So how’s it going so far (this is me talking to myself). It’s week 3 in Project Laundry line and again so far so good. We’ve moved the laundry line out of the garage and upstairs where I can open windows and let a good breeze dry our things in a few hours.

As I’ve said before our outside setup is not the best for laundry so I’m improvising. It’s going well.

I’m a bit shocked that it is going so well. I thought I would get behind in the laundry due to the dry time and the additional work of hanging. But not so. Yes there is the additional time of hanging but it seems a bit therapeutic and old timey. Anyway not bad.

Here are my pros so far:

• Cooler home without the dryer running.

Want to get in the hanging your laundry to dry act? Here is a really great post on hang drying your laundry, hang drying laundry.

And please don’t forget to enter our giveaway and win a pack of your own laundry supplies.

It’s week 2 in Project Laundry line and so far I’ve kept to washing our laundry in cold water and hang drying our laundry.

Here’s a little about our setup for this.

We live in a windy area in the Northwest hat has been raining pretty much non-stop.  I decided that hanging our laundry outside was pretty much out. So we made the decision to hang the laundry to dry in the garage (which is not being used to house a car).

The line dryer we received (and the one our winner will too) is pretty big so this is working out.

I’ve been washing in cold for about a week and so far so good. Dry time is a little longer.  Last night I resorted to ironing some sheets since I wanted to use the line dryer for a new batch of clothes. They were pretty much dry but I wasn’t 100% sure so I ironed them to make sure. My husband commented that the washing thing seemed to be going well and since I was doing dreaded ironing that I don’t like so much I growled at him.

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and win a pack of your own laundry supplies.

The Giveaway is now closed.  Winner update post here.

Thank you to all the participants.

In this era of cutting costs and going green Seventh Generation has a timely challenge my family is excited to participate in.

The steps are switching cold water washing and  line drying our laundry.

The aim of this challenge is two-fold; environmental savings and wallet savings. My husband is excited about the latter.

I’ve had to, for lack of an electric dryer, line dry my clothing in the past. I never thought it much more than a hinderance. This is the first time I’m choosing to line dry even with the convenience of a dryer.

To help encourage this line drying stuff Seventh Generation has provided me (and will provide one of my lucky readers) with a Project Laundry Line kit.

Seventh Generation Natural 2x Concentrated Laundry Liquid (good for 66 loads of laundry)

A portable laundry line (this thing is huge!)

A package of clothes pins

And a laundry basket

I’ll be posting weekly or so about how it’s going and when we get our bill if we’ve seen a nice drop in the amount.

For the record I was already a Seventh Generation Laundry soap user. I use lot’s of different laundry detergents and even some I’ve whipped up myself. In my regular rotation is Seventh Generation, Method, and LeBlanc Linen Wash

For now though let’s get with the giveaway details.

Seventh Generation “Project Laundry Line” Giveaway

Enter to win a Seventh Generation “Project Laundry Line” pack which includes…

• Seventh Generation Natural 2x Concentrated Laundry Liquid (good for 66 loads of laundry)
• A portable laundry line
• A package of clothes pins
• And a laundry basket

Giveaway ends Midnight on Thursday July 15th. (this is a long one)

How to Enter

*This giveaway is open to US residents only (sorry) who are 18 years or older.

Leave a comment (here) telling me about your line drying experiences and/or other things you are doing to lower bills and cut costs in the home.

Additional Entries (must do entry above first)

1. Blog about this post and link back (1 time, 1 extra entry)
2. Tweet about this post include @momtools in the tweet and leave me another comment letting me know you did this. (again 1 time, 1 extra entry)

The supplies for this challenge and prize pack have been generously provided by Seventh Generation  through MyBlogSpark (see my button on the side?)

We have a winner of the Costco Snacks Giveaway,

Number 4. Donna.

I’ll be contacting you so you can give me your mailing information.

Congratulations!

Just discovered this lady’s lovely fruit garden post the other day. I thought it would offer lovely inspiration. She tells how she put it together in a pretty frugal way if you ask me.

Anyway. Enjoy…

My New Fruit Garden at The Pleasures of Homemaking

I’ve been helping my mother with her garden and with all of the rain we’ve been having in the Northwest slugs are becoming a big problem. I remember as a kid dealing with them with salt but that doesn’t seem so grand anymore.

So to the web it was and I browsed the internet looking for nice eco ways to get rid of them. I landed upon using a barrier of oat bran. So I picked up some nice Bob’s Red Mill Oat bran with which to cut those icky slugs with. But then after sprinkling a bit we noticed the ants walking off with it. Not really wanting to feed the ants it was back to the drawing board.

Then I called my Master Gardener friend and here is what she suggested.

a) There is the slug beer drowning method. I guess they go after it and drown. You have to clean out the bowls regularly so as not to be too disgusted. Not being a drinker I really didn’t want to go buy any and bring it into the house. That method is out.

b) Then there is the copper shock method. I guess copper shocks them. You put a barrier of it around your plants and when they touch it they get shocked. So then you just have to get your hand on some copper. She also suggested you could use pennies. Here is a smidgen article about how much copper is in which pennies in case this is you method du jour.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Stop Snails And Slugs In Their Tracks (backyardgardeningtips.com)
• ANN LOVEJOY: Safer Ways to Control Slugs (kitsapsun.com)

Okay the giveaway has now ended. Be back tomorrow (6/15) AMish with the winner.

I have another great giveaway for you. I was recently sent a Costco Sunny Day Snack Pack to review and let me tell you this is one yummy review.

Okay first of all I love Costco warehouse store. We don’t go there as much as my sister (twice a week) but we go there several times a month to pick up bulk staples and hopefully grab something new to try. We also price out our regular stapes and pick up certain canned goods, toiletries, and paper products for much less to name just a few of the many items we buy there (gush).

You know summer time is the time for running hither and yon getting as much outdoor action as you can in before school and cooler weather comes again. It’s the time for zoo trips, park trips, road trips and more and that means hungry kids on the go. You don’t always want to or even need to stop and get something to eat. Many times it’s just that little tidbit you need tokeep going. So what better way to curb the appetite than take along snacks?

I’m a fan of snack bars AND fruit snacks. Since Peanut was able to eat such solid foods I ALWAYS make sure I have one or two with me whenever we go out. Even if it’s just to the store. So when I was contacted to check out some new products Costco is carrying this summer I was gung ho.

First off my favorite. The Simply Fruit Roll-Ups are delicious! I’m a fan of fruity snacks so these are just up my alley. Each box contains 2 flavors, strawberry and wildberry. A sweet treat sure to make your little one smile. For those of you with food allergies they are gluten free. And for those of you looking to watch a bit of weight each roll-up only carries 50 calories. Small enough to pop into your bags to go they are addicting so take more than one.

The Nature’s Valley Trail Mix bars are a big hit with not only my own Peanut but my much older nephew who asked me if I had a few more I could pass over his way. Packed with whole oats peanuts, almonds, cranberries and raisins they carry 3 grams of protein and 8 grams of whole grains. Unfortunately due to the soy lecithin content I could not partake but those who could gave a thumbs up to the taste.

Interested in winning a prize pack for yourself? This is what the winner will receive…

“Costco Sunny Day Snacks” prize pack includes stock-up sized packages of the Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars (48 ct.) and Simply Fruit Roll-Ups (42 ct.), and a $25 gift card for my favorite warehouse store Costco.

Giveaway ends Midnight on Monday June 14th.

Woo Hoo!

How to Enter

*This giveaway is open to US residents only (sorry) who are 18 years or older.

Leave a comment (here) letting me know what yummy snack you plan on purchasing (or would purchase if you were a member at Costco on your next visit.

Additional Entries (must do entry above first)

1. Blog about this post and link back (1 time, 1 extra entry)
2. Tweet about this post include @momtools in the tweet and leave me another comment letting me know you did this. (again 1 time, 1 extra entry)

Now I hope you know that General Mills  generously provided me with the great snack pack and Costco cards through MyBlogSpark (button on the side)

So very late but here are some touching photos to commemorate Memorial Day.

The Pioneer Woman Coming Home

The Pioneer Woman Coming Home Part 2

The Pioneer Woman Coming Home Part 3