Winner of the Lotuspad Yoga Mat!

Thank you, thank you to all of you who entered this giveaway, and who, more importantly, decided to have a go at the 2009 Clothesline Challenge! {Remember, it is never too late to join}

And the winner of a yoga mat and strap is...

Jeanne of EcoLabelFundraising!

Jeanne, please email me with your mailing address so that I can coordinate with Lotuspad and get your mat and strap out to you!

Coming up - we'll shine the spotlight (or shall I say, sunlight) on some of our participants and...another giveaway!

Quick Update

Dear All,

The SUN is SHINING at last so just a quick update to tell that I have received all of your wonderful comments and emails about your clotheslines and they make me so very happy!

I'm off to hang more on the line, but I will return shortly to give mention to our new Challenge members, to highlight some of your comments, and to reveal the winner of a beautiful yoga mat and strap from LotusPad.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

~ Amy

Clothesline Confessions & The Giveaway Revealed

Well, my pretties, let me tell you something...you can bet that I didn't save much money this weekend, not to mention the environment as I did 100%, yes, count 'em, 100% of my drying in the dryer. I mean, there were a few items that were slung over the shower curtain rod or hung from the doorknob, but read it and weep, sisters (and brothers), I was like, below novice...I was like, the anti-novice.

But! No matter! Spit-spot and all that! Tomorrow's another day (albeit a rainy one) and who cares about your THINGS when you can use this great giveaway to take care of your SOUL!

Yes, it's time for the first Clothesline Challenge giveaway...a beautiful eco-friendly yoga mat and strap courtesy of Gift of Green and LotusPad.

Here are the rules because there must be rules!

1) Those of you who have entered the Clothesline Challenge and are listed on my sidebar are automatically entered! If you would like an extra entry, please tweet this giveway and leave a comment at this post letting me know you've done so.

2) Those of you who have not yet entered the Clothesline Challenge, leave a comment at this post letting me know what level you are taking on...you may also get an extra entry by tweeting this giveaway and leaving me a comment at this post letting me know you've done so.

3) All challengers, please go to LotusPad and peruse these beautiful, environment-friendly, biodegradable mats and leave a comment at this post letting me know which mat and which strap you would like should you be the winner!

4) The contest ends at Midnight, Friday, May 22nd and the winner will be randomly picked.

Sometimes You Just Gotta

sigh.

I miss.

It was the very first blog I read and her writing, her mod home, her daily dress, were little postly gems.

I have no reason for writing this; I guess it's like when you've reached the end of a darn good book series and you're in search of another one.

Tomorrow we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming and The Giveaway will be revealed.

Clothesline Challege Giveaway!

Get ready, Hardy Hangers! It's mid-May so it's time for the first of the Clothesline Challenge 2009 giveaways!

Remember, those of you who are listed on the sidebar are automatically entered! You'll be able to Twitter for another entry (yes, I've turned into one of THOSE).

And for those of you who have not yet taken the Clothesline plunge, now's the time. In fact, we need more Novices! Don't let those Advanced Super Stars intimidate you! Let it Shine! Put Up a Line! (I'm so losing it).

And here's a hint as I finalize the giveaway: OM.

Barefoot Books, Tofu Tuesdays, & Clothesline Clubs

I love a little alliteration.

Happy hello to Horse Medicine, winner of this weekend's bloggy book giveaway. HM, please contact me with your address and I will ship The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales out to you pronto! Thank you all for taking the time to comment. I have more bloggy book giveaways coming up, so stay tuned!

Talking Tofu, Kelli over at Gohn Crazy and Kaci of Ellyphant are teaming up to bring you Tofu Tuesday, a little opportunity to eat a little lower on the food chain. It officially starts on March 17th when you will be able to link to your Tofu Tuesday tip using Mr. Linky. And is the TT badge adorable or what?!:


Brought to you by...
Kaci@Ellyphant & Kelli@Gohn Crazy

Oh, and speaking of (what, I don't know), you can bet your bottom dollar that Gift of Green will be hosting the second annual Gift of Green's Clothesline Challenge. It will begin June 1, and although that sounds a long way off, it's never too early to start perusing those clothesline catalogs! Will you join us this year and exercise your right to dry!?

Warm Southerly Breeze

For those of you who live north of the Mason-Dixon line, you are going to laugh when I tell you how miserable the cold is making me. Not to mention The Cold of The Century that I have and the two little petri dishes I have (in the form of children) who are at the doctor's office as we speak (no, Green Husband has taken them there; I am not live blogging from the waiting room), no doubt being diagnosed with strep throat (again).

So you can imagine my sheer joy and almost shedding of tears when I heard this on the weather report: "Today may be the last cold day of the season, with a warm Southerly breeze bringing a warming trend to our area with highs tomorrow in the upper 40s." Warm Southerly Breeze. Upper 40s.

And please note that I am aware that I am driving you crazy with my almost weekly changes in blogger templates. I am itching for a real change. Can anyone suggest someone who will design a new blogger header for me?

I am so excited, not just for the upper 40s, but for all the greenness that is coming my way once again. I have an upcoming review of a new book from Barefoot Books (with a giveaway of said book), a new book from the Reader's Digest family on organic gardening, and, shall I mention it again, Gift of Green's Clothesline Challenge 2009!

And if you are having a rotten day, just look at Mary Beth's photo...doesn't it just bring a Warm Southerly Breeze to your face?

Congratulations Clothesline Challengers!

You did it!

You were non-dryer dryers for some, all, or none (that's okay) for May, June, and July.

Some of you started at intermediate and quickly climbed to advanced.

Some of you, like me, may have had illusions of grandeur and fell from advanced to...well...lower. Tornados not withstanding.

Kelli is enjoying her peg bag courtesy of Joanie at Nini Makes.

Blue Speckled Eggs kept a very impressive running tally of her loads as did Dayna.

Green and Thrifty Mama did not make the 50% as she had hoped, but she did use her clothesline more than she had been. Congratulations!

Some lovely pictures were posted here, here (hee, hee) and here.

A few found the cure for those crunchy towels.

Did I miss a recent clothesline-related post of yours? Let me know and I will be sure to share them in my next post...

As a thanks and congratulations to you, I have a giveaway: Leslie Evans has just released her sequel to Leaf Jumpers and I can tell you that it's a beauty. Winter Trees is also authored by Carole Gerber and her talent for explaining the complexity and individuality of each tree in rhyme is really amazing. Nothing is forced and, did I mention, the illustrations are Evans-As-Usual beautiful?

All challengers are automatically entered as I promised, but if you would like to up the ante, comment on this post, after visiting Leslie's site...tell me which children's book of hers you would also like, and, if you're the lucky winner you will also receive that book along with Winter Trees. Please comment by midnight U.S. Eastern time Wednesday, August 6th. And yes, I will ship internationally. Please remember - Blogger does not automatically tell me what email address you are writing from, so please, if your post does not reveal who you are, leave some notion of how I can contact you.

***Update: Please let me clarify as my instructions seem now rather murky. If you are listed on the sidebar you do not need to comment to enter. You only need to comment if you desire a second book from Sea Dog Press. If you are not listed on the sidebar, you may enter by commenting on this post - if you please, tell me how you are saving energy in your home - you may also put yourself in the running for a second bok by, again, visiting Sea Dog Press and letting me know which children's book is your favorite. Signed, -The Management***

Congratulations! You should be very proud of yourselves!

We Have a Winner!

I blazed new territory and used the integer generator at Random.org...and who should it pick to win the wonderful peg bag handmade by Joan over at Nini Makes?
...

Kelli at Gohn Crazy! Visit Kelli's lovely post about her efforts to line dry.

Congratulations, Kelli! Please contact me with your mailing address and I will ship the peg bag off to you. As Carrie can tell you, I have some sort of aversion to the post office, but I will get both things off in the post this Thursday.

Gift of Green's Clothesline Challenge 2008 Bloggy Giveaway!

Okay, first of all...apologies for the delay. We are painting Sprout's room (using EcoSpec which I highly recommend) - therefore no Internet access. Don't ask.

Second, my clothesline collapsed. COLLAPSED, dear friends, collapsed. It was the retractable clothesline that we have in our backyard, and thankfully Green Husband was able to fix it and he set up a second clothesline while he was at it. This weekend we are doing beautifully about about 90%, but I will admit that last week, during the rains, I probably only made it about 30%. So much wet laundry...so little room. Did you check out Amalia's comments? She drys 100% of her clothes on a line from April through October. Fear of a major house fire is one motivating factor.

By now you're saying to yourself...get on with it, woman! Okay. The details on Gift of Green's first Clothesline Challenge 2008 giveaway. If you haven't already guessed, the prize is a beautiful peg bag handmade by the wonderful woman behind Nini Makes. Joanie sent two of these darling oil cloth peg bags: one that I could selfishly keep for myself (and I have used it ever day since its receipt) and the other to give away. Wasn't that absolutely lovely of her? Joanie also sent me an issue of The Green Parent which is such a wonderful magazine straight out of the UK (where Joanie lives). You should see some of the amazing little trinkets, fun shops, and wonderful websites this magazine features. My wish list increased exponentially after reading it (so much for anti-consumerism). This issue also featured a wonderful article, written by Joanie herself, on creating magnetic number and letter boards - adorable! Thank you, Joanie!

To enter this giveaway, you must join the challenge by indicating your line level in the comments. You will be added to the sidebar, and for those of you who are already listed on the sidebar, you are already entered. You need not comment again (unless you want to comment on how adorable the peg bag is...). Please leave your comment by midnight (Eastern U.S. time), Sunday, June 1st. And don't worry - I cannot guarantee that I will get your name onto the sidebar the same day you comment, but I know when you've left a comment and I will be sure you are added by the deadline. One winner will be picked randomly from those who have joined the challenge. And yes...I will ship internationally.

Pictures of my peg bag are forthcoming. We are painting so therefore no ability to upload pictures. Don't ask.

The First (So I Suppose There Will Be Others) Clothesline Challenge Giveaway!!

OMG! The first Clothesline Challenge giveaway.

I have the item in my hot little hands and I cannot wait to send this adorable prize jetting off to some lucky winner.

Need a hint? Try here and here.

And stay tuned for the entry deadline (although if you've already signed up for the Challenge with your Line Level, you're already entered) and the big reveal.

Haiku Friday: Gas is $3.54 a Gallon

Dear Schwinn: Please send me

a bicycle built for four.

Gas prices are up.

Congratulations to Carrie of It Matters to This One! She is the winner of Spring: An Alphabet Acrostic by Sea Dog Press owner and operator Leslie Evans!

Gift of Green's Bloggy Book Giveaway 'Ku

Comments left here are
chance to win a book of Spring
by Leslie Evans

Green Musings

Jinkies, we have a lot of catching up to do!

It just seems that with the coming of spring the opportunities for getting into the green of things are endless!

April 1st is right around the corner and that means I will be turning over a new leaf (for two months, anyway). I will be joining Mamas on the Compact where I pledge to eliminate the purchase of new items. Gulp. Anyone care to join me?

Have you heard the buzzzzzzzzz about "The Great Sunflower Project" out of San Francisco State University? My good friend Lakshmi alerted me to this site where participants can help researchers achieve their goal of increasing our understanding of where bees are doing poorly and how the pollination of our garden and wild plants are being affected.

Say project leaders: "We're hoping you will join us by planting sunflowers in your garden. Community, demonstration, and school gardens are invited to participate. We'll send you some free native sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seed and twice a month, we'd like you to time how long it takes for 5 bees to visit one flower on that sunflower. This information will give us an index of pollination that we can compare across the United States."

Win some gardening goodies from the National Gardening Association when you enter their When You Garden You Grow giveaway.

I have two great bloggy book give-aways coming up! Stay tuned for a chance to win a copy of the Holistic Moms Network's cookbook "Growing Healthy Families" and, just in time for Spring (or a little late), Leslie Evan's beautifully illustrated Spring acrostic book.

And finally, I am super excited to say that as my good friend Sue toils over my blog button, I am gearing up to give you details on "Gift of Green's Clothesline Challenge 2008"!! The challenge will begin May 1st and I hope you'll sign on for the summer! More details coming up soon!

Le This and Le That

A few tidbits before I get back to hitting the books.

Yes, I have been remiss in not announcing sooner the winner of my bloggy book(s) giveaway...so here goes:

Village Mama over at Mama's Village is the winner of Healthy Baby, Healthy Mom

Carrie from With All That I've Been Given is the winner of Time to Feed Baby

Congratulations ladies! Please contact me at giftofgreen [at] gmail [dot] com with your mailing address.

The two books I am reading this week for my class are The Outsiders and The Chocolate War (Readers Circle). Blast from the past, eh?

Book Giveaway! Healthy Baby, Healthy Mom Pregnancy Journal

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Potter Style, an imprint of Random House, and asked if I would be willing to peruse their new publication, Happy Baby, Healthy Mom, a pregnancy journal authored by Dr. Robert Greene and Laurie Tarkan. This book, spiral-bound and featuring gender-neutral cool colors of grays and greens, is journal/guide that takes pregnant moms-to-be from the first week to the postpartum periods. Use the charts provided to record daily exercise, review the prenatal visit information before meeting with your health care provider, and read the tips marked with exclamation points for important pointers or marked with a cup of tea for some stress-relieving suggestions.

Remembering back to my pregnancy days, I'm not sure there is much information this book that you would not find in others, but it is more certainly more succinct and for those moms who are having an uncomplicated pregnancy or for moms who might find some of the other books more alarming than reassuring, this is a happy medium. The writing prompts that assist in recording thoughts, memories and feelings throughout are a very nice touch from "Write about your thoughts on prenatal testing and any worries you are having while waiting for results." to "How do you feel about asking friends and family for help after your baby comes home?"

From a green perspective, this book does address some of the eco-friendly, "going green" concepts that we've all been exploring: buying more organics instead of conventionally grown foods, suggesting a water filter (rather than suggesting bottled water), and addressing the hazards of plastic baby bottles that contain Bisphenol-A.

This book would make a nice gift for an expecting friend or...for you. So, I'm giving my copy away. Please leave a comment, with a way of contacting you (Blogger does not provide me with email addresses), by, oh...midnight, Eastern Time on Wednesday, January 16th. I will draw winners randomly. And wait! There's more! A second winner will receive "Time to Feed Baby: A Journal for Recording Your Baby's Feeding Schedule", also by Potter Style. This adorable slim book is simply a nice way of recording breast and/or bottle/formula feedings and those lovely peeps and poops. So much nicer than the scraps of paper on which I hastily jotted down notes those first few weeks of Sprout and Pip's life.

Bloggy Giveaway Winners!

We have a winner(s)!! Congratulations to Ames from yay pie! and hooray for bananas for scoring a copy of Autumn and to Smiling Mama for getting her bloggy paws on a copy of Winter. Oh, you lucky ladies - I envy you! Oh wait, I already have these books! Yay! Thanks for entering everyone and I hope to have another bloggy giveaway very soon.

I managed to burn the midnight oil last night and thanks again to Kellie's excellent tutorial, I finished up Sprout's tulle ballet skirt.
I was very happy with it, if I don't say so myself, and Sprout wanted to wear it to daycare which I took to be the ultimate in compliments.

Deb from I'm Organic emailed me to let me know about her site and to mention that she has some giveaways (one a week) for those of you who sign up for their newsletter. Lots of cute stuff, Deb, and there's even an organiblog! Thanks for sharing!

For all you non-vegetarians out there...what are you doing about your Thanksgiving turkey? Organic or Butterball?

Wednesday Me For Works

First of all, thanks to all you for suggesting ways to corral my Playmobil toys and to iron my organics at the last Backwards WFMW!

Now, a plea to both loyal readers and guests...two of you once posted about making tulle skirts for kids from scratch and non-food advent calendars (actually, update: I've since found one I had in mind from Nini Makes). Can you please refresh my ailing memory and alert me if you were indeed the one (or two or three or four of you...anyone!) that addressed these topics?

More questions to be answered over at Shannon's place!

Don't forget my bloggy book giveaway...still plenty of time to enter!

With bloggy love,

Amy

Eco-Friendly Crafts

Do you believe that sometimes the stars just align? Look at this post over at Sew, Mama, Sew. It includes links to two eco-friendly products: a rag rug tutorial from Vintage Chica (you crochet it from scraps of fabric!) and then this clever draft dodger dog (or snake) tutorial from Crafty Crafty. Helps ya keep yer cold air out and your warm air in - very smart.

Did you remember I'm having a bloggy book giveaway until this Sunday?

And oh gosh, the November 2007 issue of Working Mother is green, it's green, it's green...as green as a fresh green bean (did you know that every episode of The Backyardigans focuses on a different style of music?).

And one more thing...I had forgotten about another Massachusetts word that gets a "Huh?" in Virginia: rotary. You know...that thing were you have to merge to cars that are already in the rotary? Anyone?

Bloggy Giveaway - from...MOI.

Last Thursday night Sprout, Pip and I sat down before bed and re-read Autumn illustrated by the lovely Leslie Evans. I must share this book with the world. Therefore, please comment on this post by midnight Eastern time on Sunday, November, 11th and I will randomly select one winner to receive this fine book. A second winner will receive Winter, also illustrated by the owner and operator of Sea Dog Press. Yes, I will ship internationally so enter away. And remember, blogger does not automatically alert me to your email address or web address, so please make sure you leave some notion of how I can get in touch with you should you be the lucky winner.