Repurpose!

Repurposing has got to be hands down my favorite of the three R's.  Wait, repurposing isn't actually one of the three R's.  Let's see.  There's reducing, reusing, and recycling.  Well, it should be one of them.  There should be four R's.

There are two dish towels inside each hot pad.

I can see how you could lump repurposing into the reuse category.  After all, when you repurpose something, you are reusing some or all of its parts.  But it's more than just reusing your shopping bags or reusing your plastic containers, it's finding a different purpose for your stuff.  My kiddos old cloth diapers have found new purpose as cleaning rags.  My old kitchen towels have found new purpose as hot pads.

I love the challenge of repurposing.  I asked Orry what he thought one of Daddy's old work shirts should become.  In my mind I imagined it would make a cute stuffed bunny, but he said it should make a scarecrow.  Good idea.  We'll have to implement that plan this fall if our pumpkins make it that long.

Pass me a cloth napkin! 

The other thing I love about repurposing is being able to keep using things that you really love.  I have a top that I got in Korea and I love it for that reason alone.  The bottom edge started to fray and instead of just boxing it up and looking at it longingly for the rest of my life, I repurposed it into a dress for Annie.  It's far from the cutest dress I've ever seen, but its sentimental value sure gives it a boost.

I am far from being the expert at repurposing.  Most times I just donate the things I don't want or don't have a use for anymore.  But I want to challenge myself everyday to think of new ways to use old things.  I also want to challenge my kids to do the same.  So let's get our creative juices flowing!  Leave some comments with ideas for ways to repurpose or ask for some inspiring ideas for something you have lying around.

Here are some links I found to help us get started:

• http://www.craftynest.com/category/repurposing/

• http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/02/waste-not-want-not/

• http://trash2treasure.wordpress.com/category/repurposing-ideas/

• http://simpleorganic.net/refashion-repurposing-t-shirts-and-more/

Let's have fun creating a cleaner world!

Entertaining Annie

Tonight and tomorrow morning, it's just us girls.  Troy has taken the boys on a camping trip.  I think his exact reason for it being a boys only trip had something to do with his boys learning not to be scared of bugs and nature and stuff.  I'm sure we'll all hear about it tomorrow.

So for 20 hours it's just Annie and me.  Sweet bliss.

Tangled

What I've come to realize is that I don't know what to do with just Annie!  We danced and we rolled around on the floor.  We picked up some toys and had some dinner.  She got a bath and some clean pajamas.  And then I was really at a loss about what to do with her for the next hour and a half before her bedtime. 

You see, the boys are the ones that entertain her, for the most part.  She is one of the gang.  Wherever they go, she goes.  Whatever trouble the boys get caught doing, her hands are usually just as red.    Three peas in a pod.  And it's easy that way.

After Annie went to bed, I did the cleaning.  I worked on my sewing and crafting.  I got my fix of late night TV.  And tomorrow I will be ready to take on the challenge of what to do with my littlest little.

Annie without the curls