Homemade washing powder

I'm going to try make my own washing powder again, last years trial recipe wasn't great so I've searched the 'net again and found a new one that seems good.

6 oz soap (flakes or whatever soap I have, but avoid synthetically perfumed ones),

2 cups borax and

2 cups of washing soda.

(All available at hardware stores, some chemists or supermarket)

Finely grate the soap (if not using flakes) and add to the other two ingredients, mix well, and store in a cool dry place. You can grate the soap by hand, or put it through the food processor, but make sure to wash it thoroughly afterwards.

I'll be trying it later this week

The Presence of Trees

"I have always felt the living presence

of trees,

the forest that calls to me as deeply

as I breathe,

as though the woods were marrow of my bone

as though

I myself were tree, a breathing, reaching

arc of the larger canopy

beside a brook bubbling to foam

like the one

deep in these woods,

that calls

that whispers home."

Michael S Glaser

I cannot say how much I love this! So beautiful, and very, very relevant.

Living without a refridgerator Challenge - day 1

Yesterday I turned off my refridgerator and today we put it into storage. Milk and cheese have been put into a coolbox with an ice block. I'm no way ready to do without my freezer ( I've moved my freezer from the garage into the fridge space in the kitchen) but living without a refridgerator seems easy to me.
My fridge was always mostly empty and alot of the food in there would be forgotten and go mouldy. I'm hoping now extra portions of food can be cooled quickly and put straight into the freezer rather than sit in the fridge waiting to be transfered - forget - and then find it gone off too late!!!
Most people so far have said I am mad or it can't be done - so begins the challenge - I wonder how it will change the way we live? At least we'll have lower electric bills finding out!!
What do you think? Mad or Genius!!

Happy New Year! Reflections on 2008 and hopes for 2009!!

2008 seems to have sped past in a bit of a blur. Although I am pleased to say it was the year when I began on my small changes to a simpler, greener life. I made small changes around the home to begin the path to greener living..... I changed light bulbs to energy efficient ones, hung a washing line in the garden and planted some vegetables in the back garden composting our kitchen waste. I home cooked most of our meals and we turned vegetarian! I also started on a path back to working life, gaining a student placement at the local primary and training to be a teaching assistant.

Next year I hope to step do more, learning how to be more self sufficient, reducing our outgoings and carbon footprint. I want to make more local friendships, join community projects and teach the children the values of green, simple living.

Some of my goals for this year are:

1. Do without a refridgerator
2. Make our own Dishwashing Liquid
3. Make our own Bread
4. Live Local (focus on local activities, holidays and events)
5. Join a local community group
6. Reduce our carbon footprint
7. Learn how to make clothes for me and children
8. Start another waterbutt
9. Cook outside
10. Harvest grey water for garden
11. Reduce our use of cars and car expenses
12. Save at least £1500
13. Look into solar power
14. Recycle more
15. Shop Locally
16. Teach Paul and children to cook
17. Reduce our Gas and Electric Use
18. Use less water
19. Get a satisfying job after I qualify
20. To make the home warm and welcoming, using more natural products

What are your goals for this year?

Happy Xmas everyone!!!! Life has been hectic, hopefully normal blogging will return in the new year with lots of updates!!
Wishing everyone a happy, peaceful christmas time.

Baby steps to green living....

5 simple ways to go green right now!! Join me in changing the way we live for a greener (and cheaper) future...

1. Eat less meat - I actually learnt this off the kids cbbc website, oops! It costs more and uses more energy to raise 1 kg of meat than 1kg of non meat food (crops etc). Making a change to a few more meat free meals will not only help the environment but your purse too!
We've gone slightly further and gone totally meat free at home now, but make sure you dont just buy meat replacement products, get out your cookbooks and try wholefood recipes, better still grow your own ingredients.

2. Change your lightbulbs - Low energy lightbulbs use less electric and can save you money. We changed our main lights ages ago but never got around to the moredifficult fittings in lamps etc. Tesco have a promotion on instore now for buy one get one free or even £2 bulbs down to 40p each when you buy 5. Lots of different fittings available!!!

3. Save water - Keep a container by the sink to save the water wasted down the plughole whilst you wait for the warm tap to heat up. This can be used later in the day. Fill a jug with the amount of water you need for your cuppa then pour it into the kettle, so you only heat what you need! If you do boil too much pour it into a flask for hot water needed later!!

4. Carry a couple of reuseable bags inside your handbag for unexpected shops and keep some heavy duty bags in your boot for the grocery shop.

5. Thing twice before parting with your money and buying something. Do you really need it? Can the old one be repaired? Can you get it cheaper elsewhere? How much will it cost you in the long run (running cost etc.) I've put off several buys in the last week.
, not replacing one item, fixing another and buying an alternative for the third saving me £15!!


These are all things i've changed or done in the last week, how are you getting greener?

I found this quote today from the book "Better Off" by Eric Brende... on the consumption rebellion blog

The rich man from the North came by one day and saw the southern fisherman sitting, just sitting by the water. This horrified him.
'What are you doing?' he asked.
'I'm sitting,' replied the fisherman.
'Why aren't you out there fishing?'
'I've caught enough fish for one day,' he said.
'Don't you know,' returned the rich man, 'that if you continued, you could earn more money, and with that, buy another boat? With two boats you catch even more fish and pretty soon you'd have a whole fleet of boats. Then you'd be rich like me.'
'What would I do then?' asked the fisherman.
'Then you could really enjoy life.'
Replied the fisherman, 'What do you think I'm doing right now?'"

Doesn't that just sum it all up?