Here I sit, during my last twenty four hours of peace and quiet before Kaleigh (16 year old) gets home. (She does know she talks a lot!) I think I'm going to spend tonight just watching a movie, putting away my Christmas stuff, and generally picking up, maybe a little laundry--who knows? I'm pretty boring, I guess, but this is how I prefer to spend New Year's Eve.
I think I put some good karma out in the world today. After my older daughter moved out and couldn't take a bunch of her baby's furniture (crib, high chair, playpen, etc.) with her, they were just sitting in my spare room, making me sad because I miss my little punkin, but I almost couldn't bear to get rid of it. After talking to my daughter (she moved to Delaware and has replaced everything), I decided to put the items out by the street and if no one picked them up by that night, I would bring them back in. I put them out, almost bursting into tears as I did so, but I figured I had a good plan. Not ten minutes later, a very pregnant woman in a beat up truck came up to my door and asked if I minded if she took the baby things. I instantly felt better, and told her I'd help her load them into her truck. She was so thrilled, and I got the impression that she didn't have many things for her baby, so I couldn't even be sad anymore. I wish I had more to give her.
I had lunch today with a good friend and her son, who I adore (both of them). We ate Mexican food and laughed and had a great time. Unfortunately, we were outsmarted by a four year old (not hard to do!), but we did have a lot of fun. I don't get out enough, and I decided to add that to my list of stuff I want to do in 2012.
Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great New Year's Eve, whether they choose to do what I am doing, or going out and having a party! Be safe.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
Making Do...
I'm feeling pretty good about the things that I have done during my long break from work. My 16 year old daughter (the last one left at home) has been visiting dad and step-mom, so I've had lots of Me Time.
There have been a lot of things I've been thinking of doing around here, but I've been waiting until I had enough time, money, etc. After the last couple of weeks, I realized that there is a good feeling about making do, not spending money to solve a simple problem around the house, and just generally making things work.
One thing is a small desk in my bedroom. I used to write regularly, but being a mom and teacher and just living has conspired to make me feel like I have no time or place. I am convinced that if I just had a small place of my own with my pens and notebooks, I would take a few minutes each day and write something. My sister has a small desk (exactly the distressed white country look that would be perfect) that she is going to give me, but she needs to get a replacement first, and that will be in a couple of months. So I've spent the last couple of months longing for that desk, daydreaming about the day I have a space to write, and even visiting the desk at my sister's house. Yesterday, while doing laundry, I noticed some plywood that is in the laundry room that I've been saving for something, exactly the size of a small desk. My wheels started turning, and now I have a makeshift small desk in the corner of my room, made from that plywood laid across two small side tables from around the house. It's not going to win any beauty contests, but it is not ugly by any means, and will do the job nicely until my sister's desk comes to my house to live. And---BONUS--I've even done some writing.
Time and time again, I've found that anything I really need in life shows up, maybe not in the way I envision, but in a way that works, sometimes better than how I envisioned.
Another thing I've been coveting is a pretty ceramic kitchen compost container to keep my kitchen scraps in until I dump them into the almost-existent compost pile out back. I've done lots of research and looked at them everywhere, but it seems kind of ridiculous to spend a lot of money on something that will live under the sink and essentially hold trash. Today, while cleaning out the refrigerator, I pulled out a nearly-empty plastic ice cream container, the kind with a handle (thanks, Kaleigh!). As I was cleaning it out, I was contemplating what to do with it as it seems like a waste to throw it out, and POW!!! Kitchen composter!! FREE!!! Again, not beautiful, but it will get the job done. I spent the afternoon giggling at my ugly little composter.
I recently read somewhere that as much as 40% of a household's electric bill is from drying clothes. I'm not sure that can be true in Florida, where we use the air conditioner 10 months out of the year, but I've officially started my month-long experiment on the subject. For the next month (starting with the load of laundry I did today), I will not dry any of it, I have gotten two wooden clothes racks and they are set up in my spare bedroom and can be moved to my tiny back porch as necessary. I will see how this impacts my electric bill (and lifestyle), and may invest in an umbrella-type clothes line for my side yard if the results indicate that it's worth it. I will let you know how that is going. It will be interesting to see how Kaleigh deals with this mandate.
During my time off, I've spent my time however I wanted to, eating when I'm hungry, sleeping when I'm tired, watching the occasional movie, puttering around my house, doing whatever needs to be done, and I've really enjoyed it. It's almost over, as I have to go back to work on Tuesday, but it's been nice, and it will be nice to get back to my regular routine, and see my preschoolers again. I've missed them for sure.
There have been a lot of things I've been thinking of doing around here, but I've been waiting until I had enough time, money, etc. After the last couple of weeks, I realized that there is a good feeling about making do, not spending money to solve a simple problem around the house, and just generally making things work.
One thing is a small desk in my bedroom. I used to write regularly, but being a mom and teacher and just living has conspired to make me feel like I have no time or place. I am convinced that if I just had a small place of my own with my pens and notebooks, I would take a few minutes each day and write something. My sister has a small desk (exactly the distressed white country look that would be perfect) that she is going to give me, but she needs to get a replacement first, and that will be in a couple of months. So I've spent the last couple of months longing for that desk, daydreaming about the day I have a space to write, and even visiting the desk at my sister's house. Yesterday, while doing laundry, I noticed some plywood that is in the laundry room that I've been saving for something, exactly the size of a small desk. My wheels started turning, and now I have a makeshift small desk in the corner of my room, made from that plywood laid across two small side tables from around the house. It's not going to win any beauty contests, but it is not ugly by any means, and will do the job nicely until my sister's desk comes to my house to live. And---BONUS--I've even done some writing.
Time and time again, I've found that anything I really need in life shows up, maybe not in the way I envision, but in a way that works, sometimes better than how I envisioned.
Another thing I've been coveting is a pretty ceramic kitchen compost container to keep my kitchen scraps in until I dump them into the almost-existent compost pile out back. I've done lots of research and looked at them everywhere, but it seems kind of ridiculous to spend a lot of money on something that will live under the sink and essentially hold trash. Today, while cleaning out the refrigerator, I pulled out a nearly-empty plastic ice cream container, the kind with a handle (thanks, Kaleigh!). As I was cleaning it out, I was contemplating what to do with it as it seems like a waste to throw it out, and POW!!! Kitchen composter!! FREE!!! Again, not beautiful, but it will get the job done. I spent the afternoon giggling at my ugly little composter.
I recently read somewhere that as much as 40% of a household's electric bill is from drying clothes. I'm not sure that can be true in Florida, where we use the air conditioner 10 months out of the year, but I've officially started my month-long experiment on the subject. For the next month (starting with the load of laundry I did today), I will not dry any of it, I have gotten two wooden clothes racks and they are set up in my spare bedroom and can be moved to my tiny back porch as necessary. I will see how this impacts my electric bill (and lifestyle), and may invest in an umbrella-type clothes line for my side yard if the results indicate that it's worth it. I will let you know how that is going. It will be interesting to see how Kaleigh deals with this mandate.
During my time off, I've spent my time however I wanted to, eating when I'm hungry, sleeping when I'm tired, watching the occasional movie, puttering around my house, doing whatever needs to be done, and I've really enjoyed it. It's almost over, as I have to go back to work on Tuesday, but it's been nice, and it will be nice to get back to my regular routine, and see my preschoolers again. I've missed them for sure.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
How did I get here?
Okay, I've been thinking a lot about the new year and what kinds of changes I have made over the last ten years or so--what could I possibly have to say that anyone would want to read? So much to talk about, so much still to do. But yet. . .this idea keeps swirling around in my head, it's taken a long time to firm up, but it finally has so here I am, an official blogger.
I guess I should introduce myself. I am a 47 year old mom of four, and a grandmother of three (so far, one more on the way), and I was married for 18 years to my high school boyfriend. We spent those 18 years travelling the world with the U.S. Army, but it was not a happy marriage, I'm sorry to say. I got divorced in September of 2002, after some of the darkest months of my life. (I'm no longer in that place.) In retrospect, getting divorced was probably the best thing I ever did in my life. I moved from Hawaii to my hometown of Orlando, and tried to decide what I wanted to do next. I stumbled into a job that I loved, which reminded me of a dream I had a child to be a teacher, went back to school, which was the scariest thing I ever did in my life. I got a teaching degree, and now have my dream job. I teach preschoolers in a university lab school setting.
Last year was the year of "Being Amie"--I felt that I needed to live more in my own self, for lack of a better way to say it. I wanted to be the happy little overachiever that I have always been in my life. I've never felt okay just doing something, I want to be the BEST at it. Or at least close to the best. I think I've done pretty well getting to that goal and I will continue to work on that, I've discovered that Amie's a pretty cool chick. (EEK!!--did I just say that?)
I've made so many changes over time, and I'm still making them, but one thing I have always looked for is peace and calm in my life. I've never felt like I was quite there though. This has been such a prevalent theme in my life, and I'm sure I will write about my past experiences (funny and not so funny) over time. I've read almost every book on simple living that I can find, from organizing books, to books about homesteading, to money-saving ideas. I think what I am looking for is some derivation of all of these, a way to be peaceful and calm and enjoy my life.
This year, I want to concentrate on living more simply, thus my blog title, Adventures in Simplicity. This can mean a lot of different things, but these are my ideas for the near future--I'm sure I'll add more as they occur to me.
1. Reduce my carbon footprint.
2. Start a composting bin.
3. Cook more at home.
4. Get this house organized!
5. Garden (on a small scale).
I hate to start with too many goals, but I think this is doable. My plan is to write about my adventures, maybe no one will read about them except me, but that will be okay. More to come.
I guess I should introduce myself. I am a 47 year old mom of four, and a grandmother of three (so far, one more on the way), and I was married for 18 years to my high school boyfriend. We spent those 18 years travelling the world with the U.S. Army, but it was not a happy marriage, I'm sorry to say. I got divorced in September of 2002, after some of the darkest months of my life. (I'm no longer in that place.) In retrospect, getting divorced was probably the best thing I ever did in my life. I moved from Hawaii to my hometown of Orlando, and tried to decide what I wanted to do next. I stumbled into a job that I loved, which reminded me of a dream I had a child to be a teacher, went back to school, which was the scariest thing I ever did in my life. I got a teaching degree, and now have my dream job. I teach preschoolers in a university lab school setting.
Last year was the year of "Being Amie"--I felt that I needed to live more in my own self, for lack of a better way to say it. I wanted to be the happy little overachiever that I have always been in my life. I've never felt okay just doing something, I want to be the BEST at it. Or at least close to the best. I think I've done pretty well getting to that goal and I will continue to work on that, I've discovered that Amie's a pretty cool chick. (EEK!!--did I just say that?)
I've made so many changes over time, and I'm still making them, but one thing I have always looked for is peace and calm in my life. I've never felt like I was quite there though. This has been such a prevalent theme in my life, and I'm sure I will write about my past experiences (funny and not so funny) over time. I've read almost every book on simple living that I can find, from organizing books, to books about homesteading, to money-saving ideas. I think what I am looking for is some derivation of all of these, a way to be peaceful and calm and enjoy my life.
This year, I want to concentrate on living more simply, thus my blog title, Adventures in Simplicity. This can mean a lot of different things, but these are my ideas for the near future--I'm sure I'll add more as they occur to me.
1. Reduce my carbon footprint.
2. Start a composting bin.
3. Cook more at home.
4. Get this house organized!
5. Garden (on a small scale).
I hate to start with too many goals, but I think this is doable. My plan is to write about my adventures, maybe no one will read about them except me, but that will be okay. More to come.
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