Organic Living

Posted on Jul. 17, 2008 at 8:51 PM in Organic Living

*NOTE: This may seem like a weird post to post, but I have been working on it  for a looong time and it's more of to make my stand on Organic living*

I am starting a new monthly category. For the next few months I will be showing you different Oragnic living. Some posts will be mixed with Conservation 101, such as next months. But for this month I will show you some Organic foods that my mom and I bought today. Both of us are now switching over to semi-organic eating. I must say, alot of the organic food is delicious. I am currently drinking some Organic Chocolate milk and it is soooooooooooooooo good :) So here is a list of what we bought and how it is healthier for you.


**O- Grape Juice  and Lemondade
**Organic Rice
**O- Cheese Crackers
**Pomergran Oragnic Waffles
**O- Yogurt
**Fiber one-Organic oats and Chocolate bars
**Horizon Organic Chocolate Milk
**Oragnic Cut Green Beans
**All Natural Organic Omega-3 eggs
**Shamrock Farms Organic Milk
**SILK Vanilla and Chocolate Soy Milk (Not really organic)
**O- Orgnaic Roasted Garlic Sauce
**O- Organic Brown Eggs


OK so i am not going to compare each organic item to the commercial one but only common ones so.

In the case for Shamrock Farms Organic Milk products the cows that produce this specific milk are not giving hormones in order to produce the "best tasting" milk. However I personally think this milk is fresher tasting than any "generic" brand at the local market. Also, Shamrock Farms is dedicated to producing the best field for their cows to graze in, which means no sewer-based fertilizers (I mean really think about what fertilizer really is), no pesticides grown on the fields, and definetely no petroleum based fertilizers. Thats a scary thought. You know that funny little saying you hear on TV, "A Happy Cow is a Productive cow!", well thats what Shamrock Farms is aiming for this generation and next.

 
Another organic product we used was Del Monte's Ogranic Cut Green Beans. *Yes Mackenzie I like green beans ;) * Personally I love these organic green beans. We have a bunch more cans in our pantry. In the words of the Del Monte Company

"They're the same high-quality, great-tasting vegetable & tomato products you've always loved, now grown under strict USDA organic standards, without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Like our non-organic canned products, Del Monte^® canned organic vegetables and tomatoes are preserved through a high-temperature heating process, so there are no preservatives or artificial ingredients. Del Monte^® Organic products are perfectly suited for the way you eat today!"

I really enjoy the fact that this brand of green beans is definetly the healthier brand than the commercial kind.

 


I guess it just hit me that the Dixon's live organically. I never realized that. Hahah So in my attempt I bought some organically grown vegetable sprouts and planted them in a little "harvest patch" outside my window. We  as a family are actually growing quite alot of food for ourselves. Yes, plants survive around here. (Well they have so far!)

This here is our "garden". The big patch of vegetable on the left is our watermelon plant. My brother Brandon got a watermelon seed from  Home Depot and he grew it inside in a little pot, when it got to big for the pot my step dad Mike planted it in sand. We are very excited that this is growing so nicely and when I get the chance I will post updated pictures! The vines are starting to grow outside the rock barrier.
 

We are also growing a cherry plant, and a strawberry plant.

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Conservation 101

Posted on Jul. 1, 2008 at 12:47 AM in Conservation 101

July '08

Conservation 101 is brought to your from the minds of Julia (Cherryblossoms) and Toria (CrocToria)

Conservation 101 for July 2008 is July '08 Organic Living post. 

Please go to the Organic Living post.

-Julia

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Me and My "Animal-istic" life

Posted on Jun. 17, 2008 at 9:24 PM in My "Animal-listic" Life

Well as the title says I have a very "animal-listic" life *Or so I think I do* Lately i seem to find animals (not just cats and dogs) everywhere. Bunnies running through our backyard, coyotes howling in the distance, chasing lizards, pulling snakes off the road, and climbing cliffs to -once again- catch a lizard. I start off with the first story.

April '08

My aunt and Uncle came to town and whilst on their vaca we visited the Indian drawings up on the mountains surrounding the valley. While we were hiking around abit my aunt was standing below me on a rock when she shouted 'Look at that thing" I could not see what she was pointing at so we all scurried down the giant rock we had climbed. I jumped down and landed in a small cactus shrub and saw where my aunt was pointing. Sitting in the shade attached to a bush was a HUGE Desert Iguana. It was about a foot long *nose to tail* and was thick as mud!!!!!!!!!!!! The following picture does it no justice in size but you get the idea.

I was sooooooooooo excited that I ran for it and skimmed past another cactus. The lizard took off like lightning. For a fat thing it moved fast!  It skimmied up that rock next to the bush and into a crack then up behind the rock  and onto a boulder and sat atop looking down at me and my cousins, who were standing near me shouting "Get it Julia!" , the thing was mocking us. I just knew it was thinking 'You can't get me since I can climb sheer cliffs and you can't" . It looked me in the eye and winked... I SWEAR IT WINKED AT ME! *Ok maybe it was my imagination* Me and my cousins did our best to climbed that boulder, and for proof, here you go.


Oh and after my cousin failed to get to the top I tried *the picture turned out really bad so I will not post it* But I almost got to the top and ALMOST had the little bugger within my grasp when he moved several inches over. After I fell off the rock i looked up at the bugger and there he sat. On his throne. Mocking me.
Oh and in case your wondering my leg was scraped up pretty bad and my hands were all scratched. But it was fun!!!!!!!!!!

May 08

My Mom, Brandon, and I were coming back from one of my college classes when my mom said 'There's a snake in the road!". She spun the car around and pulled slightly off the road. I jumped out of the car so fast I got in trouble (Little did I know a car was behind us) Anyways -Moving on- Mom pulled off the road completely and I ran and got Brandon. I pulled the snake off the road and Brandon helped. Unfortunately the snake was dead by the time we got there. Off in the distance was a road runner, I can only imagine it was getting a lunch snack when the snake went for the road and was hit by a car. But anyways, brandon was able to touch it and hold the tail of the snake. Oh in case your curious it was a harmless Red Racer, very common around here. In fact that is the kind of snake we had on our back deck about 3 years ago, and it was the same kind of snake that my friend Mackenzie's aunt had in her house. Here are some pictures



Brandon enojyed the one on one encounter and now he no longer has a fear of non-venomous snakes. He still doesn't appreciate all kinds of snakes ;) Oh and yes Brandon is bare foot. Thats how we do it in Arizona.

June 08 (Hahaha this month)

Well actually more of yesterday I was staring at our little "desert herb garden" when mom spotted another type of desert Iguana by our plants. Brandon came running over and we watched it for a while, and it spotted us and dove back against the house below the window, I looked out the other window and spotted the same type but a bigger version of the lizard. I realized there was two of them!!!!!!! I was so excited. Mom grabbed the camera and I rushed outside *In my pajama's!* (It was a lazy day) and snapped a few pictures.
Here's the female.
And there's the male (the bigger version ;) )

Of course I made my attempt to snatch the critter but he fooled me and just disappeared. All that was left was a puff of dust when he hit the dirt running. Man, I am always amazed at how fast these lizards are. It amazes me. Anyway, I tried again but no success.

So this is my Animalistic life! More stories to come in the future!

Julia

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Snorkel! See I can do it too!

Posted on Jun. 8, 2008 at 10:25 PM in My Life

EDIT EDIT: Typing in the dark=bad spelling

You ever have those days where you just wander around aimlessly looking for something to do? Or when your standing around in the middle of your living room asking yourself "whats next?". Well, I am NOT having one of those days, or weeks rather... Make it month instead.. School has ended and summer has begun, with the birds laying their eggs and bunny's are hopping around... *record scratch* NEVERMIND! *chaos erupts*

Like I said school has ended and I thought I would have time to compose a very informative post, but alas my time is dwindling fast so let me recap the past two weeks for your enjoyment. It must be enjoyable to watch someone elses life go cuckoo bannana's!!!!!!!

First off I am late in making mention that my dear, darling "sis" (although no quotations are needed right Joci? ;) ) Jocelyn created a wonderful post on how LOTR's is not "good" once you delve into the scenario's and the actual idea behind it. You can read her post here of course:  "A former Witch looks at the Lord of The Rings" In her post Joci makes note that she will most likely be getting rid of her LOTR collection. I know she has made the right choice and I am proud to say she is my dear dear friend. :)

I have recently been to the library and ordered a bunch of books to read and I have already started!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND FINISHED SOME!!!!!!! *gasp* I got two auto biography's about Bear Gryll's from the TV show Man vs. Wild. and I got one on Dog the Bounty Hunter, from his self titled TV show. I also got some fiction books such as Tracie Peterson's, A Lady of HIgh Regard, and her book "duet" with Judith Miller called, A Daughters Inheritance. Also, The Parting, By Beverly Lewis .

EDIT ONE AND A HALF WEEKS LATER:

Isn't it funny how I started a post saying I have been busy and unable to post and I couldn't even finish the exact post because I had to go?????? Coincidence? I think not ;)

Since this post began alot has happened. Some very interesting days have gone by, oh and  the 'coupe de grace' is............ GAS PRICES ARE ABOVE $4. Shocking huh? Not surprising though, and I don't have a car to worry about gas ;) Sorry to be so blunt, Ma!

A couple weeks ago I was working an 8 hour shift when one of our employess called to say a giant-two-decker-car-hauler had lost it's brakes coming down the infamous I-40 from Las Vegas and had ran the intersection of our Bullhead/Laughlin bridge (connecting Nevada and Arizona togther (The only bridge in the whole city)) and had plunged into the river in which all the BRAND NEW CARS on the top deck of the hauler decided to take a dip. At that point I had two hours left of work and I was in a panic because when stuff like this happens (which happens often I might add) the authority's shut down the bridge for like a whole day or more. So now I was stuck on the other side of the river, at the mall, with only the casino's around. Fortunately another co-worker was getting off work the same time I was and she was stuck on that side of the river as well. Our genius plan was to walk half a mile down to the Riverside casino and take the "water taxi' across to the other side of the river and into the parking lot near the Highway. So we did. I shall add that is was about 105 degrees outside ;) So I took, for the very first time, the water taxi across the river and then had to walk what seemed to be another half a mile to where my step dad picked me. That was the talk of the whole town, and still is. Unfortunately since 9/11 semi trucks are not allowed to pass over the Hoover Dam (upside of Las Vegas) so they have to come and loop around through Bullhead and up to Kingman, but Bullhead is situated in a valley and so all the roads are mountainous, and therefore trucks speeding down the mountain road loose their brakes and end up causing a whole bunch of wrecks. About 5 days before this truck "took a drink" in the river another diesel carrying truck lost it's brake and ran through both intersections at the bridge and ended up flipping and spilling 4,500 gallons of disel everywhere. It was funny to see haz-mat teams cleaning it up. ;)

I think I will stop this post here because I am currently watching National treasure 2: Book of Secrets with my friend Mackenzie. I have been asked by Amy, been reminded by Alison, and told I haven't posted in a while by Mrs. Johnson, soooooooo to my dear friends there is my post!!!!! ;)

Hope you enjoyed it!
Julia

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Prayer for Great Friends

I ask everyone to please pray for the "L" Family. An unfortunate incident on Sunday lead do the death of a husband and a father. You of course can leave them a comment at one of the families blogs to offer them comfort.

-- Mrs. Josephine aka DixieCajun
-- Sandy
-- Celeste
-- Jordan Lee aka Dixiebeauty
-- Sarah aka Dixiefiddler

To the family: I am praying for you and you know I love you all!

-Julia

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