Happy Crafty and GReeN Holidays!!!!

My favorite time of year is now upon us and I've been on a mission for months to come up with the most meaningful handmade gifts that I could possibly find!

I will include just a few of my favorites now and hopefully get some photos up of some completed items as it draws closer to the 25th.

--Handmade Coasters--
16 cent tiles from Lowes turn some Mod Podge and scrapbook paper into fine looking filler gift!!!

--Bath Salts--
Epsom salts mixed with some baking soda and sea salt turn into a fine, soothing soak for sore muscles. Add some lavender essential oils for an aromatic touch! :)

Happy Holidays!!

Where has this year gone?!?

I can't believe that December is almost here! I feel like time has passed so quickly since I last updated but then I took inventory of what I've accomplished since then and I feel much better about myself ;)

Gardening is about done for the season, though I do have a few peppers in the garden still waiting to turn red or yellow and even some tomatoes that might ripen before it's too cold.

The savings have been great lately, but my absolute favorite.........

.....AWESOME Handmade Christmas gifts! I will post pictures soon, but just wanted to wet your appetites a little first ;)

Have a great week!!!!!

A long time comin'

It's been a solid month now that migraines have kept me "out of the loop". Thanks be to God for such a wonderful husband (who happens to be a teacher on summer break right now) who has been around to care for my 12 month old and myself as I've seen numerous doctors (NOT my favorite GReeN habit, but my mortal habit, nonetheless) and had a battery of tests run. Hopefully everything comes back fine, but in the time being, we'll wait and hope and make progress. :-)

Lots of deals to come, though, I promise!!! Happy SaViNgS!!!

More Savings! :-)

----This was a Target trip from two days ago. I actually got a big bottle of Vaseline Aloe as well, but forgot to put it in the photo!
----Total after gift card and mail in rebates=FREE





[My latest shopping adventures have really paid off in the saving of some cash-ola!!!]

----This was also a Target trip. Several of the items were only purchased because the coupon made the item free and gave me a dollar overage for the other purchases! Total=$3.50-3.99 (can't remember for sure)

----Last but not least was a trip to CVS. I got all four of the Stayfree for FREE!

----Total after coupons and mail in rebates=$2.36!

In other GrEeN News.......

I often say that part of my going GrEeN is about saving GReeN! Well, here is my latest attempt at saving some GrEeN. FORGIVE ME for buying paper items and 'sposies (see previous post "vent"), but check out this deal! I got ALL of this for 1 dollar less than I normally pay just for the diapers! :) I'm so proud of myself!

Out in the Gardens:

We are continuing to harvest tomatoes (Better Boy and Grape) that taste quite yummy. The zucchini and squash plants both up and died two weeks ago, so no more of those (until I make it to the local nursery to buy a flat of plants). The green beans are quite delicious, when they are grown enough to harvest (maybe once every week). Here are a few garden photos.

Vent

Yes I'll admit that I'm not the most crunchy of crunchy mommas out there. So sue me. I must be an awful person because I use disposible diapers and toilet paper and tampons, but guess what! Rome wasn't freakin' built in a day and neither has my desire to be 100% gReeN. The End.

Organic!!

Father's Day Lunch

Tomato Biscuits (homemade biscuit and garden fresh tomato)
Green Beans (fresh from the garden)
Cottage Cheese (JRs Favorite)

The Daddy was impressed, the baby tried everything and seemed to like most of it, and I was happy because it was nearly FREE and almost completely organic! :)

Various GReeN Projects in Progress

Recycling Rain Water

We only have 2 buckets going right now, but wow, we save A LOT of water (and therefore, a lot of money) by recycling rain water and using it in the gardens. The veggies are lovin' it and so is the pocketbook!

Sourdough Bread

The hubs has been hard at work in the kitchen and has been pumping out 2 loaves a week with his "starter" that he feeds and tends. I love not having to buy bread! Again with the....GReeN!!!

Gardens!

We've loved our veggies thus far and eagerly await the harvest of more. We have eaten green beans, anaheim and bell peppers, and a few grape tomatoes from our garden so far. YUMMO!!!

More soon! Maybe even a few photos! :-)

Out in the Garden

I am very excited to report that the gardens are doing well. The raised bed is a nice nesting place for the green beans, which are growing rapidly, as well as the zuccini and butternut squash, both of which are blowing up as well! :-)

The container gardens are producing nicely already. The three tomato plants all have many blooms and small fruits on them already. The pepper is doing the best, by far. It has FOUR beautiful looking bells on it already. They are no where near harvest, but it's more fun to water and weed when I can see the fruit hanging from the vine!

The green beans taste DELICIOUS! I had the first harvest of those late last week and finally cooked them up for lunch yesterday. They were aboslutely fantastic!

My advice to all---get out and garden!!! It's quite theraputic and very productive as well! :)

Newspapers

Since our recycling company won't take paper (not sure why!), I have been creative with my use of newspaper around the house. Of course you have the normal things like using it to cover the table when eating crab legs or using it during packing. I've also started using it to 1) Line the potting soil in my container gardens and 2)Clean windows and mirrors using newspapers instead of paper towels. All great!

BUT---Newspaper DOES NOT work for cleaning the front of a stainless steel appliance. I was careful, just trying to clean the glass on my oven and BAM---small black marks that won't come off whilst using straight vinegar. Just a little FYI.....

Giving In---and Growing!

No big deal, really, but I have given up on homemade toothpaste for a little while. I saw some on mega sale at Winn Dixie yesterday, so I scooped it up. We'll be saving the baking soda for various cleaning projects around the house instead.


As for growing, the gardens are doing very well! I have my tomatoes and two of my peppers in containers and they are all doing very, very well! My single squash plant has decided to blow up in the past few days as well, not to mention the zucchini that we transplanted into the garden on Sunday. It now has much new growth, including a large flower in the center!

The baby green beans are in the ground after a week of sprouting in a flat. All but one looks as if it will produce quite well in the coming months. I can't say how rewarding it is to grow and produce my own food (or at least some of it). This, as with many other projects around the R. household lately have been about sustainability and "GReeN-ability" (ie...save money the SMART way!).





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Toothpaste

My "MeaN GReeN" attitude has gotten the old wheels 'a turning and it seems like I'm on a mission now!

My latest project is...drum roll please.......HOMEMADE TOOTHPASTE!

I'll admit that my only real desire to try this is because we're almost out of toothpaste at the house. I'll also admit that as soon as I brushed with the recipe below (first batch) I immediately washed the rest of it down the drain!!! But, but, but I am going to try again later today. I am convinced that I can come up with some that will work if I can do it without salt. My recipe called for salt and all I wanted following the brushing was a margarita! I do have to say, though, that even after lots of onions for lunch, my breath is still fresh!



Recipe #1

1/3 c. baking soda
2 t. fine sea salt
1 t. peppermint extract

all mixed in a small container with just enough water to make it pastey.

Homemade = Smart

There are some who define the word "homemade" as "cheap or can't afford to buy it". I have recently given it different meaning. How about, HOMEMADE = SMART!

Take laundry detergent, for example. We all know that when it's time to buy a new detergent that it will require us to stand in the laundry aisle and smell all of the different soaps. From there, the prices and brand names help us to weigh the options as well. How expensive is that stuff, really? Why on earth would I want to pay $12 for laundry detergent that after trying, I don't like any better than the $6 brand. But yet all the while, knowing that I am still quite unhappy with all of the products, I had an epiphany-----why not make my own?!?!?

Buying a few simple supplies, such as WASHING SODA, BORAX, and IVORY SOAP gave me everything I needed to create my own. And that I did, very successfully I might add! There's nothing like saving some GReeN and being GReeN too! :-)

My Love Affair with Vinegar

There are certain things that one might assume you will learn from your grandmother but do not. Using vinegar as a household cleaner was not something that I picked up along the way. Neither was being GReeN, for that matter, but we all reach a point where we need to make a change!

Problem? I hated cleaning the house and having my son around all of the fumes put off my the chemical cleaners.

Solution? VINEGAR!!!! (and maybe a little baking soda, a few newspapers, a squirt bottle, and a scrub brush)


Now how's that for being GReeN?! Not only am I being green, I'm saving a ton of GReeN (cash) by using cheap, household ingredients! Go MamaBear! :-)

On Going Green

Becoming a mother changed a lot of things about my life. The most noticeable has been the desire to become more resourceful (at home) and respectful (to the planet). My personal definition of "green" is just that- resourceful and respectful.

This blog is dedicated to the things that I (and my family) learn along the way.

Be GReeN!!! Why NOT???!?!?