Unplugged and Composting

I spent the last few days "unplugged", no internet, no TV. It was actually quite refreshing and relaxing. It helped me refocus on the many projects I have going. I got some boxes unpacked, more of my garden turned, and some much needed knitting done.
I also took advantage of the beautiful weather to put together my compost bin. I built it out of some pallets donated by my stepdad, a bit of baling wire, and a few bungee cords. It's huge! I'm so glad to be able to compost again. I grew up in a household that composted, but this is the first place I've lived since I moved out where I've been able to do it myself. I'm currently using a large yogurt container to collect kitchen scraps. Now all I have to do is get my husband and stepson used to the idea. :)

Soaking up the Sun

Yesterday was the first 70+ degree day of the year and I spent the maority of my afternoon in my garden. This is our first spring in this house and I am determined to take advantage of the large garden plot in our back yard. I got about half of it turned and planted my broccoli and spinach (I had planted my lettuce in planters about a week ago and noticed yesterday that it's starting to sprout).
It felt so nice to spend some time in the sun, too bad I initially forgot to put on some sunscreen. Oh well, pink shoulders are a small price to pay for fresh veggies later.

Green Bottoms, Part II

Now that I've firmly established a pattern and habit making it possible to use cloth diapers, I feel it's time to move on to the next step. And the next step is cloth wipes. I'm already washing diapers, so why not?
Before approaching this I posted a thread on Ravelry, asking for tips and tricks on using cloth wipes. The replies I recieved were varied but all very useful. Some people buy cloth wipes at the same time as they are buying their diapers. More it seems make their own, out of flannel, terry cloth, micro fiber and more. I also got several suggestions for solution to soak them in though most were very very similar. Water with a tablespoon or two of baby wash, a tablespoon or so of oil (baby oil, olive oil, grapeseed oil, bath oil) and some times a few drops of an essential oil for fragrance.
Eventually I felt that I had gotten enough information to take this plunge. I took an empty container from some disposable wipes and made my own wipes solution secented with lavendar. Then I tossed in the disposible wipes I always end up washing when I was the diapers (most of them hold up in the wash for at least one more use), I also wound up saving some disposable wipes that had dried up. Once I can get my hands on some cheap flannel I'll make some more that will last a bit longer by just top stitching a couple pieces together.
I'm already starting to see the fiancial benefits of cloth diapering. If I were still using 'sposies I would have had to buy diapers for both the kids a week ago! And it looks like I wont need to buy diapers for my daughter for another week, and a full month for my son. Whoo hoo!

Yarn Blessings

Just the other day I was reading a thread on Ravelry about yarns that individuals would, for whatever reason, never buy again. Several posters mentioned that they would like to be rid of their offending yarn. I left a post mentioning, in a joking manner, that I would be happy to take any yarn off their hands. Fast forward 3 days and I am now expecting 8 boxes of yarn from 7 people, in 3 countries on 2 continents! I feel truly blessed by this out pouring of generosity by my fellow Ravelers, and excited for the opurtunity to try some new yarn! I can hardly wait, it's like waiting for Christmas!

Spring is in the air

It's beautiful outside! Sunny, breezy, a nice warm 70 degrees. The ground is warming up, the air smells so good!
I spent 2 hours outside today doing a bit of yard work. Got some leaves raked, some flower seeds planted, and a compost pile started. Now i just need to tackle my garden space. Ugh, that's gonna be a lot of work.....

Green Baby Bottoms

My babies' bottoms are now green. And no, it's not some funky rash. We've made the switch to using cloth diapers 95% of the time.
Now I have to admit, this was an easy one for me. We already had the cloth diapers, I used them about 50% of the time when my son was an infant. But I had let things slide over time, only using them occasionally in favor of the convenience of disposables. I blame my backslide on my distaste for laundry. I hate it and I always forget about it. But no more, I now have a schedule for washing my diapers. Every Monday and Friday, no matter what size the load is, I wash diapers.
Cloth diapers can be a great way to reduce your environmental impact as well as your grocery bill. Invest $400-$1200 once in diapers, covers and pins or snappies and they'll last you for months, possibly years. I currently have my daughter in covers I used with my son, and some of those were purchased at a second hand store. In contrast the cost of diapering with 'sposies can be upwards of $2000 over an average diapering period of two and a half years. And they most certainly cannot be reused by younger siblings, or passed on to another mom. The thing that really changed my thinking was watching the diapers pile up in the garbage can from changing my daughter. In one week, she filled the medium sized can we keep in the bedroom! Talk about an eye opener. Some people have questioned the water use required to wash diapers, but the average water used weekly (50-70 gallons) is equal to a potty trained toddler or an adult flushing the toilet 6-7 times a day over the same week. Not to mention the water used in the manufacture of the 'sposies.
There are many many many reasons to switch to cloth diapers and I would encourage anyone interested to look into it. Check out retail websites, see if your town as a diaper service, even just pick up some cheapies at the local big box store. It can take a little disipline, but in the end it's soooooo worth it.

It's not easy being green...at first

In the words of the imortal Kermit the Frog, "It's not easy being green." In fact, it can be down right confusing, confounding, frustrating and everything in between. But I believe it can be done. We just need to make some changes to the way we see things, to the way we think, to the choices we make, and to our priorities.
But then again, change can be hard and scary. People are bombarded from all sides with articles and commercials and news reports that scream "Green! Green! Green! Be green now! Use this product and be green! Do that and be green!" And inevitably the we try to do to much at one time and things get really hard. And because Americans seem to be allergic to things that make them uncomfortable, we backslide and stop doing anything to green our lives.
So, my new resolution (and the basis of this blog) is to green my (and by extension your) life, bit by bit. Please join me down this path and we can all reap the benefits.