Frugal Dad's Top Frugality Blogs of 2011

Thought I'd share a great post by Frugal Dad that I'm only just finding: Top Frugality Blogs of 2011. I told myself that today I MUST go out and get some more short-sleeved shirts before the warm weather is upon us for good. Yet, here I am surfing for ways to save money instead. I hate shopping!!
   In hopping back and forth to check out his frugal picks, I happened upon this site that I'll be checking out next: Budgeting with the Bushmans and their Extreme Frugality Festival.
   If interested, I did post a few pics on my Flikr site this morn. I wish I could share the potluck photos with you here!

Carbon 101 from Gourmet.com

A quick list of how we can lower our carbon footprint when grocery shopping: Food Politics: Gourmet.com

TreeHugger's Best of Green 2012

Can't wait to check out the nominees!! TreeHugger's Best of Green 2012: Awarding Excellence in Sustainability reader's choice awards!
   Btw, still hashing out what to do about my blogger photo-posting snafu. Seriously considering just switching to exclusively using my Flikr account, Dmarie in KY, from here on out.
   Aren't you glad it's the WEEKEND!?! We've got two parties to hit this afternoon, but frankly, I wish I could just do nothing. Please don't tell anyone I said that! ;)

Link Love Sunday

Dunno why, but I'm getting some weird warning when I try to post photos. Will work on that. Meanwhile, I'll share some links I've been enjoying.

   When I was younger, I collected menus from everywhere I went. Nowadays, instead of asking for a takeout menu, I'll just make a digital copy of a joint's menu, like this one from the Parquette Diner of Lexington, Kentucky. No more paper menus cluttering up my home, yet I still get to "keep" the menus.
   When I'm tired of answering same ole, same ole to "what's for supper?", looking through restaurant menus can give me some new ideas. Which is why I loved this little piece on vintage menus: Food Cooking: Gourmet.com.
   Here's some more LINK LOVE:

• Meat: Doing More With Less over on Mother Earth News. Really hoping to become a vegetarian, but flexitarian (getting Hubby used to minimal meat) comes first.
• 12 Ways to Wabi Sabi, again found on Mother Earth News. Particularly loved this way: "Cultivate Sabi (the beauty that comes with age). Antique doorknobs and radiator grates give your home soul. Building with salvaged materials gives a new house depth and history it couldn’t otherwise have."
• Thousands Give Up Carbon for Lent over on Yes! Magazine. Love it that more folks are connecting their faith with stewardship of our planet. If we truly believe this is God's Green Earth, what right have we to trash it? More on the story over on Tree Hugger, if you're interested: Thousands of Christians 'give up' carbon for Lent.
• 20 Uses for Leftover Fruit and Vegetable Rinds and Peels, again on Tree Hugger.

   Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!!

Farmer Boy was my fav Little House book too!

Gourmet Live has named The Wednesday Chef its Blog of the Week. Gotta love any post that includes text from "Farmer Boy." I still whip that book out from time to time if I'm needing to get re-motivated to home cooking!
   Soon as I get my camera charged back up, I hope to start posting again. HATE my new camera, think I've missed the deadline to take it back, and am posting less because of it. Clearly one of those cases where the fact that I HATE shopping plays against me! *sigh*

Ohio State Fair continued--Let them eat cake!

This picnic cake was my fav!

Went to sleep thinking of cakes and find myself craving cake though it's only 9 o'clock in the morning. Wonder why?

Not sure how this was made out of cake...people can be so ingenious when it comes to food!

Winner of Best of Show Professional Baker

Gotta love a cake smörgåsbord!!

Best of Show Novelty Cake

A bizzaro Chip and Dip Cake won its category: Ugliest Decorated Cake.

This Best of Show winner in its category led me to craving cupcakes, a craving satisfied when I found a booth selling a cupcake "sundae"...so big it was the first cupcake that I could not finish...oh, the shame of it!!

   Because I am such a sucker for food porn, please, please, PLEASE share a link if you've got a cake to show off.
   I'm getting the remaining two of my fillings replaced this morn. (No fun spending $money$ at the dentist, but that's one of the reasons we save, eh?). I'll be numb afterwards, of course...oh, how I hate that part! *sigh*
   On a brighter note, check out the Link Love goin' on over at Northwest Edible Life--she's got links to those participating in the 2011 Nosy Neighbor Urban Homestead and Garden Tour!

Sharing the blooms, the vows and the blowout!

The little wisteria sprig we brought back from my aunt's yard in Pensacola last year has grown like crazy and has been blooming in our western Kentucky back yard since the first of July! 

I don't like to think of myself as a close-minded blockhead, but at 50, I do sometimes have trouble making changes stick. When it comes to being green, I fail as often as I succeed. When I fail at living green, most likely I'm failing at being frugal too. When I fail at being frugal, I'm failing to save money. *SIGH*

   Yeah, there's a reason for my whiny confession! I'm goaling to incorporate some green changes that I hope will make me THINK GREEN more often. Whether you join me or not, you're now my accountability partners, don'cha know!

   High time to ACT instead of just read about changing my life. A YES! Magazine article, 10 Ways to Change Your Life: Not Just Your Lightbulbs, has finally pushed me over the fence on two green changes. Witness here my solemn vows:

1. Instead of serving all-veggie meals willy-nilly, I vow to join ranks with the Meatless Monday folks (like Jessica Simpson).
2. Instead of simultaneously surfing/blogging while watching TV/movies, I vow to take a mini-"Eco-sabbath" for AT LEAST ONE uninterrupted 4-hour block of unplugged time per week...and work my way toward a 24-hour once weekly unplugathon. (Exceptions: fridge, freezer and air conditioner/heat pump.)

   Okay, baby steps, I know, but even baby steps can move you in the right direction, eh? Anybody else vowing any new baby steps lately? Feel free to share a link to your posts!

Had a blow-out in one of my dishwashing gloves--the right hand, as always. I'll save the still-good left hand glove and turn it inside out the next time a right hand glove gets a nick & needs replacing. Thanks to Amy Daczyzn's Tightwad Gazette for that little repurposing tip.