Gearing up for Earth Hour 2014

Earth Hour 2014 is just three days away! I, for one, can't wait. 

This global phenomenon started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and spread across the world with the simple message that yes, we can all play a role, however small, in caring for this magnificent earth of ours. With more than 7,000 cities involved, each of us can participate in this one act to show our solidarity with the rest of the world and show our commitment to creating a better future for the planet.

What do we do? We simply shut down all the power in our homes (within reason) for one hour on the last Saturday of the month. I say, within reason, because you probably don't want to unplug the refrigerator. In our home, we will unplug most everything -- lights, telephones, televisions, computers, etc. With power strips, this is much easier, as we can just flip the switches. We'll even turn our furnace way back so it doesn't come on in this spring-disguised-as-winter we are having in Pittsburgh right now.

From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., Bill and I will sit at a card table in front of the fireplace and play Bananagrams. Like Scrabble, Dominoes, or Boggle, it's an easy game to play by candlelight because there are dark letters on light tiles. The house will be dark and quiet. 

We've come to enjoy this tradition. It's a peaceful time of togetherness. 

Other ideas for this "dark" hour include:

• Prayer -- Who needs the lights on when we enter the throne room of the King?
• Cuddling -- Hey, it'll probably be a bit chilly.
• Sex -- Wouldn't it be fun to see a whole bunch of birth announcements on GG in the beginning of December this year? Plus, you just might find this to be a better activity to do with your spouse on a Saturday night in place of watching TV. Who says you can't carry on the tradition past March 29th?
• Family story time -- Take turns telling a story, or create one together with everyone adding a paragraph or sentence at a time.
• Reflection -- If you're spending Earth Hour by yourself, why not use this time to reflect about the past and plan for the future.
• Enjoy a candlelight dinner -- Make sure dinner is ready and the table is set by 8:30 and then relish a nice, long, relaxed dinner. Hold hands across the table and take the time to really look at each other. After all, we all look better by candlelight.

Do you have any suggestions to add to this list? Please share them in the comments below. Let's spur each other on to the most participation ever by the Green Grandma community for Earth Hour 2014. Who's in?

Earth Hour 2012

In lieu of a post about vinegar today, I am posting a challenge to each and every one of you.

Tomorrow we celebrate Earth Hour 2012. From 8:30 - 9:30 p.m. on March 31st, people from all over the world will be turning off the lights ... and the televisions, computers, phones, radios, mp3 players, etc., etc. and observing an hour of darkness and quiet. Why? To raise personal awareness of the impact each one of us has to health of this planet.

Bill and I will be participating. Won't you join us?

Last year, we sat a card table up in front of the fireplace, ate dinner, and played Bananagrams by candlelight. The fire kept us warm and the candles lit the table enough to see the light colored tiles. We enjoyed ourselves so much, Earth Hour turned into several hours of no lights on. It was serene and refreshing.

We went around the house and turned off and unplugged everything we could (with the exception of the refrigerators and the furnace -- we turned the thermostat way down so it wouldn't come on). It was a magical time that made us even more aware of the energy we tend to waste.

Below is the Official Earth Hour 2012 video. Please watch it (before 8:30!!) and then convince your family to participate with you. Your Saturday night will turn into an experience rather than simply another weekend night. Let me know if you take part in the challenge, and please share your experience with the community!



Keeping it green in the dark,

Hana

Time spent in bed on an Indian summer afternoon

The Sabbath Experience -- week 55

I love Sundays. They give me permission to rest. What I don't like is still feeling lousy. 



After church yesterday, my husband, two daughters and the grandbabies all went out to lunch. Afterwards, the girls took the the kids to a farm for pumpkins. It was an absolutely beautiful Indian summer kind of day. Originally, they planned to go to a place in Wexford, PA that has lots of fun kids' activities going on. But, not surprisingly, the place was packed. They ended up down the road a bit instead, which suited the children just fine.



When I looked at the pictures, I regretted my sorry state of health even more. What did I do instead of having fun with the grandkids? I slept. For 3 1/2 hours! Granted, I obviously needed the sleep, but I was mad at myself the rest of the evening. It seemed like such a waste of time.

Do you ever feel like that? Like resting is a waste of time?

I can't help thinking God is trying to slow me down a bit. After all, last week was really busy. Being sick didn't keep me from hosting a Norwex party on Tuesday night, hosting a radio show on Wednesday night, or hosting our Home Group Bible Study at my home on Thursday night. By Friday, I was beat. And I had to watch Laura on Friday starting at 8:30 a.m. Of course, I was tired.

Today is my last day on the Cipro. This kidney infection really knocked me for a loop, yet I didn't allow myself the time to slow down much. Thus, the long nap on Sunday afternoon.

We enjoyed a late dinner on the patio last night, watching a bit of TV and playing a couple games of Bananagrams. That's the part I love about Sundays. Spending the evenings away from my office just enjoying the company of my best friend. The Sabbath Experiment granted us that luxury over a year ago and we're still enjoying it and benefitting from it.

When was the last time you took a day just to rest and recreate? The Sabbath. What a blessing. What a gift.

Keeping it restful (sometimes out of necessity),

Hana

The Sabbath Experience -- week 38

The view from our patio

It started with a sore throat that got increasingly worse until laryngitis set in. For Bill, that is. With 50+ hours of voice-over work lined up for this week, I have to admit my biggest concern was not for how he was feeling as last week wore on, but rather for how I would be feeling come Monday. By Saturday afternoon, my worst fears were starting to materialize. A sore, scratchy throat. A raspy voice. NO!!! There was no way I wanted to let five different clients know I wasn't going to meet their deadlines. No way!

So, I reached into my kitchen cupboard and pulled out the honey and Dr. Bragg's apple cider vinegar and I mixed up my magic concoction -- a 50/50 mix -- and started taking spoonfuls every hour or so. By Sunday afternoon, my sore throat was gone and my voice was fine. You gotta love that vinegar!!

Bill ... well, he's still sick. He finally tried the honey/ACV miracle cure on Saturday, but didn't follow through with it. Plus, he'd already been sick for a few days at that point, so when he didn't feel better right away, he gave up on it. He's not the diehard vinegar that I am.

Since we were both not feeling well on Saturday, we found a substitute teacher for Bill's Sunday School class (thanks, Maggie!!) and decided to spend the entire Sabbath resting. I must say, it was a lovely day. With no alarms set, we slept until 10, and then spent most of the day outside on the porch. I had a time of Bible study and prayer, enjoyed a leisurely brunch, played a couple of games of Bananagrams, watched an episode of season one of the television show, Beauty and the Beast as we ate dinner outside, and finished the evening watching The Wish List on the Hallmark channel.

After a day like that I start off this work week with a few observations and realizations.

• I love having discovered for myself that the Sabbath was made for rest. I believe that more than ever after starting this experiment nearly nine months ago. I cannot recommend this necessary day of rest to you with more conviction. Of course, our day of rest usually starts off with worship with our church family, and I wouldn't have it any other way. But our afternoons/evenings used to be consumed with work and busyness. The day was no different than any other. God did not intend it to be that way. We all need a day set apart from our usual activities.
• I love my home and my backyard/patio/porch. The sound of the fountain in the pond refreshes my spirit. The pleasure of watching the birds as they fly from tree to bush to tree, the hummingbirds as they enjoy the nectar of hanging baskets and the butterflies as they glide effortlessly on the breeze, cannot be topped, for me, by exotic or exciting vacations to faraway places or, gasp, noisy amusement parks.
• I love to be and not do sometimes.
• I love the Creator and the Creation.
• I love my husband. Oh how I love my husband. And, the best part is, I really like my husband. What it a joy it is to spend every day with my very best friend.

Today, my heart is filled with an overflowing joy. God is good. A simple statement that holds a wealth of truth.

May you be blessed with a fruitful week and may you discover the joy of the Sabbath.



 
Keeping it restful,

Hana


 Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, 32 oz, Bragg - $4.29
Retail Price: $14.29
You Save: $10.00
from: VitaSprings.com

The Sabbath Experience -- week 37

You may have noticed the change in the title this week. I decided this in no longer a Sabbath Experiment, but is a Sabbath Experience instead.

Yesterday, I learned something about my Sabbath Experience that I'm not quite sure I know what to do about. While it is nice to set aside one day a week to do whatever we want, aside from working, entertaining might not be the best option. Why? Quite simply because entertaining can be a whole lot of work. As was the case yesterday.

Even though we were simply having family over, we still had a lot of work to do by the time we got home yesterday. First of all, it wasn't a typical Sunday. Of course, we spent the morning at church, followed by lunch with some of the kids and the grandbabies. That's what we do as a routine. However, we then had to kill some time because we were going to a going away party at 3 p.m. We didn't want to go home and then head back out. So we didn't arrive home until 4:30 or so. Company was due at 6:15. For some of you, having the kids over may be no big deal. But dinner with the family is always a big deal for us. I treat them like valued guests, because ... well, the are. I treasure family dinners. After all, I know too many lonely people out there whose adult kids barely bother with them. And I know others who rarely see their grandchildren, even when they live in the same town! Of course, in our family we have a couple adult kids of our own that we don't see, and it is heartbreaking. So, like I said, I treasure family dinners with the ones who do care. So I cook for them, clean for them and serve them as if they were my favorite guests ... because they are.

Even though we ate outside, I had to have my cloth tablecloth and nicely set table. I did do something yesterday that garnered some shocked responses -- paper napkins! There is an explanation for that, however. I have a drawer full of fancy paper napkins I accumulated in my not-so-green days. Some were gifts, and others were bought at places like Goodwill (as was the case with yesterday's). Since our dinner included spareribs with homemade balsamic vinegar barbecue sauce, I predicted messy hands. I just made the decision to go with paper for a meal. It created quite a buzz!!

Of course, during and after dinner, there was quite a bit of getting up and heading to the kitchen for drink refills, forgotten items, etc. By the time everyone left, I was beat. Bill was beat. And we had a messy kitchen. I filled the dishwasher and started it up. With all the dishes, glasses, silverware and pots, we still had a messy kitchen. I faced that this morning.

Wait a minute ... yesterday was the Sabbath. Wasn't it supposed to be a day of rest??

Yes, and therein lies the problem of entertaining on Sundays. Of course, it was Father's Day and the kids wanted to spend the evening with their dad. Can't blame them for that. But I must say, I'm looking forward to the day when that means one of them invites us for dinner!

The lesson I learned was this: if I am going to entertain on Sunday, I must work extra hard on Saturday in preparation so Sunday is not quite so crazy.

Bill and I did end the day sitting on the porch playing Bananagrams before we went to bed. A relaxing end to a busy weekend, which included keeping our 2 1/2 year old granddaughter overnight on Saturday. That, of course, was magical. The night included catching lightning bugs, going out for ice cream, reading, and playing. Like I said, it was magical.

And there was one other highlight I just have to brag about a bit. It was a late birthday card I got last night from my stepdaughter, Mindy. Since we haven't been able to get together since my birthday in May, she brought my gift and card along yesterday. While I have one stepdaughter who refuses to speak to me, it blessed me to read these words from the other one:

A mom's love
is an
unspoken
promise
to be kind,
to be wise,
to be there.

Amazing --
the woman that you are,
the mom that you've been ...
the love that never ends.

Happy Birthday

(Hallmark Licensing, Inc.)

I guess I'm not such a bad stepmom after all. Thanks, Mindy.

Sharing my Sabbath Experience,

Hana

The Sabbath Experiment -- week 32

I was sick throughout the night. Really, really sick. But, although it was some kind of stomach thing, it wasn't your typical run-to-the-bathroom type of fare. This was just incredible pain in the center of my abdomen. My gallbladder's gone, so it wasn't that. I do have an ulcer, and I know what that kind of pain is like, and it wasn't that. I can't even describe it. Just the doubled over, take-your-breath-away kind of pain. The closest thing I've ever experienced was the time I was given morphine in the hospital and ended up rolled up in a ball on the floor wishing I would die. All the while having my daughter, Bethany, watch helplessly from the corner of the room ... on her 21st birthday.

The same thing happens when I take Robitussin, but, again, not quite to that severity. Tried that twice and never again ...

This was both painful and weird at the same time. I spent about an hour in the tub around four a.m., but that really didn't provide much comfort. My husband wanted to take me to the ER, but I refused. Why go to the hospital and be doubly miserable, get jabbed and poked, and end up trying to figure out how to pay the deductible when all is said and done? Besides, WebMD didn't give me any reason to believe it was life-threatening. I guess if you don't hear from me after this, I may have had a lapse in judgment!

After being up all night, I finally drifted off to sleep on the couch around 8:30 this morning. I woke up around 11:30, still in pain, but it is manageable. At least for now. I'm not seeing a productive day ahead of me, however.


The Sabbath started off the same as most. We had some guest speakers from Light of Life ministry in our adult Sunday School class, providing information and encouragement for their adult mentoring program. Excellent program serving the needs of recovering addicts. As one of the participants spoke of her wonderful experience with her mentor, Debbie (one of our church members), my selfishness surfaced, and rather than wanting to mentor, I wanted to be mentored ... by Debbie! What a gift she is!! Have you ever benefitted from a mentor?

Our pew seemed anemic this week, as one of our daughters and her family were in Manheim, PA visiting my mom. The other daughter who worships with us was serving in the nursery and her husband was at work. So it was just Bill and I with our granddaughter, the lovely little Lady Laura.

After church, we did our usual trek out to lunch at one of favorite local restaurants. Then it was back to the house to show Laura her new sliding board; a hand-me-down gift from a neighbor. Then it was naptime, and I must confess, some time on the computer dealing with a couple of work-related issues. Yes, I know I've committed to not doing that on the Sabbath, but this was an exception.

You see, this past Tuesday, I got a message from a client I was in the middle of a large project with telling me to halt all production on the recordings. "We've decided to go in a different direction," he explained. Well, that may be a good choice for them, but it left me temporarily out of work. I still had another 85-90 hours worth of work to do on this project, and because of that, I hadn't been pursuing other projects. Not good for the budget, let me tell you. So, I had to check my email because I was waiting to hear from a client in Singapore who was interested in hiring me to edit his book. With the time zone change, I wanted to be quick to respond to any questions he may have. So that's what I did and it looks like it's going to pay off. He even agreed to pay me 50% up front, which I had to insist on.

I also listed a couple of things on Craig's List. I mean, after all, I just lost a pretty large chunk of income. So far, no bites on the the for sale stuff though. I probably overpriced it. Oh well.

The evening included what seemed to be a delicious dinner (that may have been the culprit of my subsequent misery) and a couple of rounds of Bananagrams with my husband. So, for the most part, it was a Christ-centered and restful day, which is my goal, after all. What about you? How did you spend your weekend? Was it packed full of work from dawn 'til dusk? Did you take any guilt-free time to simply be?

Sharing my Sabbath experience,

Hana

The Sabbath Experiment -- week 25



Photo courtesy of Vera Kratochvil


What a fantastic weekend! I am starting the work week off feeling refreshed and content...although the panic of too much to do is starting to creep up and is threatening to rob me of these sweet emotions!

My husband and I actually went out to sing Karaoke on Friday night. It used to be a regular activity of ours, but we haven't done this since September, so it was a nice treat. I even got a standing ovation for my rendition of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina," and Bill got some rousing hoots and applause for "Unchained Melody." It was a fun night and a nice crowd. Unfortunately, when we went out to my car, we discovered someone had tried to break in and the alarm, which must have been going off for a long time, wore the battery done. Nothing like waiting for roadside assistance at 2 a.m.!

After a day of cleaning on Saturday, we participated in Earth Hour in the evening. We set up a card table in front of the fireplace and dined by candlelight. All the electric items in our home were turned off and/or unplugged, with the exception of the refrigerator and the furnace (which we turned way down). While Earth Hour was only from 8:30-9:30, we didn't end up turning our lights back on until 11:50. After dinner, we played Bananagrams. The candles lit the table enough to be able to see the tiles. At 10:00, we did turn on the television and watched a movie, but that was the only electricity we used.

Green Grandpa suggested we do this weekly. I countered with the idea to make it a monthly thing and would like to challenge all of you in the GG community to join us in one hour electricity shutdown on the last Friday of every month. While Earth Hour was a specific designated hour worldwide, I understand special issues that can arise with putting children to bed, etc., so my proposal is to choose an hour between 6 and 11 p.m. Bill and I will be doing this faithfully and I encourage you to pledge to join us. Of course, circumstances might interfer at times, but I ask you to make a concerted effort. Let me know your thoughts on this.

On Sunday, I was blessed to be able to join in worship with my church family again. After missing the last two weeks, it was a special treat. And, of course, we had our weekly family lunch after church...one of the highlights of every week. Since it was the last Sunday of the month, it was Dominoes night with "Fred" and "Joyce." We shared a meal with them and then got competitive! I actually won this time. We also told Fred about the research regarding breast milk as a cure for cancer. After I blogged about Fred's cancer, one of the members of the GG community sent me a message and told me to look into this. From what I read, the news is promising on this front. Why haven't we heard more about it? Well, for one thing, there hasn't been a lot of research because ... pharmaceutical companies have nothing to gain. Sound cynical? Yeah. I am.

So today, Fred is researching this option. Perhaps this is exactly what we've been praying for.

The Sabbath Experiment continues to bless my life. I hope my journey is inspiring you toward a journey of your own.

Avoiding work on the Sabbath,

Hana

The Sabbath Experiment -- week 23

Bella, Vincent and Theo in (and outside of) my office

As I sit here on this sunny Monday afternoon, I can't seem to erase the images of the past three days. Images of a broken world, shattered, flooded, forever changed. As bodies wash up on the shores of Japan, it makes me stop and think about how truly fragile each life is.

I think about children washed away by a giant wave. I think about the vibrant, positive, seemingly healthy Dr. Richard Carlson (Don't Sweat the Small Stuff), who, at the age of 45, dropped dead of a heart attack on an airplane. I think about my late husband who headed out to work one night, with his characteristic spring in his step and optimism, not knowing about the deadly fire just a few short hours away. I think about death. I think about never-born babies. I think about today. About how many people will pass from this life to the next today. I think about my phone ringing in the pre-dawn hours of this Monday and how my first thought was about my mother.

Life. It is soooo fragile. Today might be your last. It might be mine. What are we doing with the time we have?

Yesterday was week 23 of my Sabbath Experiment. This week didn't involve church because I was home sick. What exactly is wrong with me? We're not sure yet, but it looks like mumps. That, in and of itself, is not so bad. I'm tired, achy, have a constant headache and an obscenely swollen face. It's the complications that concern me, which include meningitis, inflamed ovaries and deafness. Deafness would definitely not be good, since I make part of my living being a voice over talent.

While it would have been a good day to not work and celebrate rest, I must admit I was quite tired of resting. Good Doctor Dave ordered me to rest when I saw him last week. No work. He even offered a written excuse, but since I work for myself, I found that to be a bit unnecessary. I got home from his office and settled into mine, typing out apologies to clients who were expecting certain things from me that would now be undone. Deadlines would be missed and there wasn't much I could do about it.

So yesterday, while lounging in bed with my laptop and remote control, I chose to work, a little bit. But the work I was doing was actually so enjoyable, I didn't mind. I landed a gig on Saturday tweeting for a best-selling author. He's actually one of my favorites and, as it turns out, I have seven of his books on my shelves in my office. He just needs ten quotes from his books posted to Twitter each week. So I spent some time perusing the novels and gleaning the harvest of words meant to inspire and entertain. I couldn't help thinking, this is work?! So, while I was technically working, I was in bed resting the whole time and enjoying every minute. Rationalization? Maybe. But that's the way I spent part of my day. Good literature feeds the soul and I feel well fed. I love a good story.

Spent a little bit of time in the evening playing Bananagrams with my husband, a daily activity for us lately. How cool is it that I am married to a man who enjoys playing word games. He knows he can't beat me, but he wants to play nonetheless. I am one lucky woman!

So, here I am. Feeling rested after days of not doing much in the line of working. But let me tell you -- I'm looking forward to going back to 12 hour days followed by one day of rest. In the meantime, I think I'll head back to bed for awhile.

Enjoy your week.

Hana

The Sabbath Experiment -- week 14

Another week has come and gone. My husband and I spent the weekend at my mother's home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The weather spit out a slight threat, causing us a bit of trepidation about making the trip, but in the end, there was absolutely no weather-related issues at all. When Bill came home from work on Thursday with a bad sore throat and the beginnings of a cold that progressed steadily throughout the night, I almost made a solo trip. By Friday morning, I was feeling the affects of all of the sharing we do, and had to keep my own hankie close by.

By Saturday, however, we were both feeling pretty good. How'd we get over the sore throat and cold so quickly? Vinegar, of course! (Just in case you'd like to try it -- I just make a 50/50 mixture of honey and organic raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar and take a tablespoon every hour or so -- it works wonders!).

Being at my mom's for the weekend kind of messed up the whole idea of the Sabbath. I did some work for her on Saturday and Sunday and spent a little bit (and I stress little bit) of time on the computer. I am so grateful that my mother decided to get wireless Internet in her house so I don't have to traipse around town looking for a WiFi spot!
But, other than checking my email, I really didn't do anything work-related since Friday morning.

However, I admit I did not set aside an entire day over the weekend to observe the Sabbath. I didn't even go to church. But I did spend most of the last three days playing cards and Bananagrams with my mom, who turned 84 on Friday and can still play a mean game of Pinochle and give me some good competition when it comes to word games. That was, for the most part, restful. And on Saturday night, Bill and I went out to a local restaurant at 10:00 to have drinks with my best friend and her husband. Dawn and I met nearly 50 years ago and have been best friends ever since! So getting together with her whenever I visit my mom is a must. Dawn is like a balm in Gilead to my soul, so I am indeed refreshed, just by the very presence of her in my life.

You know, sometimes, our plans have to be adjusted according to circumstances. That is just the way it goes, and it's important we don't beat ourselves up over it. After all, there is always next week!

Trying to keep it restful on the Sabbath,

Hana