Bring Your Own Bag… or Baggu in this case.

This guilty feeling came over me whenever I was at the checkout counter because of all the plastic and paper bags that were going to waste. I even bought a cute canvas tote last year but it was too expensive to buy more than one and also kind of bulky to carry around. Then, I found Baggu!

You can choose your favorite color or have a variety of different colors. I got some in Red and some in Smoke. They are reasonably priced and are cheaper as you buy more. They are very lightweight and can easily slip into a pocket or purse. A good reason to BYOB. 

I’m not an all out tree-hugger, but I’ve been more intentional about how I can participate in helping our earth. Below are just a few ways our household has been making changes:

- recycling

- using the dishwasher

- stopping paper statements and doing mostly online banking

- switching out to energy-saving light bulbs

- buying more organic products

- reading magazines at a bookstore and not buying|subscribing as much.

Here are some more tips from a fellow Grace.

Happy Earth Day friends!

Today’s title from Hotel 1000’s Spaahh.

Massages are my indulgence. To think, I worked at Gene Juarez Salons & Spas for seven years and never got a massage or any other body therapies which I would have received for free.

Thanks to my generous friends, I recently had many many knots worked on and enjoyed a luxurious Tranquility Massage there. They have the best spa around town, hands down!

They provide plush robes, sandals, and warm towels. You begin your spa service with a relaxing aromatic foot soak. Make sure you ask for their Market Spice Tea. And then you have access to a eucalyptus steam and Swiss shower which has a large showerhead on top and twelve surrounding jets. 

One of the best gifts you can give is the gift of pampering! Mother’s Day is coming up. :)

If you haven’t been to Panera Bread yet, get yourself over there!

They have a wide selection of Artisan and Specialty breads which are made from scratch and baked fresh every day.

My delicious meal above was from “You Pick Two” where you select two from a bowl of soup, half salad, or half sandwich.  I chose a Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich and Vegetarian Creamy Tomato Soup and added an Iced Pomegranate Tea.  It comes with Kettle-Cooked Chips.  Yum.

And they’ve made it easy for you to want to stay longer with free Wi-Fi.

I just love Trader Joe’s!

“And what’s in a name? A whole lot, if that name is Trader Joe’s. Our logo assures that the products it is on contain NO artificial flavors, colors or preservatives; NO MSG; and NO added Trans Fats. In addition, ALL Trader Joe’s private label products are sourced from non-genetically modified ingredients. That’s quite a name, if we do say so ourselves.”

They sell great food for a great value!

One of my buddies introduced me to this exquisite salad from there - A Complete Salad: Baby Spinach with Cranberries, Candied Pecans, Miner’s Blue Cheese & Raspberry Vinaigrette. It’s $4.49 and serves 3-4 people.

Other yummy items I recently picked up:
- bag of Snapea Crisps
- box of TJ Organic Creamy Tomato Soup
- package of Wheat Mini Pita Bread
- container of Hummus Dip Quartet
- bag of Ridge Cut Sweet Potato Chips

Click here to find a Trader Joe’s near you.

At the wedding venue I photographed two weekends ago, they had these clever little sugar packets from The Match Group. On the backs, they say, “Make Life Sweeter”.

“Life is like a rainbow. You need both the sun and the rain to make its colors appear.”
- Unknown

When I was first introduced to The Settlers of Catan, it looked uninteresting, and I’ll admit, a little nerdy. But now, this game is played almost every time my friends get together. Wikipedia states, “The game has rapidly become popular in part because its mechanics are relatively simple, while its dynamics are quite complex. The game is well suited for family play, since no one gets eliminated, and players who are behind can strive towards goals that are within their reach.”

View a demonstration here.

You can buy from Mayfair Games or Amazon.com. For the hard-core, a Travel Edition and 3-D Special Edition are available. There are even online and Xbox 360 versions of this popular game. 

One of my friends describes it best, “It’s like life, there are many ways to win!”

Remember my rave about my favorite cupcake boutique? Turns out that Trophy Cupcakes is one of Martha Stewart’s too! The founder, Jennifer Shea is going to be on The Martha Stewart Show today featuring the Cupcake of the Day!

Seattleites, you can tune in to Channel 5 at 2:00pm. Everyone else, you can find your television listing here.