Me: Hi, I'm Daisy. New Friend: Hi! I'm John. Nice to meet you. Me: Nice to meet you as well! John: So, what do you do? Me: I'm a private educator. What about you?   Sound familiar? One of the very first things we tend to ask people when we meet them is, what do...

If you're like me, then you're on a journey to simplify. You'd like to spend less time having to make useless decisions, organizing unnecessary items, and carrying out unimportant obligations. Despite having a strong sense of what I care about and don't care about, I...

I don't live in a concrete jungle, but I don't live in a lush forest either. So I can become so accustomed to seeing very little green and very little nature from day to day. And I can forget how much joy it brings me to go outside-- not just down the street to the...

When I was little, I used to think that milk should be on tap. I drank about as much milk as I did water-- and who could blame me, I was a 90's kid! Calcium was so trendy. Nowadays, though I drink it less than I used to, I still drink milk. And as it turns out, Whole...

February can be a strange month. For some of us, the winter chill is far from gone; while others bask in the advent of spring flowers. You can probably guess what weather we're having here in Southern California, but my memories of frigid temperatures around this time...

Early last week, I wouldn't have believed anyone for a second that collard greens could be eaten raw. Firstly, they're usually stewed (to death) for hours with ham hocks or bacon. Second, they remind me of high quality leather. Last week, I would have scoffed at the...

Yesterday was the very first Monday in months that I didn't publish a blog post. And it was hard for me to wake up and realize that somehow I wasn't on the blogging boat for the day. You see, I've written about how blogging is my hobby and not my business; but I've...

Over the holidays, I got a new phone. Hint: It's large. I chose it partly because I realized that I could actually use it as a Kindle-- the gadget I never got around to purchasing. While I had the reading app on my old phone as well, I rarely used it because the...

You guys! Within the last few months, I've fallen in love. With what? Radishes! Before I started shopping at the farmer's market, I didn't think twice about these strange pink root vegetables. But now I can't seem to get enough. You see, radishes are pretty special....

I've written a lot about food on this blog-- mostly recipes. I've also shared why we shop at the farmer's market, whole-food juicing, and proper tea-steeping protocol. But I haven't shared as much as I'd like to about how I (and my husband) think about the food we...

I've received a few questions lately from newer bloggers about how, when and why they should use social media for their blogs. Is it effective? What are the must-haves? Is it more important than blogging? Than reading other blogs? Here's the thing: social media is...

BOOM. I've finally created a packable homemade snack that knocks it out of the park! Sure, I've made regular granola bars before-- with the typical combination of honey and rolled oats. And while they were delicious, they just didn't fill me. Anyone who's into healthy...

Hello there, people of the Internet! I'm Hannah, and I am so excited to be posting for you all today! Daisy has been such an inspiration to me in her thoughtfulness and introspection, so it's an honor to be guest posting for her 🙂 The twenty-first-century world is...

One of the greatest things I started in 2014 was this blog. I wrote a post a while ago about deciding whether your blog is a hobby or a business, and the importance of knowing the difference. Having said that Simplicity Relished is a hobby, I've felt the need to share...

I love going on adventures, and something I hope to do more of in 2015. We are currently hanging out on the California Central Coast, one of my favorite spots on earth. It occurred to me today that exploring the great outdoors usually means it's unnecessary it is to...

As you've probably noticed, I've never written about exercise here on Simplicity Relished. Not only am I no expert on the subject, but it's been a huge challenge for me for years. Sure, I played a few sports growing up and even dabbled in marshall arts; you might know...

 It's been a long time since I've celebrated a snowy Christmas. Yes, I was in New England for college, but I was always on the first flight home that I could possibly take once final exams were over. We usually spent the holiday break part-time in California and...

My favorite Christmas song is "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" by Charles Wesley. There are so many brilliant truths in the song, but one that really struck me this season was this: Mild He lays his glory by Born that man no more may die I think that this is the time of...

One of my go-to comfort foods is hot, salty soup. Whether it's miso, French onion, or-- in this case-- chicken tortilla, anything warm and savory can make me feel better. My husband is half Latin-American, and we love making Mexican food. His mom taught him how to...

If you're more on top of it than I am, then you're likely done acquiring gifts for the holidays. (I have not, and it's right around crunch time.) But what about the person who's hard to buy for? They're in the process of downsizing, or they've expressly asked you not...

I don't think I've ever met a grilled cheese sandwich I didn't like. Bring on the sourdough and cheddar, brioche and gruyere; whatever it's made of, it's going to end up a pile of crumbs and one happy girl. But how do you make a damn-good grilled cheese? Crunchy on...

Sometimes I forget that I'm not just a blogger; I'm a follower too. And I realized the other day that according to Bloglovin', I'm a follower of hundreds of blogs. My feed is crowded with over 1500 new unread posts. But let's be honest. Do I read every post from every...

Hello friends! This is the last day that I'll be sharing Wedding Snapshots, at least for now! I've really enjoyed sharing these special moments with you; your kind words have helped me relive the magic of that day and all the days that led up to it. If you'd like to...

When it comes to recipes, we love Pinterest. I think my busiest board is probably Food Lust, where I pin just about anything that looks delicious. While eventually I hope to open up each recipe and give it a try, I know that there is not time to make them all. But, a...

I'm so excited about this recipe today. Just a few months ago, I tried making my first beet sauce for homemade pasta. It was incredible, but needed a bit of tweaking. After working on it a few times, I think I've come up with the most delicious, healthy and satisfying...

I think it's easy for us to look down on multitasking. The implication is that you're not giving 100% to what you're currently doing, but rather constantly having your mind on multiple things. But the truth is, all of us are multitasking through life. If you play more...

Let me be the 500th person to observe that November flew by. Now that we are in the final month of 2014, I'm realizing how much my year was characterized by busy-ness, change, and rushing from place to place. While I love having things to do, places to go and people...

Not everyone is a talented social dancer. By the age of twelve I had done extensive amounts of ballet, tap and jazz dancing, but I still don't consider myself an excellent social dancer. Thankfully, people are pretty forgiving of those of us who don't perform an...