Choosing Voluntary Simplicity » Personal

Some Things My Statistics Tell Me About You

Shirley — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:30:39 +0000

Some things my December statistics tell me about you...

Coleslaw — Is It Part of Your Thanksgiving Tradition?

Shirley — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:32:11 +0000

For me, coleslaw is a part of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner... I can't remember a single Thanksgiving without it. My mother is "famous" for her coleslaw, and the aunts, uncles, and cousins always request it. She still makes the coleslaw for the extended family gathering, making it the way she always has, even still chopping the cabbage by hand.

A Mock Cable Fisherman Knit Afghan

Shirley — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:05:42 +0000

I thought I had knitted my last afghan for a while, but... I had a lot of leftover yarn and someone who REALLY wanted an afghan made in this pattern... :o) This afghan is made with the mock cable fisherman knit pattern and like the feather and fan it consists of only four pattern rows, so it makes up very quickly.

Cooking & Baking with a Wood Stove

Shirley — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:48:42 +0000

Reader question... "I loved your post about your wood burning cook stove because I have a stove that's kind of like yours. I thought I could learn to cook and bake with it but everything is coming out either undercooked or burned. I know there is a way to do this. Do you have any hints or suggestions that would help me?" --Corrinne L.

I have found that it's really a continual learning process, because cooking or baking with wood requires a different rhythm and a different timing than cooking with gas or electricity. Most importantly, it requires learning how to adjust to the peculiarities of each individual stove... and that can be quite a challenge.

I’m Hoping They’re Wrong

Shirley — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:31:59 +0000

It snowed last night. And if this morning's severe weather alerts are correct, there's a good-sized nor'easter coming our way. Today is supposed to be sunny with temperatures above freezing, and I'm hoping that the two inches of new snow we woke up to this morning will melt before the new storm brings more.

Upgrades, Databases, Error Messages & Murphy’s Law

Shirley — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:47:43 +0000

Choosing Voluntary Simplicity has always run under WordPress with a version 4 MySQL database... unfortunately, all the newer upgrades to WordPress require a version 5 MySQL database. My hosting provider told me that the conversion from 4 to 5 was going to be more complicated because of the size of this blog, but they agreed that the conversion was something I needed to do for security reasons. I'm just glad I didn't know how big a part Murphy's Law was going to play in the process!

There Is No One Way To Do Simple Living Right

Shirley — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 15:19:34 +0000

I think the most wonderful thing about voluntary simplicity is that it means different things to different people. There is no one way to do simple living right. Everyone has a different concept of how they want to live, what is most important to them, and what they need to make them happy. Trying to live someone else's idea of simplicity will never work.

Some Thoughts About Grocery Shopping & Sensible Frugality

Shirley — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:23:51 +0000

Grocery shopping is one area where big savings are possible, but I don't think that frugality should ever be the only consideration. I definitely try to keep our grocery bill as low as possible, but I also want the foods I serve my family to be nutritious and healthy, and I want our meals to be appealing and taste good... with portions large enough to satisfy everyone's hunger. That's not as easy as it used to be, but here are a few ideas I use that help keep our grocery bills under control.

Yes You CAN Learn To Do It Yourself

Shirley — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 14:15:38 +0000

Anyone can learn new skills. It's easier if you have someone to serve as an instructor, but "how to" books and videos work great too. An elderly uncle showed my husband how to do electrical wiring, but he learned how to do plumbing completely from instruction manuals. Both skills were learned out of necessity when we had an empty shell of a brand new house to finish and no money to spend on hiring professionals. The carpentry skills my husband learned grew out of the same necessity, with trial and error being his best teacher. My husband has shingled the roof, installed doors and windows, and learned how to make a perfectly smooth wall or ceiling. I have refinished furniture, painted, upholstered, made soap, cheese, slipcovers, curtains, and baskets. Together we have built porches and sheds, framed rooms, installed drywall, carpet, well pumps, bathtubs, toilets and sinks... first learning how, and working slowly and carefully until we could see we had it right. One of our proudest accomplishments is the way that we took a wild, wooded landscape and rock-filled soil and turned it into a lovely yard with a series of gardens and paths.

Our Garden Paths

Shirley — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:48:28 +0000

We've worked on a number of big projects over the last several years, but my favorites are the gardens and paths that we have created throughout our property. We have done all the work ourselves by hand using only the natural materials that were already here, so the only actual cost has been our time and lots and lots of hard physical work.