Back to Nature

Chris and I spent our weekend camping. I wish i'd remembered to bring the camera, though we weren't pretty sights to see. We had a blast though. I'm still tired today. Camping sure is fun, but it's not easy to sleep. Chris and I made a good team though, and we both enjoyed some things we love, while outdoors. It's a good reminder of how little we all really NEED in order to live. Next time, I need to offer to bring the plates and cups, etc. My neighbor brought all styrofoam, and INSISTED on burning it all after it was used. It made me feel really really guilty. We had a car jam packed with stuff, as as well as the dog, or I would have INSISTED on taking trash home with me.
All in all though - fun times! We're hoping to do it again in the fall!

Eco General Store

My friend Kate and I checked out Park + Vine today - a new "Eco General Store" in Cincinnati that has its grand opening this weekend, starting today. We were both so excited to go to the opening and it didn't disappoint! They had a great range of products, and I bought several things - including a soy-based toilet scrub, a new toothbrush with changable heads, biodegradable kitchen waste bags and sandwich bags, and a cool greeting card made from an old John Mellencamp album cover!
We were both impressed that even though we drove down there from our office together, we dropped a quarter into a bin to offset our carbon emissions for the trip there!

My Own Personal Hell

Our bathroom renovation project hasn't gone exactly the way we'd hoped. It's looking like we're going to need to hire professional help for the walls, after my dad arrived tonight to do the electric work, installing boxes for our new lighting, and removing the old. Take a look. And shoot me now. I have been SO anxious just to have this project done, and it looks like it's going to be grossly extended!

States I've Visited.

Kinda sad. I need to do some more traveling, eh? Only 49%



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A Pleasant Surprise

Last spring, I planted Peonies. This year they've gotten little buds on them. One was much deeper pink than the others, and today, that bud was all opened up in my garden. Beautiful, isn't it? I'm so excited!
I think the other two plants are going to have the traditional multi-petaled pale pink blooms, but I do think this one is striking. I can't wait to see it next year when the plant is full size and has multiple blooms!

The Greening of Mayhem Continues

Our next attempt at greening!

Hardwood Charcoal. I read an interesting article this past week on grilling - the green way. Chris and I have both a charcoal grill (because i'm a purist), and a gas grill that we bought second hand (because gas grills are quick and easy - and we often need a second grill when we have a party). My favorite cousin and her husband were in town this week, and stopped by the other night. I was discussing this Hardwood Charcoal i've read about with them. When I went home at lunch today, there was a bag of it on my front porch that they got for me at Trader Joe's.

It put a smile on my face, and it makes me smile just thinking about it. I'm excited to try it out. I'm quite a grilling enthusiast, so i'll keep everyone posted!

Spring has Sprung!

Springtime is my favorite time of year, now that I am a homeowner. Aside from both of us having allergies, it's just wonderful to spend so much time outside enjoying beautiful weather, sleeping with the windows open, and enjoying our neighbors.

We did a full day of yard work last weekend, and it was so rewarding. I added a SECOND compost bin in the yard, so Chris removed a Honeysuckle tree (I hate those things!) to open up a space near the fenceline, and we're now planning to remove them all, and plant evergreens in their place. My compost project is going well. I had actual FINISHED COMPOST at the bottom of my pile on Sunday when I was turning it. I was giddy with excitement.

We also had a nice evening last night. My neighbor is from Denmark and invited us over to come and meet his mother and uncle who arrived on Monday for a visit. It was such a pleasant evening. I always love to hear the observations of someone who is visiting our country for the first time, and recommending things for them to do.

This weekend we'll be hitting up the farmer's plants at the market for some annuals. I love having flowers around! I know, I know. My content here is really getting boring. It's so interesting to me to observe my OWN transformations these days.