{video} Imagine you and I are cleaning out your closet...

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So, we find this box in the closet we are cleaning out. Sealed. Unlabeled. 

What is in it??

Who knows!

SO...should we open it up and go through all of the STUFF that's in there??

I SAY YES!!!!

What do YOU say?? (Don't roll your eyes at me!)

Hope this week's video helps you to tackle these "clumps of clutter" we all have in our houses, and inspires you to just jump in and get started, one small step at a time. :)

Is Your House Haunted? (Mine might be...)

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Because my house is so old (its original foundation dates back to 1778),
one of the most frequent things visitors say when they first see our house is: 

"Your house is over 200 years old?! You've gotta have some ghosts, right? Is your house haunted??"

Well sure, I love to tell the stories of the weird things we have seen and heard around our old farmhouse over the years. Ooooh! Like the night we arrived home to find the garage door fitfully going up and down and up and down all on its own, the overhead light flickering in the darkness! (Never mind that I was unknowingly sitting on the remote)... 

There are also all the creepy legends we heard from the neighborhood kids when we first moved in--like bright orbs floating in from the woods outback in the dead of night and menacingly hovering right outside the kitchen door! (If you come over for one of our bonfires, those stories are a must!)...

However, one of my favorite ones is The Tale of the Day That We First Toured the House  (insert evil laugh here).

Once Upon a Time, back in 1996, a young, innocent (ha!) couple came across the listing for an old house that had been on the market a few months--a fixer upper a little down on her luck. 

Nestled amongst a development built in the early 1980's, it was an unexpected find. And after they came across it, they drove past it frequently--mysteriously drawn to its seductive charms buried under gross siding painted three different colors.

It seems they were powerless to resist...so they ventured inside (well, with their realtor, on a scheduled showing. But still...details, details). 

It was dark inside. The bathrooms and kitchens were from a bygone era. Two of the three bedrooms were mysteriously cold (well, mostly because they didn't have any heat yet, but nevertheless....).

After they had cautiously walked through the rooms and examined every inch of the old structure, the most unexpected thing happened:

(haunting organ music swells)

They found themselves sitting in the living room, completely relaxed, visiting, talking, dreaming of their future there, and feeling as if they were already at home.

That's right. My favorite ghost story about our home is about its true "spirit:" --we instantly felt so welcomed and at ease inside of these old plaster walls, that we decided to make an offer on the place...and the rest is history. :)

I love to share this story because it shows how important it is to pay attention to your gut--our instincts are rarely wrong when it comes to finding our way home. 

Happy Halloween, dear friends! May your spirits be high and your home be welcoming! 🎃

A Little Soul Searching...

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Once Upon A Time there was a little girl named Goldilocks...

Do you remember her? 

What you remember about the story may be different that what I remember. Despite the adorable cottage in the woods, the three bears, the exceedingly hot porridge, I always reflect on the small, medium and large furniture (ooh, what choices!) and the darling little girl that had the hutzpah to seek and find the one that was just right.

Oh, we can learn so much from Goldilocks! (I mean, once you get past the whole breaking and entering thing...)

So what does it mean when something is "just right?"

Well, to me just right = soulful, or soul-filled--and living in a house that feels like this is a gift that brings beauty, balance, and joy to us every single day. 

However, it is a much more common thing that we settle for living in a house that is far from 'just-right.' This is not our fault, we just don't know how to create anything different--no one has ever shown us the simple steps that help us round that corner from drab and frustrating to soulful and satisfying.

And trust me, it has nothing to do with buying all new furniture. (After all, Goldilocks used what she had right there on hand!)

Sometimes it is easier to see what something IS by learning what it isn't. SO, let's talk about the opposite of soul-filled or just right--here's a few adjectives: 

  • impersonal
  • flat or drab
  • "in style" or "fashionable" (yes, just because something is the height of 'what's in,' doesn't mean it will speak to your soul.)

So, remember--be like Goldilocks. Have the hutzpah to claim your just-right soul space. It will add so much to your life and just feel like home.

If you are wanting to learn some simple steps to creating a soul-filled space of your own, I am offering a FREE class this coming Tuesday, OCT 24th. Check out all the details here! HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!