HiHoRosie's Place

Today is my blog’s 3rd birthday! Yeehaw! Ah, it seems like only yesterday I wrote my first post . ::sigh:: It’d be fun to look back at some of the old Blogger comments but Disqus overrode them and I’m not sure how to fix that (if anyone knows how to export/import comments from one commenting system to another I’m all ears!). My blog and I have been through many changes and ups and downs over these past three years. I’ve also come in contact with some incredible people. You. I want to express my appreciation for everyone who’s stopped by my blog, especially the regulars. I appreciate and love the support. So many times I’ve thought about hanging up the keyboard but I never can seem to stay away too long. I have to admire other bloggers who blog regularly. See, I couldn’t even get today’s post up earlier! Ever since becoming a mommy (my greatest achievement!) it’s been even more of a challenge to blog but that’s okay; I’m actually not complaining. As you know, writing a blog is ...

I ran across an article today about how the US is (still) behind when it comes to parental leave. Not much has changed since the last time I mentioned this from another corresponding article. Currently, the US has the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which allows family members to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. A lot of families/individuals can't afford to take unpaid leave so while this act is nice for some, it's useless for others. I will say that there are companies who have their own family/medical policies in place that involve paid leave but those companies are usually far and few between. I am very fortunate enough to work for a company that is flexible with schedules and is supportive of all of their employees' families' needs. The recent article mentions that California and New Jersery are the only states who currently have a paid-leave program in place (bonus points for them!). However, other states are being encouraged to do the same and if s...

So I made kale chips again this weekend. And AGAIN they’ve been snarfed before being completely dry. Ah well. That just means they were tasty right? But seriously, I need help keeping my paws away. I just don’t have the patience to wait for such tasty things, I guess. What will I ever do when I make an ice cream cake or something?! It'd be silly to think there'd ever be pictures... recycled pic from last time My cheesy kale chips consists of taking a cup of cashews (soaked or unsoaked – I’m typically lazy or forgetful so I don’t soak most times), a third cup of nutritional yeast, juice from half a lemon, half of a sweet red bell pepper, one garlic clove, one teaspoon of Celtic sea salt, half to a whole teaspoon of pure maple syrup (or agave), and one to two tablespoons of (filtered/spring) water (optional). Then blend it all up till smooth and massage onto kale pieces. I dry at 115 in my dehydrator until well, I never get that far. Until crispy dry if you’ve got the will ...

This is the last of my blog’s birthday bash giveaways but certainly not the least. Now, what can I say about Tropical Traditions Gold Label virgin coconut oil ? I’ve got three jars of it at home if that tells you anything. They often have great deals that are hard to pass up. We absolutely love coconut oil. It’s a great multi-purpose oil from cooking to hair conditioner to (ahem) other things. I have a little jar of it at my desk to moisturize my hands. Often we’re putting some in our smoothies and of course, we cook with it. Try using it in place of butter on toast or even garlic bread. So good! In fact, I’ve used it in waffles which were so good because it gave just a subtle hint of coconut without being overwhelming. I will say that Tropical Traditions is a little more fragrant than others I’ve tried but this doesn’t bother me. I enjoy it just the same. It takes me to the tropics even though I've never been. It’s certified organic, cold-pressed and unrefined so this ...

I’ve been a fan of Biokleen for awhile now. I’ve mentioned them in my Top 5 fave kitchen things and I also won some nifty cleaning products last year. Their Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator is awesome – really, everything I’ve used so far I’ve become a fan of. Recently, I got to try their automatic dish powder. I don’t have the greatest of dishwashers so some pre-washing is required, depending on the stuck on food (ew). So even with pre-washing some of my dishes could use some extra scrubbing. “Elbow grease” my mom would say. But you know I don’t have to do that so much when using the Biokleen. I still do some pre-washing but all of my dishes have come out sparkly clean – no washing a second or third time. Woo hoo!  image source  What’s cool about this stuff is you don’t need to use a whole lot per wash because it’s so concentrated. It contains no phosphate, no chlorine, no ammonia, or other hazardous materials. Plus it smells nice, not chemical-ly at all and rinses clea...

If you’re not familiar with Kroeger Herb Products , they are a health product company based out of Boulder, Colorado and have been around since 1978. Started by Hanna Kroeger, she was often referred to as the “Grandmother of Health.” She was very accomplished in the natural health care field and saw a strong need to share her wealth of knowledge and her herbal formulas. She has since passed on but the company continues to share in her philosophy and commitment to providing healthy herbal supplements that work naturally with your body. Their products are all natural and do not include any fillers. Plus if you ever have questions about any of their products they are happy to help! I’ve only had positive experiences with Kroeger Herb. In fact, I’ve worked with them before, which you can read up here . Up for review today are Healthy Gut and Turmeric . “A healthy body starts with a Healthy Gut.” I think we’ve all experienced tummy/digestive troubles from time to time. It’s not fun. Hea...

Remember those cute eco-friendly curtains from Rock Candy Life I reviewed recently? If you missed it, read all about it here . In follow up to my review, I received a handwritten thank you note from RCL. I have to say I really appreciate that they took the time to do that because it made me feel like they really valued my opinion. Makes me love them even more! So hopefully by now you know that I love these shower curtains – the one I put up looks so good in my bathroom - they’re recyclable and PVC-free so that means NO SMELL! What a relief. And again, this helps me be a little greener within my own home, which is even more important to me now that I have a tot running around. They’re nicely priced at $24.99 plus FREE shipping in the US. This would make a great house-warming gift, too. Now, time for what you’ve been waiting for: the giveaway… Rock Candy Life is giving away an eco-friendly shower curtain of choice to one lucky winner! To enter , go to Rock Candy Life  and ...

EcoMom is a website dedicated to providing eco-friendly products for mom and baby all in one place. There are things for new moms and babies; non-toxic, eco-friendly toys & books for kids; organic food for babies and tots; even items for your home and bath. A great site to find exactly what you’re looking for, whether for yourself or for a gift. I’ve got my eye on a couple of things: Nature Wash pounding bench  I did a review for EcoMom last year for a sippy cup, which we still have and use most days. It doesn’t leak so it’s great for travel or for the many times it gets dropped on the floor. For this giveaway, EcoMom has offered one reader an online gift certificate to their website for $25 ! TO ENTER : Required entry : visit EcoMom.com and tell me something you like . Extra entries ( leave a separate comment for each ): *Follow EcoMom on Twitter *Follow me, Hihorosie , on Twitter *Tweet/facebook/blog about this giveaway (separate comment for each) - ...

I’m not perfect when it comes to being “green,” in fact, I’m far from it but I do try to be more aware and make changes here and there. Every little bit counts, right? Like drinking straws… Strawesome is in the business of creating reusable drinking straws made from the same glass that Pyrex is made from, so you know they’re made to last. They even guarantee it! Being the proud owner of a glass straw now enables me to help reduce those pesky plastic straws that end up littering highways and filling up landfills. I also don't have to worry about anything leaching into my beverage like with plastic. I received my beautiful Valentine’s Day straw, which is so pretty in pink! It has a heart and decorative dots on it (should've taken a pic before it went in the smoothie). Each straw is handmade and truly unique. In fact, I loved my straw so much that I ended up buying a couple more plus a straw cleaner. For it's inaugural use, hubby made me one of my favorite smoothie...

How about we get this little shindig started?! For my blog's upcoming birthday (2/26) I'm giving away presents. Yay! Just a few to say thanks for being part of my journey and humoring me while I ramble. :) image source Some giveaways are in conjunction with companies I've worked with before and some are new. It's all going to be fun no matter. I'll do a post every day this week but one day I'll double up (well, besides today). All giveaways will end on Monday, 2/28 just to make it easier on me, with winners announced some time the next day. So check back later today for the first giveaway.

source "Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two." ~St. Augustine ♥ ♥ ♥ "To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world." ~Brandi Snyder ♥ ♥ ♥ "Love is a game that two can play and both win." ~E...

Hello my friends! In case you didn’t catch it my previous post , I mentioned that I had some fun things going on starting next week so today I thought I’d let you in on what’s going on a bit. My blog’s birthday is coming up at the end of the month and I thought we’d celebrate. Since you are reading this that means you are part of the reason for the celebration. Next week I’ll have a handful of giveaways that I think you’ll like. Fun huh? My blog’s having the birthday and you’re getting the presents. :) Well, one winner for each thing. I haven’t quite figured out how I’m going to do it exactly – if I’ll post them all at once (a separate post for each of course) or a couple a day. Anyway, just a thinkin’ about that part still. Something for you to look forward to and my way of saying THANKS for being a part of my blog. Hope you have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! Thank you everyone who supported my little giveaway by entering, tweeting, facebooking, and blogging, etc. I did have to redraw a couple of names because they didn't provide me their email address as required. I'm sure the new winners don't mind though. Now, onto announcing the TWO winners of the CSN Stores e-gift certificates worth $120 each. #86 simplydab 01/30/2011 08:10 AM http://twitter.com/simplydab/s ... and... #53 Georgia 01/29/2011 03:28 AM Posted giveaway here too. http://gmissycat.blogspot.com/ Winners : I'll be emailing you both shortly - please confirm within 48 hours in order to receive your gift code. A big huge thank you to CSN Stores for sponsoring this very generous giveaway! I've got more fun and exciting things coming up next week (hint: giveaways) which you'll want to check back for but I'll update you on what that's all about soon - sometime this weekend. Enjoy the day all and happy shopping to...

I’m sure we all have had the same experience with buying shower curtains. Shower curtains that once you bring home and open them up you have let them air out for awhile because they stink so badly from outgassing. Ugh. Please tell me I’m not the only one. Heh, I know I’m not because Rock Candy Life wouldn’t exist if that was the case. Rock Candy Life (isn't that a fun name?) is a company who has figured out a way to bring earth-friendly and chic together in a shower curtain. Cool, huh? This makes me happy because gone are the days of putting up a new shower curtain that drives you away until it no longer stinks (or you’re used to the smell). I honestly didn’t recoil from any pungent chemical odors when I opened up the package. Ahhh! I first learned about RCL and their awesome shower curtains from another blogger. I was impressed to find that what they offer is something I didn’t even know existed (I don’t think about shower curtains much outside of the shower). These are all 1...

Happy Friday! Hopefully your ♥ month of love ♥ is off to a good start. Hubby and I recently picked up a couple of raw vegan desserts to try from our local market. Earth Cafe cheesecake (individual slices not the whole pie). Some of you probably have sampled these before but we usually passed on trying them because of the price tag. Justifying that we needed to celebrate something we splurged. ;) Strawberry Fields Forever source Who's Your Daddy? (made with carob) source I've tried one of Bitt's cheesecakes before and enjoyed it but have never made one myself. Maybe I'll make that a goal this spring. Anyway, before my raw days the typical cheesecake was never that appealing to me. I liked the taste sometimes but it was never my favorite and was way too rich and made me feel icky after (I don't say that about many non-raw things but cheesecake and ice cream were too much most of the time). I will confess there were some chocolate ones that were mighty ta...

Hola! It's funny. I had this post all ready to go yesterday morning but realized I forgot my usb cord and of course, none was to be found elsewhere. Oh well. I suppose now I can update some things. Another weekend flew by but it was fun. Plus, YS2 and I were able to get out and enjoy a little sunshine. My walking buddy all bundled up Smile! On weekends I try to take advantage of the extra time to get a little creative in the kitchen or just try something new. So this weekend I tried some new things plus one not so new. First I made some lentil burgers - a good basic recipe that has potential with different spices. It was good as is; I mean we all enjoyed them especially YS2 but then he's always loved lentils. Sorry I don't have pics of them but then I didn't make them picture worthy so you're not missing out. Mine were a little crumbly than I would've liked. There are some other variations I want to try that look incredible. I made Raw LouLou's onio...