pears

This weekend we went down to the gleaner's garden, to volunteer, and then had an hour or so between when the gardening shift ended and we could go pick up food, so we took the boys to a nearby park. I noticed that there were pears all over the ground, and at first I though maybe some kids had been snacking, and then that maybe someone dropped an entire bag of them, and then finally found the productive tree at the edge of the play area. The boys and I gathered a small bag of them (about 20 or so), even though they were all quite hard, leaving behind any that were obviously cracked or nibbled on. Then we got to the food distribution and one of the attendants handed me a full paper bag of pears. Now I had two bags of pears staring at me in the kitchen, stuck in that limbo of I don't know what to do with them and I can't eat them all before they go bad. Finally today I looked up my options; I sorted through and put all the unblemished ones in the fridge ( I lined the bin with a paper bag, just in case of spoilage) and put the rest, most of which had nibbles taken thanks to the boys, in a box. Those I am going to either sauce or dehydrate tomorrow, once I look up which is the better method for unripe pears, as these will go bad before they ripen.

We also got a chest freezer this weekend; I had been looking for a while online, all the ones being sold on craigslist were too old or being sold for almost the same price as new, and the free offers were all broken, so I kept putting it off. The choice this weekend became either glut ourselves or let food rot, as the freezer compartment in our refrigerator has been full to capacity for sometime and a large influx of frozen food meant that we took advantage of labor day sales (with added warranty). I am not thrilled about having bought one new; I would rather our food preservation were not electricity dependent, but it is a time for taking what steps I can right now. Eventually I want a smaller refrigerator, and then perhaps not to have one at all, and the freezer can help lessen the reliance on the fridge while increasing our food reserves now, while the produce is coming in, for later, when I can sort through and perhaps preserve some of this another way. That's one reason I am leaning toward drying the pears; the less food at risk of spoilage due to loss of power the better. I do still need to store water; I am going to try to do that this week, although this week is already pretty full.

We have someone coming to do a (free!) inspection and estimate for window replacement; we definitely can't afford it now, but at least we'll have some numbers to work with. The solar power 'inspection' never happened; seems to me that they want a commitment to buy before even coming out, and I will not do that without being given any numbers whatsoever, so we are at an impasse. I will eventually just install something myself, I'm sure, but not soon. In the meantime I am looking at plans for bike power. We have a lot of bikes, so that's done.

The certification process for foster care seems to be moving forward; I heard from 2 references this week that they received and submitted the paperwork for references, so I am trying to get the house ready for inspection, whenever that may be, as we have not heard from or know who our caseworker is yet. I am excited, but a bit nervous right now. Once I get the house done I'm sure I'll feel less worried, but if someone were to show up now, well, we would definitely not pass. Too many projects waiting to be implemented, but we are getting there.

I still have not written about the Hazon conference; I'll do that next, but on the way home another attendee gave me some excellent advice and a weight has been lifted from me. Sometimes you don't realise just how weighed down you are until it has been lifted; a 'lightness of being' has been restored. It's funny, I feel free again, even though I'm in the middle of all this. It's great :)

happily,
-nava

stumbling blindly

It's been an interesting 2 weeks. I don't even know how to get started, or where I'm going with this.

Main thing on my mind is that I don't know what to do, or what I am doing, or should be doing, and not because I lack direction or ideas; i have so much I want to do, right now, and so much I need to do, right now. SO I guess I'll just bullet-list this one. Maybe.

1. We owe money. Nothing new, we are pretty amerikun in that regard. Thing is, we are really really sick of struggling. It sucks. I have been trying to find a job, trying to find some way to make money to help with our bills which don't seem to be getting any better. We cut our power usage, SO much, which is awesome, but we are still paying hospital bills and now owe our awesome new doctor another $500 on top of that, plus credit cards and car and mortgage and blah blah blah so the only consistent income I have found is online surveys. I've made $40, which, yay, that's a credit card bill or somesuch, but not nearly enough. I went and interviewed with an amazing local designer for a seamstress position but she told me today that she hired someone else and my stomach dropped. It's hard to keep being positive, to keep on knowing that everything really will be fine when everything I try to do has not been working. I had a yard sale and made $2. yeah. my etsy shop has only made enough to cover the listing fees, if that. no one seems to want to buy anything I have to sell. We decided to sell our wedding rings, because they were really expensive and they don't match, so we would take a little of the sales money and buy a set from an independent artist that actually matches. Well, so far all I've had is people on ebay offering $450 (for a $2000 ring) and I am almost at the point that I may accept it. That's one medical bill, right there. We need to put in flooring, we need to replace the heater, we need to hire an electrician because our wiring is being weird, we need to pay for gas so the job that at least one of us can keep going to work and make money to pay all these bills. The truly, truly frustrating part in this is that I know I have talents and skills and I work really, really hard, and it doesn't make any difference right now. ugh.

2. My family is worried that I am depressed and my children are in an unhealthy environment. Which is frustrating. Yes, I am frustrated, yes I am struggling with a lot of things right now, but no I am not depressed, and yes I do actually know the difference. Also, no, my house is not a health hazard! holy crap! Talk about making someone feel inadequate though. Wow. Now I get to be paranoid that whatever caseworker we get for foster care feels the same way as the well-intentioned but apparently filth fixated family member who started this. Then what? If my only option in this life is to neglect my family in order to keep my home obsessively clean then I am opting out of this whole thing. We will live in the woods. Thanks. Plus now I wonder if all the times my friends made nice comments about my home they were actually thinking 'Oh My God what a hell-hole!'. Which is fun.

3. There is so much I want to do, and I. can't. even. start. Due to time+money+support. Which is difficult, so I am stepping back on a lot of projects right now. However, there are things I CAN do. I am going to keep going on my etsy shop. I am going to have a garage sale this weekend and try again. I am going to relist my rings, again, at a price that won't leave me feeling robbed. I am going to keep on playing with my kids and cuddling and drawing and enjoying my time with them. I am going to keep cleaning whenever I darn well feel like it, because I like things clean, and not because I am worried about other people's opinions. I am going to leave the explosion of stuff in my living room right where it is and take a nap, because I was blessed to spend the last 4 days at an amazing conference with amazing people and I am incredibly tired and really wound up with IDEAS. So basically, more of the same. but MORE.

happily,
-nava

Well hello, 2011. So nice to see you.

I am in Oregon. We are in Oregon. Finally. I flew up with the boys on Thursday; 7am flight out of San Jose. It was a great flight; quiet, short, early. No issues in security (no scan or pat-down), easy seating arrangement switch, happy child, sleeping toddler.
The UPack containers were filled in a marathon session by my Dad, with some assistance from myself and my sister. My Mom helped indoors, packing and organising. 3 containers full of STUFF, and still some got left behind. I am going to continue getting rid of things as I unpack up here. It's been fun, actually, the purging. Assisting in this is that I am setting up our kitchen as Kosher, so anything that didn't make the cut is GONE. It means I start over too, in acquiring some things, so I am trying to keep that controlled. I want to cut it all down, as far as we can. Packing all that was too much. Even after all the Ebay and half.com and garage sales and craigslist and freecycle, so much stuff.
Mom and I managed to condense my crafting supplies quite a bit. It doesn't all fit in the wardrobe, yet, but by summer that is my plan, and by the end of this year (Rosh Hoshanah) I want it all to fit without being precarious. :) One of the last things to make it in to the containers was my little sewing machine; my heavy-duty (to me, at least) machine I think got left behind. It may get sent up, it may not. Either way I want to give sewing lessons. I have enough supplies, after all, and we can definitely use the income! Going to finish posting things to Etsy too; perhaps today, a little 'New Year' treat.
I am looking forward to the enforced frugality we are heading in to; no tv, still sussing out internet, very minimal use of utilities. Which reminds me, we need to get utilities turned on in the house.
We sign Monday, finally, 11 days late, and are taking 'early' occupancy for $30 a day until the down payment clears. Cheaper than a hotel, yes, and we are relieved to finally be moving in. Finally finally finally.
Finally together, finally going home, finally starting again after a long pause.
Finally.
It's going to be a lovely year.

So here is my resolution: Go, enjoy. "We should all be all alive."

Movin' On Uuuuup (material monday. ish.)

'We' sign the papers on the 23rd. I'm looking into POA for various reasons. The closing date is the 27th. Wow. So soon. so very very soon. Not ready yet, but so ready. If I could throw everything in a bag and be out the door now I would.
Milt's been up there since the 28th, as he started work the 29th. The first few days were hard, but harder for him, as he didn't have the routine and the rhythm of taking care of the boys, the house, the plans; all he had was the emptiness of a rented room and the voices of his son through a telephone. The first few calls were filled with choked messages, loneliness.
It hits me sometimes now too, especially as I try to plan for getting the 3 of us up there; "what day? what does closing mean? should we deliver our stuff before we get there? what is your work schedule? what, in all this confusion, will work?" Then I look into plane tickets and, despite my repulsion at being scanned and/or searched the trade off is >2 hours flight time, or +12 hours drive time, or +30 hours train. So plane tickets then, but what about the cost? $50 if we can go the 25th, but where would we sleep then? $50 if I can wait until January; can I? It's only an extra week. It's an entire extra week! Not so long, and yet we are so tired of waiting, of the being apart.
Asher wakes up every morning now, "Daddy not here. Daddy at new house!" calm, matter-of-fact, sometime excited. Already it's a routine; it's been easy, how quickly he accepted it, no tears, just some occasional wistfulness. Is that ok? In small children time was elastic, I remember, my own Dad gone for months at a time, no sadness on my part. It was the actual parting that hurt, not the being apart. I am thankful that he's not hurting, but somehow, it makes it harder, and strange, being so alright with this distance. Adin though, he's been a bit clingy, so incredibly excited whenever I come around a corner, much less back inside after being out for an errand. "You came BACK!" Happy to see me, yes, but also so surprised.
It's made me re-examine love, family, attachment. Strangely, makes adoption seem even less fraught; I'd only seen the trauma of it until now, known the risks, the problems, the pain of what I still want, eventually. but this has nothing to do with our move. Not yet, anyhow.
Now it's a matter of purging; I've lost my camera, again, so I can't post things to sell, and anything I don't sell in my 'not keeping' pile I am giving away. I don't want any of it, and I can't afford to take it even if I wanted to. Hey, right now I can't afford to take any of it. Strangely, I'm ok with the thought that perhaps all these boxes I am carefully packing will have to be abandoned. It makes me giddy. I wouldn't miss it, most of it, I know now the boys wouldn't at all. I am going to go through the boxes of toys, see if I can purge another 50% there. Shouldn't be hard. I keep catching myself waffling over things, thinking "what if" and packing it up again when I should be throwing it out. Throw it out! Be done. Be free. That seems to be my mantra these days. be Free.

making plans: week 2

Since the task of going through everything in this house is so consuming I am not going to attempt to get back to my 5-day postings until it is done, just random updates and a weekly game plan.

On the house front, we are waiting to hear from the bank and from Milt's job, to see about a transfer request. We are really waiting to hear from the VA on an even better job, but we need something in order to move forward. Onward, ever onward. We havedecided to go with U-Packmoving, because theideaofMilt having to drive a truckover I-5 in the snow has me freaked the heck out. Of course, so does the thought of us driving the van over I-5 in the snow, but oh well.

Last week I focused on patterns; I have over 200 complete patterns ready to go to Pattern Rescue, and I am still finding bits and pieces as I sort through. however, I am marking that project 'done', and moving on.

This week I have a few areas to focus in: fabric, sewing, and etsy.

I've decided to get my etsy shop going again, this time by November1st. It seems crazy, but really it's needed, because if I can sell the things now I don't have to take them with me to Oregon. Yay! So that means I need to put together all my partially assembled items, finish writing my essence descriptions and get everything photographed and posted. Even if nothing sells, at least this will be done and I can reopen after we move.

Other sewing is needed as well; I am going to try to finish up all my UFOs, at least to thepoint that Ican take out all thepins, if not completely finish each thing. The boys at least need very cozy pjs, since they kick their covers off and I don't want them to freeze. Footie pjs! I am also going to try to turn more of my scraps into quilt squares: I keep all my trimmings, then sew them to used dryer sheets in crazy-quilt fashion. Waste not, want not, right? Plus it's really quick, and less thought and time intensive than my other quilts.

While I do this I am going to go through all the fabric. There are more than 10 bins of fabric to go through, which I will be dividing into keep: I actually have plans for or love this fabric; sell: vintage or otherwise awesome fabric; and giveaway: small lots, random fabrics, and anything not a natural fiber.

Ok, we'll see how this week goes! Hopefully the weather clears by next weekend too. :)

happily,
nava

what day is it? : patterns! everywhere!

So this whole buying a house - trying to move - dealing with banks - finding employment -sifting through mountains of ... stuff... has really thrown me for a loop. At the end of the day I don't even zone out anymore; I just keep going until I can barely drag myself into bed because I just. want. to. finish. My poor kids. Well, Adin seems fine; he likes the new stuff to destroy, but Asher is having a hard time with the incredible mess and the lack of routine. Poor kid.

The past 4 days I have done nothing but sort patterns. 35+ years of patterns. This means gathering them all together, all the envelopes, random pieces, etc, sorting them, trying to put the pieces with the envelopes, repairing ripped pieces and envelopes, and cataloging everything. 4 days. I have 4 groups: mine (mine!mine!) sell/giveaway vintage, sell giveaway non-vintage, and 'missing'.The 'missing' group runs the gamut from complete except for 1 tiny piece missing to everything missing except for one sad little piece floating around in a plastic bag with a large card telling me the company and pattern number. I have sorted through 1 box of patterns so far, smoothing, matching, packaging, I still have 2 MORE to go.

What I want to do is see if there is some place online where people are looking for pattern pieces to complete their own incomplete ones and I will send them mine (if they need them) for the cost of postage. Or even free. heck, I think we might have an extra $5 this week, why not? Well, I don't think $5 will send many. A few though! Definitely a few!

I did manage to freecycle about 10 buckets of paint. Awesome! I also have one box of craft 'stuff' (magazines, supplies, patterns) to get rid of. I was hoping to garage sale this weekend, but the forecast is calling for RAIN. and then some RAIN. plus I am attending a baby shower and hopefully getting together with friends this weekend, but it already seems too late for garage sales and we need money for closing costs and money money money freak out blah blah blah. I need to chill out again.

That has been my lesson in this whole thing. Chill out. Trust.
So I do.
Again.

happily.
-nava

material monday: hats!

Asher is 3!!! Amazing! 3 years ago, wow, we were in such a different place,physically, mentally, but one thing has never changed, we fell in love with that kid the moment he looked at us, and we've been smitten ever since. His birthday party was great; he had a blast playing with his friend, and our steam trip excursion up at Roaring Camp was so much fun. Milt decided that if we win the lottery, it doesn't matter where we are living, we're going back there for his 4th birthday and renting the private car. ;)

His little upsherin was small and sweet; it went really well. Everyone took turns cutting his hair, and I saved one curl for the scrapbook. His hair was wild afterward, but one night of sleeping and it looks really cute! We gave him a set of books; a children's siddur, machzor and tehillim from Mesorah publishing, as well as his tzitzit (which he can't wear yet; soon!) and some really cute HATS!

The hats I got at Target; they were cute and fit pretty well, but were, as Kat put it, very 'scene'. As in, skulls. I personally feel skulls are a little inappropriate for a 3-year-old, so I changed them! I forgot to take a before picture, and target does not sell them online, so the after picture will just have to do!
The cap was the easiest, as there were no skulls involved, just a 'gritty' 'urban' applique. Asher picked out a tree iron-on, so that was an easy little change. The grey fedora had a white skull at the base of the star, so I sharpied over the skull and ironed on a fun 'E' Milt helped me pick out. The black fedora took the longest; the original band was a skull print, so I ripped that off (it was glued on) and found a fun abstract type guitar fabric, and used it to sew on a new band. I love easy refashions; I especially like shopping Halloween clearance (you can get onesies 2 for $1!!) and then 'de-halloween'-ing them. Asher loves his new hats and I love that he looks cute and smart but still like a little kid, rather than a 'tough boy' or a product advertisement. :)


While we were at JoAnne's I happened to spot this awesome little book of iron-ons! I got the tree for the hat from this book, and used a whole sheet of butterflies on a stained shirt of mine; I'm going to see how well they do in the wash, but they are really, really fun. I have a lot of plans for this little book! Most of them involve covering up stains :)

happily,
nava

thoughtful thursday: cloth diapers!

When Asher was still turning cartwheels in my belly Milt and I decided to go the cloth diaper route. We had several reasons for it, but it started when I was about 10 and our dear friend Miz Mac made a comment about how wild it was to realize that her son's poop was being preserved in the landfill. My own mother expressed regret about the amount of diapers she sent along to the dump through her three girl's babyhoods. We also were in Santa Cruz at this time, which led to a lot more awareness of diapering options, and the fact that I am a 'crazy hippie' and wanted to lessen our impact as much as possible. We went with a diaper service until he was about 9 months old, as it was convenient to have the clean diapers dropped off and the dirty ones whisked away, however, the cost was a bit more than we could continue paying and the smell of a week's worth of dirty diapers was a little overwhelming any time we opened the storage closet. Yes, we probably should have had a proper diaper pail, oh well.

I did some online research and decided that bamboo diapers were the way for us! The initial cost for 17 diapers would be recouped within 5 months of not paying for the diaper service, so we ordered them up and said ciao to the diaper people (who were super nice, btw). This worked out well for us, as we had purchased covers from the diaper service to go over the
ir diapers and they fit fine over our soft! adjustable! bamboo! diapers. Plus our apartment complex had heavy-duty washing machines in the laundry rooms, so those diapers got nice and clean!

Then we found out Adin was coming along and, with Asher still in diapers, figured that we needed more diapers. This time we went with a microfiber insert style, as Asher's 'products' were getting sticky and they liked to cling to the bamboo material. yuck. I ordered a bunch off of eBay, and while we like them a lot if I could do it again I would have ponied up the cash to get the real versions with organic materials, blah di blah, I'll have to blame pregnancy daze and a small bank account for that transgression into the world of Chinese knock-offs.

back row, l-r: bamboozle, knock off dipes
front row, l-r: cloth wipes, microfiber insert

Anyhow! The diapers were working out great until: we moved. The diapers started to smell. All the time. When they were drying the exhaust was tinged with ammonia. yuck. My sister commented about how my kids had the strongest-smelling urine EVER, and I should get their kidneys checked. Now, I'm not one to ignore possible illness, but I just didn't get the vibe that it was my boys that were the problem. No, those diapers were staying stinky, and I needed to know why! Also, those soft, soft bamboo diapers were getting crunchy. and stained. Boo! I thought, I guess they only last a year or so! what a waste of money!

Then, during our trip to PR (during which we put the boys in biodegradeable, compostable, relatively non-planet-killing disposables) I looked up the bamboozle website and, voila! The explanation! Turns out our new, high-efficiency washer simply doesn't use enough water to get the diapers clean. ew. Also, many 'brightening' detergents work by depositing a film of light-reflecting chemicals on the fabric, so the fabric looks clean but, in reality, IS NOT. So, every time the diapers got wet the smell of all the old urine was being mixed with the new, resulting in very stinky boys. I was furious! Thankfully, we were on vacation, so it was pretty easy to calm the heck down :)

So we came home and made a few changes. I now clean the diapers with baking soda and a vinegar rinse, and we put them through two cycles. This does not help with water consumption, but until we can get a washer that will actually clean these guys in one wash that's just what we have to do. I also threw all the diapers in the bathtubwith oxyclean, baking soda, and HOT water and soaked them for an hour. I had to do this4 times before the water was not murky and disgusting. How awful, that I was essentially putting my boys back into dirty diapers.

So, what's the takeaway on this?

1. Some people say that having to wash the diapers repeatedly is bad for the environment. They use the same excuse for not using cloth napkins. Fact is, manufacturing paper uses a lot of water too, so even if the water used were equivalent (it isn't, manufacturing paper uses more) with cloth products you aren't filling up a dump, and buying more. planet and wallet both win!

2. My boys have never had a diaper rash from their diapers, (even when they were not getting completely clean) which cannot be said for disposables. The chemicals used to keep those baby bottoms dry in disposables often is very irritating to their skin, or worse, and are toxic, both once they are released into the environment after being thrown away and in those cases when the diaper gets ripped open. (Those little round gel beads? Not good.)

3. We have only ever had one blowout with cloth diapers, and that was due to user error (ours, not the baby's), while with disposable we got blowouts all the time. Now, all babies are shaped differently, so some diapers will 'leak' with some babies, while others won't. Fit is key!

4. Cost, cost, cost. Cloth costs more up front, but by the time your kid is potty-trained the savings over disposables can be enormous. I think we've spent about $600 total on cloth diapers, plus diaper service, so I'll give a high estimate of around $1000. After 3 years of diapers, with two in diapers for two of those years, which would have been in the neighborhood of 10,000 diapers (that's a low estimate; my boys like to use those diapers!) the cost if we were using disposables would have been in the neighborhood of about $2500, and that's if you get diapers on sale, like .25 cents apiece on sale. Plus, to get them cheap you need to buy in bulk, so if your baby has a growth spurt (which they seem really good at doing) you are left with a bunch of 'too small' diapers all of a sudden. (Please donate these! Organizations like emergency shelters, women's shelters, foster homes, and help a mother out help those who cannot afford diapers keep their babies' bottoms diaper-clad.)

5. Waste: with cloth, you are not filling up your local (or not so local) dump. Think about it! One kid = ~5000 diapers thrown away. That's huge! Instead, you can have 20 cute, soft, cloth diapers sitting in a drawer, waiting to be used.

6. (slight) convenience: if you forget to buy more diapers for your kid, and you go to change that bottom in the middle of the night only to reach into an empty bag. CRISIS! Off to the (hopefully open) store you go to buy (hopefully on sale) diapers! If you forget to wash the diapers, well, you've got about a 2-hour wait. We've made due with a hand towel and a diaper cover in those situations. (It took us a whole to remember things like "bring a diaper bag on outings!" yeah. ) Yes, it is easier to just be able to chuck the whole mess in the trash and be done with it, but chucking it into a bag/bucket/whatever and then washing a load at a time isn't that much harder than taking that trash bag out to the curb. Believe me, if we can do this, in an apartment with a laundry room that gets locked at night, then just about anyone can. (If you are reading this post, there is a 99% probability that you can, just based on having internet access, so relative affluence...etc. yanno. )

Ok, well I am suffering through one awful cold so back to bed I go. Going to megadose Vitamin C and hopefully I'll be up-an-at-em in the morning!

happily,
nava

working wednesday: the 3-wheeled bike part 2

Here she is, all masked off (and protected from ...exuberant children) after finishing the paint job! Still have to order tires ( I found white-wall tires for a good price), brake lines, and I'm figuring out the seats. I am really, really happy with how this is turning out!
In the background you can see one of my old bikes, a red men's bike that I am fixing up for Milt. I'm thinking maybe blue? In that case, thankfully, the only things needing replacing are the tires and seat, and the tires I should be able to salvage from one of the other bikes around here, as they are the standard size.

hmm, that newspaper seat is quite chic, yes?

happily,
nava

material monday: guitar and patterns

We had a fantastic weekend! A nice, slow Saturday, and then Sunday we got up very early and went up to Roaring Camp Railroad because:

Mr. Conductor waving at Asher

Thomas the Tank Engine was visiting!!!! I loved Shining Time Station as a kid, and Asher adores all trains, especially Thomas, so it was a HUGE hit. I got the earliest ride I could book, which wound up being the 9:30am, which worked out great because by the time we left the mobs had descended, and the misty morning had turned to blustery, drizzling afternoon. It was so much fun, all these little kids running around having a blast, as did we, as did my parents, who had joined us for the day (the tickets were their birthday gift to the boys). So fun!

Ok, on to stuff.

Last week I went to Goodwill and came home with this!

so pretty!

Here's the story: I was looking for a juicer, and on our way into the store I happened to glance over and saw two guitars in the display case. Seeing that one was a child's guitar I mentioned how I had been looking at them online for when Asher was a bit older, but they were too expensive. We wandered around, I found some really neat stuff (including some awesome patterns, which I will be using ASAP!) but no juicer, so we went to get in line. I decided to just 'take a look' at the guitar, pulled it out, and saw that beyond a few dings, and needing new strings, it was in good shape, BUT, there was no price on it. The other guitar was around $70, so I figured it would be out of my price range, but I asked the cashier about it. She called over her manager, who took the guitar and said she would make a phone call. I wandered off, and in the meantime the manager came back with the guitar, told my Mom the price (she heard "$49.99") slapped a sticker on it and walked away. Which, you know, $49.99 isn't bad for a child's guitar. Then we looked at the sticker she had put on it. $4.99!!!! I got this guitar for $5! It was insane! I'm going to take it to one of our local music stores and see about strings and maybe a case, but wow! $4.99!

Ok, that was a long story. A long, exciting, story. Of how it pays to ask questions!

Second order of business, see this box of patterns?

they look so enticing, I know.

They are going on Ebay today. I hope to have them all sold by next week, and then on to the next batch of stuff to go. Cross my fingers!

happily,
nava

stalking simplicity

August 1st, being a Sunday, seemed as good a day as any to launch the new 'direction' of this blog; that is, giving it an actual focus, rather than random ramblings, as I have trouble deciding what is 'worth' posting otherwise and then don't post at all.
That focus? Simplifying; doing more with less; reaching for sustainability; eliminating the clutter in our lives (in all areas) and enjoying the journey.

Toward that end we (ok, I) have several goals in different areas.

First is Health! (this is a big one): adjusting our diet to be the healthiest possible. I've started on a Raw Food diet(mostly) and it's been going well. I share with the boys, but until I really have it down I am not having them go raw just yet. Milt is not really ready for raw either, but at least he'll try what I do make! aaaaand then eat a hot dog. :)
With this diet I am hoping to alleviate allergic and autoimmune responses, and so far I have noticed a HUGE difference between eating raw and eating cooked. Of course, I usually eat cheese when I don't eat raw, so I'm sure that is exacerbating the difference. ;)
Another intended effect of this diet change is weight stabilisation. I am 17 lbs above a 'normal' BMI, and it shows. I am 37 lbs above what is normal for me; that is, a fit and healthy size, usually between 6-8 in dress size, which is what I was before my thyroid became weak, sometime between my two pregnancies. (Although, I was a little chubby when I got married; I blame that on access to only really, really crappy food). Still! The health risks, and environmental impact, of maintaining this overweight lifestyle is the opposite of what I want in my life, so I am also focusing more on Exercise!

I finally 'fixed up' my bike (inflated the front tire and tightened the handlebars; wow, I have been lazy!) and am riding almost every day, with Asher in his BoBike mini right up in front. We've both been having a blast, although he is a little big for the mini, so I am looking into getting the BoBike maxi (or something similar) sometime soon. I am also fixing up a three-wheeled bike I found in the backyard, so it will be easier to cart both boys ( or a boy and some stuff? like groceries?) around once that is done. However, it is very, VERY rusted, and I am crossing my fingers that is is still structurally sound. I did discover that the lovely orange frame is actually white underneath. wow. We also go for walks, usually down to the train station (Asher LOVES trains),and I do yoga and belly dancing, which are, and have been, fantastic for my joints. On days that I don't get those two workouts I am really stiff, and it feels so great to get those stretches in that I can get a little resentful if the morning runs away with me before I get to it.

The next area of focus is our STUFF. We want to get our own place (we currently rent a room from my parents; yes, the four of us, one bedroom, although we do have the run of the house, so it's a pretty nice setup) but we are so bogged down with STUFF that I don't want to deal with it! We have about one year to save up a down payment, and in that time I'm getting rid of whatever I possibly can. Our stuff fills out a 2-bedroom apartment pretty well, but it is still just way, way too much. So, anything I can sell is being used to fund a down payment (and to pay down some of our debt), anything I can't is being donated, freecycled, or recycled. I can say that my two big trouble areas are my craft supplies (I have 8 bins of fabric. 8. That's insane.) and stuff for the boys. I have fantastic things for the boys, including montessori materials, but it's getting lost in the deluge of STUFF. Now, I am pretty brutal when stuff comes into the house; if it's plastic or makes electronic noises, I donate it within the week. But if it is wood or natural fibers, well, it gets through and it's getting to be a bit much. I don't want the cleaning of toys (and the arguing about cleaning of toys) to continue eating into our time together. It just isn't worth it. (On that note, know what else isn't worth it? Garage sales. Cragislist FTW! Anything that can't be craigslisted should be freecycled/given away ASAP. Just saying.)

The third area is our community and environment. Milt and I are not 'joiners' but I have been feeling the lack of community now that Asher is getting older and we aren't in Santa Cruz anymore, so we want to plug in somewhere, even if it is temporary. We also want to start making positive changes outside of our home sphere, so we are looking for opportunities to do that as well. Now, some personal things fall into this area:fuel economy, cloth diapers, washing the car on the lawn, but it all fits together into one big picture of how to live the fullest lives possible while making the most impact and leaving the smallest environmental footprint.

So I'll be focusing on these three areas, keeping track and trying to make sense of where we are heading. However it goes, it's going to be amazing.