treehugging tips: staying clean while being green

{photo via here}

simple and green tip 06: to shower or not to shower?

i love myself a good bubble bath, and have been known to take one at least a couple times a week. today it got me thinking though, which uses more water? shower or bath? according to the california energy commission, you might be better off staying clean with your shower stream. of course, that all depends on how long you stay in the shower, and how much water comes out of your shower head. the average bath requires between 30 and 50 gallons of water, while most shower fixtures installed before 1992 have a flow rate of about 5.5 gallons per minute....meaning, if your shower is always longer than 5 minutes, try and stick to the tub. 

better yet, cut your shower time down to 3-5 minutes and over time you will be saving 50% more water on average. if every american used just one less gallon of water per shower, the annual water savings would be more than finland's domestic water use for a year. that's a lot of water.

thoughtful thursday

woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. actually, there wasn't much waking involved, i was never fully asleep. i slept approximately 2.5 hours last night, for absolutely no reason at all. my mind was wandering...jumping from place to place. 

i always get angry at myself when i can't sleep. i'm not sure why i beat myself up about it. there is obviously some subconscious purpose in keeping my mind in a waking state. i should be still and let it run through its thoughts. but i never do. instead i exhaust every possible option to try and get me back to sleep. i started by repeating, "please go back to sleep" over and over to myself (i ignored myself), i came into about a dozen different yoga postures, all which are supposed to help insomnia (none that worked), wandered around our tiny apartment (not a lot of walking space), ate a bowl of cereal (i'm always hungry at 2 in the morning), sat in a meditative position, trying to "om" myself back to sleep (which only ended up making me really thirsty), until i finally gave up, laid back in bed and tried to let the soothing music of enya calm me into a sleepy stupor. 

i was half asleep when cort left for work this morning. i always wake up right after he goes to work anyway. no matter what the time, whether he leaves at 5 am (it happens more than it should) or 7. my mind won't let me rest knowing that my husband is off to work hard for our little family and i'm still in bed. restless and sleepy at the same time, i couldn't turn on the morning news this morning - a habit i'm slowly growing to love more and more. 

i started blog surfing, but it was just too early for it so i started reading. i am a strong believer that things come to you when you need them, and as i opened up one of my favorite books at the moment, the page turned to this quote. i thought it was appropriate to share with the 2 of you that actually read my blog as you follow along with me as i continue down the path of soul searching and finding my life's purpose (a little dramatic, but true): 

"everything is already ok. the notion strikes us as radical, and it surely is. what it means is that in our essential nature we are already fully awake and enlightened; it means that God is available to us fully in the moment, simply because God is our true nature. we simply have to stop resisting it. there is no distance to travel, nothing special that we have to do to earn God. it's a 'done deal'." - stephen cope, {day 93} meditations from the mat

wordless wednesday

just reminiscing....

*photos by rachel thurston

**first photo by erin bradley

tuesday reflections: coat of many colors

i've decided that i want to go to india. just today, after seeing these pictures. i have always thought that one of the coolest jobs would be to be a traveling photographer for a respectable publication. something like national geographic, or maybe outside magazine...but unfortunately, i have no professional training of any kind, nor did i develop the artistic gene in my family of artists, but i can still very much appreciate the talent of others. 

i thought these pictures were beautiful. i feel that capturing life, as it is happening, makes the best kind of picture. i've never been one for posing, but a great candid...that is real to me. frederic poirot has a collection of pictures that really pop to me because of the life and color he captures in his candids. i've come to have more of an appreciation for color over the last couple of weeks. it brightens the mood, warms the body and soul, and awakens the senses. 

somewhere of the last couple of years, i have accumulated an unhealthy amount of black in my wardrobe. my sweetest bff carlee has a running joke, whenever the subject of what i am wearing comes up, is if it involves a black hoodie of some kind. and she is usually right. 

the other day, my lovely teacher deanna, who no doubt you will hear me refer to often, was talking to me about chakras, colors, and all that they can represent in our lives. she explained that each chakra is associated with a different color, and has a grounding effect with its correlation to nature, earth and the universe. even the colors we chose are not arbitrary, but hold personal meaning towards us. she went on to explain the meaning of blues, greens, reds and so forth. as i looked down on my black on black lulu lemon wear, i proceeded to ask deanna what the color black meant? she looked deep and focused into my eyes and said, "black is not a color."

in india, color represents energy, passion, joy and light. black is the color of mourning. i've challenged myself to add a bit more color to my wardrobe, not only to please carlee, but to also bring just a little more life and energy into my life. it is inevitable that my preferred color is going to seep through every now and again, but some habits are just hard to break. and sometimes, just sometimes, it just makes you look skinnier. 

"well, darkness has a hunger that's insatiable, and lightness has a call that's hard to hear." - indigo girls

*images via flikr

monday monday

{photo by talented rachel thurston}

seeing these kids always make a good start of the day. rachel really captured their sweet nature and adorable-ness that i miss so much.

we had a relaxing weekend in the marina. although it was busy, including lots of yoga for me, and lots of work for my ever-so-hard-working husband, we still managed to fit in some of our favorite activities. a 90-minute sweat session at one of our (ok, my) favorite places to spot celebrities (cort can now touch his toes!!), brunch with stuffed banana and peanut butter french toast (not to mentions the homemade oreos) at a farm-fresh, new favorite restaurant in beverly hills, as well as our favorite dessert and cuddling up for a date night movie...this one makes you think. it was deep. sunday nights are always hard, preparing for the week ahead and knowing that the husband of mine is looking at a possible 80 hour work week. i drown my sorrows in sugar, and this is what turns out. 

still, i'm looking forward to a start of a new week, and a start of new month. can hardly believe that august is just around the corner. this summer flew by....

it's not the first time it's happened

when ashley and i first moved to scottsdale, we were frequently confused for as a couple. i didn't think i'd have the same problem ever again, once i got married to a man. 

conversation between me and a bank teller at wells fargo, 7/21:

teller: hello, ms. campbell. let me just pull up your information and i can cash that check for you. (busy typing) ok, i have it here....oh, is it you or your partner that works with us at wells fargo?

me: excuse me?

teller: yes, you or cortney?

me: oh....my partner...?? (confused with the term)

teller: yes, does she work for wells fargo, or do you?

me: (pause) she does.

don't get confused. no, i didn't correct her. i couldn't break her heart or embarrass her after she sounded so confident and proud of herself for acting so politically correct. it was kind of sweet how nice she was being to me. i don't know if that is because she thought i was a lesbian, or she is just a really nice person. either way, i like nice people, so i didn't say a thing.

i've conjured up some reasons this may have happened:

1. i kind of stopped getting ready and wearing makeup (i'm not a "lipstick lesbian"...i'm the other half. i'm the ellen in the relationship. not portia.).

2. i sometimes only wear my wedding band, which could be confused as a "promise ring".

3. though we share a bank account, i haven't officially changed my name to nelson yet. 

4. my husband's name is cortney. enough said.

i barely see my husband these days, and i miss him. he works his heart out to support the two of us while i wander around taking his money out of the bank and posing as a lesbian. 

treehugging tips: to market, to market

{photo via here}

simple and green tip 05:  support your farmers market

it isn't always easy being green. it seems like everyone is slapping the "organic" label on their products these days, but it doesn't always mean that it's true. even the organic produce at your local grocery store is sprayed or at least grown around pesticides, and of course uses environmental resources to package and transport it to the store. the best way to to ensure that your food is locally grown, organically produced, grass-fed, free-range and cage-free is to get to know your farmer. 

knowing where your food is coming from, and who is preparing it for you and your family, is the best way to know what is, and what isn't, going into its production. the farmers market benefits everyone that participates - you (and your wallet), local businesses, rural communities, the economy, and most importantly, the environment. 

there are all kinds of fun finds at the market. plus, you get yummy, cheap, hybrid fruits like the pluot. part plum, part apricot. sweet and delicious.

to find your local farmers market, click here or here.

don't forget your bags.

julie and julia

i don't get that excited about upcoming movies, but this one, i can't wait for. 

i have such fond memories of julia child as she was a common fixture on the tube during my childhood. my mom loved her, therefore, i loved her. she had an amazing ability to make cooking look fun, use butter in everything, and always added the catch phrase, "bon appetit" to the end of all her shows. at a towering 6'2", she was the tallest, jolliest chef i've ever seen. 

hilarious without even trying, she made cooking real. she made it ok to mess up the recipes, as she did often on her show, but always told you ways to fix them if the inevitable happened (and it always did). she didn't apologize, just merely said "oppsidaisy," laughing it off and moved on stress-free and lighthearted as things fell off the counter, cakes fell apart and she forgot to add certain ingredients. she left the kitchen a mess, so much of what mine looks like after i try to tackle something new in the kitchen. she didn't try to make things healthier, she simply added more butter and suggested eating less of it. if she were alive today, i believe she would put the food network to shame. 

that being said, the movie comes out august 7. i imagine i will be dragging the husband to this one on opening night. 

"find something you are passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it." ~ julia child

her love of cooking, food and life is infectious. i'm feeling inspired to cook something new.

cinnamon and sugar

{photo via here}

the husband knows the best way to my heart is through my stomach.

that is why tonight he made my always favorite - breakfast for dinner. i feel like a good waffle iron should be mandatory in any true chef's kitchen. this particular one makes humongous 4-piece waffles (the size of a dinner plate), and of course, we each eat one. not my best practicing of moderation, but i just can't help myself. 

this homemade syrup topped with fresh fruit, really brought the meal home. melt-in-your-mouth kind of good. 

simple and delicious, homemade waffles

1 3/4 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup milk

1/2 vegetable oil

mix together and bake in a waffle iron

cinnamon and brown sugar syrup

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup corn syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup water

in a small saucepan, combine sugar and cinnamon. add butter, water and corn syrup and stir over medium low heat until sugar dissolves and mixture thickens. serve hot. 

random end of week thoughts

{photo from venice beach canal, june 2009}

some random thoughts:

going through a life detox, cleaning out my closet, apartment, pantry and more....trying to simplify - i'm feeling a change in the air.

reading this, this and this....love, love, loving all three. hoping to become a better writer, person and yogi.

missing this girl, wishing she would post something new everyday.

thinking about starting p90x again, but still don't know if i want to, or if my body agrees with weight lifting. 

loving this blog.

really wanting to go here. or here.

can't stop thinking about these cookies. or stop eating them. 

going to see this movie, with these guys. probably more excited than i should be. 

happy weekend, peace and love.

"the real juice of life, whether it be sweet or bitter, is to be found not nearly so much in the products of our efforts as in the process of living itself, in how it feels to be alive."~george leonard

southern california wildlife

we've had a lot of wildlife encounters the last couple weeks here in the southern california. the husband and i like to take frequent walks around the marina, and around the corner to venice beach.

this guy just left the channel around the corner from our apartment. a 20 foot gray whale just popping in and out of the water for weeks.
as you can see from the pictures, there is no proof that he is actually a whale, he never came out high enough for us to see much. i was convinced he was a loch ness monster for the first week. he was so close to us, that we kind of considered him our pet, and named him bruce.
his presence drew in quite the crowd. we had camera crews and people from all over watching him the whole time he was here. 

some even went out to try to get a closer look. we were positive that this sailor was going to get tipped over. he never did. 
this was just a funny picture. it reminded me of my mom and our cat, daisy mae. i love it when animals are treated like children and babies. 
we went on an independence day hike up the getty canyon trail. not much of a hike, but we had a few wildlife surprises. 
we heard a lot of rustling in the bushes as we hiked the trail. cortney got a little more startled than i did, and i thought he was scared of this little guy....
a few seconds later, this massive buck appeared, justifying cort's jumpiness and so i stopped making fun of him. he stared at us for a couple of minutes. it was cute to see cort get so excited.

it is times like these that i never want to leave california. just when i start missing the mountains and scenery in utah, i have experiences like these. this is the closest i've ever been to either of these animals. and i'm pretty sure you can't see a whale/loch ness monster in the great salt lake. still miss it though.

treehugging tips: love the one you're with

simple and green tip 04: love the one you're with

my parents still have some kitchen appliances that they got as wedding presents. my dad had "the brick" until just a couple of years ago until he upgraded for a very modest, newer model. they have both always had the "if it ain't broke, why fix it?" mentality. 

i have 12 purses in my closet alone.

the husband and i were having a conversation last night about how in today's society things just keeping smaller and sleeker, faster and stronger, better looking and...well, just better. once you finally get the money to purchase the newest version of your favorite device, they have already come out with a newer version to outdo it. wanting the best stuff isn't a sin (guilty, as charged), but what is wrong with the one you've got? unless it is broken to the point of it being unrepairable, sticking with what you already have (i.e. ipods, laptops, shoes, cell phones, etc) is one of the easiest ways to reduce your impact on the environment. 

i have practiced this treehugging tip when it comes to my ipod. i have the oldest version you can get. it's cracked, chipped, heavy as sin and isn't much to look at, but it gets the job done. i love it and until it can't hold a charge anymore, it is my music-holder of choice. but in many other ways, i have been sucked into the ways of the world, wanting the newest and greatest, and more, more, more of everything. the gimme-gimme-gimme attitude has only left me with a whole lot less money and a whole lot of crap.

throughout the last couple of weeks, i have been wanting to simplify everything in my life, from my choice of food, entertainment, lifestyle and most especially...my closet. by doing this, it can save resources for the planet and money for myself and the husband. no longer is the girl who received daily "welcome laura!" popups every time she logged onto a different clothing website. i don't want them to know me by name, and i don't want to keep items in the cart, just so i can buy them later on. 

i may never be perfect at this, but it is something to strive for on a daily basis. it is also a great way to get your life back into perspective and by loving the one you're with, we are showing even more love to the environment....

"i am only one, but still i am one. i cannot do everything, but still i can do something; and because i cannot do everything, i do not refuse to do something that i can do." ~helen keller

happy independence day

{photo via here}

"you have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every july 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the white house in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. you may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism." ~ erma bombeck

happy weekend and happy independence. peace and love. xo.

treehugging tips: on the road

simple and green tip 03. the peapod

i joke often about getting rid of my car and relying solely on my own two feet or a bike (any day now), but this sweet little pod, is the next best thing. the peapod is a petite, low-speed, eco-friendly way to get your way from point a to point b and made of over 95% recycled and recyclable materials. it emits no pollutants and runs entirely on electricity, so you can charge your "pod" while you are charging your phone. how convenient. 

it gets up to 30 mph, and is intended to only go "short distances," but i still get a kick out of thinking about taking the pod out onto l.a.'s crazy roads. i imagine the horn sounds similar to those of big wheels.beep beep. i can only imagine the looks i'd get, weaving in and out of traffic. because at 30 mph, i'd still be going faster than anyone else.

p.s. they are starting out at $12,500 and are available (on a waiting list) in october. 

sign me up.

dvd review: 30 day shred

"i want you to feel like you are going to die"

that was probably my favorite line from jillian michaels, of the biggest loser fame, as i huffed and puffed my way through her 30 day shred this morning. 

i'm such a sucker. i was at target a couple of weeks ago (which can drain me of all the money in my wallet in a matter of seconds) and ran across this dvd in the fitness section of the store and for some reason i bought it. i have no idea why except that it was $9. that is the beauty of target. you have no idea why you bought the things you did until you are already home and too lazy to take them back. genius. anyway, i bought the dvd at the time, mostly, because i'm pretty-anti gym lately. gyms are so out. i also fell into the biggest loser trap this last season and got hooked on the show. i laughed, i cried...it's really good, high-quality family entertainment, and i really like jillian michaels. i wish she and her sultry voice could whip me into shape. if so, i might be more fit during my summer of fitness.

plus, the dvd is only 20 minutes long. i know what you are thinking...20 minutes?? i spend 20 minutes staring into the fridge trying to decide what to have for breakfast. i was a little hesitant because it involves weights (ugh). i'm not into the whole "back and bi's on mondays, legs on tuesdays, triceps/shoulders on wednesday, etc...". the husband and i are currently on a kick that pushups, pullups and cardio plus lots of yoga is the only workout you need...(we have yet to test it out though). the dvd is based on a 3-2-1 interval system with 3 6- minute circuits combining 3 minutes of strength traning, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs. 

it also has a level 1, 2 and 3, in which you are supposed to gradually progress to level 3. being cocky, as usual, i started at level 2. and, i must admit, i'm impressed. it took only 2 minutes to get my heart rate up, 5 minutes to start sweating and only 10 minutes for me to have to take a break (but i was really tired this morning). she does a lot of dual exercises, working both your big and little muscles at the same time (example: static lunge with bicep curls). i don't lift much more than 5 lbs, but it was plenty for me.

i was pretty entertained throughout the dvd as well. she knows what she is talking about, and yells at you throughout each move. i found it pretty motivating. she rarely cracks a smile, and i'm pretty sure she was flirting with her trainers, but she gets the job done. i probably won't be a regular, but if you are looking for a super quick way to get your heart pumping, this workout will do it. i'm glad i have it on hand. it also says something about "losing up to 20 pounds in 30 days" but i am very skeptical about that.

feeling proud of myself and my workout, i decided to make myself a protein shake that i read about in this magazine. it combines 2 cups organic mixed berries, 1 cup fresh spinach, 1 scoop mega green powder, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil, 1 cup of ice and was the most disgusting thing i have ever tasted. i don't know if i made it the wrong way (added too much spinach, not enough berries...???), or this what healthy tastes like. i drank it anyway, but i won't be putting it on the bake shop blog any time soon.

good morning, july

it is hard to believe it is already the first of july. especially considering, as i looked out the window this morning, the clouds were are low as i've seen them in a while. we keep our windows open twenty-four-seven in our apartment, and it is cool...almost cold, outside. 

it has been cold for a few weeks. it is amazing the ten to fifteen degree difference it makes living by the ocean opposed to living closer to the city. i love it, but it definitely has not felt like summer. last night, at a softball game, lacey and i were bundled up in the warmest of our blankets trying to get blood back into our toes, and at the same time, talking about our plans for the 4th. didn't quite match up in my mind. it is quite the jump from the hot summers in Utah, and even a larger leap from the summers in Scottsdale. I remember ashley and i, dragging our sweaty-selves to movies (bless those artic-cold theaters) or hiding out in fashion square (grabbing as many cookie samples from paradise bakery that we could get our hands on) trying to escape the record temperatures and save our sanity. i miss those days, but not the heat.

so i woke up to cold fog, again. and the air smells fishy. so i put on my sweats and walked down to the end of the dock to check out a rather large yacht that is taking my view away from fisherman's village (fully equipped with a hot tub and helicopter), and to see if i could catch some of the local fisherman pulling in their nightly catch. i was quickly chased away by the huge pelicans, but right before i was, i had a moment of overwhelming bliss, as i felt so lucky to live in california with my new husband....

{view of fisherman's village, unobstructed, from our dock}

he and i had a conversation the other day about how fast time is flying by. it is hard not to get caught up in everyday life and just, let it fly. while my husband works his little (wait, no..huge) heart out at work everyday (and often into the night), i have taken on some yoga teacher training in huntington beach and am loving it, but it is making time go by even faster. i am learning a lot though. and a lot about the way i want to live. in addition to becoming more grounded and in finding happiness in the simple things in life, a common term i am picking up - used by most "yogi's" is to, be present. this falls in line with so many things that make a happy, fulfilled life. making no assumptions, and no judgments. always doing your best and being honest with yourself and others. but one vital part of the theme, that i have always struggled with, is living for today, and not getting caught up in what i need to do tomorrow. so, my goal this july is to take it one day at a time. enjoy today, be present today - and not live for tomorrow. all that said, i am still very much looking forward to an upcoming independence firework display and bbq off our dock this saturday, and this month - some organizing, cleaning-up (and throwing out) of some excess baggage in our apartment, beach bike rides, weekend excursions, and hopefully some spontaneous camping trips in the mix. 

hope you live so well today, that it makes tomorrow even better.

happy july.