It is easy being green

New Blog

2009-03-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

I will still post here occasionally but felt bad posting non green things here, at the notebook I feel free to post more random things going on in my mundane life. With Earth day just around the corner I hope to see a surge of green activity! I know I'm getting my veggie garden ready for the spring, are you??

Monterey green

2009-03-04T20:07:00.001-08:00

Went for a trip to monterey, such a green city I love it.

GET OUT AND VOTE!!

2008-11-04T07:13:00.001-08:00

Happy election day, make your voice official!

Pear-fect!

2008-10-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

Another Camera phone quality pic although I finally made it to costco and got a new camera so better pics to come, I PROMISE. I hit up the farmers market again this week and got lots of goodies my favorite being pears! I got a big BROWN bag of them! Perfect! I already have eaten at least 3 thus far. Makes it feel like fall to me and I love this fall feeling (well you know that is in the 80's in CA this time of year) still can't wait to break out the boots. Next week to the farm for some pumpkins!!

Finally a Fall Morning

2008-10-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

Today it actually felt like fall here in NorCal. It's Saturday so of course I hit up my regular farmers market. I forgot to stop at the ATM so I didn't have whole lot of cash . So i just picked up a couple fall goodies and I had to prove my tomatoes are still coming strong! I also had to take a pic of the cool pumpkins that were at the farmers market. Grrr I need a camera, the camera phone isn't cutting it.

it's been a while...

2008-10-09T16:17:00.000-07:00

I know, I know I've been a slacker and I promise to get back to regular posting soon. Seasons are changing and I have so much to post I mean it s fall which means lots of eco friendly decorations to get, a trip to the local farm for some pumpkins is in my to do list. My favorite local farmers market is about to end for the season which means I have to head to other markets to get my local goodies. I still have tons of tomatoes and basil in my garden. I have been freezing (although my freezer is not as big as my friend Amanda's) lots of fresh and local veggies to make soups and other dishes all winter long.
Unfortunately I have no camera so I will end this post with an old pic and I will report back soon with some pictures =)
Hope you have been keeping it green, I have ;)

Me at the local farm pumpkin patch from years past:

Just for good Measure

2008-09-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

and I have nothing else to post....I present my weekly haul.Organic baby spinach, romaine, cauliflower, celery, green pepper, garlic, onion, cantaloupe, grapes, cherry tomatoes and some blackberries and raspberries. My own garden is in full bloom as well. Love this time of year, almost time for root veggies!

Open Bar

2008-09-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

As you know I disdain plastic and eliminate as much of it from my life as possible. But plastic is darn hard to get away from. My latest attempt to avoid plastic at all cost is my purchase of a shampoo bar. Similar to your regular soap bar but for my locks. I have yet to try this out, but it sure smells yummy! I have pretty easy hair to deal with, so we shall see how this pans out =)

Fruits of my Labor (day weekend??)

2008-09-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

Alright actually not so much labor but after returning from my Labor Day in South lake Tahoe I was happy to come home to a nice bunch of tomatoes to freshly pick. Everyone should have a tomato plant, nothing tastes better then home grown tomatoes, and not to mention growing your own tomato plant is incredibly local and it always benefits our ecosystem to add to your garden =)

Do Something Green Today

2008-08-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Lindsey informed me of a website http://www.yellowpagesgoesgreen.org/ which allows you too sign up and stop the delivery of unsolicited telephone books. They will notify the publishers to stop sending books. Everyone please sign up to fulfill your green duty of the day! Phone books are completely unnecessary when google can give you any information you need. According to The Green Book phone books make up 10% of the waste in landfills, yikes! Thanks again Lindsey! Keep it Green!

Verde Vino

2008-08-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

So red wine? White Wine? Oh I go green.....While at Trader Joes I picked up this "green" wine, Kunde. A chardonnay, natch, but caught my eye due to the (wasteful??) sign that informed me it was green. You know I had to pick it up, plus it was a local Sonoma winery. I will let you know my review when I uncork.

Mid-Week Hual

2008-08-26T22:44:00.000-07:00

We went through the fruit fast this week so I made a midweek stop for some berries, grapes , romaine, a nectarine I ate before I got home and cherry tomatoes(I need to plant mine own next year!). I would have picked up even more but I forget to grab more cash. They had a stand with avocado and apple trees I was eying, I may have to go back next week!

Old Habits die Hard.

2008-08-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

On my quest to green my life I have been trying to green my fashion, this has proven to be tough as I am quite the shopaholic. I first eliminated items made in China and in other sweat shop like conditions. Noticing where things are made has made feel me aware of what I am buying and if it is really necessary to have, which as a wanna be fashionista is a hard call to make. Especially when you really want that new cute plaid Joie shirt but gosh darn it's made in China, I digress.

Focusing my attention on items made in America or not in sweat shops has made shopping a challenge that I have come to enjoy. Knowing I am wearing clothes that are not only stylish but made by ethical companies makes wearing a simple American Apparel tee that much more appealing.

I am currently lusting over a pair of faux suede biodegradable, oh yes I said BIODEGRADABLE, slouchy boot from Stella McCartney. Hmmm maybe ethical eco friendly shopping isn't that crunchy after all....Shop green and keep it ethical!

Berry Delicious

2008-08-23T11:31:00.001-07:00

Alrightly now that the Olympics are winding down I can get back to my blogging....
My haul for the week. I got some great deals, the 3 peppers for a dollar , the cherry tomatoes were 50 cents, 5o cent garlic, 40 cent cucumber, bag of organic baby spinach for $2 and of course my own home grown tomatoes =)
Unfortunately when I was unloading I dropped my Berries and they got a bit squashed. So I decided to make berry smoothie. Squashed berries, ice, a bit of almond milk half a cup of water and a half cup of spinach .

Mmm it made two glasses full and if I didn't tell you there was spinach in it you would be none the wiser. A great way to get some extra antioxidants and greens in your diet. This sure filled me up and made me feel great after drinking it. I have been doing a lot of reading about Raw diets, so I am trying to incorporate as much raw food as I can into my diet.
Anyone pick up anything good at their farmers markets this week?
Keep it local =)

A repsonse! Update Bossa nova gate! !

2008-08-18T22:36:00.000-07:00

Looks like I wasn't the only customer complaining...
According to www.cleanari.org, Americans throw away 2.5 MILLION plastic bottles every hour, yuck. There are many different numbers out about the waste plastic bottles cause, all of them crazy numbers. I am still saddened by Bossa Nova's decision to turn to plastic.
Although I do not agree with their arguments of turning to plastic, it only reminds me that buying FRESH and LOCAL is key. I am eliminating as much un-local items as I can, my Bossa Nova elimination will be the next on my list ;) I still firmly believe that glass, as a completely renewable packing resource, is much better then plastic. I will still seek out companies to stick by this belief. I will always choose Local, then glass and only if I have to, plastic.....
For your pleasure, here is the letter I was sent:

"Hello Amber,

Thank you for writing with your concerns – we really want and encourage our customers opinions, suggestions and feedback.

Please know that our decision to switch from glass to PET plastic was not born of a cost savings potential. We are always looking for ways to reduce our environmental impact and we try and be conscious of not only what we put into our products but also consider where the various constituents come from, how they were attained and what it took energy-wise to get it to us.

Glass vs plastic. At first there wasn’t too much to think about, we have an extensive understanding of not only natural products but also a deep appreciation, meaning we walk the walk - and with that understanding was a knowledge that glass was better than plastic. And many of our customers thanked us for choosing glass packaging.

Then, in the latter part 2007, some of those calls and email started to change in opinion and appreciation of glass bottles. We started getting questioned as to why we were in glass bottles, if we are a company that cares about the environment - and being asked if we knew what the carbon impact was of the heavier, less recycled and more energy intensive glass bottles.

So we started looking into carbon impact, the sustainability of our glass supply, the manufacturing process, transportation drag and recyclabilty and found that a lot of this new information we were hearing was correct – now we had some serious consideration to give in our bottle choice.

It was a difficult decision. Do we stay in glass, a completely recyclable product but one that is not recycled as much (percentage-wise or life cycles), is heavier and therefore has more of a carbon-impact as far as transporting goes and also needs a lot more energy to produce. Or do we go with plastic which is is a petrol product but is lighter and actually uses less overall petrol when you weigh the considerably higher fuel needs of manufacturing and moving around heavier glass.

Our decision was, at least until there are better alternatives to current fuel options, that the best choice would be plastic (PET.)

I should also mention that we also took into consideration some people’s concern about the possibility of plastic leeching – especially when when plastic becomes heated. We decided that if we were not able to bottle our juice in a way that avoided it coming into contact with heated plastic, we would not have moved forward with the new process. Our product is kept cold from the point it goes in the bottle to when it hits your lips. We have chosen PET 1 as it is shown to be a stable plastic in regards to any potential of leaching when used appropriately.

I hope this helps explain our reasoning for the switch – and I hope that it meets your satisfaction.

Best,

Mike Steele"

Keep it glass

Back to Normal

2008-08-17T17:10:00.000-07:00

After 2 weeks of missing my farmers market ( first to visit the San Francisco farmers market and then last week I was in Napa) I finally got back to my local one. This week I picked up a baguette, green peppers, cantaloupes, some rolls for the husband's sandwiches, grapes, red onion, nectarine (the other one gotten eaten on the drive home!) jalapeños, romaine, cilantro and some blackberries and raspberries.
Keep it Green!

My Edible Garden

2008-08-14T21:18:00.001-07:00

Just some of my goodies, everyone should have a edible garden, it is SO rewarding! I love it.

My Lovely tomato's. Love them!Strawberries, these girls keep on coming!
Fresh basil, love having this on hand,
My Lemon and Lime trees.
No miracle grow needed!

Garden green!

All Fired up

2008-08-13T13:36:00.000-07:00

Now I have posted my love for Bossa Nova before, I loved their Acai juice and how they saved a rain forest tree for every bottle you buy. Thanks to my friend Sayde I have learned, much to my disappointment, that Bossa Nova has switched their packing from glass to *gasp* PLASTIC. In my opionion this totally cancels out the fact they are saving rain forest trees. Uggh makes me so angry.

Anyways I have also previously posted my habit of emailing places when I feel strongly about something. Much to the urging of Sayde I set out to email to Bossa Nova expressing my disappointment in their descion to conver to plastic. I also let them know them know, as long as they use plastic they will no longer have me as a customer (voting with my dollar as I like to call it).

If anyone else feels passionate about this please contact Bossa Nova please email them at info@bossausa.com or you can send letters to
Bossa Nova Beverage Group
11965 Venice Blvd. Suite 307
Los Angeles, CA 90066

And if anyone has any other companies that you have noticed something that is ungreen or something they should change post. I a always happy to send letters, the bigger the voice the more likely hood for changes. Thanks again Sayde, even if it totally fired me up for a bit =P

Keep it glass!

Barrel O' Fun

2008-08-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much i have been busy celebrating my anniversary and watching the Olympics! Here are a few pictures from our Napa weekend. We started out at the Napa farmers market which was not as great as i was hoping I guess the last weekend in San Francisco really spoiled me. Anyways after the famers market we went to an edible garden at Copia. It was gorgeous and so cool. I got lots of great ideas, for my own garden.
How cool are these artichokes?
More local goodies, mmmmmm chardonnay
;)

And gorgeous Napa Valley.All in all a pretty green weekend considering Napa is about a half hour from us, so not much energy was wasted and we supported some local vineyards.
Relax green =)

08-08-08

2008-08-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

Anyone else as excited about the Olympics as me? I have always loved the Olympics. I used to cry when it was over LOL! Four years seemed like forever when I was a kid. Anyways I am giddy and can't wait. My friend in who lives in Beijing told me things have been pretty crazy over there in preparation for the ceremony. They had been enforcing the alternate license plate number rule to cut the popultion right before the festivities. Hopefully China looks for more long term ways to cut pollution and hopefully the US looks to Beijing as a lesson learned of what could happen if change isn't made (I mean China has already gotten rid of plastic bags, what are we waiting for?) . Anyways on the festivities! I cannot wait, GO TEAM USA!

What would Jackie do?

2008-08-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

I love my Jackie O style sunglasses, and I haste plastic but I don't think I'm quite there yet... Anyways if you haven't ever checked greenloop out yet, you definalty should. It's filled with tons of eco friendly brands to stock up on. Nice for me as, I'm banning products made in China, have you seen the pics of Beijing,? Can you blame me?
Shop Green!

Let's Do Lunch

2008-08-05T17:27:00.001-07:00

Here is a pic of some of things I use to pack my lunch as well as the Husbands lunch. Most of the stuff is mine, the stainless steel carrier is great for leftover and salads, the ice box is CW's. The pretty sack is what I throw all my stuff in, I was told by someone I have a fancy lunch bag, LOL.
My Voss glass water bottle, so many times I have been asked if its vodka LOL! I also have some Pyrex containers I use for nuts, fruits and veggies or whatnot instead of plastic bags, I also have a container I use for CW's sandwiches or I use them for wraps, and pitas.
Oh of course my cloth napkins that I love, I keep lots of these near by. Some bamboo utensils, I keep those in my sack so I never have to use disposable ones when eating out, at bbq's and what not.
Eat green =)

Happy Birthday Erynn and Amanda!

2008-08-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

Hope you girls have a great day =)

Purple Pepper Eater

2008-08-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

So I tried out the purple pepper. I cut it up and found it to be lighter on the inside then I originally expected almost like an eggplant (I put some of the pieces on the side in the picture). I tasted a piece raw and decided it had to be cooked (although I am trying to eat more raw...more on that later). It was really bitter (also much like aneggplant) compared to green and red peppers. So I lightly cooked up the purple pepper with some garlic and the summer squash I had also picked up from the market. It was much better after being cooked, I then tossed it in a bit of teriyaki and put it in a a pita (another farmers market purchase) along with some hummus. There you go my purple pepper review, I do recommend you Keep it Green though, peppers and otherwise =P

Wanna Bet?

2008-08-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

I bought some Lulu hair powder (if I only wash my hair every other day my shower time can be even quicker!) Anyways it got shipped to my Mom's. When I went to go pick it up I was telling my Mom and Sis how the Styrofoam was faux Styrofoam, did they believe me? No! So we had our own impromptu experiment, I put the thing in some water and ohhh it disintegrated. Real Styrofoam? Not going happen. Now the real scientific question is why can't all businesses use this stuff?
Keep it green!

The Haul

2008-08-03T17:02:00.000-07:00

Heres a pic of my SF farmers market haul (as per Shana's request). I picked up some heirloom cherry tomatoes, romaine, some colorful bell pepper (green,purple, red and yellow), cantaloupe, grapes, whole wheat pitas, a baguette, corn and some pickles for the husband. We also got lunch at the market , the strawberry spritzer I previously posted and I picked up some summer squash (not pictured).
While we were there my Mom picked me up a little guide to eating local. It was filled with lists of all Local Bay Area farms, stores that carried those items and tips to eating local. I tried to convince my Mom to let me buy her a chicken (for the eggs) but she wasn't down LOL.I recreated the salad they were sampling at the Farmers market. I added some basil from my garden, and mixed with a bit of EVOO and a pinch of sea salt.
Since we had some people come over I decided to use the baguette I bought at the market and turn the salad into an appetizer. I sliced the baguette rubbed it with a garlic glove, grilled it up and topped with the heirloom tomato salad.

A San Francisco Treat!

2008-08-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

Today my mom and I skipped out on our local Farmers Market and headed to the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers Market (ohh don't worry we took BART so no gas was wasted). This farmers market is amazing, a definite must see if you are ever in town. The ferry building in general should be a must on your San Francisco list, it is filled with restaurants and food dedicated shops.

The weather was perfect , heavenly aromas filled the air and as you can see gorgeous, gorgeous fruits and veggies were as abundant as the canvas bags. What a fabulous day, thanks again Mom!

Our day began with a trip to San Francisco via BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) an electrical train used for public transportation, I snapped a pic for all of you that have never been to the Bay Area.
On to the market...
A rainbow of peppers, I was obsessed with these. Aren't they gorgeous?

Some heirloom tomatoes, so yummy! They gave us a sample of a heirloom tomato and basil salad that was so delish. I am going to try to recreate.

My strawberry spritzer in a 100% biodegradable cup! =) I bought this mainly because I thought it was so darn cool. Hopefully these types of faux plastics become more mainstream.
Hope your weekend is going as nicely as mine! Keep it Local =)

And the Winner is......

2008-08-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

JEN!!! Congrats Jen, she is our resident contest winner around here an has an adorable baby named Lucas, her and Lucas have been on many green outings lately. Jen email me your address so I can ship out your prize. Can you hear the excitement in my voice when I say Jen?? Forgive my voice LOL. Also I was at a conference all day, hence the "Amber" name tag LOL.

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to write your emails about all the wonderful changes you have made. It was really fun to read them all .

I do have a honorable mention prize for Mr. Jamie Blevins! Who I heard has agreed to bring his own bags to the store. Go Jamie =)

Have a great weekend and keep it Green!

Last Call

2008-07-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

For the challenge, I will post a video of the drawing tomorrow when I get so you have till then to email me or leave me a comment if you are in. Thanks for reading the blog and so happy to see so many of you going green =)

Trashtastic

2008-07-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

I am so proud, mostly of my husband for actually doing things purely to make me happy but we have successfully, for few weeks now gotten our garbage down to one, count that one, numero uno, kitchen size bio bag per week. I started this trend while my husband was out of the country for a few weeks and we have successfully kept it up. I couldn't have done it without you CW!

We'll see how long we can keep this up, if feels really good to reduce my garbage waste. The more and more disposable items I replace with non disposable items the easier it gets our limit our trash. The average American produced approximately 4 lbs of trash a day, I certainly aim and hope to be well below that estimate. What discourages me about some people is that once they throw something away ( hoping they are kind enough to use a trash can ) they don't think beyond that action, as to where that trash goes and how long it will be on this earth. I aim for as much in-disposibilty and biodegradable materials in my life as possible to limit my trash.

If you haven't already hear (or use) bio bags you should definably check them out. They are made from GMO free corn and take about as long as paper to decompose. If you use plastic bags often you should defiantly check them out http://www.biobagusa.com/ for information. Drugstore.com is a great place to get them as well.
Keep it Biodegradable! =)

Almost time for the raffle...

2008-07-29T17:22:00.000-07:00

If you post green things you do on your blog and are entering the Organically Amber Go Green Challange, just leave a comment and I will enter you, if not make sure to send me an email with a few of the thigns you did this month, as some of you already have =). I can't even imagine how much we reduced our carbon footprint by the month!

I'm so happy so many of you girls are as excited about going green as am I. It's so nice to share things we do and push each other to make more changes.

It seems as if I'm getting a reputation, for using canvas bags that is. Look at this little "Organically Amber" designergal (www.designhergals.com) my friend Suzy made of me! How cute is that, it totally made my day. Thanks again Suzy. That is totally how I look when I am out with my canvas bags =)
Keep it green

Salt treats

2008-07-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

Last week my good friend Mandi got some kale in her fresh veggie box, I told her to make some kale chips (not sure if she did or not) but it got me in the mood for some salty vinegar kale chips. So I picked up some kale this week at the farmers market to make my own batch.

You are not going to believe me but these kale chips chips taste like potato chips, seriously! They are perfect side for my veggie sandwiches. Even my husband likes them. I coat kale leaves in a tablespoon of oil (I used flax) and a bit over a tablespoon of vinegar (I used red wine) and some sea salt to taste and bake at 350 for 10-15 ish. Cl ick here for an official recipe.
Some chips cooling off:

While we are the subject of salt, I snapped pic of my Himalayan salt candle holder. I have few of these on hand and keep them near my computer and TV. My Mom introduced these to me, they are supposed to balance out the positive/negative ions that electronics put off, to naturally maintain air quality(info from Gorgeously Green). My Mom, among other sources, Gorgeously Green for one, swear by Himalayan salt.

By the way I picked this baby up at TJ Maxx for a mere $8, a steal. If anyone is interested you should defiantly check your local TJ Maxx or if not, health food store. I hadn't been in ages and my husband (of all people) was so excited to find this amazing deal at Tj Maxx.

Solar Power Baby!

2008-07-27T20:25:00.001-07:00

Casey and I got a solar powered battery charger to charge our reusable batteries. So I snapped a pic of my batteries charging today as the sun was heading down.

Oh and of course pics my weekly farmers market trip hual! Plus Vegetables are totally solar powered right??..lol... This week I got a wheat bread baguette, wheat sour dough bread, cantaloupe, grapes, corn, tomatoes (mine are almost ready!), bell pepper, cucumber, cilantro, romaine, garlic, an onion and kale.

I already made some more pesto with my own basil and the garlic. And my strawberries are still out of control and delish! My mom and I have BIG farmers markets plans for next week ;)
Tell me about your green weekend, I know Jen was on it!
Keep it Solar!

California Keeping the Oceans Clean

2008-07-27T15:21:00.001-07:00

The LA times published a great article about a proposed policy to keep California's oceans clean. California leaders are recommending a strict state policy including a smoking ban statewide on beaches, forbidding fast food restaurants from distributing plastic foam cups and it also recommends banning plastic bags.

"An estimated 19 billion plastic bags are distributed in California each year. Fewer than 5% are recycled." The article warns that the banning of plastic bags would produce more CO2 to transport paper bags,but it fails to mention that canvas bags are the best option. But we already knew that =)

Hopefully legislation like this catches on quick. If China can ban plastic bags, it is time for the US to step up to the plate.. Click here for the article.
Keep it Canvas =)

Have a Green weekend!

2008-07-25T15:25:00.000-07:00

Hope you all have a great green weekend! Hit up the farmers markets, go shop with canvas bags in hand and skip Starbucks and have some fair trade brew instead (all great ways to get involved in our challenge! Click here for more information)
And if you have a chance sign this DoNotMail petition "Return to sender, address unknown..." Oh sorry, I told ya'll I'm an Elvis fan right ;)
Keep it green!

Must Watch Video

2008-07-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Ya'll know I hate plastic bags but here is some reason for you to hate (or hate them more)too. Ok lets all vow never to forget our canvas bags ever again.

Channeling Martha

2008-07-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

When my new issue of Martha Stewart arrived this month I could not have been more excited. The whole issue was dedicated to"Local pleasures across the country". I felt as if Martha and I were on the same wavelength, well maybe I just wished we were.

Here I am buying as much local as I can, banning myself from items made in China and I get and issue like this from Martha. I just love it. As I flipped through pages of local places to visit in the US, items made in America and recipes just perfect for my farmers market treats, I felt as if my crazy label reading, banning ways had been reinforced by a reliable source.

Buying local not only makes me feel good but I know so much gas and energy is being saved by purchasing items that did not have to travel on a boat or plane to get to me. Knowing buying local is Martha approved makes it all the sweeter! Thanks Martha!
Keep it Local.

Prius Purchase

2008-07-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

My sister just (like10 minutes ago!) bought Prius and I could not be more excited for her. I am hoping to purchase one as well. I was just so excited I had to post. LOL! I can't wait to check it out. Go Sister! Keeping it Green!

Living La Vida Local

2008-07-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

I've been posting what I have buying locally so I also wanted to show what I have been eating Local as well.
This morning I had some cantaloupe and whole wheat toast (both from the farmers market), I know my farmers market is awesome! Also local peanut butter from my local health food store, yum!
For lunch I had a veggie sandwich. The bread, tomato, and lettuce, all from my local farmers market. The avocado, cucumber, and mustard also from local areas. The side cherry tomatoes from my farmers market as well.
Dinner: Napa Chardonnay (I'm Spoiled and what a "LOCAL" excuse), mixed greens, tomatoes, and vinaigrette (all farmers market), pesto (home grown basil, so yummy, and farmers market garlic) with rice brown noodles. Just about everything LO-CAL all day!
Keep it Local! =)

I love my Canvas Bags!

2008-07-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I use my I'm not a Plastic bag a lot? The poor thing broke today after many, many shopping trips. Luckily my handy dandy husband was able to repair her, she's almost good as new. I just probably won't be packing her as full as I used to. Poor old girl, I hope you love your canvas bags as much as I love mine.
Keep it Canvas =)

Making up for Missed Time

2008-07-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

So I had a fabulous time in Sacramento yesterday! Defiantly worth missing my farmers market for for. I meet a wonderful group of girls (Lindsey, Erynn, Kara and Courtney) and all their babies! We had a great day. Thanks so much girls!! Lindsey was so good about asking for paper bags, the salt water taffy lady gave her a paper bag with the salt water taffy in a plastic bag but Lindsey brought the plastic bag back to her. Go lindsey! And Erynn even brought me some Green presents! How cute. And we all were green by packing us girls deep in two cars and carpooling, thanks for the ride Kara. We can be fabulous and green!

I did make it make it to the farmers market today, I went to different one then my normal one but lots of my favorite stands were there, they all mentioned I was not at my normal Saturday market . It was nice to go a different one and check the scene out there.

This week I picked up cherry tomatoes (a favorite of mine), grapes, romaine, some mixed greens, carrots, shady girl tomato, apricots, garlic (I am making pesto this week with my basil I am growing), red onion, corn cantaloupe, whole wheat sourdough bread and more of my own strawberries.

I also bought and was given some green presents this week! I ordered myself a "love bottle" a recycled glass refillable water bottle and a solar powered battery charger, it can also charge other things I will let you know how that all goes. I also picked up some vegan mascara and vegan perfume this week at Whole Foods.

As I mentioned before Erynn brought me some green presents! How cute of her! She brought me a recycled paper notebook that says "Green isn't just my favorite color on it!" Love it! I LOVE notebooks, so it was perfect for me. She also got me the cutest book 1001 ways to save the earth. It has lots of great tips and facts like #41 that informed me I save 15lbs of pollution every 4 miles I ride my bike! Nice!Thanks again Erynn!

I just read #59 before I posted this which says: Think Bigger. Try adapting some of the changes your making to your personal life to other contexts. Let people know what you are doing, they may want to get involved, which will help you make a bigger impact. Which is exactly what many of you girls are doing! <3 Live green!

Off to Sac

2008-07-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

To meet some friends! I am missing the farmers market for this so it better be good =P. It's the first farmers market I have missed this season. I am going to try to hit up another city's farmers market tomorrow, will report back ;)
Hope you have a wonderful Saturday!
Live green.

Another Day, Another Email

2008-07-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the dare Mandi! So after a few of my girls (Dee, Amanda and Mandi) and I were disgusted by Vanessa Minillo's recent excess plastic bag usage I decided to take it upon my self (after Mandi's great idea) to send her a letter. The best I could find was her publicists email (if anyone sees a better one let me know, or send your own letter). So I sent her off a very polite letter telling her how happy I would be to see Vanessa using some canvas bags.
Maybe we can get her to join the Green side ;) LOL

Seeing the Light!

2008-07-15T20:44:00.000-07:00

I was flipping thought my emails this evening when I came across one from ShopRapunzels.com and it could not have made me more excited. They have decided to use green shipping methods, yippee! Shopping green, now that rocks ;)

I have not posted this yet but as part of my green ways I had stopped shopping from online places that ship their items in plastic bags. Although sometimes shopbop.com still ships in plastic and sometimes in cardboard, but gosh that is addiction hard to break.....must be time for another email.

Anyways I was so happy to see an online company taking responsibility for their shipping I had to post. I may have just have to place an order from a company that thinks like this. Ahh that inner shopaholic turmoil feels a bit relieved.
Shop Green =)

Voicing my Opinion

2008-07-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Email makes it so easy for me to voice my opinion. I am constantly writing letters (not that they do much, besides make myself feel better). I write letters to my newspaper editors constantly. I wrote a letter to my city asking them to consider composite bins along with our yard wastecans. I wrote a letter to my local mall asking them to encourage and educate patrons not to have their items bagged in plastic bags and so on.

Today I sat down and wrote to Torn by Ronny Kobo because I was upset their company was a reason for my made in china ban slip up. I love their bamboo tank tops but I wrote that I could not support a product made in sweat shops and asked them to consider either adding made responsibly in China (a new trend) or to reconsider and how they manufacture their products.

I am well aware of my one lone letter is not going to make a difference, but I feel like it's duty to voice my opinion, and I am hoping others voice their opinions as well. Plus I know since I emailed these letters nothing is wasted (i.e. paper) but my own few minutes, in which I spent doing something I am passionate about, Live green =)

Inner Turmoil and Blonde Ambitions

2008-07-13T19:54:00.000-07:00

Gahh sometimes I drive myself crazy with what I feel like I have to do to be green. I banned myself from items Made in China, I slipped once ( I was tempted by that shobop code!) but gosh has that been tough. Shopping with my mom and sister at F21 the other day was torture, my sister kept picking up so many cute things while my eyes were mercifully trying to avoid all the cute trendy pieces I could totally see myself rocking.

Yesterday I stopped by Pottery Barn which was having a huge sale, I walked in eying all the cute items I would love to decorate my house with. But instead I walked around turning over every piece I saw, no not to check their crazy low prices, but to see in dismay the Made in China stamp on every item I picked up. Once again walking out of the store as a frustrated shopaholic.

Another issue blaring me straight in the face is my ever growing dark roots in my highlighted blonde locks. I have been reading about the toxins in hair dye (why do I read such things!!) and my green conscious tells me not to buy into treating my ever growing highlighted roots. I am currently looking into some eco friendly dyes and other options, but until then promise not to hate on my new "accessory" ;) What is it with those blonde's and their inner turmoil? Well we do have more fun right??
Live Green!

Local-tarian

2008-07-13T09:42:00.000-07:00

Just my weekly trip to the farmers market making personal effort to keep it local. This week I picked up some sour dough wheat bread, carrots, peppers, onions, nectarines, corn, blackberries, cherry tomatoes, an early girl tomato and some whole wheat pitas. Also my strawberries are still coming strong I put them in a bigger container just for you Erynn, actually there were way too many to fit in my other bowl this week. I also was given some yummy home grown plums from my mom's friend that are really delish! So many local delights. Localtarian, Localvore whatever you call it just Keep it Local =)

Some Weekend Motivation!

2008-07-11T20:55:00.001-07:00

I've seen so many of you girls going above and beyond on in my challenge and just in going green(er) in general! I wanted to post a peak of the reward, to get you even more motivated...if that is even possible right now =)
Live Green this Weekend!

This Disposable Life

2008-07-10T13:21:00.001-07:00

So much in ours lives today is disposable, it really too bad we are used to getting rid of things so quickly. I have been trying to do away with as many disposable aspects of my live as I can. Starting with replacing plastic bags, water bottles, napkins, and paper towels with non-disposable options

I like to think first of what things can I replace with non-disposable items, or if it has to be disposable I try to find the best option, recycled paper, glass over plastic and so on. For example I now look for glass options rather then plastic at the grocery store, I forgo toilet seat covers (a hard change for the germ-a-phob in me), and I carry around an old sample cup from Trader Joes so when I stop by I can still sample their new Fair Trade brews without feeling guilty(yes I have gone mad) . These little things may not add up all that much but applying them to my life constantly make me think about what I am going to use, why and if it is necessary.

Some of my recent efforts to eliminate disposablity (is that a word? LOL) in my life is getting rid of disposable feminine hygiene products, thanks to some trusted girls reviews of the Diva cup! "In 1998, 7 billion tampons and 12 billion sanitary pads and their packaging were disposed into landfills and sewage systems in the U.S. alone. With landfill". Nice to know I will no longer contribute to that pollution.

Another change I have made is refillable milk jugs! I am so happy to have found a place that refills glass milk jugs with LOCAL organic milk. Gosh I am just so excited about this LOL. I mean how cute and charming is this! It's so nice to go back to old ways before convenience became a way of life, Amanda I just might be a bit of an Old Fashioned Girl myself ;). I wish more things would be become refillable it such a great way to eliminate dispoablity (if that's not a word it is now!).
Live green! =)

Happy Birthday Mom!

2008-07-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

I love you Mom, Hope you have a great day!

My 4th of July Treat

2008-07-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well the tomatoes aren't quite ready yet but I just picked some "local" strawberries from my backyard. Mmmm, the perfect July 4th treat! Hope you all have a safe and happy Holiday!
Keep it Local =)

Red, White and GREEN!

2008-07-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

Have a safe and happy 4th of July! Remember to keep it green. Try bringing your own reusable cups, napkins, plates, forks and knives to those bbq's so you don't have to use plastic versions. Hit the farmers market for some corn to grill. And make sure to recycle all those beer bottles and soda cans =)

Organically Amber's July Go Green Challenge!

2008-07-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

Since so many of you are going green I decided to compile a challenge for the month of July. I put a list of Go Green challenges together, some of which I'm sure you are already doing! Everyone who completes at least 5 of these challenges and emails me is eligible for the raffle and the winner of the raffle will receive a few of my favorite green items (which I have previously posted about)! All you need to do is complete at least five of theses challenges for one raffle ticket and if you complete all 10 you receive 3 raffle tickets. Just send me a quick email to organicallyamber@gmail.com telling me what challenges you completed in the month of July and how (brands, which challenges what you liked or had a hard time with, ect). All entries must be sent by July 31st and the raffle will be held on August 1st! Since this is a small blog the chances of winning should be very high! =) I just want to see people get excited about being green..... Live green!

Challenges (These are easy! Wait until next time!)
1.Buy Local at least one time this month "Buying local can reduce to amount of petroleum consumed to transport your dinner by as much as 95%" *The Green Book

2.Stop buying plastic water bottles. Buy a refillable (BFA free of course!) and refill your own water "You save and average of 14lbs of plastic." *The Green Book

3.Cut your shower time to three minutes this month. Or at last take off 2 minutes of your regular showering time.
"Every 2 minutes you save on your shower can conserve more then 10 gallons." *The Green Book

4.If you don't already, recycle this month. Plastics, paper, aluminum and glass.
"if everyone tossed these item in the recycling bin, we could decrease the amount of waste sent to landfills by 75%" *The Green Book

5.Bring your own canvas bags shopping, remember to bring your own produce bags and bring the canvas bag to the mall and errands as well =)
"Each year an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide - that's over 1 million per minute." *We are What we Do

6.Replace your dish soap, hand soap and laundry soap this month with vegetable based products
"If every household in the U.S. replaced just ONE bottle of 25 oz petroleum based dishwashing liquid with SG 25 oz vegetable based product, we could save 81,000 barrels of oil! That's enough to cool AND heat 4,000 U.S. homes a year" *The Green Book

7.Replace your napkins and paper towels with recycled versions or better yet cloth versions this month.
"If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 180-sheet virgin-fiber paper towels with 100-percent recycled paper towels, we could save: 1.4 million trees, 3.7 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 526 million gallons of water, and prevent 89,400 pounds of pollution" *The Green Book

8.If you are a coffee drinker (or chocolate eater) switch to fair trade variates
"Just one household switching to certified coffee a year is enough to protect 9,200 square feet of rain forest" *The Green Book

9.Wash your clothes in cold water and air dry your laundry (as possible) this month. (See my making good use of this 100' heat post)

10. Go vegetarian once a week this month. Meat requires more packaging and energy to produce then vegetables "If every household reduced their beef purchase by just one pound per year, 250 billion gallons of water would be saved" *The Green Book. Make this month the month you cut back on.

Keep it green =)
-Amber

It ain't easy..

2008-07-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

As part of my green lifestyle I have been riding my bike to work lately. Today as I was peddling furiously my (LOL) favorite pair of jeans got stuck in the gears. I almost fell off the bike since it stopped everything from turning, thankfully that did not happen. I did have to rock holy jeans for the rest of the day, but I wore them proudly. I will be on the sewing machine shortly stitching these babies up...
Keep it green =)

Weekly Farmers Market trip

2008-06-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

Last weeks farmers markets post was so popular, I decided to post again. Yay to the girls who went to the farmers market this week or had their produce delivered by local farmers ;)

This week I picked up some cherries, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, eggplant, chard, corn, nectarines and a loaf of flax bread, it was amazing! Can't wait for next week!

Finding that Balance

2008-06-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

My green philosophy is to always be consciously thinking and questioning my actions and lifestyle choices. Is this necessary? How will it benefit me, and the world around me? And how can I push my self further?

Pushing myself to think about the bigger picture helps me to always think green, even in making small choices. I find a balance that works for me and hopefully this balance will always be questioned and re-evaluated. Being green has a snowball effect, the more green ideas you apply to your life, the more you question other aspects of your ways.

One example of my green "balance" is my nail polish. I am a girly girl at heart and I like to be pretty and that includes pink painted toes poking out of my peep toe sandals. Since nail polish is not really green, due to the chemicals in it, I try to limit the amount of nail polish in my life, but it's summer time now and I like my toes painted. No Miss is a cruelty free nail polish brand and is a balance for me to still try to be green without totally giving up my nail painting ways. The nail polish remover is completely organic and contains no acetone, and ethyl acetate and the nail polishes contain no formaldehyde, toluene, dibutyl-pthalate and camphor. You can find these at your local Whole Foods. Click here for more information on No Miss's products.

Running Errands the Green way

2008-06-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

So as I mentioned this morning I had to pick up some cat food for my kitty. While I was at the health food store (which is on my exact route home, love that) picking up cat food and some glucosamine treats for him, I also picked up a few other green items as well. I picked up some cashew butter, a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Sal Sud (the uses for this are endless so it is always great to have on hand),a few bottles of Bossa Nova (so I saved a few rain forest trees with that purchase), and I picked up some Pheylonian Beeswax candles. The Pheylonian Beeswax candles have lots of eco/health benefits, they produce negative ions, which cleanse the air of dust, odors, toxins, pollen, mold, dust mite feces, chem-trail residues and viruses, and they are completely non-toxic, non-allergenic and non-carcinogenic(which most candles are not). Of course all these items were packed up nicely in my canvas tote ;)

My Green..Err.. Orange Kitty

2008-06-26T09:23:00.000-07:00

Here is My kitty Oragnie, he is green as well. He is and indoor/outdoor kitty which means no litter box or plastic kitty box liners. Woot! We always make sure his diet is on track as well because we want Orangie to be as healthy as possible =) We feed Orangie Natures variety and Avoderm, click here for healthy cat food info and what Pet food brands to avoid. Reminds me I need to stop by the health food store today to pick up some cat food today....

Cheers to My Green Queens!

2008-06-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to give a shout out to Mandi, Erynn, Shana, Amanda, Jessica and all my other Green Queens! I love seeing your green ways! What better way to say cheers than with some Washington Apple Wine ;) Seeing all your green posts really inspires me and my green ways plus it makes me so happy! Live green!

This weeks "Green" purchases

2008-06-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

This week I bought some organic skincare from the line Eminence Organics after a recommendation from my friend Lindsey. This company makes their items in a solar and wind power factory and all their packaging is made from recycled paper, woods and plastics. I love supporting companies like the this! I cannot wait to try out this grape antioxidant serum! Thanks again Lindsey!

I also bought this bamboo tank top from shopbop. It was listed as being imported and I researched all over the web and found no answer of where it was imported from and just decided to order. When I came home I checked my other Torn tank top (which I love) to find out it was imported from China, boo. I tried, at least it's bamboo right??

My Green Kitchen Essentials

2008-06-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Meyers an eco-friendly cleaner is always on hand.

My plastic bag drawer. Although I hate that my bread and pita's come in plastic bags I try to make the best of it by reusing these bags. I use them to bag my fruits and veggies at the store and farmers markets. I also use them instead of ziploc bags and instead of buying saran wrap.

This next picture is of my bamboo kitchen tools and bamboo towel. Bamboo is great! It renews itself and grows much quicker then tress. It also requires little water to grow.

This last picture is of my cloth towels and cloth napkins. I never use paper towels or paper napkins anymore. Not only do paper towels and napkins require plastic to package but unless you buy recycled paper towels or napkins, regular paper towels are made from virgin trees =(
"If every household in the U.S. replaced just one six roll pack of 120 sheet virgin fiber paper towels with 100% recycled ones, we could save:
* 6,100,000 trees
* 15,751,000 cubic feet of landfill space, equal to over 3,800 full garbage truck
* 2.2 billion gallons of water, a year's supply for 17,200families of four
* And avoid 231,000 tons of emissions"
Plus cloth napkins are just so charming!

Born in the USA!

2008-06-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

So following through on my ban of things made in China/sweatshops I did a quick inventory of my own closet. I was doing pretty well I would say about 75/25. My shoes, tops, dresses and jeans helping me out. My bras (Victoria Secret), camis (Nordstrom) and work stuff (Banana Republic and Gap) were bringing me down. After evaluating it seemed like the typical Mall stuff Gap, Forever 21, Banana, Victoria's Secret were the ones made in China or other places. I will no longer be shopping at the places. I was disappointed in Free People, I thought that there items might have been made in the USA (I did have some things made by them made in USA but not all). I was also surprised that a Bebe top I had was made in the USA (the company originated in San Francisco)I don't shop there often but they came off to me as a typical mall store and was surprised that they were USA made. My quest for a green/local closet continues! More organic cottons, vegetable dyes, and bamboo here I come!

Making Good Use of This 100' Heat!

2008-06-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

It is finally cooling down but that heat we had sure helped my clothes dry fast! I always line dry my clothes. The clothes drier only to second to refrigerator in most use of energy usage and it is super easy to cut back on! I used to line dry my clothes outside but the sun can bleach clothes, so now I just hang my clothes up in my laundry room and air dry there. My laundry room is the garage so during the summer is it nice and toasty and the clothes dry super fast. Another good way to save energy is to wash your clothes cold, which I always do "Hot water heating accounts for about 90 percent of the energy your machine uses to wash clothes — only 10 percent goes to electricity used by the washer motor." Just doing little the things can make a big difference in your personal energy usage =) Keep it Green.

Being the Change I want to See

2008-06-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

I'm not a tattoo girl, if I was I would get this Gandhi quote tattooed on me "Be the change you wan to see in the world". Instead I wear this bracelet everyday to remind me how I want to live my life. It inspires me to think about my actions daily. The new change I am making in my life is to ban all products made in China and in sweatshops. China is the worlds biggest Co2 emitter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environment_of_China) and I do not want to support that sort of pollution. I have also been searching http://www.sweatshopwatch.org/ regularly to check out all brands I think of supporting. Every time I think about voting with my dollar (making a purchase) I think about what sort of business I am supporting, and the repercussions of that support. From now on, no more made in China, Vietnam, or the Philippines for me...hmmm this may put a dent in my shopping, although the repercussions of that may not be all that bad ;)

Keeping it Local

2008-06-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Every Saturday morning I begin my weekend by meeting my friend Jaymi at the gym and then I meet my Mom (canvas bags in hand) at the local farmers market.It's a great feeling to start the weekend by doing things that are healthy. The Farmers market is full of healthy antioxidant filled produce, buying these delicious local fruits and vegetables is also very eco-friendly! These days buying organic isn't enough, in a March 2005 a study by the Journal of Food Policy found that "the miles that organic food sometimes travels creates enough environmental damage that it often outweighs the benefit of buying organic." Local baby! I am so fortunate to have a great local farmers market within 2 miles of my house, if you have never gone to one, you must check it out ;) This week we picked up some cilantro, garlic, onions, peppers, tomatoes, chard, kale, corn and cherries. I only spent about $12, I would have picked up more fruit but everything seemed to be as wilted from the heat as I was.

Green Beauty!

2008-06-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

I pulled out some of my everyday green toiletries to show you my green ways. Back in December 2007 my mom and read a list of ingredients that are toxic and are in most
shampoo's, lotions, face washes and soaps. Our skin is huge organ and absorbers every thing we put on to it, so knowing the ingredients is key! Although my and Mom and I were doing pretty well, we did read through all our labels to make sure we were toxin free. Here are some of the products I use that are good and green! From left to right, my body brush that I use to brush toxins off my skin and it stimulates blood in the skin, Ergo Soy candle, Earth Science Aloe Vera Toner, Trader Joes (TJ's) Aloe Moisturizer, Tom's of Maine toothpaste and deodorant,
TJ's Vitamin E oil, Earth Science face wash, TJ's Refresh shampoo and conditioner and TJ's Next to Godliness hand soap.

And a great way to Green you bathroom is by purchasing 100% recycled bath tissue every so often. I pick mine up at Trader Joes.
"If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 500 sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissue with 100% recycled ones, we could save:

* 448,000 trees,
* 1.1 million cubic feet of landfill space, equal to 1,700 full garbage trucks,
* and 161 million gallons of water, a year’s supply for 1,270 families of four! "

Saving Water one Jar at a Time

2008-06-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

Maybe it was the boredom of being alone or maybe it was the heat but while Casey was gone I went a bit water saving crazy. So crazy I let our pool water level drop to dangerously low levels, since I decided saving water was more important then our pool water level. LOL. So the the first water saving technique I implemented was hand washing my plates and silverware over this jar and when it filled it up with water I would quickly shut off the water, run the jar out to my garden and pour it on my garden and then continuing washing and repeating this crazy cycle. LOL. I think a larger tub would make this whole process slightly less crazy.

The second crazy water saving technique implemented was removing the water stopper in our master bath sink. Without the stopper I can actually see the water go down straight down the sink, which shortened my usage usage even more. Although both of the ideas aren't saving incredible amounts of water, they are always consciously reminding me to think about the water I consume and how much is wasted. Hopefully my crazy ways help you think about your water usage or if you have you own water saving ideas feel free to share them!

A Very Green Birthday!

2008-06-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday and I received a few green gifts. I got some items to get my composting up and running, the book Gorgeously Green and a juicer! The juicer does not sound so green but I am trying to incorporate more vegan, vegetarian, and raw diet ideas into my diet, which are not only healthy lifestyles but very green as well. Organic fruits and vegetables are great for the environment due to not using pesticides,local ones are even better due to low gas needed to ship them and fruits and veggies don't use any packaging and they come in their own bio degradable wrapper ;). Adding more fruits and veggies in my diet means the less other junk and that means less trash from me. Good all around! I can't wait to start reading the book and to get juicing an composting! Thanks for all the Birthday wishes =) And of course the cakes were carrot!!

More Green Puchases!

2008-06-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

My friend Erynn showed me this awesome site called Gypsy05 http://www.gypsy05.com/index.aspx. Not only are Gyspy05's clothing seen on many celebrities but it's clothing is made from organic fabrics, natural dyes, and produced in a California based solar-powered factory. Did you read that solar power baby!!! When Erynn told me about this dress I knew I had to support this company! Thanks again Erynn, I can't wait to get the dress!

The Penny Saver

2008-06-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's that I hate to waste things, I mean it comes in the mail every week! Or maybe I'm just bored, what ever it is I look forward to my Penny Saver every week. As one of my friends once said about the Penny Saver "you know that thing that comes in the mail that your not supposed to to read". Well I am an avid reader of the Penny Saver, it is quite amusing, have you seen the junk people try to sell in there!? You don't even know how happy I was to see the Penny Saver make it to the big screen in Juno. Well knowing my love of the Penny Saver my Mom likes to leave me little messages in the message center. So I was pleased to see a message from my Mom wishing me a Happy Birthday in this weeks edition. Always makes my day. Thanks Mom!

Bossa Nova!

2008-06-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

Not only is Bossa Nova one of my favorite Elvis songs (oh if you didn't know already I am a huge Elvis fan) but is now also one of my favorite drinks. Today I picked up some Bossa Nova Acia juice from the health food store. The fruit called Acia is packed with more disease-fighting antioxidants than any other fruit on earth! And for another reason to check out the Bossa Nova is for the environment ;) every Bossa Nova Bottle you buy( oh and yes they are glass bottles!) saves a rain forest tree!
For more Bossa Nova Acia information check out
http://www.bossausa.com/
and for some Elvis Bossa Nova Fun check out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-yZifpgCR0
"She said,
'Drink, drink, drink
Oh, fiddle-de-dink
I can dance with a drink in my hand"

Reasons I ride My Bike

2008-06-11T19:53:00.001-07:00

It's better for the Environment then driving.
My thighs can use any extra work they can get.
It relieves my stresses.
Oh and gas is almost $5.....

Just got back from a ride to the gym and then to do a few errands, if someone were around I would take a picture of how cool I look on my ride. LIVE green! ;)

More Canvas bags!

2008-06-10T12:27:00.001-07:00

My sis got on board with the Canvas bags, she had some for grocery shopping but not for running errands or shopping at the mall. I would make her carry the stuff she bought but she felt someone would think she was stealing lol. So she picked up this Beau Soleil bag from Planet blue to use as a purse/shopping bag. Go SIS! I'm jealous that it has pockets.
While she picked up that I picked up this Signorelli - Grey Children's Health Fund Tee the proceeds of this tee are donated to the Children's Health Fund.

Off to Malibu!

2008-06-07T10:55:00.001-07:00

Can't wait to spend the weekend in Malibu with my sister! It is one of my favorite places to relax at, and I am already craving a soy vanilla latte from Coffee bean. Plus I was starting to get lonely at my house all alone.

I'm Not a Plastic bag

2008-06-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

My Trunk:
My Bag that I am rarely seen without:

This is what the trunk of my car looks like, it is filled with canvas bags to use during shopping trips. I use canvas bags for every type of shopping I do. I keep these bags in my car so I never have to use plastic bags, I also don't use paper bags. Most days I carry my Anya Hindmarch's "I'm not a plastic bag", it doubles as a purse and it's large enough to hold lots of things, perfect for running errands. I also keep extra canvas bags stashed in there if I need more shopping space (which knowing me I do!). Inside all the canvas bags in my car, I keep plastic bags from bread, pitas, ect to use for my fruits and veggies, this way I don't have to use more plastic bags when I am at the farmers market or grocery shopping.

Kermit the Froggy

2008-06-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

I have discovered a frog has taken up shop in our backyard, in our swimming pool to be exact. It is quite amusing to see him swimming across the pool, not sure how healthy it is for him to be living in our pool but he seems quite happy for now.

Break out the Bubbles!

2008-06-05T22:20:00.000-07:00

Katie got engaged on Friday May 30th, and somehow she managed to keep it a secret until Monday so she could tell Carrie and I in person. She was so cute and brought us little cakes with notes that read "I'm going to need your opinion .....". The Champange and wedding magazines were broken out shortly after!

Smarty Pants

2008-06-05T21:56:00.001-07:00

On May 16th My Sister graduated with her Masters from Pepperdine. My Mom, Dad, Stepmom and I went down to Malibu to celebrate. We are all so proud of her. We had a great weekend we ate lots of seafood and spent some quality time on the beach.

Mother's Day

2008-06-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

We took my Mom to Napa for Mothers day and we had a blast! We went to an exclusive wine tasting event put on by local wineries in the area. It mostly merlots, cab, and zins and all the bottles being poured were $60 or more and only had a few hundred bottles corked so even us white wine girls had a great sampling. And it was so nice to support the local wineries!

Things That Make Me Smile

2008-06-05T21:23:00.001-07:00

Spring has arrived and my flowers are blooming, can't wait for the veggies to come.