Getting to Know you.....

As you may remember from my list of Etsy items we got for our kids for Christmas, there was this lovely doll bed made by this wonderful lady on Etsy. Karen is the owner of the shop, http://www.mimas.etsy.com/ . I wanted to start having some personal knowledge of the crafters that I love, and I thought you my readers might like to come along. I want to know more about their crafting but also what GREEN means to them. Here is my interview with Karen...

Tell us a little about yourself.

I am married to a wonderful man who is not only my best friend, but my beacon. We have 5 grown children combined with 3 wonderful grandchildren. We live on 13.3 acres on the McKenzie river, where we live a simple life.

Have you always lived on a micro farm?

For the most part. My mother was a gypsy, and we traveled a lot. But we always lived "simple" -- never in a hurry, no stress, no hassles.

What do you grow and/or raise on your farm?

We have 2 large gardens; adding a third this season. We also have an orchard with 2 pear trees, 2 plum trees and 8 apple trees but only 7 now produce fruit. We live 30 feet off of the river so we catch a lot of fish and we are hunters as well. I would like to have a goat and some chickens in the near future; the goat would be as a pet and friend to our black lab "shadow".

Do you sell your extra produce?

We don't sell any of the produce; we give it away. This is why we are adding another garden area, to help our friends and family. I am unable to eat the meat from the deer I hunt, so I also donate that to family and friends. It is such a wonderful feeling to share the fruits of my labor. I think, if we all would just help one person in need, there would be no hunger in our world.

What do you wish you had known when you started out farming?

That there is no 9-5. LOL! Just kidding, I wish I would of paid closer attention to my dad. He is close to 80 years young and is still farming. He is full of information that I could of tapped into long ago.

What are your thoughts on GREEN living, and what does your family do to help protect Mother Earth?

I love Mother Earth, and I can honestly say that I do something everyday to help my "footprint" get smaller. I think our society has become lazy or maybe just comfortable, but neither one is good for our children's future. Plastic lasts a lifetime in our landfil. Cigarette butts leak toxins into our earth. They take up to 12 years to decompose. I teach our grandchildren and our children to leave this earth better then we found it; that it is on loan to us.

Have you always sewn and crafted?

I have always crafted and sewn. We always make our gifts and still make our gifts. My grandchildren know that we don't buy gifts. We not only make something for each other but we make for other children. We had so much fun this year picking names off of the giving tree and making baby beds and doll diapers for little ones who would have no gift.

When did you start on Etsy?

April of last year I joined etsy. The creator of Horse & crab creations on etsy happened to be the person that came out to fix my phone line and she was kind enough to tell me about Etsy.

What would be your best tip for someone starting out?

I always tell people to start small, everyone can cut down on and recycle paper products, plastic. We can all be mindful of what we place in the trash. Share, trade, barter, clean out and down size your closet. It doesn't take much to make a big difference.

What tips do you have for moms?

Enjoy the moment, they grow so fast. Our children won't remember the Nike shoes or the designer jeans but they will remember all the times we weren't there. My goal in life is to live to 130 years of age in good health and great spirits. I am blessed to be able to grow and hunt for most of my food, I don't have a cell phone. We have one vehicle, I up-cycle, re-purpose, and I love to barter. I don't like to buy new. Heck I don't like to spend money at all. When it is my time to go to a higher place I would like to be remembered as a kind, loving, simple lady that was not only blessed by mother earth, but a blessing to mother earth. As my dear granddaughter Kelea said to me one day "Grammy you're a hippy!” Oh yes I am. :) and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Tea Time

Tea Times offer you and your children a break from the fast-paced demands of parenting, homeschooling, and household chores. Everyone sighs as they settle into their chairs, tea cups or mugs in hand. Stopping to enjoy cup of tea ( hot chocolate or apple juice or even water from a tea pot is nice) creates the perfect time to share a poem or a story. Tea sandwiches and a few cookie treats (known as biscuits in England) make it a special snack and break to your midday. When you share poetry with tea, your children create a connection between sharing and rest, while creating memories. We really have the kids with us for such a short time.

Once everyone has his or her tea and food, reading or storytelling can begin. Use this time to read a favorite series of books. Kids of any age will want to stop in their day and share this time with you. It is a great way to teach manners and proper etiquette. Tea time can be fun and educational. 

This Month for tea time try....

Sun Strawberry Jam 

When strawberries go on sale, it's time to make sun jam, a delightful taste of summer made with solar energy to enjoy any time of year. A very GREEN thing to do. Although it requires patience to prepare sun jam, it captures the fresh flavor of the strawberries. This is a great recipe to do with kids. 

Instructions 
Things You’ll Need:
1 1/2 pounds ripe fruit
1 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
Stainless steel saucepan
cheese cloth
Sterile glass jar (with lid)
string

How To:
Wash the fruit.
Cut it into thin slices.
Mix all of the ingredients together in a stainless steel saucepan.
Cover and let it sit at room temperature for one hour.
Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil.
Boil for five minutes without stirring.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool for 30 minutes.
Pour the cooled fruit mixture into a glass jar.
Cover with chesse cloth and tie with string to allow the moisture to evaporate.
Set the jar outside in full sunshine or in a very sunny window for three to eight hours.
The jam is ready when it has thickened.
Last seal it tightly. Store the jam in the fridge.

We Won the Battle, Keep At It To Win The War

CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously (2-0) to issue a one year stay of enforcement for certain testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of regulated products, including products intended for children 12 years old and younger. These requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), which added certification and testing requirements for all products subject to CPSC standards or bans.
Significant to makers of children’s products, the vote by the Commission provides limited relief from the testing and certification requirements which go into effect on February 10, 2009 for new total lead content limits (600 ppm), phthalates limits for certain products (1000 ppm), and mandatory toy standards, among other things. Manufacturers and importers – large and small – of children’s products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements, but will need to meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements.
The decision by the Commission gives the staff more time to finalize four proposed rules which could relieve certain materials and products from lead testing and to issue more guidance on when testing is required and how it is to be conducted.
The stay will remain in effect until February 10, 2010, at which time a Commission vote will be taken to terminate the stay.
The stay does not apply to:
Four requirements for third-party testing and certification of certain children’s products subject to:
The ban on lead in paint and other surface coatings effective for products made after December 21, 2008;
The standards for full-size and non full-size cribs and pacifiers effective for products made after January 20, 2009;
The ban on small parts effective for products made after February 15, 2009; and
The limits on lead content of metal components of children’s jewelry effective for products made after March 23, 2009.
Certification requirements applicable to ATV’s manufactured after April 13, 2009.
Pre-CPSIA testing and certification requirements, including for: automatic residential garage door openers, bike helmets, candles with metal core wicks, lawnmowers, lighters, mattresses, and swimming pool slides; and
Pool drain cover requirements of the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act.
The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA.
Handmade garment makers are cautioned to know whether the zippers, buttons and other fasteners they are using contain lead. Likewise, handmade toy manufacturers need to know whether their products, if using plastic or soft flexible vinyl, contain phthalates.
The stay of enforcement on testing and certification does not address thrift and second hand stores and small retailers because they are not required to test and certify products under the CPSIA. The products they sell, including those in inventory on February 10, 2009, must not contain more than 600 ppm lead in any accessible part. The Commission is aware that it is difficult to know whether a product meets the lead standard without testing and has issued guidance for these companies that can be found on our web site.
The Commission trusts that State Attorneys General will respect the Commission's judgment that it is necessary to stay certain testing and certification requirements and will focus their own enforcement efforts on other provisions of the law, e.g. the sale of recalled products.
Please visit the CPSC Web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia.html for more information on all of the efforts being made to successfully implement the CPSIA.
Statements on this vote by Acting Chairman Nancy Nord and Commissioner Thomas H. Moore are in portable document format (PDF).