Easter

Happy Easter everyone!!!
It's been a busy weekend so far. With 4 glorious days off of work (YES! we both have Easter Monday off!!), we -- ok...not "we", but "I" ---decided to get some stuff done around the house.

Friday night was windy and stormy. In fact, it was the worst wind storm we've had in 2 years, with winds gusting up to 90 to 100 km per hour. So, it was a really good day to stay in. I started cleaning, and ended up doing a lot more than I thought I would. I started downstairs in the laundry room, and worked my way around the house (mostly downstairs). I boxed up 7 boxes of stuff to give to charity. I cleaned out all the cupboards, and the "clutter" zones, vacummed up a million dust bunnies, and washed/cleaned all surfaces. I organized all the electronic stuff we need to take to e-recycling. I threw out a garbage bag full of stuff. And set aside a bunch of stuff to throw away during the Spring Cleanup in a couple of weeks (that's the week where you can set ANYTHING outside for the garbage men, and they will take it...no matter what it is). I worked all day, and by the end of it, my arm was sore, and my feet hurt from all the up and down on the stairs!

Yesterday, we got up early, went for breakfast, and then did a bunch of shopping and running around. We took the boxes for donation out of the house, we picked up a few birthday gifts, and stopped at my brother's for a visit. I even got a bunch of boxes of Girl Guide cookies from #5 Neice. (You know Spring is finally here when you have Girl Guide Cookies in the house!). We got back by around 1:00. I did a bit more cleaning, but really wasn't into it. We ended the evening reading, making and having dinner, and watching TV. Very relaxing.

Today....Easter!....That means.....TURKEY!!! mmmmmmmm!

I have a few things to do this morning, then it's off to my parents place for a visit. From there, we are going to A's brother's place for Turkey dinner. I can't wait! I could eat turkey for dinner every night, I love it so much. But A doesn't like it. So, the only time I get turkey is on special occasions, or when we get invited out. Not to mention that I get to see all my neices and nephews today. All 8 of them on the same day. It's going to be great!

napkins

I was shopping the other day, and found a great deal on a new tablecloth and napkins. In nice pretty spring like colours...

Now, I don't usually buy napkins. I have a few sets for my dining room table. But, they are fancy ones, that match the dining room tablecloths. And we only use them when we have company over for dinner. I never really thought about using cloth napkins on a regular basis. We usually use paper towels.

Then I read something on the internet a few weeks ago, that got me thinking. It mentioned that cloth napkins are a better choice, and an alternative to paper napkins (or in our case, paper towels). I hadn't really thought about that before, but apparently, it's the eco-friendly thing to do. Think about it. No trees had to die to make a cloth napkin. And you don't throw them in the garbage when they are done. You wash and reuse them. The website I was reading said that the woman had collected a pile of napkins over the years, picking them up here and there when they were on sale. And, she just threw the used ones on top of her laundry loads each week. It took nothing to throw a dozen napkins on top of her normal wash load. (I wish I could remember what website I was on when I read this....I will definitely share that information if I can find it again). And, to top it all off, using cloth napkins actually feels somewhat more decadent than using paper napkins, but it really is more eco-friendly.

Now, we usually use paper towels. I even buy the select-a-size paper towels so that we only use 1/2 of a normal paper towel for each meal. I thought I was being eco-friendly. How mistaken was I? This website reminded me that I'm just not going far enough. So, when I saw these little guys on sale, I decided I was going to take the plunge. Now, I will probably keep the paper towels on hand for certain things. Sometimes a paper towel just works better for cleaning up some smelly messy spills. And 4 napkins just aren't going to be enough for us for a week, so, I'll keep looking for more bargains, until I can get a stash built up. So, I can't see getting rid of my select-a-size towels for good. But, hopefully, we will start to use less of them.