Terra Collection

Smashed Potatoes! Yum

2011-12-05T11:22:00.001-08:00

This is a super easy...kid friendly...side dish!

My 6 year old always wants to help with dinner....so I'm always on the hunt for something that is easy for her to help with....this one is a great one for "little helpers." Yes...the potatoes were a little more "smashed" than I wanted...but they still tasted the same and she was excited that she made them!

You will need:

About 6-8 small potatoes (red or gold)...but small works best
Olive Oil
Fresh Herbs (if you feel like it)
Salt & Pepper

Wash all the potatoes and boil them until they are fork tender.
Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of Olive Oil on a cookie sheet and lay out the potatoes.

Next is when your "little helper" comes in handy....Use a potato masher and gently "smash" all the potatoes. Don't destroy them like we sort of did....Just lightly smash them!

Drizzle a little more olive oil onto the top each potato, add some fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste.

Put the cookie sheet back into a preheated 450 degree oven and roast the potatoes until they are well browned and sort of "crunchy"...about 30-40 minutes.

Of course I forgot to take a picture of the finished product...but just picture yummy...crunchy potato skins on the outside with smooth, silky potatoes inside!

Happy Eating!

Ps-Don't forget to "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@TerraCollection) to get a "Deal a Day in December!"

~Mel

FAMILY....part 1

2011-11-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Over on Facebook.....everyone is doing a "What I am thankful for" each day until Thanksgiving...Of course I jumped on that bandwagon because I have SO many things in this world to be thankful for...We are only on Day #4....but here are my first 4 days...

#1 - I am thankful that I have heathy kids!

#2 - I am thankful that I have an amazing man that loves my kids as his own!

#3 - I am thankful that I have a house to clean (it's cleaning day and as much as I hate it, I'm glad I can do it!)

#4 - I am thankful that I have a HUGE crazy, loving, fun, always there for me FAMILY!

I'm sure as the month goes on things will get a little less "heavy"....we are all thankful for our kids, partners, homes and families....I'm looking forward to seeing the "little" things that people are thankful for once all of the big ones are out of the way! You know...like my coffee! and my MAC! Those will definitely earn a spot this month!

So.....about #4! FAMILY! I have the craziest extended family of anyone I know....I literally have to draw it out on paper for people sometimes and even my closest friends have no idea how everyone fits in the picture....but they ALL do! I'll start with all SIX of my parents! Yep...all SIX of them! I have a dad...a mom....a biological dad (that is a huge part of my life now)...a step-mom...another step-mom, and a step-dad! You see this as crazy....I see this as I am the luckiest girl in the world to have so many people that love me unconditionally! My kids also see this as the best thing in the world! Imagine have SIX grandparents....on your moms side! Talk about crazy birthday's and Christmas's around here!

The only problem is....They all live 2000 miles away from me....Yep...I'm in Southern California and my ENTIRE family (except one aunt that lives here) lives in Southern Illinois....All of my parents, all of my brothers and sisters (I have five), 90% of my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents all live in this same small town! There are 15,000 people in the town and I'm probably related to 1000 of them! I've been in Southern California since I was 8...so were coming up on 30 years soon...HOLY COW!....but I will always call Southern Illinois "home".

The kids and I just flew home last week and surprised my dad for his 60th birthday! We spent 9 days at home and honestly I would rather spend my vacations there than on a beach drinking Margaritas in Cabo. Call me crazy, but there is just something about family. I don't think I ever really appreciated family like I should until I had children of my own. To see my kids going from fishing with Grandpa Bill to the movies with Grandpa Eddie to Build-a-Bear with MoMo to the scrapbook store with Grandma Mo to church with Grandma Jackie....To see them loved by so many people just melts my heart! They are spoiled rotten when we visit and they keep telling me they want to move there! The older I get the more I hate being away from my family. I couldn't imagine ever leaving Southern California and all it has to offer.....but some days shoveling snow and living just a few miles from my mom and dad doesn't sound too bad. (disclaimer...I've never in my life shoveled snow...so it's easy for me to "say" that! haha)

The first part of our week was the Surprise 60th birthday party! My dad was SOOO surprised! Not only were friends from all over there for him but we had flown in to surprise him as well. Chasey had talked to him on the phone just hours before the party and she told him we were going to Sea World that day!! He had NO IDEA that we were not at home in California so when he saw us at the party, needless to say he was SHOCKED! I think more shocked that his 6 year old granddaughter had lied to him! He couldn't believe she was capable of that! I told her to do it and it was fine so we wouldn't ruin the surprise! (It's hard to tell a 6 year old...its OK to lie!)

The party was a "Baseball" theme party. My dad is the biggest die-hard Cubs fan you will ever meet....We had the Cardinals World Series game on a big screen at the party and since we were in Southern Illinois there were WAY more Cardinal fans than Cub fans... but you better believe that my dad...and those of us that follow in his footsteps were wearing our Cubs gear proudly!

I love this picture!! That's my brother Dusty on the right surprising my dad with Cash!

Chasey and Cash just adore their Grandpa Eddie! Happy 60th Dad! We love you to pieces!

My dad and his best little buddy Cash!

This is my biological dad Doug...on the left (yes...my mom, dad, other dad...all of them are at the party! Everyone in my family is friends and gets along!) The rest of the crew is labeled...except for Chasey....I forgot to label her!

My sister Madison on the left...My brother Dougie on the right....don't we all look alike?

Chasey being cheesy with her cousins!

Me and my dad! I miss you!

My mom and I...see...told you everyone was at the party!

The kids danced the night away! I just love the look on Cash's face in this picture! They were having so much fun!

My step-mom Maureen put this party together for my dad.....She did an amazing job!
Thank you Maureen!

The next day....we had a hayride......

to be continued.....

ps-I had the kids Cubs shirts custom made by ThisPretty on etsy....I support mom-owned businesses!

xo

Mel

Happy Sweetest Day!

2011-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever hear of "Sweetest Day?" I had never in my life heard of it until October 19th, 2007. First...I'll tell you a little about it. I "googled" it and found this info from Wikipedia

Sweetest Day is an observance celebrated primarily in the Great Lakes region, and parts of the Northeast United States, on the third Saturday in October. It is described by Retail Confectioners International as an "occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember husbands, boyfriends, the sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed."Sweetest Day has also been referred to as a "concocted promotion" created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of sweets.

I also found this on American Greetings Website-

In reality, the history of Sweetest Day dates back to 1922 when a man by the name of Herbert Birch Kingston wanted to bring cheer to local orphans, elderly, homebound people and others he felt may feel a little "forgotten" during other holidays. Kingston worked for a candy company in Cleveland, Ohio and started giving out candy to all the little "sweets" in the community. Following his initial efforts, local candy makers in Cleveland began to continue the tradition of giving and called it "The Sweetest Day of the Year" and distributed over 10,000 boxes of candy to over 26 Cleveland area charities their first year.

Regardless of whether it's a "concocted holiday" to sell candy or whatever...I think it's a great way to tell the sweethearts in your life that you love them. We often forget the ones that really make our days special. The ones that we take for granted.

So....let me tell you how I found out about "Sweetest Day."

I haven't really introduced myself here on this blog...or told you my "story"....I will get to the whole "story" someday, but for now I will cut to the chase....

I got married on October 19th, 2002.....had a baby girl on December 19th, 2004 and then a son on July 31st, 2007....just a few short weeks after my son was born...my marriage ended. It wasn't my choice. I never wanted to raise my children in a broken home. But...looking back, it was the best decision for all of us and my kids are better off with happy parents. Not just parents who stuck it out for "the sake of the kids."

So...when Cash was just a couple of months old I actually started dating...I KNOW I KNOW!!! It was too soon....I know that....I knew it then, but I was so broken down, it was nice to have someone pay attention to me and be nice to me. It was just a "rebound"....or so everyone thought....We had been on a couple of dates...I felt like I was cheating...it was strange to be out with someone else...but I was in NO WAY, SHAPE or FORM cheating....my marriage was OVER, we were getting divorced. It ended several months before we officially called it quits, so from the outside it looked like I jumped right into a relationship.....but in my head I had already been seperated for many, many months so the "official" announcement to family and friends was just a formality of something that had already happened several months before....

So.... back to "Sweetest Day"......I have an amazing step-mom....She's actually only 10 years older than I am and I love her to pieces. She became a single mom when her daughter (my little step-sister) was only 3 or 4 years old....So she had walked in my shoes! I talked to her a lot in that first year. She had been my step-mom since 2002, but we really became close after my divorce. She knew my anniversary was coming up so she called me up one day and said "Do you need to come home? Do you need to come see your family?" YES!!! I needed my mom....I needed my dad....I needed my family! So...my step-mom bought me plane tickets and Chasey, Cash and I were on a plane that next week for a visit to Illinois (My entire family lives in Illinois....I have one aunt here in CA...and that's it...no other family here)....

So...on October 19th, 2007.....(what would have been my 5th anniversary)....I was at my aunt's house...and the flower delivery guy showed up with a gorgeous vase of flowers....They were for ME!! I thought for sure my friends or my mom or someone sent me flowers...to cheer me up on what WOULD have been my anniversary....but no....the card read "Happy Sweetest Day" I about died...I was so happy...I had only been on a few dates with James and he sent me flowers!! At my aunts house....in ILLINOIS!! (James is my uncles best friend...so he had connections in the family to get the address where I was staying!) That boy knows how to treat a woman....I thought he made up some random holiday of his own...I had NEVER heard of Sweetest Day....I thought it was so cute that he made up this holiday! (haha)....I still have the card....I carried it in my purse for a good 3 years...before finally transferring it to my underwear drawer...where I keep all of my "keepsakes." I keep everything...I'm a borderline hoarder! I didn't find out that "Sweetest Day" wasn't a made up "James" holiday until the next October...when I saw it on a calendar! Duh!

Fast forward 4 years.....That amazing man....is still in my life! He's loves me...he loves my kids even more than me (which...is a HUGE bonus). Sometimes people come into your life when you LEAST expect it...or when the LAST thing you need is a relationship. He did break up with me a few months into dating because he knew I needed "time"....time to be single...time to figure out my life....we ended up back together a few months later and are still going strong.

Some things are just meant to be!

Happy Sweetest Day!

ps- Remember when I said I felt like I was cheating? The first couple of times that we went out I would tell the babysitter..."I'm going out with Kimberly!"

-Mel

My favorite time of year!

2011-10-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

It's Fall.....I've told you that in previous posts....and I'm sure you only know it's Fall because I have told you! ha...Well...along with fall comes PUMPKIN PATCHES!!!

I live in Southern California and I have no idea if this is just a Southern California thing....or if all states do this...but our pumpkin patches are OUT OF CONTROL!!! One day you drive by a random dirt lot ....then the next day it's an entire sea of pumpkins, jumpies, rides, petting zoo's, climbing walls...it's insane! I go out of my way NOT to drive by these places because my kids almost jump out the window trying to get at them every chance they get! OH OH OH!! MOOOOOMMMMM!!! PLEASE PLEASE TAKE US THERE!!!!! You can easily drop $50 in 30 minutes and not even come home with a pumpkin! I will definitely visit one of these pumpkin patches each October with my mom friends...it's peer pressure (haha), but we always make a point to visit Bates Nut Farm....It's a more "traditional" pumpkin patch. Yes...they now have jumpies, climbing walls and a petting zoo, but it's actually a farm. The pumpkins are in a field....where they grew them! They bring in a ton of pumpkins as well...but to be on farm where the animals that are there actually LIVE there and at least SOME of the pumpkins were actually grown there...makes me feel a little closer to nature! (a little)

(beware....picture overload!)

I always make my kids pose for pics...As you can see, Cash just LOVES it! haha

They got to choose 3 different "rides"....the jumpy slide was their #1 choice!

We stood on the sidelines while the kids went into the straw maze by themselves...We could see their little heads popping up all around the maze! They are getting so big!

My son is such a boy!

Gross...I couldn't believe she got so close to this scarecrow! uck!

This is Cash's "new" thing....James taught him this one...He says "who has two thumbs and is super cool?"....then he says "THIS GUY!"

The forced family photo at the pumpkin patch! James always wants to kill me for asking a stranger to take our picture!! I don't care...family photos are important to me!

What is this? These pumpkins always creep me out...they look like a baboon butt....you know...when you see them at the zoo and you have to look away because they are so disgusting! lol

We already have a huge pumpkin at home...so they got to get little pumpkins!

My kids have a blast here every year.

and...because the 12 year old boy will forever live on inside of me....this makes me laugh!

-Mel

Foodie Friday is here!

2011-10-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! I am a self professed "foodie" so I am excited to start what I hope will be the first of many posts about one of my favorite subjects: food!! I am particularly excited because we are heading into such a great season for food. Granted, I find reasons to celebrate food throughout the year, but fall and winter menus are especially appealing. The weather has finally cooled and fall is officially here which means I start craving hearty, belly-warming meals. Soups, stews and the like are all great this time of year, but chicken pot pie is near the top of my list. It fills the house with a heavenly aroma, tastes delicious and is a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies! The recent cold weather was excuse enough for me to whip up the first pie of the season. Levi and the kids loved it which unfortunately didn't mean much in the way of leftovers, but I guess that just means I will have to make another one soon. I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does!

Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie:

1 cup sliced carrots
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 red potatos, diced
2 heads of broccoli, chopped into small pieces
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped into bite-size pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 c. chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1 crust for savory pie - recipe below

Savory Pie Crust:

2/3 c. shortening - I use whole foods brand which is non-hydrogenated and organic!
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
6 tsp ice water

Directions:

Crust:
Homemade pie crust sounds like a much bigger project than it really is and it tastes so much better. To begin, mix flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add shortening and mix, preferably with your hands, until mixture is grainy and the shortening has been completely incorporated into the flour. Add ice water 1 tbsp at a time until the dough starts to come together into one ball. Continue vigorously kneading and adding water until dough has a moist (but not wet) consistency and then pat it into a round ball. Cover with foil and place in refrigerator for half hour. You can always make several of these in advance and freeze them if you want to shorten your prep time.
To roll out: Take a piece of wax paper, roughly 12-13 inches long and place it on counter. Dust it lightly with flour and do the same to the rolling pin. Place cold (but not too hard) dough in middle of wax paper and lightly flour it. Begin to slowly roll dough, rotating it on wax paper to get an even circle. Continue to roll and rotate until crust has formed a 12 inch diameter circle. Place crust in buttered 9" pie dish and trim edges with kitchen scissors or knife. Roll second half of dough and leave on wax paper until pot pie filling has been added to the dish. I like to reuse my wax paper, so I shake the excess flour off of the wax paper when I am finished cooking and wipe it clean with a sponge. I let it dry and then store it in a bag for the next time.

Filling:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large saucepan, combine onion, garlic and 1 Tbsp olive oil. Saute on med-high until onion is soft and then add chicken. Continue sauteing for 5 minutes and then add the rest of the vegetables. Cook until vegetables are softened and chicken is browned, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside. In a small saucepan, combine butter and flour over medium heat. Add salt and pepper and slowly stir in chicken broth and milk using a whisk to break up any flour clumps. Simmer until thick.

Place chicken and vegetables into bottom pie crust and then pour flour mixture over it. Cover with top crust and seal edges with your fingers, forming an indent (as best as you can) in the edges with your thumbs. My crusts aren't always pretty, but they taste great! Make several slits in top crust for ventilation.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes. Let cool for at least 20 minutes (especially if you have kids....that filling can be molten!) and serve.

What is your favorite cold weather recipe?

- Jen

Happy Fall Y'all!

2011-10-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Fall is here!!!

It actually rained yesterday...and the weather is cooler!

The high is only in the 60's here in Southern California so I can finally break out my skinny jeans and boots!

Summer is my favorite season....but I love Fall for so many reasons!

-Kids are back in school which means we have more of a schedule around here!

-I can wear boots and Uggs! Oh how I love my Uggs! My boyfriend gets annoyed by how much I wear them...so he bought me the cute black knit ones!

-I can decorate the house! I love to buy those little tiny pumpkins and use them as decorations! They last forever so we get to enjoy them through Thanksgiving!

- I get to use my crock pot ALL.THE.TIME!

-Turkey Chili...and jalapeno cheddar cornbread....just another reason why I love fall!

-Halloween Costumes! I'm 37 and I think I've dressed up every.single.year of my life! (I may have missed one year in my twenties)

I made this cute centerpiece yesterday...Just wanted to share...so easy and CHEAP! (under $10)...and...it will last until I bust out the Christmas decorations! Score!

I started with a glass vase...that I already had...I bought several ears of Indian Corn, a few little pumpkins and a couple of gourds at Sprouts

Lined the Indian Corn up around the outside....put a gourd in the middle to take up space..

a few pumpkins in the back

(because I didn't have enough Indian Corn to go all the way around)

Voila....A festive "Natural" Centerpiece that will last until Thanksgiving!

{beware not to set a candle too close to the husks...those things will go up in flames quick!}

-Mel

I linked up to:

The Great Power Outage of 2011!

2011-09-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

So...this happened a couple of weeks ago, but my kids are still talking about it so I thought it deserved a blog post!

A couple of weeks ago James and I were sitting at the kitchen table just before 4pm and the power went out...We were both on laptops so the only reason we knew that it went out was because the fan stopped! We looked up and saw the clock on the stove was out and the first thing he said to me was "Did you pay the bill?!" haha...YES I paid the bill! We ventured outside...that just seemed like the natural thing to do...check and see if a car had run over the power box on the curb or not....a couple of our neighbors were outside and their power was out too....hmmmmm....you go back inside and just wait because the power never stays off for more than 20 minutes or so...right?!

As time clicked on and were both on our smartphones...our internet service was out so we couldn't use our laptops....We read on good ole facebook that our friends were out in El Cajon...and then Oceanside...and then Vista....and then Coronado! Holy Cow...this was HUGE!

We loaded the kids in the car and had a little "car party"...we sat in the driveway and listened to the radio for at least an hour to find out that this was "An Unprecedented Event...and if your family has an emergency action plan to activate it NOW". WOW! This was way more serious than we thought.

We did our best to keep our refrigerator closed so that our food wouldn't spoil. I had just gone to Costco that morning! I was hoping and praying we weren't going to lose all that food!

We fired up the bbq, ate dinner on our front lawn, we read books by flashlight....and met so many neighbors that we never even knew existed! Turns our we have a DJ that lives on our block...He had glow necklaces for EVERYONE!!! Made for a great block party!

The next morning Chasey told me "Last night was the best night of my life mom!"....

Moral of the story:

Guess we should "unplug" a little more often!

(Turns out that "The Great Power Outage of Southern California" was caused by human error. Our power went back on around 1am. It really wasn't a big deal....I think it was the most fun we've had with our neighbors ever!)

Camping with the "Terra Crew"

2011-09-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

Summer is by far my favorite season of the year...I'm sad to see it come to an end, but we had one last "hoorah" before we headed back to the daily grind of school drop-offs, pick-ups and homework!

A few weeks ago, we enjoyed a weekend of camping at the beach. The beachside camping spots are so coveted that you have to book them 6 months in advance. At 8am on Feb 1st we had 4 computers going and we got 1 spot!! We were trying for 2 next to each other or even near each other...but we got ONE! It's like buying concert tickets! My family, Jen's family and another family packed it into one spot and enjoyed some surfing, sun, skateboarding and smores!

We were only 20 minutes from home...but it felt like we were a thousand miles away! I love knowing that if I forgot something, we could go home and get it. (luckily...that didn't happen...but knowing that we COULD is a great feeling!)We spent lots and lots of time on the sand! The clouds lingered in the mornings, but by noon they gave way to a great day of sunshine! That's pretty standard for Southern California beach weather.

We painted Rocks....

We rode Bikes...

We played in the water.....

We rode skateboards....

We made smores....

We spent time with our families and that was the BEST part of it all!

Me & Cash

Jen & Grey

I am SOOO looking forward to next summer already!
xoxoMel

"Meet the Designer - Smiling Tree Toys!"

2011-08-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hi and welcome to the Terra Collection Blog! We're so excited about our new fans and followers on facebook, twitter and here on our blog!! We officially launched our new website today www.terracollection.com and we are beyond excited about it! (Whooo Hooo!!! I'm opening some champagne tonight!!) Please click on over there to check out the fruits of our labor and we'd love to hear your feedback..... We offer several different organic/reused/repurposed/recycled items....Our own product line is "Terra Tee Project" but we are also carrying other eco-friendly products as well!

Occasionally we are going to do a "Meet the Designer" blog post so you can get to know the people behind the products!! I love knowing that there is an actual person behind a product that I am using! Our first "Meet the Designer" is Kathleen and Justin....the adorable couple behind Smiling Tree Toys! (I mean...seriously adorable...look at that picture!) I asked them a few questions and I hope you enjoy learning a little about them and the story behind their amazing toys!

Tell me a little about yourself? How did you get started in the woodworking business? Do you work from home? Or an office?

We’re Justin and Kathleen, the smiling faces behind Smiling Tree Toys. We’re fun-loving kids at heart with a deep appreciation for living simply, being kind to Mother Nature, and creating thoughtful, handmade gifts.

Our family business began in 2010 when we returned to the U.S. after serving two years with the Peace Corps in Niger, West Africa. After living in a small, strongly-knit community in West Africa, we wanted the same for our new home in the U.S. We chose Kathleen’s family roots in rural southwestern Minnesota as our little place to call home. That’s where you’ll find us, where Justin enjoys the prairie views from his woodshop window, and Kathleen is happy to return to the wide open spaces of her childhood. Best of all, we love sharing it all with our little daughter Amana, born last October.

The name Smiling Tree Toys reflects our love of and appreciation for Mother Nature. Our toys wouldn’t exist without her, and so we wanted our name to pay homage to the trees that allow us to transform them into wooden fun for little ones. The gorgeous grain patterns, coloring, and silky smoothness of organically finished hardwoods just can’t be beat! We do everything in our power to keep our environmental footprint very small; we like to think that all of the earth-friendly things we do bring a smile to the trees we use.

We love being work-from-home parents! The freedom to plan our daily schedules around play time, story time, and nap time is priceless. And because the first few years of a little one’s life just fly by, we feel very blessed that we can earn a living while not missing a single moment of our daughter’s daily achievements and discoveries.

When we’re not in our woodshop, the three of us are usually enjoying family time, playing games, camping, skiing, and helping out on our family’s organic farm.

We like to say that we “work hard to play hard,” although most days in the woodshop hardly feel like work at all -- come on, we get to make TOYS for a living!

Tell me what you love about what you do?

Most everything! Earning a living while doing something you truly believe in and feel good about is priceless. We both love our roles in Smiling Tree – Justin creates our toys and Kathleen handles the marketing, selling, and customer relations – it’s a match made in heaven! It feels great to know that the handmade items we pour our hearts and souls into go to new homes where they’re treasured and enjoyed. A few other things we love: our morning walk down the drive to mail packages, Justin’s ten-step commute to work, the thrill of new design ideas popping into our heads, and getting to know other independent artisans.

For Jen & I…once we had children we knew that we needed to take steps…even if small ones…to make our lives more toxin free/earth-friendly/organic….What drove your passion to be a “green/organic” company?

Being an organic, eco-friendly company just feels like the right thing to do. Kathleen was raised on her family’s organic farm, and we’ve always truly believed that some of the best things in life come directly from Mother Nature, unaltered and in their purest forms. We grow a lot of our own food, buy locally and organic, and are eco-conscious consumers. When we became parents, it only felt natural to raise our daughter in this same way. And that means surrounding her with earth-friendly, toxin free toys that are simple, safe, and inspire creativity. We find this lifestyle so fulfilling, that we chose to combine our passions with Justin’s love of woodworking and voila! – Smiling Tree Toys was born.

A few of the ways Smiling Tree is good to the earth:

*we use locally sourced and FSC certified woods

*our packaging materials are eco-friendly (recycled cardboard boxes, wood chips as filler, biodegradable bubble wrap, and re-used packing paper/bubble wrap from local businesses)

*our toys have our very own, homegrown organic finish (we use certified organic camelina oil and beeswax, both of which are grown on our family's farm)

*we participate in our local renewable energies program

*we shop locally for our business/home purchases

*we’re conscious consumers – waste not, want not!

*we’re sure to get out of the woodshop and tend to our organic veggie garden

Who is that adorable little baby in your picture?

That little lady is our ten-month old daughter Amana. She’s our first child. Amana’s name (pronounced ah-MAH-nah) is a West African word for “friendship and trust” that holds special meaning for us during the time we spent serving with the Peace Corps in Niger, Africa. All little ones truly are blessings from up above, and Amana is our daily reminder to enjoy the simple things in life and be thankful for what we’ve been given. She inspires, entertains, and motivates us each and every day. And she’s perfect for testing and modeling our toys!

I'm in love with this farm house...When can I visit? -Melissa

What is your favorite food? Do you have a favorite healthy recipe you would like to share with our readers?

We love cooking with fresh, whole foods from our garden and family farm. For the last few weeks, we’ve been indulging in fresh sweet corn-on-the cob!

We’d like to share two favorites: creamy yogurt and homemade pizza crust.

Grandma B’s Homemade Yogurt: a great way to make healthy plain yogurt for your little ones (and yourself!). You’ll find my recipe here: http://www.smilingtreetoys.blogspot.com/

Stir-and-Roll Pizza Dough: this one’s a no-brainer; lots of fun for little ones to personalize their own sections of the pizza with toppings of their choice. And much healthier than ordering out for pizza.

3 c flour

3 tsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsp salt

1 c milk

1/4 c + 2 Tbsp olive oil (or oil of your choice)

Combine everything and stir until mixture leaves sides of bowl. Gather together and press into a ball. Knead ten times or so to make smooth. Roll out on a lightly-floured surface and transfer to a 9x13 pan. Brush lightly with oil and top with all your favorite pizza toppings. Bake at 425° F for about 20 minutes. Enjoy with someone you love!

GIVING BACK:

We’re on a mission to circle the earth with smiles! For every toy we sell, we make a donation to Peace Corps worldwide youth development projects. As former Peace Corps Volunteers, this is a cause especially near and dear to our hearts. The latest project we’re sponsoring is called Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) in Zambia, eastern Africa. Camp GLOW is a female leadership camp that gives female students and teachers the skills and knowledge to overcome gender obstacles in their communities.

RANDOM/FUN FACT:

We own a small herd of happy cows! They’re part of our family’s 5th generation organic farm. Our cows and calves enjoy plenty of sunshine, grass, and wide open spaces. It’s our small way of ensuring that the food our family eats is healthy, sustainable, and treated with kindness and respect.

Thank you Kathleen and Justin for being our first "Meet the Designer" feature!! You are a pleasure to work with and we look forward to a great future with you!

Mel & Jen

Terra Collection - launching Summer 2011!!!

2011-06-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Terra Collection began its journey as "The Terra Tee Project" which is a southern California based organic T-shirt company with a global mission. With the purchase of each Terra Tee, a donation will be made to one of several charities dedicated to improving our quality of life on this planet - from cleaning up the air and water to protecting the animals and the earth.

The debut collection, known as the Terra Tee Project, features designs inspired by California’s pristine lakes, forests and miles of coastline, each t-shirt is designed to make a statement and feel like your long-time favorite. With a hint of retro and a nod to sophisticated artist design, Terra Collection Tees will be your go-to fashion statement tee for a night out, a hike in the woods or over your bathing suit when headed to the beach.

The Terra Collection was transformed in Summer of 2011 into an "Eco-Friendly Fab Boutique" where you can purchase Terra Tees and many other eco-friendly items for yourself or for gifts. Our mission is to showcase small businesses like ourselves that offer eco-friendly, organic, reused and/or recycled products and work together to offer amazing products to consumers while striving to keep our earth green!

The product of two mothers, and longtime friends, the Terra Collection was created by Jennifer Capaci and Melissa Bailey as an extension of their commitment to leaving a living legacy for their kids and future generations. The debut collection, known as the Terra Tee Project, features four t-shirt designs in styles for women, one for earth, air, water and life. Buyers can choose which charity they would like to donate to or can let the Terra Collection decide.

We are super excited about the launch of our new Eco-Boutique! Stay tuned for the launch...Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter! Become a follower of this blog! There will be special giveaways and discounts only offered to our followers and fans!

Shop Terra Collection here!

Thanks so much for stopping by....
xoxo
Mel & Jen