tring to reduce our impact on the planet. But it will take many baby steps. DH got layed off in January and hasn't been able to find work, so he went back to school and my hours have been cut so we are definately gonna have to find ways to be even more frugal than we already are. Wanted to start this blog so that maybe I can help some people on their journey and maybe others can help me.