Recycling beyond the bin!

So let's say you've been re-purposing what you can and tossing what you can into your recycling bin, but there's still more you'd like to see recycled or re-used in some way.


Here are some ideas:

• Donate to the community garage sale to help women in Burundi (Africa).
  
• Check with a zoo near you to see if anything you have fits their wishlist. (The Phoenix Zoo's list includes items you never would have thought of, i.e. sheets for orangutans to play in.)

• Dry cleaners will take hangers.
• Many grocery stores now have places to drop off plastic bags for recycling or will allow you to bring in and re-use old plastic bags (of course, replacing your them altogether with cloth bags is the best option).

• Animal shelters often accept "gently used" towels and blankets.
• Treasures 4 Teachers accepts all kinds of items (including school supplies, containers, etc.) and sells them to teachers very inexpensively for use in their classrooms. They have partners outside of Arizona as well.

• Real Simple has a guide to "How to Recycle Anything" with more great suggestions.
• I listed this on Earth Day, but I think it bears re-posting: Items you Never Thought to Recycle.

Come on back for next month's Project Support Beauty in Nature: the next step in recycling.

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Photos by me.

Mobile (cell) phone quiz

When I headed over to My Little Drummer Boys to respond to Trish's comment, I got inadvertently tagged for this quiz. So....

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Your mission: Get your phone out...and if you already had your phone within arms length - you are tagged.

01. What color is it?
Some kind of metallic I don't have a name for.

02. Who is the first person that comes up under the letter M?
Manoush.

03. Who is the last person you called?
my dad

04. Who was your last missed call from?
my dad (which is why I was calling him back)

05. Who is the 2nd person who comes up under A?
Ali H

06. Who is speed dial #2?
Hmmm...do I have that one programmed? Nope.

07. Who is the 3rd person who comes up under J?
Janet B. (these questions are getting a little repetitive!)

08. Who was your last received call from?
OK, this is funny. My mom.

09. Who is speed dial #3?
Nope. Nothing there either.

10. What is your background?
A faint image of some birch trees.

11. How many text messages are currently in your Inbox?
As many as they'll let me get away with...let's see...77!

12. Who is speed dial #1?
Voicemail!

13. What does the 5th message in your Inbox say?
On way home. C U soon. Luv u. (from the Hubs, of course!)

14. Who is the first person that comes up under B?
Becky C.

15. Who was your last text message from?
Lisa

16. Name every person you have text messages from:
How many more questions do we have left?

17. Who do you have the most received calls from?
Probably the Hubs. Or maybe my parents - hehe.

19. What does the 6th message in your Outbox say?
It doesn't save 6. Last one was "Happy birthday, girlie! Hope you're having a great one!"

20. Who is the first person in your phone book?
Aaron

21. Who is the last name in your Phonebook?
Yantz

22. Do you have a camera phone?
Not yet. But if you wanted to get me one instead of filling out this quiz, I'd be fine with that.

23. Who is the last person under G?
Grandpa. (Not that he answers his phone.)

24. What does the first text message in your inbox say?
Didn't we do this already? It says, "Thanks."

25. Where do you usually carry your phone ?
purse.

26. What is your best advice for mobile/cell phone etiquette ?

If it's a place/time you can't talk, either don't answer the phone or let the person know at the outset of the conversation that you only have a moment and would prefer to call back. Trying to treat it like a regular call is rude to the person who called and doesn't know why you have such an impatient tone.

Advice of the day

1. Clear the clutter from your in and out box ... write down the special messages , recall special moments that inspired them.
   
2. Re affirm friendships and neglected relationships ... is there someone you haven't spoken to or heard from recently. If you are still too busy - just send a quick text message to say Hi - thinking of you today hope you well (to everyone in your address book if you need to).
   
3. Ignore or turn off the phone sometimes ... important calls always ring back.

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Photo by me. Add your own phone photo to your quiz. :)

Autumn

Fall in Phoenix doesn't look or feel like it does in other parts of the country. Seeing changing leaves requires a road trip (my Aunt Peggy actually sent us home from Indiana with leaves for my grandpa), yet there is still a sense that a time of harvest is here. We have white fields of cotton, open pumpkin patches and, for city dwellers, the urge to gather special ingredients from the grocery store for seasonal treats.

After all, isn't harvest really a time to gather, to bring in, to create something wonderful out of the bounty we've been given?


Playful Childhood suggests gathering items from around the house for creative play and bringing in items from outdoors to make a wreath. Holy Experience displays gathered (and labeled) items on a nature table.

I open the windows, hoping to bring in a cool breeze, and think about ways I can celebrate the harvest.


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Photos by me.

Election day

Beautiful things about today

I wasn't planning on posting anything else today, but I really felt moved to write this after reading some negative comments about the election...

As Americans, we find ourselves today at the culmination of a closely-watched, long-stretching campaign season. After months of listening, it is our turn to speak.

We have been red or blue or green or other. We have been right or left or center or undecided. We have been for or against, yes or no, supporting or opposing. Today we are still all of those things - and we are more. Today we are voters. We are deciders. And, let's not forget, we are Americans.

Campaigning, with its name calling and mud slinging, is over. Results, despite what some may say, have not come in yet. What we voters have is today, and today - whatever your disappointments may be in candidates, campaigns or country - we have many things to celebrate.

Today we share in this flawed-yet-beautiful thing called democracy. We have freedom to fill out our ballots, to make our selections. You may not like your options, but you have a choice. Record numbers have lined up at the polls and are willing to wait to take part. In those lines, many will vote for the first time. The past years have seen many people move from apathy to activism. And today we write history. Today's candidates show us that the highest office in the land is, in fact, open to men and women of every color. Today we have anticipation, waiting to see what the future holds.

Tomorrow will be different. How different it is is up to us. Tomorrow we will not be voters, but we will still be deciders. We will still be Americans.

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Photos by me.

Let's get our vote on!

If you're a U.S. citizen and haven't voted already, go vote! I don't think I have to tell you how important it is - especially this time around - that everyone's voice is heard.

Also important: getting the kids involved!



Arizona kids can "vote" online.

In other states, check out kidsvotingusa.org or Googling kids vote + your state's name should turn up kids' voting programs where you are.

P.S. Before you go, learn how you can report your overall voting experience or any problems at the polls via the Twitter Vote Report.


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Photo by Northfield.org. CCL.

A blog for the Bold

There's so much that I'm working on when it comes to expanding my business (Bold Avenue) that I thought it could use a whole blog of its own. So I gave it one.


New on the Avenue will mainly be updates - new products added, new services offered, sales, shipping deadlines, etc. I'll also throw in a few gift ideas. And maybe some customer photos.

But all the posts will be short and to the point and available via feed/email subscription if that's more convenient for you. It will be updated frequently (but not daily), depending on when we roll out something new.


And, don't worry, you'll still be able to find the rambling, the memes, the off-topic posts and the occasional Bold Avenue highlights right here at the Little Stuff of Life.



Feel free to let me know what you think!

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Photos by me.

1) Detail of Garden Tote Bag.
2) Detail of Little Duck Family (congrats) Greeting Card (inside).
3) Heart Jr. Jersey T-Shirt.