Happy Wednesday! Making homemade lemonade is one of those super simple activities that I don’t do nearly enough. This past Sunday I reaaaaally wanted a treat, but I’m sure you remember that I’m saving up for a travel adventure, which means NO treats! At least no treats that I have to pay for. After gazing longingly into my freezer and still not seeing any ice cream, I spun around and spotted an enormous bowl of lemons on my countertop and that’s how this homemade lemonade recipe was born.
Hey baby mommas and poppas! From time to time I like to share photography tips and bits. Today I’ll show you a simple setup for a newborn photography session. If you have a DSLR, this tutorial is especially for you! If you’re working with an iPhone or point and shoot camera, these tips will totally help you out too, but there’s going to be some information that you don’t need so just skim through all that junk. Like I said, this is a simple setup. Nothing crazy goin’ on here. I think it’s best to master the basics first and that’s what we’ll be focusing on in this post.
I’m currently reading a great book called Everyman’s Guide to Ecological Living by Greg Cailliet, Paulette Setzer and Milton Love. I wanted to share their general rules to live by because they resonate so deeply within me. This book was published in 1971 and only cost $.95 at the time! It’s pretty short with a little more than a hundred pages. It is written in a really straightforward and simple manner and while some aspects are outdated (because this was one of the first resources of its kind and the internet wasn’t around yet) the ecological principles hold up. It’s actually pretty quaint to read things like, “Support manufacturers that sell deposit bottles. Write them and express your satisfaction with this policy.” So while some of those suggestions don’t make sense today, the ideas behind the actions the authors want you to take are still important and shouldn’t be forgotten.
I think Everyman’s Guide to Ecological Living is a great text if you haven’t really given ecological living much thought. I’m not sure if I mentioned this on Seasoned yet, but I have dreams of living far away from “the real world” on my own little plot of land. Self-sustainability and off-the-grid living is an attractive fantasy and one day I hope it’s an attainable goal. Not many of these principles are new to me, instead I find myself shaking my head ‘yes’ while I read page after page. For me, this book is a nice affirmation that living simply should and is valued by many, even if I don’t come across those folks every day. I also love the simplistic nature in which all these principles are laid out for the viewer. This text would actually be great required reading for middle school kids. Each page has suggestions for living a more ecologically-sound life; we could all do a little bit better, yes?
Here’s how the book begins:
Be Constantly Aware of the Interdependence of Man and Nature.
Happy Monday! It’s May! I can’t believe it. This year is flyyyying by. Do you feel that way too? Today we’re sharing our Seasoned View and it happens to be flowers, flowers and more flowers! I guess April showers really do bring May flowers… All these images were shot in Colorado, so know that you’re sprinkling a little bit of the Rockies onto your desktop this month. Have a great week!
You can upload one or all of these photos to use as your desktop background or as phone and tablet wallpapers. Simply click on the download link below each photo and save the image. Enjoy!
I think about traveling every. single. day. Sometimes it’s motivating, sometimes I feel bummed that I’m not off romping around and sometimes those thoughts encourage me to search for travel jobs and update my website. Tonight I did the later and after working a couple twelve hour not-so-exciting days in a row, all I want is to live in a van and drive, drive, drive. Instead I’ll post some photos – a few of these didn’t make the cut for my website. Maybe they’ll give you the urge to get out there or maybe the lottery gods will read this post and my numbers will win tonight 😉
Happy Monday errrrr Wednesday! We’re not the type to make excuses, but we’ve been busy! This past week I spent my days in Boulder with Katie, Calder and their two boys. It was such a blast! I can’t even think about all the fun I had or I might cry. I’m not sure when my tears started flowing so freely, but I cry A LOT these days. Usually it’s about happy moments or cute videos, but sometimes I tear up when people win on Wheel of Fortune. Yeah, what the hell is happening to me?! Anyway, when I think about how much fun I had this past week and how cute the kiddos are and how far away we live from each other I want to cry, but I won’t because I’m in control, right? Right.
If you want to feel in control like me, you’ll totally make this lime crema because it’s the easiest and tastiest dipping sauce on BOTH sides of the Mississippi and as you’re shoveling spoonfuls into your mouth you’ll think “Holy cow that was easy. I rock. I’m a cuisine queen. I’m in control of my supper and my life.” At least that’s how my thoughts played out as I was dipping my sweet potato fries. Oh and lime crema is adaptable too! It’s basically an equation: cashews, liquid, salt and seasoning. That liquid could be any type of milk, vegan or not, or you could use water; I promise it will taste just as creamy with water. It’s amazing. Don’t ask questions.
Hey party podcast people! Remember way back in January when we shared our goals for 2015? Well, one of mine was spreading the news about great podcasts. Maybe you listen to them and maybe you don’t, but after reading this you MUST. Podcasts are pretty nifty. I think of them like blogs for the radio. Some podcasts have huge budgets and a big staff and others are created by an individual out of their home office (or closet!). Plenty of podcasts are free and simply ask for donations if you really dig the program, but obviously you don’t have to give any money if you can’t spare it. Podcasts are really easy to download (for free!) and you can also subscribe to your favorites and they’ll automatically upload to your phone, computer or ipod each time there’s a new one. I find podcasts through iTunes, but if you use a different music program just do a quick google search and you’ll certainly find a tutorial about how to find, download and subscribe to podcasts.
I loveeee listening to podcasts because radio is awesome, but commercials suck! It’s also nice to be able to really control what you’re listening to in the car. I get so frustrated, annoyed and tired if I don’t have something good playing on the radio. I love music, but sometimes I want to learn something nifty in my spare time and podcasts are perfect for bits of information or unique perspectives on different topics. Today I’m going to share some recent interesting episodes that have a little something to do with the environment, ’cause ya know, earth day was yesterday and arbor day is tomorrow! Did you do anything special for yourself and our planet yesterday? I hiked to the top of Mount Sanitas and I won’t forget about it anytime soon – SO sore. Totally worth it of course!
Hey there! After one week of paternity leave, Calder was back at work this week, and I was slowly learning what our days would look like with two little guys. Right now they’re long and lazy, which isn’t too bad :-). Luc spends a lot of time in the Ergo, while Alex continues about his days with lots of requests to “go side” (i.e. go outside) and for “popcols” (popsicles). Alex also takes any chance he gets to give Baby Luc a kiss, and Luc seems to be a good sport about taking all of the kisses and love taps from his big brother in stride. So, all in all, these days couldn’t get any better are going to be even more fun when Sarah arrives this weekend!
What a week! Lots of hikes and a bunch of work. Tonight I’ll pack my bags for Boulder and hang out with Catahoula Cash. Kev is at a conference this weekend and originally I planned on joining him, until we remembered we had a dog. Oh yeah. Whoops!
Happy Friday!
Macrame has long been my favorite fiber art. Although there are some crazy complex macrame pieces out there, when it comes down to it, you’re just tying knots! Making macrame plant hangers are similar to making friendship bracelets except on a slightly larger scale and at the end of the summer you don’t have to cut them off. This project is great for beginngers and advanced fiber artists alike (yes, you’ll be a fiber artist if you create one of these plant hangers 😉 ) because you can tie a couple familiar knots or mess around with complex combinations of knots – it’s totally up to you. I’m basically giving you an outline of how to make a plant hanger, but I want you to flex your creative muscles and make it your own unique macrame piece. I wouldn’t mind seeing a few of the finished pieces either, so feel free to tag us.
You have enough. You do enough. You are enough. I’m constantly thinking about abundance, about enoughness. I feel as though I have so much and yet my bank account is never abundant. It’s always almost completely empty. Yes, like empty, empty. Why? Because my bills life is abundant. I’m paying for college, for rent, for food, for gas, mostly for gas actually. I have enough. I could live off the food in my fridge for at least another two weeks, but I’ll probably go grocery shopping tomorrow. My clothes will last years before they grow holes, but I’ll buy a new dress this summer. My bank account could use some fluffing, but instead I’ll drain it for a plane ticket to Colorado. Abundance. Abundance and the piece of mind to grasp onto all these good things and enjoy them while I can because while life is abundant today we don’t know what will happen tomorrow.
I’m constantly struggling with this idea of work and money and time and life. It’s pretty confusing and I’m sure none of us have it completely figured out. I do know that I value my time and happiness above all else, money included, which is why I will try to make this freelancing thing work as long as I can. I know money buys pretty things and it buys travel, something I adore, but it doesn’t make life any easier, although I’m sure sometimes it appears to make life less stressful. Each day I strive to experience the world on my own terms without the comfort of a 9-5 job. Some days it’s really easy and other days months I cannot seem to find enough gigs to pay the rent. It’s really shitty sometimes and somehow you feel that failure to find work independently as a reflection of yourself instead of our society that values worker bees instead of happy ones. It’s tough, but there’s enough to go around. I could easily get a different job, but an bigger bank account does not equate to increased abundance, at least not the kind I’m thinking of. Abundance is spare time, happiness, and laughter. Abundance is care packages, volunteering and bartering. Abundance is a million things and each of us know how to practice abundance in our own way. If you yearn abundance, share some of your own and it will come back to you. Until then, know that you have enough. You do enough. You are enough. That is my current mantra and it would delight me if some of you adopted it today and tomorrow and forever.
