Emerald Green

So, I'm attempting to go green and all that entails. Big changes. Small changes. We've changed to CFL's in some of the major rooms. I use my shoppig bags my mom made me - and am so thankful that I am not brandishing some retailers name on them. Becoming anal about leaving things plugged in to long. Forgoing the dryer for the summer and hanging most things out on our clothesline. (The undergutchies get hung up inside the laundry room). We run a fan only at night and keep our windows open during the day - lovin' the cross breezes. I'm phasing out our "chemically" cleaning products and can't wait to begin to get more "earth friendly" products. I've already started to use some household products (baking soda and lemons...) to clean with. I can't get past using the same products that I cook with to also then clean with. Um, yuk. So, next grocery shopping day, we are loading up on baking soda, distilled white vinegar (mixed with water in a spray bottle to clean wax and pesticides on food), olive oil (furniture polish) and who knows what else. Last week I really made it a focus to get as much organic produce as possible. Not to easy...we only walked away with a organic romaine lettuce - Costco size. The prices stop me in my tracks. It's not easy being green. I am trying to convince Shane to let us take part in a local share-crop. You pay a set price for a share of this local farm's produce and in turn get bi-weekly bushels of yummy goodness. I'm currently reading "Gorgeously Green" and totally loving loving loving it. When you hear the freaky statistic, it's hard to not want to make some changes in your lifestyle. I've been trying to be a closet green for some time - not easy. Again, it's hard work! But, today I tried hard. My oven was long overdue for a cleaning - mainly of the burner holder thingys. I'm still learning to cook and tend to let my pots overboil. Well, it's been building up far too long so this morning at 6:15 am, I started my green cleaning. I had made my own lemonade last night by squeezing by hand (ugh!) 8 lemons. So I had all of these left over peels. I put them in a pretty bowl and let them smell up my kitchen overnight hoping to find a use for them the next morning. I read that lemon juice is a grease fighter....so...I cleaned my burners with the lemon peels! Verdict...it works!! It wasn't like the crud magically fell away or anything...but it effectivly got rid of the gunk. I later washed the whole holder thingy in soapy water and used a bit of my magic earaser on them (hey, who's not up for a little magic?) and poof....clean! Not good as new, but new enough to be far better than what they were previously. And, to be totally honest...I used some kitchen cleaner on one of the burner holders. It worked the same as the lemons...not better. So there is my two cents on becoming a lovely shade of emerald green.

This summer is going to be pretty lonely. My SIL's leave for camp and then Florida. They will be gone for about a month. As they are pretty much my only companions here in the Great White North, I'm gearing up for a bummy summer. August should be GREAT as my family is coming for a visit on the weekend of the 22nd. Then, I'm powering down for another lonely spell...Shane heads to trade school three hours away on September 2nd. He will be able to come home on weekends and will ultimatly be done on the 24th only to head to the craft show to do security that weekend. Agh...I need some friends!!!! Or a puppy. Hmmm....

I have hopes to become a better blogger.

Love, Me

Gorgeously Green
Candace Camerone Bure (Found her website while surfing today. Inspirational! Go DJ - I used to pretend to be her when I was little.)