Please help me ID this plant...

This bush grows along the path beside my driveway. Its my favorite plant on the property, but I don't know what it is. Can anyone help me identify it? Thank you!

Snack Jars

My son loves to have snacks throughout the day and crackers are his favorite. I was looking for a way to store his snacks so that he would be able to see them and pick out what he wants. I saw this look in Country Living Magazine... quart sized Ball Mason jars...they're BPA free and of course they are reusable and classic on a kitchen counter. The cap seals in the freshness of the food inside! Its a win-win!

Hammock hide-a-way

I've always been a fan of having nice places to perch. When I was younger, I had a hand-made wood swing hanging in my basement hang-out room at my parents' house. Since then, I have always liked the idea of hanging out in a hammock in say...the living room! This "Over the Moon" hammock was purchased in Provincetown, MA at a great hammock shop on the beach. It now hangs in our Vermont hippie home's screen porch.

Green Drinks in Mason Jars

I have always wanted to be one of those hippie women who casually walk around town with a glass mason jar filled with some sort of thick green liquid. Perhaps it is because I know that they are doing something healthy for their body or maybe it is because it just seems so earthy and organic to drink your vegetables...I don't know where my interest stems from. What I do know is that today, I am going to make my first green smoothie and put it in a glass mason jar. I just got a book called Green Smoothies and Protein Drinks. It has 50 great recipes for healthy green drinks. Today's market list includes: organic canned pumpkin, organic blueberries, 2 figs, organic bananas, kale, coconut water, chia seeds, watercress, fresh mint, limes, cucumbers, and avocados. These ingredients will be used to make a variety of green drinks this week. If I find some good-tasting recipes that I  really like, I will try to get my son to drink his veggies as well! Stay tuned for more posts on my green juice experiment!

Mother-Son Woodland Tattoos

On a shopping trip to Antiplano in Brattleboro, my son (who loves owls!) and I saw a package of woodland creatures temporary tattoos. There was an owl on the front of the package, so picturing my son's cute expression when he realizes that he has an owl on his hand, I decided to buy them.This became our first mother-son matchy-matchy experience...our owl tattoos. His 20 month old hand is so small that the owl barely fits on it, but its there, and its cute! This hippie mama loves her hippie boy!

House plants that clean the air you breathe

Did you know that indoor air quality is usually worse than outdoor air quality? Generally this is because of the lack of ventilation in homes. One thing you can do to improve your air quality is to add some beautiful green plants to your abode. Click here to view an article from Mother Nature Network that lists 15 beautiful plants to help you breathe better.

I find that in the summer, my many plants enjoy living outside. Here, you see our hippie sun woodwork in our screen porch and just a few of our plants enjoy a midday breeze.

Become a Vegetarian!

Are you vegetarian? Thinking about becoming one? I have been happily Veg for 8 years.Click here for an article from PETA about 11 vegetarians most people look up to. Some you may know... but most will surprise you. Check back soon for some of my own vegetarian recipes and snack ideas!

Handmade Hippie Boho Jewelry

Since 2008, I have been selling my handmade bohemian and hippie style jewelry on  Etsy . In 2010, we opened a store called The Sleepy Squirrel Emporium in Deerfield, MA. Our store is now closed, but our items are available online at www.sleepysquirrelemporium.com or by clicking on the "Etsy" link above. You can read more about our store via the interview conducted by Solo Thais.

My jewelry is made with genuine, recycled, upcycled, new, and vintage materials. Please contact me through Etsy if you have a custom request! My handmade goods are pieced together in my home studio... a true Vermont hippie craft!

Our play structure lives on...

Naturally, as a hippie home, we try to reuse items we have around the house and reduce the amount of new products we buy. Sometimes this is a way to save money, but usually, it is a great way to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills.

We find lots of great items on Craigslist and we have also been able to pass on many gently used items in the same way. Recently, a family in Western Massachusetts was looking to make room in their yard by getting rid of a nice Child Life swing set. We scored a high quality wooden jungle gym that was made in Massachusetts for only $40! How did we move it to our Vermont abode? A U Haul truck!

With a new slide, two swings, monkey bars, and a "clubhouse" perched atop the swing set, this was truly a great way to keep a 12 year old play structure and all of its accessories out of a landfill. Now, with a little scraping of the paint and a new finish on the wood beams, our child will enjoy this swing set for another 12 years or so. To me, it was a great deal on a play structure, but to my son, it is a brand new adventure that will provide hours of outdoor playtime fun!

Welcome to Vermont Hippie Home!

Hello there! Thanks for visiting Vermont Hippie Home. I will be documenting our days as a Vermont hippie family who is striving to be greener, healthier, and more socially aware. Join me as we learn together how to make a difference, one day at a time.