Remodeling This Life

Do you see her? See that? SHE is all the inspiration I needed 4 years ago today to start remodeling my life. It is because of her that I started to rethink my priorities and figure out how to quit my job and stay home with her. From the moment she arrived in my life, she has caused me to rethink how I do things, what I think is okay in the world, and where my focus lies.

She is every bit a 4 year old, gaining independence, assertiveness, and questioning everything. She is strong-willed, helpful, hilarious, and fun. I can’t imagine my life without her and am thankful for her helping me to continue to be a better person each and every day.

Happy Birthday to my first Baby!

Simple Mom is on vacation this week and she asked me to guest post for her today. I was honored to fill a spot for her and hope you’ll head on over to read my post about keeping your home clutter-free!

If you don’t already read Simple Mom, I suggest you check her site out in depth. She has some really great resources and information for home management. I love it and am hopeful you’ll like it as well!

I love for my home to be pretty, feel cozy, and have a welcoming and lived-in feel. I care about how it looks and strive to make it beautiful. I don’t have a lot of money to do it though, so I find myself having to be creative. I can’t just drop hundreds of dollars on window treatments, new furniture, and decor.  Here are a few ideas from around my house to help make a house a home, make home feel personal and comfortable, vibrant and inviting without spending a lot of money.

Window Mistreatments

I learned this one from The Nester. I wasn’t a believer until I actually tried it and discovered it really was as easy as it sounded and didn’t just look pretty in her photos but was actually functional and pretty in real life. Shocker. Seriously, a lot of stuff I see in pictures I think that people make look and sound easy but they aren’t. This is.

See that? All I did was take napkins, fold them into triangles and hammered them into the wall with upholstery tacks. Instant pop of color!

Flowers

Seriously, I hope you have flowers in your yard. If you don’t, you’re missing out. But, if you don’t, you can hop the fence and take some from your neighbor, just don’t tell them I sent you. Fresh cut flowers are a great way to not spend money and add decor and color to your home, a touch of the personal and natural. In the photo above of my lovely kitchen window are some canna lilies that my daughter and I got out of the yard. Free and fabulous!

Furniture Relocation and Makeovers

I bought this patio set at a garage sale for $20. I don’t mind the green, but I kind of have this love affair with the color red. So I did that. Got some spray paint and added some pop to the dull set and ensured their uniqueness all at once. I’m like that. I like seeing other people’s fresh ideas but them putting a twist on it to make it all my own. So no black or forest green paint was going over this - nope, for me it was all about the red.

And I love it!

In my dining room, I was lacking a buffet. I wanted a buffet. I didn’t like how everything looked and lacked flow without one. Plus, I needed storage. So, I dragged a dresser out of one of the bedrooms and hey, look at that! A buffet! I keep my table linens in it along with my candle collection. It adds balance to the room and makes good use of the space.

The most fun way to decorate for me is to move stuff around. Use things differently, switch things up. it costs nothing and it adds change without having to commit myself. I’m married. Isn’t that enough commitment for one lifetime? Don’t ask me to commit to my decorating.

I wake up as the sun is just starting to rise and stumble to make coffee.  I sit quietly, silently waiting for the dripping to stop. I put a spoonful of honey into an old chipped coffee mug that I remember my dad sipping out of when I was a kid and then pour my coffee on top.

I tiptoe my way to the porch where I make myself comfortable in a creaky old wooden rocker and slowly stir my coffee, clinking my spoon against the mug. Through the clinking, I can hear the birds chirping to welcome the new dawn. I can see the sun rising over the trees, casting a warm glow over the rippling waves on the lake.

The noises of nature outside are suddenly being combined with those of pitter-pattering feet on the wood floors inside. Groggy, messy haired kids stumble out of their bedrooms looking for mom. They know where to find me. Each one with their own routine. She, who climbs into my lap to rub my ears and tell me about her dreams. He, who finds a book and a blanket to curl up with in my arms.

It doesn’t take long before they’re both really awake and racing around giggling and playing. Our day goes on pretty much the same as all the others.The days tend to blend together here. With nowhere to go, it’s easy for that to happen. One of the best parts of it is losing track of what day it is. What day is today? Another day of swimming for hours, kayaking alongside a family of loons, enjoying the miracles of nature with each passing moment.

As the day winds down, there are hugs and kisses and stories. Saying goodnight to the moon. Then sleep.

When the cottage is all quiet again, I curl up on the same porch and watch the same sun glow, this time on the other side of the lake and this time ducking behind the trees instead of peeking up over them.  I listen to the same waves lapping against the shore.  The crickets chirp, the whippoorwill says goodnight, a loon calls in the distance to it’s mate that it’s time for sleep.

This is simplicity. Life, stripped of pretentiousness, chaos, stuff, competition, and stress.  I tell myself that all days should be like this. I may not always be in the same place with the same routine, but I know I want to hold onto the feelings of peace, serenity, joy, appreciation, and wonder through all of my days.

This is a post I wrote back in November shortly after starting this little blog. I have a few more readers now than I had then so I would like to share it again. I am leaving it unedited in it’s very non-verbose form.

1. Think about your values and write down those that really matter to you. What is important? Spending time with family? Becoming wealthy? Learning new ideas? Traveling? Maintaining excellent health? Socializing with friends? Getting Organized? Decide what your priorities are and cut out the rest.

2. Declutter - Not using it? Throw it away! Even better, Give it away! You’ll feel good, I promise

3. Learn to say “no” - Realizing it’s okay to say no, to not do everything for everyone all the time and to put yourself and your needs first will add time to your day, eliminate stress, and help you accomplish what you really need to do and what’s important to you.

4. Automate Bill Paying - I know I’m probably the only person alive who still hasn’t done this. So, really I’m just talking to myself here

5. Stop checking your financial portfolio - this one is courtesy of my dad! Stop stressing about the day to day ups and downs of your investments. They’re for the long term and checking them regularly just adds stress.

6. Make time for yourself - Take a bath, go for a long walk, take a class, read a book, do something just for you each day!

7. Drive less - consolidate car trips, cut back on activities, walk, ride bikes. You’ll save on gas and stress!

8. Make a list of goals - pick a few very important to you things and work toward them.

9. Do it yourself - I know, not everyone has the time, energy or skills to do a lot of things themselves, but what you can do yourself or can teach yourself, do! Grow a vegetable garden, make your own cheese, bread, whatever…sew things yourself, remodel a room in your home to make it your place of relaxation. You’ll feel a sense of pride and probably save money while you’re at it.

10. Ask yourself - before you do something, check in with yourself. Is it true to who you are? Is it making your life easier? Is it helping you simplify?