My most recent “Dude, Get On That Already” challenge may seem small, but small projects add up! And, honestly, it’s HUGE in a small kinda way. Okay, that makes zero sense, but I’ve got a serious case of Pregnancy Brain, so it’s a miracle that I can speak in complete sentences. 😉
Anyhoo, I started this “project” a little while ago by taking a rather large haul of unused or unwanted goodies to Goodwill, including some purses and lots o’ shoes. I went from two totes (which were both housed in “my” closet, now the nursery closet) down to one. A single tote housing all of my purses/handbags/shoes…given how little of a “girlie girl” I am, I’m surprised how much I’m impressed by that.
From here, it took me awhile to finally clear out the rest of the closet, but consider it DONE! If my hubby could reduce his space usage by one closet and one dresser (down to one of each), the least I could do is FINALLY get off my tuckus and shift (and edit) some stuff. Sure, I’m leaving a couple of large, important items (um…y’know…my wedding dress) way in the back of the nursery closet, alongside the big ol’ bin of accessories, but there will still be plenty of room for the baby’s stuff.
Pay no attention to the scarves hanging on the closet door (and the messy bookshelf to the left). Every amateur actress needs a feather boa, right? 😉
The “rest” of the closet…where my wedding dress and other sundries live.
Winston had to remind me that our “big” luggage also will be housed,
atop the bin that holds my accessories.
And the closet’s still not quite done! I know, “dude, get on that already”…I know. It’s just lovely to have an empty space that we know will be filled with baby storage solutions and cute things. We already have a large board that we’ll be painting white and retrofitting to create a shelf above the closet pole. Er, rod. Whatever that thing is. Either way, I already expect it to be a bit of a challenge, since we did the same in Dave’s closet space and it. Was. A. Bear. I’m wishing for a pleasant surprise, especially now that the belly’s getting in the way more and more everyday.
What other storage solutions are we thinking of for the baby? Other than the closet (which is LOTS of space, considering the size of the rest of the house!), we’ve got a couple of empty drawers from a previous DGOTA challenge, which is miraculous in our house — or anyone’s house, it seems!
‘Tis a thing of beauty. This free space is mere feet away in our hallway, so it’s quite convenient. A little closer by, I’m stocking up (or will be) on baskets and bins that will help organize on shelves and other surfaces. Some items don’t have a job yet, but I’ve got a couple of possible ideas for them – such as a white, seriously-made-of-plastic-but-doesn’t-look-it “basket” that will be ideal for laundry OR diapers (or a still TBD use).
I’m also already indebted to a dear friend who lives *swoon* near an Ikea who will be picking up some hanging shelves for us (aaaaand possibly one for the office…shhh, she doesn’t know it yet ;-)), once I can determine exactly where they’ll go and what size we’ll need. Thanks to Pinterest and other ideas I’ve gleaned, I’ve got some…erm…”creative” ways to display and house some of the other goodies. Wait ‘n see.
Oh, and one of the most important storage factors involves a free dresser that will be getting a low-VOC paint job and new jewelry (hardware) to play a very important, not-just-for-storage role as a changing table. Now, let’s all hope it’s an okay size for this job!
Then there’s everyone’s favorite: “sneaky” storage. You know the kind. We’ve got this all over the house – from the two ottomans in our living room to the old “treasure chest” in our front room. In this case, I’ve got a mini-, faux leather ottoman ($7.49?! Sign me up!) and will be looking for a lidded basket or two (possibly the “soft” kind), especially for toys ‘n blankets. Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention a possible toy chest that my hubby’s rather fond of. I only wish I could paint it, but it’s got that “rustic” (read: orange wood that would look quite at home in a family camp) vibe that he seems to like going on. Hmm. Maybe that look will come back someday. One can only hope.
So, there’s obviously lots left to do in this space. But, like I said, every little project brings us closer to having a nursery where, once, there was a guest room-slash-dressing room. Purdy exciting! Now, on to that shelf!
I have officially had my first attempt at trying a more eco-friendly (and, coincidentally, cheaper) shampoo alternative, and thought I’d share my experiences. Y’know. Just in case anyone else is thinking of making a change.
Strangely enough, earlier in the day I used vinegar and baking soda to unclog a drain AND do some nice, non-asphyxiating cleaning in the bathroom, so it just made sense to leave the products in the bathroom for my impending shower. What could it hurt?
I read up on some methods and chose the one I’d try. I was slightly fearful for getting stinging vinegar in my eyes, and that I’d blatantly smell like a salad for days (perhaps to the delight of my salad-lovin’ hubby). But, my thoughts kept returning to Shirley Temple — if she could endure her daily vinegar rinses (as a child, of course), I could, too. Gotta keep those curls perfect! 😉 (Just kidding, I don’t have curls.)
So, I diluted some vinegar and water in a stainless steel cup we had lying around the bathroom (I’d say about a 6:1 ratio, water to vinegar — but this depends on the length of your hair and other factors, like tendency toward oiliness) and let it sit alongside the box of baking soda. After wetting down my hair, I poured the solution (about 2/3 of it) on my head, in sections, from my scalp to the tips. The point of this first soaking is to bring the oil and grime to the surface of the hair – so it’s good to leave it on for at least two minutes. You can do the rest of your showerly bidness in the meantime.
I’m not sure if I did it properly, but I rinsed my hair in the shower before doing this next step – I wasn’t sure I wanted that “fuzzy” reaction with the baking soda happening on my scalp. So, after the rinse, I took a small handful (a couple of tablespoons, maybe) of the baking soda, dropped in a bit of water to make a thick paste, then rubbed it pretty aggressively into my scalp and hair. I believe I only had to do two handfuls, then I just worked the abrasive action of the baking soda until I felt the job was done.
But, of course, this isn’t the end. I then water-rinsed – again, not sure if I should’ve done this or just added the last vinegar rinse, but I’m a rebel – before doing one final vinegar rinse with the leftover vinegar/water dilution. A final rinse of water, and I was done.
It may SEEM like it took forever, but it really didn’t waste as much water as you’re thinking — it was pretty quick, even with the 2-minute “soak” (which, again, left me with time to clean, um, the rest of me). And, while I think I should’ve rinsed more at the end, I didn’t necessarily notice a vinegar odor…not a strong one, at least. I’ll pay better attention to my rinsing in the future, but I could only faintly smell it when I shoved a handful of hair from my ponytail up to my nose.
I’ll give a more in-depth review of this technique after I’ve been doing it for a week or two, but, in all honesty, my hair was SO soft (after blow-drying with zero product) and easy to comb through after just one shower. I don’t notice any greasiness the day after, but also very little dryness. The chemicals and suds in normal shampoo (even lots of the “eco-friendly” versions out there) strip our hair of the oils that it needs. I’m excited to see whether this continues to suffice for me (I’ve even heard that some folks are able to wash their hair less than once daily after trying this method!).
But, seriously, even if I try this technique a few times a week, it’ll cut back on chemicals a) going onto my body…yuck… and b) joining the environment. I’ve got some shampoo to use up, so I’m up in the air about finishing it (or seeing if a family member or friend would use it).
Oh, and no, I’m not forcing Dave to try this. Although, I told him to watch out for the jug of vinegar in the bathroom and I believe he made a joke about using it as shampoo…to which I replied, “I did!!!” Boy, was he surprised. I guess he must not have smelled it coming from my head! 😉
I have officially had my first attempt at trying a more eco-friendly (and, coincidentally, cheaper) shampoo alternative, and thought I’d share my experiences. Y’know. Just in case anyone else is thinking of making a change.
Strangely enough, earlier in the day I used vinegar and baking soda to unclog a drain AND do some nice, non-asphyxiating cleaning in the bathroom, so it just made sense to leave the products in the bathroom for my impending shower. What could it hurt?
I read up on some methods and chose the one I’d try. I was slightly fearful for getting stinging vinegar in my eyes, and that I’d blatantly smell like a salad for days (perhaps to the delight of my salad-lovin’ hubby). But, my thoughts kept returning to Shirley Temple — if she could endure her daily vinegar rinses (as a child, of course), I could, too. Gotta keep those curls perfect! 😉 (Just kidding, I don’t have curls.)
So, I diluted some vinegar and water in a stainless steel cup we had lying around the bathroom (I’d say about a 6:1 ratio, water to vinegar — but this depends on the length of your hair and other factors, like tendency toward oiliness) and let it sit alongside the box of baking soda. After wetting down my hair, I poured the solution (about 2/3 of it) on my head, in sections, from my scalp to the tips. The point of this first soaking is to bring the oil and grime to the surface of the hair – so it’s good to leave it on for at least two minutes. You can do the rest of your showerly bidness in the meantime.
I’m not sure if I did it properly, but I rinsed my hair in the shower before doing this next step – I wasn’t sure I wanted that “fuzzy” reaction with the baking soda happening on my scalp. So, after the rinse, I took a small handful (a couple of tablespoons, maybe) of the baking soda, dropped in a bit of water to make a thick paste, then rubbed it pretty aggressively into my scalp and hair. I believe I only had to do two handfuls, then I just worked the abrasive action of the baking soda until I felt the job was done.
But, of course, this isn’t the end. I then water-rinsed – again, not sure if I should’ve done this or just added the last vinegar rinse, but I’m a rebel – before doing one final vinegar rinse with the leftover vinegar/water dilution. A final rinse of water, and I was done.
It may SEEM like it took forever, but it really didn’t waste as much water as you’re thinking — it was pretty quick, even with the 2-minute “soak” (which, again, left me with time to clean, um, the rest of me). And, while I think I should’ve rinsed more at the end, I didn’t necessarily notice a vinegar odor…not a strong one, at least. I’ll pay better attention to my rinsing in the future, but I could only faintly smell it when I shoved a handful of hair from my ponytail up to my nose.
I’ll give a more in-depth review of this technique after I’ve been doing it for a week or two, but, in all honesty, my hair was SO soft (after blow-drying with zero product) and easy to comb through after just one shower. I don’t notice any greasiness the day after, but also very little dryness. The chemicals and suds in normal shampoo (even lots of the “eco-friendly” versions out there) strip our hair of the oils that it needs. I’m excited to see whether this continues to suffice for me (I’ve even heard that some folks are able to wash their hair less than once daily after trying this method!).
But, seriously, even if I try this technique a few times a week, it’ll cut back on chemicals a) going onto my body…yuck… and b) joining the environment. I’ve got some shampoo to use up, so I’m up in the air about finishing it (or seeing if a family member or friend would use it).
Oh, and no, I’m not forcing Dave to try this. Although, I told him to watch out for the jug of vinegar in the bathroom and I believe he made a joke about using it as shampoo…to which I replied, “I did!!!” Boy, was he surprised. I guess he must not have smelled it coming from my head! 😉
Why, yes. I do want a onesie like this one. Why do you ask? 😉
Winter’s the season for hibernation, hunkerin’ down, inactivity and coziness. It’s nice to have a time devoted specifically to, well, in essence laziness – believe me, I’m a huge fan, especially while the little chicken dinner roasts away inside me.
But I’m also reminded of how nature utilizes the season. While it seems like nothing much is happening beyond winter weather patterns (which we’ve had absolutely minimal of this year!), the frozen ground holds within it lots of activity. If not for this “rest period”, the organic material wouldn’t be preparing itself for spring planting, animals wouldn’t survive properly until spring, and the whole system would be outta whack.
It makes me feel remiss, in the midst of all that nature’s doing to prepare for the next season, that I’m not doing my part for nature as much as I have in the past. While I’ve discussed “going green” quite a bit around my slice of the world wide web, I feel that I’ve dropped the ball a bit lately. An easy excuse is “I’m distracted by planning for the baby” — but, seriously, what better excuse to try to implement more “greenery” into our lives than the future generations?!
That being said, I shouldn’t be TOO harsh. I mean, there certainly are lots of areas of our lives that we’ve already changed – to the point where they’re second-nature and we’ve forgotten we’ve even MADE the changes.
Firstly, almost all of the products that we use (be them cleaning or otherwise) are “eco-friendly”. While I’d like to do more (by way of finding shampoo alternatives and making our own laundry detergent), we’re still doing more than a lot of people. There’s always room for improvement.
We use cloth napkins at every meal, and try to use dish towels and rags as much as possible (although we have to keep minimal tissues and paper towels around due to colds and gross cat ears that need cleaning); again, an area in which we can continue to improve.
We like to use glass-and-silicon reusable containers for our work lunches, and recyclable/recycled double-plastic bags when needed (I wish I wasn’t so dependent upon these!). Dave reuses any accidental plastic grocery bags (y’know, the ones you get when you don’t have a reusable bag on hand) to carry lunches, and I use a cloth lunch bag for mine. Seriously, it’s literally a brown bag. So plain and somehow cute at the same time!
Then there are those “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that…” eco-friendliness we’ve been imparting for awhile. When we moved into our house, Dave went on an energy-saving whirlwind through the house – CFLs in any and every light fixture (we’ve only had to replace one; that’s not bad!), tiny foam insulators for the outlets (most of which have also been switched out), among other little changes. And, lest we forget the low-flow toilet and shower head, as well as the brand new boiler and heating unit (both with excellent Energy Star ratings) that my stepdad put in before we even knew what hit us.
There’s always room for improvement, though, so I’d like to share some thoughts on ways that our family can get on-track to better help both our interior and exterior environments. I’d like to call this list (apparently I’m all about lists, who knew? My mom would be so proud…as would my husband), with lots of positive energy and less guilt in mind:
The Greening Our Family List (“Dun dun duuuuun” – Ooohhh, impressive!)
– Getting back into the ever-important composting. We’ve got a bin full of the stuff to use for planting in the spring, but got off-track as far as the “adding to it” aspect of composting (the upstate NY winter also helped throw us). I also never found the time/money to get into vermicomposting, unfortunately, so I believe the focus will be the much simpler, hopefully manageable composting. This is an area that I relish teaching to our kids. Oh! And we were lucky enough to get gifted a large composting bin that should be interesting to learn how to use!!
– Speaking of garbage, I’d like to cut back on how much garbage actually gets put out. We do generally have LOTS of recycling, and usually put a full garbage bag out to the curb every other week. Hopefully, by hitting the “restart” button on composting, we’ll be able to cut this down to *fingers crossed* once a month. And, while I don’t think we’ll ever be as awesome as the Zero Waste family, it would be nice to cut back on how much we recycle, too. (One step at the time, lady, one step at a time.)
– Aaaaand also speaking of spring planting, there has been some conversation in our household as to whether or not we should try out a CSA this year or continue with our two (yep, we build another one last year!) raised veggie beds. I found that we had a less successful year in 2011, mostly because I think that we didn’t plan enough and planted far too much — it was simply too much to keep up with. However, I’m not sure I’ll have the time to put into “finding new recipes” to fit in with a regular CSA, so find that it may be a waste of money. So, I’m currently leaning towards utilizing our beds (if ya got ’em, use ’em!) but spacing things out and ONLY growing what I KNOW we’ll use. I know, I’ll be in my third trimester when it’s time to plant, and have a newborn when it’s time to tend and harvest, but I do feel that this will be tons easier if we simplify, simplify, simplify. Plus, I’ve got a loving husband to help (who also happens to LOVE the fact that “this came from our own garden!!!”, especially when salads are involved).
– I’ve had a difficult time finding “green” toiletry products that are actually green or that do a decent job. I find my hair getting dried out or weird-feeling (sorry, I can’t find a better way to describe it than that!), then feel that I need to use this product until it’s gone as not to waste it. So, I thought that I’d try the ever-popular, most-eco-friendly method out there. Here’s a hint: It involves baking soda and vinegar (and, no, I’m not making a volcano on my head – although, weren’t those fun when we were kids?!). I’ve pretty much given it away, but I’m sure I’ll report back on my success/failure rate.
– In my mind, green = simplification. We don’t NEED so much STUFF, and we’re doing a pretty good job of trying to purge (and send on our unwanteds to the thrift shop, or put them aside for our quasi-annual garage sale). The scary thing for me is that all-too-true saying “with baby, comes stuff.” I’m not blaming the baby, and I totally understand the need that people seem to feel about buying cute things (regardless of a) the necessity or b) the size of said item) – but I don’t agree with it. If we need it, it’ll be on our registry. If you think we need it, check with us first. Odds are, we don’t. (I hate to sound so mean or ungrateful, but we’re working VERY hard to purge, purge, purge, so if we end up getting even MORE “CRAP” to purge, we’ll be a couple of very grumpy new parents.)
THAT being said (yes, a new paragraph within a bulleted list – shocking!), we’ve already started this baby off as green as we can (without purchasing expensive green furniture…that’d be easy to do). We’ve borrowed newborn through 6-month neutral clothes from my sister. I’m researching what cloth diapers to purchase. We’re trying to only buy/ask for eco-friendly lotions and soaps. I’m hoping to breast feed and, eventually, make baby food (or try baby-led weaning) which may cut back on the need for a kazillion bottles, formula and purified water containers, baby food jars etc. I’m also uber-excited about the prospect of receiving certain goodies, such as a space saver high chair (it attaches to a normal dining table rather than taking up lots of extra square footage) and a portable swing (which will not only be portable, but take up way less space, too – and is foldable for when it’s not being used). These, I foresee, will be worth their weight in gold, along with perhaps some natural baskets (we’ll look for these on our own, that doesn’t need to be on a registry) to help us maintain the clutter.
So, that’s it for my immediate green list. While I’d like to say that every little thing we’ll be doing around the house will involve a step closer to a habitual green lifestyle, I realize that there are some simply un-green things that we’re working on. For example, Drylok-ing the basement isn’t the best for our internal environment (stinky!!!), plus painting all the walls and floor down there will be costly if we use only low-VOC paint. Since we’re not planning on staying here forevah-evah, the cost is simply too much to go too gung-ho with our greenification efforts. We’ll do our best (especially when it comes to, say, painting the baby’s furniture), but it’s not like we’ll be putting in a brown water system or solar panels. We’d just like to continue fixing the place up enough to make it worth selling, and purdy enough to look at. 🙂
So, how about y’all? Any green efforts going on in your little piece of the world? Or green efforts that you didn’t even realize you were taking part in? Do tell!
Why, yes. I do want a onesie like this one. Why do you ask? 😉
Winter’s the season for hibernation, hunkerin’ down, inactivity and coziness. It’s nice to have a time devoted specifically to, well, in essence laziness – believe me, I’m a huge fan, especially while the little chicken dinner roasts away inside me.
But I’m also reminded of how nature utilizes the season. While it seems like nothing much is happening beyond winter weather patterns (which we’ve had absolutely minimal of this year!), the frozen ground holds within it lots of activity. If not for this “rest period”, the organic material wouldn’t be preparing itself for spring planting, animals wouldn’t survive properly until spring, and the whole system would be outta whack.
It makes me feel remiss, in the midst of all that nature’s doing to prepare for the next season, that I’m not doing my part for nature as much as I have in the past. While I’ve discussed “going green” quite a bit around my slice of the world wide web, I feel that I’ve dropped the ball a bit lately. An easy excuse is “I’m distracted by planning for the baby” — but, seriously, what better excuse to try to implement more “greenery” into our lives than the future generations?!
That being said, I shouldn’t be TOO harsh. I mean, there certainly are lots of areas of our lives that we’ve already changed – to the point where they’re second-nature and we’ve forgotten we’ve even MADE the changes.
Firstly, almost all of the products that we use (be them cleaning or otherwise) are “eco-friendly”. While I’d like to do more (by way of finding shampoo alternatives and making our own laundry detergent), we’re still doing more than a lot of people. There’s always room for improvement.
We use cloth napkins at every meal, and try to use dish towels and rags as much as possible (although we have to keep minimal tissues and paper towels around due to colds and gross cat ears that need cleaning); again, an area in which we can continue to improve.
We like to use glass-and-silicon reusable containers for our work lunches, and recyclable/recycled double-plastic bags when needed (I wish I wasn’t so dependent upon these!). Dave reuses any accidental plastic grocery bags (y’know, the ones you get when you don’t have a reusable bag on hand) to carry lunches, and I use a cloth lunch bag for mine. Seriously, it’s literally a brown bag. So plain and somehow cute at the same time!
Then there are those “Oh, yeah, I forgot about that…” eco-friendliness we’ve been imparting for awhile. When we moved into our house, Dave went on an energy-saving whirlwind through the house – CFLs in any and every light fixture (we’ve only had to replace one; that’s not bad!), tiny foam insulators for the outlets (most of which have also been switched out), among other little changes. And, lest we forget the low-flow toilet and shower head, as well as the brand new boiler and heating unit (both with excellent Energy Star ratings) that my stepdad put in before we even knew what hit us.
There’s always room for improvement, though, so I’d like to share some thoughts on ways that our family can get on-track to better help both our interior and exterior environments. I’d like to call this list (apparently I’m all about lists, who knew? My mom would be so proud…as would my husband), with lots of positive energy and less guilt in mind:
The Greening Our Family List
(“Dun dun duuuuun” – Ooohhh, impressive!)
– Getting back into the ever-important composting. We’ve got a bin full of the stuff to use for planting in the spring, but got off-track as far as the “adding to it” aspect of composting (the upstate NY winter also helped throw us). I also never found the time/money to get into vermicomposting, unfortunately, so I believe the focus will be the much simpler, hopefully manageable composting. This is an area that I relish teaching to our kids. Oh! And we were lucky enough to get gifted a large composting bin that should be interesting to learn how to use!!
– Speaking of garbage, I’d like to cut back on how much garbage actually gets put out. We do generally have LOTS of recycling, and usually put a full garbage bag out to the curb every other week. Hopefully, by hitting the “restart” button on composting, we’ll be able to cut this down to *fingers crossed* once a month. And, while I don’t think we’ll ever be as awesome as the Zero Waste family, it would be nice to cut back on how much we recycle, too. (One step at the time, lady, one step at a time.)
– Aaaaand also speaking of spring planting, there has been some conversation in our household as to whether or not we should try out a CSA this year or continue with our two (yep, we build another one last year!) raised veggie beds. I found that we had a less successful year in 2011, mostly because I think that we didn’t plan enough and planted far too much — it was simply too much to keep up with. However, I’m not sure I’ll have the time to put into “finding new recipes” to fit in with a regular CSA, so find that it may be a waste of money. So, I’m currently leaning towards utilizing our beds (if ya got ’em, use ’em!) but spacing things out and ONLY growing what I KNOW we’ll use. I know, I’ll be in my third trimester when it’s time to plant, and have a newborn when it’s time to tend and harvest, but I do feel that this will be tons easier if we simplify, simplify, simplify. Plus, I’ve got a loving husband to help (who also happens to LOVE the fact that “this came from our own garden!!!”, especially when salads are involved).
– I’ve had a difficult time finding “green” toiletry products that are actually green or that do a decent job. I find my hair getting dried out or weird-feeling (sorry, I can’t find a better way to describe it than that!), then feel that I need to use this product until it’s gone as not to waste it. So, I thought that I’d try the ever-popular, most-eco-friendly method out there. Here’s a hint: It involves baking soda and vinegar (and, no, I’m not making a volcano on my head – although, weren’t those fun when we were kids?!). I’ve pretty much given it away, but I’m sure I’ll report back on my success/failure rate.
– In my mind, green = simplification. We don’t NEED so much STUFF, and we’re doing a pretty good job of trying to purge (and send on our unwanteds to the thrift shop, or put them aside for our quasi-annual garage sale). The scary thing for me is that all-too-true saying “with baby, comes stuff.” I’m not blaming the baby, and I totally understand the need that people seem to feel about buying cute things (regardless of a) the necessity or b) the size of said item) – but I don’t agree with it. If we need it, it’ll be on our registry. If you think we need it, check with us first. Odds are, we don’t. (I hate to sound so mean or ungrateful, but we’re working VERY hard to purge, purge, purge, so if we end up getting even MORE “CRAP” to purge, we’ll be a couple of very grumpy new parents.)
THAT being said (yes, a new paragraph within a bulleted list – shocking!), we’ve already started this baby off as green as we can (without purchasing expensive green furniture…that’d be easy to do). We’ve borrowed newborn through 6-month neutral clothes from my sister. I’m researching what cloth diapers to purchase. We’re trying to only buy/ask for eco-friendly lotions and soaps. I’m hoping to breast feed and, eventually, make baby food (or try baby-led weaning) which may cut back on the need for a kazillion bottles, formula and purified water containers, baby food jars etc. I’m also uber-excited about the prospect of receiving certain goodies, such as a space saver high chair (it attaches to a normal dining table rather than taking up lots of extra square footage) and a portable swing (which will not only be portable, but take up way less space, too – and is foldable for when it’s not being used). These, I foresee, will be worth their weight in gold, along with perhaps some natural baskets (we’ll look for these on our own, that doesn’t need to be on a registry) to help us maintain the clutter.
So, that’s it for my immediate green list. While I’d like to say that every little thing we’ll be doing around the house will involve a step closer to a habitual green lifestyle, I realize that there are some simply un-green things that we’re working on. For example, Drylok-ing the basement isn’t the best for our internal environment (stinky!!!), plus painting all the walls and floor down there will be costly if we use only low-VOC paint. Since we’re not planning on staying here forevah-evah, the cost is simply too much to go too gung-ho with our greenification efforts. We’ll do our best (especially when it comes to, say, painting the baby’s furniture), but it’s not like we’ll be putting in a brown water system or solar panels. We’d just like to continue fixing the place up enough to make it worth selling, and purdy enough to look at. 🙂
So, how about y’all? Any green efforts going on in your little piece of the world? Or green efforts that you didn’t even realize you were taking part in? Do tell!
I started a post about Davy Jones, but found myself getting far too bummed-out. You’ll see why (other than, of course, the terrible, surprising loss of a fun, talented man) when I finally am “able” to post it.
So, I thought I’d just share the few accomplishments from my “30 Before 30” list. A few of the items listed, I think, will end up getting edited a bit or switched out for something altogether awesomer, but for the most part I have a hard time not sticking to a list. It’s like breaking a promise. Publicly. Shameful! And, yes, I just kept right on goin’, assuming that we’d all just pretend that “awesomer” is, indeed, a real word.
1. Try a yoga class.Woohoo! This is the most successful (not to mention fulfilling) achievement off the list so far. See why here. 2. Start adding to savings. 3. Organize the office.(But it’s, admittedly, not done. D’oh.) 4. Go for a walk. (You’d be surprised at how hard this is!) 5. Go antiquing.
6. Get some more Etsy goodies posted.
7. Organize the ol’ blog.
8. Get rid of 25% more of my wardrobe.
9. Organize/clean out my laptop (pictures & iTunes — need room for the baby’s music, after all).
10. Do some major curb appeal work (spray paint the shutters, kill the ivy , paint the side door, paint the “porch”, hang the numbers, plant some pretties)
11. Switch the living room from red accents to…I’d say part-way done. 🙂
12. At least organize the craziness that is The Basement Monster.
13. Find someone to take the bed in order to change “guest room” into “nursery.”It sounds like we’ve achieved this! *crosses fingers* Now, to actually get the deed done!
14. Get a hairstyle.
15. Make some paper cranes (or other awesome origami art). (Nope, but I’ve found some art ideas to “recreate” – e.g. steal – to use in the nursery. Back to Pinterest I go!)
16. Do some painting…not in the home improvement way.
18. Learn how to use a plain ol’ digital camera in the best way possible.
19. Try to post more original pictures on the blog.Haven’t been posting much, but I’d say I’ve had 50% more original pics. It’s a work in progress. 🙂
20. Gain weight, but not too much. (Seriously, I haven’t gained a pound yet, even though my stomach’s gotten a bit bigger. How is that possible?!) Okay, I’ve finally gained a tad – maybe upwards of 5 pounds. I’m eating healthily and generally not over-doing it, and the baby seems happy enough. We’ll see where we go with this one.
21. Make some DIY soap — be it hand soap or laundry soap.
22. Go through all my dust-collecting books and donate/sell what I’ll never read/didn’t like.
23. Go some place new with the hubs. (Does a new restaurant, along with some great friends, count?)
24. Plan a smaller, but manageable garden. (Planting will have to occur well after May 1st. Unless we continue to have a #cancelwinter.)
25. Pick some baby names that we both can live with. (It’d be nice if we both LOVED them, but live with is the current goal.) Working on it!
26. Set up Amazon Affiliate.
27. Take a road trip. I foresee this happening in the next month or so…
28. Find enough room to actually be able to have every piece of my wardrobe put away simultaneously. Then follow through. We’re definitely “getting there” on this one…
29. Reupholster the wine chair and slipcover/paint the ottoman.
30. Pick up the house once a week. (Yes, once. It doesn’t look horrible the rest of the week if I do it this way. I know myself; once a day isn’t gonna happen.)
Some of my leftover “to do”s are fun, and I look forward to diving in when the energy strikes me. Admittedly, some of the others are makin’ me feel “blah.” But, it’s all good! Like I mentioned above, I might just have to do me some editing. After all, if it’s all based in what’s ultimately a birthday celebration, some amendments slightly one way or the other won’t hurt anybody. I hope. 🙂
As many women using the world wide web, I likes me some Pinterest. (Sorry, guys – I have yet to see a single non-chick using it. Feel free to Friend me if you’re a fan of it, too!) I’m not addicted to it, but I can see how a person could easily jump into that territory. There’s just so much inspirational material out there on the web; how could we NOT love a tool that helps us “save” ideas for later and share with friends?!
The funny thing is that part of my job is learning and educating about the responsible use of information – ie plagiarism, intellectual property, etc. Every time I pin something, I think about where it’s coming from, if the individual who originally posted it to the internet CARES that it may get pinned (and the original source in the process) dozens of times, and whether it’s legal. But, I do it, anyway.
I know that a lot of the stuff on Pinterest is actually originally shared by bloggers, who love knowing that people may try their idea (a craft, recipe, DIY project, etc) or find inspiration to do their own thing. Heck, lots of blogs ENCOURAGE us to pin their ideas. So, that’s what I’m telling myself every time I decide to repin for my own purposes. However, the items that I’m sharing here today are from the original sites (not the reproductions that I’ve been inspired to create)…just to be clear. Now, for the fun, hee hee.
For me, Pinterest has been valuable for planning my nursery. Talk about inspiration! Beyond the fact that I have actual proof that a nursery can be blue and NOT shout “It’s a Boy!” loudly (remember, we’re not finding out the sex…and we’re stickin’ to it ;-)), there are a kazillion ideas for nursery art. It’s to the point where Dave jokingly says that we’ll run out of room…and it just occurred to me that I should just keep pinning since, one day, we might just have a playroom (in a different house). 😉 Mwahahaha, he’s not safe!
So, here are some of my favorite nursery pins (the images are linked to their original sources)…
While there’s a tad more green to the wall color, this gave me some great inspiration for our room. Sure, there’s lots about it that we won’t be doing; we’ve got a dark wood antique rocker to use, our floors ain’t that purdy (we’ve got a large neutral rug that I’d like to layer a couple of throw rugs with), and we’ll have a lot more color. But, I LOVE the combination of blue and yellow, plus the embroidery hoop-with-patterned-fabric wall art.
While the orange isn’t a definite, the brightness and combination of fun color are definitely an inspiration for our space. I also love the mix of old and modern. By the way, I’d like to complete about 90% of the nursery, then if it’s a boy throw in some orange accents and if it’s a girl use some deep plum…but, hey, I could always throw both in. What other room could you do that without being put into a padded facility?
I know, this is an unimpressive picture, but the link provides you with some DIY crib skirt ideas. I’ve already purchased a $2 sheet that seems to be an antique (but who minds cutting an antique sheet when it cost $2?!) which will hopefully work for this project. It’ll add some of the classic, ruffly baby softness to the space.
This is another unimpressive picture, but it’s close to an accent color I’d like to use, specifically to paint a free dresser we’ve got (luckily, it’s not as big as this…although I’m starting to wonder whether it’ll be big ENOUGH, eep!) that will double as a changing table.
Aaaaand here’s the art! Yes, it’s the alphabet twice…see anything else? 😉 I’ve recreated this using a blue instead of gray and a neat stamped font.
Here’s another theft on my part. My version uses the same colors, but a different font and a small, horizontal layout. My mother sang this to me as a child, so I HAD to have it in the room somehow.
How cheeky is this?! I used the inspiration from this piece, but it looks quite different – with a green background and another cool stamped font. I LOVE this one.
The inspiration from this nursery was the idea of some of the accessories, but more importantly the large glass jar used as storage. See the jar at upper left housing the old alphabet blocks? Why I think that’s neat, I have no idea. I just do.
So, that’s just a handful of nursery inspiration I found on Pinterest. Whatchya think? Disjointed and hard to picture? Or neat ideas that’ll create a fun, creative space? Feel free to share an opinion.
As many women using the world wide web, I likes me some Pinterest. (Sorry, guys – I have yet to see a single non-chick using it. Feel free to Friend me if you’re a fan of it, too!) I’m not addicted to it, but I can see how a person could easily jump into that territory. There’s just so much inspirational material out there on the web; how could we NOT love a tool that helps us “save” ideas for later and share with friends?!
The funny thing is that part of my job is learning and educating about the responsible use of information – ie plagiarism, intellectual property, etc. Every time I pin something, I think about where it’s coming from, if the individual who originally posted it to the internet CARES that it may get pinned (and the original source in the process) dozens of times, and whether it’s legal. But, I do it, anyway.
I know that a lot of the stuff on Pinterest is actually originally shared by bloggers, who love knowing that people may try their idea (a craft, recipe, DIY project, etc) or find inspiration to do their own thing. Heck, lots of blogs ENCOURAGE us to pin their ideas. So, that’s what I’m telling myself every time I decide to repin for my own purposes. However, the items that I’m sharing here today are from the original sites (not the reproductions that I’ve been inspired to create)…just to be clear. Now, for the fun, hee hee.
For me, Pinterest has been valuable for planning my nursery. Talk about inspiration! Beyond the fact that I have actual proof that a nursery can be blue and NOT shout “It’s a Boy!” loudly (remember, we’re not finding out the sex…and we’re stickin’ to it ;-)), there are a kazillion ideas for nursery art. It’s to the point where Dave jokingly says that we’ll run out of room…and it just occurred to me that I should just keep pinning since, one day, we might just have a playroom (in a different house). 😉 Mwahahaha, he’s not safe!
So, here are some of my favorite nursery pins (the images are linked to their original sources)…
While there’s a tad more green to the wall color, this gave me some great inspiration for our room. Sure, there’s lots about it that we won’t be doing; we’ve got a dark wood antique rocker to use, our floors ain’t that purdy (we’ve got a large neutral rug that I’d like to layer a couple of throw rugs with), and we’ll have a lot more color. But, I LOVE the combination of blue and yellow, plus the embroidery hoop-with-patterend-fabric wall art.
While the orange isn’t a definite, the brightness and combination of fun color are definitely an inspiration for our space. I also love the mix of old and modern. By the way, I’d like to complete about 90% of the nursery, then if it’s a boy throw in some orange accents and if it’s a girl use some deep plum…but, hey, I could always throw both in. What other room could you do that without being put into a padded facility?
I know, this is an unimpressive picture, but the link provides you with some DIY crib skirt ideas. I’ve already purchased a $2 sheet that seems to be an antique (but who minds cutting an antique sheet when it cost $2?!) which will hopefully work for this project. It’ll add some of the classic, ruffly baby softness to the space.
This is another unimpressive picture, but it’s close to an accent color I’d like to use, specifically to paint a free dresser we’ve got (luckily, it’s not as big as this…although I’m starting to wonder whether it’ll be big ENOUGH, eep!) that will double as a changing table.
Aaaaand here’s the art! Yes, it’s the alphabet twice…see anything else? 😉
I’ve recreated this using a blue instead of gray and a neat stamped font.
Here’s another theft on my part. My version uses the same colors, but a different font and a small, horizontal layout. My mother sang this to me as a child, so I HAD to have it in the room somehow.
How cheeky is this?!
I used the inspiration from this piece, but it looks quite different – with a green background and another cool stamped font. I LOVE this one.
The inspiration from this nursery was the idea of some of the accessories, but more importantly the large glass jar used as storage. See the jar at upper left housing the old alphabet blocks? Why I think that’s neat, I have no idea. I just do.
So, that’s just a handful of nursery inspiration I found on Pinterest. Whatchya think? Disjointed and hard to picture? Or neat ideas that’ll create a fun, creative space? Feel free to share an opinion.
I started a post about Davy Jones, but found myself getting far too bummed-out. You’ll see why (other than, of course, the terrible, surprising loss of a fun, talented man) when I finally am “able” to post it.
So, I thought I’d just share the few accomplishments from my “30 Before 30” list. A few of the items listed, I think, will end up getting edited a bit or switched out for something altogether awesomer, but for the most part I have a hard time not sticking to a list. It’s like breaking a promise. Publicly. Shameful! And, yes, I just kept right on goin’, assuming that we’d all just pretend that “awesomer” is, indeed, a real word. 1. Try a yoga class.Woohoo! This is the most successful (not to mention fulfilling) achievement off the list so far. See why here. 2. Start adding to savings. 3. Organize the office.(But it’s, admittedly, not done. D’oh.) 4. Go for a walk. (You’d be surprised at how hard this is!) 5. Go antiquing.
6. Get some more Etsy goodies posted.
7. Organize the ol’ blog.
8. Get rid of 25% more of my wardrobe.
9. Organize/clean out my laptop (pictures & iTunes — need room for the baby’s music, after all).
10. Do some major curb appeal work (spray paint the shutters, kill the ivy , paint the side door, paint the “porch”, hang the numbers, plant some pretties)
11. Switch the living room from red accents to…I’d say part-way done. 🙂
12. At least organize the craziness that is The Basement Monster.
13. Find someone to take the bed in order to change “guest room” into “nursery.”It sounds like we’ve achieved this! *crosses fingers* Now, to actually get the deed done!
14. Get a hairstyle.
15. Make some paper cranes (or other awesome origami art). (Nope, but I’ve found some art ideas to “recreate” – e.g. steal – to use in the nursery. Back to Pinterest I go!)
16. Do some painting…not in the home improvement way.
18. Learn how to use a plain ol’ digital camera in the best way possible.
19. Try to post more original pictures on the blog.Haven’t been posting much, but I’d say I’ve had 50% more original pics. It’s a work in progress. 🙂
20. Gain weight, but not too much. (Seriously, I haven’t gained a pound yet, even though my stomach’s gotten a bit bigger. How is that possible?!) Okay, I’ve finally gained a tad – maybe upwards of 5 pounds. I’m eating healthily and generally not over-doing it, and the baby seems happy enough. We’ll see where we go with this one.
21. Make some DIY soap — be it hand soap or laundry soap.
22. Go through all my dust-collecting books and donate/sell what I’ll never read/didn’t like.
23. Go some place new with the hubs. (Does a new restaurant, along with some great friends, count?)
24. Plan a smaller, but manageable garden. (Planting will have to occur well after May 1st. Unless we continue to have a #cancelwinter.)
25. Pick some baby names that we both can live with. (It’d be nice if we both LOVED them, but live with is the current goal.) Working on it!
26. Set up Amazon Affiliate.
27. Take a road trip. I foresee this happening in the next month or so…
28. Find enough room to actually be able to have every piece of my wardrobe put away simultaneously. Then follow through. We’re definitely “getting there” on this one…
29. Reupholster the wine chair and slipcover/paint the ottoman.
30. Pick up the house once a week. (Yes, once. It doesn’t look horrible the rest of the week if I do it this way. I know myself; once a day isn’t gonna happen.)
Some of my leftover “to do”s are fun, and I look forward to diving in when the energy strikes me. Admittedly, some of the others are makin’ me feel “blah.” But, it’s all good! Like I mentioned above, I might just have to do me some editing. After all, if it’s all based in what’s ultimately a birthday celebration, some amendments slightly one way or the other won’t hurt anybody. I hope. 🙂
The “rest” of the closet…where my wedding dress and other sundries live.
Winston had to remind me that our “big” luggage also will be housed,
