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!  

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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 :)

2014 highlights

What a year 2014 turned out to be: a year of drastic change, growth, excitement and new beginnings!  It was our first year in Austin, a city we've come to love deeply and confidently call home. A city seemingly made just for us and filled with all our favourite things, like good food, great music, nature and many eclectic nooks to explore.  What's more, throughout the year, as complete newbies knowing no one, Will and I repeatedly became astonished at how easy it's been to make friends.  Like-minded, hardworking and paradoxically carefree, wonderful friends!  Yep, 2014 was the year Will and I found our corner of the world.

It was also the year I became an aunty three... 3... yes, THREE more times! With two lovely new nieces and one amazing new nephew joining my ever expanding family.  Even if I had somehow mustered the strength, in the past, to casually walk by Babies R Us, now I have almost double the kids to spoil and no self control left whatever.

Here I am with my niece, Landry Mae,
who was born on the 20th Dec!

I became a gardener... or should that be pot-planter since I don't actually have a garden & all my plants are in pots? Whatever, I am officially a plant-lady who loves all her plants, gives them names and studies plant psychology in her spare time to better understand what they need.

My newest addition: Celestia, the violet.
Featuring Feebee, the Fiddle Leaf fig, in background 

I also became a chef (well, beginner maybe) as Will & I experimented more and more with ingredients and utensils alike, adding new gadgets to our kitchen collection and becoming addicted to cooking shows!  Having a spectacular kitchen in our new apartment greatly helps.  No more shitty, old, smokey oven or linoleum counter tops, yay!

Encountered more American wildlife than any other year: and managed to snap some pretty good photos, especially of deer!  Here is one of my faves:

Some more highlights include the trips we've taken, like those day trips to nearby towns like Wimberley,  Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, Surfside Beach, Bastrop, Fort Worth and several trips to San Antonio and Dallas.

And those mini-breaks we've taken to South Padre Island, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and three visits back to Atlanta.  Not to mention the visits we had from loved ones overseas, like my cousin, aunty and (let's say) uncle from KAZ

or some of my Aussie family members:

We've certainly been blessed beyond measure in 2014 and a part of me is sad to see such a marvelous year end, but I am anxious to see what 2015 has in store!  I look forward to a little more structure, now that we're settled and the busy season is finished.  My main goal is to get back into frequent blogging; resume weekly tip segments/ celebrate life every Friday/ actually document those monthly day trips/ current crazes and all that fun stuff  :)

I also hope to connect with you more.  I appreciate you sharing my highlights with me and wonder what some of yours are?  

Tuesday tunes {The Wind and The Wave}

This week's tune is From the Wreckage Build a Home by my favourite local Austin band, The Wind and The Wave.  

Will and I first heard these guys on a TV show we like to watch, 'Hart of Dixie,' and then again at the Austin Bat Fest last August.  After hearing their whole set, I instantly downloaded their album and to this day include at least one of their songs in every playlist I make!  I love them to death and felt it only right to feature them this week, given that they are touring.  Huge congrats on their success!

PS// These guys are so up-and-coming that most of their songs don't have 'real' video clips yet, but I'm sure you'll agree that it hardly matters!

spoiled

Let's lighten the mood a little and focus on positives.  For one thing, my hoard of Christmas presents this year was utterly incredible! I truly got spoiled by friends and Will's family; what the heck people?  The present that surprised me the most was the one Will gave me - especially because we agreed not to get each other presents and I thought I was being super terrific and sneaky getting him a book!  Ha! Here's what he gave me:

A hand-crafted, genuine citrine and amethyst necklace! I was astonished. 

My bro and his wife sent a box full of lovely goodies, but my fave item was this cheese board and knife set:

My mother in law spoiled me, as usual, with a whole Santa's sack full of goodies: entirely too much to mention, but my favourites were the Chanel perfume// the MK handbag with matching travel case and passport holder (for future adventures)// the monogrammed overnight and book bags (that will also come in handy!) // and the J Crew scarf.

My sister in law, Erica, gave me this adorable snakeskin bag:

Will's aunt spoiled us with a week's worth of fancy dinners, since we stayed with her during our visit to Atlanta.  We went to several different restaurants, where she argued for the cheque every time and, as if that wasn't enough, gave me an immensely sentimental tree ornament, along with the ice bucket of my dreams!

Will's uncle surprised everyone by actually buying gifts this year (he's never done that before).  I can't help wondering why that is, when he's evidently great at it:

My friend Meredith sourced out the only two books in the world
that sum me up, completely:

My lovely Melissa found me something that'll make me
smile every time I look at it: 

i think it's strictly meant for Xmas but I love cardinals and
plan to use it whenever I like :)

I was over-the-moon to arrive home one evening and find a box on the doorstep, that contained a live amaryllis bulb inside from our dear friends Mike and Jane, who clearly got the message about my plant obsession!  I have named her Ruby and I love her <3

My cousin Rita made me somewhat mad (but also kind of full of glee) when she sent me an entire BOX of my favourite Kazakh chocolates!  This isn't helping my paleo lifestyle, nor is it conducive to that summer bikini body, but my God is it delicious!!

And lastly, I haven't taken off the brass bangle or cozy socks from
Madewell that Will's brother's girlfriend gave me:

Thanks guys, I couldn't feel luckier!

How about you?  What was the favourite gift you received this Christmas?

Tuesday tunes {Take Me to Church by Hozier}

Ever heard the saying 'the music you listen to becomes the soundtrack of your life?'  I think it's great and in an effort to account for my own life's soundtrack, I'm starting 2015 with a new segment called Tuesday tunes; where I will post the current song (or songs) I'm obsessing over that week.

To kick things off, I wanted to share one of my all-time favourite happy songs... but then decided to be honest instead.  This week (and for the past few weeks) the song I've been listening to on repeat is Take Me to Church by Hozier.

It's a bit heavy and despite the fact that I'm a positive person by nature, doing my best to remain up-beat, sometimes there's no denying the wretchedness of human nature. That's what this song is to me.  An admission of how rotten and hypocritical we each have the capacity of being: persecuting those who are different and fueling hate.

It may seem strange that I'm sharing this, especially this time of year, but while I've had a magical Christmas, a festive New Year's Eve and am certainly looking forward to a fresh new year, a part of me (a part that I consistently bury) died this Christmas.  I am inwardly in mourning.

Some of you know I have a shaky relationship with my parents but what no one knows is that 2014 was the very first Christmas I've ever had that didn't involve them in anyway.  We completely ignored each other.  We both have our reasons.  Both equally mad, or stubborn, I guess.  Whatever. At the end of the day, we both feel that we are sacrificing chunks of ourselves to maintain a relationship with the other.

When I hear this song, it seems to fuel my anger at them and justify the role I've played. 'I'll tell you my sins, so you can sharpen your knife' are words that are too familiar and in a sick, masochistic way: they soothe me.  It seems I've tried my whole life to be worthy of my parent's love - something that's meant to be so certain and unfaltering - and I've struggled with its absence, but feel placated and comforted in this song's reminder that I'm not alone.