Joint resolutions

This year my husband Jake surprised me when he mentioned that he wanted to do a year long resolution that included making small changes to things like his eating habits and keeping them throughout the year. He had been looking for a topic to blog more regularly about so I suggested that he use this challenge as an opportunity. Then I thought why don't I try this too? For some reason, we are the kind of couple that will give up soda or meat (which are two of our challenges) for long periods of time just for kicks. Some people think that's weird, but we think it's a learning experience. For me it's more of a complex - I don't want to be so dependent on something that I won't give it up even for a limited period of time. So, after several discussions on our long drive home from visiting my family in West Virginia over the holiday, the challenge was born. Our plan is for each of us to make our own changes based on what we want to gain, so they won't necessarily be the same, but some (like going vegetarian) are just more practical if both of us do it.

Jake has his own way of doing things, and you can keep up with his resolutions on his blog which will be up and running soon! My plan is to have one big thing each month that I focus on. It could be a habit that needs to be changed or a new one I pick up, but I will keep it up for the rest of the year. For this reason, I probably won't give up things like sugar and TV till the end of the year; but, I do want to start the year off with a bang, so here it is...

January's challenge: no more meat!

Because we are both doing this (and since I've done it before) it made sense to try it out first. Besides the tummy trouble that red meat so consistently provides me with, I also wanted to look at the conditions animals we almost daily eat are raised in. Don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping off the animal rights deep end, but I do think it is important (and it just seems logical) that you should treat that which provides so much with a little care and respect. I recently finished an awesome book, Farm City by Novella Carpenter, in which she chronicles her journey of growing her own garden and raising her own animals in a lot beside her Oakland, CA apartment in the ghetto-est of the ghetto. She records her experiences and trials with such candid humor and honesty and holds true to that one principle throughout the entire project - take a little pride and respect in caring for what provides life (or at least keeps your tummy full) for you and yours.

For the moment, gardening and keeping chickens is not possible thanks to strict apartment/landlord rules, but I cant at least attempt to learn a little more about what I consume (or in this case, used to consume). This is something that I think all of us would benefit from, whether you looking into just what kind of chemicals are used to keep those apples on your counter fresh or learning more about working conditions in factories that make your favorite handbag. Come on people, take a little responsibility for your consumerism!

I must say that I'm addicted to books like Carpenter's and documentaries like No Impact Man. Social experiments that force people to take a long hard look at their habits and learn that simple solutions or changes make a world of difference just get me all warm and fuzzy inside. So when my husband and I decided to do this, I got a little rush of giddy excitement thinking of all the changes I would make and how different I would be by next December.

I recommend this heartily! Even if it's small scale changing, like buying locally made milk. It isn't as intimidating as some of us might think, and the feeling of victory after realizing you've just done something good for you and your community (local or global) is well worth the effort.


Happy Holidays everyone!

My thoughts lately...

I'm just going to be completely transparent and put my thoughts out there. As I sit here at my computer in my apartment listening to Blitzen Trapper and realizing that my kitchen smells faintly of rotten food (I'm not sure why exactly) I can't help but feel a little discontented with life. A lot of the time, I feel like being a wife and being a student don't (or weren't meant to) mix. It's like there are these two roles and two lifestyles that are so hard to do together, it's hard for me to make them work and feel successful at both. And usually (to my frustration) being a student seems more important. I'm not sure why, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I'm in class every day and I'm being graded on my performance, but it seems like it has to be one or the other and it's very discouraging for me to feel like I'm not trying in our marriage. At the same time, I feel that if I do poorly in school that I'm wasting our hard earned money. My husband works so hard for me to be able to finish school, and yet I feel like it's detracting from our relationship, or at the very least, putting strain on it. Is it wrong for me to think this? I don't know, but I do think it. A lot. I mean, is there something wrong with me? Am I just not good enough to do both at once? What does that say about me, you know? Part of me takes a little comfort in the fact that probably no one will read this, but it also helps to just get it out into the open, so if you do have any advice or funny stories to steal my attention from the overwhelming life I'm leading, please do share!

Back to school faves...

www.etsy.com always has cute groups of back-to-school themed items that you can peruse, and since I am officially a student again, I thought I would do the same. Here are some of my faves:

This planner from MyLavenderCottage is part of their new eco collection - too cute!

How cute would this bag from ikabags be carrying all your books and school stuff this fall? I love the color combination!

This wrap from artlab is SO pretty but not to feminine - I love it!




I love that bib necklaces are in style right now - I think they are so great! I have a lace bib necklace from whiteowl that I adore, but this crochet bib from a common thread is really tempting!





This sailor-striped cardi from Hackwith Design House would be cute for a study day in the library. Is it just me or is it always colder in there?

It's the middle of summer, why am I thinking about winter?

For some reason, my mind has been thinking about winter nonstop for the past couple of weeks. I've looked at winter coats, scarves, I've even pulled out some holiday craft books I have and have spent precious "I'm going to do THAT" time with them! I'm not quite sure why I'm thinking about winter, especially since we're having such awesome summer weather, but I decided to share one of my findings with you all. Two years ago, I worked at an arts center with the sweetest group of ladies ever! One of them, still a good friend, had such great style and I remember her wearing these amazingly funky scarves to work. I've started looking for my own funky scarf and this is what I found on Etsy (of course!). My winter coat in blueish-gray so I thought this would look really cute with it. Let me know what you think, if you have any good holiday-jonesing stories, do tell!

Check out these gorgeous tabletop designs! I found out about Cynthia Vardhan on D*S (www.designspongeonline.com) and have fallen in love with her vases especially; I love the way she seems to combine traditional, Moroccan patterns with retro shapes. - Check her out and let me know what you think!

Yes, I have a Joshua Radin station on Pandora...

...and right now I'm listening to "Stole the Show" by Jonas and Plunkett - good relaxation music.

Now that classes are a passing dream and I've taken care of the whole job security thing (thank you ISU library) I can use my valuable summer months to work on some goals! Does that sound like fun to anyone else? I'm definitely my father's daughter since goals = fun. Love you Dad! :)

This summer I'm working on trying new things whether it be ordering up a new dish at my favorite restaurant, switching coffee and soda for tea and water, or trying some of the trends that I have long criticized (recently I purchased a crochet-back tank and I actually like it). This is all part of my ongoing quest to make sure my mind is always open. I have this fear of being stuck always thinking the same things, never learning, never progressing and now I have all this time to make sure that DOES NOT happen!

So does anyone else have a suggestion? Anything you do or do not do to make sure you're running in the opposite direction of the "set in my ways" club?

Cute...

I love love LOVE this print by Standard on Etsy...