2020 Home Reset- Utility Closet

We live in a smaller home that does not have great storage.  This has definitely encouraged us to embrace minimalism as much as we can.  It also means that we have to be creative with the storage that we do have.  My kitchen cupboard space is cramped and poorly planned.  This means that our kitchen appliances (like my beloved Instant Pot) have to find homes elsewhere.  Enter the utility closet.  This closet is near our front door entrance (which is rarely used) and just off of the living room.  It stores cleaning supplies, cookbooks, craft supplies, and kitchen appliances.  We put a wire shelf in the closet and my handy husband built a wood shelf for the closet.  This helps us maximize the space that we can use.

This space has to be flexible because our family's needs change all the time.  The closet wasn't super crazy but it was not living up to its potential.  I made a few changes and cleaned it out to help us get the most use out of this closet.

Before:

After:

I moved the basket of extension cords (which are only used twice a year) to the top shelf, along with cleaning supplies and recipe books.  The newfound space on the second shelf allowed me to stash the girls' board games, activities, craft sets and instruments.  

The bottom shelves of the closet remained mostly the same.  I vacuumed the closet and wiped the shelves.

This closet is being utilized better now and I am so happy with how it turned out!

Looking Back on 2019

My word of the year for 2019 was 'embrace'.  I really enjoyed this word.  It was helpful in reminding me to be accepting of others as they are and it reminded me to accept myself as I am.  I worked hard to do this and I think that it really improved my relationships with family and friends.

I made four resolutions last year.  Some went well, others did not.  Several things happened throughout the year that made keeping my resolutions difficult.  I became pregnant this year and then suffered a miscarriage.  I required surgery because of this.  My husband had surgery and was unable to work or lift anything for 6 weeks.  I had trouble with my ear that is still ongoing.  These interruptions made some of my resolutions difficult for me.

1.  Establish a Morning Routine   I did this at various intervals throughout the year.  When I was sick and going through my miscarriage, I did not even attempt to stick to this routine.  I have been working on re-establishing my calm mornings and it is going well so far.

2.  Treat the Earth Better.  I greatly decreased the number of baths I took this year.  I did not stick to my two per month limit, however.  I averaged about four baths per month.  I am still working towards reducing this.  My husband and I reduced the amount that we traveled this year which of course decreased our fuel consumption.  I walked as much as possible and continue to do so.  We definitely reduced our food waste this year, which was great.

3.  Save.  Hubby and I saved for and purchased a new furnace and hot water heater for our house.  We were happy to be able to cash flow this major purchase.

4.  Walk 5 or more times per week.  Nope.  This did not happen.  I walked as much as possible, but when I was sick I wasn't leaving my house much.  Some of my walking also did not translate into walks for my dog (which was the basis of this resolution).  Now that we are both feeling healthy, Hubby and I have been good about taking turns taking the dog out.  She loves to get out of the yard and smell new scents!

Overall, I am happy with how I did with my goals.  This year seemed to have its fair share of obstacles and I stuck with my goals to the best of my ability.

I do want to say that although this year included some difficult moments, it also included some fun ones.  Our oldest daughter started Kindergarten (which she loves!), I went back to school, I rediscovered my love of performing arts, I found people to form a Harry Potter reading group with, our youngest daughter learned so much, Hubby recovered well from his surgery, and my parents each celebrated their 60th birthdays.  The year had some really beautiful, wonderful moments.

How did your 2019 go?  Did you make and keep any resolutions?  I just want to add that sometimes it's okay if you just simply made it through the year.  That is enough.  It truly is.

2020 Home Reset- Living Room

In the new year I always crave calm and order.  After the fun, indulgence and general chaos of the holidays I am ready to embrace order.  Last year I started to work through my home in an effort to clean up and create order.  I got sick and my ambition fell to the wayside.  I hope to tackle my home this year.

My first stop was my living room.  My living room is where we watch television, read, where the kids play and where my home office is.  This room has many functions and is our most used room.

Step 1: Clear all unnecessary items.  We took the Christmas tree down and put away our Christmas decor.  We moved big toys downstairs to the playroom and removed anything else that did not belong.

Step 2:  Give the room a good cleaning.  We moved furniture and vacuumed the floors.  Baseboards and surfaces were wiped down.

Step 3:  Sort through the items that are left.  We went through the toys, books, magazines and papers in the room.  I took a small bin of recycling and a small bag of garbage out of the room.  I made sure to put items back in an organized manner.  

Result:  The room feels calmer, cleaner and it looks a lot bigger.  The whole project only took a couple hours and was broken up over the course of a few days.  Sometimes it is easier to do projects a little bit at a time so you don't get frustrated or bored with it.

2020- Word of the Year and Intentions

2020 is here.  I love the new year.  I like being able to shift my focus and create goals.  I have made the decision to write this post solely about the upcoming year and what I have decided to focus on, rather than look back on 2019.  I will do a recap of last year's word and how my goals turned out, but today I want to focus on the present and the future.

My word of the year for 2020 is BOLD. (Ha!  See what I did there?)  I wouldn't say that I struggle with a lot of insecurities, but I do struggle to put myself out there at times.  I have always been the 'nerdy' kid and while I love who I am, I do worry about how other people will react to me.  I was picked on as a kid (like a lot of people, I am sure) and I really internalized that.  I like being me at home.  When I am out and about, however, I try to shut my nerdy side down.

This year I am going to be me.  I will be bold in honouring who I am and what I am passionate about.  I will not worry as much about what other people think of me.  I have already started to grow in this direction, but this year I will fully embrace who I am.

Resolutions

Earlier this year I did a 20 minute challenge in an effort to tackle the downstairs clutter that had accumulated.  I found that committing to 20 minutes of an activity felt easy to achieve and quick.  I didn't have to drum up much effort to do 20 minutes of work and the results were impressive.

I am using what I learned from my 20 minute challenge in my resolutions this year.  Three times a week, for 20 minutes I will focus on a certain activity.  This means that I will spend one hour a week focused on a certain goal, which isn't asking a lot.  I have chosen 3 activities. 

1.)  Movement  I will focus on moving my body.  Walking, strength training, yoga and whatever else I can come up with.  I need to increase my strength and this will be a good way to do that.

2.)  Writing  I love to write and I have let that fall by the wayside.  I will spend time writing this year and getting back to what I love.

3.)  Home Projects  I will spend time clearing clutter, uploading photos to photo books and taking care of all those small projects that I have ignored for far too long.

Happy New Year, friends!  May 2020 bring you joy, peace and strength.

Winter 2019/2020 Capsule

My Winter 2019/2020 Capsule Wardrobe consists of 35 pieces.  I am planning to add another piece or two to my capsule.  My beloved skinny jeans don't fit well at the moment and instead of painfully squeezing into them, I am going to visit a second hand store and see if I can find a new pair that does fit me well.

This summer was a difficult one, especially emotionally.  When fall started, my family and I embarked on a few new adventures and life has felt full.  Not overwhelming or crazy, but definitely full.  I have started school again, my daughter started Kindergarten, I am in our local drama group (which I love!), I started a local Harry Potter group, and I am sitting on several boards that I feel passionate about.  Exercising/working out has not been a priority.  I am fine with this.  I am happy living the life that I am and if that means that I have gained a few pounds, so be it.  I do think that my physical strength has been lacking so I am hoping to start up strength training again after I have written my final exams.  It would be nice to be able to move my x-ray equipment at work with ease, which hasn't been the case lately.

2019 Fall Outfits- 27.11.19

This will be my last fall outfit post.  This capsule was supposed to last until the end of December, but I am becoming bored with it and I need to make a few changes to accommodate my upcoming schedule.  When planning my capsule wardrobes, I think that I need to plan around our 'weather' seasons rather than calendar seasons.  I will be planning my Winter wardrobe and show it to you soon!  These are the last few of my Fall outfits.

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Dealing With the Winter Blues

Every year around this time, I seem to get hit with the winter blues.  It drags down my emotions, my energy and makes it hard for me to want to get off of my couch.  I feel exhausted, sad, and drained.  I think that my feelings are due to the change in season and due to the fact that we don't seem to get much sunshine in our transition to winter.  I thought I would write about a few things that help pull me out of my melancholic state.

1.)  Go for a walk.  This one is not my favourite because it requires a lot of effort on my part.  When I am suffering from the winter blues, the last thing I want to do is leave my home.  Here's the thing: it really does help.  The combination of exercise, fresh air and seeing nature (like trees, sky and birds) really lifts my spirits.

2.)  Up my Vitamin D intake.  We simply do not get enough Vitamin D where I live.  It really can make a person feel lethargic.  My doctor recommended that I take a higher dose than the Health Canada recommended amount and it has made a huge difference in how I feel.  Talk to your doctor if you have questions about your Vitamin D intake.

3.)  Make time to see friends and family.  When I am feeling down, I try to seek out my friends so that we can spend some face-to-face time together.  Spending time with people you love and enjoy goes a long way to buoy your spirits.

This time of year can be really difficult for a lot of us.  If you are unable to lift your spirits through these techniques or any of your own, please seek help.  Depression isn't something you need to shoulder alone.