#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Spring Cleaning and Decluttering with Goodwill

April 5, 2014 · Ad-Free, Narrative

This sponsored post was made possible through the support of Goodwill. All opinions are my own.

I have a confession to make.

I kind of don’t believe in Spring cleaning.

Mostly because I do my Spring cleaning year ’round.

The Ex and I moved a few times during our eleven year marriage. Each time to a bigger home, as we added more bodies to our family (two kids … cats … dogs). More people and animals means more space.

Or so I thought.

I was wrong.

We really didn’t need more space. What we needed was less stuff.

When The Ex and I separated nearly five years ago, the kids and I moved again, into a smaller home (and, coincidentally, back to our second marital home), and since then, I have purged.

And purged.

And purged.

I tend to go on tears.

Attack a room at a time. Get rid of stuff. Reorganize. Downsize the furniture.

Then I allow the virtual dust to settle.

And go off in another area.

As a general rule, I think we (as a country) tend to collect more stuff than we could ever possibly need. We as a whole are a materialistic sort. And a few years back, I decided I wanted more memories and experience than actual things.

And every time I tackle another drawer or closet or nook or cranny, I keep focused on that.

And honestly, I’m just tired. I don’t need extra items in my home for me to maintain. It just weighs you down, both in the physical sense, and in the emotional sense.

I remember hearing Suze Orman during a live presentation years ago … cluttered home equals cluttered mind.

And who wants that?

I’m not completely innocent though. My desk, as ever, has seen better days. It’s a work in progress, but the problem exists mostly because there is no storage.

Christine Koh, co-author of Minimalist Parenting, shares 5 Ways to Declutter Your Life

It’s common to get bogged down with stuff but the good news is that small shifts in perspective and approach can help you declutter your life quickly. Here are 5 of my top decluttering recommendations:

  1. Think about your stuff differently. Shift your lens and view yourself as a curator rather than a consumer. Pause before you purchase and ask yourself, do I really want or need this? Does it bring me joy? Acquiring stuff is fine (I, personally, find great joy in statement necklaces!), but be mindful about acquisition to prevent unnecessary excess. On the flip side, it’s easier to declutter and let go of things when you think of yourself as a curator.

  2. Set reachable goals. A common decluttering trap that leads to overwhelm is setting goals that are too big. Instead of saying you’ll declutter the entire basement, start with a shelf. Or instead of emptying your entire closet onto your bedroom floor (hello, giant mess), start by editing down your pants collection, then shirts, dresses, etc.

  3. Have your supplies ready. Have three bags or boxes at the ready: one for trash, one for recyclables, and one for donation. With these three “stations” ready you’ll find that it’s easier to plow through and get into a rhythm of clearing out what’s in front of you.

  4. Use the fire litmus test. A good litmus test as you declutter is to ask yourself, “Would I bother replacing this if I lost it in a fire?” Usually, the answer is no. Get rid of it!

Keep reminding yourself of the power of less. The less you have, the less you need to take care of. The less you have, the easier it is to see your options. The less you have, the more your remaining objects will shine.

So now that we decide we have too much stuff, what do we do with it?

I get rid of unwanted items in a variety of ways, but the quickest and easiest is to make a stop at our local Goodwill.

Untitled

One quick stop at the curb, and I can unload a ridiculous amount of, ahem, treasures, and leave with a tax deduction slip firmly in my hand.

And besides that general feeling of ahhhhh, when you’ve decluttered, donating to Goodwill creates more jobs, and keeps items out of landfills.

So win/win.

I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that I sometimes check out the shelves of Goodwill once in awhile too. Because, after all, it can sometimes be a food stylist’s dream. I have found some of the prettiest plates ever for my food photos … and usually under a buck a pop.

Untitled

Can’t blame a girl for not passing these up, right?

Untitled

Find your local Goodwill right here, and let’s do this minimalist thing together. As long as more is going out of our house than going in, we’re winning.

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Posted In: Ad-Free, Narrative · Tagged: Christine Koh, declutter, Goodwill, Minimalist Parenting, spring cleaning, Suze Orman

Comments

  1. debbie says

    April 8, 2014 at 7:41 am

    I love Goodwill. I tend to buy there more than I donate though!!!
    debbie recently posted..Baked Rice and Beans

    Reply
  2. Susan@LunaCafe says

    April 8, 2014 at 10:31 am

    Great post. I still have a garage full of kitchenware (all organized neatly is see-through plastic containers), and I still squeal with delight at every pretty plate I see, but I am a minimalist with every other room in the house beyond the kitchen. A girl has to have one vice. :-)
    Susan@LunaCafe recently posted..Portland Farmers Market Opening Day 2014

    Reply
  3. Meg says

    April 8, 2014 at 4:34 pm

    Great tips and thoughts on decluttering! I’m getting ready to move for the second time in six months (this time to our very own, real-deal single-family home! woo!), so I’ve been thinking lots about possessions and what we truly “need.” The answer? Probably not all that much. But as we prepare to start a family and triple our space, I want to be mindful about what I’m bringing into the house and how we’re enjoying it. I purge pretty often, and I almost always donate everything to Goodwill. I’ll have another load to take over there pretty soon, I’m sure!
    Meg recently posted..A springtime stroll

    Reply

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛

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#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨

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