my recycled feed-bag totes!

my husband bought me a sewing machine last christmas and i finally have it up and running! i have a few feed bags that i have been saving because i wanted to try to make a recycled tote. i haven't used a sewing machine since home-ec in junior high! so my stiches aren't perfect, but i can live with it! these feed bags are made of very strong plastic and are perfect for groceries...plus i love the animal pictures!

- cut the top & bottom of the feed sack off, clean the outside and inside of sack with water or lysol wipe
- turn inside-out
- decide where you want the center of your tote to be...trim extra off
- sew 1 inch hem around top of tote
- i made a squared bottom, but you could close the bottom however you wanted
- attach handles

thrifty tip: ways to re-use a scoop...

i am always thinking of new uses for items that would normally be thrown away...when you buy iced tea mix, or infant formula you get a plastic measuring scoop inside. i love these little scoops! the iced tea or drink mix scoop equals to about 1/4 cup and the infant formula equals to about a tablespoon.

~ keep a scoop with your flour and granulated sugar for easy use when cooking.
~ the 1/4 cup scoop is perfect for measuring out pancake batter.
~ use the smaller scoop to measure coffee grinds into your coffee maker.
~ measure out powdered laundry detergent.

fuzzibunz update!

well...i have been gradually making the switch from disposable diapers to fuzzibunz cloth diapers  http://www.fuzzibunz.com/! i started by just using the fuzzibunz during the day, and then just using a disposable diaper for bedtime/ overnight. just by doing that, i have saved lots of money & diapers! the fuzzibunz are great...however, if you have the money, i would recommend you buying them brand new. i bought 4 gently used on ebay...and while they still work fine, the fleece layer looses its ability to wick away moisture, the more times its washed. next, is inserts... when you buy a fuzzibunz diaper new, you get 1 insert. i have found that you need ALOT more than that! another good purchase would be two wet bags...one large one for home and one travel size for the diaper bag. these bags are completely leak-proof and washable...when it is time to wash your diapers, you just throw the bags in too. fuzzibunz sells the wet bags on their website, but you could even find handmade ones or cheaper non-name-brand ones.  i have been washing with rockin' green cloth diaper detergent...
http://rockingreensoap.com/ ...and while it may be a little pricey, one bag equals something like 95 loads, and it smells AWESOME! so in conclusion, i am going to keep on doing the fuzzibunz thing...even though, my mom insists im crazy for wanting to wash poopy diapers :)

fuzzi bunz!!

mostly an effort to save money. but, i also love the idea of not filling the planet up with dirty diapers...i am going to give "fuzzi bunz " a try!! i found 4 gently used fuzzi bunz on ebay...brand new they are about $17.00 a piece, i bought them for only $5.00 a piece. i also found a woman on ebay that makes her own inserts for the diapers, with adorable prints and extra padding! the idea is to change the insert as you would change the whole disposable diaper. they also come in bright colors that i love!! boo is my third child...so i'm a little late jumping on the cloth diaper bandwagon...better late than never. also, from what i hear girls are easier to potty train than boys...so maybe in a few months we wont need any diapers at all :)

composting!

with plans for next spring's veggie garden... we have started composting! my husband put together 3 sections of old stockade fence (you could also use old wooden pallets)... i have a pail in the kitchen to throw our egg shells, coffee grinds, tea bags & veggie peels in, then at the end of the day i toss them in the compost pile. we layer in grass clippings, dried leaves and spent potting soil...once a week we hose it down and give it a stir...come spring we will have "black gold" to add to our garden! once we get the chicken coop up & running... we can age the chicken manure. that too, will make great compost!