Miomarmo

Turn an old shirt into a new skirt!

All you need is an old shirt and a sharp pair of scissors. If you want to break out the full-on sewing skills, you can, but it's not necessary. It's a great way to give a favorite old shirt a new look!

 
Lay your old shirt out on a flat surface, like your floor.

There are a few variations you can do, so let's do the one with the most cutting first. Get those scissors out!

In the first version, cut as shown, right underneath the armpits.

Version 1: You're left with a tube. The bottom is already hemmed, so believe it or not, you can put this right on and wear it as is! Just roll down or fold over the top (your new waistline) -- t-shirt material won't unravel.

Version 2: If you want to get more fancy, you can fold over the top and hem, leaving room for elastic or a ribbon.

Still want more variety? Get another old shirt and cut it right at the neckline instead, as shown below.

Version 3: Sew up the sides where you've cut the sleeves off. This becomes the waist, so for the best fit you should pin it first and try it on before sewing.

Version 4: Turn the whole thing upside down. The waistline is hemmed already; and the bottom now has these cute vents, which probably have some kind of name in the fashion world, but I don't know what it is.

As above, you could wear as is, or add elastic for a tighter fit.

You could also:
♥ Add trim as an edging (great way to use up leftovers in your stash)
♥ Use the sleeves from another shirt to make an appliqued design
♥ If you used a turtleneck like me, you can use the old neck of the shirt as a new headband (which will instantly match your new skirt, natch)

Do you walk enough?

Back when the twins were born, I was a familiar sight around the streets of my town, huffing and puffing and pushing a huge triple stroller that housed three kids under the age of two, two heart monitors, and the occasional snack. Now, thankfully, everyone walks under his or her own steam. Back then, I walked to get out of the house for a while. Now we're trying to walk more as a means of transportation.

We are blessed to live in a great town with a lively downtown area, and when we can walk, we try to. But the point is, I think we just don't walk enough. Our three kids by law have to be in booster seats in the car, and that means using the minivan so they all fit. I hate using it for small trips, especially if we could walk instead. I'm also hopeful that in time we will be biking everywhere, but we're not there yet. So whenever possible, we lace up the sneakers and walk.

I remember an article in Shape Magazine (which I have been searching for in vain, sadly) that pointed out how Americans are more likely to hop in a car than walk, and how in almost every other country in the world, people think nothing of walking - walking to the store, walking to work, walking miles to visit a friend. In one case in Africa, one interviewee talked about walking miles to the friend's house, and then the two of them went for another walk checking the fences on the perimeter of his property, and then he walked back home. (By contrast, I have been known to hop in the car to run to the store to get half-and-half.)

Walking not only can save precious resources, fight pollution, and save you money, but it has enormous health benefits. Guidelines suggest that aiming for at least 10,000 steps a day to help maintain a healthy weight. Buy yourself a pedometer and clip it to your belt for a week - you may be surprised at how little you actually walk! I love my pedometer; it's a little reminder to take the stairs whenever possible. Not to mention walking is aerobic, and low-stress - there's little bouncing or impact on your joints like running or jogging. And it's a great way to get out of the house and enjoy nature, especially if you leave the iPod at home!

As for my family, we're going to try a little experiment today - instead of driving to pick up my oldest at school, I'm going to park part of the way there and walk the rest of the way (with the twins in tow). My hope is that over time, I'll be parking farther away and we'll get used to walking more and more. On a daily basis, that adds up.

♥ How does your town measure up? Check out your town's walk score here (and discover some stores and facilities you might not even know were just around the corner from you!) Ours is a 98, which means we have absolutely no excuse not to break out the sneakers more.

♥  Check out The Walking Site for tips on how to increase your steps per day.

Patience

Sometimes it's hard to see anything but what's happening right now. In the middle of (ahem) nuttiness, I try to focus on something as simple and small as an acorn to remind me of what marvelous things the future can hold.

Simple Statement of the Day

To cherish what remains of the earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival.
~ Wendell Berry

I'm Tired of Being Green

Some days I want to just throw stuff away. I want to toss old food inside a perfectly recyclable container, into the trash rather than compost the gross, moldy insides, wash the container, and take it to be recycled. I want to buy food in a plastic dish rather than make a meal myself. I want to see if real Drano works on my clogged tub drain rather than plunging for hours or trying the "green" version of Drano (which didn't work, though maybe Drano wouldn't work either?).

We offer a forum for thoughtful dialogue on how to interpret current events, explore ways of developing earth friendly habits that fit your lifestyle, and find products and services that meet the highest standards of organic production, animal protection, and fair trade.

When we first started Miomarmo and we were working on our mission statement, I argued against "developing earth friendly habits that fit your lifestyle." My reasoning was, if you're not willing to alter your lifestyle and not need everything to be easy, then you can't affect the earth's health in as positive a way as it needs. Building a 3,000 square foot house and then adding solar panels? You're still creating something much larger than you could ever possibly need (unless you have 30 children, this is just too big). Celebrities campaigning for a greener world while traveling around that world in a jet that uses  more energy in one trip than the average person uses in a year—that's just silly. (Not to say they're messages can't be a positive contribution.)

But, now I'm building a house, and I already have a house, and there's stuff to get rid of like old insulation, tires, and treated lumber (that we didn't buy), so now how to get rid of it responsibly; and finding the materials we need for the new house without having to order green alternatives sight unseen because the local hardware store just doesn't have what you need, and if we could just go to the store and buy regular old paint that goes on nice and pretty and smooth but smells like death ... oh, how easy it would be to be the opposite of green! Did I mention I was tired?

About 20 years ago my mother read somewhere that recycling newspaper took more energy than it saved. And maybe that was even true then, I don't know, but she's clung to that notion ever since and throws away bags and bags of newspapers every year. I live 3,000 miles away from her, so I don't have much influence on her daily life (does that work as an excuse?).

My mother is an example of how much we want the easy way out (I hope she doesn't read this!). I sometimes envy her outlook and how easy it would be to just toss everything, forget about it, and move on.

As I'm learning throughout this process (this blog, building a new house, cleaning out the old one), when I can find a better, greener way of doing something, it feels good. It can be tiring, frustrating, and hard, but it feels right. The energy we have put into disposing of materials responsibly (by first finding someone else who could use it; secondly finding a way to donate it; thirdly finding another use for it; and lastly, finding the greenest way of disposing it, which hopefully includes recycling it) has not been wasted. I just have to keep reminding myself that forever I can live in our new house and know I didn't just add a bunch of new, toxic materials to the world. That I disposed of unneeded "stuff" correctly and responsibly.

Sigh, but some days I still want to just throw stuff away.

Painting Pretty

There are more options now than ever for toxic-free and organic types of paint when you are tackling a painting project.  Not only is it better for the environment but you also won't have to endure those nasty fumes as you beautify your home!