Sam's Little Miss Green Jeans

Blog has moved...

2008-11-24T11:02:00.001-05:00

Anytime I spend blogging now is for the good of the bookstore so come join us at: http://aaronsbookslititz.blogspot.com/

We'll still do some family updates on that new blog, but Little Miss Green Jeans is no more...

NAIBA, night 2

2008-09-21T19:19:00.003-04:00

ran the gauntlet of hte expo. Publishers, wholesalers, books. Oh My! We planned maybe ne bag full.... left 3 stuffed to the gills. Tomorrow it's talk business with reps (the boring and hard part of the conference)

Off to sort and drool over our "take". THere are lots and lots of great looking books coming out this fall and winter. The economy may suck, but the writing in this country is exploding (in a good way!)

NAIBA, DAY 2

2008-09-21T16:46:00.003-04:00

WOW! Day is a little half over and there's a bunch to blog about!

It started with a moderated chat with the owners of Talking Leaves Books in Buffalo and Creekside Books in the Finger Lakes region. A nice session where we got to here from owners of two very different stores.. took lots of notes. Then publisher reps came in and went over their "picks" for fall and winter sales. Todd went to the kids one and I heard about tons of cool adult books (not THAT kind of adult book!) Lots of great books coming just in time for Christmas and Hanukkah shopping!!! (We'll have them at the store and on the website shortly).

Lunch was what they call a "Movable Feast". They have about 20 authors, and for each course you have a different author come sit at your table, and chat about their books, etc. We had a new author, Carolyn Baugh, whom I would LOVE to spend a whole meal talking with. She went to Cairo as an exchange student in 1992, and has since written a book about women in Egypt. It's fiction, but its based on the women she met while living there. She has also married and Egyptian and converted to Islam... so you can see my loving of her already! Our second author was Carl Capotoro, aka "Little Paulie" from the Sopranos (YES, REALLY!). He's written a memoir of his life growing up in the 60's & 70's with a very unique Italian-American father. It sounds like a really great read if you like quirky and true characters. He was a charmer and, of course, shared stories about life on the small screen. Our third author, whom we didn't get nearly enough time with was Pulitzer Prize winner Oscar Hijuelos. He's got a new YA book out that is a modern day Huck Finn, with a Latino-Irish boy at it's center. It's the debut of a new line of books being published for and about modern Latino youth.

After lunch we had another educational session. This one was about doing a store self audit.... I took about 15 pages of notes... needless to say, the next time you see our little "baby" it may well be very very different. (but change is good!)

Todd is down now for another educational session about IndieBound. Which I've blogged about before (see below). Later they open up the expo and we get to start collecting more and more "swag" and meet more authors.

I just have to say I LOVE ABA & NAIBA! Todd and I come back from these things with so much hope for our little store, that low sales can't get us down (at least for a few weeks). We've already started in a new direction for the store with the off site events we've added this year, and feel good because a lot of talk today has been about the importance of those types of things.

Off to head downstairs for the evening activities.. will blog more later :)

NAIBA, night 1

2008-09-20T20:22:00.002-04:00

Well, after a 3 hours trip to Philly... yes THREE HOURS, we hit every single traffic light between Lititz and Camden.... needless to say we're going turnpike on the way home...but we're here!

This was a light night, with a "Philly buffet"- cheese steak and cheesecake. Before the doors opened we met the owner of a used/new bookstore in Meadeville PA- Tattered Corners. They are very similar to us in style, size, and what they carry. It was nice to see we weren't he only used guys here. Then at the supper we met the couple that owns Harleysville Books in Harleysville PA.

While we were seated we got to meet a few of the evening's featured authors: 2008 Caldecott winner Brian Selznikck (illustrator), Ann M. Martin (of Babysitter's Club fame) & Robin Gaby Fisher. She was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for a story series she did after the 2000 Seton Hall Fire. She has turned that story into a new book called After the Fire. It's about the two roommates that were seriously injured in the fire. One of them came tonight to talk to us about the book. It sounds like absolutely amazing story of friendship and triumph. There is a short video on our store website about this book (click on the "Bookspots" logo on the main page, then scroll down our new books page to see the video).

So not bad to an hour of "work"! Tomorrow is a luncheon with authors "pimping" their books, and some breakout sessions to discuss bookselling. The most important thing Todd and I get out of this annual conference is a rejuvenation in our dedication to making our fantasy bookstore a reality... more on that tomorrow, after some nitty gritty meetings :)

Peace out book dudes and dudettes (yes, I need sleep! hehe)

A school I'd love to go to!

2008-09-15T19:43:00.002-04:00

I don't reveiw books here that often. Mainly cause I'm no good at it. But this books totally rocked my reading world! The writing was so well done, filled with passion and clarity. (in other words some one like me that prefers "fluff" can "get it").

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

The book takes place at a cooking school. But this one has no recipes, just a love of flavor. Each chapter is a different week of the school, and focuses on a different member of the class. Each person, including the teacher, comes to the class with a past, and a need to interact. I swear this teacher is magical in bringing these people together the way she did. She just KNOWS.... The personal stories are interspered with the cooking and YOWZA. The descriptions of the ingredients and how they affect our senses of smell, touch, and taste are absolutely amazing. I salavate as I read each chapter. At one point I had to read a portion out loud to Todd, it was just so filled with powerful imagery that the passage took me to this home in Italy the character was remembering.

Now the book doesn't come out 'til next year, but you HAVE to add this to your January '09 shopping list (we'll have plenty of copies at Aaron's! hee hee)

Remembering...

2008-09-11T11:06:00.003-04:00

September 11th is on the hearts and minds of folks around the country. Here are my remembrances for that day.

I had been teaching at a Middle school in the metro-DC area for all of 2 weeks. I was in Christa McAuliffe’s old room, and as I stood at my door looking at her plaque, waiting for the last stragglers to come to homeroom, at staff assistant came by and told me about the first Tower being hit. At the time we thought it was an accident. A few minutes later, while she and I were talking, the principal called all the VP's and hall monitors on the walkie-talkie to tell them about the 2nd tower and called an immediate meeting for them in his office. She and I just looked at each other, hugged, and knew we had a job to do. We still had not heard about the Pentagon or the plane in PA. I had spent a year researching the 1994 attack, and the group that the US claimed was behind it, so I knew exactly what was going on in the pit of my stomach. Luckily most of that day was a free reading time for my fist class, and I had just hooked up a computer in my room. I immediately go online and saw that the Pentagon had been hit, and in those early few minutes there were reports that the Mall in DC was hit (due to the smoke from the Pentagon). I went sheet white, and the kids picked up on it. It was a dilemma to tell them or not. Many had family (parents, brothers, cousins) in the areas that were reported to have been hit in DC). Toward the end of my 2 hours with them, 2 had already been pulled from class by their parents (the first of many that day). I knew I had to tell them what was going on, and being with me was the safest place for them, since I knew the most of anyone in the building, having spent years studying the subject of Islam and the Middle East. I told them, read some from the Washington Post Website out loud, and let them draw out their emotions on the blackboard. They were very brave, asked lots of great questions, and used me and each other to get through the day. Our team of teachers decided to tell the entire group (about 200) kids at lunch and have them come to me with questions. By the end of the day, we merged 4 classes (about 25 students that were left) and let them just watch the news with me, discussing and questioning. While I don't believe in a higher power that controls peoples daily lives, I do believe that I was put there at that time to help these 12 & 13 years digest a horrible day in American history.

Driving home that day, it was eerily quiet on the Beltway. There were lots of military jets flying real close to the ground, and not too many cars. The cars there were there were going slow and surprisingly, very polite about merging. Most had their windows down, and I could hear WTOP on lots of cars as we passed each other.

While 9/11 is a time of remembrance for the world, this time of year is a time that I remember more than just that day.

One year later, my area of DC was under attack by a vicious unknown serial killer. On the first day of his rampage, I was on bed rest (with a little doodle trying to come out early). I had asked Todd to go to the grocery store to get some things. We were equal-distant to 3 Safeway’s. I turned on the morning news, and found that 2 people had been shot at a Safeway parking lot near our house. Not knowing which store Todd had gone to, I was in a shear panic until he came back in the door. I was never so happy to see him in my life. Later that day, the killer went to a Middle School not far from the one that I taught at. The next few weeks, all outdoor activities at schools were canceled. We had to escort students to and from the buses, small groups at a time. The schools were on a complete lock down with cops everywhere. It was truly frightening.

Then a year after that, Hurricane Isabel hit. Todd was at a conference out West. Baby Aaron and I hunkered down in the basement with the dogs for 12 hours. Most of the time without power or phone service. I had managed one call to Todd that night before the worst part hit; to let him know were doing okay. I know that it was hard on him to not be there for us. We survived with only a little tree and deck damage (and 2 dogs that needed desperately to go out for a pee). When we went out a few days later, and on my way to school the following Monday, we saw the long lines of power company trucks from all over the East Coast, driving to our area to help restore. Places like the Carolina coast and Florida are used to it, but it was truly frightening for a hurricane to hit College Park MD! Seeing the outpouring from places as far away as GA, brought tears to my eyes (not a safe thing while driving on the Beltway!),

Then in November of 2004, my first love died when his helicopter was shot down in Iraq. This happened on my 32nd birthday. (Hence, me not celebrating my birthday anymore).

So September 11th is a day of remembarances for the coutnry and the world. It is the beginning of a time of great reflection for me, and a solemn beginning to a season of loss and fear from the past years. Thanks for reading my ramblings :) Peace to you and everyone around you this time of year.

INDIE part 2

2008-09-11T10:11:00.003-04:00

This month's IndieNext featured book is from an author living in Bethlehem PA. She has written on her blog about how awesome independent bookstores are! YEA

I have it on pile to read next. We get to meet this author at booksellers event next weekend, and we will hopefully be able to snag her for a book signing here in the not too distant future.

Are you INDIE-pendent??

2008-08-31T09:53:00.010-04:00

It's time for Little Miss Green Jeans to jump on a soap-box again (yep, and at this height I need a really big one to see over all the heads! hee hee)

We've joined a great new movement called IndieBound. It's run by the American Booksellers Association and has replaced BookSense. It is also an online community where you can touch base with other independent retailers and shoppers... it's in testing form right now (we're a tester at Aaron's Books), but when it's up and running for the general public it's well worth the $0 it costs to join!

I can not stress enough how important shopping local is... especially in this rotten economy. If we don't support the "mom & Pops" now, we're going to see many many towns with shuttered and boarded up store fronts as never seen before. Why does shopping independent and local matter? Well for every $100 you spend at a chain less than $50 goes back to your community and that includes all salaries! For every $100 you spend at a local store more than $70 (and sometimes as much as $90 in our case) stays in your community... paying for your parks, schools, police, etc.

Here's another perspective in relation to shopping for books online (from the Great Lakes Booksellers Association)
Local author events sponsored by Amazon: 0

Number of your townspeople working for Amazon: 0

AMount donated by Amazon to your town: 0

Amount of sales tax paid by Amazon to your community: 0

Think about what those numbers are for your local bookstore
Here are ours (esitmates)

Local author events 2007-2008: 10

Employees: 3

Doantions: well over $300

Sales taxes paid to community: over $3000

Now where is it more beneficial to shop??? That extra $3 you saved at Amazon could have helped pay for that new park your town is planning, or the needed new textbooks for the high school if you had bought that same book from a local independent bookstore!

(jumping off soapbox... but just for a little bit! hee hee)

Win A Book!

2008-08-26T09:18:00.003-04:00

My awesome online friend Lori is giving away a free singed copy of Turn Up the Heat: A Gourmet Girl Mystery by Susan Conant and Jessica Conant-Park. It's a great series, especially for any foodie or Bostonian.

Check out Lori's Reading Corner for more details!

Finished, Done, Finito!

2008-08-15T10:54:00.003-04:00

I have finished my first real knitting project! Woot! Here it is in progress, and being modeled by it's recipient :)

Bayonets Forward...

2008-08-10T19:36:00.006-04:00

Aaron got his first taste of walking a battlefield with his Grandaddy today. We did part of Day 2 of the Gettysburg battles... Of course being a 5 year old boy Aaron most remembers 1) climbing on the rocks at Devil's Den and 2) learning that people would pull out their teeth so that they didn't have to serve in the war (he asked if that law was part of the Constitution when we were playing a history trivia game Grammy bought at the gift shop! hee hee)

Here are some pix from his adventures: (they are from my phone, so a little fuzzy)

EEK! Where did I go???

2008-07-26T09:15:00.003-04:00

The summer has flown by and I've been busy busy busy.. mostly with the store (WAHOO!), but also with crafting for our big debut at the Lititz Craft Fair.

Quick updates:

Aaron is loving his day camp at his Montessori school. Last week was cooking, and he came home with a camp cookbook, we're gonna tray making fortune cookies soon!
Lititz has it's own Farmer's Market, and we are diligent buyers. We've gone to the gorcery store once in the past 4 weeks for pantry items (we do get milk and bread regularly, though), but all our other foods are coming from the market... the BEST bacon ever is there (and since I've eaten bacon 5 out of 7 days each week for at least 20 years or so, I know my bacons!)
Store has been hopping... we meet our quota daily, and sometimes exceed it by 400%! Now if we could just get these folks to come back in January and February (pesky fair weather tourists!)
Aaron has had his first of 2 trips to Virginia this summer, and got to see Williamsburg. His tour of colonial hotspots will end with our family vacation of Valley Forge & Philly in October (for those keeping track he's also visited Plymouth, Boston, & Jamestown)... next up is his intro to the Civil War with a Grandaddy guided tour of Gettysburg in August... nope he's not being raised by history buffs... nope, not at all!

I promise to be back with more words of green wisdom next month when things slow down a bit :)

Old MacAaron had a.....

2008-06-30T14:19:00.003-04:00

day at a Folklife Festival. A small community about a hour north of us, and in another part of PA Dutch country has a big folklike festival. Its mostly crafts (made by hand, some the old fashioned way), music, Germanic influenced fair foods, and some "olden times" demonstrations... and lots of fun for the kiddos... here is Aaron in action!

I've been BRANDED!!

2008-06-27T13:41:00.002-04:00

(but I'm no fool... sorry had to have a Grease reference in here)

As you can see, I've got my new venture branded now... woo hoo :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5926685

ATTACK OF THE "I DIDN'T KILL THEM TOMATOES" !

2008-06-18T12:10:00.003-04:00

I have 2 tiny 'maters growing... woohoo!

Rock the Casbah...

2008-06-06T07:23:00.002-04:00

That's me these days... rockin'! Last night I had my first Belly Dancing class... swivel those hips! Goodness knows I've got more than my fair share to bump & shimmy with. It was a nice workout, even for a plump one like me :) (although I did sweat more in my Wednesay Yoga class).

Speaking of hot desert activities...Todd and I in our effort to really become tre-hugging,, earth lovining 21st century hippies, we're attempting to go A/C free this summer. Our first true test will be this weekend, as we are supposed to hit the upper 90's Saturday and Sunday. PHEW!

Namaste.

Launching a New Ship!

2008-06-03T11:06:00.004-04:00

This Blog has given birth to a new venture (who new an online entity could be a parent!??!!??)

LittleMissGreenJeans is now an online shop "filled" with handcrafted items recycled and reused. Come check us out (new things are going to be added each month this summer as we gear up for ou official debut at the Lititz Craft Fair) :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5926685

THANKS MOM!!!!

France, Finishing, & Farms....

2008-05-25T08:47:00.005-04:00

A hodgepodge of updates

1) My son is a "Frog"! okay not really, besides if so he'd really be a tadpole :) (bad Sammie humor, what do you expect??) His class studied France this year (did you know stained glass and the hot air balloon were invented in France?). On their last day each class performs songs from the country they studied for the school and parents. Here are some pix from last Wednesday's "Morning of Arts & Culture" from The Montessori Academy of Lancaster.... in pre-school handmade berets! :)

2) I'm done! It's over! WOOHOO to me.... one cross-stitch project that is. Dad's insignia piece is now at the framer's and should be on his way to him next month. Merry Christmas and Happy Father's Day you instigator! :) (PS- I spared you the big American flag frame Aaron wanted to put on it to remind you of your job! hehe)

3) These little piggies went to market... yesterday was the first day of our town's new Farmer's Market. It's small right now, but will grow quickly. Some stands ran out of products by 9:30! Everything sold at this market has to be produce no more than 30 miles from the town... We're LOCAVORES! we got some great pies, breads, grass fed meats, and yummy yummy tomatoes and strawberries.... I need to find a good vegetarian cookbook that describes different veggies and how to cook them, so we can experiment this summer... Aaron went around yesterday proudly telling everyone that he's going "vetrenarian" and "vegiturium"... Love him! It was neat to be out with the community, since we are usually in the store during town events like this. Some of our regular customers, even let us cut them in line at the stands, since they knew we had to get the store open by nine :)

4) In other news..... This is the week Aaron is taking his first "solo" trip. He and Todd are driving to Pittsburgh to meet his Papa, then he's off to Cleveland for the week... mom is going to be soooo lonely BUT also enjoy a few afternoon and nights of fluff reading and crafting! .... I had my follow up visit at my doctor's office... the good news is the back problem is not bone or disk related... just chronic muscle problems that I aggravated, and I'll continue to have lower back problems for the rest of my life... phew! I'll be taking a yoga class this summer to learn some more stretching I can do for it (and a belly dancing class... the best thing for a two left footed chunky gal like me!)... My garden is growing, SLOWLY. I killed our strawberry plants, a sage plant, and a tomato plant. Not too bad considering this is the first time ever I've attempted to grow anything. I did replace the strawberry plants with one that already had two small berries growing on it, so we'll see if I have any success in actually harvesting something other than leaves!...in store news- we're changing things around again! (SHOCK!) We bought 3 more bookcases, and will be shifting and expanding non-fiction this week (yep, that would be the same non-fiction section we culled down in January)

It's a Doggie Dog World...

2008-05-13T11:18:00.004-04:00

For Mother's Day my boys took me to the local dog show.. of course we had to get there early to see the Rodesian Ridgebacks... below are shots of our adventures at the ring with the hounds (shocking to see how a well behaved dog couldbe... we don't have any experience with those!)

After seeing the Ridgebacks, we browsed the other rings, and did some shopping. PAris and Penny got new beds for their crates, some new chewies. Aaron picked out a racood furry squeaky toy for Paris. We now play "EEK! There's a Racoon In the House" and PAris loves saving us from the evil critter... of course he also sleeps with it it! He may be old, but he's a luv puppy at heart :)

Personal Beeswax...

2008-05-04T10:17:00.004-04:00

Not mine!

Aaron and I went to see a show based on 4 of the JunieB Jones' books on Saturday. Aaron had been to plays before, but this is the first time with me. I LOVED it! He got so excited, that by the end he was dancing inthe aisle... he was the only one, so I silently slouched down in my chair shaking my head... but hey! it's great that a 5 year old loves musicals that much!

RETREAT...

2008-04-27T13:13:00.006-04:00

... AND GET STRESS FREE! Okay, so it's impossible for a triple-Type A like me to be completely stress-free, but this comes close!This was one of the best weekend of my adult life! I spent 48 with fellow stitchers of every ilk (knitters, crocheters, needlepointers, cross-stitchers, and quilts) and guess what I did... STITCHED!

It was a weekend retreat sponsored by MANRA (Mid-Atlantic Needle shop Retailers) in Gettysburg. Here's my weekend run-down:

Friday... took a leisurley drive through southern PA while listening to some NPR podcasts. Arrived around 1ish, checked in at the retreat, and joined a table of shop owners for about several hours of stitching... now a side note: I have several projects in the works, most are gifts or a special secret one for the store, THEN last weekend mom brought me a very very special chart (a Hollins seal chart, that I remember buying 20+ years ago with my grandmother when I first started cross- stitching), so I was completely torn about what to bring with me. Both Todd and Aaron said I should bring the Hollins chart, and I did. So I started that on Friday (had to frog a bunch, cause I can't count!)... so anyway, I checked into my room at 3, then went back down to stitch some more, came up to refresh at 5, and joined a new table of ladies from Sterling VA for our evening activities (one is working on a gorgeous 2'x2.5' nativity scene). We had wine and heavy hors d'ourvres. Then had a 2 hour presentation by Doug Kreinik, showing us all their awesome metallic and silk threads, and all the great things that can be done with them. Inspiration struck me, and lets just say that my Hollins Seal is going to have a splash of sparkle! (just like me!!) We also got a kit with lots of Kreinik threads, so I'll be sharing my wealth with fellow stitcher friends :)

Saturday.... a Continental breakfast and lots of stitching... I joined my new friends again, one of which was teaching the two classes I was scheduled to take that day. So after about 3 hours of stitching I took my first class.... beginning crochet. I had taught myself from a book, and wanted to make sure i knew what I was doing.. well I was doing just about everything wrong.. but now I know, and I can start to make pretty things! after a quick deli lunch, I met with C again and she walked me through knitting a project I have (it's a secret... you'll see it here when it is done and presented to the recipient). She taught me to knit English style (I'd been doing a
wonky Continental), and now I totally "get" purling :) ... so a few more hours of stitching and a nice sit down dinner rounded out the day...

Sunday... I couldn't sleep on Sunday morning, I was too excited.... not to be going home (sorry honey!), but to stitch for a few more hours before packing up and checking out. Below are pictures from the weekend and my new BA-WIP (Big A$$ Work In Progress).

PS- anyone in the MD, DC, or Southern PA region... go to Keep Me in Stitches... these are the nicest shop owners (myself excluded, or course) that I've ever met!!!

Invasion of the Sammie Snatchers...

2008-04-24T13:27:00.002-04:00

Who is this woman,

and what have you done with me?????

So , not content with just 2 herbs and a few tomaoes.. I went out yesterday and bought more containers to hang on the side of our deck and 6 more herbs to plant in them... seriously.. stop laughing.. I'm gardening and I haven't killed anything yet!

Life's Mysteries

2008-04-15T13:09:00.005-04:00

Sorry.. not gonna be able to help you solve any...

this one is about our life and mysteries :)

A has always had a bit of each of us in him, not now we all three have something in common- Mysteries. Aaron is really liking us to read mysteries to him at night. His favorites so far are the A-Z Mysteries and the Cam Jansen series. I can't wait for him to be old enough for Encyclopedia Brown! We used to play Clue Jr. with him, but last week he was insistent on playing "big people clue"... so we did, with him as my partner... then he decided to try it on his own, and wouldn't you know it the little stinker figured it out before me! Yesterday on the way to school he started talking about all the thing he wanted to be when he grows up, and he came to the realization that he can't do them all... but he's gonna try to do the most important ones, with police officer at the top of his list.. we're driving along after he says this then he exclaims.. mommy I can solve mysteries and fight crime!!! "I'll be a detective".... what a cutie :)

Speaking of mysteries, I just read one last week that I just have to recommend cause it takes place in a mystery used/new bookstore! Murder Is Binding by Lorna Barrett . I love the premise of a town of bookstores... our whole family would be in heave (and serious debt) if such a place existed close to us... as it is we spend money on books even though we own a store ourselves! Here's the blurb: "When she moved to Stoneham, city slicker Tricia Miles met nothing but friendly faces. And when she opened her mystery bookstore, she met friendly competition. But when she finds Doris Gleason dead in her own cookbook store, killed by a carving knife, the atmosphere seems more cutthroat than cordial. Someone wanted to get their hands on the rare cookbook that Doris had recently purchased-and the locals think that someone is Tricia. To clear her name, Tricia will have to take a page out of one of her own mysteries-and hunt down someone who isn't killing by the book. " This is one of the best new "cozy" series I've read in a long time... even if cozies aren't your thing, but you're a book lover, ya gotta give this one a try (and nope, I'm not being paid to say that, and I don't have any at my store to sell... my copy is a "keeper".... although I can order one for ya! hee)

On other non-mysterious fronts... things are moving along here at the store... we're hiring our first "employee" next month. She's the daughter of a fellow store owner and has been shopping here since our grand opening. She's graduating high school in June and will be attending our Alma Mata this fall.. so we can corrupt her with lots of DC horror stories while she's working here.

Aaron is loving that it is spring and he can be out doors ore. We've got 5 caterpillars we are raising, so far none have started making their chrysalis'yet, but we should have some by the weekend.

I can see the finish line on dad's insignia cross stitch. I'm on the last bit of insignia number , so I have 2 more to go... phew.. my goal is to be mostly done by next week.... cause I'm going on VACATION!!! woohoo.. 2 days and nights with a group of knitters and stitchers in Gettysburg. 'll take a few classes, shop and just sit and read and stitch, while A supervises his daddy and grandma here at the store!

SHOOTS~

2008-04-07T17:01:00.005-04:00

We've got shoots! Maybe my thumb is not as black as I thought, my tomato and strawberry seeds are becoming plants... now I know that doesn't mean I'll actually get something to eat... but I made something grow! woohoo! And I've kept my rosemary and mint plants alive for 2 weeks :)

just added video...

2008-04-01T14:21:00.002-04:00

from Barack's visit to our town...

It shows him shaking my hand (I’m the white hat halfway through… and If you listen closely you can hear him asking about the stuff he signed for us… at the beginning you can see his assistant handing me the book too!)

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/barack-ate-too-much-chocolate-in-lititz-pa/2922237484

ROCK BAMA

2008-03-31T15:08:00.015-04:00

As Aaron used to call the possible future president- Barak Obama.... WE MET HIM TODAY!!!! There was an unannounced trip to our local candy factory (one of the oldest and best in the country!). Word amongst townsfolk grew, and there were about 100-150 of us that braved the cold rain for several hurs to meet him. I'm still sorta undecided in my vote, but he has sooooo much charisma, just in the quick handshaking we all experienced. (oh, and Dan Rather was there too!)

We were towards the back when he came in, but got closer to the front while he was in the store... one of his campaign guys saw that I had a book, and brought it in to him to sign.. when Barak came back out he saw that I was wearing a bookstore hat and asked if I got the book back!! COOL!!!! Below are photos from our rain-soaked adventure in civics :) (the hand in the last picture is Todd's, and Barak is leaning down shakign Aaron's hand)

Full photo album can be seen here: http://www.t-mobilepictures.com/cozybookgal

The Local Angle

2008-03-27T09:55:00.004-04:00

Wanna Save The Earth? Then Shop Local….

The “green” movement has many spokes in its wheel. One such spoke is targeting your shopping. While many view “Shop Local” as a separate campaign, I strongly believe that one can not be a true friend of the Earth and NOT pay attention to where one shops. To put it bluntly… if you do a majority of your shopping at “Wally-World” and the like (no matter how many CFL’s they sell), then you are not working towards a sustainable and healthy planet.

Why shop local? Why should you care?

**“Each food item in a typical US meal has traveled an average of 1500 miles… If every US citizen ate just one meal a week composed of locally and organically raised meats and produce we could reduce our country’s oil consumption by over 1.1 million barrels of oil EVERY WEEK” (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle)… This bears repeating 1.1 MILLION BARRELS spared just by eating ONE MEAL a week with local foods… imagine if you ate ½ your meals from local foods… imagine if you bought those foods at a local store rather than a chain that has thousands of trucks on the road daily polluting your air????

**A 200K sq foot space generally draws an additional 10K cars per day, and more on Saturdays; this amount traffic often depresses property values, but increases costs to local governments (Big Box Swindle)

**When a mega store opens, a community LOSES a net of 180 jobs (ibid)

**Because box-store employees often make minimum wage, the costs to taxpayers to fund Medicare and welfare greatly increases (ibid)

**Locally owned business generate 70% MORE local economic impact per square foot than a chain store (ibid)

**3 times as much money stays in the community when people shop local (chain store profits filter up to the corporate headquarters and CEO, where local business reinvest that $ into the community) (ibid)

Many of the above statistics are economically based, and that tends to lead to the assumption that “Shop Local” and the “Green” movement are separate... but if you add it up this way, it makes sense: If you shop local, then more people have better paying jobs, they then are more likely to spend their extra money in the community also shopping locally, thus giving the local farmer reason not to sell off land to developers, thus cutting back on overall pollution and increasing good air through larger organic farming and less commuting and trucking.

If we can’t support our local economy, then we can’t expect it to support us. Does this mean NEVER shopping at a chain store? No. Even I do every once in awhile! BUT it does mean planning shopping, looking for local alternatives, and not relying on the chains for everything. How do you know where to shop? Here are some local (Central PA) sources, as well as national links to websites.

1) Use your phonebook…. Let your fingers do the walking before you jump in the car
2) For those here in Lancaster area use the SSBN Green Pages, especially if you’re looking for local produce and organically grown goods
3) USDA list of local farmers markets
4) American Independent Business Alliance
5) Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

THINK GLOBALLY… SHOP LOCALLY. And don’t forget to take your reusable bags when shopping locally! :)

Airborne Patriots

2008-03-14T09:48:00.007-04:00

Like Grandaddy, like Grandson!

Aaron's Grandaddy spent part of last week in New England and brought back with him a tri-corner hat for a budding young historian. Yesterday, Aaron informed me that he knows more than anyone about "the olden days" (ha!) In October our family vacation is going to be to Philadelphia (I'll be at a stitching festival while the boys traipse around Valley Forge), so Aaron will be appropriately attired now for that trip :)

On the stitching front, I'm no longer "semper rotanning" and am now AIRBORNE! I finished up dad's transportation wheel, and am now on my 2nd to last insignia... his first- AIRBORNE! (sorry, you just have to yell it each time, it can't be said quietly...)

I also did 2 bookmarks for some online friends.

And I've started a crochet shawl for our prayer shawl ministry. I hadn't crocheted since last October, so it's nice to get back to it. I'm doing better with my edges now, and it seems to move more quickly than knitting (may it's the one hand versus 2 hands... I have no coordination!)

Yesterday I ventured to a quilt store after reading the first 2 Jennifer Chiavarini books... big mistake. I bought a small wall hanging kit. When I told Todd I got the "oh no, not another craft!" eye roll! hee hee.

New Month, New Season, New...

2008-03-03T14:48:00.003-05:00

ME!

I took an hour or so for myself today... I know, shocker! I got some new jeans (a need), trimmed up ye old hair, and dyed it for the first time in 2 years (my longest stretch in 20 without dying it!)

Aaron's Grandma visited this past week, and I decided it wasn't fair for him to have a mother with more grey hair than 3 out of 4 grandparents... so really it was all for him! hee hee

Today is our first taste of Spring, woohoo! This year I'm trying my hand at some gardening (yep, forcing the black thumb to turn a shade of green). Aaron and I are going to attempt some container gardening on our back deck- strawberries, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Not much else to report in Sam-land. Cross-stitching projects are coming along slowly. I'm trying to dedicate 2 days each week to each of the 3 BAPs (Big A$$ Project), and one for my store door hanger (April is a cute chick under an umbrella and will say "April Showers...."). Knitting has been on the back-burner again... I'm hopping I'll get thumped upside the head someday with some knitting talent, so I can stop doing straigh scraves! hehe

BBRRILLLLIIIAANNNTTT!

2008-02-21T09:30:00.002-05:00

Yes, I am... but this is about light bulbs

Last night I had a SSBN board meeting. At the end some one commented on the home owner's cool new CFL's in her kitchen lamp.. they were tiny, had a regular bulb casing, and worked on the dimmer... so the message today is- CFL's are cool! (literally and figuratively).

Now in our paper recntly people have bemoaned their safety and if they really do work... so here are examples from my life that prove they really are worth it!

1) safety- you could play "monkey in the middle" with these puppies and feel safe! Todd and I moved all our lamps with the bulbs in them from the house to the apartment and not one single one broke
2) value- you bet your bippy! We have 3 that are on 24/7 here at the store... have been for 2 years and haven't had to replace them AND our electric bill has gone DOWN from when we had floods on only 6 hours a day!

so here's a link to a place that literally has thousands to choose from... they now come in all shapes, sizes, types... not just those "ugly" bulky ones (as if that should be a reason to not install them!) ...if you do nothing else this weekend... change some bulbs... the planet will thank you!

WIPs

2008-02-14T09:41:00.010-05:00

(and no, that does not mean I'm a dominatrix with bad spelling!)

It's a Works In Progress update :)

First up is the insignia collage for my dad. As you can see I'm in the
middle of 4 of the 6 that are going to be on there. I'm doing the harder parts first, then filling in the easier bits later. Right now I'm knee deep in the transportation wheel... again this is me deisgning as I go along from a JPEG printed onto graph paper... so my star and the arrows are a little wonky... but hey it is hand crafted!
HEE HEE ;-0

Next up is the table topper for A's grandma:

This is the Stained Glass Garden design by Claudia Dutcher. I've got panel one done, and most of the outline for panel 2... this is one I keep at the store to work on.. now I've just got to get my tush from in front of the computer to the chair to do the stiching!

Last on the cross stitch front is the door hanger for next month:

It's part of the month series Flip-It Bits March by Lizzie Kate.

(sorry for the fuzziness)

And lastly.. I'm starting to knit again (I got real discouraged last month since all I can do is the knit stitch to make scarfs... but do enjoy what little I can do)... so now I'm working on Todd's scarf for next year. It's a real pretty hunterish green with flecks of yellow, blue , and mauve woven in (so far I've only gotten to the yellow bits... blue is coming up on the skein soon!)

Thin Places....

2008-02-06T20:01:00.000-05:00

There is a Celtic saying that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in the thin places that distance is even smaller.

Last Saturday one of our ministers preached and discussed this concept as we begin a Celtic Creation lenten season. Bruce had us think about where and what our "Thin Places" are. Where we feel intouch with a greater spirit. Places, and occassions that make us aware of our part in nature and the grandeur of the unknown.

Here are my Thin Places, what are yours?

The Temple Karnak in Egypt- the largest temple built by man, in Luxor Egypt. It may be man-made, but it is definitely connected to a greater power.

Sitting on the rocks in Livorno Italy. A great place to just sit, stare at the water, and meditate.

Rothenburg, Germany. An old walled city that has stood the test of time for over a thousand years, and is still magical in its winding walls, it's old Europe charm, and beautiful gardens.

Hearing Aaron giggle uncontrolably. The laughter of a child is universal, and can heal many a jaded heart.

Crafting.... I find that sitting down and cross-stitching has become my own form of meditation. I may not do it as much as I want, but when I do I feel a sense of wholeness.

Mommy's Little Clone....

2008-02-04T08:52:00.000-05:00

One of the first things Mr. A learned to say when he was but a toddler was "Mommy is a Bad Influence"... um yeah! I may look all sweet and innocent, but we know I have the heart of a trouble maker. Well now my little man has heard my liberal diatribes over mass consumerism and has taken them to heart. Here are some recent Aaron moments

"Mommy you have to come watch this commercial. Its for parents about PBS Kids and it doesn't stretch the truth"

"Mommy I'm sad that our field trip is to Giant.... that's a chain store"

And this weekend as he was sitting in a friend's car on the way to a church concert with them, he motions for his daddy to come to the window... "Daddy, they got dinner at a chain store!!!"

From the mouth of babes comes truth.... so now the green message this month:

SHOP LOCAL!!!!

Here are some Facts from "The Big Box ToolKit" based on the fabulous book BigBoxSwindle By Stacy Mitchell:Locally Owned vs. Chain: The Local PremiumWhile dollars spent at locally owned stores stimulate the local economy, dollars spent at chains are siphoned out of the community.

Have fun shopping local this month and in turn supporting YOUR local economy and not some CEO in Florida's luxurious lifestyle!

Peace!
(coming later this week: My Thin Places..... NOT dieting tips!)

Semper Rotans...

2008-01-30T12:13:00.000-05:00

Always moving. At least that is what it feels like here. January and February are supposed to be our down times, but alas we commit ourselves to many projects. I looked over our February calendar and I think we have 4 days in the month were we don't have something scheduled.

I've slowed down on the stitching and knitting in the past week cause I haven't been feeling great (and the above mentioned busy schedule) ..... since around Thanksgiving I've been having stomach issues... I finally got to the doctor this week, and am now on meds... in just 2 days I'm already feeling a difference :)

I'm done with my dental work, but Todd still has the big surgery to go...poor thing :(

Aaron is doing fantastic of course, and is now almost up to my shoulder... which isn't saying much since I'm not much taller than most elementary students! He's working hard on his reading, and has become a little mathematician.... he likes logic and number theory... just ask him the importance of "zero"... his new favorite show is CyberChase.

The laptop is still an ongoing saga.... we've gotten 3 conflicting emails as to why it didn't come yet... but still no computer or tracking number. I'm ready to ask for our money back, but Todd is holding out hope that they will come around, get their act together and get the computer to us by next week.... keep those fingers crossed.

While it doesn't feel like we've had time to ourselves, I have managed to read 12 books this month. I've set up a challenge for myself to read at least 10 books a month, and at least one must be non-fiction. I'm also going to try to branch out and read things other than cozy mysteries and romances. Right now I'm reading Eleanor vs. Ike: A Novel by Robin Gerber . It's a "what if" historical fiction... What if Adlai Stevenson died during the 1952 election and Eleanor Roosevelt stepped in as the Democratic nominee.... I'm only a little ways into it, and it's really engrossing. I'm going to have to find a good bio on both Ike and Eleanor, to see what liberties the author has taken (lots of talks of affairs).

Todd has taken up my old habit of starting a whole bunch of books... right now I think he is in the middle of about 5 books (some of which I want to read, so I wish he'd hurry up!)

Another book recommendation is for The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A. J. Jacobs . It's a really fascinating memoir of an agnostic Jew that tries to live as literally as possible, and along the way finds a little faith he didn't know he had. There are some real poignant moments, and some laugh out loud ones (like tying to stone a grumpy old man in Central Park!). One of the books Todd is working on is A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (Armstrong, Karen) by Karen Armstrong . This is the first book he's read that discusses Islam (history and theology) in a clear way, and he's fascinated with the religion, as I was 20 years ago.

The title for this post comes from the 37th Transportation Group insignia I am currently working on for Dad :)

Dragons, Snowmen & Laptops... OH MY!

2008-01-19T11:28:00.000-05:00

I have slain a dragon...sorta. I dove headfirst into my cross-stitch this week, and have finished the dragon portion of my dad's insignia collage. PHEW! For the seasoned stitchers it's probably easy-peasy, but for me picking it up again after a 10 year hiatus it was tricky... First it is on 18 count Aida, which means teeny-tiny holes for teeny tiny "x's"... and there is no pattern. I took a small JPEG and printed it onto 8X11 graph paper, so it's fuzzy and doesn't have many straight lines... so here's a photo show of it's progress, the first picture being the JPEG.

Once this baby is done, then I get to tackle this one (same things, JPEG printed onto graph paper) Oh Goody!... I do love doing this though, and am a tad prideful of my accomplishments on this puppy :)

ATTACK OF THE SNOWMEN! On Wednesday afternoon & evening we had our first snowfall of the winter. It was the great snowman making type, so Aaron and Todd went out and decorated the Dosie Dough patio tables with a little snowman army. The Dosie Dough staff thought it was great and spent the morning trying to solve the mystery of who created them. (Julie guess right- Aaron!)

The Saga of the Laptop... So Santa bought Aaron one of the "One Laptop Per Child" XO laptops. He ordered it the day they went on the market, expecting it to arrive by the 24th as promised... alas on the 20th we got an email saying they were swamped with orders and it would be to us by the 15th of January... it didn't show up that day, so I emailed them. They quickly emailed back and said to email again if it was not in our hands by the close of business.. I waited 2 more days, still no laptop, emailed again on the 17th.. got a lovely auto-reply saying it could be 5 days before they got back to me... totally unacceptable by my account, since I was only doing what they asked me to... got a reply this morning.. turns out we would have had it by the 24th BUT UPS doesn't recognize the address (we technically have 4 addresses, depending on the utility or postal carrier). So it took them 8 weeks to figure this out and contact us???? I'm soooooo tempted to call and offer them my non-profit consulting services, cause that is just basic customer service: Contact buyers in a timely fashion if there is a problem... duh! So... they now have an address UPS will accept, and hopefully Aaron will be logged on and ready to go by the end of next week :)

I Bow Down To The Greatness of...

2008-01-15T10:18:00.000-05:00

VINEGAR!!!

You read that right...Vinegar is tops in my list these days. Todd and I took to heart the list of "green" cleaning products and invested heavily (all of $2) in a gallon on vinegar. Talk about packing a punch. This Sunday was our first day off since Thanksgiving, so our kitchen needed some heavy duty scrubbing... and my man vinegar was up for the challenge. a 1/4 cup in a sink of hot water, and my stove and counter tops were shining in a mere few minutes. My advice? stop spending all that cashola on the super duper heavily advertised products, pinch those pennies and get on the vinegar band wagon (and no my kitchen doesn't smell like vinegar, the fumes dissipated within a minute or two... and honestly so did the shine, since Aaron and I baked Blueberry muffins that afternoon! hehe)
That's the green message today, now onto the crafting updates

I have finished the stitching of the February door hanger:

I'm just going to add a felt backing and some pink ruffles along the sides (take note: that is probably the most "girlie" thing you'll ever see me craft)

Now that I have another month under my belt, it's on to those unfinished christmas presents.

I'm nearly done with one panel of Grandma's table topper (she knows what she's getting so I'm not spoiling any surprises.

Here's what the finished project is going to look like... hopefully!

I've decided to keep one knitting and one x-stitch project here at the store and one of each at the apartment. So I'm also working on dad's insignia collage... right now I'm tackling the 7th Trans dragon:

And lastly... a quick mommy brag. Mr. A finished his phonics and addition units last week and has begun his multiplication tables... so that little 5 year old booger has already surpassed his mommy academically (what is 7x8 again???) hehe.

Livin' the Simple Life...

2008-01-10T09:55:00.000-05:00

Yep, Me & Paris Hilton!
(like I have ANYTHING in common with her! ha!)

During 2007 I picked up an old craft I had done in high school and college (cross-stitch), and began teaching myself two new ones (crochet & knitting), as well as getting my mom's old sewing machine. As someone who for 10+ years was all about career and climbing up some not-so-corporate ladders, taking time to explore the simple the pleasures of arts and crafts that for many years were a necessity for daily life, has been a great joy. In some ways I feel more connected to the earth (ya I know.. kind of hokey thinking), even with all the additional "green living" I've been doing this past year. Todd and Aaron have been great about giving me time each morning and evening to sit and stitch. Aaron loves to help hold the yarn sometimes, and likes to help with any sewing (he pretends to teach a class while I'm the demonstrator), and has even taken up cross-stitch himself.

Why am I saying all this???... cause "Little Miss Green Jeans" is going to shift in 2008. I'll still be posting about green living, but will also post more about our life and my crafting projects.

So here goes the first 2008 craft project post:

After knitting scarves for everyone in my family for Christmas presents, I took Christmas day to knit a little fun fuzzy one for myself.

I'm also now working on my own reading shawl... although by the time I'm done it will be too warm to want to wrap myself in it :)

I'm also continuing my door hanger series for the store... this one I finished on January 3rd... just in time :)

After I get my hearts and flowers done for the February door hanger, it's back to the unfinished Christmas presents... my goal is that by summer I'll be stitching a little something just for me... of course that's gonna mean a road trip to Reading to go to Stitch'N'Stuff for patterns and supplies! (oh darn! hee hee)

WWMMD?

2007-12-28T10:28:00.000-05:00

What Would Maria Montessori Do?

Our son attends a wonderful Montessori school.... academically at least. But I'm not so sure the grand dame Maria would appreciate how the board conducts business and raises funds for the school. I have found in the past year that it is in fact VERY elitist, and actually has fundraisers that encourage the rich to get richer. When a local store wants to help raise funds they get no support, yet weekly we are inundated with pleas from the school to support chain store giving. I'm just not so sure that Maria Montessori would go for that. My thinking is that she'd be very into sustainable living and supporting ALL children, not just those born into the wealthiest families in a community (no scholarships or grants are given at this school). My child is learning and flourishing, and makes us so proud, but I just had to vent about the direction the school chooses to go in it's fundraising and development. Just a vent, no real thoughts, and definitely not very green related.

Peace to all children !

Winter Holiday Shopping, The Green Way

2007-11-27T12:05:00.000-05:00

It's the time of year in honor of Midwinter Solstice/Yule & Christmas that many houses and towns are decorated green.... this year I urge each of us to shop that way too! Below are some gifty and shopping ideas to make it a peaceful green season for the earth and its inhabitants.

SHOP LOCALLY- Independent stores generate 70% MORE local economic activity per square foot than chain stores! THat means that by shopping locally you're not only supporting that store but all the local businesses they support (like accountants, web site deisgners, local newspapers, local suppliers, etc), as opposed to your $$$ going to some corporate CEO living in a huge beach condo that has no desire to even step foot in your community let alone shop there too! So you ask- HOW? I don't know any local stores near me... this is where the ever friendly Google comes in handy. Search your town name plus the type of store and a plethora of local stores will pop up... example: "Anywhereville Toystores" or "Lititz Bookstores" *wink, wink*

Go home-made! If you're not crafty enough to knit, crochet, scrapbook, cardmake etc... there is a wonderful online marketplace full of talented artisans... and you can search by area so that you buy from those in your own community (or nearby):
http://www.etsy.com/
Give a gift that encourages the recipient to go "green"- a tote bag for shopping filled with "green" items- cleaners, cloth napkins, recipes for organic meals, etc.... the possibilities are endless and can be designed with the recipient in mind
Shop Fair Trade- hve a coffee or tea drinker in your family... buy them some fair trade beverages (don't forget to include the chocolate, too!)
Give the gift of charity. Donate to a local, national, or international charity in some one elses name. "Adopt" an animal at the local zoo or park, donate to the Arbor Day Foundation and have a tree (or more) planted in the recipient's name.{ http://www.arborday.org/shopping/giveatree/giveatree.cfm?TrackingID=619} A personal favorite of mine is Heifer International. { http://www.heifer.org }

Peace and Joy to everyone this holiday season. May you have a Happy Hanukkah, a Blessed Yule, a Merry Christmas, and a very happy New Year.

Clean Green!

2007-10-30T09:53:00.000-04:00

Theses tips, suggestions, and bits of knowledge are quoted from the October 25 Daily Press (Hampton/Newport News VA) from an article by Cathy Grimes. Full article can be found here: http://www.dailypress.com/features/dp-go-green-stories,0,2436506.storygallery

"Veggie Power"- Look for vegetable based cleaners. If EVERY household in the United Staes made their next cleaner a vegetable one instead of a 28 ounce bottle of petroleum baded dishwashing soap we would save 82,000 barrels of oil! That's enough to drive one car more than 86 million miles!
"Concentrate!"- Buy concentrated cleaners. Water is the main ingredient in many ready-to-use cleaners, adds to the weight of the product, meaning it costs more to package and ship. Concentrated products - the kind that require you to add your own water - save packaging waste and fuel costs. If you buy them in recyclable containers, you also reduce the strain on landfills
"Avoid paper!"- Reusable, washable sponges and clothes work as well, if not better than use-once-and-toss paper towels or disposable clothes. If every household reduced its use of paper towels by one roll, the savings would equal 1.4 million trees and 3.7 million cubic-feet of landfill space.
"Wash efficiently!"- If you use a dishwasher, wait until it is full to run it. You'll save on water and energy costs while you save the environment. The same goes for clothes. Wash and dry large loads, and if you can air dry, do.
"Clean wisely!"- Look for dry cleaners that use nontoxic solvents. Most dry cleaners "wash" clothes in drums with highly toxic solvents, such as erchloroethylene. About 12 million pounds of these chemicals are released into the air each year, adding to the toxic soup that affects the climate
"Go Natural!"- Stock up on people-friendly cleaning products. Many environmental organizations recommend using baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice and borax. Baking soda can be used like sink cleansing powder and also can freshen rooms and rugs. Vinegar works well on glass and cuts soap scum. Lemon juice removes stains and fights odors. Borax also removes stains and boosts laundry detergent's cleaning power.

Looking for places to buy eco-friendly products? I recommend these two locally owned businesses (and use them for our store and house supplies!): Greenlinepaper & Eco Products. com

OCTOBER IS FAIR TRADE MONTH!

2007-10-09T12:36:00.000-04:00

(from Wikipedia)

Fair trade is an organized social movement which promotes standards for international labor, environmentalism, and social policy in areas related to production of Fairtrade labeled and unlabeled goods. The movement focuses in particular on exports from developing countries to developed countries.
Fair trade's strategic intent is to deliberately work with marginalised producers and workers in order to help them move from a position of vulnerability to security and economic self-sufficiency. It also aims at empowering them to become stakeholders in their own organizations and actively play a wider role in the global arena to achieve greater equity in international trade.

Show your support for local living economies in developing nations... shop FAIR TRADE!!

Some Fair trade links:

http://www.worldofgood.com/

htt://www.fairtradefederation.com/

In Today's Washington Post----- Paper Vs. Plastic

2007-10-04T13:19:00.001-04:00

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/10/03/GR2007100301385.html?hpid=smartliving

Summary: US uses 100 billion plastic bags a year, with 12 billion barrels of oil
It takes 4x as much energy to make apaper bag than it does to make a plastic one
Paper bag rpoduction create 70% more air pollution and 50% more water pollution than plastic bag production
It takes 98% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it does a pound of paper
Paper is biodegradable, plastic is not

Some Basics to "Green" Living

2007-10-01T10:27:00.000-04:00

The number one rule we as a family are trying hard to adhere to is shopping local. As store owners we know how hard it is to make ends meet, especially in a business where we have to compete with the big faceless, non-customer friendly box stores. But that's not the only reason. Did you know that with a box/chain store the average amount of $ that is funneled into the local economy is around 10% of their income, whereas a locally owned store will funnel about 75% back to the local economy? That means your local "mom & pop" shops are the ones paying for the schools, police, fire fighters, and local road improvement projects. Also, online companies like Amazon, funnel ZERO profits to the community (unless one of their warehouses is located there, then it is only the salaries of the workers). More importantly, we'd like to know where our food and goods are coming from. Here are some resources for those looking to invest in their community by shopping local:
Buy Fresh Buy Local

FoodRoutes - Where Does Your Food Come From?

Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE)

LocalHarvest

Don't forget to check out your local yellow pages for listings of locally owned grocery stores! The selection may be slimmer than at a super store, but the meat, dairy, eggs, and breads are fresh; and the money's earned there go back to your local economy! (and they prices are usually just as good as the super store's!)

NO MORE PLASTIC BAGS!!!

(okay, that was a lame "Mommy Dearest" impression, but you get the idea).

This is one of the simplest things a family can do. If nothing else, request paper bags at check out, then put them aside to re-use, or recycle them!
There are also many great places to find re-usable shopping totes. The first place to look is your local grocery store. Many have mesh totes for sale right up close to the check out counter. Also, many of us have family members (if not ourselves) that attend business conferences, where a tote is part of the "freebies". Keep 'em, keep a few in the car for last minute milk (and cookie) runs. Keep them around the kitchen, keep them at work. We're trying to amass a collection of them ourselves to keep everywhere we may be when we think of heading to a store.
Worried you'll look like a noob (yep, another Sammie made up word!) when you get to the check out? Never fear, if I can do it, you can! I think of it as a chance to teach others about how to "save the earth", not to mention the example I'm setting for my son and his generation.
Don't have any bags to use? Here are some sources:

Cloth grocery bags from Enviro-Tote®

Paper Nor Plastic Bags

ReusableBags.com

"ECO-CHIC" TOTE BAGS

The 4 R's for Green Parents & Kids

2007-10-01T10:22:00.001-04:00

REDUCE: Simple enough... the less garbage we create, the less gets put into the landfills

Use cloth lunch bags, use cloth sandwich and snack bags (some great ones can be found on Etsy.com- all handmade by small independent merchants and moms!). Say "NO!" to paper towels, use cloth. A cloth napkin can last several days before needing anything, and be washed with regular laundry. These few simple things a family can do to reduce their contribution to landfills.

REUSE: STOP! Don't throw that away, re-use it, re-purpose it.
Many things that are in your kitchen and thrown out on a daily basis can be re-used in children's crafts. Egg Cartons: can be used to teach grouping and sorting (colored buttons for example), holders for small stickers, create caterpillars. Juice Boxes: cut off the top, glue on a construction paper wrap (after washing out of course), and viola! You've got handy dandy pencil and craft supply holders (not to mention a great afternoon of making a cool craft with your child/children). Paper Towel/Toilet Paper tubes make great pirate spy glasses or train/car tunnels. They also can be cut up to make napkin rings for those cloth napkins you're going to be using! (another nice craft time with the kids, is painting and personalizing them). Styrofoam Meat Platters: wash good, and you've now got paint pallettes for your little Picasso.
Got a pet? Use those newspaper plastic wraps to dispose of the poo.

RECYCLE: This is one we've all been doing for years, right????
Each week make sure all your glass, plastic, and aluminum cans go out in the recycle bin. Did you also know that books can be recycled? (first, though, try to take them to a used bookstore!). Just seperate the covers and the paper. Covers can be recycled with cardboard, and the pages with your newspaper. In many places "reynold's wrap"/tin foin/aluminum foil (whatever it's called in your family) can be put out with your soda cans. Phonebooks usually can be take to a recycling center as well.

REBUY: Do you REALLY need it new?
Let's face it, there isn't much that HAS to be bought brand new.
Children's clothes are a great example. A 4 year old is murder on clothes, not to mention they grow out of them soooooo fast. Thrift stores, consingment stores, and online places like Ebay & Craigslist are a great friend the the frugal re-buying parent. (not to mention if the kid doesn't kill the pants with numerous falls off the jungle gym, then you can re-sell it to pay for the next size of clothes you're buying)
Books! C'mon... do you NEED that Patterson they day it comes out? Can you wait a month and get it used at a local used bookstore? (and yes, occassionally even I get a new book, but it does get re-sold after I'm done to some one that had more patience than I!)
Lots and lots of baby items can be found on Craigslist, at yard sales, and Ebay.
Many household items can be found at these places as well. The more we re-buy or buy used, the less winds up in landfills and dumps.
(hint thrift stores and yard sales are great places to find those cloth napkins you're going to start using)

A final note.... many of the things listed above do take a little bit of sacrifice. yes, it means washing a napkin, yes it means taking the time to think about what is going into the garbage can as opposed to the recycle bin. Yes, your child may not have the latest fashions. But to be honest, isn't it a bit more important for their to be a healthy planet for that child to live on as an adult.

There are many more things you can do under each heading.... these are just a few ideas to get you and the family thinking. I suggest a family meeting to look around the house and see where else you can apply one of the 4R's of green living.