tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829507635405797812011-08-03T01:26:19.952-05:00Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.comBlogger741100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-52478636506124453462010-03-09T23:48:00.001-06:002010-03-09T23:51:54.404-06:00

Can you feel it? I can, spring is in the air. The daffodils are blooming and the geese are noisily making their way north. Another sign that spring is on its way? All the great Green goodness being planned. The last winter date of the Coppell Farmer’s Market is March 20th. I’ve really enjoyed going to the market this winter. There was just a little bit of produce, but the meat and egg sellers

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-53011730156881022702010-01-04T23:27:00.001-06:002010-01-04T23:29:22.183-06:00

After having a wonderful two weeks off from work, and still not having time to do the random things like clean house and post here, I’m back at work. It was a hard morning! Even though I didn’t get to clean the house much, the littlest man and I did make a ton of cookies. We made some No-Bake cookies that actually turned out well for the first time in a couple of years (I don’t know what I did

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-32221051420263659792009-11-09T17:02:00.012-06:002009-12-03T14:35:06.101-06:00

Please note: I wrote this and then for some reason didn't publish it? My kitchen table has been taken over by pumpkins. It annoys Shinerman, but all I see is the yummy goodness I'm going to make. Can you say BPA-free Pumpkin Pie? We've been going to the Coppell Farmer's Market for a while. They have a couple of organic produce vendors and it's all local. Except for the Wild Alaskan Salmon people,

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-87288391100638908772009-11-04T21:37:00.009-06:002009-12-03T14:34:24.714-06:00

Dear Green Across Texas blog,I know it's been a while since I've written. It's not you - it's me. I've thought about you often in my absence and so much has happened. I'll catch you up with some pictures...picked blackberries - made wine - made freezer jam...yummmhomemade chicken stockorganic produce at the Coppell Farmer's Marketfancy composting system designed by Shinermanbest winery everlocal

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-89245908875753445192009-08-22T00:56:00.004-05:002009-08-22T01:48:08.779-05:00

I smell like patchouli. No offense intended for anyone who also smells like it and enjoys that smell, but I do not. My first memory of this smell is from Fry St Fair my freshman year at UNT. I was walking by that old house next to Lucky Lou's, only when it was just a beer store before it was a bar. They had random shit strewn around the yard and the smell of patchouli was coming out of the house

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-25777893581794461412009-07-29T19:45:00.004-05:002009-07-29T20:32:29.615-05:00

We had a HUGE storm after Shinerman fixed the clothesline and one pole ended up a few feet away, but nothing broke and the line itself actually stayed connected. I'm just glad that there weren't any clothes on it! He fixed it again and it's been serving us well since then. We haven't used the dryer since May! So, I think we're doing very well for this year's Clothesline Challenge.I left you

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-25551249910198930812009-06-08T22:38:00.006-05:002009-07-29T19:46:18.135-05:00

For a little over a year now we've been getting our produce from an organic produce co-op. This whole time we've been splitting it with another couple. Recently, they decided to no longer get their portion and instead see how they fare at the Cupboard (GREAT local store). Oh by the way, the Cupboard has fresh LOCAL pastured chicken eggs. yummy!!I decided that, rather than trying to find someone

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-33438982389072928612009-05-28T22:51:00.004-05:002009-05-31T23:51:53.879-05:00

The littlest man's birthday is coming up. I've been thinking about what we would do for several months now. So many factors have to be considered: ThemeVenueCostGreennessAnd of course it must all make my son happy, sigh...The man finally decided on a pirate (yea! no Thomas!) theme. I toyed with having it at a local park; it would have been free, but it would have been on a first come basis. So

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-30002554848390309292009-05-27T22:19:00.002-05:002009-05-27T22:25:18.041-05:00

Just wanted to pop in and let you know we are a go for line drying! Shinerman fixed the clothesline by adding some braces to each post. We've already done quite a few loads. It's a good thing, we were running out of clothes! I stopped by Gift of Green's blog and there are a bunch of folks signed up for the Clothesline Challenge. You should sign up, c'mon, you know you want to - no pressure :)

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-73036299720793972662009-05-20T21:58:00.007-05:002009-05-27T22:17:03.467-05:00

The last couple of days have been gorgeous! Unfortunately, the clothesline is out of commission again. Shinerman had it fixed for a couple of loads of laundry before the rain knocked it out. We're hoping the ground will dry up enough to really fix it later this week, 2x4 braces may be in our future. For a few months now I've been doing a knitting night with my much more crafty friends. I decided

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-44091848555324304402009-05-07T23:50:00.006-05:002009-05-08T00:25:32.930-05:00

The new clothesline challenge for this summer has begun!We began drying our clothes outside last spring; read about the ghetto-fabness and then the sweet clothesline that followed. We've cut our electric bill by about 2o% and we no longer have to run the clothes over and over in the dryer to get them dry - so annoying. But, with all this rain the last few weeks - the clothesline is out of

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-85634380886105872092009-05-02T00:04:00.005-05:002009-05-02T01:24:42.802-05:00

Tonight the littlest man asked for pancakes for dinner. I did this randomly last week and the look on his face was priceless. He was so excited. So when he asked for it tonight, I figured I can get dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow out of the way. I essentially use the buttermilk pancake recipe out of the Joy of Cooking. I love this book, I got it for the first Christmas after Shinerman and I

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-80469503042173686912009-04-22T22:17:00.005-05:002009-05-08T00:21:06.081-05:00

I've been pretty stoked about Earth Day this year. What would we do, I wondered. Last year I took the day off and the littlest man and I went to the Arboretum. Maybe we could do something more giving this year, clean up litter maybe? But, alas, work had to take over the day this year. Too much to do and too many other days taken off; plus, I had to go to the Dr about a weird rash on my back - boo

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-36258070049748572342009-04-15T22:10:00.006-05:002009-04-15T23:06:55.472-05:00

Every year for Easter we go to Houston to visit Shinerman's family. It's a weekend of fun and eating way too much. Usually it means we bring a ton of 'stuff' back, too. But I guess my and my sister-in-laws frustration with the overflowing Easter baskets got through. There were no Easter baskets, just some crafts. Which is even better, because then they are creating something themselves. I think

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-79620666087634580132009-04-15T22:09:00.001-05:002009-04-15T22:09:34.253-05:00

I'm testing the mobile post feature

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-75624215172877456982009-04-09T22:19:00.006-05:002009-04-10T00:39:36.831-05:00

Where does the time go? I told myself that I would post more than just once this week and I can't believe a week has already passed by! This week has been pretty crazy with work, I had a big deadline and and short week - because I'm taking tomorrow off!! oh, yeah!Anywho...I didn't just do work business, but home business, too. Our outside fridge's freezer is now home to jars of black beans,

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-48054458871246892392009-04-01T21:47:00.003-05:002009-04-01T23:50:00.986-05:00

I had a couple of requests to talk about my laundry detergent, so I decided to focus on the money aspect in this post. With the economy like it is I know everyone is trying to save where they can. Be forewarned - I am not a math person, there is a reason I write for a living, so do not expect all of the numbers below to be 100% correct. Thank you for your understanding.I've been making my own

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-33833621608958534722009-03-25T22:29:00.003-05:002009-03-25T22:47:53.710-05:00

The Denton County Dems are hosting a climate change discussion Saturday March 28 from 9-12. Dr. La Point, Biology Professor from UNT, will be leading the discussion of issues and an overview legislation.

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-25624345241919265022009-03-25T21:52:00.003-05:002009-03-25T22:27:11.321-05:00

This upcoming Saturday is Earth Hour. Earth Hour started in Sydney in 2007, last year it had spread across the globe, and this year looks even bigger. All it takes is turning off your lights at 8:30pm local time for an hour. And don't forget to let the folks at Earth Hour know you're on board! Turning off your lights will not just save energy, but will let our leaders know that we care about our

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-37037487416809722552009-03-11T12:10:00.001-05:002009-03-11T12:20:11.391-05:00

I am super excited! We've been trying to cut back our grocery bill here at the Green H. January's bill was outrageous! But I don't want to cut back on the quality, I told Shinerman I refuse to compromise on that. That was essentially the end of that argument. But, we DO need to watch the amount we spend. Especially in these times when it seems the economy is falling down around our ears. No

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-33224063629353691292009-03-10T22:26:00.003-05:002009-03-10T22:43:28.351-05:00

According to the DRC, the Denton Municiple Electric will be explaining the GreenSense energy rebate program this Saturday . The DME reps will be at the South Branch library at 1pm. Go, Learn, and save some GREEN!

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-31589272984227466072009-03-06T23:19:00.004-06:002009-03-06T23:56:46.020-06:00

Starting this weekend the Colleyville Eco House will be having open house hours. The house will be certified LEED-H Gold, Energy Star, and a list of others certifications and acronyms. The house is enormous. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about such a huge house but it does have something I'm really looking at in a new house. A huge open kitchen that can accommodate large groups. I would say

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-12758042660817169422009-02-25T21:50:00.004-06:002009-02-25T23:05:02.518-06:00

So a friend of mine who read my last post (and didn't leave a comment) said she's worried I've become an angry hippie. She thinks I need some yoga, which isn't a bad idea anyways! All kidding aside...I do get angry sometimes reading about how big corporations and the government are just messing with our food and other things my son comes into contact with on a daily basis. I was reading today

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-53744948931532037842009-02-12T22:42:00.007-06:002009-02-12T23:52:38.839-06:00

So, a few weeks ago on a bulletin board the question went around "what can't you stand". I didn't think about it again until tonight while watching TV. I've noticed that I have a problem watching all those ads that are trying to sell us things we don't need and are horrible for the us and/or the environment. (This includes a stupid ad on Facebookfor Tide that won't go away) What set me off

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-25209281324573835702009-01-28T23:14:00.005-06:002009-01-29T00:16:07.717-06:00

I've posted about High Fructose Corn Syrup before - here and here. Now it's come out that in many cases it is contaminated with Mercury. You heard that, MERCURY! This contaminated Mercury was found in 31% of the random products tested by The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and 45% of the straight HFCS samples tested by an FDA researcher - in 2005. But this research wasn't published by

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-13234321217881464292009-01-23T14:45:00.004-06:002009-01-23T14:53:30.154-06:00

I've liked will.i.am for a while now - everytime I hear him speak it's about important things and he actually has something to say. Here's a new song and video he's done - I really like it and hope you do, too!PS I got the video code from Grist.org - a site I cannot recommend strong enough!

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-65286411085885814092009-01-15T00:28:00.002-06:002009-01-15T11:07:44.326-06:00

The Denton Municiple Electric has begun GreenSense program and is giving rebates to residents who make energy-saving improvements to their homes. So, now's the time to install those solar panals you've been eyeing. But if that still isn't in your budget even after up to a $15,000 rebate, you can also get rebates on programmable thermostats, solar screens, and even insulation. The energy rebates

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-47014280816022414352009-01-14T21:36:00.005-06:002009-01-14T22:39:57.282-06:00

A few weeks ago when the Green H went to the Denton landfill to recycle our glass, we noticed the HUGE container for the electronic recyclables was missing. In its place was a sign informing us that the City of Denton would soon be charging for taking in TVs and monitors, $15 to be exact. Shinerman said he was surprised it took so long, that it was overflowing the last time he was there. They

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-69183108351955371502008-12-16T23:45:00.002-06:002008-12-17T00:26:46.737-06:00

Thought I'd give a (late) update on my post about the green cement. Last week the Denton City Council voted to buy cement from companies that use the more eco-friendly dry-kiln techniques. Yea! Those of you who contacted the City of Denton's council, feel free to pat yourself on the back...

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-17365700215562090592008-12-08T10:19:00.005-06:002008-12-08T10:38:06.214-06:00

So, I've talked about this shoe company before. Simple Shoes, I love their stuff! Right now they are having free shipping for a limited time. Yes! Oh wait - I'm supposed to be not buying anything for myself and only for my dear loved ones...drat! hmmm, maybe the littlest man will buy some for me for Christmas. Anyway, check out the site AND this little video they made.

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-48906600148709206492008-12-04T02:49:00.004-06:002008-12-04T02:56:25.109-06:00

This week the Denton City Council postponed a vote on new "green" cement requirements for city contracts. They did this because Ash Grove Cement is suing Dallas, Ft Worth, and Plano, among others for similar requirements.Ash Grove "alleges that the green cement resolutions violate Texas law, which it says require municipal bodies to evaluate only the competence of the bidder and the quality and

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-44455884023860089022008-11-23T22:37:00.001-06:002008-11-23T22:37:23.962-06:00

I found this new site where you can track your garden progress. I've already put in this fall's plantings and my wishlist for this spring. I'm a bit geeky so this is right up my alley. Check it out for yourself!

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-62372866835034507302008-11-15T12:57:00.003-06:002008-11-15T13:06:42.173-06:00

This is obviously an industry funded 'holiday', but it's a good cause. So if you don't normally recycle your stuff, find a Texas event near you. There's one in Ft.Worth and Carrollton. Plus, the national site has places where you can make recycling pledges and a "Conversionator" - a cute drag and drop game where you find out how much you save by recycling.So, go forth and RECYCLE!

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-52756128830836329622008-11-12T00:32:00.007-06:002008-11-13T13:10:12.853-06:00

A friend sent this link asking me for my opinion. My response was "Well, As far as anyone can tell those are safer. The problem comes in a couple things: 1) you don't really know – I mean the FDA still says BPA isn't an issue. 2) even if they are safer, they still break down over time and we don't know what they are breaking down into." I did more research, the link was from 2003. I found this

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-54083121551389092302008-11-06T22:30:00.008-06:002008-11-07T14:42:55.042-06:00

It's Pumpkin Time!And what better way to celebrate than to make some BPA-free pumpkin puree for the holidays?We got an organic sweet pumpkin in our co-op delivery this weekend. Since we split the deliveries with a friend, we really got a half a pumpkin - but it was plenty. And what do you do with half a pumpkin? My friend is making soup, but I'm not really a soup girl. But I do like me some

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-87686741633882798122008-10-23T23:13:00.005-05:002008-11-11T21:50:07.147-06:00

So this morning I went out to the garden and picked the last of the ready-to-eat pole beans. Then we had them for dinner!! I just don't know if it gets much better than that. I had about 1/2 a lb, maybe more maybe less. It was enough for us and even enough for Shinerman to have seconds.For dinner you say? We had some lamb stew meat from Burgundy Pasture Beef, marinated with olive oil, rosemary,

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-7061338876659291912008-10-22T16:00:00.001-05:002008-10-22T16:00:00.819-05:00

We eat a box of cereal almost every two weeks here at the Green H. I buy the organic stuff - brand and type depend on my mood. This week I bought Envirokidz Koala Crisps. No, they aren't really healthy, but they looked good and I was feeling generous towards the littlest man.We recycle the boxes, but what to do with the bags? You can't recycle them, so I went on the web looking for some ideas. I

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-20697037767228627652008-10-18T11:32:00.001-05:002008-11-11T21:45:13.898-06:00

So your FND sent me this link. It gives us another reason to cut back on High Fructose Corn Syrup. It's making us FAT!! Well, that and you know all the other nasty-ness we shove too much of into our mouths.Apparently our bodies digest HFCS differently than regular fructose (sugar). But it's natural you say! Please remember people this stuff is processed - putting that much work into an ingredient

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-39573950690684705432008-10-17T08:00:00.002-05:002009-05-08T00:21:36.261-05:00

We have a really cute tote bag with a front pocket that we use for our clothespins. But since we dry so many clothes on the line we needed more clothespins. Of course then the darn things didn't fit into the pocket anymore and the bag is just sort of hanging from the hanger hook.A solution has presented itself - a clothespin bag made out of a kids button-down shirt. It's genius! I get a new bag

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-81268142168093290982008-10-16T22:58:00.002-05:002008-10-16T23:03:04.264-05:00

have I been you ask?bleh - I've been in Boston working 13+ hours and falling asleep in bed while I tried to get more work done.But enough whining, I'm back baby!Thanks to all ya'll who wrote me asking what the heck was I doing - Love you too!

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-23018465548338059552008-10-16T22:47:00.003-05:002008-10-16T22:56:30.976-05:00

Have some magazines hanging around that you haven't gotten around to recycling yet? Well, Denton is hosting a magazine exchange just in time for cleaning up prior to the ramp-up to the holiday season.When: October 25th 9am-12pmWhere: Emily Fowler Public LibraryAny leftovers will be recycled.

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-33094015176533153112008-09-10T17:09:00.004-05:002008-09-10T17:20:16.929-05:00

Not so Sweet Surprise that the corn industry, by way of the Corn Refiners Association, is up in arms. Apparently the backlash against High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has caused them to get two websites going and I recently saw my second commercial today. The first pro-HFCS commercial had me absolutely flabbergasted and falling back on the couch. The biggest problem with the Popsicle she's pushing

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-61215529216927103762008-09-03T16:30:00.001-05:002009-05-08T00:22:35.361-05:00

We've done really well with the clothesline. Back when we first started, I thought we had left some clothes at my mother-in-laws or perhaps just a random location. Where were they? I found them in the dryer about 2 months later.We've only had to use the dryer once since we started using the line. It was raining EVERY FREAKING DAY and the littlst man had NO clothes. So, into the dryer they went -

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-60600463438987229102008-09-02T21:31:00.010-05:002009-05-08T00:22:35.362-05:00

I had a comment from Joy asking if you can use the laundry detergent in the new HE machines. That what Shinerman and I have and it works just fine, not had any problems. One piece of advise: Keep the door to the place where you put the detergent in open. You'll probably need to smush (very technical scientific term, yes?) the detergent when the water starts flowing. My first load had about a

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-8765618227190150262008-08-31T07:34:00.003-05:002008-08-31T07:58:59.889-05:00

If I had money THIS is what I would buy. A composter that you just plug in? You can compost kitty litter???!!!! No more yuck in the backyard?! I am sold – why have I not heard of this before? Apparently it was on Oprah's Earth Day special - but seeing as I work for a living I didn't see the show. It doesn't really get much better than this. A machine that you put your waste into and out comes

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-90427724732508148752008-08-30T15:10:00.008-05:002008-08-30T15:20:00.085-05:00

I've been using vinegar as a general purpose cleaner for a while and have even tried making my own dishwashing detergent. Not so successful with that last one. The stuff doesn't seem to want to rinse off of my dishes.But, I can claim success with making my own laundry detergent! Woohoo! I've had the ingredients for a while, but was pretty intimidated and worried that it wouldn't work – although

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-38393683037661718372008-08-29T07:33:00.000-05:002008-08-29T07:33:00.726-05:00

I posted about this documentary a couple of times and now I've finally seen it. We watched it earlier this month on the Sundance channel. It was interesting. It is about the real estate development of Barton Springs in Austin. But, it doesn't focus on only the development's environmental effects, but also the way changing views and laws effect people and their livelihoods. Don't get me wrong - in

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-75466450359789677582008-08-28T07:46:00.001-05:002008-08-30T15:20:53.583-05:00

We finally got our garden planted for the late summer plantings (I say we, but it was really just Shinerman). We planted pole beans, lettuce, carrots, chives, cilantro, okra, broccoli, broccoli raab, and beets. I bought certified organic seed packets at Central Market.I tried to talk Shinerman into planting the lettuce just a few seeds at a time so we could have successive harvesting, but he

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-39474027410155898762008-08-27T13:39:00.009-05:002008-08-27T13:57:10.351-05:00

Back several months ago I bought one basil plant in a pot. It grew and Shinerman split it in two and planted in new pots. Now every once in a while I'll see rogue basil plants in the yard. There is no rhyme or reason behind their locations.I've seen them in the middle of the yard close to nothing...hiding under the deck...and there is now a giant one in the middle of an ant bed. Also, when we

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-48605264460283849252008-08-05T08:00:00.001-05:002008-08-05T08:00:00.653-05:00

If you weren't able to make it to the Angelika for this showing - I didn't either - you can see it tonight on the Sundance channel. Right after It's Not Easy Being Green. See the trailer here.

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-85605777767360060862008-08-04T22:06:00.003-05:002008-08-04T22:40:33.572-05:00

Everytime I see one of these commercials, I get really ticked. It pretty much says "Let's trash the earth so I don't have to do the dishes" I don't really understand why you can't read your kid a story at bedtime AND do the dishes. And honestly, as old as some of these kids are in the commercials, they should be helping with the dishes anyway. The littlest man helps as much as he's able. But

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-58829216754403989872008-06-26T18:00:00.001-05:002008-06-26T18:00:01.548-05:00

We just had the littlest man's birthday last weekend. We had a great time at one of those indoor bounce places. I made the cupcakes and went with very minimal decorations and took home the plastic to recycle. That was about as green as we could do this year. Next year I'll try to go further, but you know, baby steps.We only bought the man one gift, a wood and metal pot and pan set. Thank god!

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-13291667716586842008-06-26T13:00:00.000-05:002008-06-26T13:00:22.119-05:00

So, yes, I do try very hard to be at home watching TV Tuesday nights at 8pm. Come on, I don't have a TiVo and I'm lovin' me some Sundance channel The Green. I would also love to be able to see Discovery's Planet Green channel (sweet website by the way), but alas DirecTV doesn't have that one on our plan and I'm not going to pay more for just one channel.Anyway, The Green is three hours of great

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-22052320031778406212008-06-25T21:23:00.002-05:002008-06-25T21:50:32.941-05:00

Since my decision to go ahead and make some jam and freeze and/or can some fruit, I've found a great resource for farms you can visit to have a day of picking fun. While many of the early summer crops are already done, there are some late ripening blackberries and of course peaches. It'll have to wait for us until July, though. We're going camping this weekend HOT!!!!

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-60381828781477707082008-06-18T22:02:00.005-05:002008-06-18T22:13:57.691-05:00

I grew up eating my Nanny's plum jams (the absolute best thing to ever touch your tongue) and apple butters, but of course I never asked her how to do it or, unfortunately, make her peach cobbler. She literally had an entire closet full of things she had put up from the garden. The apples, peaches and plums came from the orchard she had – all this on two acres! I've thought about canning some

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-5557961094922522302008-06-11T21:15:00.004-05:002008-06-11T22:00:20.567-05:00

...make it so hard to eat?I saw this post on Enviroblog about food irradiation. It talks about how the government is in progress of relaxing the labeling rules on food treated with radiation. Food treated with radiation you ask? Sure, like you taking a billion x-rays at once or perhaps walking through an open nuclear reactor - you know, like a Sunday stroll. Right now this food must be labeled

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-66836275364551992172008-06-11T14:43:00.003-05:002008-06-11T15:11:01.154-05:00

Let me start with full disclosure. I was a picky eater when I was a kid and on into my twenties. I didn't start eating different things until I went on Weight Watchers and even now I'm still finding new things to eat in my food co-op share. I ate beets for the first time really last night - pretty yummy! BUT, the littlest man does not have my issues with food. He'll try anything, he doesn't

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-42123504819013889232008-06-10T23:09:00.004-05:002008-06-10T23:41:02.844-05:00

I'm finally catching up on work and personal email after my trip to Mexico (no I didn't buy carbon offsets - I know I suck) and visited BabyCenter - it went green! Just kidding, it was just a couple of posts. But, I saw in the comments of this blog post that people are just in LOVE with bleach. I have memories growing up of a sink full of a bleach/water mixture 'cleaning' our white enamel sink. I

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-33190416637309228632008-05-30T21:32:00.002-05:002008-05-30T21:38:06.195-05:00

According to the environmental group, Natural Resources Defense Council, in five years recycling could be easier on the budget than throwing things in the landfill. Of course, even right now recycling is cheaper in terms of the cost to our environment, so if you aren't already recycling get a move on!And please don't use, "my city doesn't pick it up" as an excuse. I have a good friend who lives

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-74122988935490238772008-05-22T17:11:00.004-05:002009-05-08T00:22:35.362-05:00

So I joined Gift of Green's Clothesline Challenge of 2008 (a couple of days ago actually) and I thought I'd go ahead and give a progress report. We signed up for Advanced, which means we'll try to line dry 90% of our clothes. So far so good, we've done two loads of laundry and both were "line-dried", although some of them ended up drying in the house. Refer to the picture below to see why not

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-41256537672146990092008-05-19T22:04:00.001-05:002008-05-19T22:13:20.224-05:00

And so my headache begins…sitting in an airplane waiting to take off. I hear excerpts from conversations next to me, in front of me and the slamming of overhead bins. I'm trying to concentrate on my book and Pollen's long list of all the ways I eat corn. There's a lot.Essentially, any food that's processed and packaged has processed corn products. And you thought you only ate corn from a can?

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-11450635275186679052008-05-01T01:28:00.001-05:002008-05-01T01:58:53.622-05:00

...the Military-Industrial Complex? Hard to say.I read a report today of a recently concluded study - Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America - by Pew Charitable Trusts and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (find it here). I do admit that I didn't read the entire 124 page report, but at least a good portion. The study is essentially about the mass

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-53732122188987134902008-04-28T02:07:00.001-05:002008-04-28T02:12:03.444-05:00

We went to the Denton Arts & Jazz Fest Saturday. Holy Moly! It was packed. With just the one bridge in Quakertown Park (aka Civic Center Park), traveling from one side to the other took waaay too long. Now I remember why we usually go on Sunday morning. We didn't even get a chance to check out the art booths, so no new pottery for me. I guess I don't really need it anyway.We did get a chance to

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-82614480131307192232008-04-22T23:27:00.000-05:002008-04-24T17:10:08.132-05:00

I've dealt with this quandary many times in my journey to become more 'green'. How do you deal with the guilt of giving things to other people that you don't want your own family to touch? Over at Enviromom Heather asks the same questions. After a few days thinking the issue over, I realized that it's not going to a landfill and this will prevent that person from buying the same product new. This

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-74241755747722676352008-04-22T21:03:00.001-05:002008-04-22T21:06:57.201-05:00

So, what did YOU do to celebrate Earth Day? I took the day off… really. I took the littlest man to the Dallas Arboretum for Tiny Tot Tuesday. They have crafts and face painting, music and games. We had a great time. I really enjoyed spending time with him just having fun, and what better day to be out in nature than today? Although, I must say for such a green space it's not a very 'green' place.

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-82722515949532786402008-04-22T20:14:00.001-05:002009-05-08T00:22:35.363-05:00

Shinerman decided that, although we don't have a clothes line yet, he would dry the clothes outside today. I came home to see clothes strewn around the deck and patio furniture. He was very proud of himself. And they did dry a lot faster than I thought they would, so they weren't out there for too long – not that the neighbors would care – they're pretty ghetto-fab themselves! BTW – I think that

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-7598252956735376202008-04-21T22:18:00.001-05:002008-04-21T22:33:47.650-05:00

No, these don't have too much in common, except that I've got both on my mind.We went to the Main St. Ft. Worth Arts Festival Sunday. We had a great time; saw some really good art, ate some pretty good (although not especially good for you) food, then listened to some fun music that had the man and I dancing. I went to the festival's website to see what sort of "greenness" they were offering.

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-91661693336320562172008-04-18T07:48:00.000-05:002008-04-21T22:34:39.385-05:00

Don't forget the Hazardous Waste Disposal tomorrow in Corinth - for Residents only...

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-33240260079390324942008-04-18T07:17:00.001-05:002008-04-18T07:48:06.343-05:00

So, another milestone for me, albeit not a necessarily green one…I bought shoes online. I haven't bought shoes online because I'm always afraid they won't fit and I'm such a procrastinator I wouldn't return them. But, I ordered some the other day, I didn't allow any time to question myself - just Did IT...and they came today and these ARE green. Actually, they're black, made out of old tires,

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-59635506723360610102008-04-16T21:21:00.001-05:002008-04-21T22:35:28.003-05:00

So, we don't use checks very often here at Green H. Most everything is done online or with the credit or debit card. But, we do have the occasional bill that has to be paid with a check. I recently had to order new checks. Usually I just go to the company my bank endorses and click, I'm done. This time I looked to see if there was any modicum of greenness – nope. So, I decided if I was going to

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-21600869494778268942008-04-16T12:12:00.001-05:002008-04-21T22:36:11.958-05:00

According to an article from the New York Times today, Canada is looking into labeling bisphenol-a (BPA) toxic. This is the ingredient in many of our water bottles and food containers. I've heard of this before and since I wasn't using the man's bottles anymore anyway, decided to get rid of them. But it's baby-having season around here and time to give gifts. I usually just buy off the registry,

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-70878088391832316592008-04-15T21:50:00.001-05:002008-04-21T22:37:31.983-05:00

That's what the littlest man said tonight after bath when we turned out the bathroom light. It made me so proud; it also made feel a tad guilty. Because ours doesn't. It's my own fault, every time we see a windmill – even the decorative ones – I talk about how you can use windmills to create electricity. He's only two, almost three, so he doesn't know that we don't have green power. But, I do and

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-35302896272661002882008-04-11T14:16:00.001-05:002008-04-11T14:39:58.627-05:00

April is filled to the brim with great eco-friendly activities, Earth Day is coming up. Our calendar is already full at the Green H household, and I'm sure yours is as well. (Did everyone have a secret meeting and decide March and April was the best time to have a kid?) Anyway, we will be making time to go to the Live Green Expo in Plano tomorrow. I heard about it in a 'commercial' on NPR and

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-882950763540579781.post-8616193745706217832008-04-11T13:26:00.001-05:002008-04-11T13:38:33.013-05:00

I've decided to start a blog to track my steps on the path to a greener life; this includes the family as well. I've already made many steps, but I'd like to be able to talk about them without people giving me a funny look (yes, you the guy at the sandwich shop who didn't know what to do with the reusable bag I gave you upon checkout…put my sandwiches and chips in there, please! Thank you). My

Maxine from Texashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05782441499193897910noreply@blogger.com0