Saturday, July 25, 2009

Release


I was going to use a writing prompt today, but I don’t think I will after all. Overall, today has been a great day: I got a lot done, had a great attitude, etc. Then, I received The Email from a vendor. I’ve resolved the issue, but this is a recurring problem, and I’m nearly at the end of my rope. So, I’m all stressed and edge feeling, like “on the edge”, not “cool and edgy”.

I’m all jittery and nervous feeling, so I write. I write to let it out, to release my thoughts, to smell the ink, feel the paper, listen to the world around me, but most of all, simply to write. I have no end goal, no plot, theme or thesis. I am free when I write, escaping into imagination, words, and the worlds they can take me to. Though depression haunts me and anxiety plagues me, writing releases me. It doesn’t judge, could care less if I have legible penmanship, and corrects my spelling with love. Writing and I have a rather torrid relationship sometimes, tumultuous others. Through it all, writing is always there for me.

-Written 7-23-2009, in a small writing notebook taken everywhere with me



Monday, July 20, 2009

Decluttering


So, I’ve decided to full on tackle the clutter that makes up the house I live in. It’s all in the areas that belong to Matt and I, as we live with Matt’s parents, who are NOT clutter people at all. I wish I were more like them. Gradually, I am learning.

In this vein, I continually go through my fabric stash, trying to pare it down to what I absolutely love. Each time, I take out more and more. But I have a small pile of fabrics purchased specifically to make skirts for Little M. She ADORES circle skirts (most little girls do!), and they’re so cheap and easy to make. 

Unfortunately, my serger died a while back, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what’s wrong.
I called the local sewing shop today to see what it would cost. We paid $100.00 for this machine at Target (therein lies the problem, but still…) a few years ago. It will cost me $109.95 today to have it fixed. The only time I use it is for hemming Little M's skirts. It makes them incredibly fast 1 hour projects.

So now, I’ve put out the word - If you are in the Portland, Oregon/Vancouver, WA area, and have either serger repair knowledge, or a serger that I could borrow for a week, I would forever be in your debt. I simply want to use it to make up the skirts I have waiting in the fabric pile.

I am willing to give you collateral if you don’t trust someone to give back your rockstar serger. I have seriously awesome yarn, or I could give you a pair of hand-knit socks in exchange for your generosity.
This is my plea - if you are up for it, please leave me a comment!! Help me declutter my craft life!



Thursday, July 16, 2009

Filler


There’s going to be a bit more “filler” on my blog for a little bit. Situations have changed, and some things are becoming bigger than what they need to be. So, blogging will be less full of my life, and more writing, probably photos, etc. Sorry for the blog stuffing, but I want to keep it going, it’s just going to have less about life for a bit

Thanks for visiting, I appreciate every reader, and would love to hear from you!




Thursday, July 9, 2009

Simplicity


I’ve been reading a lot lately about “simple living”.  From Wikipedia.com, here’s a good description of simple living:

Simple living (voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle characterized by minimizing the “more is better” pursuit of wealth and consumption. Adherents may choose simple living for a variety of personal reasons, such as spirituality, health, increase in ‘quality time‘ for family and friends, stress reduction, personal taste or frugality. E. F. Schumacher summarized it by saying, “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.”[cite this quote]
Others cite socio-political goals aligned with the anti-consumerist movement, including conservation, social justice and sustainable development. According to Duane Elgin, “we can describe voluntary simplicity as a manner of living that is outwardly more simple and inwardly more rich, a way of being in which our most authentic and alive self is brought into direct and conscious contact with living.”[1]
Simple living as a concept is distinguished from those living in forced poverty, as it is a voluntary lifestyle choice. Although asceticism generally promotes living simply and refraining from luxury and indulgence, not all proponents of voluntary simplicity are ascetics.
For me, reducing the clutter in my life is a stress reliever, as well as having been a goal of mine for a while, to live a more frugal lifestyle. I don’t believe that we need more of this or that to be happy, when your basic needs (food, water, shelter) are taken care of, the rest is clutter. However, this is a very difficult way to live when you’ve been raised in the “more is better” mentality.

I found this group on Ravelry that discusses simple living, and the various ways it plays out in people’s lives, and how crafting can overwhelm an otherwise simple life, or add to it. In reading through that group, I also came across the Zen Blog, which I intend to read from beginning to now. If you check it out, be sure to read the comments on the posts too, the readers often have great tips and suggestions.
Also, a blogger friend has posted about this very subject barely a month ago!

The day I cleaned my desk…
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was the first day I read that blog. I intend to gradually integrate this into my home lifestyle as well, but both Matt and I are clutterbugs, and “organize” by making piles, so I know it will be a slow process. But at the same time, we’ve managed to keep our bathroom counter clean, after I took a few hours to organize and clean it :)  I think we can do it, it’s just pushing through the years of ignoring the mess! 

Things like this make me wonder:

If we, as a society, lived a more simplistic life, would we be healthier? Many illnesses seem to be brought on by stress, or exacerbated by it - how much longer, happier lives would we live if we chose to live with less?