Krystle and I graduated 8th grade together from a small school in Georgetown, Tenn. We didn't keep in touch very well after her family moved away and I went away to academy. She studied photography at Andrews and has an excellent eye for taking great photographs. Now with Facebook and her blog, I am regularly inspired by her awesome photos of gardening, baking delicious treats and her precious 8-month-old baby girl. Krystle is also a fellow cloth diaper user, so maybe we'll get to hear from her about that in another interview.
For now, we'll hear a little more from this "green" person that inspires me.
The photos in this article are from Krystle. Buy some of her great photographs for yourself at her Etsy shop Krystle Reeves Photography or visit Krystle Reeves' Blog.
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NAME: Krystle Reeves
LOCATION: Long Beach, Wash.
OCCUPATION: Stay-at-home mom/ aspiring urban homesteader
FAVORITE THINGS: Gardening, coffee, reading, photography, mushroom/berry hunting
WHAT IS A TYPICAL DAY LIKE FOR YOU?
I usually get up before Cora (my 8 month old) wakes. This gives me the opportunity to start breakfast. When Cora gets up and is changed she plays for a few minutes while I read and go online. The rest of the morning is spent playing with Cora, feeding her, changing diapers, doing laundry, cleaning, and starting lunch. My husband bikes home for lunch, and we get to enjoy that time together as a family. Soon after lunch Cora eats and takes a nap. I use her nap time to work on my to-do list and to have a little time to myself. After nap time is over, Cora keeps me company while I finish cleaning up from lunch and start on supper. The evening is family time and the chance for working on projects we have going on.
ONE THING YOU DO DAILY:
I take the time to cook homemade meals everyday using whole foods. This can require a lot of time, but I think it is completely worth it.
YOUR DEFINITION OF "GREEN:"
Living a green lifestyle to me goes far beyond recycling or driving a fuel-efficient car. It is about building local, sustainable communities and connecting with where our food comes from. It is about trading in more for better, and redesigning our world around people, not cars.
THE GREENEST THING YOU DO:
We try to grow a lot of our own food and we usually only go to the grocery store (about 25 miles away) once a month. This not only cuts back on the amount of gas we use driving back and forth to the store, but it cuts back on the amount of oil used on the foods we eat by growing many of them ourselves or buying from local farmers (every item on a typical plate has traveled an average of 1,500 miles). Quite often, we will only step into our car to go somewhere a couple of times a month (my husband bikes to work).
YOUR INSPIRATION:
Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food, Bill McKibben’s Deep Economy, and Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle are my first and biggest inspirations on our current lifestyle. I also read SouleMama’s blog daily for encouragement and insight on mothering and living creatively as a family.
SOMETHING THAT ONCE INTIMIDATED YOU, BUT YOU LIKED ONCE YOU TRIED IT:
Mushroom hunting. It seemed scary at first as a result of hearing over the years to never eat a wild mushroom because it can be poisonous, but after doing our research and checking with local mushroom gatherers, it became so fun and rewarding!
QUOTE OR MOTTO THAT INSPIRES OR MOTIVATES YOU:
"I get up every morning determined both to change the world and to have one hell of a good time. This makes planning the day difficult."
-E.B. White
WHAT'S NEXT?
My husband and I recently purchased a house. We finally have the space to grow a large portion of our own food and to raise chickens, bees, and goats.. The house is a fixer, and we have a lot of work to do to start our little homestead, so I am sure the months ahead will be busy ones!
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Remember, you can buy some of her great photographs for yourself at her Etsy shop Krystle Reeves Photography or visit her blog Where the Green Things Grow.
