Sustainable & Creative Living
It’s party time! This time of year a lot of us will be going to at least one party or another—from graduation parties to summer holiday parties and, of course, weddings! There will be plenty of food, drink, and conversation. Festive gatherings are an excellent opportunity to catch up with family and friends. It’s also a great way to meet and socialize with new people. Hopefully, you’ll even make some new friends.
One thing that can completely change the way we consume visual media – television, movies, even a commercial – is music. Whether it’s a composed film score or an indie band soundtrack, music alters the way we interpret a scene. It sets the tone and mood.
If you’re like me, you can probably name notable film scores (Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean) just from hearing them. I can sometimes hear a song and remember a specific scene from a movie or show it was played in. I personally love watching movies and television for their soundtracks. That’s one of the ways I’ve discovered new bands that I now love! Even commercials these days have great songs. I find that television series’ have some of the best soundtracks because they’re long-form entertainment.
Back in March 2017, a Netflix original took the internet by storm – I am talking about the show 13 Reasons Why. I’m sure if you were present on the internet at the time, you heard about it. I know I sure did.
I was in the middle of binge-watching The Good Place and Shadowhunters at the time. So I wasn’t able to watch it until recently. I was home alone all weekend, it was rainy, and I was feeling introverted. I watched the entire 13 episodes in about 36 hours. [Read more…]
About a month ago it was Earth Day and us here at From Under a Palm Tree attended a local Eco-Fest. I have been writing a four-part series about different things we learned from the eco-fest and this is the final part in that series.
One thing I love about going to festivals of this nature is meeting and talking to everyone. I also like to get free stuff! And vendors love to give away free stuff because it helps promote their business or organization. The best part is that a lot of the freebies were things that help the cause and spread the eco-friendly message. [Read more…]
I went through a period in my life a little over a year ago where I was really struggling with some transitions and changes. Some I knew were coming but they were still hard to deal with. Others were unexpected and, therefore, even harder to deal with.
These big changes include our youngest daughter graduating from high school. My own graduation from college (finally) with my Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities/American Studies. And finally, dealing with the transition surrounding [Read more…]
For those of you who have read my previous posts, you know that I got married 7 ½ years ago on beautiful Sanibel Island. Naturally, it’s a moment in time that my husband and I will cherish forever and always remember fondly. Every summer we [Read more…]
Attention dog-parents everywhere: this is why you must pick up after your pooch!
I have to admit, I have been guilty of not picking up after my two beagles on occasion. And by pick up after, I mean scoop their poop. It’s not pretty, maybe we don’t like to talk about it, but it’s a reality for any dog owner. Dogs go #2 and it’s up to us to clean up after them.
This year on Earth Day, we here at From Under a Palm Tree had an exciting outing at the Tampa Bay Eco-Fest. We were able to speak to all kinds of organizations and vendors with the intent to live more sustainable lives. That’s always our goal here at From Under a Palm Tree. [Read more…]
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there. To the single moms, the single dads, the birth mothers, and the adoptive mothers – you are miracle workers. You raise children, shape their minds, wipe their butts, and hold their hands. [Read more…]
Happy Mother’s Day to all the tired, hardworking moms out there. As I’ve gotten older and have since had a child of my own, I’ve come to appreciate my mom in a way only a fellow mom can. I never really understood the magnitude of being a mom until my son was born. The act alone of carrying a child is a feat in and of itself. And everything after birth, well it’s [Read more…]
Everyone likes to save money, right? What if I told you, you can save money by saving energy? There are so many things we can do to save energy in our homes that actually translates into money savings!
This past Earth Day, we here at From Under a Palm Tree attended a local Eco-Fest. We were able to meet with all kinds of organizations and vendors, with the intent to live more sustainable lives. In the second of a 4-part series, I want to share some of the energy-saving, money-saving tips we learned from Eco-Fest!
Coffee Made Me Do It! It’s true, there’s something about the way it smells, tastes, and makes you feel. The instant “ahh” moment right after you take a sip will have you slurping lattes all day long. Before you know it, you’re 10 cups deep, on edge like a junky looking for [Read more…]
April is the month of spring and Earth Day! This Earth Day we here at From Under a Palm Tree attended the 8th Annual Eco-fest in Tampa! Just like most local festivals, it had everything from local organizations and companies, food trucks, to vendors selling homemade goods. Everything was geared toward spreading awareness of eco-friendly practices. This was by far my favorite local festival I’ve ever attended.
There were booths specifically about recycling, water treatment and conservation, veganism, and Florida plants; the list goes on and on.
The best part was getting to talk to all of those vendors and learn about the environment. As with anything, it is important to continue to educate ourselves, especially about an ever-changing entity like the environment.
In the first of a 4 part series, I want to share some of the interesting information I learned at Eco-fest this year. This first post is all about eco-friendly landscaping practices courtesy of Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Babies and toddlers are notorious for two things…being cute as heck and getting sick. It’s unavoidable. So, no matter how many antibacterial wipes you invest in, how many times you tell them not to eat floor food, or how many times you double boil every pacifier, they’re going to get sick. Inevitably, you’ll make a 1 a.m. trip to the pharmacy or beg your pediatrician for [Read more…]
