Ok, I will save the which tree, real or fake, is better for the environment debate for next year, but for this year, I will discuss ways to dispose of a live (real) tree. Since the trees are organic in nature, they will break down on their own in a landfill anyway, but there are more environmentally-friendly ways to dispose of them. Before doing any of the following things though, you first need to remove ALL decorations (this means each and every strand of tinsel) and should remove any plastic bags, wires, nails, etc as well.
- Probably the most economical way to recycle your tree is to have it mulched or chipped. Where I live, this is a free service offered by many towns. The resulting mulch is then free for residents to use in their gardens and plant beds. It is important to note, if you plan to use the mulch in your plant beds, let it decompose first. Otherwise, as it decomposes the plants and the mulch will be competing for the nitrogen in the soil. They can also be used in a compost pile, but they do take a while to compost.
- See if your city or town offers tree recycling. Chances are they will do the same as above, but use the mulch or chippings in city parks and trails.
- Look into donating the tree to a wildlife refuge or using it in your own yard as a place for small animals and birds to take cover from predators and harsh weather. You can either simply toss it on its side or put the entire thing outside in a stand, allowing it to be used as it would have been naturally used. You can then mulch or chip it in the spring.
- Drop it into a pond or lake (check local laws first) that is stocked with fish. The fish will use the tree for cover as well and a safe place to locate food.
- Use the wood to build a bird house.
- Cut the branches off and then cut into logs for a campfire. It is not recommended to use unseasoned pine logs in a fireplace though because a resin can build up and start a chimney fire. Of course you can season the pine logs by allowing them to sit outside for at least one year to dry out the sap. Then they are safe for burning in a fireplace. The needles and branches can be allowed to dry out for use as kindling and tinder for campfires as well.
However you choose to dispose of your tree, please be sure it is safe and that it does not violate any local laws. Any of the above ways are great for keeping the trees out of the landfills. While they will eventually decompose, they do take a long time and take up valuable landfill space.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Family Friday: Time Capsule and an assignment
As another year comes to a close, I look back at how much has happened in the past 12months and how much my kids have grown. For our household, we experienced quite a bit in 2008. Grandma came to visit us from Washington state (to NY), not just once, but twice this year. We traveled to Florida for a family vacation and to visit old friends of ours from when we lived there. I got very sick and spent some time in the hospital prior to giving birth 6 weeks early to our beautiful son, and then had to stay in the hospital several days more after delivery. Our son stayed in the NICU for almost 3 weeks and we were so happy when our entire family was home together. Our last big event in 2008 (I hope) was our recent move. We did not move too far, but far enough that the kids had to say goodbye to some acquaintances that they probably will not see again. These were just family events from the past year and do not include the historic presidential campaigns and election, the major flucuations of gas prices, or the financial crisis we have witnessed in the housing and stock markets.
I am sure we are not the only family that experiences such major changes each year and I know millions of others experienced the other events along with us. How neat it would be to look back on past years and see the changes experienced not just in the world, but also in your home. This year, we are planning to put together a family time capsule as part of our New Year's Eve celebration. We wil include a family picture taken at Christmas, several pictures from throughout the year (depicting the major events of the year), news clippings, and any special pictures or crafts made by family members. Additionally, each person (who can write) will write a little about themselves and their personal events of the past year. They will include favorites (foods, colors, etc) friends, future goals, etc. We will then pack the time capsule away with our Chirstmas decorations to be reviewed next New Year's Eve. I am hoping to do this every year and slowly add to the time capsule collection so that we can review not only the prior year, but also 5 years prior or 10 years prior, etc. Another option would be to create a year-end scrapbook together.
Now onto the assignment: Another thing I am planning on New Year's is to set some goals as a family for 2009. Next week's Family Friday will be to discuss the goals we have set. Your assignment is to think about what goals you would like to set for your family and either discuss them with your family to agree on them (they ARE family goals, not OUR goals for the family) or set up a time to do so. Be sure to include goals that span a variety of areas in your family life. For us, we will have spiritual goals (can include setting up regular family scripture reading or prayer, regular church attendance, etc), time goals (committing to spending a certain amount of time to certain activities), economic goals, health goals (can include increasing eating healthy foods, decreasing eating unhealthy foods, increasing exercise, decreasing idle time) and recreation goals (can include vacation plans or extracurricular activities).
I am sure we are not the only family that experiences such major changes each year and I know millions of others experienced the other events along with us. How neat it would be to look back on past years and see the changes experienced not just in the world, but also in your home. This year, we are planning to put together a family time capsule as part of our New Year's Eve celebration. We wil include a family picture taken at Christmas, several pictures from throughout the year (depicting the major events of the year), news clippings, and any special pictures or crafts made by family members. Additionally, each person (who can write) will write a little about themselves and their personal events of the past year. They will include favorites (foods, colors, etc) friends, future goals, etc. We will then pack the time capsule away with our Chirstmas decorations to be reviewed next New Year's Eve. I am hoping to do this every year and slowly add to the time capsule collection so that we can review not only the prior year, but also 5 years prior or 10 years prior, etc. Another option would be to create a year-end scrapbook together.
Now onto the assignment: Another thing I am planning on New Year's is to set some goals as a family for 2009. Next week's Family Friday will be to discuss the goals we have set. Your assignment is to think about what goals you would like to set for your family and either discuss them with your family to agree on them (they ARE family goals, not OUR goals for the family) or set up a time to do so. Be sure to include goals that span a variety of areas in your family life. For us, we will have spiritual goals (can include setting up regular family scripture reading or prayer, regular church attendance, etc), time goals (committing to spending a certain amount of time to certain activities), economic goals, health goals (can include increasing eating healthy foods, decreasing eating unhealthy foods, increasing exercise, decreasing idle time) and recreation goals (can include vacation plans or extracurricular activities).
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
I just wanted to take this time to wish all of you a wonderful Christmas. If you do not celebrate Christmas, that's ok too, I still hope you have a great day!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Wellness Wednesday: A Healthy Christmas
Why wait until the new year to start eating healthy? Here are some healthy recipes for Christmas cookies and Christmas Day breakfast.
Santa eats a lot of cookies on Christmas Eve. Why not offer him a slightly healthier cookie this year, that still tastes yummy? Add a glass of fat-free milk and he is ready to go.
Glazed Cranberry-Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (recipe created and owned by Danielle Garcia, please contact me if you want to reprint this)
yield: 28 cookies
1 c. wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
3 c. quick cooking oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c pureed or canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. egg substitute (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites)
1/2 c. fat-free milk
1 1/2 tsp maple extract (you could use vanilla in a pinch)
1 1/2 c cranberries, chopped (can use fresh or dried)
2/3 c. walnuts, chopped
Glaze ingredients
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp fat-free milk
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2) Sift together flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt; set aside. Cream together pureed pumpkin, butter, and sugar. Stir in egg substitute, milk and maple extract. Gradually stir in flour mixture, until well-blended. (Note- this can all be done with a mixer, up to this point, from here proceed by hand.) Stir in cranberries and nuts.
3) Drop dough by tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let sit for 1-2 minutes and then remove to wire cooling rack.
4) Combine glaze ingredients. Place into a Ziploc-style bag. Snip a small corner off and drizzle glaze onto cookies.
For breakfast Christmas morning, try Cooking Light's Overnight Caramel French Toast served with sliced banana on top. It is great because you can prepare it tonight and pop it in the oven while opening gifts and it will be ready when you are done (well 50 minutes later).
Another breakfast option is:
Hot Brown Rice Breakfast Cereal(recipe created and owned by Danielle Garcia, please contact me if you want to reprint this)
serves 6
3 c. cooked brown rice ( a great way to use up leftover brown rice)
3 c. fat-free milk
1/4 c. dried blueberries (other dried fruit may be substituted)
1/4 c. toasted almonds (or other nut), chopped
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. honey
1/4 c. egg substitute
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp butter
1) Combine rice, milk, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon and honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low; simmer for 20 minutes.
2) Whisk together 1 Tbsp. of the rice mixture and the egg substitute. Continue doing this, 1 Tbsp at a time, until you have added 6 Tbsp. Stir the egg mixture, the vanilla, and butter into the hot rice mixture and cook over low heat for another 1-2 minutes.
Whatever you choose to eat, enjoy and have a wonderful Christmas season!
Santa eats a lot of cookies on Christmas Eve. Why not offer him a slightly healthier cookie this year, that still tastes yummy? Add a glass of fat-free milk and he is ready to go.
Glazed Cranberry-Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies (recipe created and owned by Danielle Garcia, please contact me if you want to reprint this)
yield: 28 cookies
1 c. wheat flour
1 c. all purpose flour
3 c. quick cooking oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c pureed or canned pumpkin
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. egg substitute (or 1 egg and 2 egg whites)
1/2 c. fat-free milk
1 1/2 tsp maple extract (you could use vanilla in a pinch)
1 1/2 c cranberries, chopped (can use fresh or dried)
2/3 c. walnuts, chopped
Glaze ingredients
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 Tbsp fat-free milk
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2) Sift together flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt; set aside. Cream together pureed pumpkin, butter, and sugar. Stir in egg substitute, milk and maple extract. Gradually stir in flour mixture, until well-blended. (Note- this can all be done with a mixer, up to this point, from here proceed by hand.) Stir in cranberries and nuts.
3) Drop dough by tablespoon onto prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Let sit for 1-2 minutes and then remove to wire cooling rack.
4) Combine glaze ingredients. Place into a Ziploc-style bag. Snip a small corner off and drizzle glaze onto cookies.
For breakfast Christmas morning, try Cooking Light's Overnight Caramel French Toast served with sliced banana on top. It is great because you can prepare it tonight and pop it in the oven while opening gifts and it will be ready when you are done (well 50 minutes later).
Another breakfast option is:
Hot Brown Rice Breakfast Cereal(recipe created and owned by Danielle Garcia, please contact me if you want to reprint this)
serves 6
3 c. cooked brown rice ( a great way to use up leftover brown rice)
3 c. fat-free milk
1/4 c. dried blueberries (other dried fruit may be substituted)
1/4 c. toasted almonds (or other nut), chopped
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbsp. honey
1/4 c. egg substitute
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbsp butter
1) Combine rice, milk, dried fruit, nuts, cinnamon and honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low; simmer for 20 minutes.
2) Whisk together 1 Tbsp. of the rice mixture and the egg substitute. Continue doing this, 1 Tbsp at a time, until you have added 6 Tbsp. Stir the egg mixture, the vanilla, and butter into the hot rice mixture and cook over low heat for another 1-2 minutes.
Whatever you choose to eat, enjoy and have a wonderful Christmas season!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Try It Tuesday: Fresh pomegranates
Ok, I have had fresh pomegranates before, but I have a new way of getting the seeds out that is soooooo much easier and quicker. I recently saw on Martha Stewart's show that you can quarter a pomegranate and hold it over a bowl, seed side down. Then take the back of a wooden spoon and just whack the back of the pomegranate repeatedly. It is sort of fun and a good way to relieve a bit of stress, but the best part is it removes just about every seed in a matter of moments. After seeing it done on Martha, I just had to try it. I picked up a pomegranate this week and tried it. It worked fabulously and I had a bowl full of gorgeous crimson seeds in about 5 minutes, instead of an hour. One word of caution: be sure to hold it deep in the bowl and/or do not wear a good shirt and do not do it near anything you do not want little reddish-purple stains on. You do not lose a lot of juice, but you are likely to get some spattering as you hit the back of the fruit.
Do I recommend this method for removing pomegranate seeds? Absolutley!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Money Monday: Start Planning For Christmas Now
Ok, not this Christmas, next Christmas. Do you have people on your list that you have realized you bought an extra gift, or two, for? What do you do with the extra gifts? I am sure some of you return them, some will use the gift for another person, a few will hold onto it for the recipient's birthdayor other event, but many will just go ahead and give the extra gifts to the intended recipient anyway. The best thing (at least for your pocketbook) is to simply stash it away for next year (or their birthday at least). Then, before you start your holiday shopping next year, be sure to check your stash and cross off those people whom you already have gifts for.
Another way to build up that "stash" is to shop clearance sales and the day after Christmas is the best time to start. You will also find that many stores have toys deeply (often to 75% off) discounted in mid-January. Do your birthday shopping for the year and get a head start on your holiday shopping for next year by shopping these great sales.
Now that gifts are taken care of, let's move to decorations. The day after Christmas is also a great time to pick these up for a steal on the price. You can also get lots of red and silver decor and candies and such to use for Valentine's Day. Craft stores actually start taking deep discounts before the holiday. This week's Michael's ad says their Christmas items are already 70% (maybe 75%, the ad is in the van) off. I may not have time to pwhip up any Christmas decorations for this year, but I have a heck of a head start for next year and they were a fraction of the price.
Don't forget the holiday dresses and outfits either. These will go on clearance over the next few weeks as well. The only drawback here is that you have to try and guess what size someone will be in 12 months. The benefit is, if you are wrong, you can always gift the item or sell it on eBay or Craigslist.
I do not recommend buying food a year ahead of time, but be sure to check the deals anyway. I have often found refrigerated cookie dough with holiday themes for less than $1 (combine with a coupon and they are free or close to it), soon after Christmas ends. I buy and bake them up for the kids or even for a New Year's get together. No one ever minds the holiday theme. While on the topic of food, be sure to check your grocers for deals on meat and baked goods soon before closing time on Christmas Eve (if you can). Many will mark down meat and baked goods in preparation of being closed for 24 hours. We bought a fresh turkey at Sam's Club several Christmas Eve's ago for 19 cents a pound, an hour before the store closed.
You do not need to do all these things to save money, but the more you do, the more money you can save. Plus, it lessens the amount of stuff you need to get next year, allowing you more time to spend doing other things that are more enjoyable.
Another way to build up that "stash" is to shop clearance sales and the day after Christmas is the best time to start. You will also find that many stores have toys deeply (often to 75% off) discounted in mid-January. Do your birthday shopping for the year and get a head start on your holiday shopping for next year by shopping these great sales.
Now that gifts are taken care of, let's move to decorations. The day after Christmas is also a great time to pick these up for a steal on the price. You can also get lots of red and silver decor and candies and such to use for Valentine's Day. Craft stores actually start taking deep discounts before the holiday. This week's Michael's ad says their Christmas items are already 70% (maybe 75%, the ad is in the van) off. I may not have time to pwhip up any Christmas decorations for this year, but I have a heck of a head start for next year and they were a fraction of the price.
Don't forget the holiday dresses and outfits either. These will go on clearance over the next few weeks as well. The only drawback here is that you have to try and guess what size someone will be in 12 months. The benefit is, if you are wrong, you can always gift the item or sell it on eBay or Craigslist.
I do not recommend buying food a year ahead of time, but be sure to check the deals anyway. I have often found refrigerated cookie dough with holiday themes for less than $1 (combine with a coupon and they are free or close to it), soon after Christmas ends. I buy and bake them up for the kids or even for a New Year's get together. No one ever minds the holiday theme. While on the topic of food, be sure to check your grocers for deals on meat and baked goods soon before closing time on Christmas Eve (if you can). Many will mark down meat and baked goods in preparation of being closed for 24 hours. We bought a fresh turkey at Sam's Club several Christmas Eve's ago for 19 cents a pound, an hour before the store closed.
You do not need to do all these things to save money, but the more you do, the more money you can save. Plus, it lessens the amount of stuff you need to get next year, allowing you more time to spend doing other things that are more enjoyable.
Regarding Simply Sundays
I have made a decision to no longer regularly post on Sundays. I believe Sundays should be a day of rest, but I feel stressed when I have not posted for the day, so I am releasing that "weight" by saying I will still post on sundays, but only when it is convenient. All other days will remain the same. Stay tuned for Money Monday later this evening and the promised giveaway that I am late on posting. Thank you for understanding.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)