Janalyn Voigt's Blog, page 15
October 10, 2014
50 Ways to Enrich Time For Yourself
You know you should set aside time for yourself, but amid the demands of life, that’s hard to manage. It’s been too long since you had any idea of what to do with yourself, anyway. Last time you tried to figure that out, it didn’t go well, and you wound up feeling disrupted and confused.
It’s human nature to avoid things we’re not good at, but in this case, that can lead to burnout. As with most things in life, having a plan can make a difference. With this in mind, I’ve brainstormed a list of things I’d like to do in my down time.
50 Ways to Enrich Time for Yourself
Draw with the abandon of a child.
Fill a blank canvas with paint.
Sculpt with clay.
Do needlework.
Cook a gourmet meal for fun.
Practice calligraphy.
Play solitaire.
Watch a movie.
Fill a scrapbook.
Sew.
Write a letter or send a card.
Listen to a podcast.
Read an audio book.
Take a walk or hike.
Make jewelry.
Turn an unused corner into a book nook.
Make a gazing ball stand from an old lamp.
Bake bread.
Start a coin collection.
Start a stamp collection.
Design your own calendar.
Look at photographs.
Go to a museum.
Go for a drive.
Visit a place you’ve been wanting to see.
Go to the library.
Sit on a bench and listen to sounds of nature.
Enjoy a private tea party for one.
Soak in epsom salt.
Go window shopping.
Get your hands in the dirt in your garden.
Listen to classical music with the lights low and candles lit.
Ride your bicycle.
Mall walk.
Make a wreath for your front door.
Go on a volksmarch.
Build a clock from a kit.
Write in a journal.
Write a book.
Call a friend or family member who is free and willing to talk.
Put yourself to bed with a good book.
Give yourself a facial.
Decorate a bulletin board.
Read a magazine.
Star gaze.
Play on Pinterest.
Dance.
Watch old movies.
Do a crossword puzzle.
Look at maps and dream of places to travel.
Brainstorming Your Own List
Hopefully my list will spark some ideas for a list of your own. In How to Find Time for Yourself in a Busy Schedule, episode 3 of the Escape into A Simple Life podcast, I suggest looking backward to what you liked to do as a child. For me, it was playing in the dirt, which explains why I enjoy gardening now. I kept a notebook of brochures about interesting travel destinations solicited from chamber of commerces and tourism departments. Travel is still important to me.
Besides informing your escape into a simple life, this blog serves as a working record of my own. I’m still learning and would love to know your thoughts on what to do with yourself during down time. What do you think of my list? Do you have any suggestions that might inspire me or another reader? I would truly love to read them.
©2014 by Janalyn Voigt
The post 50 Ways to Enrich Time For Yourself appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
October 7, 2014
Relaxation Video: Grand Canyon
Quick note: I’ve moved the subscriber-only scrapbooking software giveaway to next Tuesday, which extends the sign-up period to be entered to Sunday, October, 13th at midnight, Pacific time.
Relaxation Video: Grand Canyon Idyll
This is the first relaxation video inspired by my recent experience of Gregorian Chant. I’ve been focusing since then on incorporating more relaxation into my life, especially right before bed time. Combining relaxation with a better diet means that I’ve been sleeping better. That’s a huge statement for a writer with deadlines.
By making this video, I hope to give you a brief rest from the chaos of life. I suggest you watch the video once for the experience, and then again as you read the image descriptions, below.
Image Descriptions
The first image is the trail to Bright Angel Point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. What you don’t see in this image is the perilous drop beside the path.
Light and shadow blended with soft color on the Grand Canyon’s north rim. It was morning when I took this shot.
The sunlit ledge on the left gives a perspective of the sheer size of the grand canyon. A small crowd of people could have fit on that ledge.
More soft colors unfold, layer upon layer.
The nearer cliffs show up in this image, but the canyons behind them are hazed by distance.
This shot is from the south rim of the Grand Canyon, with the Colorado River a bright ribbon below verdant cliffs.
The Colorado River winds snake-like through the canyons.
I believe this shot is from the north rim, going by the muted colors that match my other north rim images.
Green cliffs with a shining stretch of river beyond.
If you look closely, you’ll see the crazy-person’s trail zigzagging down a perpendicular cliff. The camera couldn’t capture the deep drop below the cliff. This was on the south rim.
Foliage frames a canyon view.
Striations tell a story of erosion.
If you look closely, you’ll see that this moose is chewing a mouthful of lunch. This creature was cautious, but not afraid of people.
The moose belonged to a herd that moved past the people trail, oblivious of the clicking of cameras.
Natural rock gardens were everywhere, placed by the hand of God.
Succulants eke out an existence on the south rim. The weather is stunningly hot in the summer, and I’m certain it must rain torrents in the winter. It takes hardy vegetation to survive in such conditions.
About this Relaxation Video
I captured these images while on an epic road trip that took me through eight western states. If you’d like to read the travel journals I wrote during that trip, you’ll find them at my Literary Wayfarer Travel website. I’ll blog about travel a bit for A Simple Life and will sometimes also link to articles at my Literary Wayfarer Travel site, if they seem like something you would enjoy.
I’ve started a Videos tab at my website, and you are welcome to return whenever you’d like to grab a moment’s peace. I’ll be adding a new video every month, featuring my own photographs set to soothing music.
©2014 by Janalyn Voigt
The post Relaxation Video: Grand Canyon appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
October 2, 2014
Episode #3: How to Find Time for Yourself in a Busy Schedule
Summary
Self care is an important element in life, and one that I’ve been largely skipping. I have started working to include more time to myself in my own busy schedule and in this episode challenge you to do the same. I give an analysis of what holds us back from finding time for ourselves and how we can overcome these obstacles.
Show Notes
My Progress
I update you on my weight loss goal and mention The Superfoods Rx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients
which is a book I’m trying out. I also explain what I’m doing to get started exercising again after a long absence.
Money management has turned into a challenge after a household catastrophe involving water damage and an insurance claim. An unexpected benefit is that my husband and I are working together as a team.
I explain how my 3-weed-buckets-a-day gardening self-challenge is working out and mention what I would do differently.
I also cover how far prepping my kitchen for the holidays has gone.
My quiet time goal also comes under discussion.
Main Topic
If you’ve read about the simple life focus at my website, you’ll know that I was an assistant underwriter for a large insurance company in Seattle. In the show, I explain how long hours, a killer commute, and high pressure combined to rob me of time for myself.
Once my life adjusted so that I was able to take time for myself again, found myself so disrupted and traumatized I was unable to figure out what to do with myself. (I’ve added an article to help me with this: 50 Ways to Enrich Time for Yourself.) The years I spent working overtime I will never have again, and I explain that despite the money I earned, I would never dedicate such long hours to working and commuting again. My life is worth so much more than money.
Having no time for yourself is a symptom of a life without margin. I suggest ways to change that and give a good guage you can use to determine whether you should offload something you are doing and maybe shouldn’t. I also mention that I can’t tell anyone what they should and shouldn’t include in life. It’s up to each of us to interpret our own lives.
I then touch on the fear that held me back from finding out how to fill time I designated for myself. I explain what it was, how it came about, and what I did to conquer it.
I offer solutions you may not have thought of that can put you back in touch with yourself and help you determine what to do during the time you set apart for yourself.
I conclude with encouragement and maybe a small kick in the pants. :o)
As I mention in the video, I’m still learning in this area, so I’d love your tips on how you find time for yourself in a busy schedule.
Previous Podcast: Spend More Quality Time with Those You Love.
Janalyn
Please note: clicking on Amazon affiliate links I provide benefits me and is one way at no cost that you can support this podcast and website.
©2014 by Janalyn Voigt
The post Episode #3: How to Find Time for Yourself in a Busy Schedule appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
How to Find Time for Yourself in a Busy Schedule
Summary
Self care is an important element in life, and one that I’ve been largely skipping. I have started working to include more time to myself in my own busy schedule and in this episode challenge you to do the same. I give an analysis of what holds us back from finding time for ourselves and how we can overcome these obstacles.
Show Notes
My Progress
I update you on my weight loss goal and mention The Superfoods Rx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients
which is a book I’m trying out. I also explain what I’m doing to get started exercising again after a long absence.
Money management has turned into a challenge after a household catastrophe involving water damage and an insurance claim. An unexpected benefit is that my husband and I are working together as a team.
I explain how my 3-weed-buckets-a-day gardening self-challenge is working out and mention what I would do differently.
I also cover how far prepping my kitchen for the holidays has gone.
My quiet time goal also comes under discussion.
Main Topic
If you’ve read about the simple life focus at my website, you’ll know that I was an assistant underwriter for a large insurance company in Seattle. In the show, I explain how long hours, a killer commute, and high pressure combined to rob me of time for myself.
Once my life adjusted so that I was able to take time for myself again, found myself so disrupted and traumatized I was unable to figure out what to do with myself. (I’ve added an article to help me with this: 50 Ways to Enrich Time for Yourself.) The years I spent working overtime I will never have again, and I explain that despite the money I earned, I would never dedicate such long hours to working and commuting again. My life is worth so much more than money.
Having no time for yourself is a symptom of a life without margin. I suggest ways to change that and give a good guage you can use to determine whether you should offload something you are doing and maybe shouldn’t. I also mention that I can’t tell anyone what they should and shouldn’t include in life. It’s up to each of us to interpret our own lives.
I then touch on the fear that held me back from finding out how to fill time I designated for myself. I explain what it was, how it came about, and what I did to conquer it.
I offer solutions you may not have thought of that can put you back in touch with yourself and help you determine what to do during the time you set apart for yourself.
I conclude with encouragement and maybe a small kick in the pants. :o)
As I mention in the video, I’m still learning in this area, so I’d love your tips on how you find time for yourself in a busy schedule.
Previous Podcast: Spend More Quality Time with Those You Love.
Janalyn
Please note: clicking on Amazon affiliate links I provide benefits me and is one way at no cost that you can support this podcast and website.
©2014 by Janalyn Voigt
The post How to Find Time for Yourself in a Busy Schedule appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
Episode 3: How to Find Time for Yourself in a Busy Schedule
Self care is an important element in life, and one that I’ve been largely skipping. I have started working to include more time to myself in my own busy schedule and in this episode challenge you to do the same. I give an analysis of what holds us back from finding time for ourselves and how we can overcome these obstacles.
Show Notes
My Progress
I update you on my weight loss goal and mention The Superfoods Rx Diet: Lose Weight with the Power of SuperNutrients
which is a book I’m trying out. I also explain what I’m doing to get started exercising again after a long absence.
Money management has turned into a challenge after a household catastrophe involving water damage and an insurance claim. An unexpected benefit is that my husband and I are working together as a team.
I explain how my 3-weed-buckets-a-day gardening self-challenge is working out and mention what I would do differently.
I also cover how far prepping my kitchen for the holidays has gone.
My quiet time goal also comes under discussion.
Main Topic
If you’ve read about the simple life focus at my website, you’ll know that I was an assistant underwriter for a large insurance company in Seattle. In the show, I explain how long hours, a killer commute, and high pressure combined to rob me of time for myself.
Once my life adjusted so that I was able to take time for myself again, found myself so disrupted and traumatized I was unable to figure out what to do with myself. The years I spent working overtime I will never have again, and I explain that despite the money I earned, I would never dedicate such long hours to working and commuting again. My life is worth so much more than money.
Having no time for yourself is a symptom of a life without margin. I suggest ways to change that and give a good guage you can use to determine whether you should offload something you are doing and maybe shouldn’t. I also mention that I can’t tell anyone what they should and shouldn’t include in life. It’s up to each of us to interpret our own lives.
I then touch on the fear that held me back from finding out how to fill time I designated for myself. I explain what it was, how it came about, and what I did to conquer it.
I offer solutions you may not have thought of that can put you back in touch with yourself and help you determine what to do during the time you set apart for yourself.
I conclude with encouragement and maybe a small kick in the pants. :o)
As I mention in the video, I’m still learning in this ares, so I’d love your tips on how you find time for yourself in a busy schedule.
Janalyn
Please note: clicking on Amazon affiliate links I provide benefits me and is one way at no cost that you can support this podcast and website.
©2014 by Janalyn Voigt
The post Episode 3: How to Find Time for Yourself in a Busy Schedule appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
September 30, 2014
Update and Giveaways
A Simple Life
The new focus of my blog should be no surprise after my post, In Search of a Better Life, where I outlined my frustration with areas of my own life and my determination to change it for the better. A Simple Life, the blog’s new title, was born out of my desire for simplicity and the suspicion that I’m not the only one feeling this way.
To allow room in my schedule for the new blog focus, I’ve taken my author newsletter to monthly.
Enter to Win Free Scrapbooking Software
To celebrate the relaunch of my blog as A Simple Life, I’m giving away a free copy of My Memories Scrapbooking Software to a blog subscriber. If you’re not subscribed to receive A Simple Life posts, y ou are more than welcome to do so, but if you’d like to be entered into the giveaway drawing, don’t delay. I’ll announce a winner on the blog this Friday. Just subscribe to receive A Simple Life blog posts, and you’ll be automatically entered for a chance to win.
Free Menu Planner
If you missed it, I’m giving away a free menu planner template as a subscriber thank you. Contact me if you missed the notice and would like to download the planner. Learn more about A Simple Life.
Words to Live By Videos
During September, I began offering Words to Live By, brief videos that look deeper into quotes or poems.
Escape into a Simple Life Podcast
I aso launched the Escape into a Simple Life podcast. This week I’ll submit the podcast to itunes and will provide a link so you can subscribe at that site, if you wish. Subcribers to A Simple Life receive podcast updates and shownotes as a regular part of the blog.
Author News
If you’re interested in learning about my books and about me as an author, consider signing up for my author newsletter. You’ll find my latest news, excerpts, a picture of the month captioned from my travels, a fun fact about my books or life, notice of special giveaways and discounts, links to book extras, and more.
The post Update and Giveaways appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
September 26, 2014
Easy System to Simplify Meal Planning
During a busy season, planning meals can go by the wayside. This often results in frequent trips to the grocery store, where, unless you are extremely disciplined, you spend more than you intended. Or, if you don’t have time to go to the store, you wind up eating whatever is on hand. I suppose I’d be telling on myself if I mentioned I’ve been party to a few dinners consisting of buttered popcorn.
Out of self-defence, I developed a menu planning system that works well even when life gets busy. I’m happy to share it with you.
Steps to Simplify Meal Planning
If you’ve ever been stumped while planning a menu, you have my sympathy. The problem is not that there’s nothing to plan, but that there are so many options it’s hard to pin them down. My tendency to think in categories gave me an advantage here.
To pin down the possibilities, I assigned categories to each meal by day of the week. If you’d like to adapt my free menu planner* for your use, you are welcome to do so. I should mention here that I am not a nutritionist, just someone who tries to feed her family balanced meals. My advice should not, therefore, be taken as nutritional guidance. Please use your best judgment on your own diet and seek the advice of a qualified nutritionist for questions and concerns about your diet.
Screen shot of A Simple Life menu plannerBreakfast
Monday: homemade oatmeal in a variety of flavors
Tuesday: continental breakfast (fruit, yogurt or cream cheese, and some form of bread)
Wednesday: eggs and egg dishes
Thursday: homemade pastry, scones, or crepes
Friday: fruit and yogurt topped by nuts
Saturday: waffles and syrup or toppings, breakfast protein
Sunday: husband cooks, usually eggs and toast
Sample Breakfast Menu
Monday: homemade apples and cinnamon oatmeal topped with walnuts
Tuesday: whole wheat bagel, cream cheese, jam, orange
Wednesday: omelet with cheese, bacon, broccoli, onion, and garlic, salsa, buttered toast with jam
Thursday: Lemon crepes with sliced almonds
Friday: Berries in plain yogurt with honey, topped by sliced almonds
Saturday: Whole wheat waffles with blackberry compote, fried egg
Sunday: Scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, toast and jam
Lunch
Monday: salad with cheese and/or nuts and dressing, bread or roll
Tuesday: sandwich, soup and sandwich, or salad and sandwich
Wednesday: soup (usually leftover from the night before) and bread
Thursday: soup or salad with cheese or nuts and dressing, bread or roll
Friday: sandwich, soup and sandwich, or salad and sandwich
Saturday: finger foods (usually leftover from the night before)
Sunday: planned leftovers from the night before
Sample Lunch Menu
Monday: Green salad with shredded parmesan, sliced almonds, grape tomatoes, red onion, and vegetables of choice, buttered french roll
Tuesday: Tuna salad sandwich, cole slaw (Make extra cole slaw for Thursday and Friday dinners.)
Wednesday: Leftover potato soup with toppings, french roll
Thursday: Hearty cole slaw (Add ham, cheddar cheese, and apple chunks to leftover cole slaw.)
Friday: Roast beef sandwich, leftover cole slaw
Saturday: Leftover buffalo wings, carrot and celery sticks, yogurt ranch dressing; frozen vanilla yogurt from smoothy leftovers
Sunday: Salad with grapes, apple, walnuts, celery, and cheddar dressed with half mayonnaise and half plain yogurt. (wash extra greens for tonight’s side salad.)
Dinner
Monday: quick and easy
Tuesday: soup, salad, and/or stew
Wednesday: comfort foods
Thursday: casserole, oven meal, or crockpot
Friday: fun and/or finger foods
Saturday: try a new recipe, do some creative cooking (make up my own) or concoct a homemade recipe I might not have time for during the work week
Sunday: traditional foods for a sit-down family meal
Sample Dinner Menu
Monday: Hamburgers with sliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and pickles; oven fries, banana smoothies
Tuesday: Potato soup with bacon bits, sliced green onions, and sour cream toppings, french bread roll
Wednesday: Homemade macaroni-and-cheese with ham chunks and broccoli, side salad with balsamic vinaigrette (Save back extra ham chunks for Thursday’s lunch.)
Thursday: Crockpot roast beef with potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms; side salad with yogurt ranch dressing, buttered dinner roll (optional)
Friday: Buffalo wings with yogurt ranch dressing, carrot and celery sticks, vanilla yogurt smoothy. (Make extra of all items and reserve; freeze smoothy leftovers in individual servings for Saturday’s lunch)
Saturday: Beef and autumn vegetables pot pie
Sunday: Baked chicken seasoned with lemon pepper, homemade pierogies, butternut squash, side salad with balsamic vinaigrette, homemade blackberry cobbler
Should I fail to make a menu for the week, the beauty of my system is that I can still usually come up with a plan for the day or if need be for a last-minute meal. Claim your free menu planner.
*The menu planner is a subscriber bonus, which means that you’ll be giving me permissson to send simple living articles so we can stay in touch . There’s no obligation, however, and you may unsubscribe whenever you wish, with the planner yours to keep. Claim your free menu planner.
If you’re already an email subscriber, you’ll find information about this free subscriber gift in the sidebar of your email. Please contact me if you have any difficulty.
Subscribers by feed can contact me to request a copy.
©2014 by Janalyn Voigt
The post Easy System to Simplify Meal Planning appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
September 23, 2014
Wholesome Beef and Autumn Vegetables Pot Pie
The crisp days of fall bring a return to hearth and home just as farm stands crowd with autumn vegetables. Salad days are behind us until next year’s summer, and we turn instead to comfort foods. What better warmth can we find than a steaming mug of fresh-pressed cider paired with a hearty slab of beef pot pie?
For the most part, this recipe uses seasonal foods, but to save time, calls for frozen pearl onions and peas. If you have the time and prefer to use all fresh vegetables, you can always substitute chopped onion and broccoli for the pearl onions and peas. The dough is my own recipe for butter pie crust. This can be made ahead and frozen, then thawed. If you’re in a rush, you could save time by using frozen vegetables instead of fresh ones.
The recipe as written takes a bit of time for vegetable prep, making the pie crust, and cooking the filling, so plan accordingly. You could reserve this for a weekend supper, a company meal, a potluck offering, or for anytime you want to fuss. The results are definitely worth the effort!
Beef and Autumn Vegetables Pot Pie
Ingredients
Beef Pot Pie Filling
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1-1/2 to 2 lbs. flank steak
2 medium portabello mushrooms, cut into 1-inch chunks
3 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh butternut squash (with seeds and rind removed), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 Tbsp. Better than Bouillon (or use beef broth instead)
8 ozs. water (omit if using beef broth)
1/2 cup frozen pearl onions
1 cup frozen peas
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)
4 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Homemade Butterflake Pie Crust
4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill). If you don’t have pastry flour, you can substitute whole wheat or unbleached white flour. For nutritional reasons, I recommend using organic flour.
1 cup salted butter
6-8 Tbsp. water (or enough to make a non-sticky ball).
Step One: Prep
Turn on the oven to 375F.
Flank steak: trim fat and cut into 1-inch chunks.
Mushrooms: Clean and cut into 1-inch chunks.
Thyme: Pick and wash fresh thyme. Strip leaves from stems. Discard stems and reserve leaves for recipe.
Seed and peel butternut squash. Cut enough to make 2 cups into 1-inch pieces.
Assemble all ingredients, pans, bowls, and measurers.
Step Two: Cook Filling
Saute flank steak, mushrooms, butternut squash, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan until beef is brown with no pink showing.
Add thyme leaves, pearl onions, peas, salt, pepper, Better than Bouillon and 8 ozs. water or broth. Stir gently and bring to a simmer.
Sprinkle beef mixture with 4 Tbsp. flour and cover with lid. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir. Let beef filling rest while you make pie crust.
Step Three: Make Pie Crust
Put 4 cups pastry flour into a medium bowl.
Grate butter over flour.
Using hands, blend grated butter into flour.
Gather into a non-sticky but pliant ball and turn onto pastry board.
Using a rolling pin, roll dough to fit the top of your pie pan.
Cut a cross in the middle of the crust.
Step Four: Assemble Pot Pie
Pour filling into a pie plate.
Put the prepared pastry top over the pie filling and seal to the edges of the pie plate.
Put in the pre-heated oven right away.
Step Five: Bake
Bake 30-35 minutes, just enough time to clean up the kitchen and set the table, assemble a salad and heat cider.
Step Six: Serve and Enjoy!
©2014 by Janalyn Voigt
The post Wholesome Beef and Autumn Vegetables Pot Pie appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
September 19, 2014
Spend More Quality Time with Those You Love
Show Notes:
Today’s topic is one of my core reasons for simplifying my life and one you may share: I need to spend more quality time with those I love most.
Before we get into our topic, I’d like to update you on my progress toward my own simple life in the hopes that you can find something to glean for your own journey.
I’ve talked about weight loss and I have to confess I have not made much progress toward that goal. There’s been ups and downs. I’ve learned something, actually, that you might be able to take away, and that’s that I started by focusing on losing the weight rather than how I was going to lose it. I realized later that I need to–one of my later goals was (better) nutrition and getting more active, in helping myself to eat better and then to lose more.
And of course I was putting the cart before the horse, I think. You can’t really lose weight if you’re not going to get to the root cause, which is that you need to eat better and move more. (laughs) So anyway, I have now switched that around, and I’m focusing on nutrition, and I have started to see some progress in that.
It’s really helped that I worked at the farmers’ market, vending my books there, because I would slip over–I was right next to a farmer–and I’d slp over and I’d get a tray of those organic, wonderful, awesome, cherry tomatoes and eat those instead of a baked goody.
So I’m slowly learning to change my tastes, and I think that’s the key, is to change your tastes. Because we all of us have our comfort foods. And so, anyway, so that’s enough of that. I’ll just mention that and I’ll keep you updated on it and see if I can give you little tidbits.
Finances! That was my joint project with my husband. We’ve made some slight progress on that, and here’s what we did: we divided our expenses and earnings into categories and started working on our costs first, our expenses. Because you don’t really need to add more income if you can adjust to live on the income that you have, right?
Well, we’re partway through that process, which actually turned into a big project. One of the first things we did was cancel a movie subscription we weren’t using. So, I suggest looking at things like that.
And we also looked at how we purchase groceries. I started–well, we’ve been doing purchases of grass-fed beef for the past several years, and I highly recommend it. We found a local farmer and like supporting local agriculture. And then, we have a way to–how should I put it–kick in electricity when the power goes out. So that’s of concern, but there’s a way to do that. I might do a blog post on that. It’s relatively low-cost.
Anyway, so we’ve got half a side of beef, and we’ll be making a purchase of a side of pork and some chickens and turkey meat for Thanksgiving and several turkeys for our freezer (depending on how much we can cram in there).
And then, as far as vegetables go, I did start purchasing at the farmers’ market, and I really recommend that you do that next year when it starts up again, or you might catch a market that’s just ending right now.
Another way we’re going to save money on groceries is through gardening next year, our own vegetable garden. I’ve done that in the past and I kind of backslid this year, and I don’t want to do that next year.
The other thing we worked on was changing our cell phone plan because our provider wasn’t giving us the best rate. We long ago gave up our landline because all our friends and family called us on our cell phones as the easiest way to get ahold of us. The only thing that was happening with the landline was telephone marketers were using it as a way to access us, so we stopped paying money every month to allow them that access.
So that helped us. Anyway, right now we’re looking at plans at two different phone companies, at telephones, and at our usage. And then we’re having to agree, and so that’s taking a little bit of time. It’s a process. I’ll keep you updated on how that goes if there’s anything pertinent there.
Gardening: I’m still weeding three buckets a day and it’s been successful. I’ll be posting a picture in the show notes. That’s the site and how much I’ve cleared so far. And what’s really nice is I’ve now made the way–almost all done with getting it ready to landscape it. And I do highly recommend that if you follow this plan and do a set number of buckets of weeding per day that you also–before you–that you divide your yard into sections as I’ve done. That you also go ahead and go back through after you’ve weeded and do the landscaping and cover that bare soil or you’re going to have problems because nature abhors a vaccuum, right? And that’s the problem I’ve had in the past is not covering it.
All the bare dirt you see was not that long ago crowded with weeds. Victory yodel, anyone?Kitchen prep for the holidays, I have not started that yet, but it’s on my radar for next week. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Quiet time: I wrote a post about attending a compline service where there was Gregorian chant that was a deeply moving experience even though it was only for half an hour. I could hardly believe there was that much emotion and spiritual input in that amount of time. So, anyway, I’m adopting that quiet time every night.
I was, before, working in the evening, and that was creating some stress and actually insomnia for me. So I am backing that down now and most nights I do not do that. I’m still fighting that battle, but most nights I’m winning it. Instead I’m working to be more productive in the morning session. Anyway, I’ve started sleeping better!
That ends my news, and now for the podcast.
When life gets crowded, family time is one of the first things I sacrifice. It shouldn’t be that way, but it’s how it is. I think it’s because my family members are so understanding. They’re really good about it when I say I have to work tonight, I have a deadline.
But when you think about it, those family members have deadlines, too. Those relationships need to make progress, and if they are not making progress, I’m missing deadlines in those relationships.
My children, they grow, and at some point, they won’t be living with me, right? There won’t be the opportunity pretty soon. Every year is a mile marker and if I don’t take advantage of the particular ways of connecting with my child during those mile markers–they don’t come again. They’re gone, and I’ve missed out, and so has my child.
And it’s the same with (other) relationships. They don’t remain static. They’re on a trajectory, and also we’re all on a–basically a timeline. And that timeline will end at some point. Not to be morbid, but it will end at the grave. It’s time to do all that we can to spend quality time with those who are most important to us. First.
Part of the problem comes from putting out fires. I’m constantly putting out fires because I’m living too close to the wire. Now, okay, I’m telling on myself, but I’m recording this podcast the day before it goes live. I couldn’t find my (laughs) — oh, I am telling on myself! I couldn’t find my little business webcam which I use to record, and so I had to figure out my snowball microphone. Meanwhile, I’m spending–oh, I don’t know–an hour looking for my business webcam.
Could this be prevented by being more organized? I think so. There’s a lot of like that that happens in my life, and I’m working to simplify it on a lot of levels. That’s one symptom, and I think living close to the edge, close to the wire is just a symptom of a greater need that we have to simplify our lives.
The solution is getting ahead of my schedule, of course. Flip it around and look at it, and there’s the solution. It is to do more to plan ahead and stay that way consistently–stay ahead of things. And I think that will improve as I go. I have to be patient with myself. I can’t expect perfection from the beginning. But I do need to see progress, and I can expect that from myself.
So one of the other key points to getting–to making progress in the area of spending more time with my family members, and I should say quality time, is saying no to others’ expectations of me.
How can I say yes when I have no margin?
I’ve started doing this (saying no) lately, and I have to say, it’s not the easiest thing to do. I hate disappointing people. I love being able to say, “Yes! I’ll do that for you!” and seeing their joy that I’ve taken this burden on.
But sometimes when I say yes to something, the person who might have handled it better doesn’t get the opportunity to do so because I’ve stepped in front of them. I had to learn that. I’ve said no twice now to two pastor’s wives who wanted me to work in children’s ministry. I love children’s ministers, and I love children, but I’m not a children’s minister.
I am a worship team member in my church, and I will sacrifice for that, but I don’t have the same drive to sacrifice for children’s church that I’ve seen in others. And I actually one time, I did tell a pastor’s wife, “No, because the person who needs to be doing this needs to step up, and it’s not me.” And sure enough, the person did, and it turned out to be a joy for many people in the church. I hope that encourages you if you’re facing this expectation on your time by others.
Now, another thing I can do is to schedule better. Meaning, I can go through my schedule and look to see what needs to stay on it and what doesn’t fit with my stated purpose in life, my core message that is to help others escape into a better life–a simple life in this iteration–and my family goals, my own personal and professional goals. They all have to align, and if they’re not aligning to an activity that I’m doing, I need to stop doing it.
Life is only so long, It’s actually very short, and if I don’t do what I need to do in that amount of time, the fault is mine. So anyway, that’s another way to guage.
I don’t want to just dwell on the negatives here. Let’s take a look at the positives.
Saying yes is just as important as saying no, and by that I mean saying yes to what you should be doing. As I’ve pointed out, looking at your purposes, looking at your goals is saying yes to what you should be doing, and it helps you say no to what you shouldn’t be doing.
So, of course, setting goals is kind of important. I happen to believe in written goals, but however you do it, I think it’s important to define what your life will be. Now, do we always get what we define? No. (laughs) That would be a wonderful fairytale world, but it isn’t what happens. We live in the real world.
But if we set goals, if we define what we want to be doing with our time, we definitely will get more done toward those ends than if we had not, Because when someone is asked to volunteer, often people will turn to the person who has no plan of their own.
I’ll leave you with that thought as you go into the next couple of weeks, and I’ll catch you again next time for a look at making time for yourself. It seems impossible to do. To make time for your family is hard enough but to make time for yourself just seems so impossible. But it can be done and should be done. I’ll go into that next time.
Meanwhile, if you have missed podcast number one, I’ll link to that in the show notes: Get More Done Using a Simple Time-Management Technique.
It’s all about harnessing the power of routine to help you get through some of the mindless tasks that all of us face every day and to make them–basically to put them on auto-pilot.
I can’t remember who it was who said, “I’m trying to schedule my life so that I don’t need to show up.” (laughs) That’s how I feel about harnessing routine. It’s amazing the power they can bring. Anyway, I’ll catch you next time.
Thanks for listening. If you found this episode helpful, please like or share it. You can find more posts on simple living at http://JanalynVoigt.com. If you’d like to connect, you can find me on Pinterest, Twitter and other social sites listed by my name. On my website, you’ll find links to click through and join me.
Until next time, here’s wishing you success with your escape into another life.
©2014 by Janalyn Voigt
The post Spend More Quality Time with Those You Love appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
September 16, 2014
Compline: A Brush with the Sublime
I had never attended a compline service before, and I’d heard Gregorian chant only in recordings, so I didn’t know what to expect when I entered Seattle’s St. Mark’s Cathedral. As the last service, compline marks the end of the working day in the canonical hours tradition.
The number of attendees, from those in their teens and all the way into old age, surprised me. Some, like me, sat in the pews, and others at benches lining the side walls. But as many people settled down with blankets, pillows, and mats to lie on the floor. Besides those physically present, many thousands attended the compline service through radio and other media. Since church prayer services are often sparsely attended, I had to wonder what drew this crowd. I was soon to find out.
Just being inside the historic building was worth the visit. The ceiling reposed a long way above the towering arched windows, so high it seemed to reach toward heaven. A grand old pipe organ swept upward from its second-floor loft. The people lying down had an advantage, I decided while rubbing the crick in my neck.
The choir entered, single-file, and after taking their places at the back of the sanctuary, began to sing. As mentioned, I’ve heard Gregorian chant in a recording, but that’s like saying you’ve read about falling in love. Nothing beats the reality. Peace settled on the faces around me, and I marveled yet again at the ease with which music pierces the heart.
I was at once in a gathering and gloriously alone with my Creator. He and I wandered the pathways of my soul; through repentance into grace, suplication into mercy, sorrow into joy. And then we moved beyond me and to a world badly in need of prayer. Lord have mercy. I’m still absorbing the experience, but in many ways it will remain indescribable.
Some observe the Great Silence following a compline service, not speaking until the next morning. I can see how such a practice might enhance the meditative quality of the service. I came away both more relaxed than I have been in a long time. Would observing a nightly quiet time just before bed eliminate the stress-related insomnia I sometimes suffer?
What could I do to bring the sweet serenity I felt to others? Next month I’ll introduce relaxation videos and will try to post them once a month. The first will take us to the Grand Canyon through the images I took during a road trip, accompanied by music from one of my favorite musicians.
Meanwhile, I’d appreciate hearing about your own experiences with a special way music or prayer touched you. Have you ever heard Gregorian chant in person?
Compline has been sung every Sunday night in St. Mark’s Cathedral since 1956. The service is brief considering its impact; just half an hour, starting at 9:30 p.m. Pacific Time. KING FM 98.1 broadcasts the service live. If you’d like to learn more about compline service at St. Mark’s (and also glimpse the beautiful cathedral), watch the video, below.
Long-time compline choir member, Kenneth V. Peterson, offers a beautiful look at the service in Prayer as Night Falls: Experiencing Compline
.I’ll be purchasing Gregorian chant CDs, along with other soothing music, to play during my quiet times. Here’s one I like from the Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz: Chant: Music For The Soul
. Note; I benefit from purchases made through my Amazon affiliate links. Purchasing items on Amazon after going through one of my affiliate link is a no-cost-to-you way to support this site, and I thank you.
*Photo Attribution: Joe Mabel [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
©2014 by Janalyn Voigt
The post Compline: A Brush with the Sublime appeared first on Janalyn Voigt.
