Begin Again

Happy New Year everyone!

At this time of the year, many are sharing their "One Word"  for the year. I find that very interesting. I think it's a great practice, usually because it helps us stay aware of how we are living our lives, it's a positive focus, and it helps us on the way to becoming the 'best version of ourselves' as it's commonly referred to. This, for me, means I want to continue to grow personally in my journey of being transformed through the power of God, to bring him glory, to grow in love towards myself, others, and God.

Having said all that, I'm not so great at One Words.  Sometimes I don't even remember my One Word for the year. For example, as I was reviewing my journals, I realized my word for 2016 was "listen". I guess I actually HAVE been working at being a better listener but I had forgotten that I had chosen that as my One Word. Oh well. Such is me.

This year, I have settled on a phrase instead of a word:  Always, we begin again. (St. Benedict)

If I start a fitness program, and drop off, I'll pick myself up and begin again.
If I start strong in my healthy eating goals, and then lose my resolve, I'll begin again.
If I lose my patience or hope or will, I'll pick myself up and begin again.
If I feel overwhelmed, I'll look up, and begin again.
If I start something I really want to do and peeter out, I'll begin again.
If I do things out of selfish ambition and love is not evident, I will repent, and begin again.
If I find myself mired in life-sucking activities, I'll repent, and begin again.

Yes, no matter what, I will keep on keeping on. Always, I will begin again. By the grace of God.

It's Never Just One

Earlier this year I had lamented the fact that I had SO many books on my 'to read' stack and never seemed to get to the bottom of them. So, I implemented some ruthless steps to keep myself on track.

 One of these was to refrain from purchasing ANY books this year (unless I was given a gift card). I did really well... until the day I didn't. In a moment of weakness, I clicked on my Amazon Kindle 'one click' order button and a new book appeared.

It's just one, I comforted myself, Chin up! It's not like this is a slippery slope or anything. 

But it was.

I have failed. Miserably. I have not focused well on my List of 21 Books to Read in 2016. 

How did this happen? Sometimes resolve melts away. It is similar to telling yourself you are only going to 'eat one' delectable piece of chocolate from the jumbo bar you've just purchased and then in less than 3 minutes, you find yourself crumpling up the empty wrapper and swallowing hard, having eaten every. single. piece. alone in your car. And you wonder what happened to your self discipline. Yes, it's like that with books, too. Especially one click ordering on Kindle Deals!

Looking back, I should have never allowed myself to borrow from the library or (confession) resubscribed to the  What Should I Read Next? podcast. Or freely browsed through GoodReads. Then I might have actually focused on those 21 books.

But that would be harsh.. much too harsh.

So, how did I actually fare in whittling down my self imposed 'list?

 I finished  nine of them and am currently working through another five (Yes, I multi-read). And the others I haven't touched. I should get honest with myself and look for a good home for a few of those. When one says 'working through' in relation to reading, it's probably not a good sign.

The good news is I've enjoyed some really great books these past months... I was successful in reading more fiction than I usually do. Several I really enjoyed were:
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Wonder by R.J. Palacia
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens

How do you manage your 'to read' list? Is yours becoming unmanageable?

Book Review: Breaking Busy

Author, speaker, blogger, wife,  mom of five boys, and the executive director of Propel Women,  Alli Worthington probably has something to say about breaking busy--how to find peace & purpose in a world of crazy!

My list of 'how I spend my time' is nothing like hers, but still I figured I could  glean some helpful hints here. Even in my relatively quiet life, I could learn a thing or two about peace and purpose.
Breaking Busy contains practical advice on how to get one's life back under control, how to find out what really gives you purpose, help with decision making, how to determine best ways to communicate with others (there are so many options these days!), how to fight the tyranny of the urgent, and much more.

The section on determining time wasters was one of my favorite parts of this book. Social media alone can sap hours of your day, leaving you asking 'what did I really accomplish? ' Do you really know how many hours of your day are frittered away without you even realizing it? Worthington suggests keeping a time diary. She offers several free downloadable resources at her website. Once you have that information, follow her advice to make some changes, if necessary.

I'm not a huge social media person, but I was a little shocked at how much time I spend looking at my phone or being distracted on my computer. Ouch.

There is really nothing earth shattering here in this book, but it's honest, upbeat, positive, encouraging, and will even make you chuckle. It will encourage you to pursue God's best in a world that sends other messages! And it's a quick read. Recommended to share with someone who might need a little balance and direction in her life.

Thanks to BookLookBloggers for this free book sent to me in exchange for an honest review.

Take THAT, Blue Monday

Good, good morning to you!

Did you know that today the third Monday in January has been dubbed Blue Monday, apparently the most depressing day of the year?  It is also an entirely made-up day of despair with no scientific proof.

Or is it?

There actually IS a scientific formula for this day!

 [W+(D-d)]xTQ/MxNA – where W is weather, D is debt, d monthly salary, T time since Christmas, Q time since failure of attempt to give something up, M low motivational level and NA the need to take action.  
Reading that actually gave me a chuckle.

In the UK,  people don't take a Blue Monday lying down with blankets over their heads. There it  is also a special day where people are encouraged  to focus on doing little acts of kindness for others which "makes Blue Monday a wider day of happiness". Participants are encouraged to do something they wouldn't normally do, perhaps something fun and creative.

Sounds good to me. Hope your Blue Monday sparkles.

Improvisational Skillz for a Better World

verb im·pro·vise \ˈim-prə-ˌvīz also ˌim-prə-ˈ\.: to make or create (something) by using whatever is available.

One thing I look forward to in the morning is a good cup of jo. I have a keurig and it does a pretty good job (depending on the quality of the coffee, of course). But sometimes mornings call for something a little more special. To celebrate getting up in good time, perhaps? 

So, in those cases, I use this: 

This is an aeropress coffee maker I received last Christmas. It's perfect for making lattes, which are my go-to special coffee drinks.  It is inexpensive ($30), simple and you can take it pretty well anywhere (camping?) and know you'll be enjoying a GOOD cup of coffee.

I have hummed and hawed lately about what type of milk frother to purchase. There are a few options out there costing anywhere from $10 (battery operated, no steam frother) to well over $40 and over $100 if you add the steamer option.  

I have been using a mason jar lately. It does the job, albeit,nothing to rave about. The milk is bubbly, but not thick and creamy. 

1. pour in milk

2. screw on lid. tightly.

3. shake the jar like crazy for a minute

4. remove lid

5. heat jar in microwave

6. pour frothy milk/bubbly milk in prepared espresso

As I was doing some research, I had a light bulb moment. As I watched a few videos on various milk frothing equipment and methods, I realized I had an Epicure coffee press sitting in my cupboard which I hardly used. It closely resembled this ($46): 

So, I took it out and tried it. Oh my! Best frother EVER! (It also makes a great little pot of coffee and keeps it hot!)

It made a delicious latte and rivaled my favorite coffee shop one.

Enjoying a quality homemade latte meant I wouldn't have to decide whether to support  Planned Parenthood with my coffee purchase that day (I had to figure out some way to make you aware of this horrific practice going on with Planned Parenthood, so that link is IT).  If you'd like to make your views known to Starbucks, here is a link directly to their company information where you can email them.

How about you? How do you make and enjoy your favorite cup of coffee in the morning?

The Easy and Comfortable Life

It's at this time of the year that I can feel my stress levels start to inch up just a little, in anticipation of all the commitments coming up in the next few months. The sweet slower paced summer days will soon be over, monthly meetings reconvene, work gets into full gear again, church activities increase, ministry commitments begin, decisions on community classes of interest need to be made.. well, I'm sure you can add to this list.

It feels like the easy, comfortable life is over and REAL life begins again. And I'm not anticipating it, but rather dreading it just a little, to be honest.

This short video reminded me that the 'easy, comfortable' life is really not the goal and if I make it that, I will always be striving towards it and become dissatisfied with the everyday challenges and commitments that make up my one, precious, unique life. Do I really want everyday to be a day without something to stretch and grow me? Do I want to live in my own little selfish bubble where comfort and ease is king?

I was reminded that these challenges and commitments ahead of me, if I keep my attitude in check, are what can make for a fulfilling, passionate life.

It's in the giving that we receive.

My prayer is that I will remember this as I begin to plan and implement my goals and schedule this next season.

What did you think of this little video?

Time to Tidy Up

So, are you feeling that, with a new year, it's time to declutter and simplify your life? Me, too. That's why I decided to read the life-changing magic of tidying up by Marie Kondo. I wanted to gain some some new perspectives on decluttering, and definitely got that here.

Some of the info gleaned: 

• When simplifying your possessions, choose one category at a time and spread them all over the floor; then decide if each item "sparks joy". If not, give it away or discard it. For example, if you are purging books, empty all of your bookshelves in your home all at once. Then pick up each book and ruthlessly determine if it is a keeper. How does it make you feel?  Research shows that if you have a book that you are 'going to read one day', you most likely never will. Keep that in mind, too.

• Respect your clothing and fold items up neatly and mostly upright, not stacked or hung. They will be kinder to you.

• Shoeboxes are the best organizational tool, hands down.

• Storage containers (rubbermaid bins, etc) are NOT your friend. The smaller ones are a waste of money (see above) AND the larger ones just teach you to hoard. And they clutter up your home unnecessarily. If you are storing things, you probably don't need them. 

• A tidy home gives you peace of mind and  tidying up boosts your confidence in your decision-making ability (I could use that!)

• The reason you can't let something go is either because of attachment to the past and/or fear of the future.

• Letting things go teaches you that you can do without a LOT of things. And that regretting a decision is not the end of the world. 

• Letting go of things teaches you to make decisions based on your personal values, and this relates to your whole life. It helps you know who you are and what you really care about.

So, did I just read this book and do nothing? Remembering that my ONE WORD for this year is MOVE (as in: don't just sit there, do something!), I decided to begin tidying up. I began with my husband's t shirt drawer. I didn't take a 'before' pic. I really should have because those poor t shirts were a jumble of mixed fibers! No matter how many times I organize that drawer, it doesn't stay that way for more than 2 days. So, I followed Kondo's recommendation and did this:

And you know what? He prefers it! This drawer has stayed neater longer because hubs is not upsetting the stack when he chooses a shirt.

I also went through my drawers and compartmentalized with shoeboxes. Bingo! I also decided to be kind to my socks and not roll them up into a ball. Apparently, there's a better way. Just a couple of folds will do.

I don't agree with all this author suggests. I don't have a shrine in my house and I don't think my clothing or my house needs to be thanked for what they do. Yes, I appreciate them, but I thank God for them ;)   But, Kondo did confirm to me that I definitely have feelings toward inanimate objects such as jewellery, books, and clothing. I have gotten rid of a stack of joyless belongings, and really, I do feel better now.

I am planning to tackle my books and paper files gradually, just  because I'm a tad rebellious. I'm not going to dump all my papers or books on the floor all at once. That would just make me want to scream and run away.

So, are you ready to do some serious tidying up? Check out this book, but if you buy it, make sure it 'sparks joy' if it's going to take up space on your shelf!

Worth the Wait

Sometimes wait seems like a despised word, doesn't it? It's not too often you hear someone cheerfully say, "And I had to wait for 2 hours!!!"

I remember the words of wisdom spoken at a seminar I went to once.

"If it's a good idea now, it's a good idea 30 days from now!" 

That was to keep attendees from rushing into decisions and actions without thinking things through. It made sense to me.

I'm glad I waited to donate my giveaway bag!

The other day I was frantically looking for a favorite sweater but couldn't find it anywhere. I rummaged through my closet, my armoire, my little storage closet, even the laundry basket. Nowhere to be found. I couldn't have given it away... could I? How frustrating! Then I remembered..

Earlier this Fall, I had gone through my wardrobe and critically and ruthlessly eyed each item, determining if they would be allowed to return to their home. I then either put them back, put them in a black 'for donation'  bag, or tucked them away for next season. I wanted to keep ONLY the items I liked and really would wear again.

I then stored the clothes for donation downstairs, planning to call up my favorite local charity, once I had accumulated more household items destined for a new life.

I haven't called yet. The bag was still sitting there waiting to be donated....thankfully!

 I opened it up and sure enough, past an assortment of folded sweaters, t- shirts, jeans, and other accumulated clothing, was my sweater!  I pulled it out, along with a few other items I changed my mind about giving away...

Waiting can be a good thing!

Have you ever given away an item you wish you had waited a bit longer to decide its fate?