I am a Frugal-Eco-Minimalist- Prepper. This is a thing right?

 For those who follow Besides gardening which I am still doing though fall and winter. (the darn ground hog ate my Italian broccoli) I have started following a minimal vlogger called Minimal Mom and a vlogger called Clean My Space (She also has 19 natural cleaning recipes that she uses in her cleaning business). In Oct I had planned to work out more and lose weight. At the end of Oct, I only lost 3Lbs but they have stayed off and I am still working on losing weight and if I lose 3 lbs. a month that is better then gaining 3 lbs. a month. But I got rid of many things in the house that I have not dealt with since mom died then Jonathan and rick moved in. I am not a minimalist. I am a Metaphysicist (I know yall thought I was a true Pagan but really I am not I do call myself that more often then not because it is easier)

and an environmentalist who is tiered. I like to be prepared and I like to not spend money on things I don’t want or don’t have too. Sometimes the tiered wins. Having Ehlors Danlos makes some days Challenging. Gardening Organic reusing tp tubes for seed starting etc. well now I am trying to live intentional again. Every time someone dies, I help and end up with things I took to save someone else the guilt. I have been going though things big time but one small space at a time. I am setting a goal of 2 storage unit boxes a week gone. As you have seen I unburied my kitchen table my air hockey table and the water fall desk. I am taking it one spall step at a time. I got rid of 7 coffee cups then cleaned the top shelf and moved the set of 13 that matches my plates to that shelf we use them mostly for high holidays so they can live there when not in use. I cleaned the refrigerator and got rid of some where around 22 jars of things and leftovers. If I miss it, I can re buy it. I am working on my game shelves. Yes even my game shelves. I am packing up the sets I take to events to set up labeling them as such and finding a home for them in the SCA area. And even with that done I have 2 personal Chess sets that I am keeping. Gone are games missing pieces games 8 extra packs of cards, (still have around 5)and all games are being brought to the dining room for wed game night we pay them and decide if they stay if we don’t even want to play them right out. 99% of the time we want to play uno or phase ten. The questions to ask are

Have I used it in the last year?

Can I replace it for 20$ or less?

Would I purchase it again?

Is it living out the Purpose it was created for?

Am I keeping it out of guilt?

If someone game me $ would I part with it?

Could someone else use it or love it more?

Do I want to handle it again?

I am scheduling time each day to do a small thing towards this goal. I Decided to call it 10 min tackle. And I decided not to time myself. Because I don’t need that in my life. I know that I can do 10 min but If I feel I can keep going I do till I am satisfied with the progress or till I am tiered.

During this expedition I uncovered my family photos. I discovered they are not as big a collection as I thought (because If I remember back I did does a lot of things in the fire. So I am scheduling a time to go though and sort them and then make a few albums.

The hard area I will get to is sentimental. In order to respect the sentimental stuff, I am going to have to look up the value of each Item and figure out how to sell them. I have Things from Occupied Japan and Hong Kong and fist addition books. To respect the people who these items use to belong to my heart says I need to attempt to sell these Items. What ever the value though I am willing to sell at half the books will more then likely go to a rare book seller if nothing else maybe for store credit.

Some items Just needed a better home. I am cleaning areas of the garage and cleared shelves so that little kid toys and Lagos can live on the top shelf out there to come out for indoor company. Tax records same place.

I am starting to pull out the Christmas and sort it and donate what I don’t want. Asking myself what year did I last use this? Why am I not using it now? What would change that would make me use it next year. Then donating it. It has a shelf in the garage with a laundry basket that I put to go away stuff. Then once a week I drive to Fairview Heights and donate it at Savers. I have invited my house mates to look at their things similarly. I also am trying to set up room for them to better have access to their things. I am bringing back the Garage food pantry. This means larger stocks of things like canned or boxed soup that is safe from bugs and vermin will have a shelf out there. Also, I will have a cooking shelf out there for my larger cooking stuff, so I don’t have to get on the floor to get them from the cabinets. I keep 3 extra stock pots because I am SCA and I use them they don’t need to be in my cabinets. I have 5 bread pans, 3 or more pie pans, 2 or 3 bunt pans, and 3 or more spring form pans. I need these. I use these, and I don’t want to have to re buy these. I would only part with any of them for my children.

Clothing was not easy. As an SCA member and traveler I collected T shirts. Other than those shirts though I sorted my clothes into outfits I wear. Got rid of stained, or holey, clothes and things that didn’t fit. I can buy new clothes that fit when getting smaller or getting bigger I am worth it. I then found the holes in my wardrobe and made a shopping list so that when I am out and find a thing if it fills that hole, I will get it. As such I bought 3 pairs of pats and a pack of underwear. Anything that I just didn’t wear because of any reason I got rid of.

You are welcome to journey with me. As I battle the forces within me that say save that it is useful, or it is environmentally better to save it. While the minimalist says let it go you don’t need more than one.

Pandemic Masks with non woven lining adding a metal nose piece and a button band

Pandemic Masks

I have noticed many people making masks and feel these extra things will make them more comfortable

finished mask held in place using button band.
 Button bands make them more comfortable. 

Button Band these were made with double fold 
quilt binding but ribbon or the 
handles of the shopping bag 

I used dental floss to sew on the buttons 
and to sew on the elastic bands 

I am using non woven reusable shopping bags as interfacing for these masks because I didn't have any interfacing on hand.

 I am taking spiral binder metal cutting it bending the ends in so it isn't sharp then creating a casing for it like I would for boning

I am sewing the casing to the inside out mask in the nose position

 

Then I turn the mask right side out.

I then sew along the edges to make the mask more crisp

I choose to ass double fold quilt binding this can also work as a pocket if you want to string you masks. I didnt do this on the Starry Night Fabric mask.

Because I was having problems finding elastic I had bought hair bands and cut them to use 

You can use regular hair ties either way when you cut them tie a knot at the end 

Here is one black mask men's size with nose metal and elastics 

Queens Prize Tourney

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. 

Today I am wise, so I am changing myself

~ Rumi

 I judged 3 entries at the first Midrealm Queens Prize Tournament and the turn out of 22 entrants was great. 

I loved seeing all the amazing stuff and the artists. 

Also I have never been more disappointed in myself then this, I felt completely out of my league judging. I was able to offer suggestions for how to better find resources for one entrant who was very much a beginner on how to find research for making a period item.(I would like to get a hold of that gentlemen and teach him some research tricks for beginners.)

I was familiar with the nut ivory which the other judge was not in the carving game pieces, but he was a better researcher because it is what he does for a living in a university and the artist was not looking at how the game is played or even wanting to document that really, so I had displaying ideas for her. And she was helpful in her research of the Lewis chessmen at the Scottish museum and we geeked about how they could have washed up where they did with me suggesting a storm and a sunken ship or ship wreck. We also geeked about Tagua nuts and the extra pieces and suggestions of uses like wood burned medallions. 

The Wooden sign of the other entrant was really descent for a first attempt and made with a time constraint, he was fairly self aware, I offered hardware suggestions and strapping for hanging for period effect. 

I loved seeing how the carver fell down a rabbit hole of research because of the chosen heraldic device on the item.

I did have fun! & I really felt inadequate.

I am grateful that I don't normally feel that way when judging for A&S Faire. It is amazing how hard we all work to make sure that folks have people who might know about the subject they are judging in faire and they tried to do a good job with Queens prize also I feel the Laurels that I worked beside were a better fit for judging the entries that we were assigned at Queens Prize. The game pieces had who I believe  is a carving laurel with me. There was a leather working laurel on the Leather Quiver with me.  And the Laurel with me on the carved wood sign was awesome too Who knew far more on wood working then me.  

What I learned is I have work to do.

The next step is to answer the question, What do I need to do to become a better judge and by that I mean helping the person whos items are being judged. 

One wall and 5 wheel barrels of dirt

It was beautiful out today 60's. Jim and I did some final adjustments to the wall that will be around the raised bed and serve as a water stop.

Then Jim started digging up dirt from the front hill of dirt we are trying to remove that is next to our drive way. I am fairly sure it was dirt from where the swimming pool is. I drove the wheel barrel and dumped the dirt in the new raised bed. We got 5 wheel barrels full dug and moved. Jim also removed 4 bushes we wanted gone from the front bed as well. It is a start. We will need at least another 20 full. Imagine how much that would cost if i bought bags of dirt. 

Getting ready for planting.

I have a friend who has re inspired me to more action with my garden. Katy Rose. as such I am not just talking about action I am moving forward with it.
Leading to my basement door we have worn a path in the grass. The basement is the section of my house that my husband and I live in.

The patio out side of this area is dappled shade with full sun for about 4 hrs a day. There is a sloping hill leading down to the patio and entrance. I have been planning to put in a garden path to cover the worn path. I don't want a side walk it would be to glaring in the way it would stand out. so we are planning on something more charming.
We also have been talking about putting a retaining wall for the hill. Instead after reading more on cold crops I have decided to use the area for terrace beds for spinach, lettuces, broccoli, and cauliflower.
I visited the seed store in Est Alton, Wood river area Community Seed co. http://www.communityconcretestatuary.com/ . I found them when driving by and realized they would have a cement Japanese lanterns. I was correct.
While there I discovered they sell seeds by the scoop. It is so charming they are been there for over 50 years and selling seeds. I knew with that kind of experience I can trust them to know the growing planting times for the area. In general here it is tax day you can put your tomatoes out, but that is the only thing I knew for sure. I asked the owner when I should put out my cold crops and he suggested waiting another 2 weeks. He did mention that there were some die hards that were risking putting out lettuces now but they were not worried if they failed either.
So while I am waiting for the 2 weeks I can get the beds ready for planing. This means making them. I have started moving cement blocks in order to shift soil to be nice and level.
The idea of doing this is it is  to not change the grading of the hill so I don't need any permits. and it gives me veggie planting areas. Low maintenance is the key here. I find things grow best for me when they are in the ground. It means I can ignore it more. I will also be doing more whiskey barrels but on the lower patio for my cooler loving herbs like oregano, and my sugar snap peas. they did great till summer got harsh and then they burned out fast, last year. I am hoping that the cooler area will mean more crop less work.
I need to clean up the compost pile and shift it some so the littlest member of the pack can't jump in it any more.

The whole back yard needs cleaning but that will not be this weekend. One area one project at a time. 

Our 3 spoons! age of minimalist meet age of minimal effort for health

Our 3 Spoons

Every morning Jim Dear wakes up before me. From 2 to 4 hrs before me, even on weekends. He may make himself coffee and go to work or make coffee and make breakfast for him and his brother. I get up make coffee and cradle it in my hands while I ponder my aches and pains and do stretches to lessen them, while coming to full cognitive human statice.
These are the morning spoons one is a coffee scoop it is a Table spoon that is designed in a way that it is recognizable as a coffee scoop and is used as such. The middle spoon is a traditional table spoon it is used for Stevia in our house. The third spoon is a place setting stainless steel tea spoon, in this case it is a coffee spoon, Used for stirring coffee.
Everyday.
As such they rest of a soda lid on the counter by the coffee pot, always. There is no reason to put them away, or even wash them, any time, unless they hit the floor. Our counter is set in such a way that the animals can't get up on it.
In a minimalist culture some would say one table spoon could function as all three. But they would be wrong. The coffee scoop has coffee oil on it and has grounds, though small, that stick to it and would end up mixing with the stevia in the end product. I don't like chewy coffee. The stevia spoon cant be used for stirring coffee or it could get damp and then the stevia would get messy and the spoon icky. Our 3 spoons are perfect for the job each does and their effort of just sitting there is an unspoken agreement. In a lot of ways that is how we live together and travel together, with a whole bunch of shared unspoken agreements on what makes our life comfortable. It sounds small and insignificant, maybe that is what living successfully with another person is. It isn't compromise, it is mini agreements that life is sometimes better with less effort?
Enjoy your morning beverage what ever it is.

New game posts on the Rampant Strawberry

I typed up the rules for 2 games I sell that I have been meaning to do so this way I can have them with the things I sell like a professional. I will still need  Lady Khadagan to edit the Crown and Anchor rules because I am Dyslexic

Egyptian Sticks

https://therampantstrawberry.blogspot.com/2020/01/egyptian-sticks-rolling-sticks-dice-for.html


Crown and Anchor

https://therampantstrawberry.blogspot.com/2020/02/crown-and-anchor.html