Earth day is on its way!

Recently I've been looking into recycling the 'not so normal' and have found out some interesting things I thought I would share.

Did you know you could recycle aluminum foil? I didn't (although now that I think about it why not?

Here are some other interesting things that some of your local recycling centers will accept:

antifreeze
automotive, household and rechargeable batteries
plastic flower pots
used oil and oil filters
appliances
cell phones-dontate to a battered womans shelter in your area!
clothing
electronics
fluorescent bulbs-it is illegal to throw these away
tires
aerosol cans
bikes
books-paperback books may be able to go in your curbside bin
Christmas lights and cords
eyeglasses
Styrofoam/bubble wrap- take to your local UPS store
mattresses
carpet
concrete and asphalt- check with your local cement companies to see if they will take it

Check out this great website http://www.earth911.com/ to find recycling centers near you and other great hints.

Thoughts on Thursdays

"Take time to laugh"

Lets face it sometimes life get too serious. It's during these times that we need to make time for a little fun. Weather its a night out on the town, a weekend in a hotel, or just a quick TV show that you know will make you smile. Take a few min to laugh. The stress of life can take a toll on your marriage even if the stress has nothing to do with your marriage. Make some time to have fun with your spouse.

Here are some of the things I do:

I keep little notes the hubby has given me in my work bag for stressful moments.

I keep a file of 'smiles' in my e-mail.

I have a few good old stand by movies or shows.

I scrapbook or some other craft.

So what do you do anyway?

This is me, I love what I doI get to make funny faces and no one laughs at me....
I'm a sign language interpreter!
These pictures were taken at one of my favorite places to interpret a Bible conference in the Mid-West. I started interpreting music and it is still my favorite. You can be so expressive with music and the meaning of the song. It is also the hottest job I do, summer air outdoor stage and stage lights wheww.

However that is not how I get paid my paying job is working for a video relay company. It's pretty cool. Anyone know what TTY's are? This is the new and improved version! Its all done though web cam and interpreters. I simply interpret everything I see the Deaf person sign on my web cam and then sign everything I hear on the phone line back to them. Its very smooth and except for the times when I'm interpreting for a man its easy to forget I'm there.

My job is so interesting, think of all the things you do and talk about over the phone. To your mom, your friend, the electric company, business meetings and so on. I can go from telling someone they have cancer to announcing a pregnancy. Its a crazy up and down job and I love it!

Any questions let me know!

Integrating Raw

I'm still trying to figure out how to make Raw a bigger part of my diet now that the hubby is home. The easiest way is salads, we both like them and they are easy to do on there own or with a meal. Any morning we are home together we like to make a 'real' breakfast instead of our normal green smoothies. Now we use a berry and date syrup that is just made in a blender. We froze the left overs and used it over the next few times. Last night the hubby even ate flax crackers! I'm working on integrating more raw items into our diet and replacing some of our staples with their raw counterparts.

Does anyone else have good ideas on how to integrate raw to a house that is not 'into' raw?

I'm having a house warming/Entertaining at home party this weekend at my place and I'm thinking I might make some kind of sweet treat that is raw for everyone to try...we will see.

I also just bought a raw 'cookbook' for more inspiration. I'm really excited about it, I just need some time to dig through it...I can't wait for this bathroom to be done (this weekend!!!)

A thoughtful post

Read Genesis 1:25-31, better yet I'll post it right here for you:

" 25God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth."
29Then God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
30and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so.
31God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day."

This is the creation story its pretty basic and straight forward but that doesn't mean its not thought provoking. Look at verse 31 notice it says it was very good. Adam and Eve had done nothing but they were acceptable because God said he was. So if God says we are 'very good' why do we struggle with this need for significance? Since the fall of man we have been isolated from our true form of significance and we have been trying to fill the void ever since.

We are trying to fill this void with everything but the one thing that can fill it. Its the whole 'God shaped hole' theory. I think a lot of people use this analogy wrong, this isn't the salvation message this is the how to live your life message.

If we could just focus on living for Christ instead of others we would all be a lot happier.

What is a CSA?

Photo by galant from everystockphoto.com

CSA stand for Community Supported/Sustained Agriculture. Its a monthly subscription to a local farm that delivers a portion of veggies and or fruit to you through out the summer. They can be delivered weekly bi-weekly and in different portions sizes. There are also different options as far as how the produce is grown, organic, sustainable and the like. Each CSA also has its own delivery protocols. Many have a designated pick up spot on certain days and you just let them know which one you would like to do. Some will deliver to your door, and others you need to go to the farm and pick it up yourself.



There are also options for sweets (maple syrup and jams) coffee, eggs and even meat.



One thing to realize is that this is not a groceries store you don't get to pick what you get whatever is in season. This means you might get a lot of spinach one week and have to wait for July till you get tomatoes and the like. It also means you may get some vegetables you have never heard of before or some that you don't like. That is fine give them away or switch with a friend.



If you interested in getting a CSA this Summer. I would suggest starting with these websites to locate one in your area www.localharvest.com or http://www.foodroutes.org/ you can find a listing for your area and start narrowing it down to which one you would like.



This is such a great way to support organic, sustainable and locally grown produce. Not to mention if your on a raw diet its a good way to get some new veggies in your diet.

Thoughts on Thursday

"Don't let fear affect your marriage."

I have to admit this one is personal, and honestly a little embarrassing to me. But if it will help someone else well then....here it goes.

We all have fears, spiders, thunder, whatever. But some of us have bigger fears, fears that can hurt your marriage if your not careful. Some of us have lost a spouse to illness and are afraid it will happen again. We fear this so much that we don't like to be away from our spouse and end up smothering them. Others have been cheated on either in a previous relationship or by a current spouse, and they are afraid it will happen again. They are so afraid that they don't give themselves fully to the relationship they are in. These are just two examples of many situations, just two ways it could play out. These fears can choke a marriage, if a spouse feels like they are being smothered or they aren't getting everything from their spouse.

This is a somewhat new revelation in my marriage, I don't think I'm smothering the hubby. But my fear of loosing him has caused some tension recently. But the good news is that after some discussion with my husband we figured out the 'root of the problem' and now we, together, can work on it.

Where is fear affecting your marriage?