Natural Dyes

Well, we are too late for Easter this year, but keep this in mind for next year:

Dye Easter Eggs in Nature's Hues
- more detailed info found here on Vegetable Gardener.

I bet you didn't even realize how many edible items in your kitchen you could use for coloring eggs; I sure didn't! And, there are so many on the list that I always have on hand like coffee, frozen berries, cinnamon, onions, and carrots to name only a few.

We used the standard box of red, yellow, green, and blue liquid food coloring this year, but now I can't wait for Easter to come around again! The shades of colors from the natural dyes are even softer and more beautiful than the artificial stuff - go take a peek on Vegetable Gardener. Plus as our son gets older, I can see experimenting with new veggies and spices for new colors becoming really fun for him.

See the difference? While the eggs from the picture on top are bright, don't they appear a bit chalky and fake looking compared to the softer, natural dyed eggs in the bottom picture?

What a great opportunity to teach your children about the many uses of herbs, flowers, and veggies. Help them appreciate the abundance God has given us during springtime. Anyone else have creative Easter traditions? Any out of the ordinary ideas for the vegetables coming out of your gardens?

Earth Day 2011

Happy Earth Day 2011

What a great day to stop, look at your family's lifestyle, and pick one way you could be a better steward of this gorgeous planet we have been entrusted with. Maybe its as simple as not running the water while you brush your teeth. Maybe you'd like to start using less energy and your family decides to commit to line drying clothes instead of using the dryer, (I'll admit it; this is quite a bigger commitment than the teeth brushing thang) but with summer coming there will be plenty of warm sunny days to give it a try - we're going out on a limb and hanging those cloth diapers of ours. Or, maybe you got outside and planted a tree or veggie garden as a family.

For the Schoellhorns this year we are switching to all natural hand soap and recycled paper towels. Hopefully one day we'll make the switch to only using dish towels and cloth napkins, but for now I just love paper towels a little too much. Baby steps, y'all. :)

In honor of Earth Day, www.soap.com is offering a discount on bundled groups of green household cleaners. Head over there, and let them help you get started! Plus you'll get free 2-day shipping if you spend over $39.

So, what did your family do for Earth Day? Share with us and inspire other families to save a little nature too.