Giving Up Paper

Over the past year we've been making the transition from paper towels and napkins to cloth. Yes, a year. We probably could have stopped cold turkey, but I didn't want to go into withdrawals. I started out by switching to the paper towels that are perforated into smaller segments, to use less. The husband had a hard time using less...king of ripping off several sheets to clean up a small mess. I swear there was feet of paper towel trailing behind him at any given time. A paper towel-like windsock of sorts, if you will. I bought more dish/hand towels. I bought some cloth napkins to see if we liked them. They were hard to get used to, especially for gross messes...and little kid hands. We always just wiped the kids' hands and faces with paper towels. If one got dirty, you just grabbed another...the paper towels, not the kids.
I have found, though, that napkins of one color show stains very easily. Greasy bacon, buttered biscuits, ketchup, bbq sauce... Our once pretty napkins look like something I'd normally throw away. But, the point is to reuse, so I keep them and use them. They are clean...they just don't look it. Target.com has some napkins in cute patterns. Mikabu, although a bit too pricey for me to load up on them, has really nice embroidered organic cotton napkins for kids. They are also made in America...always a plus! My favorite is the parade ones...gotta love animals all getting along. Cute. Molly, at the purl bee, posts directions for making your own. Hers are pretty fabulous. If I ever get the time, I'll make some. That might mean bringing the boys to a fabric store while I try to pick through rows of fabric...maybe i'll order some online. Okay, wait, I am totally interrupting myself...I just did a web search and found these Fabkins. How have I not heard of these before?! They have six different prints. The fruit ones are my fave because they are striped...less likely to show stains. They are reasonably priced and come in packs of five. And how great is it that Fabkins was started by two moms? I'm all for grabbing hold of a need and making a name for yourself.
Sidebar...I keep thinking of my million dollar idea only to find it's been done. ugh.
I think I need to make a list of things I want to do by the end of the year and add "make napkins" to it. That, and "make a volcano cake". Yes. Lately, while I am falling asleep, I have these strange "visions" of things I can do. Making a volcano cake was last nights. I wanted to make it for my son's fourth birthday, but he vehemently opposed it. He simply wants a Wolverine birthday cake. Um. Sure.