Earth Day

****So, I thought that I published this post on Sunday, but apparently I hit the wrong button and only saved it.  I am VERY disappointed, since I was trying to celebrate Earth Day with you all!  I hope you enjoy reading about it anyway.****

Happy Earth Day, everyone!

In case you aren't familiar, Earth Day falls each year on April 22.  It's the celebration of environmental awareness movement that started in 1970 and is still celebrated today.

It's important to take care of our planet.  While we may not be here forever, each generation should get to enjoy a land that hasn't been junked up by those before them.  We Americans consume- a lot. And are quite wasteful compared to other countries.  I've made it a personal goal to be less wasteful and more aware of my impact on the world around me. How, might you ask?

We recycle.

I thought it was ridiculous how much trash only two people could produce, so we started recycling to cut down on what we send to the landfills.  We have 4 bins set up to collect: cardboard, mixed paper, plastics, and aluminum & glass. Right now our so-called "bins" are really various sized trashcans that are lining our hall to the extra bedroom. This is not a very good system, but we've been dealing with it for a while now.  Hopefully we can come up with something better in our new place.  Auburn has a pretty decent recycling program.  However, they do not do curbside pickup at our trailer, so we make trips to the recycling center where everything is labeled, and you just dump your recycling right in!

We use reusable shopping bags.

It takes a while to get into the habit of remembering to take these to the store, but I've finally caught one.  Except one time recently where we made a big Walmart trip and I had a bit of a panic attack at the number of plastic bags that was used for our items.  Reusable shopping bags can hold SO much more than the plastic ones, and they are super durable.  Plus, fewer bags = fewer trips to and from the car!

We use a water-filtering pitcher & have re-fillable water bottles, instead of buying bottled water.

These are the best travel bottles we've ever owned. They keep your drink of choice cold for a long time.  If you add ice, there will still be some left at the end of the day!

I can only speak for myself on this one:  I am conscience of the amount of water I use during my morning routine and nightly routine.  I turn the water off while brushing my teeth and washing my face so as to not waste so much.  There is no point of letting all that just wash down the drain.

(photo from thedailygreen.com)

The products you buy also sends a message to producers.  Lots of manufacturers are getting these signals from consumers and changing their ways- from less packaging to fewer harsh chemicals, "green" products are more available on the market than ever before.  I am trying to replace some of our everyday products with more natural or eco-friendly for our own health and the environment's.  Remember our "green" frying pans from Christmas?  And the DIY Laundry Detergent?  I also recently replaced all of our cleaning products with Method products.  (Thanks to Target coupons + manufacturing coupons, I got each for 99cents!)

And this is my favorite face cleanser:

So I wouldn't classify us as "tree huggers" just yet, but every little bit helps!
What do you do to help better the world we live in?
Here's a link to a quiz to determine your ecological footprint and ways to reduce it. I was required to do for a class (Global Consumer Culture) my 2nd year at Auburn and thought it was pretty interesting.

3 Ways to Get Stuff for Free!

I wanted to enlighten you all about some rewards programs that I use to snag free money or prizes.  Did you think there was no such thing as a free lunch?  Well, you're pretty much right, because you do have to do at least a little something for these rewards programs, but if a few clicks a day gets me closer to a giftcard or cash I'm willing to do it! Here are my 3 favorites:

Perhaps the easiest rewards program is Ebates.  All you have to do to earn cash through Ebates is log into your Ebates account before you do your online shopping.  Search their database for the online store you will be shopping at, and click on it.  You will be redirected to your store's website, and Ebates will track to see if you ordered.  You will earn money according to the percent of rewards Ebates is offering.  Sometimes the percent cash back will change - your store may be running a bonus %!  Ebates also houses coupon codes, so you may score even more savings!  Here's a peek at some percentages:

It may not seem like much, but it adds up.  I have earned $36.87 since sometime in 2010.  So it's not the quickest way to earn rewards, but it's easy (if you remember to go to Ebates first).  Of course, the more online shopping you do, the more money you earn.

If you would like to set up an Ebates account to start earning, please click HERE.  You will get a bonus $10 giftcard to Target, Barnes & Noble, Magazines.com, or Home Depot when you sign up.  (And I will make $5 - only if you click through my link!)

Swagbucks is a points-based rewards program.  You earn points for using swagbucks as your search engine, taking a daily poll, viewing special offers, taking surveys, and other ways I haven't explored much of yet.  If you use Firefox, Internet Explorer, or (recently added) Google Chrome as your web browser you can install the Swagbucks toolbar, which gives you quick access to ways to earn and your rewards points total.

Once installed, just hover over the "Earn" tab on the toolbar and choose the way you want to get points.  Each day I try to take the "Daily Poll" (1pt), view the "NOSOs" (this stands for No Obligation Special Offers - all you have to do is click Skip or See Next Offer a few times and you can collect 2pts without giving out your info to any of the offers listed), and search a few separate times through Swagbucks.  When you make a search, you are awarded points at random.  I've received as many as 33 points to as few as 3 points per search.  And you don't get points for every search - again, it's random.  So next time, instead of Googling, use Swagbucks and work your way to a freebie!
So far I have earned 1,155 points since November 2011 (granted, I have just recently started trying to earn more points once I realized how easy it is).  I've cashed 450 points in twice to get Amazon gift cards - the ultimate reward prize in my opinion. (You can get anything off Amazon!)  There are many other prizes/giftcards to choose from.
Also, you earn points off of every person you refer - so if you would like to start an account, please click HERE!

My next favorite rewards program makes me smile twice - once for freebies, and once for promoting ways to better our environment!  Recyclebank rewards you for recycling and taking time (usually a couple of minutes) to learn about ways to reduce, reuse, or recycle. I've learned some surprising things about products through the activities I've completed so far, such as: Pantene now makes some of their bottles out of sugarcane to reduce the amount of plastic used in production and make the bottles more biodegradable. You can also earn 50 points by recycling Kashi cereal boxes!  Once you sign up for an account, you can start earning points by clicking on the "Earn Points" tab and taking quizzes (very short, promise!) or making pledges.  You can use you points to purchase coupons or giftcards.   I cashed in 100 of my points for $10 off $30 purchase at Bed, Bath, and Beyond!  You can also score free magazine subscriptions, such as Woman's Day or Good Housekeeping for only 125 points!
Click HERE to set up a Recyclebank account!

If you have any questions about any of these sites or how to earn points, leave a comment below!

Weekend Round-Up: School, Home, Matrimony

This weekend has been a long, eventful one to say the least.

On Friday, I went to UAB School of Optometry for Spring Visit (pre-orientation).  I had a great time getting to know my classmates and learning more about what's ahead.  We also were able to mingle with current first year students (we are matched to a "sponsor") and got great advice about starting school, Birmingham, and where to live.

Jesse was wonderful enough to drive around Birmingham for the full five hours I was in orientation trying to find us a home to rent.  Unfortunately not much success was found, but we had also planned to check out a couple of apartment complexes.  We did find an apartment we like, and think it's "the one,"  but I'm not going to share any details yet until it's final!

Saturday the most awesome thing happened.... my sister got married!!!! I am SO excited for her and Jeff, and their happiness just radiates from their smiles!  Tara and I had a little sister bonding that morning as I took her to get her hair and makeup done. 

Soon after, she was walking down the aisle:

Jeff was very excited to see his bride:

Meet Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Moseley!

They had a little something up their sleeves for the rest of us. Click the photo below to see their first dance:

Congrats Jeff and Tara!

I love you, Sissy!

Easter Sunday

This post is WAY overdue, and I apologize. I typed up the post, but didn't have the time to upload the photos from my camera and get them ready to share. This past week has been a little crazy. (More on that later):

He is Risen! Isn't it absolutely awesome to know our Savior has conquered death and washed us clean and will come again for us one day?!  Man, what a day that will be.  I love Easter because it's a time of year where the world's focus is turned toward Jesus and his sacrifice for each of us.  Of course, we should remember this every day, but it's a humbling time of year when all Christians are celebrating it together.

An Easter weekend would not be complete without family and food.  We started our weekend relaxing at Gene & Marilyn's , then went to church with my parents at Northside.  I didn't do any special shopping for an Easter dress this year, and haven't really for the past few years.  I remember as a kid, though, it was a HUGE deal to go pick out a new dress for Easter Sunday, and then see what pretty new spring dresses all the other girls and ladies wore to church. Here we are in our Sunday best:

Then we were off to Aunt Emily's house to fill our bellies and hunt eggs.  In our family everyone hunts eggs.  The little kids get to go first, but even us big kids and the adults get in on the fun!

I got in my share of baby holding with this beautiful little girl!

Thanks to my new handy tripod, we were able to take a family photo (with everyone that was there/left).

Happy (Belated) Easter!  Hope you all had a day as great as we did!

Happy Birthday to Me

Yesterday was my birthday, and it turned out to be a pretty awesome day!  Here are the highlights:

1. I got to dig into this cake from the lovely ladies at work.  I could tell you that I'm super special and the only one to receive a birthday cake, but the truth is that we all love something sweet, so we celebrate with a cake when at all possible.  :)

2.  My wonderful husband took me out to eat for my birthday dinner - at none other than our favorite local Italian restaurant, Provino's.  I'm quite sure that we have celebrated our last several birthdays there, because you get an entire free meal on your b'day!  (Who says you can't be cheap on your birthday?!)  Provino's is delicious.  They give you a little bowl full of rolls that are covered in butter and minced garlic.  I'm sure I ate a heart attack's work of those last night.... but we won't go there. 

3.  My wonderful husband also had a surprise for me when we got home!

A set of tripods!  I can't wait to use these babies!

What's for Dinner? - Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

I've been wanting to share this recipe for quite a while now, but each time I make it, it's nearly on our plates before I think about taking any pictures.  This time I have remembered your hungry bellies and can finally give you insight into what's on our plates nearly once a week.  Seriously.  It's that good.

Once again, I found this on Pinterest.  If you couldn't tell, that website has changed my life.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

(click the photo above to take you to the original recipe; below is my version)

These are a great, quick meal that we usually have everything on hand to make.  They are the perfect combination of chicken, rice, beans, cheese, and sour cream all wrapped up in a soft tortilla, toasted to gooey, yummy perfection.  (Now I know you want to try them!)

Ingredients:

1 cup shredded chicken

1 cup cook rice

1 can black beans, rinsed

sour cream (optional not optional)

freshly shredded cheese  (fresh cheese is much better than pre-shredded, especially in these wraps)

1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic salt

a squirt of lime juice, if you have it

salsa for dipping

Cook, then shred your chicken.  Get your rice going too (or use leftover rice).

Shred your cheese. (Try not to eat it all before it makes it into the wraps... or shred extra for pre-dinner grazing like I did...)

Rinse your black beans.

Sprinkle cumin, garlic salt, and chili powder onto rice, then mix well.

Add the chicken and beans to your rice mixture, and mix well.

Now you're ready to assemble!

Spread sour cream on your tortilla, sprinkle with lots of cheese, then add a few spoonfuls of chicken mixture.

Fold each side over, then spray with a light coating of PAM.  Place folded side down into a warm pan, and cook until crispy.

Flip, and crisp other side, then enjoy in all of their melted cheesy goodness!  

They are best enjoyed dipped in salsa.

This makes several wraps, so we refrigerate the mixture and fix the wraps as wanted for lunch or another dinner. 

Weekend Round-up

This weekend was a pretty laid back and lazy one. (Can't complain about that!)  

Friday night we tended to a smoothie fix - Kiwi Quencher this time. (Told you Tropical Smoothie was going to be addicting...)

This is not a very clear picture, but the necklace I'm wearing is the one I purchased at the Premier Designs party.  It was my first time wearing it, and I loved it!  

I spent most of Saturday morning trying to curl my hair.  My hair has never held much curl, but after this weekend, I think I am going to blame that on the weight of my hair.  It was a success with my short do and held up well.  I took tips from Kate @ thesmallthingsblog.com - she is a hair stylist who has uploaded tons of hair tutorials to her blog (you might recognized her from Pinterest).  Now that I know what I am doing, I think I can accomplish it in a more timely fashion next time. :)  Here's what it looked like:

And to enjoy our beautiful weather, we had Sunday lunch picnic-style by the pond.