Two Blogger awards!

Some of my favorite bloggers nominated me for blogger to blogger awards!

Just thought I'd share and pass them on!

:)

Anna at Blissful Whimsy nominated me for the Kreativ Blogger Award and I'm totally surprised + delighted!

Thank you, Anna!

Amanda Kay over at Organic Homemaking (amazing and inspiring blog!) nominated me for The Versatile Blogger Award!

Thank you, Amanda Kay!

Here are the official Rules:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
• Tell your readers ten (10) things about you.
• Give this award to fifteen (15) recently discovered bloggers.
• Contact those bloggers and let them in on the exciting news

As a result, you guys will be made to suffer ten facts about me:

1. If I had a superpower, it would be to remove wallpaper in the blink of an eye. I'd be a real hero!
2. I am secretly pleased, not insulted, when people call me crunchy, even when they mean it as an insult. Disdain only affects you negatively if you let it!
3. I adore antique furniture, even though I am secretly terrified that I'll ruin it!
4. I would eat parsnips, zucchini, and asparagus every day of my life, if I could.
5. I prefer to be with my husband and kids over anyone else. They're amazing and social events are nothing compared to an evening at home with them!
6. You couldn't pay me to have an epidural! We're planning to have Finn at home with our midwife!
7. People that let their loud, obnoxious ringtones go on for long periods of time in public make me stabby! I don't want to hear Mariah Carey for a minute and a half in the grocery line while you sing along, thank you very much!
8. I think that petroleum based, artificial dyes (like Red #40 that bth of my kids get sick from) should be banned. How hard would it be for our government to ban stuff from food that wasn't food?! Seriously.
9. I love blue jeans! I was forced to wear dresses in private school for way too long, I think! I only wear them to weddings and funerals... and maybe once a year, otherwise! I do love looking and shopping for dresses. It's just the wearing part I take issue with!
10. My husband has cut me off from buying fuzzy throws :) haha

My Versatile or Kreativ Blogger nominees:

(K) Beatrice at Sew Bea

(V) Crystal at Surviving a Teacher's Salary

(V) April at Urban Homestead Diaries

(V) Chris at Adventures of a Thrifty Mama in a Trailer Park Homestead

(K) Matt and Kara at Matt and Kara adopt

(K) Rachel at small steps on our journey

(K) Farm Fresh Decor

(V) Daisy at Livin' the Dream

(V) Amber at Life. Extraordinarily.

(V) Dianna at raising them green

(K) Nicole at Frontier Dreams

(V) Miranda at An Austin Homestead

(V) Karen at bare feet and a free spirit

(K) Emily at Picture Perfect... Sort Of?

GlassDharma glass straw review and GIVEAWAY!

I have a surprise for my amazing followers! I know some of you will remember a post I did a little while ago where I mentioned my love for Glass Dharma straws! Well, the makers of the original glass straw want to give YOU an opportunity to own and love one as much as I do- for FREE!

As I mentioned in my first post about this amazing glass straw- handmade in the United States- I've had mine for almost 3 years now! They have withstood being carried in my purse, dropped in the floor (although I don't recommend doing it on purpose), tossed by the kids, moved to 3 different dwellings while we were stationed at Fort Bragg, and not a single ONE has cracked, broken, or chipped! And if it had? Guess what! Their Lifetime Guarantee Against Breakage would have handled the replacement!

Bear in mind that they are not unbreakable, just guaranteed! Glass Dharma wants it's customers to be completely satisfied with their products, so if you're not 100% satisfied, they want to know and they want to correct it! If your straw breaks, they want to know and they want to fix it- or replace it! Now, THAT is customer service as it should be.

I believe that all of us here are planet-friendly people, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I realized just how huge a problem plastic straw waste is! Imagine just how many of those things end up trashed every year!? How could something so small be an issue?

According to Glass Dharma's website, in 2008, McDonalds ALONE claimed to serve 52 MILLION meals a day. How many of those do you imagine included a drink with a plastic straw? One little straw is no biggie, but tens of MILLIONS of straws being trashed every day (from only one company!) easily becomes the straw that broke the camel's ecological back! What an environmental disaster (waste created) and biological disaster (chemicals leached from the plastic)! Using glass straws from Glass Dharma is the perfect way to completely avoid contributing to the problem.

I was sent a box of straws- one Beautiful Bends (super cool bent straw), one Simple Elegance (the kind I've had 3 of for almost 3 years and loved!), one green Decorative Dots (a long one), and one amber Decorative Dots (a short one). Also included was a hemp carrying sleeve (natural hemp) and two cleaning brushes, which I will tell you makes cleaning them a breeze.

The Beautiful Bends straw is 9.5mm wide and 9" long, retailing for $8.50. The bend makes it perfect for use in a taller glass and I actually used mine while I was online researching the effects of plastic straws on the environment! It hung over the side of my glass slightly, so I never had to take my eyes off of the screen to ensure that I wasn't about to knock my glass off of the dining room table. Even if you're not a lazy sipper like me, they just look absolutely beautiful in a glass! 

The Simple Elegance straws come in a variety of lengths and widths. As the most cost effective straw, they are fantastic to have on hand for use by the entire family. Their simplicity makes them ridiculously easy to clean- and I truly think that my drinks just taste better when I drink them through a glass straw- these are perfect for the minimalist! I have taken to keeping mine in the fridge- talk about refreshing! While I usually don't drink hot drinks, thus keeping my straws in the fridge, they are perfectly suited for cold OR hot drinks, so use them in everything without worry of damaging them. They were made to be used!

The Decorative Dots straws are so neat! Doing this review was the first time I'd seen one of them, even though I've been lusting after them since I bought my first  set of straws. I love how fun they look and what's impressive to me is that there is no paint to make me concerned and no fading to take away from the beauty of your straw. The dots are colored glass (that come in blue, red, green, or amber), the same glass as the straws, which means that they are made of borosilicate glass, the strongest commercially available glass! The tall Decorative Dots straws are stunning and the shorter straws are now my first choice for my kids. They're strong, beautiful, and the colored dots make them perfect for color coding- no more mixing up the kid's cups!

I have been carrying my straw in my purse wrapped haphazardly in a cloth napkin for dining out, so I was really excited to try the hemp carrying sleeve! I was instantly hooked on the look and texture of the sleeve- it just looks environmentally responsible! I was sent the natural hemp sleeve (that retails for $12.00) to try out and that is definitely the one I would have ordered for myself. The fabric swatch, pictured below, gives you an idea of the color options you have if you're interested in a sleeve that isn't the natural hemp color- purple dawn, ocean blue, deep moss, and black pearl (that retail for $15.00 each). Regardless of the color, you can choose from 3 sizes to get the best fit for your straw!

Since I've had plenty of experience with the Simple Elegance straws and there were two of the Decorative Dots straws, we tried out the amber Decorative Dots straw and the Beautiful Bends straw to let you know how they work and what we thought of them! Do you know what that means for you guys?! I have two straws and two cleaning brushes to give to you!

Up for grabs, we have two gift sets, courtesy of Glass Dharma.

Set one:
A green Decorative Dots straw that is 9.5mm wide and 9" long. This straw does not normally come with a cleaning brush, but for our giveaway, it will! The cleaning brushes normally retail for $5.00 each. The green dots are absolutely beautiful and as an added bonus, keeps that pesky straw from rolling off of the table! Retails for $9.00 each on their website. (A total value of $14.00)

Set two:
A Simple Elegance straw that is 12mm wide and 9" long, making it perfect for drinking smoothies, even ones with fantastic fruit pieces that normally get stuck in the straw or never make it in! This is the mac daddy of glass straws and we have really enjoyed ours over the years! This straw has a cleaning brush in it's box! Retails for $8.50 each on their website, plus the cleaning brush! (A total value of $13.50)

This is mine, yours is new in the box!

I thoroughly enjoyed getting to communicate with the incredible people at Glass Dharma while we were planning this blog posting and the giveaway! What an incredible company selling handmade products, all made in the U.S- even the sleeves and brushes!

To win one of the two gift sets, here is what you do:

Mandatory entry, include your name and email address in this comment:
- follow "Where am I?"

Extra entries, please leave 1 comment per entry:
- like "Glass Dharma on Facebook" and let them know how much we appreciate this giveaway!
- suggest something you'd like to see more of here at "Where am I?"
- suggest "Where am I?" to a friend (and/or create a blog or Facebook posting about this giveaway), having them follow and let me know YOU sent them!

All in all, you can have 4 entries each.
I will use random.org to choose a winner on Friday, May 20th!

"Sip the world, taste the difference."
(and Happy Winning!)

My happy-

A few photos that just make me smile!

My niece and my daughter, running at the park.

Photo by Tim, of course.

Keelin swinging last fall!

Betcha can't guess who took this one?

Yep, Tim.

1yr old Jackson on Mommy & Daddy's bed.

So precious.

Photo by Daddy.

My husband learning to knit in the preschool pickup line!

Super AMAZING cell phone picture by me ;)

Have you added my button yet?

Let me know if you decide to add my button to your blog.

I'd like to thank you!

An update on the homestead and a hello! to new followers :)

Some of my now *34* followers (Giveaway coming soon soon soon to celebrate!!) are homesteaders or homesteader wanna-be's like me so maybe some of you can understand where I'm coming from when I say:

Why does this mess take so darn long?

You get so caught up in the research for a project!
You take the plunge and buy/collect the materials for the project!
You jump in head first...and...

wait.
and wait.
and wait some more!

My chickens aren't old enough to lay eggs, but they're growing steadily.
My chicks aren't big enough to be killed and processed, but it will only be a few more weeks.
My garden is half planted, even though we are seeing some progress on that front!
The fruit trees are just babies, even though Tim and I found a couple of teeny "practice" peaches today!
I haven't found time to put spouts on the rain barrels, even though we're using them to water the garden.
The compost is going to take it's sweet time.

I guess it just feels like I'm working myself (and my ever patient husband) for nothing, sometimes.
I know the time is coming when our property is going to show how incredible it is and we'll harvest the fruits of our labor (literally!)- but in the mean time, it's tough to feel like we're getting anywhere.

Just hang in there, my friends. Some days my posts will be mind numbingly boring, but other times I hope to have some really cool things to share.

If there is something you think I might be ready to dive into or you'd like to hear about, please share with me! I am by no means an expert on the subject matter at hand- I am a constant student and eager to learn!

Coming up this week and next week:
- A chicken coop update with pictures!
-Two kinds of homemade jelly with pictures and recipes!
-Homemade bread, in the oven and in the new (thrifted) bread maker!
- A garden update with pictures!
- Some handmade goodies that we've gotten for Baby Finn with links to the crafters!
-A review!
- TWO amazing giveaways that I can barely contain my excitement about!
- A make it yourself post with some new household products!

Thank you again, friends, for following! Please don't hesitate to comment, ask questions, and suggest topics!

Some GREAT giveaways that I want you all to enter!

Hey, everybody! A few blogs I follow are having some sweet giveaways and I wanted you to all have chances to enter! Make sure you let them know I sent you and show them some love! Happy entering!

1. Rebekah over atThe Yellow Pepper is having a giveaway that ends April 22nd! It is sponsored by Beatrice of Sew Bea and Bea Tea & Company. Plenty of ways to enter to win that incredibly beautiful wrap bowl from Bea Tea & Company

2. Tia over at Two Birds on a Wire is having a big giveaway, too! A bunch of prizes and lots of ways to enter to win! She is also a personal friend of mine, so get on over there! :)

3. Drea over at ohdeardrea is having an awesome giveaway sponsored by bakesalery that ends on the 23rd. Fantastic blog, fantastic mama- who just so happened to be the crafting goddess behind Baby Finn's mobile that I'll feature next week on my blog! Go support her, show her some love, and enter for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to bakesalery!!

Good luck to all of my wonderful readers! I would LOVE to hear that some of you won these giveaways :)

Recycled Crayons and "Cheezy Baked Spaghetti Nests!"

Today was so crazy! Tim wasn't getting any better, so I went all over creation trying to find something that might soothe his allergic reaction. Poor guy :( I hate seeing him so uncomfortable! I think we finally found something that will help him. Ready to have my hubby back at 100%, for sure.


Jackson went down for a nap and Keelin and I decided to celebrate "Week of the Young Child" with a little project. She and I de-papered all of her and Jackson's broken crayons, melted them in my double boiler, and put them into some star shaped candy molds that I had on hand!

 Here are the kids crayons! I think they turned out really well!

For dinner, I was interested in some carbs! I made whole grain spinach pasta!

Put the pasta in a muffin tin and scooped on some of my sweet tomato sauce!

Baked it with a bit of cheese on top (Tim's are the ones without cheese, per his request).

Oh, man! So delicious!

Thanks to Cat at The Verdant Life for this delicious idea! It was a hit with my family!

Her blog recipes are so yummy sounding and we can't wait to try out more in the future!

We served our nests with a spinach salad with broccoli and apples

 (yes, the same one we had last night- it was requested again by the babes!) and steamed edamame.

Our plates were almost covered with GREEN, minus the cheese, apples, and pasta sauce!

Bad Blogger!

I've been a bad blogger. I've had the plainest looking blog on the block, so I decided to spend a little time reworking things. It isn't, nor will it ever be, perfect- but it looks a heckuva lot better than it did this afternoon :)