Tuesday, October 16, 2018
it's party time!
My second 30th birthday is coming up, so I figured it was as good a time as any to go on a holiday break. I may pop in once or twice, but other than that, I'll be back to regular posting in 2019! Enjoy cuddle season with your loves, and eat lots of delicious food :)
Thursday, October 11, 2018
old person stuff
Ughhhh I'm learning how to live as an elderly person since my first 30th birthday was last year. And I am strugglin'. But I wanted to share a few things I've discovered so I can hopefully help out you youngsters and become a laughingstock for you really ancient people (like, y'all who are 35+).
I found this moisturizer at WalMart with SPF and retinol, and I was like, well fine I guess I need you. It does kind of burn and make me peel a bit but that's normal? To kill off old person skin and reveal the baby smooth skin underneath? Regardless, I can only stand to use it when I'm not putting on makeup after. When I need more moisture, I've been using a Garnier 3-in-1 day cream/ night cream/ mask that's vegan (so like completely all-natural, right). It's more of a gel than a cream, and it feels wonderful on my face. However, after I run out of both of these, I'm planning on trying just straight jojoba oil for awhile. I've ventured too far from my all-natural roots and need to edge my way back. But: acid and SPF. Good for old people.
I have attempted to broach the subject of body piercings, but Jake says I'm too old to get my nose pierced, so that mid-life crisis desire will just have to pass. Am still afraid of needles. Which also means no tattoos.
We did get our mini-van right before my first 30th, so I'll count that as my hot rod of choice.
In all seriousness, I'm taking better care of myself in general, which is good... yet I still feel much worse than I did when I was 17 and ate whole pizzas and bags of white powdered donuts by myself and weighed slightly more than a paper clip, but c'est la vie.
So what are some tips on aging gracefully? I'd love to have some to implement before my next 30th birthday, which is coming up very soon.
I found this moisturizer at WalMart with SPF and retinol, and I was like, well fine I guess I need you. It does kind of burn and make me peel a bit but that's normal? To kill off old person skin and reveal the baby smooth skin underneath? Regardless, I can only stand to use it when I'm not putting on makeup after. When I need more moisture, I've been using a Garnier 3-in-1 day cream/ night cream/ mask that's vegan (so like completely all-natural, right). It's more of a gel than a cream, and it feels wonderful on my face. However, after I run out of both of these, I'm planning on trying just straight jojoba oil for awhile. I've ventured too far from my all-natural roots and need to edge my way back. But: acid and SPF. Good for old people.
I have attempted to broach the subject of body piercings, but Jake says I'm too old to get my nose pierced, so that mid-life crisis desire will just have to pass. Am still afraid of needles. Which also means no tattoos.
We did get our mini-van right before my first 30th, so I'll count that as my hot rod of choice.
In all seriousness, I'm taking better care of myself in general, which is good... yet I still feel much worse than I did when I was 17 and ate whole pizzas and bags of white powdered donuts by myself and weighed slightly more than a paper clip, but c'est la vie.
So what are some tips on aging gracefully? I'd love to have some to implement before my next 30th birthday, which is coming up very soon.
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
world travel on a budget
Put on your imagination caps and bear with me for a bit.
I will not tell you how to visit every continent in one year with $20; however, I will share some of our (very basic) secrets for whetting our travel appetites without going broke.
funding: There is just not room in our regular budget to include a vacation fund (plus, the temptation to tap into it during tight times would be too great), so we rely on our tax refund. I know, I know, we're just letting the government borrow our money interest-free; but hear me out. We aim to get our deductions as close as possible to the point where we owe nothing and receive no refund - but we always err on the side of receiving a refund rather than owing. So basically, our tax refund is our vacation fund every year.
mindset: I have had this discussion with multiple people, which tells me it's somewhat of a hot topic (on the subject of vacations, anyway) - to have a "regular" place you visit, or go somewhere new every time? We choose the latter. If we had unlimited funds, and chose to spend some on vacations, we'd probably enjoy one of each every year. But since we don't - and even if we did, we wouldn't spend it on vacations when there are hurting people in the world - we have to make the choice. In 50 years, we want to have visited 50 new places...how cool would that be?! Occasionally one or both sets of parents will take a beach or lake trip, to which we are invited, and in that case, we do get to experience both types! (parent-funded, by the way) Otherwise, we stick to our one-new-place, and enjoy trips to visit one of our brothers and his wife who live on a lake about an hour away :)
lodging: the free-est way to go is to stay with friends or family (we did this when visiting San Antonio). The next cheapest/safest/most reliable is probably air bnb. We tried this for the first time when we went to Philadelphia recently and were very pleased. You could always go the cheap motel route, but considering that our trip to DC included a room beside some "ladies of the night", we are a little burned out on that option for awhile.
food: this is mine and Jake's favorite part of visiting a new place - trying out the local cuisine! We try to steer clear from chain restaurants if at all possible (unless it's a chain we don't have here in the southeast US). So how do we keep costs down? On our trip to DC, we discovered a little crepe shop, where we ate breakfast every day. We ate suppers closer to our motel, and boxed up leftovers if we had them. We ended up being able to skip purchasing one whole meal because we ate leftovers. In San Antonio, we stayed with my brother and his wife, so we ate home-cooked meals about half of the time. And were introduced to Rudy's which is how I gained back all the weight I had lost in previous months. In Philly, we took poptarts and fruit so we would only have to purchase two meals per day. Of course we had to have Jim's Philly cheesesteaks as one of said meals.
transportation: to DC, we took the Amtrak because we knew we didn't want to drive around once we got there, and it was going to cost to park at our motel. We loved the Amtrak, and we love public transportation. To San Antonio we drove (!), splitting the driving between the four of us who were drivers - my parents, Jake, and I. It wasn't bad at all. My brother and sister-in-law drove us around wherever we needed to go, and there were only a couple of times one of us "foreigners" had to drive somewhere. We lived. We drove to Philly as well, but used public transportation and our own feet to get us around (except for one night when we drove to see a Phillies game). My recommendation is, if it will add no more than 50% to the travel time, look into whether it would be cheaper/more convenient to take an Amtrak. Bonus: kids think it's cooler than riding in a car. I have yet to master the cheap flights finding skill, but since I personally get motion sick and nauseated VERY easily, I prefer to stay closer to the ground :) As far as getting around while you're there...only vacation in destinations where public transportation is reliable, or where everything is within walking distance. I don't want to get lost in a new city with only myself (or my guys :/ ) as tour guide. Kids also think subways are very cool.
sightseeing: choose a destination with many free options! DC is, of course, a prime example, but San Antonio was surprisingly good for this as well. Knowing we would be taking this trip early the next spring, the guys all ended up with tickets to a Spurs game for Christmas. Other than that, we walked the river walk, saw the Alamo, and semi-toured the joint bases where my brother works. We also took a day trip to Fredericksburg which I highly recommend! Loved it there. In Philly we only went to free things (except that Phillies game), and though we missed out on what I'm sure are excellent sights, we got to see the Liberty Bell, and walked around a giant library, and in general learned the layout and different sections of the city by sometimes accidentally walking 15 blocks and also sometimes accidentally riding the wrong bus or the right bus going the wrong direction. Baby also ran up the Rocky steps, and we took pictures with the Rocky and LOVE statues.
souvenirs: don't buy 'em. Take pictures, maybe buy a few postcards, but really, souvenirs are overrated. In Philly, we did buy baby a Rocky t-shirt, a couple of sizes too big, that he will be able to enjoy for years to come. And against my usual minimalist ways I purchased a LOVE magnet. But you know what? Our memories - especially those stories about getting lost and discovering parts of the town we probably shouldn't have ventured near (yes, this did happen in all cities) - will be with us forever.
budget: I'm finishing up back where we started to encourage you. Each of our trips have come in at under $1500 for anywhere from 5-11 days. They were actually closer to $1000 each. You can do this! Live a life of adventure :)
I will not tell you how to visit every continent in one year with $20; however, I will share some of our (very basic) secrets for whetting our travel appetites without going broke.
funding: There is just not room in our regular budget to include a vacation fund (plus, the temptation to tap into it during tight times would be too great), so we rely on our tax refund. I know, I know, we're just letting the government borrow our money interest-free; but hear me out. We aim to get our deductions as close as possible to the point where we owe nothing and receive no refund - but we always err on the side of receiving a refund rather than owing. So basically, our tax refund is our vacation fund every year.
mindset: I have had this discussion with multiple people, which tells me it's somewhat of a hot topic (on the subject of vacations, anyway) - to have a "regular" place you visit, or go somewhere new every time? We choose the latter. If we had unlimited funds, and chose to spend some on vacations, we'd probably enjoy one of each every year. But since we don't - and even if we did, we wouldn't spend it on vacations when there are hurting people in the world - we have to make the choice. In 50 years, we want to have visited 50 new places...how cool would that be?! Occasionally one or both sets of parents will take a beach or lake trip, to which we are invited, and in that case, we do get to experience both types! (parent-funded, by the way) Otherwise, we stick to our one-new-place, and enjoy trips to visit one of our brothers and his wife who live on a lake about an hour away :)
lodging: the free-est way to go is to stay with friends or family (we did this when visiting San Antonio). The next cheapest/safest/most reliable is probably air bnb. We tried this for the first time when we went to Philadelphia recently and were very pleased. You could always go the cheap motel route, but considering that our trip to DC included a room beside some "ladies of the night", we are a little burned out on that option for awhile.
food: this is mine and Jake's favorite part of visiting a new place - trying out the local cuisine! We try to steer clear from chain restaurants if at all possible (unless it's a chain we don't have here in the southeast US). So how do we keep costs down? On our trip to DC, we discovered a little crepe shop, where we ate breakfast every day. We ate suppers closer to our motel, and boxed up leftovers if we had them. We ended up being able to skip purchasing one whole meal because we ate leftovers. In San Antonio, we stayed with my brother and his wife, so we ate home-cooked meals about half of the time. And were introduced to Rudy's which is how I gained back all the weight I had lost in previous months. In Philly, we took poptarts and fruit so we would only have to purchase two meals per day. Of course we had to have Jim's Philly cheesesteaks as one of said meals.
transportation: to DC, we took the Amtrak because we knew we didn't want to drive around once we got there, and it was going to cost to park at our motel. We loved the Amtrak, and we love public transportation. To San Antonio we drove (!), splitting the driving between the four of us who were drivers - my parents, Jake, and I. It wasn't bad at all. My brother and sister-in-law drove us around wherever we needed to go, and there were only a couple of times one of us "foreigners" had to drive somewhere. We lived. We drove to Philly as well, but used public transportation and our own feet to get us around (except for one night when we drove to see a Phillies game). My recommendation is, if it will add no more than 50% to the travel time, look into whether it would be cheaper/more convenient to take an Amtrak. Bonus: kids think it's cooler than riding in a car. I have yet to master the cheap flights finding skill, but since I personally get motion sick and nauseated VERY easily, I prefer to stay closer to the ground :) As far as getting around while you're there...only vacation in destinations where public transportation is reliable, or where everything is within walking distance. I don't want to get lost in a new city with only myself (or my guys :/ ) as tour guide. Kids also think subways are very cool.
sightseeing: choose a destination with many free options! DC is, of course, a prime example, but San Antonio was surprisingly good for this as well. Knowing we would be taking this trip early the next spring, the guys all ended up with tickets to a Spurs game for Christmas. Other than that, we walked the river walk, saw the Alamo, and semi-toured the joint bases where my brother works. We also took a day trip to Fredericksburg which I highly recommend! Loved it there. In Philly we only went to free things (except that Phillies game), and though we missed out on what I'm sure are excellent sights, we got to see the Liberty Bell, and walked around a giant library, and in general learned the layout and different sections of the city by sometimes accidentally walking 15 blocks and also sometimes accidentally riding the wrong bus or the right bus going the wrong direction. Baby also ran up the Rocky steps, and we took pictures with the Rocky and LOVE statues.
souvenirs: don't buy 'em. Take pictures, maybe buy a few postcards, but really, souvenirs are overrated. In Philly, we did buy baby a Rocky t-shirt, a couple of sizes too big, that he will be able to enjoy for years to come. And against my usual minimalist ways I purchased a LOVE magnet. But you know what? Our memories - especially those stories about getting lost and discovering parts of the town we probably shouldn't have ventured near (yes, this did happen in all cities) - will be with us forever.
budget: I'm finishing up back where we started to encourage you. Each of our trips have come in at under $1500 for anywhere from 5-11 days. They were actually closer to $1000 each. You can do this! Live a life of adventure :)
Thursday, October 4, 2018
don't waste your money...
...on things you can make with less effort, less money, and more healthfulness! (is healthfulness a word? we'll say yes.)
Today I just wanted to share a short list of things you should be making/doing that are E-A-S-Y and will save you a few pennies.
broth: Every time you cut up vegetables, or even peel them, do NOT throw away the "scraps"! I keep mine in a Tupperware-type container in the freezer. When the container is full, dump into a big pot, cover with water and a pinch of salt, and simmer all day. Put just the liquid into mason jars (if you do this while hot, the lids will seal). When cool, pop in the fridge; I always label mine because I'm cool like that. Et voila! You have FREE veggie broth. I guarantee it's got less sodium than store-bought, and takes nearly no effort at all. While you're saving up your veggie scraps, if you come across any bones, put those in your "broth bucket" in the freezer too. Then, you'll end up with bone broth - even more nutritious!
cast iron skillet: cook with one of these instead of taking an iron supplement. I mean, I'm no doctor, so if you're super deficient, you should probably ignore my advice. But, if you just take a supplement to be safe, why not try cooking with cast iron? It infuses iron into your food, and therefore into your regular diet. They really are not hard at all to maintain or even to season if you need to. I was fortunate enough to inherit one from my grandmother, but if you need to go out and purchase one, check thrift and antique stores first for pre-seasoned options.
multi-purpose cleaner: one cup white vinegar, one cup water, 20-40 drops essential oil of choice (consider lemon, lavender, tea tree, YL thieves, or DoTerra onguard). I will not claim this cleaner is 100% effective in getting rid of every germ on the planet; however, for a general multi-purpose cleaner, it's so cheap, so easy, and healthier than breathing in chemicals. (Keep in mind that even "natural" cleaners are not always as clean as they claim to be!)
So there you have it, three easy peasy lemon squeezey ideas for you to begin using today!
Today I just wanted to share a short list of things you should be making/doing that are E-A-S-Y and will save you a few pennies.
broth: Every time you cut up vegetables, or even peel them, do NOT throw away the "scraps"! I keep mine in a Tupperware-type container in the freezer. When the container is full, dump into a big pot, cover with water and a pinch of salt, and simmer all day. Put just the liquid into mason jars (if you do this while hot, the lids will seal). When cool, pop in the fridge; I always label mine because I'm cool like that. Et voila! You have FREE veggie broth. I guarantee it's got less sodium than store-bought, and takes nearly no effort at all. While you're saving up your veggie scraps, if you come across any bones, put those in your "broth bucket" in the freezer too. Then, you'll end up with bone broth - even more nutritious!
cast iron skillet: cook with one of these instead of taking an iron supplement. I mean, I'm no doctor, so if you're super deficient, you should probably ignore my advice. But, if you just take a supplement to be safe, why not try cooking with cast iron? It infuses iron into your food, and therefore into your regular diet. They really are not hard at all to maintain or even to season if you need to. I was fortunate enough to inherit one from my grandmother, but if you need to go out and purchase one, check thrift and antique stores first for pre-seasoned options.
multi-purpose cleaner: one cup white vinegar, one cup water, 20-40 drops essential oil of choice (consider lemon, lavender, tea tree, YL thieves, or DoTerra onguard). I will not claim this cleaner is 100% effective in getting rid of every germ on the planet; however, for a general multi-purpose cleaner, it's so cheap, so easy, and healthier than breathing in chemicals. (Keep in mind that even "natural" cleaners are not always as clean as they claim to be!)
So there you have it, three easy peasy lemon squeezey ideas for you to begin using today!
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
favorite blogs
I always go through cycles of which blogs I am obsessed with at the moment, so this list may change :) But today I just want to give you a short list of some current favorite blogs to follow. In order of how frequently I stalk their archives.
A Small Wardrobe is the one I've been into the most lately. This is probably due to the 28-day minimalist wardrobe challenge she offered for the month of September. I tell you what, my closet is one area I thought I had conquered! But I was wrong. At the beginning of every post, she lists how many articles of clothing she has, how many pairs of shoes, and how many handbags. Those numbers are inspiring. My ultimate wardrobe goal is to have a similarly low number of high quality items, that will work for at least 3 seasons and multiple situations because of their versatility. And to have each of those items be so perfectly "me". Maybe I'll document my journey at some point.
The Daily Connoisseur has held my attention for many years. Jennifer is the embodiment of the atmosphere I strive to create in my home and home life. She draws her inspiration from her semester abroad in France and from her travels to Europe now as a wife and mother. Her style is not mine, per se, but her attitude is. She also has 3 books I love and I am eagerly awaiting the release of her 4th!
If the first blog I shared is my wardrobe inspiration (size-wise, not style-wise), and the second is my attitude inspiration, The Nesting Place is my interior design inspiration. I loved her first book, as I read it during a time when I was low on money but high on time, and the book spoke about making the best of your current situation and doing what you could. Her second book releases on my birthday! And I've already preordered it, as it is all about my most favorite of her topics. By preordering the book I was given a free pass to take her 4 seasonal classes and they. are. my. fave! "Cozy minimalist" is a phrase she coined; it's basically those of us who are drawn to the simplicity of minimalism, but to whom spartan just doesn't feel homey. Enter cozy minimalism - using the fewest number of items to create the biggest impact, and not having so much stuff that our people and activities can't move around comfortably. I have learned so much from this blog!
So oops, I said this would be short. Sorry. But tell me: have you read these blogs? Or any similar?? I always love finding new ones, particularly (these days) about minimalism. Share any ideas in the comment section below!
A Small Wardrobe is the one I've been into the most lately. This is probably due to the 28-day minimalist wardrobe challenge she offered for the month of September. I tell you what, my closet is one area I thought I had conquered! But I was wrong. At the beginning of every post, she lists how many articles of clothing she has, how many pairs of shoes, and how many handbags. Those numbers are inspiring. My ultimate wardrobe goal is to have a similarly low number of high quality items, that will work for at least 3 seasons and multiple situations because of their versatility. And to have each of those items be so perfectly "me". Maybe I'll document my journey at some point.
The Daily Connoisseur has held my attention for many years. Jennifer is the embodiment of the atmosphere I strive to create in my home and home life. She draws her inspiration from her semester abroad in France and from her travels to Europe now as a wife and mother. Her style is not mine, per se, but her attitude is. She also has 3 books I love and I am eagerly awaiting the release of her 4th!
If the first blog I shared is my wardrobe inspiration (size-wise, not style-wise), and the second is my attitude inspiration, The Nesting Place is my interior design inspiration. I loved her first book, as I read it during a time when I was low on money but high on time, and the book spoke about making the best of your current situation and doing what you could. Her second book releases on my birthday! And I've already preordered it, as it is all about my most favorite of her topics. By preordering the book I was given a free pass to take her 4 seasonal classes and they. are. my. fave! "Cozy minimalist" is a phrase she coined; it's basically those of us who are drawn to the simplicity of minimalism, but to whom spartan just doesn't feel homey. Enter cozy minimalism - using the fewest number of items to create the biggest impact, and not having so much stuff that our people and activities can't move around comfortably. I have learned so much from this blog!
So oops, I said this would be short. Sorry. But tell me: have you read these blogs? Or any similar?? I always love finding new ones, particularly (these days) about minimalism. Share any ideas in the comment section below!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)