Tag Archives: simplifying

A few more random thoughts on creating a minimalist home space.

Posted in Uncategorized by

I was still thinking about this yesterday, as we drove up to Tahoe! It was stunning up there and I shall post a blog about it tomorrow.

Keeping as many surfaces clear off things is essential. I keep my kitchen counters mostly clear. I have a toaster oven, a Britta water pitcher, and my kitchen aid mixer(in the corner) and that’s it. I work at it all day to clean up after I cook or do anything so it remains clear. If I put things on a side table, I limit it to 1-3 things. Such as on the side small dresser in the living room, I only keep the mini google play and lamp on it. In the bedroom, I keep the dresser clear except for a candle or infuser. Of course, there are times I use the dresser as a landing for things( like right now, I have mylar bags of flour) until I move them to their future location. Usually, I keep the dining room table clear except for my beeswax tapers, but right now I have fall items there too. A jar of fall flowers from the garden, some acorns, and the small pumpkins from the garden.

It’s absolutely true, that clutter attracts clutter. It’s a slippery slope of putting one thing on a counter and pretty soon there’s a pile:(

Have a designated place for everything. Also, know where you put things and as I like to say” where they live”. For instance, we have one drawer for batteries. That’s where they live. The same is true for dishes, pots, utensils, etc. It does make your life way simpler than trying to remember where you put something.

Keep like with like. It goes without saying, it just makes life easier to keep things that are similar together. I keep my office stuff( envelopes, pens, post-its, etc) all in one drawer.

Keep pictures on the walls to a minimum or designate one wall for art. Again, too much visual clutter is distracting. In my office room, I have one wall with our most colorful art. A Bob Dylan poster by Glasner, framed Grateful dead records, my favorite Star Trek Poster, and our Woodstock Life magazines. In other rooms, I try not to have a lot of art on the walls. When I did Feng Shui, one thing to always look at in art/wall items, is what message is it sending? Is it a weird picture of ancient relatives, art that is disturbing? It’s things like that to keep in mind. I remember one time doing a consultation with a woman who had very large framed photos of “old” relatives( like from the late 1800″s and early 1900s, all down her hall. It was very scary having those eyes watching every time she walked down her hall. I don’t think she ever took my recommendation, to take them down.

Finally, if you live in a small house, keep yours walls painted the same color( I use Benjamin Moore’s Simple White) to create a homogenous flow from room to room. It really does make a difference, as I can attest too. The onlyroom that is different is my daughters which is lovely light sage green( very wabi- sabi) and the bathroom which is a very pale grey blue, also very wabi sabi.

Everyone’s journey is different. The reasons you want to declutter and have a more minimalist home are different from mine. But do try is create a more simple clutter free space to enjoy, you will be happier for it.

a considered life…

Posted in decluttering, Flylady, home stuff, minimalism, Uncategorized by

All in all, we choose what our lives look like.

Sometimes, that is hard to see because perhaps it doesn’t really reflect who we are. To start, we need to ask ourselves, “what do I want my life to be/look like?”

I’ve been thru many different phases of my life. Young wife, mother, older mother, older wife. You get the idea. I also went thru lots of phases with decor from shabby chic, to lots of old furniture, and our more esthetic period when all I wanted was a Japanese farmhouse. ( well, I still would love that). But, really everyone’s life has phases and we are all at different points in the journey.

 I started my minimalistic journey with Flylady.  I was really in need of a system to help organize my house, housekeeping, cooking, etc.  I also was on Revlimid( a chemo pill for myeloma) and a very intense steroid( Dexamethasone). So I either had limited energy or the Dex was making me hyper and a bit crazy. So that’s when I started Flylady as her 15-minute rule worked perfectly for me. Basically, get a timer and set for 15 minutes and do the zone cleaning or decluttering.  Sometimes that was all I could do.

Since I decluttered thousands of things, each zone really only takes me 15 minutes max except the kitchen which takes generally an hour.  I don’t spend hours a week cleaning or tidying because the bulk of it is done in the zone cleaning. I do vacuum multiple times a week though and dust with a Swiffer.

There are some areas that I would still like to change such as moving some of the Heywood furniture in the living area but for now, that’s where they live.

One of the biggest game-changer for me was to finally be okay with our small house. It’s old, takes a lot of upkeep overall, it’s got a weird layout. ( There’s no real entryway). But it’s what we have and we do not want to move. Of course, circumstances do change if it became necessary we would move.

So I am grateful for this ‘considered life’ that we have created for ourselves.

Simplifying even more…

Posted in Blood test, camping, Death, decluttering, simplicity, Uncategorized by

While we were camping we went thru the tent trailer an got rid of all the weird kitchen stuff I had in there. A whole box worth. I mean really, am I going to use a vegetable peeler while camping?? Plus, we took out a box of dishes as we really only use the same 2 over and over. We probably eliminated 3 boxes of stuff including some clothes that were for “just in case’.  That was really great to do. It’s all dropped off at the Goodwill and I didn’t even go back thru to see whether I wanted it in the house.

I started making some homemade bread again. I used the Zojirushi to make the dough and then bake in my bread pan. My daughter got me a fancy new bread knife for my birthday so I had to make bread. It was amazing to cut the bread. It sliced thru like soft butter.  It always surprises me how having a good tool for cooking or like a sharp knife makes cooking so much better. I don’t use a lot of fancy tools but what I have does make the job of cooking so much better.

Recently, I got rid of our rice maker and started using my Le Creuset.  Organic long grain white rice takes only 18 minutes and then let sit for 15 minutes.  It’s actually quicker than the rice maker. So one less bulky thing in the kitchen.

Yesterday i cleaned out more pantry stuff. I have a good size bag to give to the food bank.

I had my labs Monday but no results yet so I’m guessing he’s out of town. That’s the only time when my esults get delayed. I’ll wait till Thursday then I’ll call his nurse.

Today I’m washing the white couch covers as this week is the living room zone.  I also need to do the outside window as I do these quarterly.

The garden is done and I am done with canning tomatoes. There are still some apples but they can wait. Last night we had butternut squash soup with our very own butternut squash. I also made a spaghetti squash and had that with butter and sage.

An old friend from my ‘metaphysical’years got a hold of me last week. It was nice to reconnect. Her sister had just died and I think it caused her to do some thinking about times gone by. We plan on getting together in a few weeks. She lives in Reno so not too far away. I will drive up for lunch!!

 

 

Tidying up

Posted in Uncategorized by

It’s been a busy and productive morning. I always try and keep Monday mornings open since I do my Flylady weekly home blessing, cook some things usually for the week ahead, and tidy. Tidying up different areas that might need it or whatever zone I’m in that week.

If you don’t have a weekly cleaning plan or you’re looking for more of a routine I ‘d recommend Fly lady at least for the basics. you don’t have to do the whole think ,just what works for you. Since I’ve mostly decluttered everything, cleaning the zone is a breeze. This week it is the bedroom so I dusted washed the 2 windows and tidied the closet.  It may take you a while to declutter your bedroom but I’d suggest just having your bed and a dresser. I have a small Heywood nightstand that I keep my water on and my pills in.  Right now since I don’t need a pharmacy next to me at night I can get away with just my two pills. I have one lamp on the dresser. The dresser is B’s and it’s an older Heywood probably mid-1940’s. I keep my clothes in baskets in the closet or just hang my t-shirts and pants. I don’t have a lot of clothes, plus I don’t work so it’s very simple. I would suggest working on the bedroom to tidy it up and simplify it.  You really don’t need 3 dressers, night stands, TVs or any extra stuff in the bedroom. It’s best if it’s serene and calm. I think it’s a good room to start decluttering because it can be done relatively quickly and you’ll see results.

Try and minimize pictures on the walls too. One blog I follow, which is beautifully done and her house quite charming, but one wall of her bedroom is covered in framed photos. I don’t know about you but I don’t think I could sleep with all those faces staring at me. And their voices too. Back when I did Feng Shui professionally, I often told people, limit pictures of people as they become voices in your head. And those pictures of people have lots of memories. Some are great to keep but just limit how many.  Also, try to keep office stuff out of the bedroom. It interferes with the purpose of the room.

Creating a minimalist bedroom will lead to better sleep and nurturing.

Today I also made caramelized onions for the week and to freeze some. I made another loaf of wheat /white bread, and I’m going to grill some chicken to have in a big salad tonight.

 

IMG_0613.jpgIMG_0617.jpg

Daily routines and simplifying

Posted in minimalism, simplicity, Uncategorized by

We dropped a small load off at Goodwill and then took some very nice cookbooks to the ASPCA bookstore and those white dishes to their thrift store. I really like taking the nicer stuff to the Pet thrift store. They seem to have a very nice collection and seem to be doing well. I already have a few more things loaded into the van and if I’m up to it , I’ll go thru some more stuff in the barn. I know I’m going to get rid of more Christmas stuff and Life magazines  but when is the question.

My daily routine  started when I did Flylady. It’s still the same for the most part. having a daily routine ,morning for me, but some people do morning and evening,keeps the house and laundry tidy and organized.  If you do a daily routine it really helps  in the flow of the day. I make the bed(of course), empty the dishwasher if it hasn’t been done the night before, take out laundry and wipe the  bathroom with Costco wipes. If I need to prep for dinner such as crockpot Thursday I do that in the morning too. I make sure the counters are clear and things put away.  Also, put things away that might be out of place. Of course, we don’t have young children so it does make it easier.

Minimalizing has been a huge part of how simple my daily routine is since there’s not a lot of things to dust, or put away or maintain. I would completely advise minimalizing your things so as to simplify your life.  It’s certainly a journey and a process. But as I go layers of stuff and layers of my self a lot is revealed and let go of.  It’s interesting how different decluttering books speak to different parts of oneself.  the Don Aslett books are really fun and kinda quirky, but they Do get the message across. You really don’t need 12 rusty screwdrivers.  Or that family heirloom you think one day will be valuable. Then, of course, the Kondo way of does it spark joy.  Then now imageI’m working on the concept of ,if we moved would we take it.  It does force you to look at things differently. Of course, some things we wouldn’t take but still need now. So it’s all a process.

For me, the bottom line is I want a minimalistic home, lots of white space, and  more room.

 

Simplify

Posted in Uncategorized by

Since the week after Christmas ,I’ve gone thru all my old files and burned tons of outdated stuff. The new files are ready for the new year. Saving old water bills etc just isn’t necessary. Then I went through some  boxes of little stuff ( like old key rings, you know the stuff that just gets thrown in boxes) and got rid of a lot. I had moved my desk out of the bedroom , but ultimately put it back as it wasn’t very user friendly where it was. I’m trying to keep it minimal. My planner, bills go in a file( martha Stewart one from staples ,when they had her office stuff.)

I’ve got a small thrift store pile going. I’m still dropping off at Goodwill express even though I’ m not crazy about donating to them. They are for profit and their CEO makes a huge salary. Salvation Army is a good alternative , but their drop off is terrible. Right after Christmas I did a load in my van ,so that got rid of a lot too.

I’m trying to redo the room my daughter had her bed in. I have the two mission type chairs there. But it’s not quite what I want. I’d like a small sofa bed in there , simple and with no arms, just pillows. I also wanted to bring my treadmill in there but I still unsure if that’s what I want either. Right now it’s on the sun porch, and when it’s this cold just not usable ,well unless you want to freeze.  I might try the treadmill and one chair. ??? Obviously ,I don’t really know what I want there.

So far the no spend month hasn’t been too good. But I have had 2 including today, no spend days. The budget is looking pretty tight as my daughters auto insurance came in. She pays her own but the vw that I drive is on there ,so that’s $250 I wasn’t planning on this month. My son won’t be paying any rent as he’s trying to take 20 units at school and work. So we told him we’ll cut him some slack. But that has to come from somewhere in the budget.?

Today, was the flylady kitchen zone. Always the biggest work area for me. Not there’s a lot of stuff, just cleaning the front of the cabinets, oven etc, takes time. I’m still rethinking the damn pantry too. It’s organized on the wire shelves, it’s just open and I’d rather not see my pantry stuff. Since its a no spend month , I’ll keep thinking about it but will look for a cabinet with shelves that closes for February.

Simplify, simplify simplify !!!!!

when there’s less stuff it’s so much easier.

Also, keeping like things together has really helped. I’m still improving on that but it is better.

 

Simplifying , decluttering, rain and more!.

Posted in Uncategorized by

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

– William Morris

I’ve been back in the simplifying mode. I have a huge load to go to the little thrift store in town, but it’s been raining so much ,I haven’t been able to drop off. I read a blog about decluttering and I like his approach of everything needs a home. Pretty much the same as everything in its place and a place for everything. But , I like this little adaptation, that everything has a home or out it goes. I’m looking around and see a few more things to go.

With Christmas decorations up , it’s more visually cluttered, but I love our little bird tree, our snoopy tree, our big tree, and the ugly ornament tree. Yes, that’s a lot but we do enjoy them. My daughter and I did get rid of quite a few ornaments and quite a few of the hallmark boxes for ornaments that were not in the best shape. It takes up less space to wrap them in bubble wrap. I’m hoping to get everything in one plastic bin. That down from 4. It might end up I big bin and a small bin. I have 2 fake trees to give away too. So all in all lots of stuff going. My daughter does a great job purging, my son, not so much, his room is still a disaster zone. But I close the door, it is his space, so I respect that. Oh, I do go in and empty the burgeoning garbage pail.

RAIN,OMG, it was torrential. Our our got almost 4 inches of rain and there was flooding all over. Our driveway looked like a river. I get a little concerned with the ground being so saturated as that’s a way trees fall. But we need the rain in California ,so….

Saw the foot doctor too. It’s spurs on top of my foot. Surgery or ? She was little odd, not very revealing. She said I had a small mass under my ball of my foot from the bone trying to protect itself. She tried to drain it but when nothing happened, she said ,I guess it’s bursitis thing.( not sure if that’s what she said). Anyway I got a cortisone shot, and she wasn’t sure if that would help. She also said my feet don’t land right and I could benefit from orthopedic things to put in shoes, to the tune of $450. I said , let’s do it. She thought the reason the spurs happened is because of this. I’m going to try that, and give it 6 months. Then I’ll reconsider the bone shaving surgery ( yuck!).

I’m off to the library this morning.

maybe I’ll do a little more holiday decorating , if there’s any left to do.

Also, someone suggested to put the friends for sale books in alphabetical order. Good idea.

Not sure what’s on the dinner menu, but probably pasta with spinach as have a lot to use.

 

Working the budget

Posted in Uncategorized by

imageWell, the rain has stopped. Actually since we weren’t camping it was great to get that much rain for the garden . But, it’s suppose to be 100 by the weekend. Go figure?,!

So, it’s budget day. All Julys bills are in and I have a few to write out and send. But, I send those to coordinate with the next pay check. I’d hoped to have the Prius paid off by now but as usual we are not really ahead. I put$50 in Santa, and moved $500 back to sinking. It’s again not what I hoped but at least it’s something. Groceries I’ve put at $300 and that may have to include non food. I’m going to do some batch cooking for the freezer ,so I made need more bulk items. Yesterday, I made a spinach lasagna and this yummy pesto penne pasta bake. Both are in the freezer. I’m going to do enchiladas and double stuffed potatoes. It’s off to Costco today and winco. June we did spend less on food, but non food and cat food were too high.

If you remember our cat tucker has feline diabetes, so we are feeding him can food every 4 hours.

I’m not budgeting any clothes for July. We spent too much in June which is unusual. I almost never buy clothes but I found a few things I needed. I still need new walking shoes, but that will have to wait till I see how the budget is. B needs tires and a 30,000 mile service. Both big money items for us.

So yesterday, I decided not to box up the Franciscan dishes. I decided I don’t use the shelves their on,because there too high for me. So I’m going to see if I do use them , if not ….

I got school art and main lesson books( for you Waldorf people), down to 1 bin. We also have almost another load to go to the thrift store. A tent with no poles I found. Where the heck did that come from? So out in our funky barn we have shelves I the middle ,that actually help the structure, and that’s where I store Christmas etc. My goal is to only have what will fit on these shelves. Christmas is about 4 bins, LOTR binders( kids stuff) 1 bin, art work 1 bin, Z’s brio set 1 bin, Star Trek stuff 2 bins if I’m honest:) ,and some others. But it’s almost where it’s good for now.

What I’ve discovered in this simplifing journey, is each time I go thru stuff, I find less to keep, less that really just doesn’t need to be stored in a bin. Many many years ago, we were very influenced by everything Japanese. Hence , my daughters name is Sachiko. But we were very wabi sabi. Alan watts kinda, “Uncarved Block, Unbleached Silk”. So I guess it’s always been there for us. But after you live somewhere 20 years, stuff accumulates. We still have a very small house( under 1000 sq ft), but as anyone with kids knows, stuff just appears. So it’s now, less is more.