Dream Wardrobe: Genteel Poverty

I've always wanted a dream wardrobe.  I'm not talking about costumes but more along the lines of key pieces of clothing of quality that will hopefully last my entire life and beyond.  I like long-lasting, well-made clothing but in order to have such things, one needs money, right?  I strongly believe that a person should be able to have beautiful clothes even if he/she doesn't make a six figured income.  It makes me angry that on my limited income, I'm not supposed to have well made, nice clothes. This is why I am choosing to make my own clothes because I've had it!  I alter my clothes to fit anyway so, why not make clothes I've always wanted.  I think life is too short and I think it's time for me to get what I want!

The Harvest + the Bestest Surprise!

My newer bin of worms were ready for harvesting. Most of the worms had moved over and they were getting a bit restless. Today was cloudy and I wasn't looking forward to the task.  I'm usually excited about harvesting castings because then you're able to see any new babies and observe how much the bin has grown. BUT, today was chilly and dreary. :-(  I spread my plastic trash bag on the floor and started scooping up the castings and made two piles.

When you wait a couple of minutes, the worms move down to the bottom to get away from the light.  Then you just scoop the casting from the top. Once you get towards the bottom, you'll end up with a pile of worms that can be easily scooped up and placed back in the bin.

As I was going along, harvesting was going a bit slow, but then I got the BESTEST SURPRISE EVER!!

In Heaven!

Part of my lunch! Hand delivered from Santa Cruz, CA!! Oh how I miss thee, sunny California!! I'm totally envious of my friends who are basking in hot 80 degree weather in Los Angeles right now. I'm going to put on another pair of socks now and eat my little piece of Cali. :-(

Kimchi Revisited

It's been about 2 weeks since making the kimchi. It's not quite ready yet, but it seems a bit salty.  For those interested in making the recipe, I might advise to not add the 1 1/2 Tbsp. of salt.  The last time I made this recipe, I used sea salt instead of kosher salt and I think the sea salt isn't as salty as kosher. Hmmm. Good to know-  never use sea salt for kimchi making!! Peace out!

Chicken and Dumplings

Today was chilly and I had a craving for one of my favorites- chicken and dumplings!  I didn't really start liking this soup until I found a dumpling recipe that didn't produce gumballs of dough in my soup.  The dumplings come out to be fluffy and tender like soft downy pillows of doughy goodness.  Here's the recipe..

Worm Wrangling Continued

Today I checked my bin to see how the little guys were doing.  Some of the worms have already moved to the clean side of the bin even without the addition of food. 

To make them happy and to encourage them to move over, I added food...

I always nuke my feed in the microwave to prevent fungus gnats, which I had a nasty infestation when I first started composting.  I also checked my first bin, my original worms....

Worm Wrangling

So I peaked in my top bin today and decided to start the process of harvesting the castings.  I started this particular bin the year before (2009) by splitting my original bin of worms and slowly breeding them.  It wasn't until 2010 that I really started feeding these guys and now this will be the first time I will be collecting castings from them.  My second bin below, which houses my original worms will be ready for this process in a couple of weeks give or take.

Wish List

So, I don't do resolutions anymore but I do have a Wish List of things that I want to do/accomplish this year if possible. So, here's the list:

1. First on the list.... a DREAM WARDROBE!!! I probably wouldn't be able to accomplish this this year, but I am definitely starting!
2. Starting a vegetable garden. It'll have to be a container garden since I don't have land but I do have a nice balcony right now.
3. Paint/draw again. I haven't really drawn or painted in a LONG time. This is one step towards finding my creativity again.
4. Advance my knitting skills and knit a sweater!
5. Learn how to make soap! Steps toward homesteading.
6. Learn canning.... another step towards homesteading. 

So, this is the list so far.  I don't want to be overwhelmed and I will probably add along the way as I discover other things I want to achieve.  Life is a journey, right?  Anyone else have a Wish List/resolutions for 2011? Hope it leads to a happier, richer life!