Happy Earth Day! I decided I was going to stop using paper towels last year in an effort to save money and be kinder to Mother Earth. We were going through about 6 rolls a month and I’m kind of a paper towel snob (Viva or nothin’) so it was costing a pretty penny. I took the paper towel holder off my counter and put a bunch of old rags in a bucket under the sink. For the first few weeks, we all automatically reached where the paper towels were, but we slowly got used to reaching under the sink for a rag instead. I’ve found that they actually do a much better job of cleaning messes. They can be old burp rags, dish cloths, towels that accidentally got bleached, old t-shirts, etc. The dirty ones go in a bucket on top of the washing machine to be thrown in the next load.

Don’t have many rags? Go to your bathroom, pick up an old towel (off the floor, of course it’s on the floor. Towels hung up properly are a scarcity in this house) that you’ve been meaning to replace and cut it up. Then, take the money you would have spent on the 6 packs of paper towels and buy yourself a new, fluffy towel for your bathroom.

I have to disclose that I do have 1 roll of paper towels hidden in a secret spot for extra messy spills involving bodily fluids or cleaning toilets, but we’ve cut waaay back on paper towel use and just not having them out on the counter was a huge step.

Have you taken any earth-friendly steps in your house?

I know they are. Our neighbors are going to turn us into one of those hoarders shows because our garage looks like this: The garage door can barely close. Bob, the bus driver yells out to me when he drops off the kids in the afternoon, “ya think ya can fit anything else in that garage??” Very funny, Bob.

Blender Wheat Pancakes

This is a recipe from an old church cookbook. Makes 6-8 pancakes~we always at least double the recipe.
1 cup milk
1 cup uncooked wheat kernels
Put milk and wheat in blender. Blend on highest speed for 4-5 minutes or until batter is smooth. (note from Melissa here: don’t leave it on the counter blending while you run to the bathroom. You may hear a terrible crash and find wheat pancake batter on every inch of your kitchen counter, floors, and cabinets and spend the rest of the morning cleaning it up. Just stay close by.)

Add the following ingredients and blend on low:
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. oil
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp. honey or sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Bake on hot griddle. (I use 1/4 c. of batter on a 300 degree griddle. Perfection!)
Waffle variation: Use above recipe and add on additional Tbs. of the wheat and increase oil to 4 Tbs. Bake in waffle iron until done.



Kelsey’s Yummy Syrup

(this is our favorite syrup ever from my sister, Kelsey. It pretty much cancels out anything healthy in the wheat pancakes, so we try to reserve it for special occasions…so it’s wicked and good at the same time.)
1 stick butter
½ c buttermilk(you can make your own by adding 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar with regular milk to make 1/2 cup)
1 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking soda
Bring butter, sugar, baking soda, and buttermilk to a boil for one minute. Turn off heat and then add vanilla. Syrup will bubble and become frothy because of the baking soda, but once it cools, it will go down and will be ready to serve. Freeze or refrigerate leftovers.

spray painting doorknobs from Becky~she gives you a fabulous step-by-step (ooh, baby) tutorial

 

Jennie cut and then glue-gunned these flowers for her Target pillow knock-off. My kind of girl!

Here is the secret formula for the paint in the entryway at Lowes. The nice guy there color matched it for me and then printed off the formula in Valspar paint. This may be too dark if your room does not have a lot of light, but you can always add white to lighten it up. I love it and would describe it as a blue-green-gray.