Home as Haven - Part IV

Maybe you are still reeling from the thought of sorting through that part of your home that has become the dumping ground for all  matter of things that you don't want to deal with or that do not have a designated storage place.  Part - III

Because that task may actually take you days (weeks?) to complete, let's not forget to keep our spirits up.  Indulge your senses as you move from room to room looking for little touches that you can incorporate to bring warmth, light, scent, sound and texture to your winter nest, your refuge from the dark and blustery days and nights of January.

Yesterday I made of candle for our dining room using pure bees wax, the scent is sweet and reminiscent of honey, the colour is beautifully rich.  There is something special about candles that you make yourself.  As far as DIY projects go, it doesn't get much easier.

DIY Bees wax candle
Sandra King-Allikas




Pure bees wax, candle wicks, a mold,
and a double boiler for melting the wax.
S.King-Allikas

There are plenty of on-line tutorials that will guide you through the process of candle making if you are unsure.  I used an empty coffee cream container as my candle mold.

Another super easy, scent-pleasing, idea is to stick whole cloves into oranges.  You can insert them randomly or create a design.  Arrange the decorated oranges on a beautiful saucer or bowl.  The cloves pierce the orange peel releasing a delicate, natural spicy-citrus scent. 

While you have the spices out, place a cup of water in a small saucepan, sprinkle in some cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg.  Simmer this mixture, uncovered, over low heat (checking that it doesn't evaporate) for several hours and your home will be deliciously scented for the day.

To freshen your linen closet, place a few bars of lavender soap among your towels and sheets.  Your closet will smell lovely when you open the door and your linens will have a delicate scent .

While we're on the subject of scents, may I mention a personal pet peeve?  Yes? Thank you.  Air fresheners; in my opinion, if you are not able to create a wholesome air freshener from ingredients in your kitchen, just forget it and carry on your merry way.  Those chemical filled plug-ins, sprays, waxy twist opens, time release swooshes are unnatural, over bearing and potentially dangerous (I know, I know... what isn't potentially dangerous to our health?...but still!)  Even strongly chemically scented candles should be done away with, in my humble opinion.

Phew, I feel much better now.  Where were we?  Ah yes, keeping your spirits up and your home beautiful while you do the "heavy-lifting" of  decluttering: filing, shredding, donating, organizing, down-sizing and generally getting your junk to the curb.  If you find your determination waning, try tacking up a photo of a room that has the feel you would like to achieve in your own home.  Let this be your inspiration as you continue to liberate your home and yourself.

Thank you for stopping in at My Turquoise Kettle life today.

Wishing you a scent-uous day,

Sandra

Home as Haven - Part III

Hopefully by now you have begun to sort through the holiday chaos Part I and to incorporate some comforting winter luxuries Part II into your home.





While these two steps have hopefully been easy and fun, what we want to tackle next are those nooks, crannies, attics, basements and spare rooms that are victims of clutter.

Is "clutter" too offensive a word? Okay, let's take a gentle look at those spaces that are home to unused sporting equipment, filled with boxes never unpacked from you last move, boxes of unsorted photos, craft supplies, fabric, high school yearbooks, shoes, purses and clothes that are outdated but "perfectly good", bags of children's school papers and artwork, old stamp collections, girl guide outfits, the wedding dress (from the first marriage), coffee tins filled with old drapery hardware, keys for places you no longer live and for luggage you no longer own.

Providing sufficient time has passed, it may also be time to evaluate what to keep and what to donate in the way of inherited items; at the time it seemed fitting to haul home all of your great-aunt's books and dishes, but you can re-evaluate that now.

Yes, this is difficult, emotional and time consuming; but until you deal with this heap (be it large or small) your home will always have a stagnant, toxic pond or ponds brewing behind a closed door or hidden away on a seldom seen level. These areas affect the energy in your home whether or not you see them, whether or not you are thinking about them.

Personally, I can motivate myself for this task in one of two ways, either I pretend that I am getting ready to pack up and move, therefore forcing me to ask, "Do I really want to pay to have this 1970's era exercise bike moved?" or, I imagine that if I suddenly died, my daughters would be forced to sort through what was left in my home. I picture them regarding dried up nail polish bottles, macramé hanging plant holders, old bills, receipts, ten year old magazines, socks with holes and wondering "What in the world was she thinking?"

The other consideration is that from what I've been observing, this task of decluttering only becomes more difficult with age. The older people get the more reluctant they seem to let go of used wrapping paper, clothes, purses, old linens and especially furniture. I cannot tell you how many situations I have heard of (and witnessed) recently where a senior is forced to move into smaller quarters yet cannot accept the fact that a sofa, loveseat, occasional chair, two end tables, a coffee table, a book case a television stand and several overgrown climbing plants are just not going to be squeezed into a 10 ft x 10 ft. room.

Now is definitely the time. You know the drill: three piles - trash, donate, keep. Be ruthless, be honest and don't expect to complete the entire task in an afternoon. Do reward yourself with a cup of your favourite tea and something sweet when you need to take a break, your ultimate reward will be a home that envelopes you in serenity and beauty.


Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a productive day,

Sandra

Home as Haven - Part I

Your home has been through a lot in the last little while and so have you; baking, cleaning, cooking, entertaining, crafting, wrapping. Entranceways spilling over with snow covered boots, mitts, hats that melt into puddles. Christmas trees, decorations and cards that now look tired and tacky, gifts lingering under the tree or in a corner waiting to find a permanent home. Are there heaps of extra laundry, sheets, towels and linens from out-of-town guests?

Maybe your home, like mine, is suffering from indigestion; groaning as it were from all of the excess. Perhaps the first order of the New Year isn't leaping into a new exercise regime or swearing off sweets (or whatever your vice is); instead what if you were to focus or refocus on your living space, your home?

We can sometimes become so accustomed to our abodes that we no longer see them for what they are. Oh sure, maybe we keep moving the furniture around and painting the walls but do we ever take time to stop and really "feel" our home environments? They are often a reflection of what is going on inside of us, or inside of the relationships within their walls.

Have you ever entered a home and felt uneasy and yet couldn't really put a finger on why? Are there homes or rooms that you feel at peace in, relaxed, supported and nurtured? There is more going on than meets our eye. I know a woman whose visitors often comment on how "good" her living room feels. "You know," she confides, "It is where I sit early in the morning and pray." Ah yes, that explains a lot.

 

 

Take some time and really assess your home.

·  While it may be Better Homes & Gardens beautiful, does it feel welcoming when you walk through the door?

·  Do you feel relaxed, safe, inspired?

·  Does it truly reflect your personality or only the latest trend?

·  Are there spaces where you can relax and read or write?

·  Has clutter taken control?

·  Are you hiding decades of useless possessions in closets and storage areas?

·  Maybe you're hanging on to possessions that belong to children who have moved out, relatives who have passed away or artwork that (you never loved) and received as a wedding gift.

While it is difficult to hold ourselves and our homes under the light of scrutiny, our goal is to create a home that is a haven, a refuge from the world, an oasis that welcomes us every time we cross the threshold, a place where our personalities are reflected and where we can be truly ourselves.

While it is possible that you may need to acquire something, say a comfy reading chair or a loveseat for two to curl up in; my guess is that you may actually need to excavate - get rid of some of the excess that your home is drowning in so that you both you and your home can breathe again, a sigh of relief and contentment.

Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a peaceful day,

Sandra

How to get more from your living space

This is just a tiny little post to help you see your current living space in a different light.  Perhaps you would love to have a space to permanently set up your sewing machine (or painting easel or exercise equipment) but don't have an area that isn't currently being used or at least occupied.

Make a list of all the activities you want to be able to accommodate (a quiet reading corner, dining both casual and formal, sewing, sleeping, watching television, entertaining, hobbies, etc.)  Beside each item write whether or not you have a suitable space.  Decide whether there are rooms that are not serving you well, such as a guest room that gets used once or twice a year or a cozy corner that would be perfect for a comfy reading chair but it is currently home to a few large house plants or to a piano that never gets played  The key is to create an environment that is functional first and beautiful second. 

When my husband and I bought our home nearly twenty years ago, we loved the location, a quiet street in a nice neighbourhood close to schools and extended family.  The house is 1150 sq. ft. (107 sq. meters) certainly not large.  What I missed most was not having a formal dining room and because we had a very large sectional sofa, which we later replaced with two very bulky loveseats, I never even seriously considered that my living room was plenty large enough to serve as both dining room and living room.  Silly me.

Earlier this summer in order to create a space for a painting workshop that would accommodate several artists during the summer months; we got rid of all the living room furniture and replaced it with work tables, easels, and folding chairs.

Now that the workshop is wrapped up for this year and without furniture to put back into the room, the space became a huge blank canvas.  We began to think about what we wanted to do in the room.  Our list looked something like this: snuggle in front of the wood stove during the winter, a place to read, knit, relax, small scale entertaining and if possible a place to share a meal by the fire.

After much hauling of furniture I am delighted with our new (way more functional) space.

Here are photos of the space past and present.

two bulky loveseats gobble up lots of space

Light and airy perfect for painting and creating

size savvy furniture allows better use of space and the room still feels spacious

With autumn just around the corner, why not create spaces that will allow you and your family to pursue hobbies and activities that enrich your lives?

Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a pleasant day,

Sandra

The ugliness of clutter

Over the past couple of weeks my husband and I have visited several homes for sale. These houses are in rural settings, they range from cottages converted to houses, simple farm houses, Victorian farmhouses, 1950's bungalows.... a wide range of styles, sizes and settings.

The only consistent quality that they all seem to share is clutter. Perhaps I'm more sensitive to clutter than most people, but what we've seen ranges from "They have too much stuff" to "This space feels oppressive, drowning in doo-dads, knick-knacks and junk."

My husband joked (I think he was joking) that we should go into the business of helping people eliminate all the unnecessary from their homes (and lives) and allow them to experience what it is to live in homes that are airy, open, clean and uncluttered. Possessions can enrich our lives but all too often people have packed every closet, nook and cranny with books, clothes, old toys, furniture, old blinds, curtains and tools just in case they need them one day. Just because you have a shelf to keep it on does not mean that you should keep it.

Someone I know recently moved into a new apartment, she was so happy that a relative had an old window blind to offer her that he had hung onto since he sold his house (25 years ago!). She actually said how smart he was to have kept it "just in case someone needed it."

When I visit a cluttered home I often get the urge to declutter my own. Keeping our living spaces clear is an on-going practice and to that end I used my cousin Deb's "fill a garbage bag" exercise and went room by room until it was nearly full of throw-aways and give-aways.

If you need inspiration to begin de-cluttering visit websites that have lovely images of calm, beautiful rooms and be inspired. Close your eyes and imagine yourself living in a space that feels serene, then open your eyes, grab a garbage bag and liberate your home and yourself.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a serene and beautiful day,

Sandra

Big League Decluttering

I'm on a decluttering high, intoxicated with the feeling of freedom of having eliminated several big items from our home.

 In the past six weeks we've sold two directors chairs, an antique wall mounted telephone, our 4' x 8' oak billiards table, given away a large china cabinet to a very loving family and gotten rid of the two loveseats from our living room.

"What will you sit on?" my mother-in-law queried. Sit? Who has time to sit when there's so much fun to be had decluttering? Okay that isn't quite accurate, let me explain. My (ever wise) husband and I were re-evaluating our home. We tossed around questions like:

• What do we need to be able to do in the spaces (rooms) of our home?
• Are we really fully using what we currently have?
• Is there a better use for that space?
• Is there anything that we need to be able to do that we cannot currently do because of space limitations?

We tried to forget the labels that were currently attached to the rooms (bedroom/living room) and keep our minds open about what certain rooms could be and how they could better serve us.

The Living Room

For a few years I had been dreaming of finding/buying/renting a commercial space where women could come and be creative and be pampered at the same time. Women's Summer Studio It seemed that every time I made an enquiry about a building that was for sale, there was already an accepted offer on it. It happened often enough that I wondered if I was heading in the wrong direction.

My husband suggested turning our main living area into a big art studio. I was really, really lukewarm about the idea, "But it’s our living room." I protested. "Yes", he agreed, "and the dogs sit on the furniture more than we do. Besides its big and light filled and has high ceilings and big windows...."

And that is what happened to the loveseats.... out they went.

The Billiard Table

We've had a very lovely oak billiard table in our family room for ten years. When our children were teens it got used quite often. But recently, with our children grown and having homes of their own, the table was seldom used.

What we found we were needing however was a larger dining area. Without a formal dining room and with an ever expanding family, dinners in the kitchen were becoming crowded. What if we sold the pool table and turned the family room, which is a few steps away from the kitchen into a dining room? Hmm, there's a thought ....but we didn't actually have dining room furniture.

But sometimes the universe just seems to conspire to make your dreams reality. It just happened that my cousin was moving; in her attic was a lovely dining room set that had belonged to her parents, complete with six chairs and a hutch. Perfect.

In came a dining room set.... out went the billiards table.

The Kitchen

Yes, we still have a kitchen but decided that a large china cabinet was taking up too much space, if not in reality then at least visually. My mom had loved that piece from the day we brought it home. We called my parents would they be able to take it? Yes. Wonderful. The china cabinet moved across town.

Remembering that space is just that space.... it's very liberating to imagine how different areas of our homes may be able to better serve our needs and our lifestyle.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you an uncluttered day,
Sandra

"Hey! That's my blankie!"

This past week both of my daughters commented on how much friendlier our dog, Zack, has been recently.  I hadn't really noticed but it's true. 

It used to be that Zack wasn't really happy about visitors, he wasn't even that thrilled with pedestrians using the sidewalk in front of our home.  When company arrived he had a habit of making them feel unwelcome and then collecting his blankie and pink elephant toy and retreating to a closet or under a piece of furniture.  Zack's past is a little sketchy.  We adopted him last year when he was already seven years old, so we cut him a little slack and for the most part try to be accepting of his neurosis. 

This week I had quite a few artists in for the Women's Summer Studio and I was apprehensive about Zack's normally unwelcoming attitude.  I planned to have him hang out downstairs and had placed his blanket and pink elephant there to make him feel more at home.

Long story short: it didn't work.  So Zack has ended up staying with the women in the studio and has been really quite a little gentleman; surprisingly so.  With his tail wagging and nuzzling he has been quite a good host. 

It made me wonder then, when my daughters mentioned his improved attitude, what had changed.  I think I found the answer this morning on the way to the laundry room, there, where he couldn't get to them, were his blanket and favourite toy. 

Do you think that because he hasn't had access to his prized possessions for over a week that he is experiencing a new found freedom and joy?  Now that he isn't concerned with protecting his "stuff" is he able to enjoy the people that visit?  Perhaps he no longer sees them as a threat and can relax and live in the moment without wondering, "Does he plan on stealing my blankie?"

A new relaxed Zack

When we allow our possession to take priority over enjoying and appreciating the people in our lives, you could say it's a case of the tail wagging the dog.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today,

Wishing you the freedom to enjoy what really matters,

Sandra

How to nurture your creativity

Last week I had one of the most creative weeks I've had in a very long time. It started slowly and consistently expanded, by mid-week I found myself bursting with creative energy and ideas. Where did it all come from? What precipitated the flow of creativity and how can I tap into it more consistently?

My husband was travelling last week so I had been anticipating a week of solitude. While some people feel nervous or uneasy about solitude I really enjoy my time alone so I was in a positive frame of mind.

I spent the first day uncluttering my environment. I tidied up the house, organized drawers, moved some furniture, washed the floors and basically went on a purification binge. By that evening I fell into bed exhausted but very happy.

Create a beautiful environment for yourself

The following morning was Sunday; I woke from a wonderful night's sleep refreshed and appreciating my beautiful, pristine and uncluttered environment. I was completely content pattering around the house while the sun filled the space with a warm glow. I made a big cup of tea and spread my journal and inspirational material out on the bed and began writing. I practice daily "stream of consciousness" writing. I aim for about 3 pages long-hand. On this particular morning I wrote freely and without any time restraint, producing 15 pages of writing!

I declared the rest of Sunday a "silent" day and treated myself gently: healthy food, a slow walk with the dogs, a nap in the afternoon. I just tried to listen to my body and to give it what it craved.

I think that beginning with a feeling of positive anticipation combined with those two days of clearing my environment , clearing my mind and resting my body were critical in how the rest of my week unfolded. When I went back to the studio Monday I found I had adopted a very gentle attitude. I gave myself permission to play, no need to make a masterpiece, no restriction on whether I painted, or knit or sewed.... I opened myself up to whatever creative urge surfaced. I didn't force myself to finish one thing before I began another. I let my child-self play and gave my grownup-self the week off.

Your creative-self may be delicate... be gentle with her

The result was two paintings that I love and that seemed to be birthed from my heart, two cute little sundresses for my granddaughter, some great photos, new ideas for my garden, work done on my mosaic table and a couple of blog posts. What fun!

I'm hopeful that being able to pinpoint what set me up for creative success this past week will allow me to duplicate the process in the future.  An attitude of positive anticipation, clearing out my physical and emotional environments and permission to create in whatever direction feels natural, may be the steps I need to nurture my creative energy.  I'll keep you posted.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Wishing you a nurturing day,

Sandra

Spring Decluttering

"In our rich consumers' civilization we spin cocoons around ourselves and get possessed by our possessions."
Max Lerner

First let me say, "Thank-you" to everyone who came out a couple of Saturdays ago to support La Maison des Arts Rive Sud small format exhibition. At the end of the day I was happy to return home with considerably fewer paintings than I had arrived with. That's a great feeling, not only because people liked my work enough to want to bring it home, but also because there is just a little bit more room in the studio.

You see, with the arrival of spring, with the opening of windows and feeling the fresh air circulating about the house, I get this overwhelming urge to declutter. What drawers are hiding old receipts, elastics, paper clips, wine corks and miscellaneous gizmos? What books can I pass on to others? What clothes need mending or haven't been worn for (another) winter season?

A lot of us like the idea of a minimalist home, or at least of an uncluttered home but we are stymied for a couple of reasons. The task seems so daunting that it is difficult to begin and/or we have attached sentimental feelings on to a lot of our junk (sorry but a lot of it is really just junk: faded, worn, stained, broken) I have things that I keep for sentimental reasons too, just not a lot of them. I have a couple of pieces of artwork from each of my daughters when they were little, my two favourites are framed; two little clay masterpieces round out my "kid art" collection.

When I jettison no longer needed items I feel liberated, lighter, and free. One thing I've noticed is that thinking about a serene, uncluttered home is a start but it will never happen until I get off my butt and start tossing things. It’s not easy to begin but the result is always worth the effort.

My cousin, Deb, has a great technique. She gets out a big garbage bag and determines to declutter until the bag is full. She does this regularly and her home feels and looks serene. So far I've filled a bag and a half.

If you need de-cluttering inspiration look at photos of rooms that are clutter-free. Imagine how wonderful it would feel to own only what you need (okay and maybe a few items that you love just because they are beautiful). Imagine yourself unencumbered by possessions both those you thought were a good idea at one time and those that you inherited. The memories are not in the items, they are in your mind and in your heart. So open the windows take a deep breath and liberate yourself and your home.

Thank you for stopping by My Turquoise Kettle Life today.

Have a liberated day,

Sandra








 

Lack of Self-Assurance - An Obstacle to Simplicity?

In my last post I wrote about how much I was enjoying Richard J. Foster's book, Freedom of Simplicity .Now that I have finished the book I am revisiting some of the ideas he presented and mulling them over.



One of the ideas that I caught my attention was that of self-assurance or as Mr. Foster writes "being comfortable in our own skin" and how a lack of self-assurance is a foundational hindrance to living simply. In my own way I touched on this subject in my post Thinking My Way to Simple Living.



When I accept myself as I am, when I am comfortable in solitude and stillness, when I recognize that my natural unadorned self is sufficient, when I have made peace with my past and have faith and trust about tomorrow, then I can come to the place where simplicity is my most natural response.

If however, I feel shame about who I am, my thoughts, my habits, my body, my past, if I feel that I need to compensate for what I am lacking, then true simplicity will be truly elusive. For when I struggle with these issues my natural response may be to hide, adorn, over-consume, pretend, seek prestige, create illusions or hoard.



All of the time, money and energy I spend on maintaining an "acceptable" self keeps me enslaved to the life I have created to protect and project my image both inward and outward; how exhausting, how unsatisfying and how unnecessary.



When I understand that my flaws, imperfections and material possessions do not define me, or even really limit me (God loves to use the weak and insignificant) then I am free from having to hide behind a false self. And that freedom can result in a life of genuine simplicity. If I don't need to impress you with what I drive or what I wear, then I have the freedom to use my time, energy and money to be a conduit for something positive, for sharing my talents, for helping others, for creating a life that is simply amazing and amazing in its simplicity; a life that leaves me feeling comfortable in my own skin.

Thank you for visiting My Turquoise Kettle Life today,

Wishing you an amazing day,

Sandra

The Spaces In-Between

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to the spaces in-between things.  In my quest to understand and achieve a simplied life, the spaces in-between may be a helpful clue. 

Early Saturday morning I was gardening, pulling up weeds and digging out those stray shoots that begin to encroach on the next plant.  I like to see the rich dark soil between the plantings.  Some perennials that had grown to double their size I cut back and others I  dug up completely and gave to my neighbour. I prefer planting in distinct clumps, not blending into one another in a helter-skelter fashion. 

I realized that this desire for space in-between in my garden is also true of other areas of my life.  For example, I find that in our home giving things some breathing space creates a more serene atmosphere.  From the amount of furniture, artwork and accessories in a room, to the way we handle storage in kitchen cabinets, the refrigerator, closets and bookcases, space makes a difference. 



Personaly, I prefer to open a kitchen cabinet and be able to see and reach the appropriate glass than to find all the glasses jam-packed together like concert goers in a mosh pit. Likewise for coat closets. On more than one occasion,  I have welcomed guests into my home, taken their coats and then discovered a) there are no empty coat hangers and b) I would need a crow-bar to wedge another coat into this closet.

For us, part of the solution has been deciding to live with less.  Quite honestly, we simply own less than a lot of people that we know.  We're not martyrs, we have just come to believe that we don't need to own most of what is advertised.  We plan our purchases and weigh the benefit to the "cost" of owning the item, including storage and maintenance.  We are seldom spontaneous when shopping and are much more likely to rationalize ourselves out of a purchase. 

Creating space in-between works in terms of our time, energy, money even our thinking.  It is helpful to building in "spaces" in your day when you can have a little down-time.  Coffee breaks and lunch hours were meant to give us some "space" in the workplace, yet they are hardly beneficial if we work through them, spend them with co-workers criticizing our employers and/or jobs, or fill them with errands and then hastily choke down a sandwich and a soft drink in the car. 

Is there somewhere you can go during your day to be alone?  A park, a path, a spot by the water?  We know a young father of four children.  He told us that sometimes he pulls into his  driveway after work and just takes a few minutes (a space) alone in his car to transition from work-mode to family-mode. 

Another aspect of creating space in our lives and homes goes back to the gardening analogy of weeding. Creating space requires a regular "weeding out".  Weeding is best done frequently and in small doses, otherwise it can become an enormously overwhelming job.  Weeding out the clothes, linens, appliances, tools, books we no longer use is essential to creating space.  Likewise, and much  more difficult, is a weeding out of activities, habits, relationships, financial patterns that no longer serve us well. 

Try to picture your life today as a garden.  At this present moment, how would you describe this garden of your life? Has it been nurtured and tended to?  Is there a healthy amount of space in your garden?  Are some plants overtaking the garden and need to be trimmed back a little? Maybe some weeds need to be pulled and discarded completely.  Is it generally neglected and needing some extra attention? Perhaps it is overly manicured and formal, not allowing your creative side to flourish.  It's your garden, you get to be the designer.  Just be sure to allow yourself some space in the garden of your life.








Thank you for taking the time to visit My Turquoise Kettle Life.

Have a beautiful day,
Sandra

Thinking My Way To Simple Living

Once June arrives I begin to think about how to live even more simply.  Over the last dozen or so years I have managed to let go of some ideas and a lot of stuff that once complicated my life.  I would have to say that letting go of "ideas" has been much more effective than eliminating the "stuff".
This is because our ideas or thoughts are ultimately what drive us to do what we do, buy what we buy, spend what we spend.  If I don't change the way I think, what I value, what motivates me, my actions will not change either.  Sure I can give away half my wardrobe, but if I still believe that I need certain clothing/shoes/accessories to be beautiful, soon my closet will be bulging again.
Here is a quick list of the ideas that I changed or focused on, that allowed my life to feel less cluttered.

• My health is a priority.  Every day I exercise, make mostly healthy food choices, quiet my mind, practice gratitude.
• I choose not to overschedule my time.  Being busy doesn't mean I am more important, it just makes me more anxious.
• Who I am is not measured by my annual salary or by my mode of transportation.
• Avoid negative (fear based) media and chronically negative people.
• Am I using my talents?  Am I being kind?  Am I really listening to people? 
• What am I spending my money on?  Does it line up with my priorities?
• Just because the rest of the group/family/office/friends  is/are participating, if it's not an activity I enjoy or I'd rather spend the time/money doing something else....I just say "No thanks."

A WARNING:  At first people wont' always be receptive or supportive when you change your priorties or your habits.  They may try to guilt you into doing what they want you to do.  I have found that even discussing "simple living" makes some people uncomfortable or defensive.   It is contrary to the way our society works and what is expected of us.  That being said....don't allow it to deter you.  If you can begin to accept that this really is your life, and that you are not here only to meet the needs/wants of others, then you can make one small change that will lead to the next...and who knows where that will take you.

And what of my summer inspired simplification?  I have been using my new clothesline rather than my dryer.  I like the old fashion-ness of standing in my garden early in the day, pegging the sheets to the line, the squeaky sound my line makes and watching the sun and the wind dancing with my laundry.  I have also given myself permission to have a less manicured garden, I don't need to tackle all the gardens in one day, I can do a little today and a little....next week (maybe if I feel like it). 

Thank you for taking the time to visit My Turquoise Kettle Life.


Have a simply wonderful day,

Sandra