The Shed, Slowly but Surely

Radiation barrier insulation is now blocking the view of our neighbors in the rear. We almost have a private backyard.

Passive Solar Designed Window Shading

Jason wants to set up a Solar Home Tour in our town, BUT the only thing that we have "solar" is our sun tea maker...
We do have plans for a solar hot water sytem, and are strongly considering a solar electric system (grid-linked).

It occurred to Jason not long ago (a month before the Summer Solstice) that the windows on the south side of our house were letting in alot of heat, basically acting like passive solar heaters So by adding a little roof, you could put them in the shade and "turn off" the heat.
"Brilliant! Do it!" I encouraged.
And he did... in a day!
His design provides complete shade for 2 months of Summer, when sun in highest in the sky, and provides complete sun for the 2 coldest months of Winter.
So thanks to my geeky solar husband, we are finally on the solar powered road!

AquaHelix Review #2

By now I have had plenty of time to come to a better opinion of the AquaHelix showerhead. Do I like it? Yes! Would I recommend it? Yes, but...
and there's a but...
I am too scared to shower my baby in it. It has a strong spray, and it pokes hard on those tender spots. For instance, when I shower my face, I let the stream hit my flat hands and deflect the water for a finer, gentler spray.
So one last test, Does it use .5 gallons per minute?
According to my test with my shower, it uses .6 gallons a minute.
That's really close! And there may simply be a problem with the setting on our water pressure. Cool!

What a Month of Being a Mother!

I would like to bow to all the mothers out there.... A Deep bow....

Cloth Diapering 101

Yes, I have decided to go with the cloth on diapering. Looks like a big money saver and better on the environment. Zach's been here three weeks, and because he is a preemie, I had to figure out a system that would work for his size and my learning curve...

I have even started another blog! Cloth Diaper Bucket!

So, during the day, we use newborn sized prefolds from www.GreenMountainDiapers.com along with a Snappi, Bummis BioSoft Flushable Liner (large size, cut in half), and a cover. At night I am using disposable diapers, as I am half asleep. But soon I will make the switch to completely cloth. I cannot wait!

I must mention that I love the flatfolds... I use them for everything! For example, burp cloth, nursing top, diaper changing, diaper cover, etc... They're indispensable!

As far as laundry, I've been doing a load every other day. After the first week or so of using the dryer to fluff and de-lint the diapers, I am now drying on the clothes line, which Jason just put up a second line last week. Thankyou Jason, and no, I do not need another that attaches to your shed-ma-hall 50 feet away. Thanks for the offer, though...

The next issue to take care of is the "wipes". We have some store-bought wipes that we are going through like mad. I do have fabric wipes ready and willing to do the job, but I've decided to wait till I get a Thermos pump, so I can have warm water at hand... I think this will make the job easier, and get rid of the majority of the store-bought wipes.

That's that for the diapering... I think. Well, if there are any questions just ask. I studied the GreenMountainDiapers website for months just to get a competent start on all this. Definitely worth it, in my opinion! Go cloth!

Yay, White Oak!

Jason got his wood in last week to do his board and batting walls of the shed-ma-hall. Why white oak and not pressure treated pine? Cheaper (60 cents a board foot, no chemicals, and it is somewhat naturally rot resistant.

Picked my first potatoes. We ate some for lunch today. Yum! To know they came from my backyard gives me much pleasure. And now, to know how simple they are to produce, I will definitely grow them every year... In fact, I believe I have time to go at it again. I just need to prepare a spot for them. We already put in the sweet potatoes... I put cucumbers where the white potatoes were... and I want to plant more green beans... Yikes, my brain is starting to overload... My energies are not up for what my mind would like to do yet, so I must constantly remind myself that it is okay to take it easy and enjoy some slow time with Zachary.

So Zach and I have started going outside in the mornings. He naps in his jogger, and I piddle around in the garden... And each day is a new day.

Thirty Day Challenge?

Jason has gotten me to do this online marketing course with him called the Thirty Day Challenge.  Already we've come across some awesome stuff, starting with the Flock browser.  The "challenge" is to make $10 in 30 days online--basically learning to make money on the internet...

Sounds kind of cheesy, I know, but I am getting a refreshing perception about the internet!!!

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