Dear Family, Friends, and Fellow Bloggers,

Here's wishing you a very merry Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate).  May your new year bring you tremendous joy, happy days, and fun-filled adventures.  All with a bit of world-saving mixed in, of course.

With love,

Jen

The Reason for the Season

Two years ago my family decided to forgo the usual pile of presents and instead each start saving for a family trip to Hawaii in 2012/2013.  I think we technically said no presents, but we really meant way fewer, smaller and simpler presents.   We are a very lucky family in that we can afford to buy ourselves the things we need, so gift-giving was all about giving others the things we "knew" they wanted (or thought they wanted? Or hope they wanted? Or could find at the last second?).  Anyway, I think we enjoyed giving each other things we wanted as much as the next family, but, it turns out, we also enjoy not having the pressure of buying the perfect gifts and just spending time together even more.  Or at least I do. 

Of course, it’s not just about saving for a special family trip.  It’s totally world saving because it means buying less stuff and creating less waste. 

As an added bonus, now I can make gifts without worrying that I’m too old to still be making gifts for my parents.  Well, I still worry about what making gifts for my parents at the age of 29 that says about me, I just don’t feel guilty that I’m not living up to some socially acceptable parent gift-giving standard. 

Last year, I had more fun making gifts than I ever recall having buying gifts.  Including writing this silly poem for my mom’s sewing station.

Confessions of a Fabricholic

Saturday after Saturday, I say

I won’t buy any fabric today

I’m out the door, my block in hand

To Quilter’s Harvest , my own holy land

Two whole bags, I buy no less

Fine! I am a Fabricholic—I confess!

Tim spies the bags, big and full

“Are you serious?” he exclaims, “This is bull!”

In my sewing room, each night I’ll spend

Dressed in my robe, my hair on end

Sitting all straight in that ol’ chair

My Singer a whirrin’, not a moment to spare

No more can I buy, it’s such a mess

I am a Fabricholic—let me stress!

More colors, more combos, more textures and feels

Who can believe—so many “steals”

I want it all, just to make it mine

At this point it’s practically a batik shrine

When Amy Butler’s on sale I simply freak

Then I make bag for Jenny (just one Amish streak)

I’ve got the “Tale of Two Kitties,” shoved in a drawer

Under half-finished quilts and so much more

Here in this room, I made quite a disaster

Just to sew Ryan’s quilt a bit faster

I crafted a blanket for my son-in-law

And wedding decorations for all to awe

For Chelle, a new pillow’s on my list

One I’m sure Chuck won’t resist

To Tori an apron, of all things

Oh what joy all my fabric brings!

Each week Cheryl, Janice and I vow

We’ll stop buying it all somehow

We’ll sit right here ‘til we sew something fab

But yet again, all we do is gab

Now I let out one big sigh

It’s true, I can no longer deny

I’ll raise my voice and shout out loud

I’m a Fabricholic and proud!

And That's a Wrap...

I love wrapping paper and would buy gobs of it during the post-Christmas maddness if that guy I live with would let me. However, I have very few presents to wrap and wrapping paper, pretty as it is, isn't all that earth friendly.   So this year, instead of using the paper with owls on it that I came really close to buying, I used pages from the holiday J. Crew catalog (still getting them despite prior attempts to discontinue them) and the cover of a Time magazine.  Yep. 

Tree-mendous

I love REAL Christmas trees.  I like the fresh pine scent as well as the imperfectness that is a real tree (you know, the holes and the odd branches that stick out here and there).  However, buying a real Christmas tree is not the most earth friendly thing to do.  Even if you go to a tree farm where trees are grown solely for the purpose of being cut down for Christmas, it’s still a not a superb idea because that’s good growing land and energy being used for what some might consider frivolous purposes.

Now, I also love the idea of buying a tree in a bucket that has its roots and can be planted.  But, I don’t have a yard in which to plant said tree and I’m not sure how Chicago’s park district would feel about me planting a random pine tree with remnants of tinsel in our local park.  I would venture to guess it’s probably against the law. 

So, although we’ve gotten tiny trees to fit in our tiny apartment the past two years, this year my husband and I decided to forgo a tree altogether (I’m just not ready for a fake).   But, do not accuse me of being humbug just yet, please.  Instead, we did a bit of upcycling.  We scored a pile of fresh pine branches from the discard pile at Home Depot (the ends they cut off the tress for everyone buying them) and decorated with those.  I get the fresh pine scent (and the cleaning disaster) and the pretty holiday cheer at no additional harm and no cost. 

I think it turned out pretty nice…..

The Simplest Change of All

No more mid-afternoon vending machine runs for this girl this year.  Nope.  I’ll be dropping all my change in the Salvation Army buckets. 

They make it SO easy. 

Down the Drain

I have sensitive skin.  If I wash it too much, it hates me.  If I wash it too little, it hates me.  It gets terribly dry and itchy in the winter.  Years of experience suggests my skin does not appreciate the lengthy list of chemicals included in most facial washes.  Even so-called sensitive skin products contain far too many things I can’t pronounce.  So, as my bottle of Cetaphil neared empty recently, I thought I would give something all natural a shot.  Figuring water alone wouldn’t cut it, I poked around on the internet a bit for ideas.  

I would venture to guess that you would not guess what I tried.   It comes in an orange box.  Can be purchased at any grocer for about a $1.  And sort of looks like a dangerous street drug.  Any ideas?!?!

Baking soda.  As in Arm & Hammer.  A pile of baking soda, mixed with a few drops of water, gently rubbed on my face for  a couple of minutes, and rinsed off.  That’s it. It’s working--in fact, it feels fantastic.

And the best part?  I did something for a completely different reason (to save my skin) and it turned into something world saving.  If I don’t wash my face with chemicals, those chemicals don’t go down the drain.  There’s a sh-load of nasty chemicals in beauty products (for more info, see here). 

It’s okay if you are whispering “hippie” under your breath.  I don’t mind. 

Oh, and if anyone is interested, I totally started collecting all natural beauty recipes on my Pinterest.   The possibilities are endless. 

There’s a Reason Richard Simmons Has A Ridiculously Happy Demeanor

For many, myself often times includes, the holidays equate to an inordinate amount of stress.  Stress does not bode well for my world saving plan.  It’s hard to save the world if you are cranky, rude, and mean and you are making everyone around you cranky, rude and mean—because we all know that a bad mood is more contagious than pink eye. 

The quickest ways for me to re-adjust my mood include a) find that ever-happy, sparkling shining person and surgically attach myself to them, or b) work-out. 

I’m not creepy (well, not THAT creepy) so option b is my usual choice. 

 

I’m kind of a cardio hound---working out tends to be the “hit a punching bag” kind of stress relief.  There some weird thing (is this just me?) where when I run (or insert any other cardio activity), one of two things happens:  1) my mind goes blank and I think of nothing but running and relieve stress by simply not thinking about the stressors or b) my mind works on overdrive, at a pace equivalent to my work-out speed, and I relieve stress by reviewing my day, organizing my thoughts, formulating plans, setting goals, and so.  This typically results in me rushing home and overwhelming my husband with the 80 things “we” are going to do/change/find/be in the next 24 hours.  But I feel better.  And when I feel better, I AM better.  I’m happier, nicer, and all around more pleasant to the world.  Besides, I’m extending my life which gives me more time to save the world. 

On that note, Spin Class is calling my name….Get to the gym people.