Archive for December, 2007

December 28th, 2007 - 2-stage furnace

Back about 5 years ago, when we bought a new furnace, we were sold on a 2-stage furnace. The description of how it worked given by the salesman made sense–something about how it blows continually keep heat circulated leading to more comfort without the furnace going full blast all the time.

I never quite understood why it didn’t seem to actually do this unless we turned the fan to ON (as opposed to Auto, which runs only when the furnace turns on).

This winter, I just found the air blowing around when it was 67 (downstairs, colder upstairs) just to darn cold and turned the fan off. It didn’t seem to change our electrical usage (to my great surprise–you’d think a fan on 24 hours a day would use a noticeable about of electricity) but our comfort went up! (The effect is based on checking the electric readings for 2 days before and after turning it off. The weather was about the same the entire time–bitterly cold.)

And I finally went looking online for what’s so great about 2-stage furnaces. We weren’t told the right thing! It’s actually that on average days, it runs at 70% (or some number) and only on the coldest days does it run at 100% (I think that usage of gas, not efficiency). But, in order to do this, you have to have a programmable thermostat made for 2-stage furnaces.

Funny thing about that free programmable thermostat they installed with the furnace: It’s for single stage furnaces! I was led to this by Earth Aid Enterprises, which offers kits of greening supplies at a discount. I looked at their thermostats and discovered notes that some were for 2-stage furnaces! That set me off on the check on our’s. And this weekend, I’ll probably put together a kit including an appropriate thermostat. I’m hoping it has a negative affect on our gas usage (negative is correct right, since I want it to go down?) and a positive one on our comfort level. (67 is actually on the chilly side for me and cold for Eric but we put up with it.)

I’ll get one that includes 7 days of programming. Our current one is 5-2, meaning on the weekends, it takes the settings for the other days and skips the last 2 (night and morning kept, day and evening tossed). That doesn’t work for us because we have lower settings in early morning since there’s a gap between when I get up and Eric gets up and stays home. It kicks in programming every 4-6 hours (or something, we don’t pay attention) so we have to manually change the temp back up a few times a day. It’s annoying–survivable, but annoying. Would rather have it programmed in.

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December 28th, 2007 - Silk floss

I didn’t actually think there was an alternative to teflon-coated floss, but I may have found it:RADIUS Toothbrushes and silk floss. (They have cool toothbrushes including one with a wooden handle and replaceable heads.) I could compost the floss.

I have to try this some day.

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December 28th, 2007 - Fake Plastic Fish

Fake Plastic Fish, a blog I’ve just started reading, is the tales of a woman who is trying to reduce her consumption of plastic to nearly 0. (This link takes you to her FAQ which is a good intro to her and the ideas behind her reduction. Also of great interest is The List of things she has done–and we can all do–to eliminate the use of plastics. Ranges from carrying reusable utensils (I do this for lunch but tend to forget at potlucks) to requesting no plastic packing materials to not using tape when wrapping gifts. And much more, plus suggestions from readers.

This is part of my effort to share some of the blogs I enjoy reading that are relevant to this blog. Look for more coming up in the new year. hopefully, I’ll be better at this than some of the others ideas I’ve had for regular blogging. ::sigh::

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December 28th, 2007 - Christmas report

I should first mention that I caught a bad cold for Solstice which I gave to Eric for Christmas. Maggie caught a lesser version of it than both of us. I spent most of Fri-Mon on the couch or in bed and Eric did the same Mon-Thursday. We actually intended to do a bit more than we did, but have not actually missed anything, I don’t think.

A) Holiday decor: Although we did buy a tree, against my recommendation, everything turned out fine. The cats never climbed it (as far as we know, at least), possibly because of the very close branches. Maggie and the pets quickly caught on that they weren’t supposed to play with it which was a relief. We put lights on it right away (the 15th), but never got around to putting on more decorations and realized we really liked it with just the lights! Which, by the way, are LEDs, so we haven’t turned them off in nearly 2 weeks! (2 strands were the perfect amount for the tree.) Maggie did hang the 5 ornaments received as gifts on Christmas day. The only problem is that the tree is quite dry and drops needles constantly.

On Christmas Eve or Christmas day, I finally put up the two window light things (Santa and a snowflake). Later, I put three candles on the piano, although we only lit two of them and only on two evenings. (Kept forgetting them.)

And we put the snowpeople Eagles wreath Eric got from his Mom last year on the front door.

B) Holiday food: Since I was sick, I didn’t make any more cookies. (We plan some for this weekend, however.) My bread paddle came on Saturday, and Monday I made banana bread for Christmas–unfortunately, I put in too much sugar (the amount the recipe calls for rather than the 50-75% I usually use) and it tasted funny. The bananas were a bit dry, too. We did make split pea soup on Xmas Eve and had it Xmas day for one meal. Maggie and I are still eating the olive spread from a couple weeks ago, too. Luckily, I had the auction-won Chex mix and Chex dessert plus a plate of cookies from Sean and Elissa to get us through as well.

C) Holiday gifts: Maggie received some lovely wooden toys this year, in particular, a handmade train from Gram and PopPop (my parents). She also loves the set of play food; we might bring her kitchen in from the porch to go along with them. Her other favorite toy is a kids digital camera from Grandma Johnson. We asked for this for her, but I didn’t realize it takes 5 batteries (one lithium it comes with plus 4 AAs. Aack. I finally got away from regular batteries for my digital camera and now I have to buy them for her. And I bet she uses them up faster than I did. It even says to not use rechargables in it.). We didn’t have 4 AAs in the house until last night, but she’s been pretending to take pictures all week anyway.

Grandma also gave her 5 other toys all requiring batteries. We aren’t going to put them in the puzzle and we put away the “karaoke” toy immediately. (It hooks up to the TV, too. So a 4x whammy–batteries, TV, kids music, noise. Not our cup of tea!) A musical snowglobe (except it’s a plastic thing and there’s air inside so it doesn’t work like a real snowglobe and the snow only flies when it’s turned on). And a singing Santa. I know MIL finds this stuff cute and has it around her house, but I don’t understand why she doesn’t get how much we can’t stand it. Oh well. We’ll donate one (she never sends along receipts, unfortunately), didn’t show Maggie how to run one (Santa), and will get rid of the snowglobe at the end of the season.

She also gave her a number of clothing items–a shirts/pants set, a sweater (although it looks long enough to be a dress so I might pair it with tights for church), and a frog towel/robe that she loves wearing around the living room. My parents also gave her some clothes–two PJs, summer pants, and 2 t-shirts. All the clothes are quite cute!

Eric got just what he wanted for Christmas: a slew of gift cards! (Also a book and some coffee.) I got a Boxer calendar, a lap quilt (possibly MIL made it?), and a box of food goodies–I had enjoyed some interesting spreads at my parents last Feb and indeed bought a few myself over the year but don’t tend to find much at the local groceries. Now I have plenty to last me all year, I just have to remember to use them! (I forgot to use most of those I bought this year. Partially because I didn’t like one so it’s still in the fridge and I hate to open something new. But I should! Since I won’t eat the one I don’t like anyway.)

So, overall, a pretty simple holiday. Mostly planned that way, although also forced due to illness. Once again, however, I’m glad that I didn’t have major plans since illness would have gotten in the way. It was nice to know I could just sleep away the days without worrying about things not getting done. (Oh, I did want to do some cleaning before the holidays, but I settled for doing it the last couple days instead. Our floors have been mopped!)

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December 28th, 2007 - Year in review

Once again, I revisit the year with the first sentence of the first post of each month:

First, thanks for reading Lindsey!
Now that it’s the end of the month, here’s the final tally.
I really love these thoughts from MoneyDummy.
Thanks to unexpected nice weather Saturday afternoon (it was supposed to rain all day and we got very little), I pruned.
April’s totals:
I just signed up for 8 blocks, or 800 KWh, of renewable energy each month.
I know, this is one boring as well, the usual salad.
Yesterday, I finally did some food processing.
NRDC: A Shopper’s Guide to Home Tissue Products Made with Recycled Paper I was looking for this a while back and someone at the Fool found it for me!
Due to being sick, I felt like I had a very lazy weekend.
Back in May, we bought a 100% organic cotton shower curtain.
Eric sent me this image: Save paper * save the planet.

What did you write about this year?

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December 27th, 2007 - Recycling in its purest form — among the worms - CNN.com

Personally, I don’t know what’s wrong with 6 pieces of wood, but this is another interesting option: recycled paper coffins.

On the other hand, cremation leaves even less behind. (Although the heat generation might be more harmful than a simple coffin decomposing. But then, I couldn’t be part of an eternal reef.)

(Ok, that is what I want to do. This one I don’t: You can also become a diamond. Maybe I should have done that for Shmi.)

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December 20th, 2007 - 12 ways to make your kids financially savvy

12 ways to make your kids financially savvy is an excellent article from a Wall Street Journal writer.

Note, however, that the author has quite a bit of money. Or at least has chosen to spend a lot on his kids, including retirement funds (invested amount unlisted), $5000 for a wedding, $5000 for finishing college, fully paying for their undergraduate education, $15,000 towards a house…and that’s per kid. Sorry Maggie, but I don’t plan to do any of that. I don’t personally believe parents should pay for college education beyond what the FFASFA (or whatever it’s called) says they can afford nor assisting with retirement or house purchase. And no way is she getting a $5000 college graduation gift.

But his (other) ideas are still valuable

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December 17th, 2007 - Maggie’s first Christmas tree

On Saturday, we bought our Christmas tree, at Schroeder’s Forevergreens. They are a local tree farm! They even sell Concolor Firs, my absolute favorite tree, but they only had had 5 and they were all gone. I fell in love with this tree in PA when Mom and I picked one out ne of first years there, but have never had one of my own. Well, this is only the second tree we’ve ever had–the only other one was a Norfolk Island Pine Eric and I had our first year in Oshkosh (I do not recall whether that was our first year, or our first married year, to be honest). It died before we moved to the new house, however. (Schroeder’s won best tree in the state for a Concolor this year. They move on to a national competition, and the winner provides a tree for the White House.)

We got a balsam fir, about 7″ tall, for $40. Plus a $5 tip for the lady who assisted us. Can you believe they spend the entire day outside???

Eric chopped off the bottom and some branches and it’s up in the living room where the brown chair usually is (for those who have visited us). We put up the lights Saturday night, and plan to decorate it tonight or tomorrow. She adored the tree, but didn’t quite know what to make of it with the lights on. She said it was very pretty when she saw it Sunday morning, but wouldn’t go near it.

She loved playing with a couple bits of branches that came off. She spent an hour “cooking” with them. Then she tried to feed needles to Jedi which is a definite no-no! (Pets shouldn’t eat needles as they can puncture intestines. Hopefully that’s not true for humans because she also tried eating some of them.) So the branches went into the compost bin, although there are still plenty of needles lying around. Thankfully, the cats have not (yet) tried to climb it, although Pi tried to eat it and Sith tried to attack it (the branch moved and scared the hell out of him and he ran off LOL). The branches are quite close together horizontally and needles go almost to the trunk, so there isn’t really room for them to try to climb up. Cats climbing up and/or knocking it over was my biggest fear with the tree!

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December 17th, 2007 - Solstice

Yesterday was the PUC Solstice Celebration. There’s always a lovely raffle, and both last year and this I ended up with some goodies! The items are brought in by those attending and range from candles to books to bags to lightbulbs (compact fluorescent ones, that is). I brought a jar of homemade applebutter (since I couldn’t bring it to the church’s bake sale as originally intended) and a lavender wand. I also purchased $10 of tickets. I won a box of chocolates (unfortunately, individually wrapped, plus the large container with plenty of plastic), two candle holders (I tried using votives to hide the piano smell and it worked great except that I didn’t have votive holders and the candles spread quickly to fill the larger holders I used, making them last less long)–both from India, one with elephants on it!, and a brass candle snuffer (we don’t have one and I was thrilled to win it! Came with 6 candles which I don’t need and maybe return next year…. Disappointingly however, it had actually been used before and in cleaning it, they scratched badly the brass. May bring to Mom’s next spring as I’m sure she has special brass cleanser and maybe I can polish it up a bit.). I didn’t win the one item I wanted most–a garden fairy statue.

After the ritual, I ran into someone I thought was in my covenant group (a small spiritual group at the Fellowship) and said hello and then realized it wasn’t her after all. But we started chatting. Although she was there with her partner, they felt a bit lonely since they didn’t really know anyone else. I felt even more lonely as *I* didn’t know anyone else, either. So we chatted throughout the meal (potluck–I brought an apple crisp) and the raffles. It was lots of fun and I wish I’d exchanged emails. We’ve seen each other at services, so hopefully that will happen again. They are both students, but I believe are in their late 20s–they looked older than traditional college students at least. And I could picture doing something with them in the future. We’ll see! If nothing else, I look forward to having someone to hang out with next year!

The day included a workshop–I attended the one on dancing which was fun but way too short. And the Solstice ritual, which included gathering in a circle, invocations to the directions/elements, chanting/singing/drumming, reminders of community/family, and thoughts about the time of winter and the coming of the sun. We each received an ornament this year–I accidentally chose a star but traded it for a sun which I really wanted. It closed with sharing of “cakes and ale”–or tea or coffee and cookies. After the ritual, we share a potluck meal followed by the raffle drawing (it’s a fundraiser for Fox Valley Pagan Unity Council which puts on the celebration). I left at the end of that since it was after 8 already. I wish I could stay for the end–dancing, singing, and drumming (I shall do my own dancing Friday night to welcome back the sun, instead)! Each year, there are different workshops (previously, they’ve all been crafting something, like a little wish box) and the ritual is done differently each time as well.

I attend because I like being attuned to nature and the seasons, and celebrating that connection with others who feel the same. I am not actually pagan nor do I believe in spells. It’s simply a beautiful, calming ritual. I just wish they had one for each of the solstices, but this is the only one at the Fellowship. (They do a summer solstice, but it’s a camping weekend.)

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December 14th, 2007 - Financial goals for 2008

Here are some things we hope to accomplish or continue this year. Have you thought about your financial goals for the year? It’s always a good idea to have things that will be a stretch along with things you know you’ll be able to do.

Give 2% of gross income to charity. We began doing this in the fall so it’s in the budget now.
Save 16% for retirement. This may not be reached–definitely will save that much of regular income, but we’re putting my extra income (teaching, other projects) towards some specific short term goals. I do not know if we will be able to put aside the extra from that money as well. Have to see how it works out. (For instance, I was promised money from work back in Sept that hasn’t yet materialized. If it does, we’ll have extra for retirement. I’m losing hope right now, however.) Our ultimate goal is to save 20%.
Payoff HEL–will happen in October or so.
Maintain fully funded (3 months expenses) emergency fund. This means that if we dip into it for Jedi’s surgery or other purposes we have to find a way to build it back up. Interest from having 3/4 in CDs helps!
Keep grocery and household spending under $300. I haven’t not done well on this in 2007. One of the reasons I stopped writing about it this summer. We were doing quite well, but then between the teaching responsibilities and the extra income from work, I stopped tracking. And then, whoosh!, they got away from me.
Start new car/car repair fund. The loan will be paid off in July and the payment will immediately go to savings for repairs (the car will be 5 years old) and a new car. We hope to pay for the next car with cash. Our prayers are that it will last 5 more years, although I don’t know if we’ll have saved enough by then; it will depend on repairs. And whether Maggie goes to the Montessori school. It might not last through that much driving.
Earn at least $25/month from Deal Barbie Pays and such places (like I was doing before the summer also).

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December 13th, 2007 - 3 gifts for Christmas

Janel writes in Christmas, out of the box about friends who give their kids 3 gifts each year: “One represents gold, another frankincense and a third for myrrh. Each gift has spiritual significance in the child’s life. They also limit spending to $50 per person.”

I assumed the gifts were directly matched to these three areas, but as I was about to write that, I realized it might just be that’s why 3 gifts, not necessary one that has something to do with the idea of gold. I hope she tells me! (I commented about this.)

(Does this official count as a collection now? And notice I now have a Winter holidays category.)

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December 13th, 2007 - Don’t go left, young man (to quote Eric)

Eric found this article for me. Left-Hand-Turn Elimination discusses an “innovation” by UPS that is saving tons (literally) of gas and carbon emissions. Once again, a company has found a way to save money by being greener!

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December 13th, 2007 - The money’s gone

All my personal spending money I’ve been saving–gone. I was going to write a couple days ago about how I feel like I’ve frittered away quite a bit. I was going to start looking for a piano when I’d saved $4000. I was only a few months away from that goal and by Monday I was down to under $2500. But now it’s all gone because I bought a piano yesterday.

So where did the money go?

moving & cleaning the used piano (which by the way, left the house Saturday. I forgot to tell you!) about $260
Pampered Chef $450
eating out maybe $100?
Rush cds $75
digital camera $325
this and that that I don’t remember

The last one is why I’m frustrated with myself. I had just told Eric to help me out in restraining my spending but now I don’t have to worry. Used pianos from music stores cost more than I’d expected. The lowest end one, which I bought, was $2150 (plus 5% tax). Luckily, moving and one tuning are included. Also, this store has a trade-in program. In the next two years, I can trade it in for another piano evens up (that is, I’d get the $2150 towards a different piano). It was hard to decide between the two they had at this price. Eric preferred one with a darker muted sound while I preferred the brighter sharper tones of the other. That one did have an issue with the practice pedal; it was easily fixed but made Eric nervous (the saleslady who fixed it showed me how to as well; it shouldn’t actually ever change now so I’m not concerned at all). It’s also generally louder than the other one. I thought the muted one was less responsive which I didn’t like at all. I did have one great idea: I realized it would be a good idea to bring along my favorite piece of music to play on the pianos to get a feel for it. That is such a good idea! Since I am so familiar with the piece, it was easier to listen to the sound of each piano.

It should be delivered by early next week. I wonder if we’ll put the practice pedal on permanently for Maggie….

Update on the other piano: I couldn’t sell it. So I gave it away on Craigslist. I had a ton of replies. The folks I dealt with showed up Saturday evening with two guys and a small pickup. I was doubtful, but they managed just fine. It was nice to have it gone but both Maggie and I missed it. Maggie asked for a couple days, “Where is piano?” I’d remind her it was gone and she’d say, “It’s on the truck!” since that was the last place she had seen it! She was excited to go to the piano store; last night Eric found a child’s piano on the floor for her to play with. She sat with her legs under it and looked like Shroeder (from Peanuts–the piano was the size and shape of his).

Oh! And after buying it, we were pleased to learn that we got a gift card for $210 (10%)–with no expiration date. So we can buy music or lessons in the future! Eric found a book of Metallica songs arranged for piano. I said I’d buy it for *him* for Christmas. Except he doesn’t play! We might use the card for lessons for him as he’s interested in trying it out. I wonder what they cost?

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December 11th, 2007 - Energy, an Ingredient in Local Food and Global Food

Both Eric and Michael (husband and brother) sent me Energy, an Ingredient in Local Food and Global Food - Dot Earth - Climate Change and Sustainability - New York Times Blog today. I read the post and immediately subscribed to the blog. In addition, he links to another great article, If It’s Fresh and Local, Is It Always Greener?” pointing out some of the issues involved in the question of local versus organic. (They didn’t even mention things like the energy to produce a tomato or spinach in NJ in December!)

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December 10th, 2007 - Another update on the gifts

Rebecca chimed in with a rhyme she’s known for a long time: “Something to wear, something to read, something to play with, something you need, and something you’ve wished for for a long time indeed!”

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December 7th, 2007 - Maggie’s lead levels are down!

Since I’ve talked about the lead paint abatement we had to do, I have to share our wonderful news as well:

Maggie’s lead levels are down to 6.3! 10.0 is the trigger that requires abatement and monitoring of the child. So we’re in the clear! Of course, we hope they fall further, but we don’t have to have anyone watching us anymore. ::whew::

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December 7th, 2007 - Eating organic

I liked my comment on Six In The Country’s post about starting to eat organic fruits and veggies that I wanted to post it here, too. She asked for advice about how to go about doing it frugally. My advice is

A) Buy in season.
B) Buy local.

I’m sure you can buy organic strawberries right now, but if you wait until next June, they’ll be cheaper! I can buy organic bananas, but I don’t since I live in WI. (We do buy regular bananas for Maggie, because they keep her regular. She’s only 3 and it’s the only thing we’ve found that works. But I’ve eaten only one or two bananas in the last year.) Instead, I eat an apple almost every day Sept-April, bought at an orchard near my church. I eat carrots in the summer and fall. I eat lettuce and other greens only in the late spring-summer. I eat tomatoes only in late summer-fall. Etc. [Oh shoot! I’ve totally neglected the ones I put in the basement to ripen. I bet they are all rotten by now. Aack.]

And boy, do tomatoes taste better! And I can eat salad 5 times a week, since it’s only for about 5 weeks. And boy do I treasure my every other week blueberries I froze in pint containers last July after picking them in bulk at a U-Pick farm. Just pulled one out this morning and can’t wait to eat it with breakfast tomorrow!

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December 7th, 2007 - Dewey’s Treehouse: Kitbashing, a way of life

MamaSquirrel has a wonderful post called Kitbashing, a way of life about finding gems inside stuff you don’t really want at thrift or garage sales. The word comes from taking multiple kits for specific projects and using them for a custom project (such as a doll house or model car).

And remember, you can always donate the parts you don’t want to a thrift store or give them to someone via Freecycle. If you have room, keep kits and pieces from craft kits or that could be used for crafts until you have enough to give away. My university’s art education classes are always happy to get a box of stuff from me and now my daughter’s preschool would also be happy. And of course, you might find a use for the gizmos yourself in the meantime.

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December 7th, 2007 - Leaves in boxes

You know something you bought from a company has been packed by hand when you find a LEAF in the box. No industrial, high-tech facilities at Paulmba (link takes you to Maggie’s Solstice gift).

Why a Solstice gift? Because I want to stretch out her plethora of presents this year. As I wrote a few days ago, I’m feeling kind of bad that after deciding as usual to not buy her anything, I ended up with three gifts!

Oh, and an update to that post, Meghan shared a list of four gifts she’d seen:

Something you want
something you need
something to play with
something to read

I should start a Holidays category.

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December 7th, 2007 - Jedi update

Yesterday, Jedi went in for the biopsy surgery. They did some blood work and such on him beforehand, and some things had improved, along with his gaining 2 pounds. So the vet (not the one that originally rec’d the surgery as she’s on vacation, but Jedi’s first vet so she’s been around for 5.5 years) said she didn’t think we should do anything invasive. In addition, next month they are getting an ultrasound machine, and they need dogs for training–and it will be free. He’s a perfect candidate.

So, he’s on the list for the ultrasound.
He’s also on the list for surgery after his vet gets back from vacation in case she really does think the surgery’s a good idea still.
And we plan to bring him in weekly to get weighed. If he keep gaining weight, great!

We felt pretty weird last week, since we believed there was a pretty high chance he wouldn’t even come home yesterday.

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My Adventures in Simple Living

Archive for December, 2007

December 28th, 2007 - 2-stage furnace

December 28th, 2007 - Silk floss

December 28th, 2007 - Fake Plastic Fish

December 28th, 2007 - Christmas report

December 28th, 2007 - Year in review

December 27th, 2007 - Recycling in its purest form — among the worms - CNN.com

December 20th, 2007 - 12 ways to make your kids financially savvy

December 17th, 2007 - Maggie’s first Christmas tree

December 17th, 2007 - Solstice

December 14th, 2007 - Financial goals for 2008

December 13th, 2007 - 3 gifts for Christmas

December 13th, 2007 - Don’t go left, young man (to quote Eric)

December 13th, 2007 - The money’s gone

December 11th, 2007 - Energy, an Ingredient in Local Food and Global Food

December 10th, 2007 - Another update on the gifts

December 7th, 2007 - Maggie’s lead levels are down!

December 7th, 2007 - Eating organic

December 7th, 2007 - Dewey’s Treehouse: Kitbashing, a way of life

December 7th, 2007 - Leaves in boxes

December 7th, 2007 - Jedi update

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