to the blogs of friends and others that I like to read.
• Coming soon... Oscar and Stewie products!
...me by email ljcfyimailATgmailDOTcom
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Ok, I realize that this is a lot of packaging for blueberries. But when I spotted these Fresh Blueberry Blasters made by Nature's Partner at Wegman's I could not resist. I tell myself I can reuse them.
There are holes in the packaging so you can flip open the lid and run water through to wash them.
Why am I such a sucker for this kind of thing? Next I will be buying individually wrapped blueberries.
I have developed a serious addiction to Vitamin Water. Luckily I can get my fix a iittle more affordably now that Wegmans is making aqua-V. I am not going to comment on how amazingly similiar their packaging and labels are to Vitamin Water. Or the fact that they have three of my favorite Vitamin Water flavors, acai-blueberry-pomegranate, rasberry-apple and fruit punch. They are all really good. I have to have one at work everyday.
When I was in San Francisco a restaurant gave me biodegradable cutlery. I read that most are supposed to break down in about 100 days, so I am running a little experiment. I dated each piece and put them in a pot of dirt. I will let you know when they are decomposed.
Aaron and I both have Sigg bottles for work. But when we were packing for our camping trip we realized we needed water bottles for home. We both picked up second bottles at Wegmans. Looks like they just came out with some new designs. I think they both look really cool. Thank goodness we had them. Oscar drank a lot of water when we were hiking.
It's pretty early in the season but I still wanted to be prepared when we were camping. In an effort to keep yucky DEET and parabens out of our systems, I got Kiss My Face Swy Flotter (bah-hah!) and Face Factor sun block. It's an spf 30 for face and neck... gotta keep the wrinkles away.
I like that they are natural and organic. I also like their cute little bottles. They fit into a little bag to take with us on our hike.
I am a pretty huge Method fan. So you can imagine how bummed I was when I found out they had an advocate program and NO ONE ASKED ME TO BE IN IT! *sniff*
Lucky Tiffanie is in it and got samples of their newest products.
Kid 3-in-1 shampoo and body wash. How cute are these containers?
Things to make your baby very clean. Bubble bath, body lotion, hair + body watch and diaper cream.
Toilet bowl cleaner and bathroom scrub. I love how the Le Scrub container had a notch in it to hold the scrubby. Great design!
I don't have a need to scrub any dirty kids or babies, but I am definitely getting some of the Lil' Bowl Blu and Le Scrub.
It all started when I was listening to NPR. I heard a report that Bisphenol A, which is found in number 7 plastics might cause cancer, early puberty and other nasty things.
I kept finding more and more articles on the hazards of number 7 plastic and then I looked up what the story was on other kinds of plastic.
Well, I had heard enough. I've got enough to worry about without thinking my plastic containers are poisoning me. I already had a Sigg Bottle, but I still had a cupboard of plastic food containers.
I cleared them out of the cupboard for other uses like holding water for paintbrushes and went to Kmart and bought a set of Martha Stewart glass food storage containers.
We use a lot of containers for leftovers and for taking our lunches to work so I got a bunch of different shapes and sizes.
They are kinda heavy but the lids (made of "generally safe" number 4 plastic) seal well. Once again, thank you Martha.
I am loving my new "watering can". A Twist and spout garden spout. It's actually just a spout I can screw onto used soda bottles.
(I guess this is my Earth Day post... seeing as how I almost missed the fact it was Earth Day because my stupid Domo calendar made it look like it was last week. Next monday is the 26th again by the way. It worked out though... since it's kinda green to reuse a soda bottle instead of throwing it out.)
When Aaron and I were in NYC we stopped into a CB2. He shook his head when he saw me pick up these little bud vases. I have a bad habit of buying things that are going to be a challenge to get home on the plane.
I got them anyhow and I am so glad I did. They are tiny, about the size of a lemon, just right for these little blooms.
CB2 had so many cool vases! I love the hanging ones! It was hard to limit myself.
As demonstrated here... Dutch Babies are pretty easy to make. But I thought I should point out that Williams Sonoma sells an organic Dutch Baby mix now.
I like mine with berries and cream, but the apples look good too.
Back in February I read about these solid honey drops called honibe. I thought it was brililant. I love honey in my tea, but bringing it to work inevitably means getting all over my keyboard.
Now I am seeing them mentioned on blogs everywhere. Time to put in an order.
Sharpies are my writing implement of choice. I thought it was brilliant when they came out with the retractable Sharpies. I also like the Mini Sharpies.
I use the Ultrafine Sharpies for writing my day to day notes. I remember standing in the middle of Wegmans with the Ultrafine Sharpie cap in my mouth scratching out "egg noodles" wishing they made them retractable too.
A few weeks later I am watching TV and there is the pen I dreamed of being hawked by David Beckham. A Retractable Ultrafine!
But guess what? I went to Sharpie's website to check them out and found something even better. PERSONALIZED SHARPIES! How cool is that?
I think Oscar is getting tired of the winter weather. He looks a little ho hum.
Hopefully it will be spring soon and we can take him camping.
I was wandering around a Tuesday Morning while Aaron was in his guitar lessons and they had dog camping tents!
So I went to Coleman's website and found all kinds of pet camping gear. I like what they had to say...
"Pets are a part of the family so there’s no reason they should be left behind when everyone goes camping. Coleman’s unique family of pet products makes it easy for you to take your pet along. All Coleman® pet products are designed with pets in mind and made of durable, long-lasting materials. Forget the dog sitter this camping season; take your faithful friend with you!"
They had dog tents and CAT tents. I am trying to visualize taking a cat camping.
The Mountaineer Cat Tent has:
• Adjustable side panels for ventilation and airflow
• Waterproof floor provides moisture barrier between your pet and the ground
• Weather-resistant fabric specially designed and treated to repel water
• Strong frame engineered to withstand windy conditions
That's good because Stewie would not be happy if he got wet or if he blew away.
Look how cute the Hibernation Sleeping Bag for Dogs is!
And the Bone Lounger would be a big hit too.
Let's be honest though. We could get Oscar the tent, the lounger and the sleeping bag, but when we take Oscar camping, we all know where he is going to be sleeping. In OUR tent, on top of MY pillow with my head squozen over to a tiny corner. As usual.
I was pretty bummed to find out that LeSportSac is no longer making Tokidoki bags. I was so distraught that I made a frantic bid for one on eBay and then panicked that I might actually win it. The bags are cute but pricey.
It all turned out okay because Aaron got me a Bungalow360 bag for Valentine's Day. (the heart one on the left) They are much more reasonable but still super cute! I love that the business is a one woman show although her support staff page suggests otherwise. $2 of every purchase goes to animal rescue! (check out the pic of the kitty sitting on the pig!) Oscar and Stewie are pleased.
I like this picture of the bunny cake the best. Look at his little bunny smile. Totally oblivious to the fact he is about to be consumed with a scoop of chocolate ice cream.
These last few bone chilling days, I have abandoned my tea for cups of cocoa. Specifically these single serving packets of holiday cocoa a friend gave me for Christmas.
They are quite possibly the best instant serve cocoa I have had. I typically prefer the work intensive hot chocolate where you heat up milk and melt chunks of chocolate, but that method isn't so great when I am running from meeting to meeting.
These packets were easy but yummy. I think I am going to have to place an online order. If anyone has other recommendations, I would love to hear them.
I have never made poached eggs, but I bet I would like them. I have read that it is hard to make poached eggs. NotMartha has written extensively on the subject.
I spotted these PoachPods at Wegmans and I am wondering how they would do. Anyone out there tried them? They sure are cute.
I am
completely enamoured with these Enchanted
Forest rings I found on Etsy. I can't decide which combo is
the cutest. I don't think I would get anything done at work... I would
just stare at my hand all day. *yech* Too cute.
I got these sneakery boots this fall in anticipation of inclement weather. They are so warm and comfy they make me sleepy. (they are Roxy Delano boots in case anyone is wondering) I think the birds are the cutest.
And my "tights" are actually thigh high socks from American Apparel. I HATE tights... one leg connected to the other... twisting and restricting.... ack! These thigh high socks are the perfect alternative.
Recycline, the company that makes the Preserve recycled
plastic toothbrushes, is now making Preserve
kitchen products. The products are made from 100% recycled #5
plastic just like their toothbrushes. They don't have a lot of info on
their site but looks like they have cutting boards, storage containers
and colanders.
The line is only available at Whole Foods, which we don't have
in town, but hopefully the products will be in other stores soon.
I have four Christmas tablecloths in my vintage tablecloth
collection and this is my favorite. I am rotating them this season.
When we eat at the table I cover as much as I can with placemat to
prevent a disaster.
I need to get some of this Retro Clean. Some
of my other vintage tablecloths have some pre-existing stains. Retro
Clean is a safe for vintage linens and can remove brown age stains
while enhancing and brightening the color. Sounds like a miracle soap!
I just happened to be in NYC when the Muji
SoHo store opened. I had
been reading about it everywhere online, so I was thrilled to
be there the weekend it opened. I have been to the ones in London so I
knew what I was in for.
I have a sad habit, however, of purchasing items when traveling that
will be a challenge to carry home on the plane. Check out the size of
this bag.
I just had to have this recycling sorter. Fortunately it
folded flat and actually fit in the plane's overhead compartment. I
LOVE it. It holds three plastic grocery bags (which despite my numerous
reusable bags still find their way into my house). We use one for
plastic, one for glass and one for aluminum. It was so worth carrying
it home.
I already have a nice sewing machine my mom gave me... but
check out this HELLO
KITTY SEWING MACHINE I saw at Target!!! So cute... it's
disgusting. I bet everything sewn on this machine comes out perfect and
adorable.
I am a bit dehydrated. Lips cracking and a bit headachey. Not
sure if it's from the airplane air or the sudden cold weather that has
arrived in town, but I am arming myself with the two following items.
#1: I'm taking a little break from my
Vitamin Water Addiction with these super adorable bottles of bot fortified water.
"All natural, no artificial flavlors, sweeteners or preservatives. Low
in sugar and vitamin fortified." And look how cute they are for cryin'
out loud! So what if they are for kids? Grape bot = esp yummy.
#2: This is my new favorite lip balm (of
which I have a wee addiction to also). We
Live Like This Everyday Lip Balm. I currently have the
orange. I appreciate how it swivels up lipstick-style so I can pretend
I am a real grownup.
Now that Halloween is over all I can think about is Christmas.
I was really excited when I saw the Method holiday
display at Target. There are three scents... Hollyberry, Cinnamon Bark
and Peppermint Vanilla.
I got really, really excited when I went to the Method website
and discovered that they are offering a eusable market tote with every
holiday or $20 purchase. You can get it online or download the pdf for
store purchases at the Give
Greener website.
Oooh it's so cute and I love the 16 ideas for using the bag on
the back.
Tina and I decided bamboo was the new black awhile ago. I just
spotted these bambu
disposable plates and utensils and other pieces at Parkleigh. The
plates seem pricey for something you throw away, (I have been getting
the corn
ones) but they look so nice. I did get the reusable little
"sporks" though. They also have lots of trays, bowls and other
products.
I never really thought about my spices being organic or not, so I have
to confess that my real attraction to the Simply Organic
Spices
is the packaging. There, I said it. They look cute in my cupboard and
on the counter next to my freshly baked pumpkin pie. And the fact that
they don't have pesticide or chemicals in them... well that's just a
plus.
I am so enamoured with the Martha
Stewart line at Macy's. I liked her stuff at KMart, now this
Tiffany blue at Macy's... it's got a hold on me. I can hardly stand it.
I am also pretty excited about the Vera
Wang collection at Kohls. Her clothes are so elegant. I could
definitely get used to this high end designer at everyday stores trend.
I saw these Euro Cloths in an Ideal Bite
newsletter. They are "superabsorbent, reusable, biodegradable cloths
you can throw in the dishwasher." When I went to the Twist website I
found that they also had Euro Sponges for wiping and Loofah Sponges for
scrubbing... both biodegradable. And they are cute too!
I am also digging these Nellie's
Dryerballs. They "soften fabrics
naturally without using chemical fabric softeners." Now that
line-drying season is over, I could really use these.
I read about this CherryPharm
juice in Daily Candy awhile ago and it stuck in my head. It sounded
like a super juice to me... "harnessing the natural healing power of
cherries and high antioxidants that a body requires prior to exercise.
Drink daily to protect, fortify and restore - naturally!" Apparently
there are 50 cherries in every bottle.
Last week when I was at the Finger
Lakes Wine and Culinary Center, I was surprised to find they
carried it in their gift shop. I bought two. They taste just like
cherry pie filling!
Remember the silly feet silicone cupcake cups I posted about awhile ago? Now they have
witch feet for Halloween! I saw monster feet at Target too, but I can't find them online.
And because Christmas now overlaps with Halloween, here are Santa feet too!
Autumn means firing up the crock pot. I picked up a Rita's
Ragin' Cajun Bean Soup mix from the Healthy
Sisters’ Soup & Bean Works booth at the
wool festival.
All I have to do is add it to chicken broth in the morning and
let it stew away while I am work. We come home to a big yummy pot of
soup for dinner.
I have had it in my head for some time that I wanted a Tokidoki LeSportSac handbag. I never got one because I couldn't find the pattern I wanted, in the style I wanted... and I couldn't get over the fact that they were so much more than the regular LeSportSac designs.
So I caved and got a bag with a standard design, Poodle Park, instead. It's really cute... pink with a street scene and poodles. There are so many cute designs... a few years ago there was Chirp and this year they have Birdie.
It's hard not to get one each season. But that would be bad... very, very bad. *ahem*
I really shouldn't be thinking about this since I did just get a shiny new pink scooter this summer, but I am loving the cool beach cruiser type bikes that are out there.
This is the new trend! Stylish girls rolling around town on cute bikes with a basket filled with baguettes and flowers. Streets Blog says "Bicycles are the New NYC "It Girl" Fashion Accessory.
We were at the race at California Speedway today. The Kodak
No. 12 looked so cool... but had mechanical trouble before the end of
the race. Bummer.
Piglet was excited to check out the track.
We signed the finish line.
Can I just talk for a moment about how
hot it was out there? It was 102+ at the track. I mean, it's
already practically in the desert and then Southern California had a
heat wave.
We went to watch a little of the 30 Seconds to Mars
concert in the fan zone and I started to feel sick to my stomach. I
have no idea how they were able to perfom like that... much less pull
stunts like climbing the scaffolding (see above)
I remember saying to Aaron "I think I am going to die... of
heat" as we stumbled around. It was that bad.
One last thing. At the Busch race all the guys were snickering
at the Race Girl
car. They couldn't get over it being pink. Well, I thought it was cute.
So today, I went and found their souvenir trailer and bought a t-shirt.
They had the busiest trailer of any the drivers by the way! Hah!
The other night Aaron came home with a little container of
mini pez with a Norman Rockwell design on it. The US PEZ website is under
construction but I think they are for the 80th anniversary of PEZ.
I saw these chips in the check out line at Target. I knew Ming Tsai
made Blue Ginger gourmet food products for Target, but this was the
first I had seen the chips. They didn't have full size bags... just the
snack size. The Hot Tamari Rice Corn Chips are de-li-cious! I had to
buy five of the little bags.
You may have noticed how thrilled I was when Lady
M gave me
the stuffed jam bun for my cell phone. I was especially
excited because
my Chocolate phone is the first one I have had that has a spot for
attaching something.
Hello Kitty dressed as an animal or sitting on a mushroom.
Can't - stand - it.
Mini food for on your phone. If you don't mind seeing it all
day and getting hungry.
Miffy, close second in cuteness to Hello Kitty. And check out
this real live mini plant you can hang on your cellphone!
They also have these screen shields that I saw in Japantown in
San Fran. They are called Peep
Blocks and you put them on your cell
phone screen so someone looking sideways at your screen can't see what
you are texting. I don't think I need that level of secrecy, but they
are still cool.
I just ordered this t-shirt from Threadless.
It's called "skip dessert"... bah-hah! If you aren't familiar with
Threadless, it's really cool. [Users (professional illustrators and
amateurs alike) may submit t-shirt designs online, which are then put
to a public vote. A small percentage of submissions are selected to be
printed and sold through the online store. Creators of the winning
designs receive a combined cash and store credit prize.]- wikipedia
How cool is this? A dish
scrubber that you can blow bubbles with. I saw this and the
cupcake shirt on my new favorite site... Sugar.
My friend Joel sent me the link to these cool Apple stickers.
They are like window clings that you can put over the glowing apple
logo on your Mac. I like the fish bowl one.
When we went to see Guster, they made a point of showing that
they no longer drank from plastic bottles, but they all used recyclable
aluminum water bottles. I meant to look into them but forgot about it
until I saw these Sigg
bottles at Wegmans.
I have read things about plastic water bottles like they are
made from PET (petroleum based plastic) and only 14% of them end up
being recycled. Of the ones that are recycled they are just reduced to
a lower level plastic that is then not recycled. 30 million PET water
bottles go into US landfills EVERYDAY.
Reusable water bottles sense. Especially the fact that bottled
water isn't any different than tap water. Why pay for it?
I used to have a Nalgene bottle at work... but someone TOOK
it! Yuck! Who does that? Well, it is gone now and I am looking at these
cool Sigg bottles. I had a few questions like, is the aluminum harmful?
The website
fact page says that the bottles have liners that ensure 0%
leaching.
We have been getting a lot done outside lately. Working
outside involves a lot of carrying piles of dirt, weeds and plants from
one place to the next. I am currently drooling over these Tubtrugs I saw on NotMartha
and Da*xiang.
I love the different sizes, the colors and the flexibilty. The
website says they are frost and UV proof, superstrong yet flexible. I
can think of a hundred things we could have used one for... building
our patio, planting our front garden, cleaning out the garage...
When I saw the front of this shirt at a Coca
Cola store in Atlanta, I didn't get what it meant. A tagline
"5 inside" on the sleeve didn't help much either but it prompted me to
look inside the shirt. That's when I saw the diagram where a tag
usually is.
Turns out the shirt is 50% recycled plastic bottles! Amazing!
It didn't feel any different from a typical t-shirt. I
googled till my eyes burned but I couldn't find any information online
about them. That's too bad... 'cause what a cool way to recycle!
Method
can't go a few months without coming out with more cool products. This
one looks really strange but it is an aroma ring. Supposed to put off
an aroma like cut grass or vanilla apple without batteries, an outlet
or fire. Magic!
If you don't like smelliness, you could go with the new go
naked line which has no dyes or perfumes.
This is their new line of shower products, bloq. There is body
wash, soap, lotion and shave cream. I am curious about one of the
scents these products come in... beach sage. Do they mean sage the herb
or a wise old man that lives on the beach? Hmmmmm.
And since I am clearly a Method nut... I really should have
this t-shirt.
I love the new reusable
grocery bags they have at Wegmans. At
only $1 a bag we were able to get three for each of our cars so we
always have them when we stop for groceries. (that is three for my bug and three for Aaron's truck... oooh.. maybe I should get some for Aaron's scooter)
When Tina and I were in San Francisco we each bought these reusable ChicoBags. They
aren't as cute as the ones featured on delight.com
(found via NotMartha),
but I like how small they roll up. The ChicoBags are perfect
for shopping trips... I just need to get better at remembering to carry
them with me.
After reading sites like No Impact Man
and Sew Green,
I am glad I got these... a person uses an average of 500 plastic bags
a year!
and cupcake pillow! Yum, yum, yum!
Remember the 
