If you're still counting with us, it's been 254 days of striving to be as green as possible in our lives. More to our lives, it's been that long that we've been reusing as much as possible, reducing what we use to start out with, and recycling everything else if it's possible. It began as an effort to save money and to get healthier. It's evolving into a different way of living.
What began in one way has turned to another - a broader sense of understanding how every tiny thing we each do can and does affect things around us, things that we often don't see as a part of our life. We have been successful in cutting costs and yet our bottom line is no different, perhaps worse, because outside of our control costs increased for the things we do still need. As fuel prices skyrocketed to nearly $5.00 a gallon around here every commodity rose prices saying it was related to their fuel costs increasing. Hundreds of people here lost their jobs as some companies closed their doors, no longer able to afford to stay open - due to rising costs of operations. Yet, when fuel costs came down (presently they are about $1.70 per gallon) no one saw a correlating decrease in the costs of any commodities.
My grocery bill is still well over $100.00 per week! That $100.00 can now fit into just 2 bags instead of 4! We're buying less packaged food, lots fewer snacks, sticking mostly to essential things like veggies, fruits, grains, beans, seasonings, some dairy, some meats - getting things in bulk as much as possible. In general we buy less food now.
The cost of electricity and natural gas has risen enough to make our monthly bills 20-30% higher even though our usage has dropped by as much as 40%!
Insurance costs went up about 10% over last year.
We've had some other changes recently - thus my reason for not getting back here sooner than now. ;-)
Since August one of my older kids has moved out and is attending college in another state! And my three high-school kids are now being homeschooled. This began in large part due to the rising costs of getting them to their charter school (22 miles one way - a round trip made as often as 3 times a day, usually 5 days a week) but has also been something we have wanted to do for some time but just didn't have the right circumstances before now. So alongside my niece whom I've been homeschooling the last few years (she's just 7) we now have 3 high-school juniors working on finishing the requirements for graduation within the next year or so.
This has brought about an expansion in our aspirations towards a lessor carbon footprint and a more earth friendly lifestyle.
They are learning the "wonders" of cloth napkins, and dishtowels; of using the same glass instead of another from the cupboard each time they want something to drink; using more durable things over disposable things.
When we had to get up earlier, rush to get everyone ready to go out, get them to school by a certain time, our whole day was full of rushing to one thing after another and we did often use disposable things to make it easier, faster, more available to our schedules. Now we've eliminated that too. We're not rushing - most of the time.
We are also developing plans for home-based businesses: perhaps making eco-friendly items to sell; making jewelry; a photography business of some kind; selling artwork of various types that we make; and there's always my business - offering non-toxic household cleaning, personal care products & healthy supplements.
The best thing to come out of all the recent changes would be the increase in our own individual spirituality. We have worked at living Christian lives all along but somehow now it's more a lifestyle than before. Somehow now, we are each more Christ-like as we do whatever we are doing in our daily lives. We begin the day with Scripture & prayers, we end the day with Scripture & prayers, and we often turn to Scriptures as well as pray many times during our day. It may be done together as a family, or individually as the situation merits. We are filled with many blessings in so many ways!
Yes, we still struggle and the money coming in doesn't yet exceed the money owed but somehow the essentials get covered each time and whatever can wait keeps waiting. But in so many ways life is the best it can be in these days and times; and I will keep on giving all my earthly best!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
129 Days... Still counting? LOL
We are still moving forward in our adventure in living green. There is so much to do and so much going on. My apologies for not blogging about more of it.
The end of school came... with tons of activities... and left.
Summer began... with rains and floods...
...and more rains... and more flooding...
We had our first attempts at gardening flooded and washed away. :(
The second round sat in six inches of water for four or five weeks. A few plants managed to survive that!
We have six tomato plants that seem to be doing fairly well. There's one cucumber vine, still without any blossoms or cucumbers, so while the vine grew, that's all it did. The same can be said for the watermelons too. The snap peas seemed to be growing again... but they gave it up after the 3rd flooding in less than 6 weeks. The strawberries, lettuces, carrots, onions, and various peppers are all gone and gave up the fight long ago.
In the meantime, flooding in many areas near us meant higher prices for lots of things - IF - if we could even get them! It's pretty weird going to Wal-Mart, a store that is known for having absolutely everything around here, and finding more shelves empty than full!!! The whole month of June seemed to be that way. And even now, at nearly the middle of August there are still many times when shelves are left empty! So many area roads were damaged and still awaiting repairs to reopen.
Not too far from us the heavy rains actually caused the loss of an entire lake! This lake is in an area that gets a lot of tourists, plus it's great (or was) for fishing. The dam didn't break (that's what everyone thought at first), but the heavy rains weakened an area just to the side of where the dam is built; soaked so much that currents from all the rainfall upstream were overloading the dam and stressing the mud to the point that it washed away.... emptied out nearly the entire lake in a matter of hours and of course created MORE FLOOD DAMAGE downstream!
I hear there are some farmers - people who depend on farm crops for income - who lost all of their first planting; then most of their second planting; and are now left with a fraction of what they expected to have to sell this harvest season. And to add to that, many had their homes flooded as well. For us, the flooding never hit the house - came awfully close more than once - but we stayed dry inside. Still, my heart goes out to those less fortunate in this very wet growing season up here this year.
I'm sure there's a connection from the flooding to the mild summer season we're having now. There's only been one or two days so far that temps even got into the 90s! Most days are upper 70s or low 80s and the nights cool down into the 50s and even a few 40s. It's nice. It would be nicer if the mosquitoes would be somewhere else. :)
We have 23 days remaining before our next school year begins!
We still have many summer projects yet to complete before then! So the days are still very busy.
Sewing lessons are progressing - in hopes of making clothes instead of buying them at retail costs.
Everyone is getting used to using a new push-reel mower to cut the grass (weeds) instead of the old gas-powered mower.
We are also doing much better at eating fresher foods and avoiding more processed foods!
We only have 3 more light bulbs to go before every light in the house is switched away from incandescent bulbs - to either compact florescent or full-spectrum bulbs.
We are much better at remembering our fabric bags for shopping and have nearly used up our supply of plastic shopping bags from various stores.
We've done well at cutting down usage for electricity, natural gas, even gasoline for the car. The down side is that their prices all went up - so it didn't actually save us any money. But I can be happy that we didn't have the larger bills to pay!!! :) I'm sure the milder summer contributed to lowering these in most cases - so the real test may be in how low we can keep usage during the winter months... especially if the prices keep going up!!!
The end of school came... with tons of activities... and left.
Summer began... with rains and floods...
...and more rains... and more flooding...
We had our first attempts at gardening flooded and washed away. :(
The second round sat in six inches of water for four or five weeks. A few plants managed to survive that!
We have six tomato plants that seem to be doing fairly well. There's one cucumber vine, still without any blossoms or cucumbers, so while the vine grew, that's all it did. The same can be said for the watermelons too. The snap peas seemed to be growing again... but they gave it up after the 3rd flooding in less than 6 weeks. The strawberries, lettuces, carrots, onions, and various peppers are all gone and gave up the fight long ago.
In the meantime, flooding in many areas near us meant higher prices for lots of things - IF - if we could even get them! It's pretty weird going to Wal-Mart, a store that is known for having absolutely everything around here, and finding more shelves empty than full!!! The whole month of June seemed to be that way. And even now, at nearly the middle of August there are still many times when shelves are left empty! So many area roads were damaged and still awaiting repairs to reopen.
Not too far from us the heavy rains actually caused the loss of an entire lake! This lake is in an area that gets a lot of tourists, plus it's great (or was) for fishing. The dam didn't break (that's what everyone thought at first), but the heavy rains weakened an area just to the side of where the dam is built; soaked so much that currents from all the rainfall upstream were overloading the dam and stressing the mud to the point that it washed away.... emptied out nearly the entire lake in a matter of hours and of course created MORE FLOOD DAMAGE downstream!
I hear there are some farmers - people who depend on farm crops for income - who lost all of their first planting; then most of their second planting; and are now left with a fraction of what they expected to have to sell this harvest season. And to add to that, many had their homes flooded as well. For us, the flooding never hit the house - came awfully close more than once - but we stayed dry inside. Still, my heart goes out to those less fortunate in this very wet growing season up here this year.
I'm sure there's a connection from the flooding to the mild summer season we're having now. There's only been one or two days so far that temps even got into the 90s! Most days are upper 70s or low 80s and the nights cool down into the 50s and even a few 40s. It's nice. It would be nicer if the mosquitoes would be somewhere else. :)
We have 23 days remaining before our next school year begins!
We still have many summer projects yet to complete before then! So the days are still very busy.
Sewing lessons are progressing - in hopes of making clothes instead of buying them at retail costs.
Everyone is getting used to using a new push-reel mower to cut the grass (weeds) instead of the old gas-powered mower.
We are also doing much better at eating fresher foods and avoiding more processed foods!
We only have 3 more light bulbs to go before every light in the house is switched away from incandescent bulbs - to either compact florescent or full-spectrum bulbs.
We are much better at remembering our fabric bags for shopping and have nearly used up our supply of plastic shopping bags from various stores.
We've done well at cutting down usage for electricity, natural gas, even gasoline for the car. The down side is that their prices all went up - so it didn't actually save us any money. But I can be happy that we didn't have the larger bills to pay!!! :) I'm sure the milder summer contributed to lowering these in most cases - so the real test may be in how low we can keep usage during the winter months... especially if the prices keep going up!!!
Friday, May 9, 2008
50 Days and Counting
50 Days!!! Hard to believe it's been that long!!!
It's been over a month since my last posting, too! I don't know what it is about my life that keeps it running at such an insane pace! This too is all part of what I'm working to change. I want a quieter life. I want a simpler life. I want a healthier life.
Instead it seems to still be out of control... what I personally do on any given day follows the needs of all those around me.
Progress on the "green" front is moving slowly. We are remembering the cloth bags more often than not, so we've cut down on how many plastic shopping bags we use. The formerly perpetually overflowing stash of such bags under the kitchen sink is actually shrinking now! :) I'm buying more organic foods too - not all - not even half; but it's averaging about 10% of my grocery money lately. It's harder cutting down on processed foods for the whole family than I'd hoped. Many "say" they are all for it but then when they are buying something they bring so much of it home. :( I am doing better personally at not eating it however. That, at least, is only going to go in one direction, eventually eliminating all of it, for me. Now when I choose to eat something prepared from one of the many processed food selections here my body reacts by feeling ill fairly quickly.
It's much like when I was working on cutting down sodas... all kinds of carbonated drinks. At the beginning it was hard to just cut it down to one can or bottle of soda per day. At the same time I was cutting quantity I was also cutting caffeine, so the sodas I did drink were caffeine free. It probably took close to a year to get to the point where I cut it down from 3 to 6 sodas a day to just one in a week. It was an 'up and down' thing - but once I got to just one a week it was a lot easier to go without soda for two weeks, then three weeks, and a month. One day, about a year and a half into it I was out with some friends and we stopped somewhere for something to drink. My choices were coffee (which I don't drink), milk (which I also don't drink), various sodas, and tap water (which I also don't drink). No juices or teas or bottled/filtered waters. So I ordered a soda. When our drinks arrived, without giving a thought at all to the fact that I hadn't had a soda in close to six months, I swallowed a good-sized gulp... and nearly choked! Not only did the taste so totally no longer appeal to me, but the fizzing carbonation actually felt like it was burning all the way down! I never took a second swallow and I've not even considered trying any soda again since then. It's been three years now. I'm hoping cutting out processed foods, at least for me, if not for my whole family, will follow a similar course.
We have also been very busy preparing for a garden this summer! There are over 200 small containers with little seedlings all over my house right now awaiting the day they can be safely transplanted into the backyard garden. We live in the northern regions of the U.S. Midwest so spring is just barely here. Grasses have only been green a little over a week. The early flowers - tulips, irises, daffodils - are now blooming, bringing color to yards that were still quite bland just a week ago. The leaf buds on many trees aren't quite ready to open but it shouldn't be much longer. With all this in mind, our plan is to begin planting the garden this weekend and have it all in by the end of May. We will be praying for success in this first gardening for food endeavor! Considering my lack of a green thumb we will need lots of prayers! LOL
It's been over a month since my last posting, too! I don't know what it is about my life that keeps it running at such an insane pace! This too is all part of what I'm working to change. I want a quieter life. I want a simpler life. I want a healthier life.
Instead it seems to still be out of control... what I personally do on any given day follows the needs of all those around me.
Progress on the "green" front is moving slowly. We are remembering the cloth bags more often than not, so we've cut down on how many plastic shopping bags we use. The formerly perpetually overflowing stash of such bags under the kitchen sink is actually shrinking now! :) I'm buying more organic foods too - not all - not even half; but it's averaging about 10% of my grocery money lately. It's harder cutting down on processed foods for the whole family than I'd hoped. Many "say" they are all for it but then when they are buying something they bring so much of it home. :( I am doing better personally at not eating it however. That, at least, is only going to go in one direction, eventually eliminating all of it, for me. Now when I choose to eat something prepared from one of the many processed food selections here my body reacts by feeling ill fairly quickly.
It's much like when I was working on cutting down sodas... all kinds of carbonated drinks. At the beginning it was hard to just cut it down to one can or bottle of soda per day. At the same time I was cutting quantity I was also cutting caffeine, so the sodas I did drink were caffeine free. It probably took close to a year to get to the point where I cut it down from 3 to 6 sodas a day to just one in a week. It was an 'up and down' thing - but once I got to just one a week it was a lot easier to go without soda for two weeks, then three weeks, and a month. One day, about a year and a half into it I was out with some friends and we stopped somewhere for something to drink. My choices were coffee (which I don't drink), milk (which I also don't drink), various sodas, and tap water (which I also don't drink). No juices or teas or bottled/filtered waters. So I ordered a soda. When our drinks arrived, without giving a thought at all to the fact that I hadn't had a soda in close to six months, I swallowed a good-sized gulp... and nearly choked! Not only did the taste so totally no longer appeal to me, but the fizzing carbonation actually felt like it was burning all the way down! I never took a second swallow and I've not even considered trying any soda again since then. It's been three years now. I'm hoping cutting out processed foods, at least for me, if not for my whole family, will follow a similar course.
We have also been very busy preparing for a garden this summer! There are over 200 small containers with little seedlings all over my house right now awaiting the day they can be safely transplanted into the backyard garden. We live in the northern regions of the U.S. Midwest so spring is just barely here. Grasses have only been green a little over a week. The early flowers - tulips, irises, daffodils - are now blooming, bringing color to yards that were still quite bland just a week ago. The leaf buds on many trees aren't quite ready to open but it shouldn't be much longer. With all this in mind, our plan is to begin planting the garden this weekend and have it all in by the end of May. We will be praying for success in this first gardening for food endeavor! Considering my lack of a green thumb we will need lots of prayers! LOL
Monday, April 7, 2008
Colloidal Silver (Day 19)
This morning I woke up to some requests for how I make colloidal silver. Now, I realize that there are some people that don't believe in this - some are worried they will turn silver, or blue, if they drink this - some say it only works due to the "placebo effect" - and some will swear that it cures everything!
All I can say is in making this for our own use, we have seen many times that it has increased the speed of healing or decreased the time of illness. We have seen absolutely no harm coming from using it either externally nor internally. The most any of us may have actually consumed in a day was about 2 ounces, but on average we usually use just about a tablespoon.
But I'm not writing this to convince you to use it. I'm writing this for those who are already convinced of it's benefits and are looking for a way to reduce the cost of it for their own personal use.
This form of colloidal silver, or silver water, is very inexpensive to make. We feel it has saved us hundreds of dollars in medical care visits and tests every year that we have used it. For us it is but one step in reducing how much we spend, how much we must use our car (to get to doctors), and tends to increase how healthy we are which is to everyone's benefit. :)
We are now closing Day 19 in our quest for creating healthier lives!
THE MAKING OF COLLOIDAL SILVER
This is for those people who believe colloidal silver has healing properties and would use it more if it didn’t cost so much to buy it already prepared.
We have been making it at home for many years now, thanks to a dear friend who told me how he did it (he’d been making it for us for some time) before he moved away, and additional thanks to another couple I knew that were also making it. My one friend forgot to tell me where to get the needed supplies. But the couple I know gave me that info and included tips on making the “generator” (for lack of a better term).
Essentially, you get colloidal silver by creating an electrical circuit that allows for minute silver particles to be disbursed into distilled water... thus the nickname "silver water" in our home. :)
So you need the following supplies:
Silver – best form is like a heavy wire; must be .999 pure silver (we buy it online, on ebay, 1-foot length for about $7 cut in half) (so far we’ve made at least 70 quarts with the same silver rods)
30 volts in battery power – we use four 9-volt batteries that snap together (you can buy them anywhere – for 4 it might be close to $10; a single 30 volt battery at Radio Shack was $15 I think) This is probably the one thing you will buy fairly often if you make silver frequently. (4 9-volt batteries are usually spent with making 20-25 quarts)
Insulated copper wire – we use cut up electrical cord with 1-inch of insulation cut away exposing the copper wires (we simply bought a replacement cord for a lamp for about $2 or $3 at the hardware store and cut on two 1-foot sections of it) (we’re still using the first cut; have enough left for 2 more new starts; so far 70 quarts and counting)
2 Alligator clips with colored insulated ends (one black, one red) (we bought them at radio shack, but probably a hardware store would have them too – didn’t cost too much, $1 or $2 maybe) (we’re still using original clips – 70 qts & counting)
Duct tape (we used about a foot or so each time we’re making CS)
2 Wooden sticks – popsicle sticks or tongue depressors (my son has a huge supply of “popsicle” sticks bought over several years for various “building projects” and we just took 2 of those) (still using original sticks – 70 qts & counting)
1 – nylon scrubber – the kind of thing you use to scour pots, soap-free (you can buy a pack of 12 for $1 at the dollar store) (still using the first one – 70 qts + but may switch out soon)
1 – Quart size glass jar – wide mouth if possible. It’s important that it be glass. It must be clean. It must be clear so you can observe the process when needed. (You can opt to buy some canning jars, or you can just use a clean empty jar from spaghetti sauce or something similar)
Distilled water – I buy it by the gallon for about 70 cents. Make sure nothing is added back in!
Something to store it in… needs to be glass (NOT PLASTIC EVER), should be dark colored – or take clear jars and decorate them with paint so light doesn’t penetrate. :) Lids should be metal (it’s ok to have a rubber seal within the lid but it’s best if it doesn’t have that). Contents should fill jar so that colloidal silver needn’t be in contact with the lid too much. In a pinch we’ve wrapped the tops with aluminum foil. Consider your needs here too. We use a bunch of half-pint jars so each family member can have their own jar from each batch. We also use quart jars to give to family members away from home for awhile.
OK – my best guess, rough estimate of initial costs would be $30. But it would depend too on what you might already have on hand. The batteries and the water are the most consumable.
HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER
Cut two 1-foot lengths from the insulated copper wire cord. It could be shorter, but start with this and you can adapt it as you learn your own needs. Trim off the insulation about 1-inch on both ends of each length.
Attach one end of each cord to each of the alligator clips. Wrap the copper wire around the conducting screw at least once. Tighten screw. (Optional: we secured this further with a small piece of duct tape wrapped around just the part of the clip where the copper wire and screw are)
Attach other end of each cord to one of the four 9-volt batteries. On the end of the battery that you’d usually snap into the appliance there are two different snap ends – wrap the copper wiring around one of each. Secure each copper wire with a small piece of duct tape (or electrical tape can be used here too; we’ve just switched to that as it seems to last longer; but we did many batches using the duct tape)
Snap the four batteries together.
Fill the batch jar with distilled water to about an inch from the top.
Using the popsicle sticks to stabilize the alligator clips secure clips to rim of batch jar with narrow strips of duct tape.
We’ve found duct tape to work best as it usually keeps sticking even when it gets wet.
Once you’ve secured the clips over the filled batch jar all that’s left is closing the circuit by putting a length of silver in the water from each clip. You MUST prepare the silver wire!
You’ll need to cut the 1-foot length of pure silver in half. Straighten each length if necessary; the straighter, the better. Take each half and scrub from end to end all around with the nylon scrubber. Then using a clean, white paper towel, dampened with distilled water, wipe down each “rod” and rest each rod on a clean towel until ready to place in water.
As you place each rod into the water you want placement to keep it from touching the glass walls or bottom of your batch jar. You also want each silver rod to NOT touch the other. The only thing besides water that should be in contact with the silver is the teeth of the alligator clip.
Adjust the position of the rod to keep them as parallel to one another as possible.
As soon as you close the clip on the last silver rod your batch is “cooking”! Check the time! One quart typically takes about 15-20 minutes. You can check on progress after 5-10 minutes. Usually within 5 minutes you’ll notice some “cloud activity” between the rods. By about 15 minutes you should see lots of dark trails extending from both rods (one more than the other – opposite polarities). If you notice some dark “pieces” breaking away on their own, your batch is done! Even if you don’t see this, stop “cooking” by 20 minutes. Holding the top end of one of the silver rods, release the clip, pull the rod out of the water.
When you remove the rods you will notice they are darkened from the water line down. You may dry the rods with the paper towel. Scrub each rod with the nylon scrubber again and wipe with the damp paper towel before storing away until next batch! :)
Pour batch into appropriate containers for storage.
If you ‘taste’ the silver and would prefer not to, try chilling it in the refrigerator. For those who do taste it I can attest to eventually getting used to it.
For most internal applications all you need is a swallow or two. You can repeat that a few times a day if you feel the need.
For most external applications a little dab on a cotton gauze or soak the end of a cotton q-tip to apply.
Now that you can make your own you’ll find all sorts of uses for it.
Any questions?
All I can say is in making this for our own use, we have seen many times that it has increased the speed of healing or decreased the time of illness. We have seen absolutely no harm coming from using it either externally nor internally. The most any of us may have actually consumed in a day was about 2 ounces, but on average we usually use just about a tablespoon.
But I'm not writing this to convince you to use it. I'm writing this for those who are already convinced of it's benefits and are looking for a way to reduce the cost of it for their own personal use.
This form of colloidal silver, or silver water, is very inexpensive to make. We feel it has saved us hundreds of dollars in medical care visits and tests every year that we have used it. For us it is but one step in reducing how much we spend, how much we must use our car (to get to doctors), and tends to increase how healthy we are which is to everyone's benefit. :)
We are now closing Day 19 in our quest for creating healthier lives!
THE MAKING OF COLLOIDAL SILVER
This is for those people who believe colloidal silver has healing properties and would use it more if it didn’t cost so much to buy it already prepared.
We have been making it at home for many years now, thanks to a dear friend who told me how he did it (he’d been making it for us for some time) before he moved away, and additional thanks to another couple I knew that were also making it. My one friend forgot to tell me where to get the needed supplies. But the couple I know gave me that info and included tips on making the “generator” (for lack of a better term).
Essentially, you get colloidal silver by creating an electrical circuit that allows for minute silver particles to be disbursed into distilled water... thus the nickname "silver water" in our home. :)
So you need the following supplies:
Silver – best form is like a heavy wire; must be .999 pure silver (we buy it online, on ebay, 1-foot length for about $7 cut in half) (so far we’ve made at least 70 quarts with the same silver rods)
30 volts in battery power – we use four 9-volt batteries that snap together (you can buy them anywhere – for 4 it might be close to $10; a single 30 volt battery at Radio Shack was $15 I think) This is probably the one thing you will buy fairly often if you make silver frequently. (4 9-volt batteries are usually spent with making 20-25 quarts)
Insulated copper wire – we use cut up electrical cord with 1-inch of insulation cut away exposing the copper wires (we simply bought a replacement cord for a lamp for about $2 or $3 at the hardware store and cut on two 1-foot sections of it) (we’re still using the first cut; have enough left for 2 more new starts; so far 70 quarts and counting)
2 Alligator clips with colored insulated ends (one black, one red) (we bought them at radio shack, but probably a hardware store would have them too – didn’t cost too much, $1 or $2 maybe) (we’re still using original clips – 70 qts & counting)
Duct tape (we used about a foot or so each time we’re making CS)
2 Wooden sticks – popsicle sticks or tongue depressors (my son has a huge supply of “popsicle” sticks bought over several years for various “building projects” and we just took 2 of those) (still using original sticks – 70 qts & counting)
1 – nylon scrubber – the kind of thing you use to scour pots, soap-free (you can buy a pack of 12 for $1 at the dollar store) (still using the first one – 70 qts + but may switch out soon)
1 – Quart size glass jar – wide mouth if possible. It’s important that it be glass. It must be clean. It must be clear so you can observe the process when needed. (You can opt to buy some canning jars, or you can just use a clean empty jar from spaghetti sauce or something similar)
Distilled water – I buy it by the gallon for about 70 cents. Make sure nothing is added back in!
Something to store it in… needs to be glass (NOT PLASTIC EVER), should be dark colored – or take clear jars and decorate them with paint so light doesn’t penetrate. :) Lids should be metal (it’s ok to have a rubber seal within the lid but it’s best if it doesn’t have that). Contents should fill jar so that colloidal silver needn’t be in contact with the lid too much. In a pinch we’ve wrapped the tops with aluminum foil. Consider your needs here too. We use a bunch of half-pint jars so each family member can have their own jar from each batch. We also use quart jars to give to family members away from home for awhile.
OK – my best guess, rough estimate of initial costs would be $30. But it would depend too on what you might already have on hand. The batteries and the water are the most consumable.
HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER
Cut two 1-foot lengths from the insulated copper wire cord. It could be shorter, but start with this and you can adapt it as you learn your own needs. Trim off the insulation about 1-inch on both ends of each length.
Attach one end of each cord to each of the alligator clips. Wrap the copper wire around the conducting screw at least once. Tighten screw. (Optional: we secured this further with a small piece of duct tape wrapped around just the part of the clip where the copper wire and screw are)
Attach other end of each cord to one of the four 9-volt batteries. On the end of the battery that you’d usually snap into the appliance there are two different snap ends – wrap the copper wiring around one of each. Secure each copper wire with a small piece of duct tape (or electrical tape can be used here too; we’ve just switched to that as it seems to last longer; but we did many batches using the duct tape)
Snap the four batteries together.
Fill the batch jar with distilled water to about an inch from the top.
Using the popsicle sticks to stabilize the alligator clips secure clips to rim of batch jar with narrow strips of duct tape.
We’ve found duct tape to work best as it usually keeps sticking even when it gets wet.
Once you’ve secured the clips over the filled batch jar all that’s left is closing the circuit by putting a length of silver in the water from each clip. You MUST prepare the silver wire!
You’ll need to cut the 1-foot length of pure silver in half. Straighten each length if necessary; the straighter, the better. Take each half and scrub from end to end all around with the nylon scrubber. Then using a clean, white paper towel, dampened with distilled water, wipe down each “rod” and rest each rod on a clean towel until ready to place in water.
As you place each rod into the water you want placement to keep it from touching the glass walls or bottom of your batch jar. You also want each silver rod to NOT touch the other. The only thing besides water that should be in contact with the silver is the teeth of the alligator clip.
Adjust the position of the rod to keep them as parallel to one another as possible.
As soon as you close the clip on the last silver rod your batch is “cooking”! Check the time! One quart typically takes about 15-20 minutes. You can check on progress after 5-10 minutes. Usually within 5 minutes you’ll notice some “cloud activity” between the rods. By about 15 minutes you should see lots of dark trails extending from both rods (one more than the other – opposite polarities). If you notice some dark “pieces” breaking away on their own, your batch is done! Even if you don’t see this, stop “cooking” by 20 minutes. Holding the top end of one of the silver rods, release the clip, pull the rod out of the water.
When you remove the rods you will notice they are darkened from the water line down. You may dry the rods with the paper towel. Scrub each rod with the nylon scrubber again and wipe with the damp paper towel before storing away until next batch! :)
Pour batch into appropriate containers for storage.
If you ‘taste’ the silver and would prefer not to, try chilling it in the refrigerator. For those who do taste it I can attest to eventually getting used to it.
For most internal applications all you need is a swallow or two. You can repeat that a few times a day if you feel the need.
For most external applications a little dab on a cotton gauze or soak the end of a cotton q-tip to apply.
Now that you can make your own you’ll find all sorts of uses for it.
Any questions?
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Day 18 Comes to a Close
OK, we're now 18 days into my new plan... living greener, getting healthier, etc.
HOW ARE WE DOING?
UGH!!!
Change is never easy!
But we are making progress!
We are trying to remember to use the cloth tote bags we've gathered when we go shopping - but first we must come up with a plan to REMEMBER TO BRING THEM with us!!! LOL It's about 50/50 right now.
We have all agreed that we will not buy anymore chemical cleaning products. The little bits of the few we do still have will get used up unless I can find someone else who might want them. We don't feel it's right to just throw them out. But I do feel like I really don't want to use them anymore. Aside from the chemicals not being good for the environment, and not being good for us, I have some personal issues with how those chemicals affect me and my health as well as the health of some of my not-so-healthy kids! Maybe I will just dispose of them!
Some of the things we're using instead of those chemical cleaners:
Basic H2 - 1 dilution for windows and glass cleanings, a 2nd dilution for average household cleanings (counters, sinks, toilets, tubs, etc)... and even a 3rd dilution formula for the really greasy messes! We made 3 bottles (16 oz ea.) and have done lots of cleaning with them, we even made a 2nd bottle of the #2 formula, but we have only used about 2 teaspoons of the Basic H2 so far (and it's been a month since we started using it). I even wrote the date on it so I will know how long it lasted. (I'm keeping track of expenses - how much we spend on the products we're switching to, how long they last vs. how much the other stuff cost & lasted)
Vinegar
Baking Soda
Borax
We're learning lots of different recipes to combine those three ingredients with plain water to do all sorts of things. I'll try to post some of those here soon.
I also want to mention that we deal with lots of health problems here in my household. We talked some about how to handle this. My business kit came with a month's supply of Vitalizer - a basic supplement strip that includes vitamins & minerals, antioxidants, omega-3s, and even probiotics! I've been taking them for the last 3 days. I have to say they must go to work pretty quickly as I've been under tons of stress and had to do so much more physically than usual for the last several days and 4 days ago I thought I would end up with the whole weekend in bed unable to move, but that didn't happen! We'll see, I'm still skeptical of new stuff - especially if I'm swallowing it! BUT, I trust these supplements more than what I get at Wal-Mart! LOL
Sometimes I dream that coming back to this company will be a really positive thing for me. Though, after ten years of dealing with constant pain and seriously reduced mobility, I don't hope for anything to really reverse that, but it would be nice to find a way to lessen the pain, increase the mobility AND not be worried about side effects that all my prescriptions have! As I build up my business I'll add more of the supplements to my routine, replacing the ones I now get at other places. It's like I'm going to show everyone, personally, by my own experience, that these supplements work better for your body and even faster so you won't need as much of them as you do of the cheaper stuff you get at the discount stores. :) Who knows? I might even get really brave and try weight loss program too! Yes, like practically everyone I know, I need to lose weight too... but I'm even more leary of "weight loss plans" than I am of new supplements!
The other thing we've been working on is a garden!!!
Let me first say that I have the world's brownest thumb... the most success I could have in growing a garden is with a rock garden! LOL
However, we have to find a way to cut costs. We have to find a way to eat healthier. We have to eat organic produce as much as possible. SOOOO... We HAVE TO GROW A GARDEN!
My kids, my sister, my niece, everyone here wants to do it! So I figure if any of them might have a green thumb (we have no idea yet) then maybe we'll have more green thumbs than brown ones and that will make up for my really brown thumb! LOL
So to this effort - now that the snow is gone (except for just a few spots in the shadiest areas) we've been raking up all the debris from fall and winter. Right now it's just in big pile - that's getting rained on tonight. :( Guess we're going to try composting too! Hmmm... something else to work on.
A friend is going to loan us his tiller soon - after we decide exactly where in that back yard we're going to turn the ground over/under! He's at least grown a garden or two - so he's good for some advice too. Maybe he'll teach my kids while his wife & I go out for some sorely lacking girl time we've been missing! ;-)
Well, time to sign off for now. I'll try to post a little more often.
HOW ARE WE DOING?
UGH!!!
Change is never easy!
But we are making progress!
We are trying to remember to use the cloth tote bags we've gathered when we go shopping - but first we must come up with a plan to REMEMBER TO BRING THEM with us!!! LOL It's about 50/50 right now.
We have all agreed that we will not buy anymore chemical cleaning products. The little bits of the few we do still have will get used up unless I can find someone else who might want them. We don't feel it's right to just throw them out. But I do feel like I really don't want to use them anymore. Aside from the chemicals not being good for the environment, and not being good for us, I have some personal issues with how those chemicals affect me and my health as well as the health of some of my not-so-healthy kids! Maybe I will just dispose of them!
Some of the things we're using instead of those chemical cleaners:
Basic H2 - 1 dilution for windows and glass cleanings, a 2nd dilution for average household cleanings (counters, sinks, toilets, tubs, etc)... and even a 3rd dilution formula for the really greasy messes! We made 3 bottles (16 oz ea.) and have done lots of cleaning with them, we even made a 2nd bottle of the #2 formula, but we have only used about 2 teaspoons of the Basic H2 so far (and it's been a month since we started using it). I even wrote the date on it so I will know how long it lasted. (I'm keeping track of expenses - how much we spend on the products we're switching to, how long they last vs. how much the other stuff cost & lasted)
Vinegar
Baking Soda
Borax
We're learning lots of different recipes to combine those three ingredients with plain water to do all sorts of things. I'll try to post some of those here soon.
I also want to mention that we deal with lots of health problems here in my household. We talked some about how to handle this. My business kit came with a month's supply of Vitalizer - a basic supplement strip that includes vitamins & minerals, antioxidants, omega-3s, and even probiotics! I've been taking them for the last 3 days. I have to say they must go to work pretty quickly as I've been under tons of stress and had to do so much more physically than usual for the last several days and 4 days ago I thought I would end up with the whole weekend in bed unable to move, but that didn't happen! We'll see, I'm still skeptical of new stuff - especially if I'm swallowing it! BUT, I trust these supplements more than what I get at Wal-Mart! LOL
Sometimes I dream that coming back to this company will be a really positive thing for me. Though, after ten years of dealing with constant pain and seriously reduced mobility, I don't hope for anything to really reverse that, but it would be nice to find a way to lessen the pain, increase the mobility AND not be worried about side effects that all my prescriptions have! As I build up my business I'll add more of the supplements to my routine, replacing the ones I now get at other places. It's like I'm going to show everyone, personally, by my own experience, that these supplements work better for your body and even faster so you won't need as much of them as you do of the cheaper stuff you get at the discount stores. :) Who knows? I might even get really brave and try weight loss program too! Yes, like practically everyone I know, I need to lose weight too... but I'm even more leary of "weight loss plans" than I am of new supplements!
The other thing we've been working on is a garden!!!
Let me first say that I have the world's brownest thumb... the most success I could have in growing a garden is with a rock garden! LOL
However, we have to find a way to cut costs. We have to find a way to eat healthier. We have to eat organic produce as much as possible. SOOOO... We HAVE TO GROW A GARDEN!
My kids, my sister, my niece, everyone here wants to do it! So I figure if any of them might have a green thumb (we have no idea yet) then maybe we'll have more green thumbs than brown ones and that will make up for my really brown thumb! LOL
So to this effort - now that the snow is gone (except for just a few spots in the shadiest areas) we've been raking up all the debris from fall and winter. Right now it's just in big pile - that's getting rained on tonight. :( Guess we're going to try composting too! Hmmm... something else to work on.
A friend is going to loan us his tiller soon - after we decide exactly where in that back yard we're going to turn the ground over/under! He's at least grown a garden or two - so he's good for some advice too. Maybe he'll teach my kids while his wife & I go out for some sorely lacking girl time we've been missing! ;-)
Well, time to sign off for now. I'll try to post a little more often.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Spring? Day 2
In just a few hours Spring arrives here in the upper Midwest of the Northern hemisphere! It has been such a long winter!!!
THAT was how I was going to start this post. But I was also going to post this a lot sooner than now, however it was circumvented by Blogger’s / Google’s own little bots somehow concluding that it might be something automated doing this blog instead of it being someONE! Namely, ME! LOL So it was a bit disconcerting to get noticed like this BUT at the same time it is quite reassuring that the people behind this site (Blogger and/or Google) somewhere care enough to protect us bloggers and readers from such unwanted content. Having said this…
SPRING IS HERE!!! Yes indeedy! I am so glad too! (but as I write this – we are under yet another winter storm warning anticipating another 4-8 inches of the white stuff today!) Our first day of Spring was fabulous!!! It was sunny and beautiful and warm… and lots of snow melted!!! It’s all white again now – but soon, very soon it will be gone again!
In my locale we have had at least an inch of snow on the ground for 111 consecutive days! The all-time record is 122 days straight! We are now in fifth place with this winter AND there is still snow on the ground AND another round of snowfall due Friday! My neighbors, especially the older ones, tell me that THIS is what winters used to be like all the time. They tell tales of snow deeper than most adults are tall. They speak of digging tunnels to the driveways and roads. (so what about clearing out those driveways? Where did they put all that snow? And how’d they get all that snow off the roads?) Some of these old guys really make me laugh!
Still, if this winter is any indication of what winters here were like 15 or 20 years ago or longer, then I am very glad we moved here after that. Let me tell you, if my first winter here was like this one, I never would have spent the next 13 winters up here!!!
But on the other hand, it does make one appreciate the coming of Spring that much more! Never in my life have I looked so forward to a new season!
We have some great plans for this springtime as well. The whole family is taking on a backyard garden! Mostly it will be a vegetable garden, but there will be other plants too, like lots of herbs, some flowers, and perhaps some sort of low ground cover to replace the remaining grass so we don’t need to mow in back at all maybe. :) We are starting to see patches of grassy areas out there, so soon we can start digging up things and making plots ready for planting. We’re already starting some seeds, but plan on buying young plants soon too. Though I’m sure we still have a good month, maybe two, to go before that last danger of frost is gone.
We will also be working on a new organization plan to set in place. We’ve tried the Flylady program but haven’t done so well in sticking to it, though a few things have stuck and everyone loves to use my Flylady Feather Duster. I will still keep my Flylady cling where I can see her – there’s power in her purple image! :) This new program does have a few points in common with Flylady. This new plan of mine comes from my latest reading. The book is called Organic Housekeeping. It was printed in 2006 but I just heard about it a few days ago! What I’ve read so far fits right in line with my goals for the immediate future.
Those goals also include building up my [former business] to the point where it’s bringing in enough to care for all our expenses (and then some) BUT what’s even better is sharing all that I’m learning with others who will come to share with me in using their nontoxic products and working toward making a “carbon-neutral” footprint on this earth!
I can’t help but think that if I’d stayed with this company way back when perhaps my body would not now be so broken down, so chronically ill, so constantly in pain and without those challenges so many more positive things could have been accomplished by now! Starting now however, is still far better than never starting at all. It is so important, I think, for people to realize the danger the world is in now and take steps personally to change their futures!
This is now DAY TWO into my new plan... going pretty good so far. Next post will update you in more detail of what steps I've managed to take so far and how the family is accepting them. ;-)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
DAY ONE minus two
In preparation for this journey that I am about to blog I am getting everything set up today. Consider this a preamble or preface to the book this is about to become.
The 20th day of each month tends to be a hallmark for me and as it is just two days away I've decided to get everything in place so that I may officially begin this course on Thursday, the 20th day of March in the year 2008.
As I begin designing this blog I inserted a picture a friend of mine sent me from Texas. Texas being my home state and the longstanding home of my mother's family going all the way back to it's glory days as the Republic of Texas; although it's not my physical home now there are many things I do love about it. Namely - BLUEBONNETS! OK, I also love YELLOW ROSES and nearly every other color of rose too. But I still love looking out over a field of Bluebonnets! My friend took this picture last April (2007 many of us had unusual winter-like storms) when a storm brought SNOW to her neck of the woods in Texas and nearly covered all the newly blossomed Bluebonnets! This particular picture just fascinates me!
Seeing snow covering a field of springtime blooms, and in the tree too, seems to be a contradiction in vision. It seems to match my present life: a contradiction in so many facets! If you look into my life, what you see is NOT what you get! What you get fails to match what you expected when you first looked. One must look beyond the obvious in order to see what's really there!
In all the obstacles and challenges I've faced over the years I've learned a few things!
Never say "never" ;-)
Listen before you speak.
Learn something new everyday!
There's more, but those I'll save for future posts. In sharing my earthly best you will eventually find something here for everyone that has ever been a part of a family. :)
The 20th day of each month tends to be a hallmark for me and as it is just two days away I've decided to get everything in place so that I may officially begin this course on Thursday, the 20th day of March in the year 2008.
As I begin designing this blog I inserted a picture a friend of mine sent me from Texas. Texas being my home state and the longstanding home of my mother's family going all the way back to it's glory days as the Republic of Texas; although it's not my physical home now there are many things I do love about it. Namely - BLUEBONNETS! OK, I also love YELLOW ROSES and nearly every other color of rose too. But I still love looking out over a field of Bluebonnets! My friend took this picture last April (2007 many of us had unusual winter-like storms) when a storm brought SNOW to her neck of the woods in Texas and nearly covered all the newly blossomed Bluebonnets! This particular picture just fascinates me!
Seeing snow covering a field of springtime blooms, and in the tree too, seems to be a contradiction in vision. It seems to match my present life: a contradiction in so many facets! If you look into my life, what you see is NOT what you get! What you get fails to match what you expected when you first looked. One must look beyond the obvious in order to see what's really there!
In all the obstacles and challenges I've faced over the years I've learned a few things!
Never say "never" ;-)
Listen before you speak.
Learn something new everyday!
There's more, but those I'll save for future posts. In sharing my earthly best you will eventually find something here for everyone that has ever been a part of a family. :)
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