Wow, you can tell it's been a long time since I used this graphic, huh? It has the old domain on it! Goodness gracious, I'm going to have to do something about that. I wonder if I still have any sort of software. Probably not! No worries though. This is a minor thing in the story of life. Now...on with the proper Save the Planet Saturday post!

One of the things that the boys and I are doing this year is putting in a fairly good sized container garden. We're growing all sorts of things and while they're not as excited as I am, it really is a great family project. The boys each have a plant of their own and once summer rolls around, it will be their responsibility to care for it.

If you've ever planted a container garden, you'll know that it takes a few things to make it happen: containers, seeds and a lot of dirt. Did I mention a lot of dirt? To be honest, I've lost track of how many bags of topsoil and garden soil we've purchased this year and we're not close to done yet. I don't even want to imagine how much money we've spent or how much money, etc went into getting that dirt to a location where I could purchase it. Some of you may be thinking... but it's just dirt. How much could that affect the environment? Well, how about the plastic bags that it's all packaged in? The cost, not just in money but emissions, for transporting it to the various stores? Plus other things that I won't take the time to mention.

So, what's a girl with a garden to do? Compost. Now, if you're like me, you can't have a giant compost pile just sitting in your yard. It's not precisely attractive and they can take up quite a bit of space. My solution? Trash can composting. Keep reading for just how I did it...

 Step 1: Collect up your supplies. In this case, a 32 gallon or larger trash can with a lid that snaps closed and a cordless drill with a drill bit attached.
 Step 2:  Using your drill, drill holes into the lid of your trash can. These serve multiple purposes. To properly get your compost composting, you need to have air and moisture. Having the holes in the top allows rainwater to drip in and for air to circulate.
 Step 3: Flip your trash can over and drill holes into the bottom. Again, this helps with air circulation, but it also serves the opposite purpose of the top holes. It allows for excess water to drain out the bottom.
Step 4: Continue your drilling by adding holes all around the trash can itself. Be careful that you don't drill so many that you ruin the structural integrity of your container. After all, you want this to hold soil, not break open and dump who knows what all over the place!
 Step 5: Find a location for your brand new composter! You have a couple of options. What's shown in this photo is actually not a recommended one! It doesn't allow for air circulation or drainage. If you'd like worms to find their way into your trash can (and this is a good thing! Worms make great compost helpers!), place your new composter onto a patch of soil. This will allow them to wriggle their way up through your drainage holes and to start munching away at all the worm goodies that you'll be putting into your compster.
Step 5 continued: Your other option is to place your composter up on something like bricks. This is actually my original composter. It's almost halfway full of some seriously great looking dirt. Once it's full, I'll be switching over to my brand new one. This gives me a chance to pop into the store (or look around) for a few bricks. Having the composter raised allows for drainage and for proper air circulation. It doesn't allow for our friends the worms to climb up in, though. So, if you want some worm help, you have a couple of options. You can buy some or you can do what I've done and as you spot them in your yard, pick up the little wrigglers and move them into your composter.



Once you have the structure built, you're ready to get started! For my composter, I added a bag of old topsoil, a bit of water and then started adding the "gunk."  What defines gunk? Gunk includes fruit and veggie scraps, produce that's past it's prime and yard debris such as grass and leaves. Things that you don't want to include? Meat and dairy products because as they break down, they stink! Not only do they stink, but that smell is much more likely to call critters that you don't want hanging about. You also don't want to add in things like sticks because they don't really break down in this sort of composter.

A couple of quick tips: Compost does best when it's rotated to get a good mix. You have a couple of options for this. If your lid snaps down firmly and won't come off, take your bin, lay it on its side and roll it around a few times every couple of weeks and then put it back in place. If this won't work for you, do what I do..whenever I add something new, I take a shovel and mix it all up.  Also, if you can, chop whatever you're tossing in there into small pieces. This will decrease the amount of time that it takes for it to break down. Again, I've found my shovel is really useful for this, especially when I don't want to touch that science project veggie that I found hiding in the back of the fridge!

With any luck and a little patience, you'll have some great soil for your garden beds, flower beds or containers!



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It's that time of year again, isn't it? You know the one..where you want to be outside enjoying jumping in the piles of crisp fall leaves but instead the wind is blowing and the rain is coming down in sheets? Yep, that's the one that's happening here right now. I had beautiful plans of finally tackling the front porch. It's still stacked with things that I needed to unload in a hurry and it needs to be done before the snow sets in. However, mother nature had ideas of her own so today, I'm stuck indoors.

Since I can't be working outside, I got to thinking about all of the projects that need to be done not only outside, but inside as well. This kind of weather is a sure sign that I need to be taking advantage of the good weather days to get the outside winterization done. On days like today, I can work on the inside jobs that come this time of year.

My current list of projects is miles long but that's just because if I don't have a project, I don't know what to do with myself! Today, I'm going to share a list of 5 simple and easy projects that you can do around your own homes to help save some money this winter! After all, we can all use a bit of extra money these days.

1. Block the drafts - Check under your outside doors. If they're anything like mine, there are drafts coming in. I have an old house and over the years, it's settled and nothing is quite square. My solution? I'll be making my own draft blocker! It's super easy and I bet any of you can do this. (Don't tell my kids where their pool tube things went, ok?) If you don't want to make one yourself, head down to any of your local department type stores and look in the holiday sections. At this time of year, they always have cute draft blockers. They'll cost you more than making one yourself, but you'll be all set!

2. Run your ceiling fans on reverse - I wish I had ceiling fans! Did you know that warm air rises and pools up around your ceiling? By flipping that switch on your fans so that the blades rotate in a counter-clockwise direction, you could save up to 10% off of your heating bills! That's insane!

3. Turn down your water heater - Do you have any idea what temperature your water heater is set at? Most installers/plumbers set them to 140F. By simply turning it down to 120, you could save 6-10% on those energy bills. Most people don't even realize the difference since a shower at 140 is so hot that we don't turn the water up that high!

4.Install storm doors and windows - This one takes work..like actual manual labor, but can be so worth it! Did you know that simply installing a storm door can increase energy efficiency in your home by up to 45%? Also, for those of you that have storm windows installed on your home, make sure they're closed! I know you're thinking duh, but I've lived in this house for 3 years and just in the past week realized that my front door has a storm window that lowers on it! I need to check my back door now for something similar!

My thanks to Wil Wheaton and his friend Loren for taking this picture and allowing it to be spread across the internet.

5. Put on a sweater - Let's face it. We're all getting older and the days of us laying about in our skivvies with 6 inches of snow on the ground are probably long past. If they're not, hey don't let me stop your fun! But, did you know that simply putting on a light sweater can add about 2 degrees of warmth to your body? A heavier sweater can add up to 4 degrees! That can easily translate into not having to have your thermostat turned up so high. Plus, who doesn't want to pull out all of their ugly sweater candidates? Make it an ugly sweater fashion show with hot chocolate going to the winner!



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How many of us give into the temptation and stop at fast food places? Unless you have phenomenal willpower, I suspect that most of us do from time to time. Did you know that you can practice a bit of helping out the planet, even when you dine at fast food joints? No? Well, you can in two simple ways.

1. If you're running through the drive through on your way home, tell them that you don't need those ketchup packets, nugget dunking sauces, extra napkins or plastic utensils. You've already got all of those things at home!

2. If you're dining in or on your way to someplace where those things aren't accessible, figure out just how many you do need and ask specifically for that amount. That way, you save all of those extras for the guy behind you in line, instead of for the landfill!

Quick and easy and even the "laziest" of going greeners can do this one!

One of the most annoying things about summer, other than the heat and humidity, is the bugs. I really am not a fan of the millions of flies that seem to invade my house or the millions of mosquitos that seem naturally drawn to my oldest son. I've seriously been outside and watched them swarm him while they ignore my younger son who is standing right next to him.

So, what can we do? Well, this summer we're going to try one of those home remedies that I've read about. We're actually going to carry dryer sheets in our pockets. I've read quite a bit that this seems to be some sort of natural repellent. If that doesn't work (and I admit I have my doubts), I'll be going the chemical route. We'll be looking for a more natural, eco-friendly bug spray and if nothing else, it will be DEET free. Also, we'll go with something that has a pump versus aerosaul.

Our theory is every little bit helps and in this case, hopefully it will help save us from some serious scratching and itching!

Happy almost 4th of July, everyone! If you're like our family, you're going to enjoy the holiday and all of the fun that it entails. If you're also like our family, you want to add a bit of the "Going Green" philosophy to your holiday, so here are some tips:

1. If you're going to attend the fireworks, see if there are any within walking distance or find some friends and family that you can carpool with.

2. Add some locally raised veggies to the menu. Check out your local farmer's market for deliciousness!
3. Skip the paper and styrafoam plates. More often than not, these end up in the local landfill.
4. Make sure you turn off all burners and flames once you're done with them. Grilling is fun but hot grills are also dangerous when you have kids running about!

It's that time of year again. The time when we all look at our cars and go ewww, where did all of this grime come from? Over the winter, our cars get coated with road gunk (yes, that's the technical term) and come Spring and Summer, we all get gung ho about getting them all cleaned off.

So, what's the most eco-friendly way to get your car clean? It's not in the driveway, folks. In fact, washing your car in the driveway is one of the most environmentally unfriendly chores we can do at home. Think about it for a second. Where does all of that dirty, icky water go? It either drains into our grass or it drains into the storm drains. Most storm drain water isn't cleaned or treated, so you've just added a combination of chemicals (from the cleansers) and gas/oil/whatever fume residue right into the ground water. Yuck!  Not to mention that most "home car washes" use anywhere between 80 to 140 gallons of water! Ouch! That's a lot of water.


So, while this post probably didn't save your any money, hopefully it will stop and make you think before you head outside to scrub down that dusty automobile.

Happy Juneteenth! I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I've made up another word, but you're wrong! Juneteenth really is a holiday that is celebrated in 36 different states. It marks the official end of slavery in the United States, 145 years ago. In 1865, the words of the Emancipation Proclamation finally reached Galveston, Texas, where those enslaved were set free.

What does this have to do with saving the planet? Well, the planet is more than just grass and trees and water. It's people too. So, take today to be thankful for the land that you live in and the people that surround you.

Just a quick note to those of you, who like our family, are planting gardens. Watch where your water is going. While a rain barrel is your best option for collecting water to take care of your garden, not all of us are fortunate enough to have one. If you're using a hose or sprinkler system to water, make sure that you do it early in the morning. That way your flowers/plants are getting as much water as possible with as little of it evaporating off into the atmosphere. This will keep you from having to water as often which will save on that water bill.

Happy Saturday, everyone. I hope it's gorgeous for all of you. The rain held off here which allowed me to attempt to mow my front yard. I say attempt because I think my new lawn mower is afraid of grass. That's right, afraid of grass. A couple of weeks ago, I gave our gas mower back to my ex-husband. I couldn't get it to work and figured he had a much better chance at it than I had. Then, I went to the Hastings Habitat for Humanity ReStore and bought a "new" lawnmower. You'll never believe this, but it's electric. It runs off of a rechargeable battery. How awesome is that?

Well, not super awesome when you can't figure out how to start it and then once you master that, it acts grass phobic. The darned thing starts right up but as soon as you go to put it on grass, it stalls out. This is not helpful in my desire to get the lawn mowed before the village fines me for not doing it.

Don't worry, I'm not giving up on this poor lawnmower. I'm charging the second battery right now and on Monday, I'll try this process again. I love the idea of an electric lawnmower. It's so much more environmentally friendly. How do you all save the Earth when you're doing yardwork?

Can you believe this insane weather? Yesterday, it was 81 and tonight I had to scramble to bring in all of my planters because we have a freeze warning! For tonight and tomorrow night! What the heck?

Well, in honor of cold weather, how about a tip for de-icing your windshield?

Instead of shivering out in the cold, while your car idles and adds more and more pollution to our air, mix up a bottle of vinegar and water. Then, when the weather calls for ice, head on out and spray it over your windshield. In fact, you can even replace your wiper fluid with this for during the winter months. You want it to be 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water.

Now, let's say you forget to go out the night before to spray your windshield. Then, you wake up and go outside to find an icy windshield! Nooo! Ok, that may just be what I yell out when I see it. No worries, just take spray bottle 2, the one you've filled with pure vinegar, and spray down that windshield. It will melt the ice and there's no need for you to freeze your fingers and toes off!

Want a great way to get those gross splatted bugs off your windshield in the Summer? Put 3 cups of vinegar in your wiper fluid reservoir for a sparkling windshield every time you spray it!

Do you have any great going green tips? Post them and then link back here!

It's been a few weeks, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten this post topic. Life just got ahold of me and refused to let me go. I do have to warn you that it might do that again over the next month or so. It's going to hit a very busy time of the year for me and I'm not sure if it's going to interfere with this lovely blog.

Now, for this week's tip:

Do you ever wonder what to do with your old laptops, printers and cell phones after you've gotten something new and just don't need them anymore? Well, I have a few suggestions that will stop them from turning into clutter in your home and maybe even help out someone else.

Cell Phones - Drop them off at a recycling center or mail them into Virgin Mobile. They'll either restore your phone and pass it on to someone who can't afford one or they'll recycle the parts in an environmentally friendly way. Also, check out and find out if any business in your area is collecting them either for soldiers or for battered women. I've donated cell phones to both of these causes.

Laptops - Donate them to an organization like Computers With Causes. Also, check around to your local boys and girls groups. It's very possible that they would happily take your older computer off of your hands.

HP Products - Check with HP's online tool to find out where you can take their older machines.

Of course, there's always freecyle. It's how I've disposed of quite a few of my older items that just don't have a home here anymore.

I bet everyone has pretty much given up on me getting a post up today. Surprise! I made it! I had a great day with the boys but I'm still fighting a sore throat and feeling a bit drained. I'm thinking it's just the change in weather and I'm not getting sick. I'm certainly hoping so, anyway.

I was pondering what to write for today when inspiration hit in the most obvious of ways. The boys and I went out to the wonderful Swede's for lunch and I watched in awe as Ben packed away one of their 1/2 wet burritos and ate part of mine. Only those of you who have had the delight of eating at Swede's knows just how much food that is. When we got back, the boys and I were talking about books and I happened to look down and see a UB bookstore bag at Roger's feet. I pulled it up to see what was in it and discovered 3 new books! Yay! Then, I caught a wiff of something nasty smelling. I looked back down in the bag and saw a Subway sandwich bag with umm...the liquified remains of something. *shudders*

How does all of this related to today's post? Well, one of the books was a really nice book on organic gardening. Sadly, it now smells like a compost bin...and tada! We have a topic!

One of the things I want to do very soon is start a compost bin here at the house. I can't afford to buy one so I'm going to make one. Are you ready for how I'm going to do this? It's super easy.

Step 1: Find two containers with lids: a smaller one to sit in my kitchen and a larger one that will be the main compost bin.

Step 2: Set up the kitchen bin. For this, I'm thinking one of those big gallon tubs of icecream. We'll enjoy the icecream and then use the plastic tub w/ the lid. Setup basically means tucking it under my kitchen sink w/ the lid on it.
Step 3: Set up the main compost bin. This will be a larger bin w/ a lid. I'll poke small holes in the bottom for air to get in and put it up on a couple of bricks. I'll also need something to stir it with.

Step 4: Make sure to mix the main bin and add a balance of browns and greens to keep the compost happy.

Step 5: Enjoy the "fruits" of labor in anywhere from 3-6 months, depending on how busy our bin is.

And there you have it, a quick and easy compost bin that any of us could put together. Once I get ours setup, I'll try to post some photos and let you know how it works! For now, I'm going to try to figure out how to defunk my really nice gardening book.

Woo! It's the weekend! I'd love to say that I'm going to spend it relaxing, but that's just not so. I bought 3 bookshelves yesterday and I only got one of them assembled. The other 2 are going upstairs so they had to wait for daylight. I'm super excited about getting these because they're going to make a huge difference here.

Want to know about something else that can make a huge difference? Well, let me tell you about UPS and what they did. In 2007, they decided to avoid left turns! What difference does that make? Well, it can actually make a huge difference. When you're sitting idling, waiting to make that left turn, you're burning gas. When you're burning gas, you're adding more pollution to the air. Don't believe me? Check this out:

By simply avoiding left turns, UPS saved over 3 million gallons of gas across its fleet. And, by not idling so long while waiting to make a turn, the company took the equivalent of 5,300 cars off the road.

Wow! That's some serious carbon footprint reduction plus with gas prices the way they are, it certainly never hurts to keep more of that gas in the tank.

It's nearly midnight and your family is all tucked into bed and dreaming sweet dreams of when all of the snow is gone and you no longer have to shovel. Ok, maybe that's just what I dream about. Maybe you guys dream of much more enjoyable things. I sure hope so!

Now, you know where you are. You know where your kids are and what they're doing. Do you know what your vents are doing? They're gathering dust! I know! How dare they?!? Well, they are. Those sweet little vents are collecting dust and debris. Do you know what dust and debris do? They block the maximum airflow of those very vents that we adore. Ok, maybe we don't adore them but we do want them to work to their full potential, right? How do we do this? We spend some time dusting or vacuuming those vents. This will help our heating (and cooling) systems work easier and for shorter periods of time. What does that do? It helps them last longer and lowers our energy bills!

Since I've spent time under my tech table this past week, I thought I might write just a little bit about power strips. This is going to be nice and short because I know that we all have tons to do today and I want us to enjoy our weekend, not sit here reading.

Did you know that your electronics will probably use up more electricity, in their lifetime, while they're turned off than when they're on? That's because electronics continue to draw power as long as they're plugged in. That power has to be there, ready and waiting for you to hit the on button. So, how do you prevent this? It's easy! Grab a power strip and plug your devices into it. Then, flip the switch when you go out or it's time for bed. Easy Peasy, folks!

Your quick challenge for today: Do a general inventory of your electronics. Do you have any that are broken down? That you're no longer using? If so, say goodbye to them and let them go. Make room for the things you love and clear the clutter right on out of your homes!

Happy weekend, everyone! I hope you're all having a great one. Over here, things are going just great. Nothing seems to be going as planned, but we're having a great time together, just being a family. I love that as fast as Roger is growing up, he's still my little boy who can get excited about little boy things. I love that both of the boys like to just sit and have family time talking. In fact, they quite often ask if we can do it. I think it helps them handle the changes that are happening in all of our lives.

So how is the weather where all of you are? Winter is still very firmly in place up here in Michigan and I have been working on keeping all of us warm. This is an old house and pretty drafty so I think that we feel that 68 degree as cooler than it really is. It does keep the heating bill down though and it's why I've kept all of our blankets while doing various purges.

Speaking of heating and energy bills (great transition, huh? lol), I'm going to just give you a few more quick tips on how to keep those bills down.

1. Install efficient shower heads
2. Fix leaks - Did you know that 1 leak of one drip per second can cost $1 per month?
3. Improve your window shades - Keeping room darkening shades on your windows can keep warmth in during the winter and heat out during the summer.
4. Change your television display. - Did you know that most televisions are defaulted to showroom settings? If you lower the display setting down to home or the equivalent, you'll extend the life of your television and lower the amount of energy it needs to run.
5. Watch television as a family. - In most households, more than one tv is now the norm. Instead of everyone going and watching multiple tvs, have a family tv night or movie night.
6. Turn the tv off. - Bring back the family game night. Dedicate one day/night a week where the television remains off and you do something as a family. Play cards or board games or go hang out at the local park.

All of these seem like such little things, but a dollar here and there adds up to multiple dollars over a course of a year. These are all things that we can all do. Now, since tomorrow is Valentine's Day, I'm going to give you a really simple challenge. I'm pretty sure I haven't done this yet for our 28 day challenge, but if I have, I expect all of you to let me know.

Valentine's Day is all about love and it's not unusual for us to wear a little something special on that day. I want all of you to go to your "unmentionables" drawer and sort out anything that you wouldn't want a hot new love to see. That's right. I want you to get rid of all those panties/boxers/underclothes that have holes in them. I want those mismatched socks or holey socks gone! Make sure that your drawer is only filled with things that when you put it on it makes you feel sexy. That's right, even if you don't have a special someone in your life, you deserve to feel sexy. Sexy is empowering. Did you know that your underwear can actually increase your confidence level? I know that when I want to give myself just that little extra boost, I put on something that makes me feel really good. I want you all to experience that so get rid of anything you don't love so that every day can be Valentine's Day for your panty drawer.

Hey, everyone. I don't know where to start writing this post. I found out tonight that Anita passed away today. For those of you who don't know who Anita is, I encourage you to click on the link and read about this amazing woman. Anita was only 36 and she leaves behind a husband and three beautiful children. This has hit me really hard and honestly, I think I've been sitting here in shock since I found out.

I do, however, want to leave you with a post for today. I think, if anything, knowing Anita has taught me that I can't waste a single minute that I have on this planet and that I need to grab hold of what's important to me. This blog is important to me. It's my outlet, my connection and so many other things.

Now, on to my tip for today:

I know that a lot of you have kids, grandkids or maybe even just know some kids. I have kids and one thing I've realized is that having kids seems to mean you go through a lot of plastic sandwich bags. It seems like everything you send to school gets put into a ziplock bag. Of course, then those sandwich bags get lost or thrown away which just means filling up landfills. So, I have a little tip for you. Instead of sending in those soup labels, boxtops, lunch money, book order forms, etc in ziptop bags, save the envelopes that your bills and junk mail come in and send them in those. That way, you're not spending money on so many bags and you're reusing something that you would probably just toss into the recycle bin anyway! Plus, once the teacher is done with them, a lot of schools have recycling programs so the envelopes get recycled. Double bonus!

And, that's my tip for this Saturday. Now, what's your challenge? I think we're going to go up to the bedrooms today. I want you to take just a few minutes and look at your nightstand. Just yours, don't worry about the hubby's, wife's or anyone else's. Just yours. Is it filled with things you love? Or is it like mine gets sometimes with a stack of books that's waiting to fall over any minute, dirty cups and sometimes..ewww...dirty tissues? If it's in the second category, I want you to take care of anything that doesn't belong there. Then, run a quick dust cloth over it and put it back together with only the things you love or need on it.

And that's it! Easy-peasy and I will see you back here on Monday with updated pictures of "The Wall" and my menu plan for next week!

Since last week's tip on how to lower your electric bill seemed to be a bit of a hit, I thought I'd give you a few other ways to help keep it down, especially since a good chunk of us have our furnaces running which always runs up those winter heating/electric bills.

1) If you have a computer at home (and I'm guessing most of you do, otherwise you're blog hopping at work..shame, shame..*grins*), turn off the monitor when it's not in use. This could save you over $50 over the course of a year. This also works with your coffeemakers and TV's.

2) Set your thermostat to 68. If you think 68 isn't warm enough, consider this: for each degree you raise your thermostat above 68, you can expect to pay about 5% more in heating costs. In the summer, the optimal temperature is 78.

3) Since you just can't help having to have the furnace on, consider lowering your draw on your household power grid, by cooking your meals with small appliances. Microwaves, toaster ovens and crock-pots all use much less energy than stove tops or electric ovens.

To help you get started, I'm including one of my favorite crock-pot recipes:

Home-Style Chicken and Dumplings

Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 7hr + 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 can (14.5 ounces) chicken broth
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried marjoram leaves
1/4 tsp pepper
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (2 lbs)
1 package (10 ounces) frozen green peas, thawed
1.5 c bisquick
1/2 c milk
Paprika, if desired

Directions:
1. Place potato and carrots in slow cooker. Mix broth, flour, salt, marjoram and pepper and pour into slow cooker. Add chicken.
2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 6-7 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when center of thickest pieces are cut. Stir in peas. Cover and cook on high heat setting 15 minutes.
3. Mix Bisquick and milk until Bisquick is moistened. Drop by spoonfuls onto chicken mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and cook on high setting about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of dumplings comes out clean. (4 servings)