Spring Break!

We had a great Spring Break with Cade. Cade's friend Brandon was also on break, so they got to do plenty of hanging out and even had a sleepover! Cade got to go bike riding with Patsy and Jim, and with my dad, and we got to hang out with my parents and have another bb gun contest. We went to Manitou Springs and played at the Penny Arcade and had a delicious Greek lunch. Cade built a special lap holder for the new (old) laptop that Grandpa fixed up for him and of course plenty of video games were played in the new basement! It was a fun filled week, and totally sad to say goodbye again. Only 2 more months until summer, though! YAY! A new box Clarence snuggled into for a while. (such a lovely decor element, no?)

Jeff hunkering down to get the bad guys!

Cade and Brandon playing Foosball.

I LOVE PINBALL! I sampled some old and some new. The arcade has probably 20 different pinball machines alone! Cade loves it, too :)

More shooting...

...

And can you believe how tall Cade is getting? He's almost caught Grandpa! We forgot to measure him, but can you imagine how tall he'll be by the end of summer! He'll be a teenager in less than 2 months!

Aren't they cute with their matching glasses?

Hopefully both grandma's will send me their pictures from our week and I can update with some grandparent fun.

And I made a crafty project. I totally copied Pottery Barn. Nothing that is for sale, but it was in their catalog. Pretty cute, eh? They are Chinese proverbs.

Spring Cleaning My Life

What I need to do to live the way I’d like:

1. Refrain from using plastic as often as possible
   
• Find something to use besides baggies for storage

http://noshpockets.ca/

http://www.lunchskins.com/product_p/r-vert.htm

http://www.reuseit.com/store/wrapnmat%c2%ae-regular-p-2.html

· save up to buy several! (maybe about $50)

What about foods that come in plastic containers? Find a recyclers that takes all plastics? Done!!! Our current waste system has already started doing this and more!!!

2. Make most of my own natural cleaners
• Find found! recipes for:

• Liquid Dish Washing Soap

1 bar of real soap, grated (Ivory makes a good bar of real soap)

2 cups boiling water

¼ cup vinegar (helps to cut grease)

5-10 drops essential oil for scent (optional) lemongrass, orange, lavender or even peppermint are nice scents for dish soaps. Try something new each time you remake a batch.

First, grate the bar of real soap. Place in a large pot or bowl. Add 2 cups boiling water and stir. Let dissolve. Stir to blend well. Add ¼ cup vinegar and essential oils when it cools down. Put liquid soap in a soap dispenser and shake well. It will continue to dissolve over time. If it is too thick, just add a little more water and shake until it is of the consistency that you desire.

Spicy Orange Liquid Dish Soap:

1 real bar soap

5 drops orange essential oil

3 drops clove essential oil

• Laundry Detergent

1/3 bar natural soap

Large pot

6 cups water

1/2 cup borax

1/2 cup washing soda

4 cups hot water

1 gallon plus 6 cups water

Grate the soap and put it in the pot. Add the 6 cups of water and heat the pot to melt the soap completely.

Add borax and washing soda and stir until they are completely dissolved. Remove mixture from stove top.

Put the 4 cups of hot water in the large bucket. Add soap mixture and stir thoroughly.

Add the 1 gallon and 6 cups of water. Stir thoroughly. Cover soap and let it sit for at least 24 hours.

• Bubble Bath

• Deodorant

• Lip balm

• Kitchen Cleaner

2 Cups Water

1/4 Cup White Vinegar

1/4 tsp. Tea Tree Oil

1/4 tsp. Lavender Oil

spray bottle

• Dishwashing Detergent:

1 cup vinegar, 2TBSP lemon concentrate, 1 cup borax, 1 cup baking soda. that is all. that's for the liquid version. if you want it dry, skip the vinegar and lemon. it still works great.
2)mix them together as if you are doing a 5th grade volcano science experiment. it will bubble...do not be alarmed.
3)store this mixture in some type of container. glass would be better, but i just returned the soap into my old dish soap container because it's easy to pour.

• Bathroom Cleaner

2 Cups Water

1/4 Cup White Vinegar

1/4 tsp. Tea Tree Oil

1/4 tsp. Orange/Lemon/grapefruit or other Oil

spray bottle

• Toilet cleaner

Vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda

• Buy all ingredients and make!
  
• Save up some $$ for ingredients (maybe $50?)

3. Stop buying anything unless I am replacing something

4. When I buy something, let it be from a respectable green supplier as often as possible
• This one is hard. Shop at Whole Foods as often as possible. How? Maybe every other week
  
• Rearrange Budget.
• Find good, cheap recipes. (use Whole Living website/magazine)
• What about clothes and shoes and other things? TBD

5. Buy organic and as often as possible local foods that aren’t preserved or packaged
• See above

6. When I get rid of something, give it away rather than throw it away

7. Give away some of my normal things rather than just my cast offs
• aka simplify
• Go through the house room by room and decide what is necessary and what is not
• Kitchen___
• Living Room___
• Family Room___
• Bathroom___
• Desk Room___
• Linen closet___
• Bedroom/closet___
• Guest Room___

8. Help out struggling friends

9. Give money to respectable charities

• Research charities

10. Grow my own veggies/herbs
• Have Jeff help me start this summer:

tomatoes, ___

cilantro, ___

peas? ___

Beans?___

Zucchini?___

11. Buy a smaller home-simplify (that is when the market goes back up and our house is worth what it should be!)

12. Share meals when going out to eat

13. Keeping snacks and socks in my car for people on corners who need help
• Figure out what kind of snacks are good for you but don’t go bad. Buy these!

______

______

______

14. Try to fix or repurpose things rather than throw them away and purchasing new things
• Three dressers in the house___
• Side table___
• Make Throw pillows___
• Get velcro for couch cushions

15. Walk on lunch breaks to get exercise rather than driving somewhere and needlessly wasting gas
• Pack walking things in trunk

16. Snack on healthier things at work
• Figure out what these are

Dried fruit?

Granola?

Snap Peas

Crackers?

So this is my list in progress. Some of these things can't be crossed off, I just need to start changing the way I live. It will take time and $ to do some of these things. It will take perseverance and determination to do some. It will take little effort to do some. So here I go! I'll try to update the list as I go through the items. This will be my accountability of sorts. Thanks for spurring me on, readers!

A walking contradiction

I yearn for peace, yet when I’m being tailgated I want to slam on my brakes. I want to do my best to help take care of the earth, yet when I read recipes for natural, homemade cleaning products I think “too much work” I want to be a healthy vegetarian and help my family to eat well, yet when I try to think of non-carb recipes I draw a blank or say “gross” I want to spend money wisely, toward the efforts above, and yet I purchase curtains made by children and clothes made in sweat factories and unnecessarily huge TVs.

Where is the balance? How can I change my way of life after years of living the opposite way? I recognize and acknowledge what I WISH I would do, yet I don’t find a way to DO those things. Is it because it seems too difficult? Too expensive? Too much of a sacrifice? Too much work? Too time consuming? Too out of the box? Too overwhelming?

Should I just pick one thing to change? Like making my own kitchen cleaner? Pick one ingredient to change? Like organic beef? Choose one charity to give to instead of buying Starbucks? Change one day to day practice, like using glass containers rather than plastic?

Here are the things we’ve done that I think are steps in a good direction: Buying only organic beef and sugar and fair trade coffee (well, most of the time) Composting Recycling Using “natural” all purpose cleaner from the grocery.

Here’s what I (say I) want to do:

Refrain from using plastic

Make most of my own natural cleaners

Stop buying anything unless I am replacing something

When I buy something, let it be from a respectable green supplier as often as possible

When I get rid of something, give it away rather than throw it away

Give away some of my awesome things rather than just my cast offs

Give money to struggling friends

Give money to respectable charities (therefore researching charities)

Buy organic and as often as possible local foods that aren’t preserved or packaged

Grow my own veggies/herbs

Buy a smaller home-simplify (that is when the market goes back up and our house is worth what it should be!)

Share meals when going out to eat

Keeping snacks and socks in my car for people on corners who need help

Try to fix or repurpose things rather than throw them away

Walk on lunch breaks to get exercise rather than driving somewhere and needlessly wasting gas

What is keeping me from doing these things? If not all, at least some? What would it take in the “perfect” world for me to accomplish all of these things? It’s something I’m going to think about in the next few days. I want to break out! I want to live well! Here’s to figuring out how.

unbelievable!

Jeff is on Spring Break, so that is exciting item #1. Cade comes on Friday, so hooray for exciting item #2! AND the carpet is down in the basement and the furniture is there and Jeff's built-in is gorgeous. Take a look...

from the top of the stairs


at the bottom of the stairs (there is a big storage closet immediately to the left)


Jeff and Clarence checking out the TV on the couch


to the right, walking toward the bedroom


Looking into the bedroom, which is still totally empty


Looking from the bedroom doorway back at Jeff in the family room

and the built-in stage 1

and stage 2!

Now all we need are pictures, curtains and bedroom stuff. (well, and trim and doors and the bathroom finished, but who's keeping track of all that!? ;)

Think about it

I saw this clip and cried and cried. It brought out emotions and so many thoughts. There is so much going on in the world. So much sadness, pain, hunger, death, hate, fear. But there is also good! People are living, thriving, helping each other. Neighbors lending hands. Communities sharing gardens. Cities building houses. Countries sending rescuers.

This video made me think. Please. When we generalize a group of people based on color, race, language, country. When we characterize a religion with a single word. When we think it's appropriate to make sweeping statements about a person, religion, group of people, HUMANS, men, women, children, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, grandchildren, PEOPLE, let us think first. Let us use our hearts, let us look in the eyes of those people and then look in the mirror. Let us recognize ourselves in them.

I have never been so weary, so sad, so tired and frustrated and disappointed by all the email blasts, the politics from politicians and non-politicians alike, the fear, the hate. Where are our hearts? Where is our love? Why aren't our initial, automatic responses to people, to life in general love? In the wake of disaster? LOVE. In the midst of violence? LOVE. Surrounded by prejudice? LOVE. I've decided to let it come from me first. I'm not going to wait for someone else to be the loving one. Maybe when they see it, feel it, hear it coming from me, it will more easily flow from them. Please, watch this video, and if nothing else, just think about it. It is a beautiful portrayal of a human heart greiving over the loss of another. Regardless of your opinion on his politics or the hearing in particular, I believe Congressman Ellison's testimony is filled with conviction, truth and love.

I realize this is a public blog, and I'm setting myself up for comments. However, if you are going to say something negative or durogatory about Rep Ellison, Muslims, my post, or anything at all, I will not publish your comment. The point of my post is love and I will not sully the message with anything else. I realize the world will never be free of disagreements and opposite opinions. But why add hate? Why not sprinkle our conversations and discussions and even disagreements with love?




you can find the entire hearing here:
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/AmericanMu

or maybe something more subdued?

I'm still thinking through color ideas for the basement. Maybe something with fewer bright colors?

Who knows! I just can't wait!!!

curtains and cabinets

Let me tell you, I'm a girl who loves to change things up in the house. Growing up my mom was often moving the couches and chairs around, and so I love to reorganize furniture. Mom didn't change actual furnishings or decorations much, but I am a bit addicted to it. If you want to easily change the look of a room, try curtains, lamps or rugs. As you all (all 6 of you) know, I am ready for Spring! Soo, that being said, I went out and bought some Spring curtains this weekend. I had one in mind, in the post below, but when I saw it at World Market in person I thought "wow, those are very bright, maybe they would be too bright for Jeff's taste." So I bought 3 sample panels, the one below and two others. We hung them up and Jeff, in his accommodating fashion said "I like the one you like." Come on! He already loved the red curtains we had, so if I was going to spend the money to change them, I really wanted him to at least not HATE the new ones. So he picked. And guess which one he liked the best? The bright ones! I think they look great. Very bright and airy. They will take some getting used to as they really change the room drastically. I think maybe a lighter throw pillow or two may help, but for now the living room is looking very nice :) The pictures are dark, I'll have to take more when it's sunny.

Also, Jeff has been working hard on our new cabinets/built-in/entertainment center for the basement. He spent the majority of both Saturday and Sunday working up a storm. I helped on Sunday, but on Saturday I spent a lovely day with my mom at my parents house. There was a major mishap with the cabinets, which I will not get into, but in the end it all worked out and both husband and wife are once again happy. There is still a bit of building to be done and then we will paint it white but here is the progress so far: