Thursday = Purge-day

I started thinking about how there are so many books on cleaning out clutter, organization, simplicity, etc. And I wondered if our grandparents' generation had similar books and I concluded they probably didn't. They didn't have stuff, hence they didn't need clever ways of organization. And I thought I want to be more like my grandma.

Less stuff = less time spent on finding things/organizing / cleaning / buying new things to replace things you've lost.

So I am implementing in this household that every Thursday is Purge-day. That means I must get rid of something every week! I think simplicity is a discipline, and just because I have a spot to store something doesn't mean I need to keep it. I've been doing it for a couple weeks and it's been very therapeutic for me. It is also hard to know that this day I have to find SOMETHING to get out of our house. But I do find removing stuff I don't want/need/remember I had makes space for better stuff like joy, time, laughter with kiddos, play, and on and on.

Simple life, here I come!

Forgive

Dear person who hurt me,

I forgive you. I completely forgive you. I will not let unforgiveness cause me to hold anger or resentment. I will not let it cause me to sin. Today I pray God's best for you. You are not God's best for me.

Sincerely,
Liberated

a yummy (non-Maker's Diet) food!

So, I'm really on board with the Maker's Diet (so far!). Unfortunately it also is not a fan of pork. And unfortunately, we are fans. We cook pork maybe once every 2 months. But when we make it, we enjoy it! So, a friend had posted this article on making perfect bacon. We tried it this weekend to celebrate Daddy's Day weekend! And it worked perfectly! Yummy! And mess-free! And quick! Now, I'm trying to decide if there's any reason to keep our griddle. Hmm...

the Lord speaks to my heart

So, I had to share, even though I just wrote a post for today. This morning I was reading a devotional on my Ipad (which is amazing, I must say...even for this person who is techno challenged and techno resistant (sometimes!)) and it talked about serving. And if I were willing to serve the least person I wanted to. That's what the Lord requires of us. Isn't it great (and sucky at the same time) that the Lord challenges us SO GREATLY!

Anywho, I ran across this post (please read...it is incredible and touched this mama's heart!)...

a few snippets: Wowsa! Love it!

"The closer you get to home, the less intriguing the work of sacrifice seems. As someone once said, “Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to help Mom with the dishes.” When you are a mother at home with your children, the church is not clamoring for monthly ministry updates. When you talk to other believers, there is not any kind of awe about what you are sacrificing for the gospel. People are not pressing you for needs you might have, how they can pray for you. It does not feel intriguing, or glamorous. Your work is normal, because it is as close to home as you can possibly be. You have actually gone so far as to become home.

It is easy to think you have a heart for orphans on the other side of the world, but if you spend your time at home resenting the imposition your children are on you, you do not. You cannot have a heart for the gospel and a fussiness about your life at the same time. You will never make any difference there if you cannot be at peace here. You cannot have a heart for missions, but not for the people around you. A true love of the gospel overflows and overpowers. It will be in everything you do, however drab, however simple, however repetitive."

trying to eat cheap, GOOD food

I really aim to eat as much organic, local, natural food as possible. I love local, healthy food. I don't necessarily love that eating healthy is more expensive. I think if our country truly cared about health care reform, we would spend money on making good food affordable and less on medical costs. Anywho, I won't get on a soapbox about that. Except to say, in order to eat as good as food as possible, we do supplement our grass-fed beef, organic milk (we have decided to switch to raw milk!), local produce with cheap things...like beans! My wonderful southern husband has turned me onto the yumminess of beans. Simple, healthful, and hearty!!! I never thought I'd say it, but I made baby lima beans for lunch and LOVED them!

Here is a recipe from the Pioneer Woman. Really it's more of a method. I used lima beans instead and added a tablespoon of olive oil to the water and used a chicken base. I omitted the bacon and soaked the beans overnight to cut down on the cook time. It reduces it to about an hour of simmering. Try it...you just might like it!

And to end, Jason's limerick he likes to sing when we eat beans:

Beans, Beans...good for your heart.

The more you eat, the more you (I'll let you fill it in)

The more you eat, the better you feel.

So, let's eat beans for every meal. :)

techno dumb

I am not a technological person...aka I have no I-Phone, no flat TV, no cute computer, don't even have cable. (Bella knows how to use my mom's I-Phone more than I do) .And really, I like it that way. I like to be different and it brings simplicity (even if only a little) to my life. And technology is expensive. But I am getting an IPad soon, and I find myself a little giddy. Am I in over my head?

To raw or not to raw?

I have begun reading The Maker's Diet which is very intriguing. From what I've read so far, it aligns with our eating philosophy. I don't have time to go into all the detail of the diet...but I've been considering replacing our regular ultra-pasteurized milk with raw milk. From my research so far, I found this article to be the most balanced. If anyone out there is considering raw milk, check it out! And let me know your thoughts! It seems like such a big decision to me!

33

I turned 33 last week. I've been really reflective of the fact that Jesus was 33 when he was crucified. And I think about how wise and how together he was. (At this point, Jason reminds me that He was God, you know!) Ok, so that makes me feel a little better about not feeling like I have it all together. But I thought it might be cool to right 33 random things about life, me, my ideas, really whatever. And it might be neat to reflect on it 33 years later and see how things have changed or maybe stayed the same.

1. Gosh, I'm blessed. 1 loving husband, 2 beautiful, healthy girls. A sweet dog. And Jesus loves me.

2. Architecture inspires me.

3. Even as much as I hate to admit it, I love some reality TV. Dancing with the Stars, The Bachelor. (I kinda think Jason likes watching it with me.)

4. It is no fun to church shop.

5. I love learning about food. Gosh, what a huge world. It's hard to not let it consume you.

6. At this point in my eating philosophy, I aim for natural, natural, natural. Butter's cool. Whole milk is cool. Feedlot beef is not so cool. Coconut oil is intoxicating. But I still enjoy a Chinese buffet every once in awhile. What can I say?

7. Marriage is work. I had no idea. And I'd like to think that Jason and I have it easy. But it still involves a lot of growing and showing you things about yourself that you don't really like to see. Maybe to put it more succinctly, marriage is like a mirror. You want to see the good stuff, but you tend to be reminded of a few things you don't like about yourself. Ok...maybe a more than a few.

8. Being a mom is cool. Hard sometimes. Ok, really hard sometimes. But also the most amazing.

9. My views on abortion laws have changed in the last few years. Hear me...I whole-heartedly feel abortion is wrong. However, I don't think abortion is a legislative issues. It's a personal issue. If you want someone to not have an abortion, introduce them to Jesus (for the best results, introduce them to Jesus way before they're ready to have an abortion.) Jesus did not appeal to the government to change their ways. He loved people.

10. I eat dark chocolate everyday. Because I like it and because it is to help reduce stress. It makes me happy.

11. Smoothies are a mommy secret of mine. I can sneak in healthy things they never know about like spinach, broccoli, carrots, kefir, coconut, walnuts, flax seed. Yummy fruit makes it all complete! Yum!

12. I love Etsy!

13. I hate friends full of drama.

14. I'm watching a sweet dog endure the trials of cancer. I realize how harsh cancer is. Not cool.

15. I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. However, I think the Christian community has not been Christ-like to gays. Are we not all sinners? I think we all need Jesus just the same.

16. I wish there were a modern day Rich Mullins. His biography was a life-changing book for me.

17. Childbirth was life changing for me. I thought I had prepared myself the first time around and thinks took a turn that I did not expect. However, I have no regrets. I know if I would have had the natural birth I wanted the first time, I never would have experienced homebirth. To this day, I reflect on my homebirth and it left me healed and restored. I could write a book on this.

18. I love Oprah...I'm really sad that her show is ending. I wish we had cable so I could watch her network.

19. I also love Ellen. Her joy is contagious! And I think we should dance everyday!

20. Online shopping is my savior. I just bought a whole lot of clothes from my favorite store, Ann Taylor Loft. I plan to try them on and return anything I don't like. I need me some simplicity and online shopping does it for me.

21. I love cloth diapers!

22. I hate recycling...but I feel too guilty throwing stuff away to not do it.

23. I don't understand how anyone stops having babies. They're just so sweet. That and I adore pregnancy (well, all except morning sickness!)

24. Aging is not a bad thing...isn't it wonderful to be closer to heaven?

25. I love photography!!! I really want to take a class to learn more. I feel guilty that I have Photoshop and I know .01% of what it is capable of. :(

26. My midwife is one of the wisest women I know. I think the world would be a better place if more people had relationships with midwives.

27. Jason and I had the most amazing dating relationship. Ahh...I can still feel the feelings I felt when I opened the door to his blue eyes.

28. I'm very thankful for generous parents and in-laws. Giving is far more precious than consuming.

29. I sometimes wish I would've gotten a degree in architecture instead of engineering.

30. I spend too much time on the computer.

31. I wish I could hang out with my brother more.

32. Food comforts me. I think I need to do a fast where instead of eating when I'm stressed, I just pray.

33. Today, I'm going to throw Kale into our smoothie. We'll see how that goes. :)

simplicity, minimalism, whatever you wanna call it

So, I had a thought today as I was unpacking a box that was packed at least 6 months ago! Boy, talk about realizing how you don't need your stuff!!!

I had a variety of thoughts as I unpacked this box:

1. Oh boy, I've missed this item!

2. I don't even remember this item!

3. Really? Why do I even have this?

So, I'd say, those items that were #2's and #3's, 'BYE-BYE'!

I thought that might be an interesting challenge...box up some random items you don't necessarily use often. Put a reminder on your calendar 6 months out to open that box. And make a decision. Chances are you'll be visiting the Goodwill store to make a donation! I also heard a good thought about clothes in your closet...on those clothes you don't wear often, put the hanger on the pole backwards and in 6 months if it's still backwards, give it away. I like. :)

My Dear Simplicity, I will achieve you someday!

"s" is for simplicity

One of the ideas I've adopted into my life is instead of New Year's Resolutions, I like to focus on a theme for the year. Last year my theme was simplicity, and I love it. To live simply is a challenge, but worth it! I would not say I'm there, but I'm on a journey to simple life (and probably will be for the rest of my life!)

I wanted to save this site for future inspiration: MINIMALIST ADVENTURES

I'd love to explore it more, but the theme I've been experiencing the last week is "Let's sleep at complete opposite times so that Mommy gets no time to herself!"

Arrhhh! But I am so blessed!