I bet you thought I was lost under a big piles of clothes in my closet!

Actually I have been enjoying my closet being so organized.  So easy to use!  Below is what I decided I needed to keep, based on my lifestyle.  I’m a dresses and skirts girl, so that’s what we’re dealing with mostly.  I also like to garden and I saved three pairs (out of eight) of overalls for my heavy gardening work.  I ended up keeping:

• Four very nice outfits for Sundays (skirt/blouse)
• Seven everyday outfits that I can work and keep house in (like the one in the picture)
• Three pairs of overalls with three work T-shirts
• My favorite dresses – there were five of them
• Three suits – sort of 1930s Miss Dorby brand
• A summer nightgown, a winter nightgown
• Three sets of PJs — think sweats or pantaloons and long T shirts
• Two winter coats
• A couple of light jackets
• A couple of long pull-over sweaters
• A couple of old sweaters for outdoor work when it’s cold

I still have a lot of accessories to go through, but you need to see the van with my donation stuff in it.

and…

and

and that’s not all.  By the time we were done, there was hardly any room to see out!

The amazing thing is that my cleaning out was contagious.  My daughter cleaned out her room and got rid of nearly all her old toys.  Now she has her new things from Christmas, and of course all of our doll house stuff, and she saved her very most favorite things.  The things that, as she put it, were like bubblegum stuck to her heart.

I had to laugh.

On a final note, this photo makes me think of the little phrase, it’s okay to be different.

Lynn

I’m wondering. And deciding. And making a list. And cleaning out.

I found some articles to read, just to make sure that a thift store shopacholic like myself wouldn’t spontaneously combust or something if they whittled their wardrobe down to just their very, very, very most favorite things ever.  And then got rid of something every time they bought something.  You know, to keep the closet clean.

I mean in 2009 to manage my stuff and not to have it manage me.  I also intend to enjoy thrift store shopping just as much as ever, but I intend to be a lot pickier and only get what I need. 

Can I do it??

Just How Many Items of Clothing Do We Need?

How Many Clothes Do I Need?

How Many Clothes Should You Have?

The articles above were helpful. 

I’ll post what’s in my wardrobe when I’m done.

Lynn

I came across this article.  It totally defines where I feel I am right now.

So how minimalistic are you?

Lynn

I am ready to get my house cleaned up.  And out.  And ready to eat healthy again.  (Too many chocolates, dip, crackers, cider, cake, turkey, dressing…  But ooooh it was good!) 

Yes, it was SO MUCH FUN, but I’m ready to make some new changes with The New Year.  I am working on my word. 

My word for 2009. 

Yes, there’s the standard New Year’s resolution, but some of my on-line friends have started this tradition of coming up with a word for the new year.  It will not just be A word.  It will be YOUR word.  It will represent the transformation you want to happen in YOUR life throughout 2009.

Clarity?  Hmmmm.  No.  Well maybe.

Worth?  Maybe.

Value?  Maybe.

I’m not sure yet.  I’m still thinking.  I just know that I feel cluttered and spent sometimes and I’m not sure that I am always making the best use of my time and resources. 

This is a picture of my holiday/packaging cabinet AFTER I cleaned it out last night.  It is an old wardrobe with a beautiful lock and key where all of my holiday and packaging materials are kept.  Doesn’t it look great? 

Yeah.  If only I’d done it before the holidays!

I could have used some of the things in there.  Things that were hidden.  How bad was it?  It was this bad…

All of that is either trash, soon to be thrift store donations, or things that didn’t belong there that had gotten stuffed into this armoir over time.  How did it all fit in there?  Well the door would barely close and I was always worried that the strain would break my pretty old key in the wardrobe door.

Somehow this represents what my word will be.  I want my life to be clearer, more defined, easier to use.  Does that make sense?  I want to spend less on junk, more on things of value — things we really need.  I want to avoid the pitfalls that come with getting caught up in things that may be good for others, but not good for us. 

I’ll let you know my word for 2009.  As soon as I know what it is.

Lynn

Life has been crazy busy here.  A good kind of crazy busy.  I did finish up the faerie house this morning, just in time for tomorrow.

There’s more info on these little woodland creatures and their house at homemadedollhouse.blogspot.com.

Happy Holidays,

Lynn

I’m not sure how much blogging I’ll do over the next few days.  The days will be busy with baking and family and shopping and trying to get in a little rest as well! 

I hope you ALL have a safe and old-fashioned Christmas holiday.

Big Hugs,
Lynn

I’ve worked some more on the Faery House.

There’s more about it at homemadedollhouse.blogspot.com.

I love the pretty Merry Christmas cards we receive as the days get closer and closer to Christmas.  Holiday cards.  It’s definitely a favorite part of this time of year.

Snug as a bug I sit on my loveseat, warm and toasty, and read them.  

The cozy red and white throw?  My sweet Grandma who died last year on Thanksgiving Day, made this throw.  It’s Swedish darning.  I don’t keep it out all the time because I want it to stay pretty and clean.  The cheerful red and white makes it the perfect new Christmas tradition.  I’ll take it out this time of year.  I would love to have my Grandma sitting here with me, but the throw brings happy memories of her.

Princess of the Universe has no idea, but this will be wrapped up for her on Christmas Day.

Hubby took some time yesterday to put the beadboard on the back so that the rooms look finished.  I got an amazing deal on this house by taking a 50% off any regularly priced item coupon into A.C. Moore.  They honored it, and this doll house fell from 99 dollars to 50 dollars.  Just like that.

I got the coupon here.  I was not sure AC Moore would accept it, but the dates were good and I did ask before I took the coupon to the register.  It scanned perfectly and they honored it.  Now, beware.  I am not that familiar with that coupon site and I have not explored the entire site, so be cautious.  Enjoy, but be cautious. 

There’ll be more info on the doll house at homemadedollhouse.blogspot.com.

Be Happy This Day.

Lynn

to take care of you during this wonderfully busy time of year.

Even a fun sort of busy-ness can be straining.

I like to have a cup of hot tea by the flickering flames in my old gas heater, while I sit with my feet up, thinking only of pleasant things.

Lynn

I posted my thoughts so quickly this morning in that previous post, I’m afraid my thoughts on things seem harsh.  Things are nice.  I love things.  Things make the world a better place; things like kitchen gadgets, pretty home items, and little knick-knacks that remind us of warm places and people.

And you all know I’m a thrift store addict, so if I condemned the act of indulging in buying material things, now wouldn’t that be like the pot calling the kettle black!

It’s just that money’s been tight lately.  For everyone.  Running to the grocery store to purchase a few food items is not a 20-dollar trip anymore.  It’s a 70-dollar trip.  It’s easier than ever for me to ruin my budget by indulging in some new material delight for my home and then lamenting that it’s one more thing I really didn’t need.

I find myself feeling as though pretty bottles of hand soap (even reasonably priced ones) and really good body lotion with all natural ingredients are luxuries, even though in a way they are things we need.  And wholesome foods!  We can always use good food!

So this morning as I cleaned up my home, feeling joyful over seeing family during the holidays, I thought of times past when gifts were exchanged and literally hundreds of dollars worth of material items were passed back and forth in brightly colored paper, opened and then carried home.  It was fun!  It was especially fun for the children!  And I enjoyed it every single time. 

How can I say this politely?  Have you ever given something as a gift and realized as soon as it was opened that you goofed?  Have you ever received something that you knew was probably 40 or more dollars and you knew you’d likely never use it?

This year I want to give simple gifts that can be used up.  I want to give gifts that I know people will be glad they received.  I am not always good at picking out things for other people.  (Oh I’m great at finding things for me!)  But who can ever have too many baskets of good food stuffs with recipes tucked in and a pretty oven mitt to go along?  Or clean pretty jars full of dried beans?  Or Burt’s Bees powders and hand lotions? 

Not I!

Anyway, I just wanted to elaborate a little more on things.

Lynn