reflections and intentions:: 29 december

Captivating light, NYC

I look forward to this post each year, because it feels like a "clean slate" time to me.

Over the past, oh, six years or so, I've been on a quest that, at its core, has always been two messages:: simplify. (and, i think, causing and/or resulting from that:: balance).

I'm not going to frilly this post up. It doesn't feel right. What feels right, this my first night home after nine days of traveling, is to just dump my brain here, like I did for my grocery list, my "projects" list, and the list of places I'd like to go this year (which I may share with you later).

I would like to spend much less time online on a daily basis. In 2012, I really started this ball rolling by reducing my facebook "friends" from 600 or so to closer to 100. It's still too many, eventually I'd like to have less than 50 I've always said that was my goal. Less friends, much less Facebook feed to scroll through mindlessly. I do like some inspiring things on there, like purposefairy and the knitting pages and the Rumi Quotes. But overall, instead of the computer being part of my essential nightly routine, I'd like to engage with reading novels and knitting much more, and, more marginally, sewing, playing the banjo (these last two I did nothing with in 2012, really the time just hasn't been right). Engaging with life. Yes, that sounds so right!

I used to fall asleep reading by candlelight at least once a week. I baked my own bread. I unplugged on Sundays and went for daylong hikes with an amazing packed lunch. Or I stayed home, got all the affairs of laundry and cooking for the week in order, then around 6 pm or so I uncorked a bottle of red and just sat. and drank. and got lost in my thoughts or just the pleasant reverie of total calm. I want to pick those things up again. They feel right.

I'm essentially a slower-paced person who does not feel the pressure (or, let's say, does not succumb) to constantly have my face in a nook-kindle-tablet-smartphone-what have you. I want to accept this and love this about myself and stop comparing myself to "most people." I have decided to make my cell phone a personal line only, and to give parents at my school the option to contact me through the school office line or e-mail. Teachers often do not draw a dark enough line between their personal and professional lives, but I think doing so is absolutely essential to performing your job at your very best and not growing bitter towards it.

To this end, I also intend to continue experimenting with how to fit in all those essential non-school-hours hours of work -- rotating materials, updating lesson plans, keeping up with classroom supplies, reviewing lessons to give, refreshing the book corner, making materials, etc .... without compromising a very necessary private intimate (with John) and inner (alone) life. With having to get up early in the morning and having a half hour commute, I need to keep tweaking until I find a system that allows me the most balance. I'm confident I will come close this year, and perhaps come close to perfecting it next. I don't know. We'll see. This one is a constant work-in-progress ....

I'd also like to start a simple Montessori blog documenting what's going on in my classroom. I think this would be a nice way to keep a record of the art and practical life materials that come and go, and the children's interest in them (or lack thereof, which happens too!).

homemade peanut blossoms. a family favorite

Definitely I want to eat healthier and work out more. I want to look and feel my absolute best, and hopefully be ready to produce a baby sometime in the semi-near future :-) To this end, I'm going vegan for two months starting Jan. 1 and seeing what happens come March. But regardless, I'd like to re-commit fully to healthful vegetarianism (no meat or fish, and very limited dairy) after my seven-month hiatus (during which I still went weeks at a time without eating meat or fish). It's just what feels best to me, for a number of reasons. I want to do more yoga and pilates, and focus on both cardio and weightlifting at the gym.

I want to be a better listener (I tend to talk too much when I have Things To Say), and be more open to simply accepting the things in my life partner that make him feel, well, essentially him (and that usually have nothing to do with me, and why should they?). Even if I don't like or understand certain things. I find that like the work stuff, this, too, is in constant evolution. Doesn't that make for happy marriages though? Never being complacent, and trying to remain open to growth. I'm not perfect, he's not perfect, but right now I feel like we're in a really good place. We certainly love each other more deeply than we did just over a year ago.

I would like to cultivate more quiet in all areas my life. That feels as natural as breathing. I want to be slower, talk less (but not think or do less, let's be quite clear!). Notice more beauty and see things that I fear from a more realistic perspective. Not sweat the small stuff, just flow with what is and what is going to be regardless of my efforts to control it. To not initiate needless conflicts, or escalate what does not need to be tampered with. I know these sound nebulous, but the principles apply right now to different aspects of my life at present. I hope you can understand.

Oh, and I certainly would love to subscribe to Taproot Magazine .... and um ... save more money. That about rounds me out for now, I guess.

I hope you have a blessed New Year. I am getting us some yummy appetizer treats and cheap champagne and we'll just be at home with each other for one more delicious holiday day.

Love and light from we to you.

Karen

angels:: 14 december

Just a quick post to let you know about a yarn shop in Tennessee working on sending a huge batch of easy-to-knit prayer shawls to those affected in Connecticut today.

I grew up in Connecticut, and I am a teacher of young ones. I want to help. Will you please pass the word on all your blogs? Can someone definitely pass this on to Soulemama to help? I don't know her personally but I do read her blog every day. I know she's a fabulous knitter.

I can't wait to hug my children close on Monday morning.

Anyway, here is the link:: http://www.facebook.com/eweandcompany ... Just check out their posts for the info. Here is the link to prayer shawls. Interestingly enough, I think the creator of this pattern was interviewed by young journalist me some years ago. And she's in CT. I'll try to find this online ....
anyway, here: http://www.shawlministry.com/instructions.html

Here are the articles I wrote!!
http://www.shawlministry.com/Articles/FVPost.htm

If you are not a knitter and know someone who is, just pass on the word.

Thanks ....

love and blessings and safety to you.

reflections:: 9 november

mulling spices, Thanksgiving 2012

While I struggle with my time here in super-rural Virginia (mainly a lack of cohesive town structure, small-town gossip and politics, free community events, and places that have importance and meaning to us), I am also grateful for so many things it's bringing myself, and John. Time for me to gain a nice solid chunk of experience in a Montessori classroom, time for us to get used to living together without noise and distractions, time to enjoy wildlife (I've seen FOUR bald eagles in flight this week!) and the sereneness of the bay. And really, to save a little chunk of money for the future.

This is the first time in a long time where I've felt able to settle in and really take good care of myself from within. We are both blessed to have our own spaces in this house that we can really make our own. They're not perfect, but they're ours and I've set mine up just how it works for me. I do believe that when it's time for us to leave here, it will be the right time -- newly married and ready to move into our future, whatever and wherever that will be. It's funny -- my whole life, I've always thought I'd grow up and settle back into New England. But the more years which pass and I am living in a milder clime, the more I think I could get used to spring-like days in December. I am trying to remain open and accepting that there are two people making the decisions now. I am glad that I have some awesome summer trips to plan. I am hoping to visit friends in Vermont, as well as make a combined trip to Louisville and Asheville, NC (we're considering it as our semi-permanent home base), and a week renting a house in cute little Chincoteague Island just up the road from us an hour or so.

We have not gotten deep into wedding details yet, but we know the basics, the big stuff, we are just going to spend January finalizing it before going more nitty-gritty. But really, at this point I'm not feeling stressed. I want it to be fun and if it's not fun, I just want to let it go. Because weddings are supposed to be joyous and fun.

Would you mind if I post here some new year's intentions I am working up in my head? I know it's early, but I seem to be so contemplative this year and I'm happy to write about it just when it comes. Life is just better that way, I think. Flow with the energy as it happens. So .... here is what I'm thinking right now::

Start a Montessori blog to chart progress in the classroom and keep track of art projects, etc. in a visual way.

Write more often to close friends.

Become a more frequent and more accomplished knitter, stretching myself to learn new things.

busy, happy spaces ....

all the lights we can afford so far this year. It's still a happy tree.

makeshift shelf with an unexpected windfall of yarn

just doing this as I feel like it. 

Practice the banjo.

Be more kind and gentle with John. Less rough around the edges. More accepting of things, and more letting go of fear. I want our friendship to grow as well as our love. It's so easy to be egocentric. I don't want to be easy on myself (though I don't want to be too hard on myself, either!)

Re-commit to vegetarianism (unless I want to continue after my two months of vegan!). It's a diet that has served me very, very well for the last 6 years (with one 6 month hiatus of trying grass-fed and pastured meat). Animal cruelty has trumped even health as my number one reason. I just cannot stomach  it (literally).

"sides"giving at a friend's, it was all gluten free! This isn't even half of what ended up being put on the table!!

Much less screen time. This is an ongoing issue for me. Luckily, in my case, it's just time spent on the laptop. I've never, ever gotten into "smart" (ugh) phones or kindles, nooks, tablets, televisions, etc. It overwhelms me. So yeah, less dreaming over others' blogs and more doing the things I want to do.

Save a lot more money. I'm proud of where I stand on this (despite being behind on my graduate students loans currently) at the moment, I just want to spend the next year and a half really kicking it into high gear. Obviously, things are going to get in the way (I have a $600 car repair staring me in the face next month) sometimes, but all the same I want to set aside as much as I can each month. I don't even know what it's for, just that I have a strong desire not to spend it. I want a nest egg, and I want it to grow! Being nervous all the time about money just isn't fun, especially when kids are looming on the horizon.

bedroom, finally got more "sprinkle" paint to eliminate those stressful pink walls forever! You can see this color next to the black edge of the mirror. 

I'm sure a few more things will come up as the season progresses. Lately, I've been doing little bits of housework daily to keep a peaceful, clean, calm environment at home, cooking and baking a fair bit (I'v started on the Christmas cookies!), working on my recipe binder, knitting, taking walks to appreciate the Christmas lights on homes, listening to Christmas music, wrapping gifts and filling out cards at my leisure, shopping for a child in need, flying through one novel after another (currently reading The Last Song of Dusk, which is really entrancing and rich), practicing yoga at least once a week, going to the gym nearly every day, getting lots of sleep most days, trying not to stay after school more than twice a week.

butter balls, family recipe

any excuse to use enamelware is a good one!

Here are some "lately" pictures from around here. Enjoy, and blessings and light for your new week ahead. It's our last full week of school before break, culminated by a luncheon with staff, students, and parents next Tuesday. Then, we'll hit the road for 10 days or so (including one in NYC!) to see family. Then home for a quiet New Year's.

veggie burgers from scratch

fried in coconut oil

rosemary braided bread

the best soup in the entire world, full of cumin and turmeric. vegan (except for the parm sprinkled in at the end)

i've made a couple of pies

ready for roasting

amazing vegan spicy butternut squash soup (gluten free too!)

stove-popped organic corn

YUM

breakfast, locally-made cinnamon rolls, and a bowl of almond milk yogurt, fresh frozen mixed berries, homemade granola, flax seeds, pecans, maple syrup, and locally-roasted coffee with almond milk. We love almond milk in this house. 

John told me he loves "our little life." I agree. I said, "it's simple and joyful."

Good things to remember this Christmas season.

our new (and first!) Christmas tree skirt, from Etsy.

new year's intentions review:: 4 December

I'm wanting to get things done a bit early this year, so I'm reviewing these now. I do not want our 9-10 days traveling to feel stressful, either during or at either end. In fact, for the first time ever, my Christmas shopping is DONE! I did it in one day last weekend (one LONG, 12-hour day...). I kept it simple. Tomorrow I took a personal day to get a lot of odds and ends that have been hanging out from my life too long accomplished. My plans include figuring out how to spend the time in terms of relaxing and baking. Maybe I'll write a few postcards, figure out a charity to donate to, and start wrapping presents. 

Oh yes, our tree is also up but it's only halfway decorated. Aren't first trees always like that? It sure is pretty though. I'd have a picture for you but I still don't have my camera back yet! It makes the house so cozy. I just love the look and smell of a real Christmas tree! 

And let's review those intentions::


write a letter or send a package once a month (i didn't do this last year and REALLY want to try this).

sadly -- this did NOT happen this year. 

join the postcard project (google it ... very cool idea!).

nope. 

go back to portland to visit my best friend

no. way too expensive, unfortunately. 

cook a recipe at least once a week (i had added that later)


I actually do feel that I accomplished this, thanks in part to starting a permanent recipe binder and participating in a friend's online whole foods worshop, which was both inspiring and transformative (thanks Heather B!). 


learn to sew (grr this one keeps getting carried over year to year!!)

no, but I have recently made a commitment to better my knitting. baby steps. 

faithfully save 10 percent of each paycheck

umm, no. no way. there is just so much that gets in the way every time I try to save (like expensive car repairs). but there are a couple hundred dollars in the bank that i have been trying really super duper hard to hang onto! the rural lifestyle does have its perks! 
do yoga regularly
with all the transitions i've been through, no. but i've recently started trying to go once a week. it's hard, because it's far away, but it's an important commitment to me to keep up with for my health! 

Stay tuned, a new list is coming soon ...... 

on food:: 28 november

(pardon my lack of camera, i left it at a friend's over thanksgiving!!)

this week it's three days in, and food-wise, it's been good::

monday: mostly vegan daiya cheddar pasta bake with mixed veg

tuesday: sweet-potato and black bean soft tacos on whole grain spelt tortillas with lime cream sauce

wednesday: tuscan soup (tomatoes, chickpeas, a TON of cumin and turmeric, spinach)

and soon: pumpkin-quinoa white bean chili! YUMMMO.

These are easy recipes to put together in under an hour on weeknights. On Friday we're just doing a platter with crackers, veggies, dip. Maybe some stove-popped popcorn. Easy peasy!

I also made my first bowl of steel cut oatmeal of the season, i mixed in honey, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, pecans, and hemp seed. and some homemade vegan nut cream made with soaked cashews and dates.

Tomorrow night is knitting night at the yarn shop up north of me, good, I've been slacking. I don't like to knit weeknights when I'm tired, usually I make it to the gym and to my bedside novel.

What have you been cooking lately? I'm always looking for inspiration! Remember, we are going vegan for two months Jan. 1!

Blessings,

k.

thinking about waste and saving :: 23 november

I'm in the Christmas spirit this day after Thanksgiving, and for some reason I'm even already thinking about some New Year's intentions that I'd like to start putting into practice a bit early.

Particularly, I'm talking about food waste here, which, for we two on a tight budget, is money literally thrown away (that could be saved!). I believe I have a tendency to overcook for two people who work full-time and aren't at home a whole lot weekdays. I will often bake something, only to throw half of it away a couple weeks later because there's no room in the freezer or we just got tired of it. John is just not a big eater, probably if left alone he'd subsist on takeout and snacks. While I'm not entirely keen on the takeout (also for budgetary, but also health reasons), I do like the idea of a dinner of snacks. Raw veggies, hummus, olives, bread ... you get the idea. Serving smaller, healthy, but filling, portions. And these are meals that are much easier to prepare.

Ideally, I'd be home seven days a week, but that's just not my life right now as I work to save a boatload of money for the first time ever. I love to cook and bake from scratch, but right now I live 25 minutes from my job, I get home way before John, and I end up taking my dog for a walk, and then sometimes I try to make it to the gym. Then, I'm exhausted, and John is home, and we're all starving. All of these things are important, but leave little time for cooking up more elaborate, healthy, from-scratch meals.

So, thinking about this, I realize::

it's winter:: soups, stews, and chili are our friends right now. if i make a loaf of bread though, generally we eat one or two slices and then wind up throwing it away. so, yeah, we just don't really need to do that as nice as it is. even quick breads can be time-consuming, too.

taco night once a week is a must. so easy.

i could always halve baked goods recipes.

we could always have a mashed potato or salad bar night, too.

i do. not. need to cook every night, it might be nice to save real cooking for saturdays and sundays. i'm most tired wednesday through friday nights, so those could be snacks nights where we just eat off a kitchen platter. it would actually be a good day to get raw veggies in.

i know people are super excited about freezer meals, but quite frankly we have a small fridge/freezer combo in our apartment and it's usually filled with bags of frozen veggies, frozen bananas, and flours, etc. that will go bad at room temp. still, i'll be giving it a clean/organize in the coming weeks, same for the fridge.

we could also just do a smoothie with nut or hemp protein for dinner, too. why not?

we are going vegan for two months starting jan. 1 and i'm slowly starting to phase out butter, cheese, and yogurt and replace them with vegan versions. i'll move salmon and tuna to the nether regions of our food storage cabinets.

overall, i think i will be happier cooking just on the weekends, and there are usually leftovers if a big pot of whatever is made.

i just talked to john about this, and he's onboard :-) yay!

on turning 33:: 19 november

Another trip around the sun!!

Here is the laundry list for 32::

got a new tattoo on the actual day, a banjo with "Louisville" in script on my left shoulder. I miss this city all the time ..... it's so very special to me, and I can't wait to drive out there and visit it and Asheville, NC this summer!
started dating the love of my life
got engaged on New Year's Eve morning
finished my master's thesis
lived in three states
worked at two Montessori schools (including my first AMI school!)
got officially proposed to on remote, unique tangier island with a beautiful ring blending old and new (my love of vintage played a part!)
survived a nasty hurricane

This year, I am looking forward to continuing to improve in certain areas of teaching, planning our simple, rustic wedding, and making a semi-permanent plan to put down some roots in a place that will benefit both of us (also our mini-honeymoon, hopefully in nova scotia/prince edward island!). Learning how to sew and continuing to improve my knitting. Also, creating my healthiest self with having a baby in mind! Saving more money, too. I'm finally saving, at long last!

In January I have decided to go vegan for two months and see what happens. It just feels like the right thing to do. I have eaten "good" meat (pastured/grass fed, with a few slip-ups, one of the downsides of sliding back into omnivory) occasionally for the past six months (mostly curious about this recent craze/trend?), as well as seafood (we live in coastal VA, so everything is local, or I'm eating wild-caught atlantic salmon), and realize I'd grown so used to 5.5 years of vegetarianism (with one mostly vegan year somewhere in the middle) that really ... it still feels best for me to eat a plant-based diet with minimal soy or processed vegan products (like tofurkey). I have some real ethical issues regarding the way animals, yes, even grass-fed "happy" ones, are killed for the pleasure of our palates. I never feel quite right after eating them, regardless of taste. Jury's still out on cheese, greek yogurt, and eggs, I don't like the way cheese ever makes me feel, even though we eat the best (amish-produced) from a local market. I only eat yogurt and eggs at home due to concerns about sourcing at restaurants. But for two months, I can do it. I think the key thing is variety, unprocessed stuff, and lots of healthy sleep, exercise, and yoga. Best thing is, John has said he will go vegan at home to support me! Yay!!

We are looking forward to spending a quiet Thanksgiving at home with a few local outings planned. Our one-year anniversary is Sunday. We will go out for Indian food and watch Lincoln and maybe get fro-yo on the way home. Sounds perfect to me. Knitting and reading in my craft/yoga space. I love a long span at home to regroup and rest. I'm not ready for Christmas yet, for me it starts in December no matter what. I've really pared down the gift-giving to spend it reveling in the magic of giving to those in need, baking yummy-smelling treats, looking at the decorated world around, drinking yummy coffee concoctions and spiced cider, and watching snow fall (hopefully!).

Blessings,

K.

nesting:: 11 November

There are 8 days left until my 33rd birthday .... have I really traveled around the sun that many times? I'm starting to feel the difference in age a bit physically. just pain that takes longer to recede and bruises that take longer to heal. I'm fine, energywise pretty good if I get enough sleep (still an 8-10 hour girl!) and feeling like I want to be active, active, active. (gym, hiking, yoga)

Last night, I started taking St. John's Wort again, I do this it seems like most years when daylight savings time ends and the clock turns back and the nights come on so quickly. I went to bed at 8 pm the other night! There has been a bit of a crying jag and some scary moodiness within me, so I am honoring myself and remembering to slow down. As an introvert, this is my time to withdraw into the shell, and create peace and comfort within the home. The herb appears to be working so far.

This weekend has been me getting back on track in the kitchen. I've been keeping up with the dishes, deep cleaning some neglected corners, organizing the fridge (I'm very OCD about the way things are laid out so things don't get forgotten and go bad). Here's what I've made::

homemade granola
basic baked tofu (double batch)
baked fruit with homemade nut cream and hemp seeds
veggie burgers from scratch (one to eat, the rest to freeze for quick weeknight dinners)
tuscan soup (spinach, chickpeas, tomatoes, and a TON of cumin and turmeric)
curried quinoa and veggies with tofu

I would love some quick bread recipes, if you have one could you pass it on? Thanks :-)

Crafting-wise, I am knitting two scarves, one for the American Red Cross' Sandy recovery efforts and one for my DF's mom for Christmas. They are coming along, slowly but surely. I'm making time for them.

I'm reading The Red Leather Diary, Education for a New World (Montessori), and The Hobbit. Flying through books always feels good.

John and I are taking this time to decide what we want for ourselves as a future. We are both looking for somewhere semi-permanent (finally!) that suits both our needs. I need to make a list of things that are important to me in a community! I need to remember what this time is for when I feel frustrated living in such a remote place.

The wedding planning I have set myself a "start planning" goal of Dec. 1. It feels tremendous but some organizing and coordinating with the very best bridesmaids on earth should help lessen the feeling of planning burden. In the end, we want it kept very simple (think rustic, seasonally-themed fall meal of soups/stews, crusty breads, oils, cheeses, wine, coffee ... mason jars filled with sunflowers and pumpkins on the tables).

I'm trying to save some money, I already have a few hundred dollars. I'm proud of this. It's amazing how quickly leftover bills from broken bigger ones add up, that and every coin i have in my wallet goes in there too! My first goal is $1,000. I am of meager means, but that doesn't mean I can't save some, too!

November is a tricky month, things can start to feel very busy but I am purposely keeping the pace slow. Nesting here in VA instead of traipsing home to CT (I would spent parts of four days traveling) for Thanksgiving. I'll stay home and make soup and maybe a sweet potato pie. Not shopping for Christmas until Dec. 1, and then just for parents, brother, John. I'm sure there will be holiday baking involved, but really, my words for this fall/winter season have always been::

relax.
breathe.
go easy (thanks grandpa).
slow down.

after all, we're only here such a short time. let's enjoy what we have without always turning outward for more.

blessings and light,

k.

happenstances and on being:: 3 november

i am not a super blogger.

i do not have time or money for a fancy camera and all of its light and angles.

i am a teacher of very modest means with a whole lot of student loan debt, and very meager (just started!) savings. really, i can't even buy a vitamix on my savings. nor would i. i have no idea what this money is for. i just want it to accumulate. then i'm going to stick it in a bank (NOT the bank where the man called me "young lady" more than once -- yes, it happened) where it will accumulate more through interest. only time will tell what it's for. i hope it's good.

in my ideal world, i do not work. i knit and sew all day, and have an online store. when i'm not knitting or sewing, i'm cooking and baking. or napping. or taking super super super long walks by the beach, around the town, on the treadmill. i LOVE to walk. i swim, too. i also write and paint. in my ideal world, full of time.

i do not have perfect hair. i am not fat, and i am certainly not skinny. my left side hurts. a lot. i have no idea what i did to get random sore spots poking out between my ribs.

i do not currently belong to a yoga studio, or a CSA, or a co-op. these things do not exist where i found a job.

i am getting married in less than a year and have absolutely nothing planned.

still, i enjoy being on here and i realize i do not envy those of you who have the things i do not, even though my life would certainly be happy with them.

i strive just to live each day as fully and as mindfully as i can. sometimes i do all the things i love. sometimes it's enough to get the dog walked and tacos on the table (easiest from-scratch dinner ever) and roll into bed with a few pages of my current book read.

i've been struggling lately, inner. a lot. fall does this to me. i'm not yet done walking this path, but i'm closer than ever to knowing the terminus. there where, the with who, the how.

we all want to be the best version of ourselves. it's an everyday reality for me. i strive, yet i strive harder to be mindful in the moment. this is not easy when your mind tries to do time travel for you, taking you to places and times that don't exist.

when it comes down to water and wind coming your way and you're forced to leave it all behind you, you are reminded of what's most important. and you work hard to keep what you've got not only alive, but burning alive. when your soul feels lost, you do your best to keep the water out, keep things level, keep things above. you turn to joy in a sea bird, a deer, a tub of organic salad greens, hope for a child. hope for a president. hope for humanity. you buy real watercolors, and watch with joy as they transform a blank white page. work -- love made visible. you begin to really, truly feel the soft, warm wool between your fingers, how sturdy the lace sits on the bamboo needles. you are comforted by a pumpkin's orange, a dog's trusting gaze, your lover's embrace. you are not what you feared you were, and yet you are everything you've ever dreamed of being.

i guess, for now, that's all i have to say.

after sandy::30 october

just popping my head in to say we are fine! the storm did a lot of damage to our beach area, but the streets are driveable and we did not lose power, according to a neighbor. we will start driving back from NJ tomorrow. Taking one more day to rest and make the best of things. We never lost power here but an hour away in Atlantic City things were terrible. We are so very blessed. Today I'm washing laundry, took a long walk, fiance made me a yummy omelette, and going to work on some knitting for a long spot. Hopefully out for a nice dinner. It will certainly be nice to have a two-day workweek, though a bit hectic with PT conferences coming up.

Hope you and yours along the East Coast stayed safe yesterday.

Also, Happy Halloween! Trying to really hang on to some money so I will not be handing out candy to children this year (also have issues with the slave labor in the chocolate industry). Looks like I'll be celebrating that quietly.

Christmas ... well. The marketers are already at it. I'm trying to ignore all the store displays. That will be a quiet one this year, too. I just really don't believe in spending money on gifts for everyone anymore. I would like to do something charitable, and get a few practical things for John and our parents. (I like nice gifts of things like food and soap, locally-crafted things too) We have a wedding to plan. No idea where money for everything would come from, so we  pick and choose for what works best for us. Priorities, you know, starting a family and all? Yeah. Back in a bit ...

Blessings,

K.