Refashioning...

This is something I started doing late last year after reading a blog about some women turning unused items into new creations.

Although my attempts to date haven't been anything particularly flash, I have a stash of clothes sitting aside from my wardrobe decluttering and plan on making things out of them as the need (or desire) arises.

My first item was a very simple, yet much needed item. A hairband for Danielle. I found a pair of her newborn leggings which were a really stretchy cotton/lycra and whipped it up.


My second item was a few months back (still a bit unfinished - but not yet needed since it's still too summery to need anything this warm) when I kept a woollen cardy my grandmother no longer needed. So rather than donate it on, I thought it would be great made into a hooded winter cardy/jacket for Danielle. Being cream, I decided to dye it red. Unfortunately it turned out rather bright coloured, so attempted to use some Beetroot I had piling up in my fridge to deepen it, but it didn't seem to take too well. But, it will still get a lot of use - perhaps as a rough around outdoor jacket when needed without worrying if it'll get ruined (and there's not chance of losing her with it this bright!).


(still need to put binding around the edge and buttons or toggles)
And then tonight - my third item. It is Danielle's 2nd birthday on Sunday, I thought she'd really like a little fairy skirt to use for dress-ups. Well after visiting a few shops selling skirts, I was shocked to discover that any decent looking ones were over $20. No way was I paying that! Unfortunately we don't have any dedicated fabric shops where I live. So down to the local Op Shop where I found a cute greeny/aqua coloured scarf for 20 cents and then at home an unused net curtain in my airing cupboard. Perfect! A bit of silver fabric in my sewing stash made a few flowers.


I find it fun looking at unused clothes in a new light to imagine how they could be reused in the future.

Menstrual cups, cloth pads, cloth nappies...

(Image borrowed from the Redrag website)

Exciting topic! Well, I've been a cloth nappy user since Nathan was born. I've had varying success and implemented a few minor changes along the way, but we've stuck it out and I'm pleased on so many levels.

Initially, financial reasons were the driver, but over time, environmental reasons and the desire to keep all those disposable chemicals away from my kids butts was a biggy! Thanks to the Nappy Network I have not only learnt so much about cloth nappies, but have become a lot more environmentally aware. I have also become a part of a community of similar minded people (if not also very different in many aspects) who have enhanced my life in many, many ways.

The Nappy Network (TNN) have also introduced me to menstrual cups (such as the Mooncup) and cloth pads.

So, last night I hosted a party! Woohoo! A cloth pad and menstrual cup party none the less - move over Tupperware! A few of us knew what these were, but there were a few newcomers.

Go the cloth!

I look forward to Thursdays!

Thursday in this house means that the weekly organic vege and fruit box arrives! The kids and I really look forward with anticipation to see what lovely things are going to surprise us.

Prior to getting the deliveries (it's been about a year) we maybe bought the same standard 6-8 different fruit and vege every week. Pretty boring in hindsight! Now, the box contains several standard things most weeks, but the rest changes frequently with the seasons, 17 different things this week - it really pushes me to be creative with my cooking, but best of all I love that we are getting a wider variety of nutrients in our meals (even if the kids don't eat all their veges, the type of meals I cook generally mean that it's all cooked together so they reap the benefits to some degree anyhow).

Saving energy (in more ways than one) while cooking!

Electricity AND labour that is...

I recall my parents talking of hay baskets as a means of keeping food hot all day long while it cooks. Never really having had much interest in that idea, it was something I filed away in my brain until Rach was after ideas on how to manage her family's cooking needs without slaving over a hot stove for hours while away travelling and it seemed like it might be a goer.

Well Rach has gone off and actually tried it and been quite successful at it. Now to actually try it myself. HA!

So, yesterday I did decide to give it a go - and wanted to try out Rach's Beans Bonanza. However, I discovered I did not have a suitable pot without handles that would fit into anything - and my wok was too wide. So I flagged that idea and moved on to the next best idea of electricity saving (after having read this ebook, (pg 83) the night before) by bringing the food to the boil with lid on, boil for a few minutes, turning off the heat but leaving the pot on the element to finish cooking. My attempts over the last few days have included: brown rice (boiled for 10mins opposed to 25-30mins), boiled potatoes (boiled for 2mins opposed to 10mins), boiled kumara slices (brought to the boil only, opposed to 5mins). I would really like to attempt hard boiled eggs.

Haybaskets aside - and with winter approaching - I know I'll be getting my crockpot out for more regular use again after receiving a very old one (but great working condition) from my parents last year.

Kids, housework and simple living

This afternoon with Danielle down for her nap and Nathan getting a little bored, I noticed a sudden urge in myself to do a little cleaning. Deep cleaning none-the-less. I'm by no means a Flylady follower, but have at times read her site for inspiration for cleaning my home. I am not a deep cleaner by nature (as I realised this morning while out with a couple of girlfriends), I'm a bit of a whizz-around, make-things-look-nice, and in general cleaner - so I usually have a decluttered, presentable looking house by the end of the day. However, now and again I get a burst of energy to actually clean into those forgotten corners and get rid of the build up of grime, dust and dead insects. Today was one of those days and coincided nicely with Nathan looking bored (heehee).

I'm not one to make the kids clean or tidy up their toys, I might simply put out *once* that I am going to clean or tidy and would anyone like to help me (a yes or a no is ok with me). Well, this hands off approach is having it payoffs (despite moments of frustration and feeling like the only one contributing). BUT, I really see the enthusiasm Nathan now shows for wanting to clean and keep our home tidy. Sure, not all the time (but then neither do I...). It seems that showing *my* positive attitude for wanting a clean and tidy house is what helps to motivate and enthuse the kids (Simon is a big contributor with chores in his own way - in particular the shower, getting the kids breakfast in the morning so I can lie in bed for an extra 1/2 hour and making me a cup of tea after dinner). Afterall, who would want to help me if I made out it was the biggest most horrible chore out there? I'm also a believer that housework preferably gets done when the kids are actually awake and in the house - how else do they get modelled these important life skills? It's the whole working together thing - work is much more fun when done together. I actually enjoy cleaning too when Nathan is working alongside me, we have fun, he talks about and points out the funniest things. His enthusiasm to keep working actually keeps me enthused too and without knowing it I moved on from cleaning skirting boards and corners to cleaning the windows! Of course a bit of Lenny Kravitz on the stereo and the odd bout of playing Air Guitar lightened the load and lifted the spirit.



The fireplace surround got cleaned many times over - it took me a while to notice that he was stumped as to why it kept looking dirty and patchy after a few minutes...he didn't realise that as the tiles dried they looked dirty again. But I have very clean tiles now!

The simplest and most practical of chores can in fact be *entertainment* to kids.

Hand-me-downs

(Groovy patterned hand sewn apron from my nana - my first apron!)

I love receiving hand-me-downs and buying 2nd hand. It's not even so much that it's a means of saving me money, but much more...

* I find it wonderful to reuse items, especially those that have been treasured by the previous owner. I get the joy out of extending the life of something and often the gifter loves to see their previously treasured items living on. I am mindful of only accepting what I *need*, it can be too easy to say "yes".

* I enjoy coming up with my own unique use of an item or if it's clothing, it can be refashioned into something new.

* It means one less item that I am buying new from a large corporation with goods likely made in China and shipped all across the world to New Zealand.

* Receiving used items is having a flow on effect helping me be more mindful when down at the mall (in fact I rarely go there for the purpose of "browsing" anymore), I know that whatever I *need* or *desire* can often be found at a 2nd hand shop or will *appear* when needed. The less I shop - the less I have the desire to go shop.

* My children are less inclined to see only things of value as coming from a shop.

Then there is a following for what is called The Compact. I investigated doing this, but have decided that where I am at is to just be more mindful rather than have strict rules that don't quite fit with me just yet.

I feel blessed to have people who are willing to offer me used items. I also love to pass on things to others who are open to receiving.

Reducing our household waste...

I'm going to do some posts on environmental issues that we've been looking out in our house.

Reducing our household waste further is something I have been focusing on for the past 6mths. I always thought we did pretty good, but in reality, we were shocking! OK, so possibly not as bad as it can get, but I was pretty unaware when I now consider what I know and do!

As more and more discussions appear on The Nappy Network, TV programmes are produced such as Wa$ted, from reading books and internet browsing, each make me think, reassess and implement another little change. Some of them I've just been plain lazy about and others just totally ignorant. This seems strange to me - I am a thinker, I am a woman of action - why have I had my head in the sand for so long??

So, I've taken action over the last 6mths and these are the changes I've made which have been a long time coming.

* All wet waste is now distributed between - The Dog gets all surplus food scraps and leftovers that have been lying around (we generally eat left overs for lunch the next day that haven't been served up) - said dog has actually put on unnecesary weight and therefore will be sharing his scraps with the chooks when we get around to getting them (we no longer need to buy the dog any food aside from dog biscuits that he gets for breakfast); vegetable/fruit scraps/teabags/vacuum cleaner dust gets popped into the compost bin (I tried a worm bin, but it didn't work too efficiently for us, so I have reverted to the compost bin which we relocated so it was easy access, close to a water source and "brown" material). We compost 1-2 x 2 litre ice cream containers of scraps a day!

* All paper is now recycled. This is the most embarassing one for me. I can not believe I wasn't using the kerbside recycling which is provided (we don't get kerbside recycling offered for plastics/glass etc yet ALWAYS take it to the recylcing station every few months - this is why I felt we were doing pretty good). However, we were tossing the 3 weekly local rags in the bin, all junk mail, boxes from cereal packets etc and other random paper. We had already put a No Junk Mail sign up about the middle of last year and that in itself made a huge difference (I never join mailing lists to receive newsletters). Now I put out one large grocery shopping bag of paper per week. (When I refer to "grocery bags", well they're not really because I don't receive any, but it's how I think of "size").

These were the two major changes I made to our rubbish. I am amazed to say that we have now reduced our weekly rubbish from a small wheelie bin (about 4 grocery bags) down to ONE grocery bag (in fact I no longer need to use a bag as a liner in the bin because it just doesn't get yucky from wet goopy things anymore). It is full of plastic wrapper type stuff only. It occasionally has meat bones. We have always been great at not buying goods that use excessive wrappers or little boxes or whatever else - so really our problem was paper and wet waste. A few days ago I cancelled our wheelie bin which we have been forking out $$ for!

Voluntary Simplicity

I'm finally facing this topic. It is so broad, and I'm only really just starting to get my head around the different aspects of it, how everyone has different interpretations of it and for me - it is an ever evolving process. I have been interested in many aspects over the years - but had never pondered it or tied it all together as forming what is known as "Voluntary Simplicity" or "Simple Living" or "Intentional Living".

The web is full of information and ideas on it.

I have come across a few websites that really speak to me about what it all is. I have noticed that it's not something that is static, I don't even really have a firm or finite picture of where this is taking me. What I believe is, to fully embrace this type of philosophy is knowing that it *is* a gradual realisation or process. To launch into it because something sounds "like a neat idea" and try to implement everything that a "list" discusses is what perhaps makes something a passing fad if it's not a true match for the person wanting to give it a go.

I particularly liked these sites:

The Lilypad List: 7 Steps to the simple life

I liked the whole chapter, but in particular Page 17 on Getting Started and the author writes of "What is a simple life?". I thought it was put really nicely.

I was also put onto this site for their perspective, and that too I totally relate to.

It is about making just one small change at a time...and see where it takes you.

Outdoor life

There is nothing better than a carefree, no-rush, walk outside. Doesn't matter where it happens - I always come away with an invigorated feeling of peace and happiness. Whether it be simply walking down the street taking in the houses, walking along the beach or going on a bushwalk.

The kids love to go on little bush walks. Nathan is right into *exercise* and loves noticing the way working a bit harder climbing up and down hills makes him puff a bit, his legs get a bit sore and we get the endless question "are we there yet?" - but then being awed at where we've climbed or walked to. Danielle is still happy to ride in the backpack, but she too loves to soak in the outdoors.

Now that the weather is cooling down a bit, we will again enjoy a few more of these sorts of outtings which have been put on hold over summer in favour of late afternoon playground visits, playing in the sea or enjoying our own front yard in the paddling pool with all the bath toys while I tend to the vege garden.

I love the simple fun that is had without expense, doesn't have to be full of *entertainment*, where creativity is let loose and fresh air is breathed.

Ahhhhhhh.....bliss.

Menu Planning

As previously posted, I'm not really an enthusiastic cook. But I have a range of recipes that I seem to cycle through over a 2 wk period. At the moment, it's random, there is no plan - I am seriously thinking about getting one in order. Mainly to take away the "what shall I cook tonight" decision, but also to be a bit more structured in our grocery shopping which we do weekly but would be good to do only every two weeks. Because we receive a box of fresh fruit and veges weekly, we'd only need to buy things like milk (although maybe I could buy that up too and freeze?). We have a huge freezer that really isn't being used the most efficiently because it's mostly empty for much of the time. To make it work more effifciently would be to fill in the empty space so the freezer isn't working overtime to continually chill the air in there.

I now cook from scratch using whole foods since we became gluten-free 18mths ago (Nathan has Coeliac disease) - I didn't want to spend extra money on "specialty" food items. It didn't take too much adjustment, there were just a few jarred sauces that I was using on a weekly basis - but once I found a good recipe alternative it made me wonder why I was spending my money on a jarred version when the real-deal only took a couple of minutes to throw the actual ingredients in anyhow. I used to cook a lot more spicy food but Danielle's not so keen on it, so I tend to use herbs a lot more now in my cooking.

So, back to the list! And taking into account our eating a vegetarian meal every 2nd night...

* Baked potatoes/coleslaw/boiled eggs and vinegrette
* Shepherd's Pie
* Pasta/veges/chickpea crockpot
* Fried rice - vegetables, eggs and beef slices
* Gluten free homemade vegetarian pizza - roasted veges/feta/pesto
* Bolognaise sauce with meat served on GF pasta
* Vegetarian shepherd's pie (using lentils)
* Roasted free-range chicken with roasted veges and greens
* Beans and rice
* Lamb patties with pasta and sauce
* Creamy lentil and vegetable soup
* Corned beef with roasted veges and greens
* Fried rice - vegetables and eggs
* Crockpot chops with roasted veges and greens
* Lentil & tomato sauce served over rice
* Leek and kumura frittata with feta
* Polenta pie - boiled eggs, spinach, cheese
* Kumura lasagne - like normal lasagne with meat but without the pasta (kumara or potato in it's place)
* Vegetable bake - loads of veges sliced and layered into a casserole dish with canned tomatoes, chickpeas and grated cheese layered into it

Thinking it over further, to take into account that I don't know what will arrive in the vege box each week, and also some veges need using up within the first few days - I will just have my list available where I always have the ingredients to make each and then just pick one off the list each day. There are enough recipes there to do a 2 wkly shopping list.

So starting from this weekend - I will attempt a 2wk shop!

Simplifying my internet use!

I'm a bit of an internet addict. I love google and I love message boards. But I really want to break away from the mindless clicking and refreshing within message boards when I really would get better value from say only 3 visits a day (which I'm sure would be a lot to most people anyway). I'm sure my children would appreciate it too - in fact I have commissioned a willing *reminder* in the form of a 4yr old "mum, you're not going on the computer when we're awake" - ok, so they're busy happily playing at the moment ;).

What I have also discovered are Google Alerts. Am I the last person to know about this wonderful tool?!

A lovely lady commented on one of my other blog entries, and after doing a wee visit to her site she talked about Alerts (and I enjoyed reading her blog too!). I now have a few daily alerts on particular topics I am really interested in and in the two days since I have received them I have read some interesting news articles and blogs that I would never have chanced upon. Even though I now have a bit more reading to do, I'm finding it richer and more fulfilling and therefore don't have the need to be tied to this darn thing for so long...and I have a huge pile of books I want to get through.

Although I would feel kinda lost without the internet, there is an exciting life to live outside of it!

What's your craft?

Over the years I have always been interested in doing crafty things. But I have come to realise that I'm not one to *stick* with any particular craft. I think I love the trying it out and learning about new things. I was pondering this a few days ago and think it really ties in with my "clutter free" lifestyle. I'm not one to make 10 mosaics for example if I really only want one or two for either myself or to gift. I'm also not one to make 20 cross-stitches when I only want one to gift. A lot of it is possibly my tendency to get bored with repetitive tasks and until I find a craft that gives me enough variety (yet seeing reasonably quick results), is practical and enjoyable I will keep on searching. This is what I love about weekend or evening workshops - I get the joy of attending and learning, being able to borrow the tools required, make what I want and then take it home - hassle-free.

For fun, I thought I'd list out what I've tried over the years either through workshops or on my own:

Cross-stitch
Ceramics
Tufa-pots
Felting
Furniture building/restoring
Dyeing
Jewellery making using beads
Making hand cream
Mosaics
Wall art using shells, fabrics etc
Making silver-clay jewellery

Now sewing - this is something I've been doing since I was about 11 when I learnt to sew at school. It has gone through stages of sewing from a need (when you're 5'1" tall, ALL pants and often skirts need adjusting) to sewing for enjoyment. But generally it often comes back to an 'as needed' basis. I do plan on sewing the kids some clothes - and have a bunch of old clothes that I plan on refashioning for this coming winter. I have sewn some memorable things though: school ballgown, cute bag for my bridesmaid to use on the wedding day, and a few cute kids things.

What I am really looking forward to learning to do this winter will be knitting (will need to find me a teacher, eh Sharon?). I attempted to knit when I was 13 but lost interest pretty quickly. Now I can really see how it could be something that *may* provide the variety I need, will be practical and is something that year after year the kids will need (and I'm sure I'll find some projects for myself too!).

Oh, What to Cook?!

I would not describe myself as being an enthusiastic cook. I have always cooked and am reasonably good at it, but it just doesn't excite me and it's not something I do for fun. I do enjoy having a variety of recipes to call on, but at the same time, like to just whip something together because I know how. I have never really been one to trawl through a recipe book with the idea of making something new.

So today, I wasn't feeling inspired by my usual recipes, so asked Nathan what he would like for dinner. He disappeared off out of the room and started to look through the cookbooks, so I said to find something he liked - not really seriously thinking he would come up with something appropriate (thought he might stop in the cake or dessert section). Well he found something he liked and presented it to me. Creamy Lentil and Vegetable Soup. Hmmm.....interesting....sounds like it could be a goer. So after a quick scan through the ingredients I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a seasonal recipe (which matched with seasonal organic vegetables we have delivered weekly) and I had all vegetables and other ingredients required. It even met the "criteria" * for that night.

* We have made a commitment to eating vegetarian/vegan meals every 2nd night. I initially had in my head that we'd eat vegetarian "2 or 3 times a week" - but I found it easier to be disciplined by having a set rule on it. Suits us good and makes it easier for making the decision on what to eat that night too - we actually tend to eat it several nights in a row if I have a new recipe to try out (yes! I'm actually starting to enjoy cooking and will look for new exciting things to make). Initially we started eating a lot more vegetarian meals when Nathan was around 12mths old as he seemed very adverse to eating meat. So rather than stressing over it and going to all lengths to get meat into him, I switched us onto a half and half vegetarian diet to keep things balanced for him. In recent times, we have made a conscious decision to actually eat less meat (despite Nathan now eating it more readily) because of the impact on climate change and the "footprint" it leaves on our planet (and we like it!).

Creamy Lentil and Vegetable Soup



1 cup red lentils
1 litre hot water
1 Tbspn oil (I use coconut)
1 large onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 large carrot
2 stalks celery
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp paprika
2 Tbspn cream
2 Tbspn cornflour
1 cup frozen peas or other frozen vegetables (I used fresh silverbeet chopped finely)
1 cup fresh tomato chopped finely
1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (parsley, spring onions, chives, basil, thyme, oregano)
1 Tbspn sugar
1 tsp salt

Measure the lentils and hot water into a bowl to soften the lentils. Put the oil into a large pan and add the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Add the cumin, garam masala, paprika to the vegetables (the measurements above are half what the recipe had as the kids don't like it too spicy). Cook over moderate heat stirring occasionally for 2-3mins without letting the vegetables brown. Add the hot water and the lentils, cover and simmer for about 20mins or until everything is tender. Puree all or part, or none of the mixture and bring back to the boil (I stuck the stick-whizz into the pan and did it that way). Mix the cream (coconut cream would work too) and cornflour to a paste with a little extra water and pour into the soup. Add the peas (or alternative veges) and the tomato that has been chopped into pieces the same size as the peas. Add the sugar, then salt to taste. Add the fresh herbs. Done!

Nathan ate it with his corn thins dipped in to it. Danielle wasn't keen, but when Dadda arrived home later for his dinner she quite happily ate some then.

Content in my cosy home...

So I've always been a declutterer. I think it was driven from having grown up in a very cluttered house with my parents (a large house, just every surface was covered in *stuff*). I recall it driving me nuts back then and it still does now heh!

I wouldn't say I am a minimalist, but I like to only own things that I LOVE. I don't like to own lots of similar type things when one or two of them would be sufficient (kitchen comes to mind here). It has been a long process of getting to where I am now even and I tend to purge things every few months. I find it hard to be a continual declutterer though, so I do like to put things in a drawer for reassessing at some later stage. Usually it's a burst of energy that comes on at 9pm!

I read a thread on a message board last year (with a link to a blog) that got me really inspired to do a massive overhaul of my home. Here is the blog about the home (including a photo tour) that changed my views on why I previously thought my average 3 bedroom home would be too small for our family long term. For some reason I was sucked into the whole idea that families need a lot of space and within 5yrs we'd need to upgrade. We have quite large living rooms and kitchen space which is more than enough space for our family of four. Once I got my head around all of this, I realised that I *am* content where we are. I like the community neighbourhood, I like the feel of our house, I like the large backyard (as yet unused, but now has a plan ;)) - so really why would I want a bigger house?

The contentment that I felt after reading the thread and blog has just made me feel so much more settled - in fact I guess this realisation was really what led to my desire to live a sustainable lifestyle and that our current property is perfect for doing just that!

Here are a few pics of my living areas post-declutter (although they mostly looked like this anyway, I was looking at it with new eyes). I did have one of my lounge, but has been lost somewhere between my two laptops breaking down and some data was lost.

Looking down hallway towards bedrooms from dining room.



Standing near my kitchen entry looking across my dining room to my front door - very open and exposed, no privacy. Ideally I'd like to extend out down the porch and enclose a portion that will create a foyer-type room. Our small dining table is to the right of the photo (this room used to be the original entire living room of the house which used to be a beach bach).



Dining room


My kitchen from standing in the dining room.



Lounge


Bathroom


Laundry


Bedroom


I am also focusing on making really conscious purchases when I go shopping. I find it so easy to just see something and justify a need for it (and that goes for buying 2nd hand stuff as well). I have been stopping myself by asking "did have this need before I saw it?". So far that has worked and I have walked away.

Maybe that will be further discussion for another time. Voluntary Simplicity.

Small-scale gardening

I read an inspiring thread on The Nappy Network mid-December last year and having had one very brief failure of a garden about 3 years ago (which unfortunately got flooded and washed away), I decided to give it another good go. The method discussed was Square Foot Gardening, so being a woman of action I sent hubby out with a list of my requirements (peat, fine pumice, sleepers to make the frame, compost and a list of seedlings). A few hours later we had a lovely little 2 x 4 foot garden. I was so proud of this wee garden!

And here it was a few weeks ago - 2 months to the day of planting it.

Sadly my brocolli's got attacked by caterpillars so needed to be ripped out. I have since planted some spinach plants in their place and I am on caterpillar watch! My tomato plants have HEAPS of fruit on them, so eagerly awaiting them to rippen. A pumpkin plant has self planted itself in the right hand corner and has a few good size pumpkins on it - a good tip from a fellow nappy-networker suggested nipping it back after getting 3 flowers on a stem, so have been out there keeping an eye on it. Now I am thinking of moving on to much larger scale using permaculture principles. Watch this space!

A simple dinner on a beautiful end of summer evening...

It was one of those days where I felt totally uninspired on what to cook for dinner. On asking hubby for suggestions he came up with sausages (his usual suggestion if he thinks he will be cooking it heehee) - but with a twist. He wanted to try out our new gas cooker my parents got us for a Christmas present (they like to buy practical and it was a great suggestion for being able to go camping or for emergency purposes) and cook it outside on the front lawn. Perfect! So here was our rather frugal meal of gluten-free sausages, boiled potatoes fried in slices and a salad of cubes of cucumber and tomato. Yum!

Natural products in the home...

I've been increasingly introducing more natural ways into our home. And not just buying an eco-friendly alternative, but using base ingredients and making them myself. I love using them, I love the simplicity of the routines, and that I have no clutter! These are all of the ingredients we use:

Baking soda (bicarb of soda)
White Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Washing Soda
Honey

These things on their own are useful for cleaning:

Hair
Face
Toilet
Shower
Handbasin
Kitchen
All purpose disinfectant
Wooden floor
Windows
Carpets

I buy the largest size available in vinegar and baking soda. In my bathroom I have a spray bottle that is filled with 50/50 water and vinegar and a sprinkle container filled with baking soda. The same goes for my laundry/shower area. These are all I require on a day to day basis.

Hair cleaning routine...

I "no-poo" which means to use no shampoo! This was an amazing thing to me, I was VERY skeptical since I've always lived with what I thought of as greasy hair. It *needed* to be washed daily - in the morning when I woke my hair was manky and lank. What I found was it was actually the shampoos causing the whole problem! This is my hair routine now:

Day 0 - wet hair, mix in a cup 1tsp baking soda and fill the cup half full with shower water, pour over my hair and massage into the roots and letting it run down the shafts of the hair, then rinse out. Then I would put a large squirt (1tsp-1Tbsn) of ACV into the mug, half full with water and pour over my hair (not the front or top) and let it run through the shafts of hair - ACV smooths and closes the hair off to stop static and acts as a conditioner.

Day 1 - wet hair in shower and wash with just the water

Day 2 - wet hair in shower and wash with just the water

Day 3 - Go through the BS and ACV again unless my hair feels not as greasy and go an extra day between washing.

I was amazed at how quickly things adjusted. It did take around 6wks for me to get my routine established and my hair to stabilise - this apparently is quite normal.

This blog has good information on the process with problem solving solutions.

Here is more info about Apple Cider Vinegar.

Face cleansing routine...

I have discovered the joys of using manuka honey for washing my face after reading a thread on www.mothering.com . It is fantastic for cleaning off make up and grease and feels lovely and soft and slightly moisturised afterwards. It doesn't leave a sticky or greasy residue as I first expected it might. All I do is wet my face with warm water using my hands, dip my teaspoon into the honey pot and use about 1/4 tsp (it is actually a LOT) and spread it around my face. It slightly globs together, but starts to spread as it heats up. Then rinse off using my hands only (face cloth would be fine too) and pat dry with the towel. Once a week or so when in the shower I sprinkle a small amount of BS into my hand and give my face a light scrub and rinse. Simple!

Shower/Toilet/Bath/Handbasin cleaning...

I take the shaker bottle that is already in the shower and sprinkle on the base of the shower, scrub and rinse off. In the toilet I sprinkle it around the bowl, scrub and flush then take my spray vinegar bottle and use that to spray the seat and around the porcelain. Bath, I sprinkle, scrub and rinse, handbasin I do the same or if it's just looking spotty but not scummy I will spray with my vinegar water and wipe clean to get a lovely sparkle. Simple!

Cleaning wooden floors...

I just fill up a bucket with hot water and add about 1/2 cup of white vinegar and mop as usual. Simple!

Windows...

I use my spray bottle of water/vinegar to spray on and wipe off (if REALLY dirty first I will give it a wash with eco-dishwash detergent and water first). Simple!

Carpets...

Well we decided to clean our large area mat a few months back. We hired a Rug Doctor but didn't want to use the commercial cleaners. So into the large bucket which we filled with hot water I added a cup of white vinegar and cleaned as usual. It did a pretty good job. Simple!

I have dappled at making my own laundry liquid - it seemed to work ok (or on par with other eco-friendly powders) - however, my machine and clothes started to smell. So need to figure out a way around that. It may involve a really hot wash with commercial powder now and again. But for now I'm back to regular powders...

I also attempted to use BS and washing soda in my dishwasher - but I was having the problem of a smelly machine and dishes and the dishes were coming out quite grimy and a bit greasy still (not just a few stains which didn't bother me).

Gleaning information from the older generation

I've just had a wonderful conversation with my stepfather about our plans for improving our property for moving towards self-sufficiency. We discussed owning chooks and how to build them a house and moving it around the section for scratching up the soil. We discussed harvesting and storing the vegetables and fruit under our house in a cellar type arrangement. We discussed pruning our very unloved fruit trees. We discussed preserving, bottling, freezing, dehydrating (and yes he does these things!)... Wow, I love to talk about these things with people who have been there, done that, and gathering a variety of ideas to come up with my own solutions.

My stepfather found it amusing to think that here I am now, keen and enthusiastic about these types of things that they've been right into for 20-30 odd years that I've previously shown no interest in.

Guess that's what having my own family has done to me.

The Beginning

Well I have discovered the joys of blog-lurking in the past 6mths and have been wanting to get my own up and running. I have so many exciting new things that I am focusing on that I really would like to keep a journal of the journey.

Thanks for sharing it with me.