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...

One of my close girl-friends appears to be the most self-contained, organized, together person I know - that is outside my sweet DH.  Then again, is she really?  Last week she asked me how I always seem to keep it all together!  Go figure!  I was like, "WHAT!!!" Believe me, and DH can tell you how scattered I can be and how he wonders that things get done.  I guess we all have our own method of doing things.  I'm the queen of lists and little pieces of paper.  EVERYWHERE! I'm really good as long as I keep a running list of my 6 most important things to do each day.  As long as they get done, I'm okay with everything else. In fact, the days that I tend to stay in motion are the days that I'm super organized.  What I mean by that, is that I like to write on days that I'm feeling creative.  Days that I'm not feeling creative are spent doing research, organizing, making lists, writing emails, etc. as long as I'm moving forward. I al...

Aren't these the prettiest bobby pins?  My mother gave them to me.  She has the best taste in clothing and always has the coolest accessories.  As much as I appreciate the thought and gift, I don't wear bobby pins or barrettes that often.  I couldn't bring myself to get rid of them either. Out of necessity comes AHA! uses. I'd like to think myself a genius but it was actually my sweet husband who was in need of a paperclip and all I had within a few feet of me were these bobby pins.  That's where the idea of using these bobby pins as paperclips came along. The other thing about these bobby pins that make them so perfect to do double duty as a paperclip is that they don't have the tips dipped.  These are also longer than normal bobby pins. What if you don't have these pretty bobby pins that your mother gave you?  Instead of going out and buying some to use as paperclips, what if you made your own? Here are some suggestions to ...

When we moved into our cute apartment while searching for our new home, a few things - the pantry being one - were not high on our list.  Once we moved in, it became apparent that unfortunately our temporary home doesn’t have what one would call a pantry.  So, we have truly combined our dining room and kitchen.  I suppose our storage system is much like open-cupboard cabinets.  Very pretty to look at but function and storage must be taken into consideration.  Luckily we had some nice storage pieces.  Glass containers are so much prettier to look at than a box.  So, cereal and pasta went into pretty containers. The metal shelving found its way into the kitchen from the storage closet to hold the canned goods and coffee maker.  These larger coffee makers really are great for company or quickly making a large pot of tea.   The island cart came in from the screened-in patio to hold some extra dishes and non-canned goods. S...