…”To Swiffer or not to Swiffer?”

That is the question.

Years ago, Josh and I moved into a duplex that had beautiful hardwood floors.  We adopted two cats.  And then one glorious day, someone (who I’ve said on numerous occasions should receive the Nobel Prize), invented the Swiffer.  Best. Invention. Ever.

Cut to now – and we are in a new home, also with hardwood floors, and still two fuzzy (shedding) cats.

But times have changed, haven’t they?  One day you’re happily Swiffering away, and the next you think to yourself; “I keep buying these Swiffer cloths, using them, and then throwing them away.  Hm.  That can’t be good for the environment.”  Dang.  Once you’ve had that thought, there’s no going back.  Swiffering was now tinged with just the littlest bit of guilt.

What to do?

A-ha!  There are plenty of online tutorials for making your own, REUSEABLE cloths for your Swiffer!  You don’t even need to buy anything.  An old flannel shirt, t-shirt or sweater would work just fine.  In our case, we discovered that a cloth baby diaper, with a little creative folding, was just right, and picked up as many cat hair tumbleweeds as the disposable cloths.  Perfect…

…until the first time they needed to be washed.  I stood for a moment, scratching my head.  These things were covered with cat hair, people hair and misc. gunk.  I couldn’t just toss all that into my machine.  But, do I stand there for 20 minutes and pull all this stuff off of each of these clothes before I put them into the wash?  That would significantly decrease the “ease” factor of the Swiffer process.

I ended up removing as much of the gunk as I could and then throwing the cloths into the wash.

Done and done…

…until a few days later when Josh said something along the lines of: “What was that big wad of hair and stuff I pulled out of the washing machine filter?”  Ugh.  Apparently, homemade Swiffer cloths have their own pros and cons.  And standing around cleaning cleaning cloths is not something I have time for.  And clogging up a good washing machine is not something we have the money for.  Now what do we do?  Go back to disposable, un-earth friendly cloths?  Spend ridiculous amounts of time cleaning the homemade cloths before putting them in the wash?

???

Oh, yeah.

Problem solved.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I’ve discovered over the years that in many situations our Grandmothers and Grandfathers had some things figured out.  We should think about how they did things and see if we can learn from them. Our generation is trying to re-invent the wheel.  We make up problems so that we can buy things to solve them.  We make up reasons to consume.  Our grandparents figured out ways to conserve.

Today is Earth Day.  Consider giving your Swiffer, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, etc., a break today.  Get out the broom.  Expend a little elbow grease.  Do something good for your home, without consuming more resources.

Or consider checking out MadeInTheRedBarn, a family owned business on Etsy. They make and sell “UnPaper Towels”.  These are fabric sheets that you can use just like paper towels.  You don’t throw them away, instead you wash them and either throw them in the dryer, or (better yet) hang them out on the line or on a drying rack in the sun.  They also sell very well made, attractive wooden dispensers.  I have one myself – Josh and I are using up the last of our paper towels and don’t plan on buying anymore.  I was just thinking this morning that these would make nice Christmas gifts.

“Talking isn’t doing. It is a kind of good deed to say well; and yet words are not deeds.” – Bill S.

Today has been filled with paperwork and a dentist appointment.

But everyday, since late June, has been filled with the sounds of work being done on our upstairs.  We are renovating the entire third floor of our house (and consequently, sleeping in our diningroom!)

This has been a much needed project – we had old plumbing, knob and tube wiring, little to no insulation in the walls (!) and even a small hole in the siding that a clever squirrel had taken advantage of to build a warm and cozy nest inside our walls.  Our house was originally built in the early 1900’s and has seen many families come and go.  We are happy that we can make these much needed upgrades to make this house more safe and cozy for Josh and I and future families. : )

Here are some snippets of our home wip:

Getting ready for construction to begin.

Layers of old wallpaper.

Insulation going up!

Out with a wall, and in with a loft!

A bathroom with enough space to turn around in -

what a luxury!

The many people who have been working on this project have done a great job.  These two, however, are very demanding and unmotivated!

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Now I have renovation rebates to work on.

It would be good to get a little money back for the improvements we’ve made on the house.  But I will have to kick myself in the butt to sit down and work on those.  I’ve been filling out an inordinate amount of paperwork lately!

‘Til next time,

Jenn : )

….and where am I now?

Renovation on the upstairs of our house has begun.  Josh and I have spent the last few weeks packing up everything from three bedrooms and a bathroom and carting the boxes downstairs into the basement.

In an effort to save some $$, Josh is demo-ing everything himself (with the occassional help of wonderful friends – thanks, guys!)

My once pretty, cheerful studio space, filled with knick-knacks and crafting supplies, will soon look something like this:

Yeah.  Gone.

Actually, the room will be rebuilt, with new drywall and paint.  But ultimately, my studio space will be moved to what used to be the guest bedroom – which is evolving into a loft.  I’m looking forward to my new digs – it should be very sunny and open.  And we’ve had a bit of good fortune, when we discovered that underneath the filthy carpeting exists beautiful fir floors that (so far) look to be in good shape.

In the meantime, I’m steering clear of all the dust and dirt up there.  I’ve set up temporary sewing space and I’m working hard to complete some custom orders: including four needlebooks for my mom and a ring pillow for friends who’ll be getting married this summer (I’ll be sure to get some photos to show you how that comes out).

I owe you a Two Spoonfuls post.  I’ve got all my ingredients to try out this inviting new baking pan, and I hope to have that finished soon.

‘Cause when all of your worldly goods are boxed up and stacked in a basement,

Girlfriend could sure use some chocolate.

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On another note: A few months ago I purchased the most adorable needle felted tapestry from TheMoonGoat on Etsy.  Unfortunately, I forgot that there is a deadline for leaving feedback on Etsy, and by the time I had this framed, I was too late.

I am so upset with myself for neglecting to publically rave about this wonderful item.  So I’m sharing it with you here.  This photo doesn’t begin to do this piece justice – when I took it to the frame shop, all the employees commented on how adorable it is.  It was wonderfully packaged and shipped quickly, too.  I hope you’ll take a moment to check out TheMoonGoat’s shop – if for no other reason, then to see *THIS* before someone snatches it up! : )

Jenn : )