A Small Break

(mt. shasta, CA)

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know things might be quiet here for a week or so as I am dealing with family events and heavy circumstances. I hope to get back to blogging soon & have some good post ideas lined up (I really want to post some tutorials on making simple household items, like hand soap, as well as have some more discussions on different views of the world I've been encountering lately and gems of wisdom that have been changing me).

Until next time (& please don't forget about me),

Emily

Weekly Meal Planning Recap- 7/16 to 7/22

Saturday July 16th- 

I made Chicken Broccoli Cheese Casserole for dinner. This recipe is one I clipped from a magazine last fall, when I usually start to gravitate towards casseroles and heavier dishes. Mike is a big fan of broccoli and it is a vegetable I'd personally rather eat when it is cooked in smaller pieces and hidden in a casserole or soup.

My original intention was to make this homemade "cream of" soup mix to have on hand and use in this recipe, but I ended up caving and making a stop at the store for a $2 can of cream of onion soup because Saturday was a very rough day here. I vow to make the homemade mix soon and report on its success here.

Recipe adaptations: 

• I use cream of onion soup instead of cream of mushroom.
• I use shredded supermarket rotisserie chicken when I make this because I don't normally buy chicken breasts (whole chickens are cheaper and already cooked is a plus)! 
• Broccoli crowns were 10/$10 at Mejier so I cut and steamed my own broccoli, even through the original recipe uses frozen broccoli. 
• I use crumbled butter crackers for a topping instead of potato chips. 

Verdict: Mike was very enthusiastic about this dinner, I enjoyed it, and the kids weren't interested at all. Orion took two bites and didn't seem to hate it...The meal also provided three lunch servings of leftovers. I may have ate one portion in the middle of the night when I got uncontrollably hungry due to third trimester craziness.


Sunday July 17th-

We has family friends over for Sunday dinner and I had the inspiration to go off of the meal plan and add an unexpected expense to our grocery bill for the week: Brisket.

The only two places I know to buy a brisket around here sell huge pieces that are quite an investment, but considering we can make three separate briskets out of one cut and then eat that brisket for 3 meals or so, it's a meal worth doing. Especially since I have pregnancy related anemia and can use all the extra iron I can get ;)

I am devoted to the recipe for Maya's Sweet and Sour Holiday Brisket from the Smitten Kitchen cookbook. I always make it in the oven and use my Le Creuset dutch oven.

The brisket was served with an arugula, feta, and dried MI cherry salad, along with Parmesan-garlic potatoes brought by our guests. I made a lemon based vinaigrette for the dressing.

For dessert I went with a frugal recipe for Maple Pudding Cake, which was also by Smitten Kitchen. This made exactly enough for four adults and I served it with vanilla ice cream. I used maple syrup from my dad's trees and therefore I think the sweetness of my sauce wasn't overpowering as that syrup is milder than the typical commercial sold maple syrup.

Verdict: Everyone had clean plates! And I may have heard some words of praise... The kids had a separate meal, but ate well too.


Monday July 18th-

We had leftovers tonight. Not very exciting, but there was enough broccoli and chicken casserole to go around and now I'm content knowing it is gone. Having a quick meal also boded well because Mike was able to mow our lawn and do some tree trimming afterwards and then we all went outside to play until bedtime!

Tuesday July 19th-

It was just the kids and myself tonight for dinner. I was tired from a long day of playing outside, attending a magic show, and trying to chase Otto around the library. We had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. 


Wednesday July 20th-

This was a busy and stressful day. I had to pick up my sister from the airport, but the flight was delayed and our whole day was a little thrown off. Luckily, I had made the Roasted Potatoes with Chicken Sausage and Maple Mustard Glaze ahead of time around 3pm so I was able to quickly re-heat it for dinner (and eat more when we all arrived home from the airport at midnight). I used Golden Delicious apples. 

Thursday July 21st-

Had dinner at my parent's house. Papa cooked up a pork butt, so there were BBQ sandwiches, potato chips, and a nice cucumber salad.

Friday July 22nd- 

Another exhausting day here. The last night of having Mike away though! We drove back from Ludington and laid low at the house due to really really hot weather. I made the kids macaroni and cheese (Annie's brand--our favorite and a steal at Sam's Club) and I had another grilled cheese sandwich because nothing else sounded good.


Hopefully next week I'll have a bit more of an inspiring or interesting week of meals to share with you! "Just keeping it real" and all that, y'know...

Daring to be Vulnerable and Real

I am who I am.

This past week has been weird. A lot of heavy crying. A lot of old feelings of inadequacy and loss of control have surfaced. But I think I'm cracking into some truths about myself. And I've had some definite moments of god shining through the cracks and speaking to me. Like, when I was at my wit's end and the morning yesterday was starting to tank from my horrible attitude just like the previous day had, I was gifted with two smiling girls ready to watch my kids at church so I could just sink in the pew and listen--our nursery has been closed all summer long, so this was very unexpected and definitely a blessing from above. god knows how badly I needed that. and my husband, he took my hand when they mentioned the refugee family our church will be hosting, because he knows that it tears me up to think of them, very similar to us, with two boys one and three, coming here and I wish I could personally do more for them, for everyone...the world lately has been so hard to look at and deal with knowing that so much is unjust and wrong.

I believe god talked to me again through the radio, because there is a guitar solo I've turned the radio to twice now in the past week that just takes me all the way in with emotions. Then I end up crying in the car which probably isn't for the best, but it seems redemptive.

A wise friend on Facebook posts lots of content and I'm amazed by her energy to do so...one of the things that stuck most with me this past week was an article she wrote about holding back your whole life. I am such a withholding person. I am scared s**tless of being vulnerable, even after reading Brene Brown and telling myself that I am safe every day and praying for my worry to be removed and all sorts of other practices.

I just want to show up as I am.

(credit: kingofwands tumblr)

Right now I want you to know that I'm so afraid. I'm losing my own mother. I feel robbed. I'm becoming at mother to a daughter for the first time too. That scares me too. What if I mess up? I feel like there is so much to mess up.

I know a lot of what I know to be true and who I am at my core is going to be weird to people, but I'm very sick of hiding and playing small in this world. I want to speak in my own language. If you're not okay with that, I'm okay. I won't be offended. But I am going to talk of god and the world in the way I see it. We each should be able to do that for ourselves because it really is beautiful how unique our perspectives are. There is sanctity in our differences.

Some times I lament to my husband about how I have no one to talk to about spirituality and other such topics. It's a silly thing to say when I don't put myself out there. It's easy to be isolated in my current situation. I just want you to know that I am a little out there. I have crystals in my house and I can tell you why each one is where it is. I read books about different religions and seriously question the whole always referring to god as "he" thing. I know I am highly intuitive and I don't think it is wrong for me to explore those gifts--and eventually I want to share them with the world in my own deep and quiet way. I also believe in God, the Christian church, and pray regularly. It's complicated but it really isn't.

I don't believe there is anything wrong with me and I am scared of feeling like you might think there is anything wrong with me if you knew these things.

So, this is scary, but this is me.

And I promise we have more in common that we have separating us.

Love to you.

Everybody Wants to Know About: Meal Planning!!

(meal planning supplies: favorite cookbooks, my recipe binder, shopping list, & loose recipe sheets I pulled for the upcoming week).

Let me start by saying we are people who love good food and being in the kitchen. How I meal plan might be a little overboard for those who are content with routine or a simple rotation of meals...I just had to make my own method because I love to cook and try new things often! I take joy in cooking most days and if I had an unlimited budget, I would shop daily for whatever tickled my fancy instead of meal planning...

Since my reality requires me to think ahead and spend our resources wisely, here's what I currently do for meal planning (which really means "dinner planning"):


Step One: Look through way too many recipes. Spend a lot of time reading recipes on blogs while the kids sleep. Consider it research and part of my homemaking job, even if maybe I go overboard. Usually end up going to my trusty recipe binder for 3-4 meals and pick out 1-2 new dishes to try from a cookbook or the internet.

Step Two: Consider who is going to be around that week. I will most certainly plan differently if Mike is gone on business or not. Usually those weeks I buy produce and essentials, but try to clean out the pantry and make simple meals for myself and the kids.

For example, tonight we are running low on fresh produce and pay day isn't until Friday.

I found a can of pumpkin in the cupboard, so the kids and I made whole-wheat pumpkin muffins with maple syrup and I served them with the rest of the sweet cherries, scrambled eggs, and leftover breakfast sausage for dinner. I had an omelet with the rest of the feta cheese we had, some of the sausage, and a muffin.

Step Three: Look at the calendar again. Usually subtract one meal from the list I have been compiling of what sounds good to make/what we have on hand to make. The "subtract one" meal really helps us keep the leftovers in check. If I cook a casserole sized meal every night of the week, we waste a lot of food. Some recipes I specifically know don't produce leftovers & we will combine those with the ones that make lots of leftovers to pick around 5 meals to make during the week.

The "what we have on hand to make" means a pantry staple meal. I add something like this in every week because if I have to drop it from the menu we aren't wasting any food. An easy example of this is spaghetti. I always have pasta, tomatoes, and onions on hand. Usually have some frozen sausage or meat. Therefore if this is on the menu for Wednesday and then Wednesday we discover we have too many leftovers from Tuesday or one of us parents is going to be out (or if we--oops--go out to eat after playing at the park), we have the option not to make the dish without wasting any fresh food. I then rearrange the rest of the dinners in the week up a day to close the gap.

I must also note here that I am playing around with a new-for-me way of doing things where I have certain nights for certain types of food. I cannot abide by just making EVERY Tuesday night "taco night" but we do love to cook Asian food, so one night a week is Asian food night where I pick from our favorite stir-fry or Thai dishes...I want to do more of a structure and the loose categories will help me, I think. The most recent one I am excited to add is "Meatball Monday." So many meatball recipes! I could eat meatballs every night, but once a week is probably enough. Plus, usually very kid-friendly. Sundays are usually home made pizza night, which is economical and delicious. If we aren't doing pizza, during the summer we grill or during the other seasons we will have a roast or stew in the crock pot.

Step Four: Confirm the order of the meals I am planning. For example, if we are having a rice heavy dish one night, I only want one rice dish that week. If I am using a loaf of bread for french toast, maybe I need to serve a salad with homemade croutons to use the rest of the bread up the next day...things like this are considered. Also, I always try to use the meat on hand in the freezer first, because buying meat is expensive and a pain (we do eat some vegetarian meals too).

Here's the plan for the upcoming week:

Step Five: Write a grocery list. Look at the ads for Mejier, Walmart, and Aldi. Make notes on the shopping list of what to buy where (if Mejier has 10 for 10 deals I note the healthy/useful ones). Also ask Mike if there is anything special he wants for his lunchbox that week (because I am so sweet).

Step Six: Shop. Whenever possible, without children!!



SIDE NOTE: 

Here's a brief idea of what we eat when it isn't dinner time: 

Breakfasts during the week tend to be some combo of: eggs, toast, greek yogurt, frozen waffles, homemade muffins (or cake!), fresh fruit, smoothies, or cereal (everyone but me eats it the normal way, with milk). I keep most of these options stocked & on weekends we may have something else, like biscuits & gravy (Mike's favorite), dutch baby, or a breakfast casserole. Bacon is a weekend food too :)  I tend to make pancakes as a dinner though because my fragile before-coffee brain can't handle the intensity of my favorite pancake recipe in the morning hours. 

Lunches are usually leftovers for Mike and I. I let the kids usually have "kid food" at lunch because they eat the same thing we do at dinner (minor variations can apply). This means keeping peanut butter, jelly, noodles, chicken nuggets (actually haven't done those in awhile), sausage or hot dogs, cheese and crackers, etc on hand. I always serve veggies and fresh fruit (well, sometimes in the winter it is applesauce or canned oranges) with lunch too. Quick is a benefit at lunch time. 

For snacks, I keep cheese sticks, fruit (fresh and dried), pretzel sticks, and usually some kind of crackers on hand. If someone asks for a second snack after the allotted crackers or pretzels they can have either a banana or carrots. I never say no to apple slices as a snack either, unless someone has an upset stomach. Mike will have special snacks for his lunchbox--like Chex Mix from Sam's Club. Sometimes the kids will get some of that as well, especially if he is feeding them. I am powerless over the occasional bag of kettle style chips--we all have our vices. 




One of my favorite things to do here used to be to post our weekly meal plans. I may go back to that! Let me know if that is something you'd be interested in seeing. I would post them after we completed a week of dinners so I could discuss how they turned out and share recipes with you :)

Sometimes Thinking About Money is Tiring.

I am really interested in finding a balance between being smart with the money I am given to make work for each pay period and once in awhile identifying a personal want that I should fulfill.

I admit, I believe everyone around me EXCEPT for me has the ability to walk into Target (or a local yarn shop or a restaurant) and buy whatever they want with no fear of overspending or weight on their consciousness. It appears to me that this might be an over exaggeration, based on the fact that I assume a lot from social media posts and only what I am told by individuals, but I do know that I live in an area where many people are well off or come from money so it's not outside of the realm of possibility that nearly everyone I know does have more expendable income than me at the moment.

Which leads to me feeling guilty, because I don't make an income. Also because I know so many people have it worse. Why am I complaining to myself about not being able to justify pricey jars of nut butter or name brand clothes for the kids? Are those necessary to a happy life? No, but my mind goes there sometimes, darkly..."If only..."

One of my daydreams is to eventually go back and work a soul crushing job after the kids are in school only for a paycheck that I'll use to do things I really want to and would feel guilty doing with money my husband makes (yes, he's told me that's a horrible way to look at it because it is "our" money, but I feel weird about that still).

We make a good amount of money. Life happens, however, and having a house makes those things that happen usually costly. There are a few loose ends to tie up with student loans and stuff. It's mostly a waiting game and things can get better, especially if I am smart with what I am given now. It's just rough and I am fatigued.

Do you know what else? I find it hard that I cannot afford to support friends who make things. I would love to buy a necklace from a certain person I know, but I can't afford that luxury. When there are things I want to invest in as personal possessions, they usually are from small vendors and not big-box stores. I am really sad that supporting them is not usually a reality for me due to my current financial restraints.

In conclusion, this has been a small sad pitiful rant, but I wanted to post it so if anyone else sometimes has these dark or sad or (shallow) feelings, they know they are not alone. I am fully aware that the thing to do here is count my MANY blessings and maybe be proactive about what I can change and then to shut off my auto-comparison trigger (why is that so hard??)

Because Everyone Needs More Internet Blogs and Articles to Read

I just have to interject with some of my favorites lately:

THIS blog post just knocked the breath right out of me. If you don't want to read the whole thing, start with the paragraph: "The most radical discipline for me right now is to live in the love of Christ. To abide there, not just in the quiet of my bedroom before the day begins (though, oh how I love that) or in the stillness before bed, but in each moment" and read through to the end.

Someone either needs to stop me from making this or come over, preferably with some brie cheese in tow, and make it together with me (we could make homemade crackers to go with it! I'm odd like that)!

It sure sounds like Amanda Watters over at Homesong blog has a healthy grasp on the balance of providing herself with some valuable learning time during her busy days as a parent. I could definitely learn from this model (see: three blog posts ago).

I'm a Kondo fan, but I definitely admit that it can seem like she lives in a fantasy world at times. This New York Times article was a thoughtful look at the women who brought the "spark joy" mantra to the organizing/de-cluttering scene.

My Personal Style of Minimalism

 (illustration by Rebecca Green)

I think a lot of confusion has been happening here on the blog when I use terms like "minimalism" or "simple living." Of course, these phrases mean different things to different people, but judging by some of the comments I receive, I think people might mostly be assuming that my goal is just to cut out tons of things from my life because it is what I am being told to do by minimalist websites, books, or other proponents of the lifestyle and not of my own personal conviction.

I see what brings me peace and calm personally and I pursue it. It's that simple. Currently being a homemaker and mother means I spend a lot of time in my home as compared to an office or other work space and I try to treat this area with the same respect and criteria that I would if I was decorating a cubicle or spending time in another professional environment. I personally do not feel comfortable in a cluttered area (and what "cluttered" is to me may be drastically different than what it is for you) and so I dived into the world of minimalism in order to help quell that uncomfortable feeling within myself when faced with chaotic environments.

For example:

I personally am okay with not owning a physical copy of every book I love because the feeling of having too many books I am not using would overwhelm me. I admit I am easily overwhelmed.

I personally am okay with not having throw pillows or multiple pieces of furniture in every room, as long as everyone has a comfortable spot and comfortable sleeping pillow (because those double fine as couch pillows).

I personally do not mind wearing the same thing on a regular basis if I am comfortable (although this is terribly difficult as a pregnant person and I cannot wait to pair down my wardrobe when I am done with this pregnancy).



The point I want to make, is I don't feel like I am living in lack! Even if my house seems sparsely decorated compared to some or if my kids seem to have less toys than yours (It's NOT true! I just rotate them most days...and some days this place really does look like Toys R Us exploded in here. I promise), we don't live a deprived existence.

I hope that my previous posts are not viewed in the light of me being too hard on myself or that I would ever ask anyone else to hold themselves to the requirements I personally have for my own belongings. My "minimalism" is a form of self-care and honoring my mental well being. Less options and less things mean less worry, less stress over where I put something, and more appreciation for what I do have...As Gretchen Rubin says, "Outer order contributes to inner calm."

Everybody Wants to Know About: Books!!

One of the most common and polarizing topics that inevitably comes up when discussing minimalism or simplifying one's space is the topic of books. Specifically, should we hang onto them after we've read them? Should we even buy them or just borrow them exclusively? Should we go 100% digital with our collections?

All these methods work with differing amounts of success for different people, unsurprisingly.

My personal method is cobbled together from all three.

We will start with a little talk about my Kindle.

Between seven to eight years ago, Mike and I were living in Ohio. He had decided to try attending services at a church maybe thirty minutes from our house. I was not in a spiritually minded place at the time and really didn't enjoy going, but went along with it for support and especially because we fell into a very nice after church ritual of lox bagels at Einstein Bagel (which, WHY are there none of these chains around here? Big Apple Bagel is a joke and after getting sick the same day as eating at Good Earth, I am fresh out of bagel options in the Holland area...but I digress) and then hitting up the Boarders Bookstore across the parking lot. It made me so happy and giddy to have these weekly bookstore trips, but we were spending at least $40 a week on books!

So, for Christmas that year, Mike took action and bought me my first Kindle (and Boarders went out of business, so we had a huge spending spree at that sale and then it was bagels only, poor me). I was slightly resistant at first, but warmed up to the device quickly. In fact, I now have a Kindle Paperwhite, and Mike has inherited my original Kindle. I love seeing how it has inspired him to become a more prolific reader (he takes it on all his international trips) and my Kindle has become invaluable to me, especially during the days/nights of seemingly endless breastfeeding. Much easier to hold a Kindle than even a paperback while supporting a baby. I also use the Kindle for night time reading and for travel. I would say 60% of what I read is through my Kindle. Even though the experience is different, it is not to be discounted, especially for a busy young parent.

The Kindle can be expensive though, because unlike buying used books through Amazon, local thrift store, book sale, etc, you usually need to pay around $10 for the average book in the Kindle store. I don't read Kindle singles or many small self-published books....just not my style/I haven't been impressed with the quality of those I've tried, but they are more reasonable priced ($2.99 ish). I do ask for Kindle gift cards for holidays, make small amounts of money that gets put in my Amazon account through Crowdtap, and utilize my library's free ebook sharing site (I have about 20 books on my "wish list" that I download from whenever I want something new). There are other various ways to acquire ebooks for free, but the legality is maybe in a grey area so I won't discuss that. Also, someone with a Kindle can loan you books from theirs, so that's one more option as well.

Moving onward, this is the current state of my bookshelf. 

I just did a "deep clean" of the book shelf this Spring and it was looking pretty sparse, but I recently allowed myself to add quite a few books to the current selection by attending the yearly book sale at our library. Over two separate trips, I spent $30 and gained three bags of books. Most of what I choose to add to my collection falls into a few distinct categories: Spiritual/Self-Help, Parenting, Cooking/Food Memoirs. My most-loved cookbooks are on the third shelf in the picture, left hand side. I usually purchase 2 new cookbooks a year (or "new to me") and only after careful consideration--since I love to spend time in the kitchen, these become well-used and loved. Eventually I hope they will have their own home in my kitchen area. On the right side of the same shelf are Mike's piano music books.  

Some of the books I own are also titles I have on my Kindle! An example of this is the book Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I read it on the Kindle soon after it was released, but a like-new copy appeared at the library sale and I snatched it up quickly. This way, I can share it with someone in the future (because it is a great read) or go back and read it slowly with a highlighter in hand. There is just something about highlighting in some of my more beloved books that the Kindle function cannot compare to. I'm sorry if the highlighting thing seems abominable, but I promise I don't fold the corners of the pages in my books!

One of the major reasons I added so many books back to the collection soon after paring it down quite a bit was because of the fact that I am currently raising very small children. It just isn't feasible for me to get us to the library as often as I would like and, honestly, when I do take us all to the library, it is a major endeavor with a two year old who wants to run the whole place and an almost four year old who somehow learned that they sell cookies in the library basement, plus a pregnant mama who has to lug at least one huge bag of books out to the car because she has no restraint in a library... This way, I have many new books on hand that I am interested in and can pick up leisurely from my own personal "mini library." No hassle of inter-library loans to deal with either. 

When I am done reading a book, if it isn't one I will be coming back to, my usual course of action is to either donate it to the Little Free Library down our street (which isn't a financial loss of any real concern because of the fact that I acquired 90% of my books used--Oh, local tip: The Salvation Army in Holland has a great book selection & sells them for a quarter apiece) or pass it on to a family member or friend.  

The top shelf in the picture is a few more cookbooks that aren't in regular rotation but are still used, reference books, a few precious magazine issues (Taproot and old Mary Jane's Farm from my mom), and children's books my kids are still too young for. Oh, and on the right hand side of the top shelf is where I currently stuff all my old journals...

To give you an idea of a better perspective of this space in my house, here is another photo:

There is a matching built-in shelf on the other side of the fire place, but it hold only one row of Mike's books and half a row of children's chapter books (such as a box set of Roald Dahl). The other shelves hold Mike's video games, our small DVD collection, our "paper collection" area, and office supplies that need to be kept away from small children. 

Lastly, kid's books! This is the area I have the most trouble with. I definitely want them to have a wide selection of books available, but I do feel like there is such a thing as too many books (especially because they all get pulled out, stepped on, and scattered around the house too often). 

Recently, we consolidated most of the kid's books to a small impromptu "reading nook" in the living room. I do have a system of swapping out some of their books for the different seasons and holidays, but mostly the collection just grows and grows...We do have talks about treating books nicely and I finally have a good system for keeping tabs on library books (which, thank goodness for library books, because another thing about owning kid's books is that I am SO SICK of reading most of them)! I just can't bring myself to sort through their books with the same sense of discrimination that I can with my own personal reading material. 

I do get this nice warm feeling when I walk in the room and see them snuggled up with a (let's face it) mess of books all around them and looking at one intently...so the inevitable mess and lack of minimalism in this area is worth it to me personally :) 

Thanks for joining me for a look into my not-so-minimal but definitely mindful way of handling our collection of reading materials in our house! I look forward to hearing from you in the comments (and if you are a fellow book enthusiast, please feel free to add me as a friend on Goodreads)!