NEW CHALK

New chalk, chalk boards and erasers!!!

What more could you ask for.

I opened up these new treasures today

and Charli & James were in heaven

the two of them were so content

sitting on the couch, drawing and erasing

James drew a spider on Charli's board

per her request

she said she didn't know how to.

These two really do take care of eachother

MY NEW FAVORITE FINDS

The Juiceman!!!

Thermal Composter!!!

So these are my new favorite purchases and toys! I was visiting my parents in Mt Shasta this last weekend, and my step mom had a juicer. She made Charli fresh apple juice, which Charli sucked down and just loved. And she made me fresh carrot juice. It was so good and it really got me thinking about how good fresh veggies and fruits are for you and I do not get enough, neither does Charli. So when I got home on Sunday I was on a mission to purchase my own juicer. I have used it everyday since!!! I have made the kids apple juice in the morning and myself, I used my step mom's recipe, carrot * beet * and a little ginger. It really is so good and good for you. I really want to buy a recipe book to give me more ideas. Thanks Jerri for the great juice and for the inspiration to buy my own juicer.

*

I also purchased a composter. Chad and I have talked about composting for a while now, but have never acted on it. Well Chad saw composters at Costco and we jumped on that. We have been looking online for some but the price was right and Costco being just a short drive away was perfect for us. My friend Amy is a teacher here in Paradise and her school composts and is very Green overall. She has been a hugh help as far as educating us on what is involved in composting. For the last couple weeks I was giving Amy our veggies, fruits, dryer lint etc... so she could put it in her schools compost but now I can put all my waste in my own composter. Charli has even gotten into it. She will ask me if certain things can go in the compost and if it will turn into dirt. I really like the idea of educating her at a young age as far as conserving and reusing what you are wasting. It is a really good feeling. Charli did ask me if a cracker box that was on our counter was going to turn into dirt. I told her, well someday it probably will. So she really is taking it all in and trying to make sense of it all. The composter we have is a thermal composter but I would also like to get a worm composter as well. I have been told that if you recycle and compost, you can cut down on your garbage waste by 30%. That is pretty good!!! Next thing I would like to tackle is getting rid of using plastic garbage bags and go to paper.

MY PURSE, SOMEDAY

My future purse

This is the fabric that I plan to use for my purse!!! I have finally bought some fabric that is not for other people. It is all for me!!! Any left over, I am sure I will use for a Charli'z bib, or changing pad or something. It really was weird to purchase something for myself. I think I am going add a chocolate brown velvet ribbon on the front of the purse. The sample has a blue ribbon and I think brown would be perfect on mine. Also instead of doing fabric handles. I want to add bamboo handles and also a pocket or two on the inside. So there will be some alterations to the pattern, but that is okay, isn't it? I haven't followed a pattern in quite some time. All my Charli'z products are free handed. Following a pattern is so confining and I am not the greatest at reading patterns. Sometimes I feel like I am reading a foreign language. Some day I will sit down, in my spare time and catch up on sewing lingo. Until then I hope to find the time to make this purse.