I’m really excited to kick off another giveaway, this time a handmade eco-friendly product from an Etsy seller!

Junebugcreative is located right here in Nashville and makes beautiful hand-poured soy candles from repurposed and upcycled containers. The candles are for sale in earth-loving shops around the city, but now you can find her on Etsy selling these awesome candles. She also says that she’s been busy making custom candles from people’s favorite containers which they send to her for pouring. So if you’re looking to repurpose a container you already have, you can convo her through Etsy. The green-ness of this whole process makes me giddy inside!!!

I bought three adorable reindeer candles at Christmastime and absolutely loved them. We’re not big into having over-powering scents in the house (unless it’s lasagna in the oven), and these candles are really tastefully scented. This was also my first experience burning soy candles which last FOREVER! Did you guys know that? WHY DIDN’T YOU LET ME IN ON THE SECRET?

Anyway, Junebugcreative is sponsoring this weeks’ giveaway which is a beautiful blue and white teacup soy candle, perfect for you, or as a gift! (Hint: Mother’s Day is just around the bend!)

RULES:

• Giveaway is open to US and CA residents only
• One winner will be chosen at random
• Giveaway closes at 12:00 noon CT on Thursday, March 11th
• You can enter more than once by updating your Twitter, blog or Facebook status with a link to this post
• Bonus: I’d love to hear what your favorite candle scent is!

And don’t forget to check out Junebugcreative’s Etsy shop for more candles here.

Over the past few years we’ve made some little changes in our lifestyle to be a bit more eco-friendly. We recycle every possible thing, use reusable grocery bags, re-use plastic bags for doggie poo, and pack Matt’s lunch in one of a few cute little reusable bags that my sister made for me. Recently we’ve made the switch over to cloth napkins seeing as I have so many beautiful ones that have been gifted to me over the years, and you know what? We don’t even miss paper napkins. Since I’ll be using cloth diapers, I’ll be switching over exclusively to all-natural biodegradable laundry soap, and while I’m at it I’ve decided to go whole hog and only use non-toxic plant-based cleaning products throughout the whole house.

Some of the products I’m already using are Sweet Grass Farm’s all-purpose cleaner (which I got last week and love btw!) for my kitchen and bathroom, Method’s Wood for Good wood surface cleaner for dusting our wood furniture, the Shark Steam Mop for our floors which requires nothing other than water and reusable microfiber cloths, and rags or reusable microfiber cloths for cleaning and dusting instead of paper towels. (Although don’t dust with paper towels. That’s a bad idea.)

I’ve found that it’s well worth the additional cost for some of these “green” cleaning products because I’m not spending nearly as much on paper goods. And with a high efficiency washer, I haven’t seen a bump in our water or electricity bills at all even with all the extra laundry.

So here’s where you come in. I feel like I still need to hang on to my bottle of bleach for the tough scrubbing of outdoor items. Does anyone have a better/greener solution? Maybe rent a power washer once a year? I’m also looking for something akin to dryer sheets that might not have as many chemicals, and a dishwasher tablet that works effectively. I’ve heard Method Smarty and Simplicity tabs are both good options. And who knows of a carpet cleaner that works well to remove pet messes? I’m currently using Arm & Hammer, but would like to try something else.

While we’re at it, what are some of your favorite ways to go green?

Ohmyword I can’t believe I haven’t told you about this yet. It’s revolutionary and smells delicious and is good for the environment, and it’s basically equivalent to having a husband who puts down the toilet seat. AFTER EVERY USE.

For Christmas this year, our theme was “local gifts.” They could be either associated with your locale, or locally made, and in this situation the gift that my older sister gave me was both: Sweet Grass Farm Lemon Verbana Laundry Soap and Liquid Dish Soap. I haven’t used the dish soap yet because I’m using up a bottle of generic store brand, but I use the laundry soap for every load now, and I don’t think I can possibly go back.

First of all, it smells absolutely divine and leaves our clothes smelling fresh but not feeling… I dunno… heavily processed? Does that make sense? Probably not, but it does to me. I only use a smidge of it – 1/8th of a cup for each load so I have a whole slew of it left, and it works like a charm on HE frontloaders. Now, I’m a girl who loves doing laundry (don’t ask me why), and this soap takes the task of laundry to an all new nirvana. I keep it in a glass jar on top of my washer, and just looking at it makes me giddy. Now I need to find out if it’s suitable for washing cloth diapers or not? If so, I will definitely never go back.

So today after cleaning the bathroom and realizing I was running out of the generic “green” spray cleaner that I use in there, I thought to myself, “Self, I bet Sweet Grass Farm has a truly green spray cleaner that I could use in the bathroom.” So I mosied over to their site, and by jove, THEY DO!

I’m also thinking about their dusting spray because I have so much daggone painted trim in this house, and it collects dust like you wouldn’t believe. I guess it’s the wood floors?

Now I just need to decide if I want to branch out from the Lemon Verbana scent that I totally love and try something new? Eeeeny meeny miney moe…

Everyone has them, right? Those things you really want to do when you have kids, and nothing will detract you from it, sohelpyouGOD! I know they’re probably a bunch of crock and that the most important thing is to love your kids, to be flexible, and to be constantly there for them. But I kinda think it’s good to have some expectations and hopes for yourself in advance.

1. Cloth diapering from day one. Yeup. I’m planning on having plenty of disposables around for travel, emergencies, and moments when it would just be dang easier to have a disposable around. But for the rest of the time I’ll be rockin bumGenius’. Not only will we save money in the long run, but oh gosh… what those disposables are doing to our earth!

2. Breastfeeding. I know it’s not always possible, but I am hopeful that I’ll be able to breastfeed. Good for the baby, and really good for me – in lowering my chances of breast cancer. And cheaper! Three cheers for cheaper!

3. Spaced-out vaccines. Yup, our kid will get all of the necessary vaccines – that’s SUPER important. But not all at once. I’m hoping to find a great pediatrician that will let me space out the vaccines and come in more frequently so there are fewer vaccines in each sitting.

Is it because of Matt’s line of work and a fear of Autism? No. Sorry, but research has debunked the theory that Autism is linked to vaccinations. Frankly, your Baby Einstein videos are probably more to blame.

The reason I want to do delayed vaccinations is because I think it’s important to watch for reactions to vaccines, and it’s harder to do that when your kid has had 5 shots in one day. Plus, I couldn’t handle 5 shots in one day, so why would I submit my kid to that?

4. No TV til age 2. I know, this makes us the strangest back-woodsy people on the face of the planet. But studies continue to conclude that early childhood development is best when there isn’t exposure to TV before age 2. It would be really easy to become that family that always has the tv on from dawn til dusk, and I really don’t want that to happen. Plus, who needs kids TV shows when you could be dancing to the Beatles?

5. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. This is HUGE for us. We just don’t want a ton of baby junk. We don’t feel it’s necessary to have millions of toys everywhere, and bottle warmers and video surveillance systems. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. It works for some people, and that’s their prerogative. But Matt and I just don’t want all the stuff! We’re going to take any and all hand-me-downs that we can, and because of that we only have 21 things on our registry (Wait, you already have a registry at three months? More on that another day…). I just want to raise low-maintenance kids, and I’d rather they have a library that rivals the Library of Congress, than to have endless toys and baby gear. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

6. Spending lots of time romping with pets outside. I’ll admit that this one has a lot to do with the fact that I personally love animals and I personally love being outside. But I think it’s really important for kids to get fresh air every day. I also think it’s really important for them to play in the dirt and be surrounded by animal germs and allergens to build strong immune systems. Kids spend way too much time inside, and they need to get their energy out and roll around in stuff. But I promise to clean em up and wipe em down with Purell before they come to your house.

7. Southern Manners. So it will be a while before the kid in my womb is running around chatting it up, but one thing I love about people down here is how polite they are. We’d like to teach our kid to do the whole “Yes, Ma’am/No, Sir” thing, and just about every adult we meet will have a title before their name. I love that about kids down here, and I want that little piece of Southern charm to rub off on my family.

These are just the first few things that Matt and I have discussed, and I guess it sounds pretty old school. But I really believe that less is more, and I don’t want my kids to wind up like Gen Y brats. What hopes or expectations did you have as a first-time parent?

I don’t know why, but tonight I’m inspired to share with you some of the charitable organizations that Matt and I like to support. It’s that time of the year where people start ramping their giving up for the year, and this year proves to be a tough one for non-profits hoping to break even during a recession. Maybe you’re looking for a new place to give back? All of these would be great choices.

1. Habitat for Humanity. I’ve recently started volunteering with Habitat, and let me tell you, I could not be more impressed with this organization. The biggest misconception is that they give away houses for free. On the contrary, they provide interest-free loans to families who have worked very hard to be fiscally responsible. The programs and classes that they provide to support these families are truly amazing. And the families themselves are even more amazing. I’m really psyched to see how working with Habitat changes my perceptions and pushes me outside of my comfort zone in the next year or so.
2. Mosaic Community of Faith. This group is essentially our dear friends Robert and Michelle, the couple who gave us pre-marital counseling and married us. Two greater people I have never known. They have done loads of community outreach in their neighborhood in Columbus, OH, and have opened their home up to anyone and everyone in need of a place to call home. It’s really hard to describe everything they do, but they live a missional lifestyle that is all about serving and helping others in their community. To find out more about them or to send a check, you can reach them at: 1358 N 5th St, Columbus, OH 43201 or info@breakdividingwalls.org . They are non-denominational and will basically rock your socks off.
3. Elim Christian Services. This is an awesome organization in Chicago that educates kids with all kinds of disabilities including Autism. They do it in a really respectful and empowering way, and let me tell you, the kids send us THE CUTEST artwork in the mail. It’s worth giving to them just to have something to hang on your fridge.
4. Compassion International. Compassion is a highly-regarded organization for international child sponsorship. We’ve been sponsoring a kid in Burkina Faso for about two years now, and it’s been really fun. We get letters from him in French which I embarrassingly try to translate on my own, and he always includes adorable drawings (more fridge artwork!). We’re hoping to take a trip to Burkina Faso in the next few years to meet him in person.
5. Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation. Now for a great organization that isn’t faith-based! Fidelco raises German Shepherds with very strict breeding and training to be world-class guide dogs. They place a high priority on community involvement and are changing the lives of people with disabilities by providing exceptional canine companions that significantly improve the standard of living of their owners. Can you tell that I HEART THIS ORGANIZATION!?!??!
6. National Parks Conservation Association. As you’re probably well aware, our national parks are SHAMELESSLY under-funded and many are falling into disrepair. The NPCA works hard at raising money and fighting for better legislation to protect our national parks. They have a pretty great magazine that comes along with your membership, and is well worth a small donation. The national parks belong to US and it’s OUR job to preserve them for our own enjoyment as well as for future generations.

So that’s the list that I can think of at the moment. What are some of the organizations that you love to support and how will you be spreading cheer during this Holiday season?

Oh My Word. Dwight Hinkle from Hinkle Paint and Refinishing is my new BFF. He came to the house this morning at 9 am, and left at 7 pm. In one day’s work he radically transformed our bathroom. Here’s what the sitch was.

We had wall tile and a tub that were in really good condition considering the age. There were a few cracks in the tile, but it had been somewhat recently re-grouted. The only problem was majorly outdated colors. So in this situation, there are a few things you can do. You can rip out all of the tile and the bathtub, find all kinds of problems from doing that demo, and spend a fortune in time and elbow grease fixing and replacing everything. But if the only problem is cosmetic, why not refinish?

The process puts a new glaze (of your color choice) on the tile and creates a finish that is similar to porcelain. It should only be cleaned with green-ish cleaners (fine by me) not abrasives. And the whole process is green in that you’re recycling your current bathroom! Even better, Dwight and other refinishers, are on the brink of switching over to a completely no-VOC system that is easy on the environment instead of the current, rather stinky process.

Dwight came highly recommended, and I would certainly recommend him to others – as far as what great work he did. We’ll see how well it holds up, but with the appropriate care and cleaning, the finish should last 15-20 years. Not bad for the very small price tag.

So here are the before and afters (sorry the after photo is crappy – my camera was on the wrong setting).

From Daily Daguerreotype

From Daily Daguerreotype

From Daily Daguerreotype

From Daily Daguerreotype

We can’t do anything in there until at least 24 hours later, and within the next month or so we are planning on retiling the floor, replacing the light fixture, replacing that ghastly cupboard with open shelves, and repainting. Color TBD. Any suggestions? I dig a cool color palette in a bathroom. What about you?