Send my peas to China!

Apparently my last post about saving money did not sit well for some. I was thoroughly chastised for being "stressed" (although I didn't use the word myself). Apparently, I have no right to be stressed while there are poor people in India. Which reminds me of the "eat your food, there are starving children in China" passive-aggressive statement...how does my full stomach benefit starving children in China? If anything, that should motivate me not to eat my peas and ship them to China. So there are poorer people than me? Yes, I know. I hardly think my stress affects them negatively. Or at all. Ever.

But this is really about gratefulness, isn't it? I am very grateful and thankful for all that I have. It can always be worse, it can always be better too.

To conclude, I am not stressed. I am simply trying to be a good steward of what God has given me.

The Recession Game

I was chatting with my husband last night about the recession and money and our savings account. We concluded that we want to try and save as much as possible especially during this time.

We came up with a couple things:

1. We are cancelling our Netflix account...we really don't use it anyway

2. We will only buy our fruits and veggies from the farmer's market (package and freeze quantities)..which is actually better all around for us and for our neighbors and our environment.

3. We will continue making our own bread (I have a super easy and delicious recipe, if anyone is interested). Again, this is healthier and better for the environment.

4. No more Starbucks, we can make our own coffee at home.

5. WinCo. As much as I HATE this store, it does save us some money.

6. Freebies! We live in a very beautiful state and city! And since summer is the driest time of year, there are a plethora of free outdoor activities so we will be anything but bored.

Does anyone else have any other ideas or suggestions? What do you do to save a little extra money?

Life After People

"Life After People", a new history channel show, explores what would happen to our world after we are gone. What will become of our grand buildings? What about our domestic pets? Trash? Roadways? Within a matter of years, everything will be eaten away by the elements (weather and plant life) and will eventually return to forest. Without human control over dams and water supply, several main cities (Chicago and London, for example) will be flooded while cities like Los Angeles will return to its desert roots.

Here's a picture of Paris, population 0:





I love the show. I love the fierceness and resilience of nature. I daydream about life with very few people on earth. The quietness (from human evidence) and wild simplicity would be such a drastic difference. A world full of wildlife and very few human footprints would be my own Shangri-la.

CJ7

CJ7 is a must-see Chinese movie!

"Ti, a really poor construction worker that struggles to keep his son, Dicky, in private school, mistakes an orb he finds in a junkyard for a toy his son heavily requested from him, since all of the classmates had it. This object turns out to be an alien creature with regenerative powers that will end up teaching important lessons to both father and son, amidst a dramatic turn of events in which Dicky is confronted to the harsh realities of life. "-IMDB

Although the subtitles are small (and yellow), I loved this movie! It is so charming and so entertaining! We found it on Netflix instant and laughed throughout!

What's wrong with this?

Plans.

There's something funny about making plans. The universe and I do not get along when it comes to making plans. Because as soon as I am about to reach my goal, something inevitably comes along and changes the whole path. I know this is a good time to "be strong", "hang in there", "have faith" but honestly, I don't want to be strong. I want things to go according to my plan. I want to transition smoothly into life's BIG changes. I don't want this. Take it away. Make it easy. Please?

Weekend

Amidst lost hours at work, possible lay-offs, a miscarriage scare, being hurt by a "friend", I had the best weekend! I got to say, I love my husband so much, it brings tears to my eyes. I know this may turn some readers off, but I never thought I'd find someone who loves me as well as Brenden does. He was the biggest surprise of my life and I will forever be grateful and committed to him.

Garden!

I've always dreamed of having a huge garden full of vegetables, greens, and flowers! Until I buy a house with a yard, I will have to settle for apartment- style gardening.

Introducing Laura's Little Herb Garden:

Rosemary, Mint (for summer mojitos), and basil!

Mirror, Mirror

I love having a husband who is a skilled builder. He made us this mirror and completed the design with a rub-through paint job.


I found a similar (and smaller) mirror at Pottery Barn for $300. It cost Brenden about $17 to build this one.