Reading, Writing & Pondering

  One of my goals is to spend less time on-line this year. When I saw Edit Your Life: A Handbook for Living with Intention by Elisabeth Sharp McKetta, I wanted to see what advice this book had to offer that would help me as I work towards my goals, including that one. This book is aimed at anyone wanting to make changes in any or all areas of their lives--at any age. Edit Your Life is divided into three parts. Part One is Examine Your Life. There are some questions to ask yourself and points to think about in this section. What is it? What Could it Be? What is Needed? The author offers suggestions on how to claim what is necessary FOR YOUR LIFE, and discard what is not. It isn't the same for everyone. We are all unique people and she makes that clear. Part 2 is to Edit Your Life. Edit for Clarity, Growth and Generosity. The author makes suggestions in each of these areas. She includes examples from her life and the lives of others she knows.  Part 3 is to Enjoy Your Life. En...

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...

These past few years since we have downsized after moving four times in three years, we have been remodeling and making this last house our home. Our goal has been simple yet cozy. I haven't always known how to do that well, but I am learning thanks to The Nester (Myquillyn Smith). Her latest book, Cozy Minimalist Home is just what I have been looking for to make our living room and dining room a place of cozy rest for my family and guests. Cozy Minimalist Home is a how to book for creating your own style in your home that is both cozy and less cluttered. Minimalism doesn't have to mean cold and empty. Instead it can be both cozy and easier to care for with less stuff  to clean and move around (CoMi style). The Nester tells us how to decorate, arrange furniture, hang curtains, buy rugs, add lighting, accessorize a room, and bring color to walls. All the while you are doing these things, she shows how you can still maintain your own sense of style that makes your home uniq...

A Simplified Life: Tactical Tools for Intentional Living by Emily Ley is as beautiful as it is practical. It is a feast for the eyes and following Ley's guidelines would surely give peace to your home. A Simplified Life walks readers through the process of simplifying ten key areas of life: Space at home, personal style, meal planning, schedule, finances, hospitality, technology, self-care, motherhood, and faith in God. Through each area, Ley will help readers declutter distractions, put the tools in place to keep things running more smoothly, and help readers establish routines that work for their life. I wish I had had A Simplified Life when I was a young mother. Now my son is 16 and I have figured a lot of these things out on my own by now. However, I think this would be a great book for a woman in her 20s and 30s who is just starting her family and trying to keep everything running smoothly. Ley offers a lot of practical helpful tips. There are also a lot of lovely pi...

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...

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...