Furniture, festival, format change

The estate sale last weekend was a lot of fun! The house was very old and filled with all sorts of antique goodies (lanterns, baby rocking chairs, books) and the weather was fabulous. We hit the jackpot with a beautiful patio furniture set for just under $300. It included a rectangular table with umbrella, 6 chairs, 2 footstools, and a side table. Mark and I are so excited to spend more time enjoying our backyard this spring/summer!

We also found several Disney story records (101 Dalmations, Sleeping Beauty, 3 Little Pigs, etc) and a couple of nice overalls for Taylor to wear next year and get as dirty as she wants.

Today begins the Festival of the Flowers in Florissant (not too bad to say 5 times fast). Despite living in Florissant for the last three years, Mark and I have never attended. But this year will be different! Festivities begin at noon, so we'll head out as soon as Mark is off of work (around 2pm) and Taylor is up from her afternoon nap. There will be a flea market, a plant sale, a beer garden, a carnival, and more (note order of interest).

Our morning may also include Taylor's 15 month check-up with the pediatrician (can't find that appointment card...) and a trip to the annual Ferguson Church of the Nazarene Kid's Consignment Sale. The last couple of times we went to the sale we found lots of neat items for Taylor, like toys, books, and hair bows.

As just a head's up, I am considering switching our blog from WordPress to Blogger. It won't affect the location of the blog (still markandandrea.synowiecs.com), but it will affect the format (i.e. no more birdie, which makes me very sad). The switch would be a pain, considering there is no good way to transfer all my past posts, BUT it would make future blogging eaiser because I can upload photos directly from Picasa and the subscription setup is much more advanced. You could receive a daily digest via email instantly after I write a new post! I can't for the life of me figure out how to make this happen with WordPress...

And, as an addendum to my Earth Day post, here are a couple of articles about toilet paper I found interesting. I hope they make you think a bit more about the environmental impact of your purchases. The New York Times reports that the oh-so-prized fluffiness of American toilet paper comes at the expense of millions of trees, some of them from old-growth forests. The process of turning fresh tree pulp into fluffy, white tp also takes a great deal of water and chlorine. Many other countries do just fine using recycled material for toilet paper, so I think we should make more of an effort to do so. Seventh Generation and Trader Joe's supposedly make pretty good stuff.

According to Consumer Reports, the ultra-fluffy toilet paper brands are heavier on the wallet as well. CP's "Best Buys" (soft, yet much more affordable tp) include Kirkland Signature from Costco and White Cloud from Walmart. While I cannot attest to the environmental benefit of these brands versus Charmin or Cottenelle, there's a good chance they're better because they aren't the front-runners of tp advertising campaigns. Perhaps a good goal, starting fresh this May 1st, is to "save the earth, one toilet paper roll at a time."

Earth Day Tribute

Note: Lots of crunchy granola, tree-hugging content below.

Today was fabulous outside – 86 degrees with clear and sunny skies. It was the perfect day to start using the clothesline again.

Last year I used it only a couple of times for diapers, but today I decided to hang all of our clothes out to dry. It felt great to know I was saving some energy at home. And with the clothes that ended up a bit too stiff for comfort, I popped them in the dryer for a couple minutes and they came out as if they dried in there the whole time. Fantastic!

Last year, our eco-friendly goals included using cloth diapers and wipes, paper towel alternatives for cleaning and the microwave, eco-friendly cleaners (Ecover dish soap, Dr. Bronner’s, Biokleen All-Purpose Cleaner, vinegar), cloth napkins, dish rags, and maintaining our indoor plants.

This year we can add to the list: hanging most of our laundry to dry on the clothesline, eating more organic foods, starting a vegetable garden *fingers crossed*, and using cloth wipes in the bathroom (inspired by eco-friendly blogs like this one: NatureMoms.com).

The cloth wipes (also known as “family cloth”) are for Taylor and me to use after urination only. So far, so good; and very comfortable too. I bought a flannel sheet from the Salvation Army and used pinking shears (a no sew solution) to cut it into lots of wipes roughly 4x6 inches in size. We’ll still use toilet paper for everything else and all used cloths just get tossed in with Taylor’s dirty diapers. No additional wash load, no additional hassle. Plus this will save a HUGE amount of toilet paper.

I suppose we could also add shopping at estates sales and other types of consignment stores to our eco-friendly list under “Re-use.” We’re going to an estate sale tomorrow morning not far from our house. I’m always excited to check out the selection, though we rarely buy much. We’re also planning to go to the annual Earth Day Festival in Forest Park on Sunday. Last year it was fun to walk around and enjoy the weather. I look forward to the excuse to be outdoors.

Mark's perfectly relaxing afternoon

Photo taken just a few minutes ago...Mark has his legs full!

Swimming lessons and more teeth

Taylor had her first swimming lesson on Friday. She loved playing the in the water and learning a few new skills. Mark is planning on being in the water with her for all the remaining lessons, while I sit pool-side and relax. The lessons go through the end of May, which is perfect timing for the summer!

Wearing one of Mama's old outfits. She doesn't like the bow.

Taylor is getting three teeth in all at the same time, and boy is she unhappy. Well, at least at night. She keeps waking up screaming and the only thing that soothes her is if I get up out of bed and rock her back to sleep. Poor Mark hasn't been getting much sleep as a result, so on Thursday night Taylor and I slept in the nursery. Mark said he slept much better. Sadly, I wound up with a crick in my neck...but it's almost gone now. The last couple of days have been a bit better.

Our flight is booked for Kuala Lumpur in June! Taylor and I will spend three lovely weeks with Cathe's family, exploring all the local sites. The little girls are going to have a fabulous time together! Just about 6 wks left before we go...

Culinary adventures

Last week Mark and I made Chicken Gyros at home. I adapted the recipe from one I found on epicurious.com. We bought a rotisserie chicken, lettuce, and tomatoes from Sam's, and tzatziki and pita from Trader Joe's. We chopped up the white meat from the chicken, threw everything else together on the warmed pita bread, and feasted! Definitely a recipe to repeat; it was very easy.

I made lamb chops from Trader Joe's a few nights ago, but Mark did not enjoy it. I thought it was okay, especially with leftover tzatziki sauce on top. But alas, lamb is now on our "foods to avoid" list. However, we did discover a new great food from TJ's - Chicken Curry Sticks. Just pop them in the oven and voila!, crispy snack goodness.

Our most recent new taste sensation with this morning! A few weeks ago I bought a package of flaxseed because I had read so many good things about it. This morning I finally opened up the package and added the flaxseed to my oatmeal, which I share with Taylor. We both loved it! It added a nutty flavor and tons of great health benefits. I plan to add this to our meals more often!

Tonight for dinner I'll repeat the broccoli pasta recipe from last week, using different noodles (whatever we happen to have around). Tomorrow I plan on making Korean B.B.Q. Beef from Trader Joe's.

Back to a healthy routine

Last night was our first night back to the Y in three weeks. We kept skipping the trip because either Mark was tired or Taylor was sleeping or Taylor had just injured herself or we just wanted to spend the evening at home.

I warmed up on the bike and then ran on the treadmill. I'm averaging a 15min mile, which isn't fabulous but it isn't altogether pathetic either. We're still working toward our goal of running at least a good portion of the 5mile event at Boys Town's Memorial Day Run.

Taylor did well in the childcare room. She bawled when I left her, but soon made friends and forgot all about us. When I returned to pick her up, she was sitting at a table with another little girl (probably 5 years old). The girl had her arm around Taylor's back and was teaching her how to play with one of the toys. It was adorable! Taylor was having so much fun she didn't want to leave!

When we got home Mark and I made a new dinner recipe - Broccoli with Orecchiette. We couldn't find the orecchiette noodles in the store, so I used anellette noodles from Trader Joe's (think Spaghettio O's). It turned out really well. We added a bit more pepper flakes than the recipe called for and then Mark added some freshly chopped tomatoes to his plate. It was fantastic, though too spicy for Taylor. She spit it out quickly. Her dinner staples as of late are flavored, baked tofu and green peas.

We're headed back to the Y tonight for my second to last aerobics class. I'm planning on signing Taylor up for swimming classes, which would begin next week.

Boz, peek-a-boo, anniversary

These last couple of weeks have been fun and exhausting at the same time. Taylor has become so much more fun, interesting, dramatic, and temperamental. It's a crazy combination!

On the fun side, she has taken a liking to stuffed animals now - particularly a green bear named Boz that we found at a local Christian bookstore. She likes to snuggle and hug and kiss Boz. It's adorable!

She's also a big fan of Peek-a-boo now, playing with us throughout the day as well as with random people in stores or restaurants or on the airplane ride back from Omaha.

We had a great time in Omaha - eating blackberries, climbing the stairs, and going to the Henry Doorly Zoo. According to Taylor, all the animals at the zoo said "Bah!" She enjoyed the waterfalls in the Rainforest most of all.

When Taylor and I got home from St. Louis, Mark had a surprise for us. The house was sparkling clean, there were flowers and champagne, and dinner was in the works! It was a special treat to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary.

Now is the final countdown to Easter - probably the most exciting and meaningful holiday for Christians! I'm excited to dress Taylor up and celebrate. We'll be in Evansville on Friday.