Summer Essentials

Summer seems to be flying by (August is nearly here!). I've still managed to scoop up some items I consider my summer essentials. Hopefully you can grab some of these, as well!

1. Tucker Panel Mini Dress, $385 Dave loves when I wear Tucker dresses (probably because many are so short! :-)

2. L.L. Bean French Sailor's Shirt. $29.50 This shirt embodies the "it" trend of the moment (nautical stripes) while maintaining a classic silhouette. Perfect for chilly mornings and evening on the water

3. Land's End Classic Open Toe Ballet Flat, $15.19 Dress 'em up or down, a great go-to shoe

4. Sperry Top-Sider Angelfish Boat Shoe, $75 Another classic. So comfortable I could wear them all day, every day

5. Levi's Signature Cut-Offs, $4 I bought a pair of these jeans at Salvation Army, cut them off and cuffed them

6. Smith's Rosebud Salve, $5 The perfect sheer pink for lips (smells good, too)

7. Physicians Formula Organics Mascara, $7 Blacky-black, and without all the nasty chemicals (paired with the rosebud salve, that's my entire make-up routine for summer)

8. Land's End Starfish Roll Sleeve Open Crewneck Top, $10.39 Perfect for bumming around the house, working in the garden, or a quick run to the farmers market

9. Alba Botanica Pure Lavendar SunBlock, $13.59 Keeps me looking pasty and smells good, too!

10. Moroccan Oil Treatment, $33 An investment in hair-care terms, but it works wonders, keeps frizz down on even the most humid days, and a little goes a long way (I have super-thick, relatively long hair, and this lasts me 5 months)

11. Arbonne Baby Care Body Oil, $9 I first came across this product when I had Edith, and I fell in love with it for the summer months when regular lotion is just to thick and sticky

12. Dogeared "Captain Of Your Ship" Necklace, $72 This was a lovely present from Dave and has an even lovelier message behind it

13. Ray-Ban Rounded Wayfarers, $179 I love that these glasses have the timeless Wayfarer shape, but are jazzed up a bit with a slightly rounded lens (I bought mine at Macy's on sale for only $99!)

What are some of your summer essentials? I'd love to hear! PS - most of these items fit one of the Sustainable Living credos: Either it is made from organic, all-natural, and/or sustainable materials; is an American company; is made in America (particularly by individual craftspeople and independent companies) and/or; donates regularly through a charitable giving program.

Why I Love Living on Silly Goose Farm: Reason 4

I love living on Silly Goose Farm because I get to live here with this guy:

Dave and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary on Sunday (May 29th). We had a nice dinner at the American Hotel in neighboring town Sharon Springs, and this weekend we'll be taking our first-ever anniversary trip to Boston (we almost moved to Boston until we stumbled upon the farm). I could go on and on about how wonderful Dave is, but I'll just sum it up by saying I am very very lucky that he chose me for his wife.

Our wedding at Mohonk Mountain House, May 29, 2008

Sustainable Snippets

Well, I would normally say I hope you have a great weekend, but today I'm hoping you had a great weekend! Dave had some time off last week (the spring semester and graduation have ended, and today marks the beginning of summer sessions), so I put client work aside for a few days and we took a mini-staycation with the kids. We had planned to rent a place in Lake George, NY, but the weatherman predicted rain all week, so we decided to just vacation at home and take day-trips around the area. We visited two of our favorite towns in the Hudson Valley (Rhinebeck and Red Hook (we get our coffee from a great local roaster there)) and also headed East to Stockbridge, MA. The rest of the weekend was devoted to yardwork and movies and bocce. Here are a few pictures from our excursions.

We bought Edith this bucket for playing outside - she insisted on wearing it as a hat

Eric the loafer

Dave likes Kamakazis on the rocks, while I opted for a Gin Buck

Bocce! (The grass was a wee bit high)

Sunset during bocce

Our "tournament" audience

Now, on to Sustainable Snippets! Hope you enjoy your week.

Good thing I grow my own tomatoes! Seven supermarket foods to avoid

How do you do your laundry? Here are some nifty green products to try

It's official! Lemon eucalyptus oil is an effected bug repellent

Behold: The $18 lightbulb

New way to recycle bottle caps

Cool! "Old" professions that are making a comeback

All a marketing ploy? Guess so, according to this NYT article on food health benefits

How to eat fish sustainably (listen to this while cooking dinner tonight!)

Lifehacker? Interesting

Obama and agriculture farm subsidies.

Prison Food vs. School Food

HFCS - bad for your body, good for SNL skits

A very cool infographic on buying local (also, I am thinking will all the infographics popping up, people don't actually read anymore)

Those who know me know I love a good Pimm's Cup. Too bad I hate Jell-o

Again, with the British wine

Something I've been thinking a lot about is if "organic" really means better? Seems not always when it comes to eggs (check out this awesome scorecard!)

Need to recycle? There's an app for that

Young'uns in the world of food

My bud Christine is now blogging for FromScratchClub! Way to represent those urbanites and non-mommies, C

Happy Birthday Dave!

Today is my darling husband's birthday. Just to make him feel extra-special today, I'll refer to him by his proper title, Dr. Goldschmidt.

I took a half-workday today so the kids and I could run to the grocer and get all the fixings for one of Dave's favorite meals (chicken tortellini) along with everything to make a homemade coffee ice cream cake (easy-peasy, I'll post pictures up on Twitter later). After the kids are in bed, I'm sure we'll cozy up on the couch to watch a movie, and if everything goes according to plans, I will whisk Dave away for a little get-away this weekend.

Dave, I'm so lucky I get to be your wife. Thanks for always cheering me up with your Sean Connery and Julie Child impressions (which sometimes blend into each other), for always offering to make the tea and coffee, for (rarely) reining in my imagination, for being the best daddy ever, and for just being you. I know it hasn't always been easy, but I hope I make you a fraction as happy as you make me. I love you (and I'll always be your Silly Goose).

Update: Click here for the ice cream cake tutorial on Twitter!!