Accepting Routine

One thing that recently dawned on me was the fact that for the 8 days prior to yesterday, I only left the neighborhood one time to do a grocery run with the neighbor down the street who doesn't really enjoy doing things alone. Since my husband has been training and he actually only gets 50 minutes for lunch (with the construction happening in our neighborhood, it takes a good 20-25 minutes one way for him to get home) he hasn't been coming home for lunch and he's also had full use of our vehicle. Usually by the time he comes home in the evenings, we just want to enjoy his down time together rather than out running errands. In the 8 days though, I'd definitely gotten out of the house--taking the dog on a daily walk and interacting with our friends down the way, but it surprised me to realize that just so many days had gone by without actually exiting our little neighborhood area. However, I also didn't feel that I had missed out in anyway and if anything, I have been feeling quite content with life as of late.

Although I do a great job of wasting some time everyday, I've also really begun to embrace the down time I do have currently and have begun to invest more time and energy back into reading about many of the things that matter so much to me. Somehow, someway I've really begun to look again at all that I do have rather than feel that much of anything is missing. Overall, it's been a great place to be at emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as of late.

So how have I been spending my days? Why by being quite domestic of course! Each morning usually begins with my husband coming in to greet me still in bed as he's returning from PT (physical training). Soon after he lets the dog out of her kennel and, after she's been let out to potty, she's usually bounding back to the bedroom to spread her own morning greetings. After making the bed, throwing on some sweats, and picking up whatever clothing articles my husband has discarded on the floor, I turn the coffee pot on, wash my face and fix my short hair rooster tail, and then go around taking care of the animals (ie feed them, clean out the kitty litter, and pick up after the dog outside). Generally by this time, I send my husband off, scrounge around for some breakfast, attempt to keep the dog from playing a little too zealously with the cat, and then settle down with my coffee to get my morning internet fix (check 2 email accounts, facebook, pour over the 4 primary job board pages, scan the headlines, and recently catch up on/write blogs). Sometimes some of this internet stuff pours over into the afternoon and there's usually at least a couple times more a day when I'm checking up on the emails and facebook too.....I think I've become slightly addicted. Somewhere in the middle of the morning usually, I get dressed, put my make-up on, and fix my hair so it at least appears in control.

The rest of the afternoons are usually spent in one or more ways: walking and playing outside with the dog, doing laundry and/or vacuuming the house (both happen 2-3x a week by necessity), visiting with the gal friend down the road, taking care of whatever other household need may be present, completing job applications that are available, sometimes watching a decent Netflix movie, and lately finally catching up on reading all my list-servs, magazines, and books. Evenings are spent hanging out with my husband (making and eating dinner together, talking, watching a show, just playing with the animals, or sometimes hanging out with the couple down the way), although now that football has started I'm doing even more reading in the evenings too. ;-)

Before bed, I take a shower and make the household rounds (wiping down the counters and putting any baked goods away from the bugs that may decide to want them, picking up whatever might have been spread around the house during the day, readying the coffee for the next morning, and getting the animals settled and in their appropriate sleeping spots).

While it might not be much to some, at this point I'm quite content with how my days are unfolding. I'll be happy when a job arrives, but I also enjoy the down moments I've been having. Time to rejuvenate, reconnect, and think---something that until now I may not have fully embraced. So often it's the simplicities of life that we so frequently overlook and so frequently take for granted.

So here are some of the little things I've enjoyed in the last few days:

--getting to eat lunch with my husband yesterday

--the morning wake up from my hub and dog

--moments in the evening when we're both reading in bed, the cat purring in between us, and the dog happily flopping on the bedroom floor

--noticing the butterflies flapping in the breeze

--watching the cat chase flies

--rain showers to remind me of home and the sun that breaks through the clouds too

--helping the neighbors down the way decide on a furniture lay out in their place and their willingness to loan us a futon while my brother and his wife visit this next week

Maybe not much but still significant to me. May each of you have a significant day in your own special way....

Sleeping Naked is Green...

So as discussed earlier, I spent the end of last week reading Vanessa Farquharson's Sleeping Naked is Green. The following is the mini-review I wrote on Facebook: After following Green as a Thistle throughout many of her 366 daily changes, I enjoyed reading the further insights provided by her book. Her dry British humor and Canadian bent often left me laughing, although I frequently wondered how her fellow friends and family felt about such personal descriptions in her novel. However at the completion of her story, I felt that it was a worthwhile read and I took away several new suggestions toward living a lighter life.

Vanessa's book also got me wondering about how many of her green changes, my husband and I are currently implementing in our home and how we are doing on consistency of use. So I started looking through her lists and this is what I came up with:

-I use an eco-friendly toothbrush and razors (Preserve)

-We both use natural shampoo, soap, and face soap in the shower (Burt's Bees)

-I use natural toothpaste (usually Tom's but when I couldn't find it here, I've fallen in love with Jason's)

-We clean with eco-friendly cleaners (glass and multipurpose)

-We use eco-friendly laundry detergent (usually Seventh Generation but my sister just sent us some homemade stuff too) and we wash in warm/cold....However we also hang about 50% of our laundry to dry on clothes lines in the garage which is something Vanessa didn't do in her challenge

-My husband utilizes paperless billing

-We always turn off the lights when we leave the home

-Although we do have a car, we share one vehicle (which is a financial blessing but at times a major difficulty too)

-We have about a 50% success rate of using our tote bags together and we turn down bags when we remember (and don't use produce bags); while environmentally debatable (believe me, I know plastic bags are bad!) we use the bags we do bring home for pet waste removal

-We both use our reusable water bottles, although my husband still prefers those toxin leaking plastic ones over his Klean Kanteen! (although in getting that link, I just discovered they just came out with a new version of the Kanteen that has all the traits he loves about the Nalgene!! woo hoo!!)

-We rarely use disposable eating ware, unless out somewhere and I even wash out and make the husband and his friends reuse their plastic beer cups (although he recycles them when I'm not looking sometimes!)

-We recycle pretty much everything we can

-When taking coffee from home, we use our reusable coffee cups

-We only drink fair-trade, organic coffee when at home

-We primarily eat organic, free-range eggs and organic yogurt

-I use an Oregon based mineral make-up (Alima) for face and eyes and the rest of my make-up products are natural options; I also forgo make-up remover

-I'm collecting our used batteries, but I'm not sure where I can recycle them

-Our housing utilizes CFL light bulbs (and monthly changes of our air filters)

-I've attempted natural deodorant; instead most days I don't use it and then just use the unhealthy mainstream stuff on days when I know I'm really going to need it

-We attempt to let it mellow when it's yellow (although some days this is just practiced during the night)

-Most our music is bought from Itunes, we read the news online (although I do pick up and then recycle the once a week, free on post newspaper), and we rarely buy new video games or movies (instead we use Netflix--although I'm not entirely sure how environmentally friendly this option is although I hope they recycle the paper packaging)

-I attempt to fill the coffee maker and/or kettles with only the water that is needed, and I use our left over water from our next-to-the-bed glasses to water plants in the morning

-When we do fly, we use the most direct flights, I request vegetarian meals, we just use carry-on luggage, we both bring our own headphones, and we use electronic tickets

-We rarely order take-out or delivery

-I always air dry my hair and almost never use a curling iron or anything like that on my hair; I don't dye my hair

-We basically only iron my husband's uniforms (although this could be because I seriously despise ironing)

-I also don't use nail polish nor wear perfume or fragrance

-At least half our furniture we got second-hand and most our art work are photos/art from individuals we personally know

-For the most part, we don't wear shoes in the house

-We donate clothing and other items to others that can use them or to thrift stores

-We save the boxes and packaging we get in the mail in order to use them to mail packages out

-I've also saved and reused the same moving boxes and packing paper for the last 9 years

-We have houseplants

-We reuse our bath towels and kitchen towels for about a week a piece

-We have a bamboo cutting board

-We don't use hand sanitizer or air freshners

-We share and borrow a lot of stuff with our friends down the street

-I attempt to make sure the shower curtain is pulled straight to dry

-We let dishes soak that need extra time

-I knit scarves and dishcloths and I mend/darn what I can

-We close the blinds and curtains at night to insulate; during the hottest parts of the day I close the ones where the most heat enters the house in order to keep it cooler

-I also keep the emails in my inboxes and sent boxes to a minimum based on what I'll still need or want to remember

Additionally there were several changes that Vanessa took on that I'd like to be able to implement, even if only a bit more frequently:

--Eco friendly kitty litter (and other animal food & products)

--Increase tote bag usage!

--Create a compost for our food scraps

--Turn off/unplug most unused electronics until they are in use

--Eat/drink only organic, free-range dairy and meat products

--Decrease water and electricity usage

--Switch to recycled paper products

--Resign up to block junk mail at current address

--Give greener gifts

--Buy more food in bulk (although this isn't an option locally)

--Buy more organic, local food (although again, not really an option unless we drive an hour)

--I'd love to find biodegradable pens!

--Donate to worthy causes

--I'd love to use biodegradable garbage bags (again they don't sell them here!!)

--Attempt more ethical, eco friendly housewares, clothing, and shoes when we need to get something new; or buy used when feasible

--Jam/Can/Preserve and cook more from scratch

--Turn down the water heater

--Use a rain barrel to collect water

--Use alternative energy methods (although again, not currently feasible)

So while there are several things we definitely could be implementing (although some of it is not easily feasible based on available resources), I actually was surprised by how much one or both of us is already doing. There were several things that I will not be implementing--either cause I'm not ready to go quite that far or because its not available here, but we'll definitely be implementing some of these additional things as we can. And while you're at it, why not pick up a used copy of the book and see how you rate?! ;-)

Purchases and Debt

So unfortunately by being unemployed still...I'm financially dependent on my husband. This is a concept that at first was very difficult for me to accept, although he's been a good sport about it all and about having to think more about spending. After being a grad student for so long, I have the tendency to get a little cranky about money, but he also grew up having to pinch his pennies so we actually do alright. There doesn't tend to be much, if any, left over at the end of each month, but the current bills get paid and we have what we need plus a few fun things each month. I'm used to always having some sort of a cushion in my account, but I guess knowing the military will provide our housing needs and health care regardless makes me a little less leery about how close to empty we come most months. However, the husband knows how important it is to me to get out debt, so we're both trying to pay off what we have now (1 loan apiece) and plan for how to pay off what will be coming up due (my two student loans). Yet, as always is the case, there are some unintended expenses too--such as having to replace our car battery last weekend and the vet bill we accrued after first getting our dog.

The original plan was that my paycheck would automatically go toward paying off all of my debts; however with no job in sight my husband has had to pick up part of my burden. Yet we also unfortunately accrued some credit card debt with move expenses, setting up the home, acquiring the pets, and some recent trips (his for work which will eventually be reimbursed and my recent mental health break). Luckily, I had anticipated our use of a credit card and so I had closed out my previous $0 balance card and opened a new one that would grant us 0% interest for the first six months. Luckily, we should just be paying it off or near paying it off in the next month, which will be great as we won't get charged interest (especially as it would have been our highest interest rate) on most or any of it. Then I can increase the amount on my loan payment again until my other payments begin. Debt is a war I don't like to engage in, but I also feel that almost all of our recent financial choices have been worthwhile in the long run. Truthfully though, not a day goes by that I'm not hoping and praying that a job is actually going to open up soon, so I'll be able to contribute toward lifting the load that consistently weighs on my mind.

While some of our purchases could have been made more frugally or held off on, all of what we've purchased has been well worth it and most have been investments in other ways. Some that come to mind are the following:

--We bought a $50 bottom line vacuum that has consistently sucked up a ton of dust and animal hair during the 1-2x a week that I use it. I make sure to clean out it's HEPA filter each time I use it to keep it in optimum working order, and I'm hopeful that between the HEPA vacuum and the air filter for the house we can keep a lot of dust and potential allergies at bay. For the price we paid for the vacuum, I definitely am impressed with how well it does and hope it continues to work for quite a chunk of time.

--We've talked about the pets previously. While they cost via general upkeep and food, the initial "donation" we made for both of them was much, much cheaper than covering the fixing and shots for an animal that we could have found as a stray. We price compare their food and I've been making treats for Anna from scratch. We also invested in hardier toys for the dog, and the cat is a bit more easily entertained (and the dog would eat his toys) so we've only bought one toy for the cat. However, we get enormous amounts of entertainment, exercise, and love out of the creatures, and thus it feels they are worth the costs we do put into them and more.

--We ordered a box of products from Burt's Bees, as we use their shampoos and soaps primarily for health precaution reasons. Each item that we use, I have investigated in the Skin Deep data base in order to determine its safety rating and how it compares to other products. While it's a bit more to use these products, the long term health benefits are worth it. I also made sure to order enough to qualify for free shipping and so that we have enough on hand for several months. Plus that cuts down on the amount of times we have to order, further decreasing the environmental effects of shipping.

--I also have put my foot down about buying organic, free range eggs and organic yogurt. I started eating dairy before moving down here as it makes it easier for us to make meals together. It also makes it cheaper over all since we don't have to buy multiple products, and most soy products cost more anymore. I do still drink soy milk, and we buy the yogurt in bulk to reduce the cost and packaging also. I'd like us to get to the point where we're only using organic dairy for both of us and free range meats for the hubby, but at this point cost is too much of an issue to over-ride the health benefits and the treatment of the animals. I can't believe I'm writing that....sigh.

As much as I've accepted my current unemployment situation, I still can't help but hope that someday soon one of these job applications is going to pan out into a job that I can enjoy and that will help get us a little closer to the financial path I'd like for us to be on. I've definitely been applying for things outside my main interests and comfort zone--just hoping that something soon will develop into employment! Here's to keeping my fingers crossed and my prayers lifted!

The 2nd Half of the Trip

The second half of my trip was absolutely incredible; there are no other words to describe it.

I had left North Carolina glad to have seen my friends and to have been able to surround myself in a bit more environmentally aware area than where I am currently located. However I was reminded that every time I visit there, I am always saddened and appalled by the amount of racism that still exists in this world and in this nation. People near and dear to me can attempt to explain the racist reasoning to me, but it seriously does nothing but break my heart that humans still attempt to judge each other based on the color (or "culture") of one's skin. Thus I can't help but admit that a part of me was very ready to leave North Carolina.

My next stop, as mentioned in a previous post, was to meet the best friend of my husband and his wife, and she and I were to explore Savannah, GA. On the way down to Georgia from North Carolina, I again was amazed by the beauty and history of South Carolina. I had a bit of time to spare and so I indulged myself with a side trip to Charleston, SC. My original intention had been to attend undergrad in this historical town, so it was great to finally see what life could have been and where so much of our nation's history unfolded.

This is along the harbor in Charleston:
You can still see where the old carriages traveled:

I greatly enjoyed meeting my husband's friend, and it was great to meet the woman who has been a fabulous support to me over the last few months as we have found ourselves in similar situations. I also really appreciated that she too is of a frugal mentality! Thus other than a coffee and lunch, no other money was spent at any of the three places we checked out!

We went to the Bamboo Gardens where we could see lots of neat plants. Here you can really see the moss that the south is known for having:

Next we checked out Tybee Island and walked along the Atlantic shore:

And finally we spent the rest of the afternoon into evening in Savannah, GA. We'd looked into doing one of the bus tours, but neither one of us wanted to spend that much money. Instead we swiped one of the tour maps and checked out the historical sites by ourselves on foot. We definitely got our exercise that day, but we also saw everything we had wanted to see.

This picture is of historic River Street along the river in Savannah:

Altogether the trip really was incredible. My financial expenses were based on two meals, a couple of coffees, a few drinks, and about five tanks of gas, but the benefits were well worth it. Timing wise it turned out to be one of the only weeks for me to have the car away from the husband that long, and the trip itself really solidified for me just how much my own lil' family means to me. I really enjoyed having the freedom of time alone and being able to make decisions on a spur of a moment, but I also really wished that my husband (and truthfully the dog too) would have been able to enjoy all the little moments with me as well. I returned feeling that as long as my lil' family is here, then this place, and wherever we are, will be my home................otherwise known as...happily settled.

Welcoming Major!

I am a huge fan of cats. My husband is a big fan of dogs. My husband and Anna have taught me to love dogs...and he's hoping I'll learn to love football. I taught my husband to love wine.....and maybe, just maybe Major is teaching him to love cats too.

Last Friday we drove to the nearest large town in order to spend part of a day away and to attempt to find new running shoes for the husband. While there we ventured over to Petsmart to comparison price dog food and to look for toys that the dog wouldn't be able to chew up quite as easily. And I'll totally admit it...I wandered into the cat adoption center...and fell in love...with Major. He was much larger than the other cats there (although he's supposedly only 9 months) and his personality reminded me so much of our dog--somewhat independent and able to entertain himself, yet he demonstrated his love to me by chewing on my hand. He officially won me over when he spent a good ten minutes playing with nothing more than a big feather. However that day we left the store empty handed and I have to admit, I left the store rather heavy hearted.

When I woke up the next morning still wanting him, the husband decided we should go back for him. So I put in a call to Petsmart to make sure he was still there, and the manager broke the rules and put him on hold for us to guarantee we could get him after our 50 minute drive. We also brought the dog along, hoping we could see how they would interact before bringing him home for sure. While probably not the most financially or environmentally savvy to drive all the way back to pay the "donation" fee for a humane society cat, we have thoroughly enjoyed having him here. When we really thought about it, his donation fee covered his neutering, all his shots for the year, and a month's worth of flea and heartworm medication---which was probably over $100 cheaper than paying for all of that ourselves by picking up a stray cat. We also saved money by transporting him home in his covered litter box and therefore didn't have to pay for a carrier or $9 for a cardboard box for that purpose. (Luckily both animals travel really well--something that will be very worthwhile on our eventual move back to Oregon.) And there's something nice about adopting shelter pets and providing them with a home, especially when we've received so much entertainment and love in return.

The two critters continue to get used to one another. Anna's got a little more playful tendencies than Major might like sometimes, but he's often the one who is egging her on. So as much as there is increased silence in our house due to the fall season, there are also moments full of barks, purrs, hisses, and yelps! We're still adjusting to litter box mode (my childhood cat had been primarily outdoor and always let us know when she needed out in order to go), although since that's my job the husband is much more inclined to clean up after the dog! ;-) For the most part I try to do it all in one swoop every day to cut down on the amount of baggies we're throwing into the trash, and I'm hopeful I can look into some more environmentally friendly cat litter options.

While I'm still on the animal post, I thought I'd share the link to Rhonda of Down to Earth's great dog biscuit recipe. These are the ones I made for Anna before going on my trip and I'll need to make some more this coming week. I used peanut butter for the flavoring which she seemed to enjoy. Since we didn't have powdered milk, I used a lil bit of regular milk and then had to add more oats and flour to the mix in order to get it to the right consistency. My cookie cutters are quite large so I just cut out little squares and triangles for her that were about the size of the other dog biscuits we'd been giving her.

I'm wanting to look into other natural pet recipes, bathing, and treat ideas. One of the articles my husband and I read lately discussed the lack of regulation over pet products and how independent testing has shown a decent percentage of said products contain toxins. While I recognize that my dog is only estimated to have a 7-10 year lifespan, I don't really want to be doing too many things to damage or lessen a happy and healthy life for her. Currently we are using the pet shampoo that the humane society gave us for free for the dog, but I wonder if anyone has any "natural" suggestions? Or does anyone know of any books that discuss this stuff?

Happy petting to all of you from all of the craziness here in our household!

The Silence of the Season

It seems that fall is landing upon us here in Louisiana and I really don't mind it too much. I originally noticed this on my return drive into Louisiana coming back from my trip. With my sunglasses on, I could see the leafy trees just beginning to get that slightest tinge of yellow. I also spent the first three days back wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, as a dry cooler front had come in and the dry 80 degree weather left me with goosebumps on my skin. Even with the return in mugginess and temperature over the next few days, the AC had been dropped considerably and the last two days it has pretty much been shut off. It dawned on me this morning how consistently the AC was running, as there seems to be a silence that's settled over the house now. The AC this summer has probably been my biggest environmental downfall.

My husband just started a 14 day training program yesterday. Luckily he gets to come home for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but it does mean for even earlier mornings for him than normal and working on the weekend again. This morning I woke up when he got home for breakfast and discovered he was soaked by rain. Thus with the rain coming down non-stop, I'd cleaned the entire house and taken care of the animals' needs by 9am. With the husband long gone already, the dog and I headed out into the drizzle to do our usual 1.5 mile loop around the neighborhood. I was surprised to once again notice the silence that was surrounding us. Although we had the occasional dog barking greetings at us, we only passed one other person and minimal vehicles on our jaunt this morning. I'm sure it was partly due to the rain (something this Oregonian isn't afraid to venture out in), but also to the fact that it was mid-morning on a Saturday and I'm sure plenty of people were still tucked up comfortably in their beds. It was sort of a nice change to have the neighborhood and paces to ourselves for once.

I'm sure that part of today the silence of our household will be pushed away. I have a girlie movie and the Sicko documentary waiting to be watched while the husband is at work this weekend. We also have been watching the 30 Days episodes on DVD and I'm sure that either that or football will be turned on this evening for my husband. However, these rainy fall days make me want nothing more than to be curled up with a good book, a tasty cup of coffee or tea, and snuggle down into a blanket--something I've been doing quite frequently lately. I recently ordered fellow blogger Green As a Thistle--Vanessa Farquharson's Sleeping Naked is Green and have been enjoying it quite a bit.

Thus here's to silence, here's to fall, and here's to my plan to have many blog posts this week! ;-) I hope each one of you is enjoying a wonderful weekend!