Re-Using Dryer Lint

I was very intrigued by this post over on The Grocery Cart Challenge. From now on, I won't be throwing my lint away anymore!! I think that composting it and using it as a fire starter will probably be our most common uses, but I can imagine myself making Chloe Mae some clay out of it in a couple years or working on a papier-mache project together.

I get so excited about the littlest things...

Earth Day, 2010

What did you do for the 40th Earth Day?? We got a compost bin and a rain barrel!! Okay, okay. We didn't intentionally get these in honor of Earth Day, but it's pretty good timing, right?? And they're green, Earth-friendly choices regardless of when or why we got them...

We're lucky enough to have the perfect spot for the rain barrel right next to the garden. And there was just enough room for the compost bin in the garden, between the garage and our asparagus.

The added bonus?? I think both will save us some money in the long run. We're thinking about doing away with our trash service. Composting should cut down on the garbage we produce, which is already minimal, and what we do produce shouldn't be very stinky, since there will be very little food-products in it. So we can "save it up" and take it to the Resource Recovery Plant by the vehicle-ful for a small fee or on the twice yearly free days - even better!! The savings from the Rain Barrel are obvious, since any water we use from there we won't be paying water and sewer charges on. Thanks to the rebate offered by the Smart Watersheds program, it was a small investment to start with!!

Atkins Diet Dream?

This is Kentucky Fried Chicken's newest "sandwich." It's called the Double Down. There are 2 fried chicken filets as the 'bun', with 2 strips of bacon, monteray and pepper jack cheese and a zesty sauce inside.

While I realize that there are plenty of other fast food options out on the market that are probably even higher in calories/fat/all that bad stuff, seeing the large banner for this particular offering just made me cringe. I thought, "No wonder almost 2/3 of American adults are overweight!!"

We already try to avoid having fast food very often and when we do, Aaron and I usually try to split something. After seeing this, I'll be watching what we (I) eat even closer. This makes me look forward to garden season even more. We rarely ever eat out in the summer when we have a garden full of veggies we can eat at home!!

Driver's Ed Deja Vu

By the time I'd taken Driver's Ed my sophomore year of high school, I'd had my learner's permit for 1.5 years and, given that I was a teenager, I was pretty sure I already knew everything, so I didn't think I got much out of the class. Plus, I thought the instructor was a little bit crazy - when I didn't slow down and look both ways before a set of railroad tracks, she smacked her 3-ring binder against the dash and informed that I'd just killed her niece...

That crazy teacher did teach me how to effectively parallel park though.

I don't need to use the skill very often, because there aren't very many places in Ames where there are parallel parking spots. But when I do - for instance, when there's a -20 degree wind chill and I need to run into the library - I'm a pro at it as long as I take a deep breath and imagine the instructor sitting next to me, telling me exactly how to get into the spot. (If I don't stop and think about it, it's about a 20 step process!!) Here are the easy steps that I imagine my instructor giving me:

• Pull up even with the steering wheel of the vehicle in front of the spot you want.
• Turn your steering wheel 1.5 rotations towards the spot and start backing in, until you're even with the back of the vehicle in front of you.
• Then straighten out your wheel and continue going straight back until the front of your vehicle is even with the back of the vehicle in front of you.
• Turn the steering wheel counter-clockwise and continue going back until you're straight in the spot.
• Finally, pull forward to center yourself in the spot if necessary.

It works, every time, no fail - even in my new, bigger vehicle!!

Sunshine at 5PM

Every winter as it gets darker and darker when I'm leaving work at 5PM, I listen to people talk about how much they hate going home in the dark. I listen and try to empathize, saying something along the lines of, "Yeah, it's a real bummer." Truth be told, I don't really mind it too much. It's usually cold enough by then that I'm not going outside at night anyhow.

However, this time of year, when the sunshine at 5PM is returning, it's a whole 'nother story. I love walking out of work and seeing the light again. It gives me an extra bounce in my step and puts me in a better mood. It's still cold enough that I'm not going outside after work, but it's the first sign that spring is just around the corner.

So, come on spring!! Feel free to arrive early this year :-)

Blessings in Disguise

Today would have been my 6th anniversary at Gateway Hotel if I still worked there. But I don't, and I'm okay with that now. We had a tumultuous 1+ year, but I truly think that everything worked out the way it was supposed to. Even if it was hard (if not impossible) to think that at the time. For a few months, I hated getting the mail, because there was always the possibility of another rejection letter. It was heart-wrenching and usually required a full box of cookies before I started feeling better about things. Looking back, I can say it was all worth it to end up where we are today.


-Late September of 2008 I found out I'd be losing my job.
-Early October we found out we were finally pregnant.
-January of 2009 I was officially unemployed.
-From February through the end of April I worked as a temp at a tax agency.
-The middle of May I had my beautiful baby girl.
-August 10 I started my job with the City of Ames. Chloe was exactly 12 weeks old when I went to work and I feel very lucky that I got to spend her first 12 (very colicky) weeks with her. I get to work 10-5, so Chloe and I have extra time to hang out in the morning, instead of rushing around trying to get out of the house. At 5 when I leave, I truly leave my job behind. I don't have to think about it again until I get there the next morning, which is great when my night is already filled with Miss Chloe Mae.

Hopefully next time something goes seemingly wrong in my life, I can remember that it'll eventually work out!!