anonymous

I got a comment from someone I don't know! Today is a cool day! (Day 2 of the 30 days of 30 started out smashingly!) So, Sarah thinks I should create a kitchen compost as one of the cool things I do this month, and I am taking her advice.

If you want to try it too, Here's how:

Getting Started With Kitchen Composting


Anyone can start composting in their kitchen right now. All it takes is a container with a lid. Now there are plenty of commercial composting buckets, pails and bins you can buy of course - and there are even kitchen composter devices you can buy too. These are conveniences only though. They’re not required.
As I already stated, all you need is some sort of container with a lid. The size of the container you use will depend on what all you will add to the compost pile, how large your family is, and how much food you eat.
Easy compost bins I’ve used to start with in the past include: A glass storage/canning jar, a plastic ice cream bucket, an old insulated picnic cooler, and generic storage bins bought at places like Walmart.
By sitting a small container, bucket, pail or jar off to one side on the kitchen counter, you’ll be able to easily grab it to add things to as you’re cooking.

What Kitchen Scraps To Add


The kitchen scraps you choose to add to your compost pile will vary based on your family, your compost capacity, and your goals.
Most people who are limited on space for the compost piles tend to only add organic fruit and vegetable matter to their compost. When you’re cutting up an apple for example, the core and stem can be added to the compost bucket. Potato peelings can too, onion skins, tomato tops, etc.
Anything left over from fruits or vegetables - even if it’s already started going bad - can be added to your kitchen compost bucket.
Coffee and tea grounds should also be added to this bucket, because these make rich fertilizers. In fact, I’ve made kitchen compost with only coffee and tea grounds in the past and it works wonderfully. You can add the tea bags, strings and all, plus you can add the coffee filters too.
Paper is a wonderful addition to compost piles but not everyone adds much of it, particularly in the kitchen. I tend to toss in the paper package tea bags come in, and I’ll even tear up the cardboard box and add it to the compost bin too.
Now, most people will tell you not to add dairy products, cooked food, or meat products to your kitchen compost. I believe the primary reason for this is because you can end up with much more stink and smell when you add these things. Fruit and vegetable matter don’t really smell when they’re decomposing, but meat and milk do. These items can also draw the attention of bugs and mice.
I personally believe anything that can rot is fair game for adding to the compost pile. Admittedly I’ll toss the stinky stuff in the outside compost pile though, instead of putting it in the kitchen bucket. Compost only those items you’re comfortable composting, and you’ll be fine.

What Can’t Be Composted

There are things that cannot be composted though, so these cannot be added at all because they don’t break down and decompose. These are usually man made materials. Metal cans for example, won’t rot away and create compost for you, and neither will plastic bags or bottles.

Getting Finished Compost


If you’re using small jars or buckets to put your kitchen scraps and organic waste into, you’ll find that it needs to be emptied once in awhile. Some families need to empty the kitchen compost bucket several times each week while others get away with just doing it once a week.
To empty your kitchen compost container, simply dump it into a larger compost bin. This bin can be tucked away into the corner of the pantry, closet, or utility room if you don’t have a yard to put it in. If you do have outdoor space though, put a larger compost bin, tumbler or container outside. This way when you need to empty the kitchen scrap bucket, you can simply dump it into the larger one.
As the kitchen scraps break down and decay, they’ll take up much less space too. So even if it looks like your compost bin is starting to get full fast, you’ll notice in just a few weeks that it’s broken down and is taking up 1/2-1/3 or less space.
Getting finished compost can take time. There are a variety of things that come into play with the process, including what types of material you add to your compost pile, whether or not you’re adding compost activators, how much air the compost is getting, and whether or not you’re turning it regularly.
None of the above is actually needed to make compost. If you leave the compost pile to sit untouched, you’ll find it rich and ready in about a year. If you decide to take some of the steps to speed things up though, you can have some of the compost finished and ready to be used within 4-6 weeks.


Source
 
 
Thank you Sarah for your suggestion. I'm going to get on it tomorrow!
Stay tuned! 
 
*Mr. Tambourine Man- The Byrds

Leviticus

Time gets in the way of working on my list of 100 things. I finally finished reading Leviticus today and I am left with a lot of questions.

What Happened: (in my own words) Leviticus was a book of rules for the commoner, and rituals-mostly for the priests. In a larger sense, the book guided me through what community relationships should be like, from God's point of view. The first several chapters are devoted to God mandating what the priests should do in every situation imaginable. It also dictated how and what they should dress in, what to do if a bullock could not be acquired for a sin offering or any other type of offering, how to become clean when one was unclean, and also the proper way to worship. It looks at dietary mandates and sexual restrictions. This is where a lot of my questions came about. So, I have read and can officially say that the bible says a man must not lie with another man. I have a lot of gay friends. You can see where I am going with this.. It was terribly confusing. My honest thoughts? Well, the bible also says we are not supposed to judge. So that's what I am doing. I leave that up to God. I love my friends. I will not turn my back on them no matter what their sexual orientation happens to be. That said, Leviticus was hard for me to read. It made me feel like I'm not doing some things the way I ought to be.

Of Interest: National Atonement, Homosexuality, Laws

Favorite Scripture: Leviticus Chapter 19 verse 34 : The alien resident who resides as an alien with YOU should become to YOU like a native of YOURS; and you must love him as yourself, for YOU became alien residents in the land of Egypt. (my interpretation: Love thy neighbor as thyself.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I finally got around to making my Chocolate Chip Cookies from scratch! Check HERE to see why I wanted to do it in the first place. Had I known this was going to be this easy, I would have done it forever ago.

Here's what you will need:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 11.5 oz pkg milk chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped nuts (which I omitted, because I don't like nuts.)

Directions...with pictures, just so I have proof!

 Get all of your ingredients handy.

 Combine flour, salt and baking soda into a small bowl and set aside.

In a larger bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Stir in morsels and nuts. (Remember, I omitted the nuts- Yuck.)

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. (I greased mine anyway. I hate it when stuff sticks....also, my tablespoons weren't round and a little large, but whatever.)

Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for about 2 minutes.

Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

I am storing mine in a cookie tin from Christmas. How handy!
Enjoy!

My cookies turned out soft and delicious. I'll let Mark have the final word when he gets home...though I am sure he will like them, too!

*Kelis- Milkshake

Exodus

My list of 100 things is moving right along this week! Today, I finished Exodus.

What happened: (in my own words)
The King of Egypt unfairly has Moses and his people making bricks without giving them straw. He also makes the midwives kill any males born to the Israelites. When this doesn't work, he tells them to put them in the river. Eventually, Moses leads the people out of Egypt to Mount Sinai. It is here they receive their laws, (Ten Commandments) and the enter into a covenant. Instructions are given on how to set up the Lord's Tent, and they do so accordingly. From that time on the Lord guided his people's travels.

Of Interest:
The Ten Commandments
The Burning Bush

Favorite Scripture:
Exodus Chapter 3 Verse 12
God replied, " I will be with you."

That's all for today! Tomorrow I start Leviticus.

Genesis

One of the things from my list of 100 things was to read the Bible. Well, I've started! I just finished up Genesis last night.... I am sure many of you have already read the Bible in it's entirety, so these posts may be a little boring for you.. I guess I will just be summarizing what I have read and I think I am going to include a favorite passage of scripture as well.

What Happened: (in my own words)

God creates the Heavens and the Earth, the sun and the moon, the ocean animals, man and so forth in 6 days and rests on the seventh day. He uses man as the ruler over the earth, but man proves dishonest(see Adam and Eve) and he destroys everything except Noah and his family (who has proven good) and all of the animals on the Ark in a great flood. Noah's descendant Abraham is chosen leader of God's people. His son Issac and his grandson Jacob are promised great futures and many descendants.

Parables:

I had no idea so many of the bible stories I heard as a child were in Genesis! Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden, Cain and Abel, Noah's Ark and Joseph and his coat of many colors- just to name a few!

Favorite scripture:

Genesis 2, Chapter 23:
and the man exclaimed,

"Here is someone like me!
She is part of my body,
my own flesh and bones.
She came from me, a man.

I started Exodus today and I hopefully will finish it tomorrow. Until then!

Vote

What should I try this month from my 100 things list?

Hiatus

I didn't leave you, but I have been working on my 100 things list this past month. It's kept me busy.

We have started remodeling our downstairs bath. Mark has done the most work, but I have helped enough to say that I HAVE HELPED. I've done drywall, which included a fit where I broke down because I had to do math for the first time in I don't know how long, and sawing, plumbing painting, sanding, mudding, removal of old ass UGLY  festive border, I pulled an old shower out, helped build and out in a new base for the new one.

Like I said, I've been busy. Remodeling my bathroom was on my list because I suck at carpentry and anything else that involves math. I tend to really freak out when I am asked to solve for anything. I remember in third grade- Mrs. Smith asked me to come to the board and fill out times tables. I very nearly freaked out and wet my pants. I was paralyzed by my fear of numbers. Mark asking me to measure the drywall and asking me to cut a strip of it for the sealing nearly sent me into orbit, which is basically the same for an adult as peeing yourself in a third grade classroom would be for a child. (Just to be clear here, I didn't actually pee myself in the third grade. At least not in class.) Anyway, after two attemptes, I finally got it and I am so proud of myself. You'd think I won a prize for Mathematics or something, but no, just a little carpentry by yours truly.

The bathroom isn't completely finished yet, so, I will bold it up in the 100 things column when it is. Stay tuned for pictures!

Traditional Feast

In the south, the traditional New Years Day Feast consists of Black Eyed Peas, Cornbread, Greens and Pork. Each represents something different, but are all considered to bring good luck to the coming year.

Above, are my black eyed peas. That thing floating in the middle is called Hog Jowl. I had a pretty good idea what that was, but I wanted to be sure. Answers.com tells me that this is the cheek of a pig. (I was right!)

Anyway, it's salty and make the beans taste a lot less like dirt. I also added a little garlic to mine.  The beans are supposed to symbolize prosperity in the coming year because when they take on water, they swell.

Next up, Pork Ribs. Supposedly, Pigs root forward when scrounging for food. So, the pork represents forward progress in the coming year. No dwelling on the past!

We also had greens, and I know this picture only shows broccoli, but my camera died before I could get a picture with everything. The Greens are to represent money, and who doesn't need a little extra money? The cornbread was because no true southern meal is complete without cornbread and butter.

It's the first thing I crossed off my list of 100 things and that feels pretty great. I hope this meal brings us plenty of good luck, too! Happy New Year!

One Hundred Things I Wanna Do

As promised, my Life List. Inspired by Maggie Mason, over at Mighty Girl, here is my life list: (in no particular order!)

run in the Race for the Cure / visit Hawaii / take a cooking class / have children / open an animal rescue / live on a farm and produce 75% of my own food / go backpacking through Europe / see the Pyramids / learn to sew / be satisfied with myself / read the Bible / skydive / take a girls only trip with Courtney / have a Margarita in Mexico / become as GREEN as possible / feel physically and emotionally healthy / study world culture / understand politics / swim with dolphins / write a book / find Mark a cuban cigar / take Mark to Jim Morrison's grave / gamble in Vegas / have a white Christmas / visit all 50 states / make a traditional southern New Years Day dinner / build my dream home / make a quilt / go dog sledding / make chocolate chip cookies from scratch / buy Mark a new computer / sleep curled up in front of a fire / see the ball drop in Times Square / wear yellow rainboots and slicker in London / start a food fight / dance naked in the rain / cook a holiday meal for both sides of my family / have a beer and hotdog a baseball game / make homeade wine / go deep sea fishing and eat what I catch / serve on jury duty / make a time capsule for 20 years and include this list / have a wildflower garden like my grandmother's / take dancing lessons / be a zombie extra in a movie / attend a ball / throw a costume party where eeveryone dresses up / have lunch with JK Rowling / go fly fishing / ride horses on the beach / learn sign language / watch the 10 greatest American movies of all time / go to a wine tasting / own a houseboat / learn to change a tire / donate blood / take a second honeymoon / become a vegetarian / have a library with leather bound books / see a fashion show / see all Oscar nominated  films before the Oscars show / Find inner peace /  have a mint julep athe Kentucky Derby while wearing a large hat / break a guiness world record / read the classics / ride with my grandfather to his birth place / make peace with people I need to / meet Heather Armstrong / reach out to my biological family / get my sister to read a book of my own choosing / get a tattoo / banish the need for anxiety medication / volunteer at a homeless shelter / visit Niagra Falls / get 2 comments from people I don't know on my blog / solve a rubics cube / involve and educate my community on recycling / create a kitchen compost / remodel my bathrooms / take photography classes / go to a Titans game / coach something / stop eating fast food / meditate daily / invent something / work with adopted children / see the lighting of the tree in Rockafeller Center / spend Christmas in a tropical place / sleep in a hammock on a warm afternoon / learn to love spiders / pet a tiger cub / get hypnoitized / quit smoking / make an apple pie from scratch / go to Bonaroo / try caviar / see my mother with companionship again / play baseball with fruit / play soccer again / take trip by myself /

One of our own

I recently read a blog by the lovely Maggie Mason about her Mighty Life list: (100 things she's going to do before she goes) and decided it was pertinent to share hers and make a list of my own. Maggie's list is so good, she's being sponsored by Intel to do a few things from her list! Way to go Maggie! Right now she's swimming with semiluminescent Plankton in Puerto Rico. Cool, huh? Check out Maggie's list HERE. Maggie's list inspired Mark and I so much, we are making one of our own. I will post as soon as it's finished. You won't be disappointed! (I hope.)