Back in 1994, I built my first Eco-Xmas tree.  Check out my previous post to see why I decided that I couldn’t buy another cut tree or living tree, and buying an artificial tree was just too fake for me. 

I built it using scrap 2” by 4” and a ¾” plywood base.  Then I drilled holes in the 2” by 4” for the live pine branches. 

At the base, I drilled large holes for thicker branches and gradually made the holes smaller as I progressed upwards.

Here are some photos of the process:

What a cast! This was one of our best theater productions at Merit Academy!

Featuring Nicole D’Arcy, Jaclyn D’Arcy, Adrienne Bateson, Brian Hostetter, Jordan Bateson, Ryan Graumann & Sarah Kajitani.

For all of you seniors – and yes, parents, too! – congratulations on getting your early applications submitted!

You deserve a big sigh of relief now that you’ve submitted the first round of college applications.

Me too!  I was up ‘til midnight on Nov. 30^th (UC and CSU deadlines) and Dec. 1^st (early action for private colleges) supporting kids as they edited their personal statements and completed their applications.  Phew!

Most of you are now re-organizing your plans as you start working on the private college applications that are due on Jan. 1^st (what cruel person chose New Years Day for the deadline?) and thereafter. You may be able to use some of the essays you’ve written for the UCs but get started on the next batch of applications now!  Don’t wait until the last minute, which will also ruin your holiday plans. 

For those of you lucky ones who are actually done with all college applications, here are a few tips and bits of info about what happens next:

CSU Campuses

You should receive an email giving you your new Student ID number and a WebPortal address for each college.  Your first password will be your 6-digit birthdate.  Once you log on, you’ll get your permanent password.  Put these important numbers in the back of your planner; you’ll be using them a lot over the next 4-5 months.  Each CSU campus will email you to request your SAT/ACT scores and your official transcripts from your high school and your college.  You’ll only need to submit your scores and transcripts to one CSU because once they’re in the system, call CSUs can access them.  Check your email often to stay informed about what you need to send to the colleges. 

UC Campuses

You’ll receive your Student ID number and password via email.  Like the CSU colleges, check your email often to see what each college is requesting from you.  They will ask you to send your official SAT/ACT scores and transcripts.  You’ll only need to send them to one UC; once they receive them, all UCs will be able to access them.   The UCs will be sending their acceptance letters through email this year. 

All Campuses

1. Start filling out the FAFSA now.  Even though you don’t yet have your W2s, you can estimate your earnings for this year.  The first date that you can send the FAFSA is on January 1st.  By sending your FAFSA in on January 1^st, you’ll position yourself to get the best financial aid packages.  The sooner they calculate your parents’ ability to pay for college, the sooner they’ll send their recommendations (SARs) to the colleges so that the colleges can determine your financial aid packages. The deadline to submit your FAFSA is March 2^nd.

2. Check with your teachers and high school counselors to make sure that they’ve sent your transcripts and Secondary School Reports to those colleges that require them.  Then double check your portal or call the admissions offices to ensure that they’ve received everything required.  Then, thank your teachers and counselors for writing your letters of recommendation!
    
3. As soon as you have completed your Fall semester, request that your high school counselor send your GPA Verification information to all of the colleges that require it.  The deadline is March 2^nd.

 Enter these dates in your planner so you don’t forget to do them!  Good luck!

Oil and natural gas companies are secretly drilling oil and gas wells using a technique called hydraulic fracturing or fracking. Each well requires approximately one million gallons of water that is mixed with chemicals that are toxic and carcinogenic.  There are thousands of these wells in the United States and the oil companies keep drilling more and more. 

Fracking threatens our water supply, increases health risks, threatens air quality and exacerbates climate change.  Don’t believe their blatant lies about how their well casings prevent these toxic chemicals from leaking into our water supply.  They must think we’re idiots to believe that their well casing will never crack or leak. 

It infuriates me to think that a few people with the financial resources that the oil companies have can deliberately mislead the entire world population to believe that oil and natural gas are not culprits behind climate change, air and water pollution, cancer, and war. Wake up! It’s time that we as a civilization stand up to the few who control our economy, politics, and more.

What can you do to stop this train wreck?

Get Educated:

Watch Gasland and Gasland 2 to see what is really going on with fracking and how the oil companies are trying to keep us in the dark.  Smells a bit like “Erin Brockovich” or “Silkwood” to me… Seriously, spend a few hours and get educated about what’s really happening right here under our noses.

Read Clean Water Action’s website to get real information about fracking: http://www.cleanwateraction.org/fracking-california

I love holidays because they bring people together. 

We have made big to-dos about every holiday and Christmas is a big one because it is so festive.  The pine scent that permeates our home with a Christmas tree is the centerpiece of our holiday. 

However, as an avid environmentalist, cutting a Christmas tree each year just didn’t seem right.  I had purchased many “live” Christmas trees over the years only to watch them shrivel up and die after the holidays.  Sad!

Frustrated, one night a solution to cutting down Christmas trees came to me in a dream. 

I’m serious!

The Santa Cruz Sentinel covered this story in this article: 

I’m thankful for so many wonderful Thanksgiving memories. 

Here are a few of my favorites from last year – Thanksgiving 2014.  

It’s time for more fun with Rice Krispies!  I should be getting a commission for promoting their products… This gooey Rice Krispies and marshmallow mixture is the ideal sculpting media!    This was my first attempt at making a turkey, and I already have ideas for next year’s version.   I used the same ingredients that I used for the Rice Krispies Treat Witch.    It’s really simple to make.     Here are the basic instructions:   1. Use a plastic container for the base so you can use less Rice Krispies.   2. Place about 1 inch of the Rice Krispies Treat mixture over the base to form the turkey body. 3. Using a plastic fork, break off the tines, and the wrap it with Rice Krispies Treats to form the turkey head and neck.  Press hard so the Rice Krispies Treats don’t fall apart.  4. Place the fork into the turkey body; try to set it perpendicular to the table so it won’t fall over.  5. Place 2 round candies for eyes.  6. To create the turkey feathers, roll Rice Krispies Treats around a wooden chopstick. Make 8 feathers. 7. Place candies into the feather to give it color. 8. Cut fruit roll ups in thin ¼” strips to decorate the feathers.  9. Use toothpicks to hold the feathers together by inserting them through 2 consecutive feathers.  10. Use entire sheets of fruit roll ups behind the turkey feathers to hold them together.  Press the fruit roll ups firmly into the Rice Krispies Treats to create a bond.  11. Wrap the turkey in plastic wrap and refrigerate until Thanksgiving dinner!   Have fun decorating the feathers with sprinkles, hard candies and candy corn.     Post photos of your Rice Krispies Treat turkeys to share with us!

As seniors contemplate which colleges to apply to, naturally they talk to their friends, teachers, counselors, and family. 

Everyone has an opinion about why you should apply to their alma mater, and you can learn a lot about colleges from their alumni. 

During the application process, students often share their horror stories about writing essays, asking for letters of recommendation, and filling out online applications. After all, misery loves company, and this is certainly true at this stressful time.

While it’s important to reach out to others when searching for colleges, that’s where the sharing should end.  Thank your friends and family for their advice but DON’T TELL THEM WHICH COLLEGES YOU DECIDE TO APPLY TO! I know this sounds socially awkward, especially since you’ve all confided in one another through the exploration process but here’s why it’s not a good idea to tell everyone your college list.

Every time you get that little envelope or that email declining you admission, you will have to TELL ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT THE COLLEGE DENIED YOUR ADMISSION. Why? Because they will ask you, and then they’ll tell everyone they know.  See where I’m going with this?  It’s painful enough to be rejected from the college of your dreams or even colleges that you sort of wanted to go to.  Nobody likes being denied admission and every senior worries that they may not get into their top colleges on their lists. 

At some high schools, every student knows every SAT/ACT scores, GPA, and college admissions and denials of the whole class.  Imagine that?  One of my clients burst into tears when she told me that she didn’t get into her #1 college.  She didn’t want to go to school the next day because she didn’t want to face all of her friends and teachers waiting to hear whether or not she got in.  With social media today, news travels fast and the repercussions can be devastating.

So when you’re asked which colleges you applied to, tell them “I applied everywhere and my college advisor made me promise that I wouldn’t tell anyone where I applied!”  This way, you can come to terms with rejections and acceptances on your terms.  After all, it’s a very private decision.  When you receive the decisions from all of the colleges and choose where you will spend the next 4 years, make your announcement with pure joy and excitement – no regrets.  Remember, mum’s the word!

With 4 days off from school for the Thanksgiving holiday, you can turn a food frenzy, TV watching, lazy weekend into a catch-up and get ahead gift for your kids. 

Don’t get me wrong.  They can still gorge themselves on turkey and pumpkin pie, watch football, play video games, and take lots of naps, but with just a little planning ahead, they could also use this 4-day break to get ahead at school.

They’re usually so busy with homework, test preparation, and afterschool sports every weekend that they don’t have time to absorb concepts that they’re learning in class.  Oh, I know that they do memorize their vocab and cram for tests and squeak by with acceptable grades, but most kids don’t have the luxury of really getting to know the material like they should to confidently ace tests.

By spending just a few hours each day this Thanksgiving weekend, they could review concepts that they’ve learned since the start of the school year so they really understand them. This will give them a huge advantage when they have finals after the holidays. Seniors applying to colleges this fall can write all of their first drafts when they won’t be overwhelmed with homework and sports. 

Here are a few things students can do this Thanksgiving break to improve grades, build a stronger foundation, and get ahead:

1. Make flashcards for all vocab introduced in classes to prepare for finals
2. Reread chapters to get a better understanding of concepts
3. Check Wikipedia to get a different perspective on topics covered
4. Watch Khan Academy and do exercises to get more mileage in weak areas (math and science)
5. Watch historical fiction movies to enhance history lessons
6. Listen to foreign language radio stations or watch foreign language soap operas
7. Seniors: print out all college app essay prompts and write outlines/first drafts

The best way to incorporate a plan like this is to block off time each day for the family to get stuff done before heading to Grandma’s house or out for Black Friday shopping.  Wishing you a happy and productive Thanksgiving holiday!

Last Thanksgiving, I asked Nicole to make a new salad following Shoshanah Orzech’s (my nutritionist) recipe. 

Thanksgiving at the D’Arcys always includes our very best dishes as we try to out-do ourselves every year (a little healthy competition never hurt anyone…aside from the Unfortunate Habanero Twinkie Incident of ’03, that is). 

So when Nicole questioned me about grating raw brussels sprouts and chopping kale into tiny slivers, she was worried that she would be negatively associated with this awful salad. I have to admit that I stopped to re-read the recipe myself because it didn’t sound right, because who eats RAW brussels sprouts?

When Nicole sneakily inserted her kale and brussel sprout salad amongst the huge array of dishes, she hoped that nobody would notice.  When all the guests were served, I grabbed my plate, and to my astonishment, I found that the kale and brussels sprout salad bowl was completely empty. 

Then I started to hear the buzz around the dinner tables about that delicious salad.  When one of our guests asked who made the salad, Nicole quipped, “I just followed the recipe; I’m not responsible!”. 

It’s the first time we actually ran out of something on Thanksgiving and who would have guessed it would be that salad?

Try it out yourself! Here’s the recipe:

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large bunches of Tuscan kale (about 1 1/2 pounds total), center stem discarded, leaves thinly sliced
• 12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed, finely grated or shredded with a knife
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/3 cup almonds with skins, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup finely grated Pecorino cheese

Directions:

Combine lemon juice, Dijon mustard, shallot, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a small bowl. Stir to blend; set aside to let flavors meld. Mix thinly sliced kale and shredded brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Measure 1/2 cup oil into a cup. Spoon 1 tablespoon oil from cup into a small skillet; heat oil over medium-high heat. Add almonds to skillet and stir frequently until golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts to a paper towel–lined plate. Sprinkle almonds lightly with salt.

Slowly whisk remaining olive oil in cup into lemon-juice mixture. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Dressing, kale mixture, and toasted almonds can be prepared 8 hours ahead. Cover dressing and kale mixture separately and chill. Cover almonds and let stand at room temperature.

Add dressing and cheese to kale mixture; toss to coat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Garnish with almonds.