One of these things is just icky! It would be the Gerber carrot baby food in the plastic container. Oliver hates it! He spits it out every time I try to feed it to him. Note its fake reddish coloration. It tastes fake and reddish.

Now note the lovely orange carrot color in the glass bowl. That would be a bowl of steamed carrots whipped up into a lovely puree. They are buttery and delicious, with nothing but a little water added. I kept licking the spoon, they tasted so good.
What did Oliver think?

He liked them so much he ate three helpings.

Home.
It only took a little over a year. A year of feeling horribly homesick, irritated with all things Jersey, and reluctant to find anything good here, so far away from Colorado.

Then suddenly, things changed. I stepped off an airplane and inhaled the smell of… home. The sky, huge and blue, dotted with little flocks of clouds, began to look like my sky. The trees, in groves, clusters, copses, and forests, began to look like my trees.

Now I wake up some mornings and step outside to inhale crisp fall air. I wrap myself in a warm sweater and walk my darling girl to school through the park and think “This really isn’t so bad”. When I return home I curl up with my son, and my morning coffee, and I can unwind. I am unpacking boxes. I am settling in. It’s not so bad here.

There are orchards all over the place where you can pick your own fruit, and vineyards ripe with potential wine. I drive past farms on my way to the supermarket, and drive into national forests to go to the park. I can walk into town to our tiny little library, and have lunch (with Gelato) at my neighborhood coffee shop. The fall air smells like moisture and woodsmoke. There are turtles native to the area, just wandering around. (Devon found one in front of the house the other day, but thankfully placed it in a nearby park, instead of adding another pet to the fray.)

Maybe it’s not being in Red Bank, in a dark cave-like house, surrounded by angry yuppies wearing size 2 Prada jeans and pointy-toed heels. Maybe it’s just the passage of time.

Either way, this year is looking up.

Inspired by my love of the environment, a strong sense of frugality, and this article in Craft, I have decided to hold a contest!

Yes indeedy! I want to know what you all do with those pesky left over plastic grocery bags. Do you crochet them into dresses? Use them to leave yards clean while walking dogs? Create your own large scale parachute? Tell me!

Beginning on September 21st (our wedding anniversary) and running through October 21st, I will be accepting photos of you recycling those pesky plastic bags. After October 21st, I will post the pictures on the blog and let you all vote for the two most creative uses of pesky plastic bags. The winners will receive a recycled PET dual handled tote, made most appropriately out of recycled plastic bottles and containers.

The bag is made by ACME Bags. It is made of 98% post consumer recycled materials, and is a strong, durable, and lovely fabric. It is machine washable, and of strong enough construction to hold up to the grocery grind. The fabric used to make one bag reclaims about 10 recycled plastic bottles/containers. The company also donates 1% of all proceeds to the environment. Oh, and the bag is made with fair wages and labor practices.

So come join the contest! Email a picture of you recycling plastic grocery bags, along with a way in which you may be contacted to me at lawandmotherhood@gmail.com. (Only one entry per person please!) I will collect the photos and post them for vote! May the most creative use win!