Not Everything Gets Easier With TimeWe moved to New Hampshire and I expected life to get simpler, instead though everything feels exhausting. Some days to be honest I feel like I am walking through soup, everything takes time and energy in a way it did not previously. This shows I am paying attention, but also shows that comfort can stagnate. Moving did not get easier, but I am not ignoring the hardness and the sadness as it comes. I am instead working through it. A Warm Oven Makes All The DifferenceWe have only lived in rentals, but finally having an oven that is closer to the proper temperature it is about 5 degrees hot rather than 15 degrees cold means that my recipes do not take double the time they would before. Latkes are easier to make when you are calmerWe usually make latkes to celebrate Hanukkah, even though we aren't Jewish. This year they turned out the best ever, I think because I trusted myself and the process. Big Changes Shake You Out of ComplacencyOne of the things change does is that it shakes us out of our patterns and forces us to be aware of things we were not previously aware of. We are lucky to have the opportunity to make a change and start over intentionally. There is a need to Intentionally and Slowly Cultivate My LifeOne thing I realized this winter is that I cannot do it all. I had to cut some ideas of who I was to preserve my sanity and move in a direction that worked for me. Food is not always the answerSomeone once said the only problem food can solve is hunger. In the past few weeks I have worked at being more intentional with my portions and listening to my body and I am finding that to be true. Food as a comfort creates more problems than it solves. I am finally feeling more free to eat what I want and have less guilt because I am not overdoing it. I do not come away stuffed and feeling gross, but rather having truly enjoyed the moments of eating and relishing each bite. What have you learned this winter? Any takeaways?
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I know I normally post this sort of post on Thursday, but this week I have another post that is a link-up with Emily P. Freeman scheduled and I have been enjoying these posts so much I figured for this week I would switch it to be a Tuesday. I have to say I am loving the gratitude I find here and I am now on the lookout throughout my week for things I am loving to be able to share with you. Ingrid MichaelsonI have loved Ingrid Michaelson for years. We actually did our first dance to an Ingrid Michaelson song at our wedding. I visited a bookstore in Portsmouth a few weeks ago and the songs playing were Ingrid Michaelson and I rekindled my love for her. I have basically been shuffling her music nonstop. Progress Over PerfectionI have been working to get healthy for a while, but lately I have found my mindset makes all the difference. I am slowing down and being more intentional and I am finding the progress to be achievable rather than doing everything right the first go around. Astrophysics for People in a HurryI have been listening to this on audio and it is read by the author Neil deGrasse Tyson. I have to say I am thoroughly enjoying it. I have not finished it yet, but I appreciate his voice and I also find that although I am sure there are points I am missing, I am understanding larger concepts that I thought would be unknowable for me. SunriseMy husband and I only have one car and so when I need it throughout the day I drive with him and then drive it for my own use. I then obviously pick him up at the end of the day. I am loving our drives at 6 am because we can watch the sunrise, something I did not often do beforehand and I love the way the colors light up the sky. Carrot Cake OatmealI made this for breakfast and I honestly have been loving it. I did make mine without raisins, because they are not my favorite but even cold this has been something I have been looking forward to each day. What are you loving? Please share below.
These are the things that are bringing me joy lately. Feel free to share what is bringing you joy in the comments. InsuranceI am a big believer in universal healthcare, but in the US we are not there yet. As we moved, my husband's new insurance took a little over a month to actually go into effect and a few weeks later we finally got our insurance cards. I am blessed to have insurance and I found getting the cards in the mail to be so exciting. I am glad to know that if something happens we are ready. BlanketsThe weather has been quite chilly lately and as my husband and I are learning the windows leave much to be desired in their ability to withstand the breeze. I am finding myself walking around in a blanket most days. I am loving how warm and cozy I feel and I am more likely to do things if I just wrap myself up in a blanket. Portion ControlFor years I have heard this as a way to help keep eating under control. I found the idea to be limiting. Instead though I recently thought I would give it a try. I love the idea of being able to eat any foods as long as I pay attention to the amounts. I have been loving it and I am finding myself using food more as fuel rather than as a comfort blanket which is making me happier as a whole. Language ApplicationsAs my husband and I are preparing for a trip to Japan, I have been working on my Japanese with Duolingo which has been great. My ability to speak Japanese is not great, but I feel more confident reading it and understanding parts of it. In an effort to assist, my sister who has been to Japan also sent me this link of phrases to help get me through. After our trip to Italy, where we did not know enough of the language to get my, my husband and I have take to aggressively learning languages so as to feel more confident when there. In addition to learning we usually download the map of the area we are staying in Google Maps so we have access to it without internet. We also use the Google Translate App to download a language which helps with translating phrases and also has a function where you can hold it up to an object in another language and it will transpose the translation for you. I find this to be world changing and it allows me to travel with confidence. SleepI have found recently I am tired and I have not slept well so I have been trying to take extra naps and sleep more on the weekends. I find sleep to be essential and I think I am probably the only person I know who loves her bed more than any other. I love my bed more than any hotel or any other I have ever slept in. I find it to be the best and I look forward to going to sleep every night because of it. Amazon Prime Workout VideosLast week I pulled my neck and then a few days later my back. I realize for me this is a sign I am not keeping up my strength, so I started looking for workouts. I just searched on Amazon Prime Videos and we now have so many options of new workouts each day that help me gain strength in my own home. I am always surprised by all the perks of Amazon that I often forget about, this is one I really appreciate. What are you loving this week? Simple or special I would love to know. Comment below to share!
I read 12 books this year and met my goal! I have upped my reading goal to be 52 books now and I plan on focusing on a different reading challenge next. I think I am going to attempt the Mommy Mannegren 2019 Reading Challenge 52 books in 52 weeks. Hence why my goal is now 52 books. Wish me luck and if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.
Only one book I read this past month deserves mention.
I absolutely loved this book. I did find it hard to get into at the beginning, but by the end I loved it completely. This is a fiction novel about an island in the English Channel during and post World War II. The novel is told through a series of letters and written documents, which I think is why I found it took me a bit to get used to the style and get to know the characters. I found that to be well worth it. By the end you feel as if you know these people. I found it went in a way that felt true to the characters and I loved the ending. This is a story about people during the war and afterwards and I found it to be filled with hope and joy. The main character is quite quirky and I really appreciated that.
Book Rating: 5/5
What have you read lately? Are you doing any book challenges this year? If so which ones? Any suggestions? I am always looking for new reads.
Today I want to start a new series. This is a list of things I am loving and I want to share new things that are bringing me joy. Things that make me happy, they can include the more mundane to the more exciting, but I want a place to share joy. Feel free to share things you are loving below. I love to spread what is making me happy to others. Shutterbean's InstagramI started following for her meal prep, but what I love is how she encapsulates moments of joy with her camera. She finds the light in small things, or the raindrops on a flower. I love that her daily finds help me focus on the ordinary and the small. Carrot SoupYes, this is also from Shutterbean, but I found that it was simple to make with pantry staples and it is delicious. I feel like it tastes like a carrot version of tomato bisque and would be great with a grilled cheese. RoutineI have found that sticking to a routine lately is making me feel like myself and doing the same things in the same order gives me a lot of peace in my soul. Whatever It Takes by Imagine DragonsThis song is my spirit song. I cannot not sing to it, and I am not even sure I can listen to it only one time. Usually it comes on my iPhone and I need to repeat it at least once or twice. I heard it for the first time and listened to it nonstop for an entire day. Clearly I love it. My Creative Cooking Ideas Pinterest BoardOne of the things I have been focusing on recently is trying to stick to my food budget. This is a challenge because I spend a large portion on meat each month. I want only pasture raised and therefore a large portion goes to meat. To compensate I have started trying to get creative with pantry staples. This board contains meals that I can make with one or two ingredients missing or if I am feeling so inclined by a quick trip to the store. I am finding this keeps me on budget. Also be aware none of these are recipes I have tried, once I try them they are removed from the board and either printed or forgotten about. What are some things you are loving this Thursday? What has been bringing you joy?
I am overweight, in a technical sense. My BMI places me in the overweight category. I exercise daily and I eat healthy foods. I know places I could improve and change, but many of my habits are not detrimental to my health. Lately I have been struggling with feeling like I will never figure this out. I know that this seems typical and this problem is not novel. I feel silly even typing this out, but I know someone out there might feel the same. I have chosen to accept what others say that overweight means, that I am lazy or that I am not working hard enough. Rather than focusing on this and feeling like a failure, I am working to shift my thinking habits to be more positive. I can instead of focusing on what I have not achieved yet, focus on how lucky I am to be able to slow down and make changes to create sustainable change. I am able to stop obsessing and rather start to put energy into productive ways to create change. I am choosing to focus on the possibility and the joy in the process. I will learn healthy habits for me and my home, because I cook so therefore whatever food habits I shift will shift for all involved. I will find ways to try again. This is a good test of my resilience and a way for me to show that I am capable. This can be one more accomplishment and one more success. I know this is not out of reach, but I have been lazy. I have not focused on my goal and I have not listened to my body when it was trying to tell me what to do. I used food as a crutch and I am stronger now and I can find other strategies that will help me cope more productively and positively. What are thought patterns you struggle with? Any ways you turn them around for better?
Am I happier now, then I was a year ago when I started the project? As I look over my happiness project, here is what I can say. My happiness project forced me to live out what I thought I was and who I thought I was. At times, that worked for the best, at other times it felt like I was wearing a sweater that was too tight. Sometimes when I was walking the talk, I realized that I am not that person. I do not care about the things I thought I cared about. I am not sure if I was always different or the change was more recent. Here are things I learned for better or for worse.
In the end, this challenge gave me permission to be myself. I learned a bit more about who I am and who I am not. I learned strategies for going slowing and giving myself more grace. I did not do everything I planned, but I think I know so much more about myself now than I did a year ago. That knowledge is the gift. By knowing myself better, I am able to do better and feel more confident in doing what I think is right even if it does not meet societal expectations.
I love the idea of considering what has been saving my life this winter and if you are looking for more ideas check out Modern Mrs. Darcy's link up to see more of what has been saving the lives of others this winter too. 1. SleepI started getting enough sleep last week, by going to bed quite early. I did not realize how lack of sleep was affecting me this winter, but by trying to be in bed early I have felt much more at peace with the world around me and ready to handle whatever comes my way. 2. Warm Lemon Water and Tea in the morning.I don't drink coffee; the caffeine gives me headaches. Instead this year I have focused on drinking a cup of hot lemon water and tea first thing in the morning. I am loving the warmth they give me and a sense of purpose when I wake up and go about my day. 3. All the writing.I have focused this winter on writing more, for myself, in a journal and here. I have found that all the writing is really helping me process as I am going through this hard season of moving and starting over. I have found that rather than just ignoring it and letting it fester, I am processing as I go. 4. Salvation ArmyBefore we moved, we were in the process of trying to get rid of a couch. We liked the couch, it was in good shape, but it did not fit into our new apartment. We arranged a pick up online and they came and removed the couch from our house it was so easy and I was glad I could donate to a good cause. 5. MoversThis move, we were blessed with actual movers. People came and packed all our stuff and drove it for us to our new place where they then brought in all the boxes and reassembled furniture. They came back at a later point to pick up all the used boxes. I have to say. I found this whole process to work much better than I initially anticipated. I was nervous and stressed, but I should not have been. With movers I basically did nothing. I was so grateful for their help as we started over. 6. Yoga With Adriene- Dedicate ProgramI have loved Yoga With Adriene for quite a bit, but since our move my motivation has been lacking. I have appreciated this program as a way to keep me on track with daily yoga and to motivate me even when I am not feeling it. I am slowly finding my regular motivation again, but I appreciate the forward momentum this gave me. 7. Warm Baths with a BookI have always loved baths. I find them to be a nice way to slow down. We now have a tub with an actual built in stopper, which makes the process much easier. I have found the warmth of a tub with a good book is a combination that I am loving this winter. I also have a dedicated ziplock for my kindle so that I am not worried about a drop or two getting onto it and ruining the whole process. You can still read and turn pages through the ziplock! I find the ritual of it just allows me to slow down and savor rather than rush from one thing to the next. 8. Creative Cooking EndeavorsRecently we joined a meat subscription, where a collection of local farms get together and ship quality meat to my door. I was so excited, and then I realized how this is not the way I typically meal plan. I feel strongly about ethically treated animals, raised in pastures. I just did not know how to start to plan around these new cuts of meat. I am still learning in that way, but one thing that has helped is I have started to attempt more creative cooking endeavors. I have started saving recipes that I see on the internet or that are shared with me that require few ingredients. By saving these recipes, I have ideas to work from when I am trying to use up produce, or trying to cook without going to the store. I am enjoying this creativity more than I expected to and I find it to be a good way to use my pantry to it's fullest. I also am surprised by some of the delicious recipes I am finding in the process. I feel like this is a win all around. I am creating less food waste and finding ways to inventively use what I have. What has been saving your life and helping you through this season? I know winter can be tough with the excessive cold and darkness. I would love to know what is helping you!
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About MeI'm Sarah; a wife, traveler, foodie, and adventurer. Archives
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