Hallmark says Americans send 1.8 billion cards during the holidays. That’s a lot of cards to end up in the landfill! You can still spread news and joy. If you are short on time and money sending out cards this year, consider these options.
You can send holiday cards on line free. It saves time, money, trees.
http://www.123greetings.com
You can send the same card to up to 100 people.
http://www.treegreetings.com
Sends an e-card and plants a tree!
http://www.birthdayalarm.com/
Allows you to set up reminders with your e-cards.
Remember, it’s okay to make the holidays affordable and save yourself time and money as well as reducing your stress!
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Have old sweaters & friends that need gifts? Repurpose your sweaters into mittens! Here’s how:
From the hem of the sweater, cut (back & front) a rectangle 12 inches high & 8 inches wide. Then cut along the side seam so you have two pieces.
Fold each piece lengthwise with the insides facing out. Mark the thumbhole with pins. It should be 2 1/2 inches wide & 2 inches from the top.
Sew 1/2 inch from the edge, leaving the thumbhole open. Reinforce the thumbhold with a separate topstitch. Then sew a 1/2 inch hem at the bottom.
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As the holidays approach, wabi sabi is a good philosophy to keep in mind. Leonard Koren describes it as, “The beauty of all things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete, the antithesis of our classical Western notion of beauty as something perfect, enduring, and monumental.” I sum it up this way: beauty in “as is” such as the wrinkles on my forehead, the imperfect shaped tomatoes of my garden, and the scratches and grooves in my antique furniture.
So instead of worrying about creating a perfect holiday, with the perfect presents, behaviors, clothing and smiles…roll with the punches and delight when things don’t go as planned. Take a deep breath, let it go and revel in imperfection. Remember who and what is important to you and celebrate that.
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With holidays right around the corner, I wanted to continue tips to remove stains.
For NON washable fabrics:
Chocolate: Start with oil solvent for grease & rinse gently. Dab remaining with vinegar until gone. Dab with cool water.
Coffee: Dab with White vinegar till gone. Has sugar: follow up flush with water; milk follow up with oil solvent. Dab with water to rinse thoroughly.
Berry sauces: Dab with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar for remaining color then dab with dish detergent for remaining residue. Use water sparingly. Even if stain can’t be seen mark with tape for dry cleaner as sugars can caramelize when dry cleaned.
Gravy: Oil solvent for grease then dab with white vinegar until gone. Dab with cool water.
Grease: Dab with oil solvent then flush thoroughly with water. Follow with a flush of mineral spirits or denatured alcohol if necessary.
Sap: Dab with mineral spirits or oil solvent & let air dry. Rub gently with detergent then flush gently with water to rinse.
Tea: Dab with lemon juice; Contains sugar follow up flushing with water; milk follow up with an oil solvent.
Wax: Freeze by running an ice cube over. Scrape as much off as possible. Iron on low setting with a towel placed over & beneath stain. Use mineral spirits to remove residue.
Red Wine: Dab with denatured alcohol. Dab with white vinegar for remaining color and then dab with cool water to rinse.
White wine: Dab with cool water. ven if stain can’t be seen mark with tape for dry cleaner as sugars can caramelize when dry cleaned.
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I am pretty well known among my friends that if I eat mustard (the old school plain yellow kind) it will end up on me! With Halloween around the corner, chocolate stains might be an issue! Have some of these items together to tackle some common stains:
For washable fabrics:
Chocolate: Combination solvent for grease & rinse. If needed, a digestant for protein.
Coffee: White vinegar till gone. Has sugar: follow up flush with water; milk follow up with combination solvent.
Berry sauces: Dab with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar for remaining color then dab with dish detergent for remaining residue.
Gravy: Combination solvent for grease then flush with white vinegar.
Grease: Cover with absorbent to draw out stain. Dab with combination solvent & flush with water. If necessary, flush with mineral spirits.
Sap: Dab with mineral spirits & let air dry. Rub with detergent before washing.
Tea: Flush with lemon juice to remove color then diluted bleach if necessary; Contains sugar follow up with water; milk follow up with combination solvent.
Wax: Freeze by running an ice cube over. Scrape as much off as possible. Iron on low setting with a towel placed over & beneath stain. Use mineral spirits to remove residue.
Red wine: On delicate cloth soak spot with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar to remove residual stain. On sturdy fabrics, coat with salt and leave for 5 minutes. Stretch stain over heat proof bowl; secure with rubber band. Place in sink & carefully pour boiling water over stain from a height of at least a foot.
White wine: Flush with cool water.
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First, some statistics:
•An average household of four throws away $590/year in food
•Wasted food may also have wasted packaging, transportation costs, agricultural costs and other secondary environmental impacts.
•Americans throw away 25% of the food we prepare
•We produce twice as much food as needed per person
Cooked leftovers stay fresh for up to seven days and some can taste better the second time around. Declare at least one night use it up meal! Plan ahead to save time & resources. According to a 2009 study from the Bulk is Green Council you can save an average of 35% by buying just what you need!
Create tacos from leftover chicken, greens & roasted veggies; omelet with leftover greens & herbs; pesto leftover cheese, herbs & nuts; warm beet salad with leftover beet greens.
Extras: If you won’t get to leftovers soon, freeze them in individual sizes; broth & tomato paste can be frozen into ice cubes; nuts store well in the freezer.
Reorganize your fridge & put leftovers in one area. Put the oldest first, newest in back. Label & date so you know what the item is!
What are you going to recreate this week??
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Halloween is my favorite holiday! I love to dress up and see all the trick or treaters. When I was little my dad made an Indian princess costume for me out of a burlap sack. Many times I have been “static cling” where I take a blanket and pin socks, t-shirts, underwear, or whatever else is in my drawer.
Here are some suggestions on ways to bring some green along with the orange and black this Halloween!
Costumes
Check out Consignment and Thrift shops and garage sales.
Raid your own closets: what can you make with what you have?
Old costumes are often donated to Goodwill, Salvation Army. Also look on E bay and Craigs List.
Remember, it is doubtful that that plastic costume can be recycled. What can you make out of cardboard which can be recycled?
Candy
Buy organic apples
Check out your local health food store for organic chocolates; on line: http://www.worldwidechocolate.com/organic_chocolate.html
Roast pumpkin seeds
Decorations
What in nature can you find to inspire you? Leaves, pumpkins, pine cones…
Eco Friendly Trick or Treat Bags
Reuse a paper sack
Use a reusable cloth sack
Have your child decorate a reusable tote bag
Here’s a great site to check out for even more ideas: http://www.greenhalloween.org/
What creative things are you doing to make your Halloween more green this year?
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Some suggestions to get your food organized for optimum health!
Put fresh food snacks (washed, cut & dried veggies & fruit; hard boiled eggs) at eye level so that is the first thing you see! Eat stuff here within a few days.
Second shelf: Yogurt, cheese, hummus, nuts for grab & go fuel.
Middle drawer: Meats & cheeses for snacks & add on to salads.
Left Bottom Shelf: Hydration: Water, all natural juices, skim milk, seltzer water.
Right Bottom 2 Shelves: Herbs, cooked rice & quinoa for quick fiber rich meals.
Bottom Drawers: Veggies, veggies, veggies. Fruits separately as they can increase decaying process.
The Door: Condiments like salsa & miso to add flavor to meal instead of fat!
Freezer: Store veggie & fruit at top for smoothies; meal size containers of soups, etc.; lean cuts of beef, chicken, fish.
Here’s to organizing for good health!
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Time to tackle the fridge & get organized for better health! Quick tips to organize:
Pull out all items and sort into categories that make sense to you
Purge everything even slightly questionable: when in doubt, throw it out!
Create zones: Food type (dairy, condiments) By person (roommate) By size (small space). A lazy susan is great to use for condiments to save space & bring to the table to flavor foods.
Dedicate one drawer for individually proportioned snacks.
Store leftovers in a special section to make sure you use (don’t forget to date!)
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Many times our pantries get overwhelmed and people are hesitant to throw anything out. Decluttering as much as possible is always a good idea when getting organized. I have kept a guide from Martha Stewart’s magazine with expiration date suggestions from years ago!
Oils: Cool, dark place up to 6 months. refrigerate nut oils and use within 3 months.
Vinegars: Up to one year in a cool spot.
Grains, Dried Beans: Up to one year. To discourage pests, keep cornmeal in the freezer.
Dried Pasta & Rice: Transfer to air tight containers after opening. Use within 1 year.
Baking needs: Extracts last several years; leaveners lose potency after 1 year and should be discarded after expiration date.
Sugars: Double wrap to keep moist. Syrups at room temp original container up to a year.
Flours: Wheat up to a year. Freeze almond flour up to 6 months.
Nuts & Dried Fruits: Nuts in freezer up to 6 months; fruits 6 months to a year well-sealed.
Canned & Bottled: Head expiration dates; otherwise most to one year.
Spices: Most lose potency after one year; keep in airtight containers away from light.
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