Lazy Saturday Morning

I love to hang out at Serenbe. It's a community about 20 minutes from my home that has more than 700 acres of greenspace, eco-friendly homes, organic farmland and some really cool shops and restaurants, which are mostly green as well. By eating at either of the two restaurants, the Hil or the Farmhouse (both of which have received positive national attention), you will likely be eating produce and dairy farmed there on the grounds. Sa-weet!

Ben and I took the boys there for breakfast at the Blue-Eyed Daisy, after which we went for a walk in the woods. The boys loved the tree-house and in-ground trampoline.

Here are a few pix.

Friendly Inspiration

Hey, lookie here! I have my first follower. And here I thought I'd just be talking to myself forever. Thank you, Shannon, for your support. You're always an encouragement.

Shannon is one of the people who inspired me to go organic. I watched her a couple of years ago as she joined a CSA, changed most of the toiletries and cleaning supplies in her home to organic and opted for cloth diapers with her new son. She and her husband also planted a garden (I think, organically).

It took me quite a while to follow her lead. But here I am, struggling along to go organic on a budget - but enjoying it greatly.

This pic is of Shannon's beautiful family - taken New Year's Day 2009.

And if anyone else is reading this - please sign up as a follower and leave comments and all that good stuff. I promise it'll make my day!

Organic Cleaners

I popped in at Babies R Us and picked up these two bottles of organic cleaners. One is a glass and surface cleaner, the other a tub and tile cleaner. They were clearanced for $2.98 each - way more than I spend for cleaning supplies. With coupons, I buy Lysol, Clorox, and Windex bottles for as low as 25 cents - definitely, not more than 75 cents.

However, I plan to start making my own cleaners, which are pretty much vinegar and other household ingredients. I chalked these bottles up to my initial investment, since I'll recycle the bottles.

I'm very excited about making my own cleaners. It'll be nice to not have the smell of noxious chemicals permeating my house. Plus, my kids will be able to help me clean.

These BabyGanics cleaners are regularly $5.99 a bottle.

Once I use up these cleaners I've purchased, I'll be back with a post of the recipe I use for the cleaners I make. I'll be sure to report how well they do the job, too!