Bountiful Baskets

I just heard about this last week, and decided to try it out this week.  Bountiful Baskets is a food co-op where two ladies got together and organized it so that they could make large purchases at wholesale prices, then with the help of a lot of volunteers they distribute it out.  It only costs $15 per basket (+$1.50 handling, and $3.00 first-timer fee), and they have pickup locations all around the state of Utah, and a couple of other states too.  Pickups are always Saturday mornings, so I got my first batch today.  Look how much food we got!

There were bananas, artichokes, tomatoes, broccoli, leaf lettuce, celery, squash, potatoes, apples, mangoes, strawberries, and a little citrus fruit.  All that would have cost a fortune at the store.  They try to get as much local produce as possible, which I love, and they even have an option for organic only if that's what you want (though it costs a bit more). 

There are also add-ons you can get each week.  You can always get bread, and they they rotate in other things as they are available.  This week I could have ordered an entire case of mangoes, an all-natural easter egg dye kit, cookies, granola, and I think there were a few more.  I am looking forward to getting a case of strawberries so that I can make some more jam this year.

All in all I think it is an awesome thing they are doing.  For Utah, you can start ordering Mondays at 1:00.  Each pickup location only has a certain number of slots available, and they fill up fast so order asap if you're going to.  However, there were a lot of locations near my house so I'm sure I could have found something nearby.  Give it a try if you want some great cheap produce at your house!

Time for a Change?

Springtime always makes me feel like I need a change;  both for myself and my surroundings.  I have a list of projects for the house a mile long, and I keep promising myself to exercise more this year.  But right now what I really want to do is chop off all my hair and dye it a crazy color.  Since that’s not really feasible with my job, just a little spunkier hair should do the trick.  Here are some photos I’ve found that I like the look of.  What do you think?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. 
9. 
10.

Oh, and here’s a recent photo for comparison:



Sorry… it was a bit windy that day.

Passover Seder

A friend of ours is Jewish and invited us to share his Passover dinner with him.  It was very loosely traditional, but still interesting and we had a great time.  Plus we discovered many new foods, and I even found a wine I liked.

March Book List

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole - 359 pages
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - 391 pages
Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton - 486 pages
Living with the Dead - Kelley Armstrong - 372 pages
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher - 378 pages
Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey - 678 pages

TOTAL - 6 Books - 2,662 pages

This month I also started reading graphic novels (which are basically giant comic books, for those who don't know).  I don't think those should count toward the page total though, so I will list them separately.

Graphic Novels:

Ender's Game: Battle School by Orson Scott Card
Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born by Stephen King

I am really quite enjoying them.  A lot of my favorite authors are putting them out.  Most tie in with series that the author has already written (or is writing now).  Some are a retelling, and some show stories in the same universe that weren't covered in the books.