(another) simple feast.

Isn't homemade chicken noodle soup the best ?

I made a roasted chicken a few nights before, cooked the carcass down, and out came the most beautiful rich chicken stock.

I added a bit of onion and carrot, the leftover chunks of chicken, whole wheat rotini, a little garlic, salt and pepper. Delicious.

A loaf of bread on the side.
A simple feast.

Have a blessed day, Tami

a simple feast.

During these dark winter months I love simple comfort food. For me, that nearly always means a soup or a stew. One of our favorites is Country Stew. I used a pound of grass-fed ground beef browned with onion, a large can of diced tomatoes, and cut-up potatoes & carrots. I let that simmer for a bit, then add celery, chopped kale, corn, peas, and green beans (I throw in whatever I have on hand). I add a little water to sauce it up. As the potatoes cook, they thicken the stew nicely. Season with a dash of balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. It takes just enough time to cook, for me to make a large pot of brown rice. I sometimes serve the stew plain with salad and bread, this time we had it over rice, garnished with parmesan cheese.
And for a special treat, banana chocolate chip bread (made with honey and applesauce). Yum.

Have a blessed day, Tami

a kitchen corner.

 

  

My desire to have a completely clutter-free existence is sometimes compromised. A compromise made for the sake of my favorite little kids, who are fond of certain things in our home and have no idea what minimalism is or why someone would want it.

Instead of having stuff scattered about the house, I have dedicated certain areas for the display of these treasures. A kitchen corner.

To be honest, if my kids didn't care, this corner would be virtually empty. I might entertain hanging some sort of little cabinet to house apothecary supplies.
But my kids do care. And I do love that these things are special to them.

A beautiful mosaic cross from Denise Mosaics on Etsy, a Christmas gift from my kids. My collection of Art Nouveau tiles from my mom, an American Goldfinch drawing by Gage, a wood-burned family portrait by Kane, our Swedish prayer, a handmade mosaic by Gage, and a little painting that reminds the kids of Kauai, a rainbow of kindergarten pinch pots.

This corner is pretty special.
This idea of having a few areas to display treasures is working for us right now, and it has freed up other spaces in the process.
A compromise I can definitely live with.

Have a blessed day, Tami

simple corners.

I really hate to use the word minimalist, because for most people there is a negative connotation there. For me a minimalist home is airy and relaxed, with room to breathe. Some walls left intentionally empty to give space in a busy home. A few carefully chosen, cherished pieces displayed and honored. Books neatly organized in one central location. A calm and relaxing color palette on walls and textiles. Figuring out exactly what you need to be comfortable, and freeing yourself of the rest, in order to create much needed space.

For a start, I found the perfect white paint color for us. We tried true white and it just didn't work. We settled on a beautiful warm white called Sandstone Cove from Behr. It is lovely, and it reflects light wonderfully on the walls. So far I have finished 2 walls in the living room (first photo) and our master bathroom. Throughout the coming months, I'll make my way through the rest of the living areas. I am especially excited to get this color into the dining room and stairways. There isn't much natural light in these areas. The paint color right now is quite yellow (second photo), and I can't wait to see how much brighter it will be.

I don't intend to have completely bare walls, but I did consolidate our beloved family photos to one wall. They used to be all over the place, now they line the stairway into our bedroom. This feels just right. We have one large piece of art in the living room as a focal, and a historic photo of our house by the front door. Oh...and the giant TV. Nothing I can do about this, but make the space around it as simple as possible. We have a unavoidable coat rack by the front door that I try to keep tidy, it is hard. That giant blob of coats makes me crazy. It's areas like this that make it necessary to create visual open spaces......the unavoidable necessaries of everyday living.  Plenty of space is taken up in my home with just living. Clutter just makes it all too much. So out the clutter goes.

 

There is so much to be done.
I started with the living room for a few reasons. It's the first room you see when you enter our home, and we spend a lot of time there. It just made sense. I have a few more changes to make before I move into the dining room. I need to paint one more wall and the ceiling. I'd like to find some fabric for a throw pillow and replace one of the chairs. I would also love to find a place to store our blankets so they thrown all over the place.

 

I think that the dining room is going to be tough. I have a large bookcase in there, and although it is tidy, there is nothing minimalist about it. Keeping all the books in one area helps though. I will have to just make sure that I keep it organized.
Well, that's it for now. I will post progress as it happens.

Have a blessed day, Tami

in with the new

The decorations are all put away. We have resumed life post-holiday. It already feels like forever ago.

I am always very introspective during the first days and weeks of the new year. Making plans, making financial decisions, clearing out the clutter that seems to accumulate despite my best efforts. It is a time of looking within too, to see if my outward actions are matching my beliefs within. I think during the "birthday season" and the holidays, I take a break from my normal responses to life in order to just cope with the giant task of juggling it all. There doesn't seem to be any other way. I have read so many books on slow living, simplifying, hundred dollar holidays, handmade holidays, etc. Even with this vast knowledge under my belt, it just never changes.
So every holiday season, I juggle until my arms hurt, and every new year I am ready to get back to what I hold true. What I hold true seems to be all of the things I fail at during the holidays. I feel as though I am fighting a losing battle. I think I give in partly because I feel alone in it. Like I am the one who's doing it wrong. If everyone around me is fully engrossed in the typical holiday frantic consumeristic hoopla, then it must be right. Then why does it feel so bad for me. Clearly, I need a better support system of like-minded folks. If I were to choose one thing we did right, we gave more handmade and bought local this year. Okay, all.done. my token after the holidays rant.

Whew!

On with the new.
Digging in deeper with our nutrition. I have been hearing a lot about what certain chemicals actually do to the human body. It is one thing to know that something is bad for you, but when I can get specifics, that does it for me. I have one child that seems to be particularly sensitive to chemicals in foods. If only for him, we need to get off all processed foods with anything artificial.
I am becoming increasingly unapologetic with my family for the food choices I am making for them. We have some family members battling serious health issues right now because of poor lifelong food choices. My hubby and I are entering middle age, and need to be even more serious with our diet. I am going to hear lots of complaining for awhile. (Nutrition also took a back seat over the holidays.) Just like other changes we've made......they'll get used to it.

Going minimalist. Not modern sterile minimalist, just nice cozy cottage minimalist. I have said before that we live in a 1500 sq. foot home. We have enough space to sleep and bathe, a plenty big kitchen, a dining room/library for homework and crafts, and a decent sized living room. It is enough. It begins to feel cramped when we are invaded by too much stuff. I work really hard to cut down on the things coming in. It is time to take it to the next step, and get rid of more. When I spend a few hours putting everything back in it's place I realize, it's still too much. Way more than a person needs. Too many clothes, shoes, papers, dvds/games, pieces of needless furniture, power cords, small appliances. These are the things that just come to mind. I feel bogged down by these things, the care and storage of them mostly. Too much. It is time for breathing space. (I just found this post I wrote nearly 5 years ago....*clearly* I have not found many answers.)

Being more consistent with reducing our impact on the Earth. Avoiding waste. Reducing packaging. Getting solar. Using less of everything.

Limiting obligations. Slowing down. Taking little getaways together. Summer picnics. Eating well and feeling well. Creating. Learning. Growing. Reading. Knitting. Noticing. 2013.

I am excited for what can be in 2013.
Maybe by next Christmas, I will have more ideas and more answers. I would love that.

Have a blessed day, Tami

simple.

{here}

Have a blessed Sunday. I will be back tomorrow. Tami

AMEN

Simple Mom posted this article today in her weekend links. It is written by The New West blog. I love it when others are able to express so beautifully thoughts I just cannot articulate.

My favorite part is:

"We might often feel that the secularization of our favorite holiday has deprived it of all meaning. But on the contrary, Christmas is the time when many who would qualify themselves as ‘non-believers,’ feel a stirring of the spirit that leads them seeking. If we are truly disciples of Jesus, we should celebrate any element of the season that urges people toward the holy.  It may start with the mall or the Hallmark channel, but it often lands them in church. I’ll take it."

Oh and this part too:

"Speaking of shopping–if you are bothered by all the secular expressions posted around malls and big box stores this season, might i gently suggest that you spend less of your Christmas season at the freakin mall? If you don’t like the signage, spend more time serving the poor, going to worship, getting out in nature, and spending time with the people you love. I’m pretty sure the birthday boy would be all for it."

Amen.

Have a truly blessed Sunday, Tami

reality

I allow myself one holiday freak-out every Christmas season.

Consider this IT.

This is usually the culmination of the stress of holiday gift making and buying, and my house feeling about ready to burst at the seams.

Before I begin, let me make it clear. I love giving and receiving gifts, and I love Christmas.
Here it goes.

In preparing for the Christ child, I am also knee-deep in preparing my home to accommodate more stuff. Not by choice, but out of the realization that the way I want to celebrate Christmas does not line up with how most folks indeed celebrate - by giving a lot of stuff. So I go through the perfectly good stuff we already have, and decide what to get rid of to make room for the new stuff we don't need.
Really, I am not the Grinch. I just wish that there was a way to convince more of our family to exchange gifts that don't require consumerism to run rampant. And remember that I am ranting here, I have actually tried SOOOO many different ways of changing their minds. Out of my control.

Did anybody read this blog post by the Nester a few months ago ? Hello, my name is Tami, and I am a stuff manager. Sad.
It hit home and made me really sad. But in this situation and in most situations, I feel like it is out of my control. Too big of a tradition to change, in our family anyway. So, I continue purging my house that is already small by most standards. For a lady, that leans towards minimalism anyway, Christmas nearly puts me over the edge.

Once this freak-out is out of my system, I will carry on. I will watch Christmas movies, and light Advent candles, and bake cookies, and I will even buy my kids things they don't need, and I will remember the reason for the season, for it is certainly not to make me insane.

Have a peaceful day, Tami

hundred dollar holiday?

Last summer I read a book called, "Hundred Dollar Holiday: The Case for a More Joyful Christmas" by Bill McKibben. I knew if I were to put any of his ideas into practice, I would have to read it and plan long before the holiday season actually hit.
When Eric sees me reading books like this he runs the other way, figuring that I am concocting all sorts of ideas that involve total gift deprivation. How can we spend only a $100.00 !!!! It would totally ruin Christmas for everybody, is what I hear.
Honestly, I have a large family, and while I don't think we can meet the $100.00 goal, my family can take some very important lessons away from this book.
Changes like this, when incremented slowly, seem to weave themselves into our traditions in a more gentle manner. This is how most of the successful changes happen in my family. I am the only one that likes to jump right in. If I am patient, and go slow, everybody comes around.
I really like the idea of giving of our time and talents. Each one of us can bless our loved ones in this way. The gift of time is so precious. Getting creative with a handmade coupon or certificate makes it even more special.
We love to make gifts. I am thinking that my kids can make gifts for one another. We usually let them spend $10.00 to buy gifts for each other, and that adds up. With a little forethought, I bet we can come up with great ideas.
We participate in 2 gift exchanges at Christmas. This year I am putting together breakfast baskets. Homemade granola, quick breads, teas, personalized mugs, that sort of thing. I am spending about $10.00 per basket.
I have 7 nieces/nephews that we usually buy a small gift for. I end up spending about $50.00 total for them. I am thinking that this year I will take that money and buy something through the Heifer Int'l website on their behalf. I will still give them their Christmas chocolate bar, and enclose a little note about Heifer. They are all teenagers, and seriously.......do they really even appreciate a $5.00 gift card somewhere? A family in a third world country appreciates our gift much more. A flock of chicks only costs $20.00. I am doing this.
Bill McKibben quotes:

"I can remember almost every present that some one's made for me since we started doing these Hundred Dollar Holidays . . . . I have no idea what gifts came in all those great piles under the tree in previous years.  They didn't attach themselves to particular faces, particular memories.  So the point is not to stop giving; the point is to give things that matter.  (Bold type mine)  Give things that are rare--time, attention, memory, whimsy.  We run short on these things in our lives, even as we have an endless supply of software, hardware, ready-to-wear."

Well, I am giving it a try, in a gentle way. I am willing to bet that my family won't notice, much.
Maybe we spend a few hundred dollars. It's still less, and much more mindfully and creatively spent. That's the important part for me.

Have a blessed Tuesday, Tami

October

{Rafe's 9th Birthday}

October, you are almost done. You have been filled with lots of football and soccer, field trips and birthday parties, rain and cold, and the flu.
I am just now catching my breath.
No time for writing, and what little internet time I had, I spent doing family history research. That has uncovered so much really great information. Each branch of my family has uncovered some truly amazing people and stories.
My favorite would be Mark Twain. I find that connection so awesome. It is a closer relation than most that I found. It's really wonderful to have blood relatives that came over as colonists, but it was so long ago that it's hard to feel a connection.
I have solved a few family mysteries and uncovered a few very sad stories.
My research is slowing down for now, I have invested much time, and now need to get back to focusing on the family I have here and now. I has been a wild ride. I am sure that my research won't stop completely. There is a always information to be found.
I do have to say one thing. Genealogy research has kept me distracted enough that I didn't have such a hard adjustment to the kids going back to school. Maybe a planned distraction is what I need each new school year. Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.
October and November are birthday months for our kids. We are 1 down and 3 to go. I am ready with the gifts, now we just need to figure out a few friend get-togethers to celebrate.
I started wrapping Christmas gifts this past week. It always feels weird doing that in October. If I am not finished and wrapped by the end of November, I teeter on insanity during December. There is so much fun to be had with my kids, that honestly I don't want the added stress of shopping and wrapping. December for me is about music, gift crafting, baking, reading Christmas stories by the fire, snow (sometimes), and just being together. Keeping it simple.
I am 2/3 the way through book six of the Outlander series. That's the other thing that has been distracting me. Each book is about 1000 pages. It takes me a few weeks of reading here and there. Still, that is a lot of reading. More than I usually read for sure. I have book 7 on order, it should be her just in time.
Knitting gets put to the side when I read this much. I haven't the talent to do both. I did finish up a washcloth a few days ago, it will become a Christmas gift with a yummy bar of almond/oatmeal soap in a pretty little box. My raglan cardigan still needs the sleeve finished..........
I am off this morning to have breakfast with my mom and sister. It was my little sis' birthday yesterday. Maybe we'll wander around a bit, too. Coffee for sure.

Have a blessed Monday, Tami

my mama story - part 1

{Summer 2011}

 

I was looking back on my parenting journey (so far), and there are so many things I want to remember. I want the very details etched in my mind. As time goes by, I have noticed that my memories are dulling, as the kids grow up before our eyes, their baby and toddler years are a lifetime ago. The best way for me to remember is to write it down. My very own mama story.

In parenthood, mornings have always been a crazy haze of activity. After Kane (our first) was born, once he was 6 weeks old, I would set out each weekday morning to my mom's house. She had a studio there and we were busy trying to create a custom design jewelry business. Kane would nap there and play, but as he got older, splitting my time with working and mommyhood wasn't working. When he was 2 years old, we put the business on hold, and there it has stayed. My mornings with Kane were blissful during the 3 years that followed. He would rise at 6am every morning. He would snuggle in beside me and watch Sesame Street (the only thing on at that hour). We would get up at about 7am and start our day. We had only one car at that time, and luckily I had a wonderful neighbor friend that only had one car also. So we were carless, but we had our legs. We walked everywhere with our kiddos. We loved the library storytime, little trips to the grocer, walks to the nearby parks or to the post office. On a rare day that one of us had the car, we would go to the zoo. During those happy early years, Eric and I were also enduring an obvious lack of fertility. It took 3 years to identify a tumor the size of a plastic pin-head inside my pituitary gland that was inhibiting ovulation. I was able to take a medication for 30 days to shrink the tumor, and bam! within one cycle I was pregnant. We finally had an answer and a new little life on the way.

Gage joined us when Kane was 5. By that time, Kane was in preschool. No more leisurely mornings. It was the beginning of school mornings. Getting up, making breakfast, praying there are clean clothes for the kids to wear, and rejoicing when they are to school on time. The weekends are just as early, but praise God we have Saturdays to linger. Sunday we practice the "getting everybody out of the house on time" routine and again rejoice at making it to church on time.
I have very fond memories of our evenings with Kane and Gage. After dinner, Kane and Eric would play together and I would get Gage ready for bed. At 7pm each night Gage and I would retreat to his nursery. I had a comfy chair and ottoman, and we would settle in for one last feeding and a snuggle before he laid down for the night. I remember the soft and soothing light of his room, as we would spend those moments together. It was so cozy and peaceful. That time remains one of my fondest parenting memories. When it was time for Kane to settle in for the night, there were lots of books, and cuddling, and kisses goodnight. There was always a dinosaur book and his rainbow blankie tucked in beside him.
I remember always grocery shopping at night during these early years. A little alone time to walk the aisles slowly, a little quiet.
When Gage was a year old, we decided to see if the meds I took previously would work a second time. Again, it only took one cycle and we were blessed with pregnancy #3.
When Kane was 7 and Gage was nearly 2, Rafe joined us, and a month later Anya was born (and joined us through adoption). My mornings were in for a major change. Honestly, it's good that I am writing this down, because that first year with those babies was a total blur. I can remember being totally sleep deprived. Eric would leave @ 6am, and I can remember like clockwork they would wake up just as he was out the door. I would manage to feed both of them. Rafe at the breast, Anya breastmilk from a bottle, and they would fall back to sleep. I had until 9am, when they would wake. I would tiptoe down stairs to the kitchen. I remember trying to be so quiet. Even making coffee is noisy in our little house. Kane and Gage were beginning to stir. I would usher them way downstairs to the family room, feed them a granola bar and a banana, and turn on a cartoon. If I could accomplish this without waking Rafe and Anya, I was giddy. Kane was now in 1st grade. We were so blessed that year to have his bus pick him up right in front of our house. Soon after he would leave, Rafe and Anya would usually wake up hungry and very wet. I managed to get everybody settled in the family room, and that's where we spent our days. We had created a safe little world where I could manage 3 babies under 3 years old. That room was my world for an entire year. There were comfy couches for nursing, a TV and computer, my laundry room, and lots of books and toys. We created a little fenced play area outside the door, so Gage could play out there and be safe. The only time I left that room was to go to the bathroom, go to the kitchen, and go to sleep. At night, Eric and I each took a baby. I would get up with Rafe and he would get up with Anya. Anya started sleeping through the night way before Rafe. Eric lucked out, which was good, he needed to NOT fall asleep at his desk at work. :~)

The fist time I ventured out alone with the 4 kids was comical. It was early December, which meant Anya was 1 month old and Rafe was 2 months old. Kane had the day off from school. I managed to get everybody out the door. The babies were fed and diapered before we left. I was feeling victorious and terrified. I decided to go through the Starbuck's drive thru and treat myself. Rafe and Anya started wailing, and I realized it was time for them to eat again and we weren't even 2 miles from home. It just took so long to do everything. I sat in the back of my Expedition and fed Rafe, while Kane held Anya's bottle, and Gage munched on a cookie. At that point, I realized that everything was just going to take longer than expected, and to always expect that. I needed to relax, and be ready to go with the flow. It was a good lesson to learn for Mrs. Structured and Organized.
I continued to get accustomed to life. I began to feel quite efficient in getting us where we needed to go. We ventured out more as time went by.

I remember being terrified as Summer break approached. How in the world was I going to entertain 4 kids all summer? It ended up being great. Kane was just happy to be outside playing and entertaining his little siblings. We went a few places now and then. I had a list of places I could go that were safe and contained, where I could manage not to lose a kid. Rafe and Anya happily rode around in their double stroller and Gage always had to hold my hand. I feel like we spent a lot of time at Target. Very strange. My mom was often there to help me navigate our outings. Bless her. Eric's mom would take Kane and Gage for overnighter's to give us a little break. Bless her. Those days were so busy. A different busy than we are today. For sure.

to be continued.........

Next up: Gage's adventures. (it's a good one)

Have a blessed day, Tami

a quiet room

I spent the entire day on Monday cleaning out master bedroom. Over the summer it had become a dumping ground for donation bags, Christmas gifts in the works, unused baskets, library books, stray Lego creations, and a whole lot of other stuff that I don't want there.
I wiped down walls and mouldings, dusted and polished the wood, touched up the paint, washed all the bedding and made the bed, neatly folded and put away clothes, vacuumed, and took a whole lot of junk out of there. What a relief.
Our bedroom is the only room in the house that needs to be minimalist. I need a space with little or no clutter or distractions. A sanctuary. A cozy haven. It is painted a soft oat color. The carpet is light. The comfy bed is piled with down pillows and quilts with mono-chromatic tones. We have a few utilitarian pieces of furniture, and a very select bit of art. There is no TV. At the moment, there is a upholstered rocking chair by the window, inviting me to sit. Honestly though, I think it needs to go. More often that not it serves as a clothes hanger.

 

The light in this room is beautiful. It also stays nice and warm. This is a plus during the winter months, when a warm bed is a delight at the end of the day. I have dotted a few votive candles around for a soft glow at night. This place needs to be a quiet and cozy respite for he and I. In our small home, claiming this space for us has become a happy necessity.
Our room is back to it's simple, quiet self. It is my favorite room in the house, for it's promise of rest and comfort. These are two things we need a lot of right now during these busy first weeks of the new school year.
Now. I just need to keep it this way.

Have a blessed day, Tami

vintage goodness

Spending all last week volunteering at church, I was the first to dive into the treasures that were being sorted for our annual rummage sale.
At this point in my decluttered existence, I only see fit to bring home very practical treasures. A tray, scissors, and a colander. Utilitarian for sure, but oh so vintage.
A sure cure for the most dedicated junk collector, is to sort and price the amount of discarded clutter we went through. It is always worth it in the end, raising money for so many worthwhile charities. Volunteering for this each year keeps me in check. The week ended with a deep thankfulness that I no longer collect. I spent too long getting rid of the stuff to let it creep back in now.
The few items that I brought home will be put to good use.

Only 5 more days of school for my kiddos!
I cannot wait.

Have a blessed Monday, Tami

nourish

It feels like I haven't been nourishing myself very well lately. I have been busy. When I get busy, I forgo salad making, I forgo good food choices, I eat things that my body hates. Then I feel really bad, and it takes me a week or so of detoxing to rid myself of the bloat and gross feeling.
Why do I let myself get caught up in this vicious cycle?

It seems that unhealthy eating perpetuates itself. When I eat too many refined foods, my body craves even more. Then I am eating all the time, even when I am not hungry, my body craves this junk. I am getting off this crazy ride right now. I am sick of it.

I don't normally feed my family like the majority of society does. We are whole foods, homemade, simple nourishing food eaters. When I am in social situations, I try and make wise food choices, but sometimes I just get tired of people looking at my plate. I imagine them thinking that I am dieting or something, when I really just want to avoid the processed foods being served.  I have been giving in this last week, while volunteering at church, to a plate of yuck for lunch including about a billion cookies. I had no will power at all. I feel yucky just thinking about it. I really just should have packed my own food. Then we had a weekend family party. There were fruits and veggies, yes, and lots of chips and candy, and lots of soda and chocolate sheet cake. Ugh. Enough of this rant. Now onto what I am going to do about it.

I believe a little home prep can go a long way. If I have healthy food ready, it makes my choice easier. Last week, I had a load of fresh veggies cut up in the refrigerator. It was so nice to have them ready for snacking. And they went fast. I need to make a habit of this, instead of preparing them as the meal is coming together. We would eat so much more good stuff this way.

I was reading a blog post today. This very wise woman makes a hearty salad the foundation of one meal every day. I want to do this. My family would love it, I would love it. I feel good just thinking about it.

I am going to admit that diet soda has invaded my life - again. I am such a health freak, I can't believe I let this stuff pass my lips. I am done.

If I can stay away from refined sugar long enough to get it out of my system, I will be good. Sugar is not my friend. Sugar makes me want more sugar. Vicious cycle ya know. I am done.

This looks like a good plan. No more church lady lunches, out with sugar and soda, in with big hearty yummy salads EVERY DAY!

I am going to take a break from a very busy week and be kind to myself today. I am going to take it easy, eat some restorative food, work in the garden, and knit. It will be heaven.

Have a blessed day, Tami

done

{totally unrelated to the post, just a cool pic}

I was really going to try and keep track for a whole year.

If you have checked my *One Thing* page lately, you will see that I made it about 3 months.

I *really* like to finish what I start. This is a little hard to let go of. It's all good though.

I decided to be done with it for a few reasons.
It was hard to remember to do everyday or even every few days.
I felt like it was becoming redundant.

The good that came out of it?
I really do these things all the time (redundant) - this is great!
I have a list to refer to when I am feeling aimless and uninspired - Yes!

Overall, I would say that this exercise did what it was supposed to do. I took notice.
My *one things* turned into a lot of good things.

Learning to let go of unfruitful activities is a good thing. Maybe this will be the last thing on the list. Yes.

Have a blessed day, Tami

friday already?!

Is it Friday already?
Things really speed up before they calm down. Wow.
We are in a end of the school year frenzy. Field trips, class projects, science fair, playoffs, end-of-year teacher gifts, end-of-year coach gifts, parties, freshman cruise........WHOA.

I am ready for the lazy days of summer already. Even lazy days need to be deliberate, as we navigate and prioritize the summer fun. It would be easy to stay just as busy all summer. We are being picky with our plans. Keeping it simple.

Two family camping trips. Really fun ones with good friends. Yes.
Swimming at Grandma Kat's.
Lots of berry picking.
Growing and preserving.
Beach and park exploring.
Lots and lots of time at home, outside, playing with the neighborhood kids. Done.

That is the plan.

We are having glorious weather this week. Finally.
I planted three tomato plants yesterday. Old German, Sungold, and Sweet 100's. Yum.
I also put in 4 zucchini starts, 5 sunflower starts, and my celery experiment. I noticed that I have 2 potato plants coming up from the bed last year. I will leave them and see what we get. I still need to plant my green beans and more carrots. I plan start thinking now about what I will plant in the fall. Cabbage, carrots, and some greens to overwinter. We'll see.
Everything else is coming in nicely. Raspberries, snow peas, leaf lettuce, apples, potatoes, blueberries, rhubarb. These are all good.

Enjoy the weekend.
Blessings, Tami

my day

A tiny lilac bloom.
A pie from the last of the frozen berries and rhubarb.
The heavenly smell of lilac in my kitchen.
The first of this years rhubarb.

Noticing beauty around me today.
Enjoying a day without rain.
Feeling relaxed and content.

Have a blessed Wednesday, Tami

eco-warbrobe

Every Spring I like to go through my closet. I don't have a large wardrobe, but I do like to replace the tired, with new to me pieces for the Spring and Summer. As soon as the temperature permits I am all about dresses and skirts. Even during the colder months you can find me in skirts with wooly tights and boots. I would like to be sure that each new addition to my wardrobe is chosen in the most eco-aware way. Buying used is always my first choice. I have an aversion to buying new, when there is so much clothing that is perfectly fashionable and usable that is already here and waiting to be found.

I would like to make or refashion a few skirts. I have always wanted to deconstruct a thrifted skirt for the fabric and remake it. I will make this a fun goal for the summer.
In the past, I have bought my t-shirts new. Second-hand cotton knits are usually so worn out by time they get to the thrift store, that they are not worth it. I have really liked Eddie Bauer for the fit and quality of their t-shirts. These days I am thinking a lot about where and how the cotton is grown and the devastating effects that it's production has. I will be making an effort to replace our cottons with organic, when the time comes. There are a lot of really great vendors on Etsy, and I can find sellers that are near to me pretty easily. There are also some really cute patterns out there for simple sleeveless pullover blouses. I would love a few of these in lightweight cotton, maybe refashioned from a man's dress shirt, or using the fabric from a thrifted skirt. So many options!

I am hoping to get one more season out of my casual sandals. I will definitely be replacing them with something sturdy that will survive the beach, walking, camping, and everyday wear (and last for many summer's). That is a tall order. I will still try and find a pair that are gently used, but if all fails I will buy new at a deep discount and hopefully through a earth-friendly producer.

To be the most frugal and eco-conscious, I would prefer to buy nearly everything used. Even yarn can be reclaimed by unravelling a sweater (I have done this and it works great). I stop short of undergarments, which for obvious reasons, I prefer new. It can be quite daunting to buy goods in a responsible way, there is so much we don' t know about the way things are produced. The more aware I become, the more I desire to keep these matters close to home, where I can be sure of how they are made. This is not possible in all situations, but every little bit helps.

I am just so happy that the weather is warming up, which means that I might actually get to wear these clothes that I am dreaming about.

Have a blessed day, Tami

grocery challenge

{frugal breakfast - homemade yogurt & granola}

Have you ever seen how low you can get your grocery budget without sacrificing nutrition? Measure, weigh, calculate, and price out what meals really cost. Cut the junk completely, bake furiously, and plan everything down to the beverages.
I thought I would try, with careful planning, to see if I could participate in a $400.00 grocery challenge. I went to the Hillbilly Housewife's website to look at her emergency food budgets to get an idea of where to begin. For sure, if we were in a emergency, I would use it as a guide. For my purposes, I want to basically do what I am already doing nutritionally, but simplify it to the bare bones minimum cost. Call it an experiment.
I am sad to say that for my family of 6 in the area that we live in, it in near impossible. A $400.00 budget gives me about $13.30 per day to work with. Ouch. Even if I have a strict budget of a $3.00 breakfast total for 6 and $5.00 total for sack lunches, (popcorn for snack is under 30 cents)that leaves me $5.00 or so for dinner. This is not impossible, but really difficult. If we were mid-summer with the garden producing full swing it would be much easier. This is definitely a case for a big garden and putting up as much food as possible for winter.
I spent a few hours putting all these numbers together and quit because I got frustrated that we couldn't do it. But I am feeling a renewed sense of determination to be able to do this with a full garden. I think that maybe I will reduce our food budget to $500.00 and see if that is doable right now. Just for a month I want to see. In the summer, I will try again for the $400.00.
I like a good challenge.

Have a blessed day, Tami

a no-spend update

I feel like March has gone very well. I am adopting new behaviors in place of a old ones. There have been a few challenges. So many things broke this month! We opted to repair instead of replace in most instances (really good in my opinion), but wow, we had to spend a little money. That's okay because we offset the costs by selling a few items on Craigslist that were hanging around needlessly. As I'm typing I realize how much I like that - clearing out the unnecessary and making a little money - yay!
My personal spending, which is never much, has stayed minimum. It's more of the habit of treasure hunting, not the money being spent, that I want to be keenly aware of -  the amount of time I'm spending doing it. That's where the big savings is seen, in my time. I am terrible at time management, and when I am juggling too many kid activities, and spending a lot of time messing around, I get a little stressed. Being deliberate about my time helps me stay sane. When I do need a little personal time, I take it, that keeps me sane too.
So far, this month has done exactly what I wanted it to do. We have saved some money, but more importantly, I am more deliberate. I think more about where my money and time is going. Priorities.

April will be clear it out month.
The sun will (hopefully) be shining, and I will be energized enough to get some Spring cleaning done.

Have a blessed day,
Tami