Wardrobe Refashion 2007

Tomorrow begins my 2 month commitment to Wardrobe Refashion 2007, a pledge not to buy any new clothes, but only to refashion “previously loved” items or make clothing myself.  Here is my pledge:

 

The Pledge

I, Ananda Devika, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 / 4 / 6 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, and recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!

 

Since I’ve been doing this for a little while, this shouldn’t be too much of a challenge – perhaps more of a motivational tactic…

Oh the humanity

I took a little road trip home this weekend - home being my parents' house about 3 1/2 hours west of my present address.  I don't visit often, partially because they come down this way a lot (all 3 of the kids in my family live on this side of the state, as well as the new grandbaby), and also because I really hate to drive.  I can not stand to be in a car for more than about 30 minutes.  This was the second multi-hour trip I'd taken in the past 2 weeks, so it was not the most pleasant time.
Anyhoo, the purpose of this visit was to peruse this awesome second-hand store my mother frequents...oh, and to go to my cousin's wedding.  Mainly the store, though - I confess that I abhor weddings.  Does that make me a bad person?  I thoroughly enjoyed my own wedding, but I was also quite drunk the whole time...  In general, I find weddings boring and irritating - especially church weddings, with all their sexist traditions.  I scrubbed my own ceremony of as much of that crap as I could - not least of which the introduction as "Mr. & Mrs. His Name."  Um, hello?  I still have a name? Grrr...OK, angry feminist rant coming on, so I better drop it! :)
The highlight of the trip was definitely the secondhand store.  This place is awesome - they clean up at estate sales, so it's partially antiques, but also just a lot of really useful junk.  I made a beeline for the vintage fabric collection, amassing quite a pile to use during my 2 month Wardrobe Refashion pledge that starts in a few days.  I also got my own canner.  I'm not sure if I saved money buying it there (at some point this place was amazingly cheap, but then the owners figured out that people were willing to pay good money for old stuff), but at least it is getting a second life.  Now I can try the great jam experiment again! :)  And hopefully come out with actual jam!
As for the wedding, the most interesting part was the drive there.  My cousin got married in the same country church that my parents  used.  It's out in the middle of nowhere on a gravel road (that was freshly washed out during that morning's rains).  The entire drive was right through corn country, with the occasional soy bean field appearing.  As we drove, I started to notice a stench.  It wasn't the small hog farm we passed...it was the giant feedlot operations just a little ways up the road.  I was chatting with my mom about the problems small farmers face and the inhumanity of feedlots, and discovered a fact about my grandfather, a lifelong farmer, that I never knew before - he was allergic to corn.  Couldn't touch it or eat it.  I bet that made mealtime interesting, as well as all of his field duties!  Imagine how he would have lived today, where a large majority of our food is corn-based?  They think his allergy, which didn't develop until his mid-forties, was triggered by exposure to certain farm chemicals.  Another point for organic farming, huh?

New "Old" Costume

This is my latest finished costume creation. I took it for a test drive at the hafla this week, along with my new solo (which could have used more than 30 minutes of rehearsal!). I was going for an "antique" look, with the lace and pearls. The pink fabric just struck me as being very '20s-'30s. I made a triangle bra top, some ruffles "bloomers" and an apron overskirt. There is also a lace choker, but apparently it decided to get lost in the small room I call my belly dance costume closet (aka the guest room). I'd like to add some pearl details to the coin belt. This is the one time that I'm happy my belt and other gold coin accessories are so tarnished! They fit right in!

Attempted Jam

Since I missed the farmers market this weekend, I stopped at a local farm stand on my way home Tuesday evening. They were pretty well stocked - I walked out with a cantaloupe, cucumbers (to supplement the slow-to-show garden ones), red and white onions, green peppers, peaches and a jar of strawberry jelly. Unfortunately I didn't look too closely at the jelly before purchasing it; at second glance it doesn't really appear to be 'local'. Sure, it was made for the farmer, but the ingredients list shows HFCS, which I doubt he produced himself. Oh, well. Still good!

Since I had all of these peaches, looking a little bruised and sad from the car ride home, I thought I'd try my hand at making jam. I found a simple recipe online, bought some small jars and other supplies, and set to work. This jam is simply a combination of sugar and fruit - no pectin or other additions. It should have been good, but alas the recipe did not detail how long to cook the mixture (just until "thickened" - how long is that?!?), so I just guessed...and I guessed wrong! So now I have 6 1/2 pint jars of peach syrup. Better make some ice cream to go with it... :) Now, on a better note, I also had the strawberries ML and I had picked in my freezer, so I thawed those and made some strawberry jam (2 half-pints). The recipe for the strawberry jam did detail how long to cook, so this variation turned out excellent, if not a little thick. As I type, I'm contemplating a 3rd slice of local bread smeared with my yummy homemade jam.

I might try the peach jam again, now that I'm a little more experienced. I'm visiting my folks this weekend, so I'll pick up my mom's canning supplies - I definitely needed a larger pot for processing - I ended up using my only large one for the water bath, leaving me to use several smaller saucepans for all the jelly - the DH was not impressed with the stack of dishes I left in the sink!

attack of conscience

There is so much “bad” in the world.  Sometimes we just feel like closing our eyes and ignoring it all.  Up until now, I’ve worn fogged-up rose-colored glasses when it comes to my favorite foodstuff in the world: chocolate.  I suppose that deep down I knew that something so good had to be bad…but that child slave labor was used never occurred to me.  But now I know…and now I’m not sure I can put my blinders back on and continue to indulge. 

Here is a list of the good, the bag, and the ugly when it comes to the “Nature’s Perfect Food” (imho).

Why?

My DH has been relatively accepting of all the green changes we’ve made – the recycling, the clothesline, the compost bin, the garden (especially since its finally spitting out veggies!), shutting the a/c off for days on end, but I know that he really doesn’t understand “why”.  Why bother doing all these things – what good can one person do if very few others do the same?

There are lots of reasons of course, but I think for me it all boils down to…guilt.  Yes, that’s right, I feel guilty! 

I have a lot of friends who were raised Catholic, so I’ve witnessed religiously-induced guilt firsthand.  Let me say, I feel pretty lucky that I wasn’t raised Catholic, because the guilt would have surely killed me!  However, I don’t understand that type of guilt.  It seems superficial.  I don’t see the point in feeling guilty about something that doesn’t hurt anyone, which most things religion punishes you for don’t.  I do, though, feel immense guilt about things that do hurt others, be it animal or human being, or in this case, the whole planet.

Garbage really bothers me.  It is really scary to think that because I choose to use a plastic fork at lunch, that same petroleum-based utensil will be sitting in a landfill in hundreds or even thousands of years.  I have always been an advocate of recycling as much as possible, even though I haven’t been as vigilant about it as I should be.  My dh really does not get the point, especially after our neighbor, who is employed by the local sanitation company that collects our trash, informed him that most of the recycling just gets trashed anyway.  I told him regardless of what happens to it (I have since confirmed that it does indeed all get recycled properly), we will continue to recycle what we can if only because it makes me feel better!!!  That should be reason enough.

The same is true with regards to eating organic and/or locally-produced food.  It makes me feel better about my role in the world if I can support the local economy (especially the little guys) and not support the destruction of our farmlands and water supplies through the use of heavy chemical pesticides and fertilizers.  I feel better about myself when I eat a tomato I’ve grown myself, or a fresh-picked salad from the farmer’s market.  Sure it’s not always cheaper or easier, but it’s better for me and for the planet, so it is worth the extra effort and monetary cost. 

So rather than ask Why I Choose to be Environmentally-Conscious, I think the better question is Why Doesn’t Everyone?  

 

 

Baggin' it

One of my biggest environmental concerns is garbage – just the sheer amount of stuff we toss into the trash (or onto the ground) every day.  And, while I’m recycling as much as I can, taking a cloth bag to the farmers market and wherever else I can, shunning paper towels for cloth, and using washable plates and cups for picnics and work lunches, we still get plastic bags during our bi-weekly trip to the grocery store.  Well, no more!  Today I finally ordered a set of reusable grocery bags.  Just 4 to start, but our cart has been considerably lighter during Local Food Month, so these should suffice for a little while – and if not, I’ll buy or make some more… Now the trick will just be getting the DH to use them, too…

I’ve been Bozified

A couple of the Divas trekked down to Sedalia, MO this weekend for the Jim Boz workshop. Jim is an amazing belly dancer and teacher. Yes, that’s right – a male belly dancer! There are a few out there… Jim is 265 lbs of muscle and grace, with a great sense of humor. We had a blast and learned a lot, too.
The only complaint I had about the trip was the driving - not only do I really hate to drive (especially for 5+ hours!), but we got lost more than once... :( The first time was on the way through Kansas City - a wrong turn parked us at a gas station in a very bad part of town. Feeling very white and suburban, we quicking refilled our tank, declined purchasing a cd from the nice man with the grill and a 40 oz, and sped back to the interstate. The second time was coming back through KC on the return trip...the fact that we missed our exit went unnoticed until we'd driven 60 miles north of the city. Fortunately we were able to backtrack only 6 miles before finding a crossroads and getting on the right road home.
All in all it was a fun trip - its a treat to watch new dancers, and I got mucho inspiration for new costume ideas. Plus we got to see fire poi dancing! Hot! :)

Baking away a surplus

The giant zucchini we pluck from the garden this week left me in squash overload.  We’ve already had grilled zucchini, stir-fried zucchini, and baked zucchini parmesan this week.  The DH admitted after the third meal that, before I planted this garden, he didn’t even really know what zucchini was!   Well, I think he’s been thoroughly educated on the subject…  It was time to take action.  So, last night as my zucchini, onion, summer squash and free-range chicken dinner marinated, I shredded the giant zucchini, mixed it with local eggs, organic flour, and a host of conventional ingredients I had left in the cabinet and baked my first batch of zucchini bread.  The one monster squash supplied enough for 6 mini-loaves.  There was only one snag in my baking plan…the recipe called for vanilla.  When I opened the bottle, it yielded approximately 1/3 of the amount I needed…oops!  I subbed some maple flavoring.  Hopefully it will be just as yummy. J  I also whipped up a batch of cantaloupe bread.  Odd sounding, huh?  I needed to use the rest of the overripe melon my sweet husband bought me this week, and this seemed like a reasonable solution.  As weird as melon bread sounds, I’m having it for breakfast…and it’s amazing!!!

Last night I skipped my typical late-July drinking-wine-on-the-lawn-of-the-art-museum for a power house-cleaning session.  All of my sewing projects of late (see two of them here – more to come when I find the battery charger for my camera!) have left us with a carpet full of loose thread and fabric scraps, plus goddess-knows how many pins just waiting for bare feet.  I washed and dried the remaining laundry (too humid to line-dry, plus no wind L), folded and stored away all the clothes I’d laundered throughout the week, sorted and stashed all the fabric covering my guest room bed, as well as the numerous costume pieces strewn here and there, vacuumed, dusted, and just generally exhausted myself.  I also managed to bake the 8 mini-loaves of bread mentioned above, made some progress on the Turkish vest for my latest costume project, sorted recycling, vacuumed out my car, and started packing for this weekend’s trip.  After I finish packing up this afternoon, I’m off to Sedalia, MO for the Jim Boz bellydance workshop.  Maybe I’ll squeeze in a nap on Sunday… J

Everyone's getting into the act

My dear sweet husband came home last night with a surprise for me:  a juicy local cantaloupe.  That’s right; he bought something local on purpose!  I’d sent him by the store on his way home to pick up some sour cream for our mostly-local fajita dinner (local veggies and meat, not-so-local seasonings or toppings), and they were handing out melon samples in the produce department.  He didn’t recognize this brand of cantaloupe, so he asked the “sample man” who told him the melons were grown by a family a couple of towns away.  Knowing how disappointed I was in not finding a cantaloupe at the farmers market last weekend, my DH decided to pick one up.  Such a sweet man.  When he wants to be, that is. J

As I said above, I used local meat for our fajitas – grass-fed sirloin steak.  This is the good stuff – it was so tender, it was hard to slice.  It just fell apart!  Perfect with the first local peppers of the season…mmm….fajitas… J

Un-green regression

The Associated Press reported (I found it here on Yahoo! News) that most people regress from their green home behaviors when they travel – using more water, electricity, linens, and disposable products on the road because they “it’s free”.  I guess I found this someone surprising (but probably shouldn’t have) because I don’t automatically drop these habits;  we don’t get fresh sheets every night, we try to reuse our towels if they aren’t all hotel-swimming-pool-smelly (I hate the smell of chlorine), and if I open the single use shampoos, I take them home with me to use up.  And I’m always shutting the lights and TV off when we got out.  I understand the convenience factor, but why do people feel like they have to get their money’s worth out of a hotel stay by being wasteful?  

30 days are up! How'd I do?

Well, yesterday was Day 30 of my break from shopping. How did I do? Not as well as I’d hoped, but about as good as I expected! I did buy a few new things, some out of necessity, some out of plain ol’ greed. I also bought some used items. However, as much as I did buy, it doesn’t begin to compare to what I didn’t buy! Let’s see, shall we:

Items purchases June 12 – July 11, 2007:

Necessities:

• Self-watering tomato pot and potting soil – my patio tomato took a sudden turn for the worse in it’s tiny pot.
• Insect spray – cucumber beetles attached my garden.
• Bra – I went to a dance workshop in another town without this item. Don’t ask.
• Belt – halfway to my destination, I realized that my shorts were not holding themselves up any longer.

Not-so-necessary, but used to finish several craft projects:

• Ribbon
• Snaps
• Velcro
• Rhinestones

No reason at all, just couldn’t stop myself:

• Pink coin scarf pink belly dancer tank top, pink necklace, copper necklace and earring set
• 3 yards denim fabric

Used items:

• 2 jackets (to be altered and embroidered)
• Ties (for a project)
• T-shirts (to be reconstructed)

Now, let’s see what I didn’t buy this month:

• Magazine subscriptions
• lawn chairs
• new fabric (other than the denim slip-up)
• books
• cheese-maker
• more Melodia pants
• t-shirt dress
• art work
• bread bowl
• ORG t-shirt
• reusable grocery bags
• recycled backpack
• surfer shoes
• jeans – from new “Bitten” Sarah Jessica Parker collection
• cool peacock feather-print t-shirt (Bitten)
• shoes (Bitten)
• Jewelry (Bitten)
• Dress (Bitten)
• Matching undies for new bra (Bitten)
• New embroidery patterns
• Wings of Isis
• Stretchy skirt & top set
• Velvet fringe belt
• Leaf-coin belt
• 2 pink hip scarves
• Bedazzled Melodia knock-offs
• Sari-print veil and pants
• Pre-order dvds (tribal-fusion belly dance)
• Countless items that flitted through my mind as potential splurges and treats

Actually, not that I look over my not-purchased list I’m surprised there isn’t more. Maybe I spend enough time reading Voluntary Simplicity that a little of it rubbed off on me? Or maybe my subconscious was relying on the fact that 30 days isn’t really that much time and I would be back to normal shopping habits soon enough… Will I? I don’t plan on reverting entirely to my material-driven ways, but I will buy some things. Fabric for sure, the new dvds perhaps, the embroidery patterns definitely, the jeans maybe. Any new-clothes shopping sprees will be short-lived as I am signing up for the Wardrobe Refashion pledge that starts in August. I won’t have a lot of spending cash anyway, with a workshop roadtrip on the horizon and a jaunt to NYC with my siblings this fall to pay for…

All in all, this an interesting little endeavor. I don’t feel like I “found myself” or anything that profound, but I have a little more closet space (or will once I clean said closet!) and a little more self-awareness… And those last two don’t cost a thing.

Eggs from the basement

When I arrived at work this morning, I was promptly informed that a guy that works in the basement of our building had brought in eggs from his own chickens to sell.  So we ventured down to see him, and low-and-beyond, a dozen eggs for $1.25.  

I won’t be eating these eggs today.  I’m on a clear liquid diet all day to prepare for some medical tests tomorrow.  Fun stuff, huh?  I knew better than to try to look for “local” clear liquids, concentrating instead on just ingesting as much high fructose corn syrup as possible – Sprite, pineapple Jello, white grape juice, etc.  I figured the sugary stuff would be OK for a day, especially since I can’t have coffee – the java we brew at home is not even close to clear!

The end of the salad days

I got to the farmers market late this weekend, due to running the horrible race.  I didn’t think much of it at this time of year – there are plenty of veggies to go around.  However, upon arriving at my favorite salad vendor’s stand, I noticed he had only squash for sale…  That’s odd, I thought – I know I’m late, but he’s not usually sold out entirely.  Then I began to notice that everyone was out of salad.  I overheard another customer asking about spinach and heard the vendor’s reply:  done for the season.  What?!?  No more salad?  Not until fall, I guess.  It’s just too hot.  I can understand that…but now what?  As ML pointed out, salad is a staple of our local food diet.  

I guess I’ll have to progress to alternative non-leafy salads.  In that vein, the ratatouille turned out well.  I used the recipe from the local paper and I thought it was excellent (and no one seemed to object).  I scrambled some leftovers into my eggs this morning and will finish off the rest for lunch…

One bright spot at the farmers market this weekend:  the arrival of cantaloupe!  I bought a large ripe melon and shared it at our picnic last night – wow!  It was so delicious…I should have bought two!

 

Mmmm...local brunch!

I was going to post a photo of my absolutely divine local meal this morning, but alas my camera is in my glovebox in my car, parked in front of a bar across town. :)
I'm not usually much of a breakfast person, preferring some oatmeal and coffee on a typical morning.  But this morning, as I chopped veggies for tonight's ratatouille, a veggie-egg scramble started to sound pretty darn good.  I sautéed some onions and garlic, tossed in some eggplant, zucchini, and green pepper (the last two fresh from my garden), stirred in some farmers market eggs, and finally added some tomatoes, scrambling everything into a fluffy, multi-colored mess that was just delicious.  With sides of local bacon and honey-wheat bread with butter and Grandma's chokecherry jelly, it was the best meal I've had in a long while.  Of course, the DH's plain eggs topped with low-carb ketchup weren't quite so appealing, so he was eating off my plate as well...  Good thing I have a small appetite! 

Luck of the Pot

I guess that's why they call it "potluck". Last night some of the Diva Soma girls threw an informal "hafla" (belly dancer party) for our friend Karen and her husband. Karen was an original Diva, but moved to Japan a couple of years ago to be with her sweetie. She was visiting this week and we welcomed her home in true Diva style.
Typically a hafla goes like this: everyone brings yummy good, we stuff ourselves, then we dance for one another. Always a good time. However, typically we also sign up for food, so we have a general idea of what everyone is bringing. This was not the case last night. The first 8 people brought chips and dip. That's it! We had a dinner entirely composed of chips and dip. Granted, there were numerous kinds of chips (tortilla, potato - plain & bbq, Sun Chips, fruit chips) and several varieties of dip (hot salsa, mild salsa, fruit salsa, spinach dip, onion dip, cheese dip) but still! Didn't see that one comin'. At the end, one girl showed up with some wings and potato wedges from Buffalo Wild Wings, which we flocked to like pigeons to breadcrumbs. I think from now on, even the informal haflas will be a little more coordinated, food-wise.

SO not a good time...

Well, hopefully I learned my lesson today:  do not take several days off from running and expect to do well during a race.  I did, and I didn't.  I haven't run since Monday, partly because I had things to do after work and needed to get out of there at a decent hour, but mostly because I just felt lazy.  Big mistake.  This morning was the Run for Justin 5K, a benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society put on by the family of Justin Nealon, a boy who died in a tragic car-pedestrian accident.  As it was "just" a 5K, I didn't really worry too much about my training this week.  After all, what's a measly 3.1 miles?  Well, let me tell you, it's HELL!  I just never caught my breath, never found my stride - the whole thing was miserable.  Usually, I struggle a bit at the beginning, then hit a good stride and can breath like I'm sitting still.  Today it just didn't happen.  The hills seemed like mountains and the heat was unbearable.  Even my finish, normally my strong point, was weak.
So, as I have signed up for another 5K next Friday, I will spend several days this week in training!

It's the most wonderful time of the year

While most people use that phrase for Christmas, I reserve it for another holiday – the midsummer drinking on the lawn holiday season we call Jazz on the Green.  There is nothing more pleasant that copping a squat on the grass and drinking with your friends while listening to music…  Last night kicked off this year’s Jazz, an Omaha tradition hosted by the Joslyn Art Museum.  I’ve been attending since I graduated from college (undergrad) and have hardly missed a one.  ML has joined me the past few seasons and we always have a blast.  Check out the horrible photo of me and her on her blog.  J  We were joined by friends in from Denver, Dana and Brad.  I don’t think Brad really appreciated the whole experience.  It’s not for everyone.

Next week, the DH gets to come with me – I’m pretty excited, because this is the first year he’ll be able to go on a regular basis.  His work schedule shifted a little and now he has every other Thursday night off.  What better way to celebrate than to drag him along and make him my DD? J

 

Oh, so yummy...

Can cake count towards my 5 daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables?  A lovely lady at work brought in homemade zucchini cake with the squash fresh from their garden.  It was so delicious – I’m definitely getting the recipe!  Mmm…I wonder if there’s any left…

 

Risky business

There was an article on MSNBC today about fertility and the effect of alternative therapies.  The gist of the article was that women who use alternative therapies, such as supplements, seem to be hurting their chances of becoming pregnant.  I find this interesting because I have several friends who swear by so-called natural remedies.  The article went on to say that these were preliminary studies and it has not been proven conclusively that the alternative therapies were causing the negative effect or if women who tend to use these therapies are already pretty unhealthy and less likely to get pregnant in the first place.

Personally, I don’t like “natural medicines” – supplements and similar stuff.  For one, there is nothing natural about anything that comes in pill-form, no matter what the label says and regardless of what upscale health food store you buy it at.  If you want to heal yourself naturally, exercise, eat fruits and vegetables, drink water, and avoid obviously unhealthy things like smoking and processed foods.  It makes me cringe when I see people smoking and then talking about the benefits they get from a multi-vitamin and this-or-that natural enzyme they picked up at Whole Foods or Wild Oats.  Puh-lease!  It’s snake oil people!  Yes, the Big Pharma people are ripping us off with outrageous prices and misleading commercials, but at least they are regulated and at least their products are extensively studied and tested before being unleashed on the often-naïve public.  If something is found to be wrong with a medication, it’s pulled off the shelf.  How often does that happen with non-regulated supplements?  Not nearly often enough.  I think that if you get any benefit from a supplement, its most likely a placebo effect – it’s all in your head.  I hope there are more studies like the one published today, so that more people will think before putting something unstudied and untested into their body – who knows what they are risking?  In this case, it’s more than their own health, it’s the possibility of not being able to bring a new life into the world – why take the chance?

OK, stepping down off my all-natural soapbox now…

Second Monday this week

Ugh, as much as I like having a day off in the middle of the week, it only seems to make coming back to work harder…

Local food month is progressing quite nicely.  My garden yielded its first bounty yesterday (not counting the little pepper I plucked last month in fear of the rabbit…).  Today I’m eating almost entirely local – PB&J on local bread with homemade choke-cherry jelly (compliments of Grandma), local scrambled eggs, local BLT salad with local dressing, local bread and cheese for an afternoon snack, and ML has promised more local bread and cheese for Jazz on the Green tonight.  The wine won’t be local, but it was purchased from a small neighborhood wine store that I like to support… 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Independence Day!  I started the day off by marching our schnauzer mutt in the neighborhood bike parade along side the kiddies…he had a great time, getting petted by little girls and fed peanut butter cookies…  Then the DH and I ventured over to his folks’ house for homemade ice cream.  It wasn’t so local – his mom forgot our plans to bring local milk and bought everything ahead of time.  However, we did use peaches from their tree, so it was partially local. J  And still yummy as hell! J  I was given all the leftovers, too… J 

Last night I was feeling rather anti-social, so rather than go over to a friend’s house, I stayed in and worked on some projects, pausing to watch my neighbors shoot off fireworks.  I’m glad other people think they’re worth the money – I love watching, but I’d never buy them myself.  

I reconstructed two t-shirts last night – a pink T became a tank top, similar to the State Farm experiment.  The remnants of that shirt became sleeves and a sash for a yellow shirt.  Neither was perfect, but for $6, I’m not going to complain.  Especially not once I glanced at the labels and realized that someone originally paid probably over $20 for each of them at Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister!  J 

I got into the Wardrobe Refashion challenge starting in August, so hopefully by them I have more t-shirt skillz and managed to retain some motivation for the project!  I think I will start will the 2-month pledge, just to be on the safe side.

OK, I have a shopping confession I better get off my chest:  I bought fabric.  It was too hard to resist – 3 yards of light-weight denim at $2 a yard.  I made some Happy Pants that came out nearly perfect, other than being about 2 inches too big (but I can fix that).  No, I didn’t need the fabric by any means, but I did use it immediately so I feel slightly justified…not entirely though!  Hopefully I made it through the last week of my no-shopping month without any more slip-ups.

 

 

Eating near home

Local Food Month starts today! So far, it’s been not-local at all, but all I’ve had is breakfast. I thought it would be best to use up the frozen waffled in the freezer – less wasteful and all, right? J
But I did send some cash with ML to the farmers market yesterday, as I was out of town and missed out on the weekly fun. She should be bringing by my stash this afternoon…and I visited the Sunday afternoon Bancroft farmers market, scoring some Oak Leaf and Cimarron lettuces and talking to the folks at the BIG Garden Project about volunteering. The girls at their stand were very enthusiastic about getting more help, so I will be contacting them tomorrow about which garden site works best for me! Yea!
Now, back to LFM, and my goals for this month-long challenge… Even though I live in the Midwest, it does not seem possible to eat entirely local, at least not in an enjoyable way. However, I plant to buy as much of my meat, dairy, and produce as possibly locally, as well as harvesting my garden as it bears fruit. I will avoid as much pre-packaged, frozen, and fast foods as I can, other than the foods I have frozen myself. I will also at least once attempt to bake some bread, otherwise obtaining it solely from local bakeries. Some food stuffs are unavoidable: coffee, chocolate, the powdered sugar-free vanilla-caramel creamer I use in my coffee, most spices and condiments, etc., but I will use them sparingly and try to find fair-trade and/or organic alternatives. I can get fair-trade coffee and chocolate, but I’m not sure I can convince the DH to give the coffee a go – he’s pretty hooked on his Starbucks. At least our compost pile is getting premium grounds, right? J
So there you have it. I will do my best to eat locally to support our area’s small farms and ranches, and I hope to have fun and try some new things along the way. Have a Happy Local Food Month, everyone!

Confessions of a shopaholic

Hello, my name is Ananda Devika and I failed. I knew better, but I did it anyway. I shopped. There was a belly dance workshop yesterday and where there are belly dancers there are belly dance costume vendors. And where there are vendors, there are pretty, sparkly, jeweled and coined items that I just cannot resist. I tried. I let myself look around; telling myself it was only for inspiration for my own projects. I found several things I will try to make. However, I don't really make jewelry and coin scarves and that's where I messed up. Out came the checkbook (TWICE!) and into my bag went a hot pink scarf covered in gold coins, a pink spangled necklace, and a gold-copper-silver necklace and earring set. Oh, and a hot pink tank top bedazzled with the word "Bellydancer" in silver rhinestones. I don't bedazzle either. I was apparently having a pink day. My hope is that all the pink matches this tiered skirt I have in my alteration pile (too big) - today's project will be making it fit, so these new acquisitions don't sit unused. So pretty...gawd, I suck!
Maybe I should focus on the things I didn’t buy. J I didn’t buy a sari-print veil or the matching harem pants. I didn’t buy the stretchy skirt and top combo (in orange or pink). I passed up the coin belt with leaf-shaped coins, even thought I have the perfect skirt to wear it with. I didn’t buy the tie-dyed velvet fringe belt, the bedazzled Melodia-knockoffs, or the 2 other pink hip scarves I admired. I didn’t buy a decently-priced pair of Wings of Isis. So, really I did pretty well. J Amazing what we can justify to ourselves, huh? :P