Tuesday, Some things I have been working on.

     I have been experimenting with things that will make my kitchen  I guess more or less "green".  It is not that I am that concerned about the environment as a passion, I just must have been born green.  I have always been one to recycle, reuse, cut down and re-purpose, I guess I saw it as a challenge.  Anyway here are some bowl  and cake pan covers I made.  Some are plastic and some are cloth.  They can all be washed in the machine and the plastic dried on the clothesline. The nice thing is I was able to get this piece of clothe for .10 cents at a thrift store, I had bias tape and elastic so not much $ outlay.  I have enough plastic material to make at least 15 more of these.   You can get boxes of 20 disposable bowl covers at the dollar store and I love them but the mill rate is so low on the plastic they can't be reused.  I will never completely eliminate saran wrap but this will sure cut down on the use of it.  Plus I fight with plastic wrap, it hates me and it clings to itself and I get so frustrated with it at times.  Also do you see my new composting bucket for chicken scraps?  It was a Christmas gift and I love it.  Usually there was an unsightly bowl on the counter waiting to be taken out to the coop.

I also wanted to switch out my Fiesta ware for my grandmothers Fransican ware dishes.  I loved the Fiesta ware but it was very heavy and with the arthritis in my hands and wrists getting so bad I was having trouble with many of the larger items.  Even the dinner plates were getting dropped.  So I needed to switch to lighter dishes.  The Fiesta went to my youngest daughter.  I also disliked the remnant I had pulled from my stash 2 years ago to make valances for the Kitchen. I think I was just so desperate to get something done in the mess.  Anyway I switched the fabric in my kitchen out with new of course on 75% off at Joanns.  I think it goes well with the dishes and just adds a pop of color to a very  BLUE space.

I like the contrast of the blue and white with the brighter fabric.

 I moved most of the flow blue to the dining side of the kitchen.  Now I just have to make new napkins and I already have the material.  We have used cloth napkins for as long as I can remember.  But after a few years they get a grease smell and need to be tossed. You can't see the chair pads but I just recovered the old ones.

I have been working on wax wraps but the ones I made earlier need to be tied or need a rubber band to secure them.  I also noticed that they don't keep out air as the block of cheese I covered was hard at the end.  So back to the drawing board.  I think I have the problem worked out now I just have to implement the new design.  Pictures to come!

I have seen we sites that show the elimination of paper towel.  I did not buy paper towels for years.  It was just one of the things you can eliminate when you have next to nothing to spend.  I did not miss them.  My extended family would complain when they would come and buy a few rolls, but after things have become easier I succumbed.  As old habits die hard I can keep a roll of paper towels for months.  I just use a sponge, or a rag.  Paper towel is for grease clean up and disgusting things like chicken blood.  See the pretty new cover on an old potholder?  It just brightens up the kitchen.





I can take a project off my list finally, the dishes have been switched and the kitchen revamped.

Yesterday ,Hub's and I took our large expensive area rug from the front room down to be dry cleaned.  Our dog in her last few days was not so kind to this rug.  But it had to be cleaned and Sissie is coming so I had better get to work, she is a spotless housekeeper and ultra organized, I am a true slob at heart.  The two bedrooms and the upstairs bathrooms are really scuzzy.

I might be able to get to them today after I get my sewing in the shop done.  Oh and dinner coked for my old neighbor who just got out of the hospital with double pneumonia.

So if you want to eliminate waste in the kitchen :

• quit buying disposable containers and go to jars and left over containers from cheese and things.
• reduce paper towel usage as much as possible, or look on the net to make reusable paper towels.  
• Go to cloth napkins and wash them
• Use reusable covers that can be washed for cake pans and bowls and leftovers.
• Wax wraps are wonderful and so easy to use (at least the one I paid $8 for *ugh*) But I have not been stymied, I will master this skill.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim