Heads Or Tails

I know I am late with my H O T this week but here goes. This weeks H O T is "How would you change where you live?"

That is a really good question. Since I live in a house that I don't like I would move.I don't want a lot in a new house, not even a new house just newer then what I have now. But what I want is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, with a nice size kitchen/living room/and maybe even an office. A nice size yard for Halley and Savie, a closed in driveway but one like I have now. to leave Halley outside during the day I have to pull my car out of the driveway, get out let Halley out, close the gate and then get back in the car. That is a little annoying when your in a hurry, or it's at night.

But for the town there is a lot that can be changed. We are sorely needing jobs (what place in America doesn't) but I think once the mine opens here we should be ok but then there is an environmental issue. There are just so many things that are bad here but that's about par for the course. I thik every place needs a little something.

Heads Or Tails #2

This weeks prompt for H O T, that I am finally able to remember to do, is Doctors.


Normally I am not a big fan of going to the Dr. and try to do as much as possible on my own. I try to go the herbal route whenever possible. But this whole thing with Halley has made me love the Dr. eve if it is a vet, lol.

Updates

It dawn on me that today is the 21st and I haven't done an update in awhile. Let's see over at THF it's just about water conservation which goes great with the Quickie challenge. My plants are just loving me right now. I have watered the 4 pots that I have and they are doing great. I should take a picture of the rose tree that I've been watering like crazy. When I bought it there was only one bloom on it and that was it. Since I have been putting the shower water in the pot (did I meantion that?) I've gotten so many blooms off of it. I think I have 6 blooms going right now with at least 4 more to open in the next day or so. I love it.

My water bill hasn't gone down that much but it's a start, right? What about you, how are you doing on the challenges so far?

Challenges, challenges......and the heat to

Ok so I've said it before I am trying to be green and doing my part to be good to the earth. I am also doing two challenges. I know I've talked about one all lot, the BYOB challenge, but I don't think I've mentioned the other one just yet. It's almost over and I haven't said a word about it. It's a quickie of a challenge to, a 5 minute shower. Is that possible?

Yes it is. I have been trying it for the better part of the month and most days I do take a 5 minute shower. The day that I hurt my back I took an 8 minute shower and that's because my back was hurting me and I wasn't moving as fast as I normally do. It's a little harder to get Savie, my daughter to do it but it's getting easier. Hubby is not on board with this one and still walks out of the bedroom to take his clothes off. I just don't get it. But with the heat the way it is it's easier to get her in and out without a lot of water being used.

On that note, the National Weather Service has given the monsoon an official start and end day. It's a good thing and a bad thing. It's great that we have a date to start and we know what to expect after that day. The monsoon is a big deal around here since there are a lot of washes and draws, dry creek beds and the like, and there are also flash floods. We live near a wash and last year I heard a flash flood coming down in before I ran out to see what the noise was.It's quite a site to see that much water just coming at you.

Every year there are several people who think they can cross the wash/draw and get stuck or washed away. Last year we saw on the news that a family of 3 got stuck in a wash, a mother/father/child, where the child who was about 2 or 3 yr was washed away, just ripped out of the mother arms and the body still hasn't been found. It's sad. And it's not just family's or people there are also military personal who have lost their lives because of flash floods. But I need to change the subject and talk about happier things.

Because of the heat I finally broke down and bought Savie and pool for the backyard. Now before you think that I was just being a bad mommy by not putting one in wait until you see the pictures of the backyard. I had a hard time trying to decide where to put this. There wont be a lot of posts from me this summer because our house gets to be about 99 during the day and our swamp cooler doesn't blow as well as I would like it to. But I am hoping that once I get some curtains up there will be a change in the temp in here. I am hope, lol. Well I hope that everyone has a great day and I will post/talk to you later.

I need to share something

So like I said in a previous post I am trying to be green. I buy breads, veggies, etc at my Farmer's Market when it's opened, I shop at my local Co-op and I use environmental cleaners. I recycle what I can (our dump doesn't do much) and use re-usable bags. I try to be green. I walk when possible, consolidate shopping trips when I go into town, I drive with cruise control when I do go to town, turn off my car when I am at the ATM, drive-up window, getting the paper. I try to be green.


Well I hurt my back the other day and not just a I pulled a muscle hurt I mean a I can't bend over to tie my shoes hurt. I was in bad shape but there was nothing I could do about it. I was just stuck. I am not a pill taking person, I don't like taking pills and avoid it whenever I can so taking a couple of Aleve's was not the answer for me. I couldn't get comfortable anywhere. Sitting down was ok but only for a few minutes, I couldn't cross my legs because I couldn't lift my leg up that high. I couldn't stand for long, I would get shooting pain up one leg. But it's only on one side. I know if I told K she would spin it so it had something to do with her so I didn't say anything to her, not even to borrow her heating pads (even though I don't think I would use any of them since the animals have been birthed on them). Well since I had bought this sample set at my Farmer's Market last year and had been using the facial wash(which I am so in love with, it's the thrid item on the page.) I thought I might as well try the Muscle Soother Spray (scroll down it's the third item on the page). I wasn't sure it would do anything to help me but it was worth a try, right?

OMG!!!!!!!!!!! This felt sooooooooooooo good. A good 10 minutes after I sprayed it on my back I was felling warm, then a little warmer, then hot. I mean hot. It started out as having a heating pad on my back while I was getting ready for school and everything but then it got really hot. Like someone turned the heating pad on high. But it felt good I was glad for the heat. I sprayed myself a couple more times during the day when I started to feel more pain then I was comfortable with. I am in love with this stuff. I am sorry to keep going on about this but I was in a lot of pain and want to share my joy with the world.

It's been 2 days since I hurt myself and my back still hurts but not as bad as when it happened. I feel a lot better.

It's a green, green world

I love a good challenge. I love green sites like this one and this one. I've done the paper towel challenge and did pretty well if I do say so myself. I used a roll and a half for the month which I think is pretty good for 3 people and have started using napkins for meals.

I love reading Tree Hugging Family, they have some great stuff. Cleaning supplies, crafts, and stuff like that. This months challenge is BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) and I am doing pretty good at this one. A better start then last months challenge. I have at least 12 reusable bags in my car. Let's me break it down for you count wise.

1. 8 Walmart bags
2. 4 small bags
3. 2 produce bags
4. 3 coupon.com bags

I'm sorry how many is that? Is that more than 12? LOL. I have plenty of bags so this is an easy challenge. How about you guys? Can you cut down on your use of plastic bags? There are some really good articles about what happens with them when they are used. I mean we all know about how they look flying thru the air during a wind storm or just a windy day, think about what they look to sea animals, and how long it takes for them to breakdown. Just some interesting reading, head over to THF for some reading.

Sunday Scribblings #108

This weeks prompt is perfectly fitting for Earth Day.

Is there Hope for the Future of the Planet?

That is a good question. I do think that there are plenty of things that we can do differently. The use of gas, being green, eating organic, fair trade items, recycling, the list goes on and on. But what can we do on a personal level? Not shop as much? That's pretty easy with the way the gas prices are rising. Buy organic? Fair trade? Shop at your local Co-op or farmer's Market. I think that's a pretty easy thing. It also gives you another chance to spend time with your kids. When I thought about this prompt I thought about the things that I do to be green and help the planet. A lot of this is stuff that I do. I try to walk more often to the things that are close and that will be the case until it gets to hot. I am trying to get into the habit of taking the bus across town for library day. When I go out to the store, which is across town, I try to make it a big trip, something to justify the drive. I am even trying to make my trips to Walmart a big one, get the food I need (it's a super walmart) and other things like toilet paper and clothes all in one trip.

I personally feel that everyone should do something, whether it's a big thing like drive a hybrid car or use public transportation all the time, or something small like packing a lunch when you to to work. Every little thing counts no matter what it is.