Well, I'm keeping things as green as I can. I've not purchased any new art supplies is a very long time, resolving to use up what I have here already and re-purpose as much as possible. This has included a couple of canvases that got a fresh topping of gesso to cover some rather dismal attempts at art that I had no intention of hanging...ever.
My daughter, who is growing like a weed, required some new clothes. Typically I would start surfing the web to find some deals, but this time, keeping to my vow to first attempt to find things used, I took a trip to the local Value Villiage. There I found her a number of gently used items (some still had orignial tags on them!) and spent only $30. Plus, my purchase helps support charity as well as having kept items out of the landfill. So all in all I feel pretty good about it. Actually I find that the thrill of discovering a great item at a thrift store is more exciting than finding sales in retail stores.
I'm still planning on building a doll house out of some wood I have around here. I will post pictures as soon as I start...
Other than that, I just keep on keepin' on. My most recent challenge has been to purchase items with as little packaging as possible (i.e. when grocery shopping). The majority of my purchases are fresh food items anyway, so this isn't too difficult for us to manage. I have taken the opportunity to discuss it with my children when we are out and see something with excessive packaging. With most places charging for plastic bags now, we are even more dilligent when it comes to taking our bags with us. I forgot last week, but I at least requested paper bags...which they still charge for, but my fault for not taking my cloth bags with me! Which reminds me, I saw an neat way to convert old t-shirts into shopping bags...I feel a tutorial coming on! Stay tuned...
January 17, 2011
My goodness it is cold this morning! A very brisk -29 degrees to be exact. To avoid shovelling the driveway, I decided to update my blog...
I am managing to keep most of my daytime meals and snacks raw vegan. I'm happy about that. I'm feeling well, despite having a slight head cold. I have a lot more energy, which is a great motivator to continue with the process. Here is an example of a typical sandwich. The bread is a dehydrated mixture of seeds and frozen corn (admittedly that doesn't sound appealing- but it is good!). They are basically large crackers. In the sandwich is tomato, avocado, sprouts, and spinach. I had to use real mayo since I forgot to make a substitute- so technically this would not be a raw vegan sandwich, but it's pretty darn close.
Also a consideration is upcoming Valentine's day and Easter. I know it may seem like I am thinking too far in advance, but the reality is (if you're going to avoid buying 'new' or buying at all) some thought really needs to go into things. Last year my son made all of his Valentine's using some vintage images we found online. This year my daughter is in school as well, which means we have to make 50 Valentines!! I think rather than giving bags of candy (as we did last year), we'll make heart shaped sugar cookies.
I've got a lot of ideas scribbled down, and am excited to get 'cracking' and share them with you!
January 12, 2011
Okay, so you may recall my earlier post where I stated one of my goals this year (2011) was to learn different ways to go 'green'. This is where I will track/post my progress and share information I find. I hope you will find it interesting, and please feel free to comment and share your progress as well!!
To start with, I am cleaning up my diet. Not 'dieting', and not because I eat poorly. I am trying to make more conscious decisions about purchases of all kinds. One thing I am trying to take into consideration is packaging. Another is where the food is from and the distance it has to travel, and finally, the impact producing the food has on the environment.
It is likely unrealistic for me to say I am going to become a total vegetarian. I know myself, and I like meat. That said, I think it is important to do what I CAN do to make changes that benefit both my health (and that of my family) and the environment. If everyone did just a little bit, it would eventually add up.
It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the information about 'going green'. The end result for me in the past has been to give up- feeling like I can't possibly do all the things I am supposed to do. What I'm realising is that everyone has a different level of 'something' that they can do- and it all matters. So, I've started with my breakfast. An easy task.
In the bowl is a cereal I made myself. It contains almonds, walnuts, dates, cranberries, coconut, banana, and apple. I drizzled it with flax oil and honey, added cinnamon, and dehydrated at 110 degrees over night. It tastes great with regular cow milk, almond milk, or dry as a trail mix.
