SewMona

A slice of my Florida life

Longing For Paris – Book Review

Longing For Paris DreamsThis post contains affiliate links.

I was honored to be chosen to receive a preview copy of Longing for Paris: One Woman’s Search for Joy, Beauty, and AdventureRight Where She Is by Sarah Mae.  I love the title because it expresses how I feel so often!  I love my life – husband, three kids, four cats – but I frequently find myself waiting for the next big thing to happen.  Not Paris – I’ve never dreamed of going there, it’s not on my bucket list, it’s not even someplace I’ve ever considered going. I tend to get bored with everyday life.  I’m always looking for the next thing – moving to Florida, fostering kittens, moving again (that’s another post), camping.  Just day-to-day life?  Bor-ing.  I don’t want to feel that way, but I know that my middle child feels that way too.  He’s always asking when we’re going on our next adventure and every adventure gets compared to this time we went hiking in the PA State Game Lands near our house looking for Robinson Falls, a waterfall that I had read about in a magazine.

I had read an article about several waterfalls in western PA and thought it would be neat to check them out.  Robinson Falls happened to be the closest so that’s why I picked it.  Well, I missed the part of the article that said it’s for the truly intrepid.  Oops!!  The kids were 6, 4, and 20 months at the time.  It was a somewhat spontaneous decision to go that day.  Looking back, I’m sure my middle child doesn’t remember that he barely made it – by the time we got back to the car he was almost asleep on his feet.  He doesn’t remember that his feet were soaked from wading through two streams.  He remembers the fun parts.

I dream of owning the empty lots behind us so my kids can have more room to explore.

I dream of having chickens (even though my husband tells me they’re horrible creatures to take care of).

I dream of selling everything and living in a camper (not our current pop-up) for a year (as a side note – I’m living vicariously through Take That Exit).

I dream of an etsy shop that provides a livable income.

I dream of a blog that provides a livable income.

I have lots of dreams (obviously), but they don’t all fit together.  I can’t sell everything to live in a camper if I want chickens or extra lots.  My etsy shop requires a sewing room which doesn’t work with living in a camper, but traveling the US in a camper sounds very adventurous!  What am I to do with all these dreams?  God cares about my dreams, but I need to give them over to him.  Sarah says, “where we go wrong is when we hold so tightly to our dreams that we neglect to fully trust God with them” and then,  “The other trouble we run into with our dreams is when we take our very good dreams and try to walk them out before their time, which can bring frustration and/or neglect to our families or where God has us.”

So, dream, dream BIG, but make sure you hand them over to God and let Him guide you.

Buy the book – it’s currently only $8.37!!

 This post contains affiliate links.  See my disclosure policy.

 

Contentment is a Choice

This post contains affiliate links.

This post is written as part of Ruth Soukup’s Secret 13 Blog Tour, which I am excited to be a part of along with many other inspiring bloggers. To learn more about the blog tour and join us, click HERE. To find out more about the Secret 13 Essay Contest and your chance to win a weeklong Carnival Cruise for 4, click HERE.

LWSL Book Quote

I was privileged to get a preview copy of Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life.  I’ve been following Ruth’s blog Living Well Spending Less for over a year and I love what she has to say.  Her new book made a lot of sense to me!  I’ve read it once – a quick read through and now I’m re-reading it.

She talks about the good life and how it isn’t what we expect.  It isn’t more things or more money.

It is a life rich in faith, family, friends, and creativity.  It is a life full of the richness that God has to offer; a life spent building treasures in heaven rather than here on earth.  It is not a life of laziness and greed, but one of discipline, hard work, and self-reflection.  It may not always be easy or comfortable, but it is always full in abundance and completely secure in Christ.

Last year, we moved across the country and did a major downsizing. We had to really think about what we wanted and what we could part with. I remember the final day of loading the truck – we still had more stuff to put it in and were rapidly running out of room. We had to reassess the leftover stuff and part with more of it.  We left some stuff for the new owners – 25 lb dumbbells (the thrift store wouldn’t take them) and our glider swing (that was a tough choice!).   The day we left PA, we made a final stop at the local thrift shop to drop off the stuff that wouldn’t fit.  After the truck arrived in Florida and we started unloading it, we found more stuff that we didn’t need! For several weeks after we arrived, we were filling our dumpster each week, plus adding some to my parents! So much stuff that we paid to move and then just threw away! We also had enough stuff for a yard sale and then donated the leftover stuff to a local church for their rummage sale.

LWSL Book Quote

One of the things we don’t have right now is cable or satellite tv (we get the local networks via antenna).  I honestly don’t miss it.  My hubby and kids do, but they’ve found other ways to watch (Netflix, free shows on TV websites, DVDs).  One thing I noticed is that I’m a lot more content when I can’t watch a lot of HGTV and DIY.  I used to love watching Bathroom Crashers and Kitchen Crashers and any other show where they remodeled.  There’s nothing wrong with it, but it made me very discontent with what I had.  When I looked at my kitchen, all I saw were cabinets that were at the very least in need of painting (preferably replacing), the floor was old linoleum and never looked quite clean, the layout was all wrong….  You get the picture.  What I should’ve seen was a huge kitchen with tons of storage that was perfect for a family with little kids that are going to spill things.  Don’t get me wrong – the kitchen was dated, but updating it wasn’t a need.  It was something I wanted to do (very badly!), but it wasn’t in our budget and that bothered me more than I should admit.

LWSL Book

When we moved (to a house that I had only seen pictures of), the kitchen was smaller and even more dated (hello yellow countertops & backsplash), but you know what?  I didn’t care!  Why?  Because I chose to be content – we were moving to Florida, close to family, & near the beach.  We were simplifying life – hubby was leaving a job that had become too stressful with too many hours.  He got a job teaching – something he’s always wanted to do.  We left behind a big house with a huge fenced yard that we rarely used because of a neighbor we didn’t get along with.  Our new house has a much smaller yard, but both neighbors enjoy seeing our kids out playing and have never complained about the noise.  We try to get to the beach often (it doesn’t always happen though).

We are choosing to be content and it makes a world of difference! 
Discover your own secret of the Good Life in Ruth Soukup’s new book, Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life. Through personal stories and practical action plans, she will inspire you to make real and lasting changes to your personal goals, homes, and finance. It is real, honest, and speaks to the heart of the matter—how can you live the life you’ve always wanted?  It releases tomorrow Dec. 30, but if you pre-order today, you can get some great pre-order bonuses!