[Earth Day Edition] Crafting Repurposed Puppets

Brian and I have both blogged about our earth-friendly efforts since we both became bloggers in 2011. What better way to hand this green lifestyle down than to teach our nieces and nephews to do so too. Recently, I had the opportunity to do just that when I babysat my nieces.

My niece with repurposed puppets.

This post is dedicated to an arts and crafts project I conducted with my nieces based around repurposed (recycled) items. For The Brown's: a recycled home or craft project evokes something you already had around the house; were given specifically for repurposing; picked up thrifting or bought at a restore it store. To be classified as population-we™ repurposed project: one- or all- components should be recycled in the project. In this case, my nieces used items already on-hand. Every birthday and Christmas in The Brown's household--we don't throw away the wrapping paper, tissues and bows--instead we store them away for another day. This day, my nieces would be inspired to make puppets (shown at right) from repurposed brown paper bags and other items out of this stockpile.

In short, we want to share with our readers that Earth Day, which falls on Wednesday April 22, this year--can be fun and commemorated every day of the year. Happy repurposed puppet making!


Editor's Note: In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Earth Day population-we™ staffers will celebrate our love for planet earth with green posts the entire month of April! For this post we celebrate the art of repurposing for a craft project. Thanks for reading our third Earth Day post. 

-population-we™ blog post by Becky Bohan Brown 

© 2015 population-we, LLC

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[Earth Day Edition] Open Water Season Starts in Nebraska

Long at last, it’s open water season, and we have wasted no time finding fish.

The waters were warming up nicely until the cold front this past week. Water temps in the Tri County and Johnson Lake were all the way up to 50 at one point. Now I’ve heard the temp has dropped quite a ways, which is to be expected. We fished in water from 47 to 50 degrees and found the fishing to be slow. We managed only a few crappies in the canal, and only one sauger at Johnson. While talking with other friends out on the lake, their success has been similar. While we thought that the walleyes could easily move up on the dams at night real soon, that may have been pushed back just slightly because of this cold. But I do not believe it will be a big setback. With a slight warm up ahead in the forecast, the night fishing could be hot.

Largemouth Bass.

With snow melt coming from out west, the canal has been moving quite a bit of water. Last year at this time it was common to see water moving as slow as 1100 cubic feet per second (cfs). This week we’ve seen it up around 2000. When fishing the canal, it’s nice to keep the current in mind as it can really move the fish around. I believe that was part of the problem with our lack of success with crappies and saugers. The water is simply dictating some of their movement right now.

Now onto something completely different. My friends and I have been doing something lately that is new to us, which I’m sure will be old news to some of you. We have a variety of public and private sandpits that we’ve been targeting for big largemouth bass with stick baits. We have been working hard on trying all kinds of new baits and seeing which ones are doing the best for us. The baits that are doing the best for us are baits that suspend at rest, as this is a key part of our presentation. We’ll cast out, crank the bait down a few feet, then let it sit. Twitch it, reel slow, let it sit. There are all kinds of combinations of cadences you can use while doing this. We’re finding most of the time we do not need to let the bait sit longer than 5 or 6 seconds. The bass that are taking these baits are very aggressive, sometimes waiting until the lure is near the shore to come out and grab it. Some of our most fun catches have been heart stoppers when the water erupts at your feet. Another reminder that just because you’re almost at the end of your retrieve, you still need to be ready.

I had the opportunity this past weekend to fish with my friend Marty Hughes, who, as Kayakajak, is the foremost expert in kayak fishing in the region. We set out in search of monster bass at a public area near Elm Creek one day, and private waters the next. While we didn’t find the monster we were looking for, we did find a pattern that rewarded us with a few catches. Most all the fish we caught during the weekend were in shallower waters where it was the warmest, calmest part of the sandpit. These fish are moving up to warm up, and are often easily tricked into smacking a passing bait. It’s amazing at how much access you have while in a kayak. You can go many places that are otherwise hard to reach with larger vessels, or difficult to fish from shore. I learned a lot about kayak fishing this weekend, and you can too if you spend time with Marty on one of his adventures.

The nice thing about this recent cold weather is that patterns like the ones mentioned above will go a bit longer into the year. We’re having a lot of fun finding out which stick baits work best, and frankly, it’s just a fun way to fish. Having a bass smack a lure after it’s been motionless for a short time is real fun.

That said, be sure to get out and enjoy the springtime in Nebraska and get a great start to another great year.


Editor's Note: In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Earth Day population-we™ staffers will celebrate our love for planet earth with green posts the entire month of April! Our resident fishing blogger, Brian Robinson, is an outdoorsman who clearly has a love and respect for everything fishing. Thanks for reading our first Earth Day post. 

-population-we™ blog post by Brian Robinson 

© 2015 population-we, LLC

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[Earth Day Edition] Rollover Ham Breakfast Casserole Recipe

Wondering what to do with that leftover ham from Easter? Take a page out of my recipe book and create another meal with leftovers. Last Thanksgiving we had a lot of ham and rolls leftover--so it was decided to freeze both and rollover to make a dish for another day. Anyone who follows my wife on social media knows I like making breakfast casseroles. So, it was decided instead of having a tradition meal with all the fixings we’d make a rollover breakfast casserole for a Christmas Day brunch with family.

Center stage the leftover ham and rolls.

Here's the Rollover Ham.

Hawaiian Sweet Rollover Buns.

Rollover Ham Breakfast Casserole Recipe: 

Layer the casserole in pan as follows: shred rollover buns and place on bottom, half white onion, whole green pepper, rollover ham, dozen large eggs whisked, three cups of shredded cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake, uncovered for 35 to 50 minutes, or until the top begins to brown and the edges are bubbling. The baking time will be greatly dependent on the type as well as depth of pan you use.

A slice of the Rollover Ham & Bun Breakfast Casserole.

We had enough leftovers it made for two pans of Rollover Ham Breakfast Casserole. In the end, the “waste not, want not,” saying even holds true in the kitchen. Don't throw away those leftovers and try rollover cooking this Earth Day!


In celebration of the 44th anniversary of Earth Day population-we™ staffers will celebrate our love for planet earth with green posts the entire month of April! Thanks for reading our third Earth Day post. 

-population-we™ blog post by Brian Brown
© 2014 population-we, LLC 
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[Earth Day Edition] Conduct Your Own Trash Walk & Trash Blog

Trash doesn’t discriminate you can find it in anywhere; whether, in a downtown, midtown or rural neighborhood. Do you have an empty lot or field in your area that is an eyesore because of litter? Our neighborhood does. This spring because of the epic winds my husband and I have encountered litter on our daily walks with our rescue dog Pepper and decided to do something about it.

A couple year's back my husband and I moved to a more rural neighborhood in Elkhorn, NE., and winter remnants of trash this year are the worst it's ever been. Why? Because of something we call “wind litter.” On more than one occasion, I've looked out the window and have seen our neighbor's recycled trash blow down the street. So, we've picked up trash in lots around our house and decided to blog about it.

Elkhorn recyclables ready for the curb.

We found: Wine bottles, water bottles, beer cans, drink boxes, ribbon, card board boxes, cereal boxes, mail, plastic netting, pop cans, foam, milk bottles, Styrofoam, strands of plastic, trash bag box, plastic bags, landscaping border, plastic and food cans.

I can’t take credit for this blog post. I borrowed this concept from a former colleague--Professor Emeritus David E. Corbin. He’s done his own Trash Blog in Midtown Omaha for years. Read about it at Talking (and walking) Trash.

So, this Earth Day do what Dr. Corbin and The Brown's did and conduct your own Trash Walk or Trash Blog. If you’re up for the pop-we eco living challenge: go a step further and help fight litter in your community by throwing trash away properly before it becomes litter. Let’s keep the world beautiful not just on Earth Day but year round.


In celebration of the 44th anniversary of Earth Day population-we™ staffers will celebrate our love for planet earth with green posts the entire month of April! Thanks for reading our second Earth Day post. 

- population-we™ blog post by Becky Bohan Brown 

© 2014 population-we, LLC

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[Earth Day Edition] Buying Recycled Paint

The paint.

On the last painting project The Brown’s undertook we decided not to buy paint the conventional way, at a big box store. That combined with wanting to buy sustainable paint--we chose to go to the Habitat for Humanity Omaha ReStore.

There are 825 Habitat ReStores in the U.S. and Canada. These Habitat ReStores provide a socially and environmentally responsible way to keep good, reusable materials out of landfills.

Brian and I were very aware of what this store Humanity Omaha Restore had to offer; since, we’d been there before and helped with a life-long friend bring this very store to fruition. Read about our volunteering effort here.

At Habitat’s ReStore, our first choice is Amazon Paint, which is repurposed paint. This is rescued paint from government, stores, construction and consumers. Amazon’s goal since 1992 has been to repurpose and reprocess paint. It's good paint. In fact, the paint is inspected through a processing and filtering system.

A Burnt Corral wall at The Browns.

On our visit to the West Maple Habitat ReStore, we didn’t see any Amazon paint in our color choice. So, we investigated further and there it was--a five-gallon bucket that spoke to me. It was Sophir Morris paint, which we’d later call “Burnt Corral.” Why? Because it reminded me of the very first corral Brian & I ever saw while scuba diving in Jamaica.

We paid $35 for a five-gallon bucket (shown above). I thank whomever donated this paint to the ReStore! Because each and every day we see our walls we are reminded of our scuba adventures in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Have a painting project in mind? If so, consider buying paint from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

Indeed, in the end when I look at my burnt corral walls these words echo in my head, “home improvement never felt so good...because it's repurposed paint!”


In celebration of the 44th anniversary of Earth Day population-we™ staffers will celebrate our love for planet earth with green posts the entire month of April! Thanks for reading our first Earth Day post. 

- population-we™ blog post by Becky Bohan Brown 

© 2014 population-we, LLC

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to leave a comment, 'Pin' or 'Like' it.

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How to Make a Repurposed Thanksgiving Door Decoration

The biggest way to think we before me is to be stewards of our environment. Check! Many family and population-we™ readers already know of The Brown's commitment to be green. Brian and I have both blogged about our earth-friendly efforts since we both became bloggers. Also, every April our blog has dedicated all that month's blog posts to Earth Day, a cause near and dear to our hearts. So, we are recyclers through and through! Now we are embarking on yet another venture featuring our recycling and green lifestyle efforts and welcome our readers to join us!

Watch for articles sprinkled through our posts each month about Do-It-Yourself (DIY) household as well as arts and crafts projects based around repurposed (recycled) items. More importantly, we want to share with our population-we™ readers that Earth Day should be commemorated every day of the year! For The Brown's: a recycled home or craft project evokes something you already had around the house; were given specifically for repurposing; picked up thrifting or bought at a restore it store. To be classified as population-we™ repurposed project: one- or all- components should be recycled in the project. In this case, you'll see below we used items already on hand. Here's our very first post--a repurposed craft project that will greet our house guests entering The Brown's home this Thanksgiving.

Inspiration for Project:

Recently our 15-year-old rescue dog, Pepper, had a house guest over for a long weekend. Like any good fur-friend, Pepper shared her toys with one-and-a-half-year-old Australian Shepard, Zoey (watch Vine video above or at this link). Unfortunately, one dog toy did not make it. Enter the repurposed idea: I'd been decorating for our upcoming Thanksgiving gathering and didn't have a door decoration yet. So, instead of tossing the dog toy's rope in the trash--see how we recycled it into a Thanksgiving or Autumn Door Decoration.

Repurposed Components:

Rope from broken dog toy.

Over-sized fake leaf.

Other Things You'll Need:

Scissors and Duck Tape.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Step 1: Take the scissors and cut the rope off of the dog toy.
Step 2: Rip off two small and two larger pieces of duck tape.

After Steps 3 & 4 below.

Step 3: Fasten each small piece of duck tape to the end of the frayed rope.
Step 4: Turn over leaf and fasten the rope to the back with the remaining two large pieces of duck tape.

Finished repurposed craft on the door.

Re-purpose Tip! 

You too can do this yourself. Don't have an over-sized fake leaf? If so, use a real leaf of any size from your yard. No industrial dog strength rope either? No worries Mon, just fasten it to the back with any twine or rope. Wool-ah you have a Thanksgiving Door Decoration, too. Happy Thanksgiving and repurpose DIYing!

-population-we™ blog post by Becky Bohan Brown

© 2013 population-we, LLC 
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[Earth Day Edition] pop-we Highlights Greater Omaha SCUBA Club's Project AWARE Efforts

Lake cleanup at Louisville State Park swimming lake.

Today, April 22, is officially Earth Day 2013! On this day people from all around the world are celebrating on land and under the sea. Since waters in Nebraska are a chilly 42 degrees members of the Greater Omaha SCUBA Club will be there only in spirit. This post is dedicated to those SCUBA divers who are donating their time today and throughout the year to clean up our waterways from debris.

Below is a Q&A with SCUBA Instructor Mark "Skippy" Sidwell who is vice president of the Greater Omaha SCUBA Club.

Q. What got you into SCUBA diving?
A. A 21 day trip to Australia. I figured, if I'm going half way around the world, I'm going to learn to dive.

Q. What is the coldest conditions you've dove in?
A. 58 degrees in Atlantic, Iowa. Did a check out dive with a student late in the season. They were going on vacation in early November and wanted to get it done before hand.

Q. Tell us about the Greater Omaha SCUBA Club?
A. The club was officially started in 2007; so its been around for approximately six years. We are not technically a non-profit organization but we are a not-for-profit organization. We are not tax deductible, if you donate to us. The whole goal of the club is to get people active in diving; whether, you're a diver or non diver, we want you active in diving. Even if you're a non diver we want you active in the aquatic world. Be it just enjoying the aquatic world; conservation efforts and understanding how the ocean plays a role in our world, that is the basic gist the club is for.

Q. What reaction do you get when you tell someone you belong to a dive club in Omaha, Nebraska?
A. What? That is the reaction. Most people are basically confused because they ask where is there to dive in Omaha, Nebraska? Technically speaking there are not a lot of places to dive in Omaha, Nebraska. But there are a lot of places to dive in the local area within one- to three- hours drive.

World O! Water debris.

Q. What is Project AWARE?
A. Project AWARE is an organization started by PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors). Aquatic water awareness responsibility and education is key. The basic goal is to teach people the role of what water is; not just about water itself but the ecosystem within the water. Because without the oceans we can't feed half of the world. We abuse water resources beyond their capacity to handle it. That is one of the main reasons why Project AWARE came about because the water resources we have on this planet are dwindling. The vast majority of the world does not have access to clean fresh water for drinking, which is terrible. Project AWARE also talks about natural water resources: lakes, rivers and oceans. How to keep them clean and how to maintain them, as well as how to use them responsibly.

Q. Why did you get involved with Project AWARE?
A.  Because without conservation and education of water resources, I won't have anywhere to dive.

Q. Doing lake cleanups what is the strangest item you've found?
A. A Mountain Dew banner. It was a huge promotional banner. I thought it was a tent at first!

Q. What is the strangest thing another club member has found?
A. A safe.

Q. What is the worst visibility conditions you've dove in for a lake cleanup?
A. Zero.

Q. What do you think is the biggest culprit of trash in our waterways?
A. Plastic. The problem is most governments don't require manufacturers to put a recycle label (i.e. the type of plastic) on all plastic items. Most plastic items you have no idea that type of plastic it is. Most people don't recycle anyway.

Q. What's the message the Greater Omaha SCUBA Club wants to relay to kids?
A. Whatever you throw out winds up in the water. So, be very, very cognizant of what you throw away. Even if you throw it away responsibly; doesn't mean that whoever picks that trash up is going to be responsible with it. So, you have to be careful with that, and that is why recycling is such a big thing.

To find out more about the Greater Omaha SCUBA Club or any upcoming lake cleanups, visit the club's website, official Facebook page or follow them on Twitter.

"I think diving has made me much more aware why we need to recycle," he said. Since 2009, Sidwell has participated in 12 lake cleanups in Nebraska. He ended the Q&A interview by saying: "I love the opportunity to talk about my passion [SCUBA diving]! I love the planet -- we only got one -- so we got to take care of it."


Editor's note: In celebration of the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day population-we™ staffers will celebrate our love for planet earth with green posts this month!  

- population-we™ blog post by Becky Bohan Brown 

© 2013 population-we, LLC

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[Earth Day Edition] pop-we Celebrates Earth Day Every Day

According to Siri, the third rock from the sun is 4.54 billion years old. The question on the minds of scientists and its inhabits, but for how much longer? Luckily for everyone involved steps can be taken to prolong the shelf life of our planet. We take this Earth Day Edition to highlight the efforts by a few to keep earth around longer. Below is a population-we™ compilation of previously reported Earth Day posts from the last three years.

Planet Earth.

[Earth Day Edition] 'Citizen Scientist' Volunteers Sought for April 23 UNO Elkhorn River Study
My husband and I moved out to Elkhorn, Ne., about a year and half ago. Brian and I grew up and lived most of our lives in the same zip code in...Read more.

[Earth Day Edition] Johnny Apple Seed and Earth Day Should Take a Bow from AmeriCorps NCCC
When one thinks Earth Day what is the first nonprofit organization that comes to mind...Read more.

[Earth Day Edition] Conduct Your Own Trash Walk or Trash Blog
Trash doesn’t discriminate you can find it in any neighborhood, village or farm...Read more.

[Earth Day Edition] pop-we Dinner Club Reviews Texas Roadhouse
In March the population-we™  (pop-we) Dinner Club went to our first chain restaurant, the...Read more.

[Earth Day Edition] Celebrate Earth Day 2012 with pop-we Summer Get Active Adventures
What a great way to commemorate the 42nd Anniversary of Earth Day this April than to get active outside and...Read more.

[Earth Day Edition] Committing to a Green Commute on 'Ride the Bus to Work Day!'
During the work week Brian and I commute to work via a carpool; however, March 13, 2012, one of us decided to catch...Read more.

[Earth Day Edition] Recycling Electronic Devices
Being green is not always the easiest and most convenient thing to do. You have the casual person who recycles...Read more.

[Earth Day Edition] Arbor Day Brings Back Doggy Memories
This Friday, April 27, the U.S. will celebrate Arbor Day, a day set a side to remind Americans...Read more.

[Earth Day Edition] pop-we Dinner Club Reviews Jaipur
Hot…Hot…Hot…Hot! This month Marv took us on a trek for some Indian fare, we headed to...Read more. 

[Earth Day Edition] Be Green, Shop at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Giving products a second life is the concept behind a Habitat for Humanity store in...Read more.

For now even Siri can't answer the question of when earth's expiration date may be. However, if population-we™ readers take action and follow any of the steps above -- we can extend that date. Let's choose this day and each day to make a difference and allow many more generations of its inhabitants to celebrate Earth Day, too.


Editor's note: In celebration of the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day population-we™ staffers will celebrate our love for planet earth with green posts this month!  

- population-we™ blog post by Becky Bohan Brown 

© 2013 population-we, LLC

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to leave a comment, 'Pin' or 'Like' it.

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