REUSE - REDUCE - RECYCLE - REPURPOSE
I grew up doing all of these RE-RE-RE-RE’s., as did my sisters. W e didn’t have recycle bins, or high profile advertising nor was there much, if any, abundant, even wasteful government spending telling people to re-anything . We just did it. We took care of what we had, and when things became worn, we had them mended or repaired. Shoes were resoled, buttons were put back on or replaced, hems were let down, seams were let out , outgrown clothing was passed down to the younger ones or shared with the cousins .
Today, these kinds of practices are not just for a select few . . not just underprivileged or poor people (so – called), with lots of kids and precious few resources .. not just for the 21st century hippy. Many people are getting on board. Many folks realize that new is not always better; many also understand that quite often, LESS is MORE. Perhaps torn can be mended, too long can be shortened, too small can be passed along. Plant material (potato and carrot peels etc.) can go back into the earth in the form of compost, instead of going down the garbage disposal or into the trash bins and dumpsters that feed the landfills.
An old entertainment center can be made into a darling “kitchen” for the little princess in your life (saw this idea somewhere on the 'net, and then a dear friend actually did this for her small daughter’s birthday and it looked great - really cool)!
Maybe a SpongeBob© lunchbox can hold your kitchen sponges. At Christmas time, I serve homemade Scottish Shortbread nestled on a green cloth napkin in my old red plaid lunch box – very pretty.
I have an old “big-black-manly” lunch box that houses my hot glue gun, glue sticks, mat and holster; I labeled it GLUE GUN with white liquid paper (another repurpose).
My once-was-a-coal-bucket (that I put wood in when I had a fireplace) now displays some favorite house plants and a G/F has her coal bucket outside on her deck, also with plants in it.
For this installment, I’m going to give my sister, Eleanor, the BIG-4-R-BUTTON (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse and Repurpose). Her “item” is not new .. rather, something she accomplished a few years ago, but just the other day when I wore mine, I realized what she had done.
Here’s the story, as I know it. Our mother had three sets of French Havilland Bone China. When she passed away, each of us (her 3 daughters) selected her favorite set (I chose the delicate, plain white and June picked the Greek Key Pattern). Eleanor chose the set that had been in our Dad’s family; a delicate pink rose pattern.
Some years back, a visitor in Eleanor’s home put a piece of that china in the microwave and the dish exploded. Eleanor saved all the pieces for a long time; kudos to you, Big Sister – I probably would have cleaned it up, thrown it out and cried for days. She finally found a jeweler/craftsman who was willing and able to make pins for us from the salvaged broken pieces of our mama’s oldest-in-the-family-china. See why Eleanor gets the big 4R button?!?
My pin even sports the ridge or curve from the side of what I assume was the edge of the plate. This was a case of fabulous repurposing. Ele she did that lemon thing .. you know the one .. when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
I’ll have more 4-R’s for you next time. Perhaps you have some RE-RE-RE-RE’s you would like to pass on to us? Email them to me and I’ll use those too!
Have a wonderful time repurposing all that stuff you have; this is a good thing whether you live in the country, or just wish you did!
© 2011 Cat Brennan © 2011 Cat’s Country Place
Check out the new recipes I've just posted. One is a dessert recipe I promised; Pineapple Surprise Gelatin Dessert/Side dish - it has a surprise ingredient that will have all at the dining table trying to guess what it is. My family has been making and serving this delicious treat for over 40 years!
I am so glad that Halloween is over. I got very tired of all the stupid stuff on television and especially all the junk in the stores. Now, I can breathe a big sigh of relief and get on with the important things in life, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. Both of these events inspire me to think outside myself. Giving thanks is such a wonderful way to live and many different studies prove that being Thankful is tantamount to happiness and even good health. 
When I bring home my grapes, I carefully remove them from their bag; rinsing it and setting aside to drip dry. As I remove each bunch of grapes, I wash well, then check for and remove any bad ones. Once they are all checked and rinsed, I let them sit in a colander for a few minutes to drain excess water.
reams may be filled with silver and gold;
Seeing all of those jars lined up full of colorul and good food was such a rewarding feeling. Some of the things I canned that year were, Solid Pack Pumpkin, Sweet and Spicy German Chunk Pickles, Bread and Butter Pickles, Apple Sauce and Butter, Pepper Hash and Peaches. These were all so pretty, not to mention quite tasty. 
