May Means...

... flowers in bloom.

... windows open, kitties basking in the sun.

       ... and on the roof.

... baby birds.

We found these eggs in our parking lot at work - apparently a bird called a Kildeer is known for laying eggs in gravel and other open areas.

... fresh fruit and frozen coffee drinks.

... backyard fires.

We love these adirondack chairs from Target!

... golf.

... and lots and lots of flowers.

 

The mutant pansies [that we thought were annuals...]

Hooray for May!  May in Connecticut finally means spring!

Cara Box: Go Green!

I know I'm writing this a bit early since the linkup is tomorrow [Monday], but I'm just so excited to share with you!  Plus, I have a new "project" I'm starting tomorrow on the blog, so I can't wait for you all to read about that as well.

I had a lot of fun with this month's box.  As you might have read on Heather's blog when we swapped, I try to stay green in my daily life, but I was very excited to send/receive a box full of goodies to help stay even green-er!  

I was paired with Anissa at The Beauty Phanatic.  She sent me a great package of green goodies.  I am most excited about the window sill plants, and am hoping to have some tomatoes, strawberries, and sunflowers this summer!  

straws, sponges, plants, a portable coffee cup, a produce bag, and a green cleaner

Enjoying some morning tea in my great new cup!

I also sent a box to Holly over at Back Home Again.  I put a lot of pressure on myself because Holly was one of the ladies who came up with this month's theme!  I hope she enjoys everything!  To me, going green isn't just the environment, it's reusing things you already have as well as buying things that will keep our planet happy.  I tried to give Holly a little bit of all of those:

- I bought her a little green cactus while I was in Las Vegas [to add to her garden], a reusable cup, and some Neutrogena Naturals lip balm.

- I reused a cleaning wipe container to make a plastic bag holder [with some of her favorite colors].

- I cut up some corks I had been saving [because I knew she loves wine] to make a photo frame [and she loves photography!].

Here's a little sneak peek... check out Holly's blog to see everything :) 

Thank you again, Kaitlyn for another great month of the Cara Box!

We're "going green" y'all!

Happy Earth Day, friends!  Heather and I are swapping blogs for the day, to tell you how we're going green - enjoy!          - Meg

Hey y'all, I'm Heather and I spend most of my blogging time over at From Here to There.  There's really no point in telling you what I blog about because it's kind of super random and totally just whatever I feel like, but I can tell you what I don't blog about because that's easy: Babies, I don't have any.  Marriage, I'm not in one. So yeah, you'll probably find everything else.

I'm so excited to be on Meg's blog today!  We decided to swap blogs today and so if you miss her (which, who wouldn't?) then you should run on over to my blog and see what she had to say for the day!

Since today is EARTH DAY, I'm going to share with you a few things that I do to "Go Green" and a few things that I wish I could do better!

How I "Go Green"

{1} The occasional vegetarian or vegan: I don't know if any of you are vegetarians or have gone vegan before, but it's a really great way to support going green.  Even if you do a "meatless monday" every week, you're helping the environment!  

Obvious reasons it's good: It's compassionate and it's healthier + fresh.  

Not so obvious reasons (environmental): It produces fewer greenhouse gas emissions, a plant based diet  requires 1/3 of the land and water needed, farming animals creates deforestation, water pollution and land degradation, and more!

**The livestock industry is responsible for 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than the entire transport sector (13.5%), including aviation**

(You can get more information here from Vegan Society)

{2} Walk/Bike: Luckily I live in a small town and my apartment has been close to school for the past few years and is now close to work.  I can't do this option as much as I'd like, but when I can I enjoy walking/biking to work or to a friends house or out to the bars with friends.  It cuts down on the emissions from my vehicle driving all around town.

{3} Re-use: I re-use all of my bags from the grocery store for my lunches or to travel products.  I should start using actual re-useable bags, but I haven't started that yet.  I also re-use all the boxes I get in the mail.  I actually have a huge stack right now that I can use to send out blog gifts/exchanges!

How I want to Improve "Going Green"

{1} Recycling: My town does not have a good recycling system.  I don't have a bin that I can easily use and have picked up and I don't have a good location for dropping off, but it's something I am becoming more and more conscious of and want to start doing!

{2}Reduce my water use: I'm terrible at leaving water running and taking longer showers.  I'm not sure why it doesn't cross my mind so often, but I leave the water running as I'm doing dishes, as I'm brushing my teeth, as I'm taking a bath or shower, and because of my smaller washer, I wash a lot of loads of clothes.  I do re-use my towels though, which I'm sure saves!

{3} Green Cleaning: I would LOVE to switch over a lot of the products I use to green alternatives.  Whether that's buying "green" products (which I do try to do if I can) or creating my own cleaning materials, I would LOVE to do that!  It'll be healthier for me since I won't use the gross chemicals and it'll be better for the environment!

I absolutely adored being a part of Meg's blog today and I hope you'll hop over to my blog, see what she has to say about "going green" and maybe you can even provide me with a few tips that you think will be helpful for me in my initiative to go green!

Happy Earth Day y'all!