A Parent/Child Relay Run Race - in the rain - to the benefits of Kids with Type 1 Diabetes. Read Cole's story (As written by Cole and his mom 4 weeks after diagnosis as part of a presentation to his 1st grade class.)
And some homemade Harvest Pumpkin Bread, with raisins and walnuts.
Mmmh... Delicioso! Delicious! Delicieux! Köstlich!
I got myself a SPARK PEOPLE WATER BOTTLE to reward myself for working so hard on keeping healthy! Now, I love the design, the containance (a liter) and the lovely blue color, but I am not sure I am going to use it... or even keep it...
Why? Because of that scary label on the bottom...
[click on photo to enlarge]
Exercise is supposed to be good for you, but if/when you drink out of one of those "#7" bottles, you might put your health in jeopardy... So, what is worst? A sedentary lifestyle and clotted arteries, or poisoning from an exercise water-bottle?
Out of 50 states, only the State of California requires by law such a warning label; in other states, you are not even informed that the container you are drinking from could make you sick...
But is warning people of a danger enough? Wouldn't it make more sense to just remove hazardous products from the market when those are known to be dangerous to health?
On March 29 2008 at 8pm, TURN OFF your lights for ONE HOUR!!!
It started with a question: How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?
The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour.
On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. This massive collective effort reduced Sydney's energy consumption by 10.2% for one hour, which is the equivalent effect of taking 48,000 cars off the road for one hour.
With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off, and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour in 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement.
.: Add your name to the Earth Hour movement HERE:.
Take a moment for yourself.
Close your eyes.
Put your hand on your 
.
Think about its beat — the power of your life in your hands — and how important your is.
One woman will die almost every minute from disease this year. Until more women are aware of this deadly (but often preventable) disease, this statistic is not likely to change.
Going Red is about finding your own way to take part in the fight against disease in women. Whether it's visiting your healthcare provider, eating a healthier diet, increasing your exercise, (...) or wearing red today, you can do something special to love your .
Today you can show the world you support the movement to improve women's health and save lives by wearing red—and encouraging all women to wear red – whether it is a red dress, a red t-shirt, a red dress pin or red lipstick.
Go red—for your , for your health, for your life, for the women you love.
Take the GoRed Heart CheckUp
This year, I am giving my the gift of health, by lowering my BMI to a normal range (DONE!), exercise regularly (DONE!) and cutting off Caffeine (in progress...)
DAY #4 CAFFEINE FREE, and I don't notice any more symptoms today.
No more headaches or drawsiness. 
I love my Decaf, and I love my !
- Download Spark People "29 days to a Healthier Heart" calendar here -
Carbon Conscious Consumer (C3) is a national climate campaign sponsored by the Center for a New American Dream that challenges individuals to establish climate-friendly daily habits and inspire their friends to do the same; six easy steps over six months.
In November, it is about washing 4 out of 5 loads of laundry in cold water.
By doing this, you'll cut 72 pounds of CO2 emissions, and in a year you'll save more than $60 in energy costs too!
If you live in a region with high electricity costs, such as California, the Mid-Atlantic, and New England, you might well find cold washing to save you $100 per year!
Take this month's pledge to Beat the Heat and Wash in Cold
Want to make an even bigger difference with your laundry? Try line or rack drying your clothes (dryers have an even bigger energy cost and climate impact than hot water washing).
In her motivation article It's Easy Being Green! Nicole Nichols - Fitness Instructor & Health Educator at Spark People, features the November 2007 Calendar which is about reducing human impact on the environment.
Thirty daily simple tips to get started with developing more eco-friendly habits; because most green actions will save you money, limit waste, enhance your health and even increase your overall physical activity—all while benefiting the planet.
For instance...
November 1st was about recycling, recycling, recycling - Done that! Mister T. is very reluctant to "tofu" - even to just the idea of having some in the house makes him nervous. He thinks it could be contaminated or something... 
- BUT he is a recycling maniac!
November 2nd was about using Cloth Napkins instead of paper ones - I need to work on that...
November 3rd - Bring your own bags to the grocery store instead of getting new ones all the time. Done that too! And guess what? My local grocery store refunds 5 cents for each bag I bring with me. I have 6 big huge totes (I go grocery shopping only once a week) so that is 30 cents right there!
November 4 was about buying local! Done that! I have recently discovered a dairy farm in my area that sells milk from what is called organic cows, in glass bottles that can be returned and reused -- it reminds me of my childhood. Even though I get skim milk, it tastes almost as creamy as whole milk from the store...
November 5th was an invitation to visit the Library, instead of buying books, cds and magazines. Imagine how much is saved when many people share a book or magazine. Done that too! Actually, I got my library card last week.
CLICK HERE to download and print your November calendar.
(You need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download this PDF.)
Today, October 15, is Blog Action Day. Bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind - the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.
Here are 3 ways to participate:
My humble conribution to a better environment:
To help the environment, I do and also try to educate my kids to pay attention to little things that may seem to be a drop in the ocean, but I am sure can make a difference. For example, I limit my gas comsumption by going groceries only once a week, I try not to overuse water, I turn off the light when I leave a room, I send ink cartidge for the computer to recycling, and we are recycling everything that can be, etc ... More recycling ideas here.
| “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed it’s the only thing that ever has.”
~ Margaret Mead ~ |
My journey to vegetarianism:
I am a lacto-ovo-vegetarian. Most people think (and I use to be one of them) that being a vegetarian consists of not eating animal meat. It is not quite simple.
Nowadays, many foods hide contain ingredients derived from slaughter by-products! What a trick to the unaware customers! Even veggie burgers are suspicious! That is really scary because Vegetarianism is supposed to make people feel safe, right? I guess the only way to know what our food contains, is to prepare our own homemade veggie burgers -- and any other dish -- ourselves.
When it comes to healthy and mindful eating is to KIS (Keep It Simple). The Golden Rule to keep in mind when grocery shopping is "the lest processed is best".
-------
Now, what have you done to help the environment today?
Although it was sunny, today was also a little chilly day - it smells like Autumn already... But going to the Maine Wild Blueberry Festival for the first time ever, was great anyway. It was certainly worth the long drive - during which I had time to make more crocheted 6 inches squares for Share a Square... 
(The photo here below show them on my lap, in the car)
At the Festival, the kids enjoyed the rides and seeing farm animals, and Mister Tricotine and myself enjoyed the food - and especially since we have decided that today would be our last junk-food-allowed day... That's right! Starting tomorrow, back to exercise and low-carb lifestyle for us both (again)... Well, until "Mr T" gives up (again) and lets me down... again... 
But this is not the topic here.
Since photos are worth thousand words, here is a little view of our country experience this past weekend. Just a little highlight on those 100 years old handkintted Wedding Stockings. I wish I was able to get a better close-up but they were behind a glass and it was a little to dark for a decent photo - I hope the detail of the fabulous stitching shows though... I don't think I had ever seen such tiny handmade stitches before... It is like they were knitted with pin-needle-size double pointed needles! 
   |
And now, a yummy Blueberry recipe. Since I have already posted the Maine Traditional Wild Blueberry Banana Bread last year, let's talk now about Tradional Maine Blueberry Pie, shall we? Mmmh?
For the last time... before long... 
I was informed by Marcia, that Shelly Kneupper Tucker is "searching for people with big hearts", to help with the Share a Square Project.
The project is about sending six inch crocheted (or knitted) squares to be stitched together for afghans to give to the children at Camp Sanguinity in July of 2008. A black crocheted border will be added by volunteers in Texas.
Click HERE to read the initial post about this grass roots charitable project.
Then, when you are done, here is the adress to send your squares to:
| Shelly Kneupper Tucker P.O. Box 2241 Denton, TX 76202 |
** BUT, if you can’t crochet or knit, you can help spread the word. Please, add a button to your site with a link to the original post. Instructions for doing so can be found here or here. Of course, making one or more squares AND post into your blog is allowed!
Thank you for your time and generosity! 
1, 2, twist, P... 1,2, twist, P... 1,2, twist, P... No, it is not waltz's step counting! It is the stitch repeat that I kept in my head while making the One Row Scarf that I just finished for Red Scarf Project 2007.
I loved working that pattern and I probably will do it again for personal use.
But, and because I made that scarf with acrylic yarn, blocking was not an option to stretch it wider; therefore, because of its stretchiness - the scarf is a little narrow... Next time, and if I use acrylic again, I will cast on more [x4] stitches.
Here is a close-up of the amazing stitching effect.
Yarn: Red Heart Super Saver, color Wine, from my stash
Needles: Straight U.S. #8 (5 mm)
Pattern: HERE
Dimensions: 60 x 5 inches
