Bags and Burlap

My one aunt loves carrots and having her feet rubbed, I know this because my mom points it out to me every time I open a bag of carrots or ask her to rub my feet :)

I can't remember much, but for some reason I have a thing for numbers like my grandmother... also an attribute my mother reminds me of... often.

Well, today she told me I remind her of my great aunt Helen too 

- among my stubborn, impatient, and independence seeking qualities ... she was apparently also very resourceful. 

She was living on a remote farm in Montana with her husband and children and of course money was tight, but more than that, availability of products was pretty much non-existent. So... she started salvaging old "gunny sacks" (the burlap bags that potatoes and other goods would come in) and she re-purposed them. Not to be outdone by all the city women who had the luxury of ordering from catalogues and decorating their homes she got creative with what she had. 

She started dyeing the burlap bags and making things. Drapes, chair covers, you name it. Funny thing is... burlap wasn't revered as glamorous then, which is why she dyed it... not the case these days. Burlap is back!

Old Aunt Helen... the pioneer for not buying anything new... I guess all the pioneers were :)

Well Aunt Helen would be happy to know that although she has no idea what Pinterest or any other website is... she was a trendsetter. 

Paper bags are kind of my thing. They're sort of the burlap of today. Not sure I should attempt drapes with  it but I do love the color and feel for just about everything. Looks like it goes hand in hand with burlap :)

Trader Joes bags are my burlap sacks. 

Too bad most things I buy aren't packaged in burlap because in order to get it these days you kind of have to go down to the store and buy it... new. 

I know "everything has been done before" but in this case, I'm glad it's resourcefulness and not just the same old love song...

(who am I kidding I'll always be a sap for the mushy ballads :) and now burlap too. ha

Maybe when the year is up I'll do some decorating with Burlap in homage to my Great Aunt Helen's resourceful ways and in gratitude for passing it along... not to mention it might get me a few pins on Pinterest! ha

(I don't quite understand that site but it's on my "to-do" list)

June 1st wish list

The most asked question - after how the dog is... who is doing great! :) Thank you all! ha
So the next question is...

What are you going to buy when the year is up?

It seems like such a monumental occasion. 

It seems like I should buy something just because I can. 

But what do I really need?

Aside from some conditioner, mascara, and my favorite perfume 

(My obsession with smell... obvious)

Surprisingly enough, I'm not dying to buy anything in particular. I guess not anything "new". In fact, it's almost become such a fun "challenge" to find things "old"... it doesn't seem as fun to go shopping in a regular store.
 Just this weekend I was talking to some girls who asked about the skirt i was wearing. I had to break it to them it came from a thrift store, so the likelihood of them getting one of their own was slim to none. But when I told them about the whole nothingnewforayear thing you could see the wheels turning. From cool vintage tables and funky lamps... to outfits that you'll rarely have to worry about seeing show up at the same party - there's a lot of fun that has come out of this year.

Of course throughout the year I certainly hit low points. Moments where I wanted to be able to just pick up and buy something I saw online or in a shop... and maybe it's my bad memory, or maybe it's just that unimportant... that I can't really recall that many things that have been haunting me this year. 

I can only recall two things. 

And because I prefer "new" swimsuits... 

Although I would ante up for that tan and a body like that if it's for purchase :)

I've entertained the idea of trying to go to the grocery store with a list, and challenging myself not to go back to the grocery store until all the food is gone... Which would not only make meals interesting... lol. but it would also make me think more about what I really want to eat and not being so wasteful. But I travel a lot so it wouldn't be nearly as interesting as if I was home most of the time and trying to work it around multiple meals a day. 

I gave up sweets for Lent and when it was over - the flood gates opened! I'm almost afraid to do that because it's so easy to fall back into bad habits...

There are a few things I'd like to be able to buy regularly... as you can imagine, but for the most part... I really enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

I guess I'll have to see how I wake up on June 1st and let you know.

Annapolis by recommendation

This weekend I was in Annapolis Maryland for the Land Rover TriRock Annapolis Race

Not only did I debut a new swim cap dress - which was made from a box of leftover swim caps and a very long skirt I picked up from the thrift store... 

but I also was given a good "roadmap"for a proper weekend spent in the city that houses the US Naval Academy. 

So we were by default by the Naval Academy because that's where our event was... and it was beautiful... but on to the "painkiller" at Pussers. 

The most interesting part of this restaurant/bar was that the outside bar is dockside - without any fences. I asked the police crew helping us with the race how many people go in every year (there is a ladder) and they said about... one. What!? lol they must be so much better behaved than I imagined. It's almost guaranteed that if I spent too much time there I would definitely find myself doing a cannon ball into the water - especially after a few more Painkillers. ha

But I managed to behave - this time.

Then ironically enough I met up with a few friends and they took me to Sly Fox... it was like they knew!

  

And when I went back to the docks to help sticker our transition area... look what this young man had waiting for me. The last piece of pizza from Mangia. 

And last but not least... it wasn't on the list... but catching the sunrise at City Docks, should be added.

A weekend to remember without spending a dime - except on a couple of stops to Jimmy John's... and Starbucks :)

I don't think keeping up not buying anything new for a year in some aspects will be that hard. In fact I think it's just re-trained my brain to go back to the way I was raised. Some things I WILL go back to buying! ha. 

Although I'll think twice... The bathroom cabinets just look so much nicer when they're not cluttered!