Now that the weather is warming up, it is time to start your garden. Wouldn’t it be great if you could get your children involved in the gardening process? It’s much easier than you may think and it’s a great activity that your family can do together, bonding at the same time. Regardless of age, there is something for everyone when it comes to gardening, we promise your kids will love digging, planting, and tending the garden, too. You can learn my favorite ways to incorporate gardening into your family’s daily lifestyle and how to grow something much better than a garden as well – your family bond.
Recycling is a simple way for consumers to help the environment by taking a product that has reached the end of it’s useful life and transforming it into another product. Recycling helps to preserve valuable resources and is essential for the health of our environment and communities.
Many of you probably are already utilizing curbside recycling bins for household paper, glass, aluminum, and plastic recycling. However, recycling goes well beyond the curb — there are recycling services available for an array of other common household products from electronics and prescriptions to automotive parts and hazardous waste.
This month at Cascadian Farm, learn how to find recycling facilities in your area for products that have reached their end of life and that you aren’t sure how to dispose of properly.
Most of our furniture is made from a rustic wood – pieces that we purchased when we were first married and living in Salt Lake City. The great thing about rustic wooden pieces is that when you move back and forth across the country three times, the furniture looks the same. Yay! for rustic wood. However, after almost 13 years with the same furniture, I am ready for a change. I don’t want to sell the pieces because they are well made, I love them and I think it is more eco-friendly to work with what you already have.
The solution: we have decided to stain them a darker, more modern color. I have to admit I am a little scared. This isn’t the first time that I have suggested staining the furniture, only to chicken out at the last minute and leave it alone.
What are your thoughts? Do you think the furniture will look better a darker color? Or should I stain only certain pieces and leave the others the natural color? To give you an idea of what I am working with, here is a list of the pieces that I have; a buffet (seen above), large chest,end tables, (first picture) bar stools, dining room set (that we haven’t used in ages) head board, bookcase, armoire, to night stands, dresser, desk, and a decorative shelf. I would appreciate your feedback because Mr. Sweet Greens is getting anxious and wants to start staining away.
Eben has a fantastic bed – it is a bunk bed + desk combination from Ikea. We have had it since he was old enough to sleep in his own bed and it is the perfect solution for small spaces. The problem: he is now 10 and wants a bed that is lower to the ground because he wants Noodles and Lilly to sleep with him. (That should be interesting!) This is the solution that we have come up with: Mr. Sweet Greens is going to use an electric saw to cut the bed legs down to a regular bed height (maybe lower). We plan to use large bins underneath the bed for storage. Then, Mr. Sweet Greens is going to add three more legs to the desk portion and repurpose the bookshelf that is above the desk as a wall shelf. This way Eben will still have a desk, shelving and a bed that is lower to the ground. Thoughts?
What do you think? Will it work? Will it look weird? Would you consider cutting apart your furniture to make something new? Do you have any ideas of how I could repurpose the ladder?
It’s always nice to freshen up your home right in time for summer. However, buying new things to brighten up your home isn’t exactly eco-friendly. You can spruce up your home with very little impact on the environment and without breaking the bank. You have heard of the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle); read my seven Rs for freshening up your home. Then lay back, relax, and enjoy the summer to come in your “new” space.
Now that the weather is warming up, it is time to start your garden. Wouldn’t it be great if you could get your children involved in the gardening process? It’s much easier than you may think and it’s a great activity that your family can do together, bonding at the same time. Regardless of age, there is something for everyone when it comes to gardening, we promise your kids will love digging, planting, and tending the garden, too. You can learn my favorite ways to incorporate gardening into your family’s daily lifestyle and how to grow something much better than a garden as well – your family bond.
