The adventures of Lulu & the KonMari Method!

Progress, baby!

For those of you who read pretty regularly, you will remember that I have mentioned this book several times in the past. Well, funnily enough, my Mom bought it for herself and immediately became motivated to reduce her belongings.

Last week, she loaned me the book to read. I knew I would love it, because the book Scaling Down was a huge influence on me in the past and a motivator to do this tiny house experiment. I didn't realize how illuminating and special Marie's book would become to me (and funny too!). It has motivated me to try the "great purge" experiment, in order, and follow all the steps to find my "click point". That is the point in which you discard, donate, remove by identifying the items that "spark joy" instead of just throwing stuff out. By identifying the joyful items, "the getting rid of" becomes sooooo much easier and more rewarding and you find your personal level (click point) in which you are joyous by your home and belongings and don't feel the itch to acquire more. All I could think as I read that idea was... I want that.

I have been on the quest for balance and peace for years and most recently have made great strides in figuring out ways to make it happen for me. My favorite part of the read was where I am asked to envision the life you live in your head and solidify it. Descriptive and clear details as if you already have that life instead of dreaming of it. I did so (I won't share, as those kinds of things are kind of personal). But basically I kept finding a pattern in the words I used. Clean, peaceful, sanctuary, well-appointed, cosy, bright, happy. I felt so good reading over it that I wrote this down in my notebook: "May 12, begin the project by going through your clothing and loungewear. Be ruthless."

As the week dragged on and the book got better and better, I started becoming anxious and little kid- excited about pulling all of my clothing into one place, identifying whether it sparks joy or not then removing it if it doesn't (you also must thank each item you get rid of for teaching you something or fulfilling its duty- hokey but it totally works psychologically). Yesterday was the day (and my day off incidentally) and I happily took my hiney to the storage unit (my ultimate goal is to reduce that bad boy by 2/3 and get a smaller, less expensive unit this summer) and pulled out all of my clothes (not jewelry or shoes). I brought them to my little cabin and spread it all out on the front porch.

It was quite the ride to hold each item in my hands and find the joy (or not). It felt good to grow the pile of donations piece by piece as well. In the end I counted that I owned 154 items (scarves, belts, tops, bottoms, dresses, lingerie, layering pieces, coats etc.). Here are the stats (now be aware that I have much less than I did a year ago as I have been getting rid of stuff actively since then but even after all that, I was still shocked by the excess):

Tops: 43

Bottoms (pants, skirts): 13

Layering pieces: 15

Scarves, Hats & Belts: 24

Lingerie: 17

Dresses: 11

Coats: 3

Swimsuit/Robes: 4

The halfway point!

After I took a good look at everything, I added a few more things to the donate pile and threw a few things away too. In total, I ended up giving away 40 clothing items (and three hangers) and throwing away 21 for a total of 64 items removed from my house/storage. I kept 93 items (three of which I can only keep if I get them repaired).

I have a feeling I'll get rid of even more as the process goes on. But still! 40% of my wardrobe has been removed (in an hour and a half) and I don't feel like I am missing a single thing. Seriously! There isn't one thing I miss or have thought about since and I'm a sentimental fool, y'all! I also know every single item by heart that is in storage (fall/winter) and anything I forget about will get tossed or donated as I come across it throughout this process.

All in all, this feels incredible and I am so excited about going through more and making space for my life to blossom to new potentials (can one pluralize 'potential' I wonder?). I'll post more about it as it goes along!

I hope you have a truly wonderful day!

Some Inspiration

Google image

There is a secret little town I love about an hour and a half from where I live. It's been a sanctuary for me and my Mama for years. It's become a sanctuary for me and the hubs too. Last year we stayed there for a weekend in a little house. It was magical.

On the drive home we spoke of how good it felt to be in a place that has exactly what you need and not much else. I've spoken about that vibe on here multitudes of times, but I thought today I'd throw some "vacation house mentality" your way.

Don't you just want to go to there?!

A simple space for making simple and delicious meals.

Do some front porch sitting'.

And have a nice cocktail! 

Can't you just feel your shoulders relaxing? I can. It's gonna happen one day! Every day is a choice and I choose a life that is simple and peaceful. What about you? What do you choose? I'd love to know!

I truly have a wonderful day!

Friday Happies!!

This is Colby. He is not digging the snow & ice currently swallowing Nashville whole. This is what he listens to to keep warm! Donate today!

 Happy Friday y'all! What a week! Birthday, Valentine's AND Mardi Gras! I'm beat. I hope y'all have made it through your week relatively unscathed as well. I know there is some real scary weather out there right now (it's below 25 degrees in Florida this morning!), and my thoughts are with all of you dealing with ice and snow and cabin fever.

I'm working all weekend again, I hope you aren't- but either way, here are this week's funs, happies, pretties, interestings, and what-not's to usher you into a fun weekend regardless (it's all about the attitude, right?). Have a great weekend you guys, I truly hope it's wonderful! Here we go (and stay safe and warm out there)!

*Bless her little heart. When her baby wouldn't come on her due date, she decided to do the entire dance from "Thriller" to jiggle herself into going into labour. She did a damn good job too!! Get down girl, go on get down!

*I love this infographic/quote about time (#14). It really resonated with me.

*Cool! The 7 types of English surnames! 

*Heh. Suburban Funk (soccer mom parody of Uptown Funk).

*Oooh! I'm such a sucker for a beverage dispenser. These are so pretty!

*This sounds like a fun dinner experiment for next week...Italian-style Meatloaf. Mine's already pretty damn good (if I do say so myself), but I think this recipe sounds yummy!

*Y'all know I'm about the cosy! I'll add this to the pile of incredibly snuggly throws I'm collecting thankyouverymuch!

*I must get this book. MUST!!

*This poor fella. His guilty conscious got the better of him. So funny!

*I had never heard of Horn Island until I found this article. My husband is from Biloxi and even he has never mentioned it. I must admit, I'm super intrigued!

*I love a good themed collection! These rustic candleholders are perfect for Spring, Summer, St. Patrick's Day and even Christmas in varying shades of greens!

*From looking at these pictures, I feel I should step up my pajama and lingerie game. Seriously!

*I'm a sucker for a good buddy movie, particularly once that looks slightly cheesy. Hot Pursuit looks like  it may fit the bill I will go alone, and laugh super loudly in a partially-empty matinee theatre.
That's how I roll, y'all. Don't hate.

*I was given a beautiful white hyacinth bulb for my birthday this year and, having never cared for them was unsure how to care for it so I can enjoy its magnificence again for years to come. Since this is the time for hyacinths, I thought I'd share some tips with y'all too! It's such an enjoyable blossom!

*Did y'all know this trick for drying a load of clothes faster if you're in a hurry? I didn't and I'm totally going to try it!

A little something for your Monday.

I found this quote a while back and like it. I found it again yesterday. Something about it made me smile, and made me say "oh!" and "hmmm.". I think it is a lovely way of describing the simplification/weeding out process (physically and emotionally). I like it and I'm going to meditate on that this week. I know the hubs and I are having major anxiety about our apartment and keep trying to find one that fits our budget and our specific array of needs. In the meantime, we are trying to get as simple as possible (it is not as easy as the blogs say it is). This quote just kinda hit home (no pun intended) for me.

 What about you? Any quotes that really get in your noodle and get you perspectivizing (trademark pending on my new word there)? I'd love to know!

Image from Pinterest.

I truly hope you have a wonderful day! It's a concentrated month, let's make the most of it, y'all! Oh, and Happy Groundhog's Day, Candlemas, and/or Chandeleur Day!

Here we go!

Rabbit Rabbit wishes you good luck for the whole month if you say it on the first day! Bunny in a hat.

Rabbit Rabbit! It's the first day of the month. Can you believe the year is almost over? It seems like it flew by- like January was three weeks ago or something. Anyway, I like to treat the first of each month like a little New Year. I make little goals for myself and my hopes for the end of December/end of 2014 is to be more organized. We've been doing great on the house, but we could still be doing better (especially since we're looking for a new, smaller place). So here is my list for the month:

*Donate two more boxes of "stuff" by the end of the month. We've steadily been taking at least a box a month all year. I'm thrilled with how much unnecessary stuff we've gotten out of the house. I can breathe better.

*Stick to the meal plan. It's there for a reason. I usually stick to it pretty well half of the month and the other half I'm derailed and ordering pizza I don't even like because I don't feel like cooking. It's the meal plan + a few fun nights = staying in the 2015 debt reduction plan!

*Finish my jewelry holders from this post. We're at 80%, and I can't wait to get them hung and to arrange then rearrange my jewelry ten times!

*Get all my holiday shopping done before the 15th, that includes shipping off the stuff that needs to be shipped off.

*Stay on top of my recycling. We don't have a service here at my apartment so we save it up and walk it over to the industrial recycling bin- in theory. We get kinda lazy about it. I'd like to remedy that so my kitchen can look pretty and doesn't look like the room where legends die.

Have you started thinking about your new year? Is getting organized on your list? I think it's always been on mine, but this year we made some major impact and I'm crazy motivated to keep that up. I'd love to hear what's on your mind today, friends!

I hope you have a truly wonderful day!

Friday Happies!!

Cute kid!

I'm so glad it's Friday. I hope y'all have a wonderful, fun and relaxing weekend planned. I have to work and attend a 2 hour meeting I am dreading on my day off no less- ick- but I hope to squeeze some fun in there while I'm at it. Well, around here on Fridays I like to curate a list of happy, funny, awesome, inspiring, pretty and just plain interesting things to get you in a super positive mood for your weekend.

*Well I definitely know a handful of people that could benefit from this little gift.

*This made me laugh. And yes, it's quite true.

*This too!

*I'm oddly fascinated by mudras. I've tried them a few times when meditating or stressed out and it seemed to actually work. Perhaps its the accidental hand massage, or perhaps some amazing connection to the brain, but seriously- I've actually noticed an effect!

*Since I've been on this decluttering/organizing/crafting kick, this appeals to me very much. I want to make a version of this myself in harvest colors for Thanksgiving or multiple shades of pink, red, and purple for my birthday (around Valentine's Day). The possibilities are endless, really!

*Are you abibliophobic? I think I may be. Seriously!

*I post this pretty regularly, but if you can take some time every day to have a moment like this to show gratitude for just how miraculously badass your life really is, then it will only get better!

*Ha! This pretty much covers every moment I spent alone as a child.

*Hell yeah. Thank you Netflix. I've been streaming Gilmore Girls nonstop since they made it available. The hubs says "it's just fine", but we both know he really wanted Rory and Jess to end up together in the long run.

*A few more pounds and a few more dollars and this look could be mine. In my head I can totally wear it now, but in reality... a few pushups and sit-ups couldn't hurt the ole girl.

*Is it just me or is this time-traveling Taylor Swift from the 1960's? I saw this online the other day and its weirded me out a little ever since. It totally looks like her!

*Meditation. Yes! Exhale!

I hope y'all have a wonderful, peaceful and completely awesome weekend!

Project 3: Jewelry

Happy Thursday, y'all! I hope your week has been awesome. I'm day three (well, technically today is day 4, but- y'know) of the declutter challenge. So far the week has been awesome and inspiring, however, day three didn't go as great as I had hoped. That was mainly because I was absolutely exhausted after a closing shift at work while simultaneously training two new employees. Geesh. I'm still tired, to be honest.

However, miracle of miracles! I did manage to take a half hour or so to go through the house and harangue all the jewelry that I have strewn all over the place (I can admit I can be a hurricane at times- in fact, I have strategically placed bowls in every room to corral it all). I didn't get all the jewelry organized, but that's because I have a few boxes of sentimental and/or family heirlooms that will take a day. I did go through all my everyday jewelry and weeded it out a little bit then figured out about how much I had so that I could get all the supplies for...

...the awesome new jewelry hangers I'm going to make!!!

Aren't these cool?! I showed them to the hubs and he said he'd totally help me make them (i.e. he'll totally make them because he's cute when I start a project he wants to help then he ends up doing it himself). Regardless, I'm so excited!!

Now I know I said I'd be working on pi's and accessories etc. too, but I just couldn't. Tonight maybe!

Any great crafts or DIY storage ideas that have made your organization journey a little easier? I'd love to know!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

Project 2- Linen Closet/Master Bathroom

Look at this beautiful afternoon sky! I love the funky clouds, they make my head feel all swimmy.

Happy Wednesday, y'all!! I'm on day two of The Great Declutter! I began this blog in July as a way to find and hold onto positivity after a couple of years of depression. I've found so much gratification and inspiration and happiness in this project and I'm only two days in! I have to say I was a little surprised at how good it felt. I even daydreamed about yesterday's project at work the whole day before!

Yeah, it feels really good. Truly. I tackled the linen closet and bathroom cabinets last night. It took about an hour and a half. I did it all, man. Even folded the fitted sheets. That's right, I'm a fitted-sheet folding, decluttering badass! I didn't do it well, but I did it and that's the participation ribbon I'm going for, honestly.

I threw out a giant bag of garbage, recycled a ton of empty product bottles and boxes, streamlined the first aid/medicine and daily use stuff. I found all kinds of stuff I thought I'd lost (go figure). I cleaned it all up and then washed those two stinky dogs of mine on top of it. I'm telling you, when you get on a roll- decluttering and organizing- it's like crack.

Check that glory out right there. Sheets all folded and bundled. Spare blankets too. Corded things like heating pad, space heater etc., extra toiletries (never knew I had extras, just kept buying, I guess). Awesome. I'm going to bronze that picture.

And...not to brag, but I mean- hello! Look at that pretty bathroom counter! That is making the best out of a pretty pitiful little bathroom. I'm so proud. Aaaand I'm a nerd. Tonight is all about organizing & decluttering my jewelry, accessories & pj's (etc.). Boring, I know!

Have you done anything to make you feel particularly awesome lately? This is mine, what's yours? I'd love to know!!

Project 1: Kitchen

My little helpers.

Happy Tuesday, y'all! I hope you all got out there and voted!

Well, I'm still on the organization train and yesterday I found this cool infopraphic-y thing that really inspired me to jump headlong into decluttering/organizing/cleaning my kitchen. My kitchen has always (I've realized) been my starting point on any projects, so it had been sized down quite a bit earlier in the year. However, it is always super cluttered and my fridge is a friggin' nightmare. So, I dove in headfirst and removed ancient artifacts as well as bizarre multiple purchases and fourteen (14!!!!!!!) containers of various mystery items.

It took me about an hour, plus an hour of the hubs and I washing all the dishes in the kitchen. Yikes!! But it looks so awesome and it feels so good and I got rid of some stuff (even hitting the pantry and pulling out viable food donation items). I can't wait to hit the next project tomorrow (the upstairs linen closet, medicine cabinet and bathroom counter/cabinet- yikes).

Progress, baby. Maybe if I can keep this up for a whole week I can make the plant stand for my kitchen!

I feel I should have more food. If there's ever a major disaster/what-not, I got nothin' but pineapple and collards!

On a sad side note, RIP Tom Magliozzi from one of my favorite public radio shows, Car Talk, passed away. Sad but he left a hilarious legacy with his brother.