A Clever Way To Spend Some Money and an Afternoon

If given a wad of ones, what in your house would you "buy back" for a dollar? Would you re-invest in that vase that has been sitting on the counter for a couple of months since you received flowers for your birthday? How about the casserole dish that is dusty and lonesome sitting in the back of the cupboard? When was the last time you made Tuna Surprise?!?

Now remember, you only have a certain amount of cash to spend, and when it is gone it is gone. So what is worth it to you? What do you love? What do you find completely useful?

This technique using a limited amount of money helps us to re-evaluate what is taking up the other finite thing in our houses: space. With only, let's say, twenty dollars in your hand, choices become more clear.

I love this idea! I came across a blog entry presenting this technique on unclutterer.com, and just had to share.  You can read the whole post here. Grab a friend to help keep you honest...whom you will "pay"...and tackle that hall closet or spare room you have been meaning to get to. Write in and tell us how it goes!!! You can do it!

Grumpy Thing

I was a little grumpy this morning. Things to do, things yet not done, things I should have done, things that could have been done differently?, things to be put away, the thingee that needs to be fixed, "the thing is...", thing one and thing two.... SO, I went out to the porch to admire my favorite hydrangea bush which is in bloom now.

Mother Nature never disappoints and never fails to put things in perspective.  I was reminded of my FAVORITE THINGS, instead of all of those other things...who needs them anyway.

Overcoming Overwhelm

It has happened countless times. She stands there in the doorway, befuddled and paralyzed.  It isn't clear to her what to do or even what the first step should be. She wishes she could just walk away...deal with this another day. She is a nine year old girl, and she has just been told by her mother to GO CLEAN HER ROOM.

How is she any different from any of us? We all have stood in front of a mess of one kind or another, mouth agape, feeling overwhelmed, feeling defeated before we have even started.

I remember being that young girl, and I was reminded of it just recently with my own daughter.

It is of comfort to me that most things in life that seem problematic or complicated, are really very simple at their core. You just have to seek out that basic element, boil the thing down to its very essence.

For instance, have you ever heard the theory that married couples really have only ONE argument during all the years they are married? Oh sure, the words used each time will be different, and the TOPIC may change...but supposedly you are arguing about the same damn thing every time. How much easier would life be if we could only figure out the real message behind the annoyance with leaving the toilet seat up?!?

I know that on that afternoon when my daughter had been charged with PUTTING IT ALL AWAY, the mound of mixed up clothes, papers, toys, hair thingees, and shoes had been shifted around and kicked about for quite awhile before I came to check on her--without any noticeable progress being made.

I jumped in, and we worked together. We boiled it down to the most simple tasks:

"Grab all the books! Let's get all the ones that are on the floor...any more we missed? There's another one. Now let's put this stack back on the shelf." We didn't lose our focus until all the books had been dealt with.

We then piled all the clothes together on the bed. We very quickly sorted out the dirty from the clean, and the pile of dirty was happily shoved in the hamper.

By now she was visibly energized since the room was looking better by each passing second. The mixed up mess had been broken into manageable categories.  We had a system, and the thing that seemed impossible was quickly being dealt with. It felt like it could be done. And it was!

So, the next time each of us is faced with a daunting project, we must remember it really is simple. Start with a basic task and see that part through. The accomplishment will bolster your will to take the next step, and then the next....

What did Mary Poppins say? :"Well begun is half done!"

Now, go get started!

Tiny Treasure

Quaint or Claustrophobic? Simplicity itself, or simply insane? I don't think that people ever come down in the middle when it comes to a small space.  So, how does the thought of living here make you feel?

I spend a lot of time encouraging my clients to keep life simple while still keeping it beautiful, and this little house seems the perfect embodiment of both of those principles.

Listed at $24,900 on the Tiny House Blog, I can tell you that it spurred some wonderful conversations in my house, and set the imaginations of my children awhirl. After all, climbing a rope ladder up to this sleeping loft --what could be cozier?

Okay, so maybe all you can envision is awakening in the middle of the night with the desperate need to get to the bathroom quickly...and hitting your head on the ceiling as you struggle to get up. I guess a rope ladder would be a bit of a challenge at that time also, especially after a glass or two of wine with dinner.

But, c'mon. Just indulge me for a moment here. Even if this seems to be extreme oversimplification in your book, what if this petite cottage were at the end of a winding path in the backyard? It could be the perfect little place to get away from it all, without even having to put on your shoes.

Hmmm. What do you think?

The Plumber's Pipes

A couple of Fridays ago, my husband and I each took the day off.  We decided that we needed to devote the WHOLE day to cleaning out our garage. Amazingly, we are still married.

A year ago my grandmother who was feisty and amazingly independent at age 92, fell in her apartment and was stranded on the floor for twelve hours. We made the difficult decision that it was time to move her to a nursing facility, and while I waded through all of the emotions and paperwork that came with this transition, we had to put her STUFF somewhere.  That place ended up being our garage.

What do we need to create optimal clutter-breeding conditions?!?:

STRESS.

CHANGE.

HIGH EMOTION.

Oh, great. We have all three.

When I work with clients, I encourage them not to keep anything they don't love or know that they will find immediately useful. A lot of Grandma's things didn't fit that description. SO, we brought some things to a friend's yard sale (the poor lady who bought my grandmother's china hutch! I cried all over the money I was handing her for change) and donations were given to Goodwill with a prayer that they would bless someone who truly needed them.

HOWEVER, there was still a lot of things that couldn't be decided on YET.  And, if you have a pile of STUFF, what does it encourage you to do? Pile more stuff in that same area....since it is already a disaster anyway.

A year later, the time had come. We were ready. We would not be deterred.....

Wanna see what it looks like now, after only a day's hard work???

OKAY. If you believed that one, you have been watching WAAAYYY too much reality TV.

In true reality, the "after" picture wouldn't show you much, because it isn't about how it looks, but about how it feels. And it feels SO much better.

What project around your house is ripe for your attention? Roll up your sleeves~ you can do it!! The positive vibes that will go through your house will be a fantastic reward!