does anyone know a way to get more hours out of the day? props to anyone out there working more than one job or working full time with family or doing what you love on the side of working... basically i'm in awe of the amount of things people get done in their lifetimes, and i feel as though i'm not keeping up fast enough. I have more ideas than i have time and i have more ambition than i have patience.
it felt a little different when i was at a job where i had nothing to do all day to my current job where i can barely find time to leave my cube get get more caffeine. sigh. don't get me wrong, i love my new job and i love sewing, creating, etc, but when i read the stories of Heather Bailey and such I feel like i almost need to choose, like she did. but i don't know if i can yet...
P.S. I'm totally stoked for Heather Bailey's new fabric line - it's hitting stores in July!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
free... gan?
because i have fallen off the oprah train since i began working 8-5, my friend in law school was catching me up on some of the more interesting episodes. one of them has stuck with me and i have been pondering it since may 17th (when he told me about it).
as stated by wikipedia:
(oil painting of depression glass)
i have a friend who is exactly the person i wish i could be 100% of the time. she only buys what she needs, and uses all of it. she buys locally whenever possible, and if not locally, definitely organically. she has a tendency to break things, so every inedible thing she buys is thought about and decided upon in a logical manner. she doesn't wash the baggies, but she would definitely eat the whole apple.
starting july 1, i am going to try my own stab at a movement less intense than freeganism, but something that i think will help me be a smarter person both financially and ecologically. (my goal is to be able to do this for 1 year to see if i am changed) i am going to try to not buy any clothes unless the ones i have become 100% unwearable, same with shoes, and i'm not going to get my hair cut, i will eat all leftovers from meals, and i will make what i can from textiles and what not, and buy locally if possible. gifts will all be handmade, if not by me than by someone else (heart you etsy)... and whatever else i'm not thinking of at the moment... you get the idea.
cheers!
as stated by wikipedia:
Freeganism is an anti-consumerist lifestyle whereby people employ alternative living strategies based on "limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed." The lifestyle involves salvaging discarded, unspoiled food from supermarket dumpsters that have passed, or in some cases haven't even passed, their sell by date, but are still edible and nutritious. They salvage the food not because they are poor or homeless, but as a political statement.
this movement fascinates me. i come from a household that could be a poster child for the shift in generational attitudes. my grandma (elsie) could have walked from the great depression to 1990 without blinking an eye... she would wash out ziploc baggies and resuse them, she would eat the entire apple including the core and she had a ball of all ready been used aluminum foil the size of a small dog. my mom on the other hand embraces the 'disposable' feature of many things (namely the disposable food storage containers) and the idea of rinsing out a baggy doesn't even cross her mind. since earning a decent income as an, ahem, adult i have noticed myself following the path closer resembling my moms, as opposed to my grandmas. while both have pros and cons, this movement has really got me thinking about if i'm using everything i need before replacing or discarding it.
(oil painting of depression glass)starting july 1, i am going to try my own stab at a movement less intense than freeganism, but something that i think will help me be a smarter person both financially and ecologically. (my goal is to be able to do this for 1 year to see if i am changed) i am going to try to not buy any clothes unless the ones i have become 100% unwearable, same with shoes, and i'm not going to get my hair cut, i will eat all leftovers from meals, and i will make what i can from textiles and what not, and buy locally if possible. gifts will all be handmade, if not by me than by someone else (heart you etsy)... and whatever else i'm not thinking of at the moment... you get the idea.
cheers!
the Nadas
the nadas are a local band that started in iowa and have spread far. they have been in the music scene for a while now and i like to promote them as much as possible because i happen to think they put on a great show and produce awesome music. they played at a great venue on friday june 6. here's a clip from a great show in Ames, IA last summer and some pictures from the event i went to last friday - enjoy :)
advice?
okay, so i know i'm not the first person to ever have a close group of friends in college and then graduate before, which is why i'm asking for help from anyone who knows what i'm talking about.
i'm finding it very hard to maintain my friendships from college now that i've been graduated for 3 years. while i have my own life, and they have theirs, how do you find a balance of how much time they want to spend with you and you with them? so for instance, i have friend A that works a lot and spends a lot of time with her boyfriend and family, but i also have a friend B who spends so much of her time working that she doesn't have a boyfriend and sees her family minimally, and i have friend C who is married and works 40 hours a week. the time A, B and C are willing to spend on friendships are variable and hard to gauge. i don't want to evolve into a person (mom if i ever bear kids) that spends all her time at home, with no social life outside of her household. while i love my husband and my dogs and my home, i value social interaction with people outside of that circle.
so when i email/text: i usually don't get a response back from A until she has time (weeks sometimes), B's schedule is all over the place that i feel bad asking her to hang out when she may be working, but if she can she'll email me back, and C is horrible with communication in general and the odds of a response are about 50%.
and here i am, feeling like the puppy chasing it's own tail... running after friends that don't respond to me or my attempts with any sort of enthusiasm or drive. the harder i try to spend time together the more frustrated i am that they don't want to hang out with me. frankly my feelings are hurt but i don't know if they should be hurt or not because i want them to have their own lives.
has this happened to any of you? how do you deal with it? is there an easy way to find balance with friends in your 20's?
i'm finding it very hard to maintain my friendships from college now that i've been graduated for 3 years. while i have my own life, and they have theirs, how do you find a balance of how much time they want to spend with you and you with them? so for instance, i have friend A that works a lot and spends a lot of time with her boyfriend and family, but i also have a friend B who spends so much of her time working that she doesn't have a boyfriend and sees her family minimally, and i have friend C who is married and works 40 hours a week. the time A, B and C are willing to spend on friendships are variable and hard to gauge. i don't want to evolve into a person (mom if i ever bear kids) that spends all her time at home, with no social life outside of her household. while i love my husband and my dogs and my home, i value social interaction with people outside of that circle.
so when i email/text: i usually don't get a response back from A until she has time (weeks sometimes), B's schedule is all over the place that i feel bad asking her to hang out when she may be working, but if she can she'll email me back, and C is horrible with communication in general and the odds of a response are about 50%.
and here i am, feeling like the puppy chasing it's own tail... running after friends that don't respond to me or my attempts with any sort of enthusiasm or drive. the harder i try to spend time together the more frustrated i am that they don't want to hang out with me. frankly my feelings are hurt but i don't know if they should be hurt or not because i want them to have their own lives.
has this happened to any of you? how do you deal with it? is there an easy way to find balance with friends in your 20's?
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Nappy for Jaxson
i completed the nappy bag by Amy Butler for my expecting friend Carli. Carli is having a little boy this next Monday so it was a rush to get it done in time. Here are some pictures of it (more can be found on my flickr photo stream)
when i got it done, my husband (we don't have kids) looks at me and says "so is Carli going to put the baby in there? i don't think that's very safe". i love him.
when i got it done, my husband (we don't have kids) looks at me and says "so is Carli going to put the baby in there? i don't think that's very safe". i love him.
this is a whopper of a bag measuring in at 24" wide and 29" long
pictured with the rolled up changing pad - i didn't have enough time to make the cover for i
close up of the topstitching
close up of the changing pad pattern
Sunday, June 8, 2008
rainy sunday
fun things to do when it's raining:
- embroider
- play a board game (i recommend settlers of catan)
- read (i'm reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert right now, 2 thumbs up)
- go to a movie (just saw Kung Fu Panda and LOVED it - great for all ages)
- or my ever favorite - sew.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
to: wrist... from: elsie
Awhile ago (several months in fact) i made mention that I was asked to create wristlets for 7 bridesmaids. That wedding is coming up soon, and after several trials I have created the finished product. Here are 3 of them. I am very proud of myself and intend to make some to sell on etsy.
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