mrs. t's Profile

Wow, AT. . . that's incredibly wasteful. I wish that this site could find a cohesive point of view towards convenience, ease, and sustainability. It seems like one post will be about reducing waste and the next is about generating more!

Let's remember that people who read books go to the library, swap, exchange, gift, re-gift, share, donate, and borrow books. Also, does this fancy scientific study include purchasing at independent bookstores or used bookstores? Probably not. Let's remember. . . Amazon is not the only place to get books!

a pale "Robin's Egg Blue" (light blue with a tinge of green) on every wall. Leave the picture rail white. Paint a paler version between the picture rail and the crown.

I still think 2000 calories per day is too much for most people.

In every home that my husband and I have shared, we burn sage and "seal" the doors and windows from negative energy. I was a bit skeptical at first but every home that we have lived in has been a calming sanctuary for us and our friends. In fact, we're off to sage our new apartment right now!

Our way to learn how to "live with less"? Mr. T and I moved from a small 2 bedroom to a STUDIO apartment in San Francisco. Most of our stuff went into a storage unit to deal with later. It's been a year now and there are only about 3 boxes that we've even THOUGHT about in that time. Time to make a Goodwill run!

I remember my dad having the HUGE gallon-sized bottle of Dr. Bronner's under the sink in the bathroom. He would dilute it as needed for handsoap that he mixed in a container that he probably had for 10 years before I was born. That bottle of Dr. Bronner's probably lasted him 15 years. This might be the extreme but it goes to show you that if you invest properly, using refills is actually cheaper in the long run.

an upholstered bench or two armchairs with a small side table in between.

Find recipes that don't use dairy. A lot of Asian or Indian cuisines don't require dairy (my husband makes a mean Pad Thai) or leave the cheese out if possible. If your son only reacts to cow milk, use goat and sheep cheeses instead of ones from cow. Apparently the lactose in the smaller animals are easier for the human body to digest. Pecorino Romano makes a great substitute for Parmesean and Goat Gouda works well for other cheeses. Vegan Tofutti brand cream cheese and sour cream are life savers when you just can't do without. Soy yogurt and almond milk are great. AND. . . if you have a sweet tooth and can't do without ice cream, COCONUT MILK ice cream is AMAZING! Also, Whole Foods makes vegan pastries in their bakery and carries many vegan versions of foods. Get used to reading ingredients because a lot of times, cheese or whey is hidden in bread, pasta sauce, and other things that you wouldn't expect (like crackers?) and start asking for "dairy free" substitutes in restaurants. It'll take some conscious effort in the beginning but after a short time, it'll be second nature.

if your bed is a "taco", get a new one.