Simplifying Life

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

From the Shaker song Simple Gifts,
written by Joseph Brackett, Jr. in 1848

There's a lot of talk these days about finding balance in our lives. I know it's certainly something I'm always after... a way to be healthy yet enjoy good food; finding time for myself vs. time for community involvement... slowing down to smell the roses yet getting everything done I want to do in a day.

I know you understand exactly what I'm talking about.

I can get distracted and off balance from seeing something in my house that I should take care of, or something I want to do. So as I'm doing one thing, I stop and do another thing, then forget what the first thing was as I begin to do yet a third thing.

Again, I bet that sounds familiar to many of you.

For me, finding balance in my life involves two things: slowing down enough to plan my day, and simplifying my life enough to focus on what's really most important. I don't know about you, but I can SO easily get pulled in twenty different directions (I can even do it to myself!) unless I know what I want to accomplish, and follow the plan. And the plan comes out of knowing what matters most to me.

We've known for many months that our oldest would be moving out at some point this year. I knew that when she left, I wanted to make her room into a guest room. When she was here, my sewing room served also as a guest room/home office/library/mess. I let the room get out of control with too much stuff stacked here and there. It's amazing how much stress that kind of chaos causes for me!

So I've finally taken the time to get things organized once again. And I decided it would be a great time to de-clutter and simplify. I donated three huge boxes of books to our local library; I sent another three boxes of miscellaneous stuff to Goodwill. These are all things I've thought I HAD to have around me. But in the end, it was just stuff taking up space in my house and weighing down my spirit. I simplified it down to the things that matter most to me, and I let the rest of it go.

My daughter left her bed but took her linens with her when she moved, so I needed to start from scratch setting up the guest room. The photo above is the chenille bedspread I ordered. The room looks nothing like the one pictured, but you get the idea. The bedspread is soft and plain and simple. My plan is to finish off one of the many UFO (unfinished objects, otherwise known as quilts!) I have going and lay it at the foot of the bed, with a matching pillow at the head of the bed. I've moved my office into the guest room, too - and organized shelves within the closet to keep all my records and files.

The sewing room has been organized as well, with labeled bins for fabrics, notions, and those aforementioned UFO's. I moved my sewing machine under the window for more light, and so I can look outside as I work. Hubby put together a small bookcase in there so I have a spot for my quilting books now. There's even room to add a plant, to bring some greenery into the room.

I'm truly breathing much easier today, now that so much stuff has gone away, and my home is organized. I posted last week about cleaning the garbage foods out of my kitchen. That's made a huge impact on my ability to eat healthy this past week. I'm not fooling myself: I've lived long enough to know that I'll have to do this again in a year or so: being a pack-rat is part of my personality (especially when it comes to books!)

But I've made a vow to work toward balance in my life -- my health, my family, my creativity and volunteer work -- and much of that begins by simplifying my environment.

How about you?

Until next time...

I Blew It!

Boy, is my face red.

In yesterday's post, I left off one of the best entries in my Par-tay with Attitude Contest.

Deborah over at A Mountain of Weight to Lose wrote a fabulous post about ADHD: Attitude, Diligence, Habit and Determination. How could I have forgotten to list it yesterday? It was one of my favorites!

Deborah, a public apology goes out to you. I am so sorry, and I hope you can forgive my perimenopausal memory. I use the expression quite often these days of having a "Swiss cheese moment," when my head seems to be full of holes. Yesterday was a major Swiss cheese post! Please forgive me, and email me your address so I can send off a little nine-patch mini-mini quilt for you, as well (qdinca@aol.com).

I think they'll be a whole bunch of crow included with your prize!

How embarrassing! Please let me know if I've forgotten anyone else. And thank you, Cammy, for the gentle reminder.

Until next time...

And The Winner Is...

One characteristic of winners is they
always look upon themselves as a
do it yourself project. ~ Denis Waitley

It's time to announce the winner of the Par-Tay with Attitude Summer Blog Contest!

I've taken far too long to do this, for two reasons: 1) It was hard to pick just one person to win the table runner and, 2) I've been trying like crazy to get the table runner finished! You know that old expression, "My eyes were bigger than my stomach"? A version of that applies to this contest: "My heart is bigger than my quilting skills!" I really was hoping to have it done and ready to mail, but there you go: life gets in the way.

So, without further ado, the winner of the contest is:

Every one who entered!

I'm serious! The bloggers who choose to post about how attitude changes everything are all winners in my book, and as such, they deserve a prize. I knew I couldn't do a table runner for everyone (or I'd be sewing until this time next year. Yeah, I'm that slow!) So I'm creating something like this for the runner-ups:

It won't be anything fancy: just a simple nine-patch block done in those fun fruit fabrics. Let it remind you to eat more fruits and vegetables, something we can all improve on (me included!)

Here is the top of the table runner, which I need to quilt and bind...

I'm lousy at taking pictures of my projects, so the color looks really flat. Believe me, the colors are anything but bland! Here's a close-up of one of the blocks:

And this bright reminder of why attitude changes everything will go to:

Rebecca at Ready Maid

Her post about her life-long struggle with weight and self-esteem really hit home for me. By reading the experts, then adopting her own 'can-do' attitude, she's been able to make some powerful changes in her personal life. Rebecca, thanks for being a shining example of how Attitude Changes Everything!

Here is a list/link to all the winners.

Jill at Life with Nature Girl
Karen at Never 2 Many Quilts
Manuela at A New Decade
Terry at Quilt Nut

Please drop by their blogs and give them a note of congratulations. And ladies, please email me your mailing address so I can send your prize to you as soon as it's finished. (qdinca@aol.com)

And while you're at it, why not drop by Scale Junkie and thank Diana for thinking up and coordinating this whole Summer Block Party idea. She's the mastermind behind it all, so be sure to toast her with a diet drink, with a fun umbrella in it!

Winners, your posts on attitude were terrific!

For me, that's what this journey called life is all about. There isn't a whole lot in this world we can control: we can't control the weather; we can't control the price of gas; we can't even control how fast those of us who give out prizes get the darn things done! :-)

But one thing we have 100% control over, 100% of the time, is our attitude.

May yours always be positive!


Until next time...

Feeling Hopeful

A woman is like a tea bag.
You never know how strong she is
until she gets into hot water. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

First, I must tell you how overwhelmed I am by the outpouring of support I received from my "meltdown" post. Thank you to every one of you who took time to write some of the kindest, most compassionate words I've ever read.

I am feeling much better about this journey, and took some good steps yesterday to set my feet on the path to being well. The first step was getting rid of the unhealthy food I have allowed back into my life. The full container of ice cream (the real stuff) went down the garbage disposal, followed by two containers of full-fat/full-sugar coffee creamer (which I love, but I seem to drink more creamer than coffee in the morning.) I packed up the cookies, chips, and crackers, and sent them to work with hubby. His staff will gobble them up.

The next action step yesterday was writing down what I ate. As much as I fight doing this, I'm always amazed by the sense of calm I feel when I do it. Maybe it's a feeling of control? Maybe it's about focus? Whatever it is, it helps me to see what I've put in my mouth. I worked on adding more fruits and veggies into my day (who can say no a tomato picked fresh from the garden?) My food day was not "perfect," and I'm ok with that because it's one heckuva lot better than the day that preceded it!

One step, one day at a time.

* * * * *

When I led Weight Watcher meetings, I used to give away to my members a little bookmark I'd made with the ABC's of Successful Weight Loss. I think it applies to any goal we've set for ourselves, any time we're trying to make positive changes. I'm listing my thoughts here from three years ago, to remind me of what that smart woman back then knew:

Accept responsibility for your choices and actions.

Believe that you're worth the time and the effort.

Commit and don't quit until your dreams come true.

Here's to all of us living lives of good health and joy!

Until next time...

I Need Help

Eating everything you want is not that much fun.

When you live a life with no boundaries,

there’s less joy. ~ Tom Hanks

First: For those of you who entered, I’ll be announcing the winner of my contest at some point this week. I promise!

* * * * *

I am the queen of a positive attitude. I believe with all my heart that how we think about the world becomes how we experience the world. So I try to always look at the good in every situation, to smile at others so they'll pass it along to someone else, to stay optimistic.

Well, the queen is having an attitude meltdown and needs some help.

I have issues with food. Some people can’t handle alcohol; others can’t handle gambling. Some people turn to drugs for comfort, others run up their credit cards.

Me? I eat. Waaaay too much. Food becomes little green monster that rules my life.

This is not news. I've had this problem since I was a child. But what continues to surprise me, at the ripe old age of 51, is that I still abuse food - even though I know better. I know it never meets my needs; I know it causes my body tremendous harm. I know these things, yet I eat food that's bad for me, and way too much of it.

I have GERD - you know, that condition they call acid reflux? It gets worse as I gain weight and right now, it's the worst it's ever been because my weight is the highest it's ever been. I had a bad attack at 2:00 this morning, and as I sat here desperate to breathe without the burning, sipping baking soda water to neutralize the acid in my esophagus, I just kept thinking, "Why? Why do you do this? Why did you eat that big steak for dinner, knowing this could happen?"

I have spent my entire life as an overweight person. The only time I have been at a normal weight was when I lost 50 pounds with Weight Watchers a few years back. It took me two years to lose the weight (I had many lessons to learn!) and I kept it off successfully for a little over two years. Then I gained it all back within seven months, and gradually have put on another 15 pounds. I say this only to put things into context...

I know I can lose the weight. I did it once; I can do it again. But what's taken the place of my usual positive attitude in this instance is cynicism. There is a voice inside me that says, "Why bother trying: you're just going to gain it all back again."

Does that sound familiar to anyone?

I hit a wall at 2:00 this morning. It’s time to make changes back to the things that used to feel so good. I loved walking every day; I loved searching out new fruits and veggies to try. I loved watching my medications disappear one by one, as I got more and more healthy (the pill for GERD was the first to go.) And I loved having the energy to live the kind of life I enjoy. I do NOT want to make this journey about the number on the scale. I want it to be about vigor and health, about having the strength to embrace and experience life as I want to live it.

I am humbled once again by how hard this process is. When I lost those 50 pounds, I think I got cocky and felt that I’d never gain them back. Hell, I was an enthusiastic and insightful Weight Watcher leader: I had all the answers! I had done tremendous internal work about why I overate – I was cured!

But I’m not cured, and I never will be.


(sigh) The journey begins once again.


Until next time…

Freedom Isn't Free

Seek freedom and become captive of your desires.

Seek discipline and find your liberty.

~ Frank Herbert

I finished my training to teach adults to read last week, and now I’m jumping through the hoops required in order to tutor through the country probation offices. One of those hoops is getting fingerprinted, as part of a background check they’ll do on me. I had to go up to the juvenile justice center yesterday, and it was an interesting experience. After I filled in the paperwork, they asked me to take my purse back to my car and lock it up. They then led me through a maze of locked doors, into the fingerprinting area. There were doors all around marked "holding cell." As we were finishing, two officers brought in a young man in hand cuffs and made him stand facing one of the doors until we left. He looked so young. I wondered what he'd done.

I just kept thinking of that expression, "Freedom isn't free." Usually we think of that in terms of those who bravely defend our country. But there are prices those of us at home pay for freedom, as well. One of them is following the law. If you can't do that, then you lose your liberty. I can't imagine how it felt to be that young man, facing a cell and whatever the future holds for him.



But there are other prices we pay to be free. No matter what we want in life, we must give up something to get it. I’m thinking in terms of personal freedom here, of making our lives better. And I’m not preaching: this is a lesson I’m thinking about a great deal and am taking very personally today.

If you want to own a home, you have to pay the price of going without the extras so you can pay your bills on time and build your credit. If you don’t want to smoke any more, you have the pay the price of withdrawal until the cravings go away (the good news is that they will go away: it’s 20 years and counting since I smoked!) If you want to live at a healthy weight, you've got to pay the price by committing to the hard and continuous work it takes to get there and stay there.

The greater the value of what you want personally, the greater the sacrifice you will have to make. There are no short cuts, no detours.

Freedom isn’t free. There is a price to be paid if we want to make our lives better. But more importantly, there is a price that will be paid if we do nothing and leave things as they are.

Happy Fourth of July, everyone. Let freedom ring!


Until next time...

The Party's Over

If you don't like something change it;

if you can't change it, change the way

you think about it. ~ Mary Engelbreit

My portion of the Summer Blog Party 2008 is over. The Par-Tay with Attitude! contest is officially closed. Thank you to everyone who entered.

But this doesn't mean people can't continue to post about how attitude makes a difference when you're trying to make positive changes in your life. It's a subject I find fascinating, so I hope you'll let me know if you decide to write something. There may not be a prize involved for focusing on the positive, but the personal rewards are immeasurable.

That being said, there are three more entries in the contest that you've gotta check out!

Nana Karen at Never 2 Many Quilts posted about how attitude made a difference when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Wow! She's a seven-year survivor so I think she knows what she's talking about!

Manuela at A New Decade took time out between running and gardening to write a thoughtful post about how a positive attitude has made a huge difference in this new phase of her life. Happy Canada Day to you, girl!

And finally, dear Rebecca at Ready Maid got in under the wire last night with a great post about why her attitude is making a difference in her weight loss journey this time around. "My body manifested my thoughts." I love that phrase!

Now comes the hard part: choosing a winner. I'm going to take a few days to read over each post again before I make a decision. That also gives me time to work on the runner a bit more (sneaky, eh?) I spent time on Saturday with friends, who helped me pick out the fabric for the borders. Wait until you see it: no one will ever be able to say the runner isn't bright and cheerful!



Happy July, everyone! I'm kind of a patriotic sap, so I love this time of year. Back home in Utah, it's a month long celebration of spirit and pride. We'd start the month with the traditional Fourth of July festivities, but the 24th of July marked the arrival of the Mormon pioneers into the Salt Lake valley. It was (and still is) a huge celebration (whether you're Mormon or not) of statehood, country, mom and apple pie!

I know things are rough right now in our country: high gas prices, high food prices, the mortgage mess, flooding and/or wildfires (depending on where you live) not to mention a divisive presidential campaign. Let's all do what we can to help one another get through this, and continue to focus on all that's good in our lives. I believe with all my heart that if we seek out the positive, that's what we'll find because attitude really does change everything!


Until next time...