Homemaking and Crafting

I was dreaming last night of sewing, patchwork quilt making and loving my dream. I woke up so inspired that I was able to add a vibrant strip of fabric to a quilt I am designing for my niece Bethany. I then proceeded to wrap a gift for a friend’s birthday party I am attending this evening and it looks pretty too.

Present for friend

Quilt in progress

As I admired my work, I became ever more grateful for the joy of crafting, homemaking and life. I looked up homemaking in Wikipedia and found this definition:

 “Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a house or estate, and the managing of other domestic concerns”. I realized that I enjoy all these defined aspects of homemaking grateful I have a home to “make.”  I hope you find things you love to do too so that you wake up inspired to jump out of bed live fully in every moment doing something you love.

Keeping up with the Joneses

Everyone’s heard of the phrase, “Keeping up with the Joneses,” which refers to the phenomenon of using one’s neighbors as a standard of comparison for the consumption and desire of material goods.

I have been less guilty of this then most, maybe because I am more inspired to simplify than to complicate my life with more stuff, material goods included. Today’s blog is about transforming the mantra of “Keeping up with the Joneses,” to  “Simplifying with the Joneses.”  I do not know the Joneses, alas I know about their life, it is burdened, unfulfilled and costly. It creates debt and struggle.  Simplifying with the Joneses is about letting go, reducing and beginning to create a new way of life for all.  Just as we created a culture of keeping up with this family we call the Joneses and created at least 4 decades of excess stuff, debt, and lackluster living, we can recreate our next 100 decades into simplifying, and becoming less encumbered and hence more alive and present. I have begun my journey towards simplification over the past few years and am finding greater and greater joy and presence in every encounter. I am more alive then ever and I wish to create this experience for all of you. I am the change I want to make for our world and my change mantra is Simplifying with the Joneses.  Call me Mrs. Jones.