Update #1: 2014 Items

Our household is 2 months into our 2014 items challenge.  I thought I would provide a quick update on our progress so far.

January: 257 items!
We had a great start to the challenge.  My wonderful husband sold his beloved baseball card collection!  He advertised that he estimated the collection at 4000+ cards.  He was off by 7000. :)  rather than claim we parted with 11,000 separate items and rest on our laurels for the next 5 years, we counted 1 pack of cards as 1 item.

February: 158 items
While this is less than the monthly average we need to meet our goal, we still found new homes for some great stuff.  A good portion of February's total consisted of baby items Karis has already outgrown.  She's growing so quickly!! I'll admit I'm slightly sentimental about some of the pieces we passed on.  But I'm even more elated that another sweet baby girl will enjoy them.  Who knows where the clothing will go from there!  Certainly getting better use than collecting age and dust in our attic!!

I'm anxious to get some big numbers under our belt and out of the house.  But there are potential homes for several things when the time is right.  We're also waiting for the weather to warm up to drop off at goodwill and other donation centers.

How are my fellow challengers doing?

~Carla

2014: Embrace

I had forgotten until this last morning of 2013 that the trendy resolution these days is to pick a word to define your year.  Did I claim one for 2013?  Maybe it was "intentional."  Well obviously I wasn't very intentional in remembering my word.

But this morning as I looked into my baby girl's big blue eyes, I was inspired. EMBRACE.

Embrace my family and friends with hugs and kisses...

Embrace the season of life I am in as a parent and the seasons of life my children are in...

Embrace the call the Holy Spirit puts on my life...

Embrace

~Carla

Planting Our Little Prairie

I'm so excited that Fall Break is finally here!  The local school system is off all week which means my wonderful hubby is at home all week!  I've been very much looking forward to this week as we have set it aside to finally add some plantlife to our dull/dead suburban backyard.
Some of the plants we bought on clearance at Lowe's.  The rest we transplanted from my uncle's extensive and beautiful master garden.  I wanted hearty, drought resistant perennial bushes that flower at different times of year as well as some breezy grasses.  Steve is gracious enough to let me run with my vision of our little prairie all while doing most of the grunt work.
 

Our little helper toting an azalea around to the backyard.

Steve working hard to dig a hole for one of the two forsythia bushes.  Every spring the bright yellow buds of forsythia bushes remind me of my dear college roommate, Beth.

 

Katie and I planting an azalea.  Bless her heart, Katie's lived in the city her whole life, but she's a country girl at heart.  Outside in 65 degree weather with bare feet in the mud!

We finally have a tree in our yard!  A transplanted maple that's about the same height as Katie.  I look forward to seeing it grow as she does.

Not sure what this is, but it's a purple grass that feels like feathers.  I LOVE it!!  We planted it so that it can be seen from the large dining room window.

My heart is full of joy when I look in the backyard now.  I can't wait to see how each plant grows and transforms with the seasons and years.  Isn't nature such a beautiful illustration of life in general?  Thank you God for Your creation!

And one last note... while Steve was taking a short break he noted, "you've turned me into a dang hippy.  I'm working in the garden, drinking water from a glass jar, and wearing crystal deoderant." I shot back, "about time your lifestyle matched your politics." ;)  

"I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses..."

I've come to enjoy what I call "divine appointments" at 2 am in the morning.  These appointments are usually prompted by my little nursling's cry for mommy (yes I have a 2.5 year old that is still nursing and still doesn't sleep through the night; but that is an entirely different post for an entirely different day!).  But I actually see these moments, or hours, in the middle of the night as a time that God uses to reveal Himself to me.

Last night He rang and boy am I glad I answered!  Among many things that are beyond the scope of this blog, He spoke to me about what we've been working on here for Pursuing Prairie.  First, if my body is a temple in which His Spirit dwells, I want to give my best effort to keep it free of harmful chemicals on both the inside and outside.  Second, I feel the call to be a good steward of all of His creation and the resources assigned to my care.

I don't want to live in guilt about the choices I've made in the past or the mistakes I will continue to make in this life.  There's grace and forgiveness for that.  But I feel like I have a renewed outlook on why I am so drawn to the "natural" world.  I see it as an act of love and gratitude to my Creator.

I look forward to what He leads me to next and to sharing that in order to hopefully inspire others to seek their calling too.

I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.



Refrain
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.



He speaks, and the sound of His voice,
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.


Refrain


I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.

Refrain

~Carla

Confessions of a (not so) crunchy mama

I used a paper towel today.  In fact, I think I used three.  And you know what, I'm ok with it.

And while I'm in the mood to confess lets add:  my daughter wears disposable diapers more often than I thought when we made the cloth plunge; I use disposable razors despite owning an electric one which is buried somewhere in the closet; and I just can't get myself to commit to no poo (baking soda and ACV "shampoo").  

Rather than beat myself up over my sogginess, I'm trying to remind myself that this is a journey, not a test.  I truly believe that in order to live life to the full, I need to challenge myself.  Some challenges are worth persevering through, others I just need to let go.  And most importantly along this journey, I'm learning that extending myself and others grace sometimes means accepting a shoulder to cry on and a tissue (even though I have a handkerchief in my purse).

~Carla

Why "Prairie?"

The word prairie conjures up a warm image in my mind: a quaint little cabin in the middle of a grassland,wind gently blowing a patchwork quilt hanging out to dry, sun setting over a tree line just beyond the homestead.  It's the calm place I travel to in my mind when life is a little noisy and hectic.

But why should this prairie remain a figment of my imagination?  Why not work daily to make my world a little simpler?

I love to learn about new products and processes that not only make my family healthier and happier, but also reduce our impact on the earth.  So for me, this blog is a chance to journal what we're up to and whether or not we're staying on course.  I have so many ideas about future posts and look forward to finding snippets in my day to publish them!

~Carla