Go Green with little green; along with The Bell Family

Back to Doctor this Friday.....Found Gluten Free Pizza Delivery

2011-04-26T14:43:00.000-04:00

I go back to the Dr. this Friday to find out if I am indeed positively Gluten-Intolerant (which I'm pretty sure I am). He'll run another round of blood work, take blood pressure. Since cutting it out, I'm allready down 12 pounds (in my 40lb. weight-loss goal). I've been trying to work out every single day (and almost have). I'm taking my blood pressure pills every morning, which are gluten free & following a pretty strict gluten free diet.
I tried my first gluten free pizza last Friday (I had been craving pizza so badly) and didn't think anyone around here did it, but they do... So first, I found this site: Gluten Free Registry, which in turn led me to: Plymouth House of Pizza!! Now, I promised you all that I would be honest...So, I will not say that this was the best pizza I've ever tasted, though my husband really liked his (Gluten-filled...lol) pizza & my two boys certainly enjoyed it (though they also ate some of mine, so they're not exactly discerning, or finnicky judges). It did at least fulfill my craving for a pizza and probably helped me to not crave one for quite awhile. I don't mean that in a negative way, but it was not the same; it didn't make me want to run out & spend money to get another one right away, which is a good thing. I was extremely happy & greatful to have it & will certainly order from them the next time I have a craving!
It feels very good to know that restaurants have become so much more accomodating. It is appreciated.

So, today, I leave you with this quote: "When someone asks you a question, answer him or her sincerely, and when you are not asked, do not force your teaching upon others."
-Jae Woong Kim, "Polishing the Diamond"

Is Gluten Intolerance causing your weight gain?

2011-04-11T20:37:00.000-04:00

After recenly discovering that I am gluten intolerant (do no have Celiac disease, though I will get tested for it), at this point we have strictly confirmed the intolerance. I have started a lot of research & even cleaner eating than what I was before. And I feel great & am shedding pounds. In just under 2 weeks I have allready lost 10lbs. Here is a great article, I have placed the link to. Gluten Factsheet #2

Custom No-Sew High End look Bed

2011-01-31T08:49:00.000-05:00

Lyds’ No-Sew Upholstered Bed, here is the link to this gorgeous project shared by Ana White. I love her blog, read it often, she shares great do-it-yourself projects, some for even the most skeptical DIY'ers.
This particular bed is not only gorgeous, but also cost effective (steal at about $100), looks high end & because you're making this yourself & it's not a mass produced (or over produced) purchase product, it's eco-friendly as well.
I really feel like I could make this bed; that being said...stay tuned. I will be making this within the next couple months & will post pics of my progress.
If any of you decide to try this I ask that you share as well.
As always thanks for reading & please follow my blog, or subscribe to my RSS.

Very Sad Letter Today from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Farmer Dave

2011-01-25T16:21:00.000-05:00

Very Sad News to report from Plato's Harvest (our local CSA farm) This is a letter I received today (email) from Farmer Dave to the CSA members:

Hi All. Happy Snowstorm! (again)

The lease on the land at Fuller Street was changed abruptly, unexpectedly, and unacceptably and I have decided to not renew it. I still have three acres at the Soule farm that I will be growing on for 2011.

What this means for the csa is that there is no distribution spot, and I will not be selling shares this year. I will continue to sell at the Plymouth and Cambridge farmers markets.

I have been putting this email off in the hope that I would figure something else out by now. My first impulse was to look for another piece of land to serve as a distribution spot and continue what I've done for the past several years. There are a couple of other local possibilities that may be available to lease, but it's not going to happen in time for this year.

These weeks since I decided not to renew have made me see 'the farm' in a new light, and think hard about what it is I'm trying to accomplish, how and why. The thought of trying to maintain separate locations, with insecure tenure agreements, that I don't own is no longer attractive. It's hard to be able to make long-term plans, decisions and investment in land that you don't own, or a situation that you can't control.

So 2011 will be a year of scaled-back operations which will allow me to explore other possibilities for the future, hopefully locally, hopefully farm-related.

I sincerely appreciate the support you all have shown me. I know that we have a viable model, a desirable and valuable community resource, that I can use to make a winning pitch to the right opportunity. It's also been a pleasure to get to know you all, some for several years now, and some quite well. Stay tuned.

dave

ps, if you know of someone with an old farm with from 10 to 100 acres of stone-free sandy loam cultivated fields, pasture, and wood lot, trustee land, conservation-restricted land, looking to sell or for long-term tenancy, send them my way :`)

pps, we will continue to have farm field days, with the first scheduled for early april for potato and onion planting, details to follow.

Blog Author's Note**Please, Please if you know anyone with a farm as described above, will you please comment, or contact me** Thank you, Colette

Today I dedicate my blog to Martin Luther King, Jr.

2011-01-17T11:47:00.000-05:00

A man who once said, "A man who won't die for something is not fit to live."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I'm sure when it was said he did not know how unfortunately true those words would be. As his life was cut short we will never know how much more he could have given to the world, but we can be thankful that he gave us what he had and that was all of himself.

Today's post is in Memoriam to Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most prolific leaders in our Nation's history.

Peace and Love to all!

A site that offers Sweat Deals....

2011-01-11T08:20:00.000-05:00

Mamapedia - Daily Sweet Deals! Check out this site, the deal today is one near & dear to my heart - a "green" deal. $10 for $25 worth of home products.
Here is a little more information about the Eco-Friendly site itself:

LetsGoGreen.biz is a business that believes their products can make a positive difference one home at a time. They’re environmentally friendly, and are selected specifically for use in every room in the house.

We were sent a few items to take a look at. Their 100% Recycled Toilet Paper is free of dyes, inks and fragrances and is recycled without chlorine or bleaching. Frankly, as far as I can tell, this was the same as the non-recycled type, so there is absolutely no reason not to switch from the non-recycled type which are cutting down ancient forests. If every home in America changed just one roll for a recycled roll, then it would save a million trees a year.

Another no-brainer is to switch to Ecosafe degradable trash bags. We have the 13-gallon Tall Kitchen Bags. Ecosafe bags are just like regular plastic bags, except that they will totally degrade and compost in 12 to 24 months. They contain an additive called DCP which remains dormant until triggered by sufficient UV light, heat or mechanical stress. The bags leave no toxic or harmful residue.

Finally, I’m getting quite good at looking at reusable bags. Their canvas totes are made in the U.S.A. and are grocery-sized and sturdy.

LifeGoggles.com

Here is a link directly to the site itself:
Green your 2011 with Let's Go Green Biz Free shipping on orders $49 & over. (always love free shipping!)

Happy Shopping, Happy Tuesday.

Go Credit Card Free Today!!

2011-01-07T10:46:00.001-05:00

There is a website that I joined awhile back offering personal daily challenges: https://www.meyouhealth.com/challenge/2011/1/7/go-credit-card-free-today?challenge_how_id=58909#challenge-how-58909

Well, today the challenge was go credit card free today, I'm sure they meant for 1 day, but here's the thing.... we have been credit card free in my household for over 2 years now. We made a conscious decision that they were just more bills at the end of each month that we couldn't eventually afford. We were able to get "things" in the now, but in the long run it hurt, you pay more, because you're paying interest, etc. Some give rewards and we had those too, but the rewards never added up to much! So, we cut them up, paid them off & haven't touch a credit card since.

We actually have to save to buy things & yes that means sometimes we don't get them. I do suppose that one day we might have a card again (for emergencies), but not any time soon. We sacrifice, but it's not forever, and we have what we need.

Don't get me wrong, my kids still got totally spoiled for Christmas - I bought them way too much, but it was worth it & I have no credit card bill to look forward to that will make me cringe; it's all paid & behind us, so we got to enjoy them opening gifts without having to think about a bill that will come next month. I can honestly tell you that makes me feel so much better when I do spend "too" much on an occasion, or event.

We started the process of going credit card free over 3 years ago, it took us some time to pay a couple of them off. It's a process, but it's worth it in the end. If anyone would like advice, please feel free to ask.

Check out that daily challenge site too, I find some of the excercies are helpful & make me think.

Time to get honest in 2011 ...

2011-01-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Hey folks, sorry I've been "off the grid" for a bit. Was busy with a new job, and moping about not having any money. But HEY - it's a new year & I've got a wonderful, happy, healthy family - I've got to remind myself sometimes to appreciate all of that & not focus on what we don't have!

Well, the job did not work out & so back to the drawing board I am looking for legitimate work from home. (why from home you might ask, I have 2 young boys that I stay home to raise & my husband works full time outside the home)

And this year I decided to be completely honest on this blog. We live as green & eco-friendly a lifestyle as we can, well...actually more than we can afford to!! We're like a lot of families living in America today, we live paycheck to paycheck. It's not how we used to be, before kids; I worked & made a very decent amount of money, we never worried about money, we had it; right? lol That's when you don't worry about it!!

My husband & I made a tough decision, based in large part to the way we each grew up, in divorced homes & myself as a latch-key kid; that when we had children, I would stay home to raise them & he would work. It's actually what brought us to the town we currently live in, my husband works in this town, so it cut down on car maintenance/wear & tear & commuting costs, such as gas, etc. For over a year we even did it w/only 1 car in the family. That got to be way too difficult last winter; my son was older & I wanted to be able to take him places, do stuff w/him and he was going to be starting preschool, so I would need a car to drop him off/pick him up.

We fought for over 2 years to get a loan modification on our home mortgage (our interest rate was too high, that's the only reason - it became unmanageable when we lost $20,000 on our old home that we sold) through the homes made affordable program & it worked!! Our mortgage was lowered by $700 per month! Huge, right? Yes! We now really have to figure out a way to lower my car payment, which might mean trading it back in to get a used car at a lower payment, which I'm perfectly okay with, it needs to happen soon, we are pretty strapped for cash right now.

Well, as all of this is probably pretty boring, it's my first post of 2011, I will continue to write mostly about "green" topics, but with a more doses of reality thrown in & some posts will be more personal. One thing all of my posts will surely be is honest. I will try to help other families, like ours and different to give their families the best on a budget! I'm also always open to ideas, suggestions & questions. Please drop me a line, or two...I would love to hear from you.

PS -if anyone knows someone who is looking for an experienced transcriber, guerrilla marketer, social media savvy blogger/poster, "Green"-minded individual, Notary Public and all around telecommuting professional - well....look no further!!

Have a great night all, feels good to be back.

short post today...

2010-09-24T19:04:00.000-04:00

Hey all, sorry I've been a little absent lately. Our family has had a really rough couple of weeks. We lost my husband's grandfather this past week, last Thursday to be exact. He had physically taken a turn for the worse a couple of weeks ago & then passed on rather quickly since then. So my post tonight is to simply remember & honor him.

I would like to thank him for helping to raise my husband & his brother & for being a positive force in my husband's life. I am so very thankful that he lived to see his 5 great-grandchildren thus far.

Thank you Dickie & Rest now In Peace.

Love,
Colette, Bob, Patrick & Casey

Coolest Store I've heard about in a long time....

2010-09-12T18:23:00.000-04:00

We were watching DIY (Do It Yourself) network, which we love & there are always great tips, some expected & some unexpected... this was one of those unexpected tips which was both environmentally friendly, budget friendly & best of all for a good cause!! (Habitat for Humanity).

They mentioned if you have a home improvement project coming up to check out a store called: Re-Store. It's run by Habitat for Humanity, here is the blip from their home page:

ReStore resale outlets

ReStores sell new fixtures (like these toilets) as well as gently used furniture, home accessories, appliances and building materials.

Habitat’s ReStore resale outlets sell reusable and surplus building materials to the public
While every ReStore is a little different, most focus on home improvement goods like furniture, home accessories, building materials and appliances.

ReStores accept donated goods which are sold to the general public at a fraction of the retail price. The proceeds help local Habitat affiliates fund the construction of Habitat homes within their communities.

Promoting reuse and recycling
ReStores provide an environmentally and socially responsible way to keep good, reusable materials out of the waste stream while providing funding for Habitat’s community improvement work.

Find a ReStore near you or donate materials
To shop, follow the links below to find a ReStore near you. To donate materials, please contact your local ReStore by following the links below.

The DIY segment didn't include a website, but here it is: http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx?tgs=OS8xMi8yMDEwIDY6MTM6MzAgUE0%3d

What a phenomenal idea & for such a great cause!!

To find a store near you, use the following link (in U.S., they also have a link for Canada):
http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx From there you click on your state.

I thought this was super exciting, especially coming from a totaly DIY nerd!!

Join Us In Taking Sustainability To The Next Level | Seventh Generation

2010-09-09T09:23:00.000-04:00

Join me & 7th Generation in this Collaborative!! A group to buy & support sustainable living & cleaning products.....

Join Us In Taking Sustainability To The Next Level Seventh Generation

Green Jargon Friday - "Carbon Footprint"

2010-09-03T17:55:00.000-04:00

Simply put your "Carbon Footprint" is the amount of carbon dioxide emissions created by a person or industry. To further explain it is the amount of carbon dioxide output by yourself, your home, your vehicle, your every day life. There are several sites that can estimate your carbon footprint & offer tips to reduce it.

Why would you want to reduce it you may ask? Well, because the earth can only maintain so much carbon dioxide, we need oxygen to survive, so we want more oxygen & less carbon dioxide, or the earth and it's inhabitants; humans, cannot possibly survive.

Here is a site where you can measure your carbon footprint: http://www.conservation.org/act/live_green/carboncalc/Pages/default.aspx?gclid=CLiwk5qh7KMCFZZM5QodZh0k3w

There are many sites with suggestions & tips to reduce your footprint, I will give you one example: http://www.whatsmycarbonfootprint.com/reduce.htm

Now, this is an interesting site I stumbled upon while doing some research http://www.carbonfootprint.com/ If you have some time check it out!!

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!!

What is Happiness to you? Can you find it every day?

2010-09-01T18:46:00.000-04:00

I read another blog: http://affaircare.blogspot.com/2010/08/add-happiness-every-day-of-month.html about Happiness and August being happiness month, so on and so forth. So, it got me to thinking.... how happy am I every day, what about my husband and my children, are they truly happy? How can I make them & myself happier? Would love some comments/feedback on this....

What truly makes you happy? Do you have a "happy" moment every single day? How can we be happier people?

For me I believe it changes with the stages of my life.... for example, when I was single, had no kids, I was happy to buy something new & get overtime at work, so I could buy more stuff! (seems rather silly now - a lot of the stuff I bought I mean) I was also happy to go out w/my friends and dance & drink & meet guys. Then I met my husband, and I was happy to be w/someone like him, someone handsome & intelligent & a good man, very happy to spend time alone w/him, or even w/our friends. Then we got married & I was happy to be a part of a married couple, happy when we got weekends alone sleeping late in bed & going to breakfast together; taking vacations together. Then we had 1 son & now 2 sons & I'm happy to have a conversation w/my husband after the kids go to bed, I'm happy when my children make new friends, I'm extatic when my children laugh & they are happy, I'm happy to stay home & raise them & I'm happy to meet other moms, both like me & very different from me.

I'm not happy about having hardly any money, barely enough to pay our bills, because I do stay home & when I have work from home (which I always try to do) I am very happy to contribute financially & make our family more comfortable. In those moments when I'm feeling sad about cancelling plans for a "mom's night out" w/some girlfriends, because I literally couldn't afford to do something so "selfish" I sit & write & then look for more legitimate work from home.... I also concentrate on how smart my children are, how healthy they are and how hard I work and struggle to give them everything, gymnastics class, organic, farm fresh, local food & how good of a cook I am to prepare delicious meals for us.

I have a passion for being a mom & a wife (& a bit of a "greenie") & this, yes this after 11 years as a "corporate" person is definitely what makes me happy!! I was interupted about 50 time while writing this by my son & we cracked up laughing every single time!!

http://www.honesttea.com/coupons/

2010-08-31T20:40:00.000-04:00

http://www.honesttea.com/coupons/

Honestly - Honest Tea! Delicious....

2010-08-31T20:35:00.000-04:00

So, this past week one of our local markets had this brand of organic ice teas on sale, 5 for $5, so I figured we'd buy the 5 & give it a try for something different to drink in the house. (We pretty much stick to water - lots of water & milk) We're not soda, or juice drinkers, so this was a nice alternative.
I get to the "Market" & the flavor choices are outstanding....mango-acai; white tea, black forest, pomegranite; red tea, and so on.
They are so tasty & most of the flavors you can get caffeine free, not bad on carbs, or sugar, and the ones that are caffeinated are only 1/4 the amount in coffee, so not bad.
I was very, very impressed. I added a link/post with a link to their site for coupons - give 'em a try.
*coupon in separate post*

Five Ways You Can Join Us at the Table to Save America’s Farms

2010-08-26T21:15:00.000-04:00

Please, please if you believe in sustainable living & America's Farms, read this article & help if you possibly can! I found out about this through America's Farmland Trust.

Five Ways You Can Join Us at the Table to Save America’s Farms

In love with this lunchbox!! Kids, or Adults, check it out!

2010-08-25T10:08:00.000-04:00

So, I heard about this from a post on Nature's Path Organic and decided to check it out for myself. My son is starting Pre-School in a couple weeks, while he doesn't yet need a lunchbox, because he only goes for 2 1/2 hours, 2 days a week to start, I still wanted to be prepared. So, I tried this out, the GoodByn: http://www.goodbyn.com/goodbyn/buy.aspx .

First of all it's adorable! Secondly it's eco-friendly & thirdly when your children are old enough to not be soooo "cute" - you can get them w/out ears!! LOL Love it!

You can get them slightly less expensive here: http://www.buycheapr.com/us/result.jsp?q=goodbyn+lunchbox

Some good honest reviews here: http://justbento.com/bento-box-spotlight-goodbyn-lunchbox

Enjoy!! Need some recipes for your lunchbox, message, or just follow me, I will have some posted very soon.

Thanks!

My Trash Guys

2010-08-23T20:32:00.000-04:00

It's called EZ-Cycle!! This is the best idea I have heard of in a LONG time. We signed up with "My Trash Guys", because they do the recycling for you, plus I believe in as a community you use & promote local companies. You put out the trash & they pick it up & sort it out. If you pre sort, you get a discount. You can't beat the convenience of this for a busy family. Check them out: http://www.mytrashguys.com/my_trash_guys_trash_refferal_offer.html

If you sign up, please tell them the Bell Family of Plymouth referred you!!

Eco-Eco .... tip on food shopping

2010-08-23T08:36:00.000-04:00

This is an example on how to save $$ while food shopping on an item that you know you will use & can be frozen in the meantime. So, this example stems from the Deli at a store near us called "The Market" on sale this week, (yes, I scour all the sales flyers when they come in on Thu., circle what we would use & then go do the main food shopping where they have the most stuff on sale that we'll need), But I will go to another store if they have something on super sale that we will definitely use.

This is just such a time: http://themarketpinehills.com/style/images/circular/market-1-lrg.jpg Land o' Lakes American cheese on sale for $3.88 per pound!! Now, if any of you buy cheese/cold cuts regularly you know they are fairly expensive, so this is a great deal. One that cannot go to waste. So, I will buy a minimum of 2lbs. (I'll probably buy 3). One lb. will be for the next couple weeks & the other will go into the freezer for later. (making this an eco-eco tip)

Economically friendly on the budget (for more than 1 week) and Ecologically friendly because there's no waste, by putting what we can't use now in the freezer and saving it safely for later, that is friendly on the earth, less waste, more use out of something!

I hope you enjoy this tip & more to come. This is my real life, we try to live green on a budget and I enjoy sharing our tips with others!! Please follow me if you enjoy getting useful every day tips from a homemaker, not an expert.

Tax free weekend in Massachusetts...

2010-08-16T15:44:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was tax free here in Massachusetts (which just went up this past year from 5% to 6.25%), so I believe for some people this was an added incentive to get out there & buy something, just because it was tax free! I'm going to do some research & see if I can't find the statistics for spending trends here in the Bay State this past weekend. Check back for an update to this (short) post.

** Yes, we did go out shopping, it was my son Patrick's birthday on Sat.,, so I went out Sat. morning to get all his presents!!**

Organic Clothing ~ too expensive??

2010-08-11T09:42:00.000-04:00

Here is just one example of a site for organic clothing Gaiam (and all sort of other green, or fair trade items) : http://www.gaiam.com/home.do . At first glance might seem to expensive - here's how to make it work on a budget; immediatly go to clearance section: http://www.gaiam.com/category/outlet-sale.do Now you're talking!! Well worth the cost, plus shipping is only .99 cents per order, that's great!! Check it out!

Free Family Film Festival | Regal Theaters

2010-08-10T14:16:00.000-04:00

Free Family Film Festival | Regal Theaters

You can't get more economically friendly than free!!

Need Green! (need some work, telecommuting)!!

2010-08-10T08:31:00.000-04:00

So, I search every day, driving myself crazy sometimes; all in the name of trying to find legitimate work from home, telecommuting jobs. I'm overqualified for a lot, but willing to take the work, my family does need some extra money. First & foremost I am a Stay at Home Mother, homemaker, so I only look for work from home positions. There are so many scams online to sort through. I have had fairly consistent work for a specific company, but when they have no projects, I have no work. And right now I'm in that situation, I have no work & really need the extra income. At a loss, any suggestions would be great. I would ideally like to find work for a "green" company, something I can really get behind.

I check monster.com, craigslist, indeed & so on.

Real Men Eat Pink Pancakes

2010-08-08T15:12:00.000-04:00

Last year was our first year participating in a CSA share (Community Supported Agriculture) (from Plato’s Harvest – Middleboro, MA) & we wasted a lot of food, because we either didn’t know how to cook it, or didn’t think we’d like it. This led to a lot of google searches for recipes & the trying of more & more foods. Our next hurdle came about 6 months ago when my son (then 2 1/2) started being a lot more picky about what he ate, i.e. – not wanting veggies!! UGH, he’d always been a great eater, anything we put in front of him, he’d try & love. So, I buy “Deceptively Delicious” by Jessica Seinfeld for some creative options. One of the very first recipes that piqued my interest was “pink pancakes”, P.143 (Deceptively Delicious). Beets, one of the main items we wasted last year, because we really didn’t think we’d like or didn’t know what to do with them. Well, now we had our answer. So, this year, we roasted up our beets & pureed them & got to work. Now, I say this started with the Deceptively Delish recipe, which I changed slightly to make even more healthy for my family. I will first give you Jessica Seinfeld’s recipe & then give you mine:

Recipe for “Pink Pancakes” from Jessica Seinfeld’s book “Deceptively Delicious” copyright 2007

(with Beet)

* 3/4 cup water

* 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

* 1/4 cup beet puree

*1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

* 1 cup pancake mix

* 1/4 cup grated apple

* Nonstick cooking spray

* 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

* Pure maple syrup or fruit for serving

1 In a blender or food processor, combine the water, ricotta cheese, beet puree, vanilla, and cinnamon and blend. Dump the mixture into a medium bowl, add the pancake mix and apple, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix – the batter will be a little lumpy.

2 Coat a griddle or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. When hot, add the oil. Spoon the batter onto the griddle or skillet, using about 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until bubbles form on top and the batter is set, 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook until golden brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve warm with syrup, or fruit.

NOW HERE ARE MY CHANGES:

* I use “Bisquik” wheat pancake mix(or I make my own)

* I DO NOT use ricotta cheese (you don’t need it)

* I use blueberries if I have them fresh.

* I use Agave nectar in place of the vanilla (sometimes I use both)

* I use cinammon, or a nice little trick – apple pie spice

* I also don’t use the oil, I either just use the cooking spray, or the cooking spray w/a tiny bit of vegetable spread (or margarine, or butter – whatever you prefer)

Cook, eat & enjoy!! My boys love them & so do I!!

Friday; "Green" Jargon Day

2010-08-06T17:11:00.000-04:00

Eco-Chic (Eeko-Sheek); in its simplest explanation is a combination of current trends (trendiness) and a consciousness of the environment.

"her home is very Eco-Chic, using a mixture of green materials, such as bamboo & organic cottons, but making it look modern & current"