End of Summer Roundup
As we near the close of summer, crisp air and crunchy leaves are just around the corner. In keeping with the seasonal tradition, the End of Summer Roundup is here! Its pretty much a personal compilation of my favorite jewelry, books, music I've been listening to, and tidbits of information I've learned that I want to share with you. I've also come bearing two new worksheets! I'm releasing them as a pair, focusing on Routine Curation and Rituals. Scroll down to the bottom for the free download on those. I put a lot of time and love into these and ask for nothing in return except sharing how they work for you after using them. Beyond that, here we go!
JEWELRY PICKS
The pieces I've been pairing in my summer wardrobe have had to meet two requirements: lightweight and easy to wear. Those pieces have been the Hasaa Minor Necklace, Petite Pod Earrings, and my favorite to mix and stack: the Paddle Rings.
READING MATERIAL
Author: Alexandra Stoddard
Title: Living Beautifully Together
Theme: beautifying relationships with others and self
Purchase: HERE
Thoughts:
On a trip to purchase fresh wheat bread from a local bakery, my husband and I wandered into a nearby bookstore. It was small, a little disheveled, but charming! I got lost in the etiquette section, curious to find something new and that I did! I happened upon Alexandra Stoddard's book Living Beautifully Together. It's an oldie, but thumbing through the pages her words jumped out at me. Everything I needed to hear at this point in my life were being spoken to me. Something I've learned about myself is that I'm a workaholic. I love what I do, but I struggle with balancing that, family, and self care. Inevitably, I burned myself out and in came this idea of intentional living hitting me like a brick wall. I'm still undoing bad habits and trying on new, healthier, more fulfilling ones and learning to slow it down. The content, suggestions, thoughts, and musings offered by Alexandra is like a breath of fresh air. Even if you're not struggling for work/life balance, the perspective in Living Beautifully Together will rekindle and re-inspire your inner feminine energy. Life feels more romantic after reading her words, it inspires you to really find joy in what would otherwise feel mundane. You'll start to see how really special little moments in everyday can be and are.
The only critique I really have is it can read a tad materialistic on occasion, which I think is just a reflection of Alexandra's lifestyle and things she personally enjoys. Replace her suggestions with things you enjoy instead. I highly recommend this book for bath-time reading to sit back and relax and just be.
DOWNLOAD
I just added a set of Intentional Living worksheets, Routine Curation and also Rituals to support your routines. Whether you're starting new routines or want to revisit current ones, there are some great gems in these exercises.
The routine Curation worksheet focuses on finding a way to implement all the things you have to do as well as the things you would like to implement. Keep in mind, it's a good idea to start with less and work your way up. We tend to build up high motivation from our initial excitement, but when that early ambition fades it will be the habits that get us through. So, it's best to begin on a path of least resistance, then build into your routine as you go.
The Rituals worksheet is a complement to the Routines worksheet (though it can absolutely be used alone). Rituals are used here to help support a natural flow into your routines as you move throughout your day. When our schedule contains routines that we aren't excited about any extra effort to complete it becomes a barrier. Implementing rituals can lower those barriers a bit by making the flow into your routine smoother.
I'm excited to share these new worksheets and hope that you'll share with me how it goes for you!