Tuesday Hoppin

Happy Tuesday!

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Is your tree real or fake?

For years and years our tree has been fake.  My thinking? I buy a tree once, and I keep it and reuse it for years. So here are some pro's and con's for both to give you something to think about this year as you get your own tree up (if you do that sort of thing).







Fake Tree Pro's


1. One tree lasts for years, potentially up to 10 years or more.
2. Saves on carbon foot print from having to shop around for a tree each year.
3. If you kept said tree for 10 years, it could save you up to $300 dollars over the life of that tree.  Savings come from buying a new tree each year and the gas it costs to buy it.
4. These trees are maintenance free, no watering required.  (is that obvious?) ;)
5. Convenient.  Most artificial trees now a days come pre-lit, so no dancing around the tree stringing up lights.

Fake Tree Con's


1.  Most trees are made of petroleum based plastics, and may contain PVC, lead or other dangerous metals.
2.  Most artificial trees sold in America were made in China.
3. These factories use more energy and create more pollution to produce artificial trees then their natural counterparts.
4. Plastic artificial trees are not biodegradable and may end up sitting in landfills for hundreds of years.

Real Tree Pro's


1. Christmas Trees come from Christmas Tree farms, not forests so there is no need to worry about deforestation.
2. Tree farms provide a natural habitat for animals.
3. One acre of Christmas trees produces enough oxygen for 18 people.  With over 1 million acres in production just in the United States that provides enough oxygen for over 18 million people every day.  There's some green.
4. Christmas tree farms stabilize soil, protect water supplies and provide refuge for wildlife while creating scenic green belts. Often, Christmas trees are grown on soils that could not support other crops.
5. Christmas Trees can be recycled into mulch for your yard. Find out more about Treecycling.
6. Every state in the entire United States has Christmas Tree farms.  That makes it very likely that yours didn't travel far, unlike it's artificial counterparts that likely came from Asia.
7. Buying real Christmas Trees supports the local economy.

Real Tree Con's


1. Having to buy a new one every year.
2. They require upkeep, and must be watered daily to make sure they don't dry out and become flammable.
3. Any pesticides or herbicides used to grow the trees creates pollution.


So what kind of Christmas Tree will you put up this year?

Sources:
1. Artificial Christmas Tree
2. Mom going Green
3. Real Christmas Trees

Menu Plan Monday

The kitchen is open, and I'm excited to use my new kitchen this week.  Time to restock the fridge and get back to frugal green cooking.  Here's the recipe list for this week.


Monday: Homemade Speghetti (sauce) with fresh garlic bread
Tuesday: Penne Sausage and Escarole
Wednesday: Rosemary Chicken and Taters
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Homemade Pizza
Saturday: Out
Sunday:  Roasted Tomato/Alfredo

Snapshot Sunday

Last week I closed on my new house.  I moved in over the Thanksgiving break.  The kids and their dad went to Ohio for Thanksgiving.  That gave me some time to move everything over with the help of some new amazing friends.  Here's a view of my house from the street.

Here's the family room.  Quite easily one of my favorite rooms.  That's a wood burning fireplace in the middle, which is a blessing and a curse.  Apparently in CO there is winter air pollution from fireplaces, so I may not be able to burn it whenever I want to.  I'm still very glad to have it.  Note my awesome entertainment center in the corner.  (Yes, it's a box)

Here's my kitchen.  It's still smaller then my Virginia kitchen, and there are some renovations here in the future.  That however requires money, and that being in such a limited supply right now it will have to wait.  I thought it was going to be horrible to have to shop for necessities this weekend, however Target wasn't too bad, and I got a really awesome 80 dollar microwave for 33 bucks.  I was stoked. :)

One of our other favorite spots in the house is the backyard.  Definitely different then our old one, but it's a good chunk of space for the kids to explore and play.  I have a huge deck, and I'm picturing summer barbecues back there already.  The kids spent so much time out there yesterday and had such a good time.  The dog loves it too.  I can't wait to add my own personal touches to this house.  The previous owner did a pretty good job maintaining the house, but her style is so very different then mine.  

Happy Sunday!!

Menu Plan Monday

This will be my last week of cooking here at this house.  Seems like I was just through this song and dance not too long ago when I moved to Colorado from Virginia.  This however looks to be our last move for a while.  I can only hope.  It's also only 5 miles away, and not 1500.  Makes a huge difference. :)

Monday: Rosemary Chicken thighs with cooked carrots and taters.
Tuesday: Mushroom Alfredo
Wednesday: Pan seared halibut in lemon caper sauce
Thursday:  Closing on the new house, OUT! :)
Friday: Homemade pizza
Saturday and Sunday: Who knows!


Going to work on getting some pie recipes out this week.  Some of my pies have been requested next week at the two Thanksgiving lunch/dinner things I'm going to so I must share the pie.

Have a great week everyone. :)

Snapshot Sunday

This passed week we saw our first snow here in Boulder, Colorado.  It wasn't much, but it was a sharp reminder of the turn of the year.  Winter is coming, and I couldn't be happier.

I've had a brief lapse in writing lately.  I'm closing on a house this week, and we'll be moving out of this apartment complex.  There are other, more complicated things going on in my life as well that seem to be sapping some of my creative energy.  I'm sure after I settle into my new place, and share many pictures I'll be back to posting regularly.