Simplicity in Government

About a week ago, I received my Alaska Voter's Guide in the mail. I always look forward to reading these guides because each candidate has a statement regarding their goals and what they stand for (much more enlightening than all the pointless mud-slinging and gossip that is found in the media). I first read the statements by our presidential candidates. Neither the Republican nor Democratic candidates really said much of anything beyond vague statements that they will bring reform in Washington and fight for our future. Then they listed the "goodies" that they promise to give us, like more free money, health care, alternative energy resources, etc. I was not impressed. So Americans are stuck with choosing the "lesser of two evils" when they cast their vote for president next month. Unless we "waste our vote" on one of those smaller guys who has no chance of winning anyway.

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -John Quincy Adams

Voting for principle and standing alone is what I plan on doing this year. I don't want to waste my vote on a Republican or Democrat. Look what they've done to our country for the last 80 years! I am going to vote for Chuck Baldwin, member of the Constitution Party. He would like to return our country to a limited government based on the Constitution (do you remember that quaint historic document? Apparently all the guys in Washington have forgotten about it). His platform is the only one I've read that talks about any kind of real reform. He wants to bring home our troops from the 130 foreign countries where they are stationed and concentrate on defending our own borders (provide for the common defense). He would work to get rid of the Patriot Act, "free trade" agreements, and all other laws and organizations that limit our freedoms. He would work to end all socialist activity and bring us back to our Constitutional roots. I agree.

A word about socialism: Many people applaud all the various state and federal programs that are meant to help our fellow man with health care, housing, food, etc. I disagree. It's not that I am against social programs in general, I just know that the government is the absolute worst organization to carry out these tasks. I would be surprised if even 1% of our tax money ends up at the intended destination. The other 99% is wasted in overhead costs, corruption, etc. Anyone who works for the government knows that the system is bogged down with extreme waste, inefficiency, political red tape, and too many employees. These social programs should instead be carried out by the groups that are actually good at what they do. I'm talking about churches, private charities, and social organizations like the Lions Club. These groups have always worked to improve communities and provide necessities to those in poverty. They run (mostly) on private donations, donations that could be much larger if the average citizen and business could bring home more of their profits (instead of having their profits stolen by the government). Sure, there would be Scrooge-like people that never donate. And I'm sure there would also be corrupt charities that would con people out of their money without helping the poor. At least donations to these corrupt charities would be optional, whereas the current corrupt government does not give us that option!

Integrated Agriculture

I recently read this article about integrated agriculture being practiced on small farms in Vietnam. The program they use is so fascinating; I find myself thinking about it often. In a nutshell, it is living & farming without waste. For example, grass that grows along the edge of a rice field is fed to cows. The cow manure is not thrown away, it is used to raise earthworms and even to power a methane gas cook stove. The earthworms are used to feed the chickens, and all the manure from all animals eventually goes back to be used as fertilizer in the fields & gardens. Kitchen & garden scraps are used for chicken feed and compost. These are just some of the examples. It is rather like the system that Mother Nature uses. She doesn't ship in supplies from other continents. Nor does she ship garbage out to the dump; every element of life has a purpose and can be used for something.

Now every time I throw something in the garbage, I look at it and think how it could be useful in some way. (Regrettably, life on an island in Alaska is largely without recycling options.) We already save all paper & cardboard to use as fire starter in our wood stove. Glass bottles & jars are useful for storing food & other items, but there comes a point when enough is enough and I have to throw some away! Plastic containers can also have a place, but I don't like them as well and usually just toss them. (I should probably avoid altogether buying food in plastic containers, but then my options are so limited.) Food scraps should of course go to compost, but I am still searching for the perfect barrel to make my own rotating composter (my attempt last winter to save food scraps in a bucket was a miserable failure, too much rain). What other useful things do we throw away? Old clothes & scraps of fabric too small to use also end up in the garbage can. In the old days, they saved pieces of cotton & string to make candle wicks. Cotton & other natural fibers can also go in the compost pile or the burn box.

What about the things that grow in our yard or nearby forests? Do we take advantage of the bounty of nature, or do we ignore the treasures right under our noses and rely on packaged salad mixes from the store? I took the advice of my sister-in-law and went out to harvest some of the dandelion greens that grow in my yard. They make a very healthful addition to salads. You can also make dandelion fritters & dandelion lemonade. We've also been eating the fiddlehead ferns that grow abundantly in our yard, very tasty! While I was outside yesterday gathering greens, I saw the hot air from the dryer exhaust escaping to the great outdoors. It made me feel momentarily guilty, first of all because I haven't installed my clothesline yet. Secondly, I thought, there must be some way to harness that wasted energy of the hot air from the dryer! If farmers in Vietnam can use the methane gas from cow manure to power their cookstove, what's my excuse?

Come back to my blog soon to see my next entry: how I used "garbage" around my house to make a mattress for my toddler!

Blow your Nose, Wipe your Mouth

If you are like most humans in this country, you will always make sure that you have a box of facial tissues and a package of paper napkins in your house at all times. These used to be regular items on my shopping list. I have always been a big user of Kleenex. The box ALWAYS ran out when I had a cold, so I would usually stock up on several boxes. But the paper tissues were rough on my poor nose. Even the ones with added lotion left my nose red and rough from all the wiping. About two years ago I had an "aha!" moment when I decided to use my handkerchiefs (which I already had) instead of facial tissues. I fold up the handkerchiefs and stack them neatly in a decorative wooden bowl on the kitchen counter. Once used, they go in with the dirty towels, kitchen rags, etc. Now if I am having a killer cold and run out of hankies, I don't have to run to the store. I just quickly do a load of laundry. I'm doing laundry all the time anyway, and my handkerchiefs can be easily added to any load I am washing. I have never bought another box of Kleenex and my nose is much happier now.

I have recently been using soft cotton jersey fabric scraps to supplement my storebought hanky collection (small children=lots of noses needing constant wiping). I like these even better because they are softer and more absorbent. I cut them smaller than a regular hanky (an easier size for me to use). And since they are knit, they don't need to be hemmed. A nice soft & thick t-shirt at the thrift store would be perfect for cutting up to start your collection.

Cloth napkins are also a no-brainer solution to paper napkins. Like handkerchiefs, they are small and can be added to any load of laundry. I have collected many napkins at thrift stores, garage sales, etc. I've also stitched up my own from cotton fabric or repurposed tablecloths. My favorite to use are nice thick ones that are almost as thick as a kitchen towel (I made them from a great cotton tablecloth that I found at the thrift store). They are very absorbent & great for scrubbing messy faces or soaking up spilled milk. And they look so much nicer than paper napkins on the dinner table. Don't save your cloth napkins for special occasions, use them for every meal and save the trees instead!

Walking, Biking, Busing

Like most other people, I have been worrying and worrying lately about rising fuel prices. I mentioned to my husband the other day, "are you still going to go to work if the cost of gas to get there is higher than your paycheck?" Then all the sudden it hit me, there are other ways to travel besides our monstrous Jeep Wagoneer that gets 8 miles per gallon (on a good day).

So, I started walking everywhere. I am lucky that I live across the street from our town's shopping center, and have always walked to the grocery store. But church is ten blocks away, and we are always late as it is! But I walked to the church one evening (with Lola in the wrap and Jefferson in the stroller) and it took me 17 minutes. Could I commit to leaving 20 minutes early to get to church by 10 am? Yes. (Last Sunday I walked and I was 5 minutes early, yeah!) I have been walking all over the place now. Besides saving gas money, I already feel better because I am getting more exercise.

Another form of travel is the bicycle. Now, it may seem strange to my father that this hadn't really occurred to me before! He is the shining example to me about not using gas to get to work. He starting biking to work in the 1970s when he noticed he had gained a few pounds. He kept on biking even when he had to ride 13 miles each way in the hot Arizona sun. And he kept on biking in the Minnesota winters when the temperature dropped below zero (with protective clothing and snow tires). And I complain about how to get to the post office that is only 1.5 miles away. So I pulled my bike out of the basement, dusted it off, and made some repairs. We also pulled out our bike trailer (can fit both children, groceries, etc.) and ordered the part we needed to connect the trailer to the bike. All we have to wait for now are the new wheels that my husband ordered for his bike and we will be ready to ride anywhere. Truth be told, we live on an island in Alaska with very limited roadways. We can't drive more that 15 miles in any direction from our house. We have no excuse to use our car! Well, except for the fact that this is the rainiest city in North America (15 feet of rain annually). But for the price of filling up our Jeep a couple times, we could get some really nice rain gear.

The third mode of travel that I hadn't considered was the city bus. Our town is long and skinny running along a highway that hugs the shoreline. In other words, there is nowhere that is more than five blocks from the bus line. And to top it off, there is a major bus stop less than half a block from my house. But I had never thought about riding the bus before. I always just jumped in my car whenever I had to go anywhere, thinking that the bus was for other people, not me. Well, now I've decided the bus is for me. I found out that the month of May was "ride the bus for free month." Wow, I wish I had known that earlier. But even when June starts, I will be able to ride for only one dollar (my children ride for free). Or I can even buy a monthly bus pass for $25.00 (The cost of getting 6 1/2 gallons of gasoline, wow.) We have been riding the bus and my kids love it! I must say that it is easier than taking kids in and out of the car seats. Lola stays in my wrap and Jefferson sits on the seat. The bus will be great to use when it is raining sideways (as frequently happens in the winter).

It has been about 10 days since I have used my car and I feel great about it. I am going to see how long I can go. My other job is to convince my husband to either bike or ride the bus to his work (less than 2 miles away). Don't be such a wimp, Chris!

Give cloth diapers a chance!

Etsy Buy Handmade EtsyClothDiapers

Everyone who knows me knows that cloth diapering is my pet issue. I could go on and on for hours about this, so I will be very brief.

Even if you don't have a baby in diapers, disposable diapers affect us all since they make up such a HUGE percentage of our landfills. They also use natural resources that are just thrown away after being worn for a few hours. The rumor spread around by proctor & gamble that cloth diapers are just as bad on the environment as disposables was some seriously twisted corporate propeganda. Be informed on the subject so you can tell your friends.

Not only are cloth diapers better for the environment, they are better for your baby. Rashes and other health problems are MUCH higher with babies that wear paper & plastic diapers. Not to mention all those mega-absorbent chemicals that shouldn't be anywhere near the reproductive parts of a baby.

Cloth diapers are also WAY CHEAPER than disposables, even if you add in laundry costs. Add up the costs over a 3-year diapering period and you will be amazed. Not to mention that those cloth diapers can be used on your next child, diapering for free!

And finally, cloth diapers are so cute! I get the shivers every time I see a baby that is afflicted with an icky disposable diaper. If you are thinking of prefolds, pins, & plastic pants, look around online to see the kinds of cloth diapers moms are using on their babies today. The choices are endless!

For more information, look at my Boise Cloth Diapers website. It has everything you would want to know about cloth diapers, including how to sew your own stash.

To shop for beautiful handmade cloth diapers & covers, go to www.etsyclothdiapers.com. There you can browse through more than a hundred different shops.

Cosmetic Safety Database

Today's post is a follow up to Monday's entry about SLS & soap. I found this really cool website today called Skin Deep. It is a cosmetic safety database run by researchers at the Environmental Working Group. In their searchable database, you can look up any type of cosmetic (shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, etc.), brand, or even specific ingredients. They give each product a "hazard score" from 0-10 based on the chemical makeup and their knowledge and research of its effects on your health. And they give you details of what the specific hazards are with each product or ingredient (cancer, reproductive toxicity, etc.) Pretty cool! This is an easy place to look up any product or ingredient I am wondering about. And darn, it looks like I need to find a new deodorant.

One thing that surprised me was that the Body Shop products are some of the most toxic things out there! And they always seem so natural and environmentally friendly the way they are advertised. Boy, they had me fooled. And watch out, a lot of baby products are also really toxic.

This is a great resource for someone like me that doesn't speak "scientist" and doesn't know what all those ingredients are or what they do. They've done all the research for us.

Wrap your baby

I just want to say that I really love my baby wrap carrier! I just went on a long, long walk today with my two children (the three-year-old was walking/in the stroller, one-year-old in the wrap) and the baby was so easy to carry. I'm not sore anywhere! Wraps are amazing because they distribute the weight across both shoulders, your back and your waist/hips. I was afraid for a long time to use a wrap because they looked so complicated to tie. I really wanted an Ergo baby carrier because they have such good reviews, but they cost $90 each (not spending that much anytime soon!). I used ring slings a lot with both my children. Those are great when the baby is small or the walk is short. Otherwise they really start to pull down on one shoulder and hurt my back. I knew that a wrap carrier would distribute the weight better, but they were too hard to use (I thought).

Finally it dawned on me that using a wrap couldn't be more complicated than a structured carrier where you have to figure out all the different buckles and straps. So I made a wrap, tried it on, and wow, it was easy! I followed the directions for the front wrap cross carry on the Wrap Your Baby website. I haven't tried any others yet since I like this one so much (and I've already learned how to do it), but there are dozens of different ways to tie these wraps. You could probably even make up your own way.

The best part about the wrap baby carrier is the cost. To make mine, I bought five yards of jersey knit fabric (from the dollar bargain fabric bin), cut it to a strip about 30 inches wide, and hemmed the edges. It cost me five dollars, and there was enough fabric left over to make a second wrap. Instead I used some of the extra fabric to make a nice drawstring bag to contain the wrap when not in use.

You can even make your own no-sew wrap. If you use a knit (stretchy fabric) like jersey or fleece, you don't have to hem it. Just cut a piece that is five yards by 30 inches, that's all you need. If you don't want to make your own, there are plenty of places to buy one online. Try Etsy.com or just google "baby wrap carrier". And don't be afraid of tying the wrap, you will be pleasantly surprised when you see how easy & comfy it is.

To learn more about why baby wearing is so good for you & your baby, visit The Baby Wearer.

I hate plastic shopping bags!

I'll never forget the time that I was really pregnant with my first and went shopping for some essentials. I decided to buy the really big & economical super huge jar of strawberry jam. But when I was bringing the groceries in, the plastic bag ripped open and the jar fell and crashed on the sidewalk. You can only imagine the flood of tears that followed this tragedy!

Don't let this happen to you! You can save your jam, your sanity, and your planet by using useful canvas shopping totes. That's what I use now and I will never go back to plastic. Paper and plastic shopping bags are offered free at almost every retail store, but many stores will offer a credit of five or ten cents for each bag that you bring in to reuse. Even if you don't get that five-cent credit, using your own shopping bags is more convenient. "Wait," you ask, "how is it convenient to haul around dozens of canvas bags every time I go grocery shopping?" I'll tell you. Reusable bags are stronger and therefore will hold more than a disposable bag. I cram my shopping bags full of groceries; a ten-bag trip for most people is only a two or three-bag trip for me. I make fewer trips to haul my groceries in and out of the car. And my canvas shopping bags are easier to carry (great for when I walk to the store). Instead of plastic handles that cut into my hand, these bags have nice long fabric straps that I throw over my shoulder.

Now my growing pile of plastic shopping bags under the sink grows much more slowly (I'm still trying to teach my husband to take the bags every time he goes shopping). I frequently bundle up extra plastic bags to take to the bag recycling drop at some grocery stores, or I drop them off at a thrift store that will re-use them. But neither one of those options is convenient. I know that's why some people shamelessly throw away every plastic bag that enters their home (that means their trash fills up sooner and they have to take the garbage out more often). Don't let yourself be shameless with single-use shopping bags! You probably have some nice tote bags lying around your house that would work great for shopping. You could also make your own tote bags or buy some at the thrift store. Or visit ReusableBags.com for all kinds of handy shopping bags. Their site also has lots of facts and figures about the world-wide problem of single-use shopping bags. Or visit my favorite website: Etsy.com and browse through thousands of beautiful handmade shopping totes. Go grocery shopping in style!

Now that I have gathered a collection of bags, I hang them on a hook by my front door so I will remember to bring them with me when I go shopping. I try to stash a couple in my car to use for unplanned shopping trips. And if I am purchasing just one or two items that I can easily carry, I just say "I don't need a bag." (The cashier looks up in amazement as she tries to stuff a 99-cent paper-wrapped burger into a paper bag. "I'm just going to eat it," I explain.)

Besides being more convenient, reusable shopping bags help me sleep better at night because I know that I am doing my part to save the earth!

Ditch the Toilet Paper, It's time for something better!

Cavemen probably just used their hands, then one of them had the bright idea of using a banana leaf to keep his hands clean. Eventually Americans advanced to using a page of the Sears Catalog instead of the leaf. In the modern day, we are so advanced that we use . . . (drum roll) . . . Toilet Paper! Hey, exactly how is toilet paper any better than the first banana leaf? Well, they sell it at the grocery store and it comes in large rolls. But as far as getting you clean, it's not much better than the leaf or the catalog page. I'm sure you know what I mean. Have you ever wished for something better?

I know many people who use what they call "family cloth" or "cloth wipes" instead of toilet paper. The cloth works much better than paper, trust me! If you ever go to someone's house that has a stack of old washcloths or cut up t-shirts on the back of their toilet, they are using cloth. If you wet the cloth in the sink before you wipe, it works even better. They collect the wipes in a small bag or can near the toilet and wash them once or twice a week. No more toilet paper!

If you have ever traveled abroad to the right countries, you might be familiar with a bidet. We have them in the U.S. too, but most people here think that bidets are silly. Why? Because they've never used one. If they did, then I'm sure that they'd never go back. I myself am in the "I'll never go back to T.P." club. You don't have to install a bidet in your bathroom to experience the cleanliness. You can install a toilet seat bidet that does the same job right on the toilet. We installed a diaper sprayer to clean out the cloth diapers, and found that it worked well as a bidet also. It cost about $35, but you could probably make one for even less with parts from the hardware store. I use the sprayer every time I use the toilet, then dry off with the wipes that I mentioned above. The used wipe is only as dirty as my bath towel (just slightly wet). We drop those in the diaper pail to get washed with the diapers. When all my kids are out of diapers, I'll just wash the wipes with the bath towels. It's so easy.

My husband was at first reluctant to try the sprayer, but now he is in the club too. I catch him all the time explaining the benefits to friends and family. If you were to help me wash and fold the family underwear load, you would be a witness that we are clean everywhere! Not only are we cleaner than the average bear, we are saving money because we don't buy toilet paper anymore. Okay, we still have some T.P. in the house for the benefit of concerned guests, but four rolls will easily last us six months or more! Of course we are also conserving natural resources (trees) by not using the paper. And we are making the guys at the sewage treatment plant happy by not dumping all that paper in our toilet. This is a win, win, win situation, and I urge you to try it for yourself!

Soap without Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

My most recent "project" for making a healthier family is to get rid of sodium lauryl sulfate in our personal care products. This quest started when my toddler asked me for bubbles in his bath. I wandered down to the grocery store to pick up some bubble bath, but something about the look of Mr. Bubble on the pink bottle made me pause and read the ingredients on the label. I'm sure you've seen these same ingredients on the back of your shampoo bottle, the long list of . . . what is this stuff anyway? If I don't know know what it is, why should I put it in my child's bath? I have often wondered about the ingredients in our soap, shampoo, and conditioner. In the past I have just shrugged and assumed that the soap companies are the experts and they must know what they are doing.

I decided to try the "organic & natural foods" aisle at the store to see what they had to offer. I picked up a bottle of body wash and looked at the ingredients. Hey, this has a lot of the same stuff! Sure, they have some additions of natural good-for-you ingredients like essential oils and honey, but what about all these chemicals that I can't pronounce?

I finally decided it was time to do some research on the subject. I went home and did some reading on the internet about sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate (SLS) (the main ingredient in most of our soaps). I learned that this is a cheap detergent that causes skin & hair irritations and may even cause hair loss & other health problems. Simply put, it is a chemical detergent that harshly strips your body of its natural oils. There was even a rumor that SLS is a cancer-causing agent, but that seems to be somewhat of an urban legend. Cancer or not, it is obvious that SLS is not good for your body. Common sense tells me that a chemical detergent that is good for cleaning oil off my driveway is not what I want to use for cleaning my skin or hair.

What about all the other strange ingredients in our soap? I haven't taken the time to google all of the other chemicals, but I do know that our personal care products usually contain preservatives and artificial colors (why do we need colored shampoo & lotion??) that aren't good for you either. I want some skin-care products that are going to clean me without any weird side effects.

Reading about SLS was enlightening to me because it validated the baking soda & cider vinegar system I have been using to wash my hair for almost two years now. In my past, I was probably the worlds biggest consumer of hair conditioner. Once I quit using shampoo, I suddenly didn't need conditioner anymore. Now I realize it was probably the SLS (and other things) in shampoo that was wreaking havoc on my hair and keeping it addicted to the conditioner. The conditioner in turn made my hair more greasy so I had to wash more often with more shampoo, it was a vicious cycle! Anyway, I quit using shampoo, but my husband hasn't been willing yet to try the baking soda method on his hair. I also found it difficult to use on my children (vinegar in my baby's eyes, yikes!).

So what are the alternatives to SLS? and where can I find them? Well, you can make your own soap. This has always been an interest of mine, but I haven't found the time and energy to start this project yet. So I turned to the next best thing to making your own stuff: Etsy.com, the online market place for handmade crafts. Just browse their Bath & Beauty section to find natural alternatives to any potion you could use in the bathroom. I first found a shampoo bar (added bonus of a bar: less garbage in the landfill because it doesn't come in a bottle) and read the list of ingredients: Saponified oils of olive, castor, palm, coconut, sweet almond, camelia, jojoba and shea butter, dead sea mud, kelp, and essential oils. Wow, that's more like it! (Just because it is handmade doesn't mean that it is natural! Make sure you always read or ask for a list of ingredients when shopping for handmade soaps.) According to their description, using a shampoo bar will most likely mean that you won't need conditioner because your hair will be clean without being stripped of its natural goodness. If you find that you still need conditioner for your hair, you can find those on Etsy too (leave-in conditioners are great). Or make your own leave-in conditioner by rubbing a tiny drop of essential or olive oil through your hair. Just a tiny drop! A little bottle goes a long way.

I've also found on Etsy natural bars of soap that replace my bottles of body wash and hand wash. I got some wonderful bubble bath for my toddler from Morning Star. If you use face wash, you can find natural alternatives that will leave your skin so soft that you might not need moisurizer anymore. I have been using my own concoction of 1 part baking soda mixed with one part ground rice or rice flour to wash my face. You can also add some dried herbs or lemon rind to this mixture. I put a small amount in my hand, mix with water to make a paste, and then scrub my face. It works so wonderfully that I have thrown out all the dozens of facial care potions & moisturizers that I have collected and tried over the years.

If you browse through the listings on Etsy, you might say to yourself, "okay, these handmade soaps and things are great for rich people, but all I can afford are the $1.50 bottles of Suave." I live on a tight budget too and have the same concerns! But consider that using these natural soaps will most likely mean that you won't need to spend money on conditioner & lotions anymore. You can also save even more money by using a combination shampoo/body bar. Imagine taking a shower where all you need is one bar of soap instead of all those bottles of stuff!

Another suggestion is to search out a local provider of handmade soaps. Many sellers on Etsy list their location; you might find someone in your own town that will let you do a local pickup to save the shipping costs. Also try browsing through local farmers markets and art fairs; you'll probably find someone in your own neighborhood that makes & sells soap. I was at a local art fair here in Ketchikan and found Debbie of Alaska Lather. Now whenever I need soap, I call her and she lets me browse through her basement filled with her huge stock of wonderful soaps & body creams. I can't explain how wonderful it feels to buy something I need directly from the local artist instead of buying something from Walmart that was made in China! But best of all is the feeling I get when I bathe myself or my children with soap that is natural & good for the skin.

For additional reading, please look at the FAQ Page at Mountain Sky Handcrafted Natural Soap. It has some very enlightening information about the differences between handcrafted soap and the soap made by large companies.

Welcome to my new blog!

I decided to start a blog. Maybe this is a bad idea (it's not exactly like I have a lot of spare time). Sometimes I have so many ideas in my head that I need to get out where people will read them. Ideas for how to live a more simple life, a life more in harmony with nature and the way God made us. A life more like it should be, not just the way everyone else lives their life. A life that is based on good ideas and truth, not a life dictated by convention and the media. I need a life that includes more nutrition, more natural alternatives, more conservation, more beauty. I need a life with less disposable trash, less chemicals, less pollution, less clutter. I think we all, as humans, need the same things. But I get so overwhelmed when I think about all the things that need to change; how can I start? My world is filled with so many plastics, chemicals, junk food, disposables, petroleum products, and the list goes on and on. And it always seems like the "green" alternative costs AT LEAST twice as much. And is so much harder to find. Sometimes it seems like only the super rich can afford to eat organic food, wear organic clothing, and drive their electric cars home to their environmentally-friendly house. And I'm not super rich!

So what can I do? I've decided I can only do one thing at a time. I get ideas from different places, do some research, and decide what I can do to change that one thing in my life. One thing at a time. And I will emphasize things I can do that save money. Being environmentally & natural-minded doesn't have to be so expensive or difficult. God gave us the earth and everything in it for our benefit. We shouldn't have to pay more to get the natural alternative. So as I study and search out different options to make my life more simple, I will try to share them with you too!