Wow.

I find it hard to believe there was a time in my life that I wrote in a LiveJournal a minimum of once a day. I have this blog, and a LJ, and neither are ever written in anymore. I suppose the decline began with an attempt at distancing myself from the internet; but my no means do I spend any less time online. I suppose, I just lose track of what I do in that time completely. And then, every few months or so, I say that I'm going to make an effort to pick it up again...to post every few days, every day, to make something meaningful out of it again. Only I never succeed.

As always with life though, changes are occurring again and I am wanting to take more steps towards a better me. I've been trying to take a yoga class once a week, and succeeded for 10 weeks by taking the registered Ashtanga intro class twice with my friend Dee. That class as been finished for several weeks now though and I've only really done yoga twice in that time. Once was at the Talisman Centre, a drop-in class that had Dee and I both more angry than remotely relaxed. Second was at the same studio as before, but Kripalu with a different teacher. I didn't like it at all, same series of postures over and over...very strength demanding instead of building. Just not for me.

Today! Today though I went without Dee, to the same class we had taken the intro for only the drop-in version. Same teacher as well. I loved it. Strange to not talk to anyone throughout the class, but I find it left me paying more attention to my breathe and postures overall. When I leave something alone for a few weeks though, I'm always awesome at it the first time I go back...and then there is a steady decline in quality before improvement is seen again. But anyway...I went alone which is a big step at this studio. I've changed my work availability so that I can attend her class on a weekly basis. Its an expense, but for self-improvement I'm willing to make it.

Aside from the yoga, I would like to run. Another thing I start twice then gave up on. I would like to try to lose some weight. Also been trying to drink the recommended amount of water per day, which is 64oz or just under 3 of my stainless steel water bottles. Not too hard if I spread it out properly, but that's the key I need to stick with.

Again I will say that my mind tells me I ought to redo this layout, make it focus more on what I'd like to focus on now and this summer. But I'm not going to hold myself to that. We will see.

A Rant on Used Vs. New and the Expense of Children in Modern-day North America

Toys in the back of garbage truck in NYC

To this photo I quote the often used phrase: "Kids are expensive."
And to it I reply with: BULLSHIT.

We live in a mass consumer society, and I am NOT immune to buying things. The difference is, I buy used and I have no problem with grabbing something useful from a dumpster if someone else tossed it out. My apartment is fully furnished furniture wise and electronics wise, but almost none of it was new. Why should it be when I can find perfectly functional things, for free or for dirt cheap that are UNIQUE? What are peoples excuses?

'Used things won't match' - I have a 5 piece rattan living room set; 2 chairs, 2 couch, 2 tables..all matching. 3 sets of dishes, all matching. 2 sets of cutlery, all matching. 4 kitchen chairs, all matching.

'Used things are dirty and full of germs' - Germs my arse; there is a difference between clean and vacuum sterile. Nothing needs to be vaccuum sterile in this world, it leads to MORE illness not less. The only thing I won't buy used is socks and underwear, they get worn from new far too fast to bother. Most of the this 'anti-bacteria' land we live in, is MADE UP BY PROCTER & GAMBLE and other companies to sucker you out of your money for no good reason. I clean my house with vinegar and water, 90%. The only cleaners I buy are for my floor and I don't really have an excuse for buying them, I'm well aware I don't even need to buy those. These are the things that cleaned houses perfectly well until post-WWII. There isn't much a little hot water WON'T do.

'Its all ugly' - No it isn't! Sure I love the mid-century kitsch but I've found TONS of fantastic used things over the years. Between sites like Kijiji, UsedCalgary (or other city), Craigslist, eBay and FreeCycle you can find EVERYTHING you need and a lot of it is new within 2 years! We live in a throw away society and sadly people probably aren't all going to change, ever, but YOU can change by taking what they want to throw away and using it instead of letting them toss it!

As for kids, my view on kids when I finally have them, is that they are only as expensive as you let them be. My guides in this have been my mother and my sister, who ahead of me has done what our mother did.

The keys to inexpensive kids but healthy, happy kids are:

- cloth diapers! They can be expensive at the offset if you can't find them used, but cheaper in the end and with each subsequent child. You can also use cloth wipes! Yes you have to wash them, but you don't have to use a dryer either. Get a drying rack! Use it for ALL your clothes. You can get a good, 3 tier drying rack that will hold a FULL load for $20 or find it used. I only use a dryer for sheets, and if I had a house I wouldn't even use it for that.

- make your own baby food! SO easy. You need a handheld blender, or a regular blender! Why shouldn't kids be able to eat whatever the parent is eating? Considering ages of course. "Kid food" is also a modern day joke. Your kids pick up on what they should or shouldn't like according to what you give off as that message. If you walk into a restaurant, flip to the kids menu and give them those choices...they'll think that kids aren't supposed to eat what everyone else is, and thus become picky eaters.

- get used kids clothes! I say 'get' because most people should be able to get them for free from other parents be it through friends, Freecycle or even organize a clothing swap in your community. Collect clothes for the years ahead before hand and store them in bins, lord knows they grow through them fast enough. Go to local kids second-hand shops and ASK if they have clothes they will be throwing out. Offer to buy bags at a discount rate or just scour their garbage bins. If they can't donate them, they will toss them.

- get used kids toys and furniture! The only thing you MUST buy new for kids, unfortunately, are car seats. You can't know whether a used car seat (unless it comes from a reputable source, like a best friend or sibling) has been in an accident and is still safe. They are also only good for a certain number of years before their fail rate increases.
As for toys (where you should be avoiding plastic and electronic anyway, whole other rant) you can get them off those websites again, from relatives and from second hand stores. Kids do not need fancy toys. Remember your favorite thing as a kid? Chances are it was PRETTY simple. Mine was a doll. Simple doll.
Furniture? My sister uses the same crib we used as a child. Use your brain with such things. The crib is wood and metal, all parts are intact and have been checked for being loose or broken. If an old crib has plastic pieces, be more wary but CHECK them before you write it off because of age. High chairs, strollers, carriers, bassinets...there are SO MANY already out in the world!

PRETTY SIMPLE things folks. Kids do not know the difference between bought new and bought used. If its something that wasn't in their life before, its new. Regardless of actual age.

/end rant

Batteries!

Due to a lack of taking virtually any photographs since August, both of my digital cameras are suffering from lack of battery charging. I'm trying to get them both into working order, finish cleaning my apartment fully, then getting some shots up of all my old things including the new Aluminum Christmas tree!

For now I have shots of my newly cleaned kitchen, the Flickr page has notes about whats in each photo.

   
   

Time Managemen...or lack thereof...

Since I moved into my place, I feel I've lost what little direction I had begun to have. Its been almost 2 months and it still isn't organized to the degree I would like it to be. I've virtually abandoned my knitting projects, I don't have a working sewing machine (though two are sitting at the end of my bed), there are always dishes in my sink and rarely do I have food or ingredients to cook food. I have laundry strewn everywhere, two cameras that have been untouched for months, a bunch of things to put on Etsy...but I say I have no time!

!!!

Spaghetti and salad on Spring Blossom Corelle, washed lettuce in large Butterprint Cinderella, salsa in blue small refrigerator, carrot salad in small Horizon Blue Pyrex casserole.....living in my own apartment is AWESOME for my dishes!

Vintage + Knitting Needle case

I haven't explained what the Salvage Centre I'm now going to is yet, so here goes. Basically, I now get alot of things from the dump. The local municipality runs a very 'green' landfill in that people can bring unwanted general household goods (anything you'd see in a thrift store) to the dump, but they will be directed to a seperate building where volunteers sort the goods and put them out for anyone to search through and to take. They ask for a reasonable donation in return, and the money is used for local projects.

The place is heaven. I try to get out there once a week now, sometimes more often, and today was fantastic. Mondays have all the left over garage sale items as well as the weekend cleaning finds. Fridays and Saturdays can also be really good as the husbands are finally around to haul things out there that were cleaned out during the week.




















I've also been off work for the past week due to illness and has lot of time for sewing/knitting/organizing. I now have a knitting binder for organizing patterns and ideas aside from just on Ravelry. I also made an accesories bag and needle case! The case was finished last night.




I got the red and white fabric with anchors at Walmart on sale, with a gift card, at 1.98/M. I got 9.8 metres.

Etsy: 1940's Readers Digests

New Etsy listing! I have more than just the one set, if there's a rush for them (hahaha). We'll see if one pack sells!