Word of the Year - 2019

     Last year I started reading a book on Ikigai and it really interested me.  Ikigai is your reason for being, your passion.

     I have been thinking a lot about the idea of my reason for being and the concept of passion and what is my passion. I decided that this year I want to focus on this, as I am very interested in my passion and discovering what my reason for being is.

     I also still plan to focus on Lagom from last year which is balance everything in moderation.  That concept works pretty well for me last year, except in terms of doing a long term sub job and all the English Language Learner's Testing and foreign language testing. This year I am once again doing the testing, but I am not trying to teach at the same time. That was way too much and threw me totally out of balance.

     I want to focus on what my reason for being or passion is and figure out what it really is. At one point in time I would have said it was being a mother, but with my children grown and off on their own, I am not as focused on that as it should be.  I am looking forward to someday being a grandmother, but that is not in my control and I will enjoy it when the time comes.  I loved teaching for many years, but at starting to think that I am about done with subbing and ready to move on to other things, but what those things are is still up in the air.  I love my quilting and sewing, but is that really my passion, or is it more my art journaling, or reading, or maybe it is writing and I should focus more on that and try to get published in a magazine.

     This year I am going to focus on finding my reason for being, my Ikigai.

Things I learned in this weeks lesson on decluttering.

I like the idea of looking at things in terms of how many hours I worked. A yard of fabric is equal to roughly a half hour of work before taxes and such. A massage is a half-days pay with the military discount since my insurance will not cover it. It makes much more sense than looking at dollars spent to look at it in terms of time.

Minimalism equals simplicity is also a good way to look at things, and reduces stress, which means better health.  I would rather spend my time quilting and reading than dealing with stuff and bills.

It took years to accumulate all this stuff and it will take time to go through it all and reduce or simplify.

Things I am focusing on this next week:

My motivations are that I desire to own less because I want less stress. I want to focus on my quilting and creative projects, peace, calm, family, travel, and my relationship with God.

I believe it is possible to simplify, but will take time and focus to achieve it.

I am ready to move on to the next step and focus on reducing clutter.

Uncluttered

I decided that one of my goals this year was to unclutter and the earthquake last November was one of the things that helped to spark that decision. I have been working on this off and on for several years, randomly, but this year I really mean to stick to it and to assist with that goal I signed up for an online class called Uncluttered.  They hold the class about three times a year and it lasts for about twelve weeks.

I have read about the Art of Swedish Death Cleaning or Hygge, and Marie Kondo's Magic Art of Tidying Up along with multiple other books related to decluttering and that gets me motivated for a week or two, but I don't seem to stick with it. I have gone through my clothes, and through my spices, and the pantry, but then I seem to fizzle out.

I signed up for this class along with an online quilting buddy so that we can encourage each other to shed or purge things we do not need.

I have done some since the earthquake as I had to clear off and move some shelves to clean up broken glass and for Tom to repair the seam that split in the corner from the jolting of the earthquake. In starting to put things back on the shelves I have been cleaning and clearing out books and such that we do not need or do not want. It is still ongoing progress as I have also been subbing and we were gone for two weeks in December, plus it took Tom a while to finish the repair. We are also going to pull everything down and paint the living room this summer, so I will probably get rid of more at that time.

The first assignment was to answer three questions related to your goal. I have been doing some thinking about my answers to the questions and I believe I have finally come up with my answers to declare my why. The questions ask you to think about what benefits you, what you look forward to, and what kind of example you want to set for others.  Lastly, you need to state why you want to own less.

I am feeling overwhelmed by all the stuff in the house and feel that by clearing some of it out I will be less stressed and more at peace. It will also mean less stuff is left here when I am gone for others to go through. I want less stress and anxiety, fewer distractions and less chaos.

I want to focus on my quilting and other creative projects and not on stuff. I also want to focus on travel, and family, and my relationship with God. I want more time, peace, contentment, and comfort. I want to be able to create, relax, and feel joy in my space.

I want to set an example for others that less is more and show that we often get weighted down by all our stuff. If we have less we have more freedom in life and can focus our time on other things that are more important to us than on stuff. I want to feel calm and at peace in my home.

I desire to own less because I want to feel free from the stress that occurs when I am overwhelmed by all the things in our home so I can focus on peace, calm, my creative projects, travel, family and my relationship with God.

The next class will be published on Monday, January 21, 2019, and I am looking forward to the information shared and the challenge for the week.

Grilled Veggies

When we grill, it is always veggies as I am a vegetarian, so even if I have a burger it is a veggie burger.  I have a sauce that I mix up for grilling that adds just the right touch of flavor to the veggies.  I also use this sauce when I make a veggie stir fry and when I bake the veggies. It is my favorite and tastes great with them all.

We grill all kinds of veggies, though our favorites include:
orange, yellow, and red peppers zucchini, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, asparagus, broccoli,
cauliflower, and of course corn. We also grill pumpkin, butternut squash, yellow squash, jalapeños, and even pineapple.

We have a couple different grilling sauces we use, but our favorite is the following:

1/4 c Braggs Amminos or Soy Sauce if you prefer
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 or more Tbsp Agave (to your taste)
1+ tsp grated ginger or ginger powder (to taste)
1+ tsp finely diced garlic or garlic powder (to taste)
Hot Shot or Black Pepper to taste

Mix it really well and brush on veggies as they are grilling. It adds just the right amount of spice and sweetness.