Organic Needle

The Woods Survived Our Visit!

Posted by organicneedle in family

And…. we’re back. (No need for bear poop checking.) Taconic State Park survived the city folks. And we city folks had an amazing time.


Bash Bish Falls

Some highlights….

* My boys had their first real hiking experience and were amazing. They even got a mini taste of rock climbing. The park had 4 trails that were less than 2 miles with reasonable inclines. They also have a lot of expert trails but with a 2 & 5 year old in tow we decided to leave them for the bears…the trails…not the kids.

* My husband learned to make a fire without losing even one eyebrow…in its entirety.

* We survived for 5 days without the internet. My husband was a little shaky by day 3. (I swear I saw him with a coat hanger, a stream of aluminum foil and a very confused rabbit…but he denies any wrong doing.)

The most important thing…they are all hooked! My 5 year old wants bigger rocks to climb. My 2 year old wants to throw more nature stuff at other nature stuff. My husband is determined to start a fire with less than 10 expletives. Ahhh…my little mountain men.

As for me? I can’t even describe the joy I felt reliving my own most cherished childhood moments with the people I love most. The woods have always been magical for me…a world of joy, wonder, reflection, restoration, and even escape. To open the door to this amazing world with them was nothing short of amazing.

Disney my ass…this was the real magic kingdom.

Check the Poop

Posted by organicneedle in family

We’re off to the woods. If I’m not back by next Friday start checking NY State Park bear poop for organic cotton.

Celebrating 5 Years of Tru Love!

Posted by organicneedle in family

My little Einstein turns 5 today. The big 5. In honor of him…

Top 5 things I love about Tru

1. Your sense of humor. In the middle of the chaos you know just what to say to make me laugh so hard I snort.

2. Your favorite place is with your family. I hope we are always your soft place to fall and to laugh.

3. Your brilliance. You are truly freakishly smart. Please use it for good and not evil.

4. Your confidence in yourself even when you are totally outside the box. I hope you never lose that.

5. Your creativity. I love how you entertain ME with stories. Go ahead and reinvent the world Peanut!

I love you and everything you are Little Man. Thanks for being mine.

Camping Preparation for the Clueless

Posted by organicneedle in family

Yes…the city family is headed for the woods for 5 days to celebrate my Little Man turning 5. We are all seriously looking forward to escaping the city & its inhabitants for a few days.

My goals in packing…

1. Try to be techno free for a week. (Which means I will probably get 400 orders, my husband’s sites will all crash, and I will be contacted via e-mail that I’ve won 1,000,000,000 dollars.)

2. Try to avoid disposables within reason.

3. Try to not eat pure canned crap for a week. (A little can 0′ crap perfectly acceptable.)

4. Try not to embarrass ourselves too much. (Kinda out of my hands, but…)

So the question is…what to bring for a week of woodsy survival? I have so many questions. What can be cooked over the campfire? How does one clean a fish? How do you know which ones are safe to eat? (I’m guessing a third eye indicates a “no” on the edibility scale.) And most importantly, would it be wrong to tell my children that squabbling attracts bears?

(Okay…we are staying in a cabin with running hot water, a fridge, stove, etc….but we will NOT have a doorman….you heard me…NO doorman…so it is technically roughing it. Don’t judge. Baby steps.)

Handmade Holidays

Posted by organicneedle in family, handmade holidays, projects, sewing

That’s right. I’m talking about the holidays already. Here’s the deal. What happens every year? You think..”Oh it would be so great to get out of the consumerist grind of big box stores and actually make authentic gifts that come from the heart.” Yes..you think this. On Dec.22nd, 23rd perhaps? Well…NOW is the time to start creating a holiday strategy that works for your ideals.

First…take the handmade pledge yourself. After all…do you really need another automatic banana peeler from Aunt Babs?

Second…make a list of people you want to create for this year and start planning. Be realistic!!!!!!!!!!!! If you have 400 people on your list you will NOT be crocheting each a matching maroon pant suit no matter how dedicated you are.

I have created a wee list of the world’s easiest and well appreciated handmade gifts just to get our little jingle brains a movin’.

1. If you have a garden you have one of the best tools ever to make someone feel special…a taste of summer in the winter. Check out Crunchy’s Jam recipes, or ….Chile’s Blueberry Pickles. Whatever you’ve got…there is a way to preserve it. I know anyone I’ve ever met will be getting 3 dozen zucchini breads this year. And of course…if all else fails…chuck it in vodka. Nothing lubes the yule tide cheer like a little homemade limoncello. The bonus here is once you jar these babies up you can put your feet up and knit yourself up something snazzy while everyone else is doing the joyous gift scavenge,

2. Knit a scarf…really basic…you can even make your own pattern. Use organic cotton yarn, or bamboo… which is very silky. Most basic craft stores carry both now. Go in and give a good feel up before buying! There are even some natural animal fibers that might make things interesting. ANYONE can knit a scarf, beginner or expert. Check out Aboutknit.com for pointers.

3. Napkin Set- fancy or whimsical. Sooo easy to sew these up. You can use any material that works for the recipient. It is the gift that not only says I care enough about you to help you wipe mustard off of your face…but it also encourages people to put down the disposables in the least naggy way.

4. Lunch Set - How about a few sandwich mats or bags? Reusable drawstring snack pouches? You could even sew up a little matching lunch tote if you really like the person.

5. Shopping Bag Set…Tote bags are very easy to make. Depending on your skill level you can even go a little fancier by adding pockets for cell phones, coupons, money. Even if you give a conventional gift, how about creating a nice little tote for it. A reusable handmade bag beats the snot out of one time use wrapping paper any day. For more bag ideas check out Heather’s Make-A-Bag.

A yard of fabric, a ball of yarn and a little of your time can go a long way in showing people how much they mean to you. And hell, if you truly are all thumbs, or simply have more people on your list than you can sew for, then let someone over at Etsy do the homemade jobbies for you. We promise not to tell.

Sewing the Eco-Lunch: Taming the Sewing Jabba II

Posted by organicneedle in family, product review, recycling, sewing

Oh…the lunch box. A few years ago I did my research and found that Thermos brand was supposed to be one of the less chemically brands of soft lunch boxes. Now they are not so sure. The new word on the street is they are made with PVC and perhaps, just maybe, a tad bit of lead. So…back to the research lab for a PVC, phthalate, and lead free cold food transporter. This is what I found. (Crocodile Creek has a ton of really cute designs and can be found on Amazon for about $15 and free shipping.)
Yes…yes…there is a sewing project in here somewhere. Now that I have managed to find a perfectly normal looking lunch box that won’t actually poison my child, how can I manage to further ecogeek up his day? By rummaging my fabric pile and creating reusable everything. The Green Peace bag I didn’t make, but did add little handles out of leftover elastic banding to make it easier for my son to carry. Once my lunch bag - now his snack bag. The Buzz Lightyear pretzel/cracker pouch, a basic drawstring bag, was the pant leg of a pair of unsaveable PJs. The Spider Man cookie pouch was from torn swimming shorts. (I use the ready made pocket for Mama Notes. Yes…I am totally one of those moms.) No I won’t be selling any of these on Etsy because of copyrite laws, blah blah blah. The blue and orange sandwich bags are just basic hemmed scrap squares sewn together. I did not even line these with any sort of plastic or vinyl because I made enough to be able to machine wash them after each use. So far they have done their job as sandwich wranglers quite well. I will also be making some cloth napkins out of a few old plaid dress shirts. You could use the same basic square napkins to wrap up sandwiches and double as placemats.

Again…as with the Back Up Band…these are all really easy, beginner level sewing projects that anyone can do and everyone has the materials cluttering up the house. If you, or your kids, take your lunch, take a moment and see what disposables you could replace with cotton reusables. Even if you are all thumbs when it comes to sewing you may just impress yourself & your offspring with what you create. Just try not to sew yourself to the actual lunch box. That might not be quite as impressive.

A Note for Tru’s Lunchbox

Posted by organicneedle in family

Well, Little Man, you start kindergarten today. It really feels like yesterday you greeted me with that little wrinkly face. No tears…just this amazing inquisitive look…like you were already figuring it all out. (Even the doula swore she never saw anything like it…like you were preparing an evaluation of the whole delivery.) Your desire and ability to know everything has seemed to only grow by leaps and bounds. It’s funny…when I decided to leave teaching to stay home and be with you I thought I would become mushy brained from lack of mental exercise. HA! I had no idea what I had created. You are truly one of the most beautiful and brilliant souls I have ever known. As much as I’m going to miss our endless days of walking, talking, and exploring the world together, I am also really excited for what’s to come. I guess its time to share you Peanut. I know you are going to do amazing things for this world.

And no…that is totally NOT your mother who has her tear smeared face pressed up against the window. Just a striking resemblance.

Patches Hide the Shame & the Crazy

Posted by organicneedle in Uncategorized, family, projects

Now my plan for today was to write a brilliant little piece about greening up the back to school shopping. Well…I got my kid’s school list…and …well…noooooot so much. Besides maybe buying a ream of recycled paper over a ream of virgin paper, they don’t give you a whole lotta options. They demand specifics right down to the brand name. !2 plastic tubes of glue, plastic folders, plastic markers, etc. etc. Will I be the crazy mama making a stink about the choice of supplies? No. It is going to be stressful enough for my little guy who much prefers to be at home pontificating with mama than in a room full of kids who may or may not appreciate his full length lectures on the complexities of a spider’s digestive system. I figure I can pretend to be sane for the first year. (Then balls to the wall nuts from there on out kid.) Instead I will find quite little ways to support things we care about without making him a social pariah…yet.

One thing my little brain has come up with is the idea of patches. My son won’t be getting a spanky new hard plastic techno colored bag. He will be taking his pre-K bag or the ol’ family Eastpak…which has survived through about 48 years of college use…I hope it can make it through a month of public school. Now I am not a heartless wench that doesn’t get the excitement of the new stuff for the new year. I’m a heartless wench who realizes that a little goes a long way with a 5 year old whose expectations have been sufficiently whittled down. To make the bag his and special I will be sewing on patches of pure evil…Darth Vader and two Stormtroopers. (He insisted that Vader wouldn’t travel with just one. By insisted I mean looked at me with pure contempt that I could even suggest that Vader travel with such little protection. I think my allegiance is under serious question.) The great thing about patches is that they can be changed should he suddenly want to leave the dark side. If you don’t have a bag and need to get one, spend a little more and buy a good quality canvas based one instead of the plastic, which will crack if you sew on patches. It should hold up to years of being crammed into a locker and can handle a few patch swaps. And stop sniveling about not knowing how to sew…they make iron-ons for the thread challenged.

Back From Vacation with a Fist Full of Carbon Offsets

Posted by organicneedle in energy, family

Survived the family vacation…yes the whole extended in-law family vacation. We will just leave it at my husband and I have veeeeeeerrrrrrrry different life styles and politics than most of his family so it is a balancing act. But we survived and had some fun without anyone leaving early, swearing allegiance to a new family down the block, or divulging any deep deep, but perhaps entertaining, family secrets…such as who was actually born with a tail. I guess you can’t get everything. (My money is on the sister.) And no one came home Aunt Edna style.

We went to Cape May. It is pretty much a sleepy little Victorian beach town. Any hoooo, while I was there it was my birthday. And guess what the hubbaronni got me? Carbon Offsets. (I can’t even imagine what the rest of the family thought. Let’s just say they weren’t seething with jealousy.) Wow…I thought…does he actually listen to a portion of my rambles? All this time I thought he was just staring at me waiting for me to be quiet long enough to reach for a booby without seeming like an insensitive pig or to tell me that one of the boys has created poop art.

Okay…now for the information you probably actually care about. My husband purchased carbon offsets from Climate Friendly . He offset all of our traveling, including air travel, and our car use for the year. Pretty cool, no? The website has a neat little calculator to help you figure out your personal damage as well as more detailed information about the projects they support with the money. If you are thinking about doing offsets for yourself or as a gift for that hard to please crunchy loved one in your life I suggest you give it a glance.

***Also while we were away we had friends take our CSA share. Now they are hooked and will probably join next year. Mooooohaaaaaahaaaaa….the first share is free but just when you get a taste of the peaches…we make you sign over your soul. Mooohahhhahhha. (Okay…maybe just make you agree to hand out veggies.)****

Sustainability: An Essay by Organic Needle

Posted by organicneedle in blogtastic, family

Can you tell I was an English teacher? Probably not by my misspellings and dangling modifiers, but…even English teachers aren’t perfect. Closest thing you’ll ever find…but not quite. Anyway…the APLS crew has given its first assignment and as the good little Lisa Simpson that I am…I have done my homework.

Sustainability…A Journey to a Joyful Life

Saying that I have been on a journey to “green” my life feels a little insufficient to me. The actual environmental part of the quest has kind of been a byproduct more than anything else. For me the journey is more about reaching deeper levels of sustainable happiness. A happiness that is NOT reliant on the trappings but on feeling fully satisfied with my role as parent, partner, sibling, friend, neighbor, and general Earth dweller. The secret to my happiness? Easy…connections. Being truly connected to the people and experiences in life is my definition of joy.

The journey certainly isn’t a straight forward path. I find myself often thinking of time past spent as a child with my grandparents who made everything from scratch, not because they were “green” or poor but because it was just foolish to waste anything and enjoyable to create…period. (Besides, Norwegian whaling villages don’t exactly have Targets. Well, sadly, maybe they do now.) They made their own clothes, soups, soaps, furniture, preserves, wine, even soda. My grandfather even built their house and my parents’ first house. They gardened extensively even though they both worked, she as a seamstress and designer, he as a carpenter and lodge owner. As a child I had no idea what a tremendous education they were providing me. But it certainly wasn’t lost on my obliviousness. Whenever I am having a “how to” issue I have a wealth of memories to draw upon. And the beautiful thing is the “how to” doesn’t come alone…it comes with a deep felt connection to people and places of the past that I can carry in my heart forever. And with the skills learned and stories to tell I can bring my boys into that world too.

For me it is also about being connected to the present and to what we DO. Baking bread with my kids is a whole different experience than buying a loaf at the store. The miracle of yeast isn’t lost on them. Planting, caring for, and harvesting our own basil is a true experience, verses tossing a plastic tub of it in the shopping cart. When my husband explains to them about how over plucking the plant won’t allow it to flourish he is teaching much more than general horticulture. Spending afternoons strolling through the Botanical Gardens, talking, playing, just enjoying each other’s enjoyment of nature and life beats any day spent in front of the TV. In these moments it is as if doors of my heart that I didn’t even know existed are bursting open.

And now that I am a mother, enjoying a rounded full and happy life is more important than ever. I don’t want to make my kids happy…I want to teach them how to be happy. How to find the joy that comes from really experiencing all of life. While many of the ways we have found to connect to our past and to our present will hopefully lead to a more sustainable & healthier future on this planet, it hasn’t been my main motive. For me, it has been about not wasting any opportunities for the priceless pure joy of it all.