How was your Christmas? Busy, and yours? Ok, now that we got that out of the way (can any conversation after Dec 25th start any other way?) Don't worry, I'll have a full Christmas report soon. But, in the meantime...

I'm trying out a few blogs (you'll see a few posts that I find interesting at the right hand side) and one of them is The Simple Family. For the past...um, oh about 2 years now I have been very interested in "living green" or at least greener. Hey, 2 years is a long time in the fast paced world of "what crazy scheme will Mel be obsessed with next". At least, I'm sure that's what my husband is thinking. That's ok, I totally agree. I get on these kicks of things that I cannot stop thinking, researching, dreaming, talking, eating, breathing, and blogging about. I'll admit it. It's my only flaw. ANYWAY, this post is interesting to me for a couple reasons: how cute are those grocery bags she linked? Very cute. Why is it so cute to be green? I kind of resent that there is a business for buying bags to carry groceries in so you can save the environment. I like that she goes on to say how you can make your own. I swear, I would not have been so creative to go to a thrift store and pick out a pillowcase. I know that she carefully inspected that it was not used. Seriously, that thought just kind of makes me sick. Greasy, old, used pillowcase to carry your yummy food...so now I need to know how to sew. The idea has come up so many times that I just need to suck it up, buy a $25 sewing machine from Target...or from a thrift store? and take a class at Joanne's or something. Maybe there are even directions included. I think the blog had a link to learn how to do crafty things like that, but I couldn't be bothered to read it. yeah...but really, i would love to make my own...pillows. That would probably be the best gift to my mother-in-law since she has sewn two sets of curtains (two different residences) and countless people and dog pillows. All greatly appreciated!! What about those darn hems that I feel so ashamed taking to the cleaners or the tailors. I mean seriously--a hem? Can't I even handle that? I just pay my $7 and walk out with my head hanging low, quietly apologizing to my 7th grade Home Ec teacher.

So, I ask myself--do I continue to use plastic because it seems easier? Will I remember those little bags that I paid $40 for, or that I paid even more for the sewing machine, supplies, lessons, and emergency room trip? Before I read that post, I was justifying my non-reusable bag tendencies on the idea of using paper bags and recycling them for Christmas wrapping paper next year. I know it's better to not use paper bags, but if I'm going to wrap my gifts in paper anyway (I haven't evolved into non-paper methods for wrapping...yet...) isn't it better to use recycled bags? I bought really pretty ribbon (half off!) to dress them up...this year I wrapped all of my gifts in pretty coordinated gold paper. I know, how sick is that. For those of you who don't know me, really, I am NOT anal about anything. But everyone once in a while, these little ideas of perfect harmony seep into my mind. Most recently, all gifts had to be wrapped in gold paper and perfectly placed under the tree. I really don't know why. Probably some crazy Home and Garden magazine cover memory from my youth. So, I've already decided that next year is brown paper (to resemble the old packages that were wrapped in the store and brought home for Christmas) with pretty bows. I know that my mom did this one year and it turned out quite nice. The kids won't appreciate it, but I have some shiny gold paper left over from this year so it will be all good for them. Of course, they don't really care about the paper anyway...

In the end, brown paper bags it is--recycled, no sewing machine or lessons yet. I have to try to complete at least Day 2 of Mikaela's baby book, and maybe past month 5 of Cameron's. Finish one obsession before you move on to the next, that's what I always say.