I was a blogger once...

Twelve years ago, when I was newly married, newly unemployed, and newly Texan, I set out to be a blogger. I had big dreams. I would write about spirituality and simplicity. We were Catholic and broke so it seemed like a good fit. When the kids came along, I morphed into a wannabe Mommy blogger. Then my kids got older--I increasingly felt that telling their stories was an invasion of privacy. Then my husband got a raise--I increasingly felt like I was losing my simplicity credibility. Then we moved to Iowa and I realized in the light of the midwestern sun, what I took for frugal simplicity might just have been how most people outside of Texas live. I stopped blogging.

My blog button on my toolbar beckoned me from time to time, but I never really jumped back in. Once the kiddos started school, I tried dusting off my old marketing skills to help promote their small Catholic school. Along the way, I made an interesting discovery. There’s always a need for stories, for writers. Each teacher had an interesting history. Every work of art produced by my kid begged to have the mini-biography of the inspiring artist to be told. So I founded and started submitting things to the school’s blog.

Then I got sucked into serving on the Catholic School Board. After nearly a decade out of the paid workforce it was a heady rush to be taken seriously again by fellow adults making very. Important. Decisions. I loved being an advocate for Catholic education. I was good at it. If I’m honest, I also loved having an influence beyond my family circle in a way that was visible and appreciated. I stopped telling stories. I thought that was so easy that anyone could do it. The blog sputtered out.

This past May, after much discernment, I stepped off of the Catholic School Board for both personal and spiritual reasons. Almost immediately, I was asked to give a presentation to the parish staff about improving communication. That turned into an invitation to lead the initiative to redesign and rethink the role of the parish bulletin in our parish. The office staff was capable of the graphic redesign. The parish staff leadership was willing to try a new tactic and provide information. Guess what gaping hole in the project soon became apparent? Dedicated storytellers--writers who knew how to get the job done.

So here I am back where I started 12 years ago. I’m at a crossroads personally and professionally. The call of the keyboard beckons me. It calls me to write about spirituality and simplicity. It calls me to document the stories of fellow disciples. It calls. It calls.

Simplicity Fail: Or When Planning Turns Into Covetousness

It all started with my renewed interest in taking homemaking seriously. During prayer time last week, I came to realize that I haven't been taking my job as a homemaker seriously. Nothing too terrible was happening, but dishes in the sink, dusty floors, and stacks of stuff randomly situated around the house became commonplace. One place of neglect were the windows in our family room/ kitchen open concept space. When we moved in there were green and purple walls. We got used to them. There were green laminate countertops. We got used to them. The previous owners took the curtains but left the rods. We got used to it. The cabinets were an odd sort of pickled cream while the appliances were white. I NEVER got used to them.  When our television broke and we bought a new one, our old coffee table became the new tv stand. Instead of replacing the dysfunctional overhead microwave we just put another one on the countertop.

Basically our most used room in the house was slowly sliding into ugliness. At first I looked at inexpensive ways to fix things--on the cheap. First up, build and paint an easy corner tv stand so we could reclaim our coffee table.

The prospect of a painted tv stand led me to wanting to paint our cabinets. I found a few tutorials and well, I was off to the races. That led me to pintrest, HGTV.com, and Houzz. My to-do list grew and grew:

• replace the microwave and dishwasher
• paint the cabinets white
• replace the laminate counters with wood--put together by me with my Kreg jig
• replace the non-functioning pendant lights with ones that shed more light
• repaint the dingy refrigerator
• replace the white knobs and pulls with brushed nickel ones
• sew purple and white curtains
• add a roller shade to the back door to cut the heat in summer
• build and paint a corner tv stand
• sew white canvas slipcovers for the sofa
• buy slipper or arm chairs so there is more seating around the tv
• build a few end tables
• buy a sisal or other neutral colored rug
• replace the black mats at the doors

Hours and hours later I had an an entire pintrest board devoted to all the new things I wanted to do to improve this space.

Then, I made the mistake of asking my husband his opinion. He loves the cabinets and even the awful green countertops. So I did what any grown woman would do in this situation: I pouted. I was stuck with an awful family open concept room! After a few hours of pouting I realized that I had fallen into that oh-so-attractive consumerist trap again. In my effort to beautify and make our space more useful, I had assumed that I had to buy and change stuff to make me happy. My happiness depended upon me getting to do what I wanted and (more importantly) buy what I wanted.

My online information gathering had morphed into online covetousness. So I've decided to take a break, clean my kitchen, put away the piles, and try to focus on one bit at a time. For now, keep things tidy and neat. I think I need to step away from the pintrest, and focus on the work rather than the dreaming for a while.

My So-Called Spirt-Filled, Simple Life

It's been months since I've blogged. It's been years since I've blogged regularly. I was about take this blog down entirely (who reads blogs these days?) when I was struck by the tagline of Crouching Camel: a meditation of a spirit-filled, simple life. Things have changed immensely for our family in the past two years. My husband got a better job that resulted in a move to Iowa. We were able to pay off all our debts, including our home and car. Because the educational choices here are so much better than what we had in Texas, we decided to send our sons to the awesome local Catholic school for elementary and then to public school beyond that. Our new house has about 500 more square feet than our old starter home. We have cable for goodness' sake!

There was a little simplifying: we are now a one-car family. I try to bike and walk more often. This year I vowed to only sew my own clothes when possible (have spent about $300 so far this year). But gone are the days of the avid price-booking and coupon clipping. We shop locally and spend money getting veggies from a CSA. In short, while we still live much less large than your average American family, our life is much less modest and simple than it used to be.

The spirit-filled part has taken a hit too. While we pray as a family at meals, attend Mass each Sunday, and pray at night with the boys, I've been remiss in keeping up my own personal prayer life. It usually consists of me listening to a bible study podcast while wiping down counters in the morning.

Not-surprisingly, with the loss of my mission as a homeschooling mother, the slackening of my spiritual life, and the mindless increases in spending, I find myself in a state of constant searching in my life. I've pondered going back to graduate school. I've thought about getting a job in marketing. I've wondered how it all slipped away from me so quickly. I feel like I'm flailing.

So, once again I think it is time to reassess. I am at the crossroads and I need to make a decision. Will I double down on simplicity and recommit to a less consumerist lifestyle that requires so much of my time and energy? Will I pursue a higher status along with a PhD although it has marginal financial returns? Will I try to make freelancing work again for me or is the prospect of that much "alone" time too daunting? I honestly don't know.

What I do know is that I need to start by taking all of this into prayer. I crave God's guiding hand in all of this. I know that the longing for peace and comfort that I feel right now can only be satisfied with Him. Consumer conveniences and social status are just poor substitutes.

So, dear imaginary readers, I invite you to take this journey with me. Join me on my search, once again, on how to build a spirit-filled, simple life.

A Prejudicial Confession

Yesterday the kids and I went down to the public health department to get the first round of H1N1 vaccines for the boys. Last year we got the standard flu vax at the pediatrician's office but were informed that while they recommended the H1N1 vaccine they had decided NOT to administer it in their office. Given the absolute crush of kids and paperwork nightmare of flu vax this year compared to last year, I could hardly blame them.

This town is swimming in H1N1 vaccine--for older children and adults. The only place to get an H1N1 vaccine for those 9 years old and under was the public health clinic in the WIC building. So I just didn't get it. I feared a long wait in the crowded waiting rooms full of sick poor people like the ones we saw each day at Texas Children's Hospital ER when Jack was in the hospital after his birth. I worried about our safety driving to the part of Beaumont where the clinic was, would our car be safe? Most of all I just didn't want to be among the poor. I'm not proud of these thoughts, mind you, I'm just being honest.

But last week HHS Secretary Sebelieus made the case on Morning Joe that a third round of swine flu would probably hit this spring and be more intense than the past two waves this year. So I called 311, got what information I could which was not much and made plans to head down to the clinic--sans appointment and with no guarantee that there would be vaccine there when we arrived.

Well that drive down Washington Avenue was eye opening and I was filled with conflicting emotions. It is so easy to forget how much poverty there is here in Beaumont. This wasn't squalor but the working poor, there were lots of small mom-and-pop business along the street with rusty awnings and patched roofs still left from Rita I imagine. I saw the liquor store with the "We Cash Paychecks" sign in the window knowing that it was owned by one of Beaumont's most renowned and generous philanthropists. I saw several offices for the landscaping companies that often work in our neighborhood on the West End. I've often complained that there are no good ethnic restaurants here in Beaumont--you have to go to Houston for that. Imagine my surprise at several small plate lunch restaurants and ethnic grocery stores.

When we got to the Public Health building, the parking lot was spacious and lined by gorgeous oak trees. Inside the buildings were clean and simple. There were no magazines in the waiting area but the walls were lined with nice posters. There was only one other family there when we arrived. After a simple check in and a relatively short wait, a kind nurse gave Xavier and Jack their shots and me instructions to bring them back for round two in a month. All in all the experience in the clinic was the same or BETTER than that at the pediatrician's. Shorter wait, streamlined paperwork, and plain band-aids instead of ones with characters on them.

On the drive home I had to admit to myself that my prejudice alone had kept me from getting the boys these shots sooner. I've been thinking a lot lately about the poor and poverty. That's what happens when you read a book entitled Happy Are You Poor I suppose.

I think a few years ago I probably would have said that I have most of the things I need and some of the things I want. This days I say I have everything I need and most of what I want. This trip however made me suspect that I have more than I need. I don't know what to do with that thought.

Small Things: St. Nicholas Day

Santa goes by St. Nicholas around here. He visits on the eve of his feast day and likes to check in on everyone's Advent preparations. He loves kids and if there are kids in the house, he may leave them a few gold coins and a small toy. The boys left a pair of their tiny shoes by the fireplace along with a colored portrait of St. Nick and a carrot for his donkey. They were thrilled to find chocolate coins and a little car in their shoes.

Advent 2009

This is the first in a set of waaaaay overdue posts!

I'm happy to say that we increased our Advent activities this year. In addition to putting out an Advent wreath, we actually used it this year.

We observed Advent after dinner and clean up but before bathtime. We started by singing O, Come Emmanuel, lighting the candles, and then did a short reading and meditation from the Advent bulliten for kids that we got from St. Jude's. After that, Xavier opened the appropriate door on this gorgeous Advent calendar that MaMere and MoMo found in Lafayette. I envy their access to Catholic bookstores there!

We ended with a short prayer and Xavier helping to put the candles out with the snuffer. While there was a bit of wiggling the first few nights, by the end of Advent all we needed to do was dim the lights and say "Advent" and boys came running to the dining room table to begin. I think at this age, the candles are the biggest draw.

I also spiffed up the house a bit for Advent including a purple drape over the fireplace and a new chasable and stole for Father Pine. For a more tactile experience, Xavier and Jack could play with this cute nativity magnet set. I opted not to put out the ceramic set this year as it was difficult enough to keep the wreath and calendar from being mangled and I had run out of high spaces.

Father Pine

Thanks to the very creative Catholic mamas over on the 4Real Forums we got the inspiration this summer to make Father Pine to help us follow the liturgical seasons here in our domestic church. Lexy painted him and I made his green ordinary time vestments. Unfortunately, Father Pine has been hanging out on our mantel in green for several months now despite several church holidays that called for other colors.

Last night I decided to get back in the swing of things and whipped up a red chasuble and stole for Father Pine to help commemorate today's feast of the martyrs, Pope Cornelius and Bishop Cyprian. A little lace hem tape made a nice trim don't you think?

The reality is that until the boys are older, I am the primary target of all the religious education. Until I started reading up on domestic church family activities I had no idea how much I didn't know about the traditions of the Catholic church. Following the feast days helps dip a toe into Church history while using the liturgical colors helps us prepare for the big calendar events: Lent, Advent, Christmas and Easter.

Do You Reject Satan?

I'm a little late on posting this but Jack was baptised last Sunday. It was a very special day for all of us. In attendance were Jack's godparents and their three young children, Xavier's godparents, and Brooke, the mom of Xavier's BFF, Ethan. Unlike his big brother, Jack didn't cry at all and even seemed to enjoy having water poured over his little noggin.



If you have never been to a Catholic baptism (or don't happen to remember your own) there are a few things to remember:

• Your parents and godparents must formally reject Satan and all his works in your name
• You are annointed with special oils (chrism) that makes you smell like a head shop
• One of the places you are annointed is on your chest so more than likely you will need to partially disrobe from your fancy schmancy baptismal clothes
• Someone will make you wear a hat made out of a hankerchief
• You get souveniers including a baptismal certificate, a baptismal candle, a little garment, and a bottle of your baptismal water
• You are encouraged to celebrate your baptismal day as much if not more heartily than your birthday

Deacon Gordon, Tim, Jack, me, and Jack's godparents, Laurie and Pete.

Xavier with his godparents.

A Mother's Rule of Live: Partner

Continuing on (slowly but surely) with Holly Pierlot's book, the next "P" in her five-part plan to developing a rule is to focus on partner. I found this chapter to be the most inspirational and helpful to me in a practical sense.

Perhaps one of the most valuable parts is her exploration of submission vs. equality in a Christian marriage. I know several very devout Christian women who adhere to some form of submissiveness in their marriage in an effort to fufill what they see as God's will. They cite Ephesians and Genesis. They use analogies like CEO and CFO. They talk about the practicalities of the husband's choice being the "tie-breaker" when they can't come to an agreement.

Holly herself had a long period of her marriage where she followed this concept. She would give her opinion to her husband and then leave the decision making up to him. Of course you can only imagine how much resentment this approach can cause over time. Then when she searched the catechism and papal encyclicals for the specifically Catholic approach to submission to marriage she was surprised to discover that there was no such provision.

On the contrary, again and again it is stressed that without equality there can be no real communion in marriage but also that both partners are called to the self-sacrifice and submission to vocation that is required by love.

In other words, the opposite of a shrewish wife isn't a submissive one...it is a partner willing to improve herself and her call to love as much if not more than she is desirous to change the thoughts and actions of her husband.

While I've never really followed the concept of a submissive wife, I do have a habit of throwing up my hands in certain situations and saying (if only in my head), okay, YOU deal with it. What a wonderful alternative to that. We are called to work together, with egos in check, to progress to our mutual goals.

The other nugget that I loved was this one:
I realized that I have no right to try to control my husband, because it wasn't reasonable to dictate to a grown man how he should live his life, what TV shows he could and could not watch, or what he was allowed to think or feel.

I added my own list to hers. I have no right to dictate how:

• The dishwasher should be loaded
• What he should eat for a healthy diet
• How he should handle his relationships with other people

Finally, she gets to how to incorporate these concepts into one's rule. Basically, make sure to set aside time to nurture these virtues in marriage. For me that means giving my husband first priority once the boys are asleep at night. We've discovered that there are very few television shows that we like equally so while he will tolerate an episode of Medium and I will watch a basketball game with him, it helps to also have a few things that we can both do together that doesn't always feel like submission to the other.

For us, reading aloud has been a big hit. I usually do most of the reading and we often stop to discuss the story, the characters and how it relates to our lives. Sometimes we talk about the technique of the author or how easy or difficult it is to read the sentence structure while sight reading. We really enjoyed A River Runs Through It but the author's winding style kept me on my read-aloud toes. We had a good laugh about how the author portrays the conflict and tension in his marriage that is far outweighed by mutual love. Right now we are working our way through a few Sherlock Holmes stories. We are also in search of some board games that will interest us both.

In addition to being entertaining, I find these activities to be very beneficial to making me a more loving and giving wife and make me happier in my marriage. I think there is some wisdom in Holly Pierlot's focus on Prayer and Person prior to addressing Partner. If I am keeping up with my relationship with God and making sure my basic personal needs are met, I'm much more likely to choose the loving action in my marriage over the selfish one.

A Mother's Rule of Live: Person

I mentioned last month how I'm working my way through Holly Pierlot's recommendations for creating a personal rule as outlined in her book A Mother's Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul. I've since settled into a pretty regular prayer routine. I say a quick prayer upon waking, either the Angelus or a rosary at noon, a rosary (if not done earlier) or a bible reading during Jack's nighttime nursing routine, an examination of conscience right before sleeping, and a quick mediation here and there duing, um, bathroom time. I'm certainly not perfect but I have noticed that it gets easier and easier to adhere to the routine each day I do it.

The next "P" in her rule development is "person" or taking care of one's own physical, psychological and spiritual need for refreshment...mostly through the use of personal time. I admit that this is absolutely the most difficult one for me to do. Even when I do carve out time for just myself, I'm apt to reliquish it should anything come up with my family. In her book, Holly writes about taking a "mother's Sabbath" every other Saturday. She spends the day going to museums, visiting friends, etc. while her husband takes care of their home and kids. There's absolutely no way that I'd feel comfortable doing that. I don't know why since I do recognize the need for personal time. I don't begrudge my husband his 1-hour gym trip most days of the week for instance.

I'm starting by taking very small baby steps towards this. Xavier still naps 1-3 hours each day now. I actively concentrate on spending at least one hour of that time doing something that is refreshing for me. No tasks, no cleaning, no drawing up shopping lists. The hard thing is that I actually enjoy doing homemaking types of activities and ticking things off my "to-do" list but they do not refresh me. I'm also incorporating things that refresh me in our daily activities. The best example of this is the 1/2 hour Xavier and I spend each day gardening in the back yard now. It is frustrating at times to have him dig up a bulb I just planted or step on the bed I just tilled, but I figure that once we both get the hang of it, this will be a nice activity we can share.

The other aspect of my "person" section of my rule is getting adequate sleep. I'm in bed by 10 p.m. sharp now. If I wake up in the night, I try to avoid TV or internet as that just ends up being too stimulating.

Rules over Resolutions: Prayer

This post is a little late for the New Year but I'm still trying to get into the groove with two little boys under the age of two around here. While we were in Houston waiting for Jack to get well, I started reading a book called A Mother's Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul by Holly Pierlot. She advocates creating a rule (a la St. Benedict) for your life in order to be able to more fully fill your vocation and not get distracted by the clutter of busywork. While it is geared toward Catholic moms, it certainly has a lot of spiritual wisdom that I could have used before I married or even returned to the Catholic faith.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson from this book that I've learned thus far is that I've been trying to do too much. There just aren't enough hours in the day for me to do all the things that I'd like to right now and do what I need to do to run a smooth home with two littles. It has also made me realize how much time I fritter away "multitasking" or trying to outline for the umpteenth time what needs to get done for the week. I need to prioritize, commit to what I can, and as for the rest, let it go.

So this year, instead of making a resolution that requires me to add something new to my life (exercise regime, reading Great Books, etc.), I'm going to focus on developing and committing to my own rule. While the fruits of my labor may look the same for each (its amazing how much more I get accomplished with this new approach despite the focus on simplicity) I'm hopeful that it will be more rewarding to adopt and implement a rule.

The author identifies five "P's" to focus on: Prayer, Person, Partner, Parent, Provider. I thought it might be fun to keep a running tab on my approach and progress with each. Here goes.

PRAYER
She guides you through the rule creation process by first scheduling time for prayer. This can include spiritual reading, bible study, Mass etc. I've decided to set aside time at morning, midday and afternoon to this. In addition, I'm making a committment to do monthly reconciliation. Now that I'm about midway through the month, I'll admit that I don't make it each and every day, but I am getting better. What is amazing to me though is how much smoother my days go when I stop to take the time to reconnect with God.

This step reminds me quite a bit of the financial wisdom to put money away in savings before spending any of your paycheck. Before long, saving becomes a habit without much thought. This has certainly proven true for me with money so I imagine that the same will be true for prayer.

So each day is ordered around prayer time. I'm still figuring out what to do when since I have several different prayer time activities that I like (rosary, meditation, Ignatius Press bible study, the Angelus, etc.). I'm also trying out a few prayer modes that I've not done before (Devine Office) or that I have discarded in the past (Devine Mercy Chaplet).

On the Receiving End

It's not everyday that you come home to a nice meal served up to you by a professional basketball player. The Houston Rockets, their dance team, and a bunch of folks from Southwest Airlines were at the RMH last night doing just that. The kids loved it as did most of the parents. It made me tear up a little.

It was relatively more comfortable for me to be on the receiving end of so much help and support from family and friends who have provided everything from childcare to cat sitting to hotel accommodations. I'm slowly getting used to the feelings that receiving good works from complete strangers bring. I'm learning that it is a special grace to be able to allow others to help you in your time of need. There are all sorts of unseen hands lifting us up right now. They deliver pizzas to the RMH in the hospital, bring by little stuffed bears for the sick kids, or even just sing Christmas carols in the lobby for us to enjoy. I still get overwhelmed by it all from time to time but I'm beginning to accept that by this experience as the receiver we'll be better givers in the future.

Advent

After a little scrambling I got our Advent wreath up in our dining room. I was determined to have some sign of Advent around here since I decided not to put garland around our door. You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to find purple and pink candles this time of year!

The white candle in the center is our Immaculate Conception candle representing Mary. I'm jumping the gun on this one a little since the Feast of the Immaculate Conception isn't until December 8th, but I'm planning to be a little busy that day giving birth. I carved out a small space in the candle and hid a little baby Jesus inside behind some ribbon. On Christmas I'll remove the covering to represent the birth.

Since Tim and I got married, we've made the choice to really focus on Advent up until Christmas Vigil on December 24th. Advent is chock full of special feasts (St. Francis Xavier, St. Nicholas, St. Lucy....) and traditions (Advent songs and prayers, Jesse tree...) and I hate to miss the joy of antipation in the rush to celebrate Christmas. With Christmas shopping, parties, and music starting in early November now in the popular culture, it often feels as if we are swimming up the culture stream on this one.

I know that Xavier is too young to "get" a lot of what we're doing but I feel like it is part of my job as a homemaker and mother to create our own domestic church environment. He and his siblings will be able to say that we've been celebrating saints' feasts and Advent "for as long as they can remember." Besides, the commemorations are as much for me and my husband as they are for the kids.

Half Empty or Half Full?

Half Empty: I'm still battling the head and chest cold that I've had for over a week now. Evacuating while sniffling and hacking is no picnic.

Half Full: Xavier, Master of Imitation, has now taught himself how to blow his nose in a tissue and throw it in the trashcan based on Mom's multiple demonstrations. Too cute.

The Good Life

A few things have had me thinking about the Good Life these days. First of all, my friend Angie lent me her copy of Crunchy Conservatives, a book written by a fellow alum of LSMSA, conservative journalist, and lover of many things crunchy (organic foods, less suburban sprawl, natural living, etc.) I found myself agreeing with many of the author's personal convictions and came to the conclusion that I didn't really know what a political conservative WAS anymore. I grew up in the Regan era. Conservatism IS Regan, right? No regulation. Low taxes. Trickle-down-economics. Anti-communist. What I'm beginning to realize is that what I thought was conservatism was actually mostly partisan Republican sentiment. So I've started reading up on Russell Kirk and other "fathers of modern conservatism" to get a better understanding more of the theory that informs conservative thought.

With thoughts of what makes up the Good Life swirled in my head, I heard a broadcast on Oprah and Friends XM radio about the Law of Attraction. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, it is a loose synthesis of various philosophies and religious traditions boiled down to a single principle: What happens to you is the direct result of what kind of energy you put out in the universe. On the surface that doesn't seem too controversial -- sort of a New Age karma. But in practice a lot of LoAs (as its followers call themselves) apply this principle to tangible things like building a business clientelle, making more money, having better relationships. That's where it makes me a bit uncomfortable. Its a little too much like the Gospel of Prosperity theology for my tastes. Utilitarianism and spirituality are a touchy combination.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and I can find some inspiration in listening to a radio show about LoA. Specifically, the host mentioned that when we talk about what we want in life, we tend to frame it negatively or in terms of what we don't want. For example we tend to say things like "I don't want to be so stressed out all the time." instead of "I want my life to be carefree and peaceful." So as an exercise the host suggested focusing on one area in your life that is important to you and try to describe what you want in positive terms. Try it, it is a little tricky at first.

So I started thinking about my position as a homemaker. What do I want our home life to be like? I came up with five things:

• Welcoming. I want guests to feel like they belong the minute they walk in the door. I want to be able to offer a cup of tea of plate of sliced fruit to unexpected visitors.
  
• Calm. Some people love boisterous, noisy fun. So do I. Just outside. I've been moving toward creating more calm by limiting television and playing soft music.
  
• Orderly. A simple, clean environment makes me feel at peace. I work hard at making sure there is a place for everything and everything is in its place. It frees up the mind to focus on enjoying life.
  
• Enriching. Thoughtful books, nutritious and delicious food, good conversation. These are the things that truely bring color into life.
  
• Haven. Most of all, I want those in our home to feel as if they can drop their worries and insecurities at the door and find a place to rest in the here and now. If everything is working right, this is our little bit of paradise here on earth.

If I can make progress toward those goals, I will indeed be living the Good Life.

Last Day of Lent and Easter

Xavier and I took a quick trip to Lafayette last Wednesday to visit with his two great grandmothers and have an extended play date with cousin Matthew. Granny McBurney gave him a chocolate covered graham cracker which he promptly made a mess with.

It was so cute to see the two little boys together. Xavier wanted to do everything that his older cousin was doing. When Momo and I walked them to the park, instead of looking ahead in the stroller, Xavier just gazed at his older cousin on his tricycle the entire time.

Matthew was a big helper too. He enjoyed bringing diapers to My Susan (his moniker for me) when I changed the baby. He is also an amazing little mimic. You really have to watch your words when around a two-year-old.

Here's a photo of the boys enjoying some otter pops in the kitchen:

Easter went well here in Beaumont. Xavier wore his much-too-big-at-the-time "christening" outfit. He made all the ladies in church swoon with his coos and smiles during Easter morning mass. When it came time to renew our baptismal vows and get sprinkled with water, I realized that it was very fitting that Xavier was wearing his little outfit.

At home, Xavier enjoyed riffling through his Easter basket and goodies. Mom and Dad helped him eat his chocolate bunny and he chowed down on some peach puffs found inside his plastic eggs. With 50 days of Easter to celebrate, I fill an egg each morning with puffs and let him "find" it around the house to enjoy.

Simplicity Challenge -- Part II

It's a bit overdue but I wanted to post a follow-up to Part I of my self-imposed Simplicity Challenge to try to waste less food. I found that meal planning and pantry organization were key to this effort. I just didn't keep a lot of spare, perishable food around the house.

In January, we made pretty good progress in this area.

• I made chicken and vegetable stock with scraps and leftovers
• Almost all other leftovers were reused or repurposed with the exception of some funky lemon wedges that got shoved to the back of the fridge
• As a last resort, non-meat foods were put into our compost pile

The last bullet leads to my current Simplicity Challenge: to significantly reduce the amount of waste we send to the local landfill. I was inspired by a New Zealand television show called Wa$ted. In it a family tries to reduce their ecofootprint by reducing the amount of wasted energy and unnecessary trash sent to landfills. In a dramatic flourish, they go through the family's garbage for the past week and sort out recyclables and compostables and identify other ways to reduce the amount of garbage. It is really inspiring to see that only about 1/10 of the garbage they send to the landfill is truly unusable garbage.

Since we already cloth diaper, that is one HUGE family trash factor that we eliminate from the landfills. My frugal penchant for buying in bulk and eschewing serving sizes means that we already have less packaging than we used to. We also have a compost pile which I have varying success with. But Beaumont discontinued its curbside recycling program in 2002 for lack of participation and interest.

I decided to see how difficult it would be to self-recycle. Lo and behold there are several recycling companies here. After a few calls I found one that takes paper, cardboard and #1 and #2 plastics, and another that accepts aluminum cans. Now both companies would actually pay me for my drop offs, but our trash volume is so low, it doesn't really make much sense to go through the process of weighing it in. I mean I might pick up a nickle off the ground but I'd feel silly standing in a line to pick up a nickle.

Fortunately, both companies also have "donation bins" where the proceeds from the collected items go to local United Way charities. Both companies are also locally owned and operated so the money they generate stays here in our community.

I'm still refining our collection area and find myself hunting through the kitchen garbage can to retrieve a pizza box or cat food can that got mistakenly thrown away. Every day is an Easter Egg hunt when you're trying to get a home recycling program started I suppose.

Simplicity Challenge: Part I

My Aunt Susan has generously passed along to me two books about spirituality and simplicity. One is Not Buying It by Judith Levine and the other is Nothing Left Over by Toinette Lippe. Both started out strong and I found them inspiring. However, about one third of the way through I began to find the authors' self-congratulatory tones insufferable. Maybe it is a hazard of becoming simple. Please let me know if I start to become insufferable too.



Anyway, one thing that I would like to do in 2008 is focus on one area of simplicity each month. For January, we are working on focusing on being good stewards of the food we bring into the house. Not only are we trying to avoid dietary no-nos like high fructose corn syrup, prepackaged foods, and bleached flour goods but we are also working on actually using up the food that we buy.



Like most American families, we tend to waste a good deal of the food that comes into our home. Sometimes produce that looked so tempting in the grocery store spoils while neglected in the refrigerator. Other times, we just put too much on our plates at mealtimes. I'm also guilty of passing over leftovers in favor of a newly made dish.



When I think of the fact that much of the world struggles to get the nutritious food that we toss in the waste bin, I am quite frankly embarrassed. But I really want to use this as an exercise to develop more gratitude for the abundance we've been blessed with.



So this month the goals are simple:

• Make as much use of each food item as possible. This includes using vegetable trimmings to make vegetable stock or saving them for the compost pile. Cracker and bread crumbs come free at the bottom of the bag.
  


• Use up left overs. Lunches are a great way to use up left overs. So are soups. And casseroles.
  


• Start with small portions. While we aren't really trying to lose weight here, we do find that we don't always eat as much this way and we certainly scrape less off our plates into the garbage after a meal.

I'll post a report of how we did at the end of the month. Anyone want to join in?

God is trying to tell you somethin'

I haven't posted in a while. Tim was away in Africa at a conference for a week and Xavier and I decided to head over to Mandeville to visit with friends and family while he was away. After a week apart, it was so wonderful to see each other again and compare stories from our trips. However, the biggest surprise when I came home was this:

A little back story may be in order. Ever since we moved into our home in February 2006, our neighbor behind us has been doing home renovations. Half of our back fence is the back half of his side fence--our lots are perpendicular to one another. Both of our back fences square up to the massive drainage area behind our homes. The local drainage district folks keeps this area nice and mowed and it is a wonderful place for birds and wildlife.

Soon after beginning renovations, said neighbor started pitching junk over his back fence. At first it was relatively small stuff like chunks of jackhammered concrete. Then it got to be bigger pieces of wood. In the fall of last year, he drove across the right of way that is usually our front lawn to put a trailer behind his back fence. The pile grew and grew to about six feet tall. Unfortunately so did the sticker bushes and weeds since the public works folks could no longer mow around it.

I cannot overstate how much I let this situation drive me crazy. If I was having a difficult day, all I had to do was look at the backyard and I'd be off the races in frustration and indignation. How dare they be so selfish and self-centered! The two dozen or so other houses that had views of the drainage area only had to look at the mess, I had to suffer the mice and thorns creeping over and under our fence! I'm ashamed to admit that I had daydreams of throwing all the junk back over their fence in the middle of the night or hauling the trailer of junk to their front yard or worse.

Sometimes I got spiritual about it. When a mentor advised that I pray for God's will about the situation, I prayed for good things to happen to my neighbor. I prayed that he would win the lottery, want to sell his house and buy a bigger one, and he moved the junk to get top dollar. Not exactly a selfless prayer there, Susan. I also worked on accepting the fact that since he wasn't dumping on MY property, I really couldn't tell him what to do. I kept praying for grace to get past my anger and for a solution to present itself that didn't involve me turning into a vindictive Mrs. Kravitz.

Finally in September, after a hurricane blew through and rattled the junk heap a little too much for my comfort and the water didn't drain properly from our yard due to the weeds, I decided to call the drainage people. I mentioned that there was "some debris" that seemed to be preventing them from mowing part of their property and it was causing some drainage and vermin issues for me. They said they would clear it within 30-45 days. I marked my calendar for the follow-up call and turned it over (finally!) to God.

I also decided to "clean up my side of the street" by chopping down all the creeping jasmine that had come from my yard and was spilling over the back fence onto the trailer--making it an even bigger mess. I kept hacking and hacking at it until I realized there was something beneath the vine. When I cleared it entirely I discovered a beautiful four-foot-tall wrought iron cross underneath. At least everytime I looked in my back yard now, when I saw the cross, I had a physical reminder to offer up my suffering and desire to control this situation to God.

Well, wouldn't you know the drainage people did clear it after all? Of course, by clear I mean that somehow said trailer and trash is all in my neighbor's back yard again now. I am curious as to how all this went down (were fines involved? did he not have permission to drive it back through the right of way? did they just move it to the guy's yard?) but really that is none of my business.

In retrospect, I can't believe I let this make me so crazy for so long. I think if I had been less emotional from the beginning about all of this, I would have stumbled across the solution a lot sooner.