Slowing it Down

Moving

2009-04-28T09:24:00.003-04:00

Well, moved-I needed a new start-follow me to www.slowingitdown.wordpress.com for a fresh start in my life!

For Miranda

2009-03-14T09:11:00.002-04:00

So, just now I was looking out my kitchen window (/tangent:I have a kitchen window! Well, i had actually two windows in my old house, though one looked into the GARAGE and the other into an old oil tank, so I am THRILLED that I actually have a row of windows that have a nice view./end tangent) and there was a cutie little squirrel sitting in tree drying himself off. It has just finished raining and ruining all chance of my taking the kids to Shamrock of the Square today. I was feeling cheated that we are now so close that we can walk to all downtown festivities, when I saw the little bugger. And thought of my dear friend Miranda. We spent many o' afternoons watching the squirrels (and, yes, everytime I say "squirrel" I say it like Natasha Fatale) out our living room window. So, here's to you, Miranda-I should call you, eh?)

Pay it Forward...

2009-02-27T08:38:00.000-05:00

Pay It Forward
Here's how it works. The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift or treat from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise. The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Yeah, for homemade things and surprise packages!

This is a great idea, Jess!!

I'm moving on up...to the eastside...

2009-02-18T09:41:00.002-05:00

As of Friday, I'll officially be moving! I will be picking up my keys to my new little bungalow in Hampton Heights (Spartanburg's only Historic District). It's a cute little place; I'll be posting before and afters. It's within in walking distance to EVERYTHING! The girls' new school, www.spartanburgcharterschool.org, church, the library, downtown, etc.

I really think that we are going to love it. We are MASSIVELY downsizing-like halving our living space. BUT, we have a nice fenced in backyard, and a full basement for storage. This is just the push I need to really simplify our belongings. When I get all of our stuff that we are taking with us out, I am going to have an openhouse in the old house to get rid of everything else. I honestly don't even want any money for it-I just want it gone!

So, goodbye country living, I love you but you are just way too expensive and wasteful!!

Goodbye-But Not Really...

2009-01-20T10:13:00.002-05:00

I've canceled my internet subscription. I'm not sure when it will be officially cut off, but it is happening. There are a few reasons that I feel I need to do this:

I will be saving about $40/month;
I will have a good 2-3 hours of extra time to spend a day;
We will be forced to go to the library more often so I can get online when I need to.

I just really think that this is my next logical step in striving to simplify and slow down my life. I'm really excited about it and hope that my children and I will grow closer and learn more because of it.

So, this is goodbye, but not really because I don't post everyday anyway! I will be posting about once a week-we will be going to the library every (mostly) Saturday morning.

Feeling Kinda...Hmmm...Not Sure....

2009-01-06T18:25:00.004-05:00

For the last month or so, I've been in kind of an awakening. I am SO happy with my life right now. But, something has been nagging at me.
On Halloween, I had my cards read by a woman at church. Without going too much into detail, she told me that there was someone that will be in my life who would be absolutely perfect for me. Strong, stable, grounding-all around awesome. Now, I don't know if any of you take stock in Tarot readings, but I literally got chills because I didn't say anything as far as what I was asking for, or give any information at all, but they were DEAD on. She said, she doesn't know if I knew this person or not yet, but he was waiting for me to make the first move, so to speak.
Immediately, a person who I hadn't even CONSIDERED saying more than "hello" to immediately came to my mind.
I see this person about once a week at most-at least once a month. I put the idea of who it might be out of my head because I honestly didn't want it to be about this person.
But, the more I've tried to push him away (mentally), the more he keeps coming back-both mentally and physically.
The kicker-the biggest bond between us-what keeps pulling us together-my children. They LOVE him. And he thinks "they are amazing." In his words. They have known him longer than I have, and they always want to spend time with him when we see him.
Up until a week ago Sunday, I hadn't seriously considered the fact that this may be who I am meant to find or reach out to. He said something to me, completely innocuous-he said I was crazy and I asked him why he thought that, and he said, "I dunno, because I'm crazy." It was like something fired in my brain. I can't describe it-it could have been nothing-just him being his usually silly-self, but I can't turn it off now.
That next night, we talked (okay, IM'd) for about 2 hours. It was right before I went to bed and he just popped up. Just like that. Later on that week, I asked him to help me with something and he had no problem agreeing to help. That night, we talked again for 3 hours. The next night, same thing. And now, I just don't know.
It seems so natural now, talking to him, spending time together. But, am I reading waay too much into it? Do I really have an interest in him? I think so. He is absolutely wonderful.
But, does he feel similarly about me? That I don't know. He's hard to read. He's so friendly I don't know if that is all it is-which would be great-he's a great friend to have. When he tells me that when he has kids he wants them to be as great as mine, is he just being nice? Does he just REALLY like kids?
I want to find out for sure-but, I am a coward. I don't want to make things awkward by saying something or by being too forward and ruin a potentially great friendship.

Well. I know this is a break from my usual writing, but it has been bursting inside of me and I had to get it out. Any insight would be most helpful, words of wisdom, encouragement, a slap in the face, etc...

New Day, New Year, hello 2009!

2009-01-03T15:59:00.004-05:00

I ended last year with a bang...got to see all my friends and family from around the country-Jess from Hawaii, my bro. from SF, Amarylis from Maryland. It was a blast, and I spent waay too many mornings hung over!

So, I started this new year right. I completely redid my living room, made it simpler and less cluttered. I still need to get Tim's records and movies outta here, but at least they are organized and neat.

Fingerless Gloves...

2008-12-27T20:09:00.003-05:00

I knitted my first pair of fingerless gloves-and, uh, they are the perfect size for my 5 year old (though, we won't talk about how I was making them for myself, lol.)

I really enjoyed this project. I think I'm going to make a whole bunch and save them up for next year's gifts. I am planning on only giving handmade gifts for holidays and gifts for the entire year-and hopefully to continue it indefinitely. I am re-confirming my Compact-my only purchases will be handmade. Wish me luck!!

Christmas...the day after...

2008-12-26T09:36:00.006-05:00

Christmas went off without a hitch yesterday. Even with Tim spending the night, everything went very well. I also reused all the gift bags the girls got gifts in throughout the week from various people so we didn't create anymore trash!

This, the day after Christmas, I took inventory of all the "stuff" in my life. My 5 year old has more clothes than can fit in her dresser and closet combined!! Is that really necessary? I am packing up HALF of all of our clothing and donating it the the local women's and children's shelter. This year, I've given up the television, and won't buy any more movies or cd's-the computer works just fine for any movies we might want to watch or music we want to listen to. I've been canning for about 2 years, and am trying to be more proactive in my sewing and knitting-refashioning clothing instead of buying more.

I've lived in a fairly large, old farm house for the past 2.5 years, and as you can imagine, it's gotten pretty cluttered with random junk. My goal for 2009 is to purge completely of anything unnecessary and impractical. I'll keep a few sentimental objects but most of it is outta here!

Stuff I made

2008-09-03T08:20:00.001-04:00

Work in progress...

000_0894
Originally uploaded by grreengirrl

30 No-Trash Challenge

2008-08-31T20:14:00.000-04:00

Inspired from this blog I have decided to go completely trash free for the month of September. My dear old (she's not old, I've just known her since we were 14!) friend Jessica (HI!) did the month of August on the blog, and it has intrigued me ever since she showed it to me. I have been trying to reduce my waste for quite some time now, but geez, this will be tough-ESPECIALLY with two kids!! Well, I start tomorrow, so wish me luck!

100 Books

2008-08-15T19:47:00.000-04:00

Promptly stolen from my dear friend, Whit.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte's Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

56, Over half! Not so bad! Apparently, most adults have only read SIX.

Where the Hell is Matt?

2008-07-11T11:07:00.001-04:00

Slacker...

2008-05-06T07:08:00.000-04:00

Yoga every morning
Become Vegetarian again-for good
try to blog every day
Be more organized and mindful
Patience, patience, patience!
Teach the girls German
Finish my doula certification

From January 01. Well, as we all can see I've definitely not kept up with my blogging. Yoga, I've gotten to 2-3 times a week, and I am very close to being 100% vegan. I still eat eggs, but very rarely now. Getting organized and being patient are a work in progress, always. And I have some material on teaching German. I'm still trucking on my doula training, I should be finished by the year's end *crossing fingers*.

Uh, yeah, I have issues....

2008-04-07T22:11:00.000-04:00

...not really, but I have always had a problem keeping with something I've started. Everything. I have half finished projects EVERYWHERE!!! But, I digress....

The real reason I'm here is that I've been thinking a lot lately about my life as I approach the big 3-0. I was talking to a good friend of mine about it (she recently hit the milestone herself) and she told me that she sat down one day and tried to write out everything she's done (more or less) in the last 10 years. It seems like your 20's fly by, but when you actually think about everything you've accomplished (or, let's face it, fucked up) then you realize how busy you really have been! So, here I go-this will be a WIP for a few days....

20~I have been pregnant for about 2 months when I turned 20-still haven't told my parents. Went on a road trip with Scott for a few weeks while processing the whole thing. We finally tell everyone and he moves into my apt. with me on Hollywood St. in Converse Heights. I get a job at Snelling Personnel Services as the receptionist/office organizer/AR/AP person. Life kinda sucked as Scott was abusive and a violent alcoholic. I left him many times. Maddie was born December 18th at 4:54 am!

21~Life continued to suck due to Scott and my developing PPD. I had no contact with friends and barely any with family. Late in the summer we moved up to PA with his family. It lasted about 3-4 weeks. I finally had enough and packed Maddie up, rented a car, and drove 13 hours straight at 4 am to come home. Moved in my parents who were in the middle of a divorce! Fun stuff!! I lived with my mom and brothers for a month(?) until Dana and I found a house to move into. Oh, I also got a job at the Sandwich Factory. I met Shelley who became Maddie's care provider while I worked. I met some of my best friends to date at the Sandwich Factory-Amarylis (who I've technically known since elementary school), Sydney, Keesha, and Nancy. Maddie turns 1!!!

22~Still working at the SF...I loved that job! Right downtown, met TONS of people. Finally started dating again. Let's see, Shannon from Rockers, Tim from EMS, Casey C., then Jason-who incidentally, I had a major crush on in middle school! We had a great time together, but he was in the middle of a divorce, and it just was bad timing. He's now married with two kids! I guess it went from Halloween through the beginning of the next year....I become manager of the SF around the same time. Oh, Dana moved out, Elaine moved in, then she moved out, then I moved back to Converse Heights.

23~tough year....I got mugged in the parking lot before work-oh, went from the SF to Jack's (owned by the same people). Started seeing J.F., but that was not a good idea. He was a junkie, and I had a kid, plus he was in the middle of his own relationship crap (I am not a good picker!) but he was sweet and hot, so there. Then, I dated David for a while, got laid off of Jack's and started working at Rocker's and Venus Pie. I stopped seeing David because he didn't want any more of a relationship than just casual. Let me intervene and say I was only intimate with 2 of these guys!!! I quit Rocker's after a week because I just could not handle two jobs. 9/11/01. Dated John Gallant for a while-he was such a sweet heart, but too young for me. Then Bender. I was so in love with him, but he ended up being a scum bag. We had been friends for years (met at the SF-shocker!) we split up a while later-he liked to go on tour with Widespread Panic and met several chickies along the way. Not a good time for me. This was around New Year's. We tried to stay friends, but I despised looking at him after that. Moved to Inman. Started hanging out with Zach a bit, I really liked him a lot-we are still great friends, but, as with most guys I was attracted to, didn't want someone with kids. Whatever. I met Tim through him, actually. They played in several bands together.

24~Tim and Kat broke up. He started showing an interest in me. I held back for a while, though the whole summer, I would go up to the Nu-Way for lunch to see him (he worked there)after school-oh yeah, I started school again! We started dating and got pregnant right away (I swear, I was on BC, but it just damn doesn't work with me!!). We moved in together, but didn't know I was pregnant. I was taking the Seasonale only 4 periods a year stuff. Woohoo for being pregnant for 3 months without knowing it!! Virginia was born via emergency c-section January 27th at 8:04 pm-she was quite early. Had to stay for a few days, but she was fine.

25~Started school (again!). Lucky me, in between summer semester and fall semester, I had appendicitis! July 25th-also the day I quit smoking. Started working at school for the cooperative program for the SC School for the Deaf and Blind. I helped visually impaired students with their classes.

26~more school, started working back at the SF! Yay!

27~Start interning at the Upstate Workforce Investment Board. Finish school. Move from the WIB to the Onestop Career Center. In Feb. Tim and I split up. I lose my job in March. Move out of the house and into my friend Shelley's house. Get a job at Earthfare in Greenville. I love this job. I'm newly single, working with a bunch of cool NEW people that don't know Tim. Spartanburg was too Tim-oriented. Everyone knows everyone.

28~Tim and I start talking again-being friendly. We go see X-Men together. We spend the summer figuring out what went wrong, and what to do to fix things. Six months from the time we split up, we got back together. I find our current house out in the country and we move in. I'm starting to realize that while I LOVE working at Earthfare, it's just waay to long of a drive. I get a job less than 5 miles from the house at a little coffee shop.

29~still working at the coffee shop. Tim gets promoted at work and we have to put Virginia in Daycare. We can't afford it. I quit the coffee shop and work at the Broken Teapot for my friend Sydney-who I met while working at the Sandwich Factory. I work there starting just Friday and Saturday nights, but now it's spread to Thursday-Saturday. I started babsitting this year too, but I'm pretty burned out with it right now, so I am sticking to just the Teapot. BUT, I may be working for Americorps after the summer. They pay a living stipend, pay almost $5000 towards Student loans or towards more education plus $300/child for childcare a month. I would be working with a non-profit org. helping them with grant writing, volunteer recruitment, fund raising, program development, etc. Very exciting!!

Yes, We CAN!!!

2008-02-15T01:35:00.001-05:00

909 and 63

2008-01-09T09:11:00.000-05:00

Time and temp. WTH! I am loving it and scared of it. I wish we had normal winters here. Snowy sunny days. I look at my internet friends pictures from Colorado and grow so envious of their snow!!! Whatever snow we get here is either slushy and nasty because as soon as it snow, it invariably warms up and starts raining. Or we get sleet and ice, because again it rains, and then freezes. Yuck yuck yuck.

Here is my to-do list for the day:

babysit
go to the park
play in the yard with the girls
work on the garden
go to the grocery store to pick up things I forgot on Monday
Make bread with the girls
Get Maddie started on some sort of science project....
play the rest by ear....

2008-01-07T15:53:00.000-05:00

So, with this unusually warm January weather (like 70ish!!), I decided to put the kids to work and get my garden ready. They enjoy, so I don't feel guilty using child labor. I can't wait to get it growing. I'm itching already!

They each will have their own garden this year to care for. Maddie dug about a 4' square plot, while Virginia just dug random holes and rows!

Yesterday.....

2008-01-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

Oh.My.God.It.Is.Cold. The temperature dropped to about 30 degrees yesterday with a wind chill of 15! Let me tell you, that is quite chilly down here in South Cackalackie!

We had a pretty nice day otherwise. My friend Keesha and her daughter came over. We had spaghetti for lunch. Then, Tim came home and we went out to eat. A friend was supposed to be playing at this restaurant by our house, so we went there. He canceled so we went to the mexican place next door. Oh, it was yummy. I had poblanos and rice and beans. Yum Yum Yum.

When we got home, the Grateful Dead hour was playing on WNCW.
So, the girls, Tim, and I (in true hippie fashion) turned all the lights off and danced with flashlights.

I'm really feeling good about this year. I'll pay my car off, have some extra $$, homeschooling, etc. I'm realizing that I can't change anyone or anything around me-just the way I react to it. I'm slowly calming down to a level of "fine". Oooh, now I have the Indigo Girls running through my head. Must.Play.Song.

Morning After

2008-01-01T15:20:00.001-05:00

So, I worked last night-well, all day yesterday, from 9:00 am until almost 4 am this morning!!! Tim woke up around 3:30 and freaked because I wasn't home-it being NYeve, he was rightfully worried. He called me at work and luckily I hadn't left yet. He got up for work 3o minutes after I went to bed.

The worst part was, that I wasn't partying!!! I was working. And it sucked. And I am tired and haven't accomplished anything!!

New Day, New Year, New Life

2008-01-01T15:15:00.001-05:00

This will be the standard New Year's Resolution post. I tend to go overboard so bare with me...

Yoga every morning
Become Vegetarian again-for good
try to blog every day
Be more organized and mindful
Patience, patience, patience!
Teach the girls German
Finish my doula certification

I'm pretty sure these are doable. I'm going to be very busy now that we are homeschooling, so I will have to become more organized and patient. I rarely eat meat as it is, so that will be no problem-especially since I have done it before. My only problem will be sushi. I love it!!! I guess I'll have to stick with the veggie varieties. Wish me luck!!!

Dreadies~6weeks

2007-12-19T15:05:00.000-05:00

Wow. I still can't believe it's been six weeks. I think they still look crazy-but I guess it's because my hair is naturally curly and the curls of the stray hairs are still taking over.

I keep having to remind myself that this is an everlasting ongoing process-I'm not doing it for the "look". I also have to stop myself from time to time from trying to accelerate it. That's not the point. The point is the journey and what it is teaching me. First and foremost-TO BE PATIENT!!!

I guess it doesn't help when Tim asks me if I'm still dreading or did I take them out! LOL!

So, here are my 6 week pictures-let's see if there is any difference....

Woodruff Christmas Parade

2007-12-19T14:33:00.000-05:00

Maddie and Virginia are honorary members of the Woodruff Preservation Assocation! They had a blast throwing candy to everyone....that's Tim in front of me in the second picture. The closest I can get to capturing his likeness on camera!

Dreadies at 3 weeks

2007-12-12T00:44:00.000-05:00

It's late, so I don't have all that much to say right now. These pictures are about 2 weeks old. Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month, already!

I just got out of the shower, so they're kinda wet.

I'm very excited about this journey. I made the decision after a very turbulant court battle with he-who-shall-not-be-named aka the bastard. It's symbolic of my freedom, my path to where I am now, and the path I want to take in life. It's to teach me patience, and get rid of materialism~goes great with compacting!!! I only am using a sandlewood scented goat's milk soap made locally bought from the shop that is owned by my bosses. Actually, they gave it to me, so woo-hoo!

Any-who, I'll be documenting my hair about once a month, if anything, to see for myself how it's progressing~is that my impatience shining through? Hmm.....

Breaking News......

2007-11-28T19:42:00.000-05:00

Just FYI, I'll be in the Greenville News on Thursday!!! I'll add a link to the article when it hits.....

ETA linkie poo

I Have a Very Frivolous Exception to Make....

2007-11-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

Re: compacting.....I meet my friend for coffee once a week (for shame). I've realized that I can't give this up. Though, to make it a wee bit better, I only use change to buy coffee and only get a regular cup and I bring my own mug. Oh, I only support local coffee shops who buy from local roasters-so, it's not that bad, is it??

She's Rocking the Suburbs....

2007-11-28T10:17:00.000-05:00

Virginia got a hold of Maddie's guitar and made up a cute little song about a train going down to the track. Unfortunately, the video quality leaves much to be desired, and there is no sound, but it's still cute as hell!

Mamas on the Compact: Official Start Date: 11/06/2007

2007-11-26T12:54:00.000-05:00

From The Compact:

The Compact has several aims (more or less prioritized below):

To go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of disposable consumer culture and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step that, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact.
To reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er).
To simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)

We've agreed to follow two principles (with exception):

#1 Don't buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites, etc.)
#2 Borrow, barter, or buy used.

I have been researching compacting for a while. I first came across the concept on MDC. Then, I found the blog, Mamas on the Compact. I realized, that this was exactly what I was looking for. I decided to take the 12 month pledge-no use doing something half-assed! So, without further ado, here is my pledge: I pledge not to buy ANYTHING new. My exceptions are as follows:

Materials for creating gifts (I will try my best to find these second hand)
Shoes for the girls (see above) their feet grow so dog-gone fast!!
Gas and other needed car issues (oil, etc).

This is something I have been trying for a while, without really knowing it. I have implemented a strict reduce, reuse, recycle program in our home. We don't buy individually packaged food items (yogurts, drinks, etc), try to limit buying things with double packaging (bag in a box), try not to buy plastics, etc. I try to support my local farmers and businesses as much as possible. I have been decluttering my home slowly and make a lot of mine and my children's clothing. The Compact has given me a small community for me to glean from. People who are going through similar lifestyle changes to help support me in my journey.

Anywho, here I am finally posting my pledge! Wish me luck!

October 24, 2007

2007-10-24T08:13:00.000-04:00

Weather: cloudy, 66 degrees. It's about time! We are in the middle of a massive drought, and it rained for 2 days straight!! I have to work at the Teapot today from 9 to @2:30. Then, we race home to get Maddie and it's sewing city. Here's what I'd like to accomplish:

Maddie's costume for her play tonight-this is a must-all I have to do is attach the sleeves and fix the closure in the back.
Maddie's halloween costume:she's a pirate wench
Go to walmart (*shudders* but they ran every fabric store in town OUT) and get fabric for MY costume: Daisy Buchanan, you know, from The Great Gatsby. I'm very excited! I'll also need to get the accoutrement ie-pearls, notions for dress, makeup, gel....
Finish my sweater boots. I only have one left to do....
At 6 we have to be at the UU for the play Maddie's in-Lest We Never Forget by Mierke Tamme. It's about the Salem Witch Trials-Maddie plays an afflicted girl. Moaning and shrieking and whatnot-should be interesting. I also need to bring a dessert....hmmm, maybe I'll make it at work.....

29th Anniversary

2007-09-01T13:02:00.000-04:00

My surrogate parents-Rob and Suni, Clay (in the middle) is the evil step child (JK!) I work for them at their fine dining restaurant. Rob through this surprise party for Suni, it was pretty cool. Around 8:30, everyone starting piling in and she thought we were going to have to serve them all. Thank goodness we didn't!

Yeah, so Sydney was cutting the cake and I was passing the pieces out. I turn around and SPLAT! She slams a piece of cake into my eye!

I take the piece off my face and smash it into her hair/face.

Really, I think we look like we went on a murderous rampage and slaughtered everyone....all in good fun, of course!

My Baby Is Growing UP

2007-08-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

So, it happened. My 4 year old lost her first tooth. I really didn't expect it to happen so soon. I thought maybe later on this year or early next year. But, no. She had to become a big girl.

Two weeks ago it was barely moving. And now it's gone. Gone forever. Literally, we can't find it! She lost it and then she LOST it. But, somehow the tooth fairy knew and gave her $1.12 courtesy of her sister....

Reunion

2007-08-23T07:37:00.000-04:00

So, last night, my three best friends from high school came over. One was in town from Hawaii where she blows glass for a living. The other two live fairly close, but due to life getting in the way, we lost touch.

I cooked a great feast for everyone. I wish I took a picture of it. I only got before and after shots of this yummy herbed italian bread.

I also made:

Sesame Ginger Seared Tuna
Insalata Caprese
Three Bean Salad
Spinach Feta Salad
Wasabi Green Beans

We finally got to eat around 9 pm because we talked so much. We had to eat outside on the picnic table because Tim and the girls were sleeping. Everything was great until later, we were attacked by ants that smelled the food!

It was such a great night, and I loved seeing everyone again. Hopefully, I'll get to go to Hawaii to visit Jessica sometime soonish!

I love you girls!!

To Do list....

2007-08-20T10:54:00.000-04:00

Today I am going to~

Organize kitchen storage containers
Bake massive amounts of bread and treats *yum*
Clean the bathroom
Take the recycling off
Do two loads of laundry to completion-that means folded and even put away!
Try to squeeze in 30 minutes of yoga
Pick Maddie up from school
Go swimming!!! Yay!!!

Now, let's see what actually gets done...

First Day of School...

2007-08-20T10:44:00.000-04:00

This morning I dropped Maddie off for school. Though, we've done this before, it's still sad watching my little girl grow up. She is almost nine years old! Is that officially a "tween"? She sure acts like it. Picking out her own clothes, brushing her hair, carrying a purse!! WTF! She's definitely not a little girl anymore.

But, in the meantime, I have this little girl all to myself right now. I bought her a sketch pad this morning and she's already drawn me a beautiful puppy! I'm so glad that I decided to stay home with her this year. She'll be going off to kindergarten next year, so I plan on getting all the Virginia time I can.

Day Tripping

2007-08-17T14:41:00.000-04:00

We went down to visit my mom for three days, well, two and a half really. On Monday we decided to take a little jaunt down to Huntington Beach. It was so quiet and peaceful out there. Not too many people, the wildlife is awesome.

Anyway, I am going to try to keep up with this better. I really would love to post a few times a week, but it seems my life is pretty boring!

I've got some plans to paint the girls' rooms. I'll post my progress as soon as I get started!

So, here are a few pictures of the girls prancing in the water. They absolutely loved it!

Until next time!

Step One, Fixing the Living Room

2007-07-03T07:30:00.001-04:00

Okay. Here's the front door. Not too much going on here. What I don't like, is the keys hanging from a nail. I think it is slightly tacky. But, that's not too pressing.

Cutie Pie sitting on the couch. She loves to ham it up for the camera! I would LURVE to recover that couch...

Built in bookshelves with T.'s knickknacks. And the stereo. There's waay too much going on here.

This is a brick hearth where a wood stove used to be. I would love to get one, but alas, the landlord won't allow it. So, now it has plants on it. I'm attempting to paint the wall, maybe birdies??

Another bookshelf. More knickknacks o' T. Also, two tv's....ew...

Music. And Elvis...

This is my stuff. Books, kids games, pictures, and whatnot...also, a tub of MORE records...

Le' sigh...

Well, It Starts Today

2007-07-02T17:35:00.000-04:00

Today is my first day of zero-spending. Aside from bills and food, I will not spend one cent. I am going to use all the fabric I have before I buy any more. We don't need any more stuff!