Wolfwalkers: Movie Review

The Before:

    I've seen parts of some of the movies made by this company; The Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells. From what I have seen, they are really pretty films, but a bit quiet. I was ready to shut this off if it was too much whispering.

The Feels:

    I LOVED THIS MOVIE!! It was just beautiful! The plot kept me guessing and the characters were so much fun! It has been a while since I have seen such a creative movie. I love that it was about friendship and family, and it had just enough realistic/darker themes for adults to enjoy it too. The artwork and the music had to be my favorite aspects. I just wanted to jump through my screen and be a part of the word that was created. 

*A little bonus, it is very wolf friendly. I worked with a science teacher who told me about the bad rap that wolves have gotten in the past. This has led to many wolf populations becoming endangered. 

The Concerns:

NOTHING.

Rating: 10/10!!

Minimalsim Journey: Entry 5 Cooking

    I like to bake... but I really can't cook worth a darn. BUT I'm trying both! The baking this year has been fairly easy to get into. Cakes, pies; I even made ice cream the other day!! (Without a maker)

Ice Cream Recipe:

1 can of sweetened condensed milk

2 cups of Heavy Cream

Whip the cream until it peaks. Fold in the condensed milk! Add in what ever mixings you would like. I added vanilla and some marshmallows. Put this in a small container and wrap it in a damp cloth or towel. Put this container and towel inside a larger container. Freeze for 6-10 hours!

 Super easy and delicious!!

    I've also been trying to cook more. The other day I made some venison meatballs and spaghetti. Some of you might be thinking "Um... venison?" Yup. My dad is a hunter in the rural Midwest. Of course I have venison in the freezer. From what I understand, it's also a more eco friendly/ethical meat; organic, free range, local, killed as humanely as possible, and helps with the deer population which would otherwise ruin our local ecosystem. 

    I've also started experimenting with salads and different greens. I would like to get to a point where I eat a more vegetable based diet. And I'm working on it.

    My next goal is to start cooking fish! I cooked some crab in the oven and it was delicious! (Only problem.. I cannot afford that on a regular basis with my oh so wonderful teacher salary.) Soon... just not right now.

Shit Posting

 I'm so tired of the shitting on others online. I've had yet another woman and IBPOC shit on me with out even knowing me. One, said people that get into abusive relationships should have known better. The other, called me racist because I was annoyed with the way a wealthy white judeo-christian youtuber was using a word.  I forget how big of assholes people can be. I blame it on the times; everyone is stressed. I'm cranky, they're cranky. This is just people not showing each other the empathy that they deserve. Which is something I aught to practice.

Minimalism Journey: Entry 4 Stop Buying

     This is the HARDEST part of Minimalism for me. I have to learn to stop buying things and be content with what I have. This is one of my major goals for 2021. I've started keeping a written record of everything that I purchase. I've noticed I've cut down on a lot of the silly stuff; getting take out, random trips to the grocery store for one item. (Although COVID has also helped with both of these issues as well.

    Two of the most common purchases for me have been yarn and books. I've cut back a TON on both. Recently, I updated my kindle and I've been amazed with the selection of books I can just get from the library or that are discounted/free on Amazon. As for the yarn, I've only purchased twice since this past summer. Once, I picked up some for some scarves I wanted to work on and the second time was some fiber to spin. I usually spend about $80-$100 every few months on yarn and I'm really proud of myself for not doing that. 

    I've also stopped buying as many clothes. Right now I'm trying to save up for some linen dresses off of Etsy. They cost a lot more than normal dresses, but I see them as a goal I can aim for. Every time I go to order a new piece of clothing, I am able to remind myself that I am saving for these dresses in particular. I think I'm going to order two of them at the end of this month. If I really like them, I'll order a few more at the end of the school year as a little end of COVID teaching/birthday gift for myself. I've also noticed that I enjoy things more when I plan out what I want ahead of time.  

Minimalism Journey: Entry 3 Second Hand

     I have always LOVED antiques and going to second hand stores. I like the idea of having a piece of history in my home. For years I have been hunting down vintage an antique items at second hand stores and yard sales. During Covid, I haven't been trying to buy as much. However, the few things I have found have been great. Most of the items I have found were on Etsy or Thriftbooks. I did go to a local vintage store once when I was visiting my parents. 

    This summer, if Covid is over, I want to go back to a small suburb of the Twin Cities. They have a TON of second hand stores. More specifically, there is a day in the summer that this suburb has a day to celebrate the community. All of the vintage shops have giant yard sales. I went two years ago and I found so many fun items! Right now, I'm mainly looking for clothing or anything Cottagecore. I'm not allowing myself to buy anymore tea cups or glassware. I'm also always looking for books and different items for my classroom. 

Minimalism Journey: Entry 2 Nature Based Materials

     One of my big parts of minimalism is going to things in my life being more natural, fair trade, or some how benefiting my local community where I can. I've liked trying to find new items to buy instead of the less sustainable products I have been using. 

    One big change has been that I have started buying all of my products from The Body Shop. Their goal is to become as sustainable as possible; major ingredients being fair trade, vegan, organic, and cruelty free. For me, fair trade is one of the major aspects I look for. I mean if we can't treat our fellow human beings fairly, can we really do anything else that is sustainable? (I will say that I do not support The Body Shop when it comes to their MLM branch, but that's another post entirely).

    A lot of the materials I have tried to incorporate into my life are more natural as well. For example, the tea kettle I had been using was made in a country known for some "questionable" business practices. The paint had begun to chip off/rust... on the INSIDE of the kettle. It really made me think about what I was drinking and how the kettle was made. I decided to purchase a new one. It was a bit more expensive, but the materials used are much higher quality and I will be able to use this kettle for years to come. I've decided to repurpose my old kettle into becoming a pot for a plant!

    I've also been incorporating a lot of products made out wood into my life. This summer, I wanted to learn how to crochet so I ordered a few crochet hooks from an artist on Etsy. They are just beautiful!!!!! and happen to be made out of tree branches and twigs. This has also led me to purchasing yarn that is made from natural fibers; wool, alpaca, cotton and bamboo if I can, but it's SUPER expensive. Now I understand there might come some issues with that and the treatment of animals. That has slowly become one of my concerns in my knitting practices and fiber work. I would like to start buying my wool/alpaca when I can directly from local farms or try to find some fiber shops that carry cruelty free fibers.

    This really have been a fairly easy step in my journey. I have not all together stopped buying plastic based products, but I have made steps and have purchased less. I honestly can't think of a single use plastic I've purchased in quite some time and that feels really good! If you have any tips for nature based material switches I can start making, please let me know in the comments!

Aesthetic

    This past year I have found a few new aesthetics I have been trying to incorporate into my life! They have done wonders. I don't know what it is, but these aesthetics have made me more aware of the little details in my life and it feels really good. It has made me love and appreciate the little things around me and it has brought me such joy. Here are a few of the specific aesthetic

Cottagecore

Fairy Academia

Light Academia

Dark Academia

Witchy Academia 

    It's hard to explain what I'm feeling about these. Right now it's enough for me to just simply understand that it something for me to be connected to. Take a look at my playlist on Youtube (*linked below) to get the vibes of what I'm feeling. There is also a great Youtuber with some fun videos on many of these aesthetics. (Again link below)

My Playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfkJoqn3qIr2q_uBxyF1V2fuAObwwaLFl

Youtuber Sara Baji https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7ZoIMX8uC3GdxtBrVwx9yA