Golightly Place

Loves ~ On Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T23:51:00.000-05:00

"Discover" is my word for 2012. That was a pretty easy one, since I just knew with a move 1500 miles north to a new state, new city, new climate, there would be very little that wouldn't be new to us. One of our loves, I am thrilled to say, is libraries. We have been going to the library, pretty much weekly, ever since Maia was a baby. Our fondness for them has crept into our vacations where we now have the habit of visiting local libraries whenever we travel. So, imagine our joy when we learned that our house is not only a 5 minute drive to the beautiful downtown branch of the St. Paul Public Library, but also, literally around the corner from one of its smaller branches. The girls are already volunteering there two days a week and love it so far.

It kind of feels like having a brick and mortar Google in your back yard.

The funny thing is that despite its relatively small size, the girls have discovered all sorts of books that they've brought home with them already and, despite the fact that they are now at the library twice a week, they still want to stay after their shift and "look around for a few minutes."

Herbs are their latest fascination. When I explained to them that our back yard perennial bed was full of them - some I recognized from seed heads and others we'll just have to ask the landlords... or wait to be surprised in a few months - they were SO excited and rushed for coats, and jars, and scissors.

This current love is connected to their favorite genre of reading which is fantasy. And fantasy often has an alchemist or two and thus, my children are now spending their spare reading time captivated by herbal encyclopedias. It's times like this that I would like to follow every flight of fancy and just spend days on this one topic that fascinates them right now. I know my unschooling friends are out there shouting, "Yes! Let them do it!!" Well... I do... but in limited doses, because I don't know that algebra or chemistry will ever find its way into their fancies... In some form, yes, but not as far as the coursework will take them. And so herbology is relegated to lunchtime and after-school reading, but nobody has complained thus far.

***

The previous photos were taken late last week just before our "arctic blast" came through.Yes, it was cold... for about a day. But the rest of this week has been mild and the state continues to experience the 2nd warmest winter on record.

Yesterday afternoon the snow that blanketed the southern part of the state reached the city and cast it's perfect winter blue that I adore.

It snowed little more than what you see here and the sidewalks are all clear today as it melted pretty quickly. But last night on my way out to my Mary Kay meeting, the glowing yellow street lamps cast enough light to set the fresh snow glimmering and twinkling. Another love.

And today is Valentine's Day.

When I was a child, Valentine's Day was a favorite holiday. Perhaps it's because we got to make little mailboxes nearly every year in elementary school and I have always, ALWAYS loved giving and receiving mail. We covered our boxes with white paper and cut a simple slot in the top. There was a a wonderful afternoon spent decorating the boxes, of course, and this was the time to perfect the skill of the half-heart on the folded paper!

The Valentine's boxes added to the festive decor of the classroom of red and pink and white and Presidents Washington and Lincoln on the bulletin board calendar with the wavy, ridged border stapled all round. Everyone needed to wear red that day or you were threatened with a kiss! Imagine! The worst thing happening to you: a kiss.

Valentine's Day for our family is little tokens of love. We usually have a bit more decor than our minimalist celebration this year, as so much is still packed away. But it was all still received so warmly and everyone was genuinely pleased with what we made for each other.

My Valentine's given...

and received...

Aren't they cute??? And that's another love, as you likely know by now: the creativity inherent in EVERYONE. These are each perfect, little treasures to me that cost my family nothing but its time - oh and I did spring for a couple bars of chocolate, but I doubt those will be remembered nearly as much as these little tokens of our affections.

You know, the light is always changed by Valentine's Day. In the north, the ground is still frosty white, but the light is lasting longer and I always feel a charge of inspiration around this time of year. January seems a month of recuperation after the holiday season and the nights are still quite long. But February brings more sunshine and doilies and ruffled hearts for heaven's sake! It's kind of an unfortunate time to get that inspirational itch, when I want to cast off all responsibilities and pursue all those flights of fancy myself. It takes a good deal of self-discipline to homeschool, to stick to a thing and not just... cast off...

But... if you can plan ahead just a little bit... work ahead just a little bit... you can also plan a day of exploration and discovery of even more new things that invite love. I've got something like that in mind for later in the week. I can't say how it will all go, but bags are being packed with sketchbooks and watercolor pencils, cameras and maps - oh yes, maps - another love...

lotta loves.

Crafting Community

2012-02-09T22:45:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned that I am loving living in Saint Paul? Having a wonderful, record-breaking mild winter certainly helps. But it's more than the views and the weather that are keeping me smiling these days. I am delighted with the different events, large and small, that our family has enjoyed the past few weeks; and it seems they have been many!

My good, long-time, highschool friend, Liz, is a fine seamstress (and maker of many other amazing things as well!). She stopped by last Saturday to "borrow" Eve for a fitting of a costume she was making for her cousin's daughter's upcoming play. Eve was only too happy to oblige and only reluctantly returned the dress to be mailed off to its rightful owner. I sense that sewing lessons are in our future.

That same day the girls and Paul walked over the Wabasha Street bridge with Liz (the picture at the top of the post is a shot taken by Maia) to the annual Winter Carnival Torchlight Parade. The parade is the culminating celebration of two-weeks worth of icy events that take place every January in Saint Paul. I was attending my sister's Pampered Chef party or I would have walked down with them. Walked. I have a feeling that walking to the Winter Carnival is not going to take place for another 100 years when the state experiences another record-breaking warm winter.

Still, while they were drinking hot coffee, shivering and cheering on the Vulcan victory party at the parade, I was enjoying a glass of wine and eating appetizers while watching my sister's friend make us an apple/cherry cobbler. It really was a win-win. :)

Super Bowl/Nephews' birthday party the next night and the list goes on: there was a potluck hymn-sing one night, more old friends paying us visits, bringing us little, potted primroses (!) (thank you 3 T's!), planning for belly-dance classes and talking about Sumo wrestling, thrift-store shopping, lots of knitting, and visits to the coffee shop.

Tomrrow the girls begin volunteering at the library around the corner. Jen will teach us how to play with clay on a pottery wheel next week and I'll swap the crafty goodness by sharing drawing skills with her daughter. There's a theater class on the horizon. Lots of creativity swirling about and it's making life feel rich, indeed.

The temperature is dropping overnight tonight. It's going to feel like real winter for a few days here, but that's okay; it still feels pretty good when you've mangaged to find your place in the sun. :)

Keeping Warm

2012-01-24T10:34:00.000-05:00

Beans are simmering on the stove this morning, steaming and scenting the kitchen nicely. I am sitting at the kitchen table with my tea and toast looking out on the wintry scene that is the back yard. There is only about an inch or two of snow out there that we've received over the past few days, but it's enough to cover everything with that look of a freshly frosted cake. After 8 years without, I am loving every minute of this new-again-to-me, winter weather. Key to maintaining that attitude is the daily puzzling of keeping warm. The pot of beans on the stove is one tactic.

Fresh bread (set to rise on the radiator) is another.

This past weekend, our little Celia paid us a visit while her mama ran an errand. So much more fun to get step-by-step drawing tips from your bigger cousin than sitting at a car dealership waiting for the new key to be made!

The last of the boxes that will be emptied for this next sojourn of our move has been packed away and now we can get on with the business of simply living in our house! I am thoroughly enjoying our space. For whatever amount of time we have here, I am so thankful to God for remembering the little details that I have long wished for: the built-in cabinets, the bead board, the claw-foot tub. Especially when I am upstairs with the slanting ceilings and little nooks, I feel like I am living in a doll house. :)

The one thing that I don't care for is the continued lack of personalization that must remain until we are fully settled. Unlike a requirement of de-personalizing your home when preparing it for market, I know that I could unpack family photos, my paintings, and the few, little mementos I like to keep (not too many... too much dusting required!). But having moved my family twice in the last 3 months... and looking ahead to another move 5 months down the road, I just can't bring myself to do it. That said, I have encouraged my girls to personalize their bedrooms as much as possible. They have lived for 18 months without their things about them and children's rooms are so very important to them. When all they have to pack and unpack is a handful of boxes, I wanted them to make their space their own as much as they could, within the paramters of a rental.

So, you'll see that while everything is neat (veeeery important after stepping over wads of wrapping paper and making one's way around mazes of boxes!), there are no pictures on the walls, nor on the shelves in the dining room, which is what I would use them for, rather than displaying dishes.

I did unpack all of our board games (which we'd found we'd missed when we didn't unpack them in the Florida rental) and they've all fit so perfectly into all the little drawers and cabinets of the built-in.

Won't you come upstairs now?

At the top of the stairs is a favorite spot. I did take a few pictures from last year's Mary Engelbreit calendar and stick them with that tacky stuff in our little book nook. This is where we are spending a good deal of time reading for school and doing art.

I like keeping the landing area of the stairs clear for, well, walking, of course, but also for yoga or painting.

Straight ahead, between the two pillars, is the master bedroom and to the left, facing west, is our office area.

And to the right, facing east, is the bath and my dressing table. I couldn't fit the vanity into my bedroom this time because of the slanting ceilings and the height of my mirror, but it fits quite nicely out here.

Finally, in the bedroom is this little sweetheart. I was telling my sister how very cold our bedroom is. We always seem to have the coldest bedroom in the house no matter where we've lived! She said they had the same problem and she recommended getting one of these little oil-filled space heaters as well as a timer. They set the timer to warm their room a couple of hours before bed and then shut off while you sleep, toasty under the covers. Then about an hour or so before you rise, the heater comes on again and warms the room - and the floor!! - once more. I LOVE little, brilliant solutions like this, especially when the whole thing cost me under $40 for the heater and the timer.

So, now we're in, and cozy is the ongoing theme. :) My friend, Tiffany, mentioned fleece sheets (oh yeah!) and I'm a fan of hot water bottles. Knitting is once again on the needles: an alpaca hat for Paul to replace the cotton one that was his Florida winter hat. A new scarf or two and then maybe cozies for said hot water bottles. Oh, and there's that sweater that I've been wanting to get at... The queue is so easy to fill; the finished objects, notsomuch! Tea is always on the menu too. Some with caffeine and herbal in the evening. And I'm not against even drinking hot water with a little splash of lemon and honey if it means I'll be comfortable. And even shoveling the snow was my answer to the slight chill I had yesterday inside! Came back in to granola baking in the oven and yes, we are enjoying this season!

First Week

2012-01-16T01:37:00.000-05:00

Hello there, all! What a crazy, busy, happy first week it's been. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sit down to my computer much with all the moving activities, but we are now closer to being unpacked and I can share a bit of our first week in our new home in Minnesota.

God was so good to us; our travel flew by seamlessly! We didn't meet one snowflake on the road. In fact, the countryside looked more like November than January. I was struck with the muted colors - just as I was once struck with Florida's brights - and snapped a few pictures. I found the palette to be inspiring and wanted a couple of samples for future paintings.

Nothing spectacular here composition-wise; I just wanted, again, to capture the colors: cadet blue, yellow ochre, raw and burnt umber and dark greens next to a quiet, blue sky.

I thought I'd post a few pictures of our new, old house! This is our rental for at least the next 6 months while we settle into our new lives. Parts of this house have been updated, and parts have not, but I am absolutely charmed with all of it. This house will have her 100 year old birthday next year!

As we haven't finished unpacking everything yet, I'll just show a few shots as we go along and fill everything in.

The house has three levels: an upstairs (a converted attic space), a main living area, and a basement. It's got 1600 square feet which is quite a drop from our former 2000 sq. ft. home, so our basement is pretty full of boxes that will need to remain stored. Part of that storage isn't necessarily that we don't have space for what is down there, but that some of it is decoration (family photos, some of my paintings, other pictures, mementos, etc.) that I'm just not pulling out until we are permanently settled. Also, our main sofa couldn't make it through the front entry and so it is living on the cold, front porch!

Honestly, I don't mind. I really like living smaller and prefer downsizing to up sizing, though I do wish, for the girls' sakes, that they had a little bit more room in their bedrooms. Eve, in particular, has the smallest room in the house. When I asked her how she felt about her room she said, "Well I would like a little more room, but I don't need it." She's such a good sport. :) They both are, really, and have been enjoying setting up their new rooms.

So, the upstairs bathroom is new and has a wonderful, claw-foot tub that I have already enjoyed! I love this little room. The window faces east, so we get the morning sun and it's just lovely. :)

Here is some more of our upstairs space. It's waiting to be turned into our schoolroom and office area.

Living right in the city has it's perks; I love urban living! A favorite, local coffee shop, Jerabeck's New Bohemian coffeehouse is just around the corner from us. My husband is Bohemian, so it's cool to me to be in a neighborhood with a few things that are culturally connected to him and my daughters. We had a great breakfast there on Monday. My sister, who found our house for us, also lives in the neighborhood - just blocks away!! - and took the day off work to show us around town.

\
My brother also stopped over that afternoon and we spent some time hanging out before we walked down to my sister's place for supper, as there was still nothing except our suitcases and air mattresses in the house at that time!

Tuesday brought with it a breakfast out... and then my first case of food poisoning. Not fun, I'll tell you that. But thankfully, it was all over in a short period of time and 24 hours later I was feeling much more normal again. It had been challenging waiting in an empty house for a few days, but I was thankful that our things didn't actually arrive until Thursday so that I could fully recover.

In the meantime, my friend, Liz, also stopped in and brought a "Welcome Back to MN" present for us: museum brochures, local papers, city and park maps, and more. What a great gift! We've spent a few days over meals checking out all the cool things we've yet to explore. :)

The first thing I always unpack is the kitchen. The faster you can get that done and organized, the easier everything else goes, because you don't have to keep going out for food. Having access to our regular, family dishes always helps to make things begin to feel normal.

So, the kitchen. It's small and quirky, and is where the updating stopped. The sink and the dishwasher are newer, but I have no idea about the rest. The set-up is funky and has taken some creative arranging and thought in order to get everything in, but I can tell you that when I was done, I felt victorious!!

It's definitely, "A place for everything, and everything in it's place" in here, but it's a good practice to have generally. I don't know whose idea it was for maroon, laminate counter-tops, but they liked it so well they also put it on the wall behind the stove!

I want to change out the little curtains above the sink; the autumn leaf motif and colors don't go at all with the rest of the room - especially the "neuron curtain" on the far window (such a funny print; I think I've seen it at Ikea before). I'd also like to find some white, twinkle lights just for fun. I don't know what kind of luck I'll have with that now that Christmas is past, but I'll keep a lookout.

Here's our little, eat-in nook with that funky pattered curtain. It's hard to see the design in the picture here though.

By Saturday the living room and dining room were pretty much done (pics to come) and so we had family over to watch the playoff games. My neice, Celia, was enjoying herself playing dolls on the cat tower and couldn't resist trying it out for herself. :)

And, finally, tonight, we got to enjoy a quintissential northern sport: hockey! My twin nephews have played since they were four years old. They''ll be 17 in a few weeks and are juniors in high school now. I've only seen them play one time before when we visited, but now we'll get more opportunities to watch them in their last couple of years of school.

For Mom: That's Devon with the orange glove and Avery to the right of him. :)

Below: Avery sets up and...

skates by...

It helped that it was a winning game for their team! A fun night of free entertainment (though their parents would beg to differ: hockey is an expensive sport!) for us that we'll do again soon. In the meantime, tomorrow is our last day off before we're back to the books. It's supposed to be in the 30's tomorrow before it gets colder later in the week, so our own bit of ice skating is on tap! I managed to find ice skates for both girls at the thrift store today, so we're set for skating with Celia and friends tomorrow morning. I'll be digging out the books and planning out our school week in the afternoon. There's still some unpacking to do, classes to register for, insurance to buy, etc., etc. But the first week is done now. It's time to settle in to our new normal, our new home. :)

Good-bye and Hello!

2012-01-03T19:34:00.000-05:00

Hello there again to my internet friends. :) I had put my blog to rest once again and didn't know if I'd return, but here I am at the beginning of a new year and on the cusp of a new life for my family. The hiatus with my blog was due, in part, to preparing for the move we will embark upon in just a few, short days, as well as learning the ropes of my own, little, Mary Kay business.

SO MUCH remains in transition for us, but words are a constant for me, whether it is in my own journal, on Facebook, or here. A blog really is quite different from Facebook - more work, actually - but just as this effort to move north from Florida to Minnesota is probably the most challenging undertaking of my life, it is worth it. And keeping a blog to share with my mom and Jerry, in particular, and my Florida and other long-distance friends in general is worth the time and effort too.

I am beyond thrilled to be moving home to Minnesota, despite the cold weather that awaits us. I will miss the friends we have made in the 8 years we have been here in Florida, but will be seeing and doing life with family and friends that I have sorely missed these past eight years too. Eight years! That is the longest period of time I have spent in any one house in my life! Five years was the prior record, so by all accounts, this one has smashed it!

One of the things I have learned, though, in this eight years, is that for me, family trumps good weather. I've also learned that although winter is not my favorite season, I did miss it. Not as much as I ached for autumn... but I did, indeed, miss winter.

We'll be getting reacquainted right quick. Is God having a little chuckle, moving us back north in January??

We'll be renting for the first 6 months there and then looking for a place to settle into. Settle. Oh, how I pray that is true. This undertaking has been about a year-and-a-half in the making - much too long being in transition for this bird who truly loves to feather her nest. That said, God has continued to make a way for us: a fabulous rental down here since moving out of our home in November and another one waiting for us up there - just FIVE blocks from my sweet sister's home! My sweet sister who has been instrumental in making arrangements for us on the northern side of this venture.

I am so very excited about our rental! It is an older home in the city, not only close to my sister, but a block and a half from a library in one direction and 2 blocks from a local coffee shop in the other direction. I haven't lived in the city in over 12 years! I do love city living, but it will likely be the temporary stop it is intended to be, as my husband is a country boy at heart. We're hoping to compromise with a small town setting just outside the city, but all that remains to be seen. High on our list of priorities is WALKABILITY. We truly want to be in walking and/or biking distance to a town central. We'll have some of that with this new rental, so we're excited for this new prospect.

We are busy saying ~~good-bye~~ "see you later" to friends and family here (I remain ever-thankful for the advances in communications over the last few years. Skype and social networking are brilliant). One example of this is the photo above of our new year's gathering with some of the members of our house church this past Sunday night. If you're ever in the Bradenton/Sarasota area, be sure to look up "Sonrise" house church to stop in and say hello. You will be welcomed warmly by a fun and loving group of people!

The next few days will be filled with more packing and trying to keep things organized and as smooth and normal as possible. My poor birdy of 13 years, Pistachio, has begun plucking her feathers due to the stress and all the kitties know something is up. The girls are excited for the move (a place we've had to arrive at), so that is making things so much easier. School remains on the back burner as we make this next-to-final leg of this crazy journey. I expect we'll start homeschooling again come mid-January - only two weeks off our schedule, so not too much to fret about.

In the meantime, I am enjoying a little respite this evening, visiting many of your blogs. It is good to see normal, daily life happening in your homes, even if it isn't in mine! Heather just moved. I hope to maintain as much grace in my own life as her photos reflect hers.

I'm also enjoying seeing a theme exhibited in the blogosphere of late: a little less of trying to create and online, little, perfect world and a little bit more of a personal-journal voice. I read a number of blogs that reflected some of that over Christmas: not as many people trying to achieve the 100% handmade holiday, photograph it perfectly, and then write a brilliant essay about it all. :) I do like looking at pieces like that from time to time, but that's not going to be what's happening here. I'm lucky to be showing up here at all! That's perfectly clear! :) Hopefully, I'll keep up with somewhat of a regular posting schedule once we settle in, but you all know that you can find me over at Facebook if I haven't stopped by here for a bit.

It feels good to be back though. I''ll be saying that now and in just a few more days: it feels so good to be back!

Right Now

2011-04-07T19:46:00.000-04:00

So, how are things going in your neck of the woods? I thought I'd share with you some sunshiney flowers that have been gracing our rooms since we've put our house on the market. Aren't they cheerful and lovely? I am thinking to myself that I would like to make a greater effort to just add fresh flowers to my weekly grocery list even after we've finished showing the house. Yes, they are an indulgence, but you really don't have to purchase expensive bouquets. I also like to add greenery from my yard to fill in the bouquets, so you could fill 3 nice sized vases with 2 bouquets.

If you are in the right season, you may not have to purchase them at all if you have planted a cutting garden. In fact, you may want to add cutting garden to your springtime planting list. They are fun to have and are beautiful inside and out. Some favorite, easy cutting garden flowers to grow are: cosmos, tall snapdragons, and zinnias. There are many others, of course, but these are easy to grow from seed and are sturdy in vases.

So, I am up to day 30 in my Lenten pledge to eshew complaining (I haven't been counting the days - I just went to check the calendar!!). And how has it been? Not too bad actually. Oh, I can think of a few moments where I certainly wanted to say something and I can think of a few situations in my future that may prove to be trials in whichI would want to complain, but I won't. Certainly, I am learning:

1) I don't really need to complain.

2) I can replace the urge to complain with something completely different.

3) The benefits of my not complaining need to extend to myself as well as others.

I'll explain these further.

I don't really need to complain.

I was talking with my friend the other day about this and I felt the need to clarify. Complaining is not the same as "not getting angry." Anger is a feeling that God gave us that we should not try to squelch, but instead use as a tool to help us recognize when we experiencing a siuational outcome we didn't expect or that we believe should have gone a different direction. I don't think it is realistic to live without ever getting angry.

Complaining is a different matter. I love how Jack Canfield clarifies complaining in his terrific book, The Success Principles:

In order to complain about something or someone, you have to believe that something better exists.You have to have a reference point of something you prefer that you are not willing to take responsibility for creating... Think about this...people only complain about things they can do something about. We don't complain about the theings we have no power over. Have you every heard anyone complain about gravity? No never....The circumstances you complain about are, by their very nature, situations you can change - but you have chosen not to. You can get a better job, find a more loving partner, make more money, live in a nicer house, live in a better neighborhood, and eat healthier food. But all these things would require you to change...But why don't you do those things? It's because they involve risks. You run the risk of being unemployed, left alone, or riduculed and judged by others. You run the risk of failure, confrontation, or being wrong. You run the risk of your mother, your neighbors, or your spouse disapproving of you. Making a change might take effort, money, and time. It might be uncomfortable, difficult, or confusing. And so, to avoid risking any of those uncomfortable feelings and experiences, you stay put and complain about it."

Until I had read this book last year, I had never thought about complaining in that way; it really changed my perspective.

I also don't think about "complaining to management" in the same way as I do generalized complaining. If my meal is brought to me incorrectly at a restaurant, I'm not going to not say anything because I'm practicing not complaining. I would speak up - politely - and ask to have it corrected. Complaining to me would be simply griping about it during the meal without doing anything about it. Or complaining would be nitpicking over every little detail of the meal just to make the staff's lives miserable.

Ultimately, I believe complaining, the grumbling and mumbling the Bible talks about, doesn't accomplish anything at all.

So, what do I do when I feel like complaining these days? I can replace the urge to complain with something completely different.

I can praise God.

"I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations." - Psalm 89:1 KJV

And I can give Him thanks.

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7

I can choose to say something positive instead.

"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

- Colossions 4:6

And I can extend that grace to myself as well. One of the other verses I think of regularly is Ephesians 4:29. It says,

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what it helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

One morning I was being pretty hard on myself and I thought of this verse. I was starting to complain to myself about myself in my head and realized what was happening. I wondered if I could extend the grace I was working so hard at giving to others, equally to myself as well? "...that it may benefit those who listen." Certainly the one listening (me!) was not benefitting at all from my inner diatribe. I began to let some of that negative stuff go, and intead focus on what I could say positively to myself and obviously it completely changed my attitude for the day.

So, these are just some of the lessons I am learning from my sacrifice. We always do find blessing in our sacrifices, don't we?

Briefly, in other news, in the art class I teach weekly to other homeschooled students, I am now doing a series on portraiture. We practiced a couple of weeks ago with just eyes, noses, and mouths, and today we put them into practice in portraits. We started with photos from magazines, as it's easier to start with someone you don't know!

The girls were quite focused and worked diligently. They've come such a long way from the work they began with in the fall!

And finally, to continue my food diary, there has been a lot of Sunflower Sour Cream love happening! This stuff is SO yummy and so much better for you than dairy sour cream. Yesterday at lunch we had it on our crunchy-shell tacos, along with beans, lettuce, black olives, onions, and salsa. I love cilantro, but we were fresh out! The SSC made it's way into breakfast and lunch for me today too.

Breakfast: Raw cauliflower and Sunflower Sour Cream. Leftover vegan mac & cheese (mmmm... I love this stuff. I halve the recipe for my family of four and I almost always use smoked paprika instead of regular, but regular is great too!), and grape juice. Maybe weird to some; I'm not a big sweets person generally and not in the morning either. Plus, I like to get protein in at the start of my day if I can.

Snack: A handful of smoked almonds

Lunch: Baked potatoes with SSC and "bacon" bits (soy), garbanzo beans (chick peas) sauteed in olive oil with garlic, onions, cumin, nutritional yeast, and spinach from the farm, plus raw farm veggies and more SSC as dip.

Hmm... and what's for supper? I think I'll have some quinoa w/nutritional yeast, olive oil, and salt (a favorite quick meal!), maybe some brussels sprouts and a Bunny Spice smoothie, since I prepared a bunch of carrot juice this past weekend.

I don't mention beverages with our meals, because it's almost always water unless I make a smoothie in place of our fruit at lunch.

That's it for right now! Hope you're having a lovely week.

P.S. Oh! I almost forgot!! I ran seven miles last night!! Woo hoo! That's the furthest so far and it was wonderful! :)

What DO You Eat, Anyway?

2011-04-02T17:39:00.000-04:00

Aaaahhh... so nice to sit down with a cup of tea after a morning of errands, errands, and more errands. I've got more ahead of me too, as well as a "Kitchen Factory" evening planned. I hope this tea will give me the charge I need to keep me going.

Well, we've found our realtors and our house will be listed as of Monday! This is very exciting, but also stressful, of course. This is one of the reasons for a kitchen factory evening. The first couple of weeks a house in on the market are usually quite busy; our family has to be ready to head out pretty quickly as needed. So, I'm trying to put together some easy things for the week ahead. I'm soaking chick peas tonight, so they can cook tomorrow. I want those and pinto beans done before Monday, as I don't see that I'll be able to necessarily be simmering beans on the stove for any length of time once we are listed - at least in the beginning stages. Cooked chick peas and pinto beans go into two of our easy go-to meals. Hummus and refried beans are always quick and easy for wraps and burritos and they are fairly portable if we have to dash out as long as you don't overstuff them.

Super-plump blueberries are in season now at our local, organic farmstand. I picked up a pint and will make blueberry muffins for the morning. I also picked up gargantuan sweet, Florida onions (seriously huge; Maia said, "This one is as big as my FACE!!) that I'll throw into the tabouli that I'm making for our monthly potluck tomorrow at our house church next door. My recipe calls for scallions, but there were no scallions at the farmstand and while I could have picked them up at the grocery store, I decided to use what was available locally. So, sweet onions it is; I'm sure no one will complain!

I was able to purchase a peppermint plant at the farmstand too. Strangely enough, I've had a difficult time getting the mint plants I've tried in the past to take off. Usually mint just takes over. I'm pretty sure it's that the Florida soil just doesn't hold the moisture and I need to water it more than I'm used to watering herbs. It was in a pretty large container and I decided to try again in order to use mint from my garden for my tabouli, rather than purchasing it over and over. At only $5, I reasoned I'll get my money's worth easily (I LOVE tabouli and make it frequently)... as long as I remember to keep that mint watered!!

Other things on my "To Make" list are: Sunflower Seed Sour Cream (so good as a veggie dip!), a bunch of carrot juice for our "Bunny Smoothies"(that Sara taught me how to make when she and her family visited us a couple of years ago), and vegan mayo. I have breakfast bars on the list for later in the week too. I hope to take these with me on my trip to Ft. Lauderdale next Saturday. My strong, bold, sweet, and sassy grandmother passed away at 94 years of age this past Thursday and I will be attending her gravesite service there.

So, that's a lot of cooking I have in front of me. I may throw in a batch of granola too if I don't feel like keeling over after all that!

My neighbor was talking with me yesterday as I arrived home from my evening run. She was talking to me about running and food, asking me what I eat before I run, and then just asking me what I eat generally. She said, "So... what do you eat?" I'm always so ill-prepared for this question, because my diet feels as regular and ordinary to me as yours does to you. After all, I have been vegetarian for 23 years and am coming up on my 4-year vegan anniversary. I became vegetarian at 19, so nearly all the cooking I have taught myself, originally started as vegetarian. In fact, I don't think I've ever cooked an animal other than a fish and doing so would be a steep learning curve for me as well.

So, anyway, I was thinking that there may be others who are curious as to what a vegan eats on a day-to-day basis. I don't claim to be a foodie and there are plenty of gorgeous, vegan blogs out there. I like good-tasting, whole food, but other than these kitchen-factory-type days where I prepare a bunch of things all at once (often in order to preserve and use the fresh food we get from our CSA), I don't like spending oodles of time in the kitchen. I like to keep things relatively simple. My children are old enough too, to make some things for themselves, so they often do that now for breakfast and supper (because of work schedules, our big meal of the day is at lunch). So, I thought I would do a sort of regular feature at the end of my posts for a while, just listing what I've eaten for the day. I know it might seem kind of weird, but it's because I often get asked the same question my neighbor asked me. And, if you're a blog reader, you've obviously got a little bit of curiousity about other people's lives, so I will try this for a while. Perhaps you'll see something you'd like to try or try a combination you've never thought of before. Or maybe you'll see that eating a vegan diet isn't really all that weird... or maybe you'll decide that it is! In any event, I'll create a list that I can at least refer to myself - or refer others to when they ask me that question! :)Lu

The only other thing I would add, is that there are a few staples in my kitchen that are often not in non-veg kitchens. You will likely see them popping up as ingredients again and again. You may or may not be familiar with these foods, but they are readily available in most American supermarkets and/or health food stores these days. The main ones I can think of off the top of my head are: nutritional yeast, regular and silken tofu, tempeh, and the grain, quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah"). I won't bother explaining what they are here. I know that all that information is only a few mere clicks away on the interwebby, so, I'll leave that to anyone who is interested to go digging on their own.

And now, without further delay:

What I've Eaten Today:

Breakfast: A bowl of "Cheesy Broccoli and Grits" and some store-bought vegan "sausage" patties (wasn't thrilled with these; I bought them when we were struggling to find help for Paul's digestive pain and these were "gluten free", "soy free", "dairy free", etc. I won't get them again), and a cup of Earl Grey tea.

Lunch: Peanut butter, thin apple slices, red-leaf lettuce, and agave nectar on a toasted sandwich. I'm not a fan of regular pb&j. There's not enough crunch there for me, so I usually throw something in with cruch or I toast the bread. In this case I did both, because the bread was fresh out of the freezer! I also took about a half a cup of raw walnuts and pecans sprinkled with salt and mixed with raisins on the road with me while I was running errands. I took a big tumbler of water too with some cucumber slices in it from our CSA farm.

Snack: PG Tips tea and Jello brand pistachio pudding made with coconut milk. Ooo - not a healthy snack, but I'm just vegan - not perfect! ;)

No supper for me today yet. I'm off to run more errands and then back to the kitchen factory. Enjoy your weekend!

Messing Around and Spilling Over

2011-03-25T22:01:00.001-04:00

This month's Sketchbook Challenge was titled, "Spilling Over". I was kind of stumped by this one, but just decided to sit down one day and work it out.

Given that we are preparing our home for market, there isn't a whole lot of time to devote to outside, recreational projects. So I was thumbing through my new book, Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun by Carla Sonheim. I found this fun, cool technique in there for doing a portrait using an eyedropper and ink and voila! I was in business! I just thumbed through a magazine and picked out some fashion photos. I didn't have a lot of time and I just wanted to play - to mess around.

I didn't have any ink, but I did have some bottles of concentrated watercolor that actually have their own droppers with them. After you outline the picture with the dropper, you cover it with a piece of toilet paper and then quickly lift off. The result is so cool - it looked very much like a print to me; so fun!

Over the next couple of days I added color after the original outlines dried. I gave the one above kitty ears, because my younger daughter loves to wear them and the guitar is because my older is learning to play.

Unfortunately, since this was all watercolor and not ink, things really did smudge (spill over!) a bit more than I might have liked, but this was all just experiment anyway - just play.

I came in one day and found what I'm pretty sure was evidence of real-life kitties on the table (a no-no!) overnight. Smudges on the redhead just wouldn't go away. Oh, well.

And the last one got a little bit of magazine page jewelry for a necklace and a bracelet.

All in all, I like my little collection and will likely share this exercise with my art students. This was a good exercise in loosening up for me. I'm usually much more precision-oriented, so this was good practice for me.

One More Reason: Feed the Beasties!

2011-03-18T06:00:00.001-04:00

One of the many reasons I love homeschooling my children is that I often get to learn something new right along with them. So here's something Eve and I learned a couple of days ago in science:

There are two reasons why we sweat. I knew the first reason: to cool our bodies. What I didn't know is that our sweat also feeds beneficial bacteria and fungi that live on the surface of our skin. That's right, 65,000 of these little dudes live on each square inch of your body and what's more is that they protect you from the pathogenic bacteria and fungi that want to make you sick!

A cold, non-sweat-producing body, therefore, is more suseptible to the bad guys. It occurred to me then, that this is likely a large reason why people get more sick in the wintertime. Wouldn't it be a good science (fair!) experiment to see if people who exercised to the point of sweating at least 5 days a week got fewer illnesses during cold weather than those that did not regularly work up a sweat in the cold and flu season months?

As someone who is moving up north, this has given me even one more reason to maintain my fitness. Not only does exercise reduce the risk of chronic diseases and elevate the mood along with all sorts of other benefits, it also helps protect us from colds and viruses. So, get out there and work up a sweat, so you can feed the beasties!!

Special Treat for You for Lent

2011-03-17T08:49:00.001-04:00

Enjoy this fresh perspective on Jesus' own 40 days!

Thoughts on a Peaceful Morning

2011-03-14T21:59:00.000-04:00

This is the view from where my day begins. After the tea kettle has been set to boil and my cup is prepared; after I feed the four "starving" cats that mew piteously around my ankles until their dishes are set on the floor; after my bird, outside on the lanai has also been pet and fed, I head to the living room to my rocking chair, settle in with my tea and my Bible and let my day begin.

I deeply appreciate my quiet mornings and this time I have alone with God and my own foggy thoughts, slowly coming into clarity, has become a treasured part of my day. No longer a "discipline" as it once began, my morning routine is just that: routine; I am always a bit out of sorts if I miss it.

Another habit over the years has been to clean up everything after supper. What hasn't been so firmly established, however, has been to make sure the dishes are also dried and all put away before bed. I have long been a dish-drainer stacker, but I was finding that the last thing I wanted to do in the morning while waiting for the water to boil was to be putting away dishes.

So, now, before bed, I, with help if necessary, have been trying to have everything put away before I go to bed, so I can be welcomed by a peaceful kitchen when I greet it in the morning. Incedentally, I have had to resort to using bleach in the last year to really get my sink white. Despite baking soda, lemon juice, salt scrubs, and a multitude of other gentler, natural cleansers, nothing really works on a white sink the way bleach does. That said, I have found that I can use a tablespoon of bleach in a spray-bottle of water and it works brilliantly. I clean with baking soda and soap and then about once a week, give the sink a misting and that is all I need. I didn't really want to resort to this, but I comfort myself with the fact that my tablespoon of bleach goes a very long way and given that I live in the Sunshine State in the land of swimming pools, I am okay with using this small amount. Also, even though I love the look of a white, porcelain sink, I will not likely get another one for this very reason. At the present, as we move toward getting our house ready for market, little details like a very clean sink become important.

And you know, if white were still popular, we'd have a very sellable kitchen! :) I did used to have more, personal things on the walls, such as family photos and a few, fun posters. I like a kitchen to be very homey and comfortable, because we spend so much time in here. All of those extras have been removed and just a few things remain, so that someone else might picture themselves here. I confess I don't really like that idea. I do love our house. If I could move it up to Minnesota - and insulate it like crazy! - I would.

That said, I have loved all the kitchens I have ever lived in - purchased or rented. Apparently - if the HGTV "House Hunters" show that I watch over at my mom's on Wednesday night is any indicator - stainless steel everything seems to be pretty important to a lot of people. I confess that I just laugh when I see that folks will walk through a home with perfectly good appliances and talk about how they will "need" to be replaced. Personally, the only appliance we have ever truly "needed" to replace has been our dishwasher and that, of course, is an appliance of certain luxury. I have always had more of a "make do" mentality. If an appliance was not functioning properly, of course, we'd try to replace it, but I don't go wasting appliances on a decorating whim. Acutally, I have always loved that I can still provide noursishing, tasty food for myself and my family no matter what kind of kitchen I've had, be it spacious or a narrow galley.

I know that our kitchen is "dated" (it was built in 1986 and other than cosmetic changes, most of the original kitchen remains), but it has served our family well and I'd like to believe it will do the same for someone else. It's given me many a peaceful morning.

Spring Break!

2011-03-07T11:07:00.000-05:00

My family and I are on Spring Break this week. Are you? We've got family in town, so there will be trips to the beach and fun in the sun and at the pool. Enjoy yourselves this week if you're on a break too. And if not, enjoy yourselves this week anyway. Think warm thoughts and know that spring really is just around the corner!

See you next week!

Running is Cool

2011-02-28T17:37:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about this post for a couple of weeks now. Usually I think about it when I run. Ultimately, thinking that running is cool must be the thing that keeps me going back out there. It's kind of shallow, I know, but there it is.

See, I don't run because I love it. At least, after one year of running, I don't love it yet. I do go through phases - like one I am enjoying now - whenI really DO like it and I'm genuinely enjoying it. But running is hard for me. And though it's gotten a little easier, it hasn't gotten remarkably easier. At least it's still harder to me than I'd hoped it would be at this point. My goal right now is that I'd like to run a comfortable 5 miles on a regular basis. I've achieved the 5 miles twice and the most recent one felt amazingly good. But I did that almost 2 weeks ago and haven't done another 5 since and I've continued battling with shin splints in the meantime.

I know some people are built to run. Some people can go out and just do a few miles right out of the chute. Not me. Running has never, to my recollection, been something that I've done for the sheer joy of doing it. It's always been work - even when I was a child. Dancing, I love. Yoga, I love. Gymanstics I love(d). But running was always an effort.

Maybe that's why I think running is so cool. I think it's because it doesn't come easily to me and I admire those who do it with such grace. My knees don't like running. My feet, which are prone to plantar faciaitis (I have lousy arches) require supportive shoes. My hips aren't much of a fan either from time to time. In fact, as I said to an online friend about a week ago, just the fact that I can run at all makes me feel like a superhero.

I'm amazed - seriously amazed - that my body has allowed me to travel 5 miles in just over 11 minutes a mile. That's pretty darn slow, folks. But my feet keep moving and sometimes they keep carrying me even when I don't believe they can or they ought to.

Running surprises me. Often it disappoints me. I think that because I have accomplished something - some speed or distance - that I should be able to do it regularly. But running is humbling. It's two steps forward and one step back for me on a regular basis. But I keep going out and it also gives me happy surprises too. Like that last 5 miles I ran. Dang, I wish I could run like that every day.

I can never really tell if I'm going to have a good running day or a bad running day. I keep trying to come up with the "magic formula." After a good run, I'll wonder what I did differently and try to replicate it, but every run is different for me. I find this extremely frustrating most of the time. But running continues to teach me things about being a biological being. Some days simply are better days than others; it's not all in our heads, it's also in our whole body. For example, on days when I feel tired and think I don't feel like running but go out anyway, occasionally I'm surprised with a wonderful run, but more often I find that my body responds tiredly. My heart rate goes up faster over a shorter distance than on a good day and I feel like my body is verifying what my head was telling me, "I am tired!"

But I continue running for those days when my body really does feel like it is moving like a well-oiled machine to the music of my playlist, when my heart is keeping pace with my legs and my breathing and we're all working hard together, but it is a good working. I'm not a fast machine, but I do get the job done, nonetheless! And slowly, slowly, I am seeing distances that were once goals of mine become the regular workouts and new goals take shape. It's slower than what I want. That irks me. I feel like I should be farther along than where I am and I do get frustrated hearing of others accomplishing what has taken me so long to acquire in a fraction of the time. And because of that I sometimes think, "Maybe I'm just not built to run." But I guess I don't really believe that...

I run because it's my own thing. I've never been a competitive and I don''t like competing in front of an audience. I know that some people really do and that there is value in team sports. I respect that, but it has always been a loathesome experience for me. I have always preferred sports for the sake of fitness and health over competition.

I also run, because some days I just don't have time to walk! Acutally, that's one of the ways I started running years ago before I took it up again last year. I was taking regular fast walks, but some days I wouldn't because I couldn't fit it in. But if I ran... well, then, I could squeeze in a little more now, couldn't I?

I also like to believe that because running can be done in a lot of different places, I will be able to incorporate that into my life too. For the most part, I run different routes around my neighborhood. But I could run in other parts of my town if I take time to map out some new routes. And someday I could run while on vacation or like so many runners in Runners World magazine, take a vacation based upon a race. Just knowing that fuels me to keep going, because you never know where those potential paths may lead and I want to be prepared to do that, should the opportunity arise. Crazy, right? But whatever works to get you up and moving.

I do wonder if I will always "just" be a shorter-distance runner. At this point in my life I don't see myself with a goal of a marathon, but I have learned - and running has taught me - never say never. Plus, I want to be able to run while I can. I know there may be days in the hopefully-distant future when I will wish that I could run again, but for some reason or other I cannot. So, I'm just going to keep at it for... well, for as long as I still like it, I guess. And, well, you know, cuz running is cool.

Guest Blogger Book Review: The Dark Hills Divide

2011-02-23T11:43:00.000-05:00

Hello. This is Eve again and today I am reviewing for you Patrick Carman's, The Dark Hills Divide.

A good book of fantasy is The Dark Hills Divide by Patrick Carman. The Dark Hills Divide is the first of a four-part series about the Land of Elyon. The land of Elyon is in danger of being destroyed and rebuilt under an evil leader.

The main girl of the four books is Alexa. Alexa is a girl of twelve and lives in a sheltered community behind huge walls. They have three cities which are also surrounded by walls. They are all connected by roeds with the same huge walls surrounding them. No one has ever been outside or even seen outside of the walls. The walls were built because of monsters that supposedly live beyond the walls in the Land of Elyon. There is only one room in a special lodge that Alexa goes to that lets her see outside the wall. Alexa had stolen her mother's spyglass once so she could look outside the wall. She did not know that one little spyglass would change everything.

The Dark Hills Divide is a spectacular book! Both my sister and I love it. Patrick Carman leaves a cliff-hanger at the end of every chapter. This makes very exciting. I really recomend this book to younger readers around the age of eleven who like fantasy. This book is my favorite book!

Harajuku, Horses, and Other Stuff

2011-02-17T19:10:00.000-05:00

Things have been moving at the speed of life around here, which means we've been busy. Home repairs continue toward the move, but life does go on around the various projects underway.

A number of years ago my nephews introduced Maia to a little thing called Pokemon. Perhaps you've heard of it? Little did we know that this would be a gateway into everything Japanese for all of our family. Maia has always been a fanatical drawing artist and once she discovered Pokemon and Manga style, she'd found her true love! In fact she hopes to pursue this kind of art in college. But before we get ahead of ourselves (!), in our present lives Japanese pop culture is ever-present - for both my girls. In fact, as I write this post, my younger daughter, Eve, is on the couch with a virus and is studying Japanese on her own with her little Japanese dictionary at her side and papers on which she is practicing Katakana.

The girls are also influenced by Harajuku style. I didn't even really have a name for it until I heard Gwen Stefani's song, "Harajuku Lovers" just the other day. Obviously, my girls are not the only ones loving what they see across the Pacific.

Last week Maia mentioned again that she wanted to dye her hair red. But not a natural red; she wanted bold red. Having had purple hair, magenta hair, and black hair myself at various times, I understand the desire to count your hair as an accessory. So, off we went to the beauty supply store and picked up a demi-permanent shade to try out in case she didn't like it. Eve picked up a magenta shade with a semi-permanent color. It wasn't as strong and just mostly ended up showing up on her highlights from last year. Maia suggested some before and after shots:

Before:

(For the record, I love both their hair JUST the way it is and told them so... a few times, in fact. But, I understand the urge and it's just hair...)

After! Pretty, pretty! She loves it and will be picking up some permanent color in a few weeks!

I have to say that I actually really love Harajuku style. It actually reminds me some of the way I used to dress, but there are just even more layers! The Japanese, if you don'k know, have a "thing" for CUTE. And trendy styles for teen girls there consist more of big bows in the hair, school uniforms, and lots of ruffles. I was watching one of the videos Maia likes today and told her that the band members looked like teen 6 year olds. American girls tend to end up in styles that say "sexy" as they get older, rather than "cute". So the fact that my girls are into going with cute is just fine with me! :)

Last Sunday after church, Eve and I attended her first horse show. She is learning to ride English style and students and her trainer from their club were competing. I love that she brought along her own horse for the show...

Below is her trainer, Jillian, on her horse, Myakka.

And I thought I'd share a couple of easy dishes with you. Eating a vegan diet is so second nature to me at this point that I don't think about it at all and things are easy-peasy, just the way I like them. I'm not a foodie, because I simply don't have time and don't really like spending lots of time in the kitchen. However, I do like good food that is good for me and that means that I probably do spend more time in the kitchen than someone who doesn't cook with whole foods. Still, to me, these are quick and delicious dishes that you might want to try.

This morning I had oatmeal that I love, love, love. I use whole, rolled oats (not instant, though it really takes hardly any time to cook anyway). I don't like my oatmeal very runny or gummy. In fact, I often eat it raw as a cold cereal. But when I do cook it like I did this morning, I only add 1/4 cup more water than the oatmeal that I use. This morning I was the only one who wanted oatmeal, so I used 3/4 c oatmeal and 1 c water.
My favorite sweetner for my oatmeal is pure, maple syrup. I always add a pinch of salt and usually also add 2 t of vegan margarine (Earth Balance is my favorite) and almond milk. Then there are the wonderful options that make homemade oatmeal so wonderful:

Add apple chunks, cinnamon, and raisins while the oatmeal is cooking.
Add walnuts and craisins while cooking or after it's done.
Add a T of peanut butter... If you add raisins to this, it's like pb&j oatmeal!
Chopped banana and pecans are lovely.

This morning I added chopped almonds and strawberries from our CSA farm while the oatmeal was cooking too. SO yummy and so fast and so much better than those little, individual packages!

Since I'd gone to the farm yesterday to pick up our share, we had fresh kale on hand for my husband's and my favorite kale salad. To think that Paul used to not like kale at all. I didn't mind that, because that always meant more for me. Seriously, I could eat a whole head of kale by myself. But alas, now he always hopes for leftovers!
Kale Salad

Toast some pine nuts or walnuts in a dry skillet over med heat until browned and aromatic. While toasting make a marinade of tamari, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Pull leaves of kale away from stem and tear into large, bite-sized pieces (they will shrink when cooked) and then rinse. When nuts are done toasting, add to marinade. Add kale to skillet (still over med. heat) and add 1/4 c water. Put a tight lid on and steam for one minute. Toss and steam for one minute more. Drain and add to bowl with marinade. Toss and GOBBLE! You can eat this hot or at room temperature. Yum, yum, yum!

And I just wanted to show you these beautiful, yellow beets from the farm. I did nothing but steam and eat them, so there's no recipe to share, but they're just so pretty. :) Well, that's all I've got for you today! Thanks for stopping by!

February Sketchbook Challenge: Opposite

2011-02-11T12:28:00.000-05:00

This month's Sketchbook Challenge theme is "Opposite." I decided to do the metaphorical representation of the dual nature of Christ as depicted in the familiar Lion and the Lamb. In additon to the subject matter, I limited my color palette to black and white, blue and orange. Blue and orange are complementary colors, found opposite each other on the color wheel.

I sketche this out in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook. It is worked in pencil, watercolor, charcoal, and watercolor pencil. I have never limited myself to a certain color palette before, but have admired others' use of this technique. I really liked doing it and hope to do more of it in the future!

Above is just a peek at the whole of my sketchbook. The left-hand sketch is just one I did last week while my younger daughter was at her horseback riding lesson. That's a sketch of "Archie Pony," the pony she rides and so named because there also is an "Archie Horse" that resides at the same stables. I wanted to get a sketch of my daughter brushing him (which is why he has the chains on his bridle), but I ran out of time and she was off and eager to ride!

I'm happy that I have challenged myself with the Sketchbook Challenge this year. This challenge and the book that came for me in the mail last week, Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists: 52 Creative Exercises to Make Drawing Fun by Carla Sohneim, has put sketching back up there in the front of my brain. I confess that it does not occupy the same kind of space that my knitting does, but it is still important to me and I don't want it to fall by the wayside. I like that it exercises my mind in a different way.

More than even each individual piece for me is the pleasure of looking over the whole sketchbook. It is not so much for me to create something magnificent every time, but instead, just to do it, because I find that even pieces that disappointed me in the past are things that I return to look at with fondness and I'm so much gladder for having done it than having created nothing at all.

Full Plates

2011-02-05T20:44:00.000-05:00

Oh, I hope I'm not overdoing things by joining this fun group:

Tonia, over at Study in Brown has begun this letter-writing group. I kept reading about it on a few other blogger friends blogs and was intrigued for a couple of reasons. 1) I do love wrting and receiving letters. And 2) I often have used letter writing as a form of ministry to edify others. A favorite Bible verse of mine is this one: "Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." - Proverbs 25:25 But we are busy here. So very busy. I'm not exaggerating; we are planning to move. More on that in a minute.

I'm glad I actually went over to Tonia's blog to see exactly what the parameters of the club were, because it basically involves just writing letters to whomever, whenever you like! Sweet. I can do that. I have let down pen pals, as much as I love them, in the past. I didn't want to commit to something else, knowing that I could disappoint myself and others. But no quotas. No timelines. Just a gentle nudge reminding me that this is something I do like to do and when I do find a free moment, I could, in addition to my knitting, sketching, journaling, reading, blogging etc (good grief! hahahahaha! - can you see my reasons for hesitating?), choose instead to pick up a pen and write a little something to someone in my life. As I mentioned, I do write to others, but I could do a bit more... I would like to do a bit more. The key words here are "a little something" and "a bit more", because my past tendency has been to write long, engaging letters that are many pages long. I usually write these over a couple of days. But as much as I love to send and recieve long, newsy letters, the knowledge of the time they take me has actually kept me from writing them more frequently. So, perhaps I can send shorter letters more often.

I do think, however, I will need to let my self-portrait project go. The "52 Weeks of BAM" is a fun project, but I am not finding the time or energy to take well-composed portraits. So, if I don't want a year of photos of my hands and feet (! - lol!) I'm just going to put that one on the back burner for now. And as tempted as I am to send my snail mail address to some online friends of mine, I will be holding off until some of this bigger stuff is beyond me.

That bigger stuff. Yeah, it's been in the works for some time now, this attempt at a move of ours. I didn't want to say anything publically until my girls had a chance to tell their good friends on their own, in their own time. These blog posts link up to Facebook and some of my girls' friends are on there, so I was waiting.

There are many reasons for this decision and those I will, for the most part, keep to myself. But the main reason is one I have spoken of here many times and that is one of homesickness for my family - both my own siblings and my husband's. Yes, my mother lives here in Florida. And yes, I will miss her terribly. I wish she would come with us, I really do. But our destination is a return home to Minnesota and the long winters are not appealing to her (and I can't honestly say that long winters are appealing to me, but family is and they win out over weather). Fortunately, she has the time and the means to travel frequently. I am hoping for many summertime visits from Grandma!

So. We have slowly been preparing our home for the market. My husband has been slowly making his way through the house, painting every room and even the outside of our home. We are closing in on seeing the end of the painting tunnel! There are a few more repairs that will need to happen and then the staging of the home. I am praying that God will provide just the right family to our home here and that He will be making a way for us to make our way back to our family and friends. I am trying very hard to patient and rely on His timing.

One of the more fun things for me has been getting rid of stuff! I just took another large load of clothes and unused household items (extra dishes we really don't need) to Goodwill and another large load of books to donate to the library.

I was especially happy to donate to the library. The library is one place we always visit first whenever we have moved to a new community and we even like to visit libraries when we travel. A nearby library is such a wonderful thing on so many levels, but one of my favorite uses of it is that it provides storage! I do not have to own shelves and shelves of books. I can rely on the fact that there is a place in town that will have nearly everything I need to read and if it doesn't have it, it can get it for me via an interlibrary loan. Obviously, I own books, but I only keep copies of favorites and reference works that I turn to again and agian, such as craft books, cookbooks, books on my Christian faith, some favorite works of children's fiction and picture books, etc.

Today I took about 5 full bags of books. I wished, however, that I could have parted with more, as I love that feeling of space and liberation! But the books I kept are those our family uses and dearly loves and so, though we don't have totally clear shelves, we did gain more space. Reorganizing will be a project to come over the next few weeks. This goal feels like suh a Hurculean effort, but like everything, baby steps are the key. Baby steps and patience are helping me carry my full plates!

A Guest Blogger Book Review!

2011-01-31T14:07:00.000-05:00

Hello, I am Eve. I am writing a short book review here on my Mom's blog, on a book that I finished for home school.

I think Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Bell is a very good book. This work of fiction is suited for readers who like drama, humor and a hint of romance. My Mom first spotted it at our local library.

Genevieve Welsh is a normal girl with a normal summer planned out for herself. But when her mother decides to take them all to an 1890's camp, she thinks that her summer will be ruined.

The summer turns out not to be so bad when she makes a new friend and there is a "cute looking boy" named Caleb not too far away from their cabin. Everything changes, though, when she finds a rival, Nellie Olson, who is after Caleb too.

Little Blog on the Prairie is aimed at girls around eleven and older. As of writing there is no sequel, but I still really enjoyed reading it. I highly recommend this book for girls around my age.

Bread is Good

2011-01-25T18:42:00.000-05:00

It's been a pretty yucky week so far. So, I'm choosing to thank God for His presence and provision and I am sharing my bread recipe with you. It's easy-peasy, inexpensive and so reliable. It's also vegan, containing no dairy or eggs. I've only ever had requests for MORE bread, not less, so I don't think anyone has ever missed those ingredients. Plus, using just the water and oil, it saves even more money!

My electric mixer was a thrift-store purchase about 5 years ago and was easily 25 to 30 years old at the time. It finally bit the dust this past autumn and I've been doing all my mixing by hand ever since. I actually am enjoying making the bread even more now that I'm doing it all by hand. My recipe reflects that.

Easy Whole-Wheat Bread

3 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c sugar
2 T salt
4 t yeast
4 c water
1/2 c light olive oil
6 c unbleached, all-purpose flour

Stir whole-wheat flour, sugar, salt, and yeast into a large bowl. Heat water and oil on the stove until about 120 F. Add water to flour mixture and stir for a few minutes until it's nicely blended. Continue stirring in unbleached flour one cup at a time. After about the 5th cup of flour, I turn the dough out onto a floured countertop and with oiled hands, begin kneading, adding the additonal flour as needed keep it from being too sticky. You may need more than just 6 c of the unbleached flour as you near the end. Sometimes if it's seeming too dry, I'll oil my countertop and knead that in too before I add more flour. Knead until it is nice and smooth - about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, setting dough in the bowl and then flipping it over so that it is coated on both sides. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot until doubled, about an hour to hour and a half. Punch down and divide in two. On an oiled countertop, roll out 1/2 of the dough into a 9 in.-wide rectangle to release air bubbles. Roll up, tucking in ends as needed and place into prepared, oiled bread pan. Repeat with second half. Let rest and rise for about 20 minutes. While the dough is resting and rising again, preheat oven to 375 F. Move a middle rack lower, so that the tops don't burn when the bread rises even more in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes. You can brush with melted Earth Balance over the top if you like, for a softer, shinier crust. I like mine as is. Let pans cool for about 10 minutes, then remove bread from pans onto racks to completely cool. I know it is tempting to eat the bread when it is still so nice and hot, but it will hold up much better for you for slicing into pieces if you let it cool thoroughly - at least an hour!

This past weekend I spread one half of the dough with brown sugar and cinnamon before I rolled it up to place in the pan and made cinnamon-swirl bread. YUM!

Let me know if you give it a try! Enjoy! :)

***

Image by Alan Blaustein - available at Allposters.com

Next Week She Will Ride

2011-01-21T17:58:00.000-05:00

This was the smiling face of my girl last October when Grandpa and Grandma visited and we all took a trip to Busch Gardens in Tampa. It just about broke my heart. She has wanted to have riding lessons for a number of years now. But not everything is financially possible... This photo is of her on just one of those small, pony rides where the little ones get to just ride around a small circuit. She was giddy.

So, imagine my joy and her UTTER delight when my mom offered her a chance to try out her dream.

We toured the barn on Thursday and...

...next week she will ride!

Art and Color: Power for Positive Change

2011-01-18T06:00:00.000-05:00

Don't think the arts are worth investing in? Is it wasting time to doodle? Is it not practical to want to be an artist? How vital is art anyway? What can YOU do with a box of 64 colors? Well, a lot, actually.

For more information on this very cool project, pay their site a visit!

Sketchbook Challenge: Highly Prized 2

2011-01-16T23:03:00.000-05:00

My second sketchbook challenge offering for the theme, "Highly Prized."

Scenes from the Week Past: January 9-15, 2011

2011-01-16T12:00:00.001-05:00

Just a few images to share from our last week:

One of the things that I love about homeschooling is that my daughter can work on a project, cozy in her robe on a drowsy, Monday morning.

Preliminary sketches being done for a piece that would be finished in charcoal. This week's assignment was to draw an instrument.

It's citrus season! The grapefruits and tangeloes abound in our backyard.

...an homage to Amanda Soule who has many tips of shoes in her fabulous photography... :)

I had one down-and-out with a headache-causing cold.

All was better for our mid-week visit to Grandma's house.

And one sketchbook challenge was accepted and begun!

Sketchbook Challenge: The Justification and First Sketch

2011-01-15T13:13:00.001-05:00

Hahahahahahahahahaha! Did I really say this?! :

Drawing and painting may end up on the back burner for a while... for a while.

That's the hard thing about having a blog. Or putting anything in writing for that matter. You can always look back and find where your inconsistencies lie. There's evidence.

Well, at least I also said this:

That may prove hard in a week when my art students return... and inspire me again!

I gave myself a safety net. But I didn't think I'd need it so quickly! But last night... late last night... I suppose when my tired brain was more receptive to insidious plans, hypnotic spells, and devious suggestions... I saw this:

*sigh* I woke up with a list of sketching ideas floating around in my brain. I'm weak, I tell you, weak! But this is only one prompt per month. I really only need to do one sketch per month. I don't need to do all of my brain list. In fact, it is highly, highly unlikely that I would be able to find time to draw everything my mind puts in front of me.

But I was lucky this morning, because I got all my errands done yesterday. I have a day to play! So, taking advantage of a quiet, sleeping family, and getting the pets all fed and occupied with their goodies, I made myself a pot of tea and got to work.

This month's Sketchbook Challenge theme is "Highly Prized". Think on that for a moment. You will be surprised as to what your mind conjures up. For most of us, our direction will likely first head to our families. For many, including myself, our faith. I wanted to stretch myself beyond the obvious, though. It's not that I won't sketch those things too, perhaps, but what else do I prize, and why? When I began to think about the things that I care for, the things that make up my daily round, I began to get a number of ideas, the first of which is presented here as well as the text I included on the page.

I don't really think of myself as a technology lover. I'm certainly not into all kinds of gadgets & never feel the need to have the latest of anything. In fact, I just purchased my first-ever cell phone in Nov. of 2010. And despite the fact that I felt a bit shallow thinking of my iPod shortly after thinking of my family & my faith, I have to admit that it's true. I was even skeptical when my husband gifted it to me for Christmas 2006. I mean, I enjoy music, but not all the time. But what I hadn't considered was podcasts. Like the blogosphere that had connected me with so many amazing, interesting people from around the globe, podcasts did the same thing through sound. I often feel like a fish out of water in everyday society, but through the internet & podcasts & communities that form around them, I connect daily with other creative people. It's been literally life-changing for me, a sort of lifeblood in otherwise lonely times.

One of the cool things I love about working in sketchbooks is that ordinarily, they are for your eyes only. Some sketches may develop into works of art, some sketches may be works of art, and whole sketchbooks are their own genre of art. But for me, there are no real expectations when I come to my sketchbook pages. Like my journals, they are just thoughts on paper with imagery included. I am more of a written word journaler, but whenever I sketch it adds another dimention to my experience. I lose myself in the concentration of the lines being placed on the page. The final outcome may or may not be pleasing to me, but it still cements a memory, still captures a moment of time - my time. That is what is important to me.

I will never be famous. At least I don't plan to be, nor do I want to be. Despite the sharing I do of myself in this space, I'm much too private of a person to desire fame. I do, however, wish to leave a mark. I think that is why the words written and the images collected never seem to stop. I am a collector of my own life. A storyteller telling myself my story. I believe that someday my decendents may enjoy glimpses into the past - mine and theirs - through my words and art. Especially in a world that's highly digital, marks on a page, handwriting... anything handmade...seems to have that much more value. At least it does for me.

I'm excited by this challenge and hope that I will be able to create a minimum of 12 sketches this year. I aim for more, but I do know how the things of life like to make claims on our time. But I love projects. I really do! For me, they make the ordinary extraordinary. Do you have any that you are working on for 2011? And if not, feel free to join me!

You Know You're a Grownup When...

2011-01-13T19:06:00.000-05:00

Now THIS is fabulous! I'd made something similar years ago, but lost the file in one of the computer upgrades. I started to make another one and then I said to myself, "Self, " I said, "I bet there are many grocery shopping list templates out there on the world-wide webby already." And I looked and I found one. But, being vegan, I was going to have to do a lot of modifying of it. But then I said again, "Self, you know there is probably a vegetarian shopping list out there too. Why not check before you reinvent the wheel?" And so I did, and so there WAS! The list was modifiable for my family's needs and now, oh, it's just brilliant as far as I'm concerned. It jogs my memory. But more than that, other family members can simply check the list when we run out of something. Having had a few years of mommy experience under my belt, I am not naive enough to think that this will always work, but hopefully we'll have fewer moments of walking to the cabinet only to find the last of the bread has been used and not reported to the bread buyer!

You know you're a grownup when you get excited about appliances... and grocery lists.

Links to Love and Inspire on a Snowy Day

2011-01-10T20:14:00.000-05:00

While the rest of the country seems to be taking turns being blanketed with snow, we have remained pretty mild on the gulf coast for the past couple of weeks. So, then why do we find our intrepid heroes inside watching Disney teen and Mary-Kate and Ashley movies inside instead of out in the nice weather? Well, my Eve is laid up with a virus (hence, "Avalon High" and "A New York Minute") and I am having some lower-back issues, so it's the heating pad and stretches, if not yoga, for a few days for me.

In the meantime, I've been enjoying some of the great content that I've found in the blogosphere lately. I've really been enjoying Tiffany's blog. From there I learned about this. I'm thinking about it. It seems like a good challenge, has an open-ended timeline, and I've been looking for some interesting projects to do in this new year. Elsie's is always a cheerful place to visit. She's started her own project for the year. I won't participate in this one, but it will be fun to watch! Due to that project, I've been introduced to Lia's fun home on the web.

So those are some of the faces and places that are new to me in this new year. Hope that you pay them a visit if you have the time. Perhaps a heating pad behind your back too? Or at least a snow day.

Mid-Week Mix

2011-01-06T18:57:00.001-05:00

This is our second year as members of the Gamble Creek Farm CSA and we are just into our third month of receiving shares. Our gulf coast season for receiving produce from the farm is from November to May or early June. That's a nice, six-month stretch of fresh, locally grown veggies.

Last year, my family had its own share; this year we are splitting the share with my mom and her s.o. Last year we had oodles of lettuces and every week there was a large head of cabbage. There was hardly room in my fridge for all that greenery; we had many salads and many green smoothies last season. This season has been different. The lettuces bolted early-on and had to be replanted. We haven't had as many greens yet, but they are picking up again. Last night's share included: spinach, eggplant, roma tomatoes, peppers, kohlrabi, cabbage and baby bok-choy. We had ratatouille for lunch today and I think we'll have a cabbage and noodle melt tomorrow.

I'm so thankful for all the online recipe sources. Vegweb is a gem! When we were introduced, through the farm, to kohlrabi and bok choy last year, that is where I turned to get some ideas. Vegweb is where I turn first for everything vegan -- mmmmmm! Kohlrabi (that pale-green, alien-looking bulb in the bottom left of the photo) is now one of Eve's favorite veggies. She loves me to cut up carrot-stick size pieces of it to eat raw. I enjoy it like that, but love it even more roasted and in stews.

Art class began again for the new year. Today I introduced the girls to charcoal. They were delighted to move beyond their graphite pencils and really took to experimenting. (That's a wet rag, by the way, in the middle of the table, for wiping blackened fingers!)

After they'd practiced for a while I asked them what they thought of the new medium: friend or foe? A couple of girls liked it and one declared it a "frenemy"!

I took a couple of photos of my newer projects to update my Ravelry page. I'm working on a pair of Monkey socks (Ravelry link), that famous Cookie A. pattern. Yes, I'm about 5 years behind the popularity curve for this one, but I am really enjoying the pattern so far. They are my first socks I am doing on a circular needle instead of the double points. I'm loving that I'm not having to fiddle with trying to keep "ladders" out of my knitting. For those of you who don't know, "ladders" are spots in your finished work where you can see where one needle met the next. It's kind of like seeing a seam where you don't really want one.

So, I'm liking the circular and then... this morning I found the tip of one of my needles on the floor. I must have shut the drawer on my project last night and broken off the tip. :( They were wooden Knit Picks Harmony needles. They are lovely, but since my looser knitting has forced me down to the teeny-sized 0 needles for my sock knitting (ugh), I'm going to purchase the nickel-plated ones to replace these.

And here is the Watered Steel Cardigan (Ravelry link)I cast on a couple of days ago. I'm knitting it out of Lion's Brand Fishermen's Wool. I've just barely started on the lace pattern at the bottom of this seamless cardi, but so far, so good.

Finally, yesterday when we were at our weekly library stop, I was having Eve pick out a couple of books. I wanted her to find another to read for school. She found two that she liked and I was trying to convince my more reluctant reader that she could still get the other one and read it on her own time, like before bed. "But I need motivation, Mama," she said. "That's why I like when you assign them for school." "Well," I replied, "why don't you make it a new year's goal? How about a '12 in 12' that I've seen knitters, crafters, and readers alike, assign for themselves? " She could give herself a book to read a month and keep a running record of it in her journal. She liked the idea and is going to give it a try.

I like the idea too. Last year one of my resolutions was to "read more fiction." And I did, but I didn't really keep tabs. And some books I started and then didn't finish. I am such a non-fiction reader and have a hard time, sometimes, settling in for fiction. It really has to capture me and I wish I could figure out just what it is about certain books that I like and what it is about others that have me rolling my eyes and tossing them aside.

There are few romance books that I have ever really liked other than Jane Austen's. And I loved Wuthering Heights, but that is not exactly a romance. It is more romantic anguish! I adored Dickens', Great Expectations, but his Bleak House grew dull for me and I have never made it very far into Tale of Two Cities (I wonder if I should try that on audio?). I also love Anne of Green Gables and am currently, for my first book of the year, reading the third in that series, Anne of the Island (it's a free Kindle download, so you can't beat the price!). And The Scarlet Letter was compelling, but I only got into that with the help of Heather Ordover and CraftLit. Once started, though, I loved it!

I'm not all about classics, though. That's just what comes to mind when I think of books I have reeeeally enjoyed. In 2010 I read Maeve Binchy's Circle of Friends and I also really liked Curtis Sittenfeld's An American Wife.

I can tell you what I don't like and that is dark novels. I look to my reading for escape and entertainment and while it doesn't all obviously have to be fluff, I'm not interested in anything pertaining to missing or molested children, incest, or a great deal of violence. I can read murder mysteries, but they are not usually full of sordid details of twisted acts. That is not entertaining for me; it only serves to make me sad.

So. I'm going to try to keep track of at least 12 pieces of fiction this year. And I'd like to read at least two biographies too. I'm not sure if those will be in addition to, or in place of, a few of the fictional works. I'll also say, that my track record for setting these kind of every month or every week or every day goals is not very good. My Project 365 of a few years ago, fizzled around April. And even online book groups that I've tried to do do not always make it to the end. But I'll give it another go. I'll be accountable here and to my daughter and we'll see what we can make of it all.

I'll be perusing various book-listsand re-looking at my birthday book, Honey for a Woman's Heart for recommendations , but if you have any favorites that seem to meet my criteria, please do share them in the comments!

Liking Mondays

2011-01-03T23:11:00.000-05:00

Each year of our homeschool years is a different from the next. There were years of a physical education group we attended, years with nature notebooks, one year we attended a large co-op with a number of subjects taught and learned, and another year we had a small science co-op with friends. Some years have also had evening Bible studies, recitation recitals, and craft groups.

This year Mondays have been the easy day. I really like it; it's a great way to ease back into the week and right now, it's a great way to ease back into school from our Christmas vacation.

Tuesdays I try to get to my yoga class and in the afternoon we volunteer at the sanctuary. It's more of a rushed day. Wednesdays we alternate with my mom on trips out to our CSA farm to pick up our share. We stop at the library on our way over to Mom's for Wednesday night dinners. Thursday brings another shot at yoga and teaching my afternoon art class. Fridays are a toss-up: sometimes there is a field trip other times not.

But Mondays are pretty reliable.

I like staying home. Yes, there are times when I like to get out, but for the most part, I like to be at home. I like when there is no place I must be. Those are days to get creative; those are juicy days! You just never know what you might mix up. Loaves of bread are good.

So are beans, simmering on the stove and more beans soaking. It's time to re-stock the freezer.

A good night's sleep after a month of rest? Yes, we take the whole month of December off - I highly recommend it! It was good. A good start. I'm liking Mondays.

2011 Word of the Year :: Flow

2011-01-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'" - James 4:13-14

The river or stream or brook all move along with varying degrees of power. What they all share though, is that when facing an obsacle, they are able to move around and beyond it. Whether or not the obstacle is removed, the water continues on. The obstacle may not be changed, but the stream learns how to change and adapt so that it can continue on its course toward its ultimate goal.

I had been puzzling over what my word of the year was going to be for a couple of weeks. I can tell you I'm not feeling over-ambitious these days and I wanted to be careful if I was even going to give myself a word of the year at all. I was replying to a post over at another

blog the other day and was explaining why I didn't have as many goals for this new year as I have had in years past and I found myself saying that what I'm really going to need to be able to do this year is go with the flow. And there it was. And it's perfect for now.

There is a big undertaking in our future, which I am not quite ready to share here, but it is one through which I will need to remain flexible and trusting. Really, this is the way I feel I really always ought to behave, remembering always that things are not my will or my way, but God's. This is something I have been working on in 2010: yielding and giving up my expectations to what God has in mind. This remains challenging for me and I therefore consider it a good lesson to be mulled over and worked out even more in 2011. It's application is broad and needed in many areas of my life and so, "flow" it is.

As for goals or resolutions for this year, I have very few. I just want a couple that will be easy to remember and that really ought to be accomplishable.

1 - I want to write more. I want to show up here more consistently. I want to add to my regular, years-old journaling practice with more focused writing practice. I have begun doing this over the past week, working my way through Lisa Garrigues' Writing Motherhood which is the first purchase I made on my new Kindle that Paul gave me for Christmas (thank you, Sweetheart!).

2 - I want to knit a well-fitting sweater for myself. I have knit one that fits me by luck; one that has an irritating neck opening I don't like so well, but wear anyway; one that is too big because I listened to someone else's idea of how I should fit the sweater to me, but I wear it anyway too; one I ended up giving to my mom because it didn't fit and another that was gifted to my sister for the same reason. So that's 5 sweaters and only one that fits me due to more luck than preparation. So, I will not only be making guage swatches this year, but also washing them and blocking them. I will also take my measurements before beginning. Simple things, but oh-so-necessary.

3 - Finally, I will use my camera more. If I become a better photographer, it will be a bi-product of more use. I don't have time to explore my camera's capabilities, but I do just want to use it more and part of that is simply for this space too.

So, that's it! I hope to succeed, but will remember to be gentle with myself if something gets in the way. I will, after all, be going with the flow!

***
Image courtesy of Tim Pearce.

The Last Few

2010-12-31T11:14:00.000-05:00

As I was uploading pictures of the past few... the last few... days of our 2010, I was struck by the large role that animals have come to play in our lives. I know, perhaps, I shouldn't be surprised by this; our pet bills for years attest to this already. But I guess I am still surprised. I didn't set out to have 5 pets, but that is, indeed what we have.

And, of course, if you count the Sea Monkeys... well, then, I guess we'll (hopefully - she is pretty excited for those eggs to hatch!) have even more...

The animals in our lives are now even beyond our four walls and the critters we feed and enjoy watching in the back yard. We have volunteered now for the last 7 months at a no-kill animal sanctuary. We are surprised and often saddened at how thoughtless - and even cold - some people can be.

But our hearts are really made glad when they arrive at the sanctuary. We know all the animals will be well-loved, whether or not they get adopted. For some, the sanctuary becomes a long-time, sometimes forever, home. For others, it is a brief stay where the animals will know they are safe.

I have been surprised at the number of pets that are returned a second, third or even more times. Jewel, the kitty above, that my daughter is giving some furious-rubbing love to is back at our shelter for the third time. I'm thankful for our return policy and realize that some situations for keeping a pet are too difficult to overcome, but I do wish that people would really think about the time and cost commitment of keeping a pet.

Take Luna, at the top of this post, for example. After a year and a half of feeding her outside our back step, I finally dove in and had her tested and immunized so that she could come in and be with our family for more socialization. Perhaps we'll find another home for her or perhaps she'll stay with us. We have some events coming up in our lives that may make it difficult to add another to our home, but with below-freezings temps the past few days, I feel better having her inside.

She was someone's pet at some time. She was already spayed. Abandoned, she is another victim of the recession I'm sure. Because she was not completely feral, she allows us to pet her and seems to be adjusting better than if she were truly wild. She does still seem a bit forlorn at not being able to run outside whenever she wants. But I'm hoping she will come to enjoy the privledges of indoor living. I am too concerned about her being hit by a car or other difficulty. Plus, she was darn expensive!

Can I just say that not only are shelters a better way to find an animal compainion because of - oh, you know all the reasons: overpopulation, euthanization, abandoned, frightened or abused animals, etc.? But consider the excellent bargain you will get from adopting. My "free" stray kitty cost me $263 for her good-health check-up and immunizations. (Thank you, Mom, for the Christmas money!) This same, sweet kitty would have cost me $35 if somehow Nate's Place had found her before I did. And she would have received the same great medical care too. I know, because I took her to the same vet the shelter uses.

C'est la vie.

In the meantime, calendars have been updated...

...and today is the day to begin putting our Christmas trimmings away for another year.

We'll chart a mellow path into our new year this evening playing games, exploring our Wii Fit that we've saved until today! Have a very safe and Happy New Year. Cheers to 2011!

Bless This Mess

2010-12-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's not always like this. Not always... but, yes, quite a lot. At least once-a-week we require the clean-up though. The floor must be cleared for the vacuum, you know!

So, why in the world would I post something like this? In the pretty, pretty world of inspirational blogging, of well-lit photographs, and magical-looking surroundings, why would I post this?

Because I have a 14-year-old, folks and I'm trying to choose my battles wisely. The room is - evidently!- not at the top of my priority list! lol!

To be fair, though, first of all, my girls are on Christmas break from our homeschooling schedule. And what's more is that my teen has been working the whole of her break to catch up from falling behind in two online subjects without a complaint. I'm very proud of her for this! And little sister has been camping out most night's on big sister's floor, as evidenced by the sleeping bag, the pillow, and the bunny - always the bunny...

So, really, the mess belongs to both of them.

But here's the thing and the reason for this post.

There are many, many beautiful blogs out there (many that I love reading!) that have soft, fuzzy edges around the photos of their cute, little cherub-faced babes. There are wooden toys, rainbow silks, woolen mats, and toys and decor made by Mother Nature herself.

Did I ever tell you all the story about how we collected basketsful of acorns for math manipulatives provided by said Mother? Oh, they were fun and lovely... and then about a week later all the little, fat, yellow wormies hatched out of them and were found crawling across bedroom floors! Since then, our nature collections have been more carefully inspected and some even remain outside the back door!

Anyway... so there are lots of dreamy blogs for our little ones, but those little ones grow and I have to say that I haven't met one yet who isn't into all the technological bits that we adults love too. And it could be that I haven't looked around a whole lot... I'm sure that there are blogs about parenting teens out there. I'm just now starting to stick my toe in the water, despite having one year of teen-parenting under my belt.

All I can say is that so far, these remind me of the toddler years.

And what do I mean by that? Well, there is SO much growth and change happening in a brief span of time - especially when you take into consideration the push through puberty. And like the toddler years, often what worked for you last month, isn't working this month!

Now, lest you think that all is one challenge after another, let me assure you that this is not what our experience has been thus far. Like our toddlers, our kids provide us with great amounts of joy. But it can be work. And I have found myself stuck in some places. The confidence I felt with little children and even with those childhood years has waned some and I find myself, as in the toddler years, looking for outside assistance.

One of the best resources I have been blessed to receive so far, via my neighbor, a former youth minister, has been the book, Age of Opportunity: A Biblical Guide to Parenting Teens by Paul David Tripp. Not only does Tripp knock down the world's expectation that we are to be expecting the worst from our teens and simply try to survive these years, he shines a light on something I think needs to be worked on, but is often overlooked in many parenting books: ourselves.

Tripp writes,

The tumult of the teen years is not only about the attitudes and actions of teens, but the thoughts, desires, attitudes, and actions of parents as well. The teen years are hard for us because they tend to bring out the worst in us. It is in these years that parents hear themselves saying things that they never thought they would say.

And imagine my surprise when I got to chapter two, entitled Whose Idols Are in the Way? and it was about idols of parents and not their kids! There is so much to chew on here.

Ultimately, Tripp points to our teens' behavior and choices as heart issues. While it is often the slower and more tedious route to take, I know it is the right route and worth the effort. Like learning the tools I used to effectively communicate with my younger daughter in her more tumultuous toddler years, I am intrigued and, quite frankly, fascinated at the continued development happening in my children. I am inspired by what I am reading about their own brain development and the challenging, yet rewarding techniques I can use in more effectively communicating with and growing into deeper and more mature relationship with my girls.

There is so much growth and expansion happening for our kids at these ages. And while they change, they are still our kids. They still have that foundation underneath them that has been laid over the years. And they are ultimately God's children and not mine. They are in His hands and I trust Him.

Tripp says,

This world is not always exciting to the teenager. Sometimes it seems scary and overwhelming. There are moments when the teen is alive with the joy of discovery, and there are other times when he is shy and avoiding. Sometimes he enjoys being a teenager, while at other times he seems afraid of the new expectations laid upon him.

There is no stopping the widening of his world. It is a world of new friends, new locations, new opportunities and responsibilities, new thoughts, new plans, new freedoms, new temptations, new feelings, new experiences, and new discoveries. All of the joys and insecurities of this widening world provide opportunities to help your teenager really understand and personally internalize fundamental truths. These include the sovereignty and providence of God, the ever-present help of the Lord, the nature of biblical relationships, spiritual warfare, discipline, self control, contentment, faithfulness, turstworthiness, the nature of the body of Christ, the world, the flesh, the Devil, the principles of responsibility and accountability, biblical priorities, discovery and stewardship of gifts, and many other biblical truths and principles.

Crazy, right? Is it any wonder that there will be difficulties that we face in these years? Difficulties, yes, but challenges worth facing, I believe, and as Tripp refers to them, opportunities.

So the bedroom. Yes, it's something we talk about. Of course I would like it neater. But, for me, neatness is not the most important character trait I am concerned about. It's her space and it has a door, thank goodness, that can shut. And, to her credit, there are weeks that go by where it is quite neat. But now she is busy and working hard at adjusting to high-school level work with greater demands - demands that she has placed on herself because she has goals and dreams that she is chasing. And that, to me, is worth a little laundry and clutter on the floor.

This Morning...

2010-12-27T11:54:00.001-05:00

...I am trying to catch up on a few days of morning devotionals. I have others, but I stick with Oswald Chambers year round and year after year, because he challenges me unlike any other.

... I am wanting to write. But there is a sleeping girl in the living room that wake upon my arrival. She is surrounded by friends - new and old - a flashlight for reading in case she gets scared in the night and stacks of comics and books. And then the busyness of the day ensues.

... I am thinking about goals for the new year, taking this last, slower-paced week before our homeschool days begin anew to reflect and look ahead. It's one of my favorite weeks of the year. The craziness of the weeks ahead is gone (some of it delightful, some of it not) and this week of pause is left. I am thankful.

Some ideas for the new year - and I'm trying to keep it simple: more knitted items for me (a.k.a. a sweater that fits me well and doesn't require me to gift it away to someone that it fits better), more writing, and more photography. I at least want to play around with my camera a bit more. Drawing and painting may end up on the back burner for a while... for a while. That may prove hard in a week when my art students return... and inspire me again! :) But, I'm trying to simplify in order to develop my crafts.

... I am wishing you one more last good week of 2010. :)

A Quiet, New Beginning

2010-12-23T21:56:00.001-05:00

It's Christmas Eve Eve... and I'm just quietly making my way back to this space. A few months ago I wrote my farewell post. Don't bother looking for it, though, because I deleted it. I guess I'm not really done here after all. I've been surprised by my missing it here and the online blogging community and so, I am back. It's as simple as that.

I'm hoping that by this point, you will have gotten the last of your holiday crafting or shopping and wrapping done and you will be finally relaxing and be able to enjoy the PEACE of the season. The full moon is always a peaceful sight to me, so please enjoy these shots I took of our recent, Winter Solstice full moon and lunar eclipse! The night was clear and cool here on the Florida Gulf coast and made for great viewing!

Merry Christmas, everyone and I hope to be speaking with you more - lots more - in the new year!

Step Six: Wash It

2010-08-05T20:17:00.000-04:00

Part of the Going Lightly One-Step-at-a-Time Series.

I have returned from a week of family and friends visiting; a week that included a rash of ear infections shared by my family and my brother's family, one broken toe (my husband's - AND he got a double ear infection!), and a trip to Universal's Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 100 degree F temps.

You can see here that Hogsmeade maintains its frosty rooflines despite the soaring temperature!

So, we're back to taking one step at a time. I suspect that as our first day of home school - Aug. 16 this year (we take off 3 weeks in Dec. and finish at the end of May, hence the early date)- approaches, my posts will become spaced out farther, but I hope to see this series through to the end of my list! :)

So, today is Step Six: Wash It

I don't think I've bought paper towels in over a decade and maybe I've bought napkins once in that time - for something like a neighborhood block party or something like that. Save yourself some money. Save trees and the oxygen and diverse habitats they provide (no, tree farms do not provide the same diversity of habitat, by the way). Save the energy needed to create all that paper that is used ONCE for a tiny moment in time. Just use cloth.

Really, it is so easy. My children's old cloth diapers are STILL in use as rags in our home as well as cut up, old T-shirts, old towels, and old washcloths. We have a bin under our kitchen sink that is filled with rags that we use probably every day. With 3 cats (and before we lost our poor Lucy dog), we have messes to clean up regularly. Spilled water, glass to clean, dusting - all of it - is handled by our bin of rags. And the dirty ones? They go in a bucket on top of the freezer in the laundry room to be washed on "rags and towels day"... which is Tuesday in our house if you'd like to know. :)

The dirty rag bucket resides on the freezer and its neighbor is our dirty napkin and dishcloth bucket. We only need to use one napkin per day per person, unless, of course, we have a very messy meal! At then end of our meals, we usually hang our napkin over the back of our chair until the next meal.

Cloth napkins can be made, of course, or found for very little at thrift stores. They make nice gifts for housewarming. You can also make silverware holders with them that you can roll up and keep in your car for dining out, eating lunch at work and/or picnics so that you don't need to use disposables. Here are some tutorials:

Good Instructions/No Pictures

Pretty Homemade Napkins (you could use napkins already made)

Roll-Up Placemat/Lunch Kit

Another Darling Lunch Kit

To me, using cloth napkins and rags is so second-nature now. We keep a basket of our collection of napkins on a shelf near our table. There are plenty of napkins for company and I get new ones to add only every couple of years as the old ones wear out.

As I said, we have a special day that we do our rags and towels. I know that some people don't like to think about cloth napkins, etc. because they think that it will add so much to their laundry. We do one load of laundry every day, Monday through Thursday and the system works quite well for our family. Monday is whites, Tuesday is rags and towels (two small loads), Wednesday is darks and delicates (two small loads), and Thursday is colors.

We generally line dry everything other than the rags and towels. We have so many little rags that that chore was a huge one and fluffy towels seem to be desired by my family - though I don't really care if they are line dried or not, despite their stiffness.

The reason we have a bunch of little rags is also because we use cloth feminine care products as well. Also, another reason these aren't hanging on the line! ;) The disposable products were never even mentioned to my daughter and were just not considered an option. She was given her own, special set that a friend made for us when she first began her cycle and that's all she's ever used. These are washed with our rags. I've had mine for years and can't remember the last time I bought disposables. There are many, many homemade products like this online. It's easy and affordable to support a mama in her home-based business in this way.

Another thing that goes into my little rag bin I have in my bathroom (just a little covered trash can) is handkerchiefs. I don't actually have nice handkerchiefs, but I have a stack of them in a drawer in my vanity that are essentially cut up cotton pajama bottoms! Ha ha! It IS just for my nose after all! I began doing this when my girls were babies. If they got a cold with a perpetually runny nose, I found it much gentler to use a cotton diaper for their noses rather than tissues. I realized I could do the same thing for myself and it works just fine.

You know, I know people get "grossed out" over this stuff, but it really is a "gross out of priveledge" and habit if you ask me. Our ancestors did just fine washing and reusing materials for nose wiping - and other wiping for that matter. Other cultures, for that matter, consider our use of dry toilet paper, for example, as opposed to a wash with a bidet or other spray, as quite crude and ineffective. And, for heaven's sake, we use cloth to diaper our babies' bottoms and they are the messiest of all! You don't even need to look at your dirty laundry; just dump your bin into your washer when it's ready.

So, I hope I've convinced you to try reusable materials for some of your daily messes. It's really quite easy, waaaaaay more comfortable than paper and as with so many other green habits, it will save you money too.

Step Five: Consider the Source

2010-07-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

Part of the Going Lightly One Step at a Time Series:

It's so easy just to flip on lights, fans, the tap, and all conveniences of our 21st century lifestyle. It has also, sadly, become a hobby, rather than a necessity, to make our own clothes. The knitting that I love and the sewing that I dabble in are not necessary to keep myself or my family protected and warm and others seem particularly incredulous that I might want to spend my time knitting a dishcloth or a sock when Wal-Mart has them on sale for under a dollar a piece. Everything is so readily available, virtually at our fingertips, and we don't have to pay very much for it either!

But, starting with electricity, before you walk out of the room, leaving the ceiling fan running, consider the source. Some of the more recent mining accidents in West Virginia have reminded me how many people pay with their lives so that we can power our homes. There is the environmental impact of coal, of course. But I also think about the miners. That is one job I don't think I could ever do: terrifying, mundane, cheerless, back-breaking work. So, now I say to my kids when a light is left on, "There's some coal burning in your room!" And I say it to myself too.

It's too easy not to think about the true cost of our living. Annie Leonard calls it "externalizing the costs." That simply means that while something may be cheap for us, it does have to be paid for along the way somehow. Often it is paid for with cheap labor or lack of benefits for workers or child labor or unsafe labor or environmental degredation (which may make living on the land impossible and therefore moves indigenous people off their land into cities looking for work - any work - and provides more cheap labor), or filthy conditions or a combination of any of the above.

So, consider the source when the lights go on and ask yourself if you really need them on at that moment. If you do, just be sure to turn them off when your'e done. Consider the source too, when the water is running. Florida used to have a lot of water in natural aquifers below us. We still do, but they are being depleted so much more rapidly with the growing population and industrial needs... and waste. Sprinklers running during a rain shower? Yep, I've seen it only too often.

Oil is the same. It used to be bubbling up easily in parts of the U.S. The U.S. quickly drained that resource, though, peaking out in 1971. Now we have to dig deeper and use more and more resources just to get the oil in the first place. We also have to protect our access to it in the one place left on the planet that still supposedly hasn't peaked yet and that is in, of course, the Middle East. All of this is having disasterous effects: Deepwater Horizon and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are just two examples. The least we can do in response to this is to combine our errands, carpool, take public transportaion if it is available, walk or bike when you can. A longer term plan is to join or start or at least educate yourself and your family about the energy changes that will be a part of all of our futures. You can start at the Transition Network website by watching their film and/or reading their book. I'll have more ways you can educate yourselves on this issue in an upcoming post.

We need to think twice about nearly all our purchases from

our food: How far has it traveled? What kinds of chemicals are on or in it? How were the workers who grew and harvested our food treated? Is your favorite coffee or chocolate (the major brands in the grocery stores don't look so good to me anymore) tainted with child slavery (you can choose Fair Trade products instead)?

to our clothing: Where does it come from? Who made it? Is it made of sustainable material? Does it have to be new or can you find it used?

I know there are so many questions and perspectives to think about. It really can make your head swim. But denying that these factors exist is not the answer either. Being aware that every purchase we make is the cliched "vote" with our dollars, it may cause us to rethink our purchases and begin - just begin - to steadily make wiser ones. We can practice remembering all those affected along that production line into the product or service we are about to use. We can practice remembering externalized costs. Maybe we'll still use the product or service, but more sparingly, more wisely and with more respect. Or maybe we'll seek out a new, greener, or fairer source for our purchase. Or maybe we'll just choose to go without - that is a choice too, you know. A lot of things can change for the better if we just consider the source.

Step Four: Collect Water

2010-07-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

Part of the Going Lightly One Step at a Time Series.

We all know that water is a precious resource. It is challenging to remember it , though, when we in North America can turn on the tap and it just flows out. I heard Annie Leonard talking about this very thing in the recent Green Living Ideas, Green Talk Radio podcast where she was interviewed regarding her new book, The Story of Stuff. Many of you know Annie's work through her fantastic talk made into a film that is available free online. She has just released a book that details the information she gives in the film. I can't wait to get it! But I digress...

Annie was saying that it was hard for her, as a California resident, to recall that California is in their 10th year of drought when water is so readily available. Our country rarely feels the effects of water shortage, but it is a growing problem that only becomes more precarious over time and certainly other countries have seen direct effects already.

So, of course, there are the gray water systems (not legal everywhere as of yet) and there are rain barrels. We have one that is not yet in operation; we're still getting the few remaining pieces we need for it. And I do think that, like a compost bin, everyone should really try having a rain barrel. They're pretty low on the labor-intensive end of conservation.

But if you don't have a yard or space or time or whatever... you can still save water. Try not to think about it in terms of actually how much water you are saving, but the principle and motivation behind it. If you have children, it is especially important that they see you participating in all ways - big and small - to conserve what is so important to all of us.

We have a pitcher under the sink for half-drunk water glasses left by kids or other guests. I regularly use that on my two plants by the front door. When the dry season is here, I also keep a watering can in the shower. I have it sitting where the water is pointed so that when the water is running while warming up, it's not going down the drain. You can do the same thing with the kitchen sink with that aforementioned pitcher.

Some people actually collect enough water in their showers that they can turn off the water leading to their toilet tanks and fill the tanks with the water collected passively around the house! I think that's a great idea - especially if you work out of the home or practice limiting your flushing.

Our outdoor water spouts and hose connections are weird. I can't explain why they leak like they do (despite some changes we have made to them), but they do. So, we have a bucket that sits under the main one used to catch water too. That water can fill the birdbath or the water the geranium in the pot out back. I've also heard of folks who have put parsely or other plants under or around an outdoor faucet. They get watered naturally whenever the hose is turned on. I'll admit to trying the parsley, but my spot back there is too shady and that experiment was not successful.

So, nothing technical here (obviously!), but just a reminder to be on the lookout for little ways that you can save a little bit more here and there.

Step Three: Compost

2010-07-18T06:00:00.001-04:00

Part of the Going Lightly One Step at a Time Series.

This one is so very easy it hardly bears repeating and yet, there are fewer people in my life that do it than I'd expect.

Composting is not complex. In fact, it can be as simple as having a pile - contained or not - in your yard onto which you throw all vegetable matter. You can get more complicated if you want your compost to decompose faster, of course. There are many sites online that will show you how to layer your compost to increase the temperature of it and increase breakdown. They will show you how to layer the high-carbon materials with the high-nitrogen materials. It really is a fascinating science, but it is not necessary and I will candidly admit, not one I presently have time for.

What we have time for is a large, black, thick, plastic sheet with holes in it that was given to us free by simple request from our county extension service. In fact, my mother-in-law, being far from green, happily went along with us to pick up "hers" which she also happily gave to us. Anyway, this sheet is rolled into a tube and the circumference can be very narrow to very wide depending on your needs.

We used to have ours next to the house, out of the public eye, but it got too much shade. We moved it recently over to right beside the garden. Genius! It just makes sense there. And it is not really an eyesore; it just looks like it goes with the garden. As I'm weeding or pulling out spent plants, they easily get tossed right in.

The only things you don't want to throw in your compost are any animal products (except for egg shells) or oils. Those only serve to invite vermin. And from experience, years ago, when I unknowingly put cheese in there, the stink was uproarious. That smell won't happen if you "keep it clean." Vegetable scraps, lawn clippings, leaves, paper, coffee grounds and tea bags are all things that can go into your compost.

For our family, our goal with composting is to be able to ammend our soil, but primarily it reduces waste. Being a veg family, too, we don't even deal with animal products.

Now here may be the best tip I have for those of you who are already composting and have found nothing new with what I've shared. I know that they sell fancy crocks for storing your vegetable scraps indoors and some of them even have carbon filters. But what has worked for us for years is to simply use a large, old plastic container (the current one had store-bought cookies in it that someone brought to a function I attended three years ago) and keep it in your freezer. A square or rectangular container is preferable to a round one to conserve space, but any old shape will do. Keeping the container in the freezer will kill any bacteria that would otherwise form that creates the rotting vegetable smell and attracts fruitflies. No fancy container needed. No carbon filters. When it's full, set it on the counter for a few minutes to thaw slightly so it slips out easier, and then take a leisurely stroll out to your compost and dump the frozen block. You wanted to get outside and get a little fresh air today, anyway, didn't you? We kept our compost bin even in the deep cold of Minnesota winters.

So, there's really no excuse not to have a compost bin and it's just as easy as dumping your scraps into your trash bin. Your only real effort will come when you turn your pile and that is to add oxygen to facilitate decompostion. But you can do this as often or as little as you like, really. We only add our compost to our family garden about once a year, so you won't find me outside with a pitchfork very often.

There are fancy compost bins that screen the compost of the larger bits for you, but we don't have something like that either. I am not picky about not totally decomposed bits of banana peel or whatever else that make their way to my garden beds. I happily work around the random peanut shell or peach pit. We're about as basic as it gets, but again, our goals are not primarily garden related, but waste and reuse related. As my children get older, though, and I slowly devote less time to their schooling at home as they become more and more self-directed, I am able to spend more time cultivating food and I can see that I might get back into having a system that is more aimed at my garden than simply waste reduction.

Whatever your goals are, though, composting will fit in. You'll reduce your waste and even if you don't have a garden, you can dig to the bottom of your pile every once in a while and pull out some "black gold" and sprinkle it on house plants, your lawn, or even donate it to that gardening neighbor of yours. They'll love you for it!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

2010-07-17T16:36:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update on a few of the efforts I am making - following my own advice, so to speak.

The two steps forward are these:

I finished sewing all my produce bags and am preparing drawstrings in all of them today. Then I'm just going to throw them in with my other shopping bags. I had to stop at the market today and, at least on this visit, I am finding it not quite as daunting avoiding the plastic. I am looking for the alternatives and am managing pretty well. I am practicing waiting, when I can, to find non-plastic alternatives elsewhere. I couldn't find cauliflower, for example, that wasn't wrapped, so I'll try the health food store a few doors down from my health club for that and for finding some tea in bulk.

My regular market, Sweetbay, does a good job of offering its produce primarily in bulk. They offer packaged alternatives for some things, but at least I have more options than the Publix store that only offers its kale, for example, in pre-packaged, sealed plastic bags, or zucchini on a styrofoam tray wrapped in shrink wrap.

Keep in mind, our farmers' markets are all closed down for the season here in sweltering Florida. They'll open again round about late September or October, so I have to do what I can with what I've got. I am looking for things grown in the U.S. only, which is easier right now, since it is summertime and that means produce production for most of the rest of the country. That is one good thing about Florida and that is a good variety of in-season produce pretty much year round, whether we are growing it ourselves or the northern states are growing things in the summer. Ideally, I would have taken more time putting food by from our growing season for this one, but I really ran out of energy on that front. I think if I make that project more of a community event - inviting friends in to help - that task would not seem as daunting. Something to think about for the future.

The second step forward is that I am revisiting the no shampoo (commonly known online as "no poo"), baking soda alternative to washing my hair and the vinegar rinse for conditioning. I'd tried it once in the past and, as my hair was longer and pretty damaged to begin with, I think the baking soda dried it out even some more. Also, I was using straight baking soda on my scalp, which was messier and probably too harsh. I have a bottle of 2 c water to 2 T baking soda pre-blended in my shower. I also made up a similar dilution with the apple cider vinegar and water. To that, upon recommendation of another person who does this, I added chamomile tea and some rosemary for fragrance (that I honestly don't really notice, but the ACV scent doesn't bother me either and it's aroma dissipates as your hair dries). Anyway, using this mixture today, I was super happy with the results! My hair is not greasy at all (though my hair is naturally drier to begin with) and just feels light and nice. So, I'm going to stick with this for a while instead of trying the shampoo bar. This is even less expensive than the shampoo bar and uses things I already have around the house. I'll report back on how things are going.

My step back, really isn't a step back, but more of a disappointment. I did a carbon footprint check of our family's impact using the calculator provided by the Global Footprint Network and despite that long list in my sidebar of everything we do, we would still need 4 and nearly 1/2 planets (40%) if everyone lived the way we do. :( There is not too much we can do about this right now, because where our downfall comes in is that 1) My husband commutes about 50 miles to work (one way) every day - the only work in his field available in this area right now and 2) there is no public transportation nearby where I live. So, while this doesn't make me feel like all is useless... how does one score, after all, if you are not doing all these things?... I am, like I said, disappointed. It makes me glad that I am involved in our local Transition movement. I am hopeful that we will be working as a group to pressure our local area to make efforts toward more public transportation offerings as well as safer routes for alternative transportation, such as wider bike paths off of busy roads.

Overall, I know I'm still moving in the right direction. I continue to seek out alternatives and make changes every day. It's an ongoing effort.

Step Two: Wet Yourself!

2010-07-16T06:00:00.001-04:00

Going Lightly One Step at a Time Series
That's right. For my North American friends, the temperature is soaring and it is a good time to just wet yourself. Now, of course, I don't mean to simply go swimming (because I'm sure that's what you thought I meant, right?). ;) No, I'm talking about your time in the shower.

My mom's partner, Jerry, calls them "navy showers," because he learned to shower this way when he was in the navy. Just as you've probably heard and teach your children to not let the water run while you are brushing your teeth, the same could be said of showering. Now, I'll admit that as a cold-natured person, I like to keep that warm water on me in the wintertime. But, certainly in warmer temperatures, there is no good reason not to simply wet yourself, turn off the water, soap up, and then rinse off. It seems counterintuitive, doesn't it, to be trying to soap up one's body while simultaneously standing under or trying to avoid a constant stream of running water? It only takes a moment to shut off that water, but it will literally save gallons and I don't think I have to tell you what a precious, limited resource water has become. (If that is new information to you, do a search online or talk to your local park ranger or county extension office and you will find oodles of information that ought to convince you.)

And, like brushing your teeth, don't forget about turning off that water while washing your hands or even your produce. Again, wet those hands, turn off the water to soap up, and then rinse. Quick and easy, doesn't cost you a thing, may save you some money, and will definitely be kinder to our planet.

Step One: Eliminate/Reduce Packaging

2010-07-14T06:00:00.001-04:00

This is part of my "Going Lightly One Step at a Time" series.

So, this is step one just because it's something I'm currently working on in a more concentrated manner. Recently I have been making attempts at reducing the amount of plastic I bring into the house. A lot of it comes in the form of packaging.

One of the things that I love about the challenge of living with less impact is that it causes you to really think and rethink just about everything. Is there a better way to do something? Often, it seems, there is.

So, we've all been encouraged to bring our own shopping bags to the grocery store. I am so thrilled at the number of people I see doing this. I have to say, though, that most folks are coming into the store with one or two bags at the most. I wonder if they are lucky enough to have such a small grocery purchase or is that the total amount of bags that they own?

In regard to shopping bags:

*Keep your bags in your car or hanging right beside the door, so that you won't forget them.
*Don't just use your bags for groceries. Anytime you shop - big box store, local boutique, or otherwise, bring your bags.
*Have a bag of bags that you take with you. I think I have collected more than a dozen bags of various sizes that I bring with me every time I shop. I just keep them all in the largest bag in the back of my super sexy minivan! If I just need a couple of items, I can bring in just one or two bags, but for a big grocery shop, I'm set and am only carrying one in my hand.
*Find more bags on Freecycle, from friends, and at thrift stores. I just bought another nice canvas bag (apparently a "Martha Stewart Living" free giveaway bag with subscription) for .25 at a church thrift store the other day.
*This one is important and often overlooked: produce does not often need a bag. Plastic bag after plastic bag is used to bring home the lettuce or the tomatoes or apples or whatever that could easily just sit in your cart without them. For the smaller items, like fresh green beans or brussels sprouts or bulk items such as oatmeal, rice, etc., just use an old bread bag that you bring along in your bag of bags. If you are attempting to eliminate plastic like I am, make yourself some reusable drawstring bags. I've recently cut up some tea towels and some old pillowcases I got at that same thrift store and am doing just that. I plan to use it at our CSA this upcoming season (for us, Nov. - May), at farmer's markets, and at the grocery.

Pillowcases below. They were .25 a piece. Out of the two kingsized cases, I got 6 bags.

There are also tutorials on YouTube on how to make bags out of old T-shirts. Do a search; it's so easy!

In regard to other items:

*Buy in bulk
*Choose paper/cardboard wrapping over plastic
*Choose package-free over packaged whenever possible

This last suggestion is the one that really gets you thinking. I'm experimenting with handmade soaps for washing my face in an attempt to rid myself of the plastic bottled cleanser I've used for a few years now. I've switched to bar soap for my hands, but I have sensitive skin on my face and it will break out with too many perfumes - even natural essential oils. So, I'm experimenting; I have to be careful.

From this:

To this:

Next, when my shampoo runs out, I'm goint to try a shampoo bar again. I've tried a couple in the past, but I haven't like them. I may try a Lush bar or something from Etsy next. I'm not sure what I'll do about conditioner for my dry hair, but it's something to research. Does anyone have a recommendation?

A few posts back, I abandoned my dishwashing soap for a bar and a homemade scrub. That still seems to be working fine, even though it has taken some getting used to. But it's a teeny sacrifice to make in the face of the degredation occuring. Certainly, I will survive!

I'm also practicing avoiding purchasing frozen veggies. I don't buy canned to begin with, but frozen are often convenient. Pineapple, peaches, nectarines and grenn peppers were on sale this week, so I bought extra fresh one and cut and froze the extras myself. I do the same when there is an abundance with our CSA in season. Yes, it takes some time. But it means I don't have to buy more plastic. I'm willing to try to make this a habit.

Remember that buying used or handmade goods often reduces or eliminated packaging altogether too.

These are just a couple of ideas in the great, grand sea of products we must or choose to bring into our homes. Take a little time on you next shopping outing to see if there are other alternatives available to the ones that contain packaging. If there aren't, do you need them? Can you find another way to get them rather than the one way that is offered to you right now?

If anything, our shopping trips can become quite mundane. A new challenge like this will have you shopping with fresh eyes. Try it with your kids. You might actually even have a bit of fun! :)

Series: Going Lightly One Step at a Time

2010-07-11T16:49:00.000-04:00

Are you still thinking about the oil that is presently gushing into our precious Gulf of Mexico? I know I am. As a gulf coast resident, it hits closer to home for sure. While our beaches in Manatee and Sarasota Counties have been spared thus far from visible tar ball damage (the last I heard it that the oil is presently estimated to be 100 miles to the west of our shoreline), every night on the local news (which I really don't watch, but see at the fitness club), there is coverage of actions being taken.

One, for example, is that sea turtles are hatching on our shores and volunteers are very gently removing the eggs and transporting them to the east coast of FL for hatching and release there. No one knows if this will be effective in saving these turtles. No one knows if the survivors, years from now, will return to the east coast to lay their own eggs, or make an attempt at the gulf shores. There are so many things we do not know. There have been oil spills before, but nothing of this magnitude. Nothing that has continued to "bleed" into our waters. It is unprecedented.

In situations such as this, my hope comes from the idea that maybe... perhaps this time... the catastrophe is big enough that real change will begin to take place. That we will begin to prioritize addressing the changes that are absolutly necessary above our own comfort.

We don't always see the effects of what we are doing, but they are there. They are real. There really are people who are already suffering from the rising waters caused by climate change. And there are people who are already suffering from the toxins of our over-consumption. Of course, the animals are suffering from the oil, the sea of plastic, and diminishing habitats.

We don't often see these things, because at present, we are the fortunate ones. At present we, who can afford to have computers and blog and read blogs and online news, are the wealthiest people in the world. And it is the poor and those, including the animals, who are oppressed who suffer first. But that doesn't make what we are doing and continuing to do right. And just because we have the luxury of denial doesn't mean that we should do nothing.

There are those who believe that individual action is a waste, that it does not actually create enough change. But for the majority of us who are women and men and the everyday citizens working in our own cities and towns and raising families or teaching children or caring for our parents or doing the myriad of things that we are doing just to keep all the proverbial plates spinning, it has to be small and doable. At least in the beginning. More importantly - and this, I believe, will make real change - it has to be sustained.

We can't simply award Al Gore an Academy Award and congratulate him and somehow, ourselves, on a job well done. We can't change a few lightbulbs and think it ends there. Yes, small changes. But many, many small changes. And many new habits and new conversations, and new ways of living must take place. They can be small at first, but they must grow to encompass a life and then a neighborhood and then a town and on and on.

There did, for example, used to be life without, say... margarine. And there used to be life without margarine in plastic tubs. And there used to be life without yogurt in little, plastic containers and plastic tubes and all the other ways that yogurt is marketed today. But then the changes were made and soon it becomes hard to remember what life was like without said margarine and yogurt containers. Pretty soon people are amazed that they can actually make yogurt at home! Or pasta or granola or burger buns or cosmetics or cleaning products or sanitary napkins. And some are even afraid of what might happen if you try. Is it sanitary? Will it harm me or my children?

Is it therefore possible that we might be able to reclaim some of these unlearned skills? That we might be able to change our patterns, our habits, the things that we now take for granted as "normal"? Might our efforts grow and spread so that we, in our twilight years, could look back and recall, with incredulity, "Remember how we used to use that precious oil for things like tubs of margarine?!"?

I am a wife and mother in a suburban home. I homeschool my two children during the school year, volunteer at an animal sancturary once-a-week, visit my mother and my mother-in-law once-a-week on different days, attend church weekly, work at running a small business teaching classes, and just do all the stuff that makes up a life. I am not in a positon of power. I do not run a multi-national corporation. I do not hold a political office. But I also don't believe that I don't count. Of course I count. I count in the negative in that my portion of impact is affecting the planet negatively. I therefore continue to belive that my small actions can also affect the planet positively.

I have listed many of the efforts in the sidebar of this blog that my family makes at "going lightly" on the planet. But I feel an urgency of late to do more and say more. One of the things I am doing is getting involved in my local Transition group. I am so very thankful that the movement has made its way nearby to me.

But, of course, there are so many other things each of us can do. I'd like to share with you some of the things we do in our home in greater detail over the coming weeks. My hope is to inspire you to experiment with your own lives. Challenge yourself to live according to a new standard, a new paradigm. My intention is not to judge, but challenge - myself and others - to begin or continue on a more caring path of living.

My ideas certainly won't be new news to everyone and there are plenty of other fantastic websites and blogs out there dedicated to delving so much more deeply than I will here (some are found in my sidebar). But this is just me participating, folks. It's just me trying to do my part, trying to not let the conversation die, trying to keep these issues in the forefront of our minds so that we do not rest in the luxury of denial.

So far, I have a list of 55 actions of change that one could make in their everyday lives. I don't plan that this series will be the exclusive content of this personal blog while I work on it. And my posts will not be in any particular order - of importance or otherwise -, but just in a way that makes the most sense to me at the time, I guess.

I hope to intersperse my postings with other current important things in my life. But this feels important for me to do. It feels important for me to do for myself, for my children to see that their mother did not remain silent in the face of an uncertain future, and for the animals who do not have a voice. It is a small request for forgiveness.

Deerfield Beach Getaway 2010: Part 3

2010-07-11T14:59:00.000-04:00

So, although I have many more pictures (a visit to a divine, little raw/vegan restaurant/yoga studio) to share, I am ready to move on from my getaway onto a new blog project I am going to be sharing. But, I did promise some bonsai and a beautiful dress.

The Morikami had some gorgeous bonsai and if I didn't already have half a gajillion hobbies, I might give this a try too.

There are many large trees like the one above in Florida. I honestly don't know the name of the tree that creates those supports like that, but I always think they look so cool.

I love this one's twisy trunk:

And this one looks like a magical, little forest. It is, I believe, a Florida red maple:

And although I liked my dress that I was wearing that day (I thought it had an Asian appeal)...

...THIS is the dress that Maia found at the antique store. Though not an antique and even though it is of Chinese origin rather than Japanese, she was quick to note that one of her favorite Manga artists often draws her characters in Chinese dress. Plus it fit her beautifully and she wore it to dinner that night. Here she is modeling it for us in our hotel room. She is holding up a box of "Pocky," which is a favorite Japanese snack. They are kind of like thin pretzle sticks - without the salt - dipped partway in a chocolate or strawberry or other flavored frosting.

She was SO excited to find the dress and at only $25, it's something special that she can be glad to have found: a good babysitting money investment! :)

Deerfield Beach Getaway 2010: Part 2

2010-07-06T22:13:00.000-04:00

Our sightseeing continued on Saturday with a trip to the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens. We had heard great things about this place from online reviews, but you just never know. Before we got there, Maia kept whispering, "Oh I hope it's not lame!" It was not! It did not disappoint and exceded our expectations. I really have too many photos to post all in one post. I'm hope to share with you only the ones that illustrate the quality of and the really cool, educational aspects of this place.

One of the lovely and impressive things the designers of this garden did was to use Florida plants, but showcase them in a Japanese style. So, there were not plants from Japan, per se, but instead, beautifully manicured Florida plants that we recognized (some that we have in our own yard) that were creating this Japanese garden. It was so great to see that these plants which often are trimmed into squared-off hedges in the U.S. could be trained to wander overhead, creating a tunnel of shade, or trimmed into a more tree-like shape with many different levels. So creative!

Above: Looking across to the main museum that houses the restaurant, the library, the gift shop, a ceremonial tea room and various exhibits.

Above: Tri-colored Heron spied in a tree. Below: The original museum, designed as a traditional Japanese home, that now houses the children's exhibits (our favorites!) and the outdoor bonsai collection.

Below: High school uniforms and various posters (fun info about school lunches).

Above: I took a picture of this map, because it struck me as so interesting. I realized just how nieve I was in looking at it. Notice that Japan is in the middle of the map where the Americas are "supposed" to be! But, of course, they aren't supposed to be there; it's just what I, as an American citizen, have always seen. But, no, we are not the center of the universe!!! lol! :)

Below: The Japanese language is read from right to left. Notice the grades on the chart move sequentially that way too.

Next up: Bonsai and a Beautiful Dress!

Deerfield Beach Getaway 2010: Part 1

2010-06-29T06:00:00.003-04:00

The last time our family took a weekend away for R & R, it was a wet, cold, camping trip in December. We have been overdue, so we planned a small trip to the other side (the east coast) of Florida for a little exploring and relaxation. My older dd, Maia, as you may recall, is into all things Japanese, stemming from her love of Manga & Anime. Discovering that there was a Japanese garden and museum located around Boca Raton, FL, we decided that would be our primary destination and planned our hotel stay and excursions around that.

No beach, you ask? No. Not when beautiful beaches are 25 minutes from our house and family is arriving from MN today, which always entails beach visits. No, we wanted to check out some other things Florida has to offer besides its beaches.

So, Maia wanted the Japanese gardens, Paul wanted to relax in a hot tub, I wanted to try out some new restaurants and find fun shops - not really to buy, just to look - and Eve... Well, Eve is 10 and is just pretty much happy to go wherever the family is going. She didn't care what we did. We were going together and on an adventure and that was enough for her. Awesome. :)

She did manage to finish her first sewing project in time for the trip and she knew she wanted to wear it to the Japanese gardens.

She really did a fantastic job!

After the 3 hour, 40 minute drive, we checked out our hotel (the girls checked out cable channels, since we don't have that at home), took a breather, and prepared for our visit to Delray Beach's, Atlantic Avenue.

I had designs on the Antique Mall that I'd read about, so we parked nearby and immediately spied this super cute cupcake shop! We would have gone in, if Paul had not been on doctors orders to cut back on sugar for a while. Going in just might have been torture for him, so we just looked instead. This darling place is a fine example of why I love, love, love shopping locally. I love unique, independent little places that you can't find anywhere else.

A little view of the inside. Check out the televisions in the oven doors! So creative!

We stopped in at the Antique Mall and were really a bit disappointed. I can't say that I've ever been to an antique mall where absolutely everything was behind glass. It was kind of weird. But Maia found something very special. She didn't buy it on this day, though, because the next day we were visiting the Japanese gardens and she wanted to see if she could find something similar in the gift shop. She didn't, by the way, and we returned for this special item on Saturday... but I'll tell you about it in Part 2!!

So, then it was just time to explore on this hot, Florida, summer day. We strolled past a health food store and I just had to go in. I love to check out these little places. It had a great juice/smoothie bar and deli in the back. We stopped back here on Saturday after we'd picked up Maia's special item and enjoyed smoothies all around. Mine was called Hawaiian Sunset and consisted of OJ, banana, papaya nectar, dates, pineapple, and coconut milk. Delicious, delicious, delicious.

Outside of a stationary/art supply store was this hand seat. We especially liked the cup rest on the thumb!

Some of the shops - at least 3 or 4 that we saw - had these misters spraying down on their outdoor eating areas. I suppose if you sat under them for the duration of your drink or meal, it might keep you cool, but though they kind of look cool, I thought that most of the water was likely evaporating, and when we walked beneath them, we really didn't feel much of a difference at all. It seems a bit of an environmental extravagance to me, but I'm sure is a novel attraction for tourists, who don't necessarily think like I do.

We finished up the evening with dinner out at Olive Garden (nothing unique about this place, but I didn't have anything planned for that night and they do have a few vegan options), which the girls picked. You can't go wrong with Italian food in our family. Swimming under the stars was the big finish to our evening, made all the more fanciful with the participants in the ballroom dancing event happening in, what else, the ballroom of the hotel. So, everyone swam and watched through the glass, the elaborately costumed dancers heading in for their performances.

A good start to our weekend! :)

*A brief note to say that my sister and her family are arriving today!!! Hooray! We'll be making more fun with them until the 5th. I hope to get a chance to post part two at some point, but with everything going on, it may be delayed. If I am not back here before the 4th of July, I hope all my U.S. friends have a very festive time with family and friends celebrating our own, special day of Independence!

Good Idea

2010-06-27T21:17:00.000-04:00

(I wear my watch on my right hand, just in case my arm is looking a little weird to you right there!)

The other morning after my morning devotions I was lamenting the fact that once I get sucked into my day, I forget about God. I mean, not ALWAYS, but often, I am just so caught up in the events of what is happening in front of me that I forget the sacredness of life and that He really is always there.

I've never had a digital watch until a couple of months ago when I began training for the 5K I ran in April. I haven't used all of its features, but one I AM using now is the hourly chime of the alarm. When I hear it on the hour every hour, I am reminded of His presence. And if I hadn't said hello in the past hour, I do it then. And I give thanks, noticing everything I have to be grateful for in the day. And if I'm struggling with something, I am reminded of the presence of the Holy Spirit as Guide and remember to ask for help.

This is one thing that is working for me and I love it! We don't have a church in our town that chimes bells on the hour (though I would LOVE that!), but this is the next best thing. It's the best use I've found for my digital watch!

Small Changes

2010-06-24T06:00:00.001-04:00

The last couple of posts have held ideas for making changes regarding our plastic consumption.

Remembering that

plastic = oil,

I have begun to work on slowly reducing the plastic that literally surrounds me. I had a good opportunity to begin this past Tuesday. I had run out of my liquid dish soap and have decided not to replace it. I have one of those soap-in-the-handle-thingys too. The scrub sponge part is looking pretty nasty and I didn't have any of those replacements either, so let's see if I can "cut two carrots with one knife" (as Colleen Patrick Goudreau would say, because we both really like birds and wouldn't even want to kill one with a stone!) by getting rid of both the soap and the thingy and see if I can save myself some money too.

My new set-up is crocheted cotton around a bar of glycerine soap and a jar with baking soda with holes punched in the lid for easy sprinkling and scrubbing. It kind of looks like milk and a cookie, doesn't it?

The crochet is just a quick pattern I made up. It took me less than an hour and I was able to use cotton from a sweater I'd unravelled and recycled! Bonus!!

I cut another piece of yarn when I was done and wove it in and out of the ending round of crochet, creating a drawstring. I knotted it so it would stay tight, but I made a loop so that I could cut it when the soap runs out and then re-string with another drawstring.

I'm also trying to switch my seemingly millions of food storage containers to glass. I have 3 with plastic lids and I found two new round ones today (one shown on the left) with glass lids, which is what I really want. That is acutally a baking/freezing container, which is just what you can do with the food storage ones too, but it is round. I found it at the grocery store and noticed that it was $3.00 cheaper than the food storage ones are advertised as being. Why?? Because they are round and not square and therefore won't store as neatly? It bugs me, but whatever. I do have one rectangular container (shown on right) that is vintage that I got at an antique mall a while back. I actually used it upside down as a butter dish for the longest time, until I found the cool little butter dish at Goodwill that I use now.

I also took a huge number of plastic bags from bread and the free newspapers that are delivered with me to the grocery store where they have a bin for recycling plastic bags. I always wonder where they go? Since our dog, Lucy, died in April there's no more picking up after her waste in the yard and that is pretty much what I used the bags for. I also use the bags for purchasing bulk dry goods and storing some produce in the fridge, but I am going to be making some smaller cloth bags for those jobs. I'll share those when I get around to that project too. For now, I'm happy with my little soap project. I hope it's something that will work for our family!

Fake Plastic Fish's 2009 Plastic Resolution

2010-06-23T06:00:00.003-04:00

Have a look at Beth Terry's impressive non-collection of plastic and some great ideas for reducing yours!

We Interrupt This Regularly Scheduled Blog Post...

2010-06-21T06:00:00.002-04:00

*sigh* Are you growing more acutely aware of our oil consumption as every day of this disaster passes, like I am? This was my year to "lighten up" a bit, not feel so guilty if I weren't doing things environmentally perfectly, be a little bit more gentle with myself. And it really has been a good practice for me. And I do want to remain upbeat, I do. But really, folks. Really. This is all so very, very sad and has got me thinking in ways that are as strong in my heart as my decision to go from vegetarian to vegan was a few years ago. Because, of course, this spill is all our responsibility; it really is quite personal.

So, the spill has got me thinking again about my driving habits. My fitness membership has actually increased my driving a lot this year compared to all the other years I have been here. What will I do about this?? The membership has done so very much for my mental health. I have learned that it really is important for me to have a group/class atmosphere to help keep me motivated and regular cardio workouts coupled with yoga keep those endorphins moving and make me just a happier person all around. I did not factor the environment into the cost, because of my desire to be less serious and indulge (my word of the year) in a little less stringent thinking. And to be more clear, my club is only about 6 miles away, so it's not a huge distance. Still. I am thinking more about that now.

I've thought of the alternatives. Technically, I could bike there, but then, after a 12 mile round trip, would I really need a fitness membership? :) And then, of course, I would be alone again in my workouts. The Florida heat in the summertime, while bearable sitting under a shade tree with a cool drink, actually makes me nauseated if I exercise in it any time after, say, 5:00 AM or before 9:00 PM. I was having a pattern of becoming slug-like every summer and that was a habit I wanted to break. So, I haven't yet come to a conclusion about this one topic yet. But there are SO many other things I can do right at home.

Do you know how far our oil dependence extends? Look at absolutely anything with plastic in it, including your chewing gum and your personal care products, and there's a clue. I can't recommend Beth's blog, Fake Plastic Fish enough. I have read it on and off for years, but I am feeling more and more compelled to make a greater commitment to working HARD at reducing our family's plastic intake. I don't know if I can go completely plastic-free like she (almost) is, but maybe I can? I won't know if I don't try something and as I have learned with all the environmental changes my family and I have made over the years, doing just a little at a time makes things quite easy, quite natural, and very soon is just the way things are. I'll do my best to report how things are going here.

Beth provides us with many, many resources. One that is most helpful to me and is where I'll be starting is her Plastic-Free Living Guide. There are so many wonderful ideas and links there. If I ever complete that list, I'll feel quite accomplished! My goal is to pick and choose at least one new thing there to work on. When that idea feels more comfortable to live with, I'll choose another.

So, I'm sad about it, but I want to turn that sadness into something productive and it is my sincere prayer that others will too. How many disasters have to happen before we make real changes? Oh please, let this be a turning point.

Goal

2010-06-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

Beautiful. From an ad in Yoga Journal to an inspiration page in my journal. Someday...

Newspaper Love

2010-06-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't gotten the newspaper for YEARS. Still, one of my favorite memories is of curling up on my mom's big, king sized waterbed(!) (does anyone still have those??) on a Sunday morning and looking over all of my favorite parts of the paper with her and the occasional sibling that would join in.

My mom is a die-hard newspaper lover. She reads it through and works most of the puzzles on the puzzle page. Recently, when she was at her cabin in North Carolina, her S.O., Jerry, was saying that she was just about going crazy without her regular daily paper.

When I was first married I think we got the weekend papers. And for some reason, we really didn't read them enough to merit the environmental impact our subscription caused.

We've never had the paper since moving to FL. I have just not thought of us as a "newspaper family." My husband reads CNN online in the mornings and I listen to NPR pretty regularly when I have opportunities in the car. When major stories are happening, I turn to The News Hour on PBS, but there are many days when I just don't get the news and I'm okay with that too.

Of late, though, I've been wanting more local information than what news headlines will bring me and more regional information than what the little free weekly paper delivers. Mostly, I'm interested in things to do and feeling more connected to the local culture. I really like our alternative press, Creative Loafing, for fun things to do. But, being the alternative press, there is often more vulgarity in it than I care to look at or have to sift through. I don't dislike it because of this, but I just have to know what I'm potentially getting when I pick one up.

The city newspaper has seemed so inviting to me of late for all of these reasons. Also, my girls have been getting Weekly Reader for the past 2 years as part of our homeschooling. Maia is going to be a highschool freshman this year and I'm thinking that reading a real paper is probably the better choice for us this year.

So last week I biked down to the entrance of our subdivision and picked up two papers to compare. I enjoyed sitting on the floor, slowly leafing through and comparing the two papers. I liked getting up and walking away to make lunch and coming back to read a little more or attempt a puzzle for a few minutes (I am NOT patient with puzzles other than deductive reasoning puzzles, which I LOVE!) here and there.

I learned that extras were needed for a small-budget film that was being shot Saturday night, so while I was at the raw food book signing event with Ani Phyo, Paul took the girls and our neighbor over to the "movie set". They had to do a lot of waiting around and had only a brief passerby shot that may or may not end up in this little movie, but it was fun for them, something they'd never done before, educational, in that they saw how a movie could be shot, and it'll be something I'm sure they'll always remember.

We could not have found that information out anywhere else, I don't think.

I picked up a paper yesterday too, because they have the weekend section in it - things that are coming up, places to go, things to see and do that I might not have known about. I'm thinking about the Wednesday paper too, because they have the "Taste" section those days and it features the syndicated column, "The Amish Cook" which I just love to read, because I really am a sucker for the Amish in a lot of ways.

I think Tuesdays have some sort of education section for kids too. Surprisingly, I don't think I would get the weekend paper. I'm not a coupon user, because I don't get many packaged foods to begin with and am not a name brand shopper. I don't really like any of the sale flyers either. I don't usually care to shop much at the big box stores as it is. It doesn't mean I don't ever do it, it just means that I don't need a whole stack of flyers every week to look through.

I find myself feeling oddly affectionate toward the paper and the reporters. I like how they provide maps and numbers to find more information. I know this is so ridiculous. I know it's their job, but I feel like saying, "thank you." Thank you for providing me so much information here. Thanks for the thoroughness of your stories. Thanks for the community connection.

So, I'm not sure yet. I'm enjoying stopping by and picking up a paper when I want it. I don't think fifty cents goes as far anywhere else! Come the school year, though, I may not have as free of a schedule and if I want the kids to engage in regular current events reading, we may end up figuring out some sort of delivery schedule.

Over the past couple of years I have listened to stories from journalists lamenting their jobs changing so drastically and newspapers being shut down or gobbled up by big conglomorates. I have seen the subscription extras to gain subscribers: "A free tank of gas with every subscription" when gas prices were particularly high is one I remember. I have wondered if there is a place for the newspaper in our futures? Well, if the past few days have shown me anything, I really hope there is.

Craft Day!!

2010-06-16T12:24:00.005-04:00

Added more happy pictures to my journal this morning.

Save for dinner tonight at my mom's I have NOTHING I have to do today... NO PLACE I have to be!!! And so finally, since our summer vaca started 3 weeks ago, I get to do just what I want. And what do I want? HOURS of uninterrupted crafting time. Happy, happy, happy!

See, while you northerners are singing happily along with "Soak Up the Sun" - and I'm happy for all of you, really, I am - we in FL are seeking the shade, AC, darkened movie theaters, chilled bowling alleys, and if we're not in a pool, we're doing indoor activities, much like your winters.

Dh isn't a crafter, but he is a puzzler and he can dedicate hours to this pastime. He pulled out the extra leaves in for our dining room table and proclaimed it the "Summer Crafting Table." He likes company while he puzzles, dontcha know? Wasn't that sweet of him? And so we've all joined him at the table.

We've got some sweet tunes, room for blogging - like right now ;) - embroidery, drawing, knitting, and painting. See the cute, kitty pincushion my friend, Regi made with her daughter. She's the one who's teaching Eve to sew and she gave her one after her first lesson the other day! Pins go in the front and there are some loops in the back to hold little sewing scissors and a spool of thread. They made a bunch of these for last Christmas and had a few leftover.

Of course, breaks are necessary from all the crafting and so video games work nicely. It's going to be a very good day. Seriously. :)

Almost June...

2010-05-27T18:09:00.004-04:00

Jacaranda in bloom: the view from the hammock.

Well, well, what do you know? It's almost June and I have not been more regular here at all. Maybe... maybe now that today is our last day of school for the year? Yes, maybe. I just find my life to be so very FULL of interests and other things vying for my attention that writing here happens mostly when I have, well, something to say. And I guess that's just how my blog is. Many others use their blogs as part of their businesses, but this is not that for me. It's just a place to share when something new comes up that wants to be shared. Can you tell I'm writing these words more for myself than anyone else?

May has been kind of a crazy month of trying to finish up end-of-the-year commitments, getting thing lined up for the things I want to do with Creative Life Studio, as well as health issues we've been facing with my husband. We are unsure at this time what he is struggling with, but we are now thinking it may be a hernia. Hopefully a visit to the doctor in the next couple of days will shed some light on his trouble.

Tessa Napping

For my part, I continue to feel really good with the yoga and running/other exercise. My art was selected to be featured in a quarterly exhibition at a nice library nearby. There will be a reception for the artists in July - FUN!! So, I have had a lot of positive experiences sustaining me - and the mood of our household - for this last month. It is helpful, when one person is dealing with challenges in a family, that others are there to keep the boat afloat; it's what we do for each other.

Yoga continues to help with this. When I practice I am very mindful of being in my practice, being in my body, in the present with all the experiences that brings me. I practice not letting my mind wander back home to any concerns I have there and just stay with the asana (the pose) I am doing. It's not too hard to do that when I am trying not to fall over! And that is the beauty of it and something that keeps pulling me back to my mat, because sometimes, in a more relaxing, restful pose - or at the end of practice, my mind wanders back to trying to solve problems. So, I am trying to take my practice with me when I leave the club, trying to be driving the van when I am driving the van or making lunch when I am making lunch. Sometimes, though, I still find I need distraction and I'll listen to an interesting podcast or music. Sometimes that is what it takes to pull me into the present - or at least get my mind off how uncomfortable my husband feels right now.

Bug Painting - Just for Fun

Watercolor and Watercolor Pencil

This being in the now has gotten me thinking more and more about regularly living in the now and trying to figure out how we can do more of that. I think the fact that my older daughter is going to be starting high school this year and my younger is going to be middle school age (still doing school at home with us of course, though) has gotten me thinking a bit more about the fleeting amount of time I have with them and also that I just don't like having a bunch of requirements headed our way. By that, I mean not just high school requirements, but those credits and volunteer hours and all the things that go into helping make your child marketable for scholarship money, which is what we will be needing if my girls are able to pursue college. At this point, Maia already has her eye on a particular art school that she REALLY wants to attend, so we have a lot of work ahead of us. And I'm okay with that. But I do want to continue to work on emphasizing the fun we can have along the way.

I'm also realizing that we have been doing some things that may have been extraneous throughout some of our homeschooling years. I have been seeing that some of the things we have done, probably could have been learned in different, more experiential, or fun ways. I am thinking this partly because I see special things happening in my older daughter. Because she has found what she is passionate about, she is highly motivated to achieve her dreams. She said to me just yesterday, "Mama, once I found out what I was passionate about, math became easy for me. I mean, school just became easier to do, because I know why I am doing it and I know what it will do for me." Essentially, she just had an attitude shift. This is not to say that she had a bad attitude about school, but like the kid who says, "What are we going to need this for, anyway?" she just couldn't see the forrest for the trees.

So, I'm rethinking things. I'm rethinking a lot of things. I'm almost rethinking everything! We are going to be doing things a bit differently next year. Every year I find myself moving more and more toward unschooling, and while I haven't completely embraced it, I am learning to loosen my grip more and more. I am understanding that the kids really are learning in everything (which I really already knew), but more that they can be trusted to have that desire to learn even if I am not pushing it toward them. At least this is what I see being played out in my family. And so we are going to experiment some more with loosening the reigns and see where it takes us. I'm feeling happy and excited about this and I think I'll see even more joy in daily activities throughout the school year.

Some new prayer flags for the garden - LOVE!

But for now, we are on the cusp of summer. It is almost June. We have a lot of ideas planned for ourselves for the next few months. The girls and I plan to do a graphic novel panel per day documenting our activites in the month of June - longer if we find we like it. Maia is working on particular areas of her drawings that she wants to improve and explore and she is also learning how to make amigurumi. Eve has plans to learn some sewing from one of our friends down the street. We all have lots of books to read and I just signed the kids up for free bowling all summer - a program that is probably offered somewhere by you too if you live in the U.S. And I'm going to just keep doing what I do: draw & paint, knit, read, do yoga, exercise, and just be for a little while without lesson plans attached. :)

So, here's to relaxing into summer. Here's to almost June. Here's to now.

Indulge and RELEASE!

2010-05-02T15:30:00.004-04:00

Wow. How do we let things get like this?! :)

This is a shot from two weekends ago. I wrote on the calendar: "The Big Room Clean-Up." I swear, nowadays, unless I write in things like this, everything gets filled, filled, filled so very quickly. I am thankful that since my children were small, we do at least a bi-annual purging of things outgrown or no longer wanted. Things usually go to Goodwill or Freecycle regularly. This year, we'll be having a garage sale in October. They're all good practices in recycling, sharing, and then, even, managing and organizing an event.

So, things get like this for a few reasons. One, is that, like many children, I have a girl that is SO involved in the present moment that she often does the "dump and run" and moves on to the next thing - never wanting to miss a moment of the action - before she has actually put something away. This, all despite our YEARS of nagging - ahem - training on putting things back in their proper place so one can easily find them again and to avoid killing oneself on a middle-of-the-night-bathroom run.

But it's not all that. Some of it is having too much stuff to begin with. Gifts and trinkets find their way in and older, forgotten trinkets are just pushed back farther on the shelf or in the box under the bed... or wherever, until there is no more room. Cooler weather (and this was Florida's coldest winter in a couple of decades) has us huddling, cozy in our winter nests and we don't get to these deep-cleaning kind of projects.

And I simply don't have the time, or frankly, the desire, to huddle over the bedrooms like I did when the girls were little. Sometimes they get to live with the clean and sometimes they have to live with the mess and when I simply can't take it anymore, big cleanup days get put on the calendar.

I'll admit to getting frustrated, because when things get this bad, they are overwhelming for little ones and inevitably, Mom and Dad are dragged into the picture to help sort, and purge, and reorganize. This year, I was hoping that the knowledge that I was doing my own cleaning in my room would be enough solace for her, but no such luck. Daddy and I ended up devoting each a couple of hours which made for a happier girl and vows of never letting her room get so bad again!

We'll work on it. :) Can you tell, by the way, what this one's favorite color is???

Cleaning and organizing and purging is always such a psychological process in addition to simply the physical one. We hang onto things for emotional reasons or the idea that we might need something "someday." That's why I love these seasonal clean-ups. It gives us a chance to re-evaluate if that thing we couldn't let go of last time, is ready to be released now.

Releasing, to me, really does feel like an indulgence, because a feeling of freedom and lightness always follows and who doesn't like that?

My closet (I'd already started clearing a shelf when I remembered to take a before picture!) is usually pretty well organized. But over the holidays, it becomes the hiding place for gifts and secret projects. I also end up storing some of my works-in-progress knitting projects here to keep the kitties out of them. So, my floor gets littered with bags of yarn. Clothes are not always put away as neatly and nicely as I like and when you have an open shelf system, it's important to keep things that way - even if you're the only one looking at it.

The season is shifting... my taste in clothes change (it's a good thing I shop at Goodwill for most of my clothes - my budget can tolerate those fashion whims much easier this way!)... I'm ready for a few new inspiration/vision board changes, and hey, losing the 10 pounds I've lost means that some of my stuff simply just doesn't fit anymore! Time for a revamp.

Tessa does a double-take at the big pile of clothes that were taking up space in my closet that can now find new homes. Crazy, really, at how much there is. Like my daughter, I want to do a better job of keeping up with letting go of things I really don't want. Like I said, I regularly drop things at Goodwill, but still, I had so much to let go!

Now, all better! I'm sure the spring cleaning bug has bit some of you too. Go ahead and make time on your calendar to indulge and release! You'll be glad you did!

C'mon, Get Happy!

2010-04-23T11:45:00.005-04:00

My Maia is one of the happiest kids I know. She has a gift for letting stuff just roll off her back that I have long been challenged to possess. That said, I am really focusing on this trait this year. I have found that regular exercise, yoga practice, and mindfully living in the present has helped this immensely. Other than those things, some old favorites of mine are:

COLOR: Colorful gardens, colorful flowers inside, colorful decor, colorful clothing, colorful art, colorful food

CLEAN: Clean floors, clean windows, shelves and tables artfully arranged, clean, fluffy towels for clean, soft skin

FRAGRANCE: Candles, inscense, essential oils (sprinkled in mop water or even into the toilet bowl you are cleaning with vinegar), hand soaps, creamy bath soap, herbs in the garden and in your cooking, flowers in the garden and on your table

INSPIRATIONAL BOOKS (other than the Bible): Oh, the list here might be too long, but a few, old classics I return to again and again are: The Artist's Way and Walking in This World by Julia Cameron, Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach, Living Out Loud by Keri Smith, Inspiration Sandwich by SARK and so many others (all these books, by the way, have fabulous bibliographies that provide hours of inspirational reading pleasure!)

EATING BEAUTIFUL, VIBRANT FOOD: You know, God didn't need to give us variety, but He did! I am continually amazed at the different flavor and aromatic sensations that can be achieved by blending different things in different ways. Eating in a compassionate way that honors my values of non-violence and peace makes me happy. Knowing that I can nourish myself and others without hurting sentient beings gives me joy - and knowing that we don't have to sacrifice anything to do so, enjoying flavorful, satisfying food is a gift.

HAPPY PLACES ONLINE: Tranqulity du Jour by Kimberly Wilson - She also has a fun, inspiring podcast. Kimberly blogs there herself and has guest bloggers too. Today, one posted this: 75 Simple Pleasures to Brighten Your Day, one of Wilson's regular bloggers, Kaileen Elise, and how about some good news with Inspiring Stories. Wish Jar is another old favorite and Sara's blogs are always positive (the link is to just one; she's got more - check them out in her sidebar).

MAKING ART AND CRAFTING: This hardly needs explanation, but you know ~ creating just feels good. Cutting and pasting and sewing and stitching and sculpting and making something new from something old or raw materials or found objects. It's just good for ya!

I'm about to head out with my girls to do some of that right now. We're off on our own mini sketch crawl today down on Main Street with the grand finale for tea and coffee at Starbucks. That ought to keep smiles on our faces for awhile!

Raw Wonderfulness

2010-04-17T06:00:00.001-04:00

Go on outside, honey, and pick yourself some sour cream!

Another thing that's been making me smile lately is fast and fabulous and delicious-tasting raw food recipes! I know that some raw food recipes can be really involved, but I like to leave those to the raw foodies. I prefer simple, since I don't do a total raw diet; I don't have a dehydrator and some of the other things that the dedicated raw foodists like to use. But here's the thing. I hope no one will let themselves miss out on fabulous food - vegan or raw or otherwise - just because they don't ascribe to the whole diet or philosophy.

One thing I love about the raw dishes that I've had recently is that they are packed, packed, packed with flavor. That is something that I insist on in my own vegan cooking. NO BLAND FOOD. Time and experience in my own kitchen has made me comfortable enough to experiment and add more flavor as necessary. I often double or triple the garlic called for in some recipes. Nutritional yeast, my own dry soup base that I mix up, onions, tamari, ginger, and lots of herbs are regulars in all my cooking. The raw recipes I've had lately are no different and the ones I'm going to share with you have made their way into regular cirulation. Especially the "Sunflower Seed Sour Cream."

About two months ago, I went out to dinner to a local Mexican restaurant in Sarasota called Mi Pueblo. They had recently begun advertising that they had an organic, raw, vegan menu. Let me tell you, that any time I find a restaurant that serves more than salads and veggie burgers as vegetarian options I have to check it out - especially when it's not just one or two veg dishes on the menu, but an entire menu from which to actually choose!! Dreamy.

(There is, by the way, another Sarasota restaurant that I can highly recommend to my vegan friends. This one is Thai and is called Taste of Asia. It's downtown on Main Street and they too have an entire vegan menu. Wonderful selections and really delicious food!!)

So I ordered the raw tacos at Mi Pueblo and they were fantastic! I immediately fell in love with their sunflower seed sour cream and knew I had to find something like it to use at home. I also loved their taco "meat" which was made from pine nuts. I actually had a recipe at home that was similar, made from walnuts that a neighbor shared with me. She'd given me a sample that I loved, but I just hadn't made it myself yet.

The beautiful thing about the raw food is that not only are the recipes a snap to make, but after the meal, I felt just right. I was totally satisfied (the carrot-pineapple-ginger juice was a knock-out too! A perfect, sunny, orange addition to my meal) hunger-wise and yet felt light - not heavy or over-stuffed at all - even after I cleaned my plate! :)

BTW, this may be a mental thing, but whenever I drink fresh juice, have a great, green smoothie, or eat raw, delightful food, I just fairly feel that I am vibrating with good energy. It literally feels like the sunny vitamins go straight to the bloodstream and my body just says, "Mmmmmm!"

So, here are some of the delicious things I've been enjoying lately:

Sunflower Seed Sour Cream

1 cup water

1 cup raw sunflower seeds

4 T lemon juice

3/4 t onion powder

1 heaping t minced garlic

3/4 t salt

Blend in blender until smooth and creamy.

That's it!! So delicious. It's a great alternative to the often over-used soy products that act as dairy alternatives. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful to have them, but I love a variety of options. This lasts a while in your fridge. I've used it so far on bean burritos, raw tacos, spooned over potatoes, and thinned and poured over salad greens. Wonderful!

Walnut Taco Meat

2 c soaked walnuts, strained

1 T cumin

1 T coriander

1 - 2 T shoyu or tamari (though I don't know if tamari is strictly raw)

1/4 c cilantro

1/2 c fresh cut corn (optional)

Pulse all in a food processor.

Brilliant! This is SO good. My dh doesn't care for cilantro, though, so next time I will make it without for him. I've been eating this on top of salads too.

This next one is from the January 2010 issue in Vegetarian Times Magazine.

Raw Chocolate-Chia Energy Bars

1 1/2 c pitted dates

1/3 c raw, unsweetened cocoa powder (I just used the cocoa powder I had; likely not raw)

1/3 c whole chia seeds

1/2 t vanilla extract, optional

1/4 t almond extract, optional

1 c raw slivered almonds or raw shelled pistachios

Oat flour for dusting (optional)

Place dates in a food processor; puree until thick paste forms. Add cocoa powder, chia seeds, and vanilla and almond extracts, if using. Pulse until all ingredients are combined. Add almonds; pulse until nuts are finely chopped and well distributed through date mixture.

Spread large sheet of wax paper on work surface, and dust with oat flour, if using. Transfer date mixture to wax paper and use paper to press mixture into 1/2 inch-thick rectangle. Wrap tightly, and chill overnight.

Unwrap block, and cut into 8 bars. Dust edges and sides with oat flour, if using, to prevent sticking. Rewrap each bar in wax paper.

Here's how I made them: I used regular cocoa powder, because that's what I had. Also, I couldn't find raw almond slivers, only blanched ones, so they had to do. I used both the almond extract and vanilla, but will likely use only the vanilla next time as the almond flavoring was a bit overpowering for my older dd, though younger loves them! I didn't use oat flour and only had parchment paper - not wax. I didn't have any trouble with sticking. I did have to add a bit of water to my recipe. I had 1/2 fresh dates and 1/2 were older and drier, so I think that was why. But they turned out great and I like to have them for snacks and eat one about a half hour before a run.

I'll share more fun, raw finds as they come along and I give them a try. There are loads of sources for raw recipes on the web. I just like to pick and choose when I have the time. Try some of these or share some of your easy favorites in the comments!

Setting Goals

2010-04-14T22:04:00.005-04:00

Are you a goal setter? I confess that I have never been one in the strictest sense. By that, I mean that although from time to time I have written lists of things I'd like to do in my life, it was more of a wish list. The main thing I never really have done is to put dates on my goals... until recently.

It all started this past January when, with my Christmas money I was able to get that fitness membership I'm so crazy about. I also got a good pair of running shoes from my sibs and mom, since the ones I'd had were not supporting my feet at all and were giving my knees terrible pain. When I got to Shapes, they took my measurements and weight, etc. and asked me what my goals were. I've always been pretty fit, but a few pounds had crept on over the last year and so I said that I wanted to increase my endurance, lose maybe 8 to 10 pounds, change some of that fat to muscle, and tone up. I also wanted to be able to strengthen my legs with the hope that I could run again.

I began working on that and I really began feeling changes right away! I know not everyone is in this camp with me, but I do love to work out! I just don't really like always working out alone, so the company really keeps me motivated. But generally, I love the way I feel afterwards and it really balances me.

Without thinking too much about it, I started setting other goals: wear a bikini by spring break (hadn't done that in about 5 years and had pretty much shelved that idea), run a mile, up my level on the eliptical, do that for 25 minutes... then 30, then 3 miles on it instead of 2.5... then 2 miles outside instead of one. Do the "crane" pose in yoga, balance on my right foot through all the one-foot balance moves as well as I can do on my left (did you even know you could strengthen your ankles?!?!), do the splits again like I did when I was on danceline in high school.

And you know what is so cool? I've done ALL of these things so far. Applying these little, weekly goals to my fitness started to flow over into other areas of my life. Maybe all these little, fitness baby steps were a metaphor for other things. Maybe I could apply these little, baby steps to, say, this idea I'd had simmering in the back of my mind for over a year now... Maybe I didn't have to achieve everything in one fell swoop 5 years from now. Maybe I could start now just a little bit at a time. Maybe every little step acutally counts, the journey is as important as the destination, and this idea... this business... this dream could slowly grow with me. And so, without the dream studio yet manifested, I have begun taking steps toward my dream and Creative Life Studio will be launching at the end of this summer. :)

Do you pray?? If you do, pray for me on this one, friends. I would greatly appreciate it!

I think I am coming to the conclusion that goal-setting, while very important when you are just beginning to make your way in the world, is just as important... and maybe even more important... the older you get. I know this may sound counter-intuitive, but I am believing this is more and more true.

At 41 years old, I have done a number of things that many people wish to achieve in their lives: marriage, children, a furnished home, a way to support ourselves. I also know that as our roles change in parenthood, as children get older and become more and more independent with each passing year (generally speaking... and that is the goal anyway, right?), our identities naturally shift within those parenting duties. It could be that you are no longer your child's favorite playmate, or it could be that you no longer need to be so physically involved in their upkeep, or it could be that you no longer need to drive them from place to place, or it could be that they even no longer live with you. Perhaps, even, you find yourself retired. I would argue that having fresh goals at all times, perpetually learning and striving to reach new summits, whatever they may be, is what keeps life invigorating, interesting, inviting, and fresh.

So, for education sake, I've been looking at a few different business books (The Creative Entrepreur is a current favorite. I've got Tranqulista on my wish list too!), but also goal-setting books.

Goal-setting books are - or rather, were - totally not my style... or so I thought. I'd always pooh-poohed them. "I don't want to be a millionaire," I'd think. I don't care about owning big boats or having two houses or being a big, corporate success. Simplicity. Peace. Balance. Art. Time with my family. That's my style.

But this is where I've been wrong, because, as I'm sure you've already figured out, my goals can still be my goals, my dreams can still be in need of reaching, even if they don't match the "suits". Heck, even my goal setting books don't need to look like the others!

Some of them do, though and Jack Canfield's book, The Success Principles is one that I'm a little late to the show with, but feels timeless to me in a lot of ways. I'd been reading some of the principles to my older daughter, 13, and she was begging to read it too! Happy me, when I found and purchased the teen version of the book! She loves it and is reading it for one of her non-fiction choices for school. Wish I'd had a book like it when I was her age!

So, yep, I've got my little stack of 3x5 notecards with my written goals on them that I review every day. I've long had an inspiration board in my bedroom closet, but my inspirations are sharing more space with visions now too. It's morphing a bit from "inspiration board" to "vision board" and the main difference between those two is, of course, goals.

The main thing is that I'm having a ball with all of it! Some of my goals are sky-high and others are short-term and quite achievable. But the truth of the matter is that I have nothing to lose and everything to gain by at least trying.

I have a number of goals I'm currently working on and a number I'm right now just dreaming about, but at least they are "out there." I can read them and think about them and because they are in the forefront of my mind, I can take advantage of opportunities that may come my way regarding them that I might not otherwise recognize if I wasn't doing so.

The next challenge I'm looking at is running in my first 5K run on the 24th. It's another new thing to do: to enter into this world of runners, of people who do this thing regularly, in races all around the country and the world. But I am just being introduced. Crazy. And fabulous and fun.

I don't know. I don't think I ever thought I would call goal-setting fun. But it's one of the things that has kept me smiling since the turn of the year and seriously, I'm having a blast. :)

Lucy

2010-04-11T15:23:00.005-04:00

Though this is hard, I must take a few moments to say why I have been away for a few days longer than I'd intended. We lost our little dog, Lucy, on Wednesday. She drowned in my mother's pool while we ran an errand. We had done this many times before; we'd leave her out on the lanai with my mother's dog, Ernie, and we'd leave the screen door open so they would have opportunities to be out in the fenced-in yard as well as in the cool shade of the lanai.

Lucy was a Westie - a terrier with short, little legs. Terriers are earth dogs, but though I knew she didn't prefer water, I didn't know she couldn't swim... or maybe she could and hit her head or something. Of course, we'll never know...

So, despite my postitve outlook of late (which has absolutely helped me through), there has been great sadness in our family this week. And I suppose it goes without saying, but I wish I had thought... please never leave your dogs, - or any other pets for that matter - like your children, unattended by swimming pools. Please let my Lucy be a reminder of that, so other families will not need to know this regret and heartache.

Despite the sadness of this news - this unfortunate post - I can say that we are healing. I have been remembering Lucy's silliness - how she would run around in circles like mad, all hyper and excited, if anyone so much as lifted her and inch off the ground. She was not a lap dog by any stretch; she was uncomfortable being held and I think this nervous energy would send her off frantically like a little wind-up toy any time her feet weren't on the ground!

She was far from perfect; we all had a lot to learn about patience and what it meant to be a family with a dog. But she was a good dog and a loyal dog, the way I believe all dogs are if you simply love them... and we did. :)

Today, I had a happy thought and one that has brought me another measure of comfort. Though I know this is completely theologically incorrect, today I had a vision of my little dog with little wings. My little spirit doggie able to flit from our house - watching us work in the yard, checking up on us and the cats and the bird - to the houses of the others she loved: my mother's place and my mother-in-law's place, where her other dog friends, Ernie and Tiffany live.

I know animals don't become angels when they die any more than people do, but I do believe (unlike some) that animals do have spirits. I believe this is supported in Scripture. I also believe that the folks who came up with the idea that it is a lack of a soul that differentiates us from the animals may just be the same people who think of animals as things to be exploited at whim by humans for their own purposes. If you have known an animal, you would know that they are each unique individuals that show love, fear, anger, embarassment, and compassion, just as we do. These traits, by the way, are not limited to the animals we choose to keep as pets, of course, but to all animals, including the ones many choose not to know by not naming them and having others kill them for human consumption. Whatever your dietary choices, though, it would seem that most every person over the course of a lifetime will hear remarkable stories of animal bravery or kindness or compassion that we simply cannot explain. These stories are not limited to certain species and because they reveal personality and compassion, I do believe that animals have spirits.

Animal spirits may not be like ours - not as elevated or complex and not always (though not never) revealing conscience. Perhaps what really separates them from us is self-actualization and the ability to develop complex languages, rather than lack of a soul.

ANYway... though I don't believe my Lucy really does have little wings, it does give me a pleasant visual of imagining her. I do believe she is in Heaven and I expect to see her there someday. And I suppose she just might be able to check in on her Earth family and friends from time to time, when she's not too busy getting underfoot of the real angels and racing among the clouds.

Revamping!

2010-04-03T18:03:00.008-04:00

It's time for some changes around here! Heavens. I didn't even think I would be back, but I just couldn't abandon this place just yet. We'll see what happens, as some major things have been happening and will be happening in my life. I hope I'll have time to continue to pursue this place, but it's all wait and see at this point.

Happy, happy, happy! I am happier right now than I've been in years and this is what is leading to the changes around here. And oh, joy, that this has been a sustained happiness since the beginning of the year. I am so grateful for my new mood and outlook and certainly hope it lasts!

So here are some of the addtions to my life that have slowly begun to build and create some major shifts in my consciousness, my mental health, and really, my whole life.

The first is fitness and yoga. While I have been vegetarian for 22 years, vegan for nearly 3, health consious and active, I never ended up sticking with a regular fitness program for more than 3 or 4 months at a time. I have long been an advocate of biking and walking, nature walks, and have always loved yoga when I did it. But for me, variety is important as well as the social aspects of a healthy lifestyle and even some accountability. To be brief, I never stuck with a regular program of fitness, because doing it all alone got to be pretty boring for me. I have always had more sustained, integrated fitness in my life when I could work out with friends or simply other people.

My mother has, for the past number of years, given us kids and our spouses a sum of money every year for Christmas. This year I decided to use it on a fitness membership to an all women's club in our area called Shapes. I can say now, that if I can help it, I will never be without a fitness membership again. The variety of classes plus what I do on my own is wonderful for me. The weight loss and toning has been great. But the biggest thing that I can say about regular, sustained exercise, is the positive shift in my mood. Before, I could expect to be moody and stressed a couple of days during the week and now I may experience that only a couple of days a month and that has proven to be a)hormonal and b) short-lived. My husband has noticed a difference and I am simply more peaceful, simply... happier!

So, my fitness was just the first step. I have also been practicing some "mental fitness." I seriously think that more oxygen to my body and brain and the mood elevation cleared out some cobwebs upstairs.

At first I thought I wouldn't have a word of the year this year, because at the end of the year (funk that I was in), I just wasn't in the mood. But round about February, when I began to really begin to feel better, my word became, "Indulge." This is really not as materialistic as it sounds, but instead, for me, it is to simply indulge in life. To not be so hard on myself when I fall short of my ideals and to allow for more fun - whatever that means for me at the moment.

As I was decorating a new journal cover, I came across the phrase, "Lighten Up!" and those words, plus my word of the year, have become a bit of a motto for me this year. I have a very serious and sensitive side (as I think to which many of my old posts can attest) and it is easy for me to sort of take into myself a lot of the negativity of the world. I am consiously working to refute that with simple positivity.

The yoga, and fitness, and positive outlook have added immeasurably to my life already. I hope to reflect that more in my blog and will talk more in detail about these things in future posts. More than this, though, is that I am also launching a new business that I'm really, really excited about! I'll talk more about that later as well, as it comes closer to fruition. Some of my personal and/or Facebook friends already know about it, but I'll save links to the new website for when it's complete. I can tell you that art, craft, and creativity are all a part of it!

In the meantime, I'll be tweaking this place a bit here as I find time, and hopefully be sharing uplifting and inspiring posts and links. I do think that it is interesting how far a metaphor can take you... as well as a name. Golightly Place was originally named for the green ideas I wanted to share that I used in my life. Now I see that it represents much more to me than that. It represents the kind of spirit I want to have and the kind of life I want to lead. Gentle on the earth, yes, but with a bit more spring in my step. :)

T'is the Season...

2009-12-16T08:57:00.004-05:00

...for cabbage!

I have certainly been learning a lot about menu adjusting since having joined our local CSA. We are inundated with greens and lettuces and cabbage has occupied space in my refrigerator for 3 weeks now (not the same head - I've gotten it twice in my weekly share).

I have learned that I prefer the white to the purple or "red" cabbage when it is cooked, as the white (or green) is sweeter and more flavorful to me. My favorite way to enjoy it is simply steamed with Earth Balance or vegan Smart Balance margarine on top. Like carrots, cabbage is sweet and to me, tastes better without salt. That said, I steamed up some red last night and had to add salt; it seemed more lacking in flavor than the white.

More cabbage has gone into soups too and my family, who do not care for it, eat it best this way. A newer way for me to try cabbage has been to saute it with garlic. I thought this meathod was okay, but then it takes away from the sweetness that I enjoy so much. Finally, one way that I really enjoyed it was to saute it with balsamic or apple cider vinegar, garlic, onions, and pieces of marinated, smoked tempeh. Delicious!

A new vegetable for our family to enjoy has been the kohlrabi that we have recieved in our share a couple of times now. Everyone seems to enjoy this in dishes - especially when it is roasted - and Eve even likes it raw! Whenever we get it in our shares it will be sure to find its way into my roasted vegetable medley as well as pot pies and soups.

A few of our tangelos have fallen from the tree. We are CLOSE to being able to begin the harvest, but they are still sour yet. Things will pick up after Christmas and I can see that I will be canning loads of juice in January. Have I told you that I was going to try canning the juice this year rather than freezing it as in years past? It will save on energy and space in my freezer. We'll see how this experiment goes. I plan on doing the same for the lemons that I'll get from Mom's & that will probably start sooner than the tangelos. I don't know about the limes, though. They are abundant right now, but I don't find myself using them as much. Perhaps just a few pints in the freezer will suffice for the year.

In the garden, the lettuces are happy. There will be no lack of greens in our diet for some time to come I believe. The swiss chard seems to be picking up the pace now that the weather has cooled somewhat (cool being relative - it is still in the upper 70's/low 80's and more humidity than usual).

I found that I don't particularly care for one of the kinds of radishes I planted this year, as they were almost inedible in their spiciness. However, I may still plant them from time to time, as I found that I do enjoy their greens and cooking the radishes gives them a very different flavor. They could be a worthy addition to the aforementioned roasted vegetables and pot pies. The nice thing about them is that they can be grown quickly and also grown around (on the outer edge) the square foot spaces of the slower growing vegetables.

Carrots and a few other new additions will find their way to the garden come January. I'm saving a few available squares for them. With the CSA giving me so many greens, I don't feel pressed to fill up all my garden squares with something at this point.

And speaking of CSA's you might think of joining one yourself in the new year when your growing season rolls around. Not only is it a great way to keep money in your community and support sustainable agriculture practices, but it's also educational for yourself by introducing you to new foods and the different ways they can be used. My CSA offered gift certificates this year for one week's share for Christmas gifts. One lucky person in my circle will be receiving this gift. It's one I feel great about giving and one I know the recipient will enjoy! I love gifts that combine both a gift and an experience. I think that a CSA certificate is one that can do that on many levels: the experience of the CSA itself, the gift of the food, the potential introduction to new foods, and the experience of preparing and enjoying the food.

Hope you're enjoying the holiday season!

Cabbage print available at allposters.com

Time for Camping!

2009-12-04T20:24:00.004-05:00

There's a steady, cold rain out there tonight... and we're going camping tomorrow. I, for one, haven't been camping, save for backyard overnights, in 19 years. So, the idea that this time - this first time for my girls - has to start in the rain, is not one that I am thrilled about. So many of our family vacations/events (including our wedding) have involved rain. The forecast, though, is for the showers to end sometime tomorrow afternoon. We check in to our site at 3 p.m., so I am praying that the rain will stop by then. Sunday is supposed to be glorious after a night with lows in the 40's (I know you northern people think that's balmy, but sleeping in it is something different), so it's all sure to be interesting! At this point, I won't begrudge the rain, though - there's always the garden to think about! :)

Speaking of rain and the garden, about two weeks ago, one of our neighbors showed up in our backyard with a rain barrel he'd purchased for us! While I was surprised, I think he was even more surprised at how tickled I was with his thoughtful gift. We've still go to find time to actually get it all put together, but I'll be thrilled when we can begin conserving some water to use on the garden when we do get rain in our dry season.

The garden is producing nice patches of greens and radishes so far. The zucchini and cucumbers are done for this season. The tomatoes are small and green and not too many yet, save for the potted cherry tomato plant that has a lot of little green babies on it. I think our orange and oak trees have just grown too wide and shade our garden more than I would like; the tomatoes are not getting enough sun I think. Beets are getting bigger and the lettuce is doing well. The arugula is perfect! So, I know that I can grow those things for sure. I'll be trying a few more things after the holidays. It will be time to start sprouting those warmer weather crops.

In the meantime, we've nicely filled out our menus with lots of other local food from the CSA (LOVING IT!!) and the farmers' markets. I love looking down at the table and seeing all the things that are grown right in my own garden or town or the next one over. I even noticed that the nearby grocer carries tofu that is made less than 50 miles away from here. That makes this vegan so very happy!

Wishing you all a warm and dry weekend (us too) and I'll talk with you all again after we return from our camping adventure!

Practicing and Preserving

2009-11-24T14:46:00.004-05:00

Sorry to have left whilst in freak-out mode. Things are much calmer now. :) I really don't want to give the impression that I'm having a great deal of anxiety about the things I'm learning about concerning Peak Oil. I'm not really, but I do take the issue seriously. I guess I'm not one to want to put the "happy ending" on everything. I know that that is usually how its done when presenting a tough message, but I don't know that I always agree with it.

For example, shows about endangered species, environmental problems, etc. usually end with the progress that is being made and technologies that are helping, but "there is still a lot of work to be done." Honestly, I find that seems to make a lot of people sit back and sigh and then say to themselves, "Oh, well, thank goodness they're taking care of it," and then go back to living exactly as they have been living.

I just wonder what would happen if, instead of profiling the scientists in the field or the volunteer organizations, an educational show would end with: "The situation is serious. We have x amount of time to make these changes. Here are some of the things every person needs to be doing to secure a healthy environment for our future: ..." Then, give a practical list and links to further information and leave it at that.

At the same time, as a Christian, I am thankful that God is in His heaven and is working out His plan and purposes. I rest confidently in that. By rest, of course, I do not mean that I do nothing. He wants me to care for my family. One of the ways I am doing this, I believe, is to continue to be prepared for a future with less energy by practicing now. Yesterday was a good day of doing this.

I had my first pick-up from the CSA this past weekend and also made a stop at the farmers' market on the way home. My intention, like so many who can and put-up food, is to be using some of what I'm getting - hopefully each week - to set aside for the summer months when less grows here. I am learning, of course, that there are some things that can grow in FL in the summetime, but they are fewer than what is grown from November to May. So, like my northern friends who prepare for their winters, I am preparing for my summer. I am thankful to have a larger window of time in which to do this. At the same time, unlike summer harvesting, in which I would not be teaching, my canning time takes place during our school year and therefore has me juggling a few things. So, yesterday, math was pushed aside so that the girls could help with some preserving.

Preserving is a great lesson to teach children, so I wasn't concerned at all when substituting this into our curriculum. It is a skill that is helpful and fun today and may become more necessary in the future. The citrus season is upon us here in the Gulfcoast and we are practicing saving as much as we can. Maia zested limes and lemons for me yesterday, while Eve juiced them, and I prepared tomatoes for canning. I froze the jar of lime juice, as I already had one in the refrigerator. I put the one jar of lemon juice in the fridge, because it is my first of the season. To save room and energy, though, I believe I will be canning the citrus juices this year, instead of freezing them. Ultimately, canning requires one-time energy and can be done without electricity if that were necessary. When my mom's lemons and my tangelos and grapefruits really start to come in, I hope to be steadily filling up my shelves with juices.

In the meantime, I am also experimenting with a few new recipes, since our farm share this week included bok choy and kohlrabi. We had a good lunch with the bok choy today and will try something with the kohlrabi tomorrow. The internet makes this so easy with so many recipes available upon doing a simple search. Then on Thursday, we'll be at my mil's for Thanksgiving. I'm bringing a vegan pumpkin pie using the pumpkin I froze from Halloween, homemade stuffing, veggetarian gravy, and some of the freezer pickles I made a couple of weeks ago.

To all of my U.S. readers/friends, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Peak Oil Overload

2009-11-17T17:40:00.000-05:00

So, I'm reading Sharon Astyk's book, Depletion and Abundance, and I have to say, I'm getting a little freaked out. I'm sure that things will settle down for me as I let all the information I am taking in settle in my brain a bit, but right now it's all a bit overwhelming.

As I said on a message board today, " I have long practiced voluntary simplicity and, to be honest, while I believe strongly in a lifestyle that focuses on walking gently on the planet, I must admit that I preferred believing that it was voluntary - to a degree. I guess that I'm learning that it is not anymore and I'm more than a little concerned for our future."

Astyk writes,

We have already begun to experience supply constraints, and just about everything that is made or transported with oil has begun to rise in cost. Virtually every purchase we make involves oil at some stage (often at every stage) - from the shoes on our feet to the houses we live in. Our food is grown with oil [did you know that chemical fertilizers and pesticides were petroleum based??? YUCK. Yet another reason to grow your own, shop locally, and go organic. - ed.], packaged in oil, and transported to our grocery stores with oil. Many of us have an instinctive assumption that Peak Oil is mostly about gasoline, because that's how we think about oil. But in fact, oil is everywhere, and our whole economy floats on a sea of oil and other sources of fossil energy that are reaching their peaks.

One of the other fossil energies is natural gas and I'm sure many cold-climate friends can attest to the high, high prices they are already facing. In addition, alternative energy sources also rely on oil for their production or for mechanical parts; I learned a lot of this last night watching the film, The End of Suburbia.

Astyk has seen The End of Suburbia too and I appreciate that while the film leaves us feeling like the real and perhaps only solution is for the "New Urbanism" to save our cities, she at least gives a little more hope to me as to how one might begin to make changes while still residing in the suburbs. There has to be this kind of hope, because there's no way we're all going to fit into the cities and, at least in the shorter term, there's no way to afford it either.

One of the men interviewed in the film was talking about the great marketability of cities and towns using New Urbanist principles. He noted that they were going for premium rates. Well, that's great incentive for developers and any new development we have should lean in that direction. But he also said that he felt that suburbia may actually be where the future slums are. And I can see that too, because already the beautiful, walkable communites that are voted every year as great-quality-of-life places to live are waaaaaaaaaay out of my family's price range. So, for those of us left in the suburbs, we are going to have to think about doing things differently - way differently.

Consider that as oil depletes and becomes harder to convert into fuel, prices will continue to rise. Not only will we be wanting more oil, but the rest of the developing world that wants and is driving more and more cars, will be wanting more gasoline too. So, consider that the average 40 minute round trip to work will no longer be feasible. Given that the suburbs are rarely set up with reliable sources of public transportation, this becomes a greater problem and may eventually require people to find different work altogether.

Consider, too, that food will no longer be available year-round in the abundant variety we have all become so used to. We will have to know what grows around us at the very least and learn to grow more of our own food as well.

These are just two of the many, many factors that the coming age seems to herald. I am really trying to listen and to learn while it still appears that there is time to do so. Unfortunately, no one seems to know exactly when the effects will multiply exponentially.

Quite simply, it is only a matter of time before we are no longer going to be able to be a global economy and will return to much smaller, regional (if we're lucky) and local economies. We will be required to live more similarly to the ways our grandparents and great-grandparents lived. I don't think it necessarily has to be a horrible thought, (in fact, I welcome much of it and have longed for many of the community aspects of this type of smaller living) but it is a different way of thinking and we would greatly benefit ourselves and our children by learning some of the basic skills that many of us have neglected to learn. Astyk's book, two others she has written on growing and preserving food, and a myriad of other books on self-sufficiency, which may have appeared to be aimed only at a hobbyist audience at one time, now seem required reading for a successful future.

So, I am concerned and yet, I am hopeful. I am afraid that many, many people will continue to wait until they really must act; we are such a reactive as opposed to proactive country. But I am thankful for the amount of information that is out there and that I can take the time that is now to learn what I can. And I look forward to the time when there will be more people who are ready to work together for a healthier future. Right now, I'm sure that I sound alarmist to some, but I think the evidence is on my side. Heck, even the U.S. Army is making preparations for Peak Oil. In the meantime, I will be practicing and continuing to learn more about what it means to live locally and more sustainably. I want to be familiar and comfortable with it - and I want my children to be familiar and comfortable with it - when the time comes.

Just Something You Haven't Thought Of

2009-11-10T22:13:00.004-05:00

Have you ever had one of those moments when you kind of give yourself the palm-to-forehead smack, saying to yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?" Sometimes those moments do not necessarily involve new inventions or even revelatory ideas, but they may just be simple things - new ways of doing things - that seem so obvious once you see it, but for some reason it has alluded you.

For example, years ago when I first started making my pizzas from scratch, I would press all over the dough with my fingers and pull and stretch it until it fit the pan or the stone I was using. I really have no idea where or why I decided to do it this way, but I did and I did it that way for at least two or three years. Then one evening, at a Pampered Chef party a friend of mine was hosting, the woman selling the items was making us a pizza and she pulled out her handy dandy Pampered Chef rolling pin. Was I sold on that particular rolling pin? Well, no, but I just couldn't believe that, for whatever reason, it had never occurred to me to roll out my dough instead of using my hands. Crazy!

I think the same idea can be applied to voluntary simplicity and living environmentally consciously. We often get so ingrained in the way we do things that we sometimes don't think there is any other way to do something. Actually, these types of discoveries are one of the things I really love about living lightly. I'm always amazed and inspired to learn how to do something better for the planet and the people and animals that live here. I am inspired by the creativity and ingenuity that goes into engineering, for example, rainwater catchment systems or composting toilets or new desings of bicycles and other alternative forms of transportation.

Some things, however, are so very simple that they are often overlooked. The beauty of their simplicity, though, is that they can often be done by anyone and even done immediately, with no real learning curve whatsoever. As an example, yesterday as I was walking into the grocery store I saw a mom with her two kids diligently placing plastic bags into the plastic bag recycling bin. Fabulous! Really, it was very good. But then less than a minute later this same woman is standing in the produce section filling up a new plastic bag with produce. I was very tempted to try to kindly say something, but I knew it would come across all wrong (hence this blog post!). :)

Without being critical, because I do applaud her efforts, this seems perfectly illustrate what I'm talking about. She wasn't even thinking about what she was doing, really, and much of the time we just don't; we just continue to do things as we've always done. So here's the thing. Obviously, she could have just used some of the plastic bags she'd brought in to put her produce in. But, taking it one step further, she could simply not put her produce into any bag. I have done this for years and I promise you it is absolutely doable.

If you are purchasing small fruits, loose, in bulk, like say, cherries, then you may want to use a bag you've brought. But otherwise, apples, lettuce, tomatoes, corn, eggplant, etc. simply do not need to be put in a plastic bag in order to travel to your home. This is just one of those things that may be completely obvious to some people, but not to others.

And here is something you might find interesting in regard to all those plastic bags. Perhaps you have heard of the massive, swirling, as-big-as-the-state-of-Texas, collection of plastic out in the Pacific ocean that is regularly killing sea birds, fish, and mammals as we speak. Perhaps you have heard of the sea turtles that mistake discarded, wind-blown plastic bags for the jellyfish that are a regular part of their diets and ingest them, making it eventually impossible, due to all the trapped air in their bellies, for them to dive and they then starve to death. Perhaps you are not as moved by these stories as I so easily am. But Colin Beavan pointed out something new that I didn't know in his book, No Impact Man.

Although the plastic bags do not completely decompose, they do begin to disintegrate in the sunlight into smaller and smaller pieces. Those pieces get ingested by fish, which get ingested by humans. Chemical compounds that make up these plastic bags, never before found in humans, are now being found in human blood. For me, of course, this is just one more reason I'm glad I don't eat animals, but for those who do, I think bringing cloth bags to the grocery store and the department store and the hardware store just became a little more inviting to do. As Beaven points out: we really are what we eat.

Another example of something maybe you just haven't thought of is bringing your own bags to purchase in bulk. Used bread bags are great for this. Again, it may be obvious to some, but I can't begin to tell you how many times the cashiers at Whole Foods tell me, "Oh, hey, that's a really good idea. I never thought to bring my own bags for bulk items too." And bonus: our Whole Foods gives 5 cents off for every bag you bring and all those bulk bags count toward that too. :) You can do this with coffee that you grind too. If your bag is still in pretty good condition, why throw it? Take it back with you and refill it.

These are the kinds of things that keep the whole lifestyle of voluntary simplicity endlessly interesting to me. It's not rocket science and the ideas won't win you any sort of prize, but I do think everyone loves a good idea - especially those that are free and easy.

Instead of getting discouraged, I'm trying to remember not to judge and to consider that maybe some of the changes people need to make are just things they haven't thought of yet. I'm trying to extend a little grace, practice a little patience, not complain (we're taking a family challenge this week to not complain for a whole week!!), and remember to be thankful to the grace that has been extended to me. Because I never know the next time I'm going to be slapping my own hand to my forehead! :)

Image available at Allposters.com

Garden Update

2009-11-09T15:13:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post.

I took a well-needed Sabbath yesterday and have decided that I reeeeeaaaally need to do this more often: guard my time and prepare so that I really can have a day of rest once-a-week.

We are currently waiting for our bicycle head and tail lights to arrive, so that we can be riding more and not feel time constraints even with the earlier setting sun. I was not able to find these used, but had to order them online instead.

I've shopped the farmers' market the past 3 weekends in a row and we've been enjoying lots of local food. The CSA I joined will begin sharing the harvest on the 21st of the month. Also, our own garden is still giving us some things, but recently the zucchinis and crook-neck squashes have been dying on the vine and the healthy ones had some little holes in them. Ugh!! Worms!

I knew they were there - I could see their stupid, little droppings everywhere, but could not find them. Thanks to Paul, though, - my husband and research specialist - we've learned that they are what are commonly referred to as, "pickle worms." The night moths that lay these eggs arrive at night and lay their eggs in the flowers. Then the flowers, once fertilized close up and you can't see the gross buggers until they've eaten their way out of one fruit or put a hole into a healthy one. SO frustrating, but the key seems to be to plant the squashes earlier in the season. I may try it again next summer, but I don't know... we'll see. Seems if I'm not battling the worms in the flowers, I've got other nasty worms eating the leaves. It may be that I'm not going to be a zucchini farmer.

I confess that I get dramatic in my mind when things like this happen. I told Paul that with every garden failure I think, "What if I had to survive??? I don't think I could do it!" My much more logical husband pointed out to me (and I swear he is such a great yang to my yin - or whatever, just such a great match for me - always manages to calm me down and put things into perspective) that if we were trying to survive 1) we'd have many more plants than the few we have, so that if a few of the plants went down, we wouldn't be wiped out, so 2) we'd have a much larger garden and 3) we'd be out there every day really keeping an eye on things instead of checking every other day or so and then being surprised by mishaps and 4) there would be others sharing knowledge with us or we'd have been raised with a certain amount of knowledge that would help us.

As it is, we learn as we go and that is okay for a society such as ours. I suppsose I can be thankful that we are not in an emergency situation where I must have these skills right now. Still, Florida gardening is much more challenging to me than Minnesota gardening ever was and it leaves me wondering just what I would be eating if I truly grew nearly everything... and what a true, local diet looks like around here. For example, there certainly wouldn't be pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but more likely key-lime pie instead. I'm thinking about these things. I'm looking at key-lime recipes. Yes, I have frozen pumpkin in my freezer, but I think I ought to begin some new, more regional, seasonal traditions if I really want to learn to live smaller.

Frayed, But Still Trying

2009-11-04T22:00:00.003-05:00

Now here's an exciting picture, eh? Well, not all that exciting, I know, but it made me happy enough. This is Maia's jack-o-lantern - or what remained of it. I cooked and froze it and Eve's, since we carved them Halloween day and they were just fine to cook they next day. I managed to get just over 4 quarts of pumpkin cooked, pureed and frozen. We've already enjoyed some pumpkin muffins and some Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread. I also enjoyed just eating some hot with Earth Balance and salt on it. I prefer roasting pumpkin to steaming or boiling it, as it gives mild pumpkin a slightly richer flavor. I find doing either of the other to leave it a bit too watery for my taste. The pumpkins weren't local, but at least they didn't go to waste!

This week finds me kind of burning the candle at both ends and has me planning for a Sabbath proper. I have been needing to better guard my Sabbath rest; I have not been doing a good job of it and I am feeling frayed around the edges. For me, this will mean even passing up fellowship this Sunday; staying home from church to read and pray and just rest. I am looking forward to it.

Feeling frayed has led to feeling crabby and something I have been feeling kind of crabby about is this: People have hobbies. I have hobbies. I love to knit, enjoy journaling, making some art, etc. But to me, being concerned about the environment is not a hobby. I confess that I get a little discouraged when people tell me they read or saw something about climate change or recycling or composting or something like that and then tell me, "I thought of you." I know that, certainly, they only mean something kind when they say that, but really? You thought of me? Why not think of yourself... or for heaven's sake, your children or your grandchildren?

I have had people say things to me like, " Well, I know you're really into the environment..." I can't help thinking that I'm into the environment like I'm into breathing or into having my heart beat. We can't live without it, folks. Oh, there will still be an environment if we screw this one up, but ultimately, it will not necessarily be able to sustain life as we know it.

Feeling frayed leaves me feeling discouraged and less hopeful. I am hopeful when I read, on this vast internet, what others are doing, actions people are taking, and the wide variety of voices from around the world who are moving toward less wasteful, harmful ways of living. But, I confess, that when I look around me locally, I see little that impresses me and few that inspire me and that always leaves me feeling sad and even weary from time to time.

Quite often, in the places I have lived, I have felt like an island in a great sea of people who simply choose - yes, choose - not to pay attention to what is happening in and to the world around them. They know to recycle, but just don't. They know it would be better to bring shopping bags, but they just don't. They know it would be better not to take the disposable cups, plates, napkins, etc., but they just still do. It's all just so convenient. And so I swim upstream amidst even people that I love and risk being the wet blanket if I say too much. I try not to say too much too much most of the time and hope that my actions will speak for me. But when I hear that my actions simply make others think of me when they think about caring for this planet that we share, I do wonder why? And I wonder just what it will take - or rather - why it seems that it will have to take something catastrophic to happen before people will act?

I am sorry that we are such a reactive nation rather than a proactive nation on so many things. It seems true to form that our nation is like an addict that will have to hit bottom before it will pick itself up and begin to work to change. And yes, it takes work. It just does. Why do we believe that life ought to be convenient and easy and throw-away for us, when the greater majority of the world works very hard every day just to live? Why do we feel we deserve this? Why do we buy into the idea that we deserve this? Because it's easier and the alternatives are hard. But I continue to believe that the alternatives will one day - sooner than we may want to admit - no longer be alternatives, but will simply be the way - the new way - we must live or our children must live in order to adapt to the rapidly changing climate.

I am doing some things. To some, I am doing a lot of things. But really, I am doing some things. And I need to be doing more. I am just looking forward to the day when I will not be alone in doing these things. Doing things together is almost always easier. The new ways of living that will be a necessary part of our future will not be so difficult when there are more participating, more adding their creative juices to the pot. I do hope to see that day someday in my future.

I am ready and willing to change from a society that values the individual to one that values strong, involved communities. I look forward to the day when cities, towns, and neighborhoods will be planned around or retrofitted to serve the people that live in them instead of the cars that drive through them. I look forward to the day when people will have to (because of lack of fossil fuels) get out and walk or ride bikes or scooter or skate or share rides to their destinations. I look forward to the conversations folks will have when they will actually see their neighbors outside, because walking or biking is necessary. I look forward to the day when I see actual neighbors at the farmers' markets or CSA's, because this will be where we need to get most of our food - from local sources instead of 2,000 miles away. I look forward to the day when people will grow fruit and nut trees in their yards instead of ornamental trees and have gardens that can feed people instead of shrubs. I look forward to the day when these people will talk with neighbors and share foods with those that live around them.

These are things I look forward to and things I hope for. They are things I dream of and a vision that is dear to me. These are the things that I cling to when reality is so different around me and I'm feeling like an island. These are the things that I hope for when I hang another line of laundry or compost or bike instead of driving. I think it's a pretty great vision and this is why I am willing to try and why I wish - so much - that instead of others watching me try, they would step in and join me.

IDC : October 27, 2009

2009-10-27T22:23:00.003-04:00

A quick and easy format for a Tuesday post via Sharon's "Casaubon's Book" Independence Day Challenge.

Plant something: Nothing this week yet, but there are still a few squares in the garden, since the spinach refuses to grow.

Harvest something: two cucumbers, a yellow summer squash, arugula, oregano, and two "sampler" radishes came out of the garden today.

Preserve something: I'll be skimming all the leaves off the oregano and drying it tomorrow for future use.

Waste Not: the regular recycling & composting, cutting up t-shirts from Goodwill to aid in Halloween costume making, using coffee filters more than once, using the light over the stove as opposed to overhead lighting (seven bulbs) in the kitchen during the day, passed on buying the big jar of prepared garlic and instead made my own jar with the girls helping me peel 8 heads of garlic, hung the whites out a day late, but at least I didn't throw them in the dryer, found a like-new bike and a pair of rollerblades that I had specifically been looking for at Goodwill yesterday

Want Not: cooked and froze pinto beans this weekend, finally juiced all the limes Mom had given me, chopped all that garlic in the food processor and stored it in a jar with a bit of water in the fridge

Build Community Food Systems: Joined the CSA!!!!! SO excited about this. Also shopped the farmers' market on Saturday.

Eat the Food: homemade bread, still cooking all breakfasts except for Saturdays from scratch (lunches too, but I was already doing that!), think I'll make some granola tomorrow