It IS Easy Being Green.

Well, we had quite an eventful weekend this past week, dealing with all things sustainable around our house. Earlier, I promised a post about how to build a rain barrel. Our weekend turned in to so much more, so instead of an article just about the barrel, here is a recap, through pictures, of everything we got done.

First up, some great guys from Energy Trust of Oregon came out to do an "energy assessment" on our house. We live in the Lent's Neighborhood and therefore qualify for some wonderful grants that could help us make our home much more efficient.

Testing to see how pressurized the house is.

Next, we got down to business on building our barrel. It was not an easy task, but we figured it out.

Building the base.

Connecting the gutter to the downspout to the lid.

Installing the spout where the hose will connect was the hardest part, but we made it work.

The finished product!

The icing on the cake...it rained like crazy that night and the entire barrel filled up! Now we need to get our garden in ASAP so we can put all this water to use.

There's no better way to top off an early spring day filled with hard work than grilling for dinner.

YUM!

Check out Shawn's "instructional video" or visit the link below for step by step instructions on how to build your own rain barrel. Happy Conserving!

http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=182095

Also, here is the link for Energy Trust of Oregon, if you want to see how you can qualify for some of these awesome programs.

http://energytrust.org/residential/

Up Next...Building a Barrel

Tea-riffic Times

I had a great time this past Thursday night attending the first ever Tea Tasting Dinner put on at McCormick and Schmick's Harborside by the Tao of Tea. My date was a close friend who loves tea as much as I do, and it was really nice to step out of the box and do something a bit different than what our normal girl's nights usually entail.
We started with mojitos infused with Moroccan mint tea and also sipped on a non-alcoholic sparkling Hibiscus Ginger cocktail--SO refreshing.
Next it was time to move on to the fabulous food, prepared by Chef Josh (my second favorite chef in the world). Each course was paired with one or two hot teas from the Tao's extensive collection.
First, the Jade Cloud Noodle Bowl with Jade Cloud Green Tea. Second, and hands down everyone's favorite, Lapsang Souchong Spiced Chicken with Oolong infused Red Rice served with Green Dragon Oolong, as well as a Malty Assam. Third, we had a fabulous Coho Salmon with a Lapsang Cream Sauce along with a deliciously spicy and smoky Lapsang Souchong Tea (my personal favorite). Lastly, it was on to dessert, 500 Mile Chai Infused Ice Cream! I think this is the absolute best ice cream on earth! I have honestly never tasted anything like this...in my dreams this would be my dessert after every meal.
There was a bit of trouble with the Chai Tea that was supposed to be paired with the ice cream, so we skipped tea on the last course. Honestly, it didn't matter at that point, as everyone at our table was happily full of delicious food, and buzzed off tea? I didn't know that could happen but I went with it. I also never realized that tea could be infused with food in so many innovative ways, and if I hadn't stepped outside of my comfort zone to try something new, I probably never would have. 
For $20 per person, this dinner was a steal, and hopefully it was the first of many more to come. I strongly suggest checking out the Tao of Tea if you haven't already.  The link is still under my Favorite Portland Places, and it will remain there for some time. To view more pictures, you can "friend" The Tao of Tea on Facebook, and check out their album from March 10th. Trust me, the pictures of this food are absolutely gorgeous. Here's a sneak peak...YUM!

Literary Daydreams

If I haven't mentioned it before, I am not the only one in my family getting married this year!! Even before our wedding happens this October, my fiance and I have the incredible pleasure of returning back East for the June nuptials of my brother and his wonderful partner. We are so excited to be apart of not one, but two joyous occasions this year, not to mention the fact that I am gaining another brother who I absolutely adore. Our weddings are very different, as are we, but this is absolutely not a bad thing. It has been a lot of fun participating in the vision for the guys' wedding, and getting inspired by some of their themes and ideas.
A few days ago, my brother forwarded along a charming little wedding he found on the blog Design Sponge, which prompted me to add another fantastic blog to my reading list. Along the course of my exploration of the blog, I stumbled upon another post called, In My Library. This got me thinking, how would I design my own in home dream library?
I already have a HUGE wish list for the features of our next home, and a library is definitely one of them. I'm picturing floor to ceiling built in bookshelves, comfy chairs and soft blankets within an arm's reach. After all, there's nothing quite like cuddling up with a great book...Check out some of these ideas for gorgeous home libraries.

Love all the colors!

Yellow seems so soothing for reading.

A library in the dining room would be a sweet treat!

              

Love how light and airy this library is.

Or how about a library inspired wedding?!? Wow, wish I would have thought of this sooner. Que Cute! Check it out at the Brass Paperclip!