Very Super Cool Greeting Cards

I have an old dog. Her name is Toast and she is a 15 year old blind and deaf Pug. So it's no surprise that I love these greeting cards, as they feature old dogs.
Sue Rostvold and husband Allan Little launched their greeting card company in November of 2005. They have a wonderful assortment of holiday and just plain greeting cards to choose from.
The photographs by Sue are just incredible and I also love the quotes. Inside the cover featuring a Basset Hound the card reads: "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
 
The cards are printed on uncoated, 100% post consumer recycled paper. When compared side-by-side with coated, mass-produced, 30% recycled card stock, our cards consume 20% less total energy and 7.5% less solid waste.
The cards are available online and at select stores. Check them out:
http://www.verysupercool.com

Dark Turkey Meat Leftovers: Keema Masala

font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Cambria","serif"; color:#243F60; font-weight:normal} -->Getting tired of turkey? If you have leftover dark turkey meat, try Keema Masala, an Indian dish that I usually make with chicken thighs, but this works great and if you're getting tired of the turkey deal, you'll never know you're eating it with this tasty dish.

1 lb dark turkey meat, ground in food processor or chopped
½ head garlic, minced
2 T ginger, minced
3 T olive or canola oil

Can coconut milk
2 inch chunk of tamarind, boil 1 cup water and pour over tamarind. Let sit until cool enough to loosen tamarind and mix with water. Squeeze and discard seeds
1 t hot chili powder
1 T salt
2 T coriander
2 T cumin
2 T tumeric
Handful cilantro, stems removed and chopped
1 can chick peas, drained
1 cup peas

Heat oil and add spices, garlic and ginger and sauté over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk and tamarind juice to taste. Add chicken, chick peas and peas and heat through. Add cilantro at end.

Serve with basmati rice and tossed salad or a cooked vegetable.

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet is now in its second printing! Go to book to purchase your copy.

Go to Harmonious Environment website

Attract Money Now!

A recent New York Times article wrote that psychics and astrologers are seeing a boom in their business as people flock to them to answer questions about their finances.
 
But, there is a better way to attract money and it begins in your home and office. There are definite steps to take to keep your money intact—or to make more. 

Attracting money begins with a clean and clutter-free home. Clutter bogs us down and doesn’t allow us to perform as well as we should, Energy should flow into a home and glide effortlessly around the home. Having a lot of junk in the entry way, for example, is a good way to prevent this from happening. Even more importantly, clutter prevents us from thinking clearly, which prevents us from manifesting what we want—in this case, money. 

Once your home is clean and free from clutter, Feng Shui can be used to bolster your finances. The Bagua is the sacred octagon used in Feng Shui and is one of the oldest methods for reading energy patterns. The eight sides of the octagon plus the center are the nine sections, or Guas, that correspond to one or more life areas.  

The wealth area is in the upper left section of the Bagua. Superimpose the map over the entire home, or concentrate on important rooms, like the bedroom, office or entryway. The wealth corner of the desk is also important. You can bolster the wealth corner in one or all of the rooms in your home. 

Depicting the flow of money, water objects like fountains or aquariums are the best choice in the wealth areas of the home or office. A photograph of water will also work. Add coins to a fountain for even more power. Heavy objects, depicting grounded finances, are also good. Choose plants, sculptures and other heavy objects. When you look at these objects, think about attracting good fortune and having as much money as you desire. 

Finally, another key to attracting money is to think positively and to give energy, focus and attention to making it. Writing down your thoughts about how it feels to have plenty of money and feel what it’s like to be worry free about finances. 
Try these tips before you spend your money on a psychic! 

For more information on how to attract money, read the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet by Norma Lehmeier Hartie.

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet is now in its second printing! Go to book to purchase your copy.
Go to Harmonious Environment website

Norma Lehmeier Hartie

Self-Published Book Beats Large Publishers’ books for Prestigious USA National Best Non-Fiction Book 2008

Self-Published Book Beats Large Publishers’ books for Prestigious
USA National Best Non-Fiction Book 2008


Lingham Press is proud to announce that Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet, by Norma Lehmeier Hartie, won the coveted USA National Best Non-Fiction Book Award, against titles from publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Tarcher/Penguin, HarperCollins, Hyperion, and St. Martin’s Press. Earlier this year, the book also won the 15th Annual Writer's Digest International Book Awards.

Sales of the book were in the top 1% of all self-published books and the top 10% of all books sold in 2007. Harmonious Environment is consistently a best-seller on Amazon in the health, body and mind category. Part of the reason for strong sales and the book awards is the timeliness of the subject; how to green your home and your body.

Unlike many self-published books, Harmonious Environment is indistinguishable from a book that has been traditionally published, as only professionals worked creating it. “The advantage of self-publishing is that the author has complete control of the process,” says Norma Lehmeier Hartie. “I wanted to choose the look of the cover, for example. I ended up hiring a photographer who worked with the cover designer to create a memorable and beautiful look.”

Harmonious Environment focuses on how to create a beautiful, non-toxic and natural home and workspace; a sanctuary that will support, invigorate and nourish to enable the reader to flourish in all aspects of their lives-while being kind to the environment.

“In reading Harmonious Environment, we can only be inspired to beautify our lives, make the necessary changes that would make us happier, healthier, more at peace—on a personal, group, community or global level … a lovely book to keep and refer to often,” Judge from Writer’s Digest.

Norma Lehmeier Hartie is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence and Parsons School of Design and has been an interior designer for over 20 years. She is the creator of the practice of Harmonious Adjustments™. Ms. Hartie resides an hour from NYC. This is her first book.

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet by Norma Lehmeier Hartie
ISBN 9780977963300, 300 pages, 8.5 x 8.5 trade paperback, $19.95, 2007
Lingham Press, http://www.linghampress.com
Contact: Norma Lehmeier Hartie at: 914-739-8966 or norma@HarmoniousEnvironment.com

Norma Lehmeier Hartie
Publisher
Lingham Press
Crugers, NY
Phone : 914-739-8966

Green and Beautify Your Home for the Holidays

The EPA considers indoor air quality one of the greatest single factors contributing to ill health, and indoor air can easily be 10 times more polluted than outdoor air. Studies of indoor environments have shown that many modern materials and chemicals contribute to a growing list of environmentally induced illnesses. It is estimated that the scores of potentially harmful chemicals in our homes can be up to sixteen hundred times more potent when combined.

During the holidays, indoor air is of special concern, as we tend to spend large amounts of time inside and many decorations are unsafe.

How to figure out what products are safe is the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet by Norma Lehmeier Hartie. Harmonious Environment is the Grand Prize Winner of the 15th Annual Writer's Digest International Book Awards and won the coveted 2008 USA National Best Non-Fiction Book Award.

Harmonious Environment, published by Lingham Press, focuses on how to create a beautiful, non-toxic and natural home and workspace; a sanctuary that will support, invigorate and nourish to enable the reader to flourish in all aspects of their lives-while being kind to the environment.

“In reading Harmonious Environment, we can only be inspired to beautify our lives, make the necessary changes that would make us happier, healthier, more at peace—on a personal, group, community or global level … a lovely book to keep and refer to often,” Judge from Writer’s Digest.

Norma Lehmeier Hartie, creator of the Harmonious Adjustments™ system, has a road map for you: Cleanse a home of indoor air pollution, hidden harsh chemicals, harmful negative energy, and other toxic elements
• Organize your home to keep it uncluttered and easy to clean with Green methods
• Switch to an eco-friendly, healthier lifestyle with easy methods and products for personal care, household cleaning, cooking and eating (complete with tasty, nutritious easily prepared recipes)
• Learn secrets of Green lighting and interior decorating to inexpensively create attractive, warm, comfortable spaces
• Sleep better
• Improve your career, your organizational skills, even your love life

Norma Lehmeier Hartie is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence and Parsons School of Design and has been an interior designer for over 20 years. She is the creator of the practice of Harmonious Adjustments™. Ms. Hartie resides an hour from NYC. This is her first book.

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet by Norma Lehmeier Hartie
ISBN 9780977963300, 300 pages, 8.5 x 8.5 trade paperback, $19.95, 2007
Lingham Press, http://www.linghampress.com
Contact: Norma Lehmeier Hartie at: 914-739-8966 or norma@HarmoniousEnvironment.com
###

Norma Lehmeier Hartie
Publisher
Lingham Press
Crugers, NY
Phone : 914-739-8966

Live Within Your Means and Go Green!

For many Americans, the current economy is a wake-up call to change their spending habits. For some, there is no choice, as people face layoffs, and banks that are unwilling to lend them money. Concurrently, Americans are becoming increasingly aware that our environment is in danger, that global warming and pollution threaten the planet and our health. The good news is that making green—or environmentally friendly choices—is a great way to cut your spending, too! There are literally hundreds of ways to cut spending and go green in every spending category: Home • Reduce electrical usage; replace incandescent light bulbs with CFL’s, replace old refrigerator with Energy Star efficient model • Reduce heating usage; lower thermostat, seal drafty windows and doors • Reduce cooling usage by adding fans • Purchase second-hand quality furniture if you cannot afford good quality new • Use VOC free paint instead of expensive and polluting wallpaper • Replace worn carpet that degrades air quality with sustainable bamboo or wood that will last a lifetime • Instead of buying impulse stuff made from nonrenewable materials, indulge in houseplants that clean the air of your home or flowers. Food • Compare the cost of buying whole foods that are organic, and local with conventional prepared food. Organic is healthier for you and the planet and whole foods are less expensive than prepared food. • Get a filter system for your tap water and use a stainless, reusable water bottle instead of buying expensive, wasteful bottled water. • Limit eating out. Learn to cook, if you don’t know how. Clothing • Limit purchases to what you really love and buy quality, natural fabrics that are better for the environment • Consider swapping clothes, especially for children Miscellaneous • Always purchase products made from renewable sources rather than nonrenewable (avail plastic whenever possible) • Buy best quality you can afford—stuff that lasts, stays out of landfill and that you buy once—not repeatedly, like furniture. Buy second-hand or go to Freecycle.org for free things. • If shopping is a hobby, find another one. • Swap stuff with friends and family, either temporarily or permanently. • Don’t buy on impulse. For many more tips, read the award winning book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet by Norma Lehmeier Hartie. Harmonious Environment is the Grand Prize Winner of the 15th Annual Writer's Digest International Book Awards and won the coveted 2008 USA National Best Non-Fiction Book Award. Norma Lehmeier Hartie is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence and Parsons School of Design and has been an interior designer for over 20 years. She is the creator of the practice of Harmonious Adjustments™. Ms. Hartie resides an hour from NYC. This is her first book. Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet by Norma Lehmeier Hartie ISBN 9780977963300, 300 pages, 8.5 x 8.5 trade paperback, $19.95, 2007 Lingham Press, http://www.linghampress.com Contact: Norma Lehmeier Hartie at: 914-739-8966 or norma@HarmoniousEnvironment.com ###

Norma Lehmeier Hartie Publisher Lingham Press Crugers, NY Phone : 914-739-8966

USA Book News Awards

Harmonious Environment is Award Winner for Best New Non-Fiction USA National Best Books 2008

USA BOOK NEWS ANNOUNCES WINNERS AND FINALISTS
OF THE NATIONAL “BEST BOOKS 2008” AWARDS

LOS ANGELES – USABookNews.com, the premiere online magazine and review website for mainstream and independent publishing houses, announced the winners and finalists of THE NATIONAL “BEST BOOKS” 2008 AWARDS (NBBA) on October 20, 2008. Over 500 winners and finalists were announced in over 140 categories covering print and audio books. Awards were presented for titles published in 2008 and late 2007.

A complete list of the winners and finalists of the USABookNews.com National “Best Books” 2008 Awards are available online at http://www.USABookNews.com.

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet is now in its second printing! Go to book to purchase your copy.

Go to Harmonious Environment website

CobraHead® Weeder and Cultivator

Got weeds? Then try a CobraHead®! The company makes the hand tool, shown below and a long handle CobraHead.

Made in Wisconsin, the handle is a mix of recycled plastic and flax fiber. The blade is steel and easily cuts through tough weeds or can be used for cultivating.

I like the tool for digging up grass and roots growing where they don't belong. The "steel finger tip" blade saves my own nails!

Go to CobraHead for more information.

Cucumber salad

4 kirby Cucumbers, sliced in food processor, thinly hand-sliced or on a mandolin
1 T Greek style plain yogurt
2 T olive oil
1 T white rice vinegar
Chives, chopped
Lemon Thyme, chopped
Mint, chopped
Dill, chopped
S & P

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet is now in its second printing! Go to book to purchase your copy.
Go to Harmonious Environment website.

Killer BBQ Sauce

This is the best BBQ sauce I've ever had. Makes even the "best" commercial ones pale in comparison. This is enough for a summer of BBQ for my husband and I. Just don't contaminate the sauce with the meat and it will keep for months.

½ cup oil
1 1 /2 cups chopped onion
4 gralic, minced
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup cider vinegar
¼ cup honey
½ cup Worcester sauce
1 cup Dijon
½ cup soy
1 cup hoison sauce
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
½ t red pepper flakes

Heat oil under low temperature. Add onions and garlic and sauté until clear. Add remaining ingredients and simmer 30 minutes.

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet is now in its second printing! Go to book to purchase your copy.

Go to Harmonious Environment website

Wasabi Tuna and Pasta Salad

This is delicious! I made this the other night and served it with zucchini salad, see below. I have made this recipe with both canned tuna and fresh and prefer the canned because of the way the flavors all meld together into one delicious yummy meal.

1 large carrot, shredded in food processor
Hunk of radicchio, shredded in food processor
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
Handful arugula, chopped
1 pound pasta
2-3 cans tuna fish, drained or fresh, grilled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup mayo
½ cup wasabi mayo
Salt & pepper
1 can black olives, sliced
1 can hearts of palm, sliced (optional)

While pasta is cooking, prepare vegetables and tuna. Add both mayo’s. Drain pasta and cool with cold water. Combine and chill.

Zucchini Salad

2 lb zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise with slicer on food processor or on a mandolin
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspons lemon zest
2 teaspons lemon juice
2 teaspons Dijon mustard
1 teaspon anchovy paste
Pepper
Handful mint, chopped
Handful parsley, chopped
3 ounces frisee, cut in small pieces (optional)
1 small red onion, sliced thin

Sprinkle salt on zucchini and let sit in a colander 5 minutes. Rinse well with cold water. Gently place in kitchen towels and dry. Wisk together oil, lemon, anchovy paste, mustard and pepper. Combine with remaining ingredients.

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet is now in its second printing! Go to book to purchase your copy.

Go to Harmonious Environment website

Non Toxic Mold Killer

I just discovered the best way to clean mold in my shower! I used to struggle with baking soda and vinegar, but no more. Mix hydrogen peroxide, a little eco-friendly soap and baking soda. Apply to mold, using a scrub brush, mold instantly dissolves. This mix is safe on stone and tile.

Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet is now in its second printing! Go to book to purchase your copy.

Go to Harmonious Environment website

Reusable Tote bags

I have been using reusable tote bags for shopping for years now. I keep them in my car and just grab a bunch when needed. (I also keep one that folds into itself in my purse.) Aside from the obvious benefits of helping the environment by choosing reusable over plastic or paper bags, reusable totes are far stronger than throw out bags. Stronger means no fears of bags breaking and spilled stuff all over the place. If you live in a city and have to schlep bags any distance, this is especially convenient.

Up until the last few months, I rarely saw anyone else in the grocery stores with reusable totes. That is changing and fast! I can happily report that in my oh-so-suburban town about an hour north of New York City, it is now common to see people with their reusable bags.

Most of the grocery stores in my area give back a few cents for every reusable bag, and I think that's great, but the next step is to charge people for each paper or plastic bag they use, and eventually, ban throw-out bags altogether.

Go to Harmonious Environment website

Writer's Workshop

October 3-5th, I will be doing a writer's workshop called "Sell Your Book Like the Pros!" It will be held at My Retreat, 90 miles NW of New York City, in South Fallsburg, NY. For more information, go to: Writer's Workshop.

Friday Night
Round table discussion on what participants are working on and what they want to learn over the weekend. Norma discusses her journey through publishing.

Saturday Morning
The business of publishing in 2008

• Three routes to publishing; traditional, subsidy & self-publishing: the real deal
• Brick & mortar and online bookstores
• Website/blog & other venues for your books

Saturday Afternoon
How to create a book proposal that sells your book

• Discuss custom strategies for individual participants
• Target market audience

Saturday Evening
Group discussion of topics covered

Sunday
Promoting your book: What everyone needs to know, no matter how you’ve been published

• Pre-publication: reviews, creating buzz with a website and/or blog
• Post-publication: reviews, book awards, Internet strategies, book tour
• Ongoing: marketing for long term sales
  

Go to Harmonious Environment website

Green Works Cleaning Products by Clorox

About a month ago, the marketing people for Clorox sent me, unsolicited, Green Works™ all-purpose cleaner and window cleaner.

I got a call from a marketing person to see if I liked the products and I told him that the window cleaner didn't work well on my car windows and it that leaves a haze. The all-purpose cleaner worked pretty well.

He offered to send me the toilet and bathroom cleaners and I said sure. They both worked well.

The marketing person was happy with my responses and asked me if I would endorse the product. After all, the Sierra Club has formed a partnership with Clorox and is supporting the Green Works products.

I hope that means financial support for Sierra Club, as Clorox continues to produce toxic-filled products that degrade the environment and harm users of the product.

Moreover, Clorox touts the safety of their products, which include a dizzying array of toxic bleach-based products for kitchen, bathroom and laundry. There is a section called "Healthier Lives" which spews a bunch of nonsense about fighting germs by cleaning with these toxic substances.

I will endorse Clorox only when they stop making these toxic products and sell only natural and safe products for people and the planet.

Go to Harmonious Environment website

Self-Publishers

I'm guest blogger on Weirding Word this week. Here is the beginning of a post written yesterday.

When I published my first book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet, I dreamt that The New York Times Book Review would review it. They didn’t. They did not review the book because Stan Tanenhaus, chief editor of the Book Review, does not review self-published books.

For the rest of the article, go here: Weirding Word.

Go Green Expo, Hilton, NYC April 26-27

First, the good news: the expo was busy and filled with "mainstream" people--the green movement is working!

However, the bad news is that the organizers allowed companies that were not green to exhibit. The most egregious was , or Cotton Incorporated. They shared a booth with Good Housekeeping Magazine. When I asked a GH rep why they were at the expo, the woman nervously told me that the magazine "was going to write some green articles" and that they were with Cotton."

Cotton Incorporated is attempting to convince the public that they are sustainable. On their website, the CEO claims that Cotton is using 50 % less pesticides than they used to.

However, that is still a lot of pesticides. Pesticides are doused on growing cotton. The result is degradation of the water, air and land where the crops are grown. The end product—from clothing to the furniture in your home—leeches onto the wearer and into the environment.

Only corn is doused with more pesticides than cotton grown in United States. 1.25 pounds of pesticides, defoliants, and other chemicals are used to grow the cotton in every set of queen-size sheets, and up to one-third goes into every t-shirt. The EPA…lists seven of the most common pesticides used in cotton fields as ‘known human carcinogens.’

On the Cotton website, they use the words "natural", "sustainable", "true","responsible" and "renewable".

Cotton is natural until you add chemical-based pesticides to it.

Pesticide treated cotton is not sustainable, as it is harmful to the planet and its inhabitants.

"True" is a meaningless term.

Pesticides on cotton is not responsible, as the chemicals harm the environment.

Cotton is renewable, but the petroleum based chemical pesticides that douse cotton are not.

http://www.harmoniousenvironment.com

Simple and Delicious Meal

Tonight for dinner, my husband and I are having leftover turkey breast, kale and yams. We both enjoy a wide variety of flavors in our food. However, sometimes we like to eat plain and simple food. This dinner is a good example of that. The turkey is plain with a bit of salt and pepper. The turkey was free range and grass fed and is succulent and delicious and doesn't require gravy or anything else. The organic kale will be tossed with a bit of olive oil and roasted. So good. Finally, the organic yams will be baked and served with a bit of butter and that's it! A simple but wonderful meal with three distinctive dishes that work very well with each other.

Go to: recipes

Retailing Chains Caught in a Wave of Bankruptcies

An article in yesterday's New York Times, "Retailing Chains Caught in a Wave of Bankruptcies" reveals a grim picture of the economy.

Across the nation, Americans are spending more on food and gas and less on non-essentials. With all the foreclosures, banks are less likely to lend not only consumers, but retail stores. With business down and banks not willing to provide loans, many retail stores are filing for bankruptcy.

Stores like Levitz, Lines 'n Things, Sharper Image, Lillian Vernon, Footlocker, Zales and Ann Taylor are all facing bankruptcy and some total liquidation.

“You have the makings of a wave of significant bankruptcies,” said Al Koch, who helped bring Kmart out of bankruptcy in 2003 as the company’s interim chief financial officer and works at a corporate turnaround firm called AlixPartners.

“For years, no deal was too ugly to finance,” he said. “But now, nobody will throw money at these companies.”

I have always wondered how so many stores could survive in the first place. Now, we can expect to see major changing in the malls of America.

Maybe its time. From the point of view of an environmentalist, I see this as progress. Maybe Americans are finally getting it and will stop spending money on stuff that takes its toll on the environment from the manufacturing or extraction of a product to its demise in landfills.

Eco-Friendly Bathroom Renovation

My new eco-friendly bathroom is almost finished! My brother has taken a short hiatus from his woodworking to do the construction. My house was built in 1964 and most of the bathroom was original. The toilet was permanently stained, the counter was brown, white and beige flecks...it was pretty hideous.

Originally, the bathroom had a small window, but it leaked and was removed years ago. Now, it features two casement windows that together are 4' x 4' and take up most of the wall.

The bathroom is small. The toilet and sink area is 3' x 8' and the tub takes up an additional 3'x5' and extends the length of the bathroom. The window sits on the far side of the tub.

The messiest part of renovating is the demolition. The sheetrock dust gets everywhere and it is awful. My old Pug, Toast, just happened to wander into the bathroom when most of the demolition had occurred, but lots of dust remained. I found her in there and immediately scooped her up.

She began to cough and as the day progressed, it got worse. I took her to the vet and they had to give her antihistamines and kept her there to watch her. She also has a heart condition and that worsened as well and we had to increase her heart medication.

Fortunately, she got better and is now back to her sweet and adorable self. Thing is, I was careful--and I know better. Don't forget to keep your pets out of harm’s way when renovating!

Eco-Friendly Products
Tile: We used river rocks that were came in one-foot square tiles, as they were glued to a mesh backing. They are eco-friendly because they only needed to be extracted from the earth; no further manufacturing was required.
Soapstone Vanity top and Door Saddle: Mined in Vermont, the natural products were delivered by FedEx , thus saving on transportation fuels.
Good Quality Products: faucets, toilet, tub, and accessories meant to last a lifetime and stay out of landfill.
No Voc Paint
Energy Star Rated Fan/Light Fixture with CFL bulbs
Low-flush toilet by Toto: extra cool feature is 'softclose" lid--you simply tap closed the lid and it gently closes on itself!
Vanity: solid wood from sustainable choices, no outgassing. as would occur from manufactured wood products like particleboard.

I'm waiting for "Sparky" (Australian for electricians) to come and install lights and switch plates and my brother to do the final touches and then it's done!

I want to put photos up, but can't find installation CD for my digital camera for my new computer. The best feature is the river rock tiles. They are dark grey with blue/green tints and they are on floor, in front of tub and halfway up three walls. My brother made them so they flow--it's really cool.

We painted the un-tiled walls white with a blue tone that matches the tiles exactly and picked out towels in a slightly darker shade of white with blue tone.

Also, there is only a hand held spray to rinse after a bath, so no need for a curtain or shower door of any kind. Consequently, you see out the windows to my backyard. The windows frame the bird feeders and hemlocks and it is a beautiful sight.

I'll add photos when I can.

The tub is a Bain Ultra "Hydro-Therma Massage" bathtub. What that means is that it is like a whirlpool, only air is forced into tub to create bubbles and massage. It is the same size as a standard tub, but deep. It has the added feature of chromotherapy lights.

One note about water. usage. I used to believe that water should be only be used conservatively. However, I now believe that water should be used wisely--when there is an abundance of it (ie. reservoirs are full) it is OK to indulge a bit. I live in the Northeast and we have plenty of water now. I also have a well and it is full. In fact, part of my lawn is covered in water.

if I lived in an arid area, I would not take baths, or I would invest in a grey water system. Likewise, if we were experiencing drought conditions, I would not bathe, but take quick showers instead.

That said, with lots of water, I can enjoy guilt free baths! Last night, I put the dimmer switches on low for the two lights on either side of the vanity and lit two lavender scented soy candles around the tub. I also put some natural lavender bubble bath and sea salts in. I put the yellow chromotherapy light on and sat back...Got pretty hot, so I opened the window a bit. The dark river stones glistened in the light and I felt as if I were in an outdoor natural hot mineral spring! It was really nice.

Is Green Cleaning Romantic?

Do you know how many books are out there about green housekeeping? Annie B. Bond has two, Better Basics and Clean and Green. Deirdre Imus wrote Green This Volume I in 2007 and Volume II is due out later this month. There is Green Clean (2005), Naturally Clean Home (1999), Clean House Clean Planet (1997) Naturally Clean (2006). And a new batch of green cleaning books for 2008: Green Housekeeping, Green Up Your Cleanup, Green This Volume II, Squeaky Clean: The Method Guide to Cleaning Your Home and more.

And don't forget, even though it's not green, but almost five (5) POUND book by Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home.

Now, I am happy to see housecleaning books using green cleaning methods. But, do we really need so many books? Do you really need an entire book to help you clean your home? Is there some new romance about housecleaning and green?

I just don't get it. I devoted four (4) pages in my book, Harmonious Environment. to cleaning. I really don't see it as complicated, I guess. In fact, I further reduced the cleaning thing to a one (1) page chart: From Toxic to Safe and Healthy Cleaning Products Guide.

Some of the books mentioned have dozens of cleaning recipes for different tasks. What the heck for? You simply don't need them.

Virtually all of the books are written by women. Women, I dare say, that have way too much time on their hands. Unless that's the secret--people are "so busy" nowadays because they spend hours making ridiculous recipes and cleaning for hours.

I have a clean home and absolutely feel that it is important. But, I don't spend hours first being guided about how to clean my home and then hours more cleaning.

Another possible explanation for this green cleaning frenzy is that it is one of the simpler ways to green your lifestyle. This makes it a relatively simple book to write and could explain why there are so many of them out there. Since green cleaning is new for many people, I guess they want guidance.

I don't know. Green or not, I hate to clean.

For more information, go to Harmonious Environment.

Corned Beef from Fleisher's

This is the best corned beef I've ever had! I didn't make sandwiches (that's for today,) we ate the meat, cabbage that had the mild and delicious flavor of the meat brine and roasted potatoes, turnips and carrots with garlic. I was on a food high! For more musings on the corned beef, go here.

Corned beef and Cabbage with Roasted Vegetables
3lb Corned Beef
1 small head cabbage, quartered
Put enough water in a large pot to cover meat. when boiling, place meat in pot and cook one hour for every pound. Add cabbage last 20 minutes. Slice meat against grain.

For more information and roasted vegetable recipe, go to: http://www.harmoniousenvironment.com/Article%20Recipes.htm.

Natural Sugar Scrub by Irena Marchu

1 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup or less of natural coconut oil
1/2 cup of natural liquid soap
essential oils to suit

Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Spoon into
a jar. This recipe makes about 8 ounces. The oil will
settle on the top, just stir before use. This is
an invigorating scrub so rub gently. Not
recommended for faces. Essential oils like Citrus,
Sage, Rosemary or Mint can be used in a small amount.

Irena Marchu is owner and creator of body products at Ginger's Garden. See her website for a terrific assortment of natural body products.

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Choosing Eco-Friendly Light Bulbs

When shopping for a compact florescent bulbs (CFL's), the following is considered the standard equivalent for incandescent versus CFL. However, I have found this comparison to be a little off—that CFL’s tend to cast less light than their incandescent equivalents. However, because a watt is a watt, if your lamp indicates a maximum of one hundred watts, and a twenty watt bulb CFL isn’t bright enough, you can safely use a twenty-three CFL watt bulb.

Incandescent CFL
60 watts 11 watts
75 watts 18 watts
100 watts 20 watts
150 watts 23 watts

Natural-spectrum bulbs are another great choice, and they mimic natural sunlight and last thirty-five hundred hours. As the name implies, the light cast imitates the full-spectrum—or natural daylight—and so makes colors appear bright and true.

Recycling Refrigerators and Freezers

• Large appliances cannot be sent to a landfill and must be recycled. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that ninety-five percent of the materials in refrigerators and freezers can be recycled!
• Refrigerators and freezers manufactured before 2003 contain the ozone-depleting compound Freon.
• Refrigerators and freezers must be removed by a certified technician. To locate a certified company to pick up your appliance, contact your local government solid waste department, scrap shops or refrigerator repair shops.
• The EPA website lists recycling centers by zip code (see “Resources”).

The New – and Disimproved – Meaning of “Self-Publishing

This article was originally printed in PMA Independent , February 2008.

Not long ago, an issue of Publishers Weekly had numerous articles -- and eight-pages of ads from subsidy publishers, which included a four-page advertorial -- on how the book publishing world is changing.

The lead article -- “Can Small Press Distributing Survive?” -- cited both the recent demise of Book World Companies and National Book Network’s recent statement that it was phasing out Biblio, its small press distributor. (Biblio distributes my book and it’s in the clear until at least next September.)

In the meantime, Barnes and Noble just gave its online store a makeover and Borders released a beta version of its new site; B&N continues to be a major shareholder of iUniverse, and Amazon owns Booksurge. Books printed by subsidy presses like Booksurge and iUniverse rarely make it into bookstores. Clearly, Barnes and Noble didn’t become an iUniverse stockholder because it counted on money from store sales of iUniverse books; it did so because iUniverse makes money off the authors and the books sold online.

Online, buyers shop differently. With search words and listmania lists and other tools, they can and do find a wider variety of books, including books that would never fit into a physical store.

Online, B&N and Amazon know that there is a place for specialized books. So do the executives who have come from the traditional publishing world and other professions to run the modern vanity presses that have now hijacked the terms “self-publishing” and “self-publisher.”

Which leads me to the eight-page advertisement. Headed “Self-Publishing Comes of Age,” which includes four pages of text. The subhead on the ad insert says, “Leaving vanity behind, today’s top self-publishers achieve success and offer models for the future.”

The text then coyly suggests that this kind of “self-publishing” is profitable and smart for authors. “The category [self-publishing] once so aggressively cordoned off by other participants in the industry, has over the past decade turned into a booming market, drawing entrepreneurial investment and top editorial talent.”

After discussing how the term vanity press came to be and how authors used to spend lots of money with vanity presses only to have their books collect dust in their garages, the ad announces that now it’s all different. “Self-publishers” help authors market their books and make storing them unnecessary because copies can be produced one at a time with Print on Demand (POD). The ad also sites the Internet as a huge factor in getting these books into marketplaces—something I do agree with. But it really irks me that these subsidy publishers are using the term self-publisher—which they and their authors aren’t.

My company, Lingham Press, is a self-publisher. Now that the subsidy press has latched onto the term, though, it makes my company sound bad.

Enticing Unwary Authors

All of us true self-publishers aside, the worst threat from this advertorial is to naïve wannabe authors, who may fall for the idea they have two choices: publish with a traditional publisher or with a subsidy publisher.

Wannabe authors can get a bit of a reality check from a close reading of PW’s coverage. Some of my favorite lines:

“…there’s no guarantee of success—and the top providers have become savvy about keeping reality in check for their author, since referrals and satisfaction are critical to their business models.”

“… hopeful authors—who remain self-publishing companies’ primary revenue stream ...”

“Our sales of self-published authors are minimal overall, but some rare, self-published authors sell exceptionally well.”

“Today’s top self-publishing companies are heavily invested in the idea that a happy customer is a valuable customer, which leads to the management of expectations, along with the provision of services that can genuinely help author achieve success.” [Gosh, how swell are they!]

What ticks me off most about all this is the gleeful message that this “new model” of publishing is making oodles of money for cutting-edge “self-publishers” coupled with statements showing that only a fraction of the authors using it will have anything more than a trophy book.

Having read what the subsidy publishers wrote for the publishing world, I needed to read the ads they aim at authors. Looking through the current issue of Writer’s Digest, I noted how each publishing company offers something slightly different. (or uses phrases that make them appear to).

Outskirts Press allows authors to contribute to making their books by, for example, using their own cover designs. Lulu lets authors set their own prices. Trafford guarantees that its method is the best.

The only company honest enough to use the word subsidy was Vantage Press, established in 1949 and probably just getting over referring to itself as a vanity press.

Although I saw many ads for subsidy publishers in Writer’s Digest, I did not see any ads for book printers, graphic designers or book cover designers.

Again, the message to the uneducated aspiring author is: There are only two choices: publish with a traditional house or “self-publish” with a subsidy publisher.

The Real Alternatives

I find it interesting that there are seasoned author/publishers who agree with the statement that subsidy published authors are self-published. Some quick comparisons among three types of publishing companies will illuminate why they are not. Please note that hybrids exist, but these are the three main types.

Traditional Publishers

An author who signs a contract with a traditional publisher usually receives an advance against royalties. The publisher owns the ISBN, but the copyright is generally in the author’s name. The publisher pays for and makes decisions about the editing, cover, size, price, production and marketing of the book, and sales channels generally include book wholesalers and retailers, perhaps along with other conduits to readers.

Authors are expected to do a good deal of book promotion and publicity (although this is often not explained to them until it’s too late).

This general business model has not proven to be all that effective, as publishers often report losing money on the books they issue.

Subsidy Publishers

Authors who are accepted by subsidy publishers – and I’m estimating 99% of them are -- pay to have these companies publish their books and get royalties on copies sold.

The publisher generally owns the ISBN, but the copyright is in the author’s name. The author pays for all steps in the publishing process but the publisher makes most or all of the decisions about editing, cover, size, price, and production of the book, and sales channels are generally limited to the Internet and whatever routes to readers an author can use.

Authors are expected to do all or close to all of their own promotion and publicity. If a book sells exceptionally well, some subsidy publishers provide [is this free?I ‘m not sure] promotional services. (Wheatmark, for instance, does this for books that sell 2000 copies, which it says 1% of its books do. This is brilliant -- not only an attractive come-on, but also good business since if a subsidy book actually sells 2000 copies, it is in the publisher’s best interest to take advantage of the momentum.)

Unlike traditional publishers, subsidy publishers take no risks; they get paid up front for their services. And since they make money up front, there is no incentive to design a standout cover, or to be particularly careful about fixing typos and other glitches. If a book actually sells, the publisher makes even more money.

Self-Publishers

Self-publishing authors assume all responsibility for their books and get 100 percent of the profits. They also own their books’ ISBNs and copyrights; they pay for and make decisions about the editing, cover, size, price and production, and they can use a wide variety of sales channels, including but definitely not limited to the Web.

Self-publishers understand that they must do all their own marketing, including promotion and publicity. If a self-published book sells exceptionally well, traditional publishers may want to buy rights in the book from author/publisher.

Call Me Independent

I hope this comparison makes it clear that subsidy publishing is simply a way of doing business that requires payment from authors for publication of their books.

Subsidy publishers is not self-publishing but subsidy publishers have ruined the term self-publisher. From now on, I will be referring to myself as an independent publisher.

Norma Lehmeier Hartie’s first book, Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize Your Life, Your Home & Your Planet, is the Grand Prize Winner of the 15th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards and Finalist in ForeWord Magazine's and Nautilus Book of the Year Awards.
http://LinghamPress.com

Flower Arranging

I collect flower vases so that I have a variety of options for my floral arrangements. Also, different containers look better in particular areas of my home. There are plenty of eco-friendly choices you can make when selecting a flower container

· Antique or second-hand containers

· Earthenware containers

· Glass containers, especially recycled

· Containers made out of stone

· Recycled metal containers

Any container that holds water can hold flowers—be creative and look around your home for possibilities. You can cover empty cans from your cupboard with fabric, for example. Or, put a bunch of flowers in a watering can. If they are watertight, clay pots can hold flowers.

When you entertain, it is nice to have flowers on the table—but not if they obstruct your guests’ views of one another. Low containers are perfect for the dining room table. To keep flowers upright, it might be necessary to use what florists use, floral foam. Oasis® brand is most common; just make sure the package indicates that the foam is for wet floral arrangements. Floral foam is available in craft stores.

The key to using floral foam is to allow it to absorb water at its own rate, in a sink or a container filled with water. If you forcefully submerge it, the inside of the foam will not get wet. The foam is ready to use when it has sunk to the bottom of the water-filled container. Floral foam is easily cut with a knife; cut whatever size you require, wet it, and place in a container.

You will want to cover the floral foam completely. In addition to flowers, you will need green filler—either from the florist or cut some from a bush or tree in your yard. You can cover the foam first and then place the flowers, or arrange flowers and then fill in spaces with greens.

Finally, relax and enjoy the process of arranging flowers! Experiment with different flowers and vases, and allow yourself to create. Most importantly, honor yourself with fresh flowers on a regular basis!

For more information, read Harmonious Environment!

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Lotus Body Botanicals

The following is a blurb from my interview with Maria Falce, owner of Lotus Body Botanicals.
For the the full interview, go to HarmoniousEnvironment.

Norma: Tell me about your medicinal grade essential oils. Energetically, how do they compare to industrial or synthetic grade essential oils?

Maria:The synthetic oils are dead and the industrial oils are weak and lack substance and direction. Both are toxic or potentially toxic. The rest of the oils out there that are not 100%pure are not necessarily bad oils, they are just not true, they are not complete and at best smell good. Their ability to heal is muddied due to the mixing and dilution of various oils, you just don’t know what you are getting or what it can/will do. There are oils that are grown here in the States that are pure; they are just energetically different from the oils I use. This goes back to the land and the wisdom of the Earth. The European oils are older and wiser and have deeper healing qualities that have been tracked and used for centuries. The American oils have been around for 100 to 200 years at most and are just more immature energetically and because we lack a full understanding of the oils in our culture, we just don’t know what the healing properties of these plants are. It is so adaptable and dependent upon the environment that the same lavender plant grown here and in France will have totally different medicinal qualities. So, I am not saying that all American grown essential oils are bad or inferior just that they are not yet fully understood and have a tendency toward energetic immaturity. Here is an example that I feel explains what I am saying. Last summer, my husband came running into the house, a wasp had stung him numerous times. He was in a great amount of pain. I only had a couple of drops of my good lavender left and didn’t want to part with it (mean wife) so I offered him the bottle of[ a popular brand of essential oil] lavender, this is a very popular and common brand in the US. I figured that since lavender is so giving with its oils that it had to be real. He applied the oil and continued to complain of extreme pain and burning from the stings. I finally gave in and gave him my wild lavender and within 2 seconds of application, all of his pain was gone. Later that day, there were no physical signs that he had ever been stung, the redness and the welts were completely gone. Now, was this a case of a synthetic oil or a diluted oil or an oil grown somewhere that wasp stings were not prevalent? I do not know for sure. I just know that it did not have the healing properties that lavender is supposed to have, so in my opinion it is an inferior oil, real or not.


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Beef Wellington, Roasted Kale and Sauteed Char

My husband and I don't eat red meat often, but when we do, it's the best: free range, anti-biotic free, grain fed. I had bought beef tenderloin a couple months ago from Whole Foods and froze it, waiting for a special occasion to cook it. My husband has been working like crazy lately, Saturdays included, so I decided to surprise him this past weekend with this dish.
My local A&P now carries organic dried mushrooms and I had a bag of Chanterelle mushrooms that I wanted to try. I used them instead of regular mushrooms and enjoyed them. You soak them in water, and the water smelled so great, I decided to save it. Tonight I will use it as the stock for cream of mushroom soup.
There was enough for two nights (recipe that follows is for two portions) and we had roasted kale the first night and sautéed char the following night. For recipes, go to Harmonious Environment.

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WorldGood Fair Trade

This interview with Miranda K. Paul, owner of WorldGood Fair Trade, can be read in its entirety at Harmonious Environment.

Norma: I gather there are a lot of plastic bags lying around in Gambia? Please explain the situation.

Miranda: YES - the plastic bag situation in The Gambia is horrendous. It is a problem in both urban and rural areas. There is no official waste management system throughout the country, and the introduction of imported plastic bags to the markets well over 10 years ago caused many impoverished people to turn to this cheap method of carrying parcels, etc. No education about or understanding of the nature of plastic was given to people. Many farmers who rely on livestock were seeing unexplained deaths in their goats especially, and butchers are commonly finding plastic bags wrapped around the intestines of these animals who died unexpectedly. Many of the women in Njau also noticed that these plastic bags were getting buried under the soil and their gardens wouldn't grow. Other problems surrounding the plastic bag trash includes large pools of water / breeding ground for mosquitoes and all kinds of trash contaminating water supplies in rural areas. There are very few, if any, places I have traveled to in Gambia where plastic trash is not a problem. I don't have any official numbers of how many lbs. of plastic trash might still be left to clean up, as it is continually added to daily as there is still no limit, ban or education about these plastic bags on a wide scale and it's the most convenient means of toting goods from the market for customers who didn't "bring their own bag". ALL of the bags used from the women of Njau are literally recycled trash. I have found out that several "green" products or companies are actually using new plastic to make such objects, and I am appalled because that's contributing to the problem. The point of this project is that one day, the women will be done making these bags and can move on to other things. The bags are washed TWICE, and bags that are too dirty are not used.

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EnterMarket Interview

The following is a blurb from my Interview with Jeff Kahn, Vice President Sales at Entermarket.
For the the full interview, go to HarmoniousEnvironment.

Please give me specific ways in which you are going green in the different segments of your company.

Some of the ways we are going Green in the different segments of our business are as follows: Using recycled boxes in the warehouse. Using recycled packing materials. Reconfiguring the lighting in the warehouse. No idling policy (making sure trucks shut their engines off while waiting to load and unload). Ask our existing clients to always think "GREEN" while planning a promotion by using recycled paper and printing with soy based inks for their marketing materials. Giving our packaging clients the option to change from traditional plastic packaging to biodegradable foam and recycled board packaging.

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