By Request: A Simple Sausage Recipe

Dan R. left this comment on Episode 45:

Simple Sausage Recipe

Well, so I can no longer be accused of “not sharing the love” here is how I make the sausage, as the saying goes. Mind you, I only make fresh sausage and don’t go for the cured or smoked kind at this stage of my life. Plus, the reason I make our sausage is so I know what’s in it, not because it’s easier or cheaper than buying it.

Ok, so here’s the simple sausage recipe Vanessa and & I used in the picture below:

Simple Sausage Recipe

Disclaimer: 1- I never wrote out a recipe before so don’t expect a step-by-step guide ready for a novice. I’m no chef. Heck, at this point in my life I’m lucky I have all my digits! 2- I know there’s probably a million other ways to do it, but (like my rifle), this one is mine. Read more…

SLT045: Your House Is On Fire, You Can Save 5 Things. What Are They?

What are your most important things? We talk a lot about getting rid of “stuff” on the show, and in our lives that’s what we’ve tried to do. We’ve gotten rid of just about 3000 things this year alone and have a couple hundred people who’ve joined in on it by accepting the Edit & Forget It Challenge.  While we have opted out of following the mass consumerism that most in our society hold dear, there are still some things we ourselves hold dear. We created a scenario: “What 5 things would you grab if your house was on fire?” and then put ourselves to the test to figure out what possessions, out of our entire home, are the most important to us.

What Possessions Would You Save From a Fire?

As we went through this exercise it really challenged us and realized that by spending some time thinking about your most important things…those top 5 things that you would grab out of your burning home, it greases your mental gears to:

  • Identify the your most important things. Things that mean the most to you and why.

  • Contemplate whether you’re giving those things the attention they deserve day to day.

  • Identify ways to keep those things safe now and ready to carry out if necessary.

  • Condition yourself to more easily part with things that didn’t make the list.

  • Get you thinking about being prepared in case of an emergency.

Read more…

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My Favorite Tiny House So Far

I’ve mentioned a few times on the show that I really (really) like tiny houses. While we’re not at the point of downsizing THAT much yet, someday I’d like to live in a tiny house. I’ve lived for well over a year and a half in tents, with the longest stretch for around six months. I also lived in a 8′ x 20′ shipping container inside a warehouse for about 7 months in 2004-2005 and Vanessa lived in one (with a roommate) for 4 months in 2004. Still, she’s not on board yet with the tiny house idea. So, I’ll have to keep working that angle…

OregonCottageCo

In the mean time, enjoy this beautiful tiny house by the Oregon Cottage Company. I love the Japanese inflence and it reminds me of the little apartment I lived in called Coop Sunpia in Sonda, Okinawa-shi, in Okinawa, Japan. Of course, my apartment was almost four times this size!

Photos form the Oregon Cottage Company Website

SLT044: What We Got Here Is Failure To Communicate!

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Way back in Episode 10, we’ve talked  a little about communication and how it can make your life simpler….that is if it’s effective communication. Ineffective communication on the other hand can can make your life a lot more complicated and often leads to confusion, stress, resentment, anger and even some dangerous situations. That’s why simple communication is essential at work, at home and apparently in the prison/corrections field (see clip below).

But, you don’t have to be in a high-stress, dangerous job to tap into all the benefits of simple communication. Matter of fact, you might be causing some stressful situations yourself. Have you ever tried to replay a conversation in your head or share it with someone else only to fumble through it because you couldn’t remember the details or what was said?  Or have you said “yes dear” or “sure”, or uh-uh” after your significant other asked you to do something but you didn’t hear a word they said because you were thumbing through your Facebook feed?  Read more…

SLT043: Are You Making the Most of Life’s Experiences & Lessons Learned?

It can be way too easy to just go along in life and keep your head and eyes straight forward, just plowing ahead. But when we do that we often miss out on the importance of the experience’s life offers us along the way. Wouldn’t it be great if these experiences could make our journey simpler, more enjoyable, easier…and best of all, more fulfilling?

make the most of life experiences

Well, that’s exactly what we want to touch on today. We want to go over some of our recent travel experiences from our summer trip to highlight 3 specific takeaways for us, and hopefully, you too! Specifically, we’d like to share some perspective in 3 areas. How:

  • Sharing your story is important to help you & others grow

  • The simple things in life are the most satisfying

  • Capturing “lessons learned” sparks continuous improvement

Read more…

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