Lovin' the CSA Life!

Everyone been enjoying the amazingly beautiful Spring weather??? I know it dipped a lil' chilly the past few days, but from what the weather man says we're heading back for more 70 degree days soon. YAY! That means Tyler, the  kids, and I have been busy in the yard getting it ready for lotsa summer fun. Last weekend was spent raking piles & piles of leaves and stacking enough sticks to build the 3 lil' pigs a new abode. Or enough sticks to keep our fire pit nice and stocked for a yummy s'more season. This weekend we get to stake out the garden and remove all the landscaping stones from the front yard flower beds. Sounds like too much fun to contain one's self, doesn't it?!?! {Hubsy is in 7th heaven with all the yard puttering, while I keep trying to think up clever excuses to go into the house.}

My best excuse has been the new addition to our clan: Father Dougal McGuire. He's an 8wk old beagle cockapoo mix. Born 1/30/12, and as of Monday weighing in at 6.4lbs. He is a spoiled pooch who has stolen all our hearts; most especially Tyler's. Hubsy SWORE up and down that no dog would ever be sleeping in our bed. Dogs belong on the floor, he says. They're dogs; not people, he ranted. Yeah, right! Guess where you'll find Dougal every night??? Sleeping between Tyler and I, snuggled up on Ty's arm. I'd post pix, but our lil' darling has yet to hold still long enough to capture a good photo. I'm hoping to get Dougal into my studio this weekend for his first official photo session. Yep- we've become those weirdos about our dog.

What about our CSA, you're wondering? Well, if you missed the Open House at the Monona Terrace, I feel badly for you. It was amazing. The kids had a blast getting faces painted, playing games, and sampling yummy recipes from the CSA cookbook. Tyler and I were overwhelmed by all the fantastic farm choices. There were so many farms we wanted to join, but we could only pick one. We settled on JenEhr Farm out of Sun Prairie, thanks to the help of Sarah. She was fabulous at answering all our questions and even gave us a welcome bag full of tasty goodies from the farm. It had spinach, celeriac, a Black Spanish radish {also known as a winter radish}, and garlic in it. Thanks to the CSA cookbook we purchased that day, we had feasted on the whole bag for dinner that night.

We also visited JenEhr this past Sunday for Spinach Days. Farmer Paul gave us a great tour of the farm and we got to pick up more yummy veggies, as well as some chicken. The kids were thrilled to eat a whole Sunday dinner directly from their farm. And, they ate everything...yep, my picky eaters ate everything...even the stuff they deemed weird. The 3 lil' ones can hardly wait to start getting our weekly boxes. I'm excited that our farm offers strawberries and blueberries, too. It's gonna be a great summer of gourmet eating around here!

Here are a few of our favorite recipes thus far from our CSA adventure:
Mashed Potatoes and Celeriac 
1 good sized celeriac bulb, peeled and cut into chunks
1lb potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1/2c heavy cream, buttermilk, or 1/2 & 1/2
4tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste
Combine the celeriac and potato chunks into a pot, along with the garlic, and fill it with water until the veggies are just covered. Bring to a boil, until celeriac and potatoes are just tender. Drain, and return veggies to the pot. Add in the cream, butter, salt & pepper, and mash.

Spanish Radish and Carrot Salad
1 good sized Black Spanish radish, peeled
4 whole carrots, peeled
8oz. feta cheese
1/4c olive oil
2-3tbsp. rice vinegar
2tbsp. dill
1tbsp. parsely
salt & pepper to taste
Shred radishes and carrots with a grater {or if you're lucky like me, your Ninja}. Toss with remaining ingredients. Chill.
*My kids ate seconds and thirds of this...which if you know them, is a HUGE shocker!!!*

Carrot Cake
3/4c. white sugar
3/4c. brown sugar
1/2c. canola oil
1/2c. coconut oil
1 snack sized container vanilla yogurt
3 large eggs
2c. all purpose unbleached flour
2tsp. ground cinnamon
1tsp. baking soda
1/2tsp. salt
3c. shredded carrots
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 13x9" pan. Beat sugars, oils, and eggs until blended. Add remaining ingredients and beat, except carrots, for 1 minute. Stir in carrots shreds. Pour into pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Cool about 1 hour and frost. {I use my secret cream cheese frosting recipe, but this cake is so sweet and moist you could even just pour a light glaze on it.}

PS- the deodorant recipe I posted works AMAZING! I will never go back to store bought again. Just as an FYI, melt your coconut oil and pour it into your dry mix slowly.

Stink Stick Trials

Remember way back, when I got that bed from the ReStore and promised photos once it was done?! It's been finished for a while now, but I never did get around to the photos. Until today...

TA-DA!!!

<3 how it turned out!!!

I have a few projects lined up for around the house today that I have been meaning to get to. Unfortunately a nasty bought of the stomach flu at our house postponed them all. {I wanted to have everything done before Cousin Erin's arrival this weekend.} There has been more puking in this house in the last 5 days, then the last 2 years at our other house. How we survived with only 1 bathroom and 7 sick people is beyond me. But, I know this much...a 2nd bathroom is at the top of our house project priority list! There was a lot of yelling, crying, desperate pleading, and outright threats to vacate the bathroom ASAP. I won't go into detail about how bad it got at one point, but we have learned one thing...the family that pukes together, stays together. For no other reason than to make sure those stories NEVER make it out to the general public!

I came across a new shampoo recipe with coconut milk I plan on whipping together today, as well as a homemade deodorant people all over the internet are raving about {for both men and women!}. I was especially interested in the deodorant, because I am allergic to the aluminum in most store bought kinds. I had been getting some great natural stuff at Whole Foods for years, but it's getting harder and harder to find. I figured best to try out this homemade stuff to see if it really works before the heat and humidity of Wisco summers hits.

Coconut Shampoo:

1/4c. coconut milk

1/3c liquid castille soap (I'm using my lavender stuff)

1tsp vitamin E, jojoba, or almond oil

10-20 drops essential oil (I plan to use a mix of rosemary and lavender)

Homemade Deodorant:

1/4c. baking soda

1/4c. cornstarch

2tbsp. coconut oil (you can find it in the natural foods section, and use it in place of shortening when cooking. It's solid, but has a low melting point)

10-20 drops essential oil (tea tree or lavender are best, as they have antibacterial properties)

*Mix the baking soda and starch together well in a bowl. Add the drops of essential oils. Lastly, stir in the coconut oil. The recipe says you could use more or less, depending on the consistency you would like. You can either store it in a jar and smear it on {YUCKY}, or form it and put it into a clean recycled deodorant stick. From what I've read, you should keep it in the fridge during the summer so it doesn't melt. It supposedly goes on smooth, doesn't leave marks on clothes, and offers long lasting protection...even on guys. We shall see!*

I also plan to spend some time down in my art studio this afternoon shortening some curtains for my kitchen windows and doing some melted crayon Star Wars paintings to finish off my boys' awesome bedroom. Larry the Storm Trooper is gonna be pretty sad having to stare at the blowing up Death Star painting that will hang across from him on the wall; we hear he had friends on it. :( 

Oh, did I mention that several of the seeds we started this weekend have already sprouted? The packages all said it takes 7-14 days for that to happen, but we started seeing them poke through in just 3. CRAZY!!! So far we have little pumpkin, tomato, cucumber, green onion, hot pepper, kohlrabi, lemon cucumber, basil, chive, thyme, cat grass, cat nip, wildflower, poppies, black eyed susan, painted daisy, red hot poker, and hollyhock seedlings. Wow, that was a mouthful! As Tyler said this morning; looks like we're officially gardeners. 

It's FINALLY Spring-ish!

Well, apparently I really suck at regular posting to the blog. I mean to sit down and write something, but inevitably some kid calls for me or I realize there is a load of laundry I forgot to throw in. Maybe it's time Tyler make good on his plans to write once in a while. :)

As usual, we have been busy with tons of projects. Spring it seems has finally arrived in Wisconsin- my windows are even open today. However, I say that tentatively, knowing a snow storm could hit at any moment. And, can I just say how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE daylight savings time?! I really do. It's light out longer; and it means sleeping with windows open, sipping sangria on the porch, and nights of grilling on the patio are soon upon us. YAY!!!

Last weekend Tyler got busy and made our vermicomposter bin. I had meant to take pictures to post as directions for anyone who wants to make one, but he did it while I was busy making vegan cupcakes for our daughter's sleepover. Honestly though, it's soooo simple I bet a monkey could do it. Seriously! First order your red wiggler worms online. Get two of those plastic storage tubs; one needs a tight snapping lid. Drill about 6 small holes into the bottom of the bin with the lid. Line the bottom with cardboard and place it inside the other bin without the lid. Next add a few sheets of shredded/ripped newspaper to the bottom of your bin. Spritz it with a spray bottle so it's nice and damp. Don't soak it! Your wormies will be very unhappy if their environment is too wet or too dry. Add a layer of nice organic top soil (about 4-5c). Last, top it off with whatever rotted veggies forgotten in your fridge crisper, egg shells, coffee grinds and filters, apple cores, etc you have saved up. We added our worms into the bin once everything was in place and gave the whole thing another good spritz of water. Now it's up to the worms to do the rest and make us great compost for our garden. Make sure to check your bin every few days, spritzing with water as needed and adding your household scraps and newspaper shreds. We're keeping our bin out in our 3 Season room until it is warm enough for them to go outside.

{Note: Don't put meat, eggs, dairy or fatty/greasy things into your vermicopmoster. It will make your wormies unhappy and cause a foul stink}

Where did we get out wormies you wonder? Vericompsters require Red Wiggler worms, so you can't  go dig some worms up outta your backyard. I called the UW-Extension of Agriculture to get their advice on where to go. Every company I saw on the internet I could order Red Wigglers was either from Canada or down South. I wanted local, and I really wanted not to have them shipped. The UW-Extension did help us find a worm farm in Wisconsin, but I ended up having to order them. We used Wisconsin Worm Farm (www.wisconsinwormfarm.com). You order your worms by the pound, and there are approx 1,000 per pound. Yep, 1,000. The total price, including shipping, was $31.34. I ordered them Friday afternoon, they shipped Saturday, and by last night our new pets were all happy in their new home. Now the hard part...coming up with 1,000 names and keeping them all straight. ;)

We also got the garden started this weekend in 4 72 ct. seed starter boxes. Our hopes and plan for this garden have grown a lot larger than originally thought. For two people who have never had a successful garden before, we are most likely over doing it. Our veggie garden plans include:

kohlrabi, lemon cucumbers, a carnival sweet pepper mix, heirloom tomatoes, regular cucumbers, zucchini, scallions, garden beans, casper pumpkins, and a hot pepper mix. Our herb garden plans include: lavender, chives, sweet basil, cilantro, thyme, and catnip & cat grass for our lovely kitties. We also seeded some flowers for our front yard and window boxes. Those include: black eyes susans, red hot pokers, ornamental grass, painted daisies, sunflowers, and a wildflower mix. Fingers crossed we are even mildly successful growing any of these this season.

A reminder to all our Madison readers that the CSA Open House is coming up this Sunday at the Monona Terrace from 1-4pm. Join a local farm and get a box of veggies delivered to you each week during the growing season. Several farms have events and picnics for members, and some even let you camp on the farm over night. There are also options to get cheese, eggs, meat, and fruit, or get your veggies delivered every other week. The CSA coalition offers assistance for those who are low income & even take food stamps for payment. You can also agree to work one four hour shift a week at many farms to receive your share free. Several health insurance companies offer their clients rebates for joining {Dean, GHC, Unity, and Physicians Plus}. Check out the CSA website for more info about the farms, pricing, and rebates {www.csacoalition.org}. And good luck choosing a farm, cuz they are all awesome! We've been trying to pick just one for over a week.

Lastly, thinking about putting in a rain barrel like us to water your garden over the summer? May 12th at the Alliant Enegy Center you can go purchase one from the city of Madison. The sale runs from 9am-3pm. The rain barrels are $55, and come with everything you need to attach them to your gutter. They even have a faucet you can attach a garden hose to. 

Diving In Both Feet First

Decided to take a lil' break from painting a life-sized storm trooper to do some blogging.


I've had several requests on Facebook and through email, as well as some badgering from family members, to post my recipes for dishwasher detergent and laundry soap. So here they are-


Laundry Soap:                                                     
2 bars Castille or Fels Naptha Soap grated                        
2c. Borax                                                            
2c. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda                 
1c. Baking Soda
*Use an old laundry scoop to measure, or about 1/4c per load.


Fabric Softener:
6c. Distilled Water
3c. White Vinegar
1 bottle Sauve or White Rain Hair Conditioner {any scent}
Add water and vinegar to a pot and bring to almost boiling. Remove from heat, and stir in the bottle of conditioner. Let cool and store in an old fabric softener bottle, or other pourable container. Use exactly the same as store bought fabric softener.


Dishwasher Detergent:
2c. Borax
2c. Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
2. Lemi Shine
1c. Kosher Salt
*Use same amount as commercial detergent. Add 1-2 drops dish soap to really dirty loads. Throw in 1/2c. white vinegar, too.




I should mention that I make my laundry soap in bulk and store it in my old 5 gallon Costco laundry bucket. With 5 kids we are ALWAYS doing laundry, and I don't want to ever run out of laundry soap when I need it.  We also have a household full of people with sensitive skin, so I tend to use the Castille Bar Soap (organic baby formula). You can get the bars at Woodman's or Whole Foods for around $1.29 a bar. I know some people use Ivory Soap, too. There are recipes for liquid detergent out there, but I personally have never been a fan of that. I prefer powder, and find it works better with our hard water.


Some of you may be wondering what we did with our romantic kid-free weekend. No, I will not over-share. ;) Really, we did a lot of errands! We visited the UWP Meat Market Outlet in Middleton for the first time. We used some Christmas money to stock our chest freezer. Tyler is especially excited about the 7lb pork loin he gets to cut up into chops for the grill and the 20lbs of meatballs we got to go with my homemade marinara sauce. They have a great inventory, at really low prices, if you have the space to store everything and the time & energy to break the meat down into family-sized servings. We won't have to buy any meat from the store for the next several months. YAY!


We made another trip to Menard's to get everything we need for our garden. Today we will be building our new worm composting bin to fertilize the garden. According to my father-in-law, next week we need to start several of our seed varieties in the seed trays. I am no gardener, so I'm a little nervous about how successful this will be for us. I have high hopes, despite my last two garden attempts ending up solely in death. This year we are going to give a go at growing  zucchini, cucumbers, a carnival sweet pepper mix, beans, and white casper pumpkins. We also got a pack of fun hybrid sunflowers for our lil' ones to try growing and chives, cat grass, and basil for Tyler. I wonder if we are being a bit too ambitious this year?!?!? Oh well, I'm not usually happy unless I've gone way overboard anyway.


Our final errand was to the Habitat Re-Store where we found everything we needed to build the separation wall for our oldest kiddo's room, off the rec room. He was a bit tired of sharing a room with younger brothers and getting a lil' too old to anyway. Now he gets a portion of our rec room, once we hang the partition, as his very own room. He is more than excited!


Sadly we were so tired after all the running around, we decided to forgo a night out at our beloved Old Fashioned to stay in, cook, and watch a BAD movie on Hulu. I made us a Potato, Leek, and Chicken Pie...which was DELICIOUS!!! We shared a bottle of wine and snuggled on the couch. Believe it or not, it was really nice. The simple quiet moments truly are my favorites!

Didja Miss Us???

I bet most of our readers thought we had given up...
It's been so long since the last post, I almost don't know where to begin. I guess I'll catch everybody up to speed. 


I am over my disgusting strep infection. We are happily settling into our new house, and loving every minute. We've unpacked about 70% of our stuff in the week and a half we've lived here. All that's left of our refinishing projects is the master bedroom dresser and painting the storm troopers onto my boys' dresser. We've already hosted a party here, and have plans for our housewarming shindig soon. Tyler is just about over his gross sinus infection (Thank GOD!!!). My photography company, Lola Mae Images, is almost fully booked for summer weddings. I have one slot left in July and one for August (hint, hint), and the summer of 2013 is booking nicely, too. But, most exciting...Ty and I have no kids this coming weekend!!! We can hardly wait to enjoy 3 whole days just the two of us. (Hopefully, it doesn't lead to baby #6!)


We did get a little off track with the project during my illness and the move. I will admit I got myself McDonald's chicken nuggets after my second trip to the doctor. I wanted them in the worst way (they are my sickness comfort food), and Ty said unless I was really dying he wouldn't let me have any. I did what any other woman would do, I got them myself. I never told him, though- so he'll find out reading this, just like y'all. ;) I'm not gonna lie, they tasted so damn good, too..I think the guilt and shame of breaking the rules made them tastier! As a family we have been HORRIBLE about remembering to take our canvas bags out shopping with us. It's embarrassing, really. Thankfully we do use the plastic bags for cleaning out the cat box and Madison now accepts them in the recycling bins. Still there are no excuses for that one, we have at least 20 of the canvas bags...we just have to be better about remembering them when we leave the house. We ended up having to buy boxes for the move from U-Haul. That was really tough on us; it was like waving a HUGE flag of defeat. Sadly, Tyler's company just wasn't providing enough to get our house packed up, Craigslist was having a dry spell on boxes, and we were running outta time. We did agree we were going to keep them in storage after our move, which we have. That is, after we cleaned the storage nook out & got rid of the old crusty socks and used condoms from the previous owners. (yes, you read that right...no, I don't know why they had those items in there. Let's just say someone removed it all for the promise of 3 measly Cheetos, and leave it at that. Ugh!) And, we also gave a bunch of our boxes to our moving helper, for his mom to use in her move. Last confession, we bought some new products from Menard's. Yes, I'm hanging my head in shame. Although, in our own defense, we bought a 5 minute shower timer device and a low flow shower head to conserve water. 


Are you wondering what we've done right???? I bet you are! :)
Well, no chemical cleaners or products have entered this house since it has been ours. I left all the old stuff at our condo for the new tenants to enjoy. This house has only had my homemade products used to clean. It smells so nice, and everyone has had much less trouble with allergies. We have figured out how to use our programable thermostat, to help conserve energy. During the hours we are all awake and home, the house is set at 67; when we are gone or asleep, it's set at 60. So far, so good. We have turned our water heater down to the lowest possible safe setting, so as not to waste natural gas or get legionnaire's disease. All our dishes are hand washed, using dish detergent I made. They are rinsed by filling up the other side of the sink with cold water and adding a cup of vinegar. We only wash our clothes in cold water, using the energy saving modes on the washer and dryer. And of course, the detergent and softener I make. (plus a cup of peroxide in the white load to keep it bright) Once the nice weather arrives, we will use a clothes line out back to dry most things. We installed that low flow shower head we bought at Menard's, and only take 5 minute showers. (Unless I am shaving, then I get 10 minutes.) Plus, we recycle like crazy these days. 


With Spring right around the corner, we are beginning to make plans for our garden to supply some of our own veggies and herbs. We'll be hitting up the Willy Street plant sale on April 18th for our plants. Tyler is also getting ready to build our worm composting bin to fertilize the garden, as well as a rain barrel to water it. We also have a date to attend the meeting at the Terrace on March 18th, to sign for locally grown produce and farm products to be delivered to us during the growing season. 


Whew...I got it all out. Now time to go pick up my lil' ones from school. New posts and pictures of the house coming soon. 

Death's Door...

It's been far too long since the last posting. We haven't abandoned the project or anything. Life has just gone into hyper-drive lately. We move next week, and I have spent all of this week battling an antibiotic resistant form of strep throat. It's from years of getting it chronically as a kid. Sadly, no doctor has ever agreed to take my damn tonsils out. So, I promise to get back to more regular posting as soon as I feel semi- human again. I've got some great fabric softener and laundry detergent recipes to share!

Estate Sale Addict...

I think we have created a monster...our youngest boy has become absolutely addicted to estate sales. The first time we took the 3 lil' kids to one they were completely freaked to be looking through a dead person's stuff {much like me}. It took CP all of five minutes of being at one to decide he LOVES them, though. He has a good eye for bargains, too. We hit 2 sales yesterday, and he was crushed there weren't anymore. There were even tears over it. The promise of more sales in the future and a trip to the new house pacified him quickly.

We acquired some great finds at yesterday's sales. We purchased some photo lighting for our friend Kelly. Tyler found a rubber mallet to repair the dents in our metal sleds and some tool for car tires. I got 10 full place settings of fine Japanese china for $50. {I'd post pictures, but it's all at the other house}. We also purchased a fabulous vintage 50's hutch for our kitchen and a dresser.

{The original owner's pic of our new hutch. LOVE it!}

Obviously the lack of posting on our part shows how busy we have been with all this moving. It's such an exhausting process! Friday we spent the day cleaning the new house...using all our eco-safe homemade cleansers, of course. The kids had a blast playing in the backyard, while we scrubbed. We had to drag them away kicking and screaming. Same thing yesterday. I assume today will be a repeat story. 

If you have hard water or get lyme build-up on your faucets, I cannot say enough how amazingly hot vinegar works to remove it! Just pour the vinegar into a plastic bag (reused/recycled, of course), rubber band it around your faucet and let it soak for 15 minutes. 

Here are my other cleaning recipes: {I mix them in glass bowls and funnel the mixes into spray/squirt bottles.}

De-Greaser:                                                     All-Purpose Cleaner:                       

2c. hot water                                                     3 tbsp. white vinegar

1/4c. lavender castille soap                               1/2 tsp. washing soda

1/4 tsp. lavender essential oil                            1/2 tsp. castille soap

                                                                         1/4 tsp. essential oil scent of choice

                                                                         2c. hot water

Bath, Tub, Tile Cleanser:                             Toilet Bowl Cleaner:

2/3c. baking soda                                             1/2c. baking soda

1/2c. lavender castille soap                              1/2c. borax

2tbsp. white vinegar                                        1/2c. castille soap

1/2c. water                                                       1/2c. water

a few drops tea tree oil                                     10 drops tea tree oil

**these two I put into squirt bottles, as they are thick and it works better for cleaning**

That's all I've got for now. I'm getting the evil eye from Tyler to get my butt back to packing...

Birthday Girl...

Today is one of the hardest days of the year for me. I approach it with both sadness & heartache and hope & joy. Only another woman who has been in my shoes could understand why...

 I am a proud birth mother to a gorgeous little girl I love beyond measure, as does the rest of our family.  Lola Magdelana (named for my great-grandma's). Today is her birthday, and she is 9. There has not been a day that goes by that I don't think about her, or miss her. The ache isn't as sharp and raw as it once was, but it will never truly dissipate until I hold her again. It has been almost 9 years since I have seen her, but it doesn't stop me from searching every crowd I am in for her face. She still lives here in Wisconsin; somewhere close to where I grew up. Tyler has grown accustomed to my crowd scanning over the years, whenever we take the kids to the zoo, the museum, Summerfest, State Fair, etc. I know the chances of catching a glimpse of my baby girl are slim- to-none, but I'm her mother and I can't help myself. I know she is safe and loved and well-cared for, but I just want to see it with my own eyes.

Make no mistake about it, I do not regret my decision to place her for adoption. And no, I didn't place her because I didn't want her (I hate when people make that judgement). Nothing could be further from the truth; for myself or any other birth mother I know. Placing my Lola for adoption was the hardest, most agonizing choice I have ever been forced to make. It took more courage, strength, and blind faith than I ever knew I possessed. I wanted to be selfish and keep my baby; I wanted Lola with me so very badly. But her safety and welfare, and that of my young sons at the time, had to come first. That's a mother's job...to put her children's needs and well-being above her own. To sacrifice everything for them, to ensure they have what is in their best interests. Even if it shatters a mother's heart into tiny little pieces, because it is so crushingly painful to accept she isn't it at that moment.

I did absolutely the best thing given the circumstances! I have never doubted that the parents I chose for Lola love her every bit as much as I do. They had been waiting, wishing, and hoping for my Lola for so very long. Oddly enough, their names are Matt & Kelly...(but not the same Matt & Kelly we blog about). Those two will always be her mom and dad, just like I will always be her mother. I am so grateful to them for raising my baby girl and loving her so much. Lola grew in my body, and shares half my DNA. She is one of only 4 people to ever hear the sound of my heart beating from the inside. Those connections with me can never be broken. Neither can the connections Lola shares with Matt & Kelly. They have held her and comforted her through illness, injury, and fear; watched her grow from newborn to pre-teen. They've taught Lola how to walk, talk, and ride her bike. They have had the privilege of watching Lola's first steps, hearing her first word, and watching her go off to school for the first time. We are all so blessed to have that beautiful girl in our lives!

I got to be with my Lola after the final adoption hearing in March of 2003 to say "see you later"; never goodbye. I held her for what seemed too short a time, and told that tiny baby everything I could about life, love, and our family in those few minutes. My mom presented Lola's mom with my baptismal gown, baby bracelet, and baby rings. The last thing I did for my daughter was bundle her up in the snowsuit her big brother wore as a baby, put my angel necklace around her neck, and place her in her mother's arms. It was a tender and heart wrenching moment. Then I watched as Lola left me. It was important to me that Lola know I never left her- I let her leave me because it was what was best for her.

{My last time with Lola}

As my mom pointed out to me this morning, we're halfway through. She's 9 today. Only 9 more years to go until she can come back to us. And she will come back to her home here- I know it with every fiber of my being!

<3 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LOLA MAE! WE LOVE YOU FOREVER AND ALWAYS!!! <3

{One of the last photos I received of her}

Slippery Slope...

Yesterday was an eventful day. We signed everything for the house and got the keys. We spent some time there checking things out, shoveling & salting, measuring rooms & windows, taking note of things we need to get before moving in...all the fun things one does with a new house.

We also hit a few estate sales in the area. I have to admit, I do find it sorta creepy to be going through a dead person's house trying to get the best bargain possible on their lifetime accumulation of household stuff. Death terrifies me, and I don't deal with it well at all. That being said, we got the find of a lifetime at one yesterday. TWO metal antique saucer sleds for $10. You know the sleds I'm talking about- Clark Griswold takes a wild ride on one in Christmas Vacation. Ever since the 3 lil' kids saw that scene, they have been begging for metal sleds. Now we have some. Tyler is currently at "Suicide Hill" in Elver Park with the kids taking a test run. They're trying to determine if the sleds need any "greasing"; like the Griswold's did to theirs.

{This one is not ours. It's an image I found on Google, since ours are at the sledding hill right now.}

Yesterday's estate sale haul also included an awesome {the kids say creepy} marble bust of a boy for $3 and a set of vintage TV trays for $10. Tyler purchased a fantastic birthday gift for Matt. Even I think it's awesome, although I'm not 100% sure his wife will agree. Sorry, Kel. Ty also got himself 2 gorgeous 1940's era Chinese silk ties for $3/each. 

In my continual search for green cleaning techniques, I came across a great drain cleaner recipe. If your house is anything like ours, there is always a clogged drain. This recipe actually works pretty well, too!

Drain Cleaner:

Pour 1c. baking soda down the clogged drain. Follow it with 1c. plain vinegar. Cover the drain with a drain plug, plate, etc. and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Flush well with hot water for 2-3 minutes. If your drain is really bad, you may need to do this 2x. 

Also, if you have hard water and get that annoying/gross lime build-up on your faucets or shower head, fill a plastic bag halfway with plain vinegar. Rubber band the bag around the faucet or shower head and let sit for 30 minutes. It will clean all that gunk right off. Easy fix, eh?

Dancing on the Ceiling...

Literally. That's only because my floor happens to be the ceiling for someone who lives below us. For now, that is. Next month that will no longer be true. Why, you wonder??? Because we are moving!

We got a house. A whole house. That is all ours. In a nice family neighborhood. With a garage. A fenced in yard. And space for our kids to run and play and be loud. Everything I never thought I wanted until Tyler sold me on his dream of a house. We are bursting will excitement over this house. It is completely remodeled and energy efficient. We don't even have to paint, although I will probably paint the kids' rooms. Maybe the bathroom, too.

We can grow a garden in our backyard. We can get a worm composting bin for said garden. Tyler can do all that yard work he loves so much. (Yeah- I agree that's isn't normal. No one likes yard work. Except him.) I can finally have a fixed studio and office for my photography business that doesn't double as our family dining room. No more lugging my lights, backdrops, and billions of props around.

{Our New Home}

This week has been very eventful thus far. Not only is there all the house excitement, but we are also in the midst of planning our summer family trip. We are finally going to take the kids on the epic South Dakota vacation we have been talking about for years. We're gonna road trip it. Camp in the state parks. Eat food we cooked on the camp fire. Let the kids see the beauty and history of the Great Plains. It is the family vacation I most fondly remember from my childhood, and Tyler, too. I'm so excited to take our kiddos to Deadwood, the Badlands, and the Black Hills. To share my maternal grandma's family history in the lil' town of Menno. Watch the fireworks over Mount Rushmore. See buffalo and prairie dogs up close in their natural habitats. Go spelunking. Pan for gold. And have our free glasses of ice water at Wall Drug. 

Who knew taking a step back from consumerism to old fashioned simplicity during 2012 would be so sweet so fast?! I'm sure the rest of this year will not continually be the sunshine and roses this week has been...but it sure gives this girl a lot of hope that it could be!

Organic Eco Friendly Wine is Wreaking Havoc...

I blame our friend Kelly for the whole problem, too. During our visit with them on Saturday she poured me two lovely glasses of red wine. I don't even know what brand or type. I just know I got to have an adult beverage and interesting adult conversation together in one sitting. Obviously, if I just kept red wine in the house all the time I could repeat the experience anytime I wanted. That seems logical, right?!?!

When left unchaperoned to run a few errands yesterday I came across an AMAZING sale on a case of wine. (I also bought my husband an XL lady's cardigan, but I won't embarrass either of us any further with more details. I'm just going to quietly return it to the Goodwill) The wine was organic and came in Eco-friendly glass bottles that are lighter and leave less of a carbon footprint. I was even allowed to mix and match Cabernet, Merlot, and Chardonnay per the fine print on the end cap. Really, the sign had my money at SALE...all the rest was just a bonus. (I'd tell you the brand name, but after Kelly's story about her Tisdale fauxpas I don't want anyone to tell me I'm drinking cooking wine. It would just ruin my happy, glazed over state.)

So, last night I cracked open my first bottle of earth friendly wine. I went with the Cabernet. Poured a nice glass and curled up on the couch with the hubs, eager for the sparkling conversation to begin. All I got was him grumping about the poor Packer performance and a bad case of heartburn. Talk about disappointment. Now I have 11 bottles left sitting in a 100% post-consumer recycled box in my dining room, and my only hope is Kelly and Matt will come visit us soon.

And now onto my review of homemade shampoo...
Surprisingly, I actually love it! Even weirder, so does Tyler. I also made a batch for my mommy for her birthday. (No, that wasn't all we gave her.) The mixture lathers fantastically and smells really nice. However, do not under any circumstances use the plain vinegar/water conditioning rinse!
Shampoo Recipe:
1/2 c. Dr. Bonner's Unscented Baby-Mild Castille Soap
1/4c Distilled Water (Don't let your husband get this! He'll just grab a jug of purified drinking water. It's not the same thing.)
2 tsp. Jojoba  or Almond Oil (I went with jojoba)
1 tsp. Glycerin
1/2 tsp. Tea Tree Oil
1/4 tsp. Peppermint Oil

Mix it all up in a glass mixing bowl, not aluminum, and funnel into a glass jar, old shampoo bottle, used dish soap jug, etc. You only need to use about a quarter sized drop, but be careful this shampoo is runnier than what you're used to. Don't worry- it really is enough to lather medium length hair with suds 'o' plenty. Oh, and when you rinse it out, it will feel really strange. It will feel "greasy and gross- like you washed with a dirty hippie", as Tyler put it. It isn't; I swear! Also, don't leave your hair up in the towel turban for more than a minute. Without all the chemicals like in standard shampoo, your hair dries super fast. I haven't used any conditioner, gel, mousse, or shine serum in 3 days, and my hair has been more manageable and shinier than in years. (Shhhh- don't let my neighbor/hairstylist in on this secret. She won't like that she can't up sell products to me anymore.)

I know you're wondering why I said not to use the 1 part vinegar/1 part water conditioning rinse. It really does work. But if you use a blow dryer or a straight iron, like I do, there is an unsettling side effect. Your hair will smell like barf. Yes, barf. Honestly, I thought one of our cats barfed somewhere in the bathroom the morning I used this. It took a few moments before I realized, in utter horror, my hair was the actual source of the awful smell. Heat and vinegar don't mix- you'd think cleaning the coffee pot would've taught me that already. Matt, Kelly, and Tyler also confirmed my hair had a "barfy aroma", just in case I thought I was wrong or that the smell would fade during the course of the day.

Greening Textbooks & Kitty Litter

I took a rather big leap this morning, although it is something we have been planning to do for a while anyway. I went to the on-line Apple Store, and purchased a refurbished 32 GB iPad2 (for the same price as a new 16GB, no less). It's not technically "new", so it meets our only buying used guidelines for the year. Although, having it shipped is breaking our rules a bit.  I plan to use the box it is shipped in for moving; so at least it will be re-used. We want the tablet for our photography studio (Lola Mae Images)  when meeting prospective clients, and I also plan to use it for most of my textbooks this semester. That's right...my textbooks. I checked on Amazon, and more than half of my books are available in a digital download. That saves a lot of trees and keeps tons of chemicals from the inks out of the air and water. The other books are really questionable as to whether I'll actually need them or not. I plan to hold off until the first day of class to see if the professor is really going to require them, before purchasing used editions somewhere.

Tyler also purchased our first batch of green kitty litter yesterday, too. Feline Pine. The website claims you will use less than regular clay litter, it still clumps, has no chemicals or fragrances, and it's renewable (whatever that means). We shall see. There is also a wheat kitty litter on the market, that is supposedly flushable. I have to do more research into that one before giving it a go. Hopefully Gozer and Zuuly won't boycott the change by refusing to use their litter box!

I found a recipe for homemade shampoo using natural ingredients that I plan on trying to make this weekend. No, we are not joining the "no-poo" movement; where people only use a baking soda/water mix for washing and vinegar for conditioner. Those following it swear by it, saying their hair has never been healthier or more manageable. I'm really skeptical that would get the food particles from one of my daughter's hair. (She's known for getting more food in her hair somehow, than her mouth. Lol!) The recipe I came across uses Dr. Bonner's soap and jojoba oil, among other things- giving me that lather I am so hooked on. If it works as well as claimed, I will post the recipe.

Ta-Da!!!

I promised a few posts back to share photos of my Goodwill bar cart once we had finished the refurbishing. I am happy to report it is officially finished and in use in our dining room. It looks fantastic, if I do say so myself!

The cart goes perfectly with our whole vintage British kitchen theme! {Did I neglect to mention that in addition to my documentary and diet coke addictions, I am also obsessed with all things British? <3 their dry comedic TV shows beyond words!}

Sadly, winter has officially made her long delayed debut in Wisconsin today. Apparently all the snow we should have gotten up until now is coming all at once. While it may look pretty outside my window at the moment, I know that's where snow's nicety ends. Because as you ladies know, and don't you dare try to deny it, this onslaught of white stuff also means lizard skin season has officially begun. Chapped lips, itchy dry legs, and cracked hands. Ugh! 

I do have a cure, though! It works wonders, you most likely already have all the ingredients in your pantry, and it meets all my eco-friendly guidelines. It's so awesome I even made jars of this exfoliator/moisturizer for my mom, cousin, S-I-L, and M-I-L for Christmas this year. Here's the recipe:

1c. Kosher Salt or Sugar in the Raw {I use the sugar, as it burns less on already dry, flaky skin}

1c. Olive Oil {feel free to use the cheapo stuff, doesn't have to be extra virgin either}

Zest & Juice of 1 Lemon

Feel free to add a few drops of your favorite essential oil for fragrance, too.

Mix this all up in a non-metal bowl, and funnel the goopy mixture into a Mason jar. During your next shower spoon it onto your hands, washcloth, loofah, etc. and scrub away the winter scales. Don't worry, the batch makes way more than one shower's worth! You can even use this magical stuff for your face. *word of warning : make sure you wash your tub out good after using it, or the next person will take a scary unexpected slide and likely kiss the floor.* I usually slather up with a good coating of shea butter to really seal all that moisture in after my shower, too. I swear it's heaven...I even get hubby to use this stuff!

Now, off to trudge through the snow to pick up kiddos from school, as we only walk there these days. It's less than a block, so we really have nothing to complain about. {even though I do bitterly on days like today} The pay-off is the steamy cups of sea-salted caramel hot cocoa when we get back...oh, and saving the planet. ;)

The Going Gets Rough...

Today is the first day I have really struggled with not buying anything new rule. As in went into full withdrawals right in the middle of our local Hobby Lobby, and almost pitched a 2 year old style tantrum. Key word is almost! I went in innocently enough to get a few sewing supplies I needed, and had been putting off purchasing for fear of a total loss of self control in a retail establishment. Not 50 feet from walking in the door I saw the Christmas trees Tyler and I had been coveting all season long. These gloriously tacky whimsical curved trees in the loudest, tackiest colors imaginable. We had hemmed and hawed back when we could've bought them because the lowest price we saw was $44, down from $124. Not too bad honestly, but we didn't want to spend that on something so frivolous as an ugly tree. Today, however, they were on 90% clearance and were just a mere $12.99. There I was in Hobby Lobby, tears welling in my eyes, trying to figure out some way I could break my own rules and get the damn tree. Then I remembered our one faithful reader out there in blogger- land, and I fled from the store like a bat outta hell.

I made a trip to our local Goodwill to take some of the edge off my withdrawals- give myself a little retail fix that fit the rules. And, partly to answer a sweet email we got from one of our first grader's teachers about our project. She requested that we post some pictures of things we find there, as she has never had much luck finding anything. To be honest, I hadn't either until we decided upon living this crazy project.

More often than not, I found things like this the few times I had ever been in a Goodwill:

(Yep, you're seeing correctly. Granny's old wig and some outdated feminine hygiene products, for the rock bottom price of $1.99/ea)

I have learned though, that if you have the time and are willing to scour the store a little, you can find some great bargains! Tyler got Lost: Season 5 for $5.99 recently, in mint condition. The other secret to shopping Goodwill is that you have to go often and purchase clothes out of season. I'm stocking up now for the kids' summer clothes. I've been going once or twice a week since our project started looking for specific items for our kids, and am amazed that each time the store has totally different stuff in it. Even my beloved Target can't manage turn-around that fast. 

Here are today's purchases:

 A Tommy Hilfiger nightgown and yoga-style lounge pants for me, both $2.99

 3 summer tops (surprisingly all made with organic cotton) and a skirt for our lil' C, $1.99/each

And this $1.99 Star Wars T-shirt our CP is gonna flip for

See, there is good stuff after all! That is, if you can get beyond dead granny's wig and keep looking!

Now, I'm off to have a cup o' tea and conquer my giant eco-living reading list before I start back to school next Wednesday. I'm a pretty fast reader, so with any luck I'll be done before Monday.

?Not Too Much Impact Family?

I had been trying to decide if we were going to be adding something to the blog every day, or just updating it every few days. (Yes, hubby will be posting sometimes, too) I guess the two day break made the decision for us. We've been busy searching for a new house and working on current house projects the last few days. (Photos at the end of this post.)

Thursday night we watched No Impact Man again. I am a documentary junkie. The first time we saw it Tyler and I were a bit taken back by the extremes Colin Beavan went to. Giving up toilet paper?! That's just a grossness I can't even wrap my brain around! Washing your laundry in cold water in your bathtub by stepping on it?...I don't think so! But, we did come away with some helpful tips and extra things to consider implementing into our own project from watching his story this time around. We both agreed we liked how his family did things in stages. It will make the whole eating local with no packaging easier if we could add that stage when the local farmer's markets are in full swing. In the mean time we will do our best to eat as local as possible, using the least amount of recyclable packaging available, and purchase our food from local stores/co-ops. This same principle applies to eating out- which eliminates most places for us. (Thankfully our favorite haunt, The Old Fashioned, fits the criteria. YAY!) We also agreed we needed to define what "local" meant to us. Tyler and I decided it means products that are grown, raised, produced or operated only in our great state...WISCONSIN. Hubs and I also marveled at how little actual trash the Beavan family created during that year; it was like nothing. That is something we are definitely going to be working hard on achieving ourselves. More recycling and reusing- no disposable things like paper towels or swiffers! Once we move to a new place with more space and an actual yard we plan to begin composting.

Now for the "fun stuff"... Fridays are typically date day. Ty has off work, the kids are usually in school, and we get to spend the day alone. Yesterday we used that time to make our first of many visits to the Habitat for Humanity Restore. I hesitate to even share the awesomeness of this place with anyone, for fear they'll steal the great finds out from under me. Seriously, if you haven't gone... GO! It's amazing! They have everything you could ever need to repair, remodel, or even do fun projects for your home at a fraction of the new cost. You'd be saving the planet and getting great deals all at once- Win/Win, if you ask me. We got a headboard for $15, and we have our eye on a few awesome lighting fixtures for the same price. They had a great paint selection- so I guess my previous post may have been for naught. There were even appliances and power tools in the inventory. Much like Goodwill, though, the inventory is always changing, so you have to check back often. If you're in the Madison area, it's located at 208 Cottage Grove Rd.

(Hubby and our youngest 7 year old sanding the bar cart on our balcony)

Called Out

Tonight I am pouting in our bedroom. I bought this super amazing table for $16 today at the Goodwill that I am going to convert into a bar cart for the hubby over the weekend. (I promise to share pictures as soon as it's done!) In my excitement I wrote about it in my FB status. Within seconds our dear friend Kelly called me out and asked if I was allowed to buy paint during this year long project. Huh- wait, what?!?! ...that question stopped me dead. I have leftover paint from our kitchen walls for this cart project, but what about the dressers we will soon need to buy for the kids' rooms? Or those old fashioned metal lawn chairs I am dreaming I finally find at some estate sale this summer? Or when we move in the next few months and I have to repaint white walls before I go stark raving mad? I can go to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store to see what paint they have in stock...although I doubt they'll have the bright colors I favor. Naturally, I started whining to hubby about my petty conundrum. The sweet, supportive, wonderful man that he is told me I could cheat on our project at anytime, and he'll just stick to it. Talk about a kick in the gut...THIS WHOLE THING WAS MY IDEA. <sigh> That only means one thing, compromise in another area. After some discussion we agreed we can buy paint, hardware supplies, and fabric/sewing notions to re-furbish, repair, or make things we need. The key word is NEED. In exchange, we won't allow ourselves to buy new gifts for people. We'll have to make their presents, since I absolutely REFUSE to give someone used items as a gift. That's just tacky! Our sincere apologies to anyone who has a birthday, wedding, anniversary, or some other special occasion this year. We promise to be creative, and not make anything too lame for you. Ty's really getting good at his vodka infusing and homemade kahlua...so there's always that, right?


On a positive note, Kelly's hubby (Ty's best friend) recommended a great book to help us on our adventure that I immediately put on my library hold list. Thanks, Matt! Along with several other books on green/sustainable living. I <3 our library! It just opened a few months ago, and I get a sick thrill being the first one to check out the books, movies, and CD's. All the librarians there know our family by name, as we are there so often.


Lastly, someone asked us how we chose our blog's title. It's kinda silly, really. When Tyler found out what city I grew up in (Brookfield), he made a snide remark asking if I grew up with a butler. I didn't, just for the record. And somehow, we took to talking about the lazy, good-for-nothing butler we had around our house. The one that never made the coffee, or shoveled the sidewalk, or did the laundry. After a time we figured he needed a name, and since we both have a ridiculous obsession with bad 80's sitcoms, Mr. Belvedere was the logical choice. So whenever something wasn't done, we yelled for our absent butler, Mr. Belvedere. Someday he'll show up here for real, surprise the hell outta us, and give Tyler the morning off from making our coffee. I just know it! Anyway, since we're giving up so much this year, we knew the butler would definitely have to be one of the first things we let go. There it is...the story of the blog's title.

The Basics

After watching the documentary "The Story of Stuff" for my on-line Economics class last semester, Tyler and I got to talking. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! (http://www.storyofstuff.org/movies-all/story-of-stuff/) We had bought into the American consumer culture hook, line, and sinker. Our family was certainly obsessed with having more of the latest and greatest stuff- I am a self-diagnosed shopaholic. I cannot resist a good sale or clearance rack! But what effect was this way of life having on our children, our bank account, and the world? So we decided to make a drastic change in direction for our family in 2012. 


<que drum roll for dramatic effect> 


NO NEW STUFF IN 2012!!!


Okay, okay...it's really not as dramatic as I made that sound. We agreed to buy only used items or make/refurbish things we need for the year. Goodwill, the Habitat for Humanity Store, Half Price Books, and the used movie store are becoming our new best friends! Major turn of events for a girl who used to itch like crazy at the mere thought of going in a Goodwill, much less wearing things bought there. Of course, there are a few exceptions: shoes, socks, and skivvies. All things too icky to contemplate wearing used. Please God, don't let our coffee maker die during this project!!! 


I know what you're thinking... What about food? TP? Kitty litter? Holiday gifts? All questions we asked ourselves already. We're city folks who are no where near self-sufficient, we obviously need to buy some things. So, we decided they must be purchased from local vendors as much as possible, or from a store that gives back to our local community or is fair trade. The food thing is our toughest challenge right now, as it's winter in Wisconsin and the farmer's market is closed. Whatever we buy must have minimal recyclable packaging and be environmentally friendly. Which means cutting most of the meat from our diet, giving up convenience products, and no Amazon shopping either- not even used. <sob> Have you ever tried to find toilet paper made from post-consumer recycled products, btw? Not an easy task. Still haven't found any, but I will not quit the search. 


Recently we also heard that a lot of products Americans buy and use are created/harvested with child and slave labor. Things like clothing, produce, sugar cane, coal, etc. We agreed nothing we buy can be tied to that. There is no list of specific brand named products from child/slave labor I could find out there, but the research I did showed most of it occurs in Bangladesh and Argentina. So, nothing can come from those countries. One website actually had a survey you could take to find out how many slaves your household had, based on the products you own. Our family had 76...the average house had 24. That will change this year; next time I take that survey the number will be 0.