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Intentionality, Reader and Life Lately

Published on March 20, 2013 By Emily. Updated on March 20, 2013

When I chose intentional as my word for 2013, this isn’t what I had pictured.  I had imagined a more organized life, with items constantly checked off a to do list and less time just hanging out.  But lately that’s not the form my life has taken.  I’ve been choosing intentional relaxation and sanity instead.  Watching TV shows with Brian instead of working on my laptop and half watching.  Getting in bed a little earlier and reading (and writing the draft of this post by hand) instead of catching up on unread blog posts.

I think the upcoming closure of Google Reader helped me with my inability to relax, in a way.  Though the service is running until July, I immediately switched to Feedly, on the advice of Katy Widrick.  Feedly is great and there are a lot of things I’m liking about it, but I’ve lost my blog reading rhythm.  And it’s incredibly freeing.  Suddenly I’m aware of the huge volume of content I was trying to keep up with every day.  The numbers of unread posts on Feedly are less menacing to me and I’m not constantly aware when more posts are coming in.  For the first time, I’m reading things by category instead of all the posts that come in, something I could never make myself do in Reader (even though other people advised me to do so).

It’s good timing, considering that I’ve been mulling over the notion that I can’t have it all for some time now.  There’s a lot to be said for not beating oneself up over undone tasks.  I tend to put too much pressure on myself and I want to be intentional about not doing so.  I developed a lot of post ideas during the 28 Day Blog Challenge and I still intend to use them.  My current vision is to spend a couple hours each weekend writing for the coming week.  Unfortunately life doesn’t always allow for that and my afternoons have been very busy lately.  I know the upcoming month is going to be even crazier.  So, after completing all the crucial tasks, I’ve been intentionally taking things a little easier and doing a little less.  Try it.

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Filed Under: life, Uncategorized Tagged With: feedly, intentional, websites

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Comments

  1. Rachel Wilkerson says

    March 20, 2013 at 8:41 pm

    I really love Feedly too (thanks, Katy!) but I have still been using Reader out of habit. But I hadn’t considered that maybe reading blogs differently would be a good thing.

    On the other hand, I kind of gave up on keeping my Reader below 1000 after the holidays when I had the time to catch up. I do read by category, and there are some categories I just never get to. Ah well.

  2. Kelly says

    March 20, 2013 at 9:51 pm

    I also feel like Feedly is less menacing with the numbers than Google Reader! I’m not sure what it is, but I find it a lot easier to just leave things unread for a while instead of noticing and wanting to clear those unread numbers. I also did a bit or reorganizing when I move things over to Feedly, so I think that helped things be less overwhelming as well.

  3. Kristin @ FoodFash says

    March 21, 2013 at 1:54 pm

    I’m a big beater upper over unchecked checklist items, but I’m intentionally becoming less rigid this year too!

Trackbacks

  1. » Final Thoughts on My Word for 2013: Intentional says:
    January 2, 2014 at 6:21 am

    […] Intentionality, Reader and Life Lately (March 20th) […]

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Emily
New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the New on the blog: a 2 week menu plan featuring the vegetables from our CSA share at @mightyfoodfarm. Link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting We finally made it to the @berkshiremtdist tasting room in Sheffield today after years of talking about it. The indoor and outdoor atmosphere was lovely and we took advantage of the complimentary tasting to try some of the products we haven't had before. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area and enjoy distilleries.
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#BerkshireMountainDistillers #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #DrinkLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #SheffieldMA
On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointm On Friday we headed to Springfield for an appointment and made a day of it by visiting @forestparkzoo afterwards. For us, the Zoo in Forest Park's size, layout and number of animals (over 225 exotic and native animal residents) is the perfect size for our 2 and 5 year old kids. We went in the afternoon, when day camps were wrapping up and it wasn't busy overall. We were able to easily view all of the exhibits and let our children move at their own pace without interfering with other people. Despite the heat, the animals were pretty active and it was a joy to see my kids spot, identify and appreciate them.
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#ZooInForestPark #SpringfieldMA #igers413 #WesternMass #WesternMassachusetts
Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro Brian and I had lunch at the @firehousecafebistro in Adams today. We enjoyed falafel bites, cocktails, papas bravas, and a buttermilk chicken sandwich. All of the food was really delicious and the service was excellent, despite very limited staffing. The patio seating was fun for people watching and enjoying the sunshine. I highly recommend the Firehouse Cafe and Bistro if you're looking for a more upscale lunch or dinner in the northern Berkshires.
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#igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #AdamsMA #FirehouseCafeAndBistro
It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favori It's blueberry season in the Berkshires! My favorite girl and I headed to @mountainviewfarm413 this week to pick ours, as is our tradition. We had a great morning resulting in 7 pounds of berries. Some blueberries will be frozen and others turned into muffins, but most of them will be eaten just the way they are. The season is short, enjoy it while you can. @whitneysfarmmarket and @seconddropfarm are doing picky-your-own as well. 🫐
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 #igers413_food
#igers413 #BerkshireFoodies #InTheBerkshires #EatLocal #WesternMA #WesternMass #Berkshires  #VisitTheBerkshires #blueberries #BlueberryPicking #MountainViewFarm #LanesboroughMA
We're back from vacation and back to picking up ou We're back from vacation and back to picking up our weekly share of @mightyfoodfarm produce. My latest menu plan using these vegetables is live on the blog, link in my profile.
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#MightyFoodFarm #EatLocal #EatSeasonal #VermontGrown #CSApickup #CSAshare  #KnowYourFarmerKnowYourFood #MenuPlanning #MealPlanning #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies
Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is t Tomato season is my favorite season. If there is the opportunity to eat something that features a combination of tomato, mozzarella and basil, chances are good that I'm ordering it. Yesterday I needed to make a dish to share for a church gathering so I put together this incredibly simple pasta salad. I hope it's useful to you during this time of summer heat and summer gatherings.

RECIPE:
1 lb pasta (I used bowties) 
7 oz fresh mozzarella
1 pint grape tomatoes 
30-50 fresh basil leaves 
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste 

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and place in a large bowl. 
2. Prep the other ingredients: cut the mozzarella cheese in bite size pieces if needed, quarter the grape tomatoes, finely cut the basil with scissors or a knife.
3. Add the quartered tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to the pasta. Drizzle the olive oil into the bowl and miX well.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Enjoy!

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#igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies #caprese #CapresePastaSalad #PotluckFood #SummerFood
I could watch birds on the beach all day long. We' I could watch birds on the beach all day long.
We're wrapping up our time in Wilmington, North Carolina with lots of time at Wrightsville Beach. The ocean never ceases to impress.
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#WilmingtonNC #WrightsvilleBeach #BeachBirds #Beach #Sandpiper #NorthCarolina
This @smittenkitchen Zucchini and Ricotta Galette This @smittenkitchen Zucchini and Ricotta Galette is one of my favorite summer recipes. The crust is perfectly flaky and the mix of squash and cheese is delicious. I always use summer squash and my husband, who does not typically like summer squash, loves this galette. Though it takes a bit of planning ahead - the crust dough needs to rest in the fridge for an hour and the squash needs to be salted for 30 minutes, the recipe is straightforward and the final produce always impresses. I expect it will make another appearance on my table before the fall.
Link in my stories.
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 #EatSeasonal  #SmittenKitchen #igers413 #igers413_food #BerkshireFoodies  #ZucchiniAndRicottaGalette #SummerSquash #galette #BakingFromScratch
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