Taking a stand ... with grace

This picture of Laura last summer always makes me laugh ... and I need to laugh right now.

It's Wednesday night and I've had a rather stressful evening. So I thought I'd skip the research for tomorrow's blog and just write for awhile. Mostly, I want to address the issue on my mind. Extremism. It's bad stuff, folks. Extremists rarely win people to their side, no matter what side it is. Extremist are generally a bunch of close-minded people who do not understand much about grace.

I have strong opinions. About a lot of things. I don't think you should kill an unborn baby. I don't think you should litter. I believe people should care enough about their children to use cloth diapers. I dislike when cigarettes are smoked around children ... or anyone, for that matter. I believe in people being married before they live together. I could go on and on. Couldn't you? Don't we all have strong opinions? But if we all took extreme stands all the time, what would happen? Well, first of all, we wouldn't be liked by many people, except, of course, like-minded extremists.

I believe, as a Christian, my first responsibility is to introduce others to the love of Jesus. Can that be done in an extremist stance? Of course not. Shoving Christ down someone's throat will not increase the Kingdom of God. It just doesn't work.

And it doesn't work for other causes either. So, if you are one to take an extreme right-wing or left-wing stand, consider listening to someone else's opinion. We don't all have to be right all the time, do we? After all, that is impossible. And while you, or I, may think we have all the answers, the bottom line is, we don't. We just don't.

To pepper our words with grace does not weaken our stand, it just makes it more inviting for someone else to hear our words. To actually listen to what we have to say.

That's all I wanted to say. So, as I sit on my porch with my feet soaking in cool water with a half cup of apple cider vinegar mixed in, I'm breathing a little easier. I almost got sucked into an extremist-motivated argument tonight and opted to bow out ... gracefully. For that, I'm thankful to the God who has humbled me and shown me what is really important. Plus, I got to share my feelings here in the shelter of this community. For that, I'm thankful to you. As we all work our way through this journey, let's show a little kindness. It goes a long way.

Sharing my heart,

Hana

Review It Wednesday -- GG's Top 10

I've been reviewing stuff for awhile now ... longer than many of you have been reading the blog. So I decided to do a top ten list of my favorite items I have personally used and reviewed here.

Click on each link to read the reviews.

Green Grandma's Top 10

in alphabetical order



• Crystal -- Body deodorant
• Earth Mama Angel Baby -- Happy Mama Spray
• Eco Nuts -- Soap nuts
• GEM Cloth -- Cloth menstrual pads
• Green Baby Clothing Company -- Bamboo and organic cotton clothing
• Green Beaver Company -- Green Apple toothpaste (from Leaf & Bud Naturals)
• HankyBook -- HankyBook
• Motherlove -- Green Salve
• Norwex -- Enviro Cloth and Window Polishing Cloth and Body Cloth
• Staples -- Evoterra Chair

These are great products, folks, which I highly recommend. Some were sent to me at no charge in exchange for a review, and others were items I purchased and loved. If you have a product you would like for me to review, please shoot me an email and we can discuss it.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hana

Five Heart Facts Every Woman Should Know

Today, I'm happy to have one of my friends from high school as a guest blogger. Desiree Brown has a passion for teaching women about the danger ticking right inside their own bodies ... and what to do in order to keep the worst from happening.


What is the #1 killer of women? Breast cancer, right? Wrong!

Heart disease is the #1 killer of women, but it doesn’t have to be.

Here are some heart disease facts that every woman should know, as well as the men who love them.

• Each year significantly more women than men die from heart disease and stroke.

• Lack of public knowledge about women’s heart disease is the largest healthcare threat to women.

• 80 percent of women age 40 to 60 have one or more heart disease risk factors that can be controlled or reduced.

• Risk factors that can be controlled include salt intake, smoking, high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels or low HDL (“good”) levels, high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, uncontrolled diabetes and high stress levels.

• Women are far less likely than men to be tested or treated for heart disease in a timely manner.

• Women who are at risk for cardiovascular disease are often not referred for diagnostic testing that are otherwise standard for men.

• Women have more heart attacks that go unrecognized, more repeat heart attacks, and greater risk of stroke after heart attack.

• Physicians may under-evaluate and treat women because they don’t appear to be as high-risk as a man, especially if they are young and “appear healthy” with a slender build.

• Women do not know that heart attack symptoms may be different than in men. Women are more likely to feel shortness of breath, fatigue, abdominal pressure, nausea or heartburn, or jaw, neck, back, or upper shoulder pain.

• Call 911 if you think you are having any of these symptoms. Do not hesitate for a minute when calling for help. Trust your intuition that something is “not right”. Do not be concerned about looking foolish or “bothering” anyone. And do not drive yourself to the hospital. You can be attended to while riding in an ambulance, and every minute counts when diagnosing and treating a heart attack.

For more information, please visit the following websites:

The Mayo Clinic

The Female Patient


Desiree Brown, MSN,MHA,RNC-OB

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

Thoughts on Father's Day

My father and mother, Harold V. and Gene V. (Strickler) Haatainen

Father’s Day. A day to honor our fathers. A day to honor our Father. A time set apart to remember those dads who aren’t with us anymore.


How will you spend this special day? Dads -- will you delight in your God-given role as earthly fathers? Children -- will you surround your dads with the kind of love that only you can give? Doesn’t Dad deserve more than the obligatory tie this year? Teens -- how about giving him some of yourselves, some of your time? Take him out to eat, one on one. Tell him about your life, your goals, your dreams. Let him tell you about his. One of the greatest gifts that we can give is to truly listen to each other. Wives -- be his helpmate. Love him and thank him for being such a good dad. Give him a break. Go the extra mile for him (hasn’t he done that many times for you and the kids?)

Visit that man in the nursing home that sometimes doesn’t know who you are. After all, you know who he is -- he’s your dad. Remember when he taught you how to ride a bike? How many times did he toss that ball to you? Give something back.

Is Father’s Day messing up your plans for the day? How many times did Dad’s plans get messed up for you? He probably never complained or let you know, but you can be sure that there were times he’d rather be somewhere else than at that band concert, or at that track meet, or at home with you and your 103 fever. Sacrifice. That’s what it’s all about.

Our Father God sacrificed the sweet fellowship with His Son so that Jesus could grow up as another man’s son. He was born, so that he could die for each one of us. And Father God simply had to turn away and let it happen. Because He loved us -- His adopted children. Jesus provided the way for us, not only because of His love for us, but because He honored His Father.


Honor your father today. Even if you can only do that in your memories. And if you have no memories, because your father simply wasn’t there, then honor your Father God, because He has promised to always to be there. He will never leave us or forsake us.

Missing my dad on Father's Day,

Hana

Photo by Michele Walters

If you want to build a ship,

don't drum up people together to collect wood

and don't assign them their tasks and work,

but rather teach them to long for the sea.

-- Antoine de Saint Exupery     

Friday's 3 Rs -- those pesky used gift cards

Did you know that used gift cards can be recycled? Well, they can. And that's a good thing! Every year, we throw over 75 million pounds of PVC material from these plastic cards into the landfill. Over 75 million pounds!!!!!

So the next time you're about to toss one in the trash, STOP!! Best Buy is one retailer that accepts used gift cards (and not just their own). They have kiosks in the front of the store where you can drop off your cards.

Whenever you need to find recycling info on anything specific, just visit Earth911.org and type in your item and zip code. The site will direct you to the closest drop-off location.

If you don't have a Best Buy close to you, another option is to simply mail your cards to Earthworks where they will chop them up, melt them down and create new cards and other products out of 100% recycled PVC.

Cards can be mailed to:

Earthworks
c/o: Halprin Ind.
25480 Miles Rd.
Bedford, OH  44146

Put your name or the name of your organization on the package so they can track it. Include only the cards ... no rubber bands, paper clips, or paper.

In lieu of recycling your old gift cards, you can check into the possibility of reloading them. Many retailers will be happy to reload them for you and then you can give them as gifts -- this is regifting at its finest!

But what if you have unused gift cards sitting around that you know you're never going to use? It happens. Someone buys a gift card for a store that caters to petite women and gives it to a woman who's a size 14. Or a card to a beer distributor given to a recently proclaimed alcoholic. Dumb, perhaps, but it happens. Do not despair! Simply swap your card for cash. Swapagift.com is the place to go. They have over 1,000 agents across the U.S. Or you can send the card into GiftCards.com. Keep in mind you will not get the full value for your card, but it's better than having it sit in your desk drawer for years unused.

Recycling your used gift cards is not your only green option. You can also find household uses for them. Here are just a few ideas I gleaned from About.com:

• Use them as scrapers and texturing tools when painting, sculpting or making pottery
• Punch holes in them and use them to keep threads separated when doing needlepoint, crochet or cross stitch projects
• Cut them into shapes for stenciling
• Paint them and cut them out to use as scrapbooking embellishments

For more ideas on how to reuse gift cards for household projects, check out This Old House.

Remind your husbands and dads not to throw away all the cards they get for Father's Day once they've spent them!

Keeping things out of the landfill,

Hana

A turtle, a bumpy path and some amazing shrimp

Sometimes you just need to take a break. That's what my husband and I decided last night. Work stress was threatening to put us both in the hospital so we took the night off. After all, the yard work and gardening could wait and I would just have to work a little smarter to make up for an evening spent somewhere other than at my desk.

After Bill got home, we headed out to one of our favorite spots from when we were dating -- the Wildflower Reserve in Clinton, PA. We're not quite sure why they call it a wildflower reserve, because there are very few flowers anywhere on the property, but we love walking through the woods, despite the multiple roots crossing our way and making it a bit difficult to manuever at times.

The weather was perfect. High 70s with practically no humidity. Thinking ahead, I stuffed some vanilla-infused cotton balls in a bag in my pocket, just in case the mosquitoes were in attack-mode. They were and, after coating our bare skin in vanilla, they basically left us alone. Score one for the relaxation mission!

The highlight of my walk, other than holding hands with the man I adore, was stumbling upon a box turtle. I resisted the urge to take him home with us to put by the pond (good call, Bill), but I did pick him up and check out his spotted belly. Little things like that make me happy. They bring out the inquisitive little girl in me who used to lift rocks hunting for salamanders and snakes in my childhood days in Manheim with my best friend, Dawn. We had such fun together.

As the sun was setting, we headed back to the car in search of a good restaurant for a late dinner. By the time we got to the first choice on our list, the kitchen was closed. The second choice was too pricey, so we politely excused ourselves and the third option was a charm!

We stopped at Smokey Bones, where we had the best service (thank you, Justin) and amazing food, including some teriyaki shrimp that was unbelievable.

In the past, I would have driven right past Smokey Bones and looked elsewhere for our late night supper. After all, they used to be part of the Darden chain of restaurants, which I will not support. Fortunately, they were bought out. Dardin owns Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Bahama Breeze, Longhorn Steakhouse, The Capital Grille and Seasons 52. Why won't I dine in any of these restaurants? Simply because Darden is a supporter of Planned Parenthood (like they need corporate support after sucking up so much tax money from the government).

For me, there is no reason to give Dardin a nickel of my money, when I know there are many other good, and sometimes superior, options available.

We drove home, after leaving Justin a generous tip (he had to stay later because we came in so late), feeling revived and refreshed. It was a good night.

And now, I have to get back to focusing on deadlines and pleasing clients.

Reminding you to take some time to relax in nature,

Hana

Review It Wednesday -- head-over-heels in love

I'm in love. Completely. Totally. Head-over-heels.

With a washcloth.

There. I said it. My passion for this particular washcloth just may border on an obsession ... an addiction ... an unhealthy fascination. Except, it's so darn healthy!

Yes, I know I just raved about Norwex a few short weeks ago, but I can't help myself. I have to do it again. And no, I'm not a Norwex rep; I do not sell Norwex; Norwex is not paying me for my reviews and, in this case, I even paid for the cloth!

It started out innocently enough. I got an email asking me if I'd like to try the Norwex Enviro Cloth and Polishing Cloth (the Basis Antibac Package) in exchange for a review. Seemed like a mild flirtation. Surely I would never take it this far! However, the tantalizing feel of the damp cloth in my hands as I wiped away dirt, grime and germs with such ease won me over. As did the sparkling windows.

With her birthday just around the corner, I simply had to order a set for my daughter. So I went on the website and, since I was already there, I didn't think it would hurt to just look around a bit. How easily I can be seduced. There it was, calling out my name, reminding me of my past sins, promising a solution.

You see, I hate to wash my face. Hate it. Really. The washing itself isn't so bad, but rinsing really gets to me. I just don't like water being splashed in my face. Maybe I was traumatized as a child, or something. When I discovered the little disposable makeup remover wipes, I was in heaven. But that was before I had a green conscience. So, that solution fell by the wayside a couple of years ago.

Imagine my delight when I saw this little ditty: "Say good-bye to all those facial cleansers!" The seduction continues: "These antibacterial microfiber washcloths are amazing at removing makeup, even mascara and eyeliner, using only water. Dirt and bacteria are gently removed from skin surface with the silky soft microfiber, exfoliating your skin every time you use them."

Could it be? Something even better than disposable makeup remover wipes and facial cloths? I breathlessly clicked on the link to put the package of three into my cart, the thought of no more buying facial wash that has to be rinsed off and no more looking to find something safe to use on my face thrilled me!

Then, as if that wasn't fulfilling enough, the fact that Sherri, The Cleaning Queen, would ship all these wonderful products to me for free sealed the deal.

A few days later, I arrived home to find this delicious bundle on my doorstep. The neighbors probably thought I'd won the lottery or something. Happy dance time!

And guess what? The experience was as good as the anticipation. These cloths are amazing. I no longer dread the nightly ritual of washing my face. I simply wet the cloth with warm water and scrubbed my face. No need to rinse. When I was done, my skin felt cleaner than I ever remember it feeling. Really. And there was no trace of mascara left, which was a bonus! Thank you, Norwex. Your products are transforming my life!

At this point, I can only imagine what the baby cloth wipes are like. Or the spa socks (amazingly comfy, I suspect). Or the bathroom scrub mitt. Those are fantasies left for another day.

For now, I'm just going to revel in the afterglow of being in love. Head-over-heels, at that!

Reviewing it for you,

Hana

Go green with the perfect Father's Day gift

Last night I was at my writing workshop and one of the writers handed me this lovely recycled gift bag. She took a medium-sized plain paper bag, folded the top down, punched four holes in it and treaded some recycled yarn through to make two handles. I loved it! Inside was a brown T-shirt she bought me to thank me for leading the group. How sweet. The shirt has an image of a green frog with the words 'It's easy being green!' How cool is that? I feel appreciated and understood. Thanks, Norma!

Anyway, it got me thinking about Father's Day and what kind of green gifts are out there for Dad. So ... if you haven't found the perfect gift for your dad or hubby, consider buying a practical gift that is eco-friendly.

Such as? How about a solar-powered watch? From what I've read, Casio seems to be the leader in this field, with the Casio Solar Atomic Analog Watch considered to be one of the best. Here are the features:

• Durable -- great for all types of sports activities, construction work, even rough-housing with a 6-year-old!
• Accurate -- automatically syncs every night
• Attractive -- looks good when dressing up ... or down
• Water resistant -- perfect for water skiing, swimming, fishing, etc.

Casio has a variety of solar-powered watches, both analog and digital.

Check out the selections at your local retail stores, such as Sears and Target.

Does he already have too much stuff and really doesn't need or want another watch? Well, how about buying him some trees to plant in Brazil? Seriously. At $1/tree, you can choose how many you want to plant in his honor through The Nature Conservancy. There are a lot of other great gift-giving ideas at the Conservatory as well ... for the guy who has everything and cares about the Earth.

Another option is the book Your eco-friendly Yard by Tom Girolamo, "sustainable ideas to help you save time, money and the earth." I haven't seen the book, but it certainly sounds cool to me! If someone wants to buy me a Father's Day gift, I'm thinking this would be a good one!




These are just three suggestions. Feel free to leave comments with more ideas for greener gift giving. And don't forget to wrap responsibly!

Keeping it green,

Hana

The winner is ...

Congratulations to Lisa Bartelt

who won a bottle of

Eat Cleaner Fresh Fruit &Vegetable Wash!

Email me with your address and the kind folks at Eat Cleaner will send out your prize!

The Sabbath Experiment -- week 36

Wow. Typing "week 36" threw me. Has it really been 36 weeks since I started this experiment?

I was talking with my daughter, Bethany, yesterday and said, "Mondays used to be my favorite day of the week ... until I started the Sabbath Experiment." The idea of forced rest is so liberating!

Take yesterday, for example. After our usual ritual of Sunday School, church and lunch with the kids and grandkids, Bethany and Lincoln came by the house for awhile. She needed clothespins because her husband put up a clothesline (actually four clotheslines). Now she'll be able to hang all of Lincoln's diapers on the line, which makes me quite happy!

By the time they left, I was tired. But, I kept thinking about the load of work I was facing in the days to come. Maybe if I just tackled some of the work today, I thought, Monday wouldn't be quite so bad.

But what about the Sabbath? I countered in this dialogue with myself. You know, there is that accountability factor.

The accountability factor. That did it. After all, I'm accountable to you.

So, rather than sitting down at my computer and working, I played around in the vegetable garden on my balcony for a bit and then, because the temps had dropped quite a bit, settled in for a nice relaxing hot bath.

Here's where the fun comes in! I reached for my Earth Mama Angel Baby   Happy Mama Body Wash so I could shave my legs. Breathing in the scent of grapefruit and ginger, I smiled. After a week of discovered how bad everything seems to be for us, it was a sheer delight being able to lather up with a product that was completely safe to use. Completely! Zero toxins. None at all. If I hadn't been reclining in the tub, I would have started doing my Happy Mama Dance (I reserve that for the shower)!

I turned the bottle around and read the ingredients:

• Organic coconut oil
• Organic olive oil
• Organic aloe leaf juice
• Kosher vegetable glycerin
• Organic shea butter
• Potassium citrate
• Organic ginger oil
• Organic grapefruit peel oil
• Organic lime oil
• Organic vanilla bean extract
• Organic calendula extract

That's it. Nothing more. Isn't it a lovely list of ingredients?

So, I was a Happy Mama. Refreshed, I dried off, put on my jammies and headed downstairs to make a late dinner for my husband and me. We enjoyed our meal on the patio while watching the Hallmark movie, A Crush on You. We're such suckers for clean, romantic movies. What a joy it is to not have to suffer through a barrage of swear words and sex scenes.

At 11:00, I headed upstairs, brushed my teeth, washed my face (with a product I can't wait to review on Wednesday!) and climbed into bed, earlier than I usually do. I needed a good night's sleep before starting this week. After all, shouldn't I feel rested on the day after the Sabbath?

After my morning walk today, I headed out for a working breakfast and now I'm home trying desperately to complete all the tasks on my to-do list before heading out to lead my Writers at Work group tonight.

I hope you have a glorious week.

Hana

Photo by Anna Cervova

            "For lo, the one who forms the mountains,
             creates the wind,
             reveals his thoughts to mortals,
             makes the morning darkness,
             and treads on the heights of the earth --
             the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name!"

                                                                               -- AMOS 4:13

Friday's 3Rs -- What to do with nail polish

Photo by Shari Weinsheimer

TGIF's 3Rs!

I learned disturbing news about nail polish this week -- stuff I should've known a long time ago, but hey, I can only keep up with so much!

For one thing, the ingredients in many nail polishes can cause birth defects when used by pregnant women. Don't you think they should have warnings about that printed somewhere on the bottles?

The info I'm referring to regarding the dangers of nail polishes can be found in the Guide to Less Toxic Products from the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia. What's nice about this guide is that it doesn't just give you scary facts, but it also lists safe (or at least, safer) alternatives for household and personal care products. It's really worth checking out and adding to your Favorites file.

Here's what the Guide says about nail polish:

Three of the most harmful ingredients in conventional nail polish are toluene, formaldehyde and dibutyl phthalate -- dubbed the "toxic trio" by the US Environmental Working Group. Toluene is known to be a neurotoxin and may put pregnant women at risk of having a baby with birth defects or delayed development. Toluene may comprise up to 50% of the volume in some brands.

After reading that, I looked down at my recently polished nails (something I hadn't had in months!) and I cringed. What had I done? Well, maybe, I reassured myself, I used one of the safe brands. No such luck.

Faced with a small hatbox full of polishes dating back to the 80s, I'm afraid, I pondered what to do with them.

First of all, I want to dispose of them and start all over with brands void of the "toxic trio." But how does one dispose of nail polish?

Thus, today's post.

Of course, I couldn't simply dump the box into the trash can. The stuff's toxic, for goodness' sake! And, I was reasonably sure I couldn't dump it into the recycling bin either. What to do? What to do?

I found that researching this dilemma didn't provide any easy answers. Most of what I found was creative ways to use your old nail polish other than putting it on your nails. Wonderful. A bunch of useless tips on how to spread the toxic love around. No, thank you.

The thing is, according to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), nail polish falls under the category of household hazardous waste (doesn't that make you feel just dandy?). Since it is a flamable substance, it considered hazardous and is illegal to put in the landfills. Oops. I wonder how many times in my early, less eco-conscious years I broke that law!

Apparently, most curbside recycling programs won't take it either. (Check with your municipality about this). So, the only solution is a hazardous waste pick-up or drop-off location. To find one close to you, visit Earth911.org and type in 'nail polish' and your zip code.

For me, three locations popped up -- one where you had to be a resident, one that was about 45 minutes away, and another in Ohio. Great. Wonderful.

So, here's the scoop. Hang on to your nail polishes (and be careful which ones you use) if you don't have a nearby location to dump them. Eventually, there will be some kind of Recycle Rama-type event close to you and, hopefully, they'll accept these eco-nasty bottles of toxins from you.

Just don't toss them in the trash. When your husband asks what the pile of half-used bottles of nail polish are doing in a box in the attic, just say, "Green Grandma told me to hang on to them." That should appease him.

Trying to keep it green with Friday's 3Rs,

Hana

Too much sun -- a redux

In honor of my daughter's birthday and the crazy hot temps many of us are experiencing, I'm reposting a piece that appeared on the blog exactly one year ago today. It's all about sunburns! Happy birthday, Bethany!!

Photo by Petr Kratochvil

Despite our best efforts, sometimes we, or our kids, get burnt while enjoying a day in the sun. My daughter is on vacation in Savannah. She and her husband decided to spend the day at the beach on Tybee Island.

"Don't get burnt again," I warned her on the phone today.

"I won't," she assured me. We even rented an umbrella to keep me in the shade."

Relieved, I didn't give it any more thought, other than a quick reminiscence back to 2001 when she asked me to go to Savannah with her on vacation in lieu of her going on a senior trip with friends. I was honored and thrilled to go.

So just the two of us headed out by car for the 700+ mile drive. We grabbed a copy of the audiobook, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, from the library to accompany us on the way down.

On one of our first days there, we hit the beach on Tybee Island where she got severely burnt. She spent the next day or two moaning and groaning on the bed in the hotel. Not fun.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course, those were during my pre-Green Grandma days, and I was grossly unaware of all of the natural treatments for sunburn.

So, rather than just sharing what I've discovered with her via text message, I thought I'd share it with you as well.

Baking soda

Just dissove about a quarter cup in a bathtub of warm water and slip into the silky, healing liquid. This will help balance your skin's pH.

Apple cider vinegar or Distilled White Vinegar

Yes, I know it's not Vinegar Friday, but this tip is too good to pass up right now. Dump two cups of ACV into a bath and ease your body in for a 15 minute or so soaking. Again, this is good for the pH balance of your skin and will cool and soothe the burn.

Soak washcloths or small towels in the DWV and put them on your skin where you're burned.

The vinegar needs to be applied as quickly as possible. It is virtually ineffective on the day after your day of fun in the sun. Sorry.

Vanilla extract (not vanilla flavor extract)

Applying vanilla extract directly on the burn will lessen the redness and provide relief. Of course, this is a bit pricey, so you'll want to use it sparingly.

Aloe

Whether you buy the pure plant gel or break off a stem of the plant, applying aloe can help ease the pain.

Aloe actually works to stimulate your skin's cellular metabolism.

Lavender oil

Caution: DO NOT USE THIS REMEDY IF PREGNANT! Lavender can cause miscarriage.

While most essential oils require a carrier oil before being applied to the skin, lavender oil does not. Apply it directly to the burn and enjoy both the soothing relief and the aromatherapeutic calming benefits to your frayed emotions.

***

These remedies are for your typical run-of-the-mill sunburns, not for more severe burns. If you suspect you could have sun poisoning or if your burns are serious, get to the ER. As with all of my advice, never take it over the advice of a physician. Of course, you want to drink lots of water to help avoid dehydration. Caffeine and alcohol will only aggravate the dehydration problem.

Of course, the best way to treat a sunburn is to avoid a sunburn altogether.


Keeping it green (not red!),


Hana

Something scarier than lions and tigers and bears ... E. coli!

Welcome to another Review It Wednesday!

Have you been paying attention to all the scary news about E. coli (Escherichia coli) lately? It makes you a bit hesitant as you stand in the produce aisle of your local grocery store, doesn't it? Of course, with the harvest season upon us, most of us have the option of buying our fruits and vegetables from local farmers. Still, the E. coli and salmonella outbreaks have been a bit disconcerting.

That's why I'm thrilled to promote a product, I believe, no home should be without. You may have seen the advertisement for Eat Cleaner on the side of the blog. That's because it is a product I am happy to promote here. This all natural food wash can help keep your family safe! The good folks at Eat Cleaner sent me a bottle to try, along with some biodegradable food wipes for on the go eating, and I must say, I love this stuff. The wipes, by the way, were the Winner of the World’s Best Technologies 2011 Gold Prize! How's that for an endorsement?

The Fruit & Vegetable Wash is lab-proven to remove agricultural residue and wax that water can’t, and is made from safe and eco-friendly ingredients, which means it's chlorine and alcohol-free. It's also made in the States with FDA Approved, all-natural ingredients. Plus, it inhibits browning and helps food last up to 200 times longer! Another bonus, is it's easy to use -- just place your produce in a bowl, hit it with a generous spray of the cleaner, let it 'soak' for a couple of minutes and then fill the bowl with clean water, agitate the produce a bit and then thoroughly rinse. Your food will be clean, safe-to-eat, and have no soapy or chemical taste to spoil its own natural goodness.

The Eat Cleaner Fruit & Vegetable Wash helps keep food fresh longer!

The results speak for themselves!

Which would you rather feed to your family?

The Eat Cleaner website features an informative blog and they've graciously allowed me to repost the article below on ways to keep your food safe. So, rather than researching the E. coli mess myself, I'm just going to let Mareya S. Ibrahim explain it and give you some tips on food safety.

But before you read up on how to keep your kiddos and the rest of the family safe from food-related illness, let me share the good news that you can actually win a bottle of Eat Cleaner Fruit & Vegetable Wash!

Here's how:

• Follow Eat Cleaner on Facebook
• Sign up for the Cleaner Plate Club Newsletter, packed full of safer eating tips!
• Comment here or on the GG Facebook page and let me know you did both

Entries must be in by midnight, Monday, June 13, 2011. Winner will be selected via Random.org and announced on the blog on Tuesday, June 14, 2011.

European E. coli Food Scare: How to keep dangerous bacteria out of your kitchen

  

According to the AP, the food borne bacterial outbreak that has hit Germany and other European nations is unlike anything we’ve ever seen – 16 dead and more than 1,100 sick, including nearly 400 suffering severe and potentially fatal symptoms. The reason for infection is likely attributed to eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce but exact causes have not been confirmed. The fact is contamination can happen at any number of points, from the farm to the processor to the truck it was delivered on.

You can take measures to avoid the potential disastrous effect of E.coli and other food borne bacteria with the help of the Fit Foody Mareya Ibrahim, an award winning food safety expert.

The Fit Foody’s Clean Kitchen Tips: 

• Clean your hands – Start with clean hands. Wash your hands thoroughly with a good quality soap. Avoid alcohol and triclosan which has raised health concerns recently. An alcohol-free hand sanitizer such as Clean Well is also an option but cleaning hands with soap and dirt are best.
• Clean cutting boards and countertops - Contact surfaces like cutting boards and counter tops should be wiped down with antibacterial products. Opt for natural products free of harsh chemicals. Seventh Generation and Method make good options featuring an antibacterial made with Thyme oil and are up to 99.99% effective in killing harmful bacteria, including E.coli. Use a separate cutting board for fruit and veggies, one for raw meat and poultry and one for seafood.
• Clean your food – The scare in Europe has been linked to fresh produce. Washing with water alone may not be effective, especially if produce has been waxed. Eat Cleaner makes an all natural food wash and wipes that are lab testing to kill E.coli and other bacteria and don’t change the way your food tastes or smells. You can use the wipes on your food, hands and utensils when you’re on the go.
• Chill out – Now that temperatures are rising, heat is a breeding ground for bacteria. Perishable food should never sit out for more than two hours. If the temperature is above 90°F, perishable foods shouldn’t sit out more than one hour. And no panicking…you can significantly cut down on the risk of infection with the right handling measures.

That's it for this Wednesday. Thanks, Mareya, for all the info and for hosting the giveaway!

Reviewing it for you,

Hana

Thirty-one years ago yesterday

It was hot thirty-one years ago yesterday. Really, really hot. As I stood in the front of the church listening to the worst wedding talk ever (I don't even know what that's called), I remember a steady stream of sweat working its way all the way down my spine. By the time the wedding was over, I was soaked!

Because my husband was raised Catholic and his uncle was a priest, we were told he would deliver the message, even though the ceremony was in the un-air conditioned Lutheran church where I grew up. When I say it was the worst wedding talk ever, I mean it. And I have a cassette tape to prove it. Midway through, I was ready to call the whole wedding off and leave (to go somewhere cool, no doubt). But I'd already stood on the balcony, before walking down the aisle, and surprised my groom by singing One Hand, One Heart and it would seem hypocritical of me to back out after such a song of prayer and promise.

Besides, my Jewish friend, Laura, began the service with other songs of God's and our love, including a traditional Hebrew blessing, All Good Gifts from Godspell (a show Laura and I did together the previous year) and Through the Eyes of Love from Ice Castles. Backing out would just be wrong.

However, red flags went up as soon as the priest opened his mouth, botching the pronunciation of my name and then calling my husband-to-be by the wrong last name!!! I kid you not. It went downhill from there.

"It was the passion of love that brought you together. But will passion last? I doubt it." Seriously?

"Up until now, you've only seen each other at your finest," he droned, "but one day you'll wake up and see each other as you truly are ... warts and all. Will your love survive that?"

I told you it was the worst ever!

To say that Jim's family did not like me is an understatement. After all, I was not Catholic. And I'd had a baby out-of-wedlock and given her up for adoption. I certainly was not the dream bride for their Jimmy. Despite them, we married and worked on having a happy life together. Because of them, it was a rocky road.

I personally have not experienced as much evil as I experienced with my former in-laws, from the molestation of one of my daughters when she was two-years-old and the subsequent accusal of me being the molester (in order to frame my mother-in-law), to the stealing of my husband's life insurance after his death, and so much more. You see, our marriage only lasted eight years, not because we were unable to survive the attacks on it, but because Jim was unable to survive the chemical flash fire that left him with third degree burns on 98% of his body.

His father was a life insurance agent who, after Jim switched the beneficiary on his policy to me, purposefully did not send the paperwork in to the company. I have letters from my former father-in-law stating his reasons why he did this, none of which are acceptable. After Jim died, his parents collected the $200,000 and refused to give it to me unless I agreed to award them partial custody of my children. Excuse me?? What mother in her right mind would agree to allow her children to go stay in a home where one of them had her insides ripped up by pens stuck inside her by her grandmother?? Let me tell you, I was a grieving mother who was not in her right mind, and I still refused the offer. My children were not for sale.

As a legal battle ensued and the threat of losing my children loomed, I was well-prepared to leave the country to protect my daughters. That's what mothers do.

Why am I sharing all of this? Perhaps because it's been bottled up inside of me for way too long. My late husband's parents have since passed, taking with them their twisted secrets.

I survived. My girls not only survived, as well, but thrived. Despite the many struggles they had to overcome, they are remarkable young women who are the source of my greatest pride. We had a rough road to walk, but we made it. God blessed us with an amazing man to come alongside us as a husband and incomparable father. I cannot imagine our life without him.

So, as I reflect on that wedding day thirty-one years ago yesterday, I have such mixed feelings. I had no idea what was ahead for us, as none of us do. My husband died the most horrific of deaths, which I had no way of predicting on that hot day in June when I stood looking down at him singing these words:

Make of our hands, one hand
Make of our hearts, one heart
Make of our vows one last vow
Only death will part us now.

Sharing my heart,

Hana

I am a coward

I am a coward. There, I said it. Again.

This morning, while I was taking my Monday morning walk (rarely a good thing), I got to get a glimpse into the life of my neighbors (trash day always does that). If anything can draw out my "Judgmental Antenna," it is walks on trash days.

Of course, the rich folks at the top of the street cannot be bothered with recycling, even though it is mandatory. I guess they'd rather pay the fines than actually have to think about what to toss and what to recycle. You don't know how that makes my blood boil!! Never, ever ... not even once ... have I seen a recycling bin at the end of their driveway.

Moving down the street, I was appalled to discover boxes, yes, I said boxes, of books waiting for their demise in the the landfill. Boxes!! Who throws out boxes of perfectly good books??? Seriously.

Well, here's where the coward part comes in. I didn't rescue them. I thought about it. I stewed. I even talked to my husband, who was at work, about what to do.

"Go over there and get them," he ordered.
"I can't," I moaned.
"Why?"
"I just feel stupid. First of all, I'd have to back the car up to get them. They're too heavy."
"Take the wheel barrel," he suggested.
"I'm not taking the wheel barrel," I firmly stated.
"Just go over and knock on the door and tell him you're going to take them to the library."
"What if he's not up yet?" My excuses kept coming.

The fact of the matter is ... if I'd discovered this last night, in the dark, I would have snatched up the boxes of books in a second. But in the broad daylight, with neighbors all around (I live in a neighborhood where an awful lot of people are home during the day), I just couldn't do it. However, if the boxes only contained books, perhaps I would have done it. But they didn't. Neatly stacked among the hardback books were magazines ... and we're not talking Woman's Day or Family Circle here. We're talking pornography. And I just couldn't bring myself to asking the neighbor if I could take the boxes, out of fear of embarrassment ... for both of us.

So as I debated, and vacillated between right and wrong, I heard the garbage truck heading up our hill. It was too late. For a moment, I wanted to run up to the driveway and say, "No, you can't take these," shielding the boxes with my body. Instead, I quietly cringed and turned away as the first box was hoisted into the truck.

Today, I'm grieving the death of a society that cared about the earth. A society that wasn't wasteful. A society that didn't have so much that barely anything was of value. I'm grieving the books that had worth and could have brought others joy. And, I'm grieving my lack of character ... my inability to stand up for what I believe in ... for what is right.

I am a coward, indeed. And as I sit here with tears running down my cheeks, I hope you will forgive me for that.

My plan was to write more about my Sabbath experiment today. But first, I decided to go for a walk ...

Sharing my heart,

Hana

Parenting as a divine calling

Your children are not your hobby,

they are your calling.

Cherish the children who share your name.

-- Max Lucado         

Friday's 3 Rs -- what to do with water filters

A few weeks ago, my daughter, Jess, and I went to our local Recycle Rama where we dropped off a variety of recyclables. One thing Jess hauled back home, however, was her bag of Pur water filters. Why? Because they were only accepting Brita filters.

Apparently, Brita responded to public pressure (and a successful petition campaign) and started a Take Back program. Pur, however, has consistently ignored its environmental responsibility. I now strongly regret buying Jess her Pur water pitcher for Christmas!

Brita has teamed up with Preserve, a U.S. company that manufactures BPA-free kitchenware and tableware out of recycled plastic. The plastic casing on the Brita filters is recycled and the filter material is regenerated or converted into energy. Why Pur is not part of this program is beyond me!

My hope is that Pur will step up to the plate sometime soon, so I recommend hanging on to your filters for future recycling.

So here's the deal for all you Brita pitcher users out there (in the U.S. and Canada) -- head over to the Preserve website and look for a drop-off location close to you. Whole Foods is one of the companies participating in this program. Unfortunately, this is only for the filters used in pitchers and not for the faucet mount filters.

Now for the rest of us who filter our water through other systems, other than Brita. RecycleWaterFilters.com takes all brands of household water filters, including:

• carbon water filters
• drinking water filters
• refrigerator filters
• reverse osmosis filters
• sediment water filters

All you need to do is pack up as many filters as you can in a USPS Flat Rate Mailer (for those of us in the States) or your own box (up to 12" x 12" x 5 1/2") and send them off to their location.

There is a cost involved, however. Right now, the regular price of $9.99/box has been reduced to $6.99/box. Why a fee? Quite simply, to offset the costs of recycling.

Whether you're mailing your filters or taking them to a drop-off location, it is important to dry them out first! Shake out all the excess water and then let them sit for 2 or 3 days (preferably in the sun). If you are dropping them off at Whole Foods or another location, wrap the dry filters in a plastic grocery bag (which will be recycled as well) and place them in the recycling box marked specifically for Brita filters.

From now on, I'll be saving my refrigerator filters and shipping them off to RecycleWaterFilters.com. It's a small price to pay to keep the filters out of the landfill.

Keeping it green with the 3 Rs,

Hana

Recycling plastics can be tricky -- cut through the confusion with Week One of Friday's 3 Rs.

Did you know your screw on plastic bottle caps and jar lids are made out of #5 plastic? Many curbside recycling programs don't accept #5 plastics. Check out the solution in Week Two of Friday's 3 Rs.

A Bike Riding Theology

You know I love guest bloggers! Today, I'm honored to share the writing of one of my ministers and friends, Tom Fodi. When I read this in the church newsletter yesterday, I asked Tom if I could share it with the GG community. He graciously said 'yes.'

Tom is a chaplain with the United States Air Force and will be leaving soon for a 6 month deployment in Iraq. Please join me in prayer for him as he ministers to the brave men and women serving in the military, and for his wife, Erin, while he's away.

Photo by Tom Fodi
Focused on the Point Photography

For both the sake of improving my overall health and because it’s actually quite fun, I’ve taken up cycling as a method for commuting between my home, the church, my favorite coffee shop, and just about any where around town (weather permitting, of course). Other than the occasional close call with drivers who do not understand the concept of traffic flow and sharing the road, I’ve found it quite therapeutic for reasons I never anticipated. It’s a great stress reliever. When the days are trying and life seems overbearing, it’s incredibly helpful to get a bit of exercise before getting home – I think Erin appreciates this side of it more than I do. More unexpectedly, though, has been the way it’s helped me appreciate the world around me. We are a very quick culture. From one side of town to the other we buzz about our day never slowing down to appreciate the beauty of life. The plants, the animals, the architecture, and the people that surround us each and every day can be so easily overlooked, rushed by, but when you’re on a bicycle, you’re almost forced to notice them. This “slowing down” of life cycling around town has lead me to reflect a bit on all the beauty and wonder of our world that we miss each and every day.

We are a culture that lives life in one of two ways – stuck in the past (i.e. “the way things were in the good ‘ol days”) or anxious for the future (i.e. “can’t wait for the work/school day/week to be done…”). Rarely do I hear someone talk about (or write about on facebook) how much they love life for this very moment, for what they have or are experiencing now regardless of the circumstances. There’s always something worth complaining about, always something that’s just “not right.” There are a million things that were better years ago and a billion things we believe will be better in the future. Right now, things just aren’t what they should be, or at least that’s what we tell ourselves and those around us all day long.

I can’t help but wonder if our acceptance of the busy-ness of life, if all the griping about what life ISN’T at the moment, is all part of the larger theological system that has inundated the Christian world teaching us that the world is a screwed up place with nothing good to offer and the primary focus of our faith is to say the right things and do the right things in order to some day be taken out of this screwed up world and granted access into a better place God has in store for us. Yes, to a certain degree, life is about what once was (creation, pre-fall) and what will be (God’s complete restoration of His Creation), but one of the main things Jesus was clear about during his time with us, was that the wonder and beauty of the life to come can be experienced here and now if we’d simply seek His Kingdom before anything else. We so easily forget that life isn’t about getting out of this world and into the next, life is about a relationship with our Creator and with the rest of His creation.

Rob Bell, in his new book, Love Wins, writes, “Life has never been about just ‘getting in.’ It’s about thriving in God’s good world. It’s stillness, peace, and that feeling of your soul being at rest, while at the same time it’s about asking things, learning things, creating things, and sharing it all with others who are finding the same kind of joy in the same good world.

Jesus calls disciples to keep entering into this shared life of peace and joy as it transforms our hearts, until it’s the most natural way to live that we can imagine. Until it’s second nature. Until we naturally embody and practice the kind of attitudes and actions that will go on in the age to come. A discussion about how to ‘get into heaven’ has no place in the life a disciple of Jesus, because it’s missing the point of it all.”

Tim, the worship minister of my church, expressed it so perfectly a few weeks ago during our worship service when he said, “It’s not about when life is going to end, it’s about when life truly begins that matters.”

John states in chapter 10 of his gospel, “Jesus came so that we may have life, and have it to the full.”

Life isn’t about escaping the troubles of this world and desperately awaiting what lies ahead, it’s about living life to the fullest now by participating with God in bringing His Kingdom into the places which you have influence. This summer, slow down a bit, take stock of all that surrounds you. Invest in your relationship with God here and now. Invest in your relationships with the people in your life here and now. Take time to enjoy God’s creation. Appreciate the beautiful things of this world and add to them. Find ways to bring a little more love, optimism, hope, joy, and peace to life. You’ll be amazed how much you’ll start to see the beauty of heaven in places you were sure existed mere steps away from hell.


Tom Fodi, a man attempting to tell a good story with his life, is something different to many different people, but hopefully to all who get to know him, he's known as disciple of Jesus and a servant of the Kingdom of God. To get to know Tom better, check out his writing on his blog his amazing photography on Focused on the Point.

Review It Wednesday -- You gotta believe

This is a tough one. Companies send me products to review, and generally, I love them. It's so easy to post a positive review of free stuff, you know? But what happens when you get stuff you're just not thrilled with? Uh oh. I have to be honest. You guys are counting on it, right? Well, the unpleasant task is at hand.

A couple of weeks ago, I received a package from Dandelion. When I opened it, I was thrilled. And for good reason. Inside the box were two of the most adorable stuffed rhinos I've ever seen! And I'll get to them in just a minute.

Also in the box were a few packages of kids' dinnerware ... made from corn. That caused a conflict with me right away. You see, I'm not a fan of using corn for much of anything other than eating and feeding livestock. The reason? Well, the more we produce corn for non-edible things, the less we produce corn as a food source. As a result, food prices start to rise and poor people have less to eat. So, I'm conflicted.

Is it good to have alternatives to plastic? Absolutely. But I'm not sure corn is the answer.

So, with that said, you already know I had a bias against the corn ware. My daughter, Bethany, brought up a good point, however.

"Well, at least this stuff isn't disposable. So, it's not so bad as the cups and straws made from corn that are thrown away."

So, I gave her the baby dish and spoon , gave some of the toddler forks and spoons to my other daughter, and I kept the two reusable divided plates for when the kids were here for dinner.

On Monday night, we used a plate, fork and spoon at dinner. We discovered something I didn't like. When hot food is added to the plate, it starts to bend. Same thing happened when the fork was put into hot food to hold it while it was being cut so it could cool down. The hot food 'deformed' the fork. Now we know why the instructions advise against putting this stuff in the dishwasher!

Then, I found out that when Bethany was washing the infant feeding spoon, it broke in half in her hands! It's not like she was being rough with it or anything. So, we found that that the corn-based products weren't very sturdy.

On the plus side, these plates and flatware are a lovely color of yellow and are nicely molded for little hands and mouths. Since they are made from corn, they are free from BPA, phthalates and PVC and are completely biodegradable. I like that about them. I also like that the manufacturing of them requires significantly less fossil resources and generates far fewer greenhouse gases than conventional plastic. The Dandelion Corn Tableware is an Award-winning earth-friendy product.

I also like the packaging. It's attractive and is made from 100% recycled materials. Dandlelion uses vegetable inks and encourages the recycling of the packaging when you were done with it. So, I'm not giving a total green thumbs down ... it's a mixed review when it comes to the corn ware.

And, there is no doubt in my mind that Dandelion truly cares about the health and safety of childen and the environment ... which leads us back to the rhinos.

How cute are they? And the grandkids aren't too shabby, either!

These two stuffed animals are among the cutest I've seen. They are made out of organic and natural materials, which prove to be healthier for little ones to play with. And they're squishy soft and super cuddly. The rhinos are part of the Believe line of toys, which include mommy and baby elephants and polar bears.

Here's what the Dandelion website has to say about the Believe Organic Plush toys:

They were "created to inspire families to think about their impact on the planet and precious animals around us. We believe we can all work to better our world and it's our responsibility to do so."

I love these stuffed toys! Knowing they're safe for my grandson to gnaw on and can be tossed in the wash after a day of rough play makes me especially happy. And they don't shed, which means no mouth or fistfuls of 'fur' to contend with. They really are the perfect plush toys for babies, toddlers and children of all ages.

The Believe Organic Plush rhinos get a green thumbs up -- way up! I really don't think I could like them any more than I do! But I'm not the only one who counts here! The lovely little Lady Laura loves her mommy rhino and, as you can tell by the pictures, the baby rhino is quickly becoming a favorite of little Lord Lincoln's! Move over Sophie ... a rhino's about to stampede on through!


Reviewing it for you,

Hana