Project: Simplify Home

Recently I went on a five week excursion through Europe. I learned many a things during that time, but the idea that suck with me the most was this notion of simplifying my life. I lived out of a small carry-on suitcase with just a few options for outfits for five weeks...and it was amazing. I ate simple, yummy, whole foods. I simply walked around all day and easily dropped a few pounds. Simplicity. What a concept!? So many times I try and complicate my life with trying this diet or stressing about that work-out or worrying about what other people think or becoming consumed with my lists and to-dos. I can't say that I'll ever be able to give up the planner in me, but my resolution for 2012 and for the rest of my life is to simply live simpler.

Why blog about it? Why not just simply live my life? Because I grew quite fond of blogging while in Europe. I enjoyed the accountability as well as the encouragement from readers and friends. So I decided to start a new blog about my year of adopting a lifestyle of simplicity. I hope to carry this on forever, but let's just start with one year at a time.

Here you will find simple life lessons. Simple recipes. Simple crafts. Simple home decor ideas. Simple cleaning tips. Simply simple things.

Where to start? I'm beginning this journey by purging my life of all the excess "stuff". Thanks to an idea from my cousin Morgan, I implemented Boxing Day at our apartment a couple days before New Years Eve. I started going through my clothes and other things already have over 10 large trash bags full of things I'm giving away. I am still in disgust of myself at the amount of excess I've been hording in my closet over the past 7 years while living in San Diego. Gone with it all I say! And with this action comes a lesson in patience. My immediate reaction is to hurry up and get through it all. Finish packing it all up, finish the "face-lift" in my room, finish, finish, finish. But then I realized that in order to simplify my life, I need to take things at the pace I can complete them and be satisfied with that. My apartment is in shambles, there is still so much work to do, but you know what...it's ok. There will be another day, another night, another weekend to forge through this project some more. It will get done. One day at a time.

Here are some pictures of the beginnings of Project: Simplify Home.

My dresser drawers were overflowing with clothes. Other people need these clothes more than I do.

My closed was bursting at the seams!

My "stuff" took over my desk and it soon became a shelf and not a space to work.

 A girl really does NOT need this many pairs of shoes! What about the people who can't even afford to buy one pair? These should go to them.

All bagged up! I still have more to come.