Sustainable Living Articles

Julee Mitchelsin -'s Articles

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You Can't Go Wrong With Chocolate Candy Gifts
It seems like there are nearly endless occasions for gift giving in today's world. We give gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and a host of other holidays and celebrations. I can hardly make it through a week or two without having the need to get a gift for some kind of celebration or another. So I like to be prepared and have a few gifts on hand at all times. I've become convinced lately that chocolate candy makes a great gift for almost all occasions.

There ...
Why Did We Lose The Vietnam War?
How is it that we lost the Vietnam War? We the most powerful military in the world’s history, with technology that far exceeds all other countries and made mince meat of several other and larger countries in wars before this? Well I sure can’t believe it and frankly it makes me mad. I have some ideas of why it went so badly over there and that is what I want to talk about in this article.

The Vietnam War was a sort of humanitarian assistance program that slowly drew us int...
Why Are Laptop Batteries So Bad?
If you are like most people with laptops you know that they are only as portable as the nearest outlet. The companies advertise like their laptop batteries make these machines so that they can go anywhere with you and there will be no problem but there is a problem. You only have a couple hours max of normal word processing type use and then you are toast unless you either have a backup battery or you can plug in somewhere and recharge. The other problem is that lots of place...
The Woman With Angel Art
I love meeting new people. There is nothing I enjoy more than entering into a totally new situation and sitting down for a conversation with a stranger. I find that strangers quickly become friends after a little time spent together and a few good questions asked. So I love it when my job requires me to travel with the sole purpose of meeting someone in an attempt to write a story about them. Recently my job granted me the wonderful privilege of traveling to Italy with the pu...
The Search For The Right Fat Burner
If you are anything like me and most of the adult American population, then you can hardly make it a day without hearing something new about a good food, a food to avoid, a magic exercise or the perfect fat burner. It seems that the search for the best bodies for the least work possible is on with full speed.

As a personal fitness trainer I am more than a little bit concerned about this "get fit quick and painless" mentality I meet in so many American adults. I guess it ma...
The Gift Of Grandparents
One of the biggest blessings you can have in life is grandparents. Not too many people take the time or care to learn from and enjoy the people who raised their parents. Being in consistent relationship with your grandparents can add so many good things to your life.

For starters, you should get to know the gift of your grandparents simply because they are a part of your family and because without them you literally wouldn't be alive. Your grandparents are the ones who had...
The Benefits Of Radar Detector
If you are anything like me, then your life is really busy and there is not enough time in the day to get everything accomplished. Busyness may be reflected in many ways in your life, such as choosing fast food over a home cooked meal or not getting enough sleep. One thing that my busy lifestyle has meant for me is fast driving. I know, it isn't safe, and I've really been working on my schedule to allow enough time for safe driving, but in the meantime I've discovered the bes...
Take Some Pictures
The older I get, the harder it is for me to remember the people and events of my past. Sure, I may remember that my four siblings and I vacationed with our grandparents every year in Canada, but I can no longer remember what the hotel we always stayed in looked like or the way my grandpa looked wearing his special vacation hat. What I would give to have pictures that helped me to remember those times.

As I began to have a children of my own, I realized that I didn't want t...
Take A Serious Look At Your Body Fat
There are many diets and fitness programs out there that are concerned with one thing: how you look. They are centered around the idea that in order to be attractive and valuable you must be thin. These diets and fitness plans are merely ploys to get people to spend money on the latest fad out of a guarentee that they will lose weight instantly and never gain it back while eating their favorite desserts and not lifting a finger. Those plans just don't work. In fact, they can ...
Say Yes To Doing The Dishes
There are many chores dreaded by most members of any household. In fact, probably every household chore is held in dread by someone in every family. It does seem, however, that some chores, for whatever reason, always rank near the bottom of the preference list. These highly dreaded chores are the ones that people will do almost anything to trade with someone else or get out of all together. Silly deals are made so that one person will clean another's room for a month in orde...
Pictures: One Of Life's Best Gifts
The older I get, the more I am thankful for the great gift of photography and the ability we have to take pictures of life's most special and ordinary events. Perhaps I am aware of the value of pictures because my father was a photographer and so I was raised around cameras and pictures all the time. I'm not sure, I just know that I am convinced that everyone would do well to make pictures a more prominent thing in their life.

I talk to many people who have trouble remembe...
Need Something To Do: Serve!
Are your days dragging on? Are you looking for a way to contribute to your local community? Do you want to get involved in a project bigger than yourself? Do you need some hours to fulfill a community service requirement? If so, I have got the thing for you: serve. It sounds elusive and ambiguous, but it does not have to.

To serve others is a wonderful thing. There are a few compelling reasons to spend your time in this valuable way. First, taking time to serve gets you ou...
Make A Chart
All parents look for creative ways to guide their children in the process of learning new skills and putting away childish habits. Parents try all kinds of systems to make discipline in their homes easier. One of the easiest, cheapest and most effective ways that I've found to help accomplish the goals of my parenting is a chart.

I thought of the chart method as I walked through a art supply store one day. I saw the large pieces of poster board and the thought struck me i...
Learn About Real Cat Care
If you are one of the many people lucky enough to own a cat or several cats as pets, then you need to take time and make the effort to learn proper cat care. One of my biggest struggles with people is that they choose to have pets but then do nothing to intentionally take good care of them. This is why, as a veterinarian, I make all of my clients come to a seminar about good cat care and dog care before they can receive services at my office.

Many other veterinarians think...
Know Your Anatomy
If you talk to any computer lover the chances are high that he or she will be able to explain to you all of the parts of their computer and the way each thing works. You can easily find yourself in a long conversation about details of computer programs and issues that you never wanted to know. Or sit down with a man who loves his vintage car and you will learn things about the function and care of each part of his prized possession. If you think about it, the parts of a compu...
It Just Takes A Little Creativity
If you are a parent, particularly of an elementary or junior high aged girl, then you know all about sleepovers. The chances are that your daughter has both attended and hosted many of these blessed events. The problem with sleepovers is that they are mostly the same. Girls gather at a home, pizza and other snacks are served, silly games are played, a movie is watched and then the girls stay up way too late into the night. My daughters and I have been thinking of ways to host...
I Love To Collect African Art
I love venturing around the world and learning about other cultures. I huge part of me comes alive when I'm in another culture. Ever since I was a little girl I have always been fascinated with the faces of people from other parts of the world and I've been intrigued by the way other people live life. Photography seemed to be the right profession for me because it allows me to travel the world and get paid, literally, to see people and cultures and things. I love it. I also l...
I Love Owning Dalmatians
I've always been a pet lover. Ever since I was a little girl and my parents brought me home my first hamster I have loved animals more than almost anything else. It didn't take rocket science for me to decide that I wanted to eventually be a veterinarian, so it was no surprise to anyone that I did indeed pursue my dream of working with animals as a profession. I did surprise people, however, when I coupled that dream with a smaller dream of raising and breeding dalmatians.

...
Drywall, A Common And Very Important Building Material
We have all probably used drywall at one time or another in our lives and we know what it takes to finish the stuff even if we have never touched. We know that it goes on all inside walls and that it won’t hold heavier hangings like shelves and large pictures and so we need to find the studs beneath. We may have also had experience repairing a hole that was intentionally or unintentionally placed in a wall. Plaster work is definitely something that takes practice but thankful...
Drinking Water Is A Must!
You can barely make it through a day without hearing or reading some piece of warning or advice about your health. Our society is obsessed with all of the latest fads and techniques for doing as little as possible and eating as much as you want while maintaining the body of a supermodel. There are so many diets and health plans that can be found on the internet or in any magazine that it becomes easy after a while to simply ignore everything you read. For the most part, many ...
Don't Ignore The Need For Energy Conservation
Unless you don't have a television, the internet or access to a newspaper, then it is likely that you have heard a lot about the need for energy conservation in the past months and years. I have heard so much about the energy crisis in our land and I am convinced that every citizen of the West cannot ignore the fact that there is a need for energy conservation on the individual level and on the corporate and national level.

One of the first things you can do to better unde...
Don't Hesitate To Get Alcohol Treatment
If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction to or dependancy on alcohol, than I have one suggestion and one suggestion only: don't hestitate to get the alcohol treatment that is needed. It seems like people are not embarrassed about drinking alcohol until it gets to a level where they have a problem that requires attention and care. Then people seem to be filled with a lot of shame about their problems with alcohol.

I have been an alcohol treatment counselor...
Don't Forget To Smile
I like to think that I have learned a lot of things from living my life. It seems my years have been filled with a whole lot of good things with a few really hard things in between. I have had the privilege of knowing a lot of really great people and I've enjoyed countless memories with each of them. I have been happily married for quite a few years and I've been blessed with several children. I feel pretty good today, but not every day seems to go this well. Some days life i...
Consider Gates Outside Your Home
As a landscape architect, there are many things that I like to see people add to their lawns and properties to give them the special touches. I love helping people plant trees and bushes in just the right spots and I love turning a yard filled with dirt into a beautifully landscaped lawn the very next year. I have recently been feeling a bit more risky in my profession and so I have been suggesting different things to my clients. My latest risky suggestion is to place gates a...
Consider Foster Care
Foster care is an amazing thing to be apart of. If you are looking for a way to help someone and you have a love for children then you might want to consider foster care.

The benefits and blessings of foster care far outweigh the sacrifices. Be sure, however, that you are well aware of the sacrifices that investing in foster care will mean for you and your family. It will require time, money, energy, love, and commitment. And don't be fooled - foster care will likely requi...
Conservation Starts With You
Our society has many downfalls, but perhaps one of our biggest downfalls is that we are wasteful. Incredibly wasteful actually. Our lives are spent wasting time, energy, and emotion on people and activites that do nothing for us. We sit down to a meal and fill our plates with more food than we could possibly eat and the leftovers get wasted. We drive our cars to work and play without thinking of the gasoline that is being used irresponsibly. Everyone is guilty of wasting, and...
Chiropractic Services: For Your Health
There are a variety of ways that people today can protect and even promote the health of their bodies. There are more than enough diets to choose from no matter what kinds of foods you love or hate. People can join an expensive diet club to receive accountability for their weight loss goals or people can join expensive gyms filled with amazing equipment that many people do not even know how to operate. Diet and exercise are both important elements of any healthy lifestyle, do...

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