Technology – blessing or curse?

This weekend was a bit odd. On Friday night, I started having problems with light sensitivity. It got worse on Saturday. On Sunday morning, I woke up and couldn’t handle light at all. I spent most of the day in the dark with a nasty headache.

I ended up taking 24 hours away from technology. I was forced to spend time without my phone, computer, or Netflix. Even just a 24 hour break was a jolt, suddenly realizing the amount of time I spend on the internet. Most of my technology time is productive. My business is online. My language learning uses a phone app and Windows Media Player. My friends are online (especially with covid going on!).

Instead, I took a very long nap. I worked on my puzzle. I sat and thought. I read a huge portion of my current book. I wondered what else I could do without using technology. I could knit! Or quilt! I could cook something. I could break out those watercolor pencils and sketchbook my husband bought me.

This morning I eased back into technology use. My eyes are still sensitive today but nothing like yesterday. I attended an hour long Zoom Bible study. I met with my business coach for an hour (also over Zoom). I watched an episode of Stranger Things.

But I still spent a portion of my time without technology. I read more of my book. I sat and thought some more. I made more progress on my puzzle. I’m back on my computer tonight to write a blog post but I’ll be folding laundry before bed. Maybe I’ll dig through my closet and find a knitting project to work on tomorrow night.

Of course, I’ll have to log onto Ravelry to download a pattern. Even though I’m hoping to use technology less, to spend more time doing hands on projects, it’s hard to escape from it completely. Honestly, I’m not sure I want to. But it’s all about balance. A few hours spent online; other hours spent doing something away from a screen.

Balance.

Glimpses of Beauty

I am so glad it’s almost Sabbath! I am grateful that there is one day a week that I can relax from all of my hard work. I get caught up in the stresses of the week, always feeling like I’m not accomplishing enough. Yet what is the definition of “enough” and how do I determine if I’ve reached it? I keep reminding myself to slow down and live in the moment. That’s where these glimpses of beauty posts come from. They are my efforts at slowing down and noticing the beauty around me.

“Healthy” ramen

I’m not sure that ramen normally qualifies as beautiful! But this particular bowl was so pretty that I had to photograph it. I joked to my daughter that her ramen tonight was so colorful that it must be healthy. I made her a big bowl of sesame ramen with bell pepper, enoki mushrooms, king mushrooms, and bok choy.

A rainy day

The past few weeks have been so hot! Thursday was a breath of fresh air. The temperature dropped almost 20 degrees and we were blessed with a full day of rain. I woke up and immediately felt like I was coming back to life. I love rainy weather, the coolness of the air and the smell of the rain. I had perfect timing for Thursday’s walk. On the way back to my house, it started misting. Thirty minutes later, it was pouring.

Just a drop

The rain left traces of itself this morning. It’s now warm and dry but this morning was still just a touch wet. I love how this flower was holding on to a raindrop.

Berries

I have no idea what kind of berries these are but they are pretty! I’m pretty sure these are the same berries that were woven into the Christmas wreath I bought last year.

Illumination Apricot

This beautiful flower lives on my front porch. I’ve been a bit negligent in my watering this summer but some of the flowers are hardy. This plant has been blooming often over the past few weeks and I just love the colors!

A foretaste of autumn

Is it autumn yet? My favorite season is autumn. Cooler temperatures. Rain. Golden leaves. My birthday! Pumpkins. Pumpkin spice everything! Mochas. Hoodies. Fireplace and s’mores. This morning I even smelled a neighbor’s fireplace! I cannot wait for autumn to arrive.

These are a few of the glimpses of beauty I found this week. What beauties did you notice as you were going about your day?

The Simple Woman’s Daybook – July 14th

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Capturing a moment in time, reminding myself to be aware of the present.

My current favorite coffee mug

Looking out my window, the sun is finally starting to set. The summer days are so long here in the Pacific Northwest.

I am thinking about how few photos I’ve taken recently. My focus has been on my editing business so I haven’t made any interesting meals or stopped to take pictures on my walks.

I am thankful that I didn’t have to go to the grocery store today. Shopping is even more stressful now that the virus is rampant. I’ll be visiting the Japanese market tomorrow to stock up on some necessities.

Cat quilt puzzle

One of my favorite things – puzzles! This puzzle took me about three weeks to complete. The border was not fun at all but assembling the cats was a blast! This guy was my favorite because of the expression on his face.

So pleased

I am creating not much at the moment. Summer is my slowest season for crafting. I knit once every two weeks and am making a lot of progress on my scarf. This particular scarf is not a favorite, neither the yarn nor the pattern. But it keeps my hands busy and uses up a tiny bit of my yarn stash. I am looking forward to autumn, when the temperatures drop a bit and I feel inspired to create handicrafts.

I am wearing the complete opposite of the last Daybook post I wrote – jeans and a t-shirt. I’m barefoot. It’s so much hotter than it was in May!

I am listening to a lot of J-pop music these days. It’s good listening practice for my language studies.

I am hoping that the evening cools off a bit. I’d like to go for a walk before bed.

I am learning how to create free content for my editing business. I am starting a Facebook group where I can give away free content in hopes of building trust and relationship with potential clients.

Deviled eggs

In my kitchen – I just recently learned how to make deviled eggs. This batch came out better than the last; I remembered the salt this time!

Shared Quote – “It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterward were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait.” The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

Puzzle

A moment from my day. I had to take apart my puzzle. It takes so much longer to put them together than it does to take them apart.

Closing Notes – I am still trying to figure out how to balance life. Isn’t that a never ending challenge? These days I’ve been working hard on my business and letting my language studies suffer. I feel like I can do only thing well. I always have to remember to give myself credit for keeping the house relatively clean and my family fed. Everything else is a bonus at this point.

Thanks to The Simple Woman for hosting this!

One Step Closer to Financial Freedom

Today my husband and I are officially one step closer to financial freedom. We sent our very last snowball payment to my husband’s student loan lender. His student loan is now paid in full!

It’s taken us a long time to reach this point. My husband and I both brought a lot of debt to our marriage. Shortly after we first got married, we added up all of our debt – credit cards, student loans, a personal loan, and an auto loan. The total was shocking, almost 100k in debt. And we didn’t even own a home!

Debt payoff was slow at first. We decided to follow Dave Ramsey’s financial principles. First we saved up $1,000 for an emergency fund, guaranteeing the ability to stop charging money to our credit cards. It took a long time just to save this first thousand dollars. When you have hundreds of dollars a month in minimum payments, it’s difficult to come up with extra cash. But we plugged away, slowly but surely. We started paying off the lower balance credit cards. Then we were able to pay off our car.

Life, as expected, had the occasional financial setback. Some of them were unfortunate accidents and others were intentional choices. Our car broke down completely and it was cheaper to buy a new car than it was to pay for repairs. Against Dave Ramsey’s advice, we decided to finance a used car. I was so sick of getting stranded on the side of the freeway and I wanted the security of knowing that our car was unlikely to break down.

We also took a detour when we decided to adopt our daughter. The adoption process is crazy expensive! But bringing our daughter home was totally worth the financial detour.

Bubble tea adventures

Last year we began paying down debt in earnest again. We were able to eliminate almost all of our credit card debt, throwing every single extra cent at that debt. We were sick and tired of paying the bank every month and wanted freedom. Early this year we paid off the last credit card.

Then the coronavirus hit. We deviated from Dave Ramsey’s plan a second time when we decided to pay minimums on our student loans. Instead, we built up our six month emergency fund. My husband had just started his new job in November and we weren’t positive that the company would be avoiding layoffs. Rather than risk job loss and then financial disaster, we decided to boost our emergency fund from $1,000 to six full months’ of expenses.

We finished our full emergency fund last month. Then it was time to tackle the student loans! Two giant payments and that smaller student loan is toast. My husband is finally student loan debt free after 15 long years of monthly payments. It is going to be so nice to pocket that extra $148 each month!

First, though, we need to finish paying off my student loan and then our personal loan. We still have $11.5k left to go in debt payments but we are so close that I can taste the sweetness of complete financial freedom. When I wrote about finances earlier this year, I hoped that we would be debt free by my 40th birthday. I’ll be 38 this fall and I’m now hoping we’ll be out of debt by the end of the year.

My husband has worked so hard to advance in his career and reap the financial rewards of a higher paying job. Over the years, I’ve read tons of blogs, forum posts, and books about paying off debt and how to scrape pennies together to start that first snowball rolling. It took years to go from five extra dollars a paycheck to being able to make lump sum payments. Just a few more months and we’ll be completely free of debt.

The rich rules over the poor,

And the borrower is servant to the lender.

Proverbs 22:7, NKJV

If you want help figuring out how to make that first snowball payment…
If you want to share your financial story…
If you just need someone to listen…
Leave me a comment! I’m always happy to help.

Glimpses of Beauty

Two weeks ago I decided to intentionally search for glimpses of beauty during my week. I had so much fun with it and I was reminded to take joy in the small things, to find beauty in the tiny moments. This week I followed the same practice and I want to share my photos with you.

First strawberry of the season

I’ve been growing strawberries for three years now, the first year with just two plants, then with three, and this year I have four strawberry plants growing in my patio garden. I have a limited amount of space but I love picking and eating sun-warmed strawberries. This is the biggest strawberry I’ve grown yet. It was a bit tart but oh so good!

Appleblossom

Honestly, I’m a bit surprised that this Appleblossom Begonia has survived! When I ordered plants from my daughter’s school plant sale, I bit off way more than I could chew. This flower has outgrown its temporary pot but I haven’t had the energy to repot it yet. I’ll get it moved soon because the flower is gorgeous!

Kitty stickers!

I love stationary! Pens, stickers, notebooks, post-it notes, markers. And I’ve now figured out a use for washi tape! My favorite Etsy shop is VVVStudio, a stationary shop in Taipei, Taiwan. She offers free shipping to anywhere in the world and has such cute stationary! These cat stickers arrived this week. When I looked up the link for her shop to include in this post, I found that she’d recently added bookmarks! Now I have another order on the way!

Paneer Pizza

My lovely hubby ordered pizza this week when I was having a really rough afternoon. There’s something wonderful about being able to serve your family amazingly delicious food that you didn’t have to cook. The paneer pizza from Mo:Mo is now my favorite delivery pizza. I had no idea a pizza could be so tasty.

Graduation!

My daughter is a high school graduate!! She wrapped up school last week and the school hosted a senior recognition ceremony on Tuesday evening. Graduation was definitely a moment of joy for our entire family. I am so proud of her!

These are my glimpses of beauty for this week. What about you? Where did you find beauty and joy this week? I’d love to hear from you!

Glimpses of Beauty

There are a lot of ugly things going on in the United States right now, several of them in my neighborhood. I struggle with anxiety on the best of days; reading and hearing about tragedy after tragedy has left me exhausted. This week I intentionally chose to look for tiny glimpses of beauty.

J-Pop and ramen

My daughter loves ramen. It’s her favorite food in the world. On Monday evening, I made her a bowl of ramen. I was in a traveling mood, wishing I could be just about anywhere but home, so I listened to J-Pop while making potato ramen imported from South Korea. It was a fun 20 minutes!

Flowers

I found these flowers on an afternoon walk. The landscaping crews aren’t working as often now and nature is taking over. These flowers were growing in the middle of a bush, a splash of white where it shouldn’t have been. So I plucked them and brought them home to enjoy for a few days. They don’t really smell like anything but they are pretty.

Sweet potatoes

I am the only person in my family who likes sweet potatoes so I almost never buy them. But I found a recipe for sweet potato brownies that I just had to try. I stood at the counter snacking on steaming sweet potatoes while mixing up the brownie batter. So, so yummy. I may have to buy these more often just for my benefit.

Green onions

Green onions grown in my garden! I couldn’t believe that my green onions survived our PNW winter but they did. The green onions continue growing even though I keep going out there and clipping off stems to use in my cooking. This week, I needed the green onions for the egg salad shown below.

Egg salad sandwiches

Would you believe I have never made egg salad sandwiches from scratch? Until two weeks ago, I didn’t even know how to boil eggs properly. I can make homemade jiaozi (Chinese dumplings), lasagna, even fresh mozzarella cheese. But I had no idea how to boil an egg. Now I do.

Korean stickers

I use cute stickers in my journal just because I love stickers. I have this adorable pack of stickers from South Korea and will find a sticker or two that matches what I am writing about each morning. This morning I did a double take when I spotted this particular sticker, a bird questioning why he is sitting with two onigiri (rice balls). I love onigiri! This sticker made me chuckle.

Muffin tower

This last photo is from this afternoon. I was going to make garlic toast with our lunch but I need the last slices of bread for french toast tomorrow. (My husband makes amazing french toast!). Thankfully, I had a box of cranberry orange muffin mix sitting in my cupboard. I love muffins and rarely make them. I’m not sure why; they are easy to make and they taste so good!

These are the glimpses of beauty I found this week as I tried to manage my exhaustion and anxiety. Looking for these small moments really helped me to stay in the present instead of worrying about the future. What glimpses of beauty did you see this week? I’d love to hear!

Homemaking with office hours?

My “office”

I am learning! I feel grateful that I am finally learning to roll with it, to try new things, and to keep trying new things until I find something that works for me.

Last week I posted that my mid-morning routine wasn’t working for me. My daughter needs a lot of help with schooling and I’m perfectly happy to help her. We just need to find a routine that works for both of us. Her presence is only required online for two hours each morning, four days a week. We were attempting to cram in assignments during the short breaks between classes or between classes and lunch. However, this was leaving us both feeling rushed and frazzled.

My daughter is “in class” from nine to eleven each morning. My husband often has conference calls in the mornings. Both of them have been working upstairs at the kitchen table. I was feeling like my attempts at a routine were being thwarted by everyone else’s schedule. I finally realized that instead of trying to fight their schedule, I should embrace it. On Monday, I decided to try something new.

My very cluttered “office”

Starting at nine every morning, I am moving myself to my bedroom. I haul my coffee and my laptop downstairs and set up in the corner. It’s relatively quiet down here, especially compared to the conference calls and schooling going on upstairs. My lovely noise cancelling headphones remove all distractions if I need absolute quiet.

This has been working really, really well! I worked in my new office from 9-11 four different mornings this week. My introverted self craves the quiet time. My need for productivity is satisfied because I have uninterrupted time to get things done. I’ve been following the mid-morning routine I shared earlier.

Best Decade Ever journaling
Process personal email
Process any business email
Complete all Chinese flashcards
Complete all Japanese flashcards
Respond to language partners on HelloTalk

I have’t quite been able to fit in a formal language lesson but it might happen in time. I do believe that the flashcard review plus posting/chatting on HelloTalk is already helping.

My office view

I am excited to keep following this new routine. I see possibilities!

I’d love to hear from you. How do you keep your office hours?

Best Laid Plans

My apologies to anyone who has left a comment in the past week. My husband is still trying to fix my blog on the back end because it’s not notifying me of new comments. Hopefully it’ll be fixed soon. I do want to connect with anyone who is reading my blog so I apologize if I have not been able to respond to you yet.

Begonia growth!

Earlier this month I brainstormed routines that I felt were doable for this season of life. How does that quote go? Man plans and God laughs. I don’t believe God mocks us but I do suspect He chuckles occasionally and shakes His head at our naivete.

My daughter will graduate high school in four weeks. Last month, the school was still trying to figure out how online learning was going to move forward. At first, it seemed like they were taking the approach that as long as you make an effort, you’ll pass your classes and graduate. But over the past few weeks, teachers have been sending home more and more assignments. My daughter struggles with self-directed learning so I’ve pulled up a chair and started learning alongside her.

High school math

We have learned so much math in the past few weeks! We’ve also worked on a project researching Tesla and their efforts at globalization. We finished reading The Great Gatsby, answered questions, and wrote an essay. All of this takes two or three hours a day and uses most of my brain power. I feel that my brain is not very sharp because I haven’t been stretching it by learning new things. I study languages but it’s a small project, not something that takes up a significant amount of time. So I feel like my brain is a bit rusty!

My mid-morning routine was supposed to look like this:

Make a cup of tea
Best Decade Ever journaling
Process personal email
Process any business email
Complete all Chinese flashcards
Complete all Japanese flashcards
Respond to language partners on HelloTalk
Japanese grammar lesson

Morning journaling

Instead, it currently looks like this:

Process email
Math
English
History
Any other school related things (resume building, financial aid stuff)
Make lunch

Clematis flower

The rest of my time has been spent keeping my family alive and my house from falling apart. I’ve been spending a bit of time in my garden, trying to keep everything alive. I’ve made a few homemade meals but I’ve also made boxed macaroni and cheese because… well, life.

If there is any time left after all of this, I have a new computer game obsession. My husband was rather shocked that I have never played Civilization so he bought me the latest Civilization release with all of the extra content. I have lost several games and I’ve won several games. I had no idea a computer game could be so complex. If this game is anything like running a real government, no wonder politicians look so frazzled.

Civilization VI

I’m not sure why this game is so addicting right now but I have a theory. Some areas of life feel out of control due to the coronavirus. I love to travel but I’m not allowed. I love to spend time at my local library but the libraries are closed. I love meeting with my friend at a coffee shop so we can knit and chat but we can’t do that right now. My life has gotten much smaller over the past three months and there’s no end in sight.

But here’s a game that lets me travel! I can build cities, add amenities, develop cultural attractions, and run a government. Civilization requires a ton of decision making and you have control of your entire civilization. When the real world won’t let you control a large portion of your life, a computer game gives you a semblance of control. In a way, playing Civilization is a coping skill for dealing with a rampant virus, a shut down community, and everyone being at home 24/7.

I would love to hear from you. How have you been doing with routines? Have you found that your routines are still serving you well or have you had to make changes?

The Simple Woman’s Daybook – May 4th

The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Capturing a moment in time, reminding myself to be aware of the present.

My patio garden

Looking out my window, we are blessed with a warm sunny day. It’s so nice after having several wet days.

I am thinking about our Bible study this morning. We are studying Galatians. Why is it so hard to understand the difference between living under law and grace?

I am thankful that I don’t have to go to the grocery store today. Shopping is even more stressful now that the virus is rampant.

One of my favorite things – a hot cup of coffee.

Knitting project

I am creating an infinity scarf. I am so close to being done but it feels like the project that never ends!

I am wearing my chilly weather default – jeans, thick socks, and a hoodie.

I am listening to The Tim Ferris Show. In this particular podcast, Tyler Cowen is discussing scales. A musician practices scales every day so that he/she can become an expert. A basketball player practices free throws. What is the equivalent of scales for a homemaker?

I am hoping to find more time today to work on my language studies. I’ve already completed my flashcards but I’d like to learn something new.

I am learning (or relearning) high school math with my daughter!

Birthday cupcakes

In my kitchen – leftover cupcakes from my daughter’s 18th birthday.

Post Script – If you have a craving for chocolate, I highly recommend ordering vegan chocolate truffles from Creek House Patisserie‘s Etsy shop. The hazelnut flavor is my favorite, followed closely by the espresso truffle.

Shared Quote – “Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.” The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

Flowers

A moment from my day. I’m just sharing this giant box of plants sitting on my dining room table. All of these need transplanted!

Closing Notes – This was a fun exercise in embracing the present moment. As I’m writing this, my husband is on a phone conference, my daughter is playing video games, and a very chipper bird is singing right outside our condo. It’s a busy day but there are also moments of calm.

Thanks to The Simple Woman for hosting this!

Routines – Mid-morning

Since my post last week, I’ve been working to establish a mid-morning routine, covering the period between breakfast and the start of my lunch prep. This is still very much a work in progress but I think I’m on the right track.

Here is my tentative mid-morning routine. I am going to follow this routine until it becomes habit or until I decide it’s not meeting my needs.

Mid-morning Routine
Make a cup of tea
Best Decade Ever journaling
Process personal email
Process any business email
Complete all Chinese flashcards
Complete all Japanese flashcards
Respond to language partners on HelloTalk
Japanese grammar lesson

Practicing Hanzi

By the time all of these items are completed, it’s almost time for lunch.

I’m glad that I am finally putting a priority on my language studies. Since I really want to travel, I need to keep moving forward in languages. I believe that neither Chinese nor Japanese are languages that you can cram 30 days before traveling, especially if you want to be able to read either of them. This means that I need to study every day, every week, every month so that I can reach conversational fluency in both languages.

The next week will be devoted to turning this new routine into habit. So far I’ve really enjoyed journaling with a hot cup of tea. Hopefully this morning time will prove to be both relaxing and productive.