greening up christmas

with christmas almost upon us, i thought i'd take a moment to share some ideas that might help in being a little 'greener' this year.

1. buy a real tree

i know what you're thinking- 'but it's a real tree, cut down, for me- ack!'. but here's the skinny- christmas trees are grown to be cut down. and for everyone cut down, usually, another one is planted in january. they are typically grown with little pesticide use and are compostable. fake trees, sadly, are not. i know that people often opt for fake trees as a way to save money, but then end up buying a new one after 3 or 4 years of smooshing it up in the attic. these trees are either thrown away after that, or taking up LOTS of space at a thrift store. and while donating the tree is the better option, giving a thrift store an item it can't sell just gives the tree a detour on its way to the landfill. buy a real, and preferably, a local tree this year. and if you have the space, another option would be to buy a potted tree that you can plant. that's not really an option for us, but i do like this idea... why didn't i think of this??? i could be a thousandaire by now!!!

2. wrap sustainably

last year i scored at goodwill. i found 10 brand new canvas bags that were under $1 each. i wrapped my family's presents in these, used newspaper to stuff, and made a simple bow out of tulle and twine. very cute, and it encouraged my reluctant family to start using a reusable shopping bag! and of course, there is always newspaper, the funnies, maps, damaged books-you name it! go nuts with these items you already have lying around the house.

(if this doesn't cut it for you, there are recycled wrapping paper options.)

3. tag it

we are a puzzle family. my kids love puzzles and so do i. i'm always finding cheap puzzles at the thrift store that i'll pick up. inevitably, we lose a piece here and there, eventually sending the puzzle to the back of the puzzle box. i have started using lost/random puzzle pieces as gift tags. i simply poke a whole in the top and attach it to the present using twine. a creative way to reuse something that you (probably) have around the house, and saves the puzzle from going to the landfill. this idea could be applied to other things as well. we have the same luck with playing cards that we do with puzzles, they make great tags as well. take a look around the house, i'm sure you will come up with something!

4. let there be (low energy) light!

have you seen the LED christmas lights? we bought a pack a few years ago and really love them. they use up to 90% less energy than conventional bulbs and last a very long time before burning out (some have a 50,000 hour burn life). if you are in the market for new lights this season, go this route (i also saw solar christmas lights at target the other day- another alternative).

5. hand made

last year i made every single present we gave. i had so much fun with it! this year, i'm making lots, but for those that i'm not making, i'm using etsy. i have found some really lovely, affordable gifts on etsy this year. there are so many sustainable, natural options. no plastic or weird chemicals being produced to make these gifts! i feel good knowing that i'm supporting a craftsperson this time of year. with the gifts i'm making, i'm trying my best to use sustainable, fair trade resources. moonpie's doll is being made out of organic cotton, sheep-friendly wool, fair trade merino wool for the hair, organic cotton yarn for the sweater, etc. other gifts i'm making i've found most of the materials at thrift stores. it's so fun to be creative with what you find!

imagine childhood

photo from gardenmama's blog

there is a little spot on the web that i regularly stop into called gardenmama. this blog of nicole's is full of light and creativity chronicling the moments she lives alongside her three little ones. right now nicole is hosting a giveaway from one my very favorite cyber shops, imagine childhood (you'll want to check out their blog too!).

stop by and check it out!

thankful

Psalm 100

A Psalm for Thanksgiving.

¹Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.

²Serve the LORD with gladness;

Come before Him with joyful singing.

³Know that the LORD Himself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

⁴Enter His gates with thanksgiving

And His courts with praise

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

⁵For the LORD is good;

His lovingkindness is everlasting

And His faithfulness to all generations.

thankful

Thanksgiving

Thank You

for all my hands can hold-

apples red

and melons gold,

yellow corn

both ripe and sweet,

peas and beans

so good to eat!

Thank You

for all my eyes can see-

lovely sunlight,

field and tree,

white cloud-boats

in sea-deep sky,

soaring bird

and butterfly.

Thank You

for all my ears can hear-

bird's song echoing

far and near,

songs of little

stream, big sea,

cricket, bullfrog,

duck and bee!

- Ivy O. Eastwick

thankful

i'm thankful for my husband.

he is a man that can get stuff done...

rotted out porch

ta-da

the fence he built for my in-laws

the truck he is rebuilding, piece by piece

the deck and screen he built out of re-claimed decking

and even when he doesn't know how to do something, he'll learn. like welding. i asked him to weld some old iron fencing together for me, just assuming he could. he said ok, and that was it. then a few days later he said he was going to a friend's house to learn how to weld.

see what happened there? instead of resigning to the fact that he couldn't weld, he agreed to do it, knowing that he could learn how to do it. i love that about him...

just one of the many things that i am thankful for about john.

and believe me, there are many...

i like...

...that when i ask my buddy "what's going on?" he answers "fine"

...or when i ask "how are you?" he replies "three"

...dire straits on pandora

...sunshiney fall days

...buddy's dirty jeans, delivered via plyers

...soup on the stove, bread in the oven

...that moonpie has been inspired by our reading this week and has fashioned herself a tutu out of chicken feathers, twine and tape (native american princess)

...that i am home to witness all of this- these conversations, sunlight on wood floors, nourishment, and creativity

nashville

our trip home was the perfect excuse to stop and visit family that we hadn't seen in a while. our first destination was nashville to visit my cousin katie and her sweet family.

on 'the strip' moonpie found the hat that was made for her. princess cowgirl!

this was john's only request- to stop in gruhn guitars to play a little. we gladly obliged. a girl came over to me and said "your husband is very talented". aw shucks.

we stumbled upon this restaurant. we found out that it is a nashville institution.

i think moonpie can tell you why. not only do those pancakes have chocolate chips sprinkled on them, but they are also dusted in powdered sugar. for anyone keeping track, that's 2 powdered sugar encounters on the trip. i love this picture of her because it shows how serious she is about those pancakes (they were shaped like bears).

we really enjoyed nashville. natural beauty and music- what's not to love?

oh, and did i mention a dukes of hazard museum?

road trip- on the road to nashville

i learned something new about my husband on this road trip. he is super easy going about getting to our destinations. any time we saw something awesome that we had to pull over and see, he would do it. no griping about it at all. very nice!

enter: bristol motor speedway




as you can see, the kids did very well in the big race. however, there seems to be some confusion about what place they came in

...was it first

...or was it fifth?

this one goes out to the one i love

photo credit: clover carroll

on my list of things to be thankful for, you're off the charts!

happy birthday my love!

road trip- days 4 & 5

we left ridgecrest with rain looming. we watched the fog roll across the mountains and sit, heavy. our hopes of riding the blue ridge parkway were crushed. don't get me wrong, we tried, and almost died. ( john would probably disagree about the almost dying part.) the lovely fog that we witnessed moving in was no longer so romantic. we couldn't see three feet in front of us. after trying for a while we finally turned off into a town and suddenly could see! and what to our wandering eyes did appear, you ask?

john thought he was in a fog induced dream land, but no, it was true! a whole restaurant dedicated to pork ( lucky for me and the kids, they offered other foods as well)! we had to stop in for our obligatory north carolina bbq. now, mind you, we are texans, and as texans, we are picky when it comes to bbq. this place for sure passed the test. however, they serve cole-slaw and fries with their bbq. what? no baked beans? no potato salad? we went ahead and ordered potato salad. being used to the mustardy german variety we were surprised, and yes, a bit offended, to see that they made their potato salad with sour cream. no thank you. strange potato salad aside, i must concede that we have never been to a friendlier restaurant. let's just say that buddy and moonpie do quite well in the mountains of north carolina.

we continued driving parallel to the blue ridge parkway, making our way up to a tiny mountain town near west jefferson, nc. this is what i had really been waiting for. we reserved a little cabin in the woods on the grounds of an organic farm! this place was perfect! it was situated up the mountain a bit from the farm. i am remiss to say that i have no pictures of our cabin, but you can visit it here. we loved it here. the cabin was a two story timber frame, with a full kitchen, wood burning stove and hot tub on the deck! and the view of the mountains was incredible. we hiked, played down by the river, swung from an old vine stuck in a tree, made soup and smores, read and played cards.



buddy most enjoyed making leaf boats. that sweet boy would have stood there all day sailing leaves down the river. i loved that this simple act brought him so much pleasure. moonpie had a notebook and pencil in hand and spent time drawing out elaborate river wildlife food chains. this time, down on the river bank, was so sweet...

we even ventured into virginia. the drive was breath taking, but we really just wanted to be snuggled up in our cabin. so after a brief visit to galaxa, va, we headed back 'home'.

there were christmas tree farms all over this part of the country. i think the kids grew tired of hearing me say "look out your window- a christmas tree farm!". i was amazed at those trees lining the mountains. i really wanted to bring one home, but john, sensible man that he is, vetoed that idea.

upon our return home our host, farmer sally, came up to visit us. she took the kids and john down to tour the farm and pick some arugula. moonpie talked about the greenhouses all day. i thought they were just going down to move the cars around, or i would have been all over that tour. i stayed up in the cabin to make an apple crisp for an after supper treat.

just thinking about that night warms me up inside- the four of us, by the fire light, eating our homemade chicken soup and apple crisp. that little moment in time is another that is stored in my heart. my sweet babies and even sweeter husband, enjoying the quiet and the 'just being' with one another.

as much as we enjoyed visiting the asheville area, i must confess that i could have stayed in this cabin the entire week. moonpie has already begun her plans of the cabin we are going to build one day.

one day...

road trip- day 3

our second full day in north carolina, we decided to go apple picking. from the time i discovered that north carolina is one of the largest apple producing states in the nation, i knew we had to make this part of our trip. some folks may go to dollywood, we go apple picking. the kids were looking forward to this more than any other thing. i was so thankful that the weather was clear, cool and sunny that day. perfect for apple picking.

we found a small orchard that still had some apples left for picking. this was harder than i had anticipated. i contacted several before we left (through this link) and found that just a few were still producing. fortunately, this one was pretty close to us- and the drive was beautiful!

there were several road side stands on the way to the orchard selling apples, honey and mountain cabbage. mountain cabbage? can anyone let me in on this mysterious variety? we saw it every where- and it was huge. i wanted to buy some so bad- but i didn't have a kitchen (this however didn't stop us from picking a bushel of apples!).

the apples we picked were rome beauties. i had never had this variety before- oh my! they are delicious! our favorite part was that when we picked one to eat, it was as though they had just come out of the refrigerator. they were so nice and cold. very crisp and sweet. i say that was my favorite part, but actually, i more enjoyed the sheer delight of my children. moonpie's pockets were full. she looked like a little chipmunk as she flit from one tree to the next singing the johnny appleseed blessing. and buddy couldn't really be bothered with picking. he was too busy eating. these are the small moments that i treasure- all stored up in my heart for later.

all in all we picked a bushel of apples (that's about 60 pounds). that seems like a lot, but i actually wish we would have picked more. we ate half a bushel just on the road!

as you can see, the kids came up with some really awesome poses. you will see this trend continue...

after picking, the kids wanted to go hiking again. i asked one of the workers if there was any good hiking around. after a strange look she told me that we were just 10 miles away from chimney rock. you know- where 'last of the mohicans' was filmed. umm, yeah, we had to check it out.

i had seen chimney rock mentioned in my research, but for some reason, i hadn't planned on us going. but i'm glad we ended up in the area, because it was really beautiful.

check out that view!

after hiking up to the rock, we hiked way down to the waterfall. they say the hike is about 20 minutes to the falls. that must be for people who are more destination focused. we, being more about the journey, took about 45 minutes to get there. we had fun identifying trees, finding lichen and moss, and checking out the enormous root 'caves'.

and then just when you start wondering 'where is that waterfall, anyway?', you are greeted with the sound of falling water.

we turned the bend, and found this:

obviously, a picture from the i-phone can't even begin to capture how beautiful it was. but trust me here, it really was beautiful.

on our hike back up we met up with a couple that was riding their motorcycles through the mountains. they were lots of fun and had really great stories to share.

after our hike, we ate some apples and called it a day. on the way back to our hotel we stopped in black mountain again for dinner. black mountain is a neat little town. it is a nice mix of small town charm and culture- all in the middle of the mountains.

by the time we got back to our hotel that night, we were beat. we had to rest up for our next day- the blue ridge parkway!