Our Concrete Home

Feline Friday: Before the Pounce

6Jan by Andrea

Posted in Feline Friday, Loki | Leave a comment

No bag for me, thanks.

5Jan by Andrea

About a month ago I was in the checkout line at Target. The women in line in front of me told the cashier she didn’t want any plastic bags. She has a pretty full cart of items and hadn’t brought any reusable bags with her. I think the cashier and I must have both made the same perplexed face because she explained that she would just put the items back in her cart. Then she went on and told me that her 2011 New Years Resolution was to avoid plastic bags and how easy it is to cart purchases out to the car without a bag.

This was a light bulb, a-ha moment for me. I remember to take my reusable bags to the grocery store about 85% of the time, but even if I forget I can request a paper bag. I don’t have that luxury at other stores so I often just let the items be bagged up. And really, that’s quite silly and a little lazy on my part. How hard would it be to just carry out all the items without a bag like this woman did?

This got me thinking and after talking to Nate about it, we both decided to impose a plastic bag ban for 2012.

Our plastic bag ban rules are simple.

Use a reusable bag if possible and if we don’t have one, then we will kindly refuse a bag and simply take the items without one.
Use reusable produce bags (like these) at the grocery store. Mesh bags are lightweight and easy-to-see-through so you don’t have to worry about checkout. I have had a set for a couple of years and am always asked where I got them. I plan on ordering a few more sets this week.
Cut down on other plastic bags around the house. Use recycled or compostable bags whenever possible. (I think this is a nice compromise especially with the kitchen bag liners. We will keep the convenience, but pay more for the more sustainable product.)
Reduce our dependence on resealable zipper storage bags in the kitchen. Use glass containers instead for marinades and snacks.

Already this week, I had a couple of shopping trips where I had to ask the cashier not to bag my items. You have to be quick. Those cashiers are so fast on the draw, so I plan on stepping up my game. Soon I hope requesting “no bag” will be second nature.

I leave you with this mockumentary on the life of a plastic bag that was narrated by Jeremy Irons which is unfortunately true.

What a lovely holiday

4Jan by Andrea

It’s been a perfect two week holiday break for me (one of the perks of the new job). I was able to celebrate, relax and get a few things done around the house. What else could a girl ask for?

Memorable moments of December

I am a Christmas girl. I love the whole build up to the 25th. This year, it was really nice to have the time to enjoy all of it. Here’s my top five favorite things.

Decorations happened early

Once Thanksgiving is over, I am ready to start decorating for Christmas.

This year, I was able to have the perfect decorating schedule and get the tree up that first week of December.

At our house, the front room gets most of the focus. This year I added glittery stars to the mirrors along with the usual vintage ornaments in my glass lamp bases.

My coffee table got a backdrop of handmade Indian paper under the glass with a tray of some of my favorite ornaments and books on top.

Another vase of ornaments found it’s way onto the dining table. Most of my ornaments are vintage from my grandmothers but I have supplemented with ornaments mostly from Cost Plus World Market. I seem to gravitate there for Christmas stuff more than any other time of the year.

*****

Not one, but two dining tables

And speaking of dining tables, we moved the recently updated table into the back of the great room. The size of the table works really well here.

In it’s place, we moved my maternal grandmother’s table out of my office and into the dining nook.

It has a slimmer frame which works really well since the “dining nook” is really the passageway to the back of the house.

The table has a crazy marbled laminate on top and curvy chrome legs. We are still looking for proper chairs for it and probably switch out the rug.

It amazes me how much chrome we have in this house. Luckily I am now a chrome cleaning expert and got the legs nice and shiny.

*****

A gift of two amazing (cat) ornaments

One Saturday, my parents showed up with a present that couldn’t wait until Christmas. They gave us two ornaments. One for each of our cats. Pixel’s was very cute and playful…

… while Loki’s made me laugh for days. It’s strangely reminiscent of his personality… if he was a mariachi.

*****

My amaryllis bloomed on Christmas Eve

I picked up a amaryllis at IKEA this year.

I planted it in a white square pot from an old floral arrangement I had and watched the bloom daily.

I has my fingers crossed that it would open in time for our Christmas Eve dinner.

Only hours before dinner, it emerged. What a Christmas miracle. It’s still blooming weeks later.

*****

Two days of merriment with loved ones

There was a little of a Christmas shuffle this year, but it worked out nicely. Everyone was able to take a piece of the hosting duties and minimize that frazzled, stressed out holiday feeling you can get from too many expectations.

We hosted Christmas Eve dinner for both Nate and my family. I kept it simple with tri-tip salad, hot spiced shrimp and potatoes. I also served these awesome retro sodas with fun glasses and striped straws for the non-drinkers of the family.

Then, we drove over to my sister’s for Christmas morning for presents and brunch. One of my presents to Nate was a small pet carrier that he is wearing in the picture above. We haven’t tried it out yet, but I plan to video tape the maiden voyage. Could be a whole lot of crazy.