We're On Our Way!

Moving day is Monday, and we're frantically trying to get stuff done before then! Pulled up some very old wallpaper in a bedroom that will eventually be Jem's, now I have to strip off the glue and apply zero-VOC primer and paint (Olympic brand). We'll use the same cream-colored paint ("crescent moon") that we're using for the half-wall my hubby and uncle built in the living room so that we don't waste any, and a little sample can of a pretty deep blue for the window trim.

Turns out some of the Freecycled furniture we picked up will need some steam cleaning, and one of them will probably need de-mildewing...ugh. I'm hoping  it isn't so bad that we need to get rid of it...it's a sofa bed and was a pain to transport! We'll definitely be getting a new mattress for it, but hopefully the musty smell is just coming from the upholstery and not the fill!

Hubby started a compost pile in the backyard with grass clippings (bought himself an electric mower), in some kind of chicken wire pen the previous owners left behind (for all I know they used it for the same thing). I'm wondering if it can be used for vermicomposting... I have to read up on it, but I'm afraid the worms would escape. Hubby thinks they'd stick around for the steady food supply. Anybody have any insight? We used to use a Rubbermaid bin to keep the worms in and the sunlight out, which we'll probably still have to do during the winter!

Back here in our apartment, I have discovered you can clean an oven fairly effectively with baking soda and vinegar, then a second scrub with blue Dawn. It's not perfect, but it should keep the management happy when we move out. :-) Cleaning out the closets has produced a plethora of items for our Freecycle bin. It feels good getting rid of some of the clutter!

Very excited to move into our new home! Once we're all moved in, we'll be hitting the consignment shops for the last few pieces of furniture we need (mostly shelving). And I can't wait for the new washing machine to arrive!

All in all, I am one happy little homemaker. :-) Hope everyone had a happy Tuesday!

It's Official!

On Tuesday, my hubby and I officially became homeowners! Woo-hoo! I am so excited to get the house ready for move-in day. And of course I'm looking forward to all of the great greening we'll be able to do that we haven't been able to do in the apartment community we're currently in. Figured I'd make a little "Green To-Do List" to help keep my eye on the ball!

1) Paint any areas that must be painted with non-VOC paint. VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are gasses emitted from paint and other household chemicals and are a major source of indoor air pollution and a contributor to asthma and other childhood respiratory problems.

2) Seal the deck with an eco-friendly, VOC-free sealant to limit Jem's exposure to the pesticide-treated wood.

3) Pick up secondhand furniture and wall-to-wall carpeting from Freecyclers. :-) Thank you, fellow Freecyclers!

4) Install HE washer and dryer (I'm thinking of a Fisher & Paykel AquaSmart washer, I hear it's a good one for cloth diapers...any thoughts? I really want to keep using a top-loader!)

5) Make a vermicomposting bin and buy some red wigglers (we had one in our previous apartment but the landlord tossed it on the curb for trash pickup...English wasn't his first language and he didn't understand our label "Compost." Bye bye worms!)

6) Put a bucket under the faucet in the shower to catch access water to use for flushing toilets and cleaning.

7) Install a rain barrel to water indoor and outdoor plants.

8) Plant some fruit trees and start a container garden (someday I might have a backyard garden, but I've never had one before and you have to start somewhere!) I'm also seriously considering planting a soap nut tree. Apparently you can grow them here! It might take a couple of decades to bear fruit, but how cool would it be to have organic laundry detergent growing in your own backyard!

Eventually we also want to install solar panels, but that might take a few years to accomplish!  Do you have any other great green suggestions we could try in our new home?

Where'd you get that cool plastic toy?

In my home, the answer to this will usually be either "It was a gift" or "We got it from Freecycle." The larger the item, the greater the likelihood of such an answer.  After all I've read about the toxins produced and dispersed into the atmosphere during the production of plastic products, I try as hard as I can not to contribute to further production waste, and that means getting plastic items secondhand when we need/want them.  As an added perk, we also get to keep someone else's "trash" out of the landfills!  We also ask our family members to only buy Jem wood or stainless steel toys (you know, for Christmas and other special occasions) or to get them secondhand. So far they've been wonderfully cooperative!

Here are a few of the items we've found on Freecycle.  I'd say that so far we've saved several hundred dollars this way - talk about an added perk! Sorry about the poor picture quality, I can't seem to find the camera, and my cell phone camera is not exactly the greatest substitute...

 This exersaucer is in excellent shape! A little vinegar and it was clean as new.

Save $40-50 dollars on a Bumbo that's in new condition without the excess packaging? Yes, please.

These giant Brik "legos" sure are fun to knock over after Mommy builds a tower with them!

Little Tikes Country Kitchen.  Missing a few things - the fruit bin, dishwasher basket and phone - but all Jem really wants to do at this point is open and close the doors anyway!  It was quite a mess the day we got it, but we left Grandma to babysit and by the time we came home she'd given it a good vinegar scrub, and now it looks almost new!

Jem likes to run over mommy's feet in his walker.  He's really good at getting through doorways, over carpets and around corners.  Best part is that it folds up for easy transportation.

I have no idea what this toy is supposed to be, the people who gave us the exersaucer and the walker threw it in when my husband went to pick them up.  Some kind of standing entertainment center is my best guess, but the supports that help keep it upright are missing, as are some of the pieces on its face.  Jem doesn't care, it still lights up and plays music just fine.  I took two of the legs off so he wouldn't try to pull himself up on it and topple over.  As you can see, I had trouble pulling him away when I took the picture.

Okay, this isn't plastic.  It also wasn't from Freecycle, it was an $80 purchase from Craigslist. But considering what it was originally worth and the great shape it's in, plus how much more comfortable it is than similar models I tried out brand new in stores... It was a steal and I was happy to give it a new home.  It also came with an ottoman which we are no longer using.