Minimalism Week #18- Back Porch Closet

When I first began tackling this project, I thought that it would become more of an organizational project than a minimalism project.  The closet led me to other areas in my house and I was able to donate a bag of warm weather accessories, a blanket, 2 purses and 2 pairs of boots.

Here is my before:

(You can hardly tell our Golden Retriever sleeps by this closet.. Oh my goodness. The hair....)

And the after:

The project branched into other areas of the house, which led to a lot more minimizing.  Of course, once I was on a roll, I didn't take pictures!

I made room for Miss. E's sun hats and toques that will only fit her as she gets bigger.  I donated any winter accessories (mitts, scarves, toques) that I don't wear.  Hubby got rid of some of his winter stuff.  I found a purse and wallet that I don't use.  A lot of little things.  Those things add up, however and I intend to keep this in mind when I am out shopping.  I don't want to wake up one day and find myself overwhelmed by all of the little things that I have collected and hung on to.

High Five For Friday!

Hello Everyone!  I am very excited for this weekend.  We are celebrating Valentine's Day tonight and then my husband's brother and friend are coming down for the weekend.  It is Family Day weekend where I live so Hubby gets Monday off, too!

Here are my five:

1.)  I had coffee with a co-worker and her baby this week.  It was nice to see her.  We chatted and she had some delicious treats for us to eat!

2.)  Miss E and I ran up to the city to get groceries and she was a delight!  Sometimes she gets grumpy when we do our big grocery run, but she was so happy!  She squealed at everyone and gave them big smiles.  It was funny.

                                                        
3.)  I tried a new recipe this week and it was really yummy.  What did people do before Pinterest?

4.)  Hubby and I booked a weekend getaway for our little family.  We are so excited to get away.  Our big holiday had to be cancelled because work has slowed down, but we are happy that we can still do a little trip together.

5.)  Hubby had some days where he came home early this week (not much work...).  I really got to enjoys spending some time with him while Miss. E napped.  She hasn't been a good sleeper as of late, so our evenings are spent nursing and settling Miss. E.

How was your week?  Join in High Five For Friday below!

Wardrobe Wednesday- Playful With Colour!

This outfit feels playful to me.  I like that it is practical (warm and comfy), but that it looks kind of fun!  I like colour so it was fun to pair the emerald sweater with the red checked shirt.  I belted it, which always adds shape with a defined waist.  I mentioned that I was disappointed in some of the pieces that I picked for my Winter Wardrobe and that I felt there was a general lack of colout.  This outfit helps me feel bright and cheery.  I am disappointed that I haven't worn this shirt more.  I plan to fix that by wearing it more this month!  

Minimalism Week #17- Laundry Room

I have drooled over Pinterest laundry rooms many times.  Alas, my laundry room is practical, but definitely not pretty!  Over the last few years the laundry room has also stored several items that had no other home.  This past weekend, I went through it and decluttered the room.

Here is the before:

I donated some items and got Hubby to get rid of his oodles of coveralls (he can't wear them to work anymore).  We had a lot of 'junk' that we held on to just in case.  We finally let it go.  Two bags of garbage came out of this purge.  We donated some bins, curtains and rods, and a shoe rack (not pictured).

The after:

Much better!  Everything in the room is useful and practical.  Just the way I like it!

High Five For Friday!

Hello |Everyone!  It has been a lovely week!  Here are my five:

1.)  It has been a busy week for Miss. E.  She got her second tooth, figured out how to get herself back into a sitting position after laying down, and she is figuring out the whole crawling thing.  She loves pulling herself up on our couch, but always does it when Hubby and I aren't paying attention, so neither of us has seen how she manages to do it.  She does it pretty quickly!

2.)  I had a doctor's appointment in the city so Miss. E and I got to do some shopping!  I managed to get a few things on my Spring Capsule Wardrobe list.  I love shopping for Spring!

3.)  I got to have a visit with my friend who lost her son.  She is doing as well as can be expected.  I miss seeing her everyday (we used to work together).  She is a wonderful person and it was nice to get together.

4.)  Hubby has been wonderful as I was trying to get Miss. E to settle and sleep in her crib. She has eczema and was teething, so she didn't want to settle.  She was probably uncomfortable, poor kid!  Every time I came out of her room, the dishes were done.  I was very happy to see that!

5.)  We had our weigh in day again this week.  I have lost more weight and inches (despite the incident with the lasagna last week!).  I love the workout program.  Hubby is doing well with it, too!  We are doing the Bikini Body Mommy 90 day challenge.  We are only taking part in the (free!) workouts.  They are intense, but quick (15-20 minutes).  The quick workouts are ideal with having a little one!

Hope you all had a wonderful week!  Link up below to join in!

Wardrobe Wednesday- My Go To 'Outfit'

I think we all have a 'default' outfit in our closet.  We feel confident in this outfit and possibly comfortable.  I can usually be found in my jeans and my plum nursing top.  The jeans fit well and I feel comfortable in the top.  I can nurse anywhere I go and not have to worry about wardrobe malfunctions.  I add a scarf and sometimes a sweater and I am good to go.  Happy Wednesday!

Spring 2015 Capsule Wardrobe Planning

I have began working on my Spring 2015 Capsule Wardrobe.  I got the idea of doing a Capsule Wardrobe on Caroline's blog Un-Fancy.  I was reading that she plans to do just a warm weather capsule and a cold weather capsule.  I think this would be an awesome idea.  I will do a year of seasonal wardrobes, because it helps me focus my efforts more efficiently.  At this point, I would find planning 6 months of wardrobe to be overwhelming.

First things first.  I enjoyed having a Capsule Wardrobe.  I learned a few things, as well:

#1) I NEED MORE COLOUR: I tried to keep my Winter Capsule rather neutral because I thought it would be easier to make outfits.  I found this to be drab.  I love colour and I should have included a lot more colour in both my clothes and my accessories.

#2) I NEED MORE COMFORT: I also put in a lot of sweaters, but no sweatshirts.  I should have included a sweatshirt or two to help make some easy, comfortable outfits.

#3) SOME THINGS JUST DON'T LOOK GOOD ON ME: I learned that I need to pay much closer attention to the shape of the clothes that I buy.  I had some oversize sweaters that did nothing to flatter my figure.  I could belt them (and I did belt them a few times), but as it turns out,  I hate wearing belts!  Once in a while was okay, but more often then not, I just took the belt off right away. Some of my items didn't work for me.  I thought that they would be great and they were not.  I have several items in the donation pile.  This wardrobe has been a wonderful experience in planning and in knowing what shapes of clothes work for my body type.

When planning my Spring Capsule wardrobe, I will try to keep the things I learned in mind.  I love navy, white, coral and pink in the Spring.  I want to keep a clean, classic look with comfort and colour.  I will keep in mind that Miss. E's first birthday falls in the Spring and I will want something cute to wear for her birthday party!

I have been pinning ideas like crazy and "window" shopping on the internet.  I will start buying items soon and putting the wardrobe together.  I am so excited!  I know that I will have more items in this wardrobe, because I will have the ability to wear more types of clothes because of the warmer weather.  That being said, I have to have some warm clothes.  I live in Canada and it has been know to snow in May!  (Not often, but it does happen!)