editing.
I discovered the mo+mo living site last week. The philosophy of “paring to what is essential + valued + beautiful” resonates with me so much! I feel like I’ve been on a quest for the last year to simplify and purge my life of ‘stuff’. It’s way too easy for things (that are supposed to make life better) to take over. And it also seems difficult to reclaim simplicity, whether in the realm of food, work or simply living.
image from mo+mo living.
This idea of editing and getting back to the basics is extremely appealing, especially when it’s broken down into bite-sized tips for actually making it happen.
A few super-inspiring (and relevant to me) pointers from the blog:
· focus on investing in well-made goods and on having fewer things
· avoid rushing into purchases and instead carefully curate over time
· clutter can come in the form of unfinished tasks
· make a list of unfinished tasks
· each day schedule time to do one thing on your list
· complete unfinished projects
· let go of projects that no longer interest you
life, good ideas, inspiration, healthy living,A simple comparison.
I bought a flat of these white eggs at our farmer’s market this morning. These are local eggs, and a flat (20 eggs) was only $3. The last time I bought these, it seemed like over half had double yolks — something I had never even come across once with store-bought eggs!
Alone, they don’t seem extra large…until you set one side-by-side with a ‘regular’ egg. If you don’t already go there, make sure you check out your farmer’s market for local eggs and produce. You might be surprised at what you find!
Greenville, cooking, healthy living,Garden Update
July and August is the time of year that my excitement for gardening wanes. The South Carolina summers are so hot that all my plants are withered and dried up, and it seems there’s no amount of watering that can save them. Unfortunately, it’s easy to give up on all those seeds I was so excited to plant a few months ago.
Look at my poor soybeans!
The last few weeks in Greenville we’ve seen massive amounts of downpours, and the other morning a glimpse of green in the garden made me stop and look. To my surprise, a few plants have revived themselves (including my tomatoes and peppers!) and after closer inspection, I found a few surprises!
Fascinating mushrooms.
Plus a few cucumbers and summer squash!
I’m excited to make some steamed fish and vegetables one night this week. After months of nothing, it’s nice to see some produce coming from our own backyard again!
gardening, Greenville, healthy living,Peace, Love and Soap.
This is follow up to my previous post.
Going to our downtown Saturday Market has become a fun practice for Andrew and I this summer, and this week I was particularly looking forward to one vendor there. The Peace, Love and Soap company. They have a booth at the market each week, and I also just learned that their products are now available at (the Greenville) Whole Foods and Mast General. I am so excited about this for them!!!
I bought a bar of their Tea Tree soap (not yet available at Whole Foods!) which I already feel so much better about using!
In the past year, I’ve tried to be more aware of what I eat, and what I choose to put into my body. For example: buying more local foods, avoiding highly-processed foods, etc. But until watching that video, I have never consciously stopped to think about the things I put on my skin, and allow into my body that way. My take on the issue: while I agree that the government needs to be held responsible for products they approve to be sold, I also feel that responsibility falls on the consumer as well. We need to ask questions, and find out what people are selling us, whether that’s in our food or in our beauty products. I’m very glad that someone took the time to make this video and make me aware that this is something I need to be asking questions about!
A friend directed me to Cosmetics Database, where you can look up products you use and learn if they’re safe or not. I will definitely be seeking out more alternative products (like Peace, Love and Soap) both locally and online!
Greenville, Environment, craft, healthy living, products,Bikes in Europe.
Traveling outside of the US for the first time was an experience I’m so grateful to have had. It was good for Andrew and I to see a tiny glimpse of the elements (language, food, history) that make each culture different. To be able to compare the way we live with the way others live and to appreciate the differences.
One of the elements of Europe that we really enjoyed was the bikes. I consider my hometown, Greenville a very bike-friendly community, however the main focus here seems to be on ‘cycling’ as a sport. One of my favorite memories (one I didn’t get a photo of) was walking down streets in Germany and being passed by business men and women riding their bikes home from work. In their suits. Some with briefcases. Some with groceries.
For most of us, riding bikes is something we did as a kid. And unless you’re a dedicated cyclist or mountain biker, it’s not really something you do as an adult. But in Germany, riding your bike is just a regular, normal part of everyday life. One we really liked.
In Barcelona, I did get evidence of this bike culture!
This is a station where you could drop off and pick up a bike. In the the second photo, you can see exactly how many stations there are throughout the city! We didn’t rent one because we didn’t know exactly how the system worked, but we saw a good number of them being used as we walked around. From what I understand, these bike stations are part of the public transportation system. Bikes work alongside buses, trams and metros to move people around the city.
There is a company doing something like this in the US, called B-cycle. I think the concept itself is wonderful, and the website and materials for it are designed very well. I really hope to see B-cycle come to Greenville eventually. Their only current location is Denver, but you can vote for your city here (right now Greenville is ranked #17).
