Happy Holidays

Update: I landed a job and we're moving into a new (rented) house on Sunday!!! Since the economy is in the dumps and mortgages are pretty tough to get right now, we decided to wait another year or so before buying a house, but we found a great place to rent:

It's got a big garden plot and room for my chickens, so stay tuned for a special series on raising chicks in the spring!

And here's a couple of Merry Christmas photos of the little guy (and Mazi) to share with you all:

I just can't believe he'll be one in only 10 days! Where has the past year gone?

Anyways,

Peace, Love, and Joy to your family from ours.

Greener cleaners revisited

http://thetobyshow.typepad.com/the_toby_show/2008/10/green-cleaning-the-revised-arsenal.html

Just wanted to share this link-- recipes for homemade earth-friendly cleaners! Sorry I've been MIA lately...I'm trying to land a (real) job. Wish me luck!

Rave review- Northernessence.com

First of all, let me say that Northern Essence has not paid me or asked me to write about them on my blog. I just REALLY like their products. They've got a little bit of everything- baby soap, nursing pads, diaper cream, bath stuff for mom and dad, candles, etc. I especially love that their products are natural and REASONABLY PRICED! I've tried a few of their soaps, and the deo disks for my diaper pail, but my favorite thing from Northern Essence so far is their Better Butt(er) Cream. It's safe to use with cloth diapers and has a wonderful creamy texture and no gross smell like some diaper creams. Here's the link, check out their stuff:

Northern Essence

Cheaper greener tip for today- tea in a jar

I drink a lot of tea, and instead of using powdered iced tea mix (NOT cheap or green), here's what I do:

I have a half gallon glass milk bottle (you could use a big jar or any type of glass bottle). I fill it with HOT tap water, pop in 3 tea bags, and set it on the counter for an hour or so to steep. I'm still nursing Ollie, so I stick to decaf or herbal teas, but you can try lots of different combinations. My favorites are: 2 decaf bags and 1 earl grey, or 1 decaf, 1 lemon, 1 mint.

I don't sweeten my tea, but if you wanted to you could add a squirt of agave nectar or honey.

Oh, and toss those used tea bags in your compost pile instead of the trash!

Enjoy :o)

Cheaper greener tip for today- check your checking

If you already have online banking and pay your bills via the internet, hooray for you! If you don't, look into it. Often, online checking acounts have no fees, and may even earn interest, so shop around. And the green part is, less paper wasted! If you get on a website like bankrate.com, you can compare some online checking account deals side-by-side.

Make sure you look at some local banks and credit unions too. Our bank is local but we have an interest-earning free checking account with full online access. They also refund all ATM fees each month. To keep up our end of the deal, we must use our debit card at least 10 times per month, pay at least one bill online, and receive our monthly statements electronically. Pretty easy...and cheap...and green!

More yummy muffins

I made these the other night, and they came out sooo good :) These tasty muffins are a great way to get some extra fruit, veggies and fiber in your diet. I used a flour combo, but you can skip the wheat flour and wheat germ and just use 1-1/3 cup all purpose flour if you want.

Stef's Morning Glory Muffins

1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon (I used a little bit of pumpkin pie spice too)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup grated carrots
1 cup grated apple
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup raisins or chopped nuts (optional)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil (or use half oil, half applesauce for less fat)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 and grease (I do a quick coat of nonstick spray) 12 muffin cups. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a second bowl, combine carrots, apple, coconut, raisins/chopped nuts, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until batter forms. Spoon batter evenly into 12 muffin cups, then bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy!!!

My cute mohawk boy