Reading, Writing & Pondering

For the past several years, I have been following Joshua Becker's blog. I have also read all of his books through this one. His new book, The Minimalist Home is full of great information for anyone wanting to declutter and re-focus their life. When I read Becker's first books, we were getting ready to move and I knew I needed to get rid of stuff. His encouraging books and blogs helped us pare down and make that move. What we didn't know then was that we would make 3 more moves in a short time span. Each time, we pared down a little more. We have now been in this house for three years.  . .and we were starting to pick up some clutter again after family members passed away. We knew we needed to once again declutter, which is why I wanted to read The Minimalist Home . Becker is so encouraging and clear in his method of walking you through decluttering your house that I think he makes the process enjoyable. Besides his how-to information, at the end of each chapter, Becke...

Do you feel like you have way too much stuff and your house is always a mess? If so, then Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White might be just what you need to help you through the mess to the light at the end of the room. Decluttering at the Speed of Life is written by someone who says she is a reluctant decluttering expert. White admits that she had to get her own house under control so they could live better lives. She shares what she learned in this book. It is divided into Four parts: Building a Decluttering Mind-set, Decluttering Room by Room, Helping Others Declutter, and Special Circumstances in Decluttering. She shares her story and she offers practical advice to work through your own clutter. I did a lot of cleaning out before moving to our current house three years ago, so I don't have a huge amount of clutter. I was just looking for some spring cleaning inspiration so I chose this book. I think it would be a great book if you are looking for help to ...

Unstuffed   isn't your usual type of decluttering book as the subtitle says, Decluttering Your Home, Mind and Soul. Unstuffed offers advice on improving life in your home and with friends along with improving your spiritual and physical health. As I think about it, that is a tall order for this book. Unstuffed is divided into three sections. Part one shares information on creating the home you want to live in as well as dealing with all the stuff that you fill it with. It isn't full of how to declutter because Soukup says she wrote another book on that topic. Part two shares information on how to slow down your schedule and clear up some of the paperwork that comes through your home. The last section of this part also contains a chapter on dealing with other people's stuff, whether it is given to you or you inherited it. The last part of the book offers information on how to cultivate real friendships and release those that are not serving you well or are toxic. It a...

I have followed Joshua Becker for the past 3 years or more. He is the founder and editor of Becoming Minimalist, a website devoted to helping people find greater fulfillment in life than in more possessions. Somehow I found his website and it resonated with me. We began the journey to owning less. I am so thankful we began this journey as we have lived in 4 places in the last 3 years due to my husband's job changes. I couldn't have done that as easily without eliminating so much of the stuff that we eliminated. We have now been in this house, a smaller house than we started with 4 years ago, for 9 months and we love it. At the same time, I thought it would be good for a minimalist refresher so couldn't wait to review Joshua's new book, The More of Less. The More of Less is subtitled Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own. I think that says the goal of "minimalizing" quite well. Joshua Becker shares his own story and the stories of others he h...

Spark Joy from Marie Kondo would help anyone take the Life-changing Magic Of Tidying Up to the next level. This book is "an illustrated master class on the art of organizing and tidying up." This book relays Marie Kondo's methods in complete detail for someone interested in putting all of her methods to work in their life. Spark Joy is divided into three parts: KonMari Master Tips; The Tidying Encyclopedia; and Life-Changing Magic. In the first section, Marie Kondo shares what her method is and why it can help you live a more joyful life. The second section is a detailed description of how to go through your house completely, including the order she recommends. The last section offers advice on how to tie everything together into your house with your family. She also shares some things she struggled with here and offers some encouragement for making a few changes to make the plan work long term for you. The KonMari method is Marie Kondo's specific method for tid...

Over the past 3 years, my husband and I have sold one house and moved and are now in process of moving again. During this time, I have done quite a bit of decluttering and de-owning. Yet, as we prepare to move again, I wondered if I could do more so I  read Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. This is a great little book to read and learn from as you seek to declutter and organize your home or apartment. I like that the book is small so I took it back and forth the past 2 weeks as we are in transition to move. It easily fit in my purse to pull out and read whenever I had a few minutes to spare. Marie Kondo  runs an acclaimed consulting business in Tokyo helping clients transform their cluttered homes into spaces of serenity and inspiration. With a three-month waiting list, her KonMari Method of decluttering and organizing has become an international phenomenon. In the life-changing magic of tidying up, she shares her experiences, what led her to ...

I'm not sure other girls my age had a Hope Chest, but I come from an old-fashioned family. I got my blue Hope Chest sometime when I was a teenager. My mom got this old chest, lined it in blue fabric painted it up for me. The trunk matched my room that had carpet in varying shades of blue (the shade of the trunk), pink and purple. . . Now I had a beautiful blue trunk Hope Chest. . .and it was time to begin filling it. ..  We filled it with pillowcases I had embroidered in 4H, doilies and sheets that were heirlooms inherited from a great grandparent, Ralph Lauren pillowcases and wash clothes I gleaned while working at a department store internship, and other household items. We shopped sales, auctions and rummage sales back in those days to find things we knew that I would NEED to make a house a home. . .Then, to add to my stash, we put aside "Hope Chest" items like dishes, silverware, glasses, and that sort of thing in more boxes tucked in my parents' basement to...

Over the past couple of years, I have felt God impressing on me that I needed to eliminate the excess and simplify my life. . .And I have been working at it. . .I have cleaned out books I don't need. Some were donated to library sales, others were swapped and a few went on garage sales. I have rid myself of excess nick nacks. . downsized a teapot collection. . .and extra kitchenware. . .Again I sold some stuff on Craig's List and on garage sales. We have been doing the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University Plan so I am not replacing junk by going shopping. I am putting extra money on paying off bills or buying things we truly need. Still it seems like the stuff we do have just keeps multiplying. . .Over the summer, while spending most of my time with my 9-year old son, my desk papers multiplied and I now have a large stack to sort through. E-mails piled up into a virtual stack of mail a mile high so need to clean those out. So before next summer, I am going to come up wit...