Reading, Writing & Pondering

A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living by Emily Ley is as beautiful as it is practical. It is a feast for the eyes and following Ley's guidelines would surely give peace to your home. A Simplified Life walks readers through the process of simplifying ten key areas of life: Space at home, personal style, meal planning, schedule, finances, hospitality, technology, self-care, motherhood, and faith in God. Through each area, Ley will help readers declutter distractions, put the tools in place to keep things running more smoothly, and help readers establish routines that work for their life. I wish I had had A Simplified Life when I was a young mother. Now my son is 16 and I have figured a lot of these things out on my own by now. However, I think this would be a great book for a woman in her 20s and 30s who is just starting her family and trying to keep everything running smoothly. Ley offers a lot of practical helpful tips. There are also a lot of lovely pi...

Spark Joy from Marie Kondo would help anyone take the Life-changing Magic Of Tidying Up to the next level. This book is "an illustrated master class on the art of organizing and tidying up." This book relays Marie Kondo's methods in complete detail for someone interested in putting all of her methods to work in their life. Spark Joy is divided into three parts: KonMari Master Tips; The Tidying Encyclopedia; and Life-Changing Magic. In the first section, Marie Kondo shares what her method is and why it can help you live a more joyful life. The second section is a detailed description of how to go through your house completely, including the order she recommends. The last section offers advice on how to tie everything together into your house with your family. She also shares some things she struggled with here and offers some encouragement for making a few changes to make the plan work long term for you. The KonMari method is Marie Kondo's specific method for tid...

Does this spark joy? Marie Kondo, author of the bestselling book, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, says these four words have to power to change your mindset. By asking yourself which things, activities, and relationships spark joy, and which don't, you can mindfully change your life. This journal gives the writer a space to write a small bit each day on what sparks joy for them. Every year for the past 4 years, I have kept a gratitude journal. I have kept note of a few things each day that I am grateful for. As 2016 begins, I am excited to start this new journal for something different. . .For me, it sounds like I will be taking the gratitude journal up a notch. Marie Kondo says that if you are looking to make changes in your life, this journal can be used to help envision your ideal life. Ask yourself, what would make my job spark joy for me? What about my daily errands? My meals? My surroundings? According to Marie Kondo, "By imagining actual ways you can spark ...

Over the past 3 years, my husband and I have sold one house and moved and are now in process of moving again. During this time, I have done quite a bit of decluttering and de-owning. Yet, as we prepare to move again, I wondered if I could do more so I  read Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. This is a great little book to read and learn from as you seek to declutter and organize your home or apartment. I like that the book is small so I took it back and forth the past 2 weeks as we are in transition to move. It easily fit in my purse to pull out and read whenever I had a few minutes to spare. Marie Kondo  runs an acclaimed consulting business in Tokyo helping clients transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. With a three-month waiting list, her KonMari Method of decluttering and organizing has become an international phenomenon. In the life-changing magic of tidying up, she shares her experiences, what led her to ...

I'm not sure other girls my age had a Hope Chest, but I come from an old-fashioned family. I got my blue Hope Chest sometime when I was a teenager. My mom got this old chest, lined it in blue fabric painted it up for me. The trunk matched my room that had carpet in varying shades of blue (the shade of the trunk), pink and purple. . . Now I had a beautiful blue trunk Hope Chest. . .and it was time to begin filling it. ..  We filled it with pillowcases I had embroidered in 4H, doilies and sheets that were heirlooms inherited from a great grandparent, Ralph Lauren pillowcases and wash clothes I gleaned while working at a department store internship, and other household items. We shopped sales, auctions and rummage sales back in those days to find things we knew that I would NEED to make a house a home. . .Then, to add to my stash, we put aside "Hope Chest" items like dishes, silverware, glasses, and that sort of thing in more boxes tucked in my parents' basement to...

How much is enough? I have been on a journey the past couple of years to figure that out for myself. Recently, I found this book by Jeff Shinabarger to be an interesting read. I grew up in a family that valued the American Dream and thought more was better--like many families I know. Yet, I found that having more and more of stuff didn't satisfy me. In More or Less, Jeff shares his personal story, but he also challenges you to think about your own story and how much is enough in your own life. Jeff shares several experiments that he and his wife did to see how much was enough in their lives in various areas: food, clothes, presents for special occasions, and unused gift cards, among others.One of their early "enough" experiments was to see if they could live one month on the food in their pantry. . .which they easily did--although  Jeff admits it may not have been the healthiest eating plan he's ever done. I felt like we did something similar as we ate the food ...

Over the past couple of years, I have felt God impressing on me that I needed to eliminate the excess and simplify my life. . .And I have been working at it. . .I have cleaned out books I don't need. Some were donated to library sales, others were swapped and a few went on garage sales. I have rid myself of excess nick nacks. . downsized a teapot collection. . .and extra kitchenware. . .Again I sold some stuff on Craig's List and on garage sales. We have been doing the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Plan so I am not replacing junk by going shopping. I am putting extra money on paying off bills or buying things we truly need. Still it seems like the stuff we do have just keeps multiplying. . .Over the summer, while spending most of my time with my 9-year old son, my desk papers multiplied and I now have a large stack to sort through. E-mails piled up into a virtual stack of mail a mile high so need to clean those out. So before next summer, I am going to come up wit...