JMB Living

Hi there! I have a confession. I don’t particularly enjoy mowing the lawn or raking leaves. But last week, as I was doing both, I decided to put one of my favorite little life tools to work. Gratitude. Instead of thinking about how much I’d rather be doing something else, I tried to notice everything that was good about the experience. First, I thought about how fortunate I am to be physically able to do these chores. Then there was the weather. It was nearly perfect for working outside! And...

Happy Hump Day! I'm running a little slow on saying hello this week... So here's a good midweek thought to ponder: What if you could train your brain to think more positively? To actually notice more of what's good in your life and spend a little less time dwelling on what's not? If you've been here awhile, you probably know I'm going to tell you, "You can!" I came across a short video of an Olympic athlete talking about neuroplasticity (our brain's ability to change and adapt throughout our...

Hi there! Sometimes the things we tell ourselves about what we’re capable of couldn’t be further from the truth. I was thinking about this the other morning after a conversation with my daughter. She’d been telling me about their jam-packed October schedule. Between the kids’ activities, family commitments, and everything else they had planned, she was definitely going to need to find her own quiet time to balance it all out. And then, just as we were wrapping up our conversation, she...

Hi there! One of my favorite autumn rituals begins with a small organic pie pumpkin. Every year, I look forward to finding those little pumpkins, roasting them, and turning them into all sorts of delicious things. And there’s one recipe I especially love—Ambitious Kitchen’s pumpkin oat bake. I made my first batch of the season this morning, with a little twist. I substituted some of Trader Joe’s gluten-free oats with ancient grains and seeds, and oh my goodness, was it good! I’ve also...

A bad day or a day of blessings? Recently I had one of those days. Nothing was going as planned and every little thing was taking longer than it should. I needed to deliver some journals to a boutique that carries them, but I had delay after delay before I even got out of the house. Then I hit construction traffic. An HOUR of construction traffic. By the time I’d been on the road for three hours, my patience was wearing pretty thin. And then I heard a pop. I figured I’d run over something,...

Maybe my self care has simply changed with the season... My morning routine has gotten a little neglected lately. I haven’t been walking every day like I used to, even though I intentionally made walking a habit because I know how important weight-bearing exercise is as I get older. I haven’t been meditating much either. Granted, meditation has never exactly been my cup of tea. But I know it’s good for me too, so I try. And my gratitude journaling hasn’t gotten nearly as much attention. I was...

I wrestled with a winter squash tonight. I was making ribollita, a hearty Tuscan vegetable stew, for dinner, and as I worked my way through that stubborn exterior, I couldn’t help thinking how much easier it would have been to open a package of already-cut squash. I quickly dismissed the thought, as l love all the different colors, shapes and flavors of winter squash that are available. In the bag, there's typcially just butternut. Tonight I cut up a red kabocha–it's dense velvety texture and...

How to Savor the Last Days of Summer Last weekend, we took a quick trip to Hawaii to cheer our grandson on at his cross-country meet. And while I was there, I stumbled across something that brought two very old memories rushing back. The first took me all the way back to high school, when I had the privilege of spending a month in Japan as an exchange student. It was there that I discovered shaved ice. On a couple of special days, it arrived surrounded by beautifully cut fresh fruit—a...

A few nights ago I had a dream... In it, I got to spend time with my father, who passed away several years ago. What I remember most was the feeling of gratitude. It was as if I had been given a second chance to be fully present for the time I had with him—to notice it, appreciate it, and not take it for granted. When I woke up, I was bummed to realize it had only been a dream. Yet at the same time it felt like dad had given me a message. Live fully now. I asked myself what I could do to be...

A few weeks ago, I was visiting my grandchildren in Montana when the temperatures were close to triple digits. It was so hot that we started making up verses to “It’s Too Darn Hot!” every time we got in the car. And now, here we are in September, and it’s still “too darn hot” here in Kentucky. But that hasn't stopped me from looking for signs of autumn. Have you noticed them yet? The light arriving a little later in the morning. The first leaves beginning to fall. Perhaps a morning or evening...