Sunday, December 28, 2014
Life isn't what I expected
I always dreamed of something different than what i was surrounded by. I felt there had to be more to life than money and work and politics. I am not programed to be happy in the same way that other people are. I would rather be naked in the woods than... anything really. I dream of my warm skin touching silken petals and rough branches and cool wet streams. What do other people dream about I often wonder... I have learned that many people don't dream. They keep their eyes open and accept what is in front of them. I could never have imagined my dreams would lead me to where I am now. I live with my fiance, two room mates, my two dogs, one cat, and five chickens. We grow medical marijuana and blow glass. This seems normal to me now, i know there are a lot of people doing the same things for many similar and different reasons. I feel So Much guilt for being happy, for not checking in from 9 to 5 at some company, for sleeping with this man im not yet married to. I am guilty for the beautiful dresses. I feel guilty for not curling my hair, not wearing makeup, and frankly i havent been wearing a bra or panties much either. But none of those things matter. If i leave this earth tonight, is that what people will remember? My guilt? I dont think so... I think they will remember my cooking, my loud laughing, maybe even my gross jokes. How did i get to this point? Should i be ashamed of my joint rolling skills? I should be thinner... Smarter... Richer.... I feel ashamed that i am comfortable being poor, ashamed that i would rather curl up with my puppy and read a book than go out on the town in hot shoes and drink expensive drinks in small shining glasses. But shouldnt we all be different? If we were all the same we couldnt fit together... Why do i feel so guilty for being different? For surviving comfortably following my own ideals... I feel like my partner can't possibly love me, i am everything they taught us not to be in school. I dont care about modesty, or sensorship. I don't believe in following the government based on laws i didn't help write and dont believe in. I don't believe in caging criminals. I dont believe in paying taxes that will buy the sheriff a new hummer and pave another road where a field used to be. I don't beleive in raising minimum wage, i think everyone, including children, should be able to work for whatever they think their time is worth. I am exactly what they told us in school not to be, i was the kid parents warned their children about. And I survive. I have everything i could want as far as possesions, i have a man who lives to see me smile, i have obedient and happy animals living with me, and a family that continues to lend me their support. So why am i so filled with shame and guilt? And what is so different from me and those against me, do we not all dream of happiness? Am i the only one dreaming anymore?
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Natural Deodorant from Scratch
Yesterday I realized I had left my only stick of deoderant in my gym locker. A dire situation for you see.... Ssshhh.... lean in a little closer.... I sweat a lot. I carry extra tank tops in my summer purses because I know I will need a new one half way through the afternoon. Secret's out. Though yesterday did not end in a stinky soppy mess of a T-shirt... It ended triumphantly. I made my own deoderant.
I did a scan of the interwebs to discover how other hippys make pit cream and discovered it was very simple and easy to adjust to individuals. There are many different ingredients used and you probably have a good combination of them right in your house.
I liked a combination of equal parts powder and liquid by volume. This resulted in a thick cream that left behind slight granule traces that I will discuss later.
INGREDIENTS that I suggest: create your own combination of oils and powders. Add more oil to make it creamier and add more powder to make it drier. If you keep adding powder and packing it together you will form a bar like most deoderant sticks. You can then pack this into a used dispenser. Creams should be kept in a sealed jar.
Essential oils
Coconut oil
Baby oil
Almond oil
Cocoa butter
Jojoba oil
Arrowroot powder
Baking soda
My combination was cocoa butter, baby oil, tea tree oil, citrus oil. Tea tree oil and baking soda fight bacteria that cause odor. The essential oils can also just be used to scent the cream such as my citrus oil. Warm up the oils a little bit just until they are melted and then add the powders and cream together for about five minutes. When rubbed in I did notice my half-oil-half-powder mixture left tiny granules on my skin. I was worried these would come off more on my t shirt but at the end of the day I noticed nothing left behind.
I did chores all day yesterday and I noticed my deoderant kept me mostly dry and smelling sweet.
Let me know if you make something and how it turns out :)
Friday, March 7, 2014
Indoor Herb Garden: Tutorial
My partner and I are indoor farmers more so than outdoor. We rent one side of a very pleasant duplex that gets almost zero light in the yard because of the massive trees in our neighborhood. This is added to the difficulties of simply living in Eugene Oregon where the sun is a coy mistress to the ever-bearing clouds and moisture. I am studying Culinary and my love of food and plants comes together in my next project of my own indoor herb garden. I am going to document my garden so that you too can follow along and reap the benefits...and maybe learn something about sustainable self sufficient living (I am also sending a kit to my family in Idaho in hopes that they follow along as well)
I did not want to go buy tiny plastic germination cups or whatever. I have had them before and they have promptly broken and ended up thrown away and are now filling space in a landfill somewhere. I used newspaper that had been sitting around for a few months waiting to be folded into one of my projects or to become worm food. I see two benefits to making cups from newspaper. It's a material I am reusing, and it is quick to biodegrade. I am going to use the short lifetime of newspaper to my advantage later on when I transplant. But for now it will serve as perfect dirt holders.
I folded a piece of newspaper in half and rolled it around a can of soup and folded over two inches of one end, creating a little round newspaper cup. This is not the most supportive a structure until it has dirt in it. Make your paper cup, fill it with dirt and set it in a tray to keep your cups in. A tray serves as a way to carry all your cups and to catch water that escapes from the bottom. Our homemade cups have a natural opening in the bottom but if you are using plastic or any other material make sure your cup has drain holes in the bottom.
There are a million types of dirt you can use. We use foxfarms potting soil. And we reuse it each season by collecting the already used dirt into a kiddy pool and amending it with different fertilizers. We use a lot of compost, worm casting, and bat guano. This process is why we started our worm box to cut out some of the products we buy and can be making ourselves. We have a friend who owns caves with bats in them and we get the guano for next to nothing. We buy new soil rarely and usually only when all the soil we have is in use. We retire the soil at the end of fall. We mix the old soil and fallen leaves together and spread it into the outside flower beds.
You may choose to germinate your seeds individually. I am beginning a kit of twelve culinary herbs and they each come with specific instructions. I find these are much more important when planting outside and not so much in the controlled environment of the house. I planted several seeds in a finger sized hole. A different cup for each herb. If you label the newspaper with a pencil the letters won't run or disappear but they will fade a bit eventually. Place your cups in a tray to collect runoff and place them in a sunny area like a window ledge or a table near a window. We have a bay window I turned into a garden area because it's on the sunniest side of the house.
I did not want to go buy tiny plastic germination cups or whatever. I have had them before and they have promptly broken and ended up thrown away and are now filling space in a landfill somewhere. I used newspaper that had been sitting around for a few months waiting to be folded into one of my projects or to become worm food. I see two benefits to making cups from newspaper. It's a material I am reusing, and it is quick to biodegrade. I am going to use the short lifetime of newspaper to my advantage later on when I transplant. But for now it will serve as perfect dirt holders.
I folded a piece of newspaper in half and rolled it around a can of soup and folded over two inches of one end, creating a little round newspaper cup. This is not the most supportive a structure until it has dirt in it. Make your paper cup, fill it with dirt and set it in a tray to keep your cups in. A tray serves as a way to carry all your cups and to catch water that escapes from the bottom. Our homemade cups have a natural opening in the bottom but if you are using plastic or any other material make sure your cup has drain holes in the bottom.
There are a million types of dirt you can use. We use foxfarms potting soil. And we reuse it each season by collecting the already used dirt into a kiddy pool and amending it with different fertilizers. We use a lot of compost, worm casting, and bat guano. This process is why we started our worm box to cut out some of the products we buy and can be making ourselves. We have a friend who owns caves with bats in them and we get the guano for next to nothing. We buy new soil rarely and usually only when all the soil we have is in use. We retire the soil at the end of fall. We mix the old soil and fallen leaves together and spread it into the outside flower beds.
You may choose to germinate your seeds individually. I am beginning a kit of twelve culinary herbs and they each come with specific instructions. I find these are much more important when planting outside and not so much in the controlled environment of the house. I planted several seeds in a finger sized hole. A different cup for each herb. If you label the newspaper with a pencil the letters won't run or disappear but they will fade a bit eventually. Place your cups in a tray to collect runoff and place them in a sunny area like a window ledge or a table near a window. We have a bay window I turned into a garden area because it's on the sunniest side of the house.
Once you have planted your seeds and buried them, water them so that the pots are very damp and a little water runs out the bottom. Now comes the most important part. Do not water them again until you not only see sprouts but the dirt is Entirely dry. The seeds need to open up to that moisture and then reach out for it as it dries away. This struggle is important in indoor growing. Controlled struggles encourage your plants to flourish just as exercise makes us stronger. 
A Dress For Only Me: DIY Infinity Dress
One of my many hobbies is sewing. I learned to sew from my mother who let me borrow her sewing machine on countless occasions. We made our Halloween costumes at home at least half the time growing up and this enabled me with the skill to envision my own outfits and characters. Through high school I struggled with my weight and this encouraged me to learn to alter clothes. When I left high school and moved to Oregon I began a lifestyle that helped me lose a lot of that extra weight and what I was left with were a lot of overly large clothes. Which any seamstress will tell you is a hell of a lot better than clothes that are too small. My fiancé bought me a very nice sewing machine just over a year ago and I have been pumpin out my own creations as well as fixing our store bought clothes ever since.
One of the intentions of this blog is to teach people how to depend on themselves for the things that they want. I wanted a dress that fits me. Most women in America know that popular style is not meant for the average lady. I put so much effort into finding a dress that compliments my bottom, squeezes my middle and holds in everything up top. And then my monthly bloat-a-thon comes and nothing fits anymore. I have been trying to research clothes meant to fit more comfortably, as well as designs that are more practical and versatile. At a friend's wedding all the bridesmaids were wearing infinity dresses and they had each tied them up as individual dresses. I loved the idea and had been shopping for fabric since then.
An infinity dress is a skirt with two very long thin rectangles attached that you can learn to tie around your body in countless ways. The amazing thing about these dresses is that they compliment any shape because each time you wear it you decide how tight it is in which areas and so on. Making it yourself can ensure that it fits, with a little practice. Making it yourself also means you can be picky as all hell about what fabric you use or you can scrounge up something you have left over from another project.
TUTORIAL: I will use as much detail as I can imagine, that way any beginner should have an easy time following.
You Will Need
sewing machine
scissors
complimentary colored thread
a jersey knit machine needle
3-5 yards of stretchy material
measuring tape
1> The first step to any project is to gather your materials and set up your working space. You want to use a stretch needle on your sewing machine. They are commonly labeled jersey knit needles or stretch needles and they cost about 4$US for a pack of them. The thinner your fabric the smaller the needle you need. Stretch fabrics can be difficult to sew because they move around and their elasticity makes it easy to be shoved into the machine rather than being sewn through. Stretch needles are designed to push around the fibers rather than through them. You want to fill your bobbin and thread your machine before you even touch your fabric.
2> You will need to make a few measurements.
A: You need to measure around the part of your waist you want the skirt to fit. Infinity dresses are generally empire waists and hug the smallest part of your waist.
B: Measure from the middle of your arm pit to the center of your chest around the largest part of your bust.
C: Measure from your waist to the length you want your skirt.
D: Next find the radius of your waist by dividing your waist measurement by 6.8. This should be easy rounded math because your fabric is stretchy and there are some seam allowances. So I got 4.7inches and rounded to 5.
Before measuring cutting or sewing consider the elasticity of your fabric. Does it stretch four ways? two ways? If it stretches all over this will not be as important but if you have one way stretch fabric you need to make sure you are measuring it out so that it's stretching goes the right way. You want your fabric to stretch around your waist rather than up and down which can cause a stretched out skirt bottom and no squeeze room in the waist. For the rectangles you want the stretch across your bust measurement rather than the length, that way you have more support holding you up and stretch to cover any side boob. This may not make sense to you yet. I always suggest reading the entire recipe/tutorial before even beginning.
3>Fold your fabric in half twice so that there are four layers together. Each folded side should be at least as long as your skirt length. (I used just over a yard of fabric for this section you may need more if your skirt is longer than mine.)
Add your skirt length measurement to your waist radius. (mine was 25inch + 5inch)
Pin your measuring tape to the corner.
You are going to pin the edges of your skirt at this new length. I measured 30 inch from the folded corner and put pins 2-3 inches apart to create the arc of my skirt.
Make another smaller arc at your waist radius from the folded corner.
Cut out your skirt. When unfolded once you should end up with a big full skirt with just enough room for your waist inside. ( I used a rotary cutter and a self healing board. Stretch fabrics are tricky to cut but can be managed with regular scissors if you practice patience.)
Don't beat your self up over an imperfect bottom edge. Mine certainly wasn't the best, but for a first try it was awesome. As long as its not a drastic imperfection it wont show because the skirt is so full and flowy. You have the option here of adding a bottom hem. I chose not to do this because I absolutely hate hemming circles. If you want to hem the bottom I suggest reading the manual to your specific machine to decide on what stitch to use. Search for some hemming tutorials and practice on smaller scrap circles.
4> Next make your waist band. This needs to be a small rectangle with your waist measurement as its length and a width of 4-6 inches. This provides support for your skirt and can act as an elastic channel should you chose to add some. (Mine was 32 inch length and 5inch width)
5> Next create your very long rectangles. It is up to your cutting abilities, cutting space available, and fabric length to decide on how to cut them but I greatly encourage you to pin every inch or two along your measurements before cutting. It's the most time consuming part of the whole project but for such an easy dress it is worth it to get it right. I did not add any seam allowances to my rectangles because I don't want a seam. Most jersey knits do not fray. A seam may be more professional but I find the smooth edges more comfortable. Measure the length your height + 1/2. (I am short so this came to 5ft+2.5 feet) Measure the width as your bust measurement we made earlier.
6> Next comes the fun part of getting all these pieces put together. First experiment with some scraps of your fabric so you can ensure you are using the correct needle and stitch. I used the industrial double stitch for stretch fabrics. I used the same stich through the entire project. If you do any hemming you will probably want an edge stitch.
One of the intentions of this blog is to teach people how to depend on themselves for the things that they want. I wanted a dress that fits me. Most women in America know that popular style is not meant for the average lady. I put so much effort into finding a dress that compliments my bottom, squeezes my middle and holds in everything up top. And then my monthly bloat-a-thon comes and nothing fits anymore. I have been trying to research clothes meant to fit more comfortably, as well as designs that are more practical and versatile. At a friend's wedding all the bridesmaids were wearing infinity dresses and they had each tied them up as individual dresses. I loved the idea and had been shopping for fabric since then.
An infinity dress is a skirt with two very long thin rectangles attached that you can learn to tie around your body in countless ways. The amazing thing about these dresses is that they compliment any shape because each time you wear it you decide how tight it is in which areas and so on. Making it yourself can ensure that it fits, with a little practice. Making it yourself also means you can be picky as all hell about what fabric you use or you can scrounge up something you have left over from another project.
TUTORIAL: I will use as much detail as I can imagine, that way any beginner should have an easy time following.
You Will Need
sewing machine
scissors
complimentary colored thread
a jersey knit machine needle
3-5 yards of stretchy material
measuring tape
1> The first step to any project is to gather your materials and set up your working space. You want to use a stretch needle on your sewing machine. They are commonly labeled jersey knit needles or stretch needles and they cost about 4$US for a pack of them. The thinner your fabric the smaller the needle you need. Stretch fabrics can be difficult to sew because they move around and their elasticity makes it easy to be shoved into the machine rather than being sewn through. Stretch needles are designed to push around the fibers rather than through them. You want to fill your bobbin and thread your machine before you even touch your fabric.
2> You will need to make a few measurements.
A: You need to measure around the part of your waist you want the skirt to fit. Infinity dresses are generally empire waists and hug the smallest part of your waist.
B: Measure from the middle of your arm pit to the center of your chest around the largest part of your bust.
C: Measure from your waist to the length you want your skirt.
D: Next find the radius of your waist by dividing your waist measurement by 6.8. This should be easy rounded math because your fabric is stretchy and there are some seam allowances. So I got 4.7inches and rounded to 5.
Before measuring cutting or sewing consider the elasticity of your fabric. Does it stretch four ways? two ways? If it stretches all over this will not be as important but if you have one way stretch fabric you need to make sure you are measuring it out so that it's stretching goes the right way. You want your fabric to stretch around your waist rather than up and down which can cause a stretched out skirt bottom and no squeeze room in the waist. For the rectangles you want the stretch across your bust measurement rather than the length, that way you have more support holding you up and stretch to cover any side boob. This may not make sense to you yet. I always suggest reading the entire recipe/tutorial before even beginning.
3>Fold your fabric in half twice so that there are four layers together. Each folded side should be at least as long as your skirt length. (I used just over a yard of fabric for this section you may need more if your skirt is longer than mine.)
Pin your measuring tape to the corner.
You are going to pin the edges of your skirt at this new length. I measured 30 inch from the folded corner and put pins 2-3 inches apart to create the arc of my skirt.
Make another smaller arc at your waist radius from the folded corner.
Don't beat your self up over an imperfect bottom edge. Mine certainly wasn't the best, but for a first try it was awesome. As long as its not a drastic imperfection it wont show because the skirt is so full and flowy. You have the option here of adding a bottom hem. I chose not to do this because I absolutely hate hemming circles. If you want to hem the bottom I suggest reading the manual to your specific machine to decide on what stitch to use. Search for some hemming tutorials and practice on smaller scrap circles.
4> Next make your waist band. This needs to be a small rectangle with your waist measurement as its length and a width of 4-6 inches. This provides support for your skirt and can act as an elastic channel should you chose to add some. (Mine was 32 inch length and 5inch width)
6> Next comes the fun part of getting all these pieces put together. First experiment with some scraps of your fabric so you can ensure you are using the correct needle and stitch. I used the industrial double stitch for stretch fabrics. I used the same stich through the entire project. If you do any hemming you will probably want an edge stitch.
First attach your rectangles together at one edge, overlapping about 4-6 inches. This distance will have an effect on how much cleavage slips out so if you have a bigger chest you may want to go to 6 inches.
Next connect all your layers. Go Slowly. Start from the center of your chest. Pin the center of the rectangles to your skirt. Keep in mind if you have a right and wrong side of your fabric you want to press the right sides together so your seam is on the inside of the dress. Next fold your waist band once into a long tube with the right fabric out and pin the edges along with the edges of your skirt and rectangles. Pin all the way around the skirt keeping the waist band pinned all the way around. Your rectangles will only be sandwiched in there part of the way. I recommend pinning the front of the dress then the very back of the dress with the direct other side of the skirt with the edges of the waist band overlapped to be seamed together later on. The stretch in your skirt will mess up how it aligns if you don't start with the back and front pined first. I also pin the opposite sides together before filling in the spaces to make sure any stretch length from my waist is evenly distributed. When it is well pinned together it is easy to sew all the layers at once. If you have a difficult machine or really thick fabric you may want to sew the rectangles on first and then the waist band. After you have sewn around the waist sew the last edges of the waist band together.
7> Now comes the rejoicing because it's done! Look on youtube for some tying tutorials. Or just experiment with the straps yourself.
Front A
Back A
Front B
Back B
I hope you enjoyed by tutorial and that it was not too difficult to follow. I encourage you to play with different lengths and fabrics and make yourself a couple of these because they are super comfortable and multi purpose. You can style them casually or make a silky cocktail dress even. If you ended up with too big of a waist or you need it to be tighter later on, use that waist band as an elastic channel and thread a piece of elastic in there. This is also a good idea if you have used heavy fabric for a long skirt. I am super happy with my dress. I like to wear it braless around the house, if you tie it tight enough and just right you don't need one but i'm not so confident to have my nipples poking out in public. Enjoy your hand made creation and revel in the fact no one else has this dress that you just made. It is just as unique as you are.
Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future posts.
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Jerkey
To save money my partner and I often buy meat in large quantities. This can have mixed results depending on my level of effort in the kitchen. Lately I have taken a liking to making jerky.
Jerky is amazingly easy and is great for snacking in between meals or on the go. I have yet to find a meat that can't be dried and saved. The two important things to consider when making jerky at home is flavor and sanitation.
You can buy curing mixtures or you can create your own. Choose seasonings that compliment the protein. Just the way you would when cooking. I love teriyaki beef jerky and BBQ salmon jerky. A lot of salt and acidity are used in curing because they are natural preservatives.
When crafting jerky for fun it is best to pick the leanest protein you can. When making due with what is available it is important to remove as much fat as possible from your cuttings. Fat will cause the meat to go rancid much quicker. It is a buffet for bacteria and other unwanted yuckies. You want to keep your work space and tools very clean if you hope to keep your jerky for a long time.
When dehydrating your jerky review sanitation guidelines. Certain proteins need more attention because they more commonly contain contaminants. There are so many combinations of temperature and time cooked to achieve different textures. Store your jerky in an air tight container. It will keep better in the fridge but well made jerky can be kept in dry storage for months.
Let me know of any protein/seasoning combinations you have found to be delightful :)
Worm Compost
Compost is a beautiful full circle sustainable hobby. There are many options and the compost can be used to feed your gardens that in turn feed you.
The most common household composts are boxed compost and red worm boxes. You can get a box that is sealed against rain and pests that will allow you two basic options. You can get a box that loads at the top and as it ferments you can pull compost from the bottom. Or you can get a box that turns so that everything inside ferments together and is used at a later time. There are so many different variations on each style that it all depends on how much effort you want to put in and how quickly you want the compost available. A red worm box has three or more drawers or sections separated most often by a wire screen. The worms start in the bottom and the drawers are filled from the bottom up. The worms eat their way up the set and leave behind rich compost.
I have chosen to purchase a worm box from a local man who builds them. I chose a worm box because I can load my yard waste into it and a portion of my kitchen waste. The compost can be used to feed my garden and extra worms can be fed to chickens I hope to own in the future.
A worm box is a little more sensitive than other composting because you can kill the worms but the castings they leave behind are called black gold for a reason.
Worms can eat most natural products including cotton clothing and paper towels. They are sensitive to acidity so when using orange peels a lot of yard debris needs to be mixed in as well to balance them out. Some people do not put coffee grounds or egg shells in their worm boxes but I believe a well established box can handle these as long as they are diluted with leaves and other neutral/basic items. As a basic rule dairy and meat are not used in compost because it attracts pests and develops bacteria that are a threat to human health.
I hope to have peaked your interest in a home compost. It is a great way to reduce your waste and save money on your garden. Research more to find a suitable system for your home.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Home Made Soap - Cheap and Easy
I developed a new habit over the last six months of using the dishwasher only as a drying rack. It was an effort to save energy and water. I was also seeking the benefits of regular physical labor and periods of standing. Doing dishes is barely exercise but it sure beats sitting on the couch. Well I just finished week four of this school term and things have started to get very busy for me as far as projects and homework.
Today the dishes we stacked high and my partner and I had a big project we needed to get done. I felt a deep regret at my decision to not buy any dishwasher detergent. In light of all my recent frugal thinking I still couldn't help feeling negatively about buying those little washer packets. My partner suggested I make my own and I could not believe I had not thought of it myself!
I did a little bit of research and looked at many different home recipes for dishwasher solution and even found a recipe that created similar little packets as the store bought kind. It seemed a bit extensive and I needed soap quickly. I eventually just threw together what I had available and hoped for the best. It worked wonderfully!
This is what I came up with:
2 Parts Baking Soda (about 1/4 cup)
1 Part Salt
1 Packet of Pink Lemonade
1/4 tsp (or less) Liquid Dish-soap
2-3 Tbsp Vinegar (separately, per load)
I mixed the baking soda, salt, and lemonade and stored it in an old seasoning container. To wash a load I put two spoon fulls of the powder in the soap box and added a few drops of liquid soap ( just a teeny tiny bit) and then I splashed some vinegar in the extra soap container that immediately gets mixed into the first rinse.
The first load I ran a normal cycle with high temperature water and an extra rinse. The dishes were spotless. The second run was not a full load so I ran a light cycle and didn't add any extras. The dishes looked wonderful. I couple of forked spoons and a spatula had some food still stuck in cracks but it reassured me that a normal cycle would be sufficient without the high temp and extra rinse.
Next I plan on making my own liquid dish soap. I have read speculations of whether antibacterial soaps are good to use on such a regular basis. I am going to research natural bacteria fighting oils and I will at least be able to cut out all the unnecessary fragrances and colors :)
Today I managed to be inventive and frugal and it was remarkably easy.
Today the dishes we stacked high and my partner and I had a big project we needed to get done. I felt a deep regret at my decision to not buy any dishwasher detergent. In light of all my recent frugal thinking I still couldn't help feeling negatively about buying those little washer packets. My partner suggested I make my own and I could not believe I had not thought of it myself!
I did a little bit of research and looked at many different home recipes for dishwasher solution and even found a recipe that created similar little packets as the store bought kind. It seemed a bit extensive and I needed soap quickly. I eventually just threw together what I had available and hoped for the best. It worked wonderfully!
This is what I came up with:
2 Parts Baking Soda (about 1/4 cup)
1 Part Salt
1 Packet of Pink Lemonade
1/4 tsp (or less) Liquid Dish-soap
2-3 Tbsp Vinegar (separately, per load)
I mixed the baking soda, salt, and lemonade and stored it in an old seasoning container. To wash a load I put two spoon fulls of the powder in the soap box and added a few drops of liquid soap ( just a teeny tiny bit) and then I splashed some vinegar in the extra soap container that immediately gets mixed into the first rinse.
The first load I ran a normal cycle with high temperature water and an extra rinse. The dishes were spotless. The second run was not a full load so I ran a light cycle and didn't add any extras. The dishes looked wonderful. I couple of forked spoons and a spatula had some food still stuck in cracks but it reassured me that a normal cycle would be sufficient without the high temp and extra rinse.
Next I plan on making my own liquid dish soap. I have read speculations of whether antibacterial soaps are good to use on such a regular basis. I am going to research natural bacteria fighting oils and I will at least be able to cut out all the unnecessary fragrances and colors :)
Today I managed to be inventive and frugal and it was remarkably easy.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Plastic Never Goes Away... and other reasons you should shop differently
One of the reasons I moved from Idaho to Oregon over two years ago is that I was interested in a community that not only realizes the benefits of recycling but encourages it. I will admit that Pocatello was moving more in that direction by the time I left but I didn't want to grow up with the rest of Pocatello. I wanted to move to a place that already had it figured out so that I could immediately immerse myself. I have learned a lot about my misconceptions but also that I was raised with the right ideals to eventually achieve the life I had idealized.
First of all Eugene as a whole does not have it all figured out. But there are people here that know what is right for the environment. I have learned from these people that I can make a difference even if I never convince another person to recycle. The rest of the world may poison the land water but someday myself and my children (I have yet to have) will be able to clean our water with plants that have been doing it hundreds of years and use that water to grow the healthiest food possible with our own bare hands. But it will take much learning and preparation to reach that point.
I have only just begun to understand that recycling is not enough. We must reduce our consumption and reuse our available recourses. If you are willing to buy something in the first place you should give yourself the benefit of using it until it crumbles or needs recycled. People don't do this. They are not conscious of what they are buying and what will happen to it later.
PLASTIC NEVER GOES AWAY. I knew this growing up, I had heard it before. Why did it take until I was 20 years old to understand what that meant? Everything else we use will eventually rot away and be absorbed back into the earth to become something else. So why do we use so much plastic?
I can't remember ever not using plastic. I was born in 1993 and plastic has always been a large part of my life. I grew up knowing that wood was more sturdy and more expensive and I practically have an emotional connection with wood furniture. You can sand it and stain it. You can carve it and paint it. It can be passed down from one generation to a next. Most plastic furniture I have had has already been broken or warped into an unusable item. Drawers made of plastic? Those things last a few years until the frame sags or cracks. But they are cheap. I do not blame my mother for the plastic invasion of our home. She made sure I had everything I needed and when plastic is the cheapest most convenient option who could blame her. But even before I understood what I really needed I knew I wanted something More.
I have torn apart book shelves and made them into something new. I have seen pieces of wood discarded in a field become moosh and return to the earth. I have fixed scratches and dents on wooden furniture with some simple sanding paper. When I visit my mother's house and sit at the kitchen table things are different. Someone once purchased her a very nice looking set of table and chairs. The chairs are all broken now with their plastic wheels breaking off left and right. I miss our old set. I vaguely remember those wooden chairs but I wonder what could have happened to them that they needed replaced with these fragile things. Who told my mother she was making an upgrade?
Our society pushes that we cannot be happy without a constant feed of new things. But I find that exhausting and just plain stupid. Why should we work twice as hard to afford twice the crap and get half the joy? Buying something that I can only enjoy for a limited time before it has to be replaced means I am buying a future trip to the store. I hated hand me down clothes as a kid. It meant we were poor. It meant I did not have the latest style or the best fitting clothes. Now as an adult I realize that means absolutely nothing. I am happy to receive my mothers worn out things and she sends them to me now, knowing I will enjoy making something new from them. I never have a reason to be cold. Being a short curvy girl means no matter how much money I have I am hard pressed to find already made clothes that fit comfortably. I have a large collection of store bought dresses but only three pairs of fitting pants. I feel like those are my only options until I step up to my own sewing machine and create something I have dreamt up for myself.
Plastic is the cheapest option because it is largely produced. Machines print out plastic bottles faster than glassblowers can make jars. Our lives are marred with our need for convenience and cheap products. We think that having more containers to wash is silly when you can just throw plastic containers away and get a new one filled with soda or yogurt. Our lives cannot change until our values do. I value a low stress lifestyle. I will admit that having more things to wash and sort takes more time but it is less stressful than making a trip to the store and handing over my hard earned money. Maybe other people don't worry about money the way I do. Growing up every penny mattered because we didn't have much. I think I gained other values that are much more enduring.
It is hard to go to the store and buy food without buying plastic, but the more we do it, and the more we ask our manufacturers to use less plastic, the easier it gets. Buying less stuff means I stress about money less. My partner and I do not have to work long hours and we get to spend a lot of quality time together. If you have never made something with your own hands you do not have the same sense of accomplishment as I do. During Christmas all the smiles I make with my gifts I pass out are truly mine to cherish. I do not have Victoria secret to thank or walmart, I appreciate myself. I love to shop for tools. I buy fabric and glue, I even buy plastic. My message, though it has been a long and passionate one, is that small things make a difference. Buying a little less plastic means you have a little less garbage and saves you another trip. Buying things that last gives you the chance to research what it is you really want and the time to appreciate it and make it your own.
First of all Eugene as a whole does not have it all figured out. But there are people here that know what is right for the environment. I have learned from these people that I can make a difference even if I never convince another person to recycle. The rest of the world may poison the land water but someday myself and my children (I have yet to have) will be able to clean our water with plants that have been doing it hundreds of years and use that water to grow the healthiest food possible with our own bare hands. But it will take much learning and preparation to reach that point.
I have only just begun to understand that recycling is not enough. We must reduce our consumption and reuse our available recourses. If you are willing to buy something in the first place you should give yourself the benefit of using it until it crumbles or needs recycled. People don't do this. They are not conscious of what they are buying and what will happen to it later.
PLASTIC NEVER GOES AWAY. I knew this growing up, I had heard it before. Why did it take until I was 20 years old to understand what that meant? Everything else we use will eventually rot away and be absorbed back into the earth to become something else. So why do we use so much plastic?
I can't remember ever not using plastic. I was born in 1993 and plastic has always been a large part of my life. I grew up knowing that wood was more sturdy and more expensive and I practically have an emotional connection with wood furniture. You can sand it and stain it. You can carve it and paint it. It can be passed down from one generation to a next. Most plastic furniture I have had has already been broken or warped into an unusable item. Drawers made of plastic? Those things last a few years until the frame sags or cracks. But they are cheap. I do not blame my mother for the plastic invasion of our home. She made sure I had everything I needed and when plastic is the cheapest most convenient option who could blame her. But even before I understood what I really needed I knew I wanted something More.
I have torn apart book shelves and made them into something new. I have seen pieces of wood discarded in a field become moosh and return to the earth. I have fixed scratches and dents on wooden furniture with some simple sanding paper. When I visit my mother's house and sit at the kitchen table things are different. Someone once purchased her a very nice looking set of table and chairs. The chairs are all broken now with their plastic wheels breaking off left and right. I miss our old set. I vaguely remember those wooden chairs but I wonder what could have happened to them that they needed replaced with these fragile things. Who told my mother she was making an upgrade?
Our society pushes that we cannot be happy without a constant feed of new things. But I find that exhausting and just plain stupid. Why should we work twice as hard to afford twice the crap and get half the joy? Buying something that I can only enjoy for a limited time before it has to be replaced means I am buying a future trip to the store. I hated hand me down clothes as a kid. It meant we were poor. It meant I did not have the latest style or the best fitting clothes. Now as an adult I realize that means absolutely nothing. I am happy to receive my mothers worn out things and she sends them to me now, knowing I will enjoy making something new from them. I never have a reason to be cold. Being a short curvy girl means no matter how much money I have I am hard pressed to find already made clothes that fit comfortably. I have a large collection of store bought dresses but only three pairs of fitting pants. I feel like those are my only options until I step up to my own sewing machine and create something I have dreamt up for myself.
Plastic is the cheapest option because it is largely produced. Machines print out plastic bottles faster than glassblowers can make jars. Our lives are marred with our need for convenience and cheap products. We think that having more containers to wash is silly when you can just throw plastic containers away and get a new one filled with soda or yogurt. Our lives cannot change until our values do. I value a low stress lifestyle. I will admit that having more things to wash and sort takes more time but it is less stressful than making a trip to the store and handing over my hard earned money. Maybe other people don't worry about money the way I do. Growing up every penny mattered because we didn't have much. I think I gained other values that are much more enduring.
It is hard to go to the store and buy food without buying plastic, but the more we do it, and the more we ask our manufacturers to use less plastic, the easier it gets. Buying less stuff means I stress about money less. My partner and I do not have to work long hours and we get to spend a lot of quality time together. If you have never made something with your own hands you do not have the same sense of accomplishment as I do. During Christmas all the smiles I make with my gifts I pass out are truly mine to cherish. I do not have Victoria secret to thank or walmart, I appreciate myself. I love to shop for tools. I buy fabric and glue, I even buy plastic. My message, though it has been a long and passionate one, is that small things make a difference. Buying a little less plastic means you have a little less garbage and saves you another trip. Buying things that last gives you the chance to research what it is you really want and the time to appreciate it and make it your own.