the great (continual) purge

We are, as always, working on giving away some of the many, many possessions we have. We really do have entirely too much stuff. I notice that when we are more stressed, we buy more (which then leads to more stress and...hello, downward spiral). So, we're slowly starting to dig ourselves out of the last ten months' worth of stress.

I have been ever-so-slowly working on my own project (a.k.a. The Office That Threatens To Swallow Us Whole). I also worked with Pic on clearing out her room. I always think that she won't want to give anything away, that she'd rather be overwhelmed by all the stuff she has, but I forget (again and again) that she's not me. She's not me now and she's not me when I was a child.

She has given away bags and bags and a box of things she no longer has use for. We also gave four bags of clothes to our dearly beloved friends.

I'm not sure that I'm the most helpful helper, though, as I kept wanting to ask her, "Are you sure you want to give this away?" I can't count the times I had to check myself before I blurted that out. Geez. But we got through it and we can see her floor and we realized that she really had a lot less than we had thought, it's just that it was all out where we could see it (at least the top layer).

Among the stuff that I've cleared out:

* five years' worth of paperwork (okay, so I shredded that and stuck it in the garage for the compost bins)

* the crock pot (the one I used twice in two years)

* some other kitchen gadget -- I never even knew what it was (never used in over a decade)

* three pans, two mugs and a travel mug (no partridges, no pear trees)

* a jacket Cardo bought for me over a year ago and which I never wore

To go?:

* about nine hundred more pounds of paperwork (Me vs The Paperwork: The Eternal Battle)

the great purge of mid-2011

Oy with the stuff already. We have so much of it.

Now that I can breathe a bit easier (as far as my time goes), it's time to get serious about the stuff that is constantly threatening to suffocate us. So, stacks of paperwork from five months ago? Into the shredder with you. Power bills from two years ago? Please get in line.

I finally went through Pic's clothes and cleared out anything with a 3t or 4t on it. (Why 4t? I always thought the t stood for toddler. Are four-year-olds still toddlers? I stopped considering Pic a toddler when she turned three.)

We took four kitchen bags full of stuff to Goodwill on Saturday. The Game of Life? Gone. Four pairs of shoes I no longer wear (including two pairs I barely, barely ever wore)? Gone. A good chunk of Cardo's wardrobe? Off to Goodwill with you.

Yet, no matter how much we've gone through, we still have tons and tons more. So much more that this is really part of a life-long project. If only we'd stop bringing stuff into this home. We're working on it. If only my paycheck-earning enterprises didn't entail so many pieces of paper.

The compost is going to be overwhelmed with shredded paper. We'll have backup for years to come.

digital declutter (and a little night music)

There is no way I will ever, ever be able to work my way through everything hanging out on my computer. I have hundreds of e-mails, sorted nicely into neat little folders. I have almost three hundred blogs bookmarked. I have probably hundreds of articles to get around to. And, well, e-mails keep coming in, people keep posting to their blogs, people keep updating their facebook profiles, I keep adding to my many, many bookmarks files. Ugh.

Entonces, every so often, I try to declutter a bit. Because everything is contained within the very small space of my computer, it should seem unoverwhelming (yeah, yeah, not a word), but, really, everything is contained within the rather infinite space of the ether and that is incredibly overwhelming to me.

Yes, it's almost three o'clock in the morning, but I was being to feel digitally bogged down, so I'm working my way through some "to listen to" music files (y'know, like a "to do" list). Here's what I have replayed a number of times already this evening/morning:


"Stars - Dead Hearts (with lyrics in description)" [No video, just a still picture of what I'm going to say is the album cover.]

decluttering (still...again)

I have spent my life gathering stuff. I still own a wee hat, a wee blanket and a very tattered stuffed dog from my baby days. I own a shirt from fifth grade (I do not wear it -- I probably couldn't wear it). I still occasionally find class notes from high school. I like my stuff. Actually, I like the idea of my stuff, but the actual stuff itself overwhelms me. So, I very slowly and very methodically declutter. We have very much reigned in the buying of more stuff, but the situation is something like living in a country where the population is gargantuan. Even though the birth rate is falling off, it's still a crowded place.

Today, I threw away an extremely broken plastic bank and a piece of an espresso machine we gave a away years ago (I think it was years ago). I'm also cleaning out my music collection a bit.

I have a weird attachment to things like my cds. (My cassettes mainly consist of songs recorded from the radio. I didn't start owning my own albums until I was in high school and cds had already taken over). I don't own much in the way of cds, but what I do own, I mainly bought new and paid full price for (um, what was I thinking?). This, in part explains why my collection is so small -- I just couldn't afford more. Also, when it comes time to buy new music (or books), I always get a bit panicky. I know this is weird. I keep thinking, "But what if I realize I wanted something else more? What if I only like one song on this album? What if...?" I'm good at the "what if" game and that usually means I end up walking away having not purchased anything. (I realize that I do this with any purchase and it makes Cardo slightly crazy.)

So, I've mainly kept all of the music I've ever bought, or that's ever been bought for me. I feel strange not having an album to go along with the music I own. I love the idea of buying music from places like iTunes, because it doesn't come with the trappings of waste plastic and paper. But, I also have an attachment to the physical cds themselves. Okay, I'm beginning to feel like I'm going in circles here, so let's wrap this up, shall we?

I am building a give-away pile in our garage. Little by little, I'm adding to it. Going into it today (oh Interweb, I'm embarrassed to admit this...just know that I have no idea why I bought most of this and most of this is very old):
* a Pearl Jam album (I have no idea what it is. The case broke long ago and it's in some random, otherwise empty case.)
* Kid Rock's Devil Without a Cause (um, yeah...no explanation will suffice)
* The Young Americans Live (not sure why I bought this, but I did only pay $1)
* Take 6's So Much 2 Say
* the soundtrack from Detroit Rock City (I never saw the movie)

I can't explain my past purchasing choices, because I don't understand them myself. I'm actually relieved to rid myself of these albums. Good riddance, Cluttery Stuff!

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P.S. Perhaps I should have a 'pink with embarrassment' tag?

i resolve: decluttering edition

I resolve to no longer buy those day-to-day calendars. I have been doing so for over a decade now and I just found pages from a 2001 calendar (that's the oldest I've come across so far today). Buying these calendars is something of a compulsion with me. I like to have that daily page to look at, but I can't stand the remnant pages. And, what a waste of paper. Because, really, if I still have pages from almost ten years ago, I don't foresee working my way through these scratch pages anytime soon.

I need to break this habit. So, come next January...NO MORE! I'll have to sign up for an e-mail-a-day calendar or something, because the clutter is ridiculous.


This is only a bit of the problem. And, do you see: some of that paper has yellowed with age. Ugh.

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One more? Okay. I also resolve to stop buying movies I'm not sure I enjoy. I guess I'll have to check them out through Netflix before I buy. The problem is that I buy movies at Goodwill and I'm never sure what the selection will be. I know, I know, just stop buying them. Duh. Seems so simple, but it's such a hard habit for me to break.

Here's what went out on Freecycle yesterday:


(As I said before, that Hollow Man is not mine, but Cardo said I could give it away.)

mnmlsm, or something entirely unlike it

That would be minimalism, in case you were wondering.

A friend recently told me she's interested in minimalism. She's been interested in weeding out the extra stuff in her life. I mumbled something along the lines of me also being interested in it but that I realize it's something I'm incapable of. (I actually, can't remember my exact stumbled-over response, but that's close enough.)

Here's the thing: I've always held on to stuff. I've whittled and whittled. I've given away bags and boxes and more bags and more boxes worth of stuff. And yet... Ah, there's always more.

We've lived in our current place for three months now (I can hardly believe that, but it's true) and the den is still a wreck. I keep saying, "I'd like a bookshelf for the closet so I can unpack and clean up." That's totally just an excuse. First off, I could just shove the eight boxes (I just counted) in the closet and that would help matters immensely, but I really do want to get rid of some of the crap. But, when I start to go through things, I always stop and think, "Hmm, I might be needing this at some point. What if I get rid of this [random piece of crap I probably haven't looked at in months or, ahem, years] and then realize I could have used it?" So, the stuff still sits. It's so much easier for me to focus on Pic's wreck of a room or the wreck that is the garage. And, even these I have largely ignored for the last couple of months. I am just overwhelmed by our stuff.

The other day, I concluded that our stuff is like weight. It's so easy to gain weight, and to gain it quickly at that. It's hard, for me at least, to drop the extra weight, though. As a family, we find it so easy and quick to acquire stuff, but it takes us so long to weed through and rid ourselves of it. Last year was something of a Year of Acquiring. This year I've hoped to realize something of a Year of Decluttering, but I've yet to feel successful regarding this.

I might be more successful with the assistance of some kind of personal trainer: a neutral party who would come in and just pack up a bunch of crap and recycle/give away what isn't needed, but even that thought fills me with a bit of anxiety. I'm entirely too attached to the tangible things in my life. Perhaps what I need isn't someone to clean up my room, but someone to offer mental and emotional help -- not a personal trainer, but a therapist?

So, for now, here I sit, in the tiny den, cramped with boxes and bags and papers and clutter, listening to podcasts and very, very slowly working off the excess.

attack of the stuff

Last year seemed to be The Year of Acquiring for La Famiglia B. I don't know what it was, but we bought and bought and bought. Of course, the stuff (I'm not talking essentials here, I'm really just talking stuff) we bought was mainly from the thrift stores we frequent, so we weren't spending too much money at any one time (although, duh, spending a little bit of money very often adds up).

In addition to our purchases, we have a rampant case of Paperwork Overflow! (It's like The Blob!)

So, now our little home is bursting at its little seams, full of stuff. I'm thinking this year should be The Year of Decluttering. This won't be the same as my decluttering project of a few months ago, though. We always have a bag or two of "give-away," but the clutter I'm mainly worried about is the paperwork. Completely unnecessary paperwork. Bills, magazines, junk mail. Oh so much stuff. (Oh so many incomplete sentences!)

We plan on living in our new residence for several years, which actually worries me when it comes to the clutter. I've found we are like goldfish: we expand to fit our surroundings. I'm seeing all of these spaces here, spaces that are asking to be filled with bookcases and books (really, they are).* Before I can begin filling the empty spaces, though, I feel that I need to empty, or at least pare down, some of the mountains of stuff.

Also, back to the point of buying too much stuff last year: we'll just try to buy less this year. Simple, yes? I really am getting better at letting one thing go for every one thing that I bring in. I recently found myself some new walking shoes and I got rid of two (!) pairs of other shoes. I know that I won't be diligent when it comes to books, though. I've given myself permission to collect books. They're my thing.

My main concern right now is Pic's vast amount of clutter. We've finally gotten good about telling her she could choose a book or a movie instead of a toy when we go to the thrift stores. She's like me, and her Auntie L, in that it's hard for her to visit a thrift shop and leave without a book. I wholly support this habit. But, really, she just has too many toys (thanks to Mamma and Papi, I know). She might not find it overwhelming, but I do, and I certainly don't want to collect any more because we don't have room for everything she owns right now. I can see it now: twenty years down the road, she'll be unpacking boxes full of My Little Ponies (that will then be about forty years old) and wondering what she's going to do with them. This is a feeling I know well.

Anyhow, my fingers are starting to freeze (it's cold in here but I can't very well type with my gloves on), so I'll go. Pic and I are going to get outside for a bit today, despite the cold, which really isn't that bad here. When we get back in, it's more unpacking and decluttering for us. I'm not sure if I want to whoop or groan in response to that, so I'll just quietly forge my way through the mess.

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*La Casa B is both cluttered and full of spaces at the same time. In unpacking the kitchen, I realized that I like things to be handy (as in, very close at hand) if not visible. This is why we have empty spaces in our cupboards, but piles and piles of stuff on every surface. Ah, well.

declutter: days all the rest

My camera battery needed a serious charge last night and I've been lax on posting photos. Anyhow, I've reached the end of my thirty days of declutter. I need to do about 300 more, so I'll keep slowly whittling away here.


First, I have some items I got from an orientation over three years ago. Until the last few days, they've sat in the same bag in which I received them, waiting for me to actually getting around to using them. Not going to happen, it turns out.




(Don't you love how clean my carpet is? I have no idea what that is in that second picture there, but I'm hoping it was just a shadow.)



Cardo found me a new jacket at Goodwill this past weekend and so an older one has to go. This one is definitely warm enough, it's just never been a favorite of mine. Out it goes to keep someone else warm in these colder months.






These last have been with us an embarrassingly long time. I was once off on this whim where I wanted to make flavored iced teas at home. And I did, for a few months. These were all pretty full, but I emptied them, obviously, before I took the shot. I'll stick with honey for my teas (I brew it hot, add the honey and then put the whole mug in the refrigerator to cool).

(And, the 'sugar-free' just means with Splenda instead of an actual food. I'm not sure I'm comfortable with Splenda, but I have a looong way to go before I'm only eating what is actually food. One laboratory concoction at a time.)

scheduling for a laid-back (as far as scheduling my day goes) procrastinator

[I actually wrote everything before 'Decluttering?' yesterday, but never got it posted. Perhaps I'm not off to the greatest start, but today has gone pretty well so far.]

I’ve been trying at something of a consistent rhythm around here for the last couple of months, but I’ve been largely unsuccessful thus far. Now, though, I’m craving a somewhat regular schedule even more.

First, though, let me talk about ‘schedule.’ I don’t mean something along the lines of the following:
8a: drag self out of bed
8:15a: make breakfast
8:30a: eat breakfast
and so and and so on. I mean more of a loose schedule. I’ve been reading others’ writing about rhythm so much lately and I feel that ‘rhythm’ is a much better word. I’d like to have a somewhat set rhythm to most of my days (notice how I’m not exactly pinning down any specifics here).
So,…

The biggest hindrance to us having some sort of unwonky rhythm is my wonky sleep. I will again begin trying to work on this. However, that means that I’ll have to get more accomplished during the day which, in turn, means we need less random running around in what feel like pointless circles. Whew.

I’m not exactly sure what our loose schedule is going to look like, but I’d like it to be something along the following lines:
• wake up (at decent time, after having had decent sleep)
• morning abultions
• make and eat breakfast
• learning/exploring with Pic
• lunch
• picking up
• resting
• writing/reading/work prep
• make and eat dinner
• stuff
• bed

This only really works for some days. For instance, Pic and I only have four days worth of dedicated learning time (of course, that doesn’t mean that we don’t explore/learn at other times…that happens for all people at all different kinds of times in all different kinds of places). And, one of our days is a library field-trip day. We used to go at least twice a week, but our library is now closed two days a week and the hours have been shortened for the days on which it is open. I like us to be pretty free on Cardo’s days off, as this is when we run our errands and generally just enjoy his company. I very, very much appreciate that he works full-time-plus to keep us in a home with food on the table and so on, but I am also very aware of how little time his job seems to leave him for spending time with Pic.

In order to be able to stick pretty much with this rhythm, I’ll have to be more disciplined. I’ll have to have sort-of set times to do certain things. I’d like to have a set time to write and post to this here blog. As it is now, I write and post whenever, very often in the middle of the dark when I should be asleep like everyone else in my home.

I’ll also have to stick to my meal-planning. We’ve actually been pretty decent with this, excepting times when we have company or extra commitments.

Finally, I’ll have to set aside some time for myself on Sundays in which to prepare for the rest of the week.

I think that this is all doable. I’m not sure whether it is all doable by me, so we’ll see.

So, now: I’m wondering how you all keep a healthy rhythm in your own lives. Do you make lists? Do you have spreadsheets? Do you have no choice because your day-job forces you to squeeze in the rest of life in the remaining moments?

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Declutter? The camera has been living in Cardo's car the last few days. I had it out yesterday, but last night was one of those nights that I went to sleep freakishly early (a bit before eleven, I believe).

Days 26-8 (I'm almost finished!):


I kind of like this shirt, it just fits me all wrong. It hugs too tightly in some places and sags in others and is just unfortunate. Ah, well, back to the thrift shop it goes.


An album that was gifted to me, I believe, in high school. I haven't listened to it in the last ten years, so out it goes.


Another high school gift. Ah, gotta love Spencer's (or not...no, really not at all, although it was funny and fitting at the time).

let's dish*

This weekend, and last week actually, we didn't do a great job of sticking with any kind of menu. I wrote one out. I was quietly ambitious, but then I was weak. So, this week, we're back to being frugal and making meals here. So, here's the tentative menu for the next few days (please note the lack of frozen pizza):

Mon: zucchini, brussels sprouts (with apples and turkey bacon)

Tue: baked triple-bean pot, sandwiches

Wed: possibly dinner with friends, as Cardo is going to go in early -- we'll see what the plan is, but we'll have a ton of baked beans and I might try for some popovers (no salty-times-infinity chicken, though)

Thu: enchiladas, Coach J-style

Fri: vegetable soup, popovers

Sat: lemony quinoa with spinach

Not ambitious, I know. Pretty tame. Just the kind of stuff I can handle.

I recently checked out the New Moosewood Cookbook from the library (after having seen it in use over at The Blankie Chronicles) and I have a whole slew of recipes I'd like to try, eventually, from there. They are as follows (get comfy, it's a long list of so much goodness):

Soups:
- cream of asparagus
- light cream of celery
- miso soup
- summer vegetable soup
- vegetable chowder
- cream of broccoli
- cauliflower cheese soup
- split pea soup
- Hungarian mushroom soup
- mushroom bisque
- homemade croutons (for some of the soups)
- herbed carrot soup
- lentil soup
- mushroom barley soup
- cream of spinach soup
- chilled cucumber yogurt soup
- vichyssoise
- chilled berry soup

Salads (mainly dressings):
- very green dressing
- basic vinaigrette
- sweet & tart mustard dressing
- tabouli
- marinated mushrooms

Baked goods and sandwiches:
- custardy popovers
- pita bread
- focaccia
- blueberry corn bread
- flour tortillas
- chappatis

Entrees:
- spinach-rice casserole
- calzone
- polenta

Desserts:
- orange cake
- Ukrainian poppy seed cake
- pound cake, and variations
- stovetop rice pudding
- baked custard
- strawberry-rhubarb crisp
- no-fault pumpkin pie
- crunchy-top peach pie
- real blueberry pie
- berry sauce and berry sorbet
- Moosewood fudge brownies
- lemon mousse

Whew! Yes, I'll have to check the cookbook (or foodbook, as Pic refers to it) many, many more times because I can't buy myself any new, or even new-to-me, books right now. ::big sigh of lament::


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Yesterday, for whatever reason, I forgot to include my declutter item, so here're yesterday and today:



Containers. The first I got in high school and used to store various pieces of stuff I've since gotten rid of. The second I got from my aunt and I believe it was filled with potpourri. I haven't used either in a very long time and it's time for them to move on. G'bye.

Maybe if I don't have some many containers for random stuff/junk, I'll have less random stuff/junk...maybe...except, I am me.

Only five more decluttering days to go before I make it to thirty days! (Only about a billion more pieces of stuff here in my home that are completely non-essential to my life.)

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*When I saying the title to myself, I kept thinking of this song:



...which I sing 'Let's dance, put on your night dish, la, la, hmm, hmm.' Yeah. I know the few words I fake don't make any sense, but there you have it.

happy friday the thirteenth...

...just because!

So, I've just seen both my parents and my child off to their respective beds (kind of, my parents are actually using my bed tonight and Cardo and I will be using the couch bed...just to clear that up) and all is well and quiet. It's nice to have company.

Pic has already wowed them (or something) with her humor and knowledge. They've been treated to her wonderfully logical jokes ('Why did the balloon go up and up? Because it was full!'). Also, she made sure everyone near us at dinner tonight was clear that 'boys have penises and girls have vaginas!'. Just to clear that up. (I haven't quite gotten into the many nuances and biological possibilities that really keeps her statement from being stark fact.)

Now, I'm off to catch up on others' blogs, watch a little Monk on the computer (possibly) and maybe do some word puzzles and/or reading. Wow, I am a party girl, no doubt about it.

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Declutter:


Disney Princess shelf paper? Something like that. I'm still not sure how Pic talked Papi into buying this for her, but here it is uselessly taking up space more than a year later. Ah, well, into the give-away bag it goes.

talking in circles

There's something about getting into bed at night that suddenly makes me want to have in-depth chats with Cardo. I'm sure he loves this (please note the irony here). When he's ready for bed, he pretty much wants to lay down, wiggle around for entirely too long trying to find a comfortable spot and then quickly fall asleep (oh how I envy those who can fall asleep so quickly). Also, I'm pretty sure the sound of my voice droning on and on puts him to sleep.

Anyhow, last night was just such a night. I wanted to have a deep conversation about our future and about my own goals that have been slowly surfacing over the last five years. I've been so busy that I haven't had much time to really think them, my goals, through, but having this time 'off' has given my plenty of time (often too much, actually) to think about what I value and about what I want out of this go-around.

And, going around seems to be what we're doing. Every time we decide something, there seems to be an 'or,' either expressed or not. We could stay and settle into this rhythm, or we could go somewhere else and start out again. I could find part-time work, or I could go right back to school (if one will have me). We could stay in the apartment, or we could find another place to rent (if only we had a few tens of thousands of dollars as a downpayment on a house...ah, well).

At times, having so many large possibilities looming makes me want to completely shut down. I am easily overwhelmed and I don't really relish change (at least not initially, but I pretty quickly adapt if I give myself a chance). The other day, as we walked, I was thinking how nice it would be if someone, some magical fairy godperson, walked up to me and just told me what would be the best choice right now. Um, yeah, not going to happen, I know. And, anyhow, I don't really take well to being told what to do.

So, I'm still unsure about our next move. For now, I'm just trying to enjoy where we are and remember how happy I am that I am a part of this family and that I have so much time with this family. I'm afraid that, by next August, so much will have changed (Pic should be in kindergarten then) and I don't want to wish this time away or spend all of it worrying.

I would just like to throw one idea out there: if all of my friends would like to come live nearby, or stay nearby, that would be great. If I owned a commune, I'd invite you all to live there with me. Or something. However, I know that we all have different places to go and be right now and in the future, so I'll just keep thanking the wonders of the interweb for making staying in touch possible.

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Declutter:

Oh, Children's Music, how I don't really love you all that much. I apologize.


This lived in my car for quite some time. The plastic case is actually crumbling. I regretted buying this almost the moment we did buy it, but, as fortune would have it, we haven't had to listen to it in a verrrry long time. Mainly, we stick with NPR or the Sesame Street Best album I got at Secondhand Prose for $1! I love it. (And, yes, forty-year-old Sesame Street deserves its own post, but it'll have to wait.)

...and...

Seriously! I own more holiday cards! Oy with the poodles!


Into the give-away bag they go.

sundaes for breakfast, anyone?

Okay, so it's a quinoa sundae, but still.... Actually, this is also what I had for dinner last night, but the avocado from last night was somewhat questionable. Obviously I lived to eat another delicious quinoa sundae. (I made the quinoa with vegetable broth. I like the flavor so much better than when I make it with water. I tried it as breakfast cereal once, made with water not broth, with some milk and blueberries, but I wasn't so into it. I hope that wasn't confusing.)

I got the recipe idea here, but I only use black beans, quinoa, avocado and cheese. I like the queso fresco casero better than any other cheese I've tried on this, but we don't always have it on hand. Oh, I just looked at Catherine Newman's recipe again. Yeah, mine's not nearly as involved, but her recipe was definitely inspiring.

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So, decluttering? First, I have to say, we went to the library booksale, for the $6/bag day and got 35 new (to us) kids' books and four movies for $12! We so had room for more in our second bag, but we were ready to go. And? All of those new books have already been catalogued! (Now, I just have to catch up on the many, many already floating around the apartment, but I've been working on it somewhat diligently these last few days.)

So, yes, I'm bringing more stuff into the apartment, but I just keep in mind that I have allowed myself a couple of collections, one of which is books.

In the meantime, I've begun to look again at our office/library (I really need a better term for this, I'm just so excited to have a place that really feels like a library in our home, albeit a completely messy library). And, oh the treasures I've found! Decluttering should be a snap (or a cinch? what's the cliche?) for the remainder of my thirty-day time limit. In fact, I'll, no doubt, be able to continue on with this one thing a day deal for a bit longer.

Today's decluttering item? A big old bag of trash that lived in my car for, um, two-plus years. Okay, so I didn't really carry a bag of trash with me for two years, although I wouldn't put it past me, but when we sold the car, I shoved all of the detritus in a trash bag and then, apparently, shoved that into the office closet. I began looking through it today and some stuff was salvageable: a couple of pencils, my umbrella, a picture of Pic from when she first started school (oh how I miss it and don't all at the same time). Otherwise? Mainly trash or shredder fodder: insurance cards and registration cards dating back at least two years, a broken visor, power bill receipts dating back at least two years, a random booklet that had been completely soaked at one point but that had since dried to brittleness (I say it's a word). Oh, yes, basically a big old bag of trash. Nothing to be given away today, but I'm definitely breathing a little easier having gotten rid of all of that crap.



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P.S. As if I need more stuff to bring into the apartment...Tomorrow is the Savers 50%-off clothing, shoes and accessories sale.

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P.P.S. I'm sure that this Veteran's Day will be especially emotional for many. I know that I spent much of this morning, listening to the memorial service, in tears of sympathy for those affected by the violence at Fort Hood and a kind of sadness that violence happens at all.

nourishment

For the first time in...two years (?), I made bread. I've been wanting to make bread for us, but it always seems like such a chore, even though I love eating freshly baked bread. I've been reading through the SouleMama archives and found an easy-looking, simple bread recipe and, after we bought a bread pan Saturday night, I actually made bread. (Well, I waited until last night to make it, because by the time we got home from gallivanting around, as my Grammie would say, on Saturday, it was too late to make bread.)

The bread is Amanda's (SouleMama's) WHO bread (there's a bread machine version of the recipe also, but we don't have a bread machine). The WHO (wheat, honey, oat) bread is super-easy to make and oh-so-quick too. (It took me maybe twenty minutes to put everything together and I'm a person who has to triple the prep time of most recipes because I'm such a slow cook/baker.) And, most important, it's good. I love it. I will definitely be making this a lot more often. Cardo and I couldn't resist sharing a piece last night, just before midnight, when the bread was ready. Then, this morning, I had two pieces and a apple for breakfast. Pic had a piece toasted with butter and strawberry preserves, and an apple, for breakfast (of course, it took her until almost one o'clock in the afternoon to finish her breakfast). I doubt this bread will last very long. I'm excited about this (if you couldn't tell)!



By the way, I love SouleMama. I have a ton of bookmarks from the blog, saving projects I want to try and foods I want to make and books I want to read. I found SouleMama through another blog I love, The Blankie Chronicles. (Kate also blogs at Cluck and Tweet.) From both The Blankie Chronicles and Cluck and Tweet, I've also bookmarked tons of posts. Each time I create a new bookmark for a new project, I'm more excited about this time I have with Pic before she heads off to school (sometimes, I need to remind myself why I'm doing this year at home).

Anyhow, I just thought I'd share the blog and food love.

In other food nonnews, this is what Pic and I had for lunch the other day:


We're kind of into making popcorn lately. Except, I tend to always burn some of it. The day before this pictured lunch, in fact, I was doing too many things at once and I burnt the first three kernels to disgusting, black bits that billowed smoke and caused our smoke alarm to chirp (but only once...huh). Oops. Any advice? Should I have the heat turned way up so the kernels will pop faster and the already popped pieces will have less time to char? Or, should I have the heat turned down so I won't scald the popcorn?

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Of course, I need to post days seventeen through nineteen for my decluttering:


Birthday paraphernalia that, let's face it, I'll never actually use. And, a book that, let's face it, I'll never read. As much as I don't like to let go of books, sometimes I just have to realize that there are some that will just lay around, unread, until they decompose.


I got this bag when I subscribed to Self. It looks cute enough, but it doesn't have a zipper or or snap to keep the main compartment closed (I prefer a zipper). It's small enough to be a purse, but I like my purses to securely close. Also, it has some weird, crinkly plastic lining that makes me crazy. It has been hanging on a door knob for almost a year now...time to give it up.

high praise, ecc

Thank you all for your recent (and ongoing, also) kind and wonderful words. I don't know how I do it, but I sometimes forget that there is more to me than just one identity. Yeah.

I'm just trying to work through some stuff, here, obviously. And, as I already know, I shouldn't post when I'm exhausted beyond belief. (Actually, I probably shouldn't be exhausted beyond belief.)

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Decluttering anyone?



Two postcards I've had rustling around here since high school. I apparently have a lot of stuff left over from high school.

As Ms K commented, she finds it easier to give away others' belongings than one's own belongings. I completely agree! There are so many times when I want to just go in Pic's room and start giving stuff away from there. However, I've restrained myself relatively well so far, although I do have her choose toys that she no longer plays with to give away. (Cardo, in so many ways my opposite, isn't big on holding onto stuff, so I there isn't much to raid there, even if the temptation took me.)

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Anyhow, tomorrow? A date! (Date number two if you count today's lunch with Ms B!). Cardo and I will try to find Pic's winter gift and then, I hope, we'll spend a little time for just the two of us. I'm envisioning...a walk. I'm definitely a cheap date.

movies, depression and clutter

Kind of a lot for one post, but I didn't want to do a whole bunch of posts. So here goes:

So, I'm still pretty tired, but we're home for the evening, I have a few things to do and then...off to bed and (I'm figuratively crossing my fingers here) some spectacular slumber.

As for today? Let me just tell you that my child is thoroughly excited by 'Dolly!' as she refers to Hello, Dolly! Definitely my child. She's not as into The Sound of Music. I'm wondering if she'll like Mary Poppins and I'm looking for that at the thrift stores now (now, I'll just have to get over my not-so-much-loving Mary Poppins). I'm thinking we'll add in a little Music Man and My Fair Lady and see how we do with those (she enjoyed what we watched of Funny Face, so I'm hoping she's also an Audrey fan). Oh, and Into the Woods. I'll have to watch that one again also.

Other movies? Bedknobs and Broomsticks, which I enjoy. I'm thinking to get Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which I've never seen (yeah, I know). Any thoughts on that one? Any other thoughts? She wasn't so into Yours, Mine and Ours or the Hayley Mills Parent Trap, so we'll try those again later.

Also for later, and after I've seen them again because it's been a while: Escape to Witch Mountain and Return from Witch Mountain* and Watcher in the Woods (which was a little creepy to me, so that'll be for when she's quite a bit older).

Oh, I should probably mention that we did not, of course, watch all of these today. I just got into a musicals/older children's movies mode.

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* I think one of these movies was recently remade, but I'll stick with the originals. We'll see. I tend to glorify things in recollection.

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I just watched this momversation. It was not easy to watch.



I also like the video that Mindy Roberts posted in the comments, part of the episode that ended up on the virtual cutting room floor.

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As for the clutter? You might be thinking, as was I, that I had already divested myself of all the extras greeting cards in my possession. Oh, would we be wrong! I found two more sets. Out they go, along with a plastic tub of frail rubber bands and a Marvin the Martian keychain that I believe I never actually used. (The rubber bands, which are snapping as I stretch them, are headed for the trash.)

food, and pictures of it

I always seem to figure things out much later than, well, everyone else. Or, I'll read/hear about something, think it's a good idea and then take years to implement it. Such is the story with weekly menus. It is amazing how easy it is for us to actually stick with eating at home when we have a menu, no matter how rudimentary or boring it may be. And, now that my student loans are coming due and I'm not working this year, we really need to be able to stick with an eating at home routine.

Of course, there are other benefits. I love to eat at home. I can eat in my yoga pants, slippers and an oversized t-shirt, as I did tonight. We like to cook together, which is a nice experience for me. I've been getting Pic to try more foods (although, she still usually tries the food, declares it either 'yummy' or 'blech' and then declines another bite no matter how it tasted). Our food is healthier than most restaurant food. And, yes, we spend less money. Much, much less. When we do eat out now, I notice that I'm often disappointed in the food. It just doesn't taste as good as I used to think it did. And, I also always wonder, 'Couldn't I have made this at home?' Of course, though, I do still like to eat out on occasion, given the restaurant.

Anyhow, tonight's dinner? Sincronizadas (with turkey, not ham) and roasted zucchini.



As I said: rudimentary and boring. But, I enjoy it. Cardo hadn't eaten at all today (!), so I had the zucchini in the oven and the ingredients for the sincronizadas ready to go when he walked in the door (he's the sincronizada-maker here...otherwise I would have started making those too). Shortly thereafter, we were sitting at the table, discussing our day while Cardo and I ate dinner and Pic ate apples. Of course. Actually, pretty much all she had to eat today was fruit. Ah, well. I know it could be much worse. I've always tried to be really careful about getting into power-struggles over food with her. I just don't figure they'll be very productive. So, there are lots and lots of nights where she tastes dinner and then eats fruit or crackers or toast. I don't cook something else for her and I don't voice my frustrations (because, believe you me, they're there...now I know how my parents felt about my very own incredibly picky eating habits).

When Cardo isn't home, Pic and I usually have even more basic fare. Sunday night, for example, we had oatmeal. (Here I go with the oatmeal pictures again. Yes, even though Peecho has told me it looks like vomit. You're welcome for that mental image.



I do have to admit that Pic's looks better than mine here...I had already stirred mine all up. Steel cut oats, chunks of apple*, maple syrup, pumpkin pie spice, toasted almonds, a bit of milk and some Craisins. (Does anyone know how to dry cranberries with no special equipment? I'd like them without the sugar.) Pic's a big oatmeal fan. She's also a big fan of almonds. I made the exact same thing again for breakfast Monday morning, except that time I chopped the almonds before I toasted them.

This morning, we had fruit and toast. I bought a sourdough round at House of Bread, which I haven't mentioned in forever, but which I still love, love, love. I kind of burnt the bottom edges of the bread and Pic's face when she tasted that part was hilarious! (No pictures, sorry.) I asked her what was wrong and she told me, 'I don't like the black part. It's disgusting.' I told her she could just eat the rest of it.

Finally, my decluttering item. It's food also, if you consider hard candies to be food.


We've had this little plastic container of sugar-free hard candies for so long I can't even remember when we bought them. There're also some caramels in there and I don't know when they joined the party. The original occupants of the container went incredibly quickly. Trader Joe's dark chocolate-covered caramels. Mmm. (I didn't give the candies away. I trashed them.)

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* When I make steel cut oats, I add chunks of apple because the cooking time is so long. When I make old-fashioned (rolled) oats, I add applesauce because there isn't enough time for the apples to soften.

I've also topped oatmeal with some jam and once I tried mashed bananas (I'm not a fan of bananas and I definitely don't like them in my oatmeal.) Does anyone have any other tasty oatmeal topping ideas to share?

ah, well

The first thing I thought this morning was not, 'Aaah, I really needed those ten-and-a-half hours of sleep. I was beyond exhausted last night.' No, it was, 'Oh, man, I didn't post anything last night!'

So, ah well. That was short-lived. Back to posting as usual, which might just be better...one less pressure. That's okay with me. Maybe next year.

Anyhow, here're yesterday's items for donation:




These are all extra copies, which is exactly what happens when I don't catalogue my books (of course, then I'd have to take the list with me every time I left my apartment). I am still missing seven and twelve (The Penultimate Peril, I now have on hold at the library). I'm not loving these books, but I was really hoping to. They read so quickly though, that I just want to get through the series.

declutter eleven and twelve and...

Yes, I'm still decluttering and it's been over a week! I thought I would have given up by now. I'm just hoping that it lasts the full thirty days (and beyond?). The bags went to Goodwill la questa mattina (this morning). Also, we gave away the stroller and the learning-toilet-thingie to a friend this morning. I forgot to take pictures beforehand, so here're images I found on Google Images. (The stroller, we bought used. It didn't have the fun fabric the one pictured here does, but it worked just fine.)




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Two quick notes on our reading around here:

We just finished reading In Defense of Food. Somewhere near the end (I'm going to have to loosely paraphrase here, we've returned the book to the library), Pollan urges his readers to go to the farmer's markets. He says something about there being no processed foods there. I think he's talking about the idyllic farmer's markets I imagine when I think of what they might be like other places. Here, though? I always immediately think of the Sparks Hometowne Farmer's Market, which we've finally given up on. As for the no-processed-foods thing? I just have two words: rubber pretzels. Okay, okay, a few more words. Every time we've been, we've marvelled at the amounts of unhealthy foods (and at the non-food products) you can buy as you choose your produce.

Finally: last night, Cardo worked late. Pic waited up for him so he could read her a book, but she finally gave in to sleep before he was home. At five o'clock this morning, she called out for him and asked, 'Did you forget to read me a book?' so they sat together, read a book and then both went back to sleep. I love her priorities.

happy birthday to...

...Nevada! One hundred and forty five today!

Pic and I have been doing a small bit of learning about this thirty-sixth state, known as Battleborn. We've been reading S is for Silver: A Nevada Alphabet, which I love. I think we'll be trying to add this book to our library (once buying new books is in the budget). Actually, I'd like all the books in this series so far -- not all of the states have yet been covered, and I think I saw a Canada book also.

This book has a quatrain on each page, focusing on a letter of the alphabet and a Nevada-related noun. A = animal (bighorn sheep, our state animal). S = sagebrush (our state flower). V = Virginia City (home of the Comstock Lode). The illustrations are also nice. On the sides of the pages are a couple of paragraphs pertaining to each topic. For this year, Pic and I just focused on the pictures and the quatrains. When she's a bit more ready for it, we'll also read the side information. We did read about Virginia City today. When she's ready to move past that, we can do some more thorough research, using the information presented in the book.

I had big plans for Halloween/harvestime/Nevada Day this year, and most of them were cut back. I had planned out all of these pumpkin patches and harvest festivals we could visit, but we ended up only visiting one. It was great and perfect for Pic. I was thinking we might go trick-or-treating both yesterday and today, but we ended up only going today. I had been planning on us going to Carson for the parade today, but we didn't make it out. I'm okay with that.

Yesterday, we did manage to get in an impromptu trip to the above-mentioned Virginia City. We drove past the more modern parts of it to get downtown. We haven't been in a while, but I love to go. I love to read the historical markers, look at the buildings, walk on the boardwalk sidewalks and imagine what life might have been like when Virginia City was born in 1860. While I really try not to idealize the time (I'm sure that I can't even imagine the hardships of life then and there), I do like to think about the history, about what this part of Nevada was founded on.

So, now, I've rambled on and on. I'll share more on this night of the living dead later, except to say that pretty much as soon as we got home, Cardo pretty much passed out asleep in bed and Pic has also been asleep for quite a while now.

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Before I go, of course, I have one more item of clutter needing to move out of my home. I bought this at Costco quite some time ago, and even wore it quite a few times, although it isn't at all my style.



We now have four bags in Cardo's trunk waiting to be dropped off at Goodwill tomorrow. I'll be starting a new bag and hunting out new treasures to add to the outflow.