Today, Oct. 15, 2007, is Blog Action Day - 15,000 bloggers writing about the environment.

All of my life I’ve taken care to take care of the environment. As kids we always cleaned up our street (others weren’t as nice as us about not throwing trash out), sometimes Mom had to talk us into it, sometimes not. Although my brothers and I didn’t start recycleing until we were older, adults living on our own, it’s something we continue to do (I’m always amazed at how much paper we throw out). We changed our lightbulbs to the curly looking ones, the CFLs, turn off lights when we aren’t in the room, wash clothes when there is only a full load and the same with dishes, run errands all in one shot and more.

The high school I attended does a earth week, when most others are celebrating earth day. It was always fun, I was never one to skip a day or two like others did. There was a wide variety of events to sign up for from reporting on the events, cleaning up areas of town, painting, planting, etc.

Crafting is another story - I only halfway use things I have around the house. I have a stock of crafting items but when I go to make something I sometimes realize I don’t have one thing around the house to finish it. Frustrating for me and doesn’t go with the whole use what you have thinking. I am working on being better when it comes to crafting.

Whip Up has a great article written for today, check it out here.

I admit it, some days I just want to go around answering meme’s.

My friend Marie tagged me for a 7 things about me that you may not know meme.

1. I love organizing - not necessarily using my things once they are organized, but just the act of organizing. I love it even more if my Mom is around to help.

2. I love shopping, window shopping and online shopping. I can go to stores and just walk around, walking out with nothing (okay that is rare). I want to go downtown at least once before we go and just walk around looking at the stores. Online is even better, you can leave windows open and go back and pick up where you left off!

3. I don’t like doing the ‘man jobs’ around the house - you know, taking out the trash, mowing the lawn, etc. My brothers did that stuff when I was growing up and I think Chris should do them now (sometimes he doesn’t agree with that, but that’s neither here nor there).

4. We bought a new bed a week ago and I’m not sure if I like it - for sleeping. For laying around during the day it is awesome, I have the laptop, a book, plenty of space to lounge around and a nightstand for my water. What, I have kids to take care of? Oh yeah…

5. I love to read - wait, maybe that is already known? I have a lot of books and finally found a bookstore that is a trade in store, can’t wait to go there!

6. I procrastinate, big time. I have a lot I need or want to do but a lot of it is put on the backburner, often for no good reason! It’s a bad habit and I’m working on changing that.

7. I like folding clothes. There I said it, it’s true. Moving them to the washer and dryer, not so fun.

I tag Tishia Lee, Much More Than A Mom and Carrie Lauth.

I think I’m reading to make a tshirt quilt. I have no idea how to start, but I have lots of tshirts to use. I’m finally ready to seriously give up wearing only old concert/college shirts and figure I better put them to good use. I have several Kenny Chesney shirts (no laughing, he’s a cutie!), a favorite college shirt and one from a Sugar Ray concert.  I used to love them, and Mark McGrath is a cutie too - plus we went to the concert when I was about seven months pregnant with Alice!

I’m thinking various blocks surrounding the logos/whatever piece of the shirt I use, plus some other blocks. For some reason I’ve really been loving sparrows lately (did you know Mark has sparrows tattoo’d on his shoulders? Very cool!) and was thinking maybe an embroidered or appliquéd sparrow block? I think I’ll have my Mom help cut the shirts so I will stop wearing them, plus she can help me figure other blocks out.

I’m excited! I’ve been wanting to make a shirt quilt or a quilt made out of clothes for ages now! I have a few things of the kids saved and wanted to make them each a quilt from their clothes too but never did. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that yet, one quilt at a time I think.

Another post from my wonderful Mom! She cross stitched/embroidered pillow cases for Alice to go with her quilt. The edge was raw and we found matching ribbon in my ribbon stash. I’m not sure if you can tell on the picture but the ribbon background is brown and the flowers are pink and orange - perfect match! I finished one of the edges last week and then the second one over the weekend. It wasn’t too hard once I managed to coax my sewing machine into sewing longer stitches.

Via one blog to another and then on to Teresa’s blog

When my Mom came to visit she brought the kids quilts she made for them. I’m not sure when she started collecting the fabric for them but she collected various flower fabrics for Alice’s quilt and ocean fabrics for Jake’s. She got them done and quilted and they are now here and the kids have been using them every day.

Alice’s Flower Quilt

Jake’s Ocean Quilt

I kind of went crazy with the watermarks, but that’s okay! Aren’t they beautiful? My Mom is so talented!

I’ve had this picture forever and had to post about it. The stamps in the Stampin Up Holiday catalog are die cut - meaning they are cut already and you just pop them out of the surrounding rubber. Crazy stamping person that I am, I still have this extra rubber.

I don’t know why! I have no problem throwing away rubber when I have to cut the stamps apart! I think I got the stamps at the end of July and here it is the end of September and I know they are still on my stamping table.

Okay I’ll throw it away today. Especially since I never cut it up into anything! I’m sure I could take the corners and use them as little photo corners or something, but I know I never will.

Just one step toward realizing how easy it is to get rid of ’stuff’ - especially since this is trash!