midweek afternoon walks

Is there anything more heavenly, rejuvenating or relaxing than a walk through nature after a stifling day in the office?  I've been skipping out of work earlier and earlier this week, putting leashes on the puppies and heading down to the neighbourhood pond - where spring is well and truly underway.  I've been enjoying sights like these all week:

My favourite thing, no question, about Texas is spring.  Not only are the wildflowers ridiculously breathtaking - but wild berries grow all around, often in the oddest places!  Nowhere else have I seen raspberries, blueberries and mulberries growing so matter-of-factly and, well, blatantly!  In road islands, sidewalks, forest trails, unsuspecting garden bed and children's playgrounds!  Here is a small sample of what the neighbourhood pond currently looks like:

And the forest trail around the pond:

this week's tip | open your mind

Do you believe in God?  Which God?  Vishnu?  Arianrhod?  Ahura Mazda?   Tsohanoai?

I believe in the faith of endless possibility.  To me, your God is as real as my own but so what?  Does what I believe really impact your life in any significant way?  Why are there people who always try to make someone understand things in their way?  Why is it important that you should agree 100% with me and I, with you?

My dad used to say 'leave the matters of faith alone for your heart to decide: it's a personal decision.'  That's resonated and stayed with me throughout my entire adult life, for I also believe we each have our own path that twists and turns us in its own way.  A way unique of any other that shows us different things and teaches us each a different lesson.  How could I ever possibly see the world the way a 50 year old man living on the Irish coastline would?  Or a 17 year old Somali girl?  Or Giorgio Tsoukalos?   Why are there some that think I need to?  Isn't faith meant to be a very sacred, personal issue to everyone?  Something that brings you comfort and bravery.  I mean honestly, what do you care who I'm praying to in the dead of night?  How does that touch your life at all?

The very idea of converting someone to your religion baffles me.  Mainly because no two people ever really interpret things the same way, but also because of how much one person can change over the course of their lifetime.  I've often heard Christians say that one Bible passage could come to mean two, or three, or even four different things throughout their own lives, depending on the reader's mood, situation, growth or change in life.  Which part then, would you try and make me see?

I dream of a world in which we are each secure enough in our own beliefs that we don't to try cramming them down the throat of anyone else; and not merely from a religious standpoint either.  A world in which government systems aren't so hell-bent on controlling every last one of us, that they feel the need to periodically fuel the hatred and underline the differences between us all.  A perfect utopia in which we are all open-minded enough to believe there is validity in every faith.

What I'm about to say isn't meant to sound like boasting, but I consider my own life as testimony that peace can be attained through open minds.  Consider me briefly:  I was born and raised Russian Orthodox in a communist society | despite a communist, atheist grandfather, who incidentally remains my most beloved relative | my mother is Baptist | my best friend is Baptist | I'm not sure about my bro exactly, but think he's somewhere between Christian and ancient-astronaut-theorist | I married a Methodist | moved to America where my closest friends became: (OMG) Muslims (what!), Greek Orthodox, transcendentalists, New Agers, Catholics and (sorry mama) atheists.  Oh, and can you believe I've somehow managed to befriend republicans and democrats (even a tea party enthusiast) alike?  It's baffling...or is it?  Because, in my opinion:  no one cares.  No one I want to be around, anyway.  My friends and I take each other at face value and leave personal beliefs alone, since we all believe you reached your own conclusions on purpose.      

It's so enriching to share your life experience with people from vastly different backgrounds to your own.  To discover how your silly buddy that makes you laugh so hard you get abdominal pain, can even have a sense of humour when he was raised in poverty in Bangladesh.  Or how your Iranian friend's entire family with Zoroastrian beliefs were simply told to convert to Islam and within a week had their homes stripped of any Zoroastrian book or artifact, who has legitimate reasons to despise Muslims, but doesn't.

It's an enormous world and I think it's fair to state that every 7+ billion of us have a unique perspective and personal belief.  I will never make you try and see the world through the eyes of a girl born in Kazakhstan during the Soviet Union era but grew up in Australia.  Nor could I ever fully adopt your point of view.  I do believe, however, that with an open mind we can empathize with each other and learn so much about what it is to live in this world.  Isn't that what we're here for?

Peace out.    

this week's tip | improve your karma, try trash free

To recommence this segment for a brand new year, I want to kick it off with a topic that's very near to my heart: the trash free lifestyle.

A trash free (also known as zero waste) lifestyle is exactly what it sounds like ~

 a way of life in which nothing is contributed to landfill.  

Where everything you use is either recyclable, repurpose-able or compostable: 

in an effort to decrease the global magnitude of trash and, consequently, the devastating toll it's taking on our Mother Earth.  

Happily, this lifestyle is gaining popularity and many bloggers have worked their butts off to increase its awareness and share their stories.  My favourites are:

Trash is for tossers (excellent summary article by the author here)

Trash Free Year

no trash project 

Trash Free Living here or here

While I'm not even close to mastering the ultimate goal of absolutely no trash, like some of the above gurus: I have taken very conscious steps to reduce the amount of trash leaving this household.  Right now we are down to just one biodegradable, tall bin liner per week!!   Fortunately, we live in a city that's very environmentally aware and amazingly has its own trash free by 2040 goal, making it very easy to be proactive in the lifestyle here in Austin; but I know this isn't the case everywhere.  If you live somewhere without a recycling program but still wish to jump on board, there are some amazing suggestions here and here.

The top 11 steps I've taken to become trash free:

1.  diligently recycling everything that's allowed!  Plastic, paper, cardboard, steel cans and tins, unbroken glass, polystyrene and so on.  This takes so much out of the bin - I'd say two thirds at least  - and I'm frequently astonished at cities (ahem Atlanta) that don't recycle!! 

2.  donating all unwanted clothes, household items and furniture to places like Goodwill.  Neither Will nor I have ever curbed anything. 

3.   grocery stores throughout Austin don't give you plastic bags for your purchases, but even if they did: I'd still only take my reusable grocery totes!

4.   repurposing as many items as I can: used candle tins have become catch-alls and flowerpots (by making nail holes for drainage underneath) // old Birchbox boxes are used as present boxes // mason jars are all over the house serving any purpose you can think of - tea canisters, dry herb containers, bath salt holders, drinking and cocktail glasses... you name it!

5.  buying in bulk wherever I can: like dog food, aforementioned bath salts, dish washing detergent and liquid hand soap.  Back at the house these all get distributed into glass jars, yes, even the hand and dish soap: meaning I get to recycle one large item of packaging, instead of several small ones.

6.  I bought a re-usable BPA free cup from Starbucks for $1 so that I don't have to constantly use and discard their paper ones, which adds up to a lot for me.  The plastic cup literally pays for itself within the next few visits because as soon as you mention that you have one, Starbucks gives you 10c off your beverage!  

**

I know drinking from plastic, even BPA free, isn't for everyone because of the other toxins it leaks, I just haven't made that leap yet, but Starbucks (and many other places) have excellent and very fancy ceramic alternatives!

7.  using live or dried elements of nature as seasonal decorations instead of plastic/ synthetic ones.  Over the past two Christmases, I have incorporated the discarded live pine tree trimmings from hardware stores - turning them into garlands, bouquets, arrangements and wreaths.  That way, once the season is over, I return them to the earth so that they may come full circle. 

**

 I've also completely boycotted plastic gift wrap paper, opting instead for butcher's paper, recycled paper and twine or cloth ribbons; which are all far quicker 'biodegraders'.  

(my Xmas gift wrap pics here .  Yes, the foliage is shamefully plastic, but 

I want to mention that I've been reusing it 3 years in a row). 

***

   There are so many other raw materials you can use throughout the year, like cotton stalks for spring or hay bails, dried wheat and fruit for autumn!  Be as creative as you like 

(and share your ideas along the way!)

8.  Will and I drink a lot of tea and I became very aware of the amount of used tea bags we were discarding, so some time ago we started buying the tea we most often drink (earl grey and jasmine green) in bulk, loose leaf form.  Now we simply steep the leaves through a stainless steel mesh tea net and are able to use the old leaves as compost, significantly reducing the amount of bags in the kitchen bin!

9.  cleaning products and methods have been the most trash producing in our home.  I'm a huge germaphobe and don't like using soggy hand towels or cloths, so had always used paper towels or clorox wipes for cleaning messes.  But just like the tea bags, one day I noticed the amount of these in our bin, found out the wipes aren't biodegradable and I decided to try something different.  Old cotton washcloths with marks or stains that weren't coming out became rags that I now use in conjunction with disinfectant spray.  Luckily, we had so many of these that I'm able to dry them out in between several uses - then it's off to the wash!  Leaving nothing for the landfill and only one recyclable plastic spray bottle every couple of weeks. 

10.  although I love to hand-write, still keep a journal and often write blog posts or work assignments by hand before typing them up, I've started using scrap paper (like bills, letters from the vet & bank, not to mention the envelopes they arrive in) to write these drafts.  This ensures I don't waste a clean sheet of paper on something I'll inevitably throw away... even if it is destined for recycling.

11.  as a doggy mama, I value the importance of how quickly doo-doo bags can add up and only choose biodegradable, compostable options like these.

I know I still have a long way to go and I also know that all I can ever control are my own actions, but I implore you to consider the massive strain our planet is already under and hope you'll agree that it's worth making yourself more accountable for the footprints you're leaving behind.  If we could each decrease our amount of weekly rubbish by even 5%: the overall result would decrease global trash and benefit our planet drastically!  When  I read articles like this one, I know the time has come for me to make a change and simply being too lazy to wash something is no longer an excuse I can validate for myself.  I truly appreciate you reading and hope to hear your feedback, or the steps you're taking to help soon :)

ready, for once

Being a Type A person, my most secret desires and daydreams usually revolve around complete organization.  I know that sounds lame and it's something Type B's can't comprehend that at all; but I've always wondered what complete 'order' would feel like...  A day in which the bed is flawlessly made, the kitchen immaculate after cooking breakfast, all the winter attire required for taking the pups outside hanging neatly in the coat closet, and the living room perfectly resembling a page from a home decor magazine.  Is that what rest feels like?

Something else Type B's don't understand about us Type A's is that our brains usually go a hundred miles per minute, so even when we've ticked off our entire to-to list, we still find more things to do! This Type A nut lives in a home consisting of two enthusiastic dogs, a husband that travels allllll the time (and is Type B to the bone) and one home office that is shared whenever Will is home. In a word, chaos. My self-inflicted to-do list is never ever done: Will's suitcases (still packed from a previous trip) can be found in any room on any given day // the bed is rarely made, because Baxter loves to snooze during the day, and this involves plenty of nesting about // the kitchen stays a mess all day long due to coffee mugs and constant snacking // the dining table is littered with scarves, beanies and coats from frequent trips outside to let the pups potty // and the living room - with documents from both our jobs, dog toys and a random daily accumulation of objects, can only ever hope to make it into What Not To Do magazine.  

One twisted fantasy I've always felt sure would be utter bliss, is greeting a new year in complete organization!!  What a feeling to start a new year with tidy house and mind! What peace.  In previous years I've tried and failed at this - December is a mad month for us: with birthdays, Christmas, our anniversary... forget about it! Then, this year... a miraculous set of events aligned the stars just right and I was able to achieve this dreamiest of all daydreams!

This year, there was no mad rush.  No last minute outfit malfunctions, no sick puppy, no family crisis!  Instead, I sat down with my morning coffee today and realized: my dress is bought and dry cleaned, hanging ready on the bedroom door; the dogs are still exhausted and recovering from Atlanta's Christmas trip; annnnnnnd my brand-spanking new vacuumn cleaner/ Christmas present stands beckoning in the hallway!  Before I knew it, the apartment was cleaned, the bed sheets were changed, the laundry was up-to-date and the place looked utterly amazing!  I am oh-so-happy to report, I will be greeting the New Year with tidy house and mind!  And in case you're wondering if it's overrated?  Nope.  It's every bit as euphoric as I thought it would be!

All that remains of 2014 are the sporadic Christmas decorations which I always take down after Russian Christmas, later in January, anyway.  Yep!  I'm ready for 2015! Bring it on.

decorating withdrawal

Since we're not at our place this Christmas, I haven't been able to get carried away with decorating and creative projects like I usually do.  During those 10 blissful, relaxing days I spent back at home in between trips, I seriously had to sit on my hands to stop myself cutting out snowflakes, baking cookies or stringing paper garlands... and honestly, I'm having decorating withdrawal.

Not having a Christmas tree is another major bummer, since - as I mentioned in last year's Christmas tree post - Will and I collect ornaments from places we visit throughout the year and then relive those trips and favourite memories as we hang those ornaments upon our tree.  This year we didn't get a chance to enjoy the new additions or relive old memories so I've decided to absolutely insist on a tree next year, for this is one tradition I don't want to die.

Wrapping presents and admiring their splendor beneath our (very basically decorated) mantle is all the decorating cheer I've had to contend myself with the Christmas.

my live, DIY rustic wreath

One thing I've enjoyed with my leisure time this past week is Christmas crafting!  After talking it over, Will and I decided not to get a tree since we won't actually be around for Christmas, but that didn't stop me going to Lowes to fish the tree trimmings out of their boxes like I did last year, to make the (now traditional) live garland (link) and several other little things for the house:

a fragrant live pine/ silk poinsettia
table bouquet

a live pine/ cone display in each bathroom

My most favourite project was the live, rustic wreath that I made for Will's aunty, whom we are staying with over Christmas:

Nothing beats the smell of live pine or a gift crafted with love!  I drew inspiration from Pottery Barn, where the live wreaths cost upwards of $100 and I want to tell you that making your own wreath is super fun, easy and cheap to make! So if you're strapped for ideas this Christmas - or buying for someone who has everything - this might be the perfect solution for you. Here's what you'll need:

live pine trimmings (free from Lowes!)

a wire wreath ($5.99 from Micheal's)

a bag of pine cones ($3 from Target)

twine

shears

scissors

small green wires 

(I already had some but you can buy these from Micheal's for about $3 if you don't have any)

I also tried to be ceative with some 'juniper' looking berries
and pine from our garden/ but the berries all fell off as I was
attaching them to the wreath :( Major bummer - but the
varying foliage looks great on the wreath!

I strongly recommend a wire wreath like this one from
Michael's - it's super easy to attach the pine and hold it firmly
in place - others I've tried are too time consuming and finicky! 

To start, just lay the pine needles in places
without securing them, to see how they will look

When you're happy, wrap the wires around
the bundle

They're so hard to see! The perfect secret :)

Roughly finished

Hang it up to see how it looks

Then secure any pieces that have gone haywire with the
small green wires

You can make it as tight/ neat/ round as you like -
I wanted mine to look rustic so didn't tighten it too much

Now it's looking neater :)

If you want to decorate with pinecones, place the wreath back
on the floor and roughly lay the pinecones in place

To secure them onto your wreath, tie twine tightly around
the bottom layers... 

Thread the twine inconspicuously through the foliage... 

Making sure it's completely hidden from the front...

And tie in place around the back

Voila! Your rustic wreath is all done! 

Well almost...
I personally LOVED it like this, but when I showed it to
Will - he said it needed colour to make it more festive...

Luckily I had these berry wires  ($1.99 from Michael's)
left over from Xmas present wrapping

So I pulled them apart...

And wrapped them randomly around pine needles on my
wreath 

Certainly more festive! 

Total time spent: 1 hour

Total cash spent: $9

HAVE FUN!!!