Happy Earth Day y'all!

I decided to celebrate by buying some fair trade chocolate. Ah, celebrating the planet never tasted so good!

I've been recycling for a while now, but am really thrilled with Knoxville's curbside recycling efforts in recent years. About two years ago, we were able to sign up for curbside recycling at a cost of $3 a month. Jeff was thrilled. He felt like he had been driving a garbage truck before and I was thrilled that the bins weren't always overflowing in the garage. Plus, now they have a reward program and I have already accumulated dinner coupons, book coupons, and am working toward a free haircut at a local Aveda salon!

I really became aware of the impact of trash while I lived in Switzerland. It was only a summer, but I was amazed at how they handled the garbage. For one, you bought your garbage bags with the pick-up tax included - ie the more trash you threw out, the more it was going to cost you. Garbage was sorted down to the most minute piece and everything possible was recycled. Grocery bags (tragtasche) were charged to you at the cost of about 50 cents each and so everyone brought their own. They actually have these really cool rolling carts, but I guess the reusable bags are all I can aspire to here in the southern U.S.

These days, admittedly, I'm a bit of a trash Nazi. Madeline's diapers are biodegradable, every piece of office paper, junk mail, those goofy community papers, cans, plastic bottle, cardboard boxes are all pitched into the bin. I don't compost; but I toss banana peels, potatoes, etc in the back woods like Mardi Gras beads. I'm hoping at our next house to take advantage of some of the new recycled products out there. My current favorite? Recycled jeans as insulation. Finally, a good use for those 80's acid wash!

Anyone out there have a great recycling or conservation tip? I'd love to find a way to recycle used tennis shoes. Oh yeah, and the chocolate was buy one get one at Kroger today, but it still inspired this post.

A girls getaway (and a return)

A long awaited escape from mommyhood finally arrived this weekend. A friend and I drove from K'town to meet up with a college buddy in Charlotte and .... to shop!! I had been looking forward to this for months and am so grateful for my dear husband who set me free. We headed out Friday morning and hit a homemade soap store, O my Soap! , and then off to lunch in a small downtown. I love small towns in NC; many of them still center around the original courthouses and are just a pleasure to promenade through. We then set off for my fabric mecca, Mary Jo's, where I managed to hold myself to just one happy yard, two different fabrics for napkins, and a bit of inspiration for a headboard??. This is truly a miracle for me- you should see my fabric closet. We then set off for Trader Joe's (I called it Jo Mama Friday) and got set up for munchies for the weekend. I don't know where the time went. I could not for the life of me figure out why I was worn out and cranky ( I mean I was on a girlcation), until my friend told me as we checked in that it was 7 pm. A quick change into PJ's and a bowl of soup later, and I was a much happier camper.

Saturday morning was what we had been waiting for: IKEA! We were so excited that we forgot to check what time they opened and got there an hour early. We killed a little time at Target and then came back. I've been to IKEA several times and finally feel like I have the lay of the land. The upstairs is vignettes of rooms: kitchens, living, dining, etc. and the downstairs is where you pick up the majority of items. We spent about an hour and a half perusing through the top, ate lunch at their cafe, and then went back in for the final pickup. I think all told we spent about four hours in the store. I didn't spend too much, b/c I was mostly gathering some ideas for the next house (come on sell, already!!), but I did pick up some fun kids stuff for Maddness. Off to South Park for some high end window gazing. Our hotel was just across the street from all the great shops that Knoxville just doesn't have to drool over and we hit most of them. Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Crate & Barrel, Anthropologie, ... definitely for the girls. Our friend Jane picked us up at the hotel and whisked us to some of her favorite haunts and then to a great local place, the Cajun Yard Dog. It's great to have friends that you've known for years, and just to be able to pick up where you left off is truly a gift. She has three children, and is a great mom to draw inspiration and wisdom from for this clueless mom.

Sunday morning we dawdled a bit and then left Charlotte about 9 am. A quick stop at the Asheville Farmer's Market for honey (hi Mr. Edwards!) and we cruised into Knoxville by mid-afternoon.

Jeff did a great job taking care of Madeline. They invented a new game so that when Henry is barking in the back yard, you run out there as fast as possible and wave at him. Apparently this is great fun for a one year old and does seem to get Henry to stop. Go figure. Jeff only had to contend with one house showing (good for him, bad for the sale), and Madeline's first car sickness. Glad it wasn't me. She's fine- it's just the latest badge on our rookie parent's sash.

I had an awesome time (thank you Aimee) and hope that maybe some more of you Knoxville moms might want to go in the fall? Every girl needs a little time to herself now and again!

Wrap for your Man

So a certain someone in this house turns 37 tomorrow; let's be clear, it's not me, and I am forever struggling with a gift and then the last obnoxious hurdle of "guy appropriate" wrapping paper. This year desperation led to a pretty spiffy solution. I had bought this canoe fabric several years ago with plans to create something for a friend's little boy (sorry Will). After perusing my stash of baby shower, wedding shower and altogether girly stripes and polka dots, I dove into my fabric bins. The best thing is that I have not altered the fabric one iota. Some creative fabric folds and scotch tape topped with a little twine, and there you have it! A birthday package fit for any dude's day. Maybe I'll really impress him with a sailor's knot.