My Mason jar love!

As many of you have probably figured out, I hate Mason jars.

Okay, not really.

I absolutely adore them!

I've been given so many by amazing friends

(Thank you, Darlene and Carol, in particular!)

in hopes that I will be able to preserve tons of fruits and veggies this year!

Here is a top shelf photo of only two kitchen cabinets-

full of potential.

This is a lid that I won't be able to use to can,

so this one was chosen to receive a makeover!

Thanks to Carol for this particularly awesome honey jar!

I chose this one because of the measurements indicated on the side.

I read a tutorial on Easie Peasie for Mason jar soap dispensers.

You know I had to try to make one!

It will perfectly match the little Mason Jar Light that was just purchased, but hasn't arrived yet!

(Messing with electrical stuff is a little beyond my capacity at this moment in time!)

I cut a hole in the lid big enough to put a pump through.

I cut it a little small so that it would fit snugly.

Apparently, some people glue theirs down-

I didn't, since it wasn't budging once it was in there!

I filled the mason jar with my lemon Trader Joe's soap from Beatrice of Sew Bea!

(thank you, thank you!)

The pump top for the jar is from this bottle.

The original soap container was recycled!

I can refill it any time!

And this particular jar, since it was my trial run, will be put in the kid's bathroom.

I'll use a smaller Mason jar to make one that will fit easily behind my kitchen sink.

I thinned the soap out to make it easier for small hands to scrub up!

And here it is!

Please pardon the lighting on the photos- my husband was packing for a business trip, I was feeling crafty, and it was about midnight!

Thanks again to Tiffany of Easie Peasie for the great idea!

Thanks to Beatrice of Sew Bea for the fantastic giveaway that provided the soap!

Thanks to my sweet friends who pass on their canning jars!

:)

Green Backpack- fantastic new store AND a giveaway!

Well, as many of you know, I have a PRECIOUS 4 year old daughter that will be turning 5 next month! That means we are about to hit K-5 head on! We are in a great school district, but I've been homeschooling her since she was 3 with a mixture of Montessori/Waldorf/Unschooling business... my own special blend that seems to have really been enjoyable for her! We decided that there was no way on this green earth that we were paying $900/month for private kindergarten at a local Montessori school, even though it is really well spoken of.

So, we applied for her to go to a Montessori magnet in our city that is a few years old. The scores look fine, but when we visited, I was super impressed! The teachers were absolutely delightful, they look like they're making great efforts to provide an environment that Dr. Maria Montessori would have been proud of, and Keelin felt at home. That was the big thing!

When we got Keelin's acceptance letter, I cried. Not only was she going to get to continue her education in an environment that we desperately wanted for her, but it all started to feel VERY real. My teeny little 7 pound 15 ounce mini-me was going to elementary school.

My next thought was- YES!!!! We get to buy school supplies!

Because, let's face it, I have a slight addiction to cool writing impliments and fresh paper in packages.

I'm an office supply junkie.

The only thing I am weirder about than office supplies is Mason jars.

We all have our things.

I started looking around online and was SO disappointed in what I found. Petroleum-based crayons are the norm, but we prefer soy. Trashy book-bags that I'd never let in my house, much less let my child carry to school. Pencils covered in bright yellow paint, loaded with who knows what.

Then...

I found Green Backpack!

I emailed them to tell them how much I appreciated the options they were making available to moms that wanted different for their kids than Big Oil provided crayons and bleached paper from virgin trees.

They responded warmly and through back and forth emails, it was decided that I would introduce them to you. I received absolutely nothing for doing this- I just want you all to be aware of a top notch company that is just starting out. I believe whole-heartedly in little companies that make a big impact through good customer service, eco-responsible actions, and a social conscience.

Their mission:

Our goal is to provide an option for people who care about how their purchases affect the world, by providing an affordable, eco-friendly choice when shopping for school supplies.

All the products at Green Backpack are made from recycled or sustainable material. For instance, our folders, notebooks and even our pencils are made from recycled paper. We have a binder made of recycled milk jugs. Wooden pencils come from managed, sustainable forests.


We know there are less expensive options at the big box stores. As a small business, we do our best to balance environmental impact, quality and affordability for our customers.


We hope that when you buy our eco-smart school supplies, it’s a choice you feel good about.

 

Here are a few of their products- all of which are made from recycled or sustainable materials.

It's their promise to us and our children.

The name-sake backpack!

It is made with 65% recycled materials!

A bright, happy binder made from recycled chipboard!

Fantastic colored pencils, the barrel of which is made from recycled paper!

Keelin has already ninja-ed into the pack I purchased for her and she says that they are really easy to sharpen compared to the wooden ones!

Fiskars brand scissors, made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials!

We got a pair of the light blue for Keelin and they are super cute!

Non-toxic, washable markers made from reused or recycled materials!

The packaging is made from 100% recycled material.

Pencils with barrels made from recycled paper, just like the colored pencils!

What I love? They come in packs of a dozen pencils.

Prang crayons!

24 pack made from soybean oil- totally sustainable!

NO petroleum in this product, which makes them smooth to color with and beautifully colored.

Such a cool product!

An individual pencil sharpener made from PLA, a renewable plastic made from sugarcane, not petroleum!

Only the blade is new, but the casing is biodegradable!

For Keelin's 4th birthday, we had PLA cups and bowls.

It might be biodegradable, but they sure hold up to regular use because we still have them!

 So don't be afraid of the quality- it's a good product!

These black, ballpoint ink pens have barrels made from 30% recycled car tires!

Very cool!

Aside from the nifty products that I've mentioned above, we also snagged some of their big erasers and recycled paper! The quality of their product line is really on point and the cost is only slightly more, but not unreasonable, than standard school supplies at any local office supply store. We're really satisfied with Green Backpack and wanted to let you know that this company is here and available to you- with reasonable shipping costs, minimal packaging, and incredible customer service!

EDIT: My friend Dana reminded me- we also bought a tube of the glue. And yes, for those of you that are curious, it absolutely does smell like almonds! ;-)

And just because they're super awesome, Green Backpack will supply one lucky winner with a package of their amazing colored pencils and a pencil sharpener!

Mandatory entry:

1. Follow my blog publicly- comment WITH your email address and tell me!

(if I don't have your email, I can't message you when you win)

Extra entry:

2. Check out the Green Backpack website and tell me your favorite product!

You have two ways to enter to win the gift pack!

I will close the giveaway on Saturday, May 28th at 9pm EST.

Winner will be announced on the blog and sent an email!

Chicken Coop Update

As promised, we have a chicken coop update!

We still had one of our brooders (a box with a heat lamp set up for itty bitty chicks) in the sunroom, which was driving Tim nuts. He asked me what we could do to get the chicks out into the coop and I told him that since they were still not completely feathered they needed to have access to a heat source and since they were so small compared to our other chickens they needed to be separated somehow until proper introductions had been made :)

My smart hubby's solution to the problem?

This!

From materials that we already had (including the wood from the free pallets we picked up!), he arranged for the chicks to join the big chickens!

The sloped top makes it hard for chickens to roost on it, the chicken wire keeps the chicks safe from the pecking order while they grow, and the hinged lid makes it easy for me to clean, love on the chicks, feed and water them, etc.

Keelin was at school (this was done last week, by the way) and Jackson wanted to help us take the last 3 small chicks out to the coop. He wanted to carry one of our Buff Orpington pullets and that is my arm trying to encourage him to be gentle with her wings.

I think it's precious how gentle they try to be, even Jackson in his 2yr old way.

While Daddy arranges the new chick box, Jackson hangs out with the "beebee kickin'" and enjoys the sun!

A little hug for the chick *sigh* and in the background there, you can see one of our rain barrels sitting by the dog run. And yes, that is a big, blue plastic kiddie pool- for the dogs :)

The new setup. I was a bit concerned about putting the box right under the roost, but so far, the hens have stayed away from it! The water has been put up on a wooden pallet to keep the shavings out and been very successful at keeping the 26 free roaming chickens from mucking up their water.

The 2 wooden boxes under the roost are what I transported the  now-4 grown chickens home in a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to the people I got the chickens from, the pullets can now reach the roosts, which they enjoy!

The heat lamp has since been moved to a corner of the chicken box and thanks to the beautiful weather, is only on at night now.

One of our Black Australorp pullets checking out the chicks new digs!

Where did Spring go!?

Not good pictures in the photography sense, but MAN I love these kids! They're so darn squishy!

Well, today was another chilly day here in North Carolina. I really wish Spring would hightail it back here, so I can get to work outside! This damp cold gets in my bones; special thanks for that goes out to the douche waffle that rammed his SUV into my station wagon in late 2009. My back always aches when it's cold and damp :( Doesn't help being 17 weeks pregnant, either.

Anyway, no more whining from me! We had a productive day inside, regardless of the weather. I signed up for a local consignment so that I could sell off some Medium maternity clothes that I purchased online when I first found out that Baby #3 was on his way. I'm carrying MUCH higher than I usually do, so I'm actually still wearing my larger, regular jeans. I am pretty sure I MIGHT fit properly into size Small maternity clothes by the time my pregnancy journey ends, but I will never in a million years fit into these Mediums, so to the sale they go! They're mostly new with tags and I got a sweet deal on them from a mama who never got around to wearing them, so I just hope to get out of them what I paid. Fingers crossed that I'll find some great items at the consignor pre-sale, too! :) Definitely my favorite part of consigning... getting to shop early!

So, are a few more pictures of our day!

Bottom drawer of Baby Finn's organizer- organic cotton prefold diapers in the back, handmade all in ones to the left, tinkle trap pre-fitteds to the right, plus some Thirsties XS covers and Loveybums wool wraps! All purchased used from other mamas! Prepped and ready for baby!

Here are the clothes we have so far for Baby #3. Soft, organic cotton everything in gender neutral colors, all purchased from consignments or purchased used from mamas online.

Here is a full length shot of the organizer. It's one of two I've purchased for our last baby. It's an organizer made by Badger Basket- unfinished wood, sustainably harvested, organic cotton baskets. I think the look is to die for! The other is put together in Jackson's closet, holding his diapers and wool, since Baby doesn't have much yet!

A thrifted table I bought for $10 last fall. It was BRIGHT blue and hideous, but I liked the lines. Scraped the junk and paint off, painted it white with no VOC paint, and voila! Perfect bedside table for Jackson!

Happy Monday :)

The first week of Spring!

The first week of Spring was really kind to us, aside from the last couple of days being a little chilly for my taste! I was really productive at home and we got some great news. Tim got a great job offer from a company he was interested in working with, so he officially is employed for when he gets out of the Army two weeks from today!

I felt the baby kick from the outside for the first time last night! I'm almost 17 weeks and felt the baby start moving around right before I was 13 weeks. I guess with this being my third and final baby, I know what to look for- or this baby is just wild at heart!

Speaking of the baby, I believe we are going to name him Finn. It's a Gaelic name that means "fair." And yeah, all of my kids are pale- go figure. :) Having a hard time choosing a middle name, though. We'll let you know when we come up with something, but it will definitely be a tough decision.


I made a tablecloth for the kidlet's table! We eat a lot of yogurt and fruit, all of which were ending up on the unvarnished wooden table. Had to protect it somehow. My elastic wasn't tight enough on 2 of the corners, but it was my first shot at it, so I will tighten it up at a later time. For now, we're loving the easy cleanup!


The results of my first knitting lesson with my friend Kate! I've practiced a bit since then, so I hope that eventually I will actually start trying to make something :)

One of my 2011 Resolutions was to learn to knit and it was the last thing on my list I had yet to start, so I'm really excited. Progress- and it is so relaxing!



Short rows tilled in the garden, two peach trees planted (now we get to just wait about 5 more years for peaches), marigolds planted (help with bug control and pollination), and some of our seedlings put in the ground.

We did have a little cold snap, so I'm afraid that some of them aren't looking so good. I think I have enough seedlings left to make up for it if those kick the bucket, though, and end up in the compost bin.





Diapers on the line right above my daffodils! See the brownish colored diaper? I heard that you can dye fabric with tea, so I tried it and the color looks really strange. I think I did something wrong, but I definitely will try again. Some of the fabric I've seen dyed with tea is just lovely, so we'll see if I can't get the hang of it :)


My beautiful seedlings! Can't believe that I grew these from seeds and only killed a few of them :) My thumb is slowly changing colors!

Our upcycled chicken coop! It is finally finished and our 10 oldest chickens are spending their second night out there (with a heat lamp, of course) tonight. They love it! I've never seen them happier! It's 88 square feet, 44 feet of perches, 7 nesting boxes, a large fenced run is just beyond the window, and there is a closeable "chicken door" on the bottom left, so I can shut them in at night to protect them from predators. There is electricity out there, so our feathered family members will have a heat lamp as long as they need it and a fan in the summer.