The Garden Corner

Hi folks,

I know I've occasionally mentioned how I planned to start a garden once we moved.  I wrote down ideas and potential ways of setting things up.  All my planning got dropped on its head when I got to our finished yard.  Not to say I haven't done a lot.  I have, but I've had my fair share of failures too.

When we closed on our house there was just straw in the backyard, with some sparse grass seeds.  The seeds have struggled and even with a second seeding of some other type of grass there's still muddy patches around.  The biggest problem is the soil quality in the backyard, the topsoil was all stripped, so despite my soil testing being a bit more promising this spring nothing except densely compacted clay is in the backyard.  I still need to check a bit of the hillside though, so maybe I'll get lucky there.  We're getting some lawn treatments as a move in bonus, so hopefully that'll help too.  In the meantime I had a gaggle of seedlings and small plants to put in the ground and I unexpectedly inherited a variety of plants from my parents old house too!

What I've managed so far is:

Planting the sad little Japanese Maple my parents sent
Setting up two raised beds with new soil
Creating a compost bin with the help of Bryan's dad
I seeded most of the backyard with clover since it stays low the the ground, needs less mowing,
enriches the nitrogen levels of the soil, and is rabbit friendly too!
Planting a blueberry bush (1 of the 2 we bought died before we could plant it)
Planting the gardenia I'd been trying to rescue
Planted a Climbing Don Juan rose
Set up bird feeders in the back and front yards
Transplanted all the seedlings I had left from my starters
Planting more veggies from seeds

We originally put the raised beds a bit further into the yard, but moved the further one so contractors could access our yard and fix the drainage problems (the paths the water created after our first rain show how the grass seed got washed away)

What's flourished:

The Blueberry bush
Most of the clover
Cucumbers
Spinach - though some has bolted (gone to seed) our bunny doesn't mind the taste
Kale
Carrots
Bell peppers
The 2 dwarf mulberry trees
The rose bush
Coleus

What we're not sure about:

Cauliflower (the bugs like it, but it's still growing)
Tomatoes (only 2 plants made it until I could transplant them, with our first fruit expected soon)
Our apple trees
A couple little lettuce plants - I planted them from seed, but the heat seems to be too bad

What's died:
The Japanese Maple
The old strawberry plants
Most lettuce, miners lettuce, and sea kale
The gardenia
The surprise plants I from my parents that I couldn't get into the ground fast enough

Everything in our garden is pesticide free, and I've tried to pair plants that work well together in the same bed.  That's mostly gone quite well, though we'll see how the cauliflower turns out, I think they might not like the hot summers, so I'll be planting more of them for fall as well.  A lot of plants that enjoy cooler weather can be planted at the end of summer and harvested in fall and winter.  I'll be planting more kale, lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, and a few other things in a few weeks when we get back from a trip to the beach.  The only special treatment I've given plants otherwise is watering them for 15 minutes with a sprinkler if it's been a few days since it rained.  I haven't had to do that too much yet thankfully, but the summer isn't over yet.

I'm thinking about creating some hillside planters once the weather is cool enough to really work outside more.   If so I'd set them up for the dwarf mulberries and apple trees.  I'd love to have full terraces with steps and eliminate mowing the slope altogether, but I'm not sure when I could implement a project that large, but I could use the area for more vegetables and fruit and some great flowers too.  I'd love to attract more local pollinators.  I know we have the hummingbirds around since I've seen one at the feeder in our front yard and got buzzed in the face by one while wearing my brightly colored Pokemon tshirt last Thursday!  I think it mistook me for a flower patch and then thought better of it once it got close enough to me face.

As you can see I'm keeping things green where I can!  Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Love,
Lydia

My Summer Book Report - Overview

Hi guys,

I've been doing lots of reading, and also rereading books while moving.  But it's been a long time since I've written you all one of my bigger book review posts.  So this one is long past due!

The books I've read since my last post in February (oh man...so long ago!) are as follows The Weekend Homesteader by Anna Hess, Call The Nurse by Mary J MacLeod, and Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates - these are all non-fiction.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen, and Philip Smiley, Geekomancy by Michael R. Underwood, Celebromancy by Michael R. Underwood, The Long War by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, The Long Mars by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter - these are adult fiction.

Fuse by Julianna Baggott, Burn by Julianna Baggott, Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire, The Swap by Megan Shull, Cipher by Aileen Erin, Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carriger,  plus the books I reread The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine, and Wild Magic, Wolf Speaker, and Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce - all YA fiction.

And finally with many more entries than I've had before comes the graphic novels/comics section.
Manifest Destiny Volume 1 by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts, and Owen Gieni, Amulet Volume 1 by Kazu Kibuishi, Thor: Godess of Thunder Volume 1 by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman, The Sculptor by Scott McCloud, Rat Queens Volume 1 by Kurtis J. Weibe and Roc Upchurch, Rat Queens Volume 2 by Kurtis J. Weibe, Roc Upchurch, Stjepan Sejic, and Ed Brisson,   Captain Marvel: Marvel Now, Volume 1 by Kelly Sue DeConnick, David Lopez, and Lee Loughridge, Lumberjanes Volume 1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Brooke A. Allen, Ms. Marvel Volume 2 by G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, and Jacob Wyatt, Ms. Marvel Volume 3 by G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa, Elmo Bondoc, and Mark Waid, Bride of the Water God Volume 1  by Mi-Kyung Yun, Avengers & X-Men: Axis by Rick Remender, Adam Kubert, and Leinil Francis Yu, Batgirl Volume 1 by Cameron Stewart, Babs Tarr, and Brenden Fletcher.

Also here's an updated list for my more complex reading challenge.  I'd love recommendations for books, and if anyone can think of a book set in Roanoke, VA that'd be fantastic!  I don't want to have to cheat and use a book about the lost colony, but I guess I could if I have to.

The big reason I have so many graphic novels on my list is because back in February Bryan and I happened to spot a new comic book store in a strip mall we often passed going on errands from our old house.  The place is called Fight or Flight Comics and it was exactly the kind of store we didn't even know we were looking for.  We always end up in some great conversations when we go in, and find new things to read too.  6 of the 13 comic titles are entirely thanks to them!  If you're in Raleigh or the Triangle area be sure to check them out, their shiny new shop is well worth the trip!  You'll probably hear more about them in the future as Bryan and I are hoping to get involved with a discussion group they have going.

Anyway, back to the books - I don't want to overwhelm you all, so I'll be breaking the actual reviews into 6 entries of 4-7 items each since there are 42 books in total on this list.  I'm very close to hitting my yearly goal of 52 books, because with all these I'm sitting at 51!  I imagine by the time I get around to writing the last of the 6 sets of reviews I'll have topped that and should be adding a couple more books to the lists as I go along.  Till next time.

Love,
Lydia

More on My Capsule Wardrobe

Hi folks,

So first off I realized I wasn't totally clear about some things in my post about my capsule wardrobe.  I want to clarify how a capsule wardrobe works and what I'm doing with mine, then I'll highlight some of the struggles I've had in making it work thus far.

What's a capsule wardrobe?

The concept of a capsule wardrobe springs from the idea that if you look at what's in your closet after years of compiling more stuff you start to realize you hold on to things you don't need.  In some cases it's things that don't suit you as a person anymore, or that aren't work appropriate, things you have too many of, items that don't fit you right, or items that are worn or in need of repairs that might take too much effort.  Everyone has a little bit of these things in the closet in some way or other unless of course they're already some sort of minimalist.  If so you don't need to create a capsule, you're already doing it and just didn't know!

Once you start to condense your closet to just the "good stuff" you start to see more clearly what your sense of style is like, the types of clothes you enjoy wearing, what works well for your body, and a whole lot more.  It allows you to see what items you actually need so you spend less and also get more bang for your buck because you're being mindful about the buying process.  It places priority on only buying items you love that are of better quality instead of spending on a whim.  It also lets you relax since you know most items are mix and match ready with other pieces in your closet.  So it helps de-stress your daily routine, while opening the way for creativity in how you pair items.

I happened on the concept of the capsule wardrobe while browsing for new fashion blogs back in February.  While perhaps I don't seem like the type to care about it all from the point of designers and brand names I find that I really enjoy the aesthetic fun of creating new looks for myself, and viewing what other normal people have done as well.  I mulled over the idea and knowing our move would give me the perfect chance to enact a big change I started planning things out during April and May.  The sites I drew inspiration from were Unfancy and Project 333 for the basics of how to put the capsule together.  Then blogs like Crafty Minx (who makes some of her own clothes and is also a plus sized lady!) and Kendra's Closet Confections (I loooove her way of combining bright colors and classic cuts) for ideas on what kinds of items might work well for my style, since I like their looks.  These days I'm looking for new ways to style what I've chosen from blogs like my friend Rachel's (where she pairs long sleeves with shorts, totally on my to try list!) and some of the other new plus size capsule creators like Little Raven Ink (she's also an artist, so her blog is extra fun).

Most capsule wardrobes are created to cover a 3 month period and use about 30-37 pieces.  My first one landed at 35 pieces, but I'm already starting to see I should have made a few changes now that I'm a month and a half in to my June-August cycle.  A lot of people have different rules for what pieces they include and don't too, some count purses, jewelry, and other accessories, and some don't.  Mine includes tops, bottoms, dresses and shoes for now.  I also kind of added my purse, so you could say it's 36 pieces now.  I'm not too picky this time around.  To recap here are the images of all the clothes I've included.

For more information about the individual pieces please check out my last post.

So, you're probably wondering what kind of issues could I have had?  These clothes look pretty good.  (At least I hope that's what you're thinking!) Well, my problem is I want to layer more and add things like scarves to my repertoire.  My struggle there is it's really been hot here in North Carolina.  To an extent it is every summer, but for the past month & a half the highs have been above 90F the vast majority of days (average is supposed to be mid 80s).  I get hot way too easily for being fancy most days since I'm more the fall and winter loving type of person.  I think I've only managed to wear jeans 5-6 times since the start of June, though the olive khakis should fare a bit better since they roll up.

That's really been the biggest issue I've had.  Also I feel like I don't have need for skirts as much as I hoped during summer.  And though having 2 dresses available is nice I'm not sure I'll wear the second one by the end of summer unless I start making opportunities to.  I'm more comfortable wearing skirts and dresses in fall when I can throw on some leggings and not have to deal with heat rash on my poor bare legs.

My goals for the next month and a half are to:
1. Start photographing my favorite combinations
2. Plan my fall wardrobe with as few new items as possible
3. Connect with other bloggers
4. Be more creative with the pieces and accessories I've got

That's all for this Fashionyface Friday.  Next week I'll try to share some of my outfits with you all and talk about my experiences with the clothing rental company Gwynnie Bee.  Till next time!

Love,

Lydia

More on my capsule wardrobe clothing pieces here and more on the idea of what a capsule wardrobe is here.

The Capsule Wardrobe AKA Fashionyface Things

Hey folks,

So on the good side of things when I tend to stay busy I'm also better able to hold depression at bay.  That's for reasons from being more social, to feeling useful, all the way to simply not having as much time to think and reflect on things.  Over the past few months I've stayed fairly busy and the past couple weeks have been no exception.  I've put together my capsule wardrobe, which comes to a total of 35 pieces.  I found that once I took a good long look at my clothes it wasn't too tough.  I set aside some of my clothes for different seasons by grouping by colors to a certain extent.  So I have 3-4 pieces set aside for spring, about 16 for fall, and around 8 for winter.  Plus I haven't bothered to purge a lot of my winter things just yet so I'm sure I'll add to that number. I've managed to go through most other items in my closet and will try selling a bunch of shoes on either Ebay or Poshmark perhaps.  If anyone has experience with Poshmark let me know what you think if them as I just heard of them and want to hear some reviews.

Now that I've cleared out my closet, on the the Summer 2015 Capsule wardrobe!

So now it's on with the clothes!  Let me know if you want more information, for now I'm sticking with where I got items and a quick descriptor.  I'm happy to provide more info!  I love discussing places to find adorable outfits when I get the chance too so I'd love to hear what some of my reader's favorites are as well.  Let me know what places you love in the comments.

1 -  Serenity Mosaica (Firefly/Serenity) tshirt from Neatoshop
2 - Lace trim cami, Kmart
3 - Ruffled swing top, Anthropologie
4 - Tank with chiffon inset, Catos
5 - Balloon print top, Macy's
6 - Rolled sleeve dolman tshirt, Catos
7 - Striped hi-low top, Anthropologie
8 - Geometric print cami, City Chic
9 - Orange Islands (Pokemon) Tshirt from Neatoshop
10 - Eiffel tower print crop top, Catos
11 - Bubble hem cami, City Chic
12 - Henley tank, Anthropologie
13 - Bubble hem cami, City Chic (I have this top in 4 colors because I caught a great sale and love how comfortable it feels!  I'm saving the purple one for fall as well as a black and white striped one.)
14 - Contrast strap lace front tank, Maurices
15 - Floral print button down, Anthropologie
16 - Lace back hoodie, Target

17 - Zip vent, studded pocket ankle jeans, Torrid
18 - Skinny jeans, Torrid
19 - Roll tab pants, Macy's
20 - Lace maxi skirt, Torrid
21 - Striped terry skirt, Catos
22 - Gauze maxi skirt, Old Navy
23 - Linen drawstring shorts, Lane Bryant
24 - Levis cut off shorts, Modcloth
25 - Levis dark wash, rolled hem shorts, Amazon
26 - Heart print sundress, City Chic
27 - Levis light wash, rolled hem shorts, Amazon
28 - Colored denim rolled hem shorts, Lane Bryant
29 - The Story of Citrus dress, Modcloth
30 - Gallery Cafe sandal, Modcloth
31 - Paisley wedge flip flops (girls size 5=7 womens), Old Navy
32 - Floral print flats, Payless
33 - Corner Bistro sandal, Modcloth
34 - Lauren navy and straw wedge, Macy's
35 - Converse ruffle tongue sneakers (girls size 5), Macy's

I feel pretty great about it all and over the course of this month I've not felt limited at all!  So far items I haven't worn are 2, 4, 10, 20, 22, 29, and 34.  And in the case of 4 & 10 it's because I pulled them out of a box later in unpacking....because I still have some clothes left to unpack.  >.<  Not much though.  I don't have a lot of occasions to wear skirts and dresses in the summer, but I want to wear skirts a bit more often for fun.  I wore the sundress on father's day at least, and the striped skirt out to the movies last Sunday.  I know I also have a couple skirts and dresses left to unpack, so perhaps I'll have more to wear in that department soon!  Also I'll probably incorporate my purses and scarves into my next season's capsule.  Right now I've been using this little shoulder bag all the time, though I have several others too.  (lip balm shown for scale!)

Other than all that I also got a bit of a makeover this month with a nice short haircut for summer.

I've been trying to decide what color I'll do next since last time I did this lovely color transition.

So, this post is completely vain...but not in vain I hope?  haha  Ok, no more puns....
Really though I'll be back soon to show a bit more of our home to you so you all can see what I've been working on.  Also it's past time for a good book review post.  And I've been gardening and trying new recipes too!  Having a kitchen with a working sink is such a blessing after spending the last month at the rental without one.  And having space to cook....it's simply amazing!  I can't wait to share all of it with you.  Til next time!

Love,
Lydia

Pins!

Hi everyone,

So, I'm geared up to show you some new Pins and give an update on older Pins too.

4. Bryan and I put away all our Christmas decorations and used this method for keeping our light strings untangled.  It bends the flexible plastic hangers, but they're just the cheap ones so it's no big deal.  Not a bad Pin!

5. I'm already thinking about the new house and what moving will involve, so I made of list of things to do at/before moving based on this Pin.

In fact over the past few weeks we've picked out what colors we want to paint the walls (pictured below)!

Plus we've also chosen the cabinets, countertops, carpet, linoleum, sink, backsplash, and tile colors.

6. I tried out this quick little cleaning idea using a dryer sheet to swipe at the floorboards, catching the dust bunnies and supposedly keeping away future dust.  I'll update you all about whether this works.

7. I've been cleaning out my fridge and setting it up along the lines of this Pin to try to make things easier to find.  So I'm grouping items in ways that make more sense and keeps things visible.  Which will hopefully cut down of waste too.  Picture to come!

8. Since I've been doing so well on my 52 book challenge I'll be tackling this themed book challenge as well.  Starting the the Pulitzer Prize winning book The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.  So far it's really great, I recommend it to any other comic book fans as it really seems to catch the spirit of the Golden Age comic book era.  It covers some heavy subject matter compared to many books I read, but I'm really enjoying it and keep finding excuses to go off and read a chapter or three instead of whatever I should be doing.

I'm editing the photo challenge together, so expect to see that in the next week or so.  And now it's time for feedback on the month of no shampoo.  Overall it was a pretty good experience.  It took a little getting used to in terms of getting the right amount of baking soda and handling it right, but after the 3rd wash I figured out a routine (for my small hands a palmful works about right, with a bit of water dripped on it to get the consistency just right.)  So, I felt like it was ok for my hair, but not optimal.  My hair tangles a little too easily to do it long term, and the lack of body and so-so shine wasn't helping.  However on the good side of things it made my lavender hair color last twice as long without as much frizz when blow drying!  So in the future I'll be alternating baking soda/vinegar washes with shampoo and conditioner ones.  Here's some shots of how my hair looks with the baking soda washes (taken several weeks apart with little variation in color):



And this is how my hair looks with shampoo and conditioner for reference.  I can tell the difference with frizz, but not shine usually:

Thanks for reading, if you have any great Pins to share let me know!  I'm open to ideas for new projects.  And I'll see you all again soon!

Love,
Lydia

Books!

Hi folks,

Thanks for all the kind words and responses to my last post.  It really does mean a lot to me as we try to be patient about the timing of having kids.  And I'd be happy to talk to anyone else dealing with infertility; I find it's really important to be able to talk to someone outside of your husband about it, or else feelings can get bottled up.  I tend to find people online through message boards (Babycenter) and other groups, though I'm less involved lately.

Anyway, I've been reading like crazy and have lots of additions to my reading list so far.  I'm up to 10 books finished so far this month, with a half dozen more started.  Apparently I'll be knocking out the 52 on the early side if I keep this up, though in some ways I'm not surprised.  There was a summer around 6th grade when I read nearly 100 books thanks to a fellow library patron who decided to challenge me more than the reading program at the library was.  I feel awful that I don't even know that woman's name, but perhaps soon I'll challenge a young reader myself and make it a tradition!

The books I've added are Injustice: Gods Among Us Volume 1 and Injustice: Gods Among Us Volume 2, which are comics involving the Justice League characters (Batman, Superman, Wonderwoman, etc).  The storyline was written as a prequel to a video game (I didn't know this when I read it or I might have hesitated), but it was so well received as a comic that more volumes are being published to continue the story.  Most of the story revolves around the idea that the superheroes with all their power are nearly gods, and to some people are as one group takes over ruling the earth.  It's really well written and I highly recommend it.

Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont is a great guide to the natural trees, shrubs, and small plants of the south grouped by how they're found in nature.  It was a fantastic read (if you're into plants like me) and I'll be using several of the plants I found in here to craft my garden with.

Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale was a light read, that was fun and a follow up to her first Austenland book, with more of a mystery twist.  These books aren't as well written as the YA books she's known for, but I enjoyed them anyway.

The Permaculture Handbook: Garden Farming for Town and Country was a book that I had high hoped for, but was mostly disappointed by.  It had a lot of information that wasn't useful to me interspersed with a bit that was.  It read more like a textbook than anything though, making it dull enough that I skimmed it for what was interesting and finished it fast despite it's large size.

Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden's Syndrome by John Scalzi is a prequel to Lock In, and more of a novella than a full book.  It's available to read online for free here, which is how I read it.  I thought it was definitely as good as Lock In, if not better in some ways.  It reads a lot like World War Z by Max Brooks, giving a great historically styled narrative.

So, that's a bit of what I've read in January and I have so much more to update you all on regarding the Pins, but that will have to be in a follow up post.  If nothing else this post shows just how eclectic my tastes in books are, and it's just the tip of the iceberg!  More interesting book choices to come, including a Pulitzer Prize winner and more gardening books, plus a new comic choice.  I'll see you all again soon.

Love,
Lydia

Pins 1, 2, and 3!

Hi everyone,

So the new year has started out a busy one for me.  I've been in talks about Starting a blog about art supplies with a new friend.  It could be pretty fantastic, and I'll be keeping you all in the loop about it if it works out.  I've also been taking care of Bryan as he's been sick with the flu, and then I came down with it myself.  As much as I'd started this new year with lots of hopes for fantastic projects and lofty goals of being productive they all got put on hold for about two weeks.  At the moment I'm getting caught up on life, things like the cleaning I'd put off over the holidays.  That was a huge mistake, don't put off cleaning like that.  It makes it so much worse to get back into things when the unexpected happens like this flu did!  And is just a horrible idea in general.  No Procrastination, please.

And when it comes down to it, maybe that's my true goal, to beat down procrastination and be more productive.  I'm just trying to be inspired by great ideas others have found work for them as I get there.  That's the beauty of trying all these great projects from Pinterest.  So here's a bit on my first few pins, with another post to come very soon.

Pin 1 - As briefly mentioned in my last post I'll be doing a January photo challenge!

I'm a little behind on it, but will be doubling up to make sure I get all the shots.  More on that to come at the end of the month.

Pin 2 - Trying a month of no shampoo.  This is a pin I've seen many times and have been curious about trying for the past 5 years.  So, with much trepidation I'm testing it out.  I've been using baking soda/water for shampoo and vinegar/water as conditioner.  You can find more on that here.  I wanted to do it for at least two weeks, and started January 3rd.  While I was sick I used regular shampoo once because I was feeling awful, wanted a fast shower, and hadn't got into the routine as well yet.

So, I've met my goal of two weeks, and feel like for my hair, which is very fine/prone to be oily it's just ok.  It's not better than shampoo so far, but I'll be going to the end of the month to see if my body is still adjusting to it.  I definitely am not able to go very long between washes, but I was never able to with shampoo either.  I pretty much have to wash my hair every day.  Overall the pros so far are that it's gentle on my body, got rid of frizz, even with blow drying, and it's seemed to make my hair color go farther (especially the purple!).  So that's all pretty good; and the cons are that it takes a little more time and thought in the shower, leaves my hair with less shine, and leaves my hair without much body (it has very little anyway, but I can get a little more with shampoo than with baking soda and vinegar).

I'll give another follow up on this at the end of the month to see if there's been more change as my body adjusts, or if it's stayed about the same.  However, so far I'm still in the shampoo camp, though ladies with thicker hair than me may want to try this out!  It's super cheap compared to shampoo/conditioner and not that hard to get used to.

Pin 3 - 52 book challenge!  I'm excited for this one, as I love to read.  It comes out to being a book a week for the entire year.  I'll be sharing each of the 52 with you and probably doing some theme challenges within the 52 using another interesting pin.  Thus far I've read:

Week 1 - Lock In by John Scalzi, which is fantastic!  The premise is in a speculative future where a disease has rendered about 1% of the population locked in paralyzed bodies.  Technology has helped these individuals reconnect with the world, but brought it's own fair share of problems to complicate things as a mystery is solved.  (before the new year I'd read one of his more famous books, Redshirts, a Star Trek parody/love letter.  While fun, it hadn't sold me on his writing skills because it was so light, Lock In proved to have a much richer world.)

Week 2 - Ms Marvel Volume 1 written by G. Willow Wilson, art by Adrian Alphona- A great start for what looks to be a fantastic series.  It's got many classic elements of the teenage superhero storyline as our heroine finds her powers and chooses how to use them much in the way of Peter Parker.  Some things that add interest are the heroine's background as a Muslim and woman of color.  It brings up the idea of being true to oneself as the most satisfying path, and follows Ms Kahn as she learns how to be herself, and not the superheroes she idolizes.

and a bonus since I was sick - Landscaping with Fruit by Lee Reich - This book is a pretty thorough look at a good collection of fruits for home gardens.  The author's a little biased towards what he enjoys, but it's given me a great start to my plans for the garden at our new house.  It's an easy read that's good enough to pick up as a reference book if you're interested in this kind of gardening.  I borrowed it from the library, and may buy it eventually myself.

Week 3 - The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough - I love history, and had been curious about just what made this flood so tragic, and when I saw the book as a Kindle Daily Deal I snapped it up.  Getting over the flu gave a good time to read it.  McCullough is a great researcher, and keeps fact and fiction separate while writing a book that's easy to read.  The events surrounding the flood were in some ways relatable to the current events of today with big companies allowing less than safe conditions for the public, while happily paying very little consequence for their actions later when people are hurt.  Additionally there are some great firsthand accounts of the experience that McCullough weaves together masterfully creating a seamless story from them.  I didn't realize until after the fact that the book was written in 1968, which is a bit amazing since it's quite sensitive to social issues of all kinds.  Though it does lack the voice of anyone besides white Americans, and I would have loved to hear accounts from the immigrants or African American people as well.   Overall it's a great read, and I'll be reading more of his work in the future (I've been meaning to for a while!)

I keep a record of the books I read on Goodreads.com, feel free to friend me there!

Speaking of following, please follow me on Pinterest if you'd like to keep up with the pins I'm working on over the course of this year, you can find me here.  I'll be seeing you all again soon as I share more pins and projects with you!

Love,

Lydia

Days 39-42

Hello folks,

My weekend was filled with taking care of my poor sick husband...who had food poisoning or some other nasty illness.  I'm still not quite sure he's over it, but he's doing better at least.

Otherwise my Kickstarter is over, and as predicted in my last post didn't make its goal.  I'm ok with that, though it means a lot of hard work from me for the coming months.  I'll be keeping tabs on job openings, making art, and finding various ways to earn extra money on the side.  I've really already been doing these things, but will have a little more time to do them now.

On the side of good news I got my application for Penland School of Crafts in the mail today.  I'm so nervous about it, and hoping it will arrive in time even with all the snow and ice the weathermen are promising here.  I'm glad to have it off, and will be checking the tracking number at least twice a say until it makes it to their doorstep.

Bryan and I worked on our budget today, which is continuing to look good.  We have a long way to go before we can feel relaxed, but we're getting there, slowly but surely.  I look forward to having emergency money saved up and debts paid off, and we're closer to that each day.  In the next few weeks I'll do our taxes and hopefully we'll get a refund we can put towards our debt.  For some reason I really like doing my taxes.  I'm not sure if it's because I like the feeling of knowing they're completed or simply enjoy the process.  I think it might mean I'm a bit crazy either way.  haha

In book, news I read an article shared by a friend of mine via Facebook on Alternate History Novels.  I've loved this kind of book and idea for a while now, and have added many of the books from this list to my "To Read" section of www.Goodreads.com.  (If you're wondering, my "To Read" section is enormous...I'm always seeing great looking new books.  I can only hope to get around to them all.)  Right now I'm working on 1632 (Ring of Fire), which I got for free as a Kindle book.  I'm betting it's still free, and you can read it on most platforms with the free Kindle book app (computers, tablets, smartphones).  It's been interesting, and Bryan and I also decided to give Darwinia, The Aquiliad, and The Peshawar Lancers a try.  We got the physical books for those though.  While I like reading though Kindle it'll never be the same as having a book in hand.  I've also been working my way through the graphic novel series Y The Last Man, having finished number 6 out of 10 volumes.

Beyond all of that I've been continuing work on art pieces and should have at least one if not more completed pieces to show everyone in my next entry here.

Until next time.

Love, Lydia

Day 24

Welcome to my blog,

So today I've been thinking about goals.  I happened to read a post by a guy named Mike Hyatt who owns a publishing house and blogs about writing, among other things.  The post he wrote is about mistakes people make when setting goals.  You can read the article here.  It's got me thinking about some of my big goals for this year and I thought I'd share them with you all.

Most of you who read this already know about my Kickstarter and the goals that go with it.  If I meet the low goal I'll be able to create a piece of art every week this year and end up with 52 pieces.  The larger goal is making a piece every day and ending up with a full 365 pieces.  The more I work on these goals, sending out messages via Etsy, Facebook, Twitter and the like the more determined I am to at least get the 52 pieces made, whether or not I have the funding.  If I have to I'll make paintings on whatever scraps of paper I have left if I can't afford to buy more supplies.  I've at least got the watercolor paint to make it through a year of that, though collages and other art forms wouldn't have the same luck.  And so far I'm right on track with that, having finished 3 pieces at just over 3 weeks in.  I've got another 8 pieces in progress and ideas for lots more written down.  I think half my trouble comes from finding what to get started on first!

I have some other goals too though.  Some more personal ones like finding a good church to go to here in Raleigh.  Sometimes I feel like that's hard because Bryan and I grew up in really different styles of churches, though our personal beliefs are really similar.  I'm not going to go into the spiritual parts of it all, because this isn't the place for that.  However, I really look forward to finding a place with good community because I miss having friends here.  I have lots of family that so far has filled in very well, but I know I need to have friends outside of relatives.  I think of all of this as things that will feed my emotional stability and improve my mental health.

I also want to get my art established better here in the Raleigh area, and I would really love to participate in a couple of shows my the end of the year.  I've also thought about showing my work in other areas too, and would like to be able to that.  And I would like to join some artist associations so I can get to know other artists. network, and just get in the loop about things.  All of that is a little more dependent on money, which brings me to the next big goal.

Working on tackling our finances.  I've got student loans, we had our car get totaled a couple months back and had a huge rise in car insurance simply for living somewhere there's a risk of being rear-ended, plus the costs of a "new" car.  However, it's taught me how to be a couponer, and we're now masters of making and sticking to budgets.  We also eat out a lot less than we used to.  Recently I switched to an Obamacare plan, in my case it cut my insurance costs in half compared to my husband's employee insurance!  Next month things will start looking up as we've finally caught up to all the things that were setting us back so much the past few months.  We're buying a fantastic photograph from Matthew Alexander, a fellow CCAD alum as a way of celebrating making this goal!

For mental stimulation I've vowed to read at least one new book each month, which if you know me isn't a huge goal.  I was the 10 year old kid who read over 100 books one summer, because a kind library patron saw that the summer reading program wasn't enough challenge for me.  She asked me to make it to 50 instead, and then gave me a gift card for a local bookstore.  I kept going and hit 100 books before school started that fall.  However, I read a lot less when I was at CCAD, and making art in high gear cuts down on my reading time.  Since it's also some of my best mental fuel I'm making a point of keeping it around!

Lastly I've also been making more effort than ever to be healthy.  Simply getting in more fruit and veggies and less junk, eating more organic and local, and putting more exercise into my daily routine.  I'd been doing dance workouts about twice a week for most of the last year, but now I'm also adding in yoga 1-2 times a week, some weight training, walking, plus other routines too.  And last year I gave up keeping soda in the house, so these days I drink a lot more water.

So, all this is what's going on in the background each day, and what keeps me going.  Sometimes I feel like it's not a big enough deal to talk about on here, but really, all the little details are important to my story.  I'm guessing you all feel the same way about your lives, some of those details are what make us feel ourselves.  Hopefully you all have made it through all this, and I hope even more that it's been interesting, showing you more about who I am.  Until Monday.

Love, Lydia

Day 1

Hello everyone!

Today's the first of January and the first day of my Art For All Year project.  The goal of the project is to create at least one new work of art each week.  I have a Kickstarter set to go once all the financial information is confirmed.  (They have to make sure I'm me!)  And if this Kickstarter reaches its higher goal I would even be able to make a piece of art for every day of the year.

I'm really excited about this because I love creating new pieces, but lately have had trouble doing so because I feel split between ensuring we have the money needed to pay bills and making the art I love.

So, a bit about me for those of you hearing about me for the first time, or just hearing more in general:

I am originally from Roanoke, Virginia
I  discovered my love of art in the photo labs at Virginia Western Community College
I was part of the class of 2010 at Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio earning a BFA in Fine Arts and a minor in Art History
I worked for LEGO during my time in Ohio
I briefly attended Hollins University as a graduate student where I learned Latin and started making collages
I worked two fabulous summers at Camp Winnebago in Maine, teaching photography
In 2012 I got married and moved to Raleigh, NC where I've been creating my art ever since.

While 2013 was a fantastic year for my personal life I seemed to have taken a step back from my art.  2014 is a year where I am aiming to change this.  Beyond simply creating art I want to make connections and break into the local art scene.  I'd love to show my art in other cities and parts of the world too, and hope to fund the entries to 6-24 shows this year.

Tune in tomorrow for an update on my first piece of the year.  Thanks for reading!

Love, Lydia