I realized, after the
Minimal Monday post, that I haven't posted to the blog in two months. I left off with a
"Friday things" post on January 13 and picked up with the last post, before this one, on March 13. Totally not planned. Honestly. But here we are, with another
"Friday things" post and picking right back up where we left off. Of course, it is almost 9:00 p.m., so I am a bit late today. The sunshine will come to an end tonight and we are back to freezing temperatures again, but just for Saturday (as of right now) Blah! I saw on another blog I follow, that New York had snow. I am okay with winter when there is snow, but with just rain and cold, no way! I am so jealous that they have snow there again. Maybe we will get a grace of white once more before spring is officially over. We'll see.
These past few weeks have been up and down with political issues and I stood along with my sisters (and brothers) during the
Womens' March and again I stood along side my fellow Native Americans and protested-and cried-when the order to complete the
DAPL was given. I also was present when
Day Without a Woman hit on International Womens' Day and in my own way, I didn't answer text, emails, phone calls, or even the door. And right along side me was The Mr. and The Bean. My husband stands beside me in the same beliefs that women are equal and not below, and definitely not behind men. The Mr. and I have also raised our son to honor, and lift up the women in his life. The Bean knows what's right and that all beings are equal on this planet. It's crazy to think that the earth is one giant mass that we all live on and all can appreciate, but here we are downgrading others, treating others with so much disrespect, and building walls between us like we own the earth in some way. People argue that there are ones coming into countries to do harm that aren't citizens of those countries, but my thought on that is this, there are people, especially in the United States, that are born and raised here that want to do just as much, if not more, harm than those seeking refuge. Nothing can stop violence. Violence is an unfortunate part of our world, but we can change the way we deal with violence. Targeting a group based on their beliefs, their gender, their country, their job, their place in society is and never will be the correct way to deal with violence. These are my thoughts on the last few weeks. I am just a blogger, but I truly believe that hate is a horrible, nasty, soul-eating force. It will consume you in the end if you don't stop it on your own. The best place to start is your own thoughts. Stop yourself from seeing the negative. Change one thing about how you view others. If you always see the negative, you will always see the negative.
Here are the things that made my week worthwhile.
1. Bicycling.
We've been out and about on our bikes a lot more lately. With the actual "winter" being over here we can leave the house without getting wet or frozen. Seems contradictory to my above statement of wanting more snow, but it is what it is. The Bean and I have been riding to meet The Mr. after he gets off of work on random days. We ride on a main highway without bike lanes too. -Living on the edge and stuff, you know. In all honesty, I prefer to ride on the highway more than in town here. Not a bike friendly area by any means. Which is a shame, because the next town over is a bike friendly community.
There are still times that we ride in town and just have to let it be. The last ride we took some lady yelled from a car,
"You're obstructing traffic, get off the road, it's illegal." Not exactly sure what that means, but apparently she doesn't know the laws. We just kept pedaling and enjoying the sunshine on our faces as we passed other car drivers looking all scour-faced at us.
The Bean got some new lights for the back of his bike. When he rides by fast, it turns into something sort of sci-fi-ish.
...And don't forget to check out this month's reading selection.
"Hello Bicycle" by Anna Brones. Pretty informative if you are wanting to get a move on by way of bicycle. You can find the information about it
here.
2. Planting.
I've been in a springtime-planting-mood lately and I have already planted some seeds indoors. The Mr. and The Bean bought me a greenhouse this past Valentine's Day, but it's still not time to put them out yet. In the meantime, my little seeds are sitting on a small table indoors and are peeking out of the soil slowly and any sunny day we have I take them outside to soak in the warmth and light. The picture above is from our local co-op and is their "living wall." I admire it so much every time we go grocery shopping. I think one similar would look awesome with a bunch of herbs growing in it.
3. Houses.
The Mr. and I have been eyeballing some tiny homes lately and have started to draw up some plans of our own. We are still on a hunt for some land out of Linn County and have had some good options,
like this one, but nothing exactly how we want it yet. The hunt continues, but in the meantime, we have a good start on some floor plans and the book below helped us in that area. The house pictured above is in Corvallis, Oregon, and was built completely by the owner-one reclaimed board at a time. I feel, every time we see it, that it is a great role model of a house and owner, on where we want to go with our plans.
4. Minimizing.
Still at it here and I have started a series on my blog that I will post to every Monday on minimizing called Minimal Monday. So I am excited about that. Last Monday was the first one and it was on clothing. If you missed it, you can find it
here.
And a gentle reminder...
5. Yogi Surprise and Mighty Nest.
Great items this month! I am loving the body butter. You can sign up through the ad spot on the right-hand side of the blog, or
here.
And the Mighty Fix for March was Meliora All-Purpose Home Cleaner and a refill of the Soap Flakes to make another bottle's worth . Awesome stuff! Sign up for the Mighty Fix
here.
A few things I want to mention:
1. This Bench.
Placed on the
Lake Quachita Vista Trail in Arkansas by my dad and the group that maintains the trail
(The Trail Dogs). It is there to honor my late grandmother,
Wanda Hardage, who passed away on April 16, 2011.
2. This Special.
My mom's cafe,
Crystal Springs Mercantile and Cafe, had a special on my mom's amazing chicken and dumplings and I
demanded asked that they be named after me. Seriously though, my mom named them after me because I could eat them all day, every day. It's awesome to know that something bares my name there and it makes me tear up to know that I have a mark in the cafe in some way. I hope the customers ordering them enjoy them as much as I do.
3. This Car.
We ended up donated her to
OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting), which is PBS (Public Broadcasting). It was sad to see her go, but it was a necessary thing in order for us to minimize excess that we don't need. We are a one-car-family anyway, so it just made sense. The best part, when she sells at auction, the price that she sells for we get a tax deduction.
4. Yogi Surprise and Mighty Nest
I really have to mention these two. The February Yogi Surprise Lifestyle Box and the Yogi Surprise Jewelry Box's for the month were fantastic. As posted above, you can sign up through the ad spot on the right-hand side of the blog, or
here.
Not a dull item in the box.
I have to say, the favorite thing from these boxes was the chocolate.
Mighty Nest was another one that hit the mark in February too.
Metal drinking straws. Always a plus! You can sign up for the Mighty Fix
here.
5. This Flower Stand.
Super cute!
One last thing, our new dinning room table has been a blessing.
"around the dinner table" now all comes together. Spending time at the table is an amazing thing. Most families don't even eat at the table unless it's a holiday. Screens/electronics are a distraction and I feel that kids, and adults alike, need less screen time and more togetherness. Of course, if you are sitting at the table eating a meal while reading my blog, I thank you, but really, this post, my blog, and my thoughts are plastered on this screen-they will be here after you're finished. I promise. Enjoy your table time, together time, and your family. Life truly is so short. Kiss and hug, and tell people you love them often. And most of all, tell people you appreciate them in your life. One thing I wish I could give people more of is appreciation. Love is one thing, but appreciating someone is quite another. It's a great feeling! Don't take people for granted.
"Love people and use things. The opposite never works." -The Minimalist. So use the table and love and appreciate the ones that gather 'round it.
Have a great weekend!
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