Time to simplify!

When your sister-in-law texts you all the way from Iraq, you listen.  I'm so glad I took her suggestion that day to download the book Organized Simplicity when it was free on Kindle. 

The author, Tsh Oxenreider, is also known for her blog, Simple Mom.  Now before all the non-moms peace out on this blog post, please know that you don't have to be a mom to benefit from this book!  It includes tremendously useful advice on how to simplify and organize your life, no matter who you are.

One of the things I love most is her definition of simple living - "living holistically with your life's purpose."  That's it.  Simple living doesn't always mean starting a compost pile and living on solar energy and trading in your gas-guzzler for an electric car.  That might be "simple living" for some people, but it's different for everyone.  There is a do-able and realistic way for ALL of us to live more simply.  Because of that desire, I started this blog over 6 years ago.

I'm still working on totally defining our family's purpose, our mission statement - but I know it will definitely include the word "peace."  Peace in our home, peace in relationships, eliminating anything that doesn't bring peace to us and others.

Once I have our mission statement fleshed out, I fully intend to declare by creating some wood pallet art for our wall - like this or this.

Anyway, as I continue to work through this book, I'm excited to join the author and tons of other people on Project: Simplify!  For the month of March, there's a focus each week on how to simplify, organize, and declutter an area of your home. 

When I get rid of physical clutter in my home, I actually feel a lightness in my soul.  Each time I get rid of more stuff, I'm moved from a place of entitlement to a place of gratefulness.  A few months ago, our close friends who love organizing came over, and in a whirlwind few hours they helped me declutter practically every room in the house.  Ahhhhh.  The kitchen was suddenly way more functional, the closets had lots more room, and I had a huge pile of things to sell or donate.   Now, I'm ready to do it again, as there is always more to give away.

But more importantly, I'm trying to stop accumulating more unneeded stuff.   Amen?

Do you want to join the decluttering challenge?  Just click this image below for all the info.

And let's see how our lives are changed, our relationships enhanced when get rid of some STUFF!

3 simple joys.

Here are 3 simple joys I've experienced lately...

This laugh.

Cracking Up from Team Bails on Vimeo.

I get to have this kind of joy in my life everyday! 

~ ~ ~

This smile.

When she came out of the womb, one of the first things I noticed about her was her mouth...it stretched all the way across her face in a wide, beautiful line.  I could see that smile a million times a day and then some.

~ ~ ~

Flowers, just because.

A friend and volunteer of ours at Urban Acres, Caroline, brought Steven and I this bouquet of lovely flowers last week.  With it, she included a note that said, "I want to encourage you to stand firm in the knowledge of God's great love for and devotion to you, His beloved lilies." 

How precious!  And oh how we needed that encouragement right now as we trudge through the daily challenges of owning a small business.

~ ~ ~

What are 3 simple joys you've experienced lately?  Please, do share!

Current favorites: almond flour + coconut milk ice cream

I'm sold on almond flour.  It doesn't kill my stomach like grains tend to do, it tastes wonderful, and it's easy to cook/bake with.  Here are three great recipes I've made lately with almond flour...

Almond Meal Biscuits from Roost.  This has become a staple for us - it substitutes the need for dinner rolls or other bread with dinner, and goes great with soup.  Luci Belle thinks they're cookies and calls them, "coo-coos."  If she thinks these are cookies...GREAT!  Roost's recipe adds rosemary to the biscuits for a savory flavor, but we sometimes omit the reosemary, or add blueberries like in the photo.  When they're warm from the oven, add honey and butter = YUM.

Almond Flour Brownies from Grain-Free Foodies.  These are ridiculously good.  The first time we made them, Steven and I ate two pans of them in two nights.  GULP.  Yes, we did.  A little overboard.  They're not dense, but more light and cakey.  Love them topped with coconut milk ice cream (see recipe below).

Almond Flour Pancakes.  I used the recipe in the Paleo Recipe Book (a downloadable e-book) but I don't want to get in trouble for publishing the recipe here (I'm SUCH a rule-follower).  If you Google "Paleo Almond Flour Pancakes" there are tons of results that come up, though.

Where to buy almond flour?  You can buy it online from Honeyville (not organic) or Benefit Your Life (organic).  Almond flour means the skin has been removed ("blanched") which as I understand, makes it more easily digestible.  Or, you could simply buy raw almonds and grind them in a Vitamix or food processor until it resembles a mealy consistency.  This is almond meal.  You won't get the exact result as the blanched almond flour, but it's worked for me in a pinch.

~ ~ ~

Easy Coconut Milk Ice Cream

1 (13.5 ounce) can coconut milk (love this brand, and they don't use BPA in their cans)
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Optional: add nuts, cacao nibs, chocolate chips, or any other mix-ins such as bananas or blueberries.  Blend in a blender or Vitamix and then process according to the instructions of your ice cream maker.  This makes a lot!  It can easily serve 4 people.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, try this Banana Coconut Ice Cream recipe that you can make in a strong blender or food processor.

Artist.

I set her up at the craft table wearing my old smock from childhood - with "CHRISTINE PICCIONE" written in my mother's handwriting inside the neck.  Just holding it in my hands reminds me of being in Montessori school, one of my earliest memories.  Of course, art was always my favorite.

As I strapped her into her booster seat, she looked at me with wide-eyed expectation, unsure of what mama was about to put in front of her.  I handed her a paint brush, squirted some paint colors onto a paper plate, and she immediately dove in...

Of course, once she started, she didn't want to stop.  She pointed at the paints asking, "Mooore? Mooore?" 

So I loaded on more colors, took out some card stock left over from a baby shower, and smeared her hand in the paints and slapped it on the card to make a handprint. 

She giggled.

She looked up at me.

Then she started slapping her hand all over the different pieces of card stock, completely overjoyed.

Was mama really letting her get this messy? 

Yes, mama was.

And something in me was released at that moment - perhaps all the stress from the week that had been bottled up inside, and I burst out laughing!  As we kept smearing and slapping down more colorful handprints and splashing more paint on the table, I was a child again.

By the end, she was painting her hand, and I just sat there and let her...

Yes, the childlike artist is fervently alive in her - and in me.  If leaving the artist behind means growing up, then I hope I never do.