Tea Time

April 30, 2009 By 1 Comment

In July 2007, I posted this video I found that contrasts a calm, tranquil tea with the bustling world all around.

The team of students who created it wrote this in the YouTube notes:

In 1982 Larry Dossey, an American physician, coined the term “time-sickness” to describe the obsessive belief that “time is getting away, that there isn’t enough of it, and that you must pedal faster and faster to keep up”.

Guy Claxton, a British psychologist, thinks acceleration is now second nature to us: “We have developed an inner psychology of speed, of saving time and maximising efficiency, which is getting stronger by the day”.

These comments and quotes motivated our group to base our final Unit 1 project on the new trend of ‘slow’ living; to ask ourselves whether conducting one’s day to day actions slowly genuinely promotes quality of life, and whether this quality can generate happiness and wellbeing.

It’s a simple concept; no surprises. But I went ahead and took the time (2 minutes, 15 seconds) to watch it again all the way through, and the light, peaceful music gave me a few minutes to ponder the “not so fast” life.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imohMCjNSA8]

I’m actually speaking Saturday morning at the Gaither Family Resources annual English Tea. I can’t think of a more perfect setting to encourage people to examine their fast-paced worlds.

They’ll be enjoying some slower moments simply by setting apart that time and sipping tea with friends.

Filed Under: simplicity, Slow Movement, slowing, tea

Sneak Peek

April 27, 2009 By 17 Comments

sneakpeek

 

I’ve been working on my forthcoming book, Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families, for years. Much of that time, I wasn’t sure what I could say about it here on the blog.

In fact, for quite some time, I was evasive. I didn’t know how long it would be before the book’s release, so I didn’t want to post searchable text that described what it was about.

As we drew nearer to the release date, I thought I could tell you all about it. Just when I was about to make an announcement, I got the impression from the marketing folks that I should hold off even longer. So I kept quiet. Finally, though, after all those false alarms, I can speak freely.

If you’ve been frustrated with me, I want to apologize. I’m very sorry. The problem is due to my uncertainty about the process.

However, now that everything’s out in the open, I’m preparing for the August 1st release of Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families (available for pre-order! Click on the book cover at the left for the Amazon.com link).

You can visit the simple WordPress blog I’ve created to serve as a companion site.

There, you’ll find Speed Bumps.

speedbumpsign11

These are pages with lists of basic ways you can start slowing down in real-life, everyday ways. I grouped them into Mini, Medium, and Mega categories. Some speed bumps are simple as eating with a smaller fork to slow down meals; others are as demanding as planning and planting a garden.

You’ll also find links to all kinds of slow-down resources I’ve found online.

snailsmeet

It’s a place where I’m putting all kinds of links and information about slowing down, simplifying, the “Slow Movement,” downsizing, “Slow Food,” and related topics. If you know of an article, blog, or website that fits in some way, be sure to let me know.

There’s also a section called “Supplemental,” where I’m including material and ideas that might have been nice to include in the book, but didn’t fit.

 

manuscript-cut

Another fun feature is that you can get a sneak peek, a preview of the book, by reading an excerpt that my publisher uploaded to a website called “Scribd.” There, you can read a draft of the Table of Contents, Introduction, and Chapter One (the Foreword wasn’t finished at the time it was loaded).

If you’re interested, you can visit NotSoFastBook.com and click on “Sample,” which provides you with the Scribd link. Eagle-eye editors may spot some errors (they’re being fixed before it goes to press), but it’s a way to get a little taste.

(If you don’t want to poke around the website, you can save a step and go straight to the sample by clicking here.)

Every chapter closes with a story from someone I’ve interviewed or a post from a blogger who composed something that I thought fit well with the subject matter. I call these sections “Live from the Slow Zone.” The story uploaded in the sample is from Ann Voskamp’s Holy Experience. It’s an honor to have her words grace the pages of my book; and pretty humbling, too, as hers flow like poetry, making mine seem clunky and awkward.

Some of the other ”Live from the Slow Zone” contributors are bloggers like Sara at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly, Rachel Anne at Home Sanctuary, Andrea at Flourishing Mother, and Aimee at Living, Learning and Loving Simply.

In addition to the “Live from the Slow Zone” stories and interviews, I’ve also included some practical ideas geared toward families that are in a state of frenzy, rushing around, wondering if the high-speed lifestyle is wise, or worried that it’s impossible to sustain. That section is called “Slow Notes.”

If your family is already living more slowly than the rest of the world around you, some of the Slow Notes suggestions may be old news. But for those just starting to experiment with some changes, the ideas are meant to be encouraging and do-able, hopefully with immediate slow-down results.

So that’s an overview and sneak peek of Not So Fast!

It’s fun to finally be able to share this leg of the journey with you.

I’d like to savor it . . . and share it with friends.

Filed Under: books, change, family, Slow Movement, slowing, writer, writing Tagged With:

Make-Do Mondays: Make-Do Style

April 26, 2009 By 9 Comments

makedomondays

see below for alternative button

At Make-Do Mondays, we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.

It’s a carnival you can visit to celebrate creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. If you want to participate, you can share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via Mr. Linky.

Here’s a mini-tutorial on Mr. Linky:

Click on the icon and a separate page will pop up. Type in your blog name and paste in the url of your new Make-Do Mondays post. Click enter and it should be live. If it doesn’t work, just include the link in the comments.

To visit people’s posts, click on Mr. Linky and when the page comes up, click on a name. You should be taken right to the page that they provided. If I have time, I come back and update the post by hand. 

 

 

Make-Do Mondays Participants

  1. Sunnydaytodaymama (Dandelions)
  2. Trish Southard (Traveling Pants)
  3. The Goat (Sesame Oil)

Make-Do Mondays with Ann

A friend of mine was helping me with some style concerns. I needed to look conservative for a business event, and she thought a cream suit with a simple white shell would be a good look for me.

Trouble was, I didn’t own a cream suit. Or a white shell.

At her recommendation, I looked through TJMaxx, Stein Mart and similar discount stores.

No cream suit.

No shell.

The event was looming. A little concerned, I contacted my friend and asked, “What should I do?”

She said she still thought that the cream suit would look best, especially this time of year. She said that a lot of the female newscasters were wearing cream suits and looked classic. But, since I didn’t have one, she was going to send me off with my black suit and a simple, light-colored tailored blouse or cream shell, to soften the look a little bit.

“But,” she suggested, “maybe you could swing by Goodwill and check if they have a cream suit, just in case.”

So I did swing by Goodwill, just in case.

I looked through the blazers and found a lovely, almost stone-colored, cream Ann Taylor blazer. My size.

But it was just the blazer. No pants.

Wouldn’t it be cool if the pants had simply gotten separated? I took the blazer over and held it up to the slacks, walking slowly along the racks.

What’s this?

Gasp!

I found the matching pants!

And…

Gasp!

I found a white shell!

creamsuit

So I attended the event in a simple cream suit after all, making-do in style. 

If the main button is too big, try this one:

makedomondays

Filed Under: frugality, Make-Do Mondays, simplicity

Do-Re-Mi

April 25, 2009 By 2 Comments

Many thanks to alert reader Lynn Hopper for sending this link.

One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite musicals in one of my favorite countries.

Wish I could have been there. I guess this YouTube video is the next best thing.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k]

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Food on Fridays: Cottage Cheese Ingredients

April 23, 2009 By 9 Comments

fof

Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome. Just write up a story about grilled cheese sandwiches, take a picture of your favorite fruit, or tell us why you love (or hate) to cook.

In other words, the Food on Fridays parameters are not narrow. It’s like a pitch-in, where everyone just brings something to share, and we enjoy sampling each dish.

Anyway, when your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post and link up through Mr. Linky.

Here’s a Mr. Linky tutorial:

Write up a post, publish, then return here and click on Mr. Linky below. A screen will pop up where you can type in your blog name and paste in the url to your own Food on Fridays post (give us the exact link to your Food on Fridays page, not just the link to your blog).

You can also visit other people’s posts by clicking on Mr. Linky and then clicking participants’ names–you should be taken straight to their posts.

Food on Fridays Participants

  1. Cooking during Stolen Moments (Pineapple Chicken)
  2. Stretch Mark Mama (Strawberry Fling Smoothie)
  3. Inside the White Picket Fence (Un-Stuffed Peppers)
  4. Shalee’s Diner (Guacamole Burgers)
  5. This Pilgrimage (Making Butter)
  6. Glimpse of Sunshine (Summertime Desserts)
  7. Newlyweds (Texas Lasagna)
  8. No Pattern Required (Frankfurter Pie – vintage recipe)
  9. Beauty in the Mundane (Gluten-free Waffles)
  10. The Mom Trap (Citrus Balsamic Salmon)

Food on Fridays with Ann

The other day I had a hankering for cottage cheese, so I rolled my grocery cart to the dairy section, grabbed one that was on sale, and started to move on when I thought, “I think I’ll read the label.”

I flipped around the container and was shocked to read about a dozen ingredients. Next time you go to a regular grocery store, check out several brands and see what I mean. 

After this discovery, I read the backs of several others and grew more and more discouraged. Why all that extra stuff? Preservatives, I suppose, or things to make the cheese have a certain consistency. 

Finally I picked up a brand called “Daisy” and was relieved to see only three ingredients listed:

cottagecheese

Skim milk, cream, salt.

Nothing added that sounds like it was concocted in a laboratory. Just the basics.

This sobering episode taught me to make no assumptions and read all labels.

More Friday Carnivals

Filed Under: Food, Food on Fridays, lifelong learning

Photo Tour of D.C.

April 23, 2009 By 7 Comments

learningmetro

Learning to navigate the Metro was a new experience for suburban kids.

nearpostoffice

I think we were near the Post Office.

 

manholecover1

While walking up to the see the White House, several police officers whizzed around on bikes, others blocked off streets. We assumed the president was on his way, so we stayed to watch. They found something that would concern me, if I were in charge of security—a missing manhole cover. The officers pondered the situation.

checkingmanhole

After finding a working flashlight, they conducted a high-tech investigation. Their solution? Parking a police car over the top of it and having the presidential convoy drive around it.

herecomeschief

Here they came! We started waving, snapping blurry photos, and shouting out their names.

backofvehicle

This is a bad shot, but they were in the first car that’s exiting the photo.

whitehouse

Typical shot. But there it was, so we snapped it.

whitehouseside

Through those gates is a side view of the presidential mansion.

washmon

I kind of like this angle of the Washington Monument.

reflectingpool

And I love this reaction to the reflecting pool. The reflecting pool was, as you can see, pretty murky.

reflectingonreflecting

Reflecting on the Lincoln Memorial. Maybe that’s what they mean by “reflecting pool”? More of a contemplative type of reflection?

lincolnrain

On our way up the stairs in the rain.

lincolnangle2

Typical shot.

lincolnsleg

Less typical shot.

We enjoyed several other sights and museums, but that’s a little overview to share with you.

Filed Under: travel

Favorite Old Books

April 21, 2009 By 5 Comments

oldbook1

Hey, why’s the musty old book back?

Because my friend Linda at True Red had a great idea: how about we make some lists of favorite old texts? To kick off our lists, she wrote:

A few of my favorites authors are anything by Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, George McDonald, George Orwell, Emily Dickensen, GK Chesteron. My husband loves loves Dickens. And of course everything CS Lewis. Read the Space Trilogy, and my other favorite is The Great Divorce. What do others love?

Regardless of the format you use to read them (on a Kindle, online at Project Gutenberg or Christian Classics Ethereal Library, or simply an old, used, bound hardback copy), what are some much-loved or recently enjoyed titles?

I’ll be unavailable Tuesday, so talk amongst yourselves in the comments, and I’ll pop on when I get a chance.

Can’t wait to read what you love!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Make-Do Mondays: Priceline

April 19, 2009 By 8 Comments

makedomondays

see below for alternative button

At Make-Do Mondays, we discuss how we’re simplifying, downsizing, repurposing, buying used, and using what we’ve got.

It’s a carnival you can visit to celebrate creative problem-solving, contentment, patience and ingenuity. If you want to participate, you can share your own make-do solution in the comments or write up a Make-Do Mondays post at your blog, then return here to link via Mr. Linky.

Here’s a mini-tutorial on Mr. Linky:

Click on the icon and a separate page will pop up. Type in your blog name and paste in the url of your new Make-Do Mondays post. Click enter and it should be live. If it doesn’t work, just include the link in the comments.

To visit people’s posts, click on Mr. Linky and when the page comes up, click on a name. You should be taken right to the page that they provided. If I have time, I come back and update the post by hand.

Make-Do Mondays with Ann

For most family vacations, we camp (make-do vacationing!).

But for this trip, camping was not an option. So we took a friend’s recommendation and tried using Priceline’s “name your own price” feature. We didn’t know how it worked, so the Belgian Wonder dove in to experiment. He tried a couple of combinations by selecting a zone near our destination and the number of stars for the level of hotel we preferred. After submitting a bid, it’s either accepted; or if it’s too low, you get to try again after altering the price and zone.

There’s an element of risk involved. For example, you don’t know exactly what hotel you’ll be in before you bid. You can’t be guaranteed the type of bed (king, two queens, two doubles, etc.). In fact, even if you get your zone, you might not end up precisely next to a destination of interest.

But if you’re willing to accept those limitations, it does seem to be a cheaper way to go.

The price of the hotel in Grand Rapids was so inexpensive, we couldn’t believe it. It’s not as low as a campground spot, but using Priceline has made this outing more reasonable.

We’re not used to hotels. Even simple ones feel kind of luxurious compared to our camping trips. But we often have one kid stuck sleeping on a bundle of blankets on the floor, and I’m sure that child feels like we’re making do!

If the main button is too big, try this one:

makedomondays

Filed Under: children, creativity, family, frugality, Make-Do Mondays, motherhood, taking risks, travel

What Must I Do?

April 19, 2009 By 1 Comment

believe

We saw this on the wall of Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches, where we took the Calvin College nephew for lunch yesterday here in Grand Rapids.

I’m not quite sure what Jimmy John’s is asking patrons to believe in, but I thought of Acts 16, when Paul and Silas were in jail:

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose (Acts 16:25-26).

When the jailer woke up, he just about killed himself because he saw the prison doors open and thought all had escaped. But Paul called out, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!”

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family (Acts 16:29-34, emphasis mine).

The sign seemed that it could be a strong response to a big question . . . a question as big as the jailer’s that night:

“What must I do to be saved?”

And I think it needs the specificity that Paul added:

“Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved!”

Believe!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Calvin College & Grand Rapids

April 18, 2009 By 3 Comments

Greetings from Grand Rapids!

We’re on a short trip to Grand Rapids to visit the Belgian Wonder’s nephew, who is attending Calvin College. I meant to tell you on Thursday, but instead I pulled together a Food on Fridays post, packed, and hopped in the car to drive up here.

Here’s a little photo log of our visit thus far.

On the bridge that passes over a four-lane highway, I asked the Belgian Wonder to snap a photo of me similar to what L.L. Barkat captured when I was here about a year ago for the Festival of Faith and Writing. Long-time readers may recall that I enjoyed several writer-encounters on this same bridge:

anncalvincollege

Then the kids raced after each other and their cousin:

ccbridgerun

We admired the pond:

 

ccpond

We admired and enjoyed the cheese sculpture:

 

cccheese

We visited the Frederik Meijer Botanical Gardens:

botanicalorchid

The gardens also have a butterfly pavilion:

butterfly

The kids raced to the giant horse sculpture:

horserun1

They had to run for some distance:

horserun

Because this horse is huge:

horsehuge

Lest I leave you thinking the horse sculpture was the only thing, here’s a normal sized sculpture of a wolf pack:

wolvessculpture

We went to downtown Grand Rapids at night:

grbridgenight

Along every street, the sidewalks were covered with chalk art. Most were simple drawings made by everyday people. This one was kind of nice:

 

grchalkart

So when the kids found some extra chalk lying around, they couldn’t resist adding their own little touches:

grchalkartkids

And that’s it. Tomorrow we have lunch planned with some friends. Then, believe it or not, we have thrown together a trip to Washington, D.C., directly after this. Instead of driving home, we’re taking a road trip to our nation’s capital!

The opportunity came to us, and we threw it together quickly and rather unexpectedly. We don’t know how much we’ll be able to see, we’re there such a short time. People have warned us not to plan very much, so we hope to see some monuments and maybe slip into one of the museums. No matter how much or little we’re able to enjoy, we’re grateful to go.

I hope you have enjoyed your extremely brief tour of Calvin College and Grand Rapids, Michigan. You may now exit through the side doors. Enjoy your weekend!

Filed Under: children, family, travel