Skirt Apron ...

So not only did I play with a pillowcase last weekend, I also played around with a skirt. A skirt also purchased at Goodwill.



So I brought it home and stared at it. Them I held it up to all the fabric I own to see if anything matched. It didn't. Which bothered me because I was thinking for sure I needed more than just the skirt to turn it into an apron (okay, so I was hoping to get 2 aprons out of it). But I stared and thought ... and then I began to cut it up.



And somehow, using only pieces of the skirt, I managed to whip up this apron.



And oh yes. I am in love. I really am.



This is not at all what I had planned when I bought the skirt, but it is so much better than what I had planned. Sigh. I really made this with intentions to part with it. But I just don't know if I can.

Anyway, all this apron sewing has me back in love with sewing, so I'm hoping to have a few more projects to show next week. And I'm still knitting away when I get the chance to =) Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Aprons ...

So I'm on a major apron kick right now. I really do love aprons and think I can never own enough - ever. So I'm sewing lots - except really, I won't be keeping all of them. But more on that later - for now, let's talk aprons.

A few weeks ago I mentioned to you all that I bought some new fabric and some items from our local Goodwill and I've been wanting to play around with it, but didn't have time until last weekend.

So I pulled out one of the pillowcases:



and turned it into this:



I really do like it. It's simple and it was pretty easy to whip up. I took pictures of all the steps and might try to write up a tutorial. We'll see. I have a habit of assuming people can read my mind and not always saying all the steps/directions. I guess I can try and if it sucks, I'll have to trust you to tell me! LOL!

Also, keep your eyes open. I have 5 other finished aprons that I can't wait to blog about =)

Fabric!

This week I've done some fabric shopping! The first pile is fabric from an unexpected place! It is a pile of tablecloths, curtains, blankets, sheets, and pillow cases. This fabric came from Goodwill - where we stopped to look for some other things. But all of this jumped out into my hands so I had to buy it! LOL! All of it will be transformed into something different. I'm very excited about this!



Then it was off to the fabric store to pick up some fabric, which netted me this pile.



And last but not least, is this one fabric - bought at Joanns. This is my splurge buy. I didn't find this fabric until we were at the cutting counter, where the woman next to me was buying it. When she finished, I asked them to please pass the bolt to me. I loved it from the first moment I saw it. I couldn't pass it by. It has my heart. The other things I will be making, well, they won't be for me and will hopefully leaving the house soon, but this fabric - this fabric is all for me and will be staying with me!



Of course the trick now is to find the time to sit and sew!

Plastic Free

I am really feeling a huge pull to lowering the amount of plastic in this house. Or maybe not even lowering the amount of plastic, but bringing in much less plastic as the days proceed.

It's not going to be easy though. Almost nothing in our local stores is sold in glass jars. And why would they be - plastic is lighter and is less breakable, so it makes sense that most things are coming in plastic. And then factor in bath products - no glass there.

I follow a few blogs dedicated to this, and I get the feeling in order to really be plastic free, I would need to, in a sense start making a lot of food from scratch. And that scares me - on one hand, that would be much healthier (because I won't add high fructose corn syrup to my sauce or ketch-up or mustard and I would know everything was GF and safe for my dd). But do I really want to be so against plastic that I'm making that much stuff?

I feel torn. I have not, though, been putting any hot food near plastic if I can avoid it. I am stalking sites with plastic alternatives looking for sales on other types of containers. I'm watching freecycle and craigslist for alternatives. And last night, I sent home food someone else brought in one of my plastic containers. ROFL! Because although I don't want to use the plastic, I don't want to just toss it into the garbage either, ya know?

Dryer Balls

Just about 2 years ago, I decided we needed to stop using dryer sheets - it was for a variety of reasons, but I was trying to figure out easy ways to give up single use items in our house (we also stopped buying water bottles too at the same time!)
And so, I went to the store and bought some of those blue dryer balls that were so heavily advertised - As seen on TV! - and began to use them. We have the same set still today - although I'm pretty sure they have a much shorter life span, despite what the commercial says. Actually, they didn't even shorten drying time, only helped removed static cling from certain fabrics and did not make things come out fluffier at all. And lately, things are coming out stiff and yucky. And I know they've needed to be replaced - but I was unsure of what to do. Because it occurred to me that although they are reusable - clearly they do not last for years and well, plastic isn't all that awesome for the environment in general and so it left me wondering: what to do?

And then I found The Bashful Sheep through another blog who was doing a give-away of them! So I ordered a set:


I have used them a few times and I can say I completely recommend them! My clothes are really coming out soft and wonderful. Now, it has cut my drying time, but not by much. However, my dryer stinks and it usually takes about 1 1/2-2 cycles to dry things. I've been able to cut it down to 1 to 1 1/2 dryer cycles to dry things. Which is awesome! (but I dream of getting a new dryer that can dry things in less than 90 minutes!!). It has cut down on static - but not eliminated it. And can I add, that she shipped them right away which I was impressed with as well =)

And they are cute and I love them LOL!! I can honestly recommend these to you. And I'm so glad I managed to stumble across them!

Method!

You haven't hear me talk of Method for a bit around here.
I'm still using all their awesome products and I'm still loving them! [and also, my 9 year old LOVES to clean toilets and she totally can with their toilet bowl cleaner for which I'm loving LOL!]


But, I actually went out and bought some more Method stuffs to use in my home!


Oh yeah. Winter berry. I am IN LOVE with it. I am really considering going back and buying more so I can smell it all year long. I love it that much. It rocks. Seriously, I wish I could make a scratch and sniff post for you all. It rocks.

And also, a bamboo room deodorizer. And it's not made of plastic. And it looks really cute. And it smells so nice - although I can't remember for the life of me which scent we got. We had to invest in it because my cat, well, his poop stinks. And he doesn't cover it so well. And I needed something in that bathroom that didn't need to be plugged in, lit up, and that I would think looked good. This met the requirements. We've had that for a month now and I still love it. It still smells awesome. I have no idea how long the little scent tray is supposed to last, but so far the scent has not faded on us!

Anyway, I know I've pimped out Method here before, but I wanted you to know that I really do love it and didn't recommend it to y'all because they gave me free stuff and let me throw a super awesome party! I really and truly do love it =)

There are other things I've fallen in love with lately (and things I bought hoping to fall in love with) that I want to share with you as well. Were I smarter, I would have done this a month ago when you were beginning to Christmas shop, but better late than never!!

Method Party!!!!

Oh my word! I don't even know where to begin!!
The entire night was just so fabulous and amazing. Method knows how to take care of people - I can tell you that for sure!

The back of the store was amazingly decorated - it felt like we were in someone's living room it was just awesome =) (and I meant to snap pictures of it and didn't! LOL)

We had fun making a facial tea mask, lip balm, and bath salts! And we were able to take all the recipes home along with a resource page of where to buy more supplies if we want to do so (I REALLY want to do so!)

We were given TONS of free stuff, and really who doesn't like free stuff?

But the best part, the people! I think everyone who came with me had a lot of fun - at least I hope so! I know I did. I didn't get to talk much to some of the guests as they left but I should get reports soon =) The people I drove home with all had a great time too! And at least the car I was in, was FULL of method bags, so you know, we bought TONS of things! LOL

And the Method people, they were oh so fabulous! I cannot stress this enough, because even if Method had the most fabulous products, the party would have not been fun if the people hadn't been nice. But that was not the case at all. Seriously, they did EVERYTHING - great food, great drinks. They even took pictures that they will send to me tomorrow - I didn't have to stop to get pictures! That is service. And they were all so great to talk to and chit chat with. I felt like I was friends with everyone I talked to! They came from California and even from England and it was all just so wonderful - every single one of them.

I joked that I wanted to do this again and again and I would ask other people to invite me to their parties so that I could come in again LOL!

Here, my friends, is all I came home with:

Nice! Very nice! I did buy some of it, but I got a lot of it from them because they ROCK! I am so amazed at how much they gave away, that I have decided to give away one of their Plastic Rehab bags because you all need to have one too - so come back soon and see about that.

Anyway, to top off the night - as if it couldn't get any better. I got home and realized I left my camera in the store. And I was thinking about how I was going to drive downtown with the 3 kids, find a place to park, drag them in, grab the camera, drive back home (okay, okay, so I also thought about more products I could buy because I think I might be seriously addicted to them). I called the store, left a message, and then came on-line.

I already had an e-mail in my box letting me know they had my camera all safe and sound and would I give them my address so they could messenger it out to me?!?!?! Now seriously, does it get any better than that? That, my friends, is service. And amazing service at that. I am impressed with Method SO incredibly much right now!

So, if you can't tell, tonight was awesome! I had such a blast! I feel all wound up from it - hence all my !!!!!!! in this post! LOL!!

My cleaners ...

I use a WIDE variety of cleaners - I took a sample shot of them today to show you:

You can see Method, Burt's Bees, Palmolive, Scrubbing Bubbles, Seventh Generation, Shaklee and Clean Well. This does not include the water, vinegar, lemon, baking powder that I use either! Because I also use lots of those things too!

As you can see, I don't have a favorite brand or much brand loyalty - I look at the amount of chemicals, how well it works, are there alternatives, the price, and then look at the brand. So we end up with a wide variety. And we switch as things go on sale or special. I did not buy the Shaklee though. I won that. I use it. And I love it. However, that we won't buy unless the company changes their policies because we don't want to be locked in to buy a certain amount each month - which stinks, because I would probably buy from them otherwise. Also, I won't be buying scrubbing bubbles anymore, but the frugal part of me needs to finish the spray before replacing it - although maybe not so much anymore - it might be gone very soon - more on that later.

Anyway, my point is, I use lots of products and it doesn't bother me that I do that. I will say that right now we are trying to use less chemicals in our house - I have a child with neurological issues and a child with asthma - both of which are documented to be irritated by lots of chemicals in the products we use. My house is not chemical free - we have nonstick pans, some of our furniture has been treated with the fireproof agent, I'm sure my carpet is releasing VOC's into the air (along with our paint, furniture, and other things). We are not eliminating them completely to be sure, but we are trying to make small changes that can help a lot - and cleaners is one area it's been easy to do that with.

I'm sure you are scratching your head right now - it's okay ... this post will make a lot more sense once I make my next post. But it's a way for me to give you background without creating the longest post in the history of this blog! LOL

Living Platic Free

Could you do it?

I've often said I couldn't do it. As far as I can tell - it's EVERYWHERE! And if you go plastic free, does that mean you never use plastic again (thereby throwing all the plastic you currently own?) or do you just not buy plastic from this day forward?

I guess each person who takes up the challenge will decide - and I bet much has to do with why thy are giving up plastic. Is it to be more environmental? Or is it because you think plastics are unhealthy? I'd have a hard time chucking all the plastic I own out because it seem so wasteful to me. But we don't heat our plastic and I don't feel too worried about the chemicals in it yet (although I will admit reading that they can now detect bpa in people's blood does indeed make me want to rethink that stand!).

Anyway, I don't have any plans to go plastic-free. I have personally cut back on plastic in our house - but only the convenient plastic to ditch (mainly plastic bags from stores) and we are buying less, which in general means less plastic. But our efforts have not be herculean nor have they been hard.

If you would like to go plastic-free or just greatly reduce how much plastic you are using, here is a list of some blogs and articles that I have found all about the topic. I will be perusing them too as I get a chance ... and who knows, maybe at my house we'll begin to work a bit harder at using less plastic!

any more that you think will help!!
Life Less Plastic
Month without Plastic
Plastic Free Picnic
Click for Carbon Plastic Challenge
Plastic and Physics
Living Plastic Free
My (almost) plastic free bathroom
Products to help make your kitchen plastic free
Life without Plastic
Living Plastic Free – year 2
Fake Plastic Fish

Going green and debt ...

I haven't really talked about either much lately, so I shall take some time now to do it!

Going Green

We have been pretty good at sticking to our changes this summer. We are line drying as much as possible (although it's been pretty rainy around here!), using green water when possible. I have switched to Seventh Generation Liquid Dish Soap and am VERY happy with it! Bonus, we recycle rinse water when possible for the garden! Remembering to bring our own bags to the stores (and not just at the grocery store folks - I take them to Hobby Lobby, Joann, Office Max, Staples, etc). This week I bought 40 dollars worth of produce and used brown paper bags to bag it all instead of plastic bags (although, I really want to invest in a really nice, thin cotton bag to use instead - for now, paper will have to do). When picnicing we are creating as little waste as possible - I bring real plates with, etc. The air is turned up (set to 80 right now). Walking when possible. So, yeah, we've managed to keep up with the changes.

However, we haven't added anything new to our efforts. And we are in the midst of planning a party and dare I admit it? We are planning on paper plates, napkins, cups, bottled water, etc, etc. Our party will not be eco-friendly at all. And I feel bad. But its approximately 125 people. And I don't have enough non-disposable to do it anyway. However, I read about Treecycle Recycled Paper from Stretch Mark Mama and the prices look good, so I should probably get on ordering that RIGHT NOW. But, I'm all about pretty. And I really wanted pretty plates. But, I also want a pretty planet in 50 years too, so I guess I have to ditch the pretty plate idea and just buy hte plain, eco-friendly ones!

So, we're moving along nicely here, but I know there is more we could be doing. We just need to suck it up and do it.

And I talked to someone from Method today. I don't know if there will be more to tell you or not. We'll see where it goes. But I'm excited that I even got to talk to someone today and that was pretty cool!

Money

We are still chipping away at our debt. Yes, chipping. Not making huge progress. Not have it paid off yet.

Oh how I wish I could come here and tell you debt is paid off and that we were working towards building up our 6 month emergency fund! But it is not so. Nope. We've been fortunate enough to pay more than min. balance, but not by a whole entire lot. This summer most of our extra money went to dental work for me and vacation.

The promising news is that we knew the dental stuff was coming. We got a quote and paid cash for it. It was a few thousand dollars worth of work, so that was awesome that we didn't have to add more debt to get it done (and it all needed to be done).

Vacation is a bit more fuzzy. I can tell you that we didn't go into debt to take the vacation. Again, we saved and spent only cash. We did not go over our budget. In fact I'm pretty sure we spent less than we saved for (which is good, but we haven't worked out the budget completely so I'm not positive). However, at the same time, there is a part of me that is saying we shouldn't have even gone on vacation until debt was paid off. Oh, I can rationalize it SO well. Mostly, the heart of the trip was to visit family - my husband's mom. And you can't put a price on that really, because they average seeing the kids about once a year. And to us, it seemed worth it provided we did not go deeper into debt to see it done. Which we didn't.

Of course, the extra for this month and probably next month goes to the party I am throwing in a few short weeks. But again, it's worth it. We are doing something we feel is very important and won't be going into debt to do it. And then after that, the holidays come up. And after that an important wedding that requires travel and dresses (myself and the two girls are in the wedding, so when I say I have to buy new dresses, I mean it! It's not me wanting to buy something new)

And really, that has been our mantra lately - if it is important and doesn't cause more debt, then do it. Because at the end of every month we have less debt and healthy kids and a roof over our head.

We entered this year knowing we wouldn't make much headway. We entered the year knowing that we would not be debt free when 2009 rolled around. You could say our only goal was to not make more debt this year and so far so good. We thought we would have a bit more done though. We weren't factoring in groceries going up and gas going up as much as it has. But we have less debt now than we did at the start of the year. And we have more in savings right now than at the start of the year too. So I consider both of those things very good.

However, we are still not prepared should something really big hit us. And that makes me a bit nervous. But I am hoping and praying that next year, next year we can kick that debt to the curb. I would love it if 2010 would see us with no debt because that would just be phenomenal! But that would mean next year would see us buckling down, getting serious, cutting spending as much as possible, and really working hard to knock it all out!

So, there are my updates =) Probably I haven't given many because there just hasn't been much to share honestly.

Some Sewing ...

So I've done a couple sewing projects recently that I wanted to share.

First up is my daughter's purse. She had this skirt that she loved - until she outgrew it. She asked me to do something with it so we wouldn't have to toss it ... so she ended up with this:

She is in love with it and well, I think it's cute too! =)
Here is a snapshot of the inside:


All of the pockets work (I didn't have to stitch threw them to get the lining in which was nice) and it's nice to see how much she is loving it! =)

Second up ... finally used this fabric from stash that I wasn't sure what to do with. The fabric started as a bedskirt for my daughter, but I never finished it and last fall I took the bedskirt apart and threw the fabric into the stash pile. Seriously, it was already the right width for the napkins, so this worked perfectly.

I have about 25 here - enough to get us through maybe a couple of days? But it's a start right?

The best thing about both projects is that they were primarily made with re-purposed fabric - which is really neat if you think about it! I hope to start incorporating things like this into more of my sewing projects ... well assuming I find lots of time to sew in the future! LOL

A Craft Idea!

Here's a fun craft idea that you can make with the kids - or if you like just for yourself!

Magazine Holder

Supplies Needed:
Cereal box
Pictures
Decoupage Glue
Scissors
Marker
Ruler




Step 1:

Using a Ruler, draw lines as to where you want to cut the box

Step 2:

Cut box on the lines!
You probably want them to look a bit like this:

But, really use your creativity and maybe change the shape a bit! =)

Step 3:

Gather lots of pictures. I'd like to point out this is a great way to use old magazines - they have lots of good pictures in there to use. And I also have to say my kids LOVE to cut them up, so they particularly enjoy this step =)

Step 4:

Glue the pictures on the box - however and where ever you want to!
Note: You could also paint the box if you want. My one dd suggested next time we paint the box first then glue pictures down so that the cereal stuff doesn't show up in the background. However, I don't know how well the glue would stick to paint.

Step 5:

After all the pictures are glued down, take the glue and then paint over the top of the pictures. In case you haven't used the decoupage glue before, it will look milky when you put it on, but it will dry clear.

Step 6:


Enjoy your magazine holders! =)

I didn't get better pictures because the kids grabbed them and used them almost immediately! We had a lot of fun doing this. And the kids have been saving all the empty cereal boxes (I have a pile of about 4 in my basement right now LOL). They can't wait to do it again.

This is a great way to make a magazine holder without a)buying one and b)having fun at the same time.

A cooking trick ...

I just posted a cooking trick over at my other blog! Go read about it here! =)

Carbon

I finally calculated my carbon footprint! Wonder what it is? Go look here!

My new "project"

I've started another blog! Yes, one might argue I am addicted to the. But, this is something important to me ... so go check it out. Feel free to say hi over there and start reading it as well! =)

The Green Sheepie

On going green ,,,

Well, I don't believe I've ever come out and said it blatantly here, but I really am trying to be more environmentally friendly (although I have talked about bringing my own bags shopping and little things like that) - even if it's just a little bit each day.

I will also tell you honestly, I don't know how I feel about global warming. I know, I know, Al Gore would be so saddened to read that, but it's the truth. I think there are so many unknowns out there and so many sides to the story and I think there is a lot about how our planet works that we don't understand. I know some of you are gasping and thinking look at the science! the research! it's all there! And I have. And I've looked at other research that isn't so compelling.

And after looking at all - my conclusion is: global warming or not, I LOVE the earth. I want to take care of the Earth. I do not want to treat the planet like garbage, and I believe I can do things to love the Earth, the planet, and I can do things that will benefit the health of my family. Global warming aside - we are learning more and more that some of the chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis are hurting us! They are dangerous. They are destroying our soil, our water supply, and making some people sick. And, truly, even if global warming is not happening, well, what if it is? And in this case, I'm going with the better safe than sorry side of things, and still going to try to take care of my planet!

Anyway, we've really been trying to make small changes and we've been doing them ever so slowly, but we've kind of reached a point where we feel like it's time to maybe step it up a notch.

Here is where we are at right now:

• unplugging things when not in use (toaster, cell phone charger, laptop plug, etc)
• using reusable bags about 95% of the time (I admit sometimes I forget them or forget to pull them out until a bag or two is full. However, I can say I have already NOT used a LOT of plastic bags!)
• last fall I line dried my clothes and will begin to do that again when it gets warm enough outside (and I will also try to create a way to line dry indoors next winter)
• we have learned to waste a lot less food (I think before we were wasting more than we realized because it was so easy to just let the food go bad in the fridge, or forget about those last 2 apples, or the leftovers, etc and now we are much more conscience of the food we have and what needs to be eaten before it goes bad)
• I talk to the kids much more about environmental issues (at their level) and wasting water, wasting energy, etc.
• We stopped buying bottled water. So we have no plastic waste from those. Although we have the reusable plastic containers we carry around now, and I know eventually we will have to switch those out because the plastic in those is supposed to leach at high temperatures.
• My shaklee cleaners arrived in the mail the other day and I am SO excited to start switching over our cleaners. I was of the opinion that we should just give the cleaners to someone who would like to use them, but dh is of the opinion that we should use up what we own (being the frugal guy he is, he thinks it's wasteful to get rid of things). I admit though, I'm thinking of ways to secretly sneak the bottles out one by one and slowly so that he won't notice LOL

Things we will start doing:

• We have decided to buy our meat locally from farmers who, you know, treat their animals pretty nicely. Of course, now we are saving up money because you tend to have to buy in bulk that way (although admittedly I haven't looked into yet and I need to figure out where around us we can even do that). And truthfully I can't see us getting to the point to buy several hundred dollars worth of meat for a few months
• Shopping at farmers markets for a lot this summer. And also doing some u-pick it fruits to bring home and turn into jam and other items we can freeze and/or can to last us a while.
• Gardening - this year we will have a garden. In fact we just planted some of the seeds today and they are sitting in our laundry room with a nice (small) light shining on them!

Things we are still thinking about

• Switching our lightbulbs over. I keep reading conflicting things about the mercury in them and so honestly I am not ready to put them in my house. I have heard they are working on making them without mercury which would be fabulous I think!
• Possibly investing in an apple tree and a pear tree
• I would like to buy more organic products and I hate to say the price is the hindrance, but truthfully, it is. Because I am working on a limited budget and I have to pick and chose what I can invest in. I feel like if we switch our meat over to locally and from better farms, and I am buying local fruits and veggies this summer, well, I might have to skip the organic items from the store for now.
• Buy organic milk. Again, the price is a factor. I bought a gallon of milk today for 2.89. The half gallon organic milk was 3.50. That's not just a small difference, it's a big difference. We go through 4-5 gallons of milk a week (and one of my children can't even drink regular milk!) It's at least a 16 dollar difference per week - that's 832 extra dollars a year. Now, I know what you're thinking - 16 dollars. Let me tell you, I have been spending exactly what we budget every week on groceries. Today, I came home with 82 cents after hitting both stores (today I went to the health food store where I bought my brown rice flour, white rice flour, amaranth, and other items safe for my gluten, wheat, dairy, soy dd and that stuff is quite pricey as well. One of her flours was 5 for a pound). We are on a strict budget. We can't do it all. I have to pick and choose how to spend our money. But if I can cut the bill, I will start to buy organic milk for sure.
• Change over to chemical free shampoos, toothpaste, other similar items
• Starting a compost pile up in a corner of the garden we will be planting this year

Some days I think we are doing a lot. And other days I wish we could do more. But I am trying to make small changes. And I care a lot about the environment. And I've been doing more reading up on different ways to make a difference and change what we are doing, and so you might here me prattle on about it more around here.

Shopping ....

If you happen to like Jane cosmetics, then go read this to find out how you can get some of them for free or almost free. I read it and got about 54 dollars worth of make-up for about 5. I'm very excited about that and tried some of it out tonight. Truthfully, I'm not too fond of the lipstick colors I picked out, so I have printed up some more coupons and will be returning to try again - and pick up some more items (since I like how it feels, I will buy a few more eye shadow colors and stuff like that).

Also, when I shopped today, I brought my own shopping bags (the ones I recently bought from target because they were ultra-cute) and the cashier actually gave me a really nice compliment on bringing my own bags and asked where I got them because she might want a couple too. So I told her I got them at target and I showed her how they folded up and zippered into a small size (which is why I bought them honestly. For instance today I threw two in my purse and pulled them out when we checked out). I do not always get warm reception when I use my own bags. I think it's harder for the cashiers at most places because the bagging areas is set up to hold their bags much easier. (Interestingly enough even one cashier at Target was visibly annoyed with me for using them which cracks me up, since that's where I bought them from!) The only other cashier that excited to see them was when I originally bought some of them - the clerk asked if I wanted to use them that day and seemed quite excited when I said yes! LOL

Anyway, it is sort of weird to bring your own bags, but it's also pretty neat to bring my own bags into stores when I shop. And it's nice to get cashiers who don't seem annoyed by it because I feel like I am doing something good, and I don't want them to rain on that goodness.

Out of the mouths of babes ...

Said to me by my 7 year old this week: You look like a poor housewife!

While trying not to laugh, I simply said, well, I am a housewife!

We had this conversation on the deck as I was hanging up some laundry on my drying lines. Yes, this week I have discovered the joy of line drying my laundry. Which, really, is sort of dumb since winter is coming and all. You think I might have discovered this, oh, at the start of summer with lots of warm days to take advantage of!



But I have discovered some very important things. Despite thinking all things would come off the line stiff, very few items actually come off feeling that way. Clothes do smell good when they dry that way. And thanks to my highly inefficient dryer, most of our clothes are actually drying faster outside than they would in the dryer! I kid you now, more than a few items have dried in less than 30 minutes on the line. The average run time for my dryer - 90 minutes. Longer with jeans and towels. I have actually done more laundry line drying this week than I normally do waiting for our dryer. I even asked dh to figure out a way to do this in the winter-time (although realistically without us adding on to the house, there is no place to add some lines inside the house!). I tell you, I do wish I had discovered how fabulous this is in April instead of mid-September, but what's done is done. And now I know. And every warm day we get from here on out will probably be dubbed laundry day for me.

I just have to tell you, I have now run 7 loads of laundry this week, and have run the dryer a mere 2 hours time (I am not hanging up all our clothes. Frankly, the neighbors don't need to see our undies flapping in the wind! Nor am I hanging up the dishcloths, I don't have enough room or clips for those guys. And some clothes I am running for about 15 minutes to soften them up a bit).

Which brings me to another point. My mom said she would not be allowed to line dry in her neighborhood. The covenant bans it. And she was surprised none of my neighbors had complained to me about it yet. Is this really true? If you lived next to me, would you be complaining? The clothes are hanging on part of my deck, in the backyard, can not be seen from the road and are not flapping near the property lines. I can't imagine why someone would complain about it frankly. Of all the things to complain about, some laundry, really? I mean, it's not loud. It's doesn't cause a smell. It doesn't pollute. It doesn't interfere with anything going on at their house. Now I'm a little bit paranoid that I have ticked off my neighbors by drying my clothes on my deck. Although, I'm not that worried about it because as I said, I can't understand what the problem would be.

So what about you? Or your neighborhood?

Random goodness

Look at all the gorgeous skirts Home Jewel and her family are making! They are following the patterns from Sew What Skirts. Yes. I want this book. So please, buy it and send it to me, or shop from my etsy store so that I can just buy it myself!

Speaking of making things, Anna (over at Lullabies and Lace) is busy making some very fun things too!

I read these blogs and want to go buy fabric and sew some of my very own skirts and clothes like these talented people. Then I remember that I'm only allowed to buy fabric (and other craft items) with money that I earn. And I haven't earned any money! LOL! Oh well. Some day!

I have also decided to sew some cloth napkins for my family. And I have decided that really, fabric purchase for these should be exempt from my not spending money because I am making something for the family and not myself and if I don't make them, I'll buy them, and I'm pretty sure it's much cheaper to make them then to buy them ... so really, by buying fabric for these, I'll be saving money and not spending it! See how good I am at this rationalization thing.
Here are some on-line patterns I have found to make them that I like:
- directions from instructables
- directions from Pearl Bee
- directions from The Family Homestead

I think I like the Pearl Bee ones the best - but I don't know about making my own bias and all that jazz honestly LOL! I might whip up some simpler ones for now and then make some fancier ones using those directions at another time.