Oh so CHARMing: an ethical alternative to down comforters

(Disclosure: post contains affiliate links.)

CHARM is turning the traditional approach to down comforters on its head with natural, breathable fiber alternatives.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, then you probably know one of the reasons I got into blogging in the first place was my desire to find natural, affordable, animal-friendly alternatives to the lifestyle products I was currently using. Things have come a long way since I started back in 2008—animal-friendly fashion, beauty, and home goods are continuing to take up a larger market share with each passing year—but there are some goods that remain difficult to replace. Take bedding, for example: if you don’t want to utilize animal-sourced wool or down, the alternative is often synthetic. But synthetics are sucky in their own way, and not just because they’re hard on Mother Earth: they’re not as breathable and often not as soft as a natural fiber, making for a less-than-zen sleeping experience.

So imagine how intrigued I was to discover CHARM. Drawing on years of design experience, and an unwillingness to settle for anything less than perfection, the company is upending traditional comforter design with a plant-powered blend that offers all the loft and coziness of down with none of the ethical complications. (more…)

Music Monday: Ride Captain Ride

 

I’m not even sure where I first heard this song or why it’s been stuck in my head lately, but it has, so I’ve been singing it to Captain Jack while we hang out together.

 

Book character names I've used for my cats: Captain Jack Sparrow

 

(Yep, this pic is hella blurry. My cats don’t like to hold still for photos so a lot of my photos of them look very shaky because I was in such a rush to focus and snap.)

 

Oatmeal power-up cookies (vegan, healthy, easy!)

These oatmeal power-up cookies are vegan, healthy, and easy to make!

Lately I find myself constantly on the go. I know a healthy breakfast is a must, but it’s frequently one of those things that’s scrapped as I hit snooze and then scramble to get out the door to work, appointments, and all of the other stops on my daily agenda. Hence this healthy oatmeal power-up cookie recipe, which I crafted on a whim over the weekend so I’d have a healthy option for breakfast on the go once the chaos of the workweek hit.

This isn’t your childhood oatmeal cookie recipe. With added nutrients from kasha, wheat germ, and flaxseed, and half the sugar of traditional recipes, these oatmeal power-up cookies are a great alternative to the sugary, expensive prepackaged breakfast bars sold in grocery stores. And yes, they still taste great with a cold glass of (plant-based) milk for dessert. (more…)

Top Ten Tuesday: things that will make me instantly want to read a book

Top Ten TuesdayThis week on TTT we’re discussing the things that will make you instantly want to read a book. Whether it’s a plot device, historical setting, or something really quirky—you know there’s at least one thing you just can’t resist! Here are the top ten things that hook me every time, in no particular order:

  • Time travel
  • Dragons
  • Other dimensions/alternate worlds
  • Fringe science
  • Amnesia
  • Dreams
  • Retellings of famous stories
  • Badass female leads
  • Unreliable narrators
  • Characters in hoods (I’ve joked about this one before but it’s true)

What bookish things make you instantly want to read a book? If you linked up for TTT make sure to leave me your link in the comments so I can check it out!