SO Glad This Isn't Some Professional Blog

This is not a happy post.  Please do not read on. (Ok there is a bit about minimalism in the kitchen, just skip to the third real paragraph).

Today has just beenAll week it has been a crazzzzzyyyyy week.  Maybe because I have seriously done laundry until there was no more to do and our love seat has not seen the light of day since Sunday.  Maybe its because for some dumb reason both kids babies have colds and are extra needy.  Maybe its because Jonah is officially teething.  Maybe its because Jonah is desperately trying to get the hang of this rolling-over-cause-i-really-want-to-play thing.  I don't know.

This IS what I know.

There is laundry on the love seat (yes, still. no, I'm not going to stop typing to move it. not yet. but when im done ...taking the power cord away from Rita, excuse me...taking laundry basket of 5059558985 socks from Rita...ok. when I'm done typing THEN we will wrangle the children in (turn on Netflix) and cook dinner (reheat the crock pot).  True story folks.  Welcome to life. (and THEN i can do something about that laundry. is it already 3:41pm? oh good!)

But on a lighter note the dishes are  done. ok there are like two pots left. but i mean, dishes are done, ya know?

I have totally reconfiscated (Blogger says this isnt a word. whatever.) all of the kitchen cutlery and dishes.  Four plates. two water jars. three to-go water bottles. two juice jars. four sippy cups. three forks. four spoons. three bowls. salad fork and spoon. serving spoon. three butter knives. three syringes for medicine. three coffee/tea mugs.  This is the second go-round (click "reconfiscated" up above to read about my first go-round with pairing-down in the kitchen) and we have even less this time.  I'm pumped! (Here's good parenting while blogging: "Rita, leave all that stuff alone!" as I sit at the kitchen table and she rummages in her somehow messy post Christmas post Jonah changing sizes post her changing sizes post where does all this music equipment go shuffling that has been happening since...oh, you know, a month ago.

You should really feel better about your life/parenting/everything by now.  You probably aren't in your pajamas like I still am. And you probably didn't have to turn down a visit from a really sweet high school friend cause your kiddos decided to nap simultaneously and then wake up like 45 minutes after you canceled your plans.  Its a beautiful day.  Really. I just need to get out of this pigsty house and enjoy it.

Sorry to rant.  But i feel better. :)

Simple Infant Play

Rather than purchase an infant gym for $25-$40 (I went to the store and priced them, I was considering the purchase that seriously) I was inspired (thank you Holy Spirit) to put this simple infant play gym together for Jonah.

No, there aren't things hanging from the ceiling (he sometimes lays in Rita's crib to see her mobile for back play), but we needed help with tummy time and these simple items achieved that and saved us at least $25!

Items used:

• small mirror
• black and white book
• color wheel (painted by yours truly in Art I in high school!)

Our sweet boy had a blast and played at least three times longer on his belly than normal.  I danced around him as I put laundry away, but if I had been on the floor playing too it would have lasted much longer!

Glad to have a simple, frugal, and minimal way to stimulate our baby.  

Have you found using minimal supplies or re-purposing home items to be better for your budget and just as good for your baby?

Current State of Affairs: Rising From the Ashes of a Week Long Growth Spurt

Last Wednesday Jonah started what seemed to be a growth spurt, but one that continued through yesterday (Wednesday) evening.

In the midst of this my milk has been a bit scant on one side for most feedings.

I'm surviving. Though my sweet Rita gets the brunt of my impatience and frustration, which frustrates me...hmm..I'm detecting a cycle!

So sorry for the absence here.

We should, God-willing, be back on Monday with more patience, sleep and fewer laundry piles.

And I am including a snapshot of our dining/living area...makes my Type-A personality stress with such disorganization. The sofa to the right of the photo is covered with stuff. Thankfully, due to our constant efforts to keep things to a minimum and simple, it is less than 10 minutes to clean-up!

Hoping you and yours are well.

And if you are riding from the ashes too, take a breath with me! And enjoy a glass of wine with supper!

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Small Space Living: Nursery Decor

Our journey to create a sweet, simple space for Rita has been fun and I'm so grateful that we are finished!


Choosing to decorate Rita's nursery minimally has allowed me the time to create a space that reflects Rita's interests.  Creating something beautiful for my child has been such a rewarding experience.  She thoroughly appreciates the beauty and simplicity of her room.  What a little joy!

Crucifix hangs above books for when Rita recoups.

There are six pieces that we used to decorate.  Four religious pieces and two non-religious pieces.


The crucifix comes from the Holy Land, and is hung at Rita's height for her to admire Jesus and embrace the Cross whenever she needs.  I really support the idea of hanging art and beauty at a child's level.  It does so much for them.  Yes, this means Jesus wanders about the house with Rita during the day, but who's complaining that their child takes delight in carrying Our Lord!?

One of my favorite artists, Sher Chappell, has gifted us with a few pieces of her art.  You should totally check-out her stuff, by clicking on her name - beautiful, made from recycled/repurposed items, made in the USA, and affordable!  Not compensated, just love supporting artists!  All three are religious mixed media pieces and I am so inspired by them. All three hang on one wall in the nursery. They are at a height that is perfect for Rita when she stands in her crib (we reverted from the toddler bed, as she kept asking for bed and would shimmy out of the toddler bed).  At center is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to the left is St. Gerard and to the right is St. Rita.  This is a simple and powerful way to invite the spiritual into our everyday.

DIY bird mobile up-close.  Love the shadows!

The long-awaited mobile (on my Pinterest board) is finished and hung!  The tutorial I used as a rough guideline is here. It cost all of $1.50 (for the stars), thanks to my planning during Christmas clearance!  Rita loves to see her "tweet-tweets" when she wakes up.  Tyler hung it smack over her crib and it looks awesome!


Last is a large giraffe done in oil pastel on cotton cloth.  It comes from this photo (on left) I found and put on my Pinterest board.

Source: flickr.com via Suzette on Pinterest

"'raffe!"  A little blurry due to our psychedelic lighting.

The inspirational art piece (above) is done on a small section of a 2 x 4, so ours is substantially larger (around three feet tall) and a bit different, as I used the inspirational pieces as just that, rather than something to copy exactly.  This hangs right near the changing table and serves as a great distraction during diaper changes (a nice surprise!).


We are so elated that the nursery is complete!  It is the perfect reflection of what is important to Rita, and we are so glad that she loves the Lord and His creations!


Thanks for following along as we worked to create the best nursery in our small space living!

How do you decorate?  What is your best decor tip?  Do you find simple decorating to be sparse or clean?

Be sure to hit "subscribe by email" when you leave your comment - then I can get back straight to you!

Check-out our other Small Space Living posts:

Small Space Living: Nursery Inspiration

Small Space Living: Nursery Beginnings

Small Space Living: Furnished Nursery

Small Space Living: Simple Decor

Small Space Living: My Sanctuary 

Small Space Living: Simple Decor

The nursery is painted and furnished, but decorating is yet to occur.  Part of our quest to living simply and minimally is keeping decor simple, beautiful and special.  So, as we work towards decorating Rita's room I am doing my best to finish a simple and cheery mobile for above her bed.


Rita loves birds and so a simple bird mobile was an easy choice.  Where better to look for inspiration than Pinterest?!


This mobile is my model, of sorts, but I'm not holding to it hard and fast.

Source: aglimpseinsideblog.com via Suzette on Pinterest

In contrast to the mobile above, my mobile is a combination of felt and fabric, with no prints being used.  I am also adding stars to the mobile, to have a more sleepy time appeal.  The blue of the room is incorporated and I am sewing away, making little "tweet-tweets" for my Rita!

Here is a peek into my craft basket...

And a rough sample of the mobile being partly assembled.

Keeping the decor simple in the nursery has made it possible for me to create something special and unique to Rita's interests. 

Have you crafted for your children?  Isn't great to create for them?  

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Small Space Living: Hand-Me-Down Clothing Organization

Recently we have been blessed with a huge amount of hand-me-down clothing.  Embracing gently worn clothing is a great way to reduce waste!  It is also a great way to live frugally.  


Free clothes?  Oh yes.  Free clothes in good condition?  Even better!  


In order to sort through the clothing I made guidelines for myself.  These guidelines made it easy to keep quality pieces that are worth their "wait" in the closet.


The guidelines I have set for sorting hand-me-downs are:

• sort with my spouse (no use keeping something he wouldn't want our kids wearing AND we get rid of excess because there are two people who can say "nah" instead of one)
• no stains allowed
• no fuzzied-up, worn-out or faded clothing
• no poorly sewn/assembled pieces
• rarely keep "play" clothes (unless we both give them a "yea" and they meet all other requirements)
• focus on classic pieces that will mix and match easily (I find this is WAY easier with boy clothes than girl, but it would greatly simplify and minimize a girl's wardrobe)
• store clothes in a labeled sweater-sized clear plastic box (thanks to Rachel who blogs at Intentionally Simple for introducing me to this size storage box!)
• record in my Excel "Kids Clothing" document

So this is how our kids clothing storage (spare bedroom closet) is organized.  It includes other baby items such as Cloth-eez red edge prefold cloth diapers (will be borrowed by a friend soon) and misc. baby items (top left is our shopping cart cover - not necessary but keeps germs at bay!).


In general, the blue lids are the boy clothes and the white lids are the girl clothes.  In the both genders we have through size 4T.  


I'm really excited that in three boxes of each gender we have such a span of sizes.  It was pretty difficult to choose, but I think we have kept the best.  Really?  Who's to say we won't have one girl and six boys!  Rather not have girl clothes invading our house and us have just one - and same possibility for the boy clothes.


The hanging clothes in the bottom right are the clothes that Rita is currently growing into but aren't seasonally appropriate.  

In addition to organizing and storing the clothes for the future, I wanted a system to document what we have and don't have.  This makes it possible to prepare before we sort through a given pile of hand-me-downs.  We pull-up our list and check for areas we are lacking as well as areas we have abundance.  Then, when we sort we can avoid doubles and doing something crazy like storing all long sleeve shirts in one size and only shorts in another.  


Without a system to document, every time we receive hand-me-downs we would have to open the appropriate box, pull everything out, compare with what we have and repack everything.  This seems overwhelming, so I have much preferred being able to have our clothing inventory documented.


Our Boy Clothing Inventory

Using the storage bins that stack well, are clear and labeled, being specific in what we keep and documenting our inventory of clothes helps to keep hand-me-down clothing a blessing instead of a burden.  I am so glad that we have embraced a simple life.  There is so much freedom in being free from the silent stress of a home filled to the brim.

A Note About Organization in General:  When your house (including the front porch) is under 1,100 sq feet anything that you store for future use has to be organized.  Thankfully, we simply don't have room (or time) for disorganization.

When you have chosen to live a simple, uncluttered and minimal lifestyle disorganization really isn't even part of your life.  There are times when possessions seem to accumulate (or sales papers...meal planning mommas you probably hear me!) but for the most part we leave surfaces empty and pick-up every night.  Our closets usually remain neat and clear, storing clothing we wear often (meaning weekly or bi-weekly, minus special occasion clothing).

How do you handle hand-me-down clothing?  Do you find it is easily overwhelming and accumulates other clutter too?  

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Keeping Sunday

Over the past few months we have focused on making Sunday a day of rest, recreation and time with loved ones (family or friends).


This has been a great way to celebrate Christ's sacrifice each week.  Making Sunday set-apart also allows us to enjoy the benefits of pursuing a minimalist lifestyle as we have fewer and fewer possessions to "tend to" on the weekend.  


Saturday has become another day of work, but it is one that we take at a much slower pace.  We usually enjoy a family nap in the afternoon and some sort of outing in either the morning or evening.  Even still we accomplish a lot working as a team and keeping in mind that the next day is ours for whatever we like!


We begin our Sunday with mass and homemade waffles - it is such a delight to share the Eucharist and share a delicious warm breakfast together.  We then follow with family time, nap, and some sort of activity or another.


One family activity that we very much enjoy on Sunday (in addition to mass) is our family trip to the library!  We put Rita to "ride" in the stroller and peruse the library at a slow pace.  We rent movies, books, CDs, make returns, explore the children's section and just enjoy a quiet place to be together.  No doubt Rita will have a meltdown at some point, whether a hungry spell hits, we have to take a book from her, or we have to curb her exploration - but it doesn't nearly ruin the trip.


Keeping Sunday special has helped to bring us together as a family unit.  Sometimes we spend time with close friends or extended family, but the sweetest Sundays are those when we can be in our own home, at our own pace.


Search and find a way to keep Sunday set apart for your family.  Surely you will not regret it and your children will draw closer in confidence to you as they see that you take the time to make the Lord's day special for the family.

Reading, reading and reading!  This is Rita's favorite activity these days and Sunday supplies plenty of time for us to read her favorite stories again and again and again and...again as a family!

How do you spend Sunday?

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Behold the Lamb

Praise you mighty and awesome God for a wonderful year (nearly) of being consecrated to Your Sacred Heart!  Thank you for this feast day to celebrate Your ever-pulsing, bleeding, compassionate, merciful and tender Heart.

Source: originalchristianchurch.files.wordpress.com via Suzette on Pinterest

May this family be devoted to You more and more every day.  Strengthen us so that we may joyfully and faithfully follow Your will for us.


Let us cling to the spiritual and release the temporal.  


Guide us Lord as we seek a clean, simple, organized and focused life.  Give us clear discernment of truly necessary possessions so that we may never be in the place of the rich official who was "quite sad, for he was very rich" (Luke 18:23b).  


Blessings since this feast day last year:


Conception of new life
Cyst-free pregnancy
Healthy, joyful, exuberant toddler
January evaluation and raise for Tyler
Second Vehicle
Being debt-free for one month
Renewed commitment to living debt-free
Improved marital communication
Accountability of faults/weaknesses between spouses, that we may be purified, healed, forgiven and strengthened in virtue
Grace to adjust to motherhood
Live and support from family in light of our second baby to arrive this July
A flourishing herb garden
Clothing for Rita and Jonah up to 4T
Revelation of the clear connection between minimalism and Christ's call to live detached
Blessing of new Christian friendships
Tyler wrote, recorded and produced his first country music album (a bucket-list goal!)
Nursing Rita through pregnancy
Engagement of my sister to a God-seeking man
Being able to bring Rita (and Jonah) to mass during the week as well as Sundays
Obviously, there is so much to be thankful for!  The Lord is ABUNDANT IN GOODNESS!

 Do you celebrate the feast of the Sacred Heart?  How has Christ blessed your life since this time last year?

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Small Space Living: Furnished Nursery

In our quest for simple, minimal, joyous, healthy and frugal living we also try to balance living a "green" lifestyle.  We use soaps, shampoos and conditioners that aren't toxic to our bodies, clean with vinegar and baking soda, grow herbs and a few veggies, among a few other things.


This being said, using low to no VOCs paint is really important to us, especially with me being pregnant and Rita being so tiny.  We have previously used Benjamin Moore's low VOC paint, but when we went to get the paint and found they were closed, I had to find a substitute.  Thankfully, Behr at Home Depot just switched their entire line to low VOC paint!  This was a great find.  For $50 (estimate - can't track down the receipts I saved for this post) we purchased enough paint and tape for the entire nursery, plus a bit remains for touch-ups.  The paint is paint/primer in one as well as low VOC.  Some people thought this was too expensive for a small nursery, but we believe that we have to be good stewards to our bodies as best as we can.

Cozy bed.  The books function as a tool to help Rita relax when she needs a time-out.  We don't use time-out as punishment, but we do use it as a time of gathering wits, taking a breath and removing Rita from a situation where her behavior is not what it should be.

Our little Rita is moved into her new room and we are enjoying being able to sit-up in bed at night and see her next-door, sleeping peacefully.  We have chosen to have two pieces of furniture in her room: toddler bed and dresser.  The toddler bed was her former crib and the dresser top functions as the changing table. There are three drawers on the dresser: one for cloth diaper accessories (wipes, doublers, spray, spare changing pads, etc.), one for Jonah (clothes, burp rags, socks, bibs) and the last drawer for Rita (clothes, shoes, and swimwear).  In addition there are three "baskets" holding various items.  Books are in the white basket next to Rita's bed, diaper covers are to the right of the changing table, and the large woven basket holds diapers on the left of the changing table.

Everything necessary for cloth diapering (minus the diaper pail found in the laundry room) is in the top drawer, woven basket and orange "basket"!

It is so nice having such a clean, simple space for our sweet girl.  We know her sleeping/hygiene area is "baby-proof," pretty-much nontoxic and we have little to worry about if she decides to explore her room at night (but hopefully we hear her!).

Other posts in the Small Space Living Series:
Small Space Living: Nursery Inspiration
Small Space Living: Nursery Beginnings
Small Space Living: My Sanctuary

Simplifying Silverware

So have you ever gotten up in the morning, dirty dishes in the sink and clean ones waiting in the dishwasher?  You have to fish out the needed breakfast tableware and silverware, hoping that what you need isn't in that overcrowded sink of yuckiness.  After breakfast, the remainder of your morning is pretty much dictated by the knowledge that you have at least 30 minutes of dish duty, and it's not yet 8:00am.  


Know the feeling?


In response to my frustrations, Tyler has easily consented to my simplifying and minimizing our kitchen over the past few months.  As long as he has a warm supper, happy wife and smiling baby, he's usually okay with my minimizing!  (Hooray for a supportive husband!)


So far it's going well... and then I woke-up yesterday morning and there were NO clean spoons for Tyler's breakfast.  Really? We have eight teaspoons and eight tablespoons!  This is INSANE!  We are three people!  


We have four cups, four bowls and four plates, so I decided to keep the four trend going.  I decided on four butter knives, four tablespoons, and four dinner forks.  I put four teaspoons in a jar at our coffee station.  The salad forks have been totally dismissed from the silverware stock.  I haven't decided what to do with the "excess" since we are hoping for a large family, but I know that minimizing was essential to our simple home.  For now the silverware will be stored with my "should-I-garage-sale-this/wait for six months" pile.


Rita has four spoons, three forks and one knife.  I think that we might even remove the wooden utensils, as they are a bit too "baby" for her at this point.  This would reduce her to having two spoons, one fork and one knife, which seems best.


So our everyday silverware drawer looks like this:

Bibs at top left, napkins at top right and silverware at the bottom.  So clean!

Our true silverware was a total mess, so I used the drawer organizer from our daily silverware to sort and organize the fancies that we use when we have special occasions and/or company over.

Silver polish, blender parts and mixer parts at the top, silverware on the left, and specialized utensils and Baptismal candles on the right.

Overall I am so relieved by these changes.  Yes, it's taken a few days to round-up the straggling everyday silverware, but I am convinced that this will be especially nice when we transition from a family of three to a family of four.  
The fewer dishes I have, the smaller my wash pile will be, and that makes me happy!

Can you relate?  Has the amount of dish washing you do caused you to question the volume of dishes and silverware you have?  How did you simplify?

Small Space Living: My Sanctuary

Everyone needs space.  Since I was a kid I have always found myself a "spot" where I can decompress, be quiet, think, not think, really just be me.  In our 1,073 square foot home (front porch included), I haven't really had a chance to make myself a niche.  But then I realized recently that the adaptation I made to my personal prayer time has allowed me to have a sanctuary of sorts for myself - right in my kitchen.  

This space is cheery - I love the curtain I sewed.  The fabric is Alexander Henry's Larkspur in Bloom that I ordered from a sweet fabric shop on Etsy.  Even when it's dreary or a really rough day the fabric for this valance lightens the weight of the day.  At the center is a crucifix standing in front of the Bible that I read from daily.  The Gospels are really changing my life, my thought process and who I am in general.  There is a wedding photo of me and Tyler, an icon print of St. Mary Magdalene, who is the "star" in one of my favorite songs, Hold Me Now by Jennifer Knapp, and a list of my daily goals on the left.  On the right is a cheery flower pot my mom gave to me, two cards that I have recently received, and a few items that are stored in the pot (hand sanitizer, a palm from Palm Sunday, a statue of St. Joseph holding Jesus).  Hanging just below the sill is a painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe on wood - it serves as a constant reminder that Mary's vocation as a mother has me intricately connected to her and that I need to follow her example of patience and love.

All of the items on this windowsill bring me back to my heart's center: Jesus.  

My special spot found in our kitchen, which is also where I pursue my love of food!

I am so blessed to have this sanctuary in our small home.  It allows me to unplug, reconnect, accomplish something (dishes) when I feel like I've been totally unproductive, and catch my breath when Rita has been especially needy or sick.  Thank you Lord for this small space!  It is a joy to reconnect with You.

Do you have a spot?  Do you reconnect and rejuvenate yourself when you visit this niche?  I think this sort of personal space is vital - do you agree?

Other Posts in the Small Space Living Series:

Small Space Living: Nursery Inspiration

Small Space Living: Nursery Beginnings

Small Space Living: Nursery Beginnings

So... we have been plotting, planning and talking. Ok! I confess!  Mostly it's me, but Tyler is a great sounding board and I love when he lends his advice and/or opinion.

Did I mention our house is only two bedroom? Oh yea, our house is only two bedroom.  But!  There are three walk-in, sit-down-and-have-some-coffee sized closets.  Mega closets.  For example, we have an armoire, two person prayer kneeler, full size cedar chest and two small chests of drawers, along with my clothes, Tyler's clothes, Rita and Jonah's hanging clothes, camping supplies, luggage, shoes, non-children books and family photos all in the main master bedroom closet.  It's outrageous.

So we have gutted and painted the second master closet (about 55 sq feet) for Rita to have a nursery, which will probably end up being a "toddler" bedroom.  There is space for us to have bunk beds built where her crib will be, so that gives us space for two kiddos (good thing!).

For now the second bedroom will function as our music/art room.  The emphasis is on music.  Tyler is really looking forward to having space rather than being cramped with his many instruments.  One day it could also be the school room, but that's a bit of time away.

Many thanks to Mom who is the backbone of the painting, since I have little Jonah within.  Dad and Tyler are both helping out after work.  God bless you three!

Here are a few sneak peek photos into the nursery:

Psychedelic light - thanks 80s fixture!   

Cable cord to be moved - we don't have cable TV but our phone line uses this!

This is the walk-in and walk-through closet turning nursery (I'm standing in the laundry to take the photo).  It connects to the laundry which is a dream with cloth diapers!

For now this nursery will be for Rita, and then maybe she and her brother will have bunk beds in here.  For at least the first six months Jonah will be in a Moses basket right next to mommy and daddy, so we have time to decide.  Looking forward to Rita having a special small space!

Check-out our other Small Space Living Posts
Small Space Living: Nursery Inspiration

This post* from "Like Mother, Like Daughter" has a great reflection on the importance of play being outside of a child's bedroom.  It really inspired us even more with the decision to have our kids in a small bedroom that functions as just that!  Our living area is currently the play area and I think that might be the best idea to stick with.  
*Not compensated to say this, just thought it was lovely post that related to our current situation.

Small Space Living: Nursery Inspiration

Loving these ideas for a small space nursery.  Namely, a closet turned nursery.  Enjoy!  

http://littlelovely.typepad.com/littlelovely/2010/02/little-tour-mollys-nursery.html

http://designdazzle.blogspot.com/2012/02/gender-neutral-bird-inspired-nursery.html

http://alistbaby.net/2008/11/domino-magazine-the-style-gene/

http://ohhappyday.com/2011/02/moses-and-romans-closet-part-iii/

http://lovelymorning.com/index.php/2010/11/jillians-nursery/


Stay tuned for more on small space living!

Before Baby Arrives: April

While waiting for sweet Jonah, I have given myself tasks to accomplish.
For April I aimed to:

1. catch-up on mending - sorted through and organized, down to only three items that need mending
2. list items on craigslist
3. sew three dozen wipes - cut fabric for 2 1/2 dozen wipes so far, but none have the edges hemmed
4. make a list of purchases to be made
5. establish exercise and relaxation routine - eesh, no progress
6. order anti-candida enzyme - local store went down on the price so we don't need to order online
7. read from the Psalms - no progress  
8. send songs off for copyright  - didn't send songs off because we have decided to record them with a competent singer before copyright

Overall I have achieved a good deal, although goal #1 and #3 are only near completion, I am happy with any progress!

Clearly the goals that are more personal have been neglected - I totally need to work on that.  Labor is a huge ordeal and I need to prepare my body.  Reading scripture is essential, especially for Jonah to hear God's word spoken to him in the womb.  In addition, when Tyler and I read scripture together we are a much more committed, selfless couple!

Some goals not set for April that were accomplished:

1.  thorough electronic declutter
2. map-out budgets through July

So for May my goals are:

1. mend three garments in pile
2. cut 1/2 dozen wipes and hem all three dozen wipes
3. establish a general routine that includes exercise and relaxation
4. read from the Psalms three nights a week
5. record all 12 songs and import to iTunes
6. thorough art supply and toy declutter
7. sort, discard and organize photos
8. continue to list items on craigslist as we decide against them
9. plan meals to be cooked and frozen in June
10. budget for and order reusable menstrual pads

We are still really enjoying pursuing a minimal lifestyle.  It is definitely the life of simplicity that Christ preached about.  We are much more focused on heaven with fewer "wants and needs" and less junk filling our house.  (So many things deemed as essentials in the American culture are luxuries throughout the world!)  There are plans for a second room, in the making (more to come soon!)...which would not have been a thought if we were not pursuing a minimalist life.  We aren't extreme minimalists but we are always contemplating true needs.  

Sentimental Clutter

So I had some terrific sewing goals in place for before Jonah arrives. This post is about reality.

My current sewing desk is an antique vanity I chose as my birthday present in 8th grade. We had debated selling it in the last great purge but sentimental attachments had me choose to keep it. I love sewing and the desk is nice (although a bit tall to be a sewing or computer desk) but reality is that the desk has become a total cluttered "dump" station in our laundry room. So I'm back at the drawing board trying to discern the proper place for this piece of furniture.

Can anything be accomplished in this space?  I am so overwhelmed by it, that day after day I just pass it by!

Do sentimental items large or small clutter your life?

Five Goals for Five Days: Update

Five Goals for Five Days

Whew!  The last batch of two week goals was not nearly as successful as I hoped.  So, I'm going to start a new set of goals (incorporating any unfinished from previous list).  Planning to complete these five goals over the next five days.

1. Sort through high school and Granny's artwork, bring to/set aside for family or donate.

2. Rearrange me and Tyler's closet. (Purge if necessary)
Yes and no...rearranged as best as I can being that I'm pregnant and managed to make a disappointingly (possibly a new word?) large pile of stuff that needs to be sorted when me and Tyler have a spare moment.  Overall our closet is much more manageable and the layout finally flows, so I'm mostly happy with the progress.

3. Rearrange me and Tyler's room in preparation for Jonah. (Minimalism is a great inspiration for our set-up)
Basic, very basic.  Clean and easy!

4. Sort through box of girl clothes. (Choose nice, special, and essential outfits - minimalism in mind)
We have one box with 0 - 12 months.  It is an 18 gallon box, which I tend to think is the best size.  Since Jonah won't need any of these clothes I am hoping to pass the ones we decided against on to a friend who had a baby just two weeks ago.
5. Sort through maternity clothes. (Rita was a Winter baby and Jonah is going to be a Summer baby, which is a totally different wardrobe- minimalism in mind) I have a nice pile of clothes I will donate to the women's shelter or our local Salvation Army.  I tend to prefer both over Goodwill.

First Annual Yard Sale

An old-y but good-y that was never posted (since October).  Oops!  Sorry!


Our first yard sale we failed to advertise in the correct newspaper and so we had three customers.  We did pay for our ad, but not much more than that.  So, we're calling this weekend's yard sale our first real yard sale.



Our ad ran with the beginning time being 6:30am.  We were finishing setting-up at about 6:00am and a woman and her husband came by, but it was sooo dark outside that they couldn't see anything.  No sells on the first round.  The second customer was just a car passing our house who turned around in the neighbor's driveway.  Lesson learned!  Tyler pulled-out his work light (which he got from work for FREE because of one small broken piece, now that's frugal) and did a great job lighting-up our driveway.


From 6:30 to 10:30 people came in waves.  Between customers we would run back inside to be warm and cozy in our lovely home. :)

Overall we did really really well.  We made enough to buy lumber for extra support beneath our bed frame, a bit for Rita's savings account, a bit of extra cash for each of us for the week and something else...
it escapes me!


We were planning on this yard sale being annual, but we have donated so much every few months and sometimes more often that I don't think we will have enough "stuff" for a garage sale.  Am I disappointed by this? No way!  I feel like it is a good sign that we are doing well embracing minimalism.  

Lately, I have been further inspired to not only recycle/donate items but re-purpose them for other true needs in our home or even repair them (which means my mending pile is a bit larger than normal).  

PHOTO CREDIT: PINTEREST: MARWA EL-ATTAR

I just love a white bedroom filled with sunlight...

In anticipation of Jonah (nesting a bit early I know!) we are removing "stuff" from our bedroom and my favorite, rearranging!!!! I am looking forward to sharing our bedroom space.  

The more we purge and detach the more time we have and the less cleaning I have!   And guess what?  The less we have the less we want.   Praise the Lord!

Five Goals for Five Days

Whew!  The last batch of two week goals was not nearly as successful as I hoped.  So, I'm going to start a new set of goals (incorporating any unfinished from previous list).  Planning to complete these five goals over the next five days.

1. Sort through high school and Granny's artwork, bring to/set aside for family or donate.

2. Rearrange me and Tyler's closet. (Purge if necessary)

3. Rearrange me and Tyler's room in preparation for Jonah. (Minimalism is a great inspiration for our set-up)

4. Sort through box of girl clothes. (Choose nice, special, and essential outfits - minimalism in mind)

5. Sort through maternity clothes. (Rita was a Winter baby and Jonah is going to be a Summer baby, which is a totally different wardrobe- minimalism in mind)

Goals to Reach in Two Weeks (Round Two)

This time around I am doubling my tasks.  I think with a momentum already present achieving all goals will be possible!

1. Relocate sewing machine, materials and possibly entire desk.

2. Contact appropriate people to donate high school artwork.

3. File all paperwork.

4. Clean out filed paperwork.

5. Go through linen chest.

6. Rearrange me and Tyler's closet.
 
7. Finish reading How to Declutter Your Life and Your Home by: Martha Sinclair.

8. Set aside money for garden lumber, purchase lumber, and haul dirt to house.

9. Visit chapel.

10. List books on Amazon OR list misc. items on Craigslist.

Lord, give me the grace I need to be productive.

I started this set of two week goals yesterday, Monday February 13th.  Just didn't get around to posting last night.   :)

Final Update: Goals to Reach in Two Weeks (Round One)

WoW!  Those two weeks few by!  I have to say, come Tuesday morning I still had my last two goals to start and complete - I was a bit nervous!  Staying focused and the wonderful support and encouragement of my husband helped the most!


1. Organize the pantry.  When I tell you that it is a wreck, I am dead serious.  I really think there might be onions making babies in the far deep corners of the pantry...eesh or rotting away.

2. Purge Rita's closet.  There are no words, other than purge.  Ended wonderfully!!! I have half a trunk full of items to donate.  I really thought about holding onto them to do another yard sale before our sweet baby arrives...but then I really just want this clutter out, so tata useless junk!

3. Finish our spare "closet" transformation into Tyler's music room.  He is sharing the space with Christmas decoration, two chairs (for family members), an ottoman (also for family) and maybe a few other things.  Poor guy!  Our family wasn't able to take the furniture but they do know we would like to move it to their home sooner than later.  We did our best to work around the furniture and we were both pleased with the results.

4. Plan our garden.  Wow!  I can't believe it's time to start planning already.  We have lots of seeds, including our own okra seeds that I saved myself.  Rachel, over at frugal & simple is also planning their garden.  Check it out!  I will be blogging about our garden plans in the upcoming week!

5.  Harvest, blanch and freeze our swiss chard.  It is so beautiful in our front flower and herb garden, but it will be even better on our plates and in the freezer.  Plans for the Swiss chard changed; we are eating it now instead of storing it to eat later.  After one meal we are already 1/3 of the way through these yummy greens!

Some of our delicious Swiss chard just before harvesting!  Aren't those stems beautiful?

Overall, this was a great two weeks!  Tyler enjoyed the challenge of accomplishing all five goals with me - it is so great to have such an amazing best friend and husband!  Over the weekend I am going to pinpoint new "projects" that need to be done.  Something about knowing that I have to publicly account for my progress really motivates me!