Summer Fav....

So...this summer as we've been at the new condo (i know...photos coming soon), my good friend Charity has taught me how to make a mean mojito! I made them for my friend's birthday party this past weekend and they were a hit. Here is the recipe. I also made them in old peanut butter jars that I thought would be just too fun to drink out of (and a free way to replace some of our old glasses that have broken...i LOVE drinking out of the jars-see above!!)

The Chartender (i named it after my friend, charity!) Mojito:
Shopping List:
Bacardi Rum Limon (clear rum, not the brown colored rum)
A fresh bunch of mint, not the kind that has the soil still on the stems (you can get some at albertsons I know like that)
Ice
Lime seltzer water
Sugar
Limes (about a 1/2 a lime per drink)

Directions:
10 leaves of mint and two mint stems broken at the bottom of your jar/glass
1 T and 1t of sugar
4 small lime slices slightly squeezed into the jar then dropped to the bottom of jar

Take your muddler and mash, mash, twist, twist and smoosh your limes, mint leaves and sugar all up. The goal is to have the mint leaves all broken up, the limes totally pulped and juice mixing up with the sugar.

Next pour 2 1/2 oz of Bacardi Limon Rum into jar of mashed up mint/sugar/lime mix
6 ice cubes, or whatever makes the jar fill 1/2 up with ice
invert jar into a cocktail shaker, with the jar acting as your lid/cover
Shake vigorously over the sink and make sure you hold onto the shaker and glass jar at the same time so the jar doesn't go flying off into your kitchen : ) Shake about 20 times to make sure the ice has cooled the lime/sugar/mint/rum mixture
Remove glass jar and pour the contents of the cocktail shaker into the jar
Take the lime seltzer water and pour about 1/2 glass jar worth around the interior of the cocktail shaker to get all that final mojito mixture out of the shaker and pour into the glass jar to the rim of the jar.

Squeeze a final lime on top of mojito, stir, add straw and ENJOY!!

Lemme know if you like them!! Next, it's my goal to figure out how to make the Hollywood Bowl's sangria. It's about $28 at the bowl and i'm SURE it's way cheaper at home and just as delish! I'll post the final recipe once I figure it out : )

Green

Green:

as i have been navigating through my no shopping experiment, it has caused be to think in an eco fashion. i'm am already one who really attempts to consider purchases in regards to our homegoods (food, cleaning materials, paper goods etc...). and i found myself today considering another sort of fork in the road decision as i am not suppose to be shopping.
my little girl begins kindergarten here in a couple weeks. my first gut reaction to this (other than sobs!) are, "oh, we need to get her...." fill in the dots. i found myself browsing sites for backpacks, lunchbags etc....then i began to think, "well, if we are going to do this, we should consider what materials they are made from and how they are being made" so i began to internet shop for eco school supplies. then i stopped myself. isn't what i am doing, my self prescribed no shopping sort of green? isn't the whole point to stop consuming and or consider what it is you are consuming and it's effects on you and the planet? so, i looked around the house and have a backpack and a lunchbag for her. perfectly still in tact and ready to use. maybe it's not bpa free or made from a sustainable and regenerating product (bamboo, hemp...) but at least i'm not spending money and have yet another backpack on our shelf! so...then...the whole idea of ziplocks and what i should do with that came to mind...
my point is...it never stops. the thoughts of consumption don't end. how can i make what i have around the house into something that can not be a ziplock-maybe i can make one of those wraps that contain fruits, veggies and sandwiches....i wish i had some oilcloth around the house, i'd sew up something!!
in all of these little bits of daily thoughts, they draw my attention to the cross. i wonder what His thoughts are on this whole journey? Lord-i do not want to do any part of this fast without you. i have done so much of my life with you, but compartmentalized this part of my life from you. now that there is no stone unturned, please dear Lord, please show me continually, how to consider all the layers that make up the addiction to consume and shop. thank you for slowing and stoping me from shopping and helping me to look around and to consider how to repurpose what is around me. i am so blessed to possess what we already have...give me a fresh perspective to use and re-use wisely not just to care for our planet, but most importantly, to care for our family. we have so much. thank you for the blessings you have given to us...man, Lord-what a lesson in stewardship this is.

facade...

As I have be grazing over all these blogs on sewing, homemaking, decorating....i have this huge rush in my stomach as if it is saying, "okay...get to it, get making, cooking, decorating...catch up...show 'em that you are creative...post it..." etc...etc...and it occurred to me...is this sort of a facade? do we show the true us on these blogs? would you read it if i did?

in an effort to not glamorize our life...i want to be honest and not just have this blog out there (to whomever in the world is reading it) showing the world how glossy and pretty we are. Even though it may look like all is fine the world of the Lows, there are times and days that are trying and difficult and test my faith. i don't want to come across as someone who has their life together through this blog...because i/we don't. i must and need desperately to lean into the Love that pursues me each and every day-that is the love of the Lord. that pursuit is transforming me into His image...but that transformation comes at a cost, doesn't it?

does anyone else feel like that? i think that rush to my stomach of all the things that i should be accomplishing is something that can also turn me towards Love...towards opening in that moment to the Lord and saying to him, "really...do you really want me to live that way? how then would you have me respond dear Lord? "

so...now i look to sewing as a spiritual discipline...follow me here...

i love to shop. too much. it is something that i struggle with and am really trying to seek out the roots of what it is that i need to fill by shopping...so in an effort to not shop but to still provide for our family...i now am learning to sew. so i look at this blog (http://mymamamadeit.blogspot.com/) and it shows how to repurpose your children's old shirts into new shirts/dresses etc...i LOVE that. i have some scraps of fabric...i take the shirt and as i (tonight) go to the sewing machine...i can talk with the Lord about it, however cheesy this may sound, it helps me to see that he has provided for us. he has given me this shirt that can be repurposed into another outfit, maybe two...that he has created me to be creative and that creative energy that tells me, "get going...decorate, sew, clean!" is now channeled into a time of devotion and worship while i'm sewing with free items that the Lord has given to us.

does this make sense to you at all?

this is all in a daily effort to look towards the Lord and not towards the things on earth that call to me, "you need this to make your life prettier, better..." lord, my desire is to follow you. please walk with me as i struggle and as i succeed...may i always be open to you.

thanks for processing with me... : )

Update..

Ah...Utah..the virgin river where it begins...Ry climbed / hiked over to it

Part of the hike to the river

don't they look so small? they were so cute..."ooohhh..mom...it's sooo beautiful"

the fish ry, anthony and marty caught...later gutted and bbqed...not bad!!

outside at the playground where we were staying...em would later successfully make it across the monkey bars for the first time ever! such a big girl now!!

em enjoying the hike

cedar breaks-way more beautiful than this photo captures!!

Cousins hiking with their fearless leader

Twins!

William LOVING the pool. that boy cried every night we said, "time to get out"

ah...finally...sitting and giving you an update...

1) i've been sick for a week. i think my body decided it was done with grad school, done with parties, done with our family road trip to utah (photos forthcoming) and so it finally gave out. literally. i couldn't sit up without feeling faint for a good 4-5 days. i finally got better enough to drive myself to a dear friend's wedding. (yeah esther and david!!!)
2) OFBIMP has been curbed for me for this past week and possibly next week as i recoop i had strep throat and an ear infection. how did that happen???!?! needless to say, i was quarentined and now am better (thank you amoxicillian!) ry will more than likely post an ever witty post about his chronicled progress...i'm so proud of him for his continued pursuit towards his pants fitting better, but more importantly-i'm so very thankful that he is taking his health seriously and making efforts to live well. i'm so proud! i'm proud of us!

now...this does go without saying...we still don't eat great when we go out-but at home we are making such great strides and besides the occassional coke for ryan (this is his drug of choice!) there is much to celebrate by way of lifestyle changes. slow going-but changes occuring nonetheless.

3) we are back from Utah! we made it! we survived! we (my sis in law, her hubbie, their three kids and us four...yes...9...together in a tiny condo in utah's brianhead...) all cooked, cleaned, fished, hiked, ate, played for 5 days together...it was so much fun! i didn't grow up with young cousins...mine were all older, so this had to have been such a blast for the babes. they all seemed to have such a great time! it was worth it and the road trip was not that bad at all! AND...i worked a deal and got a KILLER amazing VW routan (their version of a minivan) for the week. needless to say, i'm tryingt to be content with our sturdy tried and true accord...but man, i LOVED having a minivan. LOVED. ... .... LOVED. ; ) someday...but do we really need all that space and low gas mileage for a fam of four? someday soon we will have to get a new car (both our beloved hondas are about 180k and 145k respectively...keep on truckin' guys!!!) and when we do, i hope there is a biodiesel/hybrid/solar minivan! otherwise, i might just have to settle for something else!!

okay...enough rambling...i'll post some photos of our expeditions!!
p.s. I GOT MY SEWING MACHINE!! i LOVE it! i made em an shirt and it fits and is super cute!! i didn't take photos, sorry! and i have skirt in the works that matches it as well...but i've been sick...maybe tomorrow i can work on that-ah...that'd be soo much fun! !!! THANK YOU ED and linda for my machine! THANK YOU!! yeah!!! soon i'll take photos of my machine and i'll learn how to monogram!! okay...enough!!

hope you are all well! love you!
the lows

Green ideas...

so...i found this blog on another great blog "flipflops and applesauce' today...
repurposeful...check it out!

here is a great little idea that i want to do...i'm sure i have something around the house that i can make this into...

anyone want to teach me to sew??!! i seriously...this summer..when grad school is done...want to learn how to sew...anyone have a machine or can fix my old hand me down machine??!! it could be my graduation present??...!!?? hint hint...; )

man...time flies!

So has it been about a month since my last post??!! Well...I still shouldn't be taking the time to post right now-but...writing my paper is NOT on the top of my list right now. Although, I have so much material-I could write the intro to my dissertation (if i wanted it to be on the comparison of benedictine monasticism and the 12 marks of the new monasticism...interesting, but not my idea of PhD work, i'll leave that to Dr. Peters who I interviewed!)

Okay...so enough of school work! I'll show you some photos of HIGH procrastination!! In all efforts to avoid my four papers (three down, one to go! yeahoo!) I taught myself how to upholster my head board and foot board!! (yes, you read correctly!)

So, i've just done the basic so far (i LOVE staple guns!) so now i need to get some fabric to cover the basic form now-and maybe paint the rest of the bed (i'm sooo over our natural knotty pine bed!!) i watched one of my favorite old HGTV shows (which, sad to say, is not on any longer!) design remix. They take about $50 and what you already have and re-make it into something awesome. I had two king bed matress toppers aka foam and an old sheet set and voila!

so...to me...this is also green living!! i used something that was collecting dust in the corner of my bedroom...and re-purposed it!! yeah!!

i also went through all my clothes-shoes-accessories (which is VERY limited! two belts!) and re-arranged, re-organized and re-made up some new outfits. in an effort to NOT spend money shopping, i've been holding onto some old catalogs of favorite stores to inspire me to re-create what i have into new outfits. i'm pretty suprised on my success thus far.

what have you done lately to re-purpose something? there is a blog a friend directed me to (i'll let you know about it when i remember where it is!) that she re-purposes old vintage fabrics and pillowcases into bags, skirts, etc...i want to check out her skirts!!

my next re-purposing once school is out-making our family christmas cards / letter out of left over paper over the years. i am determined to blog/email/facebook the ones i can and then mail out the rest of folks who i don't have a means to contact them electronically. with the remainer of the paper i have over the years, i hope to NOT have to purchase more paper. maybe i'll have enough left overs to actually mail out all the letters we send!!

what can you re-purpose/re-mix/re-create this season?? post your ideas!! i LOVE new inspiration!

Changing

A LONG time ago...I said I would show you the little changes I was going to make in an effort to live more sustainably and less wasteful.  Below are three little photos of changes i've made.  

I have a basket (below) full of towels, older towels and older napkins that I use instead of paper towels.  I was going to buy all new towels and have them be all white and amazing, BUT then i thought, "another way to continue to live sustainably, is not to spend more money on items that really are meant to be dirty and not white and pretty!" therefore, I just am using what I already had!  I re-use a towel till it's just too dirty or smelly, put it off to the side in a pile to be added to the laundry pile, and then use another.  (also, on the side, is my aluminum water bottle-the only thing i don't like about it-i can't fit my ice cubes in them-i will need to purchase an ice mold maker in long tubes (at ikea) to put in my bottle)  The thing i LOVE about it-it's a  perfect size for my bag, it was $5 at pottery barn (and others online were like $20!) and it will fit in the pottery barn lunch pail that is made from chemical free insulation and has glass containers for your food to match.  

No more paper napkins!  Finally-a daily excuse to use my cute linen napkins i've only used in the past for special occassions-but isn't every day with your family a special occassion!?  and not creating more waste is also another reason to celebrate! (okay-cheesy, i know!)

My little recycling station.  I only made a station for the things I can either locally recycle or to on campus (oh, how i wish i could have more!)  The company that picks up the trash separates the other stuff in my trash for recycling.  The trash containers I got at Home Depot for $6 or $8 dollars a piece, the base they are standing on is a shoe organizer from Target for $10.  As you can see, the used napkins or used towels i put between the cans and at the end of each day, I just pick them up and put them in the hamper.  The middle shelf is all the cardboard boxes I will tie up and place in the trash to have recycled.  The bottom shelf are plastic grocery sacks that I have to take back to the local grocery store.  Staters, Albertsons, Vons and Fresh & Easy all have a place at each entrance/exit for you to put clean plastic bags for recycling.  My reusable bags (i got from trader joes for a buck a pop-to feed my whole family, i bought 6-that contains all the food i've needed.  5 bags-1 insulated bag for milk) i keep them in my trunk so i don't ever forget them.  I got the pictures off of google images and just glued them onto cute paper so the kids would know where to put what (another reason why i made the station, so they'd begin to learn how to recycle).  We actually just took our first load of plastic and glass to the recycling center and made $2!!!  I told Emily that we'd put that towards our gelato night!! 

; ) Any questions?  lemme know!!  also, let me know the changes you are making!!

Some other changes we've made:

All bath products are organic.  What we wash our bodies with I have seen, affects our skin.  William's skin has always been uber sensitive and since going organic with bubble bath, soap, lotion-he has totally slowed down his itching.  Seriously-i thought i wasn't going to see a change-but i did.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE  method baby (target).  i wish i could buy a costco size bottle of it because i love the smell so much i'd use it!!  i use aubry organic baby lotion after bathtime...oh-the kids just smell edible!!  i LOVE it!!

Adult soap-i used Jason-tea tree.  It lasted about 2 months!  it's a pretty large bottle that we all used till i got method last shopping trip. I saved the bottle (because it has a great pump top) and am going to refill it with whatever I can find (method sells refillable bags of soap at target) once we are done with it.  

My shampoo-I tried avalon organic from traders-terrible! smelt great (lavender) but the conditioner didn't work at all.  I am now using giovanni organic and love it.  i got it at henrys, but i think you can get it at target.  it's $7 a bottle-and has lasted me a good month and 1/2. that is with ry and i using it.  i would love a cheaper one that works and doesn't cause my hair to dread-but for now, i'll stick with this.  

anyone have a good face wash?  I like my alba wash (ad love my alba lip gloss!!!)-but don't really have anything i like for after wash (used Juice (from sephora) but not super stoked on it).  I just feel like my face looks older.  that also could be because i'm older! (just turned 34 and am acutely aware of my wrinkles all of a sudden!)...i'd like a killer moisterizer and make up ideas...

As I am finishing up my cleaning supplies, I am moving towards green products.  anyone have anything they like for toilets, mirrors and wood kitchen tables?  

wow-thanks for reading the novel!!  finally had time to catch everyone up!!

great idea!

okay...i LOVE the ideas i have received from friends about green living.  it is so much more than just going organic and recycling!  

my friend carrie suggested this awesome thing that i remember doing at a retreat house i went to not too long ago.  they had a napkin ring with the room number on it and you just would pick up your room number napkin ring and use that napkin the whole time you were there.  how fun it will be to go with emmy and will to let them pick out their own napkin ring tomorrow at target!!  oh, i can't wait to move back home to implement all these wonderful ideas!!  

another 'green' idea...borrow or swap with friends!  i have a lovely dear friend heather who is amazing at re-arranging/re-purposing everything in her house.  she was helping our other friend christy re-arrange the other day and christy mentioned she wanted to re-use a mirror she had and what did heather think she should do with it?  heather thought about it and said she had a mirror at her house that would be perfect for that space.  SWAP!  her kiddos have a great bathroom with their fish tank in it.  i gave her our old (but barely used) yellow towels and aquarium decor towels for their kids bathroom as well as a parrot picture for her tropical themed bathroom....

are your wheels turning?  can you think of things you can swap with friends??  i can!!  what about clothes? instead of buying more clothes and consuming more...what if we shared clothes? cycled clothes each month with friends??!!  oh...my wheels are turning!  

any ideas?!!??  keep em' comin'!

Green idea

okay...so it's not super green...but it's a lifestyle change (which i consider to be green)

(this is sort of what i wrote in a previous post, but abbreviated...)

consider your purchases...do you really need those shoes...jeans...blouse...cd...dvd...side table...

how can i reuse what i have?  how can i re-paint, re-arrange, re-purpose what i have?  

an idea for furniture re-purposing...:

need a side table?  stack books up (i'm sure you are like me and have a TON of books ranging in width and thickness) to the desired height...put a tray on the top if you don't want to have the books as your table top...and there you go!  an instant side table that also saved you buying a bookcase, new shelves and a new side table!!  or use and old trunk, or old luggage...get creative and think outside the box and you will be suprised with you can come up with!!  

okay...that's it for now!  let me know some new green ideas...leave your comments on what you've done or how you re-arranged to give your room some new life... : )  

idea for today

okay...so trying to start living green can be utterly overwhelming!!  i've researched, checked blogs, read a few books...and i'm a bit overwhelmed.  BUT...making one choice a day or week can make it less overwhelming!  here are my ideas so far (one idea also inspired by my friend chrissy, thanks!)

1) change to cloth napkins.  i know...it seems odd.  BUT, you can wash them, re-use them and create less waste!  

2) change to cloth towels instead of paper.  i know...again..odd...BUT...read my #1 reason (you can wash, re-use...etc...) and both changes in the long run save you money.  two/three packs of car wash towels from target ($13 a pack) are super absorbent and you won't have to buy paper towels again!  you can put them in a cute basket on your shelf and put a trash can in the kitchen for all used towels-take the can with you to do the laundry and wash them...easy, eh?!?

i also have a HUGE idea (when i move back into our place) of putting one carry container full of my cleaning products (which will be another 'idea for today' idea on changing over to non-toxic, non-polluting cleaning products) in a central area instead of having cleaning products in every area of my house and using the under-area of my kitchen sink for a recycle center so the kids and i can all do it together!! i'll take photos of all the changes i do and post them once we move into our place again.  so the photos can inspire you too!

3) once simple easy free idea....turn off the water when you brush your teeth.  you waste approx.  35 glasses of water while you have it on while you brush your teeth.  turn it on to wet your brush, turn it off.  brush...do your business...brush some more...finish...then rinse.  

hope this inspires you and feel free to post your ideas too!!

ideas on green and stewardship...

i have been very challenged lately about a variety of things.  one being stewardship.  we (our family) are learning in a very hard way what it means to be good stewards of our money.  i felt like we learned this lesson a LONG time ago...but apparently we needed to revisit this.  along the lines of stewardship, i have also been challenged to examine our budget and find ways to cut here and there.  gas was one of them.  how do you cut gas when it's like $5 a gallon??!?!?  then it made me think about how i want to live sustainably, but not in excess.  i'm tired of really living in excess (and it is also what has caused us to have to revisit the way we live/spend/etc..).  i don't want emily and william to always think they can have anything they want, when they want it and i also want them to look at our home and environment in a different way.  

this has led me to a summer of researching what it means to live sustainably-or live green.  i know...it's quite the fashion right now to 'live green'...BUT...i have been very much challenged to my core about how i spend, how i look at things now (does it effect the earth?  is it bio-degradable?  can this be recycled?) to even what i put on our body and how that is treating my skin and our kids skin?  how is what i put on my body effecting the earth as well?  oh man...this can really get into so many areas of my life!  i have been quite overwhelmed.  BUT, this is how i've taken each day as a new day to consider, learn, and change one thing a day or week for our family to 'live green' and in an effort to also teach our children this beautiful world that the lord created us to live in/on needs our hands to care for it.  we need to be good stewards of just not our pocket book, but in all areas of life as well.  good stewards of our body, friendships, relationships, our possessions and consider the impact all our choices will have on us.  

so...here are some ideas that i will be posting in this little new category, "green living" .  let's be good stewards together!  let's all share our ideas...let's do it together so it won't be so overwhelming!