A Quiet Simple Life with Sallie Borrink

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I’m Not Sure What to Say

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I want to write something here. I want to send out an email to my tiny remnant that re-upped their subscription when I changed email providers. (And I do mean tiny. Over 93% of my email list did NOT re-up. That's not a typo. Less than 7% did. They are the tiny, faithful remnant.) If you saw the updated bio in the sidebar or saw what I added on the Start Here page then you probably already know where this post is going.So I want to write something. But I abhor fakeness so I'm not going to come on here and prattle on about happy stuff when I … [Read more...] about I’m Not Sure What to Say

A Jumbly Post on a Rainy Saturday Night in October

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It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Yes, the past couple of weeks have been such a roller coaster as you can probably tell by the lack of much new content here. I thought about it every day. Many days I was working behind the scenes. Some days I just didn't have it in me mentally to sit down and write here. Anyhoo.So this is just kind of one of those dump it all out type posts with no real structure and little editing. If you are looking for something meaty or profound, you're going to have to lower your expectations. LOL. … [Read more...] about A Jumbly Post on a Rainy Saturday Night in October

Life is Too Short for Ugly Stuff

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This was originally posted June 25, 2005. I'm reposting it today because I think it is still true. I hope it inspires you to beautify your life.Last weekend my husband and I went shopping in a number of small local businesses in my parents' hometown. We enjoy going through unique shops because it feeds the artist soul in each of us. We don't have to purchase anything - it is enough just to look at the design, the fabrics, the packaging, etc. It really does refresh us!While we were surrounded by so many beautiful things, it drove home to … [Read more...] about Life is Too Short for Ugly Stuff

Writing and Creating in an Entitled, Outrage Culture

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I realize it is going to be challenging to write this post without coming off like a total jerk. But I'm going to try.And I also want to apologize to the people who sent really kind emails and haven't received a reply. I simply wasn't in the mood to write emails this weekend. But I truly appreciated them. Some of them made me laugh out loud. Some of them brought tears to my eyes. So thank you and a reply will come eventually.You see, there are all kinds of things that happen in a blogger's life that no one knows about. Some of them you … [Read more...] about Writing and Creating in an Entitled, Outrage Culture

Sallie’s Miscellany (September 3, 2019)

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Sallie’s Miscellany features links, ideas, books, printables, products, and deals. Today's version is a mostly video version. I hope you enjoy a bit of a change of pace!Please remember the inclusion of a link is not an endorsement of the content, author, and/or website. Peace If you can't go to a cozy coffee shop today, you can bring the music to your little corner of the world.Understanding There are a lot of INFJs who read and subscribe to my site.However.WARNING AND DISCLAIMER: If you are an INFJ, do not start watching … [Read more...] about Sallie’s Miscellany (September 3, 2019)

A Day in Our Cozy Life #4

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This week we enjoyed living life. We've been doing school all summer so we continued with it this week. We also took the time to cross off one of Caroline's summer to do list items - a visit to the Grand Rapids Public Museum.So on to the pictures!A few weeks ago I won this lovely giveaway from the website Isabella Alden and I wanted to be sure to share a photo. The journal is absolutely beautiful inside.If you aren't familiar with her, Isabella Alden (known as Pansy when she wrote) was a very popular Christian author in the late … [Read more...] about A Day in Our Cozy Life #4

A Day in Our Cozy Life #3

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Caroline and I are both longing for the cooler, rainy days of fall. I've looked wistfully at the fireplace many times the past week, knowing that we won't be able to use it for probably many weeks yet. We've been doing our best to combat the relentless sun, heat, and humidity with little things like closing the blinds and turning on twinkle lights, playing my favorite thunderstorm track on YouTube, and visiting the autumn aisles at Hobby Lobby. I've never been a fan of summer and wilt fairly easily, but Caroline really dislikes the endless sun. … [Read more...] about A Day in Our Cozy Life #3

Our Life in July

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Shortly before Memorial Day, I compiled a plan of publishing content here 100 days in a row over the summer. So that obviously didn't pan out for a whole host of reasons. But we've had an enjoyable summer filled with important events and that's better than blogging every day, don't you think?So in random order, here's some of what's happened the past seven weeks or so. Teacher Friends A few weeks ago, two of my teaching colleagues from my student teaching days came to visit. Dorothy was my mentor teacher for two years. Jan was in the … [Read more...] about Our Life in July

A Day in Our Cozy Life #2

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It's going to be a very hot and humid July week. We're planning on enjoying lots of at-home activities to beat the heat. Here is a peak around our cozy home!Caroline and I haven't done much poetry in our homeschool so that's something we're doing this summer. I bought Anna Growing Up on the Farm years ago (well before Caroline). I brought it out because I thought she would love the fun poems and the gorgeous oil paintings in a large, over-sized format. I was right. We've enjoyed reading this as part of our learning time. We're working … [Read more...] about A Day in Our Cozy Life #2

A Day in Our Cozy Life #1

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As I've been looking through old posts, I realized that I've actually shared very little from our family life. I've written more about issues, things I'm learning, helping people solve problems, and encouraging others. But I haven't shared much about our day to day activities of pursuing a cozy life and bringing peace, understanding, and joy to our home. I'm far enough along this parenting and homeschooling journey that I want to be more deliberate about sharing some of the fruits and joys of our experience.Today is the first in what I hope … [Read more...] about A Day in Our Cozy Life #1

AQSL 002: Creating a Quiet Simple Life

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Are you ready to create a quiet simple life? If you are looking for encouragement and ideas, you are in the right place. In this episode we are looking at both quiet and simple. We'll examine what they mean and what they can look like in our home.Please feel free to leave a comment about the content or ask a question. I'd also love to hear what you found particularly helpful or encouraging. Listen to the Podcast My podcast is available to play right … [Read more...] about AQSL 002: Creating a Quiet Simple Life

The Explosion of Unnecessary Commonplace Luxuries

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This was originally published in October 2008 but I'm bumping it up for today. There is an interesting discussion in the comments. It's fascinating to look at this article and the linked article eleven years later. I've been doing some extensive reading and research in anticipation of going on a writing spree for my retirement website. I actually think the bottom half of the middle class is much worse off eleven years later.I know that I run the risk of scaring some of you off if I write too often about the economic situation in the world. … [Read more...] about The Explosion of Unnecessary Commonplace Luxuries

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