happy living Design

rent-a-goat

For years I've been talking about getting a goat to take care of our grass weeds.  We currently have someone cut our grass but we don't do anything about the weeds and they have pretty much taken over whatever lawn area we have, so in essence we have someone come bi-monthly to cut our weeds.  Now that we know how bad the pesticides used to kill weeds are both for us and the environment it seems even less likely that we'll ever have a decent looking lawn.  Except maybe if we got rented a goat to eat all the weeds!

photo by flickr user pixel_unikat

I ran across this post on the Seventh Generation blog and am convinced I need a goat for our .34 acres.  Plus they are so cute, aren't they?  I just have to find out from our local codes enforcement director if it's allowed in our Borough.  And if there is anyone around here that will rent me one.

Exercise and Wellness for Every Body

One last thing...

My dear, old (but young) friend Kristin has started a great new blog called Exercise and Wellness for Every Body, "a collection of articles regarding exercise, nutrition and wellness information along with credible resources".  Her posts are really informative and helpful.

Kristin is a personal trainer and published writer based in North Jersey.  Go on over and say hello.

index chopping boards

We had a set of colored plastic chopping mats awhile back. Each color represented a food group and was supposed to prevent cross-contamination of food. Eventually the chopping mats got all chopped up and I haven't replaced them. I always wondered that since I stored them all next to one another that the cross-contamination prevention was a mute point. I would have had to have another plastic sheet separating them. This product solves the problem. You just need to find room to store the filing unit. Pretty cute.

from MoMA Store

snack bags

I am thinking of how I can cut down on my use of Ziploc baggies.  I think these are perfect.
Reusable Snack Bags in Mint Stripe from Plum Creek.

PS.  Mamamade sells reusable snack bags as well.  It seems like she is out of stock right now.  But check back.

50 Nifty Tricks for Big DIY Savings (around the house)

Article Print | Planning and Ideas | This Old House

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Revisions Design Studio : porcelain egg votive candles

These are just gorgeous and made from 100% US grown soy wax (which burns clean and clear).  The egg shells are porcelain and can be reused once the candles burn away.

 

from the Revisions Design Studio etsy shop.

I had gotten away from using candles around the house.  I feel a revival coming on!  Candles really are wonderful, especially when the vessel is beautiful as these are.

update: bumps and lumps

Here's the link to Body & Soul article that I mentioned in the post about brest cancer and environmental triggers and what you can watch out for at home.

bumps and lumps

In the spring I went to my mid-wife for my 'well woman' check-up.  There was a bump in my breast.  I call it a bump because the word 'lump' just sounds too gloomy and doomy.  I had an ultrasound done what seemed like several weeks later and an appointment with a surgical breast specialist.  No abnormalities were found.  I just have bumpy boobs.  Life goes on.  Me and my bumps.

October is breat cancer awareness month.  There is an article in the October issue of Body & Soul magazine called 'Know the Risks'.  The opening caption says "Sure, genes affect our breast cancer odds.  But so does what we breathe, eat and put on our skin."  The article goes on to say that only 1 in 10 breast cancer cases has a genetic connection.  They quote Devra Davis, Ph.D., who says "Genes don't tell the full story.  Genes sometimes give us the gun, but the environment pulls the trigger."  Davis is the director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at U. of Pitt.  The article goes on to talk about many different types of environmental triggers or connections to breast cancer such as air pollution, pesticides, cleaning and beauty products and plastics but also gives suggestions about how to reduce our exposure to these things and therefore reduce our risk.

Chemicals to watch out for around the house:

They suggest 'greening your cleaners'.  I have talked about natural clening products before here and here.  Avoid ingredients like alkyphenols, methoxyphenol and nonylphenol.

Look in your medicine cabinet and makeup bag.  Avoid ingredients like Phthalates, parabens and ethylene oxide.

Plastic: there's been LOTS of talk about plastics lately.  Avoid hard plastics that contain bisphenol A and softer plastics made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

I just paraphrased the article.  I would highly recommend heading to your nearest library or getting the October issue and sharing with a friend (reduce paper waste ;) and read the entire article.  It explains the connections clearly.  For me, the article reinforced a lot of what I have learned and read over the past couple of years about the connections between our environments, the things we put in and on our bodies and the diseases that we now struggle with.  Always do your own research and make up your own mind.

happy living = whole living.

credit: Body & Soul magazine, October, 2008

pure jane cumberbatch

I think Jane Cumberbatch's Pure Style Living was the first shelter-home-decorating-style-living book that I ever purchased.  Prior to that is was ALL architecture for me.  I love her philosophy of living, stylish yet simple.  Her "DNA of Pure Style" is "Romantic, inexpensive, natural, simple spaces, fuctional, easy feasts, homemade, thrifty, timeless, cool, country, family, going green, modern..."  All words and feelings I want reflected in my home.  Here are some of my favorite images from the book.  BTW, all the images are by Pia Tryde.

Enjoy!

sun oh sun

It's about this time of year, even though the days are now finally getting longer, that I start to daydream about sunlight.  I may suffer from very mild cases of S.A.D. but luckily it has never prevented me from going about my days.  But I do not yet get to leave work while the sun is still high in the sky.  Maybe I should look into a Vitamin D supplement.  In the meantime I cherish times like this.

This was taken last week at a house that we have just finished renovating (at my day job).  Unfortunately because of disclosure agreements I cannot tell you anything else about it or they will take my first born child.

It was the coldest day of the week, but the sunniest.

Hope you all have a bit of sun in your day tomorrow.