February 22, 2007

Think Small...building-wise

here's an intersting article from the ny times on building small. and why not? really, the more room it seems people have, the more people fill that space and then feel burdened by the stuff they have. and the more space there is, the more expensive to heat and cool and clean it. the bigger the home, the more materials go into it and the bigger footprint it has on the ground. i definitely think that there is a limit to how small a home can get. during high school my family lived in a two bedroom-1 bath house. it was a little cramped. my two sisters and i were in one room and my parents, and baby brother, when he came along my junior year, were in the other room. needless to say, we felt the smallness. but it doesn't mean we weren't happy. we lived on 500 acres, and some of my best memories from that time are cross-country skiing in the moonlight with my sisters, having bonfires with my friends, walking over the adobe hills with my boyfriend, swimming in the canals, and watching the lambs (not ours) run around the property in the spring. there is something about living in a small space that really forces you to interact with the outdoors and life around you. which is a good thing. this article makes that clear, but unfortunatley it speaks mainly of super-small houses which people are actually using as second homes...not a permanent residences. i look forward to hearing more about this movement and people who are making the move to live in small homes..full-time. (houses pictured: top left: a 750 squarefoot, 2 bed, full bath, nice kitchen, and bottom right: very small, 1, not quite seperate bedroom, exterior bath..both from wee houses)

Think Small - New York Times

February 21, 2007

Cancer: How Dangerous Are Our Cosmetics?

ok, so i know i've written about this before. bad things in our body products. but to me it is such a simple thing to fix in our daily lives, that why shouldn't we make a change. read this article from newsweek. about carcinogenic ingredients in BABY shampoos and bubble bath...and how common the ingredients are in lots of other products.
Cancer: How Dangerous Are Our Cosmetics? - Newsweek: Tip Sheet Environment - MSNBC.com
and, of course, for more information on your specific products, use the environmental working group's site: www.ewg.org . it is chock full of info and explains the problems with certain bad ingredients, and you can even create a shopping list by using the search engine. it's such a simple change in daily lives that can effect the REST of our lives.

February 19, 2007

NEW:7 wonders of the world!

hmmm... i had, for some reason, alwsy thought there were 7 world wonders that were the "new" ones...but apparently these had never been decided upon. and now, we, the people on this planet, have a chance to vote for the new 7 wonders of the world. that's a cun concept. i'm not sure how the whole process worked, but the site currently has 21 amazing sites to choose from. so, log on and cast your vote!

n7w: Vote

February 16, 2007

a week away

mmm, i'm just returning from a wonderful week away, in belize, with my boyfriend. the ocean was crystal clear, the forest lush, the rivers wide, the caves deep, the mayan ruins amazing, the fan corals colorful, the nurse sharks adorable, the sun warm, the rain loud, the sand white, the people friendly, the orange groves extensive, the buses cheap, the love warm. no decisions were made regarding the future, in fact we didn't speak of it..we lived in every moment. and that was wonderful. every moment. and then we said goodbye in the bustling and shiny dallas airport. and now i am back, to offer you an orange starfish. here's to love and travels and starfish.

Animalia


i know, i've been gone for a while. but now i am back with a suggestion. Animalia, by barbara helen berger, is a beautiful book about kindness to animlas. my mom read it to me as a child and i have read and re-read it growing up. i recently bought my own copy and was taken back to those early memories. the illustrations are beautiful and the stories are simple and yet meaningful at the same time.


Barbara Helen Berger, Children's Books Section