From now on the majority of my wardrobe will come from here. How can you not buy from a company who so clearly understands – “LIFE IS GOOD”. Another statement on one of their products: “Not all who wander are lost.” - it occurs to me “Not all who wonder are lost.” either. Sometimes our simple life seems to puzzle people. It is certainly not a direct route to “success” … whatever that is. It is a rambling, winding way full of questions and backtracking and smelling of the roses. It is “The Road Not Taken” and “Walden” only in hesitant, baby steps. But if the converse of Socrates is true then our examined life grows more and more worth living each day.
Scavenger Hunt in a Bottle
by ToniCourtesy of Kiddley – we have found that a Scavenger Hunt in a Bottle (Scottle) can be just as much fun as one outdoors and much warmer on a blustery day such as this one. We filled our clear container with oat flour (not too full!) and these items:
- key
- screw
- paperclip
- cough drop
- smallest babuska doll
- golf ball (orange)
- packet of splenda
- sonic girl
- green rock
- gold rock
- plate of spaghetti
- potato head tongue
- rainbow mouse
- bow
- the # 8
Turning the bottle this way and that we finally spied them all. A half an hour worth of fun which required no batteries, screens, button pushing or annoying beeps.
Less
by ToniPart of my “between Little Gyms” routine is a stop at the gas station. Six months ago I was so busy I had to fill up twice a week. About three months ago things calmed down a bit and I could make it through the whole week… mostly. Today I only needed half a tank. I am glad to be conserving fuel without even trying but I am even more glad to no longer be driving around town on countless errands. What a blessing to not be stressed and save gas too. 
A New Blog Home
by ToniI like yahoo.360 well enough but we eventually want to share so much more about our pursuit of simple life that it seemed a good idea to find a more permanent web home. Right now, This Simple Life is simply my blog in a new place. (I will move the archives as I have time.) but over the next few months (years?) hopefully it will expand to include articles, links, and pictures of simple living in action.
Sunday Afternoon
by Toni 
Today has been full of projects. I am in the middle of creating a dozen or so paper mache dinosaur “eggs” for Sister’s birthday party on Saturday. My parents and Will are working on putting up new ceiling tiles in the foyer – no small task since it is a two story space. Will sprays each tile with a faux copper finish and as they dry Papa hangs them. Grandma is running support. The foyer has been unfinished since the beginning of the “move the stairs” project during which Papa took a couple of days to move the entire staircase back about 2 feet because Grandma felt the entry needed a bit more space. Hmm… gotta love ‘em. In the middle of it all we look for time to enjoy simple things. A quick trip to the store netted plenty of good fruit to eat this week and the ingredients for a yummy ham and potato soup tonight. Brother helped me snap beans and it makes me think of when Sister used to do the same. She is a proficient bean snapper now but at two it is hard to grasp the concept of snap off the ends – keep the middles. In the mind of a two year old either the whole bean is good or whole bean is not. This business of snapping must just be for fun. Though Brother took the job very seriously, faithfully snapping every bean handed to him. Later, we swiped a board from Papa’s scaffolding and made a makeshift balance beam. It is much wider than a real beam but neither child seemed to notice or care. Today’s picture is courtesy of Sister who created the arrangement and took the photo.
A Tale of Two Breads
by Toni
Earlier this week we (Sister & I) experimented with bread making. I like very much not buying our eggs from the store and wondered what else we could not buy. We tried two different methods and even doing both in the same day only took about an hour of prep time which means bread baking could easily be incorporated into our weekly routine. Besides it is a fun way to be with Sister and teach her about all kinds of numbers (fractions in measurements, degrees on the oven, timing with the clock). I gave Brother a set of measuring spoons and a small bowl of water to keep him busy which worked really well…. right up until the moment he poured his “creation” into our pre-measured and already sifted flour. Oops! Sister & I sent him out to play before continuing. About the two methods – The first came from my favorite crockpot book the Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook by Dawn J. Ranck and Phyllis Pellman Good and the second from the Better Homes and Gardens “New” Cook Book. As you can see from the picture the loaves each recipe produced are quite different. The crockpot bread rose well but is slightly sunken on the top with a Schlotzky’s kind of consistency. So not very pretty… but it used honey as it’s sweetener (ie healthier) and did not require any maintenance after the initial preparation. Prep Time: approx 20 min. Time to Complete loaf: 3 hrs. Taste: Great. The other bread was more traditional. Mix ingredients, Let it rise, Punch it down, Shape into loaves (it made two, BTW), Let it rise again, Bake. The completed loaves looked more like store bread and the consistency was thicker but it used brown sugar as the sweetener 
and didn’t seem to rise as much as the other besides requiring more maintenance. Prep Time: approx 30 min. Time to Complete loaf: 3 hrs. Taste: Pretty Good Bet you can guess which one I will be making in the future. Here’s the recipe. Read the rest of this entry »
Steps Toward a More Natural Way
by ToniTwo more eggs today… white … we’re thinking it’s the same hen. Our worms (for vermicomposting) arrived yesterday and in all the excitement about the eggs got put aside until this evening. We (Sister & I) pulled out the bin I had previously prepared. A medium size rubbermaid container with a lid into which I drilled holes down each side and placed a simple spout in one end near the bottom. The holes are so the worms can breath and the spout is so we can collect the “worm tea” that accumulates at the bottom (and to keep the worms from drowning… apparently). To the bin we added strips of newsprint torn into strips and dunked in water. We squeezed out as much water as possible and fluffed the strips a bit before putting them in. Then we added the worms. Sister was a bit hesitant at first but then she really got into it. “Are we going to name them?” “Let me think… 500 red wrigglers with names…. Umm, no.” Brother ended up being the squeamish one. “Do you want to hold a worm, Brother?” “Oh, no tanks.” On top of all of this we placed a full sheet of newsprint which Sister sprayed down with a simple water spritzer. We will keep this sheet moist and place our food scraps (no meat) under it. So now we wait… and hope that Papa who recently had a renewed interest in fishing doesn’t think we are simply breeding bait. Also this evening I whipped up a batch of homemade insect repellent. I can’t stand to put Deet on the kids (or myself) any longer. Tried a bottle of Buzz Away (main ingredient: citronella) because it got such rave reviews from Good Housekeeping amoung others but the smell was so bad it kept away more than just mosquitos. The new recipe is almost oderless and comes from the book Healing with Herbs by Penelope Ody though I got it via ParentHacks. Will wore it on his run tonight and didn’t get a single bug bite so I’d say it works. Read the rest of this entry »
Miscellaneous Confessions
by ToniConfession #1 I know way more about worms, trash, and manure than any person ever needs to – certainly more than any person ever need to admit to. Before I can truly focus on the layout, planning and such for next spring’s garden I must think about the soil and that requires thinking about how to make good soil and that requires soil amendments and the best bet there is compost. I don’t want to buy compost. For the size of garden I’m planning that could get expensive not to mention that I want an organic garden which would mean organic compost (ie more expense) Soooo, that led me to the project of the day. How do I create my own compost? We live on a relatively large bit of acreage with plenty of grass and trees. We have chickens that provide ample “fertilizer” on a daily basis. We generate a good deal of kitchen scraps and paper trash. How can I take advantage of all that waste? A compost bin. Did some internet research this morning and purchased a book and now I am an expert. Surely, it is irrelevent that I don’t have any practical experience yet, right? Tomorrow, I am ordering the worms for the vermicomposting and hopefully will also purchase the materials to make a more traditional compost bin. With any luck, next spring (or fall) we will have homemade Miracle Gro.
Confession #2 My mother’s birthday party was yesterday and I did not get her anything. I had decided that in honor of simplicity this year I would buy gifts for children birthdays and only get cards for adult birthdays. Then my sister starts planning a little shindig to celebrate Mom and naturally sibling competition set in. I couldn’t let her plan the party AND get a gift. I must find something better than just a card… Earlier in the day I took Sister to a girly, girly dress up party for one of her classmates. It was very cute. Each of the girls picked out a simple necklace, made their own bead bracelet, got their hair done and their nails painted. After the party, I had a little time before the next one so we walked next door to Michael’s to see if we could find a small gift and voila! a cutie little shelf that would fit perfectly with the sunroom decor. Sister found a purple flower and to “pay the money” we went. We left feeling frustrated and a little sheepish with only the purple flower in our bag. Turns out the cutie shelf was a display – an example of what one could do if one had the time or inclination to take a raw piece of wood, sand it, paint it, decorate it, and add a clear top coat. It’s not quite true that I didn’t get my mom “anything” for her birthday. Sister gave her a flower and I gave her a card and yet another embarrassing story to tell for years to come.
Fibs, Bikes & Bedtime Stories
by ToniThis morning started out with a lie. Oh, it was a little one and didn’t really hurt anybody but it was a lie nonetheless. What makes it notable however is that Brother was the one to tell it. I had given him a diaper which he took into the other room. He returned without the diaper and when I asked, “Where is the diaper? We need to change you.” He replied, “Daddy change me.” and flashed one of those, “do you think she’ll see through me?” looks that people seem to get when they aren’t very good at fibs. I don’t see this as a trend but still, he’s not even two yet. It was a little disturbing.
And about the diapers – I’ve settled on half n’ half. I can’t bring myself to spend very much on diapers when I have a completely viable alternative right in front of me but I can’t deal with nighttime/naptime leaking either. I am trying to be responsible with the diapers I do buy. The current favorite: Seventh Generation No cutsy characters but they work every bit as good as Pampers…. without the allergies.
I found a seat for Brother that attaches to the back of an adult bike. Not one of those you pull behind but one that actually attaches to the bike. I might stress here that the instructions say ” Fits most adult bicycles” and also that I do not actually have an adult bicycle. Still, after much struggle, I safely (or so I thought) attached the seat. The whole point of this endeavor was to allow Sister, Brother and I to ride our bikes across the Jenks pedestrian bridge….which we did. Across and back… and that was all. Because my bicycle is apparently smaller than normal the seat (and Brother) are much closer to the pedals than they should be. Brother kept sticking his feet up and kicking the back of my knees as we rode. The idea is sound but the execution was poor. I will find a larger bike and try again. On a similar note, Sister loved riding across the bridge and wants to go back very soon. I think it was excellent exercise (for her and me) and also want to go back.
Another great bedtime book from the library – Sleepytime Rhyme by Remy Charlip. It should probably bother me that all my book recommendations are for the under 6 crowd but it doesn’t . Write about what you know.
Oh, and my dad bought a horse today. She won’t arrive for a month but I am looking forward to learning to ride again (I assume that’s something you have to relearn??) and to teaching Sister and Brother.
Diaper Thoughts
by ToniWhen Sister was a baby it never occurred to me to use cloth diapers. Pins and Folding and Leaking!?! No way! With Brother, I considered the option just because by then I knew there actually were options. Snappies, velcro, & buttons made the idea more agreeable. Still the ease of staying mainstream kept us from that route until (15 mo) Brother developed a mysterious rash – bumpy, blotchy, red, obviously uncomfortable (even painful at times) and absolutely impossible to treat. Could it be the diapers? Around 19 months our pediatrician confirmed that it was an allergic reaction and agreed with our assesment that the diapers were to blame. And so began the big switch. A quick Google revealed so many choices….everyone with a name cuter than the last. (Tiny Tush, Swaddlebees, Bumkins, Bummis, Kissaluvs, Bum Genius, Mother-Ease, Kushies.) And everyone with ads and disads. (high cost, low cost, great for day not for night and naps, needs a cover but easy to wash, doesn’t need a cover but only fits one size.) Finally, we settled on Fuzzi Bunz – cute, huh? And the rash disappeared overnight.
Skip ahead 4 months. We are in the middle of moving, Brother needs a change and the cloth diapers are “all the way” downstairs. I sneak a disposable from Grandma’s stash and hope that the allergy won’t pick up on the trick until the next change. It doesn’t. A couple of days later, it happens again. I can feel myself slipping back into mainstream. I have never regreted or resented the switch to cloth. I really never thought of it as any more or less difficult than disposables… until now. But it’s more than just our move prompting me to think of changing back. In the hot weather, the cloth diapers have started causing a rash and after 4 days the disposables have not. Even double duty nighttime diapers have started leaking. And the biggest reason of all, Brother actually likes changing when we use the “elmo, bird” diapers. He actually wants to change and tells me when he needs a change. These are actions I was told to expect from a toddler wearing cloth but with cloth my son runs away and says, “NO!” even when he clearly needs a new diaper.
I have washed all my Fuzzi Bunz and am going through the leftover Pampers. There is about a week’s worth left. Decisions, decisions.
