Today I’m linking up with Emily P. Freeman at Chatting at the Sky to share what we learned in May. Here’s what Emily has to say about the practice:
“At the end of every month, we have a regular practice here of looking back before moving forward. While some of the deeper, more in-process things I may keep private for a while, other things are fun to share here. And when you share things you’ve been learning, I always discover lots of fun tips, great new shows, and encouraging thoughts to begin the month.
We’re all at different spots on the journey, and these end of the month posts are a way to reflect, share, and celebrate on purpose.” {Emily P. Freeman}
In no particular order of importance or significance, here’s what May taught me:
1. “What in the world are these alien Emoji heads and what do they mean?”
I am notoriously late to the social media game and for weeks I kept seeing these crazy alien head Emojis and wondered if they had some cool, cultural meaning that maybe was lost on me. I Googled and learned that alien heads are just place holders if your phone’s iOS is out of date. The verdict? My old faithful iPhone 4 wouldn’t update to the newest iOS. It was past time to upgrade my four year old phone. I’ve joined the world of the iPhone 6. I no longer see aliens when I see Emojis.
2. The Nester’s Cozy Minimalist Course was fun to watch and was a $29 experience to help me deep clean my house and rearrange it.
The timing of this course was perfect. I needed a good cleaning and purging now that school is out, summer is here, and we usually have a lot of visitors and company in and out of our home. My favorite part of the course “homework” was simply emptying out rooms in your house and only bringing back in what you love.
While I’m not a total disciple of everything the Nester preaches (gallery walls, curtains that have excessive puddling, or giant swordfish), I do think her guidance is inspirational and effective. The project is meant to be spaced out over four full weeks, but I think I did most of her assignments in about two weeks.
Rearranging some of my furniture pieces was kind of a “if you give a mouse a cookie” exercise, but I did get in some great workouts, relocated several pieces that feel like they are now in better places, totally deep cleaned my screen porch, our living and dining rooms, our entryway and our guest/bonus room. In the end, the only money I spent (besides the course fee) was in the purchase of one new plant and some in-expensive curtains and a lamp for our guest room. In the process I also SOLD an old table and chairs (dining set). I FINALLY found a workable solution that hides all of our television wires, realized that in some rooms, I already had a good space plan in place, and that I mostly love what we already own. All in all, the Cozy Minimalist Course was a fun little project that I did just for me. I am happy with our home and it’s all ready for summer guests and fun!
3. I wrote a book and took the final plunge of submitting it for (self) publication.
I spent many hours on the phone with Book Baby learning lots of new information about the self publication process. I did all of the design and editing work but still had much to learn about the turn around time with ebooks and print on demand, the royalties system, ISBN numbers and much more. Mission Ready Marriage is almost ready for public purchase. I can’t wait and I’m also scared to death.
4. Four years of homeschooling is a long time but so worth it.
Homeschooling our children has become one of the biggest parts of my life and many days it requires a lot from me: physically, emotionally and spiritually. Taking time to stop and reflect on a good school year taught me perspective and gratitude.
5. Sonic peach tea slushes are my jam.
I’ve often heard that two wrongs don’t make a right. In May, I learned that two flavors I hate, actually combine to make a new flavor that I crave. I don’t like tea and I don’t like peach flavor. But I tasted Ryan’s peach tea slush and adored it. Happy Hour at Sonic this summer will never be the same.
6. Whole Foods has a concierge service and will pull your groceries for you!
A few weeks ago, my friend, Kim, and I went to the Whole Foods class called “Shopping on a Budget.” I love Whole Foods and could practically live there, but without some of those wonderful money saving tips, full grocery shopping there hasn’t been practical.
Anyway, the course was great and in addition to learning some cool tips for making the most of your dollars at Whole Foods, I learned that you can actually order your groceries and they will deliver them to your car for you. You can not YET order online, but you can call with your list and within a 24 hour window, you will have your order (minimum of $75) walked to the door of your car! I’m not sure I will ever actually use this service, but how cool?!?
*****
And that, my friends, is what I learned in May. What did you learn? Anything worth sharing? I’d love to hear your recent revelations. Leave a comment =0
For more of What I Learned:
More from Emily on why this practice is important and how to keep track.
the story of our lives 