Monday, October 20, 2008

Fall

OK so the debates are over (the last one was the best, Tom Brokaw can suck it) and we are in the home stretch of this never ending campaign season. I am cautiously optimistic but I totally agree with Senator Obama when he says don't underestimate the democrats ability to screw things up. So on that note, lets change subjects.

Its fall and that means a time to refresh. Just when you might get sick of the old hot weather routine you get to change things up. It just started getting colder here so I added the blanket to the bed and got out the space heater for another winter where we try to save money on the heat.

Fall at the CSA means lots of squash and green tomatoes. We made fried green tomatoes on Saturday and put out the rest to ripen on the counter in the beautiful new bowl my friend Kristen sent us. The fried green tomatoes were not on my diet but they were really good with a little home made aioli , my special recipe; "let's see if these ingredients taste good together". We also had butternut squash soup last night with left over fried green tomato sandwiches. I have several butternut squash recipes but as usual, my ingredients on hand didn't match so I made it up. I used a little carrot, green onions, some left over coconut milk, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. It was really good and really felt like fall. Another great fall squash is delicate squash. This was new to us but we got some from theCSA and have cooked several things with it. It's really good and becoming more common in stores so look for it and you won't be disappointed. Vegan Yum Yum just did a post on it. My only complaint is the one pumpkin I got from the farm. I had so many ideas for it, will it be pie, bread, soup, roasted or Halloween jack-o-lantern? Well, it totally rotted out after only 4 days so instead is became trash. Ugh.

Halloween is in the fall and I love that holiday. I love the decorations and the treats and the costumes. The best costumes are hand made of course and Etsy has some great ideas.

Fall also means a wardrobe assessment as summer clothes go to the back of the closet and winter clothes come out. I have to remember what I have and what has worn out. I also have to make sure everything fits, which is why I am now on my fall diet! Last year I went shopping with my mom for fall and we got some great pieces so this year there isn't much to get. This is good considering the economy and my personal finances. Actually, I am surprised Mom was willing to go with me at all, she knows better than anyone that shopping for just a new pair of jeans could take all day and every store must be visited to see all the options. It drives her crazy. Because she is normal. I do need a couple of new things and have started "the research". I am a researcher, its what I do for everything and why I love my job because researching things is totally interesting to me. I have to know everything from every angle before I make decisions. This is also why it is hard for me to shop with other people because I get nervous when they try to encourage me to buy something spur of the moment. I really do get freaked out and I very often regret the purchase when I get home. This is one of the many ways I know I am not completely normal. I start researching fall trends in August with my InStyle magazine and Lucky magazine. Then I look at store websites to see what is in stock. This is when I find several options that would work and start looking at prices. If I think it is too much I will look for a cheaper version or watch the sales. I will try not to pay full price and don't usually shop at the mall. This is because I love clothes but don't have much money, never have. It always makes me laugh when magazines do a bargain spread and their idea of a bargain is Banana Republic instead of Prada. Hello? even on sale I cannot afford Banana Republic. For reals . I shop at discount stores and my new favorite, Kohl's. Kohl's is new to me because I never had one close but now I do. I currently love the new Elle magazine line, almost everything is awesome. I don't love Vera Wang for Kohl's. I had high hopes for that line but its all just weird and looks cheap. If I wanted to bedazzle all of my clothes I could do that myself. But I do not. Ever. Now that I have a list of needs and wants we will see what I can get away with, lets ask The Banker. Wait until he is in a good mood.....

UPDATE: Apparently, Sarah Palin is having a better fall than I am, she got to spend $150,000 on her fall wardrobe!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Debate!






Holy S**t this has been a rough few weeks. Between the credit crisis and the election a person could get very depressed. But Crazy Aunt Purl can help you with that. So the second presidential debate is tonight, in Nashville, at Belmont University. Hey, I know where that is! Things are getting nasty so it should be interesting.

I have become more radical in my old age which actually brings me more or less in line with how I was at 19. The first election I voted in was 1992 as a freshman in college. I was so into politics I covered my car with political bumper stickers and put a Clinton sign in my dorm room. This was no easy decision considering I went to school in southern Missouri. But it also fueled my fire as I was regularly confronted with chalk writings on the campus sidewalks and notes on my car. While I have kept most of those beliefs, I stopped advertising them so much when I joined the workforce. 8 years in Nashville and I learned not to discuss politics at work (or anywhere really), and what to say if people asked you what church you belonged to or if you wanted to go to their church. I had to keep my job and get along. But it made me feel like an outcast in a strange land, Bush country, Big Red. Truthfully, Nashville is a little blue city in a big red state so there were some people who shared my beliefs (mostly they work in education, go figure?). One person I can always count on is Chad Lemons and his little blog HERE.

Well, moving to Baltimore, being close to DC and watching this country lose its way over the past few years has brought back that fire, the desire to slap some bumper stickers on my car (the same car I had in college, even better!) and tune in. As you might have seen on my shared items, I post my favorite news and political blogs daily. Those favorites include: Daily Kos , Wonkette , Mother Jones, Anonymous Liberal, Salon, Andrew Sullivan, Huffington Post and my new favorite, Women Against Sarah Palin . The craft scene hasn't disappointed either. You can see political items for sale onEtsy and Obama Craft Project. Mark has commemorated this election season by joining the ACLU and I have put my money where my politics are by switching my mobile service from AT&T to CREDO mobile. My hobby of crafting and our new interest in local food are also expressions of our politics.

Another great post about surviving the credit crisis by Rebecca Walker is here. As Crazy Aunt Purl says, you don't get your worth from stuff, and you clearly can't afford to anymore. Who needs The Man to tell you what to buy and how much to put on that credit card? Fight The Man and buy, make and give handmade! Also, if the economy completely collapses and we all have to barter with our friends and neighbors, crafting skills come in handy. To make a comfortable cardboard box house.