Recently I have been trying to learn more about BPA and other harmful chemicals and remove them from our house. I was somewhat familiar with BPA because a while ago (maybe a year?) there was a big to-do about removing BPA from baby bottles. But what about other containers? And is it really harmful? And why? I think I am extra sensitive to things like this since I know how much one molecular can affect your body, since I am a pharmacist and all. Luckily, I found this and this article about BPA. The thing that amazed me was that a chemical that is “in” a plastic bottle accumulates in a person enough that there are measurable amounts in the blood!
All of this to list the things I have been doing to de-BPA our house:
1. Get rid of all canned food items. Easier said than done. Some things are easy. Green beans and corn can be bought frozen. I am working on a recipe for homemade refried beans, which I will post when it is perfected. I found artichoke hearts in a glass jar. Now if someone would make spaghettios in a glass jar for Jason that would be fantastic.
2. I got rid of my “eco-friendly” reusable water bottle (as in, not bottled water) that was a #7 plastic and bought a few klean kanteens. I had already ordered them before I read the articles, and I’m very glad that I did!
I got the 18oz wide mouth version, assuming it would be easier to fill from the ice dispensers at work. I have to say, I really like it. I wasn’t sure if having to unscrew the top would be annoying, but it’s really not. And I HIGHLY recommend getting the thermal tote, because the bottle itself gets really cold. Like almost so cold you’re afraid your hand will stick to it. AND, my water stays cold for hours. Pretty much awesome. And also, the thermal tote perfectly fits one can of Strongbow, in case you were wondering.
Please read the article, it is very interesting. I’ll continue to update with my de-BPA changes!
Here is an update of my sewing projects. The first is my in progress item: cushions for our dining room chairs. I am having a terrible time finding foam to go in them, so they are on hold for now. I have actually made one, but I want to make sure it works with the foam before I make them all.
Next are my reusable grocery bags. I bought a pattern, but had a terrible time following the directions. They are supposed to be lined, but I ended up not lining them and making 2 bags out of each fabric instead of 1.
My next project will be to hem a set of curtains I cut in half today for the windows in our bedroom. After that I’m not sure, but I’m thinking about making some scrub tops!
Here are a few “accidents” we have had recently:
Ginger decided it would be a good idea to jump off the patio onto the small brick ledge. Jason had to save her. A few days later she jumped off the patio all the way to the ground. She is no longer allowed on the patio!
I came home from work one day to find this, our grill blown over by a big storm. The strange thing was all of our small potted plants and patio chairs didn’t budge. Not sure how it happened, but luckily nothing broke!
Jason and I finally painted our kitchen. It is the same color as our living room (light tanish yellow) so not that big of a difference, I just really can’t stand the white. We usually lock the cats out of our painting area (or they were still at our apartment) but since we couldn’t they had to be in on the action. Here are a few pics:
Rufus trying to figure out how to climb the ladder.
Success!
Ginger’s turn.
Painting is hard work for Rufus, apparently.
***Rufus is no longer coned, in case you were wondering!
I want to review the many eco friendly products I try regularly, to let everyone know what I like. The first product is Gudonya Too, a bath and body product company, available on etsy.com. First, I must explain my new obsession with etsy. If you have not heard of etsy, let me explain. Etsy.com is an online marketplace for handmade and vintage items. Like, basically anything you can think of, and more. I will say that the website isn’t the most user friendly, and it can be difficult to find things you are looking for, if you sign up for the daily email, you will find lots of cool things! I’m not a huge online shopper, but most of my EF products were found on etsy. Now back to Gudonya…
Now, Gudonya doesn’t outright claim to be an “Eco friendly product” it definitely has minimal ingredients and no parabens. I’m definitely not an expert on which ingredients can be harmful to your health, but check out www.cosmeticsdatabase.com for products and individual ingredients. The product I tried was the salty dawg shampoo. The product itself is very unusual, as it looks more like face scrub then shampoo. But let me tell you, I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and I’m completely addicted. Not only to the amazing smell (I have Mayan Gold and Spa Fusion) but it has completely cleared up my scalp problems. Every time I go back to another shampoo my scalp breaks out in an itchy rash! Another cool tidbit is it is actually made in Indiana! So, I HIGHLY recommend you check out gudonyatoo.com and buy some salty dawg shampoo!
Up next…. Crunchy Clean laundry detergent
Jason and I have been enjoying the beautiful weather here lately. We decided to get a grill now that we have a balcony and have had lots of fun with it. The first night we grilled, Jason forgot to put the wheel brakes on and it blew across the patio! A storm was blowing in, but luckily the rain held off, because we had the best rib eye steaks we’ve ever had in our lives! We also had several friends from church over this past weekend for a cookout and that went very well. We (Jason) made a great grilled pork tenderloin. We also made some yummy grilled pizza.
Here are some pictures of our outdoor festivities.
Grill master
The cats love sitting at the screen door Jason put in for us. Sometimes they even run right into it because they think the door is open!
Baby peppers. My garden is getting a slow start, but miracle gro is helping!
My herbs are doing the best.
Our view of the newly constructed Primrose School.
….and our view of the playground. I’m hoping this doesn’t get too annoying.
Jason and I spent last week on a much needed vacation in Ft Lauderdale. It was our first vacation since our honeymoon and my first vacation from work. It was very relaxing. We spent a lot of time in the sun and ate a lot of good food. Here are some highlights:
Our hotel was right across from the beach
We were upgraded to a suite – King Size bed, separate living room with kitchenette, huge bathroom with separate tub and shower, and a balcony with ocean view. The hotel was awesome.
The weather was awesome – in the 80’s and breezy
We took the water taxi to get around the intracoastal water way – there were a ton of huge million dollar houses and boats. All of the houses had interesting stories. We saw a house built by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, a house built/owned by the founders of Taco Bell, Firestone, Kohl’s, local car dealers, and others. We also saw a lot of boats owned by big corporations like Yankee Candle (the boat was named Parafin), Amway and others. I think the most amazing boat was a 130 million dollar yacht owned by “the mexican Ted Turner.” It was amazing.
I was fascinated by the draw bridge (we don’t have those in Indiana)!
This house is being built by the CEO of Circuit City! (His boat “megabyte” is parked next to the house)
Huge sailboat
We had a great time, but we were ready to come back to our house and our kitties. They have been very clingy every since we came home. Luckily our wonderful friends Christine and Stefan took great care of them!
So, Jason said I wasn’t allowed to let my blog be all about the cats, but they are very entertaining so I have to share. Rufus is currently healing from yet another total body wound break out. He had been good for several weeks, and then I gave him some treats (not venison and pea treats) and a few days later I found some scabs, so I’m more convinced that it is a food allergy. That was about 2 or 3 weeks ago, and he is almost healed. The weird thing is this time, he has open wounds on his arm and belly (previously the open wounds were only on his head), and the one on his face cleared really fast. He keeps licking the ones on his stomach, so Jason and I decided to re-cone him for a few days so they could heal. And, every time I put antibiotic ointment on them, he licks it off, which doesn’t do us much good!
Here are a few pictures/videos of our kitties.
Face wound – at least he didn’t lose whiskers
Arm wound
Belly wound
Rufus, reconed. He got stuck on the cord.
I, of course, laughed and took pictures before I unstuck him.
This is a video of ginger being crazy on top of the cabinets.
For several months now I have been receiving most (if not all) of our produce from a service called farm fresh delivery. Every other week (or every week if you choose) they deliver a bin of food to our door. It is the perfect out of food for us. They also have a variety of pantry items and perishables, including Traders Point Creamery products. Also, the majority of the food is either organic, locally grown, or both, so I know I’m getting good quality, healthy food. It is a great way to try things I would never try and always have fruit and veggies around. Here is how it works: On Thursdays, I get an email remind me I have a bin coming the next week, so I can go online and see what I’m getting. If there is something I don’t like or want, I can just substitute it for something else. I am very excited that it is getting closer to spring because the variety and selection is increasing. This is an example of what is in my bin this week: asparagus, braising mix, jalapenos, kumquats, strawberries. I will probably make a frittata with the asparagus, a mexican themed soup with the jalapenos, and chocolate fondue with the strawberries (I hope they are in season and ripe!) I have no idea what I will do with the kumquats! The email suggests a recipe with chicken and kumquats, so maybe I will try that. So check out farmfreshdelivery.com and sign up yourself!
