Happy First Day of Spring!

Put down that coat, and take off those snowflake socks, because it's SPRING!

Welcome asparagus!


I've been plugging away at pickling these babies! I was surprised to find out, though, that one bunch only made one jar. I was expecting more for some reason! But it's good this way, because I can try out different recipes and really fine-tune it to exactly how I like it.

Have you guys ever tried pickled asparagus? It's amazing! Seriously, while they're in season I highly recommend trying it out.


Enjoy your first day of a beautiful new spring!
xoxo

Ohmygosh.

Did anyone else see on the news yesterday that the sea level is rising high and fast in Flordia? By the end of the century the shoreline is going to look totally different, not to mention all the fragile and unique ecosystems that will be dragged down with it. IS ANYONE ELSE FREAKING OUT? I will be seeing this craziness in my lifetime. 




Seeing the world alter so dramatically, right before my very eyes, makes me want to work harder tending to my little piece of Earth. But things in my box are just starting to sprout, so what else can I do to make my footprint smaller? How can I opt out of this utter madness further?

Cut back on TV. A hard one for me, because I like to have it on in the background while I work on my crafts. I literally watch at least 5 hours of TV a day, and I'm definitely going to make a point to cut back. Even if it's only an hour, it's an hour less of electricity used for my entertainment, and I call that a win.

Bring a reusable cup with you wherever you go. You never know when the coffee urge is going to hit you, and I just find that drinking my coffee in my own mug makes it taste so much better. Plus, saying no to useless waste makes me feel good.

Read by candlelight before going to sleep. While the power was out for eight days in November I had no choice but to read by candlelight before going to bed. I actually found that I fell asleep faster, and it was easier to wind down. Just make sure you get a candle with a couple of wicks - or use a couple of candles - to make sure you have enough light to read by.

Hang most of your laundry out to dry. Common sense right? Put that sun and wind to work for free!

Carry reusable bags with you wherever you go. Remember where those suckers are! The earth can't take any more plastic waste or deforestation for a one-time use product! Plan ahead!

Avoid plastic whenever you can. By doing this, which is harder than it sounds, not only will you be saving so much waste from hitting the landfills, but also eating better, saving the sea turtles, and creating a healthier life.

I think it's important to know that the only person's actions you can completely control are your own. Be the change you want to see. If all of us take little steps to live our lives with a smaller impact, I have no doubt things will change for the better.

The rain and clouds have seriously been getting me down, and along with a couple of emotional upheavals that I've been recovering from - one of them being the loss of my dearest seventeen year old cat - my last week hasn't been incredibly productive. I spent the majority of my time watching hours of Parts Unknown on Netflix. I've been snippy and uncharacteristically grumpy, and I'm ashamed to say that I've lashed out on family members. Sigh.

But this morning I was walking to and from the coffee shop, and I noticed that the lavender has started to spring back. Seeing things pop out gets me super excited for the future!

My goals for this month:

Get the chicken coop finished
Add more items to my Etsy shop
Pickle so much asparagus
Begin sprouting tomatoes, watermelon, and sunflowers
Wake up thirty minutes earlier every morning
Start organizing my "secret" garden
Protect the garden from rogue puppies and bunnies


P.S. The bread was BITCHIN'. I'm happy to report that it was devoured in a day.

For the past few days, trying to beat the rain, I have been obsessively putting together a huge garden box made from a couple of sections of an old cedar fence. It took forever to break down, let dry (it was soaking wet after being left out in the snow over the winter), cut off the rotted pieces, sand the nasty parts off, and organize into a box. It looks totally jacked up - clearly homemade; I used both screws and nails, and put it together in the least efficiant way possible. But looking at it makes me laugh with happiness and slight embarrassment. I wouldn't trade that learning experience! Buy a pre-made box? Hell no! Plus I got to use power tools! I felt totally rad. In the end, I'm proud of my hard work and nothing can beat the sweet sweet feeling of FREE WOOD.  Now my box is filled to the brim with dirt from an old garden, and planted with baby seedlings I started in February. Yummy vegetables, here I come!

 

Because I'm a chick, and chicks are good at multi-tasking, while putting my garden together I've also been experimenting with making sourdough bread. After watching Cooked on Netflix (something EVERYONE should watch, because food is super important), I got totally inspired to get my hands in there and wrangle some bread for myself. The show recommended not using commercial yeast, but, instead, capturing wild yeast from the air! What? Super cool. Sure it involves waiting around for your bread a little longer, but the end product is so worth it. My first loaf was totally jacked up - the first try at anything is going to be a little wonky, like a pancake - but I have hope for the second loaf in process of it's final rise right now. It's looking pretty sexy, as far as bread goes.

So, anyway, that's what I've been up to. And let me highlight the fact that I am extremely happy. There is such a sense of independence that these small steps toward self-sufficiency have given me. It's giving me a rush to the head. What can't I do?! You gotta try it. Seriously.

xoxo

As I said in my last post, life is funny. Especially the way it keep changing.

Moving from Portland has profoundly changed my views of the world. Things that mattered while I was living there just don't matter as much here. Fashion, while still being important to me, just doesn't hold the same weight as it did, and to be honest, every morning while I got dressed in Portland I was thinking of other people and what they would think of me. NOT COOL. But when you get faced with the hipster-teenage-eyeroll you would think twice before going out in your awkward fox sweater and baggy pants. Unless you can put up the "effortlessly cool I-know-exactly-how-lame-this-looks-but-it's-ironic" kind of attitude, you will be judged. And I don't think I can even move my face that way (I have what the kids call a "resting nice face". It kills the effortlessly cool look.).

But my views are changing.

I'm closer to nature than I've ever been in my life. It's in my face - I can't ignore it. I can't look at it from a distance and say, "Wow! Incredible!" but walk back into my little nest of safety. It's pretty wild out here. People go for hikes, and get lost, and die. I wish I was kidding!

But, man, being out here feels so right.

I feel like I'm a part of something. Not just a mindless, easily manipulated consumer, but a producer. A producer and creator of a better life.

I'm moving toward a more self-sufficient life, while still in twirly skirts.

Get ready for the ride.

xoxo

Life is funny.

Sometimes it goes in the way you expect and plan.

Other times is does the COMPLETE OPPOSITE.

I am still the same young, slightly fashion-intimidated person as before, things just took a weird turn.

There I was, in Art school at PSU, having a gloriously fun time learning about history and drawing every day. Then: the Government (and their lack of funding for my education). Things were spiraling out of control! I was stressed all the time, and eating nothing but Ramen Noodles. My boyfriend and I broke up. I had to drop my classes for next semester. I was just a barista again. Bills could barely be paid.

And fashion took a backseat.

Now I'm back! And excited to say that life is okay again. Therefore, BACK TO FASHION. I moved from Oregon to Washington and am back to living with my parents. That's okay though, because we're like the three musketeers. It's pretty rad. With the financial weight lifted off my shoulders, I'm back to accumulating adorably folksy, romantic pieces to my wardrobe.

Pictures of my outfits to come, but in the meantime take a gander at my outfit inspirations:

Stay cozy everyone!

xoxo

I've been thinking about my personal style all week and came to this conclusion: I'm going to wear what makes me happy. And right now, that seems to be heading toward the folk-y, romantic side of things. I'm okay with this.

With this in mind, I was cleaning out my closet over the past few days, and I gathered lots of clothes to sell at Buffalo Exchange off Hawthorne in Portland. Hawthorne is one of the coolest streets in Portland, and I was having clothing troubles yesterday. Because it's been so hot here, I settled with a colorful striped shirt and shorts with a corset closure. Basic and simple. I was all like "whatever, I'm just there to sell some stuff - no big deal". So after driving a half an hour to get to the place, I get out of my car with two HUGE bags of stuff, when suddenly a wave of embarrassment crashes over me. Portland, especially in this area, is full of super stylish hipsters - people that I admire and aspire to be - and I'm in a stupid, basic, outfit from Target and I'm NOT EVEN WEARING ANY JEWELRY. To calm my anxiety I leave the bags in the car and head to Peet's, where I find myself behind a group of artistically dressed high schoolers. I hate it when kids travel in groups... because, honestly, I'm kind of scared of teenagers (cue My Chemical Romance). Something about their judgmental eyes, and carefree attitude. Screw high schoolers. I was totally a mess ordering my green tea lemonade, and felt super embarrassed just being there. Sad, right? I know. I felt pretty pathetic.

Then I head to Buffalo Exchange with my huge bags in tow. Is it just me, or is everyone looking at me?  I only end up selling three things there, and I felt totally intimidated by all the adorably-stylish workers. I did, however, end up having a great conversation with the girl helping me out, and it turns out that I'm not the only one who changes 15 times a day.

I have got to get this wardrobe situation under control so I can start to feel confident in unknown territory, especially when surrounded by super-stylish hipsters. Sigh.