Two Frog Home

100 Things #13) I Vermicompost

Jeff and I started vermicomposting about 6 years ago.  We had just moved and our yard was small, we didn’t want to take up any valuable gardening space for a compost bin.  I did a little research and learned about composting with worms, online.  We decided to give it a go.

We found plans online to build a bin out of plywood, which we did.  It looked like a small coffin, but it served its purpose.  We bought some worms on ebay and we were on our way.  Eventually we did away with the wood bin (it serves as an herb planter outside now), I just didn’t like the way the water ran out the bottom.  We switched to the Worm Factory about 5 years ago, again an ebay purchase and have loved it ever since.

The compost/worm water is so wonderful, we’ve given away numerous bottles of it over the years and it is a highly requested item among our friends.  The worms have in a way become pets, we’re always amazed at how quickly they “eat” through everything, and we are very conscious of their care.  In the end, the worms and the compost have been a great blessing to us in that they show us how useful all of God’s creatures are, not to mention how the compost feeds our gardens and in turn our bodies.

100 Things #12) I Heart Glass Jars

I’ve never met a glass jar that I didn’t love.  Glass jars are one of the very few things I have a tough time parting with, its one of those things I think I need to keep around “just in case”.  I’m not talking about canning jars here, though I have a special fondness for those as well.  I’m talking about plain and fancy glass jars, whether its being reused from a store bought purchase or one I picked up at a yard sale / thrift store.  Glass jars and their collection can pretty much break all the non-clutter rules established here at Two Frog Home.

I keep a supply on hand in a cabinet under the kitchen sink, when the collection threatens to outgrow its cabinet, Jeff has to help me sort and thin the herd.  He’s much more brutal than I am in this particular case, and as hard as that is, I’m grateful he can do so with no emotional attachment to glass.  These days I try very hard to only pick up glass jars at sales that are unique in nature, like that gorgeous square one holding the coconut in the photo. 

We do use glass jars for everything around here: I store dry goods bought in bulk in them, glass jars hold a multitude of different items in different places - pens on the desk - ponytail holders in the bathroom, Jeff uses them to sort various nails, screws, bolts, etc., small jars hold spices/herbs, they serve as vases for flowers and they serve many other purposes.  We are never short of storage containers around here, that much is sure.

100 Things :: 11) I bring my lunch.

I almost called this one - I brown bag it.  However, I bring my lunches in beautiful, reusable handmade tote bags, not the disposable plain brown paper sacks.

I do bring my lunch to work everyday and I pack Jeff’s too.  We also pack our lunches when we go for hikes, scenic drives, various festivals, etc.  It just seems a better way to ensure our health and our frugal nature.   It also seems the most ethical way to keep disposable items from getting into landfills.

Our lunches are pretty standard - soups in winter, salads in summer.  We usually have some kind of fruit, fresh in season, home canned when not in season.  We pack wraps and sandwiches on occasion.  We don’t generally have leftovers for lunch, however; because we save those for dinner.  I like to include homemade bread, biscuits, muffins, etc when I can as well.

I like packing Jeff’s lunch too in that I find it a great way to connect with him in the middle of a hectic work day even when we aren’t eating a meal together.  Occasionally I tuck a little love note or treat in his bag too, just because.

I’m grateful for my little tote bag sitting in the office kitchen/break room because its an insurance policy of a little bit of home in my office.  It’s also a promise of a healthy nourishing break mid-day to just rejuvenate and in some small way reconnect with my love.

100 Things - #10. Breakfast is my favorite meal.

I love a good hearty breakfast.  It’s definately my favorite meal of the day to eat, while not always my favorite in the way of cooking.  I don’t put a ton of creative energy into breakfast most days, but I always have it.  Weekends sometimes get a little more creative but not terribly so, we keep breakfast low key.

My favorite and most common breakfast is two eggs over easy and a slice of homemade toast with just a smidge of butter.  Coffee at breakfast is a given around here, too.  Our breakfast routine doesn’t change much: eggs, oatmeal, granola, maybe cheerios with fruit.  That’s about it.  On days where I know the morning will be especially busy or full of hard work, eggs are the must have food, they just keep me full of energy until lunch. 

I only use local free-range eggs.  We’re blessed with about 4 different sources for eggs and seem to always have some even in the darkest days of winter, we’re able to get some from our various sources.

100 Things - #9 I never leave home without my coffee mug.

I do always take my coffee mug with me whenever I leave home.  We have coffee every morning, but sometimes there’s just need for more and I like to have my travel mug with me instead of using the disposable cardboard and/or styrofoam kind.  There are several gas stations in the area that sell coffee refills for 50 cents a cup, too, making my travel mug a slightly more frugal choice, because the same places charge 99 cents or more if you use their disposable containers.  There are several gas stations that sell my favorite locally roasted coffee too for 50 cents a refill, the roaster’s cafes sell the exact same thing for $1.50 a mug.  I know how to bargain hunt. 

On weekend yard sale trips or scenic drives, Jeff and I both take our mugs along and these are the times when we splurge on fancier drinks like a latte, occasionally.  Though we’ll drink plain drip gas station variety as well.  Like my cloth shopping bags, I’m just glad to know there is a coffee mug in the car, just in case.

100 Things #8 - I love to bake.

While that probably doesn’t come as a shock to anyone who looks through the photos on this blog, it is something that is very much ingrained into my genetic code.

I can remember baking with my grandmother from a very young age.  At Christmas time, I can remember, my Grandma rolling out & cutting the sugar dough into shapes and brushing them with the egg wash.  My sister and I would then decorate the cookies with colored sugar, sprinkles, raisins, chocolate chips, cherries, and more.  My dad’s was on oven duty during these baking sessions.  He would put the sheets in the oven and remove the cooked treats to wire racks to cool.  I fondly remember hearing my dad say things like, “oops this one broke or this one burned a little, I suppose I’ll have to eat it.”  I use my grandmother’s sugar cookie recipe to this day. 

It was my grandmother who taught me things like shifting flour and kneading bread dough.  Everytime I have a baking sesson, I feel my grandmother’s spirit right next to me as I sprinkle sugar onto cakes or pull crusty loaves out of the oven.  No doubt, because of my fond memories of baking as a child, I associate baking inherenty with love.  I do my best to shower that manifestation of love onto others.  I do love watching someone bite into something I’ve baked and see their eyes light up, and know that I did bring just a hint of love and my grandmother into their life.

100 Things - #7 I sew barefoot.

I’m not sure how I developed this habit, but when I sew with the machine, I always do so barefoot.  Even when I have slippers on (which almost always) I take the slipper off before stepping on the foot pedal.  When I’m done sewing, I slide back into the slipper and repeat the process every time I begin stitching again.

100 Things - #6: I have false teeth.

When I was about 8 or 9 (can’t quite remember when), I tried to jump a ramp on my bicycle.  I didn’t quite make it and fell.  I knocked out my three front teeth, broke my arm, and pushed all my teeth around inside my mouth.  Basically the accident, shoved my teeth in such a way that they pointed back towards my throat instead of down as they would normally.

The doctors/dentists did try to re-attach my natural teeth, which my dad went home and found, however; it didn’t take.  I spent that entire summer in and out of various doctor and dentist offices and several surgeries later, I was good as new with my false teeth.  I had my teeth wired, but my jaw was not wired shut.  I do remember having the wires removed about 6 weeks after they were put on, and the very next day I was riding my bike again.  As a kid, not riding my bike for most of the summer was pure torture, however; I was treated to tons of Popsicles and ice cream all summer long.  Funny enough I don’t have a ton of other memories from that summer beyond that and the many doctor/dentist visits.

I have weak teeth, no doubt, due to all the moving around the roots sustained during that summer.  I also have a huge fear of the dentist, I practically need to be sedated to walk into the office.  Just sitting in the waiting room is enough to bring me to tears.  I’m sure all those visits and painful memories are indelibly marked on my subconscious causing this huge fear in me. 

100 Things :: #5 - I’m addicted to Altoids.

Luckily it’s not an addiction that is ruining my life.  In all seriousness, however, at any given time I have at least four tins of Altoids within reach.  I keep one tin in my purse at all times, there’s usually a tin on the shelf near my sewing machine, there’s always a tin at my desk at work, and there’s generally a tin in my car too.  Despite the multitude of tins, on average I only have about 3 mints a day.  My love of Altoids, has ruined me for any other mints - nothing else will do when I want a mint.

I’ve managed for the most part to steer clear of the ones covered in dark chocolate.  Those are super yummy but too tempting for me to have around.  I’d probably eat a whole tin of those in two days tops.  They’re also more expensive and I suppose the frugal voice in my head just won’t let me spend that much on mints, despite the fact that the plain Altoids are already more expensive than most mints on my grocery store shelves.  However, I’m a firm believer in that frugality shouldn’t be about deprivation and if my little splurge is a $1.99 tin of mints, so be it.   

I don’t let the Altoid tins go to waste either.  I have several friends that use them in altered art type projects and they get a steady supply from me and we re-use them around the house for a multitude of purposes.  If I could ever find a bulk bin of Altoids, I’d be in heaven… maybe that’s a thought for my local grocers.

100 Things - #4 I use cloth shopping bags.  That probably doesn’t come as a surprise to many regular visitors to this blog, but it is none-the-less one of a 100 things about me.

I’ve been using cloth shopping bags for many years now.  I love the convenience and sturdiness of them and have a wide collection.  My cloth bag collection includes many handmade sweeties, treat bags from conferences/seminars, thrifted goodies, and even a few found at various locations over the years that I took home and washed for future use.

I make it a practice to bring groceries in from the car, unpack the bags, and take the cloth bags right back out to the car.  This way I always have the cloth bags with me and I don’t forget them at home when I go to the grocery store, library, or farmer’s market.  On more than one occasion, I’ve been grateful to have these bags in my back seat, they’ve come in handy for more reasons than my shopping trips.