I saw this on Craftzine today and I want ‘em. I may know how to knit, crochet, and make soap and lotion, but damn it, I can barely sew on a button.

Categories: crafts, home
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Remember that story not too long ago about Megan Coulter, the 13-year-old from Illinois who got two days of detention from school because she hugged some friends goodbye for the weekend? Well, today there’s a story on the OC Register about a couple of students from nearby Tustin who got SUSPENDED because of the same reason.

Hugging.

WTF is wrong with this picture? What problem am I not seeing??

OK, I can understand that instances of unwanted physical contact can be a problem, but in general, hugging != a very bad and evil thing. Am I out of my gourd? Do most parents discourage this kind of behavior? My god, what would these parents have said when they saw me when I was in school? My friends and I greeted and said goodbyes with kisses on the cheek, and THAT was the norm. (Granted, it was an international school with very European customs, but still.) There was nothing elaborate about them and they didn’t clog up hallways. Mwah-mwah, good morning. Mwah-mwah, see you after class.

Americans can be so damn uptight sometimes.

Categories: random
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• Send a free text message to 89279 to tell a service member abroad THANK YOU. This program is part of this year’s efforts to send A Million Thanks. The text messaging campaign started this weekend and will run through midnight (PDT) on Thursday, November 22. When you send your text message, you will receive a personal reply from an Armed Services member. Visit A Million Thanks for more info and other ways to say thanks.
• There’s a sad decline in donations this year to the Orange County Food Bank, according to the OC Register. Please take a moment to drop off some extra food at 12640 Knott Street, Garden Grove, CA 92841. Business hours are M-F, 8am to 5pm. 714.897.6670 (After-hours bins are also available for nonperishable goods.) You can also donate to the Second Harvest Food Bank at 8014 Marine Way, Irvine, CA 92618. 949.653.2900.

Categories: charity
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• There’s plans to expand the community center over at University Park in Irvine starting next year following green building standards. They’re going to be using “sustainable bamboo floors, a reflective roof and brick made of recycled materials.” The renovation will add a whopping 6,000 square feet to the center’s current 3,800. Why can’t they do stuff like this in my town? Source: OC Register.
• Someone decided to do some “art” with toilet paper, spelling out (what I think is) “CRAP”. Yeah, OK, this is funny/intriguing for a minute, but then I gotta wonder … was it really necessary to waste all that toilet paper? Source: Craftzine.
• I’ve been foiled by the wrappers that protect my new love, JavaPodz. I sent them an email yesterday asking if the individual foil wrappers were recyclable, and unfortunately, they are not due to the plastic lining they’ve added (to better insulate the pods inside). Bummer.

Categories: random
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A few weeks ago, while in my search for eco-friendly baby gear, I came across this shopping blog called Great Green Baby. What I love about them is that they’ll find and feature a variety of green things for babies and parents, from clothing to accessories to strollers and more!

Anywhoo, right now their Holiday Contest is underway, and I’ve got my eye on … well, anything they want to give out for free! Wish us luck!

Categories: web sites, baby
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While I generally buy multi-grain loaves of sandwich bread, I was recently hit with the homemade bread baking bug (probably due to this post on Lifehacker), and I currently have a whole wheat and oatmeal loaf on it’s second rise. The first rise went well, so I’ve got high hopes that this won’t turn out as a brick. It’s been a while since I’ve (tried) to make homemade bread and I had forgotten the simple pleasures that come with it.

I’ll take and post photos when it’s done. I’m awfully curious how it’ll taste toasted with a bit of soybean butter. It probably won’t have as much fiber as the multi-grain loaves I normally buy, but it sure is nice to know exactly what the ingredients are.

Another recipe I’ve been drooling over is this whole no-knead recipe from the NY Times. It looks super easy; the “hardest” part is timing the whole process due to long resting time (12-18 hours). The recipe also calls for the use of a heavy, lidded pot, which I don’t currently have in my arsenal. (I do have dutch oven pot, but it’s not the traditional cast iron type, so I’m hesitant to use it.) Considering how much I love my Lodge Cast Iron Skillet, I’m tempted to pick up their 5-Quart Dutch Oven (only $25 from Amazon) not just so I can use it for this no-knead bread recipe, but it’ll probably have a ton of uses as well.

Categories: cooking, food
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