The Last of Holiday 2010

Ok, this will be my last post about the Holidays for 2010 - and a short one at that! It's a little late since it's already 2011, but better late than never!

I struggle with Christmas Trees. I hate to cut down a living thing, but I don't want to buy more plastic from China either. In military housing, a rooted tree isn't really a feasible option, since we can't plant it when we're done. And I just love Christmas Decorating too much to forego the tree altogether.

So, while we are in Hawaii at least, here is the closest thing I can find to balance all of those issues.

It's a Norfolk Pine, from Waimanalo Farms on the North Shore. It's a different experience altogether from cutting down a tree on the mainland. You go to the farm in your shorts, sandals, and sunglasses. You tell them how tall of a tree you want, and then you walk around with a guy and a yardstick, until you find the tree top that you like. They cut the top off for you, and off you go! So here's what I like about these trees, other than the fact that they are local. They grow back! From what they told me at the farm, they grow up to 3 feet a year depending on the rainfall. That's why they only lop off the tops. Pretty cool, right?

Most real trees in Hawaii were cut months ago in the Pacific Northwest, and shipped here in refrigerated containers, and then sold on a lot at the mall. That makes me cringe. And most fake trees were made in China, and shipped to the mainland, and then shipped here. And at some point, they'll be shipped off island again, to meet their landfill demise. That makes me cringe too. The Norfolk Pine isn't a perfect solution, but it's way better than those two choices, so I'm happy with it for now. And icing on the cake - I bought it through a Kokua Foundation Fundraiser, so it did a double dose of good!

We had family in town this year, so space was limited. We put the tree on the lanai, and only used decorations that we felt could handle the outdoors. Mostly, that meant shells I've collected over the years, most found on the beach, but some purchased or given to us, and a few of our less breakable traditional decorations.

The best part about having an outdoor tree was the interest it created with the birds! So I bought some bird treats, made in the USA of course, and put them in the tree. It only took a couple of days for the birds to test it out, and soon, they were hanging out in the tree all day! The best decorations of all!

An that's that. Christmas is over, the decorations are down and stored for next year, and our tree is going to the mulching pile. We had a pretty successful Holiday season, in terms of being green, vegan, and Pro-USA. Our Holiday Dinner was a success, with a few good recipes to keep for next year. I didn't buy an inch of wrapping paper or any new decorations, and I think I did a pretty good job of making everything look festive anyway.

So, here's to 2011! Happy New Year! May it be full of kindness to you, your loved ones, the animals, and the Earth!

It's Holiday Time Again!

I love the Holiday Season. And I love decorations and wrapping presents and making everything look beautiful, and... and... and... I hate all the waste!!!

Since I haven't written since last December, it's obvious that the huge excess of the season inspires me to be a little greener. To accomplish a more planet-friendly version of Christmas this year that still fits within my ideals of decorating, I've been setting things aside all year to use in December. I put a basket in my craft closet, and I've been adding to it whenever something strikes me as beautiful, even in an unconventional way.

The first round of wrapping is complete! This collection of gifts will be going to our nieces and nephew in Tennessee. The paper is recycled brown paper. The ribbons are either scraps, or from my stash (that I am no longer adding to). And the decorations are all onion and potato bags. The tags are scraps that I've been saving from my scrapbooking projects.

At the beginning of the year, I was worried that I would start to feel like a trash packrat. But it really didn't add up to much, and it only grew out of the basket when I started saving a few containers, like the tins that hold steel cut oats. I cut back on buying bagged onions and potatoes, and now only buy those when it's the only option, or when the loose ones don't look good. I'm also not scrapbooking as much, because it's so time consuming and costly. So for the whole year, the pile didn't get out of control, not even close. And of the parts of the family I send gifts to, one whole family's gifts were easily covered with these scraps.

Best of all, except for running out of tape, I didn't have to spend a dime on wrapping these presents. I had the paper leftover from a previous project, one spool of ribbon came from my stash, and everything else was scraps.

I already sent off one box - and I didn't wrap those gifts at all. I used a basket that was a gift to hold the rest of the gifts, no wrapping needed. This completes box number two. That leaves one more group of gifts to wrap and send, and then the gifts we exchange here at home. I'm hoping they all end up as green as these!

She works hard for the money...

OK, well I really don't work that hard for the money! LOL! Since moving to Hawaii, I haven't found that perfect job. OK, OK, I haven't found any job that I'm willing to do. But I'm still working hard for the money, and here's how.

My husband and I celebrated our six year anniversary this month, and I wanted to give him something special without using his paycheck. Here is where frugality and living green can really come in handy. Of course I clip coupons and recycle all the time, but last month, I put in an extra effort to save every penny I could. Granted, that money technically still came from his paycheck, but it would have flown out the window if I hadn't been so thrifty and green!

Next, there was the problem of all the stuff I had brought from Virginia, cluttering up this tiny little abode in Hawaii. I teamed up with my bestie, and we participated in the most amazing yard sale I've ever seen in person. The money started piling up, the house started to feel less cluttered, and the landfills stayed full of other people's junk and not mine.

And Craigslist. Oh how I love Craigslist! Especially in Hawaii. Two times now, I have been given MORE money than I asked for. That's right, you read it correctly. MORE. Gotta love Aloha! We had made some purchases that were necessary for the move that we didn't want to keep in the house - like a Giant Sky Kennel for our biggest dog. It practically took up a whole bedroom! Adios outrageous dog crate!

Before moving, I had consigned some ball gowns that I felt were too 'east coast' for Hawaii, and that I'm determined to be too skinny for when I move back. I also donated some to the local Salvation Army. Lucky timing, that check came in just in time for our celebration.

All totaled, I *earned* close to $400! With that much extra cash, I couldn't decide what to buy the hubster, so instead, I sent my pirate at heart on a treasure hunt with clues and small gifts, leading him to the booty of cash in a paper chest. (And yes, I got that paper chest on clearance!) The thought of having free money, money that I won't harp on him about or dictate where it should go, made him so very happy. Giving it to him, knowing that it wouldn't affect our budget in the least and that it helped keep our lifestyle goals on track, made me very happy too!

Even in Scotland...

I recently travelled to Glasgow, Scotland to visit my husband, whose submarine had pulled into Faslane for a short visit. I was excited about the idea of purchasing things made in Scotland. I don't know why I was surprised, but just about everything I came across in Scotland was made somewhere else, just like it is here in the States. Also, Scotland is VERY expensive.

It is a beautiful country, the land of my heritage. I had ideals in my head about what it would be like, so I found it very disappointing to see "Made in China" just about everywhere we went. I did find some yarn made of Scottish Wool. It was very pricey, but beautiful and worth it. I bought some local fudge, and of course some whiskey. I found a fantastic pair of sneakers - organic cotton, ecologically harvested rubber, and ethical employment of factory workers. I was so excited! I couldn't afford much else, since just like here, things that were made in country were much more expensive than their foreign made counterparts. The dollar was weak as well, so every purchase took a toll on my bank account.

In my small world, this was a good thing, because it forced me to shift my focus away from shopping, and towards the people, the experience, and of course most importantly, my husband!

I was excited to find that I could live a little greener while I was there. Our hotel room didn't have Air Conditioning or a fan, and public transportation was so convenient that taking a taxi or renting a car seemed absurd. Many of the stores and restaurants weren't running the AC. In fact, about the only unfriendly exchanges we had were when we inquired about it. It was obvious that the idea of running the AC in that weather was considered frivolous and unnecessary. Those conversations aside, Glaswegians as a whole were the friendliest people I've ever met.

While drinking at our favorite pub near the hotel, we found ourselves watching a golf tournament taking place in Michigan. Evidently had begun to snow in the middle of August. This turned the conversation to the fact that Americans only have themselves to blame for the epidemic of global warming. It was interesting and enlightening to hear how the locals viewed us in terms of climate change. I certainly didn't argue.

As happy as I was to get back home (I love sunshine), I realized how envious I was of how much easier it is to live green in Scotland.

My first attempt

OK, well maybe this isn't actually my first attempt. I think I created another blog a while back, on the advice of a friend, but didn't stick with it. Or maybe that happened twice, or three times. Regardless, this is my first attempt on THIS blog, and I'm committed to trying harder this time!

I've got some goals in mind this go 'round, so that should help. I want to blog about my experiences as a vegetarian who tries her best to not buy any product that is made of dead animals. I also avoid things made in China, because I feel strongly about how dominant the "Made in China" logo is in just about every store. I'll get into all the reasons why later on. I try to live green, buy local, and eat organic too. When you put all of those things in a pot together, it makes for a very interesting shopping experience. I believe it's worth it though, and while I may pay more for individual items, I certainly spend less money in total, since there just aren't enough options out there to be able to spend a lot.

I'm a Navy wife, and a homemaker. Luckily, this lifestyle gives me the time to pursue these choices. But living on a Navy income can make any lifestyle difficult, this one included. I'll be sharing my celebrations and frustrations as I explore the vegetarian/green/locally produced world, as well as talking about my life in general. I hope you find some things to help you live the way you want, or inspire you to make a change for the better. I also hope some like minded individuals with more experience in this area might share some tips. Check back often, and let me know what you think!