Demand Refund for Your SIGG Water Bottle

As consumers became aware of the dangers of BPA in plastic water bottles, the popularity of stainless steel water bottles exploded. One very popular brand that benefitted from the anti-BPA movement is Swiss company SIGG, who sold their trendy bottles on the promise of being BPA free.

In August, SIGG admitted to using BPA in the lining of their bottles until as recent as last summer! They are now offering consumers a free replacement, but seeing as they refuse to disclose what is in their new lining, who can trust them?

The Breast Cancer Fund has once again made it easy for us to speak up. Using their simple form letter, write SIGG CEO Steve Wasik to demand a REFUND and ask that they regain our trust by revealing the ingredients of the lining in their new bottles.

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

This is a good campaign to get behind if you are concerned about the ingredients in personal care products we use every day on ourselves and our children. Their website is a fabulous resource for information, legislative updates, tips and so much more. Check out their video below.

FREE Sample of Seventh Generation Detergent!

Seventh Generation is giving away free samples of their fabulous laundry detergent! Go here to sign in or sign up for Seventh Generation Nation and then request your free sample! If you haven't already, check out my review of this super green clean detergent! Of all the natural and eco-friendly detergents I have tested, this is still my favorite and what I choose to use in my home. This offer is only good while supplies last so act fast!


Thanks to Hip2Save for spreading the word about this great freebie!

30 Thursday: What Could You Do Without?

It's been a while since we've had a 30 Thursday, so I'll remind everyone what it's about. I post a topic or question and the first 30 people to reply in a comment can put an additional entry in any current giveaway I am hosting.

Today I am thinking of things that I could do without. What are things I can give up that will make the earth a little bit of a better place? A big thing that comes to mind is my SUV. I love my Acura MDX, but it is much more car than I need. I have one child and never take road trips. It's a pretty big thing to "get rid of" and a little complicated what with loans and all, but I'm working on it. I plan on replacing it with a Mini Cooper Clubman. Maybe I can do it within 6 months, or maybe it will take over a year- but I'm going to do it. In the meantime, I'll try to walk more (unfortunately Houston suburbs make this near impossible) and I'll give up something small for now.

Photo courtesy of cartype.com

Plastic cups. Is it really that much of an inconvenience to wash glasses after a party or large family gathering? Nope. So goodbye plastic cups, and Styrofoam for that matter. I'm not buying them ever again. It's a small thing, true. But I am hopeful that one day these small things will add up to make a big difference.

Tell me something you are willing to give up- big or small! And don't forget to go to the Weleda giveaway and post a comment for your extra entry! (Just put 30 Thursday and your email address in the giveaway comment.)

What Are We Protecting?

Every now and then I like to remind myself of what it is we are protecting by choosing green over convenience, price or expediency. Here are a few pics of autumn in my great state of Texas.

Guadalupe State Park

Photo by Sandy Powers

Lubbock, TX

Photo by David Kozlowski

McKittrick Canyon (west TX desert)

Photo courtesy of jkenny3

What are you protecting? Tell us in a comment.

CVS Pays Customers To Bring Their Own Bag

It looks like Target has started a trend. Only weeks after launching their reusable bag campaign, CVS has begun one of their own. The CVS program costs you at first, but pays better in the long run. Here's how it works:

Purchase a "Green Bag Tag" from your CVS store for $0.99 and have your cashier scan it every time you check out using your own bag. Every three visits, you'll receive a $1.00 credit! If you're a serious CVS deal shopper, this incentive could pay for a latter or two a week and imagine all of the plastic bags it will keep from landfills! :)

Picture Courtesy of CouponingToDisney

Thanks to Couponing To Disney and It's Hip 2 Save for posting about this great green incentive program! And by the way, if y'all haven't already, you should pay a visit to Hip 2 Save and watch this girl shop!

Weleda Product Giveaway

Enter TODAY for your chance to win these fabulous products valued at $37.00!

Of all the Weleda products I tested and reviewed, my favorites were the Skin Food and the Cellulite Oil. So I am giving you all a chance to snag one of each for yourself! On November 1st, one lucky reader will be chosen to receive their very own Skin Food and Cellulite Oil to keep for themselves or re-gift at Christmas! (2.5 oz. tube of Skin Food and 3.4 fl oz bottle of Cellulite Oil)



Entering the giveaway is easy.


First (and this step must be done before any additional entries are counted) tell me (via comment) about a natural, organic or eco-friendly product you would be interested in me reviewing. Maybe something you have considered purchasing but haven't yet heard any consumer feedback on. Please include your email address in your comment so that I have a way to contact you!


Additional Entries:

1. Blog About Spots On My Apples
You can have an additional entry for each blog post about this giveaway or any of my other posts. Please linkback from my post(s) to yours. One entry for each linkback/post. Leave a new comment on this giveaway post and tell me about it!

2. Follow Me on Google
Leave me a comment below to tell me about it!

3. Subscribe to My Blog
Leave another comment below to tell me you did!

4. Tell Someone Else About This Giveaway
Whether you pick up the phone or post it on your Facebook status- it all counts! Be sure to leave another comment below to tell me what you did!


Please leave separate comments for each entry.

1 comment = 1 entry

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end at 11:59 PM on November 1st. Winner will be chosen by random number generator and announced and contacted on November 2nd. Winner must respond to my email by 11:59PM November 3rd or a new winner will be chosen.


Good luck!

Arnica Massage Oil Review and Deal Alert

I had such a wonderful weekend that I did not get a chance to post my last Weleda review. Saturday was spent celebrating my niece's 4th birthday. We painted pottery! It was so fun. (Happy birthday chicken!) And Sunday? Well... I admit. Sunday was a wonderfully overcast, misty cold day and all I wanted was to hole up in my house with my family, baking and watching tv. So that's exactly what I did. No work.

And so our week of Weleda has been extended by a day. I am okay with this. I love these products and now have a valid excuse to go on about them some more. Today I'm reviewing their Arnica Massage Oil.

My husband and I are not big on swapping massages. It's just not something we do really, but I got a chance to test this oil out on myself after a hard week of running. My legs were killing me! I couldn't walk or sit without feeling like they would collapse at any moment! So after my shower I popped the cap on the bottle, drizzled some of the oil over my aching thigh and got to work.

The smell of arnica has a medicinal quality to it but is also quite pleasant and soothing. It even opened up my sinuses a bit as I massaged my leg- an unexpected plus! This oil, like all of Weleda's products is not greasy! I expected it to be- it's massage oil right? But this stuff soaks into your skin, leaving the surface moist by not oily.

The arnica warmed the muscles as I massaged and helped them loosen and relax. The oil also contains rosemary and lavender which help the mind to relax and unwind. By the time I finished massaging both legs my muscles felt better, my senses calmed and my skin was left feeling nourished and supple.

If you are looking for a spa quality massage oil that is 100% pure and natural, I recommend giving this one a try. You can pick it up at Target for about $20.00 or you can order it for only $13.99 through Amazon.com.

*Pictures courtesy of Weleda.com

Weleda Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash Review and Deal Alert

If you could use some early morning revitalization of the senses, reach for a tube of Weleda's Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash. This all natural wash comes out of the tube feeling like lotion and smells like paradise. Sea Buckthorn is a powerful antioxidant packed with vitamin A and E to smooth and nourish your skin.

After getting a whif of this stuff in the store, I couldn't wait to try it out. I have a hard time waking up in the mornings. Sometimes even a shower fails to do the trick. But one squirt of this cream onto my shower puff was like being woken up by sun warming my face.

I would recommend not applying this cream to a washcloth. The washcloth will absorb a lot of it and you won't get it to foam up at all. Use a sponge or shower puff to get it to suds up a bit and be prepared to fall in love. Not only will you come out of the shower feeling clean, refreshed and awake but your skin will be left feeling supple and soft- not dry and tight like with other soaps and washes.

The Sea Buckthorn Creamy Body Wash is another home run by Weleda. I highly recommend it as a perfect way to pamper yourself or someone else. You can pick it up at Target for around $16.00 a tube, or you can order it online at Amazon for a steal at only $10!

Birch Cellulite Oil Review and Deal Alert

When I saw Weleda's Birch Cellulite Oil in the store my mind instantly flashed to those ads in the back of beauty magazines. "Magical pill dissolves cellulite instantly." "Scrub away cellulite with Super Soap!" I always try to keep an open mind when trying a new product but I confess, I was already planning my critical review when I opened the box at home.

The seal on the cap popped as I twisted it off and I could immediately smell the birch and something citrussy. It was nice! My attitude changed as I filled my palm with a puddle of the oil. At the very least I would smell nice.

I massaged the oil into my upper thighs in circular motions as directed by the product literature. It was not as greasy as I expected and like the Skin Food, it soaked right into my skin.

The Results:
I repeated this process every morning and evening. I am not going to post before and after pictures because, trust me, nobody deserves to see that. But I can tell you that after only a few days I noticed a difference. Did it "melt away" my cellulite? No. But it is doing exactly what Weleda said it would. My skin is firmer and has a smoother appearance making my "wobbly bits" look a little tighter. I have only been using it for 11 days and will definitely continue to use it. I am also going to try it out on areas where my skin is a little "loose" like the under side of my arms and and what I call my "chicken wings." I don't have cellulite there, but I think this oil could make a difference.

I'm really excited about this product!

It is not a miracle worker. It is not going to make a fat
butt look skinny. But it will improve the texture and
appearance of your skin.

I've started running again to get back into shape. I look forward to seeing what this oil, a better diet, and running can do with my problem areas in a few months! I'll let you know. In the meantime, my experience so far is enough to earn my thumbs up. I recommend it if you have cellulite or loose skin that could use some firming up. And of course, like all Weleda products, this oil is ALL NATURAL.

You should be able to find this oil at your local Target for about $25.00. A bit pricey but I think the results are worth it, and it should last a while.

Online Deals:
If you don't mind waiting for it for a few days, you won't get a better price than this one at Amazon. This is a 58% savings!! I think I'm going to stock up. :)





All pictures courtesy of Weleda.com

Weleda Skin Food Review & Deals

I always have issues with dry skin, but going into winter it gets even worse. Blown heat, heavy clothes and dry, cold air will escalate my skin problems from bad to worse. Areas that are dry and rough in the summer run the risk of cracking in the winter. Regular lotions don't do a thing for me. Oils and body butters help, but they tend to be greasy. Once my skin has made the transition from merely dry to rough or cracking, there are few products that can bring it back. Those that can contain synthetic ingredients that I don't relish putting on my body.

Last week I tried Weleda's Skin Food.

This ultra nourishing body cream is packed with powerful natural ingredients
like organic sunflower oil, an excellent source of vitamin E, and organic pansy
which contains antiseptic properties that will soothe cracked or irritated skin.

Perfect. I decided to try this super cream out on my biggest problem area- my heels.

Over the summer I had been maintaining my feet with regular exfoliation (using foot scrubs and my precious ped-egg) and moisturizing nightly with that yummy coconut body butter I told y'all about in May. Unfortunately, I fell down on the job and by late August my heels were so brittle that they were cracking and even bleeding a little on one foot! This made me worry about infection and so I stopped using any scrub or the ped-egg. They had never gotten so bad! Even the coconut butter wasn't helping at this stage. By late September they had healed but still very dry and rough- perfect candidates for my Skin Food trial.

When I applied this cream to my skin I immediately understood the name.

This "Skin Food" was like manna from heaven to my starving skin.

My skin soaked it up greedily and though still on the road to recovery, my heels instantly felt better. They weren't sore when I walked and they no longer felt like the skin would crack at the slightest pull. The cream is not oily so there was no greasy film left to collect dog hairs from my carpet when I walked. (This is a huge pet peeve of mine!) I got excited then and began applying to all my dry patches. My elbows and knees looked so much better without that ashy white and whithered look! They looked young and healthy.

I have continued to use the cream every day for the last week or so. I love it. It is a full body cream and can be used everywhere, but I am being selfish with it and saving it only for my most desperate areas. My feet are thanking me. They aren't perfect yet but they are so much better! They don't snag my socks anymore when I'm getting dressed in the morning which makes me much happier than it should.

I look forward to putting on the cream when I step out of the shower. The subtle citrus smell brightens my mood in the mornings and stays with me all day. I take the trial size with me in my purse and use it as a hand lotion throughout the day. It always makes me feel fresh and clean when I put it on and soothes my cracked cuticles and finger tips.

The packaging is earth friendly and recyclable. The aluminum tube keeps the cream cool and fresh and also makes it easier to squeeze out every last dollop! Weleda Skin Food is 100% natural, 100% effective and 100% addictive. I highly recommend it.

You can find Skin Food at Target for around $17.00 for a 2.5 oz. tube. If you don't mind waiting a few days, you can snag a tube from Amazon.com for only $10.45! (Click here) Weleda also offers great printable coupons to members of their website. Sign up for free here.

Here's another good deal on Amazon if you want to start out with a smaller tube.

All photos courtesy of Weleda.com

If I Needed More Reasons to Love Target...

Target's ongoing commitment to the environment and the community is providing me with more and more reasons to love this store. (As if I needed more...)

Here's two of my latest and greatest reasons:



Target Offers Discounts to Customers Using Reusable Shopping Bags

Target now offers a discount of $.05 per bag at the register for customers that forgo the plastic Target bags and bring their own reusables. Most stores have already enacted this policy while others will be rolling it out this month. Check with your local store for details.


Recycle Your Batteries and Cell Phones to Benefit the Boys & Girls Club of America
In the past I have researched how to recycle my batteries. I go through so many with all these talking and singing toddler toys! All I could find were services that required me to pay for a special box to send in or something equally inconvenient and costly. Well, Target has stepped up yet again and is accepting used batteries for recycling at the Customer Service departments of their local stores. They are also accepting old cell phones. All proceeds will go to support The Boys & Girls Club of America!


With policies like these, am I now justified in feeling like a better person when I'm pushing that beautiful red cart?? I think so. :-)

Week of Weleda

My newest obsession hails from Australia but, luckily, can be found right down the street at my neighborhood Target. Weleda personal care products are 100% natural and completely free of synthetic fragrances, preservatives, colorants and raw materials derived from mineral oils, as well as genetically modified organisms (GMO's). Some of you may have seen their spa skincare and body products on the shelves of your local store, but they also have a line of men's products, baby products, holistic medicines and various other natural personal care products including deodorant and toothpaste.

I am not lucky enough to live near one of their luxury spas (New York, Tokyo or Paris) but I did get my hands on some of their products to create my own personal, all natural spa experience at home. This week I will be posting reviews of four different Weleda products as well as coupons and great deals for you to take advantage of. And who knows, maybe I'll even throw in a giveaway... ;)

In the meantime, learn more about the company and products by checking out their beautiful, info-packed website.

All pictures courtesy of Weleda

Great Design Ideas for Repurposing Tattered Decorations!

Wendy over at The Shabby Nest is a master of repurposing. Every Friday she hosts "Frugal Fridays" during which she shows us how to make a great decoration for next to nothing- usually by repurposing things we already have!

Today's Frugal Friday was another gem. Check out her worn Christmas wreath getting an autumn makeover!

Before...

And After...

What a transformation!

I love the thought of bringing new life to something that was headed for a landfill. It's yet another thing that's good for the earth AND good for our budgets!

Check out more of Wendy's cheap yet beautiful ideas here. You might just find a few projects to fill your weekend with!