Did some natural egg dyes this year. I kind of felt like a mad scientist, which is always fun. It was definitely all experimentation. Some of the colors are lovely while others are bleh. Take the beet colored ones; they were supposed to be pink but turned out brown. I'm just glad Sweetpea didn't throw a fit because there were no pink...
(Please ignore my wreck of a house in the background!)
Some of the ingredients were a bust *coughbeetsandorangecough*
We bathed all but one of the eggs overnight to get deep color.
Funny how the Easter Bunny is crafty and loves Target clearance items....
The smears are from fingers smudging wet eggs. I love the grey, yellow, and blue!
I also want to highlight a wonderful site called TPcraft.com.
Toilet paper rolls are some of the easiest things to recycle. Everyone has them available and they are completely free. Shannon at TPcraft.com shares great crafts that she does with her four year old son and my favorite part is that she pairs each craft with a book suggestion! Check out some of the spring/Easter crafts she has posted recently:
I plan on doing each of these with Sweet Pea today!
What are you going to do with your little ones to celebrate Earth Day? Sustainability starts young and by setting a good example we pave the way for a "greener" next generation.
When you eat a cheeseburger does this image come to mind?
I'm guessing not. That my friends, is what comes out of a cow's rear end.
Why the heck am I talking about cow poo? Well, it's a large contributor to carbon emissions on our planet, even rivaling what comes out of our cars' exhaust pipes. That lovely smell you recognize is a reminder that copious amounts of methane is being released into the atmosphere. Normally not an issue, but our extreme cravings for red meat has created a farming system that is more of just an endless collection of factory-farms. Lots of cows crammed together equals lots of poop, which equals a lot of methane.
The fact that cattle and other livestock consume a large amount of crops, which have to be transported to the feed lots (producing more greenhouse gases) is another big hit to the environment. Often times areas of grassland and rain forest (remember plants remove carbon dioxide from the air!) are destroyed to make more feed lots. Add in the questionable ethics in the treatment of animals on these operations, and you have a big mess all the way around.
So what can you do?
Educate yourself. Our food market is a pretty scary thing when you start really looking into it. Do a quick Google search to see what resources you can find. If you want some instant education Food Inc. is a fantastic documentary that will open your eyes.
Eat less meat. I'm not saying you need to become a vegetarian (but if you are interested check this out!), but reducing the amount of meat in your diet can have a big impact on the environment. It can also have a big impact on your waistline! I substitute alot of our meats with plant-based protein. Some of our favorites come from Morningstar Farms and you should be able to find them easily in any grocery store.
The best part (for me) is that these are all frozen products. I hate cooking. And please don't think I'm perfect when it comes to these matters. I enjoy a big fat cheeeburger every once in a while, so in no way am I trying to preach that meat is pure evil. Just wanted to put that out there :)
Want to give them a try? Now is your chance!
I'm going to giveaway a gift package of MorningStar Farms frozen foods. I am not being paid by the company, nor have I been provided with products; I'm just a big fan of the food and I think you will be too!
To enter:
Leave a comment telling me what you are doing to celebrate Earth Day!
You don't have to be a follower of Treasure & Tranquility, but please do if you like! Giveaway closes Friday, April 29th at Midnight EST.
*Entry limited to residents of the 48 contiguous US states. (And if anyone has tips on shipping with dry ice let me know!)
When I first started this blogging thing there were a couple of blogs that I got a crush on. You know what I'm talking about, those blogs where every post inspires you and you get giddy when something new comes up on your dashboard. Admit it, Treasure & Tranquility is one of those blogs......*insert extreme sarcasm!*
She recently took a little break from blogging to welcome her first child into her family. And although I missed her posts, how can I blame her for wanting to spend time with this cutie!? But now she is back and I can crush some more. :)
Before taking her maternity leave Amanda posted this fabulous Family Gallery Wall.
I fell in love and knew that someday I would have to do the same... and here it is!
It's a small gallery right now, but I expect it to grow. I had bunches of Sweetpea's artwork in a box and I've been thinking of a way to showcase it. Problem solved. All the frames are thrifted and I just happen to have a can of spray paint meant for plastic already. Easy peasy!
She's super proud and was so excited to see it all up on the wall!
Best of all it really give our house that "home" feel, which I can honestly say I've never felt until now.
Love, love, love it! I can't wait to add more masterpieces.
I love to read other people's blogs. There are some amazingly creative and talented people out there in Blogland. A great place to get inspiration for a new project is to see what other people have done, plain and simple. That is why I love linky parties; tons of ideas in one spot.
I've found a couple of linky parties today that have the "green" theme going on.
l]
