I’ve been searching for the perfect remedy for clutter, a balance in work & parenthood, and the answer for how God works in my life. Project after project, prayer after prayer, plan after plan..searching.

But, simplicity found me. Or maybe, it was there all along and I just opened my eyes to see it standing under my nose.

I have come to find simplicity means something different to everyone. How to do you view “simplicity”?

Sewing your own clothes or buying the latest fashions off the rack? Paying bills online or sending them in the mail with, gasp, a stamp? Using all home grown organics or shopping with a grocery delivery service?

My simplicity is this: I live in a complex world in failing body with a forgiven soul. I have a dynamic family, a creative bug and a gift for loving my kids. I think of gratitude, hope for grace and a linger in peace (even in the orchestrated chaos that is the current state of my family).

My projects, prayers and plans can all change. There is no formula. Seek simplicity, look to God, and be grateful for what challenges you and what gives you peace.

Love,

Jess

Or maybe I am complex.

I can whittle away time, minutes which turn into years, dreaming of this and designing that.

Planing for a simple life takes energy, focus and endurance.

Some things I’ve done to get shifting from dreaming to doing:

• I bought a wall plaque that says LIVE SIMPLY for one dollar at a garage sale.
• I thinned out my list of blogs that I read. I unsubscribed to 3 blogs related to “Simple Living”. (ironic I know)
• I cleared off all the clutter on top of my refrigerator .
• I reached out and asked for help! Simple living doesn’t have to be done alone. (more to come on this topic)

So while I will never give up dreaming (my favorite hobby) I do intend to involve a lot more doing into my life!

PS

iPhone capture from Mother’s Day. Of course, Daddy is getting all the love!

I did what every good perfectionist procrastinator does – crafts! I have so much do to it seems a bit daunting and the results so incredibly faraway. So, I gave myself permission to get a little thing done. It is only a teaspoon of completion in a lake full of life goals but the reward of completing a project that was over one year old is priceless.

I made the blue photo frame on the left at a Mother of Preschoolers (MOPS) meeting four years ago for my son Ryan. When Molly came along, I purchased a second blank frame from the MOPS leftover craft cupboard with intentions of making a similar frame for my darling daughter. Now she is already 15 months old!

Ryan as a newborn. Molly at 12 months.

Both frames are just paper mache-type cardboard and are cheaper than cheap, but I think they look pretty cute with the personalization.

3 Teaspoon Project Nuggets

1. Limits If it can be done in 1/2 hour – do it, but only once in a while. It is too easy for me to start digging out crafts and seasonal decorations and never stop! The goal is to simplify my life, not layer it so badly I can’t see where I am going.

2. Satisfaction This should be fun. Hey if organizing, planning, and simplifying get me tied up in knots of regret and dissatisfaction they are not working. It felt really good to get a little thing done. Insert pat on back here.

3. The Lily Effect There is a story of a crabby, messy hermit that one day receives a lily in a vase from a neighbor. The messy decides to clear off his table to set the lily on. He washes the table then stops to clean off the chairs so he can sit by the flower. Pretty soon he cleans the whole house and starts doing maintenance work. Somewhere along the way he changes his heart and opens his home to his neighborhood. Doing one small thing can change your outlook on the entirety of a project or idea.

The TV bit the dust (figuratively). It was very nice to have simplicity on the forefront of my mind as I unplugged the TV. Two whole days. Well it was a start anyway. I spent two days detoxing my almost four year old from morning cartoons (while Mommy gets ready for the day) and mid-morning cartoon (while Mommy puts Molly down for a nap) and an afternoon movie (while Mommy gets quiet time during Molly’s second nap).

The hardest part was admitting I was getting sucked back into a TV = Babysitter mode that I used while Molly was a newborn (last summer). Back then I really was okay with that lifestyle because I needed to do what ever it took to function and I knew it would be short lived.

So to break in down. I sought TSP out to help gear my motives in child-rearing, life-learning and house-keeping into a healthy and happy direction.

3 Steps in Keeping it Real, Real Simple.

1. Good Food: I hopped on board with Meal Planning Mondays, grocery shopped with healthy snacks in mind and started giving a mid-morning snack and an afternoon snack with water or milk. I filled their bellies with yummy food that helped keep their energy even-keeled.
2. Good Company: No dishes, laundry, blogging, emailing alone or at all for that matter. I focused on kid time, fun activities and lots of books. It does make for a long night of catching up but putting off the daily grind for daily dialog is welcome in my home anytime.
3. Good Rest: Ryan took afternoon naps again. I am not sure how this happened. I am grateful for the peace in the house during the one hour in the afternoon that he overlapped rest time with Molly’s nap.

The actual definition of simplicity from Wikipedia is the following:

Simplicity is the property, condition, or quality of being simple or uncombined. It often denotes beauty, purity or clarity. Simple things are usually easier to explain and understand than complicated ones. Simplicity can mean freedom from hardship, effort or confusion. It may also refer to a simple living lifestyle.

I am not simple. My roles, relationships and re…(darn what’s a good r word here?) are all very combined. I respect the way God made my heart, soul and mind in a web of connections, complexities and creativity. So what am I doing with The Simplicity Project? Do I want to go live in a bubble free from challenge, growth opportunity or noise?

Q: Can I incorporate my suburban part-time stay-at-home Mom world-living God-fearing self into Simplicity?

A: The simplicity I long for is not a destination as much as a condition I can develop to see a bit more clarity and beauty along my dusty trail here on Earth until the moment I come face to face with the ultimate Beauty and all the confusion is washed away.

3 Idea Seed Fertilizers

1. Define goals. What will our house and family run like, look like, sound like, smell like (seriously I have such a stinky laundry washer right now!), celebrate like and feel like?
2. Pray and Discuss. A friend of ours says, “You need some serious knee-mail!”. I want to be united with the my “Are you serious?”-darling-husband-Peter. What will I have to compromise on? How can we infuse our faith into our plans?
3. Spend time with your dreams. My best ideas come to me right before I fall into a sleepy nap. I like to stay half awake playing around my new imagined place of graceful space. I need to be inspired without becoming jealous which isn’t easy to do. I will stay away from the stores for a long time! That’s like phase 100 and I am still in phase 1/2.

I think if I were given free rein over the house I could reinvent most of my life using a shovel, scissors and paint. Too much TV, plastic, sticky floors, loud toys, where’s this?, where’s that?, fast food, more TV, icky colors and dirty socks. Still we have lots of love, time and fun its not all bad.

I want to avoid frustration because I love living freely and not tied up in sad little knots. I will need a project to cure my creative home executive fix. I need simplicity. Too big I’ll get lost. Too little and it won’t help. I need The Simplicity Project (TSP).

My heart is brimming with inspiration but alas my eyelids are drooping from fatigue. My brain is overflowing with joy yet my hands are heavy laden with work. Balance, pace and commitment will all be involved with TSP.

Three steps to creating TSP

1. Big plans that are fluid. I must be flexible, easy-going and in motion.
2. Little spaces that are solid. I may not be able to move my actual house but our foundation in Christ is solid.
3. Happy hopes that are steamy. I will lift my desires upward. Seeking Him who strengthens me.