The Freedom That Comes From Lack Of Clutter

One year ago Mi Miguel and I decided to get rid of those things that bog us down. We had a 4600 sq. ft. home in IN and a 2300 sq. ft. cabin in KY. Both were filled with things we thought made us happy. It didn't take us long to realized how bogged down we were with constant cleaning and maintenance.

Once we realized we were needed in Florida we started selling and donating most of our heavy furniture, books, collectibles, holiday decorations, clothing and shoes. Even though we had it all organized and the cabin and our home were always clean and tidy, organized clutter is still clutter.

Revamping our lifestyle has been one of the best decisions that my husband and I have ever made as a married couple. Life is so much more enjoyable when your home conveys joy and relaxation. I found the letters to spell out Relax and have them hanging in the second guest bedroom as a constant reminder, if you're in our home, you must relax.

Here we are in Florida with about 1/4 of the material things we've accumulated over the past 32 years. We're down to just sorting through boxes of ephemera from our childhood and other little things that mean so much to us. Seriously, how can you throw away the Elton John, Pinball Wizard poster? My plan for these things will be to try and work them into our decor. What good are they in a box on a shelf in a closet? Elton John may not make the cut but he will forever be remembered and safely stored in my 13 year old mind.

While clearing a path in the Florida room, we spent part of the un-cluttering weekend masking off where we want our master bedroom closet to be built. We purchased a four piece wall unit from the previous owner and plan to use them as closet organizers. Mi Miguel and I will build the new closet walls because after all the other projects we've done so far, how hard can it be to build two walls, right?

The white ceiling light/fan that hangs directly in the center of what will be our new closet...must go. I have a spectacular idea of what will look perfect in that spot. The trite closet chandelier isn't an option because we're using those for the pergola; too many of those and it keeps any particular one from standing out. My friend of many, many years is sending me two amber, yes you heard that right, amber swag lamps. I want to combine those with the one that was left in our house from the previous owner.

So with the three swag lamps and this contraption you may be on to the the first clue of what we're going to make for a closet light. If you guessed staggering all three swags from this silver soon to be painted light fixture, you'd be right. It will be attractive and yet not girly since we'll both be sharing this closet. 

We've been power washing the house and narrowing down our paint choices. Today is the day we choose our color. I've added a few more shades to the mix. One is a soft shade of green suggested by my friend Karen in Indiana. 

The other is a softer shade of yellow with a touch of orange in it (in the photo above. It's seen a lot in Florida and I love it with a clay roof.  

No matter the color we choose, we know for sure that the current peach color doesn't do much for the stone. Before we power wash the front of the house we plan to remove the arch that's over the sidewalk. I love the arch going over the garden area though. Two arches are too much for this small house.

Another thing we accomplished this weekend, the purchase of a new power washer. You know you are a true fixer upper kind of girl when a brand new power washer excites you more  than a diamond ring. 

This evening you can find us celebrating in front of our house as we carefully set those last few boxes to the curb to be collected bright and early in the morning.

Tonight, we'll probably both be sleeping with one eye opened to make sure neither of us run out to retrieve a regrettably tossed piece of from our past.