Focusing Simple Makes
Nov 22, 2008
Since I launched Simple Makes on September 14, 2008, I've played around with different post formats, page layouts, topics, post frequency, and content. I've blogged recipes, book reviews, printable how-to guides, links to craft tutorials, photos from my home, and thoughts on simplicity.
As I write and look at the response (both mine and that I see in visits & comments), I've finally settled on what you can expect when you come to Simple Makes:
Tuesdays, I will blog about simple & green living for families, based on what my family's been doing together. Posts on family activities, travel, and crafts for kids fit in this category.
Posts I've written that would fit into this category include:
* Puzzle People Game
* Enjoy your Family... without Spending a Cent!
* Packing Light Tips
Thursdays, I will blog about simple & green living for homes, based on what we've been doing in our home. Cleaning tips, composting, and recipes fit in this category.
Posts I've written that would fit into this category include:
* Energy & Air Leaks
* Shower Supply Simplification
* Apartment Composting
Saturdays, I will blog short posts on any simple or green living topic, mostly using photos & links. Weekend snapshots, announcements of giveaways or special deals, and link love-type posts fit in this category. I'll also reserve posts like "On Simplicity" for Saturdays.
Posts I've written that would fit into this category include:
* Weekend Snapshots #1, 2
* Top 10 Craft Tutorials
* Simple Living or Giving Up?
Tuesday & Thursday posts are my content, based on what my life's been like, written in a way that you can use what I've done and learned, too!
For Saturday posts, I need your help. What'd you blog about this week? What's your Etsy store got on sale? What nifty link did you run across this week that I'd love, too? The best way to get my attention is to tag it for:simplyla on delicious. If you're delicious-less, try email: send your idea to me here.
Hope you're enjoying the way Simple Makes is going; comment to share your thoughts & ideas!
by
Lori Ann
Focusing Simple Makes
2008-11-22T09:46:00+08:00
Lori Ann
creative family|green|home|links|simple|simple makes|simplicity|
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Tags creative family, green, home, links, simple, simple makes, simplicity
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Simple Cooking: Top 5 Cookbooks
Nov 20, 2008
Thanks to some talented and creative chefs, my husband's desire for great taste and mine for simple prep & clean-up don't have to clash when we go to our cookbooks. Check out our "top 5" and share your own recommendations.
Our Cooking Story
My husband loves to cook: he grows herbs and knows the difference between various seasonings and spices; he scours Allrecipes.com, Recipezaar, and subscribes to Taste of Home in his reader. Whatever it is, he's willing to cook it so long as it produces delicious results.
As for me, I stick to baking, which I find relaxing; homemade rice-a-roni-like mixes, which are ready in just minutes; and recipes which call for dumping a few ingredients in the crockpot and eating it several hours later.
Here are the only 5 cookbooks we have; our "must-haves" when it comes to simple ingredients, simple prep, and even simple clean-up! Though we have delicious cookbooks, we reference these paper copies constantly and highly recommend at least the first 4 on the list for every simple chef (don't worry, the resulting dishes & flavors are anything but simple). Share your favorite cookbooks in the comments.
Note: Unlike some lists I write, these ARE ranked in order of how useful they are / how often I reference them. My husband would rank # 5 as # 1, but I don't consider it truly simple or worth buying unless you know (or are!) a serious chef.
1. Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day - I could write a whole post on this one, but let me just say this: a) I love baking, b) I even love kneading, but c) I don't have a lot of time for doing so. Enter Artisan Bread in 5, flour, yeast, water, and salt, and I get to give my husband the french, wheat, and even flatbreads he misses from back home without having to wash anything but a glass measuring cup, a plastic bowl, and a spoon. And it really does take just minutes. Simple.
2. The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook
3. Top Secret Recipes
4. George Foreman Grill
5. On Cooking
6, 7, 8, 9, 10? Your Turn!
What "simple" (in whatever way you define that word) cookbook do you reference all the time? Don't keep the secrets to yourself; let us know what we may be missing out on! Links to reviews of cookbooks on your blog are welcome as well. Just please, share!
by
Lori Ann
Simple Cooking: Top 5 Cookbooks
2008-11-20T21:15:00+08:00
Lori Ann
books|cooking|home|kitchen|link|recommendation|
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Tags books, cooking, home, kitchen, link, recommendation
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Playing Green: Sustainability Education Game
Nov 17, 2008
How fun can sustainability be? ElectroCity brings decisions about green living into a simulator webgame that, while slow at first, teaches realistic lessons while you have fun in the city you get to run.

"Easy to play, hard to master"
Those weighty words jump out at me from the instruction page for a stimulating simulator webgame, ElectroCity. Why?
Though the game is targeted to school students, the idea behind it plus the fact that real-world sustainable living, too, is "easy to play, hard to master," stirred my interest enough to send me reading through the how-to and starting my own town, Coziville.
What's the big idea?
“We recognise the importance of sustainable energy generation, energy efficiency and environmental management. We want to help people think about these subjects laterally, and what better way than to experience them first-hand and see the impacts of your decisions,” says Genesis Energy Chief Executive Murray Jackson, whose company funds ElectroCity.
That is a big idea!
My Review
While definitely not the fast-paced game play you'd expect if you're a veteran of popular city simulator games (partly because, realistically, you start with little money so it's a bit hard to get going), this game does a lot for critical thinking and helping players think about the result of their choices. From the how-to: "You need to balance your city’s growth with its environmental impact. Your citizens need electricity and jobs, but they also love their clean green image. So you get to decide whether that forest should be made into a national park or logged and turned into an aluminum smelter." Sound realistic? It is.

To play
Visit their site and, after reading the instructions, click "Start a new game," name your town, and start making decisions! Most relate to the balance between bringing in money and maintaining a pleasant (and sustainable) environment. All make me chuckle. (You can ban TV or set the town curfew at 8pm in order to save electricity... if you don't mind what your citizens think!)
If you're short on time, don't worry; you don't have to register or give an e-mail address, but when you want to save, you'll be given a code to enter when you get back.
... and you?
Your turn! Start your town and comment here what you think about it. Genesis Energy is considering funding a version 2 if there's enough interest, and they'll take into account user suggestions for an improved ElectroCity. And if you make it to the scoreboard, share your town name so we can go check it out!
If you know of another resource for teaching kids (and us not-so-kid-like people) about energy and sustainability, share it here. I'd love to check it out!
Visit their site and, after reading the instructions, click "Start a new game," name your town, and start making decisions! Most relate to the balance between bringing in money and maintaining a pleasant (and sustainable) environment. All make me chuckle. (You can ban TV or set the town curfew at 8pm in order to save electricity... if you don't mind what your citizens think!)
If you're short on time, don't worry; you don't have to register or give an e-mail address, but when you want to save, you'll be given a code to enter when you get back.
... and you?
Your turn! Start your town and comment here what you think about it. Genesis Energy is considering funding a version 2 if there's enough interest, and they'll take into account user suggestions for an improved ElectroCity. And if you make it to the scoreboard, share your town name so we can go check it out!
If you know of another resource for teaching kids (and us not-so-kid-like people) about energy and sustainability, share it here. I'd love to check it out!
by
Lori Ann
Playing Green: Sustainability Education Game
2008-11-17T09:49:00+08:00
Lori Ann
educational|environment|games|green|kids|
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Tags educational, environment, games, green, kids
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