Saturday, November 14, 2009

Coco Zen



Chocolate is a wonderful thing and Coco-Zen has found a way to transform chocolate into a religious experience. “Coco-Zen is a state of nirvana achieved by surrendering to the taste and aroma of luscious, rich chocolate…A state of ecstasy, peace and harmony. Coco-Zen is oneness with chocolate.” Wow.



Friday, November 13, 2009

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning Second Edition

I admit, I like The Complete Idiot’s Guides. They offer a lot of good advice packed into one no nonsense book of information.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning Second Edition by Mary Findley and Linda Formichelli is a newly updated version of the original Green Cleaning guide and is packed full of advice on how to clean anything and everything green.

Click to Continue Reading

Snowmen Made from Scrap Wood


Do you woodwork? Chances are you have a box of leftover odds and ends of wood that can be turned into something cute for the holidays.


My husband has a huge box of wood pieces that he throws leftovers into after he’s done making a project. These pieces can range from tiny little scraps to half a two by four. But for some reason he had a bunch of pieces that were all about the same size left over from making something and we came up with these cute little snowmen.



Thursday, November 12, 2009

Better Life Green Cleaning Products-Created by Two Dads


Tim Barklage and Kevin Tibbs became dads around the same time and became much more aware of the world around them, especially once their little girls started crawling.


They wanted safe, eco-friendly products that wouldn’t harm their children. Kevin Tibbs has worked as a formulation chemist for the past 11 years creating over 300 products that can be found in stores everywhere. Tim Barklage is a self described dreamer with a passion for living green. Together they created Better Life green cleaning products.



Thanksgiving Traditions


I love Thanksgiving. I always have.


Maybe it's the food, maybe it's just that feeling of hope, thankfulness and family togetherness that makes me feel so warm and cozy on Thanksgiving...even when I am working my tail off to make a huge dinner.

It's the one day a year I really go all out and do everything from scratch....the old fashioned way. Except my pies, I do not make those from scratch, I'm too busy with turkey and homemade stuffing.

And I am very big on tradition. Coming from a tiny family (me, mom, grandma) I hold onto the few holiday traditions that we had and I've worked at creating my own with my family that the kids will hopefully always remember and pass along to their children someday.

One of the biggest Thanksgiving traditions is getting up early and starting the turkey and stuffing. The whole family gets involved. The kitchen is a flurry of movement, chopping, cutting, preparing... it's wonderful.

Even the smallest have their kitchen duties. I think that the kids' favorite part is helping with the stuffing. They break up all the bread-ripping and tearing all the bread slices down to small pieces and throwing them all in a big bowl. Then I even let them season and toss in the celery and onions. They love it. I know I always did when I was young. Even my (almost) 18 year old (b-day the day before Thanksgiving this year) still loves to help make the stuffing.
And it's a family recipe passed down from my mom. So that even adds to the feeling of family and tradition.

Another Thanksgiving family tradition is watching the Thanksgiving day parades while making the dinner preparations. My husband isn't really into the parades but I love them and so do the kids. For as long as I can remember that's what was always on every Thanksgiving morning at my mom's while we were preparing dinner.

Our third Thanksgiving tradition is one of my own creations. Every year the kids make hand turkeys. And not just any hand turkeys but we use finger paints, smear it all over the hands and put hand prints on paper. Then the kids can decorate (and date) their turkeys however they wish and I have a record of how the kids have grown from year to year. It's a wonderful way to create memories and traditions that our family can look back on fondly.

This post inspired by the Target Thanksgiving Traditions Sweepstakes. Thanks for the great contest www.Target.com . It really made me think about the importance of holiday traditions.




Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Shopping In Style with Bring It In A Bag


I have quite a few reusable shopping bags that I drag with me to the grocery store…none of them are very stylish though. They are all the canvas style bags made for grocery shopping, not the trendiest things but they work and they are better than bringing home fifty plastic bags that I do not need or want. But I recently found a great company that makes stylish, fun and eco-friendly shopping bags…Bring It In A Bag.



Dazzle Dry Toluene, Phthalate, and Formadehyde Free Finger Nail Polish


The Dazzle Dry Nail Polish System is made for the “on the go lifestyle”. The really great thing about the quick drying Dazzle Dry Nail System is that it contains no harmful chemicals. It is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, and camphor and is also nitrocellulose free (this is the stuff that turns your nails yellow).


The Dazzle Dry formula is also Vegan and Non-Toxic.



Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Rebekah Green Sustainable Earrings: Precious Gifts for Little Girls


Rebekah Green has been globally aware and environmentally conscious since the second grade. Throughout her life she’s done a lot for the “green” movement.


Her latest efforts include a sustainable line of earrings made from recycled gold. She even has several designs devoted to children.


Including these precious little turtles which will be going in my daughter’s holiday stocking…if I don’t snag them for myself first (because I adore turtles).



Maris Naturals: Eco-Luxurious Bath and Body Products


“Indulge yourself in natural luxury” that’s the Maris company tag-line…and it works.
Maris Naturals offers a simple selection of exquisite bath and body products made with no parabens, no toxic preservatives, no artificial colors or fragrances, no phthalates and no toxins. What that adds up to is a simple indulgence with no worries.

Monday, November 9, 2009

The Leakey Collection: Zulu Grass Jewelry

Zulugrass jewelry is handcrafted jewelry created by Maasai women out of environmentally sustainable grass grown in the Kenya area. The results are beautiful, stylish, sustainable and fashionable jewelry that can be worn in a variety of ways.

The Leakey Collection has created over 1200 jobs and over 10,000 people are supported by the efforts of the Leakey Collection.

The stretchy bands of grass can be worn in a [...]

Click to Continue Reading

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Celebrate the Holidays in Sustainable Style

The holidays are creeping up fast, Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Many are busy planning what they are going to cook, what they are going to wear…and everyone’s thinking about gifts they are going to give.

One thing you may not have considered is your serving dishes or your table settings. Do they match, do you have enough? If you’re like me the once complete matching set has been reduced to bits and pieces over the years as things get dropped, broken and lost. I’m lucky to have a complete set of dishes for 6…and matching serving bowls… forget it. Good thing I’m not planning any large, fancy get togethers this season, but that could all change with a phone call, email, or spur of the moment idea.

Click to Continue Reading