Waste Audit

Well, with the weather being the way its been we're off our regular routine. Greatly. This means the recycling has been piling up in the back of the garage. What does our refuse look like after three months? For a family of five basically.

In addition to this we've also generated 4 kitchen trash bags and 2 42lb dog food bags of various other (mostly paper and plastic bags) trash. I'll spare you the photo of that. While I still mostly shop the perimeter when I go for groceries there are certain condiment and staple items that we still purchase. But the worst culprit of refuse is the milk jugs! With four males in the house they easily go through a gallon a day and would go through more if I bought it. Prices going up as they are we may be going on a serious milk fast.

Surveying our accumulation I've been convicted once again to find a way to cut back on our trash generation. This winter I've been baking a lot, making our own sweet goodies for not only the idea of cutting down on packaging but also because of the nutritional benefits of being able to control the amounts of sugars and types of ingredients. The results of this has been a great loosening of all my pants! I am constantly persusing various books from the library on green choices, thrifty suggestions, and healthy/economical foods. My latest favorite is “The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making” by Alana Chernila, and found it to be a fantastic resource. Some items are beyond what I would attempt such as graham crackers or bread stix.  Many recipes I've seen before and have put together myself from time to time such as pancake mixes and granolas. Where I need to put more effort into producing my own in bulk or per use is in the area of condiments. Suzanne Sommers had a great recipe in her diet books for ketchup, it's a little time consuming but definitely worth the effort, the flavors are much stronger and natural than the store bought variety.  I haven't attempted it yet, but I've always been curious about making mayonnaise.

Household items are an area that can get out of hand when it comes to packaging and disposal. Paper and plastic products for quick meals and lunches can be a great temptation as well. We try to use cloth as much as possible for napkins, rags, etc. Convienent as they are, believe it or not, paper towels contribute to 3,000 pounds of waste in landfills each day.

So, what's in your garbage?

Still working on a major overhaul of things accumulated around here.  We've seemed to become the donation zone for many, which is cool if you know you're going to use something but it's time to whittle down and make the tough choices, if it's been sitting for five years, time to go.  Just waiting to hit the ground running once all this snow-jazz is over with!

iGet Sticky

Outside my Window: Morning darkness with a lines of fog as the sun begins to lift into the sky while the moon still glows. At least it was when I started to write this post.  Now, the sun is shining and the birds are singing but the air remains slightly chilly.

What's on my Mind: Simplicity.  Back to basics.  Cash Only.  We've been working towards this for many years and it has started to become second nature.  I'm glad.

Thankful for: A great place to work.  I've really been enjoying my days at Honeyflow Farm, meeting people from different countries, talking with people from the U.S. that are nutritionally and environmentally aware, being in the good outdoors, learning a new skill, working with my oldest son.

Creative Endeavors: I've been bringing a composition notebook to work, and write for a second when there's a lull.  Started to brainstorm ideas for this year's NaNoWriMo story.  Might cheat a bit and pull out an idea I started a couple years ago but stalled on and go for a finish.  But I have a couple fresh ideas that intrigue me as well..... oh, the possibilities!

Latest Project: DECLUTTERING Still.......

My 3 Sons: Enjoying their school routine, classes, and sports.  Right now they are keeping it all As, have been checking their own status and reporting to me before I've even gone and checked!  Wink, smile, nudge.  What's up with that?  Hope it sticks.

Ethan is in Drama class 6th hour and goes over to the high school building for it, interested to see what their final production will be.

Ben has started soccer practices, so far it has worked out with cross country, no problem.  Haven't gotten the game schedule yet.

Fox is having a decent running season coming through pain free at the end of races.  He also is working Sundays with me at Honeyflow. 

Sunny day at the Lapeer County Meet!  Fox just finished running and Ben and Ethan were waiting for the middle school race.  Ben medaled. They all had good times on a tough course.

The first Born: Workin, workin, workin' day and night!  I'm guaranteed at least one check in a month when she makes her car insurance payment!

Employment News: Interview tomorrow.......

Hoping to Improve:  Continued fresh eating into winter.

Food for Thought:  The food you eat that is grown closer to you, locally, has more nutritional value than food produced farther away.  The farther away, and the more processing involved, the less nutrition it holds.

Last Words:  

iSaw the Signs

Outside my Window:  It's been quite sunny lately with spatterings of rain, temps have been in the 80s all week.

What's on my Mind: Oh so many things.  Spoke with a lunch lady from one of our schools and asked if they are allowed to even cook for the kids anymore?  Like if someone donated meat to them that was raised locally to use.  All the food in the schools is "government packaged" to meet all the required "standards" and is basically warmed up and put out.  Wow, how sad is that.

The lack of success in my veggie garden is annoying.  Things are growing nicely then a critter comes in and feasts!  My corn and zucchini still look untouched but the beans, spinach, and peas gots wiped out.  Used to have a kitchen garden up by the house, perhaps I need to work closer in again.

Finding ways to keep my boys on track when it comes to their schooling.  We had some dips in grades and I don't want that to become a habit.  I know they are capable of better and sliding will not go on for long.  There's a fine line between nagging and encouraging.

Thankful for:  Having the time to get things done in my gardens and around the property.  I have a row of beautiful perenniels that got overtaken by grass and trumpet vine that was finally conquered.  Ben and Ethan rescued an area of hollyhocks, helianthus, and rose of sharon and pruned two humungus spirea. Got a great deal on impatient flats and added some color to the shade and gramma garden.  It may seem like a small thing but gardening represents a type of progress to me at this stage in my life.

 

Creative Endeavors:  While Fox was up at grandpa's property helping with the cabin construction I took the opportunity to clear out his room and remodel.  We had changed out the windows a while back but they were never framed in, plus there was some drywall issues to deal with.  I had a great time transforming the room and finally getting it finished.  This room is on its third metamorphesis, it was Alex's bedroom at one point and then my office before it became Fox's lair.  Still working on some finishing touches but the result has received favorable compliments.

Latest Project:  Ethan and I built this cage frame from scraps of wood Rob brought home from the shop.  The rabbits are getting to the age the genders need to be separated.

My 3 Sons:  Fox worked all week and the younger two for a couple days helping grandpa build a cabin on his property.  I hope they were good workers.

My relentlessness on putting the video games away for periods of time has prompted the boys to find other interests one of which is Dungeons and Dragons.  I'm all for it, let the imaginations run wild! 

Ethan did not make the All-Star team but it's fine we're all ready for some down time to putz around at home.  Ben is starting to make sure he has everything in order for Space Camp and has been invited to be in the 4th of July Parade with the other crews.  He said he would do it.  Both of the boys have also helped with the 4H Feeds Families Committee by giving presentations at the Freemasons and Knights of Columbus meetings to raise funds to use at this year's Fair.  Fox is going to present to our orthodontist who like to support 4H each year as well.  We're still waiting to find out about some grant money.

The first Born:  ...just got a letter sent to the house from BK Main Office.  I let Ethan read it to her since we were driving....it was to announce she is getting a raise and to thank her for her hard work and loyalty.  Sweet! 

Employment News:  Summer vacation.  Working for free.  Workin' on me!

Hoping to Improve:  Still contemplating the "Garbage Project".  So many products, so many processes.  I admire Alex's vegan loyalty, it is not easy to change eating habits especially when you live with others beside yourself.

Food for Thought: "Why don't I do things I say I want to do?" The answer is in your subconscious beliefs. Learn how to detect these sabotaging beliefs and how you can change them.  ~Ten Habits of Natually Slim People

Last Words:

iHear the Sounds of Summer

Outside my Window:  Birds singing, geese honking, tadpoles swimming, pigs snoozing, no breeze, perfect temperature, it's a beautiful thing.

What's on my Mind:  Summer plans for the boys and what I hope to accomplish around the property. 

Thankful for: Time.

Creative Endeavors:  Campfire skits.  Our theme this year is "Larger than LIFE" and everything is about games, for the evening skits we're going with "Are You Smarter Than a Counselor?" and "Cabin Feud".  Alex is going to be my coordinating assistant.

Latest Project: Weeding gardens!  So far I've gotten through the Gramma Garden, both Hosta Gardens, and made significant progress on the Perennial Mix Corner in front of the house.  Still have two jungle areas to tackle plus dismantling an entire perennial holding area, shifting all plants to other beds.  Fun times.

My 3 Sons: Fox took the AP World History exam and felt pretty good about it afterwards, unlike many of his classmates, not sure if that's a good sign or not.  He also told me had the highest score on the Psych pre-test and the second highest on the post-test.  Hhhmm.  Still struggling with discomfort in his legs. He opted out of Regionals to give an underclassman the chance to run who had been having a better season.  We've been to the doctor and got x-rays hoping to get things under control soon.  He will run at the last TVC on Wednesday.

Ben has been getting some decent time out on the field, scored a couple times, and assisted a few.  The coach is not always organized about how he rotates players which causes some bad playing at times.  He had fun for the most part though, we'll decide what to do for next year later.  Last game tonight!  Friday his Environmental Science class went on a field trip to Kettering University to participate in the Flint River GREEN Student Summit 2013 which "provides youth the educational opportunities to understand, improve, and sustain the water resources in their communities."  Schools from Lapeer and Genesee county participated, each doing a class presentation in the morning and then attending breakout sessions throughout the day such as Sewer CSI, Meet the Macro-Intertebrates, Being a Bee Keeper, Chevy in the Hole!, Incredible Edible Plants and Paddling the Flint River.

Ethan has some pretty intense coaches for baseball this year.  At first he felt quite humbled, going from playing all the infield positions and doing some pitching last year to basically being put in the outfield.  We talked about it, and knowing that he's playing with a team made up mostly of last year's All-Stars, he needs to look at it as a chance to bring his game up.  No matter where he plays he plays his best and has definately gotten recognized for it.  He's shown some hustle and helped get the out on many plays plus the batting is starting to click in and he's gotten a few out there to get on base.  They brought him in for short once too. One of our NB-JV players helps with the team and has been very encouraging to all the boys, he's given Ethan some tips that really got great results.

The first Born: Making plans to shift to a two-bedroom apartment when their lease is up. Adding a roommate will bring down costs for all, they've been negotiating house rules....

Employment News:  No comment.

Hoping to Improve: Recently I stumbled onto a show called Eco Company.  It's a youth oriented show about environmental activities around the country.  This has brought me back to thinking about reducing our trash.  We do recycle but plastics of many kinds are what challenge our ecological future, make that product packaging overall.

Food for Thought: We are all quite willing to learn the fuel and maintenance requirements of a new car. Why do we resist learning the fuel and maintenance requirements of our own bodies? If your car falls apart from neglect, it can be replaced. Your body can't.  ~Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People

Last Words:

Repent - Subbing - Tuna

This is a little embarassing to admit but the first step to change is admitting it, right. Although I am a reduse, reuse, recycle advocate I fell prey to the fast-paced, instant gratification, rut, blatently disregarding the evils of styrofoam to quelch my own thirstastic needs. I've been picking the boys up from school pretty much every day because Fox has practice and every day I stop by our local Sunrise gas station/convienience store for a cherry coke fountain drink on the way. The cups are starting to add up and this picture is only the ones that made it home. Many I've thrown out at different places to hide the shame of having them accumulate at my house.

So I hinted and cajolled the boys that a perfect birthday gift would be a reusable mug from Sunrise so I could avoid using all this stryrofoam. I even told them exactly where to find it in the store and how much! Benny my boy was the one who made sure it happened. You rock!

Yesterday I was in a First Grade classroom, Ben's former teacher. I really enjoyed her as a parent, she does a great job. Her class and I'm sure others are very diverse in abilities. The more I see it the more I am against mainstreaming developmentally-delayed and behavioral issued students. It seems to me they'd benefit more working at their own comfortable pace regularly. They get pulled out to work with other teachers and then can't finish the work the class was doing originally. It is a very disjointed day. Two children were on medication. It threw me a little when in the morning the teacher next door explained that if the one didn't get his morning dose he may need to be sent to the office. I asked if there was anything Deb did to help deal with the episodes, she said there's nothing really to do, the behavior is just not conducive to being in school. Yikes. She said I'd know right when they walked in if they were on track. Thankfully both boys were fine and we remembered to get the one down for his second dose at 1pm. These pictures were taken during a moment of free play time after they finished their stations. This was a difficult time for the 2 dose boy, he just couldn't focus on one thing to do. I noticed him wandering and directed him to a task, he opted for playdough but didn't stay with it long. He wandered into a few other play groups but didn't get to disruptive. The worst thing is he decided to wash the mirror with the sponge. It wasn't too wet. A couple kids tattled about it. I said, that mirror could always use some cleaning, but now I need you to wipe the water off with a paper towel. He did. Nice job. Next we went out for recess. Talk about crazy time! I'll spare you all the gory details, they were a good bunch over all but it is a high energy day. I'm rather liking the middle school level the best, truth be told. But I'll hang with any age really, keeps it different.


Lastly, something from the kitchen.....
Sorry about the typo on 'until' - I didn't notice it until after I flattened and saved and I didn't feel like setting it all up again.

Happy Rainy Monday!

The weekend sure seemed to fly by around here as nothing but the basics got taken care of, grocery shopping, meals, laundry, and I finished writing some video reviews. School and sports continue as usual, a little lighter this week, no games for Ben until Saturday, practice Tuesday. Fox has a meet in Marlette on Wednesday, they will get out of school an hour early to take the bus there. I'm going to pull Ben and Ethan a little early too so we can get there by the time Junior High runs. Fox expressed he'd like it if someone was there at all his meets for him, I said I'd do my best to make that happen. There was one so far I couldn't be at cause Ben had a soccer game at the same time, but Alex and some of her buddies were there to cheer him on.

Alex, unfortunately did not get the part that she was hoping for in the play....again. It's a dog eat dog business, acting. She is "an Egyptian woman" which has me shuddering as to what the costuming might entail for that. Second week of Intro Philosphy seemed to go well, she reported that the prof actually advocated drug experimentation....great. The kids thought is was hilarious; and apparently the North Branch Broncos girls made friends with some duel enrollments from Dryden High School. So, she's enjoying the class so far. We've already got a new boyfriend, this one really threw me at first, but after spending some time with him Friday night after he brought Alex home from having dinner at his house so she could meet his parents and sister, I think he's ok. He's a very honest, up front, fellow, which is refreshing, and I can honestly say I know more about this gentleman than anyone else Alex has ever 'dated.' He's really big into making sure she does what her mom says so that they'll be able to do things together, smart guy.

Recycling news: I was happy to find out that North Branch Elementaries are participating in the Capri Sun recycling program. They have a recepticle in the lunch room to collect packages, of which the school can get $.02 each on. Click here http://www.caprisun.com/terracycle for details on Be Green Earn Green: Earn $$$ for School.

Green Efforts: Now that I have a dryer it is more of a concious effort to hang clothes outside. I do most of the clothes out on the line except for socks. I also dry towels inside (crunch factor), but sheets and blankets outside. Someone suggested vinegar as a softener, tried it, seems to help somewhat on lighter materials, makes no difference on jeans or towels. Unless you have a really good warm breeze going, towels just don't dry soft outside.

Not having the oven working helps cut down on energy but is challenging to come up with stove-top only meals and I don't like to microwave too much and definately not entire meals. Still keeping our eyes and ears open for a cheap or free electric stove. Checked the ReStore but none there, I'm on the wish list, a few on Craiglist were already gone or too far to go get. I know I can find something decent for $50 or so, any leads let me know.

Shopping Bags: I don't know what it is but I never remember to put my bags back in the car after I shop and I forget to grab them when I leave to go shop. I hate that feeling of pulling up in the parking lot of the local mega mart and realizing I'm bagless, then I have to make a choice if I'm going to use the plastic, if I'm just grabbing a few things forego the bag entirly, or buy yet another reusable bag for the collection. Ugh.

I'll be running between the raindrops as I do a few errands this morning, of course it could be 75 and sunny by the time I leave to coach at GTC this afternoon. The other day I used reverse psychology Murphy's Law. It looked like rain and I had laundry to put on the line, I knew - "Murphy's Law" - if I put it out there it most definately would rain, so I decided I'd put the stuff in the dryer and cause it to be sunny instead, it worked!

Saturday was the end of their winning streak, I think those little brains were mushed up after a full week of school and two weekday games, they just weren't playing their best. Orange defeated them 3-0.

rollin' right along ....

This week things have mellowed out a bit, each morning I awoke and headed up to the North Branch Library to get there when it opens at 9am to work on the computer. If I get there early the girls can top up my time without me having to log off the computer and get back on another one so I can work for a solid two hours. I have enough entries pulled for a batch, now I can work on writing them from home.

Still working on the timing of line drying. Last night I jumped out of bed when I heard raindrops on the sky light and ran out in the dark with a flashlight to pull the not-quite-dry clothes and towels off the line. It didn't end up raining to much but the wind really picked up and I didn't want everything to end up in the pond and all over the yard. This morning it was clear so everything got put back out. I enjoy line drying but am not so big a fan of 'crunchy' towels. I've never used fabric softener in the was cycle but I'm curious if that would help.


As I post Alexandra is sitting at a terminal near me filling out her application for Grand Valley State online. It is quite a lengthy process but we're happy to be getting the ball rolling. It says in their information that they will give you a response within three weeks of receiving your application. Of course, we still have to notify the high school to send her transcripts over there so I'll have to take that into consideration.


Fox and I have been having many conversation about his academic future and I am happy that he is already thinking ahead. We even discussed the possibility of 'fast-tracking' high school. By that I mean duel enrolling starting junior year and also taking college courses during the summer for duel credit. If he can get done in three years he's interested in attending film school for a year, then going on to a four-year program for engineering possibly. Just talking about it gets me fired up, I'm excited for the opportunities that will come his way. He is a great kid and very determined to be a successful entrepreneur in whatever field he decides to specialize in. He figures the less time he has to spend in high school, the better.

Benjamin had his first soccer practice on Tuesday and got his super-cool uniform. While he was at practice I attended a referee meeting. I'll only do U8 and U6 this year, from what the other attendees where talking about I guess it gets pretty intense at the U10 level especially.

Since I probably won't be online tomorrow here is my Friday Fill-In:

1. When will my ship come in?

2. Mutant Message Down Under was a book that really impacted me.

3. Everything has its beauty but rainbows always amaze me.

4. Apple Cinnamon Pancakes is what I had for breakfast.

5. I'd like your attitude.

6. Not exactly sure where I want to be right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing Jeff Foxworthy at Pine Knob, tomorrow my plans include hopefully mowing the lawn, getting a new/used appliance or two from the Habitat for Humanity Store and Sunday, I want to vegitate!

Slipping into Summer

With only a few more games to go the Ray C's team is finally hitting their groove. The final score last night was 18-20, they didn't win but at least they're starting to bring in some runs! Coaches Jeff and Gordy nominated Ethan to play All-Star but we won't know if he made the final cut for another week or so. They play two long weekends in July and we're available for all the dates so I gave the go ahead to sign him up if he's choosen.


Fox has been putting in a daily jog in preparation for cross country in the fall. For now he is just going up and down the driveway twice, at .3 miles from porch to mailbox that gives him a little over a mile. He's building up his endurance to be able to run it the whole way then he'll start adding distance. Ben and Ethan accompany him sometimes but even if they don't want to run he goes on his own with the dog (who loves to chaperone).

As for me, I've been staying up late watching 24, and working on an editing project during the day. We were hoping to get a bike ride in today if the rain decides to take a break. Even if our ride is posponed, I and my plants welcome the hydration. Upon Alexandra's prompting to stop eating red meat, the rest of us have substantially cut down our red meat intake as well; we're going into our tenth week. She still eats fowl and fish plus I am testing out some totally meatless meals. In support of my green efforts I am also working in cookless meals to save energy. But the best benefit, my pants are feeling loose again and my energy is lifting, even with the late night 24 sessions!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, friends and don't forget to run between the raindrops!

Baby - Book - Big Band

Wednesday was a great day we had fun googling over the baby. All the boys got a chance to hold him, and Evan put up with it for the most part but was starting to get a little cranky at times. But he's so cute, who cares.

It was good to see how Duke the dog is too, that crazy hound. Megan made me feel a little better about Alex getting accepted in Grand Valley. I've been stressing a bit over it since she is still working to get the grade cleaned up. We ended the trimester with only one C, one A, the rest some form of a B. I feel more assured Alex can get in but since she is still hoping to finance everything with grants or scholarships it is still important to have high marks.

From our visit we headed down to Rochester and hit the Rochester Hills Public Library, one of our favorite places on earth. I found a plethera of information on greening up your home and lifestyle. One of my goals is to do something every week to make the house more green and energy efficient. My first project being to put up a clothesline. Fox and I are also starting to research wind power because we think turbine power would work really well at our location.
They were starting their summer reading program that day so all the boys signed up as independent readers. I love the way they run their program, there are lots of incentive along the way for how many hours they read (ie: free ice cream cone, happy meal, chances to get in drawings for awesome prizes), there are also other little contests throughout the summer to earn extra chances in the drawings and lots of events and activities. They were kicking off the evening with a free concert. So after gymnastics we stopped back and caught the last hour of Planet Dino a fabulous jazz/blues/big band with some wonderful male vocalists featured as well.

It was nearly 11pm by the time we got back to the house but it was a full and fantastic day.

FRIDAY FILL-IN (I actually did the one from today)

1. I grew up thinking I’d be rich and famous.

2. Mapquest was the last website I was at before coming here.

3. Why don't you just relax?

4. Yoga helps me relax.

5. Thanks for the inspiration.

6. People trying to dictate how you raise your child can be very off-putting.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the blessed nuptials of Pastor Andrew Kluck and Ms. Alicia Wells, tomorrow my plans include helping at a boys gymnastics clinic in Hartland and Sunday, I want to complete the clinic, come home, and pass out!

Lapeer Recycling Going Strong!

Last Wednesday I borrowed my father-in-law's truck so I could take some items to Care and Share (and pick up some new goodies), move some wood on the property and take a load for dumpster day on Saturday. After the dumpster run I loaded up the recycling and headed into Lapeer. I got there earlier than I usually do and was happy to see the joint was jumping. It is refreshing to know that so many people in the community are taking advantage of this program. For those in the Lapeer area that don't know on the first and third Saturday they collect tin, clear glass, 1 and 2 plastics in tub or screw neck bottle form, milk jugs need to be kept seperately now, newspapers, corrogated cardboard, and junkmail. The first collection is in the Lapeer Cinema's parking lot and the third week is at the Deerfield Twp. Hall. I need to find out about volunteering, they really seemed to be in need of more help at some of the stations.

After running some other errands I stopped back by the church to help take the excess from Care and Share to the Thrift Shop while others took tons of clothes to a facility in Flint. It was another great success this year with many, many people coming in to be blessed with free clothes, household items, furniture, appliances, baby items, toys, tools, etc. It always amazes me how much stuff is brought in and how much we always have left over. The amount of clothes that are dealt with each year is astounding, I don't understand why new clothes even need to be manufactured!

http://www.county.lapeer.org/recycle/dropoff.html

Last May Fill-In

1. Birthdays are inevitable.

2. Fall is my favorite season because of the colors, harvest, & weather.

3. I feel my best when everything goes my way.

4. Homemade ravioli is my favorite food!

5. First impressions are forever.

6. The best piece of advice I ever received was “don’t sweat the small stuff (and its all small stuff).”

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to Ethan’s baseball game, tomorrow my plans include my cousin Vince’s wedding and Sunday, I want to have a great outreach to Bolton Brook Manor with the kids from church!

Other updates: The kids have been enjoying all the parties and end of the year surprises. Four and a half days to go before school is out. Alexandra got her work permit and other pertinent information turned in to Burger King now we're just waiting for the 'uniform.' Fox is going to be doing Cross-Country next year so we need to get him in for his physical over the next few weeks. I am still decluttering and looking forward to taking all these boxes and bags of toys, clothes, and other household items to our church "Care & Share" which is coming up June 4, 5, 6. Ben has his last soccer game tomorrow. I was originally thinking to get the boys each in some type of day camp this summer but as I looked into options and considered my summer schedule I decided against it. For the first time in several years we really don't have any major commitments during June, July, and August and I'm going to keep things open ended. The boys will be going on their annual camping trip to Port Austin with Gramma and Grandpa and we're going to do swim lessons at the Imlay City Pool again but that's about it. I just watched another disc of "Living with Ed" shows and its been making me long to get more house projects done and make things more energy efficient around here. Perhaps the fates will work with us.

Fill-In - Recycle Center

1. The last meal I had at a restaurant was chicken alfredo at Max & Erma’s on Mother’s Day.

2. Excessive cell phone usage is something I intensely dislike.

3. The full moon can cause some pretty strange happenings.

4. ‘Go Broncos!’ is one of my favorite local expressions.

5. Sometimes it's best to just smile and nod.

6. The Soloist is the best movie I've seen so far this year! (Robert Downy Jr. & Jamie Foxx are fabulous!)

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to going nowhere, tomorrow my plans include deck project, yard work and writing more entries and Sunday, I want to prepare for our next Seeds of Jesus outreach with the kids!

Here is how I have my recycling organized for the moment. All types of plastic bags go in the top drawer, flattened product boxes go in the bottom drawer. Small paper scraps and food packaging go in the plastic basket to mix into compost. Items that our recycling takes go in the paper bag to be taken out to the garage for sorting (boys' job), the blue plastic basket makes for easier carrying and allows the paper bag to last longer. 4/5/6 plastics are in the recepticle behind, these are usually smaller, tops mostly and some containers. For food waste there are two levels, one for scraps the chickens can eat, basically anything except meat, pits, and bones. Then the other is for mostly meat scraps, bones, rinds, thick stalks, and pits.

The most challenging thing now is to get the family trained. For the past couple weeks I started reminding the kids that more things can go in recycling but I still 'rescued' a lot of things. They are getting better. This week I made the bold move and "took away" the main garbage. Rather I moved it to a different location so you have to think before you throw away and see if it can go in one of these other categories first. I also reused a large dog food bag in the 'not recyclable' garbage. My cousin (Shout out to Megan!) has been an inspiration to me by not buying regular garbage bags AT ALL. She only reuses store bags and large bags from purchased products. So there you have the basics for now, I have more to comment but must run to get ready for sub-teaching today.

Happy Memorial Weekend All!

Friday Fill-In & Trash Talk

1. Idle hands are not recommended.
2. I love hot water in the shower.
3. My favorite time of the day is from sun-up to sundown.
4. The last tea I drank was Celestial Seasoning's Tension Tamer.
5. I like to trail ride and garden in the Summer.
6. My mother always said a lot of things I never really took to heart.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to having Rob return safely from his weeklong extravaganza to Canada, tomorrow my plans include soccer, gardening, Prom for Alexandra and Sunday, I want to call it all good!

Trash Talk: I have been revamping my garbage separation. We are still on the same main trash bag as last week since I have been setting aside all food boxes (cereal, mac&cheese, etc.), as well as packaging bags from produce, frozen foods, and the like. I found out my mom's recycling does take these so I'll just bring a bunch down whenever I head that way. I have also been more conciencious of the packaging I buy so there aren't as many "don't know what I'll do with that" things. And yesterday night I did some grocery shopping and remember to bring three of my own canvas bags, man you sure can fit a lot more stuff in them than in the plastic bags they put two to four items each in. I'll post a photo of my new recycling area once it's finalized.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Latest Projects

Sunday I had some time to get outside and do a little garden work. My mother gave me some Astilbes that she didn't want in her garden anymore so I planted them among my hostas, of course it was crying out to be weeded and hoed so I got one whole area looking dapper. Many of the hostas are already poking up from the ground and some even have their leaves opened up! After this endeavor I was inspired to finally get some seedlings planted. I used an idea from my friend Michelle's blog http://smilewinknod.blogspot.com using toilet paper rolls as planting cups I set in some sweet red pepper seeds that I propogated myself. Don't be too impressed you just leave the top of the pepper out to dry until the seeds fall off, it's really not difficult.

Also, with all the photo collaging I've been doing, mixed with my contemplation of what I love to do for free, I began the process of creating my regular magazine collages which I used to do a lot of in my early twenties. It is very cathartic for me. The last several weeks while I watched shows or movies at night I would sit and cut out pictures to use. Sunday night I actually started putting together a couple basic layouts. Things on the homefront are moving right along. Rob is in Canada (finally) doing a couple jobs, one outside of Toronto and the other in Windsor. I am taking advantage of the hi-speed Internet connection at the church to get my distributor verification project finished, hopefully this week. Alexandra is working for me on another project pulling data so I can write entries later since she has not been blessed with a 'regular' job yet. And we've had a new arrival on the Parton side, Rob's cousin RJ and his wife Keagan welcomed their third daughter into the world this week (via C-section), still haven't found out the name yet.

Remember to run between the raindrops!

Talkin' Trash

A recent stop to our local recycling drop-off day brought me to once again examine how much trash we are generating. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Everybody seems to hear recycle and makes efforts to turn in their plastics, cans, glass, paper, but the biggest step and by far the most challenging is the reduce aspect. When you go about buying food products you are most likely looking for the best price, nutritional issues, or a particular ingredient, but probably not the container that it comes in. You get what you get, right. Well, now I am seriously looking at that. Our recycle program used to take almost any type of plastic. Now it is “bottles and jugs” only. No ‘container’ like from yogurt, cottage cheese, frosting, butter, deli items and the like. That’s a lot of plastic I can’t turn in to recycle now. We do not pay for trash pick-up; we recycle, compost, or burn. Our township office has a dumpster once a year and we take anything that doesn’t fit in another category down to the dumpster. It’s free. There’s usually a guy who takes batteries of all sizes, and old machinery. Once in a while we make a trip to the dump with metals that can be turned info cash. Paper is a good packaging material because it is easily burnable. But I really don’t want a load of plastic stuff piling up each year and that is definitely not cool to burn. Also, I need to get back on track about bringing my own shopping bags. I have a cabinet cupboard full of plastic shopping bags and even though you can reuse them and turn them in, I just can’t help thinking I don’t need so many. The last couple days whenever I run in a store to buy a couple items I quickly tell the clerk, “that’s ok, I don’t need a bag” before they can throw everything in one. Sometimes they look at me funny so I smile and say “save a tree.”

I am curious why we, as a nation, are not doing more to find ways to make recycling materials more profitable. Perhaps I’ll venture onto a personal research project to find out more about efforts companies are making to recycle. But more immediately I am going to attempt to reduce my trash load so forgive me if I go off on a tangent occasionally and analyze our garbage.

OTHER UPDATES: Ben kicked in his first goal of the season during their scrimage Saturday. The boys implemented a perfect crossover making the coaches very proud, his team mate kicked it to him, Ben was right in front of the goal with no one else around and he drove it right in before the goalie knew what happened! Ethan had his first baseball practice on Friday and if weather cooperates will have another tomorrow. He has also been very dilegent about getting out and golfing in the yard, even in our incredibly tall grass. He'll be amazed how much easier to find the balls once the grass is cut. Rob made some progress on the tractor and mower but we're not totally operationaly yet. And, I got my first call to substitute this morning, just a half day for one of the band teachers who had to leave for a funeral. I had the 6th grade woodwind section which was a well-behaved, fun, and talented bunch and then did High School Concert Band with another sub. One of the seniors actually conducted the pieces they were working on for the State Band Festival this Thursday but I was asked by Mrs. Stover-Lange to take some pictures for the yearbook. She left me with the camera and I had a blast shooting the practice from all angles. Maybe a should ask for photo credit?

Hope everyone is having a blessed, rainy, Monday.