home decorating

"We don’t need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.” - Donald Horban

Last night we had a Relief Society activity where we got to visit other people's homes in the neighborhood. We went to four homes (and a backyard, so on the way to the backyard, we peeked in the home briefly) and they were all lovely. So nicely decorated, different styles, but all fabulous. I'll be the first to admit that I have no eye for decorating a home. On the very rare occasion that I do have an idea, it takes me 6 months to two years to get around to implementing it. I like to think I'd be better if we had more money to spend on things like decorating, but I don't think it's true. So, I felt kinda bummed after the fun activity, just because I want my home to be beautiful and homey. But then I realized that the MOST important thing I can do right now is GET RID OF STUFF. The lack of clutter is one thing all the homes had in common, and getting rid of stuff is free! Last month I decided I didn't like using the top of the kitchen cabinets for storage because it looked cluttery, so I cleaned out and reorganized the pantry so the important items could fit in there. I've seen lots of houses with cute decorative stuff on top of the cabinets, but we don't have a lot of room there, so I don't know what, if anything, would look good. I might have to consult some of the ladies from last night. But, I do like the "empty" look a lot better than the cluttered look, so that's something!

So, that's my plan. I am involved in a lot of things that lend to clutter, or at least, require materials: homeschooling, cloth-diapering, keeping pets, sewing, letting the kids do arts/crafts... But there has to be a way to do these things and not let the stuff take over my life. I'm committed to figuring out how.

I found these two articles on Zen Habits with great tips. Last night I cleaned out my inbox on my desk. Now I need to clean the rest of the desk!

it's all fun & games...

...until somedoggy pees on the bed.

I was playing "getcha" with Daisy, and we were having a great time. Then she jumped on the bed, and I covered her with the comforter, and she exploded with pee. blargh. I'd blame it on being scared, but we've played that game many times and she has always enjoyed it, so I think she just got too excited with a full bladder. So, now the duvet cover is in the wash, the comforter is hanging on the playground to dry, and Daisy is in her crate. (I did let her go outside to finish any business before sending her to jail, though, so I'm not totally heartless.)

today...

Well, after talking about keeping a clean house and visiting my friend Debra's very neat and uncluttered home, I was inspired or guilted into doing a little sorting & discarding of my own today. So of course I start with a relatively painless (for me, anyways) area: the kids' room. Noodle was happy to oblige trying on all the dresses in her closet to see which did and did not fit, along with a bunch of long-sleeved shirts from last winter. We compiled a group of cute dresses that no longer fit, which I am hoping to sell on craigslist so we can get $20 to go buy her some cute skirts at The Children's Place.

After the clothes, we went through a couple of boxes of toys to see if there were any we were ready to part with. Whooo boy, that opened up a can of worms. Unfortunately, Noodle has apparently inherited my fondness for and attachment to toys, which I'd suspected prior to today. We pulled out one stuffed dog that was purchased from a dollar store, and therefore not the absolute cutest dog, and I asked if she wanted to keep it. She started getting sad thinking about it, then said she wanted to keep it but she really didn't want to play with it. I said if it isn't a toy she enjoys playing with that much, there isn't much sense in keeping it, and if we donate it, another kid might find it who will really enjoy playing with it. She went back and forth a number of times, and shed many tears. I never pushed her, but she did keep asking what I would do, so I'd tell her. I also told her how only in the past year have I finally gotten rid of some of my toys from my childhood, but I did take a picture of them to remember them by. I don't know why it is, but toys for me hold so many more memories than other objects, so it is hardest to part with them. I told her we could take pictures of the dog, and she liked that idea. After that, we were looking through the stuffed toy bin in the play room and she found another stuffed dog and said, "I think I can give this dog away, too. I don't really play with it." I was so impressed, and really glad that I'd taken the time to talk through her feelings with her and help her feel understood.