My Shade of Green

Kermit the Frog had it right. It's not easy being green. And sometimes it's not affordable either. I have a list of things that I would love to do to have a simple, low waste, organic, healthy home but somethings just aren't feasible for us right now. However, there are things that we are doing and, as I love to learn knew ideas or be encouraged in what I am able to do, I thought I'd compile a list of what I am doing and hopefully it will encourage you to do what you can. Or even give you ideas for your home.

I recycle as much as I can. My purpose is mostly selfish. About 80% selfish, 20% awareness. Or 80% selfish, 10% awareness and 10% convenience... which is still selfish. The reason I say it's selfish is because we mostly do it to save us money. I also do it to get rid of junk. I love sorting through old papers and magazines and de-cluttering the house. Goodwill has been blessed by our donations many times. My husband, Nathan, recycles the soda cans (yeah for Oregon's bottle return deposit!) and since he's the main soda drinker in the house he saves the cash for man stuff like fishing, hunting and tools.

We recycle anything they let us put in the big recycle garbage can outside. This saves us so much on garbage bills. We set our main garbage bin out once a week and our recycling bin (which is almost twice as big) about once a month. I've also been trying to cut back on the trash by putting all our food scraps in a compost pile outside. I recently read here about making your own worm compost and want to try it but we don't have a garden yet so I'll wait.

We have a burn barrel outside and so we burn most of our paper and cardboard. If you don't live in a burn area but know someone who does ask them if you can use their burn pile or barrel to get rid of your papers. It saves money and creates an opportunity for visiting with friends or family. Nathan has found that magazines don't burn well so we have a small recycle bin for those.

As for being organic, this is a little harder for us as most things organic are spendy. Probably our main organic source is our meat. Nathan is an archery hunter and tries to supply us with an elk every year. Although I've had to get used to the difference in flavor I love that elk meat is low fat and organic.

I would love to have a garden but juggling toddlers and a garden doesn't appeal to me right now. I do get organic produce from Costco when I can. I use their organic carrots and organic frozen veggies to make Amelia's baby food. The organic coffee they sell is also a great deal and makes a deliciously strong cup of coffee. I do get organic, eco friendly cleaning products from Melaleuca. I have really liked their laundry and dish detergent and have just started using their cleaners and hand soap, too. If you are interested in their products I have a sister who is a representative of theirs.

Since I can't do much in the organic area I still try to keep us healthy by making meals that are as nutritious as I can make them. Plus, making homemade meals is, a lot of times, cheaper than eating out or buying prepared foods. We get a lot of veggies from Gleaners and so I try to chop, shred and puree them ahead of time and freeze them so they are easy to add to meals I am making. Most of the time my family has no clue that they are eating three to five different veggies which they wouldn't have touched otherwise. I also try to include fruit into one or two meals a day. A lot of times it ends up being oranges or apples but it's still fruit. Balancing out the carb/fruit/veggie/protein/fat ratio in our meals is helping me to feel better about what I serve my family.

For both of my girls I made their baby food. I found it to be more cost effective and if I make it then I know what is in it. I was given a recipe book written by the La Leche League International for making baby food and have used a few ideas. Mostly I steam veggies, puree them and store them in the freezer in the same containers you would use for jam. I make a variety and pull a few out at a time so that Amelia isn't getting bored of one flavor. It is easy and very convenient.

I also make freezer jam for our family. I started a year ago and we have enjoyed the jam almost everyday since. I don't use any sugar substitutes so far but I do like that I know where my fruit comes from.

Because I'm a stay-at-home mom I'm home a lot. Which I like. Which also means I don't use very much gas. I try to only fill my van once every 7-10 days. There are times when I can go many more days and others when I need to fill up more often.

To make things simpler in our home I like to do:
once a month cooking
regular de-cluttering
flexible daily scheduling

And a few more money saving tips:
use cold water for laundry
do full loads of laundry
lights out during the day
in the winter: more clothes/lower temp on thermostat
mainly use wood heat
hand-me-downs worked for the Wilder children it will work for you

And here's my list of things I'm trying to convince Nathan that we should do to save money, etc:
cloth diapers
stop trash pickup and take trash to the dump every three months (if you have a trailer this can work for you)
minimize our belongings
haul and chop firewood on our own
Turn our yard into a large garden to make it more efficient

I hope this list is encouraging to someone. Let me know what you do to make your home more simple, low waste, organic and healthy. Let's glean from each other.

Also, in the next few weeks I plan to post recipes for once a month meals and homemade baby food.

This Song I Sing

I love to sing. My mom sang to us and with us and around us all the time when I was growing up. She made up songs for us, taught us her favorites, and sang to get through the day. She stills does this with her, now 12, grand kids. So, for me, it is natural to sing. And I love it.

I love singing silly songs that make Nathan and Abiah look at each other and say, "Mommy's weird." I love singing songs in the car. I love singing songs of worship. I love singing songs to distract my kids from their sorrows. And I love singing their song.

It came to me right after Hazel was born (well, I stole most of it from Sound of Music, but that's how these things happen sometimes). I was trying to get her to calm down and sleep and as I started singing her name this is what came out:

(To the tune of Edelweiss and the name can be switched out for the other kids, too.)

Hazel Grace, Hazel Grace
Every morning you greet me
Small and white
Clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of love
May you bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Hazel Grace, Hazel Grace
Bless my baby forever

Kabalsa stuffed with Mashed Potatoes

This is a favorite from my childhood. For 4-6 servings you will need:

1 pkg kabalsa


1 pkg instant potatoes prepared or homemade if your prefer



shredded cheese for topping

Cut kabalsa into 4-6 pieces. Slice open like a hot dog bun. Fill with mashed potatoes and top with shredded cheese.



Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and serve.

Count Them One By One

This year has been hard. It started out wonderfully with a 9lb. 7oz. healthy baby girl and then...

five weeks later I ended up in the hospital for emergency gallbladder surgery and then...




ten weeks later I was rear ended in our new-to-us minivan by a full sized pickup truck pulling a fifth wheel and then...



one week later Nathan punctured his head on a machine at work and had to have four staples...


Maybe it's just me (I hope not) but I started to get discouraged and was having a hard time seeing that good things were happening to us. So, I wanted to list a few things that have come to mind lately.

We were given money to help us pay for the medical bills from Amelia's birth and my surgery which, despite great insurance coverage, were many.

Nathan got a Safeway gift card from work (he works for the Milk Plant). Most of the employees got $60 but for some reason Nathan got $80. And it came right when we desperately needed diapers for the girls. So I was able to get two boxes of diapers for each girl and a box of wipes and I didn't have to pay for it.

My sister-in-law got too much milk from WIC this month and gave us three gallons the day I was going shopping. Plus she gave us 4 lbs of raisins which they kids love and I needed to get them.

Sunday I was given more clothes for my girls and there were quite a few summer shirts that would fit Hazel and that's the one thing I needed for her.

We found a van!!!!! I love our new van and am so happy to finally be done with that part of accident recovery. It is a beautiful silvery blue, has stow-n-go seating, AIR CONDITIONING, automatic sliding doors and rear door and many other things we were wanting including an affordable price.



Also, we haven't been back to the ER since June.

You know in all of these situations there were "bright sides" so to speak. My gallbladder infection could have been much worse. I was jaundice for a few days (which is how we discovered the problem) and could have had liver damage but I didn't. I had to have two surgeries. One to remove stray gallstones and another to remove my gallbladder which was filled with over 100 gallstones. I recovered fast and feel great.

When I was rear ended I was by myself. My sweet babies were at home safe in their warm beds and my wonderful husband was here with them. I wasn't seriously injured. I have some whiplash and other aches and pains but I'm alive and I have all my limbs.

When Nathan punctured his head he didn't have to quit working. He got four staples and other than a headache he was fine.

It has been important for me to think through these things and list the good things because most of the time the negative takes over and it is hard to see through the fog it creates.

Message from the Throne

As a wife to an adorable husband and a mom of three busy kids it's hard to find time (or energy sometimes) to read the Word. Recently a friend of mine suggested leaving a daily devotional in the bathroom because that seems to be the only place that moms sometimes get a few moments of peace. Sometimes. So, I have My Utmost for His Highest in my quiet place because the daily readings are short and a quick read but they pack a punch. I have yet to pick it up and feel like it doesn't apply to my life right now. So, I thought that I would share snippets here and there from my "Throne Room" readings and their impact on me.

This first one I'm just gonna write out for you because the whole thing was amazing to me and I am the WORST at rewording.

Reading from July 28: God's Purpose or Mine?
"He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side..." Mark 6:45

We tend to think that if Jesus Christ compels us to do something and we are obedient to Him, He will lead us to great success. We should never have the thought that our dreams of success are God's purpose for us. In fact, His purpose may be exactly the opposite. We have the idea that God is leading us toward a particular end or desired goal, but He is not. The question of whether or not we arrive at a particular goal is of little importance, and reaching it becomes merely an episode along the way. What we see as only the process of reaching a particular end, God sees as the goal itself.

What is my vision of God's purpose for me? Whatever it may be, His purpose is for me to depend on Him and on His power now. If I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me. God is not working toward a particular finish-His purpose is the process itself. What He desires for me is that I see "Him walking on the sea" with no shore, no success, nor goal in sight, but simply having the absolute certainty that everything is all right because I see "Him walking on the sea". It is the process, not the outcome, that is glorifying to God.

God's training is for now, not later. His purpose is for this very minute, not for sometime in the future. We have nothing to do with what will follow our obedience, and we are wrong to concern ourselves with it. What people call preparation, God sees as the goal itself.

God's purpose is to enable me to see that He can walk on the storms of my life right now. If we have a further goal in mind, we are not paying enough attention to the present time. However, if we realize that moment-by-moment obedience is the goal, then each moment as it comes is precious.

I was so encouraged by this the other day. Lately I've been overwhelmed by the feeling that I'm not quite getting everything done. I have a list of things that always need to be done around the house, plus the new to-do list of car accident related stuff, not to mention the fact that I am trying to be a wife, mom, and a healthy, beautiful woman. How wonderful to hear that I don't have to focus on the end goal but on my faithfulness to the journey.

Whenever I think about needing to loose weight or needing to make a life change or having a goal that requires more than a few days focus I think of the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces. I know that may sound funny but hear me out. In the movie the main female character decides to loose weight. She works out and changes her eating habits and reaches her goal. Great. But what I always think about is that it only takes her five minutes to accomplish her goal. And she gets background music! When I start working towards my goals I get excited for a day or two or maybe a week and then I'm discouraged because my long-term goal that I want to take five minutes (with background music, please!) hasn't been met.

So, I'm purposing to take it moment by moment, day by day and to remember that "if I can stay calm, faithful, and unconfused while in the middle of the turmoil of life, the goal of the purpose of God is being accomplished in me."

I Hope They Remember

I know throughout the day I say things like this over and over:
"I said, NO!"
"Don't hit your sister!"
"Don't hit your brother!"
"Get down...now."
"Get out of the fridge."
"Get off the table."
"Stop asking me questions...PLEASE!"
"Go to bed."
"Because I said so!"
"Say, 'Yes, momma!'"

Well, you get the point. But what I hope they remember me saying is this:
"I love you!"
"You are soooo adorable."
"You are my favorite Abiah."
"You are the smartest."
"You make me happy."
"You are my favorite Hazel."
"Come love on me."
"Let's snuggle."
"You are my favorite Amelia."
"You did an amazing job!"
"You are the best thing that ever happened to me."
"You are my sunshine."

It's been busy these past few months and I'm trying to remember to take time to sit and enjoy my kids because sometimes it feels like all I do is correct, discipline and train. And I need the snuggles just as much as they do.

Tuna Casserole That the Pickiest Eater Liked

I love "throw it all in a dish and call it good" dinners. I was pleasantly surprised by my kids response to this one, too. They both asked for more and didn't complain when it came time for leftovers!

Tuna Casserole

1 can family size cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
3 (7 oz.) cans of tuna, drained
3 cups (before cooking) elbow macaroni noodles
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup crumbled saltine crackers

1. Cook and drain noodles

2. Add soup, milk, veggies, tuna, garlic and onion powder and seasoning salt. Place in a 3qt. casserole dish.

3. Bake at 400 F for 30 minutes.

4. Mix cracker crumbs with butter in bowl and sprinkle on top. Bake for 5 min. more.


When it came time to reheat for leftovers I added some pureed peas to moisten it up. The kids really liked it and I felt like they were getting plenty of veggies even though it was a one dish meal.