Kylinn's dance studio (Michigan Highland Dance Academy) is having a Tupperware fundraiser through March 13th. The money raised will go toward the USIR 2010 National Competition. This year, it is hosted by all of the Mid-West studios in Traverse City.
No pressure to buy anything, but I'm just putting the info out there. If you were considering buying any Tupperware (they have awesome kid snack & lunch sets!) and don't have a consultant, please order through this link to be a part of their fundraiser.
I have to admit, though, I LOVE these FridgeSmart containers. Adam and I are just amazed with how well they keep produce (particularly mixed green salads!) They have significantly cut down on spoiled food since we've had them.
THANKS!
Showing posts with label mystery question. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery question. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sunday, October 18, 2009
cows, we're remarkable cows...
tegan: milk comes from cows
me: yes. and where do happy cows come from?
tegan: wisconsin. (and then very seriously, he asked) where do mad cows come from?
me: england!
seriously. i couldn't resist.
me: yes. and where do happy cows come from?
tegan: wisconsin. (and then very seriously, he asked) where do mad cows come from?
me: england!
seriously. i couldn't resist.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
call her green for the children who've made her
each week, i have one real goal- to create less waste.
i've always been a bit of an environmentalist, but i never really had an actual perspective on waste until i moved out to my current home. you see, we unknowingly built our home less than five miles from a landfill which accepts more than 40 tons of garbage from canada every single day in addition to our own county's trash. five years ago, the landfill was scarcely visable above the treeline. today, it towers overhead resembling a mountain at a ski resort. though it is extrememly well-managed, there is nothing glamerous about this north face.
so five years ago, i decided that if we had to live near a landfill, in a community that does not offer curbside recycling, that we were going to have to do our part to ensure that not everything ends up in that landfill. we started recycling what we could- bottles, of course, but also papers are taken to a collection box that help raise funds for our public schools, we bought a composter and put everything that can go in, turned, and then put back into our soil and enrich our little postage stamp parcel of earth which was raised and groomed from nothing- brought back from the dead which now hosts a collection of kingdoms and phylums which would make any biologist smile.
and then theres still that issue of general garbage- what to do with it, and where to put it. i'd love to one day own a trash compactor, but this home & funds do not allow for such a novelty. instead i compact anything that can be compacted. water bottles (though fewer & fewer these days) and milk jugs are crushed and re-capped before they go in. loose items are put into other containers (peanut butter jars, etc) to try to save space. each week, my one goal is to only have to put out one can of trash for our family of four, and our two cats. it can't always be done, as the occasional project will leave us with a mountain of trash.
but more often than not, i put out our one can of trash.
and that makes me proud.
because it could easily be two cans. or more.
and because i know that my children will have one less bag of trash to deal with in their lifetime.
i'll leave you with a little jack johnson on this sunny friday. (because who doesn't love a little jack johnson on a sunny friday!)
i've always been a bit of an environmentalist, but i never really had an actual perspective on waste until i moved out to my current home. you see, we unknowingly built our home less than five miles from a landfill which accepts more than 40 tons of garbage from canada every single day in addition to our own county's trash. five years ago, the landfill was scarcely visable above the treeline. today, it towers overhead resembling a mountain at a ski resort. though it is extrememly well-managed, there is nothing glamerous about this north face.
so five years ago, i decided that if we had to live near a landfill, in a community that does not offer curbside recycling, that we were going to have to do our part to ensure that not everything ends up in that landfill. we started recycling what we could- bottles, of course, but also papers are taken to a collection box that help raise funds for our public schools, we bought a composter and put everything that can go in, turned, and then put back into our soil and enrich our little postage stamp parcel of earth which was raised and groomed from nothing- brought back from the dead which now hosts a collection of kingdoms and phylums which would make any biologist smile.
and then theres still that issue of general garbage- what to do with it, and where to put it. i'd love to one day own a trash compactor, but this home & funds do not allow for such a novelty. instead i compact anything that can be compacted. water bottles (though fewer & fewer these days) and milk jugs are crushed and re-capped before they go in. loose items are put into other containers (peanut butter jars, etc) to try to save space. each week, my one goal is to only have to put out one can of trash for our family of four, and our two cats. it can't always be done, as the occasional project will leave us with a mountain of trash.
but more often than not, i put out our one can of trash.
and that makes me proud.
because it could easily be two cans. or more.
and because i know that my children will have one less bag of trash to deal with in their lifetime.
i'll leave you with a little jack johnson on this sunny friday. (because who doesn't love a little jack johnson on a sunny friday!)
Three it's a magic number
Yes it is, it's a magic number
Because two times three is six
And three times six is eighteen
And the eighteenth letter in the alphabet is R
We've got three R's we're going to talk about today
We've got to learn to
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
If you're going to the market to buy some juice
You've got to bring your own bags and you learn to reduce your waste
And if your brother or your sister's got some cool clothes
You could try them on before you buy some more of those
Reuse, we've got to learn to reuse
And if the first two R's don't work out
And if you've got to make some trash
Don't throw it out
Recycle, we've got to learn to recycle,
We've got to learn to
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Yes it is, it's a magic number
Because two times three is six
And three times six is eighteen
And the eighteenth letter in the alphabet is R
We've got three R's we're going to talk about today
We've got to learn to
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
If you're going to the market to buy some juice
You've got to bring your own bags and you learn to reduce your waste
And if your brother or your sister's got some cool clothes
You could try them on before you buy some more of those
Reuse, we've got to learn to reuse
And if the first two R's don't work out
And if you've got to make some trash
Don't throw it out
Recycle, we've got to learn to recycle,
We've got to learn to
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
hello again, hello
i've actually been quite productive as of late, and i'll have to catch you up on the children and the rest of related vanover event shortly, but here's what i've been up to:
i reorganized the junk drawer after realizing the chaos it had brought to the birthday party.
i also tackled the pantry again- which is quite a daunting task.
and, after doing my list of 25 random things on facebook, i've learned a few more things about myself:
1) trader joe's french truffles are incredible.
2) i always pull my underwear back up after going to the bathroom, even if i'm about to get in the shower.
3) kiehl's reparitive hair pak is god's gift to women who flat iron.
4) my fab neighbor, jeremy, put thousands of mp3's on my computer, and yet i am still sad when there isn't one that i was looking for.
5) potty humor is the window to the soul.
1) trader joe's french truffles are incredible.
2) i always pull my underwear back up after going to the bathroom, even if i'm about to get in the shower.
3) kiehl's reparitive hair pak is god's gift to women who flat iron.
4) my fab neighbor, jeremy, put thousands of mp3's on my computer, and yet i am still sad when there isn't one that i was looking for.
5) potty humor is the window to the soul.
how is that for random! i'll post more later.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
"flurries likely"
okay, now i'll be the first to admit that i am very fickle when it comes to enjoying the seasons. i love winter, truly, i do, just not the extreme colds. i love those bright, sunshine-y days where you can put your snow pants on over a mid-weight shirt, sunglasses, mittens and a winter hat, but perhaps not a jacket, and go crushing through fresh powder. the only thing i despise more than sweating, is being up on a ski lift dodging hail balls in below-zero temperatures.
but also ranking high on my "weather sucks" scale? usless cold and snow. snow is only fun when it sticks. when everything is just wet and dirty, and it's way cold enough to have some type of accumulation, but then it doesn't happen? that annoys me. and even more irritating than that, is snow before halloween.
sorry for the rant. that sort-of came out of left field. winter is coming, i'd better suck it up.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
things that annoy me: number 1
vera wang.
yes, vera, you are an incredible bridal dress designer. truly brilliant at your craft. but your line of clothes at kohls? i'm not even sure that i can even afford that, and really, i don't even want to. i hate kohls.
but the vera wang mattress for serta? now that's going too far.
"oooh, what a luxurious and sumptuous mattress!"
"yes, it's a vera wang!"
stupid.
simply stupid.
yes, vera, you are an incredible bridal dress designer. truly brilliant at your craft. but your line of clothes at kohls? i'm not even sure that i can even afford that, and really, i don't even want to. i hate kohls.
but the vera wang mattress for serta? now that's going too far.
"oooh, what a luxurious and sumptuous mattress!"
"yes, it's a vera wang!"
stupid.
simply stupid.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
riddle me this
if i am nearing thirty, why do i still have the intonation of a fourteen year old?
and speaking of fourteen year olds, how old are these chicks? for real. no seriously, fess up. i was a young looking sixteen year old, but this is ridiculous.
and speaking of fourteen year olds, how old are these chicks? for real. no seriously, fess up. i was a young looking sixteen year old, but this is ridiculous.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
they tried to make me go to rehab, but i said no (or: footpads product review)
(dude, so who *doesn't* love amy winehouse?)
no, but seriously. my feet spent twelve full days detoxing with kyoto's detox foot pads. basically, there is a small tea bag-like pouch of herbs (bamboo vinegar, tourmaline, chitin and detox herbs) that you put on a larger self-adhesive cloth pad that you then stick to the sole of your foot while you sleep. upon application, the pouch smells herbal and is white. within several minutes, the pouch warms due to some radioactive rocks which become activated by foot sweat and the detoxification process begins.
initially, i thought that there was no way that i could possibly sleep like this, let alone for twelve nights, but i actually found it quite soothing and drifted off to sleep. at 6:17 am, i found myself wide awake. being a sound sleeper, and beyond lazy, i never even get out of bed before 7:00, despite my alarm sounding at 6:30. i was awake. oddly awake, and fully energized. my body felt no different. my foot was sweaty and the pad was sweaty, dark brown and smelled strangely like bacon (actually, more like "beggin's strips" -dogs don't know it's not bacon!). adam's pad did not stay on, therefor his data for day one was incomplete.
day two, the bacon scent continued. we learned that you must empty the trash daily, or 800 square feet will smell like herbal bacon pdq. i awoke at 6:13. irritated that i was again, full of energy, and adam's feet were not swollen for the first time in several months.
day three turned into a mad-scientist type of experiment. adam attempted to move his pad to the precise location of pain above his "sausage" toe, and i switched feet. adam had successful results in relieving the inflammation, and i awoke, again, well before my alarm.
days four-twelve were very much the same result. and though the herbal bacon scent left me somewhat queasy, and i have no logical explanation as to why detox footpads may work, i would recommend that any skeptics try them out. we went into this experiment with zero expectations, therefor any placebo effect would be noted in our studies. one could certainly argue that my increased energy could be a placebo effect, but if anyone has ever seen me in my coma-like state in the morning, as compared to post-detox, i think you would absolutely agree that something has changed my internal clock. adam's foot pain and swelling were noticeably decreased.
possible challenges to our experiment: adam bought new shoes, which fit him well, and have eliminated most pain during the day, but not swelling during the night. we believe that he has a circulation problem. we have also adjusted our diet to limit most carbohydrates, and increase protein and fiber significantly. adam has lost nearly 15 pounds, and i have lost 3. i am currently working on stress-reduction and practicing yoga in lieu of my pilates. though the detox experiment was conducted during my break from yoga, it is possible that i am more chilled than i was last month.
and the bottom line: i believe that everyone should try them out at least once. perhaps they work, perhaps they don't, but they did make at least a temporary improvement in both of us. even on the weekends, i was still (and continue) to wake before 6:30 am. it's not something i'd like to do, but it is a much better feeling that being groggy for several hours every day. though i don't believe that they actually remove heavy metals (my pads were always darker than adam's and neither of ours really lightened up even after day 12) i do believe they have some type of herbal benefit. we paid $10 for a pack of 24 pads from a natural foods store at eastern market. i would not recommend that anyone pay much more than that, because apparently they all come from the same three chinese manufacturers anyway. certainly, the ones on television are identical, but very overpriced. i know a few of you were interested, and had purchased your own, so i'd like to hear your experiences as well. i'll update on my morning energy as my post-detox continues. i'd really like to sleep in again one day. preferably soon.
so go buy them and check them out. unless of course you're taking a fenegreek supplement, in which case, daedra brought up a very good point: if you're already smelling like maple syrup, adding bacon to the mix is only a good thing if you're at a family restaurant.
no, but seriously. my feet spent twelve full days detoxing with kyoto's detox foot pads. basically, there is a small tea bag-like pouch of herbs (bamboo vinegar, tourmaline, chitin and detox herbs) that you put on a larger self-adhesive cloth pad that you then stick to the sole of your foot while you sleep. upon application, the pouch smells herbal and is white. within several minutes, the pouch warms due to some radioactive rocks which become activated by foot sweat and the detoxification process begins.
initially, i thought that there was no way that i could possibly sleep like this, let alone for twelve nights, but i actually found it quite soothing and drifted off to sleep. at 6:17 am, i found myself wide awake. being a sound sleeper, and beyond lazy, i never even get out of bed before 7:00, despite my alarm sounding at 6:30. i was awake. oddly awake, and fully energized. my body felt no different. my foot was sweaty and the pad was sweaty, dark brown and smelled strangely like bacon (actually, more like "beggin's strips" -dogs don't know it's not bacon!). adam's pad did not stay on, therefor his data for day one was incomplete.
day two, the bacon scent continued. we learned that you must empty the trash daily, or 800 square feet will smell like herbal bacon pdq. i awoke at 6:13. irritated that i was again, full of energy, and adam's feet were not swollen for the first time in several months.
day three turned into a mad-scientist type of experiment. adam attempted to move his pad to the precise location of pain above his "sausage" toe, and i switched feet. adam had successful results in relieving the inflammation, and i awoke, again, well before my alarm.
days four-twelve were very much the same result. and though the herbal bacon scent left me somewhat queasy, and i have no logical explanation as to why detox footpads may work, i would recommend that any skeptics try them out. we went into this experiment with zero expectations, therefor any placebo effect would be noted in our studies. one could certainly argue that my increased energy could be a placebo effect, but if anyone has ever seen me in my coma-like state in the morning, as compared to post-detox, i think you would absolutely agree that something has changed my internal clock. adam's foot pain and swelling were noticeably decreased.
possible challenges to our experiment: adam bought new shoes, which fit him well, and have eliminated most pain during the day, but not swelling during the night. we believe that he has a circulation problem. we have also adjusted our diet to limit most carbohydrates, and increase protein and fiber significantly. adam has lost nearly 15 pounds, and i have lost 3. i am currently working on stress-reduction and practicing yoga in lieu of my pilates. though the detox experiment was conducted during my break from yoga, it is possible that i am more chilled than i was last month.
and the bottom line: i believe that everyone should try them out at least once. perhaps they work, perhaps they don't, but they did make at least a temporary improvement in both of us. even on the weekends, i was still (and continue) to wake before 6:30 am. it's not something i'd like to do, but it is a much better feeling that being groggy for several hours every day. though i don't believe that they actually remove heavy metals (my pads were always darker than adam's and neither of ours really lightened up even after day 12) i do believe they have some type of herbal benefit. we paid $10 for a pack of 24 pads from a natural foods store at eastern market. i would not recommend that anyone pay much more than that, because apparently they all come from the same three chinese manufacturers anyway. certainly, the ones on television are identical, but very overpriced. i know a few of you were interested, and had purchased your own, so i'd like to hear your experiences as well. i'll update on my morning energy as my post-detox continues. i'd really like to sleep in again one day. preferably soon.
so go buy them and check them out. unless of course you're taking a fenegreek supplement, in which case, daedra brought up a very good point: if you're already smelling like maple syrup, adding bacon to the mix is only a good thing if you're at a family restaurant.
Monday, August 20, 2007
this town's becoming like a ghost town
no one is really blogging anymore in my little circle, so i'm going to make more of an effort to comment and drive more of a conversation with my fellow bloggers.
so let's go, everybody! i've gotta go comment on these blogs that i've just been lurking on out of laziness.
so let's go, everybody! i've gotta go comment on these blogs that i've just been lurking on out of laziness.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
grrr arggh.
so brittan and nicol are bored.
please excuse me while i stop my life and blog again for the sole purpose of entertaining you ladies.. truth is, i'm bored myself. i have nothing to blog about. well, there are a few things that i could say, but i'm being a tad hesitant since my audience has recently grown to ginormas amounts (not to mention the fact i'm still in the process of stalking the newcomers). on top of all that, verizon pix website as well as you tube are currently undergoining site maintenance, so even though i have load of killer pictures and videos to share, it simply cannot be done at this time.
mystery question: name that cookie!
Monday, July 16, 2007
chi town is my town
,no man, it's here in the D! though i really am glad to be home, our trip to chicago was incredible. the kids spent the long weekend up at boyne with my dad & kathy and the ross family (THANKS, GUYS!!!) while adam and i enjoyed a fabulous weekend in chicago. we wined. we dined. we saw some mies. we drank some teas. we shopped like crazy. we saw a hilarious rolling stones tribute band and "mick" spent a good deal of time singing at me. some saab representative at the art fair gave me a swanky saab cross pen just because he heard me say something about owning a saab.we had some crazy good chocolate martinis and the world's greatest breakfast at 11 city diner. but topping off the weekend was our night at wicked: the musical. it was outstanding. we both loved it and will definitely see it again in the future.
the brown building on the right (with the verdigris roof) was where we stayed at the fairmont chicago (and also discoverred the world's greatest shampoo!) though we were on the 30th floor, we were totally dwarfed by the aon center building next door.
basil pesto omlette @ 11 city diner and an a crazy action shot a la adam.
a poop display and a big ol' jet airliner at the museum of science and industry.
fun at millenium park (right across the street from our hotel!) and no. i did not make the 8:00 am yoga or 9:00 am pilates class.
the brown building on the right (with the verdigris roof) was where we stayed at the fairmont chicago (and also discoverred the world's greatest shampoo!) though we were on the 30th floor, we were totally dwarfed by the aon center building next door.
basil pesto omlette @ 11 city diner and an a crazy action shot a la adam.
a poop display and a big ol' jet airliner at the museum of science and industry.
fun at millenium park (right across the street from our hotel!) and no. i did not make the 8:00 am yoga or 9:00 am pilates class.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
bring it
mystery for the week: how would you like a nice greasy pork sandwich served in a dirty ashtray?
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
blogopportunities...
okay, so i've decided to have more contest fun. each week or so, i'll post something crazy (what's new, i know) and the first person to figure it out will win a random prize of my choosing from the vanover vault. each mystery will run for ten days or until there's a winner, whichever comes first.
last weeks winner: sarah ross, who correctly identified bert in this post.
this weeks mystery: part-time thing, paper ring
last weeks winner: sarah ross, who correctly identified bert in this post.
this weeks mystery: part-time thing, paper ring
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
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