We're Buying a House

 We are now (unofficial) homeowners! We have the home inspection and appraisal this upcoming week, and then we will be able to go to settlement. Ryan and I are extremely excited, nervous, happy, anxious, etc. The weight of buying a house can be a little intimidating, but we are looking forward to this new chapter in our lives.
 The house is a semi-detatched duplex located on a cul-de-sac in Sykesville, Maryland (30 minutes from both our jobs and families.) It has 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a finished basement, deck, and fenced-in yard. I thought I'd give a little tour of the place since many of our friends and family haven't seen pictures yet.

Meet the Entrance/Living Area



 When you walk through the front door, you immediatly enter the living/family room area. This room leads into the kitchen, as well as the door to the basement on the left.

 This is the other side of the living/family room, and on the other side of the room is a big window.

Meet the Kitchen



 The kitchen is nice and country (which I love.) You can't see it in this picture, but near the 'fridge is a good sized pantry. That'll be a nice change for us since we haven't had a pantry in either of the apartments we've lived in since getting married.

Meet the Eating Area

 This is on the other side of the kitchen where we will have room for a kitchen table (which is also a change for us.) You can barely see in this picture the sliding glass doors that lead out to the backyard.

Meet the Deck

 Right off the kitchen you walk out to the deck which is complete with boxes for flowers (the previous homeowners planted lavendar there.) On the "roof" of the deck is a kind of screening/netting that lets light shine down, but keeps it from beating down on you too much.

Meet the Basement



 When you walk down the stairs, you come to a full bathroom on the side, and then into the basement. The door you see in the picture was an entrance to the outside, but when they put in the deck they covered the entrance. Now it can be used as a space to store bikes or something. There is also a little woodstove in the basement, and (although it is not shown in the picture) a laundry room off to the side.



 I was surprised at how much closet space we have in the basement. The double door closet has a decent amount of space to it, but the small door you see in the corner of the picture goes all the way under the stairs, so it's plenty deep and allows for a lot of storage space.

 Meet the Master Bedroom

 The bedroom has two windows, and off to the left of this picture is a walk-in closet.

 Looking from the wall of where the bed sits, there is the second closet (not a walk-in, but still a decent size,) and right outside of the door is another full bathroom. Coming up the stairs there is also a linen closet (no more having to store our blankets/sheets/towels in my closet.

Meet the Second Bedroom

  The room is small, but big enough for a little kid's room (down the road.) Until then, we might just use it for storage, a music room, computer room, etc.

Meet the Third Bedroom



 The little boy who slept here is also named Ryan. It is a little bigger than the last bedroom and has a closet to the side. We're not quite sure what we'll do with this room either prior to having kids.

And, I've saved one of our favorites for last...

Meet the Back Yard

 This is the view from standing on the deck. There is a decent amount of flat space for a dog and swing set, but when you go past the little gate you come to that first tier of space. We plan to put in a vegetable/herb garden here, which we've been wanting to do since we got married. We also have honeysuckle growing there, which I plan to keep since it smells so nice.
 When you walk past the first tier of land, you come to a second tier where we could put a few more veggie plants, and also where the shed is kept. I would like to see if I can grow some flowers to climb the little chuppa there. There is also a little bit of land behind that second tier, but I don't know if/what we will use it for. It also has honeysuckle growing there.

 This is also from the deck, where you can see a little bit of the flat part of the yard. We plan to have a compost somewhere here, and we may or may not have a clothesline as well.

  That's the house, although I plan on calling it "The Big Rock Candy Mountain."







A Call to Simplicity

Ryan and I are always talking about pursuing a simpler lifestyle; one that doesn't revolve so much around technology and excess as so many people are prone to doing (ourselves included.) We like our cable TV, our Internet access, our daily conveniences. Even though we're so accustomed to having these things, we both have a deed desire to lead a much more simple and natural life. We talk about spending less time in front of the TV and more time enjoying things like playing catch outside. We look forward to the day when we will have a yard so we can grow our own vegetables and raise chickens. We both see God in nature and in a simpler way of life, and we really feel compelled to embrace. It can definitely be difficult though to break old habits. For example, I love to declutter. I get a sense of productivity and peace from getting rid of excess amount of junk that we end up stockpiling without even realizing it. The thing that really amazes me;however, is how we can get rid of a whole lot of stuff, and in no time at all have a ton more we need to declutter. Where did all of this stuff come from? When did we start accumulating all of this? It just goes to show us how desensitized we are are building up stuff that we really don't need (or even want.)
We really feel a calling to live a simplistic life. At church, they have been talking about having margin in your life. Margin in your time, margin in your finances... something that will keep you from filling your life up so much to where there is no room for the things that really matter. We're still figuring out what a simplistic life is going to look like for us, but I'm excited to see what is down the road for us and how we will adjust to it.

Homemade Eco-Friendly Deodorant

As I transition to using homemade shampoo and conditioner, I have decided to throw in homemade deodorant as well. Most commercial brands of deodorant have aluminum in them, which has been linked to cancer and other physical harms. Not to mention, most commercial deodorants are expensive and harmful to the environment. In an effort to purge our home of toxic chemicals, I am experimenting with making my own deodorant with the hopes that it will work well and replace our commercial brands. I have been using my homemade mixture for the past few days, and so far so good! I have found it lasts longer than commercial brands, smells amazing, and is definitely the cheaper way to go! You can apply the mixture by rubbing it on your underarms like lotion, or you can spoon it into a deodorant container (but you will need to keep it in the refrigerator if you want it to stay in a solid state.) This mixture does not leave any residue on your body or clothes, and keeps your perspiration to a minimum. You don't want to use full on antiperspirants since this is your body releasing toxins. 

Deodorant recipe:

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch or arrowroot powder (I use corn starch, but for some this will irritate the skin. Arrowroot does not contain talc in it, so it will not irritate.)
6 heaping tablespoons of coconut oil
5-6 drops of tea tree oil.

The baking soda eliminates odor, the corn starch (or arrowroot) is a natural thickening agent, and the coconut oil and tea tree oil are antibacterial properties (and smell super good!)

My hope is that this recipe continues to work so that we can get rid of our commercial brands and contribute to a healthier lifestyle for ourselves and the planet. 

The Vegetarian Experiment



Growing up, I was never a huge fan of most meat. Put a piece of steak in front of me and I would rather not partake. However, I do like some meat like pepperoni, bacon, sometimes chicken, fish, etc. Although I eat a lot of vegetarian dishes, I also tend to enjoy meat products. However, I really want to try giving meat up altogether.
The other night, Ryan and I sat down and watched a documentary entitled, "Earthlings." This is a movie depicting the horrors of how where are meat comes from. I always knew that animals were being slaughtered for our meat and that it wasn't the most pleaseant of experiences, but I had no idea the extent of it! The best way I can sum up the situation is that the lives that are being taken are not being respected. All life (humans and animals) should be respected and treated kindly. I am not against eating meat, but the ethics behind it are seriously lacking! I don't want to support an industry that unnecessarily tortures and ridicules animals. Having an animal be shut up in a small space for it's whole life, subjected to injury and disease due to it's cramped living conditions, hung upside as it has its throat slit and left to bleed to death (which can take a lot longer than you might think) is not acceptable. For an animal to have a metal rod shot through it's head, have it's throat slit, and dropped to the ground (all while it's still alive) isn't something I can support. So...

I'm going to try to cut out meat. In some ways I could fool myself into thinking this will be pretty easy. I prefer tofu to chicken, I prefer soy sausage to the real thing, I don't enjoy most red meat (even veggie burgers are fine by me.) However, I know that old habits die hard. The types of meat that I do usually eat could be a struggle to cut out. Unfortunately, it's been so ingrained into our minds that meat is meat and it's acceptable to eat it, regardless of how it comes to be on our plate. Ryan made a good point when he mentioned that this moral issue isn't something that will ever be called into question in your life. Most people are not going to question your choice to eat meat or keep you accountable about where that meat came from. Most people don't want to think about it. This decision is something that I have to commit to on my own, because the majority of people think the notion of giving up meat is silly.

In my discuss with Ryan after viewing the documentary brought to light the importance of moral consistency. If I am alright with eating meat, I need to be alright with the way it is slaughtered. If I'm not alright with the way it is slaughtered, I can't be alright with eating it. So, I'm going to give this a try. We'll see how it goes, and hopefully I will be on my way to a life of vegetarianism!

Homemade shampoo and conditioner experiment

I have tried making my own eco-friendly shampoo before out of baking soda and water. I couldn't tell if it was working or not for the first couple days and eventually just gave up. I was making it in the morning and pouring it into a jar. I would pour the whole jar over my head until it was empty. This was a little bit of a pain because I would need to prepare shampoo each morning before showering. However, I'm going to give this another try and store it in a pump bottle so I don't waste any. I've been researching it and a lot of people use this recipe for their regular shampoo routine. Apparently it takes a few days before your hair gets used to the new shampoo (just like when you switch to a new brand of shampoo that you bought at the store.) I also wanted to make my own conditioner, but all I could find were recipes using parashibles like mayo and avocado. However, I've finally found one that I can store for a while! I'm going to give this a shot and see how it turns out.
Lately I've been washing my hair with Dr. Bonner's Castile Soap, an all natural fair trade liquid soap. It works really well, but it's a lot less money to simply make your own shampoo. I'd rather save Dr. Bonner's for body wash.


Shampoo Recipe:
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup water


That's it!


Conditioner Recipe:
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup water.
(Honey is supposed to be good for conditioner as well, so you can add a tablespoon or two of this if you want.)


I've heard that your hair won't smell like vinegar when you rinse it. We'll see....

Learning to live in the moment

By nature, I am someone who tends to look down the road a lot and plan for the future. I seem to always be looking forward, and sometimes that means missing what's right in front of me now. I love to sit and dream about what is in store for me and Ryan 2 years, 5 years, 10 years, 30 years down the line. I like to think about having a house of our own, children, a small farm, etc. These are things that sometimes I wish I could rush into. For example, I have always wanted to be a mom. I see friends with their new babies and my heart aches to have one of our own. I truly long for the day when Ryan and I will be parents, but I also know that with that comes major life changes. While some of those changes are wonderful, it also means having less time alone together. We wouldn't be able to focus on each other and our relationship as much; all of our attention would go towards taking care of an infant. We would be tired and stressed out at times, and that can always invite some bickering between two people. We would have a new financial burden, and that would only contribute to more stress and anxiety. I know that one day it will be amazing to be parents, but that I also have to take time to smell the roses now and enjoy where we are in our lives at the moment. It's something I have to fight myself on, but I always know deep down that we are where we're supposed to be right now. We'll let God take care of timing, and we'll enjoy the life He has given us now.

Give The Gift of Life

  

     I had my very first experience giving blood almost 2 months ago. I have always wanted to do it, even as a kid (although I probably wouldn't have gone through with it at that age even if I could have. Needles aren't usually a welcome sight to kids.) I tried to give blood when I was 18, but I wasn't able to because I had gotten a tattoo within the last 12 months. Finally, I was able to do it at work when they brought in the Red Cross to take blood donations. It was an awesome experience, aside from almost passing out a few times and needed to keep cold water running down my face and drinking juice to keep me conscious. Apparently, a lot of people react that way the first time they donate, but it gets better after that. I have definitely decided to become a regular blood donor, and I'm really thankful that I am in a physical state to be able to give.
    According to the Red Cross, one pint of blood can save up to 3 lives. Unfortunately, only 3% of all people in America actually donate blood. Can you imagine what a difference it would make if everyone who was able gave blood even once in their life time? The amazing thing about giving blood is that it's something that can save people's lives, but it doesn't cost the donor anything. We are always making more blood, so we can always be donating. That's an incredible design, and I really think that God created us this way for a reason. We have a perpetual resource of blood that we can always be giving away to those who need it. Unless a person has some kind of condition that would prevent them from giving blood, there is no good reason not to donate. Please consider making a small contribution that can mean the difference to 3 other people, not to mention their family and friends. Besides, you get free juice and cookies. Need I really say more??