Archive for May, 2008

May 30th, 2008 - FlyLady missions: Tupperware

For the last few weeks (since the wedding, I think), I’ve been trying to get back to FLyLady’s daily missions. Having broadband helps because I can easily pull up the daily mission each morning. I do this every now again but always get off track the weeks they do bedrooms since I can’t do much upstairs while everyone else is sleeping.

A couple weeks ago, we were in the kitchen. The mission was to go through your Tupperware and other such plastic containers. This was such a great mission! We collected a lot of cottage cheese containers (Jedi needed it with every meal for a few months) and shredded Parmesan cheese (it’s cheaper than buying it in chunks; we use it for pesto and on pasta). I decided to limit myself to something like 10 of each. And I got rid of all the non-cheese containers that were similarly sized. This means I don’t have to hunt as hard for matching lids. Everything of that size is all the same, instead of some cheese, some sour cream, some strawberries. And of course different brands never fit it each other either. I also made sure that every container matched with a lid and got rid of anything that came up alone.

Along the way I also cleaned up other stuff that had been resting on the plastics shelved like old medicines and nail polish. It’s been a breeze to find a storage container for the last couple weeks.

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May 23rd, 2008 - Green Drinks

Interested in meeting up with locals interested in the green lifestyle? Check out Green Drinks to see if folks are gathering monthly to chat. Amazingly, there’s one in Oshkosh! For the few international visitors I sometimes have, it’s in a few other countries as well. And if you don’t find one your neck of the woods, it’s really easy to start one. Doesn’t even cost anything.

I hate names like this, but the two I’ve heard about actually meet in coffee shops. Thank goodness!

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May 22nd, 2008 - Mutant tulip

As long as I was bringing photos, I thought I’d share a few of the yard. First up, one of my apple trees bloomed!
apple flowers

They are only on their second summer in my yard and far too small to support apples, so after snapping the picture, I removed them. So sad…but this bodes well for next year or the year after that!

Next, I have a mutant tulip. It’s the one on the right. The one on the left looks normal.

And it’s conjoined to the one on the left. Notice that it’s stem is twice as big as any other tulip stem, even before the join.

For another comparison, here’s a normal version of this tulip. Notice that it is a variety that looks different from a regular tulip already.
normal tulip

Anyone know how to make words go where I want with the images–above each one rather than wrapping around them? Now I now why this happens to other blogs I read. I can’t get the text to appear below each image. I tried lots of breaks and paragraphs but it did nothing at all. The text just appears next to the previous image any which way I try it. I found directions to use the class = “centered” code, but that didn’t do anything.

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May 22nd, 2008 - My MIL’s reusable bags

Linda wondered what my MIL’s bags look like and where she got them. So I looked online, took some photos, and then waited a few days to get them up as I didn’t have the right wire for the camera here at work. Then I went to a conference, where I got a cool flash drive and now I can easily bring photos from home on it! (It was a nursing conference, and the drive looks like a short, fat hypodermic needle. Without the needle. I seem to collect things like this. I also have two large push pins much like this. Except they have the needle–it’s the pin!

Here’s 2 photos of mine. Although now that I know the edging in PVC, I’m less enthused about it. ::sigh::
bag front

bag back
It does, nicely, have two sets of handles.

My MIL’s colorful bags come from/for the Elizabeth Haub Foundation. They are only available from certain stores. Unfortunately, the last note on the page is that they are fully recyclable and environmentally friendly. PVC isn’t environmentally friendly, folks: “Why do we want to identify and avoid it? Because its manufacture, use, and disposal involve dioxin, phthalates, lead, and other nasties that can cause cancer, endocrine disruption, endometriosis, birth defects, respiratory problems, and immune system damage. Because the full range of its effects on human health hasn’t been fully determined. And because there are indeed alternatives, including other types of plastic, that are not nearly as damaging to the environment and to our health” (from Ask Umbra at Grist).

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May 19th, 2008 - Toys don’t come from Target, they come from garage sales!

Maggie likes to play “going bye-bye.” She’ll pick up a backpack, purse, or bag and tell us she’s going someplace, usually work. However, she just told me, “I’m going bye-bye to buy new toys at the Target.”

My response, “Oh, no! We don’t buy new toys at Target! We buy used toys at garage sales!”

Then we had to have a bit of a conversation about why. I don’t think she quite gets it yet…. I’m also surprised at her plan to buy toys at Target, as I don’t believe we’ve ever bought toys at Target for her. Or for anyone else while she was with me.

I think I need to start taking her to the sales. On the other hand, Saturday’s my day off, and it’s such a hassle having a 3 year old to get in and out of the car seat at every stop. But heaven forbid a child of mine things toys come from Target! LOL

Posted in Kids, garage sales and thrift stores | 2 Comments »

May 19th, 2008 - Don’t waste your food

The NY Times Online has an interesting article One Country’s Table Scraps, Another Country’s Meal about how food American’s waste every year. It’s staggering. Less than 2% is composted.

In our house, less than 2% of our food waste is NOT composted. In that number figures the occasional item accidentally thrown away, meat bones (not compostable), and the bits of stuff on plates that goes down the drain.

I doubt we have more food waste than typical families, but I actually throw out more food than I might if we didn’t compost. Old bread? I don’t try to use it up if its really dry and I’ve made a new loaf because I know it will nourish my garden in a year or two.

And I fully understand the one line that families with young children throw away up to 25% of their food. You can never tell from day to day what or how much your child will eat. We usually don’t compost it the first time around, but after a couple days, it’s drying out and really unappetizing. We don’t force her to eat anything (”clean your plate!” is suggested as a reason for obesity levels.) so we often end up giving her more than she will eat. And kids will rarely try something new if they haven’t seen it before, so you go through many rounds of putting it on the plate before it gets eaten.

I know. If we were a third world family and that was all she was going to get to eat she’d learn to eat it or starve. Except we aren’t, and she knows she’ll get different food at the next meal. I prefer to give her a variety of foods so that we don’t have a cranky child due to hunger. But it’s hard to justify at times when you know life could be so different.

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May 19th, 2008 - And now, for something completely different to do with your stimulus check

Have Fun, Do Good suggests a variety of ways to do good with your check instead of buying or saving. I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone else recommending this. (Well, not the sites I read. Because she actually links to bunch of other people who are planning on donating their checks.)

Actually, it was mentioned at church yesterday as well.

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May 19th, 2008 - Donating food for library fines

If I’m reading this correctly, some great library takes donations of non-perishable foods instead of money for overdue book fines.

What an awesome idea! I wish our library did. (The fact that we forgot that two movies were due Saturday and they carry $1/day fines IIRC has nothing to do with that.)

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May 16th, 2008 - Finding Green-Friendly Outdoor Clothing

And then this month, The Good Human discussions EarthTalk: Finding Green-Friendly Outdoor Clothing. A nice change from the leather report.

I usually buy my clothing second hand, but I will try to keep these companies in mind when garage saling this summer. On the other hand, I probably have enough sweaters for next winter right now. I do need new winter books, however. (I prefer hiking books as they have the support and grip I need.)

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May 16th, 2008 - Alternatives To Leather?

Sorry it’s taken me so long to share this one. That’s often true of the blogs I read. I don’t know why I don’t just post them to share right away. Instead, I save them in Bloglines and then have to keep scrolling past them…

Anyway, back in Mark, the Good Human discussed EarthTalk: Are There Good Alternatives To Leather? I was quite disturbed to learn that much of leather goods we purchase may come from animals other than cows. I’d always imagined leather on my shoes (the only leather I will purchase, by the way) coming from dead cows that had gone to slaughter. Not that I appreciate how said cows are treated in their lives, but I could live with it.

If I didn’t have special foot needs, I would be buying only organic and non-leather shoes now. Unfortunately, I need excellent arch support and cushioning, which I’ve found only in high quality running shoes.

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May 15th, 2008 - A few new words from Amy Dacyczyn, The Author of The Tightwad Gazette

The Simple Dollar snagged an interview (doesn’t say how) with Amy Dacyczyn, the Author of The Tightwad Gazette. He didn’t post a lot of what they discussed, but it’s fun to hear from her 10 years after the newsletter/books.

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May 12th, 2008 - Do you have a minute?

Unfortunately, I didn’t save the post, but a few months ago someone who’s blog I read linking to a blog she reads with the neatest little tip: Time some of the chores you always procrastinate on. You’d be surprised at how many don’t even take a minute. Then, when faced with those 1-minute chores, just do them.

Or something like that. For her, taking out the kitchen garbage was a 1-minute chore, for instance. For me, it’s much longer. It takes a minute just to get the overstuffed bag out of the trash can. Then I have to tie it up, get outside (three doors), and over to the garbage can. Come back in, get out a new bag and put it in. Probably a 5-minute chore.

However, I’ve been trying to implement this in other ways. Instead of setting down an item to put away later, I take it upstairs right away. Or after I have 2 other items. Instead of waiting for a huge pile or to take up “later” which is usually forgotten. If I have a moment while the bread is toasting or waiting for Maggie to take care of something, or whatever, I try to remember to look around and see if there’s something little I can do.

Some 1-minute or less chores might include:

Getting out a new washcloth and hand towel in the kitchen
Clearing out my backpack from work (dishes, receipts, papers to file, etc.)
Straightening a few cans in the pantry
Recycling the daily paper
Bringing up a new package of toilet paper before we run out
Refilling the dog or cat water bowls
Dealing with one item sitting on the kitchen table (filing, looking something up online, recycling, putting in my backpack to take to work, making a note for Eric, etc.)
washing a baggie
wiping down the counters or stovetop
making a list of bigger chores for the weekend
straightening the living room sofa (cushions, pillows, blankets)
recycling old magazines
taking something downstairs for storage (I always have a few plastic freezer containers or glass jars sitting around)
going through the daily mail (most of it gets recycled anyway)
going through Maggie’s latest drawings and deciding which to keep or give away

What are some 1-minute chores in your home?

Posted in It's the little things... | No Comments »

May 11th, 2008 - First garage sales of the season

Yesterday morning, I spent 3 hours at a neighborhood sale–my first garage sales of the season. I went to it last year, arriving around 10am, when streets were already crowded and I was already tired from 2 hours of saling. This time, I went there at 7:40 and no where else. I hit most of the sales, but not all.

The best deals were in the first hour; I got almost nothing in the last 2. Last year, I got a lot of nice clothes for Maggie at great prices at one particular house which I managed to find back. For only $10, I’ve mostly outfitted her for the summer (shorts, t-shirts, and tank tops). Plus, I got 4 pairs of size 4 jeans (one size 3, but it’s too loose and Eric doesn’t like the style anyway) and a number of larger shirts for the winter. And some of the t-shirts should fit next year as well. All the prices were 25 or 50 cents; condition great. Other places had $1 and $2 clothes, in poorer condition.

The other good spot netted me crib sheets and mattress cover (we had only one of each that fit, so I hope these fit) and some brand new onsies. I spent twice as much there ($19), for less stuff. But it was the only place I saw these items and they two were in great shape (or new).

Other odds ‘n’ ends: plastic sled (Maggie loved the one at preschool this winter; I didn’t want to buy one new, nor plastic. This says up to age 2, but given her weight, she might be able to use it next year. If not, kiddo #2.), the things for my compost sifting, large wooden beads + string (had some beads already, but no strings for it and these added some new shapes and sizes), some wooden spools (to add to the bead set), a baggie of snaps and hooks, a cultivator (4 small tines at the end of a long handle; meant to use it yesterday on the onion/zinnia bed but forgot), and a new food bowl for Sith (been looking for ages; we have only one because the other one broke so it almost never gets washed; and what if it breaks?). I think I picked up a few clothes at another sale as well.

All told, I spent $35.

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May 10th, 2008 - Garden update May 10

Been doing a bit of work in the garden since returning from vacation. I have a problem, however: I can only work for about 30 minutes or sciatica kicks in. Today, I worked for 90 minutes then 30 minutes later. I hope I’m ok tomorrow. :( I did try to keep things easy. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

At the beginning of the week, I planted strawberries–Alexandria alpine and Italian alpine from One Green World. Wish I’d found them last year–I only found seeds and I didn’t have any of them germinate. The s’berries are listed “bundle of 5″ so I was picturing an actual bundle so figured they were just roots. Nope–I got 10 live plants in the mail! They seem to be doing well, especially the Alexandria ones–they were packed a bit better and were in great shape when they arrived as well. Except that animals, probably squirrels, are intrigues by the compost I mixed in and keep digging holes around them. So far, they haven’t dug up the s’berries, but…. Maggie helped me, which is ironic since she can’t eat them. Speaking of which–some of the Italians had berries on them already. I had to trim them and all the flowers off (oops, I’ve forgotten to look for more) so I ate the ones that were large enough to taste. The largest one, although still yellow, was sweet! I may be able to eat some later in the summer.
Compost. This has taken me a lot of time. The compost bin isn’t fully composted, so I can’t just dig it out and put it in the garden. I have to put the large pieces back in the other bin. Before Friday, I just used a pitchfork which wasn’t all that useful. Yesterday, I used a rake as a sifter. That worked better but was quite awkward. (I sift into a bucket.) Today, I found a wire tray at a garage sale. (I also picked up a plastic strainer, and then remembered a big one I had downstairs. Neither was very effective.) It’s perfect! Well, at least a lot better than my other options. So I sifted 3 2/3-bushel baskets of compost today and took them to the garden. It’s neat to see the decay and to get to the good stuff at the bottom of the pile!
Planted: greens, carrots, onion sets, and zinnias. Got the onions at the downtown hardware store. At Menard’s, they come in packages of 100 for $1 or more. At Kitz & Pfeil, it’s a bin and it’s $1/#. I got 33 cents worth and it was more than enough for two rows. I used the extras (probably another row’s worth) for green onions. I hope these all grow better than last year’s did. Most of them got little bigger than the sets. I was told that they need more water–they weren’t in the garden so never got watered and we had a bit of a drought.
Ordered tomatoes, peppers, and basil from Foxglove via the Red Radish. They’ll come in on Friday. Which means I need to prep 2.5 beds (1.5 for tomatoes, .5 each for peppers and basil) by Friday. I hope it doesn’t rain. I also need to plant my beans I think.

Given my sciatica issues, coming after a winter of working on my lower back and weight lifting (personal training at work), I’m getting more worried about my ability to keep up with a garden this size. I don’t have a problem weeding or harvesting (mostly). But digging the beds, sifting and carrying compost…it’s tough for me. So I’m going to look at more fruits and perennials. Starting with raspberries. Instead of putting them in the back, I’m going to turn over at least two beds to them–just one for now. And maybe alongside the house as well, since the watermelons don’t appear to have germinated. Out back, we’ll put blueberries instead–that works better since they need acidic soil so hard to do in the garden. So I also have to prep for raspberries this week; they should have been planted a month ago.

This also makes sense cost-wise. Raspberries are $4/pint at the farmer’s market! Carrots are $1/bunch. I’ll probably still plant carrots anyway…. And I signed up for a 1/2 share in a CSA this year. They mostly do veggies. And if that seems to work out, I can do a lot more fruits in the garden and still be happy. That and greens. I love fresh salads from the garden. And flowers.

Now I need to go stretch out before bed. I’m sore!

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May 9th, 2008 - It’s all about the cupcake

My daughter’s new philosophy is a great example of living life in the moment.

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May 9th, 2008 - Three beads and a baby

My brother sent me a blog post from an old friend from high school last week (if you followed the track-back: Hi, W! Other readers: Yes, we called him W. Or Dub or Dubbie. I hope he doesn’t mind me bringing up those old names.). Talk about a blast from the past. Except the post isn’t really even about him, it’s about baby toys: Three beads and a baby compares the expensive crib mobile he just set up with a baby toy his grandfather played with.

I agree that his grandfather’s was a better toy.

Relatedly, over the weekend, I went through Maggie’s toys again. The primary impetus was the trashed room that appeared after she began sleeping in the big girl bed (she stays in bed 95% of the time now, or at least has for the two weeks since we got home). But I also wanted to get rid of plastic toys if I could. I filled on paper box with toys to save–mostly books and puzzles she’s outgrown–for the next kid. Goodwill is going to get some of the plastic toys and stuffed animals she doesn’t need or I don’t want around. Her toy area is much simpler now, and even if she does pull everything out, it will be easy to return it. It’s mostly books!

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May 8th, 2008 - Where I want to take my next vacation

The Good Human recently took a trip to Taos, NM< including Our Experience Staying In A Rental Earthship Home. I want one. If not that, I want to stay in one. It just sounds so lovely!

Maybe combine that with a trip to my uncles Mark and Tim–they have a 20-acre place in Oklahoma with horse, pecan trees, and a huge house. Tim invited us at the wedding and it’s not even as far as NJ is from Oshkosh. If only we still had a travel budget (it’s all going to the adoption).

::sigh::

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May 8th, 2008 - My smart husband

Before we left for vacation, I made sure all the dishes were washed. So upon our return, it really hit me how few plates we have left from the set we got for our wedding. The problem is that although I thought stoneware plates were pretty and durable, they are not a good idea for clumsy people. Out of 8 place settings, we have only 3 small plates and 4 large plates left. I recently started using the saucers for breakfast, but two pieces of toast is too large to fit on them. At the winter holidays, we got down the pretty gold-plated winter set, which we never used to use because they “shouldn’t” be put in the dishwasher. We put them in the dishwasher rather than never use them. So we have enough large plates now.

Given the paucity of small plates, however, I approached Eric. “We only have 3 small plates left. Should we pick out a new set and buy them now–Maybe Mom and Dad would give them as our anniversary gift? Or should I go to St. Vincent’s and buy a number of mis-matched plates to get us through?”

I’m so proud of Eric. His response was, “How about we just use large plates?” (And he was polite to use “we” because I’m really the only one who uses the smaller plates on a regular basis.)

I was so focused on the lack of small plates that it didn’t occur to me to use larger plates in their place! Oh, and it just occurred to me that we might have some smaller plates with the winter set. I’ll have to check (and get the rest of the big ones down, too).

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May 7th, 2008 - Plastic bags in New Jersey

I’m starting to understand the bans on plastic bags even more than I used to. Want to get the bigger picture yourself? Go visit New Jersey and do the following simple tasks.

1. Buy some bagels. As is typical elsewhere, they will be put in a paper bag. Atypically–I hope!–the baker will attempt to put said paper bag inside a plastic bag. As he was taking our payment, I noticed that he was getting out a plastic bag. At first, I didn’t say anything because surely that bag wasn’t for our bag. Why in the world would I need a bag for my bag of bagels? I finally did say we didn’t need the plastic bag. “Are you sure?” “Yes, I’m sure.” My husband, a NJ native, chimed in, too! We talked about it on the way to the car. His hypothesis is that since there are many seniors in the area, they might have trouble holding on to the crimped paper bag. However, we aren’t seniors and were perfectly capable of carrying a dozen bagels in the original bag.

2. Buy a gym bag. A fairly typical bag, perfect to carry by the handles or over your shoulder. The check out clerk will pull out a really big plastic bag for you to carry your new gym bag to the car. We declined the plastic one. She was quite surprised, like the baker, and tried to push it on us. Eric politely said that he didn’t need a bag for his bag and would just carry it. Neither of us understand this one.

At least the sub shop used a paper bag to put the entire sub order in, each sub of which is also wrapped in paper and put in a smaller paper bag. ::sigh::

On a related note, the reusable bags sold by grocery and department stores are a big hit. Even my mother in law has picked up a bunch of them and uses them for groceries. She likes the ones that are pretty. I forget who makes them–I’ll check at home as she sent us one at Christmas–but each one has a pretty design covering most of the bag such as a whale, the rain forest, a monkey, etc. Unfortunately, this brand is made of plastic–but it’s recycled and pretty heavy duty.

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May 7th, 2008 - Back from the land of the lost

No, not actually lost, just really busy at work and home these days after the long vacation. I’m going to get back into the swing of writing every day or two starting today! Thanks for sticking with me. At least, I hope all 30 or so of you have stuck around….

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My Adventures in Simple Living

Archive for May, 2008

May 30th, 2008 - FlyLady missions: Tupperware

May 23rd, 2008 - Green Drinks

May 22nd, 2008 - Mutant tulip

May 22nd, 2008 - My MIL’s reusable bags

May 19th, 2008 - Toys don’t come from Target, they come from garage sales!

May 19th, 2008 - Don’t waste your food

May 19th, 2008 - And now, for something completely different to do with your stimulus check

May 19th, 2008 - Donating food for library fines

May 16th, 2008 - Finding Green-Friendly Outdoor Clothing

May 16th, 2008 - Alternatives To Leather?

May 15th, 2008 - A few new words from Amy Dacyczyn, The Author of The Tightwad Gazette

May 12th, 2008 - Do you have a minute?

May 11th, 2008 - First garage sales of the season

May 10th, 2008 - Garden update May 10

May 9th, 2008 - It’s all about the cupcake

May 9th, 2008 - Three beads and a baby

May 8th, 2008 - Where I want to take my next vacation

May 8th, 2008 - My smart husband

May 7th, 2008 - Plastic bags in New Jersey

May 7th, 2008 - Back from the land of the lost

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