keep it simple santa

so before us lies another holiday season. 

the season of giving, family gatherings, eating, decorating...........

over eating, over spending, over giving, over decorating........

family fights, credit card debt, weight gain from over eating..........

i know bah humbug.  but this is the time of year that you should take the time and think about what is important to you.  what are you celebrating?  why did you just spend $1000 on a ton of plastic, paper, metal, fabric to show people that you love them or that you are thinking of them? 

i am overlooking my constant wondering about why the festive season drives people to spend spend spend as a way to show love, friendship, thankfulness and so forth. and then there are the people running through the malls at the last minute looking for something to give someone for chirstmas so they have something under the tree.  what kind of thought even when into that gift you grabbed off the shelf at the store when you took that extended lunch to finish your shopping?  or the gift that you had your secretary or assistant pick up for you for your kid because you forgot a couple things on the list?

i find it hard with little kids and trying to make them understand that games and toys aren't what is important now because of what they are surrounded with.  even if your kids don't watch a lot of television or see a lot of commericals there are signs, pictures, store displays, other kids talking.  i cringe when i hear "i want that" come from my kids' mouths. i have a hard time too battling with the world where santa brings big huge presents to some kids but only a book or two to another.  if you have the need to buy huge material things, just make sure they come from you and not santa so santa can treat all kids the same.

i have made an important decision to appease my hatred of the commercialism of the season and overcome my anger towards those who have insseant need to spend money on things to show how you feel about someone instead of just making the time to spend with that person or those people.  i can't get away from all of the commercialism and i don't want to crush  my kids by telling them there is no santa so i have decided that for the next 5-6 years where santa has to exist in our lives we will buy minimal gifts which come from the jolly fat man in the red suit.  santa will be the only one who brings presents and they will not be big. 

the adults in my family are not buying gifts for each other - it is more important that we set aside time throughout the year to spend time with each other -  if we spend money and go somewhere for a night or even if we just spend no money and get together for a meal or maybe even we figure into the calendar a family weekend get away.  getting away with the boys and spend time with them, make memories.

i will also stress the importance of spending time with family and friends and explain how spending time together is a far better gift than anything material.  we will make cards and things for people and put a love and hard work into things that we give to others. 

my grandfather is not well, and he is my last grandparent that is still alive and i know we won't have him in our lives for much longer.  my mother in law passed away 10 years ago this past september.  life is too short and we don't spend enough time with the people we love and we don't tell people often enough that we appreciate them - their friendship, their support, their advice - any of that.

and buying a toy, or a cool gadget doesn't make up for it - money and things don't replace quality time

so, once the fat man is no longer in our lives this holiday season will become just that - a holiday.  a break from the hussle and bussle of life, a get away from the commercialism.  it will be a family holiday spending time with each other and knowing that that is what is important in life.  

this christmas give the gift of time, to people you know or even someone who you don't who would appreciate it.

you can't buy time - and time, while it has no monetary value, has more value than anything   

~ simply me ~

simply november

it's November 1, 2012, one of my least liked days.  i don't know where this feeling or thought comes from but every year on november first i begin this hatred of winter, hatred of how commercial the world has become and this hatred of christmas.  bah humbug i am sure you are muttering at me right now.

one thing that i think bothers me so much is this jump to christmas that the world seems to have the day after halloween. 

and it bothers me so much because such an important day is overlooked - november 11 - rememberance day. 

i think it is overlooked because there isn't a whole lot commercial about the day.  you don't see tshirts for sale, you don't exchange gifts or cards.  there aren't things in the aisles of the stores shouting out at you buy me because it is rememberence day.


both of my grandparents were in world war 2.  if it weren't for the people who fought in the wars and dealt with the conflicts that the world experienced in the past then you wouldn't be out there shopping for those christmas gifts, or working in your big corporate highrise, taking home your fat paycheque or let alone - enjoying the freedom and life that you experience around you.

i just ask that maybe, just maybe, people could pause and realize the importance of a day that is so significant, yet so simple.  it doesn't take a lot of time, or money or planning to take the time for this special day and to appreciate its significance.   

at least in the US they have thanksgiving to look forward to at the end of the month before they jump head first into the world of the fat jolly man. 

i love fall, especially in muskoka but once the leaves fall away and the vibrant colours of halloween decorations come down it leaves behind ~ november.  just plain blah, dreary, winter pending november

this time last year i was researching ways to move to the okanagan.  why?  because that area has almost the most days of sunshine a year in the entire country, has little snow, appeals to this idea of living a simpler life when i could grow fruits and vegetables and enjoy locally grown products for the bulk of the year and it would allow my family to explore the west coast of the continent for the next 40 years of life.  i figured i lived in ontario the first 40 years of my life, why not live on the west coast for the next 40. 

and then reality sets in - it is expensive to move, that part of the country is an expensive place to live and there just aren't the jobs there. 

so this year's dream is far more realistic ....

i am going to move my family to a tropical island where we are going to run a tiki bar on a beach, or we can take people on deep sea fishing excursions or go chonch fishing and my kids can make seashell necklaces and sell them to the tourists.  they are pretty cute kids, they could swindle tourists into taking their pictures for a small fee ....

there will be no commercial holidays being shoved down my throat but i will decorate my tiki hut with poppies

~ simply me in dreamworld ~

simplicity of the cottage incorporated into real life

i sit back and watch my boys playing in the backyard in their imaginary fort which lies beneath the big branches of an old evergreen tree. we had been fishing earlier in the day and swimming in the lake; all activities making me reminiscent of my summers at our cottage. there was no television, no gameboys, no ipads or iphones or computers. the radio consisted of cbc radio – the voices of peter gzowski, stuart mclean, shelagh rogers, barbara budd, the sound of the tone at 1 o’clock, the morning side theme and quirks and quarks. the music of the cottage included whatever was on cbc, the piano playing in the front cottage or at the neighbouring cottages, classical music and my uncle’s incredible whistling – i still long for that talent or even just to be able to whistle. my brother and i were probably the only grade schools kid in toronto who knew the radio personalities of cbc radio or who knew the song of eyes are blue, five foot two or bicycle built for two.

funny enough, my graduation day from trent university was the last morningside and peter gzowski’s final show. my brother and i didn’t want to get out of the car. we had been listening most of the drive from thornhill to peterborough that morning and it was hard to pull ourselves away. surely that was a good excuse for being late to my university graduation, plus my last name started with –s-

my cousins, the other cottage kids, my brother and i would play for hours on the beach making sandcastle towns, go fishing, play for hours in the lake, play games of kick the can and flashlight hide and seek at night and just hang out and enjoy all of the beauty of lake benard in the summer. blueberry picking, trips to trudgeons, ms mertons, mini put, drives around the lake or off exploring some new place in the area, a day was never dull. my brother and i were the youngest two of our generation of cottage kids but another baby boom came along about 12-15 years after us – a new generation of cottage kids but with an entirely different cottage experience.

in our days at the cottage we had no running water, no showers, no flush toilets, no laundry - our bathroom was basically an indoor, glorified and better smelling outhouse. yes we had electricity but no phone, no tv, just the radio and the great outdoors and books. if it was a cold summer it sucked because the lake was the bathtub and it was pretty tough getting in there when you had to wash because you were on day 3 or 4 of cold weather and you hadn’t been in for the 4pm swim. that seemed to be the exact time you would see figures of people leaving their beaches to meet at the drop off. the kids of course were under and soaked in the first 4 feet from the beach but the adults took their time walking all the way out there and then stood for what seemed like eternity telling the kids that they couldn’t be splashed and finally they eased themselves into the lake. everyone would bathe and then slowly make their way back to shore staying under water – literally crawling back to shore. i know completely understand the slow process of getting into the water. water is never cold to kids, but come adulthood, that lake that we once referred to as pea soup or like bath water became refreshing, and sometimes downright chilly.

so, flash-forward to today, all the kids of the cottage are all grown up now, most of us with children, with busy lives in the cities we live in and in the crazy hectic schedules and demands that revolve around us. most of us return to our cottage roots but life is really different around the cottages. the front cottage has a phone (cordless at that), television (with satellite) a wireless network and computer. when i was there two summers ago one of the younger generation cottage kids was sitting on the couch in the front cottage with an ipod in his hand and earphones on his head, complaining that there was nothing to do. he had checked his email, there was nothing on television, the wii competition had come to an end and to top it all off he was fully clothed – socks and running shoes included. i think i lived in my bathing suit all summer long, had bare feet for 80% of the time or flip flops on and can’t ever recall a day of being bored.

even rainy days at the cottage were fun – scrabble with the couple next door (who i am sure the man totally cheated so he could beat me), monopoly games that lasted hours, cribbage, euchre, reading a great book curled up in the sun porch, playing outside in the rain or in the lake when it was raining as long as there wasn’t lightning or even a trip to the big city of north bay. we never left the cottage for a trip to the bay though if it rained before 7 because according to my uncle it would be clear by 11. but, if the morning sky was red and it was raining in the morning we would pack the car and head north.

that particular day of encountering the bored kid was a real eye opener for me. my aunt told me to tell him what we used to do at the cottage and how life is never boring there. he balked at the idea of fishing, exploring the trail along the creek to first bridge or second bridge, making sandcastles, trying to windsurf, lying on the dock, canoeing, reading a book or even about the adventures of jughead and archie that were still up in the loft or pretty much anything i relayed as an idea. wow what world did i grow up in? what world was that generation growing up in? what were our kids going to be doing at the cottage?

i was suddenly so grateful to my family – including my aunt and uncle for creating the environment we grew up in. to appreciate the small and simple things in life. it really resonates with me in my search for making a simpler life. all of the recommendations on the lists of the 100 ways to simplify your life include all the things i did at the cottage as a kid – get rid of electronic devices or turn them off on a regular basis, do things you enjoy, get rid of the material things and basically live things simply by doing the things you love to do and eliminate all the stressors, unnecessary commitments in life and put yourself and your time first.

so again i look at the boys playing in their fort under the evergreen tree. so thankful i have been raising them the way i do. to enjoy the outdoors, live life or at least live summer with very little electronics including tv, ipads, iphones, wii and so forth. going fishing, blueberry picking, rock hounding, exploring places we have never been before, hiking, camping, reading, swimming and living where we do. while we do live in muskoka – cottage country of the rich and famous, sports stars and movie stars - we live a cottage type lifestyle in muskoka year round – and the cottage lifestyle of my childhood. not what people today know of the cottage lifestyle - a world of exclusive multi-million dollar cottages – boathouses that are bigger than my home and nicer than most people’s homes, sound systems on their docks and in their bathrooms that cost more than my annual salary, complete wireless networks and cellular service, computers and iphones and laptops on the docks so everyone can keep in touch with the business world. let’s not forget about the insanely loud, fast and crazy speed boats, i guess maybe to replicate their loud fast and crazy life in the real world.

i love my hammock that sways slowly in the breeze under my trees, i love my kids pretending that the backyard is a jungle with secret hideouts, i love that my kids love picking berries, rock hunting, fishing, swimming, catching toads in the back yard. i love that my son keeps an eye out for deer or moose on our way to school. i love that i once had to wait for the bear to be done sucking the juice from the hummingbird feeder in the yard before i could go to my car to get to work. i love that it takes me 20 minutes to drive to work and the only traffic i worry about is the wild turkeys or deer on brackenrig road.

i love that i grew up not watching tv all summer long, or that i had to listen to cbc radio, or that on rainy days i curled up with a good book or ran around in the rain in my bathing suit. i am glad i make my kids play in puddles, that i don’t care if they get dirty, that they know what deer, moose, bear, raccoons and ducks look like. i am glad that my sons know what bush is a blueberry bush or a raspberry bush or strawberry plants, what mica and quartz crystals look like and that you should always carry rock hunting gear in the trunk of your car.

the simple things in life are best – they are educational, inexpensive, relaxing and of the utmost importance in my life and hopefully i instill that in my kids.

~ simply me who is leaving for the cottage in 4 hours ~

what is your definition of success?

s u c c e s s

a simple life well lived in our human nature is a desire to achieve, to be successful. we all want success.

how do we measure success?

can a person have too much success?

a little story about a mexican fisherman illustrates success in a simple life well lived.

the little story....

the businessman was at the pier of a small coastal mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. the businessman complimented the mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. the mexican replied only a little while.

the businessman then asked why he didn't stay out longer and catch more fish? the mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs. the businessman then asked, but what do you do with the rest of your time? the mexican fisherman said, "i sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, maria, stroll into the village each evening where i sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; i have a full and busy life, señor."

the businessman scoffed, "i am a harvard mba and i could help you. you should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds buy a bigger boat. with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. you would control the product, processing and distribution. you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to mexico city, then la and eventually new york city where you would run your expanding enterprise."

the mexican fisherman asked, "but señor, how long will this all take?" to which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." "but what then, señor?" the businessman laughed and said, "that's the best part! when the time is right you would announce an ipo and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. you would make millions." "millions, señor? then what?" the businessman said, "then you would retire. move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

the fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, "isn't that what i'm doing right now?"

-author unknown

we live in a world in which being successful is everything. success is measured by power, popularity, control, achievement, and winning. having more and being more is success. the businessman measured success by the accumulation of wealth and by living a plush life. he held a harvard mba, millions of dollars, and status as a powerful businessman. "the person with the most toys wins" is a fitting motto.

the businessman encouraged the fisherman to accumulate "toys," too. "buy a bigger boat," then "buy several boats," and eventually buy a "fleet of fishing boats." the businessman claimed all this would lead to power and status when "you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery." as his own boss, the businessman ventured the mexican would amass "control" and more wealth through an "expanding enterprise."

patiently the fisherman listened and then asked an intelligent question, "how long will this all take?" to which the businessman replied, "15-20 years." there’s danger in waiting to live the life that you really want to live. like the businessman, we can easily spend forty years climbing to the top of the financial ladder only to find it is leaning against the wrong wall. we didn’t address life issues about faith, contribution, success, suffering, or love.  possessions and wealth are not enough. while comforting, wealth cannot fulfill. benjamin franklin was of the opinion, "money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. the more a man has, the more he wants. instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one." wealth may momentarily help us to escape emptiness; it cannot cure it.

the mexican fisherman lived in a small village, fished in a small boat, and led a simple life. his little way made, for him, a happy life. the mexican found success in a simple life well lived. the quality of his relationships, the depth of his character, and the sincerity of his commitments to family measured his success.

the fisherman had a specific view of a life well lived. "i sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, maria, stroll into the village each evening where i sip wine and play guitar with my amigos." to be as specific as possible helps to succeed in living a good life. his little way made, for the mexican fisherman, a "full and busy life." the businessman accumulated money to support his retirement. it was wise to plan for the future. yet, what sort of life was he living in the present? the businessman was so future-oriented he hadn’t taken sufficient time to question what the future looked like. the businessman was living for what the mexican already enjoyed—a simple life well lived. i’m not suggesting selling everything and moving to a small coastal mexican village (although, personally this is an appealing idea). we should aspire to be successful in our careers. my brother received a $40,000 bonus last year, and my sister recently passed her exam to pursue her doctorate. these are perfectly legitimate forms of success. we run into trouble when the only thing we are living for is success that is self-serving. rudyard kipling, giving a commencement address at mcgill university in montreal, said there was one striking thing that deserves to be remembered about people. warning the students against an over-concern for money, power, or popularity, he said, "some day you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. then you will know how poor you are." the businessman discovered how poor he was when he met the mexican fisherman.

 
 

 

ralph waldo emerson defined success in a simple life well lived as:

"to laugh often and much; to win the respect of
intelligent people and affection of children; to learn the
appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of
false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in
others; to leave the world a little bit better, whether by
a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social
condition; to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived. this is to have succeeded."


i think the mexican fisherman would have agreed with emerson

 
written by shanelle pierce, © 2005 center for life principles, all rights reserved.

discovering your golden buddha

a few weeks ago a good friend of mine and i went to see a screening of a documentary called "finding joe".  joseph campbell was an american mythologist and writer who is best known for his writings about the hero's journey.  after a lot of thought and reflection about the movie, i can say that i think it has made me realize why i went through my post partum journey this past year, the reason i seek a simple life, the reason i am doing all the things i want to do in life right now and why i am me, right now, here in today's present.  while the movie isn't the most spectacular movie you will ever see, the imagery is stunning and the dialogue lets you relate to campbell's theories and also inspires.  the film follows the stages of campbell's hero journey: challenges, fears, dragons, battles, and the return home as a changed person.

allen cohen, is a writer who is well known for his contributions to the chicken soup for the soul series of books.  in the movie, allen explaings the story of the golden buddha.  this is the story that i related to the most in the movie - here is an except from chicken soup from the soul of this story

in 1957, a group of tibetan monks were informed that a highway was being built and the highway would have to go through the location where the shrine, for which they were responsible, was currently located. the shrine, a huge clay buddha, would have to be moved. arrangements were made and the day of shrine moving arrived, the shrine, located under a roof to keep it safe from the elements, was prepared for its journey. a crane began lifting the clay buddha. the buddha, as it rose off of its block resting place, began to crack. it was far heavier than all the engineers had estimated. the monk supervising the movement of the buddha frantically called to the crane operator telling him to set the buddha down. quickly, the alert crane operator carefully set the buddha on the ground. as the monks and the engineers examined the buddha, they found several large cracks. a larger crane would be needed and that crane would not be brought in until the next day. the buddha would have to spent the night in its current location. to make matters worse, there was a storm building and the night ahead would be a stormy one.

the monks covered the buddha with water proof tarps on poles to keep it dry overnight. all seemed to be well. during the night, the head monk awoke and decided to check on the buddha. with a flashlight, the monk carefully checked the condition of the buddha. as he walked around the huge clay figure shining his light on the cracks, something caught his eye. he returned to the spot on which he had just shined his light. he peered into the crack. what he saw he did not understand. he needed to see more. he went back to his quarters, found a chisel and a hammer and returned to the buddha. he began carefully chipping at the clay around the crack. as the crack widened, he could not believe his eyes. he ran to wake the other monks and instructed each to bring a hammer and chisel. by lantern light the monks carefully chipped all the clay from the buddha. after hours of chiseling, the monks stepped back and stared in awe at the sight before them. there, in front of the monks, stood a solid gold buddha.

when the moving crew arrived later that morning to complete the job of moving the buddha to its new location, there was much confusion and excitement. where had the clay buddha gone? from where had the golden buddha come? the monks explained. historians were called and research was begun to discover the origin of the golden buddha.

after much research, the pieces of the story were put together. the golden buddha was the cherished responsibility of a group of monks several centuries earlier. these monks received word that the burmese army was headed their way. concerned that the invading army would loot the shrine for its golden buddha, the monks covered their buddha with 8 to 12 inches of clay. when they were finished the golden buddha appeared to be a buddha of clay. the invading army would surely have no interest. the monks were correct. the invading army had no interest in the buddha. they did, however, kill all the monks before they moved on. the golden buddha was lost in history until 1957.

there is a golden buddha inside each of us. hidden away and covered with layers and layers of clay. we start out life as a true golden buddha. then our true self gets put on a shelf and we get involved in the survival game. we each begin to lose our true drive and we lose sight of the gifts each of has to offer.

the golden buddha story gives us tools we can use every day - the flashlight, the chisel and the hammer. the flashlight represents the power of our individual vision. the hammer represents the power of our individual level of responsibility. the hammer represents the power of our individual sense of team that will get each of us on our road to success. the team we each have available to us are those individuals whom we know are committed to us unconditionally - our true friends and family.

in the movie, allen cohen relates the layers of clay on each of our own golden buddhas to the labels we and society put on ourselves as well as all the things that we are overloaded with from the media, the world's events, news, and even just the busyness of life itself.  there are expectations that come with each label that bog us down and weigh down on us like the clay and it isn't until something happens in our life that we "crack".  it might be something major like a divorce or a death, or something like an illness.  it isn't until we crack that we can see that deep down inside we are a golden buddha.

 

it is weird to put this in writing but i really think that while this past year of dealing with post partum depression has been horrible, i think it is the best thing that has happened to me.  it has been my crack and it has lead to me discovering my golden buddha.  i have written on here about finding out what things you like to do and doing more of them but it wasn't until dealing with all of this that i actually examined what i am made up of.  yes i am a mom, a daughter, a sister, a friend and so forth, but i am myself - an individual - and i need to be that first and foremost to be happy and to allow for my golden buddha to glow and break down all the labels and stressors in my life - chip away the clay.

 

i like me as a golden buddha.  and so i leave you with this ..... 

there is a crack, a crack in everything .... that's how the light gets in ~ The Anthem by Leonard Cohen

 

 

 
 
~ simply golden me ~
 

my simple life to date

so it has been a while since i updated all of you reading about my 40 bags in 40 days project.  things are going well.  i have posted some before and after pictures of some of the rooms, with the last being the little man's new toy story bedroom.  the kitchen is now done including the fridge and the living room is almost done.

 i have the liquor cabinet/hutch to do but i might keep that until our annual may party to clean it out (oh and that really isn't a pictures of the inside my my liquor cabinet) - aside from the hutch, toys have been donated, the art supply drawer has been cleaned out and the play kitchen has had it's own clean out job including the donating of excess dishes, cutlery, pots pans 

so far the project has been a great success.  one thing that i will pass along to you if you are doing this - give everything (that remains) a place.  the spot where it lives and let everyone know where its home is.  this way, when you go to tidy things up or someone else tidies up (does that really happen) anyhow, it is easy to put away because there is a place for it.  kitchen clean up has been really easy now that things are sorted and i haven't yet had to spend an hour looking for a lid for my lunch container.  

another thing that i recommend during a clean up is to have a basket - which i have yet to do myself but i read it on a blog and it is such a good idea. do your tidy up with a basket under your arm and collect things for each room, one at a time.  this may not apply to everyone but having two boys under six i find that if i don't do this way i am walking around in circles putting toys and clothes back in their homes.  i typically collect the items in my arms but the basket is such a better idea. i think that the gutting of the house so far has been such a great time saver.  it is easy, rather...  simple to do a clean up now a days.  and in most instances it has been a month since i have done that room so it is still working so far

with less time wasted on cleaning up i have had a chance to spend time                      

                                                      doing literally nothing 

- well not nothing but enjoying my free time.  i have been reading, playing the iphone app games that i have downloaded, which hubby doesn't like so much but he is the one that wanted me to get an iphone and an iphone only.  it's funny too because i have read on a number of sites to cut back on your cell phone games, internet and online use to help simplify life and while i no longer read the news - be it world, national or local; i do go online quite a bit from my phone and play lots of games but i am enjoying myself.  i think they are really referring to those who have it attached to their head and are constantly working when away from work.

i have spent a lot of time outside since the weather has been nice and it has been so great.  i am not stressed out as much about how cluttered the house is - granted a lot of stuff has been put to the basement in the "meantime" which is clearly a broken rule i set out for myself in the cleaning project.  

rule that was broken: don't move stuff from one place to another in the house - deal with it at that time you touch it - donate it, throw it away or give it a home.  well, i am afraid to even take before pictures of the basement.  it is a complete embarrassment on my part so there may not be posted pictures lol

i will completely admit that life has been stressful lately, my grandpa has been in hospital and my daycare arrangements for the boys flopped but i have to say that if the house wasn't as clean and orderly as it was it would have had a far worse week for me than it was.

so, i have the bedroom and bathroom and the big guy's room yet to do which is a whole lot of toys and books to go through.  the yard has been started since the weather today was a beautiful 23 degrees and sun on march 18th!  it is going to be a cruel mean joke if mother nature decides to bring the white stuff back again this year.  yard raked, sleds put away, deck cleaned off, leaves burned, deck chairs washed off.  the shed has to be cleaned out, garage cleaned out but that is relatively easy since over three quarters of it is our tent trailer.

once the house, yard and garage has been purged and gutted i will begin to tackle the home improvement projects i have - starting small - like painting, new blinds here and there, putting trim along the carpet's edge and some dry walling.

another project that has started is simplifying our finances.  i am really thinking of getting rid of the satellite or downsizing our huge plan.  i am finding i am watching less tv and really not caring so much about seeing every episode of shows i have been watching. i mean there are many i still watch but that is what the pvr is all about.  

i am working on a budget where i am setting up payments online for each pay day, that way the bills are being paid when they should be and i don't have so much to worry about.  i have gone through the bills and whatever the monthly amount i am spending is, i divide it by 4 paychecks and have the amount of one quarter of the bill being put on the bill with each paycheque.  this makes it simpler for cash flow and i know bills are being paid.  when it comes to the mortgage i divide that by 4 as well and then put the money into another account until the day it is due.  i have set up 3 months worth and i know what is going where and when.

and so it continues ~ this huge project of simplifying my life but i am so happy with the progress so far.  i have had time to do what i want to in a day and on the weekends - granted i need to get back to my running but today's enjoyment included a 5.5km walk with the boys in the wagon to see "spring happening"  as my eldest put in.  

i will have to share with you some of the things we have been doing in our joyous free time from hikes to playing at the park, beginning our rock hounding season to exploring the old nipissing trail this past weekend.  tomorrow night i begin my photography course at the local college too.  

life seems to be simply good these days

~ simply  me ~

ode to wine drinkers

for some reason i seem to associate drinking wine with images of relaxation and tranquility. for these reasons i would like to be a wine drinker but my taste buds just aren’t up to the sophistication of my brain…. yet

i remember learning from my mom that your tastes change as you age, the childhood sweet tooth fades and many of the taste buds on the roof of your mouth and on the sides die and your sense of taste fades, so things that are spicy or bitter when you are younger tend to become more pleasant tasting as you get older.

i think i may agree but am still not entire sure. i may be liking the taste of wine more and more but i admit that i am still a fruit flavoured wine or wine cooler type drinker of wines. maybe i haven’t found my wine yet. a friend of mine told me i have to start trying wines until i find "my wine". i may become an alcoholic in the process but it may be my new endeavour….  

to find the wine that takes me to that place of relaxation

to find the wine that leads to my imagined tranquility

or how about just ...

to find a wine i can sip without shuddering like my little guy
does drinking anything carbonated

heh or maybe i just stick with beer

i remember my aunt, uncle and parents sitting at the cottage drinking wine - sitting at the beach, or after dinner, or when we would hold a “just for the sake of having a party” party. their wine was so enjoyable they bought it by the box – or maybe that was because it was cheaper in bulk (insert chuckle).

maybe what i have in my mind is that there is something adult about wine. at family get togethers, my grandma used to let us have wine with apple juice in it. i am sure it was mostly apple juice, but still still, the kids were having wine in mini wine glasses that she had bought for us. just like the grown ups.

sometimes i look at myself and wonder how am i an adult? how am i a mom of two boys, who rely on me as onw of their parents when some days i really don’t feel very grown up? or maybe i don’t want to feel grown up. i make these two little people meals, pack a school bag, clothe them, bathe them all the while i still don’t quite get the fact i am the age i am.

i think it is mostly because my family is relatively young – at play, at heart and in all the things that we do. you would never guess my parents’ ages in all the things that they do – they were climbing the pyramids not too long ago, hiking “the crack” (if you have ever been to killarney), "roughing it at the cottage" and now keeping up with 5 grandkids under 6.

i am pretty young at heart too i think. with the boys we love to go play in the snow, toboggan and go tubing, play video games, play fight, colour, play playdough, build sandcastles and play on the playground equipment with them. my brother and his family are very much the same.

when i think of wine drinking right now i immediately think of cougartown and big joe (rip 2007-2010) and now big carl. too funny!  jules and the gang can always find a reason to drink wine and some of the funniest moments of the show take place around the kitchen island or the couch during a wine session.  also, there are many great drinking games that come from and can be played with wine drinking .....

penny can

and so, to start living the life stemming from the imagry i have with wine i guess i need to get myself a wine glass, a big wine glass that is, give it a name and start trying some wines. i mean, i know i will be in good company reading the world of online quotes about wine drinking …..

"wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance."                                                             --- benjamin franklin

"wine is the most civilized thing in the world."

                                   --- ernest hemingway

"wine is life."

       --- petronius, roman writer

"clearly, the pleasures wines afford are transitory - but so are those of the ballet, or of a musical performance. wine is inspiring and adds greatly to the joy of living."                                                                            --- napoleon

"wine cheers the sad, revives the old, inspires the young, makes weariness forget his toil."                                                                    --- lord byron

"if food is the body of good living, wine is its soul."              --- clifton fadiman

"wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized."

                                                                                                           --- andré simon

"wine can of their wits the wise beguile, make the sage frolic, and the serious smile."

                                                                                             --- homer

"when there is plenty of wine, sorrow and worry take wing."

                                                   --- ovid, "the art of love"

maybe i am still not convinced though lol.  i like beer...  maybe i pour the beer into my wine glass

~ simply me ~

so i broke one of my rules - well not a rule but suggestions.  do it one room at a time, which i didn't.  even my hubby pointed this out to me.  good to know he is reading my blog  LOL 

anyhow - this weekend i jumped to the little man's room instead of finishing the kitchen.  what i have to complete in the kitchen is the pantry, under the sink, the fridge and counters.

but i thought since it was the weekend and i had longer stretch of time i would change the baby room into a little boy's room.  i have to sew some curtains and a new blanket because as you can see the curtains are still pooh and there is a montreal canadiens comforter but it is mostly a blue toy story room.

~ simply me ~

some kitchen cupboard before and afters

the kitchen cupboards

the endless amount of tupperware

pots and pans and yes - more tupperware

pots and pans - got rid of the set from university finally

~ simply  me ~

days one and two .. i am tired already

well, the decluttering project is under way.  day one and day two of the actual work and not just the list making i tackled the downstairs bathroom, the mudroom and the cupboards in the kitchen. the bathroom was fairly easy, but as you can see it has some cosmetic work to be done.  tom and i renovated this bathroom - oh let's say 5 years ago now and it still isn't complete.  we aren't very good at the completing of tasks.  we always have great ideas and visions of things and start them but they rarely get finished. from here on out we either complete them in their entirety or have someone else do the work for us (probably the better option).  tom is a good demolition man but if he can't drive a sledgehammer through it or burn it in the campfire once it is ripped apart, the job has come to an end :)

since i finished working on the bathroom rather quickly i started the mudroom.  first step was the closet.  since both tom and i have lost a fair amount of weight it was pretty easy to go through all the jackets and get rid of them because most of them didn't fit anymore.  above the jackets i threw away almost everything because i haven't looked up there probably since we moved into the house 10 years ago.  things just get put up there after being used or when we are cleaning the yard for winter.  that would explain the 6 bottles of kid bubbles.  and at the back there was a box with led crystal candle sticks, candles and a c.d. which I am pretty sure never belonged to us. I think it may  have belonged to the people who lived in the house before us.  but bad me, i put the led crystal candle sticks on the hutch cause they are nice - but really?  maybe I should send them off in one of my second hand store bags.

day two of the project i took care of the shoe cubbies and what i call the pail - which you can't even see beneath the window-frame mirror for all the clutter.  the pail is where seasonal things get thrown.  in the winter it is full of hats, gloves and scarves.  come summer it is usually flip flops, plastic shovels, bugspray and suntan lotion.  and where is the pail now? you ask. well, guilty, i put it in the closet but in my own defense it is really old and i am pretty sure my mom will want it instead of me throwing it away

in the back of the shoe cubbies i found a fish filleting knife that my father in law bought for tom about 6 years ago.  it was still in its original package.  when i asked him if he wanted it first he said no, then he said yes and to put it with the fishing gear - so for now it sits in the basement with the fishing gear but the basement will be touched with my "cleaning with vengeance" soon enough.  what also sits in the basement are tom's rollerblades that i found in the back of the top cubby.  those two were originally a no to keeping but he quickly changed his mind to a yes.  those will be revisited too

after lunch today (day two) gavin asked if we could do some more on the list.  he is having a ball doing this.  while cleaning out the shoe cubbies he and his brother both wore their sandals and bike helmets that we found in there.  

and so, we put the little man down for his afternoon nap and gavin and i started to take everything out of the cupboards in the kitchen.  so what i thought was going to be a relatively short project took almost 8 hours.  and because of that i have to leave this post as it is.  my body is achy, and i need to get to bed.  tomorrow i will upload the before and after pictures from the tupperware cupboard (or plural), the glasses, the plates, the sippy cups and so forth.

good night, until tomorrow

~ simply (tired and worn out) me ~