Putting a stop to junk mail

Today I'm going to talk a little about how you can live a zero waste (or close to it) a little easier.


I don't know if you've heard of Bea Johnson, of 'zero waste home', blog and book. (I suggest reading her book, it's really insightful.)

You can find more information about a zero waste life at her blog here.

She talks about zero waste in 5 steps, all to be done in order. The first is refuse. She talks about refusing what you don't need. Junk mail is something we don't need and most of us don't want. You can get off a lot of those lists!

There are 2 ways to get rid of, or at least lessen, your junk mail. 

1. You can stop receiving credit based or 'pre-approved' credit cards and insurance offers. 

A lot of companies will use your credit information to decide if you would be a good candidate for their services. My issue with this is that more people are looking at my information, and that I don't want their services. You do have the option to opt-in after you opt-out, if you do decide that you are interested in their services. 

You have he option to keep those pesky insurance and credit card offers out of your mailbox!

You can choose 2 options with this opt-out. You can fill out the online form and be off the list for 5 years. Or you can fill out the form and print the paperwork to send in and be off the list permanently. 

If you choose permanently, you still get put on the list for 5 years once you fill out the paperwork, until they receive your form in the mail. 

No more insurance letters in my mailbox! 

https://www.optoutprescreen.com/opt_form.cgi

2. You can opt-out of direct marketing 

The website is pretty easy to navigate and you can opt out or opt back in at anytime. (although, I never want to see that wasted paper again!) You do have to register your mailbox(address) to use this service, but I have seen a great reduction in my junk mail from signing up for this.

https://www.dmachoice.org

Bonus!

This is not strictly junk mail, but junk calls are just as annoying. I can remember sitting at dinner when I was younger only to have the telephone ring and it was someone trying to sell something! So annoying, but now you can put a stop to that!

3. You can get on the 'Do Not Call Registry'

This website is for the United States only, but some other states have  a separate registry. With a little bit of searching you can locate those too. While the service will reduce unsolicited calls it does not stop solicited calls, market research calls, silent calls or overseas calls. It will still greatly decrease the number of junk calls that you receive. 

https://donotcall.gov

I hope that you are thinking about how much trash we are creating, especially here in the USA. The resources that it requires to make more plastic bags, bottles or even to recycle them is more than we should be paying. There are limited resources on Earth and we have been using more of them in the past 100 years than the whole of humanity. This insanity must stop if we expect to leave our children and the next generations anything! 

Me made in 2015

I decided to try and keep track of the things I've made throughout the year. I feel like I made more things than this, but there are some things I'm still working on. Such as the Valentine's day quilt and dress. The Downton Abbey Quilt (I'll never make that pattern again...) and I plan on doing another BOM this year. I might even have enough scraps to make a scrappy log cabin quilt soon enough. I have so many plans and things started that I just haven't finished so I suppose you will see them in 2016s 'Me Made' page! I've also got a few costume pieces that I want to finish up as well. Sometimes you start things and you hit a snag or you just get tired of looking at it and you have to put it down. I'm trying to finish all those things up in 2016. 

I made these quilted placemats early in the year. 

 only made 4 of these squares so far, but they are a lot of work!My Mom and I worked on these together for awhile.(This may have been Christmas 2014 into 2015...)

This is a BOM that I was doing with a friend. I finished mine while she cared for her mother. 

We had fun making the big square together and I made it fun to do the rest. She recently showed me an easier way to do those piano keys. Quilting/sewing with friends means you can share your knowledge with each other! So blessed to have such a wonderful friend.

This tiny quilt was a pain in the butt to make. But its a doll quilt. Maybe when I have children they will use it.

This Baby Quilt I made for my neighbor's new baby expected soon!!*update* she was born in Early January. Healthy baby girl, and so cute. :) 

I made this bag to carry the baby quilt in from the same fabrics. You can just see the quilt sticking out of the top here. 

In my effort to use less plastic in my life and recycle the things I do have I made this grocery bag. Every time I go to the store someone comments on it. It carries a lot, but I usually have to pack it myself. I'm working on another one, which will probably be much smaller. 

Do you have problems finishing up all your projects too? My friend, that I did the BOM with above, and I are not buying any more fabric this year until our UFOs are finished this year. She has 7 on her list and I have probably 15... Most of them just need one more thing! I really need some encouragement to finish up!  We did add a rule recently, that we would do an abbreviated shopping trip $50 or less, after we finish up 2 of our quilts/projects. 

Replacing clothing items

So, my DH and I have been going to the gym, inconsistently but we're going. I have lost a bit of weight and toned up a lot so some of my clothes we not fitting anymore. I did buy some new jeans last year before the fall capsule wardrobe started. But they are low rise and I don't like how they fit me, so I found some high rise jeans. (I know, you probably think I'm an old lady. But, I like that look and since I'm high waisted they fit my curves really well.

But, I went to church last week and I wore my khakis over my woolies (wool long johns) and I had to keep pulling my pants up. It's very irritating having to constantly pull up your pants for fear of them falling off-especially in church!!  I made the decision that I can't wait to get a new pair of pants. (I mean these pants are 2 sizes bigger than the other ones I'm currently wearing.)

I also noticed that my thrifted grey v-neck tee has worn pretty thin and has developed some holes. I'm still wearing it, but it's not going to work for much longer.

I wanted to add a bit more red into my wardrobe as well, so I added a red tee to my order.

From another company I ordered 3 swim suits. I have one now that I wear, but I wanted one that I would feel more confident in while on the beach. We go to Charleston a lot and to my in-laws lake house so I know I'll get a good bit of use out of these. And with going to the beach and crusin' I need at least 2 swim suits, this gives me 4 assuming that they all fit and flatter me. (One reason that I ordered 3 of them.)

All in all I ordered:

1. Grey tee (replaces grey tee)
2. Two pairs of High waisted jeans (replaces low rise jeans)
3. Red 3/4 sleeve tee
4. Three swim suits

I believe it's important to have things that fit your body and your lifestyle. And things wear out eventually. Being a minimalist or doing a capsule wardrobe doesn't mean you can never buy anything, it just means that you are conscientious about what you do buy.
I'm going to have to figure out what to take out of my capsule to add in the red tee. But, I really wanted a red shirt to go with some of my other things.

Since I ordered it all from LL Bean online, I hope it all fits me. When they get here I'll have to try it all on and make sure. We'll see, and I'll let you know how it goes.

Ta-ta for now.

Things I learned working for a horrible boss at a job I loathed going to everyday.

I know, I know. Nobody WANTS to work with people that they don't like or at a place that doesn't value them, but sometimes you just have to stick it out a little bit longer. Maybe you need the insurance, maybe you just want to stay until you find something better, or maybe you need some more experience and then you can move up a level. 

Sometimes you need to leave, but you need to have the wisdom and the discernment to know when you should stay as well. 

My old job was at a college and they paid for my tuition. I was trying to finish my degree and I knew that I needed to finish up as much as I could with their help. (Tuition was more than I was making in a year for one semester, not to include books.)

I did in the end quit to finish my last semester there, but it worked out well. I was engaged (to my now wonderful husband!) and we worked together on a plan for me to finish my schooling and that I would be able to afford it when I finally left. (There are some things that I actually typed here that my old boss said to me would never happen and I think she was just being mean and spiteful, but I didn't want to be like her; so I deleted them.)

I worked 2 jobs for a little while because I was trying desperately to get out of the debt hole I dug for myself. I could blame my ex-husband, but ultimately it was my fault and I dealt with it. I am debt free now and I will remain thus for the duration of my life. 

Things I learned working for a horrible boss

1. Sometimes you need to learn humility. 

I didn't want to admit that I was prideful. (I think that's part of being prideful.) but I was. I thought that I could do all the things better than anyone else, and that I didn't need their help. I was wrong. I had always worked with a specific type of people and these new people were different and SO unlike me. I was humbled in the fact that I need to humble myself before God. 

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." -2 Chronicles 7:14

2. Someone there may need to learn something from YOU. 

Maybe your calling is different than mine was, but since I'm writing about my experiences I can only tell you what I know. Maybe you are supposed to be a light to lead others to Christ. 

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." -John 13:35

I taught a few of the girls how to become debt free and I talked to one extensively about Dave Ramsey and I gave her the website. I really hope that she is now debt free, because nobody wants or should have to be a slave. 

"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." -Proverbs 22:7

3. Learn to work FOR God. 

Near the last year I worked there I realized that it didn't matter how the people there treated me or how miserable I was, I was working for the Lord. What an honor and a privilege that should be! 
I want to hear "Well done good and faithful servant" when I get to heaven. 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord. Colossians 3:23

4. Learn to pray for those who persecute you.

Not everyone is going to like you, in fact quite a few people that you interact with will down right loathe you.  Some of them don't have the tact to not tell you that they don't like you in some sort of mean way. 
There was a girl I worked with who was tactless, rude and downright mean to me and quite a few others. She was the quintessential mean girl that you would recognize from high school. Some how she still managed to be quite popular. She mistreated people and I was one of the few to stand up for others. But, I learned that something in her was broken by watching her. Her and my boss got on quite well, but I was always the "odd one." I'm kind of use to it, but it still hurts none the less. Praying for someone who hates, despises you and does everything in their power to mike your life a nightmare is NOT easy. But, it is worth it. Holding onto that anger will only hurt you. Giving up that pain and hurt to God will make you a better person. But, lets not get prideful again, right?

"But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," -Matthew 5:44

5. Patience is a hard learned virtue

Patience is never easy to learn. I asked for patience in my life once. God decided to grant me that wish. Placing you in a workplace that you can't wait to run screaming from EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. is definitely going to help you learn patience. I had to learn to be patient for my homestead and now I have it. I had to learn patience to have a wonderful life with my husband, and now I have that as well. But, I did have to go through some hardships to get here. I think it was worth it, and I wholeheartedly hope that it will be for you as well. 

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." -Psalms 37:7



In the end I feel like God was trying to make me a better person, in several different ways, by working there. I love my life and I wouldn't trade a single day of it away. The trials and experiences that you go through in your life made you who you are today. Remember that we are all works in progress.

Hello, my name is...

Today I feel defeated. (Dec. 3, 2015) I feel like this is never going to happen for us. I cry out to God and I know that He hears me. But, why doesn't he answer me?

In case you don't already know DH and I are trying to have children. It's not happening naturally so, we went to see why. Well, long story short-I don't ovulate. So there is nothing to fertilize there. 
I am effectively barren. Like Sarai and Elizabeth in the Bible. I wonder how they felt over the years. Did they cry like I have? Did they blame someone else? Did they ask God what they did wrong? I know that everyone has different responses to things that happen in their lives. 
Me, I've chosen to draw closer to God. I've cried and screamed, but in the end I have chosen to give it up to God. He knows best. And maybe we will never have biological children. That's ok too. We are looking into adopting, but we can't be doing the reproductive medicine and be trying to adopt at the same time. I think I'm going to do one, maybe 2 more months of this and then I'll be done. I'm not sure that my heart can take these people telling me that we have to do something else, some other drug, and on some other day. Some of them treat me like I don't understand when I just hang my head after I have found out that it, again, has not happened for us. My DH seems to bear it better than I. But, then again he's not the one on the hormone medications either. 

We know that Sarai laughed when the Lord told her that she was with child. At 90 years old,  God gave her a child. She lived to be 127, so it happened in God's time, not hers. But, she must have become bitter to laugh at God! I believe that I would have felt the same as she did. 

I gave my burdens to the Lord, because they were too heavy. But, because I am human sometimes I try to snatch them our of His hands, like an impatient child. I am learning to depend on Him fully and completely. 
I busy myself with quilt making, minimizing my life, and phasing out chemicals and trying to lead a healthier and more natural life. But, in the back of my mind I'm always wondering...will I ever? These are some verses that I hold close to my heart when I am feeling hopeless. Because there is hope in God and I can depend on Him. 

"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior and my hope is in you all day long. " 
-Psalm 25:5
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. " 
-James 1:2
"I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. There my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One see corruption. You will show me the path of life, in Your Presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."
-Psalm 16:8-11




I am going back on my birthday, to see if anything has developed enough to go to phase 3, but I am choosing happiness, I am choosing to listen to the whispers of God. 

I'm not sure if you have ever heard of the song "Hello, my name is..." by Matthew West.
But, one of the verses really defines how I am feeling right now, and the reason that this post is titled thusly. These are the lyrics, I've included the whole song so you can understand the progression. Also, if you've never heard it give it a listen on youtube. I've underlined the verse that I'm feeling. But, the part after that verse is where I am striving so hard to be. Because I am a child of the one true King! 

Hello, my name is regret
I’m pretty sure we have met
Every single day of your life
I’m the whisper inside
That won’t let you forget

Hello, my name is defeat
I know you recognize me
Just when you think you can win
I’ll drag you right back down again
‘Til you’ve lost all belief 

Oh, these are the voices. Oh, these are the lies
And I have believed them for the very last time

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I’ve been saved, I’ve been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

I am no longer defined
By all the wreckage behind
The one who makes all things new
Has proven it’s true
Just take a look at my life

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

What love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called His children
I am a child of the one true King

What love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called His children

Hello, my name is child of the one true King
I've been saved, I've been changed, I have been set free
"Amazing Grace" is the song I sing
Hello, my name is child of the one true King

I am a child of the one true King