Thirteen days of August were spent at the coast (Florence, Lincoln City and Glenden Beach). I loved every minute of it, especially the fires.
{this moment} inspired by Amanda Soule. More of my moments.
Four years ago today I married my beloved (and six years ago today we first met!).
I was nervous.
We both were.
You cried.
And we kissed.
And then I cried.
And cried some more.
It was beautiful.
I felt beautiful.
You were beautiful. You are beautiful.
We both were. And are still…even though I know we’d both kill for those waistlines now!
We danced.
And kissed more.
But didn’t dine…
Though we ate cake!
And did silly things.
And then packed our bags and left on a jet plane.
It was such a beautiful, memorable day. One that I will never forget. Nor will I ever forget the love and kindness that surrounded us by our friends and family. But that day doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. I didn’t need all the hoopla to know that you love me.
I’m grateful that I still see it every day when you…
do the dishes.
rock Boogie back to sleep.
rub my feet…and I know they’re not pretty…
clean out the cat box.
stay up late to not let the sun go down on our anger…
and then have enough joy in your heart to laugh when we realize all that time we actually agree…
say “uh huh” at all the right times during my periods of incessant chatter
…so like, all the time…
and let me, be me. Even though it’s always evolving.
I love you so much honey. From the depths of my being.
<3
Happy Anniversary.
So…I’m still around! We recently got back from a trip to the coast (Florence, Oregon in case you were wondering – lots of incredible farm fresh food, sea air, embroidering, Trivial Pursuit, some sand boarding, great family fun time!) and I’ve been in crunch mode gearing up for Baby’s first birthday*. I’ve been so immersed in glue and newspaper and scissors flying at every spare moment I have (which is barely any with a teething/*this close* to walking babe). I started out with these grand plans in my head, but as the party is almost here, I have to get real. Somehow I don’t think I’ll have time to replace our backyard with a giant lake, willow trees and a sailboat. Rats. Or hand make all of the 10,000 presents I had planned. Double rats. I promise to take pictures of the big day, as I have created quite a lot…at least it feels that way. I’m particularly happy that I’ve managed to use a lot of re-purposed materials. Cheap (or in some instances free!) and eco-friendly. In the interim, I’ll show you something else that I have been working on:
I am loosely participating in Amy’s newest Tie One On circus apron theme. I’ve selected fabric, a pattern and cut it all out. I’ve embroidered these lovely elephants for the pockets (free, fabulous pattern from So September) and my next step is to sew.it.all.together. This week at sewing class was the first time we actually started sewing. Like, on fabric, real fabric, with the intention of creating a bathrobe. I’m completely intimidated by clearing off enough space and sewing the apron by myself, in my home…for whatever reason I feel like I’ll need a huge chunk of uninterrupted time to concentrate and swear and stuff of that nature, and that’s just not realistic. Submissions are due by September 5; still time to participate if you’re up for the challange. We’ll see if I make it.
* If you’ve read this far, dang, thanks. Here’s some more blathering: this summer has been freaking weird. As soon as the weather changed and the air conditioner flicked on, I was bombarded with all of these smells and memories of last summer. That long, miserably hot, incredibly bizarre, intense summer. Honestly, this summer I almost felt pregnant again, as if re-living Summer 2009. I’ve been hormonal and nostalgic and sleep deprived, still sleep deprived. This year. Wow. This long, but not at all long, crazy, joyful, painful, hard, awesome, freaking ohmygod year. I could write a novel, but I’ll stop here. I just freaking love my baby love so freaking fiercely. I cannot believe he’ll be ONE tomorrow. One. *sigh*
Over the past year I have been slowly making the transition towards making my own beauty and skin care products. Often times it’s more economical, but more important than that, I am assured that what we’re putting on our bodies is free of toxins. What I’ve found, is that it’s incredibly easy, empowering and very fun. I even view it as a creative outlet and it gives me great satisfaction to be able to start and finish a project so quickly.
I’ve compiled a list of helpful resources to learn about the hows and whys about making the switch. My hope is that this information will empower you to make more informed choices when selecting products or inspire you to make your own. It can be difficult to digest new information all at once; instead of feeling overwhelmed or too paralyzed to change, please remember this blog is about making baby steps. The next time you finish that bottle of shampoo or body wash or even mascara, contemplate trying a non-toxic product or easily make your own!
- Watch this video. It’s quick, fun and sheds light on the cosmetics industry. It’s so difficult to ignore ads that promise beauty, though the vast majority of those products are harmful to you. The good news, is that you CAN purchase and make products that fulfill your needs without harming yourself in the process. It just takes a bit of due diligence on your part to weed through the lemons.
- READ LABELS! This is THE article to read. It is wildly educational, very thorough and denotes terms to look out for and how to choose safe products. Remember that virtually nothing is regulated by the FDA, so terms such as: all-natural, earth-friendly, non-toxic, organic and vegan may not be. It does occasionally mention a few brands, which is helpful, but annoying as well. Before blindly purchasing, check the database:
- Environmental Working Group’s skincare database, Skin Deep, rates products on their toxicity level. Pick a couple of the products that you use and educate yourself about what you’re putting on and ultimately IN your body! Find products that rate low and make the switch.
- This is a phenomenal article which sheds light on FDA regulations, or complete lack thereof…don’t forget to click on the link to endorse your concerns. Here’s an excerpt:
“…the FDA has taken no regulatory action whatsoever over the last six decades to protect the public from unknowing exposures to a wide range of toxic ingredients in cosmetic and personal care products. These include allergens, hormones, carcinogens and their precursors.”
- By now you’ve probably heard that parabens are bad. Here’s an article that easily explains them and how parabens = formaldehyde (which the FDA acknowledges causes cancer).
- The FDA does not require companies to list what ingredients are included in the term “fragrance.” And fragrances are really just chemicals. Additionally, companies often hide more widely known toxic chemicals in the term fragrance.
- Oh sunscreen, how we need thee, and how misleading most brands are. The EWG put out a fantastic sunscreen guide that navigates this market’s choppy waters. Take the guesswork out of choosing what’s safe!
- Senator Lautenberg’s Safe Chemicals Act of 2010 is a step in the right direction. Let’s make that step!
Another reason to make the switch is that chemicals pollute our water, damage our eco-system and create tons of waste. Recycling or re-purposing packaging is the responsible choice. Even bottle caps and lids can be recycled! Or buy your products in bigger containers or even in bulk!
What small change will you commit to? And while I just presented you with a slew of information, I’m relatively new to this as well. I’d love to hear your tips and additional resources!
I feel as if it’s important to begin this post with a link to stuff.
how-to peel peaches
paper dresses
photo courtesy of craft
homemade toothpaste
stories and interviews
yarn yum
photo courtesy of sfgirlbybay
sidewalk paint
cozy hot water bottles (found via sfgirlbybay)
photo courtesy of papa stour
Enjoy your day!
Over the past year I have sought out more natural remedies for our family and as such, I have accumulated dozens of tinctures and essential oils. The bottles take up residence in our bathroom and even kitchen shelves, placed randomly throughout the house as they’re used. It’s totally annoying trying to find what I need, when I need it. The other day as I was cleaning out a kitchen cupboard I came across a few silicone ice cube trays that I had stopped using (the ice cubes tasted like plastic…ick). I had a stroke of brilliance and gathered up as many bottles as I could find and felt as if I had struck gold!
Not only did the essential oil bottles fit perfectly, but so did the tinctures.
The trays are at the perfect height where the tincture labels are still easily visible. It would be super easy to organize them in alphabetical order for easy retrieval. I picked up some garage sale labels and was happy to find that they also fit the tops of the essential oil bottles perfectly and went to work labeling away.
An easy way to re-purpose unused ice cube trays and store your precious elixirs. Now whipping up a batch of wipes and cleaning spray is even easier!
P.S. – I cannot thank you enough for all of the kind, understanding and humorous notes that were left on my last post. I have thoroughly enjoyed my little blogging break, but am happy to be back in this space as well. Happy organizing!
Me, circa 1988*
Before I was entrenched in Blog Land, as I am now, I felt a bit off-kilter, which was one of the reasons why I started this blog in the first place. But before I can delve further, I must back up a bit.
When we learned I was “with child,” my entire life was turned on its head and I knew my current lifestyle was about to change more than I could ever fathom. As I started to get into the groove of motherhood and my 9-5 (more realistically 8-till late) work days were behind me, I felt I needed something else. So much of my self-worth was put into my career and when I chose to leave that behind, I felt a bit lost. In addition to knowing that I needed to stay abreast of current technological trends, I also wanted this space to be a place to vent, chronicle the ups and downs, my likes/dislikes, perhaps a place void of poopy diapers and teething, but perhaps a bit of that as well. Simply put, a little corner of the techno-world where I could record this crazy journey that I’m on.
With the tagline “one woman’s journey to live simpler, healthier and greener, one step at a time,” I forged ahead with the idea that I would catalogue these daily changes, sharing my research and experience towards leading this kind of lifestyle. What’s ironic about this, is that since venturing into the blog community, I feel as if the place that I had intended to head, while still moving in that direction, has been stalled by a new responsibility: blogging. If you don’t blog, then I can’t explain how much time can be dedicated to the process. And if you do, then I know you get it. Like truly, get it.
The fact is, I’m not sure where I’m headed with this space. Is my ultimate goal to make this a personal, 21st century type archive for future generations to view? Provide inspiration to help others lead a more mindful, alternative lifestyle? Attempt to create a second source of income? I’m not really sure yet. What I do know, is that I’ve come to realize three things over the past few months:
1. By immersing myself in this Blog Land, I’ve done precisely that: immersed myself, leaving less room to actually live. If you read any blog, you’ll notice that it ultimately links you to numerous other blogs, which then links you to dozens, hundreds, thousands, hell millions more. It’s overwhelming at best. Tending to be an all-or-nothing person, but striving towards a more balanced lifestyle, I recognize that trying to keep up with all this, is quite literally impossible. It has become a big time suck and ultimately has resulted in little habit circles, which you know I’m trying to avoid.
2. Sometimes I feel as if blogging is too competitive for me. What I mean is, at times I find blogs, while seemingly innovative and endearing, to be plastic, disingenuous and contrived as it seems everyone is trying to make a name for themselves. Which I thoroughly, thoroughly get. If you’re trying to make a living from it, you have to be okay with shameless self-promotion. That said, sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between honest living and wool-over-the-eyes advertising. And I view that as perpetuating and enabling compulsive consumerism. Which is gross.
3. Lastly, after listening to this NPR bit awhile back, I identified with the fact that I feel as if my brain is melting. By constantly checking email, keeping up with tweets and status updates on my Smart Phone, obsessively checking Google Reader for the latest blog posts, and whatever else, at the end of the day, it’s all a blur. (This, coming from a girl who was super late to the game acquiring a cell phone, and it’s been less than a year since I opened a Facebook account, and only a few months since starting Twitter.) I have a difficult time concentrating on any one thing, which is kinda freaking me the eff out. Like my short-term memory is completely fried. I also feel as if I need to be nursing my babe, making a meal, checking email, listening to the radio *doing a zillion and one things at once* in order to feel productive. And what that translates to, is a frazzled mind and lots of unfinished, unfocused living. Double gross.
So what is my point? I’m plugged in too much yo! I read this post today and it really hit home. So, I’ve decided to take a short break from this space, and completely unplug one day per week (and I invite you to take up that challenge along with). Wish me luck!
*what the hell does this picture have to do with the post? Perhaps nothing, except to show that yes, I have always been a complete spaz. And once I was Tina Turner.
How exciting! You may remember that I participated in a friendship bracelet exchange, orchestrated by Miss Amy Palanjian from Things We Make (she’s also a writer for ReadyMade). My vibrant new bracelet and intricate origami envelope and booklet were made by my new friend, Felicity Lingle. Each participant received each others creations; this is what I sent (the red thread was for Amy who donated it to the Boys and Girls Club):
You can see more photos (and better!) of the bracelet on Felicity’s lovely blog here. As part of my package, I also included a little note that I would be posting a special surprise just for Felicity and here it is, the most perfect summer ensem to go with the bracelet!
(images above from top left: embroidered daphne top $88, aviator sunglasses in arista/G-15 XLT $139, two tone hoop earrings in 14K gold fill $104, aztec-print scarf (worn as head wrap) $395, “tiny wings” wooden necklace $34, seaside straw tote $45, j brand denim shorts $165, woven buckle belt in ivory $28, gladiator sandals in brown $79, bicycle in crema $950)
I had so much fun putting this together that I think I shall try my hand at making more styling collages in the future. What do you think?
Thanks again Felicity!
I loved our weekend. On Friday evening it was too hot to cook so we patronized our favorite sushi joint, Yuki’s. Baby had fun flirting with any eye he caught and threw happily munched on Cheerios. Afterward we ventured to Mississippi Avenue to see the progress of the street fair set-up and then back to Alberta Arts for a cool treat at Tonalli’s.
After a family nap on Saturday morning, we journeyed to Syun Izakaya for the most delightful Japanese food I have ever had. With our bellies happy and our minds mellow, we drove to the Helvetia Lavender Farm for the festival. The smell of lavender wafted past our noses, jolly blue grass tunes floated past our ears, and the summer heat felt so amazing against my skin. We enjoyed iced coffee and fresh lavender lemonade, and I carefully moved through the purple brush, mingled with the bees and gathered the most fragrant buds. We took a lovely scenic route home, stopping only long enough to douse ourselves with homemade bug repellent (apricot kernel oil mixed with eucalyptus, lemon and lavender essential oils) and trotted to a friends home for a lovely BBQ.
Sunday was spent munching on an incredible Canby Asparagus Farm quesadilla and fresh raspberry lemonade at the Irvington Farmer’s Market before heading south to Silverton for a birthday party. It was Minnie Mouse themed, and awesome. We stopped at El Toro’s for dinner in the quaint downtown historical district. The food was mediocre, the few sips of Cadillac margarita I had were so delicious and the decor and wall murals were ridiculously kitschy-cool. Mexico meets American cowboy. Totally reminded me of that fabric I won. Happy Monday!
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