Frugalism

I'm on this kick lately.  It involves leaving ripe bananas in really bizarre locations.  

Let me explain...

You see, my Moma taught me to never, ever, under any circumstance throw perfectly good food away. And thanks to her wonderful, frugal teaching, today I have all sorts of complexes regarding the issue.  

I can hear her voice in my head every time I drag the trash can across the kitchen to clean out the fridge..."There are hungry animals in the yard that will eat that."

And every time I empty containers of leftovers down the disposal... "If you'd freeze that it wouldn't go bad and you'd have a perfectly fine meal later."

She even reprimands me for NOT cooking eggshells and returning them to her so she can feed them to her chickens.  Talk about recycling!  (It's so they don't lay soft, fragile eggs...in case you're wondering about that weirdo statement.)    

At one point I kept all my used tea leaves and coffee grounds so she could spread them in the garden, but I stopped when they started to mold before I could get them to her.  Frugalism does have its limits, after all.

But the worst for me, the worst is when I toss out produce, the kind that's super-ripe but definitely still edible. I can see her silently shaking her head, a look of total disappointment scrawled across her face. If it were her, you see, she'd can it.  Or make some sort of jam or jelly out of it.  Or pickle it.  Or something.  At her very worst she'd feed it to her goats or pigs or dogs or whatever beast is roaming around in the yard.

But in the city I don't have goats or pigs.  And I'm too lazy to jam or jelly or can or pickle for the sake of saving produce.  However still totally convicted by my mother's ever-resounding-inside-my-head-principle, I've finally discovered my own solution:  

I leave things on the sidewalk.  (If you could see me right now I'd be grinning ear to ear, beaming with pride at my genius-ness!)

You think I'm kidding.  I'm not. It all started one night because I had this gigantic bowl of perfect apples and oranges that were sure to go bad when Josh and I left town for several days.  I kept racking my brain trying to figure out who to give them to, when suddenly it dawned on me!  So many homeless and hungry people criss-cross over Swiss Ave on a daily basis, why not leave them on the street??  So I piled them all in a bag and crept downstairs, let myself out the gate, and plopped them just off the sidewalk to avoid tripping anyone. I rolled the sides of the bag down to showcase the little beauties and dashed contentedly back inside.  Within a few hours, they were gone!  It was like a magic trick!  I bragged and bragged about my genius-ness to Josh.  He feigned enthusiasm.

But ever since that night, whenever I'm standing over the garbage can with a couple of ripe bananas, I just can't do it.  I can't throw them away. Someone could eat these.  A little homeless man would be delighted to find a ripe banana on the sidewalk, I think to myself.  Or maybe the hard working woman who's been on her feet for 12 hours but still has to walk 10 blocks home.  Wouldn't she be happy to find a free snack on her little commute?  That might make her evening!

So I creep down the back steps, slip thru the gate, make sure no one is watching, and play fruit Santa! Like magic they always disappear, sometimes within minutes.  

I admit I get a kick out of it, watching the fruit disappear, wondering who's picking it up and what must be going thru their heads.  Can't you imagine how funny that must be??  Walking along and suddenly there's groceries on the sidewalk!  I bet they look around confused, wondering if it's a joke.  

But I have to be blatantly honest.  It has absolutely nothing to do with good will or feeding the hungry. It's entirely about silencing the Jiminy Cricket voice inside my head, the one who sounds exactly like my mother.  

If my intention were to feed the hungry, I'd feel like crap for giving them leftovers.  This is not about that. This is simply avoiding wastefulness.  It isn't about anyone else, it's about me--let's just put that right out there lest anyone accuse me of thinking myself the Mother Teresa of random sidewalk produce.  

Point and case: Last week our friend Aaron was in town, lamenting over the chicken sandwich he'd brought with him from Philly the day before.  He was too nervous to eat it but said he wanted to feed it to a stray dog.  (He obviously has a complex too, growing up in the inner city of Philadelphia.)  I immediately piped up, "Oh!  Leave it on the sidewalk!  I do it all the time.  Someone will eat it!"

He looked at me disgusted, "Terrica, it's chicken.  I don't want to make some little homeless guy sick! I am not leaving it on the sidewalk."

I slumped against the counter, defeated.  "Oh, I guess you're right...that would be cruel."

Frugalism does have limits, after all.  

But I think my Moma would be proud.  Or perhaps simply not disappointed.  At the very least, she'd get it kick out of my nonsense.  And I rejoice that I have effectively silenced Jiminy Cricket.  Though unconventional, mission accomplished. ;-)

C'mon, I know you do something crazy, too!  To save money?  To avoid waste?  Tell me about it!

Winners!

Chose at random via www.random.org the winners of the Anthropologie giveaway are:

Unfortunately, it isn't creative or unusual. . . a cup of black expired organic vanilla-hazelnut coffee and a kiss goodbye from your father-in-law. . . .a hug from Dakotah is an added bonus. -Deb

AND

I cannot face the day...or even begin to start my morning without my simple offering of love, reverence, and obedience...intimacy with Father...His Word....accompanied with a fresh brewed cup of Java.... This is my perfect morning!....and I LOVE them.... -Valorie Davis Cartwright

Congrats, Deb and Valorie!  Shoot me an email at terrica@terricajoy.com to claim your prizes.

Double Giveaway!

I'm an avid believer that mornings should be beautiful.  Rushing out the door breathless with little to no breakfast to the music of your cell phone ringing and dinging is no way to begin the day.  If it means getting up a few minutes earlier to ensure you have time to breathe and perhaps simply sit for 10 minutes, do it.  It makes all the difference in the world, physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.  Consider it an investment in the rest of your day.

My morning ritual is to light a scented candle and sit quietly in my reading room with a lovely breakfast, journal, steaming cup of tea with coconut milk, and usually a book or two.  So in honor of beautiful mornings, I'm giving away a few of my absolute favorite morning necessities!  

 I love Anthropologie's candles.  They smell divine, burn forever, and what have you ever seen from Anthro that wasn't beautiful??  Nothing.  That's right.  Nothing.  Every person who walks in that store becomes dreamy-eyed and begins to hum and waltz and adoringly stroke every item within reach...  You know it's true.  You do it, too.

Aren't they pretty with their little scalloped edges?  One is "Crushed Peony" scent, and the other "Purple Orchid."  They retail for $18 each.

And then there are these lovelies:

I love, love, love the detail... the splattered color inside, the scalloped bottoms, the beautiful design.  They're just so PRETTY!  Also from Anthropologie, retail for $10 each.

Because you can't have a beautiful mug without anything to go in it, I'm also throwing in a box of my favorite Yogi Tea, Mayan Cocoa Spice OR Organic Chai Rooibos.  Winners choice.

So!  There you have today's giveaway.  Ill be choosing TWO winners, each receiving a candle, mug, and tea of preference.

To enter simply answer this question in the comments section below:

What is your can't-live-without morning necessity?

Whether it's a kiss from your hubby, a cup of coffee, the morning news, or a banana muffin, simply answer and you're automatically entered to win.  Remember comments on Facebook don't count.  You must respond in the actual comment section of the blog.

One entry per person, no entries after midnight Saturday, winners will be selected at random and announced first thing Monday.  Good luck!

Weekend

Saturday morning I awoke to Josh clanging about in the kitchen.  A blanket draped around my shoulders, still squinting, I climbed onto a stool at the table as he cheerfully announced, "Brunch at the Arboretum! Get dressed.  I've already cooked and packed the food!"

I stumbled into Erin's room to rouse her with the announcement before getting myself dressed and gathering my camera and whatnot.  Doesn't matter that I've been there a thousand times, it's impossible to visit the Arboretum without my camera.

We arrived and scouted out a lush picnic spot to sprawl about on blankets in the sun and nosh on brunch. Josh had lovingly whipped up farm-fresh egg sandwiches on beautiful purple toast (China Black Rice Bread, one of my new faves), and a side of roasted cinnamon walnut butter with crisp, green apples.  Our sandwiches were each wrapped with foil to keep warm and crispy and labeled with our names ;-) How cute is he??  He has my heart.

As we were eating, Erin started to prep her camera and realized she had no available memory thanks to a slew of videos she's currently storing for a large project.  She's going to kill me for posting these, but I simply can't resist...  

Upon her realization that she wouldn't be able to take photos she started to pout. Then she made a phone call to make sure she couldn't delete the videos.  Then she tried to convince me they might sell memory cards in the gift shop. Then she went on a tirade about how stupid it was that they didn't because she was sure this happened to people all the time. Then she tried to bribe me into letting her have my memory card, arguing that if she took photos on her camera they'd be better anyway. Once the realization set in that there would be no resolving the situation, she threw herself face first on the blanket wimpering and proceeded to thrash and moan and roll about in frustration.  

It.  Was.  Priceless.

I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle, giggling profusely the entire time, snapping photos.  Watching her tantrum was the equivalent of looking in a mirror.  She's my creative soul-mate in a thousand ways, and this is simply how we respond when our artistic endeavors are thwarted.  We feel as if the world might end, launching us into a dramatic procession of emotions.  Disbelief.  Denial.  Frustration. Manipulation. Hopelessness.  Mourning.  Etc.

It's fantastic.  

Of course when I casually reminded her of the iphone in her bag, she snapped right out of it and chirped, "Oh great! Disaster averted!  We're good."  And so we were off to stroll and savor the awaiting feast for the senses...

Oh how I adore tulips.  My forever favorite.

Red buds, tulips, daffodils...  Stunning displays of blooms stretched into the distance.

Oh the colors...  It makes my pulse race.

We stopped here and there to sit among the beauties, feel the grass between our fingers and toes.  It would be such a travesty not to.

These are Christine's favorites.  She loves how delicate they are, like tissue paper.  You should see her dancing around them practically squealing with delight and giddily snapping photos ;-)  It thrills me. (she's my other creative soul-mate ;-)

Don't you adore how watching someone else love something can cause you to love it, too??  Look at the perfection...

Before leaving we stopped for a final soak in the sun on my favorite sloping hill over the water.

Being a Saturday, lots of families were relishing the day.  During the week I usually get this spot almost entirely to myself... it's blissful.

How was your weekend??  Did you get out and soak up the beautiful Spring-time weather?

Hidden

Where I've been hiding lately... is here.  Without question this is my favorite place to work and write and dream, soaking in the sun, particularly this time of year.  Quite conducive to dreaming, wouldn't you say?  If you aren't familiar it's the Dallas Arboretum.  This particular spot is a lovely patio area overlooking White Rock Lake, the downtown Dallas skyline just in the distance.  

Josh and I are members and it's only 5 minutes from our house, so I make it a point to go at least once or twice a week.  A book, a journal, a blanket, maybe a snack or a kombucha... my perfect day.  Sometimes I stay for hours.

When I was a kid I was absolutely fascinated by The Secret Garden.  On weekdays the Arboretum gets little to no traffic so it feels totally private and secluded.  Dreamer that I am, of course I pretend it's my own secret garden, of sorts.  The vivid colors, the gorgeous floral scents, the warm Spring sun and cool breeze off the water...  It has a totally therapeutic, healing effect.  I can't get enough.  It quite literally does something to my soul.  

As a teenager I travelled to Europe for the very first time and as soon as I set eyes on Holland, I fell instantly in love.  At that point I'd seen a good bit of the world already, but something about Europe captured my soul.  It's truly been a love affair ever since.  I was there in April while the tulips were blooming so I've forever associated the two.  This time of year at the Arboretum, 500,000 tulip bulbs are springing up in every vibrant color and shade imaginable, entirely reminiscent of the Netherlands.  

With it's fountains and benches and patches of lush, green grass as far as the eye can see... it's both a secret garden and Europe in my own backyard, perfection in a thousand ways. 

If you've never visited the Dallas Arboretum during Dallas Blooms (when all the tulips are blooming) I certainly suggest you make it happen in the next couple of weeks.  Take a picnic and a blanket and someone you love, and consider it a mini-vacation.  Don’t forget your camera!

PS-I'll be posting a ton more pictures in a bit, just in case you need more convincing... ;-)

Vlog

Last night I sat staring blankly at my computer screen for quite some time, watching the cursor blink. And blink. And blink.  

Finding it difficult to express in writing precisely what was going on in my heart, I had the sudden, brilliant idea to try out a video blog.  (I believe they're affectionately referred to as vlogs.)  Totally inspired, I clicked on my little imovie icon and started rolling.  

NOT my greatest idea ever.  Let me just tell you why:

1-It's totally raw and unedited.  Normally I would consider this a good thing... yeah, um, not so much.

2-The lighting is atrocious.  Particularly at 11pm.  In a dark, back room.  On a laptop, for crying out loud.

3-It's scary to see yourself on video.  And kind of freaky.  Especially when you look haggard and exhausted.  Under atrocious lighting.  At 11pm.  In a dark, back room.  On a laptop...

4-It's scary to hear your voice on video.  You sound different than you think you do.  You sound different than you think you should.  You immediately begin a psychotic argument inside your head, "I do NOT sound like that.  That is not my voice.  No it isn't..."

5-When you slur your words because you're so blasted exhausted, you can't backspace to correct it.

6-You just kind or ramble and dart your eyes in weird directions and wonder why on God's green earth anyone would care about a single, blasted, only partially-coherent word coming out of your mouth anyway.

7-The lighting is atrocious.

8-You have no idea how to upload the stupid thing to your blog anyway.  

9-You suddenly, shockingly realize you're wearing your husbands gigantic football t-shirt in your vlog debut.  NOT okay.

10-And finally, the lighting is atrocious.

I learned all of this in 10 minutes flat, and I think it's safe to say that vlogs are likely not the direction I'll be taking the blog in the days and weeks to come.  Although I have to admit that I am, quite shockingly, still open to the idea, I will not attempt to tackle the project at 11pm.  In a dark back room.  Under atrocious lighting.

The end.

What do you think?  I'm taking a vote.  Video blogs--yay or nay?