A grand year

So, today it's my birthday. I'm one of those people who are pretty neutral about birthdays--I certainly don't dread them, and I've never understood people who get depressed that it's their birthday. But I don't need a huge celebration, either. It is a good time to reflect, though, and my 34th year was a pretty good one:
* A few weeks after my birthday last year, I found out I was pregnant
*Lil' baby Z-man was born this summer
*We moved into our forever-home (or at least our "we have no plans to move out of home")

Add in the incredible N-man and B-man, and the amazing TK, and 34 treated me pretty well!

This year also marked an interesting milestone for TK and me. We started dating when I was 17 years old, so I've now officially been with him for more than half my life. That's kind of crazy! I'm so lucky to have met my perfect match.

TK and the boys got me a stand mixer for my birthday. Yippee! I've wanted one for years and I'm really excited. So if any of you have any nut-free cookie recipes you'd like to share, bring them on! Or any other recipes I can use my stand mixer for. I'm just in a holiday cookie making mood :)

___________________

Green tip for the day: Use a travel container for your soap in the shower. Make sure you dump all the water out before you put the top back on and the soap will dry out between showers. Your soap will last MUCH longer this way, and therefore you won't need to buy as much soap.

In general, I'm a fan of bar soap over liquid soap since liquid soap comes in plastic bottles. But it's getting easier and easier to find natural, plant-based soap, both bars and liquids. I'm a big fan of the Method liquid soap, which is much easier for potty-training-kids to use to wash their hands well than a bar soap would be. I like Method since it's affordable, easy to find in regular grocery stores, and the refills are also relatively easy to find as well (I get them at Bed Bath and Beyond). Anyone have a favorite eco-friendly bar soap to recommend? I'm still searching...