It’s easy to focus on the big moments in life that bring us joy. But for most of us, those moments happen infrequently. There is so much joy in the simple things. In the everyday routines that we center our lives around. But so often, we overlook these simple joys. But what would happen if we slowed down enough to savor those simple things that we do everyday. Would we feel more content? Would…
Well, actually I have 3 meals that I cycle through for lunch. I tend to eat one of these 3 options every day until I'm sick of it and then I move onto one of the other 2 and repeat. The 3 meals that I cycle through are: PB Toast - Whole wheat or multi-grain toast, topped with peanut butter, flaxseed meal, sliced banana, chopped walnuts and a drizzle of maple syrup.Loaded Oats -…
About a week ago, I put a question out to my Instagram community. I asked for book recommendations since I was struggling with a book that I was reading. And wow, did they deliver! I thought it would be useful to list all of the recommendations in a blog post so that they could be easily referenced. In no particular order: Fiction Books: Station Eleven by Emily St. John MandelAstra by Cedar BowersUtopia Avenue…
I've never made a vision board before. Like, ever. Or, at least, not intentionally. I do have some faint memories of cutting up magazines and pasting the cut outs to a piece of paper but I don't think there was any real reason behind it, other than boredom. But I came across a vision board that Mind. Beauty. Simplicity put together a few days ago and I felt really inspired. I feel really focused…
A few years ago, I decided that I would no longer make resolutions for the new year. I had made them for as long as I can remember. Read more, exercise more, study more, drink less, quit shopping. And inevitably, I'd fail at them and then feel like crap about it. But a few years ago, I decided to try a different practice that felt gentler and more in line with self-care than a…
I don’t do resolutions. When I’ve attempted them in the past, and inevitably failed at them, I’d always feel bad. So, a few years ago, I decided to stop setting myself up for failure. Instead, I like to take some time in December to think about intentions for the new year. “Intentions” feel much less restrictive than “resolutions” and they can be a great way to start living more intentionally. One of the intentions…
Isn't that all we really want? Don't we all wish that we could stop shopping and spending less money on things we don't need? Don't we want to be happy and content with what we already own? Imagine all the money we wouldn't be wasting on stuff? Maybe we could use that money to pay off debt, save for an emergency fund, or travel more. Maybe, with time, and some careful planning, we could…
It's September, which means it's time for "Secondhand September", an initiative started by Oxfam Great Britain to celebrate and encourage secondhand shopping during the month of September. As you probably already know, I'm a huge fan of secondhand shopping as a way to add to my wardrobe and to also decorate my house. So how could I let this month pass by without participating. Considering that I only buy clothing from the secondhand market,…
I have a mission to reduce food waste in our house. I'll be the first to admit that this is an area that I struggle with. We aren't the best at choosing healthy snacks if less healthy options are available. But, in my wish for us to eat more healthy food, I always pick up fresh produce. And a lot of it goes to waste. But I intend to change that, and it starts…
We just recently returned from our first ever trip to Colorado. And we loved it! We left home on Saturday, August 8th and returned on Saturday, August 14th, both of which were very long travel days. But the scenery was beautiful at least, so it made the drive a little more tolerable. I loved all of the wildflowers growing on the sides of the road. The sunflowers were my favorite! Denver We stayed in…
My relationship with money hasn't always been easy. I didn't grow up in a family that had a lot of money. We lived in a rural Canadian town. My dad was a construction worker and my mom worked at a local plant for part of the year. A budget wasn't something that was ever discussed, or even heard of, since we lived paycheck to paycheck. My dad had some pretty bad habits that sucked…
A minimalist, I mean. When I started blogging three years ago, my intent had been to talk about minimalism and living with less stuff. Hence the name "Uncomplicated Spaces". I had already been working toward a more minimalist lifestyle for about 2 years prior and I was really interested in sharing my voice. I really wanted to show other people that minimalism isn't just a tiny home or a 500 square foot apartment. Both…
