90 Day Sprint: Home Goals

I introduced the idea of a 90 day Sprint in this post. I have 3 areas I’m focusing on during the next 90 days and my home is one of them. I’m currently defining my baseline and criteria for success. Next, I will decide  which steps to take in order to move me towards success. 

I have calmed and quieted my soul... Psalm 131:2

Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit."-- Conrad Hilton

Define the baseline:

I have accumulated a ton, of clutter a TON of clutter especially in the way of kids clothes. Books and paper as well. MY BIGGEST WEAKNESS IS PILES AND JUNK DRAWERS. Identifying where you are weak is a great help in overcoming. If you can identify your weakness, you can get to the root of the problem and work on resolving that issue. My biggest weakness in keeping a clean home is piles; piles of clothes, piles of dishes , piles of paper. If I can prevent  those piles from starting I can be closer to my goal of a clean and organized Home. 

Organized home criteria of success : NO JUNK DRAWERS OR PILES ANYWHERE. a place for EVERYTHING, lots of empty space and peace when I open my cupboards.

Success plan:

Daily I will tackle piles as they are forming. 

I’ll PICK ONE ROOM PER DAY to purge:

Girls 

Braden

Laundry

Mine

Carport

Kitchen and living are finished!!!👍👍👍

Once I’m finished w the inside of my house I will move to the garage and 2 sheds where we have been storing our items from our original homestead. 

For 90 days I will give myself 90 minutes per day to work on this. I’m confident that I will have made an extensive amount of headway at the end of my 90 day Sprint. I’ve already grown leaps and bounds and I’m excited to see where we are at the end of this. I hope this helps you see a concrete idea of how a 90 Day Sprint works. I plan to post photos at the end of the 90 days. 

Thank you for reading. 

Grace and peace,

Adoring Family. 

When Clutter Creeps In...

In 2015, I remember going through the painful process of trying Marie Kondo’s KonMari method. It was hard to make the decision to let go of things. I saved quite a bit in storage but got rid of about 50% of our possessions as we downsized from 2800 sq feet to 400 sq ft. We lived in a camper for a year and it quickly became clear to me what my biggest purchases are. Books are number one and clothes are second. Not too surprising since we are a homeschooling family and I’ve been a bookworm since I learned to read. 📚 🐛 I could always be found w my nose in a book as a kid and I’m thankful to pass that on to my little ones. If they express even a hint of interest in a book, I will buy it. Of course there are six of us and we all need clothes. Especially the growing little ones. We have been given a ton of hand-me-downs which I’m so grateful for. It did surprise me to see how much we accumulated in the process of living in our camper and then a small, 2 bedroom home. I was flabbergasted when I gazed at how much was left after we moved everything we wanted into our new home. When I went back to the old home, it seemed like new stuff appeared. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ We filled up half of a garage w our left over items. I still need to go through these things...

Again I’m talking about Carrie Simple and the wisdom she shares in this video...

 

I lamented to her about all of the clutter that accumulated after my first big purge. Here is what she had to say...

“Let me say one thing to that discouragement: I actually am starting to see where my frustrations with minimalism lie. Particularly, it’s in the shaming of excess. It’s not intentional and it’s often steeped in all sorts of encouragement so I think the good of the message balances out most of the time. But I have dealt with that same discouragement SO MANY TIMES over the years, and it’s not helpful at all.

Seeing the excess stuff is not a loss for you- it’s a win! It’s not the stuff that is the problem- that stuff probably served a purpose that you prioritized in that moment, and that doesn’t have to be something you feel bad for. I think what is more important than simplifying is being mindful or conscious of our consumption, AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU’RE DOING. By noticing you have more, and by making that move, you see excess. Learn from it, but don’t be embarrassed or ashamed by it. Count it as a win that you see it, because that’s really what this ENTIRE thing is about- being aware.”

I love everything about that message and asked Carrie if I could share it w all of you. This blog is a chronicle of our journey. It’s a learning process in so many ways. I’m thankful to share all of this with you and I appreciate your patience as I’m writing g all of my posts from my phone these days. Unfortunately, that makes editing near impossible once I’ve published a post so please forgive the typos 🤦🏼‍♀️ they are not uncommon on this blog anyway😋

I’m looking forward to sharing more of our simplifying journey with you. I’m so thankful to have gone through this before because I know how freeing it can be to have this weight lifted. I also feel the process gets easier each time I do it. I know it can feel painful at first but in the end, I know that these are all temporary things in our lives. I’ve seen things come and go and it’s much easier to get rid of the excess than it used to be. There is peace in less. There is joy in simplicity. There is freedom in letting go. 

Thank you for reading. 

Grace & peace,

Adoring Family

Simple Luxury

To create a thing of beauty sometimes you need to take away instead of add to.

When we stay in our favorite VRBO located in Bourne, Tx we always marvel at how clean and functional this home is. There is a place for everything and everything is in its place. There is no clutter, no multiple items shoved into a drawer. Even the miscellaneous drawer is organized and tidy. The owner of the property lives in the house, it’s actually a luxurious bardominium turned wedding venue. I’ve asked her several times how she does what she does. How do you keep such a beautiful home? She has one storage closet that is locked and that is where she puts her personal belongings. She only buys the very best she can and keeps it minimal by only buying what she uses on a regular basis. She decorates minimally anwud tastefully and keeps only the functional and beautiful, only the best for her guests.

My goal is to set up home in this way. I am slowly doing the  Kon Mari method as I unpack. If it isn’t useful and if it doesn’t spark joy, I will not bring it into my home. If it isn't a sentimental item or if it isn’t something I would buy today then I will not bring it into my home. 

I hope it is clear when I say luxury that does not equate to expensive, I am referring to high quality and increased comfort. 

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17

Too many choices equals a sense of being overwhelmed. When I look into my cupboards I want to see a lot of empty space and only the very best of what I need. Less truly IS more. When I look into my drawer to find a cooking utensil, I want to see what I love and what serves a purpose. Anything more than what is useful is excess, clutter and a waste. It wastes my space and wastes my time. I’d rather wash my favorite spatulas and enjoy using them rather than dirty them up only to stick them into a dishwasher and then use the ones I don't like that take up extra space. That is a waste of all of my precious resources. Water, time, real estate and head space. There is peace in less. 

I have followed Carrie Simple's journey to simplicity on YouTube and I'm thankful to correspond with her on IG. She is a beautiful soul who desires to help others on their path to Simplicity. I love what Carrie had to say in . She said that she had a social engagement to attend and went into her a closet and couldn't find a thing to wear, instead of shopping for more clothes (which is what she wanted to do) she started taking things out her closet. She took out anything that didn't make her feel fabulous. This created a beautiful wardrobe that she felt good in. The fact that she created a wardrobe she loved by pairing down is such an inspiration to me!

I love the quote from Coco Chanel, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory." If I ever feel like something is not quite right with an outfit, remove something...a necklace, scarf or bracelet etc... That usually does the trick. Chanel also says that if it isn't comfortable, it isn't luxury. I love surrounding myself with things that quiet my soul. When I look at my belongings I yearn to feel a quiet, peaceful joy. That is what brings me comfort and gives me a sense of luxury. 

Constraints can be positive. When I am bringing things into my home I have been putting my items into a pile and then saying, how can I simplify? What can I cut away from this? Do I need this or even want this? Does this bring me peace and quiet joy or does it add to the noise around me?

Limiting options is actually freeing. I find My children have enjoy playing in our new home immensely but they have yet to unpack their toys. Instead, they have been creative and drawing tea cups and making dishes with what they can find. It's been an incredibly liberating experience. I find great comfort in knowing they can be happy with less.

One of the wonderful things I have discovered during this long journey of camper life and small home living is that it takes very little to make me happy in life. I find that as long as I can have a good cup of coffee and some quiet time alone in the morning I can pretty much be happy anytime, anywhere. If I know my children are provided for, my husband is well rested, we are filled with joy and peace.

What are the things in life that quiet you soul? What brings you joy, comfort and peace? How can you surround yourself with those things and peacefully eliminate those which don't? 

Thank you for reading.

Grace & peace,

Adoring Family