Today let’s turn our attention to the fact that it’s easy to be stylish and green.
A lot of my friends and family focus on their carbon footprint. What better way to support them and the loved ones in your life than with some ultra cute and ultra environmentally-friendly gifts.
LUNCH BOX
First, check out this ADORABLE lunch box.
It’s only $32.99 from Amazon with free shipping. You can also find it in several other pretty colors. I love that it makes packing a lunch a snap (and makes the standard brown bag, well, seem standard).
REUSABLE BAGS
Everybody needs a good set of reusable bags. They’re perfect for the grocery store or the farmer’s market. I love these from Grounded because they fold up to the size of a peach, plus they come in a handful of gorgeous colors.
How fun would it be to give a rainbow of colors! At $9.99 each, it’s very do-able.
TEA STICK
This next item is such a great gift for the avid tea drinker.
It’s a spring-loaded wand that can brew your favorite loose tea leaves and can also be used as a stirrer. As This Old House says- it eliminates “two everyday waste cases.” Lovely!
Hope you enjoyed these fun eco-friendly gifts. And I also hope you have a stellar weekend!
Despite some very aching muscles yesterday, I still danced up a storm at zumba last night. Sadly, I think it’s the last class with this particular instructor until next semester. Boo.
I was starving by the time I got home. Dennis was pretty hungry, too, so I made him his requested dinner first- fish sticks and french fries because apparently he’s a five-year-old.
I went a more healthful route with a sweet potato baked to perfection and 2 smart dogs.
Dessert was a beauty.
Love pomegranates!
Then I did a load of laundry, washed some dishes, and finally collapsed on the couch with my iphone and The Office.
So glad it’s Friday!!!
Love.
We’re going to get a bit more elaborate and outdoorsy in today’s gift-giving idea.
I always have more difficulty finding gifts for the men in my life than the women. (Well, Dennis is sort of the exception because I know him so well, and I always have plenty of things that I’d like to buy him.)
But for the man (or even woman) in your life who likes to burn things and also has an ample backyard, a fire pit is a fantastic gift.
I speak from experience, of course. Dennis loves to gather some firewood together on a chilly Friday or Saturday night, invite a few friends over, and drink a few beers next to the heat of his fire pit. It works to my advantage as well. I break out the marshmallows, have Dennis fetch me a proper marshmallow-roasting stick, and I’m as happy as a clam. (I’m not really one for starting the actual fire, though.)
We bought our fire pit at Lowe’s, and they have a bunch of really fancy ones as well as some moderately priced ones.
I really like this one because it would look nice in a patio area, and it also has a nice space for marshmallow-roasting. It’s in the mid-range price bracket, too, at $159 plus free shipping.
And this gift is also a really nice gift for a couple- but please remember that the couple needs a spacious backyard for obvious safety reasons. (Dennis’ mom actually tried to take his fire pit for her and Dennis’ dad. I’m not really sure why she thought he’d let her have it, but I told Dennis that at least he knew what to get his parents for Christmas this year.)
So there you have it, a fire pit is a fun and unique gift to consider giving this holiday season.
I had this genius idea for a treadmill workout last night. I brought my iphone with last week’s episode of Glee on it. I was going to run every time they sang a song. Within the first 5 minutes, the cast was belting out a number, and I picked up the pace. Instead of walking when they were done singing, I kept going. I ran for 22 minutes straight. I have never, ever in my whole life run for that long without stopping. After my big accomplishment, I continued to walk/run for the rest of the hour.
But apparently a big accomplishment in running means very sore legs and an odd-feeling right knee today. I’m so used to zumba that I’m rarely too sore after it. Running, however, forces me to use unfamiliar muscles. That’s why I like it. It’s a fun challenge.
As a result of my pain, I’m covered in icy hot today. It feels so good, except I smell a little minty and a little mediciney. (Sorry to my co-workers.)
I burned a bajillion calories last night and came home ravenous. I resisted the urge to start shoveling everything from the fridge into my mouth and made Dennis and I a delicious homemade pizza. I ate a little less than a third of the pizza, and Dennis ate the rest.
It tasted incredible.
My 2 slices had a bit of reduced fat mozzarella, tomato sauce, garlic, and oregano. Mmmm.
The pizza did nothing to assuage my hunger, so I also had a giant and not pictured honeycrisp apple with a dollop of sunbutter. I felt much better after that.
Then I settled down- my legs still throbbing- to some Glee.
It was an accomplished evening.
Love.
For the bookworm.
I love books, and I love reading. (I do have both my bachelor’s and master’s in English afterall.) I’m sure you have someone in your life who’s also addicted to the written word, so here are some fabulous finds just for them…
PENGUIN CLASSICS
I nearly fainted when I saw these adorable cloth-covered Penguin Hardcover Classics.
(photo courtesy of Real Simple)
They are so, so pretty. Plus, you can buy some of my favorite books EVER and look like a literary superstar. (They have Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, and Pride and Prejudice. All of these books take the breath out of me when I read them. They’re divine.) Each book sells for 20 dollars, and you can buy them at Penguin, Anthropologie, and Borders. Even though I have copies of all of these classics, I still want all of them in every color for my bookshelf.
CHAPTER BOOKS
If you like to read, you probably like to write. How genius is this? Girl Of All Work is selling some super lovely journals, divided by chapters, so that you can feel like a real author or authoress.
Again, these would be so wonderful to have. And they’re only $26.50.
ETSY FINDS
Etsy also has some delightful treats for your beloved bookworm.
How about an initial necklace made from an old typewriter key for $34.99?
Or a precious set of Alice in Wonderland Bookplates for $5?
Wonderful, right?
*Note to Dennis- I would adore any and all of these gifts for the holidays, honey.
Happy Reading!
Daisy almost got smacked last night. I was making Dennis some cinnamon sugar toast for his dessert and, while I turned around to wash my hands, Daisy propped herself on the counter and started to lick the plate. I screamed at her, and she actually nipped my hand.
I was fuming.
Dennis rushed into the kitchen to see what was the matter. And she knew she was in big trouble. She cowered in the corner while I went into the living room and pouted. She didn’t break skin, but it still really, really hurt.
Daisy is usually the sweetest dog, but she is very food aggressive. You have to be very careful never to remove food from her. She will react. I’m not sure why she’s this way. Perhaps she didn’t get enough to eat when she was a pup.
Later in the evening, I went back into the kitchen, and she tried to apologize to me. She kept nuzzling against my leg to be pet, and I told her she would not be getting any attention from me. It’s funny how similar to people dogs really are.
Besides Daisy’s misbehavior, I made a wonderful dinner for myself. I made a pot of couscous and added a can of corn, a can of peas, garlic, salt, and pepper. It was fabulous. On the side, I had just a bit of rotisserie chicken. For some reason, it was really grossing me out last night. The whole idea of peeling the meat from bone was really messing with my appetite. (Sorry if that’s too graphic.) So I decided to focus more on the whole grains and veggie aspect of my dinner.
Dessert was another tiny apple and a tiny orange. No sunbutter, though.
Well, I have to run, but stay tuned for the Sweet Lips Guide to Gifts, Part Two very soon.
It’s Glee day! Hooray!
I’m easily distracted by zumba. That’s for sure.
I decided to do a little during my lunch break, and next thing you know I was running super duper late. (Does anybody even say super duper? It’s a roller coaster at Hershey Park, but I honestly don’t know why it just popped in my head.) Again, distracted.
So after an unintended 50 minutes of zumba, I made a fast and filling lunch. I had some chicken salad with romaine, avocado, and tomato. (The chicken salad included a bit of rotisserie chicken, some light mayo, and a dash of Jane’s Krazy Salt.) Yum.
I also had a big, fat juicy pear on my way back to work and the juice’s dampness on the sleeves of my sweater to prove it. Lovely.
So enough about juicy pears, I have an idea for the next 24 days or so. I love gift giving. So much so, that I have just one present left to purchase before Christmas. (Just for Kevin- Dennis’ friend who lives with us.) I thought I’d share a few items everyday that I’ve spotted on my daily ventures of window shopping online, blog reading, and magazine perusing. Hopefully, my ideas will give you a little inspiration if you’re stuck. And if you’re really in trouble, just send me an e-mail and maybe I can help.
Let the gift-giving fun begin…
Sweet Lips Guide to Gifts, Part One
This year I had the brilliant idea to check out Stonewall Kitchen. They have delicious jams, jellies, snacks, etc. I found the perfect gift for my dad, too. Growing up, he always loved to make us pancakes for breakfast, so I bought him this fabulous gift set.
The set includes, “Pure Grade A Dark Amber Maine Maple Syrup, Coastal Morning Coffee Beans, Farmhouse Pancake & Waffle Mix and Wild Maine Blueberry Jam. Arrives packaged in our stylish Down East map gift box.” He’s going to LOVE it.
I also found 2 presents for Dennis’ family. Considering everyone loves a good breakfast, I got his mom and dad a Barefoot Contessa gift pack with “Mixed Berry Preserves, Maple Syrup, Hearty Pancake and Waffle Mix and packaged beautifully in Ina’s signature colored box.” I’m a little jealous I’m not getting it ; )
Last but not least, I bought Dennis’ sister’s family a little special something. They have a 3-year-old, and I know he’d love to help his parents make some gingerbread cookies. How cute is this?
So, here’s just a taste of the fabulous gifts you can find from Stonewall Kitchens. They pretty much have something for everyone.
Love.
I woke up feeling like my head is a bag of sand. I think it’s allergies, but I suppose it could very well be a cold. I laid in bed reading blogs on my iphone and that certainly made me feel a bit better.
Then I made myself a yummy breakfast- a sunbutter and honey sandwich on honey wheat bread. I also chugged a glass of milk and a cup of emergen-c, but I’m not going to show you pictures because they came out fuzzy. (They’re embarrassing.)
On the topic of embarrassing, I decided to exercise at home last night. Dennis was already downstairs, so I took my workout to our bedroom. I did a series of exercises using my FitDeck cards (The company sent me these for free to review a few months ago. Just so you know the FTC blogger disclosure laws come into effect today. I always tell you when a company has sent me their product, and I always tell you my honest opinion about the said product. If I don’t like it, you’ll know.) Anyway, it didn’t occur to me until halfway through my workout that people driving by our house could probably see me working up a sweat. Oh well. I suppose it’s not too different than going out for a run- only I was definitely busting out the squats, lunges, and star jumps last night.
After my awesome workout, I made a very simple yet satisfying dinner. I made some guacamole and ate it alongside some hummus, romaine, and red chips (and about 2 remaining red hot blues). So good. Hummus and guac taste phenomenal together.
Dessert was a smallish apple and a smallish orange with a glob of sunbutter. Mmmmm.
I’m a sunbutter addict.
What’s your favorite nut butter? I’m sort of unfortunate because I can only have sunbutter or soy butter (blech!) because of my allergies. Some of those peanut butters that I see on your blogs look fabulous.
Have a lovely Tuesday!
Hope your Thanksgiving/long weekend was wonderful! Mine was very nice, thank you.
How about some highlights?
Wednesday afternoon I was able to leave the office at noon. I went home, did some zumba, and then ran to the grocery store. As you can imagine, the line was long. Fortunately, I had less than 10 items in my basket, but even the express line took about 20 minutes. Once home, I made Dennis some rice crispy treats (a request), and some homemade cranberry sauce for myself.
I simply adore cranberry sauce, but I had never made it on my own. It was so easy that I was kicking myself for not attempting it earlier in my life. I used the recipe on the Ocean Spray cranberries’ bag. I only needed some water, a cup of sugar, the bag of cranberries, and my addition of 2 oranges. It came out wonderful- a little sweet, a little sour, and a little citrusy. Divine.
That evening we caught up with Dennis’ friend and his girlfriend who were visiting from NYC. I wasn’t thrilled about missing Glee, but I decided that it wasn’t very healthy to allow a tv show to rule your life- even if it’s your favorite- so I made the conscious decision to miss it. It was a pretty nice evening, and we were home safe and sound by 10:30 pm.
Thanksgiving Day I decided to squeeze in a little activity by taking Silly Goose (Miss Daisy) for a long walk around 10 am. I was on the phone with my sister when a series of gun shots shook us to our core. Apparently the duck hunters were celebrating hunting season, and Daisy flipped. She started dashing down the road dragging me with her. We weren’t anywhere near the hunters, but Daisy is a huge scaredy-cat. I shouted to my sister that I would call her back, and Daisy made me run with her for a good 10 minutes. Even though she’s a bloodhound, she would make a terrible hunting dog. What a nut.
Later in the day, Dennis and I drove to Pennsylvania to his aunt’s house. We had a nice dinner, but I have to say I never really felt full- just satisfied. I ate a bit of turkey, some cranberry sauce (of course, my favorite), a cranberry muffin, a scoop of mashed potatoes, a few sprigs of roasted asparagus, and a small slice of pumpkin roll. It was a moderate amount of food, and I really didn’t get freaked out by the number of calories I was eating like I have in years past. I definitely didn’t pig out, but I also ate only what I really liked. I think I felt better about the whole day because I exercised in the morning and felt rather energetic instead of sluggish.
Once we got back to Maryland, we went over to our friends’ house (the couple who just had the baby). Dennis and Mark chatted outside while the girls including Mark’s wife Betty, his sisters, and me played with the baby. I also had the brilliant idea to download Wednesday’s episode of Glee, and I couldn’t have been happier. (I proceeded to watch the episode 4 times over the weekend. I know, I’m sick ; )
Then Friday was the big house decorating day.
Dennis loves to decorate for Christmas. We call it his Clark Griswald side. He drove all the way to Delaware to borrow the boom lift from work to decorate the top of the house. He was so happy. He asked me to document it.
Up high in the sky. Check out those cumulus clouds.
At the very tip top of the house. He later added a 6 foot wreath there while I was in charge of bows on the bottom half of the house.
And here we have it all lit up.
It looks a hundred times better in real life. It’s truly beautiful. There are 3 wreaths in the 2nd floor windows and candles in each of the windows. It’s very Victorian. And hopefully Dennis will win back his title for best decorated house in our hometown. (He won the title 2 years in a row but, much to his dismay, came in only second last year.) I think he’s out for blood this year ; )
With the outside decorating done, Dennis took back the boom lift on Saturday, and I snuck off to the mall. I was on a mission to exchange this.
For this.
I adore tartan plaid. It’s so classy and perfect for the season. And this is actually the bag I really, really wanted all along.
See, I found the receipt from the original purse crumbled almost to pieces in Dennis’ pant’s pocket while I was doing laundry. I decided not to tell him I was going to exchange the purse because he got a little upset when I first mentioned it. Instead I took it back to Macy’s and, while I was out, picked him up a pair of new work boots. When I came home, I gave him his present and gently told him that I exchanged the purse for another one that I really loved and would use while I was at the store. He wasn’t nearly as hurt and was more focused on his new present than mine. I’m a clever girl sometimes.
That’s just about all the excitement of my past five days. It’s rough being back to work, but at least it’s the holiday season. It makes things a little more lively, don’t you think?
Good luck today.
xoxoxo
Hello lovelies.
It’s been too long. I’m so sorry.
The past few days have been quite busy for this girl. I got certified to teach zumba on Sunday, which meant being in Philly ALL day long. Plus I went home to PA yesterday which is a 5 hour round trip.
Sunday was pretty good- but very, very long. And the good news, I can officially teach my own zumba class if I can find a place that will have me. Out of the 9 hour long day, we danced for about 3 hours, and I burned a total of 2500 calories. Yikes. I refueled with sunbutter sandwiches, apples, dates, and coconut water. I made friends with this really nice girl as I was standing in line to sign in, and we basically hung out all day long. She was so cool.
There were a few interesting parts of the training. This older woman- maybe in her 70s- danced in her workout pants and bra the whole time. And I don’t mean sports bra. I guess it’s good she has that much confidence, but you know sometimes it’s important to dress for working out. Another older British woman gave me a big hug at one point which was super random, and another older lady told me I was an excellent dancer as she held my face between her hands.
The actual instructor of the course was awesome. I didn’t love her teaching style, but she was a wonderful dancer. And it was so much fun to do her dances.
And Dennis was a saint for driving me all the way to Philly and coming back to get me. (I can’t really handle driving in the city. Plus the Philly marathon was going on, so I would definitely have gotten lost.) I love him.
I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got a million and eight things to do today. So I’ll be back soon, promise.
I hope you have a wonderful and thanks-filled holiday.
Love you.
