Green Bean Machine

I’m really excited. For a while now, I’ve been wanting to replace our household cleaners with greener, healthier substitutes. We’ve done it at work, and “The Green Team” listed their recipes for cleaning solutions on the company blog.

Last week, my friends Joshua and Mandy spoke to their friend’s class on how they’ve made everyday changes to green their life. They streamed it á la Internet, and I found it oh so inspiring. We’ve been doing a lot already—recycling everything, buying less, eating at home, only having one car, and biking/bussing/walking as much as possible. I bought baking soda and white vinegar and made a half-butt attempt to switch to natural cleaning, but never really got there. But now I’m on a mission!

Here are the things I’m working on in the next couple weeks:

1. I’m replacing our shampoo/conditioner/body soap with Dr. Bronner’s and switching to Preserve toothbrushes and razors. Burt’s Bees and a washcloth for facial cleanser and exfoliating.
2. I’m going to be good and only use baking soda and white vinegar for cleaning. (One of the tricks I heard from work is to sprinkle baking soda on the bathroom sink and use half a lemon as a sponge. Lemony-fresh and no icky rags!)
3. Mrs Meyers will be the dish soap of choice again…it’s worth the extra dollars.
4. We’re going to develop a habit of unplugging all appliances (minus the fridge) when not in use.

And next year, here are some plans:

1. Initiate composting and a communal garden in the back yard (there’s two other tenants on the property). 
2. Bike to work when the weather is decent. (It should be here soon…)
3. Invest in better clothes that will last longer and can be recycled when they become too worn (cotton, wool, silk).
4. Buy produce from Farmer’s Market more regularly.

So that is the plan. I’m feeling like this is all very attainable as long as I set reasonable goals for myself. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know.

I’m determined to enjoy the next four years no matter what happens. Whoever wins will have my respect.

In semi-related news, I really REALLY hope Prop 1A passes.

I uploaded a few photos from Halloween. It was a small group with lots ‘n’ lots of babies. Thankfully, they are too young for candy…which meant more for us!

Although not my favorite holiday, Halloween is fun for dressing up. This year Mr Dukes and I are going to be Clark Kent and Lois Lane. My sister is having a little shindig tonight, and pictures will be posted afterward.

Here is me in ‘86. My friends’ dad went to Japan on business so we were child samurais that year. I look so intimidating, don’t I?

I’ve always liked Holly Becker and her blog, decor8, but after reading this post, my respect for her has increased ten-fold. I have great admiration for people who are smart with their money and make sacrifices to follow their dreams. After countless inquiries on how she and her husband can afford to live in two countries (U.S. and Germany), she’s given a sneak peak into her frugal lifestyle. She’s not rich; she’s just smart.

Mr Dukes and I have been making similar, although not as drastic, changes to our spending. We’re trying to eat at home as much as possible, take advantage of Netflix and the public library, make all our Christmas presents this year, and resist impulse purchases, to name a few. We’ve also laid out a practical plan to be completely debt free in less than two years (which I am VERY excited about). 

I’m realizing that none of this is possible without a shift of mindset and the will to discipline oneself. I don’t think contentedness comes naturally (and it certainly isn’t encouraged by mainstream media!), but it is oh so rewarding. 

Mr Dukes and I were able to get away for a much-needed few days of rest this past weekend. Before we got married, we made a plan to take a longish weekend off together every three months and get out of town. This hasn’t happened consistently, but it’s still the goal.

This time, we made it to Monterey. Apparently, October is one of their best months (80-degree weather!). It only took about 2 hours to drive there. Yay for living in the Bay Area!

We found some good eats, perused a great little antique shop, and saw a movie. And of course, we went to the Aquarium. See more pictures here. Fun times!

A couple months ago, my uncle started a family tree on Geni. I’ve played with other family tree applications before, but this one is bar none, the best ever, because it’s actually a social community.

I’ve gone a little nuts with researching my lineage (I’ve added over 2000 people to the tree already). My mom had a small stack of family photos, which I’ve been scanning and uploading to Geni.

Joel and Lavinia Mitchell, my great great grandparents. (1946)

Great grandma Addie, looking thoroughly modern. (1927)

Discovering distant family relations and their stories is so much fun. For instance, one of my most distant ancestors I’ve been able to trace, Luke Dillon, emigrated from Ireland to America in the late 1700s. He apparently was a quite the drunk. One winter, he was riding home from a tavern in the snow. He dismounted, sat down by a tree, and was found six weeks later, frozen. Can I just say “!!!!”

Mr Dukes surprised me today by cleaning up my bicycle and returning it to the shop. We’ve had to take it in for repairs too many times, but thank goodness for 100% guarantee policies!

So now I’m contemplating what to do with my store credit. Living less than two miles from work makes a cruiser/comfort bike a possibility for me. I’m not as serious a biker as Mr Dukes, and I’m more concerned with form than function at this point. Schwinn’s Coffee & Cream line is looking awfully appealing. I mean, how cute is this!?

*swoon*

Happy Mother’s Day! It’s a family day—grilling teriyaki chicken with pineapple and then off to a concert in the park with some Frank Sinatra-like crooner. Should be fun.

 

Mom, circa 1980.

1. I love our new apartment. At 400ish square feet, it’s definitely on the small side, but there’s amazing potential for cuteness. Pictures will be posted in due time.

2. I started a new job last week. I like it very much.

3. Today, we are getting internet. I have not had in-home internet in three months.

4. I’m getting a nephew for my birthday next month. I got to feel him hiccuping yesterday.

5. Slightly superficial, but nevertheless important…my hair is almost long enough for a hipster ponytail.