Photo credit: Kathy Steinhardt, Treasure Pics
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My name is Margy. I am a wife, mum, grandma, teacher, librarian, avid reader and a grateful living advocate. I am passionate about simple living, upcycling, recycling, sustainability and contemplative spirituality.
I also have a confession to make - I am a recovering perfectionist, achievement driven, workaholic. My family would have laughed twelve years ago if you had said I was going to start a business called Simple Slow Still. My life was anything but that. To give you an idea - I was married with two children in high school, I was working full time, heavily involved with church and completing a PhD. I look back and think I was mad. I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband David who always gets a bit of a twitch when I say "I've been thinking..."
I have always been a maker. I remember having a "useful box" in my room full of bits and pieces that I could use to make something. I was given a treadle sewing machine when I was nine. While waiting for my piano lessons I would sit and crochet. I inherited my love of making from my Mum and Grandma. One of my fondest memories as a child was coming home from school, our farm kitchen table would be covered in material and Mum would have the sewing machine whirring away.
David and I have been married for 30 years this December. We have always led a pretty frugal life. When our daughter was born we did the whole house husband thing before it was cool. We rarely buy something new. We live in an old house with a really big yard. We have chooks and a vegie garden. We have never owned a new vehicle. We bought a little old, 1987, 13 ½ foot pop-up caravan and love going away in it. I am extremely lucky because David is amazing at fixing things.
After encouragement from Rhonda Hetzel, author of the blog and book "Down to Earth" I started a community group called Simple Living Toowoomba. We run monthly workshops and the group is still going strong after over six years. For more information about Simple Living Toowoomba please check out our website: http://simplelivingtoowoomba.weebly.com.
As a primary school teacher librarian I started an afternoon Makerspace program which ran for three years and I organised a number of Makerspace Day Camps for students in Year 5 and 6 in the Darling Downs area.
My change to a simple, slow, still life began about ten years ago when I read a book by Richard Foster called "Celebration of Discipline”. It introduced me to spiritual disciplines such as simplicity, silence and solitude. From there my thirst for knowledge in this area just grew and grew. Since then I feel like I have been on a ten year apprenticeship. I have read countless books and blogs on the topic. My dear friend, Anne-Marie introduced me to Christian Meditation and I have been going to her group for more than seven years. An influential person in my life is my spiritual director, Sister Di and I have been able to attend a number of silent retreats. After thirty years of being a primary school teacher, librarian and teacher-librarian I believe God is now calling me to go and teach other people about these ancient practices that encourage a deeper relationship with our Lord, Saviour, friend and shepherd.
Qualifications
My name is Margy. I am a wife, mum, grandma, teacher, librarian, avid reader and a grateful living advocate. I am passionate about simple living, upcycling, recycling, sustainability and contemplative spirituality.
I also have a confession to make - I am a recovering perfectionist, achievement driven, workaholic. My family would have laughed twelve years ago if you had said I was going to start a business called Simple Slow Still. My life was anything but that. To give you an idea - I was married with two children in high school, I was working full time, heavily involved with church and completing a PhD. I look back and think I was mad. I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband David who always gets a bit of a twitch when I say "I've been thinking..."
I have always been a maker. I remember having a "useful box" in my room full of bits and pieces that I could use to make something. I was given a treadle sewing machine when I was nine. While waiting for my piano lessons I would sit and crochet. I inherited my love of making from my Mum and Grandma. One of my fondest memories as a child was coming home from school, our farm kitchen table would be covered in material and Mum would have the sewing machine whirring away.
David and I have been married for 30 years this December. We have always led a pretty frugal life. When our daughter was born we did the whole house husband thing before it was cool. We rarely buy something new. We live in an old house with a really big yard. We have chooks and a vegie garden. We have never owned a new vehicle. We bought a little old, 1987, 13 ½ foot pop-up caravan and love going away in it. I am extremely lucky because David is amazing at fixing things.
After encouragement from Rhonda Hetzel, author of the blog and book "Down to Earth" I started a community group called Simple Living Toowoomba. We run monthly workshops and the group is still going strong after over six years. For more information about Simple Living Toowoomba please check out our website: http://simplelivingtoowoomba.weebly.com.
As a primary school teacher librarian I started an afternoon Makerspace program which ran for three years and I organised a number of Makerspace Day Camps for students in Year 5 and 6 in the Darling Downs area.
My change to a simple, slow, still life began about ten years ago when I read a book by Richard Foster called "Celebration of Discipline”. It introduced me to spiritual disciplines such as simplicity, silence and solitude. From there my thirst for knowledge in this area just grew and grew. Since then I feel like I have been on a ten year apprenticeship. I have read countless books and blogs on the topic. My dear friend, Anne-Marie introduced me to Christian Meditation and I have been going to her group for more than seven years. An influential person in my life is my spiritual director, Sister Di and I have been able to attend a number of silent retreats. After thirty years of being a primary school teacher, librarian and teacher-librarian I believe God is now calling me to go and teach other people about these ancient practices that encourage a deeper relationship with our Lord, Saviour, friend and shepherd.
Qualifications
- Doctorate in Philosophy - My thesis was about the construction of youth in Australian young adult literature, 1980-2000
- Graduate Diploma of Library and Information Management
- Masters of Children's Literature
- Diploma of Teaching (Primary) with distinction