Things to Check Out...

...because they are AWESOME!!!

1) Sherwin Williams ColorSnap app for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. This app takes a picture of anything, matches it, gives you a color palette of similar, contrasting or coordinating colors, then allows you to save your color palette. Very cool!

2)The Academy for Global Citizenship is probably the coolest elementary school I have seen or heard of. On the south side of Chicago. These kids learn about science, math, art, nutrition, etc by growing their own food and plants, plus so much more.

3) Pinterest.com. If you haven't checked this out already...GO NOW! You can look up just about anything and see a bunch of pictures and ideas that other people have "pinned" that are interested in the same thing. I think it is awesome for brainstorming and finding new interesting sites and such. Lots of DIY, vintage, and just plain pretty stuff.

4) EarthEats is a weekly podcast with a website about the latest in sustainable agriculture and local food. It has great recipes, resources and local and national food news. Their most recent episode was about summer grilling with some great herby drinks. Taking center stage?...Lavender lemonade, Sage Apple Infusion, and Sour Cherry Fizz! YUM!

Yeah. I think that's it for now! :)
OH...except, Thursday is my last full-time day at IWU! Then I get to spend 3 months with this little man. SO EXCITED! We're going to learn to read and swim and speak Spanish...and we're going to play a LOT!

Fun & Pretty

I recently made some super cute herb coffee/tea cup sleeves that I LOVE (I'll try to post a tutorial and pics soon)! After this, I started getting a bit of a crafty bug. I am looking forward to painting a set of canvases with the 5 freedoms (as soon as I find my paintbrushes). But here are a couple things I stumbled upon when surfing my bloggity-blogs today that I'd like to make get. I think they're fun and pretty.

1. First Aid to Go

I realized earlier this week that if Elliot got hurt when I was gone, no one else would know where anything was. So I gathered some supplies and made a first-aid kit for our house, which is now sitting on our dryer (random, I know but it's a central location). Then I realized how many extra supplies we had. I have a first-aid kit in each car but it's somewhat limited. I'd also like to have one for my, Ev's and Elliot's bags. I also thought these would make super-cute momma gifts. Find instructions at Fireflies & Jellybeans.

2. Spa Headband

I think this one pretty much speaks for itself. I think I'd want to make mine with some green ribbon or some cool embroidered fabric strip, instead of the lace. But I would just feel pretty using one of these when I get ready in the morning. Find it at Flamingo Toes. She has a fun oatmeal scrub on this post too.

3. BLOOMIES!

I think these are SOOOOOO COOL!!!!! I think I can figure out how to make them, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't turn out as well as these and that it would cost just as much to get the supplies each time to make the notes. They are encouragement notes that bloom into wildflowers!!! What a cool cool idea huh? LOVE it! Find them at I Love Bloomies.

Plant & Yard Love

I'm so excited to be starting a garden again. Hopefully it will be more successful this year than last. This will actually be the first year that I'll be able to take care of my yard and garden from beginning to end, so hopefully, not as much of it will be damage control and more of it will be actually enjoying the work of our hands.
I've tried occupy the garden with plants that I will not be getting from the CSA this year. It has cooking lavender, thyme, chives, mint, basil, parsley, yellow bell peppers, dark chocolate bell peppers (those just sounded really cool), super sweet cherry tomatoes, and lemon apple cucumbers (those sounded the coolest of all). I also got some snapdragons for mothers day that are looking beautiful in our yard, along with the poppies and wildflowers that Elliot planted about a month ago. I've got some chamomile and lavender that I started from seeds, but from what I've read, those could take two years before their established and ready to plant outside. We mowed, mulched and planted outside this weekend. This week I'm hoping to trim some of the stuff back by our trails in the woods and start to make those pretty. I bought a citronella plant to keep the mosquitoes around our sun room at bay. To complete our outdoor fun, Mama and Papa brought us a firepit and we got some tiki torches this weekend. Now we just need to see if we can find room in our budget for a small grill. I'd also like to get some lavender...a lot of it actually. Did you know that lavender is a natural ant repellent (it also repels deer, but that's not a real problem for us right now)?
NOW a couple links I just have to share with you.
#1) There is the AWESOME looking place in Commiskey , Indiana (down by Columbus). It has a tea room, a winery, gardens and a bunch of workshops and classes. They also have these candlelit dinners that sound amazing! Check out the Historic Stream Cliff Herb Farm.
#2) There is this WAY cool natural air purifier called "ANDREA." It was invented and manufactured in France and has won all these different awards. But basically, you put a household plant in it and with a fan and some water it forces the air through the soil, roots and leafy part of the plant to naturally purify your air! I just wish it were less than $200!!! (gag) Still worth checking out though ANDREA Air.
#3) Did you ever wish you could have plants on your walls instead of just in pots? WELL...if you did then this is a site for you, cause you totally can with WoollyPockets.
#4) www.naturallyfree.net.....THAT'S RIGHT! We have a functioning website up!...with a store and everything. But you must promise that if you go there, you will not pass judgment on the site too quickly. We're still working on it, but I wanted to share it with all of you so that if you want to see what we're doing or what we're selling, you can!

I hope you're enjoying this spring season as much as we are!

COOL New Whole, Organic Foods website!

Y'all need to check out "Gnowfglins". A webite/blog about using God's natural, organic, whole foods that are grown locally and in season. Lots of tips on whole grains, soaking, sprouting, kefir and all that good stuff.

CoHousing - The Logical Next Step?

For a girl that makes her own soap, is a dedicated member of her CSA, is stoked about her garden this year and desires a stronger connection with her community, this cohousing thing sounds pretty good.
If you haven't heard of it, you can read more about it here. But it's basically a collaborative housing where residents design and operate their community. Most of the cohousing communities are environmentally conscience, having community gardens and the like. And it seems that most of them are run by people with similar values and lifestyle preferences on issues like religion and education. The picture above is from a cohousing community in Nevada. There are currently NONE in Indiana. But there's nice one in Michigan called Newberry Place. The other thing is, all of the residences, finances, etc. are separate, so it doesn't feel like you're living in a commune or anything, but you all contribute to the operation of the community based on your skill set.
When I first heard about it I thought, "That sounds so cool! But it would probably never work." Guess what though? It is. Similar to CSAs, this sort of endeavor to intentionally restructure our lives is catching on throughout the US.
So....who wants to start the first one in Indiana with me?!

Umm...Is this still good?...Sniff

Have you ever found yourself staring at a food item - be it canned, frozen or fresh - and thinking, "Is this still good?" And then, what about when you open that random piece of something and you have no idea how you're supposed to store it or for how long?
Enter my newest bookmarked website --> StillTasty.com The Ultimate Shelf Life Guide. Way cool website! Did you know that you're not supposed to keep opened cheese in plastic? That's right! The plastic in a ziploc bag or seran wrap messes with it. Instead you're supposed to wrap it in parchment, wax, or freezer paper, and then in plastic, if you please. (my hubby told me this first, and StillTasty confirmed it).
You can search for anything and everything, how to keep it and store it. Also, each day they answer a new question. Some recent ones include:

Can You Safely Drink Milk After the Sell-By Date?

I Defrosted Some Chicken — Must I Cook it Right Away?

Can You Freeze Raw Eggs?

Should You Store Tomatoes in the Fridge?

Does Vinegar Ever Go Bad?

Check it out!

Crafting a Green World

Found a cool new website! Check it out - CRAFTING A GREEN WORLD! There are tons of great posts and tutorials. Lots on fabrics and yarns, and awesome how-tos for topsy turvy tomato planters and "earth-boxes" (little self-watering contained gardens).

Re - Paint Chips

Reduce - Reuse - Recycle!!! So from now on - for any of my posts that have to do with making something that has to do with the 3 aforementioned "R"s - I will be tagging it with a "Re." Not to be confused with a reply or in regards to.
Anyway, to kick this off. Check out the site that Heather highlighted on her blog. It's a slideshow that shows you 50 New Uses for Old Things.
Re-Nest. I love this website! Check out how they made pixelated artwork from paint chips! ACK! I want to do this so badly in my hallway with a huge picture of Elliot's face.

Cute, Customized Flats!

Found a new blog today via One Pretty Thing (love that site!). Ashley at Make It and Love It actually mod podged shoes!!! Aren't they adorable?! I want to make some!

The Holiday Inn Express & Soap

I'm at IWU's annual fall faculty retreat up at beautiful Pokagan State Park....kind of. Actually, some of us are staying at the Holiday Inn Express down the road. Here are the perks to staying off site:

1. If you don't want to be participating in the fireside sing-a-long you can say it's because you have to get back to your room (which we have to drive, not walk to).

2. We're right next to a large outlet mall

3. Ummm, yep. That's all I've got

Now some of the drawbacks:

1. You have to drive, not walk, back to your room.

2. This place allows pets....just imagine the possibilities and you're probably right

3. The lobby, the elevator, the hallway, and my room have very distinct odors. Not necessarily completely pleasant or unpleasant, but the kind of thing that makes me stop and mentally shout, "WHAT IS THAT?!" (I should probably start bringing at least a few essential oils and a diffuser everywhere I go)

This weekend has been a balance of perks and drawbacks. I have some friends that were generous enough to let me ride with them up here, and it has been great to just be alone for an evening. However, I miss my boys very much, and I wish they were here.

Speaking of good smelling things! I have a website for you to check out :) Simple Soap Works This lady in southern Indiana makes these herbal soaps and salves (all of them that I've looked at are without glycerin). I've tried two of them so far (thank you Stephanie!) and they're wonderful! Of the two that I've tried, my favorite is the Rosemary Geranium, but there are lots of other options to try and choose from. They're only $3.50 a bar and they last a good long while so try them out! I hope you enjoy it.

I'm off to brunch!

Centsational Girl

A new DIY blog that I love. Check out Kate at Centsational Girl. See how she made these cool cement planters! I'm so excited about trying a few out and painting them. (I'm thinking a craft party for this one! Anyone in?)

Kids.Woot

I'm sure most of you know about woot.com. If you don't...well, I won't take the time to mock you publicly, but you should probably check it out. They have several sites that have branched off of this one, such as wine.woot, shirt.woot, & sellout.woot.

I am so excited to announce to you that this is the second week of the existence of kids.woot!!! So for all you parents of young ones out there, check out this site with me. Each day at midnight they post a new deal on some great children's items. Some of them really great and high quality, other are really useless but so fun. They're low-priced and a limited quanitity, so you have to order them within the day that they're listed. The products they've offered in the last week are a leapfrog digj, a thomas the train talking set, disney musical toothbrush holder, a home learning cd set, games, dvd sets, and more.

Dot Com

It's TRUE!!! I have a .com. Just try it. Type in www.aliveradiantfree.com.....and look! You're already back here. Okay. Now. Try it again. Just for kicks! :) Isn't that cool?

Thanks to my husband for making it happen!

From Nature with Love

I found another great website and wanted to share it with all of you. Mountain Rose Herbs is still a favorite, but this is another one where you can get a lot of organic products for household and personal care. Check out FROM NATURE WITH LOVE for tips on soapmaking, essential oils, and even great environmentally friendly and appropriate bottles and containers!

For the Tea Lover

To my fellow tea lovers. I have a couple of resources for you to try. First, have you ever tried making your tea in a French Press? If not, join me on this adventure. A new co-worker told me about how she makes hers and I think it's a fantastic way to brew your loose-leaf tea without having to worry about getting the right/best/most economical/most environmentally friendly tea bags.

Also, I have two websites for you to try. If you're a creative, artsy type, try out Teavana. You'll learn a lot about different types of teas, and you can even mix up your own. If you're more of an organic, earthy type try out Mountain Rose Herbs. They have lots of different loose leaf teas with information on the health benefits of each. I think you might be able to put together a little sampler pack there as well.

Explore - Dream - Discover

LOVE THIS!!! (from kindovermatter)

157|365 ||| explore, originally uploaded by .bella..

Headbands!!!

Okay, so I'm totally a headband sort of girl. I just saw this one featured on One Pretty Thing and had to go to the tutorial. I love it! Super excited about making one soon. Check out Jessica's blog at for the tutoral at HappyTogether. She has so many good ideas!

New Artist Records at my House!

*Photograph by Kristi Michelle Witek*

Bethany Smith...aMAZing lyricist and song writer...recorded at my house this weekend! Not everything is up yet, but you can check out a few of her rough mixes on PureVolume and she's got her website up and running with bio, news, photos, etc.

Beautiful girl, great songs - she makes a sister proud!

In a Nutshell - It's Soap!

I've been undertaking the task of making some of my own cleansing products & bath/body care. However, almost every recipe that I've looked at has lye or glycerin in it, neither of which do I want to use. I have read a good deal of info on it too, and everyone says that you really can't make a sudsy soap or cleaner without lye.

WELL! Look at what I found! :) These Soap Nuts have been used for centuries as a cleaning agent and for personal hygiene because of the substance "saponin" found in large amounts in the shell of this fruit. Our Latin root for soap is "sapo." Interesting, huh?

I'm looking forward to getting my sample of nuts in the mail soon. After I do, I'll post a tutorial on making soap and laundry detergent. For now, you can check out the NaturOli and SoapNuts websites for more info.

Essence to Essence

I've been learning more and more about natural, essential, and herbal care and nutrition. I still have so much more to learn, but the more I learn about my own body and these elements that God provided in creation around me to nourish it - it just makes me love Him so much! He is such an amazing, gracious and loving God that provides for our needs in so many different ways.

Now, I would be the last person to deny the benefits of modern medicine, but I do think that lifestyle choices - just like the people that make them - should be multidimensional as well as congruent.

I have found a few websites with different recipes for bath and body products. You can add the essential oils that meet your needs to almost any of them for optimal results! :) This one is pretty comprehensive...and FUN!

FUN DIY Bath Recipes

Natural DIY Hair Care