[118] Resolutions to the New Year

As the holiday season starts to wind down, so does my busy work schedule. While that isn't exactly good news for my wallet/bank, I'll be glad to have a little more down time in between work days. Of course, I wouldn't mind keeping my ~30 hour work week as it is, but that's not likely to happen. ;]

I'm still in search of New Year's resolutions! For 2011 I gave up carbonated beverages which proved to be quite a challenge at the beginning of the year. As the year went on, it became easier with the passing months. Water, juices, teas, coffee, and beer. ;] (This lady loves her beer.) If you've been following me throughout the year across my blogs, Twitter, or Facebook, you know that I have lost 30 pounds over these last 12 months. Giving up soda definitely played a huge role in this goal I have set for myself (which is targeted for March 25, 2012).

So here I sit. In search of a New Year's resolution that will, once again, test my level of self-discipline. The question is; what resolution should I set for myself in 2012?

Some of you may remember the monogrammed mason jars I started making earlier this year. Well the time has finally come to give them to those persons they were made for. I just sent 3 off to my family in Texas, hand delivered 2 to my family in Rhode Island, and I have 5 left to hand out.

A couple weeks before Christmas, I finally stopped in AC Moore to pick up supplies for my holiday center piece. While I was in the store I came upon some wreaths. I've had this bag of yarn that I originally planned on making scarfs and pot holders with, but I have been lacking motivation. So I decided to try making my first yarn wreath. It's still a work in progress! Here's a little preview of what I have done.

Still working on the felt flowers. Somewhere over the past week, I found some time to make my gingerbread house. This was a kit that came with 1/2 a pound of a variety of Wonka candy. (Also, this is the 2nd gingerbread house I have ever made in my 25 years of life. I'm so proud!)

So I have a few crafts I need to finish before the year is up. Luckily, I have a couple days off in the coming week in which I plan on devoting to finishing this wreath.

[117] Holiday Cans/Jars

Earlier this year, I prepared some jars for the holiday season. I took a DIY monogrammed mason jar tutorial and set aside my jars to use as gifts for this coming Christmas. Today is the 4th and Christmas is exactly 3 weeks from today. I still have no idea what to put in these jars!!!

I have considered delicious treats, Christmas confetti surrounding some sort of holiday ornament (preferably handmade), gift cards in confetti, and just handing out empty jars with letters monogrammed on the side.

Ideas anyone???

My empty jar is so sad. :[

[116] Boca-dillas!

While on a Skype video call with a friend, I decided it was a good time to make lunch. I carefully placed my iPod Touch on top of my toaster oven, began gathering my ingredients, and carried on conversation as if my friend were sitting in my kitchen with me.

2 Original Vegan Boca burgers

Mozzarella cheese

Flour tortillas

Assemble. Cook. Enjoy.

Greatest recipe ever, right? Serve with a small scoop of sour cream on the side. :D

I can't wait for the seasonal shopping to end. I need my sleep.

[115] Adele and Gaga

Last night I went out with a couple of my lady friends from work. While at the bar, club-mixes of Lady Gaga's "You and I" came on followed by Adele's "Rolling in the Deep". I may have been one and a half Guinness' in as I started belting out lyrics in this not-so-packed bar. I didn't care who could hear my pitchy vocals. I was enjoying myself. :]

Enjoy this from A Very Gaga Thanksgiving.

[114] 30 Day Photo Challenge?

I'm sure many of you have seen friends posting a 30 day photo challenge on their Facebook, or maybe you've started your own as well. I've been interested in doing a 30 day challenge myself, but I wasn't too impressed with poor quality image that listed each days topic. So I created my own! I used images from various My Memories kits to recreate the list of daily photo topics.

Please feel free to use it as the starting image of your own photo challenge folder. :] I don't plan on posting my daily photos here. You'll find my photos on Facebook or Instagram (@behindthecanon).

[113] Plimoth Plantation

Friday, November 11th, I visited Plimoth Plantation for the first time. Located on Plymouth's historic waterfront, the permanent exhibits tell the story of two distinct cultures - English and Native. You lead yourself on a self-guided tour through the different areas of the museum.

Walking through the Wampanoag Homesite you'll find Native People - either Wampanoag or other Native Nations - dressed in historically accurate clothing. These people will speak to you from a modern perspective as they are not role players. You're encouraged to ask as many questions as you can, but if you're shy like me you're more than welcome to just look around and listen in on anything they're sharing with groups.

Upon entering the 17th Century English Village, you'll find role players portraying actual residents of Plymouth Colony. These people are very good about not breaking character when you mention modern day things. One man, whose name I did not catch, asked my boyfriend what his trade was. I wanted to play along and say he was a sword smith, as we're both nerds who play(ed) World of Warcraft, but I held back. I believe his mom is the one who finally mentioned that he is a computer programmer. To which the man responded, "Ah, I believe in England we handle much pewter!" That got a good chuckle out of me. In the village you'll find houses furnished with reproductions of the types of objects Pilgrims owned. You'll also see various animals, such as chickens, cows, and goats.

Now for the pictures!

Wetu - Wampanoag word for house. This wetu was in the process of being built but you were welcome to come inside and watch one of the Natives hammer away at some wood pieces. Another man helped explain to visitors a little bit more about the wetu and how they were built.

The two men inside the wetu.

Awesome poses in front of an awesome view. Taking the trail towards the craft house and the English Village.

Having a seat on a beautifully crafted bench which you'll find all along the paths.

The first building upon entering the 17th Century English Village.

A somewhat blurry photo of a Pilgrim's kitchen.

A my-size bed, haha. You'll find these small sized beds in all of the houses in the English Village. There were a few houses with larger beds but I didn't get a photo as there were far too many people and I was a bit cranky.

One of the animals in the village. If you can find long grass, you can pick it up and hand feed these cows. They loved it!

A garden outside of one of the houses.

This man rambled on about a story for a solid 30 minutes before we could break away to see the rest of the village. I'm very impressed with the role players ability to keep character the entire time they are talking to the museum visitors.

Goats, hanging out and chomping on grass.

Standing outside of one of the houses. A my-size house, haha.

The pottery section of the craft house. All of these handmade items are sold in the shops in the museum.

The woodworking section of the craft house.

This man is wearing a headdress made of porcupine hairs.

My souvenirs! Of course I picked up an owl which is made of strands of animal fur. Shawno found the last tiny bear carving. His mom bought me a jar of apple butter. (Thanks Momma Nancy!) And I bought myself a Plimoth Plantation magnet for my fridge. I love my souvenir magnets. :D

This was the last of two shirts in this style. I originally wanted an adult medium, but my only options were small and x-large. My boyfriend said the shirt looked like it would fit since I've lost 30+ lbs. Glad I picked it up!

Thanksgiving is 12 days away! I am going to be baking up a batch of pumpkin cookies to bring to dinner at Shawno's aunts house. But I also want to try making some pumpkin bread. I have yet to try my hand at that!

I know I haven't been posting as often as I should be. I've been working 5 days a week and getting in as many hours as I can. This season has been a bit different for me as I've taken on a few extra responsibilities than I have had in past years. I am liking it though!

A had a few post ideas from about a month ago that I put on hold for when I have more free time. Hopefully I'll find time to type them all and just queue them over a few weeks time.

I'd like to announce the winner of the My Memories Giveaway.
The winner is Katie!
Congratulations!

[112] Footsteps in the ceiling

Everyone's watching American Horror Story. I saw about half of an episode and walked away. Not because it is scary but because I'm not really interested in this show right now.

Although, I would rather live downstairs from a haunted apartment than have to listen to the kid upstairs, stomping his feet all around the apartment. Seriously. Just stop.

I recently took some herbal supplements which left me with less than desirable side effects. Evening primrose oil makes me itch like crazy. The opposite of what I was hoping for, as I was taking it to help clear my eczema. The good news is, I read that omega3 and zinc deficiencies are possibly the reasoning behind my intense breakouts over the last few months. After reading and seriously thinking about it, this does make sense to me. So I picked up some supplements at my local CVS. Luckily for me, they were running a Buy 1 Get 1 Free deal on some of the things I was looking for. So I picked up some acai as well. Hoping for good results and keeping a positive attitude about it. :]

Don't forget, I have extended the My Memories giveaway!

[111] Music Monday: Sophia Grace & Nicki Minaj

Before I get to the music I'd like to remind you that I have a GIVEAWAY going on right now!
http://veggingforhealth.blogspot.com/2011/10/110-giveaway-my-memories-suite.html
Be sure to sign up for a chance to win! You don't even have to use the product for yourself. You could give it to a friend or family as a holiday gift.

---

I'm sure most of you have seen this video of Sophia Grace singing Super Bass. If you haven't, it's a must see! You can also find videos of Sophia Grace on the Ellen Show where she meets Nicki Minaj. She's so adorable! 


Thanks to Sophia Grace, I have had Super Bass stuck in my head for the past week. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I've played this video. Leave it to an 8 year old to get me to listen to a hip hop/R&B/pop artist...


A couple of friends from high school have been busy making music over the years. Here's the latest upload on soundcloud. Enjoy!
JC Ft. Tex & Zeke - Nothin Like Me by therealTEX

[110] GIVEAWAY My Memories Suite

It's time to reveal Vegging for Health's FIRST giveaway!!!

I'm a lover of all sorts of crafts, especially scrapbooking. Before I had started scrapbooking, I would make photo collages both using physical photos as well as digital photos, but I had yet to try digital scrapbooking... until My Memories contacted me about hosting a giveaway. I am so excited to help promote such great software for my first giveaway!

My Memories Suite V2!

Some of us just don't have the time to sit down and capture memories in scrapbooks. Cutting and sorting paper, applying embellishments, cropping photos and choosing whether or not you want to use monograms. It's a lot of work. With My Memories Suite you have a choice of creating pre-made layouts or starting from scratch with downloadable kits. Just load the program and start creating. It's that easy. You can find all sorts of videos from MyMemories on their YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/MyMemoriesSuite

My Memories Suite is by far one of the easiest programs I have ever used. You'll find a variety of paper backgrounds and embellishments that come with the program, as well as many different styles available for download straight from the My Memories website. I went a little overboard with the downloads within the first day of using this software, haha! You can choose to print your own scrapbook layouts at home or have them professionally printed and made into a book for you. Don't have the funds or the room to print and store physical scrapbooks? Create an online photo album using various photo upload websites or your preferred social network site.

Now to the fun stuff. You can enter for a chance to win a free copy of My Memories Suite V2! You have until November 2, 2011 11:59pm (eastern) to enter this giveaway. Extending the giveaway an extra week, you have until November 9, 2011 11:59pm (eastern) to enter this giveaway!


Here's what you need to do:

1. Go to www.mymemories.com and browse their digital scrapbooking kit.
   (1 entry) Then come back here and leave a comment with:
   -Your Name
   -Your E-mail
   -Your favorite digital scrapbooking kit from the MyMemories website
   -Link to your blog/website if you have one

Example:
Jasmine Young jasmine.thelovely [at] gmail [dot] com
Head In The Clouds Pack
http://veggingforhealth.blogspot.com

It's that simple!

Additional entries:

• (+1 entry) "Like" my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/VeggingForHealth
  Comment here that you "Like" my page along with:
  -Your Name (Note your Facebook name if different)
  -Your E-mail
• (+1 entry) Tweet about this giveaway: tag me @iJasmineYoung and include the link to the post
  Comment here with:
  -Your Name
  -Your Twitter Name
  -Link to the tweet
• (+1 entry) Blog about this giveaway:
  Comment here with:
  -Your Name
  -Your E-mail
  -Link to the post

You can tweet about this giveaway once per day, just be sure to come back and post a comment each time you tweet about it.

I will be keeping track of each entry by each comment posted, so be sure to get those entries in! Remember, the deadline is November 2, 2011 11:59pm (eastern). November 9, 2011 11:59pm (eastern).

When a winner is chosen and announced, I will also share a coupon code for $10 off the My Memories Suite V2 software and $10 coupon for MyMemories.com store. (A $20 value!)

Check out My Memories at the following links:

blog.mymemories.com
MyMemories on Facebook

@mymemoriessuite on Twitter

(New header image was created using My Memories Suite V2, MMSv2 kits, and Photoshop CS2.)

[109] Music Monday: mewithoutYou

mewithoutYou, is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their music is generally dominated by spoken-word vocals and free-ranging drums, bass, and guitar.




Torches Together is the first track from their 2004 album, Catch for Us the Foxes. Before I acquired this album, I only owned one song of theirs, "January 1979". I used to listen to this particular song, over and over, on repeat. It was usually one of the first three songs on any mixed CD I'd make for road trips. Catch for Us the Foxes was given to me as a gift for my 19th birthday in 2005. This album is still among my top favorites and I can honestly say I love each and every track on this CD.

[108] Product Review: Kashi's Tuscan Veggie Bake

via Kashi.com

I recently tried Kashi's frozen entree, Tuscan Veggie Bake. During my last grocery trip, I walked through the freezer aisles and came across Kashi's selection of frozen entrees. I was interested in trying out on of their entrees, so I began skimming through the ingredients on each box before I chose their Tuscan Veggie Bake. It's vegan friendly and it was the only entree available (in my store) without meat in the ingredients.

"Yellow squash, roasted eggplant, red onion, and sweet potato. Zesty basil tomato sauce with sun dried tomatoes served inside Kashi seven whole grain noodles."

 Growing up, I ate a lot of microwaved meals. Over the last 4 years I've dramatically reduced how often I use microwaves to cook anything. If there's a stove-top, oven, or toaster oven option, I'll take it.

The Tuscan veggie bake comes with two cooking methods: microwave (11 minutes total) and conventional oven (45 minutes total). I was starving and opted for the microwave cooking instructions. Upon opening the box, I was surprised at how big the veggie bake actually is. It's a pretty decent sized portion of food, but you'll have to decide for yourself if you need something on the side to fill you up.

I found the vegetables absolutely delicious, as well as the noodles. However, I did find this dish to be a little too spicy for my taste. To put it simply, I'm not a fan of spicy foods. If you're the type who enjoys any and all spicy foods, this just might be the meal for you. Since I am not vegan, I would probably put a dollop of sour cream on this if I choose to eat it again.

If you like spicy foods, this meal is for you.
If you're not a fan of spicy foods, don't even bother.

[107] Halloween Craft: Pichu Ears

Want to know how to make these cute little Pichu ears?

If you're on a budget around Halloween (whether you're saving up for Christmas time or you just flat out don't have the income to throw money at a full costume) making homemade costume pieces is a budget friendly way to celebrate without setting yourself back $50.

[2008] I came down with a nasty cold that night.

In 2008, I went to New York to see Portugal. the Man at the Bowery Ballroom on Halloween night. I had originally decided on making Pikachu ears but they turned out to be too heavy to hold themselves up. (This was before I figured out wire could be used to shape and support the weight of the ears.) As you can see, I barely dressed up. That's a yellow 3/4 sleeve shirt from Old Navy which I'm pretty sure I wore with black jeans. It was cold that night and I had to walk pretty far from my car to the venue.

Want to know how to make your own Halloween accessory hair clips?

You can find the tutorial posted on my craft blog, Sophie Mae Crafts.

[106] Howdy Y'all

How is everyone doing? I just returned from a grocery trip to my local Wal-Mart and I came home with a little more than groceries. I picked up a few crafting items for my next post on my craft blog which I will also link to in a post here on Vegging for Health. It's a Halloween themed post! I plan on working on this tonight and hopefully have it up tomorrow.

For Halloween, I'd like to dress up as Hello Kitty. Just not this kind of Hello Kitty, because this isn't an acceptable costume for work.

Source: buycostumes.com via Cat on Pinterest

[105] Just A Little Hello

Hello readers :]

Posts and activity on my blog may start to slow down just a bit with the coming Christmas shopping season. You see, I work in retail. That means more hours at work for me. Very excited to start saving up for next years trips.

With that being said, I am also very excited to announce that I will be holding my very first giveaway in less than two weeks! I won't give any hints as to what it is. You'll just have to come back and find out on October 20th. So mark your calendars!

[104] Giveaway via My Life As Liz Taylor!

You can enter to win an 86 pc cosmetic set from My Life As Liz Taylor!

"October is a special month, especially for us women. This is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. I believe in supporting this cause heavily. I am only speaking for myself when I say I love my boobies and I wish to keep them as happy and as healthy as I possibly can! I have personally witnessed the devastating effects that breast cancer has on women and their families. Thus I try to help in anyway I can. I work hard, have nice things in life, but the most gratifying part of it all is giving back and donating to causes I love."

Head over to Liz's blog to enter for your chance to win this cosmetic set!

In addition to the giveaway. For every new follow Liz gains through October 18th, she'll donate $1 to the Breast Cancer Awareness foundation!

[103] Adventures in Hair Dye

Last month, I bought a box of hair dye which I set aside to use after a much needed hair cut. That hair cut never happened, so I took matters into my own hands. I simply trimmed the tip of my hair to rid of some split ends. [If you're not comfortable or experienced in trimming your own hair DO NOT DO IT. I've been doing this method for years in between visits to a professional.]

Garnier's Herbashine Color Creme with bamboo extract, ammonia free.
#632 Light Warm Brown "An elegant light brown with warmth and shine."
Made for medium-light brown hair and it only takes 10 minutes.

 I use a brush to apply the creme to my roots first before working it into the rest of my hair.

This photo was taken in my bathroom under tungsten lights. A nice light brown with reddish tones.

Messy bangs in natural light pouring in through my bedroom window. Looks dark brown.

As the sun sets, light bounces off the apartment building across the parking lot outside my slider. This creates a reflection of yellow sun setting light bouncing off the tan siding on the apartment building.

I've been feeling incredibly positive lately. Every time I feel this way I giggle to myself. Why? My blood type is B+. Very fitting if you ask me. I try to be as positive as I possibly can be.

<3

[102] Apartment Tour: Part IV - Living Room

Our living room is the coolest room in our apartment. Temperature wise, but it is also a cool room. Haha! Our living room and dining room are in the same open space, but my book shelf and craft area separates these two rooms.

View from kitchen/hall.

TV stand, coffee table, and side tables: Target's Avington Collection in Dark Tobacco

View behind love seat.

I love my lamps. :]

View from AC.

The framed poster is photograph by Tyler Shields.

View from the slider.

I used to have numerous collage picture frames that balanced out this wall. Those frames have been moved to other walls but this poster still hangs, off centered. I have tried moving it to other spots but it never looks right. So I keep it here.

View from the couch.

The poster The Great Wave off Kanagawa is mounted using tacks. The frame is made of decorative bamboo sticks which I bought at Michael's Arts and Crafts.
Bamboo Frame, Required materials:

• 6 bamboo sticks
• rope
• nails
• hammer
• creative mind

View from the TV wall.

I love our living room space. It's comfy, cozy, and represents mine and Shawno's shared taste in home decor.

[101] Music Monday: LMFAO

For the past week I have had LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem on repeat. I may not have been a fan of LMFAO previous to hearing this song, but all thanks can go to that damn Kia Soul commercial featuring the hamsters shufflin'.



I used to have teddy bear hamsters just like the ones in that Kia commercial. So, you know, I have a bit of a weak spot for hamsters, especially hip dancing ones.

[100] Thrift Store Pen Pals!

Yaaaaaaaay! *applause*

You may have read in post [096] that I was chosen as Woody's next Thrift Store Pen Pal. Well, I have received his package!

Close up of the Parcel Post stamp so nobody can see our addresses. :D

This package actually came in the mail yesterday while I was out, so a slip was left in our mail box. On our way out for breakfast, Shawno and I stopped by the leasing office to pick up this package of mystery. As I walked from the leasing office back to the car I began to inspect the bubble wrapped envelope. This envelope certainly traveled far (approximately 1500 miles) and it showed. Something lumpy and kind of heavy was inside... but I wouldn't open it until we come home from Dunkin Donuts.

As we're sitting down to enjoy our breakfast while watching Parks and Recreation On Demand, I'm constantly eyeing the package as it's sitting on the table. Part of me wanted to go the route of Nhya/Carrymel's post by making a video, but I chose to stick to photos.

What did I find inside my package?

I'd like you to meet...

[099] Interview 05: Gregg

Meet Gregg! He's 37 years old, originally from Oklahoma but currently resides in Kansas, and he's the CTO and co-founder of a small software engineering firm. Gregg recently went vegan as of September 8, 2011 and he blogs at http://3glife.tumblr.com/ where he shares his experience with veganism.

I spoke with Gregg via Skype just two weeks after he made the decision to go vegan. I ask, "When did you adopt the vegan lifestyle? And how long have you been vegan? And I read that you don't like to call it a "diet". So, go into that." Gregg laughs and says, "I was actually talking to some friends about that today. They were like "So how's your diet?" It's not a diet! It's just the way I eat." "I'm a really really new vegan. I went completely hardcore September 8th this year." We both chime in, "Two weeks ago today!" "I went vegan, and I say I went "cold turkey" but I've been dabbling in veganism for the past couple of years. I had gone vegan before. It didn't stick. I had gone vegetarian before. It didn't stick. But this time... it stuck."

[098] Music Monday: Scale the Summit

Weekly theme posts ... *cough* ...

Scale the Summit is an American instrumental metal band based out of Houston, Texas. Formed in 2004, the band draws influences from other progressive acts, however, unlike most other progressive metal bands, they have no vocalist and play instrumental music.

Considering this is a live recording, adjust volume as needed.

3:30 is the beginning of my favorite part of "The Great Plains"

Happy listening <3

[097] Celebrations and Life's Scares

Just a warning: this post can start to become an emotional rollercoaster after the "Tuesday" portion.

Tuesday: On Tuesday last week (September 20th), I celebrated two years with Shawno. :] On our first date we ate at Longhorn Steakhouse. Last year, for our first anniversary, he took me to the exact same restaurant. To keep the tradition going, we knew exactly where we wanted to eat for our second anniversary. Sadly we couldn't visit the same location this year due to our work schedules this year. I was only scheduled to work until 530 while he had been working much later and during the week he had been at a building 2 hours (with traffic) from our apartment. To my surprise, he was out much earlier than I had expected. I did a little last minute gift shopping before I went home to shower and change. I had every intention of wearing something similar to what I wore on our first date (white shirt, jeans, converse) but I went with this fairly new top, jeans, and my faux suede boots instead.

I show up to Longhorn and see that Shawno has already arrived and seated. I sit down, we order our beers (Killian's Irish Red) and decide on an appetizer. Their Western Cheese Fries are the exact appetizer we ate on our first date and 1st anniversary date. I was all about keeping the tradition and order these...

Western Cheese Fries
Crispy fries loaded with all-beef chili, melted cheddar & Monterrey jack, bacon and jalapeños.

... but without chili and bacon. Our waitress gave us this look of confusion. I simply said "I'm a vegetarian" with a smile. She smiled back, nodded and said she'd put that in for us. When she came back to take the rest of our order I decided to skip out on the fish I ordered last year and went with the following:

Strawberry & Pecan Salad
Greens, strawberries, grapes, oranges, onion, feta, pecans & raspberry vinaigrette
Loaded Baked Potato
Baked potato with butter, cheese, and sour cream.
Fresh Seasonal Vegetables
Broccoli, summer squash, and carrots

That's the first time I have eaten at Longhorn without ordering meat or seafood. That strawberry and pecan salad was AMAZING.

[096] Woody's Thrift Store Pen Pals

A month ago, Woody from Woodn't Ya Know It started something he calls Thrift Store Pen Pals. Woody himself frequents local thrift stores and blogs about the weird items he finds. Honestly, you just have to check it out for yourself: Thrift Store Adventures.

Guess who has been chosen as the next Thrift Store Pen Pal? Yours truly!

I used to have pen pals as a child and I'm a long time lover of thrifting (thanks Mom!). Excited to see what Woody sends my way.

[095] Getting the hang of this vlog thing

I made this video Thursday night before I started feeling a little more under the weather. Enjoy my sniffles!



Please keep my best friend, Jammer (and his family), in your thoughts and prayers. He suffered a heat stroke during a 10 mile run on Thursday and was taken to the hospital. He should fully recover but was kept overnight for observation. I love my Minerich's!

[094] Recycled: Plastic Bag Holder

In a previous post (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) I mentioned using reusable shopping bags and reusing/recycling plastic shopping bags. Don't forget, you can help change the world one pledge at a time at RecycleBank.com and earn points towards free rewards. (sign up using this link by October 1st and I'll earn 10 reward points!)

In 2008 I started using reusable shopping bags. I'll be honest, I don't bring them with me on every trip to the store. Since taking the RecycleBank pledge to carry reusable bags with me, I have utilized these bags more in the last month than I have in the last three years. If I have forgotten to put a reusable bag in my purse, I try my best to avoid using plastic bags at checkout.

• Purchasing one item? Do you really need it in a bag? No. It really irks me when customers ask me to bag their gift/greeting card or any one item that can just be carried out.
• Med - large sized box items? Ask to go bagless on the larger items. Use your reusable bags on the smaller items.
• Buying gifts? Don't waste money on a gift bag unless you know it will be reused. Buy reusable shopping bags in place of gift bags.
• Buying gifts that you need to hide? DON'T DOUBLE BAG. If you're gift shopping, keep a blanket or sheet in the car. Chances are, you're just going to throw away those extra bags anyway.

You've just come home from a big shopping trip with roughly 10 - 15 shopping bags. Did you know that plastic bags are 100% recyclable? They're also reusable. It's common to reuse these as trash bags for small trash cans, which I have been doing since I was a little girl. My mother always kept a small trash can in every bedroom, bathroom, and living room.

My family moved into a new house in the spring of 1996 while my youngest sister was only a few months. It had been a long time since we had anyone in diapers in our house. I'm not entirely sure where my mother found this method of storing plastic bags, but it's something we've been doing for over 15 years now.

Recycled Plastic Bag Holder

Materials:

• 1 Gallon jug, thoroughly washed and dried
• 1 permanent marker
• 1 pair of scissors (box cutter optional)
• All your spare plastic bags

1. Remove any labels.

2. Draw a circle on the jug.

3. Carefully make an incision and cut out the circle. This will be the opening where you'll place your plastic bags. (My box cutter went off to the side, so I ended up with this tear drop shape.)

4. Smooth out any rough edges with the scissors, careful not to cut the opening too big. Otherwise it won't hold your bags properly.
5. Use a paper towel to soak up any moisture left behind from washing.
6. Ball up your plastic bags and stuff them into your container.

Voila! New plastic bag holder.

Is your holder too plain for you? Decorate it to fit your style; paint the inside one color and the outside another color.