Happy Earth Day

So, yeah, it's Earth Day. It seems everyone is doing something to celebrate and well, you know me. I'm a joiner! So I figure today at SnB I will start my Zoom Swiffer Cover (pdf). I have thought about doing one for a while, especially after reading weeze's study. I am a huge fan of the entire Swiffer line, so anything that will keep me from using the disposable cloths is a good thing.

So after reading Bezzie's post, I thought I would share the few things that I do. Granted, like Bezzie, it's kind of a side-effect of cheapassness, but hey, it still counts!My Market Bags (formally of Magknits, linked to author's pdf). I have made these two, but really need another. These things are wonderful and SOOOO much better than the non-earth-friendly counterparts. They form much better to food and boxed and don't blow out when you poke a hole in it with some sharp corner. I think you can hold a lot more in them too. Plus, knitting them out of cotton, if something leaks or whatnot, you can just throw it in the washing machine.Reusable containers. This is my favorite! It's a Wonderbread sandwich container. It a little battered from being loved so much. It fits nicely in my purse and I can go quite a while before having to wash it. Granted, the sandwich is usually peanut butter or turkey with mustard - not exactly mess-makers. I rarely use plastic bags for anything. I will put anything else in a reusable container.Programmable thermostat. One of the best investments in my apartment. This helps by turning off the AC/Heat when I am not home, without having to remember to turn it off. Even if you aren't sure of what settings are good for you, most of them come with an "Energy Star" set of settings. These are designed to effectively use the energy. I only changed it a smidge by having it cool down a few more degrees in the evening (74 degrees from 6-10pm) main 'cause this is Texas and it's hot! But even so, I have the cheapest electric bill in the entire complex.Windows. Free light. It's just that simple. I usually don't have any lights one, just the blinds open.

My recycling initiative. Bezzie commented last time that she liked my above-bed shelving. That's because The Bez has a cheap eye! :-P I absconded those from work. They were formally "corrugated displays" for paperback books. Next time you go to your favorite bookstore, you will see them EVERYWHERE! Once the promotion is over, we do recycle them (we recycle a TON of cardboard), unless a bookseller absconds with them. So, I get free shelves and extend the life of a manufactured recyclable. Go me....

Sidenote: I discovered a new level of crack...the literary kind. Check out Shelfari at your own risk. It's addictive. I will be trying to keep it current with what I am reading. I warn you, it's random!

I must have been born the Year of the Rat.....

.....or at least the Year of the Pack Rat. But my mother says I come by it honestly from my father, so see, it's not really my fault! When I started my whole "cleaning frenzy", this is one of the things I was trying to overcome. Mainly, getting rid of the stuff I REALLY don't need, i.e. TRASH!!! This means that whatever I keep needs to have a place. But even after going through everything, I still have a hard time finding a place for it all.

You see, I have a lot of stuff. Granted, as a knitter, you acquire the necessary implements of the trade: needles, yarn, books, fiber, the wheel, etc. As a student, you acquire a plethora of books, notes, journals, etc. When you like to read (and work at a bookstore), you also acquire various reading material. This makes for a very crowded bedroom.The paperback collection...along with my most read works, Harry Potter and the Outlander series......More yarn storage, hardcovers, chemistry texts, knitting texts, and class notes.
"The Desk"....this is its natural state. Like the rest of my bedroom, this is as good as it gets. It is just a permanent state of chaos. No use in trying to tame the beast.

Speaking of taming the beast, this one will be tamed at the end of May.....I am planning on donating my hair at the end of May. By then I should have enough and still have shoulder length hair. I am sure by then I will be begging for my aunt to cut it off 'cause, well, it gets a bit warm in Texas by Memorial Day weekend.

Proof positive....

All right, so apparently I struck a chord with folks who hate to clean. Did quite realize ya'll felt the same way. I have even had a few converts! However, off-line I have had a few skeptics wonder if I have actually cleaned. Seems there is some sort of disbelief going on...can't imagine why....

Well, check out......the living room.....
Look, ma! You can see the floor!
Hey, that's about as organized as the knitting area gets.....Yeah, that's only a smidge of the amount of tea I have...it's crazy......but tasty!God I need a bigger kitchen.......It's so white...........a free of makeup residue.......



What? Can't here you.....you say you wonder where the pictures of my bedroom are? Well, yeah, so the bedroom isn't quite done yet. It always seems to be the last to happen.

Hey, look knitting!Pattern: Evangeline, formally of MagKnits
Yarn: Lion Brand WoolEase in Blue Mist
Needles: US 8
Notes: These were done elbow length, per the recipient's request. These were for a coworker and she was just ecstatic over them. Seriously, she wore them for like an hour around the store. Good to be appreciated.

Such a nice smell......the little that I can smell........

I have a hazard at work. It can be somewhat avoided, but at some point, it happens to everyone. Oh the books, the books....I see a ridiculous amount on various subjects. It gets worse when you come across a book you have actually wanted to look at.

The only non-knitting magazine that I routinely read is Real Simple. It is conveniently delivered to my mailbox and I am never disappointed with the contents. It has great recipes, organization and cleaning tips, different uses for random items, and "product comparisons." I got intrigued when they started to advertise a cleaning book that was coming out. Working at a bookstore, I got intrigued.

I took it with me on my lunch break one day....and then again the next day.....and again the next. Usually if I keep going back to a book, that probably means that I like it more than a passing fancy. If you ever get a chance to take a peek, I recommend it. This is both for cleaners and non-cleaners, 'cause I was definitely a non-cleaner.

Seriously, I have a serious aversion to cleaning....or more like keeping things picked up. In fact, those that have seen my apartment are astonished that I am recommending a cleaning book.

Well, they should see it now!! Well, at least the kitchen and living room. Today was my first real day off in a while. Well, the first one in a while were I didn't have anything planned. It was even the perfect day for it. It's sunny, 72 degrees, and there is a back-to-back-to-back Lord of the Rings Trilogy marathon on today.

It even smells clean...well, what I can smell. You see, it has been a while since I have really cleaned like this and well, there's a bit of dust. Dust makes the nose stuffy.

Lesson I learned today: Per my new cleaning book, I used a seam ripper on the brush on my vacuum. It is WONDERFUL at getting off hair, yarn, roving, etc., that has gotten wrapped around the brush head. You just slice down one side and it comes right off.

Also, your vacuum doesn't work as well when it has had the same bag in it since you got it.....um, 5 years ago?!? Yeah, like I said, I wasn't much of a cleaner.

Hello......goodbye.......

To catch up from last time, almost all of the quotes were gotten except for #5.

"I work harder than God. If He had hired me, He would have made the world by Thursday."

This came from "Keeping the Faith", a cute, funny movie. I recommend to all!

Meet The Golf Ball...I got this car when I graduated high school and it served me well for many years. It got it's nickname after it got caught in the mother of all hail/ice storms about 5-6 years ago. Those in the metroplex know which one I'm talking about. It took about three months to get into see your insurance agent. (Ironic sidenote: This was while I was in college and when we were going through the parking lot the next morning, the Lexuses (Lexi?), Audis, and BMWs and such all had windows broken out, where as us with the "cheaper" cars just had body damage. I always thought that was funny.)

So my mom decided to get a new car. It's very nice and pretty. But it turned out that my car, with the hail damage and, well, let's say questionable interior that has 97,000 would have a higher trade in value than my mother's newer, practically immaculate car that has 106,000 miles. Yeah, figure that one out. So I drove up to Oklahoma Sunday, traded in my car and I got my mom's old one. We were amazed that they gave us what they did for my lovely lil' car I have had for 9 years. We took it and ran!

Then, on the way home, God decided to poke fun at me. It wasn't nice. I got to drive down the highway, for three hours, going at 40mph. Why was I going so slow? Well, it probably had something to do with the tornado, horizontal rain, lots of hydroplaning, TWO instances of hail, and semis going way to freakin' fast in that weather. There was lots of cursing, especially when the hail started. "WHAT IS THE DEAL?!? AM I NOT ALLOW TO HAVE A NON-HAIL DAMAGED CAR?!?"

But I got through it and stopped at McDonalds for an ice cream cone. It made me feel much better. Then I looked at the car.Still a beautiful car......

As much as I will miss my ol' Golf Ball, my new Sixer will do me good 'cause you can do things like change the volume on the radio, open all the doors, open the windows at the touch of a button, adjust the side mirrors.....it's the little things you know.....