House Tour...

*Click here for the most recent house tour*

I thought I would share some photos of our farmhouse.  It was built in 1880, but the previous owner renovated most of it according to their style.  We haven't done too much yet but I have big plans.  It is just a matter of time and that little thing called $.  I do love the layout of the house though and the location, and to me those are the 2 most important things because anything else is easy to change.  So, take a look and let me know what you think. 

So that's it.  Our Home.  If I had my decorating way I would brighten every room up a bit (with a lot of white paint) and mix in some modern eclectic elements.  I promised myself when we moved into this house I would change things slowly over time and let the house and the space and the way we live here teach us what we should change.  

Groceries on a Budget...

I know there are many blogs and posts out there that focus on living on a budget and saving money.  I have read many of them.  One of the main ways to save money is to spend less on food/groceries.  There are so many ways to save money on groceries from clipping coupons to meal planning.  Well, I will tell you what has worked for me.

First, let me tell you where we were a year ago.  We spent between $180-$200 every time we got a major load of groceries and probably $20-$30 in between for other random things.  My pantry was full and I could usually figure out something to make for dinner whenever I actually cooked.

Fast forward to a few months ago:  with our ambitions of K starting his own practice and the loans we owe on his schooling, we had to figure out some ways to save.  Spending less on groceries seemed like a no-brainer to me, but where to start?

Well, I have read Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover and also Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half  by Steve and Annette Economides.  While they are both great books I found that they were missing something for me.  I don't want to eat lesser quality food just to save money and I don't want to spend tons of time planning my grocery shopping and going to multiple stores to save a few bucks.

I decided to take the good points from both books, such as setting a budget and using cash for groceries  to meal planning.  To these key points I added my own (and to me the most important one): EAT REAL FOOD!

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/4206360542

Over time, I have been buying less and less processed food.  I find the more fruits and vegetables I buy that aren't pre-packaged the less my grocery bill is.  (All that packaging and processing costs money!)  I also sometimes buy meat that is discounted and freeze it immediately.  I shop by myself only once a week and I only buy what is on the list.

Get a freezer.  Grow a garden.  Preserve foods by canning and a dehydrator or freezing. Make your own bread and snacks.  In our house we make fruit roll ups, granola, popcorn (air popped) etc.  We also make homemade cleaning products and use cloth diapers.

Now, for our family of 4 our average weekly grocery bill is around $75-$85.  No clipping coupons, so driving to 3 different stores, no reading flyers.  Just buying REAL FOOD.

Spring earring sets...

Some colorful new earring sets available at our Circle and Sprout shop just in time for spring.  I only wish the weather here in Western, NY was more spring-like.  The weather is only low 30's and snowing today.  I am longing for spring and warmer weather.  I am ready to be out in the garden and sitting on the porch.  How about you?

Do what you love...

After 9 years of being out of graduate school at RISD I am finally starting to realize it is so important to "Do what you love to do".  When you're an artist, it's really easy to get caught up in trying to make a living and thus forgetting what you love to create or why you do it in the first place.  So I put this little "poster" (it is actually from the front of a notebook by Green Room) on the wall right next to my workbench.  It cheers me up and reminds me why I am out there in the first place.

Lost and found friend...

I have a lost friend from high school that I often think about and wonder how she is doing.

With everyone on facebook these days it seems like you can keep in touch with people worlds away and also friends who are just down the block.  It's nice to "catch up" even if only on the interwebs.

But... this one friend seems to have vanished!  I pride myself in my internet research capabilities (K says I am an expert, and I wish this was a paying position).   I couldn't find a trace of this friend.  No pictures, no info, nada!  This all seemed so strange to me because in high school she had lots of friends (that I am still in touch with) although she was quiet.

Well, today I had a breakthrough.  I found her name, her married name and then her husband's facebook page.  No doubt about it.  It was her.  He had photos with her in them.  I was determined to send him a message and tell him I was her high school friend and I missed her and often wondered how she is doing.  (LIGHTBULB)..... Then I realized maybe she didn't want to be found?!  So I didn't send the message.  What would you do?

(Btw, if we went to high school together you might be wondering about her too, and ps- I am not a stalker...it was with the best intentions that I wanted to get in touch with this friend again.)