When I buy clothes, I want them to last. I’m trying hard to move away from fast fashion and invest in quality pieces for my wardrobe that will stand the test of time. But I also don’t have multiple hundreds of dollars to invest in each and every piece, so it’s a balance to...
Food Forest, Fall Year 1
There is something about growing, harvesting, cooking, and preserving my own food that makes me feel powerful. Don’t get me wrong: even as we add to our food forest we’ll probably never be able to produce all the food we would need to live in a year. And that’s OK. That’s not my goal....
Food Forest, Spring and Summer, Year 1
Building a food forest is… a lot. A LOT. We thought we knew this going in, but there’s understanding it and then there’s experiencing it. Because of a long, convoluted story I won’t go into (it’s not that interesting), we weren’t able to hire the landscapers our designer recommended for us, and by the...
Fall/Winter 2022 Mid-Size Capsule Wardrobe: Additions and Wish List
Over the last few years, I’ve been using the Capsule Wardrobe guides from Classy Yet Trendy to guide my seasonal shopping. I have the year-round capsule wardrobe guide and a couple of the seasonal guides, to add some color and pop to my capsule. I will say that my wardrobe probably isn’t a true...
Tiek’s vs. Rothy’s: One Year of Wear
If you like to hang out on Pinterest at all, you’ve likely seen advertisements for both Tieks ballet flats and Rothy’s cool flats made from recycled water bottles. But you might have found yourself asking: Is one better than the other? Which one should I get? These aren’t super-cheap shoes, so it’s worth it...
Strawberry Tower and Winter Coat Storage
I’ve got beets and carrots roasting for salads this week, and thought I’d sit down and write about what’s been happening around here. May is a busy month with school and some activities coming to a close, but I’m ready for summer. I asked D last night what she wanted to do this summer...
4 Tools of My Essentialist Closet
Over the last couple of years, I’ve been working hard to declutter and simplify my closet. I don’t have one of those amazing capsule wardrobes in which everything goes with everything else (although… it’s pretty close, actually), but I’ve been consciously keeping my clothing choices to a minimum for the most part. (I do...
My Bullet Journal Recommendations
I’ve been Bullet Journaling for about two years now. If you’re not familiar with the practice, it’s a way of keeping a paper planner / journal that is totally customizable because you start with a blank notebook. You can watch the video from the creator of the system here to get a better feel...
This is what it means to be a woman in 2017
I had to yell at two tween boys at the park today who were using vicious, nasty, violent language about women and women’s body parts in full view and earshot of my six year old daughter. They called me a bitch. I stood my ground, but it stuck with me, made me uncomfortable and angry...
Cheater’s Shrimp and Scallop Paella
This easy paella recipe is from the book, 400 Calorie Fix by Liz Vaccariello (I believe it is out of print, but you can find used copies at that link.) Since it is a diet book, it uses a small amount turkey kielbasa for flavor. If you’re not concerned about calories, you can sub regular...