Voluntary Simplicity

Sometimes I look around at my 1600 square foot house and think, ” I need more space! I need a craft room, another bedroom, a guest room, a playroom!”  Because then I could organize, keep the kid mess in a room designated for kid messes, and have enough space for all my *stuff*. Sigh. We have clutters of *stuff* all about the house.  After a while, it gets to me.  It takes up precious mental space as well as physical space, both of which are a limited commodity.

So I’ve begun to think…

… of the countless numbers of people who have much larger families than I do, and who live with so much less (less stuff and less space for said stuff)

… of those who sleep in one room together, whole families cacooned in one bed or one room

… of the difference between necessity and want

… of the benefits of learning to relate when in small spaces, when having to share a room, when having to share toys and one sink and one toilet and one shower, when having to share a bed with a noisy sleeping sibling

… of getting rid of clutter, not by building a bigger house, but by actually deleting its existence

… of the constant internal struggle to consume

… of voluntarily simplifying  

So, for the next five weeks I’ll be involved in a discussion group about Voluntary Simplicity which is organized by the Northwest Earth Institute. You can check out the website here.

But I’m going to get a jump start on simplifying my physical life first by decluttering.  I am inspired by Dave who began the 100 Thing Challenge.  And while the challenge is… well, a challenge… it (ahem) seems like quite a big chunk to take on at the moment.  So, I am proposing to do my own altered challenge: The Power of Ten Challenge. 

The Power of Ten Challenge is simply to get rid of ten things every day for ten days.  If you can gather ten friends around you to do the same, the challenge has a ripple effect, and all will be happier and less *stuffier.*  I might not quite be able to live with only 100 things, though that goal is quite admirable and maybe attainable in the future, but I can definitely get rid of 100 things.  In fact, I may be able to do The Power of Ten Challenge again and again.  This is do-able, feasible, and livable. 

Care to join me?

Legwarmers from Sweater Sleeves

 After I spent hours knitting a pair of legwarmers for my skirt-loving princess, my other princess decided she wanted a pair, too.  Except she already had received her Christmas present, and I was eager to start other knitting projects, so I whipped up a pair just for her from an old sweater o’ mine.  I think it’s befitting, as the sweater came from the 80′s, and leggings just seem to be an 80′s accroutement.  I think they’re cute paired with these cowboy boots,  but they’re just cute.  Period.  Especially when worn by my very own cowgirl princesses!

What started out as this:

After I’d done this:

And this:

Turned into these:

So they could do this:

And I love that I didn’t have to buy any new yarn for this project . . . just used up an old sweater that was headed to the thrift store.  Later, I’ll post some pics of another way I recycled an old sweater.

These Are a Few

… of my favorite things

swimming in alpine lakes

soaking in the sun

playing with puppies

tea with a friend

dancing

reading a good book

sewing

knitting

crafting

hula hooping

hiking in the midst of mountains

“…understand that to nurture and love others with the grace you desire means taking care of yourself and cultivating your own inner harmony. Inner harmony grows not by finding ways to get away from your child, but by giving yourself the gift of a hot bath at the end of a long day, reading a book of poetry, talking to a friend on the phone, taking a nap, crying, getting a massage, having a day off from cleaning and cooking, staying in your pajamas all day, swimming, going out to eat, or attending a conference. Do something for yourself as you give. Learn to laugh at yourself and not take yourself so seriously.”
~ Peggy O’Mara, The Way Back Home

In under two weeks, half a dozen people have expressed this same sentiment to me.  Methinks I am a slow learner.  But I’m getting it, slowly.  When I’m used to giving of myself to three little ones and one bigger one, there isn’t much time left for me.  I’m finding I can give so much more of a happier and more willing self after I’ve taken care of my id.  Yes, it sounds selfish, doesn’t it?  I struggle with that, but in the end, I have much more to give.  And THAT isn’t selfish.

What gives you life?

Shane Claiborne @ GFU March 8th

This book was eye-opening and life-changing.  He’s coming back for a few talks at George Fox University, but for those of us who don’t live nearby, they are streaming it live and recording it, so we don’t have to miss out!  Check it out:

http://blogs.georgefox.edu/newsreleases/?p=5111

See it live:

http://www.georgefox.edu/offices/spirituallife/index.html

Go strawless

When you’re out and about and needing a drink, pass on the straw and lid.  It’s just one (or two) less things to throw in the garbage can when you’re done.  Better yet, carry your own container with you, and ask to have it filled up instead!

Loving our kids on Purpose

I’m just a few pages into this book, but it’s life-altering.  I’m changing my mentality of what parenting is from expected strict obedience to obedience out of love, living in expectancy for a meaningful relationship with my children instead.  I kinda think that’s the relationship God wants from me as well.  Like I said, I’m just a few pages into this book, but I would recommend this for parents and non-parents alike.  Loving Our Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk.  Here’s a post to the Amazon site, but I’d first recommend buying it on Kindle for $11.55, checking it out at your local library, or buying it used.

http://www.amazon.com/Loving-Our-Kids-Purpose-ebook/dp/B001PO5UMS

Oh My!

Wow! It has been a while. Sometime between Halloween and Valentine’s Day, I seem to struggle with oh so many intangible things. But it’s Spring. And it’s not between those holidays anymore. So… I’m back! And though this site has been quiet, my mind has not. Phew, that’s a relief! =)

I’m at a point in my life where life is busy. Really busy. I’m homeschooling. I’m a mom, a wife, a friend, and sometimes I even take on the role of nurse. Like this week, when all my kids were sick. And like when I actually go away from my home to be a nurse. But mostly, I’m a mom and wife, titles I’m blessed to have.

As a mom, I try to feed my family good food. I try to start local, as in my own backyard, but seeing as I live in the high desert, I rely on those around me to grow some of the good food I can’t grow just yet. I buy mostly organic as organic produces food with more bang for the buck. Ok, maybe that’s more bang for a few bucks. But the extra cost is worth it, because I know that we are not only getting more nutrients, but that we are also helping save our planet from toxic wastes and preserving our precious soil. I try to do all this on a budget. Which means we don’t eat much meat. I have a hard time eating meat that is filled with nitrites and nitrates and high fructose corn syrup and sodium whatevers. Excuse me, but I think that the ingredients for meat should be just that: meat! What a thought, eh? And so, like my produce, I try to buy organic meat or at least meat that is free range, grass-fed without antibiotics or hormones added. And I buy it when it’s reduced because it needs to be sold TODAY. Otherwise, we get our protein elsewhere, like from our local backyard chickens who produce amazing eggs, and from nuts, beans and dairy.

In addition to providing good food, I try to do many small things in our lives to make living more sustainable, and I’ll be sharing tidbits from here on out. Because… oh my! life is busy right now!
Busy, but oh so good!

Woodstove Cookin’ (and Experimentin’)

I’m an extremist when it comes to regulating temperatures.  Well, I’m probably an extremist in other areas too, but most recently and notably, an extremist of our new Jotul woodstove.  See, I’ve been freezing in our house.  It’s near the end of October and I usually crank up the woodstove in September.  This year, we have been remodeling and piecing together the piping, and… alas, we finally have heat!  Have I mentioned we use wood as our primary source of heat?  In fact, we shut off the breakers for the inefficient wall heaters, and use wood solo.

I am LOVING the woodstove.  I love the cozy feeling of sitting in front of the fire, I love that the stove is still warm after a freezing high desert night when I get up in the morning.  And I love that I can cook on it.  When we were researching different woodstoves, this was high on my priority list of must-haves.  I have basically cooked soups, stews, and stir fried on my last stove.  But with this new stove comes a desire to experiment and see what all this stove has to offer me.

Last night, I got up the gumption to try baking on the Jotul.  I burned the wood till it was red hot, literally.  I had beautiful, glowing orange coals covering the bottom of the stove.  I used my cast iron skillet to create an air base, placed my round stone pan over it and then topped it off with an upside down dutch oven to created the top air space.  It’s important to have that space on the bottom, as it burns easily if placed directly on the stove top.  Then I let it do it’s thing… and waited for the tell-tale sign of completion: the yummy aroma of baked cinnamon rolls.  It took about an hour and a half, and in that time I added two extra logs to keep the heat steady.  Of course, this was not scientifically done, as I never used a thermometer, just eyed my pile of coals.  It worked!

The cinnamon rolls were beautiful!  The tops were a golden brown, they rose and the bottoms never burned.  Here, take a look:

And here is the finished product:

Oh, and we’re heating up to 80+ degrees in our house, walking around in tank tops and LOVING it!

50 First Dates with God

There’s just something so sweet and endearing about 50 First Dates that I love to re-watch it every now and then.  If you haven’t seen it yet, the main storyline is about a gal and a guy falling in love (nothing new there!) but the guy, played by Adam Sandler, has to repeatedly make Drew Barrymore fall in love with him every day.  She has a memory issue, and every morning is a new beginning of a new life for her.  I love how he gets to meet her for the first time, every day.  Or how he makes her laugh in new ways, or gets many first kisses, or is easily forgiven because she has forgotten the dumb thing he did from the day before.  This guy has to try so hard every day to make her fall in love with him.

The romantic in me thinks that’s sweet:  to have someone in my life try so hard to get my attention and keep it, to be wanted and loved and admired, and sought after… (sigh)…makes a gal feel pretty loved, if only she could realize how hard the other is seeking her attentions, her reciprocal attentions.  But then I started thinking, “Isn’t this exactly what God wants of us?!  Doesn’t He try to extract my smile first thing in the morning, if only I open my eyes to His beautiful raspberry lemonade sunrise?  Doesn’t he wait for the perfect opportunity to make His presence known to me?  Doesn’t He wine and dine me, forgive me, give me a white-washed room each day to begin anew?  Doesn’t God just wait for my consent to take me on a First Date with Him?”

Each morning when I wake and as I go about my daily life, there’s God waiting for me to acknowledge His presence, His attentions to love me and make me fall in love with Him.  Every day can be a first date with God.  Only He isn’t limited to the number 50.

Fair Wage vs. Fair Trade Coffee

I didn’t realize there was a difference, but if you’re a conscientious coffee sipper, check out this website: www.fairwagecoffee.com.