Oh blackberries, I can't wait to eat you

Last year my sister gave me 2 clippings from her blackberry bushes.  I got a totally of 3 blackberries from them, but that was ok. I didn't expect to get any because I had planted them that Spring.   This year the two bushes have taken off!  I can't believe how many blooms I had and now how many fruits I have.  I'm really looking forward to eating fresh blackberries that I know are free from chemicals (and free in general since I didn't pay for the plants nor do I spend any money on the upkeep of them).  I'm looking forward to freezing those I can't eat before they go bad for future smoothies..and blackberry cobblers.

Here's what the blackberry busy looked like last weekend, look at all those white blooms (ok so some of them are about gone but still)! (if you want to see a bigger image, click on the pictures)

Here's what it looks like this weekend, barely any blooms.

But wait..instead of blooms I have fruit!   

And, as you may have noticed, instead of using an arbor or something else for the vines to climb on, I'm using my fence.  My plan, and seeing how much it's grown I can see this really happening, is to have it take over the fence. haha!  Not only will this provide us with some privacy that we are wanting but it will provide me with lots of yummy fruit.  I'm going to have to see if my sister has raspberries. It would be nice to have raspberries too.   I worry about the deer eating the fruit, but we'll have to see what happens.  there isn't really a way to keep them out since this fence is only around the pool and the rest of the yard isn't fenced in.  Husband said he saw a chipmunk eating one but if the deer stay away and the chipmunks and rabbits only eat the fruits at the bottom, I'll consider this a success.

Change the World Wednesday - paper use

I'm back with another edition of Change the World Wednesday hosted by Reduce Footprints.  Here is the challenge this week:

This week, lets reduce the amount of paper we use. Please choose at least one of the following actions and accomplish it (take on all of them to be a true Eco-superstar).

• Use no more than 6 squares of toilet paper per bathroom trip.

• If given the option, choose not to have receipts printed out.

• If you must print things out, print on both sides of the paper (try to avoid printing by saving a file electronically instead).

• Visit Catalog Choice, Do Not Mail (US), Red Dot Campaign (Canada), Stop Junk Mail (UK), or a similar service to remove your name from mailers, advertisements, catalogs, junk mail, etc.

• Read the newspaper online rather than buy a paper copy.

• Use cloth napkins and towels rather than the paper varieties.

• Opt for reusable plates rather than paper plates.

Or ...

If you're already doing the above, please come up with at least one other way to save paper and share it with us.


UP THE ANTE (a new feature)

• Jessica takes on this challenge, especially the toilet paper part, and raises us one (or in this case, decreases us one) ... she's going to use only 5 squares per trip. Who's up for Jessica's challenge?

Well..I kinda do a lot of this already.   I'll go through some of the stuff I do though and maybe it will be something new to you.

1)Use no more than 6 squares of toilet paper per bathroom trip or if you take on Jessica - use no more than 5.   Honestly, I don't think I use much but I don't know how much. I started to try and lesson the amount used per trip earlier in the year when I thought we were going through it faster than we should.  I'm going to be extra attentive to just how many squares I'm using now though and try to keep it to 5.

2) Receipts - If I'm given the option I always choose not to have a receipt printed.  There are some stores that will print a receipt and ask if I want it, and I usually say no. However, I noticed they just throw it away. So I'm trying to say yes in those instances so that I can at least take it home and recycle it.

3) If printing something on the pc..print on both sides.   I can't say that I select dual-sided copies a lot however if I'm finished with a piece of paper and only one side is used I'll either put it in a stack and print on the opposite side at home or at work I save it and use it for scrap paper.  So eventually both sides do end up being used.  I also save a lot of files as PDF's instead of printing.  I do this both at work and at home.  I email items instead of faxing as often as possible also.  At work we have our faxes actually being saved as a pdf file and going to a shared drive.  Then the files are emailed to the correct individual instead of being printed (although I have a feeling a lot of people still print them out).

4) I definitely plan to visit two of these sites to try and minimize the catalogs arriving at our house.  We don't have many, but some.   In fact, we have some being sent to our house in my mother-in-law's name. Not sure how that happened..but I don't like it since I'll never order from them.  I actually looked up one company only and couldn't find a way to opt-out so I contacted their customer service via chat.  They took our address of of the mailing list.  I figure if I need to save the catalogs and do that for all when I have time, then so be it.

5) I only get the Sunday copy and that's for coupons...so...I'll still get it but it's only once per week. I then take the paper to a school or church where it can be recycled and they get money towards the school/church.

6) I keep meaning to make cloth napkins and never taking the time to do it.  Recently I've just put out an extra towel and I use that instead of a napkin in the kitchen.  We rarely use paper towels, I use rags to clean up any mess.  We basically only use them to clean up any dog accidents in the house.

7) I always use re-usable plates. I have the paper variety because I basically got them for free.  I figure this way I have them as a back-up if needed.  I made sure to have enough plates for all of my immediate family though.

Ok..so since I do all of that...do I have a recommendation as to what others could do?  Here's a tip I learned it from a different CTTW poster.  Instead of using a new piece of paper for a list or for notes, use an envelope.  A used envelope.  Maybe an envelope that was mailed to you with a bill.  An envelope that was going to end up in the recycle bin anyway.

That's it..I'm out of ideas. haha!

Faster than a speeding bullet...

Okay, so I'm NOT faster than a speeding bullet.  But I'm SO fast that I'm blurry in the above picture.  Okay, so while I'm blurry it's not because I'm so fast but because it was taken with Husband's cell phone and therefore not a good camera.  Yes, that's me in the pink top crossing the finish line.

This photo was taken last night at my Tuesday speedwork session.  Yes..I'm taking speedwork sessions for the summer to improve my pace.  As my husband would say: you're weird.   Yesterday's workout was one mile timed.  It's not your goal race pace, it's not your current pace. It's one mile as fast as you can do it.   If you can see it in the picture above, I crossed the line at 7:13.  While I'm sure that's not the fastest I've ever run a mile ( I do believe I completed a 5k race in highschool in 21 something) but it's the fastest I've ever run a mile as an adult.  It felt AWESOME.  Ok, so I felt horrible running because I was really pushing myself, but once I finished I felt awesome.  If I did it again. I'm sure I could do it even faster, now that I've finished I feel like I could have surged sooner at the last lap.

Husband and Myla decided to go with me last night since it was only one mile.  The speedwork sessions are being held at a local highschool and we pulled into the parking area and Husband says "What are all these cars doing here?"  To which I responded, "uh..speedwork session."   He made the comment that he didn't expect so many people.  After a slight pause I said "What? You thought it would be me and 10 other people?" and I laughed because I thought I was making a joke.  He said he thought there would be 20. haha!

After I did my run we watched the two faster groups do their runs. I'm not sure Husband wanted to stay but Myla was having a good time and I wanted to see how fast the other runners could go.  When we got back in the car to head home, Husband got in the car, closed the door and said "You runners are weird."
Well..I have to agree, we are a special group.

Today is National Running Day.  While I didn't get in a run today (spin class this morning) I at least celebrated by getting in this post.  Happy running!

When running becomes eco-friendly

My car needed an oil change.  I always prefer to drop my car off at the place on Friday night so they can work on it first thing Saturday morning.  I picked a new place that was close to my house and instead of having my husband follow me or meet me there I went home, changed into running clothes and drove to the place.  I then ran home..adding in more mileage to give me a total of 4.3 miles for the run.

When my car was ready this morning I put on my running clothes and ran the 2.5 miles to the place to pick it up.

Not only did I get in two great workouts but I saved money on gas and I reduced my carbon footprint.  Sounds like a win-win to me!

To make it an even better run for me, I went faster than normal this morning but didn't slow myself down since I knew I had less than 3 miles to go.  I ended up with negative splits!  Woohoo!

The guy that checked me out at the business also talked to me about running and said I looked like I was in great shape.  I'll take complements any day of the week.

Change the World Wednesday - Garden Green

This week's edition of Change the World Wednesday hosted by Reduce Footprints is focused on your garden.

This week, please share information on planting anedible garden. Tell us what you grow and share any tips you've learned. We'd like to know if you use containers, raised beds, etc. and how you grow successfully without chemicals. Tell us what has worked and what hasn't.

Or ...

If you grow food but not in an Eco-friendly way, please make at least one "green" change. For example, switch to organic fertilizers. Investigate which plants repel bugs and insects and use them instead of pesticides. Find out which plants, in your area, require the least amount of water ... or investigate ways to water efficiently. And, of course, we want to know all about it so ... write a post.

Or ...

If you don't grow food, please do so. Try a container of herbs or plant some onions. Swiss Chard and Kale are nutritious powerhouses and make a lovely addition to gardens. Even if you don't have much space, try growing one thing. And yep ... we want to hear all about your adventure as well.


I'm happy to report that this year I am making my first effort at actually growing something edible. I'm not sure how it's going to turn out, but I'm making an effort.

A couple of months ago I bought some lettuce and spinach seeds. I planted them using organic top soil and in cardboard egg cartons that I saved.  I had several seeds germinate and start to grow...but think I put too many in each little hole and they got crowded.   Then I was so busy I didn't get around to switching them to larger containers until this past weekend.   All containers are still inside because the plants are so small I'm worried about damage with hard rain and frost.   I'm worried this won't work this year but I'm happy I tried.  Plus, I could still be surprised.   I really hope the lettuce grows though since I eat a salad roughly 3 days a week for lunch.  This would be a huge cost saver for us in the long run.

Earth day weekend Lowe's was selling tomato plants 2 for $1.  I had the husband pick up 4 plants while he was at the store.  I finally planted those into their own containers this past weekend too. Since these are already plants I have a better hope of these making it.  These are currently outside.   I like tomato's but rarely eat them. However you want to know why I want to grow them? I'm hoping I get a good enough crop that I can freeze almost all of them (whatever the husband doesn't eat) and we can use them for tomato sauce and diced tomatoes all winter long.

I also have one pepper plant that was given to us. I don't eat peppers but the husband will sometimes use them to cook with.

As mentioned..I'm using an organic soil that I bought.  It's more expensive but I felt better using it since I was planning to eat the vegetables grown in the soil.   I also mentioned containers.  While I do live in a house with a big enough yard for a vegetable garden, I decided to use containers for now.   I'm not always the best at remembering I need to water plants outside.  So this is a test to see how well I do growing vegetables. If I do remember to take care of them, I'll work on creating a vegetable garden in the yard somewhere this fall.

The other reason I wanted to use containers for now is because our subdivision backs up to a state park.  You know what this means, deer.   We have a lot of deer.  It's not uncommon to see deer hanging out in our backyard (even though we are in the middle of the subdivision and not the closest to the park).  My hope is that by having the items in containers on our deck, we won't have to worry about the deer or rabbits eating the vegetables.  

One plant that I know, ok, am about 85% positive will do well, this year is my blackberry bush.  I planted it last year and actually got two fruits from it.  This year it looks to be coming back nice and strong so I hope to get a lot more.  I know it can take several years to get fruit from a newly planted bush so I don't know what to expect.  However, I think because I was green when I planted this one I might get more than most 2nd year plants.  How exactly was I green?  Instead of buying a blackberry bush, I took 2 clippings from my sister. What's more green than that? The only carbon footprint in getting these clippings was the gas to drive them to my house and even that can't all be on my shoulder since her husband dropped them off on his way to his parents house.  I didn't do anything special to the soil when I planted this one. I basically planted it next to the fence that is around our pool.  I thought about using some of the organic soil I bought around it, but it's coming back so well I don't want to mess with it.  I also think that because I used clippings and didn't buy the plant new, that's why I did get a couple pieces of fruit last year and why I hope to get more this year.

Get Fit Mondays - Week of May 1st

I'm finally back to workout out regularly..and boy does it feel good.   I went through a several week period of eating like crap and barely working out. It always feels good to get back in track.  I'm still not eating 100% better, but I'm doing better than I was.  My problem? Easter candy.  I didn't buy any, but I had some given to me.    While I'm back to working out regularly, I haven't been doing much running.  I want to run, but I also wanted to start working towards a sprint triathlon so I've been doing other cross-training.   I sat down a couple nights ago and created a weekly workout schedule so I can get in runs and still cross train.  It won't totally go into effect until later in the month but I have my fingers crossed it will work.

So here's what I did for the week of May 1st:
Sunday - swam - roughly 10-12 lengths - I don't remember
Monday - This was a rest day although I did have a fitness assessment done at my gym so I did walk on a treadmill for 15 min.  The end result of all the testing..I have the body of a 21 year old.   Go me!
Tuesday - Ran 2 miles..you read that right..I only ran 2 miles
Wednesday - Spin class - loved it! Lots of intervals.
Thursday - Soccer - Technically I did sprint and run a lot so I guess it counts for running
Friday - more swimming - There was an old guy walking in the lane next to the one I was swimming in. I don't know if I should be embarrassed or impressed...because he was lapping me.   lol!   I did a total of 10 lengths.
I did 2 easy lengths of what I call a modified butterfly, then freestyle for 4 lengths, 2 lengths using a board and kicking, 2 lengths of combined freesyle and modified butterfly.   This is nowhere close to where I need to be if I want to do a sprint triathlon. I think I've come to the realization that I won't be able to do one this year...so I need to just work on getting better at swimming and focus on running for my next half later this year.
Saturday - run! I finally got out for a run.  I did two runs, roughly an hour apart.  The first run was 2.7 miles and the second was 2.6 miles.


You want to know the best part?  I did all of this..all those workouts, with a cold!

One change that I'm excited about is that I signed up for Big River Running's speed workouts. Big River Running is a local running store and favorite running store in STL.  They put on a lot of the races that I love (such as the Castlewood Cup)   Plus, another reason they are my go to store, they are locally owned. Love supporting the locals.  I have decided not to play soccer anymore because I think it's causing some of the issues I've been having with my back and my IT band.  I used soccer as speedwork (because I'm too lazy to do it on my own).   Since no more soccer after a couple more weeks I knew I would need to do speedwork and since their program is free, it was perfect.  I had to sign up, so I feel like I'm accountable.  Since I signed up I know I'll make myself go even if I don't feel like it that day.  I'm nervous, but I'm excited.  The speed sessions Start on May 10th and are every Tuesday until August 2nd when there is a timed 5k on the track to see what our pace is and how much we've improved.  My goal is to get under 25 min or an 8:06 min/mile.

Driving slow or speeding along?

Back in February one of the Change the World Wednesday challenges was to reduce speed.   When I wrote about it I mentioned how I normally speed to/from work because I just want to be home..I don't want to spend my time driving to/from work. Boy it really does suck to live so far away from my job!

Since then I have actively been working on not speeding and going 60-65 mph on the highway.  I didn't think it was going to make much of a difference but I'm amazed that it has.  

I normally would average 322 miles per tank.  Yes..I'm one of those that doesn't normally get gas until the light comes on telling me I'm nearing empty.   At first I didn't pay too much attention but last month I noticed I got a lot more miles than normal so I started to pay attention.  I've been able to get up to 367 miles per tank of gas (although I was seriously on empty when I filled up. haha! The light came on when I was at work and I don't work in the safest of areas and decided I could make it home..which I did..barely).  However normally I get at least 20 more miles per tank of gas than I used to.  With the rise in gas prices, this really makes a difference.   I was talking to Husband about this and the next time we were in my car (we normally take his) I showed him how I had started to keep track (lame..I know) and we figured out that I'm now averaging around 28 miles/gallon.

On another note, my husband filled up his new car, which is a hybrid recently. He said he went 3 weeks and had over 700 miles.  That's awesome! I can't wait till we get his paid off because then it will be about time for me to get a new one and I want something that gets as good of mileage.

However there is one other thing I wanted to mention about not speeding.  I thought I would have to start leaving earlier in the mornings in order to get to work on time, but that's not the case. I'm leaving at the same time and I'm arriving on time.  I've also noticed, and to me this is the most important change, that I"m less stressed.  I honestly didn't even realize that the commute was stressing me.  After I had been going slower for several weeks it dawned on me that I didn't feel stressed, I didn't feel pressured. It was such a jolt to realize that I had been stressed out on my commute. I just hadn't realized it. I'm much calmer in the car. Not that I had road rage, but I would get annoyed when somebody would get in front of me and be going slower etc.  I love that I'm more calm.  This was an unexpected perk of reducing my speed and I'm so glad I did.

Unfortunately, while I am getting more miles per gallon with my car, due to joining a gym I'm also driving more.  I hate that but live is about balances.  I don't want to give up working out in order to save a couple bucks on gas.  The gym is only 5 miles away, so I'm not adding on a ton of miles, but it's still significant when gas is $4.00/gallon.