High Five For Friday!

Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a pleasant week.  Here are my five:

1.)  I got to hang out with my little brother!  He was down this weekend and we had such a nice visit!  He is one of the few people on the planet who really understands my sense of humor.  It is always awesome to be with people who "get" you.  It was fun for him to see Miss. E and she enjoyed making faces and squeals for her Uncle.

2.)  On Wednesday, my best friend came over with her littles for a visit.  It was great to see our kids playing and getting along.  Miss. E had so much fun!  I enjoyed eating junk food and catching up with my best friend.  It was wonderful.

3.)  Lasagna.  I made lasagna this week and my hubby told me that I ate 75% of it on my own.  Which is true.  I am pretty much Garfield.

4.)  I managed to keep with my workouts, despite not feeling well.  So, yay!

5.)  Cat cuddles.  My cat has been especially cuddly, lately.  Which is weird, because she usually steers clear of me when I am with Miss. E.  This week, she joined in on the cuddles!  In a respectful way!  She stuck to cuddling up on my legs.  I love it.  I miss cuddling with my Pepper!

How was your week?  Link up below to join in!

Wardrobe Wednesday- Lazy Day Outfit

I wore this outfit to my Mom and Dad's this weekend.  It was one of those days where I wasn't feeling great and wanted to stay in my PJs.  I have a strict no PJ or athletic wear rule when it comes to going outside (unless, of course, I am going outdoors to work out).  I wasn't missing out on seeing my family, especially since my little (but much taller) brother was in town!  So, I put on the next best thing to PJs.  Black leggings, blue nursing top and my oatmeal sweater.  It was cozy, comfortable, and I count it as "real" clothes.  Here is the outfit (sorry for the blurry picture):

(My sweatpants are photobombing this picture...)

I have started working on my Spring wardrobe list.  I love thinking about Spring.  Who doesn't?  My oatmeal sweater is likely going in the donation pile.  It is cozy, but I find it hard to style it in a way that flatters my shape.  I think it would work better if I was taller, but that isn't going to happen!  Ha ha!  I don't plan on making a lot of purchases, but I do want to invest in a few pieces.

Tweet me your outfits @peacefulsimple with #wardrobewednesday.  Happy Wednesday!

Minimalism Week # 16- My Desk

Hey Everyone!  This week's minimalism project isn't great.  I had to reorganize my daughter's nursery (for the fourth time!).  It just wasn't working for me anymore.  My desk had moved into the nursery so we had room for our Christmas tree over the holiday season.  I moved it back this weekend, while reorganizing the nursery.  The desk needed some work so I bit the bullet and did it.  My before pictures look especially messy (which isn't usually the case), but I had just moved stuff from the nursery and stacked it on the desk.

Before:

After:

My "extra" supplies basket:

I was able to pare down my desk considerably, which is nice.  I managed to fit all of my extra supplies into a little basket that I stash under my desk.  I feel more organized, which makes me want to sit down and do some work at my desk!  I am very happy with the results.

I donated a few items, including a tape dispenser and some storage baskets.  I recycled some paper and shredded some documents.  I feel better.  I know that this project was more an organization project than a minimalism project, but I am giving myself a pass because I did donate some items and I did pare down.  

Wardrobe Wednesday- A Break From the Cold

The outfit in today's post is a great casual outfit when the weather is milder.  Thankfully, it has warmed up around here, so I can get away with wearing a skirt and not have to put a snowsuit on to go outside.  It has been a bit of a crazy past week here, so the outfit is not on me, but laying out.  I haven't had time to take a picture of me wearing the outfit.  Sorry!  Here it is!

Sweater- Reitmans

Skirt- Joe Fresh

Shooties- Reitmans

Minimalism Week #15- Under The Bathroom Sink

This week I worked on the cupboard underneath the sink in the bathroom.  I mainly keep extra soaps, a few sponges for cleaning and my hair stuff underneath the sink.  I think many women can identify with owning too many shampoos, hair products and basically any lotions and potions.  We want that bouncy hair and clear skin and we are willing to buy product after product in search of this.  Many of these products don't live up to our expectations and they don't get to stay on the shower shelves.  I tend to relegate mine to this cupboard.  I cleaned this cupboard out and got rid of so many products!  I also donated a three barrel curling iron, some unopened hair products (they were gifts), and some headbands.  I plan to stop and really think about my future purchases.  Minimalism applies to this aspect of my life, too.  Just because something is "only" a few dollars, doesn't mean it deserves a place in my home.  Most advertising is clever and makes us want to buy the "miracle" product.  Most advertising lies, as well.  I am going to try to take a step back the next time I want to try a new product and really think about why.  Especially when I have a bevy of products that work well for me.

Here is my before:

The After:

P.S.  I keep my hair styling tools in a metal utensil caddy.  It was relatively inexpensive, but it was one of my better purchases.  It keeps my tools neat and tidy!The added bonus of only owning three heat styling tools is that I have a compartment for each tool and a compartment for each tool's cord.  It works really well!

High Five For Friday!

Hello Everyone!  It has been a heavy week around these parts.  One of my closest friends lost her son this week.  My heart aches for her.  Please keep my friend and her family in your prayers, if you can.

I am glad that I do this link up because it is good to always reflect on the positive moments in our week.  Without further ado, here are my FIVE:

1.)  Miss. E continues to grow and change.  She is learning to pull herself up to a standing position, which both excites and frightens me!  She has also added Ma to her vocabulary.  Although it is almost always prefaced with a Ba.  (Ba-ma-ma-ma)  I'll take it!

2.)  I am getting my heater fixed in my vehicle today!  That's right!  It was -35 and I was driving around with no heat on my passenger side!  Yikes!  I am very excited to get that fixed.

3.)  The weather did warm up!  Thank goodness!  Miss. E and I took advantage of the temperatures and spent time outside.

4.)  I stuck to week 2 of my workout routine.  Yay!  I am seeing results and I am feeling stronger every day!

5.)  My weekly meal planning is going well.  I absolutely love not having to wonder what I am going to make for supper.  I have gone ahead and planned our next two weeks, so I can grab some groceries when I am in the city tomorrow.

Have a wonderful weekend!  If you want to join in on High Five For Friday, link up with the lovely ladies below! (P.S.  Thank you so much for your help, Tif!  I got the button to work!  Woooo!)

Wardrobe Wednesday- A Skirt in Cold Weather

It is hard to wear pretty skirts and dresses when it is so miserable outside.  We have been dealing with temperatures around -35 degrees Celcius (-22 Fahrenheit).  I paired mine with black leggings (warmer than tights), a long sleeve shirt and a scarf.  Layering is important!  When I was outside, I paired the outfit with my long black coat, tall black boots and red gloves.

Thank goodness it is warming up around here!  Tweet me your outfits @peacefulsimple with #wardrobewednesday!

Minimalism Week #14- Linen Closet

We are back to "normal" around here.  I have returned to my minimalism projects.  I want to continue on my path to minimalism and become more discerning about what we really need.

This week I tackled the linen closet.  This is a closet that should be done every 6 months in my house.  We store our towels, medications (Tylenol, Benadryl, etc), nail care products and extra toiletries in this closet.

Here is my before shot ('photobombed' by my cat, Pepper)

It doesn't look TERRIBLE, but it is still in need of some work.

I went through the towels and got rid of one that was in rough shape.  I went through all the medications and got rid of anything that was expired. (We only had a few products that had expired since I try to go through them every 6 months.)  Your local pharmacy can help you with the proper disposal of medications.  I went through our products and got rid of anything that wasn't used or had expired.

Nail care drawer before:

After:

Closet After:

I had a few items for donation, but mostly I just had expired products hitting trash.  I will be more aware of what we buy, as it seems we have an abundance of extra personal products, right now.  

High Five For Friday

I am so happy that the torch has been passed!  I enjoy doing H54F so I am glad that I still have people to link up with. Here are my five:

1.). Hubby and I got to see "The Hobbit".  It was nice to do a date night!  I so enjoyed "The Hobbit" trilogy of movies.

2.) I started a 90 day workout program and have stuck to it so far.  I am excited to have a structured excercise program to follow.  It helps me feel motivated.

3.) One of my resolutions was to read " Pride and Prejudice".  As a young person, I was always a voracious reader, so I am not sure how I managed to avoid reading it. I am enjoying it, thus far.  I will take a while to get through it, as I don't have the time to read that I once did.

4.) Dr. Who.  Hubby and I have been getting into Dr. Who.  We are into the second season of  David Tennant as 'The Doctor '.  He is great!

5.) We have started Baby Sign Language with Miss. E.  It is going well.  She is not yet signing back (as expected), but she is catching on to what the signs mean, which is really neat to see!

How was your week?  Link up at Coffee With Caitlin, Cup Of Tea, Bright on a Budget or Della Devoted one of the bloggers below to join in!

I will have to learn how to add the button to my blog posts.  That can be my goal for the week!

Wardrobe Wednesday- In the deep freeze!

It is winter.  Definitely winter.  Temperatures took quite a dip in the last week and I am turning into an ice pop as we speak.  I find it hard to make outfits warm without losing my "shape".  I love my faux leather bomber jacket for this!  It keeps the shape and adds warmth.  I mixed some patterns today: tiny squares and animal print.  Original?  Definitely not!  A good baby step for pattern mixing?  Certainly!  I am very tame when mixing patterns.  A good rule for trying this is choosing a tiny, unobtrusive pattern (the white blouse with tiny squares) with a bolder pattern (animal print).  It also helps to keep both patterns in neutral colors, if you are new to pattern mixing.

** I am finding that I am less and less impressed with the wearing the grey leggings as pants.  I feel like they need a long tunic or dress.  I will likely retire them to my "house clothes".  I also made a huge error when washing my long black sweater (which I LOVED).  It is ruined so it won't be showing up in any #wardrobewednesday posts.  

Tweet me your outfits @peacefulsimple with #wardrobewednesday.

Hello 2015!

I love making New Year's Resolutions!  I actually stick to them, too!  I make my resolutions clear.  For instance, I wouldn't write "I will get into better shape".  Instead I write: "I will walk the dog five times a week".  I find setting a goal with parameters helps me stay on track.  I use my day timer to mark my progress.  I don't always meet my goals, but I find that the consistent effort leads to decent habits being formed.

This year, I plan to continue my focus on minimalism.  My husband and I want to continue paring down our belongings.  I am going to bring minimalism to the rest of my life, as well.  I plan to continue my concerted effort to say no to events or projects that I don't have the time or passion for.  Hubby and I have started meal planning (just our suppers!) in hopes of bringing organization to our grocery shopping.  It should also save us money.  I also want to be much more intentional with my shopping.  I am loving the winter capsule wardrobe, so I will likely continue the process!

My husband and I have found that our path towards minimalism has given us freedom and the ability to focus on what we truly want out of our lives.  I try to practice mindfulness in my day to day life and it has had a huge impact on my sense of peace and happiness.  Deep breathing, guided meditation and prayer are wonderful ways for me to practice mindfulness.

I urge you to sit with yourself. without distraction.  Try some deep breathing and focus on how you feel with your life.  Are you feeling happy?  Content?  Or are you feeling torn, unhappy, and overwhelmed?  If you aren't feeling centered, is there something you can do about it?  Often, I find that I already know the answers to what I need to do with my life.  I just get distracted from it.  You need to shut out the "noise" to find your path.  Of course, then comes the difficult part.  You must head down the path and shed the baggage holding you down.  Material things, toxic relationships and crammed schedules need to go.  Make time for what truly matters.  Easy?  Definitely not.  Worth it?  Beyond a shadow of a doubt!

I hope that 2015 will be a great year for you.  I invite you to come along with me as I work with my family to bring minimalism to all aspects of our life.