Welcome to our All About Rice series! Find more rice cooking tips, buying suggestions, and recipes here. I know what you're thinking: "Seriously, Emily, another post about rice? Move on with your life already." For the record, just this morning alone, I downed two cups of coffee, scrubbed dried banana off the floor, and poked my sister on Facebook. All before 9 am. So, as you can see, there is way more to my life than just rice. But I couldn't jump off the topic without sharing about the best places to buy rice in the Portland-metro area. I compared three stores: Winco, Costco, and Fubonn (a local Asian supermarket). This post should give you a Keep Reading
All About Rice: The best places to buy rice + Costco, WinCo & Asian supermarket price comparisons
Go Green Challenge: Putting together outfits using secondhand clothing
Earlier I spilled my guts about why I am now committed to buying secondhand clothing. Now I'm going to show you exactly how I've done it! I'm still quite new to secondhand clothing, but I have been delightfully surprised at the options both locally in Portland and online. First, a few disclaimers: :: I am not a fashion expert. I have spent my life just copying people I think are cute, which means I'm not on the cutting-edge. What you'll find with me is basic, modest, and hopefully with a touch of trendy. :: I am in my late thirties and have no intention of trying to convince people that I'm younger than I am. I think 38 is pretty cool, and I don't Keep Reading
Go Green Challenge: How I became a used clothing convert
Welcome to our Go Green Challenge: 4 Weeks to an Earth-Friendly Home! Find more posts from this series here. As a reminder, we are focusing on buying only used this week. ************************************* Let's talk clothes. I really enjoy clothes -- I like looking at fashion and even enjoy shopping up to a certain point. Fashionista, I am not, but I do like everyday, regular-girl fashion. I am not into couture, designer labels, or cutting edge anything. I'm fairly pedestrian in all areas of life, including the clothing I wear and like. I have always purchased clothing on sale or from the clearance racks. That's what I've been taught -- when I Keep Reading
Go Green Challenge: Go Used
Welcome to our Go Green Challenge: 4 Weeks to an Earth-Friendly Home! Find more posts from this series here. **************************** Welcome to Week Two of our Go Green Challenge! I am happy to report that the mad-recycling and diligent composting is making a significant difference in our garbage output! Ladies and gentlemen, that is less than half of what we sent to the landfill last Monday morning. It's probably a full kitchen bag's worth of garbage and over half of that are disposable diapers. I might be turning into one of those crazy people who reduce garbage service to once-a-month once Lucy is doing her business on the Keep Reading
What’s for dinner? This week’s menu plan (4/29)
My husband spent this past weekend out-of-town with the guys while I spent the weekend at home with a head cold. It involved some of my finest Couch Parenting to date. Is it just me or has this cold-and-flu season been dragging on forever?! I am planning to make The Ultimate Cold Cure tomorrow. I don't even care if it's "really very nasty." Have you seen this week's weather forecast? Anyway, all that to say, last week's menu plan was kicked to the curb and buried beneath a pile of Kleenex. I am hoping to get back on track. And out of my yoga pants. Here's what's for dinner at my house this week: Monday -- Chicken Noodle Soup, homemade Keep Reading
Go Green Challenge: Week one updates
Welcome to our Go Green Challenge: 4 Weeks to an Earth-Friendly Home! Find more posts from this series here. As a reminder, we are focusing on reducing the amount of waste we send to the landfill this week. **************************** Despite my lack of updates, the Go Green Challenge has been going full force in our home this past week. I was all geared up to share our worm compost bin, all my scratch-cookin', and other no-waste activities when Baby Lucy reached her eight-month birthday and life came to.a.screeching.halt. Yup, Lucy has entered the "either I'm in your arms or screaming my face off" phase. I knew it was coming, but I forgot just Keep Reading
Go Green Challenge: Week one’s goals (ways we are reducing waste)
Welcome to our Go Green Challenge: 4 Weeks to an Earth-Friendly Home! Find more posts from this series here. As a reminder, we are focusing on reducing the amount of waste we send to the landfill this week. **************************** Week one of the Go Green Challenge has my family focusing on reducing our garbage. The ultimate goal is to get to zero-waste, but considering where we are coming from, nothing in the trash can is probably unrealistic. But I do believe we can make a significant dent in what we send to the landfill by making some changes to our lifestyle. Here is what we are focusing on this week and will continue to implement Keep Reading