Should My Wedding Invitations be Trendy or Timeless?
Do I care if my wedding looks outdated when I show the pictures to my kids?
It’s the question that brides have struggled with for decades… do I care if my wedding looks outdated when I show the pictures to my kids?
Consider the difference between a classic car and an minivan from the same era… one still looks great, looking back. The other, not so much.
“do I care if my wedding looks outdated when I show the pictures to my kids?”
We spend a lot of time thinking about what is timeless, and what isn’t. Here is our current conclusion on it:
Timeless and trendy are a bit subjective. Unfortunately, hindsight is the only true indicator if a design makes it from trendy to timeless.
This one is definitely a timeless design. Nothing stands out as over-the-top. Nothing is trying to prove a point. It’s just clean simple text, spaced and designed with elegance.
This arched design has a much more trendy feel. There is plenty of white space to give it a minimal feel, but the arches hint at a fun and interesting wedding.
This invitation mixes traditional and modern with its black and white simplicity. The spacing of the lines and the horizontal blocks give it just a taste of being trendy.
The black border on this design immediately give a “classic” feel. A black border is not enough to guarantee the classic look however. This style of photo, whether there is some action in the shot or the more sepia tone, can make all the difference.
This black on black and white suit combines classic and minimal and modern. The simplicity and open space makes it feel a bit more timeless, but the black on black with a bit of white feels very modern.
WOTY. Word of the Year
Why you should have a word of the year, and how we are making it easy.
I’m borderline ADD by nature (maybe not just borderline), which means my instinct is to make a lot more New Year’s resolutions than I can reasonably keep.
A great alternative/addition to the New Year’s resolution is a word of the year. This is my third year taking it seriously, and it has made a real difference.
This year’s word for me is Focus, which is a constant struggle for me but I felt it rising as a word I would like to orient my life around. Maybe for you its something completely different! I’ve chosen Generosity and Discipline the last two years, and each time the word represented something that I felt the need to work on.
I take choosing my WOTY pretty seriously, and I try to have it pretty well nailed down several months in advance. It usually feels like something the Holy Spirit is nudging me towards, and if it’s right, it just “clicks”.
Our preferred method to keep our WOTY from being forgotten, is to display them on the wall in our bedroom. I don’t notice it every day, but it’s not at all unusual for me to notice my word just before we turn out the light. Seeing it causes me to think about it and my current progress with it as I’m falling asleep.
I can’t recommend enough having your word somewhere that reminds you daily or at least regularly, and let it guide your year!
At the risk of making this post seem like a sales pitch, here is a plug for our customizable word of the year prints.
We believe in the power of the WOTY, so we created a product to make it easier to display your word of the year in an attractive way, similar to how we have for the past three years.
We take your word and the definition you choose, and either send you a physical copy or a digital file for you to print at home. CLICK THE LINK BELOW
We hope that your life can be better in the same way that ours has been!
5 Books That Changed My Life + A Few Bonus Books
5 Books that could change your life, plus a few fun ones.
I have found that one of the most effective ways to substantively change your life is to read a book. I only read about a book a month, and I hate to waste my time on a book that is barely worth it. Here are my current favorites.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry:
How to Stay Emotionally Healthy and Spiritually Alive in the Chaos of the Modern World
This book by John Mark Comer is a must-read if you feel overwhelmed. As a busy young family with several businesses and a love for new projects and ideas, this book was a God-send. It’s a great perspective-shifting book for anybody that feels caught in the rat race.
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World
This book by Cal Newport offered me an important mindset-shift on how the internet and technology how crept into my life.
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Deep Work, also a Cal Newport book, has fundamentally changed my day to day life. An “ideas” person by nature, this book, along with his time block planner book, have helped to rein in my easily distracted nature. This book is somewhat geared toward professional productivity, but it is useful for anybody that struggles with focus and productivity in their life.
Dangerous Prayers: Because Following Jesus Was Never Meant to Be Safe
Dangerous Prayers, by Pastor Craig Groeschel was an interesting one for me. One of my goals this year was to study the topic of prayer. I read several books and they all were insightful. However, Craig has a way of turning a deep topic like prayer into an easy read. I don’t totally agree with his entire worldview as is pertains to prayer, but this book was an inspiration to reach for more in my prayer life.
The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self
The Comfort Crisis, by Michael Easter was another book that exposed some of my worldview flaws to me. This book does contain some unnecessary language, so be aware of that. The premise of the book is that we have all become fat and lazy, and we don’t really want it any other way. The Comfort Crisis helped me realize that I am more addicted to comfort that I realized, and that an overly comfortable life is not a fulfilled one.
Born to Run
Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall was one of those books that made a real impact on my life. I listened to this audio book, and literally started training for a 5K and completed it. It’s not much, but it’s 3.11 miles further than I was able to run before this book inspired me. This book does contain some unnecessary language and stories, so be aware of that.
Honorable Mentions
Leadership Not by the Book: 12 Unconventional Principles to Drive Incredible Results
Leadership Not by the Book is by David Green, Founder of Hobby Lobby. Probably fifty percent of the books that I read are business related, but this one definitely stood out as a different perspective. Hobby Lobby’s growth and commitment to giving are inspirational. While I love a good, technical business book, this Christian perspective was refreshing.
The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel
This book by Douglas Brunt is a fun one. I tend to get stuck in the literary world of business and thinking and growth. This book was an attempt to take in a different genre. It’s an investigative look at the life of Rudolf Diesel, the inventor of the diesel engine. He was “suicided” in the age of global tension and the fight John D Rockefeller was having to keep gasoline as the dominant form of power. I listened to this one, and it was perfect.
To Kill a Mockingbird
This Harper Lee classic was another attempt to just enjoy a different genre than my normal. It reminded me that classics are classics for a reason.
I’d love to hear your book recommendations! Drop your favorites in the comments… Reading a book is a commitment to several hours of time and it’s always great to not waste energy or time on a mediocre book!
A Story of Blazing Glory
A short story, inspired by Ezekiel 16.
Inspired by Ezekiel 16
The morning you were born, dew covered the earth in a cold shimmer. The sun peered over the mountains surrounding you and lit the beads of water on fire.
There you lay, where your mother had left you, among the cold, freshly cut field. There was no comfort for you. No swaddle to warm you, no soft place to lay your head. Only cold, short grass that was drenched in flaming dew. The sun tried its best to warm you, but its light was the cold light of winter and you felt no warmth.
You cried out in your misery, blood covered and pitiful. And yet no eye that saw you pitied you. No heart broke for you. On the day you were born, you were despised and rejected. And still, the sun peered over the mountains surrounding you, trying to warm you.
“I knelt beside you and took you into my arms and whispered, ‘Live!’”
On the day you were born, I passed by the field and saw you wallowing in your blood and in the mud of the cold, flaming dew. I knelt beside you and took you into my arms and whispered, “Live!” I cleaned you and made you flourish like a beautiful flower. As you grew, I cared for you and loved you in your misery and pain.
With the sun and mountains surrounding you, you became as beautiful as the day you were born with the flaming dew shimmering like glitter over the field. I clothed you in my own robe made of fine silk and adorned you with beautiful jewels and embroidered cloth and expensive leather. I anointed you with oil and placed a beautiful crown of glory on your head. I gave you food that tickled your tastebuds and filled your stomach.
You knew nothing but comfort and love from me.
You were exceedingly beautiful and treated as royalty.
You were redeemed and transformed.
And on the day the sun disappears forever behind the mountains that surround you, the splendor and majesty I clothed you in will shine brighter than the sun ever did, setting the dew on the fields ablaze forever and ever.
“This I did for you”
This I did for you, declares Jehovah Go’El, the Lord your Redeemer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tina calls Northwestern Pennsylvania her home, and Queens, New York her sometimes home. She enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, reading captivating and educational books, spending time in coffee shops, and occasionally engaging in an active lifestyle via biking, rock climbing, hiking, and swimming. She values the power of words and loves to see writing change and impact lives. If you’d like to contact her directly, you can reach her at tina.thesimpledesignco@gmail.com.
5 Minimal Holiday Card Ideas
5 Minimal and Simple Holiday Photo Card Ideas to Get Your Creative Wheels Turning.
Five minimal Holiday Photo Card Design Ideas to get your creative wheels turning.
This Hugs, Love, and Joy design is clean and minimal. However, the design relies on the strength of your photo to make the card work. If you want to switch up the words on a design like this, it’s totally fine! Just switch them out though, rather than adding more words. For example, you could have Peace, Love, and Joy rather than Hugs, Love and Joy. You wouldn’t want to just add Peace to the top of Hugs, Love, and Joy though, because the design would begin to feel cluttered.
Another great way to have a minimal feel is to go with a clean square design like this one. The White border on this design also adds a timeless feel.
Here is another example of the white border. A beautiful add-on graphic in a corner can make a simple design like this one look good. However, there is something about the confidence of adding nothing, and just allowing the photo to stand on its own with the white border that make the minimal feel elegant.
Prefer a vertical version? All the same principles apply.
Minimal Designs do not need to be “stoic”. This round photo design has a trendy feel, while maintaining a minimal look. This design relies less on the photo and more on the text to do the work of the design. This probably isn’t a great design if you have more than three or four people in your photo.
In summary
Less is more; almost always, especially when you are wanting a minimal feel.
Photos are king. No matter how great your graphic is, all of these designs depend on at least a good photo, and a great one is better.
Minimal is subjective. Don’t get caught up in needing to be 100% “minimalist”; find a design that you love and go with it.
Your physical product matters. Quality paper and print are your final step to ensuring an excellent product. Here is you best place to find that! ;)
Silent Walking
“The first two minutes are mayhem.” How silent walking became a trend, and what we should think about it.
Have you heard of the recent TikTok trend, silent walking? It’s a revolutionary idea, in which the participant goes for a walk with absolutely no distractions. No music, no podcast, no audio book, no walking partners. Just walking, alone, in silence. World shattering.
When I first heard about silent walking, my first reaction was to scoff. “Wow, Generation TikTok has turned something all of humanity had been doing as a normal daily survival activity for thousands of year into a ‘revolutionary trend’”
I dug a little deeper. Listen to this quote from one of the “trendsetters” when she first encountered the idea of walking without any distraction.
“At first I was like… no, my anxiety could never, which is probably what you are thinking, but something within me was like ‘Let me just try it.’
The first two minutes are mayhem. Your mind is racing, you’re gonna have anxiety. But something happens after two minutes, where your brain just gets into this flow state and everything is quiet and suddenly, you can… hear yourself. After 30 minutes of silent walking, I suddenly had the clarity, that I had been always looking for. Brain fog lifted, suddenly all these ideas are flowing into me because I’m giving them space to enter.”
After hearing the TikToker describe her first silent walk, my nose-in-the-air scoffing felt a bit harsh. I’m not old, but I had the privilege of just missing the true age of social media while I was a teen. The age of the smart phone being an extension of a ten year old’s body. The sentence, "After 30 minutes of silent walking, I suddenly had the clarity, that I had been always looking for.” haunts me. This young generation is being robbed of clarity, of peace, of stillness. All things that are the groundwork to stability and growth.
My heart breaks a little bit every time I see a group of school kids sitting around a table, checking their phones. The awkwardness of silence in a group has a way of forcing conversation, unless the silence can be filled with mindless scrolling or gaming.
We have unquestioningly given 5 and 6 and 10 and 15 year old kids devices. Devices that are designed to connect them to each other and to us, which they do. They also are devices that have created a dependency that produce sentences like “The first two minutes are mayhem.”
What is the solution? In my opinion, it is forced moderation. Are you a parent that is worried about staying in touch with your child? Give them a phone. Please, please do them a favor though and don’t let them mindlessly scroll or listen or watch. This is not tyranny. This (in my opinion) is love. My personal favorite method for this is the screen time apps that require a passcode for whatever you want to restrict. Practice what you preach and limit your own screen time with a passcode on your own phone. Also, for crying out loud, don’t let it be a passcode that the phone owner knows!
To be clear, I’m not anti-technology! My livelihood depends on it, and there are so many great benefits. Just do your family a favor, and force limitations on it. If you don’t, it will certainly force limitations on you. Whether it is the toll it takes on your ability to focus, or your ability to emotionally connect with other people on a real, deep level, it will demand a price from you. Which limitation sounds better to you?
Take More for Granted
When we lose something or someone we love, we begin to realize how much of life we take for granted. We often don’t know how much we have and how richly we are blessed until we lose it. It’s a fact of life that we may never be able to get rid of.
“We take small things for granted all the time and we won’t stop with a blog post. ”
But I’m not here to tell you to stop taking life for granted or to go play with your kids while you can, or call your mom before it’s too late. We take small things for granted all the time and we won’t stop with a blog post.
“Isn’t it a mercy... that God grants us the bliss of normalcy and taking things for granted?”
We wake up every morning, thinking everything will be the same. That everyone we love will still be there and the steady job we have will always be waiting on us. We assume that everything good in our life will keep being good. Of course we remember to be thankful for some things. What would a person be if they weren’t thankful? But no one is thankful for everything all of the time. Some might recognize that fact and think of it as a negative thing. And indeed, a thankful spirit is a necessity in a Christian life, but isn’t it a mercy that we can take things for granted? Isn’t it a mercy that we don’t constantly think about what we could lose; that God grants us the bliss of normalcy and taking things for granted?
We do not start our days scared that our house may be bombed.
We do not live in constant fear of losing our lives because of what we believe.
We do not worry about when our next meal will be.
We live taking the blessings of a safe shelter, security and freedom, and simple necessities for granted. Isn’t it a mercy that our lives are so normal that we take things for granted?
About the Author
Tina calls Northwestern Pennsylvania her home where she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, reading captivating and educational books, spending time in coffee shops, and occasionally engaging in an active lifestyle via biking, rock climbing, hiking, and running. She values the power of words and loves to see writing change and impact lives. If you’d like to contact her directly, you can reach her at tina.thesimpledesignco@gmail.com.
Freedom is Bondage?
What if we all understood what true freedom looked like?
Imagine complete freedom.
What does that look like? No restrictions? Complete free will? Limited government? Nobody to tell you what to do?
Maybe it’s better defined with a question… who has more freedom:
A “trust-fund baby” that answers to no one and has plenty of money to fuel his passion for liquor and women and cocaine…
or
A young man who is in a mentorship program with strict accountability, requiring him to wake up at 5:30 every morning to spend time in prayer and meditation, followed by an hour-long workout?
“Who has more freedom? The trust-fund guy or the disciplined guy? ”
Who has more freedom? The trust-fund guy or the disciplined guy?
Freedom to endless cocaine isn’t freedom. It’s bondage.
A disciplined life isn’t bondage. It’s freedom.
I’ve heard stories of people feeling freedom for the first time after confessing and going to jail after years of hiding some evil they had done.
“Is freedom a myth?”
Now I’m a little confused… is freedom a myth?
Romans 8:1-2 says this:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
A few verses later in Romans 8 says “not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
“True freedom is saying no to everything that has a weight of sin attached to it. ”
According to that, freedom is to be free from sin and “death”. True freedom is saying no to everything that has a weight of sin attached to it.
The old adage “Freedom isn’t free” rings true here. Flesh-based, boundless freedom always ends in bondage. Always.
True freedom starts with putting our “flesh” and it’s wants into bondage.
Ephesians 4:22-23 says:
“Regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude],” AMPLIFIED
“Freedom starts with discipline.”
Freedom starts with bondage… the binding of the nature inside all of us that wants things that aren’t good for us.
Like nearly everything in life, the easiest path isn’t the best path.
Wait a minute… is easy also a myth?
Plastic Straws and Turtles
Plastic straws and turtles are two things I have become hyper aware of in the last several years. It all started with a TikTok, believe it or not, of someone making a funny video about wearing a green shirt and buying metal straws to support the turtles. What started as a joke about single handedly saving the turtles everytime I used a metal straw, grew into something more serious. I am by no means living a minimal waste life or actively saving the environment every hour of the day, but I have found that living more environmentally conscious often comes down to nothing more than thought patterns.
“What difference can I even make?”
We’re often tempted to think that the problem of waste, microplastics, fast fashion, and pollution are all too huge to even do anything about them. We wonder if these problems may be less about the individual and more about large corporations. We ask the question, “what difference can I even make?” That question is valid and the fact is, pollution and waste are huge problems that will take immense efforts by millions of people to change or even slow. But we don’t need to talk about that now. We’re here to talk about plastic straws and turtles.
Because using metal straws became a joke about saving the turtles, I began to really think about every time I used a plastic straw instead of a metal one. I knew that my tiny effort was hardly making a dent in the pollution problem, but I soon started noticing other things. Like how often plasticware appeared at gatherings and how I would quickly throw out my slightly dirty plastic plate for a clean one. Or how easy it was to lose my plastic cup because I could just grab another one, or how convenient it was to pick up a couple bottled waters from the gas station on a long road trip. Or how I’d search out a plastic straw for my drink when I could just as easily have enjoyed it without one. How the vegetables I bought came wrapped individually in plastic for no apparent reason or how often I would ask for a plastic bag when I could have carried my purchases without one.
It was nothing but a joke at first. Something to laugh at because of course, that one time I used my dusty metal straw instead of a plastic one, could surely not make a difference for the entire environment.
“It was never about the plastic straws or the turtles.”
Or could it? It was never about the plastic straws or the turtles. It was always about thought patterns and the cumulative effect of a lifestyle.
About the Author
Tina calls Northwestern Pennsylvania her home where she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, reading captivating and educational books, spending time in coffee shops, and occasionally engaging in an active lifestyle via biking, rock climbing, hiking, and running. She values the power of words and loves to see writing change and impact lives. If you’d like to contact her directly, you can reach her at tina.thesimpledesignco@gmail.com.
You Will Lose
Loss. It ain’t great.
I am currently in the crazy “young growing family” stage of life, not typically a stage that is associated with “loss”. However, we are constantly experiencing loss.
This year, I lost my four year old son, because he turned five.
My two year old daughter is already talking about her lama-themed birthday party (her birthday is still a few months out) It’s just a matter of time before I will have forever lost the experience of being her parent when she is two.
Occasionally, when I watch the kids playing, I feel a touch of sadness or nostalgia. I will never get to be a child again. Never.
Modern medicine and science have done a pretty good job of convincing us that death is all but avoidable. Anti-aging creams. Medicines that will keep you going. Hospitals that will hook you up to a thousand tubes and wires to extend life. Anything… ANYTHING, to keep us breathing.
Don’t get me wrong, those options are not bad, necessarily. Don’t believe the lie though that with enough money and focus, you can become or stay healthy and young. You will lose those too.
Ok, bear with me… this isn’t a post about grief… or making a list about the things you’ve lost so that you can “work through them”. This is a call to action!
There is some evidence that cultures that embrace loss are happier than cultures that try to whitewash it. Embrace it.
“I better make the most of it”
For example: I will 100% lose my two year old daughter, because she will soon be a 3 year old. When I live my life with that knowledge as a backdrop, it becomes much easier to stop and listen to her questions. Or just to enjoy her crazy antics. This is a once in a lifetime stage of life… literally. I only have a few months left to live life when my oldest daughter is two, I better make the most of it.
“Embrace your now, and the people who are in it”
Is this melodramatic? Maybe a touch. The point isn’t to live in fear and constant dread of loss. Instead, embrace the people and the stage of life you have, while we have them.
Turn off the phone, the news, the podcast. Those are almost all unimportant in the long run. Embrace your now, and the people who are in it. Because you will 100% lose them too, and time is wasting.
This I Believe
Until you believe what you know, your lifestyle won’t change.
People who grow up in Christian settings are taught from a young age that God created the world, Jesus is the son of God, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, God has endless grace and love for us, and we are forgiven of our sins if we ask. Theological ideas and patterns of thought are emphasized over and over till they can be repeated from memory. Children are taught an almost endless array of biblical knowledge that they can discuss in casual conversation by the time they are teenagers. The question is do they believe what they know?
For any of us who know all the things the Bible says, do we believe that God, beginning with nothing but Himself, created everything, from the cosmos that are billions of light years away, down to the very atoms that make us? Do we believe that Jesus was fully God and fully man? Do we believe that God truly forgives us of all the wrongs we have done when we simply ask him for forgiveness? Do we believe that His grace covers everything every day of our lives?
“It is one thing to know, it is something completely different to believe.”
It is one thing to know, it is something completely different to believe. If we do not believe what we know about God, we can easily go an entire day without talking to him, or reading His word, or asking for forgiveness. We live stuck in guilt and shame, never quite knowing the full potential of the characteristics of God. If we do not believe in God and all the things He has promised, He has no value to us. A lifestyle like that leads to spiritual dehydration, but until we believe what we know, our lifestyles won’t change.
“Until we believe what we know, our lifestyles won’t change.”
When we truly believe the things we know we can live free from guilt and the burdens of past sins because God forgives. We can live in preparation for eternal life with the living God because eternity is not just a concept. We can live renewed everyday by God’s grace because his mercies are new every morning. We can live without worry because He takes care of all His creations, even the sparrows. We can live courageously because God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power.
This temporary world offers knowledge, but God offers more. He calls us to something higher. Our lives can transcend knowledge. We can live in the power of believing what we know.
About the Author
Tina calls Northwestern Pennsylvania her home where she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, reading captivating and educational books, spending time in coffee shops, and occasionally engaging in an active lifestyle via biking, rock climbing, hiking, and running. She values the power of words and loves to see writing change and impact lives. If you’d like to contact her directly, you can reach her at tina.thesimpledesignco@gmail.com.
When Prayer is Dangerous
Do you dare to pray dangerously?
When I first heard the term “praying dangerously,” I was still a young teenager trying to understand a real, conversational relationship with an almighty God. At the time, I was amazed that I had never heard about this idea before. I was captivated by it and at times a bit scared to think too deeply about it. Since then I’ve been slowly learning to pray dangerously and wondering why we don’t talk about this more.
What does it mean to pray dangerously? A dangerous prayer is asking God for opportunities that do not immediately benefit us, with no thought of ourselves; asking God to give us opportunities of growth, chances to show His love to others, or opportunities to share the gospel.
“When praying for opportunities to grow, one cannot pray timidly. ”
When praying for these things, one must pray in complete faith that God will hear the prayer and answer it. Of course, faith in prayer is always necessary, but when praying for opportunities to grow, one cannot pray timidly. Because when we pray for things that are completely aligned with God’s will and what He teaches, does He not answer them?
John writes in 1 John 5:14, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
Of course God will answer those prayers! If you ask Him to, God will give you many opportunities to exercise your patience, or act unselfishly, or to share God’s love with others.
“Am I willing to walk through the doors God will inevitably open?”
The question then is not, “will God open those doors,” but “am I willing to walk through the doors God will inevitably open.” Therein lies the danger. Will you risk asking God for things that will stretch you and possibly be uncomfortable for you? Do you have the courage to ask God to give you a heart that beats the same rhythm as His? Do you dare to pray dangerously?
About the Author
Tina calls Northwestern Pennsylvania her home where she enjoys spending quality time with loved ones, reading captivating and educational books, spending time in coffee shops, and occasionally engaging in an active lifestyle via biking, rock climbing, hiking, and running. She values the power of words and loves to see writing change and impact lives. If you’d like to contact her directly, you can reach her at tina.thesimpledesignco@gmail.com.
A Day of Rest
How to reclaim sanity in a crazy world.
A Day of rest
We love projects. I’m guessing there is a designation for our condition in some medical paper somewhere. Recently, however, we realized that our “projects” have become our life. We decided to introduce a new idea into our weekly life. The Sabbath.
What is a Sabbath? Growing up, I would have considered Sunday to be our “Sabbath”, and in concept, there is nothing wrong with that. Honestly, I haven’t done any research at all on what a true “Sabbath” looks like, but for the purposes of this post, a Sabbath is a day set aside for rest and refreshment.
For our current stage of life, Sunday isn’t overly restful. Our normal Sunday starts with church service in the morning, followed by a meal at somebody’s house, followed by a short afternoon at home, followed by either another church service in the evening or another meal at somebody else’s house. Throw two young kids into the mix, and you’ve got a full day’s work.
Don’t misunderstand… I don’t think there is anything wrong with a full Sunday! As a Christian, I believe connecting with my local group of believers is one of the most important things we can do, and Sunday is undoubtedly the best day of the week to do that. Honestly, most of the pushback to busy Sundays that I hear seems to overlook the importance of getting together with believers altogether, but that’s a whole different can of worms (and we ain’t opening it any further:).
Our solution to feeling overwhelmed due to our busy life has been a Sabbath in our week. The actual day of the week varies because our schedule is pretty flexible and we don’t quite get it done every single week.
Our weekday Sabbath loosely resembles a Jewish Shabbat. We start the evening before by getting into Shabbat mode. We don’t do the actual Jewish rituals of being one hundred percent electronics free and all the other things, but we go into a rest/family first mode. Our goal during the next 24 hours or so is to rest and enjoy our small family to it’s fullest. We typically go to bed a bit later than normal and don’t set an alarm. (There’s no chance we actually sleep late thanks to our kids.) Our morning is super relaxed and we usually eat a pretty big brunch. The rest of the day is just focused on doing something refreshing and relaxing with the children. We usually have a relaxed evening that includes a walk or some activity like a small game to keep the children occupied.
We aren’t anywhere near experts in taking a Sabbath but here are a few tips to get you started.
Start with a general plan in mind, but don’t be tied to it.
Neglect your phone as much as possible. (Or throw it over a cliff if it’s too tempting)
Places that our children love are libraries and parks. Coffee shops are also great.
Go out for a late sit-down lunch after a morning at a park, if you enjoy that kind of thing.
Switch it up, not every Sabbath needs to look the same.
If you have children, don’t just sit on your recliner at home all day. You don’t need to leave the house, but do some family oriented activity.
Focus on the good things that you have been blessed with.
Rest.
I’ve been amazed at the difference that one day a week can have on our outlook on life. It’s good for your marriage, for your kids, and for your spiritual health.
DO IT!
THIS WEEK!
A great inspiration if you want read more about this type of subject is The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. Find it here- https://amzn.to/3LwLsGB
7 timeless Wedding Invitation Ideas
Timeless. Classic. Beautiful. These seven wedding invitations will get you inspired as you prepare for your big day!
Almost all wedding invitations that could be considered classic are simple. A beautiful photo and a bit of design. Neither the photo nor the text is competing for your attention.
Borderless photo invitations can be a great option. A good photo is key to making this work well.
IN SUMMARY
You need a great photo, if you want a photo intensive design to look great. No amount of graphic design wrangling can save you from a bad photo. (Translation: Hire a good photographer. Don’t go with Uncle Bob who just bought a camera on Black Friday.)
Keep it simple. Simplicity is your friend if you are looking for a timeless wedding invitation.
Don’t go bold. Bold and bright colors are great, unless you are going for a classic and timeless look. Scan over these invitations again, and notice that most of the tones are relatively muted.
Get a good designer. You can check out our selection of wedding invitations here.
A timeless wedding invitation is timeless because it adheres to basic principles of beauty. Simple, clean lines with a touch of elegance.
An easy way to add a minimal feel to your wedding invite is to remove all the text that you can.
Here are a few things that are optional if you have a photo on the front of your invitation.
Last Names
First Names
Date
Don’t underestimate the effect that the border has on your invitation. A black border adds a bit of mood to your invitation.
A timeless yet elegant invitation wedding invitation option is no photo at all. If you go this route, be sure to use a graphic design who knows what she is doing! Letter spacing and font choices make a huge difference on whether your invite looks like a high school craft project or a piece of art.
How to Stop A Charging Buffalo
How to Stop A Charging Buffalo
Last year approximately 330 billion dollars were spent on advertising in North America… that’s a little under $900 per person, trying to get their attention. Somebody spent almost $1,000 on you. Just for your attention.
“The average American is exposed to 4,000-10,000 ads per day. That’s nearly double the number of ads the average person saw in 2007 and over five times as many ads as the average person saw in the 1970s. ”
According to zippia.com “The average American is exposed to 4,000-10,000 ads per day. That's nearly double the number of ads the average person saw in 2007 and over five times as many ads as the average person saw in the 1970s.”
Is it just me or does the world (specifially the internet world) feel more and more claustrophobic? It feels a little bit like being in a crowded market in a third world country. You look around and from every side, people are waving their hands and trying to talk over each other and get into better position to get your attention. If you don’t know what you are getting into, it can be a bit panic inducing.
Am I the only one that feels as though our collective attention is being taken over? As if there is an unstoppable force that is sweeping over us like a tsunami of distraction? If so, listen up. I might have a solution.
Years ago, I was at an expo and I got into an interesting conversation with a professional hunting guide from Africa. His job was to take clients on hunts, and his specialty was dangerous African animals. He told me that cape buffalo are the worst, because they are tough and have a mean personality. I wasn’t shocked by this but I didn’t really believe that he had likely had many close calls with them. I asked him “How often have you had to shoot a charging animal?” He took me over to a photo book with trophy photos, and flipped to a spread that had four different pictures of proud hunters posing behind a trophy cape buffalo, with this guide sitting next to them. “Look closely just above the buffalo’s noses,” he told me. There, just above the nose on three of the four cape buffalo pictured on the page was a clean, round hole. “When they charge, we aim just above the nose.” Whoa. I was talking to a legend. (Unless he was great at photoshop:) This was a guy that stares down charging cape buffalos and doesn’t flinch.
Maybe you are wondering “Wow, what on earth does this story have to do with anything?” Let me explain. Sometimes, when I feel as though I am being overwhelmed by the information and advertisements and influencers and startup small business and non profits and a thousand other things vying for my attention every time I open my phone, I forget that there is another option. You don’t have to be overwhelmed by the internet and social media. You can literally stop it in its tracks. Maybe the example is a bit extreme… but who’s the judge of that anyway? Like our legend friend in the story, you can stand your ground and aim just above the nose.
“For me it’s deleting the app.”
Stopping the “charge” of internet/social media overwhelm can look different for different people. For me it’s deleting the app. Because of what we do for a living, social media is a necessary part of my job. However, every time I need to post something, I need to go to the app store and download the app before I can post it. As soon as I am done, I delete the app. Strangely enough, I usually experience a sense of relief as soon as the app is deleted.
Maybe for you, it’s just a self imposed daily time limit. Of maybe deleting your account all together. Maybe it’s not social media. It could be any website or service on the whole internet. News, Youtube, Blogs (kinda ironic to read that one here, but oh well), Lifestyle, Product Reviews… the list is endless. Just know that if the internet is overwhelming you, it is your decision whether or not you want to stop the charge. Just press “off”.
Lead & Lag: Two words that could change your life
Your better tomorrow starts today.
Lag vs Lead
Lag indicator and lead indicator… Two phrases that might show up in a stock business book with other terms like “growth systems” “key performance indicators” “purchase funnels” and the like. However, understanding the lead and lag measures in your life, could actually change your life. No joke.
What is a lag (lagging) indicator? Basically, reaping what you sow. Your life as it stands right at this moment, is a sort of lag indicator. Who you are at precisely this moment is generally the result of all of your life choices.
What is a lead (leading) indicator? Basically, sowing what you want to reap. For example, eating healthy foods is a lead measure that will almost always result in the lag measure of being healthy.
I was recently struck again by the beautiful simplicity of this concept.
Overweight? (lag measure)
Eat healthy and exercise. (lead measure)
Constantly Distracted? (lag measure)
Delete social media. (lead measure)
Too rushed to have a quality meditation with God in the morning?
Go to bed earlier, so that you can get up earlier.
Frustrated with your spouse?
Build your life around spending time with them and serving them, it reciprocates.
Anxious?
Unfollow the news.
Broke?
Go to work.
The list could go on endlessly. Of course these answers are oversimplified, fixing a marriage isn’t always as easy as “Spend time with your spouse.” However, a lot of annoyances that we have in our lives are things that we can actually begin to change. Right at this very moment.
Just the other day, I realized that I spend too much time listening to podcasts. They weren’t bad podcasts, but they were distracting me. Even from “mindless” work. I realized that a lagging indicator in my life was constantly feeling that I don’t get as much done in a day as I could if I focused more intently. My leading measure to change that was deleting all my podcast apps. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still occasionally listen to podcasts. I’ve been listening to podcasts well before most people realized they were a thing. However, I now have a new lag measure goal (to press myself to do more with my life) that is more important to me than my lead measure habit of being entertained by a good podcast.
In the end, lag and lead is just a reminder… do what it takes now, to become the person you know you ought to be. And start to change your lead inputs now, we never know when our lead time will run out.
Winter Survival: Kids in the House Edition
6 Things to Do With Your Kids Today
How to Survive the Winter with Kids in the House.
It’s officially “winter is a marathon, the holidays are over, the weather is nasty, and the kids are sick of being cooped up” season here in Ohio… and we love every minute of it. Just kidding. Seriously kidding.
To help combat the winter blues (as much for ourselves as anyone), we have decided to focus on fun activities for you and your kids this month. Here are six activities for you to do with your kids this week!
P.S. All of these actives will be better if your phone is on airplane mode, at the least. Maybe even turned off and in another room.
1. Have a coloring contest.
This doesn’t necessarily need to be a contest, obviously.
2. Bake cookies.
Involve your kids in every step of the process. Let them make suggestions on what to add or subtract. This is not something that needs to be Instagram beautiful. This is about enjoying your kids.
3. Complete a puzzle.
4. Make a paper airplane.
This can be a great contest as well, depending on the ages of your kids. Youtube has some tutorials on different types of airplanes.
5. Go for a ride.
I feel like my generation has lost this as an activity, probably because the novelty of driving has worn off and been replaced with a sense of dread. Listen to a story book or music and just enjoy a slowish pace.
6. Download Free Printable ACTIVITIES
We have been creating activity sheets for your kids to work on, and they are free! Click on this link and help yourself to a download or ten, and then print those pages on your home printer. These are all tested by our very own Jack and Kate:).
Good luck!!
P.P.S. Keep checking back as the month goes on for more free printable downloads and blogposts with activities for your kids!
The To-Don't List
Finding freedom in no.
The To-Don’t List
I recently came across the concept of the “to-don’t” list… and I’m dying to integrate it into my life.
““The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.” ”
What is a to-don’t list? Exactly what it sounds like. Warren Buffett once said, "The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”
I’ve been called an entrepreneur, but that’s hardly the truth. I just have a hard time saying no to a good opportunity. Fixer upper houses? A local coffee shop that needs new owners? A web-based design company? High school choir needs a conductor? I can’t help myself. Cue the to-don’t list.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
No new hobbies this year. (Focus on the ones you already enjoy)
No social media on my phone.
No phone until 2 hours after I wake up.
No screen time after 7:00 pm.
No sugar.
No news sights that make me anxious.
No coffee after noon.
This isn’t compresensive, obviously. Maybe it’s totally different then the list you would start with. Either start saying no.
“The to-don’t list isn’t bondage, it’s freedom.”
In the end, a no is actually a yes. A yes to focus in on the things that you really want to do. The to-don’t list isn’t bondage, it’s freedom.
Should You Start a Side Hustle?
9 Things You Should Know Before You Start A Small Business
It’s all the rage, "Start a side hustle!”, they say. It’ll be a great source of income and plus you get to do the thing you’ve wanted to do all along! Or, if you plan to go into you small business full time, they say “You can be your own boss!” Or “You’ll be able to make so much more money!” Or “Now you can create your own hours and work whatever schedule you would like!”
Maybe nobody really says that out loud, but that’s the general impression that “the culture” puts in your face.
As someone who owns and runs two small businesses (this website’s company, The Simple Design Co, and now our coffee shop, Simple Coffee Co) I’ve seen both sides of the coin on the joys of being your own boss. I’m not here to present myself as someone who has “made it”, because I haven’t! This blog is just the 9 things that I wish I had known 6 years ago when we started our first business.
Business don’t take off just because you start them.
I always had the impression that some people just start businesses and it hardly mattered what they did, the business would just sorta take off all by itself. That’s almost never true.
One of the most common misconceptions that I had about “successful” business owners was that they possessed a hidden skill or talent that mysteriously made everything they touched a success. On the contrary, what I have noticed is that most success small business people are people who have a baseline level of competence, but always keep on going. They never let the ship coast, but instead continue to learn and push, at least a little bit.
2. Spend no energy on the Haters.
Disclamer: You will almost certainly barely ever run into anybody ever that would qualify as a hater. Also, genuine critiques of flaws in your system do not qualify as haters! That aside, you will inevitably run into somebody that is just not a nice person. Refund their money, even if they don’t deserve it, wish them a good day, and keep going with the things that move you forward.
“It’s really hard not to fall into the trap of a good spat.”
It’s really hard not to fall into the trap of a good spat. For instance, we were once (publicly) accused of copying another person’s work, despite being relatively obsessive about not copying other people’s work. Not only that, we had proof that we hadn’t done anything wrong, but that was beside the point. If you spend energy on the haters or the false accusations or even your competition, you are only wasting the time that you should be spending on making your products and services better.
3. The actual skill that your product or service requires is probably the least of your worries.
This has to be the number one mistake people make when starting a small business or side hustle. For example, “I’m a talented barista, I’m going to start my own coffee shop!”
The skills that your industry requires to complete the physical product or service are the absolute baseline of what you need. People aren’t necessarily impressed that you know how to be a good barista, they expected that when they walked into the specialty coffee shop. They are impressed when they are greeted over and over with a friendly team of well trained people. Of course you need a good barista, but if you want to run your own coffee shop, you need to be able to train people and promote your business and figure up good margins on your products and order supplies on time… the list goes on.
Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t intended to discourage you!! Just make sure you are working on the right skill set, or you will constantly be frustrated that nobody is noticing how much better of barista (or any other thing) you are.
4. Spend more time and energy in marketing
You almost certainly will not spend enough of your first several year’s worth of income from your business on marketing. It’s really hard to spend the money on marketing that might bring you more income later, when you could just spend it on the equipment upgrade that you could really use right now. Marketing also isn’t necessarily financially expensive. If you don’t have a lot of extra cash to spend, spend your time instead. Post on social media super consistently, and get intentional about what is and isn’t working.
Every new customer that you reach today could turn into 100 customers in 5 years.
“ Every new customer that you reach today could turn into 100 customers in 5 years.”
Extra tip. If you are into social media marketing, be very careful when spending money to “boost” your posts. The people who are successful with paid ads on social are very particular with who gets to see their paid ads. Unfortunately, paid ads on social media for small businesses is usually just a direct deposit from your bank account to the social media’s bank account, with no real benefit to you. (I know, I know… paid ads can work, and we have done them, just be careful.)
5. Decide if you want to own your job, or run a business.
A lot of people who own their job think they run a business. There is nothing wrong with owning a job, just be intentional about what it is you are wanting to do. What’s the difference between owning a job and running a business? One easy way to tell is to go on vacation. Does the business keep going even if you are not there? If yes, there is a good chance you run a business. A proper business is a set of procedures and standards that produce products and services, outside of your direct efforts (that’s not an official definition :). If you run a proper business, you as the owner are replaceable, and that’s a good thing. A proper business also needs to make more money than it pays you, or you are essentially running a non profit.
“ Businesses often start as side hustles, so don’t be discouraged if you are in the side hustle stage and you want to run a business. ”
Businesses often start as side hustles, so don’t be discouraged if you are in the side hustle stage and you want to run a business.
Don’t feel as if you are “less than” if you own your job, rather than run a “business”. Owning your job can be a completely valid option. It’s possible to earn a great income, make the world a better place, and be able to make your own schedule, all without needing to hassle with employees and scaling your business to size. Just be intentional, if that is what you are looking to do.
6. Don’t be the worst boss you’ve ever worked for.
I’m not natured to be a workaholic, but sometimes one business or the other demands that I put in 17 hour days, back to back to back. That’s fine. Honestly, it’s often fun, because it’s a season of growth or change, and it’s a project that we are excited about. Endless work days are not a recipe for a happy life though.
“As your small business or side hustle picks up steam, you have to create boundaries around the most important areas of your life. ”
As your small business or side hustle picks up steam, you have to create boundaries around the most important areas of your life. Your time with God, your family, your marriage, your church, your close friend group. A lot of people go into business to make more time for those things, and end up being busier than ever. Just like everything else in our crazy modern world, your business will want all of your time and attention, but it will be just fine if you put in into a well structured box and make it stay there.
Don’t get me wrong, I spend a lot of time with my family, in the business. Way more so than if I had a normal 9-5 job. Again my point is only this, be intentional!
7. Have nothing to hide.
This is probably better as a mindset or a lifestyle than a small business tip, but have nothing to hide. Always strive to produce only quality. If you are always trying to improve, and you believe in the things you are producing or selling, everything becomes better in business. You no longer fear a disgruntled customer, because you will give them a genuine apology, and give them a refund, and learn from the mistake. The less than ideal product that you sent them was not because you were lazy, it was because of an honest mistake or flaw in your system (that you will now go fix)… and that’s a huge difference. Your customer can quickly tell if you are trying to just do business with them to make a buck, or if you are trying to make their life better.
8. Read
Read books that pertain to what you are currently trying to improve on. I’m not really a “self help” guy, but I am a big believer in the power of books. Here are a few to get you started.
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It-Michael E. Gerber
This is a great book on the importance of building systems.
Buy it here… https://amzn.to/3YXtBN9
This Is Marketing: You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn to See- Seth Godin https://amzn.to/3YNb2v4
This book is a good starting point for understanding what marketing looks like.
The One Page Marketing Plan, by Allan Dib, Joel Richards
Buy it here. https://amzn.to/3C7x6qD
This is a good book on simplifying your overall marketing, which is almost always a good idea.
Entreleadership- Dave Ramsey
Buy it here https://amzn.to/3C8mpEg
It’s been a minute since I took in this book, but it’s a great baseline business book that will get you started in the right direction.
9. Look beyond yourself.
Business can be a selfish, greedy, cut-throat world. Or it can be a place to bless people, further God’s kingdom, and make the world a better place. If your only objective is to make yourself wealthy, you are missing all of the best that running a small business has to offer. You might be able to build your business and pad your bank account, go wherever you want, and buy anything you get a hankering for. If you do really well you might even end up with a private jet… but then you die. We all die. (that turned morbid quickly) If every interaction you have with people your business touches is geared toward making the world a better place, you will won’t die. Or at least your impact won’t. In the end, that’s the only real reason we want to get into business in the first place… To have impact. To improve the world.
“Business can be a selfish, greedy, cut-throat world.”
So what is the answer to the question we posed? Should you start a side hustle? Yes! Do!… unless that hinders you from making a positive impact on the world. If it bogs you down and consumes your life at the expense of all the most important things… NO!! please don't ! Either way, only you can make the call… don’t be persuaded one way or the other by the messages you get on social media. Running a small business is not easy, and it’s definitely not guaranteed, but if it is what you are supposed to do, step into it. It’s pretty stinkin’ rewarding.
6 Tips To Not Waste 2023
6 Tips To Not Waste 2023
Tip 1. Pick a word.
You have most likely heard of the concept of focusing on one word as your theme for a year. Do it! Last year, my word of the year was “Generosity” and it made a real difference in my life as a guiding principle.
Pro Tip 1 Make a sign or plaque with your word of the year and hang it in your bedroom, as a constant reminder.
Pro Tip 2 Read a book on the word you are focusing on. I read Go-Giver, and the concepts of the book helped to cement the importance or generosity as a lifestyle for me.
Tip 2. Make tangible goals.
This is almost certainly not a new thought to you, but it’s an easy one not to apply. Creating vague goals guarantees that you will not reach them.
Example. “I want to lose weight” is a vague goal. “I want to lose 23 lbs by June 25th.” Is a tangible goal.
Tip 3. Structure your life to make your goals easy to reach.
I have lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 60 lbs. in the last year or two. It’s not because I’m super disciplined or motivated. It’s because we only had food around the house that was “healthy” food. Also, I was on a diet plan for about half of the year that sent me my food to the door, making my food decisions for me. Obviously, that’s not sustainable as a lifestyle, but the concept applies. Make it easy to stay on track, and hard to come off track.
Tip 4. Trust the process.
If you have a financial or health or fitness or spiritual or any other goal, it’s easy to get discouraged with your progress. Trust the process. If you eat “right” and exercise for long enough, you will lose weight and become healthier. If you spend time with God’s word and pray and meditate and worship consistently, you will have a closer relationship with Him. If you always live on less than you earn, you will make financial progress.
Tip 5. Keep constant pressure.
Our nature is to lose focus, now more than ever. Your goals will almost certainly not happen if you do not keep constant pressure in that direction. If you memorize a Bible verse every week, (just 1 a week!), you would memorize a little over 1,000 verses in twenty years. Twenty years is a long time, but you are most likely going to end up living it anyway, so you might as well be a better version of you at that point.
Tip 6. Live
Aside from literally living (as in not dying), live! Put your phone down. Take a moment to enjoy the best parts of your life. Make time for that trip that you have been meaning to get around to. Visit the old friend who lives a road trip away… or at least text them! Live as if this life isn’t a guarantee, because it’s not.