A Week in the Life of a Budget Yogi- Tuesday

Today was a super blah day at work. Kind of soul sucking. So today's yoga needed to be mellow. In some ways I wanted to do some real calorie burnin' yoga, because I ate too much today :) but my body said no no, you need some Mellow Out And Heal From Your Day Yoga. So I listened. Sometimes I'm a good listener. not always, but sometimes.

I can pretty much do Rodney Yee's AM Yoga by heart now, so to get out of my messy and decidedly non-mellow house, I took my yoga to a very special place:

My balcony.

I recently fixed this thing all up- I regret that I didn't use it adequately sooner, but it is what it is and now I am. I got some fun colored chairs, painted a rock with the word NAMASTE and brought my plants out. And can I tell you...I LOVE IT. Its my tiny little oasis. I read out here, the little one and I eat lunch out here, and tonight, I did my yoga out here.

Namaste, indeed! :)

I need to stop being an apologist when it comes to my creative output.

Most of the time, I am painting, drawing or writing for Myself- and Myself thinks the products from that creativity are awesome in every way. No problem there. However, more and more frequently, I am commissioned to do something for someone else and am therefore getting paid for that creativity either by someone buying the finished product, or by someone commissioning something. That is when the ugly horns of Low Self Esteem attach themselves to my head and refuse to budge.

I am not, in general, a person for whom low self esteem is a problem. Not since I got out of college, became comfortable in my own skin, stopped caring what everyone else thought, and started realizing that, well...I like myself. So why is it that when I paint something for myself, I think its great; but when someone else is paying for it, I feel like its not good enough, or I feel the need to apologize for it in some way. Sometimes, the price I think my time is worth starts getting lower and lower in my head until if I let it go, I would be paying them to take the finished product.

Why do I feel like its good enough for me, but not good enough for someone else to spend money on.

All of this makes setting a price difficult for me. "I mean, just because you spent three hours of your time on it, doesn't mean that someone would want to pay what you feel your time is worth", my Head says, "because what if it doesn't look like you spent that much time on it" or "What if the finished product isn't exactly what they had in mind when they commissioned it?"

My time is important to me. At this stage in my life, if I'm working on a project for someone, most of the time I'm doing it at the expense of time with my son or family. This is a beneficial trade off- because my creative life is important and nurtures my soul- so I'm not begrudging that at all. I'm just saying that my time comes at a price, and I should honor that price by charging accordingly.

I paint well. Things look like what I intend them to be, and the finished products are quality. I should honor that by charging accordingly.

Not by overcharging, but by charging what's fair, and most of all- by giving the finished product its due respect in my own mind.

I'm reading a book right now, that I got years ago, but recently rediscovered. Its called Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of The Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes. I will discuss it more in a book post, but she has a chapter devoted to the discussion of creativity that is especially relevant to this issue of undervaluing one's creative life. I will probably read this one chapter again and again- hoping that the ideas will sink in replace the current negative revolving thought patterns, ones that undervalue the products of my creativity and pick at imagined artistic faults. 

Here's to running with the wolves. 

Ten Things to Do In (The Rest Of) 2010

There are some things I want to do before the close of 2010, so instead of letting the end of the year just zoom by like it usually does, I thought I'd put them into a list and blog on them as they occur.  This gives me something to blog about as well as helps me complete my list. WIN WIN!

So here's the list (brought to you by my friend here, Mr. Guinness Guy In A Kilt):

• Send (and actually mail) ALL the Christmas Cards I intended to in the first place
• Adopt a Turkey from Farm Sanctuary
• Read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Make a Victorian Christmas...something
• Write one post a week to finish up the year at The Queen's Scullery
• Make a pillow for my mom
• Help Cameron make a Christmas present for his godmother and my aunt
• Bring my plants inside before they freeze to death
• Finish reading Black Beauty 
 

And last but certainly not least...

• STAY AWAKE TO WELCOME 2011!!!

I know, I know! I'm a party a minute! Try to contain your excitement while waiting for the posts on my list completion!

More of the Same but Different

Where have I been? Mostly in job limbo. For four months. I applied to return to my former career as a high school history teacher in my city school system at the beginning of May. In June I got hired by a school I was excited about. Then for two months after that the school worked hard to process me through the system's HR in the midst of a hiring freeze. I found out yesterday they were not successful.

Ah well. Thankfully I still have a boss who didn't want to see me leave and a job that I don't hate. I like where I work, but the pay is awful and barely worth the money I spend on daycare in order to go there everyday. On the other hand, the benefits are good, I've been there for four years, I like the work environment, and in this economy, the pay may not be great, but it IS pay.

So, I will continue on there and then see where things go next year.

Either way, the limbo was sort of good. I was able to examine my life and since things were so uncertain, figure out what things were important and what I wanted this year to look like (even though I'm not teaching, I do work at a college, so my brain considers 'years' to go from September to September, not January to January).

What I found is that I want this year to be more creative. I had started looking into selling things on Etsy, and did a few projects for friends which I really enjoyed back before I started the new job process. So now that I won't be focused on lesson planning and the other things that come along with teaching, I want to concentrate on creativity in all aspects of my life. Come to think of it...this sounds a lot like a post I wrote before I entered job limbo four months ago. Maybe I should have cut out the middle man and just gone with the creative life, but I think I needed all of this drama to get focused.

So anyway. Hopefully today will be the start of a new and more focused creative life for me. (Finally. I never make ANYTHING simple...) Its so easy for me to get sidetracked though (and lazy, if I'm being honest), so I am glad that I feel much 'onward and upward' than I have in the past.

We'll see. Cross your fingers and send good energy my way. :)

I've also missed my blog friends. Even though I don't know you all in person, I enjoy reading what you write (I have kept up with my google reader and Twitter, so I hadn't totally fallen off the face of the earth) and I do consider you friends of sorts. I guess that's whats sort of weird but cool about the internet. So I look forward to being back and being a more active participant. Thanks to those who are still reading this!

Cheers!

What would Paula Deen do?

To continue with my Paula Deen posting:


Today I was supposed to go to the first birthday party of one of my friend's kids, but my own almost one year old was too sick to go (without me being officially labeled the Bad Mother Who Brings a Snotty Coughing Baby to Another Baby's Birthday Party) and my husband had to work. So I wasn't able to go and was bummed about that. I don't have too many things in my planner, and this was something that had been there for several weeks.

So...I was rattling around the house wondering what to do with myself with no money and a sick kid, when I thought:

What would Paula Deen do?!

My conclusion was that Paula Deen would make a bangin' dinner for herself. Not that an awesome dinner makes up for not going to the party that I was looking forward to, but the process of cooking was therapeutic and filled the day with something productive but creative (as opposed to say...cleaning).

So I put the kid in his exersaucer and he nommed on toast while I made apple/carrot/cranberry muffins, balsamic vinegar glazed portobello mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes, and sauteed green beans. The mushrooms are from Vegan with a Vengeance and from my post-preparation tasting I  can attest to the fact that...they taste AWESOME. Its all sitting in casserole dishes in the fridge, the dishes are in the dishwasher, and tonight dinner is all made!


Thanks for my inspiration on a bummer day, Paula Deen; I hope I did ya proud. :)

Sluggish Snow Induced Sloth

It's been a while since I've written. Things have been busy around here- there's the SNOW for one thing, and the family has had a revolving cold that just seems to circulate from person to person and then back again, 0h and work has been a little weird. My life is sort of in one of those Never Never Lands where it seems to be changing from what it was but the final destination of the change hasn't been revealed yet. Not that life changes ever result in a "final final" destination (depending on your life after death beliefs anyhow) but usually changes result in a directed state of cruising towards something tangible. (Or something). Anyway, changes needed to be made- not that anything was BAD per se, but some (mostly work) things have become a little stale- so I'm working on that...but life hasn't revealed what my future 'state of cruising' will be.

One thing I HAVE been fairly focused with has been food. I still haven't eaten meat since the new year, which has been an accomplishment I'm proud of. (Well...outside that one tuna sandwich. Damn you Tuna Steve!) Even when I've been at other people's homes I've managed to eat the non-meat items while politely leaving the meat ones where they are. My biggest issue with being vegetarian is not being impolite in the face of someone's hospitality. Don't want to be "any trouble". I know that plenty of vegetarians and vegans are able to make this work on a daily basis, but its something I struggle with, and making it almost a month and a half is a big deal for me.

That being said, the past week or two have been a little junky food wise. I haven't eaten completely horribly, and a year or so ago I probably would have considered how I've eaten to be pretty healthy, but my body was starting to run really smoothly and I can definitely feel the difference in the past two weeks. Much more sluggish and- TMI alert- decidedly bloated. Wah wahhhhhh. :) I think it's been all the snow. Being stuck in the house for 4 days definitely doesn't do much for keeping one from the kitchen- in fact, I made cupcakes at 9am one morning just...
'cause. I am trying to lose baby weight, and have lost all but 10 lbs (I gained a LOT of weight so only having 10 lbs to go is major). BUT... before this week, I had lost all but seven pounds, and I definitely don't like going backwards on that account. (Although it could be pounds of muscle that I added from all the shoveling out of my car...TWICE. In case you didn't notice the rear view mirror poking out in the picture to the right, that's my car halfway through the first storm this past weekend. I think I'll consider shoveling muscles to be the reason behind the weight gain and move on.) :)

On the other hand, the time stuck in the house was great for trying new recipes. My husband and I are usually super busy during the week- he usually doesn't get home before 6:30 and we go to bed at 9 (please keep all comments about how sad that bedtime is to yourselves thank you very much) so dinner is usually functional and "git 'r done" and not so much exploratory. So during the snowstorm, we tried some new recipes and even had a leisurely brunch one morning (which never happens except on Christmas morning), and that was really fun. My mom got me a book of easy and quick Indian recipes last month, so we made several from that. Definitely tasty!!!

So, in light of my sluggish and slightly off the healthy food wagon self, I am going to make a small, and I think achievable goal of consciously eating more raw foods (lots of raw or lightly cooked fruits and vegetables) and not so much of the processed and more ingredient laden concoctions for a week. (Ingredient laden meaning those foods with lots of unpronounceable ingredients, not ingredients in recipes.) And to help me with this goal, I am going to try to be accountable by posting everyday for one week straight (or at least posting something ABOUT everyday, sometimes I might post about Monday on Tuesday, as well as posting about Tuesday on Tuesday due to time issues, but in the end, I will have eight posts about eight days of eating healthier).

I already have several recipes picked out from Choosing Raw and am planning a trip to the store tomorrow to hunt and gather all those super duper healthy veggies, so...here I go!

Onward Sluggish Soldier, onward!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's the new year and I've been trying to think about what it is that I did last year that I liked and what I would like to continue doing so that those things can become automatic and part of my whole lifestyle in the future. One of those things is vegetarian eating with an emphasis on more vegan food. I have been doing great eating vegan at home thanks to my Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Comfort Food cookbooks, as well as several food blogs including Vegan Crunk and Vegan Dad. So far this year, with the exception of one tuna sandwich, I have not eaten any meat, and I'm trying to continue with that- one meal at a time.

I have been trying to recycle more, both with "trash" going out back for recycling pick up and also by repurposing things that aren't necessarily trash- like glass sauce jars. I even just remembered to put some paper bags by the door for when I go to the grocery store later today. Woohoo! :-)

I am slowly getting stuff together to sell on Etsy. I paint and have been trying to make other things as well and I would like to develop that into a successful side business- to both help support my family, as well as my favorite animal rescue. I've never done anything like Etsy before, but I am slowly putting my site together and trying to make a go of it. My shop is still pretty rough, but it's getting there. I am slowly adding descriptions and items.

Other than the things I've mentioned, my OVERALL goal this year is to be frugal. Babies are crazy expensive, so to keep some of the OTHER things I love in my life- like my five rescued animals- I need to cut back and find ways for me and my family to save money. Not eating meat and cooking for myself is DEFINITELY helping, but I know there are more things I can do to help save. The Mindful Merchant is one of my inspirations- she seems to be genetically thrifty and provides great inspiration and tips. I'm not naturally frugal, but I'm making a go of it and so far I think I've been doing a great job. Coupon clipping and all!

So, this year, as always thanks for reading and may 2010 be the best year yet for all of us!

Update on Goings on Here at the Eco-ing Myself House

Cooking is still going well (the above is a tofu stir fry I made with brown rice. YUM. And pretty too!), and as for the 'eco-ing myself' part of this blog, I am doing well with that also! I really find myself thinking before I do a lot of the things I used to and making changes based on what would be greener. For instance, I used to print out tons of things at work. Mostly because I read better off paper than off a computer screen, so I liked to print things out to work on and then follow up with the document on the computer. Lately though, I have been thinking about all the poor dead trees before I push print. "Do I really need to print this?" runs through my head before I do and most of the time, the answer is no, so I don't. Sometimes it takes a little more effort, especially when I'm switching between multiple spreadsheets, but I'm working on getting better at it and it's working!

I also think twice before throwing things away- I have found all sorts of uses for old jars and bottles that I never would have thought of before. All it takes is a little creativity.

So things there are going well! A special thanks to all my friends who frequently Tweet and post blogs about little ways to be greener- they really help keep me on the straight and narrow earth wise. I guess I have developed an eco-conscious, and am hoping to find even more ways to improve. You know, when you start with little things...going greener really doesn't take that much more energy and time, all it takes is a new mindset.

To close, below is a picture of the card I made for my dad's birthday with fabric scraps I had left over from sewing projects. It would have looked much better had I not used super glue- it was all we had in the house and unfortunately...it came through the fabric and left little crusty looking spots after it dried. But hey...it was still a cool card and my dad liked it, which is all that matters anyway. I paired it with some cocoa chip muffins that I made by leaving the coffee out of the mocha chip muffins from Vegan with a Vengeance. My dad isn't a mocha fan, but the muffins were a hit by leaving it out! :)

More Cooking

I've been really successful with my cooking projects and am really finding that a) I enjoy it and b) that it has really helped me save money because I actually PREFER to eat at home because the stuff I make is yummy. This is unheard of in the Hope Mentality. In the past I eat at home because it's necessary...not because I want to. So that's awesome, because it helps me in my goal to transform into Scroogy McFrugalson due to the nature of the family finances (babies are SO PRICEY! Yikes.) I could stand to learn some frugal techniques, and not eating out is really helping me get a jump start. I've also made it into a game, so that's been my sanity saver. I'm kind of having fun seeing where I can cut corners to keep the dough residing in my wallet. Coupon cutting anyone? (Thanks to The Mindful Merchant for letting me know about Mambo Sprouts!)

Today's adventure is trying to find the brand of cat litter I use at the lowest possible cost to me. Woohoo!

But anyway, back to food. Here's some things I've made lately:



These are the herb potatoes from Vegan with a Vengeance, which are a big hit with the fam. I always have to make extra for lunches the next few days. YUM! (Note: This is not meant to be a Food Blog, so I know the pictures are crappy and make the food look....um...not as appetizing as it actually was. I'm just trying to document my progress here.)









This picture is of the tofu scramble (also from VWAV) I make to go with the herb potatoes. Also tasty. Even my non-vegetarian husband likes it. It's especially yummy when made into a breakfast burrito with tortillas, salsa, and guacamole.






And HERE...are the cupcakes I made to take to Pumpkin Night- a night of fun and pumpkin carving my family always stages around this time of year. It was also my cousin's birthday, hence the candles. They were a hit, and I told no one that they were vegan. :)



I also made frosting...that didn't quite do what I wanted it to do. It didn't firm up enough to spread on the cupcakes without being a TOTAL mess, so I left it in the bowl and it became "Pourable Frosting", which totally worked because in the end, people were dripping it over ice cream and dipping fruit into it. Multipurpose! I figured it was a major success when my cousin told me I should bottle it up and sell it.


YAY for a non-cooking person being a success at cooking!

Pin Cushion Project

Last week, I made the most beginner of beginner projects in the Sew Everything Workshop Book, which was the pin cushion. It served two purposes- I needed a pin cushion, because I didn't have a pin cushion and it gave me a chance to jump back into sewing. The project was successful, and in the process I was able to re-purpose a pair of fuzzy socks that had holes but which I hadn't thrown away because...I have problems throwing things away. So I used the socks to stuff the pin cushion instead of buying polyfill. Economical AND environmentally friendly. Not to mention emotionally friendly since I didn't have to throw away the socks that I clearly had some unnatural attachment to. (I'll say right now because anyone reading this will probably find out eventually anyway- I have a real issue feeling sorry for inanimate objects and therefore have trouble doing things like....THROWING STUFF AWAY.)

But I digress. I was very successful in my pin cushion project and made something that is super cute AND functional!

Viola!



The only problem was that I didn't use my sewing machine. It was a small project and I sew pretty quick by hand, so instead of learning how to use my new machine, I just went ahead and sewed it by hand. It didn't even take me an hour from start to finish, which was cool, but before I do any larger projects, I need to learn my machine!

So that's my goal for the weekend. To learn my machine and make a pillow. I have the fabric cut and pinned...so all I need now is to bite the bullet and get acquainted with my Brother. :)

I think I should give it a name. Make it a friend. I'll think about it and let you know what name I come up with for my new sewing friend.

Successful Thursday Mealtime

Tonight I made the Maple Dijon Potatoes and String Beans from Vegan with a Vengeance and can I say...AWESOME. I also had a pack of tempeh in the fridge that was getting dangerously close to it's use by date, so I used the glaze on that too (my husband used it with chicken) and it was ALL AWESOME. Smiles all around. And leftovers! Whee!

Not only that, but last night I finished a painting for my friend's housewarming.


(The painting is way more vibrant in real life, it's not the greatest picture...but whatever...I'm trying to get more comfortable posting things I've painted, so...there it is.)

It's been a successful week of making stuff!

I have another yummy meal planned for tomorrow...so hopefully that will set off a successful week-END of making stuff. We'll see how it goes. :)