Tiny Flourishes – 10 things enhancing my life right now

I thought this week we’d take a break from the more in depth articles.

Let’s talk about tiny flourishes that are making life better. Here’s what’s been working for me during the first part of this year. Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what tiny flourishes are working for you right now.

Craft Caddy Bag

This little bag has cleared my kitchen table of all the books and art supplies I like to use in the morning.

The caddy makes it possible to organize my planner, books, sketchbook, pencils, pens, markers etc. I have everything I need in the morning and can easily put it all back in my office when I’m finished.

Mine is the small size and it’s plenty big enough for everything I’d want to carry.

Goal Setting Planner

One of the things I use every morning is a planner. I like a horizontal layout for journaling a bit, just to pull my head together for the start of the day. This year I wanted to set goals and stay focused on them all year.

Enter the Makselife planner. This planner was a bit of a splurge, but it’s been very worth it for me so far. It has a built in system for setting goals and helps to keep those goals in sight each month and week.

I’ve mentioned before that the last year or so has been particularly difficult for my family. One result of that was I felt that I was only reacting to things, which made me feel that I was being knocked around and drifting. Using the Makselife planner has helped me be more intentional with things in my life.

Cutting Back on Coffee

A few weeks ago I started noticing that I felt very anxious in the mornings about thirty minutes to an hour after drinking coffee. I’ve been experimenting with cutting way back on the coffee consumption and that feeling has gone away.

I cut out afternoon coffee altogether and cut morning coffee down to one small cup. I’d been using a mug that holds about 16 oz, drinking one mug in the morning and another in the afternoon…and calling that two cups. Now I’m down to one actual 8 oz cup of coffee and felling much better.

Yoga

I’ve been following along with the 30 day challenge from Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube. It took a bit longer than 30 days to finish, and I’m okay with that. I’ll probably start one of her older yoga series next.

Bananagrams and Puzzles for Weeknight Evenings

I find on winter evenings it can be hard to resist falling into a “TV for hours” pattern. To combat that, Jim and I have been playing a couple rounds of Bananagrams or working a jigsaw puzzle together for a while.

It’s not as good as taking a walk outside, but so much better than sitting in front of the TV all evening, every evening.

Hot Stone Bowls and Learning to Master Chopsticks

At the beginning of January, we ate in a Korean restaurant that offered dolsot bibimbap on the menu. I’d never heard of this dish, but it is amazing!

Basically, it’s rice, vegetables, an egg and meat in a very hot stone bowl. I order mine with no meat and sometimes no egg. It’s also served with a variety of sauces, kimchi, and other spicy items to mix in.

It’s the perfect winter meal, because the heat from the bowl radiates out as you eat it, like a mini heater on the table. It feels comforting, delicious and warm.

To go with my obsession over this meal, I’m also trying to master chopsticks. I’ve known how to use them for a long time, but until recently I was pretty terrible at it.

I’m determined to master chopsticks, which to me means being able to eat a whole meal without having to think about using the chopsticks. I’m making progress, but still have a ways to go.

Short Trip to Columbia and Charleston

Jim had a work meeting in Columbia, South Carolina and I decided to tag along. We tacked on another day or two and added Charleston to the trip.

We made a stop in Asheville, NC on the way and visited a lot of art studios. I toured some historic houses in Columbia. In Charleston we went to Magnolia Plantation and wandered the historic downtown area.

It was a quick trip but a lovely change of scenery.

Sitting in the Sun

Here in Kentucky we get a lot of gray days in the winter. I’ve decided whenever there is sunshine, I will sit in that sun!

If it’s very cold, I sit inside at the kitchen table where the sun streams in the windows. On days where the temperature is 45 or above, our back deck seems to gather warmth, making it feel a lot warmer than it really is. I try to take advantage of those days by spending at least a few minutes outside on the deck.

My Favorite Holiday

Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday.  There are no expectations, no gifts, no special foods. There’s a good movie to go with the day and a legend about a weather-predicting rodent. Plus the whole point of the day is to look forward to spring.

What’s not to love?!

Blooming Bulbs

I’m a sucker for those forced bulb arrangements that you can pick up in the grocery store floral section. I’ve already bought two this year. Last year I purchased so many of these with tulips, daffodils, paperwhites, hyacinths etc.

There’s something about watching the blooms fully open that just makes me happy.

What are the tiny flourishes enhancing your life right now?

I’d love to hear what’s working for you right now. Leave a comment below and let me know.