Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Not your Grandma's quilts

As a would be fiber artist, I think I sometimes forget that you can take the oldest techniques and methods and give them a completely new twist. This guy has done just that with solar system inspired quilts--jimmy mcbride.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Have a green holiday!

Here we are just four weeks from Thanksgiving and I really haven't thought about what I'll do this year for Christmas. The holiday season is, without a doubt, one of the most consumer oriented, waste producing times of year. Not to sound like a grinch--I love the holidays, but several years ago, my family decided to scale back on Christmas and make it more about family get together than gift exchange. We limit gifts to less than $20 or something hand made and focus instead on trying to get together for the holidays. We cook a big, family, gut-busting meal, pull out card games and family albums, and laugh til we cry.

This year, instead of buying and decorating a tree for the house, we are going to decorate the big blue spruce in the middle of the yard. You can see it clearly from our living room window. A few things we have in mind for decorations are cranberries and popcorn garlands, pine cones smeared with peanut butter and rolled in bird seed, and other bird friendly decorations. Christmas cards will get recycled for craft projects. I buy plain paper in bright colors so I can use it year round. I've also used the Sunday funnies for wrapping paper.

There are many ways to make your Christmas more earth friendly and meaningful if you just start now and give it a little thought. It is also a great time of year to teach your kids about giving and caring for others. For more ideas for a more earth friendly holiday, check out this article from Green Living Tips. If electronics will be high on your list of things to give and receive, check out this website to find locations near you that recycle old electronics.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Eating wisely

I have been on a gluten free diet for the past 25 years, so naturally I probably read labels and pay more attention to what is in food than the average person does. When I start reading labels and see a list of things that look like they came from the chemical shelf in a lab, I cringe. Gluten-free may not be easy, but I think it may be healthier in the long run.

I can remember family get-togethers where a big lunch was served, everything was covered with a cup towel and left on the table and we then grazed on it the rest of the afternoon. No one got sick or died that I can recall, but maybe we were just lucky. Nowadays, I don't take that risk.

I have a wonderful book, Stocking Up, that I often refer to for advice on storing and processing fruits, vegetables and meats. I recently found a website, FoodSafety.gov, that has additional information on recalls and safety. With so much of our food supply coming from countries that don't have the safety standards that we expect, I think it is only prudent to educate ourselves on food safety and where our food comes from. When possible, I try to buy from local farmers, because even our organic produce comes from a long way off.