Mood Board No. 2



Mood Board for June 2011. Enjoy!

 For next time, I have some really good garden related posts (just need the pictures!).


Bonus item:
A new website that I have become a little addicted to and it is Pinterest.
Pinterest= a digital version of my mood boards.  It allows you to pin items from across the web and it does the crediting for you. You can also repin, like or comment on items that others have pinned.  The greatest part is that you seperate each item into your boards (board examples: Food, house, garden, etc.) to keep youself all organized.

I have found this website to be so helpful by keeping me inspired, keeping items I find across the internet in one place and I'm sure for many other purposes I have yet to realize.

Hope you enjoy it too!

Brett Dennen and his Eco-Concert

I was introduced to Brett Dennen's music about a year and half ago in the start of my relationship with my boyfriend, Jesse. Brett's music is so happy and upbeat that I became an instant fan. I decided to get Jesse and I tickets to Brett's concert as a one year of dating gift.

Not only was it an amazing show that had us dancing and singing to our hearts content but we were also able to find out a lot of information on Brett himself.  He really lives the messages he sings, how refreshing. He proves this in so many ways but one is by giving all the proceeds of items sold at the show  to the invisible childeren charity. We were told by multiple workers and friends of Brett that he is not a rich man, but really does not care about becoming one either.  His life and entire attitude is down to earth and I feel honored to be able to say that I shook this man's hand and even got a hug!

Please keep up the great work Brett and we are here to support you!

Brett's tour contributions:

• Using extensive waste reduction and recycling backstage and on buses
• Stocking catering with biodegradable and compostable products to replace petroleum and paper-based products
• Eating locally-grown and organic food backstage
• Using reusable water bottles and water stations backstage for band and crew to reduce plastic bottle waste
• Using non-toxic cleaners and post-consumer recycled bathroom tissue on tour buses
• Calculating and neutralizing the carbon footprint from tour buses, trucks, flights and venue energy use by supporting renewable energy

(information above found on Brett Dennen's Site)

Check out more about Brett's contributions here and 

other concerts helped by Reverb to lower their impact at Reverb's site.

Supporting Local Business!

Bonus Blog Post for the week: 

My Mom, Jen Hagan, is hosting a contest on her blog for the entire month of June.  

She is a wonderful knitwear pattern designer 

and owner of the companies Figheadh and Mirth.

Please follow this link and check out all the fun!

Here's to my health!

I have a very active sweet tooth and a rather extreme love for breads.  This combination of sugar and carbs, however, results in an extremely bad diet. My food choices are mostly dominated with food groups that do not include fruits or veggies. Yikes!

I have recently started a low carb diet to encorage me to eat healthier. My mom has developed a system of eating low carb meals during the week and allowing carbs and goodies on the weekends.  It is a system that has worked for me in the past and is rather easy to incorportate into my lifestyle. I still get to eat the yummy goodies I crave just more moderately.

Here are some pictures of the yummies I have already enjoyed this past month with less carbs in my diet.

Spinach from our apt patio container garden

Mock "Potato" Soup- uses Caulflower

Yellow Squash

Another problem that I usually encounter is coming home from work and not having anything planned for dinner. This problem is usually solved with going out or ordering in and that is never healthy.

To solve this problem meat is purchased at Costco and frozen. Then every week I plan out what I would like to cook and buy just the extra ingredients that are needed. I look for the vegetables that I need first at my local farmers' market; if not there then at my local grocery store.

All in all, the combination of these two habits help me eat healthier and to reduce dinner time stress.
Please let me know of any suggestions that you might have; they are most welcome.

Mood Board No. 1

Mood Board for May 2011

Local Design: Pacific Avenue is getting a makeover

PAC ave in Tacoma is in the design phase of being revamped! 
Pacific Ave is the main street through downtown Tacoma, WA.

Picture from Tacoma Weekly

From Tacoma Weekly Article: Some of the improvements
The street-scape design will integrate innovative storm water improvements such as:

• Rain gardens;
• Pervious pavement;
• Water features and;
• Plantings.

Multi-modal improvements for autos, bicycles, pedestrians and transit may include:

• Revisions to curb locations, traffic lanes, turning movements and on-street parking;
• Lighting and planting;
• Bicycle facilities;
• Crosswalk treatments;
• Public art;
• Safety features;
• Special paving;
• Wayfinding; and
• Other elements.

The city of Tacoma allowed for resident input in the early portion of planning and showed two options for PAC ave. Both options were more bicycle friendly and more green.

The construction is set to begin late 2011/ early 2012 and set to be completed by the end of 2012.

(All information was acquired from http://www.cityoftacoma.org/Page.aspx?nid=1020 and 

http://www.tacomaweekly.com/news/city/clear_vision_for_pacific_avenue/ )

Do I have a green thumb?

Community and container gardens are my latest "green" endeavor. This post is about my gardens and my green thumb efforts. Our container garden is well under way and our plot has been given to us at the community garden. The city of Tacoma has recently started seven new community gardens. My boyfriend and I were lucky enough join at the start of one of these lovely gardens.

My Grandmother (Meme, my mom's mom) and Granddaddy (dad's dad) have inspired me to want to continue the traditions of gardening and farming. My Meme, has always thoroughly enjoyed gardens. Some of my early memories include her Alabama mountain homes with their beautiful gardens. She now resides in the North Carolina mountains and continues her gardens. My granddaddy and I use to fill bucket after bucket picking our blueberry plants on the farm I grew up on as a child.

For now I reside with my boyfriend in an apartment and we have started a container garden. We bought a cedar plant box from our local farmer's market and have since filled it with an array of wonderful plant babies (culinary lavender, oregano, rosemary, lettuce and spinach). We have had them for a little over a month and they seem to be enjoying there new home.

Also, while searching for a way to volunteer locally, I stumbled on a community garden that was in our neighborhood. It is a short fifteen minute walk from our apartment through a lovely residential area.  We have since joined and have been given a plot for even more room for plant babies. At the WSU plant sale a few weekends ago, we purchased zucchini, strawberry and a Geum "red dragon" (pretty flower). I am excited to get them in the ground and watch their progress! Anyone need any zucchini? I hear that they produce a very healthy crop.

I am very enthusiastic about our gardens and am very appreciative to have such a wonderful person in my life (my boyfriend) that has aided in starting something that is very important to me.