Pest control.

I'm going to make this quick, because it's not a topic I like to dwell on these past few days... it causes me nightmares!  I'm actually just pretending I live in a dreamworld filled with bubble baths and organic gummy candies & chocolates, and a personal organic farmer/chef.  A world with no uninvited "guests" in my home.

Alas, the true story, much as I hate to confess it, is that I WANT ALL THE RODENTS IN A 5 MILE RADIUS OF MY APARTMENT TO DIE.  Yes, I said it.  Ok, long story short, we've had a mice problem in our apartment in the past month or 2.  And, I regret to inform the blogosphere, that's not the worst part.  We knew there was a small (we thought) problem and kept telling the landlord and he didn't do anything.  I think every time I called he thought I was some helpless and hapless wimpy girly girl who was afraid of one little mouse being in the storage unit behind (and attached to) our  rented townhouse.  I don't like them, but I wouldn't have cried wolf (or "MOUSE!") at just one, trust me.  I mean, is there ever just one anyway?  We'd  been trying to handle the issue ourselves as he suggested, keeping all food put away, setting traps.  We'd seen a few out in the storage unit, heard them inside our walls, seen evidence that they'd been in the kitchen and bathroom (who knows why).  Apparently they were nesting, as they stole corners of my kitchen rug and pieces of a box from the closet and insulation from in the walls.  Wonderful.

Then I saw one the other night 3 times.  Evidently getting brave, one just darted across the kitchen floor NEXT TO ME while I cooked, then under me while I sit on the couch! I'm like crying myself to sleep and having nightmares at this point.  I told the Hub that the next day HE was calling the landlord and threatening to call the health dept. or whoever will listen to us if the problem is not addressed ASAP.  Finally last Wednesday a pest control guy comes and I tell him the sordid tales of invasion, and start trying to show him where we've seen them and believe they are entering, and I go to show him behind the washer, and I see a huge one, just laying there!  NOT in a trap.  I scream and tell him and run and jump up on the couch like the wimpy girl I admittedly am!  And he says.........wait for it.............. "that's not a mouse it's a RAT!"  So I start losing it, screaming and crying and having a panic attack and not breathing!  I call my hub at work (yes I was there ALONE!) and exclaim,  "WE ARE MOVING TODAY!  I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS!  I FEEL LIKE MY LIFE IS OVER!  EVERYTHING HERE IS TAINTED NOW!".  He tried to calm me down, but honestly he was as disgusted as I was, minus the fact that he DIDN'T SEE THE RAT WITH HIS OWN EYES!  Now, lest you think less of me and my home, let me assure you all, it's not like I live in the dirty city ghetto amongst trash cans and open sewers.  We inhabit nice townhouses in a nice small town.  I vacuum everyday, sometimes more than once.  I mop the floors, sanitize the counters, never leave a mess.  Both myself and the Hub are germaphobes for crying out loud!


So immediately we packed up and moved into his parent's house for the time being.  The landlord and pest control are supposedly exterminating and patching up holes or wherever they are coming in.  Upon further investigation of my complaints (which started at least a month ago), the landlord found that the mice had chewed a huge hole in the drywall between the storage unit and our apartment.  And I swear that had better been the only rat.  But when do they ever travel alone, like I said of mice?  Not likely.  We are NOT going back until I am assured in every possible way that no corner has been left unchecked, no doorframe has an extra quarter inch of space inviting a rodent to slip through, and they are completely gone from my home.  And that the entire place is sanitized from top to bottom.  Even then, I'm not sure I can ever feel safe there again.  We may be moving sooner than we wanted to.

At least my in-laws have a comfy big house and we've made ourselves at home in the whole second floor of their home.  But all of our furniture and stuff is back at our apartment with the mice and other...  

UGH!!  Who needs a(nother) drink?? 

I despise leftovers.

Well, after Nichole's amazing life-story post, this seems silly and menial, but alas it's my Friday confession.  I throw away food.  "People are starving in Africa," and I THROW AWAY FOOD!  Ok, that Africa thing is a bit old school, something your parents told you when you wouldn't eat your broccoli as a child.  Which, frankly, to this day I don't understand how my eating something that I don't want helps a starving child in Africa (or anywhere in America for that matter).  Food drive donations or helping at a soup kitchen may, but eating leftover tuna casserole that has seen it's day will not.  One of the problems is cooking for two.  When it's just the Hub & I for dinner, we don't eat an entire casserole or dish I prepare.  With false hope I think, "Oh good, we'll eat that another night this week and I won't have to cook!!!", but it just never turns out that way because we're not in the mood for the same thing twice.  And other than Italian, food doesn't generally taste as good the second, third, or fourth day.  Sometimes the Hub will take some leftovers to work with him for lunch, which makes me feel like a good wife.  And I hope as his male co-workers warm their Lean Cuisines up in the microwave, he shows off a good home cooked meal and they wish their wives could be more like me! ...  But more often than not, even if he does take some for lunch one day, we end up throwing away a good portion of a perfectly tasty meal, and I do feel badly about wasting food.

Maybe we need a dog.

Nicci's Staples of life.

These products are among my favorite in the world, staples that I always keep around so I have something easy and healthy when I need it:

Stoneyfield farm yogurt

Oikos Greek yogurt

(also by Stoneyfield)... I like the honey flavor!

Thai Kitchien Lite Coconut Milk

I use this in a few different recipes, but our fave is rice (any kind, but we love Jasmine rice with it) made with coconut milk and a little bit of water. Try it!

Panda licorice

Yummy organic and natural candy! A dream come true.

Quorn chik'n

(meatless and soy free products). These are a lifesaver!! They taste so similarly to chicken I don't think many would be able to tell the difference. They make these cutlets, a breaded cheesy chik'n patty, nuggets, meal starters, etc. Check them out at www.quorn.us.

Archer farms

I love almost all of their products! And they are conveniently sold in Target, somewhere I'm shopping on a regular basis. I especially love their strawberry fruit bars and their granola.

365 brand (Whole Foods) Natural Peanut Butter

I actually like almost all brands of natural peanut butter, but we usually buy this one because it's very reasonable priced. Though I do have to admit I like the Jif and Skippy brands because you don't have to refrigerate them. I'm not sure why you do with some and not other brands??

Wholesome sweeteners light agave nectar

Just a squirt or two is great for sweetening ANYTHING! I use it in coffee, tea, smoothies, oatmeal, and lots of others things.

Tribe hummus
This is my favorite hummus other than homemade because they don't use garlic in any flavors except the roasted garlic one. Being a person who gets sick on too much garlic, I rejoiced to find them! I love the regular, lemon, and forty spices flavors.

Stacy's Pita Chips
What goes better with Tribe hummus than Stacy's?? Nothing!

Gardenburger veggie burgers
I especially love the sun-dried tomato basil flavor!

Nature's Own Bread
Well if it isn't a bread that doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup!? Still sweet and tasty, soft and yummy... I do believe I'm in love! With every flavor!

That concludes my list for this month, there may be more posts like this to follow! And if any of you have a great organic vegetarian food product to recommend, comment here and thanks in advance!

High Heat.

Ok, my first Friday confession is that I dry most of my laundry in a dryer, and don't have anywhere to hang it outside.  I live in an apartment, and although I'm not trying to make excuses, there you have it.  I know that I could make some sort of line out back, it would only be about 4 feet wide, and makeshift at best.  I could buy one of those racks and set it up outside every time I do laundry, I know I could, and I'm just being lazy.  One good thing I will say for myself, is that due to a fear of shrinkage or wearing clothes out before their time, my mother taught me never to fully dry many of my clothes.  So I only dry my jeans, shirts, and dress clothes (and some of my husband's shirts) for about 8 minutes and then hang them up on doorways in my apartment, so that does cut down on some drying in the dryer...but I do dry everything else fully. 

Ok, I will work on remedying this awful truth, I'll make a promise to you, my blogger friends!

Hi My Name is Nicci and I'm a Semi-Green Girl.

I do so want to be green. I want to be the envy of the hipsters, the crunchy moms, and whole foods shoppers everywhere. It's just...so expensive/ exhausting/ HARD! I try though, and I succeed sometimes. Hence my semi-greeness.

It's really easy at work because I work for a family of green people. I am a nanny for a 1 year old boy and a 5 year old girl. There I drive their Prius, eat their ALL-organic foods, take the little girl to her hippie school (Waldorf) dressed in hippie clothes, recycle, conserve electricity, use cloth diapers, clean with green and environmentally safe cleaners, and watch NO tv. At home I do many of these things too, but don't always buy organic since I live in a small town with either a WalMart or tiny grocery store to shop in with hardly any organic products. But I try to go to Whole Foods when I can and stock up! I do watch tv...well tv on dvd when at home, and I don't personally drive a hybrid car. I am a vegetarian who recycles though! I buy local produce at our town farmer's market, and I've recently switched to cloth napkins and paper towels (mostly...some messes require the paper!). We've switched all our bulbs as they burned out to the energy saving ones, and only use the A/C at home when absolutely necessary... I recycle any plastic bags I do get from the store, but try to always take my reusable totes when grocery shopping. I will admit though that I am addicted to candy, sugary things that are bad for me, and even eat things containing high fructose corn syrup. I eat dairy and not always organic dairy. I have more clothes and shoes than I can wear, and none are made of organic materials (that I know of). I'm not crafty in the least bit and I eat fast food once in a while!

I'm horrible!

Alright, I'm probably just normal, but this blog will chronicle my attempts to be greener. Read often and tell your friends!