May Day & Birthday Planning

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Image courtesy of iStock & RuthBlack

Today is May Day, and the countdown to my birthday! Hard to believe it’s already May. Some of the days are flying by, but others are moving “slower than molasses in January”. The stay-in is still in place, but you would never know it. Anyway, yours truly has a birthday coming up, but, an outing is out of the question. Depending on the weather (the forecast listed a high of 93, but I’m hoping it’ll be cooler), I think I’ll bring out the pop-up tent and have an outdoor lunch in the backyard, followed by a Warcraft-themed dinner. Maybe tea sandwiches, mini foods, and maybe a cheesecake for lunch… Haha, oh the struggle when you love food so much.

Every year I get myself a little something. This year, I’ve ordered a Klean Kanteen tumbler, two Swag Bags and a Vejibag. Hopefully the bags extend the life of the produce we get. I will have a review of the bags after a 30-day trial. Side note: I’d like to get some wholesale fruit and veg. I’m really into fermenting and making jams/fruit spreads, so wholesale seems to be the best way to go. That’s all for now. Hope you all have an amazing rest of the day.

Peace & Love, always!

Earth Day 2020 🌎

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Today is Earth Day! It also happens to be its 50th, which is pretty awesome. If you’d like, click here to read more about Earth Day.  Since most of us are house-bound for the foreseeable future, there isn’t a whole lot we can do now to help make this planet heal (although, humans being indoors has given rise to nature taking over, so maybe we really are the “virus”…That’s for another discussion). Then again, maybe there is. If you have yard & some seeds, plant them. Sometimes they sprout, and sometimes they don’t, but it’s worth trying. No yard? That’s okay! Spruce up a space with some plants, grow veggies/fruit from kitchen scraps, or start an indoor garden (if you can). Due to the current situation, beach/trash clean-ups, etc. are not able to happen, but a little something is better than nothing. For Earth Day this year, which has been the hottest since the stay-in thus far, we decided to do a little yard work earlier and plan the week ahead. You can also make a list about the future changes you want/are going to make that will help you to live with the planet.

What did you do for a Earth Day? Let us know.

Peace & Love, always!

April Fools’ Day!

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He found the elusive Cinnamon Coke!

It is April. Another month has come and gone. Half of March was spent inside, hoping for things to get better. I didn’t realize how much I would miss social interactions in-person. My friends and I are trying to arrange a virtual hangout, which is proving to be a bit difficult with everyone’s schedules. Should I be working on my dissertation? Yes. I’ll get back to it after this. We just want to wish you a happy and safe April. I’m sure you’re thinking that there should be a practical joke somewhere in here, but I couldn’t think of one. What will you be doing this month (aside from staying in as much as possible)? Did you play any practical jokes? Let us know, and as always, stay safe!

Peace & Love, always!

Quarantine, possibly.

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I said I would keep this blog free of virus talk. That’s true, for the most part. The times are very different now. The thing is, isolation/quarantine may be a real prospect. If you’re in Los Angeles County, like we are, there has been a warning issued that it could happen (not that it will). It’s best to always have a plan in the event that it does happen, much like we have plans for earthquakes. Why? Places will no longer be accessible– No trips to the grocery store, pharmacy, etc. We will have to make do with everything we currently have. The present situation we are in also makes for a good time to come up with different plans for different scenarios depending on where you live. Always be prepared, but don’t obsess over it. You may also want to take this time to spend some quality time with those in your household, get that to-do checklist completed, and maybe learn something new. If you have an instrument, pick it up and practice. Learn a new language. I don’t know; use your imagination! There is no time like the present. If you feel so inclined, try out World of Warcraft. Blizzard is giving 100% bonus XP, which started March 20th and goes through April 20th! Level up your main and alts in far less time. Learn more about that here. Interested in creating and controlling the lives of characters? The Sims 4, expansions, and game packs are on sale for up to 88% off! Click here for the Sims 4 library.

We also want to acknowledge everyone who is working during this time. Nurses, doctors, CNAs, grocers, mail carriers, deliverers, warehouse employees, and those who work in food service are still having to go to work. If I’m missing any group then they are, of course, included. We hope that everyone is staying safe.

Peace & Love, always!

Low-Waste Laundry feat. dropps

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The dropps bag & pod and a couple of dryer balls sit atop the mesh bag we use for clothing.

I have been using dropps detergent pods for the past few days while I catch up on laundry (check out the referral link at the bottom if you like *not an affiliate link*). I was given a code for a free trial pack, which included shipping. I added the bag because it’s supposed to ensure that the detergent is dissolved all the way in cold water by keeping the pod submerged. We only use cold water for our clothes to help with their lifespan. Anyway, my order total was about $3.00.

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What a Time to be Alive!

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The sunset over summer.

Aside from produce, it is very hard to be low-waste in these times. Why? For one, there is no way to use containers from home– for now, anyway. Will we be able to in the future? Honestly, I think the ability to use personal items overall is going to be limited, if not done away with, for the foreseeable future.

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Day 1 (kinda): Some Rain & Self-Quarantine 🌧

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It’s raining now, and will continue to rain through parts of tomorrow. The streets are pretty quiet, all things considered, and we are trying to keep busy when we’re not working. I’m curious to see how things go when life starts getting back to normal, and what new protocols will become standard. These are definitely interesting times. I also wonder what books will say about this whole period. We have some things to ship off, but are a bit leery to with the added restrictions put in place. The items are fine to send, and customs needs to do what they can to protect people, we just don’t want it to sit there for a month or more.

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Staying In

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I had originally scheduled posts with some issues I have with zero-/low-waste shopping, but with everything that has been going on as of late, I’ve put those off for now. This gives me time to edit my dissertation and get some posts/videos completed, like the latest FabFitFun box. Okay, I know some of you are probably thinking, “But that’s not low-waste”. It is for me. I can gift the items I won’t use, and the packaging for everything else can be recycled in my area. We have some sweets to try out, and (not related to videos) it’s time I got to cleaning up some of the mess around here. Is it bad? No, but it makes it hard to be productive.

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It’s March 🌈

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Holy cow, where did February go?! I’ve said it before, and it’s still true, that the time is flying by. In the spring we will have a giveaway with some low-waste goodies. I have a big announcement coming soon, so stay tuned for that. I also have a post coming up featuring the spring FabFitFun subscription box. After a social media break, I’m back. In case you haven’t noticed, I went from being significantly more active to slowing down a lot. Things have been a bit hectic. It seems like things start to calm down, and just when they do, another event comes and uproots everything. Long story short: Life was calmer, then things got a bit out of control, now they’re back to being less stressful, albeit just a fraction less.

Peace & Love, always!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Image courtesy of Daria Shevtsova, pexels.com

I hope you all have an amazing day today, no matter who you’re spending it with. The day may be marketed towards couples, but who said singles can’t have fun? If you can, carve out some time for self care: Read that chapter you’ve been wanting to, take a relaxing bath, cozy up with some hot cocoa and your fur baby… Indulge a little.

Today I was surprised with a shop! No, it’s not a brick-and-mortar shop, but it is on etsy: Crafts by Darphynia. Once there are items up and the shop is running, I will post a link. If you remember back, my fiancé has a shop, Goblin Gearworks. For awhile we had been talking about changing the direction of the shop to focus on handcrafted items. Well, after careful consideration, he decided to close up in order for us to focus on just that. Goblin Gearworks will still be up. All purchases over $25 USD are currently 75% off. If you’re interested, there are details on the store. While it is sad, we are excited to go on this new journey.

Peace & Love, always!