April showers do bring May flowers

Some pictures of the flowers that are in bloom in our garden. "Aaah, I love this weather!"

A little unsightly, but it's green...

I've been wanting to install a rain barrel in my backyard for some time now. It's been on my list of "to-do's" and we finally got around to it this weekend. We picked up the "rain barrel kit" from our local botanical gardens for $54. It included the recycled commercial food drum and the fittings for the spigot. All we needed was a way to hook it up to our gutter and a hose for the overflow.
With the help of my father, it was installed in less than a couple hours (including shopping time). So it was a quick project. It was slightly more expensive than I thought it would be (total came out to be around $80) but you can't put a price on minimizing water run-off, can you? When you search for rain barrels online the prices are well over $100 - so I guess eighty bucks isn't too bad...I'm debating over painting the barrel or putting up a screen/fence in front of it. Currently it really does look like a giant drum of cooking oil!

40 Ways to Go Green

Happy Saturday Afternoon! I've been working on a list of ways to go green. I've compiled some ideas that I've seen and added a few of my own. The highlighted ideas are ones that I personally do or try to do most of the time.

40 Quick Ways to Go Green:

1. Use the dishwasher – doing a full load is more efficient than hand-washing.
   
2. Plant an herb garden indoors or outside
   
3. Plant a vegetable garden. Some areas have plots you can rent.
   
4. Switch lightbulbs to CFLs - or how about LEDs?
   
5. Replace your shower head with a lower flow model (could save 14,000 gallons/year)
   
6. Create a homemade compost bin or a worm bin
   
7. Stop using disposable bags and make or buy your own
   
8. Buy a reusable water bottle
   
9. Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot
   
10. Turn off lights when you leave a room
    
11. Open your curtains and use natural light when possible
    
12. Share a car, carpool, take the bus or bike to your destination
    
13. Shop at your local farmer's market (ours is here)
    
14. Sign up for green power from the electric company (DTE offers it here)
    
15. Pay your bills online
    
16. Put a stop to unsolicited mail and opt-out
    
17. Reuse scrap paper
    
18. Check Craig's List or Freecycle before purchasing something new
    
19. 
    Fix leaky faucets
    
20. Make your own household cleaners and laundry soap
    
21. Repurpose something: how about making a shopping bag out of an old shirt?
    
22. Switch to cloth diapers – or at least combine with disposables
    
23. Switch to shade grown and fair trade coffee
    
24. Use reusable dishtowels instead of paper towels and reusable dishcloths instead of sponges.
    
25. Use cloth napkins instead of paper
    
26. Cut down on the amount of time you take to shower
    
27. Donate (and shop at) thrift stores such as Goodwill.
    
28. Replace a vinyl shower curtain with one that's washable
    
29. Place an aerator on your sinks to cut down on water usage
    
30. Get a programmable thermostat
    
31. Use drapes to keep the sun out in the summer (which will keep your house cooler)
    
32. Start a "no shoes" policy in your home. This will improve air quality and lower need for cleaners.
    
33. Choose LCD televisions over plasma (saves $36/year in electricity)
    
34. Unplug unused chargers or electronics or use a Smart Power Strip.
    
35. Use old t-shirts or towels as rags for cleaning instead of using paper towels.
    
36. Insulate your water heater and turn down the temperature 20 degrees (you'll save $20/year)
    
37. Ditch the paper bags and sue a reusable lunch bag to pack your lunch
    
38. Use a rain barrel for watering your garden
    
39. Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth
    
40. Use refillable office supplies such as pens and pencils.
    

So as you can see, I still have a couple more items that I need t o do or get in the habit of doing more often. I'm extremely guilty of taking long showers. I need to get out of the habit of that…

Another pair of Crofter Baby Shorts

The pattern I wrote out for the Crofter Baby Shorts is such a great way to use up those excess little skeins that I couldn't help myself from whipping out another pair from a skein of "Mini Mochi" in a beautiful palette of magenta, orange and deep blue. This time I made my cuff a fold-under cuff (no ribbing) and I made the crotch area in stockinette instead of the ribbing. I guess I wasn't in the mood for any ribbing...They turned out cute and were fast to make. And yes, if you're wondering... that is my car seat under the shorts. I was in the car when I finished the project and snapped a picture for ya'll.

It was rainy again today but the forecast looks better for the weekend. Hopefully tomorrow we'll make it to the local botanical gardens to pick up a Rain Barrel. It's been on my list of to-do's for quite some time. I have the location behind my house scouted out for it and will hopefully have it installed by the end of the weekend. It's on my list of things to do to make myself even more green. I've compiled a list of things to do to be come a little more environmentally conscious. Hopefully I'll post it by the end of the weekend. TGIF!

Nice and Toasty Out

It's a gorgeous day outside! I was marveling at the tulips that have popped up in our front yard. There are so many different shapes and colors to look at. I just wish the tulip season lasted longer!Sam got the gardening itch this weekend and spent a day in the dirt planting some shrubs on our dreaded hill in the backyard. To make a hill worse, it's made of clay. So not much grows back there. But we're hoping to sell this place later this year and move so we needed to get that area in check. He did a nice job of planting after spending several hours researching the best plants. Now we just need to cross our fingers and hope for the best!