I.Can't.Stop.Dancing.

Try listening and not bouncing... even if it's only a little bounce. I know I can't stop myself.

Rhythm

I was having trouble sleeping (... and I'm still awake)... so I decided to pick up some knitting for a bit. It has been over three weeks since I last worked on anything; my knitting basket has been sitting neglected.

I felt all the tension inside of me release as I fell back into the rhythm of "in, around, out, over and off".

In, around, out, over and off.

In.

Around.

Out.

Over.

Off.

Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain

Erik showed me this yesterday. We sat in silence and listened to it on repeat. I would recommend taking ten minutes to sit and listen.
It is beautiful.

The Crownless Again Shall be King

All that is gold does not glitter,

    Not all those who wander are lost; 

The old that is strong does not wither,

    Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

    A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

    The crownless again shall be king.

Homemade Deodorant

I was driven to make some deodorant a couple weeks ago due to my stinky pits.

I haven't used the deodorant because it has yet to be a necessity again... Erik, on the other hand, uses it all the time. He finds that it gets rid of smells rather than just masking them. I think that means he likes it.

I'm not going to lie, I am glad he is getting use out of it, but I would sometimes rather my husband smell like Old Spice than lavender. I think it's time to find another scent.

Here is the recipe either way:

Homemade Deodorant

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
5 TBSP coconut oil
essential oil to scent to your liking (I used lavender)

• Mix the baking soda and arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
• Add the coconut oil and mash until well blended
• Add the essential oil and continue to mash
• Store in a covered glass container

Cast Iron Skillet and Laundry Detergent

Cast Iron Skillet - I have been seasoning my cast iron skillet this week. It was a wedding gift from my SIL and I had never used it because we didn't have our own kitchen. I am so excited for it! The more I read up on it the more I realize there is quite a learning curve involved and you need to get into your own groove. So we'll see how it goes. I searched out a butcher shop so I could get fat from them to season it with. I hear that's the best. So far it looks... different than when I started. I don't know what it's supposed to look like but it's kind of spotted.. more shiny in some areas than others... I'll have to post a picture so one of you can tell me if that's normal. 

Laundry Detergent - I recently made my own laundry detergent. It worked well. I think. I haven't really "tested" it as our clothes have yet to be muddy or visibly dirty. I am assuming (and trusting) that it will work. I used (as always) my SIL recipe for it. The recipe is originally from this site. 

Homemade Laundry Detergent -- Recipe:

• 1 cup grated soap
• 1/2 cup borax
• 1/2 cup washing soda (different from baking soda)

Amounts:

• 1 Tablespoon for regular loads
• 2 Tablespoons for heavily soiled loads

Erik did one load that smelled particularly delicious; I couldn't stop smelling the clothes. It turned out he put in almost half a cup of the detergent... WAY too much. No wonder it smelled so lovely.

And that is really all we have been up to. School has been sucking the life out of me. I have group meetings every day and homework on top of them. The next month is going to be hectic... but that's all I have left. One month. Then sweet summer break (which I will be sharing 9 weeks of practicum and working of course). I am so excited to be able to leave work at work though. I will have so much time to walk and craft and enjoy my husband and friends. That is what keeps me motivated.

So I may disappear for the next month... or I'll post more than ever. That is usually what happens when I get really busy. We will see. Please, don't expect much though. I don't have much to offer.

Honda Accord Vs. Toyota Tercel

I miss my Honda. I was most unhappy when I learned that my husband had purchased it, but I grew to love it. It was highly unreliable and we wasted our fair share of money on it, but it was lovely.

Some of the things I loved most about it were:

• The Automatic Seat Belt. Yup. Loved it.
• Four Doors. Most convenient.
• Trunk Space. It was deceptively roomy.
• Automatic Windows. I'm lazy, what can I say. I don't like reaching over the passenger seat to roll down the window when it is warm (yes. I drove home from school with both windows rolled down half-way. It was splendid!)
• Automatic Locks. Especially because the driver's door would only lock with the key aka never being locked out of your car. 
• Air conditioning. I am dreading the summer without it. Dreading it. 
• Manual Transmission. I really really really miss this. I love love loved it. 
• Fully functioning radio. The Tercel's back speakers don't work. 

Things I love about the Tercel:

• 58,000 km. 
• Has yet to break down. Enough said. 

Honda 8: Toyota 2 

The Mediterranean Market

I ventured into the Mediterranean Market today. It's this little store in Kelowna that is just wild! I seriously felt as though I had been transported to another country. I could barely understand the accents of most of the people in the store. Also, this place had everything I could never find anywhere else in Kelowna. I was in heaven! There were dutch treats galore! And delicious meat! And delicious pasta! And delicious bread! And delicious cheese! And an incredible amount of people yelling over each other to place their meat and cheese orders. There was rookworst (which I haven't actually made yet, but I hope it's delicious) and gouda and a million types of sausage. It was honestly the coolest place ever. I cannot wait to go back!

one more thing

I forgot to include that I love having a real fridge. Well, it's actually a 3/4 fridge, but that's a huge step up from the mini-fridge Erik and I have been using for the past two years. Seriously. A MINI-FRIDGE.

In case you didn't know, those aren't meant to hold fruits and vegetables. They don't regulate temperature well and most of our food would freeze a bit. Not to mention the fact that you can't hold much in a mini-fridge. Try fitting a weeks worth of fruits and veggies in there. Now add in your milk, cheese, eggs, sour cream, ketchup, mustard, pickles, yogurt, jam, peanut butter and left overs. It wasn't pretty.

Big News

Number 1: We bought a car.

We haven't had one since the beginning of November and we decided to purchase one. It was a pretty spontaneous decision. I was enjoying having no car... but we definitely needed one. So, we bought a '97 Toyota Tercel. It is forest green and hideous, but it only had 58,000 km on it and we got a good deal on it.

And the car came just in time because...

Number 2: We  moved.

Yes, we finally have a place of our own. We had been living with my sister and her husband since we've been married. We had a bedroom and a living room downstairs with a door that we could shut to the outside world, but our bathroom was upstairs by the their TV room and we shared a kitchen. Not ideal. And, our living space was approximately 300 sq ft. Including the bathroom and the stairs we took to get to them. Again, not ideal.
We now have 1000 sq ft. The place is dark and cold, but it is ours. That makes it perfect. We have our own kitchen (it has a door and no windows). We have our own living room (it has four walls all made of different materials). We have our own bathroom (we have to plunge the toilet almost every time we use it). And we even have a spare room... don't know if it will be a bedroom/music room/knitting room/empty room.

My favorite things about the place (so far... it's only been 2 days) are:

• that Erik and I can be in separate rooms (although it sounds like we are in the same room anyway because sound travels ridiculously well in here).
• the door to the bathroom (I'll have to take a picture)
• the wood fireplace in the room with four different walls

We own nothing but our bed, one dresser that we haven't yet fit into our bedroom, our clothing, two guitars, my knitting things, books, some Christmas decorations and two half computers that make one computer.

If you did an inventory of our kitchen you would find:
- two cutting boards
- four glasses (bought yesterday at superstore)
- a cast-iron skillet (a wedding gift - thank you Shawna)
- plastic flower plates from my grandmother
- a cutlery set (a christmas 2008 gift -thank you daddy)
- a little pot, a little bit bigger pot, and a tiny gross frying pan ($30 at superstore three years ago)
- a toaster
- a can-opener, a cheese slicer, and a knife
- some misc bowls
- and mugs.

We currently have no spices, no real dishes, and no utensils. Things are pretty primitive.

And we LOVE it. We are so glad to have our own place. It is lovely!