Seed Selection

I spent just five minutes as promised today thinking thoughts of gardening. I choose which plants I would start froms seeds. We settled on green beans, yellow beets (something new for us), spinach and carrots. I learned something about seeds. The hybrid seeds although they may have good purpose for climates where the growing season is shortened or conditions are tougher but in my climate my research seems to imply anything related to genetic modification when it comes to seeds is not necessary. Those hybrids that are often hyped up to be uber-resistant to disease and weather and much more productive just might not be all they're cracked up to be. An advocate oh heirloom seeds (those that have been passed down naturally had three reasons I thought was worth considering"Nutritional Integrity Many vegetables today lack nutrition from over-hybridization. Recent tests are showing that many of the vegetables, grains and other produce you buy, INCLUDING ORGANIC PRODUCE, are nutrient-deficient. If you want to truly be in charge of your nutritional intake, you must home garden. If you want the higher nutrition of original varieties you must use non-hybrids.
Economic security and independence Growing your own food, now, is becoming an economic necessity for many. Even those in cities are growing food on their balconies and rooftops and in suburban backyards. 2009 will likely become known as the year America returns to home gardening (see Victory Gardens of WWII) as a way of defending against the hostile adversary of an economic downturn! Security of Food Supply Securing the nation’s food supply against the “invasion” of GM (genetically modified) and over-hybridization of foods is coming down to the backyard garden. Yours and ours." Something to think about. I love the prospect of eliminating the worry out of what's on your dinner table. Sure, not every thing we here about the latest risks are not certain but not having to worry either way is a better bet for me.
www.dandelionsummers.com

5 minute monday makeover 2-garden plans

Accountability time! To report on last weeks 5 minute Monday makeover my five minute daily shower escapade was fairly successful. Monday I found myself surprisingly excited about this simple change and had my outfit for the day ready to go. Feeling particularly commited to earth awareness I wore my favorite green striped shirt, all day it reminded me of my little change and the effect small things can make. I felt like a regular Captain America (if you must know.) Day two I admit I didn't hear my alarm so I started out a bit behind schedule and well, didn't ever get around to any form of shower...hey, get off my back, I am a mother of four, you know you've been there...:) Then a revelation occurred to me. By not taking that shower I was saving the earth even more...yes the guy who pumped my Gas at Chevron probably wondered why the gas he was pumping into my tank smelled a little on the salty side-hopefully he just thought he was getting a wiff of a coastal breeze and not the lovely lady at the steering wheel. I have come to terms with that odor in a vigilante sort of way-embracing Captain America (visualize cape wafting in the same coastal breeze) was a step in the right direction-By example leading I felt empowered to tell others about the goals I was setting and the strides I am making to enjoy life more naturally and not at the risk of the world around me. Life was meant to be natural, why not live it natrually, or el natural as I liked to think this day. Day three I brushed my teeth in the shower and ended up taking about 6 minutes time. Day four I made excuses and threw my Captain America green t-shirt in the mental trash can and used up my five minute credit from the day of no shower and took a satrisfying 10 minute shower. The rest of the week were uneventful and efficient 5 minute check offs. It wasn't so bad.
This weeks new 5 minute Monday makeover is to plant my garden. Benefits abound when it comes to growing your own food. It almost always saves you money, nutritional value of homegrown vegetables is superior and I love the family spirit that grows when we work together to plant, till the soil, get dirt in the nails and somehow consider miracles in a new way. I'll keep you posted on the choices we make. Anyone else planting a garden this year?

Stuffed peppers with brown rice for dinner

Two nights ago I went to the store for groceries. Each grocery trip I aim for a few positive natural type or organic choices in the grocery fare as well as some choices that are closer to the original food-for example: rather than choosing white enriched rice I choose whole grain brown rice. it does take longer to cook so to help the weeks menu out I cooked brown rice this evening for tonight's stuffed green peppers and made enough rice for a second dish to save later in the fridge. Sunny loved the stuffed peppers, they reminded her of something she had sampled in her school nutrition course (this reminded me that it helps to try new foods repeatedly to get the kids to accept them...which in turn helped me accept Moses and Adrianna's rejection of the meal)For the filling I sauted green onions, thinly sliced celery, sliced some fresh organic tomatoes, added cumin and a little of this and that (Trader Joes Sea Salt, freshly ground pepper, leftover organic Pacific foods tomato soup and stirred in black beans, spinach -filled them and baked them at 350 for 15 minutes. They were good, they tasted light and fresh, a good summer-is-on-the-way sort of light meal. Next time Ithink I will roast the peppers longer and add a little more spice variety ( I was afraid to overdo it with the kids taste buds this time around-maybe chile powder and whole garlic rather than the powdered variety.) I would love to hear any tips you might have for incorporating more healthy choices into your meals!

Using nature as your inspiration for interior decorating

Natural Interior decorating tip:
Rather than using a metal curtain rod take a nature walk to find a rustic stick that is long enough. Make sure it's strong enough to hold your particular fabric. Keep some of the natural rustic appeal by keeping as many off shoot branches as will allow you to shimmy your fabric over. The ends can protrude with bends and knots. If the natural wood suits your decor, you're done. If you like you can paint the stick first and then dress with curtain.
http://www.oregonmetro.gov/index.cfm/go/by.web/id=521
In my town of Portland, Oregon, Metro Paint is a great resource for conscientious paint choices. Visit your local city web page to see if you have anything similar if you are not in Portland.
"MetroPaint is a recycled interior/exterior latex paint that is filtered to industry standards and tested for performance and environmental safety. " It's local and has been providing paint since 1992. They offer paint in one or five gallon buckets. When we moved into our current abode we bought a gallon bucket of the barn red color and used it for a living room accent wall. It makes it so homey and we constantly get compliments on it. They also have info and locations on where to recycle, drop-off unused paint. My cousin has a coastal theme in her newly decorated bathroom. She used natural, authentic sand from Tillamook coast in Oregon in a glass bowl. It adds such a refreshing,, purifying feel and reminds me to be inspired by the beauty of God's creations. Happy decorating.

How to make a natural pen? What sort of ink to use?

Partly cloudy weather dispersed early afternoon, the sun was shining and the wind still rustled. The kids and I headed to the park to catch a few breaths of fresh air. Climbing on the exterior of the play structure (a part climbing was not intended for) I saw Moses braving a new adventure. He was his own Don Quixote. Later he brought me dirty, goo-ridden black and gray raven feather. "I am going to make a pen out of this, Mom." That idea sounded inventive to me. Then he pointed to a nest, the source of where the feather had likely fallen from. "How do they make their nests?" With out yet giving me opportunity to shower him with my 29 years of insightful knowledge about the topic of bird nests he continues, "Looks like sticks and leaves and probably small things that look cool in a nest. " I added a piece from a public broadcasting piece I had seen in the past about about urban birds snatching wire clothing hangers and using them in place of the usual fare. His face gave a "hmm." response. Then he asked me what ink was made of. He had what he deemed suitable for the pen-the quil but realized it wouldn't write. I was thinking. Another mother at the park offered her idea, "Beet juice." I thought that was a good idea. It reminded me of the natural colored play dough we made the other day. Beets are back in vogue. Moses surprised me as he always does. "I think ink comes from squids." The minutes before Moses is tucked into bed, Simon often gives Moses some facts on the animal he has been thinking about most that day. On more than one occasion it has required some outside research. Being witness to this discovery process I can't help but wonder if we allow our kids to be naturally curious what sort of adults might they turn into. It's a beautiful thought.

5 minute Monday Make over: An eco-friendly change

I've got a confession to make. I just may not be the perfect gal to be promoting the natural, organic lifestyle. I'd say if I were to grade myself I would likely get a generous C. Between friends, I'll reveal some of my failings: I take 20 minute long, steamy hot showers. And I like the water pressure pretty fierce. I think of a Sesame Street episode encouraging kids to turn the water off while they brush. Ernie is hovering over the bathroom sink on one side of the frame leaving the water running.. The opposite side has a sad guppy fish looking more and more worried as his water level is going lower and lower. I feel a kinship with Ernie as I indulge. I love chocolate and haven't ever thought twice about the fair trade varieties in my selection. Taste and price have been my motivators. (A glimmer of hope: I don't drink coffee, never have so that fair trade dilemma is not on my shoulders!) I make Kraft macaroni and cheese for my kids for too often. I am an educated woman, I am well aware of my kids nutritional needs. Sometimes I am to lazy to wash out the spaghetti sauce glass jar so rather than recycling it I hide it in the trash, hiding it for fear the Gods will know (and my husband who is thankfully a lot more constant than I). Phew, now you know- perhaps from here on out there's room only for good change .
Let's face it. Nobody's perfect. We're all here on this earth to improve one another and to learn and to be constantly striving to improve. To hold myslef accountable and to try to have a little fun in the process here's what I plan to do. Each Monday I'm going to give myself a 5 minute Monday Make-over. It'll be a small tidbit focusing on a manageable bite of ecoconscious living. It may be something I try to enact all week with my whole family. Check up on me, see how it goes, I'll keep you posted. I'd love to see anyone else take the same challenges or a variation in your lives. Feel free to share. There's something empowering about a spirit of comradery.
May 10, 2009
5 minute showers each day.
I have an hour glass timer on my bathroom counter ready to go. Here we go.
http://www.dandelionsummers.com

The Green Triangle Theory

I came across the green triangle theory and saw it in a new light. I naturally just think of "reduce, reuse, recycle" when I hear the phrase "Green Triangle" but how is this for food for thought, (and ever so applicable in our current struggling economy); When we make a small choice, often a natural, wholesome choice which is good for the earth our one action really has three reactions-it cannot be avoided. Some examples:
1. Choose to ride your bike to the store-
a. You get exercise, your body is improved.
b. You cut back on that trips car pollution so your efforts create a healthier earth
c. You save money, that gas is still in the tank
2. Incorporating vinegar and baking soda as cleaners in your home
a. The elbow grease put in by scrubbing bulked up your triceps just a bit
b. Your house is less toxic from chemicals
c. You save money: vinegar and baking soda are much cheaper than specially formulated
solutions with chemicals you can't pronounce
3. Making homeade play dough for the kids
a. A fun and interactive bonding experience as well as a basic lesson in chemistry is offered
for you and your kids
b. You don't have to worry about the "nontoxic" chemicals in brand name play dough and
the equally less desirable Red #40 addition
c. Again, money saved!
If you can think of some green triangle additions feel free to share.
Home-made playdough recipe
(makes around 1 pound of playdough)
1.5 cups flour 1/3 cup salt 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1.5 cups water
1.5 tablespoon vegetable oil
Food coloring (approx 30 drops or as desired, optional)Beet juice is a nice natural choice.
Mix ingredients together in a stove-top pan (first the dry ingredients, then adding the water and oil, and food coloring if desired), and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens. Cook for 4-6 minutes until it starts looking like 1 continuous globular mass (after 2-3 minutes it just has some smaller non-connected globs forming and lots of goo still, but it will start clumping all together soon if you keep stirring up the thickened parts off the bottom of the pan). Then dump/scoop it on a plate, let cool for about 3 minutes, and then knead it into a ball. If it's still too sticky after forming into a ball, you can add a little flour to it, or next time just cook it a little longer.
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Protecting the place we call home

There are good chemicals and there are bad chemicals. In our modern society advancements continue. This is good but no harm can be done by questioning when it comes to the sake of your health and your families help for the problem may lie in discerning what chemicals are good and which ones are bad. There was a time when no one questioned chemistry. After World War II synthetic was in, natural was out as a symbol of new modern prosperity. In the early 60's the well known discovery by biologist, Rachel Carson found DDT to disrupt the chain of life by a harsh and deadly pesticide. While we can't all run in fear and hibernate in a safe abode of the purest and most natural dirt cave we can seek for answers and seek to implement positive changes that ensure more peace of mind, especially in our homes. It's not uncommon to find some combination of pesticides, hydrocarbons, chemicals, heavy metals and other toxins hiding in the typical household dust sample.
So that being said, we don't necessarily always know what might harm us long term. Here's some tips to deter dusts negative effects on you:
Wash bedding and mattress pads once a week in hot water to kill any dustmites. Ust protective covers and dust mite barriers: those of which Dandelion Summers are of exceptional, organic quality. Here's some of their details:

Our Organic Cotton Dust Mite Barrier Covers keep those nasty dust mites out of your mattress and pillows! This is especially important for those who are sensitive or allergic to dust mites and/or live in an area that has a high dust mite population. Make sure the dust mite cover you purchase has actually been tested to keep dust mites out of your pillow and mattress! Our covers have been tested to 6 microns for true dust mite protection. They are made from 400 thread count SKAL certified organic fabric from Germany. The tightly woven fabric is heat pressed to further tighten the weave. No harmful chemicals are used on our certified organic, natural, unbleached and undyed cotton dust mite barrier covers.
We have two organic dust mite cover types to choose from, one a full zippered cover and one fitted like a sheet. The full zippered style gives the best protection. It fits completely around the mattress, box springs or pillow and zips shut. The fitted style fits on the top of the mattress like a standard fitted sheet, and may be used as a fitted sheet, either by its self or over your zippered mattress cover and any other mattress cover you use.
Certified Organic Wool Puddle Pad
Our 100% Certified Wool Puddle Pads resist moisture to protect your mattress. Our wool moisture pads are made from certified organic wool. The wool puddle pads are expertly felted to resist moisture from sweat, liquid, urine or other spills or accidents. We have certified organic wool puddle pads in all of our organic mattress sizes, from cradle to King!
Wool repels moisture, so you need to have some type of cotton over the wool pad to absorb the liquid. A sheet will work fine for this, and for added comfort and protection use our Organic Cotton Crib Mattress Pad. For the comfort of you and your baby, make sure the sheet is thick enough so the wool fibers do not poke through. Our 250 thread count Organic Cotton Crib Sheets are wonderful, and for children and adults please see our excellent line of organic cotton sheets for twin through king size mattresses. Again, for added comfort and protection use our Organic Cotton Crib Mattress Pad.
Our organic wool puddle pads are oversized so that they can be placed in the wash occasionally. Repeated machine washing is not recommended as is will wash out the naturally occurring lanolin. If it is only damp from urine, it needs only to be hung to dry.
The fitted Wool Puddle Pad is recommended because it protects not only the top of the mattress, but the sides as well. It has elastic and fitted sides and goes on like a sheet.
If you are planning to move the Wool Puddle Pad from bed to bed (to your bed at night, in the crib for naps...), you may prefer the flat style.
www.dandelionsummers.com

Welcome to Dandelion Summers. New owners Simon and Shannon Milliman

Welcome to Dandelion Summers: We believe a naturally beautiful childhood should lead into a fulfilling, sustainable adulthood. http://www.dandelionsummers.com/ We are excited about growing with those of you who have supported Ami with Dandelion Summers since its conception in 2004 and we look forward to inviting new friends to join us. We are fully commited to preserving her fundamental principles of providing pure, natural and organic products for you and your family and are grateful to have her guidance as we continue to provide the same trusted products and to do business with your well-being in mind. You can still follow her adventures at the previous blogsite dandelion-cottage.blogspot.com. Please bookmark this new site http://www.dandelionsummers.blogspot.com/ and visit often to follow Dandelion Summers current developments. The same security, ease of browsing and shopping has been maintained for your peace of mind and to allow you continuity in purchasing the items that make your life more enjoyable. We are the new owners of Dandelion Summers and are excited about furthering our journey and being a part of your journey as we begin to weave natural and organic living into our lifestyles. We are Simon and Shannon Milliman, we have four children: Sunny Carolina, Moses, Adrianna and Rainbow. Together we have many strengths that we hope will sustain Dandelion Summers ideals. We are commited to finding ways to make our life experiences a complement to a naturally beautiful existence. A little about us: Simon and Shannon both have Bachelors Degrees in English. Simon graduated from Portland State University and Shannon from Brigham Young University. Simon is passionate about music. His band, The Subterranean Howl has released one album and plans to release another this fall. Shannon finds joy dancing and is currently choreographing a dance to one of Simon's tunes, "Put Me Under." We both like to write for the purpose of finding purpose, meaning and direction in life and find a lot of all of the above in our four children. Sunny Carolina is almost seven and loves the smallest of all creatures, mice. Her favorite toy is the Ostheimer wooden mouse. She has entered many new worlds and mouse holes in her world of pretend with this small but significant character. She draws mice, writes stories about them and pretends she is a mouse frequently. We all have savored her delight in her journey to learn to read. She is excited about her designated role in Dandelion Summers as official Dandelion crown maker. Keep posted for succesful photos of her natural accesories. Moses is five and a superhero at heart. He believes in justice for all and has surprised us with his progressive thoughts. Without prompting he recently expressed his concern for the consumption of animals. He has told us, "I care about animals. I don't want to eat them." He reminds us to think new thoughts and reconsider the ways we have always done things; a pivotal part of our new commitment to seek out safer, more natural choices in all the things we do as people and as a family: working, playing, eating, serving etc. Adrianna is three and has a soft spot in her heart for sweets (organic sugar of course!) and loves the endless possibilities that her multi-colored collection of play silks offer her for creating princess-esque attire. Rainbow is seven months and binds us all together in adoration of purity and innocence. Her newness and heavenly spirit inspire us to do all we can to equip her with the best possible start possible. She inspires us to love and to make choices that will make hers and our lives happy and healthy. We feel a sense of peace when she is swaddled in natural, organic cotton blankets. Our decision to share a bit of our personal lives is made in hopes that you will develop faith in our mission: to provide an extended family in which we support one another as we make small choices to encourage a more healthy and a more beatiful natural and pure lifestyle. We cannot do this honestly with out sharing what is most important in our lives. We find joy working together as a family and are commited to living a little fuller. The specific products Dandelion Summers offers are key: we spend a great portion of our lives sleeping-since we actively seek to improve our quality of life through organic and natural choices while we are awake we owe it to ourselves the same respect and love to provide the best chance for rejuvinating, pure sleep. It is our conviction that by choosing to invest in products such as organic mattresses, organic bedding, organic mattress pads, organic baby clothes, organic baby blankets, organic sheets, organic dust mite barrier covers, organic cotton blankets, organic wool blankets you will begin to feel a difference in your life. You will begin to notice how good it feels to be whole and to live as nature intends. We urge you to learn from the children in your life, as we try to do every day. Supplement their creative play with positive, safe and quality items like Ostheimer wooden toys, playstands, playsilks, building blocks, wooden toy trains and so much more. As we let them play and learn from their play we will all find oursleves reinspired to pursue our talents and live a more pure and fulfilling lifestyle. We hope you'll join us. http://www.dandelionsummers.com/ Thank you for trusting us with your business. We guarantee you will find a naturally beautiful childhood a fulfilling choice.
Sincerely,
Simon and Shannon Milliman