A Greener Home

I think that you would agree with me when I say we all want to make our homes "greener". I think what holds many of us back from going the "green route" is money.  (Well, for me it is!)  So, when I ran across these two great "green your house" suggestions that don't take a lot of money, I thought I would share them. If these are things you already do, good job! But if you don't (like me), maybe you will think about starting!

Suggestion #1: Start a compost pile, bin, or box
Your only cost for this project might be the cost of a bin (if you choose to purchase one) or the wood to create your own bin. Other than that, you might need to train yourself in a new routine for handling compostable kitchen scraps (i.e. "don't put compostable kitchen scraps in the garbage can!"). Maybe a plastic mini trash can or plastic bag next to your sink is what you can use to collect your compostable kitchen scraps. Whatever it is, keep it close to the sink - the more convenient it is to access, the more likely you are to use it!

Getting started
Choose a container that's made of wood (or another sturdy material) that is not smaller than 3 feet by 3 feet. Place it in your yard in a shady spot that has good drainage.

Start adding waste in the ratio of three "browns" to one "green". Browns include carbon-rich material such as straw, leaves, branches and wood chips. Greens are nitrogen rich and include grass clippings and kitchen scraps like eggshells, carrot tops, and that gross wilting lettuce you forgot you had in the back of your crisper.

When you add new material, dig a whole in the middle so the new stuff is coated with the old mixture.

Maintaining the pile
Composting is a smelly process. You're breaking down food and waste, after all, but it should be so offensive that your neighbors complain. If you notice a stench, make sure you have enough "browns" in the pile. Moisture could also be the culprit. Grab a handful - it should feel like a rung-out sponge (about 50 to 60 percent moisture). If it's too dry, let the rain even it out; if it's too wet, add a few more browns.

When it's ready
When it's ready to be used, which could take a couple months to a year, compost looks and smells like very dark soil. If you are unsure, put a handful in a plastic baggie. Sniff before sealing. Then, place the bag in a drawer for a few days.  When you take the baggie out, it should smell the same as it did before. If it smells worse, it needs more time.

(The story is quoted/paraphrased from here http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/22/composting/index.html?iref=newssearch.)

Suggestion #2: Make your own green, nontoxic household cleaners
This might sound time consuming and radical at first, but after reading this article, it seems cheaper and easier than I expected! Your start-up costs might be buying some of the ingredients and a few new plastic bottles/containers.  To be uber-green, use recycled cleaner containers...just be sure and clean them out really well!

Here is the fabulous story...and recipes for 36, I repeat 36, different household cleaners. They have included everything from an all-purpose spray to drain cleaner to carpet stain remover to powder laundry detergent to air freshener and toilet bowl cleaner!

http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/10/clean-up-your-act-all-natural-homemade-cleaners/

I hope this inspires you to mix up a few for yourself!  Who knew that microwaving 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of vinegar on high for 3-4 minutes would clean your microwave! (Well, you do have to wipe it down.)

I hope you enjoyed these two suggestions for going green cheaply! I know that it's made me want to start composting and mixing up my own cleaners!  Once I do, I promise to post about them - hold me to it!!

Our ongoing side project

Make that ongoing outside project!

It's obvious from previous pictures that our landscaping is a wee-bit overgrown.  Well, not long after we moved in, Mark took on the grass and mowed, which actually made a world of difference, but there is much, much more to be done.

Grabbing some gloves and my handy pruners, I first tackled the 8' rhododendron in our front yard and then the ... bushy tree thing next to it. You can kind of see our first brush pile building up behind it.

The bushy tree thing next to it took forever to prune!  There were so many dead branches underneath (and still are) and they were all super skinny and you didn't know where they connected - ahhh - it was the worst!  Anyway, we then tacked the Tarzan vines that entwined one of our fir trees out front.

You can still see what we couldn't reach without a ladder. Those things are tough! (Check out growing brush pile #2!) We're going to have to get out a really tall ladder to finish off those vines.

This evening we started in on the sticker bushes that were surrounding the 5 or so mailboxes at the end of our driveway. Despite a few sticks (Mark got one right in the neck!), we managed to come out on top and removed most of them. They really don't stand a chance against me and my trusty pruners!

Underneath everything, we found a beautiful Japanese maple!  It's actually pretty huge and was getting overtaken by those pesky sticker bushes...but we took care of that problem (see scary photo of me above). Now we only have to remove some Ponderosa Pine branches above it so that it gets a wee bit more light and then it will actually be visible to us and people who drive by! (Sorry for the dark picture.)

A little down, a lot more to go, but it's looking better all the time!

Finally!

What you've all been waiting for...PICTURES!

Let's start with the outside...

Front of our house...left side.

Front of our house (left side)...another view.

Covered, overgrown, and ugly back porch.

Front of our house (right side).

Another overgrown backyard view.

Our awesome front door + window.

As you can see, things are pretty overgrown, outdated, and just plain ugly!  But we think this house has a good...foundation...so that's something!!  No, I'm joking. It's got good bones and I think we can really make it shine. It's just going to take a lot of time and money and money and time. Oh. And hard work.

And now for some fabulously terrifying interior pictures...

An inside shot of our very cool door.

Mark in front of our huge living room windows.

Another view of our great room.

(Something in this picture became our first remodel project!)

Kitchen. Cool windows. Yellow sink.

Dining nook. Those curtains are already gone.

Andrea's apartment...I mean part of our basement.

So, there is a small glimpse of our huge new-to-us house! I decided not to bore you with about 1,000 square feet of cement-floored basement, three boring bedrooms...actually, one is all wood and quite fabulous:

and two bathrooms. Actually, one of those is pretty photo-worthy too:

You may be thinking...are you sure that is a bathroom? Could it be an entrance to a saloon? (Check out the swinging door...that doesn't go all the way to the top or bottom!)  I promise this interior outhouse is an actual bathroom - complete with working toilet and shower stall! You may ask, where do you wash your hands?  My only answer is, the shower, of course!

We have so many projects ahead of us, we decided to start one that we would actually be able to finish within a week. My next big post will be about that amazing transformation. Prepare yourself to be shocked and amazed!