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Simple as That

Making Everyday Beautiful

Archives for 2014

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  • The Slow Your Pace Challenge (don’t know what the challenge is? Link is in my profile!) kicked off May 1st! So many of you are joining me in deliberately slowing down the pace at which we move throughout our days and it’s been amazing so far! ⁣ ⁣ Today’s challenge prompt is: ⁣ Instead of writing a to-do list, jot down a NOT to-do list today.⁣ ⁣ I’m no stranger to lengthy to-do lists. The kind that have left me feeling over-extended and overwhelmed. ⁣ ⁣ We all have a determined number of hours each day. The race to try and cram as many things into those hours as possible with the hopes of crossing just one more thing off my to-do list isn’t how I want to do things anymore.⁣ ⁣ I am learning that what I don’t do is just as important as what I’m able to do. ⁣ ⁣ Enter the NOT to-do list.⁣ ⁣ A small, very well thought out list of not-to-do’s will help you to focus better on what matters most than a lengthy to-do list ever will my friend. ⁣ ⁣ I’m chatting more about what exactly a NOT to-do list is in my stories today and sharing my NOT to-do list for this lovely Thursday.⁣ So tell me...what’s going on your NOT to-do list today? #slowyourpacechallenge #lessismore #minimalism #simplify #slowliving
  • I used to spend the better part of my days putting out fires, racing from one thing to the next, always trying to cross one more thing off my to-do list. I was moving through life so quickly that I was missing out on life’s smallest joys—the very things that mattered most to me. ⁣ ⁣ It started slowly at first. The changes I needed to make didn’t happen overnight—and it still takes renewed daily commitment. But the little ways I’ve decided to intentionally slow my life down have made such a difference.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I’m finding pockets of peace throughout my days instead of pushing through, like I used to. And I’m prioritizing peace and rest.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ If you’re struggling with wanting to slow down but don’t quite know where to begin, I’ve put together a 30-day challenge to help you! Thirty small, practical ways you can start your journey towards living at a more deliberate tempo.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I’m sharing more about when the challenge will kick off and how it works in my stories! It’s free…there’s absolutely no obligation. I’m simply offering you these simple suggestions and my support in taking the first steps towards living life at a gentler pace.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ I’d sure love to have you join me! ⁣⁣ #simplify #slowliving #selfcare #minimalism #slowyourpacechallenge #lessismore
  • #AD Building lasting connections as a family is harder than ever in this digital age. Work, school commitments, and extracurriculars have us headed in separate directions on any given weekday. Factor in the distractions of technology and it’s so easy to allow disconnection to take center stage in our family relationships. ⁣ ⁣ Finding screen-free ways to bring our family together is a priority for me as a mom. I know that setting aside time where we put our screens away and make an intentional effort to talk together, play, have fun & give each other our undivided attention is so needed.⁣ ⁣ Getting away from the pressure to respond to a text or check a status update allows us to foster stronger family bonds. One simple yet effective way we've found to disconnect from our screens and reconnect as a family is to play games together. We’re big fans of simple games without many pieces so card games are our go-to! Playing a quick card game always get the kids laughing and the conversation flowing.⁣ ⁣ If you love UNO as much as we do then you’ll love this latest version of the classic card game – UNO Flip™! We’ve had so much fun together playing it – even the teenagers think it’s a blast! The double-sided deck featuring the new light and dark sides are so dang cool...but that’s all I’m going to say about that! You’ll have to check out the game for yourselves to see how fun the creative “flip” in this game really is! @Target -> http://bit.ly/2UNvn5p⁣ ⁣ #UNOFlip @uno @mattel
  • Watching my children catch the spirit of family history is a bittersweet blessing that’s come since the passing of my sweet Grannie. She poured so much time and effort into knowing her ancestors and preserving their stories and now it’s our turn.⁣ ⁣ I’m talking about the experience my girls and I had helping my Mom go through my Grannie’s things in the days following her funeral in my stories today. Scanning precious photos, sorting boxes full of letters and finding precious notes left in her beautiful cursive handwriting. It was a tender time for all of us.⁣ ⁣ I came home from Canada with a plastic bin full of genealogy research that my Grannie had done throughout her life. I’m at a loss of where to begin sorting, organizing and documenting everything but I am honored to carry on the work that she started.⁣ #familyhistory #ancestors #familysearch I shot this short video thanks to all of the helpful advice I got from my friend @heathercluffvideo and it was so much fun you guys! You all know how much I love preserving memories through photos…but video…video just brings all of those memories to life in a way photos can’t.⁣ ⁣ I’m determined to get better at documenting our family stories through video and am excited to play some more! You should check out some of the videos Heather has shared in her feed all capturing the everyday stuff that makes up our lives…they’re magical! ⁣
  • I’ve been MIA around here lately. I haven’t felt like there’s been anything big to share here on Instagram these days, yet I find myself in a place of complete contentment in the smallness that is this season of my life right now.⁣ ⁣ It hasn’t always been this way. Embracing the ordinary, feeling whole in living a slow, quiet life wasn’t something I was able to do. ⁣ I’ve fallen into the trap of thinking that I needed to “go bigger” or “reach for more” in order to be happy many times before. ⁣ I’ve shared some thoughts on living the small life in my stories and how I will never, ever regret choosing small. And neither will you.⁣ ❤️
  • My husband finishes his family medicine residency in June and I don’t think I can convey exactly how excited we are to be at this stage of the whole medical school journey.⁣ ⁣ ⁣ We’re headed into the next few months with a lot of anticipation and some nervousness as we prepare for yet another move but we’re feeling so grateful to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣ ⁣ We wanted to plan a big family trip to commemorate the completion of this 8 year undertaking and had hopes of going somewhere exotic. Turns out, when you’re applying for a visa (the immigration kind) extension you can’t leave the country so we’re heading to Kauai in a few months. ⁣⁣☀️🌴🍍 ⁣⁣ ⁣ Randal and I went to Oahu a couple of years ago together and loved it so we’re really looking forward to exploring Kauai with the kids! I know it’ll be right up our alley with all kinds of things to do outdoors and plenty of hiking trails to explore.⁣⁣ ⁣ ⁣⁣ I’ve been doing some research but would love to hear from you if you’ve been to the island. What do we need to see and do? With my dietary restrictions in mind can you recommend some places to eat? We want to go on one excursion...what have you done that was totally worth the money?