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New on the Blog: How to Find More Joy and Contentment Last week, as I paged through a few binders in my office, I came across a piece of paper with notes scribbled all over it. I quickly recognized it as a list I had made a few years back of my "Simple Living Ideals" -- or basically, how I'd like to live my life and run my home. In no particular order, here's my list:
As we start another school year (which for our family really does feel like a "new year") it was timely and encouraging to look back on that list and remind myself what's important for me, for my family, and for our home. If you have a spare minute today, I challenge you scribble out your own list and then reflect on it over the next few months. Also, it's a great time to start organizing your paperwork! 😉 Simple Food. As temperatures fall here in West Michigan, I'm breaking out all my favorite soup and stew recipes... including our family-favorite chicken and wild rice stew. Substitute whatever rice and veggies you have in the house, and leave the bread chunks off if you want gluten free. It's a WINNER! Get my recipe --> Chicken and Wild Rice Stew. Organized Home. Back in September of 2018, I mentally divided my home into 16 manageable spaces and made a plan to deep clean and declutter one space per week from September through the end of the year. This decluttering experiment worked so well that I've done it EVERY September since... I encourage you to join in each Fall as well! Learn more --> A Plan to Declutter Your Home Before the New Year. Intentional Living. While some comparison can be healthy motivation, I'm convinced that too many of us are carelessly comparing our weaknesses to others' strengths -- without seeing the full picture. Sound familiar? If so, I hope today's post will encourage you and help you find more joy and contentment each day! Keep reading --> How to find more Joy and Contentment. In other news... Our little front yard vegetable garden is still producing -- and, for the first time in my entire gardening life, my red peppers are actually BRIGHT red (they usually stay green until they start to rot)! We have 4 plants, each of which has at least 8 peppers right now -- exciting! My 40+ hydrangea bushes are in full-bloom, which means it's time to transform our garage into a little flower workshop as I prepare vases of giant blooms for teachers and friends! The neighborhood art competition was a hit -- thanks to Nora's hard work and creativity (she did everything, even "registration papers"!) One project was to create a flower arrangement, another project was to craft a flower with paper, twigs, and "paint" she made by crushing berries and other plant materials in our yard. Our simple half birthday celebrations continue to be one of our children's favorite "traditions"... such a fun/easy way to make them feel extra special for a day! Last week, Simon couldn't decide between a half brownie cake or a half cheesecake, so I made him both -- after all, you only turn 8 1/2 once, and together, they looked like half an 8! The lost tooth count continues to rise in the Dekker home... (James lost another tooth on the bottom). I think we need to schedule family pictures before he starts losing the top teeth! Any local photographers in the area? The gal we've used in the past doesn't do it anymore. New routines are hard! It's always an adjustment for our kids transition from 2-hour preschool to full days of school... Clara has been pretty tired (she goes 3 days). Also, she said she will stop sucking her thumb when she turns 5 -- that gives her approximately 11 days! A Final Note: I'm regularly asked if I'll ever get back on social media and my answer is, "I'm not sure". Social media is a great way to share my recipes, tips, and strategies with a wider audience... but I guess that's not enough motivation for me just yet (read today's post and you'll know why). That said, I would be so grateful if those of you who are on social media would share my content with your friends (there are share links at the top of every post). If you don't do social media, would you consider forwarding this email to a few friends, neighbors, or coworkers? Thanks so much for your continued support! ~ Andrea p.s. I'll be back next week with my FAVORITE "newish" recipe for Baked Oatmeal! |
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