thursday's ten: in your car

i don't know about you, but i totally struggle with either not having what i need in my car...or it looking like a tornado has swirled around the interior.
please tell me you have these issues!
however, i'm determined to spend a little time this weekend organizing the space
and making it functional.
(i'll be back to post pictures if it works out well!)





so.  based on what i already know as well as a couple of tips i've seen on the rachael ray show this week, here's my list of 10 things that will stay in my car. (note * for items already in the car)

1.  first aid kit*  (my car actually has shelf space in the trunk for this.  nope, not kidding.)
2.  a blanket* (i'm a good indiana girl, and know to keep a blanket in the car in case of stalling in winter weather.  plus it comes in handy for the impromptu picnic)
3.  a catch-all basket, small* (in this i keep an extra pair of sunglasses, my coupon book for nashville, an umbrella, extra feminine products, ipod charger when not in use, packing tape for trips to the PO,  sleeves for coffee, baby wipes for cleaning spills or people ;-) and a few other random things)
4.  yoga mat* and workout clothes (the first is a given.  the second is something i've meant to do several times, but after seeing it on the RR show the other day am determined to do.  i'll just keep my tennis shoes in the trunk and have a bag with extra clothes in it for a quick hike, run, etc.)
5.  an emergency toiletries kit (i saw this on the show and LOVED the idea.  deoderant, makeup, tweezers, razors, maybe even shampoo/conditioner and an extra toothbrush. if i ever find myself spending the night at a friends house i'm good to go!  plus i have TONS of random cosmetic bags.  it would be nice to put some of them to use!)
6.  my green bags* (i do keep them in the car when i think about it, but i need to make more of an effort to make sure i have a few before i go shopping anywhere!)
7.  cds.  (i have a few in the car now, and i love listening to pandora on my phone while driving.  however, i have these great cd books that need to be put to good use!)
8.  a sigg bottle* (for those extra runs, or just to keep hydrated.  the only problem with this is summer heat in tn...gotta figure out a way to keep a bottle in the car and keep it from boiling, ha.)
9.  a kid-friendly tote (i love to do random art projects or baking with kids when i babysit, so it would be nice to carry a few extra beads for necklace making, cookie cutters, or other things that parents wouldn't necessarily have on hand)
10.  some sort of (very small) trash/recycling system. (currently i use plastic shopping bags...but i can't STAND how trashy that looks.  even getting a couple of those cheap little "cubes" you use for storage would be better!)

so.  what would you add in your car?  or subtract for that matter?

Thursday's Ten: product recommendations

i've been wanting to do this for awhile...why not now?

ten products or items that i would highly recommend for your own use. most of these are VERY cheap :)

(PLEASE play along even if you don't have a full 10 list!)

1. my stacking recycling bins from ikea

2. my can opener. it was a gift from my parents one Christmas, and it's a.m.a.z.i.n.g

(mine is red, but i couldn't find an online image of it. it's the 'one touch' brand and i think you can even buy it at target or walgreens now)

3. my creative memories all purpose scissors. coupon clipping, scrapbooking, photo trimming...fantastic

4. pampered chef kitchen shears (ok, similar to the above, but they are AWESOME on their own and i use them for *everything* around the kitchen)

5. avacado slicer. it makes it so easy to have fresh avacado when i don't have to get so stinkin' messy cutting it up!

(you can buy it wherever you buy kitchen tools)

6. starbucks insulated cup. you knew i'd bring it up again eventually!

7. and on that note, the sigg water bottle. um, i don't know where mine is...someone besides me packed it. must.find.soon!

8. (for pet owners) the mouse laser light. best purchase under $5 i have possibly *ever* made. emi loves it! (i bought mine at target)

9. cfl's (compact fluorescent lamp). not only are they SO much better for the environment, they also last forever and drive down your energy costs!

10. in that whole "green" vibe--reusable grocery bags. trader joe's are quite stylish, and i'm forever taking a reusable bag with me on trips, or to carry stuff back and forth from jobs...so they're quite versatile for me!

i KNOW you have a similar list. please share!

Earth Day of the Extravagant Sort

Earth Day...



Anthony thinks I'm a little nuts (yes, I know you're reading this honey).
My parents don't get it.
The guy at Chik-Fil-A wrote me off as a crazy greenie.
Nancy, the woman I'm acting as caregiver for says I'm "conscientious" but says it in a way that I'm not sure it's a compliment.

But I don't care.

I'm unashamedly trying to be green.

I recycle. And I'm somewhat militant about it, I'll admit it. Nancy now just leaves her plastic juice bottles in my car because she knows that if she starts to throw them away I'll just grab them out of her hand and throw them in the backseat anyway. And she and I went to Chik-Fil-A the other day and I was quite excited that the sandwich I ordered came in a recyclable plastic box. It was even a #1, so that's really easy to recycle! However, after eating the sandwich I realized that there was NO RECYCLING BIN in the store. I even asked the guy behind the counter "So, you have a recyclable container but no recycling bin...is that the deal?" and he was like "yeah..."

Sigh.

(I took it home to recycle.)

Now I'll admit I'm not the world's best recycler. I forget pretty often about paper. But glass, plastic, tin, aluminum, cardboard...my kitchen is taken over with the recycling bags for each of them.

I also use CFL's which pretty much everyone does now...I have a SIGG which you all know if you've read my blog :0) I try to buy natural and organic products, although I'll admit I don't do it exclusively. It's expensive. And I like my mint chocolate oreos :0)

And I use reusable bags. Most of the time I go through the self-checkout if I'm in Kroger/Publix so as to not have to deal with the checkout process. Trader Joe's kind of expects you to bring your own bag (good for them), but the people in Target look at you oddly--even if you're using a Target reusable! Not only are the reusable bags great for the environment, they're also a whole heck of a lot easier to wrangle from the car to the house. Believe me, that's a great benefit.

Am I perfect? Nope. I use more heat in the winter (but it balances with my low air conditioning useage), I forget to turn off lights when I leave the room, I leave lights on for the cat when I'm gone, and I forget to unplug things. But the point is...I try. I'm not trying to save the world, but I AM trying to be a good steward of what God has given us. I don't think that being green is just a human initiative. I think we're called to take care of the earth.

So maybe today instead of throwing away that Diet Coke can you can toss it in a recycling bin. Perhaps you can pour yourself a glass of water instead of paying for a plastic water bottle. And possibly you can bump the temperature on your air conditioner a couple of degrees higher or unplug an appliance you rarely use.

Or maybe you can just dismiss this all as the ramblings of a liberal. ;-)

Either way...you have a choice. Isn't that a beautiful thing?

Thursday's Ten

Ten Things I Couldn't Live (as well) Without...the $25 and under edition


1. Neosporin
(with as much as I hurt myself...it's a VERY necessary item. I don't have it in the medicine cabinet. It lives in my purse, actually.

2. my SIGG water bottle

3. the one-touch can opener my parents gave me a couple of Christmases ago. I thought it was silly until I used it...

4. ThermaCare heat wraps. An ex's mom introduced them to me, and I will forever be grateful. Let's just say that wearing a portable heating pad during certain days is a Godsend.

5. flip-flops. I'm notorious for wearing them in inappropriate temperatures and weather conditions.

6. San Pelligrino water. Aaah.

7. exercise apparel, especially yoga pants and exercise skirts. So cute and comfy!

8. Cadbury mini-eggs. I'm on the prowl to find them during non-Easter times...

9. my tape deck adapter that allows me to play the iPod at top volume in the car

10. Starbucks. Yeah, it's expensive. But on occasion...worth it.