Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Change is in the Air


As the weather heats up again this week, and I long for cooler days, I feel change in the air. I have often fought change in my life but these are good changes and in life new stages bring new things that are important in our lives.

I look around the house and though I love all my collections, I feel them tugging at my limited time these days. "Dust me, put me away for the season." Things take energy to store, clean, keep neat and maintain. I have been feeling the urge for over a year now to cut down on the decorating. Can you believe when I went into the Country General Store fall open house that all I came away with was a new calendar and kitchen table cloth. No Halloween or fall decor. Just useful items. It was fun to go and see it all but I felt no urge to bring it home. I think my friends, I have hit the full up limit in my home.

Too much stuff saps our energy and I need all I can get to be the mother I need to be and take care of this house. I even want to get rid of a few pieces of furniture. I want to see more space, less stuff. Places the eye can rest. We purged some fall decor last year and I will do more this year. Times change, seasons in our lives change and going with it feels right. Here is to simplifying the "junk" in my house. Maybe the Amish and Shakers were onto something when they kept there belongings so sparse. I of course could never go that far but I am making some changes.


Another big change is that we are getting ready to sell our trailer. It was my suggestion to my husband but he quickly agreed. You see camping and having the trailer have always been more for me and he lovingly indulged me for many years but I have been feeling that simpler vacations of less work are in our future. Trailer or not, camping is WORK. I loved it and getting it all ready but by the time we were ready to go we were tired and it was work there so we were tired when we got home. Now, I don't want to deprive Q of some camping experiences so we will take her and any of the other kids that can or want to go for an occasional night of camping locally to our mountains. I told my hubby we can handle anything for a night and can drag out our tent and rough it for a night here and there. She gets the campfire and tent thing and we can just bring up some easy dinner, have some smores, sleep in the tent and be home by lunch the next day. We never even used the trailer this year. I will be sad to see it go but glad that we made this decision. My husband is a lineman and like he says, "Honey I work outdoors, I camp everyday." He is right. He much prefers a hotel or rental house and it is time I indulged him.

23 comments:

  1. I'm hearing several bloggers say they want to simplify somewhat, and I'm feeling it too. Sounds like a plan! Mary

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  2. Hi friend. I just want to say, be careful. I went through that a few years ago, and though I wanted to change my decor a bit. I got rid of some things that I have been mourning the loss of ever since. My hoosier, my pie safe, my antique sewing machine!!!!! What was I thinking??? As for your trailer....do you have slide outs? We are in the market for a trailer.
    I know what you mean about feeling the house is just full. I have been much more discerning about what I bring into my home now.
    Have a good day!!
    XO Kris

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  3. SIMPLIFY. I think that the more WE own, the more that owns US. I have spent the summer purging myself of "things" I thought I could not live without.
    blessings to you.

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  4. Lots of us seem to be feeling the same thing! The need to simplify our lives, purge of the junk and enjoy the things we have more. I'm with you on that one for sure! hugs, Linda

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  5. Camping is work. The kids do not see it though. It is true the more you own the more it owns you. I surely know that with two houses that I cannot keep clean. xoxo, olive

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  6. The candelescent glow of your first picture is so inviting! I can understand, although since we just moved to a big(ger) house it almost seems to feel empty compared to how full the last one was! ha!
    I think there are seasons in life, and it sounds like you're finding your way through this one! (I have to say that I am looking forward to all your cute fall decor, though:)
    Blessings,
    Leslie

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  7. Sounds like a great plan, Elaine.

    Simplify. Making more time for the things that matter :)

    Best of luck selling your trailer.. hope it sells quickly.

    K.

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  8. I thought it was just me...
    I just do not feel like going overboard on my decorating and the thought tires me out.
    One little brown bowl and a pumpkin can make it look like fall after all.

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  9. I agree that camping, even with a trailer, is alot of work. We've done that too. I think we're to the same point in our thinking as you and we enjoy it much more when we go to a cabin or a hotel and that's what we've done the past few years. Right now, Luke is content to "camp out in the living room or bedroom with a make shift tent". :) I'm going with that flow for now.

    Have a great day!
    Tammy

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  10. There seems to be a theme in blog land keep things simple.
    I agree when my husband had his bone marrow transpland I had to pack away any thing that served no real purpose in our daily life. I worked and worked to get the dust out to pack things away and scrub scrub scrub. Not much has made it's way back and I have found it is easier to clean and feels a little more calm. Now I just have to clean out attic and closets of the packed away things.
    Cathy

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  11. I started to simplify things in my home last year. Got rid of a lot stuff and seasonal items too. I'm going to go through everything again this year as I put out the Fall stuff and then Christmas. I find the older I get...that less is more and easier to take care of. My house looks more comfy and not so cluttered.

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  12. It is a wonderful thing to let go of stuff. I did it four yrs ago and I am still letting go (I still sometimes shop :/). I used to feel like an inadequate person when I would visit blogs and just see the amount of things women my age and older still have, and the over the top decorating, not anymore, I have my own peace and my own way of doing things that works for me, and simplify has been my word of the year for about 7 years now. Just realized that today! xo

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  13. I'm with Kris... I've ditched lots of things that I now wish I hadn't - pack it away, wait a few month, then unpack - it'll be like Christmas for you ;) Oh the dust is screaming at my house to be wiped, even with my cool home-made dusting gloves... And camping, well, we're learning it is work, but a fun kind of work, an expensive kind of fun work - does that even make any sense? Plus he uses it for work trips, so it's kind of a have to, of sorts.
    Loved your post.

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  14. It seems to me that as the world becomes more chaotic we want simplicity in our homes. I'm 'lightening' up my house and purging what doesn't really fit in my world any more. Space in the home is like the rests in a music score. They let the notes shine.

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  15. I love reading your blog and although I don't have a blog to call my own I thank you for sharing yours! I too have been working at having less and "see more space" (the perfect phrase) and my husband, who is a collector, is actually starting to agree. Baby steps are happy steps.

    Barbara

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  16. Elaine - I can relate. I've never been one to decorate seasonally much. I find I feel claustrophobic if there is too much stuff. I thought it was my bipolar disorder but every spring and fall, I get the urge to purge and clean - closets, cupboards, everything. I've been too ruthless at times and gotten rid of things that I later want but it makes me feel lighter and calmer so well worth the remorse.

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  17. Good Wednesday Morning, Elaine!
    It is so nice to finally feel the beginnings of Autumn in the air. It was in the 30s last night here in Bend. Oh, how I love those crisp nights.
    Your home always looks so cozy and welcoming. I look forwrd to seeing your new table cloth.
    I hope your sale of the camper goes well. You have created such an inviting environment.
    Have a great day,
    Blessings,
    Carolynn

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  18. I don't have any real "collections" however, I do have a lot of "stuff." Have also been trying to get rid of it. If only I could convince my husband because he is the one who won't let go.
    You are so right about camping. I don't know that I could do it anymore. We had a tent and a travel trailer and I am happy now to stay in a hotel.

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  19. simplify is a synonym of declutter (in some ways) the more stuff we have, the more we have to keep up with it. Do what feels best for you!

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  20. I am cleaning today and changing a little of my decor. And I sure know what you mean about a camper. We talk about it pretty often. We sure loved having a motor home and all of our own things inside...but it is SO much work! You have to get it ready and then do a major clean up when you get back and then there's maintenance year round. We sure have some wonderful memories though and I know you do, too!

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  21. Hi Elaine,
    thanks for linking up :-)
    I know what you mean about wanting less "stuff" around you.
    I'm still working on gaining the balance between "having things we truly love or need" instead of just "having things"!
    We've sold or given away quite a lot the past few months and there's still more to go.
    Some things will stay to be passed on to our sons but even they are trying to keep possessions down at the moment.
    The funny thing is, as we are doing this my FIL is on the same mission only he's bringing his stuff to us!
    Help - someone get me off this merry-go-round,lol!
    Have a great day, my friend.
    Trish xx

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  22. I have ALWAYS been a hotel girl, having all the comforts of home at my finger tips and being waited on while on vacation and not being the one who was doing the waitingon others!!

    Have a wonderful weekend!!

    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  23. Good for you simplifying! It's easy to have too much stuff. It takes work to have stuff and it's easy to over-decorate and have it look too busy and overwhelming. Sometimes things work, then later- time to let them go to someone else who'll appreciate them. I deep clean my closets 2xs a year, the garage (where my seasonal stuff is stored) every year. I sold a bunch of stuff we'd stopped using on Craigslist and we made several hundred $$$! More room, happy us :)

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