Are you Conscious??

Conscious Box is an awesome monthly service that delivers ethical and sustainable businesses to your doorstep. One of the points of their mission is this:

The Importance of Discovery

We emphasize discovery for a number of reasons. Discovery leads to enlightenment, stronger understanding of others, and better personal and planetary health. By finding conscious businesses that support your personal needs, you can do a lot for the world just by making responsible shopping decisions.

Used with permission from Oh My Goodies with the Fun

I was blown away by the July Conscious Box I received. There were so many awesome things in there including:

• Aura Cacia 54 card Aromatherapy Deck amd a Sweet Orange 100% Pure Essential Oil  -My hubby and I are just getting into oils so this was PERFECT timing and a great source for our research.
• St. Claire's Organics Peppermints - So yummy and great for keeping in my purse so my hubby doesn't steal them all!
• All Natural Face Vegan Eye Shadow Lemon Ice
• Powbab Baobab Superfruit Chews - My hubby ate this right before going on a bike ride and working out. He loved the flavor and felt a nice burst of energy.
• Naturally It's Clean by Enzyme Fresh Home Floor Cleaner
• Materne GoGo Squeeze Apple Mango Applesauce On The Go- My little girl loved it and didn't even make a mess with it which would be great for car trips.
• Mighty Leaf Iced Tea in Calypso Mango- Make a whole pitcher!
• Jadience Herbal Formulas Muscle and Joint Therapeutic Cream 
• Tea forte green tea bags in cherry marzipan, honey yuzu, cucumber mint 
• SunWarrior Warrior Blend Raw Protein Vanilla - Absolutely delicious and blended seamlessly with our smoothies. 
• Madhava natural sweetners organic agave nectar and organic coconut sugar - I love trying new sugar alternatives. We buy the agave already but the coconut sugar was new to try. =)

Next month will be the August 'Back to School' Conscious Box! It's going to have delicious, nutritious snacks, some  great daily alternatives, and tons of other really fun stuff that everyone will enjoy, making it an AWESOME gift for all students, including K-12 and college. And yes, it's great for students and non students alike, so you can gift it to anyone!  Just remember, you've got to order before the 6th of the month! This is the only legitimately healthy care package we've seen this year, and they're going fast!


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Handmade Gift Idea

Here's a great and easy handmade gift idea for anyone. Do you guys remember the Reusable Shopping Bag I made a while back? Here's the how to!

*Originally Posted March 2012

For the fabric I bought a woven heavyweight upholstery fabric. I got it from a local outlet store for $6.99 per yard! 

For one bag you'll need (2) 18" x 21" rectangles of fabric and (2) 4" x 24" rectangles of fabric.

For the optional step, you'll need 1 rectangle measuring 4" x 6" and one plastic snap set. (Could substitute for velcro.)

Right sides together, sew two main fabric pieces around 3 sides, leaving 1 longer side open. 

Line up right side seams with bottom seam and pin in place. Measure in 4" and mark a line. Repeat using left side seam and bottom seam.

Because I'm working with a fabric that unravels and I've chosen not to do a lining, I do take the extra step to zig zag around all the seams.

I also zig zag the entire top side. Then fold 1" onto wrong side of fabric. Use a zig zag stitch to secure around top edge.

This is what your bag should look like so far. Set it aside and we'll put together the straps. 

Iron long sides by 1/4". Then fold strap in half and sew using a straight stitch and 1/8" allowance. Top stitch along folded edge as well using 1/8" allowance. *Note: I made one continuous strip & determined my handle length as I was making it. 

Pin straps 5" in from side seams and you will want to have 3" of the strap below the top of the bag on the inside. This is going to make the bag stronger.Make sure that your straps don't get twisted as you're pinning them.

I used a double x pattern with a rectangle around the edges to secure.

You're done!! This baby is ready for some serious shopping.

OR, you can continue on with the optional step. =)

I didn't want to have to just wad my shopping bags up inside one another to store them. Sometimes I buy more that what's on my list and sometimes I only need a few items. Either way, i like to take all my bags in case. The easiest thing I could think of was to have my bags fold for storage and I wanted to secure them that way so they couldn't just unfold whenever they felt like it.

Using a 4" x 6" rectangle, follow directions for making straps. Pin & sew directly in between to of your straps already on the bag. 

Measure 4 1/2" below where you just placed our extra piece and sew on a 1" square of scrap fabric. We just want this to reinforce the snap so we don't end up pulling it through the woven fabric and make a hole. 

Add snap (or velcro) to outside of bag where you just sewed he reinforcement square. You then want to place the partner snap on the extra strip near the handles. You will want the snap to be on the side facing the inside of the bag.

And just because it can be tricky, here's an easy little infographic for folding the bags. =)

Baked Stuffed Apples from Meegs at A New Day

 With fall approaching in some states, comfort food has definitely been on my mind lately. Something about the fall just brings out all my favorite scents and treats. Here's a bonus:: Fill your home with those delicious scents while making your family these yummy treats!

This is an easy, delicious treat. We loved it and hope you do to!  

Baked Stuffed Apples

4 large apples (some that are good for baking: Jonagold, Honey Crisp, Cortland, or Gala)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg 
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped raisins
1 Tbsp butter, cut into quarters 
3/4 cup boiling water


1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash apples. Remove cores to 1/2 inch of the bottom of the apples. It helps if you have an apple corer, but if not, you can use a paring knife to cut out first the stem area, and then the core. Use a spoon to dig out the seeds. Make the holes about 3/4-inch to an inch wide.

2. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, and pecans. Place apples in a 8-inch-by-8-inch square baking pan. Stuff each apple with this mixture. Top with a dot of butter (1/4 of the Tbps).

3. Add boiling water to the baking pan. Bake 30-40 minutes, until tender, but not mushy. Remove from the oven and baste the apples several times with the pan juices.

Enjoy alone, or with ice cream on the side. Mmmm. 

Meegs is an easy-going girl that loves tattoos, food, and the outdoors; but most especially her husband and daughter. She’s passionate about being greener, co-existing peacefully with animals/the environment, and LGBTQ rights. In her free time, she loves to read, go for long walks, cheer for the Eagles and the Flyers, cook, and spend time with her family and friends. A breastfeeding, babywearing, sometimes bedsharing mama, Meegs finds her online home at A New Day.

Some of my Favorite Blogs/Sites

Sometimes I find myself in an internet rut. It's times like that when I'm grateful for stumbling across some awesome new (to me) site that someone else is raving about. On that note, I wanted to share a few of my favorite sites with you guys. ;)

1. Craftster.org 
One of my all time faves. i was actually a member for a couple years before I even figured out they had craft swaps on there. Basically, you can sign up to be in a swap with a certain theme to it. You either get paired with a partner and you create items to send to each other, or you do a chain style list where you put a bunch of awesome things you'd like to have crafted for you and someone else chooses something off that list for you and gets to post their own want list for someone else to claim from. It's a great way to incorporate handmade items that require skills you don't have and helps get your creativity going.

2. One Good Thing..by Jillee
This woman is filled with so much creativity and genius that it's not even funny. She's got some really amazing diy recipes and how to's to keep your house in ship shape. =)

3. Play at Home Mom
If you have kids, this site is a definite bookmark for you. These ladies )moms) are so creative and I love that every activity involving their children is frugal and falls in the play based learning spectrum. So much fun!

There's just a few to get you started. =)

Classic Black and White

Black and white is a classic that is timeless. When I do a photo session I find myself really gravitating towards the ones I've made black and white. The emotion is so much more intense. Check out a couple I've done.

My brother in law and his lovely wife on the day of their temple sealing.

My friend's beautiful little girl.

Little girl of another friend. She's so sweet and fun to shoot.

Just an artsy kinda girl.

This is a pair of paintings I did for my hubby a couple years ago for Christmas. We really love the movie Boondock Saints so he was pretty stoked for this gift. We have them set up so they are on each side of a large window in our office just above hubby's computer set up.

I was in a fine art drawing class in college and this was one of the drawings I did of our live model. It hangs in our bedroom. =)

I did this pastel piece for my hubby for Christmas a few days before our little girl was born. He plays guitar and the specific notes are the starting ones from one of his favorite Nine Inch Nails songs. <3

I did this portrait of my niece for my sister in law's Christmas gift one year. I actually did another portrait of her second little girl but I wasn't pleased with it.. She's getting ready to have her 4th soon so I don't know that she'll ever have a complete set. =/

Going Greek with Anytime Costumes

I recently had the opportunity to try a costume from Anytime Costumes. During the selection process I indicated that I am only 5'4 and 100 pounds and had included a couple different options for the costume I wanted to try, based upon my sizing. I was sent this pretty Grecian Goddess costume, however it is meant to fit sizes 6-12 and wasn't even close to being a proper fit for me.

Sizing aside, I think if someone could manage to fit it the way it is worn in the stock photo, then it would be a really cute costume. I like the drop sleeves and how they look as if draped on the arms but it was difficult for me to keep the whole sleeve on because it was so long that if I put my arms down at all, they got lost in the costume.

The blue ombre effect is a really pretty shade of blue and I think it would complement a lot of different people. The costume also comes with a gold headband and a gold rope belt to help complete the Grecian look. If you were to pair it with some strappy gold sandals I think you’d have a complete look that you could wear for any Halloween occasion or a Greek themed party. Anytime Costumes offers a large array of accessories to perfectly match with any of their costumes. Interested in the one I got, look at all the Greek accessories available.

Anytime Costumes has been in operation since 1954 and is based out of New york. They offer a large selection of costumes for men, women, children and even costumes that can coordinate together as a family! Check them out today and start exploring your family’s Halloween options.  =)


**Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. These are 100% my words and opinions. I was not paid to complete this review; I did however receive a complimentary product for review purposes. I was in no way required to write a positive review, but was encouraged to write an honest review.**

Roughin' it at Rendezvous Beach

We actually just got home yesterday from a camping trip to Bear Lake, Utah. Surely camping counts as roughing it? =) We were joined by my most of my in-laws and it was fun to see the girls play in the water and sand. We stayed at the Rendezvous Beach campsite on the south beach of the lake. It was very reasonably priced at only $16 per night per campsite which was large enough for 2 tents and 8 people, we probably could've fit all 4 tents into one space though because there was plenty of room to spread out. Between the two sites we had two fire rings and 3 large picnic tables to use which were perfect for laying out food when it was time to eat.

The trip itself got off to a rocky start when we had a tire explode and of course it happened while we had no signal to call anyone. No worries, my hubby took care of it like a champ and it even gave me a little time to use my new Boba 3G. We kind of heard this odd whoosh noise and immediately pulled over. My hubby got out and was moving things around in our load to see if it sounded like what we had heard. Ultimately, he noticed a strap had come undone and was fixing it when he asked me to hop out for some help. Then I saw the tire, completely flat. Good thing we had pulled over so quickly because those 20 inch rims don't come cheap and I would hate to have to replace a tire AND a rim.

I wasn't sure how she would do since we haven't used a carrier much (we have a crotch dangling Bjorn). Little girl LOVED being carried on my back in the Boba, in fact I even used it while we were unloading everything and it was awesome how totally hands free it was and although I felt the extra weight, it didn't feel like it was all concentrated on one part of me and I didn't feel compelled to have to keep a hand on her 'just in case'.

A short walk from our campsite, like 20 steps short walk, was the beach. It had nice soft sand which was a relief because the other beaches all had large jagged stones all over the beach and on the lake floor. There were however a ton of reeds in a few areas that were a pain to walk over in the sand but we were told by the volunteer caretakers that their sand rake had broken and not been replaced by the park. What a shame.

The best thing about the beach is how shallow the water is for most of it. My little girl could've easily walked 50 feet out and not been underwater, although she definitely didn't do that. Hah! She stayed pretty close to the beach and was perfectly content splashing from there. She only lasted about 15 minutes while I was trying to play with this large frisbee with my sister in law in the water. When the meltdown began, I grabbed my Boba and popped her onto my back again. The way the carrier distributes weight is so perfect that you can play frisbee in the water and not lose your balance or fall with your child. ;)

Here's another reference as to how shallow the water is. My hubby (on the left) is standing about 25 feet out and the water isn't even up to his knee. The guys spent their time playing 500 in the water. My brother in law decided it was no fun to just catch them all and be standing in the water so he started diving for every single one. Hah.
Needless to say, they had a pretty good time, roughed themselves up a bit by diving into sand and only 12-18 inches of water, and got burned a bit.

One bummer about the place was that there were resident skunks in the area and they made themselves know every night. The first night they were rustling outside of tents around 5 am and Jake's brother in law went out and shooed them away. The second night they were brave and followed my sister in law back from the bathroom and pranced right around our camp. By the third night everyone was on high alert and when the skunks came back again they were scared away.

 One thing we always like to do when we visit somewhere new is drive around and explore. One of the towns we were closest to was Garden City, Utah. We found the gravel public access road and ventured to the top in our truck. Natalia enjoyed getting out and feeling the breeze. It was such a pretty view too. This photo was taken straight on across the "city".

 It's always nice to just get out and be able to breath for a minute and soak in what nature has to offer us. There's no way we could have really appreciated this beautiful little community from the viewpoint of our campsite alone. We even discovered some cool little trails that were completely out of the way and so extremely worth it to just see how lovely everything is.

I think I could live here.



When was the last time you roughed it?

What do you know about wind energy?

Wind energy refers to harnessing the kinetic movement of the wind and converting it into electricity. Here in Idaho we have a lot of these wind turbines. The ones in the photo are actually in Utah and we saw these along our trip coming back from Colorado.

• It's a green resource meaning that in the process of harnessing the energy there isn't any pollution or other energy costs. 
• It's a renewable resource--the wind is something that we cannot use all of. It's going to be there and we would be smart to use it in any beneficial way that we can.
• Wind energy can be collected virtually anywhere.
• There are even kits available to generate your own wind energy for your home.

Keep in mind, not every aspect of using wing energy is a positive one. For one, wind isn't something that is predictable and can be fully relied upon. Wind energy is best suited to be combined with another source of alternative energy, such as solar power.

This post is part of the Summer #BlogChallenge. Read some of the other posts HERE.

SBC- Travelling Alone with a Toddler--- Using Cloth!

I thought I would tie this in with my prompt for the Summer #BlogChallenge, "Favorite Vacation I've taken".

So when I booked my trip to Missouri this month I knew that I wanted to try taking cloth with me. I had never taken cloth on a trip and although I know a week may have been a long first trial, I think I completely rocked it. ;) I want to share some of the things I did that made it easier to have cloth.

PACKING:

Be sure to take diapers that you have experience with. The last thing you want is to take a bunch of diapers you haven't used much and have them give you issues.

Want to know what diapers I decided on??
-Pockets- I'm still perfecting using AI2 style overnight diapers so I wanted to be sure to take something I knew wouldn't leak. I ended up taking a Kawaii, a Baby Babu, a SunBaby a snap BG 3.0, as well as a few that I had made myself.
-AI2- I took two night time and one regular Boogie Bear Creations diapers and some I had made myself.
I also took a few fleece soakers and a BG freetime AIO.
-Inserts- I took about 6-8 microfiber inserts because my little girl is known to hold it and go all at once sometimes so the natural fibers that absorb more, do so at a slower rate and can leak for those "all at once sessions". I also took 5 Hemp Babies inserts that fold in half and about half a dozen of the regular hemp babies inserts.

Other must haves were my Planet Wise hanging wet bag and some more convenient diaper bag sized wet bags that I made.

Halloween..In July??

I know, I know, it's not even August yet and we're already thinking about Halloween. Although this is a huge pet peeve of mine when it comes to stores and shopping, it is crucial for me to plan ahead in our house or thing simply don't happen. The only holiday I even do any decorating for usually is Christmas and that only consists of a tree.

This year I wanted a head start and totally hit the jackpot with BuyCostumes. As a young mom I wanted something easy for myself that would have no extra hanging piece to be grabbed by a toddler. I need something comfortable because chances are I'll end up carrying her most of the time.

So here's the stock photo for my costume. What's easier than slipping on a tee shirt and headband?? The quality of the shirt is really nice and doesn't feel thin and flimsy. There is even a cape that velcros on at the shoulders and is just a tad longer than the shirt is. the costume also comes with a foam headband that has elastic around the back to help get a good fit.

I think the ease of this costume has inspired some ideas for making my hubby and my little girl coordinating costumes. ;)

Want a chance to win your own costume?? The Pitch List has gotten together and it's now your chance to win one of 7 costumes!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Be sure to check out all the other reviews by The Pitch List!

*Disclaimer: All opinions and words are 100% my own. I received a costume as described above in exchange for my honest review. There was no other compensation.

SBC- Beginner Gardening Tips

Today I'm supposed to share a few gardening tips.

If you're just venturing into the world of gardening, please feel free to drop all your worries here. I've got a couple tips for you that will save yourself some hassle later.

First--Start small. I'll be the first to confess that our first gardening attempt failed mostly because I had no idea what I was doing. I relied on a popular brand name fertilizer to grow our tomatoes--BIG mistake. I think the best thing you can do the first time around is just use water and soil. Don't get so confused with fertilizing your plants that you over do it.

Find a set up that works for you. We actually have a pretty large garden area outside. However, we also have a nice sized greenhouse addition that is full enclosed and right off my dining room.We
liked having our plants where we would constantly see them because if they're always in sight then chances are we will do more to care for them and will notice slight changes before you get to a point of potentially killing the plant.

For those of you who might be interested, in the photo, the two closest plants are zucchini, then two containers of green beans, and two containers of tomatoes.

Something we did was hang a fan from the ceiling and point it at the plants? Why? Well, when you don't have the natural bugs and bees stimulating the plants and transferring pollen and such you plants can start to suffer. The fan helps stimulate the plant and to some degree spreads pollen. The soft movement of the air will actually result in a stronger plant because it has grown with that constant soft resistance. Our fan is actually just t the top left of the above photos. It hangs right by the corner of the sliding glass door that leads to my dining room and it reaches all the plants this way.

Then we have a table (that most of them were all on at one point when the plants were smaller). We needed to keep the plants out of Natalia's reach but now that we've had to space them out we just store stuff under the table like her little outdoor toys. Up here from the right, we've got watermelon, peppermint, cucumbers, basil, green beans, oregano, and cilantro. And the little bowl is my wheat grass seed that I set out there to germinate. I'll be putting it in soil tomorrow to start growing our next batch of wheat grass. =)


Please don't use pesticides on your plants. =(


Also, note that when trying to recycle and be frugal, anything can become a container for gardening. If you look on the step you'll see a little plastic container that my fresh spinach came in. Perfect for planting some new spinach in!

5 Minute Homemade Almond Milk Ice Cream--& Chocolate syrup!

How does tasty, cold ice cream in 5 minutes sound to you? Well, we live in Southeastern Idaho and we only have about 2 months of hot weather so a lot of homes don't have a/c installed. We live in one of those homes. But with a few small fans and we get by. Yesterday my little girl was getting fussy and sweaty and not interested in the activities we normally do to calm her down. I needed to think of something that should could interact in as well as help beat the heat. So, we made a single serving of homemade almond milk ice cream. =)

Gather your ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

You can use 1 tbs of raw sugar if you'd like (or equal amount of sugar substitute. However, I always use my homemade chocolate syrup with the ice cream so I omit the sugar altogether.)

Ice

5 tbs rock salt

Put the almond milk and vanilla into a sandwich size ziploc bag. I buy the cheap ones so I double bagged. Be sure they are zipped shut. Add the ice and the salt into a gallon size ziploc bag and put the liquid bag into the larger one with the ice. Zip shut and shake for 5 minutes. you'll end up with ice cream that is comparable to soft serve and will melt before too long. 

Here's where my little helper came in handy. I let her play with the bags and it amused her for a while. It was nice and cold to play with so that helped with it being so hot. She mainly tried to unzip the bag...Haha.
After I let her go at it for a couple minutes I took over and shook it into ice cream real fast.


For the chocolate syrup you'll need:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar or substitute equivalent
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla

Pour warm water into small saucepan and whisk in cocoa powder until completely dissolved. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil for three minutes over medium heat. You can use it immediately but you need to let it cool before transferring to a storage container. This yields 2 cups and stores best in a glass jar. We store the majority of ours in this handy squeeze bottle and the rest in a jam jar in the fridge. =) This way, it's easy for using as a topping, putting into drinks, and even a little decorating if I wanted.


Well, there you have it, what free things can you do with your kids??

10 Awesome First birthday Gift Idea-- Guest Post by Jenny @ Cloth Diaper Revival

We're back with the second part of our First Birthday posts by Jenny at The Cloth Diaper Revival. Jenny is a sahm to her little guy Noah, who has his first birthday coming up. She has already given us a great guide to planning a first birthday party. Since not all of us are necessarily planning a birthday party in the near future, here's a great guide for us guests about what gifts we should get for the big day.


10 Awesome First Birthday Gift Ideas

Activity Cube: The maze is my son’s favorite toy at the pediatrician’s office and the letter abacus is his favorite toy at the dentist office! This toy combines both with a few extra fun features sure to provide hours of entertainment! I love that it’s made of wood instead of plastic! B. Toys Zany Zoo Wooden Activity Cube, Target.com $62.39

Activity Walker: This is a great toy for developing walkers! Great for developing gross and fine motor skills and toddlers will love the chomping sound the alligators make as they walk. Chomp and Clack Alligator Push Toy, MelissandDoug.com $49.99

Wooden Puzzles: Chunky wooden puzzles are great for tiny hands. Not to mention these designs are adorable! Check out Melissa and Doug Puzzles too! Stacked Animals Wooden Puzzle, Dwellstudio.com $14

Anywhere Chair: This chair from Pottery Barn is great (and super comfortable)!  It looks so nice you won’t mind it in your living room and gives your child a place to sit without destroying your furniture! It’s light weight so you can easily move it around your house and the cover comes off for easy washing. Anywhere Chair, Pottery Barn Kids $129

Little People: A timeless classic! There are a lot of great Little People sets out there! These are great for tiny hands and easy to wipe down clean. Little People Animal Sounds Farm, Fisher-Price.com $43

Musical and Pounding Toys: This is a great combination of two classics, a xylophone and a hammer toy! Great for both boys and girls! And once again, made with so it’s eco-friendly and built to last. Educo Early Melodies Pound and Tap Bench, Amazon.com $26.99

Books: When all else fails and you are stumped for a kid’s gift (any age), by books! Books are my absolute favorite gifts because they last forever! Books can be read over and over again! I love this book, Little Pea by Amy Krouse Ronsenthal, Barnesandnoble.com $12.08

 

Wagon:  A great gifts for trips to local fairs, walks around the neighborhood, etc. Get a plastic one so the parent’s don’t have to worry about rust or burned baby legs! Jr. Explorer Wagon, Little Tikes $79.99

Museum/Zoo Memberships: This is an absolutely wonderful gift! Buy a yearly pass to a local Children’s Museum or zoo. The child can go as much as they want with this gift! Check out the local attractions in your area for cost and ideas.

Theme Baskets: If it’s summer time, create a pool or beach gift basket. A few water toys, a beach towel, maybe a new swim diaper! Another great option is a bath gift set. Put together some bath squirters, toys, water books, and a new hooded bath towel.

Be sure to check out all the other fun stuff going on over at Cloth Diaper Revivalhttp://www.clothdiaperrevival.com/?utm_source=Grizls&utm_medium=guest%2Bpost&utm_campaign=1st%2Bbday%2Bgifts and tell Jenny hello!