almost june?!

I guess with my last post, I should have given a heads up that I would probably disappear for weeks on end. This past month has been an absolute whirlwind and it literally felt like I lost a few weeks in there. Talk about a time warp.

But since my last post...

I've designed, printed and mailed the invitations for my best friend's bridal shower,
gone to an end-of-the-school-year office mini golf party,
went to a bunch of yoga classes with one of my closest friends,
led a group of 15 college students on a weekend camping trip in the White Mountains,
sold my wedding dress,
sold a blender,
sold two surfboards,
sold a wakeboard,
went to the doctor,
finished up teaching the class and graded everything,
had about 7 meetings a week,
planned, shopped, organized and packed food for 110 people in the wilderness for 12 days,
planned a graduation party,
celebrated Mother's Day with mom, mother-in-law and a grandma,
moved out of our yacht club apartment to crash with my parents for a week,
had dinner with a bunch of family in New Hampshire,
watched my husband graduate,
moved to Pennsylvania,
scrubbed all of the patio furniture so that it could be used (priority!),
did some weeding around the yard,
and had a Memorial Day cookout with the fam down here.

I'm exhausted just having typed all of that. Welcome to our month of May.

But now we're almost completely settled in to our new temporary home. Not sure how long we'll be here, but I could totally get used to life on the farm. We're staying in my in-laws country property - the space that is half used for my father-in-law's office and now half rented by us. And it's beautiful.

See? A life I could easily be okay with :)

Today holds the remainder of the unpacking and possibly some more yard work, but I'll hopefully be back here in a more regular fashion soon enough. I hope you all had a wonderfully relaxing Memorial Day weekend, and now I have a month's worth of blog-reading to catch up on! ;)

temptations

Here are some things I'm being tempted by lately.

Parents, look away. There's nothing to see here.

1. a glorious map and compass for the wanderer. 

2. i'm not usually one for the flowers, but this is beautiful. 

3. a sleeve in white ink?! 

4. the most adorable sibling tattoo. although a little fem... don't think my bros would be game ;) 

5. fly away 

6. a delicate & girly anchor 

7. the most tempting - a friendly little wave from the sea.

vegeholic.

I'm not a true vegetarian, but I love vegetables. Sometimes I don't know what else to have for dinner with my vegetables. I bet my parents never would have seen that coming. I don't have much of a sweet tooth (minus Oreos) so most of the time, I would prefer some oil-slathered and spiced asparagus for dessert over your typical treats.

We love baking veggies at our house. They're part of almost every meal. Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, kale chips - ugh, so dang good. If you haven't hopped on this train yet: toss any them in olive oil with salt and garlic powder and bake them for about 20 min at 350F (kale takes a little less time so they don't burn). It'll change your life.

Given our addiction, we've been trying to branch out and try other veggies. There's of course the bell peppers that we stir fry sometimes and add to a bowl of couscous. And I love stir frying green beans too (so that they're nice and crispy) and adding soy sauce, ginger and honey. Then there's my edamame fixation and our experiment with some very yummy leeks.

But those aren't all that impressive. I mean, it was time to really branch out. That's why Will told me it was time for these...

Scary, I know.

But he really likes them, and it was a first for me! So I had to man-up and give them a shot.

And folks, we're in love. The asparagus is a little intimidated.

Below is a new favorite dish that I've made like five times over now.

Cut the stubby end off of the sprout and then cut them in half. Remove any wilted leaves, but keep the other ones that fall off in the process - they end up being like yummy kale chips after fried! Saute sprouts and leaves in oil about 4-5 minutes on each side and sprinkle salt and garlic powder on them.

Meanwhile, be boiling water to cook some pasta until it's al dente (nearly done). Then drain the pasta and add it to the frying pan with the brussels. Add soy sauce and cook for five more minutes, stirring frequently so the pasta doesn't stick but gets the chance to be a little crunchy. Then add soy sauce, a squeeze of honey and some sesame seeds, and voila! Delish.

Did I mention that if I was paid to photograph anything, it would be food? It's the most agreeable subject.

Green Up for Earth Week: No. 3

This Earth Day post is coming a little late because Sunday was a day of sloth and recovery (and because this post is quite extensive, as you'll soon see). And by that I mean it was spent catching up on sleep, stretching out sore muscles, cleaning the house, reading good books, listening to a sermon, starting a movie, eating Chinese food, and enjoying some much needed Sabbath rest. Mmmm, now that's a good Earth Day.

Saturday was the real Earth Day celebration. We embarked with five friends to the summit of Mount Washington. Oh, Mount Washington. Their tagline is, "Home of the World's Worst Weather." Sounds inviting, huh? Actually, it sounds a tad dramatic, but it's really scary - the highest recorded windspeed on Earth was at Mount Washington, clocked in at 231 mph. Let's just say I'm glad I wasn't around for that.

We had hopes of hiking the Tuckerman's Ravine trail to the summit, but were instructed otherwise when we reached the cabin at the base. So we turned around about a half mile and hiked Lion's Head instead. At Lion's Head less than 1 mile from the summit, we decided that the ominous clouds emerging over the peak weren't very welcoming, especially as the wind picked up. From there, we watched the crazies ski Tuck's and hiked back down to escape the rain.

Tuckerman's Ravine [source]

It was tough to be so close to the summit and decide to turn around, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Mount Washington isn't going anywhere. But it made for a loooong day and some sore bodies. From when we left the house in the morning until we returned? 18 hours, with a stop for dinner. Long, long day. But, we were out enjoying nature!

This final installment of my Earth Week mini-series is one that I'll have a tough time writing about. A few months ago, I learned about something that made my stomach churn.

[via Be Green]

[via Honolulu Magazine]

[via Quest Garden]

Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Yeah, I hadn't either. 

But it's considered to be the world's largest landfill.

How this doesn't get more media attention is astounding to me. In the North Pacific Ocean, tidal currents from the shores of Asia, Australia and North and South America have literally created a vortex or whirlpool, which draws in marine debris and trash from all sides, creating a massive island of garbage that is roughly* more than twice the size of Texas. But where is it actually located? Althought it stretches all the way to Japan, a major convergence zone is in the ocean between California and Hawaii.

[via Ocean Conservancy]

What?! Why isn't this talked about all the time? Sure, it's talked about by scientific researchers and marine biologists, but this needs to become more common knowledge to the general public. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made possible by the North Pacific gyre (gyre: noun - spiral, vortex; circular pattern of ocean currents) which is the flow of currents off the coast of four continents. Even though it's not near every continent, it is the whole world's problem. All of the currents eventually flow together, so no, this is not America and Asia's fault.

And it's not about avoiding throwing trash into the ocean or doing more beach clean-ups (although that's obviously important!) - 80% of the trash found originated on land (L.A. Times 2006).

[via NOAA]

Not only is this a problem because it's the most vile thing one could ever conceive, it's absolutely devastating to the oceanic ecosystems. Because of the sludge of plastic and chemicals, bits of plastic now outnumber zooplankton 6 to 1. Zooplankton play a vital role in the food chain of sea life, and now larger animals are getting the zooplankton confused with plastic. And the animals that eat those animals will also be eating that same plastic, and they'll be getting caught in the larger debris. Since plastic isn't biodegradable, it won't ever really go away completely. It will just get smaller and smaller, which means more confusing for the animals and harder for us to capture and clean. (greenfudge.org) Take a look at this sample...

[via The Telegraph]

That's what our sea friends are living in, drinking, and eating.

The saddest thing I've read about it is that there's no real way to clean it up. The damage has basically been done, so now we just need to maintain it and clean up our act for the future. This trash travels thousands of miles to reach the vortex and the amount of plastic has increased 10 times every two to three years for the past decade. (greenfudge.org)

[via garbagepatchinfo]

[via cookiesound]

a turtle caught in a plastic ring when he was young [via conservation report]

Feeling depressed and helpless like me?

Here are some things we can actually do to help:

- TELL EVERYONE YOU SEE.
(Tweet this post or link it to your blog or Facebook)

- quit it with the plastic bags and plastic bottles, already.

- participate in waterway clean-up projects.

- pick up litter.

- reduce packaging wherever possible.

- avoid plastic wherever possible, as it's the major problem.

And here are some great websites and articles for additional research:

- Greenfudge: The Parabolic Toilet of the Environment

- Ocean Conservancy: Myths and Realities

- Sustainablog: Our Throwaway Society

- Be Green

- CookieSound Travel Blog

I'd love to know - had you heard of The Great Pacific Garbage Patch before? Any good resources to recommend? Don't leave this Earth Day feeling discouraged. Leave feeling empowered, because God has given us this land to steward and everyone plays a part!


*The patch can't actually be measure since it's fluid and constantly moving, but enormous amounts of garbage do accumulate in this location.

Green Up for Earth Week: No. 2

The second installment of this Earth week mini-series is much more comprehensive. No matter who you are, you can definitely put some of these tips from Real Simple into action!

I freaking love this magazine. I got eight free issues once... those were eight of the best months of my life. I just feel a little wasteful because I move through magazines at a snail's pace, so maybe I'll revisit a Real Simple subscription again sometime in the future. But as for now, reviewing old magazines and clipping the heck out of them along with frequenting the website, seems to satisfy my cravings.

So without further ado...

All ideas by Real Simple. Read source article here!

AT HOME:
1. Set a programmable thermostat. Don't heat or cool the house when you're not in it!

2. Only wash your clothes when they're actually dirty. Most washing machines are 40 gallons per load. Whoa. Don't wash your clothes when they're wrinkled - wash them when they really need it, and do it in cold water. That way, you're saving the electricity that it takes to heat that water up, too.

3. Clean the drier filter. 30% more energy is used when those things are clogged! Yuck.

AT THE OFFICE:
4. Choose a laptop.  Laptops use about half the energy that a desktop does, and they also don't need to be plugged in all the time. If a desktop is the way you have to go - unplug when you leave. About 10% of energy costs comes from what's called "phantom power" - that's energy used when something is plugged in even though it's off. The nerve.

5. Cut back on the junk. Junk mail eats up trees, water and releases harmful emissions. Real Simple says if each American went through the slight hassle it takes to cancel some junk mail, 100 million trees would be saved each year. That definitely sounds worth it to me.

6. Buy green from your utility. For a few extra bucks a month, you can choose to be powered by renewable energy!

IN THE BATHROOM:
7. Turn off the tap. Three gallons a minute, so no need for the babbling brook sound effects while you pee, brush your teeth or shave.

8. Use a water filter. Brita is just as good as bottled water, so don't fear the tap! You can even get the kind that attach straight to your faucet!

9. Install a better showerhead. You can save 1,000 to 8,000 gallons of water, and not lose the pressure you love!

IN THE KITCHEN:
10. Give up red meat once a week. The meat production industry is killer on our resources. Skipping out just once a week can save 840 gallons of fresh water... for one serving?! How on earth...

11. Use biodegradable and plant-based dishwasher soap. They still get the job done, but without the chemicals.

12. Choose the right appliance. Electric kettles, toaster ovens and slow cookers - all very energy efficient appliances!

AT THE RECYCLING CENTER:
13. Donate old cell phones. These little devils produce more than 65,000 tons of potentially harmful waste. Do you really need that new phone? If so, recycle the old one!

14. Recycle wisely. Learn what can go and what can't! There is always more to be recycled. Earth911.org is an excellent resource!

15. Reuse everything. Think of new uses for things, give hand-me-downs, receive hand-me-downs, thrift shop... make a game out of it :) "Now what else could I do with this....?"

ON THE ROAD:
16. Carry a reusable water bottle. Save your cash for things like gas. Americans use 3.3 million plastic bottles every hour... and only 1 in 5 get recycled. That's horrific.

17. Don't idle. Turn your ignition off! No, it doesn't waste more gas than idling. And less emissions too!

18. Tune up. Maintaining your car the way you should is far better for the environment. Oh, and speeding, fast accelerations and quick braking wastes gas!

AT THE STORE:
19. Buy recycled napkins. If every American purchased one package of 100% recycled napkins, 1 million trees would be saved. Or - why not try cloth? But remember to reuse and only wash in cold when they're very dirty!

20. Purchase organic cotton clothes. Cotton is the second most chemically sprayed crop in America (corn is first). Ew.

21. Choose biodegradable cat litter, which can be flushed instead of dumped into land fills!

22. Buy local foods. Of course. It's fresher, supports local farmers, conserves fuel and reduces pollution. Can't go wrong.

23. Bring your own bags. Not as obvious as it sounds. Americans are still using about 100 billion plastic bags a year. Don't even get me started on what happens when those hit the ocean! Plastic bags have got to go!

24. Choose the right fish. Wild salmon is best, and check out this seafood watch guide to prevent overfishing: mbayaq.org

25. Reduce excess packaging. Let your veggies roam free in the cart, buy music online, and see what alternatives there are to heavily packaged goods.

Visit the source article for more details!

What's on tomorrow's agenda? A good long Earth Day-Eve hike in the White Mountains.

Look for another late night post tomorrow - if I don't fall asleep on the ride home. No promises.

Have a good weekend!