A Year of Unravelling Jumpers?

So as the official start of our year begins tomorrow, I've been thinking about how I'm going to have to be far more creative than I've been during our warm-up of the past couple of months.

This week I've started knitting a hoodie for the kids again (there was a long pause after K was born), and it's reminded me how much I love knitting and how that is another avenue for making gifts and getting clothing etc.  However, for anyone who's bought wool in the last few years, it is a very expensive option, in comparison to buying anything in the shops.  (I honestly don't know how they can justify the cost of clothing as it is, even if you halved the cost of wool!)   So buying more wool to make things; toys, stockings, jumpers, pen holders etc, seems like a dead-end.

Then revelation hit!!  (Amazing what things you think about in a darkened room whilst breastfeeding in the middle of the night...am never sure if I'm awake or dreaming up these things).  In my regular charity shop trawls, I can hunt out wool jumpers and unravel them for a giant supply of cheap wool!  It surely can't be that hard, once I've managed to undo the sticking that holds it all together.  So watch this space on whether it works or not (photos to follow later in 2012).

I've also decided I need to be more creative on food production.  This week I managed to get our new compost bin in place, in the corner of the backyard.  I've never been too optimistic about the amount of food we could generate in such a small space, with little sunshine, and lots of paving slabs.  Although the pots have done us proud, with tomatoes, apples and bay leaves.

But I noticed that we have a little strip of soil between the slabs and the wall (probably not quite 2 foot deep), which is hidden under bits of slate.  The soil underneath seems really good.  And all I need to do is relocate the apple tree pots (I'll probably need to get rid of a few shrubs, which aren't that exciting anyway), and we'll have a little strip farm of our own.  So I've emailed our friends who have a real strip farm (the source of our apple harvest earlier this year, and the beautiful bunch of mistletoe on our front door this Christmas...thanks!!!!) to get some tips on where to start, and hopefully we'll get some veg going later this year.  Something else to try and regularly fit into the week, but I've always aspired to an allotment later on, but am put off by the distance we'd have to travel to get to it....so no excuse on this challenge!

So as the New Year dawns there are lots of ideas and activities bubbling away.  It really is exciting, and I'm hoping that January and February (traditionally my least favourite months of the year (even though my birthday is in the midst of them)) are more positive than normal.  The biggest challenge will be time, especially as I juggle returning to work too, but I like nothing better than change and a challenge...so here goes.

So Happy New Year, to anyone reading this, and I hope you find something to challenge you this coming year, and find some richness in less too!

Unable to Outgive God

So we started this festive season with the focus of giving, rather than receiving.  No big present wishlists; a focus on gifts for the kids that encouraged great family time; and a desire to spend more money on those who are really in need, rather than on us having a 'Merry Christmas'.

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Over the past few days I've been looking back over the month to check that I haven't been distracted by sparkly lights and advertising (hard for someone that never watches anything other than CBeebies in real time anymore...and loves the skip forward button for anything that's been recorded on a channel that even does ads).  To my surprise/amusement/thankfulness, whilst we've been focused on giving, we seem to have been blessed by others giving to us, in a disproptionate way!

We've had friends doing clear outs, that have invited me round to delve through bags of things before they head to charity shops; I've helped my Dad clear out my Grandma's house, as she's unable to have much in the care home, and is more than happy for family to put to use her decades worth of stuff; we've had random things passed to us that are no longer needed, or are simply things people have received in duplicate....and for all this, we are truly thankful!

I have to confess to two shop purchases, but with mind-boggling discounts.  I have at last got a new coat that will keep me warm and dry on the bike, or when pushing the buggy in driving rain (a Berghaus 3-in-1, that firstly had 50% off, and then a further 25% off).  And yesterday, whilst popping into a shop for a lightbulb (haven't worked out a way to survive without these!), we saw some kids shoes discounted.  I managed to get the next pair of shoes for M....they had been £30 at full price, and everything was discouted to £15....that is apart from the one box I picked out for her, which was only £9!  Nothing wrong with them, no apparent reason for the extra discount...weird!!

So here are some examples of what we've got:

• a lovely sewing box
• a wet suit
• a four slice toaster
• a barometer
• kids jigsaws and games
• kids clothes
• M's next size up shoes
• a really warm and waterproof coat for me
• a presige hand-whisk
• the next size up car seat
• a blanket box
• a big flour sack storage box.

From all this, we've got things that I've been looking for, for months (in one case, about 3 years!), but haven't got as they've been too expensive, not quite what we wanted, or just seemed like a luxury we could do without. 

I love the way it's been the opposite to the normal way the world seems to work...more often than not, people spend far more than they earn....perhaps, we should all try giving, more than we spend, and let God worry about the rest (not with the motivation of getting lots of stuff) in the knowledge that we are blessed, and it's great to bless others.

A thought for Advent & Week -3 Update

I recently saw this cartoon in a 'Simple Way' e-newsletter, and it has become part of my advent focus.  It's been really good to keep in mind, when thinking about gifts for Christmas, and generally keeping the season in perspective.

What's been really interesting is the number of opportunities that have come to light which have just provided tiny chances to rebalance this image.

Here are a of couple of great sites that I've come across that allow some creative gifting to others (thanks for those who have found them and passed them on!):

• lendwithcare.org is a great microfinance site, where you can provide funding for entrepreneurs around the world.  Well done CARE International & The Co-Op 

• Must Have Gifts from organisations such as World Vision, and it's great to see so many different ways to buy goats, chickens etc from so many more organisations nowadays

Week -3 Update

Some will think I'm sad for saying it, but I'm excited to report that I've started using the Bokashi!  So watch this space to see what impact it has on our waste weight (although I think Christmas week may not be the best timing for reducing the weight).

I helped clear out my Grandma's house this weekend, as she has moved to a care home.  From it I've got some amazing family social history, some lovely retro gear (most of which I'm going to try and sell on the amazing Albert Road, for her!), some stuff for Portsmouth Food Bank, the Red Cross Asylum Seeker Drop In, Freegle and for general recycling.  A mammoth and exhausting task, but simply getting in a house clearance firm to gut it (and probably dump lots of it) seemed wrong.

Christmas presents are still being made, and there is still a little way to go....so I'm heading off to get back to it.  Enjoy the rest of Advent!

Week -4 Update

With an early Christmas celebration with the Seek Clan outside Preston this weekend, the week has been predominantly focused on making Christmas presents. Again I've noticed how much extra time it takes to make stuff...although it's far more satisfying than typing in a pin number!

Christmas Gifts

I've made chutney from the apples we picked in a friend's orchard last month, put it in old jam jars that we've been collecting as they empty, and decorated the lids by cutting up a paper bag that we got in a shop recently.  (Yes....I did venture into a shop!!  Oops)

Then there was a massive batch of fudge, ginger crispy fingers (a recipe from my childhood) and chocolate tiffin with a sneaky difference (popping candy) for the kids.

All finished off with wrapping (clear plastic from a florist and ribbons that I take off gifts that we're given over the years.

The gifts have crossed the generations, and either everyone is just humouring me and being very polite, or they have gone down well.

Christmas Tour

We've also toured 14 relatives and 4 friends in a five day trip up North, so although it's been a lot of petrol, we've managed to make it an efficient (if not tiring) trip.  We've also managed to pick up lots of hand-me-down toys to pass onto some local charities when we get home for their party gift bags.

Week -5 Update

So I've got this mad ambition to do a brief weekly update on challenges/successes/thoughts on each week, to track my day-to-day a bit more, rather than simply the main things I'm thinking on.  We'll see how many gaps appear in this!

(As it's not 2012 yet, you'll notice some minus figures in my countdown.)

Southsea Greenhouse on the Seafront

Food - I've just received my first organic veg box from the 'Southsea Greenhouse' which is a local co-operative that has started up this year.  It was a really impressive array of veg (although some bits were washed...a shame, as it lasts so much longer when it's still covered in soil), and has slightly soften my trepidation of not getting our normal Riverford box (which I highly recommend for those that don't live locally to Southsea).

Waste - no composting going on yet, so I weighed the black bag with trepidation this morning.  8.5kg of rubbish, of which 4kg was disposable nappies!!!  We only get through 2 a day as both kids sleep in them, rather than the terries...imagine what the weight would be if we just did disposable!  Mariella must have felt my pain, as tonight (bless her) she announced that she didn't want a night nappy any more...so fingers crossed I don't have lots of wash loads of bedding to do tomorrow!

Christmas Presents - with less than a month to go, I'm trying to be creative, although I've simply given up on the gifts that need to be sent further afield.  Note to self: start planning earlier for them next year!  However, I'm so happy with how simple and quick it was to make homemade Spiced Apple Chutney...will be doing that again, and am excited about a tiffin recipe I've found with popping candy inside (I'm hoping a great surprise for the kids that will receive it!).  I've also managed to pick up two unused baby clothing items at a local charity shop for a friend who's just given birth...it's amazing what people give away.

Inspiring Reading - I got the latest Conspire: magazine this week 'Food, Feast & Table'.  Another great read and challenge!  An inspiring article about a community that not only has a community garden (fruit, veg & livestock) but also composts all the local households food waste...has set my mind buzzing with questions about how we might add it into some local mutterings about a community allotment on our patch...just need to work out a bit of land!  (As ever there is so much in this, I might need to do a seperate post about it.)

What a week...and this was meant to be short!!!

No Roaring Fire This Christmas

We had our chimney swept this week and were given the sad news that it is breached with our neighbour's, so we won't be having a roaring fire this Christmas, and we won't be sending up messages to Father Christmas.

The options that we have are:

• don't use it
• line the chimney for around £1.5k (and have a fire that's about 20% efficient)
• put in a wood burning stove for around £2k (and have a fire that's nearer 70% efficient).

My immediate response was....how do we get it lined?  I love fires!  I want an open fire!  I need an open fire!

 

I then took a deep breath and realised that even if we had that kind of money, my priority is putting a bay window in our kitchen to make space for a table, which would impact every day of my life, rather than a fire which would be wonderful for a few evenings a year.

God then also reminded me that we have been richly blessed with:

• a roof over our heads
• central heating
• warm clothes
• rugs
• double glazing
• and friends that do have open fires;-)

So in the end, it was a no brainer, and once again I was reminded how useless I am at being thankful for all the amazing things with which we are blessed.  And with the howling, cold wind outside tonight, I am very thankful!   (And Father Christmas need never fear having a scorched behind when entering our property on Christmas Eve ;-)

My Reducing Waste Challenge

So as well as being more careful about what stuff comes into our house, I'm also eager to look at what goes out of our house, so as well as passing things on to others, I'm wanting us to reduce the waste that goes out in the black sack each week.

Lots of stuff goes in the green recycling bin, and we take glass to the glass banks or use and pass them on to bottle jams and chutneys (am currently making apple chutney from our orchard picking harvest).  But we still seem to have a pretty heavy black sack each week.

Previously when we had a garden we used to compost, but with our small back yard we haven't done it since moving to our new house.  A while ago I read 'Confessions of an Eco-Shopper' by Kate Lock and learnt about bokashi's for the first time.  I've been meaning to look into them for ages now, and when I logged onto StreetBank the other week and discovered locally that someone had one that I could borrow, I jumped at the chance. So I've collected it this evening, and now have to work out where to get the bran from, and need to get hold of a small compost bin as well.

So whilst I do that, I thought for the next 2 weeks I would weigh our black sack before putting it out, and have something to compare when I start composting again.  I'll probably end up having to give away the compost that we generate as I can't see us needing much in our back yard, but that just adds to the beauty of this new part of my experiment.  I'll keep you updated on progress!

Update on Weighing
23rd Nov = 10kg (before the bokashi enters our life)

Visit My New Highstreet

I'm discovering several different ways of getting hold of things for free or buying pre-loved items, and I thought I'd share some of them here so that others can check them out too. 

I'm also getting ideas from people that are reading this blog, and I thought I'd get a bit of a useful list of links going that you'll be able to view on a tab at the top of this blog shortly.  Feel free to contact me with any other useful suggestions.  I'm particularly interested in ones that link with the local community, but not exclusively.

Free Items

• My main way to give things away, outside of my immediate friends and family is Freegle
• And I've recently discovered StreetBank which is a similar concept (nicer interface, ability to lend, not just get, but not a great number of people on it yet...please join)

Pre-Loved Items to Buy

• The good old classic eBay (I particularly like using the 'Collect Only' pre-loved items, especially for larger items)
• NCT Sales are pretty good for children's clothes (although frustrating that you can't negotiate with anyone on the day)

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A happy 3 year old

So the birthday mission and fun is complete.

We had a very chilled out birthday lunch with 5 little friends, who, after lunch, played happily for about 45 mins whilst the parents sat and ate their lunch.  The only organised game required was Pass the Parcel, which was apparently the highlight. 

The hot air balloons had dried in time...and I even managed to make paper bags to carry the cake, origami animals, notes and bulbs.

And friends have even been creative and given recycled gifts...one favourite being an easel, which the kids who gave it to Mariella, revamped by painting and decorating it...fun for them, and for her!

And in the end, the only extras that I bought from our normal food shop, was a bag of sweets and some party rings.  It felt really good, was great fun, but has taken a lot of time.  And this continues to be my biggest lesson to date...living with less is definitely richer, but money does equate to time saved.  I've felt the impact of that this week, as all the normal house jobs simply didn't get done, as I was using all my time on the extras, and mixed with a lack of sleep from still breastfeeding during the night, it has definitely incurred a 'cost', just not in a monetary way.  Having said all that, I wouldn't have traded all the time and fun, and simply gone shopping to get everything!

A step too far for a mother's sanity?

So when thinking about M's 3rd birthday party I was 'inspired' to not buy anything to add fuel to the ever expanding party bag fire.  I think I might now be living to regret that!

With one more evening before her birthday lunch I still have to finish off 6 papier mache hot air balloons...what was I thinking!!  Admittedly I have a lovely first evening, leisurely making glue (no animals were harmed in the making of this episode), tearing up newspaper, sticking it onto two balloons.  The second night to do the final four (when I realised how long the blasted things take to dry out) was a slightly less enjoyable time, and now I have one night left and am still hoping they dry in time, I can engineer the baskets and the hanging of the balloons, and that they're going to withstand the excitement of 3 year olds for at least 5 minutes?

The great thing is that lots has been achieved without spending a penny:

• balloons found in the bottom of a drawer
• newspaper from a friend
• glue made with flour and water (see the recipe below if you're interested)
• no paint needed buying as the outer layer is some old IKEA wrapping paper I've had for ages
• pots have been scrounged for the baskets
• and inside we're putting:
• origami animals (instructions from the internet and a library book), 
• chocolate mice (had a giant bag given by a lady this week, who we met at a glass bottle bank and asked for jam jars, so we're now saving them for her, and in turn she gives us a jar of something and brought mice for the kids)
• little notes saying why M likes having them as friends
• and we were going to put in a bulb, and a flower pot (but I don't think the balloon will take the weight...although the honest answer is I think I've timed out)

Balloons Drying

So come back soon to see photos of the final outcome, and if you are mad enough to follow suit, below are some sites that I got inspiration from.  Just be warned that they take at least 3 days to dry (unless you want to crank up the heating, but as we haven't got ours on yet, I figured that would somewhat negate all my effort if I did that), and I'm not 100% convinced that 3 layers is adequate...so start a month in advance to have time to complete :-)


How to Paper Mache - I used the COOK METHOD of glue from this site
Hot Air Balloon - a step-by-step to making a hot air balloon, which I adapted slightly
Papier Mache Balloon - more steps with photos

'Apple'...what springs to mind?

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iPad, iPod, Mac...or the commonal garden, edible variety? 

We've just gotten back from a lovely weekend with friends who are old pompey neighbours, now living on an old strip farm outside Wells.  It's simply amazing and will be my city-dwelling children's countryside education.  We fed the chickens, collected eggs, looked at fox dens, saw badger tracks, pulled carrots and spent ages picking apples, and sorting them for storage, eating & cider making.

We've come home with eggs and bags of apples; now need to work out something to do with them.

But what a contrast to our day today on our way home...we stopped in Salisbury to have a day out with the in-laws, and the assault from the shops was madness!  Such a contrast, and I'm sure made more vivid since I haven't been in shops for a couple of weeks, and hadn't realised that Christmas had already arrived this year!  Santas, decorations, endless present ideas, Christmas trees.  (How do you explain all that to an almost 3 year old without making the world sound mad...OK, so I simply told her that the world had gone mad!)

So I've decided to start thinking about Christmas, and discover ways to get back to the simple apples in life, rather than the gadgets and wishlists.  I'm sure the kids will be just as excited by the mystery and fun of the celebrations, as getting a stack of plastic, packaging and stuff.  Generations before us did...let's try and rediscover some of it (it's not child abuse, honest!)

A 3 year old's birthday

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Children's birthdays seem to be full of money in our culture today:

• presents
• party
• entertainment
• venue
• food & drink
• party bags
• party clothes

And having run a children's party venue a number of years ago, I am passionate about not being drawn into the one-upmanship that seems to weigh heavily on many shoulders.

So how to celebrate being 3?

Firstly, my aim is for her to know how precious she is, and how much she is loved, not just by her blood family, but also by many others.

And secondly, it's about fun.

So the plan?

A simple party lunch at home with some of her little friends.

Some time to play together (whilst mummies eat).

Some fun things to give to her friends as they leave, which we'll have had fun making together.

And presents...that's the big question, which I'm unable to answer bravely yet.

We're blessed with so much, as she's certainly not needing anything.  And in the spirit of sharing and recycling things, she gets toys handed down throughout the year.  Do we need to have presents at birthdays (or Christmas...but that's a whole other subject!)  Will she be scarred for life if she doesn't get presents on her birthday?  Can we celebrate throughout the year when we get given things?  How can we mark the day of her birth in a rich and lovely way...

I definitely need to give this more thought and talk with others.  And I fully appreciate that at 3 I can get away with a lot, and probably as she's older and we can discuss things we can make joint decisions...perhaps the challenge is the middle years??  Discuss ;-)

No presents in 2012?

So I've been thinking about what do about presents for friends and family during the year?

Get Creative

It's not unheard of for me to make cakes, sweets, fudge, chutneys, cushions etc, so that's one idea.

 

Gift a Gift

But what I'm really liking the idea of, is gifting people some of my time and 'gifting'.  I could create a little 'tick voucher', returnable with your selected choice of activity for me to do.  Something like this...

Recycled Cards

Between nursery pictures that come home and the store of old cards, there is simply no need to buy a card all year (have no idea who to void postage though (eCards aren't quite the same)).

These things will be more personal, more full of love, more costly in terms of time, but so much more special.  So I hope I can make time to do this and that people will accept it with the love that it will be given.  (And I won't be averse to anyone giving me the same in return :-)

Ideas on the rules of engagement

Check out this blog 

In reality I can't avoid spending any money in 2012, so I've been thinking of some principles to try and work to, and tried to prioritise them.

Double-check do I really need it, and if so can I reduce the amount that I need?

Borrow is it something that someone else has, that I could share/borrow etc?

Recycle is it possible to use something that I or someone else is getting rid of? (Freegle is great for this!)

My experience so far is that I'm more successful with the above if I endeavour to remove the impulse and immediacy of a purchase, and if I talk about it with others and give myself time to think up alternatives and spread the word about what I'm looking for.

When I have to purchase something, I'm going to try and use these as priorities (would be lovely to manage to achieve the top 4 in all purchases of course :-)

1. Previously loved (charity shops, ebay, NCT sales etc)
2. Fair Trade (in my world, humans come first)
3. Organic
4. Local
5. Oh well....I tried and have to give in to what's available

Let's see how I get on...and it's a guide that I'll review as the year goes on.  Any thoughts/comments welcome...

Even terry nappies aren't a problem!

So I've been pondering whether or not to give this a go, and am now feeling that it's a bit of a redundant question to ask.

In the last month I've been wondering how we'll get the following (which we could do with):

Happiness is a terry nappy :-)

• some kind of bike or trailer that will enable me to get to and from work and nursery with me, the kids and all the baggage
• how I can live with out a few new clothes during the year (that I actually like :-)
• how I'm going to replace some terry nappies that are getting holes in
• what I'm going to do about presents (especially for adults) during the year.

And these are the answers that God has supplied:

• someone has (indefinitely) lent us a bike trailer which can hold at least one child and baggage, and fits on my bike!
• I popped into the Rowans Hospice Charity Shop in Southsea and came out with a Boden Skirt for a fiver! (which having looked online, would have cost a minimum of fify quid!!!!)
• I've just had a text from a friend who is getting rid of some terry nappies...could I use them?
• I've had an inspired idea...you'll have to visit soon to see a blog on that...but don't worry friends & family, you'll be getting something :-)

So I've decided to stop pondering, and get going.  God can help us get the things we need and far exceed my limited expectations....WOW....God is Good!

Do as I say, not as I do

So I find myself explaining TV adverts to an almost 2 year old:

"You don't need any of these things.  They're just there to try and convince you that if you had them, you'd be more happy. "

Then I find myself popping to Gunwharf Quays to get her some shoes from the discount Clarks and am pulled in all directions by the lovely shops I see (White Stuff, Cath Kidson, The White Company).  

I'm screaming internally....

"these things don't lead to more happiness....but they are rather lovely!"

In the end I practically ran to the bike to get out of there (as much as you can run with a child, a baby in a car seat, a nappy bag, shoe box and cycle helmets :-) 

So....I've been thinking!

Amidst the madness of a 2 year old, a new baby, lack of sleep, managing the house and juggling a hundred and one other things that I've committed myself to, I've been really challenged about how we are living our lives, so I thought I'd add another challenge.

I'm thinking of trying to become less of a consumer in 2012 and a more conscious consumer for the things I do need to buy.  I've been really challenged about where I put my trust and what I'm relying on.  It's ridiculously hard to rely on God for the day-to-day when you have a salary coming in, you live in a lovely place and you have shops and online retailers that can supply anything you fancy.  And even with the current economic climate we're still so richly blessed with things!  But why am I worrying about the current economic climate?  Why aren't I relying on God for the day-to-day, and how am I doing the best with what I do have (for others, ourselves and for the planet?)

So the plan is to try and buy as little as possible in 2012 (and I'm doing some practicing in 2011).  I'm going to come up with some principles to try and apply e.g. if we do need to buy things, have a list of priorities (borrrow/recycle/fair trade/organic/local...), and I'll write more about that shortly.

There are also so many things that we're already tied into e.g. mortgage, insurance, utilities & food.  But I hope to think more about all of these during the year to see how we can look at those as well as all the added extras...which is where I'll start.

And finally, I'm hoping to blog about my journey here for a number of reasons:

• to be able to look back at my journey throughout the year
• to have a go at blogging which I've thought about for a while (and this gives me a specific subject)
• and to share my journey with others who might be interested.

So if you'd like to follow, feel free to read my posts, feel free to add comments and share ideas, and if you fancy being challenged I'd really recommend Shane Claiborne & Chris Haw's 'Jesus for President' which I'm currently reading and has led to me doing this and much more.