Comments on: SMALL STEPS

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 07:18:35 +0000

Hi Anais!
This Jennifer is still living in England in the same house. I haven't commented much lately and I don't know why. Still reading every day!

I am defo going 'no poo' when i run out of shampoo which is going to be within the month. My big thing, since getting so much into the organic movement, is lessening the amount of chemicals I put on my skin, much less in my own body.

I do actually feel better, more energy as well. It's amazing to think things you rub on your skin do actually penetrate into your body. One thing I have switched and this is just to give you 'a challenge' is that I've stopped using body lotions....just use either coconut oil or hemp oil. Works great.

Take care.
Jennifer at HomeMattersMost

By: Anais

Anais — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 01:34:53 +0000

Thanks for the contributions everyone. Great to hear of the little steps everyone is taking in their lives.

Jennifer - Howdy! Nice to have you back and commenting. Sounds like you have found a great community ... and bees!

By: Jan

Jan — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:54:08 +0000

Susan - thanks for the info. I googled and it said 105- 110. Does that sound right?

I will try another loaf. HOpe it rises more!!!

thanks for the help

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:08:49 +0000

We recently moved across country in order to live more sustainably. That was a BIG step. It's taken a lot longer than I thought it would to get things going here on our new little suburban homestead (1/2 acre). I guess it's always like that.
Little steps we're taking now are planting an herb garden by the kitchen door, mostly for cooking but some medicinals too. The clothesline is finally up in back and I've got one in the cellar too for wet weather (though it only fits one small load). I'm researching converting part of the cellar into a real root cellar and have already started keeping potatoes and onions down there, buying extra when they're on sale.
Mostly I've been researching and organizing. Researching which varieties of fruit trees, berries, herbs to plant; how to design a passive greenhouse; what wood stove to buy; organizing stuff to make room for the bigger projects like building a chicken coop, potting shed, greenhouse, sunheated outdoor shower...
We got a rainwater cistern system last month. Needs some tweaking but it works - I just watered the herbs with it.
Our new neighborhood is full of eco-conscious families - we've started a community garden just a block away! Got lots of beans and tomatoes going there. Oh yeah, and the coolest thing so far - 2 bee hives!

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:52:31 +0000

Jan, if you're reading this perhaps when you add liquid to the yeast it's either too warm (kills the yeast) or not warm enough (doesn't activate it). Test the liquid on your wrist; it should be about as warm as for a baby's bottle. You could also google to find exactly what the temperature should be (I think it should be 100F but I'm not sure) and use a thermometer.

By: Ginger

Ginger — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:43:13 +0000

Living in Colorado, I have many challenges: one being a short growing season, and two being the hail. We have expanded our garden and I should be doubling my crops for this year. We do have lots of sunshine, so I've been line drying and we're going to try our hand at solar cooking. I just got my utility bill today and for a family of 6, we use 17kwh per day. I felt pretty good about that since we try to keep all the lights turned off when not in use. We are going to try to cut that number down this summer by unplugging appliances and switching lightbulbs and using oil lamps. We'll see how it goes. We're going to get some rain barrels to cut down on water usage. I really have a problem with using perfectly good water to water the grass. Slowly, but surely, our lawn will be reclaimed. It's so exciting! Your family has been so inspiring! And we decided to get chickens--we live in the suburbs, but we can have up to 10!!! Thanks for all the info. I always look forward to reading your posts!!!

By: debbie

debbie — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:24:01 +0000

we've started trying the no-poo (baking soda followed by a vinegar/chamomile/rosemary rinse) method in our house... of course i made my eldest son the guinea pig. his mop of bright blonde hair comes out soft and cleaner feeling than it did with his regular shampoo/conditioner routine(albeit with a mild vinegar scent). by the end of a "regular" day his hair was so greasy looking you would think he hadn't washed it in a week. i'm reluctant to try the combination on my long, fine hair cos i'm afraid of the tangles. i guess there's only one way to find out.... last week the house went paperless as we finished the last of the roll of paper towels. we went to rags for cleaning, cloth napkins for meals and washable cloths in place of toilet paper. that was met with some resistance by my middle son but soon enough everyone was on board and in agreement. last month saw us return to line drying (i've used my dryer twice since the end of april), handwashing and drying the dishes in a basin and then tossing the water out to the patio plants and flowers (nothing edible). i'm still not sure what to do about my daughters cats. i have directions for homemade litterbox filler that makes use of shredded newspaper and baking soda but just the fact that i can't compost it after it's been used drives me nuts... we're aiming for zero waste and no new plastics in the house. i've joined my local freecycle community and am slowly but surely clearing out some of the clutter and making our lives less about consuming. things are a long way from perfect but i feel that we're making slow and stady strides to where we should be. the garden, my first ever) is coming along nicely with beans, cukes, watermelon, okra, broccoli and raspberrys. it feels go to be doing more than spending and throwing money at the problems.

By: Jan

Jan — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 18:15:58 +0000

Well we installed a new clothes line this summer,Two brand new water barrels to catch the rain, 3 out of 9 raised beds for more veggies ( the garden space will be for corn next year) hoping that will give us enough to get through the winter also. We planted a new apple tree this year and have plans for 2 more peach trees and 2 more apples in the fall. Also purchasing grapes and strawberies for future harvests.

We have been using the shut off method for the electric and we have knocked our bill down half. We have agreed to buy the energy saving light bulbs for next week.
We also have to compost pile and have a local tree trimmer bringing us some wood chips for the mulch he wants to give away.
I have been making my own bread for about 3 weeks now but it is not rising as much as it should. Anyone have troubles with bread? Any tricks?

By: Robbyn

Robbyn — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:33:05 +0000

I can't list all the steps here, since are most underway in the refinement and experimental stage, or better yet the painful learning curve stage (lol!), but one thing that came to mind is that I'm finally stopping dying my hair. That might not sound like a big step, but for me it's close-hitting since the gray is now abundant and really makes me look so much older than the chestnut brown of my younger years. My hair is quite long, so it's also a vanity issue as the gray grows out and I just determinedly allow it to be multicolored during this stage. It's a little thing in the scope of all reality, but it's big to me personally. I also have gone from high maintenance in areas such as cosmetics and clothing, as well as hair color AND cuts, and now am only trimming my hair about twice a year -- sometimes myself and sometimes at a budget hair place. Wearing it long once it actually got long enough is actually easier for me than mid or shoulder length since I can put it into a ponytail or twist with ease. I now wear little or no makeup, keep my hands groomed only with an occasional shaping with an emery board, and buy clothing about once or twice a year...just enough to replace what can't be mended any more. I set aside two nice outfits for "special" and the rest are just pretty basic. It's amazing what I used to spend in the past to keep up with a corporate wardrobe, trips to the salon for haircuts and coloring, and occasionally some nail care. Those things are exorbitant expenses based on our current budget, and even if we had the extra money to spend on them, I wouldn't...I have so many other things it would be better spent on. Not having a corporate job figures largely into my happiness now, and requires a remarkably lower amount of money to maintain.

By: Fiona

Fiona — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:29:08 +0000

I've been wanting to try the "no poo" but do you steep the herbs in the vinegar or what is the method?

As with another commenter my husband uses a tons of chemical laden products on his body. It makes me shiver that one person that use a WHOLE thing of underarm deodarant in ten days, a bar of soap in less that a week (he lathers up like its no ones busines), and other various lotions and potions). Almost half our food/sundry budget is his stuff. I try and buy organic natural hair shampoo/conditioner but he goes through that like mad too. Sometimes its frustrating trying to get through to him that a little goes a long way and what he is putting on his body is not good even then.

Fiona