Winter, Where Art Thou? I want you for your Hoary Frost.

February 2, 2012February 2, 2012 Sarah Stright3 Comments

It’s Groundhog Day. Wiarton Willy, the official local groundhog, will tell us whether or not we will have 6 more weeks of winter, based on whether or not he sees his shadow.

Of course, this is all a bunch of nonsense because even Wiarton Willy can’t control whether it will be a sunny day on February 2nd or not… but personally I do hope for 6 more weeks of winter.

This winter hasn’t really even started yet. It’s a pseudo-winter: snow for 3 days, rain for 4, snow for one day, rain for 2. No sooner do we get used to sweeping off our car and bundling up than it’s time for Wellies and umbrellas again. Every day, I have to check the weather to find out whether it’s a rubber boot day or a winter boot day.

I know there is a large camp that is thrilled with the spring-like spells and lack of icy roads and snow drifts. It means little shoveling, salting, and bundling. But it also means endless brown muck, dried salt stains, barren landscapes, and, worst of all, no snow days!

One of my favourite things about winter is hoar frost. It only happens on certain mornings, when the temperature and moisture is just right. When the sun gets high enough, it melts away, so you have to get out to capture it in the morning.

Here are some pictures that I took on a hoar frost morning about two years ago:

I love when everything is white like this!

hoar frost on branch — Beautiful grainy build-up

frosty blades of grass — Frosty blades of grass peeking through a blanket of white.

A beautiful contrast between the blue sky and the orange leaves and the white snow

Accidentally Green: how a wonky shower head is good for the environment.

February 1, 2012February 1, 2012 Sarah Stright1 Comment

I have a wonky shower head.

It’s one of those hand-held ones that you can move around, in case you want to thoroughly rinse a body part that is a bit lower down. Or perhaps use it to wash your mats, like I do (I don’t have a washing machine – I have to be resourceful).

But that’s not why it’s wonky. It’s wonky because it’s full of mineral build-up from the water. Its holes are clogged with rusty-looking stuff.

The rusty build-up forces the same amount of water out of fewer and smaller holes, which increases the pressure of the shower and causes jets of water to shoot out in unexpected directions. Currently, there’s one little jet that is determined to flood my bathroom: if I don’t have my shower curtain sealed just right, a puddle spreads on the floor.

At Christmas, one of my brothers stayed over. As he walked to the bathroom, towel in hand, he asked, “Does your shower still have that pressure problem?”

“Yes,” I sighed, thinking it was once again time to dig out the potent chemical I use to remove rusty-looking stains from my toilet, and soak the shower head in it.

Then, using the shower not long after that, a light bulb went on in my head.

I was turning the water down in an effort to counteract the high pressure. Consistently, once the water is hot enough, I find myself turning the hot water tap almost closed, so that my poor skin doesn’t take a beating.

It hit me: I was saving water!! My wonky shower head had turned me into an accidental water-conservator.

I think I’ll leave the chemicals in the cupboard and continue to carefully seal the shower curtain.

That is, until there is so much build-up that no water comes out. Then perhaps I will have to become an anti-environmentalist to clean out enough holes so I can clean myself.

Death of an Idealist

January 31, 2012January 29, 2012 Sarah StrightLeave a comment

University changes people.

Or, at $7,000 per year for tuition, it had freaking well better!

I remember when I was a naive teenager in youth group, talking about former members of the group that had gone to university, and thinking that that was where they lost their faith.

At the time, I was active in my church. All of my friends were from church. All of my family, immediate and extended, went to church. It was a pervasive aspect of my life, and I didn’t foresee anything different for myself.

In my past life (before university, before my mom died), I had another blog that I called MuSiNgS, where I talked about faith-based topics. One such post in 2007 discussed an idea I took from a book called Velvet Elvis, written by Rob Bell, a controversial figure in the North American church. At the beginning of his book (okay, I’ve only read the beginning), he introduces two conceptions of faith: springs and bricks.

This is from my MuSiNgS post in 2007:

Rob starts the first chapter, titled Movement One: Jump, by comparing faith to the image of a trampoline, then goes on to parallel the necessary springs with the statements people make about their beliefs. Springs are the doctrines that, when working together with other springs, hold up the mat we jump on, or the structure of our faith. In order to make that trampoline work, the springs should stretch and flex, expand and retract according to how the trampoline is being used. Likewise should our doctrines, the truths that give depth and content to our faith.

By comparison, Rob points out that there are those whose faith more closely resembles a wall of bricks that are laid on top of each other. If one gets knocked loose, several more tumble. Brickians aren’t comfortable with questions being asked of their faith, because they haven’t been introduced to the trampoline. They aren’t familiar with the flexing of the springs. Rob cites the case of one Brickian who was adamant that, “if you deny that God created the world in six literal twenty-four-hour days, then you are denying that Jesus ever died on the cross.” Pull out one brick, the whole wall collapses.

When I was in youth group looking upwards at the people who had gone off to university, I was a Brickian. I couldn’t be flexible. Brickians are afraid of change, of new ideas, of anything that will challenge their worldview. I was afraid that my wall would fall down. I didn’t see that there was a trampoline on the other side of it. I probably would have been afraid of the trampoline if I had seen it.

Since those days, my bricks have slowly been falling down, one after the other, and sometimes two or three at a time. I have crossed lines I never would have dreamed possible for me. I have been introduced to the trampoline, and while I know that I am not pushing that trampoline to its limits, it is sometimes hard for me to remember those left behind behind their own brick walls, that may never discover the springs of a flexible faith.

Brickians are idealists. They have to be.

~~~

This year in university, I feel like I’m finally getting down to what really matters, things that are world-defining, like democracy and racism. I’m learning that there is very little place for idealism in the real world. Things are very rarely black and white, if ever. There are very few things that you can really know for sure.

Yes, I believe faith can help you be sure about some things. But it can help you hide from others. It can encourage ignorance and complacency. It doesn’t have to. But it can. For me, it did.

What I am learning about the world, my world, is knocking down the rest of those bricks. It’s opening up my mind. It’s causing me to re-assess those issues that I had been too scared to consider before, those things that I had deemed too controversial or too sacred to open up.

It’s a good thing. I may be losing my idealism, which I had thought a good thing, but I am not losing my optimism. Yet, anyway.

I am losing a tendency to hide behind crumbling pillars erected by fearful people, and gaining an ability to see critically. I’m not there yet… but I have another year and a half of university, and then hopefully many more years of life to continue to learn.

To continue to let idealism die, in exchange for wisdom.

New theme!

January 30, 2012February 6, 2012 Sarah Stright2 Comments

Hey all! As return visitors will notice, I have a new theme! As dedicated return visitors might notice, this is my second theme in one year.

To you, I say sorry.

I missed having a sidebar with all the links and administrative stuff within easy reach, not to mention my smiling face.

Until I’m rich and can afford a premium theme, it may change periodically as smart people out there design better free ones.

Anyway – enjoy the fresh new look! Let me know what you think!

Playing Favourites: The Frye Company

January 30, 2012September 13, 2013 Sarah StrightLeave a comment

About four years ago, I discovered what I consider to be one of the best shoe companies in North America. I know next to nothing about shoe companies, and I’ve certainly never bought shoes from many good ones, if any, other than this one. The Frye Company.

Their products, in my limited experience, are expertly made by hand, in such a way that you will never doubt their quality. One glance can tell you that their worksmanship and materials are among the best.

In March of 1863, a man named John A. Frye opened a small shop in Marlboro, Massachusetts. His goal was to make practical shoes for working people. Many of the people that went west across the frontier of America wore his boots.

Mr. Frye passed his skill and passion for good-quality footwear down through his children and grandchildren, so that the Frye name began to be known for durable and beautiful shoes.

Soldiers and pilots in World War II wore Frye boots, including General Patton himself (or at least, that’s what The Frye Company website says).

To this day, many of the Frye designs are based on the styles that made the company famous.

From the Frye website: ‘ In 1975 the Frye Company donated a pair of CAMPUS™ boots to the Smithsonian Institution, in our nation’s capital, as a representation of the era.’

And to think I had no idea of the history of this company when I stumbled across them a few years ago and fell in love with their Fiona boot.

Here are the Fionas and I, on the day we met (aka the day they came in the mail) (PLEASE ignore the mess. I didn’t realize I’d be sharing this photo publicly when I took it). –>

They were so shiny back then!

The Fionas have gone with me to many an event and occasion. They’re just perfect for so many situations!

About two years ago, I found a pair of cognac-coloured Frye platform mary janes at Winner’s.

Naturally, they were a fraction of the cost of what they could be new. Naturally, I bought them, even though every time I wear them people think I look taller than my boyfriend. I don’t care – they’re Fryes!!

I dare you to try NOT falling in love with the smooth leather, the classic styles, the buttery lining, the vintage-look buckles… I could go on.

One of the best things is that, because Frye has been around forever, they can be found on eBay and in used clothing stores. So: keep your eyes open for the famous Frye logo, and don’t shy away from buying some. Frye shoes are an investment that will keep you stylishly shod for years to come.

Celebrating: Jaida

January 29, 2012January 28, 2012 Sarah StrightLeave a comment

This past week, my second-oldest neice, Jaida, turned 6. I really can hardly believe it!

Jaida is the second of four adorable blonde girls that I love to bits and am proud to call my nieces.

She has always been petite, so much so that, when she was 1 and she stayed at our house (my mom’s house) for a week while her parents were away, and we took her to church and she walked around in the lobby, people were shocked about the baby walking around.

She is a very affectionate person, she’s sweet, but she’s also sassy. And apparently she likes race cars, my boyfriend likes to remind me. 🙂

Happy 6th, Jaida! Can’t wait for our neice-auntie birthday date!

Here she is, dressed up in my clothes, ready for a nice dinner and dance with her sisters and I:

Planning Packed Meals… on the cheap.

January 28, 2012January 28, 2012 Sarah StrightLeave a comment

(Please accept my apology ahead of time for the wonky alignment of photos and text. I have spent way too much time trying to get them to line up, and so I’m giving up. Hopefully everything makes sense anyway.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m one of those people who doesn’t function well when I don’t know where my next meal is coming from. Ask my friends. They all have funny stories about me asking what the plan is for the next meal or two, and what we’re going to take with us.

I’m also a planner. If I don’t have a plan, a strategy for a day or a span of time, I feel a bit lost. If I don’t know that I’m going to need money for something and find myself without any, that’s a problem. Or, if I don’t prepare myself to be spontaneous during a certain period of time, and I’m expecting something non-spontaneous, it takes me a while to adjust my outlook.

Needless to say, I like to be prepared for meals, whenever possible. At home, that means I keep my favourite ingredients stocked at all times. But when I’m going to be out for a day, it gets a bit more complicated. Most people buy food, but eating out, especially on my university campus, is a great way to spend rather than save.

Now that I’m in my third year of university, I have got lunch-planning pretty much down to a science.That’s a really good thing, because I also have to save my money more than ever.

So. My strategies.

1. I always carry a bottle of water. Most public places have water fountains, and it’s much more environmentally-friendly and wallet-friendly to use a re-usable water bottle than to buy bottles of water. Mine is a well-used flexible plastic Vapur bottle that I purchased at The Warwick Lodge Shoppe in Bayfield, but they’re available at many stores now. It’s lightweight and compact.

2. I always carry healthy snacks. This term, it’s mostly just a small container of my trusty raw almonds, but I have also carried containers of dried fruit such as bananas and apricots. I usually have a granola bar or two on me as well, and perhaps a bit of candy for when I get a craving for something sweet.

Insider’s tip: The best raw almonds that I have found for the best price are the Kirkland brand from Costco. I’m lucky to have a boyfriend with a membership. 🙂

3. Buying in bulk is great for saving money and time and mental energy. I got this gigantor box of granola bars at Costco. –>

4. There are a couple of different approaches for packing meals. I use a combination of leftovers and things that I can eat on my favourite crackers. Cheese, slices of tomato, and individual cans of flavoured tuna are a few of them.

5. This is a no-brainer, but I like to make big batches of foods that will freeze and re-heat well, such as this huge batch of broccoli soup I made yesterday. I’ll put it into smaller, microwaveable containers to take with me for lunches this week.

6. Another great quick, easy, and healthy snack-ish meal component is boiled eggs. They are good for one week in the fridge. Here are some instructions for how to get perfectly boiled eggs. I put my boiled eggs in this handy-dandy container that I got at a Mountain Equipment Co-op store –>

7. For those times when I am just too busy to get all domestic and make things ahead of time, I keep a few packages of a perhaps not-so-healthy but filling meal that I can prepare the night before, such as these pasta dinners by Knorr.

8. For dessert, a batch of cupcakes baked-ahead is a great idea. Or some pudding or yogurt in a container. Don’t forget the spoon!

I often have muffins in the freezer, or other breakfast-y concoctions that I can merely thaw and eat, or sometimes reheat and eat.

9. Sometimes I get on a salad kick where I will only take salads to school for lunch. For those times, having a container like this one relieves a lot of the annoyance of taking salad. If you add the dressing ahead of time, the lettuce wilts. So you have to take an extra container of dressing, which takes up extra space. Then you have to fit some unwieldy container of salad into your lunch bag to keep the veggies fresh… etc. etc.

This container was about $10 from Winner’s, but is made by a company called Fit & Fresh.

It’s great because it has all of the parts you need for a great salad container!

It comes with an ice pack that fits either into the lid or into the inside lower level, in the same space as the salad itself.

There is a special container for dressing, where it will stay (most of the time) until you turn the container around in its spot (open it) and release it directly into the salad. Genius!

And there you have it!

It’s worth spending money on containers and gadgets that are going to make your planning and saving easier!

10. Finally, for those that are like me and love their coffee (or tea), and want to save pennies and trees, get a travel mug. Make your hot morning beverage at home. Splurge on a coffee maker with a timer. Or set everything up beforehand so all you have to do is turn the machine on in the morning.

I sometimes take a travel mug with coffee in the morning, and a thermos with loose tea for later in the day, that I just have to add hot water to.

Again, spending $10-$15 on decent-quality gadgets and containers will save you money and time, and you will be able to commit to better-quality coffees and teas as well.

My personal favourite place to buy travel mugs is Starbuck’s. Their mugs are as close as I have ever found to being leak-proof, and I have no qualms about dropping a full one in my schoolbag (upright, of course) to take out to the car or across campus. Plus, they’re usually cool-looking. Bonus!

Recipes and Memories: Mom’s Cream of Broccoli Soup

January 27, 2012 Sarah Stright4 Comments

My mother used to make the most amazing cream of broccoli soup. Everyone loved it. Except those that didn’t like broccoli soup, I suppose. But a nice bowl of thick creamy broccoli soup, topped with cheese and salt and pepper… mmm!

I have wanted to try to make mom’s broccoli soup for years, but have never gotten around to it – until today.

As with most of her best recipes, this one was typed and printed back in the nineties, on our family’s first computer, a good old MS-DOS version with a crude word processing program.

Of course, 4 servings was never enough for my family, so this recipe was always quadrupled.

First step: Broccoli.

Rinse. And chop:

I don’t think it needed to be chopped so fine… but live and learn.

The recipe calls for 2 cups, so naturally I chopped 8.

I didn’t intend to quadruple it… but I did. I have always done better at cooking for several rather than one or two.

Put in a big pot with hot water, chicken bouillon (I used packets instead of cubes), a bay leaf, and chopped onion.

Bring to a boil and allow to simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, start the white sauce that will make the soup creamy. Melt butter in a saucepan:

Add milk or cream to the butter. I only had skim milk, which I wouldn’t recommend. Or, if I were to use it again, I would use less than it calls for, so the white sauce is thicker.

Then, stir in some flour. I only had whole wheat flour, which, again, is less than ideal for a soup like this, but I feel better knowing it’s at least healthier.

When the broccoli stock is tender, puree it in a blender, then add the stock to the white sauce and reheat.

All that remains is to serve and enjoy!

I ate mine with grated sharp cheddar, and salt and pepper.

Mmm.

Here’s the recipe so you can enjoy it yourself:

A Wee Subversion

January 26, 2012January 26, 2012 Sarah Stright3 Comments

Yesterday, while driving around The Square in my hometown, Goderich, (which is really an octagon but we love it so much we call it by a much more prestigious-sounding shape name), I noticed an anomaly on the marquee sign for the movie theatre.

Curious, I drove around The Square to see the other side…

I love that someone was able to make me stop, look, and take pictures with this little subversion. I wonder if anyone else noticed…

Who’s the Dirty Birdy?

January 25, 2012January 25, 2012 Sarah Stright1 Comment

I love the chance to snoop without repercussions. Don’t you?

Today, you get to snoop in my medicine cabinet. Heck, I’ll even give you a tour.

Behold, the medicine cabinet of a girl living alone:

Yes, this cabinet is not the prettiest one you’ve ever seen. It needs some new paint, and, well, it needs to be cleaned. There you go – some dirt on me!

Top shelf, left to right:

Stub of a candlestick (faintly visible white thing). I have no idea why anyone would keep the stub of a candlestick. Perhaps in the event that the power goes out and I forget entirely how to get back to the rest of my apartment?
Sink plug which I only ever use if I need to soak something in the sink. What things I might soak in the sink I don’t want to say.
Vapo-Rub, or, should I say, Rexall’s Vapourizing Chest Rub. Yes, there are still people that have this product. No, I don’t use it. Hardly ever, anyway. But I do have some very comforting memories of my mom heating flannel cloths in the oven on cold winter nights, rubbing our chests with Vick’s Vapo-Rub, and then tucking a warm cloth between the mentholated goop and our pj’s. Ahhh.
Matches. To light the candle stub, of course. Ahem.
Two cheap-o plastic containers that contain a bunch of junk I never use and practically never look at, including white nail polish, tongue studs from way back when, dental floss (don’t tell my dentist), and old cheap earrings. Oh, and nail clippers, which I do tend to use regularly.

Middle shelf:

The tiny white package on the very left is a sample from Sephora that I haven’t opened yet. I may never open it.
Thus begins the gamut of my skin care regimen by Aloette (which I really enjoy and would definitely recommend): the night cleanser (Essential Cleansing Oil), which does a bang-up job of taking off make-up, too.
Toner is next. I am so fascinated with how the cotton pad can come off that particular shade of scuzzy grey, even after I have just washed and rinsed my face.
That lovely light pink stuff is actually body lotion, called Hand and Body Silk. It’s pretty fantastic: smells refreshing, rather than perfume-y, and is especially nice if you use it as a shaving lotion on your legs, though I’ll warn you that it will clog your razor.
Crammed in next to each other there are lotions, one for day and one for night. I use the lotion for day, because otherwise my face gets too oily. The creme is for night – it’s thicker. Yes, I do think it’s worthwhile to have two creams, especially during the winter, when skin tends to get a bit scaly. A thick night cream helps prevent that flaky skin that I tend to get around my nose when I have a cold.
Tucked in behind the lotions is Moroccan Oil, the newest addition to my beauty arsenal. It’s a very popular hair product that many swear by, though I’m not convinced it’s for me. Shame, because it cost me about $40.
The tiny tube is eye cream. I’m guilty of not using it every day, even though my mother said I should. It’s just one extra step that I keep thinking isn’t really necessary… yet. When I get crow’s feet, I will wish I had been putting it on every day since turning 5.
The small bottle with a pump is called Time Repair Serum. I think it’s to prevent my skin from aging, but in the meantime, I feel like it helps keep my skin nice and smooth. Or maybe that’s the same thing.
Behind the Time Repair is Visible Aid, a first-aid cream that really does a great job at helping heal cuts and scrapes and burns.
Thus ends the Aloette parade. Next in line is a character that needs no introduction, other than: “nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea,” the latter of which, of course, a lady never gets.
Last and certainly least used seeing as how it’s redundant, another toner, this time by Aveeno. From when I used to use an Aveeno cleansing regimen. I presume it won’t go bad…

Bottom shelf:

Avon “moisture effective” eye makeup remover lotion: a staple practically since I started wearing makeup. It’s cheap and effective, so why switch it up? In case you’re interested, I found out yesterday that it’s on sale for $0.99 right now! Time to call your Avon lady…
Hidden in the back left corner is a shine product for my hair which I obviously never use. But should, no doubt.
Next is something that could be slightly embarrassing because it’s not something most people would buy: a crystal deodorant stick. I got it from a health food store, then stopped using it because, well, I like Degree antiperspirant a lot, and had always used it. But, a couple of VIPs in my life reminded me that it’s worth it to not smell “shower clean” in exchange for using something that hasn’t been linked with breast cancer (antiperspirant, FYI). So, I made the switch, and only use antiperspirant if I have forgotten deodorant somehow. It’s different, sure, and has no smell, but it really works, and I feel much better about the whole scenario. Worth a try, both for men and women!
After that whole diatribe about MY deodorant, here’s a spare stick for my boyfriend. Sometimes, you just need an extra dab or two.
Clearly, my cotton supplies are low. Typically, those three jars contain, from left to right, cotton pads, Q-tips, and cotton balls. I need a trip to the drugstore.
The bottle in the corner with the pink on it is an ear-care product that has gotten me through several infections. Available at Claire’s, I believe.
And front right, a generic cream to help heal scars. Exotic, right?

There you have it: a sneak peek inside my medicine cabinet. Nothing crazy. And now you don’t have to worry about being caught in the act someday when I throw a dinner party and put marbles inside the medicine cabinet to embarrass the snooper. YOU’RE the “dirty birdy”, not me (thanks, Clinton Kelly, for that fabulous idea).