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  • Writer's pictureGrace

My Smartphone Experiment

It's early Thursday morning as I write this, not far into September. The summer has rushed by and I can hardly believe that fall is already beginning. I rose at 6am this morning and showered, started a pot of coffee, and packed my husband's lunch before waking my daughter for our early morning walk. We left out with the dog and made a loop around the town walking and talking. The air was crisp this morning but not too bad. We both wore stocking hats and sweatshirts but that was all that was needed in the way of layers. I saw the first signs of leaves turning this morning as we walked and hints of fall popping up all over town. It will be cold before we know it.


We have a beautiful crabapple tree in our front yard which bloomed gloriously this spring. Now, the branches are drooping under the weight of heavy fruit. I've never made anything from crabapples and never thought you could but a little bit of research proved me wrong. I experimented with crabapple jelly before our trip to WA last month and this week I made crabapple butter, more crabapple jelly and some crabapple sauce. The children love it. I'm still trying to decide what I think of it. : )


This week has been busy with school, DIY projects, and getting ready for my dear Mother in law to come. I cannot wait to see her again! It will be a full week next week as well.


I have wanted night stands for our bedside for awhile and wanted a place to have a lamp and books. However, they are very expensive! I have also wanted some kind of buffet/entertainment center type cabinet/shelf in our living room to be able to store some books and display some decor on. That has also been something that is just more money than I want to spend now. I began wracking my brain to see what alternatives I could come up with that were budget friendly. I decided on wooden crates and found some on sale! Last Saturday we spent the afternoon sanding them down and staining them. They turned out so well! We put some together for a shelf thing in the living room and I'm just waiting on my husband to finish the board that goes across the top to finish it.


This is the partially finished shelf. I'm so excited for it to be done!


Among other recent happenings, I have been making major changes - namely with my smartphone. I want to go more in depth with other posts as I have time, (they are in the works) but I took the plunge and made some big lifestyle changes that have been a long time coming. I bought a basic, non-smartphone phone and left my iPhone behind.

I bought a small camera so that I could capture the moments and things I want to remember in picture form, I dusted off my old alarm clock and set it by the bed for early morning wake up calls, and I purchased a wristwatch - the first I've worn in years.

I am looking so forward to diving in deeper on this subject with you and have been writing for awhile on this subject as I have time and my thoughts become clearer. This is something I am very interested in and passionate about and I hope it is something you all will enjoy reading about.


Next week will be very busy and I'm not sure if I will get any posts out or not, but I am so excited to share this journey and findings and personal experience with you all! If you would like to do some research yourself on this subject, here some some resources:


bradhuddleston.com has a book called Digital Cocaine and I think every person should read it. I have only been able to find it on his website. It isn't the cheapest but it is worth every penny. I highly recommend anyone and everyone to read it!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhOzP09BXEU&t=6s I don't know much about this YouTuber but I enjoyed her videos on her switch to a "dumb" phone and her journey with that. I found her honesty and reasonings refreshing as well as relatable. This is just one of several videos she made on this topic.


There are many articles and stories about this subject on the internet as well as more and more books being written. I will list the books that I personally know of, have read, or are on my to-read list. Quick disclaimer: I haven't read all of these so I can't personally vouch for them or their content. I will hopefully have a much more comprehensive list soon if this is something you are interested in.


The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to our Brains by Nicholas Carr

Offline Rebel: The Bold Magic of Living Without a Smartphone by Flora Hope London

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport

12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You by Tony Reinke

How to Break Up with Your Phone: the 30 Day plan to take back your life by Catherine Price


I hope each of you are doing well and enjoying this beautiful life we've been given! I'd love to hear what you have been up to lately and what is going on in your corner of the world.


Until next time ...



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