Picture That: Giveaway

I am really excited to offer to my lovely readers my first ever sponsored giveaway!


This giveaway is hosted by CSN, which is comprised of over 200 online stores, where you can find everything from eco-friendly modern furniture to cookware.


Many of their websites have a "Go Green" link right at the top, letting shoppers know what items they're offering that are environmentally friendly.


I will be giving away one 16x16 piece of stretched wall art by Inhabit, which creates art from recycled polyester and comes ready to hang.  A lot of Inhabit's artwork is inspired by nature, with modern and artistic renditions of trees, bamboo, and grass.  I've chosen a modern interpretation of a coral reef in a gorgeous plum for one lucky follower.


To enter for a chance to win, become a follower (if you aren't already!) and let me know one way you're cutting down on your environmental impact this year.  This giveaway is limited to US residences only and the winner will be announced next week.

Smells Like Back to School

I know I'm back at school when I come into my room smelling like geraniums.  I hate the idea of air fresheners in general (throwing away so much packaging, replacing so frequently, so many chemicals), but Mrs. Meyer's makes a great air freshener that smells delicious.

Best of all, all their products are biodegradable, 100% vegan, and don't contain ammonia, chloride, parabens, formaldehyde, or petroleum distillates.

Their products work (I also use their all-purpose cleaner in Basil to clean my kitchen) and smell delicious.

Being the Only Vegetarian in the House

This book would not be found at my house-house, but it's at my school-house.

Though there are tons of things I love about being at home, one of the worst things about being at home is that I'm the only vegetarian in the house.  (Even at school, strangely enough, three out of the six of us are vegetarians.)  The thing about being at home is that you're at least slightly subjected to things that your family wants to do.  Everyone's going to a steakhouse because it's your dad's birthday?  You're kind of stuck with at least going.  It doesn't help that my mother is convinced that I'm suffering from protein deficiency because I don't eat meat and that my family thinks I'm crazy.

So here are the things that I've found to help me deal with my family's eating habits.

• Emphasize side dishes.  No one (not my family at least) eats just a steak for dinner.  I'm fine with eating just the grain and veggie side dishes.  There are tons of vegetarian side dishes that would go with any main dish, so you should be covered on this front.
• Go grocery shopping with the person who does the grocery shopping.  This way you can put in your input and can also help to decide how and what to cook.
• Develop the menu with the primary chef.  If you can put your input into what's for dinner that night, you're more likely to be happy with the meal.
• Help with the cooking.  This way you'll know what's going into the food and there won't be any reasons for arguing later.
• Be clear about your eating rules.  Just like diets, there are tons of ways that people are vegetarians. There are vegetarians who may eat eggs, dairy products, other animal products, animal byproducts, etc.  It's important that you're clear with regards to where you stand.
• Be willing to compromise.  No one is saying that you have to eat fried chicken wings if you're a vegetarian, but there are definitely ways that I compromise when I'm at home.  I rarely eat fish when I'm on my own (so technically I'm more of a pescetarian) but when I'm at home I'll eat seafood a little more frequently.  I don't eat any meat products when I'm on my own, but I will eat, for example, stuffed zucchini that my mother made with a little bit of chicken stock.  [Note: I think this point is much easier for me than it might be for others because I am a vegetarian because of environmental, rather than ethical, issues.]

Eating while you're the only vegetarian doesn't have to be a total chore.  Eating is humanity's oldest cultural activity, and it's meant to be communal.  (At an Asian home like mine, eating together is the only way we eat!)  Having different eating habits doesn't mean you have to eat alone.

Things I Love About Christmas Break

Casey loves wearing her Santa hat... Really.

1. My house is so clean and I had nothing to do with it.  Because we don't throw down at our house, it's pretty much always clean.
2. Delicious food that I didn't have to cook.  Seeing as I cook maybe a rotation of 15 meals, being at home is great - and I don't have to go grocery shopping.
3. My dogs.
4. No school work!  Because we're between semesters, I'm completely done, unlike Thanksgiving break when professors seem to assign more work since they know we have free time.
5. Time to do nothing.  I can read for pleasure which is pretty unheard of while I'm at school.  I can watch movies because I have nothing to do.  I can sit around and watch all the TV channels that I don't have at school.
6. And most importantly... being with my family and friends from home.

Hope you all have a great Christmas/holiday break!