Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 31

"Are my eyeballs green?  Even my eyeballs feel green after 31 days.  Seriously.  Can you please look?  Have the whites of my eyes turned green?!"

These are the sorts of conversations one may expect to entertain after sucking sustenance through a straw (nice alliteration, right?) for a full month.

True story.  This happened tonight on the way to basketball practice.  And I'm not going to share with you who the smoothie drinker was that was speaking; but I will give you a small clue.  It wasn't me.

No, the whites of our eyes are not green.  But the stomachs do rumble loud, and we grow ever giddy as tomorrow approaches.

And there you have it.  Four words sum up this whole topsy-turvy journey of a month:

Glory be to God.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 30

We are down to one day!  Three smoothies more apiece, and we will have hit our allocated total of 93 smoothies each within the month of January.  It's a sheer miracle, my friends.

And I, like this blossoming butterfly captured on camera in our garden last fall, am ready to emerge from this self-inflicted cocoon of green smoothies into the realm of food saturated with texture and flavor.  And colors; oh yes, colors.  Something beyond the green, brown or puce; hues that are all separate and distinct, each retaining its own individual color identity.  That's what I look forward to on my plate.

In one more day, we chew.

This has been an amazing month of slimming down, toning up and detoxing; and we are looking forward to eating food!  I told Josh I may never suck my food through a straw again until the day I am forced to.  Kidding.  Green smoothies will still be a regular part of our breakfast routines; just not all day every day. 

Press on toward your goals, friends!  They are attainable.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 29

Isn't this crazy?!  Just four days ago we took pictures in the snow wearing our insulated red boots, gloves and winter coats and shared it with you.

Today we took our family exercise routine to a nearby park.  We hiked around the mirrored lake which was speckled with ducks and other water fowl.  They seemed to be equally enjoying the unforeseen high temperature of mid-60's, basking in the warm sunshine with a happiness equal to ours. 

The kids spotted their beloved giant magnolia and quickly scampered up its limbs.  Isaac made it all the way to the top and called back down, "Caleb, you have got to come up here!  I feel the morning breeze!"  It was 4:30 p.m.  But hey, who's to stop the little guy from feeling the  morning breeze at the tip-top of a giant tree he has just scaled?  Not I.

Josh and I rested back easy on a bench facing the water and took in the scenery while the kids continued to play and climb behind us.  The branches would rustle loud and we would hear Tannah's voice boom out deep in her attempt at catching someone unawares, "I am a talking tree.  You can hear my voice, but you cannot see anyone.  That is because I am a magical talking tree."

This would be followed by three children giggling uproariously, and the people walking the well-trodden path smiling up knowingly.

God is so good, and His created nature is simply marvelous.  We love to escape to the out of doors anytime possible and simply bask in His glory.  The variety and magnitude of His creation is simply incomprehensible; a very present and tangible daily reminder of his power and grace combined.  We worship our Creator when we marvel in His creation. 

Oh, and yes, TWO MORE DAYS of smoothies!

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 28

Three days.  Nine smoothies.  That's how many we each have left.  Three days!  Amazing.

This evening we sipped some spinach~banana~peanut butter ~peach~strawberry~almond milk smoothies.  A nice protein booster after our evening workouts.  Josh and I have both been exercising this entire month -- mostly just moderate level cardio -- and we look forward to next month when we can begin again to incorporate some more strenuous exercise!  It will be nice to switch it up a bit more between weights and cardio when we are taking in a more regular amount of calories.

In other news, I performed a quick refurbishing on one of my useful kitchen tools today.

This little baby rests sinkside in my kitchen each day.  This is what she looked like before:

I picked it up at a yard sale a few years back for a dollar or two; a sweet little Lenox ceramic tray.  I have kept it handy next to my sink ever since and used it as a catchall for sponges, soaps, sink stoppers, etc.  After scrubbing it down infinitely with cleansers while cleaning it each week, I finally decided to give it a coat of spray paint.

Out came the can of Rustoleum's oil-rubbed bronze, and two minutes later, voila!

I'm going to let it cure for three days or so, then put it back into action.  This spray paint is one of my favorites.  I have used it on dresser handles, lamp bases and more.  Love it!

Look around you.  Is there something you thought of throwing out but can give fresh life to today?  With just a bit of time, you can turn a cast-off into a well-used tool!

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 25 (Re-post)

We interrupt the regularly scheduled daily posts to bring you a re-post of Day 25.  Sadly, Day 25 was mistakenly deleted.  We are happy to report that it is now back, just a bit out of order. 

Snow here is a rare occasion; something to be treasured. As soon as those fluffy flakes started falling, out ran my little kiddos all clad in their boots, gloves and winter coats. A giant snowball fight ensued, even though we had to scrape the ground in order to make our snowballs.

I joined in the fun, toting my dinner smoothie with me. Tonight's smoothie I'm sporting here is kale-banana-grape juice concentrate-mixed frozen berry. Tasty as usual! I was hoping the few flakes falling in might add a bit of pizzazz. What they didn't add in flavor, they more than compensated for in ambiance!

We work hard together as a family here in our home. We also serve together in ministry as a daily part of our lives. And whenever the moment and schedule permits, we have a boatload of fun together!

To be together is a gift. These people are only this size and this age in our lives for a season. All too soon, this season will pass and they will journey on in their lives. This is appropriate, and this is the natural order of things. We celebrate all that the Lord has in store for them in their futures!

Right now, for this moment, we are cherishing each moment of our close togetherness, and discipling these children as we walk along the way together.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 27

To coffee; or not to coffee? 

That is the question.

No worries; I'm not talking about tomorrow. There will be no breakage of this 31-day pilgrimmage to the land flowing with green smoothies.  I'm just thinking ahead and planning for Friday.

Celebration day!

So here is the crossroads at which I stand.  Without coffee in my life my moods have been more stable.  I have been headache-free completely for three weeks now.  There is no energy high followd  by a crash; just an even-keeled steady endurance.

On the flip side, my love affair with the bean runs deep.  Just the thought alone is enough to woo me out of a warm cocoon of wrapped blankets in the morning.  Holding a steaming mug between my cupped hands is a bright spot in any day. 

Yes, I've tried tea and do enjoy a cup now and again.  But coffee firmly holds my heart within a chunky ceramic mug. 

Will I try decaf?  Perhaps. 

Only time, and February 1st, will tell. 

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 26

Today was quite a busy day!  We were blessed to participate in an Eagle Scout award ceremony for a dear friend, attended our son's basketball game, and then I topped it all off with making soap.  I love a good full day; especially during the month of smoothies.  A busy schedule helps to keep my mind off of the lack of a plate of food.

This afternoon I had an epiphany.  Are you ready?

When the month is finished, we will have sucked down a total of 93 smoothies each.  93.

We have 15 left.  Did you catch that?  Fifteen!

And so, I'm going to end the day with that beautiful number.  I have stories to share, but they will have to wait for another day when my brain has had a bit of sleep and is ready to tell the tales.  Many blessings to you and yours, dear friends, and may tomorrow morning find you in the warm company of Christian believers raising your heart and voice in worship to your Creator.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 24

With temps this week in the 20's, I have lost all semblance of any sort of fashion-forward thinking.  It's cold, and I am seeking to be warm.  Good-bye cute little suede boots with the heel, and hello clunky double-lined red boots.

I don't mind in the least, because they are warm.  If there is a fire in our fireplace, you can find me somewhere nearby.  The sauna at the gym?  Oh yeah, I'm there, too.  And don't forget those nice steamy hot mugs of water that I curl my fingers around by the hour to retain heat.

These smoothies, they're great.  But there is something about drinking an icy drink three times a day and never taking in a hot meal that wears on a body.  I wasn't made for it, but I sure am grateful for sustenance.  

We are down now to seven days!  Seven days!  Can you believe it?!  I thought this month would never end when it started; but here we are, seven days out.

Glory to God ~ I can see the finish line. 

If you have resolutions you are working on, keep at them!  Keep plugging away, bit by bit, and you will see results!

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 23

Tamara opened her smiling mouth to shout instructions into the headset mic, and with two syllables my heart catapulted quickly into my toes and my lips went numb.

"Free style!"

All the 30 other ladies in my morning Zumba class immediately broke into seemingly effortless hip-swinging, foot-tapping gyrations; while I awkwardly stepped from side to side and clapped off-beat like I was at my first seventh-grade dance.

Dread pierces my heart when we reach this point of the exercise routine.  See, I can learn the steps (mostly), and I can smile my way through them.  But tell me to free-style and I just know I'm about to be found out for the church-raised girl, preacher's wife that I am.  The lack of synchronization in my limbs tells the whole story.  No explanation or words are necessary.

And yet, on I dance.  Why?  Because daily exercise is necessary for the body and good for the soul.  And doggone it, it's fun!

So there you go.  This is your official permission to get out there and exercise.  Have fun.  Look a little foolish.  But so be it.  This is your one body in this one life before heaven; use it to the fullest for God's glory.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 22

Things are getting chickie 'round here!  We have on pre-order a group of sweet little chicks that we will be welcoming into our home within the next few weeks.  Our children can barely contain their excitement.  Handmade drawings of fluffy chicks (well, maybe it's a duck; but who's keeping track?) and chickens abound.

And while putting Tannah to bed tonight, I found this:

 Let me break it down for you, as told by Tannah.  What your eyes behold would be the first ever chick swing.  She will be tying a string to the top and hanging it from a branch.  At that point, she will lay a nice tuft of cotton balls in the base of it and place said chick on top of the cottony pillow.  She will then gently rock the kaleidoscope of colors until her sweet little baby falls asleep.

So there you have it.  We don't have these babies in our possession yet, and they have already been named such things as "Legolas", "Tweetie Bird", "Yoda" and "Esther".  Just knowing that we have both boys and a girl in our home, I think it's fairly apparent by the names who chose which names.

We are still drinking our greens three times a day here!  And, a beautiful intersection was crossed today.  I wrote up our meal plan and grocery list for the week and realized it will be my last grocery shop which will carry us through to the end.  Glory to God!!!

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 21

This morning's smoothie was a delight.  Spinach, bananas, frozen raspberries and one grapefruit.  Yum-o!

 I woke up with a pep in my step today, deciding to choose cheerfulness.  In fact, I have begun reciting something new all the day long:  "Food is not my master."  "Food is not my master."  "Food is not my master."  This is usually followed by a prayer to the Lord, again acknowledging Him as my one Master. 

Sounds simple enough; sure.  But when the tummy growls loud and there is food all about, sometimes you have to say something nice and loud and clear to remind yourself what is what. 

In other news, my daughter broke in her Easy Bake Oven today.  She was patiently waiting out of respect for our smoothie cleanse (her own decree); but when she asked in her sweet voice today to bake her mini-chocolate chip cookies,  I just couldn't deny her.  So bake she did.  And I hear they were scrumptious.

How are your resolutions going?  Keep at them and don't give up!  You will be so happy you did.

Enjoy today,

 
P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 20

I have begun to seek solace in the pinning of party foods.  On Pinterest, that is.

I have a running list of Super Bowl appetizers.  Nothing is safe from making its appearance on my food board.  Homemade pretzel bites with four kinds of dipping sauces, chocolate dipped strawberries iced with football lacings, meatball sliders, southwestern egg rolls with avocado ranch, buffalo chicken dip...you name it; I've got it pinned.

And don't even get me started on the hobbit food list we read about when planning our son's Lord of the Rings birthday party for February.  Who knew hobbits had the best taste?  Apparently they love "straightforward, hearty fare" which can include, but is not limited to:  coffee, seed cakes, buttered scones, raspberry jam and apple tart, mince-pies and cheese, eggs, cold chicken, pickles, potatoes and mushrooms.

Be still my heart.

I may just be a hobbit.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 19

Good things come to those who wait.  Right?  Right.

This morning we happily sipped our collardbananapineapplegrapefruit smoothies, content with the world.

By three p.m., I had him cornered in the bedroom and furtively locked the door behind me.

"Look.  This is how it's going to go down.  I'm going to drive to a fast food place, grab a couple of cheeseburgers and smuggle them back here under a coat.  We'll lock the door of our bedroom.  The kids will never know."

"No one ever has to know."

He smiled and slowly shook his head.  "Babe.  Come on.  We're almost there." 

"You're right.  Erase this entire conversation."

I unlocked the door and went back to the laundry.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 18

Still smoothie'ing it up around here!  For this Friday night, I am sharing with you a simple recipe that I have made over the years for my family.  Our children enjoyed this lentil spaghetti tonight over whole wheat noodles while we sipped our spinach-banana-strawberry-peanut butter smoothies.  There were smiles all around!

Without further ado, here you go:

Crock-Pot Lentil Spaghetti

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried lentils

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

29-ounce can tomato sauce

12 ounces tomato paste

1 Tablespoon each of dried basil, parsley and oregano; or to taste (Note:  If you have fresh, of course, use this instead!)

1 teaspoon sugar

salt to taste

Directions:

 Rinse 1/2 cup of dried lentils.

Place in a saucepan and cover with water two to four inches above the lentils.

Add to the saucepan one chopped onion and two cloves of minced garlic.

Bring to a boil.  

Turn down and simmer for about 30 minutes or until lentils are soft.

Combine all listed ingredients, including cooked lentil/onion/garlic mix into Crock-Pot.

Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Serve over whole wheat or rice spaghetti noodles.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 17

I'm not hoarding.  Really.  This is the amount of bananas we need to invest in to keep us in smoothies for around four to five days.  No worries, though.  We won't be taking all of the bananas from your local grocery store forever.  This is only for January when smoothies are our sustenance, our staple of choice.

My grocery cart was pretty humorous today:  one carton of eggs, one package of cheese, some butter, a package of chicken; all items for the kids' meals for the week.  And then there was the other two thirds of the cart.  Piled high with bags of spinach, collards, grapes, raspberries, bananas, and more; I checked out.  We are attempting to shop for a full week.  We'll see how that goes!  It's certainly been a new sort of challenge adapting our meal plans and shopping trips each week.

The benefits to the challenge are wonderfully worth it.  When I think back to what I've "eaten" today, I'm amazed.  Spinach, kale, collards, raspberries, bananas, oats, peanut butter, grapefruit and oranges graced my glass.  Simply amazing!  There are all kinds of antioxidants and immune system boosters in those concoctions!

We are also continuing to exercise approximately five times per week, which is boosting our bodies' benefits in this cleanse.  Total health is always the goal.

Press in on your goals and don't give up!  Refuse to listen to the voices around you saying resolutions are worthless.  They're not.  A resolution is something you took focused time set apart to work on, perhaps even prayed over, and decided something was important enough to you to make some changes.  So keep going!  Don't stop!

Did you slip a little; falter a bit along the way?  Stand back up and keep going!  I love what Dave Ramsey says about the story, "The Tortoise And The Hare".

"I've read the end of the book.  And the tortoise always wins."

Don't worry about your struggles, your setbacks.  They happen to all of us in the human race.  Look to God for strength and trust Him to help you.  He will as you continue on your journey.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 16

"Mama!"

We were riding home from tonight's church service.

"Mama, you look so young!  You do not look like you're in your 30's."

"Wow, thanks, Tannah!  So, I look like I'm about 10, right?"

"Noooo, Mom!  I don't mean that.  I just mean you look like you're in your 20's or something."

Wowsers.  Now, I don't know what my baby girl was seeing in the gleam of the oncoming headlights tonight, but I'll take it. 

Apparently, friends, we have discovered the fountain of youth.  And it is flowing with fruits and vegetables.  And water.  Lots and lots of ice water.

So, we're officially over halfway.  And something utterly magical happened today.  I didn't hit a low the whole day long.  Most every other day has found me depleted at some point, at least mentally from mourning not chewing. 

But not today.

Why? 

I have what is called a ray of hope.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I have been likening this cleanse to a bicycle race.  The first leg was straight uphill pedaling.  Just hard-core pushing.

And then last night we crossed over the pinnacle of the hill and are now coasting downhill.  Feet flying free above the pedals, ponytail whipping in the breeze, I now mentally coast to the 31st. 

And by God's grace, we will make it there.

"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."  ~ Hebrews 12:1b

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 15

We inch ever closer to the halfway point, and I can't help but share the deep elation this evokes in my spirit.  In my mind if I can just make it to day 16, I can go all the way.  I think I need to look up some fresh recipes before my grocery shopping this week, though!  We're starting to repeat the same drinks again and again and again... you get the idea.

The results are stellar.  Josh is down 16 pounds in 15 days, and I am down about 11.  I have never been a big scale-watcher though, so frankly that it not my highest goal.  We simply wanted a good cleansing for the new year and to get healthy.  May I encourage you as well?  Don't make it your goal to be as skinny as possible.  Healthy.  A healthy body for the glory of God is the goal of any health and exercise plan.

So as we struggle to complete the duration of this 31 days of cleansing, I am reminded constantly that our God is for us and always with us.  My prayer has been that during this month, He would keep our eyes fixed firmly on his gaze, as Peter's was when walking on water to Jesus (minus the falling part).

A dear friend gifted me with this sweet work of art she picked up at a craft fair this Christmas.

Penned across the bottom is the phrase, "His eye is on the sparrow". 

As each day passes and brings us one day more closer to the completion of this task, I can't help but cling to that promise.  If our Lord sees and cares each time one tiny sparrow falls, how much more does He care for us?  He sees our struggles, and He is present in them with us.

Are you working on something, a goal perhaps, that seems absolutely insurmountable?  Are there times when you feel overwhelmed with the weight of it all; even when you cannot see the end of it?  Look into the eyes of Jesus, the One who cares for you far more richly and deeply than He cares for the birds of the air or the flowers of the field.  He will sustain you, and He is enough.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"  ~ Matthew 6:26

Enjoy today,

  



P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 14

I have spent the evening studying the seed catalog, charting my garden planting dates and researching baby chicks.  Chicks!  I can barely contain my excitement.  As soon as I can find our own little soap shop flock of fuzzballs, they're moving in.  We're going to love and cuddle them up, because, as my wise farming friend counseled me on the phone tonight, "When it comes to chickens, you get out what you put in."  

So there you have it. I have already commissioned my three children that the moment those chickies enter our door, their job is to love, love, love them up and nurture them 24/7.  Why?  Because happy chickens = lots of eggs.  Hopefully.

And apparently, I won't be needing a coop for a good 2-4 months or so after getting the little babies.  Which is good news!  This means we can get our chicks and raise them inside for a bit while we continue to plan and potentially build our dream-coop.

On the smoothie front of things, this was a hard day.  So hard, in fact, that I wrote this statement to myself on our chalkboard and read it out loud (to myself) about 20 times today.  The majority of the world is living on far less calories than I have consumed today in my smoothies, and many of them are quite content.  I focused on that.

There was a moment when I considered eating a homemade oatmeal-date-walnut cookie. Seriously.  My hand may even have trembled a bit as I set them out on napkins for my children.

Then Isaac walked in and it was like the Cindy Lou Who scene straight out of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".  

"Mom,"  He said.

"Mama.  I thought about sneaking those cookies earlier, but I didn't do it."  His joy-filled smile filled the kitchen.

"Oh, baby.  I'm so glad.  Because you remembered that wouldn't be right to sneak, and you didn't do it."

His smile continued as he flew out the back door.

My hand stopped its trembling and my spirit quieted.  Sure, there would have been nothing wrong with me taking one in theory.  But I've made a commitment, and I'm sticking to it.  And there you have it.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts. 

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 13

These adorable duckies floated by in their ice-blue punch bath of suds.  A sunny-smiled elementary school girl scooped out portions into plastic cups with the greatest of care.

 1

To the right set this work of art:  a "Waddle it be???" cake. 

The setting was one of the classrooms in our church building.  Immediately following service today, a group of ladies and our daughters gathered in the room to celebrate one of our friend's pregnancy and expected new baby. 

And yes, I must share with you a picture of the giant platter of pancit ~ that most delicious Filipino treat.  I tell you, I could sit down and eat a whole vat of it myself, given the opportunity.  Today I simply watched Tannah enjoy it.  

When I arrived home, I made one of my favorite green smoothies yet for my lunch. Ready for this?  Spinach, banana, grapefruit, green apple, orange juice concentrate.  Wow!  It had the nicest tart little kick to it.  

Our family truly loves Sundays.  We look forward to this day all week, the gathering of the corporate body of Christ in worship to Him and community.  We hear a sermon preached from His Word, sing in worship together and encourage and pray for one another.  And some days, like today, we have the special privilege of sharing in fellowship with one another after service.  Is there truly anything better here on earth, before we are finally home in heaven?  I think not.

As the body of Christ we laugh together, cry together, rejoice together, mourn together, celebrate, cheer one another on, confront each other in love, restore one another, hold each other up when we are weak and pray for each other.  We celebrate life, including the new lives of little ones born into our family.  God is so good, and there is a sweetness that cannot be found anywhere else on earth except within His family. 

Did you miss today?  Mark it on your calendar to get in a local Bible-preaching Jesus-following church.  You will never regret it.

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.

Adventures In Green {Smoothies}: Day 12

A huge benefit to this smoothie process is that our compost pile is growing by heaps and pounds.  Did you catch that?  Not leaps and bounds, but heaps and pounds?  Nice, right?  Yeah, I've been working on that one all day.

Every bit we toss in our compost pile will serve to add fresh nutrients and organic matter back into our garden once it has decomposed. 

Our compost pile is a simple structure in our backyard made up of multiple shipping pallets as walls, lassoed together at the corners with some good strong cording.  We have three piles side by side, which I loosely rotate.  One pile functions as the active pile which I am currently adding to daily.  Once the active pile reaches the top of the pallets, I leave that pile to simmer and move on to the next pile.  I begin adding to that daily, while giving the first pile a few good turns a couple times a week.  When the new active pile reaches the top of the pallets, I move to the third section, and so on.

Every time a section of compost is nice and decomposed, I work it into our garden soil.  I add a good bit of other organic matter beyond kitchen scraps throughout the year:  garden waste, grass clippings, dried leaves, newspaper, toilet paper rolls, hair from haircuts, straw and aged horse manure.  

I haven't purchased compost in a number of years because we just keep using what we have on hand around us in this fashion.

Composting is an excellent way to be a good steward of the resources around us and save money at the same time!

Enjoy today,

P.S. You are welcome here! Thank you for stopping by for a visit. Feel free to join the conversation by leaving a comment and sharing your thoughts.