Love Like Bread

I realize this has nothing to do with closets, style or therapy, but I am so dang excited that I had to share! As I mentioned before, we are a one car family and some days I stay in all day to help the budget in gas consumption. That, coupled with looking for new ways to save money and thus buy another car, I decided to do some culinary experimentation. On both counts, they were successful and simple with the goal of cost savings achieved. I found these You Tube videos to be extremely helpful and I hope that Mr. Breadtopia doesn't mind me sharing them with you.

In addition to the lower price and the satisfaction of baking something successfully, I can see how these recipes are going to be a successful way to add more vegetables and be creative with leftovers. We eat pizza once a week and usually buy a frozen pizza from Central Market for $5.00. I thought that was very economical and now I see that it was actually expensive because making a pizza yourself is quite thrifty! Below is the video with excellent step by step instructions on how to do it. Don't be afraid of doing it wrong because I think that the methods are quite forgiving while you are learning.

This is how my first pizza turned out.  I hadn't quite got the knack of making it round yet.

Although I am enamored with the pizza, bread was my first foray into these endeavors.  Last year there was a no-knead bread craze that the video mentions and even before that I've always wanted to try making bread.  There are many sites that explain how to do it and also variations on the recipe from the NY Times. Even I added more salt because of all the helpful reviews.  I also learned that you can use dry active yeast in the same amount instead of instant and it comes out fine.  Substituting flours to vary taste is another way to experiment later. 

This bread came out perfectly for me in my handy Le Creuset dutch oven.  It is earthy and crusty, looking much like the artisan's loaves you will see at a bakery.  I have made one a week and we have no problem eating it all.  I even used the last hard bit as bread crumbs for salmon patties a few days ago.  I'm imagining that french toast is not out of the question either for bread past it's prime.  After all, that is how french toast got started.

Here is my beautiful bounty of bread on my first try.

And here is the second.  You can see the results are consistent.

Gustavo has been more than impressed with this burst of culinary creativity on my part. When I made the bread the first time, I proudly led him into the kitchen and presented him with the crackly, steaming loaf. We both put our ears to the bread so we could listen for the highly anticipated "singing" as the bread settles. After that though I scooted him out to wait for 2 hours until the bread was ready for cutting.  We had pizza again last night and I was more than happy to show him how I make it and let him laboriously knead the dough for 5 minutes.  It is a wonderful way to relieve frustrations and what a joy to create something so delicious!   

Since being on this mission, I've been thinking about adding these labor making activities into my life.  Not working, I have a lot of time, but not a lot of money.  I could easily return to the work force and have plenty of money, but no time.  Am I digressing in function by choosing the simple act of making my own bread?  Of course, a resounding no is my answer, but it does make me ponder what other simple old-fashioned ideas I had never considered, but am finding to be quite satisfying.  

Besides money, I have found making bread to be so comforting and in a way makes me feel like I'm baking love.  There is a reason that we equate bread with life, no?  And being recently married, I have to tell you a funny story.  Growing up, my parents had a trivet on the stove that I would read in passing often.  I knew it by heart but didn't understand it until much, much later.  I'm sure you will understand the meaning faster than I did!  I don't remember how I came to have this trivet, but I hold it dear for what it represents-bread, family and love.  

 

Free Gift with No Purchase

I usually never win anything.  When there are door prizes I don't even get the little thrill when they are calling out the numbers.  Maybe I have low expectations or maybe I prefer to be really surprised if I would win something.  Well I have won something and I was surprised!

To some it may sound insignificant, but to me it's a that thrill that you can only have when coupled with low expectations.            Jolie Nadine had a Clinique contest and I won the new Lash Power Mascara.  I just received the package from Clinique with a lovely handwritten note wishing me a summer of beautiful, clump-free lashes!  And they sent me a staple color-Black.

I feel so loved today!  We are heading to South Padre Island and Mexico this weekend for Memorial Day.  I hope your weekend is blessed with an unexpected surprise too!

If you don't know who Jolie Nadine is, she is a very funny cosmetics writer.  She wrote this book which I recommend for an amusing afternoon at the beach.  Only certain people can endlessly read about cosmetics and I am one of them.  

Sweet Inspiration

I have some rules that I adhere to as much as possible in my life.  One of them is "Presentation is Everything".  A gift well wrapped, a dinner served on a beautiful table, a bed coordinated with varying patterns or a sweetly iced cupcake.  I believe making the simple things in life beautiful is an art.  

When I came across this blog several months ago I was searching for tips on how to make meringues.  The tips were spot on, but I was so enchanted with the creativity and love that went into her desserts that I became a faithful reader too.  Tartelette displays je ne sais quoi in everything she does.  I love her stories about her relationship with her mother and how she eagerly awaits care packages from France.  The way she presents her creations in a tiny bowl or an unexpected half eggshell is a sweet sight to me, and it warms my heart the way she shares with her neighbors.  Go visit her but beware that it will give you an irrepressible urge to bake and a desire to embellish each sweet with something as visually stimulating as it is tasty.  

Another blog that I found for the first time years ago, before I had really even discovered blogging, is Tongue In Cheek.  She lives in France and her pictures and words will touch you deeply.  She writes about her family, about daily life, posts lovely photos and tells stories about them.  Just visiting her in the haven of cyberspace she has created will make you feel like you've visited some place special and perhaps seen something intimate and treasured that you shouldn't have.  But don't worry, she invites us to see her world and I highly recommend entering her philosophical, generous space when you can.

Blogging has flung open the doors on many artistic souls who have found their niche in writing, sharing photos, opinions, advice or just rambling to relieve a void.  I actually find the level of beauty and talent overwhelming.  These are not magazines and books with huge staffs to help with all aspects, but creative souls who can't hold back their passion.  

It would be remiss of me to not mention someone who has no blog, but a talent for photography.  My dear friend, Jerome, who gifted us with the photographing of our wedding. He has a sharp eye for the tender moments as well as irony in a photo.  Jerome's website boasts many more photos than just our own precious few wedding ones.  When I see his photos, I am reminded of not only of a photographer's talent, but the talent of a well lived life and cherished friendships.  His travel photos are nothing if not a kick in the pants to get out of the house and see the world.  Since I seem to have an underlying theme today, I must mention that he is also French and also oozes his passion from every pore.  Even in the last late night photos of our wedding day when there was no light left, he was still clicking trying to round out the day of over a thousand shots.  

I hope you see that there is no comparison or competition in the sweet spot we inhabit in order to live out the unique God-given talents that, when unleashed, will create a beauty in its own way.  One of the wonders of life is that when you do what you love and share it with others, the rewards to everyone are multiplied. Be inspired by these people.  I know I am. 

Photo from www.marthastewart.com.

It Finally Happened: Gas Costs More Than A Cup of Starbucks Coffee

Our Little House

President Bush is on TV right now giving a press conference about the rising gas prices.  He keeps mentioning the sub-prime lending crisis, the foreclosures, rising food prices and other economic hard times that America is experiencing.
  

I personally love all the financial discussions going on right now.  In fact, by the time I was about to graduate college, I realized too late how much I loved my Finance classes.  I already was getting two degrees and certainly wasn't going to extend my stay in college, but the numbers were still magical to me.  The day I learned about mutual funds and their growth potential, I went home and signed up for one.  I didn't have much money, but thought I could invest $50 a month. When I finally cashed it in, I had $2000 from money that I never missed. I'm still committed to saving little by little to achieve goals.

In our own home, we are experiencing our own sort of financial balancing. This past year has been astronomical in expenses for us.  G bought my engagement ring, we paid for our wedding, the flights for G's family from Puerto Rico to SC, and as soon as we returned from our honeymoon we bought a house.  We paid for deposits and many things along the way in thousands of dollar chunks sometimes, but as it happens with weddings, the costs overflow the budget.  When we finally counted it all up after the dust settled, we had a lot more debt than we had expected.  That's when we had to sit down and make a plan.  And thank God we did, because I'm happy to report that this month we have finally paid off the last credit card bill.  It took a lot of talking, some sacrifice and continuous balancing of what we need now and what we can wait on.  

When I hear about the country in financial crisis partly because of high gas prices, I can't help but think how spoiled we all are as a nation.  High gas prices are nothing new to Europe and other parts of the world.  That is why when you go to other countries, you see much smaller cars and better public transportation.  (They also don't drive to the mailbox, but that's another point altogether.)  We really do take our right to consume very seriously here and it gets us into trouble as a country and in our own personal finances.  

One main reason is that debt is socially acceptable to us.  Did you know that in France when you go to purchase a home having credit is looked at suspiciously?  In America, if you don't have credit you can't even buy a home.  Credit and debt are shameful, except here where it is so common that we take it for granted and assume that it is just the American Way.  Although I have gotten out of debt several times in my life, I still include myself in the spoiled American category.  It is me (and G) getting out of debt here after all.  I believe there has to be a shift in perspective that has to occur to keep you from getting in debt at all. It's an actual realization that you can't afford something, and that is not something that we are accustomed to hearing, even from ourselves.

I want to tell you some of the specific things we did to get out of debt so quickly.  This is part of the sacrifice that we were willing to do because it is so important to us.

1- No Cable TV.  We have rabbit ears and they look strange on top of our 20" TV, but believe me you can still watch too much TV with only 3 channels.

2- One Car.  In January we decided to sell G's Acura MDX.  We had a loan on it and the gas mileage was terrible.  This was one of the biggest sacrifices because we are left with my Honda CRV that currently has 209,000 miles.  Most wouldn't have made this decision I know, but it was the right one for us.  Being a one car family has been awkward at times, but overall hasn't been a problem at all.  Part of this plan is saving for a new car to pay cash.  I've never done this before and it feels very extreme, but why not?  Go look at how much you pay in interest on your loan every month and you'll see why we want to do this.  It may take all year.  If we end up getting a hybrid like we want to get, we may have to finance part of it.  

3- A Bucket of Money for Everything.  We have our budget broken down into everything that we buy.  Ok, that sounds restrictive, but we each have our own allowance that we can use or save for whatever we want.  I just bought us new Pacific Coast Feather Co. down pillows like they had at the Marriot on our recent trip to Park City, Utah.  Divine!  We have a travel budget and do our best to stick with how much we save and not go over.  This helps us not to get in a credit backlog after trips. Don't forget a bucket for saving. We have several buckets, retirement, car, emergency fund, and smaller ones for things we want. 

4- Imagination.  Learning to look around your town or your home for free things to do boosts your creativity.  We go to a free putt putt course in our town, play Dominoes, basketball, go rollerblading, free night at the museum, go to doggy parks, and make an event out of Lost on Thursday nights.  

5- Evaluate all monthly charges.  I'm talking about gym memberships, phone, cable, internet, netflix, car payments, mortgages, cell phones, etc.  Be realistic about what you use, don't duplicate, refinance now if you need to do so-you can even refinance your car.

6- We bought a house that would give us a comfortable monthly payment and NOT what the bank told us we could afford.  Be careful to include all the expenses like homeowner's insurance, taxes, homeowners association when you figure what price range you are in.  Also, the upfront expenses to care for your home can be high and unexpected.  I mean, who enjoys buying mulch?  

7- Home Cooking.  We rarely eat out.  I love to cook and Gustavo loves to eat so no trouble here for us.

I heard on the radio that the price of gas has now gotten so high that it is actually making people change their behavior.  Apparently before the breaking point, we just keep doing to same old thing and then one day we decide enough is enough.  The high gas prices are a catalyst that are making people buy smaller cars, drive less, rethink many lifestyle decisions that affect the bottom line.  Although I don't wish for these high prices, I think the change that we are seeing brought about can be a positive if it changes us personally and in our country for the better.  Choosing to consume less can give us more peace and contentment in our lives.

In our own personal financial correction, we have learned so much about self-control, the joy of delayed gratification and how we really can live with just one car.  I'd love to hear about how your life has changed in a positive way because of getting out of debt or the high gas prices.

The Tug of War, Then the Release

After I posted the various odd bits for sale on this site, I started having a conflict with doing it.  It's not that I have a problem with selling things in general, but it was all the trouble I went through to do so.  I spent most of the day trying to figure out how to get the Paypal button to work, then I realized I hadn't changed to my married name in the Paypal account, hadn't updated my credit card, and didn't have a merchant account.  They are all fairly minor issues, but added up to a whole day of frustration trying to "deal with" these things that I didn't want anymore.  Add on top of that, the time it took to take photos, download them and write a post about them.

Of course, this is the essential crux of the problem people have in cleaning out their closets. We want to make the most out of everything, like squeezing blood from a turnip.  In the past, I would always have my to-go bag and give away clothes, perfume, or whatever to friends or family, but my reliable sources for giving live 1400 miles away.  Now, I give plenty to charity here, but this cleaning out of the closet was different.  These are items that I still wear, but they just don't make me feel that great when I do.  I wanted them to be loved by someone else.  

Again, as I write I am laughing at myself because this whole line of reasoning is just spinning.  In order to release, you have to release.  All this activity involved in the releasing is just delaying the reward.  There are a pile of clothes on a chair in my living room that I am looking at right now.  The clutter is making me feel terrible and is part of what inspired this post.  

The more I have thought about it, the more I know that giving away the rest of these things is the answer.  Would you believe that when I moved here, I mailed boxes of things I didn't want back to my family.  I spent $50 for shipping things that I didn't want anymore.  Now that is ridiculous!  Today, I went on to makeupalley to see if I had something that someone wanted to swap for, and boy is that a lot of work.  I'm supposed to look for someone that wants what I have, then see if I want what they have and then have to go to the post office and stand in line to mail it to them?  Oh, no.  (I realize this can be fun for some.)  I am a member of Freecycle too, but I'm not sure I want people coming to my house to pick up stuff.  

The whole process of selling these things has generated bad energy in me.  I felt like I was thinking too small and I wasn't happy with that in myself.  Go away, bad karma!  

Amazingly enough, just writing this seems to have cleared the bad energy in me because now I know that I will package up these nice things and be able to bless someone else with them. When I was growing up, getting a bag full of used clothes from my cousin or even a woman I didn't know was one of my happiest moments!  I remember when I was 13 and living in Florida with my Dad, I got a bag of clothes that my Step-mom brought from someone.  It was filled with Jane Fonda-like aerobic wear, a pair of yellow Liz Claiborne shoes with a paisley that looped up around the toes (and my friends told me gave me toe cleavage), a yellow sweater with small embroidered Mickey Mouses on it and much more.  I'm laughing now, but I'm telling you that I think I wore everything in that bag. (I did not grow up in a wealthy suburb, ok. Shopping was not in my extra-curricular activities.)

Maybe I'm crazy or a little obssessed, but some of you must understand me. (I'm crossing my fingers that you do.)  In honor of my progress (and Stephanie's-see comments in Julia's basket post), leave me a comment with a subject you'd like me to write about and I'm going to send someone a little package from my sample goodie box.   For you, I will stand in line at the post office.

Some books to help you clean out your "good stuff" too.  Be sure to look at your library first.

Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui

It's All Too Much

It's Hard to Make A Difference When You Can't Find Your Keys

Julia's Basket of Self-Knowledge

Julia, my Maid of Honor and Kindred Spirit, and me

Once upon a time there was a young woman, me, who fell in love with a couple of pink chairs from Mitchell Gold.  While I was at the annual market sale deciding if they were too frivolous for reality, I met another young woman, Julia.  She was working that day, only for the special market sale and she was helping me with my pink chair dilemma.  I was with my aunt and as Julia walked away I said "That girl is me."  She dresses likes me, thinks like me and I had this uncanny feeling that we must be kindred spirits.  I got her email and even though we lived two hours apart we became friends.  She came to visit me in Greenville, SC.  I stayed with her in Hickory, NC.  We talked of trips to Italy.  She was the Maid of Honor in my wedding.  She is a friend that I can be totally honest with no matter how awful it sounds coming out.  I love those kind of friends because I always wanted a sister and this is the closest experience that I could have to that.

One weekend I was staying at her lovely, impeccably decorated and Mitchell Gold outfitted home and I noticed something in her bathroom.  It was a basket.  It had lotion, eye shadow, maybe a lipstick, and very few other things.  Curious, I asked her about the basket full of very few potion bottles in her bathroom.  She said those were all that she had.  A bottle of lotion, one eyeshadow (not even a palette!), ONE LIPSTICK, and maybe a blush that she didn't really use.  I shudder as I write this as I remember the truth dawning on me that my soul-friend could have so little in the way of makeup and potion bottles.  Mine tends to be under the sink, on top of the sink, in storage bins, taking up drawer space, in my purse, and on top of the dresser. Julia seriously only buys one color lipstick and she keeps buying it over and over.  Another shock to me because I have a hard time with repeat buying.  There are so many others to try!

Having said all that, this little basket has been my inspiration ever since I laid eyes on it.  Yes, I have bought baskets to emulate it only to have them overflowing in a short time.  I do console myself and Gustavo when I point out to him how much LESS I have than I used to have. Remember that linen closet in my condo?  It was full.  Remember the apartment after that?  It was only the full length under the double sink vanity.  Now, only under my sink and a small drawer in the closet, er and a small storage container and ok on top of the sink.  Oh, I forgot about the little baskets I bought at Ikea last week, but to be fair they do have mouthwash and necessary potions in them too.

No matter the present or past circumstances, I keep my eye on the prize.  Every free gift with purchase that I pass by is a coup for me.  These are little samples and full size products that won't be cluttering up my space.  Nordstrom having a free gift with purchase right now does not phase me when I keep my eye on the prize.  Although, if I do study the contents of the gift it does make me falter slightly as I carefully analyze to see if I will actually like the gift and if I actually do need to order something.  That is always a mistake.  That is why they say keep your eye on the goal, and not the anti-goal.  

One time when Julia spent the weekend with me, I scheduled makeovers for us at Chanel.  This was our first visit together and before I knew about the basket.  After the makeover I deliberated what I was going to get and ended up with an eyeshadow palette and an eyeliner. Julia didn't succumb to the temptation.  She didn't seem all that impressed either.  She is so strong in her makeup convictions that I envy her that.  Me, if my eyes meet the makeup artist and I see she has a willing spirit, I am up on her chair so fast it will make your head spin.  "Can I try our new colors on you?" is music to my ears.  Just a few days ago I had a Bobbi Brown makeover and discovered that now I need their new CLC lipstick in Rose Petal and maybe the foundation too.

One day I am going to achieve the goal of simplicity in my makeup and skincare routine.  I know it because I have made great strides in not being tempted by so many things.  I "just say no" quite often to Sephora Insider rewards, to many, many gift with purchases, to spontaneous makeup purchases and to kits that are a good deal but that have items I don't need in them.  I know that I am a makeup addict and even though it's "cool" to be that when you are perusing blogs and reading magazines, I think it's much cooler to know what you want and get that.  To me, that is what the basket represents.  It is a streamlined knowledge of who you are and most importantly who you are not.  

Stylish Little Girls, Frogs and Paris

As they say, something is definitely in the water here in Houston. We have seven friends who are currently expecting and three more who have newborns. With all the baby showers and looking for gifts, I can't help but be seduced by all things related to sweet baby things. Recently I have discovered a decorating blog called The Inspired Room.  Today she has a post about decorating children's rooms and as always she has some really great advice.  

It seems that a child's room tends to have a theme, whatever may be popular at Babies R Us, but with some creativity and inspiration she shows how you can make the room magical and stylish without a theme.  Maybe you like frogs, but that doesn't mean you have to buy a frog lamp, bedspread and all matching accessories.  She says just one frog can make an impact too. 

 

And why not consider decorating so you can transition their room through the years instead of the decor being disposable.  How long will frogs be cool?  (More importantly, won't you be tired of them before the child is old enough to even voice their opinion?)  That is just smart advice, financially and esthetically.  Also, go read what she has to say about how their room develops their sense of style from a young age.  

Speaking of babies, I found another site that you might enjoy.  There are four women who share their experiences with birth and babies in four different countries.  They also give pregnancy fashion advice and products they can't live without.  Go see Babyccino.  Todays post is about Paris and who can resist that?