Utility Bills

I never would have thought I would be able to achieve utility bills approximately the same as I had 10 years ago. Our local gas and electric company is notorious for it's sky high prices. (As is most everything else in the great state of New York!) I know quite a few folks who live over the border in Pennsylvania and are willing to drive the extra half hour/hour a day because they save thousands a year on their overall cost of living. About two years ago I started making small changes which included replacing almost all light bulbs with CFLs, unplugging infrequently used appliances that draw vampire energy , and most importantly, vigilantly turning off anything not in use. That is easier said than done with 4 kids in the house! We have also replaced most of the major appliances in our home. Some, like the hot water heater and the deep freezer, because they were so old. The others because they were old and broke! Remember that washer?! Well, I think the LG front loader has really made a big impact. Our last 3 bills have been under $150. For a family of 6 that's just unbelievable. In 11 years that had only happened a few times - years ago! I strongly encourage anyone to start making small changes every month and see if they don't have a big impact.

Nice

I am very good at being nice to strangers. I let people go in front of me in line. I say excuse me. I try very hard not to get upset when someone cuts me off in traffic, because after all, I have done it my self.

I'm pretty good at being nice to friends and acquaintances. If they need me to do something for them or give them something, I do if at all possible.

I'm not always so good at being nice to my family. Sometimes they annoy me, they get on my nerves. (like I don't bug them as well!)

I have a very good friend who makes me feel WONDERFUL every time I see her or talk to her. She exaggerates complements, and she complements often. She does it in a sweet, funny way that makes me feel fantastic.

I want to make my kids feel like that all the time. How do I balance making them responsible, keeping them in line, and holding them way up high at the same time? I want to be nice, really nice.

I pledge to try hard every day to be a nicer person to the world and the ones that matter most in my life.

Homemade Dishwasher Soap

I found this easy recipe for homemade dishwasher soap on Craft Leftovers. If you like free patterns and tutorials, I suggest you spend a little time checking out the rest of the site. I don't have a dishwasher right now but I have hopes for the future!

So Much Waste

I run a reclaimed food pantry from my home. Twice a month I travel about 30 miles, pick up food that would other wise be thrown in the trash, drive back home, unload and organize, and then approximately 50 families come to my home to pick up the donations. Most of the food I pick up is bakery and produce items that hours, or even minutes before I loaded it into my van was sitting on the store shelves. The food pictured about would have been thrown in the trash because of one bad strawberry, tomato, blackberry, or lettuce leaf in the package. If you would like to learn more about the reclaimed food organization I volunteer for, or how to start one in your area, please check out the Friendship Donations Network (FDN) website.

Tuna What?

I asked my daughter what she was making. "Tuna Nachos," she replied. At first I thought it sounded gross, but I like tuna melts and tuna noodle casserole. Come to think of it, I really like cheese and tuna together, so why not tuna nachos! Even my husband (who does not like tuna noodle casserole) gave them a try, and a thumbs up.


note* I'll admit that picture doesn't make it look too appealing. I promise they were wonderful!

Featured Again

I'm always so surprised at the attention my Recycled T-shirt Scrubbers get. They have once again been feature on a blog. This time it is on Andrew's Reclaimed. Andrew makes beautiful items from reclaimed wood, and also sells on Etsy.


Unlike other blogs that are written only to support an Etsy store, Andrew has other interesting information on his blog, like this link to Dumper. You can alter and do all sorts of fun things with photos.

Chaos

I can't believe I haven't posted since April. My life has been crazy busy! Between homeschooling, working, going to the gym (more about that later), Little League base ball, being a mother of 4, a wife, and running a household, I haven't had time for anything. I have two girls graduating from high school this month, and there has been a lot of end-of-the-school-year banquets, as well. I feel like I'm running a marathon every day and then I just crash. When I finally have the time to do something enjoyable I don't feel like doing anything! Well, I'm done with work for the summer, and the girls graduate next week. The graduation party isn't until the middle of July, and that will be a piece of cake. So, finally I feel like I have some time to get done what I need and want to do.