A few of my favorite things

By mudlark • November 11th, 2008

… raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens… I thought I’d let you into my day-to-day life. A few of the green things that keep me going. Things I use daily that I’m not sure I could manage without. Here it is:

My very first has to be my breadmaker. No, it isn’t solar-powered or constructed entirely of recycled milk jugs or anything like that. But the way my family goes through bread, what with 7 people in our house, we couldn’t afford to buy the organic bread that’s free of HFCS and such. So instead, I buy the raw ingredients and make bread daily at home. When I started doing it I didn’t have a breadmaker and I spent countless hours kneading and building frustration. The breadmaker is like gold in my house. Stay tuned and I’ll post my favorite bread recipe. I use it to make pizza crust at home too, for our Sunday night pizza night. I love my breadmaker.
Reusable bags. My favorite is a canvas-type Shaklee bag that says “Green & Gorgeous.” It’s too cool for words. But I use my bags for more than just shopping. They help organize my kids’ paraphernalia in the car. They hold library books ready to be returned. I use them all over the house and all through the week.
My garden. It’s a beautiful thing to look out my kitchen window, see a cluster of grape tomatoes waiting to be picked, harvest them and a few green peppers just in time to throw them into the evening’s meal. It isn’t until you’ve had fresh-picked garden produce that you realize how desperately flat the grocery store produce is on flavor. Of course when I walk into the store and see green peppers for $2.50 a piece I’m even more thankful for the harvest in my backyard.
Baby sling. I have 3 different ones – a wrap type, and 2 ring slings. The wrap is my favorite for long-term baby carrying, but around the house day to day the ring sling is the easiest to pop the baby in and out of. Anyhow, having a sling means that I can hold a baby, clean up house, play with a toddler, and bake bread all at the same time. I’m the queen when it comes to multitasking.
Fair trade organic coffee. I grind it right before I brew it and I’ve been spoiled for all other coffee.
Scour Off. When nothing else will clean something, I always know this will work. There’s nothing it can’t handle, it’s made out of cherry pits and I just can’t stop singing its praises. No harsh chemicals, biodegradable container, and from a company certified zero impact on the environment. What’s not to like?