Wanting a good book to curl up with during the cold winter nights ahead of us? Well, I can recommend a really good one. This has nothing to do with what I usually write about here but I just loved this book so much I had to share! In fact it is quite simply one of the best novels I have read in years. BUT I did get it at the library so that makes it a green experience I guess.

I have been reading Young Adult paranormal fiction for a few years because quite frankly it is more mature than the stuff for adults. I am not a huge fan of gore, explicit sex scenes, and excessive swearing and with YA novels you get more story and character development because they can’t resort to such cheap tricks. If you like Young Adult novels like Twilight or Blue Bloods then Graceling is sure to please. It kicks Twilight booty… HARD.

The story takes place in a magical world with seven kingdoms. Some exceptional people are born with an extreme skill called a Grace, signified by the fact that they have eyes of differing colors. Katsa (with blue/green eyes) is a Graceling born with a killing Grace and she is forced by her Uncle, the King of the Middluns Kingdom, to use her Grace to punish and torture his enemies. Despite this Katsa has created a secret counsel that uses its resources to fight injustices among the 7 kingdoms. On one of her missions for the counsel she rescues and elderly grandfather who has been kidnapped for reasons unknown. It is here she meets Prince Po, his grandson, who has the Grace of Combat skills and some amazing eyes… one silver and one gold.

In Po, Kasta has finally met her equal and she fights to gain control of her own destiny so she can accompany him on a mission to find out why any of the other kingdoms would kidnap an old man. Their journey reveals hidden secrets and perhaps that their own graces were not what they actually thought they were. It also reveals a Grace so powerful that it could destroy all seven kingdoms, not with swords and war, but with words.

It is a riveting novel that has you hooked after only a few pages and you become so emotionally entangled with these wonderful characters that you can’t help but laugh and cry with them as they go on their amazing journey. It also does an incredible job of painting for us a whole new world… Nander, Wester, Middluns, Estill, Sunder, Monsea, and Lienid. Each kingdom is brought to life with such vivid detail you are ready to pack your bags and take an extended stay, if only to really see the gold and silver “Po” trees of Lienid yourself. I highly recommend this book!

Don’t forget to check out this prequel to Graceling called Fire. Both books can be read independently or together and in any order.

I stumbled onto a green gift that my husband just adores recently. You see he is the only coffee drinker in this house so I don’t do much research into how to make coffee drinking a little lighter on the planet but he has tried for me. Last year when his coffee maker croaked he search for a used one and ended up with a cute little vintage coffee maker that I actually like seeing on the kitchen counter. And he started taking his coffee to work with him in the only drink containers we really have other than stainless steel tumblers for the kids… glass jars.

Then he mentioned that he leaves his coffee in the car and drinks up whatever is left after work, cold. It didn’t take me long to figure out that he didn’t want to walk around a factory floor carrying a quart size, glass jar. But I pushed that aside mentally until he started making daily trips to Tim Horton’s, when I finally decided we had to do something about this. For his birthday recently I got him a reusable coffee mug that looks like a paper cup from Starbucks or some other coffee shop. I have seen them for years and always thought they were a really cool idea, just not something I needed.

There are plastic cups and porcelain cups and both usually have a silicone sleeve to help with grip. Since my husband does a lot of moving and walking at work I decided to get him a BPA Free plastic coffee cup. The porcelain cup (pictured above) is greener and what I would have preferred but not practical for what my husband needs it for. Still, it will allow him to carry his coffee every day and avoid the disposable cups from Tim Horton’s. The verdict? He LOVES it. When he told me that I should blog about his cup I knew we had a winner and he uses it every day.

Are you using a nifty reusable coffee cup yet?

Christmas can be a budget breaker for many families but it really doesn’t have to be. My husband and I are so conditioned that we now scour Craiglist, eBay, and our local thrift stores before we buy just about anything these days. We have come to HATE paying full price for anything when we know we can get such good deals and we can knock out our Christmas shopping list during a good estate auction or two. Just recently we bought a NIB wrought iron canopy bed for my daughter off of Craiglist, a microscope for homeschool off a local college student, and my husband picked up a large terrarium set-up w/stand and lights at an auction, for my son (well actually for a bearded dragon).

That toboggan my kids are on in the above picture… $10 at a yard sale!

Here is a quickie list of some things that you should look for second hand on your local Craigslist or at thrift stores:

Do you have items to add?

I have wanted to make some borax crystal ornaments for a long while now. I thought it would be timely considering the season but also a fun homeschool project since there is definitely some science going on here. Borax, as we usually buy it in the store, is a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals. We don’t think of crystals when we see it because we see powder. This project is great for helping kids to see the crystallization process as the water cools and molecules clump together. It’s fun, easy, and kids love it. Plus you have a lovely ornament or sun catcher in the end. Just make sure to supervise well. Borax is natural but that does not mean it is safe. It should NOT be tasted or inhaled.

List of Things You Need:

Pipe Cleaners
Scissors
String (we used hemp)
Popsicle sticks or pencils
Jars or glasses
Borax

To get started you need to put a pot of water on the stove to boil. Then have your children make their ornaments using pipe cleaners. You can make hearts, stars, swirls, candy canes, snowflakes… just about anything their heart desires. BUT they need to make sure they are small enough to fit inside the jar without touching the sides or the bottom. When finished with their designs the ornaments need to be tied with string to a pencil of a popsicle stick so that they can be laid over the mouth of the jar and the ornament will hang down inside. Just make sure to leave enough string so that you can hang them later.

Pour the boiling water inside the jars (without the ornaments) and stir in 3-5 Tablespoons of Borax. The hot water will dissolve it and you should have a bit of sediment at the bottom. Place the ornaments inside the jars and allow them to sit for 24 hours. If you have any young kiddos who may mistake this for drinking water then move them up someplace safe please.

As the water cools, the molecules that moved apart when the water was hot will now move close together again and form crystals. You should start to see the translucent crystals in 3-4 hours. Be ready for squeals of delight when you first see them.

When they are all finished you just need to set them on a towel to dry, remove them from the pencils, and then hang them in a window or on your Christmas tree. Be prepared to repeat many times because kids LOVE this project. Be on the lookout for pipe cleaners at thrift stores and yard sales to make this project a bit “greener” and remember that these could be made for family as gifts… very affordable and handmade.

Don’t they look lovely on our tree? Oh and yes… in the real versus fake argument we go with second hand, fake. Annoying fake snow and all.

One of the hot gifts for the upcoming year among the natural/green toys enthusiasts is the Pile of People Puzzle. I have been seeing variations of this basic theme everywhere.

They are wooden puzzle pieces in the shape of little men and these particlar fellas hail from Down to Earth Toys which specializes in natural toys. I have seen natural finishes (like above) and dark wood ones with varnish. These particular ones are made from reclaimed wood and are rubbed with mineral oil. They also have numbers on them to give them an educational bent as well. There are 18 of these little men with numbers carved on their chests. They are high quality too and will not break easily. Gotta love solid wood ya know?

My little guy needs to work on his motor skills and his numbers too so this is a fun toy for him. Plus what boy doesn’t LOVE to build? Perhaps it is due to his delays but he is only just now starting to play pretend with toys so these guys talk to each other while they practice their piling skills, and that is always fun to watch. In addition to stacking them you can also use them like you would dominoes or turn them number side down and play memory with them. A burlap sack comes with them so that they can be stored when not in play.

These are an excellent and simple toy for children and they are really opened ended too. If you love wood toys and minimalist toys then these are a winner.

Much thanks to Down to Earth Toys for sending them our way for review!