For most of my life, the allure of coffee has been strong. As a freshly minted teenager I loved sharing a cup of instant with the grown ups. The taste never actually appealed to me, but the conversation did, so my palette was quick to mature.
It’s almost the beginning of another new year, and as I write this, a sense of calm prevails.
Right now I’m at my most relaxed. The flurry of Christmas is over, and every year before I return to work, I use the time to reflect on the previous year, and prepare for the one ahead.
I scream, you scream… and it’s only the start of the silly season.
If your chest is beginning to tighten at the impending volume of festivities, it’s time to stop, breathe, and prioritise.
Ahh, coconut oil. Where have you been all my life?
Never in my wildest dreams did I expect a voguish foodstuff to bring me such pleasure, but for the past four months it’s been championing simplicity for me, and fulfilling my minimalistic desires in oh, so many ways.
But, not in the place you might think. Like the kitchen.
No, no, no. This seductive natural extract is the hero of my everyday beauty routine.
Anyone who’s heard the song ‘Hard to say I’m sorry’ by Chicago is unlikely to forget the opening line:
“Everybody needs a little time away, I heard her say, from each other.”
For me, this 80’s ballad is top of mind.
I’ve taken a road trip for work, and as I write this, I’m perched in a hotel room located just a few hours away from home. It’s nothing flash, just a standard space with the basic amenities.
Dinner time. It was a favourite part of my day when I was growing up.
At 6pm every workday evening, a ‘supper-time symphony’ would occur in my family home. Dad would walk through the front door, Mum would sing out “up to the table”, and my brother and I would race each other furiously to our chairs. Continue reading
“By 2050 it’s estimated that the weight of plastic in our oceans will exceed the weight of fish” ~ Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Last week I lost my favourite water bottle. I was gutted.
When it happened, I was holidaying in Queensland with my family and friends on a warm and sunny afternoon. We were at a theme park, and I was high on the excitement of the waterslides; playing in the pools with my kids, and having a really awesome time.
“Blessed are they who have the gift of friends, for it is one of God’s best gifts” ~ Thomas Hughes
I can’t quite believe it, but my daughter turned eight last week. When she was born everyone said “time will go so quickly, don’t forget to enjoy her”. They weren’t wrong. It just feels like yesterday I was stroking her precious cheeks, in teary awe at the beautiful creation before me.
At Christmastime in 1917, a speciality store in Kansas City, U.S.A. ran out of red, white, green, and holly embellished tissue sheets (sold as gift wrap).
The owners of the store were brothers, J.C. and Rollie Hall who improvised by bringing in French decorative ‘envelope lining paper’ from the manufacturing plant of their greeting cards. It sold out so quickly they decided to produce their own sheets, and this marked the beginning of the modern-day gift wrap industry.
“Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value, and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It requires a conscious decision because it is a countercultural lifestyle” ~ Joshua Becker
The other day, I realised something remarkable. For the better part of 12 months, I’ve had a considerable amount of freedom to do the things I love, despite the fact that it’s been my busiest year ever.
sweetsimplicity.net 