Green idea

okay...so it's not super green...but it's a lifestyle change (which i consider to be green)

(this is sort of what i wrote in a previous post, but abbreviated...)

consider your purchases...do you really need those shoes...jeans...blouse...cd...dvd...side table...

how can i reuse what i have?  how can i re-paint, re-arrange, re-purpose what i have?  

an idea for furniture re-purposing...:

need a side table?  stack books up (i'm sure you are like me and have a TON of books ranging in width and thickness) to the desired height...put a tray on the top if you don't want to have the books as your table top...and there you go!  an instant side table that also saved you buying a bookcase, new shelves and a new side table!!  or use and old trunk, or old luggage...get creative and think outside the box and you will be suprised with you can come up with!!  

okay...that's it for now!  let me know some new green ideas...leave your comments on what you've done or how you re-arranged to give your room some new life... : )  

'for sale' update...

update to the things we are selling...check out the website:

We are looking to simplify, move and pay off debt...help us out and buy our stuff!!!!

here is the link to the photos of our stuff so far (more stuff to come once we can get to it in our storage unit to take a picture of it-but i'll list all we have just in case you are interested w/o the photo):

http://picasaweb.google.com/snow4low/StuffWeAreSelling

pine armoire-$300
huge 7ft-5ft mirror-$500
tons of art (warren kimble, rod iron lemon (great for kitchen!) and others ranging from $20-$100 for four pieces)
Birch oval wood dining table seats 6 comfortably (chairs NOT included) (we've sat 10 at it) $30
White plastic toddler bed $40 (with matress)
J.Crew and Ann Taylor size 6-12 work, casual and dress clothes ranging from $5-$30 (prices are negotiable!)

check it out!

you might be asking...'why are you selling all your stuff?'...well...for a few reasons.  

1) we want to pay down our debt

2) we have too much stuff 

3) i want to learn how to be a better steward of our things and stuff and i feel like if i sell off stuff to pay off stuff, that sacrifice of not having more than what i need to narrowing it down to what we need will show/teach me and my family how to live with what we have and to be able to give more to others.  

i have been so convicted this summer about our spending, our over indulgent life.  we eat out a ton...we buy a ton of clothes...we have a ton of stuff in our house...our kids play with more toys than should be legal...and are we happy?  NO !  we are in debt, we are fat, we are bored with what we have so we go out to get more new things, yummier food, cooler clothes...for what?  you should like/love me for my heart and life, not for the $175 jeans i'm wearing.  i'm also convicted about this because of wanting/learning/desiring to live a more sustainable life for our family/world/environment.  i want to teach our children and ry and myself to want for something else than things that are perishing.  i don't want to be 60 years old struggling to make ends meet.  i know we are in a unique station in life right now with one income while i'm in grad school-but we spend like we have two incomes.  i want to change this.  NOW!  Lord God, please look into my heart and ryan's heart and gently show us the reasons why we choose to consume the way we do-and not consume you.  lord, when we desire to get the latest and greatest outfits, shoes, food, furniture...etc...etc... please, draw us to you by your spirit..that he may speak to our hearts and show us how to fill the deficit we continue to try to fill-yet never seem to quench.  bring friends into my life to encourage us on this journey...this is a life altering change for us...please-graciously-move us closer to you and not consumption.  

friends...thank you for allowing me to process this with you today.  do you struggle with this?  

pass our link of things for sell along to whomever you think would want to buy our stuff!  we'll have more coming in about two weeks (once we get the RA office stuff out of the way of our stuff in the storage unit!)..i'll keep you posted on how we are doing in terms of selling stuff.  all funds go directly to paying off our debt (credit and student loans).  i'll keep you posted.

lord-thank you for loving us, even when we struggle with the same things over and over again.  

this song rocked me this weekend at church-read the lyrics-download the song...

1,000 times i've failed, still your purpose remains

should i stumble again, i'm caught in your grace...

everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades

never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame...

your will above all else, still my purpose remains

the art of losing myself in bringing you praise

everlasting, your light will shine when all else fades

never ending, your glory goes beyond all fame

my heart and my soul-i give you control

consume me from the inside out, lord

let justice and grace become my embrace

to love you from the inside out...

hillsong united.  

download it...sing it...pray it...

yeah for free mondays!

so we went to chik-fil-a because we love it and were in the area.  our la habra restaurant has buy one meal get the other free on mondays...every monday!! our family ate yummy food for $12!!  yahoo!!  what a suprise and treat on our last day of summer vacation with ryan. (okay...it won't let me post the photo for some reason...i'll post it another time)

so...also...another fun thing (if you didn't already know this) chik-fil-a has the same deal (buy one get one free) on tuesday nights if you bring your kids b/c it's family night/craft night.  the kids love it and for every adult meal, the kids eat free.  yeah!  so...it can be a family night/date night while the kids do the craft, you can talk! (that is...if they do the craft themselves and don't employ your help!)

Balboa Island

Grandparents!!! (does em look chinese yet??!) 

dinner at wilma's at balboa island
ah...aly's chocolate covered banana!!  my FAVORTIE! (of course coupled with starbucks!)
Thanks for the ride grandpa!
oh...ice cream goodness!

Last night was Ryan's last night of summer vacation (boo!!) so Ed and Linda (his parents) took us to Balboa Island for dinner and a balboa bar to send him of back to work : )  it was a highlight of our summer!!!  It was also em and will's first ride on the ferry...but it was too dark to take a photo, so next time we'll capture it for y'all!  em was amazing.  she had (at home and carried it all the way to the island, at dinner, and during her ice cream even!) drawn a picture for the ferry boat driver to give to him once we got on the boat.  Will was having quite a night and if it wasn't for Emily's picture and hard fast hope that we'd go on the boat, we would have ditched the whole thing for another night.  I can't wait to take them again!  i can't wait to go again with just ry for a date night!

BUY OUR STUFF!

We are in the process of unloading a TON from our storage unit. WE MUST SIMPLIFY (and pay off stuff!)!! so...help us out!!

here is the link to the photos of our stuff so far (more stuff to come once we can get to it in our storage unit to take a picture of it-but i'll list all we have just in case you are interested w/o the photo):
http://picasaweb.google.com/snow4low/StuffWeAreSelling

Photos:
pine armoire-$300
huge 7ft-5ft mirror-$500
tons of art (florals, wood gate, warren kimble, rod iron lemon (great for kitchen!) and others ranging from $20-$100 for four pieces)
Birch oval wood dining table seats 6 comfortably (we've sat 10 at it) $40 (chairs NOT included)
White plastic toddler bed $40 (with matress)

more to come...J.Crew and Ann Taylor size 8-10 work clothes

baby boy/toddler boy clothes

red double jogger stroller

dining table and coffee table

off white shabby chic crib with optional canopy and matching changing table (matress included)

very old mahagony hutch (in process of restoring it-if you like to restore furniture, this would be a great piece-bubbs me if you're interested!) it is in two pieces-bottom piece is a four drawer dresser and top attaches to the dresser that also has a fold out desk. it's pretty cool...three drawer metal filing cabinet...i'm sure a bunch more...let me know if you are interested.

email me at snow4low@gmail.com if you are interested.  must pick up, no drop off...

anthropologie

Hey all!! so, I was totally spoiled yesterday.  My aunt (by marriage) Leann is visiting from back east.  She gave me for christmas an anthropologie GC and i've held onto it till she could visit and we could spend it together.  My father in law LOVES (seriously!) to shop, especially at fashion island (could i BE more blessed?!) so we drove down, and camped out in my favorite store (next to target and jcrew of course!) and i tried on 1/2 the store.  I ended up with two cardigans, a new white blouse and a killer jacket-all of which my father in law picked out!!  It cracks me up that he loves it so much, but I am thankful that I can enjoy it with him too!

the pouty look they gave me for the photo.  they are on the couch in the store watching me model all the clothes i tried on.  

oh...the yummy food we ate at the neiman marcus cafe.  brioche maine lobster blt with butter lettuce and creamy pesto.  seriously, it was awesome.  i can't wait till it's cold enough to wear all my new cardigans and clothes!

finally...

emily and will at the park 'cooking' with the wood chips on the ground.  chocolate cake with lots of icing and hamburgers.  

emily using her awesome imagination-using the bark from the tree as skis so she can 'shred the powder' (in her own words)
the tree from which the bark came from...the colors are beautiful!!

we finally went digital.  we bought a digital camera yesterday.  i haven't totally figured out how to use it yet...but some of the photos i took today are above.  i love it!!  

idea for today

okay...so trying to start living green can be utterly overwhelming!!  i've researched, checked blogs, read a few books...and i'm a bit overwhelmed.  BUT...making one choice a day or week can make it less overwhelming!  here are my ideas so far (one idea also inspired by my friend chrissy, thanks!)

1) change to cloth napkins.  i know...it seems odd.  BUT, you can wash them, re-use them and create less waste!  

2) change to cloth towels instead of paper.  i know...again..odd...BUT...read my #1 reason (you can wash, re-use...etc...) and both changes in the long run save you money.  two/three packs of car wash towels from target ($13 a pack) are super absorbent and you won't have to buy paper towels again!  you can put them in a cute basket on your shelf and put a trash can in the kitchen for all used towels-take the can with you to do the laundry and wash them...easy, eh?!?

i also have a HUGE idea (when i move back into our place) of putting one carry container full of my cleaning products (which will be another 'idea for today' idea on changing over to non-toxic, non-polluting cleaning products) in a central area instead of having cleaning products in every area of my house and using the under-area of my kitchen sink for a recycle center so the kids and i can all do it together!! i'll take photos of all the changes i do and post them once we move into our place again.  so the photos can inspire you too!

3) once simple easy free idea....turn off the water when you brush your teeth.  you waste approx.  35 glasses of water while you have it on while you brush your teeth.  turn it on to wet your brush, turn it off.  brush...do your business...brush some more...finish...then rinse.  

hope this inspires you and feel free to post your ideas too!!

ideas on green and stewardship...

i have been very challenged lately about a variety of things.  one being stewardship.  we (our family) are learning in a very hard way what it means to be good stewards of our money.  i felt like we learned this lesson a LONG time ago...but apparently we needed to revisit this.  along the lines of stewardship, i have also been challenged to examine our budget and find ways to cut here and there.  gas was one of them.  how do you cut gas when it's like $5 a gallon??!?!?  then it made me think about how i want to live sustainably, but not in excess.  i'm tired of really living in excess (and it is also what has caused us to have to revisit the way we live/spend/etc..).  i don't want emily and william to always think they can have anything they want, when they want it and i also want them to look at our home and environment in a different way.  

this has led me to a summer of researching what it means to live sustainably-or live green.  i know...it's quite the fashion right now to 'live green'...BUT...i have been very much challenged to my core about how i spend, how i look at things now (does it effect the earth?  is it bio-degradable?  can this be recycled?) to even what i put on our body and how that is treating my skin and our kids skin?  how is what i put on my body effecting the earth as well?  oh man...this can really get into so many areas of my life!  i have been quite overwhelmed.  BUT, this is how i've taken each day as a new day to consider, learn, and change one thing a day or week for our family to 'live green' and in an effort to also teach our children this beautiful world that the lord created us to live in/on needs our hands to care for it.  we need to be good stewards of just not our pocket book, but in all areas of life as well.  good stewards of our body, friendships, relationships, our possessions and consider the impact all our choices will have on us.  

so...here are some ideas that i will be posting in this little new category, "green living" .  let's be good stewards together!  let's all share our ideas...let's do it together so it won't be so overwhelming!  

update...

hey all!  we have been housesitting in lovely la mirada for our friends this past week.  it was so nice to have the week to spend in our own space.  hart is coming along pretty well and we even got a new bedroom window (didn't know that was in the plan!) the new carpet goes in this week and if it were not for the fire alarm system, we could conceivably move back in next week...but... alas...we must wait.  

this week our aunt leanne from back east (ed's sister) is visiting and we just had a SPREAD of homemade chinese food!!  fyi...ryan (if you don't know this) is 1/2 chinese (his dad, ed, is 100% chinese) so it was soooo great to have all the yummy food they made and we get to see the relatives up in LA this tuesday, so more great chinese food!

i have LOVED not being in school and we look forward to enjoying this final week of ryan's vacation.  he goes back to work on the 22nd.  

i know there is more to update you on...oh...the little buttons on the side of my blog now-i will start labeling my posts so then you can go right to something you remember reading about or if you need an idea for a date or food, check out the posts.  if you want an idea, just write me with questions and i'll post the idea in that section for all to reference.  we all need a little inspiration from our friends! 

em and will

oh...updates are in order...yesterday was a banner day in our house!

emily:  had her first visit to urgent care.  we were having an awesome day with our friends visiting from washington DC and yucaipa and while playing hit the concrete with her chin and it split open about a inch.  needless to say, i freaked out a bit (interiorly-because i kept telling myself, if she sees me freak out, she'll faint!-trust me...she would!) so...my dearest friends becky and michele and gina kept me all together while dear melanie gathered all my stuff up.  becky called ryan, i called kaiser to find out where to go, and with prayer over us, we were off.  michele took will with her and he took his nap on their bed (THANK YOU!) and we met ry at the urgent care.  emily charmed them all (of course!) with how amazingly calm she was.  i was WAY more shook up than she was!  she held her napkin to her chin to apply pressure and was a champ!  they glued her chin back together and taped it up and now in one week, she'll be back to her old self!  sigh...what a thursday!  i have photos of the experience, i will post them when i'm on my computer (i'm on my father in laws)

will has his very own big boy toilet and is wearing big boy pants!  well...not all the time...but his little body in his pants are amazing!  he has NO toosh to hold them up, or thighs to fill out the pants...hilarious!  he sits on the potty but nothing happens.  which is totally fine-i'm just glad he wants to sit on it!  

i'll post photos soon!!  

IF you are not doing anything for 4th of july...

4pm till fireworks are done...

come to wilshire avenue community church on the corner of wilshire and pomona in downtown fullerton.  ry's singing in the church band that is playing tons of awesome tunes, bounce houses for kids, free food...come on down!!