Uh...like...hellloooooo?

Yes, dear readers, I am still here - just enjoying the past week and a half of frantically getting up to speed at my new place of employment. I promise to post more later, but my latest job-related read was Because of Winn-Dixie which I read last night in just a couple of hours. If you saw the movie and did not care for it (I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know how true it is to the book), please read this gem of a book by Kate DiCamillo. It's wonderful.

Green Housekeeping

First of all, I know I said that I have given up crafting forever, but why oh why oh why can't I have enough talent to make these? The patterns are just mocking me with their cuteness. Maybe in my next life.

Second I have some catching up to do in the blogging buttons category - in both the receiving and the giving. Amanda from Yay! Pie! has presented me with a blogging button which I am happy to accept and to pass along as well. The "I Love You This Much" Award goes to three bloggy friends who always make my day (I am leaving out my favorites who Amanda already decorated - spreading the wealth):

Big Binder
Nini Makes
Fo.ne.tic.lee Speaking

I also received a second button from Look, Mom, Look, one of the very first of my bloggy friends. I am passing this award along to three bloggers who regularly take time to stop by and comment.

Carrie at It Matters to This One
Meg at Soup is not a Finger Food
Jenny at Roughly Speaking

The rules of this award are: SHARE THE LOVE!!! Share this award with all those blogs out there that you love. All the people who make you smile. All those that make you laugh. All those that make your day. All those that leave uplifting comments on your blog. **All I ask, is that you include a link to this post with the award and ask your recipient to do the same**

Alphabet Summer

Slouching Mom posted her summer acrostic over at Grasshopper New Media Parents. I love acrostics, so I thought I would try my hand at creating my own based on her own "Summer with Kids" - I thought it would be fun to do mine first before reading hers to see how much our summers are similar! (If you really like acrostics, I encourage you to check out Leslie Evans' great book of summer acrostics, beautifully illustrated.) Here goes:


Acting out plays
Beach and Bay
Catching fireflies
Docks
Eating popsicles
Filling sand buckets
Giggling
Hot dogs
Ice cream trucks
Juice boxes
Kiddie pools
Late bedtimes
Meeting up with the cousins
Napping
Outdoors
Popping bubbles
Quiet moments
Reading books about summer
Sweaty faces
Too humid!
Up and at 'Em!
Visiting grandparents
Water wings
Xtra large sunflowers
Youtube!
Zero worries

Enviromom's Tricks of the (clothesline) Trade

Renee over at Enviromom has an awesome post up today, demonstrating her clothesline technique (it involves bungee cords) and giving us a live look at her clothesline in action as it was featured (along with her adorable family) on Portland-area television.

Thanks, Renee!!

Ah HA!

I've found you! You're already at BlogHer, aren't you?! Give my regards to San Fran and stop here for me, would you?

Back Home

Greetings, Greenies!

We are back from our very first family vacation to the beach! A good time was had by all and our California Baby sunscreen was put to the test (verdict: you need to be vigilant with the baby version and hyper-reapply especially after swimming). Count this as another Summer Adventure Challenge!

You all are doing so well (read: better than I am) on your Clothesline Challenges and I have received several personal emails letting me know what a difference this Challenge has made both in utility bills and eco-friendly thinking.

Nicol writes: "I want to thank you for inspiring me to clothesline. I am also at advanced now and clothesline 99% of our laundry. My gas bill was cut by 42% in just one month. So I thank you for your challenge! :)

Kelli writes: "Hiya Amy, I think I'm ready to bump up from "novice" to "intermediate" on your clothesline challenge!"

Amanda chattered: "So far clothesline-ing has been groovy! While it's rather rainy around here, every once in a while I get a nice sunny day so I try to wait for those to do my laundry :) and hopefully it also lands on a weekend and I can do multiple loads."

Welcome to the Circus joined late, and I neglected to add her to my sidebar in a timely fashion, and she joins us at Intermediate! Welcome, Kathleen!



Hope you all are well. I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you.

Good bye, Andrea

One of the other things that happened on my birthday was the passing of Andrea. I donate to very few charities but one I contribute to year after year is hospice. Both my cousin, who also died of inflammatory breast cancer, and my great aunt benefited from their care, as did Andrea.

Take care, Andrea. Peace be with you.

You've got to fight...for your right...

to clooooooothesline!

This morning's NPR diversion highlighted Wei Wang's struggle to take on those anti-clothesline HOA, KWIM?

Thirty-Eight

Well, my friends, today I turn 38. So here are 38 green and not-so-green gratitudes from the past year:

:: our clotheslines, up or down
:: our worm bins, created by Green Husband, and multiplying every day
:: our chopped wood. There are benefits to limb-tearing tornados
:: our children who don't mind dirt, bugs or any mix of the two
:: Green Husband who keeps me on the green and narrow
:: our strawberry patch expanded and enlarged for next summer
:: our blueberry bush that seems to be thriving with blooms and with berries
:: Green Nana and Green Gramps who always keep me posted on the latest green news from the NYTimes
:: my new job where I'll be surrounded by two of my favorite things: books and children
:: our rain barrel, again constructed by Green Husband, for catching all that run off
:: our compost "cadillac" - our three section composter built with directions from an out of print edition of "Crockett's Victory Garden"
:: the boxes and boxes and boxes of "stuff" that I handed off to the local thrift shop
:: reusable canvas bags
:: the "high end" consignment shop near me that allows for thrifted clothing that is cute enough for work
:: the jewel toned bedspread that I found while "decluttering" - a prized possession from a trip to India
:: kiddie pools
:: our first family vacation to the beach
:: my thriving fig tree
:: old bloggers and new bloggers
:: giving up all attempts at crafting
:: Etsy
:: my new preppy look
:: a neighborhood fourth of july parade with free hot dogs and watermelon
:: my sister-in-laws: I am the luckiest in-law in the world
:: old friends (Elisabeth and Sue); new friends (Suz); and catching up friends (Allison and Angelle)
:: looking at recipes, patterns, and material
:: change
:: Johnny Cash
:: bittersweet sundays
:: dreaming of living other places
:: our own home halfway between city and country
:: japanese food
:: coffee
:: reading children's books as a job requirement
:: sea dog press
:: the sunday ny times
:: new york magazine
:: 38 years

New from Seadog Press - The Latest in Green Totes

Any of my regular readers are probably tired of hearing me go on and on and on ad nauseum about one of my favorite illustrators, Leslie Evans. Yeeees, she's semi-related to me and yeeees, she sends me gorgeous cards at Christmas time and even on Thanksgiving, but I think you will agree, after taking a look at her work and reading some of my reviews, that she is truly a wonderful artist.

Recently she sent me one of her latest creations and me being of the bring-my-cloth bag-where-ever-I-go type, was thrilled to receive it.



You too can order your very own Be Green, Man shopping bag directly from Leslie and when you do, tell 'er Amy sent ya.