We are getting close to the end of our journey in the Begin to Declutter series. This series has been speaking to my heart, and I hope that it has been of some help to you as well. On the last podcast episode, we discussed Begin to Declutter Your Relationships. That is a heavy topic. I say heavy because tackling anything as far as relationships are concerned required grit, intentionality, boundaries, clarity, and purpose.
Even with all of that, we have to begin the task of going from wishful thinking and moving towards reality, or in other words, dealing with what is.
Today’s podcast is entitled Begin to Declutter your Home. Take a listen!
Photo by Shopify
If you missed the very last episode on Relationships, Click here.
Do you have your own set of facial care products that you like to use? For a while, I did not. At least, up until recently. One thing about facial care products is that what works for one person does not necessarily work for the next. Three years ago, Whole Foods had Beauty Week sometime close to Christmas. My daughter and I bought one of their make-up bags that contained over $100 worth of facial care products in a cute blue and white bag for $30. I still have the bag; I use it for other personal care items now.
Photo by Katina Horton
As part of my immediate morning self-care routine, I take care of my face, grab a cup of orange juice and two brazil nuts, and nourish my soul through reading. As for my facial self-care, I use the following items:
Shea Moisture Daily Hydration Foaming Facial Wash
Shea Moisture Daily Hydration Face Lotion
Derma-E Hydrating Night Cream
Dr. Hauschka Facial Toner
Dr. Hauschka Eye Make-up Remover
The Shea Moisture Facial Wash leaves my face with a light, clean feeling. The Dr. Hauschka Facial Toner makes my face tighten up a little bit and overall, refreshes it.
Photo by Katina Horton
Enough about me, I would love to hear about what products you like to use as part of your facial care routine. Down below, I included a picture of myself from this morning after finishing up my routine. NO makeup.
Today, we are continuing on with our Begin to Declutter Series. We have already begun to declutter our minds, our hearts, our souls, and our bodies. Today, we will begin to declutter your relationships. If you missed the other podcasts in the series, please click on the word links above.
You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.
2 Samuel 19:6
Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
36 And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.
37 And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.
38 But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
39 And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
40 And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.
41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.
Recently, me and my son, niece, and mother did a social distanced visit with my sister. Because we both have busy lives, it had been a while since we had seen each other. We had plenty of food, sweets, and drinks. I had brought pumpkin spice bread, blueberry banana chocolate chip nut bread, juice, and a chicken sausage with stir-fried vegetable mix. My sister and one of her friends made avocado tacos. And boy, were they good. Make you wanna slap your momma kind of good.
Photo by Katina Horton
Within a couple of weeks, that avocado taco inspired me to come up with my own avocado breakfast wrap. I took one bite and was immediately feeling some kind of way. Before I get to the recipe, I would like to share with you about a book that I read lately. The name of the book was entitled Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi.
I enjoyed it from start to finish. Although the book was an easy read as far as the wording was concerned, the characters were anything but easy. But, isn’t that how life is? Our lives look like a simple formula on the outside, but they are anything but. One area of brokenness leads to another area, and before you know it, we have historical trauma, generational trauma, and everything else in between.
Here is the recipe for the Avocado Breakfast Wrap:
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Ingredients for 8 servings:
1 can of diced tomatoes
6 eggs
1 cup of rice
small can of mushrooms -1
1 can of low sodium black beans
5 avocados
1 pack of cheese
4 tablespoons of ginger, turmeric, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, and chili powder
2 packs of Super Soft Mission Tacos
Directions:
Boil one cup of rice.
While the rice is boiling, saute the mushrooms, diced tomatoes, and beans in avocado oil.
Scramble the eggs, adding milk to it to make it stretch. ( I used yellow liquid eggs in order to avoid the cholesterol)
Once the eggs and rice are done, dump them over into the big pot of sautéed vegetables.
Add all the seasonings to the mixture, and then plenty of cheese on top.
Heat up the tortillas in avocado oil for a few seconds on each side, making sure that the edges are a little crispy. Stuff the tortillas with the breakfast crumble. And don’t forget to add the avocado to the inside.
Some time this past spring, I decided that I wanted a DIY Pine coffee table for my guest room/library. It just so happened that my son was here visiting due to the changes that the pandemic brought to his career, and so it worked out nicely. I bought the items from the hardware store, and he built the coffee table.
Basically, I was blessed with a two for one deal: I was able to spend some quality time with him, as well as have him here to help me with some of the projects that had been sitting for a while. Either I was unable to do them because of not being handy with a drill and other tools, or I literally did not have the time because I was getting up early in the morning for work, and was too tired for completing projects when I got home.
Photo by Katina Horton
Mission
I ended up going to the hardware store about three times. First of all, I was going to make a skinny coffee table, but the piece of wood that I bought was too short. I looked at the table and decided that the would wasn’t wide enough. In essence, the table would look too skinny. So, I set out to buy a piece of wood that was wider and longer. Come to find out, Menards stated that they do not sell lumber pieces wider than 12 inches. The store associate suggested that I place two pieces of wood next to each other and connect them together with some form of hardware from the hardware department.
Photo by Katina Horton
The guy in the hardware department showed me several different pieces of hardware to connect the lumber together. However, he stated that he was more so biased towards one particular bracket. He enforced the importance of having hardware that could handle the weight of the lumber, and he’d had experience building a table for his mother, so I was definitely all ears to his suggestions. I decided upon a hardware piece called “mending braces”.
Unfortunately, I ended up going to the hardware store another time because some of the plumbing pipe flanges were bent. This was going to cause a problem with the stability of the table. I felt like a kid waiting to open his gifts on Christmas. Was this table ever going to happen? Well, it did.
Photo by Katina Horton
I am very excited with the end result. The coffee table helped to make the library look like a library. The natural wood also helped to give the room more of an organic look. And lastly, the table is multifunctional: it serves as a holder for magazines, books, frames, mugs, and a footrest.
There are a couple of tips that I would like to give you in regard to building this table (according to my son):
The more mending braces used, the sturdier the table will be. (Especially if someone decides to sit on it.)
You want to make sure that the two pieces of construction lumber are as straight as possible before you start drilling the holes into the wood.
The flanges should be as flat and stable as possible before you start drilling into the wood.
Be careful that the wood that you select isn’t too split, or the table won’t last. (I like the worn split look, but not too split.)
Tools:
(8) 1/2″ galvanized pipe flanges
2 packs of National Hardware Mending Braces (4 braces are in each pack)
(1) 1/2″ 48″ galvanized pipe nipple
(8) 1/2″ 6″ galvanized pipe nipples
(4) 1/2″ 5″ galvanized pipe nipples
1 dril
1 screwdriver
(6) 1/2″ galvanized tees
(2) 2″ x 12 ” wide X 60″ long pieces of construction lumber (this is what I should have done; instead I bought one long piece of construction lumber had them to cut it down to size; either one works. The second option give you leftover lumber for other projects.)
(16) 1 1/2″ construction screws
Execution
Make a letter H with the plumbing pipe materials on both sides, connecting the 1/2″ 48″ galvanized pipe in the middle, per the instructions and picture below.
Photo by Katina Horton
Take a flange, screw in one 6″ pipe nipple, attach one tee, and then another pipe flange at the bottom.
Attach a 5″ nipple to the tee in the middle, followed by a tee, then another 5″ pipe nipple.
Make the right side of the “H”.
Take a flange, screw in one 6″ pipe nipple, attach one tee, and then another pipe flange at the bottom.
2. Attach the 1/2″ 48″ pipe nipple to the middle tee of the “H” on the left side.
Create the Right H following the same instructions above, and then attach to the 1/2″ 48″ pipe nipple in the middle.
3. Lay the two pieces of wood next to each other, making sure to attach enough mending brackets for stability, staggering on the top and bottom of the wood.
Turn your structure upside down, laying it on top of the top piece of the table, using 1 1/2 inch screws to attach the pipe flanges.
Photo by Katina Horton
Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.
Last week was the first official week of the new year. It was during this week that I started a brand new series in order to get us started off on the right foot. The name of the series is entitled, “Begin to Declutter”. In case you need to play catch-up, I have provided a link to the first three podcasts down below.
Over the weekend, I was blessed with an opportunity to interview writer Victoria Coberly. You can find part 1 and part 2 of her interview here.
At the beginning of every year, there are people who are eager to come up with New Year’s resolutions. When I was a young adult, I was eager to do the same. Now that I am older, I prefer to have a word of the year, or better yet, some life goals. These goals may be professional, emotional, mental, spiritual, physical, etc. The main point for me is that I am purposely moving forward and growing.
Photo by Shopify
One of the most popular areas that we have resolutions/life goals in is that of having healthier, fit bodies. Achieving this goals takes work, grit, determination, motivation, and consistency. It is not a one-time thing. It’s a lifestyle. Listen in on today’s episode to see what it feels like and what’s involved when you begin to declutter your body.
But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself. Now Godhad grantedDanielfavorand compassionfromthe chiefofficial, but he said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking thinner than those of the other young men your age? You would endanger my head before the king!”…
Yesterday, I posted part 1 of my interview with Woman of God, Writer, Blogger, Teacher, Victoria Coberly. If you want to listen in to part 1, click here. Today, I am posting part 2. It is nice to be able to sit down with women of God, learn about their life, their stories, their purpose, and passions. I pray that you will find something in this interview that resonates with you.
Episode 84: Interview with Woman of God, Writer, Blogger Victoria Coberly-Part 2 Outline
The Pandemic
Career Path
Homeschooling
Foreign Languages
Writing
Brokenness
Bible Verses to Meditate on:
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Do you enjoy traveling? And if so, where to? Some of my best times involve traveling. Traveling can be done physically, virtually, or even in your mind when you are reading a book. Yesterday, I was blessed to interview Writer Victoria Coberly on traveling, parenting, and everything else in between. In case you missed the last podcast episode, you can catch up here.
Interview with Woman of God, Writer, Blogger Victoria Coberly Podcast Outline
“Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.”
Introduction to Four Inexpensive Hobbies to Try Right Now with Online Support
Happy Monday all! Today, I am featuring a guest blog post from fellow blogger Gabriel Patel. He enjoys writing about health and wellness, and co-founded Health Well Wise with a group of friends who share the desire to help people live happy, healthy lives. Have a blessed rest of your Monday.
If you’re in a rut and struggling to fill your days with meaningful, enriching activities, then perhaps you need a new hobby. There are thousands of hobbies that keep millions of people engaged, so what should you choose? You may want to start with something fun, relatively cheap, and easily learned through online resources. Here are some of your best bets.
Pick Up Jogging/Running or Walking
You can gain tremendous health benefits from moving your legs at any pace, and whether you run, jog, or walk is completely up to your fitness level. However, as long as you get up and get moving, running or walking is a hobby that will be forever cheap and forever satisfying. From weight maintenance to the release of feel-good brain chemicals, strapping on some decent shoes, and pounding the pavement is a great idea.
Very few hobbies are cheaper and more convenient than this. All you need are those aforementioned shoes (decent ones to avoid injury) and nature is your playground — or more aptly put, your treadmill. When you’re ready to go, there are a whole host of free apps to help train you, log your progress, and keep you motivated, including Strava, Runkeeper, MapMyRun, and C25K!
Learn to Play the Ukulele
Few hobbies are more rewarding than playing a musical instrument, and few instruments are better for beginning adults than the ukulele. That’s because it only has four strings (as opposed to six on a standard guitar), works for people of all hand/finger sizes, and is light and portable. Plus, as TakeLessons.com notes, once you learn the ukulele, it becomes easier to pick up other, more intricate stringed instruments.
The other great thing about the ukulele: It’s relatively cheap when compared to other musical instruments (especially if you purchase one used). Still, the learning of any instrument is the important thing, so if the ukulele doesn’t sound like it’s up your alley, try something else. Free tutorials and music learning classes (both instrument-specific and theory) are abundant online. Beyond that, there are tons of free apps to supplement your instruction.
Become Multilingual
What could be more rewarding than learning to speak another language? Well, speaking it fluently or at least conversationally may be. If the definition of a good hobby is one that occupies a good amount of time, doesn’t cost a lot, is fun, and is a wellspring of possibilities, then learning a new language is a very good hobby.
Although you may remember expensive language learning software being all the rage years ago, things have shifted to a free (or at least freemium) model as of late. Duolingo is the most well-known language learning software out there (free), but many more exist; Babbel, Tandem, and Memrise are just a few. The best thing about making multilingualism a hobby is that there will always be more languages to tackle. Get good at French? Move on to Japanese! Most of these free apps and software support dozens of languages. You can also search out discounts and coupons for language lessons through sites like Groupon.
Convert your Creative Outlet into Cash Flow
Enjoying a hobby has the potential to become a career. People frequently realize that their job can be a source of enjoyment, and reward them well for their work, regardless of whether it’s a side hustle or full-time operation. In both of these cases, an important consideration is to consider the type of business you plan to establish. LLC Illinois formation is a popular option due to its flexibility, tax benefits, and smaller amount of paperwork.
While there are several steps involved such as submitting forms for an EIN, this varies by state. If you’re eager to get started, there are some options that will help you with the process, such as hiring an attorney – or utilizing a formation company, which for simpler entity types is a much more cost-effective option.
It’s much easier to stick with a hobby if that hobby doesn’t deplete your wallet. It’s also easier to make progress if that hobby is well-represented online and through free apps. Any of these hobbies fit that bill, and they all have the bonus perk of enriching you — body, mind, or spirit.
Earlier this week, we began our journey of decluttering. Decluttering takes work. It is not for the faint at heart. And trying to do everything all at once will leave us in a state of discouragement. We have to work on decluttering one area at a time, with one issue/area of brokenness at a time so that we don’t end up on overload or overly discouraged. Decluttering isn’t a one person job.
photo by Brodie Vissers at Shopify
Introduction Part 2 Begin to Declutter Your Soul
We have to allow God to be in the driver’s seat, and enlist close friends and community to help us navigate the journey to the end of the tunnel in each of these categories that we have been discussing. For some, the process could take two years. For others, we might be looking at ten. Putting one foot forward is the starting point. Today, we are going to begin the journey of decluttering our souls. Yes, that’s right. We are going on an adventure that involves cleaning out the bad chemicals in our souls.
In case you missed yesterday’s podcast on beginning to declutter your heart, click here.
Podcast Outline
Soul Work
Hidden Ugliness
Cleaned out Souls
Begin to Declutter your Soul Bible Verses to Meditate On:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
