Instant Garden!

Well here it is! It is amazing what you can do just transfering plants from one garden to another! Now I am moving on to the stone path/patio! This will be a big challenge.

A moment for Tim Russert

Probably one of the best political journalist on TV right now, Tim Russert passed away today. I was shocked to see this news, at 58 years old. He will be missed.

How does your garden grow?

Certainly not with silver bells and cockle shells, but I could use the pretty maids all in a row to help! Here is the update on the vegetable garden. Everything is looking good, minus the heat wave putting some harsh stress on the plants. The peppers don't seem to mind but the brussell sprouts(BTW, I do not like them, they are for my father) are not happy! We have about 30 tomato plants which right now look good. Although my grandmothers is growing like crazy! She has fruit already on it! She is 91 and still has the green thumb! I want to be like that at her age.

The Perfect Day for Lime Sorbet!

I love making homemade ice cream and sorbet. You know there are no preservatives and unknown ingredients you cannot even pronounce. It is easy, quick and so good. Around the time we harvest blackberries, there is nothing like making blackberry sherbert, adding it to an ice cream bomb with other flavors like chocolate ice cream. Anyway, back to the lime sorbet! I like to add the tiny chocolate chips in it which adds a nice sweet taste to the tart lime. Pull out the ice cream maker, mix for 30 minutes, freeze for about four hours. Voila! Perfect on a hot day!

A disturbing occurence.....

I have posted often about the blog Z Recommends in reference to BPA. Take a moment to read about The Plume and how it effects them in different ways. We are in the The Plume in some sort of way or another. Where I live, it would be the nuclear power plant that was decommissioned dealing with waste storage and how the land was to go into conservation but now may be sold for development! How are you in The Plume?

Tales of the Thrown!

So you will be dealing with potty training or have done it? Check out Musings of a Housewife which post about her current happenings with introducing the use of the "thrown" to her daughter. She has incredible patience, more then I may have! Evidently I was no charm as a child with this task, according to my Grandmother and Aunt! We shall see with my bugaboo girl who is obsessed with the "thrown", likes to sit on it and knows how to flush. Hey, anyway to stop using the diapers is a good thing!

Baby bottles and BPA Challenge

I think you would be amazed at what BPA is found in such as sunglasses, dental sealants, DVD's and of course the big one is baby bottles. Sunglasses and DVD's do not seem to concern me since it is not in contact with food. Dental sealants is obvously a concern, only if I need them. But baby bottles are the biggest since the timeline of usage is probably an average of 2-3 years! A lawsuit was filled in May against Playtex for the making of baby bottles with BPA. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. has stated that they will not be carrying any BPA baby bottles by early next year. That is a very big step since they are a huge provider of this product. Check out the article at Organic Consumer Association for further details. To purchase BPA free bottles, go to Z Recommends for designs available.

Wild rose at heart

This is your average wild rose you find everywhere here. I am attempting to tame it, which is not easy. Also, I have to baby it due to this rose came from my neighbor Norm and Joanie. I seem to reflect Joanie in many ways, she sees me as her when she was young. Norm Dug this rose up and trucked it over here in is tractor. We plated it and was sure there would be no problem with it growing. After all, they grow in places you would not think they could! Norm passed away about two years ago from a bee sting while we were at my husband's brother's wedding. It was a sad day and we do miss him! So now I take extra special care of the rose to ensure it will keep coming up. It is a part of my new garden I just made which you will be seeing pictures of soon.

Phthalates in our kids toys?

Lead is such a focus in toys prompting numerous recalls that have been long over due. The other issue is Phthalates which is a toxic chemical that is added to plastic toys such as teethers to make them soft and flexible. That just about qualifies for all infant to toddler toys. And of course we know that everything goes in the mouth so the chemical is leached out. Phthalates have been linked to numerous birth defects, possibilities of breast cancer, early puberty and testicular cancer. Only two states at banned phthalates which are California and Washington.
In March, the U.S. Senate passed an amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act, which would ban phthalates in children's toys and childcare articles. House members of the conference committee have not yet committed to—and may even oppose—including the Senate ban on phthalates in the final bill.
Here is how you can make a difference. Go to Breast Cancer Fund and sign the petition to send to the key committee members telling them you are opposed to the use of Phthalates in toys.
Thank you to Green Mom Finds for posting about this concern.

A few more peonies....

Since my first pink peony bloomed, I have added a white one and the dark pink is now in bloom. I would like to add one more, maybe a mixed color variety that is not a double bloom. The dark pink is an amazing color, especially when you put it in a vase with a white peony!

Web Site of the Day

Hmmmm....which is more environmentally friendly and much cuter? Well there is nothing cute about a plastic bag but Envirosax has these cute grocery bags in crazy animal designs. Of course I had to get the psycho sheep, being the bugaboo girl is crazed about sheep! What is nice about these bags is they also roll up and snap into a ball, fitting in your glove compartment or handbag! Check out their neat print designs and go green with carrying your groceries by saying no to plastic!

Summer's here!

We may need to change the name of Haddam to Lahaina. All of the mainlander's probably do not know that Lahaina is "unbearable sun". It has been way too hot for a short period of time and thank goodness the heat wave is breaking Wednesday! Even my bugaboo girl is not happy with the heat and wants to either be inside or in her turtle pool. As you can see, the white tiger of Haddam is even trying to keep cool! He was pool side eyeing bugaboo in the pool, maybe thinking "I might enjoy the water, only if that little person would get out!"

Chic Shopper Chick Giveaway- Bag Borrow or Steal Baby!

Can't afford to buy that Channel bag or just love use different handbags? How about renting one stead of purchasing where you can have a new handbag for every week, every occasion? Check out Bag Borrow or Steal which was just featured in the new movie Sex & and City! I think you will be surprised how you can afford a designer bag on as little as $5 a week! They are also having a special right now which you rent for three weeks, get the forth week for free! Wow, an extra bag! Chic Shopper Chic is giving away a $59 gift card to Bag Borrow or Steal! Just pop over to the her blog and post which bag you would rent from Bag Borrow or Steal. This certainly gives you more room in your closet!

Cupcake on your wrist!

This cupcake bracelet was extremely cute from Target. It is listed as a child's bracelet but I have no problem wearing it!

The tool that will save my garden and sanity!

I hate to deal with the weeds that pop up in my vegetable garden which they come fast and furious. We use to put down black plastic in between the rows but being I am thinking along the "green" line, I have purchased a new tool. Got it at Wal-mart and so far so good! It is all about time and commitment. I am committed to keep these weeds down this year! I will keep you updated!

Win a Trek bike and cut down on gas usage!

So I think my bike needs a little updating. See the bandanna on it, I think it has been left there since high school! With the price of gas probably going to be over $5 soon, why not invest in a bike and use it to do local errands or just take a bike ride instead of a car ride! There is a Trek Bike Giveaway for a chance to win a Trek 1.2 Road Bicycle. The contest ends June 23 so pop on over and enter your info.

Whirlpool "Brand Mother of Invention contest!

Sometimes I think of ideas that for new products when I get frustrated about using a certain product. Does that make sense? Anyway, we have a chest freezer and like all of these type of freezers, once you put something in, it is lost until you start digging through it. I had an idea which I submitted to the Whirlpool "Mother of Invention" Contest, because hey you never know, which was basically bar coding your food and the freezer would have a scanner with a screen which lets you know what is in the freezer and when it was put in. Of course you could expand on this to being on line capabilities for checking status off of your cell phone while at the grocery store to downloading bar codes from retailers. The possibilities are endless. But it also is more efficient in which you can actually consume the food in a timely manner instead of doing the yearly clean out throw away because you have no clue what it is or when you put it in!
Got an idea? Pop on over and check it out! Ecobunga! is where I found this contest and they have many more listed.