Crafting!

Knit headband.  Now I can stay warm without
abandoning my standard ponytail.

Lamp before-ish!  (I added the blue ribbon
on the top and the bottom before I took the
picture... oops.)

Lamp after!  Some glue, some yarn, and some
crocheted circles (or closed disks, to those
of you who like to keep your mathematical
definitions straight...), and you have a super
cute lamp!

OWL PURSE!  Wicked awesome.

The pattern for the knit headband can be found here.  I made my owl by making up a pattern after admiring the owl purse found here.  If you aren't comfortable making up your own pattern, you can buy a pattern at that site.

Massage Giveaway... just in time for the Holidays!

*NOTE*:  December 10th through 12th you may comment each day for an entry into the giveaway.  If you have not given a Christmas story or tradition yet, you may still provide one for an extra entry.

This is a giveaway for one of the following three things: one 60 minute Shiatsu massage, one 60 minute Swedish massage, or two Reflexology massages.  The massage of your choice will be provided by my friend's new business, GivingTree Massage, LLC in Corvallis, Oregon.  The massage therapist, Robert White, received his license this past year, and he is committed to providing a comfortable, peaceful experience  to all of his clients.  As he was getting hours of practice to get his license, I received a massage; I can attest that he was professional, and the massage felt great! :)

If you would like to win a massage at GivingTree Massage, please leave a comment with your email address on this post by December 12th!  For TWO entries into the giveaway, include a short (or long!) description about a favorite holiday tradition that you have.  I will only use your email address to contact you to let you know you have won.  On December 12th (*Edit*: December 13th.  You may enter all the way through the 12th), I will use a random number generator to choose a winner.  At that point I will contact the winner so that I know which massage choice he/she wants and a mailing address so that I can send out the gift certificate!  (*Note*: If you don't want to leave your email address and you have a way to contact me, just leave a comment below and just make sure that I know who you are!)

If all of this massage stuff sounds amazing, then you can consider buying a massage gift certificate at GivingTree Massage through me from now until December 15th.  Robert has given me some discounted rates to offer to those who are interested:

$45 for a sixty minute massage (either Shiatsu or Swedish)  (usually $60)

$25 for a Reflexology massage (usually $35)

$12.00 for a Chair massage (usually $15)

If you are interested in this offer, leave a comment with your email and a statement of your interest in purchasing a massage (or contact me with another method if you can/want to), and we can work out the details.  If you comment and buy a massage before December 12th, you will be given THREE entries in the giveaway!


Please let me know if you have any questions!  I haven't done a giveaway before, so I am hoping that things are clear.

To contact Robert directly, please call him at 541-760-7239 or email him at GivingTreemassage.rw@gmail.com.  Even after this promotion ends, he'd be happy to let you know what his rates and specials are!

Daily Decisions: Banking

When Matthew moved up to Beaverton for his six month internship right before we got married, he got an account at Washington Mutual (now Chase).  The reason for this was that he knew he'd be coming back to Corvallis for another few years, and after that he didn't know where he'd be.  I was added onto this account after we got married, and we still have it open.

However... There are a lot of good reasons to support local banking instead of big banks, and a local credit union is a terrific way to accomplish that task.  After moving to the Hillsboro area, we started an account at a credit union in our area.  We have started switching everything over to that account so that we can close our Chase account once we're sure everything has cleared from our checking account.

Coincidentally, there is a current movement to leave big banks and to join credit unions that I didn't know about until after we made the switch.

Especially with the ability to use the ATM pretty much anywhere, I feel like we have no need for a large bank.  Switching is truly an easy way for us to take away support from the banks that operate like those that we had to bail out a few years ago.

Want to know an added benefit?  We found a checking account that offers a 2% interest rate as long as we satisfy a few requirements like using online banking, having a direct deposit occur once per period, and using our debit card for a point-of-sale transaction 12 times per period (good thing I can only carry so many groceries at a time on my bike!).  Two-percent is much better than the rates out there for savings accounts that we've seen, and even if we don't satisfy the requirements one period, the interest earned that period is the same as we were earning at Chase in our savings account.

Yay credit unions!

Honey Honey

For those of you who enjoy honey and hope to get all of the nutritional benefits it can offer, I suggest reading this over at Eat Drink Better.  The article they are using as a source is found here if you tend to like to read things from the original source.

In short, honey is being ultra-filtered to remove the pollen so that the source is hidden, but this process removes the health benefits of the honey.  It also technically makes the product no longer "honey" as defined by the FDA.  Unfortunately, not much is being done to test and regulate this, so it's up to the consumer!  You might want to buy honey from a co-op, farmers' market, or natural foods store as these honeys tested well for having the appropriate amount of pollen.

Slippers for the feeties

Look at those warm feet!  Give me the correctly sized crochet hook, and I will whip up these guys in two days!  I apparently will also add an extra band and a crocheted "button" (most visible and better looking in person than in the photo) for more pizzazz (and to make up for the fact that the slippers were just really long thanks to my husband's size 11 or 12 feet.)

In case you are interested in making these, I will let you know that I actually had to play with the pattern a bit because Matthew's feet are kind of wide.  I added an extra round to the bottoms.  This created minor adjustments in the number of stitches the rest of the way.  I also added extra rows on the tops of the slippers so that there would be maximal foot coverage.

Daily Decisions: Hand washing vs. Dishwasher washing

Perhaps as you go about your journey to save electricity and water you have asked yourself which one is better.

I recently watched a (corny) video from PGE where they tested and compared energy consumption done by a few different types of hand washing and a few different types of dishwashers.  As a note, they didn't discuss the amount of water used, which is an important factor to consider.  You also can't tell how full they fill the dishwasher which is clearly a large factor as far as energy and water efficiency go.  It's also challenging to factor in the environmental costs of creating and shipping a dishwasher in the first place!

I currently only hand wash items that can't go in the dishwasher, and I will wait until I get a stack to do these dishes.  The way I currently do the rest of the dishes is by running a (very full) dishwasher on light wash instead of normal wash.  I get away with using light wash by pre-rinsing all the dishes.  I don't use extra water to do this, though.  We put dishes that need rinsing in the sink, and they get water in them as we wash our hands/produce/etc over them.  Then  I use the scrubby brush to brush the food out.  We also, of course, air dry the dishes instead of drying them with heat.  We also try to minimize the number of dishes that we use.  For example, his mug for his morning coffee becomes my mug for water or tea during the day.  This all takes a bit more effort than just using whatever dishes we want to or running water whenever it's convenient for us, but it becomes routine, and it's really not that challenging in my opinion.

Personally, I think that video makes one thing clear: By being conscious of the energy and water you are using, you will save a ton when compared to taking the resources for granted.  It's very challenging (at least for me) to know what "the best" way to do some things is, and I think that it's OK to just be thoughtful and do our best!

Crochet hooks

Look!  Pretty crochet hooks!  I learned how to crochet on a few hooks I got from Goodwill, but I've been unable to do a few projects because I had the wrong size hooks.  Here is D through K as found used on Ebay.  Yay!  My husband shall (hopefully) have slippers for his feeties this winter!

I just thought I'd share since I'm excited about them. :)

Angrrrrrrrrrrrr

In church recently, the pastor has been talking about emotions that get in the way of having peaceful, strong relationships with each other.  An interesting take on these emotions is that they generally result from a debt-debtor dynamic in the relationship.  For example, the emotion of the week is currently anger, and anger often results from a "you owe me" feeling.

I appreciate the chance to think about anger because it's something I feel fairly often, and I know that it's an emotion that can (and does) easily cause me to hurt people.  While I am not as explosive as I was as a teen, I find that when I am angry now, I do one of two things.  If I'm angry at you and I don't feel comfortable expressing that to you, I will likely keep my anger in and stew about the situation.  If I do feel comfortable expressing it to you (this would be you, dearest husband Matthew), then I am likely to express it through grouchiness, a bit of nastiness, and maybe an insult or two for good measure.

Neither of those reactions are particularly good because in one case, I am harming the relationship by holding onto really negative feelings.  In the other, I hurt Matthew through my words.

The pastor at our church talked about how in his experience (and through the verses Ephesians 4:31-32), he thinks that the answer to our anger lies in forgiveness.  I would add to this a healthy dose of compassion and understanding.  By forgiveness, he meant that we should figure out what we thought the person owed us, and then to consciously decide to cancel this debt.  This makes sense in my circumstances because my anger often stems from when I think people owe me respect, consideration, time, or thoughtfulness.  While someone may have legitimately wronged me, it is my choice to hang on to the anger.  The compassion and understanding come in because the action that caused anger may very well have been done without any intention of harm, or I may have misinterpreted an action or some words.

My anger for Matthew is generally spurred by the silly things.  I think that this is probably fairly typical for a married couple.  You might call the feeling "annoyance", but I think that it's a form of anger for me, at least.  He'll do little things in a way that seems totally wrong/illogical to me.  I can't even think of a specific example right now.  However, this little thing happening in a way that I don't want or expect, and I can be set off.  The thing is, though, that Matthew usually isn't even doing anything wrong, and I know that.  While some of the problems he could prevent by being more careful and thoughtful, many times I'm just expecting unreasonable things from him.  I think that another group of people who might experience our anger similarly is children.  I know that I'm going to get angry at my kids when I have them because I'm kind of a human being.  However, I think that it's good for me to start thinking about what should cause anger and what shouldn't.  For example, while a child might not always listen to me, I shouldn't automatically become angry.  Perhaps the child has a reason for not listening.  Perhaps I am expecting more from the child than he/she is able to handle.  While I'm not saying that I won't expect my kids to listen to me, I think that I will bear the responsibility of trying to fully understand each situation and not wrongfully accusing a child of being willfully disobedient.

I'm not going to say that I'm the best at forgiving people for things that they said or did.  I tend to replay conversations and events over and over in my head, and I can work up a good amount of anger doing this.  Even after realizing that I need to let things go, I can still try to pick things apart again later.  It's something I work on.

One thing that came up was the idea of reconciliation versus forgiveness without reconciliation.  I think that reconciliation is optimal, but I think that forgiveness can happen without reconciliation.  Sometimes I hold onto something little for so long, it's probably not even good to broach the subject any more because what is past is past, so I just need to forgive the person and move on.  However, sometimes I think it is totally appropriate to respectfully talk to a person about a problem in the hopes of coming to a reasonable agreement.  I personally think that this has to happen to keep a marriage as healthy as possible.  To me, it goes along with the vital need for open, respectful communication about pretty much everything.  Sometimes an agreement won't be met, and then the choice of forgiveness should be made.  Sometimes an agreement will happen, and forgiveness naturally occurs.

The pastor emphasized Ephesians 4:31 as it says to "get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior."  As such, he made it seem like the emotion of anger was to generally be avoided.  Maybe I misunderstood his intention though because I'm sure that he knows that Jesus expressed anger.  In fact, earlier in Ephesians 4, Paul writes that in our anger we should not sin.  Based on this, and the fact that verse 31 talks about "evil behavior", I feel fairly confident that we should not try to quell all anger but rather bear the responsibility for our actions and treatment of people.

In fact, I realized that I actually think that anger and discontent can be a good and healthy thing.  I think that it is good to get angry when people are being wronged.  I wrote a post last year about how I was angry as Wisconsin stripped their unions of their rights and power.  I thought of this as I considered this week's emphasis on anger, and I do not think that my anger was wrong.  In fact, I think that I had an appropriate response to my anger: Writing a blog post to express myself.  I honestly believe that it is appropriate to feel discontent and angry when people are being wronged, but we must always remain conscious of our actions.  If we use Paul's writings to justify complacency and lack of emotion for our fellow human beings, then I think we are missing the point.

I'd love to hear any other thoughts about anger that you might have!

The Grand Adventures of Karen

*Note* All pictures were taken in the safety of the living room.  No Karens were biking around with a camera in one hand (and unchanging scenery) in the making of this blog post.  Faces were recreated for the benefit of the reader.

This is my face when heading out on some errands.
Note the jaunty look with the stylin' helmet.

This is my face when I watched a woman park in
a 5-minute book drop off spot at the library.  Only she
missed the parking spot and ended up parked mostly on
the sidewalk.  Seriously...?

This is my face as a giant oak leaf attacks my face
briefly as I bike down the path away from the library.
*Note*  This is not a real oak leaf.  No oak leaves
were harmed in the making of this blog post.

This is my face as I leave the grocery store with 19 pounds
of groceries on my back and another pound hanging on my arm.

What the...?  Who knows why I have this face.

It should be noted that my pants are not being
caught in the chains of my bike anymore.  Why not?
Fabric scraps, a button, and a chunk of elastic that
was used to package a duffel bag we bought a couple years
ago.  About 15 minutes of sewing later, and now I be STYLIN'!
  Also, do you see the stained patches on my knee?  That is how
 you distinguish me from the other people
 in Hillsboro.  "Who's that ragamuffin over
there.... Must be KAREN!"

I hope that you have enjoyed the great adventures of Karen.  I was thinking today while riding my bike that I really do enjoy biking and walking over driving because when I drive now, I realize I am missing out on things.  The exercise is an obvious plus to biking (I got in 6 miles yesterday and about 9 miles today), but I also notice more about what's going on around me when I'm biking.  I can notice birds and people, and I can smile at people walking by.  It was actually really comical when the oak leaf attacked my face today.  As soon as it fell off, I couldn't keep from laughing.  Part of this post is also to let people know that if you want to haul stuff while biking, it might take some forethought.  I actually am in the process of getting and setting up a rear cargo rack with a basket so as to be able to carry groceries without carrying a heavy backpack on my back.  Pictures to come.  There are also bike trailers for things and for children, and there are bike seats for kids, too.  Just yesterday, I was admiring a bike seat for small children because it allows the kid to sit between you and the handlebars.

I hope that you have received some bike inspiration!   Have a wonderful autumn day!

The Occupy movement... money... life... and stuff

Unless I have written a post that I have forgotten about, I think that so far I have not said anything about the Occupy movement sweeping the nation.  I have mixed feelings about the movement.  I am so happy that people are able and willing to assemble to express their dissatisfaction about a system that has failed them (or not them, but people they know).  I am concerned that the movement has no clear direction and will thus fizzle out without causing change.  When doing a sit-in type protest, it seems like it is vital to have a list of demands.  With that, I actually really want to talk about the reactions to the movement that I have heard.  Not that this is a new thing to hear, but one recurring response is essentially the thought that the people participating in the movement are freeloaders who need to go get a job, any job, and stop trying to get pity.

It breaks my heart to hear people speak about the jobless, homeless, and penniless (especially when including debt like student loans) in this way.  It ignores the elephant in the room:  The way our system currently works does not give the same opportunity to every American in the room.  What's more, our system is not fair.

I can go on and on about what is unfair about our system.  It includes the fact that we bail out big banks while still foreclosing on peoples' home.  It includes the fact that not all public schools are created equal, and the richer your area is, the nicer the public school probably is.  It includes that fact that our government's decisions are being affected by the people with the most money more than those with no money.

I am an example of our unfair system.  My mom stayed at home with me and she and my dad both gave me a jump start in my education; I could even read before kindergarten thanks to my parents dedication to reading to and with me.  My parents also had enough money to give me a chance to be involved in sports and other activities through my K-12 education.  Being educated themselves, they helped me to value learning and education.  My dad, being a high school counselor, helped me prepare for college when I was in elementary school by teaching me to save my money and do my best in school.  Not only that, but by luck of the draw, my very genetics allowed me to get straight A's in high school.  Add the activities I participated in (thanks to my parents' ability to make sure I had transportation) and the fact that I happened to be in a small school, and I was a great candidate for scholarships.  I took my eighteen years of privilege to OSU, and I worked hard, and I got enough scholarships to live on each year as long as I lived frugally (which my parents also taught me to do).  I also finished needing summer jobs before the economic crash, so I could earn money each summer.  We also believe that possibly the only reason Matthew has a job now is that (through his own story of privilege) he had an internship at the company that hired him.  Matthew was applying to entry-level positions and never receiving a response despite his grades and internship experience.

I've had people tell me I've done a good job and that I have earned my achievement, and yes, I have worked hard.  However, it's just not fair.  What about the people who could have found stability if born into the same privilege?  What about the simple truth that I would almost certainly not be this well off if I hadn't been a product of all those factors that had absolutely nothing to do with my choices?

So, to me, it goes beyond asking for our system to be fixed of its glaring faults.  It's about being humble about my position of power and compassionate to those who have need, not from fault of their own, but because of circumstances out of their control.

I had three things that I was looking forward to as we exited college: starting a family, buying a house (and more importantly, some land), and having more money to give away.

We've always agreed as a couple that tithing (the literal 10%) is something we should do but should not ever be the end of our giving.  Even throughout college, we had a few extra good things that we made sure to support, but I felt that as we entered the middle class, we'd have a chance to do more.  Immediately upon Matthew starting work, though, I realized that it can take some time to save up for a down payment for a home.  While we don't need a house right away (or technically ever), I think it makes sense for us to own, and as quickly as possible, because I want to make good use of the space through gardening, storing food, maybe having chickens, allowing kids a space to run free and learn about the land, etc.  The "as quickly as possible" part comes from the fact that every month we are shelling out $770 in rent, and while some of that would be going to property taxes and the like, I'd say at least $500 a month is really going toward nothing.  I'd rather be using this money to pay off the house.

So, as we start making more money, I immediately start feeling like we need to make sure that we are saving a fair amount which terrifies me.  I am horrified about always feeling like I need something and, as a result, never giving as much as I can.  From what I have experienced, it seems that no matter how rich people are, they seem to always feel the need to hang onto their money.  People making $20,000 say that if they made even just $50,000, they could give more away.  People making $50,000 say that if they made $100,000, they'd give more away.  If we all do this, it's no wonder that there's a lack of "giving away" in this world.   Financially, and for the lifestyle we live, I still believe it makes sense to aim to own a house.  In the long run, this type of purchase can actually free up more money.

Before I fell asleep last night, I made a decision to remain open to giving freely even while we are saving for a home.  I have a couple specific things I plan to do, and the rest I hope to remain sensitive to.

May God poke me with a big stick if I ever lose passion for doing my part in this earth and instead gain interest in my own first-world wants.  If God seems to be holding off on poking me, it might be because He's hoping one of you will.  Please do!