Showing posts with label Simple Abundance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Simple Abundance. Show all posts

Monday, June 1, 2015

My Spring Kitchen Clean-Up


A really good spring cleaning can be daunting. So much to do - and wouldn't we all rather be outside enjoying the sunshine? But the end result of all your work can't be beat. Lovely fresh clean surfaces and neatly organized cupboards. How wonderful.

When I have a big clean-up to do, I like to think back to the wisdom found in Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance, A Daybook Of Comfort And Joy:

For what is the purpose of cleaning this room? Is it simply to pick up trash and dispose of yesterday's newspaper? Or is some inspired action at work here? In the process of transforming this room into a safe and serene haven where my family can come together to enjoy the comfort of each other's company, am I not changing the perception of my work?
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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Me time - the personal gratitude journal (with an ecojot giveaway - CLOSED)


I believe it's a testament to the human spirit that each January we think about how to better ourselves in the fresh new year that stretches out before us. Think of it. How beautiful is that? Undaunted by previous disappointments, we once again seek to add beauty and good health to our lives.

As I have mentioned many times, I'm regularly helped along with my goals by Sarah Ban Breathnach's inspirational book, Simple Abundance, a daily guide to living an abundant life. One of Sarah's strongest recommendations is to create your own personal gratitude journal to record some of life’s blessings each day. I have been keeping (and sometimes forgetting!) this practice for several years. I truly believe that by acknowledging the gifts that life has presented you with, you welcome more blessings into your life.
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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

In this moment - Welcoming a new year


Open your arms as wide as you can to receive the miracles with your name on them.
-Sarah Ban Breathnach, Simple Abundance


In this new year of wondrous possibilities, I hope that you will remember this quote as I will, friends. When you face those inevitable moments of fear, self-doubt, grief, anger and inertia, open your arms wide and believe that you deserve more. Be good to yourself.

In this moment, I'm thinking of these gentle plans for a perfectly laid-back New Year's Day:

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Thursday, April 11, 2013

Around Here


After a very busy weekend away, it was nice to return home on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately, we had taken some time to tidy up before we left. Nothing worse than coming home to a giant mess.
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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Break Time's Over


With all four of us home for the summer, this house got a lot of use. And, a lot of use means a lot of...mess. It's a full-time job keeping up with the kids, particularly my daughter, who trails stuff behind her like a shopping bag with a hole in it.

My husband and I tried to focus mainly on summertime fun, while ensuring that we also took care of some necessary household projects once in a while.

But, the to-do list is never-ending. So, this labour day long weekend, with a whole summer behind us and the first day of school looming, we diligently worked together to make sure the house was nicely organized and presentable, thus ensuring a smoother transition back to work and school.
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Woollen-Muffler Days

I’m not a big believer in making New Year’s resolutions. I don’t want to set myself up for failure.

I do believe, however, that the start of a new year is a good time to reflect on the events of the past year, as well as your hopes and dreams for the year to come.

Every January, I turn the cover on my aging copy of Simple Abundance as if it were brand new to me. With my poor memory, it practically is.

Beginning with the January 1st entry, I embark on another “transformative year of delight and discovery,” in the words of author Sarah Ban Breathnach. Maybe this year I will add to the gratitude journal I began in 1997. Looking at it now brings back lovely memories, as well as remembrances of beloved people and pets who have since passed away.  This year, I might finally follow Sarah’s suggestion to make an illustrated discovery journal, collecting beautiful images that speak to my soul.

Or, maybe not. Who knows? I’m not putting any pressure on myself.

In any case, this new year holds untold possibilities for all of us, beginning with the (sometimes challenging in northern climes) beautiful, windy, snowy month of January.

“January, the month of new beginnings and cherished memories, beckons. Come, let winter weave her wondrous spell: cold, crisp, woollen-muffler days, long dark evenings of savory suppers, lively conversations, or solitary joys. Outside the temperature drops as the snow falls softly. All of nature is at peace. We should be, too. Draw hearthside. This is the month to dream, to look forward to the year ahead and the journey within.”—Sarah Ban Breathnach

What are you dreaming about this January?


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Monday, October 31, 2011

Coping with Stress

Whenever I am feeling particularly stressed, or the weather has got me down, I turn to my well-read copy of Simple Abundance for comfort. Usually I read my Simple Abundance in the bath. As all of you parents will know, that is often the only place you can get any privacy. Even then, I sometimes see shadows under the (locked) door. Don’t feel guilty. Tell them to go away, like I do. Surely you deserve this moment alone.

The warm bath water has restorative powers, and the quiet provides a nice opportunity to clear your head and set some priorities. Oh, and add some epsom salts for your sore muscles. I know you have them.

The October 9th Simple Abundance entry is called “Coping with Stress,” and there is a list of suggestions for doing so. I want to share some of them with you, because I know many people who are stressed right about now.


Cultivate gratitude.
Carve out an hour a day for solitude.
Keep your house picked up.
Don’t overschedule.
Never make a promise you can’t keep.
Allow an extra half hour for everything you do.
Create quiet surroundings at home and at work.
Go to bed at nine o’clock twice a week.
Always carry something interesting to read.
Breathe—deeply and often.
If it’s not delicious, don’t eat it.
Be instead of do.
Laugh more often.
If you don’t love it, live without it.
Don’t answer the telephone during dinner.
Nurture friendships.
Savor beauty.
Express love every day.
 
I love the fact that the author, Sarah Ban Breathnach, incorporates some ideas for your home, because we all know how the state of our homes can affect (and reflect) our state of mind. I also appreciate the advice about taking an extra half hour for everything you do. This is particularly applicable to parents, because those kids can take a remarkably long time to get out the door, and there is bound to be less threatening and yelling if we give them more time. As for the going to bed at nine o’clock, that takes care of itself, because I fall asleep whether I want to or not. And, I look forward to spending more time breathing deeply, enjoying quiet surroundings and nurturing friendships.  Just don’t call me during dinner.

A plaqued black and white Marilyn Monroe poster makes
a nice addition to the bath. I use a vintage
tea cup to scoop epsom salts (below).


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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Organize-it, Part Two, My Closet

my closet before - yikes


As I mentioned before, I am on a continuing quest to organize our home. This week I decided to tackle my bedroom closet. The selection of a project was easy when you consider that my closet is meant to be a walk-in, but I had been using it as a "throw-in" for all sorts of random items. Walking in was no longer possible.

As with my last project, this one didn't cost me anything. I used storage tools that I had already acquired. I am looking to add a couple items in the near future, though, including a step stool and a full-length mirror. (Am I the only one who has to stand on the toilet to see my whole outfit?)

I started by clearing the floor. I uncovered items including a plastic bag full of school supplies; a big box of toiletries that I won in an Elle magazine contest (happy to get them, nowhere to store them); my portfolio of writing; assorted work-related papers; and a set of free weights.

I moved the school supplies into backpacks downstairs. I sorted the toiletries into three categories, put them into cloth storage bins, labelled them and placed them on the closet shelf. I moved the portfolio and work-related papers into a filing bin to be sorted later, and I moved the hand weights down to the basement (may they rest in peace).

Keeping in mind that organizing is about uncovering those items that are important to you and that best reflect your character and interests, I purged a few pieces of clothing. You know those pieces that you feel you should wear, but never do? I figure your clothes should not make you feel obligated, so I created a donation pile made up of clothing that made me feel guilty every time I looked at it.
my closet after
the left side of my closet after

"Deciding to simplify our lives and bring order to our homes by sending on the objects we no longer love to new, happier incarnations with people who will genuinely appreciate them is the way to open ourselves up to receiving the abundance that will perfectly suit us," says Sarah Ban Breathnach in Simple Abundance. Works for me.

I managed to part with six pairs of shoes, two pairs of boots, two zippered bags I got at conferences, assorted "bonus" makeup bags, some shrunken pyjamas, a dress that's three sizes too big for me and 12 shirts and sweaters (one so old I bought it at Eaton's).

Take a look at some of the amazing closets on Pinterest if you need some inspiration for your own project.


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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Simple Pleasures


Simple Abundance is my bible for everyday living. Ever since the book’s author, Sarah Ban Breathnach, appeared on the Oprah show many years ago, I have been reading the book over and over again throughout the years. If you haven’t yet read it, Simple Abundance is described as “A Daybook of Comfort and Joy” and it has one lovely piece of writing for each day of the year. “Some days are shaped by simple pleasures, others are redeemed by them,” says a July entry. How true it is. When I was working at my last job, many days were redeemed by simple pleasures—a cup of tea and a homemade banana muffin, or a chat with a colleague about books, movies or anything other than work. Summer is the time to shape the day with simple pleasures, if you are lucky enough to have the time. One recent day springs to mind—we played on the beach, waded in the lake, ate a simple lunch and made a short trip to scenic Port Dover to explore shops, enjoy the warm weather and have a meal with family at a local restaurant.

Granny and grampy pause in Port Dover
“Today there was no need to glance wistfully at the past or project anxiously into the future because the present was fully lived and simply abundant,” says Ban Breathnach. When circumstances dictate that your day can’t be shaped by simple pleasures, she advises, surely you can redeem the day by spicing it with a few pleasurable activities. Some of my personal favourites are the aforementioned cup of tea, a chat with a good friend or watching a funny movie after the kids go to bed. Oh, and there’s always a good big hunk of chocolate to brighten your day.
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