Day 17 Facebook fast

Just a quick update on my personal Facebook fast.

It’s been fantastic!

The first few days, I found myself searching for the app on my phone, because I wisely moved it far from my home screen, so I would have to actually think, to tap on it.

I have been on Facebook, to access Messenger. Thank goodness for that app; and, to access my work teams and family confab. I was late to a team Zoom on Tuesday night, because I knew the link was on the group’s facebook page, and I couldn’t find my facebook app!

So, that’s the Facebook fast update. I’m alive and well! I’m seeing WAY WAY WAY less political and negative news posts, and I have to tell you, I feel so free! It’s not that I live in a vacuum. I know what’s going on in the world, through some very carefully chosen portals. It takes me 5 minutes to find the news I need to know, without bias.

But, not having a constant surge of everyone’s separate political opinions and negative, fear-inducing posts about covid19, is so good. So, so good! I don’t miss that at all. And I don’t miss the few strangers who follow me, and only comment when they disagree and don’t want to share their opinion; they want to put me in my place and tell me how wrong my opinion is. I don’t miss them. Truthfully.

What have I been doing? I’ve been sewing, a lot. Sewing has been my favorite hobby for my whole adult life. I started very young, with an old Singer sewing machine that I talked my mom into letting me have in my crowded bedroom. I can still see it, on a little desk, in the northeast corner of my little bedroom in Nelson, Nebraska, directly across from the door.

Sewing is meaningful to me. It gives me time to think, time to almost meditate. It gives me means to fix things and make things that don’t get undone right away. It gives me an escape. It is my community, near and far, online and offline. It is one thing that without any preparation, I can talk about for ages.

I can’t wait to share the Kensington Handbag that I made yesterday!
That’ll be the next post, or you can see it on my Instagram, which is almost, but not, blog-ish.

Your friend in self-isolation, which isn’t a stretch, because I live out in the sticks anyway.

Anne Dovel

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The Fit Quilter is a Beachbody Coach?

I got a question, which still makes me chuckle just a little bit. And, if you click off, don’t worry about me. It doesn’t offend me. You might only come here to here me ramble about sourdough and sewing. (It’s okay, really. You’ll find the quilt I’m working on in my Instagram stories today, if you go there.)

“It doesn’t look like you are a coach, because you post so much about sewing stuff.”

Long ago, about 13 years, I signed up as an independent Beachbody Coach. I’ll tell that whole story later. It was before social media was even really a thing. I didn’t own a mobile phone, and my computer was a ginormous thing that came in a box that looked like a black and white cow. That computer, by the way, had less memory than the smallest phones these days.

Because we met in person, (or on live webinars, once we figured those out,) we saw each other without filters or hashtags. And our team and clients saw us more as real people.

I think the confusion now, when people tell me I don’t “look like a Beachbody coach,” is because I still do my own thing.

If you are interested, I’ll keep all these posts in a single category so you can find them, but what I have always taught, from the beginning of my coaching career is, that Beachbody coaching is a vehicle. For me, it’s a vehicle for income, personal development, legacy and accountability. It’s a vehicle, not “who I am.” Just like I’m not a “quilter.” I am a person who quilts. I am a person who built an incredible “side hustle” with Beachbody as my vehicle. Those things are not WHO I am, but are what I do. There’s a difference.

Back to appearances. IF you rely solely on images you find on social media from the biggest accounts, you will come to believe that Beachbody coaches look pretty much the same. There are some individuals who tore up the whole social media scene and have huge followings and super fit, ripped abs.. It’s really amazing. But, that’s a handful. There are 400,000 plus others, who probably look a whole more like you and me.

With that, I’ll close this day’s rambling blog post. It’s Thursday. I have some things to do in my home office, and then I’m going to go sew. Because, Thursday is my “day off,” or, one of my days off. Let me put it another way. Thursday is a day that I try to rope off and not plan calls or other side hustle work, after 10am. No matter what you do, if you work from home, you have to make your own boundaries, or you’ll feel like you should work all the time…and you’ll get burned out. More on that later, too.

If you want to connect with me about Beachbody on Demand so you can avoid what experts are referring to as “the quarantine 15,” or how to have Beachbody be your vehicle for a nice online side hustle, message me. I’ve always been proud of the fact, that I don’t hide anything. I tell you the highs and lows, let you know what the benefits and possible frustrations might be. I don’t sugarcoat. But, I’m absolutely passionate about this vehicle and company.

Now. Let’s go Sew!

Your quilting, sewing, beekeeping, crafting, artsy fartsy friend who also just happens to have a great fitness side hustle via Beachbody.

Anne Dovel
Independent Beachbody Coach since 2007

Tax Day is over

I can hear the scene from The Grinch now…”It came without packages, boxes or bags.” I sort of feel that way, because miracle of miracles, I had my taxes done and turned in, before we left on our cruise in February.

So, I didn’t even think about it today, which is weird.

But, then, this month, April 2020, has been a special kind of weird.

For posterity, and because I’m on day 15, (which is what made me realize tax day was over) of no posting on my personal Facebook page, my unofficial Facebook Fast 2020 to celebrate my 55th birthday coming up, I should mention, it felt really good to be done with taxes so early. But, also for posterity, I should get extra credit or a sticker on my chart, for getting them done so early and then the government extended the deadline. Frankly, I’m glad I was done. I can’t imagine having a good frame of mind, figuring out taxes and stretching my usual mess out until July!

Did I keep up diligently with my paperwork during the previous year, like I planned to? No. But, I did better than the year before. Was I disappointed that I didn’t do 100% of my “keep up with tax paperwork” all year long? Yes. However, I have new hope and new incentive, because it feels really good. One year, I waited so long to send in my check, that I had to drive to Lincoln and mail it at the main USPS branch, because I got busy that day. I make estimated payments now, so sending in a check doesn’t happen, usually.

I would share my method of keeping up all year long, for other creatives, but I’d rather hear how you do it? When you’d rather be sewing, crafting, quilting…how do you keep up so tax prep isn’t a nightmare? No fair if someone else in your household does it! I mean, yay for you, you lucky duck.

Let me know. For 2020, my plan is to have everything already categorized, filed and ready to turn into my accountant, and not wonder if I missed out on a write-off because I couldn’t find a receipt.

Your friend—

Anne Dovel

Quilting, fast or Slow

Quilting.

Fast or slow. By hand or machine. Embroidered or pieced. Upcycled fabric or new. Mended or not. What’s the right way?

My idea, in short, is this. Do what fosters your love of making.

Sometimes, I get into almost a production mode, making quilts as fast as I can. Other times, I stitch completely by hand. And that feels right at that time. Sometimes, I’m really mindful of every stitch and fabric chosen. Sometimes, I just want to let the needle fly. Sometimes I hand quilt with perle cotton and big stitches. Sometimes I load a quilt on my Gammill longarm machine, and use the computer to make beautiful designs.

And, I think that’s healthy for me. My making tends to be organic, I guess is the word, or theory. I try not to put restrictions on myself, unless it amuses me to do so or tests me in some productive way.

Here’s what I’ve been thinking about today. You read about mindfulness, for instance. (I love this, by the way…I’ve been practicing more mindfulness and it has changed my daily routine.)

You decide your sewing isn’t “mindful” like someone famous on Instagram. You try really hard to make sure all your fabrics, tools, supplies are upcycled/recycled and sustainable, because that looks so good and whole, on Instagram. And there are beautiful people accomplishing that.

But then, one day, you feel this pull to go to the local quilt shop, catch up with your friend, the owner, and buy some beautiful new fabrics that just came in. There’s no shame in that. You do you.

I love and admire and continue to foster more sustainability in my own making, but it has to be organic for me, a result of practice, not placing restrictions on myself. Who do I want to be? A day from now, a month? I might handstitch only with recycled thread for 30 days or I might go nuts and finish every Block of the month traditional quilt that I have sitting in my sewing room.

And, rarely are my works a result of any deep thinking. You might have gathered that by now. Most of the time, I make to make. When my boys were little, sewing was partly essential, but also gave me something I could do that didn’t get undone immediately. I could make a simple hotpad, and use it for years in my kitchen.

I don’t know where this ramble is going, but I encourage us all...you do you. I don’t know...is that a hashtag? Who cares?

I have loved every bit of my slow and mindful sewing, as much as I have when I get in a jag and finish big quilts that serve no other purpose than the joy I get from making and piecing fabrics together, no matter where they came from.

The slow, mindful, mending, sustainable quilting practice, has impacted my life in a lovely way. I enjoy it. But, I found that when I first started doing it, I felt almost guilty or wrong, posting any of my other quilting on Instagram. The thought crossed my mind, how can I be slow and mindful, if I own a longarm quilting machine and can quilt a king size quilt in a day?

That’s a question for another day!

Now, let’s go sew!
Your friend,
Anne Dovel

I don’t know how society will change…

There are lots of conversations on social media and I’m sure in offices, homes, 6 feet apart in lines in front of walmart… about how society will change after the Covid-19 stay at home orders are lifted.

And, I don’t know anything about that. I’m not in tune with that thinking. I just keep doing what I can, that is right in front of me.

I bake, sew, quilt, talk to friends, teach, train, practice gratitude, garden, keep bees, walk, pray, hope. What is certain, is that life is uncertain. I am not guaranteed the next breath.

Here’s what I feel about my experience, though, so far. I will be even more diligent to use my time and resources well. I have made a crate full of Christmas gifts and fun things for our home, and it’s not because I have more time. It’s because I’m not allowing a temporary lack of focus, turn into a trip to town to buy something I might not have needed in the first place.

I do that a lot, apparently. And, I’ve also discovered, with intention and planning, I can go 2 weeks without driving into Lincoln, Nebraska. And, with even more planning, I can get all the essentials done, plus some extra visiting with my favorite shops, in half a day.

I know for some, cabin fever is setting in. I do remember that being more pronounced when my boys were little and weeks of super cold or rainy weather kept us all inside, cooped up. I was ready; ready to get out of the house and into some sunshine.

So, maybe I have an advantage, as a quasi-empty nester.

I also have so many things I love to do, and want to try, and I get distracted easily by the next shiny object, which might send me to town to pick up one thing.

I think there’s balance to be achieved there. Or, maybe just more thinking on why I get distracted, what distracts me, and if that’s a good or bad thing.

I do know, I intend to make fewer trips to town, without sacrificing my essential relationships in town. That alone, probably reclaims a full day to create, instead of windshield time.

So, I’m not that smart or interested in trying to guess how or if society will change after this. I just keep living with what is in front of me, and appreciate the beauty in ordinary and simple things.

I’d love to hear what creative things, if any, you’ve been doing during this Covid-19 stay at home period. Best way, is to find me on Instagram!

Your friend,
Anne Dovel

Sourdough rhythm

I used to really overthink sourdough. And, because of that, I didn’t enjoy the process, and I rarely kept a starter going, beyond a couple bakes.

I started baking small batches, often, leaving my sourdough starter on the countertop all the time. It’s been there for weeks now, with a tea towel. I suppose that will come to an end, keeping it covered with only a towel, once spring is in full swing and flies and fruit flies become a hassle again.

But, I think my aha! Moment with sourdough, and why it seems so easy to some and so complicated to others, happened when I took my starter along on a trip to our yearly campout, and made bread at the campfire.

I had my starter, flour, water and salt. And the supplied dishes in the cabin. I didn’t have all my usual tools and kitchen toys; not even my favorite bowl.

And it was in that moment, when I thought about my pioneer ancestors, who made bread because they had to feed their family. I’m betting they didn’t worry about hydration percentages. They used what they had, and experience, and baked bread.

My dad likes to tell a story of a great aunt or grandma, kneading bread and reaching over to feed the wood cook stove with dried cow pies, and returning to the kneading. I don’t know if it’s true. But, I know they didn’t have a fancy mixer, special bowl, or a way to tell if their sourdough was a particular hydration. For the most part, they were surviving. It always amazes me how much grit and perseverance our pioneer ancestors had.

So, I stripped off all the “required tools mindset” and used whatever flour I could find in the little town next to the campground. It wasn’t organic, and it was probably bleached. I dumped my starter in a bowl, kneaded it in the bowl with my hands, and baked it in the fire. It was fantastic.

And, it reminded me that although I love to read bread books, and even geek out over the science of what all goes on, bread is really quite simple.

So, sourdough, or wild bread; bread leavened with the wild yeast in the air…can be complicated or it can be super simple. I choose simple.

And what has made it so much easier, is making it a rhythm or habit. I’ve done it enough times and in close succession, that I’m past the part of thinking through the steps.

But, to get there, you have to make a lot of bread. Or, make bread often. I fell in love with the dutch oven method, and those loaves bake better if they aren’t so big. And, once wild bread/sourdough became a part of my natural rhythm in the kitchen, making enough bread for 2-3 days, and repeating, takes only minutes of actual work a day. The rest of the time, I’m doing my usual thing. Why 2-3 days? Well, part of that is because I like bread really fresh. The other part is because that keeps me from having too much starter on my countertop.

That’s what I would hope for anyone who wants to bake bread for their family; for it to become so common place, that it falls in rhythm with their life.

And feel free to geek out on the terminology of sourdough. I do. I love the science of it. But, for me to get to this point where it’s effortless to bake bread, naturally, with only water, flour, and salt and have it taste incredible, I had to cut it down to the basics and pretend I was a pioneer. (I do use my Bosch mixer most of the time at home! But, it’s the theory of it… Bread is not complicated. If it were, would we have expressions about daily bread, or staff of life? I don’t think so.)

Your friend and currently daily blogger, because I’m on a facebook fast. Thanks for hanging in there with me. Twelve days in and I have to say, no facebook posting aside from my challenge groups, and companies that are only on facebook, has been incredible!

Anne Dovel

Sourdough sandwich bread

Baked on vacation, this sourdough sandwich bread is flour, water, salt, honey and milk. No commercial yeast added.

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