(not) eating animals

Disclaimer: I am not, nor ever will be, a full vegan. Or even vegetarian. These are just my thoughts about eating animals.

I don't know exactly when it happened, but somewhere in the recent past I realized I am an animal lover. This was before I got my kittens, by the way. But seriously. I didn't ever consider myself an animal lover. Other than cats and pictures of cute rabbits I was pretty indifferent. But more than ever I have found myself liking to spend time with animals, and not just pets like cats and dogs. I really like rabbits, and I desperately want a little goat to take care of. I'm not kidding.

As part of my quest to eat healthier, I have cut out a lot of meat from my diet. Not that I think eating meat is completely unhealthy, but less of it is generally a good idea. Don't worry, I still get my protein. Oddly enough, protein is available in many plants. Like spinach and kale! Anyway.

I tend to think too long and hard about various subjects. One of those things that I thought too long and hard about was eating meat. I don't believe it is wrong to eat meat; God gave us this whole earth and everything on it. But the way that animals are manufactured into meat just bothers me. It may seem contradictory, but I'd rather the meat on my table was raised in a humane way. Seems healthier, for one thing.

For my own sanity, I have chosen to eat less meat. I am a compassionate person, and that compassion goes to animals, as well. In recent years I have had a harder time eating a burger or steak or piece of chicken without visualizing the animal it came from. You're probably thinking, That's just stupid. Animals don't know they're being slaughtered. Etc, etc. And maybe it is crazy, or stupid. But it seems to me that if we all chose to eat a little less meat, fewer animals would need to be bred for slaughter and chopped up on a daily basis.

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I think another problem I have with factory meat is that you don't know what the animal is eating. (It's probably usually GMO corn. More on that in another post...) And then you're putting that into your body. Oh dear. It's a dream of mine to find a local farmer from whom we can purchase meat that is grass-fed, not pumped with hormones, and raised humanely. That doesn't make me feel any better about the actual act of eating the creatures, but maybe my sanity will be consoled by knowing exactly where the meat came from and what it ate.

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That being said, I hope you will forgive my weird tendencies to sound like a crazy-hippie-vegan-treehugger. I think I always had "hippie" tendencies...they just manifested themselves rather quickly and all at once. But I take very seriously the command that God gave in Genesis to take care of the earth, and if I have to sound crazy, so be it.

minimalism can be good for the soul

In the course of my life, I have always been the kind of person who liked things. Especially as a teenager; posters and pictures covered my bedroom walls, books overflowed the shelves (they still do, but that's another story altogether...hehe), I wore tons of jewelry, and had more colors of nail polish than I needed. Now, not much has changed; I still like things. I still have all those posters, most of which I hope to hang in a movie room/den someday. The books have multiplied and I'm certain will continue to. I don't wear as much jewelry, partly because most of what I did wear over the last decade is broken or faded or hopeless tangled with bits of my hair (ugh). As for nail polish...I have bought a few select colors recently, but since my signature polish is still black, I don't feel the need to have a ton of bottles.

But see, it's one thing when you only have a bedroom in which to cram all your things and you can go to another part of the house at any time. (In my case it was usually the kitchen. I always wished I had a way to boil water for tea in my room. And that I could keep a stash of biscuits. Anyway.) When you join your life with another person, things multiply quite fast. Nate and I both have a lot of things. Granted, in the last year we've managed to pare down a lot of what we don't need or want, but that doesn't change the simple fact that our house has no storage space. I've mentioned that before. And when you have more books and musical instruments than you do dishes (I kid, of course. Well, maybe not the books.), that becomes a bit of an issue.

I am thankful, however, that we are in a small place. This allows us to evaluate what is truly important. In the last week I have been reorganizing our kitchen cabinets. We're getting rid of as much of our plastic food storage as is possible, and hoping to purchase less in the way of canned goods. Most of our containers are glass, which is wonderful and terrifying at the same time. Both of us can be very clumsy...so we'll see how well this goes. But we have decided that we don't like the idea of plastics and food. Just...ew. (I really am becoming a crazy hippie, aren't I? Oh dear.) So the food cabinets are organized, and I even have a fair amount of items (all good, of course) to give to a local food pantry. Next will be the dishes, the cleaning supplies, and so on.

At the outset, this project seems overwhelming, and possibly expensive. But in the long run I know it will be very, very worth it. Lately I have been seeing many posts in the blogosphere about minimalism. I am not a minimalist, not by any stretch of the imagination. Nor is Nate. We don't want to be rid of everything we own; two sentimental people, that's us. But the satisfaction that comes with keeping a truly clean and clutter-free house is certainly a step in the right direction.

Though this may sound odd to a few of you, I believe that God has laid this all on my heart. Very firmly, in fact. Think about it, though. As I work my way through the house, evaluating and paring down and cleaning, I am slowly replacing things with more time to spend together in the future. Eventually, I will be spending more time in the kitchen preparing good, wholesome food, less time cleaning, and certainly less time worrying about clutter when Nate gets home from work. We'll be able to spend more time on each other without constantly thinking about the housework. (At least in my case. I'm sure Nate doesn't think about it as much as I do, haha.)

I don't know about you, but that sounds like a fair trade. Besides, what else is there to do when it's barely above zero degrees outside?

my favorite blogs

Yet another sleepy Monday. I suppose I should be thankful that I don't have to get up to go to work every Monday, but at the same time, the household tasks that get shoved aside all weekend stare me in the face while I drink my coffee or tea. (It was tea this morning. Twinings English Breakfast, to be exact.) Plus, it's negative degrees outside with the wind chill, so that makes it kind of cold in the house. Brr. Maybe I'll end up making myself some coffee even though I already had tea.

Anyway, today I want to share with you a few of my favorite blogs. These are blogs I enjoy reading because they are fun, but also that inspire me in many ways.

• A Beautiful Mess: This blog is run by two sisters (I think) and they share multiple posts throughout the day. They share everything from recipes to restyling projects to personal stories. I have not read a post I didn't like. So many excellent ideas and they are, quite frankly, my favorite blog right now.
• Her Library Adventures: This blog is run by a woman named Sophie. She and her husband live in Australia and they are crafting such a beautiful life for themselves. Sophie shares adventures that she and her husband have, various thrift store finds, lots of crafty things, and some deep personal posts. I began reading her blog about two years ago but didn't read it regularly until just a few months ago. It quickly became one of my favorite blogs.
• Strawberry Koi: This blog is similar to the other two, though Aya shares stories about her two adorable children, as well. She also has an obsession with good coffee that goes far beyond my own, and she has some fantastic coffee posts! I've been reading her blog regularly for about a year now.
• The Forest Feast: This is a food blog that I found through Tumblr. Not only are her recipes healthy and delicious-sounding, her photography is fabulous. I really want to make chili-infused oil now, because that was one of her most recent posts.
• vintage muse modern views: Alexandria shares a post about Jane Austen and her novels almost every day, along with various other vintage inspired posts. She shares crafts, recipes, cocktails, and good personal posts about the lack of femininity in today's world. I especially like her cocktail posts, though I never have the ingredients on hand to make them.
• CutterLight: This blog is run by an older couple (Not old, just older than the majority of the blogs I have read. They have at least one grown daughter.) who spend their summers exploring Alaska and their winters living and teaching in an Alaskan village called Point Hope, which is very far north. They post beautiful photographs, awesome recipes, and I just love their life. (Alaska is one of my top places to explore someday.) Because of their lifestyle, they also live in a minimalistic manner, which is inspiring in itself.

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So there you have it; a list of my favorite blogs. I will probably post a second list of my favorite health and wellness blogs, because those definitely belong in a list of their own. And I'm sure occasionally I will stumble across more blogs that I absolutely love.

For now, I think I'm going to go curl up and read a book.

visions of white

Growing up, I always preferred black to white. Pink and black were my preferred clothing colors for at least a decade. And I had a slight obsession with glittery things, but this was slight. :P My fingernails were usually black (still are; some things never change!), and I hated wearing white anything. I felt that it didn't do anything for my skin tone and I am so accident-prone (I spill coffee at least once daily.) that wearing dark colors was a way to prevent spillage from being too obvious. Now, I still love pink and black, but I have graduated to purchasing more colors for my wardrobe whenever I shop, which isn't often. My closet and dresser drawers are now a rainbow instead of a pattern. I can't pinpoint when this shift took place, but basically a few years ago I realized that most vintage styled clothing doesn't only come in pink and/or black. And of course, I knew the only all-white outfit I would ever wear would be my wedding dress. And I was very satisfied with my dress. (Which was only to be expected since I made it myself!)

DISTRACTION: It's a bit odd to me that I hated white everything but have always loved snow. Yeah. Just not sure about that one. Anyway.

Now, translate my preferred clothing colors to the challenge of decorating a home. Yeah, pink and black aren't going to work anywhere other than maybe a bathroom, or a sewing/craft studio (I can dream of having one, right???). I mean, I could have tried to have a pink kitchen, but nahhh. I wouldn't say that my color choices are more grown up, exactly, but they have become more varied.

Lately, I have been reading magazines such as Victoria, Real Simple, and Midwest Living, which have some gorgeous photographs of interior decoration. There are also a few blogs that I follow and read everyday that have been my inspiration. This brings me to the title of this post, visions of white. Again, I cannot pinpoint exactly when the shift happened and I began to think white was more than an accent color, but I have a very strong feeling that it has a lot to do with the lack of natural light in our little rental home. For example, last week we decided it was time to purchase new sheets for the bed, because the one nice set we had had seen better days since I generally refused to put the older sheets on. Plus, the colors were just...dull. Anyway. What we had on the bed were cream colored sheets and a blue and cream striped comforter. Pretty, but rather dark and getting dull. So I went to Target and found a set of gorgeous green sheets with darker green vines all over them. These were on sale, plus 100% organic cotton (score!); they felt so amazing. At that point I knew the comforter we had was going to be relegated to the guest bed, and that fact became cemented in my brain when I fell in love with a beautiful white comforter that was patterned to look like a quilt. SO PRETTY. And white. Which I wasn't too sure about, but then I just went with it. I made sure to get a white bedskirt, too, since the blue one would have looked tacky. After this long and involved post, I know you want a picture, but I don't have one yet...I'm sorry. It does look lovely, though. Plus, I moved the red area rug out of the bedroom and now it looks so bright in there. And a bit bigger, too. It's amazing what a bit of white can do.

Anyway, long story that probably wasn't necessary to say that my new decorating scheme has become lots of white with pops of color here and there. And plenty of flowers and plants eventually. More of a natural look, I think. Granted, this may not all take place where we live now, but it's always nice to have ideas. Especially when you hope and dream of having beautiful hardwood floors and no carpet anywhere. (I hate carpet, but more on that some other time.)





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As I am also a huge fan of Victorian decor, I used to want a home that had rooms similar in style to the photo below, but I realized that would be hell to clean. Maybe just a few paintings of Victorian rooms.

green smoothie goodness

Today is apparently just not happening. So I decided to write another blog post. This is one I've been meaning to write for a few days now, and now is better than never.

If you spend any time at all on the internet (and let's face it, who doesn't?), you have seen people posting about green smoothies. There are many books on the subject, as well. It seems that almost every blog I read has an obligatory green smoothie post. Now it's my turn, though I sadly don't have any pretty pictures because I fail at life. Just kidding, but I do have a failure of a camera. Anyway.

In my quest to be healthier, I realized I needed to eat more fruit. Truthfully, I just needed to eat fruit. Veggies, I'm good with. Fruit, on the other hand...well, textures and sensitive teeth were getting in the way. And sometimes the tastes are just too strong. Seriously. So I knew the solution to my fruit problem would be to get on the green smoothie train. Especially because the point of a "green" smoothie is that you incorporate greens into the smoothie, such as spinach or kale. And hey, I like greens! (My sister used to call me a rabbit because I loved lettuce and salads so much...but that's a story for another time.)

Green smoothies, then. Well, I stocked up on frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, mixed berries, and mango), bananas (because I love them), spinach, and kale last week. I also purchased some almond milk because I needed it for a soup recipe and I thought it'd be a good dairy-free way to thicken up my smoothies. Last Wednesday morning I made my first smoothie, and my poor blender hasn't really gotten a rest since. I've tried so many combinations that I can't remember them all to share with you, but here's one that I really liked:

Green Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups baby spinach
• a handful or so frozen strawberries (slightly thawed)
• a handful frozen blueberries (slightly thawed)
• 1 banana
• 1 cup almond milk

 Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. You'll probably have to vary the settings a bit to get a truly smooth smoothie. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

organizational chaos

I should have titled this post "why don't we have a basement?" but since we don't have one and won't until we move out of this place, there's no point in belaboring the fact.

But it sure does make for some sketchy organizing jobs.

Like shoving everything not necessary for everyday living into the back bedroom, which then has to be cleaned out whenever we have people stay over. Or I need to find something. (Getting the Christmas decorations out was kind of a week-long job. Ignoring the fact that I kept remembering various decorations after I thought I was done.)

To be honest, I've come to terms with the fact that our house will never be clutter-free at this stage in our lives. That doesn't make me any less stressed, though. :P

So I decided to make a list of good things about this "organizational chaos" I have found myself mired in. Here goes.

• My new found love of natural cleaning products is slowly but surely reducing clutter in the laundry room, kitchen, and both bathrooms. I call that a HUGE win.
• When you decide you're only going to cook real food (which I honestly always did, but when you really take the time to think, you end up with much less boxed/canned food), the kitchen cabinets, counters, and refrigerator become less cluttered, as well.
• As I clean and organize, my crafty side is coming out just as much as my frugal side (How many sides can a girl have? A lot, I guess.), and I like to think that decorating the walls with cute/pretty things helps to take my mind off the clutter that won't ever disappear.
• And last, but certainly not least, I can always take comfort in the fact that God (and my husband!) will always love me whether the house is clean or not. :)

Obviously, keeping house is a labor of love. If you don't believe it is, maybe you're not trying hard enough. Just kidding. Let's get real here; when I started college I didn't necessarily expect to be keeping house and cooking meals everyday so soon on the other side of graduation. I had hoped to be able to do some traveling with friends, or something of the sort. But God had other plans, and I am very glad of them. After all, I am learning many things about myself, and that is never a bad thing.

monday morning vignettes and inspirations no. 1

A kitten sleeping on my scarf next to me and a cup of coffee are a perfect way to begin a Monday morning. Especially when the coffee is in my awesome Doctor Who mug that my youngest sister gifted to me for Christmas. (She happened to watch one episode with me last autumn and was hooked. That show does that to people. I'm not even kidding.)

So, plans and inspirations for the week.

I plan to wake early each morning and read my Bible over a cup of coffee and perhaps some toast with jam. Waking early is a good feeling, though not always if one hasn't slept well. But if I wake even just an hour earlier than I usually get up, think how much more fulfilling my day can be. Besides, going to the fitness center early in the morning is probably better than when I've been going, which is shortly before lunch time. I'd rather there be fewer people there....

I have a painting project in the works, as well. Hopefully this will get done this week. Pinterest was my inspiration for that, but it's probably an inspiration for everything these days. ;)

Other plans include some major cleaning in the refrigerator and cabinets. It's amazing what one can forget about when it's shoved in the back of the fridge! My inspiration for tackling this seemingly impossible task is Pinterest, again, and the following three books:

 

 

 


 The latest issue of Real Simple is also serving as an inspiration.

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Seems like a lot to tackle in one week, especially when there are still the usual tasks to do and meals to cook. But since I like cooking and did most of the meal planning last week, that shouldn't be a problem. Besides, I gotta start somewhere, right? If I ever expect to start crafting/sewing/painting/gardening then I have to complete step one, which is to have a semi-organized home. And beyond saving money with the ideas and recipes in the above books, we have the added bonus of being inspired to mostly consume real foods and clean the house in a toxin-free way.

I sound a bit like a crazy environmental hippie, don't I? But I am genuinely inspired (yes, I keep using that word, but because it's true!) by the people who live this way. Besides, it's all a part of my quest to be healthier and live in a healthier home. And if "convenience" products disappear, it won't be a problem. :)