I created this blog in September 2005 in Dallas, TX at a time when I needed to find my voice. I remember typing the first words as a young woman in the twinkle-lit loft of my condo. At first, it was simply an outlet to stay connected to friends near and far and share the tidbits of my newly-married life. Soon, it became so much more...a place for me to share my photography and art, regularly practice gratefulness, and process the way my life was moving to a simpler one day by day.

When we uprooted our lives from Dallas to Nashville in the fall of 2015, I had captured 10 years of our lives in words, photos, memories, details. This blog is a treasure, a time capsule of a very important decade of my life where we were young and married, owned our own businesses, and had two children.

Now, after a long hiatus, I know it's time to close the door on Dreams of Simple Life and start fresh on my new website.

Here's a list of my favorite things I've written here over the years. Enjoy!

Well, it's happened. I'm a podcast addict. This is out of character for me, because I'm a visual learner. I prefer to read the written word or watch people speak. But there's something about podcasts that have drawn me in - perhaps it's the part of me that loves learning new things, or the social part of me that feels I'm meeting new people through spending time with them for 30 minutes. And the inspiration is never-ending! It's so neat to hear about the lives of others and think of ways I can incorporate their ideas into our new, simpler life.

With homeschooling two little ones, I don't have a ton of time to listen to podcasts, but it's a welcome change of pace to pop in my earbuds and listen for 30 minutes during naptime, after bedtime, or occasionally at a coffee shop when my hubby is able to let me escape for a bit. I always feel refreshed.

Apparently learning about new podcasts is still largely a word-of-mouth thing. I found out about several of these from my French-inspired and simple living pal, Ginny. So I thought I'd share...

My 3 favorite podcasts right now:

The Simple Show just speaks my language, and it starts with happy music that draws you in. I've enjoyed reading Tsh Oxenreider's books and blog, The Art of Simple, for several years now, and I love her definition of a simple life - "living holistically with your life's purpose." Not everyone has to move to the country or sell all your things and live in a tiny house to "live simply." This podcast shows how different simple living looks for women from all different stages and walks of life.

One of my favorite episodes is with Emily P. Freeman whose most recent book is Simply Tuesday. Emily's voice is comforting and seems so familiar, like a close friend. In this episode, Tsh and Emily talk about slowing life down and finding the beauty and enjoyment in those normal everyday moments, like what Tsh calls a "soupmaking day," the kind of day where you're just hanging around the house doing ordinary things (like laundry, or tending to a big pot of soup). These ordinary moments are actually key to forming our memories and relationships. I love how Emily talks about feeling like she's been taken "hostage by hustle." Something rises within me with that phrase because it's absolutely what I don't want for my life, and I'll keep working towards eliminating busyness and hustle from our daily lives as much as possible.

I've also loved the Sarah Mackenzie episode, as she's a super positive homeschooling mom (of six!) who talks about not having it all together. When posed with the question, "How do you do it all?" she replies, "There are a ton of things I don't do that other people are doing." Love that. Reminds me of a list I wrote awhile back on the things I don't do. Being able to say a clear "no" to certain things that don't work for myself or my family has been really freeing (although I might have to change my mind on the canning/preserving thing!).

Speaking of Sarah Makenzie, Read Aloud Revival is her excellent podcast. If reading to/with your kids is something you enjoy or aspire to, then you will love this! After listening to RAR, I'm always inspired by new children's books and ways to help ensure that my children grow up to be lovers of the written word.

That Sounds Fun is the podcast of sweet and hilarious Annie F. Downs, a friend of mine in Nashville (we used to work together at The Mocha Club). This is a little bit of a shameless plug since some of the people she interviews I know personally - ha! But if you want a light uplifting listen to discover new authors, musicians, fun places, and more, give this one a try.

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Other podcasts on my list to check out:

Your Morning Basket - "truth, goodness, and beauty for your homeschool day" - yes, please.

The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey - I have several friends who love this one. Jamie Ivey interviews her girlfriends about topics like "marriage, faith, children, parenting, sorrow, grief, joy, justice, books, and what they are loving." Sounds pretty awesome.

The Slow Home - This podcast was started by a gal named Brooke who lives a slow, intentional life with her family in the mountains of Australia. The description says, "We live life in the fast lane. We race to keep up with The Joneses. We are over-worked, over-committed and over-stressed, and we compete on how busy and important and sleep-deprived we are. But we don't need to." (raising hand emoji) Sign me up.