My Favorite Thrift Finds of 2019

For several months now, I’ve been wanting to make a favorite thrift finds of 2019 post. When I thought back to what my favorites were, I could only come up with two things. I thrifted far more than two things last year, of course. I could think of many things, but they weren’t my favorite, not the most practical or useful, not items I used often and with relish. So I decided to stop wracking my brain for more items. Two is enough.

Mini thermos
I thrifted this late in the year, I can remember bc it was when a friend was staying with us. I had never seen such a small thermos! It seemed like such a useful object. And it has been! It keeps things warm for hours and is perfect for one serving. We mostly use it for oatmeal, but it’s great for warm beverages too!

Red sketch book
I thrifted this at the Goodwill near my mom’s house (the ones where some pugs were stollen a few years back). This is a really high quality sketch book with nice thick pages. I’ve been using it this year for my monthly goals and for just playing with paints and markers.

And there you have it. The two thrifted items that really stand out to me from 2019. Both simple, utilitarian, and beautiful.

What were your favorite thrift finds of 2019?

Zero Waste Recipe: Chickpea Salad

This recipe is so simple, it’s barely a recipe even, I always forget how good it is! It’s simple, can easily be made vegan, delicious and doesn’t try to be something it’s not. And it’s practically zero waste, of course.

If you like tuna, chicken, or egg salad, you’ll enjoy this dish.

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas, or dried and soaked equivilant
1 medium to large carrot
1 small or 1/2 bigger red onion
1 to 2 stalks celery
mayo or vegan mayo
salt and pepper to taste

bread, crackers, rice cakes, lettuce wraps, or whatever you most like to eat your salad on.

Equipment:
bowl
fork or spoon

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Chop veggies in to preferred size (I like mine in a rough dice). Combine veggies, chickpeas and as mush mayo as you like in a bowl. I like my sandwich salad to not be too wet, or too dry. For 1 can of chick peas, I usually use 1 1/2 tablespoons. Make sure to mix well using a fork to help chop up the chickpeas. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on your favorite bread.

Some notes:
- I usually eat mine on potatoes bread or rolls, as I love the contrast of the crunchy salad on soft bread.
- This is a great recipe to make vegan, and a good way to introduce simple vegan and zero waste food to those who are new to these ideas.
- This recipe can be used as a dip as well. Simply dice veggies very small and mash the chickpeas more when combining.

Using loose veggies and bulk or canned legumes make this recipe low waste. Making your own bread or crackers, or getting it from a local shop in your own bag would help even more.

This is a good simple dinner or lunch, great to take to work or school, and keeps well in the fridge for a few days for a snack. What are some of your easy go to recipes?

Please note, In my excitement, I ate the final product and neglected to take photo. When I make another batch I will add the finish product photos, here.

Update 3/30/19: Photos added.

Mat Cat Capsule | All the Clothes I Didn't Wear in Fall

As I was sitting down (ok, running up and down the basement stairs) to create my Winter 2020 Capsule Wardrobe, I realized just how many clothes that were in my Fall Capsule that I hadn’t worn once. Many might think that 65 items of clothing is too few to get them through 3 months of wear. But I only actually wore 48 between Oct and Dec bc there were 17 items that I didn’t even touch.

Here’s what I didn’t wear and my thoughts on why not.

I didn’t wear any of these white tops. Each of them is not my favorite for different reasons. The Bahamas shirt is too tight at the collar, the floral is cropped, the Japan shirt is very fitted.

I’ve never worn this vintage wrap shirt/over shirt but I would like to fit it into my wardrobe.

A few more t shirts taht I didn’t wear. I love the deep v, and they used to be my uniform for many years, but now it can be too tricky. I often wear the other two shirts, but always ended up grabbing other shirts in my capsule.

This new hyper color t is also tricky to wear. The tank was just too summery.

This cardigan is not overly easy to wear or match with other items. It works really well over lighter clothing, but is hard to pare with fall/winter items.

I love this dress, it has pockets! I never reached for it this Fall.

I got this Eileen Fisher silver dress this summer, but haven’t worn it yet.

I thrifted these leather joggers a long while ago, but I have never worn them. I really want to, I think it would be a look. This super soft leather skirt was bought at a stoop sale many years ago, and I wish I wore it more.

I love this light over shirt that was found at my old bar but it never worked out this Fall. The next shirt is just a little tight around the middle and a little stiff. I This I’ll like it when I can wear it in, but I haven’t yet, The last denim dress, I really enjoy, but it wasn’t right for this capsule.

Setting aside the clothes that I didn’t wear in my capsule was an interesting experiment. I would like to try it again at the end of Winter. I ended up putting some of these items into Winter, let’s see if they end up on the didn’t wear pile again in three months.

2019 Goals | December Goals Review

With all the thoughts and ruminations on goals, it’s taken me a little while to get to my December 2019 goals review. Looking back on these, I didn’t fulfill any of them totally, but setting and referring to them made me more mindful of some things that I wanted to achieve at the end of the year..

Make 10k steps every day!
Walking is something that I know helps me improve my depression, maintain my weight, and keeps me active and limber especially in cold weather.
Definitely didn’t happen, but having this goal let me strive for it.

Post to insta every day (hopefully twice a day!)
I only posted 12 times in November - sad! I like to be able to look back and see more of each month.
I think I did better with instagram this month but it was not an every day activity.

Create an image every day
This a challenge that my husband set for us. Let’s see if this can kickstart some creativity in our house.
This might be my worst failing goal.

10 min meditate, stretch, exercise
I know even only 10 minute a day of these routines will help me a lot this month.
I think I only did this two or three times, but it is something I would like to continue towards.

Be mindful and plan for the coming year
I want to use this month to reflect on 2019, and plan for 2020.
This goal didn’t really set uin until after 2019. I thought about my 2020 goals and plans in December, but couldn’t come up with anything that really inspired me. I think it’s been easy for me, in the past years, to reset old goals, but for 2020 (maybe the decade change has something to do with it?) rehashing old goals just doesn’t seem right. There will be some that carry over, I’m sure. but this year feel different, more momentous somehow. I’m looking forward to sharing a new year of goals and plans.

How did your goals get wrapped up in 2019? Do you feel satisfied with them?

2019 Monthly Goals in Review

In 2019, I tried to set a few goals each month and record them on the blog. These were mainly in support of my larger over all goals. I used each month of goals to create lasting habits, sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not. Since I like to look back at the end of the year and see how I did on my goals for the year, I thought it would be interesting to check the monthly goals as well.

January
Inbox to 0
Find 2 Japanese resources
Blog at least 4 days every week
Photograph 6 items per day for mad cat market
Add 12 listings per week to mad cat market
Add tags to 100 blog posts

February
Inbox to 0 - I kept trying this goal for a while and it never really happened. In 2020, I would like to make strides to declutter my online life.
Have 1 life admin day
Study Japanese 2 days a week - I gave up on learning japanese pretty quickly this year. I needed to set these goals to realize that this was not a priority in my life. Maybe some day.
Morning Walk 3 days a week
Blog 4 times a week
Add tags to 40 blog posts

March
Schedule 1 life admin day
Plan my next 2 trips
Morning walk 3 days a week
Get out into the yard 3-4 times
Blog 4 times per week
Move my 50+ plants
Inbox to 500 and maintain

April
Make and post 1 youtube video
Plan our next 2 trips
Get out into the yard 3-4 times
Get back to blogging 4-5 times per week
Better health 15 days of the month
Move my 50+ plants
Inbox to 500 and maintain

May
Make and post 1 youtube video
Plan our next 2 trips
Plant 6 or more garden beds.
Better health 15 days of the month
Inbox to 1000 and and decrease.
Blog as many times as I can for the month.

June
Blog as many times as I can for the month.
10,000 steps 4 times per week
Beach or swim 3 times per week.
Eat well and vegan 1 day per week.
Make 1 youtube video

July
2 days for social media clean out
Eat cleaner and vegan 3 day per week. - I really wanted to incorporate a more vegan diet in 2019 and this is a goal I’d like to work more on in the coming year.
4 days for email clean out
Beach or swim 12 times this month.
31 days of Plastic Free July

August
Plan our next 2 trips
3 days a week for the yard and garden
4 days for email clean out
Beach or swim 12 times this month.
31 days to move in day

September
Plan 1 more trip for 2019.
15 days to move in day
25 days to enjoy Local Summer
30 days to quit nail biting
Move 45 plus plants

October
Finish 1 house project
Read 2 books
Eat out 8 times only
Move 45+ plants
Inbox to 500

November - This is the month I stopped using a number in each goal. I had started that bc a) it made sense, but also b) I thought it would be a cute theme. I’m not sure it really came off to any degree, but looking back it is cute.
Reach out to friends
Be direct
Give calendar blocking another try
Cook at home -A LOT. Eat out LESS.
Creative challenges

December
Make 10k steps every day!
Post to insta every day (hopefully twice a day!)
Create an image every day
10 min meditate, stretch, exercise
Be mindful and plan for the coming year

I’ve added a few remarks for the notable goals in italics.
I think setting goals each month was a really great way to break down larger goals into achievable bites. It was easy to focus on things that I wanted to get done and habits I wanted to create in this way. I definitely plan to continue monthly goal setting in 2020.

Did you set monthly or quarterly goals in 2019?

2019 Goals Review

This year I approached my goals a little differently than in years past. I started out basically the same, setting big sweeping goals to work on through the year. each month I broke down some smaller monthly goals to get done as well. These mostly all fell under those sweeping goals in one way of another. But by mid year, I felt I had lost connection with my big goal list. So I went back and revised it.

Here is the list of goals I made in Jan 2019 (with italic notes from mid year):

Seek Balance in Life/Work/Art
I make this goal every year and I’m still working on it.
I do make this goal every year and this year was not a good one for fulfilling it.
Create More Than Consume
I’ve become very aware at how much time I spend on my phone and the internet and how little time I spend concentrating on creating. This year, Creating should be the priority.
I would say I’m failing at this goal as well. But I have worked in the garden, taken care of the house, and created systems, worked on the blog, and other creative endeavors. Over all my tally of creativity is low.
Become Better at Being Plastic Free and Zero Waste
One of the best things I’ve done for myself in the last few years was start my Zero Waste journey. Here’s to a more good work in 2019.
I have made strives in this area, at least mentally. When I started ZW was with a sort of mental fever, making me feel terrible as well as good. This year, I feel that I don’t stress quite as much about it, but now I just need to get better.
Blog / Youtube
I dabbled in YouTube in 2018, but this year I want to make it a regular part of my life. Blogging is also a priority. Zero work on youtube, but I’m happy so far with the progress I’ve made with this blog. I would love to create more plans and be better at blogging in the future. I wonder if I will ever feel satisfied in my blogging habits?
Habit Building / Monthly Goals
In 2018 I tried to build new habits and set monthly goals, in 2019 I want to make sure to do more.
I went strong on this goal until the middle of the year. I hope to get back on track now that it’s fall.
Home Improvement
There are a lot of things we want to do to improve the house. Some we have started, others need starting and all of them need finished! I hope to get a lot done this year!
We did some work on this this year, but haven’t tackled any of the really big projects yet. Since we will soon be sharing our home, some of these will take on a new priority.
Be a Better Wife
I never thought I would be a wife. Now I want to become better at it. This has to do with lots of things that I will go in to depth another time.
I honestly have no idea how I’m doing at this goal.
Travel / Explore
We did OK at this goal last year, but I want to do more!! There are a lot of local areas and some more far afield that I want to go to.
I think we are doing really well at this goal! We have upped our travel game this year and we have more planned for the remaining time of 2019.
Read One Book per Month
Another goal that I set every year is to read more, but this year, I want to set the goal to read at least one book each month.
I’m not sure I have really read or listened to one book per month, but I would love to take a look back and see. I have been reading again, and I love it.
Create one Tattoo per Month
I only created a few tattoos in 2018, I want to make sure to do more in 2019.
Nope.
Study Japanese
I love to learn languages and I miss studying. I want to get back in to the habit of this and be able to converse with more people.
This goal totally fell off the map for me. I decided I’m not really interested in this for the rest of the year (ever?).
Lose 20lb
OK, I usually don’t include goals like this. I usually don’t make them!! But this year, I need to get serious about my health and losing some weight is part of that.
I have worked on improving my health a little this year, so far and I have improved my weight. I wonder if I can fulfill this goal by 2020?
Save Money
Pretty standard.
Despite having to make a few large purchases, I think we’ve been doing well at this goal. I think this would be a great topic for a more detailed post.

And here is how I streamlined those goals mid year:

Plastic Free/Zero Waste
I want to make sure that I keep up this goal for the rest of the year. When we went away recently I felt good about how much it was on the forefront of trip goals.

Home Improvement
Especially now that we have a roommate, I ant to make sure to complete a few of home projects before the end of the year.

Health/Weight
I’m getting old and want to make sure I’m making various aspects of my health a priority.

Mindfulness/Creativity
In this aspect of my goals, I have been failing. I would love to take some time to concentrate on this for the rest of 2019.

Exploration
We’ve done really good at this this year, I don’t want to fall short for the last quarter.

Paring Down
We still have boxes never unpacked from when we moved into this house. Now that we have someone else living here, it’t time to really pare down.

I’m not sure I really did a good job on my goals in 2019. I set too many in the beginning of the year. I was well meaning, but scattered. The mid year goals were more streamlined but also more vague. Many people say that in order for goals to work, one must also have a plan. I find I rarely have a set plan for my yearly goals.

That is one thing I would like to change in 2020. Another is what my goals do for my life and how I achieve them. For my 2020 goals I’ve been thinking a lot about what I intentions I can set and how I can complete them.

What techniques have you used to make sure the goals you set get met? Did you make large goals to achieve over the whole year, or did you break the goals up into smaller chunks?

6 More Months of Zero Waste: December - Buy No Gifts

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

One of the mosrt important aspects of the zero waste/low impact movement is to reexamine the way we think of seemingly normal activities and standards. It might seem totally normal and harmless to buy a plastic water bottle each day but we now know that this isn’t true. The truth is that this action hurts our planet, our health and the health of our communities. The only way that we can make a change is to change ourselves and our actions.

When we talk about gift giving, for xmas, for birthdays, for any reason, we must first re-examine and rethink everything we have done in the past and change our mentality about gifts, both receiving and giving. December is a great time to think about all the gifts you’ve gotten in the past. Which were your favorites? Which made an actual impact on your life? Were they the gifts that were throw away items, trinkets, or bric a brac or were they the gifts that you really coveted, or really needed? Were your favorite gifts one you could experience or consume? Did your favorite gifts create waste, or did they serve a function and purpose? Now ask your self the same questions about the gifts you have given to someone else. Were the gifts given or received the best thing about the holiday? Or was it the time spent with family and friends?

When we think about zero waste gift giving the first step is to know that giving low waste and low impact gifts are the goal. This often takes more time and more planning and will result in giving less gifts overall.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to give something homemade. Baked goods, beauty products, sewing, dinners, kombucha, sweaters, whatever it is you know how to do, share it with your friends and loved ones. Be mindful that you are sure to choose your raw materials with zero waste in mind (bulk items for baking, humanely harvested wool, etc…).

Experiences are another great gift idea. Movie tickets, gift certificates to restaurants, classes, maid services, spas, etc… are all good options, but even better give the gift of you and your time. Teach someone something you know how to do (knit, sew, bake, yoga…) or give them help they’ve been needing (babysitting, cleaning, organizing, cooking dinner, a day of running errands…). Experiences are often more low impact and zero waste and the memories are often more special than an object.

If you know of something that someone really needs, or wants, by all means get it for them if it feels right. Try to use the gift giving experience to practice and teach low impact options. Buy second hand, ethical, local, handmade, and zero waste.

If you’re interested in the zero waste and low impact movement, you are probably already decluttering and streamlining your own life. You mostly likely don’t want many gifts, if any. Make sure you communicate this to all your friends and family. Make sure you let your workplace know. A great way to get people in the no gift mindset is to lead by example. Switching over to low waste or zero waste gifts or forgoing gift giving all together can be hard. Make sure that you are taking steps towards your goal at each opportunity. Make sure you are starting where you are and doing what you can.

What are some sustainable gifts you’re giving this year?

Are you following along with out 6 Months of Zero Waste? Here is the current 6 month plan:

November - Zero Waste Kit
December - No Gifts
January - Clothing and Fast Fashion
February - Mass Transit
March- Bathroom Make-over
April - Grow Your Own Food

Below are the previous month’s projects:

January 2019 - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February 2019- Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March 2019- Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April 2019- Compost
Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and prevent it from reaching the landfill.
May 2019- Meatless Monday
One of the best ways to improve the environment is to stop eating factory farmed meat and industrial fish. Small steps lead to big change so this month we gave up meat (or dairy or fish)
June 2019- No Bottled Water
We gave up bottled water as an avenue to give up more disposable plastic in Plastic Free July.
July 2019 - Plastic Free July!
Go plastic free this month!

Zero Waste Travel Review 2019: Nashville, Pheonix

It’s been a lovely year for travel. We like to travel but we can’t always find the time. We have demanding jobs and cats. This means we don’t always get to stay as long as we would like to. This makes it hard to take the time to assess the city and it’s zero waste features and possibilities. But even a few days can give you an idea of how it is to travel zero waste. Here are my impressions of the 2 of the 4 major cities we visited this year.

There is a mix of old school spots, like the Nashville Biscuit House, and new more sustainable options in TN.

Nashville, TN
I’ve visited Nashville a few times previously but as we have family there, we usually stick close to home. This trip we got to visit with family and friends, but also ventured out a little more. There was a lot of plastic bags, styrofoam and plastic take out containers. Single use plastics and plastic packaging seems to be the rule with very little exception. When we went to restaurants of cafe, there was always disposable napkins. It was super hard to find vegetarian, let a long vegan options, but We did hear of a few new vegan places to try next time we are in town. A few places we visited had more eco friendly options and we saw a few places that let you use your own cup, or didn’t offer straws unless asked. We did happen upon a great zero waste shop, The Good Fill. And there were other signs of getting clued into a more sustainable lifestyle. Many people did carry their own grocery bags! There is a light rail that people can take in to the city center, but the entire time we were there I never saw it moving, let along in use. Driving is the main form of transportation and traffic was thick most of the time we were there.

Nashville seems to be a city on the edge of a possible sustainable revolution. But for now, the downside of waste seems to be catching up to other major cities, especially where to go containers, public transport, low cost zero waste alternatives, and normalizing non plastic options are concerned.

Overall, I think Nashville is a city to watch out for. Right now, it’s not anything too special where zero waste is concerned but it’s poised to turn an important corner. I feel like Nashville could use more zero waster citizens and tourist to keep it’s progress moving.

Being in the middle of the desert makes Phoenix unique.

Phoenix, AZ
This is probably the city I have visited the most out of all my travels this year. I’m always surprised by Phoenix. When I think of it, it is a waste land, a desert of similar looking houses and chain stores. But on this visit I took note on how many indy businesses there were, how many vegan options there were, as well as grocery shops with bulk sections and other low key resources for zero wasters. Disposable plastic is still the norm, but I saw many people carrying their own grocery bags, bringing their reusable cups and being more conscious about sustainable options. Phoenix is water conscious and so they are used to taking care of precious things, if they can make the mental leap to also care for reusables, it would go a long way. No one seemed to mind me bringing my own to go container, or to go cup but it was still an oddity. Hiking and out door activities are common there, so people are health conscious which can easily translate to being heath conscious for the planet. Driving is the only transport as far as I could tell, and traffic in the city can be pretty sticky. I was visiting and helping friends on this trip, so I didn’t do too much exploring, but I’m excited for the next visit to suss out more sustainable options and seeing how one can to be more zero waste in Arizona.

A downside of Phoenix zero waste is definitely awareness and communication. I saw resources in Phoenix that I had never seen before, like person who shreds documents and recycles the waste (he even reused any plastic bags that were brought in!) but generally no one is talking about reducing waste. Asking for “no straw” was still a novelty as was asking for other small things to reduce waste in restaurants or shops. People didn’t know how to react and were confused a lot of the time. A way to combat this would be for all those wanting to reduce waste and promote a low impact lifestyle to speak out more and make those conversations a more normal activity.

Overall, I think Phoenix has come a long way but has a longer road ahead.

These two cities had frustrating aspects for someone who wants to reduce their waste, forgo plastic and lead a more low impact life. But they also had exciting possibilities. I’ll be interested to revisit these cities and watch the progress that is made.

It was fun to think back to my travels this year and how they relate to zero waste. Each time I returned home, I was happy to be back in my comfort zone with my waste consumption but it also made me thnk of the changes I still need to work on and how my own city could improve.

Did you travel in 2019 with zero waste in mind? What were your observations?

What I Spend in a Week

I have been watching a ton of “what I spend in a week as a…” videos on youtube. They have been tredning the last few weeks. Most of the people who create them are young people living in cities (What I send in a week in NYC as a 20 year old college student, or What I spend in a week as a 24 year old in LA…) . I thought it would be interesting to post my own version of this: What I spend in a week as a 40 year old home owner with a full time job in Asbury Park, NJ.

There are a few ways to go about this post. I’ve seen people include their monthly expenses divided by 4 weeks, I’ve seen people only include what they spent money on without any monthly expenses or charges, or just with those that came up during the month.

Something to keep in mind for all these videos and posts are that each person’s situation is different and they are not intended to make anyone feel bad about what they spend. They are just to see a slice of life of individual people and various lifestyles in different cities or towns. What our differences are and how we are all similar. Another thing to think about is that for most people each week of spending will differ. Unless people budget to an extreme degree there are always unexpected expenses.

I tracked my expenses for the week of Dec 9th-15th and I only included monthly expenses if I paid them within the week. I share all expenses with my husband (household expenses, shopping, food, bills, groceries, etc…) but I have only included what I paid this week which includes bills, subscriptions, food and random expenses. I have rounded up any change to the nearest dollar.

Monday Dec 9th - $81
I had our electric bill ($81) earlier but the money was actually deducted on this Monday.

Tuesday Dec 10th - $5
I stopped and got a tofu taco ($4 +$1 tip) at Mogo Tacos after work as a snack.

Wednesday Dec 11th - $20
My husband and I went to an Indian Buffet with my mom for lunch. My mom and husband bought lunch ($40 total) and I paid the tip ($10). That was nice of them! We stopped at the only local art shop on our way home and bought a few paints and an ink pen ($10).

Thursday Dec 12th - $5
I really wanted to try the new soup we had at work and bought a cup ($5).

Friday Dec 13th - $12
I rarely get my Mightfix ($12) subscription box any more, but I chose to get it this month and this is when the automatic fee was deducted from my account.

Saturday Dec 14th - $2
My husband and I went out to breakfast, walked around town and hit the thrift. Chirs paid for breakfast and some thrift items this day, I ended up only spending $2 on one thrift item ($2).

Sunday Dec 15th - $25
Another good morning for eating out for breakfast and walking around the neighborhood. I bought breakfast ($19 + $5 tip), this time.

The Week Total- $150
To be totally transparent, I was bummed that the bill came thru on Monday as I was hoping this would be a really low week for spending. I was also disappointed that I spent money every day. But this is a true account of all that I spent and I would say pretty typical for me.

Talking about finances, budgeting and money can always be a tricky thing. While I do believe that some things should be shared, like techniques, ideas for budgeting, and personal experiences, I wouldn’t share my salary or many more details of my financial life than you see here. Obviously, I also wouldn’t share my husband or friends info, either. What are you thoughts on Monday discussions?

This was as an interesting experiment as everyone said it would be. For something like me, who tracks their daily and monthly expenses all the time, seeing it in this format was still very interesting and surprising. I would like to do a few more weeks like this, not only to see how weeks differ but to see where I could be budget better and save. If anyone else out there is experimenting with this kind of post, please leave a link in the comments!

Best Nine 2019

Each year, I love to see my Best Nine, on instagram!! Looking at the nine most liked photos is always interesting. I love how this year the middle three pics are all rainbows! 2019 was a great year for rainbows for me.

It’s neat to look back over the year this way. A lot of times there are photos I wouldn’t have expected and they bring up a memory I hadn’t thought about in a long while.

I always find it fun to check out previous years, too so here are 2018-2015.

2018

2017

2016

2015

Do you find your best nine? Post a link to your in the comments!

I struggled to find this website last year, so I went back to that post to find it again. This is the original Best Nine and it’s my favorite of all the new versions out there.

I really like to look back to see which of the photos of the year that people liked. I always check on Irving Barry’s insta and on @anlight’s too!

2019

2019

Regularly Scheduled Programing 2019

I’ve always had the goals to make reoccurring posts on Mad Cat Quilts. I love to visit my favorite blogs each week or mouth and see my favorite posts. Lately, I’ve been loving checking out the featured In Pictures section of The Guardian and Reading My Tea Leaves has been doing an awesome Holiday tag. I hope she keeps this up every year!

What are some of your favorite columns in your favorite blogs?

In 2016, I started looking back and seeing what of these posts I used regularly and making a list. This is for my own memory, mostly, but you may want to take a look back, too!

Month in Review - A review of each month and my favorite instagrams for that month. 

Monthly Plant Update - A review of all the plants I've observed for each month. 

Travel - One of my long standing goals is to document my travels.

On My Mind On Friday Morning - A few things I've noticed around the internet, and life, recorded on Friday morning. 

Something New - Something new I've learned or done. 

Off Season - Notes on places I've seen, been, or explored and why I like them better in the off season. 

Book Reviews - What I've been reading, showcased on quilts. 

Art and Nature... - Art and nature go together. I like to write about it here.  

Zoo at Home, Zoo Abroad - We love to visit animals, zoos, aquariums, etc... when we can. 

Shelfie - Just pics of my home. 

Bullet Journal - I've been keeping a BuJo for several years now, and I like to check in about once a month.

Mad Cat Capsule - In 2017, I started keeping a capsule wardrobe, follow my progress here. (added this year)

Zero Waste - 2017 also marked the start of my zero waste, plastic free journey. I post thoughts, ideas, recipes, and goals. 

Something Nice - Don't you love it when nice stuff happens? 

.Tattoo Story - To remember my tattoos and why I got them, I record it here.

What I Eat in a Day - I love to eat, love to know what people are eating, love to share!

Recipes - I want to include more recipes, specifically zero waste recipes, here.

Habit Shift - Here I talk about the habits I love and those I want to make.

Definitions - Some terms that I and other bloggers use might be new to you. Here’s where you can learn more

Product Review - This is where I record reviews of products I have tried. .

There have been a few categories that I started posting this year:

6 Month to Zero Waste - These are instructional posts are new to the blog but I see them being a great regular column.

Monthly Goals - I have been trying to achieve several monthly goals so taht they can eventually become regular habits.

Mad Cat Garden - We started our garden last year, but this year it’s become a great blog feature.

Several of these columns have not gotten too much love this year. Do you have a favorite feature on Mad Cat Quits?

Every year one of my goals is to be a better blogger. I hope that by creating columns and focus for my blog I will eventually achieve this to my satisfaction. I love to create this post each year to be able to look back and see my progress.

Zero Waste Travel Review 2019: New Orleans and Denver

It’s been a lovely year for travel. We like to travel but we can’t always find the time. We have demanding jobs and demanding cats. This means we don’t always get to stay as long as we would like to when we do get to travel. It is some times hard to take the time to assess a city and it’s zero waste features and possibilities. But even a few days can give you an idea of how it is to travel zero waste. Here are my impressions of two of the four major cities we visited this year.

Jackson Square in the French Quarter on a cloudy day.

New Orleans, LA
NOLA is pretty much an anything goes kind of city. So it’s easy to ask for things in your own cup or bag, no one looks at you funny for bringing your own utensils or to go containers. There’s tons of cafes, restaurants, and shops that are easy to eat-in so as not to create waste. New Orleans is pretty environmentally conscious due to it’s precarious nature and history. When I was there in February, I noticed some places with paper straws, paper packaging, and other signs of awareness. There are a few places I have read about that are specifically geared towards zero waste, but I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting them. Hey! Cafe (where environmental activist and zero waster Rob Greenfield visited in 2017) and the New Orleans Food Co-op are definitely on my list for my next visit. There is a broad network of trolleys and buses, but it’s also easy to get around on foot as a visitor. I love New Orleans and think that it is definitely in my top ten cities that I would gladly move to.

Washington Square in The Marigny section of NOLA.

The downside of NOLA waste would definitely be the souvenirs, beads, and decoration waste mostly associated with Mardi Gras.

Overall, I think being zero waste in NOLA is pretty easy, as long as you stay conscious and avoid the really touristy things, like to go beverages in plastic cups, drive throughs and all the plastic trinkets. You can walk or take trolleys to explore the city. And feel comfortable that asking for no plastic is not the weirdest thing anyone has seen all day.

A vista near Buffalo Bill’s tomb outside of Denver.

Denver, CO
From what I had heard about the hippy dippy nature of Colorado (and I guess my preconceptions about all the pot smoking) I thought Denver would be very progressive. A “hippy” city. I was quite surprised with my observations. One of the first places that we went to get a bite to eat was billed as a veg and eco friendly. It seemed to be neither and didn’t herald a prosperous start. throughout our 3 day trip, I saw a lot of plastic, lots of straws, a lot a disposables. Some restaurants we visited, like Uncle Ramen, did have higher standards. Uncle uses disposable chopsticks and napkins but also makes sure these all go to composting. There were quite a few farm to table restaurants, used book shops, thrift and vintage shops that we found and really enjoyed. No one seemed to mind when I asked for things in my own cup and it was clear that water was a necessity in the hight elevation. We saw lot of reusable water bottles. Being a very health conscious and outdoorsy place, I’m sure there are a lot of resources for those activities, but we didn’t find them on this first visit. The main transport seemed to be driving but there was a light rail that went to the airport and the heart of the city.

The downside of Denver Waste seemed to be that it’s a very large and spread out city. It didn’t seem possibe to travel easily by public transport and walking was impossible. With that and the seemingly lack of awareness, it made it hard to feel comfortably zero waste. Many places still presented purchased items in plastic bags and the city streets had a lot of litter.

The Chatsfield Reservoir south of Denver.

Overall, Denver felt like a big dirty city to me. I felt that I mostly had to go out of my way for zero waste options. That is how it is in much of my day to day experience is, to be fair. But it surprised me bc of my preconceived notions about CO. After visiting Denver once, I would really like to see more, get a better feel for it and visit some of the surrounding cities that are supposedly more progressive (CO Springs, Boulder…etc…). But upon first visit it didn’t strike me as a place I could ever see myself living.

I definitely have a bias where these two cities are involved, as I LOVE New Orleans and already feel comfortable there. I did the minute I got there on my first visit. So it would be helpful to hear from my readers! Have you visited these cities? What were your thoughts on them from a zero waster or generally traveller?

We visited two other cities this year, stay tuned for the reviews on those places!

What My Capsule Wardrobe Has Taught Me About My Personal Style

I’ve been keeping a capsule wardrobe for about 10 seasons now . I don’t see anything that would make me stop keeping one. I can see a point in the future where I have pared down my clothes to the extent where I only have one capsule that encompasses everything I need. At the moment, I have way too many clothes for that.

There are many aspects of capsuling that I enjoy, but one that I have found the most helpful is how much it has taught me about my own style and the direction I want it to grow in. Here are some things that I have learned.

Plain and simple - I’m attracted to ruffles, to baubles, to puff sleeves, embellishments, fringe. I’ve probably bought clothing with these accents at some point, but I’ve hardly ever worn them. I find the clothes I like most are those that are simple, plain and easy to wear.

Well worn and loved - Once I started going thru all my clothes every few month, I saw how many of my clothes had holes, rips, bleach stains, or were thread bare. Many might want to get rid of these, but I found they were some of my favorites. I love when clothes tell the talle of how well they have been worn and loved.

Monochrome - I love to wear all the same color. Picking out all different hues of all the same color is something that seems to often happen when I’m getting dressed. Keeping a capsule wardrobe often means paring down your clothes to only the colors that you love and that go with everything. That often means you have a lot of the same colors no matter what the season.

Pattern mixing - I love wear like colors together but I also love patterns. And mixing them up is my favorite! I love the unexpectedness of this style. It adds some boldness to my otherwise tame wardrobe. Any pattern will so, but vintage and thrifted finds are usually my style.

One of the reasons that I started a capsule wardrobe was bc I felt that I had no personal style. But in doing so I found that I had merely lost touch with my style and was able to easily get back on track. One reason to keep a capsule wardrobe is to make it easier to get dressed each day knowing that everything you have fits in with your personal style. I was happy to reconnect with my style and feel confident that all my capsules will make me feel that way.

I highly recommend a capsule wardrobe if you’re feeling like you’ve lost your style, or are not sure what it is.

What are some of the elements of your style? If you have a capsule, how has it helped you identify your style?

MightyFix From Mighty Nest Subscription Review

Disclaimer: My product reviews are completely unsponsored and unsolicited. The opinions are my own from my own experiences. 

I found out about MightyNest and thier MightyFix through Reading My Tea Leaves When we first moved to Asbury Park. I don’t usually go in for subscriptions but this one caught my attention as it was based totally on sustainable items, fairly inexpensive, could be cancelled at any time. I also liked that you could choose exactly when and how often your package arrives. I signed up for the subscription box right away, but I really enjoyed that you could add anything from the site on to your delivery for free.

The first box arrived and had Bees Wrap! Bees Wrap, although not vegan, is a great alternative to plastic wrap! This was a perfect introdcutory items to send, I thought! Small, easy to use, but with big impact. The subscription also came with a recipe card. I ordered some walnut sponges with my order. The whole parcel was sustainably packed and plastic free.

I kept MightyFix for a little over a year and received so many useful items. Some of them I use consistently in everyday life. Here are some of the items that came in my mighty nest.

Bees Wrap
Cleaning towels
Felt dryer balls
Grocery produce bags
Fillable scrub brush
Compact cross shoulder bag
Silicon can toppers
Glass and silicon portion containers
Swedish "paper" towels
Bug Spray
Coconut lotion
Citrus deodorant cream 

Almost everything that I received was of a greater value than I paid each month. Almost all the items contained no plastic. The only exceptions were the beauty and body products. Each order came with a recipe and info card, and I often used my monthly subscription to add on sustainable orders from the main site.
After about about a year, I decided that I was getting too many items and using too few of them. I could have slowed the deliveries, chosen what I wanted to get in each delivery, or taken a break, but I chose to stop getting MightyFix.

I really enjoyed MightyFix and I think it was a great service for me at a time when I was learning about more sustainable and low waste items. I was able to get a package each month that I could use and learn from. After the year, I was getting items that were becoming redundant. I had also come to the point in my zero waste journey when I need far less things, not any more things even if they were inspiring.

I would highly recommend this subscription service. MightyFix would be good for those starting out on their sustainable journey, or a great transition to a more responsible version for those that love subscription boxes. One of the nicest features is that the subscriber can choose what they want to get, if they have a goal in mind. MightyFix would make a great gift, especially those new to a low impact lifestyle.

I would also highly recommend Might Nest as a place to shop for a wide variety of sustainable items for house, home, body, baby and pet. I get my compostable sponges, zero waste power laundry detergent and many other useful items here.

Have you tried MightyFix or Mighty Nest? What do you think? Do you know of any other sustainable subscription services?

Death in Holy Orders

One of my goals in 2019 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I picked up this copy of Death in Holy Orders by PD James at the book sale of the Allentown, NJ, Library.

Inspector Daleglish is surprised when a rich and powerful man asks him to look into a death that was ruled an accident. But when he discovers that it took place at a remote seminary school that he himself visited as a child, he takes the unexpected opportunity. Even more surprising is that reinvestigating on death leads to many more.

I would say that PD James is one of my favorite authors but I think that this is actually only the 4th book I’ve read. When I started reading this book, it seemed so familiar to me, I thought I might have read it already and forgotten. I had to search around after a chapter or two as it was driving me nuts. I realized that there was a TV version I might have seen, but I also noticed that the were many similar plot points to another PD James book I had read, The Lighthouse. I pressed on once I figured that out, whether I saw the mini series or not, I couldn’t remember what happened.
Although I would call this book a murder mystery, it’s more a book about meeting characters and seeing how they interact. Each person involved is a fleshed out and explored enough to give you a sense of how each impacts the other. Since Daleglish is one of James’ main detectives, each book also has insight into his life. This book explored his background and upbringing, as well as his early love life.
I love James’ style of writing and I find it totally captivating. I liked that this book was set in a religious college although that was just a small aspect of this book. It was a very interesting setting: a tight knit community revolved around morality, now involved in the tumult of murder.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries, calm and serious detectives, books about small towns.

Have you read any books set in religious backgrounds and settings? Or any books set in a unique community?

Mad Cat Garden | November

November saw the winding down and cleaning up of the garden. We did very little in it this month. But we are also making plans for plans for the new year!

It’s getting to be winter here, the blueberry bushes have all gone red, but there is still time to hang out in the yard with Tom.

We pulled up all the large bushes in both the front and back beds. Tomatoes, poblano peppers, greens and radishes, all got pulled out and went in the compost. It’s sad to see all the beds looking so bare, but it’s also exciting to think of all the things we will plant in spring.

Our herbs in pots are mostly dead and dry. Last year I had intended to collect the seeds, but never did. Hopefully I will actually get to it this year.

The cat nip and mint are still hanging on. We took some herbs and other plants inside for the winter.

The milk weed is just about done for the season but held out for the very last momemnt of warm weather.

At the end of November we had a visitor that also solved an ongoing yard mystery. Early one morning we saw a very large perrigrine falcon hanging out by the bluebs. We had actually seen this same bird (I think) before a few years ago. Today, he sat for a while but swooped quickly after a sparrow!! We have often founds small clusters of feathers from some eaten bird in the yard, but we never knew who was doing the eating. Mystery solved. I’m not sure if the falcon got a meal this morning.

I was hoping our last garden meal would have been more spectacular, but in truth the last thing we ate out of the garden in Nov was some radishes in a ramen bowl!

How is your garden this month?

2019 Goals | November Recap and December Goals

Wow, November went so fast! I feel like a did a really good at checking back to my goals over the month, making sure taht I was keeping them in mind. But time went so fast, I feel like I barely had a chance to work on them. That being said, I feel accomplished in my goals this month.

Reach out to friends
There’s quite a few that I want to make sure to say hello to and check in with this month.
I didn’t reach out to as many people as I wanted to, but I feel good that I tried to connect to friends this month.

Be direct
This is a weird one, but I feel like it goes this the first. I want to make sure to be direct and forthcoming with people this month. Gossip may not be the exact right word, but being direct doesn’t quite cover it.
I was mindful of this goals this month, but I could keep improving on it.

Give calendar blocking another try
I want to see if this productivity/organization method can help me in my day to day.
This goal was really more for my work days and I did use calendar blocking there. This method is helping me stay on track and I think in the long term will help me achieve my goals at work. But it is something that will take more than a month to become incorporated fully into my routines.

Cook at home -A LOT. Eat out LESS.
I think this one speaks for it’s self.
I feel really great about how much we ate at home this month. Especially compared to last month. I want to continue this for next month and into the new year as well, but I feel like we are now in a good routine and do not need to include it in my goals.

Creative challenges
I need some challenges to keep me on my toes creatively. My plan is to look for these methods this month, and hopefully put some in play.
This was probably the goal that was the least worked on. I didn’t take much time to fully sit down and think about artistic challenges. Some ideas did come my way, but I felt like I was least mindful about this goal.

Now on to December! The last month of the year and I want to make it all about making habits for 2020.

Make 10k steps every day!
Walking is something that I know helps me improve my depression, maintain my weight, and keeps me active and limber especially in cold weather.

Post to insta every day (hopefully twice a day!)
I only posted 12 times in November - sad! I like to be able to look back and see more of each month.

Create an image every day
This a challenge that my husband set for us. Let’s see if this can kickstart some creativity in our house.

10 min meditate, stretch, exercise
I know even only 10 minute a day of these routines will help me a lot this month.

Be mindful and plan for the coming year
I want to use this month to reflect on 2019, and plan for 2020.

What are you plans for December? Do you use this time to gear up on making routines, or take it easy until the new year?

November Plant Update

November went by very quickly and it was a month spent mostly working and inside. This was the hardest month in recent memory for plant observations. There was still some to be had of course! Visiting and having visitors is always helpful for getting out of your comfort zone and into nature.

My mother-in-law’s beautiful plants!

I’ve never seen this plant before. It looks soft and fluttery, but it is stiff.

Baby pink pineapple!!!

We visited a really lovely plant shop in Nashville.

How is anything this colors?

There were many huge plants with huge leaves.

Blue sky, green trees, brown grass.

Lovely skies in November.

The days are getting so short, and afternoon walks feel like evening walks.

Staying in and still seeing golden hour.

How was your November for plant observations? What is the weather like where you are? Do you take the time each month to get out into nature?

What I Ate on Thanksgiving 2019

Started the day as every day should begin - with coffee.

There were quite a few breads and things about the house that needed to get eaten, so I toasted a few olf buns and reheated some hashbrown patties that were left over from a breakfast out. I also had a bit of veggie bacon that has been hanging around the freezer collecting ice.

Another thing I’m trying to use up is my old stash of various teas. This was the last of a loose leaf jasmine green.

Next we headed to my father’s house for Thanksgiving Dinner!

He always has lots of cheese and crackers for us, and we shared a aged sour beer that we like. The stuffed celery are a holiday tradition. Some days we have olives, but today we had some fresh fruits.

He prepared the entire dinner, which was mostly just veggies. Roasted cauliflower, roasted brussels sprouts with hollindaise sauce, green beans with tomatoes and garlic, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, herb stuffing, and veggie gravy. He makes the best gravy from a from scratch veggie stock and onions.

Last Year we tried a field roast, but this year was tofurkey. Like last year, we all agreed that we could have done without this as a “main” dish and just stuck with more vegetables. This tofurkey was one he actually purchased last year and had frozen, so it was better to use it up than not eat it.

After a walk we got into dessert but we barely made a dent. We had locally made pie and cheese cake, as well as some chocolates my father bought. Decaf coffee was in order but still kept me awake too long!

This was definitely not a zero waste thanksgiving and I struggle with that more and more each year. But one must do what we can. I do feel like becoming more mindful of zero waste and low impact living reflects in every choice I make now. But I can’t let it drive me or my family crazy, either. I feel the same about social justices, learning from and reflecting on history and standing up for the rights of the oppressed. It’s easy for this holiday to be done away with in my mind for the atrocities it is based in. But to keep the memory of many good times with family and friends alive is important as well. Let’s learn from our triumphs and our offenses and do better in the future.

How was your Thanksgiving?

6 More Months of Zero Waste: November and Your Zero Waste Kit

In 2017 I started my zero waste journey. Zero Waste is the goal, mindful practice is the action. When I use the term Zero Waste, that is my ultimate goal, but Less Waste would be a more accurate description of my evolving lifestyle.

If you’ve been following along, you’re well on your way to becoming more zero waste and low impact in 2019. We’ve taken a little break after July, hopefully keeping up with the practices we learned in the beginning of the year. Now that the year is coming to an end, it’s time to continue this journey. By keeping to a schedule of new things we can do each month, we are breaking down a seemingly impossible task, giving up single use plastic and greatly reducing our waste, in to easy to achieve steps. Here’s what the next six months look like:

November - Zero Waste Kit
December - No Gifts
January - Clothing and Fast Fashion
February - Mass Transit
March- Bathroom Make-over
April - Grow Your Own Food

For the first month back at our goals, let’s set ourselves up for success by creating a zero waste kit we can carry with us to help us in our goals.

The more commercial aspects of the Zero Waste movement might have you believe that you have to go out and buy a fancy, expensive, ready made zero waste kit. But I suggest that to truly reduce your waste, you utilize items you already have or second hand items. Everyone’s kit might be different, depending on what will best help them reduce waste and refuse single use plastics in day to day life.

In my kit, I like to keep a fork, a spoon (or a fork/spoon combo), a metal straw, chopsticks, a container for to go items, a water or coffee cup, a napkin, and one or more small bags. I keep all these items in a small canvas bag that I got as a wedding favor. The whole kit is easy to carry on it’s own, or can fit into my larger shoulder bag. I also often keep extra utensils, napkins and straws in my kit in case someone I’m with needs them.

Maybe you only need a few of these items, or maybe you need more than this. Your zero waste kit should be unique to you!

Keep your kit in your car, on your bike, in your purse or in your pocket, by your desk, or where ever it will help you the most.

Ask yourself some questions to help determine what you might need in your kit. What disposables or plastic items do you end up buying or using the most? When do you most often cave to getting these items. What are the times that you end up using plastic, and how can you prevent that?

Do you already have a zero waste kit? What’s in yours?

For those following along, here are what we’ve already done to reduce waste in 2019. For those new to this challenge take a look here to get some ideas for what else you can be doing!

January - Trash Audit
We separated and looked our trash to see what we are throwing away and what we can reduce.
February - Declutter Everything
We went thru what we have to declutter and reduce.
March - Switch to Paper
This month we moved to paper to get one step closer to reusables.
April - Compost
Composting is an easy way to reduce food waste and prevent it from reaching the landfill.
May - Meatless Monday
One of the best ways to improve the environment is to stop eating factory farmed meat and industrial fish. Small steps lead to big change so this month we gave up meat (or dairy or fish)
June - No Bottled Water
We gave up bottled water as an avenue to give up more disposable plastic in Plastic Free July.