Prayers for Tricia

For those of you that read my blog often you are well aware of my friend Sweet Tricia and her wait for a second double lung transplant . This week there was what they are calling a "First Dry Run" . Tricia is now back in the hospital and not feeling well . You can read details about that on her husband Nathans Blog .

I just would like to ask you to keep her and the family in your prayers . If you are curious about organ donation , myths and facts please check out Nathan's Blog Here .  He has many links to multiple sites that can inform you on how to be a organ donor . He also has their personal testimony as he and Tricia have experienced life on the transplant list .

My prayer for Tricia.

Gods Car Wash

Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose

 

I thought I would stay on the Earth Day track with today's post . This Spring has brought with it some crazy high pollen counts . That pollen has brought with it runny eyes, sniffy noses and a cover for our cars , bikes and all out door items . Even protected by a car port or garage cars are changing colors with all the pollen . My lil' car is one of those cars that seems to be more yellow than anything . Of course like most people I'm very tempted to go through the car wash and give my car a thorough scrubbing , but this time I decided to check the weather before making a trip to the car wash .  www.weather.com predicted rain for Wednesday as well as the up coming weekend so I decided to wait for the rain .

With today's rain I parked my car in the drive way and let mother nature do the rest of the work . No, it is not the same as a scrub that a mechanical car wash with huge brushes and hoses , but it did get rid of the inches of pollen covering my car. I can actually see its original color now .

 

 

 I saved some money , some water and some time by going this route on car washing . Next time your car, lawn furniture or planters needs a rinse check the weather forecast first .

 

 

Happy Earth Day Week

 ~ Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose~



Get Your Liquid Snack On

 

I have several friends that have done juice cleanse , juice diets and liquid only diets . All for varied reasons and for varied spans of time . I have never been a fan and probably never will be . This liquid yumminess however is something I can support .

As a child chocolate milk is always a  fun go to snack or treat . I think as a adult it can be a wonderful treat as well . Everyone does a little something different now and then to put a little spin on it . Let me suggest Almond Joy Flavored Coffee Creamer . I love coconut so this is a double whammy of goodness in a my cup . Especially with the weather switch from Winter to Spring I'm loving some fruit and fruit flavors .

I'm sure you could add any flavor of creamer and it would be a wonderful twist on your childhood treat of chocolate milk . I may even try it in hot chocolate in the future , but for now here is the recipe I used .

~ Chocolate Coconut Milk ~

1 Tablespoon Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

1/2 or 1 Teaspoon Creamer

1 Cup of 2% Cold Milk

Stir- Enjoy

 

 

Have you made any new and refreshing treats this Spring ? Share with us !

Happy Earth Day 2013

 

http://www.earthday.org/

 

Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose

 

April 22nd , 2013 is Earth Day . As I took a walk at the park and enjoyed some outdoor time today my mind was flooded with ideas . I wish I had some of my friends lil' ones to celebrate Earth Day with, was a teacher or something like that . We would be so productive picking up trash , having a picnic and just playing outside . Today in honor of Earth Day Target gave away reusable bags . I love a free prize ! Especially when it's something as useful as this . At Target when you check out with a reusable bag you receive a 5 cent discount for each reusable bag you bring . So, not only was this tote free it saved me 5 cents and will continue to do so each time I use it at Target .  It also came with a packet of coupons . I haven't looked through them yet, but I'm sure they'll be helpful in the future . Many stores will discount your order if you bring your own bag . Check their web sites or ask a store associate for details .  Reusable bags are great gifts and are usually fairly in expensive . I think instead of using a normal disposable gift bag to gift with ,  these are a wonderful alternative and a bonus to whatever you are already gifting someone . Most stores sell them these days and they come in varied colors, designs , sizes , etc . This way a person will be reminded of your thoughtfulness not just of them , but of the earth each time they use it .



 

Since I love FREEBIES here is a link for some Earth Day free stuff

Earth Day Freebies

 

Today at the park I fed the ducks and geese some old bread I'd kept for such a time . It was so fun to watch them gobble up the bread and to see the fish bullet to the top of the water to try and snag a bite too . Jack Davis didn't seem to be bothered too much by the birds which is surprising given his past fowl mishaps . I then used the left over bread bag as a poopsie bag for when it was JD's "go time" . Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose ! When I lived in Chattanooga most public places such as down town , the river,  park , etc. have "doggy bag" stands to be pet friendly and promote bringing out your fur babies to varied activities . I think they're such a great idea !! They're also a wonderful place to recycle your extra grocery bags . I often would donate my over flow of grocery bags to these stands for people who might not have a "doggy bag" pouch on their leash . Jack has such a pouch on his leash that a dear friend gave to us years ago . It is so handy to have when your pooch needs to go in a publicly walked area .  Recently I ran out of the little bags that came with the pouch , but once again necessisty is the mother of invention . Today I took several grocery bags and smooshed them into this pouch . Once again another wonderful way to Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose . Below are a few of my more recent posts on varied opportunities to Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose . I have a few projects in the works on things that I'm repurposing , etc . I'll be adding those soon .

 

Get Paid to Save the Planet

 

Trash or Treasure

 

Multi- Purpose

 

Holiday Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose

 

How are you celebrating Earth Day 2013 ?

What are some creative ways you Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose ?

Happy Birthday Jack Davis

courtesy of www.sothecooksaid.blogspot.com

Today was Jack Davis 7th birthday . I wrote here about our activities from his 6th birthday . We didn't get into baking today , but we did manage to visit some family . Jack even played with his Aunt Peaches who normally won't have a thing to do with him . It was cute . We also fed ducks at the park , went for a walk , got a new toy , and ate a little turkey bacon .

New Toy - Dog Truth

Jack is now resting and recovering from such a busy day . I'm worried he may have some bruised ribs or something from his last scuffle with a wild dog . Today he seemed to cry a little when he was held . So sad . I'm hoping if he gets some rest it'll work its self out .

Something that I can't help but to learn every year when I take the time to celebrate Jacks bday is how important it is to remain focused on others . I know many think that this kind of attention for a four legged other is kinda bonkers , but I think it's necessary . It is so easy in this day and age to be focused solely on our selves . To be so focused on ones self is destructive , toxic and just plane unhelpful . Don't get me wrong, I have many days where my main focus is "poor little me" . Those days are the worse and only bring me further down .

Take time to find someone or something to celebrate or support . I'm confident if you leave your home you'll see signs for walks, races , and what not looking for volunteers and participants . I wrote here about varied ways one can get involved, give back , etc . I'd love to hear a report back on what creative ways you have found to take the focus of self .

Happy 7th Jack Davis Birthday !!

 

1 Human Year = 7 Dog Years

Technically by this logic JD just turned 49.

He deserves a rest .

 

Get Paid to Save the Planet

Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose

Before you toss your soda can in the trash realize you are throwing away free money ! Just this week I took saved soda cans to a local center that repurposes varied metal and received a couple bucks for my trash bag full of cans . It may have only been a few bucks, but hey it's a few bucks more than I started with . After using a coupons for a free Route 44 at Sonic (that I'd received from filling out a survey) and turning in my soda cans I ended the day feeling like I earned a few extra bucks .

 

All you have to do to get started is get a extra trash can to sit beside your normal trash can in the kitchen (or wherever you keep your trash) . When you finish a soda (I usually rinse mine out to prevent ants) , smoosh it , and toss it in your recycle bin . Before you know it after guests, meals , picking up trash from the yard (my grandparents live in a place where people freely toss trash out their window as they drive by), etc. you'll have a bag full of smashed soda cans ready for recycling , repurposing and best of all fund raising ! When I was in college one of my science teachers offered us extra credit for recycling soda cans . You better believe I took that opportunity . Now a days with www.pinterest.com , DIY Blogs , and all the other resources you can find a ton of ways to repurpose soda cans , empty vegetable or fruit cans ( I have a project on the way. Stand by.) empty yogurt containers ,etc. Why not make a few dollars in the process ?!

 

 

To find out more ways to get/give back from your canned beverage purchases as well as a few other grocery purchases check out one of my past blog post here .

Multi-Purpose

You know by now if I can find  multiple uses for an item I'm a happy girl . I think this originated in college when funds are always low , but you've still gotta be able to shave your legs with out looking like a stabbing victim . Through out the years I've read a gazillion beauty articles in varied magazines always making mental note of what product is best for what . I also made some notes of my own along the way after trying different products in different ways .

Don't you just hate purchasing a product such as shampoo or conditioner and it not work on your hair the way it does on the model that promoted it ?! I do ! I decided that instead of tossing or giving away some of these products to see what else they might be able to do . Here's a list of my go to repurpose of a few beauty products .

Shampoo - Bubble Bath , Body Wash , Shave Soap , Dog Shampoo ( gotta be careful in case your pup has sensitive skin , etc. )

Conditioner - I have used hair conditioner for years as shave cream . It is made to moisturize so it makes for a perfect double duty product . Detangler for you or your pups hair . Depending on the conditioner it can at times be used as a moisturizer for your rough spots like elbows and ankles .

Lotion - Another handy shave cream replacement when you're in a jam . Lotion can at times be thick and cause a clog in your razor so you've gotta be sure to rinse out your razor after each stroke so not to miss a spot or slice yourself . Depending on the lotion you can sometimes use it for facial moisturizer or night cream . If you have rough elbows , ankles or heels then a thick lotion can be the perfect night time solution .

Toothpaste - Zit cream ( place on break out , let dry and wipe off in the morning - can help dry out some break outs )

Eye Drops - help take the redness out of a break out .

Eggs - Not only great for making your hair shiny, but also can be added to dog kibble to make their coat shiny as well .

Cucumber, Honey, and Oatmeal - Great for snacking or making a facial !

Sugar and Lotion - Body Scrub

The list could go on and on , but these are just a few ideas to get your wheels turning . So, before you toss , think .

Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Repurpose