Streamlining Your Digital Life - Facebook

I know for one, that I spend too much time online, on the phone, on social media, etc.  So I set out to decide how I was going to streamline my digital life with regards to these things.  Here are the thoughts I have had and plan to implement.  I hope they will help you to create an Action Plan for streamlining your digital life.  This first post, will deal with Facebook.

Periodically go through your Facebook account and do the following:

1.  Delete people you friended but don't really know.  It might have been for a limited project that you worked on together or to get an urgent message to someone whom you didn't have an email address for.  If that purpose has been served and you no longer interact with this person, why have their notifications and wall posts clogging up your news feed?

2.  Unlike pages that you thought seemed interesting at the time because someone else posted them, but really aren't.  Perhaps you saw a neat giveaway and had to like a page to enter for their drawing.  Maybe you saw a product that sounded neat and you thought you would like to try.  Ask yourself if you will ever buy from this company or if you would have liked the page had there not been a giveaway.  If the answer to either question is no, you probably don't need this. 

3.  Decide if you really need to put your interests out there on Facebook.  In case you haven't noticed, the ads in the sidebars are based off of your interests and comments you make.  If you are talking about politics, you will get political ads.  If you are talking about paleo foods, you will get food ads. If you are talking about running, you will get specific athletic ads.  This will clutter up your feed with Suggested Pages and Trending Articles.  The fewer you have listed, the fewer you will be bombarded with.  

4.  Determine if you really want to stay in any facebook groups you are members of.  Have these groups served their purpose and you don't need them any longer.  It might be time to rethink them.  I know that I have started several for various purposes.  Some are still active and some are not.  Some have flurries of activity from time to time.  You need to decide if they are still worth your time.

5.  Remove yourself from groups that others added you to and you now find that you don't participate in.  If you find, you don't read them or participate on these, then by all means, get rid of them.

6.  Determine if the groups you want to stay in, really serve the purpose you wanted them to serve.  Some might be nice to be in, but do they enhance your life or take your precious time.

If you have any other ideas, please post in the comments section.

Five Favorite Things - Food

Since I loathe Mondays, I thought it might be a good thing to actually post something positive on my blog to change my state of mind.  I don't know if I will get to it every Monday, but I will try to post on what my Five Favorite Things are, at least a couple times a month.  Some may be themed, some may be a mishmash, whatever floats my boat.  Today's theme will be food:

1. Chocolate - of course (see my blog name).  I really love dark chocolate but am not opposed to milk chocolate or white chocolate either.  My favorite is Green and Black dark chocolate in the 60-70 percent cocoa range.
2. Lemons - I love lemon EVERYTHING!!!  I used to eat a lot of lemon drops but chomping on them I chipped an already fractured tooth and decided I better not do that anymore.  Then my sister gave me a bag of Lemonheads.  Well it was all over after that.  They are a little crunchy, but not nearly as hard as regular lemon drops.  I have to get my fix every couple of days.  Thankfully they are only a dollar per bag at Dollar General.  I think I should probably create a separate Pinterest board for all the lemon things that I have pinned.
3.  Avocados - What can I say?  I had never eaten an avocado until about 10 years ago.  A doctor friend and his wife (foodies) invited us over for lunch when we were in town and made some sandwiches complete with sliced avocado.  Well, I was hooked!!  I crave these like I crave lemon.  She grew up in California with avocado trees in her yard (man am I jealous!!).  My favorite way to eat them is to mash up two of them and add half a can of Rotel for a quick guacamole with tortilla chips.  I have been known to make this and eat it in one sitting or as a meal for myself or even a bedtime snack.
4. Brownies - I have always loved brownies, no matter the ingredients, moist and fudgey or cakelike, nuts or no.  I always used the recipe I grew up with from my mom until a couple of years ago when my friend Wendi shared her recipe for Speedy Brownies.  Oh.my.word!!!  Love these.  About 12 years ago or so, we started using coconut oil in place of vegetable oil in our cooking and baking.  Well using coconut oil, these are heavenly!!  Think Mounds Bar Brownies.  Or add Almonds and you have Almond Joy Brownies.  Yes, they are that good.  One of my daughters' friends go crazy for these whenever we make them for an event/fundraiser.
5. Mint - just about anything Mint is good in my book.  It goes really well with chocolate (see #1 above).  It goes really well in Mojitos, etc.  Awesome in York Peppermint Patties (see #1 again)

The Many Uses of a Repurposed Piece of Furniture

I have always been one to try and figure out how to use what I have when a new need arises rather than purchasing something.  I can think of lots of examples but one sticks out in my mind that I thought I would share. Even when something seems on it's last leg (pun intended - you'll see why), it can be repurposed.

When we found out we were expecting twins the shock of needing two of most things was a little overwhelming.  Two car seats, two cribs, two high chairs, twice as many diapers, etc.  One thing that we did not need two of was a dresser and changing table to begin with.  We were gifted my husband's bedroom set from his parents and so decided to use the mirrored dresser to hold abundance of clothes that we were gifted with through 3 baby showers and many, many gifts.

We still needed a changing table and with two babies, wanted to keep things close at hand.  We had an old 6 drawer dresser on legs (much like couch legs), but one of them had broken off.  Other than that minor problem, it was still very functional.  It had a shiny veneer finish so painting it really wasn't an option for our nursery.  Even if it had been an option, I was not going to be painting while pregnant and secondly, I ended up on bedrest by my second trimester.  My husband and mother in law were both working full time and I was working part time.  There really wasn't time to ask them to sand it and paint it for me.  Once the twins arrived, I would be too busy anyway.

So my husband bought wood and enclosed the bottom of the dresser so it wasn't going to wobble (the last thing you need with a squirmy baby).  He also enclosed the top of the dresser with wood about 3-4 inches high.  We purchased a changing cushion to fit on top and then he put a wood divider at the end of the cushion, leaving a smaller section on the right end where we kept diapers, wipes, lotion, baby monitor, etc.  We used cloth diapers except for when we were away from home and for two babies there were quite a few, so those filled 2-3 drawers.  Other drawers contained towels and washcloths, onesies and pajamas.  We used this changing table/dresser combo for several years including adding another baby almost 2 years later.

When it came time to move in a bigger dresser and we no longer had a need for a changing table, we moved this piece into our play area used it for books, toys etc.

When we outgrew that need it moved to our school area, where we used it to house math manipulatives, craft supplies, crayons,  construction paper, etc.    Eventually we put up some hanging cabinets and we transitioned those supplies to that location for storage.

Again, we had a piece of furniture that was still function, while not pretty but hated to just toss it and we knew that no one would buy it.  So this time we moved it into our utility room in the basement.  It tucked nicely under existing open shelving and we were able to finally corral all the tools and household maintenance items that find their way to any house.

To say we have gotten our money's worth out of this piece of furniture would be an understatement.  Too many times in our disposable society, we think nothing of discarding something when it no longer fits our needs.  I, too am guilty of this - particularly with regards to electronics, which have planned obsolescence.  I, for one, am going to try to think of more ways that we can use what we already have.

What Happens When You Cut Back on Social Media - You Get Things Done!!!

I know I spend a lot of time on social media.  Finally being home for many days in a row and working on cleaning and decluttering the house for Confirmation last weekend, I was forced to get off social media and do more things that were on my to do list.  The house got mostly cleaned (except for a couple non-public areas), more real meals were made (with the help of my daughters and MIL and even today (our crockpot and stockpot)).

Having moved forward this week, we are trying to finish up school for the year, get the filing under control and decluttering some more before we have another weekend activity.  For my birthday I got a new label maker (handheld) because my old one only printed half of the words and I have been using it to label files and set up a filing system for all my homeschooling information and ideas.  About 1:30 today,  I ran it completely out of label tape.  Hoping I can find some at Shopko this afternoon so I can keep going with this project.

Next up is the office purging and filing.  Better get two label refills for that one.  Once the office is doing better,  Also making a list of curriculum to purchase for next year at the homeschool conference that is next weekend.  Always feels good when I have purchases our curriculum and can start planning out our next year.  Hard to believe but I have one graduating in 2 years and all three kids will graduate within 4 years.

Sadly, I have not posted on my blog for over 13 months!  Vowing to change that and hopefully spend a  little less time on Facebook.  I have always dreamt of writing and while I still want to write a book (I have ideas and notes started for two of them), I think blogging is a great foray into that realm to see if I really have as much to say as I think I do.

Hoping to set up a blog calendar of topics so I am reminded to blog more regularly.  Look for more pictures, more recipes (LOVE Pinterest ) and maybe even more political commentary (you can skip if you don't want to read it).

Spring Cleaning

Technically it isn't Spring till later this week, but with the weather we have been having, I am in the mood to get some cleaning and decluttering around here.  I felt under the weather yesterday, so I didn't attack it as much as I had hoped, but made progress nonetheless.  Kids have 4H and band practice this evening so will be running them around a bit, but feel better today and need to get back at it while I have the motivation.

Hoping this week to list items that I have for sale on the local swap site and get donations to Goodwill when I get near one.  Guess it is best to start with the smallest piles and get those taken care of, then move on to the larger projects right.

We have had such a mild winter and then summer like temps for the last couple weeks, that normally the time spent indoors would have been used to go through things and weed out, give away, sell what was no longer needed.  Areas to attack:

1. Bedrooms
2. Schoolroom
3. Storage Area
4. Under the Stairs
5. Utility Room
6.  Laundry Room

If I get all that done, maybe I can get new shelving put up in my pantry and linen closet to  hold some things.

Better get going.  In less than 2 hours the kids need to be somewhere and I will be playing chauffer. :)

Incredible March Weather

This entire week has had temperatures in the 70s.  It has been incredibly beautiful out, feeling much like later April, rather than early March.  With the great weather, my neighbor and I resumed our walks at least a few day a week.  The snow is all gone and the rain has washed away a lot of the dust.  The grass is greening up and it feels like spring has already arrived.  Officially, it arrives next week some time.

We actually got to sleep with the window open all night last night (March 14th).  That is unheard of!!!  It ended when the moon aligned such that it was beaming into our bedroom and woke both of us up.  Looking forward to more nights of sleeping with the fresh air flooding our room.

Amazing Book

I just finished reading the biography of Steve Jobs.  A tome to be sure, a whopping 571 pages of reading, not including notes, bibliography, appendices, etc.  I did not get it finished in the 2 weeks that I had it checked out from the library and had to renew it yesterday, but I did get it finished in 15 days which isn't too bad.

I did not care for the curse words peppered throughout (which were quotes by Steve Jobs), but other than that, the book was well written, the author's style was an easy flowing narrative and covered his entire life in a detailed manner covering his personal and professional life.  The biography really gave the essence of who Steve Jobs was and what drove his passion to create incredible products that were the intersection of art and technology (a phrase repeated throughout the book).  His insistence on pushing people to create things that they thought impossible drove them to imagine and then create things no one had ever imagined and be able to engineer them

I plan to have my kids read this book.  It is a textbook example of thinking outside the box, something that we strive to model to our children.  If you don't have the time to read that many pages, I would suggest getting the audiobook.  I think everyone can learn something from this book.

I would give the book a 5 stars out of 5.

Now on to my next book - we'll see which one I can get from the library or borrow from a friend next.  That will determine what I read next.  It sure feels good to read books for pleasure again!

Losing Sleep Over the Time Change

Given that it happens twice a year, everyone should be used to it, but we aren't.  I prefer the time change in the fall, where time falls back and I gain an extra hour of blessed sleep. In the spring, well, not so much.  Thursday I came down with a bad cold and it continued to make me miserable all day Friday.  I fell into bed at 8:30 p.m and CRASHED, waking up at 8:30 Saturday morning.  I felt a ton better and went about my day.

When Saturday night rolled around, we dutifully set our clocks forward the hour, as much as we hated it, and went to bed at a normal hour.  Low and behold, I had slept so much the night before that I could not go to sleep.  As in not fall asleep until after 1:00 p.m.

So while, I was thankful for getting much needed rest and it made me feel tons better, losing out on a couple hours sleep the next night wasn't as much fun as it could be.  Thankfully we got to church on time this morning and life continues on.  I am thankful for the time change, in that there are more hours of light finally and that means more nights and time to walk with my neighbor.  I so enjoy walking with her and our visits.  Not to mention I feel better when I get several walks in per week and it keeps me from going to the chiropractor.

I wouldn't have thought the time change would have disrupted me as much as it did, but I guess you can always learn something new.

Explaining my New Blog Header

While technically, it is spelled differently, the photo that is my blog header is the only other place where I have seen Chocolat so naturally I had to take a picture of it.  My blog name is Chocolot, which was the result of trying to find a way to spell chocolate that wasn't already taken in the blogging universe.  While we may or may not agree in the wording along the bottom, I have to say the chocolate in this chocolate shoppe in historic downtown Galena, IL was fabulous!  I treated myself to Dark Chocolate Limoncello truffle and it was divine.

With a little help from my friend Glenda, I was able to figure out how to use one of my photos for my blog's header.  I continue to spruce things up and found a different background that coordinates a lot better.  Now to clean up some of  the other things in the sidebar, etc.

Civic Involvement - Time to Make a Difference

Today we participated in the County Convention for our political party.  During County Convention, we elected delegates to the District and State Conventions.  We also adopted a few more planks to our platform.  It feels good to be involved in the political process.

Growing up my mom dutifully served on the local election board and worked the polls each general and primary election.  However, I was never involved in politics of any sort.  I don't remember when I first voted but I don't think it was until after I was married 20 years ago.  Since getting married, to someone who is involved in politics, I have become immersed in the process.  Participating in local and state events, campaigns and even working on getting bills introduced into the state legislature.

I will not be one of those who complain about the system, then don't do anything to change it.  We get what we deserve, when we let others participate in the process and sit idly by.  The presidential election this year is far from decided.  There is still time to get involved.  Campaign for the cause you are interested in.  Help a candidate that you support and believe in his/her ideas.  If nothing else, get a yard sign, or write a letter to the editor, share your thoughts in a blog post.  If everyone got involved, we wouldn't be in the huge mess the federal government is in fiscally.  For too many years and generations, we have abdicated our responsibilities with regards to civics and we see what is coming down the pike for our children and future grandchildren.  It is time to get involved.

A Not Birthday Party

A friend of mine recently hit a milestone birthday.  We decided that the group of us friends should go out to celebrate her birthday.  She informed us that it wasn't for her birthday and it should be for all of our birthdays.  So it affectionately became called NRB (not (her first name)'s birthday).  So we emailed all the gals and found a date and time that worked for everyone and that was last night.

So last night we went to a somewhat local Mexican restaurant and enjoyed our food and visiting.  Then we decided to have a little dessert (we shared fried ice cream).  We had been lingering at our table and didn't realize the large amount of people waiting to be seated, so we quickly left our table and decided to continue our evening elsewhere.  We spent probably another hour there, discussing a myriad of things (even I was amazed at the variety of things we discussed) and arrived home in time for the 10:00 news.

We need to do this more often.  It was so nice to just visit and laugh and not be in the middle of doing something while we were visiting.  We decided that we need to bring our husbands next time too and go a fancier restaurant.  That was they can't wiggle out of going (and it would be nice to do this again).  We never make time and we are all busy raising kids from preschool to college, doing our jobs, running businesses and get caught up in the daily busyness.

Thanks gals and you know who you are.  Yes I have pictures and no I won't post them anywhere.

Building a Better Mousetrap (or Learning about Steve Jobs)

Based on a recommendation by my friend Glenda and my father-in-law, I checked out the biography of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson from the library.  The book is fascinating and takes you step by step through various things that happened in his life (which I found cumbersome to begin with, considering the book is 571 pages long).  I quickly learned, after reading a few chapters, how Isaacson, wove this all together to really tell the background of Steve Jobs quirky personality and quest to do things differently, better and more uniquely than anyone ever has.  I now, appreciate the detail that Isaacson used in the early  chapters to lay the foundation for explaining what made Steve Jobs who he was.

He set out to create a different product and company than anyone has ever seen or experienced.  Along the way, he has pushed people's creative limits to new heights, creating things that didn't seem possible.  He also created a loyal, almost cult-like following for Apple's innovative products.  The MacIntosh computer, the iPhone and the iPad have revolutionized the world in many ways.

Yes, there are people who hate Macs or feel more comfortable with their PCs.  My husband had a MacIntosh computer when we got engaged, but sold it as he began using PCs for work.  About five years ago he bought a MacBook laptop.  I wasn't ready, but eventually I came around and bought one 2 years ago.  I kick myself for waiting for so long.  Everything you do with them is intuitive.  And you avoid nearly all the virus problems you have with PCs.

Our kids have only used a Mac and have easily picked up how to do anything they need to do on it.  Our oldest daughter attended a technology workshop that the 4H Youth Council was hosting. Others were signed up to help with Mac products, so she ended up helping someone with their PC.  She was able to pick up easily what needed to be done, I believe because of the ease of learning her way around the computer on the Mac.

I still have about 400 pages of the book left and am trying to read about 50-70 pages per night if possible, in order to get it finished by the time it is due back at the library in 2 weeks.  It was a good book to start back into trying to read regularly.  It has kept my interest.  I don't think it is because I like Macs, but because the book is well written.

I see this has gotten extremely long, so I have kept you long enough (if you are still reading).

An Empty Weekend, What to Do? What to Do?

I can't remember the last time, we had a weekend with no plans, no commitments (other than church on Sunday) and no place we had to be.  That just doesn't happen for us. Well, we plan to enjoy it.  Being lazy, watching movies and getting the house back in shape (after lots of running) over the past weekend and week.

Wish I had more motivation to get my house decluttered.  I should have.  We have a confirmation in our house in 2 months.  That should be enough motivation.  Guess I better get off the computer and go work on it.  Tackling the basement because it is in transition due to a variety of projects and then the office so we can use it more than we do.  Both will require a lot of filing, so I suppose I better set up a better filing system for both the household and for our homeschooling.  I have bookmarked a lot of sites and ideas, so I need to figure out which ones work best for each system.  Unfortunately, my computer just locked up, so I will have to go find them again.  Story of my life!

Blog Redesign

Gave up on trying to get a photo to work on my header of my blog for tonight.  While on a trip to Galena for a weekend with friends, I found a chocolate shop whose sign has the very name of my blog.  I took several pictures and hope to use one for the header of my blog.  So if any of you people out there reading my blog know how I can do that, let me know.  I will probably have lots of questions, but am sure that some of you have already done this.

Enjoy the new look.  I plan to keep it and just update a bit with the photo, if I can make that work.
Thanks in advance.

Did Ya Miss Me?

It has been 13 months since I blogged.  How bad is that?

Life gets hectic and while I come up with a lot of blog posts ideas in my mind, I rarely find (I mean make) the time to blog.  Probably because I feel it has to be something important or newsworthy or something worthing of making commentary on (ie. a current event).

I do a pretty good job of taking a lot of photos and need to do a better job of sharing them here. Business, homeschooling, church and other commitments keep our family on the go, a lot but we try to do as much as  we can as a family.  Today, we waited a bit before deciding, but did attend Homeschool Day at the Capitol in Des Moines and listened to several speakers.  Bill Federer has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of history and we could have listened to him all day.  We also listened to Steve Deace, who challenged us to not become complacent in being active in the political arena and being devoted to protecting our freedoms and not just talking about it once a year and not being eternally vigilant the rest of the time.

I hope to get on a regular schedule for blogging, so perhaps you will see more posts from me.

Beautiful Sunset

Today was an extremely cold day!  It was 10 degrees below when the day started.  We went to church this morning and returned home for a couple hours.  Later in the afternoon we went bowling with around 50 people from church.  On our way home, around 5:30 p.m. I snapped some beautfiul sunset pictures on the gravel road that we drive home on.  I just wanted to record this and am thinking of printing this one in a poster or on a canvas.

My One Little Word - REDUCE

If you are a scrapbooker, then you might have heard of Ali Edwards.  Every year she picks one word to be the focus of her year.  She even leads an online class to make a little journal about it etc.  While I am sure that this helps her and others to focus on their word and what they are trying to do in the lives, I simply don't have the time or the money to take a class so I can refocus my life in that one little area (especially since it isn't even a spiritual focus).

At any rate, in the interest of trying to set some goals for myself (after all, it is January, the time of resolutions), I decided to pick a word and try to apply it to various areas of my life.  Hoping, that with focusing on this one word, I will accomplish some (and hopefully several or many) of my goals for the year.

My "One Little Word" is REDUCE.  In a culture that tells us, more, more, more, I am hoping to work on less in terms of material things.  I have done a ton of decluttering:  lots of papers filed, lots of papers recycled,  I took 3 old desktop computers to a friend to see if they can be used or possibly used for parts/components.  Between Christmas and New Year's we cleaned some more out of my grandparents' house.  While we did bring home a few mementos or kitchen items that we could use,  we took a ton of stuff to Goodwill.

I continue to work on reducing.  My kids are going through clothes to see what they have outgrown and can pass on to others.  My husband and I plan to follow suit. Once the taxes are done, we will be continue to declutter the paper that inevitably accumulates on our desks.

There are many more places where a person can reduce.  Reduce the amount of gas you use, by combining errands and trips when possible.  Reduce outside commitments and spend more time with your family.  Reduce the amount of plastic you use.  Quit using plastic shopping bags and use a cloth bag instead.  Use cloth napkins instead of paper.  Same with paper plates and cups.

Reduce the amount of money you spend on things that are not necessities.  Reduce your debt.  Reduce your grocery bill.  Eat out less.  Repair items instead of replacing them.

So what would you like to be your one little word?  I would love to hear.

Ack! It's Been Over a Month since I blogged!!

I can't believe it!  Well, yes I can.  We started school for the year and got in several weeks.  Hosting a crafting weekend at our church, then attended a scrapbooking retreat.  Grandma took us to Branson for 3 days, then we were home for a week before visiting friends in Wyoming.  Now we are back, staying home and getting lots of school done, not to mention getting into the routine of all of our activities: 4H, choir, confirmation class.

Between the crafting weekend and my retreat I got a lot of pages scrapbooked:  29 pages and 46 at the retreat!  Just this morning, I got them all arranged in their respective books along with the others I had put together and hadn't filed in their binders.  I am happy to report that I put 45 pages (give or take) in each of the kids' albums.  YEAH!  Basically I have Christmas pictures left to put in their books and 2008 is HISTORY (at least in the kids' albums).  I am one happy camper.

I have lots of pictures to post from Branson and from Wyoming, but that will have to wait because I have church council in a couple hours and choir tomorrow afternoon.  Keep checking back.  I promise I will post some pictures soon.

Reiman Gardens

Took our second visit to Reiman Gardens for a field trip last week.  Absolutely beautiful grounds on the Iowa State University Campus.  Love the Butterfly House too.

Daniel and Tom on the covered bridge.

I seriously want one of these at my house!  I mean look at that arbor!!!

Getting Something Crossed of the To Do List

We are on our second week school and it was hard to get going again after the long weekend.  We attended the Lifelight Music Festival on Sunday evening and drove home very late after it ended.   Totally worth the sleep we lost!  After sleeping in (well most of us), the morning was shot and I had high hopes of decluttering and reorganizing the dumping ground that is my office.  So we decided against going ahead and doing school on the Labor Day holiday and got some things done in there.    Today we hit the books again for a full and very productive school day.  By the end of the week, I think we'll be fully in the school groove again.

Tonight my husband helped me put together the IKEA Expedit that I purchased several months ago in Minneapolis to store my scrapbook supplies, paper, albums, etc.  Here is a link to it:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60071358

I read somewhere on the internet that it took a lady's husband 3.5 hours to put the same kind together.  As my husband said, "I think there was a game in there somewhere."  We put it together in just under an hour, working together.  I don't think it would have taken 2 hours for one person, or that other fellow might not have been very handy.  Only one minor mishap (using a rubber mallet to put the last side on, dented the hollow core, so I will have to be crafty there.  Thinking of using one of the Command Adhesive hooks on the side to hang a little bag or picture I make.  Because the bottom is made solid and the top is not, this side will be exposed, unless I put it on the north wall rather than the east wall.  Because of the sun exposure, I think I will go with my original plan and decorate it to cover it up.

Hubby just came up with a new plan to get it in the room.  Praying it isn't too heavy for us to move it this way.  It would not require me to completely empty the room first.  Then I could simply move items from their current location to the new shelf.  Hope he is right.  Usually is!!  :)

Feeling like I am getting a little crossed off my list.  Still hoping to paint in that room this fall, but it should be made much easier if I can pull my supplies from existing furniture and fill the bookshelf.  That will allow me to paint the other walls first by moving the existing furniture.  Hoping the weather holds and I can get this one in the books and move on to the livingroom (it is connected to the office with a half wall so it will look bad if I don't get it painted).