Substance of Living

Minimalist Wardrobe When did my closet become no longer a place of respect for dresses, pants, shoes, tops, and become a dumping ground?  Somewhere along the line, I became a hoarder of clothes. It is time to finish the 7-7-7 Challenge and start it anew.  Hard earned money purchased all those items that are now sitting in my closet.  Seriously, with our move last year, I'd hoped to have completed this challenge. Thankfully there is still time in the year to act on this year's word - RELEASE . Not that I've mistreated my clothes, that's not it at all.  I don't wear them and that is neglect.  Every couple years it seems as though my tastes and lifestyle changes and yet clothes of the past remain.  That's not fair to the clothes. Do you still respect and love your clothes from two or more years ago?  Are they still your favorite go-to?  Does that dress that used to make you feel so slim, beautiful, and sexy still make you feel that...

Stuff is sticky .  I don't think I'm hoarder but I've certainly been known to collect things.  Now, I'm in the process of downsizing and simplifying. I've assigned sentimental value to my collections.  This , I received for my 20th birthday; This , I bought while visiting Texas, This , oh my goodness, I can't get rid of this - this was found on the trail while hiking on a break during a bike ride.  The memories are there every time I look at an item. What I've found over the past few months is that the memories are still with me.  I don't need the stuff to keep the memories alive.  In fact, some of the memories are allowed to slip away if they so choose. Some items were sold on Craigslist , word-of-mouth, or through a moving sale.  The majority, however, were donated to local charities .  Then some of the things were passed along to family, friends, or neighbors. Initially, the thought of having to get rid of things fo...

You've probably heard about people who have so much money that no matter how much they spend, they will never out-spend their worth.  Well, that is what we're going to work towards here.  Dedication and belief  will allow the energy of Feng Shui and the power of the Law of Attraction to escalate your wealth. There have been many books and articles written about Feng Shui and the Law of Attraction.  We are going to concentrate on Feng Shui today.  It's such an allusive thing; talking about energy and the placement of certain things throughout the house or office.  Let me see if I can help make sense of it without being too esoteric. I like to think of Feng Shui as a harmonious balance.  I've been decorating my homes with Feng Shui for over 12 years.  Have you ever walked into a beautiful room and felt afraid to touch something for fear it would be wrong?  Or walk into a store or business front and have the feeling that you need to le...

Earlier this year DH and I decided it was time for us to put down some roots and leave the highways to someone else.  We've sold all our toys, had a beautiful home built, and now in the process of moving.  In fact, we've been "moving in" for about a month now and still have two storage units of stuff and need to figure out where we are going to put everything. Originally, about 10 years ago, we put our belongings in storage until we figured out where we wanted to live.  We kept out the necessities and moved from city to city.  We thought it might take a year or so.  In fact, some moves lasted a few years while other moves were only a couple months.  We like to call the latter moves "vacations". Here is what we knew we wanted once we settled down: Park-like setting Community involvement Great neighbors Close to the city, hospitals, shopping, dining, etc. Far enough away from everything and the traffic to feel a sense of calm The list goes on....

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbour.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover" - Mark Twain Have you ever wondered what it would be like to feel the lightness of being?  I imagine it would feel like the in-between stage of sleep and wakefulness or the freedom of simply sailing away to new destinations. Experiencing new things in life is scary but it's also so refreshing.  When the fear of letting go or forgiving yourself steps in remember the amazement children experience when they see something for the first time. I've heard the saying that "we are our worst critic" and it is so true.  We are also our BEST cheerleader. You are an amazing person. Give yourself the approval and forgiveness to let go and move forward in life.  What do you love to do?  What do you ...

I am a self-proclaimed candle fanatic!  I even went out and bought one of those candle warmers that you can plug in and set a candle on it.  Candles last soooo much longer and no smoke or soot. I know, good quality candles don't give off much smoke or soot.  But, sometimes, a fruity or ocean breeze scented candle makes its way into my basket at the store.  How does that happen?  lol These candles, however, were burned down to the metal wick holder so I had to melt them down, enjoying the scent from the candle warmer thingamajig.  If I'd gone out and purchased wicks, I'd be able to keep the candles and burn them in their "new" containers.  This is something I might have done if I didn't already have too many candles as well as the upcoming move. The super neat jars get recycled to hold other items throughout the house.  There's one that holds pens, one that keeps loose change, one on the vanity to hold jewelry.  Are you seeing my di...

I had so much fun yesterday going through my makeup case that I couldn't resist going through my nail polish. Neon Yellow nail color.  What was I thinking?  DH and I were going to a black-light Halloween Costume party, once again a couple years ago, and we thought it would be totally cool to see my nails glow.  They did glow and looked smashing with the rest of my costume.  The only thing was that my nails totally did NOT look cool in the day light or under normal lights.  They looked like they had fungus problems.  Yuk! Isn't it funny how some of our "brilliant" ideas either come out a super smash or the ultimate dud? P.S., Please link your favorite post about something silly, inspiring, or Halloween!  Thank you!!! Please share me with your friends! Please forward this post to your friends or better yet share on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.  THANKS!  Your comments and help in spreading the news about this site is ALWAYS appre...

Can you believe that we're already at Day 11?  That's 77 individual items that have been eliminated from our homes, garages, offices, cars, etc... Oh, the memories... Purple glitter mascara, isn't that something everyone should have in their repertoire of cosmetics?  (I'm laughing right now because I can't believe I'm actually sharing this with you.)  It was, however, the perfect topping to my Mardi Gras outfit a few years ago.  Can it really be that long that I've held onto a tube of mascara?  Wow! Needless to say that today's collection went into the trash.  For safety reasons, makeup should not be shared and not kept forever.  Some items, once opened, need to be thrown away within four months and others can be kept for a couple years.  Here's a nice guideline to follow for expiration dates and some cool application tricks. Now I'm getting excited to see what I'm able to find tomorrow and the next two days!  Will I stop at se...

I broke the bank today with all the items.  Man, I was on some kind of roll and kept finding more and more things!  I don't know.  Does that ever happen to you? There are some hidden gems in today's pile of goodies. Today's 7-7-7 Challenge items consist of, but not inclusive: Shape-able Straw Hat To-Go Coffee Mugs Deep-Sea Dive Flashlight Flower-Drying Crystals Traveling CD Cover Bible Books We thought that with everything we were donating, a Bible might be something someone out there is needing at this very moment. I'm not really sure if there is method to today's pile of items that were donated to our local charity but it was a lot of fun.  I felt really light when DH suggested that we add the Bible.  Isn't that totally cool of him?  Now, why didn't I think of that?  lol I feel so inspired about today's efforts that I'm going to make some healthy granola bars! P.S.,  How did you do today?  Whether you came up wi...

Please forgive me for breaking the rules yet again.  Instead of seven individual items, I've collected seven piles. I'm one of those people who does not know the meaning of MODERATION .  I try, I really do!  My excuse for not stopping with seven items today is that DH and I are closing on our new home in a few short weeks!!!  That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it... Today's 7-7-7 Challenge consists of (by piles): Hangers Books 35 Millimeter Camera, Lenses, and Case To-Go Coffee Mugs Seat Cushions Flight Manuals Instructional Books Instructional books are different than novel type books, right?  These items were all donated to our local charity. We're getting closer to simplifying our life and yet it seems as though we have miles to go.  There are still five more months of this challenge after these seven days are over.  I'm confident we will reach the finish line. How do you stay focused on your long-term goals?  How is ...

  Remember when you were first starting out and you had nothing?  I remember one time after moving into my first apartment (on my own), went grocery shopping buying all the things I could hear (in my head) my mother telling me I needed.  Came home, put it all away.  Very grown up. Then I got hungry. Going into the kitchen, grabbing a can of soup, pulling out a pan, and opening the drawer to where the can opener would have been if I were in my mother's kitchen and NOTHING!  I was in my kitchen and didn't have a can opener to even eat some soup.  Today, a lot of soup cans have pull tabs and this wouldn't have been such an issue.  No such luck. Today, I have more items than I know what to do with.  How did I accumulate so much stuff?  When did life happen?  I'm still in my planning stages! DH and I have this philosophy about life and that every now and then we must re-invent ourselves.   Our newest re-invention is t...

Refrigerator Dear Hubby went grocery shopping for me today.  We made a deal that if he would shop, I would stay home and do a load of laundry and put away the groceries.  Who got the better deal on that one?! So there I was, refrigerator door open and trying to figure out where to put the new food and before my very own eyes, I saw the following items staring out at me! Jalapeno Peppers - actually there was only the juice left Banana Peppers - only the juice was left with maybe one or two pieces Dip that came with a vegetable tray that never was opened or used Homemade Granola that somehow got lost, thankfully there was only a pinch or two left Gum package with one stick, from who knows when Sees Caramel Suckers from what, two Christmases ago? Tempeh that got dried out from incorrect (on my part) packaging, now that I think about it it was rather wasteful of me to throw it out instead of crumbling it for lasagna. Do you have seven items that can be removed fr...

The first set of SEVENs is almost over.  Day 6. I hit a little close to some memories today.  One of my all-time favorite plays is "Cats" and I had the privilege of seeing a performance in New York City.  Wow, what an incredible experience!  The porcelain doll is beautiful but it's time for someone else to enjoy the beauty and hopefully the memory of the performance or songs associated. I'm comfortable with the decisions made today.  Isn't that what letting go and healing is all about?  I think sometimes we hold onto memories a lot longer than we should.  Memories are good.  Very good.  I'm ready to make new memories and in order to do so, my past memories need to make room.  The Universe is listening and already bringing new memories my way.  Isn't life exciting?!? Today's Items: Porcelain "Cats" Doll and Stand 4 pair Socks Potholder I made a couple years ago Blouse 2 Lotions that came from a gift basket (I boug...

  I was in a bit of a contemplative mood today and it seems to be showing in the items chosen for Day 5 of the Challenge.  Letting go of the past and embracing the future can be a little scary.   We have an innate ability to fear the unknown.  Think about the last time you went on an interview or had to speak in front of a group.  I'll bet you had more than a couple butterflies flying around in your belly.  I know I did!  After taking a deep breath and visualizing along with practicing, those butterflies showed me that I too could change and handle challenges. Today's Items: Tennis Shoes Hiking Boots Rick Warren's book "The Purpose Driven Life"  Silk Floral Plant AM/FM Alarm Clock "Snow Falling on Cedars" by David Guterson Nicholas Sparks "A Walk to Remember" Fear is that circuit breaker that trips when it senses danger ahead.  Fear is a good thing when it's our sixth sense warning us but it can also paralyze us when...

I almost had a theme going until the shorts and blouse were added.  Hey!  Maybe that's how I should think about going through the challenge.  Choose a theme or color for the day.  That's what I'll do on the days I'm "not finding a thing" to purge.  :-) Today's Items: Purse Crochet Rug I made a few years ago Silk Blouse 2 Candle Jars Basket and Fruit Running Shoes Red/Purple Paper Hat These would make for great garage sale items or maybe I should have considered a consignment shop.  Instead, I donated them to a local charity.  Donating seems to make me feel good inside.  Like I'm paying forward some good karma. I enjoy shopping in consignment shops and have found beautiful dresses, furniture, and other items.  The nice thing about consignment shops is that depending on the location or their boutique status, you will only find very nice items.  There won't be any holes or dings unlike a charitable shop.  Both hav...

Today's items for the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle challenge came from the garage.  The garage is a little like the back of the refrigerator or freezer or the closet.  Somehow things go in and are long forgotten. Dear Hubby (DH) and I were getting ready to wash the vehicles and in the midst of grabbing the bucket, sponges, etc. this is what we found: Today's Items: 2 Empty motorcycle oil containers 2 empty cans of Motorcycle Cleaner 1 empty Sewing Machine Oil Container 1 empty WD-40 (Recycled per WD-40 Technical Data Sheet ) 1 container of dried up Spackle Compound Empty Soap Dispenser Empty Water Bottle  Earth 911 is a great place to check if you're wondering how to dispose of a particular item.  Since my motorcycle cleaner aerosol cans were empty I was able to place them in recycle bin.  If they still had cleaner in them, I would have had to dispose of them differently. If you're needing to get rid of oil products, many oil changing or auto pa...

Sometimes, as with today's items, it will seem as though nothing makes much sense.  The Universe is always listening to us.  Guess what, by telling the universe that I'm willing to get rid of a cracked dish brought a beautiful set of dishes my way! We must be ready to receive the gifts the Universe has for us.  This challenge is not only to clear physical space in our homes, garages, and cars but also our minds and hearts.   This is a process to leave the drama in the past and allow ourselves to grow and flourish. Today's Items: Hoodie Sweatshirt Ultrasuede Shirt Patent Leather Sandals Cracked Salad Plate Wall Street Journal Long-Sleeve Second Skin Workout Shirt Victoria Alexander's novel "The Lady in Question" Most of my items will go to a charity (I've never held a garage sale so that tends to strike some fear in me), some to the recycling center, and the plate will go to the trash.  Another way the plate could have been used is in...

Day 1: I stood in my closet this morning trying to figure out what to wear and not seeing anything because my closet was so full.  I'm thankful for being blessed with clothing but do I really need so many things?  In fact, a couple months ago there was an article about "My Favorite 100 Things in My Closet" (the title was something like that) and you know, I didn't really think there was anything wrong or weird about it.  In fact, the author had beautiful clothes.  She had over 50 scarves, who knows how many shoes, etc. I remember thinking that she was a very lucky woman.  Now, after accepting the challenge to eliminate 7 items from my house for 7 consecutive days over a period of 7 months, I'm beginning to think that I have too much stuff and yet I'm not sure if I can do it.  Not only do I have too much, it's costing me a fortune in laundry, storage, emotions, frustration in not being able to find something, and on and on. Taking a deep breath ,...