A Capsule Wardrobe on Vacation Bible School

Last week I went with a group to a Reservation in Canada to do Vacation Bible School with some Native kids. We had a great time. I hadn't been before and I learned a lot about myself, others and shared the good news with the people there.  I got to experience a new culture, which is always cool, and had a bigger culture shock coming back into town too...weird.

Anyways, I told myself I was only going to take a duffle bag of clothes and everything I took had to fit into one plastic tote. Everything had to go into totes because we had to take a boat on the last part in and it can get really soaked if it's not in a plastic tote. There were a LOT of totes, because we had to bring EVERYTHING we needed. Things you wouldn't normally have to think of. Air beds, sheets, toilet paper, all our food for 8 people for about a week, craft supplies, costumes and props for the stories and each person had their own things to bring as well. There was a lady who brought a first aid kit and fans and all kinds of things for the group. It was nice, but I didn't know why we needed all of that stuff...
Oh well. 

I did a good job.
For bottoms,  I took my camping shorts, my high waisted shorts, my long blue maxi skirt  and a pair of jeans for bottoms(I only wore the jeans once the whole week, at night).
For tops, I took my white dress top, 3 tees, my pink striped shirt, green tank and shirt combo and a hoodie.
For shoes I only took my yara sandals and a pair of swim shoes, that I bought to take with me.

For other things, I took my swimsuit, 2 sports bras, a regular bra, one set of PJs and 7 pairs of undies. I also took 7 pairs of socks, but I only wore one pair the whole time I was there and only at night.

So I feel like I did really good there. It all fit into my duffle bag easily and I felt lighter than a lot of people on the trip. Some people had huge totes and stuffed with clothes. I absolutely love having a capsule wardrobe at home and it was equally as nice to not have to worry about my clothes on a trip. It was fast to pack going there and when I got ready to come back. I even took too many socks...Next time I will know that I only need a few pairs of them if any. It was nice to have a pair when I had cold feet at night and no (Bingley)heater to warm them up for me. :)

In addition to the clothes, I packed 2 towels, one washcloth, my toothbrush and paste, shampoo, a bar of soap and my retainer. I also took 2 reading books, my Bible and a notebook to use for VBS and to have something to write in if I felt the need. I also took a small fan since the place we were staying didn't have AC, but I only used it the first night and that was the night I got cold and needed my socks so I got up and turned it off.  Also, I didn't know that the other lady would bring enough fans to keep the house pretty cold.
 I also had an air bed (which didn't fit in the tote, but came in it's own carrying bag), the sheets for it, my favorite quilt and a pillow. All in all it wasn't too much stuff to take with me. And everything I mentioned, except the air bed fit in the tote.

I didn't remember to take a picture of my clothes before I left, but I put them together (excluding undies and socks) so you can see what I took with me.
Here is a picture of the clothes I took with me. My hoodie is on the left, but it's all covered up.

I've learned that we can live with less than we think we can. And when we do it we realize how unnecessary most of our "precious stuff" really is in our lives.
This week I'm going to go through more of my stuff and get it out of here. 

Have you ever traveled with a capsule wardrobe? Did you enjoy it or did you feel like you didn't have enough? 

Working on fermented foods with recipes!

Left to right-Strawberry vinegar, strawberry kefir(in foreground), cran-razz kefir soda, and kefir whey. 

I've discovered kefir! A friend of mine asked if I knew anyplace that sold kefir grains and I didn't really know. But, I was in the city at the time and I told her I would check at the health food store there. Well, she took initiative and called them to see. And they had it! So I went and pick up one for her and one for me.

She's made it before and knows a lot more about it than I do. She's given me instructions via text and has been VERY patient with me. (THANK YOU!)

Well, I think I finally have it! WOW, is it yummy!!It's slightly tart and a little sweet. I have a mild lactose intolerance so I'm really appreciating it too! DH has some issues with his health and I'm excited that he likes the taste of it too. It has good probiotics in it for the health of your gut. The fermentation eats the milk sugars, the lactose, which is the part that most people have trouble digesting anyways. So, good flora, less sugar and easy to digest! 

Things you can make with kefir: regular kefir, fruit flavored kefir,  kefir cheese, nut log with kefir cheese(pictured at left), kefir smoothies, kefir soda, kefir can be used in place of milk for recipes, kefir eggnog and much more that I've only begun to scratch the surface of possibilities of kefir. 

According to Donna Schwenk, who posts at www.CulturedFoodLife.com, (her recipes section is amazing! A lot of the things I'm making and mention above came from her site as well.You can get more if you become a member.I am not a member though, I think you have to pay for it. If I was going to do that I'd rather get a book.) these are some benefits of drinking kefir:

• Eliminates constipation (better than activa yogurt!)
• Reduces or eliminates allergies (This alone is worth it to me!)
  
• Reduces or eliminates asthma symptoms
  
• Reduces or eliminates cold and flu illnesses
  
• Cures acne
  
• Treats yeast infections
  
• Promotes a natural “good” feeling (YES!)
  
• Effective as the strongest natural antibiotic without side effects
  
• Replenishes the body with good bacteria after antibiotic use
  
• Treats diarrhea (good to know...)
  
• Aids lactose intolerance (because the lactose gets eaten!)
  
• Promotes deep sleep (YES, I have noticed this!)
  

Heals ulcers (DH has one...had one?)


She's not a Dr. (nor am I), nor have these statement been approved by the FDA (not that they know ANYTHING about how to stay healthy. They are all being paid off by the big pharma and big agro companies!) But, by making your own kefir you are taking your health in your own hands. I am not responsible (nor is anyone else) for the things you decide to put in your body. Choose for yourself and be responsible enough to accept the consequences, whatever they may be. 
That is my disclaimer. 

But, that being said Kefir has been helping me and my DH with all kinds of issues. And we feel great drinking it. If making a fermented product makes you nervous, just buy it at your local health food store. 

I am going to try and make more things with my kefir and the $17 I spent on kefir grains was well worth it to me. It is pretty easy once you get your grains hydrated properly. I can't stop drinking it and making easy and yummy, spreadable cheese. The next cheese I make I think I'm gong to flavor it with garlic and make a garlic cheese spread for some toast. That might be really good with my homemade spaghetti! 

This is a appetizer I made for us. It is ritz crackers with kefir cheese and slices of fresh strawberries on top. YUM! So simple and so good.

Kefir cheese 

The cheese is super easy to make. Just put a coffee filter in a wire/mesh strainer and set it over a bowl to catch the whey (that's the liquid that remains when the cheese is done.) 
Then pour the kefir in slowly, so it doesn't spill or slosh over. Open the refrigerator and set it in over night to drain. In the morning you will have a wonderful soft cheese that you can use for so many things. I'm not sure how long it will keep since ours never makes it to the end of the day. I imagine that it might keep up to a week. Just keep an eye on it and smell it to check it once in awhile. It really is wonderful on practically everything we've tried.  

Once the cheese is made you may ask what to do with the whey at the bottom. I have made a few things with mine. I've made Kefir rice pudding with it.  (Find the recipe  here.) This is really yummy. You can make it for people with gluten allergies as well. It's just rice, cream, egg, raisins and some spices. If you used kefir instead of the cream you might be able to serve it to someone with minor lactose intolerance as well. (check with them first)

I've made kefir soda. For kefir soda all you need are a few things. A thick glass soda jar like a Grolsch bottle or a Bormioli thick glass bottle. Bottles that you can buy at the craft store can and will explode.   You also need fruit juice, filtered water and your fresh whey. That's all it is-easy! And it's healthy!

Kefir Soda

2 Cups of the fruit juice (any flavor you like),
2 cups of filtered water and
1/2 cup of fresh whey. 

Put the whey in the bottle first, then the fruit juice and then the filtered water. Clamp it and leave it in a warm (but not hot!) place to ferment. 

It takes a few days to become fizzy, but check it a few times a day. You will hear and maybe even see, the bubbles. The whey takes longer than some methods, but I like to use what I already have on hand. Please be very careful if you are going to try this. Get the right bottles, check it often and keep children away from it. Remember I am not responsible for any accidents, you are. (see my disclaimer) But, please be careful! And don't leave this and go to the store or something. It needs to be watched and listened for carefully. 
My soda with the whey takes at least 2 days before it gets fizzy. (The fresher your whey is the faster it will bubble and ferment.) If nothing happens after about 5 days it is probably too old. Just try again.

Then set it in the refrigerator to chill and serve. Once you put it in the fridge you won't be getting any more fizziness so it is safer there. 

The strawberry vinegar from above is just a trial that I'm working on. I'm using strawberry scraps, just the tops cut off the strawberries I made jam with earlier. I am letting it sit for a week with a little sugar in the water and another week to gain that vinegary tartness we love. This is going to be so good on salads this summer! 

I've made ACV with apple scraps. It feels so good to be able to make some of these things from things that I was going to throw away anyways! Waste not want not! I will update on this later with my strawberry post. :)

I'm looking forward to starting on kombucha and cultured/fermented vegetables soon as well. Now I just need to get some 'Scooby' from someone to start my kombucha.

Are you making anything fermented? Would you be willing to try it out? Do you like kefir?

Summer 2015 Project 333-First run though.

I LOVE Summer in Minnesota!! It's so beautiful. The birds that come through are beautiful!! My favorite so far are the little yellow finches that eat from my bird feeder every morning. They bring me such joy to watch them hope about and they are my favorite color! Yellow doesn't always look good on me so I don't get to wear it too often. 

I'm working from my Spring Capsule wardrobe and adding or subtracting things as I need for summer. 

dresses- pink sheath, mint lace, blue short, pink vintage, navy button up and pink polka dots (6)

tops-chambray button up, chambray shift, gray tee, mint tee, pink and green plaid,pink and white stripe, white stripes sleeveless, blue linen short sleeve, short sleeve flower tee, blue stripe long sleeve, blue with mint stripe tee, soft kitty tee, Marie Curie tee, navy button up, zombie tee, long sleeve pink tee, pink flowers buttonup, and space reserved for 2 tops to be made. (19)

Longer sleeved shirts above. Yes, I actually do wear them in the summer time. Not as often...but I still do. (Thinking of taking a few more of these out.)

Dressier tops below and my tees above. (Still considering taking out Ariel)

Skirts

bottoms-fav jeans(will be replaced for fall or when they fall apart), mint shorts, high waited shorts, camping shorts,navy w/white stripe skirt, pink skirt, peach skinnies, Rose skinnies, new pair of shorts to make, and a new skirt to make. Maybe a new pair of khakis.(9, 10 with Khakis)

Pants

sweaters/cardigans-navy cardigan (1)

Things I keep to a minimum but don't include in my count:

jackets/coats-pink slicker w/liner. (1)

shoes-Birkenstock Yaras , black malibrans, navy chucks, grey with white dot chucks, and blue fluevog sandals.(5)

accessories- pink clutch/wallet. (1)

I need to get busy with my 4 piece capsule sewing so I can wear them for the summer. I'm going to go through my fabric stash and see if I've got enough fabric to do some of the things I've picked out for this challenge. I might not finish them all before Summer ends, but maybe I can get the shorts and the sleeveless top done at least. The other two pieces could transition into fall quite easily. 

Spring 2015 Project 333-final thoughts.

Can you believe that Spring P333 is almost officially over??

WOW.

I feel like it flew by. I did really good this season and I feel like I've learned that I needed to layer in Minnesota weather. There have been some days up in the 90s and I've got my shorts and tank tops for that. But, I did get pretty sunburned on my back one day while working in the garden. I've got to remember that even though it's not as hot as it was in Charleston, SC, I need to wear my sunscreen. 

I'm excited to say that I'm going to keep most of my wardrobe in tact for summer. I did go to Target and get new undies (I know they don't count, but still) and a lighter chambray shirt that doesn't button up the front. It looks more like a shift or a tunic. I also repaired a sundress that's been in my sewing room for awhile and remembered how much I love it when the weather is nice enough to wear it. So I tossed in those two things for summer. I'm really loving the color pallete that I chose and I'm going to continue with it. 

A few things I learned about this wardrobe challenge. 

I did not use my oversized purse this season (at all!) I usually use it in the fall and winter when I need a place to put my hat, scarf and gloves so I don't loose them. So, I think I'll take it out of rotation for the rest of summer. I'll put it back in the fall. Because I really do love it!

I never wore my zombie shirt or my flower shirt. I stayed at home and worked on the farm a lot and I have different work clothes. Mostly old T shirts that I don't wear out anymore and a few pairs of jeans that are really holey and too big for me now. Just awful things that I don't care about getting ripped or dirty. 

I've realized that I need another pair of shorts. I wear my dark pair of shorts around the farm. Mostly to garden in when it's hot. But I need another pair! The light mint pair I worry about getting dirty or stained so I don't wear them on the farm. I'm thinking I'd like to blend my farm and my out capsule wardrobes. But I'm not sure how to do that yet. This system is working and makes sure that I have nice things to go out of the house in when I do. 

I'm really excited about the 4 piece capsule wardrobe challenge that I'm participating in this year. There is no deadline, but I'm thinking about making these things so that I can wear them this summer. I need to get busy sewing if I want to do that though. 

I think I may need to get a new pair of khakis. As much as I love how soft this pair is and all. Maybe I could just take them in. I will make myself a deadline to take them in and if that doesn't happen then I will just put them in the declutter bin/bag.

What I had for Spring:

 dresses- pink sheath,mint lace, blue short, pink vintage, navy button up and pink polka dots(only wore  once)

 tops-chambray, gray tee, mint tee, pink and green plaid,pink and white stripe, white stripes sleeveless, blue linen short sleeve,short sleeve flower tee, blue stripe long sleeve, blue with mint stripe tee, soft kitty tee, Marie Curie tee, navy button up,zombie tee, long sleeve flower blouse, long sleeve pink tee and pink flowers buttonup up. added another chambray top, want to make 2 tops

 bottoms-fav jeans, khakis, mint shorts, high waited shorts, navy w/white stripe skirt, navy linen skirt (not flattering), pink skirt,peach skinnies and Rose skinnies. (want to make shorts and a skirt)

 sweaters/cardigans-mint sweater, multi-colored sweater, yellow sweater and navy cardigan (Did not need the pullover sweaters like I thought I would)

 jackets/coats-olive military coat and pink slicker w/liner. (only wore pink slicker, and my farm hoodie)

shoes-cowgirl boots(wore once) , black malibrans, navy chucks, grey with white dot chucks, and blue fluevog sandals.(added my birks)

accessories- B&W scarf, multi-colored scarf, pink clutch/wallet, purple bucket bag, and Leather backpack (only used the pink clutch out of all of this)

So this leaves me with:

 dresses- pink sheath, mint lace, blue short, pink vintage, navy button up and pink polka dots (6)

 tops-chambray button up, chambray shift, gray tee, mint tee, pink and green plaid,pink and white stripe, white stripes sleeveless, blue linen short sleeve, short sleeve flower tee, blue stripe long sleeve, blue with mint stripe tee, soft kitty tee, Marie Curie tee, navy button up, zombie tee, long sleeve pink tee, pink flowers buttonup, and space reserved for 2 tops to be made. (19)

 bottoms-fav jeans, mint shorts, high waited shorts, navy w/white stripe skirt, pink skirt, peach skinnies, Rose skinnies, new pair of shorts to make, and a new skirt to make. Maybe a new pair of khakis.(9, 10 with Khakis)

 sweaters/cardigans-mint sweater and navy cardigan (2)

 jackets/coats-pink slicker w/liner. (1)

shoes-Birkenstock Yaras , black malibrans, navy chucks, grey with white dot chucks, and blue fluevog sandals.(5)

accessories- pink clutch/wallet. (1)

VIFPMCW challenge.

HA! What a mouthful eh? I didn't make up the name,  but I'm excited to do it. Only I need to finish up some other projects still. (whom, whomp) 
My only issue is I'll have to figure out how this will fit into my capsule wardrobe. (If I ever get to it. Sometimes I'll all about ideas and I fall on the follow through. I need help with that.) 

The acronym stands for 'Vintage Inspired Four Piece Mini Capsule Wardrobe challenge.' You can see it here!

This challenge is a 4 piece vintage-esqe (1950's) wardrobe. It would be a great travel set for a warm location. I suppose you could make a winter version if you wanted to, but I'm probably not going to do that. I might make a long skirt and a blouse that could transition into fall and maybe early winter with me, but might not make it through deep winter. 

Now the fun part! Let's brainstorm what I might make. 

I like these for the shirts.Both of these shirt patterns are from evadress.com. She makes wonderful reproductions of vintage patterns. So, you know they are authentic!  Plus, they are beautiful.

The shirt on the left I have always loved and I've wanted to make it for awhile. The one on the left I like view 1 but I don't think it would work for my body. So, I would go with view 3.




Now for bottoms.
I'm just going to make a circle skirt with buttons on the back like in the picture on the left here. Maybe tea length or thereabouts.

I'd love to make some shorts like the ones that I have and love to death.

Finding a good shorts pattern is sometimes hard to do. 

  I really like the shorts in this pattern set. Because they are high waisted. And since I'm already high waisted they would be on my natural waist. Thus, making me look slimmer. (And who doesn't like that?)
Yet, I really am starting to think about the pants as an option for later. and after looking at this blog post. I'm thinking about making the top as well. So, I could even use this as the whole set and then make another shirt or even one of the ones above. And a skirt.

While looking for a skirt pattern I found this little beauty! The whole thing would be perfect with the above mentioned shorts. If I buy all these patterns I'll be busy for a long time. (Not that I really need more to do yet) I'm still working on a quilt, a 1880's pioneer costume, my viking costume, and some little things I'm not ready to reveal yet. :) 

Well, I think that's all the brain storming I can deal with at the moment. Just thinking about making new clothes and bringing more into the house after I've decluttered my closet so well just makes me want to go toss out some things that aren't in my capsule wardrobe right now. 

Maybe I should go do that...

I'd love to hear your thoughts on which pattern would work well for a 4 piece vintage wardrobe. I want to make 2 of them in one fabric and 2 in a coordinating, possibly solid, fabric. So that they can be mixed and matched. I don't know which ones I would do yet so I can't go figuring out fabric that I already have down in my stash. My new mantra is *I will not go to the sewing store*